Emily Knight Series by A. Bello - Book Tour + Giveaway
Emily Knight I Am....
Emily Knight Series Book 1
by A. Bello
Genre:
YA, MG Fantasy
YA, MG Fantasy
Emily Knight I AM... is about a thirteen year old warrior named Emily, who
is far from ordinary and she hates it! The daughter of a heroic
warrior and the press favourite problem child. Against her wishes
she is sent to the Osaki Training School to control her powers. She
learns to fly, breathe under water and battle but someone has their
eyes set on Emily and now she has to chose between the two people she loves.
is far from ordinary and she hates it! The daughter of a heroic
warrior and the press favourite problem child. Against her wishes
she is sent to the Osaki Training School to control her powers. She
learns to fly, breathe under water and battle but someone has their
eyes set on Emily and now she has to chose between the two people she loves.
Emily Knight I AM... has elements of grittiness that is more mature than
other fantasy books. As well as being laugh out loud funny, the
characters are real, complicated and relatable. A. Bello pushes the
boundaries by breaking the conventions in this diverse, absorbing novel.
other fantasy books. As well as being laugh out loud funny, the
characters are real, complicated and relatable. A. Bello pushes the
boundaries by breaking the conventions in this diverse, absorbing novel.
Emily Knight I Am...Awakened
Emily Knight Series Book 2
Dark times are upon us. Neci is back and she is more dangerous than ever.
The warriors are forced to pick a side and to stand up for what they
believe in. The race is on to find the missing warrior first. It's
the only way to prevent a war from happening and to stop Neci from
destroying everything. Emily Knight has to get sharper, stronger and
faster because Neci has made her a target and someone is going to
great lengths to hurt her. Can Emily win the race? Or will Neci take
her down once and for all?
The warriors are forced to pick a side and to stand up for what they
believe in. The race is on to find the missing warrior first. It's
the only way to prevent a war from happening and to stop Neci from
destroying everything. Emily Knight has to get sharper, stronger and
faster because Neci has made her a target and someone is going to
great lengths to hurt her. Can Emily win the race? Or will Neci take
her down once and for all?
**Nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal!**
**Finalist for London's Big Read 2019!**
What inspired you
to write this book?
As a a kid and a
teenager, there wasn't any books for my age group that had a strong female
character. If they were a main character, they were very dependent on men.
There definitely wasn't any characters of girls that looked like me!
I also grew up
watching DragonBall Z, X-Men and WWE and I just wanted to read what I liked to
watch. I'm obsessed with powers and the idea of being more than what meets the
eye.
What can we expect
from you in the future?
More books for young
people that show strong diverse characters
Do you have any “side
stories” about the characters?
I usually do a pop up
blog every August and it's a side story featuring one of the characters from
the Emily Knight books. I've done 4 so far
and they always seem to go down well. It also pushed me to think of the
back story of the character in more depth but it all depends if I have a book
out that year. Sometimes I don't have time to write one.
Can you tell us a
little bit about the characters in Emily Knight I am...Awakened?
Emily Knight is a
powerful teenage warrior who has lived with her godparents since she was a
child. She is the youngest child of the legendary Knight family and her father
is the strongest and most famous warrior in the world. Emily is rich and
privileged but she can't control her
strong powers. In the second book I am...Awakened, there's a threat of war and
you really see her become more of a leader despite how scared she is to battle
in this potential war.
How did you come
up with the concept and characters for the book?
The main thing I
wanted to show was a young girl that can fight even better than the boys and a
black girl that wasn't from the ghetto, in a gang etc but she actually lives in
luxury. I didn't want the book to be about race or hair. Emily has normal
teenage issues and she just happens to be black.
What did you enjoy
most about writing this book?
I really enjoy
writing the dynamics of the friendships between Emily Knight, Michella Kinkle,
Wesley Parker and Jason Notting. They fight and throw shade at each other but
they still love each other so much and push each other to be great.
How did you come
up with the title of your first novel?
I wanted my
characters name in the title because it's centred around her and I liked the I
am... concept because I wanted to reader to figure out who Emily is. Plus the
first book is really about the character learning and accepting who she is
Who designed your
book covers?
The first edition of
Emily Knight I am was designed by Giles Greenfield. He actually did Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire, first edition cover. The second edition of I
am and Emily Knight I am...Awakened was
designed by the power team of Alexandra Artigas and Jem Butcher.
Did you learn
anything during the writing of your recent book?
My latest book is my
first YA commercial fiction book and I found it so hard! I didn't expect it to
be so challenging. I guess I'm a fantasy girl at heart. I wrote the story about
eight times because I couldn't decide on what perspective to write from. I
finally got it together
If your book was
made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
My book is set in
England and it's very diverse. There's not much diversity in film over here so
I couldn't think who would play Emily but I would love John Boyega to play
Emily's rebellious brother, Lox and Idris Elba to play the legendary Thomas
Knight.
Anything specific
you want to tell your readers?
Emily Knight I
am...Awakened is nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2019 and is shortlisted for
London's Big Read 2019. Yay!
What is your
favorite part of this book and why?
My favourite part is
any scene where Emily and her brother Lox interact. Just their back and forth
as siblings is fun to write and all the battle scenes, where I can throw in
some crazy punches and fireballs.
If you could spend
time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do
during that day?
Ooh this is a good
one. If I could spend time with any character, I think it would be Lox Knight.
I would get him to show me Legend's Village, where he grew up and all the spots
he went to when he ran away.
Convince us why
you feel your book is a must read.
The Emily Knight I am
series is a must read because it has a bit of everything! Strong female
characters, great friendships, kids that can kick some serious butt, diversity
and inclusion, vivid battles and also real challenges in life - relationships,
not feeling good enough, being brave when you don't want to be. Everyone will
be able to see themselves in this series.
Have you written
any other books that are not published?
My latest book Beats,
Love and high top trainers is currently with my agent under submission. We've
had great interest so fingers crossed!
A. Bello is a young author from North London and the author of the Emily
Knight series (Emily Knight I am... & Emily Knight I am...Awakened)
Knight series (Emily Knight I am... & Emily Knight I am...Awakened)
She wrote her first novel at aged 8, where she fought monsters and
dragons daily and was first published at aged 12 for a poem she wrote in school.
dragons daily and was first published at aged 12 for a poem she wrote in school.
A. Bello wrote the first in the Emily Knight saga at aged 12, with the
intention of filling in a gaping hole in children's fiction for an
inspirational, strong, black female protagonist (who can fight like a man!)
intention of filling in a gaping hole in children's fiction for an
inspirational, strong, black female protagonist (who can fight like a man!)
A. Bello has received rave reviews for her debut book as well as success
with her Emily Knight Warriors pop-up book. She is the founder of The
Lil' Author School and co-founder of The Author School. The Author
School was shortlisted for The Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2016.
with her Emily Knight Warriors pop-up book. She is the founder of The
Lil' Author School and co-founder of The Author School. The Author
School was shortlisted for The Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2016.
A. Bello has appeared in Female First Magazine, The Mirror, BBC1XTRA to
name a few.
name a few.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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