Howdy!

Today I’m very pleased to have Rachael Ritchey over to answer some questions about her new release, Captive Hope. This is the second book in her Chronicles of the Twelve Realms series. I’ve read the first in the series, The Beauty Thief, and I’m interested to see more of this series. Make sure you read to the end to get the chance to enter a cool giveaway! On to the interview!

Howdy, Rachael, and welcome to the blog! Since I’ve never officially had you over, why don’t you give us one fun fact about yourself?

I’ve stopped in so often I feel at home here. Thanks for inviting me over for an official visit. A fun fact, you say? I cannot whistle out. Let me clarify. I can whistle in, but if I do it too much I come pretty close to passing out, since it’s akin to hyperventilating. How fun is that!

Haha! I can whistle for about five seconds before it just becomes this high-pitched noise. You’ve said before that you wrote The Beauty Thief in order to teach your girls that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. What kind of message are you hoping to convey with Captive Hope?

I think that’s the gist of it, although I don’t want to discount outer beauty! I do think inner beauty tends to reflect on the outside and enhances outer beauty. If I’m ugly inside it definitely detracts from how I appear to others. But Captive Hope is a story about redeeming love and learning to be courageous in the face of the unknown. We cannot know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. There’s so much hope in that knowledge!

That’s probably the best thing we can ever know. 🙂 Was there a part in Captive Hope that was harder to write than others?

Yes, but I’m afraid it will be a bit of a spoiler. I’ll just say that there came a point where I had planned to write something that I just didn’t want to write. It hurt, and it became increasingly difficult to write as I approached that section of the story. Sadly, there were no outs for this plot point. 😦

Uh oh. Should I be nervous to read that part? 🙂 Which one of your characters would you want to spend the day with?

I have to pick one? Um, this might seem odd, but I want to hang out with a bit of a villain named Argozion. You’ll meet the seer later in the story, but this is one character I just need to follow around for a day to really get inside her head. Besides, the mystery she brings is a nice touch. She’s so bad she’s good.

Love the name! She sounds fascinating. As the series continues, what can we expect to see?

Oh! Fun question. My son wants dragons, but that will have to wait for a different story series. Chronicles of the Twelve Realms is magical realism, so I don’t plan on adding in fantastical creatures, but there will be intrigue, magic, treason, love, war, strife. Maybe that’s too vague. Everything is moving toward war with a neighboring nation, but so much is going to happen before then.

Sounds like we’re in for some great stories! Now for some fun questions! Who is one author you would like to meet?

Duh. Claire Banschbach! I want to pick your brain, my dear hostess. I really need to meet you some day!

Wow. I’m seriously blushing right now. I’d love to meet you too!! I think we’d get along splendidly. Name one book who’s ending you would change.

I’m scratching my head as I try to think of an answer. I know there is at least one, but I can’t think what it is. Of course, if I don’t like a book I tend to wipe it from my mind. Don’t want to waste any head space, you know. If I remember correctly I hated the ending of the Hunger Games trilogy, but I can’t even remember how it ended, so . . . meh.

Hunger Games seems to be a common answer. I know I wasn’t too charmed with the ending. You are stuck in a magic elevator with only three buttons. Floor 1 takes you to a planet of cats, Floor 2 has just a bag of shiny dust and a note that says “second star to the right, and straight on till morning”, and Floor 3 opens to a sleeping dragon . Which do you choose?

I can’t take floor one. I’d die. I’m allergic to cats and would probably scratch my eyeballs out. Floor two is adventures and fun all day long, and floor three could be a toast fest. I’m curious to see a dragon up close, but I think I’d rather fly with fairy dust, meet some mermaids, fight a pirate or two, and dance around a fire with Tiger Lily. 🙂 Floor two for me, please!

I’d have to agree with you on picking Floor 2. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and congrats on the new release! 

About the Book! 

The Twelve Realms seems an idyllic nation, but behind locked doors there are sinister powers at work. Not even the royal family of High Castle is outside their reach, and Lady Idra has unwittingly placed herself in the crosshairs of a shrewd mercenary. Though noble by birth and lady-in-waiting to her cousin, Princess Caityn, Idra has no consideration of her own worth or value. Sir Ahmad desperately loves her, but he may be too late. He could lose her forever when a mercenary employs a devious plot to gain revenge and riches by her ruin. If an ocean stands between them, will all hope be lost? 

Amazon | Smashwords  | Barnes & Noble

 

Giveaway! 

Sign up for Rachael’s newsletter and get entered to win for the chance to win one of three awesome prizes!

Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/bhA6dz

The window for signing up will start Wednesday, January 20 and be open until Wednesday February 10th. Rachael will  announce the winners on her blog on February 11th and email the winners directly. 

About the Author

Rachael Ritchey is the author of the Chronicles of the Twelve Realms, a YA fantasy fiction series set in a medieval era. Her passion for writing stems from her appreciation of history, since our world is built on stories, true and imagined. Rachael writes with teens in mind, because she wants her own kids to be proud of her work and be able to share it with their friends. She’s a wife and a mom to four amazing kids. Rachael and her family live in Eastern Washington where there’s plenty of inspiration to dream up exotic worlds, both real and fantastical.

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