Interview: Kim Harrington

As part of the promotional tour for Perception, I'm extremely excited to welcome author Kim Harrington to the blog to answer a few questions! This tour kicked off February 27th and continues through the end of this week, and you can find all the participating blogs and their posts here. I absolutely adored both Clarity and Perception, and I definitely encourage everyone to pick them up if you haven't had a chance to read them yet!

Let’s say some sort of Freaky Friday-type event occurs and both Gabriel and Justin find themselves with Clare’s gift of psychometry. What is the first thing each of them would do once they realized what happened?

They would probably rummage through Clare’s things hoping to have a vision with clues to how she really feels.

If you could reads minds as Clare’s mom can, which fictional character, celebrity, friend, or family member would you most like to test your gift with? If someone were to peek into your mind at this very moment, what might they find running through it?

I would be tempted to use the gift on everyone, but it’s a bad idea. I’d end up with my feelings hurt somehow and hear something I’d never be able to un-hear. So I would pass on using Starla’s gift.

If someone were to peek into my mind right now, they’d start to crave Cadbury Eggs.

*Jenny dies of Cadbury craving here*

Clare deals with the Gabriel/Justin situation with refreshing maturity and very little angst. If you found your teenage self in a similar romantic situation, do you think you’d handle it as she does?

Probably, because Clare and I are similar in many ways. She’s not a hopeless romantic. She’s a realist with trust issues. So she’s very careful with her heart.

Perry’s best friend Nate makes only a brief appearance in Perception, but it seems as though there’s a great deal of potential for him to be a larger part of the story. Can you tell us if we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future?

In my original draft of Perception, he did have a larger part. But, sadly, I had to cut Nate scenes for the greater good. I needed this book to be able to stand alone. If there were future books, Nate would play a big part. Big.

Perry is unable to conjure spirits; instead, he can only communicate with the dead who are attached to a living person in his physical presence. If he could call forth any spirit of his choosing however, whom might he most like to speak with?

Probably an ancestor who would be willing to give him insider information about his family’s history. Either that or Ted Williams from the Boston Red Sox. ;)

What was the most exciting part of writing this second installment of Clare’s story? The most intimidating?

The most exciting part for me was the final chapters. I loved writing the action scenes! And the final scene, too, was fun. ;)

The most intimidating part was the love story. As in real life, it’s complicated and there’s no easy answer. But I tried my best to craft the book in a way that the reader realizes a few things as Clare realizes them. And hopefully the reader will understand and appreciate the decision she makes, even if it’s not the decision they would make. :)

Perception is one of those books you devour in one sitting, completely disregarding anything else you might have to do that day in favor of finishing the story. What’s the last book that kept you glued to the pages from beginning to end?

Thank you! I love hearing that. I recently read Fracture by Megan Miranda in one day. Loved it!

Can you give us a few nuggets of Fern family trivia? Things about them that ended up on the cutting room floor so to speak?

Absolutely! I know them so well in my mind they’re almost real. How about what they like to do in their downtime? When they’re not solving a dangerous mystery: Perry loves to play video games, especially first person shooters, Clare loves watching cheesy old horror movies, and Starla is addicted to reality television. Also—how Perry thinks he got the scar is his eyebrow is not how he really got it. But, for now, the truth is stored only in my mind.

THANKS!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Kim! More information on Kim and her amazing books can be found here:

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Interview: Thea Harrison + Oracle's Moon

I'm thrilled today to welcome author Thea Harrison back to the blog to answer a few questions about Oracle's Moon (releases today!), the latest in her amazing Novels of the Elder Races series. If you couldn't tell by my gushing review last week, I'm completely in love with these books and with hero Khalil in particular. I hope everyone who loves adult paranormal romance, and especially those who might be reluctant to try this genre as a whole, gives this series a try as it's full of beautifully complex characters in a truly unique world. It has my highest recommendation!

Hi, thanks so much for having me on your blog today!

*HI THEA!*

Khalil has the ability to pretty much take any form that pleases him. Aside from his breathtaking go-to human skin, what form might he say is his favorite? Least favorite?

I think Khalil’s least favorite form might actually be the ordinary-looking black housecat he turns into for Grace’s children. That form is rather small for his taste. If you can call this a form, he’s quite partial to black smoke, because, like silly putty, you can do almost anything with it.

Khalil is almost too adorable for words in this story (don’t tell him I said that), and manages to be both innocent and imposing at the same time. Was it difficult to balance those two traits in a single character without one ever overshadowing the other?

I promise I have wrapped Khalil in cotton for this interview, so he doesn’t know a thing. Writing his character didn’t feel difficult. Khalil was one of those characters that, once I unlocked who he was, he became very easy to write. I’m so glad you enjoyed him; I adored writing him.

If we were to ask Grace to share with us a favorite memory of her and her sister Petra, what might she say?

Aw, what a heartwarming question. Grace and Petra used to watch cartoons and children’s shows together after school and on Saturday mornings. Watching those shows and sharing popcorn are an early favorite memory for Grace. Another favorite memory was when Petra gave birth to Chloe and brought her home from the hospital.

Khalil has a couple chances to go toe-to-toe with Dragos in his effort to watch over Grace and even shuts Dragos down at one point. Where might those few interactions rank on his list of Greatest Moments Ever?

These interactions definitely make Khalil’s Top Ten list. They might even make his Top Five.

There is definitely the feeling that Grace and Khalil’s story, while nicely concluded, could continue on as they tackle the challenges still facing them both at the end. Do you think there's any chance you might circle back around to them as you are with Dragos and Pia?

What a great idea! There is a lot of forward movement in Grace and Khalil’s story, and I would love the chance to revisit them at some point. If the opportunity becomes available and readers would welcome that story, I would definitely consider it.

This book is the first to not feature a Wyr from Dragos’s elite inner circle. Did you approach writing Khalil and Grace’s story any differently as a result?

Another fabulous question! In the first three books in the series (Dragon Bound, Storm’s Heart and Serpent’s Kiss), the world building contained some element of Wyr and Wyr society. Branching away from the Wyr entirely presented its own challenges, because the world building had to become more intense again. I had two different Elder Races to sketch and present a sense of their societies, along with their histories, conflicts and characteristics, all the while keeping the romance between Khalil and Grace as the focal point of the story. As a result, Oracle’s Moon took a certain amount of back work to lay the foundation properly before I actually began to write.

Carling talks Rune into giving Khalil a bit of dating advice before he takes Grace out for the first time. What three words might Rune use to describe their date had he witnessed it?

Abysmal. Hilarious. Hopeless.

If you had Khalil’s ability to transform into anything and travel anywhere in the world you wanted with ease, what form would you take and where would you go?

I love it! I think I would probably dematerialize into spirit then rematerialize into my own form, unless it was in an environment that was unfriendly to humans. Then I would just remain in spirit. I would actually want to visit all the places that Khalil travels to, or mentions, in Oracle’s Moon. St. Petersburg, the great waterfalls of the world, the Amazon, Mount Everest, the moon.

Thank you again for having me on your blog today! I had a blast answering your questions.

For the readers, if you had Khalil’s ability to transform into anything and travel anywhere in the world you wanted with ease, what form would you take? Where would you go?

Thank you so much for stopping by Thea! More information on Thea and the Novels of the Elder races can be found here:

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Review: Pretty Crooked

PRETTY CROOKED (Pretty Crooked #1)
Elisa Ludwig
Contemporary Young Adult
358 pages
Katherine Tegen Books
Available March 13th
Received via NetGalley for review

THE STORY (From Barnes and Noble)
Willa's secret plan seems all too simple.

Take from the rich kids at valley prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa's turn as Robin Hood at her new high school is anything but. Bilking her "friends"—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to break into lockers and Beemers is as hard as she'd thought it would be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are bullied just for being different, is more fun than she'd expected.

The complication Willa didn't expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, VP's most notorious ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her—evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There's no time for flirting, especially with conceited trust-funders like Aidan. But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

MY THOUGHTS
A cute and light read, Pretty Crooked gives us a modernized female version of Robin Hood that, while not necessarily bringing anything new to the table, definitely entertains nonetheless. The girls of the Glitteratti are stereotypical in nature, spoiled young women who believe their money excuses them from being decent human beings and who spread lies and prejudice with the same smile plastered on their faces they have when they swipe their black American Express cards. Even though we’ve seen these girls before and will no doubt see them again in future young adult books, our hatred for they way they treat others burns just as bright as it has in the past, and our desire to see them reap what they sow grows from a slow simmer to a raging boil by the end.

Willa is a self-proclaimed Cinderella girl in this tale, her sudden transition from transient and financially conservative lifestyle to extremely comfortable and stable environment one that makes her someone we can really root for knowing she’s had a foot on either side of the high school dividing line. Though we support the intent driving her thieving actions, we can’t help but wish she might use her voice to attempt change at Valley Prep, speaking up and coming to the public defense of those on the receiving end of the Glitteratti’s disdain as opposed to remaining in the shadows and resorting to criminal activity. Obviously, that would alter the entire premise of this story, but so many times Willa stays silent when she could easily open her mouth to become a Robin Hood in words rather than deeds, altering the balance of power–however slightly–by throwing her vocal support behind those who most need it rather than pretending to support those who don’t deserve it.

In addition to the almost overwhelming need to have Willa come clean regarding her cloak and dagger actions, the relationship between our resident Robin Hood and beautiful, popular Aidan Murphy is not quite all that the synopsis might have us believe. Aidan actually plays a very small role in this tale, only popping up here and there to rattle Willa with his charming arrogance, but their attraction to one another does very little to get our pulses racing. Aside from his haughty attitude and the few brief indications we're given that he’s different from the rest of the rich kids at Valley Prep, we know very little about him, and therefore Willa’s reaction to him is a bit lost on us as it’s apparent she can see more of him than we ourselves are able to.

The ending is a bit chaotic, the consequences of Willa’s actions intersecting with a rather shady situation regarding her mother as well as a stunt Aidan pulls to get himself expelled from school. The only information we are privy to is that of Willa’s illegal extracurricular activities, and we reach the last page a bit surprised to find this is clearly going to be a series rather than a stand alone novel. The slow progression of Willa learning who the girls she calls friends really are and deciding to do something about it is just a touch at odds with the rapidity of concluding events, but ultimately it’s a story worth reading for those who are looking for something simply enjoyable without being earth-shattering or mind-blowing.

Rating 3.5/5

Who's Excited About Insurgent?

So. Who's with me in thinking May 1st can't come fast enough? I'm quite possibly the least patient person ever, so the wait for the Divergent sequel has been, and continues to be, quite excruciating. Luckily, the fabulous people over at HarperTeen have taken pity on me. Okay, maybe not me specifically, but rather all of us fans who are desperately counting down the days until Insurgent is in our hands by creating a Divergent Choosing Ceremony game. This pretty much makes me want to kiss the crew at HarperTeen. They'd probably prefer I didn't though.

In addition to the game, there's also a quiz to help you determine which faction best suits you, and I apparently am slated for Dauntless (the brave). Hm. I think perhaps the quiz misread me because my backbone is of questionable rigidity and often goes slack or ceases to exist altogether in the face of danger. Zombie apocalypse? This girl is hiding in a dark corner curled in a fetal ball hoping for rescue. Preferably by someone good-looking and shirtless, but I'd obviously settle for just good-looking since my life is on the line and everything. Priorities.
I have them. O_o

And I went off on a little tangent there. Well done me. You can go through the Choosing Ceremony and take the faction quiz HERE, be sure and check it out! Also, if you take the quiz, come back and let me know your faction!

Review: Halflings

HALFLINGS (Halflings #1)
Heather Burch
Paranormal Young Adult
288 pages
Zondervan Publishing
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

MY THOUGHTS
With Halflings we literally hit the ground running, dropped into the story as our heroine is fleeing a quartet of hellhounds intent on torturing and maiming her for reasons we can only guess. The story continues to progress at a fairly quick clip with Nikki constantly running afoul of trouble of the supernatural variety, and while events happen swiftly one after the other, the mythology of the halflings sent to protect her as well as the mystery of why Nikki even requires protection unfolds a bit slowly and not altogether clearly. Despite our confusion and the fact that fallen angels are certainly nothing new to young adult literature, Ms. Burch’s halflings are an intriguing addition to the already existing mix, their half-fallen angel, half-human status making them outcasts of both Heaven and earth, destined to constantly battle for those who refuse to accept them as one of their own.

When the first chapter has Nikki bravely facing down the nightmarish hounds without so much as a whimper of fear, we can’t help but smile to ourselves and prepare to fully support a girl with an iron will and a strong survival instinct. Unfortunately, though we are told repeatedly that Nikki has been thoroughly trained in martial arts and can more than handle herself, we almost never see her put those skills to use, instead one of the halfling boys always seems to swoop in and pluck her from danger’s desperate grasp. This fact does get acknowledged about halfway through, with Raven offering to teach her to defend herself, but even after their one brief session it’s still difficult to fully believe in Nikki’s ability to do any harm as we really never see her try.

Additionally, though we are prepared for a love triangle based on the synopsis, the key points of the shape itself never seem to truly form, with Mace being the primary interest (which is perfectly fine, the less of an actual triangle there is, the better in my opinion) and Raven acting as the quintessential bad boy giving the good boy a half-hearted run for his money when it comes to the girl. As with Nikki’s defense skills, we’re simply told she has feelings for both boys, but at no point do we feel the chemistry ourselves, the relationship between the three of them remaining a flat piece of unblemished glass, missing those scrapes, scratches and cracks that make things so much more interesting and beautiful for the imperfections. The dirt, the grit, and the darkness are missing even though we read words that tell us those elements are present, and we’re left with characters who are clean and shiny and a bit less memorable as a result.

The consistently fast pace of this tale has us reaching the last page in record time, yet after reading the last sentences we realize that despite the nearly 300 pages we’ve just devoured, we don’t know that much more about Nikki or the halflings than when we started. Obviously in a series not every little detail can be revealed in the first book or logically the subsequent books would have nowhere to go, however, the final chapters are a bit of a jumble of love, loss, and nagging questions that leave us wishing a little more time had been taken here and there to help guide us through a world that has the potential to be infinitely fascinating.

Rating: 2/5

Cover Critique: Special Birthday Edition

Let me preface this post by saying that my critiques of these covers are in no way, shape or form a reflection on the author, the content or the publisher. I know the authors have very little, if any, control over the design. These are strictly my thoughts meant simply to be humorous and not insulting.

Today I turn the big 3-0, so I thought to celebrate I would critique some fun birthday-themed covers. Now, I don't *think* I'm one of those people who dreads getting older (this may change as that number climbs higher however) so I don't have too much stress about today's date. This could be because I'm currently operating under the delusion that I'm turning 27 instead of 30 (27 is a good number, close enough to my actual age that I can pull it off, but far enough away from 30 that I still have a few years before I have to alter the delusion again), so if all of you could enable me and feed my delusion by wishing me a Happy 27th Birthday should you leave a comment, that would be appreciated.

The below is my gift to all of you and myself really, as typing the word "birthday" into many a search box was perhaps the greatest experience of my life. Let's begin the birthday festivities shall we?

BIRTHDAY BLESSING

Um. Who doesn't really feel all that blessed when looking at this cover? *raises both hands enthusiastically* If this "King of Swords" (we'll discuss this label in a minute) were to show up at my door at any point today and claim he was my gift I think I would be most disappointed. Return to sender please. He's got a lovely chest and nice arms, but he's giving me a creepy stare down. Look at those eyes! They're shifty.

He's all "I'm going to keep looking at you until something happens. I'm not sure what, but the intensity of my gaze is bound to have some effect on you. If it doesn't, perhaps my lovely lady locks will charm you. Or my headband will dazzle you. Or maybe the size of my sword will blow your mind (*Jenny's legs clench together here*). I'm the King of Swords, did you know? Therefore my sword is the biggest, and I wield it with the most skill. I'm communicating all of this to you with my deer-in-headlights stare of death. Blessing complete."

BIRTHDAY GIRL

Well friends, since it's my birthday, I feel like I should share something about myself with all of you. A get-to-know-Jenny-better type of thing. Here we go:

Sometimes, on special occasions, I like to strip naked, bust out my best aggressive sexy face, put my arms up over my head, and let people grope my boobs from behind. Phew! Feels good to get that off (or on as it were) my chest. I feel lighter now. Like I've shared the weight of this secret with you guys and now we all bear the burden of it together. You're welcome! It's the gift that keeps on giving I think. Just imagine you're sitting at your desk at work in a few weeks or months and BAM this image pops into your head. You'll be silently thanking me for this post when that happens I'm sure. Or not. Whichever.

You're all super pumped I brought you into my confidence now aren't you? Sharing is caring everyone.

DARLA'S VALENTINE

Okay, technically this isn't a birthday cover, but there are balloons so I'm counting it. Balloons = birthdays in my head, so Darla and her valentine here are actually Darla and her birthday celebration for the purposes of this critique.

I think we should just get the fact that she looks like a blow up doll out of the way right upfront. I feel like it will reduce the awkwardness moving forward if we all acknowledge it from the beginning. Her mouth is wide open, she's got that "I'm so surprised by what's happening right now" look on her face, she's mostly naked, and, because she's digitally rendered, she's got a plastic look to her. Ellora's Cave got me a blow up doll for my birthday people. That is amazing. Best. Gift. Ever.

Can we talk about the balloon placement for a minute? Why, oh why, are two of them coming straight out of her crack? In her surprise over falling out of a teacup (inflatable swimming pool?) she's apparently farted two balloons with red strings. Well done Darla! That's a nifty talent, especially at parties. It almost looks as though, instead of falling, the balloons are attached to her and are attempting to lift her away from Mr. Gropey Groperson reaching for her ample bosom. Given her aforementioned blow up doll status, clearly 3 balloons would be enough to help her float away, and I guess I can't really blame her for wanting to escape those anonymous happy hands that seem so intent on feeling her up. I might fart some balloons to escape that as well. If given the choice, I'd prefer to sprout wings and fly, but beggars can't be choosers when trying to dodge Friendly Fingers here now can they? No. Birthday butt balloons it is. GO DARLA GO!! BREAK WIND AND FLY!!

Also, one last random question: why is the "s" in "Darla's" bold when no other letters in the title are? Seems to me the "s" in "Winston" is the same way. What is special about a lowercase "s"? Now I'm going to be pondering the meaning of it the rest of the day. Perfect.

Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me everyone!

*I just want to thank everyone at Ellora's Cave for being consistently awesome with regards to my critiques and always taking them in the fun, humorous spirit in which they're intended*