Landry Park Blog Tour {Guest Post and Giveaway}

I'm thrilled to have the Landry Park Blog Tour stopping by today with a Guest Post by author Bethany Hagen and an awesome Giveaway... 

Landry Park

(Landry Park #1)

by Bethany Hagen

2/4/14

Dial/Penguin

Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

by Bethany Hagen

One of my favorite parts of writing Landry Park was imagining the massive houses and their grounds (I’m a sucker for a good garden.)  Though this novel is set in a futuristic America, I looked back to the English stately homes of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for inspiration.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Blenheim Palace

(Image sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blenheim_Palace)

Hardwick Hall

(Image sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardwick_Hall)

And of course, Downton Abbey itself, Highclere Castle

 (Image sourced fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highclere_Castle)

But in the end, the real Landry Park exists only in my mind.  I imagine it made of stone, three stories tall and punctuated with tall windows (much like Hardwick Hall) but with a large glass observatory on the very top, where a person can see out over the entire city or spend the night staring at the stars through a brass telescope.  Inside, the home is floored in marble and studded with dramatic chandeliers and silent statues, and a massive library holds an enormous collection of old manuscripts and forgotten books.  (I think it’s safe to say that the library from Beauty and the Beast had a big impact on me as a child.)

(Image sourced from http://bookriot.com/2013/01/23/great-library-scenes-in-film/)

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I'm a born and bred Kansas Citian, meaning I can tolerate jazz for brief amounts of time and I'm offended by dry rub barbecue. I grew up reading Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur. When I’m not working at the library or running around with the kids and the husband, I’m writing or thinking about writing.

Win a hardcover copy of Landry Park!

Thanks to the awesome people at Penguin, I have one copy for one lucky winner.

DETAILS

-US only

-ends 2/28

-must be 13+, one free entry per person

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes

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