Sci-fi author Larissa Soehn is here today to chat with me about her new novel, The Defender.
During her virtual book tour, Larissa will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Larissa Soehn is a budding new author from the cozy city of Red Deer, Alberta, where she lives with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a dog.
She started this journey as a recovery method for severe depression. She found that creative writing helped her process her emotions and work through the struggles of depression.
As a child, Larissa enjoyed writing and telling stories, a passion that has recently reignited inside of her. Currently, she is working to finalize the Gatlin Series, as well as publish a series of children’s books to help families discuss the importance of mental health, amongst other social issues facing children today.
Larissa is an advocate for mental health and uses her personal experiences to help others work through their struggles. She uses social media platforms to help spread her message and give people permission to speak up and speak out.
Welcome, Larissa. Please tell us about your current release.
The Defender is a novel about a woman battling depression who anxiety finds herself trapped in her own life, but when an alien device rips her away from Earth, she is forced to fulfill an impossible role and save the galaxies from destruction.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was struggling with depression at the time this book came to fruition. I was looking for a creative outlet to help me process my own thoughts and emotions. This book was a happy accident as I started writing it as a mystery game (a side hobby for my husband and I). Before I knew it, it was 10,000 words long and turning into a novel.
Excerpt from The Defender:
Alex sits down at the spaceship controls and enters her coordinates. With tentative fingers, she reaches out and places her hand on the gel control pad. Wires leap forward and wrap painlessly around her fingers. She has studied the Knowledge Computer and watched as Rick learned how to control the ship. She is confident that she is capable of flying the ship, but she is still nervous about venturing through space by herself. With a deep breath, she wills the ship to take off from the landing pad on Alars. In seconds she is airborne and rising toward the atmosphere of the planet. The darkness of space zooms toward her as she pushes the ship forward.
It will take Alex roughly two weeks to reach the far side of Solax. With every passing moment she moves deeper into outer space, putting more and more distance between herself and her friends. The old Alex would have feared the intense loneliness and been scared that she would fall into a deep depression as her mind struggled to find things to distract herself with. Now, thoughts of her family flow freely in her mind, but they don’t cripple her. They leave her feeling sad but not distraught. She works through her coping mechanisms and focuses on the things in her control. Alex tells herself that she will see them again. She smiles at her newfound strength, the mental discipline to control her emotions and work through the depression and anxiety.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I am currently working on another science fiction novel called Until the End (working title). It is about a group of soldiers sent into the heart of an alien enemy to retrieve an asset that was stolen from out from underneath them. The futuristic, multi-point-of-view story takes the reader on a journey through space. The characters are unique and emotionally complex, and the readers will enjoy the soft underlay of humour mixed with trauma and battle. This standalone book will be released in late 2022/early 2023.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Well after the first book was written and I was faced with the daunting task of editing it.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am a mother, a full-time student, and a small business owner. I write early in the mornings before my family wakes up for the day. I find my best creative juices flow in the morning.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have absolutely no idea where a story is going until I write the sentence down. Even then, I don’t know what is going to happen next.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Certainly not an author. That thought never even crossed my mind.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Mental health is a very important topic to me. I believe that every person who is struggling should have a safe place to speak up and to know that they are not alone.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Apple iBooks
Thanks for hosting!
Sounds like a good read.
Larissa Soehn’s new novel, The Defender, sounds like an entertaining and engaging read.
Sounds like a great book.
I, too am a woman who is battling depression. I have anxiety, and most days I do find that I feel trapped in my current life. I am happy you’ve found an “outlet” to write. Congratulations on your book along with the upcoming book you’re writing now.
This book sounds very intriguing. Thanks!
This sounds like an excellent read.