End of the World Giveaway Hop Featuring Elizabeth Richards, author of Black City

Announcing the End of the World Giveaway Hop

December 14th to 21st

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
& My Life With Books

12/21/12 

The Mayan Calendar Ends!

Does it mean the end of the World? 

Probably not but just in case...

Which books would you save if the world was coming to an end?  

I love this topic! I just read a wonderful book that is both about the end of the world, and one that I would like to save :-)

Goodreads Book Description: A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Amazon Review: Black City Review

Author blurb:

Elizabeth Richards is an award-winning journalist who spent her early career reviewing video games for a living before making the bold (or crazy) move to become a travel writer and editor, specializing in cruise holidays, despite suffering from terrible sea sickness.

In her spare time Elizabeth ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls, where she got to interview many of her favorite bands, go to gigs and basically bag loads of free swag all in the name of "research".

More recently she worked as a website editor before deciding to pursue her dream of becoming an author. She now dedicates her time to writing fantasy books aimed at young adults. BLACK CITY is her debut novel.

I am so pleased to introduce Day, one of the terrific characters from Black City, who has agreed to do an interview for Ensconced in YA!

Day, I want to welcome you to Ensconced in YA. It's such a pleasure to have you here. I have so many questions for you! 

Fire away!

First, tell us about where you live. What is living in Black City like-- what would you say are the best and worst things about it?

Where do I even begin with the bad things? There’s so many! The city is in ruins, the sky is permanently black, there are no opportunities for anyone, we’re constantly being watched, and there’s lots of tension in the air—the Sentry hates the Workboots, the Workboots hate the Sentry, and everyone hates the Darklings. Not to mention the fact no one is allowed out after curfew because of the Wraths. It’s pretty miserable. However, there’s one really positive thing about Black City and that’s the people. We’re tough, resilient, and brave. We’re not scared to stand up to Purian Rose and tell him things have to change.

What is your school like especially with integration with Darklings?

I think our school is like any other, really, although it’s very strict and part of it is out-of-bounds because it was bombed during the air-raids. Also, we’re the only school in the country which has a Darkling and an Emissary’s daughter as students, so we get a lot of attention from the press! When Ash first joined the school, everyone was outraged. But when they realized he wasn’t going to bite anyone, they relaxed and just got on with it. The students barely notice him now, to be honest. He just keeps to himself, and stays out of trouble.

Our readers have to know. Is there a special guy in your life?

Yes. Well, sort of. There’s this guy, Beetle, who I really care about. We used to date, but then his parents were killed in the air-raids last year, and things sort of spiraled out of control for him. He got hooked on Haze, became a member of Humans for Unity, and started hanging out with Ash and…well, there wasn’t space for me anymore in his life. But I still love him.

We hear that you are best friends with Natalie. Tell us a little about how you two first met and what that was like.

Natalie recently transferred to our school, and I was assigned to mentor her and make sure she settled in okay. If I’m honest, I thought she was going to be a total bitch, like most Sentry girls, but she turned out to be really friendly and kind. She stood up for me, and didn’t seem bothered about the fact I’m a Workboot or that I live in the Rise. She wasn’t at all what I thought she would be, and I knew we’d become the best of friends.

You are probably one of the smartest girls in your class. We hear you want to be an Emissary one day. Can you tell us a little bit about why you want to do that and what an Emissary is?

There aren’t many opportunities for Workboots in our society. If you want to any real money or power, then you have to apply to become a Sentry and get a job in the government, and the very best role in government is that of an Emissary. There are nine Emissaries in total, and they each govern one of the nine megastates in the USS. They have loads of wealth and influence, and get to live in these amazing mansions, wear beautiful clothes, and go to these fantastic parties! As an Emissary, I’d also have to the power to make life better for the Workboots, so we wouldn’t have to be begging for food and medicine all the time, and I could take care of my family. They’re relying on me to support them. I’m their only hope to get out of the Rise.

 
That Ash is one weird guy... and a Darkling at that. Can you tell us a little about him?
He’s is a weird guy, isn’t he? But the Ash I know isn’t the guy the majority of the world sees. They only see the bad stuff about him, but he’s more than just some scary, drug-dealing Darkling. He’s compassionate, thoughtful, and cares deeply about his friends and family. There’s so much going on in his life, I feel really sorry for him. He’s going through a lot.

*whispers* I won't tell anyone your answer. If you could be any non-human creature, what would you be and why?

Oh…gosh. Well, I wouldn’t want to be a Darkling, as they have a really tough life…although if I had to be a Darkling, I’d be a Nordin, as they can fly. The Bastets are incredibly beautiful, but they’re a bunch of ‘backstabbing narcissists’, according to my papa at least. So, I suppose that leaves the Lupines. They’re really feisty and tough, the girls are stunning, and I love their hair…so, yeah! I’d be a Lupine.

What do you do for fun?

Erm…well, I don’t really have time for fun stuff, because I’m always studying. I have to keep my grades up if I want to get on the Sentry’s Fast Track program. But when I do have some spare time, I like to read, or go round to Nat’s house and flick through the latest issue of Sentry Youth Monthly while painting our nails!

Tell us a little about your family. 

I love my family! We’re really close. My papa is a teacher, and is probably the wisest man I know. He’s never afraid to say what’s on his mind, even if it’ll get him in trouble. He hates the Sentry, which doesn’t go down well with my mama, who wants me to become an Emissary! So they have a lot of arguments about that, but my mama only wants what’s best for me. She knows there aren’t many opportunities for Workboots in Black City, plus she’s always wanted to live in Centrum…and to be honest, I want that too. I don’t want to live in Black City forever. My brother, MJ, is adorable. I love him to pieces. He’s got kyphosis, so he’s always in a lot of pain, which breaks my heart, but he’s so brave. He never complains about it. He’s my hero—but don’t tell him I said that! His ego’s big enough as it is. 

Loaded question. Do you think Ash is the right guy for Natalie? Why or why not?

I didn’t at first. I thought she was making the biggest mistake of her life going out with Ash. Not only was it illegal, but at the time I thought Ash was a total jerk. He was rude, sarcastic, a drug-dealer and he turned Beetle against me. However, after what he did to protect Natalie…well, that tends to change your opinion of someone; plus I realize I made some incorrect assumptions about him. He’s a really caring guy. I’m not going to claim we’re the best of friends now, but I do respect him. Ash is madly in love with Nat, and I know she feels the same way about him, and despite their ups-and-downs, they’re meant to be. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! It was so awesome to get to visit with you. I hope you come by again soon!

Thanks so much for having me!

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My other great giveaways!
1. Interview and Giveaway with Tracy Rozzlynn, author of the Fast-Tracked and Verita trilogies, Two Sets of Fast-tracked (first two books), Two sets of Verita Trilogies (first two books) OR $25 Amazon GC
Verita and Fast Tracked Giveaway

2. Interview with Eric Gale and giveaway of signed ARC of The Bully Book (INT)
Bully Book Giveaway

3. Interview and Giveaway of dystopian YA novel, There Comes A Prophet by David Litwack, US/Canada giveaway of paperback of his book
There Comes a Prophet giveaway

This a blog hop! Enter some other great giveaways!