Welcome to this stop on the Kindred and Wings Blog Tour,
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About The Book
(Shifted World #2)
Philippa Ballantine
Trade Paperback, 340 pages
Pyr
August 6, 2013
Fantasy
Goodreads Synopsis
On the back of the dragon Wahirangi, Finn the Fox flees the world he has known. As he sets out to find the brother he never knew of, he still holds in his heart the memory of the Hunter. He has denied his love for her, but he cannot deny it forever.
In the halls of the Last Believers, Talyn begins to uncover her own mysteries, but her lust for the death of the Caisah is still strong and clouds her vision. She must choose her path, as the Seer of her people or as the assassin of the overlord.
Meanwhile, Byre, Talyn's brother, must venture into the fiery world of the Kindred, to rebuild the pact that his ancestors made. He will risk everything he is as he forms a new pact that will change his people forever.
Dragons and myths will be reborn, as the Hunter and her Fox face each other once more.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Philippa Ballantine
Maria: How would you describe yourself, both as a writer and a person?
Philippa: As a person, I love people, and am generally chatty with folks. I guess that would make me an extrovert.
Philippa: As a person, I love people, and am generally chatty with folks. I guess that would make me an extrovert.
As a writer, I love writing memorable characters with flaws.
Maria: What resources -- whether people, books, courses -- have helped you the most in your writing?
Philippa: I find it is people that I have worked with that have helped me with my writing. Laurie McLean, my agent, has been a great guide in the business of writing. My husband, Tee Morris, has taught me a lot about writing action scenes and getting dialogues just right. And I have learned a lot about editing by working with Danielle Stockley of Ace Books. Getting to conventions, I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing colleagues, as well, who have inspired and encouraged me in the business.
Maria: How did you create the mythical world of Kindred and Wings?
Philippa: Conhaero was very much inspired by my homeland of New Zealand. As has been made apparent recently, the landscape there is constantly shifting. How people cope and deal with that reality has always been very interesting to me. So I simply imagined 'what if the landscape moved even more'. Once I had that, the whole plot and characters opened up.
Maria: Have you always wanted to write fantasy?
Philippa: I have always loved fantasy as a reader, but as a writer I am addicted to its possibilities. There are literally no boundaries to the imagination. You construct everything in the world, and as long as you are consistent with rules, people will move right in and enjoy what you've constructed. I can't think of any other genre that has that scope.
Maria: Do you have any literary influences? If so, who are they, and how have they influenced your own writing?
Philippa: C.J. Cherryh has always been my influence and role model. She writes strong female characters, with compelling storylines and plots. She has also had a varied and long career in the business. I guess I want to be her when I grow up!
Maria: Do the dragons in this novel speak and interact like humans with the other characters?
Philippa: There are only a few dragons in the world of Kindred and Wings, and they are special and wonderful creatures of legend that have only recently returned. They can indeed communicate and interact with humans -- though most humans are rather scared of them.
Maria: What inspired you to write this novel?
Philippa: Hunter and Fox was only half the story, and I wanted to write a tale of redemption...not just for one character, but for a whole world. The idea of many, many different groups of people being pulled together into one world and having to learn how to work with each other, has always been a compelling one for me.
Maria: How would you describe/contrast Finn the Fox and Talyn the Hunter?
Philippa: Finn is a total optimist. He believes in people and the power of the word....even if he hasn't seen much of it lately. Talyn is very much a pessimist. She's lived a very long time, and seen terrible things all around her. She's down in this pit of despair, just slogging along....until Finn turns up, and all the rules are upended. They are a couple who are pulled together and apart by events, but somehow, they need each other.
Maria: Would you say that writing fantasy is more challenging than writing other genres? Why or why not?
Philippa: The worldbuilding aspect is certainly where a lot of effort goes when writing fantasy, but then I think other genres have challenges of their own. Writing mysteries is almost like writing backward, for example. But there are a lot of challenges all genres face: writing compelling characters, describing scenes so the reader gets a good understanding of what's going on, and making plots that encourage them to turn the pages. So I don't think fantasy is any more challenging than other genres -- it simply has different challenges.
Maria: What new project(s) are you currently working on?
Philippa: Right now, my husband and I are working on the third and fourth books of our Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Steampunk adventures. For myself, I am working on starting a new series -- this one full of monsters, gods, and mysterious siblings.
Maria: What resources -- whether people, books, courses -- have helped you the most in your writing?
Philippa: I find it is people that I have worked with that have helped me with my writing. Laurie McLean, my agent, has been a great guide in the business of writing. My husband, Tee Morris, has taught me a lot about writing action scenes and getting dialogues just right. And I have learned a lot about editing by working with Danielle Stockley of Ace Books. Getting to conventions, I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing colleagues, as well, who have inspired and encouraged me in the business.
Maria: How did you create the mythical world of Kindred and Wings?
Philippa: Conhaero was very much inspired by my homeland of New Zealand. As has been made apparent recently, the landscape there is constantly shifting. How people cope and deal with that reality has always been very interesting to me. So I simply imagined 'what if the landscape moved even more'. Once I had that, the whole plot and characters opened up.
Maria: Have you always wanted to write fantasy?
Philippa: I have always loved fantasy as a reader, but as a writer I am addicted to its possibilities. There are literally no boundaries to the imagination. You construct everything in the world, and as long as you are consistent with rules, people will move right in and enjoy what you've constructed. I can't think of any other genre that has that scope.
Maria: Do you have any literary influences? If so, who are they, and how have they influenced your own writing?
Philippa: C.J. Cherryh has always been my influence and role model. She writes strong female characters, with compelling storylines and plots. She has also had a varied and long career in the business. I guess I want to be her when I grow up!
Maria: Do the dragons in this novel speak and interact like humans with the other characters?
Philippa: There are only a few dragons in the world of Kindred and Wings, and they are special and wonderful creatures of legend that have only recently returned. They can indeed communicate and interact with humans -- though most humans are rather scared of them.
Maria: What inspired you to write this novel?
Philippa: Hunter and Fox was only half the story, and I wanted to write a tale of redemption...not just for one character, but for a whole world. The idea of many, many different groups of people being pulled together into one world and having to learn how to work with each other, has always been a compelling one for me.
Maria: How would you describe/contrast Finn the Fox and Talyn the Hunter?
Philippa: Finn is a total optimist. He believes in people and the power of the word....even if he hasn't seen much of it lately. Talyn is very much a pessimist. She's lived a very long time, and seen terrible things all around her. She's down in this pit of despair, just slogging along....until Finn turns up, and all the rules are upended. They are a couple who are pulled together and apart by events, but somehow, they need each other.
Maria: Would you say that writing fantasy is more challenging than writing other genres? Why or why not?
Philippa: The worldbuilding aspect is certainly where a lot of effort goes when writing fantasy, but then I think other genres have challenges of their own. Writing mysteries is almost like writing backward, for example. But there are a lot of challenges all genres face: writing compelling characters, describing scenes so the reader gets a good understanding of what's going on, and making plots that encourage them to turn the pages. So I don't think fantasy is any more challenging than other genres -- it simply has different challenges.
Maria: What new project(s) are you currently working on?
Philippa: Right now, my husband and I are working on the third and fourth books of our Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Steampunk adventures. For myself, I am working on starting a new series -- this one full of monsters, gods, and mysterious siblings.
INTERVIEWER'S NOTE
I would like to thank Phillippa Ballantine
for stopping by today, and
graciously answering my questions!
I'd also like to thank Bewitching Book Tours
for sponsoring this tour!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Philippa has always had her head in a book. For this she blames her father, who thought The Lord of the Rings was suitable bedtime reading for an eight-year-old. At the age of thirteen she began writing fantasy stories for herself.
She first earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Political Science, and then a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. So soon enough she found herself working in the magical world of libraries, where she stayed for over a decade.
Her first professional sale was in 1997, and since then she has gone on to produce mostly novel-length fiction. In 2006 she became New Zealand's first podcast novelist, and she has voiced and produced Weaver's Web, Chasing the Bard, Weather Child, and Digital Magic as podiobooks. Her podcasts have won both a Parsec Award and a Sir Julius Vogel award.
Philippa is the author of the Books of the Order series with Ace. Geist, Spectyr, Wrayth, and Harbinger are coming in July, 2013.
She is also the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series with Tee Morris. Phoenix Rising debuted in May, 2011, and The Janus Affair came out in May, 2012. Phoenix Rising won the Airship Award for Best Written Steampunk, and was the number eight Best Science Fiction Book of 2011, according to Goodreads. The Janus Affair was the seventh most popular science fiction book of 2012 on Goodreads. The series continues with Dawn's Early Light in December, 2013.
In addition, she is the author of the Shifted World series with Pyr Books, with the first book, Hunter and Fox, released in June, 2012, and the second, Kindred and Wings, scheduled for August, 2013.
When not writing or podcasting, Philippa loves reading, gardening, and whenever possible, traveling. With her husband Tee and her daughter, she is looked after by a mighty clowder of five cats in Manassas, Virginia.
Philippa Ballantine Online
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Oh this sounds like a great series. Love the interview!
ReplyDeleteHi, Teresa!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is!! I've already bought the paperback copy, since I don't read e-books.
Thank you so much for the compliment!! I really enjoyed the interview, because Philippa gave such GREAT answers!! : )
love the interview,visiting and following you on GFC.
ReplyDeleteHi, Michie!
DeleteOh, thank you SO much for the compliment!! Thanks as well for commenting back, and following my blog! I'm now following you back!!
Have a GREAT day!! : )
Great interview.
ReplyDeletethe book sounds really good.
I really like the idea of the optimist and the pessimist coming together. I find that is a combination that happens, and sometimes works in real life.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteI think that Philippa gave some very interesting answers. I certainly tried to ask interesting questions. Thanks for the compliment!!
Yeah, I like that paring, as well. And you're right -- this pairing DOES work in real life, sometimes. When it does, it can be hilarious as well as inspiring! Lol.
Thanks for the visit and the comment!! : )
Fabulous interview!! This sounds like a wonderful series! You are really filling up my TBR list... and I like it! ;) Thank you so much for the amazing post <3
ReplyDeleteHey, Michelle!
DeleteOh, I'm so glad you liked the interview!! And yes, this IS a GREAT series!! So I'm filling up your TBR list? That's wonderful news!
You're very welcome for the post, and thank YOU for leaving such an enthusiastic, positive comment!! : )