We are so excited for so many of the titles coming this summer from Harper, but there is one that I was especially excited to get my hands on. I am a huge fan of Amy Tintera’s writing and I just knew that her new series was going to be amazing… and I wasn’t wrong. I read this book on the way home from ALAMW and thank the lord for flight delays because I wasn’t stopping until I turned the last page! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!
Here’s the 411
Ruined by Amy Tintera (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by HarperCollins on May 3rd 2016
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Royalty, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.
But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.
In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.
Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.
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Describe RUINED in 5 words.
Vengeful princess falls in love.
How did RUINED come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?
At first, I wanted to write a story about an evil queen. The original idea for RUINED was “an evil queen kills the princess and marries the prince in her place, with a plot to kill him and his family.” That’s still the basic premise of the story, but the idea really expanded once I started writing. I realized I wanted to write a girl who lived in a magical world but possessed no magic, a girl who was angry but still capable of falling in love. And I’ve always wanted to write an arranged marriage story, so the romance was the main draw for me. J
What was the hardest scene for you to write in RUINED and why?
Chapter one. I just shivered in horror thinking about chapter one. I must have twenty different versions of it. There’s a huge amount of backstory in RUINED, and figuring out how to get all the information to the reader while still making the beginning of the book interesting was a huge challenge.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of RUINED that is your favorite?
It’s a line Em says to Cas: “Nice isn’t high on my list of priorities.”
Since we’re talking 2016 books, what upcoming 2016 release (besides your own) are you most excited to read and fangirl over?
Oh man, that’s a tough question! I think I have to go with DEAD GIRLS SOCIETY by Michelle Krys. I loved Michelle’s HEXED series, and I’m really excited for her new book.
Do you have any strange writing habits?
Not really! I used to write books entirely by hand (the first draft of REBOOT was all by hand), but I’m pretty normal these days!
What are you currently reading?
I just started PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Try not to let all the buzz on Twitter get you down. I feel like there’s a lot of “publishing is so hard” talk out there, and sometimes I worry that aspiring writers will think the career isn’t worth it. It is! I’ve had a lot of jobs, and being an author is definitely the best one. Try to block out the noise and just write.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about? Possibly book 2???
I am working on book 2! I can’t say much about book 2 except I tried to add even more romance and action than the first book. I’ve also been working on a contemporary that’s really special to me, and I’m hoping to finish it this year.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now): Until We Go Down by Ruelle.
Favorite Book (right now): SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli
Favorite TV Show/Movie: The Flash
Favorite Word: Extraneous
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Curse Word: Fucking hell (because one of the characters in the contemporary I’m writing says it all the time).
Thank you so much for indulging us with this interview Amy, especially since you’ve been so busy lately!
Make sure you mark the next Harper Author Chat on your calendar now!!
Date & Time: 3/16/16 @ 8 pm EST
The authors this time participating are Julie Eshbaugh (IVORY & BONE), Lindsey Klingele (THE MARKED GIRL), Paula Stokes (GIRL AGAINST THE UNIVERSE), and Michelle Andreani & Mindi Scott (THE WAY BACK TO YOU).
There are some incredible giveaways happening on this tour and you don’t want to miss out!
Prizes:
#1 – A Harper Teen Summer 2016 Catalog prizepack of 45 books*.
*Titles not included: The Crown by Kiera Cass, Escape from Asylum by Madeline Roux, Sing by Vivi Greene, The Countdown by Kimberly Derting, & United As One by Pittacus Lore
In addition to the one massive prize winner, we will also have 4 winners who will be able to select 3 titles they want from the Summer 2016 Catalog.
US Only
#2 – 5 Finished Copies from the Harper Teen Winter 2016 Catalog
5 books are: Front Lines by Michael Grant, Revenge & the Wild by Michelle Modesto, The Lifeboat Clique by Kathy Parks, Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin, & The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
US Only
How to enter:
Collect the daily word from each blog stop during the Harper Summer 2016 Tour (a total of 50). Once you’ve collected them all, email the complete saying to: HarperTeenTour@gmail.com
Prize Rules:
Winner must have a valid US mailing address to receive the prize
Winner must be over 13
Only one (1) entry per person for Prize #2 – duplicates will be deleted.
Only a completed phrase will be accepted as an entry – do not email each word/phrase daily. Wait until you have the complete saying and then email in.
All email submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST 3/31/2016.
Winners will be selected 4/1/2016 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize before another is selected.
Participating blogs and bloggers are not responsible for unsent, damaged, and/or stolen prizes offered by the publisher.
Our Secret Word – offer!
#3 – Leap Year Giveaway – 4 of the most anticipated ARCs from Summer 2016
Books are: My Lady Jane, Ivory & Bone, The Crown’s Game and This Savage Song
US Only
How to enter:
This giveaway will only run on February 29, 2016. The rafflecopter form will work for 24 hours and a winner will be chosen on March 1, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
We here at Fiction Fare are also hosting a giveaway – US ONLY
One winner will get an ARC of RUINED by Amy!
Follow the full tour here!
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