The Collectors’ Society by Heather Lyons ~ Blog Tour & Giveaway

THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY by Heather Lyons is an Adult Romantic Fairy Tale, full of adventure and fantasy. This is Alice as you have never seen her before…

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THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY Synopsis:

From the author of the Fate series and The Deep End of the Sea comes a fantastical romantic adventure that has Alice tumbling down the strangest rabbit hole yet.

After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth.

It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?

An Interview With Heather Lyons

Congratulations on the release of The Collectors’ Society!

Thank you!

Your new book is a different take on Alice in Wonderland. What part of the original story intrigues you the most?

I think I’ve always been attracted to Alice’s attempts at explaining the unexplainable, and of how she questions her own existence during the journey.

What was the most fun part of writing a story like this?

Honestly, it’s going to sound weird—but the research. Rediscovering beloved literary friends and books.

What does your typical day of writing look like?

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I typically sit down and check Facebook, then Twitter, then my favorite websites, and then I’ll ease into research and then writing. Oddly, this helps focus me. It doesn’t seem like it should, but it does. Because I’m a stay-at-home mom, I don’t get huge chunks of time to play with, so those days where I pull fourteen to sixteen hour writing jags basically have me eating in front of my laptop and wearing yoga pants and comfy shirts, and emerging looking like a zombie.

Any muses?

Actually, I get a lot of my book ideas from dreams I have. I’m usually pretty good at remembering what I dream.

Is there an author who inspires you? Or anyone who inspires you?

There are some authors whose writings styles I very much admire: Jane Austen, Alexander McCall Smith, Kristin Cashore, Stephanie Perkins to name a few . . .

Out of all the books you’ve written, is there any character you’ve felt the most connected to?

While I think there are parts I can connect with within all of my characters, I’m going to have to go with Chloe Lilywhite from my Fate series.

If there was one place in the world you could travel to that you haven’t been to, where would it be and why?

Paris. I’ve yet to be there and I’ve always wanted to go. I’ll need to lose at least ten pounds before I do, so I can just eat what I like there. Haha! But man oh man, do I love me some good French cuisine.

We have heard you may have a minor obsession with cupcakes and handbags so……………… If you were told you could only have cupcakes for the rest of your life and use only one handbag OR have as many handbags as you want for life and only have one cupcake a year, which would you choose?

Oh, this is a diabolical question that is SO unfair. I would probably pick cupcakes, only because I have about 30-40 handbags already. That sounds excessive, doesn’t it? Oh my goodness.

What question have you never been asked that you wish you have?

Um . . . honestly, I have no idea. Something silly, maybe, like: What is your favorite handbag? (For what it’s worth, it’d be a beaded Hawaiian Hula Girl Isabella Fiore bag I have—SO CUTE.)

Lightening Round ~ Tell us which you prefer

Wine or Whiskey

Wine

Tea or Coffee

Tea! I don’t drink coffee—ever.

Scotland or Italy

Both—I’ve been to both places, and love them equally.

Deep dish or Thin Crust

Deep dish for sure.

Mountains or Beach

Also both, for very different yet equal reasons.

Cupcakes or Cookies

Cupcakes!

Sweaters or Shorts

Sweaters—I love, love, love comfy sweaters

Hiking or Swimming

Hiking.

Handbag or Backpack

Handbag. I loathe backpacks.

Diamonds or pearls

Diamonds

Dogs or cats

Equal love!

Fro-Yo or Ice Cream

Probably Fro-Yo?

Thank you so much for your time! We just loved getting to know you better!

Excerpt:

“Do you find my ability to converse lacking, Doctor?”

He chuckles softly, no doubt remembering how I wasn’t chatty with anyone, himself included, for the first month of my stay. To be fair, it is difficult to carry on an invigorating discussion when one is shaking so hard from withdrawals they fear they might shatter into thousands of painful pieces before a single word can be uttered. Plus, there was the whole bit of how once I did open up, I raved liked a lunatic about things no normal person could imagine being true.

“Certainly not,” he says to me. “But as I must stay at the Pleasance and you must go forth into the world, it will do you good to practice on somebody new.”

“Then send in one of the orderlies. Or one of the nurses. I’ll happily chat with a staff member.”

One of his bushy, out-of-control eyebrows lifts high into his forehead.

“There are people out there who are quite content being solitary,” I point out. “Who do not need to converse with anybody but themselves and their dogs.”

He sets his pen down. “What about cats?”

Rigor mortis sets in ever so briefly at this question.

“You father said you were quite fond of cats growing up. There was one in particular that you favored. Dinah, was it not?”

“I’m—” I have to clear my throat. “Lately, I wonder if perhaps I’m more of a dog person after all.”

About Heather Lyons:

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.