Susan Adrian's Blog, page 2
February 2, 2018
Lifting Other Authors Friday 4: THAT INEVITABLE VICTORIAN THING
This was a spontaenous read: I was browsing through my library's online selection, and was intrigued by the title, as I'm watching VICTORIA on PBS at the moment. I put a hold on it, and last week it popped up in my Kindle. Yay! New reading! I knew NOTHING about it other than the title.
I really enjoyed it. THAT INEVITABLE VICTORIAN THING is not based in Victorian times, but rather a speculative-fiction era where Queen Victoria chose to make her daughter her heir instead of her son, and society developed very differently. There are smart corsets! A computer that reads your DNA and gives you optional matches! A biracial royal family!
I found the world very interesting, and was quite intrigued by the relationship developments in the book, which I won't spoil here. I wasn't a fan of how America was portrayed, but considering the current climate, I couldn't really disagree too much either. I'm planning a trip to Canada later this summer, so I was also intrigued by the sheer Canadianness of it all.
I've been meaning to pick up E.K. Johnston's EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR for a while, mostly based on the amazing cover, but I was glad to have this as my introduction to her work.
January 19, 2018
Lifting Other Authors Friday 3: Rae Carson
Okay, I've been a fan of Rae Carson for a LONG time. (see all her books here) I absolutely loved the Fire and Thorns series, and gobbled them right up as soon as they came out.
In spite of that, I put off reading WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER, just because I'm not usually a huge fan of Westerns in any form (growing up in California and then living in Montana will do that to you sometimes...they're so often glorifying parts of the West that don't ring true to me). When I read it last year, I realized how dumb that had been. It was wonderful. Mostly a story of the pioneer trail west, but with wonderful characters and twists, and a lovely magical element that lay just under the surface (like gold!) but spoke to me.
And then I got busy with *waves hand* everything last year, and didn't follow up with the sequels. Last week I picked up LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS.
Man, oh man, does this woman know how to tell a story. I always feel, when I'm reading one of her books, like I'm in excellent hands--like she knows just what she's doing, and won't mess it up. And she fulfills that! This book was so exciting for me because it's mostly set in Gold Country in California, which is precisely where I grew up. I recognized this! I knew the history (some), I'd seen the hills and creeks that were picked over in the gold rush, and I went into Sacramento all the time as a kid. More, my family was there--I'm a fourth-generation Californian, and much of the fun stuff was in the gold rush and after. It was RIGHT! It felt spot on!
AND the story and characters and suspense pulled me right along.
Well done, Rae, again. You can bet I won't take as long to read the third one.
January 12, 2018
Lifting Other Authors Friday 2: THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE
Welcome to LOAF, installment 2! It's been a bit of a rough week here--I came down with a mystery illness that gave me a high fever for two days, and now I'm just in weak-kitten recovery mode. Good news: it gave me several days to read!
Today I'm celebrating my fellow Montana writer Janet Fox, and her latest middle-grade adventure THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE. First, let me stop a moment and talk about Janet. She's not only a good writer, but a great friend and mentor. She is one of the leaders of our Montana SCBWI chapter, and she really does her best to lift other writers. I was so happy to finally get a chance to dive into her latest.
This book is a mix of a classic middle-grade mystery, with magic, Scottish traditions, and a little touch of Narnia (it's set in the 1940s, with the children sent to the country to be out of London during the Blitz). I loved the setting, and the castle was wonderfully creepy. Kat was a well-rounded, curious girl who I could relate to as the main character, though I also enjoyed the varied cast of other children and adults in the castle. Best of all was the mystery of the chatelaine, and what lurked behind it.
Recommended if you like middle-grade mysteries in the classic vein, with a dose of magic!
January 5, 2018
The first installment of LOAF: Written in the Stars, by Aisha Saeed
Hi, friends! It was a bit of a rocky journey, but we made it to 2018! May this year be filled with peace, love, tolerance, progress...and reading.
Now that the frenzy of NUTCRACKED events is done, I'm happy to swing the spotlight away from me and my books for this year, and on to some of the fabulous authors out there. To this end, I'm kicking off a new (hopefully weekly) feature on the blog: Lifting Other Authors Friday. (LOAF, because I don't have a book out, so I'm loafing? Not really, but let's go with it). On each post I'll be featuring a fellow author whose work I admire, fangirl, and generally adore.
This week, I'm starting with a book I devoured in 2 days last week on vacation: WRITTEN IN THE STARS, by Aisha Saeed.
I know, I'm late to the party on this one! Aisha is one of my fellow Fearless Fifteeners, and I set this book firmly in my TBR pile when it came out in 2015, but somehow it slipped through and I never got to it. Wow, am I glad I did.
Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.
This book was so captivating--both in a turn-the-page-now plot suspense way, and in the cultural depiction of a close-knit Pakistani family. I devoured all the bits in Pakistan, flooded with details of a place and culture I've never known, clearly depicted with love...despite the consequences Naila's family's conservative beliefs have on her life. The emotional arc was done well, and it kept me thinking about it long after.
Aisha's next book, AMAL UNBOUND, comes out in May, and you can bet I won't let this one sit on my to-read shelf for long.
December 20, 2017
Christmas--and NUTCRACKED--season!
The NUTCRACKED 2017 tour is over...and I want to say thank you. Thank you to all the readers, both kids and not-officially-kids-anymore, who came out to say hello and support this beautiful little book! I absolutely loved to see all the dancers, writers, and just plain readers excited about it.
If you've procrastinated a little, I just want to throw out that it's not too late--you can still pick up a copy of this fun holiday tale to slip into someone's stocking. Check out your local bookstore, or the last-minute options online!
Get NUTCRACKED from Amazon
Get NUTCRACKED from Barnes and Noble
Wishing you all a wonderful, festive holiday season filled with love and books!
September 1, 2017
NUTCRACKED tour events!!
It's September...and that means (gasp) that NUTCRACKED is coming out this month!! I'm so excited to announce the NUTCRACKED tour dates. There may be a few more trickling in, but this is the majority.
These will be kid-focused events, but all "grown-ups", writers, and friends please come too!! They will be great fun.
Will I SEE YOU there? *crosses fingers*
August 1, 2017
A NEW BOOK!!
I am so, so pleased to announce that I'm working with Random House and my fabulous editor Jenna Lettice on a new book, FOREVER NEVERLAND!
I've only written a rough draft so far, but already there are pixies, a dragon, a sea monster, and a couple of Greek goddesses for Fergus and Clover to contend with! This book is SUCH FUN to work on. I'm so excited that you all will be able to read it!
January 24, 2017
NUTCRACKED cover, and pre-order!
It's really happening, at last. I'm working on page proofs for NUTCRACKED, the cover was revealed to the world yesterday, and it's suddenly available for pre-order. This is the time in the process when everything becomes real, and you know it's GOING TO BE A BOOK.
I'm so excited for this book to go out to readers. I love it so much, from Georgie to her big family to the Nutcracker itself. I love the scary Mouse King and Georgie's best friend Kaitlyn, and her new friend, Noah.
I'm thrilled for the cover, illustrated by the amazing Stevie Lewis. And there are interior illustrations too! Look at this beauty!
If you'd like you can pre-order now, so it'll come your way in September...it's a perfect stocking stuffer!
October 6, 2016
It's out!
It's been about a week since THE DARK AT THE END released, and I'm just now getting a chance to pop back here and say YAY!!
It's out, it's out, it's out!! You can READ IT!! Jake (and Myka, and Rachel, and Dedushka)'s full story is there, so everyone can find out what happens. AT LAST.
I may be a bit excited.
Thank you so much to EVERYONE who congratulated me and helped me get the word out this week! I hope you pick it up (*cough* links below *cough*) and enjoy the heck out of it!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Chapters/Indigo
iBooks
Kobo
Smashwords
July 27, 2016
Two months and counting...
Get to know Rachel. THE DARK AT THE END, the sequel (and finale) of TUNNEL VISION, will be here in 2 months!
