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The Interview
I asked H.B. Bolton what kind of creatures she would create if she had the opportunity, and below is her response!
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Fantastical creatures, magical trinkets and vengeful gods fill the pages — and mythical worlds — of The Serpent’s Ring and The Trickster’s Totem. And although I try to stay true to each individual myth and legend, I like to shake things up a bit.
Here are a few examples of how I altered the appearance, personalities and living environment of a few otherworldly creatures:
- According to Native American legend, everyone has an animal that guides him or her through life. For purposes in The Trickster’s Totem, I decided the inhabitants of the Native American Spirit World would have their animal totem marked in ink upon their body — the markings even move around. Each person is also able to physically change into his or her animal guide. This ability comes in handy in sticky situations.
- Early in the story, I introduce creatures based on the legend of the Mothman. I call them “aces” because of the Mothman’s spade-shaped head. Aces resemble a bat with a mothlike face, and are much smaller than the legendary Mothman.
- While researching Native American legends, I was surprised to learn that a few tribes told stories of pixielike creatures called Pains. They are magical spirits that usually take the form of miniature, fairylike people. For storytelling purposes in The Trickster's Totem, they eat way too many flower petals made from sugar. And don’t let their cuteness fool you; they can drive you to the brink of insanity with their unrelenting singing and frolicking. And once in their clutches, they might never let you go.
- Some Native American tribes speak of a colossal, hairy, man-beast, known as the C’iatqo (also known as Bigfoot). When I first imagined what their village looked like, I immediately thought of the treehouse village inhabited by little Ewoks from Return of the Jedi. But then I had another thought: What if I turned the C’iatqos into a highly evolved, technologically advanced group of people? I re-imagined their village, consisting of Victorian-style buildings with Steampunk-like robotic animals scurrying around horse-drawn carriages.
- How could I resist including Steampunk-like robotic animals? A robotic rabbit (inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) investigates Evan and Dunkle. Collies made from gears and compasses bring lemonade and gourmet sandwiches to mine workers. Metal pigeons pick crumbs from brick pavers.
The Books
Author: H.B. Bolton
Publisher: Createspace
Publishing Date: April 15, 2013
Pages: 226
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Life has returned to normal for fourteen-year-old Evan and his older sister, Claire. That is until Dunkle, a clever but stinky little imp, pays an unexpected visit to their school. He has come to take the siblings back to Sagaas, the mythical realm of the gods. Once again, a Relic from the ancient Mysticus Orb has fallen into the wrong hands. Only Evan and Claire, with their unique mystical abilities, can help find it.
Through the power of the Trickster’s Totem, a coyote trickster has escaped. His laughter echoes throughout the realm, as he spreads mischief and mayhem. He burns an entire crop of popcorn, carves his grinning image into sacred artifacts, and things really get interesting when he shape-shifts into Evan’s friends.
Claire and Evan must capture the Trickster, retrieve the Totem, and be careful not to become sidetracked by robotic Steampunk animals, “sweet” pixie-like Pains, and a problematic mermaid … all while dodging Mothman-like aces. Most surprising, Evan discovers the true reason dragons exist in the Native American Spirit World.
Before you read The Trickster's Totem, be sure to check out the first book in the Relics of Mysticus series, The Serpent's Ring! It's free on Kindle May 28 to June 1!
Title: The Serpent's Ring
A magical part of H.B. Bolton’s childhood was being swept into worlds of enchanting characters, fantastical creatures and extraordinary powers—simply by picking up a book. As a mother and a teacher, she was compelled to create imaginary worlds of her own in order to share them, not just with her children, but with all children. H.B. Bolton lives in Florida with her supportive husband and two highly spirited children. Shh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young-adult fantasy story, she also writes spellbinding, heart pounding women's fiction. These particular books are written under the name Barbara Brooke, but that's another story, altogether.
Books by H.B. Bolton:The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus, Book One), Breaking Down (a short story), Hungry (a short story), Coming May 1, 2013: The Trickster's Totem (Relics of Mysticus, Book Two)
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon
Goodreads│Amazon│
Barnes & Noble
Life has returned to normal for fourteen-year-old Evan and his older sister, Claire. That is until Dunkle, a clever but stinky little imp, pays an unexpected visit to their school. He has come to take the siblings back to Sagaas, the mythical realm of the gods. Once again, a Relic from the ancient Mysticus Orb has fallen into the wrong hands. Only Evan and Claire, with their unique mystical abilities, can help find it.
Through the power of the Trickster’s Totem, a coyote trickster has escaped. His laughter echoes throughout the realm, as he spreads mischief and mayhem. He burns an entire crop of popcorn, carves his grinning image into sacred artifacts, and things really get interesting when he shape-shifts into Evan’s friends.
Claire and Evan must capture the Trickster, retrieve the Totem, and be careful not to become sidetracked by robotic Steampunk animals, “sweet” pixie-like Pains, and a problematic mermaid … all while dodging Mothman-like aces. Most surprising, Evan discovers the true reason dragons exist in the Native American Spirit World.
Before you read The Trickster's Totem, be sure to check out the first book in the Relics of Mysticus series, The Serpent's Ring! It's free on Kindle May 28 to June 1!
Title: The Serpent's Ring
Author: H.B. Bolton
Publisher: Createspace
Publishing Date: July 2012
Pages: 232
Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum ... that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods.
Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous fish and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.
Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous fish and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.
The Author
A magical part of H.B. Bolton’s childhood was being swept into worlds of enchanting characters, fantastical creatures and extraordinary powers—simply by picking up a book. As a mother and a teacher, she was compelled to create imaginary worlds of her own in order to share them, not just with her children, but with all children. H.B. Bolton lives in Florida with her supportive husband and two highly spirited children. Shh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young-adult fantasy story, she also writes spellbinding, heart pounding women's fiction. These particular books are written under the name Barbara Brooke, but that's another story, altogether.Books by H.B. Bolton:The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus, Book One), Breaking Down (a short story), Hungry (a short story), Coming May 1, 2013: The Trickster's Totem (Relics of Mysticus, Book Two)
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The Giveaway
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting a tour stop Rachel! I love this guest post! I think the author was really creative in the things she came up with, I love it!
Thanks for giving me something fun to write about. I hope your readers enjoy getting to know more about some of the interesting creatures Evan encounters on his adventure through the Native American Spirit World :)
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