Posts Categorized: Guest Post

Friday, October 13, 2017

E.K. Johnston’s Favorite Victorian Woman

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Hey everyone! Welcome to Xpresso Reads’ blog tour stop for The Inevitable Victorian Thing! E.K. Johnston won my heart over last year with Exit, Pursued by a Bear and I’ve been a fan ever since! While I haven’t had the chance to read The Inevitable Victorian Thing yet, I am sure it will be amazing and I am sure I will be a FAN. Anyway! Today! We have the lovely E.K. Johnston over on the blog talking about her favorite victorian woman.

E.K. Johnston’s Favorite Victorian Woman

Okay, so my serious answer to this question is Ada Lovelace for a bunch of reasons that you can look up on tumblr.

But my actual answer is a little different.

The year is 1886. At Oxford, four students and one woman (who is a student in all but name, thanks, misogyny), stand on the brink of scientific greatness (or, like, horrible death, ymmv). The samples are ready. They have jumped right to human testing because, uh, reasons, I guess, and it is the brains of the operation who will be the first test subject. Her name is Helen Magnus. And she is one of the greatest characters who has ever existed.

I love Helen profoundly. We meet her in the modern era (she’s immortal, see above re: human testing), and she has managed to grow. She’s not amusingly out of touch or clinging to outdated ideals. She has lived in the world and watched it change, and she has changed with it, confronting her prejudices as she goes.

Helen messes up. Helen is arrogant and reckless. Helen drives too fast and kisses too many people and probably doesn’t eat enough leafy greens, and Helen does not care. She got over caring about what other people think of her when her fiancé turned into Jack the Ripper (long story), and she hasn’t looked back.

The Victorian era was pretty messed up. Class and race and religion and wealth were all used to separate people, to judge them, to punish them. Helen Magnus is a person who grew up in that system and had the wherewithal to make change happen. She didn’t stop when she got into Oxford. She wasn’t content with just her dreams being realized. She wanted a better world for everything, and she was ready and willing to fight for it.

She can do battle. She is a brilliant scientist. She loves so deeply it’s occasionally dangerous to bystanders. She’ll never be finished. And I love her.

About the Book


E.K. Johnston’s Favorite Victorian WomanThat Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on October 3rd, 2017
Genres: Historical, Sci-Fi, YA
Source: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendent of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history. The imperial tradition of genetically arranged matchmaking will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage. But before she does her duty, she'll have one summer of freedom and privacy in a far corner of empire. Posing as a commoner in Toronto, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August Callaghan, the heir to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an extraordinary bond and maybe a one-in-a-million chance to have what they want and to change the world in the process.

Set in a near-future world where the British Empire never fell and the United States never rose, That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a surprising, romantic, and thought-provoking story of love, duty, and the small moments that can change people and the world.

About the Author

E. K. Johnston is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including the L.A. Time Book Prize finalist The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Her novel A Thousand Nights was shortlisted for The Governor General’s Award. The New York Times called The Story of Owen “a clever first step in the career of a novelist who, like her troubadour heroine, has many more songs to sing” and in its review of Exit, Pursued by a Bear, The Globe & Mail called Johnston “the Meryl Streep of YA,” with “limitless range.” E. K. Johnston lives in Stratford, Ontario. Follow her on Twitter at @ek_johnston.

 

 

Giveaway!

Three (3) winners receive:
One (1) hardcover copy of That Inevitable Victorian Thing

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on October 2, 2017 and 12:00 AM on October 23, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about October 25, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

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Blog Tour: Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema Review and Guest Post

Posted by on 07/15/2016 • 1 Comment

 

Hello loves!! Today I have the pleasure of taking part in the Goldfish blog tour. I have my review and a guest post from the author. This book is about swimming and summer is the perfect time to be thinking about that. I can’t wait to hit the beach soon. Hopefully some of you will be too. Just don’t forget the sunblock!! (Sorry, I work at a dermatologist office so I have to promote keeping your skin protected.)

 

While I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t one of my favorites. The MC kind of irritated me, but once again it may be because since I am older, it’s harder to remember the high school girl mind. She just seemed so much about herself and it took too long to…

Blog Tour: NIL On Fire – Guest Post

Posted by on 05/19/2016 • 1 Comment

Hello everyone!! I am part of the NIL on Fire blog tour and I have a great guest post from Lynne today! I really wanted to post my review with this, but I have had a lot of stuff going on lately and so I did not get to read it.  I definitely will be soon though and will post my review at that point.  Anyways, Lynne has given us a fabulous list of books to read if you liked NIL.

Top Five Books to Read if You Liked NIL

 

I ADORE THIS QUESTION!

 

I LOVE to read, and I devour books like chocolate. I’ve got weak spot for fantasy, but I love sci-fi, contemporary, thrillers, and more. Basically…

Read All About It: The Stunning New Fairy Tale You Probably Never Heard Of!

Posted by on 12/08/2015 • 8 Comments

Calling all Fantasy fans! I have the lovely Shayne Leighton here today to talk to us about her upcoming book, Of Light and Darkness, along with a chance to win! First, let’s see what this book is all about:

Guest post by Shayne Leighton

The Stunning New Fairy Tale You Probably Never Heard Of…

I’m a published author. By Amazon standards, I’m even considered a bestselling author. But recently, after re-reading my debut novel, I decided something was missing. After five years of working with a small press, publishing three full-length novels and one novella, I was still left feeling like I owed my characters something more. I’d poured my blood, sweat, and tears into a story that was simply sitting on a virtual shelf…collecting…

A Letter to Kady (Illuminae) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Posted by on 10/21/2015 • 11 Comments

I’m excited to have the Illuminae tour stop by the blog today with a fun guest post! I’ve got both Amie and Jay here today with a letter to their main character, Kady! Also don’t forget to enter to win before you go! Before we get to that, let’s see what this book is all about:

Guest post by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

A Letter to Kady

Dear Kady,

Okay, first up, we’re sorry. WE’RE SORRY. Please don’t delete our back-up files, remotely active our car alarms or plaster our embarrassing baby photos all over the internet. We know you know how. And okay, maybe you’d be justified. We put you through some stuff in Illuminae. We can acknowledge that.

We’re particularly sorry about…

Behind the Scenes with Adi Alsaid + Giveaway!

Behind the Scenes with Adi Alsaid + Giveaway!

Posted by on 07/20/2015 • 14 Comments

I’m happy to be a part of the Never Always Sometimes tour today! I’ve got Adi here to take us behind the scenes on his writing, and you can also enter to win before you go! First, let’s see what this book is all about:

Guest post by Adi Alsaid

Behind the Scenes- My Writing Office(s)

As I sit down to write this, I’m at a restaurant patio in Siem Reap, Cambodia in the midst of a 5-week backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia. I’m a bit sweaty, but it’s early evening and the heat is past its peak. My feet are up on the red cushion of the large lounging chair I’ve camped out in while I wait for my friends to finish their yoga…

Carly’s Favorite Meal: Guest Post by Anna Banks

Carly’s Favorite Meal: Guest Post by Anna Banks

Posted by on 05/12/2015 • 4 Comments

Today I’ve got the lovely Anna Banks on the blog talking about food to make everyone hungry! 🙂 Let’s take a look at her latest release, first:

Guest Post by Anna Banks

Carly’s Favorite Meal—Southern Fried Chicken & Waffles

So as you may already know, Carly is a Mexican American dealing with some pretty deep issues in JOYRIDE. While she loves and misses the comforting, authentic Mexican food that her mother used to cook—the dishes which her brother Julio now bludgeons in his efforts to feed them—she’s grown to appreciate some of the specialties of the south. Arden’s adoration of a certain dish rubbed off on her, as did a lot of Arden’s qualities, and now her favorite comfort food is Southern Fried Chicken &…

Fearless Playlist!

Fearless Playlist!

Posted by on 04/22/2015 • 2 Comments

The Fearless blog tour is stopping by the blog today with the book’s Playlist! Here’s a little about the book first:

Fearless Playlist Biffy Clyro – Many of Horror

Ludovico Einaudi – I Due Fiumi

Mumford and Sons – I Gave You All

Paramore – Playing God

Erik Satie – Gnossienne no. 1 (Lent)

Mumford and Sons – Awake My Soul

Dustin O’Halloran – Fragile No. 4

Message to Bears – Running Through Woodland

The Temper Trap – Soldier On

Fleet Foxes – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

Miike Snow – Silvia

Ludovico Einaudi – La Nescita Delle Cose Segrete About the Author

Emma Pass grew up at an environmental studies centre near London, went to…