Piper's Song by Sara E. Tall

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sara E. Tall will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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

YA fiction was what I really fell in love with growing up, so I knew that was what I wanted to write. I think a lot of us love YA because humans grow and change so much in their teenage years. Most fiction is about character transformation, but with YA there’s just so much room for transformation. I also think teenagers make great protagonists because they are smart enough to deal with adult situations but dumb enough to deal with kid situations, if that makes sense. There’s just a lot of freedom in the type of story you can tell and the types of things that can happen.

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens his/her locker – what will we see inside?

Billie’s not the most organized person, so it will probably be a mess. They’ll definitely be some anime cut-outs and maybe even a couple comic books. Front and center will probably be a gothic doll, with porcelain skin and blood red eyes, because they make her feel secure. Her schoolbooks and important homework assignments will probably be dumped unceremoniously at the bottom, forcing her to dig through them any time she needs anything important which almost always makes her late to class. Does that inspire her to be more organized? Not in the slightest.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

Harry Potter, of course. When I was younger I loved the Bailey School Kids and Nancy Drew. I was also a big on Percy Jackson, the Mortal Instruments, anything by Jim Butcher, and anything by Sarah Dessen. I have a tendency to get attached to characters, so I prefer series over stand alones, and the longer the better. I think I’ve always had appreciation for authors that could combine humor and drama so effortlessly together. I definitely tried to emulate that style in Piper’s Song.

What superpower would you love to have? Why?

This is so cliché, but I honestly think I just want to fly. I probably wouldn’t use it for good and evil or anything, I’d literally just fly all over the place. Teleportation might be kind of fun too, so I could save on travel expenses.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

I currently have three… which is pretty typical. Fiction-wise I’m reading The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige. It’s about a Witch Sorority, which is right up my alley. I’m also reading Idylls of a King by Alfred Lord Tennyson for research purposes. I’m on an Arthurian legend binge. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody basically lives on my nightstand. I highly recommend that book for all novel writers. It really breaks down the reasons behind story structure elements rather than just telling you what they are. Really gives you complete control over your storytelling.

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My siblings and I could not get enough of that show. There were four of us so we each identified with a Ninja Turtle and then would act out their shenanigans in our basement. I honestly want to go back to being a kid just so I can relive those memories. Our game was that fun.

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

Lucian, just because he’s got that practical survival instinct thing going so he could figure out a way to get us off the island. He’s also full of random information which could provide entertainment if we were stuck for a while.

Which one of your characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

Sedna Nightlock. She’s sort of a villain sort of not but she knows that she’s my favorite anyway. She’d probably spend the whole time terrorizing me, but I’d deal just to get to interact with a real life version of her. Sedna is also that person who sees the truth of things. She’s incredibly blunt, but it would be interesting to get her perspective on me.

Billie thinks stopping her fellow students from committing murder and almost getting kicked out of the Realm is as bad as it gets, but she should know better. Not only are seven of the most powerful students out for her blood, but Sedna —her former enemy turned ally— turns her enemy again when Billie refuses a part in her revenge scheme. What’s more, Alpha Administration’s refusal to address the injustice in their school is sparking a full-on rebellion, and a lot of innocents are going to be caught in the crosshairs. It isn’t just the school either, the Realm itself is overrun with violence and hatred, which will have deadly consequences. Lucian, her self-imposed magical guru, insists Billie’s extraordinary magic is the key to stopping the flood of violence coming their way. Billie knows her magic is extraordinary, but she also knows its destructive power. It might do more harm than good.

Read an Excerpt

“Leave her alone.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It took about a half a second for everyone’s eyes to swivel towards me, Sedna’s included. She looked like she wanted to tear my limbs off, one by one. I gulped.

And then she chuckled. “Billie, the hero, is here to save the day.”

I ignored the flush in my cheeks as I said coolly, “We both know she’s not the one you are mad at.”

And just like that, the smirk slipped off her face as her glower returned, like my candor had reminded her how much she hated me.

“It’s really cute how protective you are of your roommates,” she said coolly. “There’s one you might want to be a little more concerned about. She’s in the hospital. Her name is Artemis.”

I could swear my temperature dropped at the icy way she said Artemis’ name. I also couldn’t stop myself from looking down. My voice was small as I said, “I’m sorry for what—”

“Don’t,” her voice sliced through mine like a knife, “you dare apologize to me.”

For a moment, I really thought she was going to tear my limbs off, but she seemed too angry to move. No one else dared move either, even her friends. They just stared between the two of us, waiting to see who would break first.

It was me. “You want to pick a fight with me, fine.” I lifted my chin, trying to look more confident about that statement than I felt. “But leave her out of it.”

About the Author:

Sara’s enjoyed creating fantastic stories since she was old enough to hold a play sword, around the time she learned how to walk. Gradually she learned to direct her creative energy into writing, and it’s been a downward spiral ever since then. When she’s not writing she’s probably either dancing or reading Batman comics. She also loves running away to the mountains of Utah and Montana. Nothing gets more fantastic that those views.

Website: https://saraetallbooks.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraETall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraEatough
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraetall/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18726933.Sara_E_Tall
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Pipers-Song-Alpha-Academy-Book-ebook/dp/B08KFP25FW/
The book will be $0.99.

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