Interview with Robin Bridges, author of <em>The Gathering Storm</em>
I'm so excited to have Robin Bridges on Pub(lishing) Crawl today! If y'all don't know her (or her Katerina Trilogy), then you're in for a treat. First of all, she has the most beautiful covers. [threecol_one]
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[/threecol_one_last] Second of all, she has the COOLEST book trailer of all time. Seriously, watch this.
Third of all, her books are awesome. Just read this summary of The Gathering Storm and tell me you're not hooked:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources...including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
But enough about Robin's books—let's find out more about the author behind them. 1. Can you tell us how the idea for The Gathering Storm came about? And why did you choose 1888 St. Petersburg (which I ADORED)? I love Russian history, and have always loved Russian fairytales like Vasilisa the Brave and the stories of Baba Yaga. I do hate the Romanov family’s tragic ending, however, so I prefer to read about the earlier generations of the Imperial family. Alexander III’s family was my favorite. Nicholas and his siblings were teens during the late 1880’s to early 1890’s. Princess Elena of Montenegro really did attend the Smolni Institute and truly opened the Smolni Ball by dancing with Nicholas in the fall of 1888. Russia of the late nineteenth century, especially St. Petersburg, was steeped in superstition and mysticism and interest in the occult. The Montenegrin princesses, Anastasia and Militza, were known as the Black Peril and they fascinated me with their séances. Papus, the French occultist, was one of their known companions. It was not hard for me to imagine a St. Petersburg where the magic was real. 2. Wow, the Black Peril. That is just so cool. Now, can you tell us a bit about your journey to publication? I'm sure our readers our curious. The Gathering Storm was the fourth novel I’d ever written, (not including the 118 page murder mystery I wrote on notebook paper in seventh grade.) The first novel taught me how to craft a novel, the second one taught me how to find an agent, and the third one taught me how to write just for fun. The Gathering Storm taught me the importance of persistence (and revision). 3. Patience and persistence paid off! I love hearing such inspirational stories! Now, as I mentioned already, you have some of my FAVORITE covers out there not to mention the most amazing trailer around. Did you have any say in those creations? I was blessed to have Trish Parcell at Delacorte design all three covers for the Katerina Trilogy. Katerina is played by a Ukranian model (I wish I knew her name!) and the dress she wears on the cover of The Unfailing Light is actually a dress that was worn by Empress Alexandra. I had no real hand in the process, other than crossing my fingers and being flabbergasted at how beautiful the covers turned out to be. :) 4. WHAT? Worn by Empress Alexandra?! I literally have no words. Okay, last question: Make us a story cocktail. What ingredients do you think makes the perfect tale? Mmm, I like spicy and sweet foods, and the books I enjoy reading have a similar balance. Half romance, half danger? Sprinkle in lots of smooching and lots of scares, too. Add a teaspoon of dark humor and one swoony male character. Or two... Yessss! I love it!! Bring on the smooching and the scares! Thank you so much for stopping by, Robin! [hr] To celebrate her visit, we have a giveaway for The Gathering Storm. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form to be entered! a Rafflecopter giveaway [hr]
By day, Robin is a mild-mannered writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction for young adults. By night, she is a pediatric nurse. Robin lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband, one teenager, and two slobbery mastiffs. The Gathering Storm is her first novel.