Interview with Rebecca Ross for Sisters of Sword & Song

Sisters of Sword and Song

by Rebecca Ross
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 23rd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.

Can you briefly describe SISTERS OF SWORD AND SONG and its characters?

Sisters of Sword & Song is about two sisters—Evadne, a scribe, and Halcyon, an esteemed warrior in the Bronze Legion. When Halcyon unexpectedly returns home one night, now a criminal and on the run from her Commander, Evadne knows her sister is in trouble. And Evadne, who has always felt underestimated and overlooked, decides to take half of Halcyon’s punishment. But as both sisters serve the sentence, secrets begin to come to light, and Evadne learns that her sister was involved in a dangerous mission. And what Halcyon began, Evadne must now complete, even as she faces a sinister magic that threatens to unravel her world.

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

Ah, this is so hard to answer! I truly love them all, but I think I have quite a soft spot for Evadne. :) There are moments in her personal journey that resonate the most with me.

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

I had two different story ideas. One idea was about a mage and a scribe. The other was an idea for a sister story, where one sister commits a crime and the other rises to help carry her punishment. Both story ideas were intriguing to me, but every time I attempted to write them separately, they fizzled out. It wasn’t until I brought the two together that I found a spark and the story caught fire.

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

I love the song “Rejoice and Lament” by Josh Garrels. I love how this song unfolds like poetry, and there’s an illusion to Icarus. These lyrics, in particular, are some of my favorite: “I said Father the feathers of my wax wings / Fall away by the rising of the sun / And I have descended when I was undone / And I will ascend when your Spirit comes.”

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

I honestly would love to see up and coming actors portray my characters. Every now and then, I might come across an actor or actress who I feel like would be amazing in bringing my characters to life, but most of the time I don’t cast them. 

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

A glass of wine on the Greek coast!

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish SISTERS OF SWORD AND SONG?

I would love to recommend my other two books, which are part of a duology and are available to read now: The Queen’s Rising and The Queen’s Resistance. Readers can expect another adventure, strong ties of sisterhood, vast worldbuilding, a hint of magic and a slow burning romance in these books.

I also would love to recommend The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip, which reads like a myth unfolding and is one of my favorite novels. 

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

Reaching the end! I write by the seat of my pants, which means I write linearly and discover so much of the plot as I go. It can feel a bit like driving at night and only being able to see what the headlights reveal. And it can be difficult to keep going, especially when another shiny story idea emerges, or the magic of the current idea begins to dim. But whenever I reach that final scene and type the last words…I always feel such an intense moment of relief and accomplishment, even if I know the draft is a mess and will require intense revisions.

What’s next for you?

I have more projects in the works! They haven’t been announced yet (although I believe it will be imminent), so I’ll be sharing more details about these projects very soon on my social media. Thank you so much for having me for an interview!

Rebecca Ross grew up in Georgia, where she continues to reside with her husband, lively dog and endless piles of books. She received her bachelor's degree in English from UGA. In the past she has worked at a Colorado dude ranch, as a school librarian, and as a live-time captionist for a college.

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Interview with Roseanne A. Brown for A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1)

by Roseanne A. Brown
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

Can you briefly describe A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN and its characters?

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a YA fantasy novel set in a fantasy world inspired by West African folklore. It follows two protagonists, a refugee named Malik and a princess named Karina. When Malik’s sister is kidnapped by a vengeful spirit, he makes a deal to win her freedom by killing the crown princess. To do this, he enters a competition to win the princess’s hand in marriage. However, Malik doesn’t know that Karina is planning the winner of the competition for a spell that will bring her dead mother back to life. Sparks fly when they finally meet and realize they have far more in common than they thought….

Or the TL;DR version, it’s what would happen if Aladdin and Jasmine had to kill each other but in a West African-inspired world. There is lots of court intrigue, lots of dark magic, and maybe a talking hyena as well. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I’d say Karina is probably my favorite character, but Malik is the one I relate to the most. Karina is the kind of Black girl I’ve always wanted to see in books. She is fierce and powerful and loving, but she is also hurt and constantly making mistakes and learning from them. Because I grew up with Black girl character who were rarely more than stereotypes or the sassy sidekick, getting to write Karina as a three-dimensional person with so many emotions and layers who still gets to love and be loved meant the world to me. But temperament wise, I’m definitely more of a Karina than a Malik!

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

I got the idea for A Song of Wraiths and Ruin back in 2016. I was coming back to a therapy session thinking a lot about the ways mental illness had impacted my own life and I thought to myself “If a ghost tried to take over my mind right now, it would be like ‘There is a lot going on in here. You can have this back.’” Then an idea came to me for a boy who dealt with both mental illness and the supernatural, and that character became Malik! 

From there, the idea grew as I incorporated more story elements that I loved. Oral storytelling is super important to Ghanaian culture, so I wove that into the magic system, and I’m a huge sucker for romance, so I made the main romance trope enemies-to-lovers. Bit by bit, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was born! 

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

One song I listened to on repeat over and over again was I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, HEAR ME OUT HERE, I’m not a huge Ed Sheeran fan OR Lord of the Rings fan, but that song perfectly captures the essence of heartbreak, tragedy, and epic scale of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. (That sounds extremely depressing; I promise this isn’t a sad book!) 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Justice Smith for Malik 100%. He is so funny, and perfectly exudes that mix of strength and compassion that is integral to Malik’s character. I just adored him in Detective Pikachu. And she’s a little older than an ideal Karina actress would be, but I would love Danielle Brooks in the role. She is an amazing actress, plus Karina would absolutely need to be played by a dark-skinned, plus-sized Black actress. 

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

I think the book would go best with a cup of mint tea, seated by a campfire as a storyteller weaves you a tale of epic proportions that whisks you off to a far away world. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN?

Sure! For people who find themselves with a massive book hangover after ASOWAR, they should definitely check out THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT by Swati Teerdhala, which is an enemies-to-lovers, Hindu mythology inspired fantasy cat and mouse game between a soldier and the rebel who killed his general.

Another book they’d devour is A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow. It follows two sister friends in a magical version of Portland, and it features sirens, magic, and a realistic and timely portrayal of the kinds of injustices Black women face when trying to find their voice.

These ones aren’t out yet, but WHERE DREAMS DESCEND by Janella Angeles, RAYBEARER by Jordan Ifueko, and CINDERELLA IS DEAD by Kalynn Bayron are some of my most highly anticipated YA Fantasy books for this year!

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

I think the most difficult part of writing a book is accepting that what you see in your head and what you get on the page aren’t going to match for a long, long time. That gap between what a book could be and what it is disheartens so many people, and it’s the biggest reason why I never finished a book before A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. But I’ve learned since that I need to accept the ugly writing for what it is, because without it in all its hideous glory, I won’t have anything to polish into the beautiful stories hiding inside. 

What’s next for you?

ASOWAR 2 is due back to my editor only a few weeks after ASOWAR comes out, so right now my life is a steady diet of Gatorade and furious typing. Outside of the realm of ASOWAR, I have another project in the works. I can’t say much now, but I will say fans of vampires, Sailor Moon-style team ups, and spooky settings are going to love it. Follow my Twitter and IG @rosiesrambles for more updates as I’m allowed to share them!

Click on the image to submit your pre-order info!

Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. Writing was her first love, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to use the power of writing—creative and otherwise—to connect the different cultures she called home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets.

On the publishing side of things, she has worked as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing. Rosie was a 2017 Pitch Wars mentee and 2018 Pitch Wars mentor. Never content to stay in any one place for too long, Rosie currently teaches in Japan, where in her free time she can usually be found exploring the local mountains, explaining memes to her students, or thinking about Star Wars.

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Interview with Makiia Lucier for Song Of The Abyss

Song of the Abyss (Tower of Winds #2)

by Makiia Lucier

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 27th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Ancient grievances, long-held grudges, and dangerous magic combine in this sweeping standalone fantasy perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Rachel Hartman.

They came in the night as she dreamt, in her berth, on a ship sailing home to del Mar. After, they would be all Reyna thought about: two carracks painted scorpion black. No emblem on either forecastle, no pennants flying above the mainmasts to hint at a kingdom of origin. 

Never a good sign.

As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer.

But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna's escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors--her captain, her countrymen--have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.

Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?

Can you briefly tell us more about the series, the characters and what’s going to happen in SONG OF THE ABYSS?

Sure! Song of the Abyss is a standalone companion to Isle of Blood and Stone, which means they don’t have to be read in any particular order. In Song, men start vanishing at sea without a trace, and seventeen-year-old Reyna, a royal explorer, must travel to a country shrouded in secrets to solve the mystery before it’s too late. Readers can expect a romantic adventure that combines both history and fantasy. It’s also very much a story about friendship and the family one chooses for oneself. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

Reyna. On the surface, she seems perfectly ordinary. She doesn’t have any superhuman abilities or mad fighting skills. But she’s brave, and she’s smart, and she loves her friends. To be honest, I wish she was real, so she could be my friend!

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

Anywhere and everywhere. I’ve always loved old maps, the really old ones with the sea serpents and the ships that look like Marco Polo could be sailing on them. Inspiration came from mapmakers in the Middle Ages, Indiana Jones movies, old ships, medieval Japan, John William Waterhouse’s paintings of harpies, and the terra cotta soldiers of ancient China.

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

An amazing librarian named Rachel Strolle recently put together a mini-playlist for Isle of Blood and Stone, and I think it would work just as perfectly for Song of the Abyss. They include three songs: Stampede by Alexander Jean and Lindsey Stirling; Underwater March by Klaus Badelt; and Data, Data, Data by Hans Zimmer. You can find the link here

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

REYNA: Isabel Moner (Dora the Explorer)

LEVI: Tom Holland (Spider Man)

BLAISE: Auli’l Cravalho (Moana)

JAMIE: Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast) but as a young adult

JIAN-SO: Charles Melton (Riverdale)

Summer is here and we love to go out and enjoy the sun. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Most of Song of the Abyss takes place by the water-on an island, down a river, across a great sea. If you’re drinking your favorite beverage by the water (right now I would choose a mojito by the North Carolina coast) that sounds like a perfect book date to me.

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

If they haven’t read Isle of Blood and Stone, I of course recommend that! There are also several sea-related YA books that are at the top of my to-read list, including Sea Witch by Sarah Henning, House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, and These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch.

What’s next for you?

I’m still in the very early stages of writing my fourth book so there isn’t much to tell, except that it involves a lot of head scratching, pacing, muttering, and broken pencils (but in the best possible way). Stay tuned!

Makiia is the author of historical fiction and historical fantasy for young adults. She grew up on the Pacific Island of Guam (not too far from the equator), and has degrees in journalism and library science from the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Her debut novel, A Death-Struck Year, was called a "powerful and disturbing reading experience" by Publishers Weekly, and was a finalist for Germany's top book prize for children, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. Her second novel, Isle of Blood and Stone, was inspired by her love of Indiana Jones movies and old, old maps.

She lives with her family in North Carolina.

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