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The Feelings of a First Love
Whisper of Fate follows a Queen struggling with her new role of leadership and lost love, who has to find a way to hold it all together and fight for her kingdom. What was your inspiration for the wild journey you take readers on in this novel?
I hope that readers will relate to the feelings of first love and the struggle between duty and desire. I had wanted to write a story where the kingdoms were based on the seven natural wonders of the world and where each location was home to a different spirit, the Sol Defenders, who are the source of the earth’s goodness and reflect attributes of God. In the story, each of our main characters interacts with these spirits differently, just like people might experience hearing God’s voice differently. Kalista senses their presence. Raine can hear them clearly. Luke has a hard time hearing them at all, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t guiding him just like they do the others. I wanted young people who might question if God speaks to them to see that it might look different for each of us, but God’s love is still strong regardless of their ability to hear his voice.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
It was important to me that each of the three main characters had their own personal struggles unrelated to the love story. Kalista is dealing with her newfound leadership and doubts about her ability. Raine struggles with forgiving his father, and Luke is stuck in a job he didn’t want and a future he didn’t expect. Throughout the story, I wanted them each to have personal victories related to their growth. It was important to me that they each have their own unique personality and voice, but I relate to each in different ways, and I hope the readers feel the same.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
I plotted the entire series before I wrote the first word, so I knew the plot line for the Sol Defenders from day one. What was surprising to me was the personalities of the characters. When I first thought about the story, I had thought Raine might be more domineering, but he turned out to be sweeter than I had planned, which made me fall in love with him even more. I never expected I’d love Georgia and Sebastian as much as I do, and Raine’s friendship with August was something I didn’t know I needed until he spontaneously came up in the writing. It was fun to give the supporting characters some big moments that I hadn’t planned originally, and those will continue into the third book.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
At the end of Whisper of Fate there is a big surprise, and in Night of the Sol, we get a whole new love story. I couldn’t let one of our characters go without a happy ending, but he’s definitely going to have to work for it, because his heart is going to be shattered a few more times before it’s put back together, I’m afraid. Kalista works to fulfill her destiny’s prediction to release the Sol Defenders to the earth, and we’ll find out if she’s successful or if the earth will have to continue to strive for the goodness it’s been desperate for since the Sol Defenders were trapped behind the Gateways. There will be a lot of action, a sweet love story, and twists and turns that keep the pages turning.
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As Kalista takes on the mantle of queen, the weight of her choices grows heavier. Threats rise within her kingdom and beyond, and tales of suffering in the Krasiv Isles push her toward a daring mission that could change everything.
Guided by ancient Spirits, Kalista must face assassins, uncover secrets, and confront the looming menace of Lord Mahan. At her side are the two men tied to her in ways she cannot ignore—Raine, the assassin haunted by his past who holds her heart, and Luke, her loyal general whose destiny may be greater than anyone imagined.
As alliances falter and sacrifices grow inevitable, Kalista must decide how much she’s willing to risk for love.
Enter a world of shadows and light. Read Whisper of Fate today to discover the strength it takes to stand against the darkness.
Whisper of Fate
Whisper of Fate picks up in the aftermath of chaos—kingdoms in mourning, secrets buried with the dead, and hearts just trying to keep beating. Kalista, now queen, is navigating grief, leadership, and the not-so-tidy wreckage of her love life. Luke, still nursing a bruised ego and a broken heart, tries to wear his general’s title while avoiding the emotional landmines left behind. Meanwhile, Raine (the assassin) is off on his own quest that may or may not involve saving the realm and still being hopelessly in love with Kalista. It’s the second book in the Sol Defenders series, and wow, it does not slow down for a second.
I fell hard for this book in the first few chapters. The emotional tension between Kalista and Luke is so real, it’s like reading a slow-motion car crash—messy, painful, but you can’t look away. There’s this moment I enjoyed at the funeral of Luke’s father where Kalista wraps her arms around him and he actually cries. The layers of love, betrayal, and unresolved feelings were giving major enemies-to-lovers energy—if the “lovers” part ever gets another chance. And don’t even get me started on the scene where they stare at the map of the kingdoms together, talking shop about strategy while also sidestepping all the unresolved tension between them.
What really got me, though, was how grief and loyalty are so tightly wound into everything. Kalista visiting the mother of a fallen soldier, trying to find comfort in helping others when she can’t even hold herself together was emotional. And Raine—ugh, Raine—sneaking around enemy territory, aching for a girl he thinks he can never have while trying to track down the monster who made them all suffer? Classic tortured hero vibes. The writing isn’t trying too hard to be poetic—it just is. Emotional. Simple. And sometimes, devastating. And Crowe pulls it off while still weaving in danger, court politics, and a bit of awkward guard banter (Paulsen, you adorable disaster).
Whisper of Fate is for anyone who loves fantasy with serious heart. There’s romance, but it’s buried in grief and longing and so much quiet hope it kind of sneaks up on you. If you like Throne of Glass with less sass and more raw emotion, this is your book. Perfect for fans of character-driven stories where no one is entirely okay but everyone’s trying. I’m already counting the days until book three.
Pages: 400 | ISBN : 1960810995
Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead
At its core, Love & Other Cures for the Recently Undead is a gritty, emotional, and strangely tender post-apocalyptic coming-of-age tale. We follow CeCe, a teenage girl who wakes up from a two-year blackout only to discover she was among the Infected, essentially the undead, during the downfall of civilization. As she tries to rebuild a life in a world that has changed beyond recognition, she confronts loss, trauma, guilt, and, unexpectedly, the guy who bit her. It’s not just a zombie survival story, it’s about identity, healing, and navigating the ugly mess of grief and rebirth.
I wasn’t prepared for how raw this book would hit. The opening chapters aren’t action-packed in the usual undead thriller way, but they are claustrophobic and gut-wrenching. CeCe waking up in darkness, confused and crushed under bodies, is horrifying, not because of gore but because it’s so human and real. Ramsay doesn’t rush the emotional recovery, and I appreciated that. You really feel CeCe’s pain when she realizes her mother didn’t make it, that her best friend and boyfriend are missing, that she’s been gone for two years and everything she loved (tennis, high school, her future) is shattered. That kind of slow-burn horror hits harder than any jump scare.
The writing style is simple but effective. Ramsay keeps things clean and fast-moving, even when the plot slows down. There’s a lot of introspection, especially in scenes where CeCe returns to her old school as part of the Rehabilitation Program. Those moments of being surrounded by other damaged kids with missing limbs, haunted eyes, and weird silence hit me like a punch to the chest. And the subtle tension with Olivia, the hostile Survivor, is quietly terrifying. But where the book really surprised me was Derrick. The boy who infected CeCe? It turns out he’s been cured, too. And somehow, this book manages to make you feel something when they meet again. Confused anger. Loathing. Maybe even curiosity. I didn’t want to root for him, but I found myself leaning in.
What really stood out was the emotional weirdness of returning to something familiar that’s now unrecognizable. Ramsay captures that eerie feeling of trying to go back to normal when “normal” is gone forever. When CeCe walks through her school, sees her old tennis team photo, or opens her ex-boyfriend’s locker. Those moments are small, but they carry so much weight. And it’s honestly heartbreaking how she’s just expected to rejoin society, do her homework, eat her weird canned spaghetti, and pretend everything’s fine. It’s not. It never will be. And that tension between survival and actual living is what keeps the book from falling into cliché.
Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead is for anyone who’s ever felt like a stranger in their own life, or tried to rebuild something that doesn’t quite fit anymore. It’s not a light read, but it’s oddly hopeful in its own way. There’s still love. There’s still friendship. And there’s still that weird human ability to keep going, even when everything’s broken. I didn’t expect to care this much about a girl with a zombie bite. I’m glad I read it.
Pages: 235 | ISBN-10 : 1957295821
Through the Elements
Fire Pearl follows a woman who must face her utmost fears on the path to rekindling a lost love. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It is the fourth installment of a series that arrived like the others at night, in that liminal space when you’re neither awake nor asleep yet both, and that we call, for short, dreaming. Having travelled with/as Kate through the elements of earth, air, and water now it is time to test her with fire. The other drive/parable/ inspiration was an African tale that I recorded many years ago in Sierra Leone.
Do you have a favorite scene in Fire Pearl? One that was especially enjoyable to craft?
I can’t remember “crafting” it, it was just there, but the first scene that comes to mind is when she/I am on a solid strong wooden boat, knowing that it’s a sure firm steadfast way to get away on the sea from the fire, forever reliable, and then I begin to feel the solid wood of the boat below me warm and I realise that that, too, is the fire (a parable for sure of one aspect of our lives)
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
YES – the agonising regret while still chained ( not unhappily) to where I was, the realisation that I was other than I had had always thought I was, and then the failure to recognise him when I had found him.
Can fans look forward to a fifth installment in this series? Where will it take readers?
YES, the next volume in the Kate-Pearl epic series: always the same story / myth of Kate rejecting her offered love and realising her mistake, searching for him through all the elements of the universe; next, having gone through fire for him she faces the fifth element (in Chinese philosophy), wood – in Kate’s experience it is trees (“Pearl in the deep wood”) – I’ll leave you to find the scintillating swaying swerving details.
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Fire Pearl
The Fire Pearl: Tale of the Burning Way is a fever dream of myth, fire, and longing. Ruth Finnegan crafts a poetic journey in the fourth installment of the Kate-Pearl epic-romance series, where the titular character, Kate, confronts a blazing, symbolic world to rekindle a lost love. Drawing from classical myths, African storytelling, and literary echoes of Shakespeare, Homer, and Rumi, the story blurs the line between dream and reality. This is not a conventional narrative. It’s a burning exploration of love, identity, and the courage to face oneself in a world aflame with metaphorical meaning.
Finnegan leans heavily on a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness style that mirrors the mythic grandeur of ancient epics. At times, I found myself awestruck by the sheer musicality of the prose—phrases like “the flames frisked and flickered and flared” or Kate’s encounters with the dragon-like “pterodactyl flames” are breathtaking. Moments of clarity are sometimes buried beneath layers of riddling, dreamlike language. For instance, Kate’s journey through the forest of flames sometimes feels less like a narrative and more like an abstract meditation on fire as a symbol for love, passion, and destruction.
The ideas behind the book are fascinating. Finnegan doesn’t just tell a story; she interrogates myths and our human relationship with the elements. Fire, as explored here, isn’t just an element but a force of creation, destruction, and transformation. Through Kate’s trials, from enduring firestorms to her symbolic rebirth, we see reflections of Prometheus, Shakespeare’s “muse of fire,” and even Blake’s “Tyger.” One standout section involves Kate’s dialogue with the Flames themselves, who challenge her with riddles about fire’s dual nature. These moments shine, even as they require patience to untangle their meaning.
What I appreciated most about The Fire Pearl was its unrelenting emotional core. Kate’s struggle to face her fears of fire and of love resonated with me. Her moments of doubt and courage felt authentic, even amidst the surreal landscape she traverses. The scene where she saves a bird trapped in flames, despite her own terror, was particularly moving.
For readers who thrive on poetry, myth, and deeply layered storytelling, The Fire Pearl is a challenging yet rewarding journey. It’s a book that requires you to surrender to its flames, just as Kate does. And who knows? You might emerge from its pages changed, illuminated by the fire within.
Pages: 172 | ISBN : 978-1365739439
Time-Travel Romance
In Stone of Hope, a man trying to save his niece and nephew travels through time and meets a brilliant archaeologist who finds herself questioning his motives. I find the setup of the novel entertaining. How did this idea start and develop as you wrote?
Dominic DeVolt’s story first came to me while I was writing the first book in the series, Stone of Love. There, I hinted at how his relationship with his sister had grown distant. Imagining what would happen after he nearly abandoned her to cope alone with their mother’s cancer and death, I realized his story needed to be told. He wasn’t shallow as he may have seemed in Brielle’s memory—just deeply wounded.
By the time I wrote the third book, Stone of Lust, Dominic’s character and backstory were well-formed in my mind: a young man who channeled his grief into Air Force training, determined to become the best fighter in the force. Meanwhile, Brielle’s journey—taking her beloved artifacts discovered in Scotland on a museum tour—created the perfect chance to move the Iona stones’ magic beyond Scotland and into another world: Egypt in the 1930s, during the height of archaeological discovery. Adding Brielle’s children, who possess Fae powers, to Dominic’s time-hopping adventure was too tempting to pass up. This development naturally led into the next two books, each featuring one of Brielle’s children as an adult.
Blending elements from some of my favorite action-adventure films—The Mummy, Night at the Museum, Romancing the Stone, and Escape from Witch Mountain—I crafted this action-packed time-travel romance, weaving in my own vision of love during Egypt’s archaeological heyday.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
I enjoy writing each character for different reasons. I wanted to include the twin niece and nephew as teenagers to add both realism and humor to Dominic’s and Moira’s struggles. It allowed me a chance to introduce them and vest them with readers.
Moira White was a delight to develop. She’s a woman with modern ideals who was raised by a beloved uncle, traveling all over Egypt on his quest for historical treasures. What young woman wouldn’t want that kind of life? She’s very much a woman ahead of her time.
Dominic, however, was more challenging. Striking the right balance between his deep emotions and the charismatic, adrenaline-junkie persona shaped by his military training was no small feat. He’s a great example of the ideal “book boyfriend”: a warrior with a soft heart, a hint of mystery, and just enough “bad boy” to keep things interesting. Finding those softer moments without losing his hard edge was a welcome challenge, and I believe I did his character justice.
What was the inspiration for the love story and the connection the characters have?
Opposites attract. Each unknowingly needs what the other offers. It’s through their journey together they find how they each bring balance to the other through their love.
Can fans look forward to a fifth installment in the Stones of Iona series? Where will it take readers?
Stone of Doubt, book 5, Stones of Iona will release March 17th, 2025. It is available for pre-order now. To view the trailer, visit YouTube. To read an excerpt of the next installment of the series visit: https://margaretizardauthor.com/stonesofiona/hope/
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Moira fears the attractive man who appears at her dig is partnering with her archnemesis. That is until the bold fighter distracts her with a kiss. His duty as uncle tugs her heart, but is he only after her precious artifacts?
He’d fight mystic forces to be with her. She sees her future in his love.
Real-Life Experiences
Afternoon Rebecca is a charming romance novel about two small-town Christians navigating online dating, faith, and vulnerability, set against the quirky and heartfelt backdrop of Indiana life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It came to me many years ago when I was a dishwasher for a local Italian restaurant. Originally, it was going to be called Fine Dining, and the ending was to be revealed: they were on a Love Connection-type show and the previous chapters were them recounting their stories on the show and agree to another date when done.
How did you go about crafting Jeff’s internal monologues to feel so authentic and relatable?
I thought back to when I was in the dating world and tried to remember how I’d think about the possibility of her having a male roommate or avoiding simple questions like how she got her nickname.
Did any of the quirky details, like the parrot’s Biblical recitations, come from personal experiences or observations?
Most of the conversation between Jeff and Rebecca was based, however loosely, on my real-life experiences, up to and including how she got the nickname, Afternoon Rebecca, and the song. “Can of Peas” is an actual song I wrote in 2020, and I accompany it by playing my ukulele.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Being Afternoon Rebecca. It picks up the day after the date and goes through most of the summer. It’s her, her job, playing on the softball team, and her budding relationship, among other things. It should be out by the end of January. At least five books are expected in the series. The sequels are longer, all expected to come in well over 700 pages each, unlike the 140 or so of the first.
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Get to know the couple as they learn about each other and enjoy a Tuesday afternoon dinner together. As they dine, Rebecca’s best friend and roommate, Maxine “Max Little, anxiously awaits updates from Afternoon Rebecca as she scopes out the potential love of her life.
Set in a fictional county in Central Indiana, Jeff and Rebecca’s tale is more than just a love story. Hear the narratives of the restaurant’s staff as their many short stories are woven together in an effort for Jeff67 and Afternoon Rebecca to have their happily ever after.
Stone of Hope, Book 4 Stones of Iona
Stone of Hope, by Margaret Izard, masterfully blends romance, history, and fantasy into an enthralling narrative that sweeps readers across the evocative landscapes of Scotland and Egypt. Dominic DeVolt, drawn by the mystical power of the Eye of Ra, finds himself entangled in the life of Moira White, an archaeologist whose brilliance and beauty transcend the ordinary. With his niece and nephew’s lives at stake, Dominic plunges into Moira’s excavation, a place where ancient secrets meet modern treachery. For Moira, Dominic is a puzzle—an enigmatic figure who might bring salvation or destruction. Together, they face mystical forces and personal doubts, testing whether love can bridge the vast chasm between their worlds.
The novel’s richly imagined settings elevate the story, transforming them into living, breathing elements of the narrative. Scotland’s misty hills and Egypt’s sun-drenched ruins resonate with a sense of wonder and danger, adding depth to every scene. These locations are more than mere scenery; they enhance the storytelling, immersing readers in a vibrant atmosphere that lingers long after the pages turn. Dominic and Moira’s chemistry is undeniable, igniting the heart of the novel. Their journey through love, betrayal, and sacrifice explores universal themes of trust and redemption, drawing readers deeply into their emotional struggles.
The element of time travel adds layers of complexity, intensifying the stakes and offering new dimensions to their characters. This interplay of personal growth and high-stakes drama demonstrates Margaret Izard’s skill in crafting intricate relationships that captivate and resonate. Fantastical elements weave seamlessly into the plot, enriching the story without overshadowing its central romance. Izard’s deft integration of folklore and fantasy into historical and contemporary contexts creates a dynamic, multifaceted narrative. The result is a tapestry that sparkles with magic while remaining grounded in its characters’ heartfelt struggles and triumphs.
Stone of Hope concludes with a sense of fulfillment, yet it leaves the door ajar for future adventures. This balanced resolution offers closure while tantalizing readers with the promise of more, a narrative approach that ensures the story remains vivid in their imaginations. Hope and suspense intertwine, ensuring the tale’s impact lingers well beyond the final chapter. For readers seeking a story where love transcends time and the boundaries of past and present collide in breathtaking ways, Stone of Hope offers an unforgettable escape. Margaret Izard’s expert storytelling and genre-blending prowess make this a must-read for fans of historical fantasy and romance.
Pages: 187 | ASIN : B0DLBMNKHG
LITERARY TITAN 