Welcome to the FFBC: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna- Interview & Giveaway / The Fantastic Flying Book Club

A Spark of White Fire

(The Celestial Trilogy #1)
by Sangu Mandanna
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: September 11, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Synopsis:

In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.

Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.

It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.

Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love.

Interview

Hi Sangu!! We’re so excited to have your book in our FFBC Tours, and can’t wait to ask you a couple of questions about your new book, A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Favorite Book?

Eeeep too many! One of them is definitely Daughter of Smoke and Bone and its sequels by Laini Taylor.

Favorite TV Show?

Again, way too many, but I’ll go with Once Upon a Time.

Favorite Movie?

TOO MANY FAVES! Ummm Disney’s Coco.

Favorite Song?

You’re killing me. Can I say the entire Greatest Showman soundtrack? It’s my favourite thing right now.

Favorite Food?

Now this one is easy! Chicken steamed rice and hunan chicken from Chung Wah in Bangalore.

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Hogsmeade, the Prague in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and the Paris of Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss.

Name a recent book you’ve read that you would recommend to our YA fans.

I just finished and loved Sadie by Courtney Summers!

What were your favorite books while growing up?

Harry Potter, the Magic Faraway Tree books, The Time Traveler’s Wife, pretty much anything by Agatha Christie or Georgette Heyer.

Favorite Quote?

Oscar Wilde saying “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

What are your fandoms?

Harry Potter, Once Upon a Time, Star Wars and Game of Thrones.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE?

A Spark of White Fire is the story of Esmae, an apparent orphan who reveals herself to be the princess of a kingdom torn by a civil war. She wants to go home, fight for the crown that was stolen from her brother, and reunite with her family. Of course, turns out it’s not quite that simple…

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

It’s very much inspired by and a loose retelling of the Mahabharata, one of the ancient epics of Indian mythology. I’ve wanted to write a story inspired by these myths for a long time, but couldn’t quite hit on something that felt right until my toddler became obsessed with space and planets, which in turn made me start seeing planets in my sleep until I thought “hey, why not combine the two? Indian mythology in space!”

Can you tell us 3 interesting things about Esmae?

She’s a talented archer. Her secret weapon is a flower. And she’s been twice cursed.

Tell us your favorite quote from A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE.

[I’m] a pawn in a Warlords game. Do you know what happens when a pawn gets all the way across the board? She becomes a queen.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE– Which one would you pick?

Bastille’s ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’

What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE.)

#bamf #spaceopera #pocinspace

Do you have favorite books/movies/tv shows set in space?

I love the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown, the new Lost in Space TV show, Star Wars, and Maura Milan’s Ignite the Stars.

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read A SPARK OF WHITE FIRE (specific music, snacks…)?

Hot tea and your favourite ice cream, both of which you might need for comfort when you get to end of the book (sorry!)

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the second book in the trilogy at the moment, and I’m also editing an anthology called Color Outside the Lines, both of which will be out in 2019.

Thank you so much for everything, Sangu!

Thank you for having me and for organizing all this! It’s been amazing to work with you guys and I’ve had so much fun with the guest posts and the Q&As.

Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. The Lost Girl, a YA sci fi novel about death and love, is available now. Sangu now lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and kids.