Interview and Giveaway: Jen Brooks + In A World Just Right

It's been an interview kind of week this week! I'm an overly curious question-asking machine apparently:) 

I'm so excited today to have author Jen Brooks stop by the blog, she was nice enough to answer a few questions for me about In A World Just Right, her new young adult novel released last month from Simon and Schuster. I've always been a sucker for any story that deals with multiple worlds or parallel universes, and Jen really put her own unique spin on this idea so I had a blast trying to poke around in her head a bit with my questions. I hope you all enjoy the interview and don't forget to check the bottom of the post for a fantastic giveaway!

If you could create your own world at will as Jonathan does, what are the top three things you would make sure it had?

If I were simply trying to improve my own life, I’d have a personal nutritionist/chef to make sure I eat all the healthy things; enough time in every day to work, exercise, read, and be relaxed with my family; and a screened porch.

If I were trying to improve the whole world--and since unlike Jonathan I don’t need to fix my own life first because 1) I’m older and 2) I have everything that he does not—I would aim much, much bigger. Any change you make to the world comes with consequences—environmentally, socially, biologically, economically—so I’m not sure I would with one broad stroke eliminate poverty or disease or war, though I would love for all three to cease to exist. Honestly, there is only one thing that I think I’d really like to experiment with in a world, and it might be the most cliché thing ever, but I would create a world where people don’t judge other people. As Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Think of how very different all kinds of people would be in this world if they were loved and loving and never had or received a judgmental word. I think such a change would go a long way toward eliminating poverty, disease, and war.

If the real Kylie was able to see the version of herself from Jonathan’s alternate world, what’s the one thing she’d find most surprising about her doppleganger?

That she was in love with him.

I almost feel sorry for my husband because if his well-being was ever dependent on whether or not I was able to unravel a mystery, he’d more than likely be up a creek without a paddle. Good with puzzles or under pressure I am not. How well do you think you’d handle a situation like Jonathan’s?

Meaning the puzzle of what’s happening to the Kylies? I think I’d handle it just about as well as he does. At first he tries to figure out just how the two Kylies are changing. Then when the situation gets worse, he goes into damage control mode, and ultimately he . . . well, you’ll have to read the book to see what he’s ultimately willing to do.

What would Jonathan miss most from his real life if he were forced to live solely in the world he created?

Throughout the book, more and more he craves what’s real. Knowing that he lives in a fantasy world, for Jonathan, isn’t satisfying, and that’s why he keeps coming back even though he’s miserable.

If Jonathan could temporarily exchange his world-creating ability for any other supernatural gift, which would he choose and what’s the first thing he’d do?

He says at one point he would want to fly, and I would guess the first thing he’d do with that gift is take Kylie up in the sky like Superman does with Lois Lane.

I suspect, though, that by the end of the book he might give a different answer.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jen!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

IN A WORLD JUST RIGHT

High school senior Jonathan Aubrey creates worlds at will. In Kylie-Simms-is-my-girlfriend, he’s given himself everything he doesn’t have in real life-–the track team, passing grades, and his dream girl–-until one day he confuses his worlds and almost kisses the real Kylie Simms. Now his girlfriend Kylie and the real Kylie are changing, and Jonathan must solve the mystery of his own life to save his love from a gruesome fate.

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • •

JEN BROOKS

Jen has a habit of being deeply moved by profound ideas, and her writing reflects her interest in exploring human goodness, relationships, and the feeling of being a part of something greater than oneself. She loves the science fiction and fantasy genres because of their dazzling possibilities for portraying characters and ideas. She credits her undergraduate experience at Dartmouth College, her MFA at Seton Hill University, and her fourteen years of English teaching with shaping her writing.  She is grateful to her family, friends, and students for inspiring her to write.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the generous team at Simon and Schuster, I have one copy of In A World Just Right to give away on the blog today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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Vault of Dreamers Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

VAULT OF DREAMERS
Vault of Dreamers #1
Caragh M. O'Brien
Young Adult/Sci-Fi-ish
432 pages
Roaring Book Press/Macmillan
Available September 16th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

MY THOUGHTS
The Vault of Dreamers is an exceedingly unique story, one that moves forward slowly but purposefully in order to give our minds time to ask questions, theorize, and generally wonder about the darkness hiding behind the watchful eye of The Forge Show. It’s not until nearly a third of the way through this story that the history of The Forge Show is revealed to us, a quick and believable explanation for how a school for the arts transitioned into the highest rated show in the country allowing us to link this piece of fiction to our reality in such a way that we can easily put ourselves in Rosie’s shoes. Once our questions regarding the show are answered, our focus then shifts to the strange nightly activities of those responsible for the students’ welfare, and from there we’re taken on an intriguing journey that tests our ability to detect what is real and what is illusion.

Rosie is a young woman who doesn’t necessarily leap off the first page in a blaze of fiery personality, instead she’s fairly quiet and unassuming, somewhat resigned to the fact that her time on The Forge Show is quickly coming to an end. Once she figures she has nothing to lose, we start to see her character emerge, her passion for filmmaking and her desire to show the public how she sees the world through the lens of her camera something we can relate to on a fundamental level even if filmmaking is not one of our strengths. Her inquisitive nature is a trait that should be considered a flaw–her tendency to disobey the school’s rules something that normally would have us rolling our eyes–but it just so happens that her curiosity is only surpassed by our own, and we can’t help but want her to learn as much as she possibly can.

Rosie’s ranking on The Forge Show is improved over time with the help of the unfortunately-named Linus, a romance between the two of them starting up quickly but staying well clear of the insta-love label. They are friends first before becoming allies as Rosie slowly becomes comfortable enough with him to share her fears over what’s happening during the students’ mandatory 12 hour sleep schedule, and while their relationship isn’t one to be categorized as epic, it’s gorgeously free of all the common YA romance pitfalls.

As we near the end of The Vault of Dreamers, the more unusual aspects of the story are brought to the forefront, our understanding of what those in charge are trying to accomplish with the assistance of the unwitting student body a bit hazy and only getting hazier as we reach the last chapter. Those readers who love to be left unsure and off balance, minds racing with implications, will thoroughly appreciate the final pages of The Vault of Dreamers, but those who like their endings to come with a bit of clarity will likely struggle with the tail end of this first leg to Rosie’s journey. Overall, Ms. O’Brien succeeds with the unusualness of the premise and the fascinating nature of the science relating to the students' dreams, and I for one find myself insanely curious to see where this series is headed.

Rating: 4/5 

Find Caragh:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

Meet her in person on the Fierce Reads tour!

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the hugely generous team at Macmillan, I have a copy of Vault of Dreamers to give away on the blog today. Giveaway is open to US addresses only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the remaining stops on the tour for more reviews and chances to win!

·         September 9 | Ex Libris Kate & The Book Monsters
·         September 10 | Book Hounds & Candace's Book Blog
·         September 11 | Mundie Moms & Word Spelunking
·         September 12 | My Bookish Ways & Working for the Mandroid
·         September 13 | Fiction Fare
·         September 14 | Icey Books & My 5 Monkeys
·         September 15 | SciFi Chick & Supernatural Snark
·         September 16 | YA Interrobang & I’d So Rather be Reading
·         September 17 | Fiktshun & Book Briefs
·         September 18 | Michelle & Leslie’s Book Picks & The Irish Banana Review
·         September 19 | Alice Marvels & Forever Young Adult
·         September 20 | Good Choice Reading & Step into Fiction

Review: The Aftermath

THE AFTERMATH
The Aftermath #1
Jen Alexander
Young Adult/Dystopian
288 pages
HarlequinTEEN
Available August 26th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sometimes, I dream that I'm someone else.

A girl with dark hair who doesn't worry about hunger

or thirst or running from flesh-eaters.

In her world, those sorts of things don't exist.

Since the spring of 2036, when the world changed forever, Claudia and a small clan of survivors have roamed the streets of a very altered Nashville: polluted and desolate, except for the ever-present threat of cannibal Hoarders. Together they must undergo punishing tests of endurance and psychological challenge sometimes with devastating consequences all just to live another day.

With food and water in dwindling supply, and with danger lurking around every corner, no one can be trusted. And as her world starts to make less and less sense, Claudia begins to realize something terrifying: she is just a pawn in some sort of game, and all of her actions are being controlled from afar by a mysterious gamer. So when she meets a maddening and fascinating outsider named Declan, who claims to be a game moderator, she must decide whether to join him in exchange for protection and access to the border.

If they play the game right, they are each other's best hope for survival and a life beyond the only world Claudia's ever known: the terrifying live-action game known as The Aftermath.

MY THOUGHTS
The Aftermath has one of those horrifyingly fascinating premises; the kind that floods our minds with all kinds of questions the moment we crack the spine and doesn’t allow our curiosity to taper off for a single page until we reach the very end. After reading the blurb however, we can’t help but have a few reservations despite how intrigued we are, wondering if our upfront knowledge about the gaming aspect will hinder our overall enjoyment because it’s something we know that our protagonist unfortunately doesn’t. Being aware of something a character isn’t can sometimes be frustrating as a reader, but luckily Claudia learns the larger truth about The Aftermath–the fact that it’s a live role playing game–early on, thus removing the burden of being alone in our knowledge and allowing us to settle in with her as we try and figure out how blood and death became required sport.

Claudia is someone we learn quickly is the type of person to whom we’d want to hitch our wagon were we unlucky enough to find ourselves in The Aftermath, her confidence making her a leader who oozes reassurance yet at the same doesn't pretend their world is anything other than brutal. Even when she learns that so many of her words and actions are not her own, she stills radiates capability and determination, making us want to follow her wherever she decides to go. She genuinely cares about those in her clan despite her newfound knowledge that they are nothing more than puppets whose thoughts and actions never really belonged to them, wanting vengeance and payback for all they’ve suffered and hoping it’s within her ability to grant it.

While Claudia is a young woman we thoroughly enjoy spending time with and the subtle romance with somewhat enigmatic Declan has our feelings pinging wildly over our emotional map, the true strength of this novel is in the mystery surrounding the game. We’re fed small revelations in perfectly sized pieces, satiating us temporarily before our curiosity reaches the frustrating stage but at the same time leaving so much more just outside our grasp, a carrot dangling to lead us down the path Ms. Alexander has laid out for us. The explanation for how the game to came to be is relatively simple, and in its simplicity lies believability and plausibility. We can’t help but cross every part of our bodies that can be crossed in the hope that our reality will never reach such a state, but Ms. Alexander makes it painfully clear how easily it could happen, showing us in terrifying detail how the forward march of scientific and technological progress is both astounding and alarming.

Overall, The Aftermath is an utterly tense and completely absorbing first installment, the pages flying by and the hours seeming to pass in a matter of minutes, leaving us horribly disappointed when we reach the last page for no other reason than it means Claudia’s story is temporarily at an end.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Jen:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the author free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: The Hunt

THE HUNT
Project Paper Doll #2
Stacey Kade
Young Adult/Sci-Fi-ish
400 pages
Disney Hyperion
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

MY THOUGHTS
The Hunt is a thrilling second installment, picking up immediately where book one left off as Ariane and Zane attempt to figure out their next steps following the spectacular showdown at the GTX facility. Ms. Kade wastes little time revisiting the events of The Rules, dropping a few key phrases in here and there to trigger our memories rather than providing a detailed account, thus allowing us to move forward quickly and smoothly with our main characters. Tension remains high throughout, Ariane and Zane’s physical situation not the only perilous one given the way their emotional entanglement deepens, and we're kept on edge wondering just what the next chapter has in store.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this series, and this installment in particular, is the dual perspective of Ariane and Zane. The two of them are heavily weighed down by insecurities borne of the conditions in which they were raised, conditions both drastically different but eerily similar in many ways, giving us the opportunity to study their individual reactions both to one another and to the situations they find themselves in. Ariane is arguably the stronger of the two emotionally, able to find logic and reason through her anger, hurt and pain without letting that turmoil spill out and affect those around her. While she keeps much of herself in a death grip clutched tight to her chest, she’s not so closed off that we can’t reach her, and she oh-so gradually as the story progresses unclenches her fists and extends a hand to Zane so that he might share responsibility for her mental, physical and emotional well being.

Due to Ariadne’s telepathic abilities, Zane is a bit more of an open book in their relationship, something we’re exceedingly grateful for as it forces their lines of communication wide open (at least one way). It’s not to say the two don’t have a variety of missteps as they navigate the increasingly complex waters of their relationship–Zane’s understandable inability to censor his thoughts before Ariane gets wind of them creating more than a few gut-wrenching moments–but the beauty of their relationship is that they’re not the type of people to let things fester. Instead, after a short period of time in which they both collect themselves, they sort through their issues before returning to their not-insignificant task of trying to escape GTX detection.

There are a few all-too common second book staples that try and rear their ugly heads in this story, with the main one being an aborted attempt by Ariane to leave Zane early on for his own good. Zane thankfully doesn’t allow that to happen, and rather than having our main couple completely tear down all that was established in book one as is so often the case, the pair of them continue to grow and strengthen together even when a few road blocks force them to reevaluate their path. We are left with Ariane and Zane both in extremely precarious positions however, so those who loathe cliffhangers should be prepared for the rug to be pulled from beneath them in the final chapters. Overall, The Hunt is a strong follow up to The Rules, things intensifying for our protagonists on a variety of levels until we reach an end that leaves us wishing this book was double the length.

Rating: 4/5

Find Stacey:

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter •  Goodreads  • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview: Amie Kaufman + Meagan Spooner

I'm so pleased today to welcome authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner to the blog to answer a few questions about their outstanding YA science fiction novel, These Broken Stars. I read These Broken Stars a while back and fell madly in love with it, but due to crazy schedules on both sides, I'm just now getting this interview up and I'm so excited to share it with all of you! If you haven't had the chance to read These Broken Stars yet, I can't recommend it enough.

We don’t get to spend too much time on the Icarus before tragedy strikes, so our glimpse of the grandeur of her is fleeting. If you both were on-board as first-class guests, how would your days likely be spent?

Gosh, what wouldn’t we do? We’d hang out in the salon a little (like Tarver, we’d want to check out the books) and we’d want to explore the huge gardens, and the viewing decks where you can see the colours of hyperspace—imagine the Northern Lights—whirling past the glass dome. And then someone would work out we’re writers, and march us down to third-class where we belong!

Lilac and Tarver get off to a bit of a rocky start, each finding themselves stranded with someone who doesn’t particularly care for them. If in those early days they could have handpicked a companion from a different young adult novel to replace the one they were with, who would each of them have chosen?

Wow, that’s a tough question! Tarver probably would have picked someone tough and capable, maybe June from Marie Lu’s Legend series. When they first crashed, Lilac had no idea what she was in for, so she would’ve likely picked someone who would be better company, rather than someone competent. She would’ve enjoyed palling around with Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games, or Persis Blake from Across a Star-Swept Sea. (Though of course, Persis actually IS competent, she just hides it well!)

You both end up on the escape pod with Lilac and Tarver, crash landing with them on an unknown planet. What’s one quality or skill each of you possesses that would come in handy given your circumstances?

Amie: I don’t think we’d be anyone’s companion of choice, but I do know how to start a fire, so that’s something. If we were truly shipwrecked I’d be much more useful—I’ve been sailing since before I took my first steps.

Meg: I don’t run very fast, so if anything came after us it’d probably eat me before it’d eat any of the others. I imagine they’d find that pretty handy.

After enduring weeks in a survival situation like Lilac and Tarver’s, what is the first comfort food you would seek out upon being rescued?

Amie: Giant hamburger. I’ve done a lot of hiking, and that’s always one of two things I daydream about while I’m away from it all. The other is fresh, crunchy apples.

Meg: Korean-style fried chicken, and lots of chocolate afterward.

What is a favorite line from the book each of you has that was written by the other person?

Amie: There are so, so many things Meg wrote that are just beautiful and lyrical. It’s so hard to choose one! There’s one, though, that conjures up an image I adore:

Tarver lowers himself down again, arm circling my waist. His voice is soft and warm by my hear. “What is this place?”

I have no answer for him, and we watch the false moon in silence. For a dizzying moment I see us as if from above, a tiny lump in the blue-black sea of grass, nearly swallowed by the vastness of the plains.

Meg: Amie’s pretty much hilarious, and that comes through in Tarver’s personality and not-so-hidden sense of snark. I still laugh at some of the things he says, despite having read them over dozens of times by now. One of my favorites happens very early on, when Tarver’s struggling with how difficult it is to drag Lilac through the woods. He asks if she wants to take a break, and here’s her reply:

She considers the question, then nods, reaching up to tuck her hair back where it belongs. “Where will I sit?”

Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked.

I clamp my mouth shut, struggling not to say it aloud.

Thank you so much Amie and Meg!

• • • • • • • • • • •

THESE BROKEN STARS

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.
 

Find Amie:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Find Meagan:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Under Nameless Stars Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I'm thrilled today to be a part of the promotional blog tour for Under Nameless Stars, the second book in the Zenn Scarlett series by Christian Schoon. As this series involves all sorts of fascinating science fiction-related things, like traveling through space and life as an exoveterinarian, I thought I'd ask Christian if his leading lady Zenn had any good tips for those of us who have yet to experience space travel for ourselves.

There's a fabulous competition and giveaway associated with this tour, so be sure and check out the bottom of the post for all the details as well as a link to the full list of participating blogs. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Christian!

Hi and thanks for letting Zenn and I tie up the “Under Nameless Stars Blog-Tour-and-Party-Shuttle Craft” to the mooring-mast high above the Supernatural Snark Nature Park/Bookish Emporium. 

Without further ado: Zenn Scarlett’s Top 5 Rules for Interstellar Travel (when you find yourself with no ticket for said travel. Caution: may contain minor spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.)

• When smuggling oneself aboard a starliner inside a crate-cage that also contains a large sandhog boar, double check to ensure that your sedation field generator is in good repair. A faulty seda-field unit could allow the sandhog to regain consciousness at an inopportune moment. As any certified exoveterinarian will tell you, sandhogs are unpredictable by nature and frequently aggressive. Since these creatures attain mature body lengths of over twelve feet and weights in excess of two thousand pounds, being confined inside a crate with a fully awake animal of this species could result in serious bodily harm or death.

• After successfully smuggling oneself aboard a starliner (whether by cage-crate or other means), take immediate steps to secure a discrete location in which to conceal yourself.  One optimal solution: befriend, or have yourself befriended by, a fellow passenger who actually has a ticket and a cabin for the duration of the voyage. If this fellow traveler happens to have a refreshingly jaunty sense of humor and also be wealthy enough to afford a luxury suite of rooms, all the better.

• In the highly unlikely event you’re invited to visit the Indra chamber of the starliner, inquire whether the ship’s captain has informed the Indra groom of your visit to the pilot room. Indra grooms are notoriously protective of their chambers and are likely to resent any distracting intrusions, especially around the time period when they enter into their trance-like communion with the Indra. (For those unfamiliar: Indra, also known as Stonehorses, are 700-foot-long vacuum-dwelling creatures that have evolved the capacity to “tunnel” through the space-time continuum, propelling starliners across vast distances in mere nano-seconds. Indra grooms direct the Indra in these travels).

• In the starliner dining saloons, pay careful attention to the small placards designating which foods are suitable for consumption by which species of passenger. The placards are color-coded for easy referral. In no instance confuse the green of the “Safe for Humanoids” placard with the somewhat similar blue-green “Safe for Zeta Reticulani” placard. Human travelers making this mistake have been known to spend the remainder of their journey locked in their cabin’s bathrooms emitting bovine-like moo-ing vocalizations.

• Be aware that should your starship fall prey to what is commonly referred to as “The Vanishing Indra-Ship Crisis,” your starliner’s company will deny responsibility for any liability relating to this event. Since the vanishing of these ships has been designated “An Act of the Gods” by the controlling legal authorities of the Local Systems Accord, your surviving relatives will be unable to file a claim for damages resulting from your loss and/or death. However, should you at some future time re-appear, most starliner companies will compensate you with free second-class passage to your home planet from the point of your re-appearance.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

UNDER NAMELESS STARS

Zenn Scarlett’s novice year of exoveterinarian training on Mars isn’t quite going to plan…

After facing a plot to destroy her school and its menagerie of alien patients, could things get worse? Yes, they could: her absent father has been kidnapped.

Desperate to find him, Zenn stows away aboard the Helen of Troy, a starliner powered by one of the immense, dimension-jumping beasts known as Indra. With her is Liam Tucker, a Martian boy who is either very fond of her, very dangerous to her, or both. On the verge of learning the truth about her father, Zenn’s quest suddenly catapults her and Liam thousands of light years beyond known space, and into the dark heart of a monstrous conspiracy.

Braving a gauntlet of lethal environments and unearthly life forms, Zenn’s courage is tested as never before. With the fate of entire worlds in the balance, she is racing headlong into trouble… again.

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • 

CHRISTIAN SCHOON

Christian Schoon grew up in Minnesota, and worked his way through college in a succession of rock bands before earning his degree from the U of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Journalism.

Following a stint as an in-house copywriter/scriptwriter at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, he supplied freelance copy for the entertainment industry and scriptwriting for live-action and animated TV.

Currently, he writes from his 150-year-old farmstead in Iowa which he shares with a fluctuating number of horses (generally less than a dozen, but not always), 30 or so cats, a dog, three ferrets and a surprisingly tolerant wife.

The Zenn Scarlett books are his first novels, however he admits to being an unrepentant fan of science fiction and fantasy ever since discovering the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs in the fifth grade.

Website • Twitter • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the amazing team at Strange Chemistry, I have a really fun giveaway to share with you all today. Up for grabs are copies (either ebook or physical) of both Zenn Scarlett and Under Nameless Stars, plus a Name Your Own Star Gift Package! To enter, you must answer the below question in the Rafflecopter form. Each tour stop has a question associated with it, so be sure and check out the full list of participating blogs for more chances to win!

The answers to the questions can be found in the book's blurb and author profile (seen above) as well as the author's blog and an extract from the book. Good luck everyone!

TODAY'S QUESTION (Question 9) :

Liam's shirt is made of

a. Synth-cloth

b. Plastic

c. Hemp-cloth

d. Unbleached cotton

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview: Mindee Arnett + Avalon

I'm super excited today to welcome young adult author Mindee Arnett back to the blog to answer a few questions about her new sci-fi release, Avalon. I fell a little in love with Mindee after reading least year's The Nightmare Affair, and Avalon only further solidified that love. She writes fantastic characters and hugely entertaining stories, so if you haven't had a chance to read either of her books I hope you add them to your lists immediately!

If you could spend one day aboard a fictional spacecraft from any book, movie or TV show, which one would top your list?

Ah! I love this question. I would definitely have to go with the TARDIS from Doctor Who. It can go anywhere in space and time. Plus is has a swimming pool, a library, racquet ball court. Heck, it probably has stables in there somewhere. That makes it impossible to beat.

Jeth is our protagonist, so we get glimpses of his thoughts and feelings toward every member of his elite team of thieves. What’s one word each member of the team might use to describe him?

Okay, I’m going to cheat with this one and provide phrases.

Lizzie: “butthead but I love him”
Celeste: “handsome but not my type”
Flynn: “can kick my ass but I’m okay with that”
Shady: “thinks he can kick my ass but I’d like to see him try”
Milton: “hard of hearing and thinking”

Of course, you could really add “but I love him” to all of these phrases, because Jeth’s crew definitely does.  

You’ve joined the crew aboard Avalon and are hovering just outside the boundary for the Belgrave Quadrant. What’s the last thought running through your head as you cross into it?

Is there any way to leave a trail of bread crumbs in space?

There’s some pretty fabulous futuristic technology in this book. What gadget from Jeth’s world do you wish existed in ours?

Metatech all the way. I know, of course, that faster than light travel is impossible, but if it were, could you imagine what we might learn and discover out there in the big wide universe? So often in our modern world it feels as if there’s nothing new under the sun, but that would all change if we could travel through space without it taking multiple lifetimes.

Jeth is clearly a very capable team leader, staying cool and calm even when his mission seems like it might be headed south. Celeste works closest with him in the field, so she must have witnessed an episode or two where Jeth wasn’t quite as together as he is when we meet him. Does she have a funny and/or embarrassing Jeth moment she can share with us?

Celeste definitely does! More like repeat offenders. The truth is Jeth was very clumsy at fifteen when they first started working together. He just hadn’t grown into his body. So early on, Celeste dreaded anytime she had to hand him something on the sly. He had a tendency to drop it. Oh, and she is extremely grateful that none of their jobs ever required them to dance. Her feet wouldn’t have survived. Fortunately, at 17 Jeth has grown into himself and is much slicker.

Let’s say Jeth and his crew grew up in today’s world rather than their world of intergalactic space travel. Obviously they wouldn’t be able to pilot various spacecrafts, so who would you guess might accumulate the largest number of traffic tickets or moving violations?

I think Jeth and Celeste would be tied. They both love to go fast.

For the entire crew, but particularly Jeth, Avalon is more than a ship; she’s a vital member of the team and a character unto herself. Even though she’s inanimate, how might Jeth describe her personality?

Jeth would describe her as steadfast. It’s an old, kind of hokey term, but also true. Avalon is like his noble steed that will carry him safely through any battle. She’s the Silver to his Lone Ranger, the Black to his Alec, the Artax to his Atreyu. Minus the drowning in the Swamps of Sadness thing, of course. At least in book 1. Book 2 however…joking…mostly…mwhahahaha!

*The mere mention of Artax in this interview had me sobbing via email to Mindee. I can't help it, okay? I simply cannot deal with that horse sinking in the swamp! *curls into a fetal ball*

As always, thanks for such a superb interview! Truly a highlight :)

*Thank you so much, Mindee!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

AVALON

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • •

MINDEE ARNETT

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares. 

Website • Facebook • Twitter 

Interview: Stacey Kade + The Rules

Today I'm thrilled to welcome young adult author Stacey Kade to the blog to answer a few questions about her newest book, The Rules, which released from Disney Hyperion this week. I absolutely adored this story and would love it if it could go ahead and be 2014 already so I can get my hands on book two immediately. Patient I am not. What I am, though, is excited to have you all get to know Stacey as well as protagonists Ariane and Zane a little bit better with this interview, I hope you enjoy!

Ariane grew up in a cold, stark room where she could be observed at any hour of the day. If she could have made one small change to the space in order to personalize it knowing it would have gone unnoticed by the various doctors and lab techs, what would she have done?

My guess is, if she could have gotten away with it, she would have cut photos out of her books and magazines and put them on the wall, like they were people that she knew or places she’d been.

Let’s say Ariane has Dr. Jacobs to herself for 5 minutes during which she can ask him anything she wants and he has to answer truthfully. What’s her first question?

Who is (or was) my mother?

Ariane has an unwanted tattoo on her back marking her as a GTX experiment. If she walked into a tattoo parlor today to get a tattoo simply for herself, what might it look like?

If she got one at all, I think it would be the word “Mine” tattooed on the inside of her wrist, in small cursive/script-y letters. It would be sort of a counterbalance to the GTX mark on her back, a reminder that she is her own person, no one’s property.

Zane has a very difficult and demanding father who constantly weighs him against his older brother and finds him wanting. If he could choose a father from any other piece of fiction to swap for his own, even temporarily, whom might he pick?

Well, he’s not a father, technically—more of a mentor/father figure—but probably Obi-wan Kenobi, from the original Star Wars movies. The idea of someone believing in you a ridiculous amount so as to push you toward being brave and becoming your own man is probably something Zane would have liked to have.

Describe Ariane and Zane’s relationship using only song titles or lyrics.

"Take Me Out" by Atomic Tom
"ET" by Katy Perry
"This Love Will Be Your Downfall" by Ellie Goulding
"Ever After" by Marianas Trench

(Incidentally, all of these songs are from the playlist I used while writing the book.)

Ariane and Zane spend time at a school carnival on one of their “dates”. What is your favorite carnival ride or game?

I do love a good game of skee-ball! But mostly, I’m interested in the food—elephant ears, funnel cakes, yum.

I suddenly find myself with Ariane’s telepathic ability and am standing near you just as you start thinking hard about book two. What couple of words might I pick up from your mind as your gears turn?

Dr. Laughlin, hybrids, Ford, Carter, and Nixon. :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Stacey!

• • • • • • • • • •

STACEY KADE

(photo: Vania Stoyanova)

As a former award-winning corporate copywriter, Stacey Kade has written about everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps. But she prefers to make things up instead.

She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their two retired racing greyhounds, Tall Walker (Walker) and SheWearsThePants (Pansy).

Website • Blog • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • 

THE RULES

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.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Unbreakable Blog Tour: Interview, Mini-Review + Giveaway

Today I'm positively giddy to be a part of the promotional tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours for Elizabeth Norris's outstanding young adult sci-fi novel, Unbreakable (releases today!). I couldn't have loved book one, Unraveling, any more if I'd tried, so I was a little nervous entering into this sequel that it wouldn't live up to the extraordinarily high bar set by its predecessor. I shouldn't have worried in the least though, as Unbreakable is every bit as epic as Unraveling was, and I'm thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Norris back to the blog today to answer a few questions!

When traveling to another universe, it’s entirely possible to run into your own double – someone who could simply look exactly like you but not share any of your personality traits, or they could be nearly identical to you in every way. What’s one trait or quirk you possess that would instantly tip your family and friends off that your double wasn’t the real you should they not have it? 

I have a couple things that I say quite often. They’re not quite catch phrases but they’re definitely me. One is “shocking!” which I say sarcastically when I am most definitely not shocked. (Yeah, so that piece of Janelle is completely me). I also am incredibly shy in front of people I don’t know, but really outgoing with my friends and family. But actually the dead giveaway, I think, would be my dogs. I have a lab mix—or a brown dog, as we refer to her—and I found her when she was just a few weeks old. I even fed her a bottle the first few weeks I had her, and she’s insanely attached to me (she lies by the door when I’m gone and waits for me to come back, even if I’m gone for a week or more). I think somehow she would just know that my double wasn’t me.

If you were to come face to face with one of your doubles, what’s the first question you would ask them? 

I would want to know everything about them, but specifically everything about their family. My family went through a lot of struggles when I was growing up, some of them tougher than others, and I spent a lot of time (especially as a teenager) wishing little things had been different. I’m not close with my dad, and that’s something that I’ve struggled with. I would want to know how my double’s childhood had taken shape, what her relationship with her dad was like and then I’d try to figure out if she made different choices that resulted in a different outcome.

You’re helping Cecily to organize movie night. What are your top two choices for the showing? 

Pride and Prejudice because it’s one of those movies I can watch over and over again, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower because I just got it on Blu Ray.

A portal is opening next to you right this second and you decide to be adventurous and step through despite not knowing the destination. Describe what you hope to find when you emerge on the other side. 

Right this second, I’d be hoping to end up somewhere warm, where people are friendly and I can get really good food. In fact, in my idea portal jumping experience, I’d end up here.

Janelle is loyal, fiercely determined, and extraordinarily strong emotionally. What has writing her character taught you about yourself? 

She definitely gets her loyalty and fierce determination from me. I’m not that tough emotionally—or at least I didn’t think I was when I started writing. So Janelle was tough when I couldn’t be. While I was writing Unraveling and Unbreakable, I was diagnosed with a (thankfully) very treatable form of cancer. (I’m totally healthy now). Writing Janelle and forcing her to be strong while saving the world, helped me become a stronger person in a way.

Given Unbreakable is written from Janelle’s point of view, we get to see the various ways she envisions her reunion with Ben going, but we don’t have that same access to him. During the months of their separation, what did Ben dream the first words out of his mouth would be when he saw her again? 

In his heart, Ben always knew he’d see her again. He knew he would get back to her somehow. Even though he didn’t know exactly how he’d manage that, there were never any doubts that he’d make it happen. Because he was a little more in control of the situation, he missed her, but he wasn’t quite as stressed. Because he’s a guy, he didn’t really think about the specifics of what he’d say—more that he’d just pull her into his arms. If things had played out differently in Unbreakable (as in, less stressful), he would have kissed her first and then said, “Hi, I’m back.”

• • • • • • • • • •

UNBREAKABLE
Unraveling #2
Elizabeth Norris
Young Adult/Sci Fi
496 pages
Balzer + Bray
Releases Today!
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought.

Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

MY THOUGHTS
Unbreakable is the literary equivalent of a roller coaster, the first chapter or so a slow build as we try and remember all the details of Unraveling, stomachs fluttering with nervous anticipation before we suddenly top the crest of the hill, hover briefly, and then plummet. From the minute Barclay shows back up in Janelle’s world we barely get a moment to breathe, hearts pounding and breaths coming out in shallow pants as our fear for Janelle’s safety is matched only by our desire to see her reunited with Ben, the two feelings combining to ensure our fingers fairly vibrate with the need to turn the pages faster.

Janelle is as capable and level-headed as we remember, never prone to bouts of dramatic behavior or great emotional fluctuations, instead she remains steadfast and strong, aware of her ultimate goal and willing to do whatever needs to be done in order to achieve it. Though Ben is absent for the first half of this book, we don’t feel any flashes of the frustration that sometimes arises when a couple is separated in a sequel (though we certainly want them together), a surprising reaction due in large part to the beauty of Janelle’s character. She doesn’t need Ben in order to function, nor is she incomplete without him, and while her love for him is a rich and palpable thing, we are content to spend our time simply with her because she is so comfortable in her own skin.

Ms. Norris delights yet again with Unbreakable, the action of Janelle’s desperate search for information to help clear Ben’s name perfectly balanced with quiet and deeply heartbreaking moments as she has no choice but to question the love she thought to be impervious to any doubt. I honestly can’t recommend this series highly enough.

Rating: 4.5/5

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • The Book Depository

• • • • • • • • • •

ELIZABETH NORRIS

Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter. She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together. Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one girl's fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming. Also the film rights to Unraveling have been optioned by MTV!

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Tumblr • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on this tour for more interviews, reviews and guest posts!

4/15/2013 - All Things Urban Fantasy

4/16/2013 - Two Chicks on Books

4/17/2013 - A Book and a Latte

4/18/2013 - Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

4/19/2013 - Shortie Says


4/22/2013 - Katie's Book Blog

4/23/2013 - Supernatural Snark

4/24/2013 - Justin's Book Blog

4/25/2013 - Tales of a Ravenous Reader

 4/26/2013 - Fiktshun

Review: The Rules

THE RULES
Project Paper Doll #1
Stacey Kade
Young Adult/Light Sci Fi
416 pages
Available April 23rd
Disney Hyperion
Received from publisher via NetGalley for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

MY THOUGHTS
The Rules is an outstanding beginning to this new series, delighting us with smart, layered characters who keep us up reading late into the night because we can’t bear to walk away without knowing what facet of them the next chapter will reveal. Though the story itself is intriguing and well-executed, it’s the characters that truly make this book shine, both Ariane and Zane individuals who are hiding in plain sight, wearing masks of insignificance and popularity respectively to cover the fear and loneliness underneath. While we feel utterly connected to both of them from the onset, it’s clear to us with every page that there will always be more about each of them we want to learn, and more time with the two of them together we want to spend.

On the surface, The Rules has a Carrie-esque vibe, with Ariane’s traumatic past fueling her desire to protect the weak from their tormenters and an epically awful group of popular kids seeking to humiliate those who dare cross them through increasingly mortifying pranks. It’s Ariane herself that keeps the similarities strictly superficial though, as she is not one to fall for the pretty falsities that tumble from a serpent’s tongue. She’s incredibly self-aware and highly intelligent, her quick wit repeatedly stunning both Zane and mean girl Rachel into silence, and we find ourselves always smiling, knowing she’s on the offensive even when those targeting her believe her to be on the defensive.

Given this story is told from alternating points of view, we get to spend as much time in Zane’s head as we do Ariane’s, something that allows us to warm to him far faster than we would if we only saw him through her eyes. As a member of the “in-crowd” who has always simply drifted along in Rachel’s wake without any desire or motivation to make waves of his own, Zane is someone it would have been hard for us to really like as a romantic interest for quiet-but-spirited Ariane, but luckily our time with him shows us a boy who bears as many emotional scars as she does. He has a sense of humor to match Ariane’s, each page revealing his sweetness and charm, but it doesn’t take long before both we and Ariane are able to see through the bravado, and it’s nothing short of beautiful to watch as each of them accepts in the other the traits and flaws they like least in themselves.

The Rules is a first installment that’s over entirely too quickly despite its not-insignificant length, a frown contorting our faces unbidden when we reach the last page and realize our time with Ariane and Zane is temporarily at an end. We’re left with the future wide open for our two young protagonists, but instead of feeling incomplete we are nicely satisfied, wishing only that we were gifted with an ability to manipulate time so that we might speed through the months and suddenly find ourselves on the release day for book two.

Rating: 4.5/5 

More on Stacey and her books can be found here:

Website • Blog • Goodreads • Twitter • Amazon