Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (54): As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights an upcoming release that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott!

It's no secret I love Elizabeth Scott's YA books, so of course I can not wait for this one. The cover is very intense, and the summary sounds really interesting and good. Elizabeth Scott has proved she can write many different genres and plots very well, so I'm will be expecting to love this one as well! It comes out this fall on September 15, 2011. The cover and summary below are from Goodreads:


What if you woke up and didn't know where you were?
What if you didn't know who you were?

And what if, when your memories started to come back--what if they didn't match the you that you're supposed to be?

Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them--and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears 

in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (53): Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights an upcoming release that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Prized: Birthmarked Book 2 by Caragh M. O'Brien. 

When I read the first book Birthmarked, I fell in love with the wonderful and intriguing dystopian story. I hope that Prized will live up to the first book and judging by the summary, it sounds like it will! The cover is so gorgeous and comes out this fall on November 8, 2011. The cover and summary below are from Goodreads:


In the thrilling follow up to Birthmarked, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone has fled from the Enclave and now must fight for her baby sister’s survival in the matriarchal society of Sylum.


Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, 16-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Author Interview/Giveaway with Author Brian Rowe

Today it's my pleasure to host an interview/giveaway with the author of Happy Birthday to Me, Brian Rowe! Without further ado my interview with Brian:

How did the concept of Cameron's story come about?
I got the idea for the core concept of Happy Birthday to Me years ago… I love "What if" stories, especially high concept films like Groundhog Day and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. One day I thought it'd be interesting to write a story about someone who mysteriously starts aging a whole year of his or her life with each passing day. When I decided to make the character a 17-year-old high school senior, everything just kind of clicked. And I simply had to write the story. 

Is Cameron or any of the other characters based off anyone you
know personally?
Many characters in my writing are influenced by people I know or have met, but most of the characters in Happy Birthday to Me are products of my imagination. I never worked with a basketball coach, I never got to know my high school librarian, my dad is the polar opposite of Cameron's egotistical father Stephen. Even Cameron's not really based on anyone I knew in high school. The character most based on someone is probably Wesley, who's sort of based on… who else... me! 

I'm very excited that there will be a Birthday trilogy, so I'm wondering what will be in store for Cameron in the next book?
I have very exciting plans for the second and third installments of the Happy Birthday to Me trilogy. I didn't originally plan Happy Birthday to Me as a trilogy, but in the last few months I started thinking about what Cameron would be facing in his future, and suddenly the ideas for Parts II and III became instantly clear. There will still be lots of comedy and romance in Part II, but Part III is going to take the story in an entirely new direction, one that is truly epic! I'm writing Part II right now and I plan on having both books out by the end of 2011! 

How has the whole author & blogosphere experience impacted you?
It's been an interesting few months, because for the majority of the last two years I've been writing a lot, and only writing. When I finally decided to self-publish Happy Birthday to Me in April, I had no idea the amount of work, both in preparing the book for publication, and in promoting the book through the blogosphere, would entail. But you know what? I love Happy Birthday to Me and believe in this project so much, I'll do just about anything if it means another ten people will pick it up and read it. 

How old were you when you started reading? 
Figured out you wanted to be an author?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading. Growing up my favorite thing in the world to do was read, and I would pour through anything I could get my hands on. I also started writing short stories in the third grade and just went berserk with writing for the next few years. My fifth grade teacher Mrs. Frodahl gave class assignments throughout the year to write short stories, and she always loved what I had to present. At the end of that year, she pulled me aside, and said, "One day Brian I want to see your name on a published novel… Don't let me down." Fifteen years later, I've published Happy Birthday to Me, and I dedicated the book to Mrs. Frodahl. 

What is your all time favorite book and/or series?
I remember my obsession with reading from age five to ten or so started to dissipate in my middle school and high school years, but one book I read in the beginning of my sophomore year brought me right back to my love of literature. My sophomore year English teacher Mrs. Utter offered our class the chance to pick from a few books, and I went with Robert McCammon's 1991 novel Boy's Life. It's a book that changed my life, and it's still my favorite novel I've read eleven years later. The book has everything… A central mystery, memorable characters, coming-of-age, horror, romance, drama… Everything. I recommend it to everyone!

When you're writing is there something that you just have to have in order to write or someone that gives you motivation?
I'm the only one in my family and in my circle of friends who writes fiction, so writing is a particularly solitary experience for me. My motivation comes from my desire to tell stories, all kinds of stories, and particularly to create living, breathing characters. By the time I finish Part III of the Happy Birthday to Me trilogy, Cameron and Kimber and Liesel and Wesley are going to feel so real to me it's going to be hard to let them go. I love writing fiction and honestly can't imagine a time in my future when I won't be telling stories.

Finally thank you for your time, is there anything else you would like 
to share?
I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to be featured on your awesome blog, and I hope everyone out there takes a chance on my debut YA paranormal romance novel Happy Birthday to Me! I promise a fun, fast, entertaining read!

Be sure to check out Brian Rowe's website!

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Thank you Brian for this lovely and interesting interview! Brian has also offered to give one lucky reader a copy of Happy Birthday to Me in MOBI, EPUB, or PDF formats. If you would like to enter just comment below with something about the book, author, or interview and be sure to include your email. I will select the winner May 28th, so comment away!



Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (52): The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights an upcoming release that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for The Fox Inheritance: Jenna Fox Chronicles Book 2 by Mary E. Pearson.

I read the first book The Adoration of Jenna Fox a long time ago, but I still remember and love the story, so I am very intrigued to read the sequel! I'll be very interested in reading this sequel when until it comes out this summer on August 30, 2011. The cover and summary below are from Goodreads:


Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead. Everyone except Jenna Fox.


Monday, May 2, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me Review


Title: Happy Birthday to Me:
Birthday Trilogy #1
Author: Brian Rowe
Number of Pages: 316
Genre: Paranormal Romance
 Publisher: --
Publication Date: May 24, 2011
My Edition: Kindle eBook
Reading Level: Young Adult
Received From: Author
Trilogy's Website:
birthdaytrilogy.blogspot.com

Summary from Goodreads: 
Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day!

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place...

Review: 
Wow, I truly enjoyed this book! When I first read the summary after the author Brian Rowe emailed me asking to read and review his new book, I was enticed and knew I had to accept his request and start reading it right away. First off, I like the cover a lot and think it is perfect for the story. When I started reading the story, it instantly drew me in, and I read the book quickly in two sittings. The paranormal and romance aspects were combined perfectly and made for an intriguing, thought-provoking novel. On a side note, the author did a very good job of not having grammatical errors like some other self-published books I've read, so I was very happy with that!


I went in expecting to not like the main character Cameron but even from the start, I actually didn't think he was actually that bad of a person. He was stuck up and conceited yes but not as bad as he could have been as the popular, star basketball player. His girlfriend irritated me the most because she was just so dumb and annoying, so I was very happy when Cameron widened his horizon and went for the right girl at the end. The plot reminded me a little of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but was very different because for Cameron he ages a year of his life with each passing day. I couldn't imagine experiencing what Cameron went through, but for him it was good since the experience changed his life for the better. Throughout the story I experienced a range of emotions from laughing, sad, excited, annoyed, happy, and finally satisfied with the ending!


Overall, Happy Birthday to Me was an eye-opener to how much importance and meaning there is in every passing day and was also a fantastic, fast read. I definitely recommend clicking the link below and buying a copy for your Kindle because you can not beat $0.99 for a great read! I'm really looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy hopefully very soon.





Rating: