It’s that time again: Ontario Teen Book Fest is almost here! And that means it’s time to put the spotlight on one of the authors who will be in attendance.
I basically begged Sara to let me have the two authors I’ll be spotlighting this year. I featured Demetra Brodsky here and today I’m flailing all over Stephanie Garber. Before we get to Stephanie’s awesomeness, let’s get more details on the event.
Ontario Teen Book Fest is being held on March 9th from 9 am to 5 pm, is absolutely free, and tickets are not necessary. There will be 18 authors and it’s being held at Colony High School 3850 E. Riverside Drive, Ontario, CA 91761. The event is being sponsored by Once Upon a Time, with free lunch from Panera Bread, and additional info can be found at the event website.
And now let’s check out Stephanie’s book.
Title: Finale
Author: Stephanie Garber
Pages: 496
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pub Date: May 7, 2019
Find it: Macmillan | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | GoodreadsWelcome, welcome to Finale, the third and final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval series!
Welcome, welcome to Caraval…all games must come to an end.
It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.
Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything. . .
Sounds good, right?
1. Please give the elevator pitch for the Caraval series.
For most of their lives, Scarlett and Tella have dreamed of attending Caraval, a magical once-a-year performance, where the audience participates in the show. The sisters are told that everything in Caraval is just a game, and yet when they begin to play it, both of them find themselves caught up in a world full of illusions, romance, and living myths with the power to steal their hearts, their souls and their lives.
2. Which came first: the world or the characters?
I’m tempted to say that it started with the world, because my idea for the game of Caraval was what inspired me to write the series. But I wasn’t able to actually flesh out the game or the world until I created Legend’s character. The world of Caraval was the door to the story, but Legend was the key that unlocked it.
3. Who has been easier to work with: Scarlett or Tella?
I love both Scarlett and Tella, but Scarlett is much easier. I’m more similar to her than to Tella—I like to follow rules, I tend to be overly cautious, and I’m overprotective of my little sister. So it’s easy for me to write Scarlett. But Tella is trickier. I love the choices Tella makes, but it’s often challenging for me to get inside her head and figure out why she’s making these risky choices and how she’s feeling about them. In fact, when I wrote Finale, I rewrote almost all of Tella’s scenes about four different times, because it took me a while to get them right. I also might have gone back and forth about which love interest I wanted her to end up with.
4. Is there anything about Finale you can tell us now?
Finale is written from both Tella and Scarlett’s point of view. So readers who missed Julian and Scarlett will definitely see more of them in this story. In fact, there’s a lot more Julian in this book—I had so much fun writing him in this book, I just kept adding more and more scenes with him. But don’t worry, readers will see lots of Legend and Jacks as well.
5. How does it feel to have completed a trilogy?
Finale wraps up Tella and Scarlett’s story, and I love the way it ends. So in one way it feels very satisfying to have finished the trilogy. But—and I’ve rewritten this next part about one-hundred times because I have a lot of other feelings as well—I’m also a little sad to see the series end; I don’t want to let go of these characters. I’m both and excited and terrified about people reading this last book, because I want readers to love it but I have no idea how anyone will respond to it. I’m a little shocked that I actually did it—five years ago at this time, I didn’t have even have a literary agent, so past-Steph wouldn’t have believed everything that has happened with this series, which makes probably makes me feel more grateful than anything else.
Speed {ish} Round:
1. What was your last 5 star read?
The Hidden Legacy Series by Ilona Andrews. SO GOOD! I loved the characters, the romance, and the world building so much that as soon as I finished it I started rereading it again.
2. Who is your favorite villain?
I’m doing a Vampire Diaries re-watch, so right now I’m going to go with Klaus. He’s the absolute worst. There are times I can’t stand him, but then he has these rare moments of vulnerability and sweetness and I’m such a sucker for that combination.
3. Which book do you wish you could read again for the first time?
Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson. It’s one of my all time favorite books—I love how Mary plays with her points of view in this book, and I’d love to experience it for the first time all over again.
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I’m the #1 New York Times bestselling and international bestselling author of Caraval, Legendary, and Finale (coming May 2019).
When I’m not writing, I teach creative writing at a private college in Northern California, where I’ve been known to turn assignments into games and take students on field trips that involve book signings. My debut YA fantasy novel, Caraval and its sequel Legendary is out now (Flatiron Books/Macmillan—US and Hodder & Stoughton—UK). Caraval has sold in over thirty foreign territories and the movie rights were picked by Twentieth Century Fox.
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Huge thanks to Sara for the invite and to Stephanie for taking the time!
If you’re going to the event, use the hashtag #ontariotbf. Keep scrolling to check out the rest of the tour highlighting the authors who will be attending and for the giveaway!
Official Blog Tour Schedule
February 26th
Spotlight on Abdi Nazemian – What A Nerd Girl Says
February 27th
Spotlight on Cindy Pon – Bookchelle
Spotlight on Suzanne Young – Movies Shows N Books
February 28th
Spotlight on Isabel Quintero – Read Now Sleep Later
March 1st
Spotlight on Amy Spalding – Nite Lite Book Reviews
Spotlight on Julie Buxbaum – My Fangirl Chronicles
March 2nd
Spotlight on Demetra Brodsky – Adventures of a Book Junkie
Spotlight on Kayla Cagan – Movies Shows N Books
March 3rd
Spotlight on Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka – BookCrushin’
March 4th
Spotlight on Jeff Sweat – Movies Shows n Books
Spotlight on Robin Reul – What A Nerd Girl Says
March 5th
Spotlight on Jessica Brody – The Readers Antidote
March 6th
Spotlight on Stephanie Garber – Adventures of a Book Junkie
March 7th
Spotlight on Jennifer Brody – Bookschief Managed
Spotlight on Carrie Arcos – Read Now Sleep Later
March 8th
Spotlight on Nicole Maggi – Bookchelle
Spotlight on Mary Weber – BookCrushin’
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