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Saturday, January 10, 2015

The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour

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The Accidental Alchemist
by Gigi Pandian

Zoe is a fun character with a witty and great personality. This book will put a spell on you to keep reading until the end.
~Shelley’s Book Case
Accidental-Alchemist-Gigi-Pandian-cover-w-text-WEB-LARGEThe Accidental Alchemist
(An Accidental Alchemist Mystery)

First in Series
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (January 8, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0738741841
ISBN-13: 978-0738741840
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Synopsis
From USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian comes a modern tale of ancient intrigue.
Unpacking her belongings in her new hometown of Portland, Oregon, herbalist and reformed alchemist Zoe Faust can’t help but notice she’s picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing three-and-a-half-foot gargoyle—not to mention a master of French cuisine—and he needs Zoe’s expertise to decipher a centuries-old text. Zoe, who’s trying to put her old life behind her, isn’t so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past… until the dead man on her porch leaves her no choice.
Includes recipes!

Guest Post ;


Family Support to Follow My Dreams

By Gigi Pandian



Three years ago, I received a breast cancer diagnosis -- right after my 36th birthday. It was my wake-up call to see what was important in my life: family, friends, and following my dreams.



My cancer diagnosis made me realize I wanted to throw myself into my dream of writing. My family and friends were wonderfully supportive, which made all the difference in the world. Instead of wallowing on the couch all year while my hair fell out, I let my writers’ group take me shopping for a glamorous wig! And my doctors say that one of the reasons I did so well getting through my intensive year of cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) was because I had a positive project to focus on. It wasn’t a fun year, but amazing things came of it. I’m both closer with my friends and family than ever, and I have a new book I’m excited about.



My new book, The Accidental Alchemist, is a mystery about a centuries-old female alchemist, and I wrote a first draft of the book during that year of cancer treatments. Because my family and I were learning to cook delicious healthy foods as I went through chemo, ideas such as culinary alchemy and the Elixir of Life became central themes in the book.





BLURB for The Accidental Alchemist:
Unpacking her belongings in her new hometown of Portland,
Oregon, herbalist and reformed alchemist Zoe Faust can’t help but notice she’s picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing three-and-a-half-foot gargoyle—not to mention a master of French cuisine—and he needs Zoe’s expertise to decipher a centuries-old text. Zoe, who’s trying to put her old life behind her, isn’t so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past... until the dead man on her porch leaves her no choice.

Includes recipes!



Zoe and Dorian are my new favorite amateur-sleuth duo!”

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie





EXCERPT



A three-foot stone gargoyle stared up at me from the wreckage that used to be carefully-organized antique alchemy artifacts.

Instinctively, I stepped backward. How had this statue been added to my sealed crate? And why on earth would someone do so?

I ran out the front door, but movers had already departed. The porch sagged beneath my feet and the rickety front door banged shut behind me in the strong wind. When I turned the door handle to let myself back inside, the brass knob came off in my hand. Be careful what you wish for, Zoe Faust.

Thankfully, a strong shove was all the door needed to open. Back inside my new home, I returned to the crate for a closer look. The gargoyle reminded me of the stone carvings on Notre Dame in Paris. The gray creature looked to be modeled after the famous stone “thinker” gargoyle, with short horns and folded wings. The main difference was that this gargoyle held an old, leather-bound book in his arms. That was odd. I would have expected any added detail to be made of stone, not this real book with leather binding. I couldn’t place the type of stone used to carve the gargoyle. Granite? Sandstone? Or perhaps a softer soapstone? It wasn’t like any stone I’d seen. I leaned in for a closer look. There was something...

The gargoyle blinked.

My fist tensed around the crowbar. I stumbled backward, falling into the large couch.

Sprawled out on the couch, I laughed at myself. I’d seen a fair share of magic shows in my time. I knew what this gargoyle was. He was something that had been a popular attraction over a century ago: an automaton.

You’re the best looking automaton I’ve ever seen,” I said.

The gargoyle’s shoulders moved, as if it was stretching. It was a wonderfully constructed piece. It must have been programmed to awaken when light shone on him. A good trick for the stage.

I am no automaton,” a deep voice emanating from the automaton said. He—for his voice assured me he was male—climbed out of the crate onto the hardwood floor.

I gasped and fell off the edge of the couch. Ouch.

I’d seen ingenious automatons created by stage magicians. None were as advanced as this one. If I were to believe my eyes, I would have sworn he was alive. But then again, technology had progressed since automatons were popular in stage shows of the 1800s. A famous example of an early automaton was The Turk, a chess-playing machine that drew huge crowds to watch him play chess against famous chess players. Automatons were a combination of technical wizardry and stage showmanship, and the most famous automatons were aided by human helpers. There was no way a person was inside the crate with this creature, so he had to be completely mechanized.

Where are my manners?” the creature said, bowing before me. “I did not mean to startle you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dorian Robert-Houdin.” He spoke in English with a thick French accent.

I pulled myself together and stood up. “Either I’m going crazy, or your creator had a mischievous sense of humor. Incorporating a recording of his voice—”

I broke off when the gargoyle who called himself Dorian Robert-Houdin blinked at me again. The effect was quite disconcerting. His eyelids looked like granite, but the eyes themselves were a liquidly black substance.

I assure you,” he said, “I am not a robotic automaton, nor are you going crazy.”

Most people would have run screaming from the room if they saw a walking, talking gargoyle emerge from their storage crate. I admit I was surprised, but I’ve seen many things in my lifetime…

Did I mention that when I was born in Massachusetts, it was 1676? I’ve been around for a while. But even my many years hadn’t prepared me for what I’d find in Portland.


Guest post;   3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! would like to thank author Gigi Pandian for sharing her thought with us.
 
Family Support to Follow My Dreams
By Gigi Pandian

Three years ago, I received a breast cancer diagnosis -- right after my 36th birthday. It was my wake-up call to see what was important in my life: family, friends, and following my dreams.

My cancer diagnosis made me realize I wanted to throw myself into my dream of writing. My family and friends were wonderfully supportive, which made all the difference in the world. Instead of wallowing on the couch all year while my hair fell out, I let my writers’ group take me shopping for a glamorous wig! And my doctors say that one of the reasons I did so well getting through my intensive year of cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) was because I had a positive project to focus on. It wasn’t a fun year, but amazing things came of it. I’m both closer with my friends and family than ever, and I have a new book I’m excited about.

My new book, The Accidental Alchemist, is a mystery about a centuries-old female alchemist, and I wrote a first draft of the book during that year of cancer treatments. Because my family and I were learning to cook delicious healthy foods as I went through chemo, ideas such as culinary alchemy and the Elixir of Life became central themes in the book.



Gigi Pandian b&w headshot 14 webres RGB
About This Author
Gigi Pandian lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with an overgrown organic vegetable garden in her backyard. A cancer diagnosis in her 30s taught her two important life lessons: healing foods can taste amazing, and life’s too short to waste a single moment. Therefore she writes the Accidental Alchemist mystery series while drinking delectable green smoothies and eating decadent home-cooked meals. Gigi was awarded the Malice Domestic Grant for her debut mystery novel. She does not apologize for loving kale. Find her online at www.gigipandian.com.
Author Links:
Website:          http://gigipandian.com/
Twitter:           https://twitter.com/GigiPandian
Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/GigiPandian
Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/GigiPandian/
Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/GigiPandian
Blog:               http://gigipandian.blogspot.com/
Gargoyle photography blog:   http://www.gargoylegirl.com/
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

Tour Participants
January 8 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway – book
January 9 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Guest Post,
January 10 – Libriamorimiei – Review
January 10 – Writers and Readers of Paranormal Mystery – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway – book
January 11 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Giveaway – mug
January 12 – fuonlyknew – Review, Giveaway- book
January 12 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Giveaway – mug
January 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview, Giveaway – book
January 13 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Giveaway – mug

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