Meeting New York Times Best Selling author Leigh Bardugo + Giveaway

Meeting authors and talking to them or just listening to them talk about books, works and experiences is always a fun, memorable and inspiring experience for me. It’s one of those times when I get to know them more personal than just the person who write stories that consume every hours of my reading time. When I get to meet and talk to them, they are not just writers behind the stories I read, they become a friend, mentor, and inspiration.

Just like last Sunday when I met Leigh Bardugo in a private event for bloggers organized by National Book Store, Leigh become our friend, mentor, and inspiration. We had fun grilling her with questions about her books and works, and listening to her stories and experiences. She is absolutely fun and engaging. I feel like she animates when she talks, and with her beautiful big eyes, it’s just so much adorable to see her up close talking about her passion and experiences as a writer.

During the Q&A someone asked her which amplifier she would choose and Leigh answer in exclamation 🙂

“Oh! No!….No!… Then I have to kill an animal! I can’t do it!…”

Because Leigh is an animal lover, and having an amplifier in her books mean killing an animals or person and wearing pieces of the kill for powers. With that Leigh can’t imagine killing for the sake of gaining powers. Just writing those scenes in her book where animals where killed is not easy for Leigh what more actually killing one? But if she really had to choose for an amplifier she would pick Firebird. (You have to read Leigh’s third book from The Grisha series, Ruin and Rising to know why).

I’ve asked Leigh about the Grisha world setting and her interest with the 1800 Russia and she told us that she set Grisha in Russia because she actually wanted to take her readers to a different place. As a huge fan of Gorge RR Martin’s Game of Throne and have read a lot of books that used Medieval England as a setting Leigh is basically influenced by those type of worlds. And since she wants to show the tension between the rise of modern military technology and medieval magic, 1800 Russia is a perfect choice for her. As for continuing to write in the same world as the Grisha in her upcoming book Six of Crows, she just knew that she has a story to tell set in Kerch, because Kerch is an interesting setting being the hub of legan and illegal trade.

Six of Crows is written in five different points of view with heist comparable to prison break. It’s about six kids who are trying to pull off a suicide mission. Unlike with Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows isn’t about the “chosen one” story, instead it’s about those characters who are just trying to survive.

Aside from Six of Crows, Leigh has a horror story coming out entitled Slasher Girls & Monster Boys whose cover is her favorite of all time because it’s so creepy. This thriller anthology is a collaboration with other talented authors like Kendare Blake, A.G. Howard, Megan Shepherd and others. Leigh also written a story included in Stephanie Perkin’s anthology Summer Days, Summer Nights which is set in New England and schedule to release next year.

As for the other characters of the Shadow of Bone series who didn’t get a part from Six of Crows, well Leigh might write more about them, especially Sturmhond. But currently Leigh is still on break from the Grisha world after writing the sequel of Six of Crows, so Sturmhond story have to wait. And there’s also a possibility that Alina might get a novella in the future, maybe after Sturmhond book/s.

As for the Darkling, Chyna asked Leigh about how he build his character, being the villain who most readers like and I love how Leigh explains how “she write characters and not love interest or villains”. Though she created the Darkling’s to be appealing and sexy because according to her most of the dangerous are the beautiful, brooding, and charming ones as they have the power to manipulate people, still the Darking is not created to be just the villain. She doesn’t write villains or love interest because that gets boring for her. Instead she write characters and try to develop them into something.

Top: Me and Precious of Fragments of Life with Leigh Bardugo | Below: Leigh during the forum & book signing

Watch or listen to Leigh narrate the story that inspired the first book of Grisha Trilogy Shadow and Bone

Also here’s Leigh message for her Filipino fans

A million thanks to Leigh for visiting us all the way here in the Manila. It’s really a wonderful and memorable experience meeting and talking to you in person. I really hope you got another chance to visit us again here. I miss you already.

Thank you also to the people of National Book Stores, Powerbooks and to Leigh’s publisher for bringing Leigh here and for organizing the bloggers’ forum event. It’s really a pleasure being part of a gathering like this. Thanks you so much!

To know more about Leigh Bardugo and her books visit her website, tumblr or instagram and follow her on twitter for instant updates.

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grabs?

• Grisha swags and Pre-ordered copy of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Rules:

• Open to everyone / international who can received books via Book Depository
• Swags will be send via courier by me
• There will be one (1) winner only
• Winner will be chosen by rafflecopter
• Winner will be announced here on the post & contacted thru email
• Winner should response with their details within 48 hours
• Ends Friday, July 24th, 2015

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Update:

The contest is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who has entered. The winner was already drawn and announced via rafflecopter. I also sent email to the winner, who got 48 hours to reply or else I’ll be forced to draw another. Congrats to the winner and Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!

Watch out for the next giveaway soon!