July 25, 2016

Blog Tour: Moonburner by Claire Luana – Interview and Giveaway

Hello readers!

Welcome to our Tour Stop for

Moonburner by Claire Luana!

We have Claire on the blog today for a quick Q&A!

Follow the rest of the tour by clicking on the banner above,
and be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

When 17-year old Kai is exposed as a female sorceress—a moonburner, she knows the punishment is death. Despite the odds against her, Kai escapes her fate and undertakes a harrowing journey to a land where moonburners are revered and trained as warriors.

But the moonburner citadel is not the place of refuge and learning that Kai imagined. The ongoing war against the male sorcerers, or sunburners, has led the citadel leadership down a dark path that could spell the end of all magic. Armed with a secret from her past and a handsome but dangerous ally in the sunburner prince, Kai may be the only one able to prevent the destruction of her people.

Thanks so much for taking the time and spending time with us here at Chapter by Chapter!
Thanks for having me and hosting this amazing blog tour! I’m excited to meet some new folks who love YA fantasy as much as I do, and to share about my debut novel, Moonburner!

Describe your book in 140 characters or less (like a Tweet)
Can a sorceress fighting for her right to live save her people in the process?

What was your inspiration for writing this book?  Was it in a dream? A thought while taking a walk?
My inspiration for Moonburner was loosely based on China’s One Child policy, which led to generations of Chinese families choosing to have boys over girls. It made me think: what would happen in a world where families didn’t want girls because those girls had some magical ability that was forbidden? I seem to recall thinking about this while driving! This inspiration is also why I set Moonburner in a world with more of a medieval Asian influence, rather than the typical European fantasy world readers are used to.

Tell us about the main character(s).
Kai, the main character, is born into a land where magic is forbidden to women, and she is forced to masquerade as a boy to hide her powers. In the beginning of the book, she is exposed and sentenced to death. She has to save herself and make her way to a school where she can be taught to use her magic.

Kai is tough and capable, but with an undercurrent of insecurity and doubt about her own abilities and place in the world. She has a strong sense of right and wrong, which leads her to get in over her head!

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of writing Kai was writing her magical companion, Quitsu. He is a talking silver fox, who plays the role of her sarcastic conscience. He has some great one-liners!

Do you have a favorite quote or specific part in the book that you really love?
I really loved writing Book One, where Kai is sentenced to die in the desert and has to survive days of walking through stifling heat to find her way out. As an author, it was a refreshingly simple set of scenes to write. I could focus on Kai, her motivations and emotions, and the harsh beauty of the desert around her. That section felt like it wrote itself! Whenever I reread the book, it’s the part I am happiest with.

Was there a specific part in the book that you had an especially difficult time writing?  If so, why?
The middle! In particular, when Kai first got to the citadel and started her studies as a moonburner. As a new author, I spent a lot of time fretting about the pacing. I didn’t want it to get boring, but I also wanted to develop and explore Kai’s new world. I think I found a happy medium, but it took a lot of agonizing.

What sort of projects do you have going on right now.  Any new books coming out?
I recently published Burning Fate, which is a prequel novella to Moonburner. I am editing Sunburner, the sequel to Moonburner, and hope that will be ready to be published by spring 2017.

It was great having you on the blog today!  We hope you’ll decide to stop by again someday, and we wish you much success!!
Thanks so much for having me! I hope all you readers out there enjoy Moonburner! If you want a taste of the world of the sun and moonburners, head over to my blog www.claireluana.com. You can read the first few chapters of Moonburner, and if you sign up for my mailing list, I’ll send you a free copy of Burning Fate!

About Claire Luana

Claire Luana grew up in Edmonds, Washington, reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could get. Eventually, adulthood won out and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits, graduating from University of Washington School of Law and going to work as a commercial litigation attorney at a mid-sized law firm.

While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. Her first novel, Moonburner, will be published in 2016 with Soul Fire Press, an imprint of Christopher Matthews Publishing. She is currently working on the sequel, Sunburner. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, run, play with her two dogs, and of course, fall into a good book.

Check her out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/claireluana/

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