Blog Tour AIR AND ASH by Alex Lidell An Interview & Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for AIR AND ASH by Alex Lidell! Alex's high fantasy THE CADET OF TILDOR is still a favorite of mine to this day and her new series starts off with an bang with AIR AND ASH! It was totally awesome! If you love high fantasy I suggest you get this book now!

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

Haven't heard of AIR AND ASH? Check it out!

Title: AIR AND ASH

Author: Alex Lidell

Pub. Date: May 2, 2017

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Pages: 284

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Master and Commander meets Tamora Pierce in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms. 

After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battleworthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

AIR AND ASH is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

Now on to the interview!

Hey Alex! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! It’s been a while since you’ve been here I’m so happy you could stop by for a chat! AIR AND ASH was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

Alex: Thanks, Jaime!  It has been a while since CADET OF TILDOR, hasn’t it?  That’s what happens when kids come into the picture!  But I am excited to be back now.  So, what do you want to know?

For the readers: can you give us a little info on AIR AND ASH and the characters?

A: It’s a YA fantasy in my kick-ass girl style and most of the story takes place on a ship.  I know - Have you seen the movie Master and Commander?  Think Sarah J Maas meets Master and Commander and you’ve got Air and Ash!

So do we have a title for book 2 yet?

A: Oh, we have better than that.  We have a title AND a cover.  WAR AND WIND (Tides book 2) releases on June 20th and is a direct continuation of the story in AIR AND ASH. 

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

A: People? No, but themes/situations, yes, absolutely. There is a part in Air and Ash (don’t worry, no spoilers) where Nile is in charge of a few people who don’t want to do any work - they never actually overtly refuse , they just keep saying “yes” but then not doing anything. We’ve all seen variations of that and it’s super frustrating. 

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

A: Catsper! The lieutenant of the marines.  He is smart ass, and competent, and has zero tolerance for stupidity.  He was really fun to write.  Least favorite to write? hmmm… Probably Captain Rima.  It’s not that I dislike writing antagonists, it’s that he’s just a despicable human being and I hate how he twists the truth all the time.

What is your favorite passage/scene in AIR AND ASH?

A:

I slide inside to find the marine lieutenant sitting alone at the end of the wooden table stretching the length of the officers’ narrow common space. From the murderous look in his eyes and a stack of papers before him, I’m certain I’ve caught him in the midst of catching up on overdue reports. Sleeping cabin doors line one side of the room, the other side hosting several viewports and a nine-pounder gun. The familiar sight calms my nerves, and, despite myself, I run my hand over the gun. Cool black metal. Heavy and faithful and familiar.

“Do you two want to be alone?” Catsper asks, cocking a single brow. His dirty-blond hair is tied back with a leather thong now, underscoring the square angle of his jaw.

I yank my hand back from the nine pounder.

He chuckles, muscles in his left forearm shifting as he plays absently with a knife.

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

A: Great question. Aside from the obvious answer of researching life in Nelson’s navy (which is the equivalent time period to Nile’s fantasy world), I needed to do some research in autism, epilepsy and asthma.  The magic in my world has side-effects which, although not called by these names, embody common disorders.  I needed to research, for example, what having a seizure might feel like.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

A: Rhysand from A COURT OF WINGS AND FURY!

What inspired you to write YA?

A: Tamora Pierce’s book, Alanna.  When I moved to the United States as a kid, I didn’t speak english, so it was a little while until I could read books for fun.  When I was ready to try something that was outside of classwork, I shyly approached the librarian because I had no idea where to look apart from kid books on anatomy (yes, i was a weird kid, I liked anatomy books).  And she gave me Alanna.  And I fell in love.  Tamora Pierce is still my golden standard for writing.

Lightening Round Questions

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

I am DRYING for A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN. 

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Gryphandor

Twitter or Facebook?

Facebook

Favorite Superhero?

My kid

Favorite TV show?

Buffy!

Sweet or Salty?

Sweet

Any Phobias?

Amazon sending a wrong file to readers!

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

I can’t get too LITTLE of Old McDonald Had a Farm.  Whoever came up with it is evil.

2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

They still make movies?  I thought we all watched Netflix now...

Thanks so much Alex for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read AIR AND ASH! Big hugs!!!!

Alex: Thanks, Jaime! Hugs back.  And don’t forget we are having Thai Food with Rachel Carter in June!

I haven't forgotten! Can't wait!!!

About Alex:

Alex Lidell is an avid horseback rider, paramedic and ice cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s lifelong love for YA fantasy books. Alex’s debut novel, THE CADET OF TILDOR, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards finalist. Her second book AIR AND ASH releases in May 2017.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a hardcover of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas, INTERNATIONAL.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/1/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Excerpt

5/1/2017- Twinning for Books- Review

5/2/2017- Don't Judge, Read- Interview

5/2/2017- History from a Woman's Perspective- Review

5/3/2017- Fiction Fare- Review

5/3/2017- Book Princess Reviews- Review

5/4/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

5/4/2017- Reading for the Stars and Moon- Review

5/5/2017- Margie's Must Reads- Review

5/5/2017- Angelic Book Reviews- Review

Week Two:

5/8/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post

5/8/2017- Book Briefs- Review

5/9/2017- A Backwards Story- Interview

5/9/2017- Mundie Moms- Review

5/10/2017- Book Sniffers Anonymous- Excerpt

5/10/2017- J.R.'s Book Reviews- Review

5/11/2017- Bibliobibuli YA- Review

5/11/2017- Booklove- Review

5/12/2017- Reese's Reviews- Review

5/12/2017-A Dream Within A Dream- Review

Top 10 of 2013- Day 1 Top 10 books of 2013 and a Giveaway!

Yay welcome to day 1 of our Top 10 of 2013 event! We're so happy that you all are participating with us! 2013 was a strange year for me. I've only read 75 books as of today. I hit a huge reading slump during the summer and didn't read anything in July or August. But after the slump I cam back with a vengeance lol I caught up to my goodreads challenge pretty quickly. The people at Goodreads have a cool Your Year of Books when you sign up for the challenge. If you want to see all the books I read this year go HERE!

So today’s topic is Best Books I've Read in 2013 (Doesn't have to be released in 2013, just a book you've read in 2013). And I had a hell of a time narrowing it down to just 10 so there are a few honorable mentions added to this list. If you want to know anything about the books I chose just click on the title and it’ll take you to the Goodreads page!

And make sure to stop by my co-hosts sites Fiktshun and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads for their lists! Oh and make sure to sign up with the linky to share your lists! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!Details are at the end of this post!

Monday, December 23rd - Best Books I've Read in 2013 (Doesn't have to be released in 2013, just a book you've read in 2013)

1. Splintered by AG Howard. This was my favorite of the year hands down!!!!!

2. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson. This series is on my all-time favorite list! Rae is an amazing writer and Hector will definitely make my forever book boyfriends list!

3. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Freaking fantastic book!!!!! Definitely think it’s better than the first I has a new love peeps! Strumhuond!!!!!!!!!!

4. The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd. Megan’s storytelling is amazing and dark and twisted and she also ramps up the creep out factor! There’s also 2 hot boys to choose from!

5. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. It was awesome, amazeballs, mind-blowing!!!! Loved Warner ooh and Kenji!

6. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell. An amazing High Fantasy make sure to grab this one!

7. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. Even better than Cinder and Wolf and Thorne stole my heart away from Kai!

8. These Broken Stars by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman. I just finished this one on December 18^th and I already had my list set and ready to go! But I HAD to move one down to the honorable mentions because this book was EPIC!!!! I can’t wait for book 2!!!!

9. In The Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters.  One of the best ghost stories I’ve ever read! And I loved that it was set in San Diego during World War 1 and the Spanish influenza outbreak. It was creepy and awesome! Oh and I fell for my first ghost Stephen!

10. The Beautiful and The Cursed by Page Morgan. It’s historical paranormal with gargoyles and one of the best books I read hand down in 2013!

Honorable Mentions

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins. Kaidan Rowe is just too sexy for words and he made me melt into a puddle of goo in this one!

Gold by Talia Vance. I beta’d this for Talia and OMG it is better than Silver!!!! All you team Austin girls get ready to swoon :D

Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I love Jennifer’s books and even though I was sad to see the series end Sentinel was the perfect ending!

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa. Loved this one! Love all of Julie’s books! I also have a new found fondness for Jackal.

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas. A High Fantasy part of the time and a historical Fantasy the other part. This one reminded me of Harry Potter a bit just with older characters and trust me you will all fall for Titus :D

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi.  Another one that was as awesome as the first and this one had more Roar so I was a happy girl!

Fragments by Dan Wells. I will freely admit I wasn’t the hugest fan of the first book. The second in this series though was awesome and I can’t wait to read the finale!

Did any of my favorites make your list? Fill out the linky and let me know! And good luck with the giveaway :) 

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Blog Tour- The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell and a Giveaway!!!!

Hey y’all welcome to my stop on The Cadet of Tildor blog tour hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews Tours! I’m really excited to be a part of this tour because I absolutely loved this book! I’s another amazing High Fantasy story and I can’t wait to read the next one!!!!

I have an awesome post with Alex today it’s about her editing process and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

INTERVIEW WITH ALEX LIDELL: EDITING PROCESS

What were some major changes you made?

In the original version of CADET, the beginning of which you may have read in the final round of Amazon's 2010 competition (under the title SERVICE OF THE CROWN), the story was split equally between my two main characters: Savoy narrated half the book, and Renee narrated half.  In order to keep the novel in the Young Adult category, Renee took over the greater portion of the narration. 

So, what happened to Savoy's scenes?

Some got cut and some others got retold through Renee's eyes.  Basically, if Renee and Savoy are both in a scene, Renee got first dibs on narration.

Can you tell us something you cut?  How did it affect the book?

Don't worry - it didn't affect the story.  It just affected the way the story was told.  For example, at one point, Renee discovers an important event from Savoy's past.  In the original draft, I wrote the event as a story-within-a-story, told from Savoy's viewpoint.  In the final version, the mini story is gone, though the event is still there, still effects Savoy the same way, and is still something Renee discovers.

Do we get to see the outtakes?

Hehe. Maybe.  I am considering putting some up on my site because these events really "happened" - they just happened off-stage in the final book.  

PLEASE DO ALEX!!!! I'd love to read those outtakes!!!!!

THE CADET OF TILDOR Information

Author Name:  Alex Lidell  

Release date: Jan 10, 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

 Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/The Book Depository

Tamora Pierce meets George R. R. Martin in this smart, political, medieval fantasy-thriller.

There is a new king on the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young Crown's inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right.

Check out the awesome trailer!!!!

About The Author:

Alex Lidell is a YA fantasy writer and author of ABNA Finalist THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). 
Although English is Alex’s primary language, it wasn’t her first.  Coming from Russia, Alex learned english in elementary school and fell in love with reading when the school librarian put Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA into her hands.  Years later, in college, it was another book that re-united Alex with russian, which she had shunned in adolescence. The Three Musketeers.*  Alex thanks both books, and the writers who created them.
Beyond writing, Alex is also a photographer, a horseback rider, and a paramedic.  The latter two go hand in hand more often than one would like.  She is trying to self-teach herself and her horse to sword-fight.
Alex would love to see THE CADET OF TILDOR in the classroom and is working on developing teacher guides for the novel.  She enjoys “e-meeting” both students and educators.

Alex Lidell | Twitter | Facebook

The Giveaway hosted by Alex Lidell:

$20 Amazon Gift Card, PLUS a copy of THE CADET OF TILDOR with swag – US

$20 Book Depository Gift Card – International

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And check out the rest of the tour stops!

Top 10 of 2012 Day 5- 2013 Books and a Giveaway!!!

Hey welcome to the last day of the Top 10 Books of 2012! We hope you all have been having fun! To close out the week we’re looking forward to 2013 so today’s topic is….. Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2013. (This list should be comprised of books released ONLY in 2013)

And make sure to stop by my co-hosts sites Fiktshun, Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads for their lists! Oh and make sure to sign up with the linky to share your lists! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway! Details below.

Ok I’m being a big time cheater here! I’ve read most of these books already but I needed to share how awesome they are on and there’s not a top 10 it’s a top 12! I’ll put READ next to the ones I’ve read lol.

1. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo READ. Freaking fantastic book!!!!! Definitely think it’s better than the first I has a new love peeps! Strumhuond!!!!!!!!!!

2. The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd READ. This is definitely going to make my best of 2013 list. Megan’s storytelling is amazing and I’m already dying to get my hands on book 2!

3. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi READ Yep and it was awesome!!!! Loved Warner ooh and Kenji! And remember to check out my Day 2 post I'm giving this one away!!!!!

4. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell READ An amazing High Fantasy make sure to grab this one!

5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer READ. Even better than Cinder and Wolf and Thorne stole my heart away from Kai!

6. Dark Triumph by RL LaFevers READ. I loved Sybella in Grave Mercy and her story was amazeballs and heartwrenching!

7. Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey. A story based off of Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee? Yes please!

8. Apolloyn by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Dying for this one after reading Deity and Elixir!

9. Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris NEED MOAR BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and Strutz J

10. Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi READ Another one that was as awesome as the first and this one had more Roar so I was a happy girl!

11. Gold by Talia Vance READ. I beta’d this for Talia and OMG it is better than Silver!!!! All you team Austin girls get ready to swoon :D

  

 COVER TBD

12. Tarnish by Katherine Longshore. Anne Boleyn before Henry VII? Um how awesome is that? I can’t wait to see Katherine’s take on her!!!!!

Did any of my favorites make your list? Fill out the linky and let me know! And good luck with the giveaway! Today’s giveaway is hosted by Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads!