What's Your Winner's Curse? Blog Tour + Giveaway

Today I'm hugely excited (and a little intimidated, Macmillan is really making me work! ;-) to be a part of the promotional tour for The Winner's Crime, the second book in Marie Rutkoski's amazing Winner's Trilogy. I couldn't have loved last year's The Winner's Curse more if I tried, so I may have begged and pleaded with the fantastic team at Macmillan to let me be a part of the pre-release festivities.

This tour is a little different from your standard interview and guest post-type tour in that the participating blogs have been asked to answer a not-so simple question:

The ‘Winner’s Curse’ is an economics term that means you’ve gotten what you wanted – but at too high a price.  What would you pay too much for?

Whew. See what I said about work? This is not an easy question to answer, and I feel like I should probably take the more deep and profound route by choosing something like world peace or the health and happiness of all my loved ones, but as those of you who know me have probably realized, I'm rarely deep and profound. While the tone of this series is decidedly darker in nature and likely warrants a suitably serious answer from me, because I've been struggling in the aftermath of losing one of my dogs, I could really use a few more posts that make me smile and therefore want to keep things a little lighter here on the blog. Let's put off tears and seriousness for another day, who's with me?

I've decided to create for you a fantasy list full of whimsy and romance wherein I detail for you the top three things for which I would absolutely pay far too much (monetarily that is, I'm not talking any kind of Faustian bargain). In no particular order:

1. A day (or a week? or several weeks?) on the set of Outlander.

You guys. OUTLANDER! I would pay ridiculous amounts of money (if I had it that is) to fly to Scotland and hang out with the oh-so good looking kilted cast of this show. I feel as though I would make a mean tavern wench given staring longingly at Jamie would take very little acting on my part. Also? I can ride a horse, so I'd fit right in. No training necessary. IT WAS MEANT TO BE! *waits patiently for the HBO folks to call*

2. A date with Chris Hemsworth. Or Liam. I'm not picky.

What? This is a FANTASY list everyone, and Chris Hemsworth is fantasy-worthy to be sure. I think my husband would even be fine with it because he recognizes that I have good taste ;-)

3. All my very favorite books made into movies. And to have a say in the casting ;-)

This seems like it could actually happen given how many outstanding books are finding their way to the big screen of late, but I'm talking about the books I love that will likely never make it there. Books like J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series or Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter books. Historical romances and urban fantasies; stories that will likely have a much harder time finding a market in film form than they do in book form. I long to see some of my most beloved characters (and book boyfriends) come to life, and I dream of a day where Netflix will be overrun with movies for every book in the Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson or Elemental Assassin series. I would definitely drain a good chunk of my bank account for that ;-)

I'd love to know how you guys would answer this question, seriously or more light-hearted as I did, so please share your thoughts in the comments!

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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. 

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THE WINNER'S CRIME

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

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MARIE RUTKOSKI

Marie Rutkoski is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Winner’s Curse (March 2014). She grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois as the oldest of four children and decided early on that she was Someone Who Loved Books.

After attending the University of Iowa and living in Moscow and Prague, she studied Shakespeare at Harvard University, where she honed her skill in referring to herself in the third person.

Marie is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance drama, children’s literature, and fiction writing. New York City is her home, and she thinks there must be birds of prey living in Washington Square Park; she can see large, wheeling wings from the window where she sits and writes. Marie has two small sons who try very hard to make friends with the family cat, only to be snubbed for the dark quiet of a closet. Marie can tie a double figure-eight knot with her eyes closed. She’s learning how to play the violin. She’s a sucker for fancy tea, and her favorite dessert is crème brulée. Or maybe sticky toffee pudding. Tough call.

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the enormously generous team at Macmillan, I have a copy of either The Winner's Curse or The Winner's Crime (winner's choice) to give away on the blog today. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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Don't forget to check out all the stops on this tour to see what everyone would pay too much for! You can find the full list of participating blogs here.