Sunday, December 09, 2012

An Insight Of The Characters' World: Guest Post + Giveaway by A.G. Howard


This is a feature where I ask authors to do a guest post discussing about the background of their books and share their experiences in creating the world in which the characters are portrayed.This feature is mainly meant for authors who write YA/MG novels.For more information
,check out my blog page on this feature.


I would like to thank A.G. Howard for doing such a wonderful guest post for my blog.Today she shares her experiences in creating the characters' world for her debut,SPLINTERED,which will be in stores on January 1st,2013.Before moving on to the guest post,here's a little bit about A.G. Howard and her book.


SPLINTERED by A.G. HOWARD

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Description:
 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyWduvbCoLR7mECq2SWxxr5Vvs07P6TQsNO-gt0XtAP4NJc85P-f615PeF9joF0TDbMFXKnL7zYJ-apczhNed_HqS8PISBC1OohY1yLqrKFm7bRg5ZcxbUH-vCk3EFwZYKk1QLERz1S5X/s1600/author+headshot+1.png
A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child. When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse
 
Contact info:

Now moving on to Anita's (A.G.Howard's) awesome guest post:



The idea for my Alice in Wonderland spinoff originated when I went to see the Tim Burton & Disney Alice adaptation. My main research was to re-read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. I’m a very organic writer and often write without a plot in mind, but with Splintered, there were a few things I went in knowing: 

1.    I wanted my main character, Alyssa, to converse with bugs and flowers, because the talking flower scenes in Carroll’s two books, the Disney cartoon, and the Tim Burton/Disney rendition, were some of my favorites. Also, I always remembered the scene from Through the Looking Glass when Alice is riding a train through the countryside and has a conversation with a gnat. Those were such quirky and indelible images that I just had to incorporate them somehow.

2.    I needed my heroine to be tied to the original tales in a very visceral way. Melanie Benjamin’s book, Alice I Have Been, sparked the idea to make Alyssa a descendant of Alice Liddell, the real-life girl who actually inspired Carroll to write his story to begin with. The blood tie to the Liddells became the basis for all of the weird aspects of Alyssa’s life, including the talking bugs and flowers.

3.    I wanted a colorful/vivid world edged with creepiness for my Wonderland setting. To help me visualize, I started gathering pictures into my Splintered synopsis and character folder of anything “Alice-esque” for inspiration. When I Googled for images, I sought out “gothic” Alice themes. If you’d like a peek at some of the images I drew inspiration from, hop over to my Warped and Wonderful Inspirations pinterest board. I found that I was drawn to pictures tinged with an “aura of Alice”, but completely different from the original. This led me to go one step further and not only warp the settings, but warp the original characters in unexpected ways—enough that it would throw my heroine and hero for a loop when they first saw them. But there needed to be an explanation for “why” everything was so different, so I came up with one. You’ll have to read the book to find out what that is. ;)

4.    I wasn’t going to rely on the Mad Hatter or Cheshire Cat as my heroine’s enigmatic guide in Wonderland (as other adaptations have). One of my favorite characters doesn’t get nearly enough screen time in the remakes that I’ve seen. So I chose him as the most pivotal player in Wonderland, and gave him a whole new identity and back story. :)
(I totally agree with Anita on this part ;) )

5.    I wanted the heroine, Alyssa, to turn to her mother’s copy of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece to help her solve riddles and fix her life.  

The most important thing to me was that Splintered be a tribute to the original Lewis Carroll tales. If I can inspire even one person to read the original, I’ve accomplished my goal. ^.^ Thanks for having me over, Bonita!



And this guest post also comes with a giveaway!Anita was generous enough to donate the following stuff to three lucky international winners:

1)ONE signed hardcover of SPLINTERED 


2)A swag pack :(see picture below)
 

From left to right: ONE signed SPLINTERED bookmark,ONE vintage ALICE IN WONDERLAND gift tag,and ONE signed bookplate.

3) A SPLINTERED inspired key "necklace".

 

 To enter, use the rafflecopter below.Check the terms and conditions on the rafflecopter widget for the rules.Good luck on winning! :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

52 comments:

  1. I think your event was so awesome--we've got to know more about the characters. Makes me wanna read the book more!

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    1. Aww thanks Michelle!You really know how to make my day! xD

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  2. I love how detailed the post is!

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    1. I know right!Every single one of Anita's guest posts are awesome!You should check the ones she did for the blog tour. xD

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  3. I would like to thank you for such an amazing giveaway!! Splintered looks amazing and i love the imaginative, striking cover that catches your eye instantly. I also love the fairytale of 'Alice in Wonderland' and so would be really interested to see how the author has 'twisted' it! I am SO excited about this book hence i have not only added it to my to-read list but have told EVERYONE about it and this giveaway. Thank you so much x

    Email: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

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  4. Ahh I can't wait for this book! The Cover is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
    Thanks for the giveaway! I neeeed it!!!

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  5. Wow, I've been wanting to read this book for a looooong time, and whenever I read a post about, I get even more excited! And reading this kind of insight from the author herself, Jan 1st can't get here fast enough!

    Also, thank you so much for making this international!

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  6. Oh my goodness I want this book so much it seems so incredibly epic!!
    BTW I follow your blog and you can check my blog out here http://theperksofbeingaborkworm.blogspot.com/
    -Jane

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  7. Netgalley just had this book as one of their picks for 2012, so I was really excited when I saw your giveaway :) This post is great, I love how the author gives us new and different insights into how she crafted her characters!

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    1. The people at NetGalley have really good taste! ;)

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  8. OH MY WORD! This book looks SO good! I've been wanting to get my hands on it for a while! Thanks for the chance to win the giveaway! *happy dancing*

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  9. Gosh thank you so much for the awesomesauce giveaway! I have been meaning to read this book, and after your post I just want it as soon as possible NOW! LOL ;p And I love how Anita tried to make her version of Alice something different and unique from the originals. It's a nice twist, and I am very much looking forward to it! :D

    Thanks again! :D

    ~ Maida @ Literary Love Affair

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  10. Excited for this book! Thanks for the giveaway!:)

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  11. Ooooo thanks for such an awesome giveaway!! I can't wait for Splintered!!!! :D

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  12. I love the cover it catches the eye! What I read so far makes me want to read it, can't wait!
    donna harris
    donna_squaw_1952@yahoo.com

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  13. Thank you SO much for the great giveaway!! <3

    -Josheka
    http://reading24x7.blogspot.in/

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  14. I'm sooooo excited for this book :D

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  15. So excited to read this and love hearing the inspiration for the book/characters! Love the cover too! Thanks!

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  16. Thanks for the giveaway! nOW i REALLY WANT TO READ THE BOOK!

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  17. I LOVED this book and Morpheus and can not wait to get a finished copy! I especially liked the pinterest board Howard made those imagines are really captivating =)

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    1. IKR? Her dream cast of Jeb as Ethan Peck really intrigued me! xD

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  18. Awesome giveaway! Saw this book on NetValley; looks great. :)

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  19. Awesome giveaway! Saw this book on NetValley; looks great. :)

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  20. I really enjoyed reading the author's comments. Thanks.

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  21. Oh, this is great and thanks for the super cool giveaway! :D

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  22. I would love the chance to read this. It seems fun to go expand on alice in wonderland.

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  23. Thanks for the giveaway :) I can't wait to read this book :)

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  24. make me want to read splintered..
    thx u for the giveaway :)

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  25. I love the cover. Thanks for the giveaway. Merry Christmas

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  26. Thank you so much for the giveaway! Splintered sounds amazing! Love the guest post, and now I'm really curious about the world the writer creates because it seems really interesting. Oh, and the guide in Wonderland! I can't wait to read this book :D

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  27. Awesome post and so interesting! Love the giveaway, Splintered sounds great!

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  28. This is an amazing giveaway! Love the post! I can't wait for this book!!! Thanks again for the giveaway!
    Brittany S

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  29. I'm really looking forward to reading this crazy(though amazing)-sounding book. :) thank you very much for this fantastic intl giveaway!

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  30. Wow!first of all,i was blown away by the cover!!! And the way how the author associated alice with Alyssa!! I love how illustrated the posts are! Can't wait to read this! :-)

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  31. Thanks to Shanthini for hosting this giveaway and to A.G. for giving us the background behind your debut story and a stab at some wonderful prizes!

    Your spinoff, A.G., sounds every bit as imaginative and attractive as the orignianl Alice in Wonderland and like a winner to me! By the way, I just finished a blog-challenge to do with the cover of my debut novel, and your book cover seems to have all of the elements professed to attract readers by Marketing Guru Vince Mooney. I wish you the very bestest in your journey with Splintered.

    Lisa Potocar

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  32. Love the cover!Can't wait to read it! :)

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  33. Love the cover, the concept and the author is so cool xD

    Great post and thanks for the giveaway ^^

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  34. i wasn't sure about this book before but now i'm really tempted to try it

    thank you a lot for opening this giveway to international

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  35. This is such a great giveaway! Thanks soooo much!! I loved the post about the characters. I chose Splintered as my 2012 fave book this year, so I love reading everything having to do with it. :)

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  36. Thanks for the post. The book seems nice!

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  37. Love this meme! :D
    I have been seeing Splintered around the blogs and it looks awesome!
    I am a huge fan of Alice, so I am definitely interested to read AG's Alice inspired world.
    Thanks for the awesome post and giveaway!

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  38. I liked the post and I love this book.Thanks for this giveaway!

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  39. This was an interesting post, that made me even MORE excited to read this book! I didn't think that was possible...LOL

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  40. I love this post! Thank you so much for haing this giveaway!!!

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  41. I so want to win this, thank you for having this giveaway!

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  42. Awesome post. I got to read an eARC of this book and it was AMAZING. My most favorite cover of last year!

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  43. This book sounds amazing and the cover is Gorgeous. I cant Wait to read it

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  44. I saw this on Netgalley but couldn't get it. Love the cover and it sounds great!

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  45. This has been on my wishlist like FOREVER! Plz be mine :')

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Thank you so much for commenting!You are absolutely about to make my day! :)
I really appreciate feedback from my readers on every single one of my posts but please keep in mind that Daydreaming Bookworm is an award free zone. I used to accept blog award tags before but now I really don't have the time.Sorry!