Today, we are very excited to be part of the blog tour for Australian YA author Jaclyn Moriarty's exciting upcoming release, A Corner of White. I've been a huge fan of Moriarty's work since I read Finding Cassie Crazy (called The Year of Secret Assignments in the US) and Feeling Sorry for Celia after friends on Goodreads recommended them. She has a fabulous sense of humor and her writing is happy-making for me, even when she tackles bigger issues. A Corner of White is a departure from her Ashbury/Brookfield series. Instead of contemporary, this beginning to a new series represents fantasy, a bit of magic, and all sorts of fun. It was our Australian blogging buddy Nomes' favorite release of 2012 which, to me, means that all of us have to read it. (Yes, even those of you who have no clue who Nomes is!) It will be released in the USA from Scholastic on April 1st.
Here's a bit about the book:
A tale of two worlds, told in brilliant color.
Readers have loved bestselling author Jaclyn Moriarty since The Year of Secret Assignments. Now she gives them A Corner of White, the first in a suspenseful, funny, genre-busting trilogy that brings her fantastic characters, laugh-out-loud descriptions, and brilliant plotting to a fantasy setting.
Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge, England (in our world).
In another world, in the Kingdom of Cello, Elliot is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle Jon was found dead. The talk in the town is that Elliot's dad may have killed Jon and run away with the physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.
As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds — through an accidental gap that hasn't appeared in centuries. On both sides of the gap, even greater mysteries are unfolding — with more than one life at stake.
The Colors of Madeleine Tour celebrates the colorful aspect of the book, with two stops representing each of several colors. (see the rest of the stops at the bottom of this post) As one of the "Oblige Me With Oranges" (mmm, oranges) stops today, the prize pack we are giving away will be orange colored items, along with a copy of the book! Jaclyn Moriarty is introducing characters along the tour and doing a few interviews. Today, she's here to tell us a little bit about the main character's friend, Jack. Take it away...
Here's a bit about the book:
A tale of two worlds, told in brilliant color.
Readers have loved bestselling author Jaclyn Moriarty since The Year of Secret Assignments. Now she gives them A Corner of White, the first in a suspenseful, funny, genre-busting trilogy that brings her fantastic characters, laugh-out-loud descriptions, and brilliant plotting to a fantasy setting.
Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge, England (in our world).
In another world, in the Kingdom of Cello, Elliot is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle Jon was found dead. The talk in the town is that Elliot's dad may have killed Jon and run away with the physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.
As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds — through an accidental gap that hasn't appeared in centuries. On both sides of the gap, even greater mysteries are unfolding — with more than one life at stake.
The Colors of Madeleine Tour celebrates the colorful aspect of the book, with two stops representing each of several colors. (see the rest of the stops at the bottom of this post) As one of the "Oblige Me With Oranges" (mmm, oranges) stops today, the prize pack we are giving away will be orange colored items, along with a copy of the book! Jaclyn Moriarty is introducing characters along the tour and doing a few interviews. Today, she's here to tell us a little bit about the main character's friend, Jack. Take it away...
Jack Cagnetti
Jack Cagnetti is fifteen years old. He lives with his grandfather in Cambridge, England. He and his best friend Belle recently met Madeleine Tully—a newcomer to Cambridge who wears colourful clothes—and now the three of them are homeschooled together.
Jack believes in the stars and in his own former lives. When he has to do an assignment on the poet Lord Byron, he decides that he himself was once Lord Byron. He wants a girl to reach up and run her hands through his hair. The girl he has in mind is Madeleine Tully.
__________________________________________________
One of my favourite things about writing is the research. For this book I read a lot about Isaac Newton, colours, and Lord Byron. Here is something I discovered about Byron:
Well, he spent some years living in a big house in Italy. At this time he had 10 horses, 8 dogs, 3 monkeys, 5 cats, an eagle, a crow, a falcon, peacocks, guinea hens and an Egyptian crane. All of these animals (except the horses) were allowed to wander freely through the house.
Each day, Byron got up at two o’clock in the afternoon. He had breakfast and chatted with friends until six. From six until eight he galloped through the pine forest (on a horse I think, not his feet). He came home, ate dinner and chatted with his friends again until 6 o’clock in the morning, when he fell asleep.
I am sharing this because the whole thing is my dream holiday. I love the idea of staying up all night talking with friends in a house in the woods! I really like talking all night. I also love the idea of sleeping until 2 in the afternoon! And having breakfast! I am so keen on breakfast. And riding a horse through a pine forest! (Setting aside my allergy to horses, which I did, between the ages of 14 and 17, when I owned a horse and could very rarely breathe.) I suppose the dream holiday might get a bit crowded, noisy etc, what with the monkeys and cats fighting over the bathroom, and the falcon swooping at the bagels, and the peacock upsetting the coffee mugs with its tail flourishes, and the Egyptian crane sulking in the corner, but mostly I think the animals would be a hoot! And they’d be sure to start the conversation up again, if ever there was a lull.
Jack believes in the stars and in his own former lives. When he has to do an assignment on the poet Lord Byron, he decides that he himself was once Lord Byron. He wants a girl to reach up and run her hands through his hair. The girl he has in mind is Madeleine Tully.
__________________________________________________
One of my favourite things about writing is the research. For this book I read a lot about Isaac Newton, colours, and Lord Byron. Here is something I discovered about Byron:
Well, he spent some years living in a big house in Italy. At this time he had 10 horses, 8 dogs, 3 monkeys, 5 cats, an eagle, a crow, a falcon, peacocks, guinea hens and an Egyptian crane. All of these animals (except the horses) were allowed to wander freely through the house.
Each day, Byron got up at two o’clock in the afternoon. He had breakfast and chatted with friends until six. From six until eight he galloped through the pine forest (on a horse I think, not his feet). He came home, ate dinner and chatted with his friends again until 6 o’clock in the morning, when he fell asleep.
I am sharing this because the whole thing is my dream holiday. I love the idea of staying up all night talking with friends in a house in the woods! I really like talking all night. I also love the idea of sleeping until 2 in the afternoon! And having breakfast! I am so keen on breakfast. And riding a horse through a pine forest! (Setting aside my allergy to horses, which I did, between the ages of 14 and 17, when I owned a horse and could very rarely breathe.) I suppose the dream holiday might get a bit crowded, noisy etc, what with the monkeys and cats fighting over the bathroom, and the falcon swooping at the bagels, and the peacock upsetting the coffee mugs with its tail flourishes, and the Egyptian crane sulking in the corner, but mostly I think the animals would be a hoot! And they’d be sure to start the conversation up again, if ever there was a lull.
Thanks for visiting, Jaclyn, and introducing us all to Jack!
As part of the tour, there are two stops for each color so if you have a favorite color, check the links below the giveaway to see where you could win a copy of the book with a prize pack in that color. Here, our color is ORANGE, which is such a fun color. The giveaway will run for a week from today (3/28) and is US ONLY. The prizes have been provided by and will be sent to one winner by the publisher and/or tour organizer. Good luck and happy reading!
As part of the tour, there are two stops for each color so if you have a favorite color, check the links below the giveaway to see where you could win a copy of the book with a prize pack in that color. Here, our color is ORANGE, which is such a fun color. The giveaway will run for a week from today (3/28) and is US ONLY. The prizes have been provided by and will be sent to one winner by the publisher and/or tour organizer. Good luck and happy reading!
Read reviews of A Corner of White from some of our blogging buddies:
Inkcrush
Vegan YA Nerds
Steph Su Reads
Visit the other stops on the Colors of Madeleine Tour for more chances to win!:
Monday, March 18th: Jaclyn is stopping by Ex Libris Kate and Hobbitsies is featuring “Require-These Reds” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Wednesday, March 20th: Jaclyn is stopping by My Friend Amy’s Blog and Presenting Lenore is “Yearning For Yellows” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Friday, March 22nd: Novel Novice is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Forever Young Adult is “Begging for Blues” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Tuesday, March 26th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Cellar and Mundie Moms is featuring “Gotta-Have Greens” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Thursday, March 28th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Readventurer and Alexa Loves Books is featuring “Oblige Me With Oranges” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Monday, April 1st: Jaclyn is stopping by Angie-ville and Gone With The Words is featuring “Wish-List Whites” on The Colors of Madeleine Tour!
Wednesday, April 3rd: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Smugglers and Perpetual Page Turner is “Pining for Purples” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Friday, April 5th: Pure Imagination Blog is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Emily’s Reading Room is “Greedy for Grays” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Inkcrush
Vegan YA Nerds
Steph Su Reads
Visit the other stops on the Colors of Madeleine Tour for more chances to win!:
Monday, March 18th: Jaclyn is stopping by Ex Libris Kate and Hobbitsies is featuring “Require-These Reds” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Wednesday, March 20th: Jaclyn is stopping by My Friend Amy’s Blog and Presenting Lenore is “Yearning For Yellows” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Friday, March 22nd: Novel Novice is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Forever Young Adult is “Begging for Blues” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Tuesday, March 26th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Cellar and Mundie Moms is featuring “Gotta-Have Greens” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Thursday, March 28th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Readventurer and Alexa Loves Books is featuring “Oblige Me With Oranges” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Monday, April 1st: Jaclyn is stopping by Angie-ville and Gone With The Words is featuring “Wish-List Whites” on The Colors of Madeleine Tour!
Wednesday, April 3rd: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Smugglers and Perpetual Page Turner is “Pining for Purples” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
Friday, April 5th: Pure Imagination Blog is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Emily’s Reading Room is “Greedy for Grays” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!
