Mundie Moms

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Mundie Moms Author Chat with The Iron Daughter author, Julie Kagawa


*Our chat will start at 8 pm CST/ 9 pm EST. To join, hit join and enter a screen name.

*Please know that we will be discussing The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa!

*We do our best to make sure all comments are published, so that Juliecan answer your questions. With the high volume of guests expected tonight, not all the questions may be answered in the hour time frame of the chat. If that is the case, we will be sure to send them to Julie so that she can answer them, after which we will post them on the blog and our forum.

*In respect to Julie's time, we will only publish comments that pertain to their current writings, and book.

*We will not post any personal questions or comments.

* Any rude, disrespectful, or spam like comments will not be published.

*Thank you and we look forward to chatting with everyone tonight!


**No part of this chat is allowed to be used with out our permission**

CWA Celebrations-Day 12, Interview with Jem

Today's CWA post is our character interview with Jem, from Clockwork Angel. Jem is the more logical character. He thinks things out where Will rushes in and acts. I'm not saying Jem can't fight....

What is one thing you'd like to train Church to do?
Bring me my breakfast in the morning. Though he'd probably shed in the porridge.

What characteristic do you want people to know about you, that you've not yet told us about?
I am an excellent dancer.

What do you see in Will that makes you so protective of him?
We're parabatai — I'm sworn to protect him. But beyond that, he needs my protection. Every day, at every moment, he sabotages his own life and happiness. Others think it is simply that he doesn't care, but I know he does. I suppose I think I stand between him and total darkness.

We're also giving away a CWA poster with Jem's interview. Just leave us a comment with your email address. This giveaway will end on Saturday night.

The Familiars Review & Interview



Here's my review:
By Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
Published by Harper Collins
To Be Released on September 7th, 2010
Source: Publisher
5 stars- Highly Recommend

The fate of the kingdom is in the paws of an ordinary alley cat- and the result is pure magic.

Meet Aldwyn as the scrappy orphan cat runs right into the biggest adventure of his life. Chosen by Jack, a young wizard in training, to be his familiar, Aldwyn's biggest challenge seems to be convincing the two other familiars-the know it all blue jay Sklyar and the friendly tree frog Gregory-that he, too, has magical powers. Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and his fellow wizard apprentices are captured by the evil queen of Vastia- and the familiars must save them!

At once fresh and familiar, this brilliant fantasy adventure-an irresistible blend of real heart, edge of your seat action, and laugh out loud humor-shows that friendship and courage come in many forms.

The Familiars is such a great, action packed, full of humor, quick, fun and engaging read. I think this is one book that middle graders, and fans of good old magical adventures will enjoy reading. With a loyal trio of unlikely heros, Aldwyn, Gregory and Skylar had me laughing out loud, and wishing I had pet companions like them.

You can read the rest of my review on Mundie Kids here http://tinyurl.com/3an3gnc

Our Interview with Adam & Andrew:
What inspired you guys to write The Familiars?
Adam had always been fascinated by familiars growing up, loving wizards, witches, and magic. He even imagined having magical pets of his own. One day Adam asked Andrew, "Are you familiar with what a familiar is?" That simple question spurned an idea: what if the familiars -- the animal companions oft times relegated to the background -- went on an adventure of their own?

If you could be a familiar, what animal would you be and what power would you want to have?
We'll choose familiars from the book for this one. Adam would go with a puddle viewing tree frog, because he could see the future. That way, he could make a lot of money on the stock market and always avoid rush hour traffic. Andrew would be a teleporting wombat, because he hates to fly and this would allow him to visit all the faraway places he wants to see.

Character wise, which familiar did you most connect with? I loved that the characters had people like qualities to them.
Adam connected most with Aldwyn. He likes scrappy underdogs, and while he didn't grow up on the streets, he could relate to his wonder and amazement upon seeing new things and going on a wonderful adventure. Plus Adam's always had a habit of creating elaborate stories, just like Aldwyn. Andrew has a soft spot for Gilbert, who has a great sense of humor and is always there for his friends.

What are your must haves when you're writing?
We've covered good snacks and comfy chairs in previous interviews, so we'll add two more. Adam likes fresh air while he's writing. Andrew likes to have a pen cap on hand. See attached pic!


I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. How many books will make up the series?
Well, the first book is part of a trilogy. But we're hoping to write many, many more!

Is there anything else you'd like us to know about The Familiars or about you guys?
We love talking to teachers, students, librarians, and parents about our adventures writing The Familiars. And if we can't make it to your city, Skype chats work, too!

Thank you Adam and Andrew for the interview! If you'd like to learn more about The Familiars, please visit their site here http://www.thefamiliars.com/ and here http://thefamiliars.blogspot.com/. You can also follow them on Twitter here http://twitter.com/the_familiars and on Facebook here http://tinyurl.com/28h6tk8

Thoughtful Thursday-Rock Canyon Writing For Charity

If you're going to be in Utah on the 21st of August, then you'll want to be sure to stop by the Rock Canyon Writing for Charity event. You'll not only be helping put books in the hands of children who really need them, but you'll have a chance to meet Bree Despain, Brandon Mull and James Dashner.

The Goal:
To give books to ALL of the kids in at least 10 of the lowest socioeconomic populated schools in the state (of UT). That is about 6,000 books for 6,000 kids. These books would be by Utah authors and their neighbors. *read more about their goal here http://tinyurl.com/27cbusx

The Event:
The event will start at 9:30 am and end at 8:30 pm that night. You can find the complete schedule here http://tinyurl.com/27cbusx

Here's the neat thing, 100% of the money raised goes straight into putting books into the hands of kids. For us that have met authors, especially when we were younger, we know what a powerful effect that can have. We all know how important literacy is.

If you would like to learn more about the event, or read more about their goal, or register for the event, please visit their site here http://www.writingforcharity.com/index2.html

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