Lemoore author Jason Koivu pens second fantasy-based novel 'The Rue of Hope' out Feb. 20

By The Leader Staff
Local author Jason R. Koivu has penned a second book (The Rue of Hope) the latest in a fantasy series of books he is writing. It is expected to be released on Feb. 20 across the country.
Local author Jason R. Koivu has penned a second book (The Rue of Hope) the latest in a fantasy series of books he is writing. It is expected to be released on Feb. 20 across the country.
Photo submitted by publisher

A Lemoore man, and published author, is releasing his second book this month, the second in a series of fantasy-themed novels about the exploits of a unique character, Ford Barlow, a troubled and impulsive and troubled young man living in an age where the sword and the axe ruled.

The novel, the second penned by Lemoore resident Jason R. Koivu, is expected to hit bookstores and online sources Feb. 20. It will certainly be available on Amazon.com and other online sites as well as bookstores nationwide.

Texas-based publisher Black Rose Writing announced the release of The Rue of Hope, Koivu’s second book in the Beyond Barlow fantasy series. Koivu currently lives in Lemoore with his wife, and they run a photography company entitled Cherry Photography.

The Rue of Hope picks up where Beyond Barlow left off. Both action-packed novels, follow the exploits of Ford Barlow, an impulsive and troubled giant of a young man. In the first book, tragedy forces Ford into joining a band of boy thieves in a magical forest world where the sword and axe rule.

“I fashioned Ford after a number of kids I grew up with,” says Koivu. “For various reasons, they’d been left to their own devices, and some could turn really violent when the mood hit them. To me, their morality always seemed poised on the edge of a knife, and this is what I tried to portray in Ford. He’s not always a likable guy, but you hope that he’ll get his act together in the end.”

The follow-up novel picks up the story two years later with Ford getting his head knocked about like a prizefighter in a city on the verge of collapse. Not only is he juggling his problems, but his rogue friend is embroiled in a string of high-profile assassinations. Mercenary work meant to distance him from his troubles only highlights his selfish ways, and his misunderstanding of the many facets of love and drives him back into a crumbling world of fire, flood, and betrayal.

Koivu was born and raised in New England, where he took a degree in English Literature and Professional Writing. Moving to Los Angeles after school, he worked in the movie industry while writing screenplays in his spare time. Eventually, he and his wife began a photography company and bought a house in Lemoore, where her Navy family settled down in the late 1970s.

How does Koivu fashion his fantasy novels?  “I approach writing like a regular job. I get up and make sure I get to work on time,” he said. “If you don’t keep yourself to a schedule and you don’t do it every day, you may find a way to put it off. I try to put in a few hours a day, probably four or five.”

The talented author is already working on another Beyond Barlow book. “It’s a series. The first book came out in 2017. “I’m already working on the next one. “I’m just going to chug away at the series,” he told The Leader.

 

Lemoore author Jason Koivu pens second fantasy-based novel 'The Rue of Hope' out Feb. 20

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