GIVEAWAY - Finding Daylight by Mara Dabrishus CLOSED

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, Mara Dabrishus, the author of Stay the Distance and Finding Daylight, was kind enough to offer a chance to win your own copy of her book a couple of months ago on this blog. She recently published another book, Finding Daylight, which is just as good as the first one is, believe me. I have both reviews on my blog, as well as an interview with the lovely author, which you can find here:

Stay the Distance's review  -  Finding Daylight's review  -  Interview

The rules of this giveaway are pretty simple:

One print copy of Finding Daylight, by Mara Dabrishus, is available for free giveaway. To enter the contest, all you have to do is comment with your e-mail address. If you're not comfortable with it, you can always just leave a comment and send me a message to let me know you still want to enter the giveaway. That's it!

The contest is open to the United States and Canada. Deadline is April 30. Only one entry per account.

I wish you all the best luck and I hope you'll discover an amazing author if you hadn't yet!

  

Finding Daylight - Mara Dabrishus

Goodreads summary:

Georgie Quinn and the filly Sweet Bells are an unbeatable team. When they win the Breeders’ Cup Classic against colts, the world can’t seem to get enough. Overnight, Georgie becomes the face of horse racing, and Sweet Bells becomes its queen.

Although they’re the morning line favorites, Georgie feels like she’s barely keeping her head above water. Her parents’ farm is a crumbling has-been, her jockey career consumes her time, and Harris Armstrong, heir to Tupelo Stud and grandson of Sweet Bells’ owner, won’t forgive her for telling a lie that kept her family together as the truth ripped his apart.

Georgie refuses to apologize, so she’s stunned when Harris asks her to ride his new colt. The most tenuous partnership in racing has begun. One that threatens to swallow Georgie whole.

My review:

4.5/5

I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I thought when I had a hard time getting into it, but once I did, I loved it. I've become a fan of Mara's writing a while ago, when I read Stay the Distance and then Whirlaway, and I think it's going to stick with me for a long while.

Once again, I found myself surrounded by a realistic and amazing horse world in which I fit more than I ever do in books. It's full of details, well researched and it feels like you're the one riding the horses or taking care of them. While the atmosphere in the stables of this one isn't as heartwarming as in Mara's other books (for obvious reasons: it's pretty much the most important part of the plot), there's something reassuring as soon as there are horses in a story. I loved Sweet Bells dearly, especially since she reminded me a lot of my own horse of a few years ago, which I had to sell and it broke my heart. I could relate a lot to Georgie because of that, since I experienced having to let a horse you love go without having a say in it. I also loved learning about horse racing, since it's always been quite foreign to me, seeing as I'm an English saddle rider who lives in Canada (where there aren't any races, at least in my province). The fact that Georgie is a jockey taught me a lot about this profession and its ups and downs, which I loved. I would never be able to ride racing horses because of my paranoia and my obsession with control, but I can see how some people can love it. 

The relationship in this novel is even more complex than the one in Stay the Distance, but so is the whole story. I think that might be the reason why I couldn't get into the story at first, since I wasn't sure I understood what I was reading. Don't get discouraged if that happens to you, because you'd miss such a good story! I loved both Harris and Georgie and I shipped them pretty much from the beginning, because there's something about them that tells you they care for each other even when they're both convinced they hate each other. Seeing them learn to be around each other again and try to protect the other one was really touching and it made me swoon more than once. 

This is a fantastic story that is about horses, but also about much more than that. It can be pretty heartbreaking at times and it's definitely not light-hearted, but it did leave me with a good feeling. I thought it was confusing at first, but I would recommend it to everyone. 

Thank you Mara for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I did an interview with the author last summer, which you can find here. 

Interview: Marci Lyn Curtis

Hi everyone! Recently, I read The One Thing and I absolutely loved it, so I thought it would be awesome to do an interview with its author, Marci Lyn Curtis, and guess what? Here it is!  If you haven't read my review yet, you can find it here. Keep on reading to find out more about this amazing writer!

Hello Marci! First of all, let me thank you for answering my questions today. To begin this interview, can you introduce yourself and your novel?

Hi Laurence! Thanks so much for having me! Let’s see…I’ll give you the short version: my name is Marci Lyn Curtis, author of The One Thing, a young-adult contemporary story about a blind juvenile delinquent who hits her head and is suddenly able to see a boy. It’s a tough book to sum up, so let’s just say it’s a coming-of-age with a little bit of everything—laughter, tears, friendship, romance, family, music, sarcasm, tragedy, cupcakes.

Etc.

Translation: it’s a twisty little story. And if you held the book on end and gave it a shake, you’d probably rattle out an Everest’s worth of emotion. So people who like stories with lots of feels would probably enjoy it.

What inspired you to write this story?

I wish I could say there was this huge ah-ha moment that inspired the story. But the fact was, one day it was just…there—characters and all—and it picked at me and picked at me until I finally started to take notes, just to get it out of my head. Those notes grew to about a foot-high stack of papers that eventually became The One Thing.

Can you relate a lot to your main character, Maggie?

Well, I’m not blind, nor do I know anyone who’s blind, so writing this story required a lot of research. By “a lot,” I mean months.

And months.

On end.

Also, Maggie was a soccer legend, and the last time I was half-decent in competitive sports was never. I mean, unless you count obscure sports, like, say, Orange is the New Black marathons. With those I’m sort of a badass.

Anyway, as far as similarities, Maggie and I both lean toward the sarcastic side. I grew up in a smart-alecky family (you do one idiotic thing and you’ll likely hear about it for the rest of your life), so sarcasm and jokes are sort of second nature for me.

Who is your favourite character in your novel and why?

Ben—because he’s just so…Ben. Life has basically handed him his butt, and yet he’s made the best of it, without using anything as a crutch. Also, he’s hysterical, loyal, kind, and he makes a mean English muffin pizza.

So far, what's the hardest thing you've been faced with while publishing your novel?

Can I say everything? No? Well, if I had to pick just one thing, I’d have to say the most difficult thing about writing this particular story was the responsibility I felt to be a good representative for the visually impaired. I was constantly terrified that, even though I was spending so much time researching blindness, I was getting all the details wrong—that I was missing something critical in the technology, the daily life, the thoughts and emotions, the training, the parenting. It was just so much. And it required an amazing amount of balance. I didn’t want to marginalize visual impairment, but I didn’t want it to be the focus of the novel, either. Sure, Maggie’s blindness had tremendously impacted her life. But did I want to portray Maggie as a blind character? No. I wanted to portray her as a character. I wanted her personhood to always be the focus. I wanted people to experience her. So I had to really pick through each scene, each line, and each bit of dialogue to make sure that this always came first.

If you could have lived in any fictional world, which one would it have been?

The Harry Potter world. Without a doubt.

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

Oh man. Jandy Nelson. She’s a genius. I mean, I’d probably dig through her trash just to read her grocery list.

Kidding.

Sort of.

What do you like the most about being an author?

Sharing my characters with everyone. It’s like standing on a stage and introducing my friends to the world. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

This: just write. Write about the things that are important to you. Write to share a version of yourself with yourself. Write without thinking about trends, or about how readers might perceive you. Just write.

What are your future plans? Anything we could be interested in?

Currently, I’m writing a story about an orphan pickpocket forced to live with the uncle who betrayed her family. Like The One Thing, it’s a twisty little story, and it covers a topic near to my heart, so it’s been difficult to write. After that, I’ll be writing a companion novel to The One Thing, featuring a certain unmentionable character.

Once more, thank you for answering! I hope to hear more from you soon.

Thank you so much, Laurence, for this amazing interview!

Interview: Meagan Brothers

Hi everyone! Recently, I interviewed Meagan Brothers, who wrote Weird Girl and What's His Name. I loved this book and I would  highly recommend it, so if you're interested in it and you haven't read my review yet, you can find it here. For now, I hope you'll enjoy reading this interview, so please keep on reading!

 

Hello Meagan! I want to begin by thanking you for being here on my blog today. Let's start the interview with an easy question: can you explain what your latest novel, Weird Girl and What's His Name, is about?

Hi Laurence! I’m happy to be here – thanks for having me on your blog! Weird Girl and What’s His Name is about a couple of friends, Rory and Lula, who are kind of the unpopular nerdy kids at their school. They have a falling out, and have to try to put themselves back together again. Along the way, they’re also trying to make sense of their respective broken families and nascent love lives and what not. You know, the usual life drama stuff. 



What inspired you to write this story? 

Being kind of an unpopular nerdy kid! Actually, I had started the story sometime in 2007 – I had an idea to write something about a pair of friends, and I got as far as that first paragraph, which is actually opens the book now, fairly unchanged from its original state. I didn’t write any more of it, though, because I felt like my original idea was too similar to my first book. But then the next summer, I went to see the second X-Files movie on opening night. Seeing Mulder and Scully again took me back to being in high school and college, when the show was on, and I was watching it with my friends, or alone in a dark room and then going online to talk about it afterward. I don’t know what connected those things in my mind, but the week after I saw the movie, I dug up that paragraph, which was still sitting there in one of my notebooks, and, instead of working on my Supergirl Mixtapes rewrites, I wrote this short story instead. The story was basically a slightly shorter version of Rory’s half of the book. The next year, I wrote Lula’s half. I guess you could say the main inspiration, as odd as it may sound, was the camaraderie that I felt, between both friends and total strangers, that came from all of us watching a TV show together.

Who is your favorite character in this book and why? 

Ahh, it’s so hard to pick a favorite! They’re all like my kids. Even the old guys. It’s probably easier to tell you my least favorites, which were Andy and Lula’s mom, Christine. It was a huge challenge to stay empathetic while I was writing those two. I can tell you, though, one of my favorites who I thought would have a bigger part in the book was Midnight Pete, the college radio DJ that Lula and Seth both listened to. I kept trying to work him into the story but it was so peripheral it just felt distracting, so a lot of his backstory got cut. But I went back and gave him a bigger role in two different short stories, which made me feel a little bit better about axing the poor guy.



Is there a reason why you mostly write for young adults? 

Because I’m extremely immature. No, just kidding. Okay, only partly kidding. Actually, I like the lack of cynicism in YA books. I like feeling like I have free rein to write characters who are aren’t totally jaded yet. 



Your novels have such creative names: Debbie Harry Sings in French, Supergirl Mixtapes, Weird Girl and What's His Name, etc. How do you come up with these titles? 

I have to admit, with Debbie Harry Sings in French, it started out as a short story for a class I was taking in college, and it’s been so long since then, I have no recollection of how I came up with that title! Must’ve come to me on a flaming pie…. Supergirl Mixtapes was originally Citygirls and then Downtown at Dawn, but I wanted something a little less generic-sounding. Weird Girl… was called Teenage FBI for the longest time, which is the title of a Guided by Voices song, but my publishers at Three Rooms Press, Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes, weren’t crazy about it. I think they were afraid people would think it was more of a straightforward mystery story, and I agreed. I’d actually been trying to think of a better title for a while, for the same reason. Peter suggested Weird Girl and What’s His Name. Suddenly, I was like: that’s it! Sometimes it takes another person to see something that’s been right in front of you all along.

In Weird Girl and What's His Name, Lula and Rory are part of a huge fandom and they take X-Files very seriously. Do you consider yourself a fangirl, too? If so, what are your fandoms?

Oh yes, definitely a pretty huge X-Files fan, too, going back to 1994! There are other sci-fi shows and movies I loved as a kid, and still love – the original Star Trek, Star Wars, Quantum Leap, Lost. All those cheesy sci-fi-ish movies from the 80s like Flight of the Navigator and The Last Starfighter and Explorers. But X-Files, yeah, that’s my jam. And I don’t know if you consider music fandom a “fandom” in the same sense, but I’m one of those people who goes to the record store on their lunch break at least once a week. On my desk currently is just a laptop surrounded by haphazard piles of used CDs. I should tidy up, actually.

Your characters grow up a lot during the story, especially while questionning their identity and their sexual orientation. What would be your advice for teenagers going through similar scenarios? 

The main thing is to be yourself and to allow yourself to love who you love. But if you’re in an environment where you’re being discouraged, threatened, or bullied by people because you’re gay, bi, or trans, I know that’s not easy advice to follow. If you’re not in a supportive environment right now, try to hang in there. Don’t listen to the negativity. Rise above it. Try to find some way to redirect your frustration and express how you’re feeling, whether it’s art or jogging or writing – don’t resort to self-harm, and don’t isolate yourself. Find people who are supportive – it may just be one friend right now, or an online community, or a teacher, or a pastor from a progressive church – and let that person know what’s going on with you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t feel like you’re alone, because you’re not. There are so many people who want you to survive and thrive, believe me. It might feel like you’re fighting through each day right now, but trust me, you have a place in this world just the way you are, and it’s worth the fight. 



What was the hardest part of writing your novels and why?

Probably the hardest part is when you’re working on rewrites, and you know a scene isn’t working, but you don’t know how to fix it. That, and the selling part. When I’m supposed to be Tweeting and Facebooking and Tumblring about how great my book is and how you should buy it. My teenage self-loathing comes back in full force and I’m like “ehh, I wrote this book, but it’s not really that great. You can buy it if you want, or whatever. But, seriously, you don’t have to, like, read it or anything. Ugh.” 



What would be your best advice for aspiring writers? 
Keep writing, all the time. Don’t be afraid to be that nerd who carries a little notebook around. Find some quiet space away from your phone. Read everything you can get your hands on. Go to readings and book events, if they’re happening in your town. Try to make friends with other writers – they will be your lifeline. And go outside and walk around. Get some fresh air every once in a while. Exercise a little. Eat healthy food. Obviously, writing isn’t a contact sport, but you’re gonna feel too crappy to do it if your back goes out from sitting for 8 hours straight and your brain is in a Dorito haze.



What do you like the most about reading and writing?

I like those moments in writing when you break through. When something’s bugging you and you can’t put your finger on it but you sit down to write this poem or this character comes to you and you’re able to work it out that way. A-ha, that’s what I was afraid of! And reading is great because it’s so still. You get lost in the world of the book, and hopefully there are no distractions, no pop-ups, no message alerts. It’s just you, traveling without moving. Very magic.



Which author inspires you and why?

Ray Bradbury inspires me a lot, because he was a really pure writer. Woke up pretty much every day of his life and wrote. Robert Pollard inspires me for the same reason. Dude just writes songs every single day. Whatever your art is, it should be an everyday pursuit. 



What's your all-time favorite quote?

Probably it’s what the sculptor Constantin Brancusi said about being in a constant state of making art: “If one could create as one breathes, that would be true happiness. One should arrive at that.” 
That, and “there’s no crying in baseball!” from A League of Their Own.

What are your current projects? Is there anything you can tell us about? 

I’ve got four stories that are related to this book – well, three stories and a novella. They’re still a little rough around the edges, but if people like this book, maybe I’ll make them available online or something. I’ve got a new book plotted out, but it’s still pretty embryonic at this point. And the usual stuff on the side – poetry, a couple of short stories here and there. Maybe they’ll get out someday, who knows!

Where can we find you on your social media? 

I’m on Twitter (@meaganbrothers), Tumblr (actuallymeaganbrothers.tumblr.com), and on Facebook (facebook.com/meaganbrothersauthorpage.)



Thank you for answering my questions!

Thanks for having me!

Weird Girl and What's His Name - Meagan Brothers

Goodreads summary:

In the tiny podunk town of Hawthorne, North Carolina, seventeen-year-old geeks Lula and Rory share everything—sci-fi and fantasy fandom, Friday night binge-watching of old X-Files episodes, and that feeling that they don’t quite fit in. Lula knows she and Rory have no secrets from each other; after all, he came out to her years ago, and she’s shared with him her “sacred texts”—the acting books her mother left behind after she walked out of Lula’s life. But then Lula discovers that Rory—her Rory, who maybe she’s secretly had feelings for—has not only tried out for the Hawthorne football team without telling her, but has also been having an affair with his middle-aged divorcee boss. With their friendship disrupted, Lula begins to question her identity and her own sexual orientation, and she runs away in the middle of the night on a journey to find her mother, who she hopes will have all the answers. Meagan Brother’s piercing prose in this fresh LGBT YA novel speaks to anyone who has ever felt unwanted and alone, and who struggles to find their place in an isolating world. Ages 14–up.


My review:

5/5

It was so good! I absolutely loved this book. Also, I really want to check out X-Files now, because it sounds really good and I'm unfortunately too young to have watched it before. 

I really liked both of the characters, but especially Lula. She's funny, passionate, kind and always hopeful, which makes her a bit immature sometimes, like when she decided to leave, but also very realistic and interesting. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her wonderful grandparents, Walter and her friends. She seems to be liked by most people she meets and I wish I could've read even more about her. Her quest to meet her mom is childish, but it's also so easy to understand that I couldn't blame her for it. Her actions, as well as Rory's, made me cringe, especially in the beginning, with all these awkward moments on the night Lula left, but I could relate to both characters very well. I liked Rory, too, but I found it harder to understand him, especially since a lot of the story is about Lula. I loved their friendship and their friday nights, because they both care so much about one TV show and it's amazing. 

Although I found it confusing at first, I really liked the way it's written. I wasn't expecting it to be that way, but I enjoyed understanding what happened before, after and now. It kept me wondering what would happen next, in the past or in the present. I thought the book would be about finding Lula, but seeing her after she's back was even better than what I expected. 

I found the story to be very accurate and easy to relate to. The main characters are young adults confused with their lives and desperate for love, as most teenagers are. Their expectations and hopes are understandable and similar to mine, which made me feel them at the same time. I liked how their lives change during the story, but only for the better. Rory and Lula's friendship is affected by everything that happened between them, but as true friends do, they manage to keep their complicity and work everything out. I didn't expect everything to be that way in the end, but I was truly satisfied with everything. 

I highly recommend this novel! It's realistic, fun and passionate, which is perfect for young adults. 

(Thank you Edelweiss for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

I also did an interview with the author, Meagan Brothers, which you can find here. 

Giveaway Winners!

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, there was a giveaway going on on my blog. The book we were giving away was Stay the Distance by Mara Dabrishus (both of which are awesome, by the way). Now that it ended, we have the names of our winners, selected randomly by the author. Congratulations to +Dans notre monde and +Macklin Loosley-Millman ! We will be emailing you very soon. Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Interview: Katie Pierson

Hi everyone! Today, I've got an interview with Katie Pierson, author of '89 Walls. Her novel is amazing, you can read my review here if you haven't yet. I hope you'll enjoy reading this interview!

 

Hello Katie! Thank you for being here today to answer some questions about yourself and your latest novel, '89 Walls. 

Thank you so much for having me, Laurence! 


Can you explain what the book is about?

College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS they both know will kill her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity. I, personally, have a crush on Seth. He’s the smart guy with the dry sense of humor that makes a girl trust herself.

Quinn’s finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite. 


What inspired you to write this story?

A conversation with a friend in 2006 about the pros and cons of potentially attending my 20th high school reunion brought to mind the random people you run into at those things: old crushes, old “frenemies.” I suddenly had the idea for Seth and Quinn’s reluctant romance. I thought it would be fun to introduce young readers to the concept of Star Wars as more than just a movie, and the good old days of writing notes in cursive and getting by on 12 cable channels.

Halfway through the first draft, I realized I was also writing a partisan allegory. Seth is the Democratic Party in the late 80’s: reactive, angry, without a compass. The successes of the 1970s’ social movements had been dampened by Vietnam. Quinn’s father, Tom is the Republican Party: optimistic, smug, and still grounded in a true small government philosophy but underestimating the rising Religious Right. Mr. Levine, the teacher, is the moderator who allows two strong points of view to talk it out respectfully. Quinn is all of us, trying to find her way when tidy theories crash into reality.


Was it hard to write a story set years ago? How did you deal with it?

It helped that I was a young adult in the late 80s but I still had to do a lot of research on political events and pop culture. I found that a lot went down in 1989: divestiture in apartheid South Africa, the Tiananmen Square protests, the Webster decision, the Iran-Contra scandal, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the savings and loan crisis, the growing AIDS epidemic, the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the premiere of Seinfeld. 

In a way, setting the book in 1989 was an itch I needed to scratch. That was the summer that changed everything for me. The Supreme Court’s Webster decision gave states the power to limit abortion access and opening the door for waiting periods, procedural bans, and state-scripted woman shaming. It marked the first time in 26 years that the court failed to affirm Roe v. Wade. It set up a system of Jim Crow for women. 

At the time I was volunteering as an abortion counselor at the Planned Parenthood affiliate in downtown Philadelphia. (This was before the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act.) I was already spending every Saturday pushing through hostile, screaming crowds to help my patients get in the building. Webster felt like a huge betrayal and the Republican Party with which I’m grown up didn’t put up much of a fuss. That was the point in which I changed parties and thought that maybe those of us who are not privileged white males need big government to guarantee our basic rights. 

My dad also died during the summer of 1989. Writing this book let me imagine the adult conversations with him that would have helped me make sense of the huge shifts in the political landscape in the late Eighties. 


Who created your book cover and what exactly inspired it?

I worked with a freelancer from Random House, Jessie Sayward Bright, who really listened to my ideas about my target audience and similar titles. It’s a total coincidence that the cover features all of my favorite colors. The skyline is Lincoln, Nebraska.


How did you come up with your characters' names?

This sounds strange, I know, but my characters came to me already named.


Who do you relate to the most in your characters and why?

While nothing in this book’s plot actually happened much of Quinn’s perspective is emotionally and politically true, I relate to her (and, therefore, also judge her). But I’m proud of her for making her way.


Your characters grow up a lot in your novel from being with each other and from experiencing many things in their lives. What would your advice be for teenagers who are Seth and Quinn's age, and faced with many important decisions?

Adolescence can feel so overwhelming. You never have another period in your life when you change so fast and learn so much. I think it’s important to connect now with a trusted adult. Then when you find yourself in doubt or in a hard situation later, you have someone to whom you can say, “Here’s what I need. Can you help me?” Unless they’re in crisis themselves, there’s a 99% chance they will help you—and will be incredibly flattered you asked.


Your novel is about many important subjects, such as politics, diseases and abortion. Why did you want to talk about these subjects? Do you think you could have dealt with them the same way if your story had been set in the present?

I have a couple of degrees in American history and my work background is in public policy, specifically women’s reproductive rights. I did write about what interests me. But ’89 Walls is also a response to the fact that so few YA books out there deal with politics or teen sexuality. I’m annoyed that the publishing industry underestimates the intelligence of teen readers so much. By default, they censor your books.

Young adult fiction is the fastest growing genre in publishing now. Yet very little of it discusses sex in a realistic way or abortion at all. Given that 2/3 of high school seniors report being sexually active, and that over a third of all women have at least one abortion, the lack of YA literature on the subject seems odd in a creepy, censored sort of way. And when abortion is depicted in YA, it’s almost always a trauma, a painful, heart-wrenching decision. 

I tried to write the kind of book that I’d want my own daughters to read; one that shows fun, safe sex in the context of a trusting, respectful relationship. There are plenty of YA books out there with sex scenes but very few showing female pleasure or a female orgasm. Is it me or is it totally sexist that writing these scenes is “controversial?”

I also wanted to show what the research proves is the much more common abortion experience: a young woman chooses her own future, has the abortion, and thinks, “Whew. Thank god that’s over.” She’s made stronger and happier by the self-affirming decision she’s made.

I was surprised to hear from agents and editors that “teens don’t care about politics.” That’s not what I observe of the Obama generation. While I have my gripes about social media (the way it makes you feel like you’re not living your life unless you’ve posted it online, for example) it’s an amazing political tool, too. Young people have enormous power and potential now to organize, contribute to the dialogue, and change the system. That’s pretty cool. 


What is your writing process? Do you have any funny habits?

I have a quote by Ernest Hemingway taped to my desk that says, “The first draft is always shit.” It’s so true. But Anne LaMott says go ahead and write that “shitty first draft.” So that’s what I do. My first drafts are painfully earnest and rambling. Revising is way more fun.

As a writer, I’m basically the most boring person you know: I write for two hours in the early morning. I do all of my writing in my office. My dog sits on the red sofa behind me all day and stares at my back. I put my daughters on the school bus. I work out at the YMCA at 9:00. I write for another two hours. I read a section of the Sunday New York Times while eating lunch. (It takes me a week to read the whole paper). Then I write for another two hours before ramping up for after-school craziness and the dinner hour. (Is it me or does literally everyone call my house at 4:00?) I work in my yoga pants and t-shirts, usually with my hair sticking up. 


What would be your best piece of advice for young writers?

Everyone feels like a fraud. Seriously. It’s not just you. When you call yourself a writer and act like one, you are one. There’s no coronation, but no one can take that piece of you away either.


What do you think is the definition of an author and when did you first consider yourself one?

I’ve heard others say that writing a novel is like opening a vein and letting it bleed. I agree. And then you have to get it published. If my long and detoured road to publication taught me anything, it’s that you only get to call yourself an author when you put on your big girl pants and act like one.


Digital copies of your novel were offered through NetGalley for review. Do you think this process helped with your novel's publication? What are your favorite and least favorite things about it?

NetGalley is a great service for authors, especially first-timers and indie authors like me. For a fee, they advertise your digital title to people who review books in your genre. It really helped with my marketing to get endorsements from librarians and book bloggers like you. Those early reviews helped me get on the radar of publications like Cosmo.com, Foreword and School Library Journal. My favorite thing about NetGalley is that the feedback belongs to me—it’s not for public consumption. I can’t think of a downside.


What is your all-time favorite quote?

“The secret to being boring is to say everything.” --Voltaire


If you could've only read one book in your life, which one do you wish it had been and why?

Persuasion by Jane Austen is my favorite. She builds a world that you can practically taste, and makes you privy to all those simmering feelings that no one admits to.


What's your favorite thing about writing?

The flexible schedule and being able to work from home. The downside is the isolation. I depend on my hip-hop class for my daily social life and “colleagues.”


Can you tell us about some of your current/future projects?

I'm toying with a memoir of my family's sabbatical year in London during the final year of the Bush administration. The working title is, Acting Canadian. I loved writing '89 Walls and read as much YA as I do adult fiction. I would love for another idea for a YA novel to drop in my lap. 

Thanks again for having me, Laurence. This was a fun interview!

'89 Walls - Katie Pearson

Goodreads summary:

College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS they both know will kill her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity.

Quinn’s finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite.

Seth and Quinn’s passionate new romance takes them both by surprise. They keep it a secret: it’s too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it’s 1989. As politics suddenly get personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs—and each other—in the clear light of day.


My review:

3.5/5

I have very mixed feelings towards this book. I could relate a lot to Quinn, yet sometimes I couldn't understand her at all. I thought the classes and the discussions were amazing and if there's one thing I learned from this book, it's that I love politics and that I would really enjoy being in a debate club - even if Quinn despised it.

However, I didn't really care about the characters' relationship. I can't really point out what is lacking in this book, but I couldn't get in the story at some times and it really felt like what it was: me, reading a book. I love to immerge myself completly in a storyline and care for the characters, but there's something about the way it's written that made it impossible for me. This is my main negative point about this book, because it was a recurrent one. Also, not everything made sense, in the way that some actions felt precipitated and unrealistic.

I still enjoyed reading this book, but I think there is some work to do related to the way actions are described.

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

I also did an interview with the author, which you can find here.

Interview: Tessa Elwood

Hello everyone! Recently, I interviewed Tessa Elwood, who wrote the amazing novel Inherit the Stars. If you haven't read my review yet, you can find it here. I highly recommend it! This interview is really fun and interesting - in fact, there's even a great coffee recipe - so keep on reading!

 

Hi Tessa! First of all, let me thank you for doing this interview. Your novel, Inherit the Stars, has charmed many readers so far and I'm convinced it'll keep doing so. Can you explain what it is about?

Amid a desperate energy crisis, a girl steals her sister’s place in an arranged marriage to save the life of her oldest sibling—upending a much needed political alliance. But then, she'd do about anything to save a sibling's life.


How did the idea come to you?

Via song. On a Netflix night, I saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? and heard Alison Krauss’ rendition of “Down to the River to Pray.” Everyone walking through the woods clothed in white, and in my head I saw a wedding. Soaring vocal chorus, marble and red petals. Wholly beautiful and everyone expectant…except the bride, who cried behind her veil.

Which got me thinking, what would an unwanted arranged marriage be like if the main parties didn’t hate each other? Or even particularly resent each other? They chose this with their eyes open, though it wasn't a cultural norm or what they or their parents had planned for them until the necessity hit. What would that look like? Might as well write and see.


Is this your first novel, or have you been writing for longer than that?

Nah, my first novel was full of pegasus‚ parallel worlds, close-knit spies, and nation states held together by duct tape and string.



When was the first time you actually called yourself a writer?

Only when philosophizing. “As a writer, I..." or “As writers we…” But even now, that’s the only time I tack the “r” on. Otherwise, it's “I write.”

I can't decide if the general hesitance behind artistic identifiers are a question of self-identity or simply what we hold intrinsic. Taken for granted. Like introducing one’s self as a daughter or son. Which is odd, thinking about it, as parents identifying as parents is very prevalent. Though that is something requiring definition—someone may or may not have a child, but they certainly someone else’s. Anyway, tangent.



Was your novel intended as a stand-alone or as part of a series?

Stand-alone. I like stand-alones. But I like serious, too—lord knows I ate up all the Discworld books and always snag the latest Mercy Thompson.


Who is your favorite character in your novel and why?

Asa! This was actually a recent midnight discussion with a friend. She said she often prefers the love interest over the lead in stories, so why shouldn’t that carry over to her cast/protagonist? And I’m like if the protagonist isn't your favorite, then swap them out for the person who *is*. Or at least, the person who fascinates you most, even if you hate their guts. I think that’d be interesting, writing about a character I couldn’t stand. But then, knowing me, I’d redeem them. Or get fed up and kill them off. You never know.

I love Asa's heart, and the way she pushes through fear. Every small step requires so much effort, so much courage she doesn’t feel. And yet she makes that effort. Every day. Sometimes every minute. That’s something.



If Asa were a part of our world, who would be her celebrity crush?

Actually…I don’t know? Good question though. I’m guessing, in films/media, Jennifer Lawrence or Shailene Woodley, for the strong parts they play. Asa would love to be that kick-ass.



In your novel, Asa's family takes a big part of her life and she would do anything for her sisters. Is that something that you value, too?

Yep. Loyalty is fundamental, the constant when the chaos hits. And family embodies that, or at least has the potential. But then, so can friendship—family doesn’t have to be defined by blood.


So far, what's the hardest thing you've been faced with while publishing your novel?

And this is where I smile and shrug.



Who are the authors that have inspired you with their work?

Just about everyone I’ve read. Even stories I dislike will get me thinking about something else. For ItS specifically, probably Georgette Heyer. I listened to a lot of Heyer when drafting. You can never hear too much Heyer.



If you could have lived in any fictional world, which one would it have been?

Oh that’s a hard one. I love the world of Garth Nix's Abhorsen, Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, and NK Jemisin’s Inheritance series, but I don’t know that I’d want to *live* there. Well, maybe in Old Man’s War. Or Discworld! Then, hmmm, maybe not.

If it could be any fictional world, maybe FF IX (the one no one remembers) or X. Or Enslaved (just ignore the ending and mind enslavement). Or Fable. (If I was running things, of course.) I really enjoyed cruising Infamous, but living there? Not so much.



Who would be your fictional best friend?

Oh, I have a list. Such a list.
Maya from The Goblin Emperor, or Sybella from Dark Triumph, or Sabriel, or Amelia Peabody from Crocodile on the Sandbank, or Sam Vimes from Discworld, or Moist, Susan, Death, Rat, Angua, or pretty much everybody from Discworld except the exceptionally insane. Currently, I may have a small crush on Bigby from The Wolf Among Us. Potentially. Just a bit.



Aside from writing novels, what are you passions and hobbies?

Games with good story and character development, or interesting mechanics. Running with audiobooks. Collecting podcasts (I have a list). Night sky photography (oh the milky way). Art fairs. The art institute students produce some amazing stuff.



I've heard that you're obsessed with coffee. Now tell us the truth: what's the best way to drink it? Do you have a special recipe or a favorite coffee shop?

Oh yes. Both. Very big on local as opposed to chains. If you’re not doing espresso, a pour over is definitely my favorite if ordering out (though usually I just get drip, as it’s less hassle). At home though, it’s french press all the way.

And if you want to get technical : the french press is a process that looks like a headache but is actually pretty easy/forgiving. The press itself is pricey, especially the stainless steel kind (what I recommend). Coffee grinders aren’t too bad, and any cheap one will do (though I wouldn’t go much cheaper than $20, as the super cheap ones are usable but irritating). And yes, you do need one. I ignored that big of advice for awhile because it seemed way too connoisseur, and was it really worth it to jack with the whole grinder thing? I mean, how much of a difference would it make?
A lot. Trust me.

— First, boil water. (I’m lazy and use an electric kettle.)
— Grind the beans while this is going on (I use 1/2 cup of beans, and I believe my press is a 36oz?), and dump into the press. Get local if you can, ones that don’t have that weird, shiny coat to them.
— Once the water boils, wait 30 seconds and then fill the press halfway.
— Set a timer for 4 minutes.
— After a minute has passed, stir down the beans (they’ll have bloomed) and finish filling the press with water.
— Once the timer is up, press down the filter and boom—coffee.



What's your favorite social media platform and where can we find you?

Tumblr by far, full of fascinating and/or fandom-y things (i.e. Dragon Age and art). http://feonua.tumblr.com/
I’m never *on* twitter, but my favorite artsy/non-fandom retumbles crosspost to @tessaelwood.



Can you tell us about your current projects and how your novel's publication is going?

Projects! Book 2 of Asa, of course. Mostly book 2. After that, I have a list. All scifi and a potential science fantasy. For book 1 pub stuff, it’s all done on my end and I'm in b2 world. Barring the zombie apocalypse, the first ItS will be out on Dec 8th.


Thank you for answering the questions! I'll wish you luck for your future projects.

Inherit the Stars - Tessa Elwood

Goodreads summary:

Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren's life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

Author Tessa Elwood's debut series is an epic romance at heart, set against a mine field of political machinations, space adventure, and deep-seeded family loyalties.



My review:

4.5/5

Fast-paced, intriguing and romantic. The perfect kind of book!

I loved everything from this novel: the characters, the world, the plot, the romance, etc. While there is in fact a lack of description concerning the world where this story is set, it is undeniably very interesting. There are many different planets and they can fly from one to another pretty much whenever they can, which sounds awesome. The story is quite surprising and kept me anxious to know what would happen next, which is why this could perfectly be read in a single sitting. Then there's the romance. I have found another OTP, that's for sure. It is SO. DAMN. CUTE. I swear. The way Asa loves her sister and would do anything for her family is also very touching, especially since most of the book is based around it. I liked how important family is in this novel, because sometimes we don't even get to know the main character's family in other books, which is thankfully not the case here. Really, this book is a perfect mix of sci-fi, action and romance, all in one.

The only thing I would've changed would be the end, because it felt really rushed and abrupt to me. I was seriously expecting a sequel when there were about two pages left, because I thought it would be impossible to conclude everything in such a small number of pages. Unfortunately, I was wrong and I'm not even sure there's a sequel planned. Let's hope 11:11 helps me with this situation, or I might die waiting for the sequel I will never have gotten - very sad.

Overall, this is a great novel. I can't wait for it to come out so everyone can read it and hopefully love it as much as I did. Also, fingers crossed for the cover, because it better be a good one!

(Inherit the Stars is out on December 8th, 2015. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

I did an interview with the author, Tessa Elwood. She's such a nice person! If you haven't read it yet, you can find it here.

GIVEAWAY!

I have an exciting announcement, everyone! Starting this moment, there will be a giveaway on my blog for all of you to enter. I highly recommend the novel I'm giving away, because I LOVED it. You can read my review here, if you haven't yet, on read the interview I did with the author here. Click on the cover image to get to the  novel's Goodreads page.

Here's how this will go: two print copies of Stay the Distance, by Mara Dabrishus, are available for free giveaway. To enter the contest, all you have to do is subscribe to my blog in any way you want, which you can do on the sidebar, and comment on this post with a question for the author. Horsey questions, racing questions, writing questions—whatever you want to know! Two winning questions will be randomly selected by Mara Dabrishus and answered on Tudor Robins’s blog on October 5th during the Horse Lovers Blog Tour, as well as receive a print copy of Stay the Distance. Remaining questions will be answered on Mara’s blog. Don’t worry, your question will be answered!

The contest is open to all countries. Please make sure to include your e-mail address with your question so winners can be contacted. Deadline is September 20 and both of the conditions to enter must be met for someone to be chosen as a winner. Only one entry per account.

Good luck to everyone!

Interview: Linda Ballou

Nothing pleases adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, more than seeing gorgeous country from the back of a good horse.  Her articles have appeared in Equus, Horse Illustrated and numerous travel magazines. Being a stowaway on a cross-country course in Ireland is detailed in her story Irish Mist which was included in the anthology Why We Ride with a forward by Jane Smiley.  She is also the author of Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, and Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i an historical novel that transport the reader to the Islands as they existed prior to missionary contact.  The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon which takes you from the show jumping arena to the high Sierra and back is her first “new adult” novel. I recently interviewed her and became very interested in her personal story, so keep on reading to discover what an amazing person she is! If you haven't yet, you can read my review here.

 

What inspired you to write The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon?

LB: I was crawling from my bed to the refrigerator on my knees for about six weeks due to extreme nerve pain when it occurred to me that I had to do something, or I was going to go crazy. I was told that I had to give up riding, give up my mare and that if I was lucky I wouldn’t have to have surgery on my back. Crying didn’t help much. Writing this story took my mind off my predicament and the tremendous sense of loss I was feeling. John Muir’s book My First Summer in the Sierra prompted me to take a couple of horse pack trips into the Eastern Sierra’s that imbued me a deep love and respect for nature. Many of the details in this story were collected on those journeys. I always wanted to return and trail solo in the high country, but had to let Gemcie do it for me. Writing Cowgirl was a big part of a healing process for me. I gave my mare to Hearts and Horses where she helped with handicapped children. When I was able to walk again, I went on to become a travel writer with a penchant for guest ranches and International riding treks. .


What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

LB: While I was writing Cowgirl I was reading On Writing by Steven King, considered by many to be the best book written on the subject. I didn’t realize until I reached the last chapters that he too was writing to distract himself from the tremendous pain he had to endure while his body healed from an accident. I didn’t know that he had been run over by a van and that he had extensive injuries that made my garden variety herniated disc seem like a cakewalk. Feeling connected to this great writer and his suffering helped me through this very difficult time. As for research, I was immersed in the riding world and had read just about every book written on riding technique, horse psychology. My first published article “The Art of Falling” appeared in Horse Illustrated. After that my byline turned up in Equus, and Western Horseman to name a few. I was doing three-day events at the time of my injury and my whole life revolved around the horse world.


How did you come up with the title?

LB: That’s funny you should ask. A girlfriend gave me a t-shirt with that tag over the picture of a cowgirl jumping over the moon on a starry night. It just stuck with me. I always loved the image and cut it out when it was time to toss the well-worn gift away. I wrote the first draft of this story many years ago and that little reminder was pressed inside the journal that contained the notes for the story that has it found its way to fruition.


Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

LB: The Mariposa equestrian facility in the story is modeled after what I observed in the celebrity-owned ranches nestled in Hidden Valley in Southern California. I was a groupie at horse shows trying to absorb the courage of the riders like Susan Hutchison, recently inducted into the 2015 National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. I so admired Susan’s riding skill and bravery that I kept her foremost in my mind while writing the riding scenes in the book. She is the protégé of the legendary trainer Jimmy Williams, who I was privileged to interview in 1993, not long before his passing. The character Billy is modeled after this authentic “horse whisperer,” who was a giant in the riding world.


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

LB: I actually have two authors that I admire. Tim Cahill, author of nine adventure travel collections, is my travel-writing hero. I went to his home in Livingston, Montana to interview him. The outcome of that conversation is in my book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales. Jack London, the master of adventure writing, said that desire incited struggle followed by action creates character arc. He wrote in a crisp, succinct manner that I love. In my piece Jack London and Me I talk about how my personal path and that of one of America’s finest writers have crossed. 


What book are you reading now?

LB: Mustang-The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West by Deane Stillman. This book provides a comprehensive history of the horse from the beginning of time to the present with focus on the wild herds of mustangs that still roam 10 western states in the U.S. I became interested in the plight of the herds that are being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management in response to ranchers whose cattle are competing with them for natural feed resources. It seems the answer is to exercise birth control in the herds. This is more humane than the slaughter house, but will eventually cause the wild horse to go extinct if it is effective.


What are your current projects?

LB: I am an adventure-travel writer with a host of articles on my site. I am anxious to get back to taking great trips and writing about them. In September I am spending time in St. Croix in the American Virgin Islands with Sharon Pohl who has invited me to test drive the Wellness Week for Equestrians she plans to offer. Sharon’s site www.Zealoushorses.com (in the pre-launch stage) will provide many exciting tips for horse lovers including a couple of my articles on horse treks I’ve taken.


What was the hardest part of writing your book?

LB: It was physically difficult because I had to write it standing up at my breakfast bar. Sciatic pain in my right leg would not allow me to sit for any length of time. Like a shark I couldn’t rest and had to keep moving. Deep emotions over the loss of what I cherished washed over me during the first raw draft. I needed to put the story away for many years. Still, I loved the characters and the environmental message delivered through Brady’s actions became more important to me over time. It took huge self-discipline for me to steal a nine-month chunk out of my life to focus on getting the story right, but I needed to finish what I had started. Reader response is making me feel that it was worth the effort. 


Have you ever hated something you wrote?

LB: No, but I wrote a story that everyone who read it hated. It was a short story about the controversial use of an anti-rape device. I thought my story leveled the playing field, but apparently it flattened it and offended readers male and female alike. I finally put it back in my drawer and will never share it again. However, in my mind it remains one of my best efforts.


Do you have any advice for other writers?

LB: Writers write. Builders build. Surgeons cut. If you say you are a writer then write. Keep notes of your stay on the planet. Journal about your experiences. Reflect upon what you see and try to capture the essence of it in words as a painter tries to capture it in colors and images. You will not remember the details that make a story vibrant. You have to write your impressions and feelings down as you go along. Then when you have time to organize your thoughts and know what it is you are trying to say you can go back to your notes and extract details that will enliven your work. Don’t wait to be a writer. Life go goes by too fast. Simply be a writer and see what happens.


Thank you for answering!



Adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, calls Topanga, California home. She shares Great Outdoor days in L.A, as well as a host of travel articles on her site, along with reviews of her books travel memoir, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, her historical novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i and her latest action-adventure novel The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon at-www.LindaBallouAuthor.com. Her quest today is to get to as many beautiful places as she can before they are gone. Subscribe to her blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com and receive updates on her books, and travel destinations.

Here's the book trailer for The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon:

The Cowgirl Jumped Over the Moon - Linda Ballou

Goodreads summary:

Gemcie and her Irish Hunter, Marshal, are about to capture the World Cup when a nasty fall dashes their chances. While she is mending, her arch rival seizes this opportunity to catch a ride on Marshal, and to seduce her young husband. Confused and dazed by her new circumstances, Gemcie heads for the high Sierras hoping the majestic spires that captured the heart of the father she never met will provide the answers she seeks. She finds strength and solace riding solo on the John Muir Trail, but a bear attack ends her time of introspection and places her in the care of a solitary cowboy manning a fire lookout. Brady, who seems to love animals more than people, shows her love and gives her the courage to get back in the saddle. Haunted by images of Marshal being abused by his owners, Gemcie returns to rescue him and fly high with him once more. Ballou’s prose gallops ahead at breakneck speed as she takes you along on this wild ride.


My review:

4/5

Horse-related books make me feel so alive... Especially when I'm away from my horses and I desperately want to ride them. This one was no exception and I truly enjoyed my time reading.

I found the beginning of the book rushed and hard to keep up with, which is why I feared it wouldn't be as good as I expected it to be. However, as soon as I started reading it again, the story hooked me and I couldn't stop reading. The landscape descriptions, the feelings of freedom, the calmness of the mountains... Everything made me relax and want to know what would happen next. I didn't expect the story to develop this way, but I'm glad it did, because I didn't experience once more the lack of interest I had at the beginning.

I loved how passionate Gemcie is. All she has ever known is a world of horses and her only hopes are to get to the World's Cup. I admired her for her courage and her determination and her love for Marshal reminded me of my own for my horse, making me wish I could've raised her, too. I wish Gemcie had realized how lucky she was to be supported that much by her mother, because it took her a lot of money and hard work to allow her daughter to pursue her dreams.

Part of the reason why I wasn't interested in the story at the beginning was the fact that I couldn't care less about Jorge, Gemcie's husband. Since the story begins when they're already married, I didn't get much details about their love, the only ones not really helping me believe they were right to marry so young. I was surprised to learn that Gemcie was already someone's wife, especially since I didn't think it was wise of her with all her dreams, so not believing in their love made it hard for me to be interested in the story.

I loved how realistic the story is and how much Gemcie grows from the beginning to the end, because everything that she went through changed her forever, and for the better. All of her friendships and relationships created during her hard times made me smile and happy for her. The story shows how hard it actually is to ride, which I know very well, and how much support from the people around you you need to get to such a high level of competition. I think even readers who don't ride would enjoy getting to know more about this sport, although it might be hard for them to understand all of the terms.

I would recommend this novel, especially to my horse lover friends here.

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

 

I also did an interview with the author, which you can read here.