Illuminated Darkness

Illuminated Darkness

Ashlyn is a typical teenager struggling to find her place in life as she nears adulthood. She craves balance and stability in her life following a traumatic upbringing and aims to please everyone, always steering away from confrontation. Five days away from her 18th birthday she is awaiting the return of her college boyfriend from Europe when he suddenly texts her and breaks up with her. From that moment Ashlyn's life begins to change from the vision she had planned for her future. She meets Wren on a night out with her sister to take her mind off her beak-up. She finds herself falling in love with Wren and is stunned when he eventually reveals himself to be her vampire protector. He tells her she is a descendent from the loogaroo, a Haitian vampire that has Voodoo dark magic powers. She finds herself struggling to deal with her feelings for Wren whilst battling with the change in herself all the while being hunted down by voodoo priests for her voodoo power.

"I wanted to write about a female character that had all the attributes of a good teenage novel, but I also wanted her to be strong character," Joanne said. "Throughout the book Ashlyn develops as person from someone who aims to please everyone around her into a strong woman. I see her emergence of her voodoo power and her ability to control it as really just a metaphor for growing up and realizing her true self worth."

Joanne's novel took her the better part of three years to write. It is a work of fiction that has its base in mythology.

"I've always loved vampires and vampire novels, but wanted to explore different vampire myths," said Joanne. "I also have a fascination with voodoo and dark magic, so I had an idea in my head of merging the two together and did some research and found the perfect vampire myth in Haiti of the loogaroo that fit perfectly with my vision of my characters."

Joanne is a former journalist and radio announcer, having worked in Bali in her chosen field for close to two years. She is also a qualified Public Relations consultant and has worked closely with a number of organizations offering free PR advice. Currently she lives on the Sunshine Coast with her family and returns frequently to Bali where she one day plans to retire and become a full time author.

Illuminated Darkness
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Author: Joanne