Today, I have a special guest on my blog, author Julia Hughes. She just released a YA fantasy novel, The Griffin Cryer, which I recently read and highly recommend. One of the many five stars reviews this novel has already received says: “Among the vast sea of titles labeled for young adult readers, The Griffin Cryer is a gem worth discovering. Julia Hughes’s novel is a fresh take on griffins’ folklore, and her fifteen years old heroine, redhead Frankie Shaunessy, is fierce and full of life. The story flawlessly intertwines the expected drama of a teenager in high school with the unexpected factor of parallel universes temporarily opening into ours. By calling her dog, Frankie accidentally summons a griffin and his Rider. What happens next is a ride full of action that will make you laugh and cry along the way. I couldn’t put the book down. For young adults and adults young at heart.”
Now, let’s read Julia’s answers to my eight questions.
When you were a kid you wanted to be…?
An Explorer! I wanted to find lost pyramids, discover the resting place of the Titanic, and be the first woman on the moon.
The first book you read was…?
I’m pretty certain my first ‘read alone’ was “One Rainy Night” written and illustrated by Pelagie Doane. It’s about a little girl who couldn’t resist the gentle patter of rain falling, and slipped out of her bedroom in her nightgown to explore the dark and rainy night.
You discovered you were quite good at writing when…?
My English teacher kept embarrassing me by reading out my work to the class. It wasn’t until recently that I had time to write a full blown novel, then I discovered just how much I still had to learn!
As a reader, your favorite genre is…?
In fiction: Thrillers – I’m also a proud beta reader for Stephen Spencer, an indie writer whose Paul Mallory Adventures are in my opinion amongst the best. Non fiction: I’m currently reading Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything.”
No, really, what’s that title you’re hiding in your kindle…?
LOL my last kindle read was “Linda of the Night” an excellent fairy tale, and I’m not hiding anything!