Two Chicks On Books: Blog Tour- WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones An Interview & Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for FROSTBLOOD by Elly Blake! I loved this high fantasy this book! I have an interview with Elly to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a chance to win the book!!

Haven't heard of FROSTBLOOD? Check it out!

Title: WINTERSONG

Author: S. Jae-Jones

Pub. Date: February 7, 2017

Publisher: A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin

Pages: 448

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

Now on to the interview!

Hey JJ!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books it’s awesome that you could stop by for a chat! WINTERSONG was freaking AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about WINTERSONG and the characters?

Wintersong is the story of a young woman named Liesl who journeys Underground to rescue her sister from the clutches of the Goblin King, only to discover that she may be the one in need of saving. The main character and narrator is Liesl, musically gifted and an aspiring composer, who sets aside her dreams in order to care for her family.

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 is part one of a duology! It was originally acquired as a standalone, but I had always conceived of a part two to the narrative. Fortunately, my publisher bought the second as well. I have a tentative title for book 2, but it’s not final, so I can’t say anything yet.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

Yes…and no. There is a little bit of me in every character I write, and there is a little bit of everyone I’ve met and loved in them as well. There’s no one-to-one correlation, although I wrote something very personal into each of the main characters. I gave Liesl my drive to create as well as my bipolar disorder. I gave her sister Käthe my love of pretty things, as well as my generally frivolous and sanguine nature. I gave Liesl’s brother Josef my introverted nature. To the Goblin King, I gave my propensity to wax philosophical about uninteresting things, as well as my struggle with faith.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

My favorite character to write is Thistle, a prickly goblin girl. I also had a blast with Constanze. (You might be sensing a theme here; I like writing kind of nasty, unlikeable women.) My least favorite character to write was probably the Goblin King. I sometimes got frustrated with him because he was so broody and annoying. J I mean, I love the Goblin King, I do. But he’s not what I personally find attractive in a hero, haha.

What is your favorite passage/scene in WINTERSONG?

I do have a favorite passage from Wintersong:

“ I had forgotten my sister’s existence. I had forgotten why I was there. I had forgotten everything but the sight of the Goblin King’s eyes, gray and green and blue and brown together. Käthe pulled at my sleeve, and I followed, running down the corridor hand in hand with my sister. Running before Der Erlkönig could catch us, running before he could trap us again with sweet words and sweet enchantments, and running before I could quite understand the strange, syncopated beat of my sympathetic heart.”

It’s the moment when Liesl sees the Goblin King playing the violin for the first time, and there is a moment of kinship between them that she doesn’t quite understand.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

I did a lot of historical research, as the “real” setting of Wintersong is late 18^th century Bavaria. I also did a lot of research into music, especially musical history, both from an artistic and technical point of view. I’m a musician, but I don’t know how to play the violin, which is the predominant instrument in the book. J

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

I don’t really have any? Which is funny because in high school, I wrote an award-winning essay about fictional boyfriends, haha. But truthfully, I love a lot of male characters, but I mostly ship them with their respective love interests in their own books. Personally, I tend to like my male characters a bit on the trickster/roguish side. A sense of humor is vital. I have laid claim to Prince Vikram from Roshani Chokshi’s forthcoming A Crown of Wishes, so I suppose he’s my official book boyfriend. J

What inspired you to write YA?

I used to say that I never left the children’s section of the bookstore. I was an English literature major in college, and in between all the old, dry white man books I had to read for class, I was reading all my childhood favorites. At the same time, the YA was also expanding: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, Markus Zusak were making themselves known in the publishing landscape, so I never bothered to look for books to read outside kidlit.

The truth is, I write YA because I like to read it. I think adults are dull, for the most part. J Every book I’ve written is a book I wrote for a younger version of myself.

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 dying to read the newest Maria V. Snyder book, Dawn Study. My friend Kelly introduced me to her work a few years ago, and I BINGE-READ about 9 of her books in a week. I’m also really looking forward to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

RAVENCLAW. I WILL ACCEPT NO OTHER HOUSE.

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter.

Favorite Superhero?

Does Death of the Endless from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman count?

Favorite TV show?

Of all time? The X-Files. I’m not watching anything at the moment, but I really enjoyed Westworld.

Sweet or Salty?

Salty.

Any Phobias?

A mild fear of heights that I ignore on a routine basis to go skydiving. Dolls freak me out. I also have this weird…quirk…feeling of revulsion? that overcomes me when I see a bunch of little holes or dots clustered together. (Google trypophobia, which I don’t actually think is a legitimate phobia, but ugh. Shudder.)

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

I currently have the Westworld soundtrack on loop, but the piece of music I listened to the most in the past few months is On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter, which was used in the film Arrival.

2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Oh boy, I am so out of the loop with movies, but right now I have to say it’s Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.

Thanks so much JJ for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read WINTERSONG!

About S Jae-Jones:

S. Jae-Jones, called JJ, is a voracious and indiscriminate reader, an avid traveler, and something of an adrenaline junkie.

Born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, she lived in New York City for 10 years before relocating down to Dixie, where she is comfortably growing fat on grits and barbecue. When not writing, she can be find rock-climbing, skydiving, taking photographs, drawing pictures, and dragging her dog on ridiculously long hikes.