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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Glitter by Aprilynne Pike Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway




Hey guys, today I have the pleasure of having the awesome Aprilynne Pike on the blog today sharing with you, her guest post and giveaway. I hope you guys enjoy it! ^_^

WHAT'S IN A (GENRE) NAME? 
by Aprilynne Pike

        Maybe I should call it a nigh-fi. You know, like “near-future sci-fi.” Or should we go with faux-historical corporate intrigue? Too stuffy? Well, YA cyberpunk seems a tad gritty, what about corsetpunk? Pompadourpunk? Pannierpunk?

        In my first proposal, GLITTER took place on a space station—an asteroid-mining operation like you’d see in TV shows like Cowboy Bebop or Firefly. But instead of the wild American west, the past revived looked more like the court of the Sun King. I’d never written science fiction before, but I love space westerns. The pairing of romantic historical settings with the innovations of science fiction appeals to me—and, clearly, not just me. From the BBC’s Doctor Who and Neal Stephenson’s Diamond Age, to HBO’s new take on Westworld, tech-laden faux-history has a marvelous pedigree.

        When the space station idea evolved into a “smart house” Palace of Versailles, the main character’s isolation transformed from literal to figurative and I found that my biggest challenge with GLITTER wasn’t writing it, but describing it. This was terrifying precisely because I knew I was breaking one of the cardinal rules of the publishing world: pick a genre. I teach this in my classes! If a bookstore doesn’t know where to shelve your book, they might not shelve it at all!  With clear comparisons to popular shows ranging from Breaking Bad to Versailles to Mr. Robot, I found myself struggling to craft those pithy pitches we authors so adore—“hot show meets other, totally different hot show!” And while there’s much to be said for art, selling books is how I feed my family. How could I persuade my readers to give this quirky text a try?

         If the shoe fits, they say, wear it. But what if all the shoes fit?

         That, I suppose, is why I wanted to write GLITTER in the first place. There are many shoes that fit Danica’s feet, and by the end of the story she gets to wear them all—often, dance in them, too.  She wants to be a coder; her mother wants her to be Queen.  Who among us hasn’t been there, at times, longing so deeply to be so many things, knowing on some level that becoming a wealthy, famous, vampire-hunting unicorn surgeon princess ballerina governor just isn’t in the cards? How many of us, in our desperation to be too many things to ourselves and too many other people, have made… you know… mistakes?

         The Gods of Marketing tell me that GLITTER is “science fiction,” and, as labels go, it’s not a bad one. The story has self-driving cars and robotic servants and a touch of augmented reality; if it also has castles and ballgowns and deadly court intrigue, so much the better. But if you catch me in private sometime and twist my arm a little and demand to know what GLITTER is really about, here’s what I’ll probably tell you:

         GLITTER is about one amazing young woman who, in a fit of desperation, makes a lot of really, really terrible mistakes.

         GLITTER is the story of an anti-heroine.

         Whether or not it’s the story of an anti-heroine’s redemption, well—that, I suppose, is an exercise for the reader.


Aprilynne Pike is a critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author of young adult fiction. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and their four children.
Connect with Aprilynne: Website | Wattpad | FB | Twitter | GR

Pub. Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Random House BFYR
Pages: 384
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | GR
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.

When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.

Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.

But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.


Week One:
10/17/2016- Tales of the Ravenous ReaderInterview
10/18/2016- Lisa Loves LiteratureReview
10/19/2016- Pandora's BooksExcerpt
10/20/2016- BookHounds YAReview
10/21/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Week Two:
10/24/2016- Brooke- ReportsReview
10/25/2016- Brittany's Book RamblesGuest Post
10/26/2016- Seeing Double In NeverlandReview
10/27/2016- A Glass Of Wine BlogInterview
10/28/2016- Mundie MomsReview



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11 comments:

  1. I am reading an e-Arc of Glitter right now and I am loving it. The costumes sound so lovely. :-)

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying it ^_^ Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I'm a huge, huge fan of Aprilynne's Wings series, so I can't wait to get my hands on this! It sounds amazing. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity :)

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    1. I haven't had the pleasure of reading her Wings series but I'm definitely looking into it! I can't take credit for the giveaway since that's being handled by the tour hosts but thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Hello Aprilynne, Glitter sounds awesome ♡ I would enjoy reading this book. Thank you

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  4. I enjoy mash up of genres so this book sounds fascinating! While I didn't enjoy the author's debut novel, I'm curious to give this book a go!

    Aentee at Read at Midnight

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    1. It sounds really interesting, doesn't it? Hopefully you'll like this one more ^_^ Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. I am in love with this story. I used it as a mentor text for a sci fic analysis with kids. I was so impressed with the historical elements brought into this genre. Can't wait for the story to continue. This is the type of book to hook reluctant readers!

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