Phoebe Pope Series by Nya Jade (Blog Tour Interview & #Giveaway)


I'm welcoming Nya Jade to my blog today to talk about her Phoebe Pope series. You
can read her interview, as well as check out the other book info and giveaway below...

The Blood of Kings
(Phoebe Pope #2)
by Nya Jade
YA Paranormal
Paperback & ebook, 374 Pages
April 2017

Summary

According to the press, Phoebe Pope and teen movie star Colten Chase are no longer an item—which is just how the happy new couple like it. And yet there’s trouble in paradise . . .

Phoebe is haunted by dreams that show her things she can’t possibly know about—including a pact between Colten and a wanted assassin. In the daylight, she struggles to keep a newly emerging power hidden, even as her hands itch to wield it.
Meanwhile, in the wake of their escape from a Vigo crèche, Phoebe and her fellow Hyphas study under lock and key at the Campus Below. As the foursome wait to see who among them will fulfill the prophecy, someone dear to Phoebe is kidnapped by a powerful Vigo determined to use her to spy on the Shaper royalty. When the Hyphas are called to the Royal Court, Phoebe refuses to heed warnings of imminent danger for she will do whatever it takes to rescue her loved one.

But once at court, nothing is as it first appears. A sinister force controls some royals, while others whisper behind closed doors about forbidden alliances. And as Phoebe draws on her courage to complete the task set by her enemy, she makes a startling discovery—one that upends her father’s memory.

With dangerous conspiracies surfacing, Phoebe must uncover what the Royal Shapers really want from her, and decide whether there’s room for Colten in her unraveling life.

(Affiliate links included - I receive a small kickback if you make a purchase using my links.)

Interview

1. What inspired you to write a story about a secret shape-shifter school and a girl with a secret power?

The idea came to me at a time when Vampires –especially Twilight —were extremely popular. I knew I didn’t want to write about Vampires because I didn’t feel like I had anything new to contribute to the mythology. But I’ve always been intrigued by shape-shifers so I followed that interest down a path that led me to the idea of a secret spy school for shape-shifting teens. I wanted a female protagonist and I wanted to give her a power she’d struggle to wield because of how it violates emotional privacy.

2. How did you come up with the idea to have a regular boarding school conceal the one below? How does that work?

Well, they say write what you know. Now, I’m not claiming to be a shape-shifting spy (that would be top secret!), but I went to boarding school in the Boston area. My high school has a beautiful castle on campus and I remember imagining it had secret passages that led some place mysterious. That memory helped me come up with the Above and Below idea for the two schools. The Above campus is a regular boarding school for humans who have no idea that some of their fellow classmates are shape-shifters who also attend a spy academy Below. The secret entrances are scattered Above and they are monitored by the spy school security to ensure that none of the humans accidentally find their way Below. The school Above exists to cloak the presence of the one Below from dangerous enemies.

3. Would you share a little more about your main character, Phoebe?

One of my favorite things about Phoebe is her love of photography. She uses it as another way to process the world and this allows her to pause from the chaos that sometimes surrounds her. I also admire how she handles her secret ability. Even though she can both read and manipulate other people’s emotions, she genuinely feels guilty doing it. She’d rather solve problems without using her power.

4. What is your favorite aspect of the story?

This is a hard question because there are many things I love! And I think “my favorite” changes everyday. If I had to pick something today it would be the origin story of the conflict between Shapers and Vigos. I had fun coming up with those details—especially choosing Pompeii as their ancestral homeland. I actually got an opportunity to visit Pompeii a few years ago and that trip grounded the origin story for me.

5. What has been your favorite thing about becoming an author?

I love creating characters. I find joy in seeing a character sketch become a three-dimensional being. At the end of the day, the relationships characters have with each other, their strengths and their weaknesses and personal conflicts help drive plot points forward. It’s fun to have all of those things evolve.

6. As you have worked in the music industry, did you have any specific songs you listened to while writing the book?

As a songwriter myself, I find it hard to write a book and listen to music at the same time. I get drawn into a song’s melody and lyrics and lose my concentration.

7. What are you working on next?

Book 3 in the series!

Thank you for featuring me and my Phoebe Pope series today.

- Nya -

Other Books in the Series

The Year of Four
(Phoebe Pope #1)
by Nya Jade
YA Paranormal
Paperback & ebook, 340 Pages
October 28th 2012

Summary

The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.

(Affiliate links included - I receive a small kickback if you make a purchase using my links.)

About the Author

Nya Jade has enjoyed a fun career as a singer-songwriter. Her music videos have aired on the Vh1, BET and MTV networks and she’s opened for some of the biggest names in music. Nya’s music has also received recognition in major publications, including USA Today and the LA Times. She took a break from writing and performing music to write The Year of Four, her first YA novel. When she isn’t writing, Nya can be found hanging out with family and friends, reading or bargain hunting for her next pair of funky shoes. Nya lives with her family in California.


Tour-Wide Giveaway


Have you read this series? What did you think of the interview?

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