Welcome Lost Boys and Girls to stop #8 of the magical Dust blog tour! Have you had fun so far? Collect any treasure or escape any crocodiles? I hope you aren’t getting too tired… there’s still so much more adventure ahead!

In case you have no idea how you got here, visit https://thelongvoyage.org/2020/06/07/dust-tour-stop-7-author-interview/ for Stop #7 – we don’t want you missing any stardust!

Okay, let’s get down to business. First off, a quick recap.

What in the world is this blog tour thing?

For those of you just joining up, here’s what you’ve missed (trust me, you’ll want to know!)

Author Kara Swanson is coming out with Dust, the first book in the Heirs of Neverland Duology, July 21st. Yup – that’s sooo close! You may remember my post about the cover reveal (here’s the link). And in case you haven’t pre-ordered, you can do so here.

But now, we’ve got even more exciting news to share. If you hop over to the Dust Blog Tour Kickoff post, you’ll get to hear all the details and will be able to start at the beginning in order to win some exciting treasure!

Here’s the quick summary, dear lost ones: we have a new, very important mission. Special keywords and stardust have been hidden all over the internet (like this blog), and it’s your job to find every stop and collect the treasure before Captain Hook and his mean, stinky pirates do!

Okay, okay, okay. For all us Neverlanders out there, the mission itself sounds like loads of fun. But the good news for you is that if you visit every stop on this mystery adventure, you get bucket loads of treasure (Remember – if you go to Dust Blog Tour Kickoff you’ll get to hear everything!)

Did you say… EXCLUSIVE interview?

Yep! I know many of you Lost Boys and Girls would love to have a sneak peak inside the world of Dust by Kara Swanson – and luckily, I desperately did too!

Here’s what I asked Kara Swanson about her latest book:

How did you come up with the idea for Dust?

I was inspired to try my hand at my own unique take on a Peter Pan retelling after discussing with a friend how much I loved Peter Pan, and yet felt like few retellings truly did the character justice. I’d told her that if I wrote a Peter Pan retelling, I would want to keep it as true to the “original” Peter, the character Barrie created, as possible, while still building off of that foundation. I also told her that I would probably include a side character of my own, someone who maybe had to grow up too fast and could be the exact opposite of Peter, but push him to grow as he helped her rediscover her own belief in magic. I honestly was a little terrified of even trying a story like that, but when I had the chance to mention my concept for Dust to a few publishers at a writer’s conference, and they all loved the idea, I realized that I had something kind of special and needed the courage to just try and write it. ❤

Did your book turn out the way you initially imagined it?

I honestly wasn’t sure if any of the crazy things I was attempting would actually work. XD So the fact that people seem to like it is pretty amazing to me, so I guess…yes? It actually worked? lol

What was your favorite part of the process – from first coming up with the idea to finally releasing it in July?

Hmmm probably a lot of the brainstorming and discovering the story! I also enjoy the editing process. Watching the novel come together. Oh! And the cover design! That was so much fun too!

Will there be a sequel?

YES! SHADOW comes out in July 2021.

What other stories have you written?

The Girl Who Could See is a novella about a girl who’s imaginary friend isn’t actually imaginary.

Where can readers find you online?

On Instagram (@karaswansonauthor), Facebook (Kara Swanson, Author) and Twitter (@kswansonauthor) and at https://www.karaswanson.com

I don’t know about you, but I always wonder how authors come up with their stories and what else they’ve written. I am so glad I got to share this with you today!

The clue

Okay… now for what you’re really here for…

Clue #8…

The next piece of the puzzle to help you complete your quest…

The keyword for this stop is: bear

Now fly away, Lost Girls and Boys, to https://libbylou.guru/2020/06/09/welcome-to-the-dust-blog-tour-spot-9/ for your next clue! Mind the croc and the Neverbeasts – they’ll get you if you aren’t too careful!

Remember, if you don’t collect all the clues, you don’t get the treasure and Captain Hook might catch up to you!

• Go to https://libbylou.guru/2020/06/09/welcome-to-the-dust-blog-tour-spot-9/ for the next clue!
• And if you get lost, return to the Dust Blog Tour Kickoff post to orient yourself!
• And if you haven’t pre-ordered Dust yet, please do so here!

Good luck, boys and girls!