First of two parts
AS light and darkness clash in a world ravaged by storms, two bitter enemies join hands in a volatile alliance — only to learn that war is nothing compared to the hidden battlefields of the heart.
The foregoing lines seem to be the hook for "The Hurricane Wars," the debut romance fantasy novel of 34-year-old Pinay author Thea Guanzon.
Since its release late last year in the US, the novel, published by Harper Voyager, a subsidiary of HarperCollins, has already made it to New York Times Bestsellers' list and Barnes and Noble's Best Books of 2023. It also landed number five on the Sunday Times bestseller list — after only a week of publication. USA Today also listed it as a bestseller, while Waterstones and Indigo chose it as one of the year's best fantasy books.
Guanzon, who hails from Bacolod, has a degree in International Studies from Miriam College. She was planning to take a master's degree and become a Foreign Service officer. But like a thunderbolt from the blue, an American editor from a major publishing house emailed her. "She asked me if I'd ever thought about writing an original novel because she had been following my short stories online," she recalls.
It was the beginning of what Guanzon has called "a wild ride."
"The Hurricane Wars" is about Talasyn, a secret wielder of forbidden light magic, and Prince Alaric, an heir to the ruthless Night Empire, who discover their destinies entwined. Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion — one that could save their world, or destroy it.
Like many writers, Guanzon loved books even when she was still very young. "My grandfather kept a vast library at his ancestral house, and we would visit every weekend. That was one of my earliest memories: just reading all those old books and feeling the very fragile paper in my hand and smelling the scent of dusty, old books. Ever since I was a child, I always really loved to read stories and to get lost in other worlds, and I guess somewhere along the way, it just inspired me to try to create worlds of my own. I also really like playing around with language. I really love how it can be manipulated and played with in order to express a feeling."
English author Neil Gaiman inspired her to write. She first read his books when she was in grade school. "It was so interesting to me because he was my introduction to a new kind of fantasy, fantasy that was written in a more contemporary language. I was really blown away by his imagination and I really like the poetic quality of his prose so I aspired to be like him.
"After Neil Gaiman, I also read Gregory Maguire, whose descriptions are very lyrical and immersive and atmospheric. And then there's Amy Tan, who also has a good ear for prose, for delicate and vivid language. In trying to be like all of these writers, that was when I stumbled upon my own voice in a sense because I was writing every day at that point."
Guanzon majored in peace studies and international politics. This training somehow shaped the writing of her novel. "The weapons of mass destruction in this book are based on storm magic, which was inspired by living in the Philippines. A lot of typhoons come through here every year, and it's always an ongoing nationwide conversation on how best to mitigate their effects. I took inspiration from that in writing stories about people who are working together to help one another in the aftermath of storms. I also drew from our own nation's history, how we have fought against oppression for so many years and how the birth of our nation is rooted in a story of violent conflict. So, when I was writing about all these people who would do anything to save their motherland to preserve their idea of a nation, I was definitely inspired by the stories of our heroes, stories of our ancestors."
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