The Empire by Elizabeth Lang, the first novel is a very brilliant
piece. I would like to thank her for giving heart stopping moments. She wove a
story of love, naked abuse of power, real evil and outright hypocrites. I would
like to thank her for using the novel “The Empire to lay bare our pretensions
to civilization and ‘empire building.’ I have never felt so involved in a
supposed fantasy as Elizabeth made me feel with the brilliant characterization
of Adrian Stannis, Kali MIrren and the very awful Sester. Humanity has great
potential for infinite good and absolute evil and in the portrayal of Adrian
Stannis. Now if you remember this you will be pleased to know that the follow
up or sequel to this exciting novel is now out. So I felt we should be part of
this sequel .
Elizabeth Lang..Author |
I have thus the pleasure to bring back to Center Stage Elizabeth
Lang author of The Rebels now out courtesy IFWG publishing.
“Perhaps it was a flaw of being human, that irrational
hope that made them all believe that the impossible was possible simply because
it hadn’t happened yet.”
These
words within the very first chapter of THE
REBELS underlined for me the whole essence of this novel. I had planned on
just flipping through the pages and as usual Elizabeth grabbed me from the very
first words and the adrenalin shot through my being. Not very used to reading
such powerful novels from a fellow female. I guess she redefined chick-lit and
took it to a different level.
1.First things first, would like to congratulate you on the sequel to
your book. The Rebels is out and I trust making the right impact. You became a
finalist with the first even though you had not planned it as a romantic
novel, what is your expectation with this?
Thank you, Biola. I'm
very excited about this book. The Empire series has always been a labour of
love for me and I'm very invested in these characters, even Sester. I'm sure
some people will want to call this a romance, but it isn't really and was never
intended to be. It's a science fiction adventure with some elements of romance.
2.Sequels are sometimes viewed with
trepidation by publishers, how was this received by IFWG?
The Rebels |
I'm very grateful to
IFWG. They've always been very supportive and from the beginning they seemed to
be committed to the whole series.
3.The cover and blurb of this story indicates it is a real adventure for our human scientist Stannis and Kali, what themes are you exploring this time?
The Rebels is more of
an action-adventure than the last book. It was always my intention to explore
how people react to dire situations, the decisions they make and the
compromises they're willing to accept or not accept. The Empire explored that
theme from the perspective of the people who rule the Empire. The Rebels
explores the same theme from the view of people who are rebelling against it.
4.Is the book the concluding part or we are to
expect more?
coming soon |
There is a final book
of the series, making this a trilogy, called The Andromedans, which I am
currently writing.
5. Your earlier book also explored an
interesting aspect..(telepathy) or mind games as others would like to call it.
Would you subscribe to using mind games to change or influence people and
events?
It's hard to say
whether I subscribe to it or not. I think mind games are a part of our society,
even if we don't have telepathy or psychostrategists. Advertising manipulates
people by appealing to our primitive and baser instincts. Politicians, actors
and leaders can be masters of manipulating people with mind games. It appears
to be a fad on television now to have people who are able to 'read' others and
manipulate them using that information, though I created the character of
Sester long before it became popular in the media
6. Share your thoughts about why you wrote the
sequel
There are so many platforms to publish these
days. What would you choose for your next novel?
For me, The Empire,
The Rebels and The Andromedans, are really one story published in different
parts and from the start, I had all three in mind.
I still believe there
is a place for traditional publishing and that there is value in it, though
perhaps not in the form it is currently. For myself, I have no problems
self-publishing and have done so for a set of short stories, but I prefer going
with a publisher for my longer novels. I like the support of having people
behind me who are willing to work on my behalf because they believe in me as an
author.
7 There is a fashion to change publishers at
random or sometimes for reasons of commerce, I see that The Rebels is still
published by IFWG, will that mean that barring a few human hiccups, they are
satisfying you?
These days, especially
with the rash of newer authors entering the market, there is a tendency to
change publishers the same way they change clothes. There is no loyalty. I
think that for me, because I have been exposed to people who have been in the
industry a long time, I believe in the relationship between an author and a
publisher, that's why I will continue to be with IFWG. IFWG is a small
publisher with limited resources, especially in terms of sales and marketing,
like most indie publishers. But they are enthusiastic, they try hard and they
are committed to growing. I knew what I was signing up for when I went with
IFWG for The Empire. There are many things I don't expect from them because
they just don't have the resources, but I do have the expectation that as they
grow, they will improve and add to their services and they haven't disappointed
me yet.
I guess, as with all
things, as long as we don't have unrealistic expectations of each other, and we
meet the expectations we do have, then I will continue to give them first
refusal for my books. Of course, if one of the big 6 come knocking on my door,
I won't say no... :)
8. Your first book, earned a finalist place as
a romance even though you had not planned it as a romance, what shall we expect
of the relationship between Kali and Stannis?
It's hard to reveal
too much without giving spoilers, but I can guarantee that their relationship
will grow and deepen, though not quite in the way people expect. Kali has more
of an active role and we learn a lot more about her background and motivations.
9. The Rebels has the look and feel of a
movie, do you see it one day on the silverscreen?
I would be thrilled if
it did make it to the screen one day.
10. You have made fantasy, science and
adventure into one heady mix of excitement, what next is in store for your
growing readers?
Depending on how well
the Empire series does once the entire trilogy is released, there is a possibility
of a second trilogy which explores the backstory of three of the main
characters. There is a deep mystery that weaves three of them together which I
have only hinted at in the Empire series.
11. Who will you recommend this book to? Is it
age specific?
While this is meant as
an adult book, there isn't anything ratings-wise which restricts it to adult
reading.
12. Please give links from where we can buy
your books?
Thanks for coming on Center Stage
Thanks
for the interview.