Allegra Gray, author of ENTRUSTED, joins Fresh Fiction to talk about King
Arthur, loyalty,
and what we can look forward to in the Relic Guardians series!
Jen: Hi, Allegra. Thank you for joining us on Fresh Fiction! ENTRUSTED is the first
book in the Relic
Guardians series, which delves into the fabulous stories of King
Arthur and Camelot.
When did you first become interested in these legends and why?
Allegra: The King Arthur stories are so ingrained in our culture,
it’s hard to say
when I first became aware of them…probably as a kid, through Disney’s The
Sword and the
Stone. I also loved the film First Knight with Sean Connery and
Richard Gere. It
wasn’t until years later, in grad school, though, that I became aware of
some of the
earlier tales, and the mystery surrounding the various historical (or
pseudo-historical)
accountings of this legendary king. Around the same time, the 2004 film
King Arthur
with Clive Owen and Keira Knightly was released, and I loved the filming and
the mood they
captured in that movie.
The
Relic
Guardians actually takes place long after King Arthur’s death…it’s
centered around
the
prophecy that his was not a true death, and that he is only waiting,
protected in Avalon,
until he will someday return to rule over a united Britain. The Relic
Guardians
is
about the lengths people have gone to over the centuries to protect that
prophecy, in the
hopes it will come true.
Jen: The
Relic Guardians series spans centuries, with the third book
written in modern day
England. I love this because it connects past events to what is happening
today. Why do you
think it is important for people to study history and see how it can still
shape the lives
of people now and will shape actions in the future?
Allegra: This is a tough question to answer without sounding trite or
nerdy.
(There’s the usual “so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past” answer, but
I’ll try to do
one step better.) I spent the first 11 years of my career wearing a U.S. Air
Force uniform
(including 4 years at the Air Force Academy, where history is a mandatory
class for
multiple semesters…). Even now, I travel a lot internationally, and I get a
lot more out of
visiting different countries when I have at least some basic knowledge of
that country’s
history and culture.
One reason I think it’s important to understand history is so that we
understand the
motivations behind current events. Many wars and political conflicts go back
centuries. Oil
rights and the like may be contributing factors, but they aren’t the sole
cause of
conflict. Unless we learn about history and other cultures, we can’t
effectively respond to
world events. At best, we would look ignorant, and at worst, could do more
harm than good.
Even in a non-conflict situation, a person without history is a person
without identity.
History gives us roots—people, like plants, struggle to grow without roots.
In
Relic
Guardians, there is also an underlying theme of protectorship, and
the hope that by
protecting the past, we are also protecting our future.
Jen: Audrey, the heroine from ENTRUSTED, had wanted to join the
convent but
circumstances kept her from taking vows. Tobias is a bit of a rogue, and I
love the
conflict these two have. But they’re not nearly as different as they first
appear. They do
share a strong loyalty to family. When it comes to romance, what do you feel
is important
for a couple to build a future together?
Allegra: You hit the nail on the head with the word “loyalty.” You
can have all the
flash and dazzle in the world, but there’s no future to a fireworks show. It
happens, and
then it’s over, the smoke fading in the night sky by the time you walk back
to your car.
For any couple, fictional or real, loyalty is the only foundation I know
that is strong
enough upon which to build a future and weather the storms that will surely
arise. Of
course, I want my characters to have their day in the sun! I’m not
suggesting passion and
“sizzle” don’t have their place in a relationship…only that there must be
something strong
and lasting at the core.
Jen: What writers have inspired you and why?
Allegra: I have been an avid reader since childhood, so it’s hard to
pick just one!
The first romance novel I ever read was by Judith McNaught, and I was hooked on the genre
after that.
Years later I had the chance to receive an advance copy of one of her books
and participate
in a chat group about the book. I was so excited! I had dabbled in writing
prior to that,
but hadn’t completed anything novel-length. At one point during the chat
group, my answers
and guesses were apparently spot-on, so much so that she asked more about my
background (I
was a grad student in English literature at the time…go figure!). I’d been
encouraged by
teachers and professors before, but she was a real, living author! That was
when I really
started to think, “hey, I could really do this.”
Jen: What are you working on now, and when can we get our hands on
the next two
books in the Relic
Guardians series?
Allegra: Well, I’m still finishing the next two books of the series.
BEGUILED
should be out in early 2016, and PROTECTED later that same year.
I’ve also got a really awesome idea for a 4th book in the series…it’s one of
those
“lightning strike” ideas that I’m super excited about, but I am not going to
say anything
more on that just yet! (Must finish the other two first!)
After the Relic
Guardians, I do have a few other YA books planned. My kids know the
basic plotlines
and
frequently ask when I’ll finish those, so I take that as a good sign that my
target
audience is interested.
Jen: Thank you so much for joining us! I know I can’t wait to read
BEGUILED
and PROTECTED!
Allegra Gray grew up with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds—that
is, when she
wasn’t focused on more practical things like, say, learning calculus.
Perhaps all those
stories inspired a spirit of adventure, because at the age of seventeen she
embarked on a
career journey that has (so far) included serving as an officer in the U.S.
Air Force, grad
school at Virginia Tech, teaching English, and managing defense contracts in
the Middle
East.
The best thing about this breadth of experience? When she tried her hand at
writing novels
like the ones she’d always loved, she recognized at once that she’d found a
true passion.
Her forthcoming series, The Relic Guardians, is genre-bending
mainstream/historical
suspense, inspired by her long-held desire to unveil things obscured by the
mists of time.
Allegra is also the author of four historical romances, including the
“Daring Damsels”
trilogy of Nothing But Scandal, Nothing But Deception, and Nothing But
Trouble.
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Orphan Audrey Thorndale longs for the peaceful life of a convent, but
with a younger
brother to care for and England's religious houses falling one by one to
Henry VIII's
Reformation, she'll have to find another way to serve God and country. The
Abbot of
Glastonbury, aware of Audrey's dilemma and loathe to see the great treasures
of his abbey
looted and destroyed, suggests a plan that could save Audrey, the relics,
and even the
future of Britain...but if she agrees to it, she'll have to commit treason.
Second son and sometime adventurer, Tobias Seybourne has never left an
opportunity
unexplored. He’s won the favor of the king, and is aiming for knighthood,
when Abbot
Whiting offers him the chance of a lifetime—partner with Audrey, and protect
England’s
greatest legend. Most importantly? Do it without ever giving the king a
reason to suspect
more devious purposes simmer beneath Tobias’s charming façade.
With help from the abbot, Audrey and Tobias set in motion a plan to ensure
that when the
abbey walls crumble, one particular treasure will be safely hidden
elsewhere.
But as the abbot points out, the king’s minions keep close account of their
plunder, and
the contents of Glastonbury’s repository are well documented.
With the king’s men bearing down fast, someone must take the fall…
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