This is not my typical post but let me begin by saying I had a crazy week and weekend. In fact, things got so crazy busy that I forgot to post my spotlight post!!!!! The author completely forgot as well so I didn’t feel as bad but I still feel awful!!!! So…I decided to make another post on Friday aside from just my Freebie Friday. What better name than Forgetful Friday?! Have you ever forgotten about posting something? In the end, we are all human. It just goes to show how beneficial scheduling posts can be.
Anyway…how have you all been? I am loving October! Bring on all the witchy things. We actually picked the pumpkins today from our garden. The boys loved it and we have sooooo many!!
Have you gotten your pumpkin yet? Do you celebrate Halloween or Samhain?
Now, on to the reason we are all here…Saturday Spotlight. Today I am happy to talk to an author that was a new name to me, someone I’d never heard of. I love these authors more I think because I love knowing I am introducing people to new authors as well. As a book lover, my biggest joy is finding new authors and helping them out as well. That is why I do these spotlights. I want to give back to the authors who have made me laugh, cry, and brought be many close friends and adventures.
Let’s get to know more about today’s spotlight author…Rosaria Munda!!
About the Author
Interview
Rosaria, thank you so much for being here. I have been patiently awaiting our talk. Fireborne has been on my TBR list for a while and I knew I had to get you on Saturday Spotlight for an interview about it! I know how busy life must be, I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions.
Oh that’s so sweet, thank you for having me, and thank you for hosting a blog that spotlights new authors!
It is my passion to share with the public new or undiscovered authors. Publishing a book is a huge feat in and of itself, publishing a highly anticipated book is something else entirely. What has been the most eye-opening part of your publishing journey? What was the most interesting thing you learned about publishing a book?
Ooh I do appreciate being called “highly anticipated”! 🙂
I think one of the big surprises is about the timeline of writing, and turning in, sequels for a series. I didn’t realize until after we sold the Fireborne trilogy that by the time your first book comes out, you’re already about to turn in your second book–because it takes twelve months to turn a finished manuscipt into a book sold in stores. By the time book 2 comes out, I’ll be mostly done writing book 3!
Probably the most interesting thing I learned about publishing a book is how much of its fate is determined before it even hits shelves–early reviews drive bookseller and library placement, etc. I used to be only aware of books (long) after they had been released; now I’m aware of them long before.
Yes!! I think that is an aspect of the book world that many don’t know or understand. The entire process takes a long time and you have set deadlines to finish sequels. Also, in that industry…you really get to see how important those first reviews are. Speaking of, many have read Fireborne as an ARC but that is not the end of the story is it? The Aurelian Cycle is a trilogy. Is there anything that you can tell readers about book two? Maybe something that readers can look forward to, a juicy piece of information?
It is indeed the first in a trilogy 🙂 I am revising book two currently. There’s no official synopsis released yet but I think I am safe in telling you that you’ll see a lot more of New Pythos (the island where Lee’s family have been living in exile) and there will be a new POV character.
That is exciting! I can’t wait to read about it and I love when new characters are thrown in the mix. Multiple POV stories are my favorites I think. Having written my own book, that still needs to be edited, I know how easily story ideas can come to you during mundane moments. What was your inspiration for this story and what was the push that made you write it?
That’s so exciting that you write too! There were a lot of different moments of inspiration for this book. I was particularly fascinated by the aftermath of revolution after living abroad in Paris and Beijing, which have such complicated histories with their nations’ revolutions. I was inspired by a lot of classes I took in high school and college as well, and bits of those classes ended up in the book. The political system of the post-revolutionary world is based on the one described in Plato’s Republic, which I studied in college, and the poem that the students translate in class is based on the Aeneid, which I translated in high school Latin.
I love that you have taken so many experiences from your life and formed this amazing and well rounded novel. I love dragon’s and I’ll be honest, I wanted to read your book as soon as I knew it dealt with dragons. I’m sure that I’m not the only one. There are many types of dragons but most differentiate between European and Chinese dragons. Which “species” of dragon is your favorite? What is your favorite dragon movie or favorite dragon book, other than Fireborne?
My favorite dragon species would have to be a toss up between the Night Fury and the Hungarian Horntail 🙂
My favorite dragon book is probably The Last Namsara, by Kristen Ciccarelli. I love how it is a story about stories–and how it features BOTH dragon slaying and dragon riding, which are usually two very different kinds of tales!
I have to say that after those answers…you are just that much cooler! Fireborne deals with many issues and throws a variety of problems at the characters, but these things aren’t simply solved easily. I love that you chose to explore the full complexity of these issues, especially with younger characters. What was your main motive for doing so? Why was it necessary for your characters to experience these complex issues rather than have them solved simply?
I think this is a really great question and I’m glad you noticed, and liked, that things are tough and complicated in Fireborne. I think I wanted complexity for young readers because I know that, as a young reader, I craved complexity in my own reading. I was always suspicious of conveniently awful villains or easy faceless evils. Figuring out what is wrong or right is often the hardest part, in my experience–especially when I was growing up and trying to figure out who I was and what kind of person I wanted to be. And even though Annie and Lee live in a fantastical world with dragons, I wanted their struggles to be like the ones I had at their age.
I think many of us wanted complex novels and I am so happy you are giving new young adult readers that. I want to thank you again for joining us today but before you go, I have one more question…it’s a fun one. If you could have a dragon in real life, what would it look like? What would you name it? Could you describe the relationship you would have or what a typical day with a dragon might look like? Most importantly…what would your dragon eat?
Ha! My worldbuilding brain goes wild trying to contextualize this. Would it be the only dragon in the world, and thus a secret I should keep? Or would dragons be normalized as human companions, and if so, would it be permitted to have one in my Chicago apartment? Would dragon chow be available at the grocery? (or would they sell frozen sheep, like frozen mice for pet snakes, at the pet store? oh boy). But no–I think regardless I would have to approach it like a horse. We’d move to the remote countryside, preferably near the ocean so she could fish at leisure (by far the most cost effective and environmentally friendly option), and take her for regular rides at the sunset through the best cumulus cloud formations over the sea. I think I’d have to wait to name her after I met her, though I imagine I’d go for something Graeco-Roman 🙂
Thank you so much to Rosaria for taking the time to ! Be sure to look her up on social media as well as Goodreads! Check her book out and maybe find a new favorite book or author.
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