"Deportment & Disguises" ~ Interview with Gail Carriger + Giveaway!! (Etiquette & Espionage Blog Tour)

Today I have the enormous pleasure of interviewing Gail Carriger for her YA debut, Etiquette & Espionage! If you've been following me for awhile, you probably know I was a big fan of her adult series,  The Parasol Protectorate, so of course I was eager to see what she was give us when she tried her hand at YA.  You can check out what I thought of Etiquette & Espionage here, but before you go, enjoy this fun little interview I did with Gail on the topic of DEPORTMENT & DISGUISES, and then enter to win a copy of Etiquette & Espionage below!

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And now, on to the business of 

DEPORTMENT & DISGUISES

The business of espionage and "finishing" can sometimes be rather uncouth; what tips should a lady always follow to conduct herself appropriately while "on the job"?

Good posture is a must, and perfume just strong enough to confuse supernatural senses. Lastly, a lady should never forget her sewing scissors, handkerchief and small vile of poison—best to be prepared.

What must a lady never do, even in the hairiest of situations? [Note: this is not a *polite cough* subtle allusion to werewolf relations, nor particularly unflattering coiffures. Though if that is where your answer goes... ;) ]

Dance with a gentleman more than twice, show her neck to a vampire without proper introduction, or faint without purpose and intent.

The Dos and Don'ts of Disguises: What rules or guidelines should a lately always follow in donning a disguise?

Consider hair in all things­–mustaches, for example, should be treated gently. No one likes looking at the underclass, the ugly, or the uncouth, so when in doubt, don all three. Also, consider the opposite direction—aristocratic children, for example, can be both unseen and unheard.

A lady should always be ready for anything that comes her way at the drop of a hat (god forbid one were to drop it, that is); what are the most useful items to have on-hand to design a disguise on the fly?

Hair ribbons, sap paste, and smelling salts.

Aside from the obvious lack of sexytimes, how did you find yourself changing or adapting your writing for a YA audience?

I worked to create a more youthful and accessible voice, and characters that would grow and change with the books. Sophronia has a different worldview than Alexia. She's private, introverted and must become self-actualized along the way by making new friends and discoveries. Her focus is on her immediate environment, which is less political and more personal.

Want more Etiquette & Espionage? Check out the book's dedicated (and quite snazzy) tumblr, or catch Gail "Live at the Lounge" via this cool video chat on February 12th!

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***GIVEAWAY***

Thanks to the awesome folks at Little, Brown, I have an Etiquette & Espionage prize pack, including E&E buttons and a finished copy of the book, to give to one lucky winner! US only, ends February 12, 2013 at 12am EST. Full terms in the Rafflecopter below. 
Good luck!!

Make sure to check out the other great stops on the tour!
2/4: Forever Young Adult
2/5: The Book Rat - you are here! Awesome!
2/6: Alice Marvels
2/7: Supernatural Snark
2/8: Mundie Moms

a Rafflecopter giveaway


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Get It | Add It
Steampunk/Fantasy, 320 pages
Expected publication: February 5th 2013 by Little, Brown BYR

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.