Meredith Skye, author of THE GODS OF GARRAN, has stopped by The Library to chat with us about books. The author is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
One of my favorite books when I was younger was A Wrinkle in Time, about the smart little boy and his sister who knew how to tesseract to other places and the frightful planet they went to where everyone had to behave exactly the same and bounce their balls all at the same time.
Tell us about your current book in 10 words. Only an ancient power can fight an alien race.
What are you reading right now?
I'm reading Dog Nabbed! by Susan Kroupa. It's a delightful story about a Labradoodle dog who is trained to sniff out bed bugs--all from the dog's point of view. There are humorous moments as Doodle, as he is called, solves mysteries along with the young girl he belongs to. A great book for dog lovers.
E-Reader or print? and why?
At this point, I have to admit, I use both. I love physical books and I have soooo many of them! I'd prefer to read that way, all the time. But on my iPad (using a Kindle app) I can carry a hundred books! And in a pinch, it's great to have a selection of books to read. It's so much easier to carry. And you can't sign an electronic copy—yet!
Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)
I always use a bookmark, of course!
Favorite genre? Science fiction and fantasy!
Do you loan your books? Absolutely! That's what books are for!
Favorite book to recommend?
The Pride of Chanur series by C. J. Cherryh. Signy Mallory is the Captain of a freighter spaceship, a female captain of a race of beings descended from cats. On her world, only women can be relied on to do such things. Men are too emotional and tend to get into fights. She comes across a piece of cargo that gives her no end of trouble--a fragile, hairless being from a world no one has ever heard of, one that could tip the balance of power in the galaxy. He called himself human.
It's a great series.
When the Chanden learn of this, they send a spy to infiltrate the Garrans--a young woman named Asta, who has her own reasons for hating the Garrans. She begins to realize that they are dealing with a real power and not a superstition when they get close to finding the god-stones. Can the Chanden be in the wrong?
"What is our status?" asked Koethe.
"We're tracking movement of rebel troops now," said an old Chanden war chief, whom Moorhen later learned was named General Godwin. "We have them outnumbered and outgunned. They'd be fools to go through with the attack."
Koethe glanced over at Moorhen. "But I have a feeling that they will. Isn't that so?" He didn't really expect an answer, and the native Garran didn't bother to respond.
"You found your daughter, I see," said the General.
"Yes," said Koethe. He turned to her. "Now, Asta, tell me--what happened?"
His daughter, Asta, looked at them. "The gods of Garran are displeased with you and your people. You have disrupted the land with continual conflicts and your harvesting."
They stared at her and laughed. "You can't be serious," said General Godwin. He looked at Koethe in question.
Asta fixed her unnatural, bright blue eyes on Koethe. "You think you are the gods of Garran--but you are not. You think that the land belongs to you, but it does not. From now on, you will accept the clans as equal to you."
For a moment no one spoke. "They've done something to her," said Koethe, glaring at Moorhen, "Something having to do with the god-stone."
"She picked up the stone," said Moorhen, "and it bonded with her. We did nothing."
"And you," Asta turned to Moorhen, "also will not fight the Chanden. The shedding of blood is abhorrent to us. We will not permit it. Your Shaheak have been warned."
I love to travel. I've been to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Ancient buildings fascinate me. On that trip, we saw about 30 castles. I have also traveled extensively over the United States, visiting all 49 states and 22 national parks.
I have a fascination with the Middle Ages. I love swords, medieval costumes, ancient stone buildings, and ancient lifestyles. I love Celtic art and music. I love the desert. I am a vivid dreamer and many of my dreams come back to life in my novels.
Buy the book at Amazon.
Author website: http://www.meredithskye.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/meredithskye
Goodreads AUTHOR: http://www.goodreads.com/MeredithSkye
Email: meredith.ellen.skye@gmail.com
Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/meredith.e.skye
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hi again! So tell me...how did you come up with the names and such for the world and characters?
ReplyDeleteI have a list of interesting names that I collect, that I randomly come across. Then I usually modify those names. For the Chanden names, I tried to come up with more normal sounding names: like Ruben Drake or Asta. For the Garran natives, I probably rifled through some Welsh, Norse, or Irish name lists and modified from there. I'm a sucker for Norse names. Other names like Innurlan, one of the goddesses of Garran, I probably just came up with on my own, something that sounds right. I do spend hours sometimes on naming a character. I think the word "Garran" is actually a surname, a very rare one. Maybe I should have varied that one a little more.
DeleteI enjoyed the interview and excerpt. Thanks for sharing, Librarian Judith.
ReplyDeleteMeredith, if you could travel in a time machine, would you go back to the past or into the future? I'll have to check out The Pride of Chanur series. Thanks for the recommendation.
That's a tough question, Tallulah. I think I would have to go to the future, because I'm dying to know how the story of humanity ends. Sometimes I've thought that if I had a chance, when I get to be 70 yrs old or so, I would put myself in suspended animation to be woken up 50 years later, maybe for a few years at a time, and thus travel into the future. Hopefully, mankind will get wiser and wiser and solve many of their current problems, like war and poverty and the oppression of their fellow man.
DeleteYes, thank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLibrarian Judith, thanks for hosting me. I will check back later in the day to answer any more questions.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview and learning more about you. I also have an e-reader but still prefer my paper books. There is just something about holding a book.
ReplyDeleteMeeting a new Author.. Great looking book.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteRita. Thank you. Yes, I really do like to hold a book in my hands.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! And nice excerpt, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteI enjoyed the interview thank you.
ReplyDelete