PHE - Interview with Sara Raasch + Giveaway

 

 

I am super happy to host debut author Sara Raasch today! I am totally in love with Snow Like Ashes and I invite you to read on and discover more about the series! Please welcome Sara warmly :)

 

 

1- Snow Like Ashes has a super unique territorial system, how would you explain it to someone who hasn't read the book yet, and where did that spark of inspiration come from?

There are four kingdoms stuck in eternal seasons -- Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring -- and four kingdoms that cycle through the normal rhythms of nature (they have all four seasons instead of just one). It is confusing to be sure, but I try not to dump too much about every kingdom into SLA (or Book 2 or 3) because I want to give readers time to absorb the differences of each land. And it's more fun for me to get to explore each kingdom thoroughly :)

The inspiration for these kingdoms came initially for the Season Kingdoms. I always hated how winter as a season got a bad reputation, so I wanted to do a winter kingdom of "good guys." The rest just kind of spiraled out from there!

2- Any person who lives with all four seasons once taught of getting rid of winter (I know I do!), but in SLA it's quite literal. How did you come to the decision to destroy that territory over another one?

That's how the story has always been (which sounds like a cop-out, I know) -- ever since I was a wee one, the tale has been the same: a girl, Meira, struggling to free the captured Kingdom of Winter from Spring. I love the poetry of it, giving a threat to each season's progression.

3- I can't help it, I gotta ask how Autumn would celebrate Halloween?

Ha! Hmm...probably quite similar to how we in the US celebrate it! Their culture has much of the same things we have in autumn -- the same crops, climate, etc. So pumpkins and corn and apples and cool, crisp weather!

4- If Meira could pick any costume she'd want, what would she wear?

I think she'd have to go as Xena -- chakrams unite :D

5- What's the most fun you've personally had on Halloween?

Trick or treating as a kid was always super fun. There's something magical about holidays as a child that kind of wears off when you grow up -- I miss the excitement of dressing up and strolling around my neighborhood!

6- Now, I must ask, is there a tentative title for the second book yet?

There is a title for Book 2! And Book 3! But they're both still secret ;)

Thank you so much for having me, Cindy! And Happy Halloween!

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Thank you Sara for visiting us!

More about Snow Like Ashes:

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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Harper Collins is offering one copy of Snow Like Ashes to one lucky winner!

US only

Ends Nov 7th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, comes out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

Posted by Tynga at 02:40

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Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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