L.M. Bracklow Interview - The Islands of Iros

Photo Content from L.M. Bracklow

Luana Mitre (better known as L.M. Bracklow) is a Peruvian author who loves dogs, traveling, and reading as many books as she can get her hands on. She has a degree in sports journalism, but her true passion is writing books for children. Enthralled by fantasy since she was a little girl, Luana has now written a fantastical story of her own. The Islands of Iros is the book of her heart, and she hopes kids everywhere will enjoy reading it as much as she enjoyed writing it!

        

  

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. When I was in high school, they made us read around twelve books a year and I really enjoyed it. I think that was what made me fall in love with reading. However, I didn’t start writing until I was twenty-two. I had no idea I wanted to be a writer until then. I was watching a YouTube video about the universe and an idea for a book popped into my head. My writing journey began then. It was a bizarre experience, but I just knew I had to write, and so I did. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. I did write that first book, but I never published it. A year later, I came up with the idea for The Islands of Iros.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
The entire Percy Jackson series is one of my absolute favorites! Rick Riordan did a fantastic job with his characters and I still think about them years after reading the books. Percy’s journey is filled with monsters, gods and goddesses, danger, adventure, friendship, and so much more. What’s not to love?

And my favorite book outside of my genre is The Shining by Stephen King! I’m a big horror fan.

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
Oh, definitely One Piece! Sometimes I watched 10 episodes in a row and completely forgot about writing. It was tough. It’s an amazing show and I love it, but I think I would’ve written this book a lot faster if I hadn’t been watching it at the time.

Can you tell us when you started THE ISLAND OF IROS, how that came about?
The idea for The Islands of Iros came to me while I was watching three different animes at the same time. One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Jujutsu Kaisen. You could say my book is a combination of those shows, except I made it kid-friendly! One Piece inspired me to write about all these dangerous and mysterious islands you’ll get to read about in my book. The soldiers/military aspect of The Islands of Iros came from Attack on Titan. And the sorcerer’s finger was inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen. I had a lot of fun playing around with these ideas and creating something that was completely my own.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?
That creating the characters is way more fun than actually writing the book!

TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE ISLAND OF IROS

• Luke is afraid of jellyfish because he was stung by one when he was six.
• Arlo is allergic to peanuts.
• I named the continent Iros because I wanted it to sound grand like Westeros from Game of Thrones.
• Damien’s favorite color is blue.
• Kaori can no longer enter the local library because she was caught stealing there once.
• Luke and Damien were inspired by Tai and Matt from Digimon Adventure.
• I used to listen to the Attack on Titan soundtrack while writing this book and now a lot of those songs remind me of my characters.
• Nisha has two older twin brothers named Rohan and Hitesh.
• Slow walkers are Ivan’s biggest pet peeve.
• If they existed in our world, Luke, Kaori and Damien would absolutely love playing Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros together.

When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
I could really use some eye cream for my dark circles.

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
I think about marrying my celebrity crush.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school?
English!

What event in your life would make a good movie?
My first year of college.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?
Can I say math?

Most horrifying dream you have ever had?
When I was twelve I dreamt I was trapped inside a cave with a werewolf. It was terrifying! It traumatized me.

Three close friends—Luke, fearless, optimistic, outgoing; Damien, steadfast, self-contained, loyal; and Kaori, smart, strong-minded, determined—journey across the sea with the Crimson Raiders, their island’s fearless champions, to find the sorcerer’s finger, rumored to bestow unimaginable power on the one who consumes it—enough power to vanquish their island’s enemies. This fast-paced, engaging story mixes vicious pirates, seductive sirens, gruesome monsters and so much more as it weaves magic, mayhem, and adventure into a tale of deep friendship told with great style and good humor.

You can purchase The Islands of Iros at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you L.M. BRACKLOW for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of The Islands of Iros by L.M. Bracklow.

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