Thursday, February 23, 2017

Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Legacy of the Mind by H.R. Moore @hr_moore @yaboundtourspr



Legacy of the Mind
by
 H.R. Moore
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Release Date: January 2014

Summary from Goodreads:


Anita has never been ordinary, she’s stuck out like a sore thumb her entire life; not only can she see the energy of others, a rare skill, but she’s won every Body challenge she’s ever entered. So when the powerful, good looking Descendants, Marcus and Alexander, mysteriously arrive in Empire, her difference attracts and keeps their attention.

Once in Empire, the sudden death of ruling Body Descendant, Christiana, sets in motion a number of events; a quest for the treacherous Austin to find the girl Christiana had been looking for; a challenge where Anita stands out more vibrantly than ever before; a perilous dip in the world’s energy; and a dangerous belief among the people that they will never truly be free. Powerful factions soon form within the ruling elite and when a trusted friend and mentor reaches out to ask for Anita’s help, she has to make a choice; help her friend and betray the one she loves, or do nothing and watch the people starve.


Interview with H.R. Moore


What inspired you to write Legacy of the Mind?

I’d always wanted to write a book, just to see if I could, but never had time to do it.  However, I had to go to New York with work for three months in 2012, so suddenly had a lot of free time on my hands when I wasn’t in the office.  I would walk home across Central Park, thinking up book concepts and developing plot lines.

The inspiration for the energy theme came from some training I went on, where the feedback they gave me was that I had a lot of energy.  This sparked a train of thought about different kinds of energy, as I wouldn’t consider myself to be particularly physically energetic (although I love exercise once I’ve managed to convince myself to actually get off the sofa and do some!), however, I suppose I’m quite mentally energetic.  From this came the three different types of energy and the foundation for the whole book.

I also drew inspiration from the events of the world around us, from energy shortages, to how we use our natural resources, to dubious political motivations.  And, of course, I drew inspiration from all the other wonderful books I’ve read, particularly the YA variety, and especially those with a good smattering of romance.


Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in The Legacy Trilogy or what you have planned for the future?

Origin of the Body (book 2) and Design of the Spirit (book 3) are both out and available to buy on Amazon.  They continue the story of Anita, Marcus and Alexander as they try to find out about events of the past, and discover how to save the world from the energy crisis in which they’re now embroiled.

The books divulge more about Anita’s parents and the past activity of the Institution, as well as developing the love triangle between Anita, Alexander and Marcus.  However, the most important task for the characters is to find a way to keep the energy stable.  In book two, they think they find a way to do this, only to discover their plan doesn’t quite have the consequences they’d expected.  And in book three, they put together a plan to try and return the Relic once and for all.


Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Legacy of the Mind?

The main character, Anita, is a feisty twenty five year old who’s keen on anything active.  She’s very competitive.  She studies the energy in a place called the Observatory and lives with her grandmother Cordelia.  Her best friend Cleo is a terrible gossip, which Anita likes to know about, but doesn’t get too involved with, that is, until Marcus and Alexander come to town, at which point she becomes the focus of most of it.

Marcus, one of two male leads, is frivolous, charming, and classically good-looking in a clean-cut sort of way.  He loves anything interesting and new and is happy to use his powerful position in society to his advantage.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and lives life in a careless and carefree way.

Alexander, on the other hand (the second male lead), wears the weight of responsibility differently.  He’s more reserved, ruggedly handsome and takes the responsibility of his position more seriously.  He sees through the layers of the political society, whereas Marcus is totally oblivious to it, and so each holds a unique allure for Anita.


You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

SUCH A DIFFICULT QUESTION.  Probably George R R Martin currently. I’ve read a lot of Wilbur Smith and love most of his books.  Of course I love Harry Potter, so JK Rowling, but was also totally engrossed in the Hunger Games, so Suzanne Collins has to be in there 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 like to visit this particular time period?

Definitely the future.  I love change and can’t wait to see what the future holds, so I’d probably go ten or twenty years in the future to see how similar or different life is by then.  If you think how much our lives have changed in the last twenty years in terms of smart phones, the internet and the general pace of living, I’m really intrigued to see if another transformation happens in the next couple of decades.  Who knows, by then, maybe we’ll all be travelling around in driverless cars, robots will be a common house help and Elon Musk will have made it to Mars…


Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

Not at the moment but it’s DEFINITELY on the cards as both my husband and I grew up with animals.  I’m a dog (or horse) person and my daughter loves all animals, so we’re going to have to get one soon.  I think we might go for a miniature schnauzer as they’re totally adorable, neither too big nor too small and get on really well with children.  My parents in law have four dogs (three springer spaniels and one Jack Russel), three horses, and chickens, so it’s great when we go to see them.  I’d love a springer spaniel too, but they need SO much exercise and I’m about to have another baby, so not sure I’ll have the energy for a few years!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.



About the Author

Harriet was born in Germany in 1987, the family returning to the UK, to Dorset shortly afterwards. She lived there until she was 5, her grandfather teaching her the basics of cheating at cards and swindling chocolate, her mother starting to instil a (some would argue) unhealthy relationship with cake, and the neighbours demonstrating that some people don't understand cherry blossom is there to be picked, mixed with mint and water and sold as perfume.

Then there was Scotland; stealthy guinea pig breeding, riding horses, advanced cards, more cake, then to Devon and school in Exeter. She loved maths in the early years, but by the time she got to A Level, Sociology was her favourite subject, opening her eyes to things she'd never before considered, namely, nobody is really right, nobody is really normal and primary socialisation has a lot to answer for.

At the age of about 12, Harriet started rowing for Exeter Rowing Club. This quickly took over her life and before too long she was clad in lycra, training 6 days a week and competing at events around the country.

After finishing her A Levels, Harriet went to university in St Andrews, studying Philosophy for two years, then switching to Management. She was particularly interested in the 'people' elements of her course and especially the areas concerning how people create and react to change. After four very civilised years by the sea, she ventured to London, to foray into the strange world of insurance (surprisingly, more interesting than you might think). She worked as a Project Manager on large change programmes before founding her own consultancy in 2015.

Harriet now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband Chris and daughter Atia. When she isn't, writing, editing, eating, running around after her toddler, or imagining how much better life would be with the addition of a springer spaniel, she occasionally finds the time to make hats.

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1 comments:

Mary Preston said...

A great interview. I love George RR too.