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 :)

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!

Fandom Friday

Happy Fandom Friday everybody! Instead of the Fangirl Friday that I had originally planned to do, I decided to dedicate this post to my fandoms!

1. Love and Loyalty Run Deeper than Blood

Vampire Academy: With over 8 million books sold world-wide, a 6 book spin off series, and a movie to premiere on February 14th, 2014, the Vampire Academy is one of my all time favourite series and Fandoms.

The Books:

There are 6 books in the series: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice. Despite it's name, it is NOT your typical vampire story!

The Vampire Academy series revolves around 17 year old half vampire, half human (also known as a Dhampir), Rose Hathaway. She has been trained all her life to protect and guard her vampire BFF Lissa Dragomir. After an accident that bonded them psychically, Rose and Lissa escape the walls of their school St. Vladimir's, only to be dragged back by Dimitri Belikov...who happens to be Lissa's new guardian. Together, the two face many hardships: social discrimination, psychological issues, bad romances, betrayal and enemies that make the Volturi hide in a corner.

The books are amazing, and what drew me to Vampire Academy was it's complexity; there's romance, there's humour, there's adventure, there's self-discovery, and there's growing up.

Richelle Mead uses her talented writing skills to bring out the human side of this vampiric world she has created, and brings you on a journey along with the characters.

I highly recommend this series to anyone that hasn't read it! And if you know ANYONE that has read this series, they will tell you that this series is amazing and  WORTH the read.

Despite the series ending in 2010, the world of Vampire Academy lives on. Bloodlines (the spin-off series), tells the story of side characters from Vampire Academy, and features cameos from the previous series! So if you're looking for a fix before the movie, I suggest you give the sound off series a try. There are three books out now: Bloodlines, the Golden Lily, the Indigo Spell, and the fourth book, the Fiery Heart will debut November 19th, 2013.

SO JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON, THERE'S STILL TIME!

The Movie:

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters (the name of the movie) will be out on February 14th, 2014. Also known as Valentine's Day. But I guess it won't compare to VA Day :D

The movie stars Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway (Beautiful Creatures), Lucy Fry (Lightning Point), and Danila Kozlovsky (We Are From The Future). The movie will also star Gabriel Byrne, Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), Dominic Sherwood (The Cut), Sami Gayle (Blue Bloods), Olga Kurylenko, and Sarah Hyland (Modern Family).

I AM SO HYPED!

With Vampire Academy being one of my favourite series of all time, I am seriously excited that the book to movie adaptation is FINALLY being made.

According to interviews with Mark Waters (Mean Girls), Daniel Waters (Heathers), and Richelle Mead herself, the movie is VERY loyal to the book. I mean, look at the trailer:

 

And another thing I love is the cast! I mean, they're all pretty good look and they've all got some serious acting chops (they're résumés are all impressive. Good job casting!). But the one thing that I love is that they are totally interactive with their fans. I even got a chance to do an impromptu interview with one of their Dhampirs, Nate Shaw!

It was pretty cool. Now only if I can get Dominic Sherwood to notice me...

 

 

2. Bowties are Cool

Doctor Who is like the fandom of fandoms. You have people from other fandoms in this fandom, and it's pretty amazing.

Now, I didn't grow up watching classic Doctor Who (sorry, my family didn't own a TV while growing up & didn't get this awesome experience), but I have been a loyal fan of the series for a while. I have a love for the new Doctors (yes, I'm an Eleven, sorry Tens!), but have a lot of respect for the Classic Doctor Who (they kept it running for 26 seasons!).

What I love about Doctor Who is the action and the adventures, but most of all, I love how it makes me feel like a little kid again. Whenever I watch Doctor Who and watch as the Doctor takes out the sonic screwdriver, I just...I feel like I'm a kid again, believing that super heroes do exist and that there's one out there for me.

I just love Doctor Who. I just do. I'm just really upset that I have basic cable now and won't be able to watch the 50th Anniversary special OR the Christmas special D:

3. 221B Baker Street

I promised myself that if I can't live in a TARDIS, I'll live in a house with the number 221 and add a 'B' on later. Or live on a street called 'Baker Street'.

BBC's Sherlock is another fandom of mine. I love the show for various reasons, but Moffat penning it is not one of them (like seriously dude, how could you end Series 2 like that?).

 

From the acting to the mystery and to the modern day spin, I love Sherlock so much (#Sherlocked), I tried (and failed)  reading the original books to get an understanding of the characters, like Moriarty.

4. When All Shall Know the Truth, the Truth Shall Set ye Free

IT'S OVEEEEEEEERRRR! AND I FEEL SO ALONE!

Well, no not quite really, but it really IS over.

Yup, the final book of Gallagher Girls series (by Ally Carter), United We Spy, just released this Tuesday. I haven't gotten it yet, but I heard there some HUGE plot twists!

I have yet to read the book, but when I do, I'll do a much more lengthy (and nostalgic) post of my love and adoration for the series.

Like seriously, I started reading the series when I was twelve. That was four years ago. FOUR YEARS! I feel so old now :(

But seriously, this fandom is the British Bombshell, and I think the reason why I haven't picked up the series yet is because I just don't want it to end!

Sadly, Trenzalore calls...oh wait, wrong fandom.

 

5. William? Walter? Wesley?

 

Another series by Ally Carter, Heist Society stole me from my heart the second I heard that the protagonist was about a thief named Kat (I giggled when I first read that).

Unlike it's Gallagher counterpart, there is no big story arch tying all the books together. It's a series of books that tell the adventure of Kat Bishop, a girl of a family of thieves, and how she navigates the man dominated world of stealing.

I personally enjoy Ally's style of writing; it's clean and isn't totally all doom and gloom like most of the YA series I have read.

It does, however, feature a very handsome billionaire that goes by Scooter (which is weird because his intials are W.W).




 

6. No one is falling down before any angels today

Fiona Paul (aka Paula Stokes) is one of my new favourite authors! Her debut book, Venom, literally just took me away!

It's YA Historical, set in Renaissance Italy, the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy tells the story of Cassandra 'Cass' Caravello, a 15 year old girl from Venice craving for freedom. Instead, danger and adventure seem to find her after she goes out late at night to visit her dead friend in her tomb. Cass grows throughout the series, learning a lot about herself, her family, and solving unanswered questions that have left her as an orphan: what really happened to her family? Who or what is the Order of the Eternal Rose?

If you love the Gemma Doyle trilogy, The Stravaganza series or the Cross My Heart books, this series is definitely the one for you!

 

So that's it for me for Fandom Friday!

My next review will probably be Monday or Tuesday, and will either be on my farewell to the Halo trilogy or my new found love for the Infernal Devices series. And don't forget to follow me on @missyallydums97!

!

(Igonore the "Don't Die" part :3)