Four Dead Queens Blog Tour: Author Guest Post

Hey everyone! Today, I'm sharing a guest post from Astrid Scholte for the Four Dead Queens Blog Tour. I hope you guys enjoy it ^_^

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: February 26, 2019
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

An enthralling and beguiling murder mystery fantasy perfect for fans of Red Queen and Three Dark Crowns.

Keralie Corrington is a talented pickpocket in the kingdom of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can't get in their own quadrant. For Quadara is a nation divided into four regions, each strictly separated from the other. Toria, the intellectual quadrant values education and ambition. Ludia, the pleasure quadrant values celebration and passion. Archia, the agricultural quadrant, values simplicity and nature. Eonia, the futurist quadrant values technology, stoicism and harmonious community. Four queens, one from each quadrant, rule as one.

When on Mackiel's orders Keralie steals a particularly valuable item from a messenger, what seems like a routine theft goes horribly wrong. Keralie discovers she's intercepted instructions to murder the queens. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit--valuable information that she can barter with--Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the messenger she stole from, to complete his delivery and uncover the would-be murderer. But with Keralie and Varin each keeping secrets—and the lives of the queens hanging in the balance—everything is at stake, and no one can be trusted.

Raised on a diet of Spielberg, Lucas and Disney, Astrid knew she wanted to be surrounded by all things fantastical from a young age. She’s spent the last 10 years working in film, animation and television as both an artist and manager. Career highlights include working on James Cameron's Avatar, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tin Tin and Happy Feet 2 by George Miller. She’s a visual writer and aims to capture the vivid stories that play like movies in her head. When she’s not writing, she’s painting her favorite fictional characters and obliging her furry overlords, Lilo and Mickey.

FOUR DEAD QUEENS (Putnam, 26th of February 2019) is her debut novel.

Connect with Astrid Scholte:  Website | Twitter | Instagram

When I first started writing Four Dead Queens, I knew I wanted to have a predominantly female cast. Many fantasies have mostly male casts, aside from the main character, with kings often in power or an evil queen that needs to be overthrown. If there are multiple female characters, they tend to be at odds with each other—vying over the same crown, or love interest. In Four Dead Queens, I wanted to create a monarchy that was made up of four women, each different and strong in their own way, who supported one another, rather than tearing each other down.

I think it’s important to see women working harmoniously together, rather than at odds with each other, in this current political climate. I also wanted to explore a nation that begins in a state of peace, rather than a system or government that needs to be overthrown for peace to return to the land. While the monarchy of the four concurrent queens is not perfect, it has maintained peace in Quadara for over hundreds of years, and it’s not until the queens begin to be murdered, that the system crumbles.

I also wanted to explore the idea of four very different regions working together. While each of the queens have dissimilar beliefs and cultures, they agree to work together to uphold the peace of their nation. So while their responsibilities and priorities can often be at odds, they listen and work with each other towards a greater goal. By having four very different queens, I hope that the reader will find one who resonates with them, whether it is loyal and inquisitive Marguerite, confident but brash Iris, cautious and thoughtful Corra, or fun and passionate Stessa.

I really hope readers enjoy the twisty, fast-paced ride that is Four Dead Queens. But I also hope that readers can see the parallels to our own world, with themes of redemption, tolerance and what makes a family, are explored through the narrative. My ultimate author goal is that the world of Quadara and its citizens lingers long after the final page.

Week One: Archia
February 4 – Cayla Reads – Creative Instagram Picture + Favorite Quotes
February 5 – My Friends are Fiction – Creative Instagram Picture
February 6 – It’s Just About Write – Interview
February 7 – love.books.and.coffee – Creative Instagram Picture
February 8 – BookCrushin – Creative Post

Week Two: Ludia
February 11 – Alexa Loves Books – A Gift Guide for each Kingdom
February 12 – Dark faerie tales – Creative Instagram Picture
February 13 – The Fandom – Author Guest Post
February 14 – Don’t Go Brekker My Heart – Favorite Quotes + Creative Post
February 15 – A Court of Crowns and Quills – Review

Week Three: Eonia
February 18 – Life in Lit – Creative Instagram Picture
February 19 – The Book Unicorns – Creative Instagram Picture
February 20 – Xenatine – Creative Instagram Picture
February 21 – Book Is Glee – Creative Instagram Picture
February 22 – Vicky Who Reads – 5 Things to Do If You’ve Witnessed a Murder that Hasn’t Happened Yet

Week Four: Toria
February 25 – Book Briefs – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
February 26 – That’s Normal – Review + Moodboard
February 27 – Brittany’s Book Rambles – Author Guest Post
February 28 – Read Forevermore – Creative Instagram Picture
March 1 – YA Books Central – Author Guest Post