The Reading Faery: Middle Grade Blog Hop + Q&A With Amy Bearce

Hi guys! I'm really excited to participate in the Middle Grade Blog Hop hosted by Snowy Wings Publishing. Today, I'm hosting the author of the World of Aluvia series, Amy Bearce. Keep reading for information about her series, and my interview with her. Welcome to The Reading Faery, Amy!

Amy writes fantasy and light science fiction for young readers and the young at heart. She is the author of the World of Aluvia series (Fairy Keeper, Mer-Charmer, and Dragon Redeemer, 2019) through Snowy Wings Publishing and Shortcuts (CBAY Books, 2019), for grades 4 and up. She is also a former reading teacher and librarian.

As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they are raising two daughters in San Antonio.

A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book.

Can you describe yourself with five words or less?

Introverted, curious, compassionate, absent-minded, and impatient.

What's your favorite thing about your Hogwarts house?

There is some debate over which is my real house, but I claim Ravenclaw. As a former librarian, it just seemed logical. I love learning new things and like hanging out with others who are always learning stuff, too. Life is much richer that way.

Tell us about your current project!

I’m almost finished with edits on a book coming out next summer called Paris on Repeat. It’s an upper middle grade twist on Groundhog Day, set in Paris. It’s about an American military kid living overseas who gets stuck in a time loop during a class trip to Paris and must take risks to discover what trapped her there. Otherwise, she’ll be stuck reliving the most awkwardly painful day of her life forever.

What's your favorite love story (book or movie)?

Honestly, my first response was Practical Magic, the movie. Then I thought, well, gosh, there’s a lot of death in that movie, plus a very unhappy haunting…maybe I shouldn’t list that one as a LOVE STORY, and yet… I still love Sandra Bullock’s character and her happy ending. So yes, Practical Magic it is.

How do you pick names for your characters? Do any of them have any special meaning?

Names are so important! For Sierra in Fairy Keeper, I went through a whole list of names before finding out that one felt right, without any unwanted connotations from modern society. Phoebe’s and Nell’s names were easier for me, maybe because they weren’t main characters when I wrote them. They just popped out and the names stuck. But it’s not uncommon for me to change names after a first draft.

What scenes are your favorite to write (dialogue, romantic scenes, action or anything else)?

I love writing scenes where someone gets to tell their crush how they feel. Trying to capture that moment of extreme vulnerability that’s all tied up with nerves and hope and fears… I love that moment.

Do you have any quirky reading or writing habits?

When I start a new story, I often type at the very top of the page, “THIS IS JUST A BRAINSTORM AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP OR USE ANY OF IT.” I find it helps me relax and be more willing to play with my words, but it has come to my attention at writing events that not everyone feels the need to remind themselves of this in giant letters across the top of their screen.

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but I think we can all admit to have done so at some point. How important is the cover to you as an author?

The cover is so, so important. I was really fortunate with my World of Aluvia covers, that the artist, Amalia Chitulescu created exactly what I was hoping for, and then some.

What does your bookshelf look like? Is it organized and clean or chaotic and messy?
Unlike my desk, my book shelves are pretty organized—by age group and genre, and then by spine color to create rows of rainbows on the shelf.

What's your favorite quote?

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -- Aesop

If someone made a movie of your life, would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?

I’d hope it would be a romantic-comedy, but only the light, gentle kind, not the painful awkward ones. I can’t handle those and have to run out of the room.

If you were a superhero, what would your name, superpowers and costume be?

Captain Factual, able to wipe away misinformation with a single bound. I’d have an infinity bag full of nonfiction, ready to hand out at a moment’s notice for anyone, at any reading level. I am not currently working as a librarian anymore, but information literacy is still a topic close to my heart.

Coffee or tea?

Tea—I really cannot stand the taste of coffee. Chai tea is very yummy.

Best ice cream flavor?

Salted caramel (though I prefer fruit pie to ice cream or cake.)

What advice would you give to everyone?

Be kind and listen well, but don’t be afraid to have good boundaries.

Fairy Keeper (World of Aluvia #1)

by Amy Bearce

Publication date: January 22, 2019

Publisher: Snowy Wings Publisher

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.

Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.

The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn’t the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.

Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy -- assigned by her father to dog her every step -- to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper.

Add to Goodreads!

As a thank you for participating in our blog, we're offering a chance to win eight (8) ebooks and two (2) paperbacks from our middle-grade authors!

 An ebook of Something Wicked by Sarah Dale (releases Nov 2019)
 An ebook of The Falling by T. Damon
 An ebook of Keara’s Raven: Escape by Mindy Klasky
 An ebook of The Missing Guardian & The Mer Queen’s Daughter by Melanie McFarlane
 An ebook of the World of Aluvia series (Fairy Keeper, Mer-Charmer, Dragon Redeemer) by Amy Bearce
 A paperback of Life and Death & Gods and Demons by Selenia Paz