I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE
SPIRIT BREATHER by Bekah Harris Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: THE
SPIRIT BREATHER (Native Guardians #1)
Author: Bekah Harris
Pub. Date: October 1, 2017
Publisher: Dreamlake Media
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Pages: 252
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, TBD, Bookshop.org
READ FOR FREE WITH A KU
SUBSCRIPTION! ( A 30 Day Trial is Free Now!)
The Vampire Diaries meets Native lore in this
dark fantasy romance.
An immortal guardian.
A soul-stealing enemy.
A dangerous, new power.
Only the Spirit Breather can stand against the
darkness…
Months after surviving an assault that nearly
claimed her life, Emily Morrow’s summer goal is to forget about the memories
that lurk in her nightmares. So when her friends invite her on a post-grad
camping trip in the mountains, she jumps at the chance to escape her haunting
past, even for just a few days.
But even miles from home, Emily’s past is closer
than ever.
When her best friend, Kadie, is snatched by the
dark creatures nesting in the forest, Emily comes face to face with the truth
behind her chilling past. Together, with the mysterious Joseph Stomper, who is
much more than he seems, Emily must find the courage to embrace her role in a
centuries-old prophecy and harness a dangerous gift before she loses everyone
she loves.
With Kadie’s life hanging in the balance, will
Emily learn to control her new power? Or will the darkness destroy them both?
Filled with deadly magic, frightening folklore,
and forbidden romance, The Spirit Breather is a spine-tingling paranormal
fantasy that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.
What Readers are Saying:
"Sometimes a book will come along that will
surprise and captivate you, it will draw you into the story and make you a part
of the world. This is such a book!! This book was simply brilliant!!! I adored
every minute of it." - Natalie, A Book Lover's Life
"It was so refreshing to open this book up
to a new kind of story, with Native American characters taking center-stage and
diving into an entire mythos of lore, spiritual awakening, latent magical
powers, ageless sage leaders, and, naturally, angsty young people battling not
only big scary monsters, but themselves in a conflict of deep personal
struggle, of self discovery, of a painful past, and of a hopeful future."
- Dustin Street, Big Small Town Books
"The amount of detail and heart Harris put
into her characters and setting make The Spirit Breather stand out from the
crowd. The story is wildly entertaining, the characters are easy to love, the
plot is carefully crafted, and the writing is lovely. This was a refreshing
read and I'm looking forward to more about Joseph and Emily in the
future." - Amazon Customer
Interview:
Hey Bekah!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad
you could stop by for a chat! THE SPIRIT BREATHER sounds AWESOME and I can’t
wait for everyone to read it!
Thanks for having me! I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about the THE SPIRIT BREATHER and the characters?
THE SPIRIT BREATHER is a YA paranormal/fantasy based on the terrifying
legends and lore of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Appalachian
settlers.
At its core, it is about a broken teen girl who finds her
inner strength through her role in an ancient
prophecy that names her the savior of her people.
All this self-actualization and
coming-of-age awesomeness is revealed through action, adventure, magic and
romance; frightening creatures like Raven Mockers and Nunnehi Immortals; and
the beautiful, dangerous backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains.
What are you
working on now?
I am in the early planning and writing stages of a new series,
tentatively titled The Lost Coven. It is based on the historical settlement of
Lost Cove, deep in the mountains of East Tennessee. The settlement is now an
abandoned ghost town and popular, albeit
dangerous, destination for hikers and ghost hunters.
So, of course, I will be putting my own paranormal/fantastical spin on
this setting, incorporating Celtic/Appalachian vampire and faerie lore, as well as folk magic, often called
Appalachian Hoodoo. I am super excited about how this one is shaping up!
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
When I was writing the final version of THE SPIRIT BREATHER, I had just
gone through a traumatic, high risk pregnancy and premature delivery. My son
was in the hospital for five months fighting for his life, and I had a lot to
cope with once we were all finally home together. Emily Morrow is not based on
me, but her trauma is a reflection of the brokenness I felt during that time.
Basically, I recovered from the trauma by writing through it. As an author, I
was pretty cruel to her, but she turned out alright in the end, just as I did.
Kadie Townsend is a mash-up of a couple of my best friends from
childhood, who were always spunky, fierce, and up for adventure, and Derrick
Alexander is a smorgasbord of every
terrible boyfriend I had before meeting my husband!
Ezra Crowe is a combination of my father and late grandfather, both
no-nonsense “tough guys” who never let age stop them from taking charge and
doing what needs to be done. Neither of them are/were sit-in-the-recliner type
of old guys. I mean, my dad is 73, and he takes Jujitsu and Kickboxing, for
crying out loud, so I definitely echoed that type of spirit in Ezra Crowe.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Emily was my favorite character to write because there are so many
layers to her recovery and self-realization. I wanted to start out with someone
who was broken, yet not weak, and maybe had a different view of herself than
others had of her. It was challenging to gradually allow her to come into her
own as a fierce badass leader.
My least favorite character to write would have to be Derrick
Alexander. In the beginning drafts of this novel, he was a bit
one-dimensional--the proverbial jerk ex-boyfriend with no redeeming qualities.
I didn’t want readers to like him, but at the same time, he had to be
believable. As I revised, I worked hard to mold him into a more sympathetic,
complicated character. In the end, many people tell me they really love that
about him, and honestly, he became one of my favorites, despite the fact that
he was a pain to write. He is the well-meaning, complicated boyfriend who wants
to be better but chooses the wrong thing every time. In the end, though, he’s a
bit of an anti-hero.
What is your
favorite passages/scenes in THE SPIRIT BREATHER?
Definitely the ending scene between Emily and Ezra Crowe. I won’t give
away any spoilers, but she has to choose between the life she has always known
and the people she is sworn to protect. I have a thing for last lines, and the
last line of this book is, by far, my favorite I’ve ever written.
And of course, the kissing scene between Emily and Joseph! Forbidden
romance is the best kind!
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
Endless! Before writing this, I was actually researching my
grandfather’s heritage. He was raised on a Cherokee reservation in Georgia,
though we are Irish. Apparently, the Irish were treated so badly in the
industrial North, that many of them came South, searching for a better life.
From what little I know--and I have to do more research on this--the Cherokee
accepted them and allowed them to live among them.
All of this led me to Cherokee, NC, where I became obsessed with the
legends and lore. I visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Oconaluftee
Indian Village, and watched Unto These Hills, an outdoor drama that details the
story of the Cherokee. I found a local bookstore and racked up a huge bill on
books about their history, mythology, and legends. When I read about the Raven
Mockers, the Nunnehi, and the
Spirit Warriors, I couldn’t get them out of my
head.
The Spirit Breather, as a character, is of my own creation, but the
series began with the Raven Mockers and the Nunnehi Immortals.
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
It would have to be James Fraser from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander
series. I first reader the series about ten years ago, and I fell in love with
the romance between Jamie and Claire. He is definitely a strong Alpha Male with
all the hero qualities, but he also has brains to go along with the brawn and
is secure enough in himself to allow Claire to be strong, independent, and
assertive. He is as close to perfect as they come...which is why he is
fictional and not real.
What inspired you
to write YA?
Honestly, my favorite books are YA stories. I grew up on a healthy diet
of R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, Richie Tankersley Cusick, and L.J. Smith.
Then, when I began teaching high school English, one of the ways I would relate
to my students was through the books they were reading--not what was in the
textbook. They introduced me to the authors of their generation, from Stephenie
Meyer and Cassandra Clare to Holly Black and Neil Gaimon. I read everything I
could get my hands on. Even in college, though, my professors would tell me all
my stories were about teenagers and old people. So I just went with it. All of
my stories involve teenagers and at least one amazing elderly character, like
Ezra Crowe.
Lightning Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
Right now, I’m reading Lady
Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I’ve been so caught up in my own writing that
I’ve neglected my TBR pile. Thanks to the Corona Virus (if we can really thank
this awful pandemic for anything), I’m getting caught up. I am dying to read
Clare’s latest, Chain of Gold, but I
want to finish the other series before I start on that one.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
According to Pottermore, I am a Hufflepuff. Realistically, though, I’ve
always thought I would be more of a Ravenclaw, even though the Potter fan in me
would choose to be in Gryffindor.
Instagram, Twitter
or Facebook?
I’ve never really gotten into Twitter, so fans can typically find me on
Facebook and Instagram, where I post more frequently. Thanks to my students, I
have recently discovered TikTok, which is a fantastic vortex of vapid and
useless distractions. I’m really just there for the cat videos.
Favorite Superhero?
WonderWoman, of course!
Favorite TV show?
Outlander
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet
Any Phobias?
Spiders and Clowns
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Anything by Billie Eilish
2020 Movie you’re
most looking forward to?
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but I heard it just got pushed back to 2021.
Blasted pandemic. :(
Thanks so much Bekah for answering my
questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read THE SPIRIT BREATHER!
About Bekah:
Born and
raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, Bekah Harris has been writing since
she could hold a pencil. The beauty of her home in the Appalachian Mountains,
along with the legends, myths, and folklore of that area, is what inspires the
unique plots and settings captured in her young adult fiction. In addition to
her love of all things fictional, Bekah is also a freelance writer and editor,
an occasional adjunct professor, and a high school English teacher. When not
working, Bekah can be found at home building block towers for her son to knock
down, drinking coffee and watching Netflix with her husband.
Giveaway Details:
One lucky winner will receive a signed finished
copy of the THE SPIRIT BREATHER, US Only.
Tour
Schedule:
Week
One:
3/30/2020
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Excerpt
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3/30/2020
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Excerpt
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3/31/2020
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Excerpt
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3/31/2020
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Spotlight
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4/1/2020
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Excerpt
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4/1/2020
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Excerpt
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4/2/2020
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Excerpt
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4/2/2020
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Review
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4/3/2020
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Review
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4/3/2020
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Review
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Week
Two:
4/6/2020
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Review
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4/6/2020
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Excerpt
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4/7/2020
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Review
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4/7/2020
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Excerpt
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4/8/2020
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Review
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4/8/2020
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Review
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4/9/2020
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Review
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4/9/2020
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Interview
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4/10/2020
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Interview
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4/10/2020
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Review
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