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Monday, September 14, 2020

Blog Tour- TREETOPS by Peter Bremer With An Excerpt & #Giveaway!


I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the TREETOPS by Peter Bremer Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:
Title: TREETOPS
Author: Peter Bremer
Pub. Date: September 18, 2020
Publisher: Peter Bremer
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 443
Find it: GoodreadsAmazon

What would you do if you lost the one thing that matters the most?

Teenager Jackie Ashmore is struggling with the passing of her mother and angry over a cross-country move to Minnesota when she receives an unexpected birthday present that opens up a remarkable fantasy world where creatures from the past and the present coexist. Aided by unlikely animal allies and an aging guardian named Nimbus, Jackie embarks on a desperate rescue mission to save her little brother Dustin who has been kidnapped by a hooded rider and stolen across the clouds. Forced to grow up, Jackie must overcome her own fears and navigate a strange land as she journeys towards a confrontation with a mysterious power named Samuel Flood, who is using the boy for his own hidden purposes. With time running out and unbearable losses mounting, Jackie faces ever tougher choices that will determine not only the fate of her brother, but possibly the Earth below as well.

Interview:
Hey Peter! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! TREETOPS sounds AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about the TREETOPS and the characters?

Sure. Treetops is a young adult fantasy book about a girl named Jackie who must rescue her little brother Dustin who has been kidnapped and taken to another realm. She’s not in a good place when we first meet her. Jillian, her mother, has recently died and Jackie is upset over having to move to Minnesota, and leave all her friends behind. Having to rescue her brother helps her face fears and come to terms with losing her mom. In short, she grows up a lot! Jackie is effectively a stranger in a strange land when she enters the fantasy world of Treetops. Some of it is painful and some of it is scary, and some of it is amazingly beautiful. She has the help of an aging guardian named Nimbus as well as a dozen extinct and endangered animals called her Chosen. There is also a villain, of course. His name is Samuel Flood. He does some very bad things for arguably good reasons. There are also other characters who inhabit gray areas of morality such as Hunter Greenwold, a down-and-out-detective and Gaylon, an apprentice of Samuel Flood.

What are you working on now?

I have several novellas and a bunch of short stories that I would like to get published next year, if all goes well. Some have been lying around for a long time, while others are relatively new. I’m proud of them all and hope they see the light of day. One of the novellas is called The Forever Stone and deals with the aftermath of a village whose inhabitants become immortal. The other is The Dragon on the Doorstep. It centers on a luckless knight, a dissatisfied princess, and an orphaned dragon. One of the longer short stories deals with three Celtic goddesses trying to eke out an existence in modern Ireland.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

That’s a great question. I suppose as a writer one always borrows, intentionally or not, from the people around us. Specifically, in Treetops, several of the characters arose from people in my own life, people that I needed to make sense of. I didn’t realize that, for the most part, when I was writing it, but when I look back at the finished book it is fairly obvious. An example would be Nimbus, who in Treetops is a shadow of his former self, forgetful, and frail. My father was diagnosed with dementia when I was in my early thirties. I watched him disappear, losing pieces of himself, as he struggled with the terrible illness. It’s not something you ever forget.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

I really got a kick out of writing the scenes involving Regnal, the talking dodo bird. Regnal is sarcastic and says exactly what is on his mind, no matter how much it hurts the other person. Admittedly, it is no fun to be on the receiving end, as Jackie often is, but I found his acerbic tongue to be a delightful contrast to his ineffectual and ridiculous physique. There aren’t any characters I disliked writing, but there were some that were easier to write than others. Gaylon was originally apprenticed to Nimbus, but was then lured away by Samuel Flood for his own dark designs. When we see him in Treetops he’s still struggling with the choices he made. I worked hard to make that come across. He’s still trying to figure out who he wants to be.

What is your favorite passages/scenes in TREETOPS?

Anything involving the grandeur of Treetops, especially the cloud valley and the Grove of Earth Trees. Being able to describe the myriad of extinct and endangered animals all congregating together was a joy to write, and also incredibly sad.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

I had to educate myself regarding the impact that humankind is having on the planet, both on a micro and a macro level. This unfolding tragedy changes so fast. Creatures that were only endangered when I was writing early drafts such as the western black rhino became extinct by the end. Climate change predictions from IPCC scientists became more and more dire. Sometimes it felt like I was writing a fictional story about the possible end of the world, while the real world was doing an even better job trying to go down the drain.

Who is your ultimate villain?

I tend to like villains who are more nuanced. The classics such as Darth Vader and Voldemort are a lot of fun, but I prefer those like Jaime Lannister or Severus Snape who grow and reveal aspects of their personality and motivations over time.

What inspired you to write fantasy?

Easy answer! Stephen R Donaldson. I read his original Chronicles of Thomas Covenant in high school and fell in love with the genre and his writing. He has the ability to write epic stories while also bringing you deep into the character’s inner lives.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I’m currently reading The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron.

Instagram, Twitter or Facebook?

I’m afraid I’m going to date myself, but Facebook, although I use all three at work.

Favorite Superhero?

Another easy question. Morpheus. If you won’t count one of the Endless as a superhero then my second pick would be Cyclops. C’mon, he shots ruby beams out his eyes!

Favorite TV show?

My current favorites are Upload, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and No Tomorrow. My all time faves are Parks & Recreation, Northern exposure and Firefly.

Sweet or Salty?

Both. Chocolate covered potato chips.

Any Phobias?

Spiders. I discovered one this morning while cleaning and it nearly killed me.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

New Tom Petty song There Goes Angela (Dream Away) from the forthcoming Wildflowers: All the Rest.

Fall 2020 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Tenet. Also Godzilla vs King Kong, although it was pushed back from November 2020 to spring 2021.

Thanks so much Peter for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read TREETOPS!

About Peter Bremer:

Peter Bremer is a librarian at a small college in Minnesota and the author of almost a dozen published professional articles, none of which feature dragons or unicorns or impossibly tall trees. He lives with his wife and furry dog in a very small town and believes that the world, on average, is a far better place with more nature in it, not less.




Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of TREETOPS, US Only.


Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/14/2020
Excerpt
9/14/2020
Interview
9/15/2020
Instagram Post
9/15/2020
Excerpt
9/16/2020
Interview
9/16/2020
Instagram Post
9/17/2020
Excerpt
9/17/2020
Instagram Post
9/18/2020
Excerpt
9/18/2020
Instagram Post

Week Two:
9/21/2020
Excerpt
9/21/2020
Instagram Post
9/22/2020
Review
9/22/2020
Instagram Post
9/23/2020
Excerpt
9/23/2020
Instagram Post
9/24/2020
Review
9/24/2020
Excerpt
9/25/2020
Excerpt
9/25/2020
Review


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