Welcome to the blog tour for The Cage by Megan Shepherd! Check out the interesting interview I have with Megan, and enter to win a prize!
Meet Megan!
Alyssa: Hi, Megan! Thank you so much for joining me today on my blog! And congratulations on yet another release! How does it feel to be published four times now? :)
Megan: Hey, Alyssa! I’m thrilled to have my fourth book on shelves, especially the start of a brand-new series!
Alyssa: Describe some differences in THE CAGE, versus writing THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER (the first novels in a series)
Megan: When I wrote THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER, I was unpublished, unagented, and didn’t know very much about the business end of writing. Now that I know more about the market, about readers’ tastes, and publishers’ expectations, I sometimes find it hard to just sit back and write. While I was writing THE CAGE, I really had to find ways to clear all those worries from my head and just focus on the story.
Alyssa: Were there any novels that inspired or influenced THE CAGE?
Megan: When I started writing THE CAGE, I kept thinking back to an old episode of ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? that I remembered from my childhood. Did you ever watch that show? So I was in part inspired by that, and in part by the fast pace and themes of some great current YA sci-fi books like ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and SHATTER ME.
Alyssa: Did you come up with the comparison in the synopsis (“THE MAZE RUNNER meets Scott Westerfeld”)? What do you think of this comparison?
Megan: I didn’t! My publisher wrote that description. I feel really honored to be compared to those awesome books & authors.
Alyssa: Do you prefer writing historical fiction, or science fiction?
Megan: It really depends. I like writing the historical fiction voice best, and I find it a relief to write about a time period before the internet/cell phones/computers, but I also love the big philosophical questions you also often find in science fiction.
Alyssa: That’s it from me! Thank you for your time, and best of luck with the books (and movie)!
Megan: Thanks so much, Alyssa! Awesome questions, and a pleasure talking with you!
About the Author:
Megan Shepherd grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where her family has owned and operated an independent bookstore for over 35 years. Shepherd attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in international studies and went on to live and work in Costa Rica, Senegal, Scotland, Spain, and many other countries. Now, Shepherd has returned to Western North Carolina and is a full-time writer of young adult novels.
She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.
Author Photo by Kristi Hedberg Photography
About the Book:
The Cage by Megan Shepherd
Book One of The Cage series
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Official Summary:
The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.
When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.
Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.
As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?
The Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a signed ARC of THE CAGE with a CAGE bookmark and sticker sheet. US Only.
Follow the Tour!
Week One:
5/18/2015- No BS Book Reviews- Interview
5/19/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Review
5/20/2015- Bewitched Bookworms- Guest Post
5/21/2015- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review
5/22/2015- Novel Novice- Interview
Week Two:
5/25/2015- Fiktshun- Guest Post
5/26/2015- Bookish- Review
5/27/2015- The Eater of Books!- Interview
5/28/2015- Such a Novel Idea- Review
5/29/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
Great interview- the more I see this one the more I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI've been really wanting to get my hands on this book, it sounds so awesome! I never even thought about how knowing about target audience and such might influence writing. Great interview! :)
ReplyDeleteMandy's Books and Beauty
I love the idea, and the cover is gorgeous! :)
ReplyDelete(Alisha Sienkiel in rafflecopter)
ReplyDeleteI love The Madman's Daughter Trilogy so I am very excited to read this book. Plus I love the cover. Thanks for the chance! :)
I haven't read the Maze Runner or the Madman's Daughter, bt will put them both on my summer reading list.
ReplyDelete