Blog Tour- DAUGHTER 4254 by Leigh Statham An Interview & Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for DAUGHTER 4254 by Leigh Statham! I adore Leigh and her books!

I have an interview with Leighto share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!

Haven't heard of DAUGHTER 4254? Check it out!

Title: DAUGHTER 4254

Author: Leigh Statham

Pub. Date: December 5, 2017

Publisher: Owl Hollow Press

Pages: 286

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, iBooks, The Kings English (exclusive signed copies), Goodreads

Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope.

Then she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells her stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive. Together they plot an escape, knowing if they fail, they will die. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for the government to use. When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secret to better the world she hates, or following Thomas to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.

Now on to the interview!

Hey Leigh!! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! DAUGHTER 4254 was AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! 

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about DAUGHTER 4254 and the characters?

I’m so happy to be back on the blog! Thank you for having me!

Daughter4254 is a creative girl trapped in a world where anything that isn’t necessary for survival is outlawed. There is no art, music, color, or names. Thomas is a boy she meets in prison who came from a hidden mountain colony where all the things she loves are allowed. 

Is this going to be a series?

Yes! There are two other books planned. 

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

Yes, all of them. Just kidding. But in all honesty, my characters are usually a compilation of people I know or have met. 

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

My favorite character to write was 23, Daughter’s roommate at secondary school. She’s kind of sassy and sarcstic. She knows her way around the system and teaches Daughter a lot. I also loved writing Thomas and Daughter, of course. 

Writing Professor 789 was difficult for me because he’s hard to put a finger on. I knew how I wanted him to behave, but I wanted it to be believable and I was pulling from a couple of different ideas. 

What is your favorite passage/scene in DAUGHTER 4254?

I know it’s not a very compelling scene, but I really loved writing the scene at her mother’s grave. I felt like I could see, hear, smell, and feel everything she was experiencing. I love walking through old cemeteries. I think I would have spent a lot of time in the Field of Yesterday had I lived in that community. 

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

I made up a huge amount of this book. Some of the few things I researched were the effects of extended solitary confinement, how skin reacts to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, and of course the art and movies and music that eventually make an appearance. Most of the work I mention I was already familiar with, but some of it I did more digging on, hoping to find some golden nuggets of detail. 

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

Severus Snape. For real!! He’s amazing. You don’t come by dedication and love like that every day. 

What inspired you to write YA?

I think the teenage years are the most amazing years to read about and write about. So much happens between ages 12 and 18. There are so many possibilities and most kids still have a fresh energy about them. They still believe they can do anything, be anyone. They don’t understand how fragile they are yet and a lot of them aren’t jaded yet. There’s something truly wonderful about being young and brave and strong and on a quest, and that’s what pretty much every YA book is about - kid conquering. 

Lightening Round Questions

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

Right now I’m reading Silver Girl by Leslie Pietrzyk, an amazing NA book about a girl’s first year in college. I’m also reading the last Lockwood and Co. book, The Empty Grave, by Jonathan Stroud. It’s so good!! I’m so sad that series is over. 

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

I actually know for a fact that I’m a Gryflepuff, however, if the hat HAD to choose it would probably put me in Hufflepuff. Too bad I don’t look very good in yellow. 

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter

Favorite Superhero?

WONDER WOMAN!! 

Favorite TV show?

Poldark

Sweet or Salty?

Both at the same time. Yum!

Any Phobias?

Rashes. I can’t handle weird rashes. Ugh. 

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

This is an oldie - Intergalactic by Beastie Boys

2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Justice League. Hello! Wonder Woman!! 

Thanks so much Leigh for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read DAUGHTER 4254!

Thanks for having me! You guys are the best. xoxox

About Leigh:

Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho but found her heart in New York City. She worked at many interesting jobs before settling in as a mother and writer.

She now resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, eight chickens, a fluffy dog, and two suspected serial killer cats.

Leigh is currently working on an MFA, has written countless short stories, and is the author of lots of mediocre poetry. She is also the winner of the 2016 Southeast Review Narrative Nonfiction Prize for her short story “The Ditch Bank and the Fenceline.”

Website |Twitter |Instagram | Facebook | Wattpad|  Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, US Only.

2 winners will receive a finished copy of DAUGHTER 4254, US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/25/2017- BookHounds YA- Interview

10/25/2017- Fan-Girl-Tabulous- Review

10/26/2017- Reese's Reviews- Excerpt

10/26/2017- Caffeine and Composition- Review

10/27/2017- Hooked To Books- Guest Post

10/27/2017- YA Obsessed- Review

Week Two:

10/30/2017- Maddie.TV- Interview

10/30/2017- The Desert Bibliophile- Review

10/31/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Excerpt

10/31/2017- Kindle and Me- Review

11/1/2017- Wishful Endings- Interview

11/1/2017- Jena Brown Writes- Review

11/2/2017- Stuffed Shelves- Review

11/2/2017- Life of A Simple Reader- Review

11/3/2017- Books, Vertigo and Tea- Excerpt

11/3/2017- Savings in Seconds- Review

Week Three:

11/6/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

11/6/2017- Cindy's Love of Books- Review

11/7/2017- Captivated Reading- Review

11/7/2017- Bookalicious- Review

Book Review- THE HUNDREDTH QUEEN by Emily R. King

Title:THE HUNDREDTH QUEEN

Author: Emily R. King

Release Date: June 1, 2017

Publisher: Skyscape

Format: Paperback, eBook

Source: ARC From The Publisher

Rating: Obsessed!!!!!!!!!!!

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble| iBooks | TBD

As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own. 

Omg this book was freaking awesome!!!! It's the perfect crossover for Young Adult and Adult fantasy lovers! Emily has written a beautifully imagined world full of magic, suspense, swoon-worthy romance, killer fight scenes (I swear I wanted Kali to scream "I am Spartacus" a few times lol) and best of all amazing friendships! I adored Kali and Deven and so many of the other characters, especially Deven's brother I need to get to know him better!!!! 

Man this book kicked my ass! In a very good way, and now I am going to be struggling until Fall of 2017 waiting for the next book! 

Top Ten Tuesday (64)- Ten Websites I Love That Aren't About Books

Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

May 10: Ten Websites I Love That Aren't About Books 

Ok so this is going to be a pretty eclectic list.... I think.

1. Twitter

2. Pinterest. I use this for more than books. I look up recipes, skincare and makeup ideas, and pretty art.

3. Perfectly Posh . I loveeee these amazing pampering skincare products and am always checking for new deals. Also I'm an independent consultant.

4. Facebook

5. Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. I'm a huge baseball fan and play in a fantasy league every year.

6. Vudu. A couple friends and I share an account we have over 460 movies to watch.

7. Amazon. I use this for so much more than books! I have Prime and love it!

8. Food Network. Love looking for new recipes here.

9. Harris Poll Online. I love this site! I do surveys pretty much daily. You earn points that you can use towards gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, a bunch of restaurants, Bath & Body Works, and other stuff.

10. LuLaRoe Mindy Herbert's Facebook group. I'm always looking at her page to see if she's added new stuff! Click in the link to follow her page. LuLaRoe clothes are awesome!

So what about you? What are some of your go to websites? And check back next week for my Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim !

Hugs,

Jaime

Blog Tour- THE CASQUETTE GIRLS by Alys Arden Book Spotlight and a Giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thrilled to have an excerpt from Alys Arden's book THE CASQUETTE GIRLS to share wit you today! I have been dying to read this book! And make sure to enter the giveaway!

The Casquette Girls 
Alys Arden 
Published November 17th, 2015
Published by Skyscape 
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy 
Goodreads Website Amazon 

Find out more about signed copies HERE!     

Seven girls tied by time. Five powers that bind. One curse to lock the horror away. One attic to keep the monsters at bay. ** After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition. As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal.   

Excerpt:

The warm air lingered, and dampness wrapped around my skin as if we had entered a gym locker room. I flicked the light switch just to be certain. Nothing. We both reached for our phones. That feeling of peculiarity versus familiarity swept over me once again.

The total silence had crept into the house with us, but after sixteen years of hearing the pendulum swings of the old grandfather clock in the foyer, an impression of the sound was left burned in my mind. The phantom ticks became louder in my head as we crept through the foyer and into the living room. My father walked a few feet ahead of me with his makeshift flashlight thrust forward and his right arm extended over me in a protective stance. There had been countless reports of people breaking into homes and squatting in the less-flooded neighborhoods.

By the glow of our phones, nothing appeared to be out of place – not that either of us could remember exactly how we had left it.

No signs of water or mold. My father exhaled loudly.

“I’m going to get the hurricane box,” I said, already halfway through the dormant dining room when he yelled my name in protest. The thick, old walls muffled his voice.

Despite the long journey, I felt incredibly alert – my eyes darted back and forth like an animal’s as I surveyed each room – and, now that I was alone, I became very aware of the beating of my own heart. The deeper I moved into the house, the harder it pounded, until the beating reverberated in my ears.

When I entered the kitchen, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. And yet everything seemed okay…
My hair lifted from my shoulders, sending waves of shivers down my back. A delicate touch brushed my neck.

“Who’s there?” My body twisted around, and I ducked away.

A slow creak answered.

I spun towards the noise, dropping my phone in the process. I bent to find it on the tile floor, and when I rose, my head collided with something soft but solid, nearly knocking me back down.

“What the—?”

My hair yanked backwards.

“Who’s there?” I yelled, thrashing my head.

I screamed in pain when something small and sharp pierced the skin at the base of my neck and clawed all the way up to my cheekbone.

High-pitched screams assaulted me. Blood smeared from my neck to my face as I covered my ears, screaming back. I continued to flail wildly in the dark – the intruder’s wings flapped frantically in my face.

“Adele!”

“Dad! Kitchen!” My head jerked backwards again as my hair became entangled with the bird’s talons and ripped from my scalp.
“Get away!”

Each time its feathers touched my skin, a wave of shudders went down my spine, making my feet dance. My arms got scratched up shielding my face. I fell to my knees, ripping the last of my tangled hair free from the bird’s claws. Tears poured.

“Adele! Where are you?”

I crouched in a ball next to a cabinet as glassware began to fall from the counter and smash onto the tile floor around me.

“Down here!”

“What the hell?” he yelled over the ruckus, sliding onto the floor. 
“Are you okay?” He pulled me close.

His heart raced against his chest. In the illumination of his phone, I saw the crow’s giant black wings open and close, breaking everything they came into contact with.

He helped me up, then swiftly grabbed a broom from behind the refrigerator and shooed the trespasser out the kitchen door. I followed and slammed the door shut.

“Are you hurt?” He held the light of his phone up to my face. My hand and arm covered the wound, but his eyes still bulged, causing me to look down. Red covered most of my right shoulder. I wiped more blood off my face with the back of my other hand.

“It looks worse than it is,” I lied, my throat raw from screaming. The wound throbbed, but I kept it covered so he would calm down. 
“All of this over a bird?” I tried to joke, fighting the tears.

He still clutched the broom in one hand and his lit phone in the other. I don't know if it was the anxiety, the weariness, or just how ridiculous we both must have looked, but I started laughing, and soon he did too.

He put the broom down and wrapped his arms around me. “Home sweet home.”

“Never a dull moment.” My voice was muffled into his shoulder. I squirmed trying not to get blood on his shirt. “Wait a second.” I raised my head. “That door must have been open.”

“What?”

“The kitchen door… I never opened it for the crow to fly out.”

He held his phone up to shine the light on the old brass doorknob. Someone had definitely smashed the lock to force the door open. He tapped the keypad on his phone three times and brought it to his ear.

“Dammit! No service.”

They had warned everyone not to come home yet…

He gave up on the call, went to the pantry, and lifted out a large cardboard box onto the kitchen counter. I didn’t need my phone light to know it was appropriately labeled “Hurricane Box” in my six-year-old scribble. On the side, written in a range of green Crayola to Sharpie, was a list of every hurricane it had been used in, along with the date. We were pretty diligent about keeping it fully stocked because we weren't the type who evacuated every time bad weather brewed in the Atlantic.

He pulled out a robust first-aid kit.

I nervously removed my sticky fingers from the wound.

“Dammit, Adele!”

“What?”

“I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“Dad, there aren’t any hospitals.”

“Dammit.” He hesitated for a second before he managed his manly-dad-poker-face.

“Dad!” The tears began to well again.

“I’m sorry, baby, it’s not that bad. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he lied. “It’s just a lot of blood.”

He pressed the gauze against my face. “Damn bird.”

When the bleeding subsided, he spun the lid off the bottle of rubbing alcohol. My face scrunched at the chemical smell. “It’s gonna burn,” he said gently and poured a generous stream of the clear liquid down my face and neck.

My limbs twisted into each other. I tried not to yelp as the solvent spidered into the wound, burning like fire. He covered the clean wound with new gauze and pressed my hand over it.

“Stay here, and I’ll check out the rest of the house.”

“No, I want to see!”

“Okay, but just stay put for two minutes. Keep applying pressure. I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Something about his exit made me suspicious. I attached the gauze to my skin with some medical tape and dug through the remaining contents of the supply box: a transistor radio, an assortment of nonperishable food items, various kinds of batteries. Voilà. Two flashlights. I flicked them on and off to test the batteries.

When he returned, the beams of light revealed a small black object in his hand. I did a double-take. “What is that?” I exclaimed in a loud whisper. “You own a gun? Do you even know how to use that thing?”

“Calm down, sweetheart. It was Grandpa’s, and it’s always been locked up in the safe.” He seemed oddly at ease holding the weapon, as if it was something he used on a daily basis. Who is this guy? I gently placed the second flashlight into his free hand. And what else had Grandpa locked up?

Let’s go,” I said and filed behind him.

He led the way back down the hall and into his bedroom, waving his light around to check out the state of his things. I continued to the rear of the room and opened the large pocket doors that separated his bedroom from his studio.

My brain refused to register what I saw in front of me. I hastily moved my flashlight from one thing to the next.

No.

No.

No.

“I'm so sorry, Dad.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He rushed over, slid the wooden doors completely open, and stepped into the workspace.

“Stay here.”

Most of my father's life work was in total disarray, strewn about the large, open room. I focused my light on the rear wall and gasped. My flashlight was shining straight into the back courtyard – a humongous Greek-revival-style column from a neighboring house had smashed through the exterior brick wall and created a gaping hole at least seven feet tall and ten feet wide. Does it still constitute as a hole if a giant could walk through it? Wind, rain, and Lord knows what else had poured in. I thought of the crow as I slowly approached the gap, and wondered if there were any other animals lurking in the house.

“Adele, stay back. There might be structural damage.”

Backing away from the hole, I picked up two unstretched canvases and tried to separate them, but they had fused upon drying. I put them down to avoid any further damage.

“Come on, Dad, there isn't much we can do tonight.” My hand rested on his shoulder as I pulled him away from the acetylene tank he was examining. “We'll get a better look in the morning.”

We did a quick run-through of the rest of the house and ended back in the kitchen. To our relief, everything else appeared unscathed.

“No crows, squatters, gaping holes or pools of standing water,” my father said, dodging broken glass on the floor as he brought a chair to the kitchen door. He jammed it under the broken knob, securing the door for the evening. “Anything else can wait until the morning as far as I am concerned. Can you get through the night without electricity? I can set up the generator in the morning.”

I nodded with a jet-lag-induced yawn. “Definitely.” It was only 8:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. Paris time), but I was so tired I could have slept through another hurricane.

I agreed to sleep in the living room to appease my father’s fear that the back of the house might have structural damage, although I'm not sure it would have made a difference where we slept if the house did cave in. I didn’t mind, though – after the crow incident, I was still kind of spooked. Not that I would have admitted it.

By the time I got back from a bottled-water toothbrushing, my father was snoring on the love seat. I sniffed an old afghan; when the smell didn't make me scowl, I pulled it over him.

Lying in a heap of blankets and cushions on the floor, I felt better 
than I had in weeks. Just being home brought on a small smile. Although it quickly faded when I thought about Dad's studio. His schedule was erratic because of the bar, so it was hard for him to meet people outside of the nightlife, who he tried to avoid since he was solely responsible for me. The only thing that truly seemed to make him happy was his art.

Why couldn’t that column have fallen into any other room in the house? Even my own bedroom would have been better. I wondered if any of his paintings or charcoals had survived. A sinking feeling inside told me, unlikely. At least his main medium was metal…
I pulled out my phone and hoped a quick text to Brooke would go through.

Adele 8:57 p.m Made it home. Able to sleep in the house. Full report tomorrow. xo.

I was out cold before she had a chance to respond.

About the Author

Alys Arden was raised by the street performers, tea leaf-readers, and glittering drag queens of the New Orleans, French Quarter. She cut her teeth on the streets of New York and has worked all around the world since. She either talks too much or not at all. She obsessively documents things. Her hair ranges from eggplant to cotton-candy-colored. One dreary day in London, while dreaming of running away with the circus, she started writing The Casquette Girls. Her debut novel garnered over one million reads online before being acquired by Skyscape in a two book deal. Rep’d by ICM. Website Twitter: @alysarden Facebook Blog

  

  The Book Trailer:


  The Giveaway 2 physical copies open US only. 


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dying To Read (117)- BEYOND THE RED by Ava Jae

Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!

This sounds awesome! I need more sci-fi in my life!!!

Title: BEYOND THE RED

Author: Ava Jae

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Pages: 304
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.

Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.

When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Watch These Amazon Pilots and vote for them!

Hey All! I haven't talked about TV shows in a long time but I wanted to talk about these two amazing pilots from Amazon! I've watched some of their pilots for past Amazon Pilot Seasons but none of them have had me as obsessed as these two! They NEED to be turned into series I just have to find out what happens next! The acting is superb and the scripts rock!

Here's some info on them and the trailers.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE
Based on Philip K. Dick's award-winning novel, and executive produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), The Man in the High Castle explores what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Starring Rufus Sewell (John Adams), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars) and Alexa Davalos (Mob City).

This is a clip from the show there isn't a full trailer.







POINT OF HONOR
At the start of the Civil War, a prominent Virginia family makes the controversial decision to defend the South while freeing all of their slaves, pitting the family against one another and testing their strength, courage and love. The pilot was co-written by Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Randall Wallace (Braveheart) and directed by Wallace. Shot on location in Virgina.

I adore this and it has Nathan Parsons in it! We've all fallen in love with this guy from True Blood and The Originals and some of us have been fans since his days on General Hospital!



So if you have Prime go HERE to watch and make sure to vote for them when they're finished! Oh and come back when you're done I'd love to hear what you think!

Blog Tour- THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN by Meredith McCardle and a Giveaway!

I adored THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN by Meredith McCardle it was such an awesome sci-fi time travel story and I can't wait for book 2! Meredith is stopping by the blog today to share her playlist for the book! Check it out and make sure to enter the awesome giveaway below!
Haven't heard of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN? Check it out!

Title: THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN

Author: Meredith McCardle

Release date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape (Amazon)
Genre:  YA time travel thriller 
ISBN: 978-1477847138
ASIN: B00DH3MP82

Find it: Goodreads |Amazon| Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Amanda Obermann. Code name Iris.

It’s Testing Day. The day that comes without warning, the day when all juniors and seniors at The Peel Academy undergo a series of intense physical and psychological tests to see if they’re ready to graduate and become government operatives. Amanda and her boyfriend Abe are top students, and they’ve just endured thirty-six hours of testing. But they’re juniors and don’t expect to graduate. That’ll happen next year, when they plan to join the CIA—together.

But when the graduates are announced, the results are shocking. Amanda has been chosen—the first junior in decades. And she receives the opportunity of a lifetime: to join a secret government organization called the Annum Guard and travel through time to change the course of history. But in order to become the Eighth Guardian in this exclusive group, Amanda must say good-bye to everything—her name, her family, and even Abe—forever.

Who is really behind the Annum Guard? And can she trust them with her life?

Now on to the playlist!

1. 33 Degree by Thievery Corporation. I listened to this song almost on repeat when I was writing the first draft. It has such a cool vibe.

2. Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine. I am OBSESSED with Florence. I bought the Ceremonials album the day it came out, which also happened to be the day my agent and I went on submission with THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN. And as soon as I heard the track Seven Devils, I knew I’d found my book’s theme song. The whole mood of the song is perfect for what I was trying to convey, and the lyrics are even oddly spoilerish for the book. It’s eerie.

3. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. As a disclaimer, this song was added to the playlist before it was played on every radio in the country at every hour of the day. But it’s staying on the playlist because this song encapsulates what I imagine the physical aspects of time travel to be like.

4. Mindfields by The Prodigy. This song captures the mood of the last half of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, pretty spot on.

5. Don’t Forget Me by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. One of the Chili Peppers best songs (IMO) and one that’s telling of Iris’s mood in the latter half of the book.

6. Wandering Star by Portishead. I love the lyrics to this one, I guess because there are two wandering stars in the book. . . .

7. Fixed Income by DJ Shadow. This song has such a unique sound. It’s mellow but also dangerous, kind of like many of the Guardians.

8. Weapons of Mass Distortion by The Crystal Method. If I close my eyes, I can pretty much hear this song playing in the background of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum scene.

9. Finding the Bomb by The Dust Brothers. And this song could play in the background of just about any other scene in THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN!

10. Iris Was a Pupil by Autechre. The song that started it all, quite literally. It was the title of this song that gave me the inspiration to start this book. I knew I had to find out what Iris’s story was, and so I wrote it. Thanks, Autechre! 

Thanks so much Meredith awesome playlist!

About Meredith:

Meredith McCardle is a former lawyer who lives in South Florida with her husband and two young daughters. Like her main character, she has a fondness for strong coffee, comfortable pants, and jumping to the wrong conclusions. Unlike her main character, she cannot travel through time. Sadly. Her debut, THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, will be published by Skyscape/Amazon Children’s in Spring 2014.

Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

Giveaway Details:

 Meredith is giving away 2 Kindle paperwhites, a signed hardcover of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, and a paperback + book-themed necklace.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN Blog Tour Schedule

May 5: Me, My Shelf and I

May 6: Winged Reviews and Pub(lishing) Crawl

May 7: Larissa’s World

May 8: Swoony Boys Podcast

May 9: The Write Path

May 12: Min Reads and Reviews

May 13: Two Chicks on Books

May 14: The YA Guy

May 15: Manga Maniac Cafe

May 16: Mercurial Musings

May 19: I Am a Reader

May 20: Bibliophilia, Please

May 21: Books Complete Me

May 22: Mel’s Shelves and Addicted Readers

May 23: A Chick Who Reads