Interview: Anne Leonard (Author of Moth and Spark)

This week, I am excited to welcome Anne Leonard, author of Moth and Spark, to the blog to answer a few questions regarding her new release. Hope y'all will give her a warm welcome.

About the Author:

I was born in Chicago and have lived in 8 different states, eventually ending up in California.  I graduated with a BA from St. John’s College and went on to get my MFA at the University of Pittsburgh. After this came a Ph.D. in English from Kent State University, and then a dry spell with no school for about six years before I started law school at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.  I am a licensed attorney.  I wrote the first draft of MOTH AND SPARK while in law school. (rest of of bio)

You can haunt Anne Leonard at-
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Interview

• In five words describe Prince Corin:

• Smart, dedicated, irritable, brave, late

• Why did you choose to write about dragons seeking freedom from their bondage?

• I wanted a situation where the dragons were more complicated creatures than flying furnaces, and I needed a situation with a deed that had political consequences. Having captive dragons needing to be freed worked for both of those.

• What was your favorite thing about the world you created for Moth and Spark?

• The most fun I have is the stuff that doesn’t show up in the book – the backstory of history and characters. But of what is in the novel, I guess I have to say my favorite thing is the wizards, because there is still a lot I don’t know about them and magic is always intriguing.

• Weirdest job you've ever held?

• After I graduated from college, I had a temp job performing inventory in the Virginia state prisons, which included going in to the license plate shop while the inmates were working.

• I hear you’re a Cub's fan, so, what is about them that keeps you rooting for them?

• Oh, I root for them, I just have no hope. My heart has been broken too many times.

• Top three favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy books and why you like them?

• I’m probably giving pretty inconsistent answers to this question, but this time I’ll say Tehanu, by Ursula K. Le Guin, because it is so understated and about being human; The Gunslinger, by Stephen King, because it throws so many different things together in ways that I never ever would have imagined; and The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, because it has a strong, smart heroine that boys look up to.

• Which Jane Austen character do you believe that you are?

• Well, some days I feel like I’m Mr. Bennett, sitting misanthropically in my study, but I’m probably most like Anne Elliott, who is quiet with deep feelings but not a pushover.

• The world has fallen to a robot invasion and only one heroine/hero can possibly save the day, who do you choose? 

• Spock, obviously, since he’ll be able to deprogram them the fastest. (I always favor brains over brawn.)

• Care to tell us about your writing cave (include picture if you want)?

• Right now it’s a disaster, so no pictures, but it has the usual accouterments of lots of books, office equipment, and occasionally a cat. There’s a large elder tree outside one of the windows, and often there are birds in it, and then the cat sits on the sill swishing his tail and chattering at them. It has a lot of natural light, which is nice.

• Any upcoming projects that you can share with us?   

• I don’t like to talk much about my works in progress, because sometimes I poop out or it takes forever, but I am working on another novel set in the same world. After that I want to do a grittier dystopian type SF in a world full of drought. (I live in California, and water is always on my mind, especially now, when we are in full-blown drought after the driest year on record.)

Anne, thank you so much for stopping by and answering a few questions. I really enjoyed the complexity of the dragons in your book Moth and Spark. 

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard, February 20, 2014. Viking Adult.

A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost.

Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control.

Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen.

Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.

You can add Moth and Spark to your Goodreads shelf.