The Protectors Blog Tour: My Characters' Favorite Books
Hey, everyone! I'm Emily, a guest on Indie Ebook Reviews. My YA Epic Fantasy series The Protectors is "touring" around the web right now, and this is one of my stops. I thought I'd talk about my characters through what we all love: books!

If my characters had the chance to read our books, which ones would be their favorites?  

Grace: a young noble torn between helping the shape changers and pleasing the Protectors (a group of noblemen oppressing the shape changers)

I'm a little torn with Grace. I feel like at the beginning of the series, she would read books with relatively light subject matter -- things like romance and misunderstandings, such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. But as the series progresses, perhaps she finds books that deal with social issues that she sees played out with the Protectors and she shape changers. Books like To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Of course she would still enjoy Austen novels (who wouldn't?), but she'd pay more attention to issues like bigotry and the systematic destruction of a race of people.  

Dar: a shape changer with a dark past who is set on keeping Grace safe  

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway Dar would appreciate Hemingway's careful use of words, having always been a man of few himself. This may not be the happiest book, but Dar isn't used to happy endings, anyways. And who knows? Maybe a happy ending is in Dar's future, then he'll seek out happier books, like. . .The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis.

 Sierra: a woman who left behind the shape changers after her husband's 'death', but was pulled back into their world when kidnapped by the Protectors  

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer Sierra would identify with this book because of Oscar's reluctance to let go of his father. When she lost Evan, she was sure she'd never move on. The book also has a love story, though complicated and painful and confusing. I think she'd enjoy that kind of a love story.  

William: the prince who is attracted to Grace and set against the shape changers  

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli Naturally. I'd expand on this, but I'd rather not spoil William's character development in both Promising Light and Promising Hope.

Evan: a shape changer who survived two years of captivity with the Protectors, Sierra's husband

I think two or three years before Promising Light, Evan would enjoy an epic story like The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. But after two years of captivity, Evan is restless and set on protecting his family and defeating the Protectors. He'd find little use in a book like The Art of War since he prefers vigilante-style of fighting, but he'd pass it along to Jeshro, the elder of the shape changers. Evan would probably just be the sore thumb of the group. It someone handed him a book saying he'd really enjoy it, he'd throw the book to the side and be like, "What are we still doing here while Protectors are out there killing our people?"  

Sashe: a former ally of the shape changers, now the king's mistress, Sierra's sister

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Sashe has a complicated relationship with pregnancy, fertility, and the idea of having a child. She'd identify with Offred in this book knowing she should rebel against what oppresses her but not quite knowing how to. (We don't see much of Sashe in Promising Light, but she becomes a much more prominent character in Promising Hope.)

There is a lot of fun in store for this blog tour! Tomorrow, I'll be on Fade Into Fantasy talking about what Promising Light would be like if set in modern day. On the 10th, I'll post Promising Hope's book soundtrack at Ron C. Nieto's blog and an excerpt with Steven Montano.

Oh, and if you missed the last few posts:
Meet the Author (http://eveningfades.blogspot.com)
Genre-Bending: If Promising Light Wasn't Fantasy  

Giveaway
If you’d like a chance to win the books, enter the giveaway here! Here’s what’s up for grabs:
(1) $15 Amazon Gift Card
(5) Protectors Ebook Packages (Shifting Light, Fire and Light, The End of Light, Promising Light, and Promising Hope)
(1) Protectors Paperback Package (Promising Light and Promising Hope)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Also, you can comment on these posts and other stops on the tour or follow blogs participating in the tour to gain more entries!

Bio
Emily Ann Ward is the author of Passages, Beyond Home, Finding Fiona, and The Protectors series. One of her first stories featured a young girl whose doll came to life. The rest is history. When it comes to fiction, she writes mainly young adult, contemporary, and fantasy. She also writes nonfiction, ranging from stories of her travels to thoughts on God and the Bible. Aside from writing, she’s also a content editor for Entranced Publishing. She loves reading, traveling, sociology, religion, and Reese’s sticks. Currently, she lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband Chris and their crazy cats. Visit her website at emilyannward.com.