Review- Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

This edition to the Blue Blood series is pretty much like the first two. This author's style of writing is very slow paced. She drags the story on and on without any big action and then there are little hints all over the story as to what the big "revelation" is. Most of the time I forget why I'm reading it. The story line is still pretty unique and that is the only reason why I continue to read the series. In this vampire collection the vamps are the casted out archangels. Yes I'm talking about the ones from the bible. Its written in a way that will make you want to know what will happen next to the Blue Blood society. Even though its mellowed out until the last 5 chapters where you get the heart racing action as readers we so desperately love.


~Tiffany

Interview- Terri Clark

I'm still on hiatus or whatever you want to call it, I'm just posting this because I got the answers today. Sorry, even though thing are looking up but I'm pretty sure it'll all go to hell soon. So until next time

Peace
Love &
Books,
Amelia/Book Junkie


How long ago did you start writing Sleepless and how did you get the idea for it?

I actually sold Sleepless before it was completely written. It sold in December of 2006 and my deadline was August of 2007 so it took about 8 months to write, plus revisions. As for the idea, Sleepless was inspired by my own fascination with dreams and a series of articles that ran in the Denver Post about criminals who committed violent crimes and then pretended insanity so they could go to the state mental hospital instead. At the hospital they would commit crimes against the staff and walk off campus where they also committed crimes or disappeared entirely. I was horrified by this and the great thing about being a writer is that you can literally right/write a wrong. It was from this expose that my villain Rafe Stevens was born.

What made you come to the decision to become an author?

I've written my whole life, but never considered it as a profession until I became a stay-at-home mom and found an online community of writers. Being involved with other writers really inspired me to take my writing seriously, to study it as a craft, to get involved with critique partners and professional writer organizations. The more I learned the more I thirsted to see my book published and I kept going until I realized my dream.

Are any of your characters inspired by people you know?
If so, which ones?

Trinity has parts of me in her. Her best friend's clumsiness and love for soccer is a nod to my niece. But I really don't create a character based on someone real so much as I like giving them little details, quirks, from people I know.

Do you have anything in common with Trinity?

Yes, we like the same music, often feel like misfits (who doesn't?) and several of her dream experiences are based on my own. But, thankfully, I haven't been pursued in my dreams.

Is Sleepless a stand alone book or is it a series?

It was a stand alone title, but when I finished it I felt like there was more to Trinity's story and I tried to convey that with the ending. My editor has since asked to see a proposal for a sequel, so please cross your fingers that HarperTeen will buy it.

Which character from Sleepless was your favorite to write? Which was the most fun to write? The most difficult?

Trinity was my favorite character to write. Strangely, there really wasn't any one character that I found fun to write, it was certain exchanges between characters that I had fun with--the sleep deprivation scene in the library, for instance. As for the most difficult, I found writing about Dan's dad the hardest. I think it's because I found him reprehensible, but I also had to find something redeeming about him and see the good that created Dan. Rafe was just deliciously twisted and wrong.

How do you get over writer’s block?

I shower. LOL. When I get stuck on a scene I take a hot shower and hash things out in my head. I don't know why that works, but I almost always figure out the solution. However, if I'm really, really stuck I have been known to interview my characters to get things flowing again.

What’s the first book you remember reading?

The Dick and Jane books. But the first books I ever really got into were the Trixie Belden mysteries. Loved those!

What are some books you’d like to recommend?

Neal Schusterman's Unwind is phenomenal, Laura Weiss's Such A Pretty Girl will leave you breathless and I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of Brent Crawford's debut Carter Finally Gets It and it's absolutely hysterical. I don't think a book has ever made me laugh so much. It comes out in April so check it out.

What were your favorite books as a kid/teen? Favorite authors?

Trixie, of course, and then anything by Judy Blume. When I got a little older I was also crazed about the V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic series.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Thanks so much for your interest in me and Sleepless! My next book, Hollyweird, will be out with Flux in the Spring of 2010 under the name Tess Clark. It's about two teens who win a trip to visit the star of their favorite TV show only to learn he's actually the son of satan and the only person who can save them is a fallen angel who is working undercover as the demon's personal assistant. You can learn more about me at my blog and website.

Terri

Review-Lost It by Kristen Tracy *****

"What would you do...
....If your best friend was plotting the annihilation of a small, furry, neighborhood poodle? Or if you parents up and moved to an Outward Bound-type survival camp in the middle of the desert? How about if you grandmother bought you new bras and underware-and you actuallu though they were a teensy bit, umm, sexy?
Most people would not react well.
Tess Whistle's junioryear of high school is off to a fairly bizarre start. One might even say her life is spiraling out of control. But with her sense of humor and her first real boyfriend on her arm, Tess is dealing with the ridiculous twists quite well, thankyouverymuch.
Just wait until her shoes explode"

This book was unusal. I don't really know how to explain what was unusal about it. Maybe the wiritng style or what it was about. In any case, it was a very good read.
I have to admit sometimes Tess pissed me off. I wanted to jump in the book and smack her, but Zena (her best friend) beat me to it. Just her attitude about and outlook on somethings made me mad. Ignorance, naivety, or whatever you want to call it annyed me. Not her fault butI still wanted to smack some sense into her. I mean 16 years olds should know what a hymen is and that having sex would break it. Especially before they have sex. The thing is, I couldn't really be that annoyed at her because I can't tell you how many of my friends that wouldn't and didn't know about stuff like that if it weren't for me. That's when I realized, I didn't want to smack Tess, I wanted to smack her parents. They are what I like to call "freaky Christians". (I have absolutely nothing against Christians so don't take offense to what I'm about to say) Freaky Christians are, by my definition: The Christians who won't get their kids the medical help they need because they think praying will help them. The people who think "No I won't teach my kid about sex because then they'll know about it and then *GASP* have it"! I can't tell you how many pregnacy scares my friends have had and I was the one to go buy a pregnancy test and take them to the doctor for birth control and so forth because they couldn't talk to their parents, because their parents still thought their kids thought babies came from the stork!
With stuff like sex, drugs, and alcohol ignorance is NOT bliss. And the Freaky Christian parents in the world need to realize that. Anyways back to the book...
I enjoyed it, I really did. One of the more "real" books I've read in awhile. By "real" I mean at some point I thought, "Wow, it's like this could be (Enter someone's name I know)." Sometimes Ben annoyed me, sometimes Zena annoyed me, or when she blew up the poodle, made me downright mad. I mean there are far better uses of fireworks than that, but I think I loved that aspect of the book. Sometimes you get tired of the perfect guys who falls for the perfect girls, or the perfect guys who fall for the normal/average/imperfect girl and vice versa. Sometimes you want to read a book that, like I said, seems more "real". Lost it is definitely that book. I haven't doen this in awhile but I'm going to give it FIVE Stars! Congrats to Kristen Tracy, you're among many great authors.

Review-Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

"Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend everyone lusts after. So why is she unhappy?
It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Luaren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyrfriend, Dave, is the "fight" thing to do. After al, who would give up the perfect guy?
But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in-and as Lauren's craving forEvan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more feirce-Lauren realizez she needs to makes a choice... beofre one is made for her. "


Lauren's mother left her and her dad when Lauren was six. When Lauren was eight, her dad started getting girlfriends. One after the other they moved in and moved out. He'd cheat on one and by the the time they found out and left he had another primed and ready to moved in. Four in all, the last one was Robin, when Lauren was thirteen, she moved in two days after T'eanna moved out. Lauren was eleven when T'eanna moved in, three days after Sally left. And before Sally was Mary, who her dad met when Lauren was eight. Mary had a son named Evan. It took awhile but Evan and Lauren did become friends. Unfortunately when Mary found out about Sally she took Evan and left, moved to Flordia. Lauren doesn't hear from them again until they move back and Evan is in her World History class. She starts falling for Evan and keeps falling and she has to choose betwen Evan and Dave. The guy who's perfect but you don't really love or the perfect guy for you you're head over heels in love with. Seems simple right, go with love. But she can't do that.
See the thing is, Lauren doesn't want to become her mother. Her mother didn't flal for her father until after she was pregnant but she did fall for him. Her mother was so in love with her father, but she still left. Lauren fears that whatever made her mother leave will make her leave Evan is she chooses him. Being with Dave is safe. They're perfect together, his family loves her and thinks they're perfect together. Dave's best friend, Marcus, is Lauren's best friend, Katie's, boyfriend. She woud be crazy to risk for a relationship that might not work out, right?

Interview- Elizabeth Scott and an apology and short rant

Okay you guys I know I promised to update and I have some reviews to post but at the moment I'm unable to. See in case you didn't know this is how it works with my life. When one thing goes wrong everything goes wrong. After I had a fight with my best friend, I got sick, my internet doesn't work for about a week, I get sick again, I lose the book I'm supposed to reading so I can review it and I just pretty much got kicked out and many other wonderful things (Sarcasm). I don't know where I'll be so I don't know if I'll have internet access. But I just got this interview back today so I'm going to post it as an apology and I hope I'll be able to figure this out and at least post some reviews. Also, I've entered some contests so if you see my name Book Junkie or Amelia as a winner could you send me an email or comment here or something so I can at least try to claim the prize. Maybe I'll be lucky that day, not likely but you never know. Thanks in advance!


How long ago did you start writing your first novel?

I started writing Bloom in April 2004

What made you come to the decision to become an author?

I got an agent, and sold a book!

How did you get the ideas for your books?

I get ideas from all over the place--things I read, thing I see, things I hear. I've even gotten ideas from dreams!

Are there any characters or places in your novels that were inspired by real people or places?

Some of the places in my books--like Stealing Heaven--are inspired by real places, but most are made up.

I've never based a character on a real person.

Do think you’ll ever write a series?

I've learned to never say never...

Who was your favorite character to write?

I've loved--and hated--writing all my books, and have loved--and hated!--all the people in them.

When you write…
Are you inside or out?

Inside

Are you using pen and paper, typewriter, or computer?

Computer/alphasmart

Is it quiet or are you playing music?

Quiet


What helps you get over writer’s block?

Going out and seeing the world, taking the time to look around and enjoy it. Or planting my butt in a chair and just getting through the hard part. Or parts.

What’s the first book you remember reading?

The J.C. Whitney auto parts catalog. For whatever reason, I was obsessed with it, and was so excited every time it came to the house.

Granted, I was three. But still. My parents tease me about it to this day!

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Thanks for wanting to interview me :-)



Once again sorry. Hope to to be back soon. Until then read and enjoy your life while you can.

Peace <3 and Books,
Amelia