I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the FAERIE TALES FROM
THE WHITE FOREST SERIES by Danika Dinsmore Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Books:
Author: Danika Dinsmore
Pub. Date: August 16, 2014
Publisher: Hydra House
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 610
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/FAERIE-TALES-FROM-THE-WHITE-FOREST1
Brigitta of the White Forest / The
Ruins of Noe / Ondelle of Grioth
A collection of the first three books in the Faerie Tales from the White Forest
series.
For those who enjoy fantasy adventure, Faerie Tales from the White Forest
offers a new twist on the traditional faerie tales so loved by young readers.
From devastating curses to death-defying quests, Water Faerie Brigitta and her
growing collective of misfit friends face greater and greater challenges when
destiny calls upon them to “make the balance right again” after the Great World
Cry has left their world in elemental chaos.
Title: FAERIE TALES FROM THE WHITE FOREST SERIES Vol 2
Author: Danika Dinsmore
Pub. Date: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Hydra House
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 673
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/FAERIE-TALES-FROM-THE-WHITE-FOREST2
Continuing the saga of Brigitta of
the White Forest, this Omnibus contains books 4-6 of the series.
Interview:
For the readers: can you tell us a little bit
about your series and the characters?
Faerie Tales from the White Forest is a
6-book middle grade fantasy adventure. The Earth, Air, Fire, and Water faeries
of the White Forest have been living there ever since the Great World Cry sent
their world into elemental chaos. The White Forest is the only balanced place
left.
Five of the books focus on Brigitta, a Water Faerie, and her growing
group of traveling companions, who face greater and greater challenges as they
attempt to make the balance right again. In book 4, we travel back in time to
the story of Narine, an Ancient Faerie, to find out how the world became
unbalanced in the first place and how the Elemental Faeries came to live in the
protected realm.
What are you working on now?
I’ve taken a break from children’s literature to work on a poetry
manuscript and a memoir about caring for my elderly mother during COVID. My
first love was poetry and I always return to it between other projects. The
memoir is a mix of poetry and prose.
I do have several MG and YA manuscripts in various forms of completion
that I will get back to at some point.
Were any of the characters in the book
inspired by people from your real life?
I think there’s a bit of me in Ondelle, the High Priestess, who becomes
Brigitta’s mentor. Also, Brigitta’s relationship with her younger sister
Himalette was inspired by the dynamic between two young actors I worked with on
a film set (in a former life I was an on-set teacher). One of the girls
actually gave me the idea for the giant caterpillar that appears in Book
One.
Who was your favorite character to write? What
about your least favorite?
I loved writing about Gola, the Drutan (tree woman), who also becomes a
mentor to Brigitta. She’s such a mystery revealed over several books. I love
her wisdom and attitude and that she’s a Drutan of few words. Without giving
too much away… I loved that she’s so ancient and that we experience her at the
beginning and end of her profound life.
I had trouble writing
Croilus (who we don’t meet until the 2nd book), because he’s pretty
much just evil, and I didn’t want him to become cliché. His backstory isn’t as
clear to me, so I had to really consider what was driving him to such evilness.
What is your favorite passage/scene in your
book?
It’s funny that some of my favorite moments are these really quiet ones,
like when Ondelle pays Brigitta a visit in her room or when Narine has a moment
alone with her father, the High Sage. I think it’s because in these moments
where relationships are developed the characters feel so genuine and real to
me. I also love, love, love when new characters are introduced or when characters
return in unexpected ways, which happens quite a bit as the series goes. I
literally get giddy when this happens, picturing the reader’s surprise and
delight.
What kind of research did you have to do for
the story?
Since this was a completely imaginary world, my equivalent to “research” is
the world building process itself. Whenever I came across a new element of the
world, I took time to figure out its magical properties, how it got there, its
uses, etc. Other than the world-building, I spent time on babynames.com, online
atlases, and a Gaelic translation site to find names for people, places, and
things. I also drew lots and lots of maps, and there are artist renditions of
them in some of the books.
Lightning Round Questions
What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read
I just finished reading the YA sci fi
novel EXO by Fonda Lee, and I’m now listening to Erin Morgenstern’s The
Starless Sea, which is so fantastic. Certain books make great bedtime
stories, and I love to be read to.
Favorite social media site?
I’m rarely social on social media. I
find it a bit overwhelming. I do admire other people’s ability to be creative
on different platforms. For instance, I’m working with a TicTok cosplay artist
to develop a live action Brigitta character on her cosplay channel. That’s
pretty exciting.
Favorite Superhero or Villain?
Do Doctor Who and Buckaroo Bonzai
count as superheroes?
Favorite TV show?
If I had to pick I’d say The
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Dr. Who. I am also a sucker for any con
artist or heist story as long as it’s not overly violent, like Lupin or Imposters.
I wish I could write a good fantasy con artist story. That would be amazing.
Sweet or Salty?
Can I do both at the same time? Love
me a good salted caramel anything.
Any Phobias?
Large, hoofed animals. Although, I’ve managed
to overcome some of this due to a few old horses that live next to me in
Hawaii. I still wouldn’t want to be alone in a barn with them, though.
Song you can’t get enough of right now?
Last year I discovered The Secret
Sisters, and I just love their song “He’s Fine.” I also
really dig the This is Us soundtrack.
2024 Movie you’re most looking forward to?
Wicked is
coming! And Beautiful, a biopic about Carole King. And, Beetlejuice
II, because I saw the original in the theater and hope it’s as funny.
Do you play video games? If so what are some of your favorites?
The only “video game” I play is Words
with Friends because I am a word nerd. I also do at least one Duolingo lesson
every day, which is kind of gamish, right?
About Danika Dinsmore:
Danika
Dinsmore is an award-winning author, performance artist, and educator. Over the
past 30 years she has developed content for the page, stage, screen, and web.
Danika writes literary and speculative fiction with an emphasis on juvenile
& young adult literature as well as working as a story editor for other
writers. She often takes her interactive Imaginary Worlds Tour events on the
road, performing and teaching world-building & creative writing at schools,
conferences, and festivals across North America. She has delivered her quirky
and innovative curriculum to thousands of young writers.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of the omnibus FAERIE TALES FROM THE WHITE FOREST
SERIES, US Only.
1 winner
will receive an eBook of the omnibus FAERIE TALES FROM THE WHITE FOREST SERIES,
International.
Ends February 20th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
1/22/2024 |
Interview/IG Post |
|
1/23/2024 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
|
1/24/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
1/25/2024 |
Interview/IG Post |
|
1/26/2024 |
IG Post |
Week Two:
1/29/2024 |
Blog Spotlight/IG Post |
|
1/30/2024 |
Guest Post |
|
1/31/2024 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
|
2/1/2024 |
IG Review |
|
2/2/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
2/5/2024 |
IG Review |
|
2/6/2024 |
IG Review |
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2/7/2024 |
IG Review |
|
2/8/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
2/9/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
2/10/2024 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
Week Four:
2/11/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
2/12/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/13/2024 |
IG Review |
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2/14/2024 |
IG Review |
|
2/15/2024 |
IG Review |
|
2/16/2024 |
Review |
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