Gina Rae Mitchell

Blind the Eyes: A Haunting YA Urban Fantasy (Threads of Dreams Book 1) by K.A. Wiggins | Giveaway, Spotlight, & Interview

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour.

Book Details

Blind the Eyes Series: Threads of Dreams #1
Published by K.A. Wiggins on 08/17/2020
Genres: Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Myths & Legends, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Teen, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 300

A prickly teen and her snarky ghost outwit enforcers, monsters, and the scars of their past in a race to expose a deadly conspiracy in this award-winning, genre-bending YA Fantasy.

Haunted outcast Cole’s only friend is dead—and kind of a jerk. That’s less of a problem than you might think in a monster-infested city where attachments with the living are forbidden. But when a dangerously tempting stranger disrupts her mind-numbingly safe routine, she and her ghostly bestie plow straight into the middle of a devastating conspiracy.

Now homeless and wanted by state enforcers—not to mention vengeful ghosts and dream-eating horrors—Cole is desperate for allies. But her clumsy efforts to win over the enigmatic leader of a carnivalesque underground club buckle under the weight of nightmarish visions, a crushing betrayal, and tragic death. Will she reclaim the most earth-shattering secret of all in time to escape a bloody end?

This award-winning first novel in a complete and 100% binge-ready series blends speculative subgenres in a lush and layered exploration of sisterhood, desire, choice, and taking back your power. Expect more blood than kissing and a deep character arc in this deliciously dark and eerie gothic-paranormal meets dystopian-fantasy adventure with a dash of eco-punk set in a twisted future Vancouver. Read this "beautiful labyrinth of a tale" today!

Content Warning: PG-13 + M. No on-page sex, low romance, minimal bad language, underage drinking, significant fantasy violence, scenes containing emotional manipulation, depression, and (light/brief) physical abuse.

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Purchase Links for Blind the Eyes

Amazon

Kobo      AppleBooks/iTunes     Google Play

Waterstones     The Book Depository

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I love to read books through my  Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

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An interview with the author

How long have you been writing?

I had a VERY supportive teacher in middle school and started trying to write “a novel” around then so . . . a while. But post-secondary and career really drained me, so I didn’t get back to writing and seriously moving toward publishing until about 2015, when I was bumping into the glass ceiling and my family, very foolishly, asked what I wanted to do. The answer has taken me to some very cool places over the last 5+ years!

 

Do you have another profession besides writing?

My career pre-writing was in marketing and business analysis, and I still do a little freelancing for businesses (I run a marketing cooperative with a friend), but “being an author” is basically my day job.

Practically, that actually means a LOT more admin and marketing than writing. I also teach extracurricular creative writing workshops and camps for kids, do the occasional public speaking gig, and lead my regional professional author’s association.

The writing part of being an author is a smaller part of it all than you’d think (or I’d like), and part of that comes down to numbers and logistics. Publications and royalties take time to accumulate; in the early days, it’s more hustle and less creativity. Here’s hoping that ratio flips!

 

What inspired you to write in this genre?

I’ve always thought of myself as a fantasy writer, but at the end of the day, I tend to blur genre lines A LOT. There’s a strong gothic/eerie/horror bent to many of my stories, plenty of folktale inspiration, a splash of eco-punk apocalyptic, and an occasional undercurrent of dystopia.

Aesthetically and thematically, I do lean toward spooky and paranormal. I like the freedom to explore ideas, ask questions, and let characters find themselves and their power in gothic fiction, where a lot of YA fantasy trends really push toward kickass heroines from page one.

We don’t all spring from the earth with a sword in hand and burning determination to take over the world! And for women, especially, I think it can be relatable (though not aspirational) to struggle to find our way/our voice/our power/our direction.

 

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?

I have several short stories and novels out now, but Dinner from Castoffs is a definite fave. She’s smart, devious, and completely at ease pulling one over on Demon.

But I also relate to Songstress from A Song of Dark Things, both in love with the stage and all too willing to make terrible bargains, and Ange from the Threads of Dreams series, who is kind of a shadow leader.

 

What advice would you give budding writers?

Take chances, learn by doing, and get your words out into the world and in front of readers. Perfect is the enemy of done (and doesn’t exist). Have confidence in your vision and keep trying (and have fun).

ALSO: your work has value! Creatives are entrepreneurs and your words are intellectual property. Learn your rights, hold onto them, and make the best choices for you and your stories. A lot of artists would like to turn over all the chores to “professionals” and just create (and I get that, I really do!) but that’s always been an invitation to exploitation and that choice has a cost

I actually teach creative writing workshops for young writers in the Vancouver area, so I’ve got a whole section on my website with tips for what questions to work through and how to get started as a young writer, emerging author, or publishing hopeful (or you can join the newsletter to get some free starter short reads) at kawiggins.com or @kaiespace on social!

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Giveaway!

Enter to win a special edition hardback copy of Blind the Eyes: A Dystopian-Gothic YA Urban Fantasy (GRAND PRIZE) (one winner/USA only) or ebook copy of K.A. Wiggins’ award-winning novel. (5 runner-up winners) (ends Dec 24)

BLIND THE EYES by KA Wiggins Book Tour Giveaway

Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

See Full Tour Schedule Below

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Easy Amazon Links

Kindle Blind the Eyes (Threads of ...Shop on Amazon Paperback Blind the Eyes (Threads of ...Shop on Amazon Hardcover

For International buyers, the US link should open to your home country’s Amazon page. Please let me know if it doesn’t.

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