Check out this spotlight for YA Fantasy author R. Lennard!
You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
R. Lennard was ten-years-old when she discovered that the squiggles on the page meant something. Devouring every book in the library, Rebecca figured out she could be all she dreamed of and more if she became an author.
Fantasy became her home away from home, and she loves to share the worlds she’s created with her readers in the YA series, Lissae. When Rebecca isn’t writing, she cosplays and masquerades as a librarian.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn?
Autumn, I love the idea that it marks the start of days full of wrapping up in blankets and endless cups of tea while reading a book. Mind you, I live in Queensland. Cosy days like this only happen in autumn when the aircon is on.
Cat or dog?
Both? Currently, my household pets are two cats and one python, although I’d love to get another dog at some stage. And maybe a few more snakes.
Tea or coffee?
Up until recently, it was tea. Always tea. Now, I can’t go past a good coffee in the morning.
Morning or evening?
Morning, for sure. After about 8pm, I start nodding off. But I’m usually up at 6am.
Library or museums?
Ask the hard ones! *Ahem* Libraries, for sure. They have nothing on the majestic beauty and the ancient stories held by museums.
Mountains or beaches?
I grew up near the beach, and visited a handful of times a year as a child. But there’s nothing like the peace of the mountains. We were fortunate enough to live in a little valley with a mountain range right near us. It was the most peaceful place we’ve lived at.
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
Fantasy and SciFi. The tropes don’t matter quite as much to me, I’m just wanting to escape to somewhere else for a while.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
YA Epic Fantasy. I’ve just finished books four and five of an eight book series. If you’re after face paced monsters, magic and mayhem, step into Lissae today.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
Ginorti, book five of the Lissae series, follows Shari, the main character as she was scooped up from the Portal. She needs to return to her home realm before her magic is forcibly removed.
Samuel, who survived the Dark Conclave against all odds, is forbidden from joining the search for Shari. Only thing is, she holds the key to bringing back his race.
Jonathan, her Guardian, is struggling to keep the peace between those on the Shifting Islands and on the mainland. Jonathan and Samuel must decide – do they search for Shari, or prepare for war?
You can find Ginorti at:
Or find other variations at: https://www.lissae.com/ginorti
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
My kids are endless sources of inspiration. My eldest came up with the idea of a ‘table made out of water’ which changed the very fabric Lissae was crafted from. He also came up with the ‘bone covered warriors’ from Rakemyst (book 2), and the ‘technomancer’ from Talhan (book 3). My longest beta reader was talking about a caldera, and the formation of Cantash (book 4) was set. And finally, my youngest suggested the ‘Innarn (magic) eaters’ in Ginorti. There are many more instances, of course, but these are just a few.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
I make a cuppa (coffee if there’s a looming deadline), light a candle with a particular fragrance for each book, and put on my writing songlist. Then I start work. I can typically get two thousand words in around forty minutes – shorter if the flow is right.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Write as often as you can. Don’t put it off. Don’t let the chore that’s been waiting for six months develop a sudden urgency just because I don’t want to finish the book just yet. You may fear finishing because the story will be done, but there’s so much left to say.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
You can find me at: rlennardauthor.com, and lissae.com. I’m also on most social media:
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@rlennardauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/rlennardauthor/
Instagram: instagram.com/rlennardauthor/
Twitter: twitter.com/rlennardauthor/
