FFBC Tours: Welcome to the club, Nemesis by Anna Banks

Nemesis (Nemesis #1)
by Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: October 4th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Supernatural, Fiction

Synopsis:

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

Hello Anna! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours.

I’m super excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me! 

Favorite Book?

Graceling by Kristin Cashore OR Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Favorite TV show?

Bates Motel OR When Calls the Heart OR Walking Dead OR Game of Thrones

Favorite movie?

Me Before You at the moment. I cried like the little baby I am.

Your Favorite Song?

The Promise by When in Rome (It’s so romantic and plus I’m an 80s freak!)

Favorite Food?

Southern Fried Chicken and sweet tea! 

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Green Gables

Tara from Gone With the Wind

Pemberley (as long as Mr. Darcy still lived there)

Who is your perfect fictional boyfriend?

Warner from the Shatter Me series

Favorite Quote?

Women are like tea bags—you never know how strong they are until they get in hot water. –Eleanor Roosevelt

OR

Start every day as if it were on purpose. –Hitch 

What do you find yourself “Fangirling” over?

The new Star Trek stamps at the post office. Jack from When Calls the Heart. Zac Effron. Zac Effron. Zac Effron. Hook from OUAT.

If you could meet one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Jane Austen

Something to say to our Book Addicts?

I would ask them a question: What is your favorite book about enemies-turned-lovers? 

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Nemesis and the world in it?

Nemesis is about a princess on the run who escapes into the territory of her nemesis—the newly crowned Falcon King of Theoria—and accidentally falls for him as they battle a Quiet Plague and while she tries to prevent war with her home kingdom without giving away her many secrets. It’s based on ancient Egypt and their constant struggle with the Hittites. Think of Theoria with ancient Egypt. For those of you who are fans of The Syrena Legacy series, I didn’t completely leave mermaids out of the picture—only they’re not what you’re expecting this time around!

What can you tell us about Princess Sepora and Tarik and their personalities? And what about their relationship?

Sepora has been sheltered for most of her life, and when she escapes to Theoria she lacks a certain fear that most people would have if put in the same situation, even though she thinks herself a coward. She’s very anti-violent but an exceptional liar, as Tarik a Lingot who can discern the truth from a lie, will find out. 

Tarik is a humble ruler with a good heart and good intentions, but makes room for a smart mouthed palace servant who tells lies intermingled with the truth every time she speaks. He’s drawn to her, and she to him, but can their growing affection outweigh the lies she carries and the duties he must uphold? 

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

I found a lot of inspiration in the story of King Tut, the boy king. I watched a ton of documentaries about what his rule would have been like, how much pressure he faced, and what his life must have been like. Of course, I added my own perspective on the matter, and gave Tut a love interest other than his own sister, and created abilities in humans that the Egyptians could only dream about. J

Tell us your favorite quote from Nemesis.

“It is impossible to make you stay, yet impossible to let you go. Why is that, Sepora?”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

Tarik has a younger brother, Sethos, and I loved to write anything with him in it. He’s young and carefree and quite the manwhore, and I adore him dearly. 

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for Nemesis – Which one would you pick? 

The artist Chase Holfelder did a remake of Everyt Breath You Take by The Police. You can find that song here. It’s fan-freaking-tastic. 

Imagine that we get to see your book on the big screen (how awesome would that be?). Who would you pick to play your characters?

For Sepora, it would have to be someone curvy. She’s not a skinny heroine by any means, and I’d want the actress to stay in line with this. And I’d probably pick an unknown for her.

I always envisioned the actor Avan Jogia who coincidentally played King Tut in the movie Tut, which I just found out! 

Is there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read Nemesis (specific music, snacks…)? 

Yes! Preorder Nemesis and get an Egyptian bath bomb. Take a hot bath, with Every Breath You Take by Chase Holfelder playing in the background, and enjoy the book! 

What’s next for you? 

You want to know something amazing? I have nothing on my plate right now. It’s a crazy sense of freedom, and I can’t wait to see what inspires me next. :) Maybe your readers could leave some ideas in the comments??

Thank you so much for everything, Anna!

Follow the Nemesis by Anna Banks Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012), OF TRITON (2013), OF NEPTUNE (2014).

Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency.

I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can’t walk in high heels, but I’m very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

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FFBC: Welcome to the club, Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade #3) by Jennifer Estep

Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade #3)
by Jennifer Estep
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: April 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Supernatural

Synopsis:

Bad Things Always Come In Threes…

As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls. 

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair. What they don't know is that I'm on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I've got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…

“You are the worst thief I have ever seen.”

Felix Morales frowned, stopped walking, and dropped the large black duffel bag he was carrying on the ground. I winced at the clank-clank of the items inside the bag banging together.

“Why would you say that?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I sniped. “Maybe the fact that you are tromping through the woods like you are trying to kill every single blade of grass under your feet. Not to mention hacking through the bushes with your sword like we’re on a jungle safari. And then of course, there’s the talking. There is always the talking. It’s a wonder you don’t pass out from lack of oxygen.”

His eyes narrowed. “And what is wrong with having a little light conversation while we hike through the woods?”

“Light conversation? You’ve been talking nonstop ever since we left the mansion.”

“So?”

I threw my hands up into the air. “So you actually have to stop talking and be quiet to be a thief! That’s why!”

Felix gave me a mulish look and started to cross his arms over his chest—until he realized that he was still holding on to his sword, the one he’d been swinging around like a machete for the past twenty minutes. He glared at me, but he finally slid the weapon into the scabbard belted to his waist. Well, that would cut down on some of the noise. Now, if I just had some duct tape for his mouth …

Felix stabbed his finger at the guy standing with us, who was busy setting his own black duffel bag onto the ground, although with far less noise than Felix had made. “And why aren’t you lecturing him about being quiet?”

“Because Devon can actually walk through the woods without cracking every single branch he steps on.”

Felix snorted. “You’re just saying that because the two of you have been sneaking around the mansion sucking face for the last two weeks.”

I tensed, still not used to having a relationship with a guy, much less talking about it with that guy’s best friend. But Devon Sinclair stepped up and slung his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

“And it’s been the best two weeks of my life,” he said, grinning at me.

Hello Jennifer! We are super excited to have you once again in our FFBC tours.

JE: Thanks for hosting me again. I appreciate it.

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Bright Blaze of Magic and what’s going to happen in this third book in the Black Blade series?

JE: Bright Blaze of Magic is the third and final book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series. The series focuses on Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

Lila has a Talent for sight, along with transference magic — in other words, magic makes her stronger. To survive, she does odd jobs for her pawnbroker friend. Lila also does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But when she saves a member of the powerful Sinclair Family during an attack, Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the most powerful Family in town.

So in Bright Blaze of Magic, Lila is a member of the Sinclair Family now, and she’s trying to figure out how to protect her friends from Victor Draconi, who wants to take over all the other Families in town. When Victor finally strikes out against the other Families, it’s up to Lila to figure out how to defeat him once and for all.

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

JE: Lila has a couple of scenes with the lochness, a monster that lives under a bridge, that she has sort of become friends with. I always enjoy writing those scenes. And I always like writing the scenes with Oscar, the pixie who lives in Lila’s room and helps to take care of her. He’s like a miniature cowboy, and he’s a really fun character for me to write.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for Bright Blaze of Magic – Which one would you pick? 

JE: Oh, that’s a tough one! One of my favorite songs is “Human” by The Pretenders, so I’ll go with that one. 

If you had to pick one of the three books from the Black Blade series, which one would you say you had the most fun writing it and why?

JE: I would say that Bright Blaze of Magic was the most fun for me to write. I always love writing action and fight scenes, and this book has a lot of action from start to finish. So it’s probably my favorite book in the series.

What’s next for you? 

JE: I’m working on some books and e-novellas in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Unwanted, an e-novella from Finnegan Lane’s point of view, will be out on July 18. Unraveled, book #15 in the series, will be out on Aug. 30.

I’m also mulling over some ideas for my next young adult project. We’ll see what happens.

For more information about my books, folks can visit my website at http://www.jenniferestep.com or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Thank you so much for everything, Jennifer!

JE: Thanks to you guys as well. Happy reading, everyone! :)

Follow the Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her Elemental Assassin series follows the life and times of Gin “the Spider” Blanco, a barbecue restaurant owner who also happens to be an assassin with magical control over the elements of Ice and Stone.

The Mythos Academy series focuses on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. She studies at Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors.

Her Bigtime paranormal romance books feature sexy superheroes, evil ubervillains, and smart, sassy gals looking for love.

Estep’s new Black Blade series is about 17-year-old thief Lila Merriweather, who has a Talent for sight, along with the ability to take magic others used against her to boost her own powers. She tries not to get involved with the Families who control much of the town, but ends up in the middle of a potential turf war.

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FFBC: Welcome to the club, Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Shallow Graves
by Kali Wallace
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Zombies, Fantasy, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural

Synopsis:

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

Hello Kali! Welcome to the FFBC ! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours!

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Shallow Graves?

I would love to! Shallow Graves is a young adult horror novel about a teenage girl named Breezy who comes back to life a year after she's murdered--only she's not quite the same as she was before. She's a supernatural creature now, a revenant with the ability to sense when other people have killed, and she quickly discovers there's a whole world of monsters and magic lurking just beneath the mundane world she's used to. 

She sets off on a trip across the country to learn about herself and this new world. Along the way she meets many new and interesting people, some human and some monsters, some good and some bad. She has to figure out where she fits and if there's any way for her to go back to the life she had before.

If you had to pick one adjective to describe your main characters what would you choose?

Angry. That's not the word she would choose to describe herself, but that's what she is.

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

There isn't one particular thing I can point to, but I was definitely influenced by other stories. There are so many modern/contemporary fantasies out there where our sympathies are with the people who hunt and kill monsters, I just wanted to play around with the idea of telling the story from the monster's point-of-view. 

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

This seems a bit silly in retrospect, considering how much else there is going on in the book, but some of the most fun I had was when describing what Breezy senses when she's in the presence of a murderer. It's different for every person, and I probably got a little (okay, a lot) carried away thinking about how to convey those differences descriptively. 

Was there anything you had to research or this book, that you would be worried if someone found in your browser history?

I spent so much time researching different ways to hide a dead body. I learned all about how long it takes to dig a grave, how deep it has to be to hide a body well, how long it takes bodies to decay, when the smell starts and when it stops, when the maggots show up, how one might cover up the odor… And none of those details even ended up in the book. But, hey, if any of my friends ever need help hiding a body, I've got them covered. (Dear NSA: JUST KIDDING. Thanks.)

What you would you say is harder to write: The first sentence of a story or the last?

Everything in-between! No, seriously, I tend to come up with first lines pretty easily, and the last line is set once I figure out the tone and feel I want the ending to have. Once I've decided on those, I rarely change them significantly--I tweak and rearrange a little, but they become fixed points fairly early in the writing process. What's harder for me is making sure everything growing out of the first words and leading up to the last earn those lines. 

What do you find yourself fangirl-ing over?

Everything. All things. I fangirl easily and frequently and with great enthusiasm. Books I adore, movies I enjoy, TV shows I obsess over. If I love it, I am not shy about it. Currently: Star Wars, Hamilton, The 100, both Arrow & the Flash, The Expanse, any and all NASA missions to faraway planets plus all astronauts who post beautiful pictures for the world to see, about seven thousand writers whose work I adore, and I'm currently rewatching all of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the beginning… Do we have all day? I could go on all day. I don't believe in guilty pleasures or irony aloofness when it comes to things that make me happy.

What is your favorite snack/drink to eat when you read?

Coffee. Coffee. More coffee. 

Favorite book of 2015?

My favorites tend to change by the hour, but for now I'll go with All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld, which is beautiful and brutal and menacing and strange, with an inside-out structure and one of the most unique main characters I've ever read in a novel. It's stunning.

What is next for you?

I am currently in the middle of revising my second novel, a YA ghost story/mystery called THE FUNERAL TREES, which will be published in 2017. After that, I think I will write something with spaceships. It's been too long since I've written something with spaceships.

Follow the Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

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