Today, the Lichgates Hidden World Blog Tour is making its second stop here at Word Spelunking and I'm excited to have author S.M. Boyce here today for an interview. Make sure to check out my review of the very awesome Lichgates and come back 3/12 for the giveaway! And check out the video below to watch S.M. introduce today's post...
Q. What three words best describe Lichgates?
Breathtaking magical adventure.
Breathtaking magical adventure.
Q. Can you tell us a bit more about Lichgates and The Grimoire Trilogy it belongs to?
Lichgates is the first novel in the Grimoire Trilogy: a young adult fantasy adventure that takes us into a hidden world called Ourea. Ourea is a beautiful place full of terrifying things that are searching for a lost book called the Grimoire. A hiker named Kara Magari has no idea what she’s getting into when she falls into this crazy world and opens the very book everyone is hunting. To read the full book blurb, see the trailer, and even read the first chapter for free, click here.
The trilogy has a ton of bonus material in addition to the three central books. You have completely free access to an online encyclopedia of the world, available on the book website. There will also be a collection of short stories and deleted chapters, as well as a few novellas told from the perspectives of your favorite side characters. I’m still planning and working on the novellas, so if there is a character you want to know more about, just drop me a line to let me know. I love connecting with readers!
Q. Where did the idea for this series come from? Was the idea behind the series inspired by anything or was it simply a creation of your imagination?
The world of the Grimoire Trilogy snowballed into existence. I’ve spent seven years writing it, and in that time, it has developed into what I think is a believable world full of incredible creatures, magic, and power. I took inspiration from small things: wouldn’t it be cool if someone could change into any creature imaginable? What would their natural form look like? What if all the information in the world could exist in a single book? Who would want it, and who would use it? Answering those questions has been a great adventure for me, and I hope it’s as exciting for you to experience the novel for yourself.
Lichgates is the first novel in the Grimoire Trilogy: a young adult fantasy adventure that takes us into a hidden world called Ourea. Ourea is a beautiful place full of terrifying things that are searching for a lost book called the Grimoire. A hiker named Kara Magari has no idea what she’s getting into when she falls into this crazy world and opens the very book everyone is hunting. To read the full book blurb, see the trailer, and even read the first chapter for free, click here.
The trilogy has a ton of bonus material in addition to the three central books. You have completely free access to an online encyclopedia of the world, available on the book website. There will also be a collection of short stories and deleted chapters, as well as a few novellas told from the perspectives of your favorite side characters. I’m still planning and working on the novellas, so if there is a character you want to know more about, just drop me a line to let me know. I love connecting with readers!
Q. Where did the idea for this series come from? Was the idea behind the series inspired by anything or was it simply a creation of your imagination?
The world of the Grimoire Trilogy snowballed into existence. I’ve spent seven years writing it, and in that time, it has developed into what I think is a believable world full of incredible creatures, magic, and power. I took inspiration from small things: wouldn’t it be cool if someone could change into any creature imaginable? What would their natural form look like? What if all the information in the world could exist in a single book? Who would want it, and who would use it? Answering those questions has been a great adventure for me, and I hope it’s as exciting for you to experience the novel for yourself.
Q. Do you have a favorite character from Lichgates? As you continue to write the trilogy have any of your characters surprised you by evolving in ways that you initially never planned?
I’ve been writing and planning this series for years, so it’s incredible to see how the characters have evolved in that time. Some have cropped up only in the last year, while others are gone forever.
The two main characters, especially, have blown me away with their complexity. Their flaws and strengths come out in the novel in ways even I hadn’t expected, and they will continue to grow throughout the series.
My favorite character is actually a tie between Deirdre and Kara. Kara is one of the two main characters through whom we see the story, and she and I share the same sense of humor. But Deirdre is one of the villains and is without a doubt the most severely disturbed of any character in the series, as you start to discover in the Lichgates epilogue. It is for that reason that she fascinates me; I both love and hate her. Needless to say, I don’t think I’d survive a run-in with her if she was real.
Q. What do you love most about writing fantasy fiction?
I love the ability to crossover into the impossible and see it for myself. I create worlds in which cities exist in golden domes beneath the water and float on clouds. I meet incredible races that have fantastic powers, and I get the chance to explore these bizarre worlds for myself. It’s a dream come true.
I’ve been writing and planning this series for years, so it’s incredible to see how the characters have evolved in that time. Some have cropped up only in the last year, while others are gone forever.
The two main characters, especially, have blown me away with their complexity. Their flaws and strengths come out in the novel in ways even I hadn’t expected, and they will continue to grow throughout the series.
My favorite character is actually a tie between Deirdre and Kara. Kara is one of the two main characters through whom we see the story, and she and I share the same sense of humor. But Deirdre is one of the villains and is without a doubt the most severely disturbed of any character in the series, as you start to discover in the Lichgates epilogue. It is for that reason that she fascinates me; I both love and hate her. Needless to say, I don’t think I’d survive a run-in with her if she was real.
Q. What do you love most about writing fantasy fiction?
I love the ability to crossover into the impossible and see it for myself. I create worlds in which cities exist in golden domes beneath the water and float on clouds. I meet incredible races that have fantastic powers, and I get the chance to explore these bizarre worlds for myself. It’s a dream come true.
Q. In your trilogy, the Grimoire is a book that will answer any question asked of it…what one question would you ask it?
That’s one of the best interview questions I’ve ever been asked.
If I only had one question to ask the Grimoire, it would be “How can I learn to master magic?” Magic fascinates me, and to be able to use and control it would be one of the coolest things in this world.
Q. If you could magically transport yourself into any made up world from any book, which would you choose? What would you do there?
I would go to Narnia because Lewis populated his world with magical creatures and talking animals. There are so many neat beings there that I would just walk around, talking to and meeting as many of them as I could.
Q. Who’s your favorite literary villain…who do you just love to hate or hate to love?
This one is actually kind of hard for me to answer. Usually, I look for the goodness in any character, because no true literary villain is one-dimensional enough to not have a shred of good or well-meaning in them.
If I had to pick a villain, though, I would have to choose Smog from The Hobbit. He is the physical embodiment of not only our childhood fears, but also the fears which stick with us throughout our lives. He is massive, clever, and a real threat, and I have respect for his character because of it.
Q. What’s the one book you think everybody should read at least once?
The Hobbit by Tolkien! It’s an easy book to read and yet it’s brimming with magic, adventure, and charming characters. It’s about friendship, trust, and facing your fears. It’s just an amazing book.
Q. If you were to bake a cupcake inspired by your novel Lichgates, what flavor would it be, what would it look like and what would you call it?
Alright, let’s see.
Vanilla almond cupcake. Blackberry mint frosting that’s coated on five different sides in each of the kingdoms’ colors: black, blue, green, pearl-white, and silver. It would be sprinkled with white chocolate chips and have a single, butterfly-shaped candy.
I’d call it the Lichgate Cupcake, since it’ll take you to another world full of deliciousness. Is that cheesy? It’s okay, so am I…
Thank you so much S.M. Boyce for taking the time to answer my questions and giving us all a chance to get to know you and your work better!
I think I'm going to have to reread the Hobbit. I wasn't aware that it was an "easy" read :P But then again I read it when I was around 11 and wasn't into reading enough.
ReplyDeleteAs for that cupcake, not I'm hungry for one. It sounds delicious.
Great interview!
Great Interview! Now I just want to take the day off work and read The Hobbit while eating a cupcake! Great questions! Boyce, you rock!
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of the perfect cupcake to go with your book. :) I actually never read The Hobbit so maybe I should. I would go to Narnia too!
ReplyDeleteNice interview :)
Great interview! Now I want a cupcake...
ReplyDeleteOutstanding interview! I realllyyy want to make that cupcake. Right now.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview.. and as always after coming to your blog, I want cupcakes!! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! That cupcake sounds like it would look amazing and taste even better!
ReplyDeleteGreat question to ask the Grimoire, how to master magic. That'd probably be my question too. It's always fascinated me.
ReplyDelete