Welcome to my tour stop for Restless Earth and Blessing Sky by Emily Mah! This is a YA/NA high fantasy series. This is book 1 and 2 of The Sky Chariots Saga. The tour runs July 20 - 31 with reviews, author interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.
About Restless Earth:
For over a thousand years, the Tanoa have relied on their Earth Shamen to bring rich harvests, temper stone tools and weapons, and imbue pottery with strength like metal. Now, though, the bloodline has dwindled to one Shaman, Tuwa, who is trapped high in the mountains, holding bedrock together to prevent a volcanic eruption while the rest of her people flee to safety. The only way to save the village is for her to sacrifice herself and buy them the time they need to evacuate.But her grandson, Ahote, refuses to abandon her to die. Rather than do as she asks—marry and bear daughters who might inherit her gift—he sets out to find the one person who might be able to save Tuwa’s life.Kasha is a Tanoa girl in who lives in Solace, a city of the pale-skinned Andalanos. If the Engineers Guild ever discovers her gender or race, they could order her execution—for in violation of the King’s law, Master Engineer Seamus trained Kasha as his apprentice. She is a genius in all things mechanical and earned her master certification when only fourteen years old. Since Seamus’s death, she has been discreetly working his job as the City Engineer.She knows there is no machine or technology that can save Tuwa. In order to complete this task, Kasha must invent a vehicle unlike anything the world has ever seen, and risk exposure and death in the process.
About Blessing Sky:
Master Engineer Kasha lives in hiding. As a Tanoa and a woman, she has no legal right to her title, and risks expulsion or even execution if the Guild discovers her identity. For over a year she has served as the City Engineer of the Andalano city of Solace, home to the Winged Riders and their pegasus mounts.Now, though, her people need her. The last of their Earth Shamen is trapped in the mountains, holding back a volcanic eruption so that the rest of her people can escape. It is a job for only the greatest of all engineers, and that happens to be Kasha.But when her kinsman, Ahote, breaks the most sacred law of the Winged Riders, an alliance with him means certain death. Kasha must work alone to solve the most difficult engineering problem of all time before the summer months are done and winter comes to claim the life of the Shaman and the hope of her people.
About the Author:
Emily writes as both Emily Mah (for science fiction and fantasy) and E.M. Tippetts (for chick lit). Her short stories have appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, The Black Gate, and anthologies like The Dragon and the Stars, Shanghai Steam, and The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth. Her E.M. Tippetts novels have been on the Amazon Top 100 numerous times, and her novel, Someone Else's Fairytale was semi-finalist for the Best Indie Book of the Year - Kindle Book Review, and a runner up in Romance for the Best of the Independent Book Awards - eFestival of Words.
She is a graduate of the Clarion West Writer's Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy and Viable Paradise Writers Workshop, and she often teaches the unit on self-publishing at the Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop.When she is not writing or chasing small children, she manages E.M. Tippetts Book Designs, her company which offers formatting, cover design, and editing services to authors and publishers.
Website | Facebook | Twitter @EmilyMah | YouTube
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***Author Interview***
What inspired you to write your first book?
Do you have a specific writing style?
How did you come up with the title?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Do you have a specific writing style?
How did you come up with the title?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I’m not a fan of preaching to people, so no, there never
is. I hope the characters seem authentic and that their cares and worries keep
a reader reading. The thing about trying to put messages in your fiction is
that whether you want to or not, you’ll show you true colors when you write. The
things that matter to you will also matter to the story, so rather than telling
the world they should be more like me, fiction is about sharing a perspective,
just for the sake of letting someone see things a different way.
How much of the book is realistic?
The book has Medieval Europeans in a place modeled after
the Southwestern US, and they ride flying horses. None of it is realistic,
though I did borrow from several real cultures when creating the characters.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Kasha, my main character is a member of one race, but works
a job that is defined by another race, so she lives on the cusp between two
worlds. I, on the other hand, am biracial, so I’m sure that contributed to the
way I drew Kasha.
What books have most influenced your life most?
I’m religious, so they’d be The Bible, the Book of Mormon,
and that sort of thing J
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I’ve been blessed with a lot of mentors. My Clarion West
instructors were Octavia Butler, Bradley Denton, Nalo Hopkinson, Connie Willis,
Ellen Datlow, and Jack Womack. My writers group here in New Mexico has included
George RR Martin (we used to car pool), Walter Jon Williams, S.M. Stirling,
Melinda Snodgrass, Daniel Abraham, and others I’m no doubt blanking on right
now. I’ve had the privilege lately of spending time with Jane Lindskold and
talking with her about writing and life and such. If there’s one aspect of my
life in which I am very wealthy, it is in the number and quality of my mentors!
What book are you reading now?
Nemesis
Games by James SA Corey, who is actually two guys I introduced
to each other. The series is being adapted for television by SyFy, and I got to
go visit the set to see it being shot. That was very fun, and so in the
meantime I’m trying to keep caught up on the books.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
What are your current projects?
Right now I’m working on Book 4 of my Someone Else’s Fairytale series, which is a chick lit series I
write as E.M. Tippetts. It’s called My
Wicked-Half Sister, and is about my main character getting to know the
half-sister she never knew. Their felon brother is released from prison, so
they end up turning to each other, which strengthens their friendship.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
The science fiction and fantasy community, definitely.
Do you see writing as a career?
It is my career, yes. I make a living this way!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No. For one thing I only just finished it a few months ago.
For another, you can’t think things like that, or you’ll never move on to the
next book.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Who designed the covers?
A local artist named Raya Golden, who is fantastic. She
does a lot of comics and graphic novels, and has been nominated for a Hugo for
her work on Meathouse Man, a comic by
George RR Martin. She and I had a lot of fun putting the cover concepts
together! You can see my interview of her here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJA8k5khYAA
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
What books/authors have influenced your writing?
What genre do you consider your book(s)?
Fantasy, specifically clockpunk, epic fantasy. That’s not
really a thing, but I hope it will be!
Do you ever experience writer's block?
Do you write an outline before every book you write?
Have you ever hated something you wrote?
What is your favourite theme/genre to write about?
While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?
No, as I flesh out characters before writing them, I tend
to head hop. I need to have some idea of what it’s like to be each of them
before I can write about them.
What are your expectations for the book?
That it finds its readership and people have a lot of fun
with it!
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Giveaway:
Three (3) winners will receive signed ebooks of Restless Earth and Blessing Sky by Emily Mah
INT
Ends Aug. 5th
prizing provided by the author, hosts are not responsible in any way.
Wow, Emily really does have some great mentors! Octavia Butler and Connie Willis both wrote books that totally changed my life.
ReplyDeleteI loved how creative this series is and how she incorporated the American Southwest.
Thanks for hosting a tour stop!