Tuesday 19 June 2012

Shadow and Bone Blog Tour: Interview & GIVEAWAY



Thanks to Ksenia from Macmillan for putting together this blog tour and asking me to take part in it,a and thanks to Leigh Bardugo for writing an amazing book and doing an interview with me. Check out my review for Shadow and Bone HERE.

Go HERE to follow the Shadow and Bone blog tour! Don't forget at the end of this post is a giveaway sponsered by Macmillan.




Favourite Colour: Red. Everything I buy is red. I can't stay away from it. I'm like one of those monsters in The Village.
Favourite Band/artist: Stevie Nicks. I adore her.
Favourite Book: That's impossible to answer! Today, we'll say it's Many Moons by James Thurber

1. How did you get the idea for the Grisha and the world they live in?
I've always been interested in the functionality of magic. What happens physically when you mutter a curse or wave a magic wand? I thought it might look a lot like a version of molecular chemistry where matter is manipulated at its most fundamental levels, but by magical means. This became the basis of the Small Science and the foundation for Grisha power. As for the world, it evolved as I built the story, but I knew early on that I wanted to use Tsarist Russia as a kind of cultural touchstone. It just made sense in terms of the power dynamics that were already emerging in the narrative. 

2. Alina has some pretty interesting love interests, if you were Alina who would you choose?

 Mal or The Darkling? If I were Alina, I'd wait until Book 2 before I made any rash decisions. But mercenaries and privateers are a particular weakness of mine.  
3. For those who don't know, what exactly are Grisha?

The Grisha are the magical elite of Ravka, the soldiers of the Second Army. Though their powers are vital to the kingdom's defense, they're viewed with suspicion, envy, and even hatred by much of the population. Still, they have it better in Ravka than anywhere else. In other countries, they're burned at the stake, experimented on, and sometimes sold into slavery. They're divided into three Orders-- Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki.

4. Did you always want to write a fantasy book, or did it just sort of happen?

I always loved reading fantasy and science fiction and what I suppose would be referred to as "magical realism" in literary fiction, so it's probably not surprising that I ended up writing fantasy. But I was never that hung up on genre as a reader, and I don't worry too much about it as a writer either. I just write the story I find interesting and hope the genre will work itself out.
5. What can readers expect to see in the next instalments of The Grisha Trilogy?

In Book 2, we'll get to travel a bit more beyond Ravka's borders, and my favorite character of the entire series makes his first appearance. I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that the Darkling will be back and that the most sacred boundaries of Grisha power will be tested.
6. Do you have a playlist for Shadow and Bone or a song you think fits it?

I have a few playlists out there, but there are three songs I keep on heavy rotation:
Running Up that Hill (Placebo's Cover of Kate Bush) has a cool, driving intensity that I've always associated with the Darkling.
Winter Song (Sarah Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson) perfectly describes both the bond and the growing distance between Mal and Alina.
Cosmic Love (Florence + the Machine) I know, I know. This is everyone's song. But the lyrics so perfectly suit all three of my main characters that I can't resist it. Plus, the map reference always makes me think of the fact that Alina is a cartographer (though not a very good one).
If anyone is interested in some of the music I associate with Ravka, they can check out this clip of one of my favorite folk songs or Polegnala e Todora from Le mystère des voix Bulgares. Not everyone likes this type of sound, but I'm a sucker for a Slavic chorus.  
(Hey Hayley! I just wanted to thank you for having me by to talk about Shadow and Bone!)


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Macmillan has offered up a finished copy of Shadow and Bone as part of the Shadow and Bone blog tour. This giveaway is for CAN/US Residents only and will end on July 3rd. Fill out the rafflecopter below to be entered to win.


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28 comments:

  1. AHHH. O_O Okay. Okay. This interview has made me even more insanely excited (if that's physically possible) for Siege and Storm. I am going to be fangirling so hard when they first release those ARCs into that world. Man. It just sounds so ridiculously fantastic. I'm not sure how I'll make it another few months.

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  2. Thanks for the giveaway! I'm even more excited for this book now!

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  3. Cosmic Love is everyone's song for a reason! Good interview. I need to get my hands on a copy of this stat.

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  4. Woah, isn't The Darkling like the king or something? Wow. Alina has some pretty high up love interest. :D Can't wait to read it!

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  5. Enjoyed the interview! Tsarist Russia is one of my favorite parts of history - in fact, I am just starting another book about Catherine the Great!! :) I am really excited to read your book!!

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  6. This book looks awesome, I really want to read it! Leigh sounds like a cool author. Good luck to everyone! :)

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  7. I've heard so much about this book and this interview was awesome!

    Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!

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  8. This book sounds great! I love when she talked about wearing red and the movie The Village. LOL Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  9. One of my best blogging buddies LOVED this book, so I've been excited to read it for awhile, but after reading this interview, I'm even more excited! Thanks for a chance to win! :-)

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  10. I've heard such good things about this book!

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  11. She is so epic. I read this eARC and I couldn't put it down. LOVED IT! Fantasy at its best. I love knowing what authors listen to as they write! Thank you for the giveaway and for interviewing Leah :P

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  12. I cant wait to read this book thanks for the great interview!!!!

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  13. Great interview questions! They really helped me get to know the author.

    Thanks so much for offering such a great giveaway!
    Danielle
    http://knowntoread.blogspot.com/

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  14. Thanks for this giveaway! I am DYING to read this book! I keep hearing so many great things about it but I don't own a copy. And I'm bummed because Leigh Bardugo actually came to my town for the Fierce Reads tour but I missed it! Ugh :P

    Anyway, thanks again and fingers crossed! :)

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  15. I love Leigh's answers! Though I'm curious as to why she'd wait for book two to decide between Mal and Darkling. Yikes--now I'm afraid! D:

    Wonderful interview, ladies! <3

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  16. Awesome answers. I'm especially worried about the answer to the question between Mal and the Darkling. I need book two now! Thanks for the chance to win ;)

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  17. Great interview! This makes me want to read the book even more than before! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  18. I love reading interviews from authors. This definitely looks like a must read.

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  19. Thanks for the interview and the giveaway! I particularly enjoyed the playlist info, I am a sucker for book "soundtracks"!

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  20. Ooo. I'm really looking forward to reading a fantasy book set in Russia.

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  21. I love reading author interviews and this one was awesome. Thanks for the post and giveaway. I can't wait to read Shadow and Bone!

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  22. I love that Leigh Bardugo wrote what she wanted and didn't pay too much attention to the genre. Shadow and Bone sounds great, I can't wait to read it.

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  23. Her favorite character in the entire series?! That's promising. And I am definitely checking out those songs. Great interview!

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  24. I have never hear of the book or author. My daughter is the one who got me into reading again recently. The book sounds really interesting

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  25. Great interview! I just attended a conference where the editor for this book spoke. It sounds amazing!

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  26. i enetered lol!!!! :D nice interview!! i like the little quick questions at the top... thats kinda cool :p

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  27. Great interview, I agree it is hard to decide on a favorite book when there are so many to love!

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  28. Than you sharing you knowledge with us i also say you something.. they are so many question ask during the interview ,, i am giving you some sort of questions,,

    What are the challenging facets of the job?
    What are the challenging facets of the job?
    How would you describe your organization's personality and management style?
    Describe the work environment.
    How will that help the organization?
    Leadership Development Hunter Valley

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Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts! :)