Author 2 Author Welcomes DG!!

Welcome Dianne Gardner Illustrator and Author to my first ‘Author 2 Author’ Blog Interview. Thank you for stopping by, please make yourself at home and we’ll begin.

A little bit about Dianne (Quoted from Site)…

Dianne Gardner is both an author and illustrator. She’s an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the National League of American Pen Women. She has written Young Adult Fantasy novels as well as articles for national magazines and newspapers and she is an award winning artist.

Dianne spent many years living out in the desert wilderness of the American Southwest, lived in a hogan made from adobe and cedar for thirteen years, co-owned 25 horses both pure bred and Native American ponies, traveled horseback and by wagon throughout the Navajo reservation, herded sheep and goat, worked in the forest planting trees and piling, farmed on barren soil and even lived in a teepee for a short while. She spent many long years using survival skills as a way of life.

Later she studied pastoral counseling and was a Pastor’s apprentice at a mainline church. She and her husband have been feeding the homeless for over twelve years. Today she amalgates both her survival experiences and her love for people, especially young people, into her writing seeking not only to give her readers a firm understanding of her stories’ characters, but a rich appreciation of nature.

Hydra Publications

Site

The Dragon Shield is the 2nd Book to the Ian's Realm Saga.

Published 28/01/13, via Hydra Publications

Page Numbers Source ISBN; 0615760457

ASIN; B00B7OVUWK

Book Blurb:

Book 2 follows Deception Peak in the Ian's Realm Series, The Dragon Shield is a middle grade/young adult, adventure fantasy, a great book for boys and adventure loving girls. In The Dragon shield, Ian, now a young man, returns to the magical Realm to fight against the tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different place, the forest is dying, the Kaemperns have lost the shield that protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle to do right buries him in confusion, and he must fight his own will to prove his integrity. The Ian's Realm series is filled with sorcery, wizards, magic, and fantasy adventure, great for young readers and the entire family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tell us a little bit more about yourself, Dianne?

First and foremost I can boast of being a grandmother to sixteen gorgeous children. I’m an artist and have been painting ever since my mom gave me her used oil paints at the age of twelve. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and I love its forest, meadows and the sea. I am also an author that loves writing for and about these things!

~Smiles deeply~ That’s awesome! What an accomplishment x

How would you describe your book?

They are family friendly adventure fantasy stories that young people ages 9 to 90 enjoy.

What Genre is your work mainly? Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping (if not already) to explore new ventures?

I love writing about young people and coming of age stories so I won’t leave that genre. My series Ian’s Realm is adventure fantasy, the fourth book in the series will be historical fantasy in the same world, and I have a dystopia series in the making after that.

What inspired you to write your books?

I think my stories have been bottled up inside of me for a long time. I have always loved worlds like Never Never land, Narnia, Middle Earth, Wonderland, Oz. I wanted to create a world similar where there my characters are confronted with beauty, danger and adventure.

When I realized the boys in the family (my nine grandsons) weren’t avid readers, and heard their mothers complain that they were having a hard time finding books to interest them, I took it as a prodding to begin writing. The Ian’s Realm Saga is targeted for boys, but I’m finding both girls and boys, young and old are enjoying the journey.

Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

I really enjoyed writing Ian. He wasn’t difficult because I’ve been so involved with boys his age both in the first book and the second and third (Ian is 15 in the first and 18 in the next two). I feel a deep compassion for young men struggling to find their place in the world. I was told by adult men that I’ve captured Ian’s feelings perfectly.

The hardest character to write was Daryl, the little boy that causes so much trouble. I had to create his backstory later in the book to really dig into his mind and find out why he does what he does. Then I did some rewriting.

Are your characters based on real people? People you may know or TV/Movie stars?

Some of my characters are based on what I call a ‘summary’ of people that I have known. For instance Vilfred, the old sage of the forest village is fashioned after many old Navajo and Hopi elders I have met during my lifetime. Amleth was based pretty much on someone I knew years ago. Ian and Alex, the father and son, came from just observation, a little of me, my sons, my grandsons…

Without giving anything away, what is/are your favourite scene(s) in your book?

My favorite scene in The Dragon Shield is the conversation between Ian and his father three quarters of the way through the book.

If your book had a theme song, what would it be and why?

Ian is battling not only external adversaries, but also inner struggles. No one is perfect, and throughout the series Ian find faults in his father and then in himself. The theme of the story continually addresses the need to overcome obstacles for the development of inner growth.

And I used Lexa Rose's song in my trailer.

Just watched it's it's so powerful and the music is perfect! x

Do you listen to music while you write your book, if so ... what songs?

Not while I’m writing. I listen while I’m planning the stories in my head, and while I’m painting the illustrations. But I like it quiet while I write.

I’m fond of Il Divo, classical violin and classical guitar, some George Winston…lots of instrumental.

Excellent choices I must say, I’m a real classical lover also.

What’s up next for you?

I’m finishing up the next instalment, book three Rubies and Robbers, and doing rewrites on the historical fantasy Cassandra’s Castle. There are lots more books in my mind and another draft I need to work on called The Diary of a Conjurer!

What’s came first the chicken or the egg? Lol

The chicken. :)

That question always gets me haha! I love the response x

Do you have any favourite books or authors?

C.S. Lewis is my favorite. Then Forester and his tales of the high seas, then Carroll and Wonderland. I love Tolkein too.

Here could you give us a few words to people who haven’t yet read your book (s).

Sell your work ;)

The Ian’s Realm Saga is an adventure fantasy appropriate for all ages. The first book Deception Peak introduces the reader to teenage Ian Wilson as he follows his father through a portal into a deceptively beautiful Realm, where horses run free, the wind sings prophetic melodies, and their computer avatars come to life. But separation from his dad puts Ian in peril as he’s abducted by a tribe of dragon worshipers and forced to find his courage.  As he struggles for his freedom and embarks on a perilous search for his father he meets the true peacekeepers of the Realm, and learns of a greater purpose for his being there.

In The Dragon Shield Ian is a young man returning to the Realm to fight against the tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different place, the forest is dying, the Kaermperns have lost the shield that protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle to do right buries him in confusion, and he must fight his own will to prove his integrity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d like to include a review from The Independent Review UK to give you an outsider’s view of The Dragon Shield:

The Dragon Shield is packed to the rafters with incident and peril. Ian's resolve is tested like never before, the camaraderie of his supporters and their combined efforts will keep the reader engrossed. 

There is a constant battle being waged between hope and despair and you are never quite sure how things will develop. By the novels end I felt that things were only just beginning for Ian and I wanted more - a mark of Gardner's skill as a storyteller. 

What can I say? This is an excellent follow-up as well as a bridge to the next instalment - The Independent Review danielcann.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m so glad we did this today Dianne, please come back again with more of your fantastic work, would love to see allot more of your art as well, you’re an inspiration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you also to my readers/fello bloggers/ fello Authors for stopping by, tomorrows Guest Authors are Helen Johnston Laura Howard & Ingrid Hall.

Until tomorrow y'all x