First Comes the One Who Wanders

This is a wonderful novel full of very good writing. It follows the travails of a young mage, (crafter),as she tries to understand the prophecy that surrounds her life. There are many friends, enemies, and those that the mage, Leilas, can't decide is which. Not all dark is evil and not all light is pure. The magic has great variety and is fun to read about. There are many factions and Mrs. Jones does a wonderful job of keeping us informed as the story moves along. Great job!

This is a really good book and an epic fantasy. It is a long story but so well done. It is about a young woman who is a strong crafter (kind of like a magician) but she is called to be much more in the upcoming battle of good versus evil; there is a strong predominant element of good vs evil and God vs Devil. I only have a couple issues, the first being that transitions weren't well handled. There were some moments where I thought I had missed a couple pages because things weren't explained, or they were explained later but it would have been better sooner. I found the middle of the book did slow down a bit. But overall I think fantasy readers will love this book. I love how the main character really grew into a strong, confident woman. Also, the world was built very well and that was fun and easy to understand.

Q: When did you first start writing?

A: I have always made up stories in my mind. I started writing them down

in my twenties. I appreciate that the ebook medium is now available

to allow me to share my stories with others.

Q: What's the story behind your latest book?

A: My latest offering is Then Will Come A Warrior. This is the final book

in the Saga of Preterlandis series.

Then Will Come A warrior is about a seer and a warrior who has been called to

fulfill a prophecy. He must lead the people of the light magic to safety and defend

them against the dark army that wants to destroy them. He must also find a way to

reunite all the people in Preterlandis and prove he is worthy to be their king.

Q: What motivated you to become an indie author?

A: I wanted to share my books with people who like to read. I like to tell stories

and I can't help but write. The ability to be able to publish my books as an

independent author gives me an outlet for sharing my books. It also gives me the

freedom to write what I like rather than be held to a formula or a length or

a time frame.

Q: How has Smashwords contributed to your success?

A: I was pleased to find Smashwords. It allows me to distribute my books to

many e-book markets and gives me a chance to publish. They have made the process

of publishing almost painless. They have also given me the power to be able to

publish as an independent author.

Q.  Why did you choose CreateSpace as your publishing platform.

A.  They were actually the company that provided the lowest price I could get

as an independent publisher for my books.  They are also associated with Amazon

and in that regard makes returning merchandise easier.

Q: What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

A: I get the most satisfaction from letting the characters direct the story and

then finding that quite unexpectedly the ending presents itself from small

threads that were quietly winding their way through the narrative.

Q: What do your fans mean to you?

A: I am thrilled that people read my books. I am so appreciative when they

give me feedback that they enjoyed the story and appreciated my writing. The

feedback I get from them, gives me encouragement to continue publishing

and writing.

Q: What are you working on next?

A. I am working on the first book of the Circle of Islands series Tentatively titled, Day of the Keepers. I've vacillated back and forth between several titles and have finally settled on The Circle of Islands Series and the first book being Day of the Keepers.  In Day of the keeper, Dylan has been stripped of his magic and his memory because he has killed a black dragon. But despite the fact that they tried to strip away his power, it still remains, but is unchanneled and uncontrolled. He must once again learn to use the magic he has been given and while he is relearning his craft, he is learning how to be a keeper of the gold dragons.

Q: When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

A: I tend to be creative in most of my activities. I work as a computer software

programmer and database developer. I like to draw. I like to do latch hook and

needle point. I enjoy watching old movies and old mystery series. I've been busy

with grandchildren for the past few years, but hope to get back to having some extra

time to read again. I have read several good fantasy series lately. There are a lot

of good writers out there.

Q: How do you discover the ebooks you read?

A: I pick a genre I like and start looking. Sometimes I go look at the books in the

bookstore and then order them online. Sometimes someone will recommend a book or

a series.

Q: Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

A: The first story I remember writing was for a creative writing class. It was a

short story I called Two Sides of the Same Coin. I have to admit, short stories

are an art form all their own and I like to take more time telling my stories.

I suppose that is why I have migrated to fantasy, besides the fact that I am a

total nerd and love everything about fantasy and role playing and epic struggles

between good and evil.