Stealing Phoenix Blog Tour

So, by now I'm hoping you will have read my review of Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling here and realised just how much I loved this book. I am so happy to be part of this blog tour and so without further ado, it is my great pleasure to introduce Joss Stirling to the blog today who happily agreed to answer a few burning questions I had...


One of my biggest questions is are there going to be future books in the series featuring all the brothers because some of them are older than 18 right? Which would make it more an adult book than a YA book so I’m curious about this

I can’t give a definitive answer to this because I don’t have such a grand master plan. Many readers have asked for a full set but I realize the higher up the family we go, the further we are from YA territory. I know I’m OK as far as Xav (he is still in the under 20s bracket so it is within the zone for teen readers). I have my own ideas how to handle the aging aspect but you’ll find out more in the next book. I can say this though: I have plenty of ideas so I won’t be stuck for a subject that will appeal to my readership in YA if I do go in another direction.



Which brother will be featured next? Can you give us any information about the next book? Title? Have you started writing it yet?

As mentioned above, Xavier is the next up for his story to be told. I know the title but I’m keeping that to myself for the moment. I haven’t started writing but I have begun the note making process and planning for my research. I will probably need to make a trip soon to my chosen location so if you follow my twitter feed this autumn you might get some hints.



Is there always going to be a US/UK connection?

Well, the Benedicts are American and I am English so there’s one connection already. My main concern is to keep telling new and original stories so I won’t be repeating the plots I have already done.



How do you decide on the storyline/what fits for each brother? What inspires you?

I start from the love story. I sketched out the different characters for the brothers in Finding Sky, not knowing that I’d get a chance to tell any stories beyond that of Zed. Now I’ve been given a broader canvas, I expand from that original idea and develop a deeper idea of what that brother is going to be like. The boy in question then needs a contrasting girl. A story about them falling for each other with no hitches would not make much fun to write (or read) so very often they are opposites, on the surface at least.

As to what inspires me, that has such a variety of answers that I can’t really narrow it down to a single list. Travel definitely helps. Reading widely and watching lots of films also gives my mind a push. Some of the best ideas come from watching/reading something I don’t like as I get a chance to correct what I think was wrong about it. Talking to people, watching people, going for walks – all are important to my imagination.



What’s your favourite YA book and why?

I didn’t grow up with YA as it wasn’t a category in the 1980s. I was reading The Lord of the Rings and science fiction/fantasy in my teens, as well as adult books, so if I’m allowed Tolkien, I’d pick that. Why? Because he created an entire world so convincingly your mind can live in it beyond the page. This is what many writers aspire to do now, but they don’t get even close and always feel like cheap imitations. I can find many faults in The Lord of the Rings (lack of good women characters, a certain stiffness in speech) but the rich descriptions and powerful emotional journey to the fire are unmatched.

Thank you Joss!! Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour (see below) and tomorrow it's Dark Readers.