The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice (Dalina Book 1)

About the Author

I am a Frenchwoman who lives and teaches in Kyrgyzstan.

My French friends say that I exploit my students.

I’m addicted to coffee (the drink AND the place).

My Kyrgyz friends say I’m too kind for Kyrgyzstan, but they protect me.

When I’m drunk and dancing, I do the splits.

Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book, The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice, What is it about?

Above all, my book is filled with magic, because for me, life without magic has no meaning. This is my first novel, volume 1 of a trilogy. The story, therefore, takes place on Earth, in 200 years, and there are no longer any humans as we know them. However, the book deals in the background with some social themes, such as bullying, because I had made the promise when I was younger to talk about it in my first novel. This is what makes the specificity of this first volume, unlike the others, which are much more linear in the story.

In real life, I’m a French girl in love with Kyrgyzstan (don’t worry, I didn’t translate the book, everyone knows that the French are bad at learning foreign languages). I live there, so this country accompanies readers throughout this volume and the following ones. I also like to make fun of countries, starting with France, and the fact that the French complain all the time. It is therefore with humor that I tell all this in my story.

Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book,The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice, is it directed at any particular market?

I think this book will be of more interest to girls and young women who love magic and easily get lost in thought. In short, people are a little crazy like me 😉

Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?

So that’s weird. Of course, I love magic. As a Frenchwoman, I grew up with the “Tara Duncan” saga, by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian. But the saga that has marked me the most is “Night School”, by CJ Daugherty. I like the atmosphere of a boarding school, of secret communities and play chess. I learned to play chess, pick locks from padlocks (yes I said I was a little crazy) and read Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” just because that’s what the characters do in this series.

After this trilogy, I will write a new trilogy, the Genesis, to understand how the character Alina created the Empire, and it will take place in a boarding school in Finland.

Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?

I think it’s presumptuous to answer this question because this is my first novel. But I think the most important thing, especially for people like me who are scared, is to get started. Because I think the day we get old and feel death approaching (yeah, I know, sometimes I’m a little creepy), we’ll regret not trying. So it’s now!

Qn 5: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?

I have an Instagram account: anna_akkuu and an email address: anna.akkuu@superim

Qn 6: What was your inspiration when writing The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice?

As I often say, a quetzal burns inside me. It is an image to talk about freedom. This is my biggest point in common with Aïzada, the main character: the constant search for freedom. What guided me in writing is my love of freedom, magic, Kyrgyzstan and interculturality. And… I don’t know, it is just natural. Inspiration comes alone. Writing is a visceral need. I don’t control it. I’ve said before that I’m addicted to coffee, but the truth is, I’m also addicted to writing.

Qn 7: 100s of years have passed for Aïzada, what are her first impressions of the new world she finds herself in?

Oh là là. She asks the vodka doctor to accept that she was kidnapped on a plane flight from Kyrgyzstan to France, cryopreserved for more than 100 years and to wake up on a completely different planet from the one she has always known. Sometimes Aïzada despairs me 😩

Qn 8: What are her greatest challenges in the new world and her greatest accomplishment?

First, the same type of challenge that all humans face: understanding who we are and what we would like to do with our lives. Aïzada needs to adapt as quickly as possible to defend herself, as it is difficult to know who to trust. And as I said before, it’s the constant search for freedom. She must also face painful choices, such as sacrificing people she loves for what she considers to be the greater good. She will also accept losing herself.

I also think that Aïzada is dissatisfied. She will win at the end of Volume 1 the war she waged, but it is not what she wanted, because she does not obtain the freedom to which she aspires. I don’t know if the expression exists in English. But in French, when a person says “I am a pigeon”, it means that people are using us because we are naive. I think that’s one of her problems. In volume 1, it is implied, but the image of the Quetzal and the pigeon is found much more in the following volumes, in addition to all the magical creatures that will appear 😉

Qn 9: This future version of the earth sounds exciting but to some also potentially frightening – how would you describe Earth of the future to those who may be interested in The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice?

The whole Earth is an empire, led by Imperator Dalina, who can be a man or a woman. Living beings are divided into two categories: humans, who are the sorcerers/shamans and the kidnapped and cryogenic humans who now have powers due to their genetic modifications. Terrans, which include elves, shapeshifters and nymphs.

The technology is also very advanced. MaTech is the most powerful company on the continent, which combines magic and technology. It is currently possessed by the human king. I’m not sure humans like us could survive. We would be too vulnerable, a trifle could kill us.

Q 10: What do you plan to work on next now that you have completed The Chess Knight’s Sacrifice?

 I’m already writing the second half of volume 2, I’m very excited !

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