Robert Beatty: “My Favorite Writing Spot” + Willa of the Wood Blog Tour Giveaway

I’m so delighted today to be hosting a stop on the official blog tour for Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty, a fun and fantastical new middle grade book from the best-selling author of the Serafina & the Black Cloak series. Today, Robert stops by to talk about his favorite writing spot – but keep reading for more about his new book, and your chance to win a copy!

My family and I live on old farmland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, just outside the city of Asheville. When I need to focus on my writing, I retreat from my office in the house, where life with three busy girls and a menagerie of pets can get hectic, and move to a workspace in our barn.

It’s a quiet, comfortable and sunny spot on the second floor, with views of gardens and fields, and the river bottom beyond. From the windows, I can watch birds soar overhead and wildlife emerge from the tree line in the evenings. When I need a break, I can walk down to the first floor workshop where my daughters and I build robots and tinker a while. I’ve written all of my books (Serafina and the Black Cloak, Serafina and the Twisted Staff, Serafina and the Splintered Heart, and Willa of the Wood) in this special spot.

I often write late into the night. When I’m done with my work, I walk back to the house a few hundred yards away. I gauge the time by checking the position of Jupiter and Mars in the sky, which slip across the spiral star-scape of the nighttime sky like hands of a clock. This time of year, if Mars is peeking up over our mountain, I know it’s 2 a.m. and I’ve stayed up too late.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Beatty comes a spooky, thrilling new series set in the magical world of Serafina.

Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

Willa, a young nightspirit of the Great Smoky Mountains, is her clan’s best thief. She creeps into the homes of day-folk in the cover of darkness and takes what they won’t miss. It’s dangerous work — the day-folk kill whatever they do not understand. But when Willa’s curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in a day-folk man’s home, everything she thought she knew about her people — and their greatest enemy — is forever changed.

Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best selling Serafina Series published by Disney-Hyperion, a spooky mystery-thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate.

Serafina and the Black Cloak was a #1 New York Times best seller, has been on the list for more than 45 weeks, and won the prestigious 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. The second book in the series, Serafina and the Twisted Staff, became a #1 New York Times best seller in the first week of its launch and earned a “Starred Review” from Kirkus Reviews, which said, “Even better than its predecessor, a sequel that delivers nonstop thrills from beginning to end.” Enjoyed by both young readers and adults, the books are being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide. The third book in the Serafina series comes out in July 2017. Robert Beatty has been awarded an additional four book deal with Disney-Hyperion.

Robert Beatty lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and three daughters, who help create and refine his stories. He loves to explore Biltmore Estate and the darkened forest trails where his novels take place. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives, Robert was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the co-founder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative Magazine. In 2007, he was named an Entrepreneur of the Year.

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3 winners will win a finished copy of WILLA OF THE WOOD, US Only. (For an international contest, check out my Instagram HERE!)