Book Lovin' Mamas: Blog Tour: "Salamander Stone" by C.J. Fenge (Interview/Promo/Excerpt/Giveaway)

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Blog Tour: "Salamander Stone" by C.J. Fenge (Interview/Promo/Excerpt/Giveaway)

Welcome to our Virtual Book Tour Stop of "The Salamander Stone" by C.J. Fenge brought to you by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I suppose the most relevant fact, as far as the book is concerned, is my childhood in Africa. I lived there at a time that was really magical. I was also lucky to have a father who was very adventurous and believed children should have adrenaline-filled experiences. We certainly did – and I don’t think my mother ever recovered!
2. What does a typical writing day look for you?
I’m quite lazy and also disorganised, so there’s not really a typical day. When writing I do a lot of thinking, and then I wait for what I call ‘tipping point’ which is when the story is ready to just pour out. I never quite know when this will be, but if I’ve got a deadline it never happens until the very last minute. I think the lesson is: if you want to be a writer, don’t take lessons from me!
3. What inspired you to write "Salamander Stone"?
I discovered the incredible ancient power of the Yorkshire Henges, and I knew there must be a magical tale to tell about them. 4. Tell us a little bit about "Salamander Stone" and why readers should check it out?
Imagine you’re an ordinary girl and at age 16 you suddenly discover the most powerful secret – and the scariest thing about this secret is that it centres on you. You are the one who is powerful. You are the one who can hurt or heal. You are also the one who is hunted and threatened. In my story, this ordinary girl, (who turns out to be extra-ordinary) makes some bad decisions and has to go through a lot of heartache. But her biggest battle is with herself. Who is Amber? And can she make the right choices in time to save herself as well as others. The story is designed as a fast-paced thriller, but it’s more than that. As one reviewer put it “Is it a paranormal story, a romance, an adventure? The answer is a resounding yes! This book has it all.” And that’s why you should read ‘The Salamander Stone’.
5. What was the hardest scene to write in "Salamander Stone"?
The hardest scene to write was towards the middle of the book when Amber’s guide is explaining to her what exactly is going on. I knew I had to make sure there were no loose ends – pretty difficult with such a complex story! But the most difficult scene emotionally was when Ophelia holds her dead daughter in her arms – and perhaps also the scene when I killed the little dog Tommy.
6. When you're not writing, what are your hobbies and interests?
I like reading – lots. Watching T.V., especially films. I also like riding my bike and riding horses (when I can afford it!)
7. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Lazy; Disorganised; Greedy (for chocolate).
8. How do you come up with the names of your characters in your books?
I shouldn’t admit this, but for some of the characters I’ve not only used people I know, but their real names as well. Other characters are mixtures e.g. the evil Dr. Pitt is meant to be handsome and charismatic, so he became (in my mind at least) a mix of Brad Pitt and the evil from the story ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’.
9. If you could have dinner with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I’ve always been fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci, firstly because of his painting, but mostly because he was such an all round genius. But if I could have dinner with a fictional person, maybe Sherlock Holmes would be an interesting dinner guest.
10. Is there anything specific you would like to say to your readers?
If you read the book, please get in touch and let me know what you think (through the website: thesalamanderstone.com.) I love to hear from readers.

The Salamander Stone by: C.J. Fenge Publishing Date: 4/2/12 Publisher: Champagne Books Genre: YA Fantasy/Thriller Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Burst ebook | Burst Paperback Description:

She’s just the girl-next-door, that long-legged pretty thing with the flowing auburn hair. Nothing special, just ordinary Amber Brigantia, a sixteen-year–old with boyfriends on her mind; nothing more.

But you’re wrong. Beneath that enigmatic smile lie dark secrets hiding an elemental power, and when those secrets come out, everyone wants her. Everyone wants a piece of Amber.

They murder her father and lock her mother in an asylum. Then they come after her, led by the charismatic Dr. Pitt who wants that power for himself. And he doesn’t care how he gets it, smiling and smiling as he twists the knife. But Pitt has a rival, the sadistic Mrs Fedorowicz. She wants Amber too and she is an expert at making people dance to her tune - a tune that can really hurt.

Even those who love Amber cannot help her. Khiza, the African boy, is the lost other half of Amber’s soul, yet when she encounters the damaged and demonic Meshak she is torn in two and cannot decide what to feel any more. Then the demon Azmodeus suckers onto Meshak and time itself rocks in chaos, for the demon is after Amber as well - and what he wants is unspeakable. So let the power-games begin. And let that long-legged pretty thing be the prize.

Excerpt:

That weird cry came again, much closer now, cutting through the thick air—a high thin wail thrown far into the darkness and returning as a series of diminishing mocking echoes. Like a baby, thought Meshak, though no baby ever cried like that; no human ever cried like that.

Meshak stood up shakily on the sandy path, straining to see, trying to make sense of this alien world. Below him, on the trail he’d just crawled, another thing was crawling. He could sense it as a furry black shadow shifting and sliding, sucking its way towards him. It cried again as it slithered closer.

Meshak knelt in the sand on the pathway, and the thing, the black shadow, stopped crying and snuffled up close, filling the air with its rotting reek. It slithered behind him and he waited. After a moment he felt a soft suction as it burrowed under his clothes and battened greasily onto his back, inching its way up his body until it reached his left shoulder. Its voice hissed, insistent as it whispered interminably in his ear. It filled his mind, blocking out all other thought. Meshak stood up, his body giving little shivers of excitement like greeting an old friend. A long slow smile split his face in half; an evil gleam glinted in his eye. He moved down the path and back into his own world.

And the shadow on his shoulder went with him.

Website

I’m an English Teacher, and all my working life I’ve been telling students: “Don’t put labels on yourself. They’re restricting.” I little realised that I was guilty of exactly that because I’d classed myself as analytical, not creative. And it was only when I was forced into some writing that I discovered I could create worlds, not just comment on other people’s creations.

So that’s what I do now and I have an increasing amount of time to do it in. My teaching career is winding down, my two children have grown up and left home, my husband of 40 years, also a writer, is busy creating worlds on his computer all day. To a casual observer ours is a very quiet, boring household. There aren’t even any pets making a racket since my two adorable, but elderly, ‘rescue’ cats died last year. But the inner life of our house is far from boring. Take a journey with Amber and her Salamander Stone and see what I mean. And remember not to put labels on yourself. If I can break free, anyone can.