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Welcome to Magic, Myth, & Mischief in celebration
of fairy tales, mythology, and fantastic beasts of lore such as dragons, fae, mermaids, and unicorns!
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LINTANG AND THE PIRATE QUEEN is the first book in the Lintang series by Tamara Moss. The entire trilogy is out in Australia, and the first book will release in the USA in Fall 2019. You can buy the first book right now from Book Depository for $11.71 + free shipping! (Actually, you can buy all three!)
Today, Tamara is chatting about the series and sharing some artwork!
Guidebook Entry #1 - Tamara Moss (Australia)
Tamara Moss (Tamz) is a suburban human of the "author" and "teacher" category. She majored in Asian Studies at university, and spent ten years trying to publish many manuscripts.
Diet
Anything but lactose. And brussel sprouts.
Anything but lactose. And brussel sprouts.
Habitat
This human is in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and her dog Tilly McSchmoopyface.
This human is in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and her dog Tilly McSchmoopyface.
Frequency
Single entity.
Single entity.
Behaviour
Tamara Moss spends her weekdays as a primary school teacher. The rest of her time is spent working on manuscripts. Lintang and the Pirate Queen is her first published novel. The sequel, Lintang and the Forbidden Island, is out now. The third book in the series is due out August 2018.
Tamara Moss spends her weekdays as a primary school teacher. The rest of her time is spent working on manuscripts. Lintang and the Pirate Queen is her first published novel. The sequel, Lintang and the Forbidden Island, is out now. The third book in the series is due out August 2018.
Eradication
Keep this human away by presenting her with spiders, cats or any sort of intolerance.
Keep this human away by presenting her with spiders, cats or any sort of intolerance.
Did you know?
Tamara Moss speaks some Japanese.
Visit her at:
The Making of a Myth
by Tamara Moss
by Tamara Moss
Lintang and the Pirate Queen is a story about a girl who leaves her village to have adventures with the notorious pirate Captain Shafira. Together with the quirky crew of the Winda, Lintang fights mythical creatures and uncovers life-changing secrets.
When creating the fantasy world of the Lintang series, I tried not to stray too far from the known world so kids wouldn’t be confused by an unrelatable setting. Lintang has brown skin because I wanted her to look like me (my grandmother is Sri Lankan). But I chose to give Lintang’s island a SE Asian feel since here in Western Australia many kids have been to Bali or Thailand. I’ve done quite a few school talks now and most primary students can describe the humidity, sounds, and smells of a tropical rainforest from their own experiences.
With a SE Asian feel, it made sense for Lintang to come across mythical creatures inspired by Indonesian myths. I didn’t copy any of them exactly (cultural appropriation has never been my intention), but kids who know the lore might recognise characteristics from some of them. One Indonesian student was so excited when Lintang came across the sea guardian, who is reminiscent of the sea goddess Nyai Loro Kidul.
Every mythie in the Lintang series has a guidebook entry, and a few have pictures to go with them. To give you an idea of how I created my mythical creatures, I’ve used the Night Terror as an example. This is actually inspired by two Indonesian myths – the pontianak and the manananggal. According to some online sources, the pontianak was supposed to be the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth. I immediately left this out, as it seemed unnecessary for a children’s book. I also left out attributes that weren’t needed for the plot, like how she locates prey by sniffing drying clothes, as well as things that aren’t acceptable for middle grade. But I kept her appearance – long hair and dressed in white – as well her habitat of banana plantations, because it worked for my setting. You can tell she’s nearby if you smell frangipani, and when she’s about to attack, the smell turns rancid. This was useful to help build suspense when Lintang first encounters the creature, because Lintang smells it before she sees it. I chose to keep in the fact the pontianak digs her fingernails into stomachs to eat organs, and that she sucks eyeballs out of people’s heads, because honestly, the kids love squealing over that part.
The manananggal (a shapeshifter) gave the Night Terror its weakness. It roots its legs in a secret spot while its upper half searches for victims, which gave Lintang and Captain Shafira an interesting way to kill it. Smear ash or salt on the stump of its legs, and it is unable to rejoin. If it’s not whole when sunlight hits, it burns.
The guidebook entries use the coloniser language of Lintang’s world, so the creature is officially called a Night Terror, but it also includes its name in Lintang’s native language – malam rasha. Malam in Indonesian means woman, and rasha was my alteration from the Indonesian word raksasa, which means monster.
One final addition happened later, when my editor suggested the Night Terror have skin made of wood, which I thought was a fantastic idea. I changed the pontianak’s fingernails into tree roots, and there you have it – the birth of a mythical creature.
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Night Terror
©James Brouwer
Penguin Random House Australia
Sydney
July 2016
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: LINTANG AND THE PIRATE QUEEN
Author: Tamara Moss
Release Date: July 31, 2017
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
SUMMARY:
Lintang dreams of escaping her island home and having adventures on the high seas. She gets her chance when she and her best friend, Bayani, face a deadly mythie and survive, attracting the attention of the infamous Captain Shafira. Lintang’s bravery earns her an invitation onto the ship of the pirate queen, who is on her way to hunt down a nest of vicious sirens.
But they’ve barely left the island when Lintang discovers that Bayani has risked his life to stow away. Worse, he won’t tell her why. Lintang must choose whether to be loyal to Captain Shafira and continue with her adventures, or be loyal to her best friend and lose everything she’s ever wanted.
Incredibly exciting adventure on the high seas, filled with deadly creatures, impossible tasks, dangerous quests, nailbiting battles . . . and two young friends determined to make their way in the world.
~*~
Title: LINTANG AND THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND
Author: Tamara Moss
Release Date: January 29, 2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
SUMMARY:
The time has come to visit the forbidden island of Allay. But first Lintang needs to find her captain, and it seems the only way to get to the Winda is to join - then escape - the Vierzan navy.
Only then will Captain Shafira set sail for Allay, where the crew of the Winda must uncover what really happened to the country's missing ruler.
When disaster strikes, and Lintang is separated from her captain again, she and her friends must sneak through the heart of Allay, battle terrifying new mythies and overcome Captain Shafira's enemies to return to where they belong.
Lintang was left behind once. She won't let it happen again.
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Title: LINTANG AND THE BRIGHTEST STAR
Author: Tamara Moss
Release Date: July 30, 2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
SUMMARY:
A prophecy has been spoken. A monster has awoken.
As the conquering hold of the United Regions continues to spread, time is running out for Lintang, Captain Shafira and the crew of the Winda to find allies in their quest for peace.
But when they arrive in war-torn Kaneko Brown, the local rebels are too scared to help. The Vierzans have summoned a category ten mythie that devours the star of anyone who dares stand against them.
Worse, the mythie has been prophesied to mean the end of Captain Shafira.
Lintang must find a way to stop the most dangerous mythie in the guidebook . . . or she'll lose her beloved captain forever.
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