BLOG TOUR w/ AUTHOR INTERVIEW: The Unicorn Quest: Secret in the Stone by Kamilla Benko
ABOUT THE BOOK
Claire Martinson and her sister Sophie have decided to stay in Arden--the magical land they discovered by climbing up a chimney in their great-aunt's manor. If what they've learned is true, the sisters are the last descendants of the royal family, and only a true heir of Arden--with magic in her blood--can awaken the unicorns.
Since Sophie has does not have magic, the land's last hope rests on Claire. The sisters journey to Stonehaven, a famed Gemmer school high in the mountains of Arden, so Claire can train in the magic of stone. As Claire struggles through classes, Sophie uncovers dangerous secrets about the people they thought they could trust. With Arden on the brink of crumbling, can Claire prove she is the prophesied heir and unlock the magic of the unicorns before it's too late?
ABOUT THE AUTHORKamilla Benko spent most of her childhood climbing into wardrobes, trying to step through mirrors, and plotting to run away to an art museum. Now, she visits other worlds as a children’s book editor. Originally from Indiana, she currently lives in New York with her bookshelves, teapot, and hiking boots.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Many places! The main inspiration for the Unicorn Quest trilogy came from a visit to the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. There’s a room where all of the walls are covered in unicorn tapestries that depict the hunt of a unicorn. I was studying the tapestries when a question popped into my head: Why would anyone want to kill a unicorn? And from trying to answer that question, the land of Arden began to unfold. Another fun fact: in the room where they display the unicorn tapestries, there is also a massive fireplace that is so big, a grown woman can stand up straight in it. . . this was the direct inspiration for how Claire and Sophie came to find a ladder in a fireplace that leads to another world.
How or what led you to become a writer for children?
I never wanted to be a writer, actually—I wanted to be a children’s book editor! I was eleven years old at my great aunt’s house, reading a book in her yard, and I suddenly had the realization that in order for me to reading this book, someone had to decide that it should be published. I love connecting readers with books, and so I thought (rightfully so!) that editors get to do that in a big way. And so I became a children’s book editor, and through the process of helping other’s find their stories, I eventually found my own.
What do you enjoy most about being a writer? least?
I love coming up with ideas! I have so much fun thinking about what could happen. . . the least favorite part is actually sitting down and breaking the terrifying white space of a page.
What is something interesting about yourself that most people don't know?
I don’t know if it’s interesting, but I have a learning disability (Nonverbal Learning Disorder) that makes spelling very difficult for me – something that’s not great when you’re an editor or a writer. From third to fifth grade, I was always in danger of failing English class, because I couldn’t pass the spelling tests and my essays, which content-wise was strong, were riddled with errors. Thankfully, we stopped taking spelling tests in sixth grade, and I’m ever so grateful to spell check! (And my parents enrolled me in lots of different therapies and tutoring to learn how to navigate the world with my brain, which helped a lot.)
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go and what would you do?
I would really love to travel to Namibia and go on a photo safari. I adore animals and I love traveling far away from where I live, because I think it’s helpful when trying keep perspective about how little you are, and how grand and wide the world is.
Comments
Post a Comment