The Last Ranger by JDL Rosell |Author Interview

TITLE : The Last Ranger (Ranger Of The Titan Wilds #1)

AUTHOR : JDL Rosell

GENRE : Epic Fantasy/“Bow” & Sorcery

INTENTED AGE GROUP : Adult

Pages: 466

DATE OF PUBLISHING : December 27, 2022

PUBLISHER : Rune & Requiem Press

Welcome to my tour stop for The Last Ranger (Ranger Of The Titan Wilds #1) by JDL Rosell, hosted by Escapist Book Tours. I am so grateful to be part of The Escapist Book Tours and for getting the chance to do a Q & A with the author. Make sure to check The Escapist Book Tours out because they do an awesome job of introducing a lot of new titles mainly self pub and indie published SFF books.

If you are interested in checking out the official page for the book tour – CLICK HERE

Content/Trigger Warnings :

Shown on page :

Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Gore, Child neglect, Vomiting, Animal violence

Alluded to :

Alcohol usage

SYNOPSIS

Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance.

Leiyn “Firebrand” is no stranger to a fight. A brash ranger of the Titan Wilds, she takes up her bow to ward against the colossal spirit creatures known as titans, ever a threat to the colonies she has sworn to protect.

But no amount of skill can guard against treachery.

When tragedy strikes the rangers’ lodge, Leiyn vows to avenge the fallen. But if she is to succeed, she must embrace a power within her she has long denied.

Power to move mountains and rivers.

Power over life and death.

She did not choose this path, but Leiyn knows her duty. For if she fails, the legacy of the rangers dies with her — and all the Titan Wilds will fall into shadow.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What was your inspiration for writing The Last Ranger?

There were a lot this time around! To name the major ones:
The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Last of Us: Part II
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Hamilton (yes, the musical!)
Inspiration comes from many sources. In adapting ideas to different mediums, I think creativity can
really flourish.

2. What are some of the fantasy books that have influenced you as authors?

A few not named above, but are quite relevant to this series, are:
Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

3. What was the writing process and research process like for this series?

As with all my projects, it was organic and took places over years. I basically knew Leiyn’s character from
the get-go, but the world details, the magic, and the societal conflicts took a while to develop. A lot of
them came piecemeal from the inspirations cited above—stealing a slice of something good, then
adapting it to my own world of Unera.

4. Do you have any writing rituals?

I wouldn’t quite call it a “ritual,” but my usual day entails sitting down first thing in the morning to write.
Well, almost first thing—breakfast and coffee are a must!
And, when it’s warm enough, I have two go-to t-shirts for writing. One just says “Author.” and the other
says “This is my Writing Shirt.” They make me laugh too much!

5. If you couldn’t write in the genre you write in, which genre would you prefer to write in?

Space opera, probably. Thriller, possibly—I tend toward a thriller-ish pacing as it is. Urban fantasy could
also be fun.
But please don’t make me. I quite enjoy it here in epic fantasy!

6. Which genre would be the most challenging for you to write in and why?

Historical fiction or hard science fiction. Trying to get every detail true-to-life would drive me crazy.
Romance would also be a struggle, as it sounds a bit formulaic, plus it’s not my primary interest.

7. Tell us about a funny/weird/cool / most shocking thing you discovered while researching for the series.

If you’ve never looked up archery videos before, you totally should. The things people can do with bows
is insane! One cool technique was shown off in the recent Predator movie, where your draw hand is
flipped opposite to what you’d expect. It’s contentious, but potentially better for swifter shooting.

8. How has your journey of book publishing been?

Tumultuous! There have been many high highs and low lows. But overall, it’s trending toward steadier
and up to the right—always getting better with time.

9. Tell us about the most fun and favorite thing you got to write in the book.

The magic and all the ways it manifests has been really fun. It’s a sort of “life magic,” or the
manipulation of lifeforce to a variety of effects.
In this vein, my favorite thing has been the shapeshifters called “dryvans,” who are masters of this
magic. They’re so strange and surrounded by mystery, you never know what you’ll get from them.

10. What do you love the most to write and hate to write in your stories?

I love the emotional scenes, the turning points. I also like the action and getting the heart pumping.
I’m not so much one for the intervening details. Sometimes, I’m inspired by the ordinary moments, but
mostly it’s pulling teeth to write them (necessary as they may be).

11. How did you come up with the world for The Last Ranger? Can you tell us a little about the world, the magic system you have in place?

The World:

A major feature of the world are its titans. These are giant elemental creatures that, when
they emerge, absolutely devastate the landscape. The idea for them spawned from Lord of the Rings’
stone giants—though, of course, I could have pulled from any number of myths had I thought of them.
As for the political setup, I stole much the colonial and “New World” narrative from North American
history, though with many modifications.

The Magic –

I touched on this “life magic” before, but to expound on it further… A hint of it is seen in
Eragon and The Keeper Chronicles, but I decided to keep my magic strictly to how lifeforms might be
manipulated, rather than just using life as energy to, say, throw fireballs. This restriction keeps it
grounded and, if you will, “realistic.”

Restrictions, of course, don’t mean there’s not plenty it can do! I won’t spoil the books by contemplating
the limits, but I’m trying to include every possibility throughout the series.

12. If you were on a mission with a team of your own to save the Titan Wilds from the Titans, who would you like to have on your team (please choose authors you want on your team) and your reasons for choosing them?

Hah, this isn’t quite the way it is. Think of the titans as forces of nature: inevitable and destructive, but
not malevolent in and of themselves. The people for this job would understand that it’s not about
fighting them—it’s about working with them.

First off, they’ll have to be able to survive in the wild. I think Andy Peloquin probably has some skills in
that regard. J.A. Andrews lives in the mountains, so I’m sure she can fend for herself. We’ll also need
someone quick and in shape to bear messages on titan movements. Derrick Smythe, you look like you’d
fit the bill! And just in case we need some star power, maybe Ryan Cahill can sprinkle some pixie dust to
settle any sticky situations.

13. What are the best things and the worst things about your main character Leiyn?

She contains multitudes, that’s for sure. The best are that she’s loyal, has an indomitable will, and is
both curious and competent. While hard-headed, she’s still adaptable and capable of changing her
mind.

The bad is, well, pretty bad. At the start of the story, she’s racist (based on her past experiences), though
this is a shifting thing throughout the book. She can also be stubborn to a fault, and impatience often
gets the better of her.

14. What do you love the most about fantasy stories, especially epic fantasy?

The breadth of the stories. Wonder paired with the danger. The simplification of technology. The
intensity of mere survival.

15. Your favorite underhyped books you want more people to read.

Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick was absolutely brilliant, and not nearly enough people have
checked it out! It also has the Mark Lawrence endorsement.

AUTHORS BIO

JDL Rosell :

Josiah, aka J.D.L. Rosell, is the author of the Legend of Tal series, the Ranger of the Titan Wilds series, The Runewar Saga, The Famine Cycle series, and the Godslayer Rising trilogy. He has earned an MA in creative writing and has previously worked as a ghostwriter.

Always drawn to the outdoors, Josiah ventures out into nature whenever he can to indulge in his hobbies of archery, hiking, and photography. Most of the time, he can be found playing video games or curled up with a good book at home with his wife and two cats, Zelda and Abenthy.

Rosell’s Socials :