Interview with Author S.S. Segran

Today we're talking with S.S. Segran, author of Aegis Rising

FQ: Does the word 'Aegis' have a special meaning?

SEGRAN: 'Aegis' is the name of the shield that the Greek god Zeus uses to protect himself. I used it to symbolically portray the five protagonists as they eventually assume the role of ‘protectors of the world’ as the planet descends into chaos.

FQ: Were there any stories or legends about the Pacific Northwest that assisted in sparking the inspiration for this story?

SEGRAN: Not particularly, but when I was younger I was fascinated with Native American culture, especially their connection with nature and wildlife. I find that there is something almost mystical about that connection. Our ancestors lived directly off the earth and had a special connection with it. They nurtured it as it nurtured them. There was no technology back then, no gizmos that pulled us into a virtual plane. I'm certainly not complaining about technology - I'm quite a frequent user of it! But that idea of going back to the roots of our humanity, if you will, to what surrounds us, is what intrigues me and prompted me to use it as a main setting for Aegis Rising.

FQ: The maps at each part of the book provided a great visual. Was this something you planned to include from the beginning?

SEGRAN: I did intend to include maps, yes. A few novels that I've read had maps to help the reader navigate through various locations in a particular story, and I found it very helpful. Having understood the scope of the story in Aegis Rising. I figured that maps would be beneficial to my readers as well and from the feedback I've received so far, it seems that integrating them was a good idea!

FQ: What do you see as the benefits of writing a story with many perspectives as you did with Aegis Rising?

SEGRAN: The way I imagined it, the main benefit would be getting into the thoughts and actions of different characters in a given scene or a sequence with certain clarity and uniqueness. I was hoping that it would give readers a rich variation in perspectives and show that, just as in real life, there are many angles to a story and there may be a number of conclusions that people can draw from a situation. I also hoped that it will allow readers to connect with the characters in way that is real as opposed to simply following one character's thoughts or point-of-view and possibly relegating the other four protagonists to the background.

FQ: What places have you traveled to in the Pacific Northwest that inspired the setting for this book?

SEGRAN: I live in British Columbia, Canada, so I'm very lucky to be surrounded by gorgeous bodies of water and forests with tall, ancient trees. There are mountains, waterfalls and great wildlife, and it all combines to spur my imagination. Just by looking out most of the windows in my house I can see beautiful trees and mountains in the distance. I have also travelled by road and air across BC, as well as by boat into enchanting inlets and bays along its coast. It's very inspiring!

FQ: In many books the elder characters are distant but with your story they are actually quite relatable and approachable. Was this how you intended the elders to be?

SEGRAN: I did! I find that for novels which contain a mentor-apprentice theme, there's sometimes just too much of a barrier between the mentors and the pupils. For the Elders, I didn't want them to be aloof or distant from the teenagers. They needed to be seen as human beings who genuinely care for these five youths who were unexpectedly dropped into their lives. A struggle also had to be shown depicting how they felt knowing that they had to assign these kids a huge responsibility that the five never asked for. I wanted it to vaguely resemble a parent-child kind of relationship.

FQ: The character Hutar was shown to be given a second chance, could this possibly lead to a more positive role for him in future novels?

SEGRAN: Love the question! However, I am unable to say too much for now except yes, Hutar will return. I've always wanted him to stick around with the story for a while plus, I can also say this, he will have a significant role in the future. I certainly didn't want to him to be a one-time character that disappears after the first book. In short, he will return, though whether for good or bad will have to remain a secret for now ?

FQ: Living a simple, purpose driven life is something that can be hard to find in today’s society. Is this what helped to prompt you to write about a community that strives to do just that?

SEGRAN: It's exactly that. Thanks to my parents, this was the kind of ideal that I grew up with - there's no real need for fame or excessiveness. I believe that helping one another and doing the right thing is what betters us as human beings, and that in turn would create a much happier and safer world. The Dema-Ki community in the story strives to do just that. Yet, they are realist who will use their special abilities if the need arises to maintain peace and the well-being of their people and the valley.

To learn more about Aegis Rising, please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Book Review - Aegis Rising

Aegis Rising 

By: S.S. Segran
Illustrated By: Eric Newport
Publisher: Inkmagination
Publication Date: November 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9910813-0-1
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: June 3, 2014

For five teenagers, Kody, Jag, Tegan, Mariah, and Aari, a plane ride into the forests of the Pacific Northwest sounded like a grand adventure. However, that thought is quickly dashed after their plane flies into the middle of a terrible storm and goes crashing to the ground, surrounded by fiery flames. When these five regain consciousness they find themselves in a strange community surrounded by odd but accommodating villagers. Of course their first thought is that of escape but as their caretakers and the elders of the villagers began to tell them of a prophecy they are believed to fulfill, their minds slowly begin to change about the idea of escaping. Especially after almost being devoured by ferocious wolves with their first escape attempt, the five friends decide that staying with these people would be the best choice.

Soon after deciding to stay, these five begin their training one on one with an elder assigned to each of them. Before too long specific inner powers begin to immerge from each of them and they quickly discover that they have been destined for much more than any of them ever thought possible.

A bird engulfed in flames falling from the sky was the first sign the elders of the village believed they would see when the five destined to fulfill the prophecy arrived. Soon after seeing this sign the five teenagers are brought to the village, making them the obvious answer to the upcoming prophecy. Some in the village, however, are not convinced because they believe the five in the prophecy should come from their own people rather than strangers from an outside land. However, as the elders spend more and more time with these five friends they become convinced that these teenagers are the ones they have been waiting for and come to believe that they will be strong enough to face all of the challenges ahead of them.

Up in the mountains the head of a mining expedition named Ajajdif is under strict orders to extract a special kind of ore in a matter of weeks. When the project started it was thought that this would not take more than two months but unfortunately more time is needed and Ajajdif is feeling the pressure of the approaching deadline weighing down on him. Ajajdif believed that these mountains did not have anyone living in them, but after arresting four trespassers who obviously dwelled within these mountains, his belief was quickly shattered. These were not just simple mountain dwellers either but skilled and intelligent fighters who are giving Ajajdif more problems than he wants to deal with. If need be Ajajdif will go to war with these people to keep the mining expedition on track and if these villagers continue to cause problems he knows that will be his only choice.

From the very first page this story had me transfixed and I ended up absolutely loving this book! Everything from the landscape, the characters, the plot, and the different societies was so well described and were brought together to form an epic adventure. Being able to see the perspective of many characters was also something that I truly enjoyed as I don’t think I would have been able to grasp the plot of this book without seeing it from every angle. It was agonizing knowing that a battle was coming and then having to wait for each character to come to the realization in their own time. Each part of this book had me hanging on the edge begging to know what comes next and how the five heroes would stand up to the challenges that would soon be thrown their way.

Quill says: This is an absolutely thrilling story that grips onto the reader and never lets go! 

For more information on Aegis Rising, please visit the author's website at: www.sssegran.com

Books for Review

Here's a quick peek at some of the books that have just arrived for review.  Check them out and then stop by in a few weeks to read the reviews.





Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer by E.R. Barr Long ago, the Tinkers exiled themselves, sailing from the west of Ireland, their women weeping in despair over the men folk who had consorted on the sand with the shape-shifting Roan, non-human beings from Celtic myth. The sea-wives had returned in the shape of seals bearing pups that transformed to human children as soon as they touched the sand. 'Dark ones', the Tinkers called these offspring and claimed them as their own. Traveling to the New World, they found the spot where two rivers flowed together-a thin place, where myths from many cultures converged and legends came to life. There, for a century and a half, the 'dark ones' stayed hidden and the town kept their secrets. That's how Conor Archer heard it in the days after he arrived at Tinker's Grove, Wisconsin. Three days earlier, the night his mother died, the seventeen year old was playing in a pickup band at a downtown Chicago Irish bar. A strange biker approached him, looked at Conor's webbed hands, pronounced him kin, and then took a chunk out of the boy's palm with weird pointed teeth. Racked with pain, he found himself at Buckingham Fountain, bleeding and delirious. He saw a woman there, washing her hair in the sparkling water. Dazzled by her beauty, he allowed her to wrap his bleeding hand in a piece of her dress. Incredibly, she aged to an old crone before his eyes, and then told him he had less than twenty-four hours to live. Conor made it back home to hold his mother as she passed, her last words a whisper for him to go to Tinker's Grove, his only hope for salvation. He did as she said; his fever left only when Malachy, the Abbot from the town monastery, took him down to the river where an old Indian Mound stood. With the twins, Jace and Beth Michaels by his side, they watched in wonder as something came out of the Mound, vaguely human, and healed the boy. A murky prophecy was spoken about Conor, but what he remembered more clearly was looking out at the river and seeing a shadow there of Piasa, the legendary Native American river demon, gazing at him with hungry eyes. Most of all he remembered Emily, his aunt, aged but loving, who took him in and gave him a home. No peace for him though--he was changing. He ran in the night like a wolf and flew through the trees like an owl. Strange visions of what might be, and glimpses of otherworldly beings in the forest troubled him. Conor's nemesis is Caithness McNabb, wealthy landowner, who has a plan for power and riches for her and her three misbegotten sons. Selling land to a genetics company, she hires Dr. Nicholas Drake, respected bio-geneticist, to come and learn the secret of the 'dark ones.' Cate is motivated by Piasa, who whispers fame and glory to her in the night as she walks the banks of the Wisconsin River. The monster has told her who lives in the Mound, an immortal Welsh prince named Madoc, exiled by his countrymen centuries ago because of his strange affinity with the Roan. He's Piasa's mortal enemy, and an alliance with Cate will give Piasa the chance it needs to rise to power, spreading evil and chaos through town and countryside. Into this web step Conor and his friends. When children go missing, townspeople panic thinking that their secret sins have come back to demand vengeance. Drake has abducted them and begins to experiment on them, seeking the source of their shape-shifting power. All that Conor and his friends can do is awaken the power of the land and allow long dead myths to come to life. Conor, however, runs from who and what he is, becoming his own worst enemy. Beth carries his child and those who hate Conor need the infant to rise to power. All seems lost as science and technology clash with myth and legend-two dying worlds trying to survive. The outcome will rest on whether Conor will accept who and what he is. Set in the present, but spanning centuries, a battle for humanity and the future of the world begins anew.


Aegis Rising by Sean SegranA Plane Crash... A Hidden Valley... An Ancient Prophecy... A Cataclysmic Scheme... Over a remote northern forest, a small plane with five teenage friends flies into a freak storm. Struck by lightning, the aircraft is forced to crash land, casting the passengers into a life-changing adventure. In a hidden valley, a mysterious people gaze at the stormy sky as a glowing object with fiery wings disappears behind a mountain ridge. The astonishing sight reignites an ancient prophecy foretelling the arrival of five chosen ones destined to become bearers of light against a dark, gathering storm. In a distant city, a secretive organization with global ambitions, led by a shadowy figure, initiates a sequence of catastrophic events designed to wreak havoc across the planet, beginning with a remote mining site in a northern Canada. Weaving together a spellbinding plot with fascinating characters, captivating imagery and compelling action, AEGIS RISING takes you on a journey that will keep you turning pages and yearning for more.

Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Karen White, Jenna Blum, Sarah Jio, Melanie Benjamin, Sarah McCoy, Alyson Richman On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell. Now, ten bestselling authors inspired by this iconic landmark have created their own stories, set on the same day, just after the end of World War II, in a time of hope, uncertainty, change, and renewal.  

TIME for Kids: Awesome Animal Kingdom TIME for Kids The BIG Book of Why: Awesome Animal Kingdom answers the why, what, when, where, who and how questions about humans and animals that kids commonly ask, but adults can rarely answer. Why do we have eyebrows? What's the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? How does aspirin know where to go in the body to take care of pain? What's the fastest a human is capable of running? Why do animals' eyes glow in the dark?  

TIME for Kids: Amazing Sports and Science TIME for Kids The BIG Book of Why: Sports and Science answers the why, what, when, where, who and how questions that kids commonly ask, but adults can rarely answer. Why does a curve ball curve? Why does a Super Ball bounce so high? How can David Beckham make a soccer ball "bend"? Why can eating chocolate make people hyper?

TIME for Kids: Really Cool People and Places TIME for Kids The BIG Book of Why: People and Places answers the why, what, when, where, who and how questions about people and places in history that kids commonly ask, but adults can rarely answer. Why did the Maya build pyramids? Did Vikings really have horns on their helmets? Why did Christopher Columbus sail to America? Why did the Titanic sink? Why is the London Bridge in Arizona?  

TIME for Kids: Stellar Space TIME for Kids The BIG Book of Why: Space answers the why, what, when, where, who and how questions about earth and space that kids commonly ask, but adults can rarely answer. Why don't we fall off the planet? Why is the sky blue? Why are diamonds so rare? Why is the sun so bright? Where does our solar system end?  

This Private Plot: An Oliver Swithin Mystery by Alan Beechey Coaxed out of his clothes and into a midnight streak by his girlfriend, Oliver’s amorous intentions are thwarted by the discovery of a dead body dangling from the village’s ancient gibbet. When it appears that the famous victim was driven to suicide by blackmail, Oliver resolves to find the blackmailer. And to do so, he needs to discover the dead man’s secret. But in the twenty-first century, when sins that would once have been ripe for shaming are now a cause for hiring a publicist, what foul deeds of the past will people still pay to keep hidden? Is the carefully cut out page from a Shakespeare play, with its reference to a ""private plot,"" really a clue? Why did somebody fill in the victim's grave before his funeral? And what does any of this have to do with the memoir writers of the Vicar's reading group, the five unmarried Bennett sisters, the mysterious monk known only as ""The Vampire of Synne,"" the case of the two Shakespeares, and the married couple who are never seen in the same room at the same time? Will there be yet another appearance by Underwood Tooth, the world's leading expert on being ignored? Oliver discovers that the death was no suicide. But that's nothing compared with the next revelation, which turns the entire investigation upside down and puts Oliver's own life in peril.  

Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord. In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists. Philbrick brings a fresh perspective to every aspect of the story. He finds new characters, and new facets to familiar ones. The real work of choreographing rebellion falls to a thirty-three year old physician named Joseph Warren who emerges as the on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause and is fated to die at Bunker Hill. Others in the cast include Paul Revere, Warren’s fiancé the poet Mercy Scollay, a newly recruited George Washington, the reluctant British combatant General Thomas Gage and his more bellicose successor William Howe, who leads the three charges at Bunker Hill and presides over the claustrophobic cauldron of a city under siege as both sides play a nervy game of brinkmanship for control.

 Bing & Nero: Boy + Robot = Fun! (The Adventures of Bing & Nero) (Volume 1) by I L Williams Share a day with an inventive young boy in a story that celebrates creativity, friendship and fun! Bing wants a dog. But his mother says a dog is out of the question. What´s a young boy in need of a friend to play with on a boring Saturday morning to do? Why, make his own friend! And what a friend his new creation is! The product of Bing´s rich imagination and household junk from the basement, Nero is a metallic wonder. From the moment he is switched on, the house is filled with fun! And when they take to the sky for a late afternoon flight, boy and robot are in for a joyous ride that celebrates their friendship.  

The Wild Dark Flowers: A Novel of Rutherford Park by Elizabeth Cooke From inside their sprawling estate of Rutherford Park, the Cavendish family had a privileged perspective of the world. On the first morning in May, 1915, with a splendid view that reached across the gardens to the Vale of York, nothing seemed lovelier or less threatening. And yet... At the risk of undoing the Cavendish name with scandal, William and Octavia Cavendish have been living a lie, maintaining a marriage out of duty rather than passion. But when their son Harry joins the Royal Flying Corps in France, the Cavendish family are forced to face the unavoidable truths about themselves, the society in which they thrive, and the secrets they can no longer bear. In the wake of a terrible war, the emotional shifts between a husband and a wife, a wife and her lover, and a mother and her children, will shake the very foundation of the Cavendish family, and change the uniquely vulnerable lives of all who reside at Rutherford Park.