Today marks the last day of the
The Big Love Letter Event, the joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from
Bewitched Bookworms
and myself, and to bring this event home in a big way I have two fantastic letters to share with you all. I couldn't be more excited by the response we've gotten to these letters, and I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to the amazing authors who participated and all of you readers for making this letter extravaganza such a success. Massive hugs to everyone:)
I'm so excited to start off this two author finale with a letter from the Tin Woodsman to Dorothy, two characters from next month's debut novel from Danielle Paige,
Dorothy Must Die. I've been absolutely salivating over this book ever since I saw the cover reveal and the dark, gritty gorgeousness of it made me decide I had to have it on the spot. After reading the below letter my need for this book has grown to a nearly unbearable degree, but luckily in just a few short weeks I'll be able to have it in my grabby little hands. I hope you all enjoy a sneak peek at
Dorothy Must Die!
• • • • • LETTER ONE • • • • •
If you’ve read the prequel No Place Like Oz, then you know the Tin Woodsman has more than a little crush on Dorothy. It only gets more intense in Dorothy Must Die, out April 1.
Dearest Dorothy –
I am not a man of words like the Scarecrow. But this heart that I have because of you still does not know restraint. I write this to you as I sit across from you in the Emerald Castle. You think I am writing down your wishes. But I am writing my own.
You want me to find this new girl from the Other Place who landed here in her Tin House. Something about her scares you. Perhaps you fear that she may be a little like you used to be. Perhaps you fear that one day she might be as powerful as you. But no matter, I will deliver her to you in one piece or in pieces. Because it is what you wish.
I think you know how I feel. But you do not say it and I do not say it. It is a kindness that you do not reject me openly. And you are not often as kind as you used to be.
I remember what you looked like that day – the day you saved me. You wore your hair pigtails and that simple blue and white dress and a smile that seemed to be filled with sunshine and something else, something from The Other Place. Something that echoed in the hollow of my chest, where nothing had echoed before.
I don’t know how long I stood in that road ax in hand – stuck and powerless. With an oil can and a smile, you gave me power and agency and hope. You showed me my strength and my heart. I was not supposed to be able to feel what I feel. But when I saw your smile, that cloud-parting smile, and you grabbed my hand to get me moving again, I knew I had never met your likeness nor would I ever again.
You made me see that we were all stuck once. Me, beside the Yellow Brick Road. Scarecrow on his post. The Lion, hiding out from his pride. And you, in The Other Place. But you saved us all and together we saved Oz. So why shouldn’t you have what you want when you want it. Why should I not do all in my power to give it to you?
Sometimes, I miss that simple dress and that simple girl who greeted every challenge on the road with courage and wonder. You called it “pluck.” You said many people had it in The Other Place. But I had never seen it before or since in anyone but you. Not in the soldiers of my army, not in the witches or the Munchkins. Your pluck trumps them all. And it slays me.
I know the distance between my heart and yours seems far. But life in Oz is so very long. I believe that your heart will change. I have seen you change before. I wait for that, for you.
I was doubtful when we started down this path—when you started to take more than you gave. But I see what no one else sees—what only a true friend can see. Through it all you have been faithful to me, the Lion, and the Scarecrow. We change but we do not part.
We remain on the road together. And maybe, just maybe one day you’ll take my hand again.
With all My Heart,
Nick, The Tin Woodsman
• • • • • • • • • • •
DOROTHY MUST DIE
(releases April 1st from HarperTeen)
I didn't ask for any of this.
I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure,
I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the
rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look
like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked
Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed
for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but
even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she
found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power
went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.
Find Danielle:
• • • • • LETTER TWO • • • • •
The second letter today comes from Nichole Chase, an author I fell in love with earlier this year when I read
Suddenly Royal.
Suddenly Royal was one of the cutest books I've had the pleasure of reading, with a very smart heroine in possession of a sharp wit and tongue, and a romance of the complete comfort variety that you'll want to pick up and read whenever you're having a bad day.
Nichole has brought with her a letter written from her to David, the hero of the second book in the Suddenly series,
Recklessly Royal. In it she shows a little bit of possessiveness which I completely approve of because there's no doubt in my mind I'm going to lay claim to him as a fictional boyfriend as soon as I "meet" him, so she's smart to remind him of the role she plays in his life ;-)
Dearest David,
I knew from the moment you walked onto the page in SUDDENLY ROYAL that you would have a story to tell. You were hot, protective, and a little on the uptight side. What would it take to get you to loosen up a little? And then it hit me. All that time, you were meant for a princess. A princess that was ready to cut loose and live a little; one that was maybe a little too reckless.
What I hadn’t realized was that I was going to fall in love with you so fast. You drove me crazy. The back and forth, the almosts but not quites, the teasing banter mixed with your steadfast loyalty was irresistible. Every time I would think, “This is it!” you’d pull back with more resolve than I thought anyone was possible of possessing. It drove me just as crazy as it did Cathy. You had a mind of your own, a plan, and you stuck to it.
You’re the whole package. Smart, sexy, trustworthy. There’s not a thing I would change about you.
And now I have to share you.
When RECKLESSLY ROYAL comes out in the world, you’re going to break hearts, raise expectations, and cause episodes of swooning.
Just remember.
I loved you first.
Always,
Nichole Chase
• • • • • • • • • • •
RECKLESSLY ROYAL
(releases March 25th from Avon)
Catherine has spent her
life being the perfect princess. She’s kept her hands clean, her head
down, and most importantly—men at arm’s length. After all, most men are
after only one thing, and for Cathy there’s a lot more at stake than her
bed; she has to worry about the fate of an entire nation. But at the
rate she’s going, Cathy is afraid she’ll give the Virgin Queen a run for
her money. She is tired of waiting for someone good enough to come
along. She has a plan, and it all hinges on seducing the one man who
seems utterly unimpressed by all things royal. The one man she is
tempted by more than any other . . .
When David arrives at the
royal wedding of his friend, the newly ordained Duchess Samantha
Rousseau, he expected to feel uncomfortable and out of his element, but
he wasn’t prepared to be targeted by Prince Alex’s gorgeous younger
sister. With Cathy’s giant blue eyes, killer figure, and sense of humor,
it won’t take long before he gives in. But when he finds out just how
innocent the crown princess really is, will he play the part of knight
in shining armor or the dashing rogue?
Find Nichole:
• • • • • • • • • • •
GIVEAWAY
Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!
- Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from
one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as
long as Book Depository ships to you!)
- Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
- Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins
(open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so
much Wendy!
