Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal {Excerpt & Donation]

Title: Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal
Author: Various Authors
Publish Date: December 8th, 2011 ; Robert Playground.com
Synopsis:

Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories.

Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you.

Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction.

This is a collection of short stories written by many Young Adult authors. One of the lovely authors, Rita J Webb, contacted me and asked if I could spread the word. This book is something I wanted to check out anyway, so I was honored to do so.
To add to my interest in the book, I learned that for the month of Febraury, 50% of net sales for purchasing this book will go to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to support the care and treatment of children with cancer. I have not lost someone to cancer yet, but I get sadden at the fact that so many young children have been diagnosed with cancer, and a lot didn't survive it.
Robot Playground Inc will donate a minimum of $30 from the sales to St. Jude.

Taken from Rita J Webb's blog.

The Benefit on the Lives of Others:

• $30 can help provide a St. Jude family with meals for one day. 

• $100 can help provide one pair of pediatric crutches. 

• $140 can help provide two platelet count tests. 

• $500 can help provide two transfusion units of red blood cells. 

• $1,000 can help provide two days of oxygen. 

• $1,500 can help provide a day of chemotherapy. 

• $4,000 can help provide a day of outpatient care.

One small sale could help change a life(:

Here is where you can purchase it from:

Purchase Information:

Paperback: $10.99 

Kindle: $2.99 

Nook: $2.99

And as mentioned in the title, here is a excerpt from the novel. 

Excerpt from “Feather”

By Rita J Webb

The morning air chills my bare arms and legs. Stars smile down on me, though I frown back at them. Who wakes before dawn to travel into the wilderness to find a crazy spirit guide? Idiots, that’s who.

Dressed in shorts, tank top, and hardy boots, I stand alone. Maybe I should have done this when I was thirteen like everyone else—maybe I would have enjoyed it—but Grandma had been sick that year. I refused to leave her.

With white braids and a crinkled face, Dirty Face steps out of his teepee. I roll my eyes. Yeah, a teepee. He keeps it around for tourists. Like the rest of us, he lives in manufactured housing with thin windows and doors and no insulation.

When I’m old enough, I’ll leave this hole. I refuse to live in poverty for the rest of my life.

He carries a bowl of white paint. Dipping his finger in the bowl, he chants a prayer then streaks my forehead and cheeks. A weight settles over my shoulders, and fear clenches my throat.

“Come.” Facing the forest, he trudges forward.

I follow, my skin prickling as if a pack of wolves lurk in the shadows, watching me. The deer path winds ahead of me, leading me away from civilization and up into the mountains. Whatever is expected of me on this journey is a hazy idea. Stories of native boys and girls finding their spirit guides race through my mind, but they’re only stories of people who have no bearing on who I am.

The sun tinges the sky a golden red, and as it climbs high above me, the heat beating down on me reminds me that this is July. Sweat burns my eyes, and my hair slips into my face every time I lean forward. This must be why my ancestors wore their hair in braids and wrapped headbands around their foreheads.

Dirty Face’s long strides carry him around the bend, leaving me alone on the path. Stopping to rest on a rock, I pull bands from my pack and braid my hair, laughing at myself. My grandmother would be so pleased to see this.

A rustle of wings and a hawk feather drifts down to me. Snatching it from the air, I look up into the trees, but nothing’s there. So I tuck the feather into my hair.

“What are you doing?”

My stomach leaps into my throat, and I jump up, stumbling backward, and fall on my butt in the middle of the path. In the tree above me, a teenage boy perches on a branch. He’s dressed in traditional deerskin breeches, a talon necklace around his neck, but rather than moccasins, his feet are bare. He is shirtless, and lean muscles cord his body.

His intense eyes capture my attention. They’re like golden fathomless pools. I could get lost in them.

“Don’t your feet get hurt, walking barefoot on the forest floor?” I ask.

“I rarely walk.” He drops down in front of me. His face is so close that I take a step back and thump into a tree. He leans toward me and sniffs. “You smell different. What are you?”

“I’m a girl.” I can’t take my gaze from his.

“No, humans stink. You smell…” He sniffs my hair and grins. “You smell good.”

“Is there a reason that you’re invading my space? I have somewhere to be.” My voice cracks.

He tugs one of my braids and winks at me. My pulse quickens, and my breath catches in my throat. His eyes study me with intensity, and he leans closer. Is he going to kiss me?

“I don’t know what’s up with you, but I don’t like it.”

“You have a feather in your hair. A hawk’s feather.”

My hand flies to the feather tucked into my hair. “So?”

“Nothing.” He shrugs, but a secretive smile spreads across his face.

I push past him and shoulder my pack. Without looking back, I tromp away. The skin on my back pricks as he laughs. I know he’s watching me, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of glancing behind me. I won’t.

“Be careful. There are hunters in the forest,” he calls after me.

I peek over my shoulder, but he’s not there.

Dirty Face waits around the bend, leaning on a walking stick. Silent and steady, he stares out at the trees, his breath deep. I inhale too, taking in the forest smells.

His gaze falls on me. “The road you will travel will take you many places far from here. The reservation cannot keep you safe forever. Pay attention; we must equip you for what comes next.”

A cold breath creeps up my spine, and I shrug it off. Not the usual speech of understanding our past and living in communion with the earth. Maybe he sampled too much booze, and it rotted his brain.

“We need to keep moving. I must take you up the mountain before night fall.” Dirty Face leads me up a steep path. My legs burn until I think I will melt into a puddle of goo, but still we climb, one painful step after another. My feet ache from hiking in worn-out tennis shoes, and my blisters have blisters.

Stepping out on the ridge, I gaze out on my home. Once upon a time, my people ran free through this countryside. Now we cringe from the world, hoping we can remain true to our heritage.

“Here you will meditate.” He sits a few paces away and closes his eyes. The mumble of prayers drifts on the air.

With a sigh, I drop my pack and sit by the cliff’s edge. My eyes closed, I pretend to meditate. What am I even supposed to do? Wait for a spirit guide to show up. If only I could at least do something…

I wonder what his name is—the boy on the trail. I bet his lips are soft.

Teaser Tuesday - {10th]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

■Grab your current read 

■Open to a random page 

■Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page {I often use more!}

■BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

■Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

His smile is laced with dynamite. "Go to sleep." "Go to hell." He works his jaw. Walks to the door. "I'm working on it."  

New Girl by Paige Harbison {26th]

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Pages: 304
Format: eBook/ eARC
Publish Date: January 31st, 2012 ; HarlequinTeen
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back

I didn't figure this out until I read a review from someone else, but this is a retelling of another story. The other novel was called Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I had no idea! But, that didn't effect my feelings about this book. Paige Harbison is a wonderful author with a writing style that made me not want to tear away from the book.

New Girl is about a girl who gets transferred to Manderly Academy for her senior year. She had wanted to go there when she was younger, but kept getting rejected. So once she did, she couldn't burst her parents' bubble and say she didn't want to attend. By going to Manderly, it meant she would have to leave her home state, leave her friends and family, and start somewhere completely new. For a girl who was born and raised in Florida, going to New Hampshire must of been a huge change. At first, she believed everything would be okay. Nothing was okay once she arrived at the school. It just so happened that the only reason she got the spot at Manderly was because a girl had gone missing. She, Becca, was a star at the school. Miss Popularity. So, of course, her disappearance wasn't something that went away. Everybody believed she was still there, just waiting for the perfect time to pop out. That didn't make up for the fact that her roommate (Dana) was a major pain in the butt; always yelling and saying how Becca would be back soon.

I enjoyed the way Paige Harbison portrayed the characters.  Dana. Becca. Max. Johnny. The-Girl-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Until-The-Very-End. Yes, I mean that. I didn't notice that the main girl's name wasn't mentioned until the complete end when someone said it. I had a blank look on my face, because it took me that long to figure out I hadn't heard her name mentioned before. I really did like that touch Paige Harbison threw in. As well as the alternating point-of-views. The main girl's persepctive and then from Becca's. Becca's point-of-view was in the past, from when she was at Manderly and how she made a difference. But, Becca was just a little bit psycho, so that was interesting to read about.

All in all, this was a very good read. I didn't know what to expect. I thought it'd be a cheesy boarding school story, but it wasn't just about that. I recommend this story to anybody that enjoys retellings and mysteries(:

We could be as dead as anyone who'd lived to be a hundred or as someone who was given a lethal injection. Our lives could be over at any moment. We were not invincible. I think that was a new one. We all knew it of course, but we never really felt it. And as we were all getting ready to end out high school lives and begin our new ones, I realized that these were thoughts worth remembering.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent {25th]

Title: My Soul to Take
Author: Rachel Vincent
Pages: 279
Format: Paperback
Publish Date: August 1st, 2009 ; Harlequin
Source: Giveaway
Synopsis:

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Rachel Vincent is a work of magic. Her writing is literally addictive. I couldn't put the book down! I'm new to her work, so I didn't know what to expect. This is a very hyped series, and everyone loves it. It made me scared that I'd be one of the few that don't really like it. But, thank goodness, I'm on the side of every other Kaylee and Nash lover.

My Soul to Take starts off with Kaylee and her best friend Emma entering a club. Yes, they are underage. Only way they are able to get in is because Emma sister is a bartender. Emma is a pretty and popular girl, whereas Kaylee is more of the opposite. So when Nash Hudson, one of the handsomest guys at her school, starts talking to her at the club, Kaylee is very surprised. Of course, she engages into their conversation. As the night goes on, the club is pumping, and the crowd are all excited, something happens. Not to everyone, just Kaylee. All of a sudden, she has this urge to scream. Not a regular roller coaster scream. More of a bloody-murder/break-your-eardrums scream. It's clawing at her throat, threatening to get out. Until Nash and Emma take her outside. That is after she looks at a girl and sees that there's a dark shadow covering her body.

Nash. Nash. Nash. Hot, adorable, funny, and a bean sidhe. Or, as I like to call it, a Banshee. Same as Kaylee.  Opposites attracted, but boy, Kaylee and Nash are inseparable. Especially when they had to figure out why girls were mysteriously dying. 3 girls in 3 days from 3 neighboring areas. Suspicious or no? That's where Tod comes on to the equation. Tod. Tod. Tod. Hot, adorable, funny, and a reaper. Yes, like the Grim Reaper. A soul snatcher. But, Tod is nice . . enough. I really like him, even though he's a killer.

To sum it all up, this was a very well likable book. I already made sure I got the second book, because I am dying to understand why it's called My Soul to Save. I think something's going to happen to Kaylee's soul in the next book (I haven't read the description just yet).

Someone tell me why it took me this long to read this book? Holy crap (excuse my French) was I blown away! Yes, that is my way of telling you all to read this book. If you haven't already!

“Kaylee, you're adding two and two and coming up with seven.” 

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore {24th]

Title: Between the Sea and Sky
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Pages: 229
Format: Kindle
Publish Date: October 25th, 2011 ; Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Source: Bought
Synopsis:

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

 Between the Sea and Sky is a cute and short read. This is the first mermaid book I have read since . . Little Mermaid. So, no high expectations were made. I just wanted to see how well an author can portray a mermaid story. Jaclyn Dolamore did a great job with that.

This story follows a mermaid that goes to search for her runaway sister. Esmerine, the main character, has just become a siren. Her and her sister, Dosia (Dosinia), are the only sirens in her family. Esmerine and Dosia are really close, so when Dosia just runs away, Esmerine is shocked and determined to find her. Sirens are allowed to change into humans, by growing legs, but whenever the walk, their feet will burn with an agonizing pain. But Esmerine is dead-set on finding her sister. Esmerine manages to get a ride into town, hoping to find an old friend of hers. A winged man, Faransee, named Alander. He used to come to the sea and read books to Esmerine. It's been years since Esmerine has last saw him, from him saying he can't come back to see her and the disapproval from the mermaid community. After some catching up and figuring out where exactly Dosia is located, Alander and Esmerine set out to go find her. Which ends in expecting twists and turns.

Between the Sea and Sky wasn't a cliched book. The plotline didn't remind me of another book. Actually, there is no other book that I can related this book to. It has a story of it's own. The romance, thankfully, wasn't instant. It developed over the whole book. Different than those books that romance happens over just one chapter. I love the foreign names that I ran across in the book. Esmerine, Alander, Dosinia, Karinda, Swift, etc. It was fun to read this book; I really enjoyed it. Jacyln's writing style was very easy to follow along with.

I recommend this book to fantasy lovers(:

Esmerine swallowed, remembering the day when the elder sirens explained how to wreck a fishing boat that took more than its share of fish and how to drown a human swiftly.

Between Shades of Gray By Ruta Sepetys {23rd]

-This has been in my drafts for a long time-

Title: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Pages: 344
Format: Hardcover
Publish Date: March 22nd, 2011 ; Philomel Books
Source: School Library
Synopsis:

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

Wow. What a read. From the plotline to Ruta Sepetys writing, I honestly didn't expect it to be so . . great! Not that I thought it'd be bad, but just something I didn't like. First off, it was like a nonfiction-type read. It's not, but it felt like it. It's filled with a bunch of events happening. A whirl of feelings and emotions. Such a raw novel, behind the scenes of people that were taken away because of the faith they believed in. Very similar, almost exact, to the Jews and what happened to them. When I read the first page, I was kind of effy about it. I heard such raving reviews, but I never stopped and took the time to read them. I thought it was normal YA romance. You can image my surprise when I realized it was definitely not. More like historical friction. The ending made me sad;l I didn't want it to end. It was way too many things happening at the time for it to just end. I had gotten attached to a book I thought I would hate, how ironic.

In other words, great book, great writing, great story-line, and great informational story. I'd read it over again if I got the chance.

"He was so clumsy, but he was so sincere. Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness. There's love and emotion trying to express itself, but at the time, it just ends up being awkward. Does that make sense?"

Blood Red Road by Moira Young {22nd]

-This has been in my drafts for the LONGEST time-

Title: Blood Red Road
Author: Moira Young
Pages: 344
Format: Hardcover
Publish Date: June 7th, 2011 ; Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Blood Red Road changed my life. Not literally, but it moved me. From the most unique and poetic writing style, to the characters portrayal. Moira Young blew me away with her novel.

Moira Young's writing is different, honestly. The way she represented Saba's voice, was the most creative thing ever. At first, I thought there were just a few typos, because, come on, there's always something that an editor misses. Instead of  'just', it was 'jest'. Instead of 'and' there was 'an'. Instead of 'get', she wrote 'git'. But then I kept seeing it spelled wrong over and over again. Plus, there were no quotation marks. So, I knew that this wasn't accidental anymore. I think I read the first few pages about five times before actually understanding that that was her writing style for this novel. It truly blew me away.

Back to the actual story, I loved the characters. Saba surprised me the most. At first, she wasn't my favorite character. She was someone that didn't seem . . nice. Lugh, on the other hand, has always been my favorite character! It made me sad when he was captured. Since it was just the beginning, and my feelings for Saba hadn't quite developed, I wanted her to have gotten captured instead. So, when the took Lugh away, it made me very upset.  But my opinions changed about Saba after she went through everything just to save her brother. Skipping to the middle of the book, one word . . Jack. If only he was a real person. He'd be all mine. From the way Moria Young described him, his personality, his looks, his attitude. . YUM. No wonder Saba became interested! The ending was one of my favorite parts. I know endings are never good, but I loved this one. Even though I knew it was the end, I still flipped some pages just to see if that was really the end.

I've never loved a book as much as I love Blood Red Road. This girl is eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. If only they had a cover, I'd be a-okay. I know the title, which is Rebel Heart, and the very brief description. But is that enough? NO. I loved joining Saba's quest to get her brother back. It was definitely adventure! I am definitely recommending this book, to everybody. Babies, toddlers, preteens, teens, young adults, adults, middle-agers, over 50, seniors, over 100.

We jest stand there. Stand an stare. We git all kinda weather here. Hot winds, firestorms, tornadoes, an once or twice we even had snow in high summer. So I seen plenty of dust storms. But never one like this.
That's one bastard of a cloud, I says.

Teaser Tuesday - {9th]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

■Grab your current read 

■Open to a random page 

■Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page {I often use more!}

■BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

■Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have a Kindle! Woohoo! A Kindle Touch! I am in love with it!:D As soon as I got it, I automatically starting getting books from Amazon. Such as Hollowland by Amanda Hocking and Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan. Which were free, by the way(: 

His eyes dropped to her breasts and quickly up to her face again. Esmerine flushed in return. Humans seemed to treat bodies like nasty secrets, and she felt that way when she formed legs.

-Ebook {19% done}

For Always by Danielle Sibarium {21st] & Interview

Title: For Always
Author: Danielle Sibarium
Pages: 249
Format: Paperback
Publish Date: October 27th, 2011 ; KFR Comunications, LLC
Source: Author
Synopsis:

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

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

From the very beginning, I knew that I was going to like this book. The synopsis kind of won me over, it was so interesting and made me hyped for the book. It definitely didn't fail my expectations. Plus, I thought there'd wind up being a twist and some supernatural thing got thrown into the story. I'm kind of happy that that didn't happen. I'm tired of cliched stories, so For Always was definitely a relief for me.

Not only was the plot of this book good, the writing was well-done. Sometimes, the things that took place made me burst out laughing, or made me crack a smile. It was like an emotional roller coaster (I know, a phrase used a lot but it's true). I really enjoy when authors are able to portray those emotions. The chemistry between Stephanie and Jordan is something people can relate too, so that's another perk. You can tell how much Stephanie really felt for Jordan, it showed well in this novel.

Definitely recommend you guys check this book out. I know I have now become a fan of Ms. Sibarium and her future work.


                                                                                                                               

Interview(:

-What made you write For Always?

I dealt with a lot of death growing up and I wanted to write about someone like that, a protagonist that must overcome obstacles of chance and her own self-doubt. A girl who doesn’t see her true potential, but uses the experiences she has gone through to find a reserve of perseverance and strength. 

-What is your most rewarding experience since being published?

When readers contact me to tell me they loved the book and could really relate to Stephanie.

-Do you do anything besides writing? Like job-wise?

 I stay home and take care of all the household chores along with my three children 10 and under.

-One sentence summary of your book?

A freshman in high school, Stephanie’s misfit status could easily lead her on a path of self-destruction, instead she allows herself to be inspired by Jordan, a hot in demand senior, who helps her discover what it means to believe in herself, as well as true love. 

-What was your favorite book to read while growing up?

Growing up I had favorite authors, Dr Seuss, Judy Blume, and Beverly Clearly. My all-time favorite book was one I read while in college. I didn’t expect to like it at all, but I couldn’t put it down. Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

-Was English your favorite subject in school?

Yes. Not the grammatical part, but reading, interpreting literature, plays, and of course writing.

-What’s your favorite quote?

Live, love, dream!

-What book are currently reading at the moment? Are you liking it?

I am reading Stolen by Lucy Christopher. I found it in the “tough stuff” section, and I am hooked!

-Does writing help you through stressful times in life? In my opinion, I write to vent about things. I just change names around and places, but the situations are the same as in real life.

I do use my writing as a tool for release. When I was a teenager, if I was upset about something, I’d write about the situation and change the outcome to a more desirable one. That way I made sure I got my say. Now I just escape into another world when I write.

-What is your favorite movie?

I love Ever After, and the Twilight movies. 

-What something you love but feel embarrassed by it?

My beliefs about love. I am a hopeless romantic, I believe in love at first sight and soul mates!

-What do you do in your free-time?

Free time? What’s that? That would be when I write.

-A piece of advice to give to aspiring authors?

Read incessantly, write daily, and revise, revise, revise. Write what you are passionate about, not what you think the market is currently dictating, markets change. Be open to the ever fluid times. The publishing industry has and will continue to transform. We have not seen the finished product, so don’t get hung up on the traditional ideals.

-How much of your book is realistic?

While there are shadows of truth in everything I write, they don’t necessarily happen with one particular person, or have the same meaning as they do in my books. For example, I really did start a fire with a candle when I was six years old, but luckily no animals or people died, or were physically maimed as a result. And the smoky bus incident did happen on the way to school, but the person who jumped out the window was a very close friend of mine, and he didn’t even go to my high school. So everything relating to that incident after the bus ride was completely fictional.

-Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I am very excited about the new voices out there. Over the last six months I have read first books by a few authors that I have really enjoyed, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Hate List by Jennifer Brown, Wither by Lauren Destefano and Hourglass by Myra McEntyre. I think each of these books were riveting. They were all different, but the writer’s voices were powerful in the images and messages coming through.

-Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes. Don’t put off saying or doing anything you would regret if tomorrow never came. Tomorrow is a hope, a prayer, not a promise. If someone is important to you, tell them. If you have a dream, go after it! Too many times we let opportunities pass us by and then look back with regret. Regret is a sad lonely road to nowhere.

-If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book? Or keep it the same?

Every time I read it, I always find something I would add or say differently, but in the end I am very proud of the finished product. 

-Why do you continue to write?

I write because if I didn’t, my soul would shrivel up and die.

-Who designs your book covers?

Andrew Gioulis from KFR Communications.

-What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Originally I wrote this in the perspective as an adult retelling it, kind of like A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, I used the neighborhood I grew up in as the backdrop, but once I changed it to YA I could no longer use Canarsie Brooklyn because many of my references no longer existed or are still there but are not quite the same. 

-Do you have any special things you do while writing? As in listening to music, eating something, etc?

I usually listen to music when I write. I have specific playlists depending on what I am working on. While writing For Always I listened to a lot of songs about love that’s been there all along, A lot of old songs, like I Can’t Fight This Feeling Reo Speedwagon, The Search is Over Foreigner, Crazy For You Madonna. And of course most importantly the soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera.

-What are three things not very many people know about you?

1. As a teenager I attended an Anthony Robbins seminar and did the Firewalk- what an amazing experience!

2. In high school I was an extra on the Cosby Show.

3. I met Derek Jeter.

Wintertown by Stephen Emond - DNF Review #1

Title: Wintertown
Author: Stephen Emond
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Publish Date: December 5th, 2011 ; Little, Brown Books
Synopsis:

Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she's changed. The former "girl next door" now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, "Old Lucy" still exists, and he's determined to find her... even if it means pissing her off.
Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist in this funny and poignant illustrated novel about opposites who fall in love.

To be honest, this book has huge potential to be a good book. It just wasn't for me. I didn't like the pictures and sketches that were on the pages. They were great drawings, so I'll give Stephen Emond that! But I just didn't like to read the book with them. Plus, I felt like I was being forced to read it. When really, I couldn't get into it. The prologue, or first few pages, made me think the book would be different. It led me to disappointment when it wasn't what I expected.

Just because this book doesn't fit me, it may be different for you. It wasn't horrible to the extent that I'd warn everybody to stay away. But enough for me to slowing remove my bookmark and place the book right back on my shelf, as if I never started it.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead {20th]

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy. 

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning. Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Title - Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

Author - Richelle Mead

Pages - 421

Paperback, Hardcover, eBook - Hardcover 

Published & Publisher - August 23rd, 2011; Razor Bill

Source - Bought/Pre-order

Rating - 4/5

I thought Last Sacrifice would be my last taste of Richelle Mead, but I was wrong. I'm happy that I was! I've missed reading about this new and enthralling world she came up with. Well, since Vampire Academy has been out for awhile, I can't classify this as new per se. But I love Richelle's creativity and originally.

The main focus of the novel isn't about Rose (if you've read the Vampire Academy series, you know who that is) but on an alchemist named Sydney. Alchemists are humans with a special tattoo on their face, raised to hate vampires and all their relations. Their tattoo has magic in it that helps protect themselves from telling the world about the Moroi, Dhampir, and Strigoi society. Alchemists also cover up Strigoi killing. In Bloodlines, Sydney has to redeem herself since in previous events, her loyalty to the Alchemists were tested. She gets sent to protect a princess. She just didn't expect things to be so complicated.

To be honest, I have been eagerly awaiting this book for a very long time. Maybe that's why when I finished reading the book I felt that I had been let down. Too much hype. It wasn't because of the content in the book, it was great! I just didn't actually realized that this series isn't about Rose. Sydney and Rose are nothing alike, and that made me sad. True, they both have endless rambling that can take up pages. But Sydney is so... And Rose is so... I hope you can see what I'm trying to say here. In Rose's tale, there was a load of action. In Sydney's, it was more plain-ish. The last pages of the book were the only pages I actually like. 

I'm still very excited for the release of the second in the series! I recommend this book to everybody; it's not even necessary for you to read the Vampire Academy series! But if you want to so you can get the gist on the characters and stuff, you should.

First Line: I couldn't breathe.

"Thanks for looking out for her, Sage. You're okay, For a human." 

I almost laughed. "Thanks." 

"You can say it too, you know."

I walked over to Latte [car] and paused. "Say what?"

"That I'm okay . . . for a vampire," he [Adrian] explained.

I shook my head, still smiling. "You'll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. But I can say you're okay for an irreverent party boy with occasional moments of brilliance."

"Brillant? You think I'm brillant?" He threw his hands skyward. "You hear that, world?" Sage says I'm brillant!"