Friday, September 22, 2017

Blog Tour: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Guest Post + Giveaway

Tour organized by BookNerd Addict Tours
See below for the full schedule 

Before She Ignites is one of my favorite recent reads. 
You can see my thoughts on this story HERE

Today, I'm very excited to be hosting author Jodi Meadows as part of the blog tour, especially, because my post is all about my favorite topic. Love Triangles! Or rather, avoiding them! Read on for more. 


About the Book:

Before She Ignites
by Jodi Meadows

Published:  September 12, 2017 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: The Fallen Isles Trilogy, book 1/3

Book Description: Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound
_____________________________________________________________________

Guest Post by Jodi Meadows: How do you write a multi-book series with a romance and no love triangle?

Why oh why am I not surprised about this topic from you, Lauren? ;)

While I don't have anything against love triangles -- I love a well-done triangle -- I generally prefer to explore one romance within a story. Well, occasionally I like to bring up romances between secondary characters, but they tend to do their thing off screen. (That might be a hint about Fallen Isles 2!)

Because my tendency is to explore multiple stages of relationships, I never feel bored. I never feel like there can't be enough tension just because the couple has finally admitted they like each other and now they're (maybe) doing something about it. Relationships don't stop there.

Relationships are evolving things. They are ever changing. While writing about those first moments of attraction and getting up the courage to kiss is really exciting, there's just as much tension and excitement later, when they learn more about each other and find something they don't like. Or they're separated for some reason. Or any number of other reasons an author can come up with to delay a happily ever after.

Personally, I like to have a sense of where I want the characters to end up by the end of the book. I mean, it's important to understand that my characters' relationship will (maybe?) continue after the last page is turned, and it's not actually a happily ever after because those are stagnant and relationships are not. But I need to know where I want their emotional arc to land at the end of the book. Is it with a kiss? A fight? Have they even admitted they like each other?

Once I know where I want that arc to end, I write toward that. And over the course of the series, I continue in the same manner.

There are lots of things to throw at characters to get in their way: a duty that prevents them from being together, class barriers, separation, profound disagreements, someone does something unforgivable, disapproving parents, society, death . . . to name a few. There can -- and should be -- internal and external barriers. The hard part is making the reader believe those barriers are enough to keep a couple apart.

There's no shortage of tension in established relationships. The phrase "they fight like an old married couple" wouldn't be a thing if it were all peace and harmony once the vows have been said. But . . . I think the key is that the characters have to WANT to be together. They have to DESIRE to be together. And the reader needs to feel that, too. Otherwise, the tension won't work and the reader will just hope the character they like will just find a different person to kiss.

Ok. I love everything about this post! I'm always looking for books and series that explore relationships in their many stages. Not just the beginning part of it. This makes me even more excited for more of this series.
____________________________________________________________

About the Author: 

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the Incarnate Trilogy, the Orphan Queen Duology, and the Fallen Isles Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of My Lady Jane (HarperTeen). Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com
Find Jodi: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

______________________________________________________________________________________
Follow the Tour:
Monday 9/4 TheLifeofABookNerdAddict – Guest Post 
Monday 9/4  TalesofTheRavenousreader– Creative Post
Tuesday 9/5  BooksAndPrejudice – Review
Wednesday 9/6  EaterofBooks – Interview
Thursday 9/7  ForTheSakeofReading – Review
Friday 9/8  ABackwardsStory– Guest Post
Monday 9/11 MaryHadALittleBookBlog -Guest Post
Monday 9/11 – thatartsyreadergirl.com -Review
Tuesday 9/12   TheYABookTraveler -Review 
Wednesday 9/13  AThousandWordsAMillionBooks – Interview
Thursday 9/14  BookCrush– Creative Post
Friday 9/15  TheReaderAndTheChef– Review
Monday 9/18 –  YAandWine – Review
Tuesday 9/19  TakeMeAwayToAGreatRead – Creative Post
Wednesday 9/20  AphonicSarah – Interview 
Thursday 9/21  TheKindredReader – Review
Friday 9/22  ReadWriteLove28 – Excerpt 
Friday 9/22  LoveIsNotATriangle – Guest Post
Bonus: Check out the awesome Before She Ignites book trailer created by Sarah from  The YA Book Traveler. She also created the gorgeous banners in this post. 


___________________________________________________________________
Giveaway:
Thank you @BNATours for organizing this tour! 

1 comment:

  1. Yay for lovely guest post from Jodi :D And you had an awesome question Lauren. <3 Hugs. Thank you both so much for sharing :) I love that you loved this book so much Lauren. Yesss.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...