Gilded Wings Tour! Guest Post, Read-a-Long, & Giveaway!

We are so glad to be a part of the Gilded Wings Tour and even happier that Amy Lignor, author of The Angel Chronicles, will be taking over the blog! So, without further ado.. here she is!

The Angel/Warrior Team Discover ‘The Gilded Age’

“The golden gleam of the gilded surface hides the cheapness of the metal underneath.”

Mark Twain wrote that and he truly believed it with all his heart. Everyone already knew what ‘gilding the lily’ meant. A lily was deemed exquisite so gilding it was just an excessive waste of money. It seemed appropriate that Emily and Matthew would be placed into this time period; this post-Civil War era that was all about taking a ‘golden age’ and turning into an excessive, ridiculous mess all because of money and grandeur that the wealthy were fighting for.

For a little background, Mark Twain (of course) is well-known for his childhood tales. He and Charles Warner - a writer and editor who was a neighbor and pal of Twain in Connecticut - were challenged by their wives at dinner one evening to “write a better novel than what they were used to reading.” Hence, The Gilded Age was born. Twain wrote the first eleven chapters, followed by twelve chapters written by Warner.

Suffice to say, the crowd did not exactly like this book one iota. They thought it was mean and that the sarcasm was heavy. And…it was. But it was also well-deserved. You’re talking about an age where money and social status were the ONLY things to worry about. Men went off to work (some stole, lied and wormed their way into the upper echelon), while others came off the boats at Ellis Island and used their intensity and determination to make it in NYC. However, there was a problem with inherited money versus working for it! The wives proved that to be absolutely true.

Caroline Astor is the one name everyone still knows. She was one of those people who inherited her wealth and prestigious name. The present-day site of The Empire State Building - 350 Fifth Avenue - was actually where Astor’s hubby built a four-bay townhouse in the newly fashionable brownstone style. The one thing Caroline wanted more than anything was to become the one and only grande dame of NY society - and the one way to do this was becoming a master at pushing to the curb anyone she believed was inferior (which included a great many people).

Alva Vanderbilt became a socialite only because of the amazing amount of money her family had earned, and because they were ‘workers’ Astor had a hard time dealing with this. Mrs. Astor did have to eventually call on the Vanderbilt girls and was forced to formally acknowledge them in society which provided the Vanderbilt’s with the greatest fortune in New York - the open doors of high society. But from then on, the Astor/Vanderbilt war grew immense.

As you see the angel/warrior team become immersed in this upper class world, they try with all their hearts to figure out what the difference is between new and old money - and they find that the sins of this ‘gilded’ society far outweighed their class. In other words: If you buy a diamond for ten cents, then you have a jewel that’s not worth a dime. Has it changed in 2012? Only the names…

Twain took the gilding off the lily when he and his neighbor wrote their book, and Emily and Mathew fought their way through a society that was far more dangerous than the devil, himself.

Until Next Time, Everybody,

Amy

About the Author:
Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

Before we get to the Read-a-Long excerpt here is a blurb of Gilded Wings by Amy Lignor. If you haven't been following along, the blogs participating in the read-a-long are listed at the bottom of this post.

The Blurb:
The Beloved Angel-Warrior Team from Until Next Time Returns!

When Matt and Emily are sent on their second mission they have no idea how truly dark human nature can become...

Emily never wanted to face humans again. With the heartache that went on down below, she’s still trying to figure out how to save souls that don’t deserve saving. The only one she wants to see again is Jason - the young man she fell in love with who became the soulmate she simply can’t forget...

Matt was trained to protect and defend the souls down below. Longing to feel the heartfelt emotions that come from being human, Matt wants nothing more than to have just one life - one chance - to live and love the girl of his dreams...

The powerful team find themselves in a brand new century, living in the Gilded Age of New York City. Emily takes over the body of Anya, a young Russian girl who arrives on Ellis Island after a hideous tragedy. There she meets up with a strangely familiar young man by the name of Drew Parrish, who helps Anya survive in an unknown world of luxury, snobbery and…obsession.

What Anya’s inner angel doesn’t know is that the soul she loves is also back. This time around Jason goes by the name of Max Carrow. Once a quiet and kind boy, he’s now part of the ‘Four Hundred Club,’ and wants nothing more than to be among the most admired as he climbs the shaky ladder of society’s elite.

As two worlds merge, Emily and Matt struggle under the weight of their “Gilded Wings.” Not only will they have to figure out who they should fight to save, but they must also face a romantic choice that could destroy them both.


The Read-a-Long Excerpt

Anya...felt as if the chilling screams were piercing her flesh. The pounding in her skull was unmerciful, like a pack of elephants was stampeding over her brain. The desperate howls of the humans sounded like the trumpeting of the invisible herd, as they rushed to escape an enemy who wanted to tear them apart, leaving only their blood- soaked tusks behind.

Her body slowly awakened, as a rush of oxygen refilled her lungs. The huge gray phantoms disappeared from her thoughts, but the shrill cries of human panic remained. She was confused, disoriented—her body shook uncontrollably, as if the ground itself was reaching up and slamming her in the back again and again, threatening to shatter her spine.

If you haven't read Until Next Time, Book 1 in The Angel Chronicles, yet, check out my review!

To learn more about Amy Lignor and her books, visit her website and The Angel Chronicles Blog. You can also find the author on Facebook and Twitter.

A special thank you to Tribute Books for inviting us to be a part of the Gilded Wings Blog Tour!!

The Giveaway:
To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Check out the other blogs participating in the tour below!