Tuesday, December 18, 2012



Wow!  I am sooo excited to welcome Maria V. Snyder to the blog today to share a little bit about her Healer series.  And I've got two, yes TWO, great giveaways for you!  But first, here's more about Scent of Magic, the newest book in Maria's Healer series, which just released TODAY!!

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Title: Scent of Magic
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Series: Healer, book #2
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: December 18, 2012
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

You can find my review of Scent of Magic here.  And you can view the awesome trailer for the book below:






10 Things you might not know about the Healer Series:


1.  I picked Fifteen Realms because my birthday is on the fifteenth of April.

2. The Nine Mountains was chosen because TOUCH OF POWER is my ninth novel.

3. The map of the Fifteen Realms is based on the map of Eastern Europe turned 90 degrees on its side.  I’d gone on a Baltic Sea cruise, visiting Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia, and Poland and was enamored with the area.

4.  Kerrick’s name means Chief Hero.  I wanted to use the name Ava for my healer (it means Life), but I’d used that name for a short story titled SWORD POINT.  I started writing the book using Lexa as my main girl, but it sounded too modern.  I returned to Ava and tried various spellings and found Avery.  Not wanting her to be confused for a man, I changed the spelling to Avry.  Avery means Elf Council.   Btw – I used Lexa for my short story titled, THE COLDEST GAME, which I wrote while working on TOUCH OF POWER.

5. Belen’s name means An Arrow, Loren’s is Crowned with Laurel (I originally had his name as Vinn, but thought it was too close to Finn from SPY GLASS), Tohon’s means Cougar, and Quain’s means Clever (this one doesn’t quite fit him).  Flea’s name was the nickname of my son’s friend, Ben.  Ben played soccer with my son and was the youngest/smallest member of the team, but he was fast so the other boys called him Flea.  I liked it.

6.  The city of Grzebien is named after a friend of mine who lives in Canada.  The other city names are taken from the map of Eastern Europe and Russia – I zoomed in on Google Maps and picked names that I liked.  So yes, there is a real town named Koo.

7. Great Aunt Yasmin is named after another friend of mine.  When I was hired for my first job after college as an environmental meteorologist, I needed to find an apartment and move away from home.  A scary prospect, but Yasmin, a soon-to-be co-worker offered to help me find a nice place and became a good friend, easing the transition to living on my own.  My first night in my apartment I slept on the floor, watched TV on a 13 inch black and white TV set and my single piece of furniture was a bright pink bean-bag chair.

8. I’m not 100 % sure where the idea for the giant man-eating Lilys came from, but I suspect my fascination with the Batman and Robin TV show back in the 70s might have helped (the show ran in the late 60s, but I saw the re-runs much later!).  In one Batman and Robin episode they had a run in with Louie the Lilac and were trapped in a giant lilac plant, being slowly eaten.  And I’ll fess up…my sister and I made our own utility belts and pretended to be Batman and Robin going outside on our own neighborhood adventures.  Of course I was Robin, my sister is four years older than me ;>  (shhhhhh!  Don’t tell her I told you about this!  She’d kill me!).

9.  I didn’t plan for Tohon’s special soldiers to be…well, dead.  I needed them to be able to sneak up on Kerrick and the gang and with his forest magic, it was almost impossible for a living creature to surprise my chief hero.  I also thought that an ambush in the mountains would be too obvious to all concerned, so…non-living soldiers did the trick.  And I never refer to them as zombies – I just didn’t want to go there!

10. I learned to juggle in college.  My friend Nisha taught me how with golf balls, which are very noisy when dropped.  The people living below our dorm room were not amused.  I taught both my kids how to juggle with koosh balls (quieter and easier on the furniture, lamps, pictures, etc…).  My son Luke caught on very quick and has now surpassed me.  His daily practice was the inspiration for adding in juggling to the book.  My son’s not a reader, but he read TOUCH OF POWER this summer.  Luke also is very quiet so he didn’t say if he liked it or not, but when we went out on a hike as a family, he found 3 rocks and started juggling.  From the one act, I knew he really liked the book.



I just love finding out how characters and places in my favorite novels got their names.  And it's so fun discovering how some of the most fantastical elements of this series have come to light...I have to admit that I wondered at how Tohon's dead came to be a part of the Healer series.  Such an excellent, informative post, and I want to heartily thank Maria for sharing!


About the author:

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornadoes, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornadoes you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her.

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal.

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University.

Find out more about Maria V. Snyder and her books:

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook or contact her via email:  maria@mariavsnyder.com



Below, you'll find two separate giveaways:  one is a publisher-sponsored giveaway for a prize pack featuring Harlequin Teen and MIRA books (US/Canada only) and the other is an author-sponsored giveaway for one copy of Scent of Magic (International).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Special thanks to Rockstar Book Tours and Maria V. Snyder for allowing me to take part in this tour!  Don't miss the other stops on the tour...there are more chances to win your very own copy of Scent of Magic!

Tour Schedule:

12/10/2012 Parajunkee       Review and a Q&A
12/11/2012 Paranormal Urban Fantasy Reviews      Review
12/12/2012 Read Now Sleep Later    Interview with Maria
12/13/2012 The Book Heroine    Review
12/14/2012 We Fancy Books   Playlist

12/17/2012 Two Chicks on Books     Guest Post From Belen
12/18/2012 The Starry-eyed Revue     Guest Post
12/19/2012 A Great Read      Review
12/20/2012 YA Reads    Guest Post
12/21/2012 The Book Hookup    Review


RockStar Book Tours












Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

98 comments:

  1. Interesting facts! I like the bit about the character names and juggling best. Very excited for Scent of Magic too! :)

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  2. Thank you a lot for all these explanations

    yes i'm really excited to read this so winning it would be wonderful
    happy holidays

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  3. She is a new author for me so no favorite...yet!

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  4. People keep saying how amazing her books are and I've never read any of them. And I'm curious about the story.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  5. I'm very excited to read Scent of Magic as I loved Touch of Power!!!

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  6. I loved Touch of Power and really, really want to know what's happening next :D

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  7. Because I LOVE fantasy and I've heard awesome things about Maria V. Snyder. Also, her list makes it sound so intriguing!!

    Thank you:)

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  8. I'm a fan of Maria's Study series! Love her new series!

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  9. I'm so excited to continue Avery's story! I also love Maria V. Snyder for being an amazing writer.

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  10. Great post. I need to get caught up on her books. Sadly I have only read Poison Study and just haven't had the chance to read more. Not sure why. Loved Poison Study.

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  11. I love, love, loved her Insiders series. I haven't read her other books yet, but I will soon! :)

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  12. Maria is so talented, and I really really really loved Touch of power so I hoping this one is even better!

    jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com

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  13. I am so excited to read this book. Why? Because I love the writing, chracters, and story. When I put down one of her books, I am dying for the next one. And I can say that only about a few authors.

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  14. Who doesn't love all things Maria Snyder???!!!!

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  15. I got to meet Maria at BEA when she signed a copy of Inside Out/Outside In for my friend Shanan, who is her biggest fan ever (sorry Jen.) Maria is so nice!!
    I haven't started this series yet, but I LOVED the Poison Study series.

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  16. I loved Touch of Power and can't wait to read more of Avrey and Kerrick!

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  17. Love Maria's books! I've been pushing her hardcore since PS was released. =)
    I love seeing the random little facts that go into influencing the story. Fun!

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  18. I am very excited to learn how avry's relationship with her sister turns out and what she finds out about the disease that has been killing everyone. I want her and kerrick to be happy which will not happen probably until the third book, but im excited to see the story continue

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  19. I really enjoyed this post. So many fascinating tidbits. I laughed about the Batman and Robin thing. I adored them when I was growing up as well, yes I saw those reruns and I used to think Robin was hot. I can't believe I admitted that. Anyway I loved reading all the interesting details that went into this one. I need to read a Maria book soon. Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Because Maria is a great author and all of her books rock! I love this series and am so excited to read it!

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  21. Cant wait to get Scent of Magic now that it's out! Rereading Touch of Power so I can remember everything.

    PS: Cougar fits Tohon PERFECTLY.

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  22. Can't wait for this book to come out!

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  23. After Touch of Power i'm dyiiiiiiiiing to read Scent of Magic!
    Pick neeee!

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  24. Inside Out/Outside In :) First books leaves a lasting impression, I guess.

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  25. I'm excited to reading this book (this series actually) because of how the author wrote her other books. The plot seems interesting and I'm pretty sure I would lose myself while reading this which is very good.

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  26. XD Those are exciting facts. Chief Hero is awesome!

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  27. My most favorite MVS book is still Poison Study, I think. But I really love the Healer series, too!

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  28. Thanks for being a part of my tour! I had fun coming up with the "behind the scenes" for this blog. I put a lot of thought into naming my characters and towns.

    Thanks for all the wonderful comments - and remember...no one say a word to my sister about the Batman and Robin thing ;>

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  29. I'm very excited to read Scent of Magic, because I loved Touch of Power and want to know what happens next :)

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  30. I'm always impatient to read the next book in a series!

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  31. I love all her books but my fav is touch of power. which is why im dying to read scent of magic!!

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  33. Favorite is Touch of Power and I would love to continue to the journey with Scent of Magic :)

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  34. I really enjoyed the author's Poison Study, which was a finely-crafted, compelling fantasy novel with great characters. This series sounds so wonderful too! I must get a start on it right away. Lovely post, Jen. :)

    Also, your birthday is April 15th? That's close to mine, hehe. Mine's April 10th.

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  35. Ive heard so many good things about the author! :D

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  36. I'm excited for the next book. Her writing is brilliant.

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  37. Im so excited for Scent of Magic because its another amazing book by Maria. I love all her books and highly doubt that this book will disappoint ;)

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  38. I still need to start this series! I have the first book.

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  39. The audiobook version of Touch of Power made a long drive from Missouri to Pennsylvania was more enjoyable for both me and my 10 year-old son. He keeps asking me when the next book is coming out, and we're both super excited to read or listen to (how awesome is Gabra Zackman?) Scent of Magic together. :)

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  41. I was hooked by Poison Study. So far it's my favourite, but I'm just getting in to the Glass series now, then onto the Healer books!

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  42. I'm really looking forward to reading Scent of Magic (and Touch or Power) as I love reading Maria's books and can't wait to read more!!

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  43. Interesting facts! I like the bit about the character names and juggling best. Very excited for Scent of Magic too! :)

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  44. I don't think I have read any of her books, but I would love to start.

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  45. I loved reading the 10 Things. I like knowing the behind-the-scenes of books I love too!

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    Replies
    1. Also, I can't wait to read Scent of Magic, I loved Touch of Power!

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  46. I've read all of Mrs. Snyder's books and loved them and I know I won't be disappointed by this one. :)

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  47. I haven't read anything by Mrs Snyder however I am certainly looking forward to reading books from this author!

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  48. I loved ToP so I can't wait for SoM! There's so many questions to be answered!

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  49. I haven't read anything by this author YET, but I want to get started on this series!

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  50. I haven't read any books by Maria yet and keep hearing such great things about her and this book. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  51. Replies
    1. I LOVED Touch of Power and I can't wait to see where it picks up!! Thanks!

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  52. I really loved Inside Out! All her series are great! And she always has great cover art!

    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

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  53. Oh my god YES!!! I loved Touch of Power so can't wait for Scent of Magic! Still haven't been able to get my hands on a copy yet.

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  54. I fell in love with all of Maria's other books and I think this one will be no different

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  55. I haven't read any of her books yet, but this one sounds fantastic!

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  56. I haven't read any of her books yet (I know!), but I've heard so many great things about her work. I'm hoping SCENT OF MAGIC will be a great introduction.

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  57. I've liked all of her books so far, and recently finished reading through her other series. I can't wait to have another book of hers to read!

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  58. I love Maria V Synder

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  59. I haven't read any of her books yet, but I've heard nothing but great things about them! Thanks for the giveaway!!

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  60. I've only read Inside Out, which I did enjoy. I've been meaning to pick up another by Snyder... this seems like a great chance to do just that! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  61. I'm excited to read scent of magic because I loved the study series so much!

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  62. I am a huge Maria Snyder fan. If she writes it, I will read it.

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  63. I love good fantasy, and for some reason books with healers always seem to have the most interesting magics. And the book just sounds great!

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  64. I loved Touch of Power and I've been waiting for what feels like forever to read Scent of Magic, :) I miss Kerrick and crew! :)

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  65. I love Maria's books and read Touch of power in a couple of hrs. I can't wait to read scent of magic because I NEED more Avry

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  66. I haven't read any of her books, and feel that this would be a great place to start.

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  67. haven't read any yet but sounds great thanks for the giveaway! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

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  68. I love all of them, but I really think I loved Touch of Power most. Or maybe one of the glass ones :)

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  69. I loved Touch of Power and I know that Scent of Magic will be even better!

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  70. I loved the first book and can't wait to read the sequel!

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  71. I loved Touched of Power and can't wait to read Scent of Magic.

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  72. Maria is a great author. I was lucky enough to meet her a couple years ago. I have both books in the Healer series, but I have not been able to carve out time to read them. I must do it soon! Thanks for the great post!

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    Replies
    1. Also, my favorite Maria V. Snyder book is Poison Study.

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  73. New author/book for me! I will definitely have to check it out on Amazon! I have to read in order however so I will have to get book #1 first.

    Thanks for the opportunity.

    Happy Holidays,
    Marlena
    charmedpoms(at)yahoo(dot)com

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