Exposed: A Story from the World of Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan

Exposed: A Story from the World of Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan

Earlier this year, an awesome debut book called SWORD AND VERSE came out. I was lucky enough to get a very early ARC, and WOW! I was completely blown away by Kathy's amazing world and characters. Sublime. So I JUMPED at the chance to host this extra! If you have not read this yet, I would not read any further as spoilers ahoy! But if you want to know what the book is about, read on for the summary.

Summary: Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the King, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery. Everyone knows that Raisa is Arnath, but not that she is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that, although she may have a privileged position among slaves, any slipup could mean death.

That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the Resistance could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved, an honorable man she knows wants to help the slaves.

Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.

And Raisa is the one holding the key. 

Before we dive into the tortured Mati goodness, a note from Kathy:

When I am working on a book, I always end up writing lots of extra scenes from other characters’ points of view.  Sometimes it’s just for fun, and sometimes it’s a necessary writing exercise; if I am stuck in a scene in the main story, then writing something from a different point of view almost always gets me unstuck.
This is the first of several extras and deleted scenes I will be releasing for Sword and Verse, and I am excited to be unveiling here on Queen of the Bookshelves!  Thank you to Nicola for being such a supporter of Sword and Verse and for agreeing to host this extra!
I’ll be revealing more extras and deleted scenes over the coming months. To make sure you don’t miss any, follow my blog at www.kathymacmillan.com or follow me on Twitter at @kathys_quill.  Want early access to the next extra?  Enter here: https://twitter.com/kathys_quill

And without further ado, here is 

Exposed: A Story from the World of Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan

Raisa had a pretty rotten morning the day after she and Mati broke up.  But Mati’s morning was even worse…

Click here to read Exposed.

SWORD AND VERSE very easily got a five star rating from me. It ticked every box I had when it came to fantasy. The book made me laugh. The book made me cry. And Mati and Raisa are the cutest darn couple ever. I need more of them. Asap. Kathy will be releasing other deleted scenes and extras, this being the first, so definitely don't miss out!

Read my review HERE.

ABOUT KATHY: Kathy MacMillan is a writer, American Sign Language interpreter, consultant, librarian and signing storyteller. She holds National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.  Her diverse career includes working as a children’s librarian at public libraries, working a school librarian at the Maryland School for the Deaf,  leading the Eldersburg Library Bookcart Drill Team, and performing as Scooby-Doo, Velma, and a host of other characters at a theme park.  Kathy presents American Sign Language storytelling programs through her business, Stories By Hand, and also runs the storytime resource website Storytime Stuff.  She is a volunteer director and board president of Deaf Camps, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides camps for deaf children.  Kathy holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, a Bachelor of English from the Catholic University of America, and a Certificate of American Sign Language Interpreting from the Community College of Baltimore County. She lives in Owings Mills, MD with her husband, son, and a cat named Pancake.

Q&A with the A Court of Thorns and Roses crew.

Today we have some very special guests here at Queen of the Bookshelves. The characters of A Court of Thorns and Roses by the lovely Sarah J. Maas very kindly set aside some time so that you, the fans, could ask them questions about themselves, their lives and world. An unbelievable amount of people asked such amazing questions that it was hard to choose which would make it! So without further ado, give a warm welcome to Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien and Rhys!

Hello everyone and thank you for consenting to an interview with me! (Especially you, Lucien! ;) ) It'd be a lie if I said that I wasn't excited. Today I will be asking you all a few questions selected from a hefty list submitted by very eager fans and readers.

Firstly, Rhys, have you ever crashed into a tree or something before while flying?

*raises an eyebrow* I’d certainly like to consider myself an expert at flying, but I’ll admit there have been some…incidents in the past, and that a tree or two might have gotten the better of me. And there may or may not have been a flying incident with a something at one point in the past few centuries. But that’s a story for another time—preferably with a decent amount of wine involved.

Do you read often, Tamlin? If so, what is your favourite book?

Not at all. It takes too long, and I can’t sit still long enough to do it. I let Lucien read the book, and then tell me all the good parts while we’re out on patrol.

Lucien: *cuts in* By ‘good parts’ he means—

Tamlin: * growls* They know what I mean.

Lucien: *snorts*

Feyre, what is your favourite thing to paint? Is there anything that you're particularly good at painting or want to improve at?

I don’t paint things, exactly. It’s more like…feelings. Feelings tied with those physical places. A memory, a moment—what I really love is translating it into color and light. As for what I’d like to improve… It’s been suggested that I practice my male nudes.

Lucien: *groans* Please don’t hang them in the hall. I don’t need to see Tamlin in his full glory every time I go to a meal.

Feyre: Yes, you do. It’s good for your health.

Lucien: *glares*

Feyre: *smirks*

Lucien, what is the most embarrassing moment that has happened to you that you can remember?

This interview. *smiles sweetly*

To all of you, what is your pet peeve?

Tamlin: Being stuck inside doing official High Lord paperwork. Does that count?

Lucien: Couples who don’t realize that there’s a third person living in this house with them and see every surface, closet, and room as a decent place to…enjoy each other.

Feyre: Everything out of Lucien’s mouth. And anything a certain High Lord of the Night Court does.

Rhys: *smiles at Feyre* Illiterate humans who don’t appreciate when they’re being helped. And, like sweet Feyre said, one-eyed Spring Court flunkies who need to learn to keep their mouths shut.

Feyre, Tamlin and Lucien, what is your favourite thing about the Spring Court? Do you ever get tired of eternal Spring?

Feyre: The lands—all the light and color and softness. It’s like a dream that I never want to wake up from.

Tamlin: The untamed wildness of the woods. And no—I never get tired of it. Are you implying that I should?

Lucien: My favorite thing about the Spring Court… The food. The peace. Or any time/place when Feyre and Tamlin aren’t making eyes at each other. Which is never and nowhere.

And Lucien, because an unbelievable amount of people have asked: Do you wear your hair in a manbun? (If you don't, you totally should. Just saying.)

First of all, I don’t know what that is and I’ve never heard of such a thing in any Court. But, a fool could figure out what that term means, so… *sighs* I suppose. When I’m going through my daily exercises with Tam.
Perhaps we should set out some chairs around the training ring so all of you can ogle us the way Feyre does.

Feyre: *rolls her eyes*

Thank you for sparing a moment in your extraordinarily busy lives to answer a few questions! It was a pleasure chatting with you all! Before we part, any hint as to what's coming next? *shifty eyes*

Tamlin: Absolutely nothing is coming next. We’re all happy and safe, and if anyone tries to disturb that peace, they’ll face the consequences.

Lucien: What Tamlin said. BUT… Something might already be happening. Emphasis on might, and stop giving me that look, Tamlin.

Feyre: ………Your guess is as good as mine about what’s coming next. Hopefully no one.

Rhys: *smiles slowly* 

Can't wait to read Feyre's next adventure in Prythian? A COURT OF MIST AND FURY hits shelves on May 3rd 2016.

Summary: Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

If you enjoyed this, how about partaking in #AskToG? That's right; you can ask ANY of the Throne of Glass characters a question. Or questions. Interested? Click on the link below!

Ask Throne of Glass

Massive love to Sarah for doing this. Stay awesome, gurl.

Until next time,