Mundie Moms

Friday, December 18, 2015

FROZEN TIDES by Morgan Rhodes / Blog Tour: Author Interview #FallingKingdomsSeries



Hello and welcome today's blog tour stop for FROZEN TIDES, the 4th book in the Falling Kingdom series by Morgan Rhodes. If you haven't yet read this series, you are missing out! I absolutely LOVE this series. It's one of my all time favorites. You can check out my love for this series via my Falling Kingdom series posts hereFrozen Tides was just released this week, and it's so GOOD! I'm thrilled to have Morgan Rhodes back on Mundie Moms to talk about it. 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Morgan Rhodes





Hi Morgan! Welcome to Mundie Moms. Congratulations on the release of Frozen Tides!

Thank you!! Happy to be here!!

* Let's talk about your characters. It's been really fascinating seeing how each of the characters has grown, and changed over the course of the series. Have you been surprised with any particular character and their over all character growth as the series has gone one?

They’ve all definitely changed over the four books, but I think that is one of the main themes of YA fiction – growth from adolescence into adulthood. Finding your path and figuring out your moral compass. Sometimes these changes are for the better, sometimes for the worse. I’d say Lucia is the one who surprises me the most, and not always in good ways. ;) That girl is still struggling to find her true self, which I think is quite understandable considering how much chaos has been thrust upon her.

* Oh Magnus. He's a character who's really surprised me. He is a character that I've really grown to love. I started off loving to hate him, but the more I got to know him, the more I couldn't not love him. He's definitely grown a lot in this series. Have you been surprised with the changes he's made? 

Magnus has been so much fun to write. He started off on in the planning stages as the villain of the group, the Draco Malfoy who’s in it all for himself and his own gains, manipulated by his father. But he has really blossomed on the page – not exactly a straightforward hero, per se, but definitely a layered character with tons of inner conflict and a constantly shifting sense of right and wrong. I haven’t been surprised by his growth, but I have been surprised (and pleased) by how well he’s connected with readers.

* Jonas on the other hand was someone I started off liking but wow. He's definitely surprised me with the choices he's made as the series has gone on. He's changed a lot. Are you surprised with his choices and seeing how much he's changed?

Jonas is another character, like Magnus, who – although he started on a path of vengeance – was a very heroic character at his core. His path has been a rocky one, through personal loss, through trauma, through failure. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s not crouched in a corner somewhere rocking himself back and forth. He’s a strong kid and I am looking forward to seeing where he goes (both physically, mentally, and emotionally) in the books to come.

* Can we talk about Cleo and Magnus for a moment? Seriously, these two just need to be locked into a room for a brief make out session. *coughs* Just saying. I have really enjoyed seeing these two together. Sometimes it's hard not to snicker at how they act toward each other. One minute they want to fight and the next it seems as though they want to make up/make out (which ever comes first). What has been one of your favorite scenes to write with these two? 

To be honest, all of Cleo and Magnus’s scenes are fun to write. They have chemistry on the page which I wish was easy to reproduce with every character I’ve ever written. They are definitely a special duo and play off each other really well with built-in conflict, both inner and outer. If pressed to pick a favorite scene…it would have to be the one in Gathering Darkness when Magnus does a lot of talking about light and darkness. :)

* Lucia = girl power! Lucia is a character who definitely has some power. From the get go I've really sympathized with her, but then with the end of Gathering Darkness, I'm more fearful for those around her. She's definitely a force not to be reckoned with, and I'm a little worried about what's to come with her. Can you tell us a little bit about what we can except from her in Frozen Tides?

I think based on the ending of Gathering Darkness… ((SPOILER))) readers will be expecting that Lucia goes full on villain in book four. She is a girl who, as the adopted daughter of the King Gaius, has lived an extremely sheltered and protected life up until now. And presently, with all the freedom and all the power she’s ever secretly yearned for, she finds herself aligned with someone who is out for blood. I think readers can expect to see Lucia start making decisions in book four that aren’t driven by someone else’s agenda. And Lucia might learn – or at least start to discover – what she wants out of her life. Is she merely the focus of a ancient prophecy? Or is she a girl who can make decisions and potentially change her own destiny?

* Can we talk about your covers for just a second?  I love your series book covers. Do you have a favorite cover? I know that might be hard pick one, because each cover is amazing and seems so fitting for each specific book.

The covers are divine, aren’t they? I’m so very lucky!! I love them all, but I think my favorite to date is Gathering Darkness, because I love the drama and tension on that one…and I adore purple!

* I LOVE the map in Frozen Tides! I have a feeling this map holds some clues about what's to come in the series. Are you able to confirm my suspicions? 

I definitely wanted to expand the map in this book, since, as already hinted in the back cover plot description, certain characters venture beyond Mytica’s shores to visit the empire of Kraeshia. To see the vastness of this empire when viewed with the comparatively small Mytica, where all of our action has been set up until now, has a bigger impact when actually seen rather than simply told about. I also wanted to show there is much more world to explore. Whether we’ll get a chance to visit all of these locations in the Falling Kingdoms world is yet to be determined!

* Do you have a favorite quote from Frozen Tides you can share with us?

“She stared up at him without intimidation. Her shoulders back, her chin up, she was a burning torch in the middle of the cold, endless night. How he wished he was strong enough to hate her.”

Thank you Morgan for stopping by to talk about Frozen Tides! 


ABOUT THE BOOK



By: Morgan Rhodes
Published by: Razorbill
Released on: December 15th, 2015
Purchase the books: Find your favorite book retrailer here.

Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.

CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy. 


FOLLOW THE TOUR


The Irish Banana Review
12/7 - interview 
Addicted Readers
12/7 - review
A Perfection Called Books
12/8 - review
Bookiemoji 
12/8 - Would You Rather?
WinterHaven Books
12/9 - guest post 
Once Upon a Twilight 
12/10 - Review & giveaway
Two Chicks on Books
12/11 - guest post 
Jessabella Reads
12/11 - review
My Friends Are Fiction
12/14 - guest post 
A Midsummer Night's Read
12/15 - Book Playlist
Dark Faerie Tales
12/15 - review
IceyBooks
12/16 - Top 10 list
The Daily Quirk
12/17 - review & giveaway
Mundie Moms
12/18 - interview 
Hollywood News Source
12/18 - review


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