FFBC: Welcome to the club, The Wanderers by Kate Ormand

The Wanderers
by Kate Ormand
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: September 1st 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Synopsis:

A Unique Twist on Shape-Shifters with Fast-Paced Action, Thrilling Adventure, Mystery, and a Bit of Romance

Flo lives an eccentric life—she travels with a popular circus in which the main acts star orphaned children with secret shape-shifting abilities. Once Flo turns sixteen, she must perform, but she’s not ready. While practicing jumping a flaming hurdle in a clearing beside the circus, she spots a dark figure in the trees and fears he saw her shift. The news sends the circus into a panic.

In Flo’s world, shifters are unknown to humans with the exception of a secret organization—the EOS, referred to as “hunters.” Hunters capture and kill. They send some shifters to labs for observation and testing—testing they don’t often survive—and deem others useless, a danger to society, and eliminate them. To avoid discovery, shifters travel in packs, constantly moving and keeping themselves hidden. Up until now, the circus was the perfect disguise.

Believing she has brought attention to the group, Flo feels dread and anxiety, causing her to make a mistake during her performance in front of the audience—a mistake that triggers a violent attack from the hunters.

Flo manages to flee the torched circus grounds with Jett, the bear shifter who loves her; the annoying elephant triplets; and a bratty tiger named Pru. Together they begin a new journey, alone in a world they don’t understand and don’t know how to navigate. On the run, they unravel secrets and lies that surround the circus and their lives—secrets and lies that all point to the unthinkable: Have they been betrayed by the people they trusted most?

Hello Kate! We are super excited to have you once again in our FFBC tours to celebrate the upcoming release of THE WANDERERS.

Flo travels with a circus made up of orphaned children with secret shape-shifting abilities. Once Flo turns sixteen she must perform, but she doesn’t feel ready. When hunters start attending the show, the tension in camp rises, and Flo makes a deadly mistake…

Flo is a horse shifter. She’s the last shape I decided on as it took me a while to discover what animal she was, even once I knew her human side well. A horse is a powerful animal, but in a less obvious way than lions, bears, tigers etc. She can defend herself just fine, but with something other than teeth and claws. I liked exploring both sides of her and how they served each other.

I saw a poster on my way to university one morning. It was bright yellow, faded and worn in places, advertising a circus. I remember catching sight of it as we drove by and saying, “What do you think about a circus book where all the animals are shape-shifters?” And then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

I don’t think I drew on anything in particular, but I am a fan of shape-shifters in books, like Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie series.

I have a few favourites, but here’s one before she performs for the first time:

An hour later, I walk barefoot to the big tent.
Wrapped in my robe, I stand in my usual spot where no one can see me, watching the stage, watching the crowd. 

But soon they will see me, all of them.


The first time Flo shifted into a horse in the book:

Wherever we’re taken during the transformation is cold. Goosebumps flare up on my bare flesh, pins and needles prickle beneath my skin, and I feel like I’ve been dropped into a dimension of black ice. 

Then I start to take shape, to leave my human skin behind, and I’m on fire. My insides are electric, sparking and sizzling. 

Shake it Out – Florence + the Machine. It’s kind of hopeful and not. I like it for Flo.

Hehe! This took some thought. Bonnie Wright would make a good Flo. Zoe Kravitz as Kanna. And Nicholas Hoult for Jett. 

Ooh, fab. I think the cover and the feel of the cover sets the mood of the book really well. And what’s more a more circusy snack that popcorn? A bowl of popcorn and a cozy blanket should do it.

I have a picture book coming out (under the name Kate Louise) with illustrator Grace Sandford. It’s called TOUGH COOKIE, about a mischievous gingerbread man who is baked without ginger and causes all kinds of trouble in the bakery before learning the positive effects of kindness. It’s out with Sky Pony Press in November!

Thank you so much for everything, Kate!

Thank YOU!!

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KATE ORMAND is a YA writer represented by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors Ltd. She lives in the UK with her family, her partner, and a cocker spaniel called Freddie. She recently graduated from university with a first class BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art Painting. It was during this course that Kate discovered her love of reading YA books, prompting her to try a new creative angle and experiment with writing. Kate is also a member of an online group of published writers and illustrators called Author Allsorts. And she writes children’s picture books under the name Kate Louise. 

You can see more about Kate and her writing by visiting her website (www.kateormand.wordpress.com) or on Twitter (@kateormand).

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