Young was born in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. She holds an arts degree from the University of Alberta and a journalism degree from the University of Victoria.
Young now lives in Loretto, Ontario where she works as a journalist, freelance writer and editor for health, décor and business magazines. Since 2008, Young has written more than 300 articles for print and online media including Profit, Toronto Life, MSN Green, and Elle Canada among others. She is a regular contributor to Reader’s Digest, Best Health, Canadian Living and House and Home Magazine.
Young has won three gold honors for feature stories from the National Business Magazine Awards and another top media award from the Canadian Dermatology Association.
Soul Mate Publishing released “Sky’s End” on July 15 in paperback and e-book and since its launch, it has remained an Amazon Best Seller. The novel is Young’s first installment in a series about Cassiel Winters, a futuristic heroine, and her outer space escapades.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
We asked Lesley which media inspired her sci-fi novel: Sky’s End—Book One in the Cassiel Winters Series. Here is her response:
I fell in love with astronomy in general in my early 20s, although the bug was planted in my teens via Star Trek Next Generation. The minute I finished Cosmos, an incredible explanation of man’s understanding of our universe, I started it over. Half of it I still don’t quite grasp but that’s like any bible. You will always find new ways to learn from it.
How it inspired my novel After Sagan said that alien life was next to impossible, my brain did what it always does. Yeah but what if...
Voila—the universe and all the aliens in Sky’s End came to be.
Firefly (TV Series 2002-2003)
The premise of this TV series really got my heart racing. A renegade crew, evading authorities and warring factions in the galaxy...what’s not to love? Nathan Fillion was cast so well, and I mean, it was written by Joss Whedon. Sorry I digress.
How it inspired my novel This one’s simple. I wanted to imagine a similar space adventure—Sky’s End is a completely different plot— only with a kick-ass heroine as the leader.
Brian Greene’s The Hidden Reality
Greene explains the latest astrophysics theory with aplomb. This stuff is highly complex, but important for understanding what’s really going on in our universe and possibly, an infinite number of parallel universes. I mean you can’t make this stuff up.
How it inspired my novel Cassiel has a gift, a special ability that is rooted in the most advance multi-verse or M-theory being worked on by today’s scientists. Without Greene’s enlightenment, I would never have landed on a fundamental premise of Sky’s End. And yes it involved multiple universes.
Thanks so much for the opportunity! I’d love to hear about your favorite sci-fi movies and book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Twenty-year-old Cassiel Winters joins Earth’s new space academy in hopes of finding her brother, one of Command’s top pilots and her only family, who’s been reported MIA. But she quickly realizes she may not be cut out for life in space, where female cadets are outnumbered, competition’s fierce, and she’s already failed her hand-to-hand combat test once.
When Cassiel’s manipulated into a perilous mission, she encounters a warrior species bred to protect the universe from an even greater threat. And she learns that her secret visions are at the heart of it all. Now Cassiel must fight to control her own destiny and race to save her brother—even if it means pretending to be the pawn of Prime Or’ic, the cold-as-steel Thell’eon leader. Even if it means risking her life, facing hard truths, and making the ultimate sacrifice.
AN EXCERPT
The sea of black and silver guns and uniforms open up to let through a Thell’eon wearing a long dark gray cloak made of what looks like microscopic chain-mail over a thin gray shirt that contours another chiseled chest and stomach. Honestly, they’re commonplace here.
But . . . our eyes meet, and I swear I have never seen a more handsome or fierce or handsomely fierce man in my life. I forget to conceal my facial expression. He’s the definition of man and . . . and . . . sex. Literally, that is his appeal. Its pull is soft and warm and persuasive. I find myself admiring his intelligent eyes, so dark they seem black. Tattoos or markings, or whatever those things are, accent his strong brow, contour his cheekbones, and one on his chin creates a goatee effect. I can tell by his facial stubble that he would have dark brown hair. I notice he’s breathing a little heavy, like he had run to catch up with the others. Given how fit he is, he must have come some distance.
He eyes me carefully, first with disbelief and then disgust. He claps his hands together suddenly, and laughs, meanly, causing me to jump a little. The spell is only partly broken.
“So this is what ESE sends?” His voice is deep and melodic. “A female . . . child,” he adds, eyeing my face.
SPECIAL LINKS
Lesley will be awarding print copies of “Sky’s End” to ten randomly drawn winners, and a grand prize of one $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Facebook.com/CassielWintersSeries
@LesleyYoungBks
Amazon Buy Link
