The Winner's Curse Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I'm beyond thrilled today to be a part of the promotional tour for The Winner's Curse, the first in a stunning new trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. I was incredibly lucky to have the chance to read this one already and I simply adored it, particularly the gorgeously subtle romance between Kestrel and Arin (I'll be posting my full review in a couple weeks). Marie was nice enough to indulge my curiosity with regard to some of the military strategy we see in the book, so I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes peek at some of her research. Don't forget to check the bottom of the post as well for the full list of participating blogs as well as all the details on an epic giveaway!

STRATEGY SESSION

Please give us an inside look at exactly what goes on when Kestrel meets with the General, or the research that went into the various battle scenes in The Winner’s Curse.

Kestrel’s father was a particularly tricky character to write because he has done terrible things—if he lived in this world, he could be tried for war crimes—and yet he loves Kestrel, and she loves him. He tries to be a good father. He’s intelligent, more sensitive than you’d think to the feelings of others, possesses a sense of humor, and will fight for whatever and whomever he believes in. Arin, however, would justifiably see him as a monster.

Is he a monster or a man—or both? Whenever Kestrel meets with the general so that he can teach her military strategy, they are never just talking about strategy. They are also exploring their opinions about themselves and each other.

But in terms of research on actual military strategy, I didn’t do much more than read Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War, which was helpful in terms of reading about things like how to defeat siege engines (I borrowed one particular method directly from that book). For the sea battle, I leaned on research I’d done on tall ships for The Celestial Globe (my second novel). I also called up my dad for help sorting out a particular element of that battle (it’s so hard to talk about this without getting spoilery!). He was in the army and has had a longstanding fascination with war and the politics surrounding it. Some of that has rubbed off on me, and I did grow up watching things like Patton or the Ken Burns PBS documentary on The Civil War with him. My husband, who served in the French military, is very good at helping me plan an ambush.

Writing the duel was perhaps the scene of action I liked best—in part because I was surprised to find myself writing a duel at all! I hadn’t planned on it when I began the novel (not that I plan on a ton of things; I don’t really outline), and some of my very favorite moments in the book happened as a result of me trying to work the plot to the moment of a duel. I’d like to pretend that I had a very careful PLAN all laid out, all along, but the truth is that my thoughts when at the beginning of writing the book were more like, “Oooh, a duel! I must have one of those! Now, how to make that happen….?”

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THE WINNER'S CURSE

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Website • Facebook • Amazon • Goodreads

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MARIE RUTKOSKI

Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society, about a girl who discovers that she’s not human and that her kind are terrorists in an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire never happened. The Shadow Society will be published October 30, 2012. Marie has also written the children’s fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the Kalderash. The Cabinet of Wonders, her debut novel, was named an Indie Next Kids’ List Great Read and a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, among other honors.

Rutkoski grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She attended the University of Iowa. After graduating, she lived in Moscow and Prague. Upon receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard University, she held dual appointments as a lecturer there in both English and American Literature and Language, and History and Literature. Rutkoski is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children’s literature and creative writing. She usually lives in New York City with her husband and two sons, but she and her family are now living in Paris for the 2012-2013 academic year. 

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the amazing team at Macmillan, I have an exciting giveaway to share with all of you! Up for grabs to one lucky winner is not only a copy of The Winner's Curse, but also some really fantastic swag including bookmarks, stickers and eyeshadow. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is US only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure and check out the remaining stops on the tour for more interviews, guest posts and chances to win!

Sunday, February 9th
My Friends Are Fiction

Monday, February 10
The Midnight Garden

Tuesday, February 11
Mundie Moms

Wednesday, February 12
Supernatural Snark

Thursday, February 13
YA Bibliophile

Friday, February 14
The Book Rat

Saturday, February 15
Good Choice Reading

Sunday, February 16
Jenna Does Books

Monday, February 17
Love is Not a Triangle

Tuesday, February 18
Reading Teen

Wednesday, February 19
Miss Print

Thursday, February 20
Cuddlebuggery