BooksChatter: ℚ Moonburner: Moonburner [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Claire Luana to talk about Moonburner (14 June 2016, Soul Fire Press, 308 pages), a Young Adult Fantasy, book one of Moonburner series.

“A promising start to a fantasy series that delivers a superb sense of fun and strong female characters who are both heroes and villains.” -Kirkus Reviews.

“I found myself daydreaming about this book, my mark of a great read. I cant wait to get my hands on the next book.” -Lorraine

“Luana makes the heroine different. . . . She is tough but tender, brave but bullheaded.…I’m a big fan of Luana and her first novel.” -Stephanie

“Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next I was surprised, which was frankly somewhat hard to achieve after a few dozen fantasy books in a row. . . . ” -Micah

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Claire Luana; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter.

What was the inspiration for Moonburner?

"My inspiration for Moonburner was loosely based on China's One Child policy, which led to generations of Chinese families choosing to have boys over girls. It made me think: what would happen in a world where families didn't want girls because those girls had some magical ability that was forbidden?

This led to the premise of Moonburner, where Kai, the main character, is born into a land where magic is forbidden to women, and she is forced to masquerade as a boy to hide her powers.

This inspiration is also why I set Moonburner in a world with more of a medieval Asian influence, rather than the typical European fantasy world readers are used to."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I’m reflected in subtle ways in the book! My primary goal was to write a book that I would love to read. So my preferences are definitely reflected. For instance, I can’t stand heroines who are too whiny or prone to inner monologue, so I definitely didn’t include much of that in my main character.

Strangely enough, the book also reflects my legal background (I’m a lawyer for my day job!). My legal training left me with the strong impression that things in life aren’t black and white, but are colored in shades of gray. There are two sides to every story, and part of being a well-rounded human being is listening to other people’s points of view.

This came through in the book, where not all the good guys are good, and not all the bad guys are bad. If Kai, the main character, applied too many generalizations to groups of people, she would have missed out on some of her best friends and biggest allies."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Moonburner - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover is designed by Michael James Canales of MJC Imageworks.

The design was his idea really, I was imagining something more abstract in the beginning. But he did an awesome job of pulling together the themes, colors, and symbols of the book into something really eye-catching—the navy blue of the night sky and the moonburner uniforms, the silver of the Moonburner symbol and power, and the Asian influence of the world. I’m thrilled with how it turned out!"

Why should we read Moonburner and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Moonburner has adventure, intrigue, humor, and romance, and I’ve been told by multiple people that it’s a page-turner! But more than that, at its core, it’s about the courage that it takes to bridge the gap between two disparate societies.

Kai is brave enough to challenge her own preconceptions as well as those around her. Through that process, she learns that the sun and moonburners together are greater than the sum of their parts. Only by working together will they overcome the challenges facing them. I think this is a pretty unique take on the traditional good versus evil story."

Left to right: Jameson & Guinness

Can you tell us something quirky about Moonburner, its story and characters?

"I chose Kai, the main character’s name, because I had realized that all my favorite YA heroines had names starting with the letter “K” (Katniss from The Hunger Games, Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Katsa from Graceling). Kai is a Japanese name that can be for a boy or a girl, and so it seemed perfect, since she has to hide as a boy at the beginning of the book!

Also, Kai’s horse in the first chapter (Jaimo) is named after my dog Jameson (his nickname is Jay-mo) :-)"

Who would you recommend Moonburner to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend the book to lovers of YA with a magical twist. I don’t think there is much to disclaim besides a few curse words (none of the worst ones!). My co-worker’s 9 year old read it and loved it."

If you could / wished to turn Moonburner and the series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Good question! I could actually really see Moonburner as a movie (though I suppose all authors feel that way!). I would want Joss Whedon as the director, because everything he does has such a superb sense of fun. I could see Grace Park playing Kai."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"My first love has always been fantasy, and I’m fairly certain that’s always what I’ll want to write. My work life is pretty serious, and so reading is an escape and a retreat for me. I want to write the kinds of books I want to read: fun, adventurous, and full of magic."

What is your writing process?

"I actually write on the bus on the way to and from work! It’s a great use of my 45 minute commute and keeps me productive. It’s harder to find time to edit, because I don’t like to take my laptop with me every day. As for plotting, I write out scenes on post it notes and then move them around until I find the perfect order."

What is in store next?

"I recently published Burning Fate, which is a prequel novella to Moonburner.

I am editing Sunburner, the sequel to Moonburner, and hope that will be ready to be published by spring 2017.

After that, I have plans for a new trilogy in a totally different world. The first book will be called The Confectioner’s Guild. I’m so excited to write that one!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"I have two dogs, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Guinness and a Brittany Spaniel named Jameson. Pic below!"

Yeah! Someone else with a drinking theme ;-) (I used to have a cat called Guinness; I also had a Whiskey, but never a Jameson :-D )
Hello Guinness and Jameson! Lots head scratches to you :-)

Thank you for sharing this great picture with us, Claire :-) I hope you had a great tour!