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Monday, May 11, 2015

Blog Tour- A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS by Kathleen Baldwin An Interview And A Giveaway!



I am so excited to be hosting a spot on the A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS Blog Tour! I loved this historical books full of spies and swoon! I have an interview with Kathleen for you to kick off the tour. Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a copy of the book!

Haven't heard of A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS ? Check it out!



Title: A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Pub. Date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: AmazonBarnes & NobleiBooks, Goodreads
It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts... 




Now on to the interview!


Hi Kathleen! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! I am really looking forward to A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS! I can’t wait to read it!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS and the characters?

Sebastian, Lord Wyatt, the blue-eyed devil, is a flirt and a tease. But he is also brilliant, driven, and loyal. He has a soldier’s heart with a diplomat’s charm. Perfect for a spy.

Behind those irresistible teasing eyes and his biting wit, Lord Wyatt hides a gnawing pain. His father was beheaded when Sebastian was a child, consequently he’s passionately devoted to his work, impatient to chase down his enemies and make the world a safer place.


What about the sequel? Do we have a title yet?

Yes! In fact book two is already in revisions: EXILE FOR DREAMERS (Tess’s story but Georgie is still there)

       Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

Yes. I think all writers always draw from the people they’ve known and their own life experiences.

For instance, I can’t help myself, I keep writing about heroines who’ve tried flying. That’s probably because when I was in third grade I built an overgrown windup airplane using some boards and a bicycle inner tube and a plastic fan for the makeshift propeller. Then my brother and I climbed high up into in the old elm and tried to take off from our tree fort.

 EEeerrrr – crash. Luckily, we both had very sturdy bones.

Flight is a secret obsession of mine, so naturally it comes out in my stories. I tried hang gliding in college, enjoyed diving from cliffs, and frequently dream of soaring through the sky with only my arms for wings.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

Georgie was fun and easy to write. I identify with her so much. In fact, I adore all the girls and women of Stranje House. It’s like getting together with the sisters of my heart every time I sit down to write. I don’t really have any trouble writing any of the characters. Even the villain, Lady Daneska, is wonderful fun to write.

What I have trouble with is setting. Which is a character in and of itself. I stumble over setting and too often forget to put enough of it in. 

What is your favorite passage/scene in A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS?

I love the part when Georgie and Sebastian finally make peace and start working on the invisible ink together. She’s never been respected for her mind and I love it when this happens:

“He leaned across the worktable; listening, considering my hypothesis.

Listening. To me.

No one had ever done that.

And all the while, my skin tingled under the gentle breeze of our companionability. I doubt any lover’s poem would have teased my ears more sweetly than our discussion of iron oxides and magnesium.” 

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?
Research

Uh-oh! I do tons of research. I love history. I can disappear down a deep dark research rabbit hole and it might be days before I crawl out the other side. Point in case: I have an accidental minor in history. Accidental, because I never intended to get it, I just couldn’t stop taking all those interesting classes. My research files and historical book collection would sink a small battleship – at least that’s what my long-suffering husband says. 

The Regency era fascinates me - it’s full of such odd contradictions. There are so many sad aspects, the war, poverty, disease, and yet the whole high society, the Beau Monde, is hilariously ridiculous in other ways. I crave humor, but I also relish a good cry now and then. So hey, Regency England is the perfect time period for me to write about.

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine.

Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?

Ultimate? That’s a tough question. Don’t we always fall in love with the hero? If not, the writer hasn’t done her job. And for those few short days of the book he is the ultimate hero.

How about this; I’ll tell you my very first ‘book boyfriend’ crush was on Almanzo Wilder in Farmer Boy, from there it was a downhill slope through Tom Sawyer, Legolas in Lord of the Rings, the proud but loveable Mr. Darcy, all the way to Four in Divergent, and still sliding.

What inspired you to write YA?

Several reviewers and even my brother-in-law who is a YA author and English professor, told me I ought to write YA because even my adult voice sounded YA. I tried it and loved it. I never really grew up inside. Sometimes I wonder if I’m emotionally stuck as a teenager because my mother died a month before my fourteenth birthday.

Lightening Round Questions

Twitter or Facebook?   Twitter

Favorite Superhero?  Thor

Favorite TV show?  Big Bang Theory

Sweet or Salty?  Sweet AND salty. Salted caramel – mmmm

    Any Phobias?

Yep, a weird one. I’m not afraid of heights or blood at all, but certain kinds of wet paper gross me out and can even make me faint. It comes from a terrifying incident with a fire when I was four years old.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?
Kings of Convenience – Boat Behind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df2K91QSqJE  I love their harmony

Fall Movie you’re most looking forward to?
This pains me to say, because I was going to skip anything that had to do with Jurassic Park until I saw a trailer with Chris Pratt training three Raptors. In my defense, Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) is just straight up entertaining to watch. So, yeah, I confess I’m looking forward to Jurassic World.

Thanks so much Kathleen for answering my questions!


My pleasure! This was fun. Thank you for hosting me.—Kathleen Baldwin






About Kathleen:
"I love adventure in books and in real life. I've roamed the Rocky Mountains, wandered the desert, enjoyed way too many classes in college, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument with a rattlesnake, fell in love at least a dozen times, finally met and married my very own hero, and together we've raised four free-spirited children."

Award-winning author - Kensington published four of Kathleen's Regency romantic comedies, including MISTAKEN KISS, a Holt Medallion finalist. DIARY OF A TEENAGE FAIRY GODMOTHER, was a Golden Quill finalist. Her upcoming Historical YA series with TorTeen, A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and won a Marlene.

News and more at: www.Kathleenbaldwin.com



Giveaway Details:

10 winners will receive a finished copy of A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS. US Only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Check out the Tour Schedule!

Week One:
5/11/2015- Two Chicks on BooksInterview
5/12/2015- Pandora's BooksReview
5/13/2015- Her Book ThoughtsGuest Post
5/14/2015- Pretty Little PagesReview
5/15/2015- Chapter by ChapterInterview

Week Two:
5/18/2015- The Book BellesReview
5/19/2015- Alice MarvelsGuest Post
5/20/2015- Bumbles and Fairy-TalesReview
5/21/2015- Bookish Things & MoreInterview
5/22/2015- Wishful EndingsReview
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12 comments:

  1. Great cover and synopsis... Can't wait to read! :)

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  2. Thanks for sharing, Kathleen! Loved the interview and am looking forward to your book.

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  3. I love the premise and I think it's great that this little explored era in history will get some exposure. Thanks for the chance to win a copy

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  4. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the Stranje House, it sounds intriguing.

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  5. congrats to Kathleen on the new release! this looks and sounds fabulous :)

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  6. Thank You! I hope you all enjoy the story. As I said in the interview I love the girls of Stranje House. They really are like sisters of my heart.

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  7. I've had my eye on this one for months!! I love the cover and synopsis. Cannot wait to read it!

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  8. It seems pretty interesting! Already added to my TBR list! ;)

    Carolina M on rafflecopter

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  9. (Alisha Sienkiel in rafflecopter)

    This book sounds so interesting and I love the cover. Thanks for the chance to win! :)

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  10. Interesting interview! I can't wait to read this book

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. THis looks awesome! :D
    Mary Loki

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