I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on blog tour for THE KING SLAYER by Virginia Boecker! I freaking LOVED this book so hard!! I have an interview with Virginia to
share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished
copy of the book!
Haven't heard of THE KING SLAYER? Check it out!
Title: THE KING
SLAYER
Author: Virginia
Boecker
Pub. Date: June 14,
2016
Publisher: Little,
Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon | Barnes
& Noble | iBooks | Goodreads
An action-packed and suspenseful sequel to The Witch Hunter, perfect for fans of Graceling and the Grisha Trilogy.
"I think, in time, you'll either be my greatest mistake or my greatest victory."
Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches and wizards she now calls her allies.
Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.
"Filled with everything a good fantasy book needs: swords, poison, black magic, and betrayal."--April Tucholke, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, on The Witch Hunter
Now on to the interview!
Hi
Virginia! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! THE KING
SLAYER was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And
am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!
For the
readers: can you tell us a little bit of a recap of THE WITCH HUNTER & what
we can expect in THE KING SLAYER?
Thank you so much, and thanks for having me! In THE WITCH HUNTER we’re introduced to Elizabeth Grey, a 16-year old witch hunter in the employ of Lord Thomas Blackwell, the Inquisitor of Anglia. Witchcraft is banned throughout the country, and when Elizabeth is caught in a compromising position and accused of being a witch herself, she’s thrown in prison. On the eve of her execution she’s set free by Nicholas Perevil, the country’s most notorious and wanted wizard, who offers Elizabeth her freedom in exchange for helping him to find the wizard who has laid a deadly curse on him. As Elizabeth’s involvement with Nicholas and his supporters deepens, everything she’s been taught and everything she thought she knew is put to the test, and she ultimately has to choose which side she belongs on. In THE KING SLAYER, Elizabeth loses something that is very important to her, we’re introduced to some new characters and reintroduced to some old ones, and everyone in the story learns what it means to have to start over.
Thank you so much, and thanks for having me! In THE WITCH HUNTER we’re introduced to Elizabeth Grey, a 16-year old witch hunter in the employ of Lord Thomas Blackwell, the Inquisitor of Anglia. Witchcraft is banned throughout the country, and when Elizabeth is caught in a compromising position and accused of being a witch herself, she’s thrown in prison. On the eve of her execution she’s set free by Nicholas Perevil, the country’s most notorious and wanted wizard, who offers Elizabeth her freedom in exchange for helping him to find the wizard who has laid a deadly curse on him. As Elizabeth’s involvement with Nicholas and his supporters deepens, everything she’s been taught and everything she thought she knew is put to the test, and she ultimately has to choose which side she belongs on. In THE KING SLAYER, Elizabeth loses something that is very important to her, we’re introduced to some new characters and reintroduced to some old ones, and everyone in the story learns what it means to have to start over.
So what
are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on my third book, which is top secret as it’s still unannounced!
But I can say it will be released in Summer 2018, it’s straight historical (no fantastical elements), there’s love, and disguise, and treachery, and murder, and I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
Right now I’m working on my third book, which is top secret as it’s still unannounced!
But I can say it will be released in Summer 2018, it’s straight historical (no fantastical elements), there’s love, and disguise, and treachery, and murder, and I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
Were any
of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
John’s personality was very much based on my husband’s. Kind, nurturing, thoughtful, self-possessed and self-aware, intelligent, confident, maybe a little bit messy around the edges J; by all measures a better person than me (though he inspires me to be better). Blackwell was based on my late father who, while intelligent and ambitious, possessed a violent and self-destructive streak that was ultimately his downfall.
John’s personality was very much based on my husband’s. Kind, nurturing, thoughtful, self-possessed and self-aware, intelligent, confident, maybe a little bit messy around the edges J; by all measures a better person than me (though he inspires me to be better). Blackwell was based on my late father who, while intelligent and ambitious, possessed a violent and self-destructive streak that was ultimately his downfall.
Who was
your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Schuyler is always my favorite character to write! He’s such a pisser. My least favorite character was Malcolm, the deposed king. I have mixed feelings about him in that I really want to like him, but the things he does tends to make that difficult. I think he redeems himself in the end, though.
Schuyler is always my favorite character to write! He’s such a pisser. My least favorite character was Malcolm, the deposed king. I have mixed feelings about him in that I really want to like him, but the things he does tends to make that difficult. I think he redeems himself in the end, though.
What is
your favorite passage/scene in THE KING SLAYER?
This scene between Elizabeth and Lord Blackwell comes in the first third
of THE KING SLAYER, and it’s a flashback to her witch hunter training.
“Look
at me,” he said.
I
did.
Tall.
Dark hair, shaven nearly to his scalp. Short, closely cropped beard. Well over
six feet. Attractive, if one could get past those hard, cruel eyes.
“You
were a mistake,” he said.
I
didn’t know what to say to that, if I should say anything to that. Finally, I
settled on “Yes, my lord.”
“Yet
with all that, here you are. Again. Still. Here.” He began to circle me, the
way a wolf does its prey. It took every ounce of control I had to stand in
place. “Why do you think that is? Why are you here, Elizabeth?”
I
had a thousand replies, none of which I could voice. Because of you? In spite of you? No thanks to you? Instead I said,
“To learn, my lord.”
“To
learn,” he repeated. “And what, pray, are you learning?”
He
was behind me now; I couldn’t see him but I could feel him, and every hair on
the back of my neck stood on end, shrieking their warning. His words were mild
but I could hear the pique behind them. I didn’t know how I’d displeased him
but then, I never did.
“How
to serve you.”
He
stepped around me so that he was facing me again. But I didn’t relax. And I
didn’t look at him, either. I kept my eyes on his golden tunic, the still-rising
sun glittering off the fabric.
“How
fortunate am I to have such a servant in you.”
He
was taunting me, I knew that. Once again I didn’t know how to respond, so once
again, I repeated myself. “Yes, my lord.” It had become a mantra.
Blackwell
looked toward the maze. I didn’t know what other recruits were inside, or who
had already returned. It occurred to me to wonder: Was he waiting for me? Was
that why he was here? Or was he waiting for someone else?
“Do
you think, Elizabeth, that you will make it through training?”
This,
I knew the answer to. I didn’t have to hunt around for what to reply and I
didn’t hesitate when I did.
“Yes,
my lord.”
Blackwell
nodded. “Yes. I see that you believe that. And I can see you wish me to believe
it, too.” He smiled, or at least gave the nearest approximation to a smile I’d
ever seen from him. It transformed him. It turned him from someone you would
fear into someone you could almost trust.
Almost.
“And
do you know? From what I saw today, I very nearly do believe it.”
My
heart swelled, and I felt a flush of pleasure race through my limbs all the way
into my cheeks, burning bright with what was, from him, the highest of praise.
“I
think, in time, you’ll either be my greatest mistake or my greatest victory.”
I love this scene so much. It gives me a little thrill every time I read
it.
What
kind of research did you have to do for the story?
Most of the research for this story, in terms of the 16th century English history on which is was based, was mostly done with THE WITCH HUNTER. But THE KING SLAYER does culminate in a battle that was based on the Battle of Bosworth Field (the final battle in The War of the Roses which resulted in the death of Richard III and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty) so I did have to research that a bit more. I looked at everything from armor to weaponry to strategy to infantry to logistics. I also spent a lot of time mapping in this book: the villages of Harrow-on-the-Hill (where the majority of the story takes place) is based on the Cotswolds, but shrunk to roughly Manhattan sized proportions. There’s a lot of movement within Harrow throughout this story and as I am fairly geographically challenged – I’m that person that always underestimates the distance from one place to another (“on the map it’s like an inch”) – it took some doing.
Most of the research for this story, in terms of the 16th century English history on which is was based, was mostly done with THE WITCH HUNTER. But THE KING SLAYER does culminate in a battle that was based on the Battle of Bosworth Field (the final battle in The War of the Roses which resulted in the death of Richard III and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty) so I did have to research that a bit more. I looked at everything from armor to weaponry to strategy to infantry to logistics. I also spent a lot of time mapping in this book: the villages of Harrow-on-the-Hill (where the majority of the story takes place) is based on the Cotswolds, but shrunk to roughly Manhattan sized proportions. There’s a lot of movement within Harrow throughout this story and as I am fairly geographically challenged – I’m that person that always underestimates the distance from one place to another (“on the map it’s like an inch”) – it took some doing.
Who is
your ultimate book boyfriend?
Sean Kendrick from THE SCORPIO RACES. He is moody and brooding and uncommunicative and I am desperately in love with him.
Sean Kendrick from THE SCORPIO RACES. He is moody and brooding and uncommunicative and I am desperately in love with him.
What
inspired you to write YA?
Because I like writing about moody, brooding, uncommunicative boys, which are qualities really only desirable when said boys are sub-19. After that they just make difficult men, which are a lot less fun to write about.
Because I like writing about moody, brooding, uncommunicative boys, which are qualities really only desirable when said boys are sub-19. After that they just make difficult men, which are a lot less fun to write about.
But in all seriousness, I love the firsts in YA (first love, first
heartbreak, and, I guess if you’re reading my books, first kill…), I
love the breakneck pacing, and I love how respectful they are of readers time:
get in, get that story going, quickly get to those heartbreaking and heart stopping
moments that we all love and wait for.
Lightening
Round Questions
What are
you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to
read? Rereading Scorpio Races for the millionth time. Dying to read LADY
JANE.
What
Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Gryffindor.
Twitter
or Facebook? Instagram.
Favorite
Superhero? Iron Man. Speaking of pissers…
Favorite
TV show? Project Runway. Tim Gunn is a literal angel, too good for this mortal
plane. Also, I want Heidi to shout at me in German while I work out, and to
tuck Zac Posen in my pocket and have him advise me on my wardrobe.
Sweet or
Salty? Salty.
Any
Phobias? Flying. Roaches. Flying roaches. The ocean.
Song you
can’t get enough of right now? I’m having a Supertramp moment
right now, so it’s a toss up between Take
the Long Way Home and The Logical
Song. They’re both great running songs.
Spring
Movie you’re most looking forward to? Jason Bourne.
About Virginia:
Virginia Boecker recently spent four years in London obsessing over English medieval history, which formed the basis of The Witch Hunter. She now lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband and spends her days writing, reading, running, and chasing around her two children and a dog named George.
In addition to English kings, nine-day queens, and Protestant
princesses, her other obsessions include The Smiths, art museums,
champagne, and Chapstick. She is represented by the incomparable Kathleen Ortiz at New Leaf Literary &
Media.
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE KING SLAYER, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
6/13/2016- Dark
Faerie Tales- Interview
6/13/2016- Fiction
Fare- Review
6/14/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Guest Post
6/14/2016- The
YA Book Traveler- Review
6/15/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
6/15/2016- Me,
My Shelf and I- Review
6/16/2016- Owl Always Be Reading- Guest Post
6/16/2016- The Best Books Ever - Review
6/17/2016- Adventures
of a Book Junkie- Interview
6/17/2016- Mundie
Moms- Review
