Interview & Giveaway: Mary Parker

Please welcome Mary Parker to Ruby's Books. She's the author of The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake, a YA fantasy novel that I loved loved loved (read my review here)

Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in Middle Tennessee. I love to read anything and everything, as long as it’s fiction. I love to cook and I love to bake, but I’m not crazy about eating sweets, so I end up baking goodies for my friends. I started writing as soon as I was able to hold a pencil. I’m spontaneous and have been known to do some crazy stuff from time to time. I tried college for a while, and worked on several different majors, but I just didn’t enjoy it. I started waiting tables to support myself while writing my first novel.


What's your favorite book?

I don’t have a favorite. There are just too many. My favorite book is whatever book I happen to be reading at the time. Some of my favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, George Martin.

What made you want to write fantasy books and why young adult?


Young adult, simply because I am a young adult and I think I can get into the head of a young adult. Fantasy, because I write what I love to read. I’m always daydreaming about a world that is far more mysterious and magical than the world we live in.

Do you plot before starting to write your books, or do you just wait to see where the story takes you?


I would love to say I was organized enough to plot in advance, because I’m sure I could make the story far more complex if I did. But I’m just not. I’m more of a ‘go with the flow’ kind of writer. I like to create the characters and then follow wherever they choose to lead me.

What inspired you to write The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake?


The character of Leeowyn has been with me forever. I had a dream about her when I was quite young, and I wrote it down. Of course that story change significantly over the years, and when I got inspired to write the novel it was only natural to cast Leeowyn in the lead role.

How would you describe Leeowyn?


I would describe her as ‘average.’ At least that is how she would describe herself. As we know she is anything but average. She is a typical teenage girl that has to deal with normal teenage girl stuff. Then she discovers these powers and the responsibility that goes along with them. Now she is thrust into a role of having to deal with not only normal stuff, but extraordinary stuff. She is tasked with saving not only her world, but several other worlds.

I'm very anxious to see what happens next. Could you give us a small idea of what will happen in the future with Leeowyn and her friends?


There is quite a bit in store for Leeowyn and her trio of friends. They travel to new realms, they are exposed to new dangers and they are stretched beyond what they think they can endure. Of course a great deal of the story involves the unknown, so I can’t give away too much without revealing the secrets that make the story so intriguing.

If you could be any one of your characters who would you choose and why?


Oh, Leeowyn. Not because she is based on me at all, but she is the kind of person I would want to be.

Giveaway time

I have two (2) e-copies of The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake to give away. All you have to do is fill out the form below.Comments are welcome, but you have to fill the form to enter the contest.You have until Monday (4/9/12) to enter and I will announce the lucky winners on Tuesday, next week (April 10). Be sure to check back here to see if you won. I will send an email to the winners and tell them how to receive their prize. 

NOTE! Winners must respond to my email in 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. 

Book Review: The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake by Mary Parker

Author: Mary Parker
Series: The Kahl'Nar Saga, 1
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: review copy offered by the author
Blurb (from Goodreads):

I'm a normal teenager. I have a normal teenage life with normal teenage problems. The summer is my heaven. I live with my mom during the summer months. We stay in her tiny condo in Jacksonville, Florida. My parents split up when I was little. I'm not sure why. My mom never talks about it. Whatever it was, it was bad enough to make my mom pack me up in the middle of the night when I was four years old and run to my Gran's condo. My mom got the condo after Gran died. From that time on all I had known my entire life was beach life. Until four years ago. Until my uncle found me.

This is one of those books that remind me why I fell in love with reading. This is the type of book that won't allow you to put it down, unless you've arrived at the very last page of it, the book that will keep you on the edge of your chair and at the end, leave you thirsty for more.

When I started reading this book, I really didn't know what to expect. I know, I know, you've heard that phrase before and it might seem a little overused, but I really wasn't expecting this, the awesome new world I found in its pages. What I found was a world so complex and so wonderfully built, that I really don't have the right words to describe it. You have mystery, you have lots of fantasy, suspense, a little bit of horror even, a little thread of romance, a hint of sadness and some very funny moments.

What I loved about this book is that it's so unique. I think it's hard to find something this unique and fresh without thinking "Ok, I've read that before". I loved that I didn't feel that about The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake.

As you can probably imagine, this book is about a young girl named Leeowyn and how she struggles to adapt to the changes in her life. She's living with her mother and one night her uncle comes on their doorstep and tells her that her father is dead.

What I loved about Leeowyn is that she's not the typical teenage heroine. She's not a rebel, but she's not a girly girl either. She's not rude, but she speaks her mind. She can be tough as nails and she also has moments of tenderness. I loved that she was different and that made her seem so real and complex, full of character.

The story is fast paced. There isn't a moment where you want to skip any pages, because each of them hold something interesting. And I loved that at times the action changed between past and present, between dreams, visions and reality. And there's a major cliffhanger at the end of the book that has left me dying to know more.

I do hope the second book will be out soon, because I want to know what happens next with Leeowyn and her friends.

I definitely recommend this book to any fantasy fan, adult or teenager, it doesn't matter. If you love fantasy books, you'll certainly love this one.