There are some stories that write themselves, and other stories you write and write and write. Sunbolt was both for me.
I wrote the first chapter or so of Sunbolt as a short story that ended rather abruptly because I couldn’t figure out what the ending actually was. I wasn’t even sure what the story was about, so I gave it the working title of “Night Story” (since most of it took place at night) and left it at that. It sat quietly on my laptop for a long time, perhaps a couple years. Every now and then I would come back to it, scratch my head, make a few attempts to figure it out, and leave it alone again. Then, while traveling overseas to be with my in-laws during a family illness, the first three novellas of the Sunbolt Chronicles came pouring out of me.
Then I left Sunbolt alone again for nearly three years, while I polished up my debut novel to release and worked on other projects. When I came back to Sunbolt, I knew this was a project I wanted to publish and to complete (there should be about six novellas all told). So I started revising. The funny part? Not a single scene from the original beginning that I wrote and pondered over is left. Bit by bit, it got chipped away, re-visioned, and rewritten. But the story that it inspired still has me in its grip, and I’m looking forward to bringing you the rest of Hitomi’s adventures…
Pay it Forward
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sunbolt will be donated to the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF fights for the survival and development of the world’s most vulnerable children. Find out more at http://www.unicefusa.org.
Title: Sunbolt (The Sunbolt Chronicles #1)
Author: Intisar Khanani
Genre: YA Fantasy
The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.
Special):
