Dark Days Blog Tour & Giveaway: Claudia Gray’s 10 Interesting Facts About The Titanic

Hello everyone and welcome to the fourth and final week of our stint on the official Dark Days Blog Tour, a celebration of the upcoming fall lineup of paranormal and supernatural YA titles from Pitch Dark Books at Harper Teen! We have the great honor of hosting Dark Days author Claudia Gray for four weeks, as she shares with us some of her favorite films, books, and influences for her her new novel Fateful.

Please give a warm welcome to Claudia Gray!

Claudia Gray’s 10 Interesting Facts About The Titanic

1. A few years before the disaster, Captain Smith had given an interview to a magazine in which he said, “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder … Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”

2. There’s always been a controversy about whether the nearby ship Californian should have come to Titanic’s rescue; although they saw signal rockets, they never turned on their radio and thus didn’t hear distress calls. Captain Lord of the Californian always protested that they saw the ship they thought the rockets were coming from, but it was obviously in no trouble. Only years later was it learned that a Norwegian whaling vessel had in fact been traveling, silently and illegally, in those waters that night. Probably the Californian sailors saw that ship sailing on, which led them to ignore the signal rockets as routine.

3. At least two dogs survived the sinking, a French bulldog named “Gamin de Pycombe” and a Pekingese named “Sun Yat Sen.” Although there was some outrage over this when so many people died, the dogs were held in their owners’ laps, so no human being lost any lifeboat space to a pet.

4. The most luxurious accommodations on the Titanic, the promenade suites, cost the equivalent of $83,000 today.

5. Although the band did indeed play until almost the very end, the legend of “Nearer My God To Thee” as the last song is just that: legend. Some people did report them playing that last, but others said it was a song called “Autumn.” Given the extreme panic and confusion at that time, it’s possible nobody remembered exactly.

6. Speaking of the courageous members of the band, the Titanic’s owners, the White Star Line, later sent each band member’s family — a bill. They wanted to be reimbursed for the cost of the uniforms the band members hadn’t returned, because they drowned in them. Really.

7. Remember the scene with Jack and Rose on the very back of the ship as the final sinking occurred? Remember how they glance over and see a ship’s baker next to them? The ship’s chief baker, Charles Joughin, really did go down with the ship just like that.

8. Joughin was also the individual who spent the longest period of time in the cold water and still survived. Some people say it’s because he drank so much alcohol during the final minutes aboard, bracing himself for the disaster; others attribute it to his heroic actions in the hours after the collision with the iceberg, when he spent considerable energy hustling passengers above decks and toward the lifeboats and so raised his body temperature.

9. A silent film star named Dorothy Gibson not only survived the sinking but went on to star in a movie about her true-life experience during the disaster, for which she wore the actual clothes she had on that night. Unfortunately, no prints of the film are still in existence.

10. Next year, on the 100th anniversary of the sinking, a cruise ship will take passengers over the same route as Titanic and stop for a while on April 15 above the shipwreck. You could not pay me enough to get on that ship!

About the Book:

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him — and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

Download an excerpt HERE and check out the trailer below:

For More About The Dark Days Fall Tour…

Make sure to check out the official Facebook App which includes all sorts of extras, including the official Dark Days Trailer. Plus, check out the Fall 2011 Tour Dates below:

Brace yourself for the DARK DAYS ahead! Meet HarperTeen authors Claudia Gray (FATEFUL), Kiersten White (SUPERNATURALLY), Amy Garvey (COLD KISS), Anna Carey, (EVE), and Jocelyn Davies (A BEAUTIFUL DARK) as they visit the follow cities:

Wednesday, October 12th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
*Lynnwood, WA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Thursday, October 13th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
*Huntington Beach, CA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Friday, October 14th
7:00 PM
Tattered Cover
9315 Dorchester Street
*Highlands Ranch, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Saturday, October 15th
1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
2999 Pearl Street
*Boulder, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Sunday, October 16th
2:00 PM
Anderson’s
123 West Jefferson
*Naperville, IL*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

THE GIVEAWAY:

We have ONE signed copy of Fateful up for grabs! The contest is open to addresses in the USA only, and will run until Saturday, October 15 at 11:59PM (PST). In order to enter, simply leave a comment here! Only ONE comment per person, please – multiple comments will automatically be disqualified. Good luck!

Also, we’d like to give a huge thank you to Claudia Gray for letting us host her charming Titanic posts, and to the Dark Days team for putting together the tour.