Hi everyone and welcome to my stop on the “Legendborn’ blog tour.  Tracy has kindly made some time to tell us about her new title and also a little bit about herself interview below, and if this is whetting your appetite, you will have the opportunity to enter into a book giveaway for a brand new copy of “Legendborn”…just follow the tweet!

Enjoy!

 

1. What do you love the most about the Arthurian legend and how did the Legendborn world come to you?

When the Legendborn world came to me, it actually didn’t start with King Arthur at all! It began with Bree and her question: “What happened to my mother?” When my own mother passed away, I learned that she had lost her mother at the same age that I lost her, and that the same had occurred with my grandmother and great-grandmother. So, I began writing from a place of grief and mystery, and in the novel Bree begins from that same place, too. I wanted to explore the idea of legacy and whose lives and deaths become legendary. As a big fantasy fan, there was a natural connection to what feels like our most long-lived legend and a favorite of mine, King Arthur. I loved how Susan Cooper integrated Arthurian lore into her books in The Dark is Rising Sequence, which are some of the fantasy books I hold most dear. In those, she brings Arthuriana forward in time but also allows the stories to remain in the past as legends, and I wanted to attempt the same. The Arthurian legends are wide and varied, but they circle around the themes that felt most applicable to my dreams for Legendborn—legacy, family, generational power, responsibilities laid before children, magic that is used for good and for ill, etc.

2. Did you always know you wanted to become an author and if so, could you share
with us a little bit about your journey?

I’ve always been a storyteller. Always. I was telling stories and imagining things out loud almost as soon as I could speak in full sentences, I think. I wrote my first short story when I was nine, but had been drawing before that. I think I moved on to poetry next, then fanfiction, then in college I started writing and directing for theater. Then I moved to video game production, and eventually back to writing prose fiction. I love talking about my creative background because, for a long time, I worried about doing too many creative jobs, in too many forms and mediums, and I don’t want anyone else to do that. Every creative job or project I’ve done has helped contribute to the next job or project, and everything I’ve done up until now translates to my writing career. The visual storytelling of theater means I write scenes very visually; I’m always thinking of how people are arranged in a room, what my main character can see, how the magic looks, body movement. I definitely attribute my magic systems’ strong sense of power, rules, and consequences to video games.

In some ways I think I always imagined myself writing a book, but it took a long time to really visualize that as a professional career. I knew I had a character who would become Bree, but I wasn’t sure what to do with her. Legendborn is my first novel and I thought about it for a long time, but didn’t sit down to try and really work it out as a book until 2017.

3. How did you celebrate when you found out you were going to be published?

I went out to a nice brunch with my partner! It was spring here and the weather was lovely. I remember we ordered lots of small plates to share, I had a very fizzy mimosa, and I dressed up a bit. The restaurant was a mix of fancy menu items with a local, hipster brewery vibe; the perfect place to celebrate but relax at the same time.

4. How does it feel to see your novel on booksellers shelves?

Totally surreal! Completely satisfying. Exhilarating. I want to pick up each and every book and hold it, which is such a strange urge! I can’t wait to see the UK version of Legendborn and will hopefully have that soon–the UK cover is gorgeous!

5. What is your guilty pleasure…aside from “ginger-flavored everything”?

I’m laughing about this question, because I’m quite proud of my favorite pleasures so I won’t call them guilty! But there are some favorite pastimes that I feel are very…indulgent, let’s say. I love the sheer delight and fun of reading webcomics on Webtoons, I love the character study and character arc of a romance novel, and will return to the animated show, Bob’s Burgers, every chance I can get! Oh, and any sort of apple crisp-like dessert.

Thank you for your time Tracy!!

And now for the #giveaway…just follow the tweet!