Fort Wayne author Ashli Edwards doesn’t just write about vampires and werewolves; she writes about vampires and werewolves who are dating. Just 24 years old, Edwards writes with a modern perspective that definitely relates to younger readers, the kind of fans who enjoyed the Twilight Series books.
Edwards attended IPFW and studied folklore and English, two great subjects for an aspiring author.
“My imagination is a place where fantasy meets reality,” she explains.
The first book of her planned series is titled Silver, a reference to the silver coat of the teen werewolf character when he transformed into his four-legged self as well as to the eye color of the vampire Jules.
The next installment, due out this summer is appropriately titled Gold, a reference to the color of three primordial vampire’s eyes introduced in book 2.
The teaser on the back cover of Silver puts one into the feel of the novel:
“Bloodlust coupled with desire and passion has created an unlikely pairing between Juliana Bristow, a fiery, red-haired, 400-year-old vampire, and Luc Chaves, a werewolf with royal blood. They are two creatures whose love is forbidden by a centuries old feud. Even though this is a tale of a modern day vampire smitten with an incredibly handsome werewolf, it is much deeper than that. This story transcends all stereotypes of vampire books, as Silver takes you into a world of intense drama, love, loss and redemption.
“Ashli Edwards has craftily captured the essence of old world forces converging with the present in this enchanting supernatural thriller that will captivate you from cover to cover.”
The Kindle Book Review says, “Ashli Edwards is an author to watch! We give Silver two thumbs up, an engaging paranormal/fantasy novel with themes from classics like Romeo and Juliet and all the monsters we love today.”
When asked about her genuine ability to write with such passion when dealing with love, loss and redemption, Edwards takes on a serious expression and replies, “During the time I was writing Silver, I was dealing with my own love, loss and redemption, as I lost someone very near and dear to my own heart, Harrison Paul Fidler. I channeled those emotions into my writing, and it really helped me deal with what I was going through personally.”
Fidler is immortalized with a dedication and photo in the introduction to Silver. The preface also includes the Shakespeare quote, “To be or not to be – that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings of arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” The Hamlet quote seems related to the emotions Edwards was experiencing as she wrote, emotions that ultimately led to a captivating, enchanting and entertaining first novel.
Edwards has an identical twin sister, Tricia, who assists with the management side of her writing business. When meeting them together, it’s easy to tell which one is the dreamer and which is more structured. They are both equally pretty and engaging, and it can be hard to tell apart at first glance. Even so, they make a great team. Edwards has all the bases covered: Twitter, Facebook, Amazon and a publisher.
Fort Wayne’s Ashli Edwards is definitely an emerging 20-something writer with the ambition, talent and skills necessary for a long career as a successful author.
