Author Interview with Emery Lord + GIVEAWAY

Earlier this year, I gave into many pressures from other bloggers to read Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. It became one of those "why did I wait so long to read this?!" kind of book. Fast forward to in the middle of my first stressful and emotional semester of college and I just received an ARC of The Start of Me and You (thanks, Bloomsbury!). Perfect timing. I can't recommend both of Emery Lord's books enough, especially to those who are stressed. Fun contemporaries are key.

Below is an interview I was able to do with Emery Lord and because tomorrow is Christmas (!!!), I'm giving away an ARC of The Start of Me and You, which comes out in March of 2015.

What is one thing you think readers should know about you? 

I love reading and creating complicated teenage girl characters- strong in different ways, flawed, slowly evolving. In each book I write, I try to both create a heroine or anti-heroine who pushes back at the reader a little bit and tackle at least one subject that is really emotionally uncomfortable/challenging for me.

I know people have been asking about a sequel for Open Road Summer, but do you think you'd ever write a series instead of your amazing standalones? 

It's definitely something I think about! I'll have 4 standalones- one a year from 2014-2017, but, after that, who knows?! 

The Start of Me and You is basically about Paige finally moving on after her boyfriend's accidental death and not being known as The Girl Whose Boyfriend Drowned. Was this idea from personal experience? 

I've never had a significant other die. But I have absolutely dealt with the kind of grief that changes you and, once the darkness starts to dissipate, leaves you unsure of who you are anymore. I wanted to explore that in-between space- when the loss isn't quite as raw, but you're still trying to figure out how to be. 

Confession: I've done something very similar to a Quiz Bowl and you described Paige's experience perfectly (oh, so much blushing occurred for me). Did you do any of the things on Paige's list as well? 

None of those specific things- I love swimming, I travel quite a lot, etc. But I've definitely always pushed myself to try new activities- not necessarily to overcome fear or move on- but just because new experiences are the best!

Did you like writing Open Road Summer or The Start of Me and You more? 

I couldn't choose! They were both difficult in different ways and fun in different ways!

If you could write a book in any genre except contemporary, what would it be? 

Fantasy. Or sci-fi. I love all genres!

What's a book you recently read that you loved? 

Rites of Passage by Joy Hensley (My add-on: YES!)

Choice of drink while writing? 

Coffee, water, and Diet Coke if things get dire ;)

Thank you, Emery! 

GIVEAWAY: 

1. Winner gets an ARC of The Start of Me and You, which comes out in March of 2015. 

2. Winner has to reply back with his/her address in 48 of hours of receiving my notification email or I will pick another winner. 

3. Must not lie/cheat in any entries. 

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Merry Christmas Eve! 

Author Interview with Marissa Meyer, author of THE LUNAR CHRONICLES

Today, I have the great honor of having Marissa Meyer here, author of The Lunar Chronicles. You can see my review of the second book in the series, Scarlet, here. 

Hello, Marissa! Please introduce yourself with a short bio. 
 

Hello! I'm Marissa Meyer, the author of The Lunar Chronicles and about 18 billion Sailor Moon fanfics from back in the day. I love wearing pajamas and costumes and I could eat peanut butter for every meal. 

Peanut butter addicts unite! 

The Lunar Chronicles are all retellings, but how did you come up with the idea? Having who we know as "Cinderella" be a cyborg is awesome, in my opinion. Not to mention the fact that it's placed in a dystopian world where Earth and the moon are enemies.

Thank you! The idea started when I entered a writing contest in which the host had listed about ten random prompts and writers had to choose two of them to include in their stories. My two prompts: set it in the future and include a fairy-tale character. My contest entry was a sci-fi version of Puss in Boots and I had so much fun writing it that I thought I would try to do an entire series of sci-fi fairy tales. So a couple months go by and then one night as I was drifting off to sleep I had a dream about Cinderella… as a cyborg! I crawled out of bed and spent about an hour brainstorming and jotting notes. Thus, The Lunar Chronicles was born.

I love that it not only came from a contest, but that it came from a dream. I personally believe dreams are some of the greatest story sources.

Did you have a hard time retelling these classic and well-known fairytales?

Sometimes it can be difficult trying to decide how far to deviate from the original tales. I've definitely taken a lot of liberties, what with the plague and the Lunar society and all. But I hope readers will recognize all their favorite iconic elements from the stories - Cinderella's slipper, Little Red's hood, and of course some of the major plot points - while still being surprised by some of the changes I've made.

Ha! I love knowing how different the original ones are than the ones we know. Cannibalism, how lovely. 

What is your favorite fairytale...and why? 

It's so impossible to pick just one! I tend to like the tales that people THINK they know, but they're not familiar with their darker, gorier sides. It makes for excellent cocktail party conversation, "i.e., Did you know that the original Little Red Riding Hood featured cannibalism?"

Would you like to live on the moon if possible?

The Lunars have it pretty nice up there (readers will get to see more of Luna in the coming books), but in all honesty, I can't see a colony ever being quite so grand as I've made it out to be. So, no, I think I'm pretty content down here on Earth. I like oceans and stuff.

Ah, I can't wait to see more of Luna!

Was it hard to go back to Scarlet, a character in the same series who didn't know what was going on, after having the breakthrough with Cinder? 

Every book has its own challenges, but usually getting started isn't one of them. By the time I finish with one book, or have wrapped up one character's storyline, I'm eager to move on to the next one. It's helpful that I had the entire series plotted out from the beginning, so I've always had a good idea of what was coming up next.

Between the two, who would be your favorite: Cinder or Scarlet? 

I would probably get along better with Cinder - we share a sense of humor, and I like how laid back she is about stuff. But Scarlet is a lot of fun to write about, in part because she's very different from me, and it's nice to put myself in someone's shoes who isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Of course, I have to mention Cress and Winter, both of which have such far away release dates. When do you think we'll be able to see Cress's cover reveal? 
 

Soon, I hope!! June, maybe? I haven't seen anything yet myself, but I know they're working on it.

YAY!

Any chance we get to have a three-word description on either of them? 
 

Cress: Hacker, Mission Impossible, War.

Winter: Luna, Revolution, Nothing could possibly go wrong...

I wasn't getting my hopes up that you would be able to give me short descriptions, but this made me incredibly happy. I jumped up and down in my seat and couldn't stop smiling like a fool.

Although Iko is a secondary character, will she have a romance or any "happily ever after" of her own?

You'll just have to wait and see!

I'll just take that as a yes ;) 

I also was stalking Goodreads and saw speculations of there being a possibility between Cress and Thorne. Please tell my romantic heart it's true! 
 

*zips lips*

IT IS! *pumps fist*

What's one book you have recently read that you loved?
 

This is a strange one for me, because I'm usually all-YA-fiction all-the-time, but I just finished "Drop Dead Healthy" by A.J. Jacobs, which is a nonfiction book about a guy trying a bunch of different (sometimes contradictory) health tips over the course of two years. It's hilarius and informative at the same time. I'd forgotten how much I enoyed non-fiction, so I think I'll be picking up more of it in the coming months.

Hmm, non-fiction. I wouldn't have guessed that, but it does sound interesting!

This or That: 
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Ebook or paperback? Er - ebook, I guess, but I prefer hardbacks.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Firefly!
Brunette or Blonde? (of the boy variety) Why limit yourself? <--very good point.
Winter or summer? Winter. A rainy season here in Washington. :)

~*~

I would like to thank Marissa for agreeing to the interview and for giving such wonderful answers. If you  haven't read either Cinder or Scarlet, you are missing out big time and can buy them down below: 

Buy, read, enjoy! 

Attack of the Assassins: Author Interview with Robin LaFevers (+Giveaway!)

Welcome to my stop on the Attack of the Assassins blog tour! My sister, Shelver of Bookshelvers Anonymous, is the host of this week. She let me join this week in allowing me to interview the amazing author of His Fair Assassins series, Robin LaFevers. Once you are done reading, don't forget to go on over to her blog, read her posts, enter in her giveaway, and then check out the other blogs participating (because there will be giveaways there too!). 

To see all the other stops, click here. 

~*~

Now I have the immense pleasure in interviewing the mastermind of this wonderful series, Robin LaFevers! You can check out her bio here. 

Sunny: Hi Robin! Okay, Dark Triumph. I have not been able to nab an ARC myself, but I hear it is even darker than its predecessor. Did you go into it knowing how dark it would be in comparison with Grave Mercy or did it just come naturally? 

Robin LaFevers: Yes, I knew from the moment that Sybella first appeared on the page in Grave Mercy that her's would be a dark, hearbreaking story. But it very much came naturally from who she was. I didn't think, Oh, I want to write a really dark, grim, rip-your-heart-out kind of story. It's just that a girl simply doesn't end up that damaged unless there is something grim and tragic in her past. But one of the truly great things about being a writer was being able to take her on a journey toward hope, to be able to help her leave that bleak place and give her hope and joy along the way.

S: Since I'm guessing you researched for Grave Mercy, was there more research involved when writing Dark Triumph? Or was there not as much since it was the sequel?

RL: There wasn't quite as much research involved for a few reasons. One, as you said, I'd done a lot of the groundwork type research for the first book. Secondly, Sybella's was a more personal story and involved less of the politics of the time. The majority of the research I did for this book was regarding the locations where the book takes place. I had to research Nantes and Rennes and Morlaix, and the roads in between so I could accurately write about them.

S: Ah, locations. That makes sense.

**I'm not sure if I am allowed to say Beast is in the story so I will edit his name out (or this question) if you want me to** So Beast is in this, much to my extreme delight. Did you have fun with him as the love interest? 

RL: Yes. You are allowed to say Beast is in the story. It was never intended to be a big secret. There actually was an epilogue in Grave Mercy that made it plain he was still alive, but we decided not to use it for other reasons.

And YES. I adored writing about him. Whenever I wrote about Sybella alone, or in the castle where she was, I felt so dark and claustrophobic and despairing. And then came Beast, exploding onto the page bringing a breath of fresh air and hope and it was so great to be able to give Sybella that experience, to share that lightheartedness with her. She so desperately needed that!

S: I just sighed. Oh, Beast. 

In three words, how would you describe Dark Triumph? 

RL: From darkness--hope. 

S: Okay, I cannot resist asking, would you be able to put the third book in three words also?

RL: Sorry! I can't do that yet. Won't be able to until it's completely done. It's actually pretty hard to distill an entire story down to its three word essence.

S: I knew you probably couldn't, but it never hurts to ask! It really is a hard question, especially since it's not done yet.

Did you have fun moving away from Ismae and going on to the darker, more mysterious Sybella? Anything we should be warned of with her story?

RL: Fun isn't quite the word I'd use. Honestly? It was a long hard slog getting through Sybella's dark journey, but all the more rewarding when we both made it out alive! :-) 

S: Very rewarding and all the readers are/will be glad for it!

What is one book that you have recently read (or listened to) that you loved? 

RL: Seraphina by Rachel Hartmann

S: Seraphina! I need to reread that one. Thank you, Robin!

This or That: 

Chocolate or vanilla? 

Ebook or paperback? Both! Ebook especially for traveling or really thick mass market paperbacks that practically sprain my thumb when I try to hold them open, but trade paperbacks or hardcovers for everything else.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Again, both. I adore them both.

Brunette or blonde?

Winter or summer?

THIS or THAT? Because it's important to live in the now.

~*~

I would like to thank Ms. Robin LaFevers again for so graciously giving me an interview. This whole blog tour plus the answers to my questions make me bounce up and down in my seat even more to read Dark Triumph. Now...giveaway time. Here's what is being given away:

For ANYONE (that's you, INT peeps!) - a really cool dagger necklace

-Must not cheat. All entries will be checked.
-Must respond in 48 hours. Otherwise, I pick someone else.

So enter in the Rafflecopter below. 

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Dark Triumph comes out today so don't forget to stop by your bookstore and pick it up! Also, the last day of Attack of the Assassins blog tour is tomorrow. There are great giveaways happening too so you don't want to skimp out in missing it all.

Are you excited to read Dark Triumph? Have you read Grave Mercy yet?

Author Interview: Stacey Kade (+ Review!)

Thanks to the awesome Lisseth from ReadAHolicZ

Today I have the awesome privilege to interview Stacey Kade, author of The Ghost and the Goth trilogy and not-yet-released Project Paper Doll: The Rules. First, I will be giving a mini-review of her latest book, Body & Soul, the last book of the series. At the bottom is my interview with Stacey!

Title: Body & Soul

Author: Stacey Kade

Publication date: May 1, 2012

Publisher: Hyperion

The final book in The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy!

The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

Review: 

I'll get right to it: while the second book fell a bit flat for me, this last installment of the series left me sleep-deprived from staying up late to finish it.

Body & Soul picks up where the second one left off, with Alona being in Lily's body and in turn, creating "Ally." Will and Alona are trying to find a way to get Alona free and Lily's body safe, but nothing seems to work and all the psychics and paranormal gurus they go to are fakes. But then a selfish ghost comes along and sidetracks them, making Will rethink his opinions on what Alona is doing with Lily's body and making Alona a bit more attached to her circumstance.

I have to start out saying that I began reading this series liking Will better. I thought he was the main voice, he was more sensible and likable, and he was the one I would stick by throughout the series. However, what ended up happening was Alona started yanking me to her. Don't get me wrong, I still liked Will, but Alona definitely became top dog. She grew less selfish, still had an edge, and made me laugh. I smirked with her and felt as if we were rolling our eyes in unison at other people. Along with all of that, I could see where Alona was coming from while Will's nobility grew to be more of annoyance for me. 

Because I don't think Alona would do a high-five.

While this series is definitely a light, fun read, all of the books grew to be so much more in my mind. I emotionally invested in the characters and was sucked right into the plot. Speaking of the plot, I'm all about romance and instantly ponder on how the main guy and the main girl will end up together. The great thing about Will and Alona was the fact that any sort of attraction and romance between them didn't end up center stage. It was there, yes. It just didn't hog the limelight or become the focus of our attention and worrying, which was very refreshing to me. 

Light and fun read? Yes.
Great characters? Yes.
A twisting plot with refreshing aspects? Yes.
A humorous writing style? Yes.

If you're okay with all of the above, I suggest you read it. 

Verdict: A great ending to a great series that did not disappoint. 

~*~ 

I just want to show off my pretty new button again :)

Now I have the pleasure of interviewing the author, Stacey Kade!

Sunny: Hello, Stacey! Please introduce yourself with a short bio.

Stacey Kade: Hi! I'm Stacey Kade. I wrote The Ghost and the Goth trilogy as well as the upcoming Project Paper Doll series, which starts with The Rules. I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband and two greyhounds. And I hate mushrooms, squishy fruit, and soggy bacon. 

S: Ick, I so agree on the mushrooms.

The plot for The Ghost and the Goth series is so interesting and sucks you in, but how did you come up with it? Did something in particular make the ball start rolling?

SK: I keep a writing journal to jot down little snippets of things that run through my head. Most often, for me a story, starts with a bit of dialogue or the voice of a character. One day, before I'd even thought about the concept for G&G, I heard something like this: Staring up at the undercarriage of a bus that killed you is a sucky way to spend your afterlife.

From that, I knew my main character was a ghost and had some pretty serious attitude. :) It all developed from there.

S: Personally, I love how you heard Alona's voice so distinctively before the concept even begun. I love hearing about the ways authors get their ideas and how it all comes about. 

Did you go into the series liking one character more than the other then having the opposite to be true when you wrapped it all up in the last book?

SK: No, I loved (and still love) them both. That being said, at times, both of them gave me moments when I wanted to scream and pull my hair out in frustration. :) For whatever reason, Will was generally easier for me to write, probably because his experience in high school is closer to mine (minus the whole ghost thing, obviously).

S: It's been about a year since Will and Alona have last been published. Do you ever miss writing about them?

SK: Yes! All the time. But I feel like their story ended in a good place, where they needed to be, so I try to remember that when I'm missing them. :)

S: Very true!

Okay, I have to mention your upcoming book, Project Paper Dolls: The Rules. It sounds amazing! Where did you come up with that idea?

SK: I knew I wanted to write science fiction set here on Earth, in the present day. (It's not a dystopian or post-apocalyptic story. They live in Wisconsin.) I'm a huge fan of X-Files and Roswell, both of which have similar elements to The Rules.

But I also wanted to do something a little different. I wanted it to be less about aliens vs. humans or saving the planet and more personal, more focused on the characters.

In high school, the thing I remember most is this horrible fear that I'd somehow slip up and expose who I really was and then everyone would know how incredibly uncool I was. (It wasn't really a secret--I carried Star Trek novels in my book bag--it just felt that way.)

For The Rules, I wanted to take that concept and put some substance behind it. For Ariane, there really are serious and deadly consequences if she makes a mistake and reveals who she really is. She is an alien/human hybrid created in a lab and raised there for the first six years of her life. Even though she escaped ten years ago, she still has to be very, very careful that she doesn't do anything to draw attention to herself or the lab will recapture her.

I also think that high school was a time in my life when I was very much trying to figure out who I was. And there were rules coming in from all directions: school, parents, friends, etc. You can't possibly follow all of them. Some of them directly contradict each other. So, you're forced to chose and by doing so, you're choosing who you are or who you want to be. The kind of life you want to live, the limits you will accept.

Even though Ariane has an explicit set of rules that she must follow (1. Never trust anyone, 2. Remember they are always searching, 3. Don't get involved, 4. Keep your head down, 5. Don't fall in love), Zane's life is equally dominated by rules, though they are often unspoken. Rules from his father, rules from his friends, all of them trapping and caging him. Limiting his life.

Both of them have to choose what rules they're going to follow and which ones they're going to break, even though there's no safe answer, no guarantee that they're making the right choices. :)

S: Your answer makes me so much more impatient for April than I was previously and that's really saying something.

Was it hard to not write about Alona and Will anymore and move on to different characters?

SK: It was a little scary. I'd gotten to the point where I knew Will and Alona well enough that I felt like I could predict their thoughts and reactions pretty easily. Starting with new characters, who really didn't bear any resemblance to Alona and Will (a deliberate choice on my part), felt sort of like jumping off into empty space. Thrilling, but also terrifying. But the truth is, I only knew Alona and Will that well because I'd written three books with them. I didn't know them at all in the beginning, either. You only get to know the characters better by writing about them, so that's what I did. :) Getting to know someone new is one of the best (and most difficult) parts of writing, I think.

S: That's a really good thing to remember. So writers, don't be afraid!

What's one book that you have recently read that you absolutely loved?

SK: The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Such an amazing book. It broke my heart and remade it. I loved it.

S: Anything else you want to add?

SK: A HUGE thank you to all of you who read my books! I have a dream job and it's because of you. :) (Please, pretty please check out The Rules when it comes out on April 23. You, yes, you specifically, will be my favorite.)

This or That: 

Chocolate or vanilla? If it's ice cream, I have to go with vanilla. I love chocolate EVERYTHING, except ice cream. I know, it's weird. 

Ebook or paperback? I love the smell of paper and ink and the feel of the book in my hands. Plus, I'm not scared to take it into the bath tub or to the beach. 

Star Wars or Star Trek? Both. I can't choose! :) My first crushes were on Luke Skywalker and Captain Kirk. (Now, I'm like, what was I thinking? Han Solo and Spock, FTW!)

Brunette or blonde? If we're talking about boys, dark hair. Always. :) If we're talking about me, I'm so pale that anything other than blonde (or the strawberry blonde I am) would make me look like a walking corpse. Minus the gory wounds. Hopefully. 

Winter or summer? Oh, no question. I can't stand being cold! 

~*~

I would just like to say thank you to the wonderful Stacey Kade for being so nice and agreeing to appear on my blog. Also, you heard her up there: whatever you have to do, preorder or wait until April 23rd, check out The Rules! It sounds amazing, I doubt you want to miss out on her gift of awesomeness.

Have you read any of Stacey Kade's books? What do you think of the interview?