BEARSKIN by Jamie Robyn Wood (Interview and giveaway!)

Hey Peeps! Long time, no post, I know. But I'm dusting off the good ol' blog for a very special reason. Today, I have the honor of hosting one of my old critique partners and friend Jamie Robyn Wood. Jamie and I knew each other back in the old days when my Dark Divine series was a baby of a manuscript. Jamie gave me so much valuable feedback on the first Dark Divine novel that I am pleased to return the favor in a small part by telling you all about her debut YA novel, BEARSKIN. 

 

Isn't that cover gorgeous?

Here's what I had to say about BEARSKIN for the back of the book: "With well thought out world building and magic systems, Bearskin is an intriguing fairytale about deception, family ties, and the search for identity."

If you love fantasy, magic, and books about family, this is the read for you!

Today, I am hosting a Q&A with Jamie as well as a giveaway for a signed copy of her beautiful book. (As well as a bag of chocolate covered cinnamon bears--my favorite!!!) Check them out below.

Synopsis:

The witch dropped to her knees. Blood spilled outward from her belly. 

Moiria broke her gaze away from her dying mother and turned, amazed to find Conrad standing in the room. What would he think? 

“You’ve killed her,” he said, his voice a whisper full of fear and awe. “You’ve actually killed her.” 

When their mother, an evil enchantress, tries to convince Conrad, Moiria, and Heppson to follow her ways, each one must decide where the line lies between good and evil, magic and myth. But it will take more than good intentions to defend their kingdom against the danger that’s coming. 

Bio:

Jamie Robyn Wood is a full-time wife and mother, and a part-time fantasy writer and essayist. Over the years she has handed out money at banks, taught ballet, and managed to make dinner for her family semi-regularly. Jamie never imagined the wind could blow so hard and so cold until she moved to the Midwest. Now she prefers to hunker inside the house with a story to write. Bearskin is her first novel. She, her husband, their five children, and their “pet” squirrels currently reside in Coralville, Iowa.



Q and A:

1. I know as an author this is a hard question to answer, but I find it is the one readers always want to know—What was your inspiration for writing your book?

My inspiration for this book came from a picture book called The Bearskinner (http://www.amazon.com/Bearskinner-Tale-Brothers-Grimm/dp/0763627305/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441251728&sr=8-1&keywords=Bearskinner). My daughter and I picked it up in the fairytale section at the Orem, Utah library. Their fairytale section rocks. There's a part in the book where a dirty stranger asks a girl to promise she will marry him. While her sisters find the idea ridiculous, she makes the promise. This idea of a promise despite unknowns was very interesting to me. What kind of girl would she have had to be to make this kind of promise? Why did she do it, and what came from it?

2. Who are some of your favorite authors or creators (artists, directors, screenwriters, etc.)? How have you been influenced by their work?

Another picture book that really influenced Bearskin was the book The Lady and the Lion (http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Lion-Brothers-Grimm-Tale/dp/0803726511/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441251878&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Lady+and+the+Lion) The artwork in this book includes some of my very favorite pictures. I love Laurel Long's illustrations because they are intricate and also because they carry emotion. Emotional art is always more meaningful to me.

2. Have you always wanted to be a writer or was there a special moment or event that inspired you to start writing?

I was always a reader, and I always wanted to find books that I loved. Eventually that included writing the books I was searching for. I really started writing once I had children. I needed a way to escape and create. I needed a purpose that was apart from the everyday.

3. What does your writing process look like? Do you have any quirky habits or special snacks you need on hand?

I write during nap time, although now I'm trying to move that time to mornings so I don't feel so stressed about finding a way to make it happen. I like to get a certain word count every day, though that word count changes depending on what's going on with my children at the time. I usually write a draft as far as I can get it, and then when I get stuck, I start over at the beginning. I find that when I start over I always discover things about my characters and plot that illuminate where I should head next.

4. If you could spend the day with one of your characters, whom would you choose and what would you want to do together?

I think I'd either spend the day with Heart - because she has a quirky sense of humor and would be willing to try anything, or with the Summer Guardian - who's usually a fish. She seems to know a lot about what's going on and what's important and what's not. Maybe she could fill me in a little. 

5. If your book were ever made into a movie, do you have any actors in mind to play your main characters?

Honestly I see Bearskin as more of a Japanimation flick. I think the Anime minds could do some really cool things with the animal/people in my book. I also think that Moiria's flirtation with evil could be explored so well in that genre. 

6. Some of the characters in your book have special magical abilities—if you could choose a special (either natural or supernatural) ability what would you choose and why?

All the magical abilities in Bearskin come with strings, and the people who ignore the strings end up in worse trouble than they started. With that said, I would love being able to change locations on a whim. There are so many amazing places and experiences in this world, it would be awesome to not be tied down by airplanes and dollars when it came to travel. 

Thank you so much, Jamie, for visiting the blog and doing a giveaway.

Jamie will be having a launch party for BEARSKIN at the King's English Bookshop this Friday, September 11th, at 7pm. I hope to see some of you there! More info: http://www.kingsenglish.com/event/jamie-robyn-wood-bearskin
 

For more info about Jamie, her book, and her giveaway, visit her blog here:

http://www.jamierobynwood.com/2015/08/26/the-lead-up-to-bearskins-release-and-a-giveaway/

And you can enter her giveaway with the Rafflecopter below: 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Character Name Contest Winners!

Thank you everyone who entered the contest! The entries have been tallied and the winners have risen victorious from the ashes . . . or something like that.

In case you were wondering, the answer to the anagram is:

A SHARE UNTOLD = HEART AND SOUL
(As in the gifts that Daphne needs to use to get the Eternity Key.)

Most entrants got the answer right, though there were a few interesting guesses as well. The grand prize winner and the runner up winners are below.

The grand prize winner who will have a character named after her in Into The Dark Book 3, as well as win a $25 iTunes giftcard and a Cupid's Arrow ring is:  

Jessica Ball 

The runner up winners who will receive a Cupid's Arrow Ring and an Into The Dark swag pack are:

Emily Smith
Molly Maurer
Danelle Kovenich Simons 

Winners, please email me at readbree@gmail.com with your shipping address in order to claim your prize. You must claim your prize within the next 30 days or else it will be forfeit.  

If you didn't win, be sure to check back on the blog often (or join my newsletter so you'll be in the know) because I love hosting giveaways. There will be more to come!  

 

Contest: Be a Character in Into The Dark Book 3!!!

My big news: Yes, there will be a third book in the Into The Dark series! Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Books, will be publishing Book 3 (most likely in Fall 2016). That means Haden and Daphne will get the ending to their story that I always envisioned!


I cannot tell you how excited I am!!! So to show you, I am celebrating with a contest . . .

One lucky winner will receive the Grand Prize:
Have a character named after you in Into The Dark Book 3.
A Cupid's Arrow Ring.
And because Daphne and Haden love music so much: a $25 iTunes giftcard.

Three runners up will win:
A Cupid's Arrow Ring and an Into The Dark swag pack.

All you have to do to enter is solve the following anagram and then use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

A SHARE UNTOLD

Hints:
3 words
Reading THE ETERNITY KEY will help you solve the puzzle.
Daphne's gifts. 

Rules:
U.S. Residents only.
The contest is open for two weeks (so if you need a little help solving the puzzle, you have enough time to read THE ETERNITY KEY).
The winners names will be posted here on the blog on May 28th. Winners will have 30 days to claim their prize or else their prize will be forfeit.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Eternity Key book trailer, launch party, ebook snafu, and more!

Hey all! It's been one week since the release of THE ETERNITY KEY in the US. I can barely believe it. My book and I celebrated it's launch by visiting the Eiffel Tower after participating in the Teen Author Smash at the American Library of Paris. We hung out, took pics, and toasted each other with bottled water in plastic champagne glasses. It was great fun!

Eiffel tower fun! Also pictured, author J.R. Johansson

But the celebration isn't over--in fact the real party is coming up this Saturday!

Official THE ETERNITY KEY launch party deets:

Saturday, May 9th, 2 p.m. at The King's English Bookshop. I'll be doing a short booktalk, reading, Q&A, and signing. If you can make it for the whole thing, or even just stop by (I imagine I'll be there until about 3:30p.m. or 4p.m.) I would love to see you!

As an added bonus, everyone* who gets a book signed at the launch party will get one of these awesome Cupid's Arrow rings. Each color has a different meaning--and if you've already read Eternity Key, you know how important Cupid's arrows are to the story.

If you can't make it to the launch party, you can pre-order a signed copy of the book from King's English, and I'll include a ring for them to send to you in your shipment. Be sure to tell them you want a signed copy!)

Other items of business:

Ebook snafu: If you were one of the kind souls who pre-ordered the ebook version of THE ETERNITY KEY, you may have received an email from Amazon or B&N saying that the book has been canceled. THIS IS NOT TRUE. There was a snafu in the transition between publishers (from Egmont to Lerner Books) and all of my ebooks were temporarily removed all major retailers. The bad news is that everyone who pre-ordered the book had their pre-order canceled. (Boo!) The good news is that everything has been ironed out, and all of my ebooks are back up for sale. So if you had your order canceled or weren't able to find the ebook last week, you can order it now without any problem.

The Eternity Key book trailer:
While I was away in France, my number one fan made me a book trailer for THE ETERNITY KEY. I think it's pretty cool! Check it out:



RT Convention and Dallas book signing!
The celebration continues for one more week as I head off to the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas, Texas from May 12th-17th. I'll be speaking on a panel about author cross promotion and reading some really embarrassing stuff I wrote as a teenager during RT Teen Day. You'll also be able to find me at the YA Spooky Slumber Party and the You're Never Too Old Party. 

I will also be signing at the Giant (and I mean GIANT) Book Fair on Saturday, May 16th, from 11am to 2pm. The book fair is open to the public but does require the purchase of a ticket. Details HERE. 

That's all for now. I hope to see some of you soon! 

 

Into the Dark Series Character Profile: Tobin Oshiro-Winters

Releasing in paperback 4/14/15

Name: Tobin Oshiro-Winters (a.k.a. Toby--but only his mother calls him that, and he hates it).

Hair color: Black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5'6"

Build: Slim but toned and muscular from years of dance training.

Favorite food: The Oshiro family's infamous spider roll . . . or Swedish Fish.

Favorite drink: Mountain Dew Code Red

Special Skills: Singing, dance, sailing, amateur conspiracy theorist, occasional hacker and code breaker.

Releasing in hardcover 4/28/15

Weaknesses: Under the thumb of a controlling mother, overly obsessed with exposing conspiracies surrounding strange disappearances of teenaged girls from his town,  jumps to quick conclusions.

Life goal:  Become the next Bruno Mars--and find his missing sister, Abbie.

Character inspirations: Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christian Reed from Dance Academy, and Sammy Lieberman from Dance Academy.