Inside the Book:
Title: Daughter of Blood
Author: Helen Lowe
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Pages: 768
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Ecopy/Paperback
Malian of Night and Kalan, her trusted ally, are returning to the Wall of Night—but already it may be too late. The Wall is dangerously weakened, the Nine Houses of the Derai fractured by rivalry and hate. And now, the Darkswarm is rising . . .
Among Grayharbor backstreets, an orphan boy falls foul of dark forces. On the Wall, a Daughter of Blood must be married off to the Earl of Night, a pawn in the web of her family's ambition. On the Field of Blood, Kalan fights for a place in the bride's honor guard, while Malian dodges deadly pursuers in a hunt against time for the fabled Shield of Heaven. But the Darkswarm is gaining strength, and time is running out—for Malian, for Kalan, and for all of Haarth . . .
What are you
most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
Helen: Having my first novel (Thornspell, Knopf, 2008) published was
quite a moment. So, too, was reaching the rank of ni-dan, or second dan black
belt, in the martial art aikido. I have been privileged to be able to help
people, too, from time to time along the way and that is always personally rewarding.
How has your
upbringing influenced your writing?
Helen: I was encouraged to read and read
widely, and although reading does not necessarily lead to writing, it’s a great
first step. We also moved a lot when I was a kid, including traveling
internationally, which opened up new perspectives as well as new vistas, both
of which are great fodder for a writer.
When and why
did you begin writing?
Helen: I began writing very young, while living
in Singapore. I already loved reading, so I suppose it was a natural next step
to want to tell my own tales. I wrote poetry and stories, but also plays that we
(my siblings and a friend) put on for our parents. They very wisely insisted we
put them on indoors (where they could sit on sofas and enjoy refreshments)
rather than in our rehearsal space – a much more primitive outdoor tent!
Do you recall
how your interest in writing originated?
Helen: I really do think it was a natural
extension of loving reading – I wanted to do what I loved most myself. My
endeavors were totally self-generated as well. I never attended a kids’ writing
class or any of the school programs that are so prevalent now.
When did you
first know you could be a writer?
Helen: I think I always
knew: it was making the time to write seriously that was the trick. That took far
longer than I would like, looking back now. I was fortunate to have some early
success with a couple of short stories and poems, but completing my first
novel-length work was quite a milestone. After that, you know you can do it, whereas when you have a schoolcase full of
only-just-begun or half-completed manuscripts, the outcome seems far less
certain.
What inspires
you to write and why?
Helen: The stories themselves – as the great
Ursula Le Guin says: “The
world’s full of stories, you just reach out.” But the stories don’t stay
out there, hovering in the air. Eventually, if I don’t reach out of my own
volition they’ll start waking me up at nights – which is the kind of prod from
the Muses that it’s hard to ignore.
What genre are
you most comfortable writing?
Helen: Definitely Fantasy! I don’t think I’ve
ever had an idea for a book that hasn’t been Fantasy, although some come close
to being historical fiction, i.e. “legendary” history. However, my short
fiction is more mixed, from contemporary realism, through the legendary history,
to future dystopia (SciFi) and back to Fantasy again.
What inspired
you to write your first book?
Helen: That school case of half-begun and
half-completed manuscripts. Plus the
muses were waking me up at night and I decided it didn’t matter which story I
chose to tell, I just needed to pick one and finish it. So I put them all out on the floor, closed my eyes and
reached out – and the “only half begun” manuscript I grabbed became The Heir of Night.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
Helen: I think every
story I have ever read and loved has been a tremendous influence in terms of
wanting to emulate whatever it was about it that struck me as good and great.
The books I dislike are definitely an influence, too: I make notes to myself
that I don’t want to spin that kind
of yarn. But once begun, The Heir of
Night story I was telling quickly became its own creative driver, and I
would write and rewrite until felt I had gotten it right. I found then, and
still find now, that I need to do that quite often, because the story that ends
up on the page is often very different from the story in my mind.
What do you
consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in
general?
Helen: Writing is a very solitary occupation
and bringing a novel-length work to completion can be the work of months or
even years. So sticking with it throughout that time has much in common with
endurance events: writing as “the loneliness of the long distance writer.”
Deadlines can be daunting, too, especially when your story refuses to be
wrangled or to move at anything other than its own, very slow pace.
Did writing
this book teach you anything and what was it?
Helen: That no matter what happens, either
inside your story or in real life, you have to keep going. And if you do keep
putting one word after another on the page (even if you unravel them all again
the very next night, like Penelope of Ithaca with her weaving) eventually you will reach the end, no matter how
distant that destination seems when you first set out.
Do you intend
to make writing a career?
Helen: I have now been writing for twelve
years, far longer than I did any one job while in regular employment, so I
think it is my career, for better or
worse. I’m not ready to give up yet, anyway.
Have you
developed a specific writing style?
Helen: My readers tell me so, and I believe
them J – but I also
believe I am still evolving as a writer. I would definitely like to explore
different kinds of stories and ways of telling them, albeit within the Fantasy
genre.
What is your greatest strength as a
writer?
Helen: When Alex
Davis interviewed me as a Gemmell Legend Award finalist in 2013, he was kind
enough to say that, “Your books to date have made a real impact,
with your characters in particular being praised.” So I think I’ll go with
what he said. J
What is your
favorite quality about yourself?
Helen: That I love stories and storytelling.
What is your
least favorite quality about yourself?
Helen: I would love to be a much faster writer of my own stories.
What is your
favorite quote, by whom, and why?
Helen: “Think of this – that the
writer wrote alone, and the reader read alone, and they were alone with each
other.” It’s
by A.S. Byatt, from her Booker
prize-winning novel, Possession.
Meet the Author
Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, interviewer, and blogger, whose first novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. Her second, The Heir of Night (The Wall of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012. The sequel, The Gathering of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Helen has a second-dan black belt in the martial art aikido and represented her university at fencing. She posts regularly on her ". . . on Anything, Really" blog, occasionally on SF Signal, and is also on Twitter: @helenlowe.
Giveaway
Helen is giving away print copies of The Gathering of the Lost & The Heir of Night
US ONLY
Terms & Conditions:
- By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
- One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive both copies - US ONLY
- This giveaway begins January 18 and ends on February 12.
- Winners will be contacted via email on February 13.
- Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
ENTER TO WIN!
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule
Monday, January 18 - Book featured at 3 Partners in Shopping
Tuesday, January 19 - Guest blogging at What is That Book About
Wednesday, January 20 - Interviewed at I'm Shelf-ish
Thursday, January 21 - Book featured at The Review From Here
Friday, January 22 - Interviewed at Deal Sharing Aunt
________
Monday, January 25 - Book reviewed at Vic's Media Room
Tuesday, January 26 - Book reviewed at Bookishly Me
Wednesday, January 27 - Guest blogging at Curling Up With A Good Book
Thursday, January 28 - Book reviewed at Cover2Cover
Friday, January 29 - Guest blogging at Lori's Reading Corner
________
Monday, February 1 - Interviewed at Literal Exposure
Tuesday, February 2 - Book featured at Confessions of an Eccentric Bookaholic
Wednesday, February 3 - Guest blogging at The Dark Phantom
Thursday, February 4 - Book featured at My Bookish Pleasures
Friday, February 5 - Book featured at Harmonious Publicity
________
Monday, February 8 - Guest blogging at Write and Take Flight
Tuesday, February 9 - Book featured at Voodoo Princess
Wednesday, February 10 - Book featured at Bent Over Bookwords
Thursday, February 11 - Book featured at Book Cover Junkie
Friday, February 12 - Guest blogging at From Paperback to Leatherbound
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