Two Chicks On Books: Blog Tour- NAVIGATING THE STARS by Maria V. Snyder With An Interview & Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for NAVIGATING THE STARS by Maria V. Snyder! I love Maria and all of her books!!! I have an interview with Maria to share with you today check it out and enter to win the giveaway below!

About The Book:

Title: NAVIGATING THE STARS (Sentinels of the Galaxy #1)

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Pub. Date: December 1, 2018 (US Publication Date)

Publisher: Maria V. Snyder

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 464

Find it: Goodreads, Kindle link, Amazon Paperback, B&N, iBooks

Navigating the Stars is the first book in a new science fiction series.

Terra Cotta Warriors have been discovered on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. And Lyra Daniels' parents are the archaeological Experts (yes with a capital E) on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them despite the time dilation causing havoc with her social life.

When one of the many Warrior planets goes silent, and looters attack her research base, Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets. And, more importantly, by who.

Now on to the interview

Hey Maria! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! It’s been a while since you’ve been here I’m so happy you could stop by for a chat! NAVIGATING THE STARS was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

So glad you enjoyed the book. Thanks so much for organizing my blog tour!

For the readers: can you give us a little info on NAVIGATING THE STARS and the characters?

MVS: Basically Terracotta Warriors have been discovered on various exoplanets throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. The main character’s parents are the archeological experts and have been dragging poor Lyra around the galaxy to do research on why these Warriors are there and, more importantly, who put them there. Each time they travel to a new planet, the time dilation kicks in. In NAVIGATING THE STARS, Lyra learns that they’re moving again and this time she’s going to jump 50 years into the future. Not the best thing for her social life 😊 When they arrive at her new home, they’re soon dealing with lots of problems that makes leaving her friends in the past a mere triviality.

So do we have a title for book 2 yet?

MVS: Yes, book 2 will be CHASING THE SHADOWS and book 3 will be DEFENDING THE GALAXY.

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

MVS: Lyra has some qualities that my daughter possesses. She’s practical, smart, and not one to keep her opinions to herself (shhh….don’t tell her!). Captain Harrison was loosely based on my daughter’s friend Harry. Harry wants to be president. He just has this charisma about him and he’s an obvious leader – not to mention his classic good looks. I’d vote for him! And if I’m being honest, I have to admit to channeling my inner mother for Ming, Lyra’s mother 😊

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

MVS: Captain Harrison ended up being lots of fun and Niall was fun in the beginning.

What is your favorite passage/scene in NAVIGATING THE STARS?

MVS: When Lyra and Niall are in her bedroom accessing Q-net files that they’re not supposed to read and they’re “caught” by Lyra’s parents. I still get a laugh when I read that scene!

What kind of research did you have to do for the story? What was it about the Terra Cotta Warriors that made you want to write about them in space?

MVS: I visited the Warriors when they were at the National Geographic Museum in DC about 8 years ago and then again last year when they came to Philadelphia. I’ve also read a ton of books about them and watched a few history channel shows! It’s just something about building a life-sized army to protect the Emperor in the afterlife that stirred my imagination. I wondered what happens if the Warriors in life are damaged – does the Emperor lose a Warrior in the afterlife? For this blog tour, I wrote a guest post about how I sparked on the idea and how it mutated into NAVIGATING THE STARS. You can read it here: http://jessica-agreatread.blogspot.com/

I also attended a week-long Astronomy Workshop for Writers at the University of Wyoming for research. It wan an intense program to teach us all about space, planets, and space exploration. So fun and exhausting!

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend? Mine will always be Valek btw 😉

MVS: Yay – Valek is great! Mine is Ilya Bakhtiian – he’s in the book Jaran by Kate Elliot – one of my favorites!

What inspired you to write YA?

MVS: I never really decided, “hey, I’m going to write YA!” I wrote POISON STUDY and considered it an adult fantasy novel – Yelena’s 19 in the story and Valek’s 33 so not really a YA. But I received so many emails from teens that loved the book. It also came out the same month as Twilight and Bella’s 17 and he’s 105 so… 😊 I think I liked writing about younger characters because there’s so many changes and conflict going on during that transition from teen to adult. It helps that my voice and style definitely has a younger more relaxed feel. Also it’s loads of fun!

Lightening Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

MVS: I’m reading Crosstalk by Connie Willis. I love her stories – she has a great sense of humor and this is her first YA. Her Doomsday Book is another in my top 10. I also have a new book on the Terracotta Warriors on my pile that I need to read. It’s called The Terracotta Warriors: Exploring the Most Intriguing Puzzle in Chinese History, by Edward Burman, published in 2018 so it has all the recent discoveries.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

MVS: I just did an online test because I had no idea. I answered 28 questions and it sorted me into….Gryffindor!

Twitter or Facebook?

MVS: Facebook

Favorite Superhero?

MVS: Wonder Woman!

Favorite TV show?

MVS: Sherlock – the first season is the best!

Sweet or Salty?

MVS: Salty!

Any Phobias?

MVS: I don’t like birds flying around my head! I love watching birds, but from a distance.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

MVS: Say Amen, by Panic! At the Disco

2019 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

MVS: Er…I’m not caught up on movies from 2018 so I’ve no idea what’s coming out! My favorite movie in the last couple of years is Wonder Woman (of course!).

Thanks so much Maria for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read NAVIGATING THE STARS! Big hugs!!!!

Thanks for hosting me!!

Maria's Bio

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her.

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal.

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University.

Readers are welcome to contact Maria at the following email address: maria@mariavsnyder.com.

Where you can find Maria:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive finished copies of NAVIGATING THE STARS, US Only.

2 Winners will receive finished copies of NAVIGATING THE STARS International.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/3/2018- Moonlight Rendezvous- Review

12/4/2018- My Bookish Escapades- Review

12/5/2018- Debbie's World of Books- Review