Happy Indie Monday! Hope your Thanksgiving was amazing! Today we're visiting with Beth Ann Blackwood, the author of Siren Song. I'll let her take it away!
Thanks for visiting, Beth Ann!
Happy to be here. Thanks for
having me!
Tell us about Siren Song.
Think Twilight meets The Hobbit with a strong heroine and a dash of humor. Ariel
Robinson is a word nerd with five word-of-the-day-calendars looking for a place
to fit in. When she receives
the glossy brochure from Montana State University inviting her to apply, the
outdoorsy tomboy feels like a lifer who's been shown the secret escape passage
from the cell block of her parents’ Dallas socialite scene. But when she
arrives in Bozeman with her trunk load of books, the welcoming committee is far
from what she had imagined. As if it’s not bad enough that her roommate Kristin
looks like Barbie crossed with Gossip Girl, some invisible being with a
sinister voice literally knocks her flat onto the frigidly cold sidewalk—and
onto a hospital gurney.
It
seems that she’s actually been lured into the training grounds of two battling
factions of the Fallen Angels, who are convinced that Ariel can lead them to
the Piece of Home, a mysterious, highly coveted object lost when they were
evicted from the big mansion in the sky that will determine who wins their war.
All is not lost, however. A ridiculously good looking senior named Michael
seems intent on popping up everywhere to chaperone her home. And while her
blonde bombshell roommate Kristin and geeky classmate Todd insert themselves
into their relationship in various vexing ways, Ariel is soon initiated into a
world of Fallen Angels, including the kindly, patriarchal Achimalech, snooty
Daniel, robotic Cyrus, and superstar lawyer Lucian.
As
Ariel is enmeshed in a battle beyond the scope of humanity, she learns that despite their heavenly
pedigree, angels have romantic impulses,
wandering eyes, and are as quick to lie, steal, and even murder as any mere
mortal. Can Ariel find the Piece of Home and settle the age-old score—and snag
a super hot boyfriend in the process?
What was the inspiration for Ariel's
character?
Believe it or not, it was Harry
Potter. I wondered what would have happened if the powers-that-be at Hogwarts
had gotten it wrong, and Harry Potter had been plunged into the wizardly world with
not an ounce of magic in his veins to help him out. That led to the character
of Ariel, a girl who’s always felt like she was sent home from the hospital at
birth with the wrong family. She’d hoped that MSU would be the place where she
could finally fit in, but instead, she’s mistaken (or not!) for someone with
connections to the Fallen Angels, and has to operate in their supernatural
world relying on solely on her very human skills.
By the way, descriptions of all
the Siren Song characters are
contained on this website: www.sirensongbook.com.
The site also contains a diagram
of the Fallen Angels’ headquarters, excerpts of The Rules that the Fallen
Angels are supposed to follow (which are referenced in Siren Song but not spelled out) and other cool facts.
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From B.A.'s Pinboard (Fanpop) |
Tell me more about the
"ridiculously good-looking" senior Michael. *grins*
Ah. I could talk
forever about Michael. He’s got dark hair, light blue eyes and a perfect dark
stubble on his face that usually only airbrushed GQ models manage
to pull off. I’ve created a Pinterest board with options for what Michael looks
like, and I’d love other people’s photos of what they think he looks like after
they read the book. Here’s the link: http://pinterest.com/bablackwood/michael-looks-like/
Michael rocks an “I’m sexy and I know it” attitude carried off with
a wink that makes you like him. It’s all Ariel can do not to drool when he focuses
his full attention on her. And for someone who loves words as much as Ariel
does, Michael’s command of vocabulary makes him totally irresistible.
But every time Ariel thinks they’re about to get closer, Michael
does something that makes her wonder if he has another agenda - one that may
not involve her best interests. Who
hasn’t been there? J
Your book is New Adult. What do you
think about the growing popularity of this category?
I totally get it because even
though the age range for New Adult is broad, the group shares the common
denominator of trying to answer the question of “who am I and where do I fit
in?” Siren Song is basically a fish
out of water story, which is how many people feel both in school and for years
afterwards as they try to find their way in the world and what best suits them.
What's your favorite writing snack?
That’s easy – sour flavored jelly
beans mixed in with Hot Tamales. Doesn’t get better than that!
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Beth Ann! :) |
Biography:
I live with my husband and two pugs, Waldo & Jonesy, in
Dallas, Texas, although we spend a lot of time in Bozeman, Montana, the setting
for Siren Song. I started out as a
trial lawyer and attended writing classes at night just for fun. I ended up
loving it so much that writing is now my primary occupation. I’m an avid marathoner (as you can tell from
my picture) and am currently working on the remaining books in the Siren Song trilogy and developing a
spin-off series for Lucian Castlewhite, the superstar lawyer to the Fallen
Angels. My author website is www.bablackwood.com.
Excellent post! Sounds like a great book.
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