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Driven by vengeance and the mystery of her bloodline, a morally gray woman wielding powerful magic becomes the newest target of the feared Shadow People.

Scion of a Swan

Age of Shadows Book 1

by A.R. Stern

Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy

Shadows thirst for the living. She starves for the truth.

Descending from a long line of witches, Daire Delacroix has been practicing magick since she was a witchling, and with the gift to see all magick, her gifts are unparalleled. But when Daire’s mother suddenly falls ill only to perish without a valid diagnosis, Daire grows vengeful and bitter for answers.

Half a year after her death, Daire reintroduces herself into the witch community to celebrate her first Wiccan holiday without her mother. When the Shadow People make an appearance and attack at one of the most renowned Wiccan sabbats, Daire’s world starts to fall apart once again.

Now with the Shadows growing violent and haunting Daire, she is determined to destroy them and protect what remains of her family. The deeper she searches the more secrets come to the surface, along with the truth about her mother’s death and her lineage.

Nothing will stop her from unveiling the truth—even when it means walking the line of right and wrong.

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A. R. Stern is an indie author from Minnesota, blending dark fantasy, horror, and new adult elements in her writing. Her current series, Age of Shadows, showcases her unique style and she plans to explore different genres in upcoming novels.

Stern is an emerging author who began writing in elementary school. With several novels in her past, she now focuses on developing new ideas and refining her craft, eager to share her unique stories with readers.

In her spare time she is an avid reader of all genres, cruises on a Harley with her husband, and spends time with her pets. She also takes pleasure in cooking and the art of sourdough baking.

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If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

Definitely Daire as I love her badass attitude and near overwhelming power she exudes. We would go to a sabbat and celebrate with all her fellow witches. No sabbat in particular, as long as there are no surprise Shadow encounters!

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the

story?

I like to think I have most of the control in the story, but when they hijack the story I let them do their thing. It usually adds to the depth and even surprises me with how the plot gets enhanced. The best thing, in my experience, is to allow the characters to hijack the story. It’s their world to begin with afterall.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

I have written 4 novels, not all of them finished, when I was first learning how to plot a story, create characters, and discover my writing style. When I was 15-16 I self-published two novels, both which are no longer available. Since then I’ve learned a lot and am fine tuning my craft with every chapter I write.

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

My top two would have to be Sarah J Maas and Marie Lu. I fell in love with the Throne of Glass series and was so emotionally destroyed and enraptured by the characters. Marie Lu’s The Young Elites stuck with me because of how she wrote the FMC into the villain despite rooting for her the entire time. There are so many more brilliant authors I’d love to talk with, but those two have inspired me to write intricate plots, deep characters, and stylistic phrasing.

Do you see writing as a career?

Most definitely! The dream would be to make enough money off my books so I can write full-time. I would also make an effort to keep connected with my readers because without them my dreams would stay fiction.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you Write?

The main characters I have fleshed out before I begin to write. Secondary and tertiary characters vary if I plan them ahead of time, though sometimes they show up as the story progresses and I flesh them out as I go. I find that easier so I get to know their personality through the story versus forcing them into a personality that might not fit. However I am working on two more main characters for my Age of Shadows series that I did not have planned originally. As I wrote, I realized these characters would make great additions to the story and add to characters arcs already happening. They won’t make an appearance until book 3.

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