The Forgotten - Book Tour and Giveaway

 Taken by the vampire queen, I was sent to her dungeon with one choice left: life or death.
​I chose death, but fate had other plans for me.  
​

The Forgotten:
The Realms of Darkness
by KA Stefana
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance  

My name is Luther Van Leer, and I'm a prisoner in the vampire queen's castle. She'll let me out if I'm willing to meet her demands, but I will refuse until she puts a stake through my heart. I'll not let her turn me into a monster. At least, that was my plan. With a turning kiss, I was turned into a monster, banished, beaten, and betrayed. Now, my master expects that I will fall in love with her and play nice. If my cold-dark heart ever finds her, revenge will be mine!

Step into the dark and feudal world of the four kingdoms. The prophecy hangs over the land, turning kings and queens against each other. When Amelia turns Luther, she unknowingly drags him into her world. Instead of gaining a lover, she gains another enemy. Will Luther forgive her ultimate betrayal and help her survive, or will he abandon her? It would be his right.

From the darkness of the salt mines, the horrors of the bird cages, the temptations of the Forbidden Lake, and dragon tattoos, Luther and Amelia will be in a race against time to save their kingdom.


**On Sale Now for Only $3.99!**
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Welcome Readers! Followers and Members of the Shadowverse. I am so excited that you are taking this journey with me. I love to weave tales of darkness and light, pushing my characters to the end of themselves. How will they react? Some may fall into evil, spiraling into a never-ending vortex of darkness. Others may walk the line between the realms of darkness and light. Only a few will rise above the chaos. They are the defenders and heroes in the world of shadows, but they, too, wrestle with the shadows surrounding them, trying to lure them down dark alleyways and into the back rooms of iniquity. 

My friends always ask me where my tales come from. I guess it comes from years of reading great tales from the likes of Tolkien, Lewis, and so many others. In reality, I don't have a clue. The stories somehow flow from the unruly characters that beg to be written yet refuse to follow their storylines. Just the way I like it!
Past the shadows, you will find a twist of romance between kings and outcasts, enemies to lovers, and everything in between.
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As for me, I started my writing journey during quarantine and haven't stopped writing since. I am thankful for the writing community and their support and for my family and friends. Most of all, I am blessed to have a husband who supports all of my late-night shenanigans, wrestling with characters and pounding away at the keyboard until the wee hours of the morning.
~ A million hugs! Thanks for joining the Shadowverse.


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Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
My pen name is KA Stefana. KA is the initial for my first and middle name, but Stefana is the name that is very special to me. It was my grandmother’s first name. So, I honor her as I write. I started writing in 2020 during quarantine and haven’t stopped since. It started just as a hobby. With four books and multiple Kindle Vellas, I feel that I can now officially say that I am an author. 
The first chapter that I ever wrote was in The Daughters of Darkness, which is about King William finding Idalia. After many edits, you have the current version. Writing creatively was a struggle, as I spent years writing technical papers. It took a lot of work to write freely and to show the passion of the characters. 

Where were you born/grew up? 
I was born in Providence RI and was adopted at 4 months old. My family grew up in a close-knit community, where family was the center piece of our lives. 

What kind of world ruler would you be? 
I would hope that I would be fair and compassionate if I ruled a kingdom, but it would be in a dark and feudal kingdom in a far away land. 

What do you do to unwind and relax? 
Unwind! Relax! What is that? Actually, I try to take a nap every Sunday as a form of self-care. On a daily basis, we sit and watch TV for about an hour and relax. The best part about that is cuddling with my dog. 

How do I find time to write as a parent? 
When the world sleeps, I write. My children are all adults, but I still write late at night, when my ADHD is under control and my concentration is at its optimal level. 

Describe yourself in 5 words or less! 
Geeky art-loving engineer and author

When did you first consider yourself a writer? 
Sometimes, I wonder if I am a writer, even after my fourth book. In reality, I probably started to consider myself a writer when I finished my first book. At that point, it became a reality and an accomplishment. It didn’t matter that I self-published but the fact that I wrote over 120K words into a cohesive story. 

Do you have a favorite movie? 
Not really, but I do have a favorite play, Les Miserables. I could watch the concert version on TV all of the time. In fact, if I scroll through the TV channels and see it on PBS, I stop and watch. 
Why don’t I have a favorite movie? I don’t know. I don’t get attached to characters in the movies the way I do in books. I did really love the Longmire series and Vera. It is kind of strange, but I love to watch detective shows more than fantasy movies, which I prefer to read.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
The Schatten Chronicles - The first book, The Origins of Darkness, follows two female protagonists who are polar opposites of each other yet face the same antagonist. Katriona is a fiery redhead who is hopelessly independent, while Emmeline is sweet and gentle, wanting nothing more than to marry her golden-haired lover, Ash. Their worlds are turned upside down by King Stefan, The Darkness. 
I can imagine the scenery from the 1100s.  The dark and dirty villages, the stone and uninviting castles, and the magic that the Darkness spins, invading dreams, scheming and plotting, with a singular goal of destroying his enemies. 
Katriona would be the warrior, wielding her sword, refusing to love her mate, and standing against the dark forces gathering around her. Emmeline, dressed as a peasant girl in a remote village, falls prey to his plans as he turns her dreams into nightmares. 

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Oh, that’s simple! A dragon. I love Eragon! Obviously, Saphira belongs to his story, but I have my own dragon, Morgan, the Keeper of the Light!

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors? 
Jeff Wheeler for his Muirwood series. Honestly, his personal story and books are the foundation for my writing. 
Christopher Paolini for the Eragon series. 
Ken Follett 
Micheal - The Harry  Bosch series
Ted Dekker - I loved Three and everything that I read from him
Elizabeth George - Inspector Linley Mysteries
Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH

What book do you think everyone should read?
How long have you been writing? I began writing as a hobby during quarantine. I had always written poetry and spent most of my career writing R&D technical papers. It was so much fun writing with passion and not about another chemical formula or research blend. 

Do you read yourself, and if so, what is your favorite genre?
I love to read fantasy and romance, but mostly fantasy. I want to be taken to a new world with great world-building and character development. One of my absolute favorites was the Muirwood series by Jeff Wheeler. 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I need absolute silence to hear the voices of the characters. Background noise is OK, but I cannot have conversations surrounding me. 

Do you write one book at a time, or do you have several going at a time?
How about a thousand at a time? I have so many ideas that I started to write short stories, about 3000 words, just to get the idea on paper and out of my head. It really helps me focus on the active stories that I am working on. I usually have one that I am editing to get ready for a book launch, a couple of active Vellas, and a short story or two that I wrestle with. 

Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer. Unless it is a poem. I can write a poem anywhere or anytime. When I first started, I wrote a lot on my phone before I went to bed at night, and then I would edit on the computer during the day. 

What makes a good story?
I want a story that is going to take me on a roller coaster ride of emotions, from the first to the last page, with characters that are alive, snarky, sharp-witted, and everything in between. 

What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I typically mull around the story idea for a few days to a week before I even attempt to start writing it. Then I will write the first few chapters, wanting to draw the reader in, and rework those until I am satisfied. Once the first 3 to 5 chapters are finished, I will roughly outline the book, knowing a few things that will happen and a potential conclusion. I cannot guarantee that I will get there because characters have a way of rewriting the storyline. I have learned to go with it. 
One thing that I love to do is to write a character into an impossible scene. How will they escape? I won’t plot their escape until after I finish the scene. This way, I am just as nervous for them as the reader is, and I cannot accidentally give away how they will escape. 
As to the common traps of aspiring writers, I am still in that phase, but here is a bit of what I have learned. Word and Google editing are not sufficient to bring your story to life. You need an editor! Don’t fret when your story goes off course because your characters refuse to follow your plot. Let them scheme and plot. At the end of the day, enjoy the process. 

What is your writing Kryptonite?
Time! I don’t have enough time in the day to write. 

How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
If I could write every day, I could probably write a book in two to three months. I really prefer to write a few chapters a week at this point to ensure that I am not stressing myself out. At that pace, it takes about 7 to 9 months to write the book and another couple to edit. 

Do you believe in writer’s block?
Absolutely, but I believe in unruly characters more. 

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