Hi guys, today I’m excited to share some information about the upcoming Court by Cat Patrick, courtesy of Rock Star PR & Literary Consulting! READ ON FOR DETAILS ABOUT THE BOOK, ALONG WITH AN EXCERPT AND A GIVEAWAY!
I’ve read and enjoyed some of Cat’s books in the past, and I’m currently reading an ARC of Court and enjoying it. I love the premise:
About Court:
For more than 300 years, a secret monarchy has survived and thrived within the borders of the US, hiding in plain sight as the state known as Wyoming. But when the king is shot and his seventeen-year-old son, Haakon McHale, is told he will take the throne, becoming the eleventh ruler of the Kingdom of Eurus, the community that’s survived for centuries is pushed to the limit. Told through four perspectives, Court transplants us to a world that looks like ours, but isn’t. Gwendolyn Rose, daughter of the Duke of Coal, is grudgingly betrothed to Haakon — and just wants a way out. Alexander Oxendine, son of the Duke of Wind and Haakon’s lifelong best friend, already grapples with internal struggles when he’s assigned to guard Haakon after the king dies. And commoner Mary Doyle finds whispers in the woods that may solve — or destroy — everything, depending on your bloodline.
Money. Love. Power. Community. What’s your motivation?
Doesn’t that sound fascinating? You can follow this link to add Court to your Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23377533-court
Here are the release details, along with a purchase link and some information on Cat:
Date of Publication: October 23, 2014
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O3D37QE/
About Cat Patrick:
Raised in a house that was struck by lightningβtwiceβCat Patrick is the author of young adult booksΒ Forgotten,Β Revived, andΒ The Originals, and the co-author ofΒ Just Like Fate.
As a child, Cat could be found making up stories like her first book,Β Dolly the Purple Spotted Dolphin; growing corn in the backyard; or performing with a traveling sign-language troupe. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Wyoming and a masterβs degree from Boston University, and worked in public relations for fifteen years. She lives outside of Seattle with her husband and twin daughters, and is onΒ TwitterΒ @seecatwrite,Β orΒ FacebookΒ atΒ authorcatpatrick.
Cat onceβ¦
- Interrupted Warren Beattyβs lunch to snap a picture with him.
β’ Appeared on a game show, but not as a competitor.
β’ Climbed a 50 foot tower and rappelled back down. (At least she thinks it was 50 feet.)
β’ Met Muhammad Ali.
β’ Was on the high school golf team.
β’ Got a tattoo.
β’ Was pooped on by a dolphin.
β’ Performed a high kick routine toΒ Personal Jesus.
β’ Interviewed Carmen Electra.
β’ Worked as a βconcessionistβ at a movie theater.
β’ Met the guy who created Sonic the Hedgehog.
Cat likesβ¦Β Crunchy snacks, decaf nonfat lattes, mint chip ice cream, Alan Rickman, zombies from afar, traveling, reading, easy hikes, challenging plotlines, stargazing, silly hats, and boots.
Cat dislikesβ¦Β Talking on the phone, socks with holes, zombies close up, the flu, mean people, touching ice, copyedits, flying, spiders, squeaky windshield wipers, black licorice, and salmon.
Website: http://catpatrick.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seecatwrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcatpatrick
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4254441.Cat_Patrick
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
HAAKON
Before he was the enemy, James Haakon McHale III was just a seventeen-year-old in what most people knew as the state of Wyoming, wishing he was somewhere other than the predawn forest with a rifle in his grip.
βItβs colder than moonlight on a tombstone,β Haakon muttered, blowing on his fist. His thick-soled boots swish-thumped on the hard earth as he skillfully avoided twigs, rocks, and low branches.
Alexander Oxendineβyoungest son of the Duke of Wind, wide receiver, video game button masher, and Haakonβs best friendβlaughed into his collar. It couldβve been mistaken for a cough.
βItβs colder than a whoreβs heart,β Alexander said, his tone cautiously low. They were the youngest members of the hunting party, and were only allowed to take part because of their rank. Haakon could think of a thousand superior privileges.
He glanced around to make sure none of the other men were paying attentionβespecially his father. Smirking, he said, βColder than a polar bearβs balls.β
The pair stifled laughter.
βThan a witchβsββ
βToo easy.β
βColder than a dead womanβs touch,β Alexander said.
Haakon checked again, dialed down his voice even more, and said, βItβs colder than Gwendolyn Roseβs kiss.β
βQuiet!β
It was Haakonβs father: dictator, fun-spoiler, andβregrettably for his sonβthe tenth ruler of the Kingdom of Eurus, also known as the Realm, the monarchy hiding in plain sight in the depths of the Democracy known as the United States of America.
Every schoolchild knew the story. In 1670, after Joseph Dyerβs wife died in the Great Plague in London, he brought his five daughters to what would become the United States one hundred years later, seeking a better life. But it soon became apparent that his family would never thrive under strict Puritan rule in New Englandβwhich banned higher education for girls and taught submissiveness above all else, and which centered around extreme religious beliefs that were counter to Dyerβs own.
A friend, John Seymour, who wasβcontroversiallyβmarried to a Native woman, suggested that they set out together in search of a new home deep within AmericaβsΒ treacherous unknown. Seymourβs wife had been attacked; her family persecuted. Seymour believed that rather than fighting the Natives, they should live in harmony with them.
Dyer, Seymour, and several other men and their families snuck away. After a long and dangerous journey, together they created their version of paradise: a kingdom that blended the best of England with Native cultures. Dyer was thought of as the Father of the Realm, and Seymourβs Native wife, who ensured their survival through tribal relations, the Mother.
Rather than cause a revolution, the founders decided to keep the kingdom secret. Inside the borders of what theyβd eventually stake claim as Wyoming, theyβd follow their own rules. Outsiders wouldnβt know they were different because they wouldnβt understand.
Outsiders werenβt to be trusted.
Dyerβs youngest daughter, captivated by the ancient Greek she wouldnβt have been allowed to learn in Puritan society, named the new kingdom Eurus, meaningΒ east wind. She pronounced it βair-us.β
βBut the winds here blow from the west,β Haakon had asked his father onceβbefore Dad was King James. That was when it was okay to ask questions. When curiosity wasnβt an imposition.
βThatβs right, Haakon,β his father had replied, strawΒ between his teeth. Theyβd gone on a walk together. The sun was setting on an easy day. His dad had pointed toward the eastern horizon. βThe wind here does primarily blow from the west, but our founders blew in from the east. That day, the wind changed directions.β
Haakon frowned away the memory of days never to return, and refocused on the trees. He walked as soundlessly as he could in his camo fleece jacket and vintage Leviβs, his rifle nestled in the crook of his left arm, a round in the chamber. He was on the left edge of the group, three rows behind his father. Evenly spaced gaps between them, the men were like migrating geese, locked in formation.
Geese hunting deer.
βWere you drinking last night?β Haakonβs father had demanded on the way to the meeting point that morning. βIs that why youβre so tired?β
βIβm tired because itβs so early that the birds arenβt even awake yet.β
βGood. Because you know what the consequences will be if you start drinking again.β Theyβd shared the backseat of the armored SUV; Haakon had done his best to preoccupy himself with his cell phone.
βYes, sir, I know.β
βYou need to turn that thing off before we arrive. AndΒ whenβs your next haircut? You look slovenly.β
Will you just get off my back?Β Haakon had thought at the top of his lungs. What heβd said, though, was simply, βYes, sir.β
There, in the forest, Haakon toyed with the idea of raising his gun and shooting King James square in the back of the head. Right there under his hat, just above the rise of his custom down hunting vest. He could do it. Even with the others present, he knew thereβd be no trial, no trip to Corby. But offing his father wouldnβt solve anything. In fact, it would make life a lot worse. Because with his father gone, Haakon would be in charge.
Haakon would become the King of Eurus.
The thought made him want to puke.
And now for the giveaway! This giveaway is for signed copies of all four of Cat’s previous books! This giveaway is open to US entries only. International entries will receive a gift card instead.
Follow this link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bc4d7a9073/
Good luck to those who enter! Let me know in the comments: have you read any of Cat’s other books? Have you read Court? If you entered the giveaway, which of her four earlier books are you most excited to read?
