Q&A with D.M. Marlowe, author of The Eye of the Ninja

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. D.M. Marlowe will be awarding handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Prize is available for international shipping. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write juvenile fiction? What draws you to it?

I have teenagers and I read a lot of Young Adult books with them. I enjoy the adventure, the coming of age themes, the characters who have to confront their flaws and find their way in the world. They are themes that really resonate with all ages. In my other author life I am a USA Today Bestselling author of Regency Historical Romance. Now I’m thrilled to write something my kids can read.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I loved books as a kid—what writer didn’t? My list is huge-but I’ll give you the highlights.

The Prydain Chronicles
Dragon Riders of Pern
Little Women
Peter Pan
Any of Marquerite Henry’s horse books
The Little Princess
Ballet Shoes
Pride and Prejudice

What candy do you give out at Halloween?

Only the good stuff! Chocolate bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Check the ice cream answer below and you’ll sense a theme. :-)

What reality show would you love to be on? Why?

If I knew how to sew, the answer would totally be Project Runway, but since I am a glue girl and helpless with a needle, I will pick the Amazing Race. I wouldn’t be crazy about some of the scary things they have to eat, but who wouldn’t want to go ride, fly, drive, swim, and do all the fun and crazy things they do all over the world?

You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?

I would love to have Mei Barrett with me. She survived on her own for four years, on the run from a creature that hunted her relentlessly. She’s crafty, smart and determined. Plus, she wouldn’t be likely to whine or be annoying. LOL.

Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called?

There is no need to invent a new one—chocolate ice cream with peanut butter ribbons already exists! :-)

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

I would buy a big, casual, comfortable house on a lake. I’d have lots of bedrooms for guests, a giant kitchen, jet skis, a water trampoline and an outdoor kitchen. I’d have family and friends—but also a quiet, out of the way place for me to write. I’d make it the best of both worlds!

Blink—and you’ll miss her.

Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she’s been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn’t prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run—and learn how to hide in plain sight.

For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.

Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.

And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Something was off. Not in the same way as before. But I felt . . . something. Eyes watching.

I veered suddenly into the parking lot of a used bookstore.

Something moved in the line of trees at the far edge, right at the spot where I would have walked past. Something large set the high branches to rustling. I moved easily, acting as if I didn’t notice.

The bookstore door was locked. I cursed under my breath before nonchalantly turning to the rack of free books lining the front of the place. Picking a title, I leaned against the door and opened it. I eyed the parking lot from beneath my brim, then tossed the book back and chose another—a thick, oversized edition of Sherlock Holmes tales. Nothing moved out there. Not a branch or a leaf or a rustle of wind.

I wasn’t fooled.

I hefted the book and pretended to be absorbed. Slowly I moved out, head down, nose in the book, ambling west again, but this time taking the alley behind the bookstore’s neighboring houses. The lane was lined with full-grown trees, providing some cover. When I hit their sheltering darkness I tucked the book under my arm and took off at a fast, silent run.

Not for long. Something thumped to the ground, directly in my path. I skidded to a stop, backpedaling rapidly.

Panic and disbelief nearly stopped my heart. My mouth hung open.

This was not the creature of my nightmares and memories. It was something different altogether—and yet still entirely unbelievable.

On two feet, broad and heavily muscled, it stood over twice my height. Its skin was a deep, dark red, its nose large and curved over like a beak. Large, heavily muscled arms flexed as its hands opened and closed. Long, white hair flowed back to meet huge, rustling black wings.

It tilted its head in a distinctly avian gesture and peered down at me. A thin, trilling sound echoed in the alley. “So small you are, to be the cause of so much trouble.”

About the Author:D. M. Marlowe lives in North Carolina with her family and two cats. When she is not spoiling them all, she is probably writing. Failing that, she's likely lost in a book or movie, on a long walk, gardening or hanging with her friends.

In her other life, she is a USA Today Bestselling author of Historical Romance.

Website: http://www.dmmarlowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/d.m.marlowe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMMarlowewrites

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