{What's On Your Kindle?} Joni Parker on Ten Gold Coins

 

Lady Alexin (Alex), the Keeper of the Keys for the Elfin Council of Elders, returns home to Eledon to help her grandmother clean out the warehouse, but she’s kidnapped and forced to use the magical Keys of Eledon in a series of life-or-death missions with consequences that span across the realms. Her captor, Lord Fissure of the Rock Elves, demands her magical help, but once he’s done with her, he turns her over to the Marsh Elf Sawgrass, a criminal, who sends her into the treacherous depths of Hades’ kingdom in the Underworld for his own benefit. To save herself, Alex calls upon the powers of Poseidon, but he enlists her help with the Golden Harvest for Olympus before the Mentors arrive. His brothers, Zeus and Hades, are the only ones who know where the gold is stored, so Alex follows their trail into the mortal world, only to find they aren’t ready to return. What must she do to get them back to Olympus so she can return home to Eledon?

Book Information

Release Date: March 3, 2024

Publisher:  Joni Parker

Kindle eBook: 1212 KB; $2.99 (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED)

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B0CW1GJDPH

Joni Parker was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved the Japan when she was 8, so her father could become a professional golfer. Once he achieved his dream, Joni and her family returned to the U.S. and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. After high school, Joni served her country for 22 years in the Navy and another 7 years in federal civil service. She retired and lives in Tucson, Arizona, devoting her time to writing, reading, and watching the sunrise.

Author Links  

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What was the inspiration behind writing your recent fantasy scifi, Ten Gold Coins? What sparked the initial idea?

I used the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus as a starting point for the book. I wanted to examine how my main character, Alex, would handle a similar scenario where she’s led into a trap and kidnapped. She must find her way out of it in order to survive. 

Where does this story take place?

The story opens in Eledon, the world of the Elves. It’s a world created for them by the Elf guides, the Mentors, when they were forced to leave Earth almost twelve thousand years ago. Alex, the main character, is kidnapped there and taken to Olympus, the world of the Greek gods. They, too, live on a world created by the Mentors, but only four thousand years ago. From there, Alex makes a trip to the mortal world on Earth, back to Olympus, and back home to Eledon.

Can you tell us more about your main character, Lady Alexin?

Alex is the daughter of Lady Cadwin, a Water Elf/Titan, and Count Stephane Dumwalt, a mortal. Her parents were murdered when she was four and she was taken to live with her brother at the Nyla Sword Academy, a boarding school. From an early age, she was trained to be a soldier and learned her lessons well. But she wasn’t allowed to continue as a soldier, since she was a noble lady. Instead, she became the Keeper of the Keys for the Elfin Council of Elders, where her skills came in handy.

Can you tell us more about her dilemma?

Alex faces a couple of dilemmas in this book. First, she must decide to work with Lord Fissure of the Rock Elves or allow Mistress Clarisse, a mortal woman, to die. She agrees to use the magic of the Keys of Eledon to help Lord Fissure to spare her friend. The second dilemma she faces is to escape death or die at the hands of the Greek gods of Olympus. 

Her brothers, Zeus and Hades, visit the mortal world and Lady Alexin needs them to return home but they refuse saying they're not ready. Why aren't they ready?

Zeus and Hades are Alex’s distant cousins, not brothers because she’s the great-granddaughter of Hyperion, their uncle. After Zeus and Hades left Earth, they missed it so much they wanted to go back. Hades embarked on a mission to revive the old Underworld so people will visit, like a theme park, while Zeus becomes a politician in Greece and seeks power. Both are successful and have no intention of returning to Olympus until Alex shows up. 

Which of your characters did you relate to more and why?

Alex is my alter ego, so I definitely relate to her. 

If this book were turned into a movie, who would you like to play Lady Alexin?

Charlize Theron. She’s tall and has done several action movies, but she would need black hair. 

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have two more books in this series coming up. The working title for the first one is The Golden Deficit, and the next is The House of Gold. I’m exploring ideas for another series, but it’s still early.