The Not So Public Library : Blog Tour: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore!

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS: A Novel

By Anna-Marie McLemore

St. Martin’s Griffin

On Sale: September 15, 2015

Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20734002-the-weight-of-feathers?from_search=true&search_version=service

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Night Circus meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning young adult novel about two teens who fall in love despite the almost impossible odds against them.

The Palomas and the Corbeaus have long been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows-the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family's show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it's a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace's life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Interview:

1. What do you want most for a reader to gain by reading The Weight of Feathers?

We are all both the same and not the same. We come from different experiences, different backgrounds, different cultures, but there are always things that bridge us.

2. What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Take in as much art as you can—books, music, paintings, movies, and the many other forms out there. Taking in art fuels creating it.

Know what you believe, what you value, what you care about. You won’t be thinking about it every minute you’re writing, but it will come through.

Find those you feel like you fit with. Having people around you who inspire you is so important to making art.

3. What or who in your life do you attribute to your imagination to the most? Why is that?

My family—they’re so many of us, and we come at the world in so many different ways, that I learned early that there was depth and chaos and beauty to how many ways there are to see things.

4. What was your favorite part of writing The Weight of Feathers?

I loved writing the descriptions of the Palomas’ and the Corbeaus’ shows. Immersing myself in that world felt like a kind of magic.

5. To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

Tell your own stories, and listen to each other’s. Sharing our stories is how we find each other.

Thank you so much for having me!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anna-Marie McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and grew up in a Mexican-American family. She attended University of Southern California on a Trustee Scholarship. A Lambda Literary Fellow, she has had work featured by the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, CRATE Literary Magazine's cratelit, Camera Obscura's Bridge the Gap Series, and The Portland Review. The Weight of Feathers is her first novel.

Anna-Marie McLemore:

Website: http://author.annamariemclemore.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaAnnaMarie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaMarieMcLemore

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6434877.Anna_Marie_McLemore

PRAISE:

“McLemore’s prose is ethereal and beguiling… The enchanting setup and the forbidden romance that blooms between these two outcasts will quickly draw readers in, along with the steady unspooling of the families’ history and mutual suspicions in this promising first novel.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers beguiled by the languorous language—a striking mix of French and Spanish phrases, wry colloquialism, lush imagery, and elevated syntax—will find themselves falling under its spell. The third-person narration alternates between Lace and Cluck, doling out twists and building to a satisfying, romantic conclusion.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In this tale of magical realism, the magic is so deftly woven into the fabric of the story… Told with skillful poetic nuances, this Romeo-and-Juliet story of forbidden love will entice fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle who wished for a little more romance.” —School Library Journal

“Anna-Marie McLemore's debut novel is a very imaginative modern-day romance akin to Romeo and Juliet and is infused with the whimsy of magical realism.” —RT Book Reviews