Blog Tour: The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell (Facts and Giveaway)

I am so excited to be part of the tour for The Cadet of Tildor today and welcome Alex Lidell herself to join us today and share some interesting facts about her debut! You can check out the other tour stops HERE. 

Title: The Cadet of Tildor
Author: Alex Lidell
Release Date: January 10th, 2013
Genre: Fantasy 
Age Group: Young Adult
Tour Organized By: AToMR Tours

There is a new king on the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young Crown's inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right.

You can find The Cadet of Tildor at Amazon, GoodReads, and its Official Website.   

Alex Lidell is a YA fantasy writer and author of ABNA Finalist THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). Although English is Alex’s primary language, it wasn’t her first.  Coming from Russia, Alex learned english in elementary school and fell in love with reading when the school librarian put Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA into her hands.  Years later, in college, it was another book that re-united Alex with russian, which she had shunned in adolescence. The Three Musketeers.*  Alex thanks both books, and the writers who created them. Beyond writing, Alex is also a photographer, a horseback rider, and a paramedic. The latter two go hand in hand more often than one would like.  She is trying to self-teach herself and her horse to sword-fight. Alex would love to see THE CADET OF TILDOR in the classroom and is working on developing teacher guides for the novel.  She enjoys “e-meeting” both students and educators.

You can find out more about Alex Lidell and her novel at Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, Shelfari, and Library Thing.  

Facts About The Cadet of Tildor: 
1) Despite its problems, Tildor has the strongest and most prosperous economy of all the neighboring nations.  Commerce forms Tildor's economic backbone.

2) Cory, Savoy's younger sergeant, was a thief before joining the military.  

3) Davis, Savoy's older sergeant, used to be in charge of Savoy during Savoy's own field internship as a cadet.

4) Connor Seaborn is an awesome soccer player.

5) Tamora Pierce's SONG OF THE LIONESS and PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL inspired this book.  Tammy's wonderfully simple and visual prose is my gold standard.

6) A lot of the moves the characters use in ground fighting come from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

7) Before he become a High Constable and the Academy Headmaster, Verin was one of the best sword fighters in Tildor.

8) The next book in the series will either follow Renee's progress, or jump pack to detail Savoy's field internship as a cadet.  Both stories are in the works. 

9) When they were cadets, Seaborn did most of Savoy's homework.

10) A scene cut from the original draft included a direct, secret confrontation between Headmaster Verin and Lord Palan.

Giveaway: 

$20 Amazon Gift Card, PLUS a copy of THE CADET OF TILDOR with swag – US
$20 Book Depository Gift Card – International

a Rafflecopter giveaway