Review - Interview - and Giveaway: In a Blue Moon (Blue Moon #1) by R.A. Desilets

Published: May 20, 2016
Genre:  Fantasy | Fairy tale apocalypse | YA
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

When Effy stumbles down the rabbit hole, she discovers the wondrous fairy tale land of East Valley in chaos. Death and insanity reign after the release of the deadly blue moon curse. Teaming up with the only sane people left—Jack the giant killer, Hansel, and Cat from Cheshire—they traverse East Valley, desperately searching for an answer.

They know Effy’s the key to unraveling the curse, but everyone who remembers how to break the curse is… well, cursed. The murderous mob has Effy in their crosshairs. With Snow, Red, Rapunzel, Gretel, and Pinocchio on the group’s trail, Effy isn’t sure any of them will make it out alive.

The Good

This was such a fun read! I've grown pretty fond of retellings. This one in particular reads like a dystopian set in fairy tale land. Effy finds herself immediately thrust into action and peril after she went down the hole and ended up in a chaotic, murderous world full of villains. Every one of those lovable, sugary sweet characters we've grown up with are out for blood. Thankfully, there are a select few that Effy calls allies.

Effy is a strong female character right from the start. She's accepted the situation she finds herself in, and now she's going to do what she has to do in order to get out of it. Not quite best friends out of the gate, but more reluctant partners, Jack stands beside her throughout the story. Jack is a fantastic character to have fighting with her. He's strong, stubborn, and confident. Mix that with Effy's courage and sass and you've got quite the combination.

I loved the additional characters as well. Hansel was very charming and the girls swooned for him, but I think Cat won me over. The magic and wonder surrounding her was unique and kept my interest. I would definitely want her on my side.

The Bad

The only thing missing for me was even more information about the background of the world.

The Romance

Effy and Jack are hilarious as a pair. They didn't get along at first, but gradually grew to an appreciation and then attraction along the way. They have a mixture of bull-headed banter and understanding each other without words.

Conclusion

A fantastic read! I love how Desilets takes you on a journey where you can't possible guess all the outcomes or paths. The humor sprinkled through the entire read never failed to keep me laughing. The danger and struggle was realistic and intense while at the same time the entire story is fantastical. The characters are the best part though. They either worm their way into your heart within the first few sentences or cause you to want to squish the annoying right out of their tiny bodies (I'm talking to you Pinnochio!). Definitely recommended.

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Author Interview

Thank you so much for joining us to discuss In a Blue Moon!

Thank you for having me!

In this book, we follow Effy down the rabbit hole. What sets Effy apart from Alice who was the first down the hole?

The traditional Alice character has always been portrayed as extremely curious, while Effy is more determined to get out at any cost. Effy was fine with her life, not needing more adventure. Initially, she is an unwilling heroine, but quickly grows into the role she needs to survive. Her sarcasm and sassy attitude sets her apart too, because she uses her sense of humor as an emotional survival mechanism.

Out of all the men to choose from in fairy tale lore, why Jack the Giant Killer as Effy’s partner in crime?

I’ve always imagined Jack as this witty, somewhat egotistical guy. To face down giants, you need more courage and spirit than might be realistic. The idea of having Jack as cocky and arrogant came from his ability to escape any situation he’s put in. Since Effy is a strong-willed girl, who is unwilling to believe in the fantastic, they seemed like the perfect pair for witty banter and character development for the adventure across East Valley.

There was magic sprinkled throughout the story which I was a big fan of. How did you come up with the idea for the Blue Moon curse?

The story developed as a result of my nerdy loves: idioms, apocalypse stories, and fairy tale retellings. What would bring the apocalypse to the fairy tale world? With all the retellings out there, I wanted to set In a Blue Moon apart. I decided to turn the heroes we know and love into the villains. A curse would make anything possible. The idiom “once in a blue moon” came to mind, and I built a curse off the literal blue moon. Each book and novella in the series will have color idioms for their titles, which I am hugely excited about. Jack’s in-between novella is slated for publication later this year and is called Greener on the Other Side.

Anything you’d like to add that is special to writing this one?

I make playlists for my stories on Spotify, listening to the same songs as I write. Each song is curated to create a specific mood for the main character and tone of the book. Much like Effy, the playlist has a few fun songs, but is also full of attitude. If anyone is interested in the playlist, it’s available here: https://open.spotify.com/user/radesilets/playlist/4KIIX0Bha4EYD2lNhWgLOo

Let's get a little more personal:

What quirky writing habits can you tell us about?

When I’m outlining, I think about word count. I know this sounds weird, but it determines how many scenes I need to create for each story. I put the total goal at the top of my outline and write an outline with estimated word counts for each scene. If I need more words, I think of side plots, additional character development, and other tidbits I can add to bring more flavor to the main story. I never add scenes for the sake of adding words—any additional scenes need to mean something.

When I start writing, I keep my goal in mind. It makes me focus on exactly what I’m saying. Do I need more description? Will it drag the scene down, or add more to the world? Often, I gloss over details, and having a word count goal in mind makes me focus on rounding out the description of each scene.

What do you think makes a good story?

Having an interesting main character you connect with and want to learn more about is essential. I’ve read books with incredible plots, but no real connection with the main character—those haven’t worked for me. I focus on characters first, plot second. My characters need to take me on their journey instead of me creating an adventure for them. Nothing beats a story with a strong voice. Now… you add an awesome plot and lyrical description to a book with great characters, and it becomes downright incredible.

What else are you working on?

There are two books I am working on beyond the Blue Moon titles. Conscious is the first in a YA Paranormal series. After a car accident, Madison wakes up in her best friend’s body. Since Emily had been the one driving when “Madison” died, everyone blames Emily for what happened. Madison assumes the role of her best friend, but she desperately wants someone to confide in. Conscious explores the effect social media has on our lives and the connections we make using text-based messaging, and also touches a bit on cyber bullying.

The End Diary is already available for free on Wattpad, but I’m going to edit it and publish it as an ebook later this year. It’s a YA Dark Contemporary novel. The End Diary is Megan P. Whitford’s manifesto, where she tells the truth about what happened between her and Carly. To Megan, the truth is all that matters. You can check it out here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/62134416-the-end-diary

As always, thank you for having me, Jaclyn!

About R.A. Desilets:

Rachel A. Desilets was born in southern New Hampshire. She graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. She lived in southern California for a bit and then decided it was too hot.

She currently resides in the rainy side of Oregon with her husband and cats.

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Book Excerpt and Author Interview: The Soul Thief (The Angel of Death Series #1) by Majanka Verstraete

  When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death. Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

The Soul Thief (The Angel of Death Series #1)
by Majanka Verstraete
Publisher: Booktrope
Published: November 11, 2014
Genre: YA, Paranormal
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Excerpt

  THE WORLD EXPLODED IN a chaos of fire, debris, and noise. Sirens screamed and low voices mumbled in the background. I lifted up my head and groaned. My head weighed about a thousand pounds and throbbed as if someone had hit me with a hammer. The interior of the car swayed from left to right. A dark fog rose up in front of the car. Vague specters moved back and forth in the mist. I squinted and the specters turned into paramedics dressed in white clothes with stains all over them, who ran from one patient to another. Four or more cars had collided and mine was the last in line.

Two cars burned with tall, flickering flames. A woman crawled out of one of the burning cars, half of her face blackened. My stomach twisted and bile rose up in my throat. I searched for the door handle without turning away from the apocalypse happening in front of me. The woman with the burnt face started screaming. The sound shattered my eardrums. A paramedic rushed toward her and pulled her away from the searing car wreck. My fingers found the door handle and I pushed the car door open. A gush of fresh air entered the car and I took a deep breath. The air filled my lungs, and even though my surroundings still swirled around as if on a carousel, they started to slow down. I fiddled with the lock of my seatbelt, trembling like a leaf. Eventually the lock clicked and I tumbled out of the car. I gripped the door handle so hard my knuckles turned white while I pulled myself up, leaning on the car.

“Are you okay?” Someone grabbed my arm and helped me to stand up. My savior was a forty-something woman with a round face, large eyes, and a red flush on her cheeks as if she’d just run a mile. She was tall and chubby, and while she appeared friendly enough, she stared at me wide-eyed, the chaos of burning car wrecks and wounded people reflected in her irises.

“I don’t know,” I said. “My head hurts and the world is spinning.” She nodded and helped me to the nearest ambulance.

“Sit down.” She waited until I’d sat down and then looked at my injuries. She dabbed a wet cloth on my forehead and when she pulled it back the cloth was stained red. My gaze fixed on the scene unfolding behind her. Two paramedics took turns performing heart massage on a young boy, whose broken body was spread out on the ground. His skin was the color of a bridal gown and his lips had turned a faint blue. He couldn’t be older than eight or nine. Broken glasses lay next to his body. Right when the paramedics switched places, a girl appeared behind them. She popped up out of nowhere. One second there was no trace of her, the next she stood there, as if she’d been there all along. My heart raced in my chest. I wanted to say something but the words got stuck in my throat. The girl’s red hair with black extensions reached to her shoulders. She wore a short checkered skirt, black combat boots, a venom-green tank top, and black stockings. A chain dangled from her skirt. She chewed bubblegum with her mouth open. Everything about her screamed wrong; from the way she’d suddenly appeared to how she carried herself, as if she was strolling around in the park on a summer’s day, not standing at the scene of a gruesome accident in the middle of autumn. Even her clothes didn’t match the weather. She knelt down and put her hand on the chest of the injured boy. For a while, nothing happened. But then a see-through, shiny form rose above the boy’s body. The specter looked exactly like the boy — same age, same height, same clothes, but it shone like a diamond.  

Author Interview

 

• What is your favorite genre to write?

I write a mix of genres – children’s books, middle grade, young adult, and sometimes even horror or paranormal books for adults. My favorite genre however is young adult paranormal. There’s that great mix of young adult protagonists and a paranormal threat lingering above their heads.

• Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I’d like to try out epic fantasy. I got my love for reading from reading epic fantasy series like the books by Robin Hobb, Raymond E. Feist, and the Lord of the Rings series. Nowadays I’m totally addicted to the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. So I’d love to give epic fantasy a try.

• Please tell us about your book.

In The Soul Thief, we meet sixteen-year-old Riley, who witnessed a girl her age stealing a younger boy’s soul at the scene of an accident. Of course she thinks she’s hallucinating, but once she wakes up at the hospital and sees the girl again, she realizes she wasn’t dreaming. So she chases the girl, who reveals she’s an Angel of Death, and the only reason why Riley can see her, is because she’s an Angel of Death as well. Riley must then come to terms with her new life, with belonging to the world of angels and the rules she must obey now. But while she’s trying to control her brand new abilities, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances and Riley has to figure out who is behind it, and stop them before any more girls get hurt.

• Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

Riley would be my favorite character. I love her – everything about her. She’s the kind of heroine I’ve always wanted to read about. She’s independent and strong, would do anything for her friends, and she’s not afraid to stand up for things she believes in. Of course she has flaws too, but I’d love to be her friend, and I love writing about her. My least favorite character, that’s a difficult question though. All of the characters are quite likeable, and even if they’re not, they tend to have their reasons. At this point, it would be Seraphyn, one of the minor characters.

• What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Trying to balance the romance. At first, I didn’t want to include any romance at all, not even a hint of attraction between any of the characters. But then I decided to add some of it anyway, but I didn’t want the focus to be on the romance. I wanted the book to focus on the characters, on Riley and her friends in particular.

• What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I usually write on the train, so I don’t need anything but my laptop. I try to write regularly, about 2,000 words a day, and when I have a train ride to and from university (which is about four hours) then I tend to go above and beyond that goal. But some days I’m at home, and then it’s trickier to read my word count goal.

• How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

I wrote a first draft for The Soul Thief in 2012. Then I planned more books in the series, read a lot more YA books, worked on improving my craft, reworked the plot and characters, and wrote a second but completely different draft in January of 2014. Then I didn’t look at it again until during the summer holidays, when I edited the book, and then I submitted it to a publisher. So, if you look at the general timeline, it took over two years. But in terms of actual writing time, when I was actually focusing on this manuscript, three to four months.

• Can you tell us about your editing process?

I’ve worked with a few editors before who edited my books, so I’m starting to grasp what I need to look for when editing. I work on my manuscript, typically one or two chapters a day depending on the chapter length. My first drafts tend to be pretty clean, so I only need one or two rounds of edits tops before the book is ready for beta readers.

• Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

The Soul Thief is the first book in the Angel of Death series. At the moment, I have six installments planned, but the world of this book continues expanding, so there might be more. But those six books I’m quite certain of – they’re planned and outlined, so now all I have to do is write them.

• Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I’m working on a new adult paranormal romance “Ghostslayer”, which is my NaNoWriMo project for this year. I’m at 32k words, and I estimate the final project will be 70-75k words. At the same time, I’m working on edits for the first part in the Allegro Academy series, a novel I wrote back in 2012 as well, but I never got around to editing it. At this point, it’s more of a rewrite than actual editing. Then I’m also waiting to hear back on edits for two of my chapter books, which should be this month, and on the edits for another one of my young adult novels, “Reflected”. That book releases in summer 2015, and I should get the edits about now. Of course, I’m also working on the sequel to The Soul Thief, “Demonic Pact”. I’m still working on tightening the outline before I can start writing, but once I finish my NaNoWriMo project, this is next on my list.

About the Author

  Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library. She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her. She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in. Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”

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Author Interview: Dane Richter

What inspired Hunt for the Star (The Eldon Archives #1)?

Simply a desire to do something with my life and to leave something behind that people can experience (and hopefully enjoy) long after I'm gone. Fantasy is my favourite genre so that was the logical choice. That's pretty much all there is to it. That's what gave me the drive and that's how it got done. There was no "burning" story itching to get out and the writing part of it, to be frank, sucked. But chipping away one line at a time, one page at a time gave me that sense of accomplishment which was very rewarding in itself. I gave up many Friday and Saturday nights (mostly because of a lack of money and a professional commitment to my chosen sport track and field) so I think my life choices gave me time and writing a novel was how I chose to spend it.

There are scenes that are inspired by life - for instance when the Shenaar (snakemen) are running days on end, and also I love the History Channel although references there are often miniscule. At one point our heroes follow an aqueduct which was of course taken from the Romans who used aqueducts to fuel their water-lavish lifestyle. These aqueducts constructed around the time of Christ would extend for miles. The reference in Hunt for the Star is small but its meaning is explained in book 2. I've got lots of little things like that in my writing.


What was your favorite fantasy novel growing up?

I wasn't your typical book worm that grew up to become a writer, I was much more into sports. Having said that, as a youngster I enjoyed Enid Blyton's work - The Wishing Chair and The Faraway Tree and her adventure books; The Famous Five series. After that there was a bit of a gap where I concentrated more on sports and studies. When I finished school I picked up books like Lord of the Rings, Magician, Shanara series, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars Thrawn trilogy, Belgariad etc the list goes on. But by this point I was near enough to 20 - does that count as being grown up? So I guess to answer your question I'd say I didn't have a favourite book (I've never read a book twice) but Blyton's work fascinated me when I was young.


Which character was your favorite to write about?

Ko-jah. Why is your sword sheathed? If your sword is drawn, why is it not bloodied? There is directness and in that there is trustworthiness. He is loyal and always a chance to work in a bit of humour. There is a lot to like about Ko-jah. Having said that, Hunt for the Star is a book about heroes and heroes tend to have plain objectives and are governed by rules. Fast forward into book 2 and beyond and I spend time on the sorcerer, the black knight and a leprous prophet. These guys are villains. Villains often have hidden agendas and aren't governed by rules which makes them more entertaining and complex to write about.

At the moment I am writing about a character in book 3 that is an assassin with a superiority complex and a fascination with killing, yet he must adhere to a code which allows him one mark at a time. I suppose he's kind of like a medieval Dexter and this character is really running things with my pen. You know it's a good character when they write themselves. I'm very excited about it!


If Hunt for the Star was made into a movie, who would you like to see play Ko-jah?

Getting a book published was a pipe dream so I guess having it made into a movie is a pipe dream of a pipe dream and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't entertained that thought at least once. However, I've never really thought beyond that. Ko-jah is not a complex character. He's big, brutal and when there is something to be said he tells it like it is. Without thinking about it too much I reckon The Undertaker has the right vibe to pull it off. Tyler Mane is also an imposing figure and we already know he can play what I believe to be a similar character (portrayed Sabretooth in X-men)


Also would you prefer a live action movie of your book or a animated movie?

Always had thought live action, but I recently watched a remake of an anime called Berserk which was extremely well-done (graphically) although I prefer the original anime since the movie cut quite a few scenes. The animated Beowulf was also a great example of an animated movie so if that was on offer I think Hunt for the Star would look awesome.


Do you need anything to write? (particular snack, drink, music) Do you prefer it to be quiet or do you like a bit of background noise?

Peace and quiet is ideal. I like my cups of tea and this year I have experimented with classical music whilst writing. At the moment it's 17th century classical music - seems to get me in the mood to write town or village scenes.


If you had to write in a different genre other than fantasy which one would you pick?

Horror I think is just a short leap away from what I am/have done, as is scifi. Honestly, I think I could have a crack at anything even erotica, however a "50 Shades of Ko-jah" might read somewhat abrasive.


You're stuck at the airport about to take a long flight. You can have one book to take with you and it can't be your own, which one do you choose?

I have recently acquired the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks in one big book and I have read #1 on its own and loved it. He's definitely one of the better fantasy authors going around IMO. Then there is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I haven't read this one yet but it's VERY high on my to read list. So I guess it's a toss up between the hype of TNotW vs NA trilogy - which I know will deliver. Maybe it's a bit unfair but I am leaning towards Brent Weeks because I can enjoy three books in one.

See Matt's Review

Goodreads Summary

Edoria is at war. Artos Hestrom retreats back to his home town of Corsin where he is given the task of retrieving a powerful crystal called the Eldon Star. The ageing Artos uses lies and deceit to procure people to help him on the journey and the plight of a half-man, half-elf called Chet, provides the perfect cover. Artos' nephew, Ethan, freely volunteers to accompany him without knowing his true motives, but Ethan's death has been foreseen in a vision. Knowing that Ethan would certainly die if he continues on the journey, Artos must choose between the fate of his family and the fate of the world.

Standing in his way is the evil Sorcerer, Ruehl, who has waged war in Edoria with his blood-thirsty hordes of Kròkos. Ruehl uses his minions to relentlessly scour the land for the crystal. Betrayals, challenges and loss set up a final confrontation with the evil Sorcerer where there can be only one victor.

About Dane Richter:

Born in 1981, Dane Richter spent his early life growing up on a farm located about an hour east of Perth, Western Australia. A love of Enid Blyton’s works first introduced him to the world of fantasy and adventure and with time, shifted to works by Tolkien, Feist and Tad Williams which opened a wider spectrum of the fantasy genre.

Although a deep-seeded passion for adventure and storytelling existed, during his high school years he had an aptitude for sport, excelling at track and field. Quickly rising up the ranks of Australia’s elite, he represented Australia in high jump at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2000. He continued athletics for over a decade with personal bests of 2.19m in the high jump and 50.46s in the 400m hurdles and although he won numerous Australian national medals, a career dogged by injury saw him missing out on the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. 

Writing was a passion for Dane throughout his track and field career, beginning in 1999 and finishing the first draft of Hunt for the Star in 2003. With education and sport a primary focus, time afforded to writing was limited. Dane honed his skill over the next few years with affiliations to Tom Collins Writers House and the Speculative fiction group KSP Writers centre, whilst penning a sequel, Rise of the Deceiver.

Dane completed a Bachelor degree in Commerce majoring in Accounting and Marketing in 2003 and worked in coaching and education over the next ten years with a brief stint as a freelance writer in 2006, publishing 23 articles as a sports writer for the Perth metro and country based paper, Community News Group.

In 2011 Dane was introduced to Hal Colebatch - a contributing author to Larry Niven’s military sci-fi series, The Man-Kzin Wars. With Hal’s mentoring, Dane got his start with a small independent press who published the paperback version of Hunt for the Star in 2012. In 2013 Dane released the ebook, which is available on Amazon.

Review, Interview, and Giveaway: The End of Violet and Abby by Scott Silver

Published: October 20th 2014
Genre: YA, Supernatural/demon
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Violet and Abby pledged to stay best friends forever, a vow put to the ultimate test when Violet dies in a tragic accident—and comes back. Now boys are turning up dead, attacked by a creature both alien, and terrifyingly familiar and Abby is beginning to suspect that her best friend may have returned...different. Funny and heartbreaking, ‘The End of Violet and Abby' combines the sharp observations of Mean Girls with the sarcastic wit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to tell the story of two young women struggling to save their friendship—and each other—from an ancient evil that threatens everything they love.

Buy The End of Violet and Abby Today at Amazon

The most likely explanation was that they'd hooked up. No elaborate murder scenarios or supernatural intrigue, just an innocent quickie in the middle of mother nature, nothing more. Violet was a boykiller but only in the metaphorical sense.

The Good

I had fun with this one. I liked the smart ass attitudes Violet and Abby tend to wield with little restraint. Well, Violet more so then Abby, but Abby starts to hold back less and say how she feels. The creature has a familiar feel, but is creepy in a whole new way. The End of Violet and Abby also does a good job capturing the high school environment. I kind of wanted to punch a couple of the kids and maybe a teacher or two.

The Bad

I would have preferred not knowing who the killer was, but you don't really get that option (minor complaint). I also would have liked to seen a bit more follow up with the end of the book...what happens after the resolution between Violet and Abby.

The Romance

The romance is mostly Abby wanting a relationship while Violet has fun playing with the boys she comes across that can't resist her physical attributes. At the same time, Violet has a little jealous side when it comes to Abby.

Conclusion

I enjoyed reading The End of Violet and Abby. The creature was unique and the main characters held my interest. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy Paranormal high school books with fun monster concepts.

Excerpts

"Oh come on, bunch of crazed naked chicks running wild in the woods-- what else were they doing, swapping goat's blood recipes? You just won't admit it because you're a prude."
"I am not a prude. There's lots of things a group of women can do together that doesn't involve sex. Then again, maybe it's different for boys. Got any stories you want to share?"
Eric didn't have any stories he wanted to share.

Rule number one when dealing with fake girls: The higher a girl's voice, the more she hates you. Fake girls masked their distain in a high-pitched, overly enthusiastic tone that, while friendly, was secretly covered in venom. Whenever Lauren spoke, it sounded like her vocal chords were trapped in her esophagus.

I opened my eyes and found myself face-to-face with the monster I once called my best friend.
"Oh good, you're back," Demon Violet said. "For a minute I thought you'd died or something. I've done that before. Don't recommend it."

Author Interview

Please introduce yourself, and what first inspired you to start writing?

Hey everyone! Scott Silver here, author of the new YA novel The End of Violet and Abby.

When did I first start writing? Hmm, good question. I can’t remember a specific moment; it’s just something I’ve always done. Even as a wee tot I’d write little short stories about my favorite cartoon characters. I once wrote an epic Smurfs/Transformers/Chipmunks/Star Wars crossover.


How has being an author changed your life?

It’s informed everything I do really. Being a writer teaches you to be more observant and find the special little details and flaws in things, both in nature and in people. I’ve come to understand the folks around me a lot better through creating characters in my head.

Halloween is coming up -- IS there a certain book that creeped you out more than most growing up?

Never read too many scary books as a kid, which I guess is why I can’t stop writing them as an adult. You know what did spook me as a kid though? The Garfield Halloween Special. I mean, the old man in the rocking chair with the white eyebrows? Freaky man.

Will there be a sequel to the End of Violet and Abby?

I’d intended this to be a stand-alone story and yet a lot of the feedback I’ve gotten from beta readers has involved the possibility of a follow-up, so who knows?


What character have you most enjoyed exploring? 

I really love how the character of Astrid developed as the story progressed. She started out as a generic background character but gradually emerged as a unique personality in her own right. She’s someone you’ll both love and hate throughout the story and those types of characters are rare.


Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what's your favorite song to write to?

I’m easily distracted and terribly scatterbrained, which is why I like to write in quiet places like the library (Shout out to the Seattle Central Library!), so I don’t listen to many tunes while I write. That said, I’m a huge music nerd, so here’s a few songs to get you in the proper Violet and Abby mood:

Running Up That Hill – Placebo
What the Water Gave Me – Florence + The Machine
Night Sky – Chvrches 
Just Like Honey – Jesus and Mary Chain

Do you have a new project started already or are you catching your breath and enjoying The End of Violet and Abby?

I’ve actually started doing some preliminary research for my next project. I also plan on releasing a short story sometime in the beginning of next year. Anyone interested in learning more can follow me on Twitter or sign up for my email list and become full-fledged members of the Silver Society!

About Scott Silver:

Scott Silver is a writer who's lived all over the US from the suburban tranquility of New England to the muggy sprawl of the Deep South to the neon playground of Las Vegas. He studied creative writing at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina and at the University of Georgia.

His spare time is spent reading comics and YA Lit, listening to cheesy synthpop, hosting trivia nights, and catching up on all the TV shows (so please, no spoilers). He lives in Seattle, WA and can be reached on Twitter @theSilverDome or at ScottSilverAuthor@gmail.com.

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Release Day Interview and Giveaway: Girl Nevermore by R.A. Desilets

Today is the release day of Girl Nevermore! I have author R.A. Desliets here with an interview as well as a giveaway.

Goodreads Summary

Genre: Contemporary YA

Last week, Cooper Mesa was a quiet, studious bookworm.

This week, she feels unworthy of love or forgiveness.

When Cooper's twin sister, Kayla, tries to end her own life, Cooper blames herself. If only she had paid more attention...

Desperate to understand her sister's decision, Cooper starts down a dark path, discovering her own inner turmoil. Losing herself is easy, but finding a reason to live is becoming impossible.

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Author Interview

Tell us a little background of how Girl Nevermore came about:

Girl Nevermore is a story I’ve attempted to write in numerous ways. Until now, I hadn’t been successful. The core emotions in the story stem from my own past, and while it is fiction, it was really hard for me to write with finesse.

I had several friends who suffered from depression, and a few who attempted suicide. When I was younger, I had no idea how to cope with any of those feelings. I developed anxiety and didn’t seek help.

Cooper’s story was the first to capture the essence of losing yourself. Her story came about because I needed to tell it to gain closure.

What do you hope readers take away?

For those who have experienced a traumatic event, depression, or anxiety, I want readers to come away with hope. I want readers to understand that they are never alone, even if they feel like they are.

For those who haven’t experienced depression or anxiety, I’d love for readers to gain a better understanding of how it feels to suffer from anxiety, self-doubt, and self-loathing.

I’d love for Girl Nevermore to open up a larger dialogue about mental health. No one should be ashamed to talk about how they feel, and oftentimes, I think a lot of us are. It should be easier to talk about than it is.

How hard was it to go from writing a humorous story to one so dark and gritty?

It’s been intense. With Hipstopia and The Collapse, I wasn’t as nervous. While I’m proud of my satirical books, I was also more emotionally distant. Girl Nevermore feels like I’m putting a piece of my past and myself out there, and that’s the most terrifying part.

As for writing it, it wasn’t difficult to switch gears. I think Murphy provided a good transition into the dark and gritty in The Collapse. But I’ve also been toying with characters similar to Cooper for years. I was finally able to capture the right tone from trial and error.

A few of your favorite books?

Goodness, this is always hard. I can’t ever just pick a few! I think everyone who has read Hipstopia (and the acknowledgments) knows how much I appreciate Courtney Summers, so of course This is Not a Test tops my list every time. Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien is up there, along with More Than This by Patrick Ness and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. There are so many more, but I’m trying to keep this short!

A fun fact about yourself:

Since I’ve mentioned high school, I’ll share the “I’m a super nerd” fact. I never missed a single day of high school. Not even on senior skip day, not even when I was sick (which, in retrospect, was a terrible decision as I probably made some of my classmates sick--sorry, guys).

When I made it to the end of freshman year with no absences, I decided why not? Once I came up with the idea, as a goal-oriented person, I had to follow through.

What are you working on now?

I’m in the middle of editing an Adult Ebola Apocalypse novella, The Unanswerable, which will be part of a series of conquels (called The UnSeries).  Matthew and his family are stuck in New York City when an airborne Ebola virus breaks out. They have to risk everything on the feral streets for a slim chance at survival. The tentative release date is October 27.

I also have two YA novels in the works. One is No Sugar Coating, YA magical realism, which is expected to be out February 2015. The second is In a Blue Moon (Blue Moon #1), YA fairytale retelling/apocalypse, which is slated for sometime in the “near future/as soon as possible.”

I keep my Publishing Schedule updated on my blog (radwrites.blogspot.com). So you can always see what’s coming out next!

About R.A. Desilets:

Rachel Desilets (R. A. Desilets) is the author of YA Satirical Dystopian duet, Hipstopia and The Collapse. She also wrote a children’s adventure/adult humor novelette, My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade. She’s just released Girl Nevermore, a YA Contemporary novel.

She enjoys tea, coffee, and warm blankets. Rachel is the self-proclaimed owner of “way too many cats” and currently lives with her husband in Southern California.

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Blog Tour Interview: Vera Nazarian author of Cobweb Bride

Interview by author Vera Nazarian of Cobweb Bride

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian hosted by Fiction Addiction. I have a special interview for you today and a wonderful giveaway. I would like to thank Vera for taking the time to answer all of my questions in such a thoughtful manner!

Summary

Many are called… She alone can save the world and become Death's bride.

COBWEB BRIDE (Cobweb Bride Trilogy, Book One) is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world.

What if you killed someone and then fell in love with them?

In an alternate Renaissance world, somewhere in an imaginary "pocket" of Europe called the Kingdom of Lethe, Death comes, in the form of a grim Spaniard, to claim his Bride. Until she is found, in a single time-stopping moment all dying stops. There is no relief for the mortally wounded and the terminally ill....

Covered in white cobwebs of a thousand snow spiders she lies in the darkness... Her skin is cold as snow... Her eyes frozen... Her gaze, fiercely alive...

While kings and emperors send expeditions to search for a suitable Bride for Death, armies of the undead wage an endless war... A black knight roams the forest at the command of his undead father… Spies and political treacheries abound at the imperial Silver Court.... Murdered lovers find themselves locked in the realm of the living...

Look closer — through the cobweb filaments of her hair and along each strand shine stars...

And one small village girl, Percy—an unwanted, ungainly middle daughter—is faced with the responsibility of granting her dying grandmother the desperate release she needs.

As a result, Percy joins the crowds of other young women of the land in a desperate quest to Death's own mysterious holding in the deepest forests of the North…

And everyone is trying to stop her.

Where did you get the inspiration for Cobweb Bride?

First, thank you so much for having me here!

The idea for Cobweb Bride came to me at a time when I was going through a rough period of losing beloved companion animals, dogs and cats, one after another, in a span of a few months in some cases. We lost two dogs and five cats to illness and old age. The last one to go at that point, a black cat named Tasia (or Tanya, officially), really haunted me, and I kept thinking I was seeing her dear shadow everywhere.

Her death shadow…

And then came thoughts of lingering bittersweet sorrow clad in fairytale imagery of winter and snow. Central to it was a Death figure, in the shape of a Renaissance gentleman, a Spaniard in a black doublet and hose.
Other elements started coalescing, and I began to write the story of Persephone, a classic myth retold my own way. What started as a simple linear story became a complex, multi-threaded epic of many lives, wrapped around a mystery of life and death and soaked in history.

You might say, at first it was my way of coping with death. And it progressed into an exploration of life.

If you could describe it with just three words, which would you choose?

Intensity, longing, duty.

Would you tell me a little more about The Kingdom of Lethe?

An interesting question, since the Kingdom of Lethe is only a tiny tip of the iceberg in this epic story arc. While most of the action of book one takes place there, we learn that Lethe (on the north) is one of the three vassal Kingdoms that comprise the greater Realm which is ruled by the Liguon dynasty of emperors. The Realm has a southern neighbor, called the Domain, comprised in turn of four Kingdoms, and ruled by a mysterious Sovereign.

The Realm and the Domain together are located in an imaginary pocket of Renaissance southwestern Europe, a wedge of imaginary land inserted in the middle of the continent. I took liberties with the landmass and moved countries around a bit to accommodate my two fictional countries.

Visualize a cross, with Germany on the top, France on the left, Italy on the right, and Spain on the bottom. In the heart of this cross lie the Realm and the Domain, two very uneasy and hostile neighbors, with only a small part of the southern border of the Domain touching the shores of the Mediterranean.

The action in books two (Cobweb Empire) and three (Cobweb Forest) will be all over the map, and you will get to see much more of the Domain.

Cobweb Bride is a mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and mythology. Will you tell us which is the most overpowering element to be found in the pages? How do these blend together to get your story across?

This is an excellent but difficult question, because I don’t think in all fairness I can separate the elements. Probably the historical flavor is the most prevalent one. However, I would say it is a framework of history to which have been added elements of fantasy and myth, like exotic flowers to an arrangement of ordinary living greenery. As for romance—this is romance in the old-fashioned sense of medieval chivalry. Yes, there are very important love stories at the center, but they do not make the story what it is—the Persephone myth does, as you will see by the end of the trilogy. Really, there is no way to separate the elements at all. They are all plaits in the braid of story. And the story itself is fantasy.

As an immigrant to the U.S. from the former USSR, do you feel that's had an impact on your writing, or even how you've gone about your career as an author?

Oh, sure! First of all, English is my second language, and as such I have a different sound to my prose. I learned much of my linguistic skills from reading English period classics, so I tend to naturally sound old fashioned, even stodgy. Over the years, I also studied a number of languages (Russian, English, Armenian, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, German), and am profoundly aware of the roots of all words, so that while my spelling can be naturally clean (again, due to the knowledge of linguistic roots), my sentence structure is a little odd, a little different, a little hard to place, and a little more layered and stylistically intense. As a writer, I ride the knife-edge of the Uncanny Valley of English.

I also come “pre-programmed” with a different set of imagery, of definitions of what constitutes fantasy, as Gene Wolfe had once said in his wonderful introduction to my short story collection Salt of the Air. I grew up with Russian fairytales, with ancient Persian and Georgian and Armenian myths and legends, in addition to the Greek and Norse ones that are more common in the West. What naturally scares me is Koschei the Deathless and Baba Yaga and Vyu and Leshii, which might be different from someone who grew up in the USA and is scared by the legend of, say, the Headless Horseman.

The same goes for other elements. Different things stir my imagination than maybe would affect a writer from another background.

I also had the singular luck of starting my life in the artificial and repressive USSR, and then becoming a world refugee. My immigrant family had to be aliens for many years before we knew how things worked here in the West. As such, my perspective is focused and observant of minute descriptive details, and I revel in metaphoric imagery and what is called by some purple prose.

In general, purple prose is a worldview, not merely a stylistic affectation. I actually see the world though a prism of cathedral stained glass, in enhanced living color. And a 3D universe filtered through such heightened senses is what I portray in my writing, and my art.

Congratulations on being nominated twice for the Nebula Award! As a peer-to-peer award Finalist, it truly is something special. Do you have any advice or tidbits to offer writers that are just starting out?

Thank you! My advice to writers is to find your own voice as soon as possible.

What does that mean? It means you first learn the language in which you write—learn it so well that you can knowingly bend the rules. Next, you read endlessly and voraciously all the great works written in that language by the masters, and all the popular modern popcorn too, so that you learn to differentiate and to incorporate elements of both in your craft (because pulp fiction is the virile lifeblood of the day, and classics are the sacrament, and life demands both in equal measure).

And finally, you write not because you think you should or because there’s a hot new market waiting for your submission, or even because someone told you it’s a good idea to put out 1,000 words a day and you are still practicing your skills regardless of true desire to create. No, you write because you have something to say, and it’s screaming inside your head to get out and be shared with the world. I am not talking about ranting popular platitudes on your blog, but expressing your unique worldview. After all, the mixture of logorrhea and opinion is what makes you a natural-born writer.

Have nothing to say? Nonsense. Re-examine your own mindset. Come to have strong opinions worthy of being defended and illustrated through literary metaphor. That’s the secret of your Voice. But, never shout your opinions or pound the reader on the head with them. Instead, demonstrate them inexorably through proper subtle detail and understated elegance.

Last of all, write with the controlled dissonance of both creative freedom and editorial precision. Allow your inner creator and you inner editor to take turns to make your writing the best it can be. There is power in you and what you believe in, and your stories have the ability to change the world. Recognize it and use it, and skill and craft will follow eventually—but only if you never give up.

What current projects are you working on?

I am in the middle of Cobweb Bride Trilogy book two, Cobweb Empire. It should be completed and available in September 2013. Next up, book three, Cobweb Forest, which concludes the trilogy, is due in December 2013, just in time for the holidays. Yes, I am merciful to my readers and don’t want to leave them hanging too long between installments! After the trilogy is done, I switch gears wildly and return to the next book in my hilarious parody novels, the Supernatural Jane Austen Series, which happens to be Pagan Persuasion: All Olympus Descends on Regency. After that, in 2014, I work on Lady of Monochrome, book two of my Rainbow Trilogy and a sequel to the epic fantasy about a world without color, the original “shades of grey,” Lords of Rainbow.

Just for fun:

Coffee or Tea? Tea, all the way! Tea is in my blood, since childhood. My earliest memories are of weak amber-golden tea being given to me in a baby bottle.

Skiing or Swimming? Swimming.

Cookies or Brownies? Brownies… or better yet, fancy cake.

Writing or Painting? Oh dear… now you stumped me. I would say that in my earlier years it would have been Art and Painting, but now I’ve focused all my energies into Writing.

Author Vera Nazarian

Vera Nazarian is a two-time Nebula Award® Finalist and a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She immigrated to the USA from the former USSR as a kid, sold her first story at 17, and has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, honorably mentioned in Year’s Best volumes, and translated into eight languages.

Vera made her novelist debut with the critically acclaimed Dreams of the Compass Rose, followed by Lords of Rainbow. Her novella The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass with an introduction by Charles de Lint made the 2005 Locus Recommended Reading List. Her debut collection Salt of the Air with an introduction by Gene Wolfe contains the 2007 Nebula Award-nominated “The Story of Love.”

Other work includes the 2008 Nebula Finalist novella The Duke in His Castle, science fiction collection After the Sundial (2010), The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration (2010), and four Jane Austen parodies, Mansfield Park and Mummies (2009), Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons (2010), Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy’s Dreadful Secret (2012), and Pagan Persuasion: All Olympus Descends on Regency (forthcoming), all part of her Supernatural Jane Austen Series.

After many years in Los Angeles, Vera now lives in a small town in Vermont. She uses her Armenian sense of humor and her Russian sense of suffering to bake conflicted pirozhki and make art. In addition to being a writer, philosopher, and award-winning artist, she is also the publisher of Norilana Books.

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Interview with A.B. Whelan - Fields of Elysium

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Fields of Elysium by A.B. Whelan

How can love mend a heart full of hate? Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings. Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

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PRAISE "The novel's take on otherworldly travel is a compelling one, and the romantic plot will likely appeal to Twilight fans." - Kirkus Reviews "I expected a good love story with a paranormal twist. I got so much more. I think you should take the chance and read it. Let this book take you on the adventure, fall in love." - Young Adult and Teen Readers "Fields of Elysium is a fabulous read. ... Whelan paints her faith into the fabric of her story with deft, light brushstrokes, making her work accessible to all, no matter their spiritual beliefs or background." - Readers Favorite "I escaped into this fantasy world, author, A.B.Whelan, created and I didn’t want Molly to go. From detailed descriptions, to sweet romance, and to all the twist and turns in the story, it had me captivated from page one." - Mary Ting, author of the Crossroads Saga "Whelan's writing is very vivid and descriptive. It's more formal than the average YA novel, but I enjoyed the lyrical and mesmerizing quality to it. I thought the overall story read like a fairy tale--very sweet." - Megan Thomason, author of Daynight.

Interview with A.B. Whelan

Let’s start off with a few serious questions before we get to the fun stuff…

Please tell us something that just happened or is about to happen in your life that you would like to share.

My family is moving to Italy this summer for a few years. We’ve moved around quite a bit. But it is our choice and makes life so much more interesting. I’m very excited because I’ll have more time to write and more inspiring places to visit.

Which character was your favorite to write about?

Victor Sorren. When I met my husband he was kind of a Byronic-hero type of guy. Writing about Victor reminded me of those early, exciting times.

Did one of them surprise you while writing?

Oh yeah. They all do. I have the plot outlined for the entire four volumes, yet the characters take me to places I never expected to go. Especially in book two, because now my characters really started to live on their own. I guess the more books you write dealing with the same characters, the more real they become to you.  

I saw that Kirkus Reviews put Fields of Elysium as a similar book to Eclipse. Will you tell us your thoughts on why they did that?

Well, I felt very honored because I loved the Twilight Series. Though Fields of Elysium is not about vampires and werewolves, the setting is similar. A teen girl discovers something extraordinary and decides to keep it a secret. She starts to live a double life: one of an average high school girl and one of a love-struck teen who becomes part of an amazing and dangerous life. I spent a great deal of time to express Molly’s feelings as she becomes entangled with her new life. I once left my country and family to move with a mysterious and alluring man I barely knew but loved very deeply, to a country where adventure and danger lurked at every corner. I channeled those old feelings and stories of mine into my novel, so the plot is really not Twilight. However, I guess Kirkus found the romance and/or the secrecy similar to the Twilight series, because if you visit the Kirkus New Moon page or Fields of Elysium page you’ll find the same connection there, too. I only hope they meant it as a compliment. J

The blurb says, “from where there is no return and multiple endings.” Will you tell us a little more about this statement?

Molly, the main character, discovers the gateway to a new earth by chance, where she meets someone who steals her heart. From that moment she will be burdened with vast secrets. Secrets that if she shares could mean the end of that peaceful and amazing civilization and her chance to see Victor again. When once you get a taste of a better life and your heart is irrevocably drawn to someone, you can never return to your former self or life. Sooner or later you have to take sides, do things you normally wouldn’t do, and finally make the ultimate decision.

Do you read reviews of your books? If you do, how do you react to the information provided?

I do read all of them. I get so excited when I see a new review. I still can’t believe that people actually read my book and took the time to write about it. If it’s a positive review, then it makes my day, knowing that there are likeminded people out there and I’m not alone. If it’s a negative review, however constructive, then I make notes and do my best to learn from it. I usually ignore one star reviews because most of the time they are just malicious and trying to bring me down. I received several five star reviews from professional companies, so my book can’t be that much garbage. I understand that people have different tastes but calling the author and/or her work names is hitting below the belt. I’ve worked too hard and come too far to let negative people bring me down.

Now to the fun stuff…

Do you have a playlist for your book or a theme song for Molly?

I do, but I’d be embarrassed to share it. J But if you read the book you’ll find a song that Molly sings in front of her entire class.

Which of your characters would you like to have over for dinner?

I keep saying the same name but I can’t help myself because I just love Victor. He’s charming, interesting, cool and a real man despite his age. But girls don’t have to go over to Arkana to find cool young guys like him; just check out a few U21 club soccer teams. J

If the zombie apocalypse strikes, what weapon do you grab?

A big can of lighter fluid and a bunch of lighters or matches.

What are a few things on your bucket list?

I want to go to Cambodia for a backpacking trip with my husband. I want to see my hardcover book in the shopping basket of a Barnes & Noble customer. I want to invite my faithful fans, my family and all my friends to the cinema to watch the movie adaptation of my book. I want to get lost in a jungle with my husband to find out what we’re really made of. I have lots more. I like to dream big. My dreams push me forward.

Do you prefer sleeping in or getting up early?

I used to love sleeping in, but since becoming a mom I get up early. By now I’m so used to it that it doesn’t bother me at all.

What is your favorite gadget?

I love the GPS in my car. I have a horrible sense of direction.

I'd like to thank you so very much for taking the time to answer my questions!

Author A.B. Whelan 
A.B.Whelan is a Hungarian born, American writer. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Southern California. While growing up in a wealthy Eastern European family, she had a chance to travel Europe. Later as an adult, she visited Africa and the Middle East and lived in Ecuador and in Crete.

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  Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash A gift bag of one signed copy of Fields of Elysium, a scrabble-tile pendant on a necklace, and a fridge magnet Ends 5/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://www.iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway