Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Burning Sky Blog Tour: Character Interview with Iolanthe + Giveaway


Today I have the enormous pleasure of welcoming author Sherry Thomas and protagonist Iolanthe to the blog as part of the promotional tour for Sherry's new YA fantasy release, The Burning Sky. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2013 and it didn't disappoint in the least, I loved everything about Iolanthe's story and am not at all ashamed to admit the wait for book two may give me a stress-induced ulcer I want it so badly. *stares longingly at calendar* On a more positive note though, Iolanthe is here on the blog to answer some questions about the changes her life undergoes in The Burning Sky (and maybe a few about Titus too). 

The amazing team at Rockstar Book Tours has planned a fabulous tour full of reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for the full schedule and giveaway details!

You have to spend a great deal of time masquerading as a boy in order to stay by Titus’s side in the human world. What is the single hardest part of fitting in at an all-boys school?

That there are only boys’ bathrooms. Granted, there are stalls with doors that close, but who wants to deal with the sight of a dozen boys standing before a big trough to get to those stalls?! That is something I have to be very careful about. Also—and this is not mentioned in the book—but I have a couple of other places around town where I can both have some privacy and not have my eyeballs assaulted on the way to that privacy.  :)

Titus is a very different person when he’s in front of people as Prince Titus (as he has to be) than he is when it’s just the two of you. If you had to assign an animal (magical or otherwise) to represent his public face and one to represent his private one, which animals do you think best embody his two personalities?

The best equivalent might be the wolf. He can seem very snarly and standoff-ish at times, but in truth he can be both playful and affectionate.

Let’s say that instead of attending school in London, you and Titus are both enrolled in a school in Domain. What class do you think you would excel at? Which one would cause you to struggle?

I have never been that good at archival magic—magic that is no longer practiced but which are taught as part of the curriculum. (And unfortunately, the higher you go in school, the more archival magic you have to study.)

I am, however, a pretty decent potionmaker—so confident that I volunteered to make silver light elixir for a wedding. (You might read about a clarifying potion that I have trouble concocting, but unbeknownst to me, one of the key ingredients has lost all potency—the reason my efforts kept failing.)

There are some spectacular magical creatures in the Realm. If one of them were to cross over into the human world, which do you think would fascinate or terrify us the most?

The colossal cocatrice would do the trick nicely. It is not called colossal for no reason—the beast is taller than castle walls! Not to mention, the fire produced by a coupled pair of colossal cocatrice is one of the hottest substances known to magekind. That ought to send nonmages scurrying. 

If you could return to the moment right before things went awry with the elixir and give that Iolanthe a short message, what would it be?

Don’t panic.  :)

What’s one small thing about Titus you know that the rest of the Realm doesn’t?

He is an excellent tailor. 

My uniforms must fit me, you see, but before I came along, Titus had no idea what kind of height or girth he would be dealking with. So he learned a slew of tailoring spells. That way, he could alter the uniforms he had already prepared so they would look as if they had been made to measure.

If we were to ask Titus what he thought made you such a great partner in your fight against the Bane, what do you think he would say? Would you agree with him?

He would say my courage. And I would have to disagree. I am not courageous at all. If there is a dangerous mission, I’d rather someone else undertook it. However, I do hate to fail. If I have committed to a perilous task, then I will see it through come hell or high water. 

(The tough part, as you might guess, is getting me to agree to such tasks.)

• • • • • • • • • • 

THE BURNING SKY (Elemental Trilogy #1)
Available now from Balzer + Bray


It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she’s being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he’s also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to avenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.

But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.

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• • • • • • • • • • •

SHERRY THOMAS

Author photo by the lovely and talented Jennifer Sparks Harriman at Sparks Studio.

Sherry Thomas is one of the most acclaimed romance authors working today. Her books regularly receive starred reviews from trade publications and are frequently found on best-of-the-year lists. She is also a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award.

English is Sherry’s second language—she has come a long way from the days when she made her laborious way through Rosemary Roger’s Sweet Savage Love with an English-Chinese dictionary. She enjoys digging down to the emotional core of stories. And when she is not writing, she thinks about the zen and zaniness of her profession, plays computer games with her sons, and reads as many fabulous books as she can find.

Sherry’s next book, THE BURNING SKY, volume one of her young adult fantasy trilogy, will be available fall 2013.

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 • • • • • • • • • • 

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAYS

  
For First Place:

1 Hardcover of THE BURNING SKY a tote bag, and handmade balm, scrub, and bath tea.

Runners Up:

 3 Hardcovers of THE BURNING SKY and a tote bag.

3 runners up will get swag packs (stickers, bookmarks, signed bookplates)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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9/16/2013- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post 
9/17/2013- Fiktshun- Guest Post 
9/18/2013- Seeing Night Reviews- Review 
9/19/2013- Supernatural Snark- Interview 
9/20/2013- Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks- Review

39 comments:

  1. Fab interview! I can see how boy's bathrooms would be a big challenge. The locker room would be as well I imagine.

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    1. Right? I would probably give myself away super quickly in a situation like that. I know I'd slip up somewhere!

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  2. Ohh it looks good :D So cool that she wrote a YA book

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    1. Yes! I love her historical romances, but this was amazing as well.

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  3. I loved the interview. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to read The Burning Sky. Titus sounds very intriguing. :D

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    1. It was fabulous, I hope you love it as much as I did!

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  4. LOL at the first answer. It seems like a real story though, I can't imagine it being any other way. The way Iolanthe describes Titus as a wolf reminds me of the wonderful wolves in the Nightshade trilogy. I so wouldn't want to meet these colossal cocatrices in real life *hides* Can't wait to read this pretty! I've only seen one DNF review and others are just raving about the awesomeness that this book holds in itself. Thanks so much for a wonderful interview, hon!

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    1. I loved it Siiri, I hope you give it a try:)

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  5. I actually just received a copy of this in the mail yesterday, so I'm excited to read it and this interview has only made me more curious to meet these characters. Thanks for sharing, Jenny!

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  6. Titus is definitely a wolf. He protects those he believes are his and snarls at anyone who gets too close. Loved this story and, Jenny, I'm going to be joining you in sucking down the Pepto -- too long a wait for book 2!!

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    1. YES MARY! We shall drink Peto together and pine for Titus. Win.

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  7. Loved the interview questions, Jenny. I definitely agree that Titus is wolf-like. He's such a complex character which is why I adored him.
    Ha! It's great that Iolanthe has a bathroom in a more private place. It would freak me out as well having to walk into a mens' bathroom!
    Thanks for sharing, Jenny! :)

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    1. Me too Nick, me too. And it would likely traumatize me if I had to do it repeatedly:)

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  8. Fantastic interview! Very entertaining :) Both Iolanthe and Titus seem to be awesome characters and I can't wait to read The Burning Sky. I've heard so many people raving about it recently, that it's quite possible that if I don't get my hands on a copy soon my brain will pop ;) Fantasy is usually a hit or miss with me, but this one really sounds like a great story with great characters :) Thanks for sharing this post, Jenny!

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    1. Fantasy is the same way for me, but I loved everything about this one. It helped me that half of the story is set in the real world (kind of like Harry Potter) and half in the fantasy world, so I was able to ground myself in reality even when we crossed over into the Realm:)

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  9. I want to meet Titus now, the world-building sounds amazing. Wonderful interview Jenny, thanks for introducing me to this fantasy.

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  10. "The best equivalent might be the wolf. He can seem very snarly and standoff-ish at times, but in truth he can be both playful and affectionate."

    I think that's completely fitting! It sums up Titus' character perfectly. I loved both sides of his personality, but the playful and teasing side was my favourite by far. ;)

    A really brilliant interview! I adored this book and can't wait for the sequel. I won't be surprised if I end up with a stress-induced ulcer too.

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    1. We should form a club. Misery loves company after all, so we can all suffer in our wait for book 2 together:)

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  11. Great interview it really showed who the characters were and brought insight into them. I kind of wish I would have read this before starting the book!

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  12. I loved this book! All the magic and deception makes me want more. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  13. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. It sounds fantastic and that book trailer definitely had me hooked. Great interview, Jenny! You always ask such wonderful questions.

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  14. Fantastic interview! This book is definitely on my TBR list. Thanks for this great giveaway!

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  15. Very awesome. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, your interviews are my favorites, Jenny. :D

    I've heard so many great things about this book! I cannot wait to read this for myself!

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  16. I've heard soooooo many good things about this book. I can't wait to read it!!! XD

    **entered as Rachelle**

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  17. Titus is a terrific hero with many layers. Confident on the outside, yet afraid he won't be able to protect Iolanthe.

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  18. I've seen some pretty fabulous reviews, but I was still undecided, until now. I love it when girls have to dress up as boys for whatever reason, it's one of my very favorite things, plus I'm curious about the rest of this story as well. It sounds very original.
    Thanks for sharing, Jenny!

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  19. Oh this sounds like a fab book and one that is right up my alley! Loved the interview and have to say the boys bathroom comment make me laugh. That would be bad. LOL I'll have to also remember the tailor part when reading about Titus. :)

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  20. Congrats to Sherry Thomas on the release of The Burning Sky. The trailer looks great! The bathroom comment made me LOL and scare my cat.

    Thanks for hosting the giveaway! Fingers crossed to win.

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  21. I love your character interviews Jenny, they are great! I don't think I'd be wanting to use the bathroom with a bunch of boys either, no matter what it would feel awkward to me. Plus very gross.
    I loved this book!

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  22. Where did you research your magical creatures? I've always been interested in how authors do this. I know the internet can produce quite a few but are there really books in libraries on them?

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  23. As usual I love your interview questions, Jenny (the answers, too, Sherry!)! This sounds like an amazing read! I usually like to wait a bit to start a trilogy, because I have hardly any patience, but we'll see. Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  24. I've not heard much about this book before coming across this interview. I'm so glad I did, bc it sounds amazeballs, can't wait to read Burning Sky!!!

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  25. I just got my copy of this book and after hearing from Iolanthe, I can't wait to meet her and Titus! Amazing interview, thanks for sharing :-)

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  26. JENNY, omg, I'm so far behind on your blog and I've been meaning to catch up for weeks. Will I ever get caught up? o.o. I think I've had your blog opened to this page ever since you and I discussed The Burning Sky. Oh no to the stress-induced ulcer! I'm glad you liked this book and that it didn't disappoint though!

    I can't even picture using a boys bathroom. There are always comments in television shows and movies about how much nicer girls' ones are, how much cleaner ours are, and them all standing before a trough? o.o

    SPIRIT ANIMALS. Jenny, you come up with the best questions. Aw, I just had an adorable image of Prince Titus as a little baby wolf.

    Potions! Potions! Well, we can say that's where Iolanthe definitely diverges from Harry :). Archival magic reminds me a bit of dead languages.

    Was the cocatrice mentioned in the book? I no longer remember but am very curious as to this magical creature and its somewhat resemblance to a dragon.

    Interesting. I didn't even think of tailoring detail about the masquerade they put on. Titus in general seems to be excellent with his magic.

    I always love your interviews & am looking forward to more :).

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