Friday, July 29, 2011

Guest Post + Quickie Giveaway - Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

From my review post earlier today, you know that I really, really liked the debut offering Ward Against Death from new author Melanie Card.  Well I am now very excited to be the first stop to host Melanie as she kicks off her blog tour with Entangled Publishing

Welcome and take it away Melanie....

 
Thank you Jules for inviting me to be your guest today. I’m so excited to be here.

Today I’d like to introduce the hero of my debut novel WARD AGAINST DEATH. One of the things I love about writing are characters who pop up and demand a story. Not all of my characters are like this, but my hero, Ward, knew what he wanted from the start.


He showed up one night when I was watching Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hallow. Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Ichabod Crane was so quirky and endearing (and he got the girl at the end of the movie!) At the same time I was pondering the question: in what situation would a necromancer be good instead of evil? (Yep, sometimes I think about the strangest things).


In answer to my question and inspired by a quirky Ichabod Crane, Ward showed up. Edward de’Ath the Fourth, to be precise. He comes from a long line of de’Ath necromancers who, through their magical abilities, study the dead and work to maintain the balance between life and death.
Like Ichabod, Ward is lanky, shy, and determined to make something of himself. He believes in hard work, study, and keeping his word. He’s sweet and compassionate. The kind of guy you want to hang out with and who has your back when you’re in trouble. But he also has two dark secrets.

The first is that he’s mystically blind, unable to see or sense magical energy, which means he never quite knows what he’s doing when he casts a spell. And the second is that he’d rather be a surgeon.

Unfortunately for him, surgery is consider desecration of the human body and is illegal. But all Ward dreams about is saving lives instead of studying death and while he became an apprentice physician, he can’t help but explore surgery.

When the book opens, Ward has been caught studying surgery and expelled from his physician’s school. He’s now forced to fall back on the family business of necromancy. If only that was the end of his troubles.


Thanks for joining me today. Ward was a fun hero to write and I hope he’s a fun hero to read about.

What are some of your favorite heroes and why do you love them?

Melanie, thank you so much for including One Book Shy on your tour.  I love hearing how characters introduce themselves to their authors.  It's been a treat having you here as well as getting the chance to enjoy Ward's story.  I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Readers:  Connect with Melanie:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads / MelanieCard.com

 
Melanie and Danielle from Entangled Publishing have generously offered one lucky reader at One Book Shy a chance to win their own copy of Ward Against Death in a quick 24 hour giveaway!  Thank you very much ladies and good luck readers..
  • Must have a US or Canadian mailing address.
  • Must answer Melanie's question from her guest post.  Leave a comment with your answer and your email address.
  • Drawing ends tonight at the stroke of midnight PST (7/29/11 - 11:59:59)
  • Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email notification.
  • One entry per person.

Ward Against Death can be found at  The Book Depository and Amazon as well as many other book retailers. 
 
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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

39 comments:

  1. Wow this book sounds great!! Thank you thank you for a chance to win!

    My face hero is Barrons from the fever series. True he is not much of a hero as he is always pushing Mac to adapt and change and do what he wants, but he does love her and would kill/ die for her. I guess the best part about his character is how imperfect and unrepentant he is about himself.

    Good luck with your book!
    eyesofblueice(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. hmmm...I like it when the bad guys get a break and win but with book heros its often more about the plot and circumstances...dont really have a favorite hero per say but I do like Tim Burtons movies>;)
    viajeradelmar@aol.com

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  3. What a pleasure it was to meet Ward! Thanks for sharing Melanie, and congrats!

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  4. This book is in my TBR pile and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Great premise, Melanie! I love quirky heros.

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  5. Hi Melanie! Great post! Good luck!
    Sarah

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  6. Ward sounds very interesting to me, Melanie. I think you may have just sold your book to me! :) Congratulations!

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  7. Thanks Melanie for the background on Ward. I read the excerpt and remember being intrigued. He has a hat he wants to hold on to as well, doesn't he? I'm looking forward to reading this one.
    Favorite heroes? They change over time but for a long, long time it was anyone Georgette Heyer wrote about; then Devil Cynster caught my eye and remains a blip on the screen even after Wrath from the Black Dagger Brotherhood completely took over. I think I like tortured heroes - lots of angst and many a save the cat moment even if they wont admit it. But Ward sounds quite interesting as well.
    All the best with the release,
    Cheers, Rayka

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  8. Oh I loved Johnny Depp's Ichabod Crane!!! Ward sounds fabulous!!! :)

    Congratulationson the new release Melanie!!!

    Lisa :)

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  9. I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a galley of this. You guys definitely want to read this book. It was original, fun, and Ward is the most endearing hero I've read about in a long time!

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  10. One of my favorite heros is Captain Carrot and Commander Vimes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Carrot has the looks of a typical hero, tall, muscled, and is descended from royalty. However, he works as a cop in a hardscrabble town and is endlessly naive and optimistic (easy to be when few people would want to end up on the other side of his sword) but occaisonally there are flashes of something else underneath.

    Commander Vimes is the opposite, he is honed by living and working in the town, cynical, and very street-smart. Unfortunately, he cannot get out of the way of Plot in the stories so he is constantly trying to resolve Plot.

    They're a lot of fun to follow along and I'm always happy when Pratchett includes them in his books.

    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

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  11. One of my favorite heroes in Jamie from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. He is the type of hero that grows on you. I love the way she peeled back his layers one at a time. It was like getting to know someone.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

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  12. I'm mid-way through this book, and can't wait for my busy schedule to get out of the way so I can get back to it. Great post!!!

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  13. I love reading in the paranormal romance genre, so a lot of the heroes that I like are the alpha types. My favourite would be Bones from the Night Huntress series because not only is he very sexy with his alpha male traits and an English accent, but he is also completely in love and devoted to Cat :)

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. WOOO! I was lucky enough to read a few chapters when Ward was just a young book- and it rocked! My fav heros? Ward :). I also love Tam from Lisa Shearin's series, and Martini from Gini Koch's series. I love quirky, funny, sexy, smart heroes and not so much the obsessively brooding ones.

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  15. My favorite Hero is Joscelin from Kushiel's Dart because he's so incredibly competent and hot. He's also very duty bound, which has an odd appeal to it.

    snifflykitty@gmail.com

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  16. Great post, Ward Agaist Death sounds like a great book and I enjoyed the review. I don't have one favorite hero/heroine because I follow a lot of different series but I would say that I really like Mercy Thompson from the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs and I do love Anita Blake from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton - whose character is also a necromancer. I'm also quite fond of Isyllt Iskaldur from The Necromancer Chronicles by Amanda Downum.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. I love Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow! It's one of my favorite movies. What a great inspiration.

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  18. Thanks to all who've commented. I love hearing about what people love about their favorite heroes.

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  19. Great post. Sounds like a really good book. Some of my favorites are Barrons, Curran, Bones and Roarke. All strong characters on their own. But also can be caring and willing to help those they love. Complex characters with many sides.

    baccchus76 at myself dot com

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  20. I love the tortured, brooding hero, Melanie, because it's so fun to see him fall in love and come back from all that craziness! Cant' wait to read your story. :-)

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  21. Roarke from J.D. Robb's In Death series is my favorite hero. He is supportive of Eve and he is always there when she needs him!
    mittens0831 at aol dot com

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  22. One of my favorites is Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series he is kind of an underdog hero! He's the anti-good guy but deep down he is a good guy he always swings in to save the day!! But we are suppose to remember he is mean and scary!! Yeah right!!
    GFC Shannon Johnson
    shannonjean14(at)gmail(dot)com

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  23. I like a strong alpha hero, who will do anything to protect his woman. My favorite hero is Ruark Beauchamp from the novel Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.
    mizztuts AT bellsouth DOT net

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  24. I'm intrigued... necromancy. I'm reading Anita Blake, so yeah.

    I've never heard of anything being inspired by that story, but I haven't really looked.

    I a few different kinds of heroes. Mostly I like heroes that help bring out the heroine's personality. I like Barrons and recently Bones.

    Thanks form this giveaway!

    itwasalie AT gmail DOT com

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  25. I really like the cover and Melanie is a new author to me so I would love to read it. One of my favourite hero is Zsadist from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Despite the inhumane things he has endured he has a HUGE heart! It just took a little (or a lot) of coasxing from a special female to draw it out.

    Cambonified[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  26. I love the bad boys with hearts, like the unlikely heroes in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward - Zsadist, Vishous, Rhage.

    Please enter me in the draw!

    My email address is darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  27. Thanks for the chance to win. Ward Against Death sounds like a very interesting book. My favorite heroine is J A Jance's Joanna Brady. She portrays a strong and capable woman who is also family minded.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  28. Some of my favoirte heroes is Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Vincent from Beauty and the Beast. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. It sounds very good. I am a follower and email subscriber. Tore923@aol.com

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  29. This sounds like an awesome book and I would love to read it. Thank you for the wonderful post and giveaway opportunity. Congratulations on the release and I send good thoughts for much success. My favorite heroes - are a long list. I love strong,no nonsense men, who will get the job done and save the day. One example is the Mallory men they have been part of Johanna Lindsay's novels for many years and frankly are the epitome of what a hero should be :) On the UF front I love Harry Dresden and on the gritty mean street novels I love Burke from the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss.

    So many heroes - each to hold a different place in my heart - will Ward join the team? :)

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

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  30. I agree with Tara, I like a strong alpha hero, who will do anything to protect his woman but I don't have anyone inparticular in mind.
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

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  31. My hero is Harry Potter. I know he seems kind of obvious, but he's been through the ringer and when I would have given up a long time ago, he just perseveres. He puts the needs of the others above his own. I think he's a great character in children's literature or MG or YA or just Lit.

    Thanks for the giveaway! Read a great review at Small Review as well as here of Ward Against Death. I can't wait to read it!

    Heather
    hrose2931(at)gmail(dot)com

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  32. Favorite heroes? That is a hard one, there are so many. I like my heroes to be honorable and to have a sense of humor. Life is too short and too difficult not to face with wit and humor.
    I just finished Pamela Clare's SURRENDER and UNTAMED. They follow the MacKinnon brothers during the French and Indian War. They exemplify honor and loyalty.

    librarypat AT comcast DOT net

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  33. I wouldn't say I have a favorite hero. I just like it where the good guy wins. I would love to Jacob win but that doesn't seem like it's gonna happen. Thanks for the flash giveaway.

    Mary_Reiss @ hotmail.com

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  34. Thanks for sharing love sleepy hollow this sounds like a great book can't wait to read it!
    tishajean@ charter.net

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  35. I don't really think that I have a favorite hero. This book sounds awesome, and I would love to read it. Thanks for the opportunity!
    -Carly Waid
    carlymartellowaid(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    My favorite hero... tough to choose. I liked Katniss from The Hunger Games for sure among many others.
    twigerina@hotmail.com

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  37. Ward sounds like a terrific hero who is conflicted in lots of ways. Yum! My favorite heroes are those people who put their lives at risk to save others, and my husband, who keeps me laughing and is always "there" for me. Congrats on the debut book, Melanie! It sounds like a winner.

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  38. Such a fascinating concept! I can't wait to read it. Now I have to go watch Sleepy Hallow.

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