Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Interview with Robin LaFevers, author of Dark Triumph... and two giveaways!!


On tour with Rockstar Book Tours...



Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin, #2)
by Robin Lafevers
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: April 2, 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Premise:

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.




Sybella is the main character in Dark Triumph, and quite honestly, she's... um... scary. Lol. She enjoys killing and wonders what her problem is that she does. She is acquainted with abuse and wonders if she's at fault. But that tender side of her is so deeply hidden. She's so careful not to let anyone see her true emotions, as if they make her vulnerable. 

My dream would be to sit down with Robin LaFevers and talk about Sybella over a cup of tea. I shall try not to slosh it all over because... she's here!!!  Squeee!!!  

Where did Sybella come from? Did you know her whole story immediately?

She appeared pretty early on in the writing of Grave Mercy and was one of the reasons I knew it would be a trilogy—because I needed to write a book about her. I knew a large part of her story right from the beginning, that she was damaged and broken and had been ill used all her life, but the particulars of it unfolded slowly. By the time I finished Grave Mercy however, I knew her whole story and all that she had been through. What I didn’t know was how I was going to lead her toward wholeness and healing.

Oh... how daunting! I really love the foreshadowing about Sybella in Grave Mercy. It is so cool to learn how her story unfolded for you. 

Do you have a favorite scene with Sybella?

Pretty much any scene with Beast in it. I loved putting his joy and light and laughter in her path. The scenes without him, especially there in the beginning, felt claustrophobic to me and then there he’d be, giving her something to fight with and fight for.

:-D   Yay Beast!

I also loved the scene where she met Mortain face to face and finally understand her true nature and was showered with forgiveness and hope and understanding and, most of all, unconditional love. I  actually wrote that scene early on simply because I needed to see it, feel it, know it was there waiting for her at the end of her painful journey.

Oh, wow. I can see I'm saying "cool" a lot, but that is really cool. 

What did it feel like to write her story?  I kept wondering if she'd find the way out of her darkness... and it seemed the only way out was through... OUCH!! 

Honestly? Writing her story involved eight of the longest, hardest, darkest months of my life. There is no way—for me at least—to not be fully immersed in a character without feeling much of what she feels. So yeah, OUCH.

Oh... I can't really say "cool" to that. I'm so grateful, but that sounds very heartrendingly painful. 

Anything else you'd like to share?  Thank you for visiting!!!!!  :-D  I really love both Grave Mercy & Dark Triumph. They gripped me so fast and hard I just wish I could be there, with Ismae & Sybella!!  Are you writing Annith's story now?!  Can I ask that?!  I seriously cannot wait!!!

Thank you so much! It makes me insanely happy that you loved the books so much. I am working on Annith’s story right now. She is a being a little more coy than the other two girls. I think mostly because I saw her through Ismae’s and Sybella’s eyes rather than being in Annith’s own head. It wasn’t until I began writing her story that I fully grasped just how many secrets she had of her own—secrets she hadn’t even shared with Ismae or Sybella…

Oooh... REALLY?!  How exciting!!  I seriously love how each book is so different and yet interconnected. Annith is so nice to Ismae, I have high hopes for her. Yet her situation is so much more... desperate. She doesn't get the chance to be sent out on an assignment, away from the convent, to discover herself. She has to fight for that. I just can't even imagine where she will go or what she will do. I won't even try to guess. If she didn't tell you until you started writing about her... I shall just have to be patient wait.

Thank you for visiting!

Want to read more about Robin LaFevers, Dark Triumph & Grave Mercy?
See this entire tour below... full of delicious posts and giveaways!

1st Review of Grave Mercy
2nd Review of rereading Grave Mercy
Review of Dark Triumph

Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.

Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.

While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of southern California.

In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. You can learn more about those books at www.rllafevers.com


Giveaway:

Hardback of Dark Triumph and paperback of Grave Mercy to winner in US or Canada
Bottle of Poison Nail Polish and 2 Necklaces on Tour-wide Giveaway, see rafflecopter for restrictions.
All my rules under the About tab apply. For international copy of Dark Triumph, go HERE!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rockstar Tour Schedule:

4/3/2013- Tales of a Ravenous Reader    http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/ Interview
4/4/2013- Books Over Boys http://booksoverboys.blogspot.com/                           Interview
4/5/2013- Fiktshun          http://www.fiktshun.com/fiktshun/                                      Guest Post
4/6/2013- Rebecca's Book Blog http://rebeccasbookblog.blogspot.com/           Excerpt
4/7/2013- A Backwards Story      http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/                  Excerpt
4/8/2013- Making The Grade Reviews    http://mtgreviews.com/                              Guest Post
4/9/2013- Burgandy Ice http://burgandyice.blogspot.com/                            Interview
4/10/2013- Two Chicks on Books               http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/      Guest Post