Author: mel

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The Weeping Empress by Sadie Forsythe


Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation.

The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks what monster is not also an innocent?

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 Gimme 10 – Mini-Interview

Please answer each question in 10 words or less – that’s what makes it tough but fun! 🙂

Where do you find your inspiration? Everywhere and nowhere, even I don’t always know.

What is your favourite aspect of The Weeping Empress? I adore the cover. I find it beautiful & symbolic.

Who is your favourite character from The Weeping Empress and why? Senka, I like his unassuming strength.

What are you working on now? The sequel– it addresses why Chiyo and how it happened.

What do you love about most about writing? Getting the story out of my head.

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About the Author

Sadie Forsythe hails from the Southeastern United States, lives in Northwestern England, and is a fan of all things Japanese. She holds degrees in Anthropology/Comparative Religion, International Criminology, and Social Change. She loves local coffee shops, geek culture, everything bookish, and tea (steaming with milk and sweet iced). She is married with two daughters and an imaginary dog.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website: http://sadieforsythe.com/

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

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

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Guest Post…Why I Write for Boys

Mikko Azul, author of Askari (Book 1 – Child of Muralia Trilogy) joins us today with a guest post why she writes for boys…

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Boys: The Forgotten Heroes of Young Adult Literature

Since the publication of Twilight and the subsequent exponential explosion of the Paranormal Romance genre in the YA marketplace, heroes of the epic fantasy have nearly become extinct. Rare are the newly-published tales of conquest by a young hero over his personal, metaphorical or, heaven forbid, actual demons. Despite the recent success of such movies as The Lord of the Rings and their encouragement of real-life heroes to find kinship between the pages of the original books, boys and young men are still largely ignored in the YA marketplace. Why is this?

After speaking to over 50 literary agents and a handful of YA publishers, I got an answer…one that disturbed me greatly. In their esteemed opinions, boys over the age of 13 don’t read books. Really? Why not? The demographic data shown to me by the agents indicates that boys at or over the age of 13 are into sports, girls and…you guessed it…video games. I think there are a couple really good reasons for this. First, there really aren’t a whole lot of great books being published right now that will appeal to boys of that age. With the exception of a handful of really great titles in the Middle Grade level including Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, Michael Scott’s Nicholas Flamel series and Jenny Nemmo’s Charlie Bone series, there are few that portray strong male leads that our young boys and men can aspire to or identify with. Even so, these are all written for younger boys at the middle grade level. How do we capture the interest and excitement of teenage boys? I’m not convinced that teenage boys aren’t reading…they’re just getting their books in the specific genre sections instead of age level sections of the book stores. Go to any Barnes and Noble or, better yet, Powell’s World of Books and see how many teens and men are roaming between the sci-fi/fantasy aisles.

I can see the attraction to video games. Boys and men are, and will always be, warriors at heart. Where else can they possess amazing physical prowess with magical abilities and opportunities to wield extreme weapons? Where else can they triumph over adversity or overcome incredible odds? Video games totally rock! But, they’re so expensive that they aren’t accessible to everyone who would want them. The athletes who excel in the courts and on the fields at the Junior and High School level are excellent role models, but the recognition is limited to the talented few. Perhaps another venue for the rest of our kids who aren’t superstar athletes and who don’t have access to the expensive newest video game craze would be a return to the escapism of the written word. One that would appeal to our culture’s forgotten heroes…boys. The trick is how to get boys to sit still long enough to make their way through 300+ pages of text!

Personally, I have four boys; one with ADD, one with ADHD and two with the natural attention spans of gnats. Writing in such a way to keep my boys interested and engaged has always been a challenge. My oldest son gave me the key: keep it moving. He had a good point. Stan Lee of Marvel Comics gave me the best advice for writing for boys, “Take your guy, your main character, and get him into trouble…just keep getting him into trouble. Everything follows from there.” So, after writing a book that should appeal to boys, how do I convince them to read it?

I’ve found one way: a teacher at our local junior high school read my book Askari and was so excited about finding a book that she was certain would appeal to her struggling readers that she wrote a grant and ordered copies for each kid at the junior high school. We are working together on a curriculum that incorporates the elements that they need to pass their proficiency exams using a story that (we hope) will keep them interested and entertained. Perhaps if we can get our foot in the door by starting with a captive audience, we can remind publishers and book sellers that our young male heroes are still out there and reading the stories that are worthy of their valuable attention.

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About the Author: I’m a reader and writer of fantasy adventure novels. My first work, which still doesn’t have a satisfactory title, won the San Francisco Writer’s Conference indie publishing competition. So…they’re generously paying to have this first novel published! Writers tend to work in a vaccuum…no input, little useful support and oftentimes marginalized. Winning this competition was a huge boost of confidence for me!

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website: www.mikkoazul.com

Look out for Askari – Book 1 in the Child of Muralia series

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meme…Indie Author Spotlight – Melissa Mickelsen

Indie Authors Spotlight is a BRAND NEW 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 Melissa Mickelsen…

Melissa Mickelsen was born and raised in Georgia. She currently lives in Germany with her Air Force husband and two cats. Melissa loves hiking in the mountains, eating strawberries, reading, reading, more reading, and really good barbecue. Nightingale is her debut novel.

She began writing in high school and has published a few short stories in online magazines. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2007 with a degree in Art History, Melissa worked in various jobs, such as a mental health technician at a large hospital and as a serials assistant in a medical library, before pursuing a master’s degree in technical communication and information design from Southern Polytechnic State University.

Although she does not write full time, that is a goal for the future. Nightingale, published by Hadley Rille Books, is hopefully the first of many. The novel tells the story of a young girl, taken from her family and held enslaved by the man that killed them. She is forced to kill, to become an assassin called the Nightingale. Though the girl is young, she has the strength of steel and vows revenge. It might be easier if the vaunted General Astin Talros, the king’s most trusted Weapon, did not haunt her trail.

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In a land of vast, dark forests and clustered cities, cardeai and anthelai live in uneasy proximity. Forced deep into the wilds, the anthelai are feared and hated. They are not people in the eyes of others. They are seen as monsters, demons, and servants of the dark god Enas, master of the hell-like Plains of Centura.  Halfbloods, the children of the two species, are extremely rare. The blood does not mix easy, but when it does the result belongs to neither side. Outcast, anathema, pariah.

Carfuinel, an anthehome in the far north, has seen two such beings in its long existence. The first died in infancy, but the second, a stronger-willed creature, survived. Shielded from the animosity of others by her parents, the child thrived. Until the day when everything changed forever.

The half-anthela, half-cardea girl, after having seen her home and family destroyed, vows revenge on the man responsible. The odds are weighed heavily against her. She is young and brash, and trapped by the power of a small green stone that binds to her the whims of her tormentor. He transforms her into a most deadly assassin, hoping that her demon-like presence at his side will pave the way for the domination of a kingdom. But the girl, now called the Nightingale, has a steely strength that refuses to crack.

She has lost her home, family, freedom, and even her name. But she is stronger than anyone realizes, and she will not break easily. Her captor, and even all of the cardeai kingdom of Caesia, would do well to remember that.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

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

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nightingale/157095704391800

http://melissamickelsen.com/

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Friday Finds – 4

Another weekly meme from http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

This week I found:

At The End by John Hennessy just sounded so interesting and I like the dystopians born of realistic orgins (so population explosion is an intersting one). Found this on a Goodreads thread looking for readers. Looking forward to reading this and as it was gifted from the author I will be reading/reviewing it first – I love it when a plan comes together 🙂

The only other book I picked up this week was from one of the lovely security guards at work – I saw him reading it this week in the mess room and it looked interesting, so be brought it back for me to read. So because I’ve not bought it myself I’ve still been good 😉 it is Vlad but I can’t remember the author and so can’t find the cover from the numerous books named ‘Vlad’ on Goodreads – oh well – I’m sure I’ll be doing a review on it soon enough. I’m definitely heading for a vampire-themed reading phase – have about 10 in the tbr pile now!

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So, not too many this week as I’ve been doing well with not buying any more books…let’s see how the reading pile looks next week 🙂

What did you find this week? Mel x

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Interview…with author Larissa Hinton

Today we’re welcoming author Larissa Hinton to Aside from Writing for our first author interview in quite a long time…With Indie Author Month starting in a few short days, we thought it would be a good time to ‘ease’ you into all the upcoming author features and interviews with one today…so let’s see what Larissa had to say…

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Link to Larissa's Goodreads Pages

About the Author: The young adult fantasy and paranormal romance author, Larissa Hinton, grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia. She now lives in northern Virginia, but she always looks forward to going back to the sweet smell of the salty ocean.

Larissa has always loved writing since the age of 12 and hasn’t stopped since. After many years of writing whimsical tales of romance and fantasy, she is now proud to be a self-published author. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching English at a local middle school.

When seen out of the classroom, Larissa is shopping for the next great Wii game, searching for undiscovered treasure (a.k.a. sparkly jewelry) and plucking some fresh fruits (or vegetables, dependent on the year) out of her small garden.

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Hi Larissa, welcome to Aside from Writing. Let’s start with your writing: how did you come up with the idea for your book?

Funny enough, my ideas came from my professors at the time (for Everblossom). You see, I was taking a Creative Writing class and for the first time ever, I had to write short stories. Before this point in my life, I never wrote a short story but I found something funny about it: I loved it. I was able to delve into the characters I loved, create new stories that would inspire bigger ideas, and it was a way to play with the inner thoughts that floated my mind. Even at one point, my professor told me that all of my novel ideas were really short stories. Granted, at that time, I did not appreciate him saying that, but some of my ideas were short stories. I just never knew it.

The poems in the anthology however, were inspired by mostly my personal life. And other times, by the urge to write it down. I don’t think I could fully explain it properly, but when an idea hits me, it’s like lightening and I’m alert and aware that a poem is in me that needs to be written. I’ve literally tried to go asleep with that feeling, but I couldn’t. I had to write it down into poetic form. It doesn’t happen so often (like once or twice a month) but when it happens, I have to write that poem down or I can’t think straight.

 

What do you consider to be the biggest influences on your writing?

The biggest influence on my writing is my life. It can stressful, crazy and fun at times to be me, but it has the biggest impact on my writing.

 

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Always. I’ve always loved to read and write since I began learning how to do so. I haven’t stopped since.

 

What’s your favourite aspect of being an author?

I know for me, the most rewarding thing about being a writer is getting back reviews from people who have bought and loved your book. And understood your ideas! I was really wondering about the poems I wrote called WSV (Words Speak Volumes). For the longest time I debated about publishing them in the first place since all they were was words written down a page telling a story in an odd way. I thought that maybe people just wouldn’t get it.

It warmed my heart that not only did people understand my poems, they loved them! I couldn’t be more thrilled since my poems have never been out to see daylight (yes, I get the Emily Dickinson irony there)! Therefore, I’m always glad to receive somewhat of fan mail on how my writing has made people think in a whole new way once they read Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology.


And the most challenging aspects?

The hardest part about writing is putting your idea on paper and making it come across right. Especially for a novel. It’s a long journey from the first page until the last and to make sure it’s projecting the idea from cover to cover from word to word is the most difficult part. As a writer, you have to be consistent, persistent, and have excellent time management to be able to complete a novel with style, grace and be sane. Seriously. Ask some writers if they haven’t pulled their hair out over a story that just wouldn’t translate from their brain onto the paper right. Ah, the makings of a novel.

What’s coming up next for you? Are you working on something at the moment?

Absolutely! Right now, I’m editing Angel Diaries, a young adult paranormal romance. Incidentally, I just got the final proof for my cover! Here’s the blurb: Lindsey’s life couldn’t have been any more ordinary. So, she had two guys fighting over her, a psychic friend and a school dominated by Goths but, other than that, life was good. That is until horrible nightmare start about her mother being ripped apart by a monster, changing her life from the inside out. Literally. Her whole world was full of lies. She’s not human. She’s an Angel.


Thank-you for taking time to talk to us today!

Thanks for the fantastic opporunity!

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Want to know more? Check out the links! 

Buy the Book:

http://www.amazon.com/Everblossom-Short-Poetry-Anthology-ebook/dp/B005H5GKIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313954227&sr=1-1

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80600

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everblossom-larissa-hinton/1104907595

Blog: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blogspot.com/

Email: pocahantas89@yahoo.com

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

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Guest Review…Making Life Better

Today’s guest reviewer is Annie K. Johnson – here she talks about Making Life Better by James Vandenburg.

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Making Life Better by James Vandenburg is best understood as being a collection of philosophical essays that explore personal choice, thought patterns, and the general state of the mind. This is really what a self-help book should look like without really being a self-help book. It’s definitely more of a collection of related philosophical essays and one that a wide variety of readers could enjoy and appreciate. The only thing that matches the usual genre is the title. The actual content of the book is so far from anything I’ve ever seen in a self-help book and is so plainly honest that you just can’t help but like it.

Making Life Better is really sort of a fundamental philosophy book. I could easily see this being required reading for a Philosophy 101 course because of the simplistic style of writing and the sheer depth of Vandenburg’s arguments about the mind. This book is meant to stimulate thought and it does, whether you’ve come to his same conclusions already or not.

It is laid out in such a way as to connect with the reader and is written in a style that anyone can understand and follow. This is a feat only rarely achieved by authors who write something as intelligent as this is. Vandenburg does not just stop when he says that everything is a personal choice; he goes very deep into his own mind about it. It was very clear in reading this book that the author has spent a great deal of time actually conceptualizing what would be in this book and putting it into words. Still, he manages to piece his piece his arguments together without rambling or losing the central point of them.

What I didn’t like at times was that Vandenburg used specific examples throughout his book while still remaining somewhat vague. He talked about his fifth grade teacher early in the book who was the first to turn his fifth grade belief that “I had no choice” on its ear. At the same time, he doesn’t mention exactly what he was trying to assert having no choice on. The reader has to assume that it has to do with homework, but it would have been nice for the author to be more specific. Still, the point comes across that he learned a valuable lesson about his thought process from interactions with that teacher. With that, he does go into incredible detail on are the actual discussions of that particular thought process.

Similarly, the book starts off at the end of a conversation between the author and an unnamed friend. I think it would have been better if the entire conversation, or at least the stunning realization that had inspired the conversation, had been shared with readers. Instead, it was vague and I didn’t grasp the full point of that conversation. I’ve had the “Well, duh” moments that the author describes, but I’m not sure what kind of “Well, duh” moments he specifically meant. I can’t identify with that story because there aren’t enough details in the author’s description to stimulate a recall of those memories. As that’s the biggest and only flaw I’ve found with the book, it’s not something that makes it any less enjoyable or any less intelligent.

Overall, this is a very intelligent book that a lot of people would enjoy and would benefit from. If you don’t want to reach for a self-help book for whatever rut you’re in, this is the book you should go for.

About the book: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once said, “A mind stretched by a new idea can never go back to its original dimensions.” For a control freak like myself, this is no small matter. Making Life Better is an invitation to own our part of our making and embrace our unique opportunities to make our lives better. It’s about making routine and daily choices of action, reaction, thought and feeling more profoundly connected to who we are, what we desire and what’s most important to us. It’s an invitation to turn off our auto-pilot setting and allow our sense of purpose, identity and direction to break into our lives with greater wisdom, clarity and intention. It’s a recognition that a meaningful, fulfilling and happy life is really nothing more, though certainly nothing less, than a very long series of meaningful, fulfilling and happy moments. How we experience each of those moments is always completely within us.

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Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Life-Better-James-Vandenburg/dp/1456054244

About the author: James Vandenburg is a geek.  He’s also a Writer, Composer, Motivational Speaker and quite often, a Philosopher.  He holds Bachelor degrees in Music Theory/Composition and in Philosophy/Religion, a Master’s in Music Composition, and continues to be an eternal student of life and culture with a penchant for reading everything he can get his hands on.  He’s traveled to some of the most remote places on the planet but for now, is perfectly happy living in sunny San Diego, CA.

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Guest Post…When a Novel Becomes a Film – An Author’s Perspective

I came across this post a few weeks ago on author Frank Nappi’s Goodreads blog and he kindly agreed to share it with us here. As an author who regularly answers questions about ‘who would play your characters in a film of the book’, I know that having your novel become a film is another facet of writing that many authors dream of. But what actually happens when that dream comes true? Frank shares his experience here….

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Many books are optioned each year for development by the film industry, setting off a conflagration of thoughts and emotions within those most closely tied to those books. When my novel “The Legend of Mickey Tussler” was optioned by Eye in The Sky Entertainment back in 2008, I was thrilled beyond words. Soon, however, I found myself languishing in the uncertainty that attenuates every step of the process. The potential pitfalls are many…who will be hired to do the screenwriting? Will there be enough financial backing to bring the project to fruition? Are there any industry experts out there who want to take a chance on directing? And what about casting? And do I really have to change the name of the story???

All of these issues, and an array of others germane to film production, took about three years to rectify.

Then the fun really started……

Every author realizes the “price” he/she pays for selling rights to a story — while it is certainly flattering to have someone compensate you for the opportunity to bring your story to life on the screen, in doing so, you abdicate your ability to guide the production and preserve the integrity of “your” story as you saw it from the beginning. As I was told on numerous occasions, “Uh Frank, this is no longer your story.” That was a tough one to swallow. Consequently, characters are altered or in some cases deleted, scenes are shortened or cut, and setting falls victim to the pragmatic reality that there is a very real budget which must be honored.

So you have these conversations, and most often you cringe, knowing full well that “your story” works best as is. Still, you are appreciative that this amazing opportunity has happened for you, and you certainly do not want to appear ungrateful. So many options never make it into production.

Time unfolds, and the film is shot. Eventually, you get to see what these folks have done with your story. You hold your breath as you view the “new version” of your creation, praying that they have maintained most of what you had intended in writing it…..

And if you are lucky, as I have been, you smile at the portrayal of your central characters and breathe a little easier as the music and cinematography add a whole new dimension to your tale. Yes, you still harbor disappointment somewhere deep within that your story has been altered in some ways that you know have a deleterious effect on the product (in my case, The Legend of Mickey Tussler was set in the 1940’s but “A Mile in His Shoes”was filmed as a present day story) but you cannot help but watch with surreal detachment as your words come to life for all to see.

So my overall experience with watching The Legend of Mickey Tussler become “A Mile in His Shoes” was favorable. If I can offer any advice to authors who have just had a novel optioned, it would be to pace yourself…and realize that while you are in for some rather taxing moments replete with all sorts of anxiety, in the end, the film credit is something that you will never forget.

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About the Author

Author - Frank Nappi

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, Echoes From The Infantry, received national attention, including MWSA’s silver medal for outstanding fiction for 2006. His follow-up novel, The Legend of Mickey Tussler, garnered rave reviews as well, including a screenplay adaptation of the touching story which aired nationwide in the fall of 2011 (A Mile in His Shoes starring Dean Cain and Luke Schroder). Frank continues to produce quality work, including The Legend of Mickey Tussler: Sophomore Campaign, the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Links for both of Frank’s Tussler books as well as the amazon link for the movie that was adapted from the first book (the subject of today’s blog post):
The Legend of Mickey Tussler
Sophomore Campaign
A Mile in His Shoes
website:  www.franknappi.com
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Indie Author Spotlight…Sara Zaske

Indie Authors Spotlight is a BRAND NEW 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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The Author…This week’s spotlighted author is Sara Zaske.
Sara Zaske has lived a variety of places including eight years in Oakland, California where The First is set. A former journalist, she currently works as a freelance editor and writer in Berlin, Germany. She also hosts the book blog: YA Fantastic Book Review [link: http://sarazaske.wordpress.com] Occasionally, she still dreams of California.
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The Interview

Your book sounds like a genre-bending read – where did your inspiration for it come from?

I wondered how ticked off dryads, mythical tree spirits, might be if I dropped them into the the modern world. But dryads in Greek myths are kind of wussy, always running away from lustful gods and turning into things, so I took it up a notch and made up my own more powerful group of magical people who are closely connected to nature.

The genre smash is my attempt at better defining the book. The term urban fantasy doesn’t tell you much: all it means is there’s a magical element, and it takes place in city. By eco-thriller, I mean that the book centers around the theme of environmental responsibility and then, I threw in a lot of action and life-threatening peril in the story–you know, to make it fun.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Magic, romance, friendship, wild animals, environmental destruction–all under the golden glow of the California sunshine–what more could you want?

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

I am revising my first novel (Yes, ironically, The First is my second novel). It’s about a girl with an uncontrollable fire talent who gets abducted by a dragon.

Then I have a really scary ghost story in my mind that I need to get on paper, so I can stop thinking about it. It’s kind of creeping me out.

What inspired you to want to become a writer?

Fairy tales. My mother read to me every night, but after she left and turned off the light, I’d still want more stories, so I started making up my own.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Seek out and learn to use criticism. Find people–not relatives, spouses or good friends–who will read your work and tell you honestly what they think. My writing group continues to help me really grow as a writer.

Which authors have influenced you most and how?

Two of my current heroes are Ursula Leguin and Margaret Atwood.

I love the way Ursula LeGuin uses fantasy and science fiction elements to get at larger issues in the “real world.” Plus she’s simply a great story teller. Margaret Atwood has a fantastic, sharp sense of humor, and she’s not afraid to write in any genre.

I can only walk in their shadows, but I strive to be like them by incorporating important issues in my stories while placing a premium on humor and story telling.

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.

Oh no, it’s too boring. Just cut to the montage of a typical working mom juggling caring for kids, editing for clients, housework, writing, errands, etc. Life is full. Some days I don’t get to actually sit down at the computer and write–fiction anyway. But I make a conscious effort to write in my head during every spare moment. That way when I do get screen time, I know what I want to say. It does make me a bit dreamy sometimes though, and I’ve been known to get on the wrong train and go several stops without noticing.

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is….

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente. Not that The First is like this book. It’s not. But I love fairy tales and Valente does something very unique in her book. I envy that fact that she got to spend her days writing in that imaginative world.

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The Book 

A young adult urban fantasy/eco-thriller, The First, follows 15-year-old Cassie Craig as she discovers that the strangest girl in her class is more than just a little weird. She’s part of a group of people who were here on earth long before us. Powerful people. And they aren’t exactly happy with the way we’ve been treating their planet.

The First is available for a free download on Earth Day weekend, April 21-23! Available on Amazon – so don’t hang around – grab your copy today!! 

[link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UZ72K4]

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Book Links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UZ72K4

Website: http://sarazaske.wordpress.com

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meme…Friday Finds – 3

Another weekly meme from http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

This week I found:

Shades of Greyby Michael Cargill – it was kind of a re-find for me as I’d bought it a while ago and just sat down this week and started it. It’s a collection of short stories – first one was great, very quick and punchy, drawing you quickly in to an intense moment in someone’s life. Looking forward to reading the rest this week.

I received a copy of Fall for You from the author Celia Gray. Though I don’t often do typical romance stuff, this sounded cute and I couldn’t ignore the Jane Austen connection, so hopefully this should be a fun light-hearted read.

Finding Sky I picked up randomly from Amazon – I saw it on one of their charts and it caught my eye, possibly a bit of cover-love going on here, so I hope it’s doesn’t let me down! Reviews are decent (bought before I checked) so it’s in the TBR pile…not sure when I’ll get to it though!

Angelfall – I bought this after seeing it on several WWW Wednesday posts this week. Looks good and will fit with my ‘Heavenly Challenge’ so I’m happy with this. I think the cover is lovely – more cover-love – I do like the simple ones.

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That’s it for this week – I’m committing myself to not buying any more books for the next few weeks as my to read pile is growing way faster than I could hope to keep up with and I like to read the books I get gifted from authors first – once I’ve done all those, then I’ll allow myself some new ones as a treat 😉

What did you find this week? Mel x

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Interview…with Amber from Just Another Book Nerd

Our guest today is Amber from Just Another Book Nerd blog. We met Amber through Goodreads and as she’s very active as a blogger, commenter and now mod of one of the YA groups, we ‘speak’ to her a lot. So let’s find out a little more about her 🙂

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Hi Amber, welcome to Aside from Writing, can you tell us a little about yourself and Just Another Book Nerd?

Hi! Thank you 🙂 My name is Amber, and I’m 23. I am a major bookaholic. You will probably find me with a book in my hands at any given time. When I’m not reading, I’m either working with GIMP (my other hobby) or hanging out with the little ones, I’m the oldest of 6 🙂 Just Another Book Nerd is my first attempt at blogging, and I love it. I’ve actually started reading more frequently because of it.

 

What prompted you to start writing it and was there anything particular you wanted the blog to achieve?

I started looking at the blogs other members of Goodreads shared, and I thought I’d give it a try. I wanted to share my thoughts on books I’ve read. Was there anything particular? I think I just wanted others to know what I thought of a book. And maybe they’d come across books they would like to read.

What’s been the best part of running the blog? Any particular highlights for your first few months?

I think the best part of running the blog would have to be meeting other bloggers, and authors. It’s nice belonging to a little community. I don’t have a local book club, so blogging is the next best thing for me. And I’ve met some really cool people.  One highlight for the blog is winning an award, which was awesome.

 

And the hardest parts?

Sometimes I’ll get a brainfreeze trying to figure out what to write. I don’t want to give away too much, or any spoilers. Or, writing negative things about a book. Luckily, a lot of books I read are really good, so I don’t have that problem too much.

You’re really active on Goodreads – we’ve seen your comments on lots of groups and subjects, even before you became a mod – what do you like best about the site and getting involved?

I think finding Goodreads has to be the best thing I’ve done. I like that I can have all my books in one place. I can look for more books to read. And there are so many different groups on there. There is always somebody to connect with. And you get to share and get ideas from other group members, which is nice.

And how’re you finding the role as moderator?

I’m liking it. Everybody gets along, so that’s great. I think this has to be one of the easiest groups to moderate.

What genres/authors do you love to read? 

I like reading paranormal and chick-lit. I’ll read dystopia from time to time. I’ll mostly read YA, but I’ll occasionally read a non YA. The authors I like reading most are PC and Kristen Cast and  Meg Cabot. I’ve recently started reading Anne Rice.

 

Any ‘must have’ books that you want to get hold of in 2012?

The next House of Night book. I have to wait til October for it, so I’m going crazy. And the next Sookie Stackhouse novel.

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The Random Questions

 

If you could be a character from any book – who would it be and why?

Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries. She’s kind of an anti-princess. She’s more of an everyday, down to earth person. She has her problems just like everyone else. And I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous of her. She has the perfect boyfriend.

 

Favourite fictional world – where would you live?

Wonderland

 

Best super-evil baddie?

Neferet from House of Night. I don’t think I’ve dis-liked anybody so much! She is truly evil.


Thank-you for taking time to talk to us today!

Thank you for having me!

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Want to know more? Check out the links! 

http://myyathoughts.blogspot.com/

 Twitter  @justabooknerd