Interview with Julie Eshbaugh for Obsidian and Stars
by Julie Eshbaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.
Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.
With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.
Hello JULIE! We are super excited for OBSIDIAN AND STARS and to have you in our FFBC tours.
Favorite Book?
This is suuuuuch a hard question. I’m sure I answer it differently on different days. One of my all-time favorites is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It’s a real study in obsession! I also love Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. And though those are both classics, I also love fiction by current authors, especially YA. Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park is a book I loved so much I recommended it to everyone. Lastly, I love sci-fi and fantasy. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is amazing.
Favorite TV show?
I loved Stranger Things, and can’t wait for its return this fall! I also never miss Elementary, and can’t wait for more episodes of Sherlock.
Favorite movie?
It was made long before I was born, but Casablanca is my all-time favorite movie.
Favorite Song?
How Soon is Now by the Smiths.
Favorite Food?
If I had to eat one food every day, it would be spaghetti, so I guess it’s my favorite.
Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.
Hogwarts
Rivendell
The Millennium Falcon (not really a place to move to, but I would love to travel on that ship!)
What were your favorite books growing up? (Michelle: I was a Fear Street girl!)
I loved Judy Blume’s books! Starting with Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, I read them all.
Favorite Quote?
Make good art. ~Neil Gaiman
What are your fandoms?
Harry Potter for sure! I would have to add Star Wars, too.
Who is your favorite fictional boyfriend (or girlfriend)?
Mr. Darcy!
Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about the IVORY AND BONE SERIES?
Of course, and thank you so much for inviting me to the blog!
The books are set in prehistoric times, at the end of the last Ice Age. The first book, IVORY AND BONE, is loosely based on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but the genders are reversed, with Mya being a bit of a female Mr. Darcy! OBSIDIAN AND STARS picks up where IVORY AND BONE left off, but it’s told from Mya’s point of view. And I know a lot of readers are expecting this to be a trilogy—I had originally planned a duology, but then expanded it to a trilogy—but in the end, it worked much better as two books. I think with one book from Kol’s point of view, and one from Mya’s point of view, I knew the series was complete. So OBSIDIAN AND STARS closes out the series.
Since IVORY AND BONE takes a classic story and takes it back to prehistoric times, what other TV Shows/Movies/Books would you love to see reversed in time and technology?
Great question! I’d love a retelling of Les Miserables, set in the contemporary world. I also really like the idea of a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but set in a different time and place, like maybe the Old West, or the far future.
What Hogwarts Houses would you sort your characters into? How about a Patronus for any of them?
Kol would be a Gryffindor, and I think his Patronus would be a wolf.
Mya would be a Hufflepuff, and I imagine her Patronus might be a bird of prey, like an eagle or a hawk.
Lo would be a Ravenclaw, and her Patronus would probably be a saber-toothed cat.
What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book series? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of IVORY AND BONE or OBSIDIAN AND STARS.)
#PrehistoricRomance, #HistoryRepeatsItself, #LoveIsTimeless
Tell us your favorite quote from OBSIDIAN AND STARS.
“That's why I like the blackest nights—the darkest, obsidian skies of winter. When the world is coldest and darkest, the stars shine brightest.”
Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?
There is a scene between Kol and Mya involving honey that gets pretty romantic. I would say that scene was the most fun to write. There are several scenes that made me cry to write them—both happy and sad tears. I won’t give any details because I don’t want to give anything away, but the sad ones were pretty hard to get through.
If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for OBSIDIAN AND STARS – Which one would you pick?
There’s a song from the Album Wish by the Cure called From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea. I think that song fits the book really well.
Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read the books in the IVORY AND BONE series (specific music, snacks…)?
I would recommend lighting candles or being near some kind of fire. Or read it on the beach or outside, since the characters are out in the natural world so much.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a new fantasy story! I don’t want to give anything away, except to say it is very different from the IVORY AND BONE books. I just sent the first draft to my editor, so it’s in the early stages, but I’m excited about it!
Thank you so much for everything, Julie!
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Julie Eshbaugh is the author of Ivory and Bone (HarperCollins, 2016). She used to have trouble staying in one spot, having lived in places as varied as Utah, France, and New York City. Julie eventually returned home to the Philadelphia area, where she now lives with her husband, son, cat and dog. Her favorite moments are when the unexpected happens and she cheers loudest when the pitcher gets a hit.
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