Friday, June 21, 2013

Welcome to the 18th Stop of the Perfect Clouds Virtual Book Tour

I am thrilled to be able to host these lovely ladies and am always excited when I get to give a boost to talented writers with amazing stories. Perfect Glass is on my TBR list for sure! But having already read Raj's debut I thought I'd preface this post with my personal recommendation. :)

This is not your typical light, summer peruse but Swimming Through Clouds is a spell-binding and somewhat terrifying story about a young girl tiptoeing around her father's abuse, trapped in a world where small mistakes have devastating consequences. Though an intense read, Paulus weaves a beautiful and charming tale about kindness and love covering even our deepest scars.This heart-rending YA novel for all, will suck you in, bond you irrevocably with the incredibly resilient Talia and the boy, Lagan, a Christ-like hero, whose patient friendship coaxes her out of her misery and into a world of hope with something as simple as post-it notes. A wonderful reminder that even the smallest pebble of grace can create a ripple strong enough to change someone's life. Even save it. 

Don't miss out!




Throughout the tour, you’ve learned a lot about Rajdeep Paulus and her debut novel, Swimming Through Clouds, and Laura Anderson Kurk, and her new novel, Perfect Glass.

Let’s get started with Laura Anderson Kurk’s “Behind the Scenes” for today---

Tennyson’s Closet

I love friends who invite me into their closets and tell me to wear whatever I want. Especially the ones who walk away while I linger and shop, giving me a gift with their detached acceptance and privacy.
In college, borrowing friends’ clothes was equal parts delirium and fear. My mother frowned on the age-old girl habit of loaning and borrowing clothes. It was kind of a sticking point at our house.
So when a friend would ask to borrow a specific shirt or dress, I would have a psychic war going on upstairs, finally handing over the item, but laying on the guilt. “Do NOT get anything on it!”
And when I worked up the nerve to ask a friend if I could borrow something, I would pick, say, a shirt, quickly and then spend the next twenty-four hours obsessing about protecting it.
This could be why, in Perfect Glass, Tennyson became a character who shares her funky clothes freely. Her mother is a bit of an out-of-control shopper, so Tennyson’s closet is stuffed with formal dresses, quirky outfits, and rack after rack of shoes. And she WANTS Meg to enter her magical world and spend hours finding perfect dresses. Nothing gives Tennyson more joy, to be honest.
For Meg, introverted and private, with a thirty-foot buffer of personal space, this is new territory. I like how this sharing between two friends, represents their friendship at-large. Tennyson is an open closet herself—as giving with her clothes as she is with her advice and her loyalty. Meg is the girl who must be coaxed inside and plied with pretty, shiny things to keep her from dashing away.
Are you the open closet loaner or the reluctant borrower?

Have you been keeping up with the Secret Letter of the Day for Perfect Glass? Here’s today’s letter:

Perfect Glass Back Cover:
Things get messy when Meg Kavanagh gets involved—first with Jo Russell, the eccentric old artist, and then with Quinn O’Neill, the intriguing loner who can’t hide how he feels about Meg. Her senior year isn’t turning out like she planned it, but sometimes the best parts of life happen in the in-between moments. And Henry will be home soon, right?

He commits to one year in an orphanage that needs him more than he ever dreamed. Thousands of miles from Meg and the new punk who has fallen for her, and absent from the ranch that’s in his blood, Henry Whitmire finds out what it means to trust. When you’re so far from home, it’s terrifying to realize you’re not who you thought. But the perfect glass of calamity makes the best mirror.

From YA author Laura Anderson Kurk comes the sequel to Glass Girl, a lyrical, multi-generational story about love that teaches, loss that haunts empty rooms, and reunions that feel like redemption.

Find Laura here—


And now, let’s take a look at Rajdeep Paulus and her debut Swimming Through Clouds!

Fun Fact from Rajdeep:


On Rain...

Rain is an ongoing metaphor in Swimming Through Clouds, often in reference to Talia’s tears or the weeping willow. I actually love the rain, the smell of the earth after a rainfall, and I remember this one summer rain on Northwestern’s campus when a bunch of us ran outdoors in front of Hinman Dorms and spun in circles. Till we were crazy dizzy. In the rain. Good times.

Random side note: When I was a freshman at NW, I had a friend shave the Swahili word “Mbura” under my hair at the back of her head. It took quite some time to etch the word, but my artsy BFF met the task with scissors in one hand and enthusiasm in the other. Hours later, her hidden masterpiece was finished, only ever seen by the few I trusted with the secret. Mbura means “rain.” :)

Have you been keeping up with the Post-It note reveal for Swimming Through Clouds? Here’s today’s reveal:


Swimming Through Clouds Back Cover:
I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.

When high school, cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together.

Come Hang out with Rajdeep Paulus on:


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4 comments:

  1. So glad you guys decided to include me on your tour! Hope it is going swimmingly ;)

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  2. We are thrilled you hosted us today! Beautiful blog - Beautiful person! Looking forward to getting to know you!

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  3. Okay, you totally messed up my make-up this morning! Thanks for the super sweet review of Swimming Through Clouds! Still laughing about the messages you sent me about Talia and Lagan grabbing each side of your face (or something like that) and forcing you to keep reading on. And you're a super talented writer, Amy! Can't wait to get a sneak peek at all you've been slaving away at this past year! yeah for Agent buds and new friends.

    Hugs,
    Raj

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