The Thirteenth Tale

  Happy Holidays, readers! I hope you are enjoying the holidays with friends and family. In these last few days of December, I'm trying to wrap up some of my remaining reading challenges. I'm almost half way done! The Thirteenth Tale wraps up my Alex Award reading challenge this year.

Description: Margaret Lea works in her father's antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious Vida Winter, whose popularity as a writer has been in no way diminished by her reclusiveness. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself - all of them invention. Now she is old and ailing, and at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to Margaret is a summons.Somewhat anxiously, the equally reclusive Margaret travels to Yorkshire to meet her subject - and Vida starts to tell her tale. It is one of Gothic strangeness featuring the March family; her mother, the beautiful and willful Isabelle, who had a powerful hold on her father and brother, and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline.Margaret, herself a twin, is doubly intrigued. But as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction, and she doesn't entirely trust Vida's account. She goes to check up on the family, visit their old home and piece together the story in her own way. What she discovers on her journey to the truth is for Margaret a chilling experience that will transform her life.

Review:  The Thirteenth Tale pays homage to the great Gothic writers, particularly Charlotte Bronte and Daphne Du Maurier, while weaving a wholly original story of its own. The story at first seems very familiar as a plain girl gets wrapped up in a dark, haunted ruin of a house, which guards family secrets that are not hers and that she must discover at her peril. Along this bleak journey, she also learns secrets about her own family.
  Margaret Lea is a London bookseller's daughter and a bibliophile. An introvert, she has lived vicariously through the written world. Her world revolves around what knows through her books. Books are her solace, friends, and adventures she can safely go on without any dangers. She enjoys books where the truth is written out in black and white terms and where the unjust are punished in the end. She also has an interest in siblings and has written an obscure biography that suggests deep understanding of siblings.
  It is Margaret's fascination with siblings that attracts the attention of the famous and now aging author Vida Winter, who finally wishes to tell her own, long-hidden, life story. Facing imminent death and feeling an unexplainable connection to Margaret, Miss Winter begins to spin a haunting, suspenseful tale of an old English estate, a devastating fire, twin girls, a governess, and a ghost. As Margaret carefully records Vida's tale, she ponders her own family secrets.
   The Thirteenth Tale immediately grabbed my attention right away. I felt a kinship with Margaret's love of books and I was swept away with the story that Ms. Winter spun. All throughout the story with a story, I wondered which bits were true. I  had no problems distinguishing between the two narrators as their voices were so different, but the transition from one to the other felt smooth. I loved the connections with some of my favorite books, but I was delightfully surprised that the connections were not a complete retelling of the story but showed how books can touch our lives in so many different ways. The book's pace was steady and there were plenty of twists and cliffhangers that kept me turning the pages. I was sad when the story concluded, but I think it could be enjoyed even more the second time you read it. The Thirteenth Tale is truly a book lover's book that celebrates reading and storytelling.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution:  There are hints of sex and incest in the book, but nothing graphic or explicit. Recommended for teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

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Glimmer Tour: Barbara Brooke's Audience

 As part of the promotional tour for Glimmers hosted by Candace Book Blog, I'm very happy to have the author of the book, Barbara Brooke, on the blog. Today Barbara will talk to us about her audience.

Who do you write for? 

   I write for people who enjoy traveling to another time, eating exotic foods and pretending that anyone can attain a superpower. Paige has the ability to “glimmer” into other people’s lives and experience their memories. Her first glimmer takes her into the life of a young girl from West Virginia during the 1980s. I wanted this story to have the same Southern warmth from books like The Notebook and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Paige’s second glimmer throws her into an uncomfortable moment from her sister’s life … and reveals a secret that Paige would rather not know. The third glimmer pulls her back in time to 1818 England, into the life of her great ancestor Emma. Emma’s story is charming and elegant like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.
   Through Glimmers I was able to bring elements from some of my favorite books. I was able to explore different personalities and talents through the perspective of four unique women. My taste is eclectic. I adore many styles of writing, as well as an array of settings, personalities and moods. I suspect that I’m not alone when it comes to altering my surroundings depending on how I feel at any particular moment: diving into a specific book, immersing inside a particular movie, devouring certain foods or humming to just the right song. Glimmers was written for women 16 and older, but can also be enjoyed by the fellas. I could name a few men whose eyes welled, just a bit ;) 

  I've noticed that some men are closet romance readers so it's not all that surprising to see them pick up your book. I love the sound of the story within the story feel to your book. I'm also excited to see how the concept of Glimmers work. Thanks for stopping by, Barbara!

A simple touch and suddenly, Paige is in the past - living someone else's life, seeing the world through their eyes, and feeling their deepest emotions.
 Paige used to think memories only existed in one's mind. But now, she knows better. She can't explain how or why, but she has glimmers: special moments that have remained behind - clinging to a letter, a ring, even a worn-out pair of boots.
  When Paige returns from each glimmer, a small part of her has changed. Who is this gourmet cook, fashion designer, feisty lover? And how is she supposed to explain this to her family without them thinking she has completely lost her mind?
  Paige thought her new talent was a gift, until…she was suddenly transported into her sister’s memory, and caught a glimmer of her secret life.

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Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

 Wild is one of my quick picks for an adult nonfiction read. It is a powerful, blazingly honest, inspiring memoir of woman who took herself out of her personal hell by tackling a solo, monumental journey into the wildness which proves that no matter how dark things can get you do have enough strength to carry on.

Description (from Goodreads): At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone. Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Review: Wild is an unsentimental memoir of the author's three-month solo hike from California to Washington along the Pacific Crest Trail. Following the death of her mother, Strayed's life quickly disintegrated. Family ties from her siblings and stepfather melted away. Feeling emotionally numb, she dived head first into infidelity and drug use, which resulted in a divorced from her decent husband and best friend. For the next four years, her life quickly spiraled into darkness and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Strayed is very frank about her flaws and her writing is very candid, which is what drew me to her story. Her dark days will resonate with others who shared a similar event(s) in their own lives, but her means to find peace within herself may be a bit far fetched but not impossible.
  While waiting in line at an outdoors store, Strayed read the back cover of a book about the Pacific Crest Trail. Initially, the idea of hiking the trail became an abstract idea, something that might be listed on someone's bucket list, but then it quickly became a goal. With absolutely no backpacking experience whatsoever, being woefully under-prepared for the wilderness, out of shape and carrying a ridiculously overweight pack, the author set out from the small California town of Mojave, toward a bridge crossing the Columbia River at the Oregon-Washington border. Many would call her decision to be idiotic and impulsive and they would be right in many ways as she suffered aches, pains, loneliness, blistered, bloody feet, persistent hunger, and suspicious people along the way. Personally, I cringed when she made several decisions that could have easily been deadly yet I couldn't help but admire the author's tenacity of sticking to her goal when there were several times she could have easily stopped. I found a small part of myself connected to her plight and her conversational tone engaged me throughout her story. Strayed discovered a new found sense of awe; for overcoming her limitations along with gaining her inner and physical strength while hiking the PCT. She is stunned by how the trail both shattered and sheltered her as she released all her emotional baggage along the way.
  Some readers have found that Wild is a book filled with self pity and wallowing, but aren't most memoirs just that? If you're looking for a book talking about the wonders of hiking and the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild will surely disappoint you as there is not much discussion to be found. If you are in the mood for a candid and an inspiring narrative, Wild may work for you.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: This book contains strong language, drug use, and frank discussion of sex. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Into the Wild by Jon Krauker, Claiming Ground by Laura Bell, A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail by Angela Ballard, Cactus Eaters by Dan White

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Gone Girl

  Gone Girl is probably the most talked about book of this summer. I wouldn't be surprised if you've seen the cover graced upon the displays at your local bookstore or be a suggested read from librarians, booksellers, or even from friends. The book has sat comfortably on the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks. If you only have limited reading time this year, definitely put Gone Girl on top of your reading list.

Description (from Goodreads): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Review: A common complaint of not liking a book is the failure to connect to the main character(s). Readers, including myself, want to have the ability to align themselves and support or at the very least find something redeemable about the protagonist in order to have an active, enjoyable role in reading. There are a very few books I have loved that feature despicable characters and Gone Girl has made that list.
  Deliberately deceptive, Gone Girl is set up to be your average "who dunnit" murder mystery. You are given an outline of a typical murder plot. A perfect wife's disappearance plunges her husband into a nightmare as it rips open ugly secrets about his marriage and, just maybe, his culpability in her death. In the first half of the book we are introduced to Nick and Amy as they revel in the happy bliss of marriage. Soon that mirage ebbs away after both individuals are laid off from their jobs and a sudden move from move New York to North Carthage, Mo., where Nick ailing parents suddenly need him at their side. Since Nick and Amy were so good playing the part of a perfect couple, no one ever suspected that the marriage was fraying, until the fateful morning on their fifth anniversary when Amy vanishes with every indication of foul play.
  With mounting evidence stacking up against Nick, his innocence is immediately questioned. His is incapable  of communicating any grief over the sudden loss of his darling wife, which doesn't help him in the case at all.  As a reader, I was even appalled at his insensitivity, his ineptitude of not cooperating with the police, and his insistent whine about Amy's flaws. Soon I began to see the real Nick. A hollow man who used his wife to give himself an identity and resented her when he failed to live up to her expectations of a great husband, but does this mean he deserves to get tagged as his wife's killer? And if by the off chance that Nick is actually innocent then what really did happened with Amy? Flynn intersperses the mystery of Amy's disappearance with flashbacks from her diary, which allows us to get a chance to know Amy and her perspective of her failing marriage. Her silent cries, only written on paper, earn our sympathies.
  The first half of the book is purposely very slow as Flynn sets up the players of her story. We are given enough time to form our opinions about Nick and Amy from either their own accounts or what they've written about themselves. We are manipulated to believe certain things are true until the huge twist at the half way mark of the book is revealed and then we are asked to re-evaluate the characters. My feelings for the characters changed quickly like a mood ring and I couldn't wrap my heads around how incredibly sick and twisted these characters can be.
  After discussing this book with several others who have also read it, the twist will either make you love the book and continue to read it in a feverish attempt to finish it or hate the book and make you regret for falling for the hype. I, personally, thought the twist was incredible and raised the book from your average murder mystery to a psychological cat and mouse thriller. I was so happy to find a book that I couldn't predict in advance. Many readers have also complained that the ending was anticlimactic  but I would have to disagree. I think Gone Girl is one of those rare thrillers whose revelations actually intensify its suspense instead of dissipating it. The final pages are chilling and I don't think it could have ended any other way. Once I finished the book, I had to find someone to talk about it and that is why it will be my selection for my turn to host the book club in January.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, violence, implied sex, and disturbing themes. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like you like this book try: The Girl in the Box by Sheila Dalton, Our Dailly Bread by Lauren B. Davis, Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron, Dare Me by Megan E. Abbott, Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Hayes

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Tasting the Sky: A Palestian Childhood

 I'm not a big biography or memoir reader, but I am attracted to stories that go beyond the every day occurences of ones life. Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat is an award winning and critically acclaim biography that takes place in the Middle East and is written for young adults. No matter how much I read about the Middle East, I always seem to learn more. The memoir is an enjoyable, insightful, and quick read that inspires hope. I think it should be read by young adults as well as adult readers.

Description: A memoir in which the author describes her childhood as a Palestinian refugee, discussing her family's experiences during and after the Six-Day War, and the freedom she felt at learning to read and write.

Review: With simple yet incredibly moving sentences, Barakat transports us from the comfort of our own homes to a hostile, foreign environment. It's the first night of the 1967 Six-Day War, which pitted Israel against the Arab nations of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. It ended with the Israeli occupation of the Sinai and Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank (Source: Six-Day War. (2012). In World History: The Modern Era. Retrieved September 12, 2012, from http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/).
  Three-year-old Ibtisam and her family are uprooted from their home in the middle of the night, where the toddler hunts frantically for her lost shoe, loses her family as they join the throng of anxious Palestinians fleeing Ramallah into Jordan. Our hearts race and we become extremely anxious until the family is reunited after several desperate hours. With moments of harshness, stark reality comes this beautifully written memoir of the author's childhood on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. We learn first hand about what it's like to live in the backdrop of war and cultural displacement. The family endures poverty, separations and frequent relocation. Despite these hardships life seems to go on, by turns surprising, funny, heartbreaking and rich with possibility.
  In an overcrowded Jordanian school-room housing refugees, Ibtisam discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arab alphabet, and thus creates an intimate relationship between reading and writing, which allows her to spread her wings and imagination. Barakat and her brothers are Courageous and curious, but they are not perfect by any means. Like all children, they find themselves in troubles, have their mischief ways to assert their strong wills in defiance of the authorities that govern their lives. While reading Tasting the Sky, I never felt as if the book was politically motivated, but rather a coming of age autobiography that focuses on family, culture, and identity in the part of the world is almost always misunderstood.

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing war images and allusion to attempted sexual assault. There is also a chapter that talks about male circumcision that is important to the culture. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye, A Little Piece of Ground byElizabeth Laird, or Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples

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Author Interview with Sylvia Gunnery

 Today I'm pleased to introduce you to Sylvia Gunnery, the author of Emily for Real. The book is currently out in Ms. Gunnery's native Canada and soon to be released in the U.S. Before we get to the interview, here's some information about Ms. Gunnery (as found on the publisher's website): She is the author of many novels for teens and children. Often, the themes and characters in her books have developed from her classroom experiences with junior high and high school students. A recipient of a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence, Sylvia has written a teachers' resource, Just Write! (Pembroke, 1998) as well as guided reading books for Curriculum Plus. She has presented at conferences, libraries, and schools across Canada and works on curriculum development and assessment initiatives with the Nova Scotia Department of Education. Ms. Gunnery is here to talk about her writing style and her latest release, Emily for Real. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Welcome to Books in the Spotlight, Ms. Gunnery.  How do you incorporate important issues in your book without making it too serious yet realistic?


I’m really happy that you see the issues in Emily For Real as realistic and yet not overly serious. That is always one of my goals while writing. It can be so easy to moralize or try to “teach a lesson.” Of course, all our lives involve issues, but I try my best to keep myself in a kind of teen mindset without all the layers of adult judgement or expectations. For teens, a lot is being experienced or observed or considered for the first time. They can sometimes be more objective, even neutral, so issues don’t have the same weight they do for adults. This story was written from Emily’s point of view and she sees things differently from me. I really enjoyed looking at what was happening in her life through her eyes and watching her responses.


Out of all of your characters, which one could you relate to the most? Which was the hardest to write?


The character I relate to the most is Emily, perhaps because I was inside her world, listening to her thoughts and observations for so long. I also gave her a lot of experiences straight out of my own life—that first walk around the block wearing her new raincoat and rubber boots (even with her Mom phoning “Mrs. Day over on Robie Street”), shovelling snow with her Dad, hitchhiking with a guy, visits in a nursing home, taking the bus downtown, seeing people feed ducks in the Halifax Public Gardens right next to a sign that says “Please do not feed the ducks.”

   The character I found hardest to write is Leo. As I mention in the acknowledgements for the novel, Leo is based on a former student of mine named Theo. Theo’s the type of person who doesn’t say much but is always so observant, very bright, and basically a good person though his anger issues could blur that. It wasn’t easy to show readers, through Emily’s eyes, all those same qualities in Leo. I might have come closest to portraying him in the cafeteria scene where he convinces Emily to casually say hi to Brian and then nonchalantly walk on by. Leo really did understand why she felt so insecure, and he wanted her to get past that. A real good friend.


Strong friendship between boys and girls are rare to find in literature. What makes Emily’s and Leo’s relationship so special?
 
I agree that these relationships are rare in literature, but in real life I don’t think they are. I had lots of guy friends when I was a teenager (and now, too). As a teacher, I saw strong friendships between guys and girls in my classrooms—admittedly, a few of them did turn into romantic relationships and even marriages. Friendship is a great basis to build a romance on, for sure. I see Emily and Leo’s friendship lasting a very long time and not changing into a romance.
   The timing was really right for both Leo and Emily to become friends. He’d just switched to a new school where he knew only a few people, and he also had heavy responsibilities at home with not much room for friends. Emily was changing—the break-up with Brian and the shift in her friendship with Jennifer were, for me, symbolic of her moving from one place in her life to another. Both Leo and Emily were open to a friendship that would give them lots of room to be independent and yet be supportive when support was most needed. I’ve had those kinds of friendships and they’re really great.


 I really liked your top 10 tips for writing YA. How did you come up with your list and which would you say is the one that is often neglected by writers?

Glad you liked those tips. Thanks! Coming up with the list was easy…limiting it to only 10 wasn’t. J Basically, I thought about what I try to do to make my novels authentic. Writing YA is a complex process, just as all writing is, and respecting my teen audience is a very important part of writing for them.
It’s hard for me to say what other writers might neglect. Sometimes, though, I have wondered whether some authors put aside their adult perspectives and really do get inside the teen world—“Be a teenager thinking.”


What message would you like your readers to take away from your book? 


I do shy away from the idea of a “message.” Each person comes into a book with unique experiences and expectations, so in some ways, everyone is reading a different book. But I hope people who read Emily For Real have a chance to think about how family secrets may not need to be secrets at all and take away a strong sense of caring for family and friends.


Besides writing, what do you like to do? What are your hobbies and interests? 


I do a lot of reading. When I was studying writing at the Banff Centre in Alberta, one of my instructors was Alice Munro and she said to me, “When you’re not writing, read.” I came to
recognize that both writing and reading engage your mind in much the same way—like musicians going to concerts or basketball players watching NBA games on television.

My partner Jim and I have flower gardens that give me a break away from my desk during the spring and summer. Though I do own gardening gloves, I love digging in the dirt with my bare hands. Also, I enjoy long walks, sometimes alone and sometimes with my neighbours’ dog Willie. I live very close to two beaches and a provincial park, so there are lots of choices for where I can wander. There’s lots of time to daydream about my characters and what they’re up to when I’m gardening and walking.


I'm always curious to see what other people are reading. What is on your to be read pile? 

I’m almost finished re-reading Leon Rooke’s short fiction collection, The Last Shot. I love his control and pace—I just counted 12 lines for a single sentence. Perfectly smooth. I’ve recently begun Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, switching from my habit of mostly reading Canadian-authored books. Last week, my sister loaned me two novels: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and the historical novel Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin which is written in the voice of woman who inspired Charles Dodgson to write Alice in Wonderland. They’ll be next. When I’m working toward deadlines (like I am right now for a junior novel ), I get a bit distracted from reading books and I switch to magazines. September’s The Walrus and Quill & Quire just arrived, so I’ll probably be reading those until my rewrites are finished.


 What is your next project? 


My next novel started on its way in early May with a bit of daydreaming and wondering when I was in Vancouver. I’ve made some notes and even written a few pages, but everything is so tentative right now. Vague. Three sisters are involved (ages 16, 17 and 21) and they’re driving from Halifax to Vancouver, something my own sister and I did with her German Shepherd dog, Max, when we were in our twenties. I wanted to minimize the world of these three sisters basically to the size of a car and always moving forward, and then explore who they are and are becoming. The other day, I gave them a hitchhiker and his dog to add to the mix. I’m curious about how things’ll work out for all of them. That’s the fun of it!

Thank you so much for stopping by, Ms. Gunnery! I wish you the best of luck with Emily for Real. Readers, if you would like more information about Ms. Gunnery or  Emily for Real, you can visit the Pajama Press website. Emily for Real can be purchased at Chapters/Indigo, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Definitely check out the  following blogs participating in the Emily for Real Blog Tour running during August: Open Book Toronto, YA Booklover Blog, Pub(lishing) Crawl, Midnight Bloom Reads and Musings of a YA Reader

Seventeen-year-old Emily’s world crumbles when her boy friend dumps her, and when she thinks her life can’t possibly get any worse, a series of secrets are revealed that threaten to tear her beloved family apart. Emily’s heart has been broken into a hundred pieces and she feels like there is no one to turn to, until an unexpected friendship blossoms with a troubled classmate named Leo. Sometimes moody but always supportive, Leo is Emily’s rock in an ocean of confusion and disbelief.
   But Leo doesn’t have an easy life either. He struggles to be both mother and father to his little sister while his mom battles her alcohol addiction. His deadbeat dad darts in and out of the picture, and Leo would rather he stay away, permanently. The two friends lean on each other, and in the end discover the inner strength to face whatever life throws at them.
   With incredible insight into the teenage psyche and speckled with pitch-perfect humor, author Sylvia Gunnery has created a heart-warming coming-of-age story that explores the intricacies of family and friendship.

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Character Interview with Jamie from Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite + Giveaway!

 Everyone once in a while I come across a very different book to review. Unfortunately due to my insane work schedule, I'm unable to review many books but I do want spotlight some of the books that I thought my readers would like to read about. Ms. Simon's Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite is such a book that I'm sure will generate a lot of discussion and curiosity. I have Ms. Simon and Jaime on the blog today. I hope you enjoy their interview. Also, if you are interested in reading Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite, be sure to scroll down to enter the giveaway and win a copy of the book!

Lianne: On the front cover is the face of a teenage girl. Would you like to tell us about her?

Jamie: Okay, so I looked a little bit like a girl. But it's not like I wore dresses or makeup or anything. And it was 1970, so lots of boys wore their hair long. Anyway, yeah. Lisa took that picture my first day in college.

Lianne: You look pretty young in that photo.

Jamie: I was sixteen. Some people thought I looked younger than that.

Lianne: You were still a soprano then?

Jamie: Yes, ma'am. When I was fifteen some doctor my mom worked with began giving me testosterone injections. I freaked out when my voice started changing, so I got early admission to college. Nobody at school made me take any more shots.

Lianne: You didn't want a normal male puberty?

Jamie: What's normal about shots? I wanted to be tall and strong and play sports. Like other boys. My brother was six-foot-two and played football. I would have been okay with that, but I didn't want to be four-foot-eleven and hairy.

Lianne: What about a female puberty? Would you rather be a girl?

Jamie: I was never much good at being a boy, you know, but that doesn’t mean I have this strong desire to be a girl. It would be easier. Okay? That’s all. And boys are a lot nicer to me when they think I’m a girl.

Lianne: On the back cover, it looks like there's an old stone house...

Jamie: Yes ma'am. That's the manse on Saint Andrew's Island. The little kid is Rachael. She's the orphan I babysat for.

Lianne: And the cute guy? Was he your boyfriend?

Jamie: It's complicated, okay? Mom made me stay with Sharon after my appendectomy. Sharon was a medical student and she told me I should have been raised female, so I agreed to be a girl for one day. Just one day. But her brother Tyler came home and he thought I was a girl and he was really nice to me. All we did was kiss, you know, but my mom found out and threw a hissy fit. So I had to go stay with my cousin on Saint Andrew's. To get it out of my system, she said.

Lianne: How did the rest of your family react to your being a girl?

Jamie: My sister Alicia always treated me like I was her identical twin. She’s three years younger than me, but we were the same size as kids. When we were little, we shared toys, and clothes, and stuff. My brother Scott wouldn't play with me, because he thought I was a girl. My cousin Kaylah and my sister and I played together. You know--dolls, house, dress-up. My cousin treated me like a girl until I was nine and our family moved away from hers She saw me again when I was a girl over Christmas break and was okay with it, I guess. Mom said I had to stay with my aunt and uncle until I was willing to go back on testosterone. So I spent the summer as a girl, taking care of the little orphan girl Rachael.

Lianne: Did you enjoy that?

Jamie: Yeah. I always kind of wanted to be a mom. And nobody was bugging me about my gender then. Being a girl was okay.

Lianne: How did your father react?

Jamie: Dad wasn’t happy at all. He gave me a list of Things Boys Do and sent me back to school as a boy. He thought I'd find something I liked I could only do as a boy, I guess.

Lianne: Who was the elfin princess?

Jamie: When I was a little kid I had this pixie face, so I thought the girl in the mirror was an elfin princess.

Lianne: Did you know then that you were intersex?

Jamie: My sister and I shared a bedroom, so I knew I wasn't a girl. I was a bit different from other boys down there, too. I had to sit down to pee, but Mom and Dad always said that minor surgery and a few years on testosterone would make me like other boys.

Lianne: And you believed them?

Jamie: Well, I didn't think my parents would lie to me.

Lianne: The doctors put male on your birth certificate?

Jamie:Yeah. They had to put something, now didn't they?

Lianne: But you were born with one testis and one ovary?

Jamie: Yeah, but who cares? I got cancer, so they took them both out, anyway. When I was nine.

Lianne: You had gender issues?

Jamie: I was always me, you know. Mostly it was other people who had issues with my gender.

Lianne: The book is about you becoming more aware of your body?

Jamie: Yes, ma'am. And what happened with my family, and boyfriend, and all. And Rachael.

Jamie was born with a testis, an ovary, and a pixie face. He could be a boy after minor surgery and a few years on testosterone. That’s what his parents always say, but he sees an elfin princess in the mirror. To become the man his parents expect, Jamie must leave behind a little girl’s dreams. When a medical student tells Jamie he should have been raised female, he discovers the life he could have as a girl. The elfin princess can thrive, but will she risk losing her family and her education for a boyfriend who may desert her, or a toddler she may never be allowed to adopt?

GIVEAWAY

Ms. Simon has generously offered to giveaway 2 (two) copies of Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphodite to 2 (two) lucky winners. The books are either an ebook or a print copy of the book. The winners will have the choice of what format they would like. To enter the giveaway, simply leave your name/alias as well as an email address so I can contact you if you win. The giveaway is open internationally and will run until Saturday, September 15th at 11 PM EST. Winners will be selected by Random.org and be announced on the blog on Sunday, September 16th. Good luck!

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Color of Snow Blog Tour: Guest Post by Brenda Stanley

I'm delighted to introduce you to a new author, Brenda Stanley, and be part of the promotional blog tour for Ms. Stanley's Color of Snow. Ms. Stanley is here on the blog today to give us a glimpse of what inspired her to write her novel.

 The Color of Snow has been described as dark or mysterious.  I feel most of my writing fits this description because I enjoy looking at the strange and unusual things in life.  My novel will definitely make some people uncomfortable.  I like to look at situations and issues and try to figure out how people will react.  For years I was a crime reporter, so I enjoy investigating stories and learning about the parts of life most people try to hide.  When I wrote The Color of Snow, I was working on a story about a young girl who went missing years ago and has never been found.  I started thinking about what would happen if she were to suddenly show up now.  I loved putting myself in Sophie’s shoes and seeing things for the first time.

Sophie’s relationship with Damien is both intense and tempered.  Her father has raised her to believe that she will destroy anyone who truly loves her, so she is torn between her love for Damien and her fear of causing him harm.

The story changes between what is going on with Sophie and what happened in her parent’s past that brought her to where she is.  I wanted readers to experience the often isolated feeling of living in a vast rural area, but also the mental confinement of a small town.

Mental illness, teen pregnancy, religious intolerance, and racism are all big parts of The Color of Snow.  I like my characters to face challenges and see them grow from them.  It is not only the conflicts with the other characters that keeps the story going, but also those within the person’s own mind.

I wanted Sophie to be unusually beautiful so that people treated her strangely and therefore made her feel even more alien when she is first discovered.  She has transformed from a tragic kidnapping victim to a mythical ghost from the past and this makes her transition into her new life even more difficult.

My ties to the Mormon Church go back to my great-great grandparents.  I was raised in the teachings of the Mormon religion and even though I am no longer a member, I have many friends and family who are still very active in the church.  My descriptions of the Mormon culture are how I view it and how I feel someone who has never been exposed to it might see it.  I think there are a lot of people who are curious about the Mormon religion and have misconceptions.  I feel I’ve been both candid and fair in my portrayal.

Can a troubled young girl reenter society after living in isolation?

When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora--a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.

To learn more about Ms. Stanley, please check out the websites below:

The Color of Snow web site
The Color of Snow Twitter hashtag

The Color of Snow GoodReads Page

Brenda Stanley's Facebook

Brenda Stanley's Twitter's Twitter
 

Brenda Stanley's Website

Brenda Stanley's GoodReads

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Let's Pretend This Never Happened

  After reading a few serious books, I wanted something light and funny. I've gotten lots of good reviews of Let's Pretend This Never Happened from both coworkers and library patrons alike. I decided to give it a shot and for the most part I did enjoy it.

Description (from Goodreads): Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor.

Review: If you're looking for something funny or just a reassurance that maybe you're really not that weird then Let's Pretend This Never Happened is for you. If you, however, are looking for something with a bit more depth than a few chuckles here and there, this book will disappoint you.
  Jenny Lawson is definitely funny and I can definitely see her humorist wings growing. As a writer, however, she needs to stay focused. Let's Pretend This Never Happened is pretty much composed of tangents that are not linear nor really take any shape. For instance, there are footnotes and those footnotes have footnotes, but the footnotes don't really have much to do with the narrative but just a parenthetical that happens to be there. The lack of structure makes me think that the book wasn't edited to closely or that the editors chose to have Lawson's voice go unhindered due to her already large popularity (she has one of the biggest blogs on the internet called The Bloggess that has over a million page views on a daily basis). I did think there were chapters that were filler and I skimmed them without missing much. I would recommend jumping around and reading selective chapters instead of reading it straight through.
  Most of the book is read as if Lawson is constantly onstage and having to dish out a punchline all the time. I'll admit that majority of the punchlines were funny and amusing, but after a while it got really old and I found myself getting a little bored. My favorite parts of the book moves beyond the comedy and gets a bit personal as Lawson discusses poignant issues such as her pregnancy troubles and dealing with her anxiety. I do know that Lawson plans on exploring these issues in her next book, which would make the reading experience a bit more rewarding.
  While not mind blowing or expertly written, Let's Pretend This Never Happened is an amusing read that I would recommend for readers looking for a light and fun book. I do see Lawson's talent and I plan on reading more from her in the future.   

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: Strong language, drug use mentioned, and crude humor. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, I Know I Am, But What Are You? by Samantha Bee, Half Empty by David Rakoff, Naked by David Sedaris

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Guest Post with Simmer author Kaitlyn Davis!

 I'm pleased to have Kaitlyn Davis, the author of the upcoming book Simmer on the blog today. Since paranromal romance is still the rage in pop culture, I asked Kristin which paranormal romance world (book, TV, or movie) would she like to live in. Here's her answer and we would love to hear about yours!

   I want to go to Hogwarts!! I want a wand to choose me, I want to play Quidditch, I want to step on platform 9 ¾, I want my own owl and I want magic! Okay, I know Harry Potter is not a paranormal romance, but it is definitely the book I would live in given the chance. I think J.K. Rowling does an amazing job of bringing the setting to life and creating a hopeful world where dreams always have the possibility of coming true – to me that is irresistible!

 But, if I had to stick strictly within the paranormal romance genre, I would have to say I would want to jump into the pages of the Vampire Academy books and become a Moroi! First, I think the elemental magic is awesome! I would definitely specialize in water magic and would be right alongside Lissa and Christian learning how to fight Strigoi, even if it was technically against the rules! Second, I love the idea of the academy. Maybe I’m a nerd, but I love school and I wouldn’t want to live in a world where I had to give that up. School is where you make your best friends, meet your significant other and have a ton of fun! While many of the teenagers in the world of the Vampire Academy books grow up fast, they still have a childhood. Third and final, I want my own sexy dhampir bodyguard! Dimitri is one of my favorite fictional characters and I wouldn’t mind having a forbidden romance with someone like him ;)

   The only downside to the Vampire Academy world is the Strigoi, but I like to believe I would have been fighting with Rose and Lissa to take them down. I love a strong female lead and those girls would definitely be my friends!

 What about you guys? What paranormal world – book, television, or movies – would you absolutely love to live in?

Slowly, like a whisper almost blown away in the wind, two words streaked across her mind: "Kiss me."

Kira may have survived the eclipse, but her troubles are far from over. She's headed to Sonnyville with one goal in mind: to learn more about her parents. But with Luke and Tristan competing for her heart and Diana gunning for her head, time is running out on the search for her mother. And the closer Kira gets to answers, the more terrified she becomes. The conduits fear her, the vampires fear her, and Kira is starting to wonder if maybe they're right...

 To learn more about Kaitlyn check out the following links:

• Kaitlyn Davis' blog
• Kaitlyn Davis' Facebook
• Kaitlyn Davis' Twitter
• Kaitlyn Davis' Pinterest
• Kaitlyn Davis' Goodreads

 

To learn more about Simmer check out:

  

•  Simmer on Goodreads
•  Simmer blog tour site
•  Kindle Link
•  Smashwords Link
•  Nook Link 

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This or that with Huntley Fitzpatrick

  I'm delighted to have Huntley Fitzpatrick, the author of My Life Next Door, stop by the blog today. If you're in the mood for a really good summer romance read, be sure to pick up My Life Next Door. This or that feature allows us, the readers, to get to the know the author's preferences. Below are Ms. Fitzpatrick's responses to my questions. Enjoy!

Mass or CT? I’ve loved both at different times and in different ways. What I love about both is living on the coast near the ocean.

Calvin O'Keefe from A Wrinkle in Time or Laurie from Little Women?  Oh, Calvin all the way. He really GETS Meg right from the start, completely accepts everything about her and stands by her. I think Laurie was a little more in love with the idea of Jo than he was with Actual Jo. And he gave up on her and went off and married her sister! Still haven’t forgiven him for that.

Favorite Shakespeare film adaptation: Branaugh's Hamlet or Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet? Romeo and Juliet is more fun to watch, but I think I’d pick the old Zefferelli version, even though Romeo has a bathing suit tan line in a key romantic scene.

Biking or walking?  Biking is great---it’s always felt a little like flying to me. But the slow-down-and-appreciate part of walking is wonderful. Plus you can walk and talk with friends, which is harder with biking. My daughters and I love to take this five mile ride to the beach, but we stop all the time to comment on things we see or thoughts that strike us, so I’m not sure how aerobic the whole experience
is.

 Revision or free write?  Both in different ways. Free writing and having characters do unexpected things and turn the plot in surprising directions is exhilarating. But going back over the tangled first draft and getting it right (hopefully) is satisfying in a completely different way.

Can't leave with out: cell phone or computer/laptop?  I have an unhealthy attachment to my laptop. I take it everywhere. My husband jokes that it’s like the suitcase with the nuclear codes the POTUS has to have with him at all times.

 Work preference: home or café?  Home. I can’t focus on my story when I hear all these other potential ones going on around me. I can’t work with music in the background. It’s hard for me to write if another person is in the room. Our pets, of course, know this and the minute I sit down at my laptop, the three cats and the dog all charge into the room and drape themselves around.

Coke or Pepsi?  Diet Coke. Way too much when I’m on deadline.

Instant love or slow burning romance?  Both can be amazing. The times I really fell were instant, but then with a long slow burn til we figured things out and were sure of one another.

Love and lost or not love at all? Love is always worth it. Always.

 Thank you for stopping by Ms. Fitzpatrick! I completely agree with you on Calvin. He is my first book boyfriend I've ever had. Still miffed about Laurie. Did he really have to pick Amy?!

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

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Author Interview: Jennifer Shaw Wolf

  Today I have the pleasure of having Breaking Beautiful author Jennifer Shaw Wolf on the blog today. I read and really enjoyed Jennifer's debut novel. Be sure to check back on my review of the novel next week! Breaking Beautiful will be released on April 24th, 2012.


Hi, Jennifer! Thank you for stopping by the blog today.  Can you describe your book for us in ten words or less?

A tragic accident, a terrible secret, and a second chance.


  In Breaking Beautiful, Allie was involved in an abusive relationship. I'm glad there are more books out on this important issue for teens. What made you decide to put Allie in this situation? 


About four years ago, after many years of only writing in my head, I decided I was going to take my writing seriously. The first young adult book I read at that time was Sarah Dessen’s Dreamland which is also about a girl in an abusive relationship. I loved the book, but the thought of a girl trapped in that situation horrified me, especially because I was reading it as a mother. What would it be like to have a daughter in that situation and have no idea what was going on? I had that in my head when I started writing Breaking Beautiful.

  I want the stories I write to mean something, the way Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson, Holly Cupala and so many other contemporary teen author’s books do. (Not that I would compare myself with any of them.) I love the idea of blending real-life issues with an entertaining story. The element of teaching without preaching is one of the best things (in my humble opinion) about contemporary young adult literature.

Through Breaking Beautiful I want to make teen girls (and maybe even teen boys) more aware of the problem of dating abuse. I wanted to allow them to get inside the head of someone who feels like she’s all alone; that she can’t tell anyone what’s going on, not even the people who care the most about her. I wanted them to see things from her point of view and think about how they would handle the situation (hopefully differently). My hope is that stories like this will educate teen girls about abusive relationships and help to keep them safe.


If I went to Blake's and Allie's homes, what type of books would I see on their bookshelves? 


Blake’s books would be an eclectic mix of art books, classics like Catcher in the Rye (a story he really liked but is afraid to admit it), popular books like The Hunger Games, mixed in with some graphic novels, and a few homeopathic and nutrition books his grandma is trying to get him to read.
   Allie doesn’t read much because it’s hard for her. She has a copy of Lord of the Flies she never read, but forgot to turn back into her English teacher. All of the paperback, teen-romancy books she read in middle school were given away by her mom the last time they moved, so her bookshelf is full of books that she rescued from her grandmother’s house. Some of those include: Wuthering Heights because her mother said it was a terrible book and Allie wanted to know what was so bad about it (she couldn’t get through it), Goodnight Moon, because she remembers her dad reading it to her when she was little, and Frog and Toad Are Friends because that’s the book she and her grandma spent a whole summer on, practicing her reading. The only book that has always gone with her wherever she moved is an old Grimm’s Fairy Tale book. She keeps it under her bed and has read it over and over, even throughout high school.


What is your worst writing habit? 


My worst writing habit is the “slutty little novel” (not quite what it sounds like). It’s a term I heard from Laini Taylor when she spoke at one of the first SCBWI meetings I ever went to. I’ve now adopted it as my own. The “slutty little novel” is that idea that pops into your head while you’re in the middle of your current work in progress. It usually shows up when your work in progress gets hard to write or you feel stuck. Suddenly it seems like this grand new idea will be better and it is a distraction from your loyalties to the story you are currently writing. This distraction can lead to (in my case) about fourteen story ideas that are in various stages of development languishing on your hard drive. The way I deal with them now is I allow myself to write the outline and maybe a first chapter and then go back to what I was working on. However, it’s not always a bad thing, Breaking Beautiful started out as a slutty little novel.


The tagline of your book is "Does time heal all wounds?" Do you believe time heals all wounds? Why or why not? 


I think the idea that “time heals all wounds” is a myth. In many cases, time just buries old wounds and they never really heal, especially if they aren’t talked about or given the chance to come out in the open. In this story, Allie has to face everything that happened to her before she can move on, feel good about herself, and really heal. I think that’s an important message for teens (and really anyone); we shouldn’t expect a problem to be solved or an emotional wound to be all better just because it happened a long time ago. Emotional wounds take support and often counseling before they can truly heal.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Jennifer!

Readers if you would like more information about Jennifer, please visit her website, her blog, Twitter, and on Goodreads.

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
   When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

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Guest Post: Danielle Weiler on Past Mistakes + Giveaway!

  Today I have the pleasure of having Danielle Weiler, the author of Friendship on Fire, stop by the blog today. I had asked Danielle to do a guest post about some of the wrong decisions she made as a teen and how, if any, influence that had on her creating Daisy, the main character of her story. Danielle has generously offered to do a giveaway. Please check the bottom of this post for more information on how to enter. Take it away, Danielle!

  Daisy as a character is the closest ‘person’ I’ve ever written about that was like me and my experiences as a teen. I drew on my memories of living in a coastal city where high school beach parties/bon-fires were weekly and we had a rival private school across the road from us – but the difference was, we weren’t private, we were public.

  I never had a best guy friend like Roman so he was a mixture of people that I’ve come across over the years and I just loved his nature. Without divulging too much personal information, of course, I had a few friends who backstabbed me and/or changed as we got into our senior year of school. Similarly, girls who I thought were enemies became friends or we at least agreed not to have issues anymore.

Like Daisy, I worked at McDonalds with my brothers, which was really fun. I have 5 older brothers so Daisy’s brothers were a mixture of all of them without any one being too distinguishable. I especially wanted to bring out the theme of irrational protectiveness because that’s how my brothers treated me over every little thing! My parents were always supportive and we were close knit. In many YA books (and even ones that I’ve written) the parents are not present or are messed up and project it onto the kids so I wanted my first novel to have a stable family to help Daisy when she makes her mistakes.

Nate – well, he was a mixture of every charming, gorgeous, well-spoken, insistent boy I dated/knew/wished would notice me/was attracted to/was scared of as a 17-year-old. I do feel sorry for him in many ways but I can understand why readers hate him. You’ll have to read for yourself to find out the specs!

   All teenagers with any working hormones have struggled with distractions from the opposite sex while trying to juggle study and work. Most teenagers have experimented with drinking and feeling pressured to do things they aren’t necessarily comfortable with or ready for. I wanted Daisy to be realistic and not have all the answers at first. How could she? Hindsight is a wonderful thing. As adults, we are who we are today because of being shaped by our experiences as teens. I hope people who read this book forgive themselves in their time of learning, and also laugh at some of the things they said/did/fell for. 

   Thanks for stopping by today, Danielle! I'm sure we can all agree that hindsight is 20/20.

GIVEAWAY

Danielle has generously offered to giveaway two (2) ebooks in PDF format to two (2) lucky winners. To enter this giveaway, simply leave your name/alias along with your email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to ALL email addresses. The giveaway will end on Friday, APRIL 20th at 11 PM EST. The winner will be selected by Random.org and announced on the blog on Saturday, APRIL 21st. Good Luck!

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Guest Post:: Amy Lignor on the Expectations of a Writing in a Popular Genre + Giveaway!

 Happy Friday, Everyone! Today, I'm delighted to introduce you to Amy Lignor, the author of the Angel Chronicles series. The first book in the series is Until Next Time is now available. Paranormal and supernatural romances are virtually everywhere from our library and bookstore shelves. Some may have almost an identical cover or even book description where the only change seems to be the character's names. I can only imagine the obstacles authors who want to pursue this genre face. I asked Amy about these high expectations and how she works past them. Be sure to check out the giveaway information at the bottom of this post for your chance to win a copy of Amy's book!


 What expectations and/or pressures do you face with writing in a highly popular genre and how do you deal with them?

   Before this ‘jump’ into YA, I concentrated mainly on historical fiction. I love doing research about famous characters throughout history, as well as events - real and legendary - of fantastical treasures, and the good and ‘evil’ that happened in our past. Tallent & Lowery is my largest project. This is a seven-book series that’s basically along the lines of Indiana Jones meets The DaVinci Code, and it’s a great deal of fun. My mother is a research librarian, so I think I got that ‘gene’ from her, being able to take completely different facts from the past and finding a way to combine them into a mystery for a reader to really sink their teeth into.

   YA, as far as the pressure you face, is astronomical. Let’s face it, YA is now the largest and most popular genre in the world. When J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter she didn’t end up with a series of books, she wrote herself into history. Then, with the huge outpouring of love for the ‘fanged ones’ that seemed to begin full-force when Twilight turned into a phenomenon, even attempting to write a unique YA seems almost impossible. There are so many titles out there right now that young adults have actually formed fan clubs for, and the characters have become household names.

   I am having fun watching the ‘winged ones’ appear more forcefully and try to unseat the vamps. I took a chance with my series because I truly wanted to do something that went down a different path. It still has adventure, romance, characters that are trying to keep their faith in each other while buried in a world that’s intent on tearing them apart, but I wanted to move away from the ‘fallen’ angel category and begin with some truly innocent souls.

   I wanted to know, if there was an angel/warrior team that’d trained and worked for the express purpose of coming here and saving humans, would they even stay? Human emotions are the hardest things in the world to learn and be able to live with. I mean, romance, anger, hate, fear, evil, heartache, true love - these are subjects that are hard enough for a human to deal with on a daily basis, let alone a being that’s never experienced any of them before. I certainly wanted to make Emily and Matt a team that readers would love and want to see more of, and get them involved with a romance that was completely unexpected, but I also wanted to make characters that were new to YA fiction. Hence…the fear.

  All passionate readers are extremely loyal to the characters they love, so all I can do is hope and have faith that people will see the mystique of this team when they see themselves in Emily and Matt. We’ve all faced these emotions, so it’s interesting to see how Emily and Matt deal with them.

Expectations I have? I’m hoping not to get too much hate mail because I have a daughter who’s very proud of me…and Book II is completed. :)  But I’ll just have to wait and see.

Until Next Time, Everybody.

Amy 

   Thank you for stopping by, Amy. I think readers will be curious to see angels as innocent souls. I'm always intrigued on how much we focus on humanity when we're discussing the supernatural. I wish you the best of luck with your series! 

 How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

More information about Amy and her Angel Chronicle Series: 

 Find Amy on her website, blog, Facebook , Twitter, and Goodreads.

 The Angel Chronicles website & The Angel Chronicles Facebook page

To purchase Until Next Time: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, PDF buy link

GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.

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Guest Post: Julie Chibbaro on Medial Mysteries

  Today I'm delighted to have Julie Chibbaro, the author of Deadly, here on the blog today. Medical mysteries have captivated the world with TV shows from E.R. to the various C.S.I's tv shows. I asked Julie about the popularity of these mysteries and here's what she had to say:

Why are medical mysteries so intriguing? 

We all get sick. Much of the time, we don’t know why. I don’t know about anyone else, but as soon as I have symptoms, I start looking on the web for what I might have. That’s the mystery. What’s making us sick? Or what’s making a town sick? Or a virus has spread, and is taking a whole country down. Why?

I also think we want to know how to control these illnesses, both in our own bodies, and when they turn into epidemics. We fear getting so sick we’ll never get better, which makes us morbidly fascinated with how people get sick. How disease spreads. Why we can’t find cures to old diseases like cancer.

As a kid growing up, I loved Robin Cook’s medical mysteries, especially Coma, which they made into a movie. The human body is so unpredictable. The eruption of a rash could mean anything, from an allergy to poison ivy. Right there is a mystery. That’s what makes shows like CSI and House so interesting – we meet the characters with their symptoms, and we have to guess at the right diagnosis. It’s like an Agatha Christie novel – you have the dead (or sick) body, now you have to find out why it happened. 

 Thank you for stopping by, Julie! I'm all for finding cures and answers to questions, but I don't think my sensitive stomach could handle it all, which is why I safely avoid the CSI shows.  

Courtesy of Goodreads

If Prudence Galewski is ever going to get out of Mrs. Browning’s esteemed School for Girls, she must demonstrate her refinement and charm by securing a job appropriate for a young lady. But Prudence isn’t like the other girls. She is fascinated by how the human body works and why it fails.

With a stroke of luck, she lands a position in a laboratory, where she is swept into an investigation of the fever bound to change medical history. Prudence quickly learns that an inquiry of this proportion is not confined to the lab. From ritzy mansions to shady bars and rundown tenements, she explores every potential cause of the disease. But there’s no answer in sight—until the volatile Mary Mallon emerges. Dubbed “Typhoid Mary” by the press, Mary is an Irish immigrant who has worked as a cook in every home the fever has ravaged. Strangely, though, she hasn’t been sick a day in her life. Is the accusation against her an act of discrimination? Or is she the first clue in a new scientific discovery?

Prudence is determined to find out. In a time when science is for men, she’ll have to prove to the city, and to herself, that she can help solve one of the greatest medical mysteries of the twentieth century. 

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Author Interview: Maria V. Snyder + Giveaway!

  I'm very excited to have Maria V. Snyder on the blog today. I took a shot in the dark in contacting Maria for an author interview and was thrilled when she accepted my invitation. Maria's latest book Touch of Power was released last month and now available in your bookstores. I enjoyed the book and you can read my review here. Before we get to the interview, check out the awesome British book trailer for Touch of Power:




Welcome and thank you so much for stopping by, Maria! Your Study series was one of my favorite finds from last year and I have been recommending the series ever since.

MVS: Thank you for inviting me. I’m thrilled to be here!

I know that characters are not an autobiographical representation of their author, but they do share some similarities. Which of your characters would you say is most like you as a person?

MVS: I’d have to say Opal [from the Glass series] was the most like me at that age. Not now, but when I was in my late-teens, early 20s, I wasn’t as confident or as brave as Yelena [from the Study series], or as smart as Trella [from Inside Out].

Out of all the worlds that you have created in your books and short stories, which would you like to live in the most?

MVS: The world of Ixia and Sitia that is featured in my Study and Glass books. Inside is too crowded for me, and the Fifteen Realms (Touch of Power) is recovering from a horrible plague. Plus all my friends live in Sitia and Ixia. After writing about them for over ten years, we’ve become close. ;>

What I love about your books is that there is a balance between the presence of strong female protagonists who can take care of themselves and at the same time don't lose sight of who they are when love comes into their lives. What do you hope readers will take away from these portrayals?

MVS: I hope my reader sees that you can be independent and be in a relationship. That a relationship isn’t someone taking care of another, it is a partnership. Both partners are equals. They complement each other.

You have generously offered your readers short stories featuring our favorite characters from the Study series through your newsletter and now on your website. And I know you get asked this a million times so please forgive me but I have to ask: do you have any plans to write a book from that world in the near future?

MVS: Yes, I do plan to write another Study book with Valek and Yelena. However, it will probably be more from Valek’s point of view than Yelena’s and it will include some flashbacks about Valek’s early years. Don’t get too excited. There are no definite plans as to when this will be published – I haven’t discussed this with my editor yet. :)

YAY! Just knowing makes me happy. :) I'm super excited to read your new series. What can you tell us about Avry, your new heroine? What do find most interesting about her?

MVS: Avry has healing powers, but she’s been on the run from bounty hunters and mercenaries for three years. Her world blames healers for starting the plague that killed two thirds of the population. At the start of the book, she’s tired and lonely and decides doing something is far better than doing nothing. She heals a child, is caught and slated for execution. Avry is like my
other heroines—smart and stubborn, but she also has a more defined nurturing instinct than the others.  
    What is the most interesting is Avry’s healing powers. She has to take on the injury or illness and then heal herself. Yelena has this power as well, but it was a side effect to her other magic. I really wanted to explore that aspect of healing. The ability to heal with magic is very appealing to me. As a mother, I hate to see my children sick or injured and always wish I could make it all go away. I also have to give credit to an old Star Trek episode titled The Empath about a race of healers/empaths who would can take on the injury or illness of another. I watched all the Star Trek episodes, but this one always stayed with me.

From reading your blog, I know that you take researching very seriously when it comes to writing your books. What did learn while creating Touch of Power?

MVS: I learned about the Black Death in Europe and what happened after. I also read books on medieval medicines and found a few interesting nuggets. Right now, I’m researching traditional warfare versus guerrilla warfare for the second book, Scent of Magic.

What made you decide to write Touch of Power? Was it a story that you had been working on for a long time or was a struck of brilliance that made you go "I really have to write this story!"?

MVS: I had this vague idea about a healer or an apprentice healer during an epidemic. She was either going to be sought after for her powers – like everyone wanting her, or be hunted. I wasn’t sure. Then one night my daughter couldn’t sleep and she wanted me to tell her a story. She knew all my other books, so I started telling her about this healer. And every night, she’d ask, “What’s next?” That’s why Touch of Power is dedicated to my daughter.

If I visited your house, what books would I find on your bookshelves?

MVS: You’d find a lot! To save time, I’ll break them down by section. I’ve a mystery/suspense section with books by Dick Francis, Harlan Coben, Barbara Vine, Tess Gerritsen, and Laura Griffin. Then there’s the SF/F section that has Barbara Hambly, Kate Elliott, Mindy Klasky, Jeri Smith-Ready, Lynn Flewelling, David Eddings, Anne McCaffery, and Sheri S. Tepper. And then there’s the Young Adult books I love, including Rachel Caine, Julie Kagawa, Melissa Marr, Susanne Collins, Scott Westerfeld, and Rick Riordan.

You got some of my favorite authors listed. :) As a reader, I can't help but develop literary crushes. The love interests in your books are very swoon worthy. Do you have any literary crushes of your own?

MVS: Ilya Bahktiian from Jaran, by Kate Elliot, and Prince Ash from Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series.

I know there are many who would agree with you about Prince Ash. I've yet to met him! Which book characters do you love to hate?

MVS: Finding complex villains is very hard, and I can’t think of any right now. I really liked Hans Gruber from Die Hard, but that’s a movie. In my Glass books, Devlen was one of those characters – I hated him, but he just wouldn’t go away.

What books have you read recently that you think everyone should read but haven't discovered yet?

MVS: For the ultimate book about girl power, I’d suggest the ladies read, The Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri S. Tepper. It might be a little too much girl power for the guys ;) I also really enjoyed Shadow’s Son, by Jon Sprunk. The main protagonist is an assassin, and the book is well written and impressive for a debut novel.

Maria, thank you so much for stopping by! I know you're insanely busy these days so I really appreciate you taking the time to be here today.

MVS: Thanks for a great interview! If your readers would like more info about me and my books, I have the first chapter of all my books on my website as well as a number of free short stories they can read. 

Readers, be sure to stop by Maria's blog too to learn more about her upcoming works, author interviews from upcoming writers, writing advice, and giveaways. You can also find Maria on Facebook, and on Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY

 Maria and her publishers have generously offered to giveaway ONE (1) signed copy of Touch of Power.  This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. To enter, simply leave your name/alias and an email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway will end 11 PM EST on Friday, February 17. The winner will be selected by Random.org and announced on my blog on Saturday, February 18. Good Luck!

Giveaway is now closed

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