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We’re All In This Together
The Ties That Bind follows a teenage girl who, after surviving her initial encounter with the enemy, is now honing her powers and preparing to unite the other six Human-Borns. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always loved stories about teamwork and teens needing to learn how to work together despite differences. The anime, Digimon Adventure, proved to be a huge influence on my young mind, and upon recently rewatching it, I realized that it likely was the root of my inspiration for there to be a team of chosen ones, and that there would be tensions between the individuals. I’m someone who adores traveling, and that also played a big part in me wanting to turn this story into a global event, with each of the kids coming from different backgrounds, family structures, ethnic groups, and financial situations. I wanted to provide a sort of “we’re all in this together” idea, that no matter who you are or where you come from, you, too, could have been a Human-Born.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
I really enjoyed writing Jen in this book. Her struggles and growth were things that took me a while to convey well to the reader so that she came across fully believable in her reactions (I wrote the first draft of Ties back in 2011), but once I really focused on the trauma she’d been through and how she was feeling about it all, I was able to show my readers exactly where she is, and give her a cast that supported her growth and development (especially Tyron. Some of my favorite scenes in this book are the mentor/mentee scenes between Jen & Ty).
The hardest character to write for me was Lexa, and likely will be for a while. She’s so counter to my personality, and she thinks in such a selfish, brash way that I can understand but at the same time, I don’t understand because it’s not at all how I’d react to situations and people. I love her though, because there’s so much potential for growth in her. Naturally, my villains are hard to write (especially Cregorous), but Lexa proved difficult for me, because she’s supposed to be a good guy, and her way of seeing the world and even her motivations aren’t at all like the others’.
Are you a fan of the Young Adult and Coming-Of-Age genres? What books do you think most influenced your work?
It’s hard to say what books influenced my stories, especially in the YA and Coming-of-Age genres, because truthfully, I haven’t read many of them. My biggest influences, book-wise, came from the likes of Tolkien and Lewis, but when I was younger, I greatly enjoyed Orsen Scott Card’s books and I know I destroyed a copy of Where the Red Fern Grows. While I have read both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, I never fell in love with them the way others did. I could appreciate the worldbuilding, and enjoyed aspects of the lore in both series, but I found more I didn’t like about them than things I did. So maybe they did influence me, but in a way that made me say, “I want my mentor character to never be compared to this character.” Or, “I want my characters and plot to be stronger than this.”
What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?
Book 3, The Reflection of the Raidin, is available now! It launched June 25, 2024, and is all about the fact that the Human-Borns are now on the world of Tilion and are trying to figure out how to end the war with Caliga. (They don’t figure it out, because there’s still two books left in the series). Reflection is the book that shifts the series out of Young Adult and into New Adult, as the characters are growing, their situations are changing, the stakes are getting raised, and the themes discussed are deeper than your average upper YA reader might be ready to tackle.
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Seven teenagers rose to fight.
The world survived.
Now Jen Monroe is tasked with finding the six other Human-Borns. Still reeling from her traumatic encounter with the monstrous Cregorous, she faces cultural barriers, personality clashes, and a worldwide trek to find those destined to help her. But threats sleep in the shadows, and the humans were not blind to what they witnessed seven teenagers accomplish.
Meanwhile, the very enemy the Human-Borns are fated to encounter lies in wait.
He is patient. He is cunning. He is ruthless.
Soon, these seven teenagers find themselves in a battle they never expected. But in their drive to save those they care about, what might be lost in the process?
The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind, the second chapter in Susan L. Markloff’s Human-Born Era series, plunges readers back into the extraordinary saga of Jen Monroe and her fellow Human-Borns. This novel continues their epic struggle against the dark forces of Cregorous. A gripping YA fantasy, this installment brims with action, character growth, and masterful world-building, solidifying its place in the genre. The story picks up swiftly from where the first book left off. Jen, having survived her initial encounter with Cregorous, is now honing her powers and preparing to unite the other six Human-Borns. These teenagers, each wielding incredible abilities, must come together to confront their terrifying common enemy. Their journey demands not just facing external dangers but also wrestling with internal conflicts and the pressures of leading dual lives.
Markloff’s world-building stands out. Having established the foundation in the first book, she now enriches the world with intricate details that fantasy enthusiasts will relish. Her skill in blending the familiar with the fantastical breathes fresh life into a crowded genre. The world she creates feels vivid and layered, especially for a YA novel. The setting, a mix of the realistic and the supernatural, captivates the reader, making it easy to lose oneself in the story.
Not only does the world the author has created shine—but the characters do, too. Jen, our protagonist, is exceptionally well-crafted. Her authenticity and relatability draw readers in, even as the story delves into the strange and the surreal. Though the other Human-Borns don’t receive as much focus, each one emerges with a distinct personality and background. The interactions between the characters are often highlighted, with Markloff excelling at capturing the nuances of teenage banter. The chemistry between characters like Skylar and Takeo infuses the story with humor and warmth, raising the stakes when danger looms. Cregorous, the ever-present villain, remains a formidable and well-developed threat. At times, the amount of characters in the story can feel overwhelming, but the glossary at the back proves invaluable. The plot itself strikes a balance between intense, fast-paced action and slower, introspective moments. Without giving anything away, the climax delivers excitement and leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
The Ties That Bind is a stellar entry in YA fantasy, leaving me eager for what comes next. Susan Markloff delivers a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Pages: 708 | ASIN : B0BR58QY1J
Wings and Cool Abilities
The Rise of the Raidin follows a seemingly ordinary eighteen-year-old high school girl who is secretly training as a dragon slayer warrior. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The biggest inspiration started when I was in eighth grade and was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis. I already had terrible eyesight and bad teeth, and I found myself wishing to just wake up one day and all these broken parts of me were fixed. I was really into fantasy and sci-fi stories, and loved fast-paced stories with lots of action, especially in movies. So my brain basically asked the question, “What if when we woke up and everything was fixed, we also had wings and cool abilities? And maybe we had to save the world from something?” As I worked to develop the story, which initially had little by way of plot and was “just vibes,” I drew a lot of inspiration from fantasy and sci-fi books, movies, and TV shows like The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Ender’s Game, Stargate SG-1, and Star Trek, as well as a bunch of my favorite animes, most notably Digimon and Zoids.
In a lot of contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
In the earliest drafts of the story, Jen was practically a carbon copy of me. By now, the only things we share are our love of photography, our drive to protect those we care about, and how deeply we love our families. She’s far wittier than I am, and far braver and more resilient, too. I can see where one of my brothers influenced bits of Krelien’s character, and where my deep love of animals influenced the creation of Blaze and Archer. Tyron has slowly become, quite truthfully, the picture of the sort of man I would want to marry someday. Ar’on and I have almost nothing in common, aside from maybe his favorite tea blend. But with Kaldok, I specifically gave him my love of baking. I really enjoy baking (though seldom do I give myself time for it), and I felt that of all the characters, it fit Kaldok the best to be this imposing werewolf that loves to bake treats for others.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I don’t write my books with themes or tropes in mind. The only themes I ever want to convey in my stories is that there is an absolute truth, that there is such a thing as being wrong, accepting the cost of our wrong actions, and seeking repentance. As a Christian, I want to hold my stories to a realistic standard so that my characters feel real (even if their circumstances are fantastical), but I won’t shy away from the truth. Any other themes and tropes that readers see in the story are ones I didn’t plan for. In fact, I rely heavily on my early readers to tell me what tropes and themes are in my books, because I have a very hard time figuring out what the “theme” of a story I’ve written is.
When will book 2 be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
Book 2 is available now! The Ties That Bind launched on February 7, 2023. Ties blasts readers into a worldwide adventure. Where Rise took place mostly over the course of a single day, Ties takes about two months of traveling and meeting the ever-expansive cast. Readers have said that it’s a story where they realize they’re “all in” with the series and are fully invested to see where things go. It’s a book that can be intimidating, with its 600+ page count, but almost every reader finishes Ties within a week, many within two days. Readers can expect loads of character development, meeting dynamic characters from diverse backgrounds, plenty of banter, higher stakes, some trauma recovery, some heartache and loss, the introduction to the world of Tilion, and more epic battles.
If readers enjoyed The Rise of the Raidin, there are 6 parallel side-stories to Rise in a novella series called The Human-Born Chronicles. They can learn more about all of my books via my website.
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Which is precisely why no one—least of all herself—would suspect anything extraordinary from the quiet, boring girl who only has a few good friends to call her own. But that all got flipped on its head about a year ago, when two imposing men, a complete goofball, a werewolf, and two large four-legged creatures barged into her life.
Now over a year later, Jen leads a double life. Mild-mannered, quiet, high schooler by day; dragon slayer and raw-energy-wielding-warrior (in training) by night. Juggling SAT scores, papers, and mastering the art of flying, she’s managed to keep her friends and family oblivious of her hybrid abilities and continue on a track for college. Everything was going swimmingly.
Until one normal, foggy, November morning, when a dragon crashed through the clouds, heralding a small army to descend on her high school. All for little, forgettable her. Making her realize that maybe there’s a whole lot more going on than she originally thought.
Good and Evil Are Reversed
Nightwalker (The Demonic War Book 1) follows an apparent 18-year-old high schooler who is actually a 300-year-old Vampire prince on a mission to find two missing stones to save his people. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The truth behind the age of the main character represents not only a feeling of youthfullism but also kicks back against the negative views people have of ageism. Having a character that’s centuries older than livable for a human but looks young grants the reader a different perspective from that of the typical teenage main character.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
When dealing with non-humans, it gets a little tricky, but that was the best part. Nightwalker was created to send a message about not judging others before getting to know them. There is a very dependent light vs dark/good vs evil in most fiction stories, not just fantasy.
While Nightwalker embraces this, the sources behind that good and evil are reversed, as the characters most often perceived as evil are not so, and those typically recognized as good are also not so. This is emphasized with the recognition of monsters and humans, and what actually makes someone a monster, seen through the human qualities the monsters all display. It really makes the reader question who really is good and evil, and most importantly, where we draw the line between the two. Unfortunately, that line is flexible and blurred in reality.
In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away with the magical powers characters have. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?
I really had to think hard about this one. There are so many methods of delivering magic, and the stronger your character, the more difficult it becomes. I especially didn’t want magic to overpower the natural abilities of the characters as they’re essential to each of them and their growth.
I actually wrote down very meticulously the style of magic, how it’s used, and how their abilities develop for each book, from the start to the end of the series, so as to properly balance the magic with the supernatural.
When will Book 2 be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
Book 2’s expected release date is November 1st. This one will be particularly exciting as it transitions off-world. Unlike Book 1 which takes place in the human world, the near entirety of Book 2 takes place in Nexus, the homeworld of monsters. Officially titled, The Seer, the readers will get to experience how living in that world shapes the main characters, and most importantly, the struggle of a failing relationship between two of the characters.
The Seer really dives into the person rather than the magical, though, not lacking in either. I’m not going to reveal it here, but there’s actually a significant reason behind their next quest in Nexus as it heavily impacts the plot not just of the book, but of the entire series.
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Untold power at his fingertips.
Two worlds at stake.
Ren Nightwalker is not what he seems. His eighteen-year-old appearance is just a façade. He’s actually a three-hundred-year-old vampire prince with one job, to save his people.
In his world, they fight for a future. One against a monster with the power of resurrection, one who controls the dead; a necromancer. In the human world, monsters are hunted by a powerful organization comprised of believers from religions across the world.
When Ren learns that both of their enemies have teamed up to take them down, their only chance to win the war comes in the form of two stones, thought to be merely a myth, the Sun and Moon Stone. Apart, the stones are already powerful. Together, they have the power to turn the tide. This quest of a lifetime will take Ren and his companions all over the world, and force them to encounter more than one enemy.
To make things worse, Ren has a secret that no one knows. His refusal to drink blood is literally killing him, and if he doesn’t find an alternative, Ren will die long before they can win the war. His only hope is that they find the stones before that.
Can Ren find the stones while fighting two enemies at once and hopefully turn the tide in the war? And can they do it before he meets his eventual demise?
LITERARY TITAN 