Welcome to the blog tour for
HEARTLESS BY MARISSA MEYER!

To say that I’m obsessed with The Lunar Chronicles and all things Marissa Meyer MAY be an understatement. My collection started when I had the opportunity (thanks to Macmillan/Fierce Reads) to have my blog name in the paperback copy of SCARLET! I read CINDER a bit later than other readers since it A) came out before I started blogging and I didn’t know about it yet and B) was hesitant about a cyborg Cinderella (how wrong I was)!

I had already owned CINDER and SCARLET in hardcover but of course I needed to purchase a paperback copy of SCARLET since it had my name in it! Because I had the paperback of SCARLET, I needed a paperback of CINDER. Then I received an ARC of CRESS and couldn’t let it go so I kept my ARC (actually ended up trading to get a different ARC since I sent my copy out on loan and the post office LOST IT) and of course, needed a hardcover and a paperback of CRESS to match my other books. My read of CRESS was stupendous. It was such an amazing read for me and I fell even more in love with the series (even though I didn’t think that was possible). I loved the books so much that I started collecting different editions and well… I’ve got that collecting personality so one thing led to another and soon I was hunting down foreign editions, old ARCs, and more! I have a ridiculous amount of books now and I regret nothing.

MARISSA MEYER COLLECTION BY THE NUMBERS

I’ve never really posted about my collection a blog post before and I thought it would be fun to expand upon all of the books in my collection where I have room to write a large caption!

Top shelf, from left to right: CINDER – German hardcover, CINDER – US hardcover, SCARLET – US hardcover, CRESS – US hardcover, WINTER – US hardcover, FAIREST – US hardcover, STARS ABOVE – US hardcover, CINDER – US paperback, SCARLET – US paperback, CRESS – US paperback, FAIREST – US paperback, CRESS – Target special edition
Merch: Button, lip balm, gloves, and comb – promo items from Fierce Reads, bookmark from Marquis du Soleil, candle from Novelly Yours, mug from Evie Bookish Designs

Bottom shelf, from left to right: CRESS – Greek edition, CINDER – Italian hardcover, CINDER – German paperback, CINDER – UK ARC, CINDER – Scholastic teaching edition, SCARLET – Scholastic teaching edition, CINDER – US ARC, SCARLET – US ARC, CRESS – US ARC, CINDER – Polish edition, SCARLET – Polish edition, CINDER – Spanish edition, SCARLET – Spanish edition, HEARTLESS – US ARC
Merch: “Read Me” note and HEARTLESS promo box from Fierce Reads, bookmark from Behind the Pages, bracelet from Rich Love Shoppe, Queen of Hearts box is a family heirloom

• Total number of books: 28
  • Cinder: 10
  • Scarlet: 6
  • Cress: 5
  • Winter: 1
  • Fairest: 3
  • Stars Above: 2
  • Heartless: 1
• Foreign Editions: 9
• ARCs: 6 (including STARS ABOVE manuscript)

Am I crazy? Quite possibly… but I can’t contain my love for Marissa Meyer’s books and once I started collecting, it just became an obsession — I HAD to have them all! Poor, gracious Marissa has actually personalized and/or signed a lot of these for me and I felt so bad bringing her so many books! But she was the sweetest and willing to sign everything for me (although at her next tour stop I won’t make her do so many. I feel bad! And don’t worry guys, I went at the end of the line so as not to hold up the link with a million books for her to sign).

When I fall in love with a series, I dive headfirst into it and I just can’t help but share the love for these books! I’m honored to be on the HEARTLESS blog tour today share my (extreme) love for all things Marissa Meyer! (And if you know of any more awesome TLC swag, you MUST let me know!)

Q&A WITH MARISSA MEYER

I also get to share an exclusive Q&A with Marissa Meyer! (And they saved me some awesome Lunar Chronicles questions heeheeheehee). Check it out below!!

• How was writing HEARTLESS different from your experience writing The Lunar Chronicles?

Heartless felt a lot easier to write… not because there was any difference in love or enthusiasm, but I think just because it’s a simpler story. There is only one main character and one love story, not four. And being a stand-alone novel, it was easier to limit the various subplots, ensuring that I could wrap everything up by the end of this story. It was just a lot less complicated. And of course, there was the difference in genre—from writing a world full of science and technology and all the research that went into that, then to write a world that was intentionally lacking in any science or technology, in which the crazier the world got, the better! It was a big, refreshing change.

That said, I think I also felt a lot more pressure with Heartless to do justice to the original source material. While fairy tales are certainly just as beloved and time-honored as Alice, there are so many fairy-tale retellings out there that it is accepted—even encouraged—for writers to take the stories and spin them and twist them as far away from the originals as possible. I felt no qualms whatsoever in changing the plots, themes, and characters of  fairy tales if it suited my story and world better. But with Heartless, I really wanted it to feel a believable prequel to the Alice stories. I carefully avoided doing or saying anything that would be in direct opposition to anything Lewis Carroll wrote, and I hope that the book will please both those readers that are unfamiliar with Alice, but also the die-hard Alice fans.  

• Do you think Cath would get along with Cinder and the rest of the crew from the Lunar Chronicles?

For the most part, yes, especially if she offered to take up the cooking aboard the Rampion! I think she would especially get along with Cress, who would hang on her every word as she told her about the crazy wacky Kingdom of Hearts that she came from.

That said, I do think she would get on Scarlet’s nerves—Scarlet just wouldn’t tolerate her indecisiveness and frightened hesitation when it comes to going out and getting what she wants. It would drive her nuts. (Though Cath may yet win her over with a slice of lemon cake.)

• Who would win a game croquet match? Thorne or Jest?

Jest. Thorne would be too distracted, wondering if he could pull off the skin-tight leggings and three-pointed jester’s hat thing quite as well. (Answer: Yes. He could.)

• What is next for you after HEARTLESS?

I have a two-part graphic novel coming out called Wires & Nerve. They are set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles and feature Iko as the main character. I loved writing them so much, and seeing the artwork has been one of the most rewarding parts of my writing career to date! The first will be out in January.

Beyond that, I am currently working on a new series, a trilogy, about teenage superheroes. The first should release next fall!

Thanks for the awesome interview, Marissa!! Firstly, let’s all flail for ALL THE NEW BOOKS. I haven’t ever read a graphic novel before (never! I know!) so I’m super excited for my first one to be Wires & Nerve! Also OMG SUPERHEROES TRILOGY. I’m dying. And will someone please make some fan art with Thorne dressed up in skin-tight leggings and a jester’s hat? You would make my life forever! 

39 DAYS UNTIL HEARTLESS!

Only 39 more days until HEARTLESS! Are you SO excited!? I’ve already posted my review and you can check out my full thoughts in the link below! Plus, check out even more Marissa Meyer with some Lunar Chronicles flailing on The Book Addict’s Guide too!

• HEARTLESS review
• If You Liked The Lunar Chronicles… 
• Lunar Chronicles Reviews: Cinder | Scarlet | Cress | Winter | Stars Above