The Offering by Kimberly Derting
Synopsis:
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.
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 7th
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 29th, 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.
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.
Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/21/14
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