The time it was about The Impostor Queen

Posted February 5, 2016 by Stacee in Interviews | 8 Comments

I was sent an approved widget for The Impostor Queen by a trusted friend and even though I’m always wary of high fantasy, this book was amazing. I was pretty late to the party so I didn’t get on any of the blog tours, but I took a chance and asked Sarah if she would be available to to an interview.  Even though she’s extremely busy, she agreed!

Before we get to her answers, let’s check out the book.

15Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

Sounds good, right? {IT’S SOOO GOOD!}

right

1. Give the elevator pitch for The Impostor Queen.

In a world of ice and fire magic, the girl chosen to inherit the queen’s infinite power turns out to be completely unmagical—but she still has to find a way to save her people from enemies both within and beyond the kingdom’s borders.

2. Why do you love Elli and why should we root for her?

Elli’s whole life has been building toward the moment when she inherits the queen’s magic, so when she doesn’t, she has to figure out who exactly she is and how to be whole when the one thing she thought would complete her is nowhere to be found. She has to grieve the loss of this person she thought she was going to be, but she doesn’t let it paralyze her. Instead, she moves on and focuses on becoming a person she can be proud of. Although her story is epic, her personal journey is very un-epic in that way, but no less important or compelling, in my opinion. And I think a lot of us can relate to it.

3. What was the weirdest thing you had to google while researching?

I looked up how to skin a rabbit. YIPES.

4. Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?

There’s a pretty exciting scene when Oskar and Elli start to realize what they are together (not romantically). It’s kind of brutal, but it was totally fun to write.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

This is going to sound boring, but I just spent that time talking with my agent about the details of the offer. I mean, yes, I was totally excited, but I wanted to understand the specifics before committing!

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

As much sunblock as I could carry, a sturdy umbrella, and notebook/pen.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

What a tough question! Something by Salman Rushdie—maybe Midnight’s Children. I’d want a book that was sufficiently rich and complex in terms of theme, characters, plot, and prose to keep me interested, and something I could learn from as a writer.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

That waiting is a part of the game, no matter the level you’re playing. Plan on finding other things to do and pour the nervous energy into new projects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5752145I’m the author of several books for teens, including Of Metal and Wishes (McElderry/Simon & Schuster) and its sequel, Of Dreams and Rust, the Guards of the Shadowlands YA urban fantasy series (Skyscape/Amazon Children’s Publishing), and The Impostor Queen (McElderry, January 2016).

When I’m not writing, I’m psychologizing. Sometimes I do both at the same time. The results are unpredictable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Sarah for taking the time! Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

The Impostor Queen was is out now.  You can order it at: Simon & Schuster | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon And check out my review here.

Have you read The Impostor Queen? What was your favorite part?

Tags: , ,


8 responses to “The time it was about The Impostor Queen

    • Stacee

      It’s easily one of my favorite fantasy books. I hope you love it when you read it.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

    • Stacee

      I was so excited that she was able to take the time! I hope you love it when you read it.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

  1. Linda Townsend

    I asked my library to get it… AND, while I was at the Coastal Magic Convention, I received notice that it’s in and waiting for me! I can’t wait to read it! I LOVE my library!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.