Naples, FL—She’s not your average local author. This national magazine editor, sea turtle conservationist and cancer survivor didn’t write a memoir. Author Sandy Lender, Naples, Fla., penned a series of fantasy novels that ArcheBooks Publishing, Cape Coral, Fla., is releasing to the public, with Choices Meant for Kings hitting bookstore shelves and Amazon cyberwaves August 24, 2009.
While she’s a fantasy author whose first novel was compared to Tolkien, Rowling, Goodkind, Hobb, Asaro and other fantasy greats, Lender managed to work in some eclectic tidbits: a mention of sea turtle conservation here, a touch of anti-bigotry there, an abbreviated stricture on premarital relations over here. It’s difficult to imagine that a fantasy realm built out of Old English themes and imagery could incorporate these modern concepts, but Lender weaves them in seamlessly and with the same care that she gives to her characters.
From the incredible early reviews Choices Meant for Kings has received, which visitors to her Web site at www.authorsandylender.com can see, it’s obvious the attention Lender gives to drawing characters brings readers deep into a relationship with each one. The books should come with the label: Don’t jump in until you’re ready to fall in love with Amanda Chariss. Or Nigel Taiman. Or Hrazon of Mon’dore. Or the rascally Rohne.
Lender has thoughtfully included a “Cast of Characters” list at the beginning of Choices Meant for Kings to assist those who missed Choices Meant for Gods and jumps into the action in a manner of which Amazon’s No.1 reviewer Harriet Klausner approved: “The story line stands alone as this reviewer did not read the previous tale, but had no problems diving into Choices Meant for Kings.” For the book club aficionado, there’s a list of suggested questions and topics at the end. And serious fans will be delighted to find a sneak peek at a scene from Book III, Choices Made for All.
Readers will recognize Sandy Lender as the author of the breakout fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods and a leader of workshops on world-building and characterization. Her four-year degree in English and seventeen-year career in magazine publishing augment her book publishing experience for a variety of presentations. Choices Meant for Kings is now available in hardcover (ISBN 978-159507-219-
