Raising Chaos: Blog Tour, Giveaway, Interview, Review

Welcome to my stop on the Raising Chaos Blog Tour, organized by Red Adept Publishing. Here you can find out all about the book, a bit about the author, and my thoughts. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom and visit other stops.

Raising Chaos (Earthbound Angels #2)
Author: Elizabeth Corrigan
Author Website/Blog:
http://www.elizabethrcorrigan.com/
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Genre:

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Summary: When good fails, chaos rises to the challenge.

The daily life of a chaos demon is delightfully sinful—overindulging in Sri Lankan delicacies, trespassing on private beaches in Hawaii, and getting soused at the best angel bar on the planet. But when Bedlam learns that the archdemon Azrael has escaped from the Abyss in order to wreak vengeance against the person who sent her there—Bedlam’s best friend, Khet—he can’t sit idly by.

Only one relic possesses the power to kill Khet, who suffers immortality at Lucifer’s request: the mythical Spear of Destiny, which pierced Christ’s side at His crucifixion. Neither angel nor demon has seen the Spear in two thousand years, but Azrael claims to know its location. Bedlam has no choice but to interpret woefully outdated clues and race her to its ancient resting place.

His quest is made nearly impossible by the interference of a persnickety archivist, Keziel—his angelic ex—and a dedicated cult intent on keeping the Spear out of the wrong hands. But to Bedlam, “wrong” is just an arbitrary word, and there’s no way he’s letting Khet die without a fight.

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

Review: Bedlam was my favorite character in Oracle of Philadelphia, so of course when I saw he was at the center of Raising Chaos, I had to read it. This book is different from the first and to be honest I like it more than the first. Khet didn’t feel the same to me in this book, but I think that was part of the point. Khet seems to be moving through a change in a cyclic way that she does every so many years. 

Bedlam is a demon with a good heart on a journey to protect Khet from Azrael. His journey is much more interesting than the journey that Khet went through in Oracle of Philadelphia – it was written better and held my interest. 

This book has a different style than the first, it is told from different point of views. We meet a new character, Siren, the angel of truth and learn more angelic/biblical history – of course Corrigan’s take is totally unique, not preachy, and somewhat comical. 

The ending and epilogue are my favorite parts of this book. I don’t want to give anything away, but I am happy with the changes of a certain character and I am super excited with the hint of what’s to come in future installments.

Interview

Your personal blog has a really interesting bio page with lots of fun facts. You said that you make Sims of your characters, why do you do this? Does it help you envision them and move the writing process along or is it just for fun?
I actually play a lot of computer and tabletop role playing games (geek alert!), and any time I need to make up a character for anything, I use one of the many fictional people I already have in my head. Sims is especially helpful, because it lets me picture my characters (I’m not naturally visual), but playing any of them in other scenarios helps me think about them in new ways and sparks ideas for character development.

What genres would you say your Earthbound Angels Series falls into? How did you choose to write in this genre (these genres)?
I generally consider Earthbound Angels to be urban fantasy. I’ve been a fan of the genre since the early days, and since the beginning I wanted to write it. I was just immediately drawn in by the idea of writing supernatural characters in an alternate version of our world. In those days, I didn’t know the name of the genre and called them “supernatural detective stories.” Earthbound Angels technically isn’t a detective story, which makes me a little sad. I am working on a detective story, which ended up being more straight fantasy than urban fantasy.

One of my favorite parts of your books is that they take traditional biblical stories and put a unique, non-preachy, sometimes comical spin on them - where did you come up with this idea?
I have long believed that what happened in the Bible probably didn’t occur exactly how it was described, or that even if it did, there had to be a lot more to the story than that. I mean, the Bible is told from such a distant viewpoint. Sometimes, like when Bedlam tells the story of the Israelites in the desert, I didn’t even change what happened in the story, but putting a human (or demon) viewpoint on it completely changed the tone. But in some cases… Do we really think that Mary’s parents were on board with the virgin birth thing? I dunno. It seems unlikely to me.

In The Oracle of Philadelphia, there are several flashbacks to various times during Carrie’s long life, which was your favorite to write and why?
Oh, definitely the Regency period scene. Okay, so technically it was a little pre-Regency, but the same social rules applied. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and I took a whole class on the social world of the books in college, so I actually know a lot about the period. That meant I got to add the historical details without having to look something up every two minutes.

Bedlam was my favorite character in The Oracle of Philadelphia, how did you decide to bring him to the forefront in book 2 of the series?
When I first envisioned Oracle, it was a standalone novel about an immortal girl trying to save a boy from eternal damnation. But somewhere along the line I decided that she should have immortal friends, and since the story already had angels and demons, I decided to give her one of each. And then Gabriel and Bedlam ended up being SO AWESOME that I decided they needed books of their own.

You plan for the Earthbound Angel Series to be seven books – what is your plan like (just private ideas in your head, a skeleton plan that you fill in as you go, a detailed outline, or something else)?
Wow, you have just reminded me that I need to update my website, because I’m actually up to plans for 12 books in the series. Yes, yes, I know. Very ambitious for someone who really needs to finish writing book 3. I basically have an overarching plot for each book in the series, which has an ongoing storyline. When I sit down to write the book, I have to come up with enough plot to fill 60,000+ words, which can be a challenge, as I’m not particularly verbose. I generally just decide what I want to happen in each chapter and write from there.
If you could steal any character from any book, movie, or TV show and make them your own, who would it be and why?
Interesting question.  I don’t know that there actually are any characters I want to poach. I used to write lots of fan fic when I was little, in the days before fan fic was a thing, and Oracle started out as imagining a storyline for Supernatural. Now, though, I tend to be a character writer, where the plots are just things that happen around the characters, whom I’m way more interested in. So… I kind of like working with my characters, and don’t know that I want anyone else’s.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Sadly, there are always going to be people who don’t like my book. I accept this. I mean, there are swaths of books I wouldn’t give the time of day to. So when people say, “I didn’t like this book,” I’m okay with it. But sometimes what people are really saying is, “This book is bad,” and that’s harder to take.

I recently had a blogger tell me in confidence that she liked Raising Chaos better than any book since a release from her favorite big-name author three years ago. I had someone else put Oracle of Philadelphia on her top ten favorite fantasies of all time. This kind of feedback is invaluable to me as an author, because it reminds me why I write. If even just a few people love my books that much, writing them is worth doing.

What is the last 5 star book that you read?
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It’s three books so far, but, they need to be taken as a unit. I was actually reluctant to read them, because I usually dislike dystopia, but they are extremely readable. I love the way they turn fairy tales on their head and how the girls are all super-competent.

Oh man, those are on my TBR list and I really need to get to them! 
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your current readers or potentially new readers?
I love to hear from readers! You can find all my contact information on www.elizabethrcorrigan.com. (There’s an “r” in the middle of that!)

About the Author: Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading teen vampire novels, and making Sims of her characters. She drinks more Diet Coke than is probably optimal for the human body and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.

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WWW#7 (4/10/2014)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

To participate, just answer the following questions.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

Check out my Teaser Review

Up Next

Top Ten Tuesday #6 (4/8/2014)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish, and this weeks Top Ten is: Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read 



Jinn (paranormal being, like a genie); swoonworthy boys











Trolls; great world building; strong, smart female character












Female (kick-ass) assassin 












Creepy alternate reality












Queendoms; The ability to understand any language












Teens move to a new world and start a new society










"Backwards" vampire book












Different color eyes = special power; super strong female lead

Construction Zone

As many of you may have noticed, my blog is undergoing some major changes! I’m super excited to be working with Lisseth from Read-a-Holicz on an original and unique design that will truly represent me and my blog. Please be patient as we go through the changes and try new things, I’ll be sure to let you know when everything is finalized!

Raising Chaos Teaser Review

4 Stars

Fun, different from the first, twisty, interesting, leaves you wanting more

Full Review and Author Interview will be posted on April 14!

Check out Book One in the Earthbound Angels Series: The Oracle of Philadelphia

Book Blitz + Giveaway + Guest Post: The Only Boy

The Only Boy by Jordan Locke
Publication date: December 17th 2013
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Amazon - B&N

Synopsis:

Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules—the Matriarch's senseless rules—prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out.

Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiled. Maybe even executed.

Mary's never seen a boy—the Matriarch cut the pictures of men from the textbooks—and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him.

Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary—and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries.

Author Bio

Jordan Locke lives in Connecticut with his wife, two lively daughters and a well-behaved whippet. A graphic designer by trade, his creativity spilled over into the literary world. After years of writing, reading and learning the craft, his fifth novel, The Only Boy, brought him offers of representation from two well-known agents. Now, after the dog is fed and the kids are in bed, you will find him tapping away at the keyboard.

Guest Post

How I Came Up With the Idea for The Only Boy

Usually, soon after I finish one novel, the idea for another comes, as if my mind automatically kick-starts in a new direction.

The concept for The Only Boy came a few weeks after watching the movie Children of Men. If you haven’t seen it or read the book, the gist is that babies have stopped being born, for some inexplicable reason, and the youngest living person is now an adult. This got me wondering what a world with only women would be like. How would they reproduce? Could they develop a technique to combine DNA from women to make more women?

After many years, centuries even, perhaps the women would no longer want men around? Maybe they would blame them for the disease that nearly wiped out humanity.

Introducing a boy into the mix would make the story more interesting, make the plot more complicated. Some of the women would want him dead. He would have to hide his identity.

I needed characters. Taylor, the only living boy, has just lost his family and friends, everyone he knew. Mary is an inquisitive girl with a yearning to learn more about life before the disease. The Matriarch, the figurehead for the group, is obsessed with making sure men never return. I tossed them together to see what would happen.

Of course, I thought the idea was totally original, but soon after I finished The Only Boy, I learned that the concept (just one living male) had been done before, in a comic book and a made-for-TV movie. It seems there are no new ideas, or at least very few of them. How many vampire books have been written? Avatar follows the same basic plot as Fern Gulley. Cinderella has been rehashed countless times.

A fresh take, however, can bring new life to the story. I haven’t seen the aforementioned comic book or made-for-TV movie, but I’m fairly sure The Only Boy is unique. Hopefully, my novel stands on its own.

GIVEAWAYS

Blitz-wide giveaway

Prizes - open INTL:

-A $50 Amazon gift card

-A signed copy
-10 e-book copies 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WWW #6 (4/2/2014)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

To participate, just answer the following questions.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Currently Reading

Summary from Goodreads: When good fails, chaos rises to the challenge.

The daily life of a chaos demon is delightfully sinful—overindulging in Sri Lankan delicacies, trespassing on private beaches in Hawaii, and getting soused at the best angel bar on the planet. But when Bedlam learns that the archdemon Azrael has escaped from the Abyss in order to wreak vengeance against the person who sent her there—Bedlam’s best friend, Khet—he can’t sit idly by.

Only one relic possesses the power to kill Khet, who suffers immortality at Lucifer’s request: the mythical Spear of Destiny, which pierced Christ’s side at His crucifixion. Neither angel nor demon has seen the Spear in two thousand years, but Azrael claims to know its location. Bedlam has no choice but to interpret woefully outdated clues and race her to its ancient resting place.

His quest is made nearly impossible by the interference of a persnickety archivist, Keziel—his angelic ex—and a dedicated cult intent on keeping the Spear out of the wrong hands. But to Bedlam, “wrong” is just an arbitrary word, and there’s no way he’s letting Khet die without a fight.

This is Book 2 in the Earthbound Angels Series, read my review of Book 1, Oracle of Philadelphia

Recently Finished

Read My Review

Up Next

Book 2 in the Ethereal Underground Series, read my review of Book 1, Ethereal Underground.