The
Luthier’s Apprentice
by Mayra
Calvani
Genre: YA
Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher:
Twilight Times Books
Date of
Publication: May 15th, 2014
Number of pages:
184
Word Count:
50,000
Cover Artist:
Renu Sharma
Book
Description:
Niccolò Paganini
(1782-1840), one of the greatest violinists who ever lived and rumored to have
made a pact with the devil, has somehow transferred unique powers to
another…
When violinists
around the world mysteriously vanish, 16-year-old Emma Braun takes notice. But when her beloved violin teacher
disappears… Emma takes charge. With Sherlock Holmes fanatic, not to mention
gorgeous Corey Fletcher, Emma discovers a parallel world ruled by an ex-violinist
turned evil sorceress who wants to rule the music world on her own terms.
But why are only
men violinists captured and not women? What is the connection between Emma's
family, the sorceress, and the infamous Niccolò Paganini?
Emma must
unravel the mystery in order to save her teacher from the fatal destiny that
awaits him. And undo the curse that
torments her family—before evil wins and she becomes the next luthier's
apprentice…
Buy Links:
Character Interview with Emma Braun
1.
Emma Braun, quick. Describe yourself in seven words or less!
Darn, you make me feel as if I’m in
class. Or worse, a live TV game show. Plus, I hate talking about myself! Okay,
how about: I’m a 16-year-old violin student, amateur sleuth, and luthier’s
apprentice!
2.
Tell us something about your current hometown.
Brussels. Lots of rain and gray skies
(think London weather), lots of foreigners, diplomats, and expatiates. Nice and
quiet compared to other European cities. I love the old city square, Grand
Place, where I have—and please, don’t tell my mother this—played the violin for
coins. And of course, let’s not forget fries with mayonnaise, as well as
waffles.
3.
What's the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?
You’re kidding me, right? What about
having psychic powers? And entering a parallel dimension ruled by an
ex-violinist-turned-evil-sorceress? What about falling for a guy who is completely
nuts about Sherlock Holmes? I mean, the guy quotes him word by word, complete
with a British accent. I don’t want to say more and give away spoilers!
4.
What's your favorite food?
For the most part, I enjoy eating
healthy. I make my mom buy organic foods and I’m always bugging her about the
evils of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. But let’s face it, a soya
burger isn’t a burger, so once in a while I like to enjoy a decadent piece of
pizza or a real burger with fries—with a banana shake, please.
5.
Can you tell us a little about what to expect in The Luthier's Apprentice?
I think readers will find it a little
different from what’s out there. For one thing, the setting. Brussels isn’t
your everyday common place to set a YA novel. Second, it has to do with
violinists and violin making. Some people don’t even know what a luthier is. Third,
the characters are from different backgrounds in an international city teeming with
foreigners from all over the world. Apart from this, there’s mystery, fantasy,
and a sprinkle of romance.
6.
Can you tell us something about yourself we don't learn from the book?
I’m quite intense (maybe because at my
age, my hormones are going rampant), so I sometimes suffer from anxiety. When I
feel stressed out, I listen to guided meditation tapes. I also do yoga once in
a while—not only to calm my nerves but also for flexibility, something
extremely important for a violinist. I think I also want to join a health club.
It’s a bit expensive, so I’ll have to ask my mom. I don’t think playing for
coins at the Grand Place would cover it.
7.
What is your author Mayra Calvani like?
The girl needs to get out! She’s a
hermit, completely obsessed with writing.
8.
Name five items in your purse or pockets right now.
Cell phone, lip balm, hand sanitizer, wallet,
and hair brush.
9.
What was your first impression of Corey?
I couldn’t stand him at first. Too
good-looking. And you should have heard the way he quoted Sherlock Holmes,
complete with a British accent and everything.
10.
If you had one chance to change anything about your life, what would it be?
I love my life. I love my family and my
friends and I love playing and making violins. But if I could change one
thing…I wish my father was still alive. Or at least that I could have gotten to
know him, so I could remember him now.
Excerpt - The
Luthier’s Apprentice Chapter One
Brussels,
Belgium
Present day
Sixteen-year
old Emma Braun got off the school bus and strode down Stockel Square toward her
home. She glanced up at the October sky and wrapped her wool scarf tighter
around her neck. Heavy dark clouds threatened a downpour.
As
she passed a newspaper stand, the headlines on The Brussels Gazette caught her
attention:
ANOTHER
VIOLINIST VANISHES!
Emma
stopped. For a moment she could only stare. She dug into her jacket pocket for
coins and bought a copy.
The
newspaper article left her stunned. Not only because three well-known
violinists had gone missing in the last several months, but because the latest
one was her teacher, Monsieur Dupriez.
The
news story seemed so hard to believe, she stopped at the next street corner to
read it one more time.
It
was the last week of October, and the shops and homes were lightly adorned with
Halloween decorations. Pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns sat on doorsteps. Witches,
broomsticks, and black cats hunkered down in windows and shops. Just last
evening, Emma had sauntered along this street with her best friend Annika,
unconcerned and looking forward to Halloween. Now, everything had turned dark
and ominous.
The
strange incidents she had experienced for the past two weeks added to her
stress.
At
first she had thought they were a string of coincidences, but not anymore.
While scowling at obnoxious Billie Lynam during school recess, for instance,
she wished he would fall flat on his face… and half a minute later, her wish
was granted. On various occasions she guessed people’s thoughts before they
spoke. And yesterday, on her way home from school, she accurately guessed the meal
her mom had left on the table for her.
Was
she some kind of a psychic? If so, why now? People didn’t develop powers like
these overnight. Did they?
She
hadn’t told her mom about her new abilities yet; only Annika knew. Maybe she
would tell her mom today, after she shared the news about Monsieur Dupriez.
As
Emma approached her home, she quickened her step. By the time she reached the
door she was almost running. She raced into the hallway and dropped her book
bag on the floor.
“Mom!”
she called, looking in the kitchen, then in the living room. The house was
silent. “Mom!” she called again, racing up the stairs to the bedrooms. Entering
her mother’s room, Emma found her sitting very still on the bed with a crumpled
letter in her hand.
When
her mom saw her, she hastily put the crumpled piece of paper into her pocket
and rose from the bed. Her arched brows were furrowed with anxiety.
Emma
momentarily forgot the newspaper article. “Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’ve
just received some unsettling news,” her mom said. “I must make a trip to see
your Aunt Lili. She’s ill. She…I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
Aunt
Lili? Emma frowned. More surprises. Emma had never met her mom’s eccentric only
sister, who lived alone in the Hungarian mountains secluded in an old chateau
surrounded by dark woods—or so her mom said. Though again, her mom hardly ever
mentioned her.
“What’s
wrong with Aunt Lili?” Emma asked. “Can’t I come with you?” She had always been
intrigued by her mysterious aunt.
“No.
You’ll stay with Grandpa. You enjoy working with him, don’t you?” Her brown
eyes met Emma’s before turning away, and though her voice sounded
matter-of-fact, Emma detected a trace of ambivalence.
Emma
sighed. She loved violin making with a passion, but Grandpa was a bitter
taskmaster. No matter how much she tried to please him, she never could. Maybe
that’s why her mom often seemed so reluctant about her apprenticeship.
“I’d
rather go with you,” Emma said. “Plus, next week is holiday.” All Saints
holiday week—or Toussaint, as they called it here—almost always coincided with
Halloween.
“That’s
out of the question. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Besides, you can’t
miss your violin lessons, not with the Christmas competition at the academy
coming up soon.”
“I’m
not so sure about that,” Emma said gravely, extending the newspaper.
Her
mom took it. “What’s this?”
“This
is why I came running up the stairs.”
Her
mom read the headlines. She gasped and looked at Emma. When she finished
reading, she sat on the edge of the mattress and stared into space. “Oh, my
God...” she whispered.
Emma
sat next to her mom. “It says Monsieur Dupriez disappeared in his study. The
doors and windows were locked from the inside. The police don’t have any
explanation. How can this happen? It’s not logical. It’s not humanly possible.”
“No,
not humanly possible…”
“Just
like the other three—that German violinist, the French one, the American.
Nobody has explained their disappearances. Who would want to kidnap
violinists?” When her mom didn’t answer, she began to gnaw at her fingernail.
As if
by reflex, her mom pulled Emma’s hand away from her mouth.
“Sorry,”
Emma mumbled. “I’m just worried about him.”
“Poor
Madame Dupriez. We must visit her. She must be in quite a state.”
“Can
you call her now?”
Her
mom sighed. “I will. In a moment.” She looked at Emma, her features softening.
Gently, she smoothed Emma’s glossy chestnut locks and side fringe away from her
face. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. You mustn’t be afraid.”
“Afraid?
Why would I be afraid?”
“I
mean, about Monsieur Dupriez.” Her mom appeared flustered.
“I’m
not afraid. I’m worried, and angry. I want to find out what happened to him.
Without him, I don’t even want to take part in the competition.”
Monsieur
Dupriez had been Emma’s teacher since she was four years old. But more than
teacher, he was her mentor.
“You will do your best at the competition—with
or without Monsieur Dupriez. Do you hear me?” her mom said. Then her voice
softened. “Listen, darling, I know how close you are to Monsieur Dupriez, but
you cannot allow his disappearance to destroy your chances at the competition.
I’m not asking you to win, only to do your best. You have great talent, a gift,
and your duty is to use it to the best of your ability. Never forget this.
Monsieur Dupriez would never want you to forget this.”
“You
still haven’t told me what’s wrong with Aunt Lili,” Emma said, changing the
conversation. “Why must you go to her now, after all these years?”
Looking
into Emma’s face, her mom hesitated, as if unable to decide what—or how much—to
say. “You know she’s always been ill, a recluse. She…” She rose from the bed
and walked to the window, then opened the curtain. It had started raining, the
drops pelted against the glass. “This time it’s serious. She may die.”
Emma
couldn’t help feeling a twinge of suspicion. She hated distrusting her mom,
whom she loved more than anything in the world, but this time her mom was
lying. Emma trusted that feeling, another of her freaky new abilities. She felt
an overwhelming urge to chew her fingernails, but tried to control herself. For
her mom, a violinist’s hands were a work of art.
“But
what’s wrong with her? What kind of disease does she have?” Emma insisted.
“Her
heart is very weak.” Her mom turned away from the window to face Emma. Her
voice was laced with impatience.
And
again Emma thought: She’s lying.
“Please
don’t worry about it,” her mom went on in a lighter tone. “I’ll try to come
back soon.”
“How
soon?”
“As
soon as I can manage.”
“Grandpa
is always in such a nasty mood,” Emma complained.
“Well,
that isn’t news, is it?” Her mom stared down at the floor, as if absorbed by
her own thoughts. After a pause, she added, “He’s old and his back always
hurts. You know that.”
“I
love Grandpa, but he’s so freaking…” She tried to come up with the right word.
Bizarre. Instead she said, “Mysterious.
You know, with his violins.”
Her
mom looked at Emma and frowned, as if waiting for her to say more.
“You
know what I mean, Mom. With that room at the top of the stairs. The one that’s
always locked.”
Her
mom’s features hardened. “He keeps his most valuable pieces in there. You must
never disobey him. He would be very disappointed.”
“Who
said I would go in there?” Emma asked, trying to sound innocent. If there was
something she intended to do, it was going inside that room. Once she’d almost
been successful. For some crazy reason, Grandpa had forgotten to lock it one
day. But the instant she touched the doorknob, he had called her from the
bottom of the stairs, his wrinkled features twisted into a mask that had left
her frozen. He had appeared enraged and afraid at the same time.
“When
are you leaving?” Emma asked, shaking off the past to focus on the present
issue.
“As
soon as possible. Tomorrow, probably. I’ll get the plane tickets today.”
“Mom...”
“Emma,
please. If you’re going to complain or say anything negative, I don’t want to
hear it.”
Fine.
Obviously, this wasn’t the best time to bring up her new psychic powers. She
headed to the door.
“Where
are you going?” her mom asked.
“To
my room.”
“I’ll
call Madame Dupriez to see if we may visit her after dinner. In the meantime, I
want you to pack. You’re moving to Grandpa’s tomorrow.”
In
her room, Emma dragged her suitcase from the top shelf in the closet and set it
on the floor.
“Hi,
Sweetie,” she said to Blackie, her rabbit. “Want to get some exercise?” She
opened the cage door so Blackie could hop out and roam about her room. Blackie
was housebroken, and smart as a cat—or close to it.
She
stared at the elegant taffeta gown hanging from her wardrobe door, a strapless
design a la Anne Sophie Mutter she’d already bought for the upcoming violin
competition.
She
sighed.
Slumped
on the bed, Emma wondered for the umpteenth time about Monsieur Dupriez’s
strange disappearance.
Where
could he be?
About
the Author
Award-winning
author Mayra Calvani has penned over ten books for children and adults in
genres ranging from picture books to nonfiction to paranormal fantasy novels.
She’s had over 300 articles, short stories, interviews and reviews published in
magazines such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal and Bloomsbury Review, among
others. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, she now resides in Brussels,
Belgium.
Author Links:
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