Mundie Moms

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

THE SHADOW QUEEN by C.J. Redwine / Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway



Hello and welcome to today's tour stop for THE SHADOW QUEEN by C.J. Redwine. I'm so thrilled to have C.J. on the blog today to talk about her new release, OUT TODAY, The Shadow Queen. First, here's a little bit about her book.
ABOUT THE BOOK



By: C.J. Redwine
Published by: Balzer & Bray
Released on: February 16th, 2016 - TODAY!
Series: Ravenspire #1
Purchase it from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.


In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW



Hi CJ! Welcome back to Mundie Moms! We're so thrilled about your new release! Can we talk about the cover for just a second. That is one awesome cover. Seriously, I am in love with it. What were your first thoughts when you saw it?
I basically sucked in a huge gasp of oxygen and made incoherent noises for about five minutes. I mean seriously. That cover is jaw-dropping. It perfectly captures the book—the iconic apple from the Snow White fairy tale and the dark, dripping rot … it still gives me chills!
We love that you write these strong, fierce, independent heroines. Lorelai definitely fits that bill. What is something you came to admire about her throughout the course of writing her story?
I admire her deep commitment to her kingdom. She fights through her own fear, through loss, and through the nightmarish foes the queen sends her way because she is willing to save her dying people at any cost. In many respects, she’s the most heroic character I’ve ever written because there’s not a single part of her that isn’t willing to give her all for the sake of those she was born to rule.
How would you describe Kol in 5 words or less?
Playboy, loyal, determined, haunted, DRAGON
Which is more fun to write, the characters, the setting, the action scenes or the kissy ones? 
All of them, lol. I guess if I had to narrow it down, I’d say it’s a tie between action and kissing. I love both a good fight to the death and a swoony, delicious first kiss.
What was the first thing that came for The Shadow Queen? Was it a certain scene, or a specific line? 
It was the overall idea. I was in the car riding home from having seen Snow White and the Huntsman, and I was frustrated that Snow White was (once again) this insipid, nearly voiceless girl who is wanted for her beauty but doesn’t have any power of her own (until she dies and inexplicably channels Joan of Arc upon resurrecting). I thought there was potential to have the Snow White story be a showdown between two epically powerful female characters, and the more I talked about how that could be accomplished, the more in love with it I became, until I knew I had to write it myself.
Thank you for writing it, because voiceless Snow White doesn't cut it for me either. How would you describe the world of Ravenspire?
It’s a land of vast mountains, chalets, forests, nobility with fancy houses and the peasants who depend on their protection and help, and a gorgeous castle with gothic overtones. It operates on a feudal system (peasant and nobility all ruled by royalty), and because the queen is steadily draining the land with her use of magic, Ravenspire is cursed with a terrible blight. Its people are starving and desperate, and of course that makes Lorelai that much more determined to save them before it’s too late.
If you could write one of your favorite fictional characters into your story, who would it be and why?
I am sitting here paralyzed by the possibilities! My mind keeps jumping from Anne Shirley to Professor McGonagall to Aragorn … aaah!! You know what? It’s too hard to choose a book character, so I’m going for tv instead. I want Cisco Ramon in my books. (Actually, I just want him as a sidekick IRL so somebody please make that happen.) Cisco is a character on The Flash, and he is maybe the best character on tv right now. Genius-level smart but still the nerdy-cool boy next door who is flat out hilarious and has a heart he wears on the sleeves of his uber cool nerd t-shirts.

Cisco would be fabulous in this story! Thank you C.J. for taking the time to stop by and chat with me! Congratulations on this fabulous new release!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and Sherlock. She is the author of the Defiance trilogy, a post-apocalyptic fantasy from Balzer + Bray. C.J. lives in Nashville with her husband and children. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com 

Find C.J. online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest |Goodreads


ENTER TO WIN
1 winner will receive a signed finished copy of THE SHADOW QUEEN and swag. US Only.



FOLLOW THE TOUR


Week One:
2/8/2016- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview
2/9/2016- The Irish Banana ReviewReview
2/10/2016- Once Upon a TwilightGuest Post
2/11/2016- A Backwards StoryReview
2/12/2016- Two Chicks on BooksGuest Post
Week Two:
2/15/2016- The Young Folks- Review
2/16/2016- Mundie Moms- Interview
2/17/2016- Supernatural Snark- Review
2/18/2016- Maria V. SnyderInterview
2/19/2016- FiktshunGuest Post

RIDERS by Veronica Rossi / Blog Tour: Author Guest Post & Giveaway!


Hello and welcome to today's RIDERS blog tour stop, hosted by Tor Teen. I'm so thrilled to have Jode, aka Conquest on the blog today. Before I introduce you to him, here's a little bit about Veronica Rossi's newest release, OUT TODAY!

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Veronica Rossi
Published by: Tor Teen
Released on: February 16th, 2016
Series: Riders #1
Purchase it from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?




Q&A with Jode, aka Conquest, of RIDERS


What’s your favorite thing about being a horseman in RIDERS?
The camaraderie. We irritate each other all day long. It’s great fun.


What’s your least favorite thing?
Having demons after you. I could live without that.


What’s one thing that’s surprised you about being Conquest?
All of it. Particularly my “special ability.” I’d give you details, but I believe that’s better saved for the reading experience.


Give us a little insight into your tastes. What was the last song you listened to? Last thing that made you laugh?
I think the last thing I listened to was a podcast called Distraction Pieces, which happens to have made me laugh. It was a Russell Brand interview. Highly inappropriate. Perfect.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR




VERONICA ROSSI is a New York Times bestselling author of fiction for young adults. She completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. When not writing, she enjoys reading, painting, and counting down the minutes until she can get back to making up stories about imaginary people.

ENTER TO WIN


Thank you to Tor Teen, I have a copy of RIDERS to giveaway to 1 lucky winner! The giveaway is open to residents of the US & Canada. Please be sure to read the giveaway terms and conditions in the giveaway form below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Follow the rest of the tour! Be sure to visit BookCrush.in and Live To Read, next!

Out Today! Tuesday, February 16th, 2016



Happy Book Birthday Day to today's new YA Releases! Check out which new titles are hitting bookstore shelves today!





Which new releases are you looking forward to picking up today?

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