Today, I'm pleased to have another chance to interview Jill Archer, this time about the second book in her Noon Onyx series, Fiery Edge of Steel. Her heroine, Noon Onyx, certainly has some terrific adventures in this book. Be sure to check out Jill's new release as well as her great contest at the bottom of this post.
In your new fantasy release, Fiery Edge of Steel, Lucifer
and his army triumphed at Armageddon, leaving humans and demons living in
uncertain peace based on sacrifice and strict laws. It is up to those with mixed
demon and human blood, the Host, to prevent society from falling into anarchy.
Why might anarchy occur? Will humans be overtaken by demons?
In Halja, the fictional country where the stories take place, there are two kinds of demons: regulare and rogare. All demons are scary, but the rogare demons are really horrible because they prey on anyone weaker than them. Luckily, they mostly live outside of the populated areas. But every now and then they come into town to wreak havoc and do harm.
The regulare demons are slightly better, but they’re still demons. They’re fractious and vain and given to infighting so, in the immediate aftermath of the Apocalypse, they established rules and laws for everyone who wanted to be civilized to follow. Basically, the regulare demons decided they’d had enough of war during the Apocalypse and they decided they’d rather have the adoration of their followers rather than continued anarchy and general societal unrest.
The good news? This is all just backstory. :-D
The main plot of each book is focused on the main character, Noon Onyx, and her on and off campus “adventures.” DARK LIGHT OF DAY is all about her struggle for self-acceptance. (It also has a healthy dose of academic and romantic angst. :-)) And FIERY EDGE OF STEEL is an adventure tale with lots of magic, romance, mystery, and demons.
Your heroine, Noon Onyx, is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. How does she use her powers to control the demons?
In Halja, there are three main types of magic: waning, waxing, and faith magic. Faith magic is used exclusively by the Angels. It takes belief and constant practice to cast their spells. Waxing magic is soft, nurturing, and creative. It’s used to heal people and grow gardens and crops. Waning magic is dark, destructive, and fiery. (The easiest way to think of waning versus waxing magic is fire versus flower).
The most common way for a waning magic user to use his (or her) magic to control demons is to shape it into the weapon that will most likely harm them. But, as Noon points out to her mother (somewhat facetiously) in FIERY EDGE OF STEEL, waning magic users aren’t foot soldiers. Their biggest weapons are wisdom, knowledge, and experience.
That said, Noon becomes very grateful for her weapons training as the stories continue. :-)
Her unique abilities, along with a lack of control and a reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider among her peers. Why does Noon seem to have this lack of control and reluctance to kill?
In the beginning, Noon has a lack of control because she’s completely inexperienced. Her whole life she hid her magic because she hated it. Waning magic is associated with death and she always wanted to be associated with life.
In DARK LIGHT OF DAY, her dream is to reverse her magic and become a Mederi (a female healer with waxing magic). In the end, she learns to accept her magic, but that doesn’t mean that she immediately embraces every aspect of it. Especially because part of her job as a waning magic user will be to execute demons. And Noon’s never intentionally killed anything in her life.
Now, most people probably think executing demons should be a no brainer. I get that. But Noon’s character is steadfast in her belief that all life should be valued – humans, angels, and demons alike.
Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support Noon’s unconventional ways. Do they help Noon in ways other than providing emotional support? Do they fight alongside her? When she is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, do Ari and Rafe accompany her?
Ari Carmine is another waning magic user. He’s Noon’s field partner so he definitely fights with her. Ari would do anything to protect Noon. As for Rafe’s role, I’ll just talk about Angels generally.
In the post-apocalyptic world of Halja, the Apocalypse is old news (as in 2,000 years old). So the descendants of Lucifer’s warlords and the Angels work together all the time. They are motivated by a common goal: to keep the demons in line. All waning magic users work with a Guardian Angel who protects them with all sorts of offensive and defensive spells.
Noon and her investigative team are shipped off to the Shallows because the patron demon of that area was accused of wrongdoing. Some Hyrkes (humans with no magic) have disappeared and Noon will need to figure out what happened and punish whichever demon is responsible.
In Halja, the fictional country where the stories take place, there are two kinds of demons: regulare and rogare. All demons are scary, but the rogare demons are really horrible because they prey on anyone weaker than them. Luckily, they mostly live outside of the populated areas. But every now and then they come into town to wreak havoc and do harm.
The regulare demons are slightly better, but they’re still demons. They’re fractious and vain and given to infighting so, in the immediate aftermath of the Apocalypse, they established rules and laws for everyone who wanted to be civilized to follow. Basically, the regulare demons decided they’d had enough of war during the Apocalypse and they decided they’d rather have the adoration of their followers rather than continued anarchy and general societal unrest.
The good news? This is all just backstory. :-D
The main plot of each book is focused on the main character, Noon Onyx, and her on and off campus “adventures.” DARK LIGHT OF DAY is all about her struggle for self-acceptance. (It also has a healthy dose of academic and romantic angst. :-)) And FIERY EDGE OF STEEL is an adventure tale with lots of magic, romance, mystery, and demons.
Your heroine, Noon Onyx, is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. How does she use her powers to control the demons?
In Halja, there are three main types of magic: waning, waxing, and faith magic. Faith magic is used exclusively by the Angels. It takes belief and constant practice to cast their spells. Waxing magic is soft, nurturing, and creative. It’s used to heal people and grow gardens and crops. Waning magic is dark, destructive, and fiery. (The easiest way to think of waning versus waxing magic is fire versus flower).
The most common way for a waning magic user to use his (or her) magic to control demons is to shape it into the weapon that will most likely harm them. But, as Noon points out to her mother (somewhat facetiously) in FIERY EDGE OF STEEL, waning magic users aren’t foot soldiers. Their biggest weapons are wisdom, knowledge, and experience.
That said, Noon becomes very grateful for her weapons training as the stories continue. :-)
Her unique abilities, along with a lack of control and a reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider among her peers. Why does Noon seem to have this lack of control and reluctance to kill?
In the beginning, Noon has a lack of control because she’s completely inexperienced. Her whole life she hid her magic because she hated it. Waning magic is associated with death and she always wanted to be associated with life.
In DARK LIGHT OF DAY, her dream is to reverse her magic and become a Mederi (a female healer with waxing magic). In the end, she learns to accept her magic, but that doesn’t mean that she immediately embraces every aspect of it. Especially because part of her job as a waning magic user will be to execute demons. And Noon’s never intentionally killed anything in her life.
Now, most people probably think executing demons should be a no brainer. I get that. But Noon’s character is steadfast in her belief that all life should be valued – humans, angels, and demons alike.
Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support Noon’s unconventional ways. Do they help Noon in ways other than providing emotional support? Do they fight alongside her? When she is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, do Ari and Rafe accompany her?
Ari Carmine is another waning magic user. He’s Noon’s field partner so he definitely fights with her. Ari would do anything to protect Noon. As for Rafe’s role, I’ll just talk about Angels generally.
In the post-apocalyptic world of Halja, the Apocalypse is old news (as in 2,000 years old). So the descendants of Lucifer’s warlords and the Angels work together all the time. They are motivated by a common goal: to keep the demons in line. All waning magic users work with a Guardian Angel who protects them with all sorts of offensive and defensive spells.
Noon and her investigative team are shipped off to the Shallows because the patron demon of that area was accused of wrongdoing. Some Hyrkes (humans with no magic) have disappeared and Noon will need to figure out what happened and punish whichever demon is responsible.
Of
course, “punish” means execute. So, IN FIERY EDGE OF STEEL, Noon will have to
figure out what she’s really capable of.
Thanks for interviewing me, Marsha! I appreciated having the chance to share more about the Noon Onyx series with your readers.
Thanks for interviewing me, Marsha! I appreciated having the chance to share more about the Noon Onyx series with your readers.
*~*~*
Fiery Edge of Steel
Noon Onyx Book Two
Noon Onyx Book Two
Jill Archer
Genre: Fantasy with
elements of mystery and romance
Publisher: Ace
Date of
Publication: May 28, 2013
ISBN-10: 0425257169
ISBN-13: 978-0425257166
Number of pages:
336
Word Count: 105,000
Cover Artist: Jason
Chan
Book Description:
Lucifer and his army triumphed at Armageddon, leaving humans and demons
living in uncertain peace based on sacrifice and strict laws. It is up to those
with mixed demon and human blood, the Host, to prevent society from falling
into anarchy.
Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, along with a lack of control and a reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider among her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.
When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task that will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined.…
Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, along with a lack of control and a reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider among her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.
When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task that will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined.…
Excerpt:
In pre-Apocalyptic times humans stoned their criminals to
death by throwing rocks, sharp pieces of metal, and other debris at the
wrongdoer until they were so bloody and beaten, death was inevitable. It was
said that, until jaws were broken or skulls were smashed, all wrongdoers cried
for it to end.
Stoning demons is impossible, of course. Trying to kill a
demon by throwing rocks at it would be like trying to take down an alligator by
blowing soap bubbles at it. So, in modern times, public executions call for a Carne Vale—a “farewell to the flesh”
ceremony where waning magic is thrown instead of stones. The practice is even
more brutal than its ancient counterpart, but just as cowardly.
Ari Carmine and I stood elbow to elbow in Timothy’s Square,
waiting for the awful thing to begin. Beside me, Ari squeezed my hand. He
likely meant the gesture to be reassuring, but it made me feel trapped and I
pulled my hand free. I glanced up at him, quirking my mouth in a half smile
meant as an apology. He looked down at me, expressionless, but I could feel his
signature, that wispy magical aurora that allowed uncloaked waning magic users
to sense one another’s presence. Ari’s signature was warm, as always, but today
it was laced with blistery bits, as if the glowing embers of a dying fire had
been kicked at me. It made standing next to him uncomfortable.
Around us, the crowd of Hyrkes—humans with no
magic—continued to build as students from both St. Lucifer’s and the Joshua
School gathered. The heat from the unrelenting overhead sun was oppressive.
Since there were no trees in Timothy’s Square, there was no shade. There was no
cover. Nowhere to hide from what was to come.
Peering over my shoulder to check for possible unobserved
routes of escape, I made the mistake of catching Sasha de Rocca’s gaze. Sasha
was a distant cousin of mine, but that didn’t mean we were close.
He sneered openly at me.
“Dressed for a funeral, Noon? Do you really think mourning
is appropriate for a Carne Vale?”
Automatically, I glanced down at my indigo sheath. In
Halja, midnight blue—the color of the sky when Lucifer was struck with the
lance that killed him over two millennia ago—was the color of mourning.
“The thing deserves to die,” Sasha said, his low voice
burbling up out of his thick barrel chest. Suddenly his cold, crinkly eyes and
dirty blond beard seemed far too close. I stepped back.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of Sasha. My power was far
greater than his. But, unlike Sasha, I hated using mine, and he knew it. I hadn’t
thrown magic since last semester when my demon client had almost killed me. The
St. Lucifer’s faculty had given me leave to table my magic use over the
semester break, but now that classes were back on, my “recovery” was officially
over. I was expected to come out of my self-imposed dormancy today, and I was
expected to come out of it so that I could participate in the one thing I
abhorred.
Killing.
Dark Light of DayNoon Onyx Book One
By Jill Archer
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
ISBN: 978-0-425-25715-9
Number of pages: 384
Word Count: 123,000
Book Description:
Armageddon is over. The
demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron
demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the
demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the
banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant
of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born with waning magic, the
dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the
delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of and some
will consider her an abomination.
Noon is summoned to attend
St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her
powers there…or attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so
may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who
suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may
be more at stake than just her life.
About the Author:
Jill Archer is the
author of Dark Light of Day, the
first book in the Noon Onyx series. Raised in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jill now lives in rural Maryland with her two
children and her husband, who is a recreational pilot. She blogs about books,
movies, interesting people, and various weekend adventures.
website/blog: www.jillarcher.com
twitter: @archer_jill
Tour Wide Giveaway
2 prize packages which
include: copies of both Dark Light of Day and Fiery Edge of Steel and
$10eGC (open to international so long as Book Depository ships to the
winner's address, but US residents can elect to have signed print copies
sent to them).
4 comments:
Hi Marsha-- Stopping by to wave hello to you and your readers. Hope your week is going well. Thanks again for the interview!
Jill, it's great to be able to share your new release with my readers.
How timely - I'm rereading Dark Light of Day right now! I'm very excited for Fiery Edge of Steel.
Hi Faith, was stopping by to get link for updating my blog tour page and was so happy to see your comment here. Thanks for letting me know how much you liked DLOD. Happy reading!
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