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Today I am hosting Linda Suzane. Linda is the author of the fantasy genre novel, The Eyes of Truth.



Linda, can you give us a brief synopsis of this book?



If you could tell if someone was lying, you would think it would be simple to find a murderer, but Dar learns it isn't so easy, when he is sent to Dak-moon to find the killer of a gardener in this fantasy mystery.






Do you have any reviews of this book?



Ruby Moon-Houldson of Earth Realm Reviews said:



This book was great! It was a mixture of fantasy thriller, fast-paced adventure, and whodunit. Suzane has created a world in which mythical creatures abound. The author integrates Japanese type virtues within her characters. There are many twists, turns, and surprises along the way as the characters race to solve a murder.Dar is much like the world renowned, television hero, Beastmaster—willing to help others and defend the weak. Dar and a friend take on a quest of sorts and run across various forms of life along the way. This tale encompasses unusual phenomenon like death from ghost sickness, night creatures, strange seers, and the not-so-unusual—dragons.



You will not want to put this book down once you’ve begun reading it. So settle into a comfy seat and get ready to be whisked away on a fast and furious adventure.



What is this book about?



Eyes of Truth is a fantasy set in an exotic place where watch dragons bugle warning of impending disaster, villagers are terrified of blood-drinking night-creatures, soothsayers seek answers from house elementals, and some men possess the Eyes of Insu, the power to tell if a man lies. When a gardener is found drained of all blood in the distant province of Dak-moon, the Dyamu of Kingdom of Naj sends his brother Dar to solve the crime. With the Eyes of Insu, Dar can tell if someone is lying, but can he find a murderer?



What prompted you to write this story? What was your inspiration?



This is from the Afterward from the first edition:Some years ago I took a class on writing speculative fiction from science fiction writer Ray Faraday Nelson. He gave me two invaluable gifts. First was the assignment to identify our passion, the thing we write about over and over. I discovered that mine was duality, dealing with the dark, hidden side of ourselves. All my heros and heroines had secret identities, hidden pasts, and the story is always about them coming to terms with these alter egos. The second assignment was in world building and led to the creation of the fantasy kingdom of Naj. In college I was a history major. One of the periods that fascinated me was ancient Japan, the early history, actually before the rise of the Samurai, the time of the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon. So when I began creating a fantasy world, I drew on that as a source, rather than the typical European or Tolkein roots.I decided to write a short story set in the Kingdom of Naj for Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress series. I submitted the story and Marion wrote a devastating rejection letter, calling my writing hackneyed. I refused to accept her rejection and kept working on the story. When she was reading for the next book in the series, I submitted a greatly revised and improved story. Although it didn’t make the cut, she wrote me a glowing letter and said that she really had liked the story, but she only had room