I
am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SOL INVICTUS by Ben Gartner Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.
Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About
The Book:
Author: Ben Gartner
Pub. Date: February
2, 2021
Publisher: Crescent
Vista Press
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Pages: 300
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Siblings John and Sarah barely made it home
last time, but in their next time traveling adventure the challenge really
heats up. Surrounded by clashing cultures on the ancient Roman frontier, they
must fulfill their quest to unite the emperor with his enemy, an Alemanni
barbarian, or risk being stuck in time forever.
An action-packed fantasy full of sword fights, chariot chases, fearsome wild
animals, and high mountain survival. For graduates of the Magic Tree House
looking for a thrilling middle grade page-turner, read Sol Invictus, book two
of The Eye of Ra series!
Reviews:
⭐️Gold Recipient, Mom's Choice
Awards Honoring Excellence
"Once again, Gartner deftly weaves real-life history into a compelling
adventure, offering high-stakes, realistic danger and vivid
scene-setting."-Kirkus Reviews
"Gartner has a knack for action and creating compelling historical
personalities . . . Middle [grade] readers who treasure ancient history with a
side of adventure will welcome this fantasy story."-BookLife Reviews
by Publishers Weekly
Grab book 1 THE EYE OF RA now!
⭐️ Gold Recipient, Mom's Choice
Awards; ⭐️ Silver Medal in Children's
Adventure, 2020 International Readers' Favorite Awards; ⭐️
Finalist, Next Generation Book Awards; ⭐️ 1st Place
in both Children's Adventure AND Grades 4th-6th, 2020 TopShelf Awards
Interview:
Hey Ben! First I want to say welcome to
Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! SOL INVICTUS sounds
AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
For the readers: can you tell us a little bit
about the SOL INVICTUS and the characters?
Going beyond the blurb, Sol Invictus
is about clashing cultures. The Roman frontier in Europe was a boiling melting
pot of Germanic, Visigoth, Roman, and many others. It would be wild to
experience that time and place in history.
Lucky for John and Sarah, they get to!
They are siblings who don’t always get along, but they do have each other’s
backs. They’re both on different arcs in their maturation process and both have
different challenges to overcome internally, while sharing external challenges
together.
What are you working on now?
Book three of The Eye of Ra series!
Sol Invictus is book two and The Eye of Ra is book one. Book three will explain
a lot more about the overarching storyline for the series and have John and
Sarah bouncing around in time a bit more, but with the historical focus on the
area in the middle of Mexico at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The
people in Tenochtitlan—what is now Mexico City—called themselves the Mexica
(pronounced Me-SHI-ca), but we more commonly know them as the Aztec. I love
learning so many details about all these different cultures and eras. It’s
fascinating research!
Were any of the characters in the book
inspired by people from your real life?
Of course, but this is a tricky
question. I have two sons—currently ages ten and thirteen—and my whole writing
middle grade adventure started in collaboration with them. They helped me with
the base mold in defining the characters of John and Sarah. So, of course,
there are elements of my boys in both
John and Sarah, but I have to be clear that they are wholly separate beings. I
took the bits I wanted to explore and spent more time with those to make sure
they are not just mirror images of my boys. Additionally, I included bits of
myself—both my adult self and my middle grade self—and explored that as well.
Who was your favorite character to write? What
about your least favorite?
I’ll double-dip on this answer and say
that John and Sarah are my favorite characters to write. I try to flesh out
every character in every book behind the scenes so I know how they’d act during
their “on screen” time, but I’ve spent the most time with John and Sarah, so
they are the most alive to me.
My least favorite? I honestly can’t
say I have one. Even though some of them I may not like as much as others, those may still have been fun to write. J
What is your favorite passages/scenes in SOL
INVICTUS?
The scene in the gladiator ring with
all of the wild animals running around was a lot of fun to write, read to my
boys, and then revise and write again. It is a tense scene with some very high
stakes and we really see what John and Sarah are made of. Their sibling bond is
strong.
What kind of research did you have to do for
the story?
Lots! I do waaaaaay more research than
ever makes it into the story. I definitely, absolutely do NOT want my books to
come across as lectures or boring history lessons. But at the same time, I try
to implant tiny details throughout the book that are true, that provide rich
color to the scenes and characters. One of my favorite questions from a kid
about The Eye of Ra (book 1) was around Imhotep and why I made him do something
or other. I responded with “Because that’s true. That’s what we think he really
did!” and the child’s eyes went big and mouth went ajar. “Imhotep was real!”
THAT spark. I wonder what she researched on her own after that.
What inspired you to write middle grade?
It started with a desire to write
something with my two boys. But since then, I’ve realized that I have a true
passion for this niche. I love the opportunity, the endless imagination, and
the impact that a good book can have on humans at this stage of their
maturation into adults. Mostly, because it’s FUN.
Lightning Round Questions
What are you reading right now? Or
what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
By
the time you read this, it’ll have changed, but I’m currently reading THE
MIRACULOUS by Jess Redman. I really liked her book QUINTESSENCE and am looking
forward to her upcoming novel THE ADVENTURE IS NOW.
Instagram, Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter
by far. I do post to Instagram, but it’s not as much a communication mechanism
as I like. It’s more like people just posting stuff, but not a ton of
conversation. Twitter is just right. Facebook is a hot mess. I have a presence
there, but interact with it as I would a tick (more on that later).
Favorite Superhero?
Iron
Man is the first thing that popped into my head. And a funny one that comes up
too is Silver Surfer. Seems like such a B-player superhero, but as a kid I
always thought it would be cool.
Favorite TV show?
I
don’t watch a ton of TV, so nothing really pops to the top of my head. I guess
I’ll answer with one I really liked when I was a kid. Amazing Stories from
Steven Spielberg—the original, not the recent reboot. Oh, and I’ve been into
The Expanse lately…
Sweet or Salty?
I
guess “both” is cheating? If I have to choose one, I’ll go with sweet. I love
chocolate in pretty much any incarnation.
Any Phobias?
Ha!
Funny question I’ve never been asked about before on a blog. I know they won’t
hurt me for real, but I have an irrational dislike of ticks. I don’t want them
hiding in my crevices. Thing is, I haven’t had a tick since I was a kid… Hm,
there must be an origin story somewhere in there…
Song you can’t get enough of right
now?
Well,
it’ll probably change by the time people read this, but I’m digging Overwhelmed
by Royal & the Serpent. I like the music itself, but the words about
anxiety and overwhelm resonate with me as well.
2021 Movie you’re most looking forward
to?
What
is coming out in 2021? I love movies, but I guess I don’t look ahead too much
anymore.
Thanks
so much Ben for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read SOL
INVICTUS!
About Ben Gartner:
Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The
Eye of Ra adventure series for middle graders (ages 8-12). His books take
readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the
meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife
and two boys.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway
Details:
1
winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card, International.
1
winner will win a finished copy of SOL INVICTUS, US Only.
1 winner will win an eBook of SOL INVICTUS, International.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour
Schedule:
Week
One:
|
2/1/2021 |
Interview |
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2/2/2021 |
Guest Post |
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2/3/2021 |
Interview |
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2/4/2021 |
Guest Post |
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2/5/2021 |
Guest Post |
Week
Two:
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2/8/2021 |
Review |
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2/9/2021 |
Review |
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2/10/2021 |
Review |
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2/11/2021 |
Review |
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2/12/2021 |
Review |
I can't wait to read this book!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thank you, Danielle! It's out today! :)
DeleteThis sounds like an exciting book. I think my daughter would love to read the series!
ReplyDelete