Interview with Joni Parker, Author of THE EPSILON ACCOUNT: THE GOLDEN HARVEST SERIES BOOK 1 #interview

"A few months ago, I signed a five-year contract to work as a fashion model for the Echelon Modeling Agency owned and operated by Andrew Miller. The next day, my exile to the mortal world ended, and I was allowed to return to Eledon. But since I had signed a contract, I felt obligated to finish it, so I asked for and received permission from the Elfin Council of Elders to do so. Five years meant nothing to the Elves."

-- From The Epsilon Account by Joni Parker

Book Description:

Thousands of years ago, Eledon was created for the Elves by their Mentors when they were forced to leave Earth. At least, that’s how the legend goes. In return, the Elves must pay them a tribute in gold, known as the Golden Harvest, every four thousand years. The Elfin Council of Elders appoints Lady Alexin (Alex) Dumwalt, the Keeper of the Keys, to manage the next payment, due 244 years from now. That is, until the Mentors show up unexpectedly and demand immediate payment of the Epsilon Account. Since the Harvest has never been called that, Alex suspects foul play and uncovers a sinister plot by the Star Elves, a rival clan from the Constellations, who want to steal the gold. To make matters worse, they’re willing to do anything to succeed to include murder. Can Alex stop them and save the Elfin gold before it’s too late?

Interview:

Give us a brief description of your main character, Lady Alexin (Alex) Dumwalt.

Alex is twenty years old with black hair and blue eyes. Although her mother was a Water Elf/Titan, her father was mortal, so she has rounded ears like a mortal but with a tuft of blue hair in each ear, the sign of a young Water Elf. She stands six-feet tall and has been a soldier for most of her life.

What was your inspiration behind Eledon?

Part of my inspiration for Eledon comes from the flat Earth theory. We used to think Earth was flat, and we could fall off the edge, but with new scientific discoveries, we know that isn’t true. Eledon is flat and located inside of a globe, somewhere in space. Sort of like the Death Star from Star

Wars. I also wanted it to be verdant, with lots of trees and fertile land, like Rivendell from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

What’s one of the pivotal points in your book where the reader will have trouble putting the book down?

Alex is sent to the surface of the planet Oltria as the co-pilot of a transport ship filled with marines. They are assigned a mission to assassinate the new president of Oltria, but it goes awry. In chapter 36, they encounter an Oltrian battlefield maneuver they have never experienced before with a virtual battlefield against virtual soldiers and virtual enemy space ships. By the time they figure it out, they’ve lost.

Have you started book 2 yet?

I have a rough draft of book 2 on my computer, but it has to sit for a while. My working title is Ten Gold Coins.

What do you like the most about living in Tucson, Arizona?

Would you believe the weather? Even when it’s hot. The skies are clear almost every day, and there are gorgeous sunrises and sunsets over the mountains.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?