Aprilynne Pike Interview

For the last day of BEDA (oh my gosh FINALLY) I have an interview with Aprilynne Pike for you.

In case you didn't know what Aprilynne's debut, Wings, is about, here is a description straight from B&N:

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

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1) Your book is being released VERY SOON. How are you feeling now that you're so close to the release date? Have you done anything special to prepare for the release?

Nervous! Excited! Freaked! Overjoyed! It's such a mixed feeling to have your book coming out. I'm thrilled out of my gourd, of course, but everything will suddenly be very real on May 5th. At the moment I'm standing on this huge chasm of potential. Anything could happen!

My publisher is touring me the first week after my book comes out (yay!) so there's not a lot I can personally do right in that first week, but on the 14th I am having a launch party at my local Indie book store, The King's English with a little party before a reading and signing. That's been my main baby.:) But I also have had decals made up to give away at signings and will be doing some fun things on my blog. . . I'd tell you what but, well, I haven't decided yet. I should probably do that.:D

2) Wings is one of countless books that deal with faeries. Why do you think people like faeries so much?

Faeries are timeless. A lot like vampires. But I think something fun about fairies is that the lore is so mixed. I mean, based on the stories and folkore, you can't really tell a lot. Are they big, small? Do they have magic? Do they have wings? Are they friendly or fiendish? There is so much room for interpretation. That means you can write a million different stories about them and nevre see the same thing twice. I think that is a major draw to faeries.

3) Why did you choose to write about faeries?

Because I love faeries! Have since I was just a little girl. They have always fascinated me.

4) I've seen that your book has been blurbed by Stephenie Meyer. I'm sure all the other authors out there are burning with jealousy. Has getting a blurb by someone so ~*famous*~ helped calmed any debut author nerves you might have?

I have certainly been lucky in my professional associations.:) However, on the flip side, it does draw the inevitable comparisons. It's a little daunting to be compared to such a publishing giant! Thos are big shoes to fill! But overall, I love that it piques the interest of Stephenie's fans, and i hope they will pick up the book, read it, and love it!

5) Wings is the first in a four book series. Which book in the series are you currently working on? How's that going?

I just turned in my first (and biggest) round of revisions on the second book. I am hoping to get a good start on the third book this summer and to finish it by the end of the year. That will give my incredible editor, Tara, and I six months to get it all polished up and ready to go into production next summer.

6) Did you have any trouble trying to combine the human world and the faery world while writing?

Not really. I do tend to do a lot of staring off into space when I should be doing other things (burnt dinner, anyone???) but I have always had such an active imagnation that I have spent most of my life with make-believe creatures. It's just more of the same.:)

7) What are you most looking forward to about having your book be released?

I've been lucky enough to have my floor display picked up my a lot of stores along with my book and I am so excited to not only see my book on shelves, but to see a floor display full of my books!

8) Come up with your own question and answer it! :D

Favorite candy bar?

I find it very interesting about myself that with all of the toppings I like on my ice cream, and filler in my cakes, pies, etc, my favorite candy bar is a plain old Hershey Bar. Unadulterated chocolate for me, please!:D

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Thank you Aprilynne! You rock. And congrats on your very soon release!

Wings will be out next week, on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!), so be sure to be on the lookout for it.

As Aprilynne said in her interview, she's going on a small tour. You can check out the tour dates here.

You can also check out Aprilynne's website here, her blog here and follow her on twitter here.

Cindy Pon Interview

The awesome Cindy Pon, author of the recently released Silver Phoenix (review here), allowed me to interview her for today. Thank you Cindy! You're great. Some of these questions are a little dated because the book came out the other day, but let's all pretend it's the day before the release, ok?

1) Your book is being released VERY SOON. Are you ready for the release? Are you nervous? Are you doing anything special for it? Details please. :P

i guess i'm as ready as i'll ever be. i've been working hard on the redesign of the website : http://cindypon.com please go see if you haven't yet! i really love it. as well as online promotions for the book and arranging for signings at three locations in cali, SF, SD and LA. as for actual release day, i plan to have a special "contest" on my blog. so stay tuned for details!

2) Your book's cover is gorrrrrrrgeous. What was your reaction when you first saw it?

i was a little stunned. i mean, it's just a WOW type of cover. and i was included in the process of choosing a model, helping with costume choices, etc. to see the final cover rendered in such a breathtaking way, as well as seeing my heroine in the flesh. it was a real moment for me as an author.

3) I'm going to assume your book is set in China. Or Taiwan. Somewhere in Asia. Did you do any research about the place it was set and the customs there before you began writing? Can you share any bizarre things you found about the place where it's set?

my book is actually set in the Kingdom of Xia, which is based in parts on ancient china. i did read many books on chinese dynasties, on the royal courts, the emperors, the architecture, the dress, etc. i found out that some emperors had literally THOUSANDS of royal concubines. as a sign of status and virility. you can imagine, many of these women never got to see the emperor, much less, um, see him within the bedchamber.

4) Have you gotten any early reviews or feedback about the book that have calmed any nerves you have about the book's release?

my first industry review was actually a starred review (an honor) from ALA's (american library association) booklist. i really couldn't have asked for a better review from someone who obviously read SILVER PHOENIX, got it and loved it. here's a short excerpt :

If the cover image of a fearless Chinese heroine reminds readers of such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that’s intentional; the story inside will, too. First-time novelist Pon has a screenwriter’s talent for producing a sweeping saga.... Ai Ling is a clever and determined heroine, Chen’s younger brother is a witty teen whose girl-crazy ways transcend the centuries, and even the monsters have dimension. Pon’s writing, both fluid and exhilarating, shines whether she’s describing a dinner delicacy or what it feels like to stab an evil spirit in the gut. There’s a bit of sex here, including a near rape, but it’s all integral to a saga that spins and slashes as its heroine tries to find her way home. ~Ilene Cooper, ALA’s BOOKLIST, starred review

i also got awesome blurbs from meg cabot and alyson noel. they were both so kind and so encouraging. i couldn't be more grateful. i'd like to say it's eased my anxieties some what-- but it's within my nature to obsess and worry. i think i'm a pretty typical debut author. =)

5) What books can we expect from you after Silver Phoenix is released? (:

thanks for asking! i'm working on both a sequel to SILVER PHOENIX as well as a children'
picture book with my own chinese brush art.

6) You're part of the 2009 Debs livejournal community group thing. What's it been like being a part of that?

i joined a little later than others, but i felt right at home right a way. such a talented group of writers and we couldn't be a better resource and support group for one another. aprilynne pike's much anticipated WINGS (with that awesome blurb from stephenie meyer!) will be out in early
may and r.j. anderson's fantastic read FAERY REBELS is out the same time as SILVER PHOENIX. i've read both books and recommend them highly! SHRINKING VIOLET by danielle joseph as well as DULL BOY by sarah cross are also titles out by debs in may!!

7) I've noticed on your blog and website that you make pretty brush paintings. Does doing those paintings, in some bizarre way, help with your writing at all? By giving you inspiration or something to do when you have writer's block?

i think that creative outlets are free therapy. ha! i've been a student of chinese brush art for eight years, and that's a very young student with a lot to learn. i do think that painting helps to open creative outlets, and it can be connected to my writing. my heroine, ai ling, is a student of the art, like i am.

8) What are you looking forward to the most about having your book being released?

wow. i'm looking forward to my signings and meeting new friends and seeing old ones. i'm looking foward to it all running smoothly, and the novel finding a place for herself, a niche, where readers who would love her would find her. =) i'm looking forward to "letting her go" and moving on to my sequel.

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Thanks again, Cindy! You rock. And a million congrats on your release!

Cindy has been awesome enough to offer some lotus bookmarks (you can go here and scroll down to see what they look like) to a few lucky commenters, so comment, if you wish.

You can check out Cindy's website here, and stalk her on twitter here.

I vlogged.

Here are the results:




This is my first vlog, can you tell?

R.J. Anderson Interview

TODAY IS THE US RELEASE OF FAERY REBELS: SPELL HUNTER! CONGRATULATIONS R.J.!

For her release, I have an interview with her. Some of the questions are a bit dated now that the book is out in the world, but we'll pretend it's yesterday and the book isn't out yet.

Here's a description of the book (from amazon) for you, in case you need it:

Forget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .

Creatures full of magic and whimsy?

Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore.

Deep inside the great Oak lies a dying faery realm, bursting with secrets instead of magic. Long ago the faeries mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake.

Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the Faery Queen and befriends a human named Paul, her quest becomes more dangerous than she realizes. Can Knife trust Paul to help, or has she brought the faeries even closer to the brink of destruction?

Talented newcomer R. J. Anderson creates an extraordinary new fantasy world and weaves a gripping tale of lost magic, high adventure, and surprising friendship in which the fate of an entire realm rests on the shoulders of one brave faery rebel.

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1) Your book has yet to be released in the US. Laaaame. BUT. It has already been released in the UK! Awesomeness. Has having the book being already released in the UK calmed your debuting author nerves at all?

I don't know about it calming my nerves as far as the US release is concerned, because the packaging/title/readership in the two countries is different, so in some ways it feels like starting from scratch! But I will say I have been thrilled by the warm reception my book's had in the UK, and the fantastic reviews I got from major newspapers like the Times.

2) Out of curiosity- why did the UK get it first? D: Usually the UKians must wait. And we USians, because we are impatient, do not have to wait.

Originally the book was scheduled to come out at the same time in both countries. But publishing moves much faster in the UK – it's a smaller market to cover, for one thing – so even though my UK publisher bought the book six months later than the US, they could also put it out six months earlier. All they had to do was ask my US publisher if that was OK, and… apparently it was.

3) Both versions of your cover are pretty and ~*shiny*~ Do you feel special because you get TWO such fabulous covers? Is there a cover that more accurately represents the ~mood~ of the book? What was your reaction when you saw both of the covers?

They are both gorgeous – I've been so blessed that way. And when I found out that the art for the UK cover was done by Brian Froud, I just about fell off my chair with excitement. But I was also thrilled when I learned that Melanie Delon would be doing my US art, because her work is brilliant. I think both covers reflect different aspects of the book – the UK cover is a good expression of the darker, fiercer elements of the story and of my heroine Knife's character, whereas the US one reflects the more thoughtful, creative side of Knife that develops over the course of the book.

4) Your book has faeries. Yay faeries! Did you do research on faeries to prepare for writing? Was it FUN to research these little creatures? Did you learn anything INTERESTING?

I learned a lot of interesting things! There is a huge amount of faery lore to draw on, and a lot of it is self-contradictory, so as an author you have to pick and choose the elements that are most compelling to you. When I was writing the first draft of the book I relied mostly on my own memory of faery folklore (since I'd read a lot of "fairy tales" and mythology as a child, and also continue to read a great deal of modern fantasy literature to this day). But in later revisions, when I was looking for ways to deepen the story, I found reading books by faery scholars such as Katharine Briggs to be helpful. I've drawn much more directly on folklore for the second book in the series, and I'm pretty excited about the particular Welsh faery legend I've picked to play around with – it's not something I've seen done before.

5) Since you, being a faery writer and all, must be a faery expert, can you give us your professional opinion on what the difference between a faIry and a faEry is?

To my mind, the term "faery" speaks of something rooted in the older legends of the fey folk or fae (thus the "ae" spelling) – it doesn't just mean small fluttery creatures but the whole range of fascinating and sometimes terrifying beings we meet in folklore. Whereas "fairy", the modern spelling, makes me think of the Disney version of Tinkerbell and other similar characters who've sprung up in the last hundred and fifty years or so, who are basically just very small, pretty humans with wings and wands and magic pixie dust. I did want to write about small, winged characters, but I wanted to make plain that they weren't cutesy or wish-granting ones, so I chose the older spelling.

6) What book are you working on now?

I'm just wrapping up work on the second book in the FAERY REBELS series, which is coming out next year. Once that's done I hope to go back to work on a non-series paranormal thriller I'm writing for an older teen audience.

7) Let's pretend you're a faery (assuming you aren't one already.) Tell us all about what you think your faery self would do all day, and if the faery-you has any special powers or skillz.

I am definitely not a faery – my clumsiness is legendary! But if I were one of the Oakenfolk (the faeries in my book), I think I'd probably end up working in the Oak's library, like Campion does in the book. My faeries have no magic, so "special powers" aren't really in the offing, but practical skills are highly prized in the Oak, so when I was finished cataloguing and shelving all the library books maybe I could help out in the kitchen. There's got to be a recipe somewhere that would make squirrel meat taste good…

8) What were you like as a teen?

I read incessantly – at least two or three novels a week, plus a bunch of comic books as well – and stayed up past midnight more often than not, sketching in my notebook or hammering out fan fiction stories on my parents' electric typewriter. My arms were constantly speckled up to the elbow with white correction fluid, because even back then, I was a compulsive self-editor! At school I hung around with all the people who, like me, didn't fit into any particular clique or group – the artsies, the weirdos, the geeks. At lunchtimes two of my friends and I used to go to the bottom of the stairwell and sing traditional Celtic folk music in three-part harmony, and after school I'd be working on an art project or rehearsing with the Drama club. All through public school and into middle school I'd been horribly bullied by the so-called "popular kids", so by the time I got to high school, I'd stopped wanting to have anything to do with those kids or do any of the things it might take to become one of them. Which was actually really freeing and empowering for me, in the end.

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Thank you RJ! And once again, congrats on your release! Everyone go buy the book now, as I'm sure it's fabulous.

You can also check out RJ's website, blog, and Twitter.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

[description from Cindy's site]

On the day of her first betrothal meeting–and rejection–Ai Ling discovers a power welling deep within her. She can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.

Ai Ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. She must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. and then she meets Chen Yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. Here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance–of anything with the making of legend.

Review:

If you think you've read something about this book on my blog before, it's because you have. This is the blood that had the blood on it. You might think that the blood would be warning that the book would cause my physical pain or something, but that is incorrect. Because this is a bloody good book.*

Usually I'm not a fan of these kind of epic-fantasy books, but I really enjoyed this one. Although I didn't always quite understand what Ai Ling's powers were and what all the different creatures were, I was mesmerized by the magic involved. The creatures and powers involved added a bit of uniqueness to the plot, since 1) I've never read many Chinese-type fantasy books like this and 2) never encountered powers and creatures like the demons and such. I never read many fantasy books anyway, but I digress. The descriptions of Ai Ling's feelings when she uses her spirit-reaching power and the sometimes creepy descriptions of the creatures also helped bring Ai Ling's world alive.

My main problem is something that the lovely Yan pointed out in her review: the book is like an RPG. Meaning, it goes talk to person-action-food-repeat until you reach Big Powerful person. I'm not saying that this is especially bad, because the people Ai Ling talked to all had interesting stories to share, the food was described so vividly that it made me hungry, and the action was all exciting. The format just got a little old after a while, because it was a bit easier to predict the gist of what would happen.

I wish Ai Ling and Chen Yong were developed a little more, as it sometimes felt like I knew the supporting characters more than I knew them. I often find character development a problem in fantasy novels, but that doesn't mean I'm done complaining about it.

And I also agree with Yan about wishing Silver Phoenix- Ai Ling in a past life, dun dun dun- was explained more. Sometimes I wonder why I bother reviewing some things since other people- Yan- steal all my thoughts. But then I remember that I have other things to say too.

Silver Phoenix is a action-packed novel, whose minor faults will be overlooked because everyone will be too busy squeeing about the book's beautiful writing.

8/10

*Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for this joke. It was all Cindy.

Silver Phoenix will be released in hardcover TOMORROW so be sure to run to the bookstore and buy it. And a huge congratulations on your release, Cindy! I hope you do something festive to celebrate.

Blog-o-versary + CONTEST!

One year ago today, I created this blog.

*sniff*

My first post went a little something like:

Due to my extreme and frenetic (hence the blog title) love of reading, I'm here to review books and post about book related things. And that's about all you need to know.

I'll be back to post a review within the week. (Hopefully.)

And look, I'm still here! Aren't you all lucky?

It's been a crazy awesome year here on the blog. I've loved reviewing amazing books and chatting with all my fellow reviewers. You are all FABULOUS.

Let's take a look some of the firsts that occurred in my first year of blogging, shall we?

First review: Guitar Girl. I think I'd like this book much more if i read it now. But whatever.

First person who commented: Steph. Yay Steph!

First author who commented: Barrie Summy, whose book I've never read...I should get on that.

First author who sent me a book for review: Catherine Ryan Hyde. I reviewed Chasing Windmills and LOVED it.

First interview: Jim Rugg, illustrator of The Plain Janes.

First mention of David Levithan (this is an important event guys): It was actually in my Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List review.

First blogger I met: Sharon! She's not as scary in real life.

First contest: None! Shocking, isn't it? But today. Today I'm fixing this, because I am having a CONTEST.

I bet you want to know what you could win in this CONTEST. If you do, you are in luck, because I'm about to tell you.

In this contest, one winner will win four awesome books:

A signed copy of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Paperback!)
A signed copy of City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (Another paperback)
A signed copy of City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (ARC version!)
A signed copy of Wake by Lisa McMann (Paperback)
And a spiffy Wake necklace generously given to me by Lisa McMann.

So, a summary of the prizes: signed copies of the Mortal Instruments series and Wake, and a Wake necklace.


To be entered: leave a comment on THIS blog post. Leave some way to contact you as well, pleeeease. And because I find those "oh hai enter me plz kthnxbai" comments boring, you can tell me...um. You can tell me what books you're looking forward to this year. You can tell me how your day was. You can tell me if you prefer zombies to unicorns or vice versa. You can tell me a story. I don't know. Tell me something interesting.

+1 entry: post about the contest somewhere! Anywhere you want, within reason. (Sidebar of blog is fine.) But you have give me a link to where you posted about it.

Contest ends: Two weeks? That enough time for all you people to enter and stuff? It is now. Ends May 10.

*Only open to US/Canada. I think I'll be having a worldwide contest soon though. (: (Do I even HAVE many readers outside the US?)

Lisa Mantchev Interview

Today there is a lovely interview with Lisa Mantchev, author of the upcoming Eyes Like Stars, for you to enjoy.

In case you live in a hole and don't know what Lisa's fabulous book is about, here is a description, straight from Amazon:

All her world’s a stage.

Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.

She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.

She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.

That is, until now.

Enter Stage Right

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks.

ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE. Our heroine.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.

Open Curtain

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1) How on earth did you come up with the idea for Eyes Like Stars?

It started with the opening sentence and the idea of these tiny, annoying fairies flying on wires when they had perfectly good wings.

2) Your book has lots of Shakespeare, but you only actively use a few of his plays in the story. What made you choose the plays you did?

I picked characters that were my favorite (like those from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew) and the ones I felt were most thematically appropriate to the novel (Hamlet.) I didn't want to drown anyone in Shakespearean references, if they weren't familiar with his work, but I also hope that by using the quotes that I did, that teen readers (and even adults!) would be more inclined to give his plays a try.

3) Some of the characters in your book were characters that already existed in another piece of fiction- Ophelia, the fairies, etc. Was it difficult writing characters that you didn't make up?

Eerily enough, it wasn't. I had the carte blanche of doing with them whatever I wanted, because they've only ever existed within the confines of their written part. Once I pulled them out of that time and place, their personalities just took over.

The fairies, especially. Those little buggers practically talk to me 24/7 now.

4) Eyes Like Stars is the first in a trilogy! Yay! Are you working on book 2 or 3? How's the progress on that coming along?

The second book is done and in editorial revisions. Book the Third is outlined but not drafted. That's the next thing on the writerly To Do list.

5) Eyes Like Stars is still a few months from being released. Have you begun preparing for the release yet, though? If so, how?

We launched the website (www.theatre-illuminata.com) and we've been running contests to give away Advance Review Copies, like a Shakespearean Scavenger Hunt on reviewer blogs, and the LOLShakespeare Caption Contest. I also network on all the usual places: LiveJournal, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter...

6) Why do you think fantasy books appeal to so many people? Why do we all love them so much?

Escapism, pure and simple. We are still looking for that rabbit hole to Wonderland, or the wardrobe that would take us to Narnia.

7) If you could go visit Shakespeare (back when he was alive. You don't have to go visit a zombie.) and ask him only one thing, what would you ask?

Dude, why did you leave your wife the second-best bed?

8) What are you looking forward to the most about having your book being released?

Total World Domination. And pie. Oh, there will be much pie. ;)

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Thank you Lisa! You're wonderful.

Eyes Like Stars won't be out until July 7, but until then, you can check out Lisa's website, blog, and Twitter. You can also check out the series' website here.

About Me/The Blog

*The latest version of this post was written on January 24, 2010.

First off, a little about yours truly:

- KHY IS NOT MY REAL NAME. I've noticed people either think it's my real name, they're not sure if it is, or they're surprised if they find out it is not my real name. So let's get this straight: Khy is not my real name. Now you have to reason to be surprised. But you can CALL me that. You're SUPPOSED to. So no need for the "Hi Khy, I know that's not your real name." emails, please? xD

- People often wonder why I use a pseudonym. I use one because I like them.

- People also wonder where the heck I came up with Khy/Khyrinthia. It was the name of one of my neopets. Don't judge.

- I'm a high school sophmore, but a young sophomore.

- I enjoy books quite a lot. Obviously.

- I also enjoy writing. Both writing reviews/blogging, and stories. Though I do hate writing essays and other various school things.

- I'm pretty sure I enjoy musicals more than the average person should.

- I live in a place that allows me to go to more book events than most of my blogging friends. I enjoy book events a lot. I try to go to many, but since I'm too young to drive, I have to ask my mom to take me. She usually does because she's awesome.

- I kind of fail at coming up with creative things. Example: my blog name.

- I think David Levithan is amazing. End of story.

- My favorite shows are Skins, Misfits, Arrested Development, Pushing Daisies, and Glee even though it's a crap show. But my ALL TIME FAVORITE at the moment is Friday Night Lights.

- I think I've talked about myself too much. On to the about the blog stuff:

About the blog/reviewing/other stuff only authors/publishers will probably find useful

- The blog was created one night when I was extremely bored. Not a very exciting story.

- Stats: There's a follower widget in the top right of the blog, but that is only public followers, not people who are subscribed in only a reader. I usually get anywhere from 160-270 unique hits a day, but usually it's around 210.

- Reviewing: I like reviewing books. It is enjoyable. If you want me to review your book, here's some info for you:

• I pretty much read anything that is YA. I tend to like historical fiction and more realistic, contemporary books more though. I also like zombies, superhero books, and books that involve musicals. I'm not big on fantasy, paranormal, or third person narrative, but I'm willing to give things a try.
  
• No to self published books and e-books. (Can't handle e-books. My eyes are already bad enough.) No nonfiction/self-help either. Or really Christian/religion-y stuff. I also don't do comic books.
  
• I DO NOT WANT ADULT BOOKS. I don't care if it has crossover appeal- I've had too many bad encounters with adult books with "teen appeal!"
  
• I finish most of what I read (only book I can remember never finishing is Julie of the Wolves in fifth grade.) but I don't guarantee a review. I'll do my best though.
  
• I will be ~honest.~ ~Honesty~ is good. So if I don't like the book, I will say so.
  

So if you want to send a book my way, email me. (: But be warned: I AM FREAKING SLOW. Like, don't send me a book and expect a review the next week. Give me a while.

- Interviewing: I got good responses to a few interviews I did in April, so I'm going to start doing more. I like interviews better if I've read the author's book or I can find a lot of info about the author and books online. I enjoy stalking author websites, looking for information to help me think of questions.

- Any other questions/comments/concerns: email me! Or comment. Either one. Doesn't matter.

- Email address: khyrinthia@gmail.com

Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

[description from Amazon]

Tabitha and her four best friends all wear Purity Rings, symbols of the virginity-until-marriage pledge they made as tweens. Now the girls are fifteen, and their rings have come to symbolize not only their purity, but also the friendships and identities they've built based on their shared faith. Simmering tensions rise to the surface and the group is split apart when one of Tab's friends admits that she and her long-term boyfriend have broken the pledge. In the midst of the confrontations, betrayals, confessions, and revenge that follow, each girl is forced to reexamine her friendships, her faith, and what exactly it means to be pure.

Review:

This book could have been really bad. It could have easily become preachy and obnoxious, like my religion textbook last semester.* There were a few places where A LOT of religion talk was, but other than that, the book doesn't overkill with religion. Religion is dealt with in an almost respectable way; it's mentioned, it's practiced, it's talked about, it's treated as good, but it isn't dealt with in depth. But even though the book isn't obnoxious and preachy and bad, it's still not GREAT either. It's good. Above average, but not great.

The book was slow to start. The description reveals that someone broke the purity pledge, but it's not revealed until about 1/4 into the book. For the first 80ish pages, I was just waiting for it to be revealed so the plot could start moving. The plot did pick up after the pledge breaker was revealed, but then the plot kind of went up and down in terms of excitement. Morgan, Tabitha's ultra-religious best friend, is kind disgusted by the pledge-breaker, and she is very vocal about her disgust. There was that to help the plot move along, as well as Tabitha's new love interest and her trying to help her pledge-break friend, but that's about it. There was a lot of build up to the bigger events, which did make those events more exciting, but didn't really help the rest of the book.

I enjoyed the characterization a lot, though Tabitha does come off a bit too perfect. Her friends are refreshingly realistic and distinct. It's easy to see what they're all really like, especially after someone breaks the pledge. Most of them grew a lot during the novel, but they didn't grow so much that they weren't finished thinking. There was one particularly annoying exception to this well-developed friend thing, and that is Priah, one of the five friends. She wasn't in the book very much and only really provided more stress for Tabitha.

And this may be just me, but I appreciated the portrayals of the different Christians in the book, because Tabitha is a normal, sane Christian, Morgan is a little nuts but grows, and there were other characters who were conflicted about their beliefs. Normally I have to deal with kooky religious people or people who say they're religious but are not at all,** so it was nice to see people who actually meant what they said but were relatively normal.

Pure is a realistic, thought-provoking book that could use a few improvements, but still makes an enjoyable read.

7.5/10

*You should have seen my religion book last semester. SO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS. I think the book is still in my locker, actually. I should bring it home and show you all examples of its crazyness.
**I went to a private middle school and currently attend a Catholic high school. I'm well acquainted with "religious" teenagers.

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a glorious day where we lament over the fact that we can't have all the books we want. :( Jill started it.

Today's pick:

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

description (from publisher site):

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

----

CULT!

Sharon got this book at the Strand. I am jealous. I want it.

[released May 12]

Hottie by Jonathan Bernstein

[description from Amazon]

Alison Cole’s got it all: She’s gorgeous, dating a steamy surfer boy, and has just been crowned Beverly Hills High Freshman Class President. Then during a special “symmetry” surgery, a lightning bolt zaps her, and Alison instantly transforms into Hottie—that is, a totally sizzling superhero with the power to shoot fire from her fingers!

Shunned as a Pyro-Freak, Alison must adopt dorky David Eels as her crime-fighting sidekick. Worse, she’s falling for the one guy who wants to “extinguish” her forever, Junior Class President of Cuteness— and wannabe firefighter—T. Hull. But she doesn’t realize that a supervillain’s lurking. . . .

Has Hottie met her match?

Review:

This book is pretty prime. (Prime is a word Liv's convinced is good. I happen to disagree because it reminds me of prime numbers and math, but I'm using it anyway because Hope told me to.) I mean, superheroes are always prime, so obviously a book about them is going to be prime. But the difference between the primeness of superheroes and the primeness of this book is the superheroes are VERY prime, and Hottie is pretty prime.

One thing that detracted from the primeness* of this book is that I never really felt like Alison/Hottie was very superhero-like. She was kind of stupid, and sometimes I couldn't believe that she was only 14. And she depended a lot on her sidekick David. I also never really felt like I knew her- like that she was that realistic. Though that may be because the book is written in third person and I have problems with third person to begin with.

Other than my annoyance with Alison/Hottie, I really liked the book. It got off to a bumpy start, trying to cram a little too much description in at once, but after the first two chapters, it was smooth sailing. The supporting characters are super amusing, and at times I felt they stole the show from Alison/Hottie. Despite them being more interesting though, they definitely made Alison's choices and adventures more hilarious too.

I think Hottie will be picked up more by the younger teens (people my age or younger, really.) But it can still be enjoyed by all, especially people who like lighter, amusing reads.

7.5/10

*Liv, I swear I'm going to eat you for telling me this word.

PRIME PRIME PRIME.

Five interviews in one!

Here is an interview with 5 different awesome people: Hope, Korianne (http://koriannespeaks.blogspot.com/), Sarah, Jordyn, and Kelsey. We did this on skype, so if you want to be interviewed, GET SKYPE.

The topic of this is random, since I couldn't think of anything. D:

1) What's your earliest memory?

Hope: Making my own Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You See? book in preschool.
Kori: Being outside with my Mom when she was preggers with Kendall. We were waiting to go to the doctors and she was reading me a book about a boy who goes to the doctor.
Sarah: Um... my parents trying to get me to talk at about 2 years out.
Jordyn: I think my earliest memory might be when I read my first sentence. It was "The boy walked the dog" (I think) and my dad ran me over to my grandparents to show off.
Kelsey: Probably when I hid from my babysitter in my babysitters house and the police where called.

2) What types of food do you like the most?
Hope: Pasta. yummm.
Kori: Veggies. Okra is my favorite food.
Sarah: Italian.
Jordyn: Watermelon and Chicken Divan or however you spell it.
Kelsey: MEXICAN!

3) Which author do you most want to meet? (ONLY ONE!)
Hope: Sarah Dessen.
Kori: Siobhan Vivian.
Sarah: Sarah Ockler.
Jordyn: Sarah
Kelsey: Sarah Dessen.

*Everyone but Kori said Sarah Dessen at first. xD

4) What is the first book you ever remember reading?
Hope: Chica Chica Boom Boom! I still have it memorized to this day.
Kori: This book called "Lunch"
Sarah: Dr Suess... Green eggs and ham.
Jordyn: At Play.
Kelsey: Err. I can't remember the name. It's off a cat though.

5) What do you want to be when you grow up?
Hope:A preschool teacher! <3
Kori: Maureen Johnson... wait I don't think that's possible! I really want to be a librarian.. but I am not ruling becoming MJ out.
Sarah: Editor, Librarian, or YA Writer
Jordyn: a YA writer.
Kelsey: Editor! Or YA writer!

6) What's your favorite musical?
Hope: GREASE.
Kori: I can't I like way way tooo many! I have gone to every production of the Muny since age 5. oook this is going to kill me but... West Side Story and The Sound of Music.
Sarah: RENT, Spring Awakening, and Wicked.
Jordyn: Wicked.
Kelsey: Grease. Or Annie.

7) What is your favorite adjective?
Hope: Uhm. I'm going to make my own. Amazingfantasticbrillant. There. lol.
Kori: Lovely.
Sarah: Fantastic.
Jordyn: Awesometastic.
Kelsey: Neat.

8) What do you love most about the blogging community?
Hope: The peopleee! <333
Kori: Um.. the people duh!
Sarah: The people
Jordyn: In the words of the great Micheal Scott, "The people."
Kelsey: YOU PEOPLE! <3

9) Favorite thing about talking to authors?
Hope: Because they're, like, FAMOUS, and I can talk to them! haha
Kori: That they are more than just authors, they become your friends.
Sarah: Um... they are all awesome.
Jordyn: Um. Being ABLE too, because blogging totally gives you an excuse to email authors....without seeming too stalkerish. hah
Kelsey: That they are authors, period. I dunno. Just the fact that they are make me giddy.

10) What's your favorite type of bean?
Hope: Green bean!
Kori: Lima.
Sarah: Coffee.
Jordyn: Soybean. ie. edamame
Kelsey: Kidney!

There wasn't a really a point in this; it's just fun! xD And it's also a great way to find more about these bloggers, so that you can better creep them about by commenting on their blogs with things like "YOU LIKE KIDNEY BEANS."

The One by Ed Decter

[description from B&N]

Chloe Gamble knows three things: she's better than the tiny Texas town she grew up in; there's just one person she can trust; and she wants to be famous.

And what Chloe wants...Chloe gets.

Review:

Worst. description. ever. Seriously, this description tells you hardly anything important. Then why, you might be asking, are you using this description? Because some of my comments have to do with how I wasn't expecting some things based off the description. Here's a short summary for you though: Chloe Gamble, a beauty pageant queen from Texas, heads off to Hollywood with her twin brother Travis and their lazy mother, hoping to become a STAR! There, she encounters many different people and challenges. THE END.

I thought Chloe was going to be more of the snotty, bratty, will kill to get to the top kind of person, based off the "she gets whatever she wants" description. She was willing to kill to get to the top, but she wasn't THAT much of a brat. I think any snottiness she showed was a result of her determination to claw her way to the top. It was refreshing to read about someone who wouldn't let anything stand in her way, while she still maintained some morals. She basically kept morals because she was told to and so she can make a good impression, but still. I also liked how she and Travis actually had a nice relationship; they still had small quarrels, but they weren't always fighting, even though Chloe always took the spotlight.

I also liked the rotating points of view. It rotated between three people: Chloe, Travis, and Nika Mays. Nika Mays's narration was useful because it not only explained things about Hollywood, but the way she described Chloe made Chloe's determination and challenges feel more intense and real.

And of course, there was tons of delightful drama and scandal. We all know I love that.

Despite this mostly positive review, I can't say that this book was amazing. It was prime, I'll give you that, but I think it was just missing...something. I'll definitely be reading the sequel though, as the book ended with a GIANT CLIFFHANGER OF DOOM.

7.5-8/10

Freak Show by James St. James

[description from B&N]

Meet Billy Bloom, new student at the ultra-white, ultra-rich, ultra-conservative Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy and drag queen extraordinaire. Actually, "drag queen" does not begin to describe Billy and his fabulousness. Any way you slice it, Billy is not a typical seventeen-year-old, and the Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes at the academy have never seen anyone quite like him before. But thanks to the help and support of one good friend, Billy's able to take a stand for outcasts and underdogs everywhere in his own outrageous, over-thetop, sad, funny, brilliant, and unique way.

Review:

Oh my gosh, I cannot even begin to describe the fabulousness of this book. In the words of Renay, it "blinds you with radiance." That really is the only was to describe this book. It's just so...AHHH. FABULOUS. (Note: the word fabulous will probably be used many, many times in this review.)

Warning: this books is not for the close minded. Billy is an over-the-top, flamboyant, loud, slightly obnoxious, FABULOUS, drag-wearing, gay boy, and he's not afraid to show it. That is why I love him so much. He knows people are going to give him a hard time about his awesomeness, but he doesn't care. He keeps on being his fabulous self, showing his conservative classmates who's boss.

Because of the unspeakable amounts of glory in this book, you may think that it is all unicorns and butterflies and joyous. But that is incorrect. Billy's classmates are definitely not the most accepting of him being gay, and often he gets hurt for it. His hilarious voice makes most of the sadder events seem unimportant and usual to him, but you can still tell that the events effect him and make him even more determined to shock all his classmates.

Freak Show is a hilarious, smart, FABULOUS, and deeper than it seems, book that I definitely recommend. I think all of you should read it, because I really cannot even begin to describe its glory.

8.5/10

Gayle Forman is fantastic.

Recently I went to book signing featuring Gayle Forman!

Here are photos, because photos are fun (this post is mostly for Adele, who loves Gayle and was jealous of me. Sorry Adele.):

Here is the display that was right in front of the doors to the store:


Here is Gayle reading:


After she read, there was a bit of Q&A. At one point, it got very quiet during the Q&A because no one had any questions, so Gayle said something like "let's talk about the YA blogosphere and how great it is. Do any of you read any YA blogs?" And then I was thinking "I HAVE ONE OF THOSE!", except because I'm very shy and awkward in person, when I said I have one, it came out like "...I-i have one."

By the way, she loves YA bloggers. We are ~popular.~

Oh, and she also mentioned that she just read an upcoming book called Hold Still by Nina Lacour, and she really liked it. So we all must watch for that one.

This is a special picture for Adele, who at one point on twitter said "Cheers - what are the chance she could be holding a 'I love Adele' sign LMAO...I am kidding. Just send my best wishes/air kiss." Well, Adele, I just so happened to have paper and pen, and...



And Adele? I delivered all your messages to her. She was happy.

Here is Gayle and I:


Gayle is so awesome! She's so nice and she loves bloggers so much. She wins a nonexistent Awesome Award.

Other things that happened at the event:

• Gayle talked about the If I Stay movie and her meetings with some special movie people.
• She talked about how much that EW review sucks.
• There was a Penguin sales rep there who also said Hold Still is very good, so this book must go on everyone's wishlist.
  
• Jordyn showed up! Jordyn is still awesome too.
• And I may have gotten an extra copy of If I Stay signed for something that could resemble a giveaway. Maybe. Maybe not. Stay on the lookout.
  

Hypothetical YA Blogger Rebellion

In my recent interview with Sarah Ockler, Sarah said she wonders what a YA blogger rebellion would be like.

Here is her direct quote: "I almost want to say no just to see what a YA blogger rebellion looks like! I mean, do you have capes and ninja masks and squirt guns and stuff? Or will this be more of a cyber riot? Hmmm..."

Well, Sarah, I am here to help answer your question.

I asked some of my blogger friends to tell me what they thought a YA blogger rebellion would be like. (If I didn't ask you, I'm sorry! D: I kind of just started pressing buttons on the keyboard and seeing whose name came up. And if I saw you tweet recently, I sent it. This is why you all should join twitter.) Here's what they came up with:

Jordyn: YES THERE WOULD BE NINJA MASKS. It would be sly and sekrit and nobody would notice anything amiss until ONE BY ONE people started disappearing (who? I don't know. whoever we're against) and the internet started going crazy and eventually DIED completely. And then girls dressed as Ninjas started taking over bookstores and radio stations and basically all the media outlets until we took over the world like Pinky and the Brain.

---

Liv: So you want to know what a blogger rebellion would look like? Well. Let me just tell you that you don't ever want to get on our bad sides. As we come from all across the WORLD, travel would no longer be safe. I mean, say you wanted to go to Brazil or Canada or Australia. Impossible! We've got minions there, ready to defend our honor. And all bets are off. We've got all sorts of crazy weapons and strategies. Alea and I? We would use our eskimo powers on you, sending our huskies and rabid ice storms on a rampage. Writing with dogs barking and snow howling would be quite difficult, I think. But so far no authors have been stupid enough (or mean enough) to set off our evil chain. Maybe it's because we're all sooo awesome? XD

---

Sophie/Mrs. Magoo: The pen is mightier than the sword. Whoever said that is about to be proved correct. Hundreds upon hundreds of bloggers will gather all of their reviews ever written and print them out: thousands upon tens of thousands of pages of book reviews. Using the magic of pen and paper, characters come to life: Harry Potter, Edward Cullen, Hamlet, and thousands of others jump off of the pages. Using the magic and courage instilled in them by their authors, characters are able to achieve victory within minutes. Bloggers, characters, publicists, and authors celebrate the won rebellion together!

---

Here's an absolutely terrifying answer Adele came up with: On the surface it might sound a little lame and look a whole lot like the crowd at a Zac Efron mall appearance, but don’t underestimate us. We read and we aren’t afraid to use our book smarts to hit back if you cross us.

Rebellion is defined as the refusal of obedience. So to invoke the ire of the YA blogging community and incite rebellious activity is impressive indeed. YA Bloggers wouldn’t return their borrowed books to the library (and if they did, they would be trashed) which is against the very core of our second-hand book odour-ed souls.

A rebellion would only occur under the following circumstances:

· John Green decided to turn his YA career in a different direction by picking up where Stephenie Meyer left off with Breaking Dawn. Reneesme becomes an independent, well read tease and Jacob’s left scrambling after her...shivers. (To clarify I worship at the altar of JG but not even he could fix the abysmal ramblings of that book.)

· Rachel Cohn writes a book where all characters have clear and distinct names. No name sharing = new direction.

· Elizabeth Scott stopped writing for two years thus the world is robbed of ten novels. (What can I say, she’s a freaking machine.)

· Sarah Dessen decides to write a combined sequel for This Lullaby and Just Listen where Remy ends up with Owen and Annabel with Dexter. (I died inside while typing that.)

· David Levithan quits writing YA and starts writing TV (I know doesn’t sound too bad, but wait for it)...for the remake of 21 Jump Street. (Actually I take that back, that sounds pretty good).

These acts would invoke some serious YA blogging rebellion

Rebellion could come in four distinct forms:

1. Mutiny – Strike on all bookstores, we entertain ourselves by writing shoddy fanfic.

2. Civil Disobedience – We storm multiple book signings with signs declaring “WTF?”, while accompanied by a psychiatrist to offer free counselling to authors considering the above actions

3. Resistance – I’d say book burning but that’s reserved for real douches (and Dixie Chicks haters). Who am I kidding, we’ve all taken an unofficial oath that ‘we shall not hurteth the booketh”.

4. Subversion – we all just write our own books, taking to entertaining ourselves on Skype or twitter and pretend the “old” YA authors don’t exist.

What I am trying to say is...Sarah, theorising blogging rebellion is great but none of us want to go there. It would be ugly. The above examples are what I have brainstormed in five minutes alone. Imagine if we got our collective minds together and used ideas from all those YA books to rebel? I shudder to think.

On that note, I’d like to say, Gayle Forman – consider this a warning should you decide to stop writing. Nuff said.

---

And here's the answer Alea came up with. I like to call this answer the "It Could Really Happen" answer: Well, first thing that came to mind when you said "Blogger Rebellion" would be silence in the blogosphere for said Rebellion. No one would post a darn thing! That would teach them a lesson!

Any more guesses as to what the rebellion would look like? Or any more reasons as to WHY we would rebel?

Chat Reminder!

Reminding you all of the chat that is taking place today at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST with Michelle Zink and Cindy Pon! :D

Chat room is here.

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting on Wednesday = Day started by Jill.

Today's pick:
The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn

description (from publisher site):

A Retelling of "Anastasia"

Nadya is a mischievous kitchen girl in a Russian tavern. Having nearly drowned in the Iset River during the turmoil of the Revolution, she has no memory of her past and longs for the life she cannot remember.

Then two young men arrive at the tavern and announce that Nadya's long-lost grandmother has sent them to find her. Yearning for family and friendship, she agrees to accompany them to Paris for the joyful reunion. Nadya eagerly embarks on her journey, never dreaming it will be one of laughter, love -- and betrayal.

---

I don't really remember "Anastastia" from my childhood, but I don't think I liked it. Maybe I will like this.

One of the reasons I want this one is because it is a PAPERBACK. Everything is coming out as a hardcover, which I Do Not Like. So YAAAAAY paperback book!

Released June 2

TMI by Sarah Quigley

[description from Amazon]

Friends call Becca the Overshare Queen, but her tendency for TMI never seemed like a problem to her until she blabs about her sweet band-geek boyfriend’s sloppy kisses—and gets dumped! Realizing it may be better to resist the temptation to overshare face-to-face, Becca decides to blog anonymously about everything instead. On her blog, Too Much Information, Becca unleashes her alter ego, Bella. Bella tells it like it is . . . though perhaps with a bit more drama. After all, no one’s going to read it, right???

Review:

I knew I was going to like this book after reading just the first chapter. Why is that? you may be asking yourself. Well, that's because they were discussing musicals, and there is a whole musical production of Grease in the book. Fun fact: I like musicals. A lot. Another fun fact: any book with musicals is at least going to be ok in my world. (Thankfully this one was more than ok; it was great.)

This book started out great, and only got better. The musical thing started early on, which automatically made me *love* the book, so I didn't think I could like it any more after that. But I was WRONG. Becca's adventures are funny by themselves, but she is delightfully witty and her oversharing and exaggerations only make things funnier. Her friends, the quiet-but-doesn't-always-like-it Katie, and Jai, the awesome emoish (actually, he's kind of like Adam Lambert. AHH.) new boy, are also delightfully funny. At first her friends feel a little one-dimensional, but as Becca learns to look at them in new ways, their fabulous personalities shine through.

Another thing I liked about the book is all the interspersed blog entries. Obviously I also enjoy blogging, and I especially enjoyed these blogs. They were super funny, and they helped give even more insight onto what Becca felt about all the wacky, amusing things going on in her life.

Though it got a little bit preachy about the dangers of blogging, TMI is still an excellent, realistic read. Recommended especially if you live in Minnesota. (It's set in Minnesota! And references Minnesota! I am greatly amused by that.)

TMI will be released on the 16th- this thursday!- so make sure you pick up a copy so you can experience the fabulousness for yourself.

8.5/10

Sarah Ockler Interview

Sarah Ockler is the wonderful author of the upcoming Twenty Boy Summer. Sarah is also completely awesome and nice. Three cheers for Sarah!

In case you've been living in a hole and don't know about this fabulous book yet, here is the summary (from Amazon):

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

---

And here is the interview:


1) Twenty Boy Summer still won't be released for a few months, but have you begun any preparations for the release?

I'm working on some events and party fun for June, especially local stuff here in Buffalo (come one, come all! The snow has finally melted!). But if you're asking about my mental preparations, well, um, fail! I go from being in denial that I actually have a real live book coming out to OMG-this-is-insane-freaking out that I have a book coming out -- all in the same hour. Chocolate helps, but otherwise, I'm wholly unprepared (and super excited) for the emotional roller coaster!

2) Why'd you pick the beach for the setting for the book? And why did you choose to feature seaglass so much? Is it because it is ~symbolic~ or did you put it in there before you realized it is ~symbolic~?

I set Twenty Boy Summer on the beach because I thought it would be harder for Anna and Frankie to carry out their summer boy-finding mission in a used tire lot or on top of Mt. Everest, which were the other top contenders for settings (pre-revision, of course). :-)

Actually, the beach setting was one of the first things I decided about the book, and it never changed. The connection with the ocean is paramount--the unending hugeness of it, and the way it's just so ancient and unchanged, even through its own tumultuousness, even as everything else in our lives collapses and rebuilds, over and over.

The sea glass element grew along with the story, both from my own love of sea glass and because it's just such a part of the ocean. In the story, Anna had never seen the ocean before her vacation with Frankie, but her friends would bring sea glass home for her in jars every summer after their trip.

For me, the sea glass in Twenty Boy Summer symbolizes both the ocean itself and the hearts of those impacted by the death in the book, shattered after tragedy, never again whole, but transformed over time and the unending ways of the universe into something that's still beautiful and unique.

Legend says that pieces of sea glass are the tears of a lovesick mermaid who was banished to the bottom of the ocean by King Neptune after she fell in love with a sea captain. Anna relates to this story through her own unrequited, impossible love for Matt, so the sea glass ties into that as well. Readers will probably find other symbolic meanings throughout the story, but I don't want to give too much away here! ;-)

3) You've already gotten a few comments about how awesome your book is, I've noticed. Do these comments make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Do they make you even more excited for the book to be out?

Both! I love hearing such positive reactions from readers because my goal in writing Twenty Boy Summer was to connect with people emotionally through Anna and Frankie's story, and the amazing comments have let me know that I've done that for those readers. And while hearing great reviews makes me more excited for the upcoming release, I also get super nervous, hoping that people who pick up the book because they've heard positive comments will enjoy it for themselves! Yes, it's a neurotic writer's life!

4) You're pretty active in the YA blogosphere. You even stalked Sharon and Laura. What do you think of we YA bloggers? Have we done anything that surprises you?

I think YA bloggers make excellent stalk-ees. :-) Seriously though, I love you guys. (We love you too Sarah.) Together, you've become an awesome resource for readers, especially since you all have different opinions and ideas and takes on the books that you review. What surprised me (in a good way) was the spirit of camaraderie that flows through all of your blogs. You could view yourselves as competitors, but instead, you promote and comment on each other's blogs and contests, swap books, do joint posts and videos together, share ideas. It's great for readers and authors because we can connect with one another and with you online through this incredible network of people who are super passionate about books, just like we are. It makes me so grateful and excited to be writing now (whoa, I almost said "nowadays" but that just makes me sound about as old as the wheel)!

In other words, you guys rock! *fangirls*

5) Did you always want to write for teens or did you just get luckythat your book turned out to be YA? ;D

I kind of snuck into YA fiction through the side door. :-) In 2003, I decided it was time to get serious about my writing (instead of just*daydreaming* about writing, which I'd totally perfected by then) and signed up for a memoir and essay class with Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver. At the time, I was doing a lot of journals, social commentary, and personal essay type stuff, so it was a good way to commit to writing without diving into a huge project like a book. But...

*insert movie announcer guy voice*

Everything changed when I submitted an essay about some *cough* trouble *cough* my BFF and I had gotten into when we were fifteen. My instructor thought I had a really strong young adult voice and asked me if I'd ever thought about writing for teens. I hadn't, but Lighthouse had a YA novel class starting up, so I decided to check it out. And then I never left -- I just kept re-enrolling each term! In the YA class, I found my voice. It was like angels singing or something (um, my literary voice, not my singing voice. You *don't*want to hear my singing voice -- so *not* like angels!). I wrote Twenty Boy Summer entirely through the workshop and other Lighthouse events, and I'll continue to write books about teens until I run out of ideas. Which will hopefully be never!

6) Are there any more YA books in store for you after Twenty Boy Summer? (If there isn't, I will riot and force you to write more. I'm sure some others will join me.)

I almost want to say no just to see what a YA blogger rebellion looks like! I mean, do you have capes and ninja masks and squirt guns and stuff? Or will this be more of a cyber riot? Hmmm...

Okay, no threats necessary. :-) I have another YA novel coming out in Spring or Summer of 2010 which is currently in revision. Once it's more finalized I'll start blabbing about it! I'm also working on a third novel, set in winter for a change. No sea glass there!

7) What are you most looking forward to about having Twenty Boy Summer being released?

I think seeing it on the shelf in the book store will just be the most amazing feeling. Like, hey, there's my book! Now it's really real! The publication process can be so long and windy that many of us lose sight of that most basic part of the dream.

I'm also looking forward to hearing from readers. I love love love hearing from readers!

8) Make up your own question and answer it! :D

Question: If your super awesome, fabulous, beautiful, intelligent readers decided to pitch in to send you on an all-expenses-paid trip to the destination of your choice, where would you go?

*Blushes* Aw, you guys are too kind! I would without hesitation go to Egypt. I've been fascinated with that area of the world since I was a kid and my grandmother brought me back an Egyptian doll and slides of the Pyramids at Giza from her own trip in the late 70s. So, you know, make checks payable to Sarah Ockler... ;-) Seriously, though, I hope to be able to travel there some time in the next few years. Now that I've published a book, going to Egypt is my next big dream!

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Thank you so much Sarah! You rock and so does your interview. *fangirls*

Has anyone else noticed that the 2009 Debs are really good at interviews?

Twenty Boy Summer sadly won't be out until June 1, but until then you can check out Sarah's website/blog here, and stalk her on Twitter here.

Sharon and I are kidnapping some Debs!

That's right! The lovely Sharon and I are kidnapping Michelle Zink and Cindy Pon- two 2009 debut authors- for an online chat this Wednesday!

RJ Anderson held an impromptu chat with us the other day, and it was so much fun that Sharon and I decided we need to have more Debs chats.

The chat will be held here this Wednesday, the 15th, at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST.

Both Cindy and Michelle are awesome, so you better come. And if this one goes well, Sharon and I may just kidnap some more Debs.

Miss Match by Wendy Toliver

[description from Amazon]

Sasha Finnegan has always had a knack for setting people up, and at sixteen, she's turned her talent into an online business, molding high school crushes into true love. But Sasha finds her toughest match yet when hottie Derek Urban asks her to set him up with Sasha's gorgeous sister, Maddie. It's not that Derek isn't a good catch. In fact, after spending so much time with him, Sasha can't help but think he's perfect -- for her, that is. Can Sasha push her feelings aside for the sake of her business? Or has this miss finally found her match?

Review:

I've never read many of the Pulse RoComs- including this one, I've read three- but after reading this one, I think I need to read more. I'm not usually big on "cute" things, but after reading this, I may have to reconsider my stance on "cute" things.

This book was so adorable. I already knew what would happen in the end after reading the summary- it's a romantic comedy, those things are often predictable- but that didn't make me enjoy the book any less. I could relate so well to Sasha's concerns and insecurities, and I loved watching her get into bizarre Miss Match related situations, and then try to get out them.

I also loved some of the more uncommon traits some of the characters possess. (Well, uncommon compared to many other book characters) Sasha is concerned about her weight, but not to the point of being crazy obsessive about it, Sasha's dad's new girlfriend isn't evil, and Maddie, Sasha's sister, isn't a stereotypical mean cheerleader; she actually somewhat cares about her sister.

Miss Match is a super fun, super cute, super light, super great read. Recommended!

8/10