Interview with author Leonard Kearon MSc

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

It happened after I wrote my first book, The Saga of the Déise. I always had a love of Superheroes ever since I was a child and having written one book and some history leaflets for a local community centre/church, I now had the confidence to try and bring some of my creations to life. Also, while I was writing The Saga of the Déise, I had to research ancient Irish myths and folklore, which isn’t really touched in Superhero media, the same way the Greek and Norse myths are. That’s when it hit me, a superhero story with an Irish twist to it.

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?

The Legend of Circe: Circe’s Awakening is a Young Adult Irish Superhero Fantasy novel. The story focuses on Circe Goodwin, a teenager who lives with her adopted Dad in Sunsport, Hibernia; a fictional version of my hometown Waterford, Ireland. She has a pretty normal life, until one day she starts firing energy blasts from her hands. This leads her to learn how to control her new abilities at Sunsport Super School. Along the way Circe will learn about herself as well as deal with an great evil from Hibernia’s past.

  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

The main thing I hope they get out of reading my book is enjoyment. I also hope they enjoy Circe since I put a lot of effort into her.

  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

The title is inspired by one of my favourite video games: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. The cover was designed by my publisher Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. Circe’s actually costume and look was deigned by myself and I sent that to them.

  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

RUN!!! Seriously though, if you are thinking about writing, then do it. The only reason you aren’t writing is probably confidence. That’s was stopped me from thinking about it for years.

  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Two things. First is as with all creative media, the worrying rise of A.I. People just typing in a few words into a prompt and then getting a novel full of stolen stuff and calling it heir own. Same with A.I book covers. If you need a cover done and can’t do it yourself, hire an actual person to do it for you. The second is the lack of support for writers, when it comes to psychical bookshops. It is disappointing as a writer not see your book on a shelf of an actual bookshop. What makes it more depressing is that few bookshops even have a local authors section. Bookshops should be doing more to promote the local author. 

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? My first ever job for St. Patrick’s Gateway Centre a local community centre/church. There I wrote two history leaflets for them, one for the church and one for the graveyard. That’s where I really go the writing bug and the confidence to write The Sage of the Déise which then gave me the confidence to write The Legend of Circe: Circe’s Awakening. In fact my three jobs I have had, have involved writing history leaflets. 

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I’m not sure to be honest. I just try to make it as fun as possible.

  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? I think the main challenge was just seeing if I wanted to do this. I actually wrote an important scene first as a test to see if I could write it and if I would care for Circe enough to want to write her. I enjoyed writing the scene and really felt for Circe, so here we are.

  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

If you love superheroes and/ or fantasy and also want something with an Irish twist. Please check out The Legend of Circe: Circe’s Awakening. You’ll love Circe and hopefully her world, which is inspired by my actual home city.

 

About The Author: Leonard Kearon, MSc, was born and raised in Waterford City, Ireland. He graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology with a Master of Science. His strong love of history inspired him to write history leaflets for various locations in Waterford City as well as his first book, The Saga of the Déise. His strong love of comics, anime, manga along with ancient mythology inspired him to write The Legend of Circe: Circe’s Awakening.

Website: https://linktr.ee/leokearon

 

 

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Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.