The time it was about The Heart of Betrayal

Posted July 8, 2015 by Stacee in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Interviews | 19 Comments

I’ve been a huge fangirl for Mary ever since I read first Kiss of Deception. When I was invited to be part of the blog tour for Heart of Betrayal, I was dying to get Mary on the blog, so I couldn’t type my answer fast enough.

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Before we get to Mary’s interview, let’s check out the book, shall we?

21569527Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar’s interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country… and her own destiny.

Sounds good, right? {It’s soooooooo amazing}

right

1. Where did the idea for The Kiss of Deception series come from?

It came from many places—a lot of random inspirations helped build the story—inspirations from the small and mundane, to the large and timeless. In terms of mundane, this series came right on the heels my science fiction series, the Jenna Fox Chronicles, with all the advanced technology and research that those books required. I was ready for a change of pace! A world that had no technology beyond a wagon wheel—and a crumbling castle or two. How is that a mundane inspiration for you?

But in a more global and timeless vein, I had been thinking a lot about how much the world changes and yet, how much it stays the same. I mused about the things that last—like love and hate. It seems to be in our DNA. Whether it’s Cleopatra pining for Mark Antony, or Alexander the Great leading ancient armies, love and domination seem to be driving constants in the human experience. I wanted to explore three young people caught up in the full spectrum of these passions!

2. What makes a good villain and how did you incorporate that into Heart of Betrayal?

Good villains, in my opinion, are complex. They are frighteningly evil, but sometimes surprisingly kind. They are self-centered, but also at times selfless. They are powerful but a slave to what they seek. There’s a mixture of good and bad in them which makes it difficult for us to judge them definitively. We get glimpses of their motivations and beginnings, which can help us understand them, and at least periodically, we hurt for them. We see a heart that beats not so unlike our own—until suddenly they jolt us with an act that takes our breath away.

In The Heart of Betrayal, Lia meets the Komizar, the ruler of Venda, who manages to give a very poor kingdom hope. At times we see his very human and vulnerable side, which he works hard to conceal. A man in his position doesn’t want anyone to know his weaknesses. Lia witnesses his fearsome and absolute strengths—and his cold calculating moves—but she also uncovers his acts of goodness. It makes it harder for her to understand him and to stay one step ahead of him, which she must if she wants to stay alive.

3. You wrote HoB in multiple POV. Who was the easiest and the hardest to work with?

Amazingly, because the characters are all so different and have different motivations and backgrounds, it was fun going back and forth between all the POV’s. Still, Rafe had the task of holding back some information from both Lia and Kaden so his parts were probably a little trickier to write. OTOH, Lia had to hold back a lot too—and she was walking an emotional tightrope on top of it—plus bearing the guilt of it. And then there was Kaden . . . whew, I am tired thinking about all he had to juggle. Draw! Each was challenging in their own way.

4. Describe Heart of Betrayal in five words.

Komizar meets Lia. Game on.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

Dancing, jumping, screaming for five minutes straight. Which is precisely what I did when I got “the call.”

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

A one way ticket, my husband, a library (yes, I know it contains many “things” but let’s not get technical here.)

3. Who are your favorite swoony boys/girls?

Oh, there are so many good ones! A few very recent favorites are, Arin in the Winner’s Crime, Beast in Dark Triumph, Chaol in Throne of Glass, Khalid in The Wrath and the Dawn, and Black Knife in The Orphan Queen.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

I’ve been doing this for quite a while now and have learned things from a lot of brilliant writers and publishing professionals, but some things you have wrap your head around and learn for yourself over time, like:

    1. You will survive rejection.
    2. You will survive waiting.
    3. You will survive reviews.
    4. You will keep writing no matter what. Even if it is just for yourself because you are a writer first and foremost.
    5. The only key is perseverance. Hang in there just like you do with everything else in life.
    6. Doubt is normal. Keep going.
    7. Advice that didn’t work for you yesterday might work today. Be open to change.
    8. You will one day write a book that is 500 pages long—and survive. No one will be more surprised than you.
    9. Surprise is good. It keeps you on your toes.

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_6877517Mary E. Pearson is the award-winning author of The Jenna Fox Chronicles, The Miles Between, A Room on Lorelei, and Scribbler of Dreams.

She writes full-time from her home office in California where she lives with her husband and two golden retrievers.

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Huge thanks to Macmillan for the invite and to Mary for taking the time.  Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

And definitely check out the rest of the blog tour for additional goodies.

Now. Haven’t had a change to get your hands on a copy of Heart of Betrayal? Macmillan is so graciously offering up a copy! Contest is US/Canada only and additional giveaway rules are here.

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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19 responses to “The time it was about The Heart of Betrayal

  1. Assassin sounds like dangerous and thrilling but princess sounds just good lol! I’d pick assassin cause the adventures!! I want to have fun XD Thanks for the lovely interview! I can’t believe THoB is within reach now!!! And thank you for the giveaway :D

  2. ReadiculousGirl

    I’ve never wanted to be a princess, but I’d definitely pick that over being an assassin. The whole ‘killing people for a living’ is gross, so I’ll just have to be a kick butt princess like Rapunzel from Tangled. She’s understated, but she get business done, and she’s got Flynn Rider…

    Thanks for the giveaway!

  3. Jennifer Bui

    I would say I rather be a princess because I would like to wear all the time dresses and to be made up. An assassin could be cool but I don’t want to kill people.

  4. Sherry

    I’m gonna go with princess because I’m not sure I could kill someone ;) Thanks for the shot at the giveaway!

  5. Well I don’t ever want to kill anyone so I have to go with a Princess, even though I won’t be caught dead in a dress. ;) Thank you so much. I’m so excited to read The Heart of Betrayal.

  6. Emily Crowell

    Can I be a princess assassin? It seemed to work well for Celaena… ;) But if I had to pick one, I would have to say princess because I’ve always had a weakness for beautiful dresses, plus I wouldn’t want kill for a living, or at all haha. Thanks for the giveaway!

  7. Kate I.

    I’m a bit of a princess IRL (no royal lineage, but have the regal bearing thing down pat), but would much prefer to be an assassin. That could be attributed to the fact that I’m currently reading THE INTERN’S HANDBOOK.

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