A warm welcome to author J.A Jaken joining us today to talk about the release of The Soul Forge book 3 in the popular Sacred Guardian series.
J.A talks about the new release and answers some questions, shares an excerpt and brought a giveaway for our readers!
Welcome J.A 🙂

I’ve always loved stories about magic and romance.  Mystery and intrigue.  Plots and betrayals with sword-wielding soldiers and fantastical creatures.  Those were the kind of thoughts that lived in my head when I first wrote *Through the Last Door*, the first book in the Sacred Guardian series.  I had no idea at the time that it would grow into such an extended storyline, culminating in this newest m/m fantasy adventure novel of mine, *The Soul Forge*.

Whether you’ve already familiar with Kaori and Hunter or if this is your first time venturing into their world, I thought it might be interesting to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions I often get asked about the series:

 

What was your inspiration for writing the Sacred Guardian series?

 

I didn’t set out to write a series at first.  It all started with an idea that it might be fun to write a fantasy story in a pseudo-Japanese setting, since I was deep into studying the Japanese language at the time.  I’ve always loved reading epic high fantasy novels and thought it might be time to try writing one of my own, just to see if I could.  Those two desires seemed like they would fit together nicely in the creation of an original novel.

Of course that gave me free rein to create my very own fantasy world from scratch, with its own unique physical and magical rules, its own political system, and a history I needed to flesh out and create from the ground up.  That was a bit overwhelming at first, and probably took the most time out of everything while I was writing the first book in the series.  But it was also the most fun.  I love that kind of world-building madness, just letting my imagination go wild and *creating*.  I lose touch with reality a bit during that phase of the creative process, and I love every moment of it.

What I came up with was a country named Kazure that was split into eight unique and fleshed out prefectures, each with their own history and character and political structure.  To join it all together, I created the character of the “High Lord” to rule over all of them.  Then I began to wonder, wouldn’t it be fun if the High Lord was new to his job, thrust into it completely unexpectedly, and had to learn how to command all of these various moving pieces of a country as he went along?  But why would they follow him if he was so young and inexperienced?  Then I began to think, what if he had an ability to call on some kind of ancient guardian that no one else in the country did, so they had no choice but to respect and follow him?  And what if he had no idea how to summon it, because his rise to the throne was so unexpected?

It all took off from there.  Then when I got to the end of the first book, I realized that there was more of Kaori and Hunter’s story that I wanted to tell.  Or at least more of their story that I wanted to explore, even if it would just be for myself.

 

Who is your favorite character in the series?

 

That is a tough one.  I do like Kaori, my inexperienced High Lord, who is earnest and not particularly bright and just kind of fumbles along as best he can with the resources and friends he has at his disposal, but is determined to see things through no matter how overwhelmed he feels.  He can be a bit naive at times, but his heart is in the right place, and that makes me like him a lot.  He’s the character I see the most growth for in the series as it moves forward, as he matures and learns to adapt more to the demands of his new position.

But the character I enjoy writing the most has to be Hunter.  Assassin, bodyguard, and fighting prodigy, he comes to us out of a torturous past that he struggles every day to overcome.  What I love about him is that the horrors he’s lived through could very easily have turned him into something quite different than he turned out to be.  He could have chosen to hurt others in the same way he was hurt, but instead he has chosen to pursue a life of duty and of love.  It isn’t easy for him, and part of his motivation for doing so (in my opinion) is to thumb his nose at his past and say, *You have not broken me*.  I respect that about him quite a lot.

 

Will there be more Sacred Guardian to come?

 

I’m actually thinking about a fourth book now, which is in its very early planning stages.  Maybe it’s the completist in me, but I really want to see Kaori and Hunter formalize their relationship and have their family accepted by the ruling council in their country.  That might mark an end of sorts to their story in my mind, but who knows?  As long as I’m having fun writing about them and there are people who want to read their story, there’s no telling what might happen.

I sincerely hope that all of you enjoy this latest adventure in the Sacred Guardian universe as much as I have.  I really love these characters and their world, and I had so much fun guiding them through this latest adventure.  It was written so you don’t need to have read the previous two books in the series to enjoy it, so feel free to dive in whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or a first-time visitor.

Title: The Soul Forge

Series: Sacred Guardian #3

Author: J.A. Jaken

Genre: fantasy/adventure, m/m romance

Length: 150,000 words

Publication date: April 30, 2018

Publisher: White Owl Publishing

Synopsis:

The country of Kazure bows under the shadow of war as the Shindori lords from the east continue to wage their holy crusade. Kaori Sansa, the High Lord of Kazure, is desperately searching for a way to defend his people while he struggles to determine which of the lords in his own country can be trusted to see the war through. Meanwhile, Hunter confronts his inner demons as the horrors of his past come back to haunt him, and he comes face to face with the criminal organization that enslaved him as a child. Both men must fight to uphold their oaths—both to Kazure and to each other—while the forces gathering around them are doing everything in their power to bring them down.

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Sacred Guardian series:

 

Imagine a world where magic is real, where ruling lords plot to overthrow the crown and a kingdom is left to flounder with a young and untried High Lord having recently been awarded the throne. Imagine a world of armored and sword-wielding soldiers, of stealthy assassins, of plots and betrayals, romance and mystery, of wars and battles both at home and abroad. This is the kingdom of Kazure, where the threat of civil war between the various ruling factions looms ever present even as enemies press from outside the country’s borders, threatening everything its people hold dear. High Lord Kaori Sansa has to find a way to overcome the trials facing both him and Kazure or else risk losing it all—his country, his life, and quite possibly his soul.

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“Tell me,” Kaori said simply.

He didn’t have any idea what Hunter was about to say, but he could tell from the look on the man’s face that it was going to be difficult for him to hear. Hunter hesitated before replying.

“Removing the slavers from Kazure is important to you,” he said after a moment’s contemplation. Kaori got the impression he was deciding how best to frame his thoughts.

“You know it is,” Kaori answered. “They destroy lives, Hunter. Entire families. You’ve seen the result of what they did to Rin and Malo. Hell, you lived through it yourself.” He kept his voice even with an effort. “They have to be stopped.”

Hunter nodded, as if he had been expecting this. “Our efforts to depose them thus far have been less than satisfactory.”

“Don’t you think I *know* that?” Kaori clenched his hands to keep them from shaking. His gaze moved to the fire that burned with such callous indifference inside the hearth, but it couldn’t erase the image in his mind of small, broken bodies, draining out their life’s blood into the snow.

“What if there was a way to take them down from the inside?”

It took Kaori a moment to understand what he was saying. “You’re suggesting an undercover action of some kind.”

“Yes.” Hunter’s face was very serious. “The slavers operate in an unknown number of cells scattered about the country, but they’re far too organized to be independent of one another. If we can isolate the head of the organization and use that knowledge to identify their resources, their allies, their communication network–”

“We can cut them off at the knees.” Kaori leaned forward in his chair, a slow thrum of excitement moving through him. “That’s the kind of mission the Assassins Guild is best at, isn’t it?”

Hunter hesitated. “It’s true that the Guild trains its members extensively for this type of operation.”

For some reason, a tingle of dread wormed its way through Kaori’s enthusiasm. “But?” he prompted, knowing there was more that Hunter had to tell him.

Hunter looked as if he were steeling himself. “Of all of the Guild members you have at your disposal, I am the most logical choice for this assignment.”

Kaori felt like he’d been slapped in the face. “No, Hunter.”

“Kaori.” Hunter’s voice was patient. “You have dedicated yourself to expelling the slavers from inside Kazure’s borders. Up until now, those efforts–while laudable–have not borne fruit. The few cells we have managed to eradicate will only be replaced with new ones in time; there is an endless supply of immoral miscreants waiting to take the place of the ones the Guard has killed or imprisoned. Their trade is lucrative, and to some that would be worth any risk.”

The room before had felt too cold to Kaori; now it felt red hot, like a furnace had roared to life inside of him. “Your idea is a good one. But I don’t understand why I can’t send someone else to do it.”

“Because I have inside knowledge of the slavers’ organization that the other members of the Guild do not. I know the slavers’ habits, their routines. I know the sorts of places they’re drawn to, the kind of people they recruit and the steps they take to conceal their tracks and avoid Kazure’s patrols. No one else has as great a chance of being successful at this.”

It made sense, damn it. “It would be dangerous.”

“I promise you I will be exceedingly careful.”

Kaori felt as if he had forgotten how to breathe. “I can’t lose you, Hunter.”

“I’m asking you to have faith in me.” Hunter’s gaze was very serious. “Let me do this for you, Kaori.”

Nothing hurt Hunter so deeply as the knowledge of Kaori’s pain. He knew Kaori had been wounded deeply by this latest tragedy, and this was his way of trying to ease it.

Kaori shook his head. “You don’t need to do this for me.”

“Then allow me to have a selfish motive.” The words made Kaori look up at him in surprise; there had been a touch of steel buried behind them. “The deaths of these children has hurt me as much as it hurts you. Slavers care nothing for the lives they ruin; believe me, I saw enough children die while I was in the pits, many of them younger than Rin. The children I knew were resigned to meet an early end. Some of them found it a relief when they did.”

Kaori’s mouth felt dry. Hunter rarely spoke about the time he had spent among the slavers as a child. Kaori knew the experience had been traumatic for him, and that he carried the scars of it even now. Was it so inconceivable that he might want vengeance against his captors for the torment they’d put him through? If he had an opportunity to wound them now, or possibly to bring their entire empire crashing down, did Kaori really have the right to stop him?

“Can you do it?” Kaori asked. “Can you really work your way into their organization and bring them down?”

A ghost of a smile crossed Hunter’s face, making Kaori shiver. “Yes. I can do it.”

Kaori had to agree with him. He had an intimate familiarity with Hunter’s abilities after years of being safeguarded by him, both as a child and as an adult. Hunter’s skills were such that he had been named a commander in the Assassins Guild despite his relatively young age, because no one else there could match him. Physically, he was a powerful and lethally cunning fighter, comparable to none. But he also excelled at the other skills the Guild prized: stealth, intelligence, ingenuity, resourcefulness. He was also exceedingly honest about the extent of his own abilities; if he said this was something he could successfully do, then Kaori was inclined to believe him.

It was a long while before Kaori could bring himself to speak. Hunter sat patiently and waited him out, as if he knew full well what decision his lover was going to make.

“All right,” Kaori whispered, staring down at his hands. “Let’s do this.”

 

J.A. Jaken has been writing fictional stories and novels for more than ten years, most frequently in the fantasy and science fiction genres. She got her start in the profession writing slash fanfiction, where she has published numerous stories under the pen-name Rushlight. Over the years she has written short stories and novels in genres ranging from science fiction/fantasy to gothic horror to modern detective mysteries, most with at least a touch of m/m romance to them. She lives at home in the southwestern U.S. with her college-aged son, a cat, and the family Rottweiler. Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, practicing martial arts, riding horses, and collecting medieval weaponry.

Author’s email: jajakenfiction@gmail.com

Author’s website: http://jajaken.com/

Author’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/jajakenfiction

Author’s Twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/jajakenfiction

Goodreads book page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38742908-the-soul-forge

J.A is offering a mobi copy of The Soul Forge to one Lucky reader!
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