Blog Tour: Giveaway + Character Interview with Fidi from VICTORIA REBELS

Queen Victoria’s personal journals inform this captivating first-person account of one of history’s most prominent female leaders. Queen Victoria most certainly left a legacy—under her rule as the longest reigning female monarch in history, the British Empire was greatly expanded and significant industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military changes occurred within the United Kingdom. To be a young woman in a time when few other females held positions of power was to lead in a remarkable age—and because Queen Victoria kept personal journals, this historical novel from award-winning author Carolyn Meyer shares authentic emotional insight along with accurate information, weaving a true story of intrigue and romance.

Published January 1 2013.

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We don't get to talk to royalty everyday, but today, I'm glad to flash the Royal edition of Talking With the Stars as part of the blog tour organised by The Mod Podge Bookshelf. Gabrielle from MPB has some seriously amazing tours, so drop by her site and take a look!

For my stop, I get to do a one-on-one special interview with a character from VICTORIA REBELS-- Fidi, a princess who is often overlooked in history...

A very good morning to you, Fidi! *resists the urge to curtsy* For the benefit of the readers, tell us, who is Victoria to you?

She's my half-sister. I was born and grew up in a small town in Germany, and after my father died, the duke of Kent came from England and married my mother. When she became pregnant, we all moved to England and lived in Kensington. I was quite bored there, but I absolutely adored my baby sister.

We all know that princesses have long names, for instance, Princess Mia in Meg Cabot's creations. What is your full name?

I was christened Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine, and my title--would you like that, too?--was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, before I was married. Then I became Princess consort of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Sometimes my name is spelled Feodore. It's the German version of Theodora. But I much prefer Fidi.

How did this nickname 'Fidi' come about?

My darling little sister, Victoria, called me that! She had plenty of trouble with her own name, you know. Poor Mamma was so upset when the Prince Regent wouldn't accept any of the names she and the duke wanted to give the baby. Alexandrina Victoria was a compromise. They called the child Drina for quite a time, until Victoria herself insisted on Victoria. And then the king wanted to give her a new name when she was growing up--Charlotte, perhaps, or Elizabeth. He thought Victoria sounded too foreign.

Describe Victoria and yourself in seven words each.

Oh, this is so hard! I would say that she is determined, intelligent, stubborn, courageous, sympathetic, fun-loving, passionate--is that seven? And I? Well, I certainly lack her courage and determination, but she knew that she would someday be queen, and I had no such concerns. 

How different or similar do you think you two are?

Oh, I could never have done what my sister has done--to lead a great empire! I was content just to raise my children in a drafty castle in Germany and live on next to nothing.

Did you ever imagine that Victoria was to become one of the greatest monarchs of England?

We all knew that she would become queen one day--that was the main reason the duke wanted to marry Mamma, so that he could provide an heir to the British throne. But  I don't think any of us fully realized that she would become such a GREAT queen.

And now, time for some royal secrets... Who was the first boy you ever liked? 

While we were all living at Kensington Palace, I met the son of one of Victoria's uncles, Captain Augustus d'Este, and we fell madly in love. I wanted very much to marry him, and we were making plans to elope, when one of Mamma's friends found out and told her, and she put a stop to it. Then that simply dreadful Sir John  Conroy convinced Mamma that I was a poor influence on young Victoria, and that the solution was to marry me off to a German prince and send me away.

And tell us about your marriage with that faraway German prince.

I was broken-hearted at first at the end of my love affair with Captain d'Este, and I was distraught when I was informed that I would marry a man I had met only once. Ernst, prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, came to Kensington just before our wedding, and I found that I rather liked him. So we were married, and away I went, and I did the things a wife was expected to do. In time I became quite fond of him, and we had several children. It wasn't a romantic match--not like Victoria's! But it worked well enough, I suppose.

A childhood memory you can't forget?

Every time I think of Sir John Conroy I become furious all over again. After the duke of Kent died when Victoria was only eight months old, it was natural that Mamma needed someone to lean on, and John Conroy--he wasn't yet "Sir John"--was the obvious one to help her, since he had served as the duke's equerry and assistant. But the man was mad for power! And he manipulated Mamma and took advantage of her weakness so that he could advance himself and his family at court. I hated him for sending me off to Germany, because that left Victoria vulnerable to his machinations. He always tried to intimidate her, and I was too far away to support her. I was not unhappy in my new life, but I always wished I could have done more for Victoria.

Summarize Victoria's life through your eyes in one sentence.

It was fruitful and rewarding, and after she met and fell in love with Prince Albert, it was, I think, a very happy life--until he died suddenly at the age of 42, and she never got over it but went into mourning for the rest of her long life.

As the sister of one of the greatest queen in the history of England, what do you want to say to us common folks?

You know, I've always been annoyed when people attribute to her that quote, "We are not amused," as though she were rigidly unhumorous. But my sister was often very much amused, as she writes in her diaries. That unfortunate quote had to do with a situation in which an injured man was being mistreated.

Thank you, Fidi!

You are most welcome. I'm always happy to discuss my famous sister.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Meyer is as versatile a writer as you will find. Along with historical fiction and realistic novels for young adults she has written nonfiction for young adults and books for younger readers on topics as diverse as the Amish, the Irish, Japanese, Yup'ik Eskimos, a rock band, rock tumbling, bread baking, and coconuts. And ten of her books have been chosen as Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. In her most recent historical novels she has dealt with the young lives of Mary Tudor, Princess Elizabeth, Anastasia, and Isabel of Castilla, Spain.

GIVEAWAY (Aw, yeah!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TUNE IN

18th Guest blog @ Inside the Mind of a Bibliophile

19th Interview @ WhoRu Blog

20th Interview @ The Reader's Antidote

21st Guest Blog @ Fantasy's Ink

22nd Character Interview with John Conroy @ Pages From My Thoughts

25th Guest Blog @ Bibliophilia, Please!

26th Guest Blog @ Books Beside My Bed

27th Top Ten: The Victorian Age @ Moosubi Reads

28th Interview @ Beauty But A Funny Girl

1st Character Interview with Fidi @ Bookcase to Heaven

4th Interview @ Gobs and Gobs of Books

5th Guest Blog @ A Dream Within A Dream

6th Character Interview With Prince Albert @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

7th Guest Blog @ Stiletto Storytime

8th Interview @ Emily's Crammed Bookshelf

11th Interview @ Movies In My Head

12th Top Ten: Victoria's Favorites @ Curling Up With A Good Book

13th Character Interview With Victoria @ The Mod Podge Bookshelf

xoxo,

Sel

Guest Post by Julianna Scott (The Holders)

I have with me today one of the best guest posts I've ever read. And it's on beta males! There are dictionary references thrown in, a showdown between a beta male and an alpha male & a few mocking pokes at the quintessential bad boy which every girl dreams of.  In short, this post completely won me over. Totally worth reading :)

17-year-old Becca has spent her whole life protecting her brother - from their father leaving and from the people who say the voices in his head are unnatural. When two strangers appear with apparent answers to Ryland's "problem" and details about a school in Ireland where Ryland will not only fit in, but prosper, Becca is up in arms.

She reluctantly agrees to join Ryland on his journey and what they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together information about their family's heritage and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. 

Then, Becca meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, her and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but destiny gets in the way, and they are all in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind forever.

THE HOLDERS is a modern day fantasy about incredible powers and extraordinary people.

The Beta Male

Why They Are More Swoon-worthy than Alphas

By Julianna Scott

Ahh… the beta male. Say what you will about the appeal of the macho, alpha, bad boy, but I have always had a soft spot for beta heroes. They are sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, and often as soft spoken as they are in control. And while all this might be painting the image of a whimp in your mind, don’t be fooled—beta heroes are anything but weak. It has nothing to do with the appearance, or physical attributes, nor does it denote cowardice or frailty. Urbandictionary.com defines beta male as…

“A man who is content with nontraditional gender roles; i.e., he is not threatened by intelligent and/or powerful women, and he does not have to be in control of every situation to maintain his sense of self. (Frequently, he does manifest a quiet kind of confidence and control over his surroundings, but it's not important to him that this is noticed by others.)

A beta male is often introverted, intelligent, and introspective. Though he may have been branded a "nerd" growing up, the adult beta is frequently a thoughtful, capable, and fascinating individual whom many women find appealing.

Alpha males, especially those of lesser intelligence and abilities, tend to feel threatened by beta males, who are increasingly preferred by women in modern times.”

…and personally, I love this description.

I think deep down we all want a beta male. Sure the image of the alpha is appealing at times, and who hasn’t heard someone say “I love a bad boy”. But, sorry, I don’t really buy that. I mean think about it—no one really wants a bad boy, they just want the ‘bad boy’ image. They want the hot guy in leather with the chip on his shoulder, but who is actually a romantic at heart and will say pretty things to you behind closed doors. Or they want the leader of the pack who might be ‘too tough’ to say romantic things, he feels them and you can see it in his eyes. Or maybe it’s the guy who has slept with hundreds of women but it ‘didn’t mean anything’ until he met you. Those all work great for romance novels, but that’s about the only place they work.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good tortured alpha or romantic bad boy every now and again, we all do. But I have long thought that beta heroes are underrated both for their general appeal and their hotness-factor, and I for one, am out to change that.

And on that note, allow me to introduce, Alex Bray.

Alex is a twenty one year old young man, and is the male lead in The Holders. He was raised in Texas, though unfortunately he didn’t exactly have a normal or even happy childhood. Alex is a Holder whose specific ability is called Casting. This means he is able to make others see and hear things that are not there. For example, were he in room with two other people, he could make one of them believe that they are standing in the middle of the street in Paris, have the other believe a window in the room thay are in is open when it is in fact closed, and anything in between, and all at the same time if he so chose. In his ‘castings’, he can change as much or as little as he likes, while he remains able to see both reality and the images he projects. When he was fourteen, he was brought to St. Brigid’s academy in Ireland where he learned to control and use his ability, and he has lived there ever since. Now he is one of the scouts who go out and look for other young Holders so that—if need be—they can be brought to St. Brigid’s.

He is sweet and definitely a caretaker at heart, always doing what he can to help all the people in his adopted family at St. Brigids. He is very smart, speaks Irish Gaelic, and has completely embraced being a Holder. Though the best thing about him has to be that despite his horrible childhood, he isn’t broody or distant. He appreciates the life he has now and realizes how truly lucky he is. Now that isn’t to say that his past doesn’t still haunt him, as of course it does, but he doesn’t let that define who he is now.

The only downside is that being one of the youngest Holders living full time at St. Brigids, it can get lonely at times. Not to mention that romantic relationships don’t exactly come all that often for Holders. If they come at all. However, all might not be lost, and I have a feeling that should Alex ever fall in love he will do so absolutely and completely.

Alex is, in my opinion anyway, is a great guy, totally swoon-worthy, and someone I would have dated without a second thought. Here’s hoping you fall for him too, and fight the cause for all beta males out there. Nice guys don’t have to finish last! :-)

ABOUT THE LADY BEHIND THE BOOK

Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she'd been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she'd never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she'd gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.

Find her on her official site | book site | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest 

Guest Post by Kristin Bailey (Legacy of the Clockwork Key)

Legacy of the Clockwork Key

A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.

When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.

Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.

Release date: March 5th 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pre-order: Amazon

ABOUT THE LADY BEHIND THE BOOK

Kristin Bailey grew up in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley in California. As a kid she enjoyed visiting the beach, camping and skiing with her two brothers.

Now she is a military wife and mother of two young children. She is also terrible about spoiling her pets. She has one fluffy mutt, two cats who think they own the world, and a fish tank with a quartet of fat fish, and two secretive striped ninja-assassin snails.

In the course of her adventures, she has worked as a zookeeper, balloon artist, and substitute teacher. Now she enjoys writing books for teens who enjoy mystery and adventure as much as she does.

www.kristinbailey.com | twitter.com/KBaileyBooks

GUEST POST

Everyone knows that the best thing about a Young Adult novel is the boys. How smoothly and quickly they steal our hearts pretty much makes or breaks a novel. 

Without further ado, I pass the blog over to author Kristin Bailey, for her to talk about the boys in her book and how they carry the plot of LEGACY along with Meg.

Of Mechanicals and Men

The boys of The Secret Order

By Kristin Bailey

One of the difficult things about writing a first-person novel with a female protagonist is that the book by default tends to focus on the heroine. I wanted to take a step back for a moment and introduce you to the men of Meg’s world. While I'm terribly attached to all my characters, these two have won my heart, and it’s only fair to share the spotlight at least once.

Enter the Hero…

William McDonald is fascinating to me. I'm not quite sure where he came from. When I first had a concept of the type of person I wanted to join Meg on her adventures, I knew I wanted him to be a foil for her. She’s outgoing and has a tendency to make rash decisions, while he is very circumspect and cautious. The thing I probably love about him the most is that in spite of his reserve, he just can’t help jumping into the thick of things with her. I think secretly he longs for the excitement and I'm certain he loves Meg because she has shaken up his world and makes him feel alive.

Will is roughly eighteen years old, although I'm not exactly sure of his age. He is a boy that carries a very tragic past. He was born a Scottish Traveller. His family was attacked when he was about six years old. The vicious hate crime left his father severely beaten and young Will watched him die on the side of the road next to their wrecked wagon. Will was found shortly after the tragedy by one of the Amusementists. He took the boy in out of pity and set him up to work in the stables.

Giving Will such a distinct ethnic identity was tricky. I didn't want to fall into “gypsy” stereotypes, though Will feels the weight of that label and the scorn that was attached to it during the Victorian era. I also didn’t want to glamorize it. I just wanted Will to feel real to me. I decided to do my best to put myself in Will’s shoes and to figure out what would be important to him as an individual. While he bears the burden of his “unseemly” beginnings, he was raised in London and only has foggy memories of his childhood.

Will has a great deal of personal pride. He is driven by a deep sense of responsibility and more than anything he wants to feel he has earned whatever skills and gifts have come to him. He’s intensely loyal and intelligent and tends to think things through. What I love most about Will is that he’s a guy you can depend on, with just enough edge to make him exciting, add some swarthy good looks and deep chocolate eyes, and it’s no wonder Meg gets very flustered every time he’s near.

Then there’s the duke…

Just don’t let him catch you calling him “Your Grace.” Perhaps my favourite character in the entire trilogy is Oliver, otherwise known as the Duke of Chadwick. In this first book of the trilogy, I needed a character that could explain to Meg what the Secret Order of Modern Amusementists were all about. That meant that one of the Amusementists had to come into the picture. As part of Amusementist tradition, Oliver goes by his first name only in Amusementist company, and I think he prefers it that way. Oliver is dedicated to the idea that a person’s worth comes from his actions alone. When push comes to shove, you can count on Oliver to be the one shoving you into a situation you’re not sure you’re entirely ready for.

A dashing mix between a professor and a swashbuckling adventurer, Oliver acts as a sort of older brother/mentor to Meg. With wild curling hair, a wicked grin, and a complete inability to hit the side of a barn with any sort of projectile, Oliver is a character that is easy to love, unless you happen to be the one girl that has always held his heart.

I hope you enjoy meeting Will and Oliver in Legacy of the Clockwork Key as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Happy reading!

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GIVEAWAY (Aw, yeah!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To win a deluxe swag pack, enter into another giveaway here, in a previous interview I had with Kristin. 

MY TWO CENTS WORTH

Thank you, Kristin! 

I think I'm totally Team Oliver after reading your post :) I've got to love a guy with curly hair (since I've some on my head too) and his way of doing things echoes my personal motto-- "you never gain anything without trying".

I love large ideas, bold enterprise, adventures and plunging into the thick of things.

Now a question to you:

Scottish boy Will or the curly-haired duke, Oliver?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

xoxo,

Sel