Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for MAD MAGIC by Nicole Conway! I loved this book and I adore Nicole so I'm super excited to be on this tour!
I have an interview with Nicole to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!
Haven't heard of MAD MAGIC? Check it out!
Mad Magic is a beautifully dark and rich Young Adult fantasy from Nicole Conway, bestselling author of the Dragonrider Chronicles.
Josie Barton is a high school student living in terror. Invisible creatures torment her everywhere she goes, constantly getting her into trouble at school, and even haunting her apartment. But just when Josie thinks things couldn’t get any worse... she meets the guy from across the hall.
Zeph Clemmont is a changeling with enemies in all the worst places, fighting to undo a curse that threatens to end his life. Survival means he will have to swallow his pride and trust Josie with all his darkest secrets.
With the help of a gun-slinging shaman and the enigmatic Prince of Nightmares, Zeph and Josie are only a heartbeat away from defeating one of the most diabolical faerie villains their world has ever known.
Now on to the interview!
Hey Nicole!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m
glad you could stop by for a chat! MAD MAGIC was freaking AWESOME and I can’t
wait for everyone to read it!
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about MAD MAGIC and the characters?
MAD
MAGIC was a blast to work on. I fell in love with all of the characters so
quickly—especially
Eldrick, who I originally intended to be a villain. Turns out he had a mind of
his own! When I first started developing the story, I wanted to reinvent the
world of faeries and magic in a way that I hadn’t seen before, but still
harkened back to the traditional lore and stories we all know. The end result
was a wild and suspenseful ride not even I had anticipated!
So do we have a
title for book 2 yet?
I
have titles for the next 2, actually! VICIOUS VOWS is volume 2 and WICKED WAYS
is volume 3! Both will bring in familiar faces while adding in new baddies and
allies and of course, more familiar faces from folklore reimagined for the Mad
Magic world!
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
I
like to take bits and pieces from people I know and combined them into one
character, but MAD MAGIC was different in that – for
the first time – one
of the characters took on a lot of personality and physical traits from someone
I knew. Eldrick was based on a young professor I had in college. He taught
Shakespeare and was, just like Eldrick, a sharp dresser with a very refined
demeanor. He also had perfect glossy black hair. All the female students were
wild about him, which I don’t think he realized. Hah!
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Tough
one! I loved Zeph and Eldrick both –
especially when they had scenes together. They feed off of one another like
siblings bickering in the backseat on a family road trip. Their banter kept me
grinning and chuckling the whole way through. My least favorite was probably
Lumi, but only because she is a challenge. She’s extremely complex, and I guess
I should get used to her because we will see much more of her in the future!
What is your
favorite passage/scene in MAD MAGIC?
I
think the battle at the wedding venue is my favorite. I love writing big battle
scenes, magical explosions, and action – and
emotions ran hot during that whole scene. It was fun!
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
I
looked a lot into folklore from Irish, Scottish, and old world English origins.
I also researched Mongolian beliefs and spiritual rituals, as well as looking
into a lot of the Japanese stories. Since the theory behind Mad Magic is that
fae are everywhere, and different cultures simply named them something
different all over the world, it was interesting to look for parallels and
similarities.
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
Oh
that’s a tough one. Well, I’m a sucker for elves (thanks to a childhood
obsession with Lord of the Rings). So for those of you who’ve read my
Dragonrider books, I’d marry Kiran in a heartbeat. I love the strong, silent,
mysterious types. Eldrick has a touch of that, too, and I share his love for
coffee … but
I’m not sure he’d approve of my lack of fashion sense.
What inspired you
to write YA?
YA
happened sort of by accident. Previously, I’ve written more in the middle grade
spectrum. But as my storylines grow and add in more adult elements, namely
romance and battles, I’ve bled over into YA. To me, it’s all just stories, so I
have a hard time determining which age group a book belongs to. I let my agent
advise me in that department!
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
Just
finished Origin by Dan Brown and moving onto Artemis by Andy Weir. I don’t
actually read much YA … I’m always afraid of cross-contamination.
I can’t
accidentally copy what I’ve
never read!
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Ravenclaw!
Twitter or
Facebook?
Facebook
Favorite
Superhero?
Daredevil
Favorite TV show?
Stranger
Things
Sweet or Salty?
Salty
Any Phobias?
I’m
not a fan of heights.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
I’m
an oldies person, which pains me to say cause I remember these songs being
brand new, but I love listening to the 90’s and early 2000s hits.
2018 Movie you’re
most looking forward to?
Oh
man, 2018 is going to be my year! The Incredibles 2, Pacific Rim 2, Basically
all the new Marvel movies, Mission Impossible 6, The Crimes of Grindelwald, … need I go on??
Thanks so much Nicole for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read MAD MAGIC!
About Nicole:
My name is Ashley
"Nicole" Conway. I'm originally from North Alabama and attended
Auburn University where I earned a BA in English with a concentration in Classics
& Mythology. I'm happily married and have one son, Ethan. I also have a cat, Mr. Darcy, and a dog named
Phoebe.
Writing has been a
passion of mine since childhood, and to be able to do it as a full-time career
is something I take as a great blessing and honor. My heart is in children's
literature, specifically middle-grade and young adult fantasy. I'm best known
for my MG/YA fantasy series THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, which is published by
Month9Books. The second series, THE DRAGONRIDER LEGACY, just launched this
fall!
My other works in
include MAD MAGIC (2017), THE DISTANCE BETWEEN STARS (2017), SCALES (tbd), and
SHATTERBEAST (tbd).
I am represented by
Fran Black of Literary Counsel.
Look for my books on
Amazon.com and at your local Barnes & Noble Bookstores!
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, US Only.
1 winner
will win a finished copy of MAD MAGIC, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week
One:
1/1/2018- BookHounds YA- Interview
1/1/2018- Confessions
of a YA Reader- Review
1/2/2018- Wandering Bark
Books- Excerpt
1/2/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review
1/3/2018- Lost in Ever After- Interview
1/3/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
1/4/2018- Book Briefs- Review
1/4/2018- Ikram Reads A Lot- Review
1/5/2018-
Books and Ladders- Review
1/5/2018- Rambling Reviews- Review
1/6/2018- Just Commonly- Review
Week
Two:
1/8/2018- Once Upon a Twilight- Excerpt
1/8/2018- Step Into A
Book World- Review
1/9/2018- Blushing
Bibliophile- Review
1/9/2018- Book-Keeping- Review
1/10/2018- Novel Novice- Guest
Post
1/10/2018- Pervy Ladies Books- Review
1/11/2018- My Crea
Bookish Kingdom- Review
1/11/2018- The Book Recluse
Review- Review
1/12/2018- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt
1/12/2018- Abooktropolis- Review
Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteMad Magic sounds like non-stop excitement.
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