Systematic Student:
best

Looking for Alaska by John Green is a story of friendship, betrayal, grief, happiness, hope, despair, laughter, tears, and growing up. I could go on and on about how many facets of life this book embodies, but I think you get the point.

Miles, Chip and Alaska were perfectly drawn characters. We were able to see both their strengths and their weaknesses, their perfections and their flaws. These characters each have so many dimensions to them, it's hard to believe they aren't actually real. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they make good choices, and other times they act recklessly, with a complete disregard for the rules and their own well being.

This is definitely not a perfectly wrapped story, decorated with ribbons, and wrapped with a bow, so if that's the story you're looking for, look elsewhere. However, if you are interested in reading a story that is going to alter the way you view your world, I highly, highly recommend this book.

The characters in this story are really stupid at times. But they learn. Miles went to boarding school, searching for his 'great perhaps'. He's lived a fairly boring life, nothing exciting ever happens to him, and he's looking for something, but he doesn't know quite what that something is. When he gets to school, he meets his new roommate, Chip, and one of his best friends, a beautiful and exciting girl named Alaska.

John Green shows an amazing talent for writing with this story. He manages to create in Miles a character who is intelligent, and able to think deep and philosophically without talking over the reader, or condescending to them. Miles thinks a lot about what he's learning, especially in his world religion course, and because he is our narrator, we hear a lot about what he's thinking and feeling. But, I never once felt preached to or overwhelmed.

This is a story about the hard parts of growing up. It's a story about those things every parent wishes didn't happen. But these things do happen and to ignore them, brush them under the rug and act as if they are not real is doing everyone a disservice. I makes kids feel like they are alone and that no one else has ever felt the way they do. But this story lets us know that there are other people out there who can relate to us, and that it's okay to hurt, okay to cry and okay to move on.

John Green, I think you are a brilliant man and I cannot wait to pick up your next story.

Today we are pleased to have joining us Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder, a futuristic retelling of Cinderella. Guys! Be excited! Cinder is a 2012 debut, and a little birdie on the inside tells me (Misty) it's fabulous! Make sure to stop back on Friday for a guest post from Marissa!

Now let's get down to business. "Serious" Questions:
~Can you tell us a little bit about Cinder and the series?Gladly! CINDER is a young adult futuristic retelling of Cinderella. In it, Cinder, a 16-year-old cyborg mechanic, must piece together her mysterious past in order to protect her country from an impending war. It's the first in a four-book series, each of which revolves around a different fairy-tale-inspired heroine (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White), as they join forces to save the world and find their happily-ever-afters. CINDER is scheduled to release in early 2012.

~Why fairy tales? What is it that calls to you, personally, as a writer, and why do you think readers connect to them the way they do?
I’ve always loved fairy tales. When I was growing up, I loved them for the romance, the magical kisses, the dresses, the princes in their fancy castles. Now I’m drawn to them for their timelessness—these are story archetypes that have been retold and recycled in 8 billion different ways, yet authors and artists and movie directors are still coming up with new ways to tell them. And because they still relate to issues that every society deals with, whether it’s childhood neglect a la Hansel and Gretel or just wanting to improve your social status a la Cinderella—these stories hold as much meaning for us now as they did in the time of the Grimm Brothers.

~What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written? EVER ever? Gosh, that’s a lot of scenes. Can I say every single kiss? I’m a big fan of kissing scenes. The fun part of writing a four-book series with four different heroines who have four different romances is that there’s lot of opportunity for great kissing! Book 2: SCARLET (Little Red Riding Hood) will have some particularly smoldering ones.

Quickfire, Silly and Random stuff:
~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale? I love this question, because I was tempted at one point to call my Rapunzel character “Arugula”! I ended up settling on “Cress” though, which is also a type of lettuce. If I were in a fairy tale, I think my odd name would be something geeky and literary, like maybe Pencil or Comma.

~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale: The fairy godmother waved her magic wand and Pencil found herself with this a real live book deal—a dream come true! She was about to retire to Hawaii and do nothing but lie on the beach and drink fruity cocktails for the rest of her happily ever after... when it occurred to her that she still had to write the rest of the books. And back to work the princess went.

~Best fairy tale villain and why? I’m partial to Rumpelstiltskin. He’s sly, crafty, can actually spin straw into gold (quite the feat!), and goes after what he wants. I also love that the story leaves open a big mystery: why does he want the queen’s firstborn at all? It could be very cruel and awful (maybe he plans to eat it!) or more sympathetic (maybe he just wants a family).

~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites? I always loved The Little Mermaid—it was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, and I only fell in love with it more once I read the Hans Christian Andersen version and learned how truly tragic the story was. It has so much depth to it (pun kind of intended). As for now... it’s so hard to choose! Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are probably neck and neck for my all-time favs. As for least favorite... I don’t know that I really have one, although something about the end of Hansel & Gretel always bugged me. I felt like the dad got off way too easy in that tale!

~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be? Cinderella’s ball! I love big beautiful dresses and dancing and food!

~Would you rather:
- — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower? Tower, definitely! Just think how much reading you’d get done.

- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)? I’ll take the carriage, with hopes that the fairy godmother had the sense to scrape all the guts out of it.

- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming? Between getting engaged and getting my book deal for CINDER both in the past few months, I think I already have both!

Thanks so much for the fun interview, Ashley and Misty! Oh course! We were happy to have you, and can't wait for Cinder! Thanks for stopping by! So who else is super excited for Cinder? *raises hand* Stop back on Friday for a special guest post from Marissa Meyer. And don't forget to leave her some love in the comments!

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang is the story of young Emmajin, the eldest grandchild of the Great Khan. Her closest friend is her cousin, Suren, the eldest grandson of the Khan. Strength and fighting skills are valued in their culture, and Emmajin desperately wants to be allowed to serve in her grandfather's military. She would be the first.

Her grandfather gives her an important assignment. She is to become the companion and guide to the young traveler Marco Polo, and his father and uncle, who are traveling with them. She is basically a spy — sent to extract secrets that will make it easier for her grandfather to conquer their lands, and fulfill the prophecy from the Gods that their empire would unite the world.

Predictably, as Emmajin gets to know Marco better, she stops thinking of him as a stranger, or enemy and begins to consider him a friend, and then — more.

Although I found several parts of this story to be fairly predictable, I still really enjoyed the book. I thought that Emmajin was a great character, and we see a lot of growth in her over the course of the story. She really comes into her own. In the beginning, she is enthralled by the stories told in the courts about the mighty battles their warriors fought, and the grand acts of heroism and valor in battle. She can't imagine anything more rewarding or wonderful than being involved in something like that. But, as the story progresses, and she begins to learn more about Marco Polo's European ideals, and his desire for peace, she starts to question her belief systems, and view their culture from the eyes of an outsider. Eventually, Emmajin learns the hard way that battle is not all glory. The enemies have faces, lives, and stories of their own.

I loved watching her learn about differing points of view, and realizing that there isn't only one way of doing things. I thought Emmajin was a very well drafted and carefully thought out character. Unfortunately, she was about the only character I thought was fully imagined. Suren is Emmajin's best friend. They've been inseparable since they were tiny, and continue to be close as they grow. But, Suren is only ever fleshed out in relation to Emmajin. It's almost like he is only fully a person when sitting next to Emmajin. I felt like that about most of the other characters, including Marco Polo. To toss in a bit of philosophy, it reminded me of Idealism, which is the idea that there is no real reality. Everything we know/see only exists in relation to us. Sort of like The Matrix, except we aren't really plugged into any machines.

I wished that there had been more character development outside of Emmajin, but my biggest problem with the story was the ending. I thought that the ending was unrealistic. I don't want to go into details, because that really ruins the story, but I didn't believe it at all. I stopped believing what was happening as soon as Emmajin was sitting around the fire at the camp with Marco Polo, her grandfather and other members of the court and hunting party. It just would not have happened like that, and I feel like the author just needed a quick and happy resolution.

I do think this is a book worth reading. I wish the author had stayed a little truer to her characters when writing the ending. I think it was a disservice to both the characters and the reader to end it as she did. That being said, overall, I still enjoyed Emmajin's character and her discoveries about her world, and I enjoyed following her interactions with people.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is a fun contemporary romantic YA. I don't read a lot of fiction where the primary plot line revolves around romance, but like watching a chick flick, every once in a while it just hits the spot. And this book is like that.

I felt really bad for Anna when the book first started. Her dad is a best selling author who has decided that to impress his buddies he needs a bigger profile, and more pretentious things to talk about. So, he decides he is going to send Anna to an American boarding school in Paris, France. Without asking her how she feels about it. For her senior year. Anna already has problems with her dad, considering he walked out on them when her brother was a baby and now sends money and not much else and this definitely makes things worse. Her mom can't help her and Anna is bitter, scared and lonely when she first gets to Paris. Her meeting with next door neighbor helps bring her into a new circle of friends, and give her some bearings and this is where her story starts.

The characters are very well written, with multi-faceted personalities, flaws, shortcomings, and positive traits in a believable combination. None of these characters are perfect, all of them make stupid mistakes and bad choices, but they all also have many redeeming qualities too. They not only have personality traits, they also have hobbies, preferences and quirks. Like Anna who is almost obsessively neat and absolutely adores movies, especially the classics. These characters were written as if they were real people. Because the characters were real, the relationships between the characters also felt very real. I hate reading books where the romantic connection consists of a glance across a room, instant hormonal craze, one conversation and BAM! I'm head over heals in love. Things like that don't actually happen. You can't be in love with someone that fast. What you can be however, is in lust. Which is what Anna is when she first meets beautiful boy Etienne St. Clair.

But, St. Clair has a long term girl friend, is being crushed on by a mutual friend and is therefore totally off limits. So, she thinks he's totally hott, but doesn't try to make anything happen. They become friends and over time she realizes that Etienne is her closest friend. It get complicated when emotional attachments start to muddy the waters, but Anna is trying really hard to keep her head up, and not cross that boundary line. They toe the line, they nudge it, but they never cross it. Until they do...

Although mostly lighthearted in tone and topic, there are serious elements to the story as well. Both Anna and Etienne have problems with their fathers that need resolution, and the book brings up the topics of pain, death, loss and betrayal. It's a credit to the author that each of these topics was handled in a realistic way that enhanced rather than detracted from the story line, and didn't bog the story down. I've read too many books that are supposed to be about one thing and end up getting caught in the black abyss that is the sub plots.

I loved this book. I thought it was scads of fun to read, and I'm beyond desperate to visit Paris now. It's always been high up in my top 5 places to visit list, but after reading this book I feel like I needed to be there yesterday. I loved that the author included a lot of touristy sites, as well as places a little more off the beaten path. It made me feel like I could really be there. And man, do I want to go hard core!

Although not my usual fare, this is definitely a book I'm glad I read, and one that I wouldn't mind reading again. I was very excited to hear that Perkins has two companion novels in the works. I'm glad that we aren't getting a continuation of Anna's story, because it is over, but that there will be more coming soon from Ms. Perkins. Yay for Anna!:)

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Cloaked is another modern fairy tale retelling by Alex Flinn, the woman who wrote the ever popular Beastly (Beauty and the Beast) and the recently released A Kiss in Time (Sleeping Beauty).

I've made no secret about the fact that I absolutely adore fairy tale retellings, and I very much enjoyed Flinn's first two tales. Cloaked was just as much fun to read as the first two stories, but I actually liked this one even better.

Before I get into the story itself, I need to mention one of my most favorite parts of the book. In the beginning of each chapter, Flinn included a quote from one of the Grimm's Fairy Tales she took inspiration from and included it under each chapter numbering as a sort of foreshadowing for what was to come. I love the original fairy tales, and have read them many times, so it was beyond delightful to see them quoted within the story.

Cloaked is the story of Johnny, a young boy trying to help his mother pay their bills by spending all his free time working in their family shoe repair shop, located in a large Florida hotel. Johnny has big dreams, but is realistic enough to know that all they will ever be are day dreams. He works in the shop, but his real passion is design. He has notebooks filled with designs for high end, beautiful shoes. He's even managed to save enough scraps and materials to make up a prototype, and he knows they are a good design. But alas, he needs to stay behind to help his mother, and their is no way they will be able to afford college or trade school to further this dream. Although he wishes and hopes that there was some way something might be different, he has resigned himself to his fate.

But, in the way of all fairy tales, fate decides there is something more in store for our unassuming hero, and when a foreign princess (think Paris Hilton with a crown) comes to stay at their hotel, Johnny's life will change forever. Because real magic exists in the country out fair princess comes from, and her brother has been turned into a frog in a wicked attempt for the witch to steal their throne for herself and her evil oaf of a son. The princess is desperate for assistance, and promises Johnny money and marriage if he successfully saves the prince. In need of money, desperately hoping for something more out of life, and afraid to offend the princess, Johnny agrees to look into the disappearance of her brother.

It takes Johnny some time to admit and accept that magic really exists, but once he does, he finds himself in the middle of an impossible adventure, giving assistance to talking geese, taking aide from rats and foxes and searching every where for a missing toad all while being chased by magical crazy folk. By his side, ready and willing to offer whatever assistance she can is Meg, Johnny's longtime best friend who helps her family run the coffee shop also located in the hotel.

I adored the mash up of fairy tales included within Cloaked. We see elements of The Six Swans, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Valiant Tailor, The Golden Bird, and of course, The Frog Prince. Almost all of these tales come from my favorites of the Brother's Grimm. Being so familiar with fairy tales in general, and these fairy tales in particular did mean that I was able to predict a lot of what was about to happen, but there was enough that surprised even me that I was not left feeling like this was another predictable retelling.

This was a wonderfully fun story, filled with mischief and mayhem, love and loss, and the hope for brighter days. Johnny was a great character, well rounded and fully written. There are times when he is your typical 17 year old boy, but he is so much more than that. He's loyal and loving, willing to put others before himself and he truly wants to do the right thing. He is sacrificing his dreams to protect and assist his mother. Meg was also a wonderfully written character. Although we don't see as much personal development in her as a character, a lot of the growth we see in Johnny is a direct result of Meg's influence and company.

All in all, this was a wonderfully enjoyable book. It's the perfect combination of reality and myth, fact and fiction, and is full of all the elements which make a wonderfully perfect fairy tale. This is a story that I very highly recommend to any and all whole love a good fairy tale.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting is the sequel to The Body Finder . (click for my review).

Violet is a high school girl who has the uncomfortable ability to sense the echoes of those who have died a violent death. These echoes linger on both the victim and the villain. We learn a little bit about this ability in The Body Finder, but I really liked that we are able to explore Violet's abilities with her in Desires of the Dead. Violet is slowly learning more about her ability, and through knowledge, she slowly begins to gain control as

In The Body Finder, the mystery has a strong sense of urgency to it that was missing in this book. Although the prologue does set us up nicely to fear for Violet, we learn early on that the 'bad guy' whose thoughts we are listening to is a vengeful teenage girl. It's a lot harder to be afraid of a teenage girl than it is to fear a sociopathic serial killer who has been killing young girls for years. Although being in the mind of the bad guy was a strength of the first novel, I actually think it was a bit of a weakness this time. As I said, there's just something infinitely less fearful about a young girl who just hates you because you have a better boyfriend, and that is never hidden from the reader. Knowing this, it makes each of her actions less threatening, and I never really feared for Violet the way I did the first time around. This one also has a predictability to it that the first one did not, but it was not so much as to ruin my enjoyment of the story.

I was also unsure how I felt about the potential involvement of the FBI 'liaison' in Violet's life. I'm not sure where that story line is going to go, but I have a feeling it can either be really great, or really awful... And, I desperately hope that it doesn't devolve into yet another love triangle. I love that this book doesn't have one, and I wouldn't want that to change.

Speaking of Violet and Jay, their characters are just as great this time around as they were before. I really like both characters, and I think that Derting has done a great job creating believable teenage characters in a believable and healthy relationship. Jay does look out for Violet, and takes protecting her seriously, it's definitely in a non creepy/controlling way. He really cares about her, and just wants her safe. I love that they were best friends before they started dating, and that they have an actual foundation based on more than just, 'Wow! You're like, totally hott!'. Not only are their individual characters realistic and well written, but the dynamics of their relationship are also believable.

This is another great read from Kimberly Derting, and she's definitely going to stay on my 'watch' list. I look forward to what she comes out with next.

*Disclaimer: This book was received through Star Book Tours.

The King of Attolia is the third book in The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. (Read my reviews of The Thief and The Queen of Attolia here) Eugenides is back again, although the bulk of this book is not narrated by him, but by a young member of the Queen's guard, Costis.

The Attolians are having a very hard time dealing with Gen as their new king. They distrust him because he is an outsider, the people we meet in the book know that he stole the Queen to force the marriage before her escape, and no one believes them truly in love, because of a certain event at the beginning of Queen. Costis loses his temper, and strikes the new King. Rather than have him killed, Eugenides makes him a member of his guard (ish) which is why so much of the story is narrated by him.

I was a little worried at first, when I learned that Eugenides was not our main narrator, because I love his character, completely. I think he's wonderful. (In fact, I think I'm making myself a little giddy, just thinking about it...) But, Turner handles it brilliantly. We are able to see Eugenides through new eyes, and the eyes of someone who strongly dislikes him. We all know how clever Gen is, and he knows how clever Gen is, but Costis does not. So, when we see these small pieces of the Gen we know and love pop through his image of boredom and weakness, we rejoice and cheer and laugh at how silly the people of his new court are, because they can't seem to pick up on his genius.

The scene where Costis finally realizes just how brilliant his new King is still makes me happy. (This is what I was referring to, as still being able to make me a little giddy...) . I won't give away any spoilers, because that would be criminal, but I will hint that it's the scene when the Queen (Irene) is discussing the difference between ninety-eight days and six months with Gen.

I think this is my favorite so far (there is a fourth already out, and I believe a fifth in progress) and it's my favorite because it combines the best elements of the first two. It contains the wonderful characterization of The Thief and the intrigues and intricacies of The Queen. Turner writes wonderfully. She builds up a huge tower of cards, and you can't possibly understand how she supports it all when BAM, you realize she was never using cards at all, and that it has always been completely stable. Brilliance!

Even though, as outsiders, we know that Gen just has to have something up his sleeve, it still hurts watching the way the people treat him. It has to be incredibly hard, knowing that everyone hates you and suffering through their constant belittlements. But Gen handles it well and when he finally begins to show his true colors, and turn the tables? It's perfection in a book. I love what he says on page 356, "You can always change the perceptions of fools."

I can't wait to see where the fourth book takes me! Sophos is back (a fairly important character in The Thief who in barely mentioned in The Queen and who has gone missing in The King.)

I've never participated in the WoW meme before, and I know this isn't Wednesday, but I feel like I totally need to let you all know how badly I want this book...

I recently read Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta and I loved it. A few months before that, I read Jellicoe Road which I loved hardcore. It is one of the best books I've read, ever. I've developed a bit of an author crush on Ms. Marchetta... I haven't reviewed either of them yet, but it's coming.:)

Anyway, I was browsing the blogosphere, and I can't remember where it was that I saw this, but a few days ago I saw this book being mentioned: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta. It comes out in 2011, and it revisits the world of Saving Francesca. I loved those other books, and I was definitely a little... overcome by my excitement for this one, and I may or may not have made a series of Oh My Gosh freakout noises... ~shrugs what can I say... I was beyond excited to hear about this.

But, it doesn't come out until March of 2011, and I'm depressed. I want it bad! Sigh... Maybe my good luck fairy will come to visit me soon. A girl can dream, right?!

Matched by Ally Condie was one of those books that I was super excited about. When I first heard about it, I was beyond excited. I love dystopian literature, and was definitely looking forward to spending some time in Cassia's world. I tend to ignore the hype that other people give to a story, so that rarely affects my overall feelings toward to book, but my own expectations certainly come into play.

The beginning of the story was brilliant. I just knew, by about page 10 that this was a book I was going to need to own. It was only the first chapter, but I already felt that edge of your seat excitement, wondering what was going to happen. The book begins with Cassia on her way to the matching banquet, and her nervous excitement definitely rubbed off on me. I was quite impressed by Condie's writing skills. It's not often I'm that hooked on a story that early.

I felt like I knew that my expectations had been on the mark, and this book was going to amaze me. Sadly, although I did enjoy it, the build up and anticipation ended up being both bigger and better than what was actually delivered.

Condie did a wonderfully horrible job of world building. I think that the idea behind the Society is extra scary, because so few people question it, and so few people recognize that there is something wrong with the way they live, at least of the characters that we met. The Society has completely removed choice. The ability to make my own choices is something I've thought a lot about. I don't believe in destiny or fate, and I don't believe that anyone has a right to make my choices for me, whether my choices are good or bad, they are mine, and mine alone. But, the people in Cassia's world have never known choice. The Society removed it by telling the people that their way was best — it removed disease, genetically weak children, old age, crime, etc. All the bad things are gone, leaving only the 'good' behind. But none of that good is something you were able to decide on.

I listened to Cassia tell us about the choices the Society made for her, and justify their actions, and I kept waiting and waiting for her to wake up, and realize how awful an existence that was. But it wasn't until she began to fall in love with Ky, and realize that she would never be able to be with him that she decided the Society was in the wrong.

Now, I understand that the love story between Cassia and Ky is important to the story, that this is where her awakening begins and yada yada yada. But I was a little disappointed, because I felt like that's all the story was. When I read a dystopian novel, I expect the conflict between character and world to be dominant, not the conflict between love interests. I never felt like Cassia really came to the understanding that the Society was inherently bad or flawed. All she knew was that the Society's control over her ability to make choices was keeping her apart from Ky, whom she loved and that Ky would never be able to make his own choices. If the Society had noticed this part of her, and made an exception for her and Ky, I kind of believe that she would have then been content to live the remainder of her life in peace, leaving the Society as it stands and forgetting her teenaged rebellion in favor of the peaceful settled life with Ky.

There was also a lot of information missing from the story. A lot was left undisclosed, most importantly — how the world became the way it is now. It would take some seriously heavy stuff to completely obliterate choices like that, and I would like to know what happened that convinced the people it was okay to give up all rights and choices, and how long it took to happen. I do know that this is a trilogy, so there are two more books for Condie to make her explanations, but I would still have liked a little more information.

I'm briefly mentioning the love triangle with Xander and Ky because I know that is the main basis for the book, but I don't really think there was that much conflict. This wasn't a case of being in love with my best friend, and then having someone else pop up. Although Cassia and Xander are matched, and even though she is excited about kissing the boy she knows she will marry, Cassia is never really in love with Xander. She loves Ky, and you always know the story is headed in that direction. But, I will say that I thought both boys were incredibly well written characters, and both of them care about Cassia very much. I am looking forward to their roles in the future.

Even though there were a few things I disliked, this really was an enjoyable book. I liked reading it, and would definitely consider myself a fan. I will be reading the next book and I can only hope that Cassia will open her eyes to more flaws than just the injustice being done to Ky.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting was a wonderful read. One of the things I most enjoyed was it's simplicity and originality.

I'm not gonna lie, I've gotten a little tired of the seemingly formulaic YA books that have been released and super hyped recently, especially the paranormal types. I get tired of the predictable love triangles, instantly falling deeply in love with supernatural beings, repetitious and overly predictable plot lines etc. I do enjoy them sometimes, but I can't read too many too close together. I end up spending the whole time rolling my eyes because I can't get over it's absurdities long enough to really enjoy the story.

I was more than happy to discover that The Body Finder had none of these elements. Violet is a great character. She is strong and independent with a definite sense of self, even though she is still questioning certain parts of that self. I love knowing that Violet is aware she still has places to grow, even though she is okay with who she is. I also loved Jay and their relationship. Jay is a great friend to Violet, and really wants what's best for her. And, it's nice to read about a love story that has a real foundation in friendship before growing into love.

We also get to experiences several chapters from the POV of the killer. That is another awesome example of Derting's great characterization skills. I've always been fascinated by serial killers, and (I probably shouldn't admit this,) but I know a lot about them and how they think (ish). And I have to say, I believed in this guy. He really creeped me out, and I found myself with a mild case of the shivers when he popped up.

My favorite genre in my teenage years was murder mysteries and I especially loved Mary Higgins Clark. Can I just say that I loved that the major plot arc here was a murder mystery!? I still love a good murder mystery, so I truly enjoyed stepping back into those familiar reading shoes.

I was also very intrigued by the idea of Violet's power and the echoes death creates. That would be a horrifying ability to posses, especially for a young girl. I've never come across anything like it before and I found myself deliciously intrigued, and morbidly wondering what type of echo I would leave behind.

And, I must also speak about Derting's writing, and her ability to manipulate the mind of the reader and direct them where she will. I really enjoyed her writing style and found myself pushed and prodded into thinking what she wanted me to know at that point that I didn't even notice the pushes until something new came up and exposed them, which is something that does not often happen to me while reading mysteries. It definitely tossed me for a loop or two. Even when I knew without a doubt that she was throwing out a red herring, I still found my heart racing a little faster, because the writing was just that good.

I found that this story contained a believable plot with great characters that I was excited to root for and plausible/realistic situations. I am definitely in eager anticipation of the sequel, Desires of the Dead.

I have to say, that December is my very favorite month. It's Christmas time, which is excellent for lots of reasons. I love Christmas because I get presents (duh, and I think all of us lie if/when we leave this off) I get to give presents, which now that I'm older is just as exciting as getting them, and people just seem to be nicer.

Also, December is the best time to have snow. I love having a white Christmas, and snow has a certain novelty to it that always makes the first snow fall of the year exciting, even if you kind of hate it. But, December is the best time to have snow, and since I live in Idaho, where winter lasts longer than all the other seasons put together (almost) it's a good thing that I'm able to tolerate snow, at least for a little while.

And the best part about December?! It's my birthday, which means it just has to be awesome!:) I'm not a diva about it or anything, but I am definitely of the mindset that on my birthday, I am the most important person. I think I'd be a little like this no matter what, but the fact that my birthday is two days after Christmas means it has a tendency to be lumped into Christmas celebrations. Let me tell you, the absolute worst gift you could possibly give me is anything with 'Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday' attached to it. It definitely gives the gift a negative color, and makes me want to talk to my friends with birthdays in June and do the same.:) My birthday means it's about me, right?! It's great just having a day to celebrate my own awesomeness!:)

What do you love about December?!

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout was such a fun read. I loved it! It was just exactly what I needed. A lot of cute and funny with just enough seriousness and depth tossed in that I didn't find myself bored or rolling my eyes.

Zahara was a great character. She is intelligent, motivated and loving, but she's got a lot to learn about life as well. I thought that the authors here gave us a great mixture of confidence and uncertainty. Zahara is in high school, which is always rough. But, add in that it's a brand new high school, which means she needs all new friends and her parents are going through a separation and it's easy to see why she's having a hard time, and why she's so happy to spend time with Rico, her new boyfriend.

I loved watching Zahara try to regain control of her world. She tends to utilize extreme thinking, swinging from one extremity to the other swiftly, which I thought was perfectly suited to her character. One of my favorite moments was when she decided she was going to take control of her parenting, demote her parents to a back seat role, and just not tell them.:)

When her parents force her into group therapy for kids whose families are going through a split, she's not expecting to gain anything from the 'experience'. But instead of spending a miserable hour with a bunch of weirdos once a week, Zahara discovers two of the best friends a girl could have — and who knew?! The three girls are, at first glance, completely opposite and ill suited for friendship. Zahara, Syd and Kali each have their own issues to work through, but when they realize that the same guy has been playing all three of them, they decide to work out at least one of their issues together, and all sorts of wonderful mayhem ensues. And can I just add that I love the idea of 'framily'? It just worked!

I'll admit that there were times when the plot was a little predictable. I saw several big events coming from a long way off, but I found myself completely okay with that. I never knew exactly how the events would develop and I was enjoying the characters so much I was completely okay with knowing a bit of what's coming up.

I think I've heard mention of a sequel to this in the works, and I have mixed feelings about it. I can see where the authors have room for a sequel, and I even think I know a few of the things that might happen. On the one hand, I definitely feel like this novel could easily stand alone, and a large part of me feels that it should be left to stand alone. I got a great sense of closure and ending from the story, and believe that things are going to work out well for these great people, but that actually needing to read about how they get there would ruin it for me.
The other part of me would love to read what else these girls get themselves into, and how they work out more of what's got them down. And really, it's not like they actually learned their lessons the first time around.:)
I'm sure I'll end up reading the sequel if what I've heard is true, and there really are plans for the second. I can only hope I like the sequel as much I enjoyed the first.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman is a creepy story. Not creepy where you're afraid of the things that go bump in the night, but the type of creepy that makes you look over your shoulder when you're walking alone, and the creepy that makes you look twice at everyone you pass, because you really have no idea what they're hiding.

Elizabeth was kidnapped when she was 15 years old and held captive for 39 days by Walter. All of his other victims were killed within hours of being taken, and no one knows why he lets her live, not even Elizabeth. 22 years later, Elizabeth — now Eliza — is happily married with two young children. While the events of that summer have changed her, she refuses to let them define her.

Then, she opens a letter one day from Walter, writing via a third party from death row and her world shifts again. The letter brings back all the painful memories Eliza has pushed away and threatens to disrupt the foundations of her life. Eliza decides to write a letter in return, and as a result, a shaky channel of communication opens up between the two, and each participant has their own motivation for doing so.

The idea behind this novel is brilliant. Having a death row inmate, right around the corner from his execution date seek out his only surviving victim is wonderfully scary. Even though the idea behind this novel is fabulous, the really shining point of this story are the characters. Each character is so well crafted, and so well voiced that I really feel like they could be real people. When Eliza would speak, especially in the beginning of the novel, I got the sense that although the words were clear, they were somehow stifled — On the surface, everything is fine but underneath, there are currents we can't even begin to guess at.

Barbara, Walter's anti-death penalty advocate was a character who elicited strong reactions from me. Every time her name appeared on the page, my skin would crawl. I did not like her, at all. I though she was sneaky, underhanded, pretentious, self-serving and a little bit malicious. Case in point — Barbara locates Eliza's address for Walter, mails that first letter. Next, she calls Eliza's home to speak to her and then she actually shows up at her house, without any kind of warning. She has to understand, even the tiniest bit, how hard it is for Eliza to have been contacted by Walter. But, she doesn't care. She has something that she wants, and she will approach Eliza until she gets it. Perhaps I'm being overly harsh toward her, and I do understand some of what she's doing. But, if I were Eliza, I would have called the prison and lodged a formal complaint about Walter contacting me, and then told Barbara if she came near me again I'd contact the police and take out a restraining order. But, that would make for a pretty dull book...

The other characters were also wonderfully written with their good traits, bad traits and those quirks that make them real. Any of these characters could be people that you know, which are the best kind of characters, especially when reading a thriller. There were also a few unanswered questions, and pieces left hanging. Nothing major was left unanswered, but just like in real life, not all the pieces always fit into the box, waiting to be neatly tied and wrapped with a bow.

Lippman's writing is wonderful. Spot on. I will definitely be picking up more books by Lippman in the near future. This book reminded me why I loved reading murder mysteries and thrillers all through high school, and makes me want to go back and read more.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Crazy Book Tours.

Torment by Lauren Kate is the sequel to Fallen. (review here.)

I wanted to read these books because I think the covers are beautiful. I did enjoy Fallen, and I expected to like Torment about equally. But, I did not. I have to say, I'm rather annoyed by this book.

Daniel and Luce are the main characters, and I did not like either one of them in this story, but I especially hated their relationship. Daniel can't get over the past enough to realize that this incarnation of Luce is different (obviously, because she didn't go up in flames when you kissed her) and he refuses to talk to her about anything. When he sees her, he tells her what she has to do (sort of), kisses her, fights with her, maybe flies with her, and then leaves without actually giving her any useful information. Luce is wildly in love with Daniel when they are making out, or when she thinks about how wonderful he is, and how fabulous their pasts were, but I got really tired, really fast of the 'I love you when you first show up, and while we are kissing, but the second our lips separate, I can no longer remember why I'm supposed to love you, and I'm doubting everything about our relationship'. BTW, in case everyone else missed this — that is not true love. That's hormones, aka — lust. They were in love in the past, they might really love each other in the future, but what Luce is talking about (I'm disgusted with you when I'm not around you, but when you touch me, I get all fuzzy headed/weak in the knees) is not love. Seriously.

Also, I have a hard time believing that Daniel truly loves her. I totally believe that he wants to be with her, and that he feels his life is tied to hers/completely dependent on hers. But, I believe that part of being in love is putting the other person ahead of your own needs. And, I don't see how kissing/killing her in incarnations spanning centuries is really saying, "I love you". He kills her, and puts all of her family members through agony. How is this love? The more Luce learned about her past, the less I wanted the two of them to actually end up together. That's not to say I want her with someone else, but I just do not like Daniel.

I do get that Daniel wants to protect her, but he really is a lot controlling. I don't blame Luce at all for being continuously frustrated with him, because he leaves her in the dark about everything. But, I also thought Luce was stupid about her anger. She put herself in danger over and over again because she needed to prove to herself and Daniel that he doesn't own me, and I can make my own choices, so there. Except, all her own choices were juvenille and destructive. I felt like she was sticking her tounge out at Daniel, almost a Na Na na Na na moment.

It really bothered me that no one would explain anything to Luce, because it's her life that's on the line. She's someone important, and it's pretty obvious that she's going to have a big role to play in the future, but no one thinks she needs any information about it. They brush off her concerns, refuse to help her understand, and dictate her life for her, because it's safer that way.

About the only characters I liked in this book were Miles and Shelby, and even they felt a little stiff/forced at times. I really liked Arriane in the first book, so I was excited when she reappears her. Except, she acts just like everyone else. She lost the parts of her personality that made her so much fun in Fallen, and became just another angel, trying to control the future. I also didn't like the two teachers. I never felt comfortable when they were around, and again, I got annoyed that Luce was supposed to be at this school to gain more of an understanding of the world she now finds herself within, but they refused to help her access the information she needed. Everyone just assumes that they can arbitrarily tell Luce what she can and can't do with absolutely no explanation beyond, 'Because I said so' and she'd just going to go along with it.

I just didn't feel like there was a lot of positive about this book. I wasn't a huge fan, and that makes me sad. I wish that much of it this book had been done differently, because I still like the basic premise. About halfway through this book, I was undecided if I would keep reading the series or not. I have a pretty good idea about where/how the book is going to end (a few main points anyway) and an exploration of Luce and Daniel's previous incarnations didn't really appeal to me, which is what the third book, Passion, is purportedly about.

However, the best and most believable part about this book was the ending. I actually really enjoyed the ending, and felt that it's the first time every character acted according to their natures. And, it's made me very interested in seeing how the third book will play out. I'm definitely going to be picking up a copy now, and I just hope that the author lets up on some of the more ridiculously angsty moments.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through We Love YA! Tours.

This Monday, I don't have an actual memory for you... Yet. I'll start that up next week. This post is designed as a reference point, both for me and for you, my lovely readers. I will use this post to explain and explore my ideas and my reasoning for this themed post, and as a place for you to comment with any suggestions, criticisms, or words of encouragement.
So, what I envision is a post each Monday (or every other Monday?) that talks a little bit about those beloved childhood favorites. You know the books I mean, right? Those books that you haven't read since you were 8, but that you know are just the absolute best book ever written, but you are seriously afraid to reread them, because they probably won't live up to your memories?! I have a lot of those. I want to share how I felt about them, but I remember more about how I felt reading them than I remember what they are actually about. So, I want to use this weekly(ish) post to talk about those books, with the emphasis being on the memories they created.
I'll talk about how I felt reading those books, which scenes still stick out to me now, years later, how I felt going back for a reread (if I did) and a bit about how I think the book would hold up to memory now.
But, since I'm talking about memories here, I will also talk about books that broadened my idea of what it is to read, authors that were influential to my life, books I didn't like so much, and books that I read when I was older — but still have strong memories associated with them.
I'd also love to see other people take part in this idea, whether it becomes something you do regularly or not. I love hearing about those books people read that changed their life or that evoke strong memories and feelings. I'd love to hear what other people have to share. So, if you do write up a Memory Monday — esq post, I'd love to hear about it! Send me a link in the comments, and I'll rush right over and check out what will be (I'm completely sure) wonderful post. I would, of course, like a small shout out as well, just as I gave one to my lovely sister (who btw is a great seamstress, and will sometimes do custom sewing jobs if you are looking for something... (email me, and I'll get you in touch with her.:) ) ahem)
Anyway, I'd love to hear from you! Your thoughts and all that jazzy good stuff. Tune in Next Week for an actual Memory Monday, complete with books and everything!

On my sister's personal blog, she started a weekly post she calls Memory Monday to try and create consistent posts about her and her family. With 3 young kids, it's hard to find the time to post regularly, and this was her way to let people know what's been going on in their family on a regular basis.

I think the idea is great, so I'm contemplating stealing it to use on my book blog, because there are so many books I absolutely love from before I started a book blog that I want to share. A lot of those also have distinct memories associated with them, so I thought I could use this Memory Monday idea to share some of those past favorites and the memories of reading them and my reactions to them that will probably last longer than the memories of what I actually read.

What do you guys think? Would you be interested in hearing that I cried when my 4th grade teacher read us Where the Red Fern Grows, and ran off to the bathroom (hopefully) before anyone noticed and when my best friend came to find me and make sure I was okay, I sniffed dismissively and told her it was 'Just my allergies'? Or that I stopped reading this book after the only dog I've ever loved died and I swore that, even though it was my favorite book EVER, I would never read it again, but couldn't stop myself from picking it up about 2 years later when these our next two dogs (who were not good dogs for kids...) ran away and I felt bad that I wasn't sad about it. Or, that I've always wanted to live in the Ozark mountains because of this book, and it makes me ridiculously happy that Billy lives in Idaho when the book starts.

Anyway, back to my idea — I doubt I would do this every single Monday, but it is something I'm tossing around. Any thoughts?

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is easily one of the best books I have read this year. It's an intensely personal story about the struggle of a young girl whose world is changed in the blink of an eye.

Mia's life is full. She's been very blessed. She has a wonderful boyfriend, is an incredibly talented Cellist and she has a wonderful close family who gets her. She is close to her parents and younger brother, in a way that few people are really able to experience, especially as a teenager. We are given just enough time in the beginning of the book to meet Mia's family and in those few pages, we are able to see the connection this family shares.

Her family is involved in a horrible accident, and Mia is rushed to the hospital in a coma. She watches everything around her trying to understand the changes to her life, and where to go from there. Because she realizes it's her choice. She can choose to live or die. And what would you decide?

The book is Mia's struggle to make that all important choice. The story is told in flashed between then and now. We switch between scenes with Mia and her family and friends in the hospital, and her memories of the important people in her life. We are introduced to everyone through Mia's memories as she lays in a coma in the hospital, in limbo between life and death. It's heart wrenching to watch as each loved one comes to her bedside to talk. They give her words of hope, love, encouragement, understanding, and peace. They plead for her to remain, even while understanding why it's so hard. Every page teams with emotion and every memory tears at your heart.

I won't go into detail about the complete impact and effect music has to this story other than to say it is essential to almost every character. Music is a way of life for these people and it's changed each of them. Mia's boyfriend Adam is in a band that might be about to make it big, Mia's been playing the Cello for years, her father used to be in a band and on and on.

The writing in this book is incredibly powerful. There is a genuine connection to each character and a realness that makes you believe in them. I would say that Forman is a genuinely gifted writer. I can't remember the last time I believed in people so much, felt so much like the people I was reading about were real. I had tears streaming down my face for the vast majority of the book, and I was unable to put it down. It's a short book, and I read it in one sitting, but that in no way takes away from its impact. This book is beyond a doubt powerful, emotional, and compelling. Never doubt that its important.

So, next week (Oct. 17-23) is ALA's Teen Read Week, and this years theme is Books with Beat. Teen Read Week is designed to help motivate teenagers to read, and they use a different theme each year to generate broader reading interest, and spotlight various books and authors. This year, the focus is on books about music, related to music, or books written in verse, etc. So, I've decided that I'm going to participate here on my blog. This week, all my reviews will be of books related in some way to music or a 'beat'. I'm hoping to have a new review up every day, but I'm not going to promise anything. I'll be posting a review more days than not, but I'm not totally sure yet how many books I'll be reviewing.

If anyone else is posting reviews related to Teen Read Week, I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a message or link in the comments, or send me an email! If I hear from you, I'll visit your blog, and I'll include your blog and links in a post here.:)

And,

Becky over at Escapism through Books just tagged me, and I just I've decided to accept... So,

The Rules:
(1) Accept the tag and link to the tagger at the beginning of your post.
(2) Answer the questions honestly in your post by listing four things.
(3) Pass on the love by picking four other people to tag and listing them at the bottom of your post. Notify them that you tagged them.

Four Things In My Handbag:

• Cell phone
• A book (or books)
• Wallet
• Gum

• My books (duh)
• My bed
• Cool shelving
• My lamp. It's cool, and super convenient

• Currently broken laptop (hoping to get that fixed soon)
• To read pile
• Lots of pens/pencils
• Whatever junk I happened to have set down on it since the last time I cleaned it off

• Visit Europe
• Speak French, for real
• Go to the top of the Washington Monument
• Run as if being chased by a crazy madman through a large forest (a real one).

• Spending time with my nephews, and the rest of the family
• Reading
• Getting mail
• Listening to a baby (11 mo) laugh hysterically because of something I'm doing

• The theme song from Doug. It's been stuck in my head for over a year now. (Which sucks)
• Soul Sister by Train
• Mama Said by the Shirrelles
• Basshunter (seriously catchy Swedish techno.)

• I honestly believe that if I set my mind to it, and pick the right career that I can legitimately change the world.
• I'm too practical to believe that one person can do very much on their own. (Creates a bit of a dilemma there...)
• I'm really bad at saving money unless I have something specific to be saving towards, then I'm great at it.
• My dad thinks I should write a book about all the really weird people I've met in my life. And by met, I don't mean Hi, I'm Ashley. I mean 6 mo later they are riding past my house hoping to catch a glimpse of me, leave me creepy gifts in weird places without telling me who they are from, and declaring their love to me in really awkward ways and places. And that's just the stuff I feel comfortable sharing over the internet when I'm not totally sure who reads this page. I've never once lost the 'one up — my crazy person story is better than your crazy person story — game'. Not ever.

• Lori at The Next Best Book Blog
• Misty at Book Rat
• Adam at Roof Beam Reader
• April at Good Books & Good Wine

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Kiersten White's debut novel, Paranormalcy is an absolutely delightful story. I loved it!

Our heroine, Evie, is one of the best female characters I've read in what seems like a long time. She hasn't had an easy time of things. She's been living at and working for IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency) since she was 8 (which btw, is underground. *shudder*). Now at 16, she has never been able to experience normal. Her best friend is a mermaid who can't speak without a computer to translate, her tutor is a werewolf, and her only experience with the world outside IPCA is when she's sent out on assignment to retrieve a paranormal, and 'tag' them — making them less of a hazard to the human population.

Evie is so valuable to IPCA because she is the only person they've ever come across who can see through a paranormal's glamour — the face that they present to the rest of the world, so she can always spot the paranormals. It's an ideal trait when your hunting them. But it's been hard for Evie. She's 16, and her version of normal is what she can watch on TV. I felt bad for Evie. It must have been incredibly hard growing up away from almost all human contact. But, I was incredibly impressed by her. She made the most of her life, and most of the time seemed genuinely happy. I love the parts of Evie that seem incongruous with her job and her situation. She carries a taser, hunts paranormals, and is really pretty hardcore for a 16 year old. But, her taser is pink, named Tasey, her knife has a pink hilt, her wardrobe contains tons of (yup) pink, she has high heeled zebra print boots (ummm, ya... I want) and she is in love with the high school equivalent of a soap opera, which is also her only tie to a 'normal high school experience.' Sure, she wished things could be different, but she also understood why she was there, and why it wasn't possible for her to have much outside contact.

Everything changes though, once Lend enters the scene. He's like nothing they've ever seen before, and even Evie has a hard time focusing on his real form past his glamour. He's a shape shifter, and is able to mimic any form and voice he sees. He breaks into IPCA, and no one knows why. They contain him, but he's not talking to anyone, until Evie starts hanging around. They form a bond and become really close friends. And of course, given the nature of paranormal YA lately, of course they start a romance, but they were friends, and liked each other as people before they decided they were in love with each other. There was none of that instant flash of recognition/chemistry/whatever that seems so prevelant in YA lit now, and I for one was beyond grateful. I don't actually believe it's possible to truly fall in love that fast. You can definitely become attracted to someone, but that is not love, it's hormones. But I digress...

I though Lend was also a great character. He's pretty down to earth, and is accepting of things he doesn't understand. And, he helps Evie understand herself better too. I liked their relationship, and I liked watching it grow at a normal pace.

I think that the characters, and their relationships with each other are really the best part about this book. The world White created was wonderful, but wouldn't have been terribly memorable or unique without her amazing characters to brighten the world. And when I say characters, I also include her descriptions of the other paranormals that we don't really get to meet. How creepy must it be for Evie to see past a vampire's glamour. We see someone pretty hot, she sees that superimposed over a rotting, decaying corpse. Ugh. The nymphs were wonderful, werewolves interesting, and fairies creepy. I'm actually really excited to see what role Reth is going to have in the future installments.

This book is part of a trilogy, so we don't get to learn everything about Evie's past, and there's definitely more places she can go in the future. But, I loved the way White handled it. Although there are still questions, Paranormalcy ended at a good place. It's not a horrible cliffhanger that's going to leave you angry for a year until the next book comes out. It's a comfortable place to end the story. Although, there is also enough information missing to ensure you're going to be wanting and waiting for the sequel. I'm definitely excited for the sequels to come out. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Evie and her friends, and eager to learn more about her past.

Shortly after I finished reading One Child by Jeff Buick, I had the opportunity to interview the author. If you missed that (ridiculously long) review, you can read it HERE. It had to be a little long, because I talked about both the book, and the unique reading experience it offered. Because, Enthrill, the brand new publishing house that created it definitely brought changes to the way we view publishing.

Jeff Buick is not only an author, but he is also part of the Enthrill team. So, when I talked to him about his book, and the publishing method, I also got to talk to him about Enthrill and what will happen next. It's been a little while since that interview, (sorry about the posting delay... Life has been seriously crazy lately), but I'm finally getting it up! It was a pretty long phone call, and I can only write so fast, so much of what he said is slightly paraphrased (I warned him, and he's okay with that) but the point of each answer, what he's trying to convey is still there. It was a great conversation, and I'm really excited to see what Enthrill will be coming out with next!
_____________________________________________________

Jeff: Everything said by Jeff will look like this.
Me: Everything said by me will look like this. This is to avoid confusion, and so I don't have to keep specifying who is doing the talking.

We started off with the typical niceties:

It's really good to talk to you! Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview!

No problem. It's great to talk to you. Do you have giant potatoes in Idaho?
Yes.

(Anyway... Now to the actual stuff...)

Enthrill has been a great publishing experience. It's been a lot of work, but we are really looking forward to the response we've been getting from everyone. It's not easy to change the publishing model, so it's especially interesting to watch the reactions we've been getting, and they are pretty positive so far.
It's also interesting, because at Enthrill, we are picking social conscious thrillers to publish. It's not an accident. The issues in the books we're publishing, like the war in Afghanistan for One Child were picked specifically.
So, did you decide on the issues that you wanted to talk about before you wrote the book?

Somewhat. For this book, Wayne Logan, the CEO wanted to bring up Afghanistan specifically. This was the driving factor behind One Child. Then, we came up with high frequency trading, put that on the table and tossed that idea around for a while. It was definitely a collaborative effort. It is my book, but everyone put in some effort to get it where it is now.
So, where did this different publishing model come from? It's not anything I'd heard of before.

I currently have five books published in New York, which have done well in the US and Canada. The way that these publishers work is to put books on the shelves, and hope they sell. I've always been willing to put some of my own money down, for book signings and other marketing techniques to get my books out there.
I came up with a new business model to get more of my books out there, but it didn't work for my publisher and that likewise didn't work for me. So, we parted on amicable terms and I decided to try something on my own.
I have 13 books waiting to be published, and I feel like people started parachuting into my life.
Cameron is this business/sports and entertainment guy.
Kevin is the marketing guy. He's absolutely brilliant. He put the whole One Child marketing plan together, all the press releases, everything.
Celia is our project manager.
We all sat down together to talk about what we could do as a small publisher to stand out in the crowd. If you don't have something that sets you apart, these big houses will run right over you. So, we decided to do something drastically different. We'd publish a thriller dealing with issues that are facing us NOW. So, instead of a two minute news clip, or two pages in the newspaper, we devote 400 pages to this issue, which raises awareness and actually allows you to really understand the issues here.
Writing about a current topic does create some time constraints though. Instead of spending 18-24 months working on all stages of book development, we did everything in about 5 months, to keep all the information current and accurate. We ran into a few problems that way, it's hard to get ARCs out in advance when you only have 5 months to work on something like this. But, for every person that reads this book, it's one more that understands the war in Afghanistan.
We've already had three people come to us with an idea for a future book, and ask us if we could write about it, and they are all worthwhile ideas.
So, are you interested in getting other authors on board with this project?

Definitely! This is one of our big pushes, one of our biggest goals. We want to take authors who can really get into what we're doing and get them on board. It will have to be an author who can write fairly quickly, because we've got to keep the issues current, but we're definitely interested in new authors.
There is so much talent out there, that no one's really familiar with yet. I went to ThrillerFest and couldn't believe all the talent there that no one's heard about yet. So, we'd love to be able to take about 2 authors a year and get them out there.
One of the keys for them wanting to work with us, is that once we get them on board with us, we immediately start the marketing process. The average amount a publisher will put behind a book is about $2,000 but we are willing to put $500,000 to $1 million behind you, right up front.
So, do you have the next Enthrill project planned?

We have about three possibilities right now. We need to make a decision on them soon, so we can get started on them, but whichever idea we decide on, the end result will be pretty cool.
What type of research do you do for your books?

I do a lot of research for my books. If I had been able to find the time, I would have gone to Afghanistan myself to research what it's like over there for my books. I didn't have time, but I am lucky enough to be connected to people who were able to give me a lot of information.
I talked to a lot of military guys who had been on the ground over there, and people with higher ranks, colonels and the like. I talked to all of them about what it's really like over there and not just as soldiers on the bases, but also outside the safety of the wire and the real issues that are facing everyone involved in the conflict in Afghanistan. That's where a lot of the information Russel Matthews reports on came from. They talked about the corruption over there and the mistrust between the people, the government and the troops. I used a reporter and an american soldier to convey all of this to my readers, and get across the message that this war isn't really about religious ideology. The Taliban are really just drug lords and drug runners, and that's where the crux of all this conflict stems.
The scenes in New York were different. I never really felt connected to this portion of the story the way I did with the Afghanistan scenes.
I actually agree with you here. I felt more connected and concerned about the characters in Afghanistan that I did the New York characters.

Ya. But, I did do my research for this portion of the book as well. I think that high frequency trading is really dangerous, and it's something that needs to have more controls and regulations placed on it. What happened to the market in my book is a possibility. HFT is highly volatile and I think it's important to bring it up, to get us thinking about the future here and what could happen. It actually did happen back in May. It gets ugly.
Every time I go to New York, I see these guys in $1000 suits and they are never the ones hurting. They play with other people's money and it doesn't touch them. I wanted to lay some of that out.
The publishing model for One Child was incredibly unique. I've never heard about anything like it before. Obviously, this isn't going to be Enthrill's only project. Are you planning on publishing your future projects the same way, or do you have other ideas for future projects?

Our goal right now is to be a bit of a moving target. We've heard from some of the big publishing houses, and we know we are being watched by them now. We talked to them at BookExpo, and they are actually showing a lot of interest. But, I imagine that most of that interest is so that they can begin to incorporate this into their publishing model.
So, we know that we need to be always moving and advancing our own model. We've decided to be a moving target. We will never just stand still, we will be small, agile, fun and smart.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about Enthrill or One Child?
We've covered just about everything, but I would like to reiterate that I do think One Child is a worthwhile book. It has value to the story. I hope that anyone who reads it will pass it along. It's nice to make money, of course, but more than that, it's also nice for someone to read my book, and understand the issues better.
Switching gears now, when did you decide that you wanted to write and how did you settle on writing thrillers?

About 12 years ago, I sat down and decided that I wanted to write a book. I started by writing a Young Adult book for my youngest son, and I followed that with a second YA book. They were received well, but by that time, I had already moved on to writing thrillers for adults.
Then, about 6 years ago, Dorchester publishing happened. One week, there was nothing. I was just writing and hoping. And then they came and say Hey, we want to publish your book. It was my 8th book written. I hadn't published a word before, but I just kept going. I just kept writing and hoping.

I know that this is probably an impossible question, but do you have a favorite book that you've written?

No, not really. They are just each so different. I have this back log of books I want to publish, and each one has value. I know that there are going to be people who connect differently to each book. So, I can't really say that I have a favorite.

What is your favorite book or genre? What book or author has most influenced you and your writing?

Leon Uris. He had some real talent, some major writing skills, a skill level I would say is unmatched by most writers. He can present both sides of a conflict equally, allowing the reader to fully understand both sides of the issue. That really takes a lot of talent.
I generally read thrillers. I also read biographies, a lot of suspense and mystery but I also like the literary fiction, like Three Cups of Tea or The Kite Runner. I also like learning the story behind why books were written. Some of the stories you hear are pretty amazing.
There are all kinds of serendipitous things out there waiting for you. If you find one, don't push against the flow. Keep doing the best you can, and at some point things will break for you and start to work out.

That's so great. Thank you again for taking the time to talk to me today. I really appreciate your time and everything you've shared with me.
Not a problem. Thank you for the interview and the review of One Child.