I am super excited to have Anna Banks by the blog today for another Fantasy Five Friday! Welcome Anna!

Anna Banks is the author of Of Poseidon. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. You can find her on the web at her website, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

A merman prince has to convince a human girl that her gift will save his kingdom—oh, and he’s got to do it without falling for her, since she’s supposed to marry his brother and all…

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

I bet you expect me to say mermaid, huh? Nope. I’d rather be a sasquatch. Tall, dark, handsome, smelly, hairy, and mysterious. Yep. That’s the life. :)

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

Why yes, yes I do: FIRE by Kristen Cashore.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

The characters. Who they are, what they know, how they feel, what their habits, their secrets, their hopes are. Then how they’ll react to the plot twists you throw at them. From there, you build your world around them and house them firmly in the center.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

Oh Em Gee these are fabulous questions! I would say Operation, because it scares the shizzle out of you when it buzzes, and it’d be fun to act like Dr. Milligan and learn about Syrena “parts”.

Thanks for stopping by Anna!

Make sure to like the Fierce Reads facebook page. Anna Banks is going on tour with several other authors, and all the details can be found there! I will be at the stop at Anderson’s in Chicago (so if you are going LET ME KNOW!)

About Of Poseidon:

Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.

What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.

Buy Of Poseidon: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

I am very excited to have Laurisa White Reyes here by The Book Cellar for another Fantasy Five Friday :)

Laurisa White Reyes has been writing since the age of 5 when she wrote her first poem on scrap of poster board. After earning a degree in English at· California State University at Northridge, she spent thirteen years writing for various magazines and newspapers, working as a book editor, and teaching creative writing. She gave up all that six years ago to follow her lifelong dream of writing novels. Her first book, The Rock of Ivanore, will be released in May 2012. You can find her on the web at her website and blog.

Here’s a bit about the book:

The annual Great Quest is about to be announced in Quendel, a task that will determine the future of Marcus and the other boys from the village who are coming of age. The wizard Zyll commands them to find the Rock of Ivanore, but he doesn’t tell them what the Rock is exactly or where it can be found. Marcus must reach deep within himself to develop new powers of magic and find the strength to survive the wild lands and fierce enemies he encounters as he searches for the illusive Rock. If he succeeds, he will live a life of honor; if he fails, he will live a life of menial labor in shame. With more twists and turns than a labyrinth, and a story in which nothing is as it seems, this tale of deception and discovery keeps readers in suspense until the end.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

When Marcus is sent on a quest to find the illusive Rock of Ivanore, he must reach deep within himself to develop new powers of magic and find the strength to survive the dangers and secrets he encounters.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

I would be a Hobbit, which is ironic since I mention The Hobbit in the next question. I am a peaceful creature who enjoys quiet activities such as reading, digital scrapbooking and sleeping. Unlike Bilbo Baggins, however, I’m not much of an adventurer. I prefer to stay home where it’s safe and warm.

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

I read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein when I was twelve and the story has stuck with me ever since. But I am also a HUGE Harry Potter fan. HP is simply brilliant.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

The Rock of Ivanore began with a character—Marcus, an enchanter’s apprentice who bungles his magic spells. What started off as a series of bedtime stories for my son eventually grew into a book. But with most of my other writing projects, the plot has always come first. I prefer to work out the plot from beginning to end before adding in the other elements.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

My favorite board game hands down is RISK. And I happen to have a Lord of the Rings version, which I treasure (but I can’t get anyone to play it with me.) I would love to see a Rock of Ivanore version of RISK where the goal is to conquer all of Hestoria.

Thanks so much for stopping by Laurisa!

Buy The Rock of Ivanore: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 

I am super excited to have Katherine Roberts by the blog for another Fantasy Five Friday.

Katherine Roberts is the author of Sword of Light, Spellfall, The Echorium Sequence, and several other novels.  You can find her on the web at her website and blog.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

“King Arthur’s daughter, Rhianna Pendragon, sets out on a quest for the four magical Lights to restore her father’s soul to his body.”

Though that’s actually cheating a bit, because it describes the whole four-book series! In “Sword of Light”, Rhianna is just looking for the first Light, Excalibur.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

Ah, that’s easy! I love horses and espeially magical ones, so I’d be a unicorn. I already have a unicorn muse – he blogs at www.reclusivemuse.co.uk and tweets at www.twitter.com/reclusivemuse and is currently searching for his name. (There will be a competition soon to name him, so keep your eyes open…)

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

I’ve enjoyed a lot of fantasy books, but my all-time favourite (because I’ve read it 11 times) has got to be JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. I think it was the first epic fantasy I read, and I loved the whole world of elves and dwarves, hobbits and dragons, magicians and heroes, and of course the sinister dark lord. There’s an echo of Lord of the Rings in my Pendragon Legacy books, with Mordred replacing the dark lord.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

For me, it’s usually the world. I sometimes base this on a real place or historical period, adding my own ideas with a bit of magic included. Then I invent some characters and bring them to life, and finally I let the characters tell me the plot…

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

Mmm, interesting question! Perhaps Cleudo. (e.g. Who killed King Arthur? Mordred in the dungeon with the axe…)

Thank you so much for stopping by Katherine!

About Sword of Light:

It is the darkest hour of the darkest Age. King Arthur is dead, killed by his wicked nephew, Mordred. Saxon invaders rampage across the land and forces of evil are gathering. The path to the throne lies open to Arthur’s only remaining flesh and blood – Mordred. But there is one with a better claim than Mordred – Arthur’s secret child. Brought by Merlin to enchanted Avalon as a baby and raised there for protection, the king’s heir must take up a vital quest: to search for the four magical Lights with the power to restore Arthur’s soul to his body. Introducing Rhianna Pendragon: unlikely princess and Camelot’s last hope.

I am very excited to have Maureen Lipinski here for another Fantasy Five Friday interview :)

Maureen Lipinski is the author of Shadow’s Edge, which is her debut young adult novel, as well as A Bump in the Road and Not Ready for Mom Jeans. She graduated from Miami University and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two kids. You can visit her on the web at her website.

Here’s a bit about Shadow’s Edge:

My magical life is dead to me now . . . This is my last chance at freedom. Once, Leah Spencer didn’t mind being a natural-born Shaman to the Creatuir, a human helper to faeries, shapeshifters, and other magical beings. But that was before she listened to her friend Fiona and broke Rule #1, traveling unprepared to the Other Realm where she quickly lost a whole year of time. She missed out on everything–holidays, school, her sixteenth birthday, the boyfriend who ditched her. After that, Leah swore to leave all things magical behind and lead the life of a normal high school girl.

Now Fiona is missing, and something is killing off the Creatuir, both Light and Dark. As the Creatuir prepare to go to war, Leah is torn between her safe new life and solving the Other Realm murder spree. With the help of her three sisters (each with her own magical gift), and three gorgeous guys–who may or may not be part of the evil magic–Leah must vanquish an ancient dark force. Unless an unimaginable secret about her family destroys her first.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of  your book?

SHADOW’S EDGE is about sixteen year old Leah Spencer, a natural born Shaman to the Other Realm, who has  to choose between attending regular high school and “getting all CSI” on a mystical murder spree.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

Ooh, fun question! I would love to be a creature with the ability to stop time. I always seem to have a mile-long To Do list and too few hours in the day to accomplish everything. I would love to be able to stop time and catch up on all my projects…or maybe I would just take a nap!

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

My favorite fantasy book will always be Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME. I still remember being a kid and tearing through those pages while sitting on my pink Laura Ashley bedspread.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

Usually, the characters come first. Often times, I have an idea of where I want the book to go, I’m just not sure how the characters are going to get there. Of course, there are also many times when the characters have other ideas in mind and I have to go with it!

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

The Game of Life! I LOVED that board game growing up. Still do, actually. I remember my little brother would always lose the pink and blue pegs representing kids and husbands so we’d have to use push pins. It wasn’t nearly as fun.

Thanks so much Maureen for stopping by!

Buy Shadow’s Edge: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 

I am super excited to have Courtney Allison Moulton here at The Book Cellar today, for another Fantasy Five Friday.

Courtney Allison Moulton is the author of Angelfire, Wings of the Wicked, and the forthcoming Book 3 in the Angelfire series. She lives in Michigan with her horse, Pia.You can find her on the web at her website, twitter, and blog.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

A teenage girl with extraordinary powers battles the armies of Hell with
the help of her reaper Guardian.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

I’d love to have superhuman abilities like in the X-Men. It would be fun
to be a secret government weapon or something. For like a weekend.

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the
plot?

This varies. I have about a hundred or so projects to finish on my
computer, and sometimes the world comes first and sometimes the character.
I don’t really know why one or the other, but I just go with the flow.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book
could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

Hungry Hungry Hippos with human faces on the little balls and you, as
Ellie, have to chop their heads off before they eat the little people.
It’s like Anti-Hungry Hungry Hippos. I want to play this now.

Courtney’s next book, Wings of the Wicked, is coming out on January 31st.

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

I am super excited to have one of my all time favorite authors, Heidi R Kling, by the blog today for another Fantasy Five Friday!

Heidi R Kling is the author of Sea as well as the series, The Spellspinners of Melas County. Witch’s Brew, the first book, came out last week! She also has short stories in three anthologies, Truth & Dare, The Visitors Guide to Mystic Falls, and The First Time. You can find her on the web at her website, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Here’s a bit about Witch’s Brew:

Spellspinners is an “Active Fiction” title, a new type of e-book from Coliloquy. In this Active Fiction series, your input influences future books from this author. Specifically, in Spellspinners, your input influences what happens to star-crossed lovers Logan & Lily. Spellspinners is a young adult series about a witch, a warlock & their forbidden love. Once soulmates, the witch & warlock covens have been estranged for a century. Twice a year, their teens meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground, to draw energy from each other. Logan & Lily have trained their whole lives for the Stones. In Witch’s Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan & her loyalty to her coven. The lovers race against time, their distrust for each other & their powerful elders to unravel the mystery of the past before their future is destroyed. While Lily & Logan’s fate may be decided, the author explores several paths to get there. The author sees the aggregate statistics on what option gets picked the most, so the more you read, the more you influence what she writes!

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

A witch, a warlock, and their fight to save their magic–and their forbidden love.

Since you have a fantasy novel, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

While I would LOVE to be a witch like Lily, I’m going to go with my first reaction: a unicorn. (Sorry Team Zombie.)

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

Most recently I’ve liked A Discovery of Witches–can’t wait for the sequel!

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

This go round it was the world. I could see it with such shimmering clarity. I knew from the get-go I wanted to combine nature’s innate magical elements with supernatural charms and enchantment. Setting the Spellspinners series in a modern beach town make perfect sense to me. There’s something so magical about the ocean and the coastal redwoods near where I live.

And then, once the town and the plot were in place, the characters popped into the places they intrinsically belonged.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you choose?

Oooh AWESOME question. How about a Spellspinner edition of MONOPOLY. Where players can gain a power, lose a power? Confront Jacob and Lose A Life?

Or Chess. A Logan chess piece. Now that’d be cool. :D

Thanks so much for stopping by Heidi! And I would LOVE that edition of Monopoly or a Logan chess piece! :) Make sure to check out my review of Witch’s Brew, which I absolutely adored!

Buy Witch’s Brew