Liahona West
Author Interview - Liahona West
Author of Metallic Heart: A Post-Apocalyptic Romance
A MAN ASHAMED OF HIS PAST.
A WOMAN FIGHTING FOR HER FUTURE.
ONE SCIENTIST WHO MARKS THEIR DOWNFALL.
Eloise always keeps seven knives on her body, one for each year since her younger sister's violent death. As the only person in the world with nanites in her blood, her mission is to save the life of her sister's best friend, a teen boy suffering from a fatal brain disease. Until she can't. Until the man from her past returns, just as broken as she is.
Dragging Eloise away from death - twice - isn't how Bannack saw his life going. He only wanted what was owed to him for his eight-year service as the villain's High Commander. Instead, to live a life of peace, Bannack must protect Eloise. She wants nothing to do with him. That's fine. But when feelings for her grow, he wonders if the love he worked so hard to forget, could be what heals his frozen heart.
Hunted by a powerful woman who connects them both, Eloise and Bannack must make the bravest decision they've ever made.
They must live.
Perfect for fans of the Divergent series and the genre-blending, full-of-heart style of Kerry Lonsdale, this post-apocalyptic romance weaves a passionate tale of resilience, self-acceptance, and the need to protect our loved ones, no matter the cost. Metallic Heart is what happens when you take contemporary romance, give it a knife, and blow up the world.
Author Interview - Liahona West
Author I draw inspiration from:
Lisa Kleypas (my first intro into Regency Romance with her Wallflowers series, which I consider my comfort books). Amy Harmon (specifically What The Wind Knows. Made me ugly cry). Brittainy Cherry (Silent Waters. OMG. This one made me cry, too, and was such a sweet, beautiful story).
Author Interview - Liahona West | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In bed or by a lake or beach.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Alanna the Lionheart (book written by Tamora Pierce called Alanna: The First Adventure). She captured my heart and fascination. The first female protagonist I ever read about. The first book I ever read where the story focused on her, not romance (and she had a period!). First book where the girl was actually a cool character who didn't want stereotypical girl things
Author Interview - Liahona West | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When I learned Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon when he was 15 and I went "bet."
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback because it's durable and the jacket is a great bookmark you can never loose. Paperback because they're affordable and portable. Ebook because I can read in bed (or a blanket fort) without disrupting people's sleep. Audiobook because I can listen in the car or on long road trips.
The last book I read:
Dragonfall by Laura Lam. It's a fantasy with first, second, and third POV's, has shorter chapters, and is also a romance between a thief and a dragon shifter. Loved the unique formatting of the story, the convenience of shorter chapters, and the neat blending of genres. It's also not very common that I run across a book written in 2nd POV.
Author Interview - Liahona West | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer. My brain moves too fast for my fingers to keep up. It's portable (I use OneDrive) and I like the keyboard clacking sounds.
My writing process is to make a skeletal outline of the story, hitting all the major scenes I need to get down, then let the story lead me where it wants to go as I write. A lot of the time, by the midpoint, I end up needing to adjust my plans, so I make sure, when outlining, that what I plan is flexible.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Princess Marra from the book Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher. I read it for a book club and I was shocked at how accurate she was to myself. Even though the book never addressed it, that character felt very much ADHD coded. I found a lot of myself as a teenager in her and we had a lot of the same mannerisms and thoughts, so much so that I wondered if the author spied on me while writing it.
Author Interview - Liahona West | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Archaeologist. History fascinates me and I'm quick to share obscure pieces of history trivia I've learned from reading about various finds.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Victorian. It's the dresses I love the most.
Place I’d most like to travel:
England to go see a Shakespeare play in the OG pronunciation at the Globe Theater.
My signature drink:
Coffee. I was raised Mormon, so there was a lot of stigma around the drink and when I left the church, it didn't take long before I fell in love. I find that it helps me focus and was the way I self-medicated for my ADHD (didn't know about it until about 1.5 yrs ago) before I got on medication.
Favorite artist:
Greta Gerwig. Her movies always hit for me.
Number one on my bucket list:
Traveling, either with my kids (I have 3) or just my husband.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I'm a debut author.
Find more from the author:
Author Bio:
Liahona West spent her entire teenage years either glued to a book or wandering the forests surrounding her home. Whether it was escaping the dreaded high school lunch room in favor of reading in the library or exploring the forest barefoot with her younger siblings in the PNW, Liahona found countless ways to fall in love with the simple magic of life. When Liahona isn't writing in every location possible, she is raising her three boys, tending to her orchids, and somehow managing to pursue a business degree.
