Congratulations to Joann Ansley who won a copy of Toni Shiloh’s Returning Home!
Scroll below for a chance to win a copy of Gillian Bronte Adams’ Orphan’s Song!
What is the title of your book?
My current series is called The Songkeeper Chronicles. Books One and Two are out right now, Orphan’s Song and Songkeeper, and the third book, Song of Leira, will be releasing next Spring!
What was the inspiration behind your book?
Inspiration is a hard thing to nail down, mainly because my writing process tends to be a very organic thing where stories slowly percolate in the back of my mind for months and sometimes years before I start to write them. But I guess my inspiration for the Songkeeper Chronicles started with two character names: Birdie and Amos McElhenny and a question: What if there was a girl who could hear the song that had created the world? From there, the story grew and and expanded and slowly fell into place with lots of plot elements and characters who surprised me along the way.
Which character was your favorite to write, and why?
Ooh. This is a tough one. Probably Amos McElhenny. As much as I love writing Birdie and Ky’s scenes, there’s something about Amos’s bold as brass, totally fierce, and yet completely gooey on the inside personality that is just too much fun.
What are 3 things you can’t live without?
Coffee. Laptop—barring that, a pen and notepad. Bible.
What are 3 things you’d have to have when marooned on an island?
I would say the aforementioned things … but survival … and assuming no electricity …
A machete – for chopping wood for fires, cutting down mangos (a tropical island?), and hunting. Yes. Oh and for cutting bark to use in place of notepaper.
Flint and steel – so I can start fires for cooking and use the charcoal for writing on my bark that I’ve cut to use in place of notepaper.
Rope – Sam Gamgee said it best! “You’ll want it, if you haven’t got it.”
(And of course, my Bible and coffee … but that’s more than 3 things, so I’m totally cheating!)
Who is your all-time favorite character from a book?
This is so SO hard. I have a ton of favorite characters, but we’ll start with my first ever favorite character. Aragorn. *sigh* I fell hopelessly in love with the man as a teenager reading the Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time (my dad gave me a copy for my seventh birthday, so by my teenage years, I’d read it a few times) and well, let’s just say, that Aragorn’s are few and far between in the real world. *sigh*
What book are you currently reading?
I’m a bit of an ADD reader, which means that I’m typically working my way through at least four or five books at a time. So right now, I’m reading:
The Story of With, by Allen Arnold
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonehoffer
Children of the Forgotten, a YA Fantasy/Post Apocalyptic novel by Charles Franklin
And about to start Range of Ghosts, a Fantasy novel by Elizabeth Bear
What are you currently watching on Netflix?
Just binge-watched Stranger Things Season 2 over the weekend! Now I’m tempted to go back and re-watch Season 1.
Favorite Starbucks drink?
Honestly, I’m still undecided. It depends on the time of day – I don’t like anything too sweet in the morning – and the weather – cold or hot drink. Most of the time, I’ll try something new, but I do love their frappuccinos, so I come back to those fairly frequently.
What does a typical day of writing look like for you?
Any writing day starts with … you guessed it … coffee. *grins* Once I have my coffee, then I can write. I don’t know if I have a “typical” writing day, but it’s always a balance between getting the next book written (my favorite part!), maintaining my social media pages, writing up a blog post or article or two, and interacting with readers and fellow authors online!
Once I begin actually writing on a story, I can easily lose myself in the process for hours. When I tell a tale, I sink deep into it. Character emotions drive my own. I feel each moment of trial and failure, of humiliation, of victory, and of loss. At times the world around me blurs and becomes indistinct. I am typing, and I can hear the clack of the keys and feel the pressure of them beneath my fingertips, and yet I can smell the smoke upon a distant battlefield, my ears ring with the clangor of sword upon shield. I feel the vibrations of hoofbeats on hard soil. I can taste the dirt that is flung into the air when a warrior rides past, and there is the sense that if I lift my eyes from the monitor, even if only for a second, I will be there, instead of here.
Favorite quote?
Probably this one from Teddy Roosevelt:
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Failure is inevitably a part of the writing process, so I have to remind myself to keep striving, keep daring greatly, and to keep learning through my errors and my shortcomings!
Current 4 favorite things (you can link if you’d like):
The Gray Havens – I adore their music! Got to hear them live recently and meet them in person, and it was awesome. Totally tried not to awkward fangirl, but I probably did …
Handcrafted mugs
My horse, Ariat. He’s a darling.
More about Orphan’s Song
Her solo is a death sentence.
Deep within the world of Leira flows a melody that was sung at the beginning of time by Emhran, the Master Singer. Now it is broken, buried, forgotten. But in each generation, a Songkeeper arises to uphold the memory of the Song against those who want it silenced forever.
When Birdie first hears the Song coming from her own mouth, her world shatters. She is no longer simply an orphan but the last of a hunted people. Forced to flee for her life, she must decide whom to trust—a traveling peddler, a streetwise thief, or a mysterious creature who claims to know her past.
With enemies at her heels and war threatening to tear her homeland apart, Birdie soon discovers an overwhelming truth: the fate of Leira may hinge on one orphan’s Song.
Purchase a copy of Orphan’s Song
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | CBD
Don’t miss book two: Songkeeper
Also, look at the cover of book three! It’s simply gorgeous!!
Gillian Bronte Adams is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, coffee-loving speculative fiction author from the great state of Texas. A love of epic stories and a desire to present truth in a new way drew her to the realm of fantasy. During the day, she manages the equestrian program at a Christian youth camp. But at night, she kicks off her boots and spurs, pulls out her trusty laptop, and transforms into a novelist.
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