Part of our Read-a-Thon 2010 highlight posts.

Today we’re featuring one of our Read-a-Thon 2010 sponsors, Eric Reinhold. (Check out the interview we did last year!) Mr. Reinhold writes Christian fantasy and already has released two books in his series, The Annals of Aeliana, with more on the way!

Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword

Ryann Watters And The King’s Sword: Book One in the Annals of Aeliana Series (Hardcover)
by Eric Reinhold
ISBN: 1599792885

Price: USD 17.99
55 used & new available from USD 3.67

In the first book, Ryann Watters is visited by the angel Gabriel and given the task of finding the king’s sword, along with three gifts to aid him in his quest. Join Ryann and his friends, Liddy and Terell, as they discover the powers of the gifts and travel to and from the fantastical world of Aeliana.

Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith

(Not yet reviewed)

Ryann Watters And The Shield Of Faith Vol 2: Book Two in the Annals of Aeliana Series (Hardcover)
by Eric Rinehold
ISBN: 1599796260

Price: USD 14.99
38 used & new available from USD 9.83

The sequel to Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword came out last year! We haven’t written a review for it yet, but if you enjoyed the first one, you may want to look into the sequel!

The original Ryann Watters is even in the process of becoming a feature-length film. Pretty cool, huh? For more information, check out the Official Movie Site or Mr. Reinhold’s blog.

If you’ve been following events around here recently, you know that Incredibooks is hosting a Read-a-Thon. We’d like to say thank you to the three authors who have graciously agreed to offer their books as prizes.

Bryan Davis is our first sponsor. He is a teen fantasy author who speaks at events about reaching children with fantasy.  For more about Mr. Davis and his books, visit his blog, Web site, or the interview Incredibooks did with him last year.

Our second author is Donita K. Paul, who also writes fantasy books. She speaks in schools and libraries, conducts weekly writing chats online with fans, and also devotes one a chat per month to answering questions about herself. Find out more about Mrs. Paul and her books at her Web site, dragon blog, and our interview with her.

Last alphabetically, but certainly not least, is Eric Reinhold. He just released his brand new book Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith, which is one of the prizes for the Read-a-Thon this year! For more about Mr. Reinhold and his books, see his official site, his blog, and our interview with him.

Thanks to all three of you! We really appreciate your willingness to help out.

For everybody else who’d like to extend their thanks, please leave a comment. And be sure to join the Read-a-Thon and participate in the fun this summer. Registration closes June 7th, so sign up now!

Ryann Watters And The King’s Sword: Book One in the Annals of Aeliana Series (Hardcover)
by Eric Reinhold
ISBN: 1599792885

Price: USD 17.99
55 used & new available from USD 3.67

One night Ryann Watters is visited by the angel Gabriel and assigned the task of finding the king’s sword. He is given three objects to help him in his quest: a ring, a horn, and a staff. However, that same night Drake Dunfellow, a boy living in the same town, is visited by a dark angel who charges him to stop Ryann. Join Ryann and his friends Liddy and Terell as they travel to and from the world of Aeliana; meet new friends; discover the powers of the ring, horn, and staff; and eventually are swept into a clash of good and evil where only one side can be victorious.

I enjoyed this book. At the climax I didn’t want to put it down! Figuring out how to handle the parent characters in stories like these can be a challenge for an author (I know from experience) and I think Eric Reinhold pulled it off nicely. Overall a good read, and I am looking forward to when the sequel, Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith, comes out! (As a note, I went ahead and categorized this book for all ages, but I would recommend it for readers somewhere around 10 and up.)

(Seventh in a series of interviews with the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour authors.)

Eric Reinhold (ryannwatters.blogspot.com) lives in Longwood, Florida with his wife and three children. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and he is a certified financial planner. His first book, Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword is his first, and the first in the Annals of Aeliana series. Recently, Incredibooks did an e-mail interview with Mr. Reinhold.

Incredibooks: Have you always liked writing, or was it an acquired taste?

Eric Reinhold: I’ve always enjoyed writing; however taking on a novel became an acquired taste.  The more I wrote the more I wanted to improve and deepen my plots.

IB: What were some of your favorite books growing up?

ER: I was a big science fiction and fantasy reader growing up.  C.S. Lewis, Narnia series and his Science Fiction series were favorites, as was a science fiction book entitled Hunters of the Red Moon.

IB: When you were younger, did you ever imagine that you would become an author?

ER: No, I actually imagined being the illustrator or a comic book artist.  I loved to draw, especially cartooning, and still do.

IB: What inspired you to become a writer?

ER: My children. I used to tell stories to my two girls every night before putting them to bed.  Each night we would continue the saga of three girls and their adventures in moving from this world to a fantasy world.  At one point they both said, “Dad, you need to write a book so that other kids can enjoy your stories.”  That got me thinking.  Maybe I can do this.

IB: Why did you choose fantasy to work with instead of some other genre?

ER: I enjoy mixing reality with the fantastic. I enjoy asking myself the question, “What would happen if?” Then fill in the blank: I could find a portal to another universe, there were different species to interact with, I could fly or had other super powers, and so on. Plus, I get to make up my own worlds and no one can tell me they’re wrong!

IB: How do you make your characters seem like real people instead of just figures who move the plot along?

ER: I had to work into this. A friend of mine at Disney who works on character development helped me ask questions about my characters and develop flaws that the reader could relate to. To have a good story, I believe the reader needs to be able to imagine themselves as the characters I am writing about.

IB: Where do you get your characters’ names?

ER: I love Ancient Welsh names, so most of my fantasy characters get names that are translations of the current English word.  My human characters typically have names that relate to qualities of characters by the same name in the Bible.

IB: Who is your favorite character from all of your books so far, and why?

ER: Ha! I’ve only had one book published, so I would say it’s a tie between Ryann’s father and Noah, both of whom give Godly wisdom to Ryann as he goes about the task given to him by the Arch-angel, Gabriel. I’m writing book two now and enjoying one of my other characters, Terell. He’s a 13 year old with a sarcastic sense of humor that I laugh with as he makes jokes in the story.  

IB: Have you ever incorporated yourself or anyone you know into one of your books?

ER: I patterned Liddy after my 13 year old daughter and biggest fan.  In book two I used an Elven Language translation of her name for one of the characters.  It doesn’t look or sound anything like her name, but she knows it’s her.

IB: How do you work allegory or Christian themes into your books without it being blatantly obvious or sounding preachy or clichéd?

ER: Actually, I would say my books are probably the most blatantly obvious in regards to Christian themes of any fantasy books on the market.  I use scripture throughout my books and don’t hesitate to invoke the name of God or have my characters pray.  The key is to still make them real and to not come off as preachy.  Judging from feedback I receive from readers, they enjoy the overt Christian message and say it makes them want to read their Bible more, which is the best compliment I could receive.

IB: Do you ever write something that you love, only to look at it later and discover it’s not as good as you thought?

ER: I was asked by a young reader if there was anything I would change about my first book.  I responded that there was quite a bit I would change, because I believe an author should always be seeking to improve. The most recent book I write should always be better written than the one before it.

IB: What is a typical writing day like for you? For example, where do you write? Do you always write at the same time of day? Do you listen to music when writing? If so, what?

ER: I’m a Naval Academy Graduate and have spent most of my life getting up early.  Couple this with the demands of my everyday job and family in the evening and I find that getting up at 4:30 A.M. and writing for a few hours is the most productive for me.  I have a study with all my favorite books and décor that my wife calls, “the cave.”  It’s perfect for writing and very quiet.  The only sounds I like to hear when writing are the tapping of my keyboard.

IB: What are you currently working on?

ER: I am more than halfway done with my second novel in the Annals of Aeliana series.  I’m planning for there to be at least 5 books in the series.  The cover artwork is already completed and the planned release is the Spring of 2009.  It is twice as long as book one and will have quite a few shockers in it.

IB: In round numbers, how many books do you think you’ll sign during the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour?

ER: Wow! I actually have no idea.  I’ve had school venues where I’ve signed 150 books in a few hours to bookstores where I’ve only signed 20.  Let’s aim high and say 1,000.  That would be awesome.

The next interview is with Jonathan Rogers, so stick around!