Aug 9, 2013
Blog Tour: Authors Are Rockstars – Author Guest Post With Sherry Thomas
Hello fellow book lovers,
As part of the Authors Are Rockstars tour hosted by:
Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books, Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Sherry Thomas has kindly agreed to guest post here about her work,
and share her inspiration for becoming a writer in honor of her upcoming YA Debut,
The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1).
Sherry Thomas is one of the most acclaimed historical romance authors writing today, winning the RITA Award two years running, and appearing on innumerable “Best of the Year” lists, including those of Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Dear Author, and All About Romance. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and sons.
SHERRY THOMAS IS A TOTAL ROCKSTAR! Want to know why!?! Sherry Thomas is an acclaimed Historical Romance author having received the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award not once, but TWICE!!!
Sherry will be releasing her Young Adult Fantasy DEBUT next month, entitled The Burning Sky (1st installment in the Elemental Trilogy).I’m definitely a fan of Sherry’s previous Historical Romance titles, and being the YA lover that I am, I’m truly excited to get my hands on her upcoming debut!
Everyone, mark your calendars on September 17 for the release of THE BURNING SKY!
It might have been a coincidence, the beginning of my YA career; it might have been meant to be. I am not quite sure. Let me present the facts below.
In January 2009, my agent sent me an email. She’d had lunch with a children’s book editor. The editor had read some of my novels for adults and would like to see me write books for the young adult audience.
I was flattered, but I had no real ideas for YA. So I said I would think about it and went back to my contracted work-in-progress.
May 2009, my agent forwarded me another email from the same editor, again expressing interest in seeing young adult books from me, if I were to venture out in that direction.
That afternoon, as I was walking through the Costco parking lot, out of nowhere, a sentence dropped into my head. On the night I was born, stars fell. Immediately I knew this was a story with teenage protagonists, and that it was a fantasy, and that there would be some sort of prophecy involving those falling stars.
Would I have had that same idea, if I hadn’t received that second email earlier in the day? And even if the same idea had come to me, would I have unhesitatingly categorized it as YA? I will never know.
But there it was, shiny and intriguing. I was accustomed to approaching a story knowing something about the conflict and the characters. This vague hint of a world that needed to be built from scratch was completely new and slightly unnerving.
So many decisions needed to be made. Who was this person born on the night the stars fell? A sixteen-year-old girl who would be my protagonist. Why did the stars fall? Because there was a meteor storm. And why did it matter that there was a meteor storm? Because it was taken as a sign of the birth of a great elemental mage, such as hadn’t been seen in centuries.
Since there can be no great protagonist without a great antagonist, my elemental mage must be pursued by a powerful and seemingly invulnerable enemy. And since a story action and adventure can only be improved by the integration of an intense love story—see Avatar, The Matrix, and The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner—there would be a boy, a prince, who would both mentor the girl and test her destiny with his own agenda.
A quick Googling session revealed that the last truly spectacular meteor storm to have taken place in 1866, which would put my story in the 1880s, squarely in my wheelhouse as my adult books have all been set in the late Victorian era. And of course, the girl, on the run, would disguise herself as a boy and hide in a boarding school for boys. I thought it would be funny to take the most famous boarding school for boys in the world—the nonmage world, that is—and have my prince repeatedly refer to it as a hovel. So Eton it is.
With all the basics at my fingertips, I started to work on the YA fantasy in earnest, early in 2010. Thank goodness I had no idea what I’d got myself into, or I might not have started at all. I’d been writing for ten years at that point, with four published book, a string of starred reviews, and several major awards and lists to my name. Yet the YA kicked my butt left and right; it was like figuring out how to write all over again.
My agent played an instrumental role, reading iteration after iteration of the story, always pushing me to do better. My son played a complementary but equally crucial role. He started reading THE BURNNG SKY in its most embryonic stage, fell in love at once, and never wavered in his devotion during the many, many revisions since.
The manuscript that finally went on submission, almost two years later, was version 6.5. The original opening sentence, On the night I was born, stars fell, never made it past the second draft. And the narrative changed from first person to third person, once I realized that it was as much the boy’s story as it was the girl’s, that he was no mere love-interest, but the one whose action and choices propel much of the plot.
In the end THE BURNING SKY did not go to the editor who had first expressed interest in seeing me write YA, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with Donna Bray of HarperCollins, who did acquire it, because she rolled up her sleeves and took the book to a whole new level.
And this is the story of how my at least somewhat accidental foray into the world of young adult publishing.
Title: The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1)It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she’s being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.
Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he’s also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.
Find The Burning Sky Online:
AUGUST 1ST
Tour Kick-off Posts at Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
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Rachel Vincent stops at Fiktshun
Page Morgan stops at Two Chicks on Books
Andrea Cremer stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
AUGUST 2ND
Leigh Fallon stops at A Soul Unsung
Dawn Metcalf stops at Kaidan’s Seduction
Kim Harrington stops at Stories & Sweeties
Amanda Sun stops at I am, Indeed
Cecily White stops at A Dream Within A Dream
Katlyn Duncan stops at Two Chicks on Books
Katie McGarry stops at Bewitched Bookworms (also on 8/9, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30)
AUGUST 3RD
Karen Ann Hopkins stops at A Bookish Escape
Lisa Burstein stops at Jenna Does Books
Corinne Jackson stops at NightlyReading (Priscilla)
Hannah Moskowitz stops at Book Jems
Jennifer Banash stops at Bittersweet Enchantment
Miranda Kenneally stops at Book Nerd Canada
AUGUST 4TH
Jessica Spotswood stops at Fiktshun
Robin LaFevers stops at Once Upon a Twilight
Katherine Longshore stops at A Glass of Wine
Amy Butler Greenfield stops at The Eater of Books!
Cat Winters stops at Carina’s Books
AUGUST 5TH
Dan Wells stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Elana Johnson stops at Fire and Ice
Joelle Charbonneau stops at The Book Cellar
Lisa M. Stasse stops at Downright Dystopian
Mike Mullin stops at Paranormal Reads
Ammi-Joan Paquette stops at Word Spelunking
AUGUST 6TH
Amanda Hocking stops at Just Another Rabid Reader
Chloe Neill stops at Avery’s Book Nook
Anna Banks stops at Icey Books
Shannon Messenger stops at Musings of a Blodger
Gabrielle Zevin stops at YA Romantics
Heidi Kling stops at Burning Impossibly Bright
AUGUST 7TH
Amy Tintera stops at Emily’s Crammed Bookshelf
Dan Krokos stops at Step Into Fiction
Heather Anastasiu stops at Shortie Says
J.A. Souders stops at Little Read Riding Hood
Jennifer Rush stops at The Book Hookup
AUGUST 8TH
Becca Fitzpatrick stops at The Reading Geek
Cynthia Hand stops at Kari’s Crowded Bookshelf
Leah Clifford at Me, My Shelf and I
Wendy Higgins at Reading with ABC
Suzanne Lazear stops at What the Cat Read
Gina Damico stops at Lili Lost in a Book
AUGUST 9TH
Jodi Meadows stops at That Artsy Reader Girl
Renee Collins stops at Book Labyrinth
Sarwat Chadda stops at Bookalicious
Sherry Thomas stops at Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf
Cinda Williams Chima stops at Tsk, Tsk, What to Read? (Shelley)
AUGUST 10TH
Sarah Ockler stops at Katie’s Book Blog
Jennifer Echols stops at In the Best Worlds
Kimberly Sabatini stops at Just a Booklover
Chelsea Pitcher stops at The Phantom Paragrapher
Jennifer Castle stops at Confessions of a Bookaholic
Jenny Han stops at Blog-o-rama
AUGUST 11TH
Kasie West stops at Fic Fare
Julie Cross stops at Turning Pages
Lauren Miller stops at A Book Obsession
Elizabeth Norris stops at Shiirleyy’s Bookshelf
Myra McEntire stops at Jenuine Cupcakes
AUGUST 12TH
Kami Garcia stops at Bookalicious
Sophie Jordan stops at IB Book Blogging
Kathleen Peacock stops at The Book Belles
Jordan Dane stops at Paranormal Book Club
Laura Toffler-Corrie stops at I’ll Tumble for YA
Michelle Zink stops at Fiktshun
AUGUST 13TH
Aimee Carter stops at Never Too Fond of Books
Lesley Livingston stops at Emilie’s Book World
Talia Vance stops at BookPics
Tessa Gratton stops at Lisa Loves Literature
Josephine Angelini stops at Books As You Know It
Jackie Morse-Kessler stops at Chapter by Chapter
AUGUST 14TH
Claudia Gray stops at Realm of the Sapphired Dragon
Cara Lynn Shultz stops at Tar Heel Bibliobabe
Danielle Ellison stops at Tater’s Tall Tales
Sarah Beth Durst stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Scott Tracey stops at The Fake Steph Dot Com
Brittany Geragotelis stops at Book Mark Belles
AUGUST 15TH
A.G. Howard stops at Dark Faerie Tales
Gena Showalter stops at Parajunkee
Bethany Griffin stops at The Bookish Brunette
Mary Lindsey stops at Nocturne Romance Reads
April Lindner stops at Curling Up With A Good Book
AUGUST 16TH
Sarah J. Maas stops at Fictitious Delicious
Susan Dennard stops at The YA Sisterhood
Chloe Jacobs stops at Readers Live A Thousand Lives
Rachel Harris stops at We All Make Mistakes In Books
Fiona Paul stops at Fiction Freak
Kady Cross stops at Fiktshun
AUGUST 17TH
Kiki Hamilton stops at Tsk, Tsk, What to Read? (Kathryn)
Amanda Ashby stops at Rampant Readers
Alex Kahler stops at Sweet Southern Home
Tara Fuller stops at City of Books
Cyn Balog stops at I Heart YA Books
Megan Shepherd stops at Daydreaming bookworm
AUGUST 18TH
Jennifer Bosworth stops at The Reading Nook Reviews (Jess)
Jus Accardo stops at NightlyReading (H. Lee)
Kelly Keaton stops at Into the Mystic
Victoria Schwab stops at Wholly Books
Jennifer Archer stops at Book Chic Club
AUGUST 19TH
T. Michael Martin stops at The Reading Nook Reviews (Elliot)
Alexandra Monir stops at The Bo0ki3
Trisha Wolfe stops at Bookish Things and More
Mary Gray stops at Say It With Books
Georgia McBride stops at Books of Love
AUGUST 20TH
Elsie Chapman stops at Sparkles and Lightning
Suzanne Young stops at Peace, Love, Teen Fiction
Mindy McGinnis stops at WinterHaven Books (Amber)
Emmy Laybourne stops at Paper Cuts
Kristen Simmons stops at Stuck in YA Books
AUGUST 21ST
Josin McQuein stops at Another Novel Read
Gennifer Albin stops at BookHounds YA
Erin Bowman stops at Good Choice Reading
Lenore Appelhans stops at Scott Reads It
Jessica Brody stops at Good Books and Good Wine
Alexander Gordon Smith stops at Smiling Ina’s Bookish Corner
AUGUST 22ND
Michelle Gagnon stops at The Princess of Storyland
Julia Karr stops at Mostly YA Books Obsessed
Debra Driza stops at Justin’s Book Blog
T.M. Goeglein stops at Read-A-holicZ
Tiffany Truitt stops at Book Loving Mom
Mari Mancusi stops at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
AUGUST 23RD
Gayle Forman stops at WinterHaven Books (Crystal)
Megan Miranda stops at Chick Loves Lit
Nova Ren Suma stops at Lost At Midnight Reviews
Marni Bates stops at Alexa Loves Books
Robin Mellom stops at My Guilty Obsession
Elana K. Arnold stops at The Book Barbies
AUGUST 24TH
Liz Coley stops at Inspiring Insomnia
Sarah Guillory stops at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands
J.K. Rock stops at Beauty and the Bookshelf
Ann Redisch-Stampler stops at Living in a Bookworld
Claire LaZebnik stops at Owl Always Be Reading
AUGUST 25TH
Jennifer L. Armentrout stops at Mundie Moms
Tahereh Mafi stops at Some Like It Paranormal
Stacey Kade stops at Books With Bite
Melissa West stops at K-Books
Karri Thompson stops at Dizneeee’s World of Books
AUGUST 26TH
Gretchen McNeil stops at Gone Pecan
Jeri Smith-Ready stops at The Reader’s Antidote
Jessi Kirby stops at My 5 Monkeys
Vivi Barnes stops at Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
Louise Rozett stops at Books are Magic
AUGUST 27TH
Ann Aguirre stops at Supernatural Snark
Lauren Oliver stops at Fantasy Book Addict
Melissa de la Cruz stops at In Wonderland
Sarah Crossan stops at Singing and Reading in the Rain
Veronica Rossi stops at The Happy Booker
AUGUST 28TH
Lisa Desrochers stops at Page Turners
Kristi Cook stops at Debbie’s World of Books
Victoria Scott stops at The Book Goddess
Elizabeth Miles stops at Read My Breath Away
Aimee Agresti stops at Ali’s Bookshelf
AUGUST 29TH
C.J. Redwine stops at A Life Bound By Books
Elizabeth Richards stops at Literary Exploration
Leigh Bardugo stops at Cuddlebuggery
Michelle Rowen/Morgan Rhodes stops at Tales of the Ravenous Reader
Rae Carson stops at The Reviews News
AUGUST 30TH
Heather Brewer stops at Two Chicks on Books
Rachel Caine stops at Poisoned Rationality
C.C. Hunter stops at Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews
Allison van Diepen stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Christine Johnson stops at Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf
AUGUST 31ST
Simone Elkeles stops at Fiktshun
Maria V. Snyder stops at Two Chicks on Books
Karsten Knight stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
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Tour Wrap-up Posts at Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Aug 09, 2013 @ 12:33:57
Congratulations Sherry and WOW! Quite the blog tour list !!
Aug 09, 2013 @ 22:43:09
Thank you. And I totally agree about the impressive roster.
Aug 09, 2013 @ 15:22:07
I’ve been a big fan of Sherry’s since her historical debut, Private Arrangement. Once I read it, I never looked back! It’s awesome she’s moving into a different genre and I’m looking forward to everyone realizing what a talented author she is!
I always find it interesting how manuscripts change. A very insightful look into the process and how the idea came about. Thanks Sherry! 🙂
Aug 10, 2013 @ 11:24:20
Jess,
Great to see you here, she says as she eats some beans. 🙂
Aug 09, 2013 @ 17:04:26
Awesome post by Sherry and thanks so much for being a tour host Lucy!
Hugs,
Jaime
Aug 10, 2013 @ 11:25:41
Yes, let me reiterate that. Thank you so much, Lucy! And hope you will have/are having a marvelous time in Greece!
Aug 09, 2013 @ 17:52:28
Oh congrats Sherry! This book sounds so amazing!
Aug 10, 2013 @ 11:26:27
Thank you, Ki.
Aug 11, 2013 @ 19:02:07
Hi again, Sherry.
Thanks for referring me to this blog to get the back story on ” The Burning Sky. ” I am having a blast reading it and cannot wait for the next two books!