This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
READ THE INTERVIEW
What makes you love a book?
The characters. A book can have the most expansive world, the most beautiful prose, and a captivating plot, but this is all meaningless to me if I don’t love the characters. I need to feel like I could be friends with the heroes, I need to either understand and sympathize with, or completely loathe the villains, and the dialogue between them all needs to be natural and engaging.
How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I feel like I have a pretty balanced mindset when it comes to my critics. I’m fairly hard on myself, and sometimes opinions from my critics echo my own fears about my writing. The most common instances where I don’t agree with my critics are when my work is misunderstood, or criticized for not being what a reader wanted it to be. My second novel, “The Order of the Banshee,” was different in many ways to its predecessor, “The Sunrisers,” and while I feel it's far superior, it received harsh critiques I didn’t agree with at all from those who preferred what came before.
Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
I love both versions of The Princess Bride, but I definitely prefer the movie. The world of the novel is perfectly brought to life, and Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, and the rest of the cast are beyond iconic in their roles.
What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Boredom is the main thing that would make me stop reading a book. I might also stop reading if I find something in a book offensive, but that’s dependent on when the book was written, and how much I’m otherwise enjoying myself.
Your favorite fictional hero/heroine/villain/etc.
My favorite fictional character is Marvel Comics’ Emma Grace Frost. She’s been a hero, a villain, and everything in between, she’s one of the most complex and inspiring characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about, and I aspire to be like her in everything I do.
My Question For Readers: What do you think of tone shifts in book series?
READ THE BLURB
Layla N’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’s sipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protests against the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a great glassblower.
Layla’s former friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess of the Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts as the ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her mother will become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with the Utozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feels resigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.
Layla loves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as a weapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages with the fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on opposite sides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has some new tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or is there still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Layla and Kaya find the answer.
READ AN EXCERPT
“What’s our ETA, General?”
“We should be reaching Caldey-Cocoon’s atmosphere in twentyfive minutes, Princess.”
I twirled my hair around my finger. “Splendid.”
The voyage from Cykeb had been peaceful. I’d had ample time to listen to music and shop for art in my room, torture the prisoners I’d brought along with me in the brig, and take advantage of the other amenities my ship offered.
The Winjolla, named after my departed, beloved aunts, was second only to my mothers’ flagship, Ricochet Supreme, in terms of grandeur. 2400 meters in diameter, it was crewed by a staff of 15,000, all of whom I was free to terrorize to my heart’s content, with 30,000 ground troops also living on board.
I’d gotten to design every aspect of my ship, from its weaponry, which was capable of leveling small continents, to its torture chamber, which I prided myself on being the most nightmarish chamber of horrors ever devised—putting even Mother’s past works to shame—to its spa, swimming pool, light squash court, juice bar, and karaoke studio.
The only thing my ship lacked was someone to enjoy all of this with, but my mothers rarely ever left the palace, and there was no one else worthy of my time. I’d tried forcing some of my lessers to have fun with me in the past, but the only enjoyable parts of those experiences had been when I‘d blown their brains out. Being better than and above everyone else could really suck.
On the bright side, I was almost 14. In just over one year, I’d be allowed to make the members of EZ Street my personal concubines. Then I’d never be lonely again.
Plus, the highlight of these trips was always the destination, not the journey. As the crown princess of The Holy Cykebian Empire, and the most advanced cyborg in existence, I had the honor of serving as my mothers’ ultimate sword. If a rebellion took place that our soldiers couldn’t quash themselves, or if initial conquest was met with more resistance than initially anticipated, I was deployed to handle it. I never failed my mothers. I never would.
“Princess, we’ve arrived.”
Grinning from ear to ear, I rose from my chair in the center of the bridge. “Beam me down. I’ll let you know when to deploy the troops across the planet’s surface.”
“Yes, Princess. Understood, Princess.”
My helmsman did as he was told and a moment later, I was standing in the middle of Caldey-Cocoon’s capital city: Jeradoth.
The blood-red sky matched the dirt beneath my boots. Their architecture was cylindrical, all of their buildings the same sickening shade of green. The air stank of cold macaroni and cheese. From what I’d read, their only major export was middle- quality feathers.
I’d only been here five seconds, but I couldn’t fathom what about this pathetic world its people treasured so much that they wouldn’t want to be a part of the empire. It wasn’t as if I was complaining, though. If every world submitted immediately, I’d never get to have any fun.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Robyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.
As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.
The Sunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the The Ricochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of 2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in 2022.
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robyn-Singer/author/B0BCVQ8JJ6
Publisher Author Page:
https://cinnabarmoth.com/robyn-singer/
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
