Author Interview (and Giveaway) with Anne Elizabeth Stengl!

Hello everyone! Today I got a super awesome author with me today and she was sooo good that I wanted to share her with you guys! So here's some pics of her books:

And the book of notice today:

 Aren't these like AWESOME book covers?!?!?!? I LOVE them! :D


And now Blog readers meet Ms. Stengl, Ms. Stengl meet my wonderful blog readers.

1: If you had the power to keep earth at one season for a year which season would it be?

Ooooh, tough question. Either early spring or early fall. Both times of year are SO gorgeous, but I don't know if I can pick between budding flowers or colorful leaves! If you forced me to pick, probably early spring . . .

2: If you were a Superhero what would your name be?

The Amazing Cat Lady.

Which is lame.

How about the Stealth Cat? Less lame, but also less accurate. My big brother once told me I was as stealthy as a garbage truck. Something with "cat" in it though, because I am a major crazy cat lady.

3: If you were a superhero what would your theme song be?

Um . . . "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats"? I'm trying to keep my cat theme here, but not sure if there are any good "superhero" cat songs.

4: If you could make one day last a week what would you do during that one day?

I would spend all day with my darling husband, Rohan! After sleeping in reeeeeeeeeeeeealllly late, we would get up and have a leisurely cup of tea (or five) together. We'd play with our various kitties, both our own pets and our rescue kittens. Then we'd take our doggie for a long, long walk. It would all be very relaxing! When we got home, we'd read a book aloud to each other. While he read to me, I would quilt or sketch. While I read to him, he would bake something delicious, like cheesecake or puff pastries.

As our long day drew toward evening, we'd dress up beautifully--him in a handsome suit, me in a twirly red dress--and we'd go downtown to listen to a live jazz band and dance the night away! My husband is a wonderful dancer . . . wonderful enough to make me look good. LOL. And we both love jazz music and the romantic standards of yesterday. 

Or perhaps we'd go listen to an orchestra playing in a local park. If I could pick the music, it would be something by Edvard Grieg, my favorite composer, all on a soft spring evening. Maybe we'd meet some of our dearest friends, and all enjoy the music together, laughing and joking during intermissions.

Then home again to all the kitties, the long-suffering doggie, and another cup of tea before bed. And, of course, a nibble of whatever delicious something my husband baked!

Sigh . . . I like this little daydream.

5: If you could be any ruler from the past who would you be?

Probably Cleopatra. I suspect she had a lot of cats . . . :)

6: If you could be any villain or rebel from a book who would you be and from what book?

I think I would have to be the Queen of Attolia from Megan Whalen Turner's books. I look a little bit like how she's described (though neither tall nor mean enough), and she wears a lot of red, which I do love to wear. She's REALLY freaky, but as you read more of the books, you come to understand and even to love her. An amazing villain! I highly recommend those books.

7: If you could have any job in the world what would it be?

I really, really love the job I'm doing. I think I was born to be a storyteller!

8: If you started a band what kind of songs would you sing and what would you call your band?

I'd probably want to do romantic ballads with a hint of fairy tale themes in every song. Something that all lovers of fairy tales would enjoy, with violins and harps and flutes . . . and a piano, because that's all I know how to play! Heheh. We'd be called Dragon's Teeth. Or The Between. Or possibly even Iubdan's Beard.

9: If you were a character in a book would you be the villian, the kick-butt hero, or the man/damsel in distress?

How about a damsel who starts out distressed but grows into a kick-butt heroine? I like that idea. That, or I'd be the villain, because villains get all the best lines and the best clothes. It's just a fact.

10: What is your favorite food?

Tea and scones! I grew up in England, so I have some leftover British tastes.

11: What was your inspiration for writing Starflower?

It's actually a bit difficult to remember the initial inspiration. I conceived of this idea when I was seventeen years old, wrote various short-story versions of it, and shelved it until I was twenty-four. I believe Starflower's story was first inspired by the classic Maiden and Wolf motif that we see in Fairy Tales, most prominently, of course, in Little Red Riding Hood. This story is NOTHING like that fairy tale . . . and yet, it has a fairy tale flavor that is almost familiar. The Maiden and Wolf theme is such a part of our unconscious love of stories, who's to say where it originated?

12: If Starflower was made into a movie who would you want to play the main characters?

 I would cast Shay Mitchell as Starflower herself. She has the exotic beauty and youthful charm for the part!

A young Jude Law would play Eanrin, with a nice mixture of charisma and arrogance!

Glomar of the guard would be played by Chris Hemsworth,

 and Lady Gleamdren would be Amanda Seyfried, who has the perfect otherworldly impishness. 

I can't think of good casting for everyone else . . . Who would you cast for the main characters?

13: What would you want the movie's theme song to be?

I asked my fans on my Facebook page to answer that, and got a bunch of wonderful answers. But I think my favorite was the suggestion made by young authoress Abigail Hartman--"The Never-Ending Road" by Loreena McKennitt. It's simply perfect for Starflower!

14: Tell us about the newest book.                                    

The next book to release is Dragonwitch, coming summer 2013! This is its description:

 Submissive to her father's will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves--Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country. 

But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta's tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.

And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice...and for the one person who can wield it.

15: Are you working on another book? If you are would you like to tell us about it or would you like to keep it a secret?

I'm always working on another book! But at this point, I do have to keep it a secret . . . I'll be telling the world about it as soon as I can, of course!

Thank you for hosting me for this lovely interview, Brenna. I found some of these questions quite challenging and had to ask for fan suggestions! :)

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Thank YOU for that interview it rocked!!! And I do believe I caught my mom staring at the picture of Jude Law for a little over 5 minutes with some drool dripping onto the desk.....jk! sort of. :) And now everyone needs to say a big thank you to Ms. Stengl because she's giving away a signed copy of Starflower and some Swag!! So can we say Thank you? :)

Here's the giveaway, Good Luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway