Mundie Moms

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Blog Tour With Henry H. Neff, author of The Fiend And The Forge


Today we have the pleasure of having author, Henry H. Neff on our blog. His newest release, The Fiend and the Forge hit book store shelves on November 23rd, 2010.

Teaching and The Tapestry

In The Tapestry, Max McDaniels has a recurring dream in which he’s confronted by a monstrous wolfhound. “What are you about?” the creature demands. “Answer quick, or I’ll gobble you up!”

As a former teacher, I know many of my students can relate. Like Max, they wrestle with hard questions similar to that posed by the wolfhound. In their lives, however, the inquisitors are not storybook creatures, but parents, teachers, coaches, and even themselves. In many ways, The Tapestry is as much a quest for identity and purpose as it is an epic adventure.

I doubt I could have created such a series without my years in the classroom. It was no coincidence that I began writing The Tapestryduring my first year at a San Francisco high school. Teaching courses in U.S. history and studio art rekindled all sorts of creative impulses that had gone dormant during my years in corporate America. The energy, enthusiasm, and openness of my students were contagious and empowering.

As I sat down to write the first book, The Hound of Rowan, I did so with an updated sense of youth perspectives, aspirations, vulnerabilities, and voice. I didn’t need to guess how kids might act in class, anguish over crushes, or interact with their parents - I’ve seen it firsthand. Hopefully, these insights make their way into the characters, scenes, and dialogue so that they have an authenticity that resonates with readers.

Class discussions were another aspect of teaching that shaped The Tapestry. In the classroom, I often employed the Socratic method and tried to spark lively sessions in which students discussed and debated really hard questions. To what degree was the American Revolution inevitable? What, if anything, differentiates a religion from a cult or mythology? Is the use of preemptive force morally reprehensible or a pragmatic necessity? There are no “correct” answers to these questions; they are designed to task our knowledge, stretch our intellects, and force us to examine our own assumptions and values.

I’ve tried to populate The Tapestry with some of these same issues and inquiries. I’m not interested in creating one-dimensional characters or concocting scenarios where the right answer is easy or self-evident. Max McDaniels has noble impulses and nearly limitless potential, but he can be temperamental and his own worst enemy (sound like any students you know?). The villain Astaroth is a demon, but he is also truthful and even chivalrous. Astaroth doesn’t even consider himself “evil”, but rather a visionary whose end justifies the means. Rowan Academy might be engaged in a heroic struggle, but it – like most countries or institutions – has some dirty little secrets in its past and present. The Tapestry is filled with complex characters and because it’s a reflection of the world we live in. It may be fantasy, but there’s no reason why it can’t enrich our sense of the world and ourselves.

In The Tapestry’s latest installment, The Fiend and the Forge, I get to play with some of these questions on a grander scale. At this stage of the series, the world has been transformed and humans no longer occupy the top spot in the food chain. While pivotal inventions are plucked out of mankind’s past, new kingdoms have emerged along with new economies, political intrigues, and evolving cultures. For a history geek like me, it’s endless fun to explore the possibilities. But no matter how the story’s scale and scope might grow, Max and my readers are still wrestling with the same fundamental question – What are you about?

Aren’t we all?

For more information about Henry H. Neff and The Tapestry, please visit www.henryhneff.com


To read more about The Fiend and The Forge, be sure to visit these links here:

Henry’s post on 11/29: http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/

Henry’s post on 12/1: http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/

Henry’s website: www.HenryNeff.com

Series Website: www.RowanAcademy.com


Thank you Henry H Neff for being apart of our blog today and to Random House for allowing us to be apart of the blog tour.

Book Blurb- The Iron Queen

By Julia Kagawa
Published by Harlequin Teen
To Be Released on February 1st, 2011
Source- Harlequin Teen
5 Stars- Phenomenal Book!

My name is Meaghan Chase.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

With electrifying romance, action packed and heart wrenching scenes, Julie Kagawa's The Iron Fey series continues to engage me emotionally and leaves me breathless at the end. Her richly developed characters become more vivid, real and stronger as they never falter on their journeys. The Iron Queen deserves more than just 5 stars! This is a phenomenal book with incredible writing and I enjoyed every moment of being wrapped up in this story.

This is one book I highly recommend pre-ordering!! I can't wait for The Iron Knight. If you haven't picked up Julie's The Iron Fey series yet, you are missing out! This series has quickly become my favorite fey series. With the holidays fast approaching, these books will make the perfect gift (cough, cough). The Iron Queen is our book of the month for February, and we're looking forward to our live chat we will be having with Julie then. We'll post more details when it gets closer to Feb. I'll be sharing my full review for The Iron Queen later this month.

Happy Release Day To MATCHED!

Happy Book Birthday to Ally Condie's MATCHED! Be sure to pick up your copy today and then join us on December 14th when we chat LIVE with Ally Condie!! Be sure to leave a comment for Ally here http://tinyurl.com/2a9gu4c

Twitter Tuesday - Lisa McMann

I just realized that Cryer's Cross, Lisa McMann's standalone novel will be coming out on February 8th. That's in just about two months!

I remember reading the synopsis months ago and getting so excited that I pre-ordered it right away because if anyone can write a creepy, exciting mystery, it's Lisa:
The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.
And then look at these wonderful blurbs from Alyson Noel and Heather Brewer:
“CRYER’S CROSS is an eerie, gripping, totally addictive, breathtaking whirl of a book with an ending that left me haunted for days. Lisa McMann has done it again—this book is unputdownable!”—Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of THE IMMORTALS series.  

"A brilliant, engaging, scary piece of fiction. Every word had me sliding closer to the edge of my seat and gripping the cover tighter and tighter. There are books in the world that make you question your reality and the things that go bump in the night - this is one of them." --Heather Brewer, New York Times Bestselling Author of THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD Series
Remember to follow Lisa on twitter and also check her website for new updates as we get closer to Cryer's Cross release date.

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