Interview and Giveaway (INT'L): Destiny's Fall by Marie Bilodeau

Original Title: Destiny's Fall

Series: Destiny #2

Author: Marie Bilodeau

Publisher: Dragon Moon Press

Published Date: April 14th 2012

Genre: Paranormal

A broken tradition. A hunted child. A rebellion that threatens to topple the very fabric of the universe.

When Layela Delamores gives birth to her first child, the ether immediately rejects what should be its only heir. A wave of destruction sweeps the ether races and sparks Solaria’s ire and rebellion on Mirial. A new heir rises to take the throne of Mirial, one who wields tainted ether.

Unable to access the flow of ether, Layela is left with little choice but to flee Mirial, seeking answers that may no longer exist, prepared to sacrifice everything to free herself and her daughter from the clutches of the First Star.

EXCERPT

 “Cap’ain!” her second-in-command, a short man named Larod, screamed.

 “Gun the engines, get us out!”

 “Solariers are telling us to stand down,” said Jaru, her systems analyst.

 “And I’m saying the docks need redecorating. Gun the engines!”

The two moved quickly to obey her order. The engines churned to life, the scent of rotten cabbage pumping through the entire ship. The ship jerked once and the engine popped, and her hull vibrated, resonating in Avienne’s skull.

 “Come on, you useless piece of crap!” She kicked the tactical controls and half the panel lights blinked out.

 “Blood and bones, I need to steal a better ship!” The engines sputtered and the ship stopped vibrating. 

 “Engines online, Captain!” Jaru screamed. Avienne whooped and switched the viewport on. The entire metal structure of the docks buckled as they pulled free without first de-clamping, ripping great chunks of metal. The Dessicate’s engines kicked in full blast, throwing Avienne back into her seat. The docks swayed for a moment when the engine’s jet of hot hair struck them, then buckled sideways, and seemed to be righting themselves before suddenly collapsing in a heap of smoke and metal, dragging a few of the smaller ships down.

Avienne hissed. That made a nice, round ten worlds on which she would no longer be welcome. She was running out of planets to do business on.

“Where to, Captain?” Larod asked from navigations. 

“Mirial. I believe it’s time to pay my brother a visit.”

INTERVIEW WITH MARIE BILODEAU

Is there an inspiration behind why you chose writing?

I believe an incessant need to make life more interesting by making stuff up was a main motivator to write, but growing up in a family that loved books was definitely an inspiration. 

When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

A hairdresser!  Really badly.  For about a day.  Or She-Ra.  Oh, wow, I suddenly feel like I let Little Marie down. At least I still have a She-Ra. Lots of She-Ras, actually.  See?

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is....

1984. Not because of its social messaging, but because that is one creepy ending.

What are your current literary works?  Any sneak peaks?

I’m working on a top-secret sword and sorcery manuscript (ooh!), and the third part of the Destiny series.  It’s going to be a wild ride, my friends! Unedited sneak peak of my not-so-top-secret top-secret project, since you asked so nicely:

The boy dared to glance at him.  “The war infected everything, my mom says. …said. We’re hungry because the soldiers needed food, and cold because they needed heat.”
    “But the war is over, now,” the warrior’s companion whispered.
    The boy shook his head. “It isn’t. Can’t be. Mom said that as soon as it’s over, we’ll have plenty.” He pierced her with his wide eyes, his mouth trembling. “You’re wrong. People are supposed to stop dying when the war’s over.”

    …it has funny bits, too, FYI.

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

Oh, both! I’d keep that time machine for a good time (um, no pun intended). I’d go back two-thousand years ago and give someone who suffered from migraines a bottle of Tylenol, and then I’d come back to see how I’d mucked up the mythology of that culture.  And then I’d go in the future and steal some super high tech projection device and make people really believe in ghosts. I’m not sure why, except that I think it would be fun.

If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?

Demeter.  She gets six months off.  Oh, I know, the daughter in Hades shtix, but after thousands of years of that cycle going on, knowing your daughter will come back, I think it’s really just an extended vacation. 

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. 

It’s freakin’ awesome.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

A young girl wrote to me to tell me how my books had inspired her.  One of my goals as a writer was to inspire young women through strong female characters – to make them believe they don’t need the knight in shining armour and that they, in fact, can be that knight for themselves and others.  I needed that as a teenager, and it was hard to find.  So to inspire one young woman, and then another, and another… it’s fulfilling a heartfelt goal (though becoming She-Ra would still be cool).

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Be true to yourself and your style, and always strive to become better.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

Most of my favourite reads have horrible creatures and consequences to everything.  And natural disasters that sweep towns/cities/countries/continents away regularly. So none of those.  I’ll escape in the time machine to avoid this question, if necessary.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

Caffeinated into Blurry Existence.

What is your favorite scene in the book and why do you love it?

I don’t want to spoil anything (so I won’t), but I love the end. It’s not clear-cut, and it’s not a win, but it’s a good end for this book. And I also love the first scene in the second chapter, in which Avienne Malavant, a failed smuggler, is debating going back home to see her brother in his perfect little world, or to drink her swirly booze and make out with some ugly trader. Well, it’s funny when you read it…

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit?

I have a high embarrassment threshold, but I guess I read lots of horrible zombie books and I die of laughter when I watch America’s Next Top Model. I miss most of the seasons, though, since I’m horrible at remembering TV schedules, quite sadly.

What is one book everyone should read?

I think just the act of reading is important.  Let the story, the language, the action or romance sweep you away.  If you’re a writer, pay attention to what you like and what you dislike.  Remember not to put your readers through anything you don’t like!

One food you would never eat?

In theory, there are plenty, but in reality, it usually ends up with me saying something like: “it’s got how many legs?  Sure! I’ll totally try that!”  I have many food eating regrets.


QUICK ANSWERS

Favorite place?
Wherever my family is (awww. Seriously, though, they usually come bearing chocolate.)

Best christmas present?
My She-Ra Crystal Castle. I was 6, but it still doesn’t get better than that. 

Favorite book?
Depends on the day, weather, amount of caffeine, height of the river and comfort of my socks. I love many, many books.

Favorite author?
See above, and add dependent on which fruit is in season and which drink they prefer. 

Favorite smell?
Chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.

Favorite series?
Ooh, I have so many! My favourite recent series (I won’t wuss out like I did on the author and book questions) is the Princess series by Jim C. Hines. Serious fun.

Nickname?
No nickname! I’m a 100% genuine Marie. At least, no nickname people use to my face…

Favorite writing spot?
Coffee shop downtown, especially when they serve hazelnut or maple coffee.

Favorite movie?
Independence Day or The Hours (greatly depends on mood…)

Favorite dish?
Pickled things. Or anything with chocolate.  Except perhaps for pickled chocolate.

Favorite color?
That perfect shade between candy pink and burgundy.

Favorite quote?
“Never give up. Never surrender.” – Galaxy Quest

Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Straight up chocolate.

Your best trait?
Perseverance.  Or the index finger on my left hand (picture included for you to decide).

Your worst trait?
I’m a procrasti-cook, though I doubt my roommate would argue that’s a bad trait.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marie Bilodeau is an Ottawa-based science-fiction and fantasy author. Her space fantasy novel, Destiny’s Blood, was a finalist in the Aurora Awards and won the Bronze Medal for Science-Fiction in the Foreword Book Awards. She is also the author of the Heirs of a Broken Land, a fantasy trilogy described as “fresh and exciting” by Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo award-winning author of WAKE. Her short stories have appeared in several magazines and anthologies, including the recent When the Hero Comes Home, edited by Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy.

Marie is also a professional storyteller who’s told adaptations of fairy tales and myths, as well as original stories, in venues across Canada. More at www.mariebilodeau.com.

GIVEAWAY

Marie will give away a signed eBook copy of Destiny's Blood (the first book in the series) to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and an autographed set of Destiny's Blood and Destiny's Fall in print (US and Canada only) or eBook (International) to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ID FOR ENTERING THIS GIVEAWAY!

Reply to the author's question with a comment!!!
" What else did everyone want to be when they grew up? Impress me with your early onset of maturity! (Or join me in the not so much with the maturity stage....) ;) " 

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!  GIVEAWAY ENDS JUNE 8TH!