Saturday Spotlight: Gennifer Albin

Bet you guys didn't see me doing a Saturday Spotlight this week, did you? I'm so sorry for my semi-hiatus, but sometimes school has to come before reading, writing and blogging! 

Fortunately for me, I got the chance to ask Gennifer Albin a couple questions before mid-terms about her YA books, Crewel and Altered! 

Here's my Saturday Spotlight interview with the Gennifer! Enjoy!

1) Welcome! I'm so happy to have you here Gennifer! You are one of my favourite authors! What inspired you to write the Crewel series?

I was thinking of a painting by Remedios Varo where girls are sitting in a tower embroidering and the fabric is becoming the world. I wanted to write a story about one of the girls who doesn’t want to be there.

2) Gender discrimination is a HUGE theme in this book. Was this something that your were expecting to happen while writing the story, or something that came along after?

I didn’t expect it. It developed very naturally on its own, and I had to be careful not to get on a soapbox about it. I wanted the idea to feel organic to the story so that readers would want to think about and ask their own questions about what it means to be a girl in that world.

3) The Crewel series is a book set in a future dystopian, and your character, Adelice, has a lot to deal with. How do you think she differs from other YA characters set in the same genre?

At the heart of most YA books is the search for identity, but what sets Adelice apart is her world and how she perceives herself as part of it. I think she copes by using humor and wit, which I hope sets her apart as well.

4) Maela, Pryanna, and Adelice all have different personalities, but similar abilities. Why do you think Maela and Pryanna have succumbed to the 'idealism' of Spinsters? (e.g being bossy, mean, spoiled and power hungry?).

There’s a good deal of nature vs. nurture going on with all of these characters, but I think some of these characters will surprise you by the end of the series. Each of them is looking out for her own interests, and I think that each girl does that in different ways according to how she sees her role in that world.

5) Was the process of developing the characters and the world of Arras a difficult one?

The characters came fairly easily, although some of them were added in later drafts. Building the world was much harder and required a lot of layering in of detail. I found myself thinking a lot about what the reader needed to know to understand this world, which meant lots of fine tuning and a fair bit of creativity.

6) On your Wattpad page, the first 6 chapters of ALTERED are up there, along with a (mini) prequel to the book. I've read the first couple chapters of Altered, and am DYING to get my hands on it! What can we expect from the characters (Adelice, Jost and Erik) while they're on Earth?

Secrets, fighting, lying, kissing. They’re going to find themselves in danger a lot, which forces them to confront their relationships with one another. Everyone is going to make tough decisions in Altered, which prepares them for the even tougher issues they deal with in book three.

7) Will we finally learn the story of Erik leaving his town, his rift with Jost, and what's happening with Sebrina and Amie?

You’ll learn a lot about all of that, and I think some of the revelations will surprise you. Erik really comes to life in this book.

8) Can we trust Dante? And is Kincaid another version of Cormac? Or is he like Al Capone?

Can you trust anyone? A far as Kincaid, he reminds me more of William Randolph Hearst crossed with Al Capone.

9) Is it weird writing both in the YA and Adult genres? Are very similar or really different?

Very different, but very fulfilling. It’s hard to switch modes sometimes, but it’s like a mental work-out.

SPEED ROUND QUESTIONS:

10) I saw a CREWEL photoshoot picture on your Twitter. Are the covers going to be redesigned?

No. The new designs will be sticking.

11) Do you think time and space can be weaved? If so, would you want to have Spinster powers?

I hope not, and no (except to maybe warp a spot of peace sometimes).

12) What book are you currently reading? And would you want to be that character?

I’m reading the Outlander series, and I don’t think I would want to be Claire, although she fascinates me.

13) Are any of the CREWEL characters based on anyone you know?

I tend to think Jost and Erik are modeled on my husband a bit, which embarrasses him.

14) What is one BIG pet-peeve that you have?

People who don’t use turn signals.

15) Do you have an organized writing process or is it all over the place? (Like mine).

Depends on the book. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all process.

16) Who has influenced you the most in your writing?

I honestly don’t know.

ABOUT GENNIFER:

Gennifer Albin is a recovering academic who discovered she could write books of her own, and people would actually read them.  She lives in Kansas with her family, but escapes daily to the world of Arras and other fantastical lands.

 

She appreciates strong coffee and bold imaginations, prefers her heroines with sass, and searches continuously for her next big adventure.

She is the author of the YA Crewel Series (which currently consists of Crewel and Altered), and the author of the adult series, Good Girls Don't.

For more information about Gennifer, check her out in these places bellow:

TWITTER: @GenniferAlbin

WEBSITE: genniferalbin.com

BLOG: genniferalbin.blogspot.ca

TUMBLR: midnightinarras.tumblr.com

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4906436.Gennifer_Albin?from_search=true

Saturday Spotlight: Jennifer Mathieu

Hey guys! It's Saturday, and for this week's Saturday Spotlight, I'm featuring YA contemporary author, Jennifer Mathieu!

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Mathieu is a writer and English teacher from Texas. She writes young adult contemporary novels. The Truth About Alice is her debut novel, which comes out June 3rd, 2014.

Jennifer was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to do an interview with me! So here it is! Enjoy guys!

1) Welcome to The Lovely Grace! I'm so glad that you took the time from your busy schedule for this! So The Truth About Alice is your first YA book- what made you want to write a YA contemporary as opposed to other popular genres like fantasy/paranormal or dystopian?

Thank you so much for having me! To answer your question, while I am amazed at those who can write fantasy/paranormal and dystopian and do all that complicated world-building, I have always been solidly grounded in the YA contemporary genre. It's what I read, for the most part, and what I love to write. I just love real life stories, I suppose, and character driven novels. I read a lot of nonfiction, too. I'm one of those people who believes everyone has a life worth writing about, so I think I just love exploring the real world as we live in it.

2) I know that you're a teacher AT an international school (she's not a teacher at an international spy school, sorry guys), so what was the writing process for you?

I would be the worst spy, by the way, because I'm terrible at spilling secrets on accident! For me, I write at night after I get home and my little one is asleep. I have a structure to it, and I'm fortunate to have a husband who is very supportive of my writing time. I have found that teaching makes me more productive because my students inspire me and my limited time makes me very efficient. I set word limits for myself each day and try to meet them - even if it's junk on the page at least it's somewhere to start.

3) What inspired you to write a story like The Truth About Alice? From the synopsis, it seems to be a very heavy book (emotional wise- if that's how I can describe it). Were there some subjects that you were a little unsure about because of the audience? Or just how true it is to some problems that teenagers may be dealing with? Or were you fine writing a book that talks about bullying, gossiping, and sexual harassment?

I really respect teenagers as people and as readers. I think they can handle intense topics and I also trust that if they feel a book is just not right for them, they will put it down. I didn't set out to write an "issue" book per se, but I wanted to write about how we all feel like outsiders at one time or another. All the characters in The Truth About Alice have demons they're fighting - even the popular kids - and they all feel unsure about themselves from time to time. I think all teenagers feel like that - all people do. As for what inspired me to write this specific story - when I was a teenager in the early 90s I read an article in Seventeen magazine about a girl who sued her school because of some horrible, sexually graphic graffiti in a bathroom stall. That story stayed with me because I couldn't imagine how horrible that girl must have felt - just so isolated and hurt. It was the seed for the story all these years later. I also always wanted to write a book that was told from multiple points of view, so I tried that, too.

4) Why did you decide to write about a girl that has a bad reputation (due to unfortunate circumstances) in different perspectives and not her own? Was this something you thought of since the beginning or just happened during the writing process?

What a great question. From the beginning I always wanted to tell it from other people's perspectives because that's what gossip is - everyone just talking about someone and that one person's voice sometimes not getting heard or getting lost in the shuffle. This is especially true about girls who develop so-called "bad reputations." Alice does have a chapter at the very end, but yes, the book mostly focuses on other voices that alternate from chapter to chapter.

5) Personally for me, I have trouble with my own characters that I have to punish them sometimes (my protagonist right now has a waffle ban for being uncooperative- actresses are such divas!). Did you run into trouble while developing your characters?

Your diva actress had that coming! LOL! One of the joys of writing this book was that because I was switching perspectives from one character to the next, just as I was starting to struggle with one voice it was time to take a break and pick up with another one. It always felt very fresh and fun to write as a writer. However, my characters do go through quite a bit. I especially felt for Kelsie's character - maybe even more so than Alice. Sometimes I thought, how can I do this to this poor girl? My characters really do become real for me. I still think about them.

6) What do you think makes this book stand out from other YA contemporary novels?

I love so much YA contemporary that I hope people love my book as much as they love some of the terrific titles out there right now! As for what might make it stand out - I think the character of Kurt is interesting because he's sort of a nerd but he's still really into Alice as a girl. He's still a teenage boy in that way. So often the "nerd" is this one-dimensional, asexual creature who has his nose in a book, but Kurt is a genius and also still hot for a pretty girl in this really honest, human, teenage boy way. He was so much fun to write - maybe my favorite character to write in the whole book.

7) This is one question that I always have to ask all my guests: what are you reading right now?

I just finished a wonderful, wonderful book called How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford that came out in 2009, and I just started a new release called Winger by Andrew Smith.

8) Would you want to be the character in the book that you're reading at the moment?

Another great question. The book opens with Winger getting his head stuffed into a toilet by some jocks, so right now I say no! ;-) The book has received some great reviews and I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy it.

9) Do you think your characters will survive the plot of said book?

I hope so because Winger seems very likable to me so far. :-) Although I've been warned there's a sad plot twist in this novel, so I'm getting my tissues ready.

10) I wanted to ask you some random questions about yourself, but your bio on your website tells a lot of awesome things about you! You speak Spanish, wrote a story about an ape dancing in a library (100% in my book btw), and were a former journalist. I don't know what to ask anymore. Have you ever considered taking horse riding lessons? Or try something crazy like... doing cheese rolling?

I am open for anything! I took belly dancing classes once but never horse riding lessons. ;-) But I'm a big believer in continuing education. What can I say - I'm a teacher!

11) What is one thing that you have learned as a student, a teacher and a writer that will be useful to students who have to balance four types of lives? (Family, Writing, Social and School).

I'm very type A and am a big believer in staying organized and making lists and maximizing my time - that is not a very romantic answer, but it's true. I've been that way my whole life and it helps me get a lot of things done. I try to dedicate time for all the important things in my life and sense when one aspect isn't getting "fed" and try to correct that. But not everyone operates that way, so that advice might not work for everyone. Some people need to focus deeply on one thing at a time. So perhaps know yourself is one piece of advice. Something else I think that would apply to everyone is ground yourself in what you love and things will fall into place. Surround yourself with friends you love and write what you want to write, not what you think you should write. And it's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. I think it means you have a curious mind and an energetic spirit.

And 12) Will we need any tissues while reading this book? And if so, how many? I just want to be prepared!

Without giving too much away, I do believe my book ends on a hopeful note but yes, there may be some tears Sometimes a lot of them. (I'm sorry!) But while there are a lot of heavy moments, I think there are some sweet and even funny moments, too. Elaine's character made me laugh several times as I was writing her chapters. She's a trip.

Wanna know more about Jennifer? Check out the links bellow!

 

Website: http://www.jennifermathieu.com/index.html

 

Twitter: @jenmathieu

 

Tumblr: Jennifer Mathieu XOXO

 

Facebook: Jennifer Mathieu

 

Have an amazing Saturday guys!

 

Saturday Spotlight: Eve Edwards (Halloween Edition)

It's Saturday Spotlight guys! And this week, UK YA author Eve Edwards is here to join us!

 

About Eve:

Eve Edwards is the pen-name of English authors, Julia Golding and Joss Stirling, an author of both children's and Young Adult books. Under Eve, she has publsihed two historical series The Lacey Chronicles (set in Elizabethan England) and the Dusk series (set in World War I). A former British diplomat and Oxfam policy adviser, she has published over 30 books in various genres like historical fiction to fantasy.

 

I have read the Lacey Chronicles and LOVE all the books! I have yet to read Dusk, but I know very well that I will enjoy it as much as I did with her other series. I haven't really read anything under her real name, but I am currently searching Indigo to see if they have any of her books (from either name) in stock!

 

When I read the Lacey Chronicles, I was really amazed at how she was able to make a story that focuses on the importance of family, friends and love without taking away from the authentic Elizabethan feel. Unlike most YA Historical that feel too slow or boring, her books are very well plotted, have a nice pace, and her characters are always developed beatuifully.

 

I really wanted to talk to her about both historical series, but since Dusk isn't available in the US, we decided that we focus on a  party. But not just any ordinary party, BUT a Historical Halloween Party! (Since Halloween is NEXT THURSDAY!). Isn't that cool? Here is Eve's post and who SHE would invite to her Historical Halloween Party!

 

As Halloween approaches it is time to dust off those plastic vampire fangs, get out the pumpkin candle lights and stock up on candies. As a writer of historical YA fiction, I'm often living in the past so the thought of the festivities started me wondering who I would invite if I held a party with historical guests.

We don't go in for such big celebrations of Halloween in the UK as in the US but one thing that is standard for a fancy dress party on that night are silly games. Hmm, so who would be good at apple bobbing?

Isaac Newton. He can bob for apples while thinking about gravity. Perhaps to keep him company, I'd invite Archimedes (he of the eureka bath experiment). We'll leave the scientists to their barrel of apples while we go off to another game.

Over on the other side of the room I've invited Christopher Columbus for that game where you have to attack a bar of chocolate while wearing scarf, hat, gloves etc and eat it with a knife and fork. He should be allowed a go as he is said to have introduced the cocoa bean to Europe. To up the ante, I think I'll put him against Francis Drake, the privateer who served Queen Elizabeth I and also visited the New World. I imagine they would both be fiercely competitive so I would make sure they were disarmed before being allowed inside.

Leaving those two battling it out over the chocolate, I now turn to the refreshments. I've put in charge of them Marie-Antoine Careme, chef to the Prince Regent (later George IV). He was the first celebrity chef in England and was a genius as creating outstanding banquets. I'm sure he would come up with some suitably outrageous ghostly themed desserts.

On the drinks table I would place F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. They could shake up a few 1920s cocktails and add a dash of flapper style to the party. I've been reading about them recently - a fragile and brilliant couple who appeared to be good at party-going.

I would need a few characters who would be good for a laugh. I would love to chat with Jane Austen - she loved a party and might be able to persuade my guest musician, Count Basie, to play a few tunes for us and Billy Holiday to sing. Jane and I would both like to invite William Shakespeare. He can recite the witches speech from Macbeth. For scary stories, we would invite Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. To add a little romantic frisson to the evening, I think we'd also like Cassanova to come and flirt with us ladies, but we are all too sensible to contemplate leaving with him.

The evening would end with Trick or Treating. To carry our candy haul, I think I'd invite along some handsome gladiators. Imagine Jane, Billy H, Mary S and I escorted through the streets by our guard of honour with Shakespeare to knock on the doors and use his silver tongue to persuade the inhabitants to part with their sweets. That's a night to remember.

 

Her party seems very high-class. I feel like my dinner party with the Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper, and Grand Duchess Anastasia and her brother, Alexi, would pale in comparison! I, personally, would invite Mary Shelley as well- who doesn't want to hear scary stories from her?

 

Anyways, who would you guys invite to your Historical Halloween Party?

 

Thank you so much to Eve for taking the time out to do this little guest post! I really appreciate it!

Wanna learn more about Eve and her books? Check out the links bellow!

 

Website: http://eve-edwards.co.uk/

 

Twitter: @_Eve_Edwards

 

Goodreads: Eve Edwards (Author)

 

Interested in MORE UK YA books? Check out these links bellow!

 

The UKYA Website, Celebrating YA fiction by UK Authors: UKYA Website

 

Project UKYA Website: ProjectUKYA

 

Lucy Powrie, YA Blogger from the UK: Queen of Contemporary

 

Lucy's Twitter: @LucyTheReader

#JoinTheAgenda: Final Challenge

SOOO, Altered, the sequel to the awesome book, Crewel will be out October 29th, but before that Gennifer Albin is doing ONE LAST challenge to win a signed copy of either books, an Altered swag pack, a spot with the Agenda leaders, and much more.

One of the challenges is sharing a quote from Crewel via Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook or Pintest, using the hashtag #JointheAgenda.

The other challenge? Write a journal entry from someone's POV from Crewel and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr using the hashtag #JointheAgenda. Pretty cool huh?

I'll be participating in this challenges and will be writing a scene from Jost's POV, and I'll be posting it here on my blog!

Other exciting news? Gennifer Albin HERSELF will be featured on my blog's Saturday Spotlight on November 9th!

And did you guys know that UK YA Author, Eve Edwards, will be featured in this weeks Saturday Spotlight?

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Saturday Spotlight: Lisa M. Forester

For today's Saturday Spotlight, I am featuring the awesome possum, Lisa M. Forester and her new YA novel,  Freaks, coming out November 28th!

Lisa M. Forester:

Lisa M. Forester is a Young Adult fiction author living in the North West of England and her debut novel ‘Freaks’ is due for release on the 28th of November 2013.

She has lived on a diet of books since she was six (when she was handed an Enid Blyton story for the very first time) and she constantly lives in hope that reading will become an Olympic sport. After being inspired to write by the plethora of amazing YA writers that exist across the globe, she put pen to paper and produced ‘Freaks’ – which I am sure she would very much love you to read.

 

 

FREAKS BLURB:

 

Nobody's perfect... or are they?

Abigail always knew that she was different, but what she didn't know was just how different.

That was until her 16th birthday, when her parent's revealed a devastating secret that confirmed her worst fears and changed her life forever.

Abigail is an Allelobrid: one of five children born as a result of their parents illegal science experiment in genetic engineering. The aim: to create a perfect human.

Yet perfection comes at a price.

Forced into a life on the run, Abigail finds love, danger and an organisation that will stop at nothing to get what they want.

When lives are at risk and freedom is threatened - could being perfect be enough to survive?

Pretty awesome synopsis, huh? I really can't wait for this book to come out (a little over a month to go!). I actually was going to feature Freaks for this weeks WOW post, but the Blogger App seemed to mess everything up (-_-). I have a lot of theories for this book, but fortunately enough, Lisa saved my sanity by answering a few questions about herself and Freaks that will hopefull tide me us till it's release next month! Here's the interview, enjoy!

 

1)  Welcome  to The Lovely Grace Lisa! I'm so glad that I got the chance to
feature  you  on my blog! Freaks is your debut novel, and all I have to say
is  that  the  description  is pretty awesome, and I'm so excited for it to
come  out! But before you became an author (or decided to become an author)
what did you want to be?

My  dream  is  still to become a fully-fledged author – at present I try to
co-ordinate  both  working and writing. When I was at school I would change
my mind regularly about my dream job. I am so indecisive! I’ve wanted to be
an  English teacher, a librarian, a vet – you name it! I guess that’s why I
love writing so much… when writing a book I get to be whoever I want to be!


2) What made you want to become a writer, and who influenced you?

Making up stories is just something I’ve always loved to do. My Dad used to
make  my  bedtime  stories  up,  and  he  would include all of my favourite
cartoon  characters and I would get to go on lots of adventures with them –
so  I  suppose you could say that he was a great influence to me. I’ve been
making  up  stories  for  as long as I can remember. I still have the first
book I wrote when I was eleven. It’s called ‘Cinderalli’s Silver Story’ and
I illustrated it myself too. It was a proud moment haha.



3)  Freaks (like I said before) has a pretty awesome synopsis. Is this book
set in the future or is it set during present day?

It’s  set  in  the  present  day,  and  is part located in England and part
located  in the USA. I’m so glad you like the synopsis – I found that to be
the hardest part of the book to write!



4)  Action,  mystery,  romance,  and  of  course,  a  secret  ready to turn
Abigail's  life  upside down. That's A LOT to take in! How long did it take
you to write this book?

Probably  about  5  months for the first draft – but it’s been edited a lot
since  then.  I became obsessive. ‘FREAKS’ was all I could think about. I’d
sit in bed with my laptop on my knee and write until the early hours. Sleep
became a luxury.



5) What was something that kept you motivated during the writing process?

My  family  and  friends,  definitely.  FREAKS is the second YA novel I’ve
wrote - the first is sat on the top of my wardrobe just waiting for the day
when I rework it into something comprehensible. My husband has so much more
faith  in my ability than I do and has encouraged me every step of the way.
He  never  grumbles about the amount of time I spend with my characters, he
read the book first and he did the first edit.

My  friends  are awesome too. I’m lucky that I have a group of friends who
are  all  complete  YA bookworms. We have our own book club and I call them
‘my  geeks’. I’d run ideas by them and ask them for their opinions. When so
many  people  are  supporting  and  encouraging  you  – it’s hard not to be
motivated.



6) So your main character, Abigail, is an Allelobrid; what made you want to
write about a girl who was made to be perfect? And are you *glances around*
an Allelobrid? (cue scary music).


The  moral behind the story is that no one is perfect, and being completely
perfect  would  make  you  a freak. It’s Abigail and the other Allelobrid’s
perfection that makes them freaks. That makes them the ones who stand out.


I liked the fact that this story championed individuality. It supported the
fact  that  being  perfect wouldn’t make anybody happy. We should celebrate
the  fact  that  we  all  have  imperfections and we all have oddities, and
without them – we’d be the weird ones.


It’s  taken  me  a  while to realize that the people you see around you who
look  like  they  are  faultless – aren’t. We can’t all be Grade ‘A’ pupils
with   perfect   skin   and  an  inability  to  be  clumsy.  Everybody  has
imperfections, and that’s fine. It’s more than fine… it’s normal.

I  am  about as far away from being an Allelobrid as possible. I am clumsy
beyond  belief,  I am hopeless at team sports, I’m completely forgetful and
passing  any  Math exam required a HUGE amount of studying on my part – but
that’s fine. What I lack in mathematical ability – I’d like to think I make
up for in creativity.



7) According to the synopsis, Abigail is forced to go on the run due to the
fact she was gentically made to be perfect. Isn't it a bit of contradiction
that  Abigail is forced to run because she's 'perfect' when those that want
to  hurt  her  are  trying  to  do everything to make themselves (and their
lives) seem perfect?


***MINI  SPOILER ALERT***  Technically speaking, Abigail isn’t being chased
because  of  her  perfection.  She is one of the first human beings who had
their  genes  altered before she was born – it was just that her genes were
tampered to create perfection. Her body holds the key to genetic tampering…
but  that doesn’t necessarily mean that her hunters want to make themselves
perfect. Maybe they just want to know how to tamper with genetics for other
reasons!



8)  This book deals with the theme of 'perfection' a lot. Do you think that
the  way  that media portrays the image of perfection distorts our views of
what  a  person  should  be (like)? And what do you think the characters in
Freaks would have to say/ would feel about our media's views of a person?


The  media can be guilty of contributing to a perception of what beauty is.
This  is not healthy, and is particularly worrying for the YA audience when
at  such  an  age  you  may  not  be  fully  secure  about  all your little
imperfections.   We   should   be   placing   more  emphasis  on  embracing
individuality.  Perfection doesn’t exist – and if it did exist, it would be
weird. That is the underlying theme throughout FREAKS.


I  think  Abigail  would  lecture  our  media  sources  about the perils of
creating  a  false  idealism  of  ‘perfection’  –  and about how perfection
wouldn’t  make  someone  in  the  real world happy. Their message should be
about  not  being  afraid  to  be different because of any imperfections or
idiosyncrasies,  and  not  wanting  to simply ‘blend-in’. I think she would
encourage  them  to  emphasize  individuality  and  to stop placing so much
pressure on people to achieve something that doesn’t exist.



9)  I SPOT A RELATIONSHIP IN THE SYNOPSIS! Can you give us a little hint as
to what we can expect? (*gives puppy dog eyes*).

You  can expect a little blossoming romance between two of the characters –
but  I  won’t say which ones. However, I can absolutely confirm that the 16
year  old  me  totally  has  a  crush  on  the  guy  in this book. He would
definitely make my ‘book boyfriend’ list!



10) Are any of the characters based on you or the people in your life?

Not  at all. I can’t even use the names of people I know in real life as my
characters  names, because then – every time I write about them – I see the
person  I know rather than my character, and it becomes entirely confusing.



11) What fictional character is most like you?



Oooh  this  is  a  brilliant  question.  I  think  it’s difficult to find a
character  that is entirely like yourself – but if you remove the tomboyish
nature and the fiery temper, I’m going to say that I’m a little bit like Jo
from  Little Women. She spent her teen years writing stories and acting out
plays,  and  she’s  a  total geek at heart. She’s awkward and clumsy. She’s
prone to spills and accidents and, unfortunately, I am too.


12)  What are you currently reading? And would you ever want to spend a day
as the protagonist of the book that you are currently reading?

I’m  currently  reading  Fangirl  by Rainbow Rowell. You know what? Awkward
siblings and college work aside – I think I could definitely spend a day as
Cather.  I’d  happily  let  Levi  take  me  to  Starbucks and sit and write
fan-fiction all day!  It sounds amazing!


13)  Other  than  reading  and writing, what are some other things that you
like to do?


One  of my favourite things to do is spend time with my family and friends.
I’m  not really a fan of my own company… maybe that’s why I write? When I’m
alone, I get bored easily so I fill the void with my made up friends!

I  like nothing better than watching a dvd with my family or going out for
pizza and a movie with my friends.

I  also  love  to  travel  and wander around other countries. I’ve been so
lucky  to  see  some  amazing  parts  of the world whilst raising money for
charity doing treks with my friends. We’ve been to China to trek across the
Great  Wall  and  to Morocco to climb Mount Toubkal. These experiences have
been tough, but they’ve given me memories to last a lifetime.


And 14) Do you have any special talents or skills?


I’m not sure that this is a talent or a skill – but I like to bake novelty
cakes. I’ve made a Harry Potter Hogwarts cake, a Cinderellas castle, a
‘Tangled’ Rapunzel tower… you name it! And the best thing about that skill
is the fact that you get to eat the end product.

So that's it for this Saturday's Spotlight! Thank you Lisa for taking the time to be interviewed! Make sure you go out and buy Freaks on November 28th at a bookstore near you!

Wanna learn more about Lisa? Click the links bellow!

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18484653-freaks

Website: lisamforester.wix.com/books

Twitter: @lisamforester

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlisamforester

And tune in next week for Eve Edwards, the author of the Lacey Chronicles, and her Halloween dinner party!

Saturday Spotlight: Paula Stokes

It's Saturday Spotlight! And, if you follow me on twitter, you would probably know that I'm VERY excited about my Saturday Spotlight guest! If you don't, please follow me (@missyallydums97).

So without any further delay, let me introduced to you the awesome, the amazing, and one of my favourite people in the world, Paula Stokes! 

Paula Stokes is a YA author at HarperTeen and RN, and also a total outdoors-y person! She's travelled the world, works constantly, but she took the time out of her busy schedule to talk to me about being Paula, having an alter-ego, and of course, her new book, the Art of Lainey! 
 

See? Isn't the cover so pretty? It's pretty hard for me to imagine that this girl is going to go all Zhou Dynasty on a guy!
 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame.

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him...

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for

1) Will you tell everyone a little about yourself? Fun facts, pet peeves? Maybe a favourite cat or two?

Let's see. I'm an author and a registered nurse, though I had to quit nursing when I was trying to manage deadlines and grad school. I really miss working with leukemia/lymphoma patients because they always helped me keep my priorities in check. I'm a big traveler and  can say "thank you" in twelve languages. I have a thing for Cadbury creme eggs and firefighters, not necessarily in that order. (Who are we kidding? Totally in that order). And I have two favourite cats--Taz and Mufasa.

2) You are already a published author of two (soon to be three) amazing YA historical books under a different name. What made you want to branch out and do a contemporary novel?

There wasn't really any branching out. I wrote LAINEY concurrently with VENOM. VENOM just sold on proposal so it came out a lot earlier. I like a lot of different genres. This can be problematic when it comes to author-branding, but one thing I've learned so far is that writing can be a lot of work for little pay. In order for that to be worth it, it helps to write books that you love. That's my #1 piece of advice to writers--write what you love. The research is more fun, the writing is more fun, and when you have fun at your job, it shows in the quality of the end product.

3) Was it hard transitioning from historical to contemporary? Which genre was the most challenging to write?
 

Again, no transition. My very first drawer novel is contemporary so I've always had a feel for that genre. Historical was ten thousand times harder for me to write. I bet I spent two to three times as long researching and checking word derivations than I did actually writing (and still made mistakes). And I had to write like 1000 pages without using the word 'dude'. Or even 'guy!' :-) I don't know how I did it. I suspect amazing editing played a part.

4) What inspired you to write the Art of Lainey? And did you ever go all Zhou Dynasty on a guy before?

The story was inspired by this guy I was seeing that I was 100% crazy about who just kind of vanished out of my life at a time when everything else was going good. Heh, he's thanked in all of the Venom acknowledgments and I talked to him not too long ago and was like "I guess I gotta thank you in this one too since you bailing on me in spectacular fashion is what inspired it." He was like "I'm sorry, P. I'm an ass." He's not, though. Some people just aren't meant for relationships. I can definitely say I have used sneaky and manipulative tactics to win back a guy before. That story did not end well.

 
5) Are Lainey Mitchell, Jayson and Bianca based on anyone in your life? 

A lot of Lainey is based on me--things I've said, things I've wanted to say but never got a chance to. Hilariously, the first round of editors who read the manuscript all hated her and thought she should go die in a fire, so I guess maybe I'm not a very nice person ;-) No worries, though. Lainey has softened up a bunch in revisions. I find her totally complex and endearing. Jason (he lost his Y in revision) is based a little bit on guys I've known. Bianca is based a little bit on a friend of mine, but mostly a fabrication.

6) What do you think readers will like about this novel? And how do you think fans of your alter-ego books will react to this story?

Dude. I have so much love for this book. This story is a romantic comedy so no, it doesn't have a body count or several shocking twists. What it does have is hope and love (but not insta-love!) and amazing human interactions. A lot of the characters are flawed, but they still have these positive relationships with siblings or parents or friends. Add to that some quirky settings, funny dates, and plenty of swoons and that's pretty much LAINEY. I feel like people who like VENOM for the romance will love this book and people who want more of a mystery will love my next book, LIARS, INC. What can I say? I'm a girl who likes to cover all the bases.

7) Will you write any more books under 'Fiona Paul' and revisit the historical world? If not, what can we expect from you as Paula Stokes?

Paper Lantern Lit owns the Fiona Paul name so I have no idea if there will be more books written under that name. I personally have no desire to write more historical books. It was a fun challenge, but my heart gravitates more toward contemporary or futuristic settings. So far everything I've written as Paula has been a bit different from everything else, but you can expect some standalones, male and female MCs, first-person present narration, snappy dialogue, and stories that end on a hopeful note. Maybe not straight happily-ever-afters, but those books where the girl doesn't get the boy and the dog gets run over and the house burns down and the whole world is crushed by a meteor at the end? Yeah, I don't want to write (or read) those books :-)

Another fun thing: I am started a manuscript critiquing service with my friends Tara Kelly, Jessica Spotswood, and Elizabeth Richards. Our website goes live on October 1st and we'll have some giveaways for those of you looking for feedback on your query letters and manuscripts.

So that's it for me & Paula! If you wanna know more about her and the Art of Lainey, checkout the links bellow! And did YOU know that her second book, LIARS, INC is coming out February 2015? HOW cool is that? I'm amazed that she can write so fast O_O I can barely write my English essay.

Paula Stokes, YA Author at HarperTeen

THE ART OF LAINEY (June 2014)

LIARS, INC. (Feb. 2015) 

www.paulastokesbooks.com               

Twitter: @pstokesbooks
Goodreads: Paula Stokes
 

P.S You can win a $25 Gift Card to Powells.com and, oh yeah, the COOL (totally awesome, once in a life time chance, take it while you can moment...sorry, I ramble on when I'm excited) chance to win A ROLE in the ART OF LAINEY at Ensconced in YA's blog! Enter NOW! YOU HAVE 3 DAYS! Contest here :)

Fangirl Friday: Luca da Peraga

It's Fangirl Friday! And, in honor of Paula Stokes being featured in tomorrow's Saturday Spotlight, I decided to feature another one of her beautiful boys from her YA Historical series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose (note: she writes the series under the name Fiona Paul). Last time, I featured the gorgeous Michael Fjordbak as His Royal Hotness, the King of Mysterious Goodlooks, Falco da Padova! (here):

 

So from badboy hottie to the bookish nerd, let me introduce you to the beautiful, intelligent, and the definition of a Renaissance gentlemen, Luca da Peraga!

No...not that Luca.

 

Love you too, but BYE Luca. I have to introduce the other Luca! *waves away*

Matt Kane as Luca da Peraga

 



CIAO, SIGNOR PERAGA!

 So Luca da Peraga is one of the love interests of Cass Caravello in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy! (In fact, he is her fiance!).

 

The series revolves around a 15 year old noblewoman named Cass, who craves adventure. She (unexpectedly) finds it when she stumbles upon a dead body of a mutilated woman in her best friend's grave. Cass teams up with residential badboy, Falco da Padova, to find the murderer and her best friend's body. While Cass is out at night, dressing up to infiltrate parties and break into houses, and oh, getting to know the body the mysterious boy with the bright blue eyes, her mind can't help but wander back to her beloved Luca studying law in France to give her a good life.

 

Sure, she's having fun. Sure, she's had more life experience in the days after her friend's funeral than she did since her parents died five years before. But Luca has always been there for her, and without him, Cass knows that all final pieces of a normal and safe life will disappear.

 

Right now, the series is on it's second book, Belladonna, and it has left Luca and Cass's relationship on much stable ground than Falco and Cass at the moment. But Luca has his own secrets and plans too. So the question is, will Cass chose comfort over being free?

 

Anyways, enough with the dark and gloomy stuff! Let's get to know more of Mr. Proper himself!

• He is 19 years old (making him four years older than Cass and three years older than Falco. it was the 1500s guys, it wasn't uncommon for women in their late teens to marry men in their mid to late forties- or something like that).
• He's tall, he has brown eyes and blond hair
• He studies law in France (fancy, huh?)
• His father and his younger sister, Diana, are both dead
• He has known Cass since childhood
• He's related to some pretty crazy people

So what makes Luca worthy of this week's Fangirl Friday?

 

Well, I love him as a character because he brings out the girly side of Cass- she's nervous around him, is worried about her looks etc. With Falco, she taps into her feminine side as well, but both have walls and a lot of very strong opinions that either work or clash. She is perfect with Falco, but she is perfect with Luca.

 

But what I love the MOST about Luca is that, well... Luca isn't all that he seems to be!

 

Other than him being reliable and patient, kind and intelligent, Luca isn't all fun and games. If he's really mad, he won't care to unleash his temper on you. He has family members that can be classifed as insane. And, OH! And if you dare try to harm his fiancee, Cass, it is war.

In other words? Luca, along with being good-looking and smart, he is also very badass!

 

Falco has that fierce, protective side too, but I like seeing it on Luca more because 99.999999999999% of the time he is described by Cass as gentlemen of the year; even Marco (Cass's best friend's husband) speaks of Luca like he is the image of goodness and properness while discussing his sentence with Signor Rambaldo in Belladonna! It's weird seeing him lose his temper and fighting off crazy people to save Cass, but at the same time, its just..works!

 

Favourite Quote:

Luca's smile wavered for a moment. He stretched out his long legs and crossed them at the ankles. "No matter. I'm here now. Just in time to protect you." (Venom)

 

Favourite Scene:

When Luca saves Cass from Cristian in Venom!

 

Favourite Quality:

His kindness and thoughtfulness with his engagment with Cass. She is his top priority, and even asks her if she is ready to get married- he doesn't push her!

 

So that's it for me for Fangirl Friday! Come back tomorrow to see my interview with the real Fiona Paul, Ms. Paula Stokes!

AND if you want to know more about Luca, Cass and Falco, check out this Venn Diagram/ character sketch I found at the Paper Lantern Lit blog here!

 

 

Saturday Spotlight

Hey guys!

It's Saturday Spotlight! What is Saturday Spotlight? Well, unlike Fangirl Friday where I just gush about my favourite fictional characters, Saturday Spotlight is a day dedicated to authors, their books, and any upcoming books/projects! It's a chance for you guys to get to know them more and get a glimpse into their crazy/ hectic lives!

Unfortunately, I don't have anyone scheduled for this week, but I've got some pretty exciting news!

Next week, I will be featuring one of my favourite authors: Paula Stokes!

Paula Stokes is also known as Fiona Paul, writer of the YA Historical series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose (if you don't know what it is, browse around my blog, I fangirl over the series a lot of times!).

I got a chance to do a mini interview with her about writing YA Contemporary and Historical, having an alter-ego, her new upcoming book The Art of Lainey, and of course, her cats!

Stop by next Saturday, October 12th for my interview!

To my fellow bloggers in the world, SPREAD THE NEWS! Tell everyone you know on Twitter, Goodreads, Blogger, Wordpress, Bloglovin, and Tumblr about my feature! And tell AS MANY authors/ upcoming authors about Saturday Spotlight!

Any interested authors, feel free to visit my Contact Me page for more info if you would like to be featured on Saturday Spotlight!

Saturday Spotlight: Ally Carter

 

Today's Saturday Spotlight (if you didn't get it from the title) is Ally Carter!

What makes Ally Carter worthy of this Saturday Spotlight? Here are a little facts:

• She's a New York Times Best-Selling Author
• She's the author of the Gallagher Girl Series and the Heist Society Series, making her YA the author of 9 YA books (and counting)
• She's currently working on a new series called Embassy Row
• She's totally connected with her fans; she even released an E-Book crossover about the characters from her two series called Double Crossed (you can download it FOR FREE at spiesandthieves.com)
• From her tweets, she's totally down-to-earth; born and raised in Oklahoma, a farm girl at heart, and a total sucker for treats. And working out is just a struggle for her (and for me too).

I am a huge fan of the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series (I am totally a Goode girl and a Haler), and I'm counting down the days till the release of United We Spy (the 6th and final book in the Gallagher Girls series) on September 17th; that day will mark the end of the GG era, something I'm both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. But what makes Ally today's Saturday Spotlight is not because she's an amazing author (which she is-if you read her books, you would know. If you don't, you should!), but because she's a preacher when it comes to the adaptions of YA movies.

On August 6th, Ally posted a drabble type post on Tumblr (here: http://theallycarter.tumblr.com/post/57632934424/on-hollywood-doubters-and-voting-with-your-wallet) explaining why so many YA books are optioned and yet so few are actually made. When I read it, I understood the message...yet there were still many people complaining why ___ series was being made but not ___ series...really guys?

That's what I love about her: she down-to-earth and is ready to tell it like it is. She's an amazing writer and understands why Hollywood isn't about the YA movie life. She's an author, a YA adaptations movie preacher (in my opinion), and a genuinely good person. This is why Ally Carter is today's Saturday Spotlight!