Blog Tour: Harbinger by Phillippa (Pip) Ballantine

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE for more tour information.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the tour.

I am pleased to spotlight Phillippa Ballantine and Harbinger.

Phillippa has joined us for an interview:

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Just one! I was a librarian for thirteen years, and I loved it almost as much as being a writer later on. Books, it turns out, were always meant to be my life.

? How long does it take you to write a book?

Usually, three months in the first draft stage, and the comes lots of editing!

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I need a cat next to me. I call them my little furry muses. They call me a warm lap.

? What books have most influenced your life?

Watership Down. Although my Dad read me Lord of the Rings, I remember the characters in Watership Down, made me laugh, cry and demand more.

? What are you reading right now?

I’m reading a novel called Hapax by a young Canadian writer, K T Bryski. She’s got a great eye for setting a scene and making a reader care about her characters.

? What is your favorite comfort food?

I’m from New Zealand, so toast and Marmite are my comfort food. Makes me feel like a kid again, which I guess is the definition of comfort!

? What do you think makes a good story?

For me it is all about compelling characters. If I don’t like or find interesting the people I am going to spend a whole novel with, I will give up quickly.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

I love CJ Cherryh. She’s been my heroine for longer than I can remember. She has had a varied career, writing many successful series. I guess what first drew me to her was her powerful, but relatable female characters. As a young reader I found that very compelling.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

I am such a voracious reader I always find new books to read, and worry if I go back and get something I’ve already read I’ll miss out!

Fun random questions: 

• dogs or cats? Cats
• Coffee or tea? Tea
• Dark or milk chocolate? Dark chocolate
• Rocks or flowers? Flowers
• Night or day? Night
• Favorite color? Blue
• Crayons or markers? Crayons
• Pens or pencils? Pens

More About the Author:

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Philippa has always had her head in a book. For this she blames her father who thought Lord of the Rings was suitable bedtime reading for an eight year old. At the age of thirteen she began writing fantasy stories for herself.

She first earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Political Science and then a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. So soon enough she found herself working in the magical world of libraries where she stayed for over a decade.

Her first professional sale was in 1997, and since then she has gone on to produce mostly novel length fiction. In 2006 she became New Zealand’s first podcast novelist, and she has voiced and produced Weaver’s Web, Chasing the Bard, Weather Child and Digital Magic as podiobooks. Her podcasts have won both a Parsec Award and a Sir Julius Vogel award.

Philippa is the author of the Books of the Order series with Ace- Geist, Spectyr, Wrayth and Harbinger coming in July 2013.

She is also the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series with Tee Morris. Phoenix Rising debuted in May 2011 and The Janus Affair came out in May 2012. Phoenix Rising won the Airship Award for best written steampunk, and was the number eight best Science Fiction book of 2011 according to Goodreads.com. The Janus Affair was the seventh most popular science fiction book of 2012 on Goodreads.com. The series continues with Dawn’s Early Light in December 2013.

In addition she is also the author of the Shifted World series with Pyr Books, with the first book Hunter and Fox released in June 2012, and the second Kindred and Wings scheduled for August 2013.

When not writing or podcasting, Philippa loves reading, gardening, and whenever possible traveling. With her husband Tee and her daughter, she is looked after by a mighty clowder of five cats in Manassas, Virginia.

Website: www.pjballantine.com
Twitter: philippajane
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pjballantine/  

Harbinger

Philippa (Pip) Ballantine
Release date July 30th
cover artist Jason Chan

Book Description:

The Deacons of the Order are all that stand between the wicked spirits of the Otherside and the innocent citizens of the Empire. They are sworn to protect humanity, even when they cannot protect themselves…

After the Razing of the Order, Sorcha Faris, one of the most powerful Deacons, is struggling to regain control of the runes she once wielded. The Deacons are needed more desperately than ever. The barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead is weakening, and the Emperor has abandoned his throne, seeking to destroy those he feels have betrayed him.

Though she is haunted by the terrible truth of her past, Sorcha must lead the charge against the gathering hordes of geists seeking to cross into the Empire. But to do so, she will need to manipulate powers beyond her understanding—powers that may prove to be her undoing…