Welcome to my tour stop for Sky Chariots Saga by Emily Mah! This is a YA/NA high fantasy series. This is a series tour with three books. The tour runs September 21 to October 2 with reviews, author interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for more information.
For over a thousand years, the Tanoa have relied on their Earth Shamen to bring rich harvests, temper stone tools and weapons, and imbue pottery with strength like metal. Now, though, the bloodline has dwindled to one Shaman, Tuwa, who is trapped high in the mountains, holding bedrock together to prevent a volcanic eruption while the rest of her people flee to safety. The only way to save the village is for her to sacrifice herself and buy them the time they need to evacuate.But her grandson, Ahote, refuses to abandon her to die. Rather than do as she asks—marry and bear daughters who might inherit her gift—he sets out to find the one person who might be able to save Tuwa’s life.Kasha is a Tanoa girl in who lives in Solace, a city of the pale-skinned Andalanos. If the Engineers Guild ever discovers her gender or race, they could order her execution—for in violation of the King’s law, Master Engineer Seamus trained Kasha as his apprentice. She is a genius in all things mechanical and earned her master certification when only fourteen years old. Since Seamus’s death, she has been discreetly working his job as the City Engineer.She knows there is no machine or technology that can save Tuwa. In order to complete this task, Kasha must invent a vehicle unlike anything the world has ever seen, and risk exposure and death in the process.
About Blessing Sky:
Master Engineer Kasha lives in hiding. As a Tanoa and a woman, she has no legal right to her title, and risks expulsion or even execution if the Guild discovers her identity. For over a year she has served as the City Engineer of the Andalano city of Solace, home to the Winged Riders and their pegasus mounts.Now, though, her people need her. The last of their Earth Shamen is trapped in the mountains, holding back a volcanic eruption so that the rest of her people can escape. It is a job for only the greatest of all engineers, and that happens to be Kasha.But when her kinsman, Ahote, breaks the most sacred law of the Winged Riders, an alliance with him means certain death. Kasha must work alone to solve the most difficult engineering problem of all time before the summer months are done and winter comes to claim the life of the Shaman and the hope of her people.
About Cleansing Fire:
Kasha has lived her life in hiding, working the job of the City Engineer of Wingmount, in a society that lets neither women, nor any member of the Tanoa race work trades. Finally, she has been offered the chance to work for her own people, who must evacuate their beloved Earth Shaman from the slopes of an active volcano. No other engineer in history could build the craft that Kasha has designed for this task: the sky chariot. However, in order to fly it, she and her cousin, Ahote, will breach the most sacred rules of the Andalanos, the pale skinned race of people who govern their nation. Once, Kasha thought she would not mind betraying them. They had only given her grief. But as she has grown in her talent for engineering, many Andalanos have supported her at great risk to themselves. Even high ranking government officials seek her counsel and beg for her aid in a costly war they fight on the coast, in a part of the kingdom Kasha has never seen and never thought she’d care about. There is no way to help one people without betraying the other, and in this society, betrayal often means death. Kasha must decide where her loyalties lie, and whether she is up to the task of saving the last shaman of her people.
Emily writes as both Emily Mah (for science fiction and fantasy) and E.M. Tippetts (for chick lit). Her short stories have appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, The Black Gate, and anthologies like The Dragon and the Stars, Shanghai Steam, and The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth. Her E.M. Tippetts novels have been on the Amazon Top 100 numerous times, and her novel, Someone Else's Fairytale was semi-finalist for the Best Indie Book of the Year - Kindle Book Review, and a runner up in Romance for the Best of the Independent Book Awards - eFestival of Words. She is a graduate of the Clarion West Writer's Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy and Viable Paradise Writers Workshop, and she often teaches the unit on self-publishing at the Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop.When she is not writing or chasing small children, she manages E.M. Tippetts Book Designs, her company which offers formatting, cover design, and editing services to authors and publishers.
Website | Facebook | Twitter @EmilyMah | YouTube
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
My best friend's PhD dissertation on the creation of the first Navajo-English dictionary. It was full of all kinds of fascinating insights about how the Navajo language changed in the process and had certain English norms imprinted on it. That got me thinking about how it is cultures can change each other, and I find that sort of thing fascinating.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love all my characters! A favorite among my beta-readers was Magistrate Xavier, the man who rules the city of Wingmount, because there is a lot that is mysterious about him. He's very young to have the job, and is on the outs with the royal family, so you know he's got to be cunning to be where he is.
Which came first, the title or the novel?
It's always the novel for me. I haven't ever had the title come first with any of my books.
What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I wish I felt a sense of pride when I read my own work, but I'm always seeing all the things I do wrong. The scenes that make me cringe the least are the volcano scenes at the end.
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?
"The day it's not your fault is the day your career is over." - Connie Willis. "It" is anything that you blame for hurting your career. People who don't figure out how to overcome whatever life throws their way will never succeed. Even when things seem out of your control, find out what you can control and work from there.
What do you like most about the cover of the book?
The tremendously talented Raya Golden did the original art for it, and she did a spectacular job.
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2015?
I'm still reading through all the books on my Kindle that I haven't gotten around to yet!
What was your favorite book in 2014?
Even narrowed down by year, there are always too many good books to name. I found Capital in the 20th Century very interesting (I have a degree in economics), I believe 2014 is when I discovered The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley. Those both stand out, but they are two among many.
What’s up next for you?
I also write chick lit as EM Tippetts, and I've got another book in my Fairytale series about to come out. Just need to coordinate my launch plans with my publicist!
Is there anything that you would like to add?
Just a sincere thank you for having me on your site!
I agree about the Magistrate, I really like him as well. Wonderful interview! Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop today Beth!
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