​Blog Tour Guest Post: The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari

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Hello, bookworms! I can not believe it’s been a year since I started out blogging here! I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour for The Best Kind of Magic! It just seems like a fitting tour for my blogversary.

We get a special treat here on Vicarious Bookworm today! Crystal Cestari has accepted my invitation to guest post about an author who inspires her! Without further adieu, I’ll hand the keyboard over to her!

 

One author who made a big impact on me was Roald Dahl. When I was in second grade, I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time, and it was a huge “a-ha!” moment for me.

I can remember the scene very clearly: I was sitting at my desk, quietly flipping through the pages, and got to the part of the story where Charlie is in the great glass elevator scrolling through all the buttons leading to the seemingly hundreds of rooms within the factory. I had been enjoying the story up to this point, but something about reading through those many, many descriptions of all the candy-themed rooms set something off in me. For some reason, that list of imaginative descriptions made me realize how special this book was, and how extraordinary it was that someone had written it.

My childhood brain was absolutely exploding. Someone had dreamed up this over-the-top chocolate factory—filled with crazy characters and golden tickets—and took the time to sit down and write about it. This person, this writer, transformed a daydream into something real. And because of that effort, readers like me were now able to share those adventures. What an unbelievably amazing job! It’s not like up until that point I hadn’t realized that books were written by people, but it was the first time that it seemed like the coolest thing ever.

Something clicked inside me that day. I already loved reading, but I hadn’t experimented with writing much yet. I was inspired to try, and started dreaming up stories of witches and unicorns, fairies and far away lands. I loved filling up the pages with words and drawings, and watching how a blank piece of paper could turn into so much more. To this day, I still write all my first drafts longhand; for me, penning my thoughts on paper flows so much better than on a glowing computer screen.

Beyond this major moment, I appreciated the variety and creativity of Dahl’s writing. He showed me a way to weave magical elements into any story, whether they be about sly foxes, friendly giants, or in my case, matchmakers who can actually see true love. I loved how he made up his own silly words, and took ordinary objects like peaches and transformed them into something imaginative and new. He had a unique worldview that I loved being a part of, and hoped to emulate in my own creative endeavors.

I have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory many times since then, and recently read it to my daughter for the first time. One of the main characters in The Best Kind of Magic is named Charlie, and I have all of Roald Dahl’s books on my shelves. I’m so thankful for the foundation he gave me.

 

Thank you so much for joining us today, Crystal! I love how we are able to pass down our childhood favourite books to the next generation! Roald Dahl was also a favourite of mine growing up, but my favourite of his was always Matilda because what bookworm wouldn’t want to be telekinetic?

Goodreads Synopsis:

Amber Sand is not a witch. The Sand family Wicca gene somehow leapfrogged over her. But she did get one highly specific magical talent: she can see true love. As a matchmaker, Amber’s pretty far down the sorcery food chain (even birthday party magicians rank higher), but after five seconds of eye contact, she can envision anyone’s soul mate.

Amber works at her mother’s magic shop–Windy City Magic–in downtown Chicago, and she’s confident she’s seen every kind of happy ending there is: except for one–her own. (The Fates are tricky jerks that way.) So when Charlie Blitzman, the mayor’s son and most-desired boy in school, comes to her for help finding his father’s missing girlfriend, she’s distressed to find herself falling for him. Because while she can’t see her own match, she can see his–and it’s not Amber. How can she, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows full well isn’t her match?

The Best Kind of Magic is set in urban Chicago and will appeal to readers who long for magic in the real world. With a sharp-witted and sassy heroine, a quirky cast of mystical beings, and a heady dose of adventure, this novel will have you laughing out loud and questioning your belief in happy endings.

 

About the Author

With rainbows in my hair and stories in my head, I am a writer drawn to magic in the everyday world.

My debut novel, The Best Kind of Magic, arrives May 16, 2017 from Hyperion. Follow Amber Sand, a magical matchmaker who can actually see true love, as she takes off on a fun and romantic adventure toward happily ever after.

 

Happy belated book birthday to Crystal Cestari! This is definitely a book to add to your Goodreads list! A few places you can go to get your hands on a copy of The Best Kind of Magic are:

 

Or, you could win a copy from the blog tour giveaways! Yes, plural and I’ll explain that in just a bit. The winners will each receive ONE finished copy of The Best Kind of Magic. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada ONLY (sorry international bookworms!). Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Vicarious Bookworm giveaway ends 26 May 2017. The winner will be notified on 27 May 2017 and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

Now, you know how I said the plural of giveaways and winners? Disney-Hyperion has given permission for each blog on the tour to give away a finished copy! That means your chances to win a copy go up for each stop on the tour you visit!

There is a catch, however. Each person can only win ONE copy of this book. If you’re selected as the winner on more than one stop, it’s expected that you’ll decline any copy more than one. I know y’all are honest so it won’t be a problem, but anyone who doesn’t decline the extra copies will be disqualified from winning. Good luck!

 

Here’s the schedule so you can follow the tour!

17 May

 

18 May

 

19 May

 

20 May

 

21 May

 

22 May

 

23 May

 

Thank you so much to Crystal Cestari for writing this beautiful book. You’re a rock star!

Another thank you to the Fantastic Flying Book Club for allowing me the privilege of participating in this blog tour!

And, finally, thank you to Disney-Hyperion for allowing us the unique privilege of giving away so many copies of The Best Kind of Magic on this tour!

13 thoughts on “​Blog Tour Guest Post: The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari”

  4. Christina R. in the rafflecopter

    LOVE books with magic and paranormal powers and I find her matchmaking sounds awesome!!

    Lovely guest post 😉

    I have a Canadian address but I’m doing a semester abroad so my IP address might not show up as Canadian

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Awesome!

      Same! The concept is really amazing! I can’t wait to read it!! 😀

      Thank you! 😀

      Okay. So long as your shipping address is US or Canada, it should be fine, I think. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓

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