Today I welcome the wonderful Claire to you, celebrating her upcoming release, the Wildcat of Braeton. It looks like an epic novel that I really hope to read someday.
Before the author interview, here's about the book:
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“If
you’re fighting our battle, we’d best make you look like a champion,” Tam said to Aiden. Tam and Blair began to apply the war paint the Clans had worn into battle since before they arrived in Braeton.
“You
ready?” Tam asked when they finished.
“As
I’ll ever be,” Aiden replied. “Tam, if everything goes wrong, you take charge
after me.”
“I’m
praying nothing goes wrong,” Tam said. “Just remember what Diarmad said when he
built this place: ‘In times of trouble, a Champion shall rise up and Scodra
shall not fall.’”
His term of service to Lord Rishdah now complete, Aiden
returns to his home in Braeton. As he travels he hears rumors that trouble
plagues Braeton. Clan Canich is being attacked from within. He arrives,
determined to save his father, his brothers, and his Clan from the treachery of
one man.
A year has passed since the Calorins were driven
from Aredor and Corin is struggling to rebuild his country. Despite the peace,
a fear haunts him that the Calorins aren’t far away. The Hawk Flight takes to
the forest again to defend the borders against a possible attack from the
neighboring country of Durna and its Calorin ally.
As Aiden and Corin struggle to adapt to their new
lives they know one thing for certain - war is coming to the North!
Why did you choose to start
writing?
I decided to start writing because I wanted to create my
own adventure story. And I was tired of having the same story in my head for
four years!!
Quick! Name one random fact about
yourself.
I have a growing collection of cowboy boot ornaments and
figurines. Mostly ornaments though.
What inspired this series?
I love the Narnia stories and I think they inspired me more
than even LOTR did. I started making up stories in Narnia because that way I
could actually go there. Then eventually I decided to take one and make it my
own. From there it developed into an adventure story with elements I loved from
other books and movies.
What does your writing process
look like?
Typically I start writing a story in a notebook. I love the
way a pen feels against the paper and I think it’s easier to write that way.
After I finish the story I take the notebook or notebooks and sit down at the
computer and begin typing it up. That’s where a lot of editing and rewrites
come in. After that I kind of edit in bursts when the mood takes me. More and
more recently I've been writing on the computer instead of notebooks because a
computer is most readily accessible. However, I do like having notebooks lying
around to jot down ideas and stuff. Which reminds me…I need a few more
notebooks… :)
You can never have enough notebooks. xD
How do you incorporate your faith into your books?
How do you incorporate your faith into your books?
I think a book can reflect Christianity without saying its
name outright or through allegory on every page. To be a true Christian it
takes more than saying you believe in God. It’s how you act. And that’s really
what I incorporate into my books. My characters always have strong morals that
they aren’t willing to compromise when the going gets rough. They show respect
to friends and enemies, love their country, and will do what it takes to defend
it. I also find it important to include an overall deity figure even if I don’t
ever go into the belief structure because I think that there needs to be a
higher power than governs the world and that people can believe in.
What's the hardest part about writing?
What's the hardest part about writing?
I think the hardest part is staying true to the story you
want to tell even if you think it won’t be popular among your audience because
there is a reason you picked that story to tell. That and editing. I don’t like
editing.
I don't like editing either. Welcome to the club!
What is something you love to do besides writing?
What is something you love to do besides writing?
Horseback riding! I've been riding horses since I was
twelve. I love horses so much! I haven’t actually ridden in about a year and a
half and it’s kind of killing me inside! We joke that a horse is the first
thing I’m going to buy when I get a real job after graduation.
What are some of your favorite
books/authors?
Shadow
Hawk by Andre Norton, The
Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, Resistance
by Jaye L. Knight, Triss by Brian
Jacques, I can’t just pick one of the LOTR
series, and more recently discovered are Behold
the Dawn by K.M. Weiland and Cinderella
and the Colonel by K.M. Shea.
Who is your favorite character in
this book and why?
I do like Aiden who is the main character in The Wildcat of Braeton, but I think my
favorite will always be Corin since he’s the first real character I created. I
have loved seeing him grow and develop in The
Rise of Aredor to accepting who he truly is in The Wildcat of Braeton.
Claire Banschbach was born and raised in Midland,
TX, the fourth of eight children. She was homeschooled through high school and
is now a proud member of the Texas A&M University class of 2014. An avid
reader of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and many other adventure novels,
Claire was prompted to begin writing her own fantasy novel at seventeen after
several years of daydreaming. She continues to write in her spare time (and
often when she doesn't have spare time). When not scratching out stories and
homework with pen and pencil, Claire partakes in the joys of watching the
Boston Red Sox, Aggie football, playing volleyball, and horseback riding. She
hopes her faith and strong foundation in God will continue to help guide her
writing. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the
Texas Tech University Health Science Center.
Opens at midnight March 23 and closes at midnight on
March 28. Giveaway includes 2 signed copies of The Wildcat of Braeton and
accompanying sets of four notecard sized illustrations from the series!
A Note From Claire:
Release date info-
Due to circumstances beyond my control, the release date has been
moved to (most likely) May. However, if you feel that you cannot live without
this book, you can buy it here- https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-68097-981-7 Warning- it costs about a
hundred-million dollars (or I’m a poor college student and anything over $20 is
expensive), so I would wait until its official release date and you can shop
more cheaply! Stay tuned on my Facebook page or blog for more info on the
release date!
You can find the other blog stops here: https://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/blog-tour-sign-up/
Thank you so much for allowing me to take part in this, Claire!
Byeeee!
- Katie Grace
Thank you so much for having me! Interviews are so much fun! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I love interviewing people. xD
DeleteIt's so much fun reading all the interviews in different blog tours :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? It's so much fun to do so.
DeleteThe Wildcat of Braeton sounds like a pretty neat book!
ReplyDeleteI know! I'm really hoping to read it soon.
Delete*whispers* You should check it and the prequel out.... ;P Thanks! I hope you enjoy it if you get the chance!
DeleteGreat interview! Sounds like an interesting story; the cover reminds me of the Warriors series, a little. :)
ReplyDeleteOoh, you're totally right about that. Huh.
Delete