Interview + Giveaway with Gloria Clover

Welcome, book lovers! Come and join me for a chat today with author Gloria Clover, whose novel Washed Under the Waves just released on 6 March 2018. Washed Under the Waves is the first of five novels in her Children of the King series, which will be releasing over the next few months.

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~ About the Author ~

Gloria Clover, Christ-follower and Truth-seeker, writes romantic fiction with the hope of showing God’s love and our need in both humorous and haunting ways. The Children of the King series is her first endeavor into speculative fiction, a series set in the future when the King sends out his children to reclaim his lost lands.
Gloria’s contemporary romances, published by Barbour Books and Son-Rise Publications, include: The Remaking of Moe McKenna in the Race to the Altar anthology, Brianna’s Pardon, and Tangled Truths. She compiled ten volumes of Penned From the Heart and wrote a short devotional, Who We Are in Christ, A to Z.
She is a member of Emmanuel Christian Church, active in prayer ministry, women’s ministries, American Heritage Girls, and various other projects. She participates in writing/book days at local schools and enjoys giving and receiving from her various writing critique groups. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, participating in the ACFW book club and prayer loops.
Married with child, she writes from her little white box in western PA.
https://www.bythevinepress.com/genre/fantasy

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~ Interview ~

ME:  Welcome to my blog, Gloria! To start with, let’s take a little ‘flight of fancy’. How would you finish the following statements:
If I could visit any place in the world, I would visit…
Australia and New Zealand. I’ve never been.
What an excellent choice! Not that I’m biased or anything…
If I could assign one household task to the fairies forever, it would be…
Dusting. We heat with wood. Do I need to explain?
Lol! No, not at all. I suppose there’s a downside to everything, even a cozy wood fire.
If I was an animal, I would be a…
Cat. A moody, finicky cat. Nothing fancy here.
Ooh. Now you’ve got me trying to figure out which of T.S. Eliot’s cats you would be!
If I could say one thing to my younger self, it would be…
Gloria, you are not able to do everything that God wants accomplished in this world. You are only one part of the Body. Let people do the thing God has called them to do and encourage them as you can. But don’t be discouraged if they aren’t interested in the thing that God has called you to. It is just a part of a beautiful whole God is orchestrating through time.
Great advice!
If I could be an Olympic athlete, I would compete in…
Is there a sport that doesn’t take coordination? That would mine.
Lol! 
If I could have one superpower, it would be…
I’m sure I’d misuse it and drive myself insane, but some days I’d like to try mind-reading. I foolishly think I would respond better if I just understood….
I think I’d have to agree with this. On both counts!
When I was a child, I wanted to be a…
A writer. Yep. Living the dream.
Good for you! 
Okay, let’s get down to the bookish business now. What draws you to the fantasy genre?
Escapism. New worlds. New creatures. The Quest. Swords.
Often the allegory within the fantasy story. So many cool elements to fantasy.
Oh, yes! Swords! And there is so much ‘scope for the imagination’ in fantasy, as one of my favourite characters would say. 😉
Where did the idea come from for this series?
Strangely enough, I wanted to practice writing better setting descriptions. But I don’t care for research and I hate to rewrite so I wanted a setting that was made up. The idea of the Archipelago of Solumnus came to me. It would be a group of islands on Earth, but hidden to our 21st Century eyes. Somewhere in the ocean. Spread out enough to have a variety of climates. Set in the unnamed future at a time when the King sends out His children to reclaim His lost lands. Isaiah 66:10 talks about that.
Each island would be under a deception familiar with its culture. That deception would translate into a modern issue for the modern reader.
I set it in the future so I could add some cool speculative elements such as a medallion that takes the King’s children right into His throne room.
And I added a story motif from nature to play off a spiritual element or a characteristic of God.
So, the spark was from wanting to practice writing better descriptions. I don’t promise anyone I’ve improved. I’m still more interested in what the characters say and feel than how they look or move.  🙂
Lol. I love your honesty! But I also love the ideas you’ve pulled together as the starting point.
Could you tell us about Lady Tayte Bashan’s world?
Undae Island has been isolated from the outside world since it was founded during the height of the Roman Empire—except for two times. A small island with only five villages, it feels medieval rather than futuristic. The people of Undae carry a heavy burden of a reoccurring tsunami, and under Tayte’s guidance they have embraced entertainment to repress their fears. They need the change coming.
Hmm… Embracing entertainment sounds very relevant to our current culture!
Prince Geoffrey Athan D’Ambrose is sent to Undae from the outside world. How is his world different to Lady Tayte Bashan’s.
Athan only lived in the future version of the fallen world of Earth for a few short years until the King adopted him and brought him to the Kingdom. There, Athan has studied and prepared to go on a mission for the King. He’s proud to be the first sent out.
I don’t describe the Kingdom except for light, warmth, and the presence of the King. I suspect every Christian has thought about seeing Jesus face-to-face, and I don’t want to throw them out of the story world by describing too much that would certainly be speculation on my part.
Description of the “outside” world is one of the things that grow with each novel.
I’ll look forward to learning more about the “outside” world as the series progresses.
How much fun was it to think of all the ways in which an island untouched by the outside world would be different to our world, and what were some of the biggest differences you portrayed?
In truth, I didn’t think through enough logistics when I started writing Washed Under the Waves. I believe I’ve gotten better with each novel, but there are many society aspects to focus on. However, some of the things I did consider were:

• The slowness of industry without the need or ability to trade
• How language changes
• How fears morph into superstitions

I can’t even begin to imagine all the things to consider! But I do like the ones you mentioned. 
What was your biggest challenge in writing this story?
Putting worthy words into the mouth of the King.
Yes, that would be daunting!
What was the most enjoyable part of writing this story?
Writing the scenes where Tayte is unaware of Athan’s attraction to her. I like chemistry. I like naive heroines and patient, self-aware heroes. You’ll see a lot of that in my stories.
I can see how you’d have fun with that!
What’s coming next in the series?
A Greek island, a fiery red-head, and a patient prince. More adventures with pirates with lasers.
See, I told you I like self-controlled men.  J The people of Celosia, founded by stoics from Greece, believe in only what their five senses reveal. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for an invisible King or his ambassador. But Prince Valryan is up to the challenge – though he didn’t anticipate the fire Amaryllis Filippopolous would spark in his heart with one heated glance.
The Fire Starter, book 2 Children of the King, now available for pre-order.
I’m looking forward to it!
Thanks for being my guest today!
Thank you for inviting me! It’s fun to talk about this series.

* If you’d like to read my review of Washed Under the Waves, you’ll find it here.

~ Children of the King Series ~

Washed Under the Waves – Available now
The Fire Starter – Available for pre-order (Releasing 10 April 2018)
From the Frozen Depths – Available for pre-order (Releasing 8 May 2018)

~ Giveaway ~

I have TWO giveaways to offer you today! First, the grand prize: a Kindle Fire, an autographed paperback of Washed Under the Waves, an e-book copy of book two in the series, The Fire Starter, and a $10 Starbucks gift card. Phew, what a prize! This prize is being offered by By The Vine Press to one lucky reader across a number of blogs, open until 20 March 2018. Click here to enter:  https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/59942bf24/?

The second giveaway is exclusive to readers of my blog! Lucky you! 🙂 One visitor will win an autographed paperback copy of Washed Under the Waves. Just leave a comment letting me know what has caught your interest in this series, and then go here to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bd61d44b26/?  Giveaway closes 11:59pm 18 March 2018.