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Thursday, October 13, 2016

Blog Tour- BURY THE LIVING by Jodi McIsaac An Interview & Giveaway!


I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for BURY THE LIVING by Jodi McIsaac! I am super excited to read this one! I have an interview with Jodi to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book!!


Haven't heard of BURY THE LIVING? Check it out!

Title: BURY THE LIVING (The Revolutionary #1)
Author: Jodi McIsaac
Pub. Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: 47North
Pages: 302
Formats: Paperback, eBook, audiobook
Find it: AmazonBarnes& NobleiBooksGoodreads
Rebellion has always been in the O’Reilly family’s blood. So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland’s infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country’s freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met.

When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years—to the height of Ireland’s brutal civil war. There she meets the alluring stranger from her dreams, who has his own secrets—and agenda. Taken out of her own time, Nora has the chance to alter the fortunes of Ireland and maybe even save the ones she loves. In this captivating and adventurous novel from Jodi McIsaac, history belongs to those with the courage to change it. 

Now on to the interview!

1.    For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about BURY THE LIVING and the characters? This is a series yes? And if it’s a series do you have a title for book 2 yet?

Absolutely! Bury the Living is about a former IRA fighter from Belfast named Nora O’Reilly who goes back in time to 1923, at the height of the Irish Civil War. She’s looking for a stranger who has been appearing to her in her dreams, asking for help. But when she finally finds him, it turns out he has secrets of his own. Nora and the stranger set out to try and change the outcome of the war, a move they hope will prevent the Troubles in Northern Ireland from ever happening.

 Yes, Bury the Living is the first book in the Revolutionary series. The second book, Summon the Queen, takes place in the 1580s during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and features the infamous pirate queen Grace O’Malley. Summon the Queen comes out in January and is already available for preorder on Amazon. And I’m currently working on the third book, which takes places in 1002 during the reign of High King Brian Boru.

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

Not the characters themselves, but some of the circumstances, yes. For example, in the first chapter a teenaged Nora is taken in for questioning by the IRA because she’s suspected of selling drugs in her school. This actually happened to a friend of mine while I was waiting tables in Belfast back in the day. My friend was innocent, but Nora ... not so much.

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

I adored writing Pidge Gillies, Nora’s newfound friend in 1923. Pidge is young, spunky, gritty, and full of revolutionary zeal. She’s a composite of so many amazing women I read about during the course of my researchwomen who refused to stay home and let the men do the fighting, but instead fought passionately for the cause they believed in.

As for least favorite? I’m not a huge fan of Mick O’Connor, the man who bullies Nora into signing up with the IRA as a teenager. Like Pidge, he’s a revolutionary, but his zeal has taken on a nasty, power-hungry edge. Pidge loves her country; Mick hates his enemies. I think there’s an important difference there.

4.    What is your favorite passage/scene in BURY THE LIVING?

Any of the scenes in Kilmainham Gaol, where Nora and Pidge are sent after being arrested for their revolutionary activities. I love the camaraderie of the women there as they try to make life as normal as possible given their confinement.

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

So. Much. Research. I read every book I could get my hands on, obviously. (Thank goodness for inter-library loans). I also watched documentaries and movies and listened to Irish history podcasts. I interviewed Irish Catholic women who had grown up in Belfast during the Troubles to get a better understanding of what it must have been like for Nora. I talked to humanitarian aid workers who had worked in Sudan (Nora grows up to become a relief worker in Darfur), and poured over UNHCR manuals about how to properly set up a refugee camp. And, best of all, I spent two weeks in Ireland doing on-the-ground research, including an amazing tour of Kilmainham Goal.

6.    Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

I’ve never been asked that before! Hmm. I suppose Mr. Darcy is everyone’s ultimate book boyfriend, so I’ll have to go with Jamie Fraser. Or Gale Hawthorne. I love my revolutionaries.

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

Irish Kings and High-Kings by F.J. Byrne. (Research for the third book in the Revolutionary series.) I’m also reading volume six of the graphic novel, Saga.

2.    What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

According to Pottermore, Slytherin. Which is funny because years ago a friend knit me a Slytherin scarf. So I guess she knew what she was doing! But I’m not evil ... really ...

3.  Twitter or Facebook?

Facebook

4.    Favorite Superhero?

Captain America (See? I’m not evil.)

5.    Favorite TV show?

Battlestar Galactica

6.    Sweet or Salty?

Salty

7.    Any Phobias?

I wouldn’t call them phobias, but I’m not thrilled about heights, dinosaurs, and spiders.

8.    Song you can’t get enough of right now?

I’m still in love with “Take me to Church” by Hozier.

9.    Winter Movie you’re most looking forward to?


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Check out an excerpt!
BURY THE LIVING excerpt:
©2016, Reprinted with permission from 47North

On Monday morning Nora walked to school with a couple of friends. She tried to nod and laugh in all the right places as they nattered on, but her mind was fixated on the bags of cocaine stuffed deep into her rucksack. She’d decided there was no point in dumping it, not when she could still make a fair sale of it. Then her family wouldn’t have to wait to leave town. She’d sent a message to Ernie Farrell, saying she’d sell him the lot at half price. He’d been Robbie Grady’s only competition in this part of town. There was no way he would say no. Then it would be out of her hands.
          At the lunch break she waited in the stacks at the library, just as she’d promised to do in her message. The Irish-history section, which was always empty. She read the titles with interest while she waited. Her school, like many others, preferred to focus on European and world history. Irish history was too controversial, to close to home. But Eamon’s love for it had rubbed off. He was always throwing obscure bits of history into their conversations or telling her about great battles and chieftains who’d lived hundreds of years ago. She’d soaked it all ina sparkling vision of Ireland that was a sharp contrast to her own bleak reality.
          Nora waited the entire lunch hour, but Ernie never came. Had he even been to school that day? She hadn’t seen him. Maybe he was sick. Maybe he’d chickened out after hearing about Robbie.
          She left the library and headed back to class. She was late enough that the hallways were empty. Then she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She glanced back and stopped dead in her tracks. Paddy Sullivan was standing in the hallway, grinning at her.
          “Hiya, Nora,” he said.
          “What the hell are you doing here?”
          “Ach, don’t be like that, Nora. We’ve some more questions for you.” He jerked his head toward the front door.
          “I’ve answered your questions,” she said, clutching her rucksack close to her stomach. “Youse said you’d leave me alone.”
          “Things change. C’mon. Let’s go.”
          “I’ve got to get to class. I’m late.”
          “We’re on the way to see your brother. Don’t you want to come?”
          Nausea swept through her. He was bluffing, sure he was. But what if he means it? “I told youse to leave Eamon out of this! What do youse want him for?”
          “Ernie never showed up to your little meeting, did he?”
          Nora felt faint. “I justwanted to talk to him.
          “Uh-huh. Seems you didn’t take our warnings seriously. Now come on. We don’t want to make a scene here in the school, do we?”
          Nora felt as though her legs were embedded in the ground. All she could do was stare at Paddy, unable to move, while the world spun around her. She had to ditch the bag, somewhere, somehow.
          “II just have toI have to use the bogs first, she stammered.
          “I’m sure you can hold it,” he said. His hand clamped on to her arm, and he marched her out of the side door, where a car was waiting. She shifted her rucksack to one hand and prepared to drop it in the bushes, but he grabbed it.
          “For a petty criminal, you’re pretty daft, Nora.”
          “Wait, please, you don’t understand
          “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. Thought you’d just pick up where Robbie left off?”
          “No! I was just trying to get rid of it, I swear.” Nora tried to wrestle herself from Paddy’s grip, panic building in her like a smoking volcano. “Don’t take me to Mick. You can have the cokeits worth a lot of money.”
          “Mick’s interested in something far more useful to him than coke,” Paddy answered as he stuffed her into the back of the car. He got in the front seat, then turned around. “I think he’ll be wanting to make a deal.”
          Nora drew back against the upholstered seat, horror spreading across her face. “He’ll notbe wanting
          Paddy grinned again. “To pimp you out? Is that what you’re afraid of? You’re an attractive girl, Nora, but Mick’s not like that. He’s a decent lad.”
          “Then what?”

          “You’ll find out.”   






About Jodi:
Jodi McIsaac is the author of the Irish contemporary fantasy series The Thin Veil (47North) the thriller A Cure for Madness (Thomas & Mercer) and the forthcoming historical Revolutionary series, starting with Bury the Living (47North).

She grew up in New Brunswick, on Canada's east coast. After abandoning her Olympic speed skating dream, she wrote speeches for a politician, volunteered in a refugee camp, waited tables in Belfast, earned a couple of university degrees, and started a boutique copywriting agency. She loves geek culture, running, and whisk(e)y.




Giveaway Details:


3 Finished copies of BURY THE LIVING (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interview--I enjoy reading more about the author behind the book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like the premise of this book. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete

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