I just wrapped up a massive 39-stop blog tour, coordinated by Kathy over at I Am a Reader. As part of the tour, she created a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. The giveaway doesn’t end until April 30, 2014, so there’s still time to jump on board that train. Click on any of the links below to enter and good luck!
Highlights of the tour:
An interview with tour host I Am a Reader. Among other things, you can find out which book I wish I’d written, how I react to a bad review, and my biggest challenge as a writer (which I think is actually a challenge for a lot of people, regardless of profession). Plus, find out what my kryptonite would be if I were a superhero.
My favorite part of Ashi’s review over at Desirable Reads? “I was halfway through the book and I stopped, realizing the end was near and I wanted it to go on forever!” Yay! Thank you! 
A four-star review from The Story Goes… wherein she declares the book “pretty freakin awesome,” gives a detailed list of her pros and cons, and says its good for fans of fantasy, fans of Falling Kingdoms, and fans of Cinda Williams Chima. (Warrier Heir is now on my TBR pile!)
A review by Dawn at Bound 4 Escape: “I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre, especially epics.” And a 4-star review at readalot, who starts by saying, “Gift of the Phoenix is a long fantasy book. That I did not want to stop reading,” and ends by saying, “I would read more from Donna Cook in the future.” I truly appreciate all these reviews.
Fantasy Book Lane was one of several blogs to put up a spotlight about the book. Her blog header is so cool I want to write a short story about it. Go check it out.
I got to meet another local writer. Charissa, one of the blog hosts who spotlighted the book, is from the Boise area and a new member of the Idaho Writers Guild (which I belong to as well). We had fun chatting in the comments and I’m looking forward to meeting her in person.
I wrote a guest post for Fiction Inspired by Life, and talk about how I graduated from college with a degree in creative writing then didn’t write a thing for 10 years. Find out what got me writing again.
If you’re interested in the creative process, my interview with Michael is a good one to read. Also: find out what makes my perfectionist tic kick in.
Learn the Top Ten Things I Love About Being an Author over at the Chosen By You Book Club. (Reason #1: I get to listen to the voices in my head and no one tries to prescribe me medication.)
Find out the one book I would require high school seniors to read in my interview with Cuzinlogic.
Most Popular Excerpt:
Bloggers had a choice of four excerpts of the book to share on their blog. All of the excerpts appeared on one blog or another, but this one was the runaway favorite:
The man’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in. “Have you ever seen the waters swallow an island?”
“What?” Nicolai asked.
He pointed to what Nicolai knew to be the Pearl and Crescent Islands, only a few miles out from the coast. They were uninhabitable rock for the most part, notable only because one island was shaped like a crescent moon while the other circular shaped island sat within its gulf. Only Nicolai didn’t see two islands. He saw only the crescent-shaped island.
“What happened?” Nicolai asked.
“I’ll tell you what happened. The Pearl is gone! Sank right into the sea it did!”
Nicolai tried to imagine an island in the cove of Crescent Island’s bay, then tried to imagine that island sinking into the sea.
“My brother says a monster ate it!” the little girl said.
Her mother hushed her. “Don’t listen to his tales.”
“It was an earthquake,” the first man said kindly, bending his reddened face down to her. He put his hands together and slid them back and forth. “The earth shook under the water and made the water come sloshing up over the edge. Just like shaking a cup.” She looked at him skeptically. Nicolai gathered she thought a monster sounded more credible.
“It wasn’t a monster,” said a frail voice. They all looked around to see a withered woman resting on a bench next to the wall. “It wasn’t an earthquake either. What took that island was the same thing that made it.”
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