Morgan Rhodes: Falling Kingdoms Contest + Q&A

Today, we’ve got an exciting giveaway for you to celebrate the release of Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes, the third book in the Falling Kingdoms series. But before we get to the AWESOME giveaway, here’s an exclusive Q&A with Morgan:

In the FALLING KINGDOM series, magic has been forgotten. Do you think magic has been forgotten in our world? Do you ever see signs of “magic” in your own life?

This is such a good question! I have always considered myself to be a non-believer in all of the supernatural – ghosts, psychics, etc. However, there was one moment I was reading a book and realized that it had utterly swept me away to another world. I swear, it literally felt like magic in that moment. So, that’s what books are, I think –the closest thing we have to real magic in this world. And the combination of the writer’s and the reader’s imagination combine to create that wonderful magic!

The FALLING KINGDOMS series has been your first foray into writing high fantasy. What have been the biggest challenges? The biggest rewards?

Earlier in my writing career, I never had an urge to delve into high fantasy or historical writing since I knew it would require a ton of research. Perhaps I was just lazy! Now, I’m not writing a historical text with my series, but things need to be at a level that doesn’t pull readers out of the story. Just touches here and there help. I’m okay with a touch of anachronism when it comes to dialogue, since modern day readers are reading these books and too much Old English – well, it wouldn’t be accurate, since FK is a fantasy not in our world, and I would never enjoy reading a book with that kind of dialogue. I write what I’d like to read. But, yes, research and making sure all of that flows is the biggest challenge – as well as keeping multiple viewpoints straight. That’s a lot of subplots to wrangle! LOL! But this challenge has come with some incredible rewards, mostly in the form of readers who tell me on Facebook and Twitter how much they love the series. That is seriously priceless to me.

What’s one thing you think will surprise readers about GATHERING DARKNESS?

One thing that will surprise readers about Gathering Darkness is that I’m not going to make readers wait until book six in order to get some answers and see some progress in my character’s goals. To say STUFF HAPPENS in Gathering Darkness would be an understatement! 🙂 Plus, there is a kiss near the end that I hope will make (most) readers quite happy!

Tell us a little about A BOOK OF SPIRITS & THIEVES! How does it relate to the FALLING KINGDOM series, and will new readers be able to follow along if they haven’t read FALLING KINGDOM?

I like to call ABOSAT a companion trilogy, rather than a spin-off trilogy. It is absolutely 100% accessible to someone who hasn’t read any of Falling Kingdoms. However, if you’ve also read FK, then ABOSAT is chock-full of Easter Eggs when it comes to piecing together the mythology about the goddesses, the original sorceress, and how Mytica became three separate cursed kingdoms.

A third of the book is spent in “ancient” Mytica, and two-thirds take place here in our world, where there is a secret society after an unreadable book full of magic that’s connected to another world (gee, what world could that possibly be??), and the two sisters who discover the book and its many mysteries.

You’re so much fun to follow on Tumblr! Can you share your favorite GIF with us?

LOL! Thank you! I do love me some Tumblr. There are so many gifs that I enjoy as I scroll through other people’s posts I can’t possibly post one. But since I love Supernatural I’ll share this one. It made me laugh so hard, since it’s the moment in the Supernatural 200^th Episode Show when Dean is told about “Destiel.” That look is absolutely priceless! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, Morgan!!!

One winner will receive the following prize pack:

• Falling Kingdoms postcard set,
• Falling Kingdoms tshirt,
• plus copies of Falling Kingdoms, Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness.

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the amazing prize pack. The contest is open to U.S. addresses only, and runs through midnight (PT) on Tuesday, December 16th.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form here!

GATHERING DARKNESS
Book 3 in The Falling Kingdoms series
by Morgan Rhodes
In stores December 9^th

The seeds of revolution have been sown…but in Mytica the lust for power reigns supreme.

THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo slays with sweetness—and a secret that might control Lucia’s magic—as she and vengeful Jonas lead the hunt for the all-powerful Kindred.

THE KRAESHIANS join the fray. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the vast kingdom across the Silver Sea, prove to be just as ruthless as they are charming as they manipulate their way to victory.

THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally, in the flesh, with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia’s powers to unveil the Kindred.

And which side will Prince Magnus choose, now that he’s been betrayed by everyone he’s ever loved?

Read a sneak peek of Gathering Darkness here!

SERIES OVERVIEW:

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed…and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even love.

In AURANOS, privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse.

In LIMEROS, the king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying family secret about her birth that will change everything.

In PAELSIA, rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Witches, if four, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Morgan Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of the FALLING KINGDOMS series. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess—the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, and reality TV, and is an extremely picky yet voracious reader of all kinds of books.

LEARN MORE:

• Follow Morgan Rhodes on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Find the Falling Kingdoms series on Facebook
• #FallingKingdomsSeries