Riot of Storm and Smoke by Jennifer Ellision (Blog Tour Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway)


Welcome to my tour stop for Riot of Storm and Smoke by Jennifer Ellision! I loved the first book in this series, Threats of Sky and Sea and have been highly anticipating this sequel that I'll be reviewing soon. You can check at all the info about the book and author, read an excerpt, check out my interview with the author, and enter the giveaway below...

Riot of Storm and Smoke (Threats of Sky and Sea, #2)Riot of Storm and Smoke
(Threats of Sky and Sea #2)
by Jennifer Ellision
YA Fantasy
Ebook, 239 Pages
August 18th 2015

Summary

War draws closer, like a tide to the shore.

Bree and her friends have escaped the clutches of the Egrian King, but their troubles are far from over. Still reeling from the secrets that drew new breath when her father took his last, Bree sets off for the safety of Nereidium-- the kingdom she's just learned is hers.

But with the King's ire at its peak and war a certainty, Nereidium is no longer safe. As Prince Caden rallies the Egrian people against his tyrant father, Bree, Princess Aleta, and Tregle race to the Nereid shore to warn them of the incoming danger—and to put the Nereid Princess on the throne.

The only trouble there: Bree can’t bring herself to reveal that the Princess is her.

It’s not a dilemma she can waste time pondering. With a new weapon in his arsenal, the King's strikes are sure to be bolder than ever before. And Bree may not be ready to wear a crown… but she won't let her kingdom down without a fight.

     

Interview

Id like to welcome author Jennifer Ellision to my blog today! Jennifer, I loved your debut novel and the first book in this series, Threats of Sky and Sea. Theres a copy happily sitting on my shelf. 

Thank you so, so much! It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed Threats. ^_^

1. Were the challenges different in writing a second book, and the second in a series, versus when you wrote Threats of Sky and Sea?

Yes! Writing a sequel was harder than I anticipated. I never intended Threats to be a series; originally, I intended to wrap Brees story up in one book. Then, I realized with how the story arc was shaping up, it had to be three books.

There was also the fact that I had to try to shut down those voices in my head. The ones that said things like Sure, a lot of readers liked Threats, but whos to say you can write another book that theyll enjoy? Happily, with the help of my beta readers and critique partners, I was able to shut those voices up for long enough stretches to get the book written and Im very pleased with the result.

I'm so glad that they helped, since I'm happy for a second book. :)

2. What did you like about focusing on another country, Nereidium, as the setting for this sequel?

Well, we havent quite made it to Nereidium yet! For the majority of Riot of Storm and Smoke, the characters are traversing the realm of Egria, trying to get to Nereidium. I did enjoy a great deal about that though. It allowed me to build upon the world I started writing in Threats and go a little deeper. Well see Nereidium in Book 3, Fall of Thrones and Thorns.

Obviously since I haven't read it yet, it was an assumption, but I'm happy to get to learn about two new places in books two and three.

3. What is your favorite new character introduced in Riot of Storm and Smoke and why?

Oh, I have quite a few new favorites! But I think my very favorite new character is Lady Lilia of Masonstone. Aside from the fact that shes a warrior and a BA, I love her relationship with her sisters and some of the things she says to Caden. I love her conviction and her attitude. Shes so much fun to write.

I'm looking forward to formerly meeting her! (And I love Caden! - Just had to plug that in there.)

4. Im expecting that Bree will develop herself and her powers a lot more in this book now that she knows who she is. What is your favorite part of who Bree is becoming?

Bree was certainly thrown for a loop in Threats of Sky and Sea when she finds out things about herself that she never knew! I think my favorite part of who Bree is becoming, especially in Riot, is her acceptance of herself and the struggle for that.

I could definitely see that coming and I think the best characters are the ones who we get to see struggle because it makes them more real and always us, as readers, to connect with them.

5. Ive loved the covers for both of these books! Have they turned out how you envisioned they would and was there anything that you loved about the cover process?

Thank you! Theyve turned out better than I envisioned! My cover designer, Nathalia Sullen, truly is an artist! My favorite parts of the process are helping to select the stock photo that the rest of the cover is built around and then seeing the design that Nathalia comes up with! She never fails to wow me.

She does do a fabulous job!

6. Whats been your favorite thing about becoming an author so far?

Definitely reader response! Theres nothing that makes me grin quite as much as when I get an e-mail or tweet from a reader letting me know that theyve read and enjoyed my work. ^_^

Glad to know! ;)

7. What are you looking forward to reading this year?

Oh, SO many books! For new additions to favorite series, Im really looking forward to Winter by Marissa Meyer and Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. For new series, I can hardly wait until I have time to read Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. And for rereads of old favorites, I plan on a reread of Tamora Pierces The Immortals series when the box set releases.

Those are all on my list and I can't wait as well!

8. Can you share a teaser for book three, Fall of Thrones and Thorns, which will be released next year?

Unfortunately, I dont have anything for Fall ready yet, but Im happy to give you a teaser for my next book, which will be out later this year! Its something totally new for me. Titled Now and Again, its a contemporary NA romance, where the main character, Em, returns home and winds up not only helping her best friend plan a wedding, but confronting her own past.

Heres the first 200 words (unedited and highly subject to change):

Someone smacks me in the face with a hot, wet towel as I walk out the doors of Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
No, wait; that's just the unbelievable Florida humidity.
God, I miss San Francisco already. Had I really spent seven hours crossing the country in an overrated tin can to get here, suffering through a chatty seat mate and a screaming baby on board? And for what? Free room and board at Moms?
I spy a nickel laying on the ground, face down and nonchalantly toe it until it flips to face up. Grinning, I palm the dirty coin, reaching into my purse for my wallet. My sad, very empty wallet. I drop the nickel into the coin pocket alongside a wadded up receipt.
And my bank account isnt any better.
So, yeah. Im here for free room and board at Moms. And Im just as unemployed here as Id been in California.
An obnoxious honking interrupts what promised to be a really stellar pity party.
"Em! EM!" My best friend hangs out of her fiancé's car, waving wildly, corkscrew curls gyrating in the warm breeze.
Im not ready for this.

This is quite an unexpected surprise and I'll definitely be adding it to my reading list, so thanks for sharing!

Thanks so much for stopping by and answering all my questions, Jennifer!

Thank you for having me!!! ^^

Excerpt

We leave the body in the tunnel, and I try not to imagine my father lying there, alone and rotting away.
My hands skim the rough stone walls of the tunnel, and I dodge worried glances from Aleta and Tregle, flinching away from the flickering flames in their hands. Both of them Fire Torchers, they light our way through dust and dirt. I don't go too near them. I can'tnot right now. The memory of fire consuming the room around me while trapped inside with a madwoman who wanted me dead is too fresh.
The air is thick as we descend beneath the castle. We're quiet, partly to avoid detection by the guards, who are surely still tearing the halls apart in their quest to find us. Our footsteps echo softly in the dark, scritch-scratching along the smooth stone ground. I'm silent for a different reason: I don't trust that when my mouth opens, a sob won't escape. Dragging myself away from Daleaving him behind like yesterday's trash, the knife wound in his chest caked with dried bloodit's the most difficult thing I've ever done. My eyes sting with the salt left behind by tears, but I force my mouth to settle into an emotionless line.
Da's not all I left behind. Two sets of gray eyes haunt my thoughts.
Prince Caden came back for us after the initial search died down, arms laden with clothes, sacks of food, a bit of coin, and jewels for trade. My eyes met his for the scantest of seconds before I had to look away.
Come with us, a distant part of me implored. My hand was still warm from the knife he'd pressed into it when we took shelter in the hidden tunnel.
Stay away from me, the other part of methe louder partsnarled. My first instinct about Caden when I'd met him in a jail cell had been right. His sort courts trouble, whether or not they mean to.
Maybe Caden saw some of that tumult in me because his voice was soft when he spoke. "Look for The Soused Turkey pub," he instructed. I kept my eyes locked on a shadow that Aleta's flames sent dancing against the wall. "It's a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, but the barkeep there's a good man. Clift. Tell him" He hesitated. "Tell him Rick sent you."
Rick? He wants us to use his alias? My eyes snapped to his. I'd thought it was a joke, told to me in those first moments in the cell with Da to pretend away his problems as the crown prince. With my eyes on his, it was like he couldn't help himself. He reached toward me until I shrank away.
The small movement was enough. His hand fell back to his side, and he left with the facsimile of a smile, wishing us well.
"Be safe, Bree."
I trudge on, the echo of his voice melding with the cacophony of flames in my memory.
The other set of gray eyes that press into me belongs to Caden's father, King Langdon of Egria. My fist clenches, nails digging into my palm. The king waits in his comfortable throne room as he sets to conquer any nations he can get his greedy hands on.
My vengeance waits with him.

About the Author


Jennifer Ellision spent a great deal of her childhood staying up past her bedtime with a book and a flashlight. When she couldn’t find the stories she wanted to read, she started writing them. She loves words, has a soft spot for fanfiction, and is a master of the fangirl flail. She resides in South Florida with her family, where she lives in fear of temperatures below 60 Fahrenheit.


Tour Schedule

August 17 - Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours - Kick Off
August 17 - YA Book Madness
August 19 - Wishful Endings with Interview
August 20 - Coffee Book Mom
August 21 - A Backwards Story with Interview
August 22 - J.R.'s Book Reviews
August 23 - Kelly Smith Reviews with Guest Post
August 26 - The Book Dragon with Interview
August 28 - The Fake Steph with Interview
August 28 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up

Tour-Wide Giveaway

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