Please welcome author Angela Myron today! Learn more about her and her book Ennara and the Fallen Druid. Be sure to leave her any comments or questions!
What was the inspiration behind
'Ennara and the Fallen Druid'?
A number of things inspired me when
writing this story. I wanted to write a heroic adventure set in a
fictional distant future of Earth. I wanted to explore that world
through the eyes of a strong young female hero. I wanted to explore
the struggle between light and darkness within us all. And magic. I
wanted lots of magic.
Which character was the most fun
to write?
Smoos and Kithe
were, by far, the most fun characters to write. They are both
intelligent and skilled, but have strong comedic traits. They added a
lot of energy to each scene, and were just fun to be around.
Which
scene was your favorite?
Easily, my favorite scene was the one
in the market, when Ennara accidentally brings the meat on a
butcher’s stand to life. It was just as funny to write as it is to
read.
A close second and third would have to
be the scenes with the toadstools in the forest, and the paintings in
the Royal Gallery of Ililsa. I love the magic my characters
used!
What message do you hope readers take away from
your story?
Ah, theme. It's in the eye of the
beholder. However, there are a few themes in the story that I tried
to cultivate, and hope that the reader picks up. First, that heavy
burdens can and must be shared with friends. Second, that the
greatest power to overcome adversity is the light and intelligence
within you. And finally, that desperate situations can often be
solved without violence, if you put your mind to it.
Will
we see these characters again?
Absolutely! I hope to have book two of
Ennara’s story out in early 2014. We’ll see a lot more of Kithe,
Gevin, Smoos, Tork, and, of course, Ennara too, in their new home of
the Druidic Academy in Iceland.
Do you have any other
projects in the works?
Besides writing book two of the Ennara
series, I’m writing a paranormal mystery under the pen name Chase
Theroux. Why two names? One for kids, and another for everything
else. So the kids don’t come across adult content written by the
author of the fantasy story they just read.
I feel like
when I was a kid, we were all into reading mysteries. Now, children
seem to be really drawn to fantasy. Why do you think fantasy is so
appealing to the younger audience?
I think kids are still reading
mysteries, and I know that even as a child I loved fantasy stories.
If you look closely at today’s popular fantasy stories, they all
have strong elements of mystery to them, as well as riddles, puzzles,
and mythology.
It is the unique domain of the child to
believe that wishing on stars will indeed bring their fruition, and
that somewhere in a distant land and time, fairies, dragons and
unicorns exist.
I remember that as a child, I thought
that even the simplest objects were composed of many tiny, intricate,
complex machines under the surface. And that not just TV was once
black and white, but rather that the world was, and color itself
was invented.
Fantasy stories, especially ones filled
with magic and magical creatures, allow a child to embrace the vivid
imagination and open-hearted belief in possibility that is inherent
to a young mind. I think that it’s the same reason some adults love
fantasy stories too. It brings us back to that state of limitless
possibility. It makes the world around us magic.
Because
fantasy is so popular, how do you make yourself stand out in the
genre?
Currently, I try to stay authentic to
my experiences and the stories I feel are important to tell. Each of
us has such a unique life, I think it would take more effort to write
just like someone else than it would be to have your own voice. But,
you could ask me that again in a few years. I’ll probably have a
better answer then.
You have twin toddlers at home. How
do you balance caring for them with your writing?
There is no balance when you have 19
month old twins at home! Seriously, my time is completely consumed by
them, at least when they are awake. I don't think it should be any
other way.
I write because it is an important
practice to me—I feel lost without it. But my days are full with
these wonderful little people who need a lot of attention. So when
they are awake, they have me completely. When they sleep, I write.
It makes for early mornings, simple
meals, and not the most perfectly tidy house. It takes me months
longer to draft and revise my stories than it does my peers. But that
is all temporary. Eventually I’ll get back to writing fulltime.
Do you find yourself making up stories to tell them, in
addition to reading books?
I’m sure that will come as they get
older. At the age of a year and a half, they are content with playing
with their board books and listening to a few paragraphs of The
Tales of Peter Rabbit before bed.
How did you make
the transition from article writing to fiction writing?
Unlike some people, I wasn’t able to
pick up fiction writing in addition to my fulltime job. I have
the deepest reverence for writers who are able to put in 8-10 hours
at work and then come home and write stories. I attempted novels
several times before doing on maternity leave with my twins, but it
took a concentrated effort (aside from caring for newborns) to finish
my first novel.
What is something readers may be
surprised to learn about you?
I was a Tibetan Buddhist nun for three
years in my late twenties. That’s not too common, is it? During
that time, I went to several talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
and a handful of times even sat on stage with him (and other monks
and nuns) during Buddhist teachings. It was magical. My affair with
the thoughtful religion slowed after I spent two summers and a
Christmas holiday in Arizona helping with an intense Tibetan Buddhist
retreat. Nursing wounds from a deceitful preacher and aggressively
competitive students, I withdrew to my home country of Canada and
back to the life of a layperson. Moral of the story: thoroughly check
out any religious or spiritual group, even if they claim affiliation
to those you trust. The damage people with selfish motivations can
cause in a spiritual context can have nuclear ramifications.
Is
there anything else you would like to add?
I’m looking for reviewers and people
for my street team! If’ you’d like to become a beta reader and be
eligible for some swag, please drop me a line at myronangela AT gmail
DOT com.
Thank you so much for your time!
Thank you, Andi!
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Like
many writers, I have a full life in which I juggle many duties and
joys. I love to cook, garden, and play with my twins. As a mother to
toddlers, I write whenever I am not helping them navigate their
day--which typically means in the early mornings and early afternoons
when they sleep, and sometimes when Grandma comes to visit.
I was
twenty-two when writing became a passion of mine. I've been doing it
in one form or another ever since. But it took me a very long time to
follow my heart's desire to tell stories.
For
years, I simply journaled. I delved into writing articles for
newsletters and grant proposals. I settled into technical writing,
often finding myself a one-person writing, editing, design, app
development, and publication team. I learned the basics of
journalism, and finally, when on maternity leave with my twins, I
turned to writing fiction.
I am
grateful for every reader I have. Writing can be a solitary pursuit,
but it can also be a dialog, a meeting of the minds. I invite you to
connect with me:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/myron.angela?fref=ts
Ennara
and the Fallen Druid
by
Angela Myron
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Eleven
year-old Ennara Gaern has a serious grudge against the dragon on her
right hand.
Born
with a caul—a mask that foretold magical powers—she was
immediately inked with the fiendish, fire-breathing tattoo that
forces her to study boring texts, cover her hand continuously, and
worst of all, keeps her from visiting the beautiful capital city,
Dordonne. But her quiet life changes when one night she is attacked
by a shadowy demon.
Tork,
an old friend and wizard, is enlisted to help. But when he arrives,
he informs Ennara’s parents that she is her world’s only hope of
finding the legendary Sword of Gisilfrid, which is needed to destroy
the curse that is creating the demons. Ennara doesn’t want to leave
on the dangerous quest, but when she learns the curse threatens her
world, she reluctantly agrees.
Ennara
and the wizard begin a perilous journey to the Sunken City, pitting
them against dangerous oceans and pirates intent on claiming Ennara’s
magic as their own. With only her friends at her side, including the
intelligent, aquatic cat Smoos, Ennara must defeat monsters guarding
the sword and servants of the Fallen Druid. When her world is covered
in darkness, will she know how to dispel the curse?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read an excerpt:
“Is it
true she is….” Gevin blushed. “I mean, you are… magic?”
Ennara
fumbled the wand as she turned it in her fingers. She scooped it off
the floor. Her stomach knotted and her cheeks burned. “Oh, um, I
guess.”
She
nervously twirled the wand again, this time accidentally tapping the
case of trinkets. A lavender light shimmered across the panes, and
behind them the objects began to twitch.
“Eeep!”
Ennara jumped as the severed hand crawled toward her and tapped on
the glass. A long finger uncurled and poked the case open. The
appendage leapt from the shelf to the chest, then the floor, and
scurried to the door.
Smoos
crouched on the lower bunk, wiggled her haunches, and pounced on the
hand. She shook it back and forth in the air. It grabbed the cat’s
snout and flicked her hard on the nose. She dropped the hand and
snorted, rubbing her muzzle with her paw. The hand scampered away and
hid behind the girl’s legs.
“You
seem to have a penchant for necromancy, young lady.” Tork flicked
his curvy black wand at the case. “Merta perape.”
The hand
and other charms returned to their lifeless state.
“Ne …
necromancy?” The word felt foreign in her mouth. She glanced at
Kithe and Gevin. Both boys were fixed on her. Gevin’s mouth hung
open.
“Yes.
Bringing back the deceased. Creating walking dead. Giving life to the
lifeless.”
“
But I
didn’t say a spell!”
Buy links:
Angela will be
awarding to a randomly drawn commenter during each week on the tour, a wall
calendar print from http://www.cafepress.com/ennaraswag (Items can be exchanged
for other equal or lesser value items from Ennara Swag on Cafepress.), and will
award a t-shirt from http://www.cafepress.com/ennaraswag to one randomly drawn
commenter during the tour (US ONLY). Also, a $20 Amazon GC will be awarded to a
randomly drawn host.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Dear Parents and Grandparents,
