Do you write in different genres?
Yes, Shadowlands
is a contemporary fantasy, while my other works in progress are sci fi,
romantic comedy and creative non-fiction/humour.
If yes which is your favorite genre to write?
It depends what mood I’m in. Sometimes the complex
fantasy and sci fi stuff can get a bit overwhelming and I just need to chill
for a bit, which is when I turn to the lighter stuff. Other times I’m really in
the mood for some adventure so I go with the fantasy/SF stuff. It’s great to
have a few options to choose from.
What book are you reading now?
Right now I’m not actually reading a book—I’m currently
being completely distracted by a webcomic called SharpZero, which I’m not even sure I can accurately describe. Daria meets The Mighty Boosh with an LGBTQ leaning—in short, awesome!
What books are in your to read pile?
My TBR has hundreds
of books in it! I read somewhere recently that, based on my current age (almost
thirty), if I live to the average life expectancy for a woman in Australia I’ll
squeeze in around 4000 books before I die (based on my current reading levels).
That really doesn’t seem like enough when there are so many amazing books to be
read and so many I want to read again!
In terms of books I want to read in the immediate future,
however, I’m really looking forward to A
Court of Wings and Ruin, which comes out in early May.
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming
projects?
While I’ve got a number of projects on the go, my
priority right now is the second book in the Shadowlands series.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Here’s a very small snippet from Shadowlands book two:
When Flynn began to rouse, it was the sensation of
being restrained that took him back there. To that dark room with the
dirt-covered floor and the voices speaking a language they didn’t think he
could understand…
‘Calm
down or I’ll cut your f***ing hand off.’
Flynn
barely registered that his captor spoke in English. All he knew was this
asshole was dead…
Someone
pulled him away and slammed him against the wall, hard. They released him to
let him slump onto the floor, and that was when Flynn realised he wasn’t back
in that bunker. He was in what looked to be someone’s sunlit living room, and
there were people everywhere.
Still
reeling from the flashback, Flynn leaned over and emptied the contents of his
stomach onto the hardwood floor.
Do you have to travel much to do research for your books?
I don’t travel specifically for research but I do love to
travel (typical Aussie backpacker here!) and I have definitely found a lot of
inspiration for my writing during my travels. One of my favourite cities I’ve
travelled to is New Orleans and that will be featuring quite a bit in the next
couple of Shadowlands books.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you
think represents this book?
I’m addicted to Spotify and I can’t work without music
playing. I’ve had a playlist going for the Shadowlands
series ever since I started writing it (so close to two years now) and the
songs have swapped and changed depending on things like whether I’m ‘over’
listening to certain songs or if I hear a new song that I think should go on
the list etc. I think the longest it got to was about 75 songs but right now
there are 50 songs. There is a lot of soft rock on there, stuff like The Script
and Ed Sheeran and The Fray—songs that I can listen to both when I’m writing or
when I’m out and about and want to let my mind wander without having my
thoughts interrupted by anything too loud or abrupt.
If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it
be?
Definitely the ability to disapparate/apparate to use Harry Potter terminology. I love
travelling and seeing new places but I hate flying—it would be awesome to be
able to just disappear from Melbourne and the next second be in New York or
London or Prague etc.
Out of the Shadows
Shadowlands
Book One
Ashlee Nicole Bye
Genre: Mature YA/NA Contemporary
Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Huntuzie Press
Date of Publication: 11 April 2017
Word Count: 106,000 approx
Cover Artist: James @Go On Write
Tagline:
Book Description:
From the streets of Melbourne to the bowels of Westminster, the delicate balance between life and death that is so painstakingly maintained by the Reapers of The Order of Dark and Light is being tested by the return of an ancient threat. Tensions are rising within the hidden world of The Shadowlands and if this threat is not contained war will be inevitable. And the destruction of the human world is bound to follow in its wake.
Amidst this tension, eighteen year-old Sachi Manning is struggling to cope with the grief and guilt that has plagued her ever since her best friend was murdered six months earlier—that is, until she spots him seemingly alive and well and being held at scythe point by a hooded figure who looks more like a GQ model than the Grim Reaper.
Sachi shouldn’t be able to see through the glamours that shield Shadowlanders from the human world, so the Reaper in question wants some answers. And so begins the craziest couple of weeks of Sachi’s life as she is drawn into a world of mysteries, magic, monsters, and mayhem, encountering dragons, Faeries, soul-sucking Demons, not-so-grim Reapers, and even the Horseman of Death.
With a mix of heart, humour and hair-raising action, Out of the Shadows is the adventure of an after-lifetime, perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Kresley Cole.
EXCERPT
TWO (Scene from Chapter 17)
A dragon. A freaking dragon! Even
through her pounding heart, the artist in Sachi couldn’t help appreciating the
creature’s beauty. It was enormous, reptilian, and winged, with gleaming
obsidian scales tinged with flashes of electric blue. As it studied her, one of
its forelegs began to stamp, making the timber fences on either side of the
laneway rattle. Smoke furled out from its nostrils and when it stretched its
wings Sachi gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. In the narrow laneway, it wasn’t
able to expand its wings to their full span of what Sachi assumed had to be at
least twenty metres, but instead flexed them upwards—a gesture Sachi was sure
was meant for intimidation purposes. And it was working. She was completely
frozen in place, her body ignoring every single one of the flight response
commands being sent by her brain.
The
dragon folded its wings back down and began creeping toward Sachi, smoke
billowing from its nostrils. As it got to about five metres away, it reared up
and let out a burst of flame. Sachi just barely managed to duck before the
flames passed over her head.
Oh
god, oh god, oh god, oh god. I’m gonna be eaten by a dragon!
She
scampered back as far as she could get, knowing it wouldn’t be much good. What
was she going to do? No one was home, and even if they were she wouldn’t want
Nikko and Ella out here, it would be just as dangerous for them. Maybe she
could call the fire brigade? At least they had flame retardant suits… Yeah, she
could see that call right now:
‘Triple
zero, what’s your emergency?’
‘A
fucking dragon’s trying to kill me!’
Yep,
she’d probably be fined for wasting the valuable time and resources of
Melbourne’s emergency services. And then the phone call would end up on one of
those reality shows: World’s Craziest Emercency Calls. So, triple zero wasn’t
an option. She was going to die, burnt to a crisp by this dragon, and on her
tombstone it would say She shouldn’t have opened the gate.
The
dragon reared up for another attack, but it never came. Instead, a familiar
figure appeared out of the shadows, brandishing a sword and beating the dragon
back, away from Sachi.
Sachi
watched, awestruck, as Griffin gracefully dodged and ducked the dragon’s fire
and weaved around its snapping jaws and thrashing claws before finally
thrusting his sword through its stomach. The dragon reared up with an agonised
roar and Griffin yanked the sword out, only to thrust it in once more, this
time through the dragon’s heart. The creature slumped to the ground with a thud
that merited a Richter scale reading.
Griffin
spun around to face Sachi, looking like a freaking knight. He was wearing that
cape thing again, and now she was seeing him up close she could tell the black
long-sleeved top she’d seen him in that first night at The Veil was actually
made out of gleaming onyx chainmail. It was all very medieval-chic.
‘Good
thing it was only a baby,’ he said.
‘That’s
a baby?’ Sachi squeaked.
‘Ay—near
grown, yes, but still a hatchling. An adult would not have hesitated to kill
you, love. Not very fond of humans, dragons.’
‘W-why?’
‘On
account of all the hunting—your Saint George and his ilk nearly drove them to
extinction.’
Sachi
had never considered the situation like that. Of course, up until twenty
minutes ago she hadn’t even known dragons were real, but now that she did she
found she was sorry this one was dead. Naturally, in a choice between her life
and the dragon’s she would choose her own, but nevertheless, she was sorry.
She
looked at the dragon’s body, with those beautiful obsidian scales. ‘It sounds
stupid, but I kinda wish you hadn’t killed it.’
‘I
didn’t.’
Sachi
snapped her gaze back to Griffin to find him studying her curiously, sword
hanging by his side in a loose grip. It was an interesting weapon: thin and
slightly curved. It looked like it had been stolen from Jack Sparrow. ‘What?’
‘Only
two things can kill a creature of The Shadowlands—Celestial fire and beheading.
The blow to his heart has stunned him, however, so we have a few moments.’
Sachi’s
head was spinning. ‘A few moments for what?’
He
ran his eyes carefully over her face. ‘Do you trust me, love?’
Well,
that was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. He had saved her life, yes,
but something about him warned her to stay on her guard. After considering the
situation, she shook her head. ‘I’m grateful you saved my life and everything,
but no, sorry, I don’t trust you.’
Griffin’s
eyes flashed, the corner of his mouth turning up with amusement. ‘Smart girl.’
And
then all Sachi could feel was a cold, icy fire as Griffin’s sword tore through
her chest, burying itself in her heart.
About the Author:
Ashlee Nicole Bye is a self-confessed bibliophile, sports fan and music lover. She also writes sometimes—when she’s not busy mastering the art of procrastination, that is. She writes mainly Fantasy, mainly Young Adult, although some of her current works in progress have seen her step firmly outside her comfort zone.
Her first novel is OUT OF THE SHADOWS, a mature young adult contemporary fantasy set in her beloved home town of Melbourne. It is the first installment in the five-book series, SHADOWLANDS, and will be released on Kindle on April 11, with paperback to follow shortly after.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashnicolebye
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleenicolebye/
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