L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 29

5 Questions with Lynne Kelly

Lynne Kelly was born in Galesburg, Illinois, grew up in Houston, Texas, then tried living in colder places again before making it back to the Houston area. She works as a sign language interpreter and writes novels for children and young adults.

Lynne's debut middle grade novel Chained will be released in May 2012

Visit her at: http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Where did the spark of inspiration for Chained come from?

I'd heard that if a young elephant is captured and tied up, it will struggle and struggle to break free, but once it gives up, it gives up forever. So years later you'll see the same small rope or chain holding a full-grown elephant, who doesn't know it could easily break free if it tried. That was the birth of the captive elephant!

2.  How much research time did you put in to recreate India?

A lot! It was really important to me to describe India accurately. One challenge was making the setting seem natural and familiar to the characters, but showing it clearly enough so readers who don't know much about India could envision it. I read books and online resources about India and Indian culture, but I learned most from talking to people who've lived there. I don't think most people know how diverse India itself is; I know I didn't. There are such differences from region to region, it's almost like many countries in one. I couldn't just pick out an "Indian name" or have them eating "Indian food," for example– it needed to be an appropriate name or food for that part of India.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Read as much as possible, especially in the genre you want to write. Besides letting you know what books are already out there, I think that reading great writing helps you naturally absorb good storytelling skills.

4. What is your solution to writer's block?

I do better with pen and paper than with the computer, so when I'm feeling stuck I sit down with a notebook and a pen to do some freewriting about whatever I'm working on. Usually I'll come up with some good ideas or a sentence I need for a scene.

5.  Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

I love them both! If I had to pick one, though, it'd be the Beatles.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Chained, Elephants, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Lynne Kelly, MG Novels, Middle Grade, Musings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing

5 Questions with Leah Bobet

Leah Bobet drinks tea, wears feathers in her hair, and plants gardens in back alleys. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. Her debut novel Above will be available April 2012. Visit her at : http://www.leahbobet.com/index.html

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.      Congrats on the publication of your novel Above. How long did it take from concept to publication?

All told, the distance between writing the first word and the book hitting shelves is almost exactly five years to the week.  That's a really long production schedule, but I am not a fast writer, I revised this thing within an inch of its life, and there were two years between acceptance and publication for various businessy reasons.

I baked it a cake for its first birthday, actually.  And we're throwing a big launch party for its fifth.  Seems kind of fitting, somehow.

2.      Where did the spark of inspiration for Matthew and Ariel come from?

Matthew was a work-in-progress for years before I realized I was actually working on him!  I have a couple unfinished novels and some (finished, published) short stories playing with that same kind of voice: a younger male narrator who doesn't really realize how far in over his head he is; who observes things, and tells us about them, and doesn't really put together what they mean.  He grew slowly, and carefully.

Ariel, though, was more spontaneous: there's a line in one of the songs on Above's soundtrack about a girl disguised as a bee, and I turned that over in my head a bit and she's what came out.  It fit her prickliness, how hair-trigger and fragile and lonely she is.  A lot of who she was grew out of that one image.

(It took me a very long time, actually, to find out what was really wrong in her life, in her head.  She lied about it, even to me.  About five times.)

But in a way, both Matthew and Ariel also have aspects of me and people I've interacted with.  The question I walked into writing Above with, the question I wanted to answer was When do you stop trying to save someone?  When is it ethical to let them fall?  And they're the parts of my personality, and my friends' and family's and ex-boyfriends' and acquaintances', that really deal with that question.  They're, in some ways, my personal failures.  And my little victories, all at once.

3.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

The best writing advice I have heard lately came from alt-history author Charles Coleman Finlay: "Find your own way forward with joy and discipline."

I think that sums the whole thing up: learn your own process and what works for you.  Keep at it and make sure you're not taking shortcuts, make sure you're challenging yourself.  And make sure you remember that this is supposed to be fun.

4.      What is your solution to writer's block?

Oh, you don't want mine.  I mostly go work on some other project.  Or ignore it until it goes away, and just don't write for a month or two.

I tend to figure that if something's not working, there's a reason, and if I can't find a good reason (for example, I have gone 4,000 words in the wrong direction, like I did this winter on the current project) then maybe the story's just not cooked through yet, or my brain's burnt out on writing fiction at the moment.  And so I go do something else with my time.  Eventually I come back and things work.  Or they don't.

This can easily be confused with the words "bad work ethic".

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Hah — the "Gimme Sympathy" question!

Neither/or, really.  It's a false dichotomy.  The world doesn't work that way, and twenty years after they were influencing the same bands anyways.

(Yes.  I am so no fun.)

 

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

Book Review: Breathless by Cole Gibsen

Synopsis: Obituary-reading emo girl Edith Small is broken – the end result of forcing herself inside a mold that doesn't fit. All she wants is to conform to her strict sergeant stepfather's rules long enough to make it to graduation day.

But a boat accident threatens to unravel the life Edith has worked so hard to keep. After waking up in a hospital with a lacerated shoulder, Edith fakes amnesia. Because admitting she received her injuries from a blue-haired girl who breathes underwater is all the reason Sir needs to send Edith on the first bus to military school.

Safe at home, Edith struggles to put the nightmare behind her. But the mysterious creatures that live in the ocean aren't about to let her forget.

After meeting Bastin – a strange boy with silver hair and black eyes – on a secluded dock, Edith learns about the war raging undersea to end human existence. A war that Edith, unwittingly, has become the key to winning.

In a world where death is an ever-present shadow and motives are as dark as the bottom of the ocean, Edith must decide if her life is worth risking for a love that can't survive past the shore.

The Cover: I love this cover. It doesn't give the impression of being a paranormal romance, but it goes give the sense of desperation of Edith.

The First Line: "Only three more hours until my curfew. Three long hours of biting my tongue and pretending I wanted to be on the boat, when, really, I wanted to be anywhere but here." Great sense of character here. Edith's desperation shines through and hooks the reader. I need to know why she's actually looking forward to her curfew which spurs me on.

The Good: ROMANCE! The forbidden romance that emerges propels this story and makes it almost impossible to put down.  Edith is a fascinating character. Her voice is authentic. Her fears are realistic. The relationship with her stepfather is complicated and genuine.

Edith's slips and slides through her personal hell is like a roller coaster ride you don't want to end, but you know it has to. You just hope, for once, it ends on her side.

The Bad: Not enough Morgan. Edith and Morgan become best friends, but Morgan was missing for a good portion of the book early on. Especially when Edith was staying out all night and falling in love. We don't get enough of Morgan being a best friend during this point.

Recommendation: This is definitely a book that lovers of YA paranormal romance should read. It will leave you breathless.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Mermaids, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Michael R. Underwood

Michael R. Underwood grew up devouring stories in all forms, from books and comics to video games, RPGs and more. He holds a B.A. in Creative Mythology and East Asian Studies from Indiana University and an M.A. in Folklore Studies from the University of Oregon, which have been great preparation for writing speculative fiction. Michael went straight from his M.A. to the Clarion West Writers Workshop and then landed in Bloomington, Indiana, where he remains. When not writing or selling books across the Midwest as an independent book representative, Michael dances Argentine Tango and studies renaissance martial arts.

@TurboTango

http://geektheory.wordpress.com/

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Congratulations on the sale of your novel. What was the inspiration behind Geekomancy?

Thanks!  One of the biggest influences was just growing up as a geek.  I was partially raised in a game store, and quite happily spent a bajillion hours playing tabletop rpgs, card games, wargames, strategy games, learning the ropes of geek culture in a community.

Geekomancy's conceptual DNA has strong threads from several influences: Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the quippiness contrasted with the serious content, The Middleman for the whacky-crazy and the wide-open possibilities for the weirdness of the world, Clerks for the slice-of-life aspects, and The Dresden Files for giving a strong model of how a urban fantasy hero in prose could be a big geek and still a credible hero.

2. Some authors are hesitant to post their work online, but it worked out for you fantastically. Did you have any hesitation in utilizing Book Country?

Not at all.  Once I read through the description of how the Book Country staff had established the community as a clearly-established workshop environment with strong anti-plagarism protections, I was totally sold.

I've been a big believer in workshopping pretty much since I got serious about writing, thanks to being adopted by some older writer friends while I was in undergrad.  Joining that critique group trained me in the workshop paradigm, and I've held it in high esteem ever since.  Book Country was just a new way of workshopping with a huge audience, and for free.  The idea that an editor or agent could pick the novel out and make an offer was nowhere near the front of my mind when I uploaded the Geekomancy excerpts.  I was just looking to do an experiment in making my revision process public, going from rough draft to polished (theoretically saleable) draft.  Little did I know what was really in store…

3. You had an offer before signing with Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary. Some people may think you're crazy, while others see the value of agents. What was your reasoning behind seeking an agent?

In addition to being a writer, I work in publishing for my day job, and my dad has worked in publishing since I was about seven.  Between my professional experience, my dad's knowledge of the industry, and hearing stories from my friends, I was very firm in my intent to try to form a professional partnership with an agent to help my career.  I don't know the first thing about selling foreign rights or subsidiary rights, and I can't be my own advocate in the way that an agent can.  I'm only one me, and I find that my brain works much better when I have someone knowledgeable outside of it to talk to.  The publishing landscape is changing, but the smart agents out there, from what I've been seeing, are working tirelessly to show that they are not only still relevant, they can be a tremendous boon for a writer.

Before uploading Geekomancy, I sent out more than 80 queries for a previous project, and collected a ream of rejections, a few manuscript requests, and even a couple of revise-and-resubmits, but no offers.  I got a fair amount of feedback from various agents as they gave me rejections, and as frustrating as the year-and-change-long agent search was for that book, I learned a lot and my appreciation for agents only increased during the process.  I know there are people who are doing quite well for themselves without agents, and I think it's a viable choice, depending on what you're willing and feel confident in being able to do yourself.

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Write more.  Read more.  Put your work out there, and learn to take criticism.  Yes, your stories are your babies, but they aren't you.  If someone eviscerates your manuscript, learn from it.  Break down the criticism and see what of it is useful, then ignore the rest.  Unless you're the God-King/Queen of publishing, you're not going to be perfect right out of the gates.  Acknowledge that it's a process, and if, say, you spend a year and a half trying to sell a book and it doesn't sell, write another one, using the lessons you learned.  Never stop learning, and eventually, things will (hopefully) come together.  We're lucky now, those of us that are getting started in the age of Writer Beware and Duotrope and self-publishing; authors have more resources and career self-determination than ever.  Be informed, work hard, and put yourself out there.

5. Finally, Star Trek or Star Wars?

Ha! My heart says Star Wars, and my brain says Star Trek.  I couldn't easily take one of those universes out of my life experience and be close to the same person I am now.

Star Wars is one of the first stories I distinctly remember watching/seeing/experiencing.  From what I'm told, my parents took me to the movie theatre with them twice when I was less than one year old.  Once was to Ghandi, the other was to The Return of the Jedi.  One of these has had more of an effect on my life than the other…

The Joseph Campbell-infused mythic structure of those first three Star Wars films has had an indelible effect on the way I conceive of storytelling.  I've been a lifelong fan on a very visceral level, and will doggedly keep enjoying new Star Wars material when it delivers the kind of fun I want from it – namely, cool lightsaber fights, fun blaster sounds, grand sweeping adventure and cool vistas. Star Wars was and remains one of my best examples of what Sensawunda is all about.

Star Trek, on the other hand, was largely responsible for my early education in science fiction plotting and tropes.  Watching The Next Generation growing up, I learned about story types in SF, the use of alien races to talk about cultural difference, ethics, politics, friendship, and the nature of humanity.  Star Trek was more serious, more cerebral, and I got to grow up with it, graduating from The Next Generation to Deep Space 9 and through Voyager, appreciating what I liked and growing more critical of the things I didn't.  Trek trained the scholarly part of my engagement in SF, and showed me the critical stakes of the genre.

Here's the story of the sale as posted on GalleyCat:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/michael-r-underwood-lands-book-countrys-second-book-deal_b48094

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Geekomancy, Geeks, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Random, Random Thoughts, Speculative Fiction, Writers, Writing

Book Review: The Breakup Bible by Melissa Kantor

Synopsis: Jen Lewis is having a great junior year. She is the features editor of the school paper, and she's dating Max Brown, the paper's editor-in-chief. Everything is perfect—that is, until Max says, "Maybe it would be better if we were just friends." In shock and total denial, Jen wonders how she is going to deal with the pain of seeing Max in school every day. Her misery only intensifies when her grandmother gives her a book that she heard about on the radio. Dr. Emerson's The Breakup Bible claims that "there's no reason a woman can't get over a breakup very quickly if she'll just follow a few basic commandments." Jen is doubtful. What does Dr. Emerson know about her and Max? In a send-up to the scores of dating books on the market, Melissa Kantor's The Breakup Bible tackles the aftermath of a high school romance with her trademark honesty, humor, and wit.

The Cover: Cute. The gold broken heart in the center of an obese amount of pink caught my attention.

The First Line: "In nineteenth century novels, characters die of heartbreak." I read this and immediately thought of Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility, one of my favorite books. It hits the nail on the head, of course, as an excellent point on some 19th century literature as well as what is going to happen next. This line is also intimate for the narrator. You know that Jennifer is intelligent, thoughtful, and getting dumped.

The Good: Jennifer's spiral of despair is, sadly, realistic. She thinks everything is fine and – WHAM – Max dumps her out of nowhere. Who hasn't had that happen? Max's behavior only makes matters worse and makes it harder for Jennifer to move on. Kantor writes with an authentic voice and leads the reader through the heartbreak that Jennifer tries so hard to get over.

The Bad: Jennifer whines… A LOT. Her voice, while authentic, made me want to smack her silly at times. Also, I hate the word "retard" and it is used WAY too much without any repercussions. Jennifer is a smart young lady and calling someone "retarded" is beneath her.

Recommendation: If you're looking for a book with deep meaning behind it, skip The Breakup Bible. If you're looking for a quick, fun read, then go for it. I recommend this as a beach read for the summer.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Trisha Wolfe

About the author:

Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE. Her published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals and Fantasy magazines. UNVEILED is her first novelette and part of a Dystopian series releasing TBA. She's written four books in the past two years, and is currently working on the sequel to DF and a new project. She's represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management.

Visit Trisha at http://www.trishawolfe.com/

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Congrats on the publication of your novel Destiny's Fire. Where did the spark of inspiration for Dez come from?

Thank you! Hmm, I don't have a defining moment. I was tossing around ideas for a Steampunk novel, and was thinking about the different elements of Steampunk, when steam itself just kept rolling around in my head. The opposite, obviously of steam and heat—fire—for powering a steam-powered world, is electricity. Once I grasped this logic, Dez started to form. She literally "sparked" to life right on the page.

2. How valuable has your platform been for your career?

Very. I had been book blogging for a year and a half before I was offered publication for Destiny's Fire, and a lot of the connections and friendships I'd formed with other bloggers and authors, I feel, contributed greatly to getting this tiny book spotted in a sea of YA.

I'd love to continue book blogging, it's more than a hobby—I love this genre, and I want to continue to help promote it. But I admit, as the pressure to produce new books for my agent and publisher, and not to mention also have time for the fam, mounts, I feel one day I may have to choose one or the other. And I could never think of giving up writing. But I will always promote reading one way or the other, even if I have to focus more on writing in the future.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Boy, I know this is a broken record, but there is no advice better out there than to read. This kind of goes along with the question above, as I believe book blogging gave me so much incentive to keep putting the books away LOL. I learned the craft of writing through the books I read, and I read a TON.

Other than reading…never give up. The industry is not what it was even a year ago. It's changing rapidly. Get some awesome critique partners, hire an editor, and put your work out there yourself. One thing I've learned? The publishing industry is slow. Readers like to have the next book in the series quickly after they finish the first. Don't be scared to give the readers what they want.

4. What is your solution to writer's block?

Force myself to write anything, even if it's crap. Get off of Twitter, shut down my cable modem, and write.

5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan. I still have all my books from high school on my shelf in my bedroom, and I admit, Han is my man.

Destiny's Fire is available now. Check it out.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Writers, Writing, YA, YA Authors, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Cover Reveal: Shadowborn by Jocelyn Adams

Shadowborn

A Lila Gray Novel (#2)

by Jocelyn Adams

Release Date:  October 1, 2012

Why me?

That's the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she's the only one who can stop it. Once again, something's on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, souless victims in its wake.

Couldn't the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn't adapted to her new role.

Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something's off with him, too. He's holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what's going on.

The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.

To find the answers, she'll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.

If she doesn't succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/15

Previous Books in this series include:

The Glass Man (Lila Gray #1)

http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/4

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Book Covers, Books, Cover, Cover Art, Cover Reveal, Covers, Fiction, Novels, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Writers, Writing

Book Review: The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee

Synopsis: Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of London, shares a name with her long-lost father. Meanwhile, engineer James Easton, Mary's onetime paramour, is at work shoring up the sewers beneath the palace, where an unexpected tunnel seems to be very much in use. Can Mary and James trust each other (and put their simmering feelings aside) long enough to solve the mystery and protect the Royal Family? Hoist on your waders for Mary's most personal case yet, where the stakes couldn't be higher – and she has everything to lose.

The Cover: Fits in well with the rest of the series. I love the artist rendition of Mary Quinn. That's what she looks like in my mind. The

First Line (from the Prologue): "The old man was all but barefoot, with only a mismatched pair of leather flaps, much eroded by time and wear, bound to his feet with strips of rags." Another unnecessary prologue. When this scene comes into play, it would have been just as powerful without the heads up the prologue provides.

The First Line (from Chapter 1): "Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, had a lamp shade on her head. Again." I love this opening. You get a sense of humanity to a legendary queen that draws you into the story. Not only does the reader need to know why she's got a lamp shade on her head, they wonder why this is a common occurrence. I chuckled as I read this line.

The Good: Oh, Mary Quinn, how I love your adventures. A strong young woman in Victorian England in a completely non-realistic plot is so much fun to read. That is one of the best things about these books. They're fun to read and a great escape from reality. And the twist at the end, well played by the author.

The Bad: Not enough James, although I suspect that will be remedied in the fourth book. At lease, I certainly hope so.

Recommendation: If you are looking for a mystery with a strong female lead, then pick up A Spy in the House and don't stop reading until you finish The Traitor in the Tunnel. If you are looking for a great romance that arcs beautifully over the course of a series, pick these up. If, however, you are looking for an historically accurate novel, you should either force yourself to suspend belief for a while or not even bother. But you'll probably regret it. Y.S. Lee has created a fun, adventurous series. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, YA books, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Heather Anastasiu

Heather Anastasiu recently moved to Minneapolis with her husband and son, and when she's not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a coffeeshop or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

Her debut novel, Glitch, will be released Summer 2012. Read more at her website: http://heatheranastasiu.com/

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.      Congrats on your debut novel, Glitch. How long did it take from concept to publication?

I was a grad student at the time and could only write on my breaks from school, so I had the concept running around in my head for most of Spring 2010. I'd thought out a lot of how the book (and potential trilogy) would go, so when I sat down to write it that summer, the novel came out pretty quickly. I started querying agents in August of 2010, and sold in January 2011. And now I'm finally just six months from Glitch being published!

2.      Where did you get that spark of inspiration for Zoe?

Two main ideas shaped Zoe when I was first thinking her up: I wanted her to be a strong heroine, and I wanted to really get in the head of someone first discovering emotion. I had a lot of fun writing her, even if it was a challenge sometimes because she was such a blank slate. She can't rely on past experiences of emotion to explain present ones. Also, since there are super-powers in the book, I tried to give her the strongest one I could think of—telekinesis. She's a small girl who can do big things J

3.      What is your solution to writer's block?

Lol, I have a list of things to fight off writer's block, because sitting down to get words on the page can be hard!! So my three quick solutions:

Best piece of writing advice I ever heard: Butt In Chair. If you don't just make yourself sit down and do it, it's to never get done. If you feel uninspired once you sit down, just start typing words, even if they are half nonsense. Just the motion of typing helps loosen my fear and can help make the words flow.

Set daily word count, and give yourself a treat when you make it. Treats for me have ranged anywhere from chocolate to getting myself a new haircut to taking a long bath. Any little carrot you can use to push through the days word count.
Go out to write. This only works if you don't get distracted in coffeeshops or cafes, but for me it's great to have a specific word count goal in mind and get out of my house setting with all of its stresses and distractions. I plug in my ear-buds, crank up some good music and get to writing. It helps make an 'event' of writing for me and makes it feel like a real vocation—like going to the office to work J

4.      What are you reading right now?

I'm reading an advanced copy of Struck by Jennifer Bosworth and it is insanely awesome! A girl addicted to being struck by lightning, how cool is that?

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Beatles all the way, especially the slow songs like Yesterday.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Debuts, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novel, Novels, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult Books

Book Review: Katana by Cole Gibsen

Synopsis: Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline had given her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of 15th-century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings.

While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana–a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

The Cover: Great sense of what this novel is about without reading the synopsis. A blonde chick with swords, the cherry blossoms, and the slashes through the title are enough to know Japan has something to do with the story.

The First Line: "I stepped outside the department store and felt something squish against my heel where concrete should have been." This line serves as insight into the main character and I got the hint that she was a bit of a diva.

The Good: Rileigh kicks serious ass, whether she wants to or not. I enjoyed the shifts back into 15th century Japan and thought this was used perfectly. The reader gets a feel for the past without being overwhelmed by it. Gibsen could have easily fallen into overusing 15th century Japan to tell Rileigh's story, but she avoided it with expertise. Rileigh's a strong character and really reflects some of the struggles teenagers, and let's face it a lot of adults, face in figuring out who they are.

Also, there are a lot of laugh out loud moments.

The Bad: The first chapter moved a little slow for me, but once Rileigh's samurai spirit kicked in, the novel took off without looking back.

Recommendation: If you like strong female characters, this is a must read.

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Fun, Missouri, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, St. Louis, Teens, YA books, Young Adult Books