Interview with Breeana Shields for The Bone Thief

The Bone Thief (The Bone Charmer #2)

by Breeana Shields
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Release Date: May 26th 2020

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

“I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer.” – Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

A deft exploration of the weight of grief and cost of revenge, Breeana Shields’s Bone Charmer duology reaches its spine-tingling conclusion in this high-octane fantasy-thriller.

Saskia returns to Ivory Hall to train in bone magic, determined to stop Latham from gaining the power of all three Sights—past, present, and future. But danger lurks within the fortress’s marrow. Trials are underway for the apprentices, and the tasks feel specifically engineered to torment Saskia, which is exactly what Latham wants.

As she grows increasingly more suspicious, her thirst for revenge becomes all-consuming. Together with the friends she can trust and the boy she loved in another lifetime, Saskia traces clues from Latham’s past to determine what he’ll do next. Their search leads them across Kastelia and brings them to a workshop housing a vast collection of horrors, including the bones Latham stole from Gran, and the knowledge that the future isn’t all that’s in jeopardy—but the past as well.

Can you briefly describe THE BONE CHARMER series, its characters and what’s happening in THE BONE THIEF?

Absolutely! The Bone Charmer takes place in a world where bones are the source of all magic--they tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. The story follows a girl named Saskia, and on the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines apprenticeships—her worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of a dark past.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones, and the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.

And then in THE BONE THIEF, Saskia’s story continues as she deals with the fallout from the path that survived and sets out on a quest to punish the person responsible.

Who would you say is your favourite character from THE BONE THIEF and why? Has it changed from the first book?

My favorite character is still Saskia simply because I’ve spent so much time writing from her perspective that it would feel disloyal to choose anyone else. However, THE BONE THIEF has a big cast of secondary characters who were so much fun to write and I’m quite attached to all of them. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

I’ve talked about my inspiration for THE BONE CHARMER elsewhere—it was a melding of multiple ideas finally colliding— but the idea for THE BONE THIEF was its own unique challenge. I actually really love writing sequels, and I often feel like my sequels are stronger than my first books in a series. There’s something really freeing about working with established characters who I know well (and hopefully the readers are invested in them too!). It makes it easier to really dig deep with both plot and characterization. So, as strange as it sounds, I feel like the ideas for THE BONE THIEF came from the characters themselves.

If you could choose one song to describe each book, which ones would it be?

Another Life, by Ingrid Michaelson for THE BONE CHARMER

Not a One, by The Young Wild for THE BONE THIEF

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

If a reader could make the impossible happen, it would be perfect to read the book in the catacombs of Paris. They only allow water down there, but if you’re planning to stay long enough to finish the series, you probably shouldn’t drink anything at all!

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE BONE THIEF?

Once I finish a book I love, I often turn to something in a totally a different genre. I recently read Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. It’s a mystery, so like THE BONE THIEF, it has lots of twists and turns, but it’s not a fantasy. I loved it and I think my readers will too.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

The hardest part is whatever I’m doing at the moment. When I’m in the middle of drafting, I long to be editing—at least then the book would be finished, and I’d be in the process of making it better. However, when I’m stuck in the editing process, I miss the freedom of drafting. That might sound like I don’t love my job, but I do. I just love and hate all the parts equally. :)

What’s next for you?

I’m working on drafting a new stand-alone fantasy about a magical luxury hotel full of secrets. It’s called THE SPLENDOR and it comes out in fall of 2021.

Breeana Shields is an author of fantasy novels for teens including The Bone Charmer, The Bone Thief, Poison’s Kiss, and Poison’s Cage. 

When she’s not writing, Breeana loves reading, traveling, and playing board games with her extremely competitive family. She lives near Washington D.C. with her husband, her three children, and two adorable, but spoiled dogs.

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FFBC: Welcome to the club, Rise of the Wolf (Mark of the Thief #2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rise of the Wolf (Mark of the Thief #2)
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical, Fiction, Mythology, Magic, Adventure, Action, Juvenile

Synopsis:

Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War--the battle to destroy Rome from within--is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet--one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear.

When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly destroy Rome and end his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction?

Follow the Rise of the Wolf by Jennifer Nielsen Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has forgotten to do that has allowed her any spare time.

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Release Day Launch: Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1) by Brenda Drake

I'm thrilled to be taking part in Brenda Drake's Release Day Launch (hosted by Jen Halligan PR) for THIEF OF LIES (Library Jumpers #1)! Check out the book and excerpt below, and be sure to enter the amazing giveaways!

Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1)
by Brenda Drake
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: January 5th 2016

Synopsis:

Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed.

We stepped into the Children’s Library and stopped in the center of the room. A massive light fixture designed to resemble the solar system dominated the ceiling. The hushed rumble of two male voices came from one of the reading nooks. I crossed the room, paused at the built-in aquarium, and inspected the fish. Afton halted beside me.

“This is great,” I whispered, not wanting to disturb whoever was in there with us. “Fish and books. What’s not to love?” Spotting a sign referencing classic books, I searched the shelves for my all-time favorite novel.

The male voices stopped and there was movement on the other side of the bookcase. I paused to listen, and when the voices started up again, I continued my hunt.

Warmth rushed over me when I found The Secret Garden. With its aged green cover, it was the same edition I remembered reading as a young girl. The illustrations inside were beautiful, and I just had to show them to Afton. Coming around the corner of the case, a little too fast for being in a library, I bumped into a guy dressed in leather biker gear. My book and notebook fell and slapped against the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry—” I lost all train of thought at the sight of him. He was gorgeous with tousled brown hair and dark eyes. Tall. He flashed me a crooked smile, a hint of dimples forming in his cheeks, before bending over and picking up my forgotten book.

He held the book out to me. “Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” He’d quoted a verse from The Secret Garden with a sexy accent that tickled my ears.

I stood there like an idiot, my heart pounding hard against my chest, unable to think of a response. The fact that he had read the book and could recite a line from it stunned me. And impressed me.

Say something. Anything.

“Good read there,” he said when it was obvious I wasn’t going to speak. He winked and nodded to a guy behind him before ambling off. When he reached the end of the row, he paused and glanced back at me, flashing me another killer smile, and then he disappeared around the bookcase.

Tingles rose in my stomach. He looked back at me. The guy following his Royal Hotness gave me a final appraisal before departing. His stringy blond hair hung over his large forehead. It looked like he hadn’t washed it in weeks, and there was probably an acne breeding ground under it. He grinned, and I broke eye contact with him, making for the nearest window.

Oh God, you’re so lame, Gia. You could have finished the quote or anything less tragic than not speaking at all. The response I would have said played in my head. With silver bells, and cockleshells, and marigolds all in a row. Why? Why hadn’t I said that?

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up are of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

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