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Today I'm pleased to introduce a fellow middle grade author, Suzanne de Montigny, and her fantasy novel THE SHADOW OF THE UNICORN, THE LEGACY. Welcome, Suzanne!
When did you discover you had a “sense of fiction?”
Oh, I’d say a mighty
long time ago. I loved writing stories as a kid and wrote my first ‘novella’
when I was in grade six. You can probably guess what it was all about –
unicorns!
What was your favorite
book as a child? As an adult? How did those influence you as a writer?
I have to say I had two favourites as a child. The My Friend
Flicka series, since I was such a horse girl, and the Anne of Green Gables
series. I loved Anne because she was so different and didn’t mind it one bit.
As an adult? I don’t know that I have a favourite because I just simply devour
books. I read on the Skytrain and read before going to bed. It would probably be
easier to tell you my least favourite, but that wouldn’t be nice.
What inspired you to
write this book?
I like to think my father put me up to it at his funeral.
For some dumb reason or other, I kept saying, “I feel like writing a book,”
over and over again that day. Then, a few months later, I found an old box in
the basement that contained a lot of childhood memorabilia. One of those items
was a partial rewrite of my grade six unicorn story. I threw it in the
recycling. Then, two days later, I grew curious as to what I had written. The
pages had been rained upon, so I had to dry them out. Then, when I reread it,
my imagination went wild. Two weeks later, the first draft was finished.
How would you describe
your writing process? What must you always have while writing?
Well, obviously a computer! I find it much easier to write
by typing because I play the piano and can write almost as fast as I speak. A
nice cup of herb tea helps, and a notebook by my side to take notes is good too.
What has proven to be
your most successful marketing tool?
Personal connection. Meeting people one on one either on
internet or in real life. You see, I’m a really good salesperson. You wouldn’t
believe the stuff people walk out of my garage sales with that they had no
intention of buying! I can be very convincing.
What’s the best piece
of writing advice you’ve received?
Stop playing around on social media and get writing.
Please provide a
favorite excerpt from your book.
“It’s a giant
fireball!” cried Azaria.
The unicorns
stared in silence.
Azaria stood,
his eyes fixed on the huge rock burning and hissing as it hurled toward the
earth. Sparks flew everywhere, threatening to ignite the grasslands of the
valley. The giant rock whizzed through the heavens until it disappeared from
sight. The herd waited, but nothing happened. Several seconds later, a loud
crash thundered far in the distance and the ground shook violently. Azaria’s
body slammed into the ground.
The unicorns
began whinnying and neighing at once.
“It’s what the
dinosaur predicted!” shouted a male.
“There’ll be
monsters on two legs!” A female’s thin voice pierced the air.
Azaria struggled
to get up. He pushed with his two forelegs, but a sharp pain in his hip
wouldn’t let his legs follow.
“Mother,” he
called, “I can’t get up…Mother?” He listened for the reassuring sound of her
voice, but she wasn’t there.
The unicorns
continued to cry in fear and pain.
“What if there’s
another one?” screamed a hysterical mare. “The valley will burn!”
“Quiet! All of
you,” Mohala’s thunderous voice shouted over the frightened crowd. “We are
unicorns! We are not hyenas. You will all stop the hysterics.” The noise
subsided except for a few sobs. She continued. “Now listen to Polaris, the
Great Stallion.”
Polaris appeared
before his herd looking shaken, but still standing tall and proud. “Unicorns,
we’ve just witnessed something very strange. I know. It’s very frightening. And
yes, it could be the beginning of the change young Darius spoke of. But now we
must be strong and stand united until we know what to do. Swallow your fear,
for it’s our fear, not the fireball that threatens to destroy us. We have three
strong herds and I know we’ll survive this. But let’s begin by helping those in
need.”
Azaria felt
soothed, yet confused by his father’s words. He struggled to rise again, but
rolled back to the ground in pain.
“Father!” he
called, “I’m here. I can’t get up.”
Aurora and
Polaris finally appeared by his side.
“What happened?”
asked Aurora.
“I fell on that
sharp rock.” He tried hoisting himself up again. “If I can just get up a little
further…” he groaned, “I could maybe stand.”
“Azaria, stay
still,” ordered his mother.
The colt pushed
himself up again, but rolled back helplessly.
“Stay still,”
commanded Polaris.
“No…I think I
can…” Azaria tried again.
Polaris lunged
at Azaria with his horn. The colt fell back, frightened, but the horn settled
softly on the very spot that stung. Azaria yelped.
“Don’t move,”
Aurora commanded.
It came slowly
at first – warmth that grew hotter and hotter until it nearly burned. Azaria
squirmed and, just as he was ready to cry out again, the heat subsided and
along with it, the pain. Looking up, Azaria saw his father grinning, one
eyebrow raised as though he had just shared a very good secret.
“Feeling
better?” he asked.
“How did you do
that?” asked Azaria.
“A new lesson
for you, my son,” he said. “Healing. Something you’ll be able to do once you
get your horn.”
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Where can readers find
you and your book?
They can find me at:
And if they want to see my booktrailer, then can go
to this link.
And
here’s my Amazon page.
Thank you, Suzanne! THE SHADOW OF THE UNICORN THE LEGACY sounds like a wonderful, creative read for kids (and it's on my to-read list as well!)
--KSR Writer
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