I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on blog tour for HEIR TO THE SKY by Amanda Sun!I have an interview with Amanda to
share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished
copy of the book!
Haven't heard of HEIR TO THE SKY? Check it out!
Author: Amanda Sun
Pub. Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, eBook
As heir to a kingdom of floating continents, Kali has spent her life bound by limits—by her duties as a member of the royal family; by a forced betrothal to the son of a nobleman; and by the edge of the only world she’s ever known—a small island hovering above a monster-ridden earth, long since uninhabited by humans. She is the Eternal Flame of Hope for what’s left of mankind, the wick and the wax burning in service for her people, and for their revered Phoenix, whose magic keeps them aloft.
When Kali falls off the edge of her kingdom and miraculously survives, she is shocked to discover there are still humans on the earth. Determined to get home, Kali entrusts a rugged monster-hunter named Griffin to guide her across a world overrun by chimera, storm dragons, basilisks, and other terrifying beasts. But the more time she spends on earth, the more dark truths she begins to uncover about her home in the sky, and the more resolute she is to start burning for herself.
Now on to the interview!
Hi Amanda! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! HEIR TO
THE SKY was fantastic! And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!
Hi! And thank you so much for having me! ^_^
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about HEIR TO THE SKY and the
characters?
Sure! HEIR TO THE SKY is about Kali, the heir to a
kingdom of floating continents in the sky. They float above a monster-ridden
abandoned earth below. But when she falls of the edge of her home one day, she
miraculously survives, and meets Griffin, a rugged monster hunter who promises
to get her home safely. And the closer she gets to home, the more her world
unravels.
Also there are pygmy goats. And dragons. And monsters of
all sorts.
Is this a
standalone or a series? And if it’s a series do you have a title for book 2
yet? And if it’s a standalone what are you working on next?
It’s actually a standalone, although my head is full of
ideas for a sequel! I’m working on a few things. I have a short story coming
out in the anthology STRANGERS AMONG US this August. My story is about a boy
who lives in a world in his head—he
can’t speak, and he’s sold to a warlord. It’s a darker story about revenge and the
potential we all carry within ourselves to perform dark deeds. And I have a few
short stories I’m working on, as well as a top secret novel that I will be
working on more once my baby daughter lets me. ^_^
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
Yes and no. I firmly believe that as writers, we lie
about the truth. That is, everything we write is like a dream, distorted
fragments of things we’ve experienced or thought about, twisted into new and
different shapes. There are fragments of my best friends in Kali’s best friend
Elisha, for example. And they all have a bit of me in them, too. I do have to
say that Griffin was influenced by the Final Fantasy character Noel, from
FFXIII-2. Video games in general were a big influence on this book, as I’ve
always loved the floating continents from games like Skyward Sword, Chrono
Trigger, and FFVI.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
I loved writing Griffin! He knows all the strategies to
take down monsters and look for safe havens and plants around them. He also has
a big heart, and a tragic past. He trusts fully, even when he knows better. I
also love Aliyah, because she’s such a big personality. Strong, protective, and
deadly with her behemoth-fang spear.
Least favorite is probably Sayra, because I feel sorry
for her. She’s not up to the task of survival like Griffin or Aliyah are. She
cries a lot, and she can’t settle into life on the earth. I feel like that
sometimes, more powerless and cowardly than I want to be. I don’t like what she
reflects in myself.
What is your
favorite passage/scene in HEIR TO THE SKY?
My favorite scene has to be the swamp and the treehouse.
Everything in the swamp is iridescent at night, glowing and unfurling with a
strange glittering beauty. But it’s dangerous too. My other favorite is the end
of the book, which I can’t say much about. I hope you enjoy these scenes when
you come to them!
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
A lot! I didn’t know much about survival skills. I
learned all kinds of fascinating things about how to survive in the wild, what
you can eat, how to find water, and how to make tools. I researched a lot about
the Himalayas and mountain climates so I could figure out what could survive on
floating continents and whether life was feasible up there. I also drew on a
lot of my background in Archaeology for designing Kali’s kingdom and its
religion around the Phoenix. Most of the names in her kingdom like Ashra,
Burumu, Nartu, and the city of Ulan are derived from Akkadian words for flight,
soaring, wings, and so on.
What inspired you
to write YA?
I always say YA chose me! As I grew up, I liked to write
about characters who were slightly older than I was. But when I got to be a
teen, my characters stopped aging. I love the energy that teen characters have.
They know they can save the world—they
aren’t discouraged or jaded. They
believe there’s
more if they can only grasp it. Plus YA has so much exciting genre meshing. You
can break all kinds of rules and it only makes things more exciting!
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I’m in the middle of THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke
Nijkamp. I’m a slow reader at the moment because my baby daughter just started
walking and can’t be left alone for even a minute. But I manage to get a few
pages here and there. And I’m dying to read Jodi Meadow’s new book THE MIRROR
KING. Yay!
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
I’m actually a proud member of Slytherin. OK, I’m not
ruthless or anything. I’m quiet and shy. But I’ve always been drawn to
Slytherin because I find it the most interesting house. The odds are stacked
against you, and who doesn’t like rooting for the underdog? Plus, aren’t all
authors a little devious and mean? Let’s face it—making
readers cry is our ultimate goal.
Twitter or
Facebook?
Twitter for fun, Facebook for pet and baby photos. ^_^
Favorite
Superhero?
Superman, as in the original movies. He’s just so honest
and straightforward and his heart’s in the right place. He’s also kind of
awkward, like me.
Favorite TV show?
Beauty and the Beast from the 80’s (Vincent and
Catherine!) I’m also partial to Deathnote and Boys over Flowers.
Sweet or Salty?
Salty, mostly chips of all kinds. Om nom nom.
Any Phobias?
Oh god yes. Spiders. They’re the reason I’m trained as an
archaeologist but working as a writer INDOORS. My Ancient Near Eastern prof had
horror stories about the whispery sounds of camel spiders AKA tarantula things
climbing on the ceilings of their tents. Yeah, I’ll stay here, thanks.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
The Humming by Enya. It gets so stuck in my head. Plus
I’ve been watching a ton of documentaries about space and the universe lately,
and the song sort of echoes the vastness that I’ve been pondering. You know,
between changing diapers.
Spring Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
Alice Through the Looking Glass. I’m a huge Alice in
Wonderland fan, so much so that my new baby girl is named Alice. ^_^
Thanks so much Amanda for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read HEIR TO THE SKY!
Thank you for having me, and Happy Reading!
ABOUT AMANDA SUN:
I’m a YA author and proud Nerdfighter. I was born in Deep River, Canada, a very small town without traffic lights or buses, and where stranger safety is comprised of what to do if you see a bear—or skunk. I started reading fantasy novels at 4 and writing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Hopefully my work’s improved since then.
In university I took English, Linguistics, and Asian History, before settling into Archaeology, because I loved learning about the cultures and stories of ancient people. Of course, I didn’t actually become an archaeologist—I have an intense fear of spiders. I prefer unearthing fascinating stories in the safety of my living room.
The Paper Gods is inspired by my time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan. That and watching far too many J-Dramas. I currently live in Toronto with my husband and daughter. When I’m not writing, I’m devouring YA books, knitting nerdy things like Companion Cubes and Triforce mitts, and making elaborate cosplays for anime cons.
Giveaway Details:
3 Finished Copies of HEIR TO THE SKY (US Only)
Tour Schedule:
I've had my eye on this one for a while! The blurb sounds amazing ...floating continents, beasts, etc. Sounds really cool. Nice interview, too. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds unique. I love the idea of a kingdom in the sky that humans aren't aware of and vice versa. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteNice interview. Interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read this. It sounds original and imaginative. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of this story, it's so unique! I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteMONSTERS.... I am all about the awesome monsters. This sounds really good, and I love the cover! Can't wait to check this one out. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover. The book sounds really original.
ReplyDelete