THE BOOK
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Release Date:October 25, 2016
Publisher: Random House BYR
Release Date:
Publisher: Random House BYR
Summary:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.
Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.
Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.
THE INTERVIEW
1. GLITTER in one
sentence:
Danica
Grayson tries to escape a world of blackmail, court intrigue, fancy dresses,
and cutting-edge technology by selling a new designer drug.
(For a more detailed explanation, see Aprilynne's "About Glitter" post here!)
(For a more detailed explanation, see Aprilynne's "About Glitter" post here!)
2. What inspired
GLITTER?
Ha!
This is hilarious (to me) actually! I was a huge fan of Breaking Bad, and
though the series finale was amazing, I found the first half of Season 5 to be …
lackluster. And, as we egotistic writers do, I kept thinking, I could do
better. Then I thought, but what I really want to do is write girls in pretty
dresses. And that’s how it all started.
3.
What were some of the subjects you researched for GLITTER?
I
did SO much research into the time when the three King Louis lived in the
Palace of Versailles. Truly it’s glittering heyday. Lots of research into Marie
Antoinette, arguably France’s most famous queen ever, and watched a lot of
documentaries. I also spent a lot of time on the Palace of Versailles’ website
because the Palace is almost like a character itself and I wanted to feel like
I’d been there. (I haven’t, actually.)
4. Was there any particular
music that inspired you while writing GLITTER?
I
have no idea why the song Boston by Augustana resonated so deeply while I was
writing Glitter, but it did. More understandably, I discovered the song Le Tempdes Cathédrales from the musical Notre Dame de Paris while writing Glitter
(though it must be sung by Bruno Pelletier, and it must be sung in French) and
have listened to it over and over hundreds of times.
5. Who was your favorite character to write & why? Who
was your least favorite to write &
why?
Oh, the King. The King is
unabashedly a ruthless, awful, selfish person and not only does he know it, it
makes him a very good CEO. I enjoy seeing just how bad I can make him, while
still making him the hero of his own journey. That being said, in the sequel,
as I continue to take Danica down her own path, Danica is getting to be just as
much fun to write as the King … though I probably shouldn’t say much about
why. :)
My least favorite character to
write is Danica’s mother who is an equally awful person, but making her act
selfishly in a way that she is quite aware is going to make her child suffer is
difficult to write as a mother. It’s a line I would never cross and writing a
truly awful mother has been stretching for me as an author. But it’s not fun.
6. What’s your
favorite line/passage in GLITTER?
Oh
dear. It’s the last couple lines of the book. I truly can’t say anything beyond
that. However, my second fave is about a character I adore, named Lord Aaron:
“Some knights appear on white steeds; mine rides bejeweled heels with satin laces.”
7.
Aprilynne Pike's GLITTER Love
List
- Danica’s hair! It’s long and thick and can make a pompadour all by itself.
- Pretty. Dresses. That is all. :)
- Writing a selfish and rather reckless anti-heroine.
- Men in heels.
- Fancy food.
- A hero who is in no position to save anything, much less the day.
- My setting. Not just the Palace of Versailles, but Paris.
- Danica’s corset.
- M.A.R.I.E.’s acronym (the Mainframe for Autonomous Robotic Intelligence Enhancement).
- All of the little things that don’t seem so important in this book, that are crucial in the next one.
8. If possible, would
you live in your future Palace of Versailles Pocket Kingdom? Why or why not?
Oh
man, I would be sorely tempted to say yes! All the glitz and glamour of the
days of the Sun King, but with all of the modern comforts they didn’t have
access to four hundred years ago. If only the government weren’t so very
corrupt …
9. Is GLITTER a
standalone or a series?
Glitter
is going to be two books and I am editing the sequel as we speak! It’s slated
to come out one year after Glitter.
10. Anything else you’d
like to say about GLITTER?
As fun as it’s been to write an anti-heroine,
it’s nerve-wracking too. Male characters get away with so much more than female
characters without losing the sympathy of the reader. So I am hoping that readers
will enjoy reading about a girl who does some really bad things as much as I
enjoyed writing her doing them! Main character she is … Good girl she is not.
And that's it! Thank you so much to Aprilynne for the interview. ❤❤ If you want even more info on this amazing book, check out the Happy Ever After interview Aprilynne did back in March for the cover reveal here, and be on the lookout for the GLITTER Blog Tour this October from Rockstar Book Tours!
And that's it! Thank you so much to Aprilynne for the interview. ❤❤ If you want even more info on this amazing book, check out the Happy Ever After interview Aprilynne did back in March for the cover reveal here, and be on the lookout for the GLITTER Blog Tour this October from Rockstar Book Tours!
Aprilynne Pike is a critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author of young adult fiction including the Wings series, Earthbound series, Charlotte Westing Chronicles, and Life After Theft. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and their four children.
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Glitter sounds really interesting and I love the cover it's so pretty with the colors it has a watercolor effect.
ReplyDeleteI need this book like yesterday. I've asked for ARCs before but due to limited numbers I wasn't able to get one. ): So I would DIE to win this give away!! I found out about this via Amazon and Bookcon Chicago! I want to read this so badly!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can put into words how excited I am for Glitter... Like, that cover!!! That synopsis!!!! Everything about it has me going, "GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!" I love books set in the 18th century - Queens!!!!!!!! Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future?!?!?!? AH!!!!! (Okay, I'm rambling... I'll stop now!)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this opportunity! I could cry just thinking about possibly getting my hands on this ARC!
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore the Wings series, and I'm filled with anticipation for Glitter! When you combine historical fiction, the black market, and badass women, it's a recipe for a book I'm going to love. I can't wait to read it, and am so excited to have this opportunity to possibly win an ARC.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for Glitter! The cover is gorgeous *.* I loved both the Wings and Earthbound series, so I'm hoping to love Glitter as well!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good and I'm so excited!
ReplyDeleteI am so so excited for Glitter! I first heard about this book about three months back, and I've been dying for it to come out already! The cover is absolutely GORGEOUS!! I haven't read any of Aprilynne's books yet, but I've only heard good feedback, so I hope to get around to reading it soon!
ReplyDelete