Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Something Wicked Guest Post With Author Lea Nolan


It is another fun filled day planned for the Something Wicked tour and today I have a guest post by author Lea Nolan.

Her series the Hoodoo Apprentice is perfect for this time of year. After all what screams Halloween more than magic, curses, ghosts, demons, and mischief? 

If you haven't checked out Lea's series definitely do, it is so much fun and the best part if all three books are now out so you can binge read them just in time for Halloween!










Series: Book Three in the Hoodoo Apprentice

Genre: YA Fantasy

Published By: Entangled Teen

Release Date: October 5, 2015

ARC Copy of this was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Book Description:

New school. Cross-country move. Broken heart. If only these were Emma Guthrie’s worst problems. Instead, she must battle a trio of enemies—human and spectral—who may or may not have joined forces against her and everyone she loves. All while pretending to be over Cooper Beaumont, her ex-boyfriend and true love, to shield him from her arch-nemesis’s revenge.

Worse, when the fight escalates, Emma is tempted to use black magic, which will endanger her soul. As her enemies close in, join forces, and fight with new and dark magic she’s never seen before, Emma must harness the power within her to fulfill an ancient prophecy, defeat a centuries-old evil, save her family, and reclaim the only boy she’s ever loved.




About the Author:



Lea Nolan couldn’t read until the third grade. After a lot of hard work she finally got the hang of it and quickly learned the best way to get out of doing chores was to tell her parents she was reading. Soon she was hooked, devouring books by Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, and graduated to those by V.C. Andrews, Stephen King, and Anne Rice. Books provided a portal to enchanted lands where anything was possible and characters relied on their wits to wiggle out of sticky situations.

Today, Lea Nolan writes books for young adults featuring bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She also pens smart, witty contemporary stories for adults filled with head-swooning, heart-throbbing, sweep-you-off your feet romance.

With a master’s degree in women’s studies and public policy, and an undergraduate degree in history, she spent twenty years as a health policy analyst and researcher, writing hundreds of fascinating reports and articles tens of people enjoyed. Today, she teaches graduate courses in health policy, law, and financing, and takes on the occasional consulting gig.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, she loves the water far too much to live inland. With her heroically supportive husband and three clever children, she resides in Maryland where she scarfs down crab cakes whenever she gets the chance.





Dream Casting The Hoodoo Apprentice Series

Now that Illusion is out in the world, the Hoodoo Apprentice series is complete! I’ve lived with these characters in my head for a long time, ever since I started writing the series back in the summer of 2010. To me, they’re real and have their own personalities, likes, dislikes, and quirks. To bring them to life for you, too, I’ve decided to share my Dream Cast along with a few tidbits about each of the main characters.



 The Good Guys Emma Guthrie, played by Emily Osment, circa her teen years Emma Guthrie is the heroine of the Hoodoo Apprentice series. Emma starts off a shy, artistic girl who is thrown in to a desperate battle with evil forces to save herself and those she loves the most. Over the course of the trilogy, she meets every challenge head on, though not without making plenty of mistakes, grows stronger, and finds her own voice. She’s tough and plucky, dedicated and determined, and always has her heart in the right place. And she’s got the gift of being able to perform hoodoo magic, lift hexes, and battle supernatural enemies. I dream cast Emily Osment as Emma because I’d seen her in Spy Kids and Hannah Montana and she always struck me as spunky, smart and pretty, but not the type of girl who’d be obsessed with her looks or popularity. Plus, she looked exactly as I’d imaged Emma in my head



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Cooper Beaumont, played by Brando Eaton, circa Dexter Cooper Beaumont is the hero of the series and he's pretty much perfect. Gorgeous, broad shouldered, muscle-bound, and pure of heart, he’s steadfast and supportive and always there for Emma, even when she’s too stubborn to accept his help. An orphan and the sole heir of a plantation and building corporation, he’s wealthy but never, ever flaunts it. Instead he’s determined to right the greedy wrongs of his ancestors who have overdeveloped the South Carolina Lowcountry and used their influence in dark and sinister ways. He’s also best friends and almost brothers with Emma's twin brother, Jack, and when required will take a bullet (or face down a demonic creature) to save Jack’s sorry butt. Have I mentioned Cooper loves Emma? Yup, with his whole perfect heart. Oh, and he smells like pine needles and the sea breeze and his eyes switch from blue to green depending on what he’s wearing. In short, he’s awesome. And Brando Eaton would make the perfect, awesome Cooper. 




  Jack Guthrie, played by Beau Mirchoff, circa Heartland Jack is Emma's twin brother and Cooper's trusty side. He's funny and sarcastic, a jock and a history buff, and he never thinks twice before heading into danger. He's also taken lots of hits for the team over the course of the series, falling victim to curses, escaping vile monsters and fighting for his life. No matter what, he's always there for Cooper and Emma, especially when his twin sense kicks in, letting him know she's in trouble. Sadly, Jack's also been unlucky in love, but his fortunes may change in Illusion, though I won't say more lest I spoil things. ;) Beau Mirchoff is the closest cutie I can find to fit my image of Jack but there's one important detail he's missing: Jack's skin is more olive-toned and darker than Beau's.  



Miss Cordelia “Delia” Whittaker, played by Cicely Tyson, circa the present Miss Delia is Emma's 97-year old, tough, ornery, and loving hoodoo root worker  mentor. As Jack says, she's a hoodoo ninja warrior. And although she's old, she's the most powerful conjurer in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Not only can she work any spell and defeat any bad guy, but she also knows the difference between right and wrong, and the importance of using your power for good. There's no one more perfect to play her than Cicely Tyson who's always played strong, determined, interesting women. I’d have dream cast her in this role even if I’d never seen her in the film, Because of Winn Dixie, but the fact that her character worked magic and had a bottle tree just like Miss Delia didn’t hurt. 






  Zora Duval, played by Amber Patrick Riley, circa the Glee years Zora Duval is a new character introduced in Illusion as Emma’s new best friend. Zora is the best kind of best friend for Emma: kind, sensitive, supportive, she doesn’t ask questions, and can be counted on to get rid of a dead body if necessary. Finding an actress to play Zora was easy. I just though of Mercedes in Glee, the talented, funny, vulnerable, and great friend to some many in that cast.








Thank you so much Lea for being here today and sharing with us your dream cast for Hoodoo Apprentice!!




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43 comments:

  1. I haven't had a chance to meet these characters yet, but I LOVE YA fantasy, so I think these need to go on my list. Love the casting choices too!

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  2. I love the covers on this series. And that is a very attractive cast! :)

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  3. OMG how lucky that the Lea got out of chores by saying she was reading! If my parents caught me with my nose in a book they would find me chores to do! gah! I had been obsessed with books all my childhood though and I totally understand why they wanted me to get out of bed and go play but still. I love the covers and really want to read this series. You are always enjoying this series :)

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    1. Oh no Sarah, that is terrible. They should have let you read. ;) This is a fun series and the covers really are fab.

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  4. I haven't read this series but love those covers!!!! And love that cast! Will have to check these out!

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  5. Wow how fun is this having the author cast her choices. Thanks for the great post and the fantastic giveaway!

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  6. hey look its Beau Mirchoff from awkward! prob weird that i know that..or that I just watched it...hm

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    1. LOL I never watched it but I love that you recognized him!

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  7. I haven't read her yet, but I sure like this "cast"! :) Diverse, good-looking, and promising much fun - with substance, which is the best kind in my opinion. I love Something Wicked Rises!!! Nicely done :)

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  8. This series sounds good! I love the matching covers. I'll be looking into these for sure. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. I haven't heard of this series before, Ali, but now I need to find out more about them. I'm sure I'll fall for Jack. Poor guy keeps being in danger.

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  10. Oh such fun - now I can imagine the faces behind the characters that I adore even more! And, Jack I hope gets a book one day - so cute and charming :)

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    1. Oh I agree! That would be so much fun Kim! I'll keep my fingers crossed it happens. ;)

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  11. I know you have been a long time fan of this series, I really need to try it soon!

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    1. I hope you do the setting it irresistible and I know how much you love NOLA too. :)

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  12. Oh I just loved the first one. I can't believe they're over already!

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    1. So happy you read the first one and it is bittersweet for sure.

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  13. Must check out these books! Thanks for sharing. :D

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  14. Nice cast. I'd probably write in an extra part just to have Cicely Tyson part of it.

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    1. :P It is a fun cast and I can see them all playing the parts well.

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  15. This series does sound perfect for Fall. I love the celebrities she chose for the characters. YA Fantasy works well for me, I need to check these out.

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  16. This sounds like a fun series. I enjoy see dream casts, since it'f fun to compare my view of a character with the author's.

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    1. I agree, it is fun to see if they match up at all. ;)

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  17. A truth spell, or a mind reading spell :)

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  18. They look good but as I don't know the book it's difficult to really see. I should try!

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    1. You should try them because you just never know!

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  19. I would cast a spell to be able to speed read.

    Megan @ reading away the days

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