T.J. Green Interview
Welcome to Ink & Magick. I'm your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today?
That’s a great question! I’d love a spell to control time. I never seem to have enough of it. I would imagine it would be a very dangerous spell though, and unless used wisely, disaster could occur.
I don't think we know each other well enough for me to give you that kind of control. But I would love to hear about your YA fantasy, Twice Born.
A missing witch, a long-buried tale of infatuation and revenge, and a powerful spell. Thanks to his cousin Beansprout, Tom is back in the Other with King Arthur. He joins his friends in the search for Nimue, a witch from Avalon who has disappeared. But has she been taken by force, or is she deliberately hiding? And is her disappearance linked to something, or someone, in the past? Arthur is convinced it's about Merlin, and his need to find him puts them all in danger, especially Tom.
Twice Born is the sequel to the Arthurian fantasy Tom's Inheritance, a series of books about Tom’s adventures with King Arthur. If you like magic, ancient gods, strange beasts and dragons, you’ll love T.J. Green’s re-imagining of the Arthurian legend.
Who doesn't want to read about that? Twice Born is a sequel to Tom's Inheritance. Tell us a little about the first book.
Tom’s grandfather mysteriously disappears, so Tom decides to look for him, and accidentally crosses to the Other - the world of the Fey. There he finds out he’s a descendant of King Arthur, and that the Lady of the Lake needs him to wake Arthur from his long sleep on Avalon. He realises that if Arthur’s real, then so are his enemies. There’s a lot of adventure in the story - Tom gets attacked, his friend is kidnapped, he’s trapped in a palace under a hill, and all before he even gets to Avalon!
Arthurian legends retold? I love that! What kind of research did you do for these stories?
I’ve always loved the Arthurian tales, but I refreshed my memory by reading some again, and also looked at the myths and stories the legend was based on. The great thing about the Arthurian tales is that there’s always been a lot of magic in them, and they cross over to the world of faerie. And of course there’s witches, wizards, and dragons! As the years have passed they’ve been re-interpreted for each new generation.
Which one of your characters surprised you?
Brenna. I knew she needed to be in the story, but hadn’t quite worked out why, and then of course she became very important.
Who is your favorite (or least favorite) character and why?
Beansprout is my favourite. She’s so cool and very popular with readers. She’s brave, loyal, and isn’t afraid to tell Tom when he’s being an ass. But Woodsmoke’s great too.
If you could time-travel, would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go, and why would you choose that time period?
It’s tempting to travel to the future, but it would be really scary, and maybe depressing if we had really messed things up. But it would also be amazing to see what things we’d invented, and if we were able to travel in space - all of us, for long distances, like Star Trek! I love Star Trek. I’d love to travel like that, as long as I’m not in a red shirt!
HAHAHA Well, some red shirts make it out okay. What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Review my books please! Reviews are so important. And for those who are really interested, join my launch team. The more the merrier!
What can we expect from you next?
I’m writing book three in the series. In Twice Born, the second book, Tom’s life changed hugely, and I continue to grow that in the third book. There’s also lots of back story, and Tom and his friends continue to develop. And of course, Arthur’s around. The release is planned for February/March 2018, but I really need to think of a title.
I’m also giving a lot of thought to a new book, that’s not part of this series. It’s vague at the moment, but there’ll be magic in it.
All the best books have magic! Thanks so much for stopping by to talk with me. Good luck!
T.J. Green was born in England, but moved to New Zealand 10 years ago. She currently lives near Wellington with her partner and her cats Sacha and Leia. When not writing, she does lots of reading, gardening and yoga.
In a previous life she's been a singer in a band and has done some acting with a theatre company - both of which were lots of fun. On occasions she and a few friends make short films, which begs the question, where are the book trailers? Coming soon...
You can connect with T.J. on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. You can get a copy of Twice Born and Tom's Inheritance or Amazon.
Book three of Tom’s Arthurian Legacy series, Galatine’s Curse releases on March 20. You can preorder it on Amazon.
T. J. is hosting a giveaway during March. Enter below!