Eye of the Ninja by D. M. Marlowe ~ Presented by Rogue's Angles

Please welcome D. M. Marlowe author of Eye of the Ninja.

D.M. Marlowe will be awarding handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn host. Prize is available for international shipping.

Eye of the Ninja

by D.M. Marlowe

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GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy Adventure

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INTERVIEW:

What or who inspired you to start writing?

For this particular novel, my kids were my inspiration!  My other author alter ego writes sexy, adventurous Regency Historical Romance—not something any of us are comfortable sharing.  :-)  But I read a lot of YA with my boys, and I’m thrilled at last to be writing something they can read.  Eye of the Ninja includes parkour, Japanese folklore, adventure, a little romance, ninjas, battles, all things that interest them—and me!

How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

The same way I come up with all of my ideas—the smash up of several things that I find fascinating—and want to explore.  So I was reading about the Ring of Fire and thinking about all of the things that could be lost if some cataclysmic chain of disastrous events occurred around it—and it all went from there!  I started dreaming of what the world might be like, and who might be affected by it and that was the start of a brand new series!

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

In my other author life I write Regency Historicals—and that means that I know how to research.  I can talk about Society, politics, war, manners, titles and on and on regarding the Regency, because I’ve done a lot of research!   For this book I turned all of those research skills in a new direction.  I got to learn about many new subjects and I had a great time doing it! 

I think I also bring the knowledge of how to build a sympathetic character and really get you into their head—and a love of world-building.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I plan to continue the Eye of the Ninja Chronicles.  There are at least two more books coming—Obsidian’s Eye will be released in December--and I’ve already had some ideas for a spin off series.  I’m also still writing my Regency Historical series—and having a blast moving between the two and getting to know all different kinds of readers.

If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

I would be the main character, Mei.  She never gives up and I love that about her.  She has a good heart, even if she guards it closely.  She’s tough and determined and genuinely wants to do the right thing in any given situation.

Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

Here’s a little excerpt:  

Outside, the light was fading.  The bus grew crowded as students finished classes and set out for dorms and apartments.  I’d been around the loop twice now.  I got off with a large group on Hillsborough and headed west, toward home.

Carefully, I tested the air.  Not a hint of my pursuer.  I hitched up my pack and set a normal pace.  Remembering what I had been taught, I let my awareness extend to the busy street, the steady flow of students, to the trees and the tops of the buildings above.  All felt as it should.  I tried to ignore the flash of anger and pain that came with that thought.  I’d been here over a year.  Long enough to grow comfortable, long enough for it to start to feel like home. 

Gone now, one way or another. 

Almost there.  The other kids had straggled off to storefronts or apartments.  Shadows reached farther, here in the lee of a small hill.  I slipped into them with relief.  Shadows were protectors and allies. 

I stopped, suddenly afraid I might need more help than a shadow could give.  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.”

9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I have a critique partner for my Regency Historicals.  My son is my first reader for the Eye of the Ninja Chronicles and I have an author friend who has been sort of a beta reader for the young adult work.  I think having different eyes going over and editing your writing is always a good idea!  It gives you fresh perspective when you are too close after months spent with these people in your head.  :-)

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I sold my first book in 2006.  I had been submitting for two years, while I polished and learned the fine points of the craft of writing.  I submitted, even though it is scary and in those days, took months, even years to hear back, because I love storytelling and I had some wonderful cheerleaders in my family and critique partners.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

I think Nora Roberts gives the best advice.  I’m paraphrasing, but she basically tells us all to stop talking about it, stop thinking about it, stop playing on social media, get your butt in the chair and write.  And that’s the best advice a writer can follow.  Write, write and then write some more.

Worst—I went to a workshop where an author spent two hours painstakingly explaining her process, with graphics and clear explanations—and then said Do It This Way.   No.  No.  No.  There are as many ways to write a book as there are writers.  Find your own process and enjoy it—don’t waste time trying to squeeze your round process into someone else’s square hole.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I am a plotser—a combination between plotter and pantser.  Which means I have to have turning points lined up, but I also have to be free to write my way to them in whatever manner happens to come from the brain and fingers.

How do you maintain your creativity?

Take breaks.  Enjoy other things in your life, too.  Keep refilling the well with love and experience.  Explore other avenues of storytelling.  Above all, find joy in producing the pages.  Everything else in this business is a challenge, so keep the joy!

BLURB:

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.

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EXCERPT:

I vaulted over a low wall, shook my head over Ben’s tumble pass between buildings, and managed a halfway decent copy of Alan’s wall spin.  It felt good to move, to train.  I’d been more tense than usual lately.  On edge.  Fighting to not look over my shoulder.  But the first rule, when you are being hunted, is not to look like prey.  So I carry on with my usual routine.  And now I allow myself to relax, just the smallest bit.  No judgment here, no prying, insistent curiosity.  I let the tightness in my chest ease and tried to remember what it felt like to be at ease and happy instead of wary, bitter and sad.

The group spread out when we hit the Stoneyard.  I took up a position on the edge and watched a kid named Chris make a complicated, spinning double cork look easy.

“You’ve got to teach me how to do that,” I breathed.

It looks like a nice way to dodge an arrow, or a thrown dart.

I froze.  Though the thought had been my own, I’d heard it in my father’s distinctive accent and thoughtful tone.

I clenched my fist hard, welcomed the bite of nails into the flesh of my palm.  That is not the thought of a normal teenaged girl.

I was in no way a normal teenaged girl—but I had to appear as one.  At all costs.

Chris just grinned.  “You’ve already got your cheat gainer.  All you need to do is tighten up and get some more pull.”

We worked on it a bit. 

“Do you want to try it without the extra weight?”  He gestured toward my backpack.

I shook my head.  I always kept my pack close.

He shrugged and didn’t seem to mind the normal stance I took when I was in contact with people; cap pulled low and tight, eyes down, but ear cocked to show I was paying attention.  I knew the guys wondered about me.  I’d once heard someone speculate that I was vision impaired, but had highly developed other senses, like a real life comic book character.  I didn’t think that any of them had guessed the truth—that I was a real life freak. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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. 

www.dmmarlowe.com

https://www.facebook.com/d.m.marlowe

https://twitter.com/DMMarlowewrites

http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Ninja-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B013RG79W0/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/eye-of-the-ninja/id1030040881?mt=11

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/567753

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

D.M. Marlowe will be awarding handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn host. Prize is available for international shipping.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1313