Hannah L. Clark: Release Week Blitz:Memories of Ash (The Sunbolt Chronicles #2) by Intisar Khanani with Giveaway and Author Interview!!!

Hey Everyone!

So I know it's been forever since I've posted, but between a pregnancy, a move, a baby in a spica cast for three months, some health problems of my own, and well, just life, I've had a hard time getting around to it. Needless to say, I figured that if I was going to make a blogging comeback at all, my first post would have to be about something incredible if those of you who read this blog were ever going to forgive me.

And so, before I get started, may I just say I'm sorry and you're welcome. Sorry for not posting forever, and you're welcome for introducing you to one of my favorite fantasy authors of all time. Seriously you guys, she's the best, (and she's a pretty cool person in real life, too.) Furthermore, I have yet to read a book of hers that I haven't fallen head-over-heels for. So, like I said, you're welcome.

And now, presenting Intisar Khanani and the second (and very much anticipated) book in her phenomenal Sunbolt Chronicles series. I have been waiting two years for this baby!

Please read on for excerpts, an author interview, and a very sweet giveaway. Oh, and don't forget to enter the photo contest as well.

As for me, I'm going to go finish relishing the masterpiece that is Memories of Ash. Review to come soon!

Hello readers! Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Memories of Ash (The Sunbolt Chronicles #2) by Intisar Khanani

Fantasy lovers, this one's for you! Love magic, look no further! And you definitely need to check out the awesome giveaway found below.

Happy Book Birthday Intisar!

Let's celebrate everyone!!

In the year since she cast her sunbolt, Hitomi has recovered only a handful of memories. But the truths of the past have a tendency to come calling, and an isolated mountain fastness can offer only so much shelter. When the High Council of Mages summons Brigit Stormwind to stand trial for treason, Hitomi knows her mentor won’t return—not with Arch Mage Blackflame behind the charges.
Armed only with her magic and her wits, Hitomi vows to free her mentor from unjust imprisonment. She must traverse spell-cursed lands and barren deserts, facing powerful ancient enchantments and navigating bitter enmities, as she races to reach the High Council. There, she reunites with old friends, planning a rescue equal parts magic and trickery. If she succeeds, Hitomi will be hunted the rest of her life. If she fails, she’ll face the ultimate punishment: enslavement to the High Council, her magic slowly drained until she dies.

Title: Memories of Ash Series: The Sunbolt Chronicles, Book Two Author: Intisar Khanani Cover Designer: Jenny Zemanek Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Release Date: May 30, 2016 Publisher: Purple Monkey Press

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“It needs a meal,” the mage says, voice rasping, “and it won’t be me.” He yanks me off balance. I cry out, jerking away from him and lashing out with my glowstone. I manage to smack him hard across the face, but then his boot comes between my feet. For a sickening moment I teeter on the edge of the stairs.

Get back!

I barely register the words ringing in my mind before the mage shoves me, hard. I swallow a scream, throwing my arms up to shield my head as I fall. I slam down the stairs, bouncing toward the mass of tentacles.

Feet first—get your feet first!

I follow the shouted advice mindlessly, twisting my body as I come to a stop amidst a tangle of three or four great tentacles.

Don’t move.

Someone is talking inside my head, and it’s not me. Somehow, that’s almost worse than lying surrounded by the talons of a nightmare monster. Almost.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

See my review of Sunbolt here.

Author Interview

1) What inspires your stories?

Nothing and everything! Rather than having a single fount of inspiration, my stories usually come together as a number of observations that just sort of click together into a story. For example, I wrote a short story some time ago that came together after I spotted a For Sale sign for a rural lake cabin—I’d previously had a conversation about a friend becoming vegan and discussed composting with a colleague, and as I drove along that country highway, I found myself with a fascinating retelling of Hansel and Gretel bouncing around in my head, told from the perspective of a vegan “witch.”

2) How much are you like Hitomi?

We’re probably equally stubborn, but I suspect she’s a lot more street smart and resourceful than I am. Also, much less socially awkward. Oh, and I definitely don’t have anything to do with magic. ;-)

3) What are your three most favorite novels?

Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and possibly The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. Can you tell I love my Jane Austen?

4) If you could interview one character from literature, who would it be and why?

I’m going to cop out on you here, because thinking about meeting a character sounds much rougher than meeting an author. I mean, I love certain characters, but beyond the fact that I love them, what would we talk about? I’d so much prefer to chat with an author… I’d love tea with Tamora Pierce, for example!

5) Which of your books has been the most fun to write? Why?

Sunbolt. I actually wrote the opening sequence for it and then couldn’t find the rest of the story for a couple of years. Then, while staying overseas with my in-laws during a family illness, the story just came pouring out of me. It was exhilarating and a very needed escape from the daily stress of that time. However, we’re not going to discuss editing at all—that is the bane of my writerly existence.

6) So many authors leave an allegorical legacy through their writing. What do you hope your readers glean from your stories?

Each of my stories is very different. I find that I write best when I just write the story in my head and then go back to look for themes. When I find them, I use the editing process to develop the themes further. So, looking back at both my published and unpublished work, I can say that I see a trend towards writing about justice, compassion, and betrayal—whether personal or governmental. But that’s not in everything I write, and I expect my themes will change and develop as I move through my life.

Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she was five. She currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two young daughters.

Until recently, Intisar wrote grants and developed projects to address community health with the Cincinnati Health Department, which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she focuses her time on her two passions: raising her family and writing fantasy. Intisar's current projects include a companion trilogy to Thorn, following the heroine introduced in her free short story The Bone Knife, and The Sunbolt Chronicles, an epic series following a street thief with a propensity to play hero when people need saving, and her nemesis, a dark mage intent on taking over the Eleven Kingdoms.

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