Hi everyone!
Thanks for checking out The Expatriates by Corinne O’Flynn book blitz with Xpresso Book Tours today! I have some fun goodies for you :)
Book & Author Details:
The Expatriates #1 by Corinne O’Flynn
(Song of the Sending)
Publication date: October 15th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
(Song of the Sending)
Publication date: October 15th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
They told him his world was destroyed.
And they were the last to escape.
They thought he was safe.
They were wrong.
Jim Wales can communicate with animals, but that’s not why he lives with a traveling carnival. Turns out his family’s been hiding him there since he was little, since someone started hunting all the scholars. Jim is a scholar—someone who can manipulate energy using magic—and he has no idea.
When a message arrives from Jim’s father—who supposedly died twelve years ago—Jim’s whereabouts are discovered, their carnival is attacked, and his mother is kidnapped. On the run with a strange glass map and a single coin, Jim finds himself racing to reclaim the father he thought he’d lost, plotting to save his mother, and discovering the truth about who he is.
But going home isn’t the same as being safe, and trust is everything.
And they were the last to escape.
They thought he was safe.
They were wrong.
Jim Wales can communicate with animals, but that’s not why he lives with a traveling carnival. Turns out his family’s been hiding him there since he was little, since someone started hunting all the scholars. Jim is a scholar—someone who can manipulate energy using magic—and he has no idea.
When a message arrives from Jim’s father—who supposedly died twelve years ago—Jim’s whereabouts are discovered, their carnival is attacked, and his mother is kidnapped. On the run with a strange glass map and a single coin, Jim finds himself racing to reclaim the father he thought he’d lost, plotting to save his mother, and discovering the truth about who he is.
But going home isn’t the same as being safe, and trust is everything.
What readers are saying:
"Told in a beautiful, flowing style full of colorful images and adrenaline-pumping action."
"Pop some popcorn, sit back ... and enjoy the thrill ride, right up to the end, which leaves you begging for more."
"Captures your attention from the start and then guides you through a roller coaster of adventure, drama, mystery, magic and young love."
"Told in a beautiful, flowing style full of colorful images and adrenaline-pumping action."
"Pop some popcorn, sit back ... and enjoy the thrill ride, right up to the end, which leaves you begging for more."
"Captures your attention from the start and then guides you through a roller coaster of adventure, drama, mystery, magic and young love."
Purchase:
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-expatriates-book-one-corinne-oflynn/1120628321?ean=2940150751088
Excerpt
Excerpt
“Shh!” Charlie
stepped toward the midway, her head cocked to listen. “What in the world?”
I followed her gaze across the fairgrounds where the
big top towered over the smaller event tents. Festive red, white, and blue
flags atop each of them blew in the morning breeze.
“Do you guys hear that?” she asked.
“Hear what?” Hollis said, wiping sweat from his face.
He held the swaddled bird against his chest.
The peaked canopy of the big top stood tall over the
row of concession stands. The old marquee twinkled faintly in the sunlight, its
red and yellow light bulbs spelling out Sweetwater’s Traveling Show. Everything
was quiet.
“Charlie?” I knew better than to question her ears.
“What is it?” Sam asked.
“Shhh.” She closed her eyes and cupped her hands
around her ears.
“I don’t hear anything,” I said. “Actually I don’t
hear anything at all.”
Usually, on the day we arrived in a town, the
fairgrounds were so noisy you could barely have a conversation without
shouting. The roustabouts and canvasmen made a terrible racket erecting the
tents and hammering the steel spikes into the ground. Then there was the
constant hum of generators and cranes and trucks permeating everything as we
all got things ready for the weeklong stay. Not to mention the animals
screeching and squawking and the regular people noise. But from where we stood,
it was eerily quiet. The whole place felt like a ghost town.
A mushroom of black smoke billowed above the big top
in the distance. A rolling boom reached us a moment later.
“Whoa,” Sam whispered.
“Sweet Sisters. They’re here,” Hollis said.
Author Interview
Tell
us about your book.
THE EXPATRIATES is the first book in a new YA
fantasy series about a teenage boy, Jim Wales, who discovers his family’s been
hiding him in a traveling carnival because he’s being hunted for his powers.
What
inspired you to write THE EXPATRIATES?
This is such a cliché!! But, the truth
is the book was inspired by a dream I had almost 14 years ago. It was a little
scene where this dark-haired kid is walking through a meadow of golden grass
with a tiger and there’s a falcon hovering in the air over him. He’s
communicating with the animals telepathically. The whole thing is still so
vivid, all these years later.
What
can you tell us about the main character?
The main character in THE EXPATRIATES is
a seventeen year old named James Wales. His friends call him Jim. He has the
ability to communicate with animals telepathically, which comes in handy living
with a traveling carnival! The story opens with him training a tiger to do some
new moves for their carnival act. It doesn’t go well, and Jim’s concerned the tiger
can understand the insults coming from Jim’s best friend, Sam.
Your
cover is fantastic! Who designed it and do you think a good cover is important
part of publishing?
My cover was designed by Steven Novak at
www.novakillustsration.com. He’s super to work with, and I can’t wait to see
what he does with my next cover. I think a good cover is absolutely vital to capturing a reader’s attention.
I learned something important while working on the cover, and that is to focus
on the concept and the theme you want to portray, and not get stuck trying to
be too literal in showing an actual scene from the story. Keeping that in mind really
helped me get my head around what we needed to do.
Do
you write in one specific genre?
At this time, I am focused on my fantasy
series, but I have a constant tug from many different things in my writer-mind.
I have ideas for sci-fi, creepy thrillers, some paranormal stories. I don’t
feel committed to one genre overall. I have learned to let my passion drive me
to the next thing, so I write these ideas down and add them to my idea book and
get back to work on whatever is burning brightest.
Do
you find it difficult being an indie author when so many others are doing it?
Just the opposite. I am an indie author because so many are finding success in
self-publishing. There is a huge movement going on, as if we all weren’t aware,
and I feel fortunate that I found the courage to take that leap.
What
makes your book different from others in the genre?
THE EXPATRIATES is a fantasy adventure
about a boy who discovers he’s being hunted for his power. It’s a fast-paced
story with animals and magical creatures who are portrayed differently than
readers of the genre have seen before. And while it is a hero’s journey, there
is a lot of intrigue and lies on the road to discovery.
If
you had to choose one author as your idol, who would it be?
I would have to pick Neil Gaiman. He’s
so accessible to his fans, and shares all these wonderful projects and creative
things he’s doing. I’ve followed him on social media over the years and I feel
he is authentically himself in whatever he’s doing. And he does a lot. He
continues to do new things with his writing and in the creative community. When
I close my eyes and imagine the kind of writer/creative person I want to be in
the world, I think of him. So, yeah... Neil Gaiman.
Do
you have a favorite quote?
“There is nothing wrong with loving the
crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize
for your enthusiasm. Never. Ever. Never.”
- Ryan Adams
What books and/or authors have
most influenced your life?
I read
most of the usual things as a kid, but I remember discovering Stephen King when
I was a tween. I was sick, home from school, tucked into my parents’ bed in our
apartment in the Bronx, reading SALEM’S LOT. I was totally freaked out, and
completely hooked. Then came THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I
love everything about this book and its ties to the women of the Arthurian
tales. After that, it was anything supernatural, magical, or creepy. Dean
Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon, Anne Rice, Harry Potter, LOTR, and His
Dark Materials. I also adore PILLARS OF THE EARTH and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
AUTHOR BIO:
Corinne O'Flynn is a native New Yorker who now lives in Colorado and wouldn't trade life in the Rockies for anything. She loves writing flash and experimenting with short fiction. Her novel, THE EXPATRIATES (Oct. 2014) is a YA fantasy adventure with magic and creatures and lots of creepy stuff. She is a scone aficionado, has an entire section of her kitchen devoted to tea, and is always on the lookout for the elusive Peanut Chews candy.
When she isn’t writing or hanging with her family, Corinne works as the executive director of a nonprofit. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. You can find her online at her website, Facebook, or Twitter @CorinneOFlynn.
Website: http://www.corinneoflynn.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oflynnbooks
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CorinneOFlynn
Newsletter: eepurl.com/YNic5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22917879-the-expatriates
When she isn’t writing or hanging with her family, Corinne works as the executive director of a nonprofit. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. You can find her online at her website, Facebook, or Twitter @CorinneOFlynn.
Website: http://www.corinneoflynn.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oflynnbooks
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CorinneOFlynn
Newsletter: eepurl.com/YNic5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22917879-the-expatriates
GIVEAWAYS
Individual giveaways:
Each blog participating is hosting a giveaway for one (1) ebook copy of The Expatriates. Open internationally. For this one, it's a rafflecopter but it's very easy, leave a comment, then go click the buttons :) LOL that's all it is :)
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
- Signed copy of The Expatriates
This one also has a blog post comment, and the one you left for mine also counts for this one, so you don't have to leave two :) and then go click these buttons LOL!
I wish you all good luck and I hope you check this one out!! I just recently got approved for this one on NetGalley so I'll be reading this one soon! :) I'll have a review for you! Happy reading and later gators!
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