Shadow of the Mark Blog Tour - Guest Post

Today I have the pleasure of taking part in the blog tour for Leigh Fallon's second book, Shadow of the Mark. As part of the blog tour, I have the honor of having author Leigh Fallon here on the blog to discuss the importance of setting in a story. And be sure to keep reading for your chance to enter a giveaway.

The importance of setting - why set your story where (and possibly when) you do.

For me, the setting of a story is as important as the story itself. I like my setting to be a character in my book. It has meaning, presence, and a bearing on the plot.

In the Carrier series, Ireland plays a role.  It is central to the story, where the lore began, it holds the magic deep in its core. The remnants of Danu’s great power still emanates from the echoed soils of old. It’s a living breathing, feeling thing. It takes no sides. It simply is.

The different character traits of the setting were imperative for tone and mood. Ireland’s weather is brooding. The cloud and rain are always present like a somber drape cloaking the rich and ancient landscape. But when the sun breaks through, the light brings warmth, hope, and sets off more shades of green than you can possibly imagine. It’s an amazing sight.  Then the wind that that constantly whips and the coastline, gouges out a rugged coastline, and sculpts the most unusual landscape is a constant reminder of the power of nature and how we are at its mercy.  Ireland is timeless. We humans are merely blips on its timeline, our impact on it, minimal.

Ireland’s scenery, weather, and history, created not only a beautiful backdrop, but also a complex and multilayered entity that would weave through each characters everyday life and eventually, become part of them.

I always use careful consideration when choosing a setting for a story. It can impact every aspect of a manuscript. It is not just a landscape in which to set a story, it is a platform providing emotion, conflict, mood, tone, conflict, and intrigue. Pick the right one and you can create a vivid world that people will connect with and immerse themselves in.

About the book:

Their love could destroy them all.

Through the ages, Marked Ones have harnessed the powers of the four elements: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. Much about the elements is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain: A relationship between two Marked Ones has the potential to cause widespread devastation.

Megan and Adam—Air and Water—are determined to defy the risks.

But the power that swirls inside Megan is growing in twisted ways. And the closer she is to Adam, the closer Megan comes to unleashing a dark force that could spell destruction for the entire Marked line.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/The Book Depository

About the author:

Leigh Fallon was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in her 20's. While living in beautiful Kinsale, her novel, The Carrier of the Mark was conceived. She promptly abandoned her 'riveting' career in corporate treasury and discovered Inkpop, a website for budding writers of teen fiction. Within weeks her manuscript hit the coveted top five spot and was reviewed by an editor at HarperCollins. A few emails and some hysterical screaming later, she signed her first deal. Leigh and her family now share their time between Ireland and the US.

Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaway:

Does Shadow of the Mark sound like something you want to read? Be sure to enter the giveaway below using the Rafflecopter form  for your chance to win one of three great prizes.

1st place: a signed copy of Shadow of the Mark and a boat load of goodies, including a silver bookmark. USA ONLY (see picture below)

2nd place: a $10 Book Depository gift card and some signed swag. INTERNATIONAL

3rd place: signed swag. INTERNATIONAL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Today, I am incredibly lucky to be taking part in the cover reveal for Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, so without further ado, here it is.

Life for Megan Rosenberg just got a lot more complicated.

While she evoked the air element, and her feelings for Adam intensified, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal has been spun around her. With the Order tightening its hold, and the reinstatement of the Mark Knights, Megan has more questions than answers as the Marked Ones grow in strength.

New people around suspicion, the DeRises start behaving strangely, and Megan begins to unravel a destiny shrouded in mystery. It's a destiny the Order has struggled to hide, and a destiny someone from the past…far in the past, has already laid claim to.

Alliances will be made, and friends will be lost, as the Order's dark secrets are revealed by the very thing they sought to destroy. 

Isn't this cover absolutely gorgeous, personally I think so, but here's what author Leigh Fallon had to say about it.

I know, there's no mistaking it. This is definitely a Carrier Series cover, but that was the intention. After the amazing reception to the cover of Carrier of the Mark, HarperCollins wanted Shadow's cover to be instantly recognizable. And it is, but the new darker color palette reflects the darker tone that this installment brings, and the pink and purple really make it pop. I love it and think HarperCollins have done another amazing job. I hope you like it too.

To make things even better, Leigh Fallon is running a giveaway to celebrate the reveal of the Shadow of the Mark cover. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Leigh Fallon

I started out life in South Africa. A year later my parents moved home to Dublin, Ireland. When I was older and realized my parents had moved me from exotic Durban, to sedate Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, I was really ticked off.

Giving up lions for sheep, I grew up in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains where I went to a convent school and had to contend with uniforms, gabardines, and nuns. When not dodging the beady glare of the Sisters of Mercy, I was devouring every book I could get my hands on.

I traveled all over Europe while working in banking and treasury, but I gave up my calculator in favor of a keyboard and haven't stopped writing since. My first book, Carrier of the Mark, was published by HarperTeen in 2011.

Our home is in Cork in the south of Ireland, but we're currently on loan to Massachusetts in the US where I continue to write books about magic, ghosts, and romance, with a bit of Irish flavor.

Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon will be published July 9, 2013 and you can already pre-order the book on Amazon.

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Title: Carrier of the Mark (Carrier #1)

Author: Leigh Fallon

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: October 4, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

THEIR LOVE WAS MEANT TO BE.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRis.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

I have been hearing about Leigh Fallon and Carrier of the Mark for the longest time so I was really looking forward to being able to finally read it. And at first, I really didn't think much about it, but the next thing I knew I couldn't put the book down.

Megan never really felt like she fit in at any of the schools she went to in America, but when she and her dad move to Ireland she began feeling at home right away. Right from day one, she made new friends and fit right in. But soon enough, weird things start happening everywhere Megan goes and she can't seem to find a logical explanation for any of it. And then there's the DeRis family. Any times one of them is around, those weird happenings just seem to follow. But Megan also feels strangely attracted to Adam DeRis, despite the fact that everyone keeps telling her that she should stay away. And as Megan gets closer and closer to Adam, she discovers that her destiny is much greater than she ever thought imaginable. And that maybe she shouldn't try so hard to resist her attraction to Adam.

I'm not being honest if I don't say that at first I didn't really think much of Carrier of the Mark. For about the first 50 pages or so I was wondering when stuff would happen and things would start picking up, I found myself having trouble putting the book down. It was like all of a sudden, everything was happening all at once and I started loving the story more and more. I can now say that Leigh Fallan wrote a really great story. I loved the Irish folklore in the book and found the way the four elements were included in the story very interesting. It was definitely something new and different.

Though there wasn't much action going on at first, I still liked Megan right from the start. I felt like I could really relate to her, especially when it comes to the whole moving around and changing schools often. But other than that, Megan still felt really real to me and I felt like I could really understand her. Adam DeRis sounded very dreamy and I could totally see why Megan was so attracted to him. But Adam was a lot more than just a dreamy exterior. He was fiercely loyal and more than willing to stand up for those he cared about and loved. Most importantly, I loved how much he cared about Megan and he was always there to protect her. As for the rest of the characters, I loved all the Irish expressions and traditions they had. And from what I know, Irish people tend to often be really great.

Overall, Carrier of the Mark was a really great read and I loved discovering Leigh Fallon and her fantastic writing. And the way it ended, I can't wait for the next book to come out to find out what happens next.