Welcome to The Shadow Hour blog tour! Today I have Melissa Grey in the house answering a few questions I had for her about the series, life and all that jazz! Check it out!
Q. How do you choose which unique vocab words Echo will share with
us? I feel like I would never know there's a Japanese word for letting books
pile up!
A. I collected the words as I came across them. There are plenty of
great resources online, like Other-Wordly on Tumblr. I wrote the whole book
first and then combed my lexicon looking for terms that would be appropriate to
the plot. Sometimes there wasn't a word that was plot appropriate but which I
really wanted to include so I adjusted the scene to make it work.
Q. What kinds of books did you read growing up? Did any of them help
inspire you to write The Girl at Midnight trilogy?
A. I was (and still am) a voracious reader but a few that jump out
of the cobwebs of my memory are LJ Smith's Night World and Secret Circle
series, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series
and a ton of Neil Gaiman. Girl at Midnight is basically a love letter to
Gaiman's Neverwhere.
Q. What was your road to publication like?
A. Pretty conventional. I had an idea, worked on it for a few years,
finished the manuscript, revised it as best I could, queried lit agents, signed
with one, went on submission to publishers, and landed a book deal with Random
House.
Q. Can you tell us what you're working on now? Next, after this
series ends (if you can say)?
A. I'm working on the third and final book in The Girl at Midnight
series. After that, I'm not at liberty to say!
Q. Where did you get the idea for The Girl at Midnight?
A. I don't remember, honestly. It was a while ago! I've always loved
the Firebird ballet so that was definitely a seed that germinated in my brain
for ages.
Q. Who are some of your favorite authors to read?
A. Neil Gaiman, Leigh Bardugo, Victoria Schwab, Maggie Stiefvater,
Marie Rutkoski, Jo Walton, Catherynne Valente, Edith Wharton, F. Scott
Fitzgerald.
Q. If you could travel anywhere in the world for research purposes,
where would you go and why?
A. The answer varies from day to day but I'd really like a research
excuse to go to Hong Kong.
Q. What's your favorite way to unwind after a long day of writing?
Or just a long day?
A. Right now: Pokemon Go.
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, Melissa!
Be sure to check out Melissa's The Shadow Hour, book 2 in the Girl at Midnight Trilogy!
Everything in Echo's life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace.
The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart.
Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she's already overcome.
She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.
Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature--or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what's left of her world to the ground?
Welcome to the shadow hour.
About Melissa:
Melissa Grey was
born and raised in New York City. She wrote her first short story at the age of
twelve and hasn't stopped writing since. After earning a degree in fine arts at
Yale University, she traveled the world, then returned to New York City where
she currently works as a freelance journalist. To learn more about Melissa,
visit melissa-grey.com and follow @meligrey on Twitter.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads
Now for the giveaway:
Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour this week:
Tour Schedule
Week One:
7/18/2016- a GREAT read- Interview
7/19/2016- MEREADALOT- Review
7/20/2016-Literary Meanderings- Excerpt
7/21/2016- Zach's YA Reviews- Review
7/22/2016- Fiction Fare- Interview
Week Two:
7/25/2016- The Eater of Books- Review
7/26/2016- YA Book Madness- Excerpt
7/27/2016- Ex Libris- Review
7/28/2016- BookHounds YA- Interview
7/29/2016- The Cover Contessa- Review
Loved this book and really looking forward to book #2!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is just amazing. I can almost see it moving!
ReplyDeleteDianna
I've read most of the books that Grey says inspired her. I also enjoy a lot of the authors that she listed. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so magical and I've seen so many people fall for Echo and those that surround her. I can't wait to read this book!
ReplyDelete