We’re excited to take part in our first Book Trailer Thursday meme hosted each week by http://zoweesbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/ Check out her lovely blog if you’d like to join in 🙂
So – for our very first Book Trailer Thursday meme we’re featuring Jade Varden’s Justice – Mel reviewed the book for the blog a few weeks ago (read it here) and the sequel The Tower is due out soon…
Really interesting post on historical inspiration for fiction – particularly for vampire fans. Have been inspired to try the author’s book Evanescence – I’m feeling a vampire phase coming on after reading Ninfa Hayes’ Bites last week…
Mel x
When people research the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s infamous villain, the name Vlad the Impaler almost always comes up. Renown for his cruelty and the number of his victims which number in the tens of thousands, Vlad was also called Dracula, his patronymic (a component of a personal name based on the name of one’s father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. Dracula literally means ‘son of the dragon.’)
But Vlad may not have been the only inspiration. Based on certain components of Dracula’s background and character, it can be safe to hypothesize that Bram Stoker was also inspired by the legends of the most prolific serial killer of all time: Countess Elizabeth Bathory.
Born in 1560, Elizabeth Bathory was a noblewoman, and a member of one of the most powerful Hungarian families of the time. So powerful in fact, that they were more affluent in both money and…
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For today’s blogger interview we’re welcoming Sharon from Obsession with Books.
Hi and thank-you so much for having me!
Can you tell us a little about yourself and the blog you write?
I am a full-time mum to 2 beautiful children and live in Sydney, Australia. I started my blog Obsession with Books in March 2011 and mainly focus on book reviews, author spotlights, weekly memes and giveaways.
What prompted you to start writing it and was there anything particular you wanted the blog to achieve?
I originally started Obsession with Books as a way to collect my thoughts on books and series that I love to read, I was updating Goodreads constantly but never reviewing so once my children both started school it was an outlet for me to keep track of what I read and loved (or disliked). It also gave me an opportunity to interact with other bloggers with the same interests.
What’s been the best part of running the blog? Any particular highlights for you?
No-one I know in real life has the love of reading that I do so it has been absolutely wonderful to interact with fellow bloggers, publishers and authors alike who share my passion. The biggest highlight for me would be knowing people are stopping by and reading my thoughts on the books I have read.
And the hardest parts?
Writing objective and informative reviews without them each sounding the same, also writing reviews on books I didn’t particularly love – I find that tough and admit at times to avoiding it.
What’s an ideal day for you – and how do you fit the blog into that?
My day revolves around my family and school commitments, being a mum to two young children can be quite full-on so I work my day around them. Fitting in a review or two or working on my blog is generally done when I get a spare 2 minutes.
You must meet a lot of authors – what do you like best about the engagement you get with them writing the blog?
I have had contact with a number of wonderful authors who have written some amazing books and I try to help promote their book/s in any way I possibly can on my blog whether it be by doing an interview, guest post or review either directly through the author or as part of a tour. I thoroughly enjoy the interaction and introduction to books I wouldn’t have normally looked into.
And what’s the best bit about connecting with fellow readers?
Learning about new releases. Same dislikes and likes and receiving feedback on what I am doing.
What genres/authors do you love to read?
I enjoy a variety of genres, I am going through a YA phase at the moment but I also enjoy Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Contemporary Romance and Sci-Fi. My all time favorite author is Karen Marie Moning, I became obsessed with her Fever series.
Any ‘must have’ books that you want to get hold of in 2012?
The first book which popped to mind is Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout, I read the first book in the series, Half-Blood last year and absolutely loved it. Karen Marie Moning is also releasing another book from the Fever world this year titled Iced which I am also pretty eager to get hold of.
Random Questions:
If you could be a character from any book – who would it be and why?
Anna Oliphant from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – perfect location, perfect boyfriend.
Favourite fictional world – where would you live?
Again, it would be Anna and the French Kiss – France would be pretty perfect for me. Otherwise Hogwarts would be truly magical and wonderful!
Best super-evil baddie?
Ooh, Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series I think tops my list.
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Thank-you for taking time to talk to us today!
Thank-you kindly for having me!!
Want to know more about Obsession with Books? Check out the links!
Blog – www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com
Twitter – @SharonBooks
A cheeky reblog of my cover reveal from today – well if I can’t share it here, where can I? 🙂
Mel x
I’m very excited to reveal the cover art for The Rainbow Maker’s Tale – Book 2 in The Ambrosia Sequence, which is due for release in summer 2012… This is the partner story to Hope’s Daughter – let me know what you think! 🙂
Today’s guest reviewer is Annie K. Johnson – here she talks about A Far Cry From Sunset by Billy Franks due for release in 2012.
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The question posed by the author, Billy Franks, is “Can four friends get ten superstars to appear on a tribute album to an unknown songwriter?” The question refers to author Billy Franks himself, who is a himself a performer and songwriter. He wrote a book about his journey with three of his colleagues as the group sought to connect with – Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, and Bryan Adams. The author clearly aimed high and details his pursuit of these superstars that had occurred over the summer of 2005.
The book apparently goes into the eight-month trip across North America and Europe as the author and company spoke with managers, publicists, and security all in an attempt to persuade the superstar artists to perform for a tribute album. The actual album is available for free through the author’s website, billyfranks.com, and features seven of the ten pursued artists. It is sort of mind-boggling that a relatively unknown performer would be able to convince some of the biggest names in the music industry to do something like this, which adds to the interest of the book.
The story, as the author explains, goes into the actual process of tracking down and persuading these artists to appear on this album and will include the experiences of the group in sort of the task of traveling. Apparently, the group had shared with other people what they were intending to do and received a lot of warm encouragement from the regular people they had encountered along their travels. Franks explains that the process had been a tremendous experience, which one could imagine is likely very true, and that the group traveling with him had bonded a great deal. I can imagine that this may be on the heart-warming side and will likely give the reader a look into the offstage life of musicians as observed by someone in a unique position – not entirely on the outside, but not on the inside either.
On the site, the author ponders whether the superstar artists experience life in the thrilling sort of way that the author and his friends had over that summer. I’m not sure how the author handles that particular point, but the claim at least seems to be a bold one to make. In the book, he may back it up with some experience he had in speaking with the artists (according to Franks, he spoke with two of the ten artists). It may be a very profound point in his book that hits at the core of the cost of fame or it could be something that only attempts to earn sympathy for celebrities from readers. It’s hard to say which way things will go, but at the very least, the book does sound very unique and interesting. This will be one to keep an eye on, especially for those interested in the music industry.
The book is set to be released over the summer of this year, so if you would like to read more about the book, sign up for a notification when it is released, or to download the free album that Billy Franks put together featuring superstar musicians, visit his website: www.billyfranks.com
About the Author: Billy Franks was the lead singer and songwriter for “The Faith Brothers”, whose two albums and six singles all made the UK chart. Billy has since released six solo albums to critical acclaim. Last summer he released a charity single in partnership with his friend, Prince Harry, to raise money for the Prince’s African charity Sentebale.
In addition to his musical passions, Billy was recently the focus of a feature length documentary film, called Tribute This! The film chronicles the adventures of 4 friends as they travel the world to ask ome of its biggest stars, Springsteen, McCartney, etc., to appear on a tribute album to an unknown but worthy recipient of such an honour: Billy Franks.
Billy Franks lifetime dedication to his craft says it all. “Billy has devoted his entire life to song writing. He has given so much to others through his music. Dedicating ourselves to a project that would honor him was a no brainer on our part,” said Mick McCleery. (Director of Tribute This!)
This spring will see the publication of his book “A Far Cry from Sunset”, chronicling the adventures of making the movie as well as stories from a musical career that involved touring with the likes of U2 and REM. In conjunction with the release of the book, Billy will release a live album entitled “From the Court to the Empire”, recorded at London’s famous Shepherds Bush Empire theatre.
Mel’s recent post on being surprised by your character
I’ve recently read a review of Hope’s Daughter on Goodreads (view it here) and it got me thinking – in a good way – don’t worry I’m not about to begin a rant about reviews and readers! Instead I was thinking that it’s really interesting to see how readers view your characters once you’ve created them, bundled them into a book and then sent them off into the world. The lady who reviewed Hope’s Daughter wasn’t really sure of what to make of Cassie at the beginning of the book and I’d agree with that – Cassie is rather confused and has plenty of self-doubt to contend with early on 🙂 who doesn’t at that age?
What I found most interesting was that the reviewer found Cassie more interesting once she got onto her placement and began to interact with Balik. I’m not sure whether I intentionally wrote it to work in…
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With the release of The Hunger Games movie on 23rd March fast approaching we’ve got a message from Ella, who’s been running the 30 Days of Hunger Games event on her own blog – A World of Words – we supported the earlier ‘reaping ball’ stuff with special HG features earlier this month, so now it’s your chance to review and vote for the winner!
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Ok, so for Day 26, it’s voting time! The remaining 3 tributes sent me in their letters and we are leaving it up to you, the citizens of Panem, to vote on who you think should win the 74th Annual Hunger Games! All you need to do is read over each letter and pick which one that appealed to you the most and go to the poll, it’s on the upper left hand side of my blog, you can’t miss it, and click on who you want to vote for! You can only vote ONCE and for ONE person only! And to you tributes out there, you’re not allowed to vote for yourself, nor are you allowed to vote, we want to keep it fair! Sound simple enough? Here are the letters:
Andrea Kozari, District 12:
Welcome, Jayden, and thank you for taking time to talk with us today. We’ve been meeting some really interesting…people…recently in these interviews and you’re no exception – being an alien and all. So, to introduce you to our readers can you tell us a little about yourself and where you come from?
My name is Jayden, just Jayden, and I just turned fifteen. I am from the planet Sirius, orbiting a star of the same name. We look just like you because we come from the same original seed. Our planet was colonized way before yours and we were tasked (by the Forefathers) to oversee the survival of all sister colonies, like you here on Earth.
I live with my father on the Crisis Intervention Ship, (which comes to the aid of colonies in dire situations) along with 210 other people. I go to school and follow required training as I would if I lived planet side.
How did you come to be Tommy’s mentor? What do you think of him?
Now that’s a sore subject. I was told to not only watch over him, but to help him fit in. I don’t know if you realize how hard that was, because he didn’t know anything about us, about our technology, our ways…nothing! He’s from Earth, by the way and he didn’t even know how to use a digipad or take a shower here. You see, the Commander, Tommy’s father, is my father’s friend, and somehow the two of them thought that this would be a good idea. Anyway, nothing seemed to work out and I kept making mistakes, one that almost killed him too, but Father dealt with that.
What do I think of him, you ask? Now I think he’s OK, and we have found that we have a few things in common. He’s not a bad guy and he never stopped being nice to me, no matter how mean I was. So I guess he’s all right.
What made you change your mind about helping him fit in?
I didn’t really have the option to not help him, though I did try to get out of it at first, but what really did it for me was when we went to his planet, Earth, and I saw how he lived. He’s from the Rocky Mountains. Gods, you should have seen it! That’s when I realized how different our worlds were, how difficult adapting must have been for him. Not to mention having to leave his whole life behind…
So you did actually visit Earth with Tommy; tell us a little about your experience.
Neither Tommy nor I knew that we were going there. It was because of a dangerous situation that I can’t really talk about, but yes, I did visit Earth.
It was quite an experience. He had me collecting eggs from chickens, can you imagine? I rode a horse which was fun, and I got to play out in the snow. He showed me one of his notebooks. At least I think that’s what he called it, with his biology notes inside. Let me tell you, our digipads are so much better. I will admit that I fell in love with his mother’s library and I read a lot while everyone else slept.
Once, we had to drive home from town in one of their personal transportation devices, a mini-van. I couldn’t take it, it was horrible. My legs went numb and I felt sick. I don’t know how they do that every day.
We’ve got some random questions for you now about books – hopefully you’ll have read enough human stuff during your time with Tommy to be able to answer them.
If you could be any character from any book – who would you be and why?
Omni. I guess you probably don’t know who that is, but he’s from two books, the Price of the Phoenix, and the Fate of the Phoenix. He comes across as a bad guy because of what happened in the past, but he does care deep down inside. If I was him, I could only hope I’d get over it and help people, you know, because he’s that powerful.
Why? I think it’s because when I first met Tommy I was very angry at having lost my mother, and especially angry with my father for not having saved her. He is a doctor after all. I was in a very dark place but because of Tommy I started to change, grow. Omni is also in a dark place and I kind of relate to that.
Favourite fictional world – where would you love to live?
That’s easy, Hogwarts and the world of Harry Potter. I only read a few of the books, but it really is a magical world. Tommy let me bring them back with us so I could finish them.
Best super-evil book baddie?
Hmm, since I’m new to your literature, I would have to decide between Queen Jadis of Narnia, or Lord Voldemort. They both…how did Tommy put it, creeped me out?
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Thank-you for taking time to talk to us today!
If you’d like to know more about Jayden and the adventures she’s shared with Tommy, you can check out their facebook page. She also stars alongside Tommy in Debbie Brown’s book Amethyst Eyes, available now in over 100 online bookstores.
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Although this book is set in a dystopian future America, you learn very little about that world, what it is like and how it came to be that way…interestingly your whole perspective of the world and people in it are viewed through a ‘long walk lens’.
What I liked about this book, which in itself feels like a long and gruelling read at times (in a good way), is that it spends the entire time examining a terrible event in crippling slow motion through the eyes of those experiencing it. Comparisons to novels such as The Hunger Games only exist as far a this being semi- televised competition featuring young people, who must fight – or in this case walk – to the death. Unlike HG, The Long Walk focuses not on the action and bloody deaths, but the excruciating mental experience of the competitors. There is a close examination of human nature and how that can be twisted and tainted by a person’s environment in both negative and positive ways.
Overall, this is a thought-provoking read, that relies on subtle indicators to a world corrupt and terrible that would champion such a brutal event as the long walk, rather than overt themes and actions. It left me rather emotionally numb – just as the boys surrounded by death seemed to become – with an odd sense that somewhere out there Garraty and the others are still walking on this endless road: some ghosts, some living dead and others so mad they might be anything….what kind of world is that? I have to say I’m really not sure.
asidefromwriting 