Guest Post and Giveaway: Into the Fire (Birth of the Phoenix #1) by Ashelyn Drake

Published: September 9th, 2014

Description:

Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.

But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.

A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.

GUEST POST

Fire in Fantasy 

I’ve always been intrigued by fire. It’s beautiful and totally destructive at the same time. The idea of elementals isn’t new. There are plenty of books with characters who can manipulate the elements. I’ve always wanted to write about a character like this, and my fascination with fire naturally led me to phoenixes for the simple reason that for phoenixes, fire means rebirth, not destruction. 

I think we all know Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, that Harry watched burst into flames and be reborn from its ashes. That was one of my favorite scenes in the book and movie. Fawkes came back better than ever. However, in Into the Fire, Cara’s rebirth isn’t something she’s really looking forward to. Her rebirth will mean that she’ll forget everything and everyone she knows from her first life. Of course it also means she’ll finally get her Phoenix abilities, and that part she’s looking forward to. Being able to manipulate fire and have five lives definitely appeals to her. 

So why are phoenixes becoming so popular in YA fiction? I think the answer is pretty easy to see. They are amazing creatures who have the ability to rise up out of the flames that would destroy any human. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. 

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About the author:

Ashelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it’s rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there’s never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

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