The Last Namsara Blog Tour: Q&A With Kristen Ciccarelli!

I am so very excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the wonderful The Last Namsara! I adored this book and I was so excited when I got the chance to pick Kristen Ciccarelli's brain for more information about her book! If you haven't read The Last Namsara, I really can't recommend it enough! There be dragons in it! Dragons!!!

But first, here is my interview with the lovely Kristen Ciccarelli! 

Hi Kristen!  Thank you so much for answering all my fangirly questions!  It’s a real pleasure to have you here today!

Thank you for asking them! It’s a pleasure. :)

For those who haven’t read The Last Namsara, can you tell us a little about your wonderful book?   

The Last Namsara is about a dragon slayer who must hunt down the deadliest dragon of all and bring her father its head, or she’ll be forced into a political marriage!

The Last Namsara has the most amazing setting - I adore your world building!  Especially the fact that, in this world, certain stories are dangerous and can get you killed.  Where did the idea for the world and story come from?

Thank you so much! I essentially stole the story from my own life. I’ve spent a lot of my life being ashamed of the things I love most: creativity, imagination, and storytelling. So when I started writing The Last Namsara, I wanted to explore a world where these things actually were shameful. So I made them dangerous things that get people hurt. That way I could write a protagonist who was a) good at wielding these stories and b) ashamed of herself as a result—like I was. That was how it started. And then I built the world around that character and concept.

Ok, so anyone who knows me is aware of my dragon obsession (it’s alarming, honestly).  Where did you get the inspiration for the dragons in your story?!  

I was completely dragon-obsessed growing up. So obsessed, in fact, that my art teacher actually banned me from drawing them for all of high school (I kept sneaking them into my projects). I first fell in love with Smaug, then Draco (from Dragonheart—I can still recite the old code off by heart, lol) and Toothless. So in lots of ways, my dragons were influenced by the dragons I grew up loving. Where my dragons differ, though, is in the fact that they’re lured by stories. They covet stories the way traditional dragons covet treasure.

The Last Namsara has a cast of amazingly badass girls!  Are they inspired by yourself, anyone you know or a kick-arse girl of YA? 

All of the above, but most especially: I wanted to write the kinds of girls I needed growing up. I will never forget the day I read the chapter in LotR when Eowyn defeats the Witch King. Eowyn gets hardly any page time in that series, and yet there she was, a girl doing what no one else could do. Vanquishing a monster. It felt like Tolkien was throwing me a bone, you know? I clung to that bone. I clung to all the girls wielding weapons and going up against monsters and tyrants (Eowyn, Sabriel, Lyra—to name just a few). These girls were my mirrors. They showed me what I was capable of.

I know it’s like making you choose between your babies, but do you have a favourite character in The Last Namsara?  

Definitely Asha. She’s so strong and fierce and ambitious, yet so wounded and vulnerable. I feel a bit protective of her. Torwin is a close second, though. :)

You are an amazing writer - do you have a favourite thing about being an author?  

You are very kind! And this is a really good question. I think my favourite thing about being an author is hearing from readers—especially young adult readers. It’s amazing to me knowing there are people out there (sometimes on the other side of the world!) reading my story and getting what they need from it.

What advice would you give to all the aspiring fantasy writers out there?

Don’t be afraid of failure. (All the best things come out of failure.) And definitely don’t let it stop you. If you write because you love it, if you truly deeply believe in your stories, if you stay hungry & improve your craft, then you’ll make it. It might take a while, but you’ll get there.

While we’re on the topic of authors and writing, what has been your top read of 2017 so far?  The Last Namsara is one of my favourites! 

Oh gosh. This is such a tough question! Most of my favourite reads this year are actually books coming out in 2018, so it doesn’t feel fair to list them here. I think my top read of 2017 is FIRE BLOOD by Elly Blake. If you like Kristin Cashore’s books, chances are high that you’ll like this book too.

A suitably fantastical penultimate question: If you could have any mythical creature as a pet, which would you have?  And, to the surprise of no one, I would have a dragon.

Definitely a dragon! I mean, it could a) protect me, b) fly me places, and c) keep me warm by making fires. ;)

Finally... what can we expect from book two of the trilogy?  Any chance we could get a little spoiler?

Book two, The Caged Queen, picks up right where The Last Namsara leaves off, only its told from Roa’s point of view. You get more of Asha and the dragons, but you also get to learn who the mysterious Roa is, why she makes a certain deal with Asha’s brother in book one, and what the consequences of that deal are.

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Ah, I can't wait for The Caged Queen! Thank you so much for letting me pick your brain, Kristen! And everyone, go read The Last Namsara! I know I've already said this, but it bears repeating: There are dragons!
Everyone, definitely check out Kristen's website, follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and add The Last Namsara to your Goodreads TBR ASAP list! 

Oh, and check out the awesome The Last Namsara official book trailer too!  God, I love this book!

Happy Reading Everyone!

Month of Guests 2013: Julie Kagawa

It's the final day of my Month of Guests!  I've had so much fun putting this event together and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!  But we're going out with a bang, people!  With an interview with the lovely Julie Kagawa, author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden and Call of the Forgotten series!  Enjoy! :D

And Month of Guests will be back next year!!  Don't worry, I'm already scheming and planning to make it EVEN BETTER... ;)

Oh, and there are still two giveaways going on, so check them out: here and here! :D

When did you really realize that you want to be a book writer?

It was sometime in high school, I believe.  The plan wasn't always to become a writer; I was originally going to be a veterinarian.  But then I discovered that to do be a vet, you had to know a great deal of MATH and science and biology and MATH.  And since numbers and I hate each other, I decided that maybe I'd give this writer thing a try.

Describe the moment when you first got the idea of writing The Iron Fey in your mind.

The exact moment was actually in a bookstore.  I remember browsing through the YA section, and suddenly having an idea for a story about a girl who was a faery.  In the very beginning, Meghan started out as a full faery, but as the idea and the story progressed, she became the half-blood faery she is today.

How does it feel to have your books translated in multiple languages around the world?

Pretty surreal.  I have a special bookshelf in my office for the foreign editions of the books, and every time I see it I have to smile.  It’s awe-inspiring to know that your books are being read around the world in France or Germany or Japan.  And words cannot express my love for the Japanese covers.  Manga-style Ash!

You always mention your husband in the acknowledgments page. How does he help you in the writing process?

He is honestly my biggest help when I am working on a book.  I can always go to him with a problem when I'm stuck, and we'll talk it through until I get un-stuck.  Plus, he reads through the whole completed manuscript before it goes off to my editor and catches most of my grammar mistakes, though he has threatened to rip the semicolon key off my keyboard so I can't use it anymore.  I guess I like my semicolons.  :D

Tell us some funny moment with some fan.

I was at a friend's wedding, and began talking to a random stranger about YA books, which we both loved.  She started talking about this YA book about a girl who was half-faery and who went into Faeryland to rescue her brother, and I said "You mean The Iron King?"  She said: "Yes, have you read it?"  "No," I told her, "I wrote it."  Hilarity ensued immediately after.

What is the most fun moment you’ve had while writing a book?

I think the book I'm working on right now has been the most fun to write.  Sadly, I can't share the details yet, but I'm extraordinarily excited about the whole thing and can't wait to actually share the news sometime this month.

                

Some message for your fans?

I am just incredibly grateful for all the support and enthusiasm my fans have given me over the years.  I know I wouldn't be where I am today without my readers, and I hope I will always remember that.  So, thank you, everyone, for being awesome.

What’s next for Julie Kagawa?

Well, the next book of the Blood of Eden series, The Eternity Cure, just came out in May, and then the second book of the Call of the Forgotten series, Traitor Son, will be released sometime in the Fall.  Of course, I do have this secret new series I'm working on that’s going to be made into a movie by Universal Pictures, but I'm not allowed to share that until later.  Hopefully I'll get to tell everyone soon!  :) 

My Mental Rambling: And revealed it has been...  If you haven't heard, check out the news: here!! :D  It's so exciting!! :D

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Thank you so much, Julie!!!  I am sooo excited about your new series!!! :D :D

Hope you all enjoyed the interview! And don't forget to follow Julie's Site and Blog, follow her on Twitter and Facebook, and check out her books on Goodreads!  Oh, and here's her Blood of Eden official site and The Iron Fey official site!  :D

And if you missed any MonthOfGuests fun, check it ou on Twitter using #MonthOfGuests2013 or see a list of all the posts: here! :D

And if you have any ideas for next year, I'm always here for advice!! :D

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Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

Month of Guests 2013: Alyxandra Harvey

The lovely Alyxandra Harvey is here today - and today is a special day because Amazon is making the entire Drake Chronicles Kindle Daily Deal today!!  Go check it out - ASAP!! :D

Oh, but read the interview first.  ;)

Q&A With Alyxandra Harvey

So your Drake Chronicles just ended this year (my heart breaks a little more even as I write that!).  What's next for you?

I have a new series coming out in January called the Lovegrove Legacy, about three cousins in 1814 London who discover they are witches.

I also have an Enovella called The Longest Night, set in the Drake Chronicles world out in December…I admit I missed the Drakes and wasn’t ready to completely say goodbye!

My Mental Rambling: Yay!!!  More Drakes!!!  *happy dance all over the place*  And witches + Alyxandra Harvey = ecstatic blogger!!

I'm probably a bit biased (your Drake Chronicles was one of the first books I was sent to review) but I must say: your vampire mythology is one of the coolest I've come across.  How did you come up with it all?!

Thank you! The recent vampire book craze was at its peak when I started writing the Drake Chronicles…but I’ve always loved vampire stories so I wanted to tell my story anyway.

My favourite part of vampires is the fact that they can live for hundreds of years…they could have lived in a medieval castle, met Jane Austen or Mary Frankenstein, or watched Stonehenge being built. It’s that love of history that informs my own vampire mythos.

And because I love fairy tales and young adult fiction, I threw in some Snow White and a sweet sixteen that’s anything but sweet!

You write so many absolutely amazing kickbutt lead girls.  Do you have a favourite and are any like you?

Thank you! I don’t have favourite, but I admit Lucy is one of the easiest characters to write. She just pours onto the page.

Now this question is utterly evil on my part: Do you have a favourite male character?  This is such an evil question - sorry! - but I really want to know!!

I have lots of favourites! Mr. Darcy, always. As for my own characters, I have soft spots for some (Nicholas, Colin from Haunting Violet, Eldric from Stolen Away), but no crushes. It’s kinda like crushing on your imaginary friend and it feels weird. ;)

My Mental Rambling: Nicholas is my favourite - and I have a big crush on him... *le sigh*

You write lots of brilliant fantasy books - but is fantasy your favourite genre to read?

Thank you again :)    I adore reading fantasy novels. My favourite genres are paranormal YA, historical fiction, and fantasy.  I also love poetry and history non-fiction.

One of my favourite things about your Drake books is the split POVs.  Is it tricky to get all those utterly unique voices?  Is it harder to write boys than it is girls?  And is there one perspective you liked writing from most and one who was more difficult?

Logan was my first POV in a teen guy’s head…and I found that more difficult than writing a four hundred year old villain like Montmartre. I made some of my guy friends read Logan to make sure I wasn’t totally off!

Ok, fun questions time!  You've written about vampires, faeries and psychics, but if you could be any mythical being yourself, what would you be?

I rather like werewolves…but the actual wolves not the gooey monsters of horror movies.  I’d like to be a time traveler too...preferably with the Tenth Doctor!

The Drake series is based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves: do any of the Drake boys resemble any of the dwarves and is this fairy tale your favourite?  Are you planning any more awesome fairy tale twists?

I adore fairy tales so they are always in the back of my head. I wrote a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood a couple of years back that I hope will find its merry way to the bookstores. And my poetry collection Briar Rose, is all fairy tale retellings.  I’m not sure that I have a favourite, but I do tend to write about Snow White, Little Red ad Rapunzel a lot!

And those Drake brothers! I never assigned them particular dwarves a la Disney…but I’d love to hear what the readers think.  Snarky, Anti-Social, Gothic…. we could start a new dwarf collective!

My Mental Rambling: Ooh, that could be fun!!  Note to self: sad fanpic coming up of Drake brothers as dwarves... ;)

And finally: If the Book Fairy could arrange a tea party with any fictional characters of your choice, who would you pick and why?

I love fictional tea party time! I’d like to nibble a scone with Mr. Darcy, and drink tea with Elizabeth Bennet. She’s just so witty and cheerful. And now that the new Sleepy Hollow is making Ichabod Crane so much more interesting, he’s welcome to the tea party too!

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Thank yuos o much for this interview, Alyx!!  It's been great having you!! I'm super excited about all your upcoming books!! :D

Hope you all enjoyed the interview! And don't forget to follow Alyx's Site, follow her on Twitter and Facebook, and check out her books on Goodreads! :D

And keep up to date with MonthOfGuests on Twitter using #MonthOfGuests2013! And stop by tomorrow for a brilliant post by the amazing Katie Dale!!

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Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream.

Among her favourite books are ‘The Wood Wife’ by Terri Windling, ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, and of course, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. Elizabeth Bennet is her hero because she’s smart and sassy, and Mr. Darcy is, well, yum.

Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with husband and their dogs. She likes cinnamon lattes, tattoos and books.

Month of Guests 2013: Sarah Alderson

The lovely Sarah Alderson is here today, talking all about her favourite fictional couples!!  Enjoy! :D

The Best Fictional Couples EVER.

1.    Augustus & Hazel from The Fault In Our Stars

Found Here.

Tragic, doomed, real. This book has haunted me since I read it. Mainly I was completely sold on them as characters and on their relationship. There was such a tenderness and desperation in the way they were trying to fit everything into their limited time together. Broke. My. Heart.

2.    Alex Fuentes & Brittney from Perfect Chemistry

I have to admit I’m not a fan of Britney but Alex Fuentes and his six pack totally makes up for it. I love this book.

3.    Hermione & Ron from Harry Potter

A romance built on friendship, H &R are one of my all time favourite fictional couples. I love it that they went through so much together with Harry. The best non-love triangle ever invented by an author.

4.    Han Solo & Princess Leia from Star Wars

Han Solo was the first fictional boy I ever fell in love with (aged about 7). I would dream I was Princess Leia. And let’s face it, PL is the most awesome princess to ever have graced our screens. Disney could learn a thing or two from her. She’s a brilliant fighter, a fearless leader, witty, smart and a resistance fighter to boot, out to save the galaxy. Han’s a loveable rogue, a pirate, a cynical anti-hero who can’t help but fall for the girl. I love the banter between her and Han.

5.    Spike & Buffy

OK, for years I was a Buffy & Angel fan but then something happened – Spike gave that ‘you’re the one’ speech to Buffy and suddenly I was like ‘Angel who?’ This scene is so epically perfect I could watch it over and over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cWagC3IXI (Preview)

6.    Aragorn and Arwen from Lord of The Rings

Would you give up immortality for a man? I would for this man. Aragorn – the noble Ranger of the North who leads the hobbits on their quest. I didn’t notice much else on screen beyond Aragorn’s thighs on that horse.

7.    Jesse & Ren from The Sound

OK, OK, I’m a little biased here, but Jesse – the brooding, book reading, musician who’s great with his hands and known for being trouble is exactly the kind of boy I would fall for as a teenager. And Ren, the English girl who’s a music blogger, book lover and on the verge of giving up on boys altogether and definitely on any notion of there being ‘a one’. Can Jesse change her mind? The chemistry sizzles between them – what do you think?

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Thank you soo much, Sarah!!  Oh, I'm so a Spuffy girl!!  Spike just melts my heart!!  And that speech...  *sigh* ;)

Hope you all enjoyed Sarah's post! And don't forget to follow Sarah's Site, follow her on Twitter and Facebook, and check out her books on Goodreads! :D

And keep up to date with MonthOfGuests on Twitter using #MonthOfGuests2013! And stop by tomorrow for an interview with the lovely Alyxandra Harvey!!!  :D

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Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After almost a year spent wandering around India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali.A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, which was written during their stay in California, was also bought by Simon & Schuster and published in January 2012.The sequels to Fated – Severed & Shadowed – were released in November 2012 and March 2013. Sarah’s newest novel – The Sound – a young adult thriller, was released in August 2013 in the UK, Australia & Canada and is being published in the US in May 2014.Three more YA novels are lined up for release with Simon & Schuster over the coming years, as well as a collection of short stories.Sarah has co-written the Hunting Lila screenplay and is working on several other books and screenplays (multi-tasking is one of her favorite things). In her spare time she also writes adult romance novels under the pen name Lola Salt.

Month of Guests 2013: Tera Lynn Childs

The lovely Tera Lynn Childs has brought over the Medusa Girls, Gretchen, Grace and Greer, for me to interview today!!  Yay!! :D

Hi Gretchen, Grace and Greer!  It's great to have you all here today!

Greer: Thank you for having us. 

Ok so girls, you're descendants of Medusa.  That sounds pretty damn awesome.  But what exactly does that mean?

Gretchen: That means it's our responsibility to protect ordinary, unsuspecting humans from the monsters that lurk in plain sight.

Grace: And we get to kick a lot of serious monster butt! 

Now for those who haven't met you, can you each describe yourself in one sentence?

Greer: I'm like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.

Gretchen: *eyeroll*

Grace: I'm just a normal girl who's good with computers and not so good with boys.

Gretchen: I've been doing this job for four years, so I pretty much am the job. 

So what was it like, finding out that you were triplets?  Was it more exciting or scary or...

All at once: Both!

Grace: I was probably the most excited. I'd always wanted sisters. 

Gretchen: How does it feel, knowing that you're not on your own any more?  And were you surprised by how Grace and Greer took the news?

Gretchen: I was surprised by how well Grace took it. Like she said, she was excited. Greer's no-thank-you, slam-the-door-in-my-face response was as expected.

Greer: I apologized for that.

Gretchen: *eyeroll* 

Taken from Tera Lynn Child's Pinterest

Grace: I think you were probably the most excited to find your sisters.  Why was this - you yourself say that your adopted family are amazing, and your new life is pretty dangerous... so what makes you so excited - and what do you want most with your new sisters?

Grace: I do, I love my adopted family so much. But I always felt like there was something more, something missing. And as much as my new life is scary on a daily basis, I think that's a good thing. Life should be scary, you should do things that challenge you. That's how you grow and become a better person. 

Taken from Tera Lynn Child's Pinterest

Greer: You've always been an only child.  It's gotta be weird, suddenly having these three sisters who look exactly like you and say you're the offspring of a mythical being.  What was your initial, most innermost reaction to the discovery - and has that first impression changed now that you've gotten to know, gotten to fight with your sisters?

Greer: At first I was absolutely, unequivocally, ridiculously terrified. Not to find out I had sisters or that I had this mythological heritage, but because everything I thought I knew about my life turned out to be a lie. Now I recognize how the truth, however scary, is always preferable to the lie. 

Taken from Tera Lynn Child's Pinterest

Gretchen, you've known about the beasties for a while.  But Grace and Greer, this is all new to you.  How did it make you feel, discovering that the world is so much more - so much scarier - than you thought it was?

Gretchen: I've always seen monsters. Even before Ursula found me and told me they were real and why I was destined to fight them. It was harder for me to tell my sisters the truth, to show them this world they had been protected from.

Greer: After seeing that monster in my bedroom when I was very young, I'd spent the rest of my life convincing myself that I'd just imagined the whole thing. It was scary to learn it was real, but it was also a relief.

Grace: I was really scared at first. But once I realized I would never be facing this alone, that I would always have my sisters at my side, I knew everything would be okay.

All of you now have a destiny - a purpose.  But if you had just one day where there was no beasties, no danger, no responsibilities and no fear, what would you do?

All at once: Sleep!

Grace: Monsters don't exactly keep to a time clock. I can't remember the last time I got to sleep through the night.

Greer: Me neither.

Gretchen: It's a 24/7 job and it's definitely exhausting. 

Each of you: what is your favourite thing about your sisters?

Grace: They both strong and confident, and I admire that so much. I aspire to that.

Gretchen: They are courageous. Even when they are in way over their heads.

Greer: They value people (me included) for who they are, not what they can do for them.

Who would be your ideal boyfriend - and is there anyone special in your lives...?

Greer: I like a mysterious boy. And I have one particular mystery in mind...

Grace: Milo and I are taking it one step at a time. He's pretty much my idea of a perfect boy.

Gretchen: I'm not a fan of the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. But I guess Nick and I are together.

What's next for you three - the Medusa Girls?  Or, more precisely, what would you like to happen next?

Gretchen: I'd like to take a vacation.

Greer: Me too. Somewhere tropical.

Grace: *blushes* I'm happy just hanging out with my sisters, my brother, and Milo.

Gretchen: *grumbles* Yeah, me too.

*group hug*

Quick Fire!

Fave colour:

Grace: Green

Gretchen: Black

Greer: Gold

Fave book:

Grace: The Hunger Games

Gretchen: I only read non-fiction, monster research.

Greer: A Tale of Two Cities

  

Fave film:

Grace: The Matrix.

Gretchen: I don't watch movies.

Greer: Anything starring Grace Kelly. She is my idol.

   

Fave activity:

Gretchen: Punching things

Greer: Shoe shopping

Grace: Reading

   

Describe yourself in one word:

Grace: Happy

Gretchen: Strong

Greer: Perfect

Well, there you go.  Three sisters who just want to sleep! ;) 

Thank you so much for stopping by! :D

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Thank you Tera!!  This was so much fun!! :D

Hope you all enjoyed the interview! And don't forget to follow Tera's Site, follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, and check out her books on Goodreads! :D

And keep up to date with MonthOfGuests on Twitter using #MonthOfGuests2013! And stop by tomorrow for a brilliant post by the amazing Sarah Alderson!!

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Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of the mythology-based Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp, the mermaid tales Forgive My Fins, Fins Are Forever and Just For Fins, and a new trilogy about monster-hunting descendants of Medusa that includes Sweet Venom, Sweet Shadows, and Sweet Legacy (September 3, 2013). She has two new e-novellas coming soon, Goddess In Time (November 2013) and Pretty In Pearls (January 2014). She has also e-published two fun chick lit romances, Eye Candy and Straight Stalk. Tera lives nowhere in particular and spends her time writing wherever she can find a comfy chair and a steady stream of caffeinated beverages.