Blog Tour - Pretty In Black - Guestpost/Review/Giveaway

In honor of the soon to be released second book in the Pretty in Black series by Rae Hachton, please join me in welcoming Rae in this fabulous guest post, where she will discuss her concept for this series, what she likes to call her true fans and the Difference between regular and Gothic romance.  Don't forget to check out Pretty in Black and her soon to be released Black Satin (Book 2). 

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How did I came up with the concept for this series:

I didn't; it came to me instead. I was sitting on the swing in a cemetery one night at 10pm sometime late March of 2011 and I thought I saw two people, a guy and a girl, laying on a stone, talking, but their embrace looked tragic, and then the apparition disappeared. It struck a cord in me and I couldn't let it go.



I went home and transcribed the scene from my mind and then the next day I begin writing, non stop, while listening to the song by The Raveonettes called "My Time's Up." I just couldn't get the image or characters out of my head. They were real. And I was unable to sleep for a few nights as I typed.


The original Pretty in Black file was much longer than the one I published in November. The reason for this, is because later, after I'd written the book, Marcus appeared to me again in a dream and he was displeased. You see, originally I'd written the entire story from Ellie's point of view, but I'd left his voice out. So, I spent a while going back through and changing things in order to give him a voice. It was hard pleasing both characters.


The day he met Ellie he knew several things that she did not know, but Ellie's journey meant that, as the story unfolds, she will find out several things that she did know. I wanted to allow the reader to follow both of their stories simultaneously, but I did not find it very pleasing for a reader to already know something that a character had yet to discover and it was unrealistic of Marcus's character to just stop midway and tell Ellie everything about who he was or why he existed. And while he does know a lot more than he portrays to know, he still has a lot of things to discover, just like Ellie.


Both characters have been left in the dark, and I think this is what, more or less, draws them together. This story is their journey to their awakening. As the series progresses, things that did not add up, will come together, as both characters are enlightened, and thus, the reader will too!

Difference between a Romance and a Gothic Romance: 

Here is a vivid example: In scenario number one, a guy will bring a girl Red Roses and play some music on the stereo as they make out. In scenario number two, the guy will bring the girl to a cemetery full of wilted and decayed flowers which are just as beautiful, if not more, than any, and he will serenade her with his violin while making love to her with his eyes. But, I'm just really odd and dark and I prefer the grotesquely romantic, but romance is romance nonetheless and it really just varies depending on the people. Not every girl would want to be taken to a cemetery and would probably run from a guy who proposes such an idea, but not me, I'd be the one running toward him. Haha.

A True Midnight Birdie

is a person who has an appreciation for the darker aesthetic of life. [But this does not include violence or perversion.] A Midnight Birdie may find grotesque things to hold beauty, such as elegantly decayed statues in a cemetery, or they may be attached to "sad" things such as a poem about broken hearts or something like these two songs I heard: "Video Games" by Lana del Rey and "Someone Like You" by Adele. I mean, these songs make my heart do this funny thing, for real. They may prefer night time or sunsets to daytime and sunrise, or they may be a fan of Edgar Allan Poe. I mean, it's really hard to define what makes one a true Midnight Birdie, but if you are one, then you will know it!

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Pretty In Black
by Rae Hachton
Release Date October 26, 2011
Series: Pretty in Black

Description:
Some Things are Pretty. Some Things are Black. Love is both.

[Ellie Piper]
She wanted to die. He arose from the grave. He was sent to kill her. She was trained to kill those of his kind. But fate had other plans. He searched for 119 years to find her. & There's no way in hell he's letting her go. Dead or Alive. They're fated.

[Marcus Marble]
How far would you go to be with the one you love? Would you die for her? Would you kill for her? What if the only reason you're still alive is because of her? What if the reason you came back from the dead, was to be with her? But what if your job was to kill her, but you fell in love instead? And now you're being hunted by your own kind?

Destroy? Or be Destroyed?

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About the Author

My nom de plume is Rae Hachton, but my real name is Desirae. I write novels for young adults. I am the author of the Pretty in Black series, which is a Gothic Romance. Some of my favorite things are moonflowers, ravens and crows, The Raveonettes music, black roses, railroad tracks, the Victorian era, and cemeteries. If I could be a time of day, I would be 5:55 p.m. or that magical hour during sunset. More things that I like: Violin music, spiders & cobwebs, 50s music, skeletons, Dracula, & Castles. Also, I love Jones Soda and Pocky, and wishes Halloween were everyday.

My random journal can be found here: http://corvido-phile.blogspot.com//
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/raehachton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettyinblackseries
 
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Review:

Ellie is still mourning her sister's death, she was murdered and violated.  She doesn't want to live anymore, her parents have divorced, her mother has moved on to a boyfriend who is very wrong and they now live in a trailer park.  Everything has gone down the drain, she even quit cheer leading and no longer speaks to her ex boyfriend or ex best friend.  There's nothing left for her.  Laying down in the cemetery enjoying the atmosphere in comes Marcus Marble.  At first he startles her so she is torn between having him stay and having him leave.  Either way she is definitely intrigued by him. 

Of course the cuteness factor wins over (as it does almost all the time), and he stays.  They talk and talk and their relationship starts to grow more daily.  There is something off about Marcus though but of course Ellie doesn't care because she's falling for him and he's fallen for her.  She's since left her mother and is living at a friends house while working at a movie theater and semi going to school. 

Ellie and Marcus shouldn't be together because of who they are but there is an amazingly strong bond between them that nothing can keep them apart.  Eventually they will be together.

The first part of the book is told through Ellie's point of view.  Which is a great idea as we get to see the story through different eyes.  I wouldn't have minded seeing it back and forth at the same time though, that's always great the whole he said she said scenario.  The overall story was good and the concept is interesting but I think it could have been developed a little more as if the characters need a little more depth to them.  Their romance was very whirlwind like, very quick but substantial to the both of them.  The back story and history comes more from the second part of the book. 

The second part of the story was told through Marcus's point of view, and I wish there was more of Marcus.  His story was fascinating.  I wanted more details about who is the Society, more about him being a white crow.  There are just so many more interesting facts that were told through Marcus, as Ellie's side was pure love story.  Hope the next book has more of his story in it and more background information.  Overall good book.  Make sure you check out the giveaway below.

They talked about moonflowers so much in the book that I had to see what they were and the author loves them too.  i have to admit it is a beautiful flower.  I found a picture of a purple one.  I always like to know what is being described in books.

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Favorite Quotes:

“I have a broken heart, Marcus.”

His eyes twinkled greater than the stars above us. “I can unbreak it.”
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“I’m not sure I can unbury my heart.”

“So don’t. In time I’ll dig it up. Let it rest, for now.”

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Giveaway - This is a tour wide giveaway make sure you sign up there are some good stuff here!

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