Tammy's Two Cents with Donna Milward, Author of Thoeba: Interview, Review & Giveaway

Thoeba is a creature of light. As all things must be in balance, when the Energy created her kind it also created the darkness.
Theoba’s world fell to darkness forcing her to flee. She came to Earth to protect the Energy, losing everything in the process.
Darkness has found a way to follow her and threatens to take this world as well.
With only humans as allies, can she succeed?

Fasten your seatbelts please, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!  This book hit the ground running, or the water, I should say.  Thoeba is an Angel, A Warrior that has fled her home to protect “the energy”,  as the Demons (darkness) destroyed it and most of her kind.  Peter, a human, is out on the lake for a nice quiet day of fishing until something (or someone) falls from the sky and crash lands in the water.  All this takes place in the first chapter!  

I LOVED this refreshingly, unique new twist on Angels and God, it is unlike anything else.

Thoeba flee’s the heaven’s to save The Energy only to wind up on Earth without her wings; she has always loathed humans believing that the way they live and squander what God has given them makes them week and unnecessary, to a fault.  Darkness has followed her to this realm and will not stop until it has destroyed everything in it’s path; humans, Thoeba and The Energy included.  Thoeba must trust her newly found foe’s, the humans she so dislikes quickly become her allies and most trusted adversaries.

She sets out on her journey to save not only The Energy but the humans she has come to love and mankind in it’s entirety.  Having lost her sword (her “Holy Weapon”) she fashions herself a new one by attaching The Energy to an Axe.  I could just vision this Blonde haired, gold eyed, wingless, Warrior woman wielding the Axe and slicing random demons in half!  It was Fantastic!!  Milward has given us a literary Gem here; her take on Angels and God is like nothing I’ve ever read!  Again, we have ourselves a strong leading lady, probably one of the strongest I’ve ever seen on paper.  Milward adds to her strength and likeability as a character by giving her weakness that she must overcome as well, making her story that much more intense.  I absolutely loved EVERYTHING about this book, Fantastic, Exciting, Entertaining, Page Turning, Addicting Read!!  The perfect balance of Drama, Suspense, Intrigue and Mystery (with a dash of Romance and Some Serious Ass Kicking!) Our Warrior Angel must learn to trust herself, her God and her humans if anyone is to survive.  I will share one of my favorite excerpts from the book….

"Peter..."
He glanced askance at Thoeba, but her gaze wasn't on him.
She brought her weapon up in a fighting stance, never taking her attention off the air. Both hands flexed on the axe handle. She resembled a baseball player poised to swing.
Her eyes determined pain for her adversary.
"Here they come."

5 Quills guys (I really wish there were 6); Must Read; the BEST book I’ve read thus far this year!  And I’ve read a LOT of books this year J

You know I had to get into the mind of this Wonderful writer; here is my Interview with Donna Milward, Author of Thoeba (giveaway details to follow.)

*Tell me a bit about yourself.  I live in Alberta, Canada with my troll of sixteen years and two cats named Freya and Sully.  Besides writing, I am passionate about gardening and Christmas.  In my spare time I volunteer for my local food bank and act as Client Care Consultant for Edmonton Paranormal.

*Where were you born and where do you call home?  I was born here in the city of Edmonton, but my family bounced around northern Alberta before settling in Fox Creek. Then I bounced around for a few years. I didn’t move back to Edmonton permanently until I was in my mid-twenties.

*What was your inspiration for Thoeba?  Thoeba came from a vivid dream I had when I was fourteen. I actually dreamed I was an angel hiding in a garden clutching a crystal necklace. A man and his daughter tried to coax me out, but I could see demons circling overhead, looking for me. I couldn’t let them find me, because if they did, they would destroy God…who was in the crystal. I wanted to tell them to leave me alone, but I couldn’t speak.  All I could say was “Tho-BAH!”

*How are you liking your partnership with Staccato Publishing?  I LOVE it! I am so lucky to be working with Heather Savage and her team. They are easy to deal with and great to get along with. They’ve been working so hard, I know they want to see Thoeba successful as much as I do. It’s only the beginning and they’ve already surpassed my expectations.

*For those who are unfamiliar with your novel; Thoeba, how would you introduce it?  I like to think of Thoeba as an adventurous paranormal romance. When it becomes a movie, it’s going to be the chick flick your boyfriend/husband wants to see. It’s for the outdoorsy girl, the eternal tomboy…The girl who hates pink, but will wear it to fight against cancer. Or just for the woman that wants something new and exciting. That’s why people will like it.

*What has been the most interesting comment (or review) about your book?  My favorites are “This is not a cookie-cutter book.” and “Classic good versus evil, but that’s where the familiarity ends.” For me, the ultimate goal is to write things people haven’t read before. I want more than anything to be original, and it looks like people are really getting that.

*What brought you to this particular topic and what research did you do to get to the finished product?  I’ve been researching the paranormal for thirty years. I have studied religion and reincarnation from a personal viewpoint even as a child. Thus creating a myth for Thoeba and her kind as well as the Energy was really easy. My father was a recreational pilot and shared his love of aircraft and flying with me, so that part was easy too. The only part I needed to research was the Canadian military, which my old friend Dave helped me with.

*Whom in your life would you say has influenced you the most?  My father. I was always such a Daddy’s Girl, I went out of my way to be like him. Many of his interests and beliefs are mine as well. My father is a risk-taker who plunges in with both feet.  He’s a self-made man who ran his own business based on his reputation alone, and retired on his own terms over twenty-five years later. My father would rather face an abysmal failure than allow fear to stop him from trying. I share that particular trait. I never want to look back at my life and wonder what I could have done if I’d only tried.

*Who is YOUR favorite Author?  There are so many! I have to go with Ray Bradbury, just because he’s been influencing my writing and my point of view ever since I read Fahrenheit 451. His writings are still being imitated and it’s freakish how Fahrenheit 451 predicted reality TV. I think Bradbury had a sharp eye on society, and it reminds me to be observant and to listen rather than talk.

*What are you reading right now?  (Groans) I wish I could tell you I’m reading Melissa Marr or Dean Koontz, but I’m doing research. I’m reading the Basic Writings of Nietzsche. Sometimes he’s a genius, sometimes he sounds like a drug addict, but it’s a slow, dry read for the most part. I’m not even sure how much of it I’ll need…or if I can even use it. But thanks for the reminder…I think it’s been far too long since my last visit to the bookstore.

*Tell us your latest news.  My second novel, “Aphrodite’s War’ is complete, and I’m working on ‘Chasing Monsters’.  (Thus the Nietzche studies) I’m also writing an erotica. As always, I’m still writing and working with Edmonton Paranormal and we are fundraising for “Entities Unknown” but instead of a pilot, we’re thinking documentary.

*Where can our blog fans "stalk" you? Haha! They are welcome to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. @DonnaMilward. I also have a blog at arthtothoeba@blogspot.com

And thanks very much for the interview!

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