Kelsey Macke

I’m thrilled to be a part of Kelsey Macke’s DAMSEL DISTRESSED Blog Tour, and I’ve got lots of great stuff for you in today’s spotlight! This is a very special project, including not only the beautiful novel, but also a companion CD to go along with it! It’s the perfect way to experience DAMSEL DISTRESSED! Sit back and enjoy as I present all of the details about the book and album, a book review, plus a giveaway opportunity! Be sure to enter below!

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About DAMSEL DISTRESSED:

Hot girls get the fairy tales. No one cares about the stepsisters’ story. Those girls don’t get a sweet little ending; they get a lifetime of longing

Imogen Keegen has never had a happily ever after–in fact, she doesn’t think they are possible. Ever since her mother’s death seven years ago, Imogen has pulled herself in and out of therapy, struggled with an “emotionally disturbed” special ed. label, and loathed her perma-plus-sized status.

When Imogen’s new stepsister, the evil and gorgeous Ella Cinder, moves in down the hall, Imogen begins losing grip on the pieces she’s been trying to hold together. The only things that gave her solace–the theatre, cheese fries, and her best friend, Grant–aren’t enough to save her from her pain this time.

While Imogen is enjoying her moment in the spotlight after the high school musical, the journal pages containing her darkest thoughts get put on display. Now, Imogen must resign herself to be crushed under the ever-increasing weight of her pain, or finally accept the starring role in her own life story.

And maybe even find herself a happily ever after.

Enhance the experience with the companion soundtrack, Imogen Unlocked, by the author’s band, Wedding Day Rain.

ADD DAMSEL DISTRESSED TO GOODREADS!

PURCHASE DAMSEL DISTRESSED:

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

THE BOOK DEPOSITORY

KOBO

Miss Riki’s Review:

I had to take a step back and ponder a little after reading this book, but I mean that only in the best of ways. I think I felt every emotion ever felt by a reader while reading this book, and I wanted to bask in the beauty of such a well crafted and singularly touching novel. Now that I’ve had a chance to sit with my feelings (and oh- there were so many!) I’m ready to put together a more coherent review.

First off, I cannot imagine a single more endearing and heartfelt character than Imogen Keegen. She’s absolutely everything you could possibly ask for in a protagonist. She’s wounded and emotional, yet snarky and smart. She’s a good friend and a dutiful cast mate. She’s the kind of character that you want to be friends with in real life! She’s that girl you just want to wrap your arms around and tell her everything is going to be okay, even when all signs point to the idea that they might not be. The author takes Imogen on a complete journey, and although she falters along the way, she comes out on the other side a more complete and well-rounded person. I cried for Imogen. I cheered for Imogen. I hated for Imogen. In short, I absolutely adored Imogen. She’s unlike any character I’ve ever read in YA, and I loved her.

The secondary characters in this novel are every bit as complex and well developed as Imogen, and I found myself identifying with each one of them. Grant is swoon-worthy and geeky, all at the same time, and I dare you not to crush on him. Even Ella Cinder- the by-all-means evil stepsister, has more dimension that meets the eye. I fell in love with the extremely likable cast of characters and friends that surround Imogen at school and in the production of Once Upon a Mattress and my heart broke when unforeseen circumstances come between them. Every character has a purpose in this novel, and you’ll fall in love with every one of them.

Damsel Distressed handles some very important topics, including depression and self-harm, but it does so with extreme care and tact. There are greater lessons about fitting in and loving yourself evident in the text, but it never once feels didactic. It is simply an honest portrayal of one girl’s struggle with very real problems.

I highly recommend this novel. It is exemplary contemporary young adult with a compelling voice and well-crafted characters. I was taken on the full emotional journey in reading Imogen’s story, and I think that readers everywhere will love her as much as I do.

ABOUT IMOGEN UNLOCKED:

CD Blurb:

Damsel Distressed is the story of Imogen, a girl who’s survived the years after her mother’s death by focusing squarely on her best friend, Grant, musical theatre, and lots of cheese. The book is full of humor and heart, and also contains a few surprises. Full page sketches are scattered throughout the novel, and each one contains a QR code that corresponds to a song from the book’s soundtrack. Imogen Unlocked is a 12-song album of original music written by the author and her husband Daron as their indie-pop band, Wedding Day Rain. Together, the book Damsel Distressed and the soundtrack Imogen Unlocked work together to tell the story of a girl who might just make her own Happily Ever After, if she can just hold herself together.

Imogen Unlocked Track Listing:

Heavy
No Goodbye
Something About
Sinking
Don’t Wake Me Up
Let Me Go
My Strength
Unseen
Always Speak Too Late
The End is Just the Beginning
Breathe Easy
Edge of the Fall

About Kelsey Macke:

Kelsey Macke has been creative for as long as she can remember. From an early age she was on stage singing, penning poetry, and writing notebooks full of songs. When the idea for her debut novel, DAMSEL DISTRESSED, popped into her head, she was undeterred by the fact that she had no idea how to actually write a novel. Her bff, the internet, was her guide, and after much trial, error, and candy, she finished it, and set out to get it published… a process far more difficult than, the internet (now her mortal enemy), had lead her to believe.

Her whirlwind adventure was made even more unbelievable when she signed with fabulous agent, Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and, shortly after, Danielle Ellison of Spencer Hill Contemporary bought her debut.

This innovative, mixed-media art project has given Kelsey an incredibly unique opportunity to join two of her passions: writing and making music with her husband as half of the folky, indie-pop band Wedding Day Rain.

Follow Kelsey on her Website, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube!

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DamselDistressed

I am super excited to share with you today an interview with author Kelsey Macke! She has embarked on the amazing endeavor of creating a truly unique bookish experience. She describes it best: “One book. One album. One story.” Join me now in welcoming Kelsey to the blog and sit back to enjoy her interview!

Describe yourself in five words.

I’m having a hard time believing it, but I’ don’t think I’ve EVER been asked this question!

Creative. Empathetic. Positive. Neurotic. Patient.

What is the best piece of advice have you ever received in your writing career?

Do not compare your private self to anyone else’s public self.

My agent, Jessica Sinsheimer passed that knowledge on to me (she doesn’t remember where she heard it) and it changed my perspective almost instantly.

DAMSEL DISTRESSED is a very new type of project, billed as a mash-up of prose, technology, drawings, and music. Please tell us a little bit about what inspired this type of very unique work.

I fully expected Damsel Distressed to be a traditional book release. The music of Wedding Day Rain (folky, indie-pop songs by my husband and I) was a total separate entity. When my agent discovered the musical side of my life, she threw out the idea that somehow we should be able to make these two things come together. As we brainstormed, the pieces just continued to fall into place. Daron and I started looking through our catalogue of songs, and we realized that several of the songs we’d already planned to produce fit Imogen’s story perfectly.

In hind sight, it feels like several of these songs were written to be a part of “Imogen Unlocked” all along. It’s an incredible thing that we get to make so much stuff all at once.

Now Damsel Distressed is being presented with its own soundtrack, Imogen Unlocked. Readers will be able to access these original songs that extend the feeling of certain scenes in the book by using their phones/tablets/computers.

DAMSEL DISTRESSED focuses on some difficult themes, including self-harm and battling obesity. What inspired you to tackle such important issues in a novel?

In school, I was never thin. I may have been average, in reality, but the feeling of being bigger than all my friends was real. In adulthood, my own emotional eating resulted in weight gain that eventually lead me to an unhealthy weight for my size, which was brought to my attention during a health screening.

I have definitely experienced a complicated, and sometimes painful relationship with food and body image. When I was younger (and even when I got older), those emotions were often fundamental in how I saw myself, and I wanted to express that experience through Imogen.

The other side of Imogen’s primary problems exists in the realm of mental health issues. I am a vocal advocate for the destigmatization of mental health needs and care. I have spent most of my career as a teacher working with young people who have emotional/behavioral difficulties.

Sometimes, it seems like the hardest part of living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or any number of other conditions, is that those who haven’t experienced it rarely understand the complexities involved in recovery.

There are no easy solutions, you know? It can be hard in YA to write a character and keep the readership from saying/thinking, “Oh my gosh. Stop whining! Go get some Xanax and get on with it.” But those types of oversimplifications are damaging and hurtful to the real young people that our characters represent.

It was important to me that Imogen’s problems be as authentic as possible.

What was your favorite part of writing DAMSEL DISTRESSED?

Imogen is a theatre geek and is very involved in the Tech Theatre program at her high school. Thinking back on my own experiences in high school theatre, and writing scenes that take place in rehearsals, on stage, and at cast parties was a particularly enjoyable walk down memory lane.

Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character(s) from DAMSEL DISTRESSED?

For a very, very long time I resisted seeing Imogen with someone else’s face. And in my head, she’ll always just look the way she looks. However, I think that actress B.K. Cannon of ABCFamily’s Switched At Birth (@CannonBK) would be excellent.

What is an unknown fact or fun trivia about DAMSEL DISTRESSED?

Hmmmm. How about this: The musical that Imogen’s theatre troupe is producing in the novel is Once Upon a Mattress! It happens to also be a musical that my own high school produced during my Sophomore year. (I was a techie for that show… the prop table had never been so organized.)

E-Books or Traditional Paper Books?

I certainly read e-books, but I love owning physical copies of books I love.

What are you working on now?

Damsel Distressed is still in production, so I’m working on wrapping up that part of the process very soon. In addition to that, I’m in the studio with Wedding Day Rain working on Imogen Unlocked as often as I can, because we’ve basically got a debut novel to complete AND a debut album. So, there is still much work to be done.

That said, once the dust settles, I am thrilled about a work in progress that has been brewing in my head since last July (2013), and I can’t wait to write it!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

I’ll just add that my wonderful publisher is holding a contest to design my book cover that runs through September 22nd! (Enter if you’re artsy!) But soon after that, we’ll be announcing the ten semi-finalists, and the public will be able to vote one of those ten into the final three!

For all of the information about the contest, how/when voting will start, and updates over the next year until publication, be sure to follow me on twitter or watch my youtube channel! I look forward to chatting with you all!

Thanks for having me, Riki and readers!

Thank you so much to Kelsey for joining us today and for sharing all of this awesome insight into DAMSEL DISTRESSED!

Be sure to follow Kelsey on Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube. You can check out all of the details for DAMSEL DISTRESSED at her website and be sure to add it to your Goodreads list today!