Last but not least on Egmont Debut Week is Alexandra Bracken, author of Brightly Woven.

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

BIO: Alexandra Bracken wrote Brightly Woven as a birthday present for a friend, and the story grew and flourished during a year of unpredictable, wild weather. A native of Arizona, she is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, where she majored in History and English. She now lives in New York City.

INTERVIEW
1. If you could meet any author in the world, living or dead, who would it be? What would you say to them?

JK Rowling for sure, though I honestly have no idea what I would say to her. I think I’d probably just start blubbering, and then the tears, meaningless hand gestures and squeaking noises would come and I’d have to run away in shame.

2. What’s your favorite dinosaur? How do you feel about the Brontosaurus being an accidental mix-up of bones and not a real dinosaur?

WAIT. WHAT? Chelsea, you have just rocked my world. Are you telling me my second grade teacher lied to me? Why did the Museum of Natural History have one out on display?? CHILDHOOD OF LIES!!! I think I need a minute…

3. Do you have any “guilty pleasure” shows you watch? If so, what are they and what makes them irresistible?

I can’t decide if Doctor Who should be counted as a “guilty pleasure” show or not—I think it’s a little too awesome and popular to be considered a “guilty pleasure,” but only in the UK. So… probably The Jersey Shore. That one is DEFINITELY guilty.