Global E-Book Award Winner Suzanne de Montigny

Fantasy, that world that exists in an author’s mind to share with readers, one that transports us away to another time, another place, another culture. Award winning author, Suzanne de Montigny talks about her tween novel, The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy, winner of the Global E-Book Award for Best Fantasy/Alternate History. And she says she’ll give a free copy to one lucky person who leaves a comment at the end of the blog. Welcome Suzanne. Please tell us about your novel.

Thank you, Victoria. The story began as an off-shoot of a class project in grade six. I was fascinated with horses, but never got one, and so I wrote about unicorns instead. The project got an A, and the teacher made me read it to the rest of the class. I always kept this little novella with me for some reason, and I guess the reason was I was meant to write a new unicorn tale to share later on in life.

The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy takes place 12,000 years ago when all the beasts of the earth dwelled together, unicorns, lions, dinosaurs…you name it. They were all there. When the great stallion is summoned to the dinosaur’s valley, he and his son Azaria meet Darius-the-seer, a young dinosaur who foretells a cataclysmic event. Disaster strikes in the form of a great asteroid and the unicorns struggle to survive. But nothing compares to the coming of the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs, the humans. Their leader, Ishmael, will stop at nothing including extinction in his pursuit of the healing power of their horns. If you want to watch my booktrailer, here’s the link:

http://youtu.be/St9OsyK974o

That sounds fascinating, Suzanne. How did you come up with such ideas?

I haven’t a clue. They just came as I wrote. I liked the dinosaur from my original story, and so had to figure out a way to make unicorns and dinosaurs hang out. Thus the asteroid that destroys the entire dinosaur population except for Darius. When the humans arrived, my imagination went absolutely wild. Suddenly there were ghosts and rotten teenagers, and gosh, all sorts of things. I went nuts. That’s what I like about writing. I tell people it’s like reading a really good book except that you’re writing it. I have a few events in mind to guide me as I write, but the rest just kind of happens.

How did you feel when you received word you had won a Global E-Book Award?

I found out at about 10:30 at night right before going to sleep. I squealed with delight and jumped up and down. Of course I couldn’t sleep for hours afterward. It’s just so nice to be recognized for all my hard work.

Are there any other unicorn stories on the horizon?

Yes, I’m working like a mad woman to rewrite an earlier version of the second of the series. This book takes place 60 years into the future when the Legacy of Azaria has been twisted to suit the corrupt leader of the herd. Terrible things happen at his hands, or I mean hooves, and Ulysees must search for the truth before it’s too late. And just to give you a hint, Darius-the-seer is found again!

Where can we get a copy of your novel?

At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Shadow-Unicorn-Legacy-ebook/dp/B00AIVD5EE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354909859&sr=8-1&keywords=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn%3A+the+legacy

Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search?Query=the+shadow+of+the+unicorn%3A+the+legacy

And  Muse It Up Publishing, one of Canada’s fastest growing publishers: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=466&category_id=69&manufacturer_id=230&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Thanks Suzanne. This has been really interesting. Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment to win a copy of Suzanne’s novel.