Dust Blog Tour Stop #28

Hello Lost Boys and Girls! How has your time in Neverland been so far? Are you gathering clues to get you closer to that gold? If not, you’d better get started. Remember, you have to outwit Peter and be faster than Claire, all while avoiding that old codfish!

If you’ve missed some of the stops of this grand ol’ treasure hunt, you can go back to the very beginning here, or you can just go back to the last stop here.

And in case you’ve forgotten while we are all here in Neverland in the first place, we are here because of Kara Swanson’s upcoming release of Dust!

Here are the facts about Dust:

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The truth about Neverland is far more dangerous than a fairy tale.

Claire Kenton believes the world is too dark for magic to be real–since her twin brother was stolen away as a child. Now Claire’s desperate search points to London… and a boy who shouldn’t exist.

Peter Pan is having a beastly time getting back to Neverland. Grounded in London and hunted by his own Lost Boys, Peter searches for the last hope of restoring his crumbling island: a lass with magic in her veins.

The girl who fears her own destiny is on a collision course with the boy who never wanted to grow up. The truth behind this fairy tale is about to unravel everything Claire thought she knew about Peter Pan–and herself.

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Links: 

Add Dust to your Goodreads list!

Preorder Dust from Amazon or Barnes & Noble! You can also follow Kara on Amazon to stay tuned for all her new releases. 

Connect with Kara on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for awesome bookish boards, photos, chats, and more! 

Follow Kara on Facebook or join her Starchasers group where we have loads of fun getting to know one another and nerding out on all things bookish!And, lastly, you can find all things Kara on her website and even sign up on her newsletter to receive a free short story!

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I got the incrediably lucky privalage of getting an Advanced Readers Copy of Dust. And wow! It is an amazing book!

Kara has the art of hooking readers from the first line mastered. And if the opening doesn’t hook for some reason, the characters will soon enough. All of the characters have amazing voices and vibrant personalities. While all of the characters were fantastic, Peter was probably my favorite. His voice and personality were amazing. And while I am not a die-hard fan of the original J. M. Barry Peter Pan and haven’t read it for a while, Kara’s presentation of Peter seemed fairly inline with Barry’s Peter Pan.

The plot moves along wonderfully, adding tension that keeps the reader on their toes. And the setting! I already love London dearly, so seeing a more magical London was amazing. Next time in London, I am determined to try and hunt down some pixies. I’ve heard they like cake.

And then the ending! Be warned, my Lost friends, the ending will leaving you hanging. And Shadow, the sequel to Dust, doesn’t release until July of 2021! But that isn’t any reason to not buy Dust already. The anticipation will only make Shadow more exciting. And besides! There are wonderful pre-order goodies!

And would you believe it! We, my dear Lost Fellows, are lucky enough to have the grand storyteller herself, Kara Swanson, with us today! So gather round as Kara tells us even more about Dust!

So Kara, what was your favorite part about writing Dust?

The whimsy!

On the reverse of that, what was the most challenging part? 

Peter’s voice, juggling threads from the original story, all the research. 🙂

Who is your favorite character in Dust? 

Hard to say! I love Peter for his mischief and charm, Claire for her heart and courage, and Lily for her leadership and wisdom ❤

Yeah, all of the characters in Dust are really amazing. Here’s another hard question: what is your favorite line from Dust? 

So hard to pick! I really like this one:

This is who I really am– a girl made of stardust and shadow who chooses to let the light heal the broken pieces.

Ooo! Such a great line!

How did you land the contract for Dust? 

My agent and I had interest from various publishers, but I’ve known Steve Laube and been connected to Enclave for years, and so when push came to shove, they were the best fit. ^_^

Cool! What is one thing you were not expecting to happen once you signed the contract for Dust? 

Hmmm…maybe having the biggest cover reveal that Enclave has ever had? The largest reach? I did not expect that! ^_^ So thankful for so many lovely people that helped share!

And to finish up our lovely chat, what would be your biggest piece of advice for someone considering writing a retelling/continuation? 

Make sure you know in advance what pieces of the story are most important to keep, and what aspects you can change and twist and expand, without undermining the value of the overall narrative and the expectations of fans.

Thank you so much for talking with us today!

Wait, do you hear that? That crowing sound! It’s Peter! Come on Lost Boys and Girls–you have to stay ahead of Peter in the treasure hunt!

Now, pay attention. Here is the next clue you need to find the treasure:

You got the clue? Oh good!

Now, you’d better get going! Here your next stop in our treasure hunt. You can go there starting June 24.

Have fun Lost Fellows! Find that treasure!

Until next time!