Hello book lovers! I have a treat for you today… I was asked to take part in the Blog Tour for Fireborn by Aisling Fowler so I just had to get her on the blog! So here we go…
Hey Ash, thanks for coming on 🙂
First off, tell us a little about yourself and why readers should check out your work…
Hello! My name’s Ash and I’ve written a story called Fireborn. It’s the first book in a new middle-grade fantasy trilogy which is packed with adventure, dangerous monsters, loveable animal companions and a group of complicated characters slowly warming to each other. I wanted to write something fast-paced and immersive so if that sounds like your cup of tea then consider checking it out.
Oooo, please tell us more about ‘Fireborn’. (It’s such a cool title)
It sounds amazing… and I know because I’ve read it. And it is in-fact amazing. Read my review 🙂
Thank you so much! So, Fireborn follows Twelve, a huntling who has given up her name in order to train at the Hunting Lodge in the art of fighting monsters. Why does she need to learn that, you might wonder. . . Well, Ember is a pretty dangerous place, full of dark creatures, and the Hunting Lodge is tasked with protecting the seven clans who live in it. However, Twelve has a dark past and, unbeknownst to the Hunters, has a very different reason for being there. Things come to a head when the Lodge is attacked and a girl called Seven – the closest thing Twelve has to friend – is taken. When the Hunters don’t immediately send out a rescue party, Twelve decides to set out on her own. She’s not the only one with that idea though and, to her horror, she is soon part of an unlikely group making their way through the wilderness together . . .
What is your local bookshop and how can people find it?
I’m really lucky to have a lovely indie called Pages of Hackney as my local bookshop. It’s one of my favourite places and can be found on Lower Clapton Road in (you guessed it!) Hackney, London.
What was your favourite book as a child?
Eek – it’s almost impossible to pick just one book! If you really pushed me, I think it would be between Northern Lights and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban though.
What was it that inspired you to become a writer?
I wrote a lot as a child but then stopped when I was a teenager. Even though I still had ideas that I would jot down now and then, I really stopped making time for it. It wasn’t until a friend of mine at university asked me to read a book she’d written that I realised my desire to write was still alive and kicking. It was a lightbulb moment for me and I credit that friend (she’s called Phoebe) with inspiring me to write again.
How do you like to work? (For example, with snacks, with music, or serenaded by the tortured souls of a thousand unused notebooks? Do you prefer to type or to hand-write?) Tell us a little bit about your writing method!
When I’m planning out a story I’m split between jotting in notebooks (to justify the fact I keep buying them!) and making notes in a Word doc. Once I get to drafting it’s all on my laptop though. I’m trying to get better at working in coffee shops but I’m easily distracted and find working at home usually suits me best. No snacks or serenading, just a cup of tea and a peaceful atmosphere.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self to not stop writing! There was a period of over a decade where I almost totally lost the writing habit, so I’d encourage myself to keep making time for it and remind myself that it’s something I love.
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
I don’t remember the exact moment it happened, but for as long as I’ve been able to read I’ve been a book lover. There must have been an instant when I was quite young that I understood the power of a book’s language to take me into worlds and lives beyond my own. That experience was powerful and magical enough to make a life-long bookworm of me – I do wish I remembered the exact moment!
Every writer encounters stumbling blocks, be it a difficult chapter, challenging subject matter or just starting a new project. How do you motivate yourself on days when you don’t want to write?
It depends which stage I’m at. When I’m drafting, I have a strict 2000 words/day policy which keeps me honest. It’s a bit greyer when I’m editing but I have a loose routine that usually carries me through: I start by 10 at the latest and keep going until at least 5. There are days where it feels like I’m wading through treacle, but I try to remind myself that I want the book to be the best version of itself it can be. To get to the fun, easy bits later on, you’ve got to slog through the pits of despair first!
In the unfortunate event you have to defend your lands from an evil race of highly intelligent and vicious Hypno-Snails (because that could totally happen), which book characters are you recruiting to stand by your side and what is your weapon of choice?
Ooh, I would definitely want Twelve (honestly, I’d probably just hide behind her though – I’d be useless in this situation!)! I’d probably also grab Lila Bard from VE Scwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series and Lucy Carlyle from Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. Those snails wouldn’t stand a chance! I think I’d be a liability with any weapon but I suppose in this situation I’d have to step up, so I’d probably go bow and arrow to keep those snails as far away as possible!
Tell us about a book that’s excellent, but underappreciated or obscure.
I don’t hear many people talking about Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O’Brien which I think is a huge shame. I don’t remember many standalones from when I was young, but I do remember this one! It’s an oldish book now, first published in 1971, and follows the trials of a small fieldmouse called Mrs Frisby who seeks help from a mysterious group of rats when her family and home are threatened. It’s a brilliant adventure and I still love it now.
What does literary success look like to you?
If my book was enjoyed by children and inspired some of them to read for pleasure more often, then I’d consider Fireborn a job well done.
Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress?
I’m actually working on the third book in the Fireborn series at the moment. It’s kind of incredible to me that the whole trilogy exists now– I never thought I’d get to write books 2 or 3 as I didn’t expect the first one would actually be published!
And finally (and most importantly)… What is your favourite biscuit?
Favourite biscuit – oooh, this is another tricky one. There’s something about a milk chocolate digestive though . . . so simple, so perfect with tea! There are fancier biscuits out there, but the chocolate digestive has a quiet confidence in itself. I really respect that.
Thank you so much Aisling for visiting Stoomio. I’d LOVE to get Aisling back on to talk about book 2 and 3… and maybe more biscuits?
Let me know in the comments if there are any questions you’d like to ask and I’ll be sure to ask once I bribe Ash to come back on…
You can follow Aisling Fowler on twitter to keep an eye on upcoming books 🙂 or for some non threatening online stalking. And if you still haven’t check out my review of Fireborn.
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