Female Sorceress: Moonburner

Interview: Moonburner by Claire Luana



Title: Moonburner
Author: Claire Luana
Publisher: Soul Fire Press
Publish Date: June 14, 2016


Synopsis: When 17-year old Kai is exposed as a female sorceress—a moonburner, she knows the punishment is death. Despite the odds against her, Kai escapes her fate and undertakes a harrowing journey to a land where moonburners are revered and trained as warriors.
But the moonburner citadel is not the place of refuge and learning that Kai imagined. The ongoing war against the male sorcerers, or sunburners, has led the citadel leadership down a dark path that could spell the end of all magic. Armed with a secret from her past and a handsome but dangerous ally in the sunburner prince, Kai may be the only one able to prevent the destruction of her people.


Interview

1. Where did you get the idea for Moonburner?
My inspiration for Moonburner was loosely based on China's One Child policy, which led to generations of Chinese families choosing to have boys over girls. It made me think: what would happen in a world where families didn't want girls because those girls had some magical ability that was forbidden? This led to the premise of Moonburner, where Kai, the main character, is born into a land where magic is forbidden to women, and she is forced to masquerade as a boy to hide her powers. This inspiration is also why I set Moonburner in a world with more of a medieval Asian influence, rather than the typical European fantasy world readers are used to.

2. Why did you decide to write this?
Two years ago, when my husband and I were on our honeymoon, we talked about what we would do for a living if we could pick anything. I realized thatI would choose to be a fiction writer. And you don’t get there without trying! So I started writing.
I worked for several months outlining a trilogy of novels. But every time I started writing, I got stuck. I had another idea hanging around in the back of my mind and I decided to give into it. Within about 10 minutes I had a one-page outline of the plot and the title for Moonburner.I was off and running. I think it’s really true what they say about the muse striking you!


3. If you could only use one word to describe this book, what would it be?
Ack, that’s hard! I would say multi-faceted. Is that cheating? It’s playful with serious undertones.

4. What is your favorite book/series?
My favorite series is probably the Wheel of Time series. It really got me started with fantasy, and I was so happy with how Brandon Sanderson finished it off after Robert Jordan passed away. I could re-read it one-hundred times and get something new out of it every time. Writing all of those huge novels with myriad plot lines is just a really impressive achievement (and totally daunting to think about as a writer!)

5. Any advice for aspiring authors?
Take a long term viewpoint and approach. We are an instant gratification society, and it's easy to get discouraged when you don't see instant results or success. But if you are truly want to be a writer, keep at it. Learn how to do it better. There is no special sauce, only hard work. So do the work, and little by little, you'll get there.

Giveaway

One (1) winner will receive a copy of Moonburner, a free e-copy of Burning Fate, the prequel to Moonburner (only available in electronic form), and a $50 Amazon gift card (INT)

About the Author


Claire Luana grew up in Edmonds, Washington, reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could get. Eventually, adulthood won out and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits, graduating from University of Washington School of Law and going to work as a commercial litigation attorney at a mid-sized law firm.
While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. Her first novel, Moonburner, will be published in 2016 with Soul Fire Press, an imprint of Christopher Matthews Publishing. She is currently working on the sequel, Sunburner. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, run, play with her two dogs, and of course, fall into a good book.

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