Good morning! I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Kathryn Purdie's newest book, Crystal Blade! This book is really fantastic, and today Kathryn has some exclusive insight to share with us. There's also a giveaway, so be sure to enter to win your very own ARC copy of Crystal Blade at the end of this post. Also, don't forget to hit all the other stops in the tour to not miss out on the release fun!
But before we get to the book of the hour, let's take a look back at the first book Burning Glass...
Title: BURNING GLASS
Author: Kathryn Purdie
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Pages: 512
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
iBooks
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Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around
her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the
empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the
other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and
forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.
Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins,
Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. One mistake, one small
failure, will cost her own life and the lives of the few people left in the
world who still trust her.
But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, her feelings
easily usurped, and she sometimes can’t decipher when other people’s impulses
end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming
darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.
As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks
refuge in her tenuous alliances with the volatile Emperor Valko and his
idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of
revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which
brother to trust—and which to betray.
BURNING GLASS is debut author Kathryn Purdie’s stunning tale
of dangerous magic, heart-rending romance, and the hard-won courage it takes to
let go.
To see my review and to find out more information,
click here.
And now, the moment we've been waiting for, welcome Kathryn Purdie's newest book, Crystal Blade!
Title: CRYSTAL BLADE
Author: Kathryn Purdie
Pub. Date: August 15, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 368
Formats: Hardcover, eBook,
audiobook
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The peace is unsustainable.
Sonya and Anton may have brought about a revolution, but can
they protect their homeland—and their love—with so many forces threatening to
tear them apart?
The empire has fallen, Valko faces trial, and Sonya is
finally free from her fate as Sovereign Auraseer. But Sonya's expanding
abilities are just as unstable as the new government of Riaznin—and her
relationship with Anton. Not only can she feel the emotions of others but,
unlike other Auraseers, she's learned to make others feel her emotions as well.
And Sonya isn't immune to dark temptations.
Now, as Sonya fights to contain her own darkness, she senses
a new evil lurking in the shadows of the palace. Someone from Sonya's past has
returned. And that someone won't be satisfied until Sonya pays for the mistakes
she's made.
Also here are some sneak peeks, check out these out!
Sounds amazing right? Now, let's welcome Kathryn to the blog! She's going to share some exclusive insight into the struggles that arose when writing the Burning Glass series.
Five World, Plot, or Character-Building Challenges that
Arose When Writing the Series
- Showing Sonya’s inner struggles. I had to rewrite the whole book to get this right. Second books in a trilogy are like a giant Act II--the character’s inner or “spiritual” journey (think of Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back), and it’s so hard to show rather than tell that inner turmoil.
- Writing tight. To finally get the story where I needed it to be, I decided to let myself overwrite to make sure I included the best things possible to reflect the transformation happening inside Sonya. I later had to cut over 65,000 words, but that ended up being a great way to mince the story down to something action-packed and meaningful.
- Trusting the core of the story. In a second book in a trilogy, it’s hard to know how much of the story to tell now and how much to save for book three. I originally plotted some characters and scenes into the story that were ultimately unnecessary for this book, but whom you’ll get to meet in book three.
- Writing under pressure. Crystal Blade is the first book I’ve written under contract (a full draft of Burning Glass already existed, of course, when my agent sold it to HarperCollins, and we revised it from there), so it was a huge challenge to learn to draft something new while being in the public eye. Many ARCs of Burning Glass were circulating and being talked about while I was trying to draft Crystal Blade--and any talk, good or bad, about Burning Glass added to the pressure of writing an amazing second book. It took a lot of practice to create a balance in life so I could separate myself from that stress and write well.
- Trusting myself as a writer. I’m sure I’m not the only writer who sometimes feels like a fluke, like, “How did I ever get published?” It’s hard to feel like you’re a good writer when you’re comparing a first draft to your already published and polished book. Crystal Blade taught me, the hard way, how to accept my imperfections, knowing that my work will be revised many, many times before I’m done. With the help of my amazing editor, it will turn into something I’m proud of. So I should stop panicking and enjoy the process more! :-) When I had to completely rewrite Crystal Blade, I took a giant breath and learned to let go and love writing again.
More About Kathryn...
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My love of storytelling began as a young girl when my dad
told me, in his own words, the story of To Kill a Mockingbird while we listened
to the film score together. Enchanted, I began my own attempts at storytelling,
which usually led to home video productions featuring my younger sister as the
nerd or maid, while I reserved the role of the glamorous movie star or
princess.
In high school, I focused on acting and won first place in
monologues at a prestigious statewide Shakespearean competition. When I wasn’t
on the stage, I spent my time composing sappy poetry and completing at least
ten pages in my journal every night. My author dad edited my school papers and
taught me the art of writing. I went on to study acting in college and at The
Oxford School of Drama in England. (All that character analysis transferred
nicely to writing!)
The writing bug bit me when I was in recovery from donating a kidney to my older brother. I found my old stash of short stories and the inspiration for my first novel struck. I've been writing ever since.
A lover of art in all forms, I also enjoy singing and
playing the guitar. My husband is equally artistic. We keep busy raising three
rambunctious and creative children.
I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.
And now it's GIVEAWAY TIME! Be sure to check out all the ways to enter into this one, because we have an ARC of Crystal Blade up for grabs, or a finished copy!
1 winner will receive a signed finished copy of CRYSTAL BLADE, US Only.
5 winners will receive a signed ARC of CRYSTAL BLADE, US Only.
That is all I have for you today, thank you for stopping by! Be sure to hit all the other stops along to tour so you don't miss out on the blog tou fun!
Week One:
8/7/2017- Mundie Moms- Interview
8/8/2017- YA and Wine- Review
8/9/2017- The
Fearless Reader- Guest Post
8/10/2017- The Book Nut- Review
8/11/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
Week Two:
8/14/2017- Seeing
Double In Neverland- Review
8/15/2017- Arctic Books- Guest
Post
8/16/2017- Ex Libris- Review
8/17/2017- YA Books Central- Interview
8/18/2017- A Perfection
Called Books- Review
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