Behind the Gate Interview & Giveaway- A.R. Ivanovich

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming A.R. Ivanovich to the blog! She's the author of Haven (The War of Princes). If you haven't had a chance to read this awesome science fiction/fantasy set in a steampunk world, I'm giving away a kindle copy below.

I absolutely love the world you created in Haven, where did the idea come from?

The concept for Haven began with an image and a feeling. The image was a young, armor clad soldier standing beside shadow creatures in the dying light of a green sunset. The feeling accompanying the picture was of the goodness that can survive most brutal kinds of oppression. I needed a place as bright and innocent as this soldier's world was dark and cunning, a polar opposite, and so Katelyn Kestrel and Haven were born.

I know you are currently writing the second book in the War of Princes series, do you expect to close out the story after two books, or do you think there will be more? Any hints as to what your readers should expect in book two?   

(Laughing) I should have known I'd get a question like this. According to family and friends, I'm infuriatingly tight lipped about spoilers, but I'll do my best to answer. At this point, I've planned to make War of the Princes a trilogy. As far as hints toward book two go, readers will continue the journey with Kat, see some familiar faces for better or worse, and learn more about the mysteries surrounding both Haven and the Outside World.

What is your favorite part about being an author?

I love the response from readers. Knowing that one of my imaginary worlds has provided an escape from daily life is, by far, my favorite thing about being an author. Until science catches up, books are the closest things we have to teleportation devices.

What’s your favorite book of all time?

My brain just exploded. I can barely choose what ice cream flavor to buy, let alone pick an all time favorite book. I'll have to choose the entire Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Anne has been a lifelong hero of mine, and when I was a kid, she's the one who made me want to grow up to be an author.

What do you do when you're not writing?

That depends on the weather. If it's sunny, I'm outside being outdoorsy, hanging out with animals, or getting my hands dirty one way or another. If it's stormy or dark, I save the world from aliens, robots, zombies, demons, orcs, or other people like myself.  You know, video games. I also make art.

If you found a hidden gate in your backyard, where would it lead to?

Firstly, I would be hysterically excited to find a hidden gate in my backyard. That being said, I'd love for it to lead to a medieval or exotic fantasy world where the extent of our bravery is the only limit in what we can achieve. Wherever the gate leads, let it be away from bills, fences and rules.

Tell us four random things about yourself.

Random things, coming right up. In fourth grade, my teacher called me a "chronic daydreamer" and sent me to detention with the mean kids. I have to open unlabeled doors in hotels to see where they lead. I name inanimate objects. Shenlong is my Wacom Tablet and Molly is my car. Good movie trailers always make me want to cry. It's kind of embarrassing. I end up doing math in my head to distract myself and avoid looking like a complete weirdo.

Want to know more about A.R. and her War of Princes series?
Find her online:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon

Interested in reading Haven? Just comment below with your email for a chance to win a kindle copy. Giveaway ends Monday, August 13th! 

Haven (War of Princes)

From missing socks to missing people, nothing could remain hidden from seventeen year-old Katelyn Kestrel for long, but after locating a forbidden passage out of her isolated country, Haven, she discovers for the first time that there are some things that should never be found.

Outside the safety of her homeland’s borders, Katelyn meets Rune, a young soldier who will die without her immediate aid. She never considered that helping him would lead to her capture. While being held prisoner by the handsome Lord Dylan Axton, she learns that the outside world is rife with war and controlled by people with extraordinary powers. It becomes clear that there was a very good reason the founders of Haven locked their people away from the rest of the world. The depth of her peril reaches a fever pitch when a ruthless Commander wants Katelyn dead. Her only hope is to return to Haven, but can she survive long enough to find her home?