Blog Tour- Crewel by Gennifer Albin and a Giveaway

Hey ya’ll! Welcome to my stop on the Crewel Blog Tour! I have an interview today between author, Gennifer Albin and her editor, Janine from Farrar Straus & Giroux! I also have a finished copy of Crewel to giveaway and a Crewel bracelet! Don’t know what Crewel is? Check it out! And make sure to check out my review!

Crewel

Gennifer Albin

Release Date: October 16, 2012

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (Macmillan)

ISBN: 0374316414

Goodreads/ Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ The Book Depository

Free Chapter sampler from Barnes & Noble or you can read it on Facebook!

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Now on to the interview!

To Janine: When did you know you were going to buy Crewel?

I knew from reading the very first sentence that CREWEL was a project that I had to have! I read the manuscript one summer afternoon while pretending to play with my son in the sandbox and pool (good thing my husband was there to actually take care of the poor child!), and fell in love with it. How many people read it in-house before you offered? A handful of people in marketing and sales and FSG's publisher, Simon Boughton. Everyone agreed that it was the perfect project for FSG's list: it is just the right blend of literary and commercial, and it's artfully written.

To Genn: When did you know you were going to choose FSG/Janine?

It was a hard decision, because it felt so important.  It was my debut book, after all! It was really down to two houses, and Janine understood I wanted this story to be a trilogy.  The other editor thought two might do.  Believe me, I couldn't squash this story into two books!  Then we (my agent and I) received an email the day before auction closed with an amazing plan for the book, and that pretty much clinched it.  I slept on it, woke up the next morning and called my agent to accept the FSG deal.

What's your editorial process like?

It involves lots and lots of reading and re-reading, and asking questions, as well as more detailed line edits. It's especially important when world-building is involved.

What she said!  I tend to layer in as I revise, so rereading is crucial.  Plus, I get a little wild with my worldbuilding and plots, so we have to make sure they make sense.

What are you most excited about in coming books in the Crewel World trilogy?

Watching Adelice hone her skills and become who she destined to be. 

Writing kissing scenes.  What? It’s true.

Which boy would be your fictional crush in the book?

Hmm. They're all too young for me! But the sixteen-year-old me would definitely have crushed on Erik because he's a little bit dangerous. 

That’s hard to say, especially since I know who she ends up with.  I plead the fifth.

To Janine: Was it the world or one of the characters that hooked you?

Both! I love the world Genn has created. It's so rich and unique, and it feels completely real. Genn has a gift at crafting characters that come alive on the page, and you find yourself emotionally invested in their lives. Plus, she is a master at giving the reader villains that you will love to hate.

Who is your favorite character and why?

Adelice, of course! She's tough and determined and I like that in a girl. Beyond that, I totally enjoyed when Maela showed up in scenes. She is pure evil in a good way.

I won’t lie.  I love Cormac.  I can’t even say I love to hate him.  He just flows onto the page.

Will you work together on future books? (lol, I'll have to get through writing the rest of this series before we can answer that!)

YES! Genn is an editor's dream author. She's fun and smart, and she views the process as a collaboration, which it should be. 

I have to finish this series first!  But I love Janine and FSG, and I think there’s a lot of value to building a relationship with a publishing houses rather than jumping around too much.  

Make sure to check out the trailer!

Gennifer Albin is part of the Fall 2012 Fierce Reads campaign: https://www.facebook.com/FierceReads

Read the short story prequel, entitled “The Department of Alterations” 

Check out Gennifer Albin’s Website 

Check out the rest of the blog tour stops for more chances to win Crewel! 

Crewel Blog Tour Schedule

Monday 10/15                   http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/

Tuesday 10/16                   http://birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com/

Wednesday 10/17           http://hobbitsies.net/

Thursday 10/18                 http://cuddlebuggery.com/

Friday 10/19                       http://www.startingthenextchapter.com/

Saturday 10/20                  http://www.bookswithbite.net/

Sunday 10/21                     http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/

Monday 10/22                   http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 10/23                   http://bookalicious.org/

Wednesday 10/24           http://www.emilysreadingroom.com/

Thursday 10/25                 http://bewitchedbookworms.com/

Friday 10/26                       http://christinareadsya.blogspot.com/

Saturday 10/27                  http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/

Sunday 10/28                     http://www.ibbookblogging.com/

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BBAW Day 2- Interview Nancy from Simple Clockwork

Hello! Today I have Nancy from Simple Clockwork here to answer some interview questions. I’ve never met Nancy before online or in person and I had never heard of her blog so; this was an awesome opportunity to meet a new blogger and pick her brain.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’m Nancy. I have different nicknames by different sets of friends but I’m generally called by my complete name. I enjoy books, writing, blogging, food, and driving. I spend more money and time on books than what other people deem as reasonable. Recently, I discovered that, as a reader, I’m a hybrid product of a “bookophile” and a “book-buster”. As a bookophile, I just love books of all ages—how they smell, look, and feel—the result of which is an occasional impulsive book-buying spree. As a book-buster, I have lots of them strewn all over my room, but I love them too much to destroy them (which is why I also have a Kindle).

How did you start blogging? And how long have you been doing it?

I’m a fairly new book blogger who enjoys short stories, Philippine literature, children’s and middle-grade books, Christian fiction, romance, and a bit of YA. I have been blogging since October last year. I could say I’m an accidental book blogger. Simple Clockwork started out a personal journal which evolved into a book blog after I discovered a community of book bloggers via bookblogs.ning.com. So far, I’m enjoying what I’m doing, continuously amazed by how supportive the international book blogging community is.

So what is your favorite genre to read and why?

My current favorite genres are short stories and Philippine literature, and even poetry, which I used to dislike very much. I host The Short Story Initiative at my blog and partnered with Mel U of The Reading Life to feature very old Filipino short stories. But really, anything goes. I mean, there are times when I like to read YA for a month then romance the next. Recently, I enjoy graphic novels about local and foreign mythologies, fairies, and the like. A dose of the supernatural can really be exhilarating.

What's your favorite book? Movie?

Now this is tough. There are so many! For novels, I think Linnet and the Prince by Alyson Holman is a really good fantasy and romance deal, although underappreciated from my point of view. I would also go for short stories by O. Henry and Oscar Wilde. For movies, Mulan would be part of the top list along with other romantic comedies, such as “He’s just not that into you” and “The Break-up”. Sounds like sad titles, huh? I assure you, I’m in happy relationship of eight years.

What's your favorite post you've ever done? Least favorite if you have one? Links :)

Oftentimes, I would do a blogging frenzy on the stories I’ve read. One time, I did a post on what happened with my blog since my comeback (I went missing from the blogging community for a couple of months). I summarized the things that happened and titled the post, “7 things this blog has been up to, apart from, well, reading.” It warms my heart to know how much my blog has achieved in just short a time. The post was like a personal motivator. The least favorite post would be explaining to my readers why I have to stay away from blogging for a while. The post is titled, “A tribute to my late cousin, a second sister”. My cousin who was like a second sister died some months ago. Getting back to blogging and fixing my routine were really difficult for me. Sometimes, it still is.

Who are your favorite publishers to work with?

To be honest, I haven’t reached that level yet like other book bloggers who are working closely together with publishers. Some reviews I have had were books written impressively well by independent writers. I look forward to working with publishers someday.

Any suggestions for the newer bloggers out there?

As the old wisdom goes, “No man is an island”, so find your niche and work/share/link with other bloggers who share your passion.

Thank you, Jaime, for having me, too! Cheers to you and to BBAW 2012!  

Thanks Nancy! It was awesome meeting and interviewing you!

Q&A with Aimee Carter and a Giveaway of Goddess Interrupted

Hey Everyone! We have a super cool Q& A with Aimee Carter thanks to Media Masters Publicity and the peeps at Harlequin Teen! We also have a copy of Goddess Interrupted up for grabs so make sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form after the interview!

Q&A With Aimée Carter, Author of the Goddess Test Series

How familiar were you with Greek myths and folklore before writing the Goddess Test series?  Was a lot of research required?

+ I first fell in love with Greek mythology when I was a kid learning how to read, and my infatuation only grew from there. I’ve studied various kinds of mythology for years, sometimes for class and always for fun, but even then I put a great deal of research into the Goddess Test series. Mostly as a refresher to make sure I was getting my facts right, but I also researched the various myths looking for ways to tie the plots and characters together in unexpected ways.

Was Goddess Interrupted any easier or harder to write than the first book in the series, The Goddess Test?

+ It was both easier and harder, in a strange way. I rewrote The Goddess Test multiple times, and I’ve never edited a book more heavily in my life. Goddess Interrupted did require some editing, of course, but it was much easier.

However, the pressure to deliver a sequel worthy of the series made the writing process for Goddess Interrupted more difficult than I’d anticipated. There’s something called the “sophomore slump”, where sequels or second books generally don’t quite match up to the second, and I wanted to avoid that at all cost. So that added a lot of stress, but in the end, I was very happy with the results.

You give the gods and goddesses in the series “ordinary names” – Zeus is named Walter, Aphrodite goes by Ava, Hermes is named James.  Why did you do that and do the more contemporary names have any significance?

+ This was something I went back and forth on multiple times. Initially the characters Kate encounters weren’t council members at all – I changed that very, very quickly though. By the second draft, I had a place for each of the Olympians, and I did some heavy rewriting to replace my first draft characters with the gods. I wanted to find a way to keep their names the same, but since they’re supposed to live among us in secret in the modern world, it didn’t really make sense. How many men named Zeus do you know, or women called Aphrodite? On top of that, keeping the council’s identities secret was incredibly important to the plot. So eventually I decided they would have changed their names when Western civilization stopped worshipping them as gods, allowing them to live freely among us.

I did choose each name for what it means, some more than others – Walter, for instance, means “army leader”, while James means “supplanter”. The exception is Calliope, which in the story was chosen by her counterpart for its Greek roots. The reason the gods changed their names – and why Artemis didn’t wind up with the name Diana – is explained throughout the series, but you get to actually see this happen in The Goddess Legacy (July 31).

Goddess Interrupted begins with the main character Kate Winters adjusting to her new life as an immortal.  Given Kate’s innate strength and stubbornness, was it difficult to switch gears to portray her as a bit more vulnerable and unsure of herself in her new role as goddess AND wife?

+ Not so much, to be honest – her progression felt natural to me. While Kate is very tough in certain ways, she’s extremely vulnerable as well. She’s emotionally dependent on the people around her (her mother in the first book, Henry in the second), and that in and of itself carves the path she takes in the sequel. She’s spent six months with Henry, falling in love with him and forming a relationship she thinks is going to last for eternity. But Henry is battling his own demons and isn’t ready to be the person she needs him to be, and because Kate is so stubborn, she has a hard time coming to terms with that. In the sequel, Kate really is her own worst enemy emotionally – her entire world has changed, after all, and that’s a lot for anyone to take – but it’s all part of her development into a goddess and queen.

Kate finds herself trying to work through her rather complicated relationship with James, as well as her relationship with her new husband, Henry (Hades).  Neither seems to be black and white, but rather varying shades of gray.   Were any of Kate’s feelings or situations based on any relationship struggles you’ve been through?

+ Not personally, no, but I did try to make Kate’s relationships with the people in her life as realistic as possible. She isn’t perfect, and neither are they, and that’s something they all have to work through at varying points in the series. None of the relationships in the books are based off of specific experiences I’ve been through though.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?  Least favorite?

+ Outlining is by far my favorite part of the process. I love the idea stage, where anything’s possible, and it’s such a shiny place. All of that comes crashing down when I write the first draft though, which is the hardest part for me. I tend to get mentally exhausted about two thirds to three quarters of the way into the manuscript, and it’s always a struggle for me to push through it, especially if I’m on a deadline. And inevitably there are a ton of problems I didn’t notice in the outline stage that have to be fixed for the story to work. I’m a perfectionist, so in order for me to continue writing the story, everything I’ve already written has to make sense.

Do you have a favorite quote or line from a poem or book?

+ I love so many quotes that I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.

How did you get your first publishing deal and how did that feel?

+ My agent, Rosemary Stimola, sent the manuscript out to various publishers, and after a long submission process, Harlequin TEEN offered to publish it! I was stunned at first, but that quickly gave way to giddiness. It was an incredible feeling to know I’d be published, and to this day, I still can’t quite believe it.

When is the next book in the series due out? Any hints on what will happen in book 3?

+ Goddess Interrupted, the sequel to The Goddess Test, came out in late March. The next book in the series, The Goddess Legacy, will be out July 31. It’s a collection of five novellas told in the perspectives of Calliope, Ava, Persephone, James, and Henry, and together they form one story.

The third book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance, is currently scheduled to be released in March 2013. Unfortunately I can’t say too much about it, but the challenges that Kate will face are pretty clear by the end of the sequel!

After the huge success of The Goddess Test, Goddess Interrupted is on many, many TBR lists for this summer.  What’s on your TBR list?

+ I’m so excited for a slew of books coming out – The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, Grave Mercy, The Selection, The Serpent’s Shadow, Philippa Gregory’s YA novel, and a ton of others. I never have as much time to read as I want, but I’m definitely making time for all of those and more!

Yearbook Superlatives! If you went to high school with the Greek gods and goddesses, who would you vote for?

·         Most likely to succeed? - Hera

·         Class clown? - Hermes

·         Nicest? – Demeter or Hephaestus

·         Best dressed? - Aphrodite

·         Best dancer? - Apollo

·         Most school spirit? - Iris

·         Most likely to attend summer school? - Ares

·         Teachers pet? – Athena

Make sure to check out the trailer for Goddess Interrupted!

 


Awesome  Q&A thanks Aimee!!! Now onto the giveaway. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below good luck! J

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And if you don't want to wait to read Goddess Interrupted buy your copy now!