Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill (Author Interview + Playlist + Giveaway)

Posted on September 30, 2016 by blackplume

Happy Friday Everyone!

I’m absurdly excited today for the last stop of Celebrating Debutantes 2016 because I have a wonderful author and debut novel to feature.

Erin Summerill’s EVER THE HUNTED is one of my most anticipated debut novel this year, and I can’t wait to dive in. I knew I needed this book in my hands the minute I learned of its existence. So when Erin agreed to join our blog event I can’t help but get excited. Not only she was so nice to answer a few questions for me about her writing, and Ever The Hunted but she also put together set of songs as the novel’s playlist. The songs are perfect to get readers into the right mood for Ever The Hunted‘s tale of magic, quest, hunting and more.

Following the interview and playlist are some information about the author, Erin Summerill along with places where to find her online, as well as the Ever The Hunted‘s description and where to get copies of the book. So don’t forget to pre-order your copies before the book hit shelves this December 2016.

Also, there’s a giveaway at the bottom of the post for a chance to win an advance copy of Ever The Hunted and bookmark.

Have fun reading the interview and listening to the playlist.

Interview with Erin Summerill

I love reading fantasy. It’s an exciting genre without so much limitations. As an author, what drew you to write fantasy story? How did the inspiration for Ever the Hunted come to you?

When I was a full-time wedding photographer, I traveled extensively. I loved touring places like New Zealand and the Oregon Coast. I fell in love with the California Redwoods and the natural beauty of the surrounding land. My love of exploration led me to write a more fantastical novel. Fantasy opens the doors of imagination. I wanted to set a character in forests like the redwoods and Oregon’s spruce woods.

Inspiration came while I was in New Zealand for a wedding. I was speaking with my assistant photographer, and she mentioned that if we had extra time in New Zealand, she would love to set up a deer hunt. Apparently there are completely different deer in NZ than in Utah. I thought she was crazy. Hunting? On a vacation? Never ever have I said, hey, I’d like to go hunt something. That conversation turned into a dozen conversations about hunting and wilderness survival. And eventually gave me inspiration to write a girl who can hunt, track, and survive in the woods.

In writing Ever the Hunted, do you have a set of rules for the world and magic? Are there any process you go through that helps define those rules?

Yes, there are rules for the magic system in Ever The Hunted. It can be roughly summed up by imagining every living creature has a quantifiable amount of energy. When that energy is drained, death occurs. A Channeler (women with the ability to influence certain elements) can influence an element by pushing some of their energy into the element. But the cost is the energy used is then depleted from the Channeler. It can be restored through rest and food, and a few other magical ways that are found out in the book.

My process to figure out rules of magic involves long talks with my writing partners on the phone in which I share an idea, and they shoot me down, or explain all the ways it’s not probable. And so on until I want to bang my head against my computer screen.

How do you create your characters in Ever the Hunted? Did you build the plot around them, or them around the plot?

Britta’s character was roughly based on someone I met once. I’ll keep this part vague so I no one can point fingers. But I once knew a person that was utterly lonely and not very well liked in their community. It made my heart ache for them. We all need friends. I cannot imagine a life without my closest supports. Bits and pieces of the rest of the characters were inspired by people I’ve met throughout my life. They’re sort of a giant puzzle of people that have interested and inspired me.

The characters definitely came first and then the plot.

What is the first book you read that made you think, “I have to write something like this someday”.

Oh!!! Hard question. I love books so much. I’m an avid reader. I love anything by Sarah Maas. I cried and died and laughed the day I found out she read my book and wrote the loveliest blurb for it.

I loved Defiance by CJ Redwine. It involves a strong heroine on a quest as well. Again, I lost my mind for a bit of time when I found out that CJ also blurbed my book.

Robin McKinley and Megan Whalen Turner are two authors that I cannot get enough from in the historical fantasy genre.

Now I know why I am excited to read your book, Ever The Hunted. Not only it sounds so wonderful but also we basically adore the same authors. Sarah J Maas is the goddess writer that I worship. I died from excitement when I met her few months ago. I love The Queen Thief series of Megan Whalen Turner. I am still waiting for the fifth book to be published. I own different versions and format of that series. While Robin McKinley books are on my auto-buy and read list. Anyway, I need to stop rambling now. Back to the interview.

If one of your characters could turn the tables on you and write a story based on your life, what would the title of that book be and what would be the first line?

Title: She Who Never Sleeps

First Line: “Put that damn book down.” Mom slammed open my bedroom door at 4am.

I am eagerly waiting for the release of Ever the Hunted. It’s one of my must read fantasy of 2016. Can you tease us with what to expect from the book?

Can I hug you right now for saying that? I’m so grateful for anyone who is willing to read my book.

In the sequel minor characters in the first book will take center stage. One heart will be broken, two hearts will find their match and someone we love (or possibly hate) will die.

And a kingdom will collapse.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Having a book published is a dream come true. But it can also be a nightmare. It’s difficult to have something you’ve worked on for a long time be openly scrutinized. Being a book-ivore myself, I understand that not every book is for you. So even if my book isn’t your thing, I’m still very grateful that you’ve picked it up and read it.

Ever the Hunted Playlist

Erin played violin for 12 years, so she love classical and tend to write with equal parts classical and equal parts pop music on my list. The last part of the playlist are some of her favorite classical-type pieces. Enjoy listening.

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Thank you so much Erin for taking time to answer all my questions and for creating the Ever the Hunted playlist for us to listen to. I am really looking forward for the release of EVER THE HUNTED. If only December can some sooner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Summerill was born in England. She is part Hawaiian and part German. After spending years bouncing between Air Force bases in Hawaii, England, and California, her family settled in Utah. With a B.A. in English, Erin Summerill had aspirations to write the next great American novel. But writing proved tougher than she first thought, so she grabbed a Nikon and became a professional wedding photographer. When she isn’t writing, or shooting a stunning wedding, she’s chasing her four kids, two dogs, one cat, and five chickens. This could be why she downs massive amounts of Coke Zero and Hot Tamales. Erin and her family live in Utah.

Find Erin

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram| Goodreads

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Ever the Hunted
Author: Erin Summerill
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover, Ebook, Audio

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N | BAM| Book Depository | Goodreads

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

ARC of Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill + bookmark

The Rules:

Open US / CA residents only
There will be one (1) winner
Winner will be chosen and announced through rafflecopter
Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
Ends October 19th, 2016
Prizes will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each second wave feature post!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Until I Break by Kara Bietz (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Posted on September 28, 2016 by blackplume

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Author Kara Bietz is on the blog today for a short interview as part of Celebrating Debutantes 2016 blog event. Kara answers few questions for me about writing and her upcoming debut novel, Until I Break. Told in alternating timeline, this dark contemporary novel will push bullying to the deadly end until someone break. If you like realistic contemporary story with a little edge you should definitely read this one.

Next to the interview are more details about Until I Break and the author, Kara Bietz. Also, don’t forget to check the giveaway at the bottom for a chance to win an advance readers copy of the book and silicone wristband from Kara.

Enjoy reading the interview.

Interview with Kara Bietz

Until I Break is your debut novel, what pushed you to pursue writing as a career? When did you first come up with the idea for Until I Break and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I’ve been writing since I was a little kid but sometime around my first year of college, I stopped for a handful of reasons. I never got rid of any of my old writing, though. My mom boxed it up with some of my old high school memorabilia when I got married and moved away from home. I quickly put the box in the attic and forgot about it. When my oldest son was about three years old, my husband found the box and read some of the pages I had saved. He asked me why I wasn’t writing anymore and I really didn’t have a good reason! I started again shortly after that and began to seriously pursue publication a few years later. Until I Break is not the first novel I wrote after “coming out of retirement” so to speak. I have several what I like to call “shelf novels” because while they were good practice for writing and finishing a lengthy piece of writing, I do not harbor any false ideas that they are fit for publication. I started writing Until I Break in late 2012 and was sidetracked by a few life events. I finished a solid first draft in September of 2013 and revised, very slowly, from there. My agent and I sold it to Albert Whitman and Company in January of 2015.

Until I Break deals with sensitive themes such as bullying, violence and others. As a writer, do you feel a sense of responsibility in writing these topics? If so, how do you deal with this?

Until I Break definitely deals with some very heavy themes. I do feel a sense of responsibility when writing. I have a middle school-aged daughter and a high school-aged son, and I always keep them in mind when I’m crafting a story. As a writer, I feel like my biggest responsibility is to shine a light on things honestly, rather than try to gloss over or hide the messy parts of life for readers. I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing my portrayal of difficult situations, and I don’t enter into it lightly.

Did you write Until I Break with a specific message embedded within its pages?

I did not initially set out to write a story with a message. However, as I began writing and the story started to take shape, I was aware that perhaps there was a bigger message there. Empathy. Love is greater than hate. Above all, be kind. Be a friend. Listen. All of these are important messages in this story.

Until I Break is told in different timelines.What kind of preparation did you do in writing different settings? Which is easier to write? and why?

The first draft of the story was not told in alternating timelines. It was a messy thing, with a good core story and a whole lot of stuff I didn’t need! Once I got that first draft out of my head and really focused on the story I wanted to tell, I started rewriting. It was during that rewrite that I began to experiment with alternating timelines. Lucky for me, it worked :). I did have to play around with the structure quite a bit in order to make the timeline work in a way that made sense, but it started to feel very natural and true to the story once I started writing it that way. I don’t know that one timeline was easier to write than the other. Both had their fair share of challenges.

Where do you see your writing going after the release of Until I Break? Do you think you’ll stick writing suspenseful contemporary or branch out into something else?

I am most comfortable writing darker contemporary stories, for sure, but I am willing to dip my toe into other genres, too! I am continuing to work on several projects while I wait for the release of Until I Break, each of these a little different. Yes, some have darker themes and a mystery element, but I also have several lighter projects I’m considering, too.

Are you working on other stories as of the moment? Could you tell us about it?

I like to have several projects chugging along at once, in varying stages. I have one story finished, another I’m drafting, another I’m chipping away at some plot details, and one that is just a nice shiny idea that I like to daydream about occasionally! I’m not at liberty to talk about the projects just yet, but I’m hoping to be able to soon!

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Thank you so much Kara for answering all my questions above.