Welcome back to The Oracle blog tour! The Oracle is the book with which I really feel I hit my stride with this series, and gained some of my most hardcore fans. Today I thought I'd post an interview with one of those fans: Maggie, age seventeen. Enjoy!
1. What was the first thing that captured your imagination when you read The Six?
What first "officially" captured my imagination in this novel were the hints of magic present even before Darcy and the rest of the crew stumbled into the magical world of Alitheia. Once Darcy enters Alitheia, though, my mind was completely ensnared by the narks and other magical creatures.
2. Which book do you like better? The Six or The Oracle? Why?
Although is it a tough choice, I have to go with The Oracle. in The Oracle, the characters and setting are a bit more familiar to the audience, along with the fact that the main character, Darcy, is starting to mature and frankly, to become more likeable. There is deep mystery and intrigue in The Oracle that is only capable of being there after The Six set it all up, and the way the novel flows with deeper concepts and with these new mysterious elements is done masterfully, keeping the audience captivated from beginning to end.
3. Who is your favorite character? Why?
My favorite character bounces between Darcy, Tellius, and Rubidius. I've never been able to choose an absolute favorite, but here are my reasons for the three-way tie: I was able to relate with Darcy in The Six by remembering myself at that age and how my feelings almost exactly matched up with hers. As she began to gain wisdom and maturity with her experiences, I cheered her on and wanted to see her succeed and get better, which she did. Tellius is an extremely dynamic character who I detested at first, but who then began to grow on me and finally found a place settled firmly within my heart. Rubidius is mysterious, comedic, fatherly, stern...there are so many more ways to describe him, but you can always count on him for sound advice and bouts of wisdom. He has an excellent blend of tough love and compassion that is impossible for the reader not to love.
4. Do you think these books appeal to young adults only, or to a crossover audience?
Although this series is targeted for a young adult audience, I believe that they can be enjoyed by nearly any age. I am particularly looking forward to the release of the fourth book when the characters will be turning seventeen and I will be seventeen as well; it's always nice when the characters of your favorite series are your age and it makes it more relatable. But I can see myself being twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and older and still be able to read these books with the same heart-racing joy that I read them with this day. Most people love fantasy and to escape into a world of magic whether it's through television and movies, or through books and dreams. This series has the capability of fulfilling that need for fantasy and dreams across a wide range of ages.
5. What has been your favorite thing about reading The Gateway Chronicles?
I am not very good at picking favorites, but one of my favorite things has been to watch each and every one of the characters develop, particularly Darcy and Tellius. As all of the characters grow and mature, gaining knowledge and wisdom, they root themselves deeper into the reader's heart (namely mine). It's so interesting watching the relationships between characters wax and wane, developing into deep connections which seemed impossible when they were first introduced to each other in The Six. I look forward to seeing more of these friendships and other relationships blossom and grow.
6. What are you most looking forward to in the final installments of the series?
The thing I am most looking forward to, and the thing I am hoping for with fingers crossed and baited breath is for Darcy and Tellius to end up getting married. I would love to see her stay in Alitheia at the end of the series with Tellius and for Tselloch to be vanquished for good (which, of course, MUST happen in order for the series to have a solid ending!). What I am most definitely not looking forward to is the series' ending itself! I hated saying goodbye to my Hogwarts friends in Harry Potter and I'll hate saying goodbye to The Gateway Chronicles' characters and the world of Alitheia. Luckily, I know that I'll have this series right alongside Harry Potter on my shelf for decades to come.
Coincidence - Darcy was my sister's name. Remember the book 'The Celestine Prophecy' back in the late 1990's? That book was huge, all the talk about coincidences and things pointed out to us that we can choose to follow as signs. I feel Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing has so many signs guiding me to go there to sell my book, and are you involved with the house still? Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteOh shoot, I think I got the captcha wrong and my comment didn't go through to be visible to you. I mentioned coicidences and 'The Celestine Prophecy'. Did you get my comment? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for the comment. They don't show up immediately because I moderate them. I'm familiar with the book from having worked at Barnes and Noble, but that's all. I am still with TWCS, have only been with them since December, actually, so I'm still pretty new with them. I had a lot of things just kinda fall into place with them, and I'm very happy with the experience so far!
DeleteThanks for the reply! You're busy & so motivated. Sometimes I look at all the authors out there trying to compete and I think 'what's the use?' LOL! I have to find a different way to get my 'book in the door'. That's why I mentioned the coincidences and I look for signs, maybe a more spirit connected way of trying to find the path. That's what my characters do...that's the way of ancient goddess worship. Otherwise if I don't recognize signs of what to do my book is a needle in a haystack. Best wishes!
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