2016 Debut Author Bash (Interview): Bridget Hodder, author of THE RAT PRINCE #giveaway @YaReads @BridgetsBooks @MacKidsBooks

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my third and final date of the fun 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Bridget Hodder and her debut novel, The Rat Prince.



Title: The Rat Prince
Author: Bridget Hodder
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Cinderella thinks she must work alone to save her noble family from the ruin and disgrace her stepmother has brought to Lancastyr Manor. She has an ailing father, a sweet, innocent little stepsister and dependent servants to protect from the wicked Wilhemina–and no way to call attention to their plight unless she figures out how to attend the royal ball.

But Cinderella knows nothing of the ancient pact between the House of Lancastyr and the rats who live within the walls of her ancestral home.

Nor is she aware that the sleek black rat she thinks is her pet is actually the Rat Prince...

and she is not alone.

Author Interview

Kayla: What made you choose the Prince of the Rats as the hero in The Rat Prince?

Bridget Hodder: Because sometimes, being an outsider is an advantage--it allows you the freedom to think and act the way no one else dares. And no one's more of an outsider than an actual rat!

In my story, Cinderella has a real problem, and she's tried again and again to seek justice and aid through traditional channels. But it just isn't working. So the time has come to turn it all upside down. And Prince Char--The Rat Prince--is just the one to help her do it.

In Silicon Valley tech terms, the rat in this story is a "disruptive innovation". And by that I mean, once Prince Char shows up, the game changes forever in the Kingdom of Angland. (There's more to this metaphor, but you'll have to read the book to figure it out!) The Rat Prince's vision isn't bound by the ordinary human conventions; and once the fairy goddess makes him human for the night, Cinderella doesn't know where the evening will end up, but she knows things will never be the same!

Kayla: Who would you be in this fairy tale world that you've created?

2016 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post): @JulieEshbaugh, author of IVORY AND BONE @YaReads @epicreads #giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my second date of the 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Julie Eshbaugh and her exciting debut novel, Ivory and Bone.



Title: Ivory and Bone
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 7, 2016
The only life seventeen-year-old Kol knows is hunting at the foot of the Great Ice with his brothers. But food is becoming scarce, and without another clan to align with, Kol, his family, and their entire group are facing an uncertain future.

Traveling from the south, Mya and her family arrive at Kol’s camp with a trail of hurt and loss behind them, and hope for a new beginning. When Kol meets Mya, her strength, independence, and beauty instantly captivate him, igniting a desire for much more than survival.

Then on a hunt, Kol makes a grave mistake that jeopardizes the relationship that he and Mya have only just started to build. Mya was guarded to begin with—and for good reason—but no apology or gesture is enough for her to forgive him. Soon after, another clan arrives on their shores. And when Mya spots Lo, a daughter of this new clan, her anger intensifies, adding to the already simmering tension between families. After befriending Lo, Kol learns of a dark history between Lo and Mya that is rooted in the tangle of their pasts.

When violence erupts, Kol is forced to choose between fighting alongside Mya or trusting Lo’s claims. And when things quickly turn deadly, it becomes clear that this was a war that one of them had been planning all along.

Praise for Ivory and Bone

“Exquisitely written, ferocious, and haunting—what a breath of fresh air. Ivory and Bone is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Don’t miss this one.” — Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series

“Julie Eshbaugh is a unique new voice with talent enough for a whole team of writers. Ivory and Bone transported me to a richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes, and I’m still under the spell of her storytelling.” — Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars

Guest Post

Five Tips for Surviving in the Ice Age World of Ivory and Bone
Julie Eshbaugh
I’m so excited to be the guest of the blog today! If you’re not familiar with my debut, Ivory and Bone, it’s set in prehistory, at the end of the last Ice Age. The world the characters inhabit is beautiful but dangerous, and their survival is never guaranteed. In fact, I’m pretty certain that if I were transported to the setting of the book right now, I wouldn’t last long!

The main character of Ivory and Bone is a seventeen year old boy named Kol. He spends a lot of his time focusing on survival, and in helping his family and clan to thrive. Still, he’s not immune to danger, and he can’t always prevent bad things from happening. So with Kol in mind, I brainstormed five tips we would need to survive in his Ice Age world.

1.) Never go anywhere without a spear.
Kol would definitely tell you to carry a spear everywhere you go. You never know when you might encounter a saber-toothed cat, a dire wolf, or a short faced bear.

2016 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post): Gordon Jack, author of THE BOOMERANG EFFECT @YaReads @gordojack @epicreads #giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of the 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Gordon Jack and his debut novel, The Boomerang Effect.



Title: The Boomerang Effect
Author: Gordon Jack
Publisher: Harper Teen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: November 8, 2016
A hilariously subversive YA debut that explores the meaning of friendship and loyalty, and also why you should avoid being trapped in a small space with an angry chicken. Perfect for fans of Andrew Smith’s Winger and Frank Portman’s King Dork.

It all started with a harmless prank. But now high school junior Lawrence Barry is one step away from reform school unless he participates in a mentorship program. His mentee? Spencer Knudsen, a Norwegian exchange student with Spock-like intelligence but the social skills of the periodic table.

Then disaster strikes. Homecoming Week. When someone dressed as the school Viking mascot starts destroying the fairytale-inspired floats, all suspicion falls on Lawrence. Add to the mix a demon Goth girl, a Renaissance LARPing group, an overzealous yearbook editor, and three vindictive chickens, and Lawrence soon realizes that his situation may be a little out of control. But Spencer seems to have some answers. In fact, Spencer may be the one friend Lawrence never knew he needed.

Guest Post

We're sending Gordon back to work as a librarian.

If someone has walked up to you wanting books in the following genres/descriptions. Which book(s) would you recommend and why?

‒ Realistic Science Fiction

I would have to go with The Martian by Andy Weir for this one. His book hooks readers from the first line. I mean, how often do you pick up a book where the narrator begins by saying, “I’m pretty much fucked”? Usually you have to wait until page 50 for things to get that bad. And things are bad for Mark Watney. He’s stranded on Mars and has to survive for over a year on potatoes before there’s any hope of a rescue. Watney is a great character, who never loses his sense of humor, despite being trapped on an inhospitable planet.

‒ Most Readable Book with Heavy Literary Elements