Author: mel

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Guest Post…What is Experimental Fiction?

It’s actually quite hard to say what experimental fiction is. It’s fiction that consciously departs from ‘conventional’ novels, so first we’d better define just what a conventional novel might be!

 

A novel depicts a fictional character or characters acting and moving through a period of time, usually but not necessarily a recognisable time from our actual history be it recent or long past. Its primary purposes are to communicate and to move the reader, a remarkable achievement of the author who is absent; that through the power of their words whispered inside the reader’s head as they read, can produce these responses across the separation in actual space.

The first myth I wish to dispel about experimental fiction is that somehow it is exempt from having to communicate and move the reader. It absolutely should, otherwise how could we expect a reader to devote time to reading a book that failed to communicate to them? Literature is a pastime and therefore must provide elements of entertainment.

The other myth I would like to debunk is that the word experimental lends itself to notions of an unfinished process that is still ongoing. Or that somehow the work is half-baked because it’s not been thought through and planned out. That the writer has no idea of the destination he will end up at.

I started writing the way I do, because the books I read didn’t satisfy me. It’s been a long journey finding my way through to discovering alternative ways of navigating the problems of traditional novels as I saw them. This wasn’t something I just arrived at all of a piece, so in that sense I have experimented along the way. But in any new novel I write, I often don’t know the destination. But as I proceed, the things that don’t work I throw out. Thus I think I prefer the term ‘radical fiction’ rather than experimental. It has less negative connotations.

I said experimental fiction consciously departs from one or more elements of the conventional in the way it puts together its narrative. It can be in story, in language, in how it deals with time or space or perspective. It can be in how it treats character. It can even be in the physical look of the book, or the print on the page. B.S.Johnson wrote a book that was loose leaved and came in a box. You could read the chapters in any order you chose, in between the specified opening and closing chapters and the book still worked! Georges Perec wrote a novel without using a single letter ‘e’ throughout, this style of writing being called a lipogram.

What experimental writing seeks to do is not use these devices simply for the sake of being clever or tricksy, but to open up new ways of representing narrative. Conventional narrative usually has story as its main feature around which it is arranged. That story in all likelihood will have a beginning, a middle and an end. The inner workings of the main character’s mind will be slowly revealed through a build up of information as the book progresses and thus the character will undergo a journey or an arc, which will probably end up with them being significantly changed by the book’s end. Conflict will be the catalyst of the character’s actions and resultant change. Time will flow one way as the character progresses, even if flashbacks and memories are used.

Well I’d say that experimental fiction opts to avoid most if not all of those elements in structuring its narratives. First and foremost because human lives do not unfold with beginnings, middles and ends. And while we do live our lives one day after another in a way that we cannot relive yesterday in any real way today, the past is constantly informing and impacting us in the present, through thoughts and emotions which spark off and draw from past experiences. The human mind is not linear, it is constantly feedbacking on its present disposition and comparing to the past information and planning ahead to the future consequences of action. In a way we live in an eternal present. We do not have arcs. We don’t even have stories, rather we have ongoing lives instead. A story is merely a set of datelines we artificially impose on our own lives in order to group events together in such a way as to seemingly offer us a pattern for making sense of our lives. Experimental fiction may opt to represent its characters in this non-linear, constantly feedbacking way. An example is the book “The Damned United” by David Peace, which has the best depiction of a human mind I think I have ever read.

Why might any of this be important? Because experimental narrative attempts to approach ‘truth’ in a different manner than the conventional novel. What could be stranger than seeking to derive ‘truth’ from a work of fiction? Yet if a book can move us emotionally, then it has resonated with some truth within us to move us so. Therefore fiction can touch truth. Experimental narratives primarily seek to represent human life in a more ‘realistic’ way than the conventional novel. That does not mean its techniques are realistic, but it recognises our lives as being far more formless than they are represented within conventional narrative form.

Another significant difference being that the experimental novel is aware of itself as constructing yet another layer of representation of ‘reality’ and weaves that into its quest to more realistically represent human ‘truth’. It is less likely to ask a reader to suspend their disbelief in order to enter the world of the book that is absolutely fictional. Rather it says to the reader through its radical narrative forms, that it is absolutely a work of fiction and therefore takes its place in the confusion of life that forms ‘reality’. And it does so knowingly, in order to better help unpick the struggle for truth; it’s easier to separate fact from fiction, if fiction announces itself clearly.

A huge part of this revolves around language. Experimental fiction is aware of the limitations of language and adopts many different ways to try and make language do what it is supposed to do and communicate meaning. Words will be played with. The likes of Perec go further and play with the letters that make up words.

So experimental/radical fiction seeks different narratives from conventional fiction in order to differently attack the notion of human truth. It is less interested in linear story and plotting. It has a radically different approach to character, one that I feel is more akin to how we are as human beings. Language is key to our fiction, even down to the look of the words on the page which may not be blocks of print all flowing left to right. It endeavours to search for a different type of meaning. Personally, I’m not seeking a revolution to sweep away all other types of writing. This is just a different approach to stories that may appeal to readers who are interested in something a bit different. Something more in tune with our times, than the conventional novel which has basically remained unchanged in form for over 200 years.

Marc Nash

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A,B&E

From the black market economy of the 1980’s through the gangsterism behind the Clubbing scene of the 1990’s, to today’s decade of drift and low cost airline hedonism, one woman in exile has lived it all. On the run from her gangster husband, Karen Dash is hiding out in a Club 18-30 resort in Kavos on the island of Corfu. A home from home as the neo-colonial horde of hens, stags, booze cruisers and sex tourists turn mythical, Classical Greece into Little Britain. Meanwhile, back in the UK, an NHS nurse decides she has had enough of being assaulted by the patients she is trying to help heal…

A guided tour into the contemporary British soul, conducted by the presiding Mother Spirit as a barfly Scheherazade and an arse-slapping midwife. Avenging angels both. This scurrilous and scabrous book not only peels away the sunburnt skin of our hens, stags, booze cruisers and sex tourists, but delights in jabbing fingers into the pus below. Wish you were anywhere but here ?

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About the Author: Marc Nash lives and works in London. He has been in the counter-culture of the indie music scene for 20 years and now works for a non-government organisation monitoring censorship around the world. He has twin boys whose football team he coached for two years, which gave him more stress than anything to do with writing! He has published 4 books on Kindle, recorded 19 videos on YouTube and performs live readings often in costume! His next ambition is to perform a piece with live backing from a scratch DJ.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Amazon.com.Author Page

Website   Blog   Goodreads   YouTube Channel

Twitter: @21stCscribe

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Indie Author Spotlight…Lisa Ard

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Lisa Ard…

Friends and family have asked me how I came up with the idea for the Dream Seeker series and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure. What I do know is, I was spending a lot of time thinking about the types of books I love to read and those stories usually involved fantastic adventures for kids.

When I started to write Fright Flight, the first book in the Dream Seeker series, I knew I wanted a strong preteen boy as the main character. Patrick is twelve years old and at the age when he’s experiencing a lot of change, both physically and emotionally. Most of that change is out of his control, but how he reacts to that change is important.

Patrick’s family and best friends are important to his adventures too. When life and dreams seem out of control, Patrick knows he is not alone.Perhaps that’s my dream for my own kids, showing up in my writing. My hope is, that whatever challenges my two children face in life, they’ll know they can count on me and their dad and those that love them.

Writing is an adventure for me. It’s been a long and winding journey to authoring a book. Here’s some of that journey’s highlights:

  • I grew up in Wenatchee, Washington. Better look it up on the map, because it’s the Apple Capital of the World!
  • As a kid I played lots of sports, enjoyed art and photography, read lots of books (still do) and dreamed of traveling the world. 
  • I left home to study at the University of Washington where I earned my B.A. in German. (And yes, my dad asked me “what are you going to do with a degree in German?”)
  • After a couple years living and working in Seattle, I went back to school. Now, you may be asking why I signed up for MORE school. Actually I’ve always thought school was pretty fun. I found a really cool school that let me work overseas. I got my Masters in International Business from the University of South Carolina and worked in Germany.
  • For the next 15 years, I worked in Finance and Quality departments for some really big companies. In other words, I went to lots of meetings, talked on the phone, traveled all over the country and sat in a cubicle for a lot of that time.
  • Then I fell in love, got married and had two wonderful kids. We now live happily ever after in Portland, Oregon.

That’s the story so far. I’m now starting the journey of author. How long that will last, I don’t know. However, I’m ready to enjoy the adventure

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For Patrick, being twelve years old can be challenging. Add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick’s need for a little self-control. A “sweet” dream devouring the world’s largest ice cream sundae can end with an enormous stomachache. A fall from a bike means Patrick wakes with a broken arm. Try explaining that to the emergency room doctor. Oh wait — that would be Patrick’s mom. She’s a dream seeker too, as are Patrick’s sister and brother. If Patrick follows the family’s dream-seeking rules he can have cool nighttime adventures. But if he forgets….

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Buy the Book:    iTunes   Powells   Amazon   B&N   Goodreads   Shelfari

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorLisaArd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LisaArd

My blog: Adventures in Writing & Publishing http://www.dreamseekeradventures.com/blog/

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Emily Read…Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

 Emily is our Goodreads pal and all-round lovely lady! 🙂 And, as you’ll know from our side-bar, her blog Confessions of a Bookaholic is one of our favourites. Throughout August and September, we will be featuring some of her book reviews on Aside from Writing so you can get to know her too!

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Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Noughts and Crosses is quite a complicated and intriguing novel about a divided society. There is the Noughts and the Crosses. Sephy is a Cross, a member of the dark-skinned higher class. They can have what ever they want. Callum is a Nought, a member of the ‘colourless’ lower class. They have no rights.

Noughts and Crosses is a tragic story about love, loss and justice. Callum and Sephy have been best friends since they were children but what happens when that friendship turns to love? Noughts and Crosses explores the relationship between a Romeo and Juliet style couple in a world when love is unimportant. If you need more details here is the synopsis:

“Sephy is a Cross – a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a nought – a ‘colourless’ member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood. But that’s as far as it can go. Until the first steps are taken towards more social equality and a limited number of Noughts are allowed into Cross schools…Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum – a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger…”

I thought that Noughts and Crosses was a highly fascinating and realistic read. It highlighted some issues that still happen around our world today. It explores racism and prejudice in depth and really shows us what our world could be like today if we let it be. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an intense read and stories about forbidden love. I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars. I hope you enjoyed my review.

Favourite Quote:
“‘Just remember, Callum when you’re floating up and up in your bubble, that bubbles have a habit of bursting. The higher you climb, the further you have to fall’”

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Read Emily’s interview with us here!

Goodread Group: Books, Blogs, Authors and More

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62777.Books_Blogs_Authors_and_More

My blog: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

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Guest Post…Is Katniss Really Better than Bella?

Following the popularity of her last post with us: A Letter to Stephen King; author Georgina Morales is back again looking at feminism in contemporary literature – particularly the books aimed at young women and girls. She’s asking Is Katniss Really Better than Bella?

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You see it everywhere; there are pictures in Facebook, reviews in Goodreads, punch lines with pictures in Pinterest. It seems like Twilight is at the butt of every joke. Edward Cullen’s sparkling, lean, loving machine has made every hardcore vampire lover retort in hatred. The pathetically insecure Bella Swan hasn’t fared much better. Her image has come to equate everything the Feminist Movement fights against.

Then came The Hunger Games movie and craziness ensued once again. Though the books were widely popular way before the movie broke out, the simple knowledge that a movie was about to be made drove thousands of new fans to the saga. Soon comparisons arouse and Katniss Everdeen became the antithesis of Bella Swan, therefore, the character that defined Feminism for the present generation.

Now, I have a bone to pick with this. I get why Bella is such a nightmare for many women. She is whinny, insecure, and unable to stand for herself. I’m an unapologetic fan of the Twilight books and even I wanted to choke her sometimes.

But let’s check Katniss’ character through The Hunger Games Saga:

  • She is the sole provider of her family in a post-apocalyptic world where you need to fight for every morsel of food. A point for her.
  • She knows how to handle a weapon and isn’t afraid to do it. Two points for her.
  • She, unknowingly, becomes the symbol of rebellion; yet, she fights hard to show the world she is, in fact, in favor of keeping the status quo. Mmm… Not so sure about this one.
  • She is not interested in having a boyfriend, first because she doesn’t want to have a family in that messed up world, and second because she isn’t sure if she would pick her best friend or the boy who saved her life. Again, not so sure this has anything to do with ‘Girl Power’.
  • Finally, it becomes clear there’s no way to stop the rebellion. Does she embrace it and volunteers to fight for a better world? No. In fact, she lets everyone use her image the way they please while she becomes a puppet in the power struggle that ensues. This is definitively not fortitude of character. As a matter of fact, Katniss spends half of the saga breaking to pieces and most of the third book literally hiding in a closet. I fail to see how this is any better than Bella’s obsession with her boyfriend.

The sort answer is: It isn’t. Feminism is a movement designed to empower women, to bring recognition to the value of women in our society and to fight for the right each one of us have to take control of our lives. Whether we choose to embark on a career in the world of finance or to dedicate ourselves to the education of our children, Feminism is the reason why we even have the option.

The problem is getting married and tending a home was the only career path available to us back in the days, therefore it is seen with shoddy eyes when a modern gal openly acknowledges her desire to do so. We look for specific traits in our females in order to select them as our new standard of ‘Girl Power’ like physical strength and open disdain (or disinterest) for men.

Katniss is both, lethal and uninterested in boys, but is she truly the encarnation of empowerment? I don’t think so.

Let me tell you, it was hard for me to come across a female character in modern literature that met my idea of Feminism, which is very sad and goes to show you why is it that our teen girls hold so hard to the few outstanding female characters they have available, however faulted these might be. But I finally found it: Hermione Granger.

Think for a moment. She is intelligent, determined, strong, and she might not be able to take a life with her magic wand, but she is powerful nonetheless. She is so, not because of how many magic spells she knows, but because she knows what she wants, what is good for her, where her weaknesses are, and she has a great moral compass. All these traits make her, in fact, a much better symbol of Feminism; a role model for our youth they can actually hope to become.

When we decide to bash a fictional character such as Bella Swan because of its interest in having a boyfriend, we are sending the message that worrying about boys is a sign of times past and a weakness. When we sing praises to characters like Katniss Everdeen for her physical strength we tell our teen girls that this one trait is so positive, it actually compensates the clear shortcomings the character shows in other areas.

Do you think I am being ridiculous? Giving way too much importance to fake and clearly fantastic novels? Well, yes! And therein lies our main trouble. We read too much between the lines. Teenage girls will worry about boys, that’s just how it is, very few of them are the actual providers of their household, and even fewer know how to shoot a gun, forget about a bow. Let’s not make the mistake of confusing physical prowess with strength of character. They like Bella? Sure, why not. Then, show them a book where the female character is worthy of being emulated and talk about it. That will take you a lot farther that trashing the latest fad. Communication is the ultimate influence to empower our youth and help them travel the murky waters of adolescence and external influences; it is the final weapon that trumps even books and that’ll make of our kids true Feminists.

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More thoughts on this topic? Check out the links below!

Katniss v Bella on The Huffington Post

Katniss v Bella – A Feminist Analysis (You Tube)

Cage Fight – Katniss v Bella

Girls Night In – With Bella, Buffy, Katniss and Hermione

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About the Author 

Born in Mexico City, Georgina was always divided between the world of the paranormal, the religious, and science, even as a kid. Through her years in medical school, she experienced and heard all kinds of creepy tales. She, now, writes from her home in Norwalk, Ct. where she resides in the company of her husband and two young daughters. The history of the northeast, its old buildings, and its endless forests provide her imagination with a constant influx of ideas, which combined with her rich background make for her unique style. She’s also a staff reviewer for Dark River Press.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

www.diaryofawriterinprogress.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perpetual-Night-by-Georgina-Morales/159894374059399

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4646361.Georgina_Morales

http://www.darkriverpress.com/reviews.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perpetual-night-georgina-morales/1100075745?ean=9780615438405&itm=1&usri=georgina+morales

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=georgina+morales&x=0&y=0

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38400

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Indie Author Spotlight…Rebecca Weinstein

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Rebecca Weinstein…

About the Author – Rebecca Weinstein was born and raised in central New Jersey and continues to live there with her husband, daughter, and two pesky rabbits. Rebecca is an alumna of Monmouth University and teaches art at a private high school. She loves to paint as much as writing, and created the cover artwork for all of her novels. A frequent blogger, she blogs on WordPress about writing and her other love: cooking. She is the author of six middle grade and young adult novels, and is currently working on the third installment of the Redstone Series.

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Quick Author Q&A

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I have a few works in progress right now. Sometimes I find that I want to work on one project, then another day I’ll want to work on a different one. I’m working on the third installment in the Redstone Series, the sequel to Yokai, and a sequel to Amazon. I also have several new works on the back burner. I’m also working on heavily promoting Yokai. I really was so excited to write this novel, that I had many sleepless nights while crafting it. The story wouldn’t leave me alone! I really like the story, and I think that others will really like it too. I was blog hopping during the month of June, including the Paranormal Freebies Blog Hop on June 21-22, and a few others. Whew. I’m a busy lady!

 

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Definitely southern Japan, and not just because I’m an Otaku. I love the Japanese culture, and I think their country is beautiful, even though I’ve only seen pictures. I’ll get there, someday.

 

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

I always wanted to be a Disney animator. Every time we’d go to Walt Disney World, I’d coerce my family without fail to go through the animation tour in MGM so I could see what the animators were up to. But people change, and although it was always my dream job as a kid, I know it wouldn’t be my dream job today.

 

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I can see a little of myself in all of my protagonists. I tend to do that; write a little of myself into them. It makes it a little easier for me to relate to them or to get inside their heads. Even the animal ones.

 

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

When my father was admitted into hospice nine years ago, he gave me the best bit of advice. He said, “If your dreams of Disney don’t pan out, find a new dream.” It taught me to not dwell on the things that won’t or don’t happen, and to always find a new dream. It’s pretty good advice, and I followed it.

 

Favourite sweets?

Sno-Caps. But definitely with popcorn. It’s the only way.

 

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Actually, I recently found out that one of my favorite manga/anime is being made into a live action movie, to be released in Japan in August. It’s called Rurouni Kenshin, and I absolutely love it. If you’ve never heard of it, look it up. It’s about a wandering samurai (a rurouni), a former government assassin, who has given up killing after the revolution sparked the Meiji period. I can’t wait until I can see it, but I know it’ll take a while to get released on a subtitled dvd.

 

How do you react to a bad review?

You know, a lot of authors don’t respond online to reviews at all. I respond to every review, good or bad. There’s a big difference between responding well and responding poorly. I respond well by thanking them for taking the time to even write a review. They didn’t have to do that. Whether I agree with them or not is besides the point. They are entitled to their opinion, be it good or bad. I don’t argue their points, good or bad, but I make the effort to thank them for their comments on my work.

 

What do you do in your free time?

What free time? Haha, just kidding. I like to read, a lot. I also like to cook, and I blog about my cooking on WordPress. That blog is called Android In The Kitchen. I post pictures of the food I cook. One mainstay is the “Daily Bento” post, where I photograph and blog about the bentos I make for my daughter’s school lunch. A bento is a Japanese lunch box, but it’s more than that. Creating bento is an art, but also an act of love. How much love do you put into your own family members’ lunches?

 

Favourite sport?

HOCKEY! I love the New York Rangers so much, we had hockey elements in our wedding, we have memorabilia around the house, and one of the rabbits actually loves watching it with us!

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Sixteen-year-old Kit Maguire has never met her mother, made lasting friendships, or had a permanent home, and she’s always known that she was a little different from others. When Kit and her father move to Kyoto, Japan, her father insists that this time will be better, but Kit is reluctant to give it a try. The kids in Kyoto seem to be the same as everywhere else: judging her for her looks before they get to know her. She figures it’s just one more short stop that she won’t make friends, so why bother?

With the appearance of her thought-to-be-dead mother, Kit yearns to find out more about her mom, their family, and why she has the ability to conjure green fire. When a girl named Yoriko insists on becoming friends and two of the hottest guys in school vie for her attention, things get complicated. Kit learns just who she is and what she’s capable of, but with that knowledge comes the realization that she may never be able to have a relationship with Riku; as their clans are bitter enemies. Kit hopes that their love will bring the clans together and that she’ll get everything she’s ever wanted: family, friends, and a place to call home.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Available for $2.99 only on Amazon

Website:www.rebeccaweinstein.webs.com

Blog: www.rweinstein6.wordpress.com  and http://www.androidinthekitchen.wordpress.com

Follow me on Twitter! @rweinstein6

Rebecca’s Other Work: Seraphim   Nashoga (Redstone Series #1)   Blood Moon (Redstone Series #2)

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Interview with…Stephanie from HERE! :)

We’re very excited to welcome Stephanie to Aside from Writing today. She is a new member of our blogging team here and you’ll have already seen some of her reviews and posts over recent weeks. Stephanie also blogs for herself at My World. Let’s find out more…

So…can you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?

It’s a small (newbie) blog with all things books.  I’m trying to branch out and include much more than just my own reviews now and it’s really starting to come together, I think.

What prompted you to start writing the blog in the beginning?

Honestly, I got the account  just to enter a giveaway I saw on twitter, I believe.  Then I figured since I had it, I would start writing and started out just writing general life stories, and then got into reviewing the books I read, and so on.

What are your favourite parts of blogging?

I love the writing!  I enjoy sharing my thoughts about the books I read with others and love it when I get feedback!  (That lets me know I’m not talking to myself)  I also love getting in contact with other bloggers and authors.

Any tough bits?

I think the toughest bits of it for me are getting the word out there.  I know I have a decent viewing audience, for me anyway, but still not many followers.

What’s an ideal day for you – and how do you fit your writing, reading, blog into that, along with motherhood and work?!

An “ideal” day for me would be to get a lot of reading/writing/blogging in AND still have plenty of family/housecleaning time. I’m still working on that perfect balance, I still find myself neglecting one area while pouring most of my time into another.  Fortunately, I have been juggling each so not just one thing gets all my time and I’m getting better at the management of my time.

We know that you’re also doing your own writing, tell us more!

I haven’t gotten much on paper, yet, and what I have written, I have already changed in my head.  I’m very new at this and just hope its good enough that people will want to read it.  I have always been a “daydreamer”, one quick look at the comments on all my elementary school report cards will show that.  I always seem to have a story running through my head.

What I’m working on right now is a story of a young, small town girl who, through some disruptions to her “normal” life, makes some discoveries about who she really is and what it could possibly mean to a lot of people.  There will be some romance, of course, and it’s definitely a paranormal story.

What genres/authors do you love to read?  

A few months ago, I would have said YA/Paranormal Romance, with sometimes branching to a thriller. Since I’ve been reading books for review, I have discovered that, while that’s still my favorite, I have really enjoyed genres I never expected to!

As for authors, that changes a lot since I love so many of them, but right now, I can say Lauren Kate, Amanda Hocking, Cassandra Clare, PC Cast, Jenna Black.. and those are just a few that I’ve read a lot of and loved, there’s plenty that I have only read one book from, but still absolutely loved; such as Julie K. Rose and Christopher David Peterson.. I could go on all day about authors and books!

Do you think your reading tastes and experiences influence your writing?

I definitely believe that’s true!  For me, a good book is like a Calgon bath, for those of you old enough to remember those commercials!  I love a book that can transport me to some other realm of reality, or at least get me caught up in its world!  I would definitely put the book I’d like to write into the paranormal romance category.

The Random Questions:

If you could be a character from any book – who would it be and why?   That’s really hard for me, I love so many!  But I’d want to be a paranormal of some sort, not just a slight human girl in love with one.  I would want to be strong and powerful, like maybe Alice Cullen, Dana from the Fairiewalker series, or Zoey from the House of Night series.

The reason is, of course, to not have to rely on everyone around to keep me safe.. I’d like to be the one to keep others safe, and let’s face it, the abilities of some of these heroines are amazing!

Favourite fictional world – where would you live?   One that immediately comes to mind is Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings, it’s beautiful!

Best super-evil baddie?   The first one to come to mind at the moment is Cam, *swoon*!  He may not be necessarily a villain to some, but he’s a bad boy, and wow!

I also think of Peter from My Blood Approves, by Amanda Hocking, again, not the villain, but a definite jerk.. You don’t realize until later in the series exactly why and the last book makes him ah-mazing in my eyes!

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4190077-stephanie

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/Stephsgrn

My Blog:  http://stephsgrn.blogspot.com/

My Food Blog:  http://fromstephskitchen.blogspot.com/

Google+  https://plus.google.com/u/0/110791132875372753313/posts

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/stephsgrn/

I will be working on my wordpress blog as well, I started with blogger and am just getting the wordpress underway.

http://stephsgrn.wordpress.com/

I am still working on making it my own, stay tuned!

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Emily Read…Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

 Emily is our Goodreads pal and all-round lovely lady! 🙂 And, as you’ll know from our side-bar, her blog Confessions of a Bookaholic is one of our favourites. Throughout August and September, we will be featuring some of her book reviews on Aside from Writing so you can get to know her too!

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Cover Rating: 3/5   Overall Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: “Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and crush – who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face. Thirteen Reasons Why is the gripping, addictive international bestseller that has changed lives the
world over. It’s an unrelenting modern classic.”

The Review

WOW! I have no idea why I picked this up, I saw the synopsis and thought that looks really depressing. My next thought? I have to read it! I wasn’t expecting to like it I just had the urge to read it. Well I started it at 12 am thinking that I would just read a few pages. I couldn’t stop though until I had finished it. At 4am. Even after that I was kept up thinking about it. The whole book was so
real. At first I was thinking why did they keep passing on the tapes knowing all their secrets were being revealed to the other twelve people but then I realized they were doing it out of fear. They knew what would happen if they didn’t. I really liked Clay and personally I don’t think he deserved to be on the tapes.

I got very annoyed with myself halfway through because I couldn’t help hating Hannah. No this time it’s not just for the sake of it. Hannah making these tapes be passed around was cruel, she was blaming her death on these people who would have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Some of them may have deserved it but not all of them. Some of the people on the tapes had been trying to help her but she had taken the help the wrong way. Those kind people are given this guilt to carry. I hated myself for it but I began to think Hannah was being very selfish in what she did but if you think about it she needed her story told and this was the only way she could think of to do it. Apparently there is going to be a film of this book staring Selena Gomez, personally I probably wont go to see it – I don’t like seeing books I love Disney-fied.  I would recommend this book to people who like a serious book that will play on their minds long after being read. I would give this book 5/5 stars.

My Favorite Quote
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life
but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not
messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and
selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with
their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.” 

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Read Emily’s interview with us here!

Goodread Group: Books, Blogs, Authors and More

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62777.Books_Blogs_Authors_and_More

My blog: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

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Guest Post…Why I Wrote a Memoir

Our guest post today comes from author Laura Dennis – her second feature with us this weekend following yesterday’s Indie Author Spotlight ! Let’s find out more about her and her book Adopted Reality. 

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Why did I write a memoir? The simple answer is this: My story had to be told. It had to get out of my head.

ADOPTED REALITY is a September 11 memoir unlike any you’ve read. It’s a thrilling, psychological adventure that follows the ups and downs of bipolar, and examines relationships biological and adopted. The book follows my journey to understand myself, to learn to exist between the highs and lows, and ultimately to discover my own ADOPTED REALITY.

Before I could write, there were two issues in the way: Secrets and Time

A few years after my 2001 bipolar breakdown, I worked as a sales person for a successful medical device company. It was a fast-paced, stressful job that required high performance. I didn’t tell anyone about my bout with mental illness because I didn’t want people questioning my ability to handle responsibility.

But bipolar tendencies weren’t the only issue in play. As an infant, I had been given up for adoption. In the State of New Jersey in the late 1970s, adoptions were closed, records were sealed. Birth moms were told to hide their pregnancies and after relinquishment, to get on with their lives, and to forget about the baby.

When I did reunite with my birth mother and her family in 2001, I still didn’t feel 100% accepted in my biological family. In fact, my biological father wanted nothing to do with me. It took ten years for me to feel comfortable revealing these very personal details. Still now, I worry what people think when they read the book, specifically family members biological and adopted.

It wasn’t just the ten years I needed; I literally needed time to write. My daughter was born in 2008 when I was still working in sales, travelling 50% of the time (and even taking my daughter with me!). As the economy headed into a recession the following year, I stopped working and soon found out I was pregnant with my son.

In 2010, with a toddler and a baby in tow, my husband and I escaped to his hometown, Belgrade, where I actually found some time to write. While my children learned Serbian in their cozy preschool for a few hours each day, my memoir came pouring out.

 

Why not just fictionalize the story?

If I wrote a novel based on this particular story, it would lose its impact. A good part of the memoir deals with a bipolar episode I had in which I manically believed I was a spy for the Illuminati who was responsible for the attacks on September 11. In this psychotic state, as my mind rapidly deteriorated, I believed I had flown a plane into the North Tower and somehow survived.

I have a very vivid memory of these delusions, and writing a novel about it would have turned the delusion into just another spy story. On the other hand, ADOPTED REALITY sheds light into a psychological effect of trauma. Specifically, I was so grieved over the loss of my uncle on 9/11, my mind tricked itself into believing I was at fault.

The other element was my adoption. Writing about how I felt growing up, knowing I was adopted, trying to be perfect, these were life experiences whose impact is all the more relevant when coming from a place of truth. For example, the day I met the brother of my birth mom, this burly, quiet man pulled me aside and said, “I want you to know. You were always part of our family; we were always thinking about you. You were always my niece. We just didn’t know you, that’s all.”

This small, seemingly insignificant detail takes on a deeper meaning when the reader knows the conversation really happened. This is the power of memoir. In sharing the stories of our own lives, readers can connect to us and find shared experiences, feelings, and hopefully, new insights.

People have contacted me to say they struggled with mental illness, or that they experienced the happiness and sorrow in adoption—personally or indirectly, through a family member or friend. Even if readers don’t agree with everything I say, or everything I did, it’s amazing to see how a memoir can touch others’ lives.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, too!

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Want to know more? Check out the links! 

ADOPTED REALITY is available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

Like Adopted Reality on Facebook

Visit my website at AdoptedRealityMemoir.com

Tweet on Twitter! @adoptedreality

Or just send me a plain-old email!

laura@adoptedrealitymemoir.com

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Indie Author Spotlight…Allison Cosgrove

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.

This week’s spotlighted author is Allison Cosgrove…

About the Author – Allison Cosgrove was born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. A married mother of three daughters, she works in accounting by day and creates her own worlds by night. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters hiking in the woods or sitting by the fire reading a good book. She has had the love of reading and writing detective mysteries from the age of twelve but it has only been since the birth of her youngest that she has gotten serious about crafting some of her own works for others to enjoy. She credits her family and friends with being the driving force that has given her the strength to breathe life into her books. 

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A cult has been killing children for its rituals and only one cop knows who they are. Detective Stan Brookshire knows but his past keeps people from believing in him. Can he rise above the stigma that shrouds his past and stop a cult from taking yet another innocent child from her mother’s arms before its too late? 
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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website:  www.stanbrookshire.com

Buy online at Amazon 


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Interview with…Author Tony Talbot

 Blog regular Tony Talbot’s latest book, Eight Mile Island, was released recently and to support its launch, we have a special author interview with Tony today, to help you learn a little bit more about him and his writing! 

Here’s Tony!

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1. You have invented an operational time machine, where would you go?

I’d go back into the past…maybe 17th century Vienna, and see a Mozart or Beethoven symphony performed for the first time.

2. If you could invite any five people to dinner who would you choose?

Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, John Lennon, Ernest Shackleton and Ada Lovelace. I realise I have four men and one woman in that list!

3. You are stranded on a desert island; what three things would you want to have with you?

The Idiots guide to surviving on a desert island

A satellite phone with 4G Internet

Kelly Brook!

4. What is one book everyone should read?

Ooo…tricky. To Kill a Mockingbird.

5. If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Flight, every time. Imagine the time I’d save at the airport.

6. What is your favourite flavor of ice cream?

Chocolate.

7. If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

There’s an Antarctic explorer I’m fascinated with, Apsley Cherry-Garrard. I’d love to pick his brains about Antarctica.

8. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?

Leftover trifle.

9. Night owl, or early bird?

Neither! Mid morning from 11:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.

10. Pet Peeves?

Driving while on the phone.

11. Do you have any other books in development at the moment? What are your goals for future projects? 

I started the first chapter of book five about the same time as I was finally wrapping up Eight Mile Island. I’d love to do a trilogy one day, but new ideas always pop into my head and I’m off on to something new.

12. Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

I had a reviewer for my first book – Over the Mountain –  say it made them cry…since it is a very sad and serious book, mission accomplished.

13. What’s your favourite season/weather?

I love autumn. The colours are just amazing, and there’s more of a sense that a day with good weather is something you should get outside and enjoy.

14. If you could jump inside the pages of a book, and live in that world.. which would it be?

It would have to be the Harry Potter universe. Wouldn’t a tour of Hogwarts or Diagon Alley be something else?

15. What was your favourite book when you were a child?

I loved Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton. I read it and re-read it time and time again, and it’s one of the reasons I love reading and writing. It soaked into me.

16. Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

All of them have parts of me, and all of them have attributes I wish I had…more bravery, more street smarts. I have to say most of them are smarter than I am!

17. Can you write a Haiku about your book?

very creepy location

from which there is no escape

visit eight mile island

18. What is your favourite quote from a movie?

“Now….bring me that horizon.” Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

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You can enter to win your very own copy of Eight Mile Island for Kindle / PDF in our giveaway!

**CLICK HERE**

Welcome to Eight Mile Island. 

Dylan James is used to boarding schools. He’s been thrown out of so many in the past two years, he’s lost count. So when an elite academy in Oregon offers him a place, he doesn’t think he’ll be there more than a week.
 
But Eight Mile Island isn’t like anywhere Dylan has been before. In the dense forests around the school, there are things that look human but aren’t.
 
Things that are hungry, and waiting.
 
But that’s just the start of the mysteries, mysteries that mean Dylan may never escape. Even if he wants to…

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website: http://www.tony-talbot.co.uk

Twitter: @authortony

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonytalbotwriter

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/tony-talbot