In memory of young adult author Lani Forbes

Today we were supposed to be running a guest post from author Lani Forbes, whose new book, The Obsidian Butterfly (The Age of the Seventh Sun #3) is released today. It was just December when I was working with her publicist to set up a post. Then, earlier this month, instead of receiving the post, I got the news that Lani had passed away, after a nine-month battle with neuroendocrine cancer. We send our sympathy to Lani’s family, friends, and all who loved her. In lieu of her post, we are running the press release about her passing.

Ashland, Oregon, February 4, 2022—Young adult author Lani Forbes, whose critically acclaimed Age of the Seventh Sun series won multiple Realm Awards, died on February 3, 2022, in Boise, Idaho, after a nine-month battle with neuroendocrine cancer. She was 35.

Lani Forbes was the daughter of a librarian and a surfer, which explained her passionate love of the ocean and books. Forbes was born May 6, 1987, in Huntington Beach, California. She grew up in California, and attended high school at Huntington Beach High School. In 2009, Forbes received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hope International University. She then received her teaching credentials from Cal State University. After 10 years of teaching, Forbes went on to become a trauma counselor, serving women who had been abused by their spouses through addiction.

Her young adult book series, the Age of the Seventh Sun, premiered in 2020 with the release of The Seventh Sun, followed by The Jade Bones in 2021 and The Obsidian Butterfly in 2022. The Seventh Sun was a finalist for the Realm Awards Book of the Year and won Best Debut, Best Young Adult, and Best Epic Fantasy. Forbes’s passion was showing readers the transformative and encouraging power of story on the human experience.

Josh Stanton, president & CEO of Blackstone Publishing, said, “We are devastated by Lani’s passing, and we deeply mourn the loss of this exceptionally talented young writer, who gave so much to her readers. We are committed to keeping Lani’s incredible legacy alive. Her powerful, captivating young adult novels will live on to be enjoyed and beloved by readers for generations to come.”

Despite her diagnosis, Forbes continued to write—and encourage others to create—through hard times. In a November 2021 essay from Publishers Weekly, Forbes said, “The reality is, we cannot control what happens to us in life. Sometimes things happen that seem incredibly unfair. But no matter what happens to us, no matter what is taken from us or forced upon us, the one thing we always have power over is how we choose to respond. We get to choose how we will handle those crises. We can choose cowardice, we can choose to give up, stop trying, to give into despair. Or, we can choose joy, perseverance, and yes, even happiness despite our circumstances.”

Forbes’s conclusion to her Age of the Seventh Sun series, The Obsidian Butterfly, publishes on February 15, 2022. Blackstone Publishing has also recently acquired a new YA project from Forbes, which will be published posthumously.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to benefit Forbes’s family and help cover medical expenses. Donations can be made at GoFund.Me/308e6b84

Forbes is survived by her husband, Kevin Forbes, and her three children.

About The Obsidian Butterfly

The Seventh Sun faces destruction as Mayana and Ahkin race to save their world in the finale to this “compulsively readable” series (Rachel A. Marks, author of Fire and Bone).

To the Chicome people, an eclipse is a time of terror. When darkness falls, the barrier separating the heavens and the earth becomes unstable. Then come the ravening Tzitzimime—the star demons who thirst for human blood. Mayana and Ahkin know the full extent of the coming danger, but they must gather support or the Chicome Empire is doomed.

As the eclipse nears, many maneuver for power in this deadly game of worlds ending.

Metzi, Ahkin’s treacherous sister, has seized control of the empire with the aid of the malevolent goddess known as the Obsidian Butterfly. But Metzi has no idea what the goddess has in store …

Yemania and Ochix face the wrath of both their peoples. Their forbidden liaison may draw ancient enemies together … or rip the young lovers apart forever.

And the princesses who battled fiercely for Ahkin’s heart in The Seventh Sun meet again—but this time, they must join forces in order to survive.

As for Ahkin and Mayana, the entire empire seems to want to keep them apart. Can their love endure the end of the world?

ISBN-13: 9781982546113
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication date: 02/15/2022
Series: The Age of the Seventh Sun Series #3
Age Range: 12 – 17 Years

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