Author Interview: Leah Cypess

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

Deathsworn (Deathsworn, #1) is coming out soon. How does it feel?  What's your favorite part of the process been so far?

It feels thrilling! Even though it's the third book I've published, there's still that same excitement of knowing this story I made up and these words I wrote are going to be in a real physical book. If anything, it's more exciting this time around, because I've learned to
let some of the anxieties go.

My favorite part is the writing -- both first-drafting, when I can see the story taking shape, and revision, where I can see it getting a million times better under the guidance of my amazing editor.

What's your best advice for someone that wants to be a writer?

Write, read, and hire a good therapist. ;) Okay, kidding about the third. But really, in the end, it's all about the writing -- writing one thing, and then another, and then another, finding your voice and
improving your craft. And though I haven't done this in the past, I would also recommend a writing book - The 10% Solution by Ken Rand.  It's a really hands-on effective book about how to tighten your writing. I read it about a year ago and am both (a) glad that I read it before Death Sworn was finished, and (b) chagrined that I hadn't read it before I wrote my first two books!

Name three things you loved about writing Deathsworn?

(1) I loved writing a protagonist who is mostly powerless -- it was such a different challenge from writing Mistwood and Nightspell, where the main characters were fierce and frightening.

(2) I loved setting the book in a series of underground caves - the research was awesome and getting the descriptions right felt fabulous.

(3) I loved writing the relationship between Ileni and Sorin.

What's in your reading pile right now? Any recommendations or ones we should steer clear of?

I just finished These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, and I *definitely* recommend it - it kind of blew me away, actually.  Next on my pile is Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer. I haven't started it yet, but I know my fellow Greenwillow author Rae Carson loved it, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Do you enjoy being a writer?  Over being a lawyer?

Ha! A million times yes. The thing was, I was always a writer, and being a lawyer was something I thought I could do to make a living while keeping writing as my real vocation. The fact that I now get to make money (I wouldn't call it a living...) from writing is still astonishing to me.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?  And if you could only bring three things with you, what would they be and why?

Well, I'm hoping my next trip will be to Israel - and that I'll bring my three kids with me. ;)

About the Author:

 

 

I wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).

 

After selling my first story (Temple of Stone) while in high school, I gave in to my mother’s importuning to be practical and majored in biology at  Brooklyn College. I then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, a large law firm in New York City. I kept writing and submitting in my spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after my first short story acceptance, I sold my first novel to Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins).

I live in Brookline, Massachusetts (right outside of Boston) with my husband Aaron, a researcher and doctor at the Joslin Diabetes Center, and our three children.

 

Author's Website

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Countdown: March 2014

It's almost here...March is one of my favorite months in the whole year because of just one day!  On this very special day (you know which one I'm referring to) everyone comes out and shows their Irish pride.  Whether they're Irish or not, they are on this day, and somehow we all manage to have a great time.  On top of all the fun and festivities that come with this month, there are also quite a few new releases that are scheduled to hit the shelves and I can't wait to check them out for myself.  Here's a few I'm looking forward to reading, are there any you've come across that I missed on my list?

Countdown Pick #1:  Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam (03/18/2014)

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

 

I love when I come across a dystopian style book that has a plot that immediately sounds eerily believable.  With the way our technology grows and thrives each and every day, I can without a doubt seeing something like this scenario coming to fruition.  Its got the makings of a potential love triangle, enough action packed ideas to have me reading late into the night and the general idea of it all is so new and unique from what's out on the shelves right now, that I can't help but add it to my countdown list.

 

Countdown Pick #2:  Deathsworn (Deathsworn, #1) by Leah Cypess (03/04/2014)

 

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

As a fan of Cypess' work in the past I'm curious to see what she'll bring to the table this time around.  I'll admit that I enjoyed her first series much better than her standalone title, so I'm hopeful that this series will follow suit.

 

Countdown Pick #3:  Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel (03/2014)

 

Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.

Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.

But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.

DAUGHTER OF CHAOS is the first in a YA paranormal trilogy.

 

Its been so long since I've picked up a book where witches have gotten center stage, that I'm ready for a change of pace, and I think this March release is just what I'm looking for, don't you?  We still don't have an exact date to look forward to, but I'll be on the lookout and when I know, you'll know!

 

Countdown Pick #4:  Hexed (The Witch Hunter, #1) by Michelle Krys (03/2014)

 

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

 

Half of me was laughing while I read this synopsis and the other half of me must admit that my curiosity was piqued.  With no cover image for this title yet, I'm left with only my imagination, but as soon as I can find a cover attached to this future release, I'll be sure to share.

 

Countdown Pick #5:  Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy (03/18/2014)

 

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

I've read enough books and seen enough movies now where someone is given an end date for whatever reason, and the lists are compiled of things they want to accomplish or do before that date arrives.  This is a first though, where I've seen the main character's situation reversed and find themselves facing good news, but news that now comes with consequences due to their actions after receiving that end date and having it taken back.

Review: Nightspell (Mistwood, #2) by Leah Cypess

Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri's sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

In a court seething with the desire for vengeance, Darri holds the key to the balance between life and death. Can her warrior heart withstand the most wrenching choice of all?

After enjoying Mistwood and Isabel and Rokan's story so much, I found myself easily anticipating the release of Nightspell. While I understood this was merely a companion novel and not attached to Mistwood as a continuation or sequel, I must admit that I was slightly dissapointed.

Darri just didn't match up to Cypess' previous heroine in my opinion. I found myself encouraging her, giving her multiple chances to live up to my expectations, but she seemed to fall somewhat short. Ghostland was unique and intriguing, but sinec the main character and narrator hated it so much, I found it hard to be overly enchanted with it myself.

Cypess does know how to weave together moral dilemas without a doubt. She kept me questioning who were the "bad" guys really? And readers are constantly put in situations where they must decide what is right and wrong? Who gets to make those distinctions and who decides who must pay for the consequences of the actions taken?

Cypess had my thoughts and emotions tangled from start to finish and while I may have enjoyed Mistwood more, Nightspell was still an entertaining and worthwhile read.

I gave Nightspell (Mistwood, #2) 3 shamrocks!!!

Countdown: Fantasy Edition

The genre of fantasy has always been one of my favorites. Whether we're talking fairies, or fairy tales, I love it all. While paranormal fiction is it's own genre now, I still lump the vampires, werewolves, etc... into fantasy, at least where my tastes are concerned. So with there being so many amazing fantasy titles coming out in the near future, I thought I would share a few that I'm anxiously counting down until their release dates!

Countdown #1: Warped by Maurissa Guibord (1/11/2011)

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

Stories of unicorns are few and far between. While I'm not completely positive they're features in the upcoming release, I'm hoping and thinking there's a good chance. It sounds to me like Tessa is going to have her work cut out for her with magic tapestries coming to life, the fates intervening and handsome nobleman crossing her path in this tale. I'm crossing my fingers that Guibord produces a book that will give me a really good fantasy genre fix and maybe a possible series in the making?

Countdown #2: Across the Universe by Beth Revis (1/11/2011)

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. 

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. 

While this book doesn't feature fantastical/mythical creatures, it features futuristic space age (think Star Trek) scenarios, which in my mind fits the fantasy mold. Characters are cryogenically frozen, control is in a dictator/big brother sort and conspiracies run amok. There is a possible romance in the background, but I don't think it's going to be the focus of Revis' work. Time is an issue and when you're dealing with future situations and worlds, anything is possible. I'm curious to see how far Revis will push the envelope? At the risk of sounding like an idiot...to infinity and beyond!

Countdown #3: Nightspell (Mistwood, #2) by Leah Cypess (5/31/2011)

Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri’s sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister... if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

In a court seething with the desire for vengeance, Darri holds the key to the balance between life and death. Can her warrior heart withstand the most wrenching choice of all?

Who didn't love Mistwood? While this is a part of the Mistwood series, it is a stand alone companion novel. I found Mistwood to be very unique and can only hope Cypess infuses this companion with her style and flare. The idea and sound of ghostland is both intriguing and scary. I'm worried our main character will be forced to sacrifice too much for the sake of her family. I am also holding out hope for another dash of romance much like the series opener. While it didn't consume the first book, it was a nice addition and helped me form an attachment to the characters. I'll guess I'll just have to wait and see what Cypess churns out this time.

Countdown #4: Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely, #5) by Melissa Marr (2/22/2011)

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose "everything."

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's "New York Times" bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

I'm honestly not sure I'll survive this one. The description ends with, "Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery courts, and in the final conflict, some will win... and some will lose everything." As much as I adore all the characters in this amazing series that Marr has created, I'm mainly concerned with Aislinn and Seth. I don't want them to be torn apart or to have to lose each other again. Haven't they been through enough? Marr spins such an amazing web of intrigue, romance and suspense that I'm sure I'll be amazed all over again, but I'm scared she'll go too far and crush the ideal world as well. Hopefully she can give them a happily-ever after in this final installment in the Wicked Lovely series.

Review: Mistwood (Mistwood, #1) by Leah Cypess

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court... until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart... and everything she thought she knew.

Talk about the author staying one step ahead of the reader until the very end! Leah Cypess is a mastermind in my opinion, she had me guessing until the very end. As her YA debut novel, Mistwood is sure to make an impression on readers everywhere.

This was a story of mystery, intrigue, romance and danger and although Cypess presents readers with clues and puzzle pieces throughout her tale, I didn't stand a chance at putting it all together until she was good and ready to tell me. I will say that at times I loved that I was no closer to solving the mystery that is at the center of Mistwood, but it also frustrated me to no end.

Her writing style and character development have set the stage for what I'm sure will be a fabulous future of upcoming releases from Cypess. The main characters in Mistwood were incredibly unique and fresh and my only complaint where they are concerned is that I would have liked to have been able to get to know them even better. Will there be a sequel? I think there's room for one and would definitely enjoy reading more about Isabel and the whole royal family.

The ending left me torn. On one hand the surprises blew me away, but on the other hand I did feel like it was all wrapped up very quickly. And after having a mystery like this one last throughout the entire book, I thought it was strange the the conclusion really only took up a few pages. I'm hoping Cypess just didn't want to drag out an ending that wasn't meant to be the final glimpse we get, if there's a sequel in the works than I'm slightly happier and more understanding as to why the ending wasn't stretched out with more detail.
With the paranormal genre being so popular at the moment and the repeated characters like vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc...being in just about everything it was a nice change of pace to see a completely new type of character. Isabel is completely unique and I for one do not want this to be the first and only time we see the shifter, more of the likes of Mistwood would be completely welcome!

I gave Mistwood (Mistwood, #1) 3 shamrocks!!!

Quote of the Week (4)

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library."

--Jorge Luis Borges

I'm with Borges on this one....I went home to visit the family this weekend for the holiday and couldn't resist making not one but two trips to their local B&N because I apparently didn't get my fill the first trip.  Their B&N is not quite as big as the one by me, but I'm always interested in the book displays and which books the workers are recommending at the time.  I added a few to my collection but am still wishing the countdown would move a little faster for some of the books I'm waiting for.  Here are two that are coming out soon, but of course never soon enough!

The Fire Opal by Regina McBride which comes out May 11, 2010.

There was a time when Maeve O'Tullagh led a simple life; a time when she and her mother, Nuala, collected kelp on the foreshore near their cottage in Ard Macha; a time when she played among the Celtic ruins with her older brothers and daydreamed about the legendary Holy Isles, an enchanted land ruled in a past age by a beautiful goddess.
But after Maeve's sister, Ishleen, is born, her mother sinks into a deep, impenetrable trance. For years, Maeve tries to help her mother "awaken," and then the unthinkable happens: Ishleen succumbs to the same mysterious ailment as Nuala.
Heartbroken to think that her sister and her mother might be lost to her forever, Maeve sets off on an unimaginable quest to a world filled with fantastical creatures, a web of secrets, a handsome, devious villain who will stop at nothing to have her hand in marriage—braving them all to retrieve a powerful glowing stone that will help her recover the souls of her loved ones and bring them home to Ard Macha.

And let's not forget Mistwood by Leah Cypess  which comes out April 27, 2010.

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

And in keeping with the countdown theme of my normal Monday rants, there is a contest going on as we speak for anyone who is interested and also counting down to the May 18, 2010 release of Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia.  Michelle over at Windowpane Memoirs is hosting a contest with awesome swag related to the book and the upcoming release.  I entered, don't you want to?

Let me know what books you're wishing had already been released, I could always use a few more entries in my already overrun list of TBR.

Happy Reading!