Interview - Lisa Becker

About you and the books?

- You probably get this one a lot but, what made you decide to write a book that was told by emails rather than a 'straight' story?

Many years ago, I read a book called e by Matthew Beaumont which tells the story of a fictitious ad agency vying for a big account, with the story all told in emails.  I thought that narrative style would work really well for the story I wanted to tell about the online dating world.  It was a modern way of storytelling that fit the topic and the times. 

- Of all your characters in the world of Click, do you have a particular favourite to write?

But, my favorite character is Shelley.  She’s confident, brash, outrageous and wholly unapologetic for her choices.  She was so fun to write. 

 - Are any of the characters based on your real life friends or yourself, intentional or not?

I most readily identify with Renee.  She and I share a lot of qualities including a self-depreciating sense of humor, fear of flying, motivation in our PR careers and love of baking.  Mark is loosely based on a friend who encouraged me to try online dating.  He’s a terrific guy who is still himself searching for “the one.”   So if you know any nice single girls, let me know.  ;)  As for Shelley, her hilarious habit of giving nicknames to her “man du jour” was inspired by a childhood friend of mine who had a nickname for a guy in college that she admired from across the dorm cafeteria.  She called him Maverick because he looked like Tom Cruise in Top Gun.  Much like Shelley, she is a self-confident, gorgeous, lovely gal and it wasn't long before they met and dated for a spell. 

- How difficult was it to follow up "Click: An Online love story" considering the amazing reviews you had for the first book?

Let me stop blushing here for a moment!  I was so flattered by the response to Click and wanted to create a realistic portrayal of life moving forward to all of the characters.  I tried to be true to who they were but also have them advance in their lives.  We can’t have Shelley continue her escapades well into her 40’s…or can we?  ;)

 - "Click" was very much inspired by your own love story, how much of you is there in "Double Click" and what parallels could you make between your reality and the stories intersecting in the book?

While Click was inspired by my real life as well as stories from friends, Double Click was more of an organic growth of how I felt the characters would grow and mature.  After spending so much time bringing them to life in Click, it was somewhat easy and natural for them to continue to evolve through my fingertips. 

 - My favourite moment in Double Click was the Airport scene at the end. it really moved me because it touched a personal experience (will not go into detail as I don't want to spoil it for everyone else :p). What was the most emotional and involved part of the story for you to write?

The airport scene was certainly emotional for me as well.  I wanted to realistically portray what happens in our 30’s when friends’ lives take different courses and they start to grow up.  I’m so honored to know you found it to be noteworthy. 

 -What's next for you? Do you plan to write more about the adventures of Renee and her friends or something else?

A friend, after seeing the Double Click cover, said, “Can’t wait for part three, Right Click; the story of how Renee becomes a conservative and falls madly in love with a one percenter!"  While I don’t think Renee will become a member of the Tea Party anytime soon, I love the title.  Right Click is a slow-moving work in progress. 

-And if/when you do write something else, would you stick with writing a story by emails or would you try something new?

Right Click will continue the epistolary narrative.  I have another work in progress, which is more of a traditional format about a group of friends who visit Big Bear Lake for a long weekend. 

- Which author(s) would you say is your main inspiration, if any?

I don’t have a particular author that has influenced me.  I really enjoy Jennifer Weiner, Sophia Kinsella and others.  

Random questions

- What's your favourite colour?

Yellow!  It’s bright and sunny, which is how I try to live my life. 

 - Half empty or half full?

If there’s a margarita in there, it’s half empty.  Everything else, it’s half full. 

- If it were possible to visit any other planet you like, which would you choose?

Hmmm.  I have a major fear of flying, so I’m fairly certain space travel is out of the question for me.  That being said, I would probably choose Saturn because those rings sound pretty and I love jewellery.  ;)

- Tea or coffee?

Believe it or not, I’ve never had a cup of coffee.  I tried it once and didn’t like it, so I never tried it again.  I’m not a tea drinker either.  Sadly, I fell in love with chocolate after the first taste, and haven’t stopped.  Again, my thighs can attest to that, believe me.  So, I suppose a hot chocolate with a big dollop of whipped cream would be my go-to choice. 

- Do you have any tattoos?

If yes, what do you have?  No.  I have a strong aversion to pain, so being repeatedly (and voluntarily, I might add) stuck by a needle is NOT going to happen. 

- Can you lick your elbow?

No.  I just tried but sadly it was not possible. 

- Did you just try to lick your elbow before answering?

Ha!  As you can see from above, I did indeed try.  Thanks for the laugh and your continued support/enthusiasm.

Click: An online love story
Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

Double click
Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

About the author
Lisa Becker had endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story and Double Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for you!

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Love hurts blog tour: Easy and Reason to breath - Quick fire interviews

Tammara Webber

1. Favourite ice cream flavour? Cherry Garcia

2. Summer or Spring? Spring

3. Do you believe in Aliens? Maybe

4. What's your middle name? N/A

5. Your favourite author? Jane Austen

6. One place you would love to visit? London

7. Half empty or half full? Half full

8. What hobby do you have? Reading J

9. Your ultimate celebrity crush? Jude Law Robert Downey Jr. Ian Somerhalder 

10. The age you read your first book? 5

Easy

Jacqueline seems to have a knack for making the wrong choices. She followed her boyfriend to his choice of university, disregarding her preference. Then he dumped her. She chose a minor she thought she could combine with her music studies, but she's falling behind. And then, leaving a party alone one night, she is attacked. If it wasn't for the timely intervention of a stranger, she would have been raped. Now she must make a choice - give up and give in, or toughen up and fight on. Only the support of the man who is tutoring her and the allure of the guy who saved her from the attack convince her that it's worth fighting on. Will Jacqueline now have to make a choice between them too? And can she make the right decision? It's not easy...

Author bio
Tammara Webber is the author of New York Times and Amazon bestseller Easy and three novels in the Between the Lines series. Before becoming a full-time writer, she was an academic advisor at the University of Texas. Tammara lives in Texas with her husband and too many cats. She loves baby carrots and happily-ever-after endings.

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Rebecca Donovan

1. Favourite ice cream flavour? Milky Way

2. Summer or Spring? Summer

3. Do you believe in Aliens? Yes

4. What's your middle name? J

5. Your favourite author? Thomas Harris

6. One place you would love to visit? Greece

7. Half empty or half full? FULL

8. What hobby do you have? Attending Concerts - it may be more of an obsession

9. Your ultimate celebrity crush? Jared Leto

10. The age you read your first book? Five

Reason to breathe

A passionate love. A brutal betrayal. Unwavering hope.

An incredible novel that will leave readers breathless

and desperate for more.

In a town where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She's more concerned with feigning perfection, pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises. Emma doesn't want anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is.

When Emma unexpectedly finds love, it challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she's desperate to hide.

Author bio

USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Donovan has been a writer most of her life, but has just recently been deemed an author. Her debut novels, Reason to Breathe, and its sequel Barely Breathing, have resonated with readers around the world. Rebecca is currently working on the third and final instalment of The Breathing Series - Out of Breath. She lives in a small
town in Massachusetts, USA.

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UK appreciation month: Karen Mahoney - Interview

Please tell us a little bit about yourself?

-I was born in London and have lived in or near to the city all my life. I love everything about books and writing, am into very geeky things (I still read superhero comics, for example), and have a mild cat obsession. A typical writer, basically!

At what age did you write your first book?

-I don't know if you mean my first serious attempt or not... I wrote my first ever, EVER book when I was about 16. That was a very bad Star Wars rip off. And was only 50 pages long. Not sure it counts! :) My first attempt, much later on, to write a novel with the intention of trying to get it published came when I was about 33.

What was your inspiration for writing your book The Iron Witch?

-So many things! My interest in alchemy was one of them, along with a fascination with everything to do with faeries. But probably the biggest inspiration was a less well known fairytale called The Handless Maiden. It has lots of other names, depending on the country or culture you're looking at (The Girl with Silver Hands, The Armless Maiden, etc.). I wanted to think of a way to use the central image, and some of the themes, in a contemporary fantasy for young adults. That's where Donna's iron tattoos came from.

Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?

-The part that resonates most strongly for me is Donna's journey, throughout the whole trilogy: from a girl who is unsure of herself and trapped in a life she doesn't want, to a much stronger young woman growing into her power. That's something that came through in my latest book, too, Falling to ash. The main character, Moth (an 18-year-old vampire), is forced into this terrifying life of Otherness and has to learn to figure out how to survive - and hopefully, one day, escape.

How can our followers connect with you?

-My website: http:www.kazmahoney.com
 Email: writerkaz@gmail.com
 Twitter (which is my favourite place!): @kazmahoney

UK related Questions:

Where’s your favourite place?

-London!

What’s your favourite thing about living here?

-The NHS. Seriously. Although I'd love to move to Boston (it's one of those dreams you know you'll never really live out in real life), I know too many people in the US who suffer through lack of affordable healthcare. We're very lucky here. Things are far from perfect, but we'd miss the NHS if it went anywhere.

Is there one place you would like to visit, that you haven’t yet?

-Japan. Oh! You mean in the UK. ;) I've never been to Edinburgh, which is shameful. I should go there!

Do you have a favourite British band?

-Florence and the Machine.

Do you have a favourite British movie?

-Casino Royale.

Do you have a favourite British actor/actress?

-It's a tie between Naveen Andrews and David Tennant for favourite actor. Dame Judi Dench for actress.

When you think of Britian, what’s the first thing you think of?

-Diversity.

Which place in Britain would you most like to live other than where they do live?

-Brighton. My second favourite place after London.

The iron witch

When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood's father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy--the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane. But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin--even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect.

Author bio
In my varied career I've been a professional Tarot reader, a college counsellor, a dating agency consultant and a bookseller. Ever since I was six years old what I really wanted to be was Wonder Woman, but have instead settled for being a writer which is the best job of all!

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UK appreciation month: Cornelia Funke - Interview

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

-Mother, Storyteller, dog owner, chocolate and Dr Who addict, resident of Los Angeles and London, 53 years old, born in Germany.

At what age did you write your first book?

-28, quite old

What was your inspiration for writing your book(s)?

-I wrote my very first book because I was a very bored illustrator and longed to illustrate a story with dragons. So of course one became the hero of my very first book. It took me another three books though to realize that I actually love writing even more than illustrating.
As for my most recently published book Ghostknight Salisbury Cathedral was the inspiration and a dead knight who was buried there.

Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?

-It was a very special writing adventure to base this story on real places and historical characters and to imagine my readers to visit them and experience their magic. Ghostknight is also especially close to my heart because I have been obsessed with knights since I read The Once and Future King which is to this day my favourite book in the world.

How can our followers find you?

-On my website corneliafunke.com, and on Facebook, where I regularly post and answer comments on the RECKLESS pages launched by my British and German publishers.

UK related questions

Where’s your favourite place?

-The Cathedral Close in Salisbury and the Scottish Highlands.

What’s your favourite thing about living here?

-I live in London only part of the year, as my daughter Anna studies at UCL, but England means for me the perfect balance to my other life in Los Angeles. I find everything I miss about Europe here, the rich layers of history, that though I was born in Germany, feel like my history and cultural background. I always loved British literature, British history and the way,  you can laugh at yourselves and nevertheless take all the important questions of life and human existence very serious.

Is there one place you would like to visit, that you haven’t yet?

-Oh, there are so many. I have been to Wales only once to do an event at the Hay Festival and would love to see more of it. I would like to visit Skye and the other Western Scottish islands. I haven’t been to Yorkshire yet and and and….there are not many places in the world that tempt me so much to explore :)

Do you have a favourite British band?

-I used to love the Fine Young Cannibals but that’s a looong time ago. I love Adele, but almost everyone does, but otherwise I listen to Henry Purcell, when I listen to British music :)

Do you have a favourite British movie?

-I am completely obsessed with Dr Who.

Do you have a favourite British actor/actress?

-David Tennant.

When you think of Britain, what’s the first thing you think of?

-The landscapes, the feeling that the island is still enchanted :)

Which place in Britain would you most like to live, other than where you do live?

-I am looking for a house near Bath, Shaftesbury or Salisbury at the moment, to live my British country side dream and one day realize a cultural center for children.

What’s your favourite British saying?

-I am the Doctor. Trust me.

Ghost knight

Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft never expected to enjoy boarding school. But then he never expected to be confronted by a pack of vengeful ghosts, or become a modern-day chapter in an ancient feud either.

And then he meets Ella, a quirky new friend with a taste for adventure...

Together, Jon and Ella must work to uncover the secrets of a centuries-old murder, while being haunted by ghosts intent on revenge.

So when Jon summons the ghost of the late knight Longspee for his protection, there's just one question - can Longspee really be trusted?

Author bio
Cornelia Funke is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inkheart trilogy (Chicken House), Reckless and a whole host of popular children's novels and picture books. She has sold over 10 million books worldwide, with over 7 million of those books in the English language. Born in 1958 in the German town of Dorsten, Cornelia initially worked as an illustrator but soon began writing her own stories. Cornelia lives with her family in LA in a house full of books.

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Be sure to check out Book passion for life today for a guest post and giveaway from Stephanie Burgis, author of Kat, incorrigible.

UK appreciation month: Catherine fisher - Interview

Please tell us a little bit about yourself?

-I like woods and walking and reading and drawing and that's about it really.

At what age did you write your first book?

-At about 19 0r 20, I was still in college. But that was never published- it was a pretty poor effort.

What was your inspiration for writing your book(s)?

-Other writers I admired such as Alan Garner, Tolkien, Stevenson etc. I wanted to produce work like theirs.

Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?

-Which story? I feel both close and distant to stories. Close when I am writing them but then they become rather like someone else's work when they are finished.

How can our followers connect with you?

-By using the q and a page on my website if they want to ask questions.

UK related Questions:

Where’s your favourite place?

-Wales, particularly Gwent where I live. It has coast and mountains and valleys and forests all very close to each other.

What’s your favourite thing about living here?

-The sea is very close to everywhere in Britain. And I love the sea.

Is there one place you would like to visit, that you haven’t yet?

-In the UK, probably Cambridge. In Europe, certainly Venice.

Do you have a favourite British band?

-Of all time, Led Zeppelin.

Do you have a favourite British movie?

-I'm not that good on films, sorry.

Do you have a favourite British actor/actress?

-Lots but top would be Ian McKellan who I have seen many times in the theatre and who is always excellent.

When you think of Britain, what’s the first thing you think of?

-I don't think of it, really. Again, probably the sea.

Which place in Britain would you most like to live other than where they do live?

-On the Marlborough Downs, somewhere near Avebury.

What's your favourite British saying? 

-In Wales when it's really wet we say Mae hi'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn.....it's raining old women with sticks... I like that image.

Obsidian mirror

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

Author bio

Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.

Blog tour: The color of Grace - Character interview

Quickie interview.

What was the first thought that ran through your mind the first time you spotted Grace?

 -Well, after that blank-brain moment where you can't think much past "wow," I was pretty like "I'm in big trouble now" because I had this sense she was the one, you know.

 What is it about architecture you find so interesting?

 -Have you ever seen that movie, Mean Girls, where Lindsay Lohan is asked why she likes math and she answers, "because it's the same in every language"? Architecutre is kind of the same for me, except without the girly Lindsay vibe she put into the sentiment. I like how you could be anywhere in the world and still see something familiar, like the pyramids, or the Eiffel tower, The Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, or Stonehenge.  I think it would be amazing if I could create something that could be known worldwide and throughout the ages.

What ran through your mind the night Grace showed up at your window?

-Midnight booty call?  No, no, I know she's not like that.  But the guy in me had to admit I did hope for a second there.  Then I saw her shivering without her coat and I just knew something was wrong...and no matter what it was, I would fix it.

Do you think you'll ever make up with Todd?

-Who?  Joking!  Actually, I still talk to him occassionally. I even thanked him for stabbing me in the back because in the end, everything ended up a lot better for me than it did for him. But we'll never be besties or anything. 

What do you see for the future with you and Grace?

-How does that one song go?  **Hums "Going to the Chapel..."** What can I say, when I meet the one, she is the one!

Ryder’s Character Profile

Name:  Ryder Yates

Age: Senior at Southeast High School

Height: “six feet even” --According to the basketball roster.

Hair color: “Silky-straight, sandy-colored hair…with the shaggy bangs pushed to the side just far enough to see out from under them.” --Grace

Eye color: “He had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen, a pale, sparkly, jewel-kind of green, like the birthstone for August. Peridot. Yeah, he had peridot green eyes.”  --Grace

Dating Status: “He had a girlfriend.” --Grace

Distinguishing traits: “A scratch ran across his knuckles from his pinkie to his middle finger. The thumbnail had a bruise under it, as if he might’ve hit it with a hammer. They were one hundred percent boy hands. Nothing girly or feminine about them.” --Grace

Likes:  “Architecture.” --Ryder

Personality: “I think he’s totally blind to social status. In fact, I bet he’d befriend just about anyone. But that group leaches off him and clusters around him so tight he really doesn’t have a chance to see the rest of us through the trees.” --Alaina

Catch phrase: “I don’t know. Read it somewhere, I guess.” --Ryder

Best line: “You’re the type I want to be my last. You know...the settle down and marry sort. If you’re my first, then I won’t get to—I don’t know—sow any wild oats or anything.” --Ryder

Why should he get the girl? “I think it has something to do with my big green eyes.”  --Ryder

The color of Grace by Linda Kage

Check out my 4* review

Meet sixteen-year-old Grace Indigo:
Hey. When my mother remarried after thirteen years of being a widow, I had to move to a new town and enroll in a new school. Suddenly thrust into an entirely different kind of life, I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to meet new people, didn’t want to leave my old friends, didn’t want to become a third wheel to my mom and her husband...and I really didn’t want to see Ryder Yates again. Ugh, I still don’t know why I turned down that too-good-to-be-true boy who flirted with me when we were attending separate schools.

But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was worse.

Who knew becoming lost in a new life could help a girl find her true colors?

Interview - Janet Edwards

Hi Janet, first off I just want to say it is so totally zan to have you on the blog today!

About the book

-Earth girl is set in the year 2788, is there a particular reason you chose this date or was it picked at random?

It didn’t have to be exactly 2788, but it did have to be somewhere near that year. A lot of events have happened between our time and the time Jarra is living in. Once I worked out my future timeline, it put me near the end of the 28th century.

-It’s established very early on that in the setting of Earth girl humanity has become a lot more technologically advanced, is this how you see our future in the real world?

Technology should be far more advanced by the 28th century, but they had the collapse after Exodus century. It should be possible to have their medical science. I’d love portals too, but they’re a lot more difficult.

-Jarra is such a great character, I loved her no nonsense attitude, is she based on yourself or anyone you know?

I never base characters on real people, so Jarra only exists in the 28th century. I’d been thinking through the future world and society for about a year, wondering how to make a story from it, when Jarra came from nowhere. She didn’t just have a chip on her shoulder, she had an entire forest, and she had plans! 

-Since the invention of the portals humans have gone on to colonise a whole lot of new planets and are still going, how many do you think they’ll decide is enough before their resources are stretched too thin?

Humanity overdid the expansion in Exodus century, and civilisation nearly fell apart. In the 28th century they have an official sustainable growth plan that limits the number of new colony worlds being settled to a certain percentage of the number of established worlds. They have about two hundred inhabited worlds in each of five sectors, they’re already working on the sixth sector, and plan to colonise four more sectors over the next two centuries. I don’t think they’ll stop until they get into trouble again. 

-It’s hard not to notice that all the planets are named after characters in mythology, I’m wondering, are these colonised planets in their constellation counterparts?

No it’s far less organised than that. The first colony world was called Adonis almost by chance. Some politician tried to get the next world named after him, so they hurriedly made a rule that worlds had to have names from mythology. They just think of a random name and check it hasn’t already been used. There is the occasional world name that breaks the rules, like Winter and Academy, but those weren’t intended to be colony worlds.

About you

-In relation to the previous question, are you a fan of mythology? I love the Greek tales myself :)

There were several years when I read a lot of mythology. Especially Greek and Roman of course.

-Jarra has a real love of history, are you a history buff yourself?

I didn’t study history, but I’ve always been interested in it. Jarra’s history lecturer would strongly disapprove of me, because I concentrate on my favourite periods of history and ignore all the boring bits.

-Earth is a pretty sweet place to live but I could also see myself as a nice Deltan girl, how about you?

That’s a difficult question. There are some amazing places in Jarra’s future Earth that feature in the later books, and I’d love to be one of the archaeologists exploring them. If I had to choose a sector, then I’m tempted by Beta sector if I could be in the right clan. Jarra is an Earth girl, and knows very little about Beta sector in book 1. Her two Betan classmates are from a very disreputable pseudo clan, so aren’t helping her discover the true Betan culture. She learns more about that later.

-When you’re not writing, what kinds of books do you like to read?

The obvious areas of SF, fantasy and young adult, but also historical fiction, comedy and classic detective stories.

-Did you always know you wanted to become a writer when you grew up?

I always loved books. I didn’t want to be a writer as a child, because it seemed far too impossible a dream. I’m still having a few problems believing that my book is being published.

Random

-Are there any TV actors you think have nice legs?

I think my current vote goes to Ian Somerhalder

-What’s your favourite dessert?

Anything with chocolate.

-If a tree falls in the woods and there’s no one around, does it still make a sound?

Yes, it says aaargh!

-Coca cola or Pepsi?

It’s Monday so Pepsi

-And last of all, are you a Bookaholic?

I’ve just been calculating the total length of bookshelves. Does 200 feet of books qualify me as a Bookaholic? Probably!

Thanks so much for chatting with us today!

Janet Edwards grew up in prosaic England, but also shared the lives of amazing people in fantastic worlds. She explored the past, the future, the paranormal, the alternate Earths, and the worlds beyond the fields we know or hidden in the shadows of our own reality. Her guides were books written by authors, some still famous and some already forgotten. Those authors have hundreds of individual names, but they have one title in common. They were all Expert Dreamers.

After growing bored with work involving tedious technical facts, Janet made a break for freedom through a magical wardrobe and is now training as an Apprentice Dreamer. She has a husband, a son, a lot of books, and an aversion to housework.

Chat to Janet Edwards on Twitter. She is also on Facebook.

Earth girl - Check out my review here.

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?

This is YA science fiction with a smart, feisty heroine, incredible world-building and plenty of wit. Earth Girl is set in a distant future where humanity has learned how to portal off-world and explore other parts of the universe… except for those unfortunate few whose immune system can’t handle living anywhere else but Earth. Jarra is one of those few, but she’s determined to prove that just because she’s confined to the planet, doesn’t mean she can’t reach for the stars.

Quickie interview: Victoria Fox

Victoria Fox bio.

By day I live in London. By night I relax in my fantasy LA mansion, sipping Krug in a Jacuzzi and watching a bare-chested man clean out my pool.
I was born in 1983, went to boarding school in my teens and studied English at university. While there, I wrote my first (unpublished) bonkbuster: The Hardest Part. It had lots of sex in it and not a great deal else. Suffice to say that after a rambunctious beginning it was over disappointingly quickly.
Despite this, the genre never lost its sheen. I want to write bonkbusters with swagger; rude, racy and irreverent reads that reignite the glory days of Collins and Cooper. Plenty of sex, bags of scandal and a host of outrageous players who keep us up long after lights-out.
A long-time admirer of Jackie Collins, I often wondered what life would be like as a bonkbuster author. After working in publishing for a few years, I decided to quit and find out – and I haven’t looked back since...
My debut novel, Hollywood Sinners was described by Closer as "a heady mix of corruption, glamour, lust and power". My second full length novel Temptation Island is published in June 2012.

Temptation island

Check out my review.

Welcome to Paradise. Only the rich are invited...only the strongest survive. But is it heaven on earth or a devil s playground? Fame. Money. Success. Lori wants them Aurora is being destroyed by them, and Stevie s got them at her best friends expense. These three women are all drawn unwittingly to the shores of Temptation Island, all looking for their own truth. But they discover a secret so shocking there s no turning back. It s wicked, it s sensational. Are you ready to be told? The island promises the one thing money can t buy - but the glittering waters drown dark secrets... The price is devastating.

Interview

What made you decide to write Temptation Island from the perspective of three characters instead of one and why did you choose Lori, Aurora and Stevie?

 -The bonkbusters I loved reading in my teens had lots of characters and plotlines going on simultaneously - it helps to keeps the pace up and deliver the thrills and spills chapter after chapter. Having three women to root for means there's someone for every girl to identify with, and I love how in a great bonkbuster all the strands collide explosively at the end. Plus I have so many stories to tell that one heroine just wouldn't be enough! Aurora came first because I wanted to write about the life of a Hollywood starlet, then Lori as an exotic Spanish beauty and Stevie for the more grounded UK factor. I think they make a good mix.

Each girl becomes, or is, famous in her own way, was it fun to write their glitzy lifestyles?

 -It was masses of fun. Every time I wrote Aurora she just leapt off the page, so by the end of the book I wasn't sure who'd told the story - her or me! I love imagining these crazy celeb lifestyles, both from the perspective of someone who's never known anything different and someone coming in from the outside. How do they deal with the trappings of fame? Temptation Island explores the idea that it's not always an easy ride, no matter how much money or notoriety a person has. In a bonkbuster your imagination can run totally wild and anything can go on the page, so I like to go full-throttle - it's what I find so fun and liberating about writing them.

Were any of the characters based on anyone you know in real life or even on yourself?

-There'll always be a part of every author, however small, that goes into the books they write - but I shan't tell you mine! My plots are based on the hidden lives of mega-celebrities, and what might go on behind closed doors once the cameras are out of sight. I couldn't say which ones appear in Temptation Island because I'd wind up at the centre of a libel suit, but you might recognise a few if you keep up with the gossip. Let's just say that truth is often stranger than fiction . . .

I know there are already some short stories but do you think you'd write a sequel to Temptation Island, or will you leave it how it is?

-I think there's definitely scope for a sequel and I might revisit the island in future: JB and Lori certainly have unfinished business. My three shorts, Rivals, Pride and Ambition, lead up to the novel so there's every reason I'd continue on the other side. 

If you had to pick a soundtrack for the book, which song do you think fits it?

-Nice question! Song: Katy Perry, 'California Gurls'. Album: Grace Jones' Island Life

Thanks Victoria for visiting the blog today! 

Temptation island - Review

Temptation island by Victoria Fox
Available now.
www.mira.co.uk

What's it about?
Welcome to Paradise. Only the rich are invited...only the strongest survive. But is it heaven on earth or a devil s playground? Fame. Money. Success. Lori wants them Aurora is being destroyed by them, and Stevie s got them at her best friends expense. These three women are all drawn unwittingly to the shores of Temptation Island, all looking for their own truth. But they discover a secret so shocking there s no turning back. It s wicked, it s sensational. Are you ready to be told? The island promises the one thing money can t buy - but the glittering waters drown dark secrets... The price is devastating.

My review

I have to say, when I agreed to reviewing this book I hadn't realised it was 600+ pages! I think it would've been a great beach read had it not been so long. As it's told from three points of view over a span of three years, it's more like three books in one. It starts with a young boy finding a body on the beach, then goes back to tell the three girls stories and the mystery unravels until we're back to the end to find out who the body was and how they got there.
To be honest, this book was so long, by 400 pages I'd lost some interest in finding out the mystery involving the body and all the other scandals that play out, I didn't find it completely gripping but it had it's moments.
Of the three girls Aurora was my favourite, she truly goes on a journey throughout the book and learns a lot about herself which was interesting to watch/read, I was of course hoping she'd come out the other side more mature and a better person, but I won't tell you if that happens!
Stevie and Lori were nice enough but they just didn't catch my attention like Aurora did, maybe my own rebellious past sparked a kinship with her lol.
It was written well enough and wouldn't put me off trying more books by the author in the future, she did a great job of wrapping all three stories up together. I think I'd have liked it a lot more if it had been shorter or maybe split into two books but I did like it.

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Blog tour: Saving June - Review and quickie interview

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Available now.
www.miraink.co.uk

What's it about?

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split...more‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.
When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.
Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.
Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

My review

I don't think I loved this book as much as others did, but I did enjoy it. Harpers journey was a fun one to travel with her but it was also sad to and the author did did a good job of capturing and balancing the emotions of the book, so even though there were fun moments, I didn't forget the reason why she was travelling to California.

Even though we don't actually meet her in the book, I felt like I knew June by the end, although I'm not quite sure I grasped why she commited suicide.

I felt the book was really well written and the road trip a fun one, even though it had a sad end, I enjoyed seeing how they went off the path of their journey when things came up and looked forward to seeing what they're next venture would be.

Watching Harper dealing with the grief of losing her sister and trying to understand and accept why she did it was also really emotional, Harper really grows up through the book and is also a great friend to Laney, who comes along on the journey. I also enjoyed the slow romance and was, of course, willing her and Jake to get together!

All in all, Saving June was an enjoyable book and I would recommend it.

My thoughts on the cover

This a nice cover and red is always a striking colour, I like how the girls face is half covered like she's keeping a secret.

Favourite quotes

'So I'm going to do this. I am going to go toCalifornia and spread June's ashes in the pacific like she would have wanted, like she deserves, and that is it.'

'One of his hands falls across the inside of my knee. I turn my head to see his face, hovering inches from mine. His expression is so open and understanding and sympathetic that my throat closes up just looking at it.'

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Quickie interview

Though Saving June is about a fun road trip there's the sad side of Harper’s sister passing away that spurs the road trip, were the emotions difficult to write?

Finding the emotional balance was tricky at times! I didn’t want everything to be depressing doom and gloom from start to finish, but it also couldn’t be about all these wacky light-hearted shenanigans either. Some of the more angsty, dark bits were difficult to write, just trying to get into that kind of head space and make it believable

There's a playlist in the back of the book, are these songs that came to you as you were writing the scenes or did you think of them before?

Most of the songs were ones I’d known and loved before writing the story, a few I discovered while I was writing, and all of them I listened to on while I was writing, for sure! So each one inspired me at least a little bit.

What types of books do you usually read yourself?

I love contemporary YA, such as anything by Courtney Summers or Sarah Dessen. I’m also a fan of memoirs; the last ones I read were Bossypants by Tina Fey and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.

 And lastly, are you a bookaholic?

Absolutely! I live to read. :)