Blog Tour | The Fire Wish

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Title: The Fire Wish

Author: Amber Lough

Series: The Jinni Wars #1

Genres: YA Fantasy

Publisher:  Random House Children's

 Expected Publication Date: July 22nd, 2014

Page Numbers: 320

 Format: Hardcover, eBook

 Price: $17.99 USD

 Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Book Depository

Blurb

A jinni. A princess. And the wish that changes everything. . . . 

Najwa is a jinni, training to be a spy in the war against the humans. Zayele is a human on her way to marry a prince of Baghdad—which she’ll do anything to avoid. So she captures Najwa and makes a wish. With a rush of smoke and fire, they fall apart and re-form—as each other. A jinni and a human, trading lives. Both girls must play their parts among enemies who would kill them if the deception were ever discovered—enemies including the young men Najwa and Zayele are just discovering they might love.
My Rating: ★★★★.5
*review coming soon*

Excerpt

This excerpt is from chapter 29.
I ran down the corridor, around the darkened jinni Lamp, and down the opposite hall. I passed the laboratory Kamal had been in the night before, then kept going. Twice, I slowed down, careful not to disturb the air around people who were walking along.
A giant door of interlocking stars and triangles stood at the end of the corridor. It was closed, but after I waited a moment, the door swung inward. A gray-bearded man walked out with his arms overloaded with books, so I took the chance and darted in. I was getting good at sneaking through doors.
I had been hearing about the House of Wisdom my entire life. Faisal had been a student there prior to the war, and he had clearly fallen in love with it. He said that in the House of Wisdom, there were more books than I could count. More educated men than anywhere else in the world. More minds willing to see both sides to an argument. And there had never been anywhere else where humans and jinn worked side by side.
Before the war, the sciences had blossomed and a large part of it was due to the open discussions between our races. According to Faisal, if it weren't for his brother and Jafar al-Jabr, one of the caliphate's best mathematicians, we'd be lost in a world of confusing numbers. And since the day the jinn left, there hadn't been any new discoveries
The door closed behind me and a puff of air blew my skirt, but I barely noticed. I was in the House of Wisdom, and all I could think about was that no jinni had been there in ages, and a female jinni had never been allowed to enter. I was the first... 
If you liked this excerpt I suggest you hurry up and go get this book!

Author Interview

  1. How did you know that you wanted to be a published author?
    • I’m not sure how I knew, but I just did. Ever since I was 8, I’ve wanted to see my book on the shelves of the library. A real, tangible thing that people could cuddle up with and enjoy.
  2. What are some authors/books that influenced you?
    • So many, and so varied! Island of Blue Dolphins, Momo, the Dragonlance series, Anne of Green Gables, Crime and Punishment, Cloud Atlas, and about three dozen more of all age ranges and genres.
  3. Where did the inspiration for your book come from? How did you pick the title?
    • The title comes from something that happens in the book, but I didn’t come up with it. My critique partner, Emma Kress, came up with it and it stuck.
  4. Where did you do most of your thinking for the concept of this book?
    • The thinking? Mostly while I was cleaning the house or feeding my kids. Sometimes I’d fall asleep thinking about a plot problem, and then wake up knowing I had worked out an answer. Of course I’d forgotten it.
  5. Do you find that you relate to any of your characters? Or are they inspired by someone else in your life? Or are they just created based off the concept/storyline of the book?
    • I definitely relate most to Najwa, and I wrote her character first. But I’m a little bit of Zayele, too. I guess I’m sort of in between the two, and depending on my mood/circumstances, I act like one or the other. The only character I had a real-life person in mind for is Kamal. But I can’t tell you who…
  6. What advice do you have for someone that is looking to publish a book?
    • The best advice anyone gave me is to read as much and as widely as you can. Then, when you go to write your own stories, you know what feels right to you.
  7. Are there any books that you're loving right now that you'd recommend to readers?
    • Definitely! I just finished Grave Mercy last night and can’t stop thinking about it. I’m kind of jealous at how well plotted it is. Other books: The Story of Owen by E. K. Johnson, Sekret by Lindsay Smith, and Laurie Halse Anderson’s upcoming book, Ashes. (I got a sneak peak and people! It’s awesome!)
  8. What's your favorite genre?
    • I always reach for Fantasy first. 
Have you learned anything interesting about Amber or her book from this interview? I did!

About Author

Amber Lough lives with her physicist husband, their two kids, and their cat, Popcorn in Syracuse, NY. As a child, Amber moved about every two years and spent much of it overseas: preschool and kindergarten in Cuba, 4th-6th grade in a Japanese elementary school, 7th and 8th grade in Bahrain. Finally, she stayed in one place: all of High School in Charleston, South Carolina. Then she studied Russian at Saint Louis University, in Missouri, before heading into the Air Force. She was an Intelligence Officer stationed in San Diego, and travelled all over the Pacific Rim for her job. She also spent about 8 months in Baghdad, Iraq. Finally, after having her first child, she left the Air Force to begin writing full-time.


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As my tour stop comes to an end, I want to thank Amber Lough for allowing me to interview her. She is an awesome author and from the mini tweets back and forth an amazing person.

If you are looking for a great YA Fantasy book with jinni's...go check this out. You won't be disappointed!

Will you purchase your own copy of The Fire Wish?