Interview with Kate Conway, Author of Undertow--Out October 18th!

I was lucky enough to be one of the early reviewers of this compelling YA fantasy. I had a beautiful ARC copy! Undertow is a unique book because of its geographical location (how many novels are set in Cape Cod?) the amazing range of characters, a likeable heroine, and mystery saturating almost every page. Below is the interview, followed by a author bio, a short excerpt from Undertow, and links to where you can get better acquainted with the book and the author.

 

 

 

Me--Where did you get the idea for Undertow?

 

Kate Conway--Wow – that is a loaded question. UNDERTOW started out as a WWII story involving my grandfather who had been an Iwo Jima marine at 17. He told stories of bravery and sacrifice, but more often than not told us of the friendships and just teenhood craziness that would happen. Basically what teenagers were up to, when they weren’t hunted by a foreign enemy. I had a tough time writing HIS story, so I took the emotions and the ebb and flow of war and dropped some very unique characters I had dreamed up into the story. It basically comes out like The Breakfast Club meets Saving Private Ryan . . . with a bit of the Goonies for good measure. It is really pretty different from anything I have ever read.

 

Me--Who are your favorite characters in Undertow and why?

 

Kate Conway--Oh man . . . honestly I like them all. I think when it comes to writing for them, Kian is tons of fun as is MJ. A new character, known as Rilin, will appear in STORM FRONT and he is going to be quite the dark fighter. His back history is crazy.

 

Me--What themes does your book present?

 

Kate Conway--There are a lot of themes in UNDERTOW – Can we change who we are? Can hatred be hereditary? Must we be perfect or is it our flaws that make us ideal? What does it take to hold on to one’s humanity? Is true forgiveness ever possible?

 

Me--How many books do you have in this series?

 

Kate Conway--Three full sized novels: UNDERTOW, STORM FRONT, TRUE NORTH and two novellas: CRUEL SUMMER and REBEL

 

Me--What makes you choose to write YA fantasy?

Kate Conway--Believe it or not, UNDERTOW, while a paranormal / supernatural type book, doesn’t really focus much on the “flash-bangs” of WHAT they are. I could have very well taken all the characters and placed them in WWII on opposing sides without powers and it still would have worked. So, I guess I didn’t really CHOOSE to write supernaturally – I just stumbled into it.

Me--What authors influence your writing?

 

Kate Conway--Armentrout, Maas, Redwine, Revis, Rossi

 

Me--Why do you think fantasy books are so popular?

 

Kate Conway--I think our lives are busy and fantasy allows us a moment to escape, into a world unlike our own.

 

Me--How many books have you written?

 

Kate Conway--Just UNDERTOW, though I am currently working on STORM FRONT. I have been a journalist for fifteen years though.

 

Me--Where do you see the fantasy book market 10 years from now?

 

Kate Conway--Strong as ever, though ebooks may become a lot more fancy.

 

Me--What makes Undertow different from other YA fantasy books?

 

Kate Conway--A brand new set of Supernatural characters and a ton of back history that comes back to haunt them.

 

 

 

BIO

 

I have been a journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.

 In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label, I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth.

 

I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my fishing-obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope - that's not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.

 

 

Excerpt from Undertow

 
 

Prologue

Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts October 14, 1851

Killing Jacob Rysse would not be an issue. Dying in the process, however, was more difficult for Elizabeth to stomach.

She didn’t fear death, for sacrifice was both expected and inevitable in her race. She was a fighter after all and the carnage left behind by Rysse and her own family was nothing new. But leaving behind those she loved was more painful than any form of torture she had known. Her infant son would never remember her, the Captain would mourn her, but Christian? Christian may very well never forgive her. He would quickly figure out that she was not at the blacksmith’s as they had agreed to meet. She had left him, instead, a letter and her necklace among the sawdust tables of the shop. In it she had written out her instructions in the same sweeping lines that had conveyed so much between them during the rebellion. 

What she asked of him was simple: protect the house, protect the necklace, and protect their secret. He would do it for her, just as she now was about to do for him and for the child.

Rysse was hunting her family and had succeeded at killing most of her kind. By taking him out, she was protecting them all. Christian would understand that hopefully. Eventually.

Her well-laid plan would draw Rysse in, and his perfection as a murderer should ensure her success.

He wanted her power.

He believed she would trade it for revenge.

He was about to die for his ignorance.

 

 Undertow at Goodreads
Kate Conway on Facebook

Cape Cod Scribe - Ramblings from a Cape Cod Writer, Mother and General Lunatic: http://capecodscribe.wordpress.com/

Tweeting from the Cape! Follow me at @sharkprose 

 

Interview with Author B.T. Narro

Below is the author interview with B.T. Narro, a talented and amazing writer! His book, Bastial Energy, is one of the best fantasy novels I've read!! Following the interview is a author bio, an excerpt from Bastial Energy, and links to Amazon and Goodreads, where you can see the reviews and buy the book.



Me-- Where did you get the idea for Bastial Energy?

B.T. Narro-- I came up with the idea in college. Being a lover of fantasy, and living with three very different roommates, I came up with the idea of an Academy for teen warriors, chemists, mages, and psychics. Lord of the Rings was an influence as well, making me want to write a story about war and personal growth.

I started with writing a novel that was similar to Bastial Energy, finishing it my sophomore year in college. It didn't turn out very well. For years, I tweaked the characters, the plot, the creatures, the world, and the conflicts until everything was different from the original. Bastial Energy is the result of that.

Me:--Who are your favorite characters and why?

B.T. Narro-- It's extremely difficult for me to pick any as my favorite, so I'm tempted to say that all of them are. But if I read that answer from another author, I would roll my eyes. So I'm going to force myself to give a more specific answer. Captain Mmzaza is one of my favorite characters because he always makes me smile, though there isn't much of him in the first novel. Vithos has become one of my favorite characters as well, but that's taking into consideration all of the series so far. Based on Bastial Energy alone, I'd have to say Steffen. Like Captain Mmzaza, he makes me smile.

 Me-- What themes does your book present?

B.T. Narro-- In every society, there is a definition of an adult, and it is usually defined by age and sometimes a rite of passage. But there's a major difference between being identified as an adult and coming to terms with adulthood. This is the major theme throughout Bastial Energy—characters must discover what being an adult means to them.

 Me-- How many books do you have in this series?

B.T. Narro-- So far there are three books in the series, though a fourth one should be published by October 15th. I'm planning two more books after this next one before the series is completed.

 Me-- What makes you choose to write YA fantasy?

B.T. Narro--In addition to writing fantasy when I was young, I've written a lot of nonfiction, specifically about those dreadful years of puberty. I've spent a lot of time exploring the complex issues that come with growing up and I enjoy writing about them. The reason I stick with fantasy is because I find it gives my imagination more room to thrive.

 Me-- What authors influence your writing?

B.T. Narro-- Quite a few, though two more than any other: George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss.

 Me-- Why do you think fantasy books are so popular?

B.T. Narro-- Every fantasy novel has to accomplish the same thing: introduce a world, demonstrate the rules of this world, and introduce a society. Every genre is going to have characters and conflicts, but these extra aspects that can only be found in fantasy and sci-fi help provide an extra element of adventure and discovery.

 Me-- How many books have you written?

B.T. Narro-- Bastial Energy is my first published novel. I've only written one other complete novel besides Bastial Energy, and I never tried to publish it because I didn't like how it turned out. There were two others that I started but never finished. So that makes 3 in total at this point. Bastial Energy, The Sartious Mage, and Bastial Steel.

 Me-- Where do you see the fantasy book market 10 years from now?

B.T. Narro-- As the same as it is now. Though, I would trust a flip of the coin more than my opinion on this.

 Me-- What makes Bastial Energy different from other YA fantasy books?

B.T. Narro-- Every novel has aspects about it that are similar to other stories. But from the fan mail and reviews I've received about Bastial Energy, I believe many people find the way the characters interact and learn from each other to be refreshing. There are plot driven moments, like in any epic adventure, but many of the big turns of the story are the result of a character's feelings, stubbornness, naivety, wit, or interaction with another main character.

Author Bio:

B.T. Narro was born in 1985, in San Francisco, California, where he still lives.

He has a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of California Riverside.

He loves intricate stories with surprises, humor, romance, but above all, deeply developed characters and worlds that are so real they seem to live on once the novel is finished. This is what he strives for as a writer.

Narro's passion for fantasy started in elementary school. He had a lot of great teachers, one of which was his sixth grade English teacher, Rick Riordan (author of the Percy Jackson novels). Narro was fortunate enough to have Riordan read and provide feedback for Narro's first fantasy manuscript, which he completed in college. (It was terrible, but Riordan was very helpful and nice about it.)

In high school, Narro started having a difficult time staying awake through class, which was strange considering how he slept about eight hours a night. By senior year, he couldn't go a day without falling asleep at least once, and a friend jokingly suggested that he might have narcolepsy. But Narro went to see a doctor anyway, just in case his friend might be right. Sure enough, after a hospital sleepover study, Narro was diagnosed with narcolepsy.

In terms of writing, Narro likes to outline the entire novel before writing the first draft. He loves to write and hopes to have the next book out before the end of October.

Excerpt from Bastial Energy:

Cleve’s hands were steady as he drew the string of his longbow. His eyes didn’t see the rest of the forest, only his target. Ready to let the arrow soar, he held his breath, but a noise froze him before he released. He strained his neck toward it.

Footsteps causing leaves to crackle were coming up the hill behind him. Panic pinched his heart, forcing his held breath out through his teeth. By the time his next breath began, his arrow was back in his quiver and his head had swung in each direction, looking for somewhere to throw his five-foot-tall longbow.

The sun was low, striping the forest in shadows from lanky trees too thin to conceal his illegal weapon. The grass of the forest floor was too sparse for it, and the only bushes thick enough were down the hill, past where the footsteps were coming from.

He cursed himself for allowing someone to surprise him. After years of training in the secluded forest, not once had someone sneaked up on him. How could he have let this happen? He took another breath. Figuring that out would have to wait. Right now he needed a plan.

A voice spoke out, just close enough to be understood. “Look at this, Fred.” The young man’s tone was utterly defeated, as if he were witnessing a calamity. “This goldbellow is mangled. What a waste of a rare ingredient.”

Cleve heard no reply, just a scraping sound like a knife rubbing against steel.

 

 

 

 

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The e-version is exclusive to Amazon.