It’s my stop on the blog tour for the next Greenwild adventure from Pari Thomson! I adored the original series and was thrilled to receive The Frozen King recently. It immediately bumped its way to the top of the TBR! It’s an extension of the Greenwild trilogy with familiar faces throughout.
For my stop on the blog tour, I am delighted to share a Q&A with Pari!
A Q&A with Pari Thomson
Hello! Thanks for coming on the blog. Can you tell us a bit about what made you want to write The Frozen King?
I had always wanted to write a winter book – and I had just finished writing the Greenwild trilogy, which is the story of Daisy Thistledown and her friend Max as they battle to save green magic. The trilogy wraps up quite neatly, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the Greenwild – so I had the idea of writing a winter’s tale set ten years after the end of Daisy’s story, with a brand-new heroine: Annika.
So you don’t need to have read the other Greenwild books before reading The Frozen King?
Not at all – it’s a standalone adventure, so you can enjoy it even if you’ve never read a word of the Greenwild trilogy! At the same time, if you are a Greenwild fan, then there are lots of fun cameos from characters you know and love – including a chance to see what happens to Daisy and Max when they grow up!
What was your favourite thing about writing The Frozen King?
That’s a hard one! I think it was the chance to explore the Utter North – the magical frozen North of the Greenwild. It’s a place full of giant white huskies and glittering snow palaces, warm spiced gingerbread and sweeping sleigh rides . . . and lots ice magic!
Is there a deeper message in the story?
Like all the Greenwild books, The Frozen King is deeply inspired by the wonder of the natural world. Specifically, it’s rooted in the real-life magic of our own Arctic, with its astonishing glaciers, snowy owls and polar bears. It’s a story about paying attention to the wonder that’s out there, right in front of us, and doing all we can to protect it.
At the same time, this is not, I hope, a preachy book. Instead, it’s about giving children the hope and resilience they need to face a changing world, and the awareness they need to see the enchantment that’s all around us. And it’s about giving them a glorious, non-stop adventure full of danger, friendship, courage and plenty of descriptions of food (always the most fun thing to write!)
What would you do if you had ice magic for a day?
I’d make it snow for hours on Christmas Day and go out for a huge snowball fight with all my friends and family – before coming home for hot chocolate!
Thank you so much Pari for answering the questions and for inspiring readers to wander into Greenwild!
