Spotlight & Author Interview: Silver in the Mist, by Emily Victoria

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Silver in the Mist
Silver in the Mist
by Emily Victoria
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publishing Date: November 1, 2022

 

Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Whisperer ofAris, the head of the spies, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter.Joining the spy ranks herself, Dev sees her mother only when receiving assignments. She wants more, but she understands the peril their country, Aris, is in.The malevolent magic force of The Mists is swallowing Aris’s edges, their country is vulnerable to another attack from their wealthier neighbor, and the magic casters who protect them from both are burning out.Dev has known strength and survival her whole life, but with a dangerous new assignment of infiltrating the royal court of their neighbor country Cerena to steal the magic they need, she learns that not all that glitters is weak. And not all stories are true.

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Author Interview:

1. What inspired you to write this book, or how did the idea start? 
When I start writing a book, it is often the magic system that comes to me first. In this case, I had an idea for this malevolent magical force that was slowly swallowing up every corner of a world and that had monsters of silvered lightning within it.

Once I had that seed of an idea, I had to decide what sort of characters I wanted to populate the world with. At first I thought of selecting a mage as a main character, but I wanted someone different: someone who wouldn’t be able to beat magic with magic but who had to beat magic with her mind and other skills. I’ve always found spies fascinating, and so I settled on the idea to make the main character a spy.

2. What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?
Writers always joke that you should never look at their search history. For this book, I had to research spies (from the past) which also meant researching what sort of weapons they might have used and how those weapons worked. So yes, don’t look at my search history.

3. What surprised you the most in writing it?
What surprised me the most was everything that I discovered about the world. I started with a basic idea, but I quickly discovered all these nooks and crannies to the world that I couldn’t have imagined when I first started (for example, of the two countries in the book, one quickly moved in a science-oriented direction and the other in an art-oriented direction, which I wasn’t expecting).

World-building is one of my favorite aspects of writing, so I loved being able to expand the world and learn more about it as I wrote.

4. If it’s not a spoiler, what does the title mean?
It’s definitely not a spoiler. The Mists is the name of the malevolent magical force in the book (as you can probably guess from the name, it looks like mists).

For the silver part, the magic that the characters use in the book is called casting and it creates a beautiful magic that looks like silver filigree. So that is the silver reference in the title.

5. Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?
Devlin was heavily inspired by me. Well, at least in identity (we’re both aroace). I’d like to say Devlin and I are similar personality-wise, but I’m probably a closer personality match to Alyse since we’re both cinnamon rolls.

6. Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?
I don’t like to be too heavy-handed with lessons or morals in my books, but I do like writing towards the characters realizing something about themselves and their world. In this case, the characters have to learn to work together and to trust each other, even though they have all of this bad history between them. The book is about learning to find those similarities that unite people.

7. What is your favorite part of the book?
I definitely have some favorite parts that are quite spoiler-y, but one that isn’t a spoiler is when Devlin first goes undercover as a lady of the court and meets Alyse. It was really fun writing the sort of dance that was the beginning of their relationship, as Devlin was trying to learn all of these new court rules while still getting the trust and information that she needed from Alyse.

8. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
I would say Devlin’s mother, the Whisperer (head spy) of Aris. Devlin and her mother have a very complicated relationship and at times her mother is an antagonistic force. However, I wanted to explore all the different sides of her and the relationship that she has with her daughter, not just the negative parts. I hope I did a good job on her and that she’ll have some surprises in store for you!

9. What are your immediate future plans?
Most immediately, of course, is just making sure to have fun with the first few weeks of Silver in the Mist’s release. My last book, This Golden Flame, came out during the height of the pandemic and the restrictions, so this book release will be my first time really doing things in person.

For books, though, my next release will be a short story in the anthology Being Ace. I’m also working on a full-length work.


About the Author:

Emily Kundrik

Emily Victoria is an aroace Canadian prairie girl who writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. When not word-smithing, she likes walking her over-excitable dog, drinking far too much tea, and crocheting things she no longer has the space to store. Her librarian degree allows her to take home far too many books.

 

BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Becoming Animals, by Olga & Christopher Werby

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This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 50 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website or take a peek over on Twitter: @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (If you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.


Cover: Becoming Animals

Becoming Animals
by Olga & Christopher Werby
Length: 361 Pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Category: Young Adult
Date Published: 26 December 2017

Humans have always wanted to know what goes on inside the minds of other animals. But what if humans could become animals? Toby’s father leads a team of neuroscientists directly connecting the brains of humans with those of animals. And Toby is a prodigy at throwing her mind into the animal subjects in his lab—she’s the best there is.

But Toby suffers from cystic fibrosis and she’s not likely to live into adulthood. Could a radical plan to embed her consciousness into an animal allow Toby to survive? And what does it mean to live without a human body?

Can Toby and her father solve the problem of fully merging two beings before she takes her last breath? Will the government succeed in stopping their efforts before they are done? It’s a race against death and into the minds of animals.

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Author Bio:

Olga and Christopher Werby Author PhotoOlga got her B.A. from Columbia University in Mathematics and Astrophysics and worked at NASA on the Pioneer Venus Project as a programmer. She received her masters from U.C. Berkeley in Education of Math, Science, and Technology and went on to earn a doctorate in education. Together with her husband and business partner, Christopher Werby, they conceive, design, and create products, ideas, websites, and exhibits. Along the way, they write science fiction together.

Spotlight & Giveaway: Land of Endozia, by Lynz Johnston

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Reclaimed

Land of Endozia Book 1

by Lynz Johnston

Genre: Epic Fantasy

 

Tatyanna longed to be normal. To fit in with her family, and not be an outsider at school. But that wish was never to be.

The changes began when she turned sixteen. Noticeable shifts in her appearance that made her feel like even more of a freak show. As the years went on, her differences couldn’t be ignored. A strange tattoo suddenly appearing. Odd things occurring with a simple touch of her hand. There seemed to be no explanation for any of it.Until she met Dimitri.
He knows more about her than he should and acts as her guide into a world of magic he claims she plays a powerful role in. Dimitri introduces her to mysterious bartender, Emmett, who helps Tatyanna unearth her long-hidden truth. She is a royal from a hidden world that defies imagination. Now, that world is in peril, and Emmett and Dimitri need her help to save it.
All she has ever known is here. But failure to act could destroy this realm and the next. Can she channel the strength within her and achieve the impossible? Or will self-doubt prevent her from protecting all those who depend on her?

This book was previously published under the title, Tatyanna (Light and Darkness Book 1). The contents of this book are the same.

**Only .99 cents!**

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Reborn

Land of Endozia Book 2

 

How do you say goodbye when you know it could be forever?

The death of Tatyanna’s trusted guardian has been foretold. Still, she must part ways with him as their journeys pull them down differing paths.

One must find an elusive princess and convince her to fight by their side.
The other hunts for clues of their enemy’s weaknesses.

The magical world is in a state of destruction, with darkness and unspeakable dangers surrounding them at every turn. Yet before the Royals can begin the work to repair their beloved homeland, they must first weed out the evil deeply rooted across the realm.

In the face of unimaginable odds, one truth becomes clear; sometimes the biggest obstacle a troubled soul can face is themselves. Will the hope found through forgiveness be enough to save the battered land? Or will the prophecy be fulfilled with the loss of someone Tatyanna holds dear?

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I have been a life long reader and dreamer, turning to books every chance that I could. I can often be seen staring out a window having conversations with my many characters when I should be doing something else. ​

I currently live in Ohio with my husband and our two kids. When I’m not writing or day dreaming, I am a teacher by day, a gamer by night, and sometimes when the kids are asleep, I find the time to write.

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