Spindle and Dagger: Instagram Posts

Here are some lovely photos of Spindle and Dagger by some amazing bookstagrammers. All credit goes to them. Follow me @thindbooks on Instagram!

@libraryobsessed

@ya.its.lit

@librarianreviews

@missprint_

@thebookishcrypt

@melissa.nicole.mitchell

Spindle and Dagger: Author's Playlist

J. Anderson Coats' Playlist for Spindle and Dagger

Spotify (click on the word to go to the playlist)

Artists:

Great Big Sea
Chumbawumba
Ewan MacColl
The Corries
Smithfield Fair
The Halliard

Spindle and Dagger: Interview

An interview with J. Anderson Coats, the author of Spindle and Dagger


About the Book:
1. How did you get the idea of writing Spindle and Dagger?
I was the kind of nerdy teen who had research interests, and one of them was medieval Wales. I was in high school when I first read about the abduction of Nest, and that story has been kicking around in my brain ever since.

2. What scene was the hardest to write?
The first one. It was a challenge to introduce the relationship between Elen and Owain in a historically accurate way, but also one that made sense to a modern audience and clearly lined out what was going on.

3. What is your favorite thing about your book?
I like that it exists in the world and people will get to read it. I’ve been working on it since 2011, and it’s deeply meaningful to me.

4. What is the key message in this book?
Every reader brings their own experiences, background, thoughts, and opinions to every story, so each reader will get something different out of it

5. How did you design the cover?
I can’t take credit for this awesome cover. I’m so fortunate that the folks at Candlewick were able to get Julia Iredale to create the art. You can check out her work here [http://www.juliairedale.com/]. She has a such an eye for color and movement, and I knew I was going to love what she came up with when I received a request from my editor to send along historical sources for her to look through. It made my nerdy little heart sing with joy.

6. Where can readers purchase your books? 
If you have a local bookstore, I hope you’ll consider buying books from them. It’s a little more expensive, but physical bookstores support authors and pay taxes and help a city or town build and create a community of readers. Spindle and Dagger is also available at all the online retailers if that’s your thing. Also, check your public library! Many libraries have a way to suggest a book for the collection. If your library buys a book, other people in your community can read it, too. Thanks!

About You:
1. What books and authors have influenced your writing?
Too many to count, but I deeply admire the work of Octavia Butler and Margaret Atwood.

2. What are some of your favorite series that you recommend to others?
I don’t tend to read series, but here are some books I’ve read recently that I’ve loved:
- Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
- 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough
- Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
- What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
- When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn

3. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I like to read all the books, play computer games, fuss over my garden, and hang out with my family.

4. If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be?
My grandmother, who died a few years ago. I miss her.

5. What is your favorite vacation spot?
Haha, when you’re a midlist writer, you don’t go on vacation very much. You’re busy paying the rent and writing the next book. If I could go anywhere, I’d go to Australia where I lived as a kid. I'd go see my old house and my old school, and hang out on the beach.

Spindle and Dagger: Review

Rating: 4/5 stars
Review: 

*This book was provided by the publisher to give an honest review* If you love bloody, historical fiction with fierce heroines then this book is for you! This was an enjoyable and short read. I don't read much historical fiction but the author wrote the story well of a girl named Elen who spun a lie that Owain will get protection from Saint Elen if he keeps her name safe. The writing was different and not in a bad way. You can tell the author made it understandable for readers but also put some 12th-century language in it. The plot was well structured and the world-building was a little weak but not bad. The author put dates on the book instead of saying part 1 or 2 which is unique. The pacing was good and there weren't parts where it was too fast or slow. I didn't enjoy the main character, Elen, a lot but not because the author didn't write her well. She annoyed me a little because she was sucked up into Owain a little and didn't really release that she needs to leave to go into the real world. But there was a lot of information on this character because the author put flashbacks of Elen's life. You could tell that the character developed well throughout the book and didn't stagger. My favorite characters were Nest and her kids. I love how they were so brave when they were kidnapped and it brought me happiness when they cared so much for each other. They also let Elen be with them which melted my heart. I hated how Owain treated them because it was just a mom and her 3 children. This book was really good and I recommend it to ya historical fiction fans.  Plot- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ Main Character- ⭐⭐⭐★★ Other Characters- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ Writing Style- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ Positive Vibes- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ Pacing- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ending- ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ Book Cover- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spindle and Dagger: Welcome Post

Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: YA historical fiction
Age: 14+

Summary:
Wales, 1109. Three years ago, a warband raided Elen’s home. Her baby sister could not escape the flames. Her older sister fought back and almost killed the warband’s leader, Owain ap Cadwgan, before being killed herself. Despite Elen’s own sexual assault at the hands of the raiders, she saw a chance to live and took it. She healed Owain’s wound and spun a lie: Owain ap Cadwgan, son of the king of Powys, cannot be killed, not by blade nor blow nor poison. Owain ap Cadwgan has the protection of Saint Elen, as long as he keeps her namesake safe from harm and near him always.


For three years, Elen has had plenty of food, clothes to wear, and a bed to sleep in that she shares with the man who brought that warband to her door. Then Owain abducts Nest, the wife of a Norman lord, and her three children, triggering full-out war. As war rages, and her careful lies threaten to unravel, Elen begins to look to Nest and see a different life — if she can decide, once and for all, where her loyalties lie. J. Anderson Coats’s evocative prose immerses the reader in a dark but ultimately affirming tale of power and survival. (Goodreads)

About the Author:
J. Anderson Coats has received two Junior Library Guild awards, two Washington State Book Awards, and earned starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, the Horn Book Review, and Shelf Awareness. Her newest book is The Green Children of Woolpit, a creepy middle-grade fantasy inspired by real historical events. She is also the author of R is for Rebel, The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming, The Wicked and the Just, and the forthcoming Spindle and Dagger. (Goodreads)