Sasha Hibbs's Blog, page 10
July 23, 2014
Drowning in a pile of books!!!!!
Okay. I've been busy. Really busy. Part of the world opened to me through connecting with authors and publishers includes reading and reviewing ARC's (Advanced Reader Copies). How awesome is that? And, how flattering that a fellow author and/or publisher would think enough of me to reach out and request I review material that is going to be published, or recently published.
With all that said, I have now found myself drowning in a sea of books. As a member of NetGalley, I've found some amazing authors that perhaps I would've never landed upon. As a reviewer for BTS eMagazine, I can say the same.
But, it does take some serious time to read and give a fair review just for one book. Now multiply that by 30. A few books turn into 5 that need read and reviewed, and then that turns into, "Oh, shoot. This cover and blurb is so dazzlingly pretty, I just can't say no!" And then that turns into 10 books, and then to 15, and then you wade through a few and get your TBR pile down to around 11-12 books, but then the above happens and then you take on an additional 2, and you can see where this can quickly get out of hand.
I think at this point my TBR pile is down to 12 titles through NetGalley, 2 through authors who've reached out to me, 6 titles for BTS e Magazine, and 1 through a publisher. Whew! *Wipes sweat from forehead*
Oh, and I actually just purchased 2 titles from Evernight Teen strictly for my reading pleasure.
The downside to reading and reviewing and letting yourself get swamped: you take shortcuts, like not blogging for days on end, or updating your website, or your twitter account, all social media plummets, because in the grand scheme of things, I'm an author too. Oh, and I work a full time job as a Registered Nurse, and have a family. It's a struggle to juggle it all.
I'm trying to make a New Year's resolution early. I'm going to try to take on only what I think I can reasonably handle. I love to read. It's been a part of my life since I acquired the ability to read as a child. I could never give it up, but too much of any good thing can easily turn into a bad thing.
I've been staying up way too late and struggling to get up in the morning. And then taking the time to write reviews and post them to review sites...it just adds up and then you start to look like this:
I can't resist a good book, I just need to pace myself, because at this point the above picture is truly a good snapshot of how many books I need to get through before I can begin to breathe again.
In the future, I hope to be blogging more frequently. Wish me luck as I sign off here and fire up the Kindle....
With all that said, I have now found myself drowning in a sea of books. As a member of NetGalley, I've found some amazing authors that perhaps I would've never landed upon. As a reviewer for BTS eMagazine, I can say the same.
But, it does take some serious time to read and give a fair review just for one book. Now multiply that by 30. A few books turn into 5 that need read and reviewed, and then that turns into, "Oh, shoot. This cover and blurb is so dazzlingly pretty, I just can't say no!" And then that turns into 10 books, and then to 15, and then you wade through a few and get your TBR pile down to around 11-12 books, but then the above happens and then you take on an additional 2, and you can see where this can quickly get out of hand.
I think at this point my TBR pile is down to 12 titles through NetGalley, 2 through authors who've reached out to me, 6 titles for BTS e Magazine, and 1 through a publisher. Whew! *Wipes sweat from forehead*
Oh, and I actually just purchased 2 titles from Evernight Teen strictly for my reading pleasure.
The downside to reading and reviewing and letting yourself get swamped: you take shortcuts, like not blogging for days on end, or updating your website, or your twitter account, all social media plummets, because in the grand scheme of things, I'm an author too. Oh, and I work a full time job as a Registered Nurse, and have a family. It's a struggle to juggle it all.
I'm trying to make a New Year's resolution early. I'm going to try to take on only what I think I can reasonably handle. I love to read. It's been a part of my life since I acquired the ability to read as a child. I could never give it up, but too much of any good thing can easily turn into a bad thing.
I've been staying up way too late and struggling to get up in the morning. And then taking the time to write reviews and post them to review sites...it just adds up and then you start to look like this:
I can't resist a good book, I just need to pace myself, because at this point the above picture is truly a good snapshot of how many books I need to get through before I can begin to breathe again.
In the future, I hope to be blogging more frequently. Wish me luck as I sign off here and fire up the Kindle....
July 14, 2014
World Vision Education for Girls Fund
From July 14th-21st, Evernight and Evernight Teen will be donating full price/proceeds to the World Vision Education for Girls Fund.
When this email came across from my publisher it touched me deeply. It instantly made me think several things.
First, how amazing and generous my publisher is to take up this worthy cause and donate ALL proceeds in the name of education. Now I can get behind that idea and I hope you, dear reader, can as well. I'm reminded in so many ways why I am so fortunate to have Evernight Teen as the publisher behind my series, and am blessed by their willingness to pay it forward.
What does education mean to me? To answer that simply, education means so much.
Growing up in rural West Virginia and still a current resident, I'm witness everyday to how education can empower our youth. If you've ever watched the Songcatcher, it would put you in the mind of the culture where I live with a bit more modernization. I came from a family where the women married young, really no more than children themselves and education was an afterthought. My mother gave birth to her first child at sixteen, and her mother the same and my grandmother's mother as well.
I watched my mother struggle to raise five children and the stories of her early days, and my grandmother's struggles were enough to make me wish for more. Education not being the most important thing for a girl to obtain, marrying well was the priority emphasized in my household growing up.
I wanted both: to marry a man I loved and to gain an education so that I might overcome the struggles generations worth of the women in my family endured.
When I embarked on my journey I had no idea where to turn, how to begin, how I was going to afford a secondary education... As luck would have it my first wish came true. I did marry a man I loved deeply, and still do. And as it would turn out he came from a much different culture than I did.
His grandmother was an English teacher, and she was a fearsome woman to behold. She lived through the Depression, raised two sons, went to college at a time when women truly struggled to obtain education, and she came out a survivor. And in all her struggles she came away with the knowledge that education and hard work really do payoff. Having grown up so very different than my husband, his grandmother's constant encouragement was inspiring, touching, and gave me someone to look up to.
She made me believe that coming from generations worth of women who were never fortunate enough to have the value of education pressed upon them, didn't matter. My husbands grandmother made me believe that regardless of how you were raised, or where you came from, what mattered is what kind of life you wanted and to pursue your dreams regardless of the difficult path in front of you. My husbands family was instrumental in the constant encouragement that it takes to have one break the chain and start anew.
I am proud of where I came from. While education might not have been perceived as important, love has always been apart of my childhood years.
My day finally came. In 2005 I graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse and in 2008 I graduated from Davis and Elkins College with a degree in nursing. Knowledge is empowerment. Your mind is your greatest weapon and education sharpens your mind like a whetstone and file sharpens a sword.
How proud I am to call Evernight Teen my publisher! Help us raise money for this worthy cause by buying a book or two in the name of education!
When this email came across from my publisher it touched me deeply. It instantly made me think several things.
First, how amazing and generous my publisher is to take up this worthy cause and donate ALL proceeds in the name of education. Now I can get behind that idea and I hope you, dear reader, can as well. I'm reminded in so many ways why I am so fortunate to have Evernight Teen as the publisher behind my series, and am blessed by their willingness to pay it forward.
What does education mean to me? To answer that simply, education means so much.
Growing up in rural West Virginia and still a current resident, I'm witness everyday to how education can empower our youth. If you've ever watched the Songcatcher, it would put you in the mind of the culture where I live with a bit more modernization. I came from a family where the women married young, really no more than children themselves and education was an afterthought. My mother gave birth to her first child at sixteen, and her mother the same and my grandmother's mother as well.
I watched my mother struggle to raise five children and the stories of her early days, and my grandmother's struggles were enough to make me wish for more. Education not being the most important thing for a girl to obtain, marrying well was the priority emphasized in my household growing up.
I wanted both: to marry a man I loved and to gain an education so that I might overcome the struggles generations worth of the women in my family endured.
When I embarked on my journey I had no idea where to turn, how to begin, how I was going to afford a secondary education... As luck would have it my first wish came true. I did marry a man I loved deeply, and still do. And as it would turn out he came from a much different culture than I did.
His grandmother was an English teacher, and she was a fearsome woman to behold. She lived through the Depression, raised two sons, went to college at a time when women truly struggled to obtain education, and she came out a survivor. And in all her struggles she came away with the knowledge that education and hard work really do payoff. Having grown up so very different than my husband, his grandmother's constant encouragement was inspiring, touching, and gave me someone to look up to.
She made me believe that coming from generations worth of women who were never fortunate enough to have the value of education pressed upon them, didn't matter. My husbands grandmother made me believe that regardless of how you were raised, or where you came from, what mattered is what kind of life you wanted and to pursue your dreams regardless of the difficult path in front of you. My husbands family was instrumental in the constant encouragement that it takes to have one break the chain and start anew.
I am proud of where I came from. While education might not have been perceived as important, love has always been apart of my childhood years.
My day finally came. In 2005 I graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse and in 2008 I graduated from Davis and Elkins College with a degree in nursing. Knowledge is empowerment. Your mind is your greatest weapon and education sharpens your mind like a whetstone and file sharpens a sword.
How proud I am to call Evernight Teen my publisher! Help us raise money for this worthy cause by buying a book or two in the name of education!
July 1, 2014
Off for a while, now I'm back!
I went on vacation for two weeks to my favorite place in the whole world, the Outer Banks, NC. After traveling with my family to support my husbands art shows, going to the beach every day it was pretty and the long drive back to my humble abode, I'm home now.
It's hard to stay on top of a growing blog when you travel. But...during my travels I did manage to squeeze in a few good reads (Reverie and I Am the Mission). Those were awesome reads and I'll be blogging about them in the near future.
I also need to announce a winner from my last blog hop and will be in touch with the winner shortly from the Covergasim Blog Hop.
I continue to read and review books from NetGalley and for BTS eMagazine. I'm just trying to get caught up.
The most exciting news for me is that while on vacation, I received word from my publisher, Evernight Teen, that the third novel in my Vulcan Legacies series has been accepted for publication with a tentative release date of September 2014!
So...there's lots to do and I'm slowly making my way through! Thanks so much for your patience:)
It's hard to stay on top of a growing blog when you travel. But...during my travels I did manage to squeeze in a few good reads (Reverie and I Am the Mission). Those were awesome reads and I'll be blogging about them in the near future.
I also need to announce a winner from my last blog hop and will be in touch with the winner shortly from the Covergasim Blog Hop.
I continue to read and review books from NetGalley and for BTS eMagazine. I'm just trying to get caught up.
The most exciting news for me is that while on vacation, I received word from my publisher, Evernight Teen, that the third novel in my Vulcan Legacies series has been accepted for publication with a tentative release date of September 2014!
So...there's lots to do and I'm slowly making my way through! Thanks so much for your patience:)
June 5, 2014
Covergasms Blog Hop!
Yep. This one is ALL about the covers. The ones that just make you gasp and go..oh my, I NEED this book. Now! Those that are truly...covergasm-worthy. Stop by each blog to check out their favorites! There will be a giveaway at each stop plus a grand prize giveaway of an Amazon Gift Card! Happy Hopping!
I've narrowed down my selection of covers to the ones below. Buylinks for these books are included. In celebration of these beautiful covers, I'm giving away an Evernight Teen gift card. The winner will be announced at the end of the hop. Feel free to peruse my site while your here and check out my latest YA series, The Vulcan Legacies series, and please leave a comment below letting me know you "joined this site" (tab to the right side of this screen) and contact information so I can reach you if you win! Please leave a comment about which is your favorite cover from the selection below! Happy hopping and the next stop tab will be at the bottom of this post to direct you through the hop!
Of Fire and Roses, by Danielle Belwater. Honestly...what a pretty cover! That flaming redr! Oh my goodness!
Buy here: Amazon
Dream On by M. Kircher. What a dazzling cover! I NEED this book now!
Buy here: Amazon
Want by Stephanie Lawton. I
WANT
this book! What a stunning cover!
Buy here: Amazon
Next hop here: Next Stop
I've narrowed down my selection of covers to the ones below. Buylinks for these books are included. In celebration of these beautiful covers, I'm giving away an Evernight Teen gift card. The winner will be announced at the end of the hop. Feel free to peruse my site while your here and check out my latest YA series, The Vulcan Legacies series, and please leave a comment below letting me know you "joined this site" (tab to the right side of this screen) and contact information so I can reach you if you win! Please leave a comment about which is your favorite cover from the selection below! Happy hopping and the next stop tab will be at the bottom of this post to direct you through the hop!
Of Fire and Roses, by Danielle Belwater. Honestly...what a pretty cover! That flaming redr! Oh my goodness! Buy here: Amazon
Dream On by M. Kircher. What a dazzling cover! I NEED this book now!
Buy here: Amazon
Want by Stephanie Lawton. I
WANT
this book! What a stunning cover! Buy here: Amazon
Next hop here: Next Stop
May 25, 2014
Black Abaddon Book Tour! Book 2 in the Vulcan Legacies series
Book 2 is going on tour. Several stops will be made hosted by various bloggers (thank you, YA Bound Book Tours) over the next week. Reviews are lined up, promo posts, and interviews.
Currently I am working on the third book in the Vulcan Legacies Series, Black Atonement. I'm near the finish line with book 3 having only the epilogue to finish and then off to my beta gals. Black Atonement is a novella, and centers on one of my favorite characters, bitchy Brandi Frasier. After reading Black Abaddon, I believe readers will see the necessity of finding out what happens to a Seraph of Love with a broken heart. The title of the third book implies what Brandi must go through in order to restore the balance within herself. There's plenty of action along the way and Black Atonement sets the stage for the beginning of the end...the ultimate battle between good and evil.
With the Black Abaddon tour getting ready to launch, follow the tour and enter for a chance at a $50.00 Evernight Teen Gift Card. Here's a teaser and buy links are posted on this site. Happy reading!
May 21, 2014
4.5 Star review for THE WHITE LIST by Nina D'Aleo
Author: Nina D'AleoPublisher: Momentum Publishing
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Length: 251 pages
Format: eBook
Book Description:
Chapter 11 is watching you.
Silver is an intelligence operative working for an agency that doesn't officially exist—beyond any government and above the law. Chapter 11 is the kind of place a person can join but never leave. And it keeps a third of the world's population under constant surveillance. At work. On the street. In their homes.
Why? Because of Shaman syndrome.
One in three people are born with Shaman syndrome, which endows them with abilities they cannot control and do not even know they have. It is Chapter 11's responsibility to cap and surveil these walts—as they are known—to ensure their talents don't turn ugly for the ordinary people around them.
After Silver's partner, Dark, is seriously injured by a walt, Silver is driven to investigate. What starts as a routine investigation isn't as clear-cut as it seems, especially when she discovers there's a price on her head.
Chapter 11 might be watching the world, but it can't see the division in its own ranks. Someone wants the white list—the list of every known walt that Chapter 11 has capped—but for what purpose? Silver needs to find out the secret behind Shaman syndrome, before it's too late.
My Review: 4.5 stars out of 5
*This novel was provided to be from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
The White List by Nina D’Aleo was an intense action packed novel that kept me turning pages eagerly anticipating the next move in a dangerously plotted game of chess.
The White list introduces us to an entertaining cast of memorable characters, the main being female lead, Silvia, also know by her code-name Silver.
Silver and her agent partner, Dark, are responsible for finding and dealing with “walts”. Protocol calls for elimination of these “walts” (who also have the genetic disorder named Shaman syndrome) in the event the agents cannot successfully contain them. Silver and Dark have always been successful with “containing” those individuals who have Shaman Syndrome…until one gets out of hand…
The beginning of The White List takes some time to develop, however any novel thought out in this detail cannot be a rushed thing, but something that takes time to develop so it can be savored. We start off with Silver deliberating her choices in life and the consequences that comes with working for an agency that doesn't exist to the public, i.e. marriage, children, spouse, etc.
After this initial introduction into Silver’s head, The White List really picks up speed. Silver begins to doubt the agency she works for and in breaking out on her own investigation soon she finds a bounty has been placed on her own head. What is it they don’t want her to find out? Hmmm? I love some good suspense and The White List is filled with it!
Twists and turns abound in The White List. Who to trust? What is Chapter 11? Who is the enemy? Overall, I truly enjoyed The White List by Nina D’Aleo and would recommend this novel to any fan of suspense, action or just good writing!
Buy here: Amazon
Add to Goodreads: Goodreads
Publisher: Momentum Publishing
May 12, 2014
Review of: I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff
Title: I Am the Weapon Author: Allen Zadoff
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Suspense, Action
Length: 368 pgs
Rating: 5 stars
My Review:
5 Stars! This was sooooo good!
* I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review *
I Am the Weapon was incredible. It was fast paced and I read it in one sitting. I started this not really knowing what to expect and around chapter 2-3, the novel took a HUGE turn that I did not see coming making it impossible to put this down.
I enjoyed all the characters-Zack, Sam, Gideon, Howard, Erica, Mike, and how they tied into one another.
There is plenty of action and the romantic elements to this novel was touching and just right. The flashbacks of Zach's life make you, as a reader, feel for him and made me want to help him find his humanity.
The Program was intense. I'm still not sure if they are the good guy or the bad guy. That's not because the author did not do a good job of clarifying, but I think, his intentions were to just add to the mystic of who they are and I will certainly be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Unknown Assassins series.
The ending was shocking! I would recommend this to fans of action packed YA novels. Think BOURNE IDENTITY meets Young Adult. Awesome!
May 4, 2014
Review of Fury: Book One of The Cure, Episode 3 by Charlotte McConaghy
Title: Fury: Book One Of The Cure, Episode 3By: Charlotte McConaghy
Publisher: Momentum Publishing
Genre: Dystopian
Length: 115 pages
Synopsis:
I also have no idea how long it will be until Josi changes. But the reality hits as the sound of the raging guns go quiet and everything within this room goes still.
We're locked inside a room with a ticking time bomb.
She is worse than everything we just escaped.
The night of the blood moon is upon her. Josi must face the coldness inside—the bloodthirsty darkness that kills with tremendous strength and no thought.
Luke has one last chance to save her from certain death. But guilt is a heavy weight on his soul, and if he is ever to find redemption—and love—then the truth of his identity must come out.
Will Josi ever be able to forgive his lies? Will she find the strength to fight the darkness inside? And will she survive long enough to do the impossible—join the Resistance, and destroy the Cure once and for all?
In the final episode of Fury questions are answered, battles won and lost, and love put through the greatest of all tests.
My Review: I gave this last episode 5 stars, but I would give it an "Epic" status!
““I’d burn the whole world down if I could,” he whispers, his eyes flashing with a bright, exhilarating fever. “I’d make it so that there was no cure, no censorship, no propaganda, nothing but you and I.”
And this is when I understand the truth, the one truth that means anything.
They cannot take my fury from me, but I can let it go, because there are more important things in life.”
Aldous Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD and Veronica Roth’s DIVERGENT produced a literary love child and her name is Josephine Luquet, and she is full of passion, power, and fury. And while Fury is of the same flesh and blood as the Dystopian societies created by Mr. Huxley and Ms. Roth, this is Josephine’s story, and she stands strong.
Having now read all three Episodes of Fury: Book One Of The Cure, by Charlotte McConaghy, I can now say with absolute certainty, Fury, is among those precious few novels that reside in my heart now and forevermore long after turning the last page.
In this last episode, the reader delves deeper into the world created, learning more regarding the history of Josi, how she was manipulated into what she becomes every year during the blood moon, and those responsible for her creation. Those parts are chilling and haunting. Josi, Anthony, Luke, and Dr. Ben Collingsworth shine throughout this episode.
Josi: the heroine trying desperately to seclude herself from others for fear of killing and having to live yet again, with the stains of murder on her soul. Josi is uncured and able to feel emotions. Being surrounded in a world filled with cured humans also known as drones, intensifies Josi’s desperation to align herself with individuals she believes deep in her heart exist, to join a cause where others like her can join together and fight against the heavy hand the cure has dealt upon the world. Amongst this, Josi finds love and reading her dreams of the future, one filled with love, with children, with emotions…was tender and emotional. I can see her, near black hair swirling around her face, her eyes focused ahead, looking into the future, a dream where she and Luke have children and they can experience the pains and joys of loving, raising a family, growing old together, and I wanted it for her, I wanted Josi to be able to grab hold of that carrot dangling in front of her face, but in Fury, that dream is always mere inches away, so close and yet so far away.
Luke: the hero running from his past for fear it could damage his future. Luke is an Agent, a Blood, working for the very individuals that oversee the administration of the cure and the demise of any who oppose it. Luke’s character is heart wrenching to read. In meeting his family and learning his own history, I only felt that much more connected to him. His plight breaks my heart. Luke finds himself in a situation where he must decide to take a stand against the evil he’s worked for his entire life, or risk everything for love. The type of Agent he is has spared Luke the fate of being injected with the cure. Luke is able to feel love, loss, pain, joy…and Josi evokes those feelings in him, she gives him courage to go against the Bloods and join in a hope that there is a different future awaiting them, one worth fighting for, because a life without love is a life not worth living.
Anthony: the psychiatrist who is cured and yet through the fog and haze the cure instills, is able to fight his way through his minds prison and understand that his emotions should have never been stolen from him. Anthony is a winner and serves to remind us that sometimes salvation and kindness can come from the most unexpected places. I will never look at birds the same…they will always remind me of that little girl and her mother, that family the cure stole from a man who deserved so much more.
Dr. Ben Collingsworth: the Scientist who designed the cure with good intentions. In many ways, I empathized most with Dr. Collingsworth. I felt for his character. I could easily visualize a young man on the verge of a medical breakthrough so profound the possibility of it seemed to hold all the answers. I truly believed his intentions had a pure basis and over time had produce a world he never intended. And to live with regret over his creation and the horrific results it produced…
Amazon and Goodreads allow me, as a reviewer, to give 5 stars, indicating that I loved this novel. And while I do, I feel that it limits me, forces me to categorize this novel when Fury is in a league all its own. Trying to measure the greatest of a book in a number of stars is difficult when I would give Fury the galaxy, a universe designed only for those rare books deserving of such accolades.
Ms. McConaghy writes a novel strong enough to remind us that pleasure is meaningless without pain, that sorrow is balanced with happiness, and that pain can be overcome with love. It’s the array of emotions that come together in a kaleidoscope of color to overpower an otherwise gray world. Fury is a gripping novel that explores the human emotion at its finest. To read the world created by Ms. McConaghy was exhilarating, powerful and thought provoking…a true literary masterpiece.
Buy Episode 3 here: Amazon
May 3, 2014
Interview with Charlotte McConaghy, Author of Fury: Book 1 of The Cure
I'm super excited! I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Charlotte McConaghy, the incredible talent behind Fury: Book One of The Cure. I've read and reviewed all three episodes now and cannot say enough positive things about the amazing Dystopian world Ms. McConaghy created!
Read below for the complete interview, author bio, and buy links!
1.) Who is your favorite author and why?
Laini Taylor, because she combines beautiful prose with wonderful characters, incredibly imaginative worlds and stories, and the dark, beautiful elements of fairytales that I love.
2.) If you could co-write with another author who would it be and why?
I’d love to co-write something with Guy Gavriel Kay, as he was the reason I first became a writer, and a lover of the fantasy genre. Melina Marchetta would be amazing to write with too, as she has such a great ability to create and weave character complexities.
3.) The world is under attack and you are forced to run for your life. You only have room to take one book with you, what book do you take?
No! Don’t make me choose! I have so many favourites, and having no new books is my ultimate nightmare. Maybe, if I really have to, I would pick ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor, or ‘The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman… or ‘Tigana’ by Guy Gavriel Kay. But don’t make me choose.
4.) Who are your favorite literary characters? (Yours or someone else's)
Karou and Akiva from ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ are two of my favourites. What a tragic love story theirs is. I love the cleverness of Jacob Marlow from ‘The Last Werewolf’. I love Darrow’s courage in ‘Red Rising’. And if I’m choosing one of my own, at the moment I love Josephine, as I’m right in the thick of writing the sequel to Fury, so she is filling every inch of my head.
5.) Where do you do your best work?
I wrote my first novel sitting on the couch in front of the tv, surrounded by noise and family and pets and distractions, which seems utterly bizarre to me now, as I have to be alone at my desk with particular music playing. And night time helps, too.
6.) When did you fall in love...with writing?
I’ve always been in love with stories, and I suppose I wrote a lot as a kid—just little bits and pieces here and there—but it never really occurred to me that I could take it seriously until I was fourteen and decided to write a book. From that point on the process of it filled me with a thrilling passion, and I haven’t been able to stop since. It hasn’t once occurred to me that I’d be able to spend my life doing anything else.
7.) What is the one story you wish you’d written? Why?
Well I guess it would have to be the same answer as my favourite book and author, ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor, because it’s such a powerful love story, full of the fantastical, and it was such an unexpected joy to read.
8.) What is your favorite thing to do outside of writing?
At the moment, if I’m not writing I’m either reading, watching movies, or spending time with friends and family. I love having lazy wine and cheese evenings or cooking a nice meal.
9.) Please tell us a bit about your latest release.
Fury is the first in a trilogy set in a dystopian future where anger has been cured by the government. Josephine, the protagonist, is the last remaining uncured soul, and she’s plagued by demons from her past as she tries to find a way to survive the cold world with her only friend Luke for help.
10.) What inspired you to write Fury, and how did you come up with such an intriguing concept?
I had the character of Josi in my head long before I figured out the rest of the story. I knew I wanted to tell the tale of a woman who believed she was transforming under the moon, who was burdened by the fear of having committed atrocities, and I didn’t know initially if it was going to be a real transformation or a figment of having endured such a traumatic childhood. The world came when I realized that I wanted to counteract Josi’s fury, and what better way to do that than with a society that has lost the ability to empathize with anger? The world gradually took shape after that, as I realized I wanted to look at why we sometimes seem so frightened of extreme emotions, and like science-fiction should, it looks at what might happen if we continue to be frightened.
11.) What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?
The only advice I can really give is to be determined, be resilient, be passionate and be brave.
12.) What’s next for you? (More Fury, pretty please)
Yes, more Fury is on its way soon! I’m in the process of writing its sequel, which I’m having a lot of fun with. I’m also releasing the second book in my fantasy series, The Chronicles of Kaya, in July/August this year, which I’m excited about. I have some screenwriting projects on the go as well, just to spice things up a bit.
Charlotte grew up with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. At fourteen, her English teacher told her that the short story she'd submitted was wildly romantic, so she decided to write a novel. Thus began her foray into epic fantasy and dystopian sci-fi, with sweeping romances, heroic adventures, and as much juicy drama as she could possibly squeeze in.
Her first novel, Arrival, was published at age seventeen, and was followed by Descent, which launched The Strangers of Paragor series, an adventure fantasy for teenagers.
She then wrote her first adult fantasy novel, Avery, the prologue of which came to her in a very vivid dream. Her second adult novel, Fury, is the first in a romantic science-fiction series called The Cure, set in a dystopian future.
Charlotte currently lives in Sydney, having just finished a Masters in Screenwriting from the Australian Film, Television & Radio School. With her television pilot script, she won the Australian Writer's Guild Award for Best Unproduced Screenplay of 2013. She will, however, always be a novelist at heart, still unable to get her nose out of the books.
Buy Fury here: Amazon
Read below for the complete interview, author bio, and buy links!
1.) Who is your favorite author and why?
Laini Taylor, because she combines beautiful prose with wonderful characters, incredibly imaginative worlds and stories, and the dark, beautiful elements of fairytales that I love.
2.) If you could co-write with another author who would it be and why?
I’d love to co-write something with Guy Gavriel Kay, as he was the reason I first became a writer, and a lover of the fantasy genre. Melina Marchetta would be amazing to write with too, as she has such a great ability to create and weave character complexities.
3.) The world is under attack and you are forced to run for your life. You only have room to take one book with you, what book do you take?
No! Don’t make me choose! I have so many favourites, and having no new books is my ultimate nightmare. Maybe, if I really have to, I would pick ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor, or ‘The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman… or ‘Tigana’ by Guy Gavriel Kay. But don’t make me choose.
4.) Who are your favorite literary characters? (Yours or someone else's)
Karou and Akiva from ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ are two of my favourites. What a tragic love story theirs is. I love the cleverness of Jacob Marlow from ‘The Last Werewolf’. I love Darrow’s courage in ‘Red Rising’. And if I’m choosing one of my own, at the moment I love Josephine, as I’m right in the thick of writing the sequel to Fury, so she is filling every inch of my head.
5.) Where do you do your best work?
I wrote my first novel sitting on the couch in front of the tv, surrounded by noise and family and pets and distractions, which seems utterly bizarre to me now, as I have to be alone at my desk with particular music playing. And night time helps, too.
6.) When did you fall in love...with writing?
I’ve always been in love with stories, and I suppose I wrote a lot as a kid—just little bits and pieces here and there—but it never really occurred to me that I could take it seriously until I was fourteen and decided to write a book. From that point on the process of it filled me with a thrilling passion, and I haven’t been able to stop since. It hasn’t once occurred to me that I’d be able to spend my life doing anything else.
7.) What is the one story you wish you’d written? Why?
Well I guess it would have to be the same answer as my favourite book and author, ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor, because it’s such a powerful love story, full of the fantastical, and it was such an unexpected joy to read.
8.) What is your favorite thing to do outside of writing?
At the moment, if I’m not writing I’m either reading, watching movies, or spending time with friends and family. I love having lazy wine and cheese evenings or cooking a nice meal.
9.) Please tell us a bit about your latest release.
Fury is the first in a trilogy set in a dystopian future where anger has been cured by the government. Josephine, the protagonist, is the last remaining uncured soul, and she’s plagued by demons from her past as she tries to find a way to survive the cold world with her only friend Luke for help.
10.) What inspired you to write Fury, and how did you come up with such an intriguing concept?
I had the character of Josi in my head long before I figured out the rest of the story. I knew I wanted to tell the tale of a woman who believed she was transforming under the moon, who was burdened by the fear of having committed atrocities, and I didn’t know initially if it was going to be a real transformation or a figment of having endured such a traumatic childhood. The world came when I realized that I wanted to counteract Josi’s fury, and what better way to do that than with a society that has lost the ability to empathize with anger? The world gradually took shape after that, as I realized I wanted to look at why we sometimes seem so frightened of extreme emotions, and like science-fiction should, it looks at what might happen if we continue to be frightened.
11.) What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?
The only advice I can really give is to be determined, be resilient, be passionate and be brave.
12.) What’s next for you? (More Fury, pretty please)
Yes, more Fury is on its way soon! I’m in the process of writing its sequel, which I’m having a lot of fun with. I’m also releasing the second book in my fantasy series, The Chronicles of Kaya, in July/August this year, which I’m excited about. I have some screenwriting projects on the go as well, just to spice things up a bit.
Charlotte grew up with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. At fourteen, her English teacher told her that the short story she'd submitted was wildly romantic, so she decided to write a novel. Thus began her foray into epic fantasy and dystopian sci-fi, with sweeping romances, heroic adventures, and as much juicy drama as she could possibly squeeze in.
Her first novel, Arrival, was published at age seventeen, and was followed by Descent, which launched The Strangers of Paragor series, an adventure fantasy for teenagers.
She then wrote her first adult fantasy novel, Avery, the prologue of which came to her in a very vivid dream. Her second adult novel, Fury, is the first in a romantic science-fiction series called The Cure, set in a dystopian future.
Charlotte currently lives in Sydney, having just finished a Masters in Screenwriting from the Australian Film, Television & Radio School. With her television pilot script, she won the Australian Writer's Guild Award for Best Unproduced Screenplay of 2013. She will, however, always be a novelist at heart, still unable to get her nose out of the books.
Buy Fury here: Amazon
April 26, 2014
A Review of Letting Go by Bridie Hall
Author: Bridie Hall Publisher: Evernight Teen
Pages: 162
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
My Review: 5 Glittery Stars! Letting Go totally dazzled me!
What a fantastic novel! Isabelle is left stranded at the airport, back from her trip to Paris. And guess who gets to pick her up? Her boyfriend's (Jamie) big brother, Harper, and now the journey is on. Isabelle's boyfriend is the right guy, and his big brother, Harper, is the wrong guy...or is he?
This is the first YA book that I've read in a while that honestly took me back to a time when I was a teenager. This is a scenario I could totally see happening!
Harper has a dark past in contrast to his little brother's bright future and clean history. It would appear that Harper is a womanizing, reckless hottie, while Jamie is the good golden boy.
The great thing Ms. Hall did was while the road trip lasted for two days, she covered a lot of miles. I loved the way the author flashed back to past experiences between Isabelle and Harper. It built the chemistry between the two and justified the budding feelings.
As I discovered Harper's haunting past and how he worked through it...I cheered all that much more for him. Having a love interest shared between two brothers is not an easy thing to pull off without someone coming out the other end a bad guy, but I have to say, this author did it flawlessly.
I felt like I was on the road with Isabelle and Harper. What an incredibly sweet, passionate, and tender read! I LOVED Letting Go!
Buy Letting Go here: Amazon Evernight Teen
Add to Goodreads here: GR
