Interview with Amber Argyle, author of Witch Born, releasing September 5th

I'm tickled to death to tell you that Amber Argyle has a sequel to her lovely Witch Song book coming out today!  She is a good friend of mine, not to mention an exceptional writer. See my interview with Amber below. 

You can read my review of Witch Song here.

To purchase Witch Born today, click here. 

Christy:  How did writing a sequel differ from writing the first book in your series?

Amber:  Holy crap it was hard. I've written 8 books, but most were the first in a series, so a continuation was fairly new territory for me. Plus there's all this pressure for the second book to be better than the first book. The first book was out, so I couldn't change anything to make things fit. I had to figure out how to work with what I already had. I think I nailed it though.  

Christy:  You had such vivid cultures, lyrical songs, and even some great foods in Witch Song. Will readers be treated to such goodies in Witch Born?

Amber:  Yup. I wrote some scenes in just for you, Christy. :) I imagined something I really wanted to eat so you could write me a recipe (I'm super sneaky that way). I'm salivating just thinking about it. Here's a taste for you:

~

Mistin pointed out the best of the greens—one mixed with a dried sour-sweet berry, candied nuts, and a sunset pink dressing that tasted of onions and wine vinegar. Mistin piled their plates high with some kind of meat drenched in a sticky sauce with more dried berries and nuts.

Senna glanced at the numerous faces around the room. She caught snatches of conversations, everything from intercity trade to orders for weapons, while they ate food Senna had come to consider Witch staples—greens and herbs, berries and nuts, growing things that were easy for Witch song to create.

But where Haven’s fish usually was, there was some kind of meat. She bit into it—sweet and sour, like the salad. Why did every nation besides Nefalie think meat needed to be sweetened? “What is this, anyway?”

“Lamb with dried bitterberries,” Mistin whispered.

As the warm savor and sweetness filled her, she had to admit she was starting to get used to it. Like it, even. “Joshen would have loved this meal.”

~

Wait? What happened to Joshen? I'll leave you with that line as an ending. Mean aren't I???

Christy:  That's awesome!  Thanks for writing some food in for me. :)
Is Brusenna based at all on your own strengths and/or weaknesses?

Amber:  I wrote some things in the book in hopes of helping young girls going through what I went through. I was bullied and struggled with self esteem issues (both of which plague Brusenna). I wanted girls to find someone they could relate to. Someone they could see strand tall and learn to fight for herself, to believe in herself, to love herself. 

Christy:  What do you eat while you are reading/writing?

Amber:  I usually have to have a chocolate break in the middle of my writing, though I'm trying to be more healthy and grab a piece of fruit. Though sometimes a spoonful of nutella is just too tempting. 

Christy:  Is there a Witch Song 3? Are you working on other projects that you can share with us?

Amber:  I'm writing a short prequel, Witch War, that involves a minor character present in both books. I've already started it and it's awesome!

Also, I have a book ready for my editor to start on it. It's called Winter Queen. It's my most powerful work to date. You can learn more about both here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4629065.Amber_Argyle