 I love meeting new authors, especially when they're just starting out on their writing journey. When I joined our local writing group, I had no idea how many other Christian authors were in our group. And I definitely wasn't expecting a teenager like Lynnea Mileusnich. Not because I don't think teenagers can write, but because you don't expect them to write as well as grown ups. Don't believe it. Lynnea is amazing and such a blessing in my life and I'm thrilled to introduce her and her new book to you! Lynnea, congratulations on your new release. What inspired you to want to start writing? Thanks! All praise belongs to God, who told me to work on the series in the first place. I’d have to say my family influenced me the most up until the time I started writing Heir of Promise. All of my siblings are creative in different ways, and I mixed their creativity together to make my own. My brother is a detailed worldbuilder, my oldest sister is a crafter, my other sister is an artist, and my sister-in-law is a writer. I think they really impacted my creative development. The original Wings of a Hero story was originally a sort-of graphic novel with all sorts of my drawings and little dialogue bubbles (I probably killed a tree with how much paper I used, hah). When I saw my sister-in-law Amber communicate her stories through writing, I saw it as another method to express my story. Wings of a Hero turned into 100,000 words in 2020, and I decided to rewrite it and turn it into a series in 2023 after a prompting from God. I’m so blessed to have recently published book one, Heir of Promise. What made you choose fantasy as your genre of choice? What is it that draws you to write speculative? I don’t think I chose fantasy. I’ve lived it. I’ve always loved to read and create stories that are set in a different world because, well, why would I want to read about the world I’m already used to? It’s so much more exciting to explore and create the unknown. There’s a certain freedom that comes from it. The way I see it, God created the world, and He made us in His image. Just as He empowered us with the creativity necessary to create never-before-seen art, music, and stories, He also fills us with the ability to generate new worlds, to take what He has given us and twist it in different ways, like a mosaic. Honestly, if God didn’t give me the desire and calling for fantasy, I don’t know how much of a writer I would be. Of all the species you could have chosen to make your main character, what made you choose a wolf? I think when answering this question it’s important to understand how this story came about. I actually didn’t start with wolves. My first character was a little reptilian creature I called Neoda, created during an Inktober daily challenge. As adorable as the little guy was, I couldn’t leave him all alone. I thought, “I have to give him a friend!” and from there came Saka, my main character, followed by Bella, his closest ally. The characters kind of just popped out of my brain and over time formed a story of their own as I added new characters, created a history, world, and plot. So I never asked myself, “What species of animal would best tell this story?” The characters ultimately came first. So why a wolf? The answer is simply that I love them. They’re the sweetest yet fiercest creatures and I believe one of the most beautiful in all the creation that has God made. I love to draw them and write about them, and my room is full of them from my bookshelf to my dresser and even my walls. Wings of a Hero became about wolves because I love them. Which one of your characters is most like you? In what way? Each character has a part of me in them. But if I had to select one character who feels the most like me, it would be Bella. She’s the first wolf introduced who holds the Christian faith, and I pour myself into her because of that. She’s the greatest influence on Saka and is a large part of how he learns to seek the Great One. Perhaps that’s because I want to be the friend who brings someone close to Christ, or to be a part of it. In many ways, our personalities are the same. I’m an ENFJ, and whenever I consider Bella, I can’t help but view her the same way. She’s also very dear and special to me, and I find myself pouring my heart into her. I believe that’s why she’s so similar to me. You're much younger than a lot of authors are when they first get published. Do you think this gives you an advantage or disadvantage and why? While there are disadvantages, like how I find it harder to relate to other authors who are already parents or even grandparents, have their own homes and families to take care of, I believe starting young is very much an advantage. My youth as a published author is a surprise to many in my sphere of influence, and so I have teachers, fellow students, church members, and family friends who all immediately want a book from me. I barely have to pitch it because I’m a rarity. I think it also provides an advantage for my readers. Being closer to the middle grade age group, I’m not as isolated from the years I spent reading middle grade novels. Also, the earlier I begin, the more time I have to write more and more books! I see it as a great advantage. With such a young start, where do you hope your writing career goes from here? I really am hoping and praying for a success that will enable me to continue this series. It’s what God has told me to write and publish, and I’m excited to see where it takes me. I haven’t considered publishing anything outside of Wings of a Hero, but I have plans for the series! After finishing the quadrilogy, I hope to write two prequels, one an anthology of the characters' pasts before the events of the series and the other set in wolf history, bearing the theme of standing up for truth and morality. And who knows, maybe the Lord will bless me and enable me to go even further, but I’m waiting for His guidance on that. Those are still years away. Can you give us a sneak peek into what you are working on next? Of course! I’ve started writing book two, Prince of Truth (working title), and y’all . . . I nearly made myself cry just by writing the plot, before I even started writing. The emotion! I hope to release it next fall/winter. So excited! Saka must face a trial he had hoped he would never experience . . . and it will determine his future. Last but not least, can you tell us one interesting thing about yourself that very few people already know? That’s a difficult question, because I’m a very vocal person when it comes to my desires and experiences. So . . . how about this: I mentioned earlier that I love wolves. When I was somewhere between six and eight years old, I used to pretend I was a wolf—the whole getup. I would walk on four “legs”, wear a pretend tail, and climb on the arm of the couch to pretend to howl. I’m glad I grew out of that phase, hah. But I think that really shows that my love of wolves has been persistent since I was little. You can walk away from this interview knowing that a published author once frolicked around in her living room pretending to be one of the animals that she would eventually write about. I guess it was destined to be! Such a cute fact about yourself! Thanks for sharing so much with us today, Lynnea. And readers, keep reading to find out more about her book and how to keep up with her writing journey.  Heir of Promise Death stalks him. The only wolf of his pack to be born with wings, Saka seeks to abandon his constant torment of a family. But when he kills his brother in a fit of rage and flees his family’s vengeance, he learns that being on his own is far from the glorious life he envisioned. The rest of the world schemes not only to ruin his life, but to tear off every last piece of his sleek black fur. All except for one pink wolf who blossoms amidst adversity. Bella teaches Saka his wings are not just props on his back, but the call to a higher purpose. Alongside the Resistance, he’s thrust into war. If he can manage to defeat King Moaphu, it might be the opportunity Saka needs to make up for his mistakes. Will Saka be able to make amends for killing his brother? Can he be the hero Bella says he is? With the entire continent looking to him, will the Great One come to his aid to unify the land, or will they crumble under Moaphu’s paw? Lynnea Mileusnich grew up in the Chicago area. Inspired by her older siblings–artists, worldbuilders, writers–she naturally began a writing journey of her own. At first just for creativity, her writing path became her calling, and she sought to include themes, influences, and struggles that reflect God’s Word.
She created more than fifteen stories and nearly two hundred characters as a young teenager, constantly either drawing, plotting, worldbuilding, or writing. At the age of thirteen she wrote her first complete draft of a story titled Wings of a Hero on her mom’s laptop. Now attending high school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, she has published her first novel of the Wings of a Hero series, Heir of Promise, at age 18. LinksInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynneamileusnich_author Website: https://lynneamileusnich.com/
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