The Traveler (The Traveler #1)

Seven years ago, Rachel gave her heart to a dark, intense stranger, who left her broken and alone.
Every day since then Rachel has thought about Dex, her memories refusing to be silenced.
Now, Dex is back, but this time he is not alone. He has brought a formidable army – their sole purpose to conquer. Fate will bring Rachel and Dex back together, but on opposing sides of a war that threatens to obliterate her world.
Pitted against the power of the elements, Rachel and her friends must survive tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and fire, all the while being hunted by a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to pillage her planet.
Fleeing for her life amidst the chaos of a raging, burning city, Rachel realizes man’s only chance of survival lies in the hands of the very person who betrayed her all those years ago.
Earth is destined to fall, but Rachel is determined to save mankind, no matter the sacrifice.
~ Bewitching BT

2. What would you say inspired you to write it? I love the idea of an Armageddon-like environment and the idea of fighting for survival. I recently discovered The Walking Dead – I’m obsessed!

3. What was the source of inspiration for your protagonist? What about your antagonist? All my books feature a strong female lead, I think it’s my mother’s influence – she is amazing, and taught me to always stand up for myself. My antagonists are also either incredibly powerful, or incredibly cruel in order to present a worthy adversary.

4. Have you ever been hit by the infamous “writer’s block”? What did you do to escape it? I don’t really believe in writer’s block. Like anything, sometimes you are simply not in the mood to write. As an author you can write at any time, it is simply that at certain times you may not produce work that is up to your own standard, and the disappointment that follows could be called “writer’s block”. I have a tried and tested cure: if you don’t feel like writing that day – don’t 

5. Your all time favorite book? I honestly couldn’t say.

6. What made you pick that one above all others? I didn’t 😉

7. What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a project? 8 months.

8. Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way? The most amazing sense of contentment comes in doing something that you love. I definitely have more job satisfaction!

9. Was there ever a time, during your work for the e-book/book, when you felt like giving up? What made you change your mind? No. I am nothing if not determined.

10. What does your day-to-day life consist of? What else do you do, aside writing? Up until recently I ran my own specialized transport business, but I sold it in December when I was offered a publishing contract. It was a huge move after 10 years, but ultimately worth it. I also spend a lot of my time running around after my three beautiful children, aged 7, 4 and 2.

11. How do you deal with bad reviews or acid criticism? What would you advise other authors to that effect? Take it from whence it comes. Writing a book is such an achievement, no-one can take that from you. Try to remember that everyone is different. If I am feeling low about a bad review, I go and search my favorite authors and read their 1-star reviews. It reminds me that even the bestsellers have their critics.

12. Is this title part of a series? Without giving us spoilers, of course, what can we expect from the next e-books/books in the series? Yes, it is the first book in a series, but there will be no more than 2 or 3 volumes. Rachel and Dex will travel to Venon in the up and coming book, and take on Dex’s father yet again. Amarox will also play a bigger role in the sequel.

13. What do you have stored for us in the future? What are you working on/planning on next, aside this title/series? I am currently on deadline for the final book in The Legacy Trilogy, which my publisher is releasing in July 2014. The Traveler sequel will follow shortly after.

14. What made you decide to go the self-pub way? I initially indie-published and then I was picked up by a mainstream publisher. I do still self-publish certain titles.

15. What would you say was the toughest part? The marketing. Writing a book is easy compared to what comes after.

16. Did you hire professionals for editing, cover design, formatting? Yes, I think its essential. If you are going to self-publish, you still need to compete with your traditionally published counterparts. Don’t scrimp, it’s worth every penny.

17. How did you decide who to hire, if you worked with pros? I initially hired a vanity publisher, who offered the whole package. I learned the hard way. Dissatisfied, I focused on finding my own base of professionals and have worked with them on a number of projects since.

18. How long did the production part take, from the moment you began working on the manuscript to self-pub to when you hit ‘Publish’? About 6-8 months. Mainstream publishing takes longer.

19. Where is your work being distributed, Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, AllRomanceEbooks/Omnilit, some other distributor? How did you decide which one(s) to go with? My indie titles are available only on Amazon as I like the advantages of the Kindle Select program. My published books will be available on all ebook channels as well as in print from 1 July 2014.

20. If you could turn back in time and do things differently, would you? What would you change? I would not have paid a vanity publisher. It is an expensive and unnecessary process. Now, I spend extra on additional editing and beta-readers, which is money well spent.

Fun facts:

1. If you could wish for any one thing, and it would immediately come true, what would you wish for? Gun abolition.
2. If you were stranded on an isolated island, what’s the one book you’d absolutely wish to have with you? The Harry Potter book set (is that cheating?), for a few reasons. It’s long enough that I would be entertained for some time, colorful enough that I could escape my lonely surroundings, and it’s a book I can read over and over again.
3. Name your favorite fruit. Berries
4. Coffee or tea? Tea
5. Favorite season? Autumn
6. How about fav time of 24 hours? The moment when all 3 of my children are finally tucked up in bed
7. Were you a boyscout/girlscout? No. I tagged along with a friend a couple of times – it wasn’t for me.
8. Favorite food for breakfast? Corn fritters
9. Latest book you’ve bought and read? Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
10. Do you collect things, like stamps, or key chains, or shoes? I do have a lot of shoes!
11. Favorite color, you know you want to tell us! Grey
12. Drama or comedy? Comedy
13. Have a fav quote or personal motto? Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn – then always be a unicorn.
14. Cats or dogs? Dogs
15. Dinner by candlelight or a night out clubbing? Dinner by candlelight, definitely!

About the Author & Links:

Wife, mother of 3, businesswoman by day and author by night, Melissa Delport is the author of The Legacy Series and Rainfall. She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelors Degree in English in 2000. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Hillcrest, South Africa.

Her first novel, The Legacy, published in 2013, is the first in The Legacy Series trilogy, and is followed by the sequel The Legion. The final book, The Legend is due out in 2014. She has also written an independent novel entitled Rainfall, a psychological romance, and a science-fiction, action-adventure called The Traveler.

An avid reader herself, Melissa finally decided to stop “watching from the sidelines” and to do what is her passion.

“I was driving home from work when inspiration struck, and a storyline started unravelling in my head. For a few days, it was all I could think about and eventually I realised that the only way to get it out of my head, was to put it all down on paper. I started writing, and that was that.”

• Author
• Recent Posts

The_Butterfly_Livia

Book lover, customizations OCD-er and list-lover extraordinaire. Unrepentant coffee addict, smutty romance and sexy bad boys/villains lover of doom.
I read, I write, I spamificate -- therefore I am.

Livia social:
Goodreads~~~Twitter~~~Facebook~~~YouTube~~~@

Latest posts by The_Butterfly_Livia (see all)

• Star-Crossed Lover Excerpt & Giveaway - Aug 7, 2018
• What Lies in Shadows by Siena Noble Giveaway - Jul 24, 2018
• Paranormal Book Recs by Jennifer Honeybourn & When Life Gives You Demons Giveaway - Jul 17, 2018