Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 34
July 30, 2016
Book and Movie Review: Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Phew, that title is a mouthful … but then so is my review. I have a LOT of thoughts regarding both the book, Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker, and the movie, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot starring Tina Fey. I think I might have liked the movie if I hadn’t read the book, but I had read the book and already gotten intense whiplash from that experience and THEN immediately watching the movie means that my neck may never be the same again. I know this a little on the longer side, but it’s still under 12 minutes despite my ranting so I’m proud.
July 29, 2016
Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Now that booktubeathon is over, time to get back to some regularly scheduled reviewing. I’ve been waiting to share this one with you guys for a while, because it might be one of the prettiest things I’ve read in 2016. It’s also one of the more confusing things I’ve read in 2016, which is why I call this book “something like poetry,” in good ways and bad ways and great ways. However, I DO suggest this book as something you might want to pick up, so listen for why!
July 26, 2016
Booktubeathon 2016 Wrap Up
This is it guys, I promise. Booktubeathon is over and, as expected, I did not complete all the challenges. However, I read four out of seven books and completed six out of seven reading challenges, so I don’t think I did that bad! If you didn’t catch the initial TBR, then you should watch that, but otherwise here’s my wrap up! I’m giving you all a sneak peak at all the reviews I’m going to tape and get out to you soon, so don’t miss out!
July 25, 2016
Around the World in 7 Books #booktubeathon2016
One last video challenge for booktubeathon … a day late. This is a list of book recommendations based on the seven continents of the world. I tried to get to some places that a lot of books aren’t set, but some of these were also really challenging! I ask you guys for some help in some areas as well, so don’t hesitate to leave me some comments with your own suggestions!
July 21, 2016
Book Title Dialogue #booktubeathon2016
Listen guys. I’m just really committed to making a fool of myself, okay? I played dress up for this one, even. The third challenge was the create a dialogue using book titles and I think I did pretty well for myself. As it turns out, reading a lot of fantasy means it’s pretty easy to put together a dialogue that makes sense if you’re willing to dress up in an old prom dress and put on a camo hat and have a conversation with yourself because you know no one in your family will go anywhere near this idea.
July 20, 2016
Book Location Recreation #booktubeathon2016
Welcome to challenge #2 for this years Booktubeathon! I really should have posted this yesterday but I forgot because I got it up really late. ANYWAYS! This is me trying to recreate the polar bear castle from The Golden Compass and basically it’s the worst thing in the world but at a certain point I just committed to making a fool out of myself. Now you get to “enjoy.” Have at it!
July 18, 2016
Booktubeathon 2016 TBR
Hey guys! At 9:30AM yesterday, Michaela said, “Want to participate in booktubeathon?” and I said, “Sure! When does it start?” and she said, “Midnight.” Now, here we are with a TBR video not only for me, not only for her but ALSO for the two of us AND Taylor! That’s right, even Taylor’s been dragged into this madness! We’re really excited to participate for the first time, even if we don’t think there is any way we’ll get through all seven books. Fingers crossed!
July 14, 2016
Interview + Giveaway with Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Hey guys! Would you look at this – content on a Thursday. I might be slacking, but there are some great authors out there who are doing you guys justice! One such author is Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, author of Two Moon Princess and the soon-to-be released The King in the Stone. Let’s meet her!
I was born in Galicia (Northern Spain) and went to college in Madrid, where I finished my Ph.D. in Biology. For the next ten years, I worked as a researcher both in Madrid and at the University of Davis in California.
My writing career started when I came to live in Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Following my first sale, a magazine article on latex allergy, I published four books for Chelsea House (Facts on File): Heroin, Ritalin, Mad Cow Disease, and Lung Cancer.
My Young Adult novel Two Moon Princess, (the story of a discontented medieval princess, eager to live life on her own terms, who lands in modern day California) was published in 2007 by Tanglewood Press. It was recognized with the bronze award by the ForeWord Magazine in the Juvenile fiction category. It’s also available now as an e-book.
Two Moon Princess won first price in the 2015 Latino Book into Movie Awards, family and children category.
Immortal Love, a paranormal romance, (Crimson Romance, 2012) follows my adventures in search of a literary agent in a contemporary alternate world where the late Spanish poets Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Federico García Lorca are immortals.
Now, she’s here today to answer some questions about her upcoming novel, A King in the Stone. What’s this book about, you ask? Well, let me tell you!
A full moon,
A silver key,
And the unbending passion of two young lovers
Will bring hope to a defeated kingdom
And, through their sorrow, deliver a king
Who will change its fate.
Sent back in time through a portal the full moon opens, Julian and Andrea, two lovers from a parallel universe, struggle to be reunited and prevent the Arabs from destroying the last Spanish stronghold in the mountains of northern Spain.
Now that you’ve got the basics, let’s get into this interview!
What inspired The King in the Stone?
My inspiration for the historical background of The King in the Stone was the Battle of Covadonga and the legend of Pelayo, taken directly from Spanish history. The story itself is a very personal one. I won’t discuss it here because, if I did, I would be revealing a major plot twist. A third and very important inspiration were the majestic Picos de Europa, the mysterious mountains of northern Spain that became a character in the story.
How did you do your historical research? Is it fun or do you wish you were writing?
I am originally from Spain, which means I was already familiar with the legend of Pelayo and the historical facts of his time before I started my research. I chose this particular time because, although I didn’t like history as a subject when I was at school, I loved legends, and the legend of Pelayo, in particular. So, in answer to your question, I really enjoyed doing the research about the period and the historical characters that appear in The King in the Stone. Actually, as the facts I were researching became part of the plot, I would argue that while doing the research I was actually working on my writing.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
I love stories. What I look for in a book, or a movie, or even a song, is an engaging story. So, not surprisingly, I love plotting best. I love the process of telling and retelling the story in my mind, until all its threads are perfectly entwined and the final tapestry comes alive.
What’s one thing you’ve learned through writing your novels, about yourself as a person or a writer?
Writing a novel is a hard and solitary business. It is also incredibly rewarding. What I learned, after my almost twenty years in this business, is that, as Dorothy Parker put it: “I don’t like to write, but I love having written.”
If you were to go through a portal back in time, where would you want to go?
To Spain in the year 718 A.D. Wouldn’t be awesome to go there and watch the story I have imagined in The King in the Stone, as it unfolds?
GIVEAWAY TIME
Carmen has graciously offered two e-copies of The King in the Stone for this giveaway! That means that it is international! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by July 28th, 2016. Make sure I can access your email or leave another way to contact you if you win. You can talk about whatever you like – the interview, the book trailer, etc – but please do thank Carmen for this great opportunity!
July 11, 2016
From the Notebook: Searching for the Joy in Reading
I’m here today to talk about something that you may have guessed: I haven’t been reading a lot recently. In the aftershock of having graduated from college, I’m just now beginning to realize that reading can be fun again. I’ve been struggling with this for a while now, but I think I’ve finally had my eureka moment! Here’s my explanation of what’s been going on and what I’m thinking now!
July 8, 2016
Review: “Rebel of the Sands” by Alwyn Hamilton
LOOKIE HERE! I’m back with an actual review today, in video form. This includes a shout out to the lovely MercuryCalling booktube channel for convincing me to buy this book in the first place. I wasn’t disappointed! Though I had my issues with it, I’m really excited for Alwyn Hamilton as a writer and the rest of this series!
