AUTHOR
INTERVIEW
Shades of the Stars
(A Legend of the Dreamer Anthology)
by David
James
Description
This Legend of the
Dreamer anthology features playlists, essays on the magical world of the Order,
deleted scenes from Light of the Moon (Book 1), an author
interview, and a special look at the sequel, Shadow of the Sun (Book 2). The pulse-pounding short stories The Witch's Curse, The Warrior's Code, and an exclusive story called The Enchanter's Fire are included
together for the first time in this edition.
In The Witch's Curse, Magda cannot stop her
heart from running rampant with the beating drum of love. Whenever her eyes
find Samuel, she can feel the pull of strings so vividly alive against her
heart. But for Magda, love goes against fate; her destiny as a witch forbids
her to need anything but the dark binds of magic. Soon, the witch's curse
begins to call to Magda. To deny her love for Samuel would be unthinkable, but
to defy her destiny would be impossible. Before the curse can consume her,
Magda must decide between Samuel and destiny, and her heart may beat too
savagely for anyone to stop.
In The Warrior's Code, Warriors fight for
justice, freedom, and peace. Becoming a Warrior is an honor given to few, and
twelve-year-olds Zackery Solts and Kate Black will do anything to have a place
among the elite. Zack and Kate must compete against eighteen others and pass
three deadly tests of courage and skill. Above all, they must be strong because,
while the dangers of the tests are unknown, one thing is clear: not everyone
will survive.
In The Enchanter's Fire, Lily Woods is a
girl on fire. Literally. Her element burns as fierce as her heart, and very few
enchanters want to get close to a girl with such radiant power. None except for
Shane Spencer, a boy as calm and cool as his icy element. But fire and ice
don't mix, and the element Lily burns inside her is growing stronger. Unstoppable.
Soon, Lily's fire may be the end of them all. Taking place during the final,
pulse-pounding moments of Light of the
Moon, The Enchanter's Fire burns
with action and romance.
Excerpt
Review
David James is not only a great friend but a very talented author. His
words leap from the pages as vivid as a beautiful painting on a canvas. I loved
Light of the Moon and sped through his novellas The Witch's Curse and The
Warrior's Code. In Shades of the Stars you will find both The Witch's Curse and
The Warrior's Code. Both give you a closer look at characters found in Light of
the Moon. The Witch's Curse features Magda the witch and the love she gives up
to face the curse of her family. In The Warrior's Code we meet Zack and get a
closer look at Kate as they learn to become Warriors of the Order. The final
character we get a look at is Lily in The Enchanter's Fire. I loved this one as
well. Lily felt a little out of control with her element, which is fire. And
had a burned heart from a guy. She wasn't willing to let anyone in because of
it. But when Shane comes a lot with his cold element, will she let him in? In
this book we also get a look at what happens when all H E Double Hockey
Sticks breaks loose at the end of Light of The Moon.
I loved that David James wrote these stories to give us a closer look at
a few characters that play parts in the bigger books. Also we get a sneak peak
at Shadow of the Sun. In addition to that David provides some essays that
explain the order and other parts of Light of the Moon.
Every author has some scenes that they delete and yep, you get to see
some from Light Of the Moon.
Shades of the Stars was beautifully put together. Helen Boswell, Author
of Mythology, also interviews David and that is included in this book. So all
that you want to know about the world he has created in Light of the Moon is
found in Shades of the Stars. I recommend getting it after reading Light of the
Moon and get yourself ready for Shadow of the Sun!
Interview With the
Author
Hi David, thanks for joining me today to
discuss your new book Shades of the
Stars.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
Maggie
Stiefvater, Holly
Black, and Libba
Bray have all influenced me the
most. All three women are incredibly talented writers. Stiefvater is lyrical,
Black is gritty, Bray is real. I love that, and I’ve learned a lot from reading
their books.
What age group do you recommend your book for?
Ages 12+. There is some smooching, after
all.
What sparked the idea for this book? Shades of the
Stars is an anthology that is part
of the Legend of the Dreamer series. The first book in the series, Light of the Moon, has so much magic in
it that I had to expand upon the world and create a few short stories!
Which comes first? The character's story or
the idea for the novel? Both, I think.
For me, the characters come first and then the story, but I also tend to change
both as I write. Perhaps the story will change, or maybe the character, but
I’ve found that both are pretty connected.
What was the hardest part to write in this
book? The essays. Because this is an
anthology, I wanted to include essays about the world. And because the world in
Light of the Moon is so magical and
so vast, it was difficult to write about it in such detail.
How to you hope this book affects its
readers? I hope readers will love these
new characters as much as I do, and I hope that they see each story as a piece
of magic.
What is your writing routine? Usually, I wake up in the morning and run for the coffee. I’ll
answer emails and respond to anything I need to. And then I’ll either read for
a while or write. Lately, I’ve found that if I read before writing, I am more
focused.
How did you get your book published? For this first series, I decided to self publish. I had gained a
lot of positive responses the traditional way, but nothing stuck the way I
wanted it to so I decided to do my own thing.
What advice do you have for someone who
would like to become a published writer? Try. We
all have stories to tell, the key is being focused enough to tell them. Write
every day and read even more. Don’t give up, because if you do you’ll never
succeed.
Great advice, David. What do you like to do
when you're not writing? I read a lot.
Like, a lot. For me, reading fuels everything I do, so that’s what I do the
most. I also really love movies and spending time with the people I care about.
What does your family think of your
writing? They are all very supportive! I
couldn’t have asked for a better family if I wanted to.
Please tell us a bit about your childhood. My childhood was spent wishing I was a Power Ranger. I was
surrounded by books and learning, so my imagination was always running wild.
Actually, I still wish I was a Power Ranger.
Did you enjoy school? Very much so. I had great teachers and wonderful parents. Learning
was always fun for me because I was presented with a lot of books to help.
Reading, I think, is one of the key ways to gain interest in education.
When did you first realize you wanted to be
a writer? I always was a writer, but it
wasn’t until college that I knew I wanted to be an author. I loved telling
stories and getting lost in books, and when I finally put words to paper, I
couldn’t get enough.
Do you hear from your readers much? What
kinds of things do they say? I do. Because
I focus a lot on diversity and equality in my writing, I get a lot of messages
about readers’ own personal stories. I love hearing about ways they want the
world to change. Readers have the best thoughts, and I’m so lucky I get to hear
from mine. Send me messages, readers! I love it.
What can we look forward to from you in the
future? The sequel to Light of the Moon, Shadow of the Sun, will be out soon. After that, I have a few
projects I’m almost finished with. Nothing New Adult, more Young Adult, but I
have a few contemporary stories I’m working on. Still, I think I’ll always have
a soft spot for fantasy.
Thanks so much for talking to me today, David.
Have fun on the rest of your tour.
About the Author
David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the
author of the young adult novel, Light of the Moon, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the
companion novellas, The Witch's Curse and The Warrior's Code. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, Shades of the Stars, has just been released (July 2013) and includes
the exclusive novella, The Enchanter's
Fire. The final book in the duet, Shadow
of the Sun, will be released in late 2013. Living in Michigan, David is
addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies,
goofy moments, and shivery nights. Be sure to visit David's blog and Facebook page to learn more about his various addictions
and novels.
Links
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