Crystal Blade Blog Tour (Guest Post + Giveaway!)

I’m so thrilled to be on the blog tour for CRYSTAL BLADE! I really enjoyed BURNING GLASS, and I can’t wait to pick up my own copy of the sequel!

Crystal Blade by Kathryn Purdie
Series: Burning Glass #2

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication: August 15th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
Length: 384 pages

Goodreads

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.

Today I have Kathryn on the blog talking about how she discovered/knew she wanted to be an author and how you made it happen.

I grew up thinking of myself as an actress and focused on acting in high school and college. After I had children, though, I found it harder and harder to leave the house for the long chunks of time needed to rehearse and perform in plays. So I had this huge creative void in my life, and it got much deeper after I donated a kidney to my brother a few years ago. The emotional and mental recovery lasted several months, and I needed to express myself artistically to heal, so I turned to writing.

I’d actually grown up writing lots of short stories, songs, and poems, and my dad was a writer and had taught me a lot, so it was a very natural transition for me. I still had tons to learn, and it took me two-and-a-half years to write and revise my first manuscript, but I fell in love with writing, even more than acting, because I had more control with writing–I could express ALL of the characters in the story, not just one role. Maybe one day I’ll find myself in a play again, but for now I’m perfectly content with writing.

For me, the big key to becoming traditionally published and staying positive through that long and hard process was really believing it was going to happen. That might sound simplistic, but confidence is a huge part of not giving up. I also had this example of my dad as a successful writer, so my goal felt possible. The most important part of my belief that I’d be published someday was not putting a time limit on my dream because I have no control over that. I’d tell myself, “I’m going to be published,” but I wouldn’t say by a certain age or year. That helped me enjoy the journey more. In the meantime, I worked on learning to become the best writer I could be.

No matter how long I live or how many stories I write, I’ll never learn everything there is to know about writing, so still have lots of fun digging into learning about the craft whenever possible. I write all the time, of course (yay, deadlines!), and I attend many writing conferences and events throughout the year. I present at a lot of them, too, but when I’m not teaching a class, I run to another one and take notes just like everyone else. I never want to lose my love for learning.

Huge thanks to Kathryn for being on the blog!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.

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Giveaway Details: 

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.

Check out the rest of the tour!

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

Alice is an 18 year old college student who loves the oxford comma, television shows, and the company of dogs. She finds writing in the third person odd yet enjoyable. You can find her scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, and forever organizing her shelves on Goodreads.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!