Christine Amsden's Blog: Christine Amsden Author Blog, page 52
May 18, 2011
Book Review and Giveaway: Fallen
Guest review by Austin Morgan
[image error]I have been in the mood for a good mystery so I decided to sign up for Goodreads.com's First Reads. This is a great service in which you can sign up to receive books either before or just after they are released. The first book I received was Karin Slaughter's Fallen. In honor of my winning a copy of this novel, you also have a chance to win the same copy!
I can not claim Fallen is a good mystery, but it was an entertaining read. When I requested Fallen I was not aware that this was part of a series. The good news is that everything that is truly important is in the novel.
Faith Mitchell is a veteran police officer. When she comes home to a hostage situation, dead bodies and a missing mother whom was the Captain of the Atlanta Police Department and terminated under suspicious circumstances a bad day turns into a her worst nightmare.
The story then unfolds almost entirely through exposition. I do not like this form of story telling but Karin Slaughter was able to keep my interest through the whole book despite it. Her story flowed smoothly with enough information appearing at all the right places to prevent me from wanting to put it down. The multifaceted characters help tame the frequent and very graphic violence that seems to guide the direction of the plot. Be warned if you don't like to read about copious amounts of grey matter covering just about everything this is not the book for you.
I really enjoyed the ride until the finally. Unfortunately I found the end to be completely unbelievable to the point of almost laughable and almost caused me to give this book less than 3 stars. The reason I am giving it 4 stars is that I really enjoyed the book until the very end and will likely read the other books in the series.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Title: Fallen
Author: Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 9780345528209
Publication Date: June 21, 2011
Reviewed by: Austin Morgan
The Contest:
To win a copy of this book leave a comment on this post.
Rules:
Only comments left at http://christineamsden.com will be entered in the contest
You will receive the exact same Advanced Review Copy I received from the publisher
You must live in the US to win
Contest ends on Sunday May 29, 2011 at 11:59 PM CT
The winner will be contacted via e-mail, the winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.
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May 17, 2011
Q&A with Christine Amsden on Goodreads
Title: Q&A with Christine Amsden on Goodreads
Location: Goodreads Author Group
Link out: Click here
Description: Here's your chance to ask questions about my new dystopian science fiction novel, The Immortality Virus, or discuss some of the ideas amongst yourselves. Would you want to live forever?
Start Date: 2011-06-15
End Date: 2011-07-15
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Book Review: Maybe This Time
We've got a haunted house, traumatized children, a long-over marriage that maybe deserves a second chance, a TV reporter with too-perfect teeth and a sinister agenda, and most of all: We have Jennifer Crusie's usual delightful style, making it all so much fun.
I really enjoyed this book. The paranormal aspect integrated well into the plot, and wasn't just some kind of sugar coating. The ghosts even managed to be spooky at times, though they made me laugh at other times. That's what happens when you have an author with a unique wit telling tales of ghosts and hauntings.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a lightly amusing paranormal story, with a bit of romance and a lot of fun.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Maybe This Time
Author: Jennifer Crusie
Publication Date: Augist 31, 2010
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Giveaways and Guest Reviews
About a month ago, I put a copy of The Immortality Virus up on Goodreads for one of their giveaways, and I got a terrific response! In the wake of that, my husband, Austin, decided he wanted to try to win some books, so he spent an afternoon signing up for many of the contests there.
Well…he WON…and WON…and WON! He has received (or will receive) nine books through these contests, and honestly, he doesn't have as much time to read as I do. (Very few people manage to read as many books as I do! 
)
As these books are in standard print, I am unable to read them, or I would be happy to review many of the titles myself. At this point, I can only review books on audio or eBooks I can blow up to a comfortable font (which is larger than your standard large print book). But as an author, I understand the importance of getting reviewed, so starting tomorrow, I have invited my husband to write guest reviews when he finishes one of his Goodreads contest books.
In addition, because I'm also a mother who understands that we already have four bookshelves packed with books, not to mention boxes in the basement, I'm going to re-give away each book as he finishes reading them. This helps me keep my house clean, and it helps the author, who will hopefully get another review out of the deal.
So stop by tomorrow for Austin's first review and giveaway. And of course, stay tuned for more reviews from me. I've had a busy week, so I'm a bit behind in my blogging, but I expect to be back in it soon!
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May 12, 2011
Interview with Leah Cypess, Author of Mistwood
This week, I had a chance to talk to Leah Cypess, author of the young adult fantasy novel, Mistwood, and its companion (coming soon), Nightspell. (You can find my review of Mistwood here.)
Questoin: What do you hope readers will take away from their experience reading Mistwood? Did you write it simply to entertain, or were you hoping to inspire?
My primary purpose is always to entertain, but I also believe that if a character in a book comes to a realization that is true to herself and the story, that realization will ring true to at least some readers. For me, the main issue Isabel grapples with is about the nature of choice — how precious it is, and also how difficult. I tend to work through a lot of my own issues while I write, so I would love it if my characters' experiences help at least some readers work through theirs.
But what's really important to me is that after finishing the book, readers are happy that they read it. Not all readers, obviously, but at least some of them.
Question: If you were magically sucked into your book (Mistwood), and had to become one of the characters, which one would you want to be?
How about one of the palace courtiers who is far away from the action and never in any danger at all? 
In fact, preferably he or she would have no idea what's going on. I'm tough on my characters, so I don't know that I'd enjoy being any of them.
Question: Your shape shifter apparently preferred the form of a cat. If you could turn into an animal, which would you prefer?
A bird. It would be fun to fly! (Not the type of flying where you are encased in a metal tube and fighting off terror.)
Questoin: How do you balance writing and family? How supportive is your family?
It's an ongoing juggling act. My family is very supportive – my husband is really proud of what I do, and my kids tend to run into bookstores and go searching for my books – but at the same time, my husband has a demanding job and my kids are, you know, kids. (They're four and two years old.) So during most of the day, I'm struggling to do writing and family at the same time.
Two factors are crucial to my ability to make this work: (1) I write out my first drafts longhand, and (2) my kids are inclined to be independent. So on nice days, I can take them to a playground and either follow them around or watch from a distance as they play, with pen and notebook in hand; that way, I can usually get a good amount of writing done before they go to bed – which is necessary, since by the time they go to bed I'm too tired to be creative.
On days that are not nice, I tend to be a lot less successful at the balancing act. Sometimes I can take them to a playspace, but often (i.e., for most of the past winter) I have to either give up on getting anything significant accomplished in terms of writing, or
shell out lots of money to the local students who babysit.
Question: Where do you write? Can you help is visualize your usual workspace?
Well… the playground, mostly. So visualize some climbing equipment, a sandbox, and a bunch of screaming running kids. Very inspiring! Sometimes, when I can get a babysitter, I bike-ride out to a great lake near me, and sit on the grass and write. Or else I go to the local ice-cream store, which I find much more inspiring than Starbucks.
Questoin: What is the most rewarding thing about writing?
That feeling when you've written something and you know it's good, and you can't believe how brilliant you are or that this piece of timeless prose just came out of your subconscious. I try to put off re-reading my first drafts for a few days so that I can avoid crushing that feeling for as long as possible.
Questoin: Can we expect any more books set in this world and/or with these characters?
Books set in this world – definitely; the book I'm working on now is set in this world, but several hundred years in the future. As far as books with the same characters, the jury's still out. I have an idea for a book that would tie together Mistwood and Nightspell, but I'm not entirely sure I can make it work yet.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for interviewing me!
**************************************************************************************************
The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.
Author Bio:
I wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).
However, I took a few detours along the way to becoming a full-time writer. After selling my first story (Temple of Stone) while in high school, I gave in to my mother's importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. I then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, a large law firm in New York City. I kept writing and submitting in my spare tim…moreI wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).
However, I took a few detours along the way to becoming a full-time writer. After selling my first story (Temple of Stone) while in high school, I gave in to my mother's importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. I then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, a large law firm in New York City. I kept writing and submitting in my spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after my first short story acceptance, I am going to be a published novelist. I am very excited about this!
I live in Brookline, Massachusetts (right outside of Boston) with my husband Aaron, a researcher and doctor at the Joslin Diabetes Center, and our two daughters.
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May 11, 2011
Interview at Jess Resides Here
Jess from Jess Resides Here was kind enough to post an interview on her web site. Check it out!
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Tips for Writers in the Movie Age
We live in a pretty cool world, riding a wave of technological advancement that science fiction writers never accurately dreamed a century ago — though they tried. Do you know what I can do right now? I don't even have to get up from my computer, but I can go to Netflix and with a few clicks, have a movie playing in the background while I work on this blog post. (I won't because I find it distracting, but I could.)
I like movies. I like TV. They get a lot of flack, probably because they are still new and the consequences of long-term exposure to these things are not well understood. But basically, they do the same thing books do — they entertain. Most movies and TV shows are stories, told with light, sound, special effects, and human actors portraying the characters. Done well, movies can captivate. They can make me laugh, and make me cry, and unlike books, they more fully engage my senses. I get sight and sound.
In fact, I have come to a point in my life where I realize that I enjoy a lot of science fiction more on TV and in movies than I do in books. (Oh! Did I just say that out loud? And here I am, trying to convince people to buy the science fiction novel I wrote!)
Ok, so here it is, straight up: Science fiction is cool. "To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilization…" (You know the rest, both the sexist and non sexist version. )
But if you're trying to tell me a story, you need to choose the best medium for it. A story that is more about settings and things than it is about character comes alive in a movie or TV show. These days, I often see writers, especially new writers, using what I like to call a cinematic style, in which they essentially follow a camera as if it is shooting a movie. Well, I'd rather watch the movie, if it's all the same.
Books can compete, but writers have to play to their strengths. The thing that books can do that movies cannot is get us inside the mind of a character. We can really get to know him or her, for good or for evil. Why is the evil villain so evil? Let's get inside his mind and find out! Let's ride with our hero as he struggles to survive, learning new things about himself and those around him on his way.
Books leave more room for us to imagine ourselves in a role. In a movie, I am always watching someone else, which can be exciting, but I'm never truly one of the characters. In a book, I'm right there, making the journey myself.
So my tip: Writers, play to a book's strength, and don't forget the characters! Science fiction movies can show me what a strange new world looks like. Science fiction books can show me what if feels like to settle there.
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May 9, 2011
Book Review: Mistwood
The Shifter, a creature born of mists and magic, is sworn to protect the king and his family. She does this with great power, and without emotion, for she is not truly human. Or so the legends say.
Isabel doesn't remember being The Shifter, though. She doesn't remember anything at all. When Prince Rokan takes her from the Mistwood, binding her to him with a bracelet rumored to have first created her from the mists, she only knows that she wants to protect him.
But Rokan is hiding things from her, and secrets abound in the royal court. Isabel begins to question who she is, and what she is, and ultimately, her loyalties will be put to the test.
Mistwood is one of those young adult books that has wide appeal. In fact, as an adult, it didn't feel at all childish to me. The characters were in their late teens, but sometimes I had to remind myself, as they dealt with very adult concerns and decisions.
The characters were well developed, especially Isabel, and the political intrigue at the heart of this story was both satisfying and devious.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fantasy, regardless of whether you usually go for young adult or not. This was an other-world tale full of magic and intrigue enough to satisfy fantasy fans of any age.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Title: Mistwood
Author: Leah Cypess
ISBN: 0061956996
Publication Date: April 27, 2010
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May 6, 2011
Revisiting Old Friends
I'm a rereader. Not always, and not with every book, but there are times in my life when I need the comfort of an old friend I know I like. When I don't want to take a chance on something new and potentially awesome — or awful.
I reread when I'm sad or anxious. It's a bit like emotional eating, which I also do, but it doesn't go to my thighs.
I also reread when I've had a run of bad luck with new books. I'm sure you've been there…the alst four or five books you've tried made you cringe or want to throw them across the room? That's when I think…forget it. I know *this* book is good, and I'm going to read it.
What do I reread? Surprisingly, it's not always the books I love the most, although those are more likely. There are some 5-star books that are great reads, but that I wouldn't want to revisit. Meanwhile, I've read some 3 and 4-star books that called to me months or years later, enticing me to give them another chance, if only to relive one particular favorite moment. (In those cases, I often skim heavily until I get to that moment.)
I have reread the Harry Potter series more times than I care to admit. (Seriously…I've lost county.) I have reread Ender's Game, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, and nearly every romance by Judith McNaught.
Books with strong characters and exciting moments of pain, loss, love, or hope are the ones I am most inclined to reread. I want to try to recapture that moment. Of course, it is never quite the same the second time around, but in many stories, there is at least an echo of the experience there, and in the best stories, you can find something new to love the second time around. Something you missed before.
Which books are your old friends? When do you reread them?
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