Hi everyone,
Today is my tour stop for Lisa Lueddecke’s new title with a Q&A. But before we dive into it, here’s a bit of a blurb to whet your appetite.
The Eve of Saints approaches and the poison rain which shrouds Castle Marcosza strains at its boundaries. When Beata’s brother is taken by the rain, Beata and her friend Benedek must make a perilous journey of discovery to uncover the root of her secret – why she is the only person who can walk through the rain unscathed. But Beata is soon caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse with mysterious Liljana, a girl with hidden powers of her own.
And with magic outlawed in Marcosza, can the pair find a way to work together to harness their forbidden ability and unleash its full potential? Or will they find themselves seduced by power and all that it offers…
Follow Lisa at @LisaLueddecke
And now for the Q&A!
- If you could be transported into any fantasy world which one would it be?
This is literally too difficult a question to answer, and I feel like my answer would change depending on the time of year or the mood I’m in. But I can honestly say I would love to visit The Shire and just have a nice summer vacation there. This has been a difficult year for the world, so a quiet, calm vacation in The Shire would go a long way right now. This also might sound strange, but I’ve always adored the story of The Nutcracker. I would love to spend some time in a Nutcracker-ish world.
- Do you have a favourite spooky story trope?
Okay, while this isn’t terribly relevant to The Forest of ghosts and Bones, I think the trope that always freaks me out in movies and books is the don’t go into the basement one. It absolutely terrifies me when characters hear a strange noise, grab a flashlight, and just go down into a basement without a second thought. I live in a very old house, and I have to be honest: I have been into the basement twice, and only because I had to. If anywhere was going to be haunted, it’s our basement.
- Within the book you have different kinds of magic – which power would you like to have the most?
I think I would have to go with being an Alterer. I think being able to change things using magic would be the most fun.
- Can you tell us a bit about your writing process for The Forest of Ghosts and Bones? Did it differ at all from your previous novels?
It did differ greatly, because I was pregnant and then a newborn mom while working on it. It took me a lot longer, but I managed to get it done while family members watched my baby. On a few occasions, I checked myself into a hotel for a weekend writing retreat, and I wrote more words on those weekends than I’ve ever written in such a short time before.