Like many authors, Megan Crewe finds writing about herself much more difficult than making things up. A few definite facts: she lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and son (and does on occasion say “eh”), she’s always planning some new trip around the world, and she’s spent the last six years studying kung fu, so you should probably be nice to her. She has been making up stories about magic and spirits and other what ifs since before she knew how to write words on paper. These days the stories are just a lot longer.
Megan's novels have been nominated for multiple awards and published more than ten different languages. They include the paranormal GIVE UP THE GHOST, post-apocalyptic the Fallen World series, the sci fi Earth & Sky trilogy, and the contemporary fantasy A MORTAL SONG.
Connect with the Author:
What is your favourite part about being a Canadian author?
Megan Crewe: I love that as a Canadian author, I’m a “local” author throughout the entire country, and I’m welcomed as such anywhere in the country I go. ☺ Booksellers, librarians, and teachers from coast to coast have been incredibly supportive of my books and career.What do you think Canadian authors can exclusively bring to the table?
Megan Crewe: I think we can offer a North American perspective that comes from a different angle than a writer from the United States. We’re very close to the action of international politics and social issues, but a little on the sidelines, not exactly a major player. I feel that gives us both insight into what’s going on and enough distance to see things people who are in the thick of it might not. And that can lead to stories that tackle issues in a way other authors aren’t or won’t.What is your favourite “Canadian tradition”?
Megan Crewe: Being very solidly Canadian, I find I’m generally not sure what is a specifically Canadian tradition and what’s not, heh. (There are many things I assumed everyone did/had and later learned were just a Canadian thing.) Probably my favourite is heading north to cottage country in the summer (which may actually be more of an Ontario tradition than elsewhere in Canada?). I love that we have so much natural space, forests and lakes to get away from the city to and enjoy.How do you think your life as a Canadian overlaps with your writing? Do we see any of this in any of your novels?
Megan Crewe: Well, I definitely think I have a “typical” Canadian sensibility when it comes to things like problem-solving, and my characters take after me in that respect. My protagonists are usually relatively pacifist and solve their problems as much as possible through discussion and emotional appeals rather than aggression and physical force. Also I try to work in Canadian settings as appropriate. Most of the Fallen World series takes place in Canada, and I enjoy sneaking in little references in other works (my current WIP has a couple of secondary characters from Saskatchewan).Describe A MORTAL SONG in 10 words or less.
Megan Crewe: Magic, mythology, sword-fighting, and secrets uncovered in modern-day Japan.How do we see Sora grow throughout A MORTAL SONG?
Megan Crewe: The biggest shift for Sora is that she starts out devoted to her life as a kami and seeing humans as beings that are fascinating but fragile and somewhat inferior, and over the course of the story, as she comes to terms with the fact that she herself is actually human, gradually recognizes just how capable and powerful human beings can be. She also starts out in a bit of a subservient role, relying on the people around her who have more authority and information, but comes to trust her own judgment and to realize that she is the only person who can truly decide what is best for her.What do you hope readers take away from A MORTAL SONG?
Megan Crewe: I hope they’ll come away appreciating just how magical it is simply being human, and thinking about what they have the power to accomplish in their own lives without any supernatural powers needed.What was your favourite scene in all your novels?
Megan Crewe: You know, it’s funny that this is the case, because romance is never the primary focus in my books, but the scenes I enjoy writing the most are the romantic ones—when two characters are developing romantic feelings for each other and acting on those feelings. I have to admit I also quite enjoy writing scenes where something horrible happens that I know will have readers frantic to find out how the problem will be solved. (See, in particular, the end of The Clouded Sky. * evil grin * )Where do you think your main characters would want to live if they lived in present day Canada?
Megan Crewe: The characters from A MORTAL SONG? I’m going to guess British Columbia. I haven’t been out that far west yet myself, but it seems the closest to Japan in terms of the climate and natural scenery. Although Keiji would probably enjoy Toronto a lot, too.Is there plans for a sequel to A MORTAL SONG in the future?
Megan Crewe: Not at the moment. I always intended it to be a standalone, but you never know! If inspiration strikes, I’m not going to ignore it. ☺
A MORTAL SONG
Author: Megan Crewe
Publisher: Another World Press
Publication Date: September 13, 2016
Summary:
Sora's life was full of magic—until she discovered it was all a lie.
Heir to Mt. Fuji's spirit kingdom, Sora yearns to finally take on the sacred kami duties. But just as she confronts her parents to make a plea, a ghostly army invades the mountain. Barely escaping with her life, Sora follows her mother's last instructions to a heart-wrenching discovery: she is a human changeling, raised as a decoy while her parents' true daughter remained safe but unaware in modern-day Tokyo. Her powers were only borrowed, never her own. Now, with the world's natural cycles falling into chaos and the ghosts plotting an even more deadly assault, it falls on her to train the unprepared kami princess.
As Sora struggles with her emerging human weaknesses and the draw of an unanticipated ally with secrets of his own, she vows to keep fighting for her loved ones and the world they once protected. But for one mortal girl to make a difference in this desperate war between the spirits, she may have to give up the only home she's ever known.
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