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Monday 30 April 2012

Author Interview: Wendy Higgins

~ WENDY HIGGINS ~


:: What made you decide to write a Young Adult book?
 
I was a high school teacher and I love working with teens - my own teen years stand out so clearly in my mind. I went through a lot, and I like to explore those “coming of age” dynamics.


:: What is one YA novel you wish you had written? 
 
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is brilliant and heart-wrenching.


:: What makes your book different to the other YA novels in the same genre?

You mean those millions of angel books out right now? Lol J I guess maybe the fact that I didn’t shy away from “traditional” Biblical angels and demons. God and Lucifer are not characters, but they are spoken of. Lucifer is kind of like a mob boss for all of the Dukes on earth who do his bidding.


:: Who would play your hero and heroine in the tv or film version of your book?
 
I’m not sure about Anna - someone sweet and innocent looking with long blonde hair. As for Kaidan, I always think about Ben Barnes with the longish hair. He’s got the accent, but he’d need blue eyes.

  
Cover image used on inkpop.com
:: Do you wish your book had gone in the 'traditional' way, or is it just pure awesome coming out of Inkpop? Does it feel different?

I think it does feel a little different. I wonder sometimes if some people will take me seriously as an author, but I can’t worry about that, and it keeps me humble. What happened with Inkpop was a dream-come-true. I would not change it. The funny thing is, my agent at the time had been subbing my book to publishers. The Inkpop-related offer from HarperTeen came the same week as another publisher offered via my agent’s efforts. Ultimately my heart was with Harper and Inkpop.


:: Is there something you can tell us about Kaidan Rowe (the male love interest! SWOON)?
 
I don’t want to give away too much…Kai was fun to write because I was able to combine all of my favorite traits - English accent, drummer in a rock band, sexy like it’s his job (wink, wink - inside joke for when you read it). He’s hardened. Never loved or been loved. He’s a tortured soul. You may or may not like him, but I think it would be difficult to feel indifferent toward him.

:: Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

Being my first novel, I think some of my physical traits rubbed off on Anna since I fell into that “write what you know” thing (blonde, short, er…flat-chested). But one physical trait we do not share is the legs - mine have never been like sticks, haha. Like Anna, I was naïve and innocent as a teen, but I did not have Anna’s will-power. She’s way stronger than me!

:: Is there any significant or deep meaning about the title/cover of Sweet Evil?

The title Sweet Evil is a fun and significant, oxymoron. Really, Anna is an oxymoron herself - a walking contradiction because of her parentage. But every person has that opposing force thing inside of them; that capability of being both “good” and “evil.” The cover of Sweet Evil shows those opposing elements of light and dark. I think it captures the mystery and dichotomy found in the story.
:: And finally, can you tell us anything about the sequels?
 
The sequel is tentatively called Sweet Hope. It’s under consideration with the publishers at the moment, but I’m not counting my chicks before they hatch. It’s meant to be a trilogy. I’ve begun outlining book three, and I hope to start it soon. I can’t give too many deets, but I will say that Anna does some growing up between books one and two. She’s still sweet, but she’s no longer helpless on her own.


Thank you to Wendy for the interview! Wendy is one of my best author friends, she's SO sweet and lovely and nice! I enjoy talking to her on Twitter and on Goodreads! Pre-order and buy SWEET EVIL - which comes out May 1st!


SWEET EVIL:
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?




Find out more about SWEET EVIL, and author Wendy Higgins :
Goodreads Author Page: Wendy Higgins
Twitter: @Wendy_Higgins



 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
{:}
WENDY HIGGINS

After earning a B.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, I taught high school English until becoming a mommy. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives me the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.
I live in Northern Virginia with my husband, daughter, and son.

Sunday 29 April 2012

Showcase Sunday (1)

Sorry guys. I can't be bothered to take pictures, and since my camera takes freaking ages to upload stuff on my laptop, well I decided just to use these. 

Also, you may have noticed that I WON'T be participating in IMM (from The Story Siren) anymore. I DON'T support and tolerate anyone who has plagiarized. And lying about it, then writing a sucky 'apology' at that. This freaking sucks as hell, and you can count me out as one of her supporters. 




SO, instead I will be participating in this meme hosted by the lovely Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea every Sunday to basically show the books that we got during the week! :D

 BOUGHT                                                               ::: 02  :::


: Tempting The Best Man by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

 FOR REVIEW                                                        ::: 08  ::: 



: Glitch (Glitch #1) by Heather Anastasui
: Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate
: Timepiece (Hourglass #2) by Myra McEntire
: Shooting Stars by Allison Rugby




: The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin
: Disharmony by Leah Giarratano
: Retro Geeks by Karen Mueller Bryson 
: One Moment by Kristina McBride 

~ So, that's it for me this week, guys! Comment on this post with your book haul linky and I'll check them out :) ~ 

Review: Tempting The Best Man - J. Lynn


Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Entangled - Indulgence
Pages: 179
Source: Bought (Kindle)

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…
Holy cow. This book was just oh so amazing! AND HOT!!! I don't really know how to start this review and I will warn you that sometimes what I'm typing wouldn't even make sense and stuff 'coz of the whole gushing thing, but here goes: 

I love how even though this book was short, just under 180 pages, it still felt whole. It still felt COMPLETE. I still connected with both of the main characters. Also, this is an adult contemporary, and since Jennifer's other series Covenant and Lux is YA paranormal, I really wanted to see if she could do contemporary aswell. After reading = ummm HELL YES! This woman could write about anything and it could still be freaking awesome! Don't believe me? Well, read on...

At first I was a bit wary when I saw this was written in third person and in both POVs but after reading it I can say that I shouldn't have; Jennifer clearly knows what she's doing. I love reading about both character's perspectives  Can I just say how much I love this cast of characters? Maddie and Chase, Chase's brothers, Mitch and Lissa, her parents, her friend at work Bridget and the others! All of them has very distinct personalities and all shone through the page when they were on it.

I think many people would be able to relate a LOT to Maddie. We all know that one girl who has had a crush on/fallen in love with her brother's best friend. I also love the setting of this whole novel, which revolves around her brother's wedding. I really adored Maddie. Guys, she is hilarious! Actually, this whole book had me laughing out loud countless times. The bit about the tires and her dad, her friend at work Bridget, Chase and Maddie getting locked in the cellar- was just a few of the most funny scenes!

Now, you can't have me write a review and not mention the hot guy at all. Did I mention he's HOT? Dear me, I still feel like fanning myself whenever I think back to this book. Chase is like my dream guy, I love him so much (NOT as much as Daemon obviously, but pretty darn close). He's got that bad boy thing going on, but underneath all that hard exterior, he's so sweet and caring inside. Well, I won't deny that there were times during the book when I wanted to kick some sense into him, but even then I still found myself rooting for him and Maddie to finally be together.  

Their chemistry. Whoa.  The scenes are smoking hot, people!!! The bit at the nightclub, the cellar and the cabin -  GUYS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY. There is adult content in here, but since I don't really listen, I decided that I would read it. And holy hell am I glad. I was giggling like a schoolgirl (well, yeah, I AM one) during the naughty bits lol. I couldn't put this book down; read it in one sitting. YEAH LIKE MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ IT. 

I've already heard that a lot of people want to see more of the other older Gamble brothers, Chad and Chandler, and I can't even complain. Please Jennifer, we NEED some more of  these two very smexy brothers !! ;) I've said this before, and I WILL say it again. I will read anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Or J. Lynn, in this case. 


I would recommend this to ALL older readers/adults, but since I'm 16 and I read it, well I think I should just keep my mouth shut.  



~ Okay. I know this is my first time ever reviewing an adult book on the blog (however I have reviewed lots of it on Goodreads), I feel like I should 'warn' you that I DO read adult books, and will sometimes review them on here. Though not as much as YA, obviously. ~

Friday 27 April 2012

Review: Until I Die - Amy Plum

Author: Amy Plum
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 352
Source: For Review

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

I have to be honest with you. I didn't REALLY enjoy Die For Me when I read it last year, and I wasn't expecting much from this. I was totally right. I'm not sure whether this was better or worse than Die For Me, but I certainly don't recommend this UNLESS you truly loved Die For Me. Sigh. I feel a rant coming on, don't you?

Maybe it's just 'cause I prefer bad boys in books. But hell, Vincent is so freaking boring! Argh! He has no fucking personality at all. I rather have Jules as the main love interest. Now Jules, he is my favourite character out of everyone. I LOVE HIM. Throughout this book, I was chanting PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PICK JULES INSTEAD. But nah. Unfortunately, we got stuck with Vince. 

You know, I was laughing hysterically at some scenes where the author wants to put Kate across as someone kick-ass and confident. It just didn't suit her bland personality and I just felt like the author tries so hard to make her a Tris, a Katniss, an Alex etc... I do love them girls, but in Die For Me, one of the things that I admired was Kate was a good girl. She was kind, sweet-natured, caring and smart. I dunno what the hell happened to her in this.

One of the things that irked me the most was the conversations between Vincent and Kate. They were quite cheesy and found myself rolling my eyes at them several times. I was like, would a seventeen year old girl REALLY say those stuff? Seriously? And Vincent is too perfect. Blah.

I figured out who the antagonist/s were the minute they stepped on a page. And for someone claiming to be smart, and for people claiming to be alive for quite a long time, I would have thought that they would have figured it out. I hate it when the reader (me, or anyone else) figures things out much earlier than the author expected them too. Authors take note; it means you're not doing it right.

I didn't really like the writing, other times the descriptions of places and stuff was too over the top and too long that I often found myself skipping along the parts. Which was very disappointing since in Die For Me, all the Parisian places and imagery was gorgeous, here it just fell flat. *facepalm*

The plot was quite frankly, too slow. Argh. Especially in the beginning and in the middle. There was like nothing happening. Thankfully, the action at the end and the big 'finale' (not really cause there's a third one coming out next year) kinda made up for it. My heart was actually pounding because even though I knew who the 'bad guys' were, you're still clueless about what's going to happen next and the outcome.

For me, the ending was a big and total asshole of a cliffhanger. But I loved it. (Anyway, if any of you guys have read this, let me know or something 'cause I want to discuss the 'ending'. I think I'm a bit confused about one thing').

SO. Half a goddess for Jules, half for the paranormal and revenants stuff, and one for the cliff-hanger ending. So TWO goddesses (I can't believe I had to do that twice - I suck at maths). I mean overall, I did enjoy this, but just mindless fun. 




Thursday 26 April 2012

Author Interview: Trish Doller



  ~ TRISH DOLLER ~


Before we get started, and you skip this part, I just want to say how grateful and freaking happy I am to have a chance at interviewing Trish. She is probably one of the sweetest and friendliest authors ever, and her debut book Something Like Normal is by far the best contemporary I've read for a long, long time. I was the happiest girl in the world when I learned I got approved on Netgalley, and I literally read it during the night, I couldn't put it down. Okay okay I'm gonna stop now before I start fangirling forever...

ALSO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, TRISH!!!
This just confirms the fact that people who are born in April are truly the best! LOL  

:: There's already quite a lot of buzz about SLN (Something Like Normal) and bloggers who've read your book already can't stop raving about it! Are you scared about total strangers reading your book,or just excited?
Mostly I'm excited, but it is a little scary because once readers have the book, it's not really mine anymore. It belongs to them to love or not, and all I can do is hope they'll love the story as much as I do.

:: If SLN would become a movie, who would you cast as Travis and Harper?
Riley Harper and Brie Larson looks perfect as Travis and Harper

I don't have a specific actor in mind for Travis, but there is a stuntman named Riley Harper who looks almost exactly like the Travis in my head. Harper has always been Brie Larson, but recently someone suggested Christa B. Allen from Revenge. When I looked her up, she definitely does have a Harper-ness about her.

:: How would you describe Travis and Harper's relationship in five words?

Sweet. Sexy. Fun. Bumpy. Real.

:: Did you base Travis or any of the characters on anyone you know in real life?

Some of the things Travis experienced in Afghanistan came from conversations I had with a Marine who served there, so in some ways he is a part of Travis, but Travis is not him. If that makes sense. There are a couple of characters who were inspired by my son's high school friends, but they're minor roles in the story.

OLD COVER OF SLN
:: Did the story of Travis came easily to you? Like you knew exactly what kind of a character he is, and his story? Or was it hard piercing together? 

Travis was meant to be the love interest in a different project, but once I started thinking about what I wanted from him, I realized it was his story to tell. I gave him voice and the words came pretty easily.

:: Because of the cover, are you scared that boys won't pick up SLN? If you had your choice, what would the cover be like? (I'm not complaining about the cover - I love it so much!)

Honestly? I have no idea what I would do differently with the cover. I think Bloomsbury has been around the block or two when it comes to selling books, so I have to trust that they know what they're doing. And that readers--both boys and girls--will realize that Something Like Normal is a book that offers something for everyone, no matter what's on the cover.
 
:: Do you usually begin a book with a character or a plot? What's the hardest part writing in a male's perspective?

Characters always come first. I don't know why, but it usually starts with a character and the grain of a plot, and builds from there. As for male perspective, I've got a son a little older than Travis, so I've spent years watching and listening to the boys who've come in and out of our house. And I sometimes think I might have been a guy in a previous life, because I feel pretty comfortable in the perspective.
 
:: I heard that you've done quite a lot of research about Marines. Did you found out any interesting facts? Can you share?

I did a TON of research for Something Like Normal. I read books about boot camp, Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as watched countless videos of Marines in Afghanistan. I was lucky enough to come across a Marine forum, where they let me ask questions and gave me so many valuable answers. As for interesting facts...I can't really think of one particular thing, but I do know that in case of a zombie apocalypse, I'm looking for a Marine.

:: In the future, do you think you'll write any other genres within YA? Like dystopian, paranormal, fantasy etc.? Or are you happy with contemporary?

I would never rule out writing in another YA genre. In fact, I have the makings of a Civil War historical in my writing folder on my desktop and would LOVE to do a science fiction story, but right now everything I'm working on is contemporary and I want to get those all out on paper before stepping off the path into a different genre.

:: And finally, do you have any plans on what you'll be doing on SLN's release date? 

My husband gave me diving lessons for Christmas and I'm hoping to start them very soon. If all goes according to plan, I should have my certification before the book comes out, so I will spend June 19, 2012 diving on a reef in the Florida Keys. (And June 20, catching up on everything I missed on June 19!)


Massive thanks to Trish for agreeing to let me interview her since her book isn't actually coming out til June 19th, 2012
PLEASE EVERYONE: Pre-order this book! If not for me, do it for Travis :P


SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL:
A powerful debut novel about a young Marine's return home from Afghanistan and the new life and love he finds while fending off the ghosts of war.

When Travis Stephenson returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are on the brink of divorce, his brother has stolen his girlfriend and his car, and nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper Gray, a girl who despises him for trashing her reputation with a middle school lie, life actually starts looking up. As Travis and Harper see more of each other, he starts falling for her and a way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress, and the possibility of an interesting future begins to emerge.

His sense of humor, sense of his own strength, and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently lovable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.




Find out more about SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL, and author Trish Doller :
Goodreads Author Page: Trish Doller
Twitter: @TrishDoller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  
TRISH DOLLER
I've been a writer as long as I've been able to write, but I didn't make a conscious decision to "be" a writer until fairly recently. For that you should probably be thankful.

I was born in Germany, grew up in Ohio, went to college at Ohio State University, got married to someone really great, bounced from Maine to Michigan and back to Ohio for awhile. Now I live in Florida with my two mostly grown kids, two dogs, and a pirate. For real.

I've worked as a morning radio personality, a newspaper reporter, and spent all my summers in college working at an amusement park. There I gained valuable life skills, including counting money really fast, directing traffic, jumping off a moving train, and making cheese-on-a-stick. Also, I can still welcome you to Frontier Town. Ask me sometime.

These days I work as a bookseller at a Very Big Bookstore. And I write.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Daemon Invasion: Blowiing Up Laptops Since 2011


TO JOIN MY TEAM, READ BELOW!!

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard us talking about the upcoming #daemoninvasion and we’re so excited to finally share with you what is going on.
Really excited.

The beautiful and uber cool models, Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz, who grace the Lux covers, will be joining us in the United States!  You heard right.  They are flying here, from Hungary to spend a few days as Daemon and Katy! While they are here, they will be working with Vania, from VLC Productions (the team behind Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, Melissa de La Cruz, Kimberly Derting, Moira Young, Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl, Hillary Duff, Lauren Destefano, and many, many more authors’ book trailers), to film book trailers for the Lux Series.

During the filming in Atlanta, they will be accompanying us on tour! What does that mean? You get to meet them. In the flesh. They will be participating in the signings and events. At those signings, we’ll be giving away signed posters, photos, and other swag. There will also be meet and greet events you can join in on.

At each signing, there will be advanced copies of Onyx given away!

And to top things off (as if this isn’t enough, but we don’t do anything small), there’s something very, very exciting in the works! It involves advanced copies of Opal, water, and a little destination known as the Bahamas.

I am not kidding.

This will be epic.

Aare you excited? I am! This tour is going to be so, so much fun, and I’m so thrilled that Pepe and Sztella are a part of it. We owe them a huge thank you and a giant welcome making the 16 hour flight to meet the readers of the Lux Series.  You!

Daemon Invasion Signing and Event Schedule
June 8th
FoxTale Book Shoppe
Woodstock, GA
3:00pm
June 10th
Barnes and Noble
St Johns Town Center
Jacksonville, FL
3:00pm
June 13th
Barnes and Noble
Waterford Lakes Town Center
Orlando, FL
3:00pm
June 14th
Barnes and Noble
The Palladium at City Place
West Palm Beach, FL
4:00pm

There are several #daemoninvasion street teamers out there and if you want to join a team to win exclusive prizes, search down the #daemoninvasion hashtag to join one of the teams!

Don’t forget to visit Jennifer L. Armentrout’s blog to win a signed set of Half-Blood and Pure (insert direct link: http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/2012/04/tempting-best-man-and-contest.html  in celebration of her adult romance release, Tempting the Best Man, under pen name J. Lynn.  It can be purchased here ( http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tempting-the-best-man-j-lynn/1110370701?ean=2940014566698 )



Also, one of my favourite artists on deviantART, Kara-Lija - has drawn some GORGEOUS art for the Lux series which will be available when you go to one of the signings above! Can I go in a corner and cry? So unfair - I really want to go!!! Oh well, at least they'll be filming a documentary - that means I can pretend that I was actually there lol.

Anyway, here's the first picture called Push/Pull (I personally love this title - so perfect for Daemon and Katy) 

 
So guys, here's where I need YOUR help! 
I am an Elite Street Team member, which means I need a group of 10 people on my team (10 including me!) Right now, we have 6 people, and I need 2 more! If you are interested email me at thebookgoddess(at)yahoo(dot)com with your:
~ Name,
~ Blog/Twitter/Facebook etc. (you don't need to be a blogger) 
~ Mailing address (for them to send your kit)


UPDATED: Currently 8 people on this team: 

~ Jana (The Book Goddess - me!) - Elite Street Team Member
~ Paulina (Kissed/Bitten By Books)
~ Jessica J. (Booked Up!) 
~ Beth (Page-Turner) 
~ Jessica B. (Just A Booklover) 
~ Shaaista (ShyStarLoves)
~ Beverley (A Reading Daydreamer) 
~ Nikki (Fiction Freak)
~ ONE SPACE AVAILABLE ~
~ ONE SPACE AVAILABLE ~


OUR OFFICIAL TEAM NAME: 

LUXING AFTER DAEMON 
 which is a cool play on words 'lusting after Daemon' - yeah, I know we all do!

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Review: Of Poseidon - Anna Banks

Title: Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1)
Author: Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22nd, 2012
Publisher: Fiewel and Friends
Pages: 324
Source: For review

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.
This was actually my first mermaid (*ahem* Syrena) book back when I read it in early March. Which makes me wonder why I didn't pick and read some before,  because I love mermaids and I'm so glad their popularity in the YA world is gradually growing! 

The mythology and the world-building was actually my favourite part. I love the Triton and Poseidon kingdoms, and how the author kept it really traditional, yet it's something that we haven't seen before. It was also fast-paced, and the action starts literally from the very beginning of the book. 

I love Galen. He's so brave, gorgeous, smart, caring and so sweet! He's definitely up there with the others! The secondary characters were also pretty great, and I found myself smiling every time his twin sister Rayna and her mate Toraf was in the scene (I love both, and I wish that we'd get to see more of them in the sequel)! There were some multiply hilarious moments! Now, I don't mind Emma, but I thought since she's the main character, I would have liked more development from her. That's solely the reason why this book didn't get 5 butterflies from me. 

That bloody cliffhanger. Oh. No. My mouth was literally hanging open and I couldn't believe Anna Banks would just leave it like that! In a good way. I didn't guess THAT and now I really can't wait to get my greedy little hands on the sequel! Bear in mind, I've read this in early March, and the book doesn't actually comes out until May, so I've got a longer wait than others! 

To sum this whole thing up, OF POSEIDON is an original, fast paced, with full engaging  characters, and a HOT romance that you seriously can't miss when it surfaces in bookstores in May 22nd.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Author Interview: Elizabeth Norris

  ~ ELIZABETH NORRIS ~



UK COVER (with two L's)
1. Describe your book in 5 words.

A romantic thriller with sci-fi twists. (Sorry that's six words)

2. I love the cover for UNRAVELING! Did you have any input on the cover? Did you imagined/expected it to look different? If you had your way, what would the cover be?

The cover gods really smiled on me! I got to see a concept for the cover and I got to check out the pictures of the models that they were thinking of using for the photo shoot. I'm really not very good at any kind of visual art so I really had no idea what to expect and I'm so glad no one asked me what to do. If I'd had to design the cover it would be terrible.

3. How do you make up names for your characters? (I love the names Janelle Tenner and Ben Michaels!) Is there any meaning or significance to their names?

I read a series several years ago that I loved (The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop--it's adult fantasy/romance) and the main character's name is Jaenelle and ever since I read that book, I loved that name. When I was writing Unraveling, I kept trying to think of a different name that I liked as much, but I couldn't do it. I'm actually not sure how I came up with Ben Michaels. With most of the names, I just used the first name that came to me.

4. How much time to do you spend writing each day?
I try to spend at least an hour every day. Sometimes that hour is spent editing or brainstorming instead of actually writing, but it's something I've always enjoyed doing for as long as I can remember. It helps me relieve stress.

5. What are your ideal writing conditions?


I can write almost anywhere. Most of Unraveling I wrote either at a coffee shop or on the subway. I don't have a desk, so I actually do most of my writing on my laptop, sitting at my kitchen table. Right now I have so many papers on the table, no one could actually eat here, but it works. I also love going to the main branch of the New York Public Library and working in one of the really quiet rooms. Being around so many books is inspiring.

6. Who would play your hero and heroine in the tv or film version of your book?

I think Hailee Steinfeld (from True Grit) would be an awesome Janelle. Ben is tougher. I pictured him as a young James Franco (like from his days on Freaks and Geeks), but he's obviously too old.

7. I heard there's a sequel, what else can we expect from you in the future?

There is a sequel to Unraveling. It'll come out in 2013, and I have a third book with HarperCollins that comes out in 2014.

8. Do you outline your books? 

 
I do outline. I'm actually a little fanatical about plotting everything out first. It helps me a lot when I sit down to write because even on a day where I'm not feeling very inspired I'm starting with a plan.

9. If you'd like to spend a day with any YA character, who would it be and what would you two would be doing?

I recently read Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood and I would to spend a day with the Cahill sisters. All three of them are amazing witches who live in an alternate historical New England. Everything about that is awesome.

10. And finally, how would you celebrate the release date of UNRAVELING?

I'm going to go to a bookstore and buy a copy, and then I'm going to go have champagne with some friends.


Thank you so much to Liz for the interview!! UNRAVELING is one of my favourite reads of 2012 so far! It's got everything that I love in a YA novel - mystery, kick-ass heroine, smexy guy, sci-fi! You guys should really check this one out! It comes out in exactly 2 days!
UNRAVELING
24 meets the X Files in the biggest teen blockbuster of the summer…

STOP THE COUNTDOWN. SAVE THE WORLD…

Leaving the beach, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit head on by a pickup truck.

And killed.

Then Ben Michaels, resident stoner, is leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows Ben somehow brought her back to life…

Meanwhile, Janelle’s father, a special agent for the FBI, starts working on a case that seems strangely connected to Ben. Digging in his files, Janelle finds a mysterious device – one that seems to be counting down to something that will happen in 23 days and 10 hours time.

That something? It might just be the end of the world. And if Janelle wants to stop it, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets – and keep from falling in love with him in the process…





Find out more about UNRAVELING , and debut author Elizabeth Norris :

Goodreads Author Page: Elizabeth Norris
Twitter: @liz_norris


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  
ELIZABETH NORRIS


Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter.

She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.

Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

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