My interview with Katherine Langrish, PLUS GIVEAWAY!

Katherine Langrish, the highly talented author of the Troll Trilogy and her newest novel, The Shadow Hunt (releases 6/1 in the US; currently on sale in the UK as Dark Angels) was kind enough to stop by IIF and answer a few questions!

How would you describe SHADOW HUNT in 4 words?

Children’s Celtic-Medieval fantasy

How much research goes into your stories, and how do you conduct your research?

A lot! Months of research goes into each of my books. For me the world of the story is as important as the characters. I end up with huge files of notes, but I love doing it. ‘The Shadow Hunt’ is set specifically in the late 12^th century, a few years after the Third Crusade. Not only the physical world – the clothes, the castles, the social system – but even the legends I use, such as the possibility of your dead relatives not being really dead but spirited away by the elves to some underground kingdom – were researched from accounts of the time, by writers such as Gerald of Wales (a Welsh-Norman cleric) and Walter Map (one of King Henry II’s courtiers). So all the things my characters believe in – including of course their medieval Catholic beliefs about God, the saints, and the arrangement of the universe – are correct for the period. I remember thinking, ‘Wow - the medieval model of the Universe (with the Earth in the centre, and the Sun and all the planets going around it set in perfect crystalline spheres) is so grand and beautiful! All right, so nowadays we know it’s not correct – but what a marvellous setting for a fantasy.’ The internet is an excellent resource so long as you are cautious about checking the sources. I also read almost nothing but medieval history and medieval literature during the two years I was writing this book, so I was submerged in the 12th century world. Plus I read up about wolves, about feral children, and about the medical conditions that might have led medieval people to suppose a child might be a changeling. Living in Britain, I’m lucky to be able to visit the places I was writing about. The dramatic hill country of the Welsh borders which is the setting for The Shadow Hunt is a few hours away from where I live. With my ever-patient husband, I clambered around old castles, met wolves in a wolf sanctuary, and squeezed down the dark, dripping and highly uncomfortable passages of an abandoned Roman copper mine… all for the good of the book.

What typically comes first for you – the character or the plot?

Characters come before plot. And even before characters, what come first are images – strong pictorial flashes of vision that set the ‘feeling’ for the book. In the case of The Shadow Hunt I began with a picture in my mind of enormous fiery angels walking through a cornfield and setting the corn alight. And another picture of a boy on a hill at night, watching a shower of shooting stars. Though neither image made it into the final book – at least, not unchanged – I began to get that shiver down the spine that tells you you’re on to something. Angels and cornfields suggested a medieval setting. The boy on the hill – who was he? Why was he there? Could he be a shepherd? Or was he running away from something? And gradually I began to explore the world I was visualising. Plot is important, of course. It goes without saying that something has to happen. But I need characters I really care about first.

For you, what is the most challenging part of the writing process?

You know, in the fairytales, when the princess has to climb the glass mountain? That’s the way it feels when I start writing a new book. There’s this ghostly, glassy, perfect pinnacle rising up and up ahead – and boy does it look hard and high to climb! Maybe one of the most difficult things is getting the beginning right. The first few pages of Chapter One of ‘The Shadow Hunt’ went through over thirty different versions before I was satisfied.

How would you finish this sentence: A successful author is someone who…

A successful author is someone whose books you want to re-read.

Any new projects you can share with us?

I’m about to begin taking the first few slippery steps up the glass mountain. My next book (or two: this may well spill over into a duet or a trilogy) will have a very different kind of setting: a cityscape a couple of hundred years into the future. I have some strong characters I’m getting to know, and there’ll be mythical and folklore references. I’m very, very excited about it.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Yes – take the time to think. Thinking is just as much part of creating a novel as actually setting the words down. Don’t feel pressured to start too early, and don’t feel guilty if you’re not hammering out those two thousand words a day. (Me? I sometimes don’t write more than fifty. Or I end up with fewer words at the end of the day, because I’ve been cutting and unpicking.) Often, if you get stuck, it’s a sign that you’re veering off course with the book – maybe trying to force a character to do something they wouldn’t. Give yourself time out. Go off and do something different and let your subconscious mind come up with the answers.

What Young Adult novels would you recommend to readers?

There are so many amazing books to choose from! But if I had to pick just two, Susan Price’s The Sterkarm Handshake and A Sterkarm Kiss are amazing YA novels. The premise is that a time-travel ‘Tube’ has been invented which takes researchers back into the wild Scottish borders of the 16^th century – where the men and women of the Sterkarm clan take the oddly clothed, strange-spoken 21^st century intruders to be elves from Elfland. The scientists, whose agenda is exploitative, make the serious misjudgement of assuming the rough, uneducated Sterkarms to be naïve and stupid. The Sterkarms, however, are nobody’s fools - and casual violence is their way of life…. Beautifully written, witty, thought provoking – these books let you see both the 16^th and the 21^st centuries from twin perspectives. Susan Price is a past winner of the Carnegie Medal; she won the Guardian award for the first book in this series, and is currently working on the third.

And I can't resist a travel question! Where are a few places in England that you would recommend to visitors - places that may not be as well known to travelers?

I come from the Yorkshire Dales in the north of England, and think it’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet – if you like moors, and hills, and old houses, try visiting the Dales around the old market town of Skipton. There’s a beautiful old castle, a Roman road leading over the moors, a bustling market, and the town is surrounded by wonderful places to walk.

Or you could visit Ludlow on the Welsh Marches, in Shropshire. It’s an utterly beautiful old town with lots of half-timbered Tudor houses; the castle is where Henry the Eighth’s older brother Prince Arthur lived with his wife Catherine of Aragon - before his early death at the age of fifteen. It’s also the place where John Milton’s magical play ‘Comus’ was first produced as a courtly masque. And it has some of the best restaurants in the country!

A huge thank-you to author Katherine Langrish for agreeing to do an interview with me. And now I'm very excited to announce a giveaway! The awesome folks at Harper Collins sent me an extra ARC of The Shadow Hunt, and I'll be giving it away to one lucky winner!

Entries will be simple this time: leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win. Note: if you commented on my review of Shadow Hunt, you get a bonus entry! However, you had to have commented BEFORE this post :) A winner will be announced on June 1, the day Shadow Hunt releases! Make sure to add this amazing book to your TBR! Click here for more info.

NOTE: If you live in the UK, this title is already available under the title DARK ANGELS :)

How it all ENDS

Authors have the opportunity to take us on breathtaking, extraordinary adventures: adventures to faraway and exotic lands, or perhaps adventures to a familiar location, like high school or the big city. When a single story is told over the course of a series, it can be especially hard to let the characters go, and we as readers come to seek not only closure, but the best possible ending to whatever dilemma the characters faced.
I personally seek out the "happily ever after" in stories and I dare to hope that it will be within reach for characters I have come to know and love. I look for a believable-but-creative solution to story conflicts, and I am particularly partial to battle scenes, the more epic the better!

So in yet another really random post, I want to take a look at my personal favorite (and least favorite) book/series finales.
Note: these categories, and my commentary, reflect my personal opinions. It is not my purpose to divulge information about the plot, and so hopefully there won't be any "spoiler" issues :)

Disappointing Endings

Sorry, Incarceron lovers, but this highly-anticipated sequel had a very funky, disjointed ending. Incarceron and Sapphique are both stories of epic proportions, and so the final resolution was a major letdown, in addition to being unrealistic for the problem at hand. The more screwed up and dysfunctional a society is, the greater the resolution has to be, and it seems as though Fisher cops for an easy fix ending. Also, characterization was never her strong suit, and so all throughout the book characters do things that are completely detached/unrealistic/emotionless.

I don't really remember much of the specifics to the book story (because I read it a long time ago and because I mostly think of the AWESOME musical version, which has an amazing ending) but it just seemed really 'bummer.' Wicked read like an Oz-retelling soap opera, and while I admit that I was way too young to read this when I did, the ending just made me depressed. I pronounce this book ending Depressing! But that's not so bad, because Wicked the Musical pretty much took the "bummer" out of the book and presented a much more uplifting ending. Yay, Broadway!

Maybe it's not fair of me to put this book on here, because truth be told, I hated everything about this book, and I am not exaggerating. The whole "conflict" in the first place was just unbelievable to me (we have to save everybody from the Winter Queen, because she's evil and wants to kill all the humans and the summer faeries!) The summer faeries and their king, Keenan (whose licentiousness would have the Earl of Wilmot blushing) induced no sympathy from me, and Wicked Lovely remains one of the few books where I actually rooted for the villain. Anyway, the "compromise" or whatever was just so stupid and "out there" that I just have to put it in the Disappointing Endings section. Now, WL is the first in a series, and the purpose of this list is really to asses the ending of a series, but there is absolutely no way I'd read any more of Marr's books. Just thinking about her books makes me want to sanitize my hands.

Wow I'm a roll, because I'm attacking two fan-favorite books with this list. Here's another "first book" that makes my Disappointing Endings section. Now I actually liked this book (for what it is) but the last 1/3 of this book went from Hush Hush to Rush Rush. The plot accelerated at a crazy-fast pace and the ending sequences just seemed sloppy. And the whole "I'm going to be your guardian angel, heeheehoohoo!" was a little on the stupid, sappy side. But I am eager to see what will happen next when Crescendo hits shelves.

So-So Endings (the "meh, whatever!" reading experiences)

Okay, it's really easy to turn anything Twilight geared into a long, rambling post, so all I will say is that I concur with the vast amount of reviewers who were sorely underwhelmed by the battle-that-never-happened. Like I said, I love epic battle scenes and so I was kind of disappointed when the Volturi just sauntered off and left everybody sighing with relief. However, the love that began in Twilight was realized and fulfilled by the end of Breaking Dawn, and that counted a lot for me. I applaud Stephenie for having her characters get their happy ending. I found it rewarding and not in the least bit sappy that Edward and Bella ended up married and getting their HEA. I just would have liked a little more action.

This series (the Great Tree of Avalon) is one of my favorites, and it is highly recommended! The reason The Eternal Flame is in this category is because the series resolution was great, but too prematurely put to rest. As in, I turned the page, and there was nothing left to read. So while I liked the ending (there was a great battle scene, the evil forces were expelled, and a really interesting "twist" was put before the characters) it ended a little too abruptly. Ohh, if Barron had only written like two or three pages more!

City of Glass was a riveting, action-packed story (for the most part) but the ending was a little too easily accomplished. Cassandra Clare had some awesome fight scenes and pretty scary/gory imagery to keep readers on the edge of their seat. With all the tension and conflict in Glass, the ending seemed a little too picture-perfect. Like, in no time at all after this major battle, everyone's celebrating. I don't really know what to say, except that the ending almost seemed flippant in light of all the intensity that had previously taken place.

And now...the BEST ENDINGS EVER!

All of the books I've chosen to put on this list can be described in one general word: EPIC. They all have epic battle scenes, they all have one-on-one confrontations between good and evil, they all have successful love stories, and they all have fulfilled, happy endings. Not just the "and then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever!" endings, but truly beautiful, tear-jerker, genuinely-rewarding endings. All of these books made me cry, and all of these series are my absolute favorites. It's probably no surprise that Return of the King is on the list--Lord of the Rings is (in my opinion) the greatest, most epic fantasy series of all time, and Tolkien knew exactly how to end his incredible story. All his battle scenes were magnificently described, the final confrontation on Mount Doom with Frodo and Gollum, and the business with the elves---all hauntingly beautiful and satisfying. Tolkien is the master!

Special mention to Deathly Hallows for providing probably the greatest "recent" series ending.
I am very much a fan of Rowling's awesome Epilogue, and wished that every author provided closure of this kind. Not only do readers take a journey with Harry Potter, they watch him grow up and mature, and so it's so delightful for authors to give readers assurance that he's alright after all. Bravo!

And The High King is tied with Deathly Hallows for all-time favorite ending, just because of the lyrical, almost haunting final words that author Alexander gives to readers before they say goodbye to the characters. No, there's no epilogue, nor is there closure on a Harry Potter scale, but these words (in my opinion) have never been topped:

(Not a spoiler)
Yet long afterward, when all had passed away into distant memory, there were many who wondered whether...Taran...Eilonwy, and their companions had indeed walked the earth, or whether they had neen no more than dreams in a tale set down to beguile children. And, in time, only the bards knew the truth of it.

I don't know, but that just gives me the good shivers every time. So anyway, that's my list! What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? What books would you put on your list of Favorite Endings?

Wanted: 2 affiliates!

I currently am affiliated with two absolute lovelies - Jami @ YA Addict and Aly @ Fantasy4Eva, and am looking for 2 more!

What being an affiliate would mean:

• I will add your blog button and your blog list to my Affiliates sidebar
  
• If I read/review a book you've reviewed, I will include a link to your review
• When I run my weekly recap, I will include a recap of your week, too (books you've reviewed, notable posts, etc)
• I will help promote any book-discussion posts or anything else you'd like me to help you promote
• I will promote your contests/giveaways and interviews on my site

Prerequisites:

• IIF is an MG/YA book review blog, and so I'm looking for other blogs that are primarily YA also
• Please note that I do want you to do these things for my blog, also, just to keep things fair :)
• I'll consider blogs of any size, but I do want to see that you make regular posts... if you drop off the radar I might have to remove you
  

If there's anything you'd like me to do that I haven't thought of, let me know!

So are you interested? Leave a comment!

Review - THE SHADOW HUNT

The Shadow Hunt - Katherine Langrish (Dark Angels in the UK)
Genre: MG/YA Historical Fantasy
- ARC
- On sale (US) 1 June 2010

From back cover:
Wolf is onthe run - from the oppressive monastery where he was raised and from the ghosts and demons that haunt the windswept moors of Devil's Edge. But he is not alone. Along the way he befriends a brave girl named Nest. Together they discover that a sinister enemy is looming much closer than they ever could have imagined. With lies masquerading as reality, will Wolf and Nest learn who they can trust...before it's too late?

A few months ago, I discovered the works of an author named Katherine Langrish (the Troll Trilogy, also highly recommended), and she has since become one of my absolute favorite authors. The Shadow Hunt was a gripping, powerful read from beginning to end, and I absolutely devoured it. From page 1, the story started strong and remained strong all throughout: there was seriously never a dull or confusing moment!

The fantasy premise was incredibly interesting: in this culture, many believed in the existence of elves, mysterious creatures caught somewhere between Heaven and Hell, who reside in an underground kingdom known as Elfland. Are elves good, or are they evil? And what happens to a human who strays into Elfland? These questions, among others, are faced by the two main characters, Wolf (a boy fleeing the dull, oppressive monastic life) and Nest, the daughter of a knight who dreams of doing something extraordinary in her life. The natural and the supernatural collide when Wolf discovers a strange little elf-girl, who may hold the key to the secrets of the supernatural world...

As usual, Langrish's work is well-researched and historically insightful, in addition to being entertaining. Shadow Hunt is set in 12th century England and Wales, a time of knights, crusades, and castles, but also a time of religious anxiety and strict adherence to social customs, where death remained (for many) only a whisper away, and the lines between the real and the supernatural were not so easy to define. Langrish has a gift for truly making her story world come alive - which is even more amazing given that she writes historical fantasy, which requires equally strong blends of fantasy and history. The rich myths of English and Welsh folklore are beautifully woven into the novel, which makes Shadow Hunt an even more fulfilling read. The story provided an excellent cultural look into the world of the Middle Ages. Characters one would expect to see in a medieval story: the young girl dreading marriage, the zealous priest, the courtly knight, the cheeky jester - were not just stereotypes, but well-rounded, explored and real characters brought to life by a creative story and powerful writing.

And also, there was this eerie, almost foreboding emotion that I felt while I was reading that I haven't really experienced since reading Joseph Delaney's Wardstone series. It's not a scary book, per see, but it is chilling and kind of ominous at times, and I just loved that! The suspense, the "what is going to happen NEXT?!" all contributed to the fun reading experience.
Like I mentioned, Shadow Hunt is set along the border between Wales and England, and Langrish has an obvious knack for describing her scenes in rich, lush detail. I just love authors who take the extra time to really bring their scenes to life through detailed description. And I've been to Wales - it is without a doubt the most beautiful place I've ever visited...just absolutely breathtaking! It was so great to be transported back to my favorite place on earth for a few days.
In short, Shadow Hunt is a captivating, exciting (and a little spooky) read that I would recommend to EVERYONE - all age levels! Well, 10 and up. I am 21 years old, and I devoured this book. Teens and grownups, you will too!

Final rating: 5/5.

Blog CLEAN UP! I want to hear from YOU!

Okay everyone! IIF is now 5 months old and I think a clean-up is long overdue. Over these months I've participated in several memes and started 2 of my own:

Participated:
In My Mailbox
Teaser Tuesday
Friday Finds

My own:
Cover Wars
Where In Your World

Now I run Cover Wars every Wednesday but I only run WIYW occasionally. What do you think of the memes - should I get rid of them or keep them? I'm honestly wondering if I should just get rid of them...

On to the next topic: REVIEWS. Right now I'm averaging about 2 reviews a week, and here is where I need some feedback:

• When you read a review, what do you look for and what do you expect to see?
  
• Is there anything in particular that I should do differently?
  

And finally - ANYTHING ELSE. What would you like to see me do differently/what can I do to make this a more effective blog? Your thoughts, please!

Review - WILDWOOD DANCING

Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy (and nobody does it better than JM!)
# of pages: 400 (pb)
Publisher: Knopf, Random House
Recommended for: ALL AGES.

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm.
But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop.
When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

My Thoughts: Juliet Marillier has done it again! Over the Christmas break, I read her historical fantasy series The Bridei Chronicles and her historical novel Wolfskin (both of which are geared more toward adults) and was captivated by her writing style. Reading Wildwood brought back fond memories of her other stories, and I found delightful character and story similarities between this book and the others. Folks, I cannot gush enough about Marillier's obvious skills as a storyteller: her stories are always thoroughly researched, her characters are so exquisitely real (not real as in excessively flawed, but real as in someone you can care about and trust), and her fantasy elements are creative without being extreme.

Including elements from the fairytales of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and "The Frog Prince," Marillier also gives readers a clear and descriptive look into historic, cultural Transylvania. It is so obvious that careful study and research went into the making of Wildwood, way more than a few mere "google searches," and for that Marillier deserves much recognition. Historical fantasy is not easy - it is a careful blend of two genres, really. It just felt nice to read a book with substance.

And now on to the characters. I've read Marillier's work before, and I kind of see a little pattern: her heroines are usually very practical, if just a wee bit on the self-sacrificing side. I loved Jena for many reasons, but chiefly because I felt like I could relate to her. She's not perfect, by any means, but she has heart, and she learns from her mistakes. So often it seems that there's this message in Young Adult fiction (as in culture) that says, "You can't make a mistake, there's no such thing as 'mistakes,' because everything is a learning process!" Well, if you don't realize you've made a mistake, how can you learn anything at all?! I'm getting off-topic, but hopefully you see the point I'm trying to make. Marillier's characters are incredibly substantial because, like us, they have the capacity to learn and grow. There's one character that I didn't really connect with, and that's Jena's older, do-anything-for-love sister, Tatiana. If you've read Wildwood, did you feel the same way? However, though I didn't understand Tatiana or her deep connection to her love interest, Sorrow (who may or may not be on of the nefarious Night People), I really liked how Marillier did justice to their story and their struggles - absolute, true love is not only possible, the story seems to say, but it's noble and wonderful. I liked that message, because it's true. Sometimes things happen and even though they seem to contradict reason, that doesn't always make them wrong. Jena, as the embodiment of reason, discovers this (among other things) throughout the course of the story. I also liked that when Jena makes a "stupid" mistake (after the climax of the book), she gets thoroughly chewed out by a powerful-but-lovable witch. Thank you, helpful adult characters! What a rare, lovely breed you are!

Marillier spends so much time efficiently building and establishing her characters, she doesn't leave anybody out, even the villains. I really vacillated over Wildwood's "villain," Cezar. It's weird, because sometimes I actually found myself seeing things from his point of view. She's so good about creating well-rounded characters, that even the villain of her story had a touch of humanity. Nevertheless, there is a difference between a man being chivalric and gentlemanly (which I love!) and being downright chauvinistic (which more closely describes Cezar). And the special FROG of the story---I loved him! He was by far my favorite character. And that's also a great thing about Wildwood, too: I thought I had the "twist" all figured out - "everybody knows the story of the Frog Prince,' but I was so wrong! That twist caught me completely off-guard, and I loved it!

Final Rating: 5/5. If you read ANY of my reviews (and I'm glad everybody liked Eyes Like Stars - that's a good one, too!) PLEASE, PLEASE check out this book! You won't regret it.
:D

Recap, IMM & Reading Itinerary!

Another successful reading week!

Books Read
Brightly Woven (Alexandra Bracken)
Wildwood Dancing (Juliet Marillier)

Books Reviewed
Eyes Like Stars (Lisa Mantchev)
Brightly Woven

Currently Reading
The Shadow Hunt (Katherine Langrish) - FOR REVIEW!

Arriving this Week

The Spook's Nightmare (Wardstone, #7)

Perchance to Dream (Theatre Iluminata, #2)

• It's a RACE! I've always been curious who ships faster - Amazon or the Book Depository. This week I've got 2 books - 1 coming from Amazon and 1 coming from the Book Depository - both of which are scheduled to be released on the 25th. Who will be faster?!?

This is also a very EXCITING WEEK, because I received my first ARC! *Milestone for Imagination in Focus!*
There they are! Watch for a REVIEW, INTERVIEW with author KATHERINE LANGRISH, and a GIVEAWAY!