LEIGH BARDUGO INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY OF SHADOW AND BONE

First, in case you don't know this, WriteOnCon has scheduled their free, online conference for August 14th and 15th. There will be new agents at this conference. It sounds awesome. You can get the details here.

Today I’m excited to interview Leigh Bardugo about her debut book SHADOW AND BONE that was released June 5, 2012. When I read the description of her book on her agent’s blog, I immediately contacted Leigh about an interview. I loved Leigh's world building, which she'll share more about, and her main character Alina, who is a normal girl who suddenly discovers her magical powers. I love fantasies and this is one of my favorites this year.

Here’s a description of SHADOW AND BONE from Goodreads: 

Photo by Kevin Rolly

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Hi Leigh. Thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having me back! Literary Rambles was a big part of my agent search, and I'm glad to be here.

1. From your bio I read that you were born in Jerusalem and raised in Los Angeles. You’re also a makeup artist. I’d love to know a little about that, especially the makeup artist part, and how you became a writer.

Honestly, when my dad died, I went a little crazy. I'd been working as a copywriter and the days alone in front of the computer were just too much. I'd always loved makeup and costuming, so I took a leap and switched careers. That turned out to be a very good thing for me and for my writing. I met new people pretty much every day, I was thrown out of my comfort zone, and I found that when I came home, even after long hours on set, I had a new determination and focus when I sat down to write.  

2. So sorry about your dad's death. But it's great that you took the leap to do what you want with your career. It's certainly worked well with your writing. SHADOW AND BONE is a fantasy. World building is so important in fantasies. Tell us a bit about your world building process and how your book is different from other fantasies.

Many high fantasy worlds resemble medieval Europe, but Shadow and Bone takes its cultural inspiration from Tsarist Russia of the early 1800s, so the world has a different feel. I think another difference is that the bulk of the story is written from Alina's point of view. She's pragmatic, prickly, and has a modern sensibility that I hope will make it easier for readers who might not ordinarily pick up fantasy to enter the world. 

In terms of process, I don't really think that world building for fantasy is much different from world building for anything else. Whether you're writing a political thriller set in DC or a smalltown murder mystery, or a swords and sorcery epic, the reader needs a clear sense of order (how power functions in the world) and place (the texture of a world). When I wrote the first draft of Shadow and Bone, I really only had the key elements of order in place: the Darkling's power, Alina's power, the Shadow Fold, the basics of how the Grisha (the Kingdom's magical elite) operated. I didn't want to slow my momentum, so I didn't worry about the naming of things or what my characters were eating or wearing until I got into the second draft. When I did delve into those elements of world building, I was surprised at the way they impacted the plot and some of my fundamental ideas about the characters. 

3. That's great advice to leave some of the details until the second draft. I know those kind of details can slow me down when writing the first draft. Alina is an interesting character who doesn’t start out doing things right. What were some of the challenges in developing her as a character?

I think there's often a temptation to create heroines who are infallible­— tough, wise, brave. But in real life, those traits are hard won. Alina has spent most of her life without much power or say in her fate. She has to learn how to be strong and how to use the gifts she's been given. Her hunger to belong guides a lot of her decision making, and that level of vulnerability wasn't always comfortable to write. 

4. I confess I made that mistake in the first draft of my first book. I learned that it's important to show that heroes and heroines are not perfect. Because no one is. Tell us about the magical powers in SHADOW AND BONE and why you chose them. Any tips on creating the magical powers in a fantasy and setting limits for them. 

For me, the impossible seems a lot more possible when it's constrained by rules. The Grisha practice what is known as the Small Science, the manipulation of matter at its most fundamental levels. It's essentially a magical version of molecular chemistry and bound by many of the same rules. So a Fabrikator doesn't mutter spells over a piece of metal to create Grisha steel, he's actually forging the metal and honing the blade at a molecular level. 

I think my best advice when it comes to creating a magical system would be to let the larger questions of the work guide you. In Shadow and Bone, I wanted modern warfare to be a real threat to this kingdom and to the Grisha. But a repeating rifle isn't very scary if you can just magic up some big ass dragons or an Uzi. That led me to a constrained magical system and I found that inspiring. When you create limits, you can begin to ask how people might work around them, what innovations might have resulted from those constraints, and also what the consequences might be to breaking the rules. 

5. I’d normally ask you to tell us about how you got your agent Joanna Volpe and your publishing post here. But you shared it all in an awesome guest post on how you got an agent and a book deal in 37 days in January 2011. (Guys you can read Leigh’s post here. You want to read it because it’s full of tips on querying.) So instead I’ll ask you to share how you’re marketing your book and any advice you have for debut authors.

My best piece of advice is to join a debut group like the Apocalypsies. The support of other authors is invaluable. 

Also, don't panic. Early on, I felt totally baffled and overwhelmed by the options out there. Should I make bookmarks? A trailer? Did I need a web site or would a blog do? How much did I need to be tweeting? Which conferences should I attend? Just remember that you don't have to do everything. Try to find a strategy that fits with your interests and plays to your strengths. I hired a great designer to build my web site (Denise Biondo) and focused on creating content there. My friend Gamynne and I designed buttons inspired by the book. My friend Aaron and I wrote a song. If you can have fun with it, promotion doesn't feel quite so burdensome. 

6. The thought of marketing fills me with panic. Thanks for making it seem manageable. What are you working on now?

The second book in the Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm, will be released next year so I'm currently finishing up those revisions. After that, it's on to Book 3, Ruin and Rising!

Can't wait to read them! Thanks Leigh for all your great advice. You can find Leigh on twitter and her website. You can also check out some of the inspiration for the Grisha Trilogy on Leigh's pinterest boards. 

I'm giving away my copy of SHADOW AND BONE (with a few tears because I like it so much).  To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by August 4th. I’ll announce the winner on August 6th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment. International entries are welcome.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. 

Here's what's coming up:

On Friday, Casey is sharing about a writer in residence opportunity that sounds really interesting.

On Monday, I'm interview Natalie Lorenzi about her middle grade book FLYING DRAGON. It's a multi-cultural story about a Japenese-American girl who has to give up her soccer dreams to study Japanese and help her cousin, who just came here from Japan, with his English. I was memorized from the first page. I know a lot of you will really like this.

Next Wednesday, Casey has a post with Laura Lascarso with a giveaway of her book COUNTING BACKWARDS.

The following Monday I'll be interviewing Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi and giving away a copy of THE EMOTION THESAURAS. It's a great resource for writers. I love it just for the introduction.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!