Water Princess, Fire Prince (Author Interview)

 

It is my very good pleasure to introduce to you all, Kendra E. Ardnek, authoress supreme, wonderful friend, and just a fantastic and fun girl. As part of the festivities this week surrounding the release of her latest novel, Water Princess, Fire Prince, I was granted a very special interview! 

Be on the lookout for my full review of this wonderful novel on Saturday!!

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I know from a previous interview you mentioned a shower and a waterfall being the inspiration for the princess. What, pray, was the prince's inspiration? And why fire?

His inspiration were two simple little words: Love interest. Having declared this girl the Water Princess, I knew I didn't want full responsibility of this country to rest on her slim little shoulders. Why fire? Um, because it made a good contrast with water? I was young at the time.

Will there be other elements showing up in later books (as I found references to a series on your Pinterest board)?

Well, within the book itself, there is a Wind Prince and Leaf Princess. Beyond that, you'll have to wait and see. (Though, if you scan down the pinterest board, you'll see tags for at least a Light Prince, and a Flower Princess, but they're not in this book)

Who is your favorite minor character?

In this book? I'll go with Queen Kiona of Rizkaland. She's a character who I didn't exactly plan, but she walked into the book with a full-blown personality and a complicated backstory. She's fun to write, too.

 

If you could cast anyone (and I mean anyone) as the Water Princess and Fire Prince in a movie, who would you cast?

I know I want Eddie Redmayne for the Fire Prince, but I'm still considering my options for the Water Princess. My first choice was Annasophia Robb, but she's lost a bit of her baby face since then. One of my beta readers suggested Saxon Sharbino, and while she looks perfect, she's a bit too tall. Choices, choices, here.

What other stories do you think WPFP compares best to?

Hmm... Well, I do call the series itself a YA version of Narnia, because it has the same magic, and deals with similar issues, though in a more mature fashion.

There are also elements of Doctor Who.

Is the book's ending exactly as you pictured it when you began writing?

It's very different, because many of the circumstances changed over the course of writing (i.e. I moved the initial setting from Hawaii to Texas), but the heart's the same.

I know from experience how tedious editing can be. What did you find to help the process along as you edited this story?

A group of girls who beta read it for me and then started fangirling so hard, I gave them a secret group on Goodreads, and then a secret pinterest board.

 

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And just one snippet of the story to whet your appetite. You're welcome.

 

“I’ll decide if there’s a quarrel or not,” the girl hissed. She spun back around to face Andrew. “I don’t believe it. You’re too clumsy to be the Fire Prince.”

Clumsy. Well, that was a new one.

“Well, I came out of the Firefall,” Andrew protested.

Her already narrow blue eyes narrowed even further. “So you say.”

Suddenly something clicked in Andrew’s head. She’d been quoting books from his world, including Alice in Wonderland. That meant that she must come from his world. And she fought. Very well.

“You’re the Water Princess,” he realized, wanting desperately to be wrong. She was gorgeous, and that was half the problem. The other problem was that she was staring up at him from the hilt of his sword.

“Well, well,” she said, with mocking surprise. “You can figure something out on your own after all. Yes, I’m the Water Princess, and I am not impressed.” She waved with his sword. “Turn around and march. I can ask questions of you far better at my own camp. And you, Lord Abraham, had best follow, unless you want me to give you a reason.”

 

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Stop by Kendra's blog for the full tour schedule! You won't want to miss one moment of the fun!