The Genesis of Seven The Empyrean Trilogy Book One by Sara M Schaller - Young Adult Fantasy


The Genesis of Seven
The Empyrean Trilogy
Book One
by Sara M Schaller

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Designs by Seraphim
Date of Publication: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 9781732516205 
ISBN: 9781732516212 
ISBN: 9781732516229 - ebook
Number of pages: 368
Word Count: 86,902
Cover Artist: Sara M Schaller

In the beginning he was one of us.

Eighteen-year-old Jordan Conway has always wanted to help people, but helping seven archangels to achieve their divine duty was never quite what he had in mind…

When Jordan is entrusted by the head nun of his orphanage to deliver a mysterious backpack to a New York City address, he comes unexpectedly face-to-face with Archangel Gabriel. Their acquaintance fast uncovers a labyrinth of secrets that connect Jordan’s once-normal life to an ancient heavenly prophecy. Now, he must help Gabriel to reunite the archangels before evil forces grow too strong.

Soon, Jordan and Gabriel find themselves on a divine quest across the globe, while deep in the pits of Hell, Satan plots his return to earth. To gain control, however, Satan needs the powerful prophetic objects locked safe inside Jordan’s backpack—and the devil will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

With that notion threatening his only family and the safety of his newfound friends, Jordan must do whatever it takes to protect the ones he loves and help the archangels succeed. If that means sacrificing all he thought he knew to go to war with the devil himself? Bring it on.



Book Trailer: 




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Interview with Author
Sara M Schaller

Welcome to Character Madness and Musings, please, tell us about your newest book.

My newest book, The Genesis of Seven, is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series about 18-year-old Jordan Conway who is entrusted to deliver a mysterious backpack to a New York City address. When he arrives, he meets archangel Gabriel, and soon Jordan’s world is thrown upside down as he must embark on a global adventure with Gabriel to gather the other archangels on Earth, all the while trying to avoid Satan, who is desperate to stop them at any cost.

Writing isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing your newest book?

The most difficult thing I dealt with when writing The Genesis of Seven was the multiple points of view. I always knew this was how I wanted to write the book, but it was a lot easier to plan it than execute it. What was so difficult was trying to make each voice standout and be different from the others, while at the same time creating a cohesive narrative. Some characters were easier to write than others because they felt more natural. For instance, Jordan’s chapters were by far the easiest while Satan’s were the hardest.

Tell us a little bit about your writing career.

Starting out, most of the writing I did was book reviews for my school newspaper. From there, it was a lot of academic writing throughout college and grad school. The Genesis of Seven is my first crack at fiction writing. I always had a knack for storytelling because I had a wild imagination and would constantly come up with story ideas, but I never put anything to paper before this book.
 

They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be?

Your first draft by no means needs to be polished. When I first started writing I was obsessed with everything being perfect the first time around, and I quickly learned it’s normal for a first draft to be messy. That’s why it’s a first draft and that’s why editing exists. I know this now, but I wish I could have given myself this advice sooner.

What was your most difficult scene to write?

There are two that come to mind, but they’re difficult in varying ways. One scene I wrote between Michael and Satan was emotionally difficult to write because it’s a real crushing scene where some secrets are finally revealed. The other was the creation of Hell and this was difficult because it pushed my abilities as a writer and really forced me to visualize my world so that I could convey it to the reader. 

Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?

Themes are a big part of my stories. Now, I don’t typically know them all when I first start writing a story, but by the end of the first draft I can clearly see which ones are essential. Once I concretely know them, I try to build on them throughout the rest of the series.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on the second book in The Empyrean Trilogy.

Is there a release date planned?
Yes, I know the release date, but I haven’t made it public yet. All I can say is it will be out next year.

Who is your favorite character from your own stories, and why?
This is a hard question! In some way, all my characters are my favorite. If I had to pick though, I would say Gabriel is my favorite because the story started with him.

Most writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school?
It’s probably a tie between A to Z Mysteries and The Frog Princess.

What are your plans for future projects?
Book Two in The Empyrean Trilogy will be released in 2021. Book Three will be released in 2022. After that, I have about two to three other story ideas that are itching to be put to the page, so we’ll see what comes next.

Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?

Thanks so much for having me! I hope you all enjoy the book!

You're welcome. Good luck with The Genesis of Seven The Empyrean Trilogy Book One, and thank you for being with us today. 

Excerpt:

“Run!” Sister Helen shouted.
Somehow, my body obliged. My legs carried me down the alleyway, past dumpsters and trashcans. At the street, I stopped briefly to figure out where to go next. I glanced at the paper and realized I had a bit of distance to cover. The address was near Central Park, but the orphanage was in the opposite direction. In fact, the orphanage wasn’t even in Manhattan. There wasn’t time to figure out a route though. At the sound of running footsteps, I looked over my shoulder and saw two men dressed in black fast approaching.
Without a second thought, I broke into a sprint and headed right.
I’d never been chased in my life and soon realized I was the worst person for it. I kept running straight for blocks. Not once did I try to evade my chasers. I was merely in flight mode, running forward without a thought of where I had to go. The backpack hit my shoulders every time I moved my legs, creating a rhythm my heartbeat began to mimic. I was scared senseless, had no idea what to do, and was weighed down by the duffel bag, which gave me a weird, galloping stride.
As I raced on, some unknown part of my brain took over and told my legs to veer left into an alleyway. My chasers passed by, unsuspecting, though they soon backtracked and followed. At that point, my run became a series of quick turns and dashes through side streets and alleys in an attempt to evade them.
Breathing hard, heaving the cursed bag, and almost tripping over my own feet, I came to a standstill in front of a chain-link fence. Did this seriously have to turn into some iconic movie chase? I groaned as I sized up my new enemy, wondering why I never took gym class seriously. Surely, completing the rope climb—something I’d never successfully achieved—would come in handy right about now.
At the last second I decided to backtrack, but the two chasers blocked my path. One was a big, burly man, and the other was the second guy from the subway, who was much taller and leaner than his accomplice.
Frustrated, I ran up to the fence and swung my duffel bag through the air. It landed surprisingly safe on the other side of the chain-link barrier. Without a moment’s hesitation, I ran and jumped at the tall gate, latching onto it with my hands. Flashbacks of the rope climb came to mind, and I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. In a struggle, I scrambled up as my chasers approached.

By some miracle, I made it to the top, and I was preparing to swing my leg over and ring that fictitious bell when a hand gripped my ankle. When I looked down, a menacing skull tattoo met my gaze.



About the Author:

Sara M Schaller is a paralibrarian, publishing professional, and young adult author. She lives in Colorado with her mom, dad, brother, and four furry canine siblings. Sara loves the world of pop culture and the performing arts, so when she is not reading or writing, she is either watching movies and shows, attending conventions, or going out to see live performances. She likes to write stories for all ages in the fantasy genre, and her writing usually contains elements of speculative fiction and features a large cast of characters. Sara has a Bachelor’s degree in English, Art History, and Religious Studies from the University of Denver, and a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University. For five years, Sara worked as a graphic designer, and her creativity in design carries over into other areas of her life like writing. You can visit her online at www.saramschaller.com.








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Comments

  1. Sounds like a great mystery book that even I would love to read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cover is very cool. I love the colors!

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