Zoe Marriott-- Interview & Giveaway
My Reviews of Zoe's Books:
Connect with Zoe:
Hi, Zoe! Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed! Since this is the birthday bash, let's start off with a birthday themed question. What was your favorite birthday present you have ever received? Several years ago my mother got me a gold cross pendant made out of seed pearls. Even though it's actually new, it was made with traditional techniques and to a traditional design, and it looks like an antique - like something Queen Elizabeth the first might have worn, or Jane Austen, or even one of my own heroines. I love it!
I'm jealous! That necklace sounds BEAUTIFUL. I'm totally jealous. So if you could spend your birthday in any place (real or fictional) where would it be?
If I was going for a real place, it would DEFINITELY be Japan. It's my life's ambition to be able to visit Japan at least once before I die. I'd probably avoid the cities for the most part, and just explore the beautiful countryside - hike up mountains, search for kami in the words, pay my respects in a Shinto temple. I'd stay in a little family run ryokan with hot springs, and lounge around in a yukata and eat sashimi. Ah, bliss.
If I was going for a fictional place, it would probably be Narnia. Tea and toast with Mr Tumnus? A fish supper and marmalade roll at the Beaver's place? A stroll along the battlements of Cair Paravel? Yes, please.
You could live Shadows on the Moon for real! I'm personally scared of Narnia. Total coward. If you could change nature's color palette, would you? What would you change? (ie. blue trees, purple grass?)
Nope. I love nature the way it is. Whenever I head into the woods or the tall grasses or to the beach and see a million shades of green and blue green and yellow green and silvery grey green, or copper and red and gold and bronze, or blue and purple and white and yellow, I feel this amazing sense of peace and happiness. Nature's palette already provides everything the human eye could ever want. It's a matter of training your eye to actually appreciate it.
I'd love to say something very elegant like a red rose, but in actual fact I see myself more as a cheerful daffodil, making people smile. Or maybe a pink sweetpea - that's my birth flower - which people don't really look at, but which always makes them stop and say 'Oh, what's that lovely scent?'
Sweatpea is one of my favorite scents! I'd probably be a pansy, which is also an overlooked flower (IMHO). Let's change gears a little: which is harder, writing a novel, or writing consistent blog posts?
Novel, hands down. Blog posts come from the front of my brain, from who I am in day to day life. Whatever is going on in my life ends up on the blog and people seem to like that. All I have to do is be honest and be myself. It's an hour or two hours three times a week. The work I put into a novel comes from a much deeper place inside me, a place where I dredge up all the most powerful and essential elements of who I am. When I'm writing a novel I'm putting in eight to twelve hours of work on it six days a week, but more than that, it consumes every spare bit of emotional and brain capacity I have. It's not about my day to day life - it's about creating someone else's life, dark and terrifying and beautiful and transcendent, on the page.
Good answer! I love your blog posts, so the front of your brain must be a very pleasant place.
Would you say that Shadows on the Moon is more like The Swan Kingdom or Daughter of the Flames?
Hmmm. I suppose it's technically more like The Swan Kingdom, since they're both fairytale retellings - and they both feature heroines who need to learn to understand and control their magical gifts. They don't have much in common other than that, though!
I can attest to that! But that's awesome. I love how different all your books are, while all still being wonderful. And one of the best parts in your books is your leading men. If you could date/marry any of your novel’s love-interests, who would it be?
One that you haven't met yet! I'd chose Arian from FrostFire, which is the companion novel to Daughter of the Flames and which I've just finished writing. But that's probably typical - authors always love the book they've just finished the most, and feel closest to the characters they've only just parted with.
For all of the interviews this year I'll be doing mad-libs with the authors. I took random paragraphs from their books and asked them to fill in words mad-lib style. Credit for this idea goes to Everead. Apparently, however, mad-libs are an American thing. I had to explain what it was to Zoe, but the result was worth it! Check it out:
She brought the moppet to me, loaded with a full bowl and several slablike slices of cobweb, sprightly buttered. The delicious gelatinous aroma wafted up to my sticking plaster* and sent a demanding growl echoing from my nostril. It was all I could do not to seize the cobweb from her hands. Instead I waited for her to place it on my summerhouse before bellyflopping on it ravenously.*sticking plaster is the British equivalent of a band-aid
Thanks, Zoe! This was so fun. I'm glad you got to be the first author featured during the bash. And now it's...
GIVEAWAY TIME!
I'm happy to say that today's contest is hosted by fellow Zoe Marriot-enthusiast, Ashley @ Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing! This giveaway is international! You can win your choice of ANY of Zoe's books! But you've got to go to her blog to enter.
All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2011
I'm so glad that we persevered with the mab-lib thing! It's hilarious! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI love authors. They use words like "persevered" in normal conversation.
ReplyDeleteJapan...WOW! Give me a nice quite cottage someplace and I would be in heaven!
ReplyDeletemmafsmith at gmail dot com
Great interview:) I haven't read any of her books yet (I know, my bad) but now I'm planning on it!
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview! I haven't been able to get my hands on any of Zoe's books yet, but they've been on my TBR for a while, and I'm so excited to read them. Thanks for setting this up, Enna Isilee. What a great interview to start with. And thanks for agreeing to the interview, Zoe Marriott. You made my morning.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Zoe Marriott yet, but since both you and Ashley seem to LOVE her, then I MUST remedy that! She seems awesome too!
ReplyDeleteI plan to use the word "sprightly" in a sentence today!
ReplyDeletegreat interview really wanna try some of her books out now
ReplyDeleteI love a good fairy tale retelling! What an awesome interview and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview and I am really excited about Shadows!
ReplyDeleteNC
Truly Bookish
I haven't read any of these books, but now they're all on my wishlist! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading Daughter of the Flames and LOVING it. Seriously good writing. Can't wait to delve into more, especially after reading this interview!
ReplyDeleteZoe's a "new" author me. I have placed all her books on my wishlist. I just love discovering "new" authors.
ReplyDelete(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/
I am looking forward to Shadows on the Moon very much indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe mad-lib thing was fun! I'm excited for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Zoe's work! Great interview. Can't wait for Shadows.
ReplyDeleteI read all of it. :D Love Zoe, though admittedly I haven't gotten around to eithe Daughters OR Shadows, both which I now own.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're always recommending her books. :( Oh well.
Loved those answers, and it all sounded so natural hehe. Great start to the bash! I'm glad it was international, it's only right that there's at least one, ay.
Mad-libs is a US thing? Wow, you really do learn something new every day!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview.I like discovering new authors.
ReplyDeleteWow, these all sound like terrific books. Japan is such an interesting place. It would be neat to spend a birthday there. :)
ReplyDeleteLisa ~ YA Literature Lover
.great giveaway
ReplyDeletefollow via gfc
drakebdog@gmail.com
sounds like an author I must check out!
I had a friend who went to Japan for a few years. He's very white and tall, so he stood out pretty easily. It's one place I would love to go as well! I agree on the sweet pea - they do smell so fabulous and they are very pretty flowers. Thanks for the interview!
ReplyDeleteI loved Daughter of the Flames and loved it. I need to read the other two. Thanks for the great interview! I'd also love to visit Narnia.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any of Marriott's books. From this interview, it sounds like they are awesome! Really looking forward to reading them! Thanks for the interview!
ReplyDeleteThese books sound great! I have no idea which to pick ;)
ReplyDeleteShe sounds great! I read one of her books ages ago and loved it. I always have loved retellings. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! I love the whole mad-lib idea. I found out about Shadows on the Moon through a giveaway I once entered which required me to use the book cover as my profile pic for a long time. That's what first sparked my interest in the book. I still haven't managed to read it, though, but I certainly plan on. By the way, I agree with Zoe- who wouldn't want to visit Narnia?
ReplyDeleteSarah
Japan's my number one choice, too, though it's in a VERY CLOSE race with Ireland.
ReplyDelete;D
I would TOTALLY live in Narnia! But only after Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy came into power. I'd live there in the kingdom, make friends, and pop back into Earth when it was my time to go.
ReplyDeleteAlso the madlib was awesome! Madlibs wre the cool things to do when I was younger, but I still love them.
I used to live in Japan, but I was two at the time -_- so it's terrible i can't remember anything about it. I would totally love with visit Narnia :D :D :D Great Interview!!
ReplyDeleteI really need to read The Swan Kingdom, because I LOVE The Six Swans/The Wild Swans retellings! Love it!
ReplyDeleteNice interview ladies :)
Sweetpea definitely smell gorgeous! Good answer =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome post and giveaway! This is a new to me author and I really enjoyed reading about her. Definitely added her books to my wishlist! Happy Birthday!!!!
ReplyDelete