Please share a little about yourself, your
genres, any other pen names you use.
The
series I’m currently writing is medieval fantasy. When Serpent on a Cross was
released strictly as an ebook in 2012, it was under the pseudonym Darya Asch.
My publisher at that time (before Booktrope), recommended that I choose a name
more suited to the fantasy I had written. When I signed with Booktrope, I wanted
my own name on the cover. It just feels more “mine” than before.
Tell us a little about your latest or
upcoming release.
Serpent on a Cross is the first book in a
Jewish fantasy adventure series set in medieval Poland and Kievan Rus, in which
a young woman, Dennah, a healer and archer just beginning to learn about her
magic, goes on a quest to rescue her mother who has been taken captive by a
powerful nobleman who raided their village.
Are you a mom?
Yes, I
have a 13-year-old son. I’ve been a single parent for about 8 years, so my
mother is my right hand in that respect. My son is a brilliant, energetic young
man, who keeps me on my toes.
If yes do you find it hard to juggle writing
and parenting?
Sometimes.
But he’s getting older and becoming more independent, so it’s not as much of a
juggle as it was four years ago when I first began writing this book. As a
matter of fact, as I write this, I’m on a research trip to Europe, visiting
various places, gathering material for my writing. That I can take this time
away from my parental responsibilities is due to my mother’s generosity as my
support.
Have you ever based your book or characters
on actual events or people from your own life?
Some of the (unpublished) stories I have
written notes for and that continue to percolate in my head are loosely based
on events in my own life. But the time period, persons and places have been
varied to protect the guilty.
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do
you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
Buy books. Read. Travel. Watch TV. Hang
out with my bestie or other friends and family. Travel. Buy books. Read….
Which
romance book or series (or other genre, if you don’t write romance) do you wish
you had written?
I wish I had written the Outlander
series (by Diana Gabaldon). It has everything in it - fantasy/time-travel,
adventure, romance, mystery - it has delighted and entertained millions
worldwide, it’s a (so far) never-ending series, and now a major TV series. It’s
an author’s dream come true.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write
that you haven’t tackled yet?
I
would like to write a mystery series, and in fact, already have some material
for that, inspired by my travels abroad.
If this book is part of a series…what is the
next book? Any details you can share?
The
sequel to Serpent on a Cross is tentatively titled Veil of Menace, and is in
the writing stage. Hopefully it will be ready for release by Booktrope before
Summer 2015. It delves into the mystery of who is (or are) allied with Tarkan
Maksimov, and what challenges that combination holds for Dennah and her allies,
as well as their attempts to successfully free the Jews from all of Tarkan’s
silver mines.
What is in your to read pile?
I have
a rather large “pile” of books to read, so I’ll just give you a short list: Son
of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon; Rav Hisda’s Daughter & Enchantress, both by
Maggie Anton; Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey; Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by
Diana Gabaldon; Shadows by E. C. Blake; and The Dark Heroine: Autumn Rose by
Abigail Gibbs.
Serpent on a Cross
Book One
Wendy C. Garfinkle
Genre: Medieval Fantasy/ Jewish Fantasy
Publisher: Booktrope Publishing
Date of Publication: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62015-507-3
ISBN: 978-1-62015-523-3
ISBN: 978-1-62015-523-3
Number of pages: 176
Cover Artist: Loretta Matson
Book Description:
Dennah Dubrovnika is a formidable hunter and talented healer. However, she cannot control her own powers, which have suddenly reawakened in the aftermath of her mother’s violent capture by a powerful warlord who destroyed their village in his wake. As she races to free her mother, Dennah is accompanied by Jeth, the man she loves. But she’s increasingly, inexorably drawn to the mysterious Skallon who is allied with her greatest enemy.
Will Dennah be able to gain a measure of control over her magic or will she lose everything and everyone she loves to its raging inferno?
Serpent on a Cross is Book One in a Jewish fantasy adventure series set in Medieval Eastern Europe.
Excerpt:
Stomach
churning, a sour taste in her mouth, Dennah hovered above the massacre from her
nest in the ash tree she’d climbed at the edge of the forest.
Guilt twisted a
knot in her belly as she remembered Mamen’s order to flee, but she couldn’t
leave; she might be needed. So she’d climbed the tallest leafiest tree she
could quickly find, its branches extending almost to the roof of their cottage.
She fastened the leather bracer on her left forearm, finger guards on her
drawing hand, in case she was forced to shoot the ash bow. After stringing it,
she set it and the bag of arrows in the cradle of two limbs a little above her
and out of easy reach so she wouldn’t be tempted to fire down upon the invaders.
From her perch
she saw the soldiers enter the shtetl, thundering over the ramparts as if they
were fagots; they crushed the golden fields of barley, and wheat, forcing the
defenders to give way or be trampled beneath hammering hooves. Seeing the guardsmen
attack the horses to unseat the soldiers, her heart raced. Get them! What right
have they to attack our home?! Anger boiled just under her skin. Her gaze
sharpened and the branch grew warm beneath the grip of her fingers. Though
there was no breeze, the limbs of her tree swayed gently.
Almost without
thought, as if her hands had a will of their own, she pulled bow and quiver
within reach and nocked an arrow. With precise aim, she inhaled, drawing the
cord back, hearing the soft familiar creak as it stretched. She released on the
exhale. Gracefully, the arrow sped toward its target, a soldier who’d edged up
behind Marek and raised his sword. The shaft caught him in the throat, sunk
deep and broke through the skin at the back of his neck. He fell with a thud,
blood mixing with fertile ground in a muddy pool beneath him. Relieved of its
burden, the soldier’s horse veered away from the melee.
Marek, eyes
narrowing, seemed to find her hidden in the ash. He nodded slightly and turned
to face another foe. A surge of pleasure warmed her at his wordless approval.
Then there was no more time for thought; only action. Again and again her
arrows flew true; but she was careful to watch for enemy soldiers looking in
her direction. Her stomach dropped when she saw first Yuri, then Selwyn, and
finally Yakkov surrounded and disarmed. A quick inventory of her quiver yielded
only four arrows. Not enough to free the guardsmen. I’m sorry.
About the Author:
Wendy C. Garfinkle was born and raised in South Florida. She moved to Northwest Texas in her early 20s, but returned to South Florida eight years later. She holds five degrees, including MA and MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. She’s a poet, reading addict, and collector of interesting clothing tags, which she recycles into bookmarks.
She has served as a copy editor and reader for Hippocampus Magazine, an online nonfiction lit journal, and as a reader for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. Wendy is a crime analyst for a local law enforcement agency, and lives with her teenage son.
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