Carrier of the Mark Blog Tour: Guest Post, Character Interview, & Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the second stop on the Carrier of the Mark blog tour! Carrier of the Mark is an exciting debut novel by author Leigh Fallon. What makes this book unique, beyond its magical setting in Ireland and its heart pounding mystical romance, is that Carrier of the Mark was the first book discovered on www.inkpop.com and selected for publication by HarperCollins Publishers. On www.inkpop.com your opinion counts! HarperCollins Publishers is looking to www.inkpop.com to discover new authors as well as hear from real readers about what books they would like to see HarperCollins publish. Join www.inkpop.com today and help us change the way we publish.

Read along as author Leigh Fallon shares exclusive Carrier content through weekly guest posts and character interviews! Each post on the tour will reveal a unique scavenger hunt clue, so follow Leigh Fallon as she shares exclusive content from the book and discover all four clues on each stop of the tour. After the final stop, visit www.inkpop.com and enter to win a prize pack selected by Leigh herself including one of a kind Carrier swag!

Inkpop will be celebrating the publication of Carrier of the Mark (on-sale 10/4) on October 5th with a live chat on www.inkpop.com featuring author Leigh Fallon! You can visit the inkpop blog on Wednesday October 5th at 5 p.m. EST or return to My Friend Amy on October 5th at 5 p.m. EST to participate in the chat with debut author Leigh Fallon!

Throughout September visit Carrier of the Mark on Facebook to read excerpts from Carrier of the Mark, enter to win an Advance Reader Copy, and get to know a little bit more about Carrier of the Mark by taking the Carrier of the Mark quiz.

Guest Post: Photo Journal

Join Leigh Fallon as she guides us through a tour of Irish landmarks and the real life locations that inspired CARRIER OF THE MARK!


Boat Graveyard - This was my inspiration for the big fight scene in Carrier of the Mark. It's separated from Kinsale by the Bandon Estuary.


Cork City - Where Megan and the girls get their shopping fix.


The Harbor Map - This gives you an idea of where everything is in Kinsale.


Inside Trinity - This shot is inside the courtyard of Trinity at the centre is The Campanile.


James Fort - This picture captures James Fort from the harbor with Kinsale in the background.


Kinsale Marina - Kinsale marina in the background, shot from the walk down to it.




Character Interview: Adam DeRise

Adam thanks for popping into answer our questions.

No problem.

Adam, tell us about Megan?

Hey, I though this interview was going to be about the elements and my life in the Order? I’m not sure I’m too comfortable answering questions about, Megan.

Sorry, we didn’t mean to get to personal, we were just wondering how you guys are getting on.

Megan is good. In fact, she’s great. We’re great, but I’d prefer to talk about the other stuff.

Sure of course. Even though you’re not the oldest, you seem to be the emerging leader of the Marked Four, why do you think that is?

I don’t know about me being a leader. I like to think we all share a very equal footing when it comes to decisions regarding us all. But I know what you mean. My sister Áine does look up to me, but I am her twin after all and I’m very protective of her. Rían is older than me, but he doesn’t really like authority in any way, shape, or form, no matter what end he’d be on, so he kind of likes me to take on that role when it’s called for. I don’t mind. We all depend on Fionn to guide us, but I’m comfortable with making decisions and it’s worked for us so far.

You really seem to enjoy your element, why are you at peace with what you are and not Rían?

*sigh* Rían is a complex character. Don’t let him fool you. He likes to give off the impression that he doesn’t give a toss. But he does. He says I’m the deep thinker, but he goes so deep, he can go missing for days. The problem with fire is that it’s seen as the most dangerous and offense of the elements, but it has a whole other side to it. He’ll kill me if he reads this, but then again, he’s not a big reader. I’ll probably be safe. You see Rían is a protector at heart. He is driven by his need to keep us all safe. So he feels at odds with his element.

For me, my element always came easy. It felt natural; I’ve enjoyed watching it grow and learning to manipulate it. My heart is so drawn to the water, that’s why I love sailing so much. I’m at my happiest when I’m on the sea. It makes me feel alive. I have to admit though, since Megan’s been around my power has been sort of erratic. It’s something I’m not used to, and it makes me respect Rían even more.

I know you said you didn’t want to talk about Megan, but can you just tell us a little about when she first came to Kinsale.

It was really strange. We were all a little out of sorts, you know, just not feeling ourselves. At first we thought there was danger near. Our marks react to impending danger, but it felt different this time. Then we noticed the fourth mark. The arc started to grow. We didn’t know what was happening at first. Then Megan showed up. Man, phew, when I first saw her it was like… it’s hard to explain, it was like I’d found something I’d lost. It sounds pathetic I know, but it was one of those moments where you suddenly realize you were missing something up until that exact moment. I couldn’t think straight. Everywhere I went she was there, looking… well you’ve seen her, she’s stunning. She just blew my mind. Rían and Fionn absolutely freaked of course. They couldn’t accept that the fourth had made her way to us. We’d all written off the chances of our generation of Marked being completed, but there she was one day, unconscious in my arms. There was no going back after that.

So do you think you’ll make it as a couple?

You’re digging again. I don’t want to talk about it. Sure we have our problems, but doesn’t everyone?

Some quick fire questions!

Cookies or Cake?

We call cookies, biscuits, but I’d have to go for Cake.

Favorite song?

Mirror ball, by Elbow.

What’s on your iPod?

Elbow, Coldplay, The Verve, Moby, Radical Face, Snow Patrol.

Ideal weekend getaway?

A cottage on a deserted West Cork beach on a stormy weekend…with Megan.



Thanks for talking to us. Can I just say…Megan’s a lucky girl.

Oh give over! You should use that line on Rían.

Oh I have. Yum.


Scavenger Hunt

In Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon there are four elements that make The Mark. In the DeRise family there are already three elements. Read the passage below to determine which element Adam DeRise might represent.

“Whatever hit me had snapped all of the oxygen from my lungs before dunking me in the sea. I sucked in a vast breath and chocked on the salt water that swirled its way into my body…Then I got warmer…I was underwater, but no longer felt the panic of water filling my lungs…I was breathing...I was cocooned.”

To read more from Carrier of the Mark check out our sneak preview on our inkpop Facebook page. Read part of the original manuscript discovered and selected for publication HarperCollins Publishers on www.inkpop.com.

Check out the next stop on the Carrier of the Mark Blog Tour: Tuesday, September 20th @ Reading Angel!