Compulsion Blog Tour + Giveaway: Talking Magic with Jessica Spotswood

Today I'm hugely excited to be a stop on the I Have A Compulsion for Magic blog tour, a tour celebrating the upcoming release of Martina Boone's debut novel, Compulsion. I've been not-so patiently waiting (because I lack patience of any kind when it comes to books) for this book to release since the moment I saw the gorgeous cover and read the synopsis, and now the wait is almost over. YAY!

I couldn't be happier to turn my blog over to author Jessica Spotswood, who's lending Martina a hand with her pre-release festivities and is going to answer a few questions about magic. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more surprise guests, excerpts and giveaways!

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Ever wonder what it would be like to have a little bit of magic to use everyday? That’s what the Compulsion for Magic tour is all about! The characters on Watson Island don’t levitate, they don’t freeze time, and they don’t have magic wands. They just have an extra “gift” that doubles as a curse if you look at it from a different angle, and like in Jessica Spotswood’s Cahill Witch Chronicles trilogy, the magic doesn’t like not being used.
 
Because she knows a thing or two about the inconvenient aspects of magic, we’ve asked the lovely Jessica Spotswood to tell us a little about what kind of magic she and her characters wish—and don’t wish—they had.

If you could have any “everyday” magical gift, like finding lost things or knowing what people want, what gift would you want and why?

I'm not sure this counts as "everyday" magic, but I'd most like a time-turner. Mostly to give myself a few extra hours every day to read for pleasure. I feel like it's the first thing to go when I get busy, which is dreadful.

What everyday magic would your characters wish they had and why?

Ooh, interesting question, since my characters are witches. What can't they do magically that they'd like to, though? Cate would like to be a plant-whisperer - to know what each plant needs to thrive - because she loves gardening and gets such joy from it. Tess would choose to relive memories so she could spend more time with those she misses. Maura - oh, Lord, asking Maura this question would be downright dangerous because she'd never settle for something "everyday." Finn would love to have some magical way of absorbing more knowledge - maybe the ability to read a book by osmosis?

Eight, Barrie’s love interest in Compulsion, has inherited his family’s gift of knowing what people want and feeling compelled to give it to them. What’s one gift you’re glad you don’t have? Or your characters would be glad they didn’t have?

I wouldn't want the ability to see the future. It's tempting sometimes (especially in this business, I think!), but half the magic and bravery of things is in the not-knowing and doing it anyway. I think Cate would prefer not to have her mind-magic, because she regrets some of the things she's done with it. I don't think Maura and Tess would give it up, though.

Barrie is tied to her family’s plantation, Watson’s Landing, in a magical way, and the whole landscape becomes magical for her. What’s the one place in your book that you wish you could bring to life?

Belastra's Bookshop, where Cate and Finn share their first kiss and she loses control of her magic. Also - it's a bookshop!

If you were going to a Halloween party and you had to dress as a character from a Southern Gothic or a Gothic romance, what would your costume look like?

I'd be Jane Eyre, I think - hair pulled back plainly and drab governess-appropriate clothes, but armed with a stack of books and a witty tongue and a loyal heart.

Your turn! We want to hear from you! What kind of a “gift” would you like to have? For a chance to win the HUGE tour mega prize of books and the $100 gift card, tell us in the comments below—but remember, as it is on Compulsion’s Watson Island—magic isn’t always a solution, it’s just as often a problem in itself.
 
Would you go with an unusual magic or a useful one?

And/Or . . .

Bonus option: If you’d rather do a photo answer, show us a Halloween costume with your interpretation of a literary witchy, Southern Gothic, Gothic, or magical costume! Would you go as Hermione Granger, one of the Cahill sisters, or one of the Vampire Diaries witches? Or would you take Jessica’s route of a Gothic character like Jane Eyre? Post a comment with the URL to your photo and we’ll share it. Use tag #CompulsionMagic.

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COMPULSION

Heirs of Watson Island #1

Releases October 28th from Simon & Schuster

Three plantations.  Two gifts. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt ’s South Carolina plantation instead–a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who somehow seems to know what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family ’s twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Pre-order Compulsion:

IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Signed copies are available for pre-order from One More Page Books. You can also pre-order with the special “I have a Compulsion for reading” bookplate from Eight Cousins. Pre-Order Incentives Going on here.

Early Praise for Compulsion:

“ Darkly romantic and steeped in Southern Gothic charm, you’ll be compelled to get lost in the Heirs of Watson Island series.”
— #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout

"A fresh twist on the Southern Gothic — haunting, atmospheric, and absorbing.”
— Claudia Gray, New York Times bestselling author of A Thousand Pieces of You and the Evernight and Spellcaster series

"Compulsion is a stunningly magical debut with a delicious slow burn to be savored. I want to live in this story world!"
— Wendy Higgins, USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy from HarperTeen

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MARTINA BOONE 

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She fell in love with words and never stopped delighting in them.

She ’s the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site devoted to encouraging literacy and all things YA Series.

From her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, children, and Auggie the wonder dog, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Website | Blog | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Do you have a Compulsion for Reading? Then you don't want to miss what Martina Boone is giving away! 5 lucky winners will each win the following:

• Grand Prize Winner - will win EVERYTHING pictured above! That's the right! That entire bag of books will go to 1 reader!! US residents only.
• Next Winner - will win a $100 gift card to the book store of their choice! Open internationally.
• 3 Additional winners will each win a Compulsion prize pack which features a signed copy of Compulsion, a Compulsion necklace and bookmarks. Open internationally.

To enter, please fill out the form below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and don't forget to stop by the other participating blogs!

10/6- Reading Teen, intro to tour & giveaway
10/7 - Fiktshun, Kimberly Derting & Kami Garcia guest post & giveaway
10/8 - Chapter by Chapter, excerpt & giveaway
10/10 - Katie's Book Blog, Paula Stokes guest post & giveaway

10/13 - Curling Up With A Good Book, Jodi Meadows guest post & giveaway
10/14 - Fangirlish, Amy Ewing guest post & giveaway
10/15 - Reading Lark, excerpt & giveaway
10/16 - Good Books & Good Wine, Megan Shepherd guest post & giveaway
10/17 - Jenuine Cupcakes, Beth Revis guest post & giveaway

10/20 - Mundie Moms, Martina Boone interview & giveaway 
10/21 - Guest post with Martina Boone & Sara, and giveaway 
10/22 - Supernatural Snark, Jessica Spotswood guest post & giveaway 
10/23 - Girls in The Stacks, excerpt & giveaway 
10/24 - Novel Novice, Leah Cypess guest post & giveaway 

10/27 - Once Upon a Twilight, Kat Zhang guest post & giveaway 
10/28 - Martina Boone, tour wrap up