Good Choice Reading: Revenge And The Wild by Michelle Modesto (Interview & Giveaway)

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Hey GCReaders!

Welcome to our stop on the REVENGE AND THE WILD by Michelle Modesto blog tour! We got the chance to interview Michelle Modesto on REVENGE AND THE WILD.

But first, here's a little about the book...

Title: REVENGE AND THE WILD

Author: Michelle Modesto

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Pages: 384

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

1. One of the things I love best about The Revenge and The Wild is that you managed to fill the story with a little bit of every genre. Was this something your found challenging to do?

Yes! So much yes. The more components you add to the novel, the more you have to keep track of. In hindsight, I probably could’ve left a few things out, but while I was writing the story, all these ideas kept popping into my head and I just kept adding.

2. Was it your goal to mix each genre into one book?

Not at first. It started as a simple western steampunk story, but I kept getting bored with it. I was going back and forth between the western and a paranormal I’d been working on. Neither one were really keeping my attention. It wasn’t until I mixed those two ideas together that I got a clear picture of the world in my mind. Adding the cannibals was when I got excited about it.

3. Is there more to Westie's story?

Probably not. While it was fun watching Westie wreak havoc in this world, it was always meant to be a standalone.

4. What is your favorite scene from The Revenge and the Wild (without any spoilers)?

The scene with Olive and Westie at the tree was one of my favorites to write. There’s just something about creepy children that gets under my skin—it all started with Pet Sematary and the scene with Gage under the bed. *shudders*

5. If there is one thing you wish you could add or take out of the story, what would it be? And why?

There are quite a few things I wish I could add and take away, but mostly I wish I could go back and add more depth to the Wintu and their story. There were so many moving parts, I sometimes got overwhelmed, and in doing so, I fell back on old weird western clichés. Writing a novel isn’t easy. All you can do is learn from your mistakes and try to do better next time.

About Michelle:

Michelle Modesto is a writer, hockey fanatic, lover of most art forms, terrible cook and her social skills aren't that great either. Her debut YA novel, REVENGE AND THE WILD comes out from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, early 2016. She lives in Northern California in a double-wide mobile asylum with two mastiffs who don't listen to her and two teenagers who also don't listen to her.

Michelle Modesto is represented by John Cusick at The Greenhouse Literary Agency.