Michelle Zink's Blog, page 29

Meet Helen Cartwright!

I'm super excited tonight to introduce you to Helen Cartwright, A TEMPTATION OF ANGEL's main character and heroine extraordinaire.

Helen has long, light-brown hair and unusual blue-violet eyes that play an important part in the story. Mostly, when I picture Helen, I see her like this;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or this but with longer hair (that's actress Elizabeth Olsen, by the way);

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carefully sheltered by her parents until their death, Helen is an innocent on the night they're murdered. When she meets up with brothers, Griffin and Darius, she's forced to confront the reality of what she is — and what they all are. As she works with the brothers to unravel the mystery of who's trying to kill them and why, she learns that she knows more than she thinks she knows and has been unwittingly trained all her life to assume the role that is hers.

All that said, Helen isn't a warrior in the traditional sense. Her strength isn't physical, and she admits that she's not a creature of physicality but one of strategy and mental acuity. This was important to me in terms of character development, because while I'm the biggest advocate of strong female characters, I believe there are many kinds of strength, and it's important to show women being strong in all kinds of ways. As a matter of self-defense, Helen has to learn to wield the weapons of the Keepers, but it doesn't come naturally to her and it's not something she ever truly excels at. Her contributions are more academic!

But what I love most about Helen is her humanity. She's not perfect, and she really struggles with her inability to grieve her parents and the possibility of forgiving someone something that, really, would be unforgivable in any of our worlds.

Forgiveness is a big theme in the book, and I think Helen illustrates that struggle with real authenticity. It's a big thing for me personally, because I'm always struggling with the issue of self-love and self-forgiveness. Forgiving others is easy for me! But seeing myself in all my flawed humanity and still being able to love myself, forgive myself, well… that's a lot tougher. I really wanted to explore that with Helen, and I was surprised how quickly she took on a life of her own and how thoroughly she asserted her will.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Helen in A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS! Here's a little sneak peek for Teaser Thursday (it's not much, but I'm trying to keep from giving you guys anything overly spoilery!);

Helen held the thick parchment between her fingers. For

the moment, her father was there, sitting next to her, telling

her in a firm voice that everything would be all right.

But soon his voice faded. Helen's eyelids grew heavy, and

she put the cameo and the letter back in the box with the

currency. She kept out only the photograph, holding it to her

chest as she allowed her head to sink into the pillows. She

willed herself to weep, for isn't that what any normal person

would do? Wouldn't a normal girl weep for the loss of her

parents? Her home? Everything she had ever known?

In the end, it didn't matter. It was now obvious that she was

far from normal. The absent tears seemed only to prove the

point. She clutched the photograph as she fell into sleep.

 

Contest & Giveaway Updates 1/25/2012

Lots going on as we gear up for the release of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. I don't want you guys to miss out on anything, so I'm trying to update you once a week or so.

Last night I gave away three ARCs (advance reading copies) of the book in a heated 4-hour Twitter giveaway. I'd noticed a bunch of bloggers asking other bloggers if they had a copy to give or trade, and I felt bad, so it was a spur-of-the-moment thing that resulted in over 650 entries.

I was (happily) blown away and announced the three winners this morning. If you're not following me on Facebook and Twitter, please do! Sometimes I'll do spontaneous giveaways on one venue or another.

You can still claim your signed, limited edition bookplate and TEMPTATION bookmark by emailing a copy or photograph of your preorder receipt or order confirmation for the book to prophecypress@aol.com. This is good only through the end of the month (though if I have enough left, I may offer it again during the first week of release), so hurry!

You can enter to win an ARC of TEMPTATION on Goodreads through my publisher, Penguing/Dial. If you have a Goodreads account, it's literally the click of a button to enter. If you don't, registering is easy and Goodreads runs TONS of books giveaways at any given time in every genre.

Lastly, we have lots of fun stuff coming up! The Michelle Zink Posse Pack Giveaway will go live very, very soon, and fifty of you (yes, 50!) will get special prize packs from me just for being so awesome. In February, I'll have another giveaway in conjunction with YALitChat (to include an ARC of TEMPTATION) and my famous annual Be Your Own Valentine Prize Pack which includes all the makings of an awesome Valentine's Day – like Victoria's Secret goodies and CHOCOLATE! Plus, of course, more TEMPTATION swag.

And tomorrow, you'll get to meet Helen Cartwright, the main character and heroine of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. I'm super excited for you to get to know her.

So lots of awesome stuff in the works! Stay tuned.

Surrender by Digital Daggers

This week's song was recommended by Sara. It's tres sexy!

Hope you guys enjoy it. And don't forget you can still claim your free limited edition A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS bookplate and bookmark by sending a copy or photo of your preorder receipt or order confirmation to prophecypress@aol.com. This giveaway ends at the end of the month so hurryyyy!

You can also enter to win an advance reader copy on Goodreads. And it's easy! Just the click of ONE button if you already have a Goodreads account.

Movie Monday – The Debt, I Am Legend, and Jack Goes Boating

This past week I watched three movies. The first was The Debt, featuring Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Tom Wilkinson. This is a great movie set in the 1960s (through flashbacks) and today. It centers around three secret Mossad agents trying to abduct a known Nazi war criminal for the purposes of bringing him back to Israel for trial. When the mission goes awry, the trio make a decision that will alter the course of their lives and ultimately, mean a debt that must be repaid. I loved the coloring of the 1960s scenes and the acting was stellar. Mirren just gets better and better and Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life) is fast becoming one of my new favorites.

On Saturday, we re-watched I Am Legend, which I originally saw in the theater right after it was released. I forget how awesome this movie is, but it was at the front of the current Dystopian trend (and if you want to see the original, see the 1971 film Omega Man). This is a winner all-around – great acting by Will Smith, an of-the-moment premise, and a great score by James Newton Howard.

Lastly, we opted out of our usual Sunday documentary because after a pipe burst in our basement (and after spending all day Sunday dealing with it), frankly, I'd had enough reality. Instead, we opted to watch a quirky independent comedy called Jack Goes Boating. Phillip Seymour Hoffman both stars and directs, and while this wasn't an edge of your seat movie, it's a sweet story about love later in life – both finding it and losing it. It's streaming on Netflix, too!

Things I Love – The Fever Series

This week's Thing I Love is the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. And actually, saying I love them is kind of an understatement.

More like I'm obsessed with them.

I read the first book in the series, Darkfever, because I kept hearing people talk about it in my Goodreads reading group (where I mostly lurk). These people were CRAZY for the Fever series, so I decided to check it out.

Now I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much. I figured they would be a quick, fun read.

And they are, but they're SO MUCH MORE. The world building is incredibly detailed and fascinating, the characters are three-dimensional and experience genuine growth and change through the series, and the pacing is dead-on, grabs-you-and-doesn't-let-go. Moning takes the story everywhere you DON'T expect, and that makes you think, "Oh! Right. That's exactly what's supposed to happen. How could I not have seen it?!" Part of me is so absorbed in the story while I'm reading that I can't stop and the other part, the writer part, is thinking, "How does she DO this? How am I on the edge of my sit with unexpected things happening every three pages?!"

Basically, I'm super impressed that a series can rate so high on the commercial enjoyment scale and still have such great writing. This is one of those VERY few series where I found myself ordering the next book before I was done with the one I was reading because I didn't want to go ONE DAY without knowing what was next.

One word of caution; this is NOT a YA series. It's very much adult, and there are a lot of sexytimes.

Friday Poll; Best Way to Spend a Snowy Day or Night

I don't know about you, but for us, winter has so far left something to be desired. Alternately very cold and oddly spring-like, we've had a grand total of about an inch of snow.

But…. BUT! It looks like we might get a whopping 4-7 inches tonight into tomorrow morning. So we've got the woodstove blazing, chicken enchiladas in the oven, and a DVD (The Debt) on tap for the night.

Which brings me to the question for this week's Friday Poll; What's YOUR favorite way to spend a cold day/night/weekend? Weigh in with the Friday Poll!

And don't forget that you can read the entire first chapter of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS by taking advantage of yesterdays sneak peek. Hope you enjoy it!

View This Poll

Sneak Peek of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS

I have a treat for you guys tonight!

In lieu of Thursday Night Write (or as part of it, depending on how you look at it), I'm going to spend the next few Thursdays offering you sneak peeks of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. I'm also going to surprise you with character studies of Helen (what can't she forgive herself for?), Raum (who is he and what are his intentions?), Anna (the only chink in Darius' armor), the fabulous Channing Boys (what's with the dangerous scar? And which brother has a soft spot for strays?), and anything else in the book I think you might have fun with.

I started writing TEMPTATION in the Spring of 2010. The truth is, I didn't intend for it to be my next book. I had another book I'd been working on since 2006 (before Prophecy even sold) that I presented to my editor, but it turns out, THIS was the one she wanted. I'm so glad she did, because I've been utterly captivated with the world, the characters, the story, and the possibilities for other stories (wink, wink) ever since.

I hope you guys are are as excited to read it as I am to share it with you. And don't forget you can claim your free bookplate (signed and personalized) and bookmark by sending your preorder receipt (digital, taken with your phone, or however else you want to do it) to prophecy press@aol.com by the end of the month.

Most of the excerpts I'm going to post will be shorter than this one, but tonight you get the whole first chapter. Enjoy!

Though it was late, it was not the sound of arguing that

woke Helen in the dead of night.

She lay in bed for a long time after retiring, listening to the

rise and fall of voices coming from the library. It was a familiar

sound, comforting rather than worrisome. Her mother

and father often met with the others, though the meetings

had become more frequent and heated of late. Yet, there was

something about this night, the cadence of these voices—

however familiar—that made Helen's nerves tingle, as if they

were humming too close to the surface of her skin.

At first, she tried to decipher the words drifting through

the vents set into the floor of her chambers, especially when

they sounded in her father's familiar baritone or the strong,

clear voice of her mother. But after a while, Helen gave up,

opting instead to let her mind wander as she stared at the

canopy above her head.

Her thoughts settled on the morning's fencing exercises

and her argument with Father. It was not the first time she

had rebelled against the recent addition to her curriculum.

She still failed to see how fencing could contribute anything

to her schooling, but Father's word was law when it came to

her education. He knew well that Helen's prowess lay in the

strategy of chess, in the logic problems and cryptographs she

could solve faster than he, not in the agile movement required

of her on the ballroom floor where they practiced fencing.

Still, he pushed. Using the foil out of deference to her inexperience

was his only concession. Were Father working with one

of his usual sparring partners, he would, without question,

have used his saber. Now, in the muffled quiet of her bedchamber,

Helen vowed that in time Father would use a saber with

her as well.

She didn't remember slipping into the emptiness of sleep,

and she did not awaken gently. It was the sound of hurried

footsteps down the hall that caused her to sit up in bed, her

heart racing. She did not have time to contemplate the possibilities

before the door was thrown open, candlelight from the

sconces in the hall throwing strange shadows across the walls

and floor of her sleeping chamber.

Scooting to the headboard, she pulled the coverlet to her

chin, too frightened to be ashamed for her childish behavior.

"You must get out of bed, Helen. Now."

The voice was her mother's. She moved into the darkness

of the room, the strange shadows disappearing as she crossed

to the dressing table. She fumbled with something—the

glass jars and scent decanters atop the vanity clinking noisily

together.

"But . . . it's the middle of the night!"

Her mother turned then, and a shaft of light from the hall

illuminated the valise in her hand. The realization that her

mother was packing, packing Helen's things, blew like a hurricane

through the confusion of her mind. Her mother was

across the room in seconds, leaning over the bed and speaking

close to her face.

"You're in grave danger, Helen." Her mother pulled the

coverlet from Helen's shivering body. Her nightdress was

twisted around her thighs, and the cold air bit her skin as her

mother's hand encircled her arm, already pulling her from the

warmth of her bed. "Now, come."

The carpets were cool under Helen's bare feet as she was

led to the wall next to the wardrobe. Her mother reached into

the bodice of her gown, pulling from it a chain with something

dangling at its end. It caught the light spilling in from the hall,

glimmering faintly in the darkness as her mother removed it

from her neck. Fear coiled like a snake in Helen's stomach as

her mother pushed aside the large mirror in the corner, bending

to the paneled wall behind it. She continued speaking as

she worked something against the plaster.

"I know you won't understand. Not yet. But someday you

will, and until then you must trust me."

Helen was oddly speechless. It was not that she had nothing

to say. Nothing to ask. She simply had so many questions that

they washed over her like waves, one right after the other. She

had no time to formulate one before the next carried it away.

She could not make out what her mother was doing, bent forward

in the darkness, head tipped to the wall, but she listened

as something scratched against the wallpaper. A moment later,

her mother straightened, and a door swung outward, revealing

a hole in the plaster.

Even in the dark, Helen saw tenderness in her mother's eyes

as she reached out, pulling Helen roughly against her body. In

her mother's hair, Helen smelled roses from the garden, and

on the fine surface of her mother's skin, the books to which

her head was always bent. They were a memory all their own.

"Helen . . . Helen," her mother murmured. "You must

remember one thing." She pulled back, looking into Helen's

eyes. "You know more than you think. Whatever else you discover,

remember that."

Voices erupted from downstairs, and though the words

themselves were indistinct, it was obvious they were spoken

in anger or fear. Her mother dared a glance at the door before

turning back to Helen with renewed fervor.

"Take this." She thrust a piece of crumpled paper into Helen's

hand. "Take it and sit very quietly, until you know they're

gone. There is a stair that will lead you beneath the house and

back up again farther down the road. Join with Darius and

Griffin. The address is here. They will take you to Galizur. You

have everything you need, but you must be silent as you make

your escape. If they hear you, they will find you." She paused,

forcing Helen's chin up so that she was looking straight into

her eyes. "And this is important, Helen: If they find you, they

will kill you."

"I won't leave you!" Helen cried.

"Listen to me." Her mother's voice became firmer, almost

angry as she grabbed hold of Helen's shoulders. "You will do

this, Helen. You will get out of here alive, whatever else happens.

Otherwise, it's all for nothing. Do you understand?"

Helen shook her head. "No! Mother, please tell me what's

happening!" But she already knew her mother would not.

Already knew, somehow, that they were out of time.

Her mother lifted the chain from around her neck, placing

it around Helen's. A key at the end of it fell to the front of her

nightdress.

Holding her daughter's face between her hands, Helen's

mother leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Lock the door from

the inside. Use the pendant to light your way—but don't

make a move until you are certain they won't hear you. And

be safe, my love."

Helen was shoved into the hole in the wall, the valise

pressed against her until she had no choice but to wrap her

arms around it. She ducked, stumbling through the small

doorway, trying not to smack her head. Her mother paused

one last time, as if reconsidering, and then, without another

word, she began to push the door closed. She became a smaller

and smaller sliver, disappearing bit by bit until she was gone

entirely in the small click of the door.

"Lock it, Helen. Now." Her mother's voice was a hiss from

the other side of the wall. Helen fought a surge of panic as she

heard the wallpaper smoothed over the keyhole, the mirror

dragged over the opening to her hiding place.

It was worse than dark inside the wall. It was as if she had

fallen into nothingness. She set the bag down, feeling for its

clasp in the darkness. She had no idea what was on the piece

of paper her mother had given her, but it was damp with the

sweat of her palm. She couldn't read it now if she wanted to,

and she pushed it inside the bag.

She reached for the chain around her neck until she found

the key at its end. Grasping it in one hand, she fumbled around

the edge of the wall in front of her with the other, trying to

locate the lock she knew must be there. Her hands shook with

rising panic. The door cut into the wall was almost seamless,

making it nearly impossible to find in the darkness. She was

on her third pass when she finally felt a slim line in the plaster.

Running her fingers slowly over it, she felt for the keyhole. It

seemed like far too long before she finally came upon it.

She was trying to fit the key in the lock when noise burst

from somewhere beyond the chamber. She could not fathom

its direction, for she was wrapped in the muffled cocoon of

wood and plaster that was her hiding place. Still, she strained

to decipher the sound. She thought she heard shouting . . .

weeping. And then a crash that caused her to startle. The key

dropped from her hand, falling with a clink to the floor. She

hesitated only a moment.

Whatever was happening was going to get worse before the

night was over.

Feeling along the floor for the key, Helen tried to ignore

the noise from the rest of the house. Her hiding place was not

large, and it only took a few moments for her fingers to close

around the chain attached to the key. She grasped it carefully

in one hand and felt again for the keyhole. This time, it didn't

take long.

Using both hands, she lined the key up with the hole in a

couple of tries, turning it quickly and scooting away from the

hidden door until her back stopped against a solid block of

wood. She had only a few moments, a few precious moments

of silence, before she heard the thud of boot steps.

At first the footfalls were distant. Helen thought they would

pass her chamber completely, but it wasn't long before they

grew louder and louder and she knew they were inside her

room. She had a flash of hope. Hope that it was Father coming

to get her. To tell her that whatever danger had been in the

house had gone. But she knew it wasn't him when the boot

steps slowed. There was no rush to the door of her tiny room

to free her from its darkness.

Instead, the footsteps made a slow pass of her chamber

before stopping suddenly in front of the hiding place.

Helen tried to slow her shallow breathing as she waited for

the footsteps to move away, but they didn't. Whoever had

entered her chamber was still there. She held as still as possible,

attempting to calm her mind with the knowledge that

she had spent many hours in the room, and there had never

been any hint of the secret door, even during times of bright

sunlight. Surely this stranger would not be able to see the

opening in the dark of night and with her great dressing mirror

pushed in front of it.

For a few seconds, it worked. She began to breathe a little

easier in the silence.

But that was before the room outside exploded into riotous

noise. Before she heard the dressing table cleared of its

bottles and jars, the glass thudding against the carpets and

shattering against the wood floorboards. Before she heard the

bureau overturned, the armoire pushed over. And yes, before

she heard the heavy carved mirror guarding her hiding place

tipped to the floor, the glass shattering into a million pieces.

Canvas by Imogen Heap

This week's song is brought to you by JP, a reader who recommended it last week on Facebook. I love Imogen's sound – it's so restful and unique – but I hadn't heard this one before. I especially love that slightly Celtic violin piece toward the end.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Also want to let you know that right now you can enter to win an ARC of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS on Goodreads, courtesy of my publisher, Penguin/Dial. In addition, you can claim a free bookmark and personalized, signed TEMPTATION bookplate now through the end of the month. Details here.

 

Free Temptation Bookplates & Bookmarks!

It's that time. Those of you who have been fans for awhile probably know exactly what I'm talking about; the bookplate and bookmark giveaway for A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS!

I started giving away free bookplates with Prophecy of the Sisters, because I got so many emails asking if I could sign books, and while I'm always happy to sign books, it does get expensive and time-consuming shipping everything back and forth. Bookplates are a great way to have your book "signed". All you have to do is peel off the sticker on the back and place it in the book right where you'd normally have a signature. Bonus; there's plenty of room for me to write a personal message.

Eventually, I started giving bookplates away free for anyone who preorders and again around the holidays for people who want to give my books as gifts. It's been a big hit with readers, and I think the TEMPTATION bookplates will be even more so because, you guys… these are GORGEOUS.

Custom designed to work with the cover, interior art, and a symbol that plays prominently in the story, these bookplates are a limited edition. This year I'm also giving away one of my famously gorgeous bookmarks. Thick, glossy, and complete with a pretty little tassel (and who doesn't like tassels?!), they are really beautiful.

As an added bonus, three readers will be chosen randomly from everyone who submits a receipt to win a BE TEMPTED t-shirt.

My daughters are wearing theirs all over the place – the true test of t-shirt viability, because believe me, they aren't wearing them if they're not cute, and it doesn't matter WHO wrote the book.

Claiming your bookplate and bookmark (and entering to win a t-shirt) is easy! Just send a copy of your A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS receipt (picture, scan, photo from your phone, whatever!) to me at prophecypress@aol.com. Include your mailing address and the name of the person you'd like the bookplate addressed to, and I"ll get your bookplate and bookmark in the mail to you. This DOES include previous preorders, so if you preordered a month or three or six ago, you can absolutely get a bookplate and bookmark plus be entered to win a tee.

The preorder giveaway is valid for US and Canadian residents from today through Tuesday, January 31st at Midnight EST.

Yay!

A Temptation of Angels ARC Giveaway!

Just a heads up that for the next month or so, US readers can win an advance copy of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, on Goodreads, courtesy of Penguin Teen.

Here's the link!

Hope one of you win because I'm dying to share it with you!