Last Man Blog Tour: Author Interview

Today I'm thrilled to welcome authors Bastien Vives, Michael Sanlaville and Balak to the blog to answer a few questions about their hugely entertaining Last Man series. This week is apparently my week to step outside my comfort zone as I don't read too many graphic novels, but I had a great time meeting protagonists Richard and Adrian, and as always, was fascinated by the artwork. I hope you all enjoy the interview, and don't forget to check the bottom of the post for the full list of participating blogs!

Richard Aldana, young Adrian’s mysterious partner in the fighting tournament, has a very blunt way of dealing with people. If he were teaching a class in the art of fighting instead of Mr. Jansen, what would his first three tips to students be?

Number 1: Don't do it. Have a beer. Smoke good cigarettes. Life is too short to spend it being punched in the face.

Number 2: Don't listen to adults. They may look like they know what they're doing, but it's just pretend. Hell, don't listen to me.

Number 3: God dammit, why are you still here?
 
If Adrian found his way into our world, which martial artist or professional fighter, past or present, would he be most fascinated by?

Bastien: Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Balak: Gina Carano. Or... allow me some French "Pied Noir" pride here, and let's say the great Marcel Cerdan.

Michael Sanlaville: The Great Khali!

What villainous character from any other piece of fiction or film would Richard most enjoy facing down in the tournament if he could?

Balak: Bloody Ivan Drago in Rocky IV!!! This bastard must go down twice for what he did to Apollo Creed. And that would be a fight we would like to see.

Bastien: Adolf Hitler.

Each volume of the Last Man  series leaves us on a cliffhanger of sorts. What one other series has the most brutal cliffhanger you’ve ever come across?

Bastien: When Joey proposed Rachel in Friends, season 8.

Balak: When Kelly Kapowsky cheated with her boss, leading to Zach Morris and her breaking up in season two of Saved By The Bell. I was twelve and the pain was real.

Michael Sanlaville: When CC Babcock and Niles kiss eagerly after years of wickedness in "The Nanny"... OUCH!

*Jenny dies laughing*

If Adrian knew his and Richard’s adventures were detailed in book form, what one reason would he give potential readers to encourage them to pick up his story?

Bastien: "Buy this book, the royalties are good."

Balak:"That's the best comic book I have ever read. Well, comic books don't exist in my world, so I don't know if that is a valuable piece of advice, but still."

• • • • • • • • • • • 

LAST MAN: THE ROYAL CUP

(Volume 2)

Richard Aldana, the mysterious stranger who entered the Games in the first volume of Last Man, continues to defeat all of his competitors, despite his outlandish refusal to use any magic, and to rely solely on martial arts. With young Adrian fighting at his side, he’s beginning to look like a likely contender for the Royal Cup.

But in a breathtaking twist, everything changes: this world is not what you thought it was, and Richard Aldana is certainly not who he claimed.

With the same fast-paced action-oriented storytelling and gorgeous art as The Stranger, the second volume of the Last Man series changes all the rules, and will leave readers eagerly awaiting book three!

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

THE AUTHORS

Bastien Vives studied illustration and animation at the Ecole des Gobelins. After movie-making classes, he dived into comics, and his first title came out in 2007.

Michael Sanlaville graduated from the Emile Cohl school, and later the Gobelins, after which he followed twin careers in animation (at the Xilam studio) and in comics with Casterman Publishers.

Balak (aka Yves Bigerel) works as a storyboard artist, 2D animator and TV show director in France. He works with Marvel Comics on the new digital Infinite Comics brand, as a storyboard artist (Avengers VS X-men with Mark Waid, Guardians of the Galaxy with Brian M. Bendis, Wolverine: Japan's Most Wanted with Jason Aaron and Jason Latour).

• • • • • • • • • • •

THE TOUR

Each stop on this tour will be featuring a fantastic Q+A with the authors, so be sure and follow along for more magic and martial arts!

Good OK Bad, 6/15http://goodokbad.com/

Supernatural Snark, 6/16 http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/

The Book Wars, 6/17 https://thebookwars.wordpress.com/

Alice Marvels, 6/18 http://www.alicemarvels.com/

Comics & Cola, 6/19 http://www.comicsandcola.com/

Fleen, 6/22 http://fleen.com/

Graphic Policy, 6/23 http://graphicpolicy.com/

The Book Rat, 6/24 http://www.thebookrat.com/

Graphic Novel Resources, 6/25 http://graphicnovelresources.blogspot.com/

Women Write About Comics, 6/26  http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/

Interview: Kiersten White + Illusions of Fate

Today I'm thrilled to have author Kiersten White stopping by the blog to answer a few questions about her newest release, Illusions of Fate. I've been counting the days until this book released ever since I stumbled upon the reveal for the gorgeous cover, so I was a very happy girl earlier in the month when it finally hit shelves. Yes to magic, romance, and enigmatic young lords named Finn. Welcome back to Supernatural Snark Kiersten!

If tomorrow you suddenly found yourself in a world like that of Albion’s nobility–where society is rigidly structured and the rules of etiquette are strictly adhered to–how well do you think you’d fare? Is there any one etiquette rule you would have particular trouble following?

Well, that depends on whether or not I am actually a noble. If I were a noble, I think I’d tend to be more like Eleanor, Jessamin’s newfound best friend. She works within the structures of her society, but does so cleverly and subversively. By staying in the prescribed boundaries and playacting her part well, she actually carves out a tremendous amount of freedom for herself. As far as the rule I’d have a hard time with, it would be that women are inherently lesser than men. I’ve never been able to handle people who think that very well.

Jessamin is new to the money, power and magic found in Albion. If she could borrow a magical ability found in any piece of YA fiction to help her navigate her new world, what book would she choose and which power would she want most?

I think she would focus less on trying to navigate or become a part of the power and magic of Albion, since she doesn’t see herself as lacking without them. But if she could, she’d borrow apparition from the Harry Potter series to visit her home island and bask in the sunlight whenever she was overwhelmed with the gray and the rain of Albion.

There’s something undeniably appealing about fictional men who have an air of mystery about them; we can’t help but want to dig through all their layers and see what they’re hiding. Who would you say is your all-time favorite enigmatic romantic hero or love interest?

Well, considering I describe Finn as Mister Darcy meets Howl, I’m going to have to go with Mister Darcy. There’s just something so satisfying about seeing him gradually drop his walls and embrace love!

We know from the beginning that Finn is keeping secrets, but what’s one small thing about Jessamin–a quirk or habit maybe–that she hopes Finn never finds out about?

Honestly, Jessamin is quite comfortable with herself. The only shame she carries is the way she manipulated her connections to get into a good school because her race prevented them from considering her actual merits—and she finds herself telling Finn as much in a favorite scene of mine!

Hating a good villain never fails to bring a smile to my face, so I’m very much looking forward to meeting Lord Downpike. If you could ask the author of a villain you absolutely love to hate one question about that character, what would be the first thing out of your mouth?

“Hey, Leigh Bardugo, can you give me The Darkling’s phone number?”

When reading, what are the top three traits you love the female protagonist to possess?

A strong sense of self (even/especially if it is challenged as the narrative progresses)

Intelligence (in any of its many, many forms)

Loyalty to those she loves

If Jessamin were to find out you penned her story, every struggle and every moment of joy, how tempted do you think she would be to ask you to go back and change something small?

This is something I’ve never been asked before! I don’t think she would ask for anything for herself, but she would certainly ask that her friend’s suffering be removed, and that a certain tragic event be edited out entirely. Coincidentally, the second request is the one I expect most readers to howl about, and my husband to never forgive me for. You’ll know it when it happens…and I apologize in advance.

Thanks so much for answering my questions Kiersten!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

ILLUSIONS OF FATE

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • •

KIERSTEN WHITE

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy and the Mind Games series, as well as several standalone novels. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

Friday Flourish: The Gifted Dead

Happy Friday Everyone!

As of last Saturday, Fridays for me have taken on entirely new meaning in that they are now the day before I get to see my beloved Jamie in Outlander. Did anyone else watch the premiere last week? OMG! I may or may not have stared rapturously at the screen the moment he came on, and I can neither confirm nor deny having to wipe away drool when the episode ended. He's glorious.

I digress though. My original reason for bring up the topic of Friday was to let those of you who didn't see my introductory post a couple weeks ago know that I've started a sporadic feature on the blog called Friday Flourish where I post some of my recent cover design work. Friday Flourish came about thanks to a little inspiration from the awesome Mary at The Book Swarm as a way of sharing some bookish creativity that's a bit more personal in nature.

Several months ago, by chance and the best luck ever, I was introduced to author Jenna Black (as well as the amazing Kristen Simmons and Mindee Arnett) at a dinner before one of their signings in Cincinnati. Conversation that evening led Jenna to reach out to me when she decided to self-publish her upcoming novel, and thus we began the design process for The Gifted Dead. I'm beyond proud of how this cover turned out and extraordinarily thankful to Jenna for letting me be a part of this publishing journey with her, so I hope you all love the final product as much as we do!

THE GIFTED DEAD

Politics and magic make dangerous bedfellows.
 

Deep within the Order, the seeds of corruption have taken root. While younger generations of the Gifted have embraced modern democratic values, a secret society of old-guard zealots seek a return to the past, when only European men of distinguished bloodlines held power.
 

Now, three venerable European families and a maverick American each plot to seize control of the Order and shape it to their will. A cutthroat game of political intrigue will decide the winner; and the stakes couldn't be higher, for ruling the Order carries with it the power to grant—or deny—an afterlife.
 

What begins as a battle of wills could turn into an all-out war. And magic could prove deadlier than any missile.

"Filled with great world building, fascinating characters, and political intrigue, this novel harks back to the sheer scale of traditional fantasy novels but gives it a very modern twist. I love it!"
--Keri Arthur, New York Times bestselling author of Fireborn

Add to Goodreads

The Gifted Dead will be released in September, so be sure and add this one to your lists! If you'd like to check out an exclusive interview with Jenna in which she shares all sorts of juicy tidbits about what this story holds in store for readers, you can do so over at Fangirlish.

Find Jenna:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Tumblr

• • • • • • • • • • • 

If you want to see more of my work, including some fun fan art posters, you can check out my full portfolio online at Seedlings Design Studio!

Review: Born of Illusion

BORN OF ILLUSION
Born of Illusion #1
Teri Brown
Paranormal Young Adult
384 pages
Balzer + Bray
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from author's website)
Anna Van Housen has a secret. A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums, and mentalists in 1920’s New York. As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so Marguerite claims—sleight of hand illusions have never been a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. Because while Marguerite’s own powers may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.

But as Anna’s powers intensify, she begins to experience frightening visions of her mother in peril, which leads her to explore the powers she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, she is forced to confront her past and rethink everything she’s ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna’s visions merely illusion? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite’s tricks?

MY THOUGHTS
Born of Illusion is a quiet, deeply intriguing story, one that spiderwebs into various different directions, each thread appearing thin and fragile until we touch it and find an underlying strength and a tactile quality we can't help but want to explore with careful thoroughness. While each thread holds a great deal of potential on its own, not all of them seem completely necessary to ensure the success of Anna's story as a whole, and we find ourselves wondering how our reaction to this tale might have differed were scissors taken to just one or two of those additional lingering threads. There is a delicate quality to this story that holds our interest despite the many shiny facets vying for a share of our attention, a sense that if just the slightest movement is made or our voices rise above a whisper that Anna's carefully constructed world will shatter, scattering the pieces of her into the wind where we might not ever be able to find them all again.

Anna has lived her entire life spending equal amounts of time both confidently performing in the spotlight and discreetly hiding in the shadows, her tricks and showmanship onstage a striking contrast to her real extrasensory abilities off it. She's there in the limelight for all the world to see, but at the same time they perceive nothing more than the smoke and mirrors they take as truth simply because they want to, the reality of her hidden behind far more than a curtain as she keeps her true self locked up tight. She's an easy young woman to root for, the difficulties that accompany having one face that tilts up into the light to attract attention and another that tilts down and away to deflect it hold us transfixed, as captivated by the dualities of her life as her audience is during her magic show.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is not Anna's paranormal abilities or life in New York City in the twenties, but rather Anna's complex relationship with her mother and performance partner, one that's an uncomfortable tangle of tension, jealousy, and possibly love, though the love is buried so far beneath the other emotions we can never fully convince ourselves it's truly there. Anna's mother is a star first and a nurturing and caring woman a far distant second, her subtle put-downs and insults camouflaged as motherly concern expertly delivered, honed over years of practice to deliver the deepest cut possible without anyone but Anna noticing. While Anna could have been unbearably frustrating, clinging to the naïve hope that underneath the snide comments and thinly veiled venom lies deep and abiding motherly love, she instead is well aware of the dark games her mother plays and calls her on it several times (though perhaps not quite often enough to soothe our ire), refusing time and again to be the scratching post for her mother's claws.

Anna herself and her relationship with her mother are both highlights of Born of Illusion, and though the story flows well and has a certain ease to its telling that keeps us devouring chapter after chapter, when we finish some questions with regard to the multiple plot threads start to make themselves known. In addition to Anna's visions of the future and her strained bond with her mother we also find ourselves juggling the not-insignificant mystery surrounding Anna's connection to famed magician Harry Houdini, a love triangle, and numerous dangers from a myriad of outside sources, all which have our interest individually but which can be a touch distracting when taken all together in a single story. Also, there's a slight inconsistency with regard to the language, certain sayings and slang from the twenties seeming to pop up at random to remind us of the time period before fading away again and leaving us with a very modern-feeling Anna. Overall though, Born of Illusion, despite its flaws, is an entertaining and worthwhile read, and I will certainly be looking forward to reading more from Teri Brown.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Teri:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Don't forget to to check out my interview with Teri - talking stage names, Houdini, and Anna's mom!