Title: SNOW
LIKE ASHES
Author: Sara
Raasch
Pub. Date: October
14, 2014
Publisher: Balzer +
Bray
Pages: 432
Formats: Hardcover,
audio, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads
A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.
Now on to the post!
Today, I would like to share with the lovely readers of Two
Chicks on Books a behind-the-scenes trip into one of my favorite parts of SNOW
LIKE ASHES:
The map!
The lovely map you see in copies of SLA today was not always so
lovely. It, like the book, evolved over many drafts.
The first one came when I was a wee authorling authoring the
first draft of SLA. I was INTO IT in an intense, over-the-moon obsessed way. I
spent HOURS drawing pictures, sketching maps, constructing castle layouts, etc.
Thus, this first map is DETAILED. And really, really wrong for how the world is laid out now. Like the only thing similar to how Primoria actually is are a few of the kingdoms and the positions of the bodies of water.
The next attempt came once I started rewriting SNOW LIKE ASHES
a few years back. I had to rework the map, and as such, a better attempt at a
map was born…
And by better, I mean...only slightly. This is what happens
when you take someone who thinks they have graphic design skill and give them
Microsoft Paint.
LOOK AT MY BLOBBY TREES. I'm sorry, but those are the most
realistic blobby trees I've ever seen.
And, for the final map...*drum roll*
Somehow, out of all that craziness, the amazing artist Jordan Saia created this work of gloriousness that made me tear up just as
much as my cover.
Okay, okay, his trees are WAY better. Really, his everything is
way better. I MEAN LOOK AT IT.
Thanks Sara for the awesome post! I love the backstory for the map the final product is gorgeous!
About Sara:
Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since
the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to
sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her
friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her
enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut
YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, comes out October 14, 2014
from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.
Find Sara Online:
Giveaway
Details:
4 Winners will receive SNOW LIKE ASHES swag packs Two post
cards, two bookmarks, SLA buttons, and a bag of instant snow.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the Tour Schedule for more awesome posts!
Week One:
10/6/2014- Bookish- Interview
10/7/2014- Magical
Urban Fantasy Reads- Review
10/8/2014- Bewitched Bookworms- Guest Post
10/9/2014- Fictitious
Delicious- Review
10/10/2014- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview
Week Two:
10/13/2014- Fiction Freak- Review
10/14/2014- Dark Faerie Tales- Interview
10/15/2014- Fiktshun- Guest Post
10/16/2014- IceyBooks- Review
10/17/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
I don't think I've ever seen an author talk about their map process before. This post fascinated me. Loved it, Sara! Thanks for hosting the topic, Jaime. I favorited this one for future reference! ^.~
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway (:
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for this one!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I LOVE maps in books. And I love the map in Snow Like Ashes. And Sara, I love the map you made too! :D
ReplyDeleteI love this. The map is pretty cool. :D
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds interesting and is in my tbr list.
ReplyDeleteSnow Like Ashes looks like amazing high-fantasy book! :)
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