Blog Tour: The Offering by Kimberly Derting ~ Spotlight ~ Excerpt ~ Author Interview ~ Giveaway !!!

The Offering by Kimberly Derting

Synopsis:

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy. Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

Praise for The Offering:

"This was a truly epic ending to the series." --Crystal Perkins, Goodreads Review "The final book in Kimberly Derting’s Pledge trilogy is a thrilling conclusion. I was immediately swept up into it and powered right through. It was pretty much what I wanted with a few surprises along the way." --Krys at Bibliopunkk Reads

EXCERPTS -

The two guards dragged Xander toward a small, round opening in the stone floor, a hole through which blood could easily drain away to the sewers. They, along with two others who’d appeared, pinned him to the ground while he continued to writhe and scream. They waited until he was too weary to fight any longer. Until he had no other option but to accept this fate he’d been handed.

Then the executioner raised his blade.

Niko would have closed his eyes, if Elena wasn’t observing him so keenly. Unlike Niko, she had no interest in turning away. She seemed to relish the moment.

When the axe fell and the sharp crack of metal struck stone beneath, he felt the slightest jerk from beside him. But when he turned his gaze on her, he saw that she was frowning at the hem of her gown, rather than at the grisly view at her feet.

“Will you look at that,” she clucked, craning her neck to get a better look, and ignoring everything else going on around her. “He got blood on my new dress.”

AUTHOR INTERVIEW :

1. How will you describe your book within a sentence?

I hope readers find THE OFFERING to be action-packed, heart-wrenching, and a satisfying finale to THE PLEDGE trilogy...also someone will die.

2. Tell us about your favourite one among the characters of your own book? What special qualities make the particular character your favourite?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Angelina, Charlie’s little sister, from THE PLEDGE trilogy. There’s something very sweet about the bond she and Charlie have, and the entire time I was writing THE PLEDGE I kept imagining how my oldest daughter (who is 14 years older than my youngest daughter) would react if she were forced to protect her sister.

3. When and how did the thought of this story come up?

Unlike the idea for my other series, The Body Finder, which came to me all at once, the original idea for The Pledge came in pieces...more like a puzzle. The first piece was just a simple question: “What would it be like if someone could understand all languages?” But I definitely wanted the story itself to be bigger than just that component. I spent a lot of time—over a year—thinking about how Charlie’s ability would work, what kind of world she would live in, and developing the monarchies and her friends and family, before I’d ever written a single word.

I talk more about how I got the idea here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwK-Ja9wk4

With THE OFFERING, since it was the final book in the trilogy, I just wanted to make sure all the threads tied together in a way that would give both myself, and the readers, the closure we all deserved. I didn’t necessarily need it to be all happily-ever-after, but I wanted it to be satisfying, and I hope readers feel that it was.

4. How do you plan out your writing?

I’ve always been a “panster” (writing by the seat-of-my-pants), which basically means: no outline. Although, the more I write, especially in a series, I’ve come to realize I need more structure sometimes. So now I make these scribbly notes (my version of an outline), pour some hot tea (more than any human should consume), and sit my butt in my chair and start writing!

5. Describe yourself in 3 words.

Friendly. Hardworking. Loyal. (I sound a lot like a Labrador Retriever, don’t I?) I promise I won’t lick your face though.

6. Any secret or fact about you that will surprise your readers and others as well?

When I was little, I was a total Star Wars nerd and collected Star Wars trading cards and action figures. I desperately wanted to be Princess Leia (I kinda still do!)

7. Three most important things that an amateur writer must keep in mind while writing his first book.

That it’s okay to write a really crappy first draft—that’s what first drafts are for. That the hardest part sometimes is just making yourself sit down at your desk (or couch or bed, wherever it is you do your writing)—once you get started the words generally find their way out. And that learning to revise is what real writing is all about. That’s where you fix what isn’t working and polish all the rough edges. You may need to do this over and over and over again, until it resembles something book-ish.

8. Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not then what was your previous ambition and what made you change your decision and step in the field of writing?

I’ve pretty much known I wanted to be a writer since I was in the 7^th grade and took journalism as my elective credit. Back then I had big dreams of becoming a jet-setting journalist who covered wars and famines. When I was older, and realized what being a real journalist entailed (living in tents without showers, facing gunfire and disease), I realized that writing books from the safety of my home (in my pajamas, sometimes) would be a little less dangerous...and a lot more comfy!

9. Are you currently working on a project? If yes, would you like your readers to have a sneak peek into it?

I’m working on the second book in The Taking trilogy—the first book comes out April 29^th, 2014. It’s about a girl who wakes up after what she think is one night, only to realize that five years have passed and everyone she loves has moved on without her...yet she hasn’t aged a day.

10. Your top three favourite authors?

Stephen King (THE SHINING, IT, MISERY), Holly Black (The Curseworker’s Series), and JK Rowling (HARRY POTTER). Each of these authors has created worlds that stand the test of time, and made me view writing in a different way.

11. Your top three favourite books of all time?

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee, THE SHINING by Stephen King, and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris.

Author Kimberly Derting:

Kimberly Derting is the author of the BODY FINDER series, THE PLEDGE trilogy, and THE TAKING (coming April 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Seattle area, with her husband and three children, who often find the outrageous things they say either in the pages of her books or posted on Twitter or Facebook for the entire world to see.