Victoria Rebels Blog Tour Stop

Hi everyone!  Today I am super excited to be participating in the Victoria Rebels Blog Tour, hosted by the awesome Mod Podge Blog Tours.  I really enjoy her tours, so make sure you go check her out!  Before I started blogging I loved reading Carolyn Meyer's books.  I was really into historical fiction, especially about famous queens like Queen Elizabeth and Marie Antoinette, and I'm so excited to read Meyer's new books!  So today I have an awesome interview wit Carolyn Meyer herself, and an epic giveaway!

Victoria Rebels
by Carolyn Meyer
Pages: 265
Release Date: January 1, 2013
by Paula Wiseman Books

Goodreads / Purchase

Queen Victoria’s personal journals inform this captivating first-person account of one of history’s most prominent female leaders.

Queen Victoria most certainly left a legacy—under her rule as the longest reigning female monarch in history, the British Empire was greatly expanded and significant industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military changes occurred within the United Kingdom. To be a young woman in a time when few other females held positions of power was to lead in a remarkable age—and because Queen Victoria kept personal journals, this historical novel from award-winning author Carolyn Meyer shares authentic emotional insight along with accurate information, weaving a true story of intrigue and romance.

~Author Interview~

1. Why did you decide to become a writer? I didn't "decide"--I simply always knew that I was, from the time I was a child. But I didn't know how to make it happen. It's not like deciding to become a dentist or a teacher; you know that you have to go to school and study certain subjects for those careers. Becoming a writer is much more complicated, because there are no roadmaps. You just do it and hope it works. 2. Most of your books have been historical fiction. What draws you to this genre? It's really odd, because I didn't like history when I was a young student. I thought it was boring--too many dates and kings and battles to memorize. But when I figured out, rather accidentally, that history is really about people and their stories, I knew I was on to something. 3. Who were your biggest influences? Miss Frankenberry, my high school English teacher, drilled us in grammar, so I learned to get it right. In college, Miss Martin, a writing teacher, made us think about what we were trying to say and how to say it well. Neither of these redoubtable ladies thought I had much talent, and I have to admit I never got much encouragement when I first started out.  4. Is there a favorite place you like to write? Any special routine when you're writing? I have a small office with a balcony and a great view. I'm always at my desk by 9 am and work until noon, fueled by frequent cups of tea. I break for lunch; three days a week I go to a gym for an hour, and then I'm back to work until 5 pm. I also put in several hours on weekends, but never at night! Anything I'd write after dinner would have to be deleted the next day. 5. What is your favorite movie? I have no favorites, but I love movies and try to see the good dramas when they come out--like "The King's Speech." I detest action films and silly comedies. 6. Favorite ice cream? Now we're on a favorite subject: food. I love to cook. I consider myself the Queen of Flan, and I make a luscious arroz con leche. When my son married a British girl, I baked a Victoria Sponge at her request--it was one of the queen's favorites. I hardly ever eat ice cream. 7. Favorite animal? I live fairly close to a zoo, and often I hear Cosmo the Lion roaring when I'm out for my 6 am walk. Forget about house cats when you can hear a lion roar! 8. Favorite book? There is no such thing. Depends on the day, the hour, the month, the year…and my mood. 9. What is your favorite fictional character?  May I, for the moment, forget that there was once a real, live Queen Victoria and cast my vote for that complex, passionate little princess who has taken over my life for the past couple of years?  10. Is there another book in the works? If so, what can we expect? Indeed there is: Beauty's Daughter: The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy will be published in October 2013.

~Giveaway~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Follow the Tour~

18th Guest blog @ Inside the Mind of a Bibliophile

19th Interview @ WhoRu Blog

20th Interview @ The Reader's Antidote

21st Guest Blog @ Fantasy's Ink

22nd Character Interview with John Conroy @ Pages From My Thoughts

25th Guest Blog @ Bibliophilia, Please!

26th Guest Blog @ Books Beside My Bed

27th Top Ten: The Victorian Age @ Moosubi Reads

28th Interview @ Beauty But A Funny Girl

1st Interview @ Emily's Crammed Bookshelf

4th Interview @ Gobs and Gobs of Books

5th Guest Blog @ A Dream Within A Dream

6th Character Interview With Prince Albert @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

7th Guest Blog @ Stiletto Storytime

8th Character Interview with Fidi @ Bookcase to Heaven

11th Interview @ Movies In My Head

12th Top Ten: Victoria's Favorites @ Curling Up With A Good Book

13th Character Interview With Victoria @ The Mod Podge Bookshelf