Mundie Moms

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

HOW TO HANG A WITCH by Adriana Mather / Blog Tour: Author Guest Post



Hello and welcome to today's stop in HOW TO HANG A WITCH by Adriana Mather, hosted by Penguin Random House. I'm so thrilled to have Adriana on Mundie Moms today, to talk about the research that when into her book. First, here's a little bit about this new release:

ABOUT THE BOOK

By: Adriana Mather

Published by: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Released on: July 26th, 2016
Series: How To Hang A Witch #1
Purchase from: Penguin/Random HouseAmazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

It's the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in a debut novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.



AUTHOR GUEST POST 




Research that went into writing How To Hang A Witch

Benjamin Franklin said, “Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have.” 


This could not be truer for Salem, MA. There is a world of stories, oddities, and tragedies burgeoning from its gravestones… or lack thereof for the accused witches who were not permitted burial in 1692. And it was my relative, Cotton Mather, who instigated it all – which is what inspired me to craft a narrative about Salem in the first place. While writing HOW TO HANG A WITCH I came across some absolutely wild pieces of historical information. Even though the story takes place in modern day Salem, MA, it explores Salem witch history through ghosts and a good old-fashioned mystery.


History is woven into the very fabric of the culture in modern Salem in a way I've never seen before. For instance, when Giles Corey was accused of witchcraft in 1692 he refused to plea guilty or not guilty. He was pressed to death over three days and right before he died he supposedly cursed Sheriff Corwin. People say even now that the sheriffs of Salem have always died mysteriously, either of heart attacks or blood disease. Salem is full of tales of historical curses, mysterious murders, and unexplainable happenings. And I (not surprisingly) got myself into all sorts of haunted situations that had me sleeping with the lights on while I was there.

Here is a quick list of some of the things I discovered along the way:
1. The first accusations of witchcraft came from girls who were 9, 11, and 12 years old. The adults around them went very quickly from asking “What is ailing you?” to “Who is ailing you.” Knowing how young these girls were altered my perspective of how the events unfolded in Salem and had me greatly questioning the motives of the adults around them.
2. My ancestor Nathanael Mather (Cotton’s brother) is buried in Salem in Old Burying Point. He entered Harvard at twelve years old and died when he was nineteen. His epitaph reads “An Aged person that had seen but nineteen Winters in the World.”
3. In Salem there is an old jail that used to house the Boston Strangler. The alley that runs between it and the Howard St. Cemetery is supposedly where Giles Corey was pressed to death. The jail is now an apartment building. 
4. Apparently just before Sarah Good’s death she said to Rev. Noyes, “God will give you blood to drink.” And sure enough, in 1717 Noyes died from an internal hemorrhage, choking on his own blood. 
5. Interestingly, Salem means “peace.”

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER




ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, and as such her family has their fingers in many of its historical pies – the Mayflower, the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Revolutionary War, and the wearing of curly white wigs. Also, Adriana co-owns a production company, Zombot Pictures, in LA that has made three feature films in three years. Her first acting scene in a film ever was with Danny Glover, and she was terrified she would mess it up. In addition, her favorite food is pizza and she has too many cats.


Find Adriana online: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads 


UNKNOWN by Wendy Higgins / Release Day Blitz / Giveaway



Welcome to the release day blitz for UNKNOWN by Wendy Higgins! I'm so thrilled to be apart of today's celebration for Wendy's newest releases. I'm a huge fan of Wendy's and really looking forward to reading this book. Find out more about UNKNOWN, and be sure to ENTER to WIN the international giveaway, below! 

ABOUT THE BOOK

By: Wendy Higgins
Published by: self
Released on: August 16th, 2016
Series: Unknown #1
Purchase from:
Amazon | B&NKindle | iTunes | Kobo
Add it to Goodreads

Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technology and communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have. 

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the SWEET EVIL series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology THE GREAT HUNT, and her independently published Irish Fantasy SEE ME.

After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer.

Wend lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her husband, daughter, son, and little doggie Rue.

ENTER TO WIN


Check out this awesome giveaway! 

Grand Prize: Signed Paperback copy of Unknown with Poster, bookplate stickers, and bookmarks
1st & 2nd Prize: digital copies of Unknown (has to be B&N or Amazon user - will be gifted via their email address) plus signed bookmarks and bookplate stickers.

* This is open INTERNATIONALLY!

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Out Today! New YA Releases on August 16th, 2016

Happy Release Day to the following new YA releases:

Also out this week:

Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Check out more of this month's releases here

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