Today we are featuring Author Kristin Bailey as a part of a virtual tour of her new book Rise of the Arcane Fire.She is Here with us and we will be having a lot of chit-chat but first let me introduce you to her
Kristin Bailey
Kristin Bailey grew up in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley in California. As a kid she enjoyed visiting the beach, camping and skiing with her two brothers.
Now she is a military wife and mother of two young children. She is also terrible about spoiling her pets. She has one fluffy mutt, two cats who think they own the world, and a fish tank with a quartet of fat fish, and two secretive striped ninja-assassin snails.
In the course of her adventures, she has worked as a zookeeper, balloon artist, and substitute teacher. Now she enjoys writing books for teens who enjoy mystery and adventure as much as she does.
Interview
Sanchit Bhandari
In LEGACY OF THE CLOCKWORK KEY Meg discovers that the Amusementists exist, but her interaction with them is through the machines they left behind. In this book, we get to see the Amusementists as a broader culture. We have a chance to meet the group as a whole, and start to see some of the infrastructure that keeps their world of invention going. Meg’s challenge in this book is to discover how she fits within this world.
There will be three books in the series with the final book in the trilogy releasing in Spring of next year.
The trilogy was initially inspired by a picture of a Steampunk raven I ran across. I decided I wanted to celebrate inventors and engineering as a magical element in a book, and it all just came together.
I love books as an escape and a chance to experience new and wonderful things even if they are only in my mind.
I had a lot of fun writing this book. With the first book I wanted to capture the feeling of a first true crush, so the romance is overwhelming and absolute for Meg. In this story I wanted her to grow up a bit, so she has to face a little bit of reality. As I was setting up the story I tried to create the sort of situation where school sweethearts find out that one of them just got a scholarship across the country and they have to deal with what that means for them. It gave me a chance to let Meg grow. I also had fun expanding the cast quite a bit. Since Meg was in school, she needed schoolmates.
The most difficult character to create, and the one that actually got the most thought is a Sikh boy who is also an apprentice to the Amusementists. I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to portray him in an authentic way, or that people would be upset because he is only a secondary character. I almost didn’t include Manoj at all, but then a horrifying attack happened at a Sikh gurdwara. I knew then I had to include Manoj. When I grew up I had fellow students at my school who were Sikh, and they were a normal part of my reality. I was heartbroken over what happened because of someone’s ignorance. I wanted Manoj to be a normal face in Meg’s reality. I don’t know if such a little thing could help, but I wanted readers to see Manoj, and see a character who is intelligent, protective, kind, and who belongs.
The most difficult character to create, and the one that actually got the most thought is a Sikh boy who is also an apprentice to the Amusementists. I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to portray him in an authentic way, or that people would be upset because he is only a secondary character. I almost didn’t include Manoj at all, but then a horrifying attack happened at a Sikh gurdwara. I knew then I had to include Manoj. When I grew up I had fellow students at my school who were Sikh, and they were a normal part of my reality. I was heartbroken over what happened because of someone’s ignorance. I wanted Manoj to be a normal face in Meg’s reality. I don’t know if such a little thing could help, but I wanted readers to see Manoj, and see a character who is intelligent, protective, kind, and who belongs.
I’m a plotter. I almost qualify as an extreme plotter. I create several different outlines of the story and I stick to them. I need a plan, or I have trouble staying on task.
Meg: Impulsive, inquisitive, determined, stubborn, loyal.
Will: Proud, steady, thoughtful, introverted, methodical
David: Privileged, arrogant, witty, charming, generous
Peter: Kind, insecure, conflicted, supportive, helpful
Noah: Ambitious, judgmental, stoic, honest, driven
Michael: Fun, hungry, playful, quick-witted, gangly
Manoj: Protective, fair, cautious, shy, capable
I spend most of my spare time training my horse. She’s an American Mustang and she’s a fantastic horse. She should be ready to ride in the summer.
I’ve always been a reader. I can’t remember any time in my life when I wasn’t absorbed in a book.
I love a story with an engaging plot and fun characters.
The hardest part of writing for me is finding the endurance to make it to the end of the book.
Thank you for having me and for being a part of the RISE OF THE ARCANE FIRE blog tour.
Rise of the Arcane Fire
Release date: February 4th 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
After her parents died in a fire and her grandfather disappeared, Meg Whitlock thought her life had come to a standstill. But when she learned that the pocket watch her grandfather left her was really an intricate key, Meg, with the help of a stable hand named Will, uncovered the Amusementists: members of an elite secret society dedicated to discovery and shrouded in mystery.
Now the Amusementists are convening in London, and Meg is determined to join their ranks. But being the first girl in the Order has its difficulties, and with Will away in Scotland Meg fears she can’t trust anyone but herself. Her worries are only supported by the sabotage happening at the academy, with each altered invention being more harmful than the last.
With threats lurking around every corner, and while trying to prove her worth as the first female Amusementist, Meg must uncover the identity of the academy’s saboteur before the botched devices become deadly. And after she finds evidence of a sinister and forbidden invention, Meg must stop it - or risk the entire future of the Amusementists.
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Great interview. Thanks for participating!
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