Book Blitz: Bittersweet by Michele Barrow-Belisle

Bittersweet

Faerie Song Trilogy #2

Michele Barrow-Belisle

Publication date: March 24, 2015

Genres: YA Fantasy

To save the Faery world and her mother’s life, seventeen year old Lorelei sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargains she made in Nevermore had lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same to her high school friends and her supernatural boyfriend, despite the dark magic growing within her. Love across dimensions is complicated, especially when an invisible veil between the two worlds is sealing, threatening to separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.

Determined to find a solution, Lorelei resorts to exploring her new found powers. But when her friends fall ill, and her healing touch only makes things worse, Lorelei can’t help but wonder if she's responsible.

Nightmares from the Nevermore tighten their icy hold when someone arrives determined to destroy Lorelei’s world, starting with those closest to her. Once again she’s forced to choose between her family… her friends… and a love that was ill-fated from the start.

First book in the series...

Q & A

Where did you get your inspiration for writing FIRE & ICE and BITTERSWEET? 

When I first started the story, many years ago, it began as something I could read to my son when he was about 8yrs old. I’d already self-published a series of how-to books by that point. We’d been reading the Magic Treehouse book series together and I had the thought, like many humble author has at some time, I could write that. And so I started writing what became Fire & Ice. But the story wanted to become so much more than a short middle grade novel, and so I set it aside for a few years. I took an amazing online fiction writing class at Savvy Authors.com and fresh new ideas for how to shape it into a full length novel sprang to life. It sort of snowballed from there, because once I gave the characters a new lease on life, they wouldn’t leave me alone until I’d finished writing the entire book. Then they went on to insist their story should be a trilogy. So then came the second book and third is underway. Now I’m not sure they’ll let me end things there though, lol.

How did you come up with the title? 

I always had the title in my mind because of the characters the fire and the ice represent in the story. I love the polar opposites and the way that in and of themselves neither one is necessarily dangerous, but taken to extremes, they can be deadly. It’s simple and straightforward and unfortunately quite common, but it really does represent the story well. Plus the publisher let me keep it so it must have been a fairly good choice.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

I’d love for readers to recognize there is power within them that may be lying dormant. To know that more of their lives and their choices and their destiny are under their control than they realize. The main character discovers this by uncovering hidden magical abilities, but I believe we all have inner magic to a certain extent. And that it’s our choices, more so than a preconceived destiny, that shapes our future.

How much of the book is realistic? 

To a certain extent all of it is realistic. Ok, so no, I haven’t actually traveled into a Faery realm and encountered other beings, but they represent people and places and situations that are quite real and very human. That said, the worlds are more dreamlike than realistic, and I would really love to visit. That’s one of the most exciting parts about this becoming a movie. The chance to actually step into this imaginary world in real life! 

What kind of research do you do? And what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research? 

I’ve always loves faerie folklore and Celtic mythology so I’ve read a lot of books on the subject. Fantasy is a genre I’ve adored since childhood. I once bought a book of spells to see what types of elemental magic witches Fey might use, and naturally I had to try out a few of them. All in the name of research, of course. ;)

Do you have a favorite character from the book? 

I really love Adrius. He’s the ideal hero in my opinion. Yes he makes mistakes and wrong choices, but behind them all is this unrelenting need for love, and his love for Lorelei. There is a soulful depth to his character that I hope to bring to life in a novella, sharing his perspective and his experiences before and after meeting Lorelei. He never really gets to fully give his side of the story and there is so much more to him than we get to see. He’s the ultimate good guy… plus, he’s really hot!

So Fire & Ice was optioned for a Movie! Exciting! What can you tell us about that? 

Well, as you can imagine we’re all super excited about it! And I’ve had a lot of conversations with the producer, who fortunately wants to keep me on board in adapting the book to a screenplay. That doesn’t always happen, so I’m very grateful. I think it’s a dream most writers have, but it was equally important to me that my stories remain as true to the book series as possible. Hopefully we’ll be able to release more info soon! It’s so hard keeping things secret, lol.

Do you have dream cast in mind?

From the very beginning I pictured Morgan Freeman as the wizard Hawthrin. That would be amazing! Other than him the other characters have varied over the years. I can see Aimee Teegarden as Lorelei, and Avan Jogia as Adrius and Nick Roux as Zantheil, Zoe Kravitz as Abby, Predrag Bjelac as King Etienne, Eva Green as the ice witch-Octahvia, Effy Stonem as Venus, and Idina Menzel as Vivianne, Lorelei’s mom.

When can we expect to see the third book in the series released, and do you think there will be more adventures with Lorelei, Adrius and Zanthiel? 

It’s funny because I planned the series as a trilogy, but I have a hard time seeing it coming to an end. I think the third book will be out next year, at the latest. And as for future books, I’m keeping the doors wide open. There is so much to tell and some of the characters may even want their own spin off stories… so we’ll just have to see. I’m staying open to all sorts of p possibilities! ;) 

I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read the first two books, and especially to those who loved it. Your excitement and words of encouragement make all the difference!

About the Author

A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. A fan of all things romantic, her young adult novels are populated with scintillating witches, vampires and fey. Her bestselling debut book series Fire and Ice (Faerie Song Trilogy) was optioned for a major motion picture this year. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her never-ending obsession with reading, writing and most importantly… chocolate. 

She also loves shoes. 

Did we mention the chocolate?

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