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Monday, September 30, 2013

PR Special Edition: Rebecca Ethington Interview + Giveaway (Rockstar Blog Tour)

Poisoned Rationality Special  Edition

Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition!  Today we welcome Rebecca Ethington for an interview about the creep crawlies of her newest novel Through Glass!
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Summary: Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed. Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise. Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that’s what I hoped. I hoped that there was an ‘everyone’ that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did. I hoped that I wasn’t alone. I remembered that day. I remembered because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.
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Welcome to Poisoned Rationality Rebecca!  THROUGH GLASS is the second book series I've read of yours (after the Imdalind of course) and I'll freely admit that so far I'm creeped out, freaked out and nervously glancing at shadowy corners.  It possibly doesn't help that we had a short loss of power while I was about halfway through the book either.  Alexis is my kind of heroine and I'm anxious to see what happens in book 2.

Start things off easily -- why the Ulama?  Are they based on any specific origin?  There's oodles of creepy-crawlies in every branch of mythology you can think of, but the Ulama stand out as a special brand of dark dwelling creepies (especially the more you learn about them).  Did they come straight from your nightmares? 
Straight from my overactive imagination I suppose. I don’t really like to conform to traditional ideas so I quite literally created something based off the things that scare my children. I am obviously not up for the Mother-Of-The-Year award. The actual name Ulama, comes from a bird from Shri-Lanka, a devil bird, which caws sound like the blood curdling scream of a dying human. I am sure those who have read the book can figure out why I picked it at this point. It was actually quite funny, however, because I had created the creatures, down to their sounds, and THEN found the name. It was almost like the term was made for them.
You're in the middle of two different series now, both with heroines struggling to survive when the world they know is ripped away.  Do you focus on one series at a time or is each day a 'what do I feel like writing about?' sort of thing?
Normally I prefer to stay very true to, and focus on, one story at a time. Which makes it a little weird that I wrote Through Glass in the middle of working on Imdalind. But, switching stories mid stride kind of came out of necessity. Simply put, I needed a break from the brutal graphic world of Imdalind, so I created another brutal graphic world for Through Glass. I know, my logic astounds me too. I have a very heavy theatre background and because of this I tend to be a very method writer. So in the end of Eyes of Ember (Imdalind #2) I was huddling in a hoodie, mumbling to myself. While writing ScorchedTreachery (Imdalind #3) I was jumping at loud sounds and my temper was very short. I actually attended a kick boxing class through most of that just to cope with the additional anger that Wyn was giving me. Because of that, I knew I needed a palate cleanser, and Alexis’ story in Through Glass had been haunting me for a while. So I just sat down, wrote, and it just poured out in about 2 weeks. Now that Through Glass is out, I am going to finish up Imdalind and then dive back into the darkness with Alexis.
I'm going to try and vague this question up so it doesn't leak spoilers about the Ulama and their origins (as of the end of Book 1).  Is it a coincidence that the language Alexis studied in school is tied to what the survivors know to be the start of the Ulama threat, or will that have more meaning later on in the series?  What language did you study in school?
I think you may be the first person to notice that little coincidence. I love putting little Easter Eggs and deep layers into my stories, I think it makes for a better reading experience. So, I will tell you that it does mean something, but exactly what I am not going to divulge right now. I actually studied French in school. I was terrible at it, I don’t think I could still count to ten if I tried. Much of the language references in Through Glass actually come from my adorable foster daughter. While she was with us she endlessly tried to get me to learn Spanish (I can’t roll my r’s to save my life, so it was a disaster) and in the end she gave up and we made this huge comic book using simple Spanish words (sit, sleep, milk) so that I could communicate with her younger brother who didn’t speak any English. Luckily, he thought I was hysterical every time I messed up.
How do you relax between releases?
I go to Disneyland. There is no better place to de-stress than the happiest place on earth :)
I know book 4 (Soul of Flame) from the Imdalind series is due out in a couple months and book 2 (Broken Fragments) from the Glass series is due out soon after, but do you have anything else in the pipeline?
Soul of Flame is about 80% done right now and getting ready to go to the editors. After that I am going to wrap up the world of Imdalind with Dawn of Ash, and then go back into Glass and finish that story in one big stretch. After that? Who knows! I’ve got so many stories in my head it’s ridiculous. I might try my hand at a more traditional PNR – but I doubt it. If it aint dark and bloody – I probably won’t write it ;)
Is there any bribe I can offer to find out how things turn out for Alexis once she...you know does what she wants to get done at the end of Book 1?
My lips are sealed. But as for what’s coming? You are going to LOVE

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I've been assured by the author that as long as you carry a flashlight you're safe from the Ulama.  I'll leave it to you dear readers to see the truth of this matter.  If you'd like to see my thoughts on the book itself, feel free to check out my review ;)
About the Author
Rebecca Ethington is a story teller and author from Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then in stage with years of theatrical performances. Rebecca’s first stint into the world of literary writing, The Imdalind Series, was released in October 2012 and since its release each book has been found in several top 100 lists on Amazon. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her crazy family.
Author Links:

WEBSITE | | | GOODREADS |   
There is a tourwide giveaway for an Amazon eGiftCard valued at $50 USD. It is open Internationally to anyone who is able to accept an Amazon GC.  The only mandatory entry is to comment on this post
The giveaway ends on Monday, October 14th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Sept. 30th – I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Interview + Excerpt

Sept. 30th – Poisoned Rationality – Review + Interview

Oct. 1st – Happy Booker – Review + Excerpt

Oct. 2nd – Fantasy Book Addict – Interview


Oct. 4th – Two Chicks on Books – Spotlight + Excerpt




Posted by Lexie at 8:00 AM
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