He Said/She Said with Aaron Patterson:Interview, Review & Giveaway

All Airel ever wanted was to be normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like an incredible ability to heal. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything. Airel knew change would be an inevitable part of life. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed? {Goodreads}

HE SAID

Airel is a normal 17 year old girl with a normal family and the stock best friend and confidant Kim; someone she can share anything with.  At school she falls instantly for the new boy Michael and, almost immediately notices some things are not quite right.  She is changing, her skin appears flawless, she is hearing voices in her head and she notices that she heals very quickly.  Things start getting even stranger when, while at a movie with her friends, she witnesses a murder and the murderer stares right at her.  Running away to the restroom to hide the murderer follows her in but is distracted with the chaos.  And now our story really begins.   Seems a little odd to me though,  that she would run away from her friends and hide in the bathroom (?)

The story splits and has a flashback to 1250 BC.  Here we are introduced to Kreios, an angel, and his wife; the story takes an interesting turn here with the events that unfold.  There are rules that he must break  in order for his child to survive; but, by doing so he alerts the Seer (nasty demon) to his location and The battle between Good and Evil ensues. The past and present stories mixed well, as the story switches back and forth it keeps you wondering what the link is to the past.  I think I liked the flashback parts of the story more so than the present.  It was fast paced and had plenty of action.

I think the present part of the story could have used a little more development of the characters. And maybe a little bit less of the teenage angst.  The story was over all very entertaining and, though a touch slow in places, keeps your interest.  A refreshing twist on the usual angel-demon themed story as well!

I rate it 3.5/5 Quills;  I recommend  this book to anyone that likes angel/demon stories.

SHE SAID

What an intense book! Lots going on from the first page, Airel will grab your interest from the start. Lets start with Airel, at first I found her annoying, she is definitely the atypical teenage girl from the start.  You have no idea what is happening with her for a good part of the book, once you get more in depth and her story unfolds she becomes more likeable. The mystery with her was one of the things I enjoyed most about the book in the end; she is suddenly plagued with these bouts of sickness for no apparent reason (there really is but I can’t give away that juicy detail!  I will say the mystery begins with the murder at the movies!!).  Then there is a killer (or two), a stalker and a HAWT guy!  Throw in a dash of mystery and a secondary story that goes back thousands of years and we have ourselves an intriguing read.

Alas, there were a few parts throughout the book where I was confused. There are multiple characters added to the mix as well as the back and forth of the storyline and, I got them mixed up a time or two. Once I got the flow of the back and forth with people/places/things I was able to enjoy the book more. 

There are some intense battle scenes in the “past” story that I really enjoyed, well written and described by Patterson.  And then he weaves some of this into the “present” story as he brings Airel’s mysterious history more to light. The “past” stories turned out to be one of my fav aspects of this book as the “present” stories with Airel and Michael were at times a bit juvenile to the point I wanted to skip on to Kreios (past).  That being said, this was still a good read.  Any fans of Angel books would love this series.  Patterson left us with a cliff hanger but, thankfully Michael (book 2) has been released so we can go straight to the next chapter in Airel’s life.

Patterson brings an excellent message to teen girls in the book as well. 

"you don't need a man to love you and make you special, you are special because you are you.”  Kreios to Airel.

It was another aspect of this book that annoyed me, Airel thinking she is nothing without Michael’s love.  I screamed out “YES!” when I got to this part in the book.  When I initially finished the book I focused a lot on what I didn’t like.  After tossing it around in my head for a few days I began to focus more on what I liked and the aspects of the book that enthralled me; It would seem that the Author wrote the book with either his own daughter or a young women in his life and how he see’s her, in his mind.  It made me look at the book and the characters in an entirely different way.  He doesn’t write Airel negatively at all!  What starts out as a young, confused and slightly naïve girl becomes a strong selfless young women; willing to put her life on the line to protect her friend and her family.  Kudos Patterson!  But, that’s just my two cents!

I’m riding the fence between 3/5 and 4/5.. so I guess I’ll just tear a Quill in half!  3.5 out of 5 for me. 

Of course, I had to pick around Patterson's head and get more insight into the author of this series.  Here is my interview with author Aaron Patterson (giveaway details to follow)...

*Tell me a bit about yourself.  I am a boy trapped in a mans body. I was home schooled and moved about 25 times from the age of 1-18. I have three kids, a daughter and two boys, they rock!

*Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born up in Post Falls Idaho and now live in Boise Idaho.

*What was your inspiration for Airel; Michael? I got the base from the Bible. There are two verses on these angels that let heaven to marry and not much else is said about them, i thought it was cool and I have not read many other books that have this kind in them. Most fallen angel books are with the first coup who fell so I wanted to do something on the group who left for love. I know...so romantic!

*I simply must now, how did the idea for your history/story of the Fallen Angels come about; Research or just a Fantastic idea? I took the dates from the Bible as well, it all took place around the real times these angels left. I tried to keep the layout of the lands and times in sync with how it could have been back in 1250 BC.

*For those who are unfamiliar with your novel; Airel,  how would you introduce it? It is a story about a girl (Airel) who finds out she is related to an angel named Kreios. Part of the book is in 1250 BC and the other part is set in Boise Idaho, present day. It is a thriller in a way, and has some paranormal elements... If you like YA, thrillers or just something different you might enjoy Airel.

*What are the Pro's and Con's to being an Indie Author? I am my own publisher, I have around 40 other authors I publish for so I love it. The pro's are more money, time and control. The con's, well, it is a lot of work and some people do not give you instant respect, but I prefer earning it anyway.  

*Whom in your life would you say has influenced you the most? Everyone...I learn something from everyone I meet, how to do something or how not to do something. I had a great friend who once said, "Every man is my teacher."

*What has been the most interesting comment (or review) about your book? Lol, well I write as a 17 year old girl, so you girls are all over the map so I get some that say I nailed it and others that say I should not even try. I guess most say it is right on so I will just assume the ones who don't relate are weird. =)

*Who is YOUR favorite Author? Don't have one...there are so many it is hard to choose.

*What are you reading right now? I am reading "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand and "Darkroom" by Joshua Graham.

*Tell us your latest news. Book 2 in the Airel saga just released, MICHAEL, and I have a new thriller series about to come out called BREAKING STEELE, (A Sarah Steele Thriller).

*Thus far in The Airel Saga we have Book 1/Airel and Book 2/Michael; will there be more? Yes, Book three is Uriel and Book four will be Kreios.

*In addition to The Airel Saga you've written several other novels; would you like to fill us in on your other books? I have a bestselling thriller series called the Mark Appleton Series. Book 1 (SWEET DREAMS) Book 2 (DREAM ON) Book 3 (IN YOUR DREAMS). If you like shows like CSI or Bones you will love this series...I must warn you though....it is like Fringe...some weird stuff happens.

*Finally, what advice would you give to other budding Indie Authors................. LEARN, WRITE and BE NICE! So many indie authors just do not take the time to learn the business. There are a tone of people out there taking advantage of authors who do not know better. Write, do not get bogged down marketing, you need more books so keep going and don't give up. Last, be happy for your fellow indies. If someone is doing well, be happy, so many get all butt hurt and mean, just look at some reviews, it is bitterness and if you let yourself get to that place you will never make it.

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