Interview and Giveaway: Ghosts and Ashes by F.T. Lukens

Lisa: We’re so pleased to welcome author F.T. Lukens today on the tour for her latest release from Interlude Press, Ghosts & Ashes.

Hi, F.T., thanks so much for being here with us today. Let’s start by having you tell us a little about the book.

FT: Hi! Thanks for having me. Ghosts & Ashes, is the second book in the Broken Moon series. This book continues the adventures of Ren and Asher and the rest of the Star Stream crew.

Lisa: Do you use photos as inspiration for creating your characters?

FT: I don’t necessarily have pictures that I use, but I do have a fancast for my characters. And I regularly look up pictures of that actor or actress for inspiration. Right now, my fancast are as follows:

Ren: either Dev Patel or Devon Bostick (specifically Devon Bostick as Jasper from the 100 in his long hair phase)

Asher: Ben Hardy. Okay, specifically this picture of Ben Hardy

Rowan: Natalie Dormer

Ollie: Ricky Whittle

Lisa: What kind of book would you like to write that people would see as a huge departure for you?

FT: A contemporary rom-com would be a huge departure from my speculative fiction works, but I think would be fun to write. Or maybe a western, though I do use western elements in my storytelling.

Lisa: Have you ever killed a character? Was it traumatic for you? If you haven’t killed one, would you ever consider it?

FT: I… have killed a character. Actually, I’ve kind of killed two. And I can’t talk too much about it because I don’t want to spoil anything. But, just know I did cry at one of those deaths. And I teared up again when I had to edit it.

Lisa: Would I kill another character?

FT: Yes. I think if it’s a good element to the storytelling then absolutely.

Lisa: What’s your favorite location you’ve ever written about?

FT: For someone who writes speculative fiction, I don’t write about real locations. In saying that, I’d love to visit a drift. A station spinning slowly in space that creates its own gravity and is jam-packed with cultures from all over the cluster? Sign me up. I’d go in a heartbeat and enjoy the hell out of the viewing windows and the convenience of everything being right there. And of course, I’d take a quick trip on the Star Stream. But only if Lucas is piloting and we stay in space. I hear he’s not too great when it comes to landing on planets.

Lisa: Let’s wrap this up with one final question: what’s your favorite season and favorite activity for that season?

FT: Con season? Does that count?

Fall is my favorite season. I love it. The cooler weather and the changing of the leaves. And that’s also Dragon*Con season. I go to local conventions throughout the summer and fall but my first D*C trip was last year and I can’t wait to go back. It was so fun. I met so many great people, including a few fellow authors.

About the Book

Three months have passed since the events of The Star Host, and Ren is living aboard the Star Stream under the watchful eyes of the Phoenix Corps. Plagued by vivid nightmares that ravage the ship in his sleep, he struggles to prove he isn’t a threat and fears he has traded one captor for another. His relationship with Asher, whose efforts to balance his personal loyalty to Ren with his professional duties to the Corps are failing, fractures.

Adrift without an anchor, Ren must return to his home planet of Erden if he has any chance of reversing his dangerous descent into madness. There, he hopes search for his missing brother and salvage his relationship with Asher. What he finds is knowledge that puts everyone’s allegiance to the test.

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About the Author

F.T. Lukens is an author of Young Adult fiction who got her start by placing second out of ten thousand entries in a fan community writing contest. A sci- enthusiast, F.T. loves Star Trek and Fire y and is a longtime member of her college’s science-fiction club. She holds degrees in Psychology and English Literature and has a love of cheesy television shows, superhero movies, and writing. F.T. lives in North Carolina with her husband, three kids, and three cats.

Her first novel in the Broken Moon series, The Star Host, was published by Duet Books in 2016.

Connect with F.T. at authorftlukens.wordpress.com on Twitter @ftlukens, on Tumblr at ftlukens.tumblr.com and on Goodreads at goodreads.com/ftlukens.