Blogoversary Author Interview + GIVEAWAY: Danielle Sibarium - Day 6

Blogoversary Author Interview: Danielle Sibarium

Author Biography:

 

Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.

 
Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.
 
Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.
 
In 2007 Danielle collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.
 In October 2011 Danielle’s debut novel For Always was released. She Has since released Heart Waves and the second book in the Heart Waves series, Breaking Waves. 
Danielle graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

 

 

 

Interview:

 

What are the main genres that you write in?

The two genres that I write in are YA and NA contemporary romance.

 

Would you ever write in another genre?

I have ideas for a dystopian book. I’m just not sure if when I’ll start it and if it will be a stand alone or a series. 

 

What is your all time favorite book (or books)?

I have a few, Dracula and Les Miserables definitely top the list.

 

Are you working on anything in particular right now? Or do you have anything releasing pretty soon that you can tell us about?

Right now I am working on And Forever, a sequel to my first book For Always. It should be releasing in December 2014.  

 

Do you have a favorite of the books you have written?

I think they are all my favorite when I finish them. And it usually takes me a while to move on from one book to the next. It also depends on the mood I’m in, whether I want to have my heart ripped out or not. lol.

 

 

Danielle is the author of many books, which you can check out here. Below I have featured For Always a Young Adult romance. 

 

 

You never really get over your first love. Such is the case for fourteen-year-old Stephanie Barrano, self-proclaimed misfit and death magnet. A freshman in high school, Stephanie is befriended by Jordan Brewer, a hot, in-demand senior, who pulls her from the outer circle of obscurity into the realm of acceptance. Jordan quickly works his way into Stephanie’s heart. He’s her everything. And the only person she trusts with the truth about her father’s death. But he won’t act on the strong feelings he has for her. Stephanie vows to wait for him, knowing in time she’ll win his heart.

Two months before her eighteenth birthday, Jordan serves as an impromptu prom date. After sharing a magical evening, Jordan leaves Stephanie with the promise of a future together. Then tragedy strikes. Jordan not only shuts Stephanie out, he also blames her for what happened. Feeling broken and beaten, will she try one last time to get through to Jordan or will she lose him forever

Follow by e-mail or bloglovin and comment on this post to win an e-copy of For Always! The first three commenters win. E-mail your e-mail address to yalvrofjaneausten (at) gmail (dot) com

 

Real Book Challenge Wrap Up August

Sign Up Post

And I am going for the 50+ - Real Book Queen/King 

 

Books read in August:

 

Blogoversary Post: When There Are Immature Characters In YA Books - Day 5

When There Are Immature Characters In YA Books

 

Ugh. This is one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.....Immature characters in Young Adult books. It doesn't bug me as much if it is a secondary character, but when it is the main character? No. Just NO!

Recently I came across a YA book (and it is not the first time that I have had this problem) which featured a main character that was supposed to be 16-17.....And she acted like she was a middle-grade character that was at least 11-12. Every single choice, every single word out of her mouth, every single action was immature. I could not stand it! If this character had grown up in a sheltered home and was maybe 14 it would not have bothered me so much. But she (apparently) had had a tough life! Yet she still acted like a little kid. To me, this is a completely unrealistic portrait of a teen character.

Lets just say I didn't finish this one. 

 

Rites Of Passage (Book Review)

Rites Of Passage
Joy N. Hensley
Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Harper Teen

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences

Review:

When I first heard of Rites of Passage I was intrigued. Mostly because the synopsis was like nothing I have ever read before. A female at a military school previously for boys? YES Please! A secret society? YES Please! A forbidden romance? This is sounding better and better!

Pretty much, Sam never declines a dare. And definitely not a dare that happened right before her brother died. The dare? To go to a military school.
After she gets to military school, she finds out that things are going to be VERY tough for her.

The Characters:
Sam was pretty much the ultimate main character. Tough, loyal, sympathetic, and hard working. There were some points where I was a bit disappointed with the choices her character made, but overall she was a great main character.
There were a lot of secondary characters in this one. All of which were very complex and diverse. I loved reading about the secondary characters just as much as reading about Sam.

The Plot:
The plot went by a little slow at times. And then too fast at other times. Be prepared for this book to have just a little romance, and a lot of military school and secret society stuff. The secret society stuff was also confusing. I found myself wondering what was going on quite  bit during the length of this book, and I felt like some things were way too convenient. The romance part was (as I said above) a very small part of this book. So if you are looking for a book with just a little romance, then this will be most likely for you.

And THAT ENDING! I really, really, really hope that there is a sequel to this book. I need a sequel. This book needs a sequel. Plus, I wouldn't mind some more page-time for the couple in this book. As a matter of fact, I would love it!
If this book sounds interesting to you. I suggest you read it! I really enjoyed it and I think that this is one of the more unique books I have read this year.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated and this did not effect my review in any way.***

Blogoversary Author Interview: Romily Bernard - Day 4

 

One Year Blogoversary Author Interview: Romily Bernard

Author Biography:
I graduated from Georgia State University with a Literature degree. Since then, I’ve worked as a riding instructor, cell phone salesgirl, personal assistant, groom, exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service rep.
So don’t let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed.








Interview:

What are some of the struggles that come up writing a sequel versus writing the first book?

Oh gosh, Second Book-itis is always scary. I'd never written a sequel before so I spent a lot of time freaking out during REMEMBER ME. You have to look really hard at your characters and how their lives would've changed since the first book and build from there. Lots of plotting before writing really, which is pretty hard for me.

 

Were you always planning on turning Find Me into a series? Or was it first planned as a standalone? It was actually planned as a standalone. I was working on Lauren's story when Harper asked for more Wick.

 

Would you ever consider writing in another genre?

Definitely. I have five projects I'm current working on and none of them resemble the FIND ME series. It's scary and exhilarating to branch out.

 

Did you change any of your characters names after you started writing Find Me and Remember Me? Hahaha!! ALL THE TIME!!

 

Did you have any say in the covers for Find Me and Remember Me? (personally I love them)

I love them too. I didn't have any say so, but that's probably a good thing because I have zero artistic talent.

 

Was there any specific book or movie (or place) that provided inspiration for your books?

I'm a huge fan of almost any kind of forensic file or cold case file television show. I'm sure some of those bled through.

 

Can you tell us a little about Find Me and what we can expect from Remember Me?

FIND ME's about a teenage hacker trying to get out of the game who gets blackmailed into finding a classmate's rapist. REMEMBER ME picks up a couple months after FIND ME and deals with the fall out. There's more Griff, more Lily, more Bren, and the introduction of a whole new player, Milo Gray, who may be the best or worst thing that's ever happened to Wick.

 

Find Me has been out for a while now, since September of last year.....But Lie For Me (Griff's Story) comes out September 2nd and Remember Me (Find Me #2) comes out September 23rd.

 

(Click on the book covers to check out the different books Goodreads page's)

 

Blogoversary Post About Why I (Almost) Never Give 5 Star Reviews - Day 3

Why I (Almost) Never Give 5 Star Reviews.

 

For me, 5 star reviews are a funny thing. A book has to be absolutely perfect with nothing bugging me at all for it to warrant a 5 star review.

 

My all-time favorite books are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Both of these are my example of perfection.

Because of that, very few Young Adult novels that I read receive 5 stars.  Nothing can come close to what I feel while reading those two books.

So recently, I decided that I was going to try to give more Young Adult books 5 stars.

 

 

One of the ones I have read recently is Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens. This book was amazing. Read my review for a complete reason about why I loved it, but I have to say right here.....READ IT!

(You can click on the book cover to check out my review)

 

 

 

 

Another one that I loved is Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.....Pushing the Limits I have read now twice, and the second time around only made me love it more and more.

(Clicking this book cover will take you to Pushing the Limits Goodreads page)

 

 

And then there is Cress by Marissa Meyer. Marissa Meyer is amazing, Cinder was great.....Scarlet was better......and Cress was wonderful. **Note** My review does say that I gave Cress 4.5 stars, but I could have made it a 4.99 just because.

(Click the book cover to take you to my review)

 

 

 

I loved these books. They are the books that I would re-read over and over again......And just because that of that, I would give them 5 stars over and over again.

 

 

One Year Blogoversary Author Interview + GIVEAWAY: Heather Beck - Day 2

One Year Blogoversary Author Interview: Heather Beck

 

Author Biography:

Heather Beck is a Canadian Author and Screenwriter who began writing professionally at the age of sixteen. Since then she has written eleven well-reviewed books, including the bestselling series, The Horror Diaries, which has sold in six continents.

Heather received an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from university where she specialized in English and studied an array of disciplines. Currently, she is working on the Frostbitten series and has two anthologies slated for publication. As a screenwriter, Heather has multiple television shows and movies in development. Her short films include: Young Eyes, The Rarity, Too Sensible For Love, Circular, and the forthcoming Witch’s Brew.

Besides writing, Heather’s greatest passion is the outdoors. She is an award-winning fisherwoman and a regular hiker. Her hobbies include swimming, playing badminton and volunteering with non-profit organizations

 

Interview:

 

When and why did you begin writing?

I always knew that I wanted to be a writer. When I was young, I loved reading a variety of books and I would often write short stories. Then in high school, I literally took all of the English courses available. My love of the written word continued into university, where I obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts, with a specialist in English. I feel like I was born to write because it’s something that comes so easily to me. New plots, characters and settings are constantly entering my mind, making it hard for me to stop writing!

What books have most influenced your life?

Anything by Tennessee Williams. I’ve read all of his plays and am amazed by his ability to be so blatant, accurate and compassionate about the human condition. He really gets to the core of what it means to be human, and he does so in a beautiful and entertaining way. In my own writing, I strive to achieve Williams’ signature feat.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

My beta readers are my most influential mentors. Frostbitten was the first book I had beta read, and I was blown away by the thoroughness and helpfulness of their advice. These are avid readers who, out of the kindness of their hearts, are willing to help indie authors. I truly believe their comments and suggestions made Frostbitten into a much better novel, and I couldn’t be more grateful and humbled by their assistance.

What book are you reading now?

It’s really sad, but I rarely have a chance to read due to work/life commitments. There are so many books being published that I’d love to read, and I can’t think of anything better than lying in a hammock with a great paranormal romance book. The last book I read was maybe a couple of years ago; it was Ali’s Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard. As a fan of the TV show, I just had to read the book, and I absolutely loved it!

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I’ve always loved Jack London’s work because he depicts the wild so vividly, making you feel as if you’re actually there. He’s also wonderfully adept at portraying the struggle between man and nature. Being a Canadian who is eternally in love with nature, I’ve always felt a strong connection to that theme.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Although I’ve been writing for thirteen years and have ten previous books published, Frostbitten is my first full length novel (my other works were anthologies and novellas). With this novel, I felt I had to really stay focused on the writing process and being in the world of Cedar Falls (where my story is set). Frostbitten has a lot of plot twists and is rich in mythologies which are slowly revealed throughout the novel, so it was a challenge to make sure everything was flowing well and there were no logical fallacies. Having a detailed outline really helped, as did working with some amazing beta readers. 

Have you been an avid reader your entire life? (since you could read)

When I was young, my favorite activities were playing outdoors and reading. I always had the latest Sweet Valley book and would devour a new Goosebumps (or Goosebumps spin-off) every month. It’s so great to get lost in a good book, and even at a young age, I’m thankful I could appreciate that.

 

What character in your books do you relate to most?

Instead of relating to just one character, I feel like I possess a variety of traits from them all. The main character, Anastasia Lockhart, is very strong-willed, passionate and unwavering in what she truly wants. Yet, she is also compassionate and has a very good heart. Anastasia’s best friend, Chloe, is loyal and when she cares about something or someone, she always follows her heart. Finally, another character I relate to is Frost, Anastasia’s boyfriend, because of his great love of nature.

 

Heather has written quite a few books, too many to include in this post....So I will just feature Frostbitten.

 

Great beauty hides dark secrets...

Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years.

Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

Follow by e-mail or bloglovin and comment on this post to win an e-copy of Frostbitten by Heather Beck! Comment elsewhere to receive extra entries.
 

 

One Year Blogoversary Author: Pauline C. Harris - Day 1

One Year Blogoversary Author Interview: Pauline C. Harris

I first interviewed Pauline in November of 2013......You can check out the original interview here
I also reviewed the first book in the Mechanical trilogy here

Author Biography:
Pauline C. Harris is a seventeen-year old author living in Northern Idaho.  She started writing short stories when she was eight, and after she self-published her first book when she was fourteen, moved on to write the Mechanical Trilogy.  She loves anything that has to do with science fiction, including Star Trek, and her main hobbies are writing and playing the violin in various orchestras and quartets. 
​
Mechanical is her first professionally published novel.

She is currently studying in both high school and college and hopes to achieve her AA degree alongside her high school diploma.

She is also working on another series of YA science fiction novels.  


Interview:

 Do you have any other hobbies other than writing?

Well, reading, but I think that goes without saying. :P  Another hobby I'm really into is playing the violin.  I've been playing for eleven years now and I absolutely love it.  And I also do book reviews and hauls on youtube, which has been super fun.  Here's a link if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwqVoe5LJRdWMi_oVJ94Cow

Do you listen to music while you write? Anything in particular?

I don't really listen to music while I'm writing, although I'll create playlists for all of my books and listen to them as I'm coming up with the idea and outlining it.  I find that music distracts from my quality of writing, but an outline is purely for my sake and music can really set the tone and get inspiration flowing.  As for what kind of music I listen to, pretty much anything I feel fits the story or gets my  imagination going.  That can be anything from classical to pop.

What genre do mainly write in?

I mostly do science fiction.  I love made up worlds, but I also love how science fiction has a touch of reality to it.  It's exciting and fun and you can go basically anywhere with it.

Would you ever write in another genre?

I'm actually contemplating the idea of writing a contemporary novel, but it's in the very, very, very early stages right now.  I don't even have an outline, just some words scribbled on a page in one of my notebooks.  And I also don't like to limit myself and say I just do ONE thing.  I realize that I'm a young writer and that my tastes will grow and change, so who knows what I'll be writing ten years from now?

Do you tend to change your characters names while writing your books?

That's a cool question.  I've actually never changed a character's name while writing a book.  After a get about twenty pages in, the character's name is forever THAT CHARACTER for me.  It would be like changing your kid's name after they've already been alive for five years.  For some reason, I just can't bring myself to do it, even if I've come up with a better name for them.

Below you can check out Pauline's books.....Just click on the covers to take you to the Goodreads page!

 

 

One Year Blogoversary!

Hey everyone! So this next week is going to be my one year blogoversary! I am going to have a few different authors, some of which have been featured on my blog before.....And some brand new ones featured this week with interviews and giveaways!!! I also am going to have different posts featuring different kinds of topics going up within the next week or two.

My Life Undecided (Book Review)

My Life Undecided
Jessica Brody

Paperback, 336 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by Square Fish

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

Review:

Brooklyn Pierce. High school student, fifteen year old girl, and someone who happens to make a few bad decisions. So what does she do? She creates a blog, that has a poll which she uses to let her blog readers make her decisions for her. From the big things to the small things. She puts her life into her readers hands.

Jessica Brody has some of the most original, fun, and funny, contemporary that I have ever read. Her books are some of my favorites. At least, they are now!
Before this one, I had only read 52 Reasons to Hate My Father of Jessica's contemporary novels, and I really enjoyed it. I was super excited to dig into My Life Undecided and although I didn't like it quite as much as 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, it was still a solid contemporary novel.

At the starting of the book, Brooklyn makes some bad decisions that usually would have bugged me. But, she ends up (at least trying) to do something about it. Of course, her blog readers are not the best at making decisions either.....And Brooklyn still makes some bad decisions afterword's....But I ended up liking Brooklyn's character.
There is a lot of character growth in here, something that I have found Jessica Brody excels in with her contemporary novels.

There are also a bunch of secondary characters that I found myself both rooting for, and groaning for....In this entire book.

Another great contemporary from Jessica Brody. And if you like funny, both light and a bit of heavy contemporary Young Adult then I would definitely recommend this one!

Waiting On Wednesday (20) - Heir Of Fire

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

Heir Of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

I recently read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight and really enjoyed them! I can't wait to read Heir of Fire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight? Did you like them?

Since You've Been Gone (Book Review)

Since You've Been Gone
Morgan Matson

Hardcover, 449 pages

Published May 6th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um....


Review:
Since You've Been Gone is a book that I have heard a lot of good about. I have enjoyed reading Morgan Matson's work before (Second Chance Summer) so I was really looking forward to reading this one.
And it didn't completely disappoint.
Something I should say is that part of the reason that I didn't really, really like this book is because I was expecting more. I enjoyed Second Chance Summer so much and I had heard that this was 5 stars all round that I think I was expecting just a little better than I got.

The Characters.
I enjoyed Emily's character. I think that she was realistically portrayed as the quite introvert who wouldn't do much if it weren't for her best friend who is outgoing and always willing to do the more wild things. But then the best friend disappears and leaves Emily a list to do that summer with instructions at the end to find her. And Emily is thrown into doing things that she would never normally do. Especially on her own. Emily grows a lot throughout the course of this book. Definitely a great show of character growth.
Emily made some mistakes in the book that made me groan/want to yell at her. But I think that this also was just something that made her more realistic.

The Plot:
One of the things I liked least about this book were the ridiculously long chapters. I am not a fan of books that continually have chapters longer than 20 pages. And this one had chapters that were 30 pages + almost the entire book. It kind of made me bored.
Almost every chapter is Emily going to complete one of the tasks on the list. I liked reading about her doing all of those things.

I did enjoy this one. I don't think that it would make any of my favorite contemporary lists, but I did like it. Emily's character growth was great. And I enjoyed the concept.
Would recommend this to contemporary lovers if just to try out