The Literary Lair

The hiatus is over. I finally found a balance between school work and the things I do at home so now I do have time to read and review. I apologize for being gone so long. I don't have a book review yet but I do have a contest suggestion for all of you.




"In celebration of the "Read Beyond Reality" theme of Teen Read Week, which is scheduled for Oct. 18 to Oct. 24, and the spooky season now upon us, I'm offering the biggest, winner-take-all Cynsational giveaway ever, with an emphasis on my latest release, Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), and several spooktacular read-alikes!"-Cynthia Leitich Smith

In order to enter, e-mail Cynthia(or click the envelop) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Read Beyond Reality" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, and MySpace readers are welcome to just message her with the name in the header; She'll contact you if you win).


You can enter to win:

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

"At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight.

"Meanwhile, her reckless and adoring guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as the princess's personal assistant, has his work cut out for him trying to save his girl’s soul and plan the Master's fast-approaching Death Day gala.

"In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages."

Read an excerpt. See trailer by Shayne Leighton.

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors (Walker, 2009). Peek: "When Katrina spots a homeless guy sleeping in the alley behind her grandmother's coffee shop, she decides to leave him a cup of coffee, a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans, and some pastries to tide him over.

"Little does she know that this random act of kindness is about to turn her life upside down. Because this adorable vagrant, Malcolm, is really a guardian angel on a break between missions, and now he won't leave until he can reward Katrina's selflessness by fulfilling her deepest desire.

"Fame and fortune seem like the obvious requests, but after two botched wishes, Malcolm knows Katrina is hiding something from him. How can she tell him the truth, when her heart's desire has become Malcolm himself?

"Fans of romantic comedies will be clamoring for this heartfelt novel that is good to the last drop."

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder (Simon Pulse, 2009). From the promotional copy: "Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can be writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

"But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.

"Perhaps she's not so alone after all..."

How to Be a Vampire: A Fangs-On Guide for the Newly Undead by Amy Gray

How to Be a Vampire: A Fangs-On Guide for the Newly Undead by Amy Gray (Candlewick, November 2009). From the promotional copy: "Here the secrets of the undead are revealed, from how to be turned to how to fill eternity once you've been bitten, including: telling your family that you're a child of the night; dressing like the mysterious creature you are; and dos and don'ts of dating a mortal."

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler (Simon Pulse, 2008); "In a romantic and suspenseful collection of the New York Times bestselling trilogy (Kissed by an Angel; The Power of Love; Soulmates), love's unbreakable bonds are put to the test.

"When her boyfriend, Tristan, died, Ivy thought she'd lost everything, even her faith in angels. But now she's discovered that he's her guardian angel--his presence so strong that she can feel the touch of his hand, the beat of his heart. Ivy needs Tristan now more than ever because he knows she's in terrible danger. Only Ivy's guardian angel can save her now that his killer is after her.

"But if Tristan rescues Ivy, his mission on earth will be finished, and he must leave her behind forever. Will saving Ivy mean losing her just when he's finally reached her again?"


Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (Harcourt, 2009). From the promotional copy: "Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica Packwood's senior year 'get-a-life' plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth, and he's her long-lost fiance. Armed with new-found confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess.

"But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war, and save Lucius's soul from eternal destruction."

p.s.- You can also find my review for this story here.

Vamped by Lucienne Diver

Vamped by Lucienne Diver (Flux, 2009). From the promotional copy: "Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.

"I guess I'll just have to save everyone from fashion disasters and other fates worse than death."I wish everyone good luck in the contest!-Syn

I feel so horrible about not posting in the past several weeks. I've been going through school work, exams, writing, and so much drama within the family and friends departments. I haven't had the time to even cast my eyes at any books. So, since I already know I'm going to be busy the next few weeks/months, I'm taking a hiatus from The Literary Lair. I'll still be taking suggestions through my email.

If you have any questions you can also email me with those.

-Syn

I know I haven't posted in a while and I figured I could make it up to you guys by posting an author interview with Kevin Krohn (the amazing author of Severed Ties Vol. 1 and soon to be Severed Ties Vol. 2.) You can find my review for Severed Ties Vol. 1 here. Enjoy!


1. When were you first interested in writing?
I enjoyed writing at an early age. My mom still has a book I wrote, probably in first grade, that was laminated and bound. It was a school project, and I thought it was so cool that we laminated and bound them so it seemed like a big deal at the time. It was about G.I Joe!

2. How did you come up with your protagonist, Nyne?
I just wanted the main character to be someone completely different from who'd you expect to be commiting these greusome murders, and to make people think about the murderers that are out there. Most of them grew up basically the same as all of us did, so why not tell the story from that time in their life. Besides that, female assassins are probably one of the most fascinating types of people I can think of.

3. Did you find writing in the point of view in a different gender difficult at any point of your writing?
I really thought it would make the story that much more intriguing to make the character a female. It is not as shocking to write about a male killing people. One of the complaints I have read in some reviews is that Nyne isn't believable because she jumps from emotion to emotion so frequently and is constantly changing moods, but I guess those reviewers haven't run into the same females I have...because I thought those moodswings gave a realistic perspective into an unsure female questioning her surroundings.

4. Which of your characters would you say you're most like personality-wise?
People that know me can find my personality in each of the characters, but the one that is the most like me would be Nyne's love interest, Eric.

5. How did you come up with the story line for "Severed Ties?"
I love stories with big twists, crazy situations involving normal people. I am a big fan of movies like Old Boy and Memento that turn the story upside down with shocking surprises.

6. Was any research involved while writing "Severed Ties?"
No research. I let the story kind of piece itself together as I wrote it. I grew up in Portland, OR, so I had the story take place there since I was familiar with the locations I wanted to use. I did a little research for some perspective towards explaining the end of Volume II, though.

7. Do you have any specific habits for when you write?
I have made it a habit to not go back and try to rewrite while I am writing. When I started I spent so much time reworking paragraphs that the story would never move along. I make sure I just keep moving forward and will go back at a later date to rework it.

8. Do you write by typing, by hand, or both?
I have to write by hand. I can't keep a fluid flow of thoughts if I type, most likely becuase of my hunt-and-peck skills. The reason I named my publishing company SpiralBound Publishing is because I write in a good ol' spiralbound notebook.

9. Do you have a favorite spot for writing?
There is a small coffee shop up the street from my house that sits at the base of the mountain. I like to sit in there and write...plus the people watching can trigger some good ideas from time-to-time.

10. Any words for other aspiring authors?
I refuse to let people tell me what they think my story should be. I am pretty selfish in that sense. Just write what you feel and let it stand on it's own merit.

Thanks so much Kevin for taking the time and answering these questions for us.

Kevin Krohn's Myspace

This is a Severed Ties Vol. 2 Promo. Please note: I did not create this thus I do not take any credit for this promo video.

-Syn

I have found Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Go Ask Alice by Anonymous! It's funny, though, where they ended up being found; my chair. I could swear I looked everywhere in my room and that there was no way they would've been in my chair; I, evidently, was wrong.

Anyway, Eternal and Go Ask Alice have been placed back on my reading list but they'll be read after I finish Evernight by Claudia Gray, Old Magic by Marianne Curley, and In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

-Syn

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.


I have to be honest; when I first heard the title and read the description I didn't exactly see myself liking the book too much. The title seemed really corny and I thought I had heard this plot line for a story several times before. But, in the end, I was very, very wrong. When I first started reading the story, I was hesitant about how quickly you found out who Jessica was supposed to be and what Lucius was. Then I kept reading and found that if I hadn't have known from the start what/who they were, there would've been a lot of bland space between the beginning and when the twists start coming in. Lucius's letters to his uncle were a good add-on, I thought, which helped me think more on Lucius's level than if I was just an outsider. This book made me go through several emotions; happiness, sadness, and, definitely, anger. That's one of the reasons, though, why I love the book so much now; it made me feel exactly what Jessica/Antanasia was feeling. Beth Fantaskey has now become one of my new favorite authors as Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side has become my new favorite book.

5/5