Guardians of Terath: Seeking Sorrow by Zen Dipietro Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Guardians of Terath: Seeking Sorrow by Zen Dipietro Blog Tour. Check out the Tour Page & Schedule and see the other blogs taking part. 

About the Book:

An earth-like world of high-tech humans faces the reality that their world is not as safe as they thought it was. Five people are thrown together to quietly get to the bottom of an unfathomable mana event that must stay quiet. If the population of Terath becomes aware of the truth, it will spark a civil war. That war would pit the majority of the population against the powerful minority with the ability to harness and manipulate mana. The resulting cataclysm would decimate the population and tear apart the foundation of society.The five people chosen for this must reconsider everything they thought they knew about mana, even as they learn to trust one another’s abilities. They must embrace everything they never wanted in order to prevent the devastation of their world. One of them will be forever changed. Love will be denied, badassery will be unleashed, and Terath will never be the same. Even success comes at a price.

Goodreads | Amazon

Author Interview

1) Hi Zen, thanks for stopping by Book Lovers Life. Can you tell us a little about yourself and Seeking Sorrow?

Thanks for having me!

I have eclectic taste and an odd sense of humor. My face frequently does not accurately portray what’s going on in my head. I like to try new things but hate crowds. I’m phobic about man feet. When I was a kid, I’d eat the middles out of the Oreos, stick the cookie parts back together, and then put it back into the package. I have a fondness for being random.

As for the book, I wanted to write something different, something I hadn't seen before. There's so much dystopia on the market now that I thought, what about the other side of things? What if people lived in a nearly utopian world? What would their problems look like? The plot rolled out from there, and the characters, of course, stole the show.

Those five characters have their own minds. There were times when I had my outline and the characters did not cooperate with it. Instead, they took a scene in a different direction. And it was better than what I’d planned.

2) The world in Seeking Sorrow is quite complex, where did the idea come from?

Once I had the utopian aspect, I had to rethink the evolution of human society. What if we'd had no war, no hunger, no poverty? How would government, infrastructure, interpersonal relationships, and even architecture be affected by that? It was a wonderful opportunity to really let my imagination run amok, trying to put together what society would look like without environmental stressors.

3) What went into researching the book?

Fortunately, my undergraduate degree is in anthropology, so I had a lot of the cultural relativism toolkit already. I did have to research some natural phenomena that I won't name, to avoid any spoilers. But the internet is a wonderful tool, so I didn't have to leave my laptop to get the research part done.

4) How do you plot?

I start out with outlining. I get down everything I can, scene by scene, until I just can't hold back the words anymore. Then, my characters take over and start running the show and I adjust the outline as we go along.

5) Have you a favourite place to write?

I have a pink laptop and a comfy couch with a center console. There's a window to my right and usually a cat or two squeezing herself around my keyboard. (See pics below.) That's where I set up camp every day. 

6) Which character was the hardest to write?

That's a tough one, because none of them were difficult. They're all real people to me, so I didn't have to struggle to figure out who they were. I guess I'd have to say Luc because he's so quixotic. I'd intend for him to say something meaningful, and instead he'd come off with some snark. Or I'd want him to be funny but he'd be philosophical instead. So I had to adjust accordingly.

7) If you were a character for a day in your book, what would you do?

If I were Kassimeigh or Will, I'd get out on the training ground and lay down some serious weapon skills. 

8) Describe your book in a tweet!

Character-driven sci-fantasy with a unique worldbuild and magic system. Truly different! 

9) And lastly, tell us a fun and unnecessary fact about you.

Every year or so, I tell my husband that for that day, my name is El Kabong. I won't answer to anything else that day. There's no reason at all for it.

 

About the Author:

Zen DiPietro is a lifelong bookworm, a fantasy/sci-fi writer, a dancer, and a mom of two. Also red-haired, left-handed, and a vegetarian geek. Absolutely terrible at conforming. Particular loves include badass heroines, Star Trek, British accents, baba ganoush, and the smell of Band-Aids. Writing reviews, author interviews, and fun stuff at www.womenofbadassery.com. Very active on Facebook, Twitter (@ZenDiPietro), and Pinterest.  

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Ends 4/28

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.