In February 2011, Charity Santiago's 7-month-old son was admitted to the hospital with severe respiratory issues. While Charity stayed at his bedside, she kept them both entertained by downloading several books on her new Kindle and reading them out loud. It was during this time that Charity learned about Kindle's self-publishing program, and realized that she had an opportunity to share her writings with the world.
Charity is a native of southeastern Arizona, and a writer since childhood. She wrote her first manuscript, Guinea Pig Code, at age nine. When she’s not writing books, Charity spends her time reading on her Kindle, wrangling children, watching Sylvester Stallone movies and pursuing a degree in Education.
Goodreads
For the last three years, eighteen-year-old Ashlyn Li has been running from her destiny. A free-spirited ninja, Ashlyn would rather loot an abandoned city or challenge a fiend to battle than assume leadership of Toryn, her father's kingdom. However, when a series of attacks reunites Ashlyn with the friends who helped her save the sun three years ago, she discovers that her kingdom is at war and her father has presumed her dead.
Suddenly Ashlyn is faced with not only fulfilling her birthright, but also making sense of her feelings towards two very different men- Drake Lockhart, the enigmatic vampire who captured her heart three years ago, and Vargo, the charismatic assassin who was once Ashlyn's sworn enemy.
Will Ashlyn ascend the pagoda and become Lady of Toryn?
Suddenly Ashlyn is faced with not only fulfilling her birthright, but also making sense of her feelings towards two very different men- Drake Lockhart, the enigmatic vampire who captured her heart three years ago, and Vargo, the charismatic assassin who was once Ashlyn's sworn enemy.
Will Ashlyn ascend the pagoda and become Lady of Toryn?
Q) What inspired you
to write this story?
Q) How long did it
take you to write?
I actually started writing the story more than ten years
ago, but it sat untouched for several years until I decided to drag it out, do
some revisions, and give the characters an ending. I estimate that it probably
took 250 to 300 hours of writing for “Return.” I’m not a fast writer. Sometimes
I hear about these authors who crank out a book in twenty days. That is so not
me!
Q) What is your
favorite thing about writing?
Q) What is your least
favorite thing about writing?
I hate editing with the fire of a thousand suns. I really
do. As I mentioned, I’m not the fastest writer in the world, and by the time I
finally finish writing a book, I am just done
with it. I don’t ever want to see it again, much less read through it and
check for typos and continuity errors. My editor and I have found a way to kind
of get around that- he edits the book as I write it so that we can get most of
the work done before I complete the manuscript and have my big “That’s it! No
more!” tantrum.
Q) If you could be
any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
Oh…that’s a tough one. I’ve never thought about it. I’m a
big fan of Sylvester Stallone, and I often wonder where he gets his writing
ideas. I guess I wouldn’t mind getting inside his head for a day.
Q) What is the oldest
thing in your fridge and how old is it?
Frosting. Every December, my husband and I host our annual
Christmas Cookie Party, and we always buy way too much red and green frosting,
and then we never use it. (We’re not big on cookies except around Christmas.)
It always sits in our fridge for months before I get fed up and throw it away.
So I’m pretty sure the frosting sitting in my fridge right now is almost four
months old. I know it’s gross. Don’t judge me!
Q) What can readers
expect from you in the future?
I’m finally finished with the Lady of Toryn trilogy, of
which “Return” is the first installment, and I’m currently writing a paranormal
romance called “Blood Lust,” which is coming out April 12th. This
summer I’ll be going back to the fantasy world that I started in “Return,” but
focusing on different characters.
