It is my pleasure to introduce L.J. Labarthe!
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Thank you for having me again, Ella! It's great to be here.
So today, I'm talking about the women in my novel. There are
five women who feature prominently in "No Quarter" and they are:
All of these women play a role in the book and in the
sequels; Sophiel, Ishtahar and Agrat more so than Mira or Lix Tetrax. They are
all strong minded women, independent personalities, and Agrat and Ishtahar who
are in relationships, have good, solid, equal relationships with their male
partners. Sophiel is devoted to her duty and so doesn't have a partner, but that
in no way diminishes her capabilities or personality.
Sophiel, with her counterpart, Brieus, are almost always
with Archangel Tzadkiel, as his seconds in command and his support staff. She
is a tough, no-nonsense personality, intelligent and gifted in intelligence
gathering. As Tzadkiel runs God's secret police, she is trained in all aspects
of that. She is a combatant angel as well, and her armor and weapons of choice
are Chinese, from the era of the Song Dynasty. Sophiel speaks her mind on most
subjects and she is most comfortable in the company of Brieus and Tzadkiel.
Like most angels, she is uncomfortable in the presence of the rest of the
Archangels, because they are the most powerful weapons in Heaven's arsenal.
Sophiel's role as intel gatherer and sometimes-spy continues through all the
books thus far.
Agrat, because she's the Angel of Prostitution and Sex, is
written of in some books as a demon. One of her sisters is said to be Lilith.
Agrat is either described as an angel or demon; I wanted her to be an angel in my
books, even though sex is used as a weapon and for control as well as being an
expression of love and pleasure. Agrat, apart from being married to a soldier,
runs a number of safe houses and homes for battered women, for victims of sex
trafficking, for children who have been sold into sexual slavery. Basically,
Agrat's main goal in life is the protection and healing of anyone who has been
the victim of sexual abuse.
Ishtahar has a tragic background – her punishment for being
the mother of Nephilim was to be made immortal. Instead of wallowing in
self-pity at her situation, Ishtahar turned the punishment around into a gift.
By being immortal, although unable to bear any more children, Ishtahar uses her
experiences and intelligence to run shelters and safe houses for abused women
and children. Many of these are run by both Ishtahar and Agrat, as these women
have seen the worst as well as the best of humanity. Ishtahar is a quiet woman,
she rarely speaks unless she has to, but she is a warm and gentle person,
understanding of her partner Remiel's foibles and his over-protective nature.
Women in "No Quarter" are just as important as
men. Although the book, and, indeed, the series, is a male/male romance between
Archangels Gabriel and Michael, the female characters are present to show that
in the universe of the books, they're as necessary as the men. They are asked
their opinions or advice, they are asked to take on sometimes dangerous
missions, they get injured in the line of duty, they take care of each other
and their loved ones. As we live in a diverse world, so do the characters in my
books, and the female characters are, to me, as necessary as any of the men. We
don't live in a vacuum after all; so I, personally, can't write a story that
doesn't have female characters. I just try to do them the justice they deserve
as I do with the male characters.
Thanks again for having me, Ella, as always, it's been
wonderful! I'll close off with the blurb and links for "No Quarter."
Oh, and the sequel, "No Surrender, No Retreat," will be out
July/August this year, which is very exciting.
"No Quarter" Blurb:
Book 1 of the Archangel Chronicles
You would never know it from his flamboyant lifestyle, but
Gabriel’s not just the cheerful, fun-loving adoptive father of a pair of
indulged young adult humans. He’s an Archangel, commander of Heaven’s legions
of Seraphim, and despite his apparently easy virtue, he’s harboring a serious
crush on his superior officer, Michael.
For years Michael has devoted himself to developing a team
of humans, the Venatores, to aid in the fight against Hell. He’s been pining
after Gabriel for centuries without hope, believing himself to be too serious
to attract the other Archangel’s interest. He’s happy to discover that he’s wrong,
but their burgeoning relationship is stymied by a major problem: an egomaniacal
human is recruiting demons and fallen angels in a bid to take over the world.
It’s up to Michael and Gabriel, and the rest of the Brotherhood of Archangels,
to beat back the forces of Hell before the Earth is overrun.
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B007QQ6O3S
Barns and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-quarter-lj-labarthe/1109802167
L. J. on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brbsiberia
L. J.'s blog: http://misslj_author.livejournal.com/
L. J.'s site: http://www.ljlabarthe.com/
***
Thanks for hanging with us!
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