On my connection to Ms. Spann and why I am most delighted to host her:
I started visiting the chats hosted by @LitChat in the latter months of 2013, as it was around the time of the conference at The Betsy in which I started to cross paths with regular chatters, amongst whom were Natalia Sylvester (début novelist of “Chasing the Sun”) and Susan Spann. I am unsure which month I first started to notice Ms. Spann as a friendly presence who always reminded me of myself — someone who provided cheerful commentary, engaging questions for each visiting guest author, and a wicked knowledge base on a variety of topics. Generally speaking, I always click-over to read a person’s Twitter profile, but whilst engaged in those #LitChat(s) I felt like it was this magical rendezvous for the bookish and those who are attuned to bookish culture.
In this way, it wasn’t until I learnt of Blade of the Samurai was going on tour through TLC Book Tours (the touring company I am hosting for this Interview & my forthcoming book review) I had decided to discover a bit more about her! In so doing, I learnt who she was ‘behind the curtain’ so to speak! I always considered her one of my ‘friends in the twitterverse’ but I never disclosed this to her until I was on the blog tour! Such serendipity as the tour has brought us a bit closer and I am grateful that Twitter is a social-positive method of reaching past our distances in geography to connect to people who share a passion for the written word.
I felt as though this beautiful circle had tenfold returned to the path I had started to walk last year, as what is a better blessing than to host the work of an author you’ve felt blessed to know through bookish chats!?
*As an aside, as I was composing this I noticed Twitter lit up with a new notification: Ms. Sylvester was re-tweeting my note about this upcoming interview! And, whilst I was fetching the links for LitChat, I noted that the author of one of my most beloved books to have read in 2013 is going to be the guest author next week! You’ll have to follow the link to see ‘who’ as I am now motivated to return back to those chats, as my schedule and time have simply not aligned to where I could participate this Summer; a personal regret.
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Spann through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst attending #LitChat; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. As much as I can host an Interview by the author and bring a non-bias series of questions to my readers.
Book Synopsis:
June, 1565: Master ninja Hiro Hattori receives a pre-dawn visit from Kazu, a fellow shinobi working undercover at the shogunate. Hours before, the shogun’s cousin, Saburo, was stabbed to death in the shogun’s palace. The murder weapon: Kazu’s personal dagger. Kazu says he’s innocent, and begs for Hiro’s help, but his story gives Hiro reason to doubt the young shinobi’s claims.
When the shogun summons Hiro and Father Mateo, the Portuguese Jesuit priest under Hiro’s protection, to find the killer, Hiro finds himself forced to choose between friendship and personal honor. . .
The investigation reveals a plot to assassinate the shogun and overthrow the ruling Ashikaga clan. With Lord Oda’s enemy forces approaching Kyoto, and the murderer poised to strike again, Hiro must use his assassin’s skills to reveal the killer’s identity and protect the shogun at any cost. Kazu, now trapped in the city, still refuses to explain his whereabouts at the time of the murder. But a suspicious shogunate maid, Saburo’s wife, and the shogun’s stable master also had reasons to want Saburo dead. With the shogun demanding the murderer’s head before Lord Oda reaches the city, Hiro and Father Mateo must produce the killer in time . . . or die in his place.
Blade of the Samuraiis a complex mystery that will transport readers to a thrilling and unforgettable adventure in sixteenth-century Japan.
Author Biography:
Susan Spann is a transactional publishing attorney and the author of the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Her début novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013), was named a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month. Susan has a degree in Asian Studies from Tufts University, where she studied Chinese and Japanese language, history, and culture. Her hobbies include cooking, traditional archery, martial arts, and horseback riding. She lives in northern California with her husband, son, two cats, and an aquarium full of seahorses.
How does a modern writer become intricately attached to 16th Century Japan? And, did your passionate pursuits of studying Asian culture, tradition, martial arts, and cuisine lend a curiosity towards this one particular era over others you could have chosen? I know you previously credited a dedicated interest stemming from your 7th grade studies, but I was wondering what anchored you to Japan since then.
Spann responds: I think the biggest attraction, for me, was the intricacy and pageantry of medieval Japanese culture. I’m an enormous fan of the “unusual and different” in all its forms, and for a person raised just west of Los Angeles during the 1970’s, medieval Japan is about as unusual and as different as it gets.
I’ve always been drawn to medieval studies in particular, in part because of the emphasis that era placed on duty and personal honor. My love for martial arts definitely plays a role, too. Samurai and ninjas (shinobi, in Japanese) were always fascinating to me, and when I reached college and realized how fascinating they were “up close” – as opposed to what I’d seen in films – I was absolutely hooked.
I can well imagine your thoughts on how uniquely diverse Japan would appear to you, being hugged so close to Los Angeles! We’re close in age then, which I had not realised until now! Yes, I admit, the Medieval eras in history have always shined a light inside my own heart, as there is simply something about that particular empathsis on duty, honour, and of course the protection of land and family. I have the tendency to lean more towards knowing of that time through British & European history within historical fiction offerings, but part of the appeal for me with your series was to break out of that familiar spot of reference and learn more about a country I grew up knowing through music, art, culture, and tradition. I have a strong passion for martial arts myself, although from the country next door to Japan! I fell in love with Tai Chi Chaun, and it is far more intricate of a martial art than people causally believe as they only go by what they observe in parks! I always felt the martial arts are part defense, part art, and part dance. It is as difficult to describe the allure to watching a martial artists and/or for wanting to learn the craft of one as it were to explain in words how one feels after seeing a horse perform Dressage.
You once revealed in an interview your passion for both modern and classic motion pictures: we both have a shared joy in seeing Cary Grant on screen! What are some of your favourite classic noir, suspense, crime drama, or mystery motion pictures? And, what do you think is missing from modern cinema from the classically told originals?
Spann responds:GASLIGHT and CASABLANCA are high on my list, as are the THIN MAN films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. If we’re talking comedies, I absolutely adore MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (hello, Cary Grant!) – I like it better than most modern comedies, and watch it every time I have the chance.
One of my all-time favorites is a film most people (well, the ones alive now at least) haven’t seen: RANDOM HARVEST, starring Greer Garson and Ronald Colman. It’s the story of a man who gets amnesia, the wife who loves him, and the way love has a way of making right what life makes wrong. Beyond that, you need to see it for yourself.
I think the thing I miss the most in modern films (though I love those, too) is the strength and intelligence of the writing. Classic films had to convey much more through dialogue and inference, due to the lack of special effects and elaborate modern budgets. There’s a sharpness to classic screenplays that’s too often missing now.
I simply could not resist asking you this particular question, as it is not too often I find someone who is as wrapped up in classic movies as much as I am! I think if I could tune out regular channels, my remote would never move off of Turner Classic! Laughs with mirth. I wanted to watch more each year as I became quite interested in TCM’s offerings around five years ago or thereabouts. I started to notice their monthly spotlighted actors & actresses, which was a tipping point, but then, Halloween came around and purposely staid up past my due! Laughs again. I had the extreme pleasure of seeing “Gaslight” one Halloween and “The Haunting” another year! I had already fallen for the grace and convicting confidence of Ingrid Bergman, but in “Gaslight” she truly shined in a way I had not yet seen. Being able to watch the début of Angela Lansbury was a personal triumphant as I grew up on “Murder, She Wrote” (thus, one of the reasons I love cosies!)
I cannot remember which birthday in my 30s I earmarked to watch the ENTIRE treasure trove of Thin Man movies, but I was ever so blessed to have found all of them on dvd through my local library catalogue! I know I’ve mentioned them on my blog previously, but to route it directly now is unfortunate as I do not believe I added the film to that category! Oy. The brilliance of their chemistry (Loy & Powell) is kismet as is the bang-on brilliance of their comedic timing! I also watched the documentary which features both of their rising careers and how interconnected they were in film. I cannot wait one day to buy the boxed set of the Thin Man series on dvd for my own media library!
“Random Harvest” is currently being fetched at my local library as it is the film Mum was able to see without me earlier this year, and the very film she had wished I could have watched with her! Always the way, eh? I cannot wait to experience the story, as I loved her recapture of its heart when she spoke to me afterwards! And, oh my dear ghouls, who hasn’t seen Mr. Blandings? I can see I’ll have to continue this conversation after today, as wow, do we love the same ones or what?! I have not yet seen Casablanca unfortunately, but I did like Bogart in the original version of “Sabrina” which surprised me as I was not expecting to like him. I saw him in one other film, now it might have been “The Maltese Falcon” or another, but I found I liked him best as ‘a younger actor’. As strange as that sounds, it is true. The remake of “Sabrina” is one of my favourites with Harrison Ford as a romantic lead.
I completely concur with your statement about the differences between modern cinema and classical cinema — which is why I am highly selective about which new releases I watch and which I simply bypass altogether! In fact, if anyone thinks I’m a highly selective reader they might be surprised that I am moreso as a film watcher! That being said, I had forgotten to ask you: did you ever get to attend the TCM Classic Film Festival? It is a dream of mine to go one year, even though I think I might not be able to handle the air quality of Los Angeles.
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Ghost Bride” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
The reason I wanted to be on the tour:
I am always amazed at the journey we take as readers towards reading a particular book or becoming entranced by the words an author leaves behind for us to find. We (here refers to the collectively diverse readership of the world) all strive towards reading books when that leap of ignited joy and mirth of the discovery catalysts inside our mind and jumps out through our excited speech whilst we’re sharing the bits and bobbles of what we’ve just been blessed to discover with another bookish soul. Those wickedly delightful moments where you stumble across quite an extraordinary story during a more than ordinary hour of your life, and within that moment, you’re on the precipice of taking a journey to a place quite different from where you live and occupy your own murmurings on life; a place that will feel as though it bewitched you as it spoke to you to be read, to be devoured, and consumed.
When I first started reading a heap of recollections and ruminations on behalf of The Ghost Bride during the Autumn on 2013, I was a very new book blogger growing my wings and entering into the book blogosphere myself. I was sorting things out as I went along, and getting my feet wet with blog tours, reviewing books in a style that felt right for me, and gaining a bit of ground within the network of book bloggers in general who are as diverse as the four winds. I appreciate the fact that each of us who blogs about our reading lives takes on a different angle of insight as we read and review the books we want to share with the dear hearts who find us. It was during this particular exploration I came across a review where the blogger had not found the story was able to resonate with her but she had hoped others who appreciated everything that she felt did not work for her might work for someone else instead. Coincidently, I attempted to re-find the book blogger and my own comments therein, but it is lost out in the blogosphere at this point in time. She encouraged me in a way that other reviewers and bloggers hadn’t at that time to seek out the novel. I knew after reading her thoughts I could soak into The Ghost Bride.
I had not thought much about this at the time, but over the course of months since I have found that to read a negative or neutral review is quite an extraordinary thing; especially if you were like me, and took out such a positive take-away! I mused about that for a moment, and thought, but isn’t that why we blog?! Isn’t that why we read book blogs? To garnish a wider net of opinion, commentary, and muse filled thoughts of the readers behind the blogs themselves? To help us better articulate an idea of which novel might whet our palette of interest and encourage our own spirit to read the works of an author we’ve not yet become acquainted with?
In September of 2013, I also had the joy of contacting the author whilst she was hosting a bookaway through Shelf Awareness; I did not win the book, as my reply was received after the book was given away, however, these were my original thoughts on why the book captivated me in such a keen way:
Whilst I was participating in a bookish community event [Bout of Books], I was led to a variety of lovely blogs, whereupon I stumbled across a review of this book! Ironically, the reader wasn’t as enlightened by it as I would be, as they were not a keen fan of literary fiction, but its that review that earmarked this book in my mind to read! :) Isn’t that interesting!? It simply proves that there are as many diverse readers as there are books!!
Ever since then, I’ve had it in the back of my mind to make sure to see if my local library is going to be getting a copy of this lovely book, as I am a proud supporter of libraries!! I do love to buy books as much as the next person, but only when budget affords! What I wanted to say about your lovely book, is how heart-wretching and heart-aching the story sounds from afar! Talk about a character who has to undertake a journey that is not quite easy to understand, much less explain! I have watched documentaries on tv that showcase different traditions, not only for marriage but for a person’s life, as one draws to mind where in one country they select young girls who have the essence of the reincarnated deity and that that girl must live in confinement without the ability to communicate or speak, until she’s around 16!! She ‘ages out’ of the life, and is allowed to resume living, only to find that the available men are afraid that if they are with her in life and marriage that she would be a curse not a blessing! I wish I could draw to mind the exact details of the country & of this ritual, you’ll have to forgive me on this short-coming! However, the reason I drew it to mind, is because your character Li Lan is being placed into a situation that she didn’t choose and yet its a situation which custom and tradition demands!
Ms. Choo kindly replied back to me, and helped me remember that the documentary I had watched was about the “living goddesses” of Nepal! I am not certain why I had not had the proper chance to borrow this book from my local library, but as I have oft mentioned before, there are moments where we are meant to read certain books, and perhaps the time in which I was meant to read The Ghost Bride simply had not yet arrived! I am always very mindful of how coincidental certain moments are in life have turnt out to be quite serendipitous instead. It all depends on your perception of how life unfolds along your path.
Today is my blog’s official 1st birthday and it is an honour that I am celebrating it with a novel that quite bewitched me whilst it originally toured the book blogosphere! Today let’s celebrate the diversity of readers and the joy of selecting books that challenge us and dare us to always be willing to step outside our comfort zones and engage inside a narrative that is wholly different from our own cultural background yet grounded in a connective thread we can all relate too.
*a blog birthday is the day in which a blog goes live to the public whereas a blogoversary is the celebration of the day you created your blog
Note: The curious bit for me is that I travelled through the original blog book tour for “The Ghost Bride” last year (also hosted by TLC Book Tours), within the first months I was a book blogger with a newly launched blog! To look back on my reflections of wanting to read the novel whilst visiting other book bloggers who were reviewing it and now, a full year forward to where I have the opportunity to read the novel myself and post my own ruminations on my own book blog is quite wicked karma! I have felt as though I have travelled with the book before it reached my own heart and hands to read!
Book Synopsis:
A wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists
Malaya, 1893 Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt Chinese family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives a proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family’s only son, who died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, ghost marriages are often meant to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a comfortable home for the rest of her days, but at what cost?
As she reluctantly considers the offer, Li Lan is unwillingly drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities and vengeful spirits. There Li Lan must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.
Author Biography:
Yangsze Choo is a fourth-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. She lives in California with her husband and their two children, and loves to eat and read (often at the same time).
The author had the honour of being selected to read her novel aloud for the audiobook version of The Ghost Bride, and after listening to Chapter 1, I can see why they selected her as she has a captivating speaking voice which brings the words off the page to life in such a lovely manner! Click to read the full story on her blog!
Yangsze Choo’s Introduction to “The Ghost Bride” via Yangsze Choo
Inspired to Share: I am always fascinated by the back-story revelations of an author’s work, as to me, to hear about the process of their inspiration towards writing a novel quite literally heightens the joy for me as a reader. I realise there are other readers who would disagree with me on that score, but I have always found something quite remarkable in how stories are written and the methodology of each writer who chooses to pen a story to give back to the world in the form of a book. I was struck by the joy of how a bit of knowledge and research into one particular vein of thought led Ms. Choo to not only expand on a seedling of an idea but gave it such a measure of a breath to illuminate it fully by the scope she took the story!
An Eastern Ghost Story and how it differs from the West:
The first main difference I found is an Eastern Ghost story is rooted within the relationship and interpersonal connection to the dead rather than focusing on the psychological thrill of having a ghost crossing into your lifepath. Western stories tend to focus on the shock and intensity of finding an ethereal presence in your life, an interruption of your hours, and a mindful sea of curious unknown questions and ramifications that are difficult to process and work through. There tends to be a lot of factors pulling the ties together for a Western ghost story, which parallel the leftover work of the deceased and a willingly earnest desire to see the work completed by a second or third party who was not particularly connected to the events or the deceased in life. From what I am gathering in The Ghost Bride the main concern is not unfinished business but rather a continuance of a life cut short of being lived. A way of progressing the life of the deceased to a fulfilling present; merely without their flesh and bone presence.
Elements of the story had me thinking back to my love of the South American and Latin American cultural celebration known as Day of the Dead in which family surround their loved ones’ graves and celebrate the life they lived whilst they were alive. It is a ritual influenced celebration and joyous one at that! Traditionally this has been a holiday centered around Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve) and All Saint’s Day (All Soul’s Day) in Mexico, and there lies the connection for me, as I was able to explore my love of the cultural heritage of Mexico whilst I travelled there as a teen. My furlough was in Summer, not Autumn, which was the only disappointment in regards to not seeing the festivities live in person.
The Ghost Bride: Western vs Chinese Ghost Stories via James Cham
To extend into this a bit more I felt it best to allow the author
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Sweet Water” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
The reason I wanted to be on the tour:
There are moments in our lives where our paths cross with a novel that we have a near-sixth sense about how we will enjoy reading it. This is exactly what happened to me whilst I won a copy of Orphan Train from a contest from Shelf Awareness and received the novel from the author herself. The bits and pieces of my life from that moment in April 2013 to a full score year later were one of the most consuming experiences thus far along on my lifepath. I always had the intention of reading Orphan Train close to when I had received it. Yet. Life ebbed away and took my focus off the novel that I felt I was meant to read. It was one of those books I knew I would acquire even if I had not been able to receive one from the author. I never had the proper chance to follow-up with Ms. Kline; nor explain my absence but to attempt to explain why I had not yet read the story that captured my attention front line and center.
When I learnt of two novels by Kline going on tour with TLC, I knew I had found my way of redeeming myself and of a way back to Orphan Train! Part of the reason I had ended up holding off reading the novel is because I knew it was going to be an emotional read for me as I’m a Prospective Adoptive Mum. The fate of orphans is very near and dear to my maternal heart, and the plight of those children who were sent out on orphan trains always tugs at the core of my soul.
I had felt a connection to not only the story within the sleeper bestseller but I had felt one with the writer who penned the story, which is why I had written her a heartfelt personal note at the time. This entire year I’ve been a book blogger I have learnt how to yield to stress and how to read stories which are emotionally gutting yet intellectually satisfying whilst going through incredible circumstances that otherwise might only lend themselves to beach reads and uplifting romances. I found that I have the ability to write with a clarity that I had not had in previous years whilst juggling through intense personal stress and I found that the best grace in the world as a writer and reader is the direct focus of stories and the writers who create them.
Christina Baker Kline is one writer who crossed my path at a time I could not devout my heart to read her stories, nor approach them with a mindfulness they deserved. It is only one full year later, but this is my way of not only thanking her for the work she has put forward and into the hands of all of us, but a small gesture of acknowledgement from a reader who was captivated by her sincerity, creativity, and immersive research she conducts to breathe life into her characters and stories. I am the blessed one this year, as this is my second chance at discovering what is inside Kline’s body of work.
Note: There are a total of four novels by Christina Baker Kline on tour with TLC Book Tours, however, Orphan Train is not amongst them. I am going to read Orphan Train in September for my own edification and pleasure. I want to take my time to absorb into it and soak through the emotions I know I shall greet when I open the pages of a story I have not stopped thinking about since it arrived.
Book Synopsis:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train comes a novel about buried secrets and the redemptive power of forgiveness
Cassie Simon is a struggling artist living in New York City. When she receives a call from a magistrate telling her she has inherited sixty acres of land in Sweetwater, Tennessee, from her grandfather, whom she never knew, she takes it as a sign: it’s time for a change. She moves to the small Southern town where her mother, Ellen, grew up—and where she died tragically when Cassie was three.
From the moment she arrives in Sweetwater, Cassie is overwhelmed by the indelible mark her mother’s memory left behind. As she delves into the thicket of mystery that surrounds her mother’s death, Cassie begins to discover the desperate measures of which the human heart is capable.
Author Biography:
Christina Baker Kline was born in England and raised in Maine. The author of five novels, including the runaway bestseller Orphan Train, Kline has taught literature and creative writing at Yale, New York University, and Fordham. She lives outside of New York City.
A novel which shifts both forward & backward through time:
Quite cleverly ahead of each new chapter featuring Cassie’s current life and affairs, there is a flashback sequence to a darker moment in the past; of a time where a woman lived inside of a marriage that was not quite as loving and centered in joy as Cassie’s own life was lived. A woman whose voice is not entirely quiet nor passive, but illuminating a darker truth about herself, her situation, and where her path led her. Her life spills out in small passages of emotional angst and an intuitive glimmer of introspection. This ‘other woman’ who is living a radically different existence to Cassie is connected to Cassie’s world and time-line, even if we are not entirely certain how this could be, as we first begin to delve between the chapters and the context.
Further in, we realise that we are reading a sequence of memories being shared with us by Cassie’s grandmother, Constance (later known as Clyde) who raised her mother Ellen. Ellen was one of three children Constance had with her husband Amory, and it is within their story that part of Cassie’s past I felt would intervene on her future; as families tend to have threads of time stretching between generations, as much as they have secrets that have a tendency of bubbling back to the surface. Constance has her own way of speaking and expressing her grief whilst dealing with her in-affectionate husband and the oddities of having to deal with life when you felt you were living within a love centered romance.
Self-Published: H.H. Miller (@HHMillerBooks) 9 January, 2014 Official Author Websites: Facebook | Twitter Converse via: #InscriptionTour Available Formats: Trade Paperback and E-Book Page Count: 278
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Inscription” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author H.H. Miller, in exchange for an honest review.I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Book Synopsis:
The year is 1851 and the Grand Guard is ravaging Mainland. Arrests. Floggings. Swift executions. Twenty-year-old Caris McKay, the beautiful heiress of Oakside Manor, is sent to live with distant relations until the danger has passed. It’s no refuge, however, as Lady Granville and her scheming son plot to get their hands on Caris’s inheritance with treachery and deceit.
Soon, alarming news arrives that the ruthless Captain James Maldoro has seized Oakside and imprisoned Caris’s beloved uncle. And now he’s after her.
Caris escapes with the help of Tom Granville, the enigmatic silver-eyed heir of Thornbridge. But when a cryptic note about a hidden fortune launches them on a perilous journey across Mainland, Caris and Tom must rely on wits, courage, and their growing love for each other if they hope to survive.
Filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance, Inscription will transport you to a historically fictional world you’ll never want to leave.
Author Biography:
H. H. Miller is the author of the novel Inscription, a historically fictional romantic adventure. In real life, she’s content director at Stoke Strategy, a brand strategy firm in Seattle, Washington, where she specializes in transforming what some might call “boring” technology jargon into compelling, readable, memorable stories. Her favorite escape is Manzanita, Oregon – a place of beautiful beaches, wild storms, chilly nights around the bonfire (even in July), and time to enjoy life with her husband and three children.
For more information please visit H.H. Miller’s Facebook Page.
On how I enjoy beginning a novel:
I am not sure the rituals other readers go through when they start to delve into a novel, but for me, I like to take a bit of time coaxing myself into the narrative hidden beneath the pages of the covers! I like to note the subtle definitive descriptions of the story on either the inside flaps of hardcovers or the back-covers of soft-cover editions. I like to take a nod and a pause to read the Acknowledgements, the Dedications, the Author’s Foreword, as well as see if the writer included a Table of Contents. This last habit is a bit remiss these days, but thankfully Inscription is the exception! Quite a lot can be found about a writer and their story prior to consumption, and what I appreciate the most are all the little hidden bits you can wander around a book and find! For instance, Miller likes to leave a bit of a trace of humour and intellectual curiosity for those who like me, are always a bit on a search for interesting words and turns of phrase. To include a scientific word I had not yet seen but knew was a nibbling of a clue of sorts was the kind of folly I cherish! For you see, a quick whirl of the One Look Dictionary Search I came to denote that the word ‘lepidopterist‘ is the particular person of interest who appreciates moths & butterflies!
My Review of Inscription:
The ominous beginning of Inscription left me murmuring about the atmospheric way a novel can transport us into that humming void of forethought and regret once we begin an adventure. Miller has the instinctive nature of writing a level of intrigue into her narrative that propels you forward, whilst yearning to see what shall happen next at the same time. Her deft skill is in giving such a vivid display of well-bodied characters set amongst the backdrop of turmoil. She eludes to the devastatingly brutal eclipse of a military state of fear all the while noting the charm of an Uncle’s love for his niece. Maddox and Caris are two characters you want to stand behind, due to the fullness of their heart and character.
I personally love to see authors knit in a proper dose of moxie into young female leads. To break the barriers and reveal the unique few who lived boldly in the 1800s. Pioneers so to speak who were rebels with the cause towards equality and the freedom to choose your own destiny as a woman. Care and attention was taken to have a flushed out back-story to weave together the in-between bits of Caris’s past. I love the broad and layered strokes Miller etches into the story-line. She makes reading Inscription a delight for the imagination. I truly celebrated her choice in giving her female lead the advantage over William Granville who is far more rake than gentleman! Even denoting this, Miller envelopes him with a dash of intrigue as he foolishly cannot make the leap as to how any woman can dismiss his advances. And in that bit of self-conceit, I always mirthfully feel a twitching in knowing an electric battle of the wills shall ensue!
Caris blessedly held her head and her carriage to an astute level of calm when facing down an adversary as thick and slick as William Granville. Her disdain for his reckless behaviour and his ill-wont attitude of elite privilege was never lost on her either. In never giving him the upper hand he craved she was slowly and calculating nibbing away at his ego. A trait that served her well as the danger started to heighten and her more immediate concerns turnt to survival.
The extenuating circumstances which led Caris to Thornbridge (relatives by marriage not blood) and away from her Uncle’s estate at Oakside Manor would reappear in her life to lead her back to the starting block. The entirety of her life was properly out of balance and sync with her heart, as she was running from danger from the moment she first left her Uncle. Danger has a cheeky way of catching up with you, as though a mark of its arrival is attached to you and only when you finally unravel the full scope of the deceit can you firmly step outside its reach.
Every inch of detail is set to the rhythm of events as they are unfolding for Caris; Tom William’s long-lost brother who returned home with quite the barrage of ill-justice attached to his heels. A motley crew of two seeking to find redemption and revenge on behalf of their circumstances and situations, they travelled together towards Oakside to see what if anything had become of Caris’s home. Whilst they travelled, I felt Caris was shedding her childhood skin a bit with each click of the horses hooves. She had become aware of her independence at Thornbridge surely, yet on the road back home she started to settle into her skin and realise this for herself. Part of reading her story felt like a woman on the verge of owning her own life, emerging out of a period of respite and entering into her future a bit stronger despite the grief of her adventure.
Inscription is told in three parts, much like a play on the stage. For all the entrances and exits, you find yourself so emerged into the story you struggle to re-adjust your eyes to the reality around you. It is a story enriched by courage, faith, love, and the determined grit to overcome all odds which become stacked against you. It is not for the faint of heart in some passages, as it does ruminate about the floggings (lashings by a cat-o-nine-tails) and the grisly vigilante murder by a lawman consumed by madness; but at the core of Inscription is the plight of one woman (Caris) and one bloke (Tom) finding their true destiny. And, that dear hearts is far worth the anguish of a few passages of turmoil! I devoured this text in one sitting as I could not bear to wait to know the outcome!
On Ms. Miller’s writing style :
Ms. Miller’s writing style reminds me distinctively of Jane Austen & Charlotte Bronté as she takes the best of what I love of both women’s style of the craft. She has picked up on the subtle grace of Austen’s observational narrative and of the beguiling atmosphere of Bronte. She has writ such an alarmingly brilliant drama that each page turn meant digging deeper into the suspense of the Granville family! In this, the joy of reading Inscription truly lay as it was within the layered threads of the Granville tapestry which beheld the best bits of intrigue!
Of course, one of the most startling revelations was in finding that William was a mere apple fallen too close to the tree! His mother Lady Granville was the spitting image of Danielle’s step-mother in Ever After! Where pride fell strong towards marital wealth and how the coffers of a family were paramount towards all other pursuits. As if the notion that wealth would bring true happiness rather than the gift of love providing true joy. Miller lets her readers think hard on the thematic she explores whilst giving a well-written story to be savoured.
I cannot wait to see what Ms. Miller writes next. She is one of the self-published authors who is re-defining the bar of excellence in self-publishing. Even the copy of the final draft was free of errors from my eyes!
Have you ever opened a book and begun to read what was inside its pages completely unaware of the story which would unfold? Only to realise that the story you are reading is writ in such a unique fashion, that your heart doesn’t want the pages to end? You want more of either this story or more titles by the author to consume next? This is how I felt as I read Inscription! It is even hard to describe *exactly* the kind of novel it is as at the heart of the story its a romance between two young twenty-somethings caught up in the middle of events that are beyond their control. Their harrowing journey is both towards each other and away from the danger others seek to see befall them. I could not take my eyes off the pages, as I loved how Miller elected to tell this story. Which book have you recently read which mirrored my own thoughts on this story?
{SOURCES: Inscription Book Cover, synopsis, tour badge, and HFVBT badge were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and were used by permission. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter.}
I was taken by the inspiration she felt for her character Meriwether Lewis as much as I was struck by the breadth of the story which emerged out of her and found its way to the page! Her book transcends our reality and delves into the space between what we may or may not be willing to accept as plausible but is altogether possible!
I love the fact this novel is a genre-bender which is difficult to place on a bookshoppe’s shelf and is knitted together in such a way as to cause a rumbling of electric excitement for each reader who picks it up and feels the energy in which is was given to the world.
Let me step back for a moment and allow you to read the conversation which encompassed Ms. Wakins and I, on the verge of her final day on the Natchez Trace!
{: Author Biography :}
Hey. I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years. I’m the author of ‘To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis’, coming March 1, 2014. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.
I like:
hiking
eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
time with my friends
Sirius XM Chill
yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
writing in bed
candlelight
I don’t like:
getting up in the morning
cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
house cleaning
cooking
When I first heard of the premise of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours (of whom is hosting this blog tour!) I must confess, it was such a startling theory for a book to explore that I remember I immediately wanted to read the story! Whilst you were creating the novel, what was your initial impetus to write about Meriwether Lewis in such an extraordinary different vein of existence?
Wakins responds:When a ghost speaks to you, you listen, right? Seriously, I’ve always been fascinated with the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Because Lewis died too young in an unsolved incident, I wondered what would happen if he were given more time, more life. Thinking about what he might do with that time got me started on this story.
I think when you get the impetus to create a story like this one, you cannot back away from the character whose voice is as strong as Meriwether Lewis! Because although, his personality comes across as a bit more sedate than ‘strong’, its his overall presence which for me felt strong rather than introvert. He has a quiet manner about him unless there is something happening which is placing someone he cares for in harm’s way. He is a quiet soul whose strength shines in the moments where his brute grit to overcome endears you to him in a way that is hard to explain. I found him quite unexpectedly lovely!
Did you initially want to pull back the veils of convention and write a historically enriched genre-bender!?
Wakins responds: Yes. Characters from history are rich with new stories, I think. I’ve always been a history geek, but I wanted to take people from history, put them in new situations, and see what might happen.
I oft-wondered if history and the historical past were re-envisioned in the manner in which you undertook Meriwether Lewis, then perhaps the younger generations who feel distant and disengaged from history might endeavour to think that perhaps it’s not as intangible as it feels? History can become daunting to soak into unless the voice behind the historical facts is giving history a light not yet seen as it reflects a different point of view than what is expected. A lot of history is hidden in the shadows, because I think a lot of the truths of how people lived and how they died gets cast away into an unknown file. When you dig and root around in the past, I think we might all be happily surprised by what we uncover! And, your quite right, his untimely and unknown exit in this world is fuel for fodder!
I consider the book to be pioneering the idea writers do not have to hedge themselves into pre-conditioned genres which may or may not speak to their muse. Afterall, inspiration arrives in different ways for different authors. Do you think writers like you are being bold enough to change the mind-set of both publishers and readers? What do you think it will take for writers to realise they have the freedom to tell their stories?
Wakins responds: I think ‘where do I slot this book?’ hampers creativity, and I assert that it is dumbing down both writing and reading. I think the only thing that will change the mind of bigger publishers is money and success, but I think readers crave the new-and-different. I’m a reader, and I know I do.
As to writers having the freedom to tell their stories, they just have to believe in themselves and their stories, invest in their passions, and make their books happen. Don’t expect anyone else to believe in your story more than you do. Your passion will inspire others to believe, too.
I never truly understand why everyone has to fit into a pre-determined ‘box’ either! And, this goes well past books on a bookshelf, straight back to when in childhood there was this perception that everyone had to ‘fit’ somewhere and be placed in one category or another. I think we’ve become a compartmentalised society and have forsaken the free-spirit nature of our past! Writers never used to have to be hampered and pinned to a specific genre, they merely wrote where their inspiration led them to go and the books were accepted on the merit of what was inside by the audience eager to read them! I completely agree writers need to own and defend their stories. Come what may, a writer whose confidence doesn’t falter is the author who will curate an audience in the long run! Readers have a way of being attracted to the writers who remain bold and daring!
Congratulations are in order for you to be the first person (male or female) to walk the Natchez Trace! What inspired you to walk the Trace, aside from the natural curiosity of by-passers to want to read your book? It’s clever PR, but I felt there might be a second reason?
Wakins responds: I’m the first living person to walk the Trace as the pioneers did. Many people walked it before me, but that ceased with the rise of steam power in the 1820s. I wanted to walk the Trace to have a final adventure with my dad. He’s almost 80. While he was still able, I wanted to do something memorable with him, something amazing, that would wring the most out of the life he has left.
I find it commendable that you wanted to give such a beautiful memory to your Dad! The fact that you had your family with you whilst walking the Trace (as seen in your videos) is something that made me smile! I loved seeing the antidotes enter into your videos, and how your expedition became a family affair!
What is the one aspiration you had to learn about yourself as you walked? And, what is the one revelation you had not expected to receive whilst walking?
Wakins responds: Much like writing a book, I had to learn to think about the day I had to walk rather than the DAYS I had to walk. I didn’t know whether I could finish. I’m not an athlete. I’m writing this response on April 2, just nine miles from the finish line. I’m stunned that I’ve done it.
I was equally stunned that I would receive your reply to my Interview, as I was delayed in giving it to you, and somehow I had missed the fact you were walking the Natchez Trace! I wish I had realised it far sooner than I had, as I would have rallied with you on your blog and sent in a Reader Question or two to encourage you on your way! I think I was caught up in my own life and hadn’t thought to look and see what events you were doing ahead of my presence on the blog tour! I agree with you on focusing on one singular day rather than the long stretch of days — I can personally relate to this and I agree that it is the best way to live through any moment in our lives which becomes adverse and difficult to process if we envelope the whole experience in one swallow!
How would you summerise the impact of walking the Natchez Trace after you had spent time researching and writing about Meriwether Lewis? What do you think his observations might have been thus far forward from the time he was there himself!?
Wakins responds: I appreciate the Trace even more than I did. It is an ancient, precious thing we Americans have, and I hope people will take better care of it going forward. I think Lewis would be curious about the cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles that travel the Trace today. A few people ride horses on or near it, but nobody walks.
I find that most curious! Every transportation option we have, we’ve forgotten that most of us were bourne walkers at a time in our historical past where fossil fuels were not a part of our lives! I would have suspected you would have seen more horse-back riders, but the plethora of motorised transportation was a bit surprising! Two January’s ago, I started to walk in nature with my Mum, and I must confess when we first attempted to walk a mile and a half it felt as though our legs were not going to carry-on the will of our hearts! Then, the surprising bit is that with each day we attempted to ‘go a bit further’ we were building up our stamina! And, yes, we are far more sedentary now than we used to be, so for us to even broach past a few blocks in a regular neighbourhood is quite the decisive action to take! Whilst we walk, we notice that others would rather do anything but walk themselves! And, those that we do encounter are too blind to their surroundings as they are in nature for an agenda only they understand! Yet, not to stop and see where they are?! To forego the animals and birds and flowers?! Not to notice the changing colours of the trees and fauna!? I find that even more startling than humans have forgotten how to walk!
I thought it was quite a brilliant idea of vlogging your Reader Questions whilst walking the Natchez Trace! Was there a question you were hoping someone would have asked you and didn’t?!
I hoped more people would ask questions about the book, but people were really curious about my 444-mile walk….especially all the details of going to the bathroom in thin woods next to a road.
I was a bit taken back by how fastidious the questions were in-bounding on this one particular mundane area of our lives! I am sorry they didn’t ask more interesting questions about the characters and subtext!
I love your quirky sense of humour as evidenced in your videos. Especially conceiving the idea to hold up either the book itself or your calling card for it. Quite brilliant, indeed! You and your husband have a lot of light and joy as it comes across in the videos. What do you consider your secret for focusing on the light and joy in life?
Wakins responds: Thank you! We can let life live us, or we can live life. I prefer to live life, to proactively seek experiences that enhance the time I’ve been given, to focus on things that matter. I have my moments of doubt and disappointment like everyone else, but I don’t stay in those moments long.
You’re quite welcome! And, your response mirrors my own family’s mantra for living! You are as blessed as I am!
I am a champion for writers owning their stories and having the daring belief in themselves that their story has merit to be a book. Why do you think writers sometimes struggle against their own intuition whilst on their route to publication verse the few who boldly seek an alternative path for a publisher who understands their vision?
Wakins responds: The publishing industry is a brutal beauty pageant of words. Think about that. Beauty pageants are some of the most grueling, mortifying things imaginable. It was hard to accept that I was never going to be crowned Queen, but once I did, I found a better, kinder path for myself, my characters and my story.
A kinder and more graceful entrance into publication which gave you literary freedom!
Do you think publishers short-change the industry by not believing in the reader’s choice to read a book such as “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”? On the level, that they might not realise the full scope of where our true interest might lie and are only basing their choices on bottom-line statistics? Which in an economical state at present might not be a true perception of the reality of reader’s choices. (especially if a lot of us are borrowing books through our local libraries)
Wakins responds: Publishers want to make money. Period. Many of them don’t care about good writing or a decent story, as long as they can sell the same old thing repackaged and re-purposed a hundred or a thousand times. That’s not every publisher, thankfully, but it’s a lot of them. I knew in my heart that readers would champion my book, and that’s proving true.
Yes, and I think more publishers need to realise that there is this entire well of stories being undiscovered because they are approaching it a bit backwards. The bottom line is one thing, but to use that as a wand to measure against the possibility a book has to enhance a reader’s life is simply wrong. Or at least it is to me. Statistics are never a good measure of what is possible or what can be accomplished.
I recently found you on Twitter, and noticed that you adore sending postal mail! I was interested in writing letters by Post from a young age, as my grandfather collected stamps. I started letter-writing at the age of 11 and have continued to write to friends world-wide to this day. What is your most beloved memory of writing letters and/or exchanging correspondences in the Post? What excites you when you go to send a letter?
Wakins responds: One of my aunts made me love travel by sending me postcards from all over when I was growing up. I do that now. I send postcards to children all over on every trip I take. It excites me to think a postcard might make them curious about the world, that I might be making the same difference my aunt wielded in my life.
And, I find this to be heart-warming and fantastic! I am hopeful when I have children I can get them to be lit with the joy of postal mail, too! I am thinking that they will enjoy having “Aunties” surprise them with postal loveliness as I am able to do myself. There are some aspects of our lives which have to be kept alive by passing forward the tradition of why they are in our lives. A lot people want to believe postal mail is dying — I hate to tell them the opposite is true! Too many letter writers are uniting online and are willing to prove that in reality a heap of mail is being sent each year! I am thankful to be a part of the movement, even though truly, I joined it because I wanted to reach out and get to know someone who lived in a different country other than mine! The world is brought closer to us with each connection we make and if we can make those connections by using the Post? Priceless.
How did you convey Meriwether Lewis in such a startling familiar way as to reach through the portal of time itself and present him in a way where readers could recognise him as though he were real?
Wakins responds: I wasn’t joking when I said he talked to me. I heard his voice very clearly, but that may have come from reading everything he ever wrote. I tried to imagine what his voice would sound like if he lived for 200 years, and I distilled that into something that I hoped would appeal to the modern reader while still honoring his voice.
His voice is very apparent and honest in To Live Forever! You cannot mistake his voice for another nor his personality! You wrote him as true as though he were here to verify his presence! Your research merged into your words in a very eloquent way!
Did you find difficulty in writing the character of the Judge as he is such an evil spirit and nemesis for Lewis?
Wakins responds: Absolutely not! He’s one of history’s juiciest bad guys. I wanted to honor that history with my story.
I hadn’t realised that!? Truly!? Oy vie. Wells, I tip my hat, Ms. Wakins! You have succeeded in honouring him! He was of course, my least favourite character!
What staid with you the most on behalf of Lewis over Clark? How did you choose or elect to focus on Meriwether?
Wakins responds: I thought Lewis was harder to know, and that made him more interesting to me. That and his short life. He was 35 when he died.
When I read the hour of his death occurring in his thirty-fifth year that hit home for me, as I am to have turnt thirty-five myself this Summer.
Since I have staid in Bed & Breakfasts whilst travelling myself, what is your favourite reason for staying in a B&B verse staying in a hotel or roadside lodge? Personally, I find staying with the individual innkeepers is delightful due to the fact they are quite engaging about the surrounding area & townespeople. A more personal approach to travelling with the added benefit of home-cooked meals.
Wakins responds: On the Trace, the bed & breakfast model was most similar to the stands that populated the Trace in the early 1800s. Since my walk mimicked the route of the boatmen, I wanted to honor the stands in the places I chose to stay.
I am not sure what the differences are between the stands on the Trace and the B&Bs that I am familiar with!? Hmm,… I’ll have to do a bit of research!
I feel your pain in regards to the conditions of your feet whilst you walk. I had a similar misfortune whilst hiking in the deep woods of the Appalachian Trail. Where to begin? I wasn’t prepared for the aftermath of hiking, did you go in knowing you could end up with blood blisters and deep callouses or were you as surprised as I was? For me personally, it was a revelation and caution about how to be better prepared next time I make a monumental decision to walk a great distance!
Wakins responds: I never knew how much my feet could hurt until I did this. If I had trained enough to cause blisters and extreme pain, I might not have done the walk in the first place. (Much like your experience with the Appalachian Trail.)
Yes, that is quite true. Except for one exception for me, I learnt later that I had attempted to break in new hiking shoes whilst walking the Appalachian Trail and that is ultimately what led to my blood blisters & foot surgery! In that regard, I would have befitted a bit of knowledge in foot care & the proper way to hike, which is why I felt for you when I saw your videos on the conditions of your feet! The hours I spent dealing with those toes of my own, can back to mind as I saw you facing the same conditions I had! I do hope yours do not lead to surgery,… that is a bird of quite a different feather!
You revealed in a vlog you found a Lewis & Clark nickel around the area of where Lewis made his fatal entrance onto the Trace. I find this especially interesting on two fronts: my grandfather (the one who inspired me to write letters) collected coins, and secondly, it felt as though Lewis was sending you a signal that he appreciates your work. Do you ever feel that you make discoveries and arrive in places where your meant to traverse?
Wakins responds: I always view things like that nickel as a sign. I hope it was Lewis telling me he’s happy with the book. I know I was meant to write this book, and I’m grateful for everywhere it’s taken me.
I completely agree with you!
When you were asked about what you were eating on the Natchez Trace, you thankfully confirmed your diet differs from Lewis & Clark, but I was curious what did you eat exactly? I would imagine it would be energy givers like trail mix, coconut water (natural electrolytes), granola bars, and peanut butter?
Wakins responds: Lots of peanut butter sandwiches, fruit and energy bars, plus big country breakfasts. On hot days, I downed two or three bottles of Gatorade in addition to water.
In lieu of coconut water, Gatorade works wonders! I had a feeling you’d have one of them or the other! Your hat I know came in handy on the hot days, but oh! I bet you were hungry too! I was happy to see you packed wisely! Even though I know in one of your videos you mentioned you would run out!
Aside from videoing your Reader Questions, did you take photographs along the way? Or, did you opt instead to write in a journal the reflections of your days?
Wakins responds: I kept a photo blog at tumblr.com/blog/andrawatkins. I liked the way Tumblr displayed my photos, and that’s why I chose that platform.
Photography is the best way I have discovered for capturing the essence of the moment as I see it myself. I love seeing what I can capture through the lens, and it never fails to amaze me or melt my heart even by how close I can walk up to birds of prey or marsh rabbits. The hawks have a surprising level of depth befitting an old soul, which I previously attributed to an owl! I attempted to view your photography but I do not have a tumblr account.
What was your most perfect day on the trail and what if any birds or wildlife did you appreciate seeing?
Wakins responds: My most perfect day was my hardest one. I started it with diarrhea, and I ran out of toilet paper. I had to walk 13 miles stinking. I was on my period, and I was trying to get a migraine. It was the second week. I was ready to quit, because it didn’t seem like I would ever be finished. At my lowest point, I rounded a bend and saw a field of daffodils winking in the sun. I hauled myself out there and spread out amongst them. I listened to the birds and the applause of the leaves. When I got up, I knew I could finish. It was perfect.
My most unique wildlife sighting was of a bobcat. I appreciated that it didn’t come after me.
My heart went out to you on this note about your most perfect day! What a tremendously horrid set of circumstances to deal with before being in a sea of daffodils which etch away the pain and the heartache of the moment! I am thankful you were given the field to dispel the stress of what happened! And, I agree with you about the bobcat! Although I cherish big cats as much as the domestic variety, I would have been as concerned as you!
shared a story about a certain bird which I smiled at hearing about!
To Live Forever Reader Question 19 by Andra Wakins
I want to express my gratitude to Ms. Wakins who has inspired all of us by her courage to walk the Natchez Trace, but moreso, to find her path inside publishing that allowed us to become endeared to her vision of “To Live Forever”! She took the route most might flinch aside, and I applaud her for having the gumpshun in this age to do what was right for ‘her story!’ rather than what worked for the publishers. She gave us a hearty breadth of a story to absorb, and I am thankful that as this Interview posts she will be exiting the Trace as 3rd April, 2014 is her scheduled day to complete her 444 mile walk in memory of Meriwether Lewis and in reflection of her choice to listen to his voice whilst writing down the bones of his story!
May each of us remember Andra Wakins the day we arrive at the cross-roads of following our hearts and listening to what other people attempt to convince us of otherwise. We each have to dig deep and always follow our heart’s lead and do what is singularly right for ourselves. Nothing else matters if we’ve compromised our souls on the route to our dreams. Do what is right for you and own your story. Your audience will find you. Trust in that.
{NOTE: Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.}
{SOURCES: Cover art of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”, author photograph of Andra Wakins, author biography, and the tour host badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers provided by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}