Blog Tour: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore Author Q&A + Giveaway

I loved The Weight of Feathers. This book is beautiful and dreamy and oh-so achy. 

You can see my full review, HERE.

Today, I'm thrilled to be interviewing author Anna-Marie McLemore as part of the blog tour. 

Welcome to Love is not a triangle! 
__________________________________________________________

LAUREN: If you could describe The Weight of Feathers only using quotes from your book, which would you pick? 

Anna-Marie McLemore: “Her hand found the feathers under his hair, soft and thick as river grass, and she kissed him back. She opened her mouth to his and pretended the sky was water.”

LAUREN: I think I've died of swoon. This book is filled with gorgeous words, though that's definitely one of my favorite sections. Speaking of the sky and water, Would you rather be a mermaid in the water or a winged faery in the trees? Did you try out any of these feats as you wrote this book? 

A-MM: I love the quiet glamour of the winged performers, but I’d be a mermaid. I adore being in water, and I actually have a mermaid tail. It’s red, and so much fun to swim in.

LAUREN: How fun! I'd pick mermaid too. I've been obsessed with them since I was a child. I'm fascinated by the traveling performer culture you depicted in The Weight of Feathers. Did groups like the Paloma's and Corbeau's exist in California - or the US? I'd love to know more about your research and how much history is in this story. 

A-MM: I did a lot of research on traveling shows. About what life is like for these families (these shows are often run by families, and if not they quickly become like families to each other), about the struggle to make a living as performers (there are a lot fewer of these shows than there used to be), and the pride these performers have in their art. The Palomas’ and the Corbeaus’ shows themselves are fictional, though the Palomas were inspired by a longstanding mermaid show in Florida.

LAUREN: Lace and Cluck's story is beautiful and lyrical, but these two have also been heavily weighed down by their own family's baggage and beliefs. That makes it harder (nearly impossible) for them to be together, but it also gives them a unique understanding of each other. What's one positive quality Lace brings out of Cluck and vice versa? If asked to describe each other in a few words, what would they say?

A-MM: Cluck would describe Lace as loyal, defiant, and kind. Lace would call Cluck brilliant, lonely, and strong. In different ways, they make each other brave. Lace inspires Cluck to stand up for himself in ways he never has. Cluck gets Lace to look twice at things she’s written off, to get close to what she’s afraid of.

LAUREN: I love those two so much and am so glad they found each other. If you could hang out with Lace and Cluck for an afternoon, where would you go and is there anything you wish you could tell each of them?  

A-MM: I’d go with them to see the wild peacocks Cluck counts among his closest friends. And I’d probably tell them that you always carry with you the things you survive. But that one day they become less about the things themselves, and more about the fact that you lived through them.   

LAUREN: Goodness, I'm tearing up from that last answer. Thank you for stopping by and chatting with me today!

A-MM: Thank you so much for having me!

_______________________________________________________________

Don't miss reading Lace and Cluck's story for yourself!

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS

By Anna-Marie McLemore

Published by: St. Martin’s Griffin

On Sale: September 15, 2015

Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

The Night Circus meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning young adult novel about two teens who fall in love despite the almost impossible odds against them.

The Palomas and the Corbeaus have long been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows-the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family's show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it's a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace's life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

_______________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anna-Marie McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and grew up in a Mexican-American family. She attended University of Southern California on a Trustee Scholarship. A Lambda Literary Fellow, she has had work featured by the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, CRATE Literary Magazine's cratelit, Camera Obscura's Bridge the Gap Series, and The Portland Review.  The Weight of Feathers is her first novel.

Find Anna-Marie McLemore: Website | Twitter | Facebook

_______________________________________________________________

GIVEAWAY

Win a finished copy of The Weight of Feathers

Giveaway is for US or Canada residents only (Sorry, other international readers!)

You must be at least 13 years old to enter

See my policies HERE

a Rafflecopter giveaway