Crewel Blog Tour - A Special Guest Post from Gennifer Albin

Welcome, readers!  Today's stop on the Crewel Blog Tour features a really fun guest post from the one and only Gennifer Albin.  For those who don't know, the Spinsters are seen as glamorous figures in Arras society.  As such, they are expected to appear flawless and dressed to the nines.  Gennifer has prepared a post to show you just how much of a role fashion plays in Crewel.  It's a lot of fun, so I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did.

Fashion is key element in Crewel for two reasons. First, it builds the atmosphere of Arras, and second, it’s a lot of fun to write. When I decided to call my girls Spinsters (after a lot of deliberation, see why on my stop at Emily's Reading Room), I wanted to upend expectations, and what better way to do that then to turn them into femme fatales. The girls of Arras are power and dangerous, even if they don’t quite realize it, so I outfitted them like the screen sirens of Old Hollywood.

Spinster Style by gennifer-albin featuring stiletto high heels

Their hair and cosmetics reflected a similar, classic aesthetic.

Cosmetics of Arras by gennifer-albin featuring a wedding nail polish

The male population of Arras has a similar sense of style. This is an outfit you might see Erik, or Jost on his best behavior, wearing on a typical day: a pinstripe suit, polished cufflinks, and a fedora. Who could resist that?

Crewel men by gennifer-albin on Polyvore

About the Author

Gennifer Albin holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri. During her student years she served as an editor for Pleaides and The Missouri Review, and since then she’s founded the tremendously popular blog theconnectedmom.com.  She lives in Kansas with her ridiculously supportive husband, two small children, and a Tuesday cat.

About the Book

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.

Add It to Goodreads


The Giveaway

One lucky US/Canadian reader will win a copy of Crewel and a Crewel bracelet!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
See More Stops on the Tour

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/

Promised Blog Tour - An Interview w/ Caragh M. O'Brien & a Giveaway!

Today I am very excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the third book in what has become one of my favorite series.  When I first read Birthmarked, I was taken so by storm that I scarcely left the sofa.  I was so enamored, in fact, that I immediately started reading Prized and stayed up all night just to finish it.  Now we've come to the third book and I couldn't be more thrilled to dive back into the world that so captivated my attention for that 24 hour span of time.  Promised is the culmination of Gaia's story which, if you've been following along, has been a harrowing one.  I hope you enjoy this interview with the series' author, Caragh M. O'Brien and if you haven't read it already, I sincerely hope you give this series a try.  It is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Marla: Hi, Caragh, and welcome to Starting the Next Chapter.  I'm a huge fan of your books, so it's so great to have you here today!

My first question to you is this: What are 3 things your fans don't know about you that you think they should?

Caragh: Ha! Let me first say thanks, Marla, for having me by. It’s great to be here on Starting the Next Chapter, and I’ve enjoyed pondering your questions, especially the quirky ones!

1. It’s odd for me to think I have fans at all, so right there, that’s probably something people don’t know about me. If they did, they’d realize I’m completely grateful when they start up a conversation with me so I don’t have to stand in a corner looking awkward.

2. I wish readers knew that I always try to write back to people who contact me, but sometimes my replies are returned to me as delivery failures, which makes me sad.

3. People probably don’t know that hamburgers give me hiccups. I doubt that anyone particularly cares about this, but if we’re ever scarfing burgers together and I start jerking, that’s probably why and you shouldn’t worry.   

Marla: Is Gaia based on anyone in particular, or is she a creation straight from your own mind?

Caragh: Gaia’s not based on anyone specific, but she’s certainly inspired by my kids and by my students. I’ve known some incredibly brave, insightful, funny, gutsy teens, and if Gaia captures only a fraction of how wonderful they are, I’m happy.

Marla: What is your favorite writing spot?

Caragh: My couch.  I’m curled up right now with my feet tucked under me and a blanket between my lap and my laptop. I have a pillow under my elbow and Grooveshark playing a Sheryl Crow song.  Our power was out earlier today, so I worked at Starbucks for a while, and I write in the library sometimes, too, for a change of pace. But here is nicest.   

Marla: What are 3 of your most-loved books that you think your fans should read?

Caragh: I think people should read whatever books they want to, so I’m reluctant to say anyone should read what pleases me.  I’ll gladly tell you a few of my favorites, though. I recently read Trish Doller’s Something Like Normal and liked Travis immensely because of his voice. The first page sucked me in. I really liked Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I’m curious to see how it flies as a movie. Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is absolutely great.   

Marla: Out of all of your books, what is the most memorable scene you have written? (If any answer you make would require you to reveal a huge spoiler, definitely feel free to leave this one out.)

Caragh: The one that pops to mind is definitely a spoiler, and so are the next ones that come to mind, too, so I can’t go into details.  It’s curious for me to think about this, though, because the scenes that resonate with me ought to be the ones that hit closest to home for me, personally, right?  There’s also the practical consideration of how I threw out all the scenes that didn’t matter, so I’m left only with ones that are memorable to me.  But actually, the  most memorable scenes for me are all moments of discovery or loss for Gaia. They’re the turning points, and they’re painful or beautiful in some way that gets me here (I jab my chest).   

Marla: I always try to throw in a fun or oddball question, so here goes: Taking all of their problems into account, which place would you rather live: The Enclave or Sylum?

Caragh: Marla, that’s a terrible question.  I know because there’s this tiny, secret, selfish plink inside me that wanted to go to Sylum when I read this, just for a little while. It’s so beautiful there, and I like how the men treat the women so respectfully, but I would soon grow to hate the injustice and the dead-endedness.  So I have to pick the Enclave, abusive as it is.  I’d have to go where I could have hope of a future for my children and me. 

Thank you so much, Marla, for having me by! This was great to have such interesting questions, and I’m so glad you’ve been part of my blog tour!  

Marla: Thanks, Caragh!  It has been a pleasure to participate in your blog tour and to work with you.  Congratulations on the release of Promised!

About Caragh

Since earning a master’s in writing at Johns Hopkins University, Caragh O’Brien has been a high school teacher, a published author of romance novels, and now a novelist for teens. Her first young adult novel, Birthmarked, was a Junior Library Guild selection and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and was nominated for the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list as well as the 2010 Amelia Bloomer list.

Find Caragh on: Her Site / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads


About Promised

Out today! Click to add to GR!

After defying the ruthless Enclave, surviving the wasteland, and upending the rigid matriarchy of Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her biggest challenge ever.  She must lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorat to grant them refuge from the wasteland.  In Gaia's absence, the Enclave has grown more cruel, more desperate to experiment on mothers from outside the wall, and now the stakes of cooperating or rebelling have never been higher.  Is Gaia ready, as a leader, to sacrifice what--or whom--she loves most?

Check Out the Rest of the Tour

Monday 9/24                     http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 9/25                     http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 9/26              http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/

Friday 9/28                          http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/

Saturday 9/29                    http://www.thebookmonsters.com/

Monday 10/1                     http://www.areadersadventure.com/

Tuesday 10/2                     http://www.startingthenextchapter.com/

Wednesday 10/3              http://birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com/

Thursday 10/4                   http://theninjalibrarian.blogspot.com/

Friday 10/5                          http://www.ibbookblogging.com/

The Giveaway (US/Canada Only)

One (1) lucky reader will win all 3 books in the Birthmarked series!

a Rafflecopter giveaway    

 

Cover Alert 2

There were three more awesome cover reveals today.  Hasn't it just been a great week for cover reveals?  This time, the reveals were for Ten by Gretchen McNeil, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and Glass Heart by Amy Garvey.  First up is Ten...

Ten by Gretchen McNeil (coming September 18, 2012 from Balzer+Bray)

Gretchen McNeil has a way with thrillers, as evidenced by her debut, Possess.  Though Ten won't be a paranormal thriller/horror novel, I can't wait to read it.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (coming June 5, 2012 from Henry Holt BYR)

I was surprised to get an ARC of this book in the mail this week from Macmillan and am thrilled to get the chance to read it.  Now that I can see what the final cover looks like, I am even more excited!  You have got to read this plot description. 

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey (coming October 2012 from HarperTeen)

There is just something about this cover that I really like.  I haven't read Cold Kiss as of yet, but I do have it and am really looking forward to it.  I plan to read it as soon as I possibly can.  I just have to whittle down my review list first.

Review - Cinder

by Marissa Meyer
publisher: Feiwel & Friends
date of publication: January 3, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 387
source: from the publisher
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

What I Thought

When I first read the plot description, I was caught somewhere between bewilderment and intrigue.  I am a sucker for a good fairytale variation.  However, I was surprised to see mention of androids and cyborgs.  However, feeling adventurous, I knew that I had to try this book.  I am very glad that I did.  Not only did Cinder satisfy my craving for a unique Cinderella variation, it also piqued my interest in a genre that I typically don't read very often.  That speaks very well for the book, already.

Though I took a little time to warm up to the idea of a cyborg as a main character, I quickly grew to love Linh Cinder.  Not only is she unique, she is also tough, witty, and sarcastic, all qualities that I enjoy in a lead character.  This isn't your mama's Cinderella figure.  Instead of a damsel in distress, Cinder gets herself out of any scrape she gets into on her own and all the better for it.  I found it really refreshing that she didn't need saving by her prince.  Instead, it's up to her to save the prince from a terrible fate, something which I found to be a great change of pace.  That's not to say that Prince Kai is a weakling.  On the contrary.  While he has his doubts about his imminent ascension to the role of Emperor, he is no pushover.  There's no weakness to be found from the main characters, something which I adored about this book.  As for the "bad guys," there are plenty.  Cinder's stepmother and the evil Lunar queen Levana are some of the most infuriating antagonists I've read in quite a while.  I was positively seething when I read about the stepmother's treatment of Cinder.  As for Levana, I wouldn't have been at all surprised to found out that she was the cyborg manifestation of some murderous dictator in disguise.  She was that evil.  You definitely won't be left lacking for in-your-face characters.

The setting for Cinder was probably the biggest adjustment for me to make.  It is very futuristic in an almost bleak way.  You really get the sense that though technology has made vast advancements, these advances have come about as the result of some terrible things.  New Beijing is described as half-way between budding wasteland and bustling metropolis, something I found to be difficult to picture.  It was actually very much a dystopian setting, something that I hadn't quite anticipated.  Eventually, though, I was caught up and it all became an integral part of the story.  I enjoyed every bit of it in the end.

Cinder is one of the most unique variations I have ever read.  When I couldn't stop thinking about the book after I finished reading it, I knew that I had read something very awesome.  Whether you are a fan of science fiction or not, give this one a try.  Marissa Meyer doesn't disappoint with her vivid imagination and detailed world-building.  Cinder gets a 5 hoot rating for its fresh and riveting storyline.

Obligatory legal statement: This ARC was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.