Sara Samuels - Drama, Action, Romance, and a Bit of Spice

Posted on 18th of July, 2023 by Naomi Bolton

Sara Samuels is the author of the Blade of Shadow series. When Sara isn’t daydreaming about her stories and time travel, she spends her day reading romance, cooking and baking, spending time with family, and enjoying life. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Timeborne.

Please give us a short introduction to what Timeborne is about.

Timeborne is about a young woman named Olivia who learns that she can time travel and doesn't believe it all, until a situation in her life makes her time travel, where she learns that she is in danger from the darkness and many secrets were kept hidden from her. Timeborne is part of a six-book series.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

My family pushed me. I was always telling this story to family and friends, and they told me it felt like a movie and that I should write it down so other people could experience it. So I did it!

Tell us more about Olivia. What makes her so special?

My favorite thing about Olivia is how badass she is. Taking a 21st century woman in the past would be challenging for anyone and she's so strong. She fights for herself and what she feels is right. I want to see myself in her, and her in me.

Why is Roman Alexander so attracted to Oliva?

Roman is attracted to Olivia because of her bravery and fighting style. He has never met a woman who can fight like a man and be fearless when it comes to standing up to the enemy.

Why did you pick 207 A.D. as the backdrop for your story?

I'm a huge fan of the Roman Empire and the movie Gladiator, and so when I was plotting this book, I definitely wanted it to take place in Ancient Rome and in the year 207 AD when Emperor Severus was the emperor during that time.

How much research did this book require from you to make the historical details ring true? What was the most interesting aspect of this research?

Oh my goodness, there was a lot of research needed for this book. Starting with learning about solar eclipses and when each one took place. After that, it was learning about Ancient Rome and the society, culture, and people. I think the most interesting aspect was learning something new everyday and I was shocked with some of the information that I learned, especially about gladiators.

Interesting cover. How did you decide on this design?

The cover was the hardest part honestly, I had many cover artists fail me and when I published my book back on May 2nd, I originally had a blue cover, but people were thinking that my book was giving off Young Adult vibes and I had to change it. So I decided to change it to a more darker adult look and it was the best decision I ever made. Each cover gives easter eggs on what to expect in the book.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Yes definitely! I have created characters where I thought I would kill them off or make them villains forever, but as you write things change and the characters persuade me to do things differently.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

When I start writing a new book in the series, I first plot out everything by hand in my notebook. Then write down everything that I want to happen and major plot twists that need to happen.