Interview and review of Conjure by Lea Nolan plus a giveaway!


Thanks so much for having me, Tanya! It’s a pleasure to be here at All Things Books!

1. If someone looked at your browsing history right now, what kind of
things would we find.

A whole bunch of stuff about Hurricane Sandy, articles from The Washington Post, Twitter posts, and searches related to my blog tour. Proof that I spend way too much time online, especially when I should be writing!


2. If you could write about any subject that is near and dear to your
heart, what would it be and why?

I’d probably write a story about a heroine with a mentally ill family member. One of my siblings has a debilitating mental illness that not only impacts her, but everyone around her. It would probably end up being a serious contemporary story but as with all such things, there would likely be some inadvertent humor too.


3. Do you have a favorite song, album, or playlist to write to?

I can’t listen to music while I write because it throws off my concentration but songs do influence my plots and help me capture a character’s emotions. When I wrote CONJURE, I listened to Colbie Caillat’s Bubbly a million times because it perfectly captured how Emma feels about Cooper. I’ll let you in on a little musical secret about the second book in The Hoodoo Apprentice series, ALLURE: my iPod is set on replay for Adele’s cover of Make You Feel My Love.


4. What was the first thing you did after CONJURE debuted?

As sad as it sounds, I still haven’t done anything special. I guess I don’t want to jinx it or anything. But I’m definitely on the hunt for either a new handbag or a piece of Holly Yashi jewelry.


5. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Dirty dishes in the sink. It makes me crazy, especially since the dishwasher is right there! Seriously, how hard is it to rinse them off and stick them in the dishwasher? Okay, I’m getting all hot and bothered now. See? It’s my pet peeve! :)


6. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

I’m ashamed to admit it’s the Real Housewives, especially the New Jersey, New York, and Beverly Hills editions. I’ve lost countless hours watching their shenanigans. Also, I’m a sucker for US Magazine or Entertainment Weekly. I must have my celebrity fix!


7. What was your favorite book as a teen?

See this is hard because I loved so many books, and because at a certain age, I’d read every book with a tween/teen protagonist and had to move on to adult stories. But here are a few of my favorites from back in the day: Judy Blume’s Tiger Eyes, VC Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic Series, anything by Stephen King and Anne Rice.


8. If an aspiring writer asked for advice what would you tell them?

Read everything you can get your hands on. Beyond that, study books. Note how each story is structured, how sentences are put together, how much dialogue there is compared to narrative. There’s no better instructor than a professionally edited book written by a great writer. Also, when it’s time to draft your own story, don’t labor over each word and sentence. Slap it all down, write from your heart, and worry about editing it later.

Speed round!

Favorite Meal: A fantastic dish at my favorite local Italian restaurant: chick peas and escarole in a white wine sauce with sautéed shrimp and garlic. Amazing.

Favorite Drink (alcoholic/non-alcoholic): Ice tea with four lemons and Sweet ‘n Low.

Sweet or Salty snacks? Salty!

All time favorite movie: Probably The Princess Bride because it’s got everything – action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic.

Best book to movie adaption: The Hunger Games

Thanks again for having me! This was a lot of fun!

~Lea



CONJURE BLURB:

Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry—hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a  bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

But when a strange girl appears bent on revenge, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton, Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends—are lost forever.

Lea Nolan writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She’s holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and spent fifteen years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives in Maryland with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children. Her debut YA novel, CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series is a new release from Entangled Publishing under the Entangled Teen imprint. You can learn more about Lea on her website, on Facebook, Twitter and on Goodreads. CONJURE is available at both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Additional Social Media links if necessary:


Facebook Series page: http://www.facebook.com/TheHoodooApprentice
Group blog: http://honestlyya.blogspot.com/
Group blog: www.entangledteen.com

REVIEW

Conjure by Lea Nolan kicks into high gear almost immediately. The plot was exciting and different from other paranormal novels. I enjoyed how the character of Emma grew from a shy and timid teenage girl to a girl who would do anything to save her brother and his best friend from two evil curses. Lea Nolan described everything down to the flesh melting from Jack's bones so perfectly that it was incredibly easy to picture everything that happened throughout the book. I enjoyed this book very much and I am really hoping there will be a continuation of Emma's story.

1 E-copy of Conjure is being given away. To enter leave a comment with your favorite paranormal novel AND your email address so that I have a way to contact you should you win.
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Published on November 04, 2012 06:03
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