Blooming with Books

The Guardians of Elijah's Fire

By Frank L. Cole

When Amber Rawson receives a mystery gift in her mailbox, she is intrigued. Who sent her the Books of First and Second Kings? And why are four of the verses marked?

But before she can discover the answer to her mystery gift she is drawn into a new dangerous situation, starting with a middle of the night phone call from Joseph saying that the Tebah Stick in now in Baeloc's possession.


But when Amber, Lisa and Trendon meet at one of the local restaurants, Kendall Jasher shows up with some of his Architects.  Jasher says he can keep Amber safe and that Dorothy cannot be trusted.  When the three teens manage to escape they see there are Architects all over the town.  Hoping to get away they actually get into worse trouble by allowing themselves to be captured by an Architect!  


When an old friend comes to their aid they manage to elude the Architects  until Dorothy Holcomb joins up with them.  To keep Amber safe Dorothy, Temel Ridio, and Abelish take them to Amman Jordan.  But their safety is an illusion when an Architect captures Amber and Trendon and takes them to Baeloc.


Baeloc wants Amber to use the Tebah Stick to find an artifact that had belonged to the Prophet Elijah and to Elisha.  But with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, will Amber succumb to the threats when the lives of her friends and family are threatened?


Guardians of Elijah's Fire is a fun and exciting read that pre-teens and teens will enjoy.  Good clean fun with a few battle scenes thrown in - perfect for a hot summer afternoon.   


I received a digital loan of this title from the publisher for the purpose of this review. 
 

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~ Interview with Frank L. Cole ~

1) How did you come up with the idea for Guardians of Elijah's Fire?

I love the Old Testament. It just seems to be the perfect fantasy type novel. There are tons of mysterious and bizarre stories happening throughout and I wanted to take a stab at fictionalizing some of the characters and creating some new concepts. My favorite character by far is Elijah. His stories are absolutely creepy. It just makes for a good story. The Guardians of Elijah's Fire takes Amber and Trendon deeper into the danger as they race against an evil organization to be the first to find and secure a deadly artifact linked to Elijah.

2) For people who haven't read the first book in the series is there anything reader's should know before reading Guardians of Elijah's Fire?

Reading The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter (Book 1 in the series) isn't necessary to enjoy and grasp the story in Elijah's Fire, but I think you'd find it fun and exciting as well. Some of the characters develop more in book 2 and its interesting to read about their beginnings. In Book 1, Amber and Trendon risked their lives to keep the Tebah Stick (an artifact found within Noah's Ark) away from the enemy. Book 2 picks up about a few months after.

3) Do you have a favorite character? And if so who is it and why this character?

I love Trendon. Yes, he's rude, has no concept of tact, and can be a bit whiny, but he's just so fun to write. Plus, he probably has one of the biggest hearts around, but he works hard to cover it up with a shell of obnoxiousness.

4) Do you have a scene that really stood out for you more than the rest?

There's a scene where Amber and Trendon have been captured by the enemy and they share a moment of hopelessness together. Amber knows their time has run out and that Trendon might have a chance to escape. Although she wants him to save himself, Trendon's stubbornness prevails. He won't budge and he definitely won't abandon Amber. It's at this moment, when she realizes how important Trendon's friendship is to her. I just loved writing that scene.

5) Are any of the characters or scenes based on anything in your life?

I have to write from my own experiences. So yeah, every character has some similarities to the people in my life. I've lived in the Philippines where a good chunk of book 1 takes place and there are scenes from my memory which I've manipulated into the stories. I think it's a good practice to pull from past experiences.

6) In Guardians of Elijah's Fire, what is your favorite scene?

Probably the final battle scene. There are monster attacks and fire raining down from the heavens. Explosions. And of course Trendon providing timely comic relief.

7) Are you planning a third book? If so when can we expect to see it?

There will definitely be a third book to finish off the series. As of right now, it should be out fall 2013.

8) As a writer is there a question that you have never been asked about your writing that you wish someone would ask you? If so how would you answer them?

Wow! Good question. Let me think... I wish someone would ask me about how much sleep I lose whenever I write a story. The answer is an unhealthy amount. Plus, I'm a sleep walker and sleep talker and sleep screamer. Maybe I sleep fine, but my poor wife turns into an insomniac.


Learn more about Frank by visiting his website.  CLICK HERE