Author: Jake Bonsignore
Genre: YA Fantasy / Thriller
Release: May 29, 2013 Book Design: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design and Photography
Blurb
A Thin Line Separates Justice From Revenge….
Fourteen-year-old Breena Taljain’s dreary existence in the slums of Purgaire comes to a sudden end when a chance encounter with a criminal mastermind known as the Patriarch goes horridly wrong. His assault on her for refusing to pay for her mother’s addiction leaves her comatose and teetering on the edge of life and death.
Galbrecht Atalir is a washed-up doctor struggling to overcome his inner demons through alcohol and aggression. He never quite recovered from the unsolved murder of his family seven years prior. When he discovers Breena as his newest patient, he knows at once that the Patriarch is the one who eluded him for almost a decade.
The medicine Galbrecht gives Breena draws her into a heavenly paradise. When it ebbs away, though, the recurring trauma plunges her into treacherous hinterlands. There, Breena must learn to find power in courage, hope, and love to overcome fiends of hatred bent on permanently ending her existence.
With justice burning in his heart, Galbrecht begins a race against time to seek out the Patriarch in the underworld before Breena loses her struggle against the ever-darkening terrors of her mind….
Now, to the man of the hour, Jake Bonsignore!
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Jake Bonsignore. I am an independent author. I grew up in Staten Island, New York and moved to Florida at the start of college. I am a graduate of the University of South Florida with magna cum laude honors. I wrote my first novel, Descendant of Strife (adult fantasy), when I was 16 years old and released it a few years later. My second novel, Empyreal Illusions (YA Fantasy / Thriller), released on May 29, 2013! Its sequel, Awakening the Fire, (YA Fantasy / Thriller) is forthcoming! Outside of my literary pursuits, I enjoy playing sports and am a fitness enthusiast. I’m currently working on my new novel, a YA Romance called The Lioness!
2. What was your inspiration for Empyreal Illusions?
Good question. Funny story. The main inspiration for this novel was a song called Firewalk by the band Beseech. One line in the chorus just invoked a feeling, an idea, and I could feel the gears in my head turning the minute I heard it. It’s hard to describe. I was actually listening to the song for the first time while I was in the college library, ‘studying’ for a business final. Instead of studying I was able to get the first five pages written and even pass the exam with flying colors. Who would have known that a simple idea I was doing just to pass the time and that was originally meant to be a short, SHORT story - a novella, even – would end up being an ambitious work spanning years? Not I, for one! J
3. Can you tell me a little more about the main characters of Empyreal Illusions?
Sure. Breena Taljain is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in the shanty town of Purgaire. Her mother is a Nepenthe (anti-depressant) addict and she never met her father. She works in a dirty pub as a dishwasher to get by instead of going to school and spends most of her nights in the streets and alleyways of the slums. At the start of Empyreal Illusions she is almost the epitome of despair. She had no hope, no faith, no trust, and is overflowing with anger. Throughout the course of the novel, though, she starts to grow up and have confidence. Her (mis)adventures are a coming-of-age experience for her.
Galbrecht Atalir is a thirty-six year old washed up doctor. He is nearly at rock bottom in his life, as he never quite recovered from the unsolved murder of his wife and daughter seven years ago. The authorities never investigated the case. He had delved into the criminal underworld to exact justice…and failed. After leaving town and settling in the slums of Purgaire. A stroke of fate gives him a tip on his once-abandoned quest to bring justice to his family’s killer, and encountering Breena—who is nearly a mirror image of his youngest, deceased daughter—gives Galbrecht newfound passion. Once again he finds himself returning to the criminal underworld he fled from so long ago. For Galbrecht, his trials and tribulations are a way to come to terms with his tragic past.
4. What is your favorite quote in Empyreal Illusions, and what does it mean?
“It takes courage to live, yes, but it takes true bravery to stand your ground in a world aligned against you.” Breena Taljain says this during a confrontation towards the middle of the novel. It basically exemplifies one of the themes of the book that I try to stress. The world isn’t always kind and things don’t always go your way. However, that’s when you need to be strong,
acknowledge the adversity, and stand firm. Not backing away and not retreating…having the courage to stand up and live is tantamount, all the more so when all the odds are stacked against you. Breena Taljain and Galbrecht Atalir, the two central protagonists, have to realize this at many points in the novel.
5. So, Empyreal Illusions is the first book of The Inferno Unleashed series. Tell me about the second one?
Gladly! It’s called Awakening the Fire. It immediately picks up where Empyreal Illusions leaves off and explores the rest of Breena’s and Galbrecht’s excursions and trouble to escape the chains of their past. It is a little shorter than Empyreal Illusions and its release date is currently forthcoming.
6. Who are some of your favorite authors?
As you can probably guess, there are WAY too many to name, since I am an avid of a reader as I am a writer. However, a few names that instantly come to mind upon hearing that question (and some of their works) is Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn trilogy), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar), Tad Williams (Otherland), R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing), John Marco (Bronze Knight), and Robert McCammon (Swan Song). Most of my favorite authors write fantasy.
7. Do you have any advice for new writers?
Don’t give up. Keep at it and remember of all things, writing is re-writing. Expect to edit your work multiple times. Additionally, the ideas you may have while plotting the story may not come to be when you actually write it. That’s normal, that’s expected, and it’s wonderful. Don’t ever lose heart or let non-constructive criticism get you down!
I know I'm interested! Here is where you can find Jake and Empyreal Illusions: Book One of The Inferno Unleashed.
Purchase Here!
Amazon (US) (Paperback or E-Book) - http://www.amazon.com/Empyreal-Illusions-Inferno-Unleashed-Volume/dp/0989231828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369533644&sr=8-1&keywords=empyreal+illusions
Amazon (UK) (Paperback or E-Book) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empyreal-Illusions-The-Inferno-Unleashed/dp/0989231828/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369533881&sr=8-2&keywords=Empyreal+Illusions
Createspace (Paperback) - https://www.createspace.com/4271835
Social Media Connection!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jakebonsignore
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jakebonsignoreauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jakebonsignore
Blog: http://jakebonsignore.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17841328
