Interview with Emma Raveling: Author of 'Whirl'

As part of the 'Whirl' book blog tour hosted by The Bookish Snob Promotions, the lovely Emma Raveling has stopped by to answer some questions. You can find my review and links to where to purchase the book here.

Interview

 Describe ‘Whirl’ in three words.

Elementals. Dark. Kickass.

Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind ‘Whirl’.

Whirl was inspired by a piece of classical music. The French composer Maurice Ravel composed a work for solo piano called Gaspard de la Nuit. This music was based upon a series of poems by Aloysius Bertrand.

The first movement of Ravel’s work, entitled Ondine, is based upon the poem of the same name by Bertrand. This poem serves as the epigraph in Whirl. Based upon an old French myth, the poem tells the story of Ondine, a water nymph who sings to a mortal man, attempting to lure him to her. He rejects her love and pleas to join her in ruling the water world. Rejected and heartbroken, Ondine fades away, disappearing beneath the waves.

I highly recommend readers of Whirl to listen to Ravel’s Ondine. The intricate music is haunting, dark, romantic, and exciting. These were all qualities that influenced Whirl and the Ondine Quartet series.

 When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

I began writing stories as a child, so I’ve always had a vague, far-off dream of becoming a published writer. Life ultimately took me down a different career path, but the dream remained.

Last year, I did NaNoWriMo for the first time just for fun. I simply wanted to get into the habit of writing daily. Once I completed it, I couldn’t stop. That was when I really realized that I wanted to be a writer and write every single day.

In January 2011, one of my new year’s resolutions was to publish my first book. No more excuses. The idea for the Ondine Quartet series came to me at the end of that month, and I immediately began to work on Whirl.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I’m an avid reader. Besides books, I also enjoy watching movies, Japanese TV shows (j-dorama), and going to museums and classical music concerts. I love to train my dog and spend time outside with her. Food is another passion of mine, so I spend quite a bit of time per week trying out new recipes and exploring new restaurants with my husband. I also practice vipassana meditation daily.

What is the hardest part about writing?

Writing requires total and absolute concentration for me. I shut my home office door, turn off the phone, and I can’t listen to music or other people talking. Because it requires so much concentration, I’m constantly surprised by how physically and mentally exhausted I get, especially after an intense writing session. It really does take everything out of me.

If you could have any actors, model etc in the world to play your characters in a tv show, who would you pick and why?

This is difficult! Since I don’t really watch television, my picks are mainly movie actors. All of these choices are based on looks alone, and my image of my characters may not be the same for all readers!

- Kendra: Lily Collins, with lighter, honey-brown hair.

- Chloe: Elle Fanning

- Aubrey: Emma Stone (with short hair)

- Tristan: Ben Barnes (but more bulked up)

- Julian: Ian Somerhalder

- Ryder: Alex Pettyfer

- Marcella: Marion Cotillard

- Gabriel: Mehcad Brooks

- Naida: Jody Foster

- Rhian: Helen Mirren

I love your choices! What do you guys think?

About Emma Raveling

Emma Raveling is a fantasy author who leads a slightly eccentric life traveling throughout the world with her accommodating husband and charming, neurotic dog.

Hopelessly addicted to coffee and diet coke, she has a strange love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give her the illusion that she is somehow in control of the chaos that is her life. A dedicated practitioner of vipassana meditation, Emma loves to cook and often spends time scouring the Internet for new recipes. She adores beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design.

Whirl is her debut book. She is currently busy at work writing Billow, the second installment of the Ondine Quartet series.

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GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!
  Here's your chance to win an e-copy of 'Whirl' as Emma Raveling has kindly agreed to giveaway one copy to one of you lucky followers!

To enter:

- You MUST be a follower of my blog
- Leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address


And that's it, easy peasy lemon squeezy. Competition will close at 6pm UK time on the 31st October.

  Next stop, tomorrow, on the tour is The Bookish Snob

 

Review: Whirl by Emma Raveling

My Rating: E, E, E

Published: September 2011
Publisher: Mandorla Publishing

Author's Website: emmaraveling.com


Purchase @ Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Smashwords Barnes and Noble

Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war. The Aquidae are immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world. Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble. When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past. Alone and with no one to trust, she must now navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny. All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down, in the hopes of eliminating her forever… An edgy urban fantasy/paranormal romance, Whirl is recommended for older teens and mature readers due to strong language and mild sexual situations.

Whirl is the first book, and debut, in the Ondine Quartet series by Emma Raveling and what a debut it is.

At the beginning I was a bit confused by all the customized terms that Raveling had used but once I read more into the story I totally became ensnared by the thrill of Julian, the taboo of Tristan, the boyish charms of Ryder and the unconditional love that comes from friendship with Chloe and Aubrey, that I soon got lost in their world. The main heroine herself, Kendra is everything that you don’t want in an enemy: tough, defiant, persistent and an unlimited supply of fighting spirit.

Now that I have gushed over the characters, let’s get on with the other good stuff, the plot. My favourite thing about this book is that it’s a very different, unlike anything I have come across before. The plot centers around Kendra and her role in freeing her race (water elementals) from an ancient war with the Aquidae (fire elementals) as well as irritating the hell out of her grandmother on her journey. The moments between Kendra and her grandmother, I find quite funny because if I Kendra’s age and in her situation then I would be the same taking into consideration her upbringing. I think a lot of other readers would agree. With the help of her friends and some gorgeous men, Kendra starts to make a real difference in the hidden town of Haverleau and comes to realize her full potential.

The other thing that I love about this book is the way it gets me questioning things. I am fascinated by this different, but same, world where ondines, dissondines, selkies and demillirs were a race started by a water deity. It’s a bit god like in the creation but it gets me thinking about evolution. The unique virtues, hierarchy, French undertone and hidden villages have me intrigued and excited about this series and I honestly can’t wait to read the next installment, ‘Billow’.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book as part of a blog tour hosted by The Bookish Snob Promotions. I have not been paid to review this book and everything I have said is of my own honest opinion.