Waiting on Wednesday (149) - Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you are looking forward to!

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs coming June 5, 2012 from Walker Childrens

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

The first book, Tempest Rising, was quite awesome, so I'm so intrigued to see how the story will pan out in this one!

What are you guys waiting on?

Fantasy Five Friday: Interview with Dan Haring

I am super excited to have Dan Haring by the blog today for another Fantasy Five Friday! Welcome Dan!

Dan Haring is the author of Oldsoul, which debuts April 24th. He has a degree in animation and has worked on movies like Tangled (Ummm coolest thing ever!) You can find him on the web at his website, blog, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

Jason must harness the skills of the souls within him in order to
combat the immortals bent on destroying humanity.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

I've honestly never thought about that. I'd love to be something that
could fly. Dragons are cool, but usually they're jerks. Maybe a
griffin.

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

That's a tough one. I'd have to say it's a tie between The Hobbit/Lord
of the Rings and Harry Potter. Both worlds are incredible.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

With OLDSOUL it was the character, with my current WIP it was the
plot. It just depends on the project I guess.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your
book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you
choose?

I love the Lord of the Rings edition of Risk I have, so that would be
awesome. I don't know that my book is epic enough for that though.

Here's a bit about Oldsoul:

Jason Gouvas doesn’t want to believe he has special abilities or that he's an Oldsoul-- a vessel for the souls of people who have passed away, but the dead girl in his mind can be very persuasive.

Her name is Erin, and through her Jason is able to access the knowledge and skills of the souls within him. And with a group of power-hungry immortals bent on destroying the Oldsouls and overthrowing humanity, he's going to need them all.

Buy Oldsoul

Fantasy Five Friday: Interview With Marissa Burt

I am very excited to have Marissa Burt with us here for another Fantasy Five Friday! Welcome Marissa.

Marissa is the author of Storybound. She now lives in the Seattle area. You can find her on the web at her website, Goodreads, and Twitter. And like Storybound on Facebook!

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

Sure! Shy, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild is suddenly transported by a mysterious book into the Land of Story, where characters from books train to be cast into a Tale of their own, and Una attends the Perrault Academy while trying to discover who has Written her In and why.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

Hmmm. The middle-grade me would say without hesitation...a talking cat. Nowadays, I think I would choose to be a human in a fantasy world, but I'd want to have some sort of magical powers. I'd love to be a sword master or a brave warrior - courageous characters are my favorite! And flying capacities that don't involve getting on an airplane wouldn't hurt either - haha! Fantasy me would definitely have a pet dragon.

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

Lots of them! The first fantasy I read might have been TAILCHASER'S SONG, by: Tad Williams (hence, the aforementioned desire to be a cat). I still read THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy annually, so I should probably mention that, and I'm a sucker for George R. R. Martin and Robert Jordan's epic tales.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

For STORYBOUND, the world came first. Whenever I read a beloved book, I'm always so sad when the story ends, and I imagine the characters going on about their lives - without being spied on by nosy readers. So I wrote a story about a girl falling into that world. Plot follows hard on the heels of an interesting character being thrown into an enchanting world.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

What a question! If Alison Klapthor and Brandon Dorman (the two artists who worked on STORYBOUND'S cover) were involved, I'd love to see something graphically rich like a fabulous Monopoly edition (a game I despise) or an epic puzzle (I love puzzles!). But for a playable game, I'd want a special edition Settlers of Catan, and we could have fairy tale villains and heroes fighting over Story's resources. How fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by Marissa! Marissa's book Storybound came out April 3. Here's a bit about the book:

In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.

In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.

But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....

With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.

Buy Storybound: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday (146) - Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you are looking forward to!

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin coming April 24, 2012 from Greenwillow Books

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

This book just looks intriguing - between the premise and the cover. I am very excited to see what this one is all about.

What are you guys waiting on?