Fractured Light Blog Tour: Interview with Rachel, Llona, and Christian + Giveaway

Introducing...

Rachel McClellan!

About Rachel

Rachel McClellan. Author. Mother. Crazy Person.

"My mind only knows how to write. Other people perform simple tasks like cleaning their house or using the bathroom without a distracting thought.
I can't.
Yesterday I meant to vacuum, but ended up scrubbing blood out of my carpet instead. The body's still in the freezer. And when I went to take a shower, a little girl in a red dress and pigtails appeared to me in the vanity mirror. Again. I wish she would go away.

See what I mean? My life is a story and the only way to stay sane is write it all down. I only hope others can find joy in my insanity."    --From Rachel's Website

And her amazing Urban Fantasy YA novel...

Fractured Light!

The Blurb

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

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CYP - me: Hi, Rachel, Llona and Christian! Thanks for coming along for the interview!

Rachel: Thanks for having us.

Llona: Yeah, thanks. I haven’t seen Christian for like three weeks so I’m really glad you’re doing this.


CYP: Why has it been so long?

Llona: I’ve been at Lucent Academy for the summer.

Christian: And I’m back in Oregon training other Guardians.


CYP: Opposite sides of the continent. That must rough. How about I interview your creator first, so you two can lovey-dovey together for a while? :)

Christian: No complaints here.


CYP: Haha. Rachel, tell me about yourself, say, in one sentence.

Rachel: I love adventures!


CYP: Me too! What do you like to do when you're not hard at work writing the very exciting life of Llona and Christian? *snickers*

Rachel: I take my kids to the forest a lot. Here in Maine, there are a ton of trails and the woods are so creepy and full of secrets from the past. I’ve written many scenes while in them.


CYP: That, is too cool! Oh man, I love the nature trails in temperate regions! The ones here in rainforests are DIRTY and muddy as hell. Haha. Has your dream always been to be an author?

Rachel: I always thought it would be cool and I loved to write, but I didn’t think it was possible. Me? Write a novel?


CYP: What were your previous dreams?

Rachel: When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved animals. I had all kinds of pets over the years like dogs, cats, mice, birds, rats, guinea pig, snakes, and even a tarantula.


CYP: Tarantula.... Huh, your love and passion must go really deep.. What was the hardest part in your path to becoming an author?

Rachel: Once I was possessed by the spirit of writing, the hardest part was trying to balance other aspects of my life. All I wanted to do was write, but that conflicted with trying to raise a family. It took some time, but now writing and my family are simpatico. Love that word.


CYP: Hahaha, yep, now I've learnt a new word! What age did you start penning down all those crazy ideas of yours?

Rachel: I’ve always had a warped mind. Just ask my sisters or brother. We spent many hours making home movies and plays. As a teenager, I loved English and drama. I even wrote an original monologue that did well at state. In college I really started to write. I remember writing a messed-up, crazy poem for my sister who was in high school. (It was my sister who cheated, not me. J ) The teacher was worried about my sister for a while. I guess Karma got even with her.


CYP: Was FRACTURED LIGHT the first novel you ever wrote? Any that didn't get published?

Rachel: FL was not my first book. It was my third. The first two are called The Devil’s Fool and The Devil’s Angel. They’re about witches and vampires. I really love these two, but the first one really needs some plot love. I’ll return to it one day soon.


CYP: Woah...devils... Sounds wicked awesome enough. :P What is the inspiration behind those two's *nods
at Llona and Christian* creation?

Rachel: You mean the two making out in the corner?

Llona: Hey! We’re not making out. We’re just-

Christian: -getting reacquainted with each other.

Rachel: I first met Llona at a funeral. Her fathers. I remember seeing her with her blond, blond hair and pale skin, and I was like, “Is she a ghost?”

Llona: Um, thanks, Rachel.

Rachel: But she was beautiful. Really, she was.

Christian: I’d agree.

CYP: Um, Christian? I don't think you'd make an impartial judge on this.

Rachel: Llona’s voice was so strong I knew I had to keep telling her story. Christian just appeared. It took me some time to get to know him.


CYP:  Did you base any of your characters on real life people/experiences? Which ones?

Rachel: May reminds me of my younger sister, especially how close she is with Llona. As for the others, they all have a little piece of me in them, including their insecurities.


CYP: Yeah, I have an older sister who's really close to me. I like the unspoken agreements between us - I think it's cool and it's like this secret ESP thing that we've got going on.:D Lol, anyway, are what Llona and Christian are now what you originally thought about them? What changed (if there are any)?

Rachel: Llona turned out to be stronger than I intended, thank goodness. And Christian’s borderline over protective. He’s all about the rules, and it sort of bugs.

Christian: Hey!

Rachel: I’m just saying.

Llona: She’s right you know.


CYP: *Turns to Llona and Christian* Hey guys, so how're you feeling today? About the interview? Did Rachel drag both of you down today against you will? (haha, kidding!) How's Jake?

Llona: We’re good. Jake’s good, too. He’s getting pretty serious with Heidi. And thanks again for doing this. I really needed to see Christian.

CYP: Is something wrong?

Llona: Um, well, I haven’t really had a chance to talk to Christian about it, but there’s some really weird things going on at Lucent.

CYP: Sounds serious. We’ll let you guys talk after. So, um, Llona, you're the star of FL, tell me, what's it about?

Llona: It’s basically about me trying to survive high school with my head still attached.

Christian: That’s not funny. Llona went through a lot, learned a lot.


CYP: Looking back, it has been quite a journey. How do you feel about everything so far?

Llona: Sad mostly. I mean, yeah, so I learned a lot, but big deal. It came with a price.

CYP: But you must have had some good times?

Llona: Oh, I did. Don’t get me wrong. I had some of the best times of my life. It’s just hard to think about them right now. Things are still pretty messed up.


CYP: I hope things get better for you. On a lighter note, what are your thoughts about your life being published, about people reading about you and Christian's stolen moments together? What about you, Christian? What do you think? Don't you think the Auran Council will find out with it traversing the globe?

Llona: It’s embarrassing actually. I mean, I might as well have handed Rachel my journal. She got pretty personal sometimes.

Christian: But you’re story needs to be told, Llona. Especially for other Aura’s. As for the Auran Council finding out about us, let them. I don’t care anymore.

Llona: Wow, Christian. When did you have the stick removed?

Christian: Very funny.

CYP: Hahahha, it IS funny. XD


CYP: When you two aren’t moving around, saving the world and training, what do you enjoy doing? Christian?

Llona: I love to run and hope to participate in a marathon one day. Maybe even one of those Ironman contests. That would be cool.

Christian: I love sports. Playing, watching, whatever.


CYP: Oooh, Ironman!! I love swimming. Haha, just saying. Just for a brief introduction, how do your powers work? What about you, Christian? Any special powers other than speed, strength and agility?

Llona: I wish there was a simple way to explain it. Basically I have Light inside me which means I have the ability to use and control light. I can also transform its calming energy to others.

Christian: And don’t forget our ability to talk telepathically. When you learn it better, of course.


CYP: I've always wanted to be able to do that. Gosh, then everyone will started staring at each other doing quiet communications. That'll be SO weird! Hahaha. Anyway, Llona, why did you decide to stay in Bountiful this time? Why not move around like the other times? Why Bountiful?

Llona: One word: mountains. At least in the beginning anyway. They are so cool and huge. But then I got friends…and Christian. I just couldn’t leave after I had what felt like a normal life. Although maybe I should’ve.


CYP: Hey, yeah! I love mountains and sceneries. Your best friend's May right? Tell me about her. I've always been really curious, what do two you two very special girls talk about normally? I'm assuming it's not shopping. :P

Llona: Definitely not shopping. We both like movies. May’s majorly into celebrities and knows everything about them. We also like to play basketball. May’s decent. She probably could’ve been on the team if she wanted to.


CYP:  What about you, Christian? Do you have a best friend? Good friend? Girlfriend?

Christian: Girlfriend, that’s a good one. Me and Adam are pretty close. More friends than cousins. And I have a bunch of Guardian friends back in Oregon. It was nice to see them again.


CYP: What were your first impressions of each other? Right after that rather suave and heroic save by Christian from your rather painful fall?

Christian: My first impression was actually weeks earlier when the Auran Council sent me. The first time I saw Llona was when she was out running. I was stunned. Really, I was.

Llona: What were you expecting? Buck teeth and warts?

Christian: Maybe just one wart. Ow! Be nice, I’m only kidding. What I mean is, I didn’t expect to see a tough Aura. Llona, can do anything.

CYP: What about you, Llona?

Llona: I fell hard for Christian right away. Looking back, I think it’s because I saw a little of myself in him. We both have lost a parent, and we both have had to lead different lives apart from other people.


CYP: That's harsh. But I'm glad you found each other. Hey, heard you've been working out lately, Llona. Haha, how's the Kung Fu training coming along? Has Christian been a good teacher?

Llona: Christian was the best. I love fighting, actually any kid of physical activity. It’s so power-feeling.


CYP: That's good...I've always wanted a good martial arts teacher.. Haha, anyway, what is the most memorable memory you have? Does not have to be in one that is in FRACTURED LIGHT.

Llona: I’ll answer this one. It was the Halloween dance at the park. Christian’s dad’s company was hosting it, and it turned out to be one of the best nights I’ve ever had. Gratefully, Rachel took this out of the final version. There are some things I want to keep private.


CYP: Haha, ok now we'll be moving on to the rapid fire questions where all three of you have to answer. Fast. Favorite food?
Rachel: Stuffed Chicken Madiera
Llona: Fruity Pebbles
Christian: Medium rare steak

CYP: Favorite movie?
Rachel: Underworld
Llona: Moulin Rouge
Christian: Rambo


CYP: Favorite season?
Rachel: Fall
Llona: Spring
Christian: Spring


CYP: Favorite color?
Rachel: Black
Llona: Black
Christian: Black

CYP: Favorite person in the world?
Rachel: Too many to just choose one. Husband and my children are at the top. And Liane. Valerie.
Llona:  My uncle Jake. We’ve been through a lot together.
Christian: My mom. Someone alive? Llona.


CYP: Ok, ok, any parting words to all those good readers out there?
Rachel: Become your own kind of superhero. The world needs them.
Llona: Don’t be afraid to show your true self.
Christian: Trust your gut.

Haha, thanks again for coming, you three!

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What I had to say about FRACTURED LIGHT:

" I loved, absolutely adored FRACTURED LIGHT. Even though it took some time to immerse myself into the scenes, it was still an attention-grabber and after the initial few pages, I was honestly hooked! It is a magnificent story with very realistic and relatable characters, and a fantastic yet believable plot that was simply filled with action, suspense, thrill, romance, and surprises. " (See full review HERE) 

If you'd like to find out more about Rachel, Llona or Christian, you can visit them at:

Rachel's Website | Cedar Fort Publishing | Blog | Facebook

Giveaway Time!

Rachel's so generously giving away the necklace Christian gave Llona in FRACTURED LIGHT. It is a silver ring on a chain with the inscription "ETTE" engraved on it, which means Endure to the End. It's so beautiful, symbolic, cool, and me want it!!!

Haha, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below and you're good to go! This giveaway is international. Following is optional, but it is highly encouraged!:P

Review: Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Published Date: Febuary 8th, 2012
Finished Date: December 6th, 2011
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Format: eARC via Netgalley
My Rating: 4.5/5!

Blurb from Goodreads:
I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

My Review

The first thing that came to me after I read the The End was: Perfect. Actually no, scratch that. The first thing that came were actually incoherent "WOWOWOWOWOWOW" then came the finality of "Perfect". I think that this book is definitely well-deserving of that adjective. And shortly after that came the shoutings (still in my head, of course) demanding the sequel for FRACTURED LIGHT.

**Minor spoiler minefield alert**

Llona Reese has been an orphan since she was ten - her mother died when she was but a toddler by a Vyken, a demon who can walk in sunlight only if it drank the blood of an Aura, and her dad when she was ten hunting down the Vyken who killed his Aura wife. She's been on the move with her uncle, Jake, who was more of an older brother, trying not to stay in one place for too long and not making any friends who would just become a burden in her heart. But this time, Llona doesn't feel like moving. She's found a friend in May, and was saved from a painful fall by Christian, who quickly won her trust and subsequently, her heart.

People are dying one-by-one in Bountiful, and they all somehow has a connection to Llona - the high heel of the victim ends up on her lawn, the victim's body left in her car and blood splattered onto her car. And with her guard slipping, her luck doesn't hold up for too long, cause now that she's settled down in Bountiful, Utah, it makes her easy prey, and the Vyken that made her an orphan all those years back isn't going to let her slip through his fingers quite so easily this time..

**End of spoiler region**

Let me just say this again cause I can hardly contain the excitement within me: I loved, absolutely adored FRACTURED LIGHT. Even though it took some time to immerse myself into the scenes, it was still an attention-grabber and after the initial few pages, I was honestly hooked! It is a magnificent story with very realistic and relatable characters, and a fantastic yet believable plot that was simply filled with action, suspense, thrill, romance, and surprises. And a little fear added into the mix along with the aforementioned thrill. The best thing I liked about the plot was that I couldn't guess what was about to happen next! Y'know usually (and almost always for YA novels) readers would be able to predict or have an idea of how a story will play out and who would end up how, but I couldn't, at all, for FL. That was how good it was, and it literally kept me glued to its pages, turning it as fast as my brain could read. It was amazing, really.

I loved McClellan's writing style, I really do. It was mature, humorous, witty, and really entertaining. An example:

[Christian (male protagonist) is speaking to Llona]

“I never told you, but the first time I saw you, I thought I was looking at an angel. You were walking to school wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. You’d taken off your hat when you thought no one was looking and your hair fell down your back like wings unfolding. I think this was one of the rare times I saw you as your true self.”

If I could talk, I would’ve been speechless.

A little cheesy at the start, but I was stunned for a few minutes then I started cracking up. Hah! The irony is epic. You have to be in the moment to have found as much humor in it like I did. Ohoh, and another one (but this one's a little more somber):

" That night I focused more on my light bullets, and with the moon’s cycle no longer affecting my strength, thanks to Christian’s very dangerous, yet highly effective training on the mountain, it came much easier. In a matter of days, I had them piercing through just about anything. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, because I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was coming. The tick tock of death’s clock was growing louder. "

I loved the way she phrased things, it gave it a very sophisticated feel, and I had such an enjoyable time reading it. Unlike those YA, and sometimes Adult Fiction novels, who employs a more informal (and a little childish) writing style.

I loved the cast. As I've mentioned before, the entire cast is made up of very realistic and relatable characters. Which means that I would probably have acted and chosen the things that they chose to do at any specific circumstance. I'm not explaining this right. Y'know how sometimes authors make heroines (or heroes) choose an option which is obviously the wrong, and most of the time the stupid one, just so that there can be a plot to elaborate on where there was now an obstacle to be overcomed by the protagonists? But FL wasn't like that. Even though Llona (properly pronounced as E-o-na, by the way) was mature and always picked the sensible option, shit just somehow manages to find a fan to hit, and trouble always ends up at her door. It made it all the more engrossing to read.

Oh, and don't let me get started on Christian. He is one hot Guardian. Yes, he is Llona's guardian! AHHH, haha! Every Aura out in the world is assigned a guardian, and Christian's Llona's!! Lol, Christian's Llona's. Sounds funny. (Random musing: Why are all the Christians I'm reading about so hot? The book I'm reading now, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, is about one Christian Grey, whom I feel obliged to say, is a goddamned alpha male. Trust me on it; I can hardly keep my attention away from the book - and him - for more than a few minutes! But I'm digressing) Because of his enhanced genetic makeup, Christian moves faster than normal human beings, and is stronger. Please don't compare him with a vamp cause that's totally de-cooling him. He's so much more awesome than them. And way, waaaay, more awesome.

The only thing I found odd was the cover. It's beautiful, yes that it is, but it misled me to think that this was going to be a Fantasy novel, but it turned out to be URBAN-Fantasy. Lol, not that I minded, not at all actually, just... It was misleading. This may be a for me only, but just saying.

I'd love for all of you good readers to be able to read FRACTURED LIGHT also, but it's only going to be released approximately 2 months from now..:( Haha, do I sound like I'm gloating?XP Anyway, since you're reading this review (past all my verbosity before), I assume that you and I have similar tastes in books, so I humbly beseech you to get your hand on a copy of FL when it's out. I assure you it's totally worth your money, time, effort, living space, and brain space.

Random Musings:

I went on to read the bio on the author, and was pleasntly shocked! LOL! I have to quote this since I know most readers won't go on back to read the acknowledgements:

" Rachel McClellan was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four small children. Her love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it is . . . "

It's so unique..and cool! And the picture she posted was very ghost-like, mind you. I freaked out a little when I flipped the page and a big, half the page, ghost-Rachel was staring out at me. *shudder*

Oh and McClellan replied to my email saying that there will be a sequel!!!!! SQUEAALLLL! But it's only going to be out Feb, 2013. *sobs uncontrollably* Lol, my rep is totally tarnished with the sobs.

My Rating

Loved it to bits and pieces and munches and crumbs!;D