Interview: Shalini Boland author of Hidden (Marchwood Vampire #1)

Welcome Shalini to our Blog thank you for stopping by!

1.How did you come up with the concept for this book?

The inspiration for Hidden came from a newspaper article about a family who had to leave their house due to a bat infestation. There was a local outcry as the bats were protected by law and the family could no longer live there. I thought: Hmm, bats in the attic … how about vampires in the basement?
I used to live in a very old house in London which had a large basement, very much like the one in my novel. I was always terrified of going down there and I can still remember the musty smell and the grey stone walls. It wasn't hard to imagine all kinds of terrible things lurking down there - awful creatures, ghosts, things bricked up in the wall...

2. How did you come up with the names for the characters? Strangely, the names were very easy with this novel. The characters were pretty much fully formed in my mind, names and all!

3.How much are you and the characters alike?
Madison Greene says all the stuff I was too scared to say at school. She’s probably my alter ego. So I’m not really like her, but I understand where she’s coming from.

4.Do you read a lot and what are you reading now?
I’m a readaholic, but my reading has suffered since I started writing novels – there’s not enough time to do both! I’ve just finished Becoming Edward by Faye Meredith, about a boy who tries to be like Edward Cullen to get a Twihard girl - it's brilliant! And I’m about a third of the way through December Moon by Suzy Turner (Book 2 in the awesome 'Raven Saga').

5.What made you decide to go vampires?
Ever since I read Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series I’ve been hooked on vamps. It’s pure escapism – horror, romance and the whole forbidden love thing. But I didn’t consciously set out to write a vampire series. The story just came to me and I had to write it down.

6. How did the cover come about?
One of the key scenes in the novel is where Madison discovers the hidden door and I knew I wanted a door on the front cover. It took me ages to find the right image. When I finally found an image of a door I loved, the photographer wanted more money than I could afford, so I trawled through several hundred more images until I found this one. And I love it! I think it conjures up just the right amount of mystery and menace.

7. So what is your next project and when is it due out?
My latest teen novel, OUTSIDE, is a post-apocalyptic road trip romance set in the near future where everyone lives in closed-off communities behind perimeter fences. When Riley’s sister is murdered, she swears to to track down the killer and goes out beyond the perimeter where the UK is lawless and dangerous. The ebook is out now, the print version will follow later this month.

8. Do you have a daytime job or are you a full time writer?
I’m a mother of two young boys and I try to grab rare moments of peace to write. Otherwise, I scribble with the madness going on around me.

9. How did you get into writing novels and were you worried about peoples reactions to your books?
I used to be a singer/songwriter, but after having children that kind of lifestyle became very difficult. I missed the creativity though and naturally progressed onto writing novels. It’s perfect as it gives me a creative outlet at home.

I initially wrote for myself, so I wasn’t even thinking about other people’s reactions. But when I finally published Hidden I thought I was going to throw up with nerves! It’s like sending your child off to their first day at school. What if no one likes them or they get made fun of? Most of my friends and family have been amazingly supportive.

10. One last thing do you collect anything personally?
I don’t collect them as such, but I do love Emma Bridgewater mugs! They’re beautiful. Oh, and also Paperblanks notebooks – any writers out there should check them out. I swear they make the words flow.


Thanks so much!
Shalini x

Here are my links:
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/Hidden.MarchwoodVampireSeries
HIDDEN on Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/k63SdY
HIDDEN on Smashwords: http://bit.ly/iNGSny
HIDDEN on B&N for the Nook: http://bit.ly/k2mIiI
HIDDEN in print from Amazon: http://amzn.to/lCze4q


 

Review: Spoiled by Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan

Summary-

16-year-old Molly Dix loves her ordinary life in suburban Indiana, so when her single mother passes away, she is shocked to discover that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world famous movie star and red carpet regular.

Equally intrigued and terrified by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Southern California and plunges head-first into the deep end of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her new life and family couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous and spoiled half-sister whom welcomes Molly to la-la land with a healthy dose of passive-aggressive "sisterly love."
Set against the backdrop of a sparkling and fashion-filled Los Angeles, this deliciously dysfunctional family soap opera will satisfy every reader looking for their next lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous beach read.

Review-

I think this book is n great book. It explaines how things are in real life. When all of a sudden your mother dies and you find out that you have a father out there in the world. And you go to live wiht him and find out what he's like . Then your dad forces you to get along and bond with a half sister that you never knew you had. He forces you to bond because he is gone all the time. So when he forces them to bond they fight like real sisters. "out for each others throats". Normally I don't read books right off the shelf but this one was worth me getting and writing a review for it.

Publisher-Poppy
My Score: 5 STARS!
Reviewed by~Tayler Scott (Student at Franklin High School)

Review: Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

Summary-

Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher, no one at their high school takes them seriously. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman.

Gritty, fast-paced, and brutally real, this debut takes an unflinching look at what binds friends together--and what can tear them apart.

Review-
"This novel is different in that the main characters aren't the typical goody-goody type. They are ""bad boys"" in remedial classes. The suspense is good, and it's a short read...both attractive to teens."

Publisher-Scholastic Press
My Score: 4 Stars
Reviewed by~Susan Combs (Franklin High School)

Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis

Summary-

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Review-
"This book would be a great addition to any junior high or high school language arts curriculum (8th or 9th grade levels). It hits SO many themes. The book is multi-genre (young romance, murder mystery, sci-fi, etc...)

I think it will appeal to both genders. It's a quick read with lots of suspense.
Great job, Beth Revis!"

Publisher-Razorbill

My Score: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by~Selena Combs(Franklin High School)

Review: Laney (Brookehaven Vampires #1) by Joann I. Martin Sowles

Summary-

In a small college town in Northern California, Laney Alexander leads a regular, uneventful life-that is, until the charming and alluring Oliver Knight enters her world. Who is this gorgeous and mysterious stranger? Or, rather, what is he? As Laney's sophomore year of college begins, so does an unbelievable adventure-including a love she didn't know she longed for. She soon learns that Oliver is not ordinary, nor is the rest of his family, including a sister who openly hates her and a brother who will stop at nothing for revenge. As she fights for her life, and Oliver's love, Laney discovers that the fictional world of vampires isn't so fictional after all. Nobody is safe, especially Laney, Oliver's most important priority, and he will stop at nothing to protect her. With her mortality at risk, and a commitment revealed that she, without a doubt, knows she wants, Laney's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn...

Review-

This book is a great vampire love story. It has all the things i love like Love and Vampires. The love story is written as a realistic story. It is not rushed by no means and it seems to be a love that lasts over time like in several books :)

This book has a stable and strong story line. The main characters (Oliver and Laney)seem realistic and not so deep that you cant associate with them. The secondary characters are well defined and described to in realistic detail.
The story had twists and turns that i didnt see coming and to me that makes it a good story. This book is definitly mantle worthy. If you love vampires and are in a twilight rut check out this book!

Publisher- Brookehaven Publishing

My score: 5 STARS
Reviewed by~Lora

Interview: Jimmy Gleacher author of Paradise Rules

Thanks so much to Jimmy Gleacher for stopping by our blog today and telling us a little bit about himself.

1. How did you come up with the concept for this book?

I was inspired to write PARADISE RULES by an actual person who performed and achieved great successes in high school even though his home life was atrocious. I was so impressed I wanted to write a book with a main character who could do the same.

2.How did you come up with the names for the characters?
I name the small characters after I people I know because people usually get a kick out of it. For important characters I use a stranger’s name to keep it fresh.

3.How much are you and the characters alike?
Many of my characters mean well, have good intentions but are also flawed and make mistakes, so in that respect we are exactly alike.

4.Do you read a lot and what are you reading now?
I read every night before bed. Right now I am reading IMPERIAL BEDROOMS by Bret Easton Ellis.

5. What made you decide to go golf instead of a different sport?
I chose golf because I love the game and am very familiar with it. It’s also a very individual sport that requires honesty and strategy and thematically that fit with the book.

6. How did the cover come about?
The talented people at Simon & Schuster did the cover for PARADISE RULES so I can’t take any credit for it. I love it though. Most authors don’t have a say in what their covers will look like, they just have to hope, so I got lucky I got such a good one. I did get a chance to design the cover of my second book, SILLY LITTLE RICH GIRL, but that’s because it was published by a small press.

7. So what is your next project and when is it due out?
The book I’m working on right now is titled, THE CURSE OF KAUFT and it’s about a burned out pro golfer who makes a deal with the devil to get one more chance to make it on the PGA Tour, a decision that quickly begins to bring him trouble.

8. Do you have a daytime job or are you a full time writer?
I teach creative writing part time.

9. How did you get into writing novels and were you worried about peoples reactions to your books?
I wrote my first book when I was studying to get my Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing. I never worried about peoples reactions because I was enjoying writing so much.

10. One last thing do you collect anything personally?
Sea glass that I find on the beach.

Interview & Ebook Giveaway: Lisa Grace (Author of Angel in the Shadows)

Hi Today we have a special guest Author Lisa Grace (Angel in the Shadows series) stopping by our site to say hello and tell us about her and up coming project. Stay tuned for an Ebook giveaway at the end of the interview!


1. How did you come up with the concept for this book?
I love books about the supernatural. There are so many about vampires; but hardly any of the books out there deal with the supernatural from a biblical point of view. Angels and demons are mentioned over four hundred times in the Bible. Other supernatural creatures are discussed too. Few of the books make it cool to be human. We have a soul and a spiritual war is going on whether we choose to “see” it or not. Our soul is important. I think this is a frightening and awesome prospect. I also wanted to confront the issues teenagers are facing today, drugs, sex, teen pregnancy, abortion, etc... The Angel series characters are dealing with these problems head-on.

2.How did you come up with the names for the characters?
No special thought really. I picked names I thought fit the characters. I have a joke where I say I throw a dart at a ripped out page of the phone book and that is actually how I pick out my names.

3.How much are you and the characters alike?
Megan is what I would have liked to be like in high school. I was a nerd who was involved in drama, choir, & student government. I do drink coffee, and I loved going to a Christian camp in the summers, so we do have that in common.

4.Do you read a lot and what are you reading now?
Yes. I've always loved to read. I just finished Dan Zarella's Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness The science, design, and engineering of contagious ideas. It's a book about the science behind social media. It's the nerd in me coming out. Because I have to do almost all my own marketing, I need to know what works and what doesn't as far as the Internet. I am also reading Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, and my friend and author Tommie Lyn's supernatural Christian thriller Tugger's Down.

5. What made you decide to go Angels?
I think my tag line says it all, "The difference between vampires and angels? Angels are real." I loved books about the supernatural when I was growing up. I want to give young adults a realistic view of how the supernatural is impacting your life on a real day-to-day basis, but in a fictional setting so everyone can relate.

6. How did the cover come about?
My publisher hired a cover artist. I had a couple of meetings to discuss my concepts for the cover. I went to the bookstore and talked to a clerk who had a degree in graphic arts specializing in book cover design. She showed me the psychology behind book covers and gave me a lot to think about. I knew I wanted the evil angel on the front, and I wanted a realistic looking wing. I also wanted him to have piercing blue wolf like eyes.
Nowadays, it is very important your cover look good as a little Kindle or iPad icon.

7. So what is your next project and when is it due out?
Well, I have three. First I'm in negotiations with a movie producer who wants to turn Books 1 & 2 into a major movie. I will have Book 3 in the series, Angel in the Ice, releasing November 1st, and I have a history mystery novel for adults coming out in November called The 15th Star. It's a made-up account of what I think happened to the real 15th Star that is missing from the Star Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. It's been compared to National Treasure meets 1776.

8. Do you have a daytime job or are you a full time writer?
I don't make enough money yet to support myself writing, but I have a supportive husband who is willing to work while I write. Now I am in talks with a movie producer, and with two more books coming out before the end of the year, I could be making a living within the next year.

9. How did you get into writing novels and were you worried about peoples reactions to your books?
I've always been writing, but I never tried to get published. My first book I submitted was accepted and published, Angel in the Shadows, Book 1. I am self-publishing the eBooks myself.
I was working as a musical theater director at a dance studio, plus being a full-time Mom to my four-year-old daughter, volunteering at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, teaching Bible classes to teens at my church, and being a wife, the only time I had to write was between 10pm - 2 am every evening. I wrote 2,000 words a night. I thought I had a unique idea as far as keeping the books grounded in the real supernatural we know from the Bible, yet make the adventures as exciting as anything you would find in the Twilight series or Harry Potter.


My husband Todd was excited when I finished my first book and showed it to him. He is my biggest fan, my first editor, and he helps by telling me where I need more action in the books.


As far as what people think, I want to urge your readers to follow the Ten Commandments and love your neighbor as yourself, and then don't worry about what people think. When people try to put you down, that doesn't say anything about you, but it speaks a lot about their own low self-esteem. Avoid negative people, do what you were meant to do and follow your passion. I've found many people who tell me what I "should" do, or people who like to deflate my balloon when good things happen, are actually jealous. Don't let them stop you.

Your readers can email me at lisagracebooks@yahoo.com and don't forget to go to my web site and register in the contest to win a free iPad2. Just register as an "Angel Friend" at http://www.lisagracebooks.com and you are automatically in the contest.

Lisa Grace
Angel In The Shadows - Book 1, Angel in the Storm, Book 2 at Amazon.com
The difference between vampires and angels? Angels are real.
AOL's recommended Christian alternative to Twilight series:
http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2010/05/07/top-ten-most-challenged-books/

Thank you so much Lisa for stopping by and letting us get to know you a little better.
You can get Lisa's first book on Amazon right now HERE for .99 cents.

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Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Summary-

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should b
...moreWhat if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Review-
I think the book is great I love the way it was written once I starte

d the book I couldn't put it down and it was the type of book that you either hated people or you loved them there was no in between I loved Kent and hated rob and I loved who Sam became I hate the way this book ended I really wish I would have turned out differently but other than that it was great I love how she slowly realizes the effect she and her friends had on people and tries to change it

 

Publisher-Harpercollins

My Score: 4.5 Stars

Reviewed by~Nikki Reynolds

~Thank you to the author for this book~

Review: The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1) by Kimberly Derting

Summary-

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.
Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

Review-
 A very intense mystery. This book grabbed me and pulled me into it. I really liked the way the plot evolved. The main characters are true to life teenagers. The author did a very good job of depicting how they act, talk and even their mannerisms. I had a hard time putting it down once I started getting into it. An unexpected twist to the mystery makes this story a unique one. The first book I have read written in quite this way. Just when you think the danger is over you get the shock of a lifetime. The bonus... a charming romance blooms amid all the death. I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the sequel. Definitely a one of a kind and very recommended.

Publisher-HarperTeen
My Score: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by~Mechele

Review: Airborne (Airborne Saga #1) by Constance Sharper

Summary-

Avery knew she had a knack for attracting trouble, but even she is shocked when a six-foot-something harpie shows up on her doorstep. Coping with the existence of a mythological race? Okay. Unwittingly finding herself in the middle of a vicious harpie conflict? A little less okay. Having to rely on an arrogant harpie boy who gets under her skin? Now that is something Avery isn't sure she can handle.

Review-

  This is a first for me. Not usually the kind of book I read. It was good and unusual none the less. I like the strong plot and flowing storyline. A good imaginative peek into the world of the Harpies. The story took right off and stayed strong throughout. I never had the urge to put it down and go to something else. It is a real attention grabber. I will be waiting for the follow up book. Really recommendable.

 

My Score: 4 Stars

Reviewed by~Mechele

~Thank you to the author for allowing us to review this book~