tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193904464822483862024-02-07T10:54:18.637+00:00Bookish TreasuresLaura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.comBlogger543125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-2223588526524611462017-11-24T09:48:00.001+00:002017-12-06T16:03:20.952+00:00Bookish Black Friday Deals!As a whole I find Black Friday rather disappointing as there doesnt tend to be many good discounts in the UK. However the one exception is books and the Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend is always the best time of the year to get some amazing discounts on devices, offers on paperbacks, and a spate of free and cheap ebooks.<br />
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Amazon Deals</h3>
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Black Friday is always the best time of the year to get Amazon devices as they do pretty decent discounts. I've included only the bookish deals below but prices have also been slashed on Echo's and a Fire TV Stick.<br />
£30 off a kindle paperwhite! <a href="http://amzn.to/2jT0awQ">UK</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2zucpmi">US</a><br />
£20 - £40 off a kindle fire! Prices now start at £29.99 <a href="http://amzn.to/2hYxke2">UK</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2zuoFn5">US</a><br />
Half price Audible 3 month membership. Now £3.99 a month (or FREE for Amazon Prime members) <a href="http://amzn.to/2hYy7M3">UK ONLY</a><br />
$30 off a kindle <a href="http://amzn.to/2k4211O">US ONLY</a><br />
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Other Stores</h3>
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Waterstones - <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/black-friday">Half Price in bestseller 'Great Books' and Under £10 'Beautiful Books'</a> Many big sellers such as Bad Dad, The Essex Serpent and The Book Of Dust are included in this.<br />
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The Book People - <a href="https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=143703&catalogId=10051">Prices slashed even further than usual</a> There's no exact details on savings, but it is always worth checking out TBP as they permanently have good deals on the books they stock, particularly boxsets. Currently you can get the Harry Potter paperback boxset for only £26 which is less than half price of the rrp!<br />
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The Book Depository - <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/black-friday">Extra 10% off!</a> This looks like the 10% is off everything (including on top of other deals). You just need to use the coupon code BF10 at the checkout. There are also further discounts on selected bestsellers.<br />
Foyles - <a href="http://www.foyles.co.uk/?sc_src=email_2544681&sc_lid=141364661&sc_uid=NddwLWGhWM&sc_llid=8310&sc_eh=dce96511bd4d0f151&utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Black+Friday+20%25+off+online_2017_11_24">Extra 20% off everything.</a> Use code BOOKFRIDAY20 at checkout<br />
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Misc</h3>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/2015/oct/09/how-to-find-a-literary-agent-with-juliet-mushens-writing-course">25% Off 'How To Get An Agent' class with Juliet Mushens.</a> Use <a href="https://twitter.com/mushenska/status/934000254634151936">SALE25</a> at checkout for the discount - valid until Monday.<br />
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Amazon Ebooks</h3>
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This is always a great weekend for massive ebook discounts! I'll add to this list over the weekend as I find deals. Are you an author (or a big fan of a book)? Let me know of your Black Friday deals!<br />
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<br />Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-41417389405073421822016-06-30T15:02:00.000+01:002016-06-30T15:23:15.082+01:00Review - Slave To Sensation (and giveaway!)***This book is contains sexual content and is not suitable for younger readers***<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQ2_LMFRAsnLwtF5-1DJhyphenhyphenHGyX1tQNBmy-lRDwXcKoieq8ekzYb9ireKeKJ6n8ZSPJsaO28ImLIqWo31J4MN3jlzzxwSzHjgqK2wKObe8keHG6Esfdek19hNLWpqr6DRZX4PqhxtS0Iks/s1600/Slave+To+Sensation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQ2_LMFRAsnLwtF5-1DJhyphenhyphenHGyX1tQNBmy-lRDwXcKoieq8ekzYb9ireKeKJ6n8ZSPJsaO28ImLIqWo31J4MN3jlzzxwSzHjgqK2wKObe8keHG6Esfdek19hNLWpqr6DRZX4PqhxtS0Iks/s320/Slave+To+Sensation.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was... <br />
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Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.<br />
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<strong>My Thoughts</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Though they dont have as much mainstream popularity as a few years ago, I still love a good paranormal romance / urban fantasy novel. Over the years I have read many books by most of the biggest names in the genre but never any by Nalini Singh. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Psy-Changeling series starting, I decided to give the first book, Slave To Sensation, a try.<br />
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The story is set in a world with Psy (people with various powers such as mind control) and Changelings (shapeshifters) living alongside humans, who dont feature much in this particular book. The main characters Sasha and Lucas are a Psy and a Changeling respectively, two warring factions, so it is a bit of a Romeo and Juliet tale. The romantic storyline is the the strongest element of the book but romance isnt all this has to offer. The Psy-Changeling world is really interesting and quite well built but there is still plenty of room to develop and build further in the future books.<br />
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There is a "detective story" element to this book and that was probably my favourite bit. The characters are trying to catch a serial killer and the mystery of "who dunnit" and them trying to track down the culprit was really well done. It added some extra excitement and a bit of edge to what otherwise would have been a very standard shifter romance like so many on the market. As for the characters, Lucas was great, a well written typical alpha hero. Sasha wasnt one Iif my favorite characters but she developed really well as the book went on. I would have liked to see her do more with her potential at the end.<br />
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Overall, Slave To Sensation is sexy, romantic, action packed, mysterious and has a great dose of humour. It is on the upper end of the raunchy scale for this type of book with a few sexually explicit scenes, so if that isnt your cup of tea then it is probably best to give this book a miss. However, if you are looking for a steamy romance that brings some excitement, adventure, and shapeshifters to the table, then this is perfect. I will definately be looking to read more of the books in this series.<br />
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Verdict: Recommended.<br />
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Try it for youself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7179268-slave-to-sensation">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slave-Sensation-Psy-Changelings-Book-1/dp/0425212866/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467260735&sr=8-1&keywords=slave+to+sensation">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slave-Sensation-Psy-Changeling-Nalini-Singh/dp/0575095660?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21">Amazon UK</a><br />
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For the chance to win a copy of the book courtesy of Gollancz checknout my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/lauramaycarter">instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/Book_Treasures?p=s">twitter</a>. You can enter on both for two entries.Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-11306867236989597712015-11-13T00:52:00.001+00:002015-11-13T16:34:54.457+00:00Interview with Brandon Sanderson<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">In October, my all-time favourite author <a href="http://brandonsanderson.com/">Brandon Sanderson</a> visited the UK to promote the release of his latest book Shadows Of Self. During that time not only was I lucky enough to hear him talk at GolanczFest2015 and get several books signed, but I was also offered the opportunity to interview him in person at the beautiful Hachette offices in central London. For anyone who hasn't heard of Brandon Sanderson, he is a bestselling and award winning author of fantasy novels such as The Final Empire and The Way Of Kings and was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's The Wheel Of Time series after his untimely passing. Brandon also teaches some creative writing classes and runs the amazing podcast "Writing Excuses".</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So one grey Monday morning I headed off down to the banks of the Thames for an experience I would never have dreamed possible. Armed with my trusty phone (previous experience has shown me to never rely on a Tascam for audio recordings) I managed not to fangirl too much whilst being introduced to Brandon before settling down to chat about his books. And by chat I mean that I mainly sat in awe completely enraptured by what he was saying whilst managing to occasionally squeak out some questions.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">The below interview is entirely spoiler free as I wanted it to be something that everyone could enjoy regardless of which books they had read previously. So if you want to learn more about Brandon Sanderson's books, why he does what he does and much more then please read on.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">***Note - the below text was transcribed from an in person conversation and has been minimally changed from its pure form***</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>So, in your books, you always make up your own magic systems,
your own creatures rather than sticking to more traditional fantasy element. You don’t just stick to dragons or traditional magicians and other things that
already exist. So why do you choose to make everything up yourself rather than making it easier and going with what has already been created, and where do you get
all the different ideas from?</em> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I love a big fantasy – epic fantasy. I discovered
it when I was a teenager and it changed my life, and I just absolutely love the
genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve read a tonne in the
genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have – I’m also an academic
– I have a Master’s degree in English – and I’m very interested in the history
of the genre and things like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
reader, I noticed I was getting a little bit bored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Particularly during the late nineties, with
reading the same thing over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s this problem that we come to fantasy as a genre because we want
to discover something new;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> i</span>t’s about
the sense of wonder and exploration, and the first books for a reader often are
just very mind-blowing. They open our perspective up; they let us look at
something very different from what we’ve seen before. But then if we read that
too much more, we start to get – you know, we lose that sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And certainly there are cool things about
what’s familiar as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like returning
to characters and things like that, but I think that the genre got potentially just
stuck in a little bit of a rut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
that what Grandpa Tolkien did was so revolutionary that we spent two decades as
a collective genre kind of responding to Tolkien, and when my generation came
along (you see I’m not the only one doing this, it’s kind of a movement of the
whole generation I think) we’re responding to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re saying, ok, we’ve explored this; we’ve
explored what Orcs are and what dwarves are, and things like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of taking Tolkien’s world and doing
something else in it, let’s step back and say “What did he actually do in
creating all of this, and can we replicate that process, rather than just
replicating the result?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this was a
big motivation for me to start writing. I wanted to do something new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like the fantasy genre should be the
most incredible and amazing and different genre out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the genre where we can do anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even, to an extent, science fiction is
bounded more than fantasy is, and so why not explore some different
directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> S</span>cience
fiction’s been doing this for years – for decades – taking us to very different
locales, and I wanted to bring a little bit more of this to fantasy. Certainly
there are other people who are doing this – China Mieville is a great example,
and Brent Weeks and NK Jemisin. It’s a
whole generation of us that are going in obviously different directions, we’re
not doing the same thing but we’re all kind of responding and saying “What can
we do that’s new?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is what
excites me; this is what makes me really love the writing process, is going to
these new places.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Where do I get my inspirations?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re all over the place – people I meet,
articles I read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of my inspiration
comes from reading a story or watching a film and saying “Wow – they handled
this one part of it really poorly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can I
write a story that takes that idea and goes the right direction?” Conversely, you
know I watch something like – one of my favourite movies ever is Sneakers –
it’s this old heist film with Robert Redford and it’s delightful – and I think
“Can I write a story that’s a heist story in a fantasy world?”, taking
something I love and mixing it with something else I love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see me doing that a lot as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of like just taking multiple things I
love and sticking them in a brew<span style="color: red;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>and shaking them up and seeing what
pops out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>You mentioned before a couple of
authors that do similar things, such as Brent Weeks, who's books I adore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Who are your favourite authors and what</span> are your
favourite stories that do similar things to what you do?</em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">To what I do? You see that’s kinda hard, because a lot of my
favourite stories are doing things that I’m not doing, that were just really
revolutionary in helping me see fantasy in a new way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favourite fantasy novel, favourite standalone
novel, is probably “Tigana” by Guy Gavriel Kay, just because it’s one of those
books I read where the narrative mixing with the magic mixing with the cultures
is done in such a perfect way. But approaching what Guy does is not
something many people can do, and I wouldn’t even say – I wouldn’t dare to say
– I’m doing the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly
some of the things that he does, I’ve said “Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to incorporate that in my
writing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would say right now the
writers closest to me are Brent Weeks and Brian McClellan. They would be the most
similar to what I’m doing – but I read very widely, and I mean I’ve read Naomi
Novick’s “Uprooted” this summer and it’s fantastic, if you haven’t read that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I mentioned earlier Nora Jemisin. I’m a big fan of her work
– it’s very literary, very different from what I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She approaches fantasy from a literary
viewpoint – very Ursula Le Guin style, playing with perspective and viewpoint
and narrative in really fascinating ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I have enormous respect for her and a lot of those people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people who got me into fantasy were Barbara
Hambly, Anne McCaffrey and Melanie Rawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those were the writers that really – that I read as a youth – that
really pulled me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then Robert
Jordan started writing “The Wheel of Time” about a year after I’d gotten into
fantasy, and I just absolutely fell in love with that series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
started off very Tolkienesque, and then as the series continued he took these
enormous leaps in other directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
kind of led my whole generation kind away if that makes sense, off into different waters, so to speak.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In terms of a story starting off as one thing and then merging into something else, you kind of do that with Mistborn. It starts off as almost a heist rebellion series with fantastical elements, and then by the third book it’s something entirely different. I</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">s that something that you do intentionally and want to
do with all of your work?</span></em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">What you’re noticing there is more me writing a story; I like it when my books have a
defined ending. One of my pet peeves as a reader is when I get this awesome
book, but it only feels like a slice of a story rather than an entire story, so
you know my goal in Mistborn was for each book to feel like, packed into it, an
entire trilogy’s worth of writing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love how each work as their own story</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">, they all have a different feel, a different story, but then share a big overall arc and an epic adventure.</span></em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">One of the tricks that I used for myself in writing that
was, each one would have kind of a different sub-theme and a different magic
they explored, and so you know, Mistborn 1’s a heist novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a fantasy: big heading; little
heading: heist novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Book 2</span> is
fantasy: big heading, but now it’s political intrigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the suspense; it’s who is the spy among
us, and can we make the politics all work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the third one is a war epic, again big heading: fantasy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">And this is just a way, I feel, to keep a series fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll notice - actually, something who does
this very well, are the Marvel films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The </span>Thor films are all fantasies and the
Captain America film, the first one, was a war film, and the second one was an
espionage film, and they each kind of had their own feel. And they just did a
heist in Ant Man. It’s like they understand you can’t just give the same exact
feel with every story as it will feel bland, but if you can mix it up and say, ok,
this one has a slightly different feel because of this reason, it gets us some
more of that blending of the familiar and the strange together. It’s just –
part of why we read is that we want something familiar, but we want something
strange, and everyone’s kind of threshold of what they want of those two things
is different. But for me, you know, I
like a healthy balance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">So, one thing that’s quite a
common theme in many of your books is quite a lot of them mention religion in
some way, shape or form. So Mistborn has a really heavy element and quite a lot
of the others as well – War Breaker very predominantly, Legion too – all of
them really, to some extent. So why do you choose to tackle that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something that can so often, for some people,
almost be off-putting and can veer some people away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do you choose to </span>d<span style="color: black;">o </span></span><span style="color: black;">that and how do your
own personal views reflect your writing?</span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">So, I find that what I’m fascinated by gets into my
fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s just very natural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not a writer who likes to seek a specific
message in my writing –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like that to be
a natural outgrowth of what the characters are interested in or conflicted by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But of course, what I am interested in and conflicted
by spawns the characters in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I am religious – for those who don’t know, I’m Mormon – and so I’m
very fascinated by the ideas of religion, and often times, things like – you
mention War Breaker – the idea of a God who didn’t believe in his own religion, was
so interesting to me.</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>That’s just my favourite element of the book</em>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I had to,
like, expand on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you find me
doing is just trying to explore all different aspects of human experience, and throughout the history of humankind,
religion has been one of our most important human experiences. And how we interface with the divine – the
stories we tell ourselves, and what they mean to us, and things like this, it’s
just– it’s part of human nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so
you see me exploring this, you see me approaching it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my goal as a writer is always to kind of
try to attack things from as many directions as I can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the best discussions and stories and
conflicts happen when you have multiple characters who are all very
legitimately interesting in their own right on different sides of an idea, and
so that’s what I try to do.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>I think you succeed there,
it’s one of my favourite part of your books is that sort of religious aspect,
but they don’t push a message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a lot of querying, all of the characters
think, they have a lot of internal debate with themselves, which is always
really interesting from a readers perspective.</em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">So, one of my personal mandates is stories are
about questions, not answers, and the best stories will make you think but
won’t tell you how to think, and that’s just part of being human,
exploring these questions.</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>So, in terms of your writing
process, how long does it generally take you to come up with the idea, craft
all of the world, start drafting, because I imagine it must take a while due to the depth of your stories. Lots of small hints in the first book which turn out all along to explain exactly where the story is going.</em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;">You know,
there’s no rule of thumb on this. Some stories brew for decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can say that now because the first </span>Stormlight </span>book started brewing when I was 15, and I’m, you know I’m almost 40 now,
so it has been brewing for decades. Other ones, you get that flash of an idea. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Steelheart was like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a flash of an idea and I knew there was
a story there and I started working on it immediately. And there’s everything
in between as well. I am
a planner. I do like it when my plots
all interconnect between the books. I can see things through the novels in
interesting ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s very important
to me, just for my plotting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
thing is, books – the core of books is not the world or the plot – the core of
the books is the character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is
this weird sort of balance because, you know, as I said, we come to fantasy in
the first place because we want something – it’s the world building that draws
us in, and the plot and hooks are often, you know, the things that will be the
most memorable– wow! you surprised me– punched me on the side of the face– I
wasn’t expecting it. but the characters are what make us keep reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a book with a bad world but great
characters is still going to be a great book, but a book with bland characters
and a great world is going to be a boring book no matter how interesting some
of the concepts are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so it’s this
thing where I can plan the world as much as I want, and the plot as much as I
want, but once I start writing, the characters, who they develop to be, will
often require rebuilding both of these things to match, and letting the
character be in charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is more
along the lines of– I’m not one of these people that feels like, you know, it’s
all mystical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s more like, letting my
own subconscious drive these characters in certain directions, and allowing
myself the flexibility to rebuild around them is– that’s gotta be the most
important thing for telling a story, I feel.</span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0;"><em><span style="color: black;">So do you find that
your original plan for a book might change as you’re writing the characters?</span></em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;">It will, it
will. You know, it’s rare that it changes really drastically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the time<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> – </span>and I’m getting practiced at this now – what
happens is that little things change here and there. I rebuild certain plot
arcs, certain character arcs, certain themes, based on what’s developing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the character’s just completely out of
alignment with the book, that’s when I step back and say “should I just put a
different character in here and save this character for a different story?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And often times I’ll cast, you know, I’ll start
the first chapter of a book 3 or 4 times, looking for the right voice of the
character who’s going to be the main character of that story (It’s happened
with</span> Vin in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mistborn) until I find one that matches the
story that I want to tell, and then I’ll go forward with it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>So how many characters did you
go through to get the lead for Mistborn?</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I had 3 Vins. It was the third one that worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I posted one of them on my website so that
people could go read that <a href="http://brandonsanderson.com/final-empire-prime-vin-scene/">deleted scene</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>One final question. Do you have
a book and a character which has been your favourite to write?</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">You know,
it’s a great question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really have
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like all my characters are my
children, and I love them all for certain reasons, and I’m tired of them for
certain reasons, and so I don’t pick favourite books or favourite characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s whoever I’m writing at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">~~~~~</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you so much to Brandon Sanderson for doing this interview and also to all the people at Gollancz for making it happen, particularly Lucy from <a href="https://twitter.com/bookbellereads">The Book Belle</a>. </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p>If you have read some of Brandon's books before then I hope you found this interview as fascinating as I did and if you are new to his books then what are you waiting for! The Mistborn trilogy is my favourite, but if you would prefer a standalone novel then both Elantris and Warbreaker are incredible full-length reads.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p>I can second many of the books that Brandon talks about in the above interview. In particular Uprooted is really quite fantastic and also has the most beautiful cover - if you live in the UK that is. Brandon's website is an amazing resource as he posts a lot about writing, has lots of deleted scenes, creates annotations to his tales so you can see what he was thinking at every moment, and even has some free reads. Following on from the original Vin deleted scene mentioned above, one of my <a href="http://brandonsanderson.com/mistborn-deleted-scene/">favourite posts</a> charts the progression of how the first chapter of The Final Empire changed from the first draft and is a fascinating read for numerous reasons.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p>Meeting my number one favourite author was an amazing experience that perfectly rounded off my unplanned September to October reread of all of his books and I hope he comes back to the UK again in the future.</o:p></span></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-90885544239893902052015-10-25T07:00:00.000+00:002015-10-25T07:00:06.033+00:00Bookish Treasures Relaunch - With Giveaway!Hello! As you have likely noticed (unless you are new here, in which case, welcome!) there have only been a few incredibly infrequent posts on Bookish Treasures for a while now. The past few months (in fact the past year +) have been very busy for me and recently culminated in completing an MA in Publishing, moving to London, and starting my first full time job at a traditional publishing company.<br />
<br />
It is incredibly exciting to now be living in the heart of bookish England and, after a few months, I have started to find my feet and get settled enough to feel like I can pick up blogging again. Things will be changing slightly from how they used to be, but expect lots of recommendations, discussion posts, reviews, and posts from both authors and other industry professionals. Coming up soon is an interview with my all time favourite author!<br />
<br />
If you want to get involved with Bookish Treasures in some way then please get in touch. Authors, assistants, publicists etc. please do read my authors/publishers page before contacting me about any potential reviews or features as my policies have changed slightly.<br />
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In celebration of finally being back and blogging again, I have two giveaways that will be running for the next month, one big one for UK residents and one that is open internationally so that non UK-ers don't have to be left out.<br />
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<h3>
UK Giveaway</h3>
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One surprise box of books and swag (mainly YA's). Now the contents are a surprise partially because I haven't decided exactly what will be included yet! However I promise that it will be awesome: think multiple books, some of which will be signed, and some fun swag.<br />
<br />
Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to those with a UK postal address only, however I have an international giveaway further down!<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="ac1eb53a66" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ac1eb53a66/" id="rcwidget_h6z5ae4w" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
International Giveaway</h3>
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One book of your choice up to a value of $10 from the book depository.<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="ac1eb53a68" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ac1eb53a68/" id="rcwidget_fnlbzu4f" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
Winners for both giveaways will be selected in late November and prizes will be sent out in early December.<br />
<br />Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-22640198868405675882015-08-14T07:00:00.000+01:002017-11-27T15:38:54.869+00:00Feature Friday - The Cambridge of House Of WindowsFeature Friday is a feature on Bookish Treasures that spotlights an author through either a guest post or interview so that they can share something special about their books or their path to publication.<br />
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Today's feature is a guest post from author Alexia Casale whose most recent novel House Of Windows has just released.<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
House Of Windows by Alexia Casale</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFqmbRX48zQMHLcAp7Yo00cTHaNY5ozPXymqhvbrXArvmc3tgtkrnNuVoU-vuuajI43A1cxxEsIpMJHUhlU0SCIf6Ip0hSPYCtUo5DJtfTlOyfNa66talrJQgGlvoinE9zj0UDtBdujwm/s1600/House+Of+Windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFqmbRX48zQMHLcAp7Yo00cTHaNY5ozPXymqhvbrXArvmc3tgtkrnNuVoU-vuuajI43A1cxxEsIpMJHUhlU0SCIf6Ip0hSPYCtUo5DJtfTlOyfNa66talrJQgGlvoinE9zj0UDtBdujwm/s320/House+Of+Windows.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText11305072631976962461">'The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us.' Robert Louis Stevenson<br /><br />Nick hates it when people call him a genius. Sure, he's going to Cambridge University aged 15, but he says that's just because he works hard. And, secretly, he only works hard to get some kind of attention from his workaholic father.<br /><br />Not that his strategy is working.<br /><br />When he arrives at Cambridge, he finds the work hard and socialising even harder. Until, that is, he starts to cox for the college rowing crew and all hell breaks loose...</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23524522-house-of-windows?from_search=true&search_version=service">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2BpaJfk">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XGX1822/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00XGX1822&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<h3>
The Cambridge in House Of Windows</h3>
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I’ve spent time in the countryside around Cambridge since my teens. Both my parents travelled a lot so periodically I would decamp to my very kind (and much put upon) aunt and uncle on the border of Essex and Cambridgeshire. I’d largely refused to go to school since I was 13, so swapping houses was less of an issue than it might have been. Off I’d go to my poor beknighted relatives only to promptly disappear on adventures. Where does this path lead? What’s behind those trees. Ooooo, pretty flowers – are there more? What a lovely chimney! And so on. (I also discovered the local sewage works, so it wasn’t all ‘romance of the wild’.)</div>
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After school, I was lucky enough to get into Cambridge – the first person from my College ever to do so. It was like stepping into a book. Like living in a stately home. It was a privilege and an honour and so intensely dream-like I still can’t quite believe it happened. Whenever I go back I look up at my old Trinity Hall Front Court window and try to persuade myself that I lived there – me! It doesn’t seem possible. But that is what Cambridge I, at least in part: a leap into the past as well as into your own future. I still dream of how vividly I felt the need to hold on to the time ticking away. How deeply I felt the need to appreciate every last second. How important I knew it was not waste or squander or ignore any part of it.</div>
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</div>
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But life is always more than where you live, however grotty or glorious. The physical world of the University is joy in solid form: in stone and brick and earth and wood and petals and water. But it’s still the external world and no amount of beauty is enough to fill a person’s internal world, however grateful they are for what they have. </div>
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That is one of the key things I wanted to capture in Nick, the protagonist of <i>House of Windows</i>. That and the juxtaposition of the wonder of the University buildings and grounds to its human side. Modern Cambridge University is an awkward mix of the cutting edge and the traditional. The result is a lot of out-and-out silliness: an entire language that you have no choice but to learn and use because otherwise you’re marked as an outsider – and excluded as one. It doesn’t matter if you think the whole thing is stonkingly stupid: almost everyone does. You quickly learn there’s a silent agreement that everyone will play along: that you’re in it together, being a bit ridiculous but being part of something. The thing that makes it palatable is that over-time the bigoted parts of Cambridge’s traditions are being worn away and so it’s more like a series of daft but harmless in-jokes. And it’s quite nice to know all the in-jokes at a party. Especially if you’re a lonely nerdy weirdo freak – as most people at Cambridge are. I wanted to show that Nick sees all these strange rules and traditions for what they are – but at the same time, views them with fond disdain. That’s what being a modern Cambridge student is about: donning silly robes and laughing with a bunch of other people wearing the same as you all stand about being daft together in one of the most beautiful places on earth.</div>
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One of the ways these things come out is in the particular type of ‘humour’ you find at Cambridge. It’s almost always a bit too clever for its own good. And in the case of some people, it’s out and out offensive. But most of the time it’s just like everything else – a series of silly rather than truly funny in-jokes that become funny because you’re on the inside: for once, you’re party of the club. You <i>get</i> it. And I wanted to capture that because it is so much a part of being a member of the University. Not everyone at Cambridge is an antisocial loner, but almost everyone has had a rough time at school at some point because of their intelligence and/or academic ambition, so Cambridge is full of people who at a social level want to be part of a crowd. We’re also people who spend a lot of time being serious and studious – and often punished for it – so it’s a relief to find somewhere you be as silly as possible.</div>
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It’s against this backdrop that Nick tries, and often fails, to enjoy being a student. He’s spent years hoping that at Cambridge he’ll finally find like-minded people, but it doesn’t prove easy, given that he’s still only fifteen. I expect lots of people are like Nick – like me – in looking forward to university as the place everything will fall into place, but like expectations of first love university isn’t an instant pathway to easy friendship or anything else (except alcohol). So Nick continues to find himself lonely in a crowd, an issue not helped by the fact that he has to ‘live out’ because of his age: unlike everyone else who has rooms in College (or Halls of Residence), Nick lives a mile away in a house his father has just bought as the new ‘family home’. Only they’re not much of a family so it’s not much of a home. It’s just another very nice place to spent his time. The beauty of Cambridge lifts his spirits but there’s always a melancholy edge to it not just of time fleeting, but because there’s no one to share it with. Nick’s situation may be unusual, but his feelings of hope and disappointment, joy and loneliness, are very much part of the student experience for almost everyone at some stage or another. As Nick slowly comes to see, maybe his situation as unique as he always thought. And maybe he isn’t quite so strange and different as he feels.</div>
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University is a time and place for learning new things and ‘finding yourself’, but also for discovering that other people’s lives may look very different on the surface, but feelings are pretty much universal. After all, growing up is only partly about coming into our own as unique individuals: it’s also about realising we’re not as different on the inside as we often assume.</div>
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<h3 class="MsoNormal">
About the Author</h3>
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A British-American citizen of Italian heritage, Alexia is an author, editor and writing consultant. She also teaches English Literature and Writing.<br />
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After an MA in Social & Political Sciences (Psychology major) then MPhil in Educational Psychology & Technology, both at Cambridge University, she took a break from academia and moved to New York. There she worked on a Tony-award-winning Broadway show before returning to England to complete a PhD and teaching qualification. In between, she worked as a West End script-critic, box-office manager for a music festival and executive editor of a human rights journal.<br />
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She’s not sure which side of the family her dyslexia comes from, but is resigned to the fact that madness runs in both. She loves cats, collects glass animals and interesting knives, and has always wanted a dragon.<br />
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Alexia is represented by Claire Wilson of Rogers, Coleridge & White.<br />
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Her debut novel, The Bone Dragon, is published in English by Faber & Faber, and in German by Carlsen. </div>
<br />Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-69768612272749497332015-08-12T07:00:00.000+01:002017-11-27T15:37:44.088+00:00Review of Second Position<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-VUfI47qhkpIWaGIOxE-z04NqbzARH3Ey7XPzNlFoBMZuU9EhRUtOvV9chVMEZueDGEc71r477Dy-woH9b0W0A3q-uL1Etv3J0bCNeh3zbM1LqwVlhTUZ4WfZXL3jYU0rPVVVWNJ8qc8/s1600/Second+Position.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-VUfI47qhkpIWaGIOxE-z04NqbzARH3Ey7XPzNlFoBMZuU9EhRUtOvV9chVMEZueDGEc71r477Dy-woH9b0W0A3q-uL1Etv3J0bCNeh3zbM1LqwVlhTUZ4WfZXL3jYU0rPVVVWNJ8qc8/s400/Second+Position.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText11007210167514520003">Four years ago, a car accident ended Zedekiah Harrow’s ballet career and sent Philadelphia Ballet principal dancer Alyona Miller spinning toward the breakdown that suspended her own. What they lost on the side of the road that day can never be replaced, and grief is always harshest under a spotlight...<br /><br />Now twenty-three, Zed teaches music and theatre at a private school in Washington, D.C. and regularly attends AA meetings to keep the pain at bay. Aly has returned to D.C. to live with her mother while trying to recover from the mental and physical breakdown that forced her to take a leave of absence from the ballet world, and her adoring fans.<br /><br />When Zed and Aly run into each other in a coffee shop, it’s as if no time has passed at all. But without the buffer and escape of dance - and with so much lust, anger and heartbreak hanging between them - their renewed connection will either allow them to build the together they never had... or destroy the fragile recoveries they've only started to make. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663595-second-position?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2BrvTJN">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2i7fd5z">Amazon UK</a></span><br />
<br />
<strong>Review</strong><br />
<br />
It is hard to find the right words to do justice to just how much I loved this book and how perfect it was. Katherine Locke has personal experience with many of the issues her characters have in the book (though as far as I know she does have two legs) and this really shows in how perfectly they are portrayed and how everything seems to come from the heart.<br />
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Lyrical and haunting, Katherine's writing perfectly captures the innermost thoughts and feelings of the characters. Aly and Zed were both simply fantastic to read about. They each have struggles and demons that they have to deal with and the conflicts they deal with seemed so real. As a couple they aren't perfect but have a spark that really makes you root for them and want them to get as close to a happily ever after as they can manage.<br />
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Second Position follows many traditional romance tropes but also has much to make it unique. I can honestly say that I cannot think of many (if any other than this!) featuring one main character with multiple mental health issues where the second is a former ballet dancer whose career was cut short when he lost his leg in a car accident. This is a second chance romance that contains many of the diverse elements that people seem to be begging for in books right now.<br />
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Having danced all my life and for several years wanting to do it professionally, I always love reading books that feature ballet. Second Position is definitely one of my favourites as it seems so realistic showing both the highs and lows that dancers experience on a regular basis.<br />
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I have been searching for a diverse New Adult novel that sensitively, and realistically tackles serious issues and Second Position perfectly fits the bill. I highly recommend this one.<br />
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Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663595-second-position?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SVWX5TM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SVWX5TM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=UU6DH5ZGKEIQYM5F">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SVWX5TM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SVWX5TM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=OKPSVZL6KWPBM6EB">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Laura</span></em></strong></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-51249734014800093932015-07-10T07:00:00.000+01:002015-07-10T07:00:07.543+01:00Feature Friday - On Writing In Male POVFeature Friday is a feature on Bookish Treasures that spotlights an author through either a guest post or interview so that they can share something special about their books or their path to publication.<br />
<br />
Today's feature is a guest post from author Lilly Avalon whose first New Adult book is releasing later this month and this is also the first time she has written in male POV.<br />
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<h3>
Unexpected by Lilly Avalon</h3>
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<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
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<span id="freeText14769576848560377516">Ever had one of those days? Alina Lyons is having one. Everything keeps falling apart and going wrong. Just when she thinks it couldn't get worse, it does. After a case of mistaken identity and a broken heart, she finds herself questioning the things she thought she knew. She wonders who she can turn to or trust anymore.<br /><br />An unlikely bond with her former best friend's ex, Ryan Wilcox, sends her life in a new direction. He offers her a place to stay while she gets her life back on track. His friendship is exactly what she's been missing—what she's been needing. Alina's never felt this alive. As time goes by, the dynamic of their relationship becomes more than either of them expected. A few innocent kisses could lead them in a new direction, but are they prepared for what's on the other side?<br /><br />Only one way to find out.</span><br />
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<span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25866351-unexpected">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010J38DHY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B010J38DHY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=4E2UXFL5EC4T6DXK">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010J38DHY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B010J38DHY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=C5ADAB52RCPHW2FM">Amazon UK</a> </span><br />
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<h3>
<span>On Writing in Male POV</span></h3>
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<span>Last year when I first started writing <i>Unexpected</i>, it was originally going to be in Alina's point of view only. I've written all my stories from female POV since I started. The majority of the books I've read are told from a female protagonist's POV, so it was fresh and clear in my head. There was something missing from the story, though, so I had to set it aside. I didn't pinpoint it until more than half a year later after I finished my fourth published story. The reason why <i>Unexpected</i> wasn't working was because it needed to be told from Ryan's POV, too.<br /><br />This was a surprising (and exciting) revelation for me. I've read several stories told in dual POV and always wanted to take a stab at it myself. My biggest fear? Making Ryan's voice sound believable. I hadn't dabbled in it before <i>Unexpected</i>, and after writing from the POV of my female characters for so long, I needed to adapt. I was also afraid of bouncing back and forth between Alina and Ryan, and whether I could handle two points of view at once.<br /><br />I had several scenes already written from before (all of which were in Alina's POV) so I had a lot to sift through and change. When I got to Ryan's first chapter, I tapped into the inner workings of his head. "If I were in Ryan's shoes, how would I be reacting? What would I be thinking? What would be driving my reactions and thoughts?" My female protagonists have all had male love interests, so I'm aware of the body language and the dialogue. His thoughts, however, were a different story.<br /><br />His whole first chapter was something I had to spend extra time on. As I wrote his inner monologue, I would have to stop and think for a moment: "Is this really what he's thinking about? Why would he be contemplating this?" There were a couple times I felt like Alina's POV was seeping through, so I had to delete words, sentences, and paragraphs because they weren't right. I pressed on, digging deeper into Ryan's psyche. And then he spoke. I felt like I was finally there--Ryan was letting me in and I could visualize him better than before.<br /><br />I still doubted myself, though. I decided after writing four chapters (two in Alina's POV and two in Ryan's) that I would send them to a trusted writer friend to make sure I was on the right track. It felt like I was, but as a writer it's always good to get a second opinion. The point of view is a major aspect of the story--you need to nail it or the whole thing could fall apart. My friend read the chapters and told me that I was definitely on the right track. I was relieved to hear that.<br /><br />As I progressed through the story, I could perceive Ryan's personality more and more. When I asked the right questions, he gave me the answers I needed. His motivation was key--discern the motivation and get a clear answer to his actions. He surprised me on more than one occasion, but in a good way. By the time I reached the end, it felt like Ryan was part of me.<br /><br />When you're writing in a new perspective, especially one you've never written in before, it does take time to develop a knack for it. One thing I attribute the success of Ryan's POV to is reading. Go out of your way to read several books told in either dual POV or male POV. Pay close attention to the male characters. That alone goes a long way when it comes to writing it. And when you are writing it, definitely ask your character as many questions as you can. You'll get the answers, not always immediately, but you will.<br /><br />Writing in male POV was an experience for me. It felt daunting at first, but my confidence built up the more I kept at it. You learn a lot more about your characters when you have more than one perspective. It was a great change of pace and it expanded my repertoire. It was absolutely worth the effort to give it a try. I ended up enjoying the challenge and I know that this won't be the last male POV I write.</span>Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-7290313086012901412015-07-03T07:00:00.000+01:002017-11-27T15:40:39.498+00:00Feature Friday - An Interview With SF SaidFeature Friday is a feature on Bookish Treasures that spotlights an author through either a guest post or interview so that they can share something special about their books or their path to publication.<br />
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Today's Feature Friday is very special to me due to the author involved. I have always said that here on Bookish Treasures we will feature books that are YA and up with exceptions made for particularly fantastic MG titles. Now this is one of those special exceptions. Back when I was about 10 years old (12 years ago now wow!) I read a fantastic book that quickly became a firm favourite of mine and to this day I still have it on my bookshelves as it is one of the only childhood books I cannot bear to part with (alongside Harry Potter and The Chronicles Of Narnia, with Watership Down being in my house somewhere). I am very happy today to welcome SF Said to Bookish Treasures to talk about this amazing book, Varjak Paw, and his newest release Phoenix. <br />
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<h3>
Phoenix by SF Said</h3>
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<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
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A BOY WITH THE POWER OF A STAR . . . <br />
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Lucky thinks he's an ordinary Human boy. But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing to him, and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him.<br />
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Now he's on the run, racing through space, searching for answers. In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew – and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair . . .<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17612917-phoenix?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2BpaJfk">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/038561814X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=038561814X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=GVRDL3Y4UK74L5UX">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yQjwqDFXA">Check out Phoenix's book trailer!</a><br />
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<h3>
Interview with SF Said</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did you decide to become an author?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stories have always been my favourite things, as long as I can remember. The books I read when I was young shaped the way I saw the world, and they've stayed with me through my life. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always knew I wanted to be some kind of writer, and make stories of my own. But I never found literary fiction very satisfying. Then, when I was at university, I read and re-read lots of books for young readers, like Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels, and the amazing mythic stories written by Alan Garner and Susan Cooper. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These were exactly the kinds of books I wanted to write: hugely powerful and page-turning stories with brilliant characters, richly-imagined worlds, and above all, big ideas about life and how it should be lived. Books with a lot of depth and levels, that could be read at different ages in different ways. So that was what I set out to do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">What made you decide to write for children?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I honestly believe that children's and YA fiction is where the richest, deepest and most imaginative writing happens. It's where I find the books I most want to read. And I think the best writing advice is to write the books you want to read yourself. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Varjak Paw is a story about a cat who dreams of being a great warrior, and learns a secret martial art known only to cats. That kind of thing just wouldn't be allowed in adult literature! But in a children's book, it's fine. And I wanted to read that story, so I had to write it myself.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Phoenix is an epic myth about a human boy who has the power of a star inside him, and an alien girl who's the greatest warrior in the galaxy. Again, it's hard to imagine something like that on a Booker Prize list. But I think children's literature can accommodate infinite possibilities; its imaginative space is just <i>bigger</i>. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also love the idea that children's literature can be read by anyone of any age at any time in their lives. So I think of myself of writing books for everyone. It's always great to hear from adults who've read my work; and the nicest thing of all is when an adult tells me they enjoyed my books as a child, kept them, and still enjoy them now. So thank you for saying that about Varjak Paw – you have no idea how much it means!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are your favourite books?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Watership Down is probably my all-time favourite. The Earthsea books still have a special place in my heart, as do all of Le Guin's books. For classic children's literature, my list includes Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books, E Nesbit's The Story Of The Treasure Seekers and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. Of more recent books for young readers, I think Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials sets the bar in terms of what imaginative fiction can do. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as adult literary fiction goes, I'm a huge fan of Virginia Woolf, and the way she puts words and sentences together. Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse are incredible novels. But for me, there aren't that many writers working at that level. Whereas the history of children's literature is just full of incredible authors, and there are more coming through all the time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Your books are very unique in terms of both the worlds and storylines, where do you get the ideas for them?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you! Phoenix started with me looking up at the stars. Stars are amazing, and the more we learn about them, the more amazing they seem. Everything that exists, including every single atom in our bodies, originated in the heart of a dying star. I think that's incredible. Stars are part of an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth, and that's one reason why I called the book Phoenix. But the book also connects space science with ancient mythology. It goes back to all the mythic pantheons – Greek gods, Roman, Norse, Egyptian and so on – and tries to see if they have a shared common origin, and what that might be. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By contrast, Varjak Paw started with something very small: me watching my own kitten as he climbed the garden wall and went out into the world on his own for the first time. I found his adventures fascinating, as he met gangs of street cats, and of course dogs. I think the lives of cats in cities are full of drama, and even though the scale is small, the drama is huge. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is next from the brilliant mind of SF Said?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been working for the last two and half years on a new book called TYGER. I can't say too much about it, as my books always change a lot as I work on them, and no-one else has yet seen a word of it… but let's just say there's a tyger in it – as in William Blake's brilliant poem The Tyger, which is a huge inspiration to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">What would you say makes your books unique and worth reading?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I put everything I know and everything I love into my books. I don't think of them in terms of age or genre. While they may be shelved in MG or YA, and while they may have sci-fi or fantasy or animal story elements, I just think of them as my books. They're places where I can put anything I find interesting or meaningful or magical. I know that no writer can please every reader – but I hope that whoever you are, however old you are, and whatever kind of story you think you like, you'll at least find something of interest in there.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who is your favourite character from either Varjak Paw or Phoenix?</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's really hard for me to say. In each book, I put a lot of thought into trying to create a diverse range of characters of different genders, ages, backgrounds and so on. I hope this means that everyone can find someone to identify with, so I love the fact that readers always give me such different answers to this question. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the Varjak Paw books, people don't just say their favourite character is Varjak. Lots of people say it's Holly or Tam, or Cludge, or Razor, or even Sally Bones… And the same seems to be happening with Phoenix. Lots of people say they like Lucky, the human boy; but just as many say they like Bixa Quicksilver, the alien warrior girl. That makes me feel I must be doing something right.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>What is your favourite thing about being an author</em>?</span></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></u> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to be honest, I don't enjoy everything about it. In fact, it's much harder work than I ever dreamed it would be. Varjak Paw took 17 drafts. Those 17 drafts took five years of my life. Phoenix took even longer: seven years! As you can imagine, there've been many times when writing has felt very hard, and I've wanted to give up more than once. But I'm glad I persevered, because when I look at those books now, I don't see anything I want to change. They're as good as I could possibly make them. And all that hard work feels worthwhile when I hear from people who've read them and enjoyed them. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So that's my favourite thing about being an author! It means so much to hear that something you wrote meant something to someone else, too.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwgQ9lrbOQOopEc7g8MyTLy4-ktWr7Xtp5auKHmVf2e6AG18NEOcOGx1RoEDlAUBQ2vtRJ6MicWoeSTJPg8I1NTdkoAcFXgGK_RXv-wWGbzuNfd4jodjmG-PHFtfBYydTiTAVCL6Jcg-a/s1600/SF+interview+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwgQ9lrbOQOopEc7g8MyTLy4-ktWr7Xtp5auKHmVf2e6AG18NEOcOGx1RoEDlAUBQ2vtRJ6MicWoeSTJPg8I1NTdkoAcFXgGK_RXv-wWGbzuNfd4jodjmG-PHFtfBYydTiTAVCL6Jcg-a/s400/SF+interview+7.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you balance writing with other things in your life?</span></em></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></u> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think every writer works differently, so the best advice I can give anyone interested in writing is to find what works for you, and do that. It may be different to what works for anyone else. You can only find it by writing yourself.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having said that: the thing that works best for me is having a daily routine. I like to go to my local library first thing in the morning, and write till lunchtime. I usually get a good amount of work done that way. Then in the afternoon, I either do another session if I'm free, or I do all the other work-related things I do that are not writing: visiting schools and meeting readers, updating my blog and twitter, doing interviews, and so on. I try to keep evenings free for relaxing, though my idea of relaxing often involves reading a book, and that always feeds back into the writing!<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you could meet any one author (dead or alive) who would it be and why?</span></em></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></u> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ursula Le Guin, because I'd like to thank her for her incredible books, and her inspirational example. I think she's a model of how to be a writer. Even now in her 80s, she's still producing work of the highest quality. Every single one of her books is worth reading: full of amazing ideas and characters and worlds. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is your favourite food?</span></em></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></u> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate. So I was delighted when Varjak Paw won the Smarties Prize for Children's Literature. I thought a free lifetime supply would surely follow. I still can't get over the fact that it didn't!</span></span></div>
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<em>You can find out more about SF Said and his writing over on his <a href="http://www.sfsaid.com/">website.</a></em></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-82321329755430669562015-06-29T10:37:00.000+01:002015-06-29T10:37:34.326+01:00Looking Forwards To YALC 2015Hello Lovelies! Last year was the UK's first ever Young Adult Literature Convention at the London Film and Comic Con and it was so successful that it is going ahead again this year. I am planning on going to YALC this year as the last one was such a fantastic experience.<br />
<br />
Last year had a few issues, mainly how crowded the space was, but many changes are being implemented to improve on everything that wasn't perfect. I have seen the venue and it is much larger which should massively reduce the crowding that I know gave a few people anxiety issues. We are also apparently having our own separate area in the venue just for YALC which I think will be a fantastic venue. <br />
<br />
The full author list has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/apr/29/young-adult-literary-convention-yalc-full-list-of-authors-announced?CMP=share_btn_tw">now been announced</a> and I'm sure you will agree that it is a fantastic line up! I think this is an even better line up than last year. There are several authors I am looking forwards to meeting that I have been fans of for several years such as Malorie Blackman, Moira Young, Judy Blume, LA Weatherly and Teri Terry. I also cant wait to meet relatively new-to-me authors such as Alexia Casale, Samantha Shannon and many more.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/adults/young-adults/yalc/programme">programme</a> is amazing and has a wide range of events from talks about hot trends and important topics in YA, to workshops on how to write, agents giving advice and much more. I currently plan on being at the following (though this may change and is also dependent on what time I am able to arrive on Friday) -<br />
<br />
Apocalypse now: new directions in dystopia - I will probably miss this event due to only landing in back in England from 2 days in Barcelona at 2pm but if I can find a functioning time turner I WILL be at this event. Alternatively, I will just sniff out where these authors are located when I arrive as I really want to talk to them all.<br />
<br />
Harry Potter party - Because OF COURSE!<br />
<br />
YA: the next generation - These young authors are all the future of publishing so I am excited to hear them talk. It is also impossible to keep me away from anything about where YA as a category is heading.<br />
<br />
Being a girl: feminism and YA today - Now not only does this topic sound amazing but several of my favourite authors are on this panel so I will be there with bells on.<br />
<br />
Carrie Hope Fletcher's YALC book club - So Carrie Hope Fletcher is someone I only discovered existed recently (I must have been hiding under a rock) so I want to see what I have been missing :P<br />
<br />
Judy Blume & Patrick Ness in conversation - Judy Blume was by far one of my favourite authors growing up, to the extent where for a drama exam my "free work" was reciting several pages from ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT'S ME MARGARET, so I am not missing the chance to see her talk.<br />
<br />
Hunger Games quiz - Because why not?<br />
<br />
Mental health in YA - This is a topic that is a huge talking point right now in YA and I believe is very important as many teenagers find solace and answers to their questions in fiction so an accurate portrayal of metal health issues is necessary.<br />
<br />
Bringing sexy back - Last years "I'm Too Sexy For This Book" panel was my favourite moment of the weekend so I am definitely going to this follow up.<br />
<br />
Between fantasy & reality - I love SF&F and this is the only panel specifically on that genre, I am also looking forwards to hearing more about these authors books as many are on my radar but I haven't read yet.<br />
<br />
Troubled teens: dark subjects - Dark topics and their inclusion in YA always makes for an interesting discussion. I am personally all for dark issues that teens may face in their lives being included in fiction but where is the line of it being too adult?<br />
<br />
Taking your blog to the next level - This clashes with the troubled teens panel so I don't yet know which I will attend, but this workshop on blogging sounds like a great opportunity to meet new bloggers, socialise with people I already know, and pick up some great new tips as a blog overhaul is certainly in the cards for Bookish Treasures.<br />
<br />
LGBT in YA - Diversity in books as been a hot topic for well over a year now and I haven't yet had the chance to attend a talk specifically on LGBT diversity so I think this will be really interesting and hopefully put new books on my radar.<br />
<br />
Sir Terry & me: being inspired by Terry Pratchett - I LOVED Terry Pratchett's books and I think this panel will be a lovely tribute to his great writing.<br />
<br />
Booktubing for beginners - I have been toying with the idea of branching into booktubing for a while so people can have the option of either reading or watching my reviews based on their preferences. If I am going to do that then I want to do it properly so I think this workshop will be a great way to get some more information.<br />
<br />
Ok so I know I am not going to be able to go to all of the Sunday talks because I wouldn't have time to eat, get books signed by authors, or even breathe, but I will see what I feel like doing on the day. Tickets are going quickly (Saturday only tickets have already sold out! Though full weekend tickets are already available) so don't miss out on what will surely be a fantastic event. YALC specific tickets have priority but LFCC regular tickets will get you access to the book area also.<br />
<br />
I know a few people are planning on getting into the comic con spirit by cosplaying but I wouldn't have the first idea on where to start so you will probably just see me around in regular clothes. If you are coming then please let me know and we can arrange to say hello at some point :D<br />
<br />
If you are going to YALC, what events are you most looking forwards to?<br />
<br />Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-23379908582542789752015-06-26T07:00:00.000+01:002015-06-26T07:00:00.999+01:00Feature Friday - From A Contest To A Publishing Contract<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1DS-tH0qNDwH8K_WM_2iLTggx7nhB1bs5r5o7gQFwjJ1LLvsAuIW32JeHu7E19YyrQNLm3Gwq0gtod_SmwqtxQRDWJWRjzChvrpOJEs5cnxosjoSZby1g1JMErRYanl_YJh5HBmaG01L/s1600/Across+The+Distance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1DS-tH0qNDwH8K_WM_2iLTggx7nhB1bs5r5o7gQFwjJ1LLvsAuIW32JeHu7E19YyrQNLm3Gwq0gtod_SmwqtxQRDWJWRjzChvrpOJEs5cnxosjoSZby1g1JMErRYanl_YJh5HBmaG01L/s320/Across+The+Distance.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText16217257008444798124">There’s a drawer I never open. It holds a picture I never look at. It reminds me of a day I hate to remember, but I’ll never forget.<br /><br />I’d give anything to be like the other girls on campus. Going to parties, flirting with boys, planning for a future. But that’s not me. And hasn’t been since the day my parents died. The only thing that got me through was Griffin. Even though I didn’t have my family, I always had him. Only, now I’m not so sure I do.<br />It’s not just the eleven hundred miles separating us now that I’m at college. And it’s more than his band finally taking off, and all the gigs and girls suddenly demanding his time. It’s like everything is different—the way we talk, the way we text . . . the way he looks at me and the way his looks make me feel.</span><br />
<br />
Griffin has been the only good thing in my life since that horrific day. I can feel our friendship slipping away—and I’m terrified of what will be left in its place…<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23666591-across-the-distance?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455590967/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1455590967&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=YRFA4Y37RNXTZPAX">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UC2FYWU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00UC2FYWU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=X6MAOC7HBGZQVUNV">Amazon UK</a> <br />
<br />
<h3>
From a Contest to a Publishing Contract:
Marie Meyer’s Publication Journey
</h3>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Hello,
Everyone! I’m honored to share my publication journey with the Bookish
Treasures readers! Thank you for the invitation, Laura! I’m Marie Meyer. I
write new adult romances. My debut NA contemporary romance, ACROSS THE
DISTANCE, came out on May 5, 2015! It’s been fantastic getting to know so many
awesome readers, bloggers, and reviewers. A huge thank you to everyone who has
read and reviewed AtD. I’m humbled by everyone’s love and support! And if you
just couldn’t get enough of Griffin in AtD, August 4<sup>th</sup> is your lucky
day! Griffin gets to tell his side of the story in CAN’T GO BACK! I’m so
excited to share Griffin with everyone! I love him dearly and I hope you do
too! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">So, I’m
sure you’re all wondering how an elementary school teacher (that’s right, I’m a
teacher by day) got her foot through the publication door. Well, let me tell
you…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">My
publishing journey began back in the fall of 2008, when I co-authored my first
novel, a YA paranormal romance. After sending out at least 100 query letters to
agents over the course of three years, my co-author and I kept getting the same
responses: there were too many paranormal romances on agents lists at the time.
With the saturation of PNR, we cut our losses and shoved the YA into a drawer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">But, I
wasn’t ready to give up on writing just yet. After reading Tamara Weber’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Easy</i>, I was hooked on new adult! This
was the genre I wanted to write! I loved the age (18-25), the decisions and
situations characters were faced with, all of it! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">In
January of 2013, I sat down and began my first draft of what would become
ACROSS THE DISTANCE. Four months later, I finished AtD and started polishing
and revising. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">And
polishing and revising. And polishing and revising. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">And
polishing and revising…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">You
see a pattern, I’m sure! ;)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">When I
looked up from the computer screen, it was November. ACROSS THE DISTANCE was as
shiny as I could make it (but not nearly as shiny as it would become). That’s
when I came across a tweet from Brenda Drake, announcing her upcoming Pitch
Wars contest. I went back and forth, weighing the pros and cons of entering and
not entering. Was it AtD ready? Was I ready? Could I handle more rejection? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">The
answer to every one of those questions was, YES! If I was serious about
becoming an author, then I needed to be brave and put myself out there. The
only way AtD was ever going to catch the interest of an agent was either by
diving into the query trenches or toss it into a contest. Throwing caution to
the wind, I entered AtD into Pitch Wars, not expecting much. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">But,
come early December, when Pitch Wars mentors announced their teams, to my
astonishment, Lady Lioness (mentor extraordinaire) had chosen my entry! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Over
the course of the next two months, under Lioness’s kick-butt editorial
guidance, I ripped my manuscript to shreds (literally cutting out a major
character and piecing my manuscript back together). I hoped and prayed my hard
work would result in some agent love during the Pitch Wars agent round. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">During
the agent round, the agents who participate in Pitch Wars, hop from blog to
blog reading the pitches and opening paragraphs of the Pitch Wars contestants’
manuscripts. If an agent likes what he or she reads, they comment on the blog
post with instructions to send the manuscript along with a query letter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">At the
end of the agent round, I had two agents comment on my entry! Not only was I
still blown away that ACROSS THE DISTANCE had been selected by a mentor, but
now it was getting some attention from agents! I couldn’t believe it! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">I sent
both agents the completed AtD manuscript and a query letter, as they’d asked
for (always follow an agent’s submission guidelines!!!). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the
subsequent weeks, as I waited to hear back from the Pitch Wars agents, I sent
out eleven more queries to other agents. Then, a month later, on Valentine’s
Day, I received an email from Louise Fury, at the Bent Agency, wanting to set
up a time to speak on the phone! I was ecstatic!! A few days later, I had the
pleasure of speaking to Ms. Fury on the phone, which then lead to an offer of
representation! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Once I
signed with Louise, she championed AtD, sending it out on submission to
publishing houses. Eventually AtD found a home with Grand Central Publishing!
Not only did Grand Central love AtD, they also wanted its companion novel,
CAN’T GO BACK (August 2015), and THE TURNING POINT, the contemporary new adult
romance I’m currently working on (releasing in November). At the end of 2015, I
will have published three novels! Unreal! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Writing
takes patience. I’m just beginning my publishing journey with the recent release
of ACROSS THE DISTANCE. But, I’ve been working toward this goal for six years.
Every rejection letter, every rewrite, every revision spurs me on, and makes me
want to do better. Writing takes hard work and dedication and in order to get
better, a writer must write. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you
have ever dreamed of writing a story you want to share with others, don’t give
up! One day, your story will be in the hands of readers! Oh, and participate in
contests! If I hadn’t done Pitch Wars, I don’t know where I would be today. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Pitch
Wars 2015 is right around the corner! If you would like to know more about
Pitch Wars 2015, the link with the contest schedule is below. If you have a
finished, polished manuscript, the submission day for Pitch Wars 2015 is August
17<sup>th</sup>. Give it a try! What do you have to lose? </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.brenda-drake.com/contest-schedule/"><span style="color: blue;">Pitch Wars 2015 Contest
Schedule</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Again,
thank you, Laura, for giving me the opportunity to share my story with your
readers! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Keep writing
and enter contests! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US"><3 Marie
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
About Marie</h3>
<br />
Marie Meyer was a language arts teacher for fourteen years. She spends her days in the classroom and her nights writing heartfelt new adult romances that will leave readers clamoring for more. She is a member of RWA and the St. Louis Writers Guild. Marie's short fiction won honorable mentions from the St. Louis Writers Guild in 2010 and 2011. She is a proud mommy and enjoys helping her oldest daughter train for the Special Olympics, making up silly stories with her youngest daughter, and binging on weeks of DVR'd television shows with her husband.<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.mariemeyerbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Website</span></a><o:p> | </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/MarieMwrites"><span style="color: blue;">Twitter</span></a> | </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.facebook/mariemeyerbooks"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook</span></a> | </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+MarieMeyerBooks"><span style="color: blue;">Google+</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US"> | <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mariemwrites"><span style="color: blue;">Tumblr</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-47348958759074669882015-06-16T07:00:00.000+01:002015-06-16T07:00:09.314+01:00Review of Material Girls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOKzc9DFO4tbdzJEj_UfQbLK8_4CIDSQvyTEPVYXTtfAHQKlL7NMeMf6N9gwTRAEql7LxevBGP7i_gVNKKLRggLUIRbdNFR-GNFk6Kv0wRO2n357kIW0Wkf04evQSjAnGUofZ6EylQFQJ/s1600/Material+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOKzc9DFO4tbdzJEj_UfQbLK8_4CIDSQvyTEPVYXTtfAHQKlL7NMeMf6N9gwTRAEql7LxevBGP7i_gVNKKLRggLUIRbdNFR-GNFk6Kv0wRO2n357kIW0Wkf04evQSjAnGUofZ6EylQFQJ/s400/Material+Girls.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText5355515946107929564">In Marla Klein and Ivy Wilde’s world, teens are the gatekeepers of culture. A top fashion label employs sixteen-year-old Marla to dictate hot new clothing trends, while Ivy, a teen pop star, popularizes the garments that Marla approves. Both girls are pawns in a calculated but seductive system of corporate control, and both begin to question their world’s aggressive levels of consumption. Will their new “eco-chic” trend subversively resist and overturn the industry that controls every part of their lives?</span><br />
<br />Smart, provocative, and entertaining, this thrilling page-turner for teens questions the cult like mentality of fame and fashion. <br />
<br />
<em>Are you in or are you out?</em><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22749847-material-girls">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054438850X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=054438850X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=DSYEOOPQFF2CHDB2">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NS3UOO8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00NS3UOO8&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=VOPLLTKHAFC2XOK5">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Review</strong><br />
<br />
When I first read the synopsis of Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos I was really excited as the concept sounded amazing and brought to mind So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld which I loved. Unfortunately, though the idea behind this book truly is excellent, the execution fell flat.<br />
<br />
This book seemed like the author was trying too hard to make a social commentary about consumerism, trends, and fame. Whilst it certainly is thought provoking to an extent, it all just seems too forced and the storyline doesn't flow naturally. Much of the storyline doesn't make sense and is unbelievable (this coming from a huge fan of dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy novels) and this takes what could have been an amazing concept and makes it a little bit silly.<br />
<br />
What I did like about this book - the idea and the writing. That is about it really. The characters did have a few great moments but overall I didn't feel much of a connection with them. Like many YA novels nowadays, Material Girls has an element of romance and this was probably my least favourite part of the entire book. It simply didn't fit in properly with the story and seemed to have been added in at the last minute as an after thought.<br />
<br />
Also, the ending fell flat and made much of what happens in the book completely pointless. Whilst it was refreshingly different to the typical YA dystopia ending, it was not satisfying and made the story feel incomplete even though this is apparently NOT the first in a series.<br />
<br />
To top this all off this book is very highly priced - nearly £10 in the UK for a kindle edition which is I think the highest price I have ever seen for a standard length YA novel! Overall I wouldn't recommend this one but if it really sounds like your cup of tea then maybe get a copy from the library.<br />
<br />
Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22749847-material-girls">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/054438850X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=054438850X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=DSYEOOPQFF2CHDB2">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NS3UOO8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00NS3UOO8&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=VOPLLTKHAFC2XOK5">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<div align="center">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Laura</span></em></strong></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-63250155067827615692015-06-12T07:00:00.000+01:002015-06-12T07:00:06.297+01:00Feature Friday - Understanding is Contagious: the Importance of Diversity and Starting a Conversation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTK60NJACzz-_ZSyGvlJL4DAZtOsKEhl53NQ4W_1J47l1KuGC5aHMkfCSXJnF1eG7Rh-id9K5dB8dIrQkNQjtdz3fAMrJBWjb0HgqJPP37LwkOLw4n5YrhtAQoqprjEzQpRtmCHq5GqLwX/s1600/The+Rearranged+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTK60NJACzz-_ZSyGvlJL4DAZtOsKEhl53NQ4W_1J47l1KuGC5aHMkfCSXJnF1eG7Rh-id9K5dB8dIrQkNQjtdz3fAMrJBWjb0HgqJPP37LwkOLw4n5YrhtAQoqprjEzQpRtmCHq5GqLwX/s320/The+Rearranged+Life.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText7598481787247988839">Nithya, a vivacious, intelligent and driven college senior has always known what she has wanted: a successful career in medicine and the love of her family. She's even come to terms with the idea of an arranged marriage, a tradition her conservative Indian family has held up for thousands of years. <br /><br />When a night of partying puts her on a collision course with danger, Nithya's entire life changes. <br /><br />Enter James St. Clair, the smart, challenging and heartbreakingly handsome American. <br /><br />As Nithya and James fall in love, she questions the future she and her parents have always planned. Now, Nithya has a choice to make: become a doctor and a good Indian bride, or step away from her family and centuries of culture to forge her own path. <br /><br />The decision she comes to takes her on a journey that transforms how she sees her future, her relationships with loved ones, and how she learns to put herself back together when even her best-laid plans fall apart.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25379397-the-rearranged-life?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620078775/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1620078775&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=NLZW4JDV6OBLZP35">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UWGNMCK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00UWGNMCK&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=SB2RHQIYCJH732MK">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<h3>
Understanding is Contagious: the Importance of Diversity and Starting a Conversation</h3>
<br />
A writer friend and I had a really honest, enlightening conversation the other day about diversity. She is white. I am Indian-American. I was telling her how one of my biggest fears was that I would get my first book “wrong”…even though the character is just like me. Like I’ve posted about before, putting my positive and negative experiences with my Indianness on paper is like pulling the skin off a burn. Sometimes it forces you to face things about yourself that you didn’t want to admit. Other times, it gives you glimpses of beauty you never appreciated.<br />
<br />
Before I wax poetic, let me backtrack. My first novel, The Rearranged Life, released on May 15th. Woohoo! It’s a story that I have lived, both directly and peripherally. An Indian-American college student named Nithya falls for an American and challenges everything her traditional family hopes for: medical school and a semi-arranged marriage. I wrote what I knew—about an identity crisis that many first-generation children of immigrants face when deciding where they are coming from and where they are going. My character treads the line between American and Indian cultures, often setting foot in one or the other as needed. It’s been an incredible experience debuting—all of my insecurities that made it onto the page were quelled by the immense positivity of those who read the story and commented that Nithya was, even in her Indianness, similar to them. Like I said before, being Indian has, on the rare but poignant occasion, been cause for attention, like that time I got called a sand ni--er or the time I was well-meaningly told that I must be smart because I’m Asian (for the record, please don’t ever put my math grades in a public domain).<br />
<br />
And while my experience has been refreshing and party-worthy, judging by the reading I’ve been doing lately on Twitter and otherwise, we still have a long way to go with diversity in the book world. I follow a number of authors who are heavily involved in social justice and I am learning new things every single day. It’s very easy to ask myself, “What voice do I have? If I’m still learning, I’m bound to make rookie mistakes, right?” My friend told me she was afraid to start because since she was white, she felt she would offend everyone and her deepest fear was to hurt the very people she wanted to represent accurately. Clearly, despite being a person of colour, my fears and the fears of people who want to support me are the same.<br />
<br />
Let me digress for a second. My main character, Nithya, comes from a state called Andhra Pradesh. Being from different states comes with some big differences in Indian culture. Each state speaks a different language. Each region has a different dialect. Last names can tell you where a person is from geographically, what language they speak, what caste they’re from (which can lead to social cues, occupations, and tradition differences) and sometimes the kind of life they live. I had to think about some of these nuances when figuring out my characters.<br />
<br />
I know these things about Nithya because I’ve lived a similar life. But how would anyone else, say, who isn’t Indian, know that?<br />
<br />
Simply by asking questions.<br />
<br />
I’m going to illustrate the point here. I grew up in central Pennsylvania. I’ve discussed in other blog posts that the ratio of farm animals to humans is about ten to one. I also grew up in a college town. That meant there were two populations: one, a highly educated and diverse population and the other, not so diverse but with curiosity and kindness to boot. A friend who had never travelled more than 100 miles away from home once asked me, “Annika, is it true Indians drink cow’s blood?” For the record, I’m a vegetarian. Even most of the non-vegetarian Indians I know avoid beef. But I can unequivocally say I’ve never seen an Indian Bella Swan a cup of cow’s blood at a meal. Rather than bug out, I ended up laughing. I answered her innocent question with the offer to clear up any more that she may have, accompanied by the promise that I wouldn’t be offended. Holy cow (I’m beginning to understand that phrase more and more…), did she ever take me up on it! Question after question, all with the intention to learn, came in the days following. It was amazing. We got to unite over our differences because she took the time to ask about places she’d never been to and customs she had never seen. We found similarities as I broke down certain misconceptions for her. We grew even closer, considering our backgrounds were polar opposites.<br />
<br />
What’s that quote Hermione Granger says in Harry Potter? “Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.” I think the same concept can be applied here. Fear of diversity or getting it wrong only increases the fear further. The only way to combat it is to ask questions. Whether that’s through Twitter followers or utilizing Google, it’s important to get the details right. It will take more time. But it builds a cleaner representation of your character if you don’t treat them all with the same detergent. We are not all the same. You know how I mentioned Nithya comes from Andhra and speaks Telugu? There are 29 states in India and over 150 languages spoken. And that’s just one country on earth. One set of cultures to break down. Imagine how different the rest of the world looks…and that’s just considering ethnicity!<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, to foster the discussions necessary to paint the world as it really looks, there are two things required: the people who want to represent diversity must ask every question imaginable, and the people who want to be represented must be willing to answer them. It could prevent another ally from feeling as though they’ll get it wrong and in turn, turning them into a bystander. It could prevent another person with a diverse background from feeling as though no one understands. There are so many grey areas to work with—neurodiversity, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, and more—that it’s important to get the whole picture: that we are all the same and very, very different. Recognizing both sides is vital to appreciating and conveying our differences accurately. It’s important that the people asking the questions remain non-judgmental and truly listen—you are getting the answers from people who have likely been pinpointed as “wrong” for their entire lives. For those receiving the questions, assume the best in the asker and answer honestly. People do want to know and be better.<br />
<br />
The Rearranged Life was a cathartic way to represent my life…but there will come a time in the near future where I will write another diverse character, one whose life my own doesn’t mirror. And when the time comes, I hope I have the courage to ask questions of people willing to answer. I’ve already seen the difference it makes in a story, let alone in a life.<br />
<br />
And if we ask and answer these questions together, we can finally tell all the stories the world needs to hear.
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-88777413174277130582015-05-03T19:01:00.000+01:002015-05-03T19:01:47.894+01:00March & April Monthly Wrap Up<h3>
On The Blog</h3>
<br />
Posts were very sporadic over the past two months (as you probably noticed!) down to my University MA course in Publishing which is nearing its conclusion! More about that later :)<br />
<br />
<strong>Most Viewed Posts From March & April</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/feature-friday-interview-with-katherine.html">Interview With Katherine Locke</a> - I interviewed Katherine to celebrate the release of her debut novel and she really knows how to answer questions well!<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/guest-post-how-to-conquer-your-inner.html">Guest Post: How To Conquer Your Inner Voice Of Doom</a> - Siobhan Curham talked on my blog about how she overcame her inner demons to become a writer and how you to can do so in everyday life<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-of-hero.html">Review of Hero</a> - I reviewed Hero by Samantha Young!<br />
<br />
<strong>Reviews Posted</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-of-hero.html">Hero by Samantha Young</a> - 4 stars<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-of-chosen-thief.html">Chosen Thief by Scarlett Dawn</a> - 4.5 stars<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-of-here-be-sexist-vampires.html">Here Be Sexist Vampires by Suzanne Wright</a> - 5 stars<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-of-shadow-study.html">Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder</a> - 4.5 stars<br />
<a href="http://bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/review-of-hogfather-terry-pratchett.html">The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett</a> <br />
<br />
<h3>
Personal Things</h3>
<br />
This week were my final MA Publishing lectures. All I have now is a few assignments due in the next week then my Major Project hand in at the end of summer and then I am finished! The first of the girls on my course had a job interview this week (for a design position at Bloomsbury) which is nerve-wracking and exciting for all of us as it is a reminder that over the next few months hopefully we will all be getting various interviews and Publishing jobs.<br />
<br />
I am really sad that my MA is now pretty much over as it has been the most amazing 7 months. Learning more about the publishing industry has been fun every step of the way and I can now say that I have designed book covers, put together interactive ebooks, created marketing plans, conceptualised books and even commissioned writers and illustrators for my Major Project book.<br />
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<br />
April saw the British Cheerleading Association University Nationals which I have been working towards all year with the UCLan Tigers. Every single one of our teams that entered had their best placing ever and the two I was in did fantastic. Pom placed 5th out of a massive category and coed cheer came 2nd. It was a great way to end my last University cheerleading season :)<br />
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<br />
May is going to be incredibly exciting as on the 12th I am off to Zambia for 3 weeks with University to create an information booklet for a charity called Sport In Action. I am really looking forwards to experiencing a brand new culture and doing some important work whilst I am out there. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Books Read</h3>
<br />
I haven't read as much as I wanted to recently! Partially because I have been very busy but also because I decided to reread a chunky fantasy trilogy which took up a lot of my time. March started off great for books but now I am struggling to find something fantastic.<br />
<br />
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<h3>
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</h3>
<h3>
May TBR</h3>
<br />
Thanks to my incredibly busy month I am not sure if I will be able to read at all! Hopefully I will be able to read a couple of books for review in June though.Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-31916685085681464352015-05-02T11:44:00.002+01:002015-05-02T11:44:27.842+01:00Review of The Hogfather - Terry Pratchett blog tour <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIIyXBI-ax3ikUGMKC33ZJCQ1sJniEK3LgeJVG4A5GZZ-F0RTpc291qz-_O4IEcC7WQDfyBdPfigbM88eiJem5xER2yRlHIb2e1S5U1mU8iSfGQIbbFMOBVWauNsMGT0MGTLMBF7ErVpA/s1600/The+Hogfather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIIyXBI-ax3ikUGMKC33ZJCQ1sJniEK3LgeJVG4A5GZZ-F0RTpc291qz-_O4IEcC7WQDfyBdPfigbM88eiJem5xER2yRlHIb2e1S5U1mU8iSfGQIbbFMOBVWauNsMGT0MGTLMBF7ErVpA/s1600/The+Hogfather.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText4537968703682397611">It's the night before Hogswatch. And its too quiet. <br /><br />Where is the big jolly fat man? Why is Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say Ho Ho Ho? The darkest night of the year is getting a lot darker...<br /><br />Susan the gothic governess has got to sort it out by morning, otherwise there won't be a morning. Ever again...The 20th Discworld novel is a festive feast of darkness and Death (but with jolly robins and tinsel too). <br /><br />As they say: 'You'd better watch out...'</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/797189.Hogfather">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006227628X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=006227628X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=Z3MV5L3F4W6ZF7L3">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552167584/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0552167584&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=U2M3M2CDVLAYNCVR">Amazon UK</a></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span><strong>Review</strong></span><br />
<span><strong></strong></span><br />
<span>I am huge fan of the late Terry Pratchett's fantastically funny Discworld novels, and my favourites are the stories with Death as one of the main characters. So it seemed fitting that as part of the blog tour to celebrate the life and books of Terry Pratchett I should read the one Death novel that I have not yet read, The Hogfather.</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span>Like any book by Terry, The Hogfather is full of his trademark wit and humour throughout and this story focuses on turning Christmas and other magical tales told to children on their heads. Terry's books often manage to make you think and this one has some really interesting things to say about belief. </span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span>The main new character we get introduced to in this book is Teatime, an Assassin so strange and creepy that even the other Assassins don't like him much. However, his odd way of thinking makes him the perfect choice to kill someone who isn't supposed to exist.</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span>Discworld novels love periodically bringing various characters from other books back and the central characters to the story are Death who is sombre to the point of humour, loves cats, and ALWAYS SPEAKS LIKE THIS, and Susan, Deaths granddaughter whose sensible, logical nature most certainly does not want to believe in The Hogfather.</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span>Overall this is an utterly fantastic novel, possibly one of the best Discworld novels and I highly recommend that everyone reads it.</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span>Try it for yourself! <span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/797189.Hogfather">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006227628X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=006227628X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=Z3MV5L3F4W6ZF7L3">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552167584/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0552167584&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=U2M3M2CDVLAYNCVR">Amazon UK</a></span></span><br />
<span><span></span></span><br />
<div align="center">
<span><span><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Laura</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-89080445915515811952015-04-29T07:00:00.000+01:002015-04-29T07:00:01.536+01:00Waiting On Wednesday - An Ember In The AshesWaiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.co.uk/"> Breaking the Spine</a> and it allows readers to share the books that they are most looking forwards to reading.<br />
<br />
This week the book I have chosen to feature is An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Title:</span> </strong>An Ember In The Ashes<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Author:</span></strong> Sabaa Tahir<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Series:</span> </strong>Standalone (I think)<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Publisher:</span></strong> Razorbill (US), Harper Voyager (UK)<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Publication Date:</span></strong> April 28th (US), June 4th (UK)<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Links:</span> </strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20560137-an-ember-in-the-ashes?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595148035/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595148035&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=SMPYP5756JXC763M">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QPT7KPS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00QPT7KPS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=NAA7TUR6PHQWXUVF">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice. But when Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless and deadly overseer of Blackcliff Academy.<br />
<br />
Elias is the Academy’s finest soldier – and secretly it’s most unwilling. He has seen too much at on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite warriors and is desperate to escape the Academy. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.<br />
<br />
With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power. Now they must find a new Emperor to rule over them. And before Elias can escape he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to the death that will decide the next Martial emperor.<br />
<br />
When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.<br />
<br />
In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high. Sometimes it’s life itself.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I have been looking forwards to this book since I first heard about it last year and that excitement has only grown as the release date draws closer, reviews have started to go up, and the gorgeous UK cover has been revealed. Though this has just released in the US I have to wait a little longer to get my hands on it This sounds like an amazing YA Fantasy novel that I simply cannot wait to read.Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-69545412283977044022015-04-16T07:00:00.000+01:002015-04-16T07:00:08.068+01:00Guest Post: How To Conquer Your Inner Voice Of Doom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkvjpW_JdmvZcC1ccoY4JKZePTMrlKGZupB8gh8Z0_siux2GqfR4OgRBBjt66LRLGwZ761bbW8JvTvbJVdMyF2tp6kZ7-5Gs73QKk2TPuVDs99Dxy4RAhcEkCxzDTbefWmmhaFLLEJbuJ/s1600/True+Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkvjpW_JdmvZcC1ccoY4JKZePTMrlKGZupB8gh8Z0_siux2GqfR4OgRBBjt66LRLGwZ761bbW8JvTvbJVdMyF2tp6kZ7-5Gs73QKk2TPuVDs99Dxy4RAhcEkCxzDTbefWmmhaFLLEJbuJ/s1600/True+Face.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText11348432876978065508">We are living in the age of the image - the perfect image. From the constant bombardment of air-brushed photos, to the dubious lifestyle choices promoted by celebrities and the obsession with social media, young women are under pressure as never before to project a persona of perfection. And this is having a catastrophic effect, with girls as young as seven developing eating disorders and female self-loathing reaching epidemic proportions.<br /><br />True Face shows you how to resist the pressure from the 'perfection police' and take off the masks you wear to proudly reveal your true self to the world. In chapters dealing with body image, bullying, social media, love, sex and more, Siobhan Curham encourages young women and girls to be honest, dream big, and create lives that are happy and fulfilling. Keep Calm and Carry On is replaced by a new mantra: Forget the Fake and Keep it Real. This book is a breath of fresh air. Perfect for ages 13+ - and for the Girls fan in her 20s/30s too!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25084184-true-face?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_a">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SEU89LU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SEU89LU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LZJRH3VRAYX2BUGM">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SEU89LU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SEU89LU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=G54RVU2UBYE3NESE">Amazon UK</a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
How to Conquer Your Inner Voice of Doom by Siobhan Curham<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You’ll never become a
writer.’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You’re not good
enough.’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You’re not from the
right background.’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘People from council
estates don’t become writers.’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You shouldn’t even be
at uni. You should be working in a shop.’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I was a teenager I became plagued by statements like
the ones above. So much so that I ended up dropping out of uni and giving up on
my writing dream to go and work in a shop. But it wasn’t someone else doing the
taunting, it was my own inner voice – or my Inner Voice of Doom as I like to
call it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All of us have an Inner Voice of Doom; that voice inside your
head that tells you that you’re just not good enough, clever enough, attractive
enough,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> enough</i> enough.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And if we’re not careful, we can let this voice control our
decisions, like I did, and end up in situations, jobs, relationships and lives that
leave us unhappy and craving more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hated the jobs I did after dropping out of uni. And
thankfully, after a few years, I was able to drown out my voice of doom with a much
more positive inner voice. One that said things like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'You have just as much
chance of becoming a writer as anyone else.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You are good enough –
or at least you might be.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘People from council
estates can become writers.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Coming from that
background gives you a wealth of material to draw upon.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And in the end, this spurred me on to write my first novel
and finally get my first book deal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The fact is, our Inner Voice of Doom is only trying to protect
us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I told myself I didn’t have what it takes to become a
writer it was because I was so scared of being rejected and told that my work
wasn’t good enough.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But not taking the risk left me just as unhappy if not more,
than if I had tried and not succeeded.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">True Face</b>
contains various exercises to help you overcome your Inner Voice of Doom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s a simple one to get you started…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jot down some of the favourite things your Inner Voice of Doom
likes to say.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then go through each one, asking: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can I absolutely know this to be true?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For example, if you sometimes tell yourself that you’re not
attractive enough to get a date, is this absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt
true?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when you realise that no, of course it’s not, come up
with a positive alternative such as:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> I am
attractive enough to get a date.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Write it down and really let the words sink in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Start gathering evidence to back up this statement. When I
was starting to believe in myself as a writer I found examples of successful
writers, such as Jimmy McGovern, who had come from similar backgrounds to mine.
I used their careers as proof that it was possible for me to make it too and
this helped me massively.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when I did finally achieve writing success I vowed to
myself that I’d never let my Inner Voice of Doom run the show again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I still have an Inner Voice of Doom and I’m pretty sure I
always will, but thankfully I’ve now discovered the mute button.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">True Face is all
about dreaming boldly and living fearlessly and authentically.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can find out more
over on the website: </span></b><a href="http://www.truefacerevolution.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit;">www.TrueFaceRevolution.com</span></b></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<br />
<br />Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-54138155497742698962015-04-10T07:00:00.000+01:002015-04-10T07:00:02.814+01:00Feature Friday - Interview with Katherine LockeFeature Friday is a feature on Bookish Treasures that spotlights an author and their latest release. Every Friday I will be featuring an author through either an interview or a guest post. If you are interested in taking part please send me an email. <br />
<br />
This week I am featuring Katherine Locke whose debut unique NA novel releases April 13th.<br />
<h3>
Second Position by Katherine Locke</h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgHW4a_LTAq1EvJr1kq0pWWlW1alqskcpx8BT2xujWW7cjsQiLh4dO-ZhVAg59rAwDuzdntyBnoovr8UfIL18c3GbX01MPWd-NSo4ryRtb46VXh8OfT66I0DYU_IgCdDG-FkuUYA9pQr3/s1600/Second+Position.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgHW4a_LTAq1EvJr1kq0pWWlW1alqskcpx8BT2xujWW7cjsQiLh4dO-ZhVAg59rAwDuzdntyBnoovr8UfIL18c3GbX01MPWd-NSo4ryRtb46VXh8OfT66I0DYU_IgCdDG-FkuUYA9pQr3/s1600/Second+Position.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span id="freeText8072658926122949536">Four years ago, a car accident ended Zedekiah Harrow’s ballet career and sent Philadelphia Ballet principal dancer Alyona Miller spinning toward the breakdown that suspended her own. What they lost on the side of the road that day can never be replaced, and grief is always harshest under a spotlight...<br /><br />Now twenty-three, Zed teaches music and theatre at a private school in Washington, D.C. and regularly attends AA meetings to keep the pain at bay. Aly has returned to D.C. to live with her mother while trying to recover from the mental and physical breakdown that forced her to take a leave of absence from the ballet world, and her adoring fans.<br /><br />When Zed and Aly run into each other in a coffee shop, it’s as if no time has passed at all. But without the buffer and escape of dance—and with so much lust, anger and heartbreak hanging between them—their renewed connection will either allow them to build the together they never had... or destroy the fragile recoveries they've only started to make. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663595-second-position?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SVWX5TM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SVWX5TM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LJK7V5DL6UJKIKAZ">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SVWX5TM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SVWX5TM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=JRDHD5LCWSUACLUM">Amazon UK</a> <br />
<h3>
Interview with Katherine Locke</h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why did you decide to become an author?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I’ve always been a writer. I’ve been writing stories for as
long as I can remember. But I decided to become an author—that is, a published
professional writer—in 2007. That’s when I first realized the impact stories
had made on my life and how important they had been to me surviving high school,
learning to navigate friendships, imagining, dreaming, learning about different
places. I wanted to be a part of that process, to be the creator of something
that made life a little easier for someone else. And because I like sharing. I think it’s a fun part of
the process of creating art!<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you balance writing with other things in your life?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I don’t have too many other things to balance right now! I’m
lucky that I’m in a time in my life that I can let writing take over a large
portion of my free time and still have a social life, still work, still keep my
life going.</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is your favourite thing about being an author?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>The broader writing and reading community. My writer friends
are some of the best people I know.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are your favourite books?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Oh, my answer to this changes day by day, I think. But there
are a couple of books that always make the list. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine
L’Engle, Feed by Mira Grant, Sula by Toni Morrison, Among Others by Jo Walton,
Harry Potter (whole series) by J.K. Rowling, everything Tamora Pierce ever
wrote, and Fire by Kristin Cashore.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are there any books/authors that inspired you to write?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Madeleine L’Engle was hugely influential on me as a writer.
I don’t know if her influence comes across so much in my New Adult books, but
in my Young Adult books (yet unpublished!), definitely. Mira Grant in her
willingness to play with structure. I think she’s a really bold writer and I
admire that a lot.</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have spoken before online about your struggles with
anxiety and depression. How does this affect what you write?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>This is a great question and I’m so glad someone asked this!
I am pretty open with my struggles because I think they’re not uncommon amongst
artists, but also not uncommon amongst people across the board. And I wish that
I had known more successful adults who talked about anxiety and depression when
I was a teenager struggling with it. I think that would have helped enormously.
<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I have a tendency to let some of my struggles with mental
illness bleed onto the page. In Second Position, Aly suffers from anxiety,
panic attacks, depression, and is recovering from an eating disorder (different
than my own). It was important to me to represent these struggles on the page
for the reader who might not read my blog, but needs to know that Aly—like
them—struggles some days more than others, but ultimately is fighting for
balance and is as worthy of love and stability and happiness as they are.</em> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Describe your book in one sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>A former ballet dancer and a ballet dancer on leave struggle
against psychological and physical barriers to reclaim their romance and their
ballet careers four years after a car accident tore them apart.<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where did you get the idea for Second Position, did anything
inspire you to write it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I worked on this idea for awhile, first as a Young Adult
novel that just wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out why. Then when New
Adult became a thing, I realized that it gave me that opportunity to age them
up, without losing their immaturity and struggles to deal with the real world. <o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I rarely talk about this part, but there was a second
factor. I started the original story, the YA version in 2009, and put it down
for years. I didn’t think about the book and pick it up again until 2013 after
a breakup. I wanted to believe in Happily Ever Afters and the possibility of
them and so I wrote myself a story. I think that was the best thing I did for
myself that year.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What made you decide to write a novel set in the world of
Ballet?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I was always interested in writing a book about an elite
sport, like ballet, where the athletes train from a very young age and
essentially surrender their adolescence to their profession. I wanted to know
what happened when I took that away from two characters.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What would you say makes your book unique and worth reading?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Physically disabled hero! Zed is a left leg above the knee
amputee. (This isn’t a spoiler. It’s on the first page, I promise!). He’s not
an alphahole as the genre has started to call those characters. He’s not always
good at being there for Aly, and he doesn’t always know what he’s doing, but he
tries. He’s always trying. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Psychologically disabled heroine! Aly struggles with anxiety
and recovering from an eating disorder. And authentically. She’s in therapy
throughout the book and she has a competent therapist, something you don’t see
in fiction too often. He’s my favourite secondary character! <o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>And banter! There’s lots of banter. Tweet me when you get to
the “Keep your tutu on” scene. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>And because I think that my book is different than other New
Adult books out there, in a good way, and adds something to the genre. I love
New Adult. I love the promise of it. But I’d also love to see more lyrical,
thoughtful, messy loves depicted on the page.</em> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there any specific message you wanted to convey in the
book?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I hope that readers take away two things:<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It’s important to forgive yourself. For the
little things, for the big things, for messing up in past relationships, for
messing up in this one. I think we’re very good at blaming ourselves for
things, and very good for blaming others too. Forgiveness is something you have
to teach yourself. It isn’t easy, but I promise it’s worth it.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->There are very few destinations in this world.
There’s no endgoal or endpoint to love or recovery. You work at both of those
every day. And when you need help, there’s help out there. It’s okay to ask.
Asking for help is an act of forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are your plans for future books?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>The sequel to Second Position is called FINDING CENTER and
it’s about Aly and Zed (Second Position does NOT end on a cliffhanger, I
promise! Just more Zaly coming your way) too. It comes out in August! Beyond
that, I can’t say yet!<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you have any hobbies and Interests unrelated to books?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Yes! I foster cats and kittens for Philadelphia animal
rescues. I’m a lifelong horseback rider (eventing and dressage). I love skiing,
hiking, and kayaking. Also if there were Nap Olympics, I would medal.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would you ever consider putting these (answer to above) into
any of your books?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>I mighhhttttt be working on a book about horseback riders
right now but I can’t guarantee anything comes of it! It’s in the early stages
of drafting. And there’s a cat in the YA I’m drafting right now!<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FUN STUFF<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you could meet any one author (dead or alive) who would
it be and why?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Madeleine L’Engle. She changed my life.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell us one interesting fact about yourself.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>My left arm is one inch shorter than my right arm. Exactly.
(I broke a growth plate in a horseback riding fall when I was 10.)<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is your favourite food?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Mexican food. Specifically, enchiladas. But really, anything
Mexican. Oh and fish tacos. I was raised in a town with a huge Mexican migrant
population and was utterly spoiled. Nothing tastes as good as food from home.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Oh gosh. Um. Most people would say my travels to
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia might count. I got lost on a
competitive trail ride one time and rode my poor pony for like six extra miles.
Oops.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you could be any supernatural creature which would you
choose?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Does the Loch Ness monster count? If so, I pick Nessie.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-24183540992729719232015-03-30T11:51:00.002+01:002015-03-30T11:51:31.012+01:00Review of Shadow Study<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2yHaVhsCF7WztJek-Pvzj1x0UzyioJMHIMlVYyBqhYXYNmf2q-hrsH4egJldu6GbChWv_7D5peTDtKVbAg8N-uDy9upNl0CHC1l6JNwzTqpCXWmaz3PBWCcn1F6b2X0HsVq18n7JWEmn/s1600/Shadow+Study+Front+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2yHaVhsCF7WztJek-Pvzj1x0UzyioJMHIMlVYyBqhYXYNmf2q-hrsH4egJldu6GbChWv_7D5peTDtKVbAg8N-uDy9upNl0CHC1l6JNwzTqpCXWmaz3PBWCcn1F6b2X0HsVq18n7JWEmn/s1600/Shadow+Study+Front+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Synopsis</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Once, only her own life hung in the balance…</em></span><br />
<em></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"> Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22929080-shadow-study">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778317404/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0778317404&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LRYCVEEN2Y525J6Z">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1848453639/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1848453639&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=VYT55XII45TIXQWH">Amazon UK</a> <br />
<br />
<strong>Review</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
The original trilogy with Yelena and Valek is easily up there in my favourite books ever and though I was slightly hesitant about going back to their world this book was absolutely fantastic. There is a brand new storyline and challenges for the characters to face and alongside all the old faces their is also multiple brand new characters.<br />
<br />
I think it would be possible to read Shadow Study without having read either of the other two related trilogies (Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study, Storm Glass, Sea Glass, Spy Glass) but I would recommend reading them anyway because 1) they are fantastic books 2) Shadow Study will be a ten times better read if you are already emotionally invested in the characters.<br />
<br />
This book is told through a number of different POV's so we get to follow several different and yet interlinked storylines. Yelena is trying to discover what has happened to her magic with the help of Leif and a few other old friends whilst Valek is off in Ixia with Ari and Janco attempting to deal with both smugglers and attempts on his life. My favourite element to this book were the flashbacks where we get to see Valek's childhood and how he became the character he is today.<br />
<br />
My favourite new character is Onora as I loved her feistiness, grit and passion. She makes for an interesting addition to the duo of Ari and Janco and their banter is certainly one of the best things about the book.<br />
<br />
Valek and Yelena are apart for a decent amount of the book but their romance still gets some good page time. They are by far one of my favourite fictional couples, something about them just works, and Shadow Study is great for seeing where they are a few years after we first met them.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of mysteries in Shadow Study and with that comes several surprises at the end of the book! Overall I highly recommend this to fans of Fantasy and Fantasy Romance books. Now I just need to buy this in paperback to add to my Maria V. Snyder collection!<br />
<br />
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for review consideration, this has not affected my opinions or rating in anyway*<br />
<br />
Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22929080-shadow-study">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778317404/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0778317404&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LRYCVEEN2Y525J6Z">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1848453639/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1848453639&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=VYT55XII45TIXQWH">Amazon UK</a> <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="center">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Laura</span></em></strong></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-25196959049854719062015-03-23T07:00:00.000+00:002015-03-23T17:13:07.234+00:00Review of Chosen Thief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs_i1ObMTuhje0BpNzaWMmX0we7sr-AfXHCd54WhisyTX0WQdlr7RItdJgEC-uXoHtxFKiNDEumNyQ5ORFGQfNXWe3TFeave8SRc8SI48zD2y6ex2viDHEvCFmFbnMBdvvqauhyphenhyphenJeiSVu/s1600/Chosen+Thief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs_i1ObMTuhje0BpNzaWMmX0we7sr-AfXHCd54WhisyTX0WQdlr7RItdJgEC-uXoHtxFKiNDEumNyQ5ORFGQfNXWe3TFeave8SRc8SI48zD2y6ex2viDHEvCFmFbnMBdvvqauhyphenhyphenJeiSVu/s1600/Chosen+Thief.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Chosen Thief</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Caroline Jules knows death is imminent. She’s only 22, but as an inmate of Death Row in the most secure Mystical jail, what else could her future hold?<br />
<br />
Caro has no idea. Her solitary, transient life is about to get flipped on its head when it is revealed that she is the new Prodigy Elemental, and she has responsibilities and ties that she can’t ever escape. Caro is attempting to run from a brutal past, but the Rulers have other plans for this thief’s future.<br />
<br />
But the transition from a self-contained existence to life with the other Prodigies, the Kings and Queens, and even the Elders was never going to be easy, and Caro has secrets she’s loath to share. Suddenly she has friends, mentors, lovers – and they all want to know more about her than she is willing to reveal. Can she learn to thrive in the role of a future leader, or will the obligations scare her into disappearing again – this time forever? <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22985522-chosen-thief">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T5M2NWM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00T5M2NWM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=TBUY5IHGUINXARVS">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00T5M2NWM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00T5M2NWM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=ZG6TM2KDUDWXX7VH">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Review</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I love Scarlett Dawn's trademark blend of paranormal elements, romance, and a kick-ass main character. With the majority of New Adult novels being contemporary romances, Scarlett's books both stand out and fill a gap which fulfils the desires of readers such as myself who want a little more intrigue and action alongside the romance in their New Adult reads. Chosen Thief is just as good, if not better than previous books by the author.<br />
<br />
Unlike King Hall which has a less than stellar opening chapter, Chosen Thief is fantastic from the get go. We get thrown right in with a prologue introducing us to Caro and setting the scene for the mysterious nature of the rest of the book. For people who loved the first book Lily and the rest make multiple appearances but at the same time you don't need to have read any of the first three books for this one to make sense.<br />
<br />
Like with the first Forever Evermore trilogy, the characters are what makes this book as they all have such big personalities. There is a bit of a love triangle sneaking in but I don't want to go into too much detail there as it is best for you to see for yourself. It is good I promise! This book has so many elements that make it unique and so there isn't much to compare it to.<br />
<br />
Caro is fantastic, she has a sharp wit and a snarky personality but the best part about her is how she stands up for those she considers family. Though she is very prickly at the start of the book, as you get to know her more the compassion simply shines through. Chosen Thief overflows with too many fantastic secondary characters to name them all individually - Scarlett Dawn understands the importance of giving even minor characters depth and development that will cause you to get emotionally invested in them.<br />
<br />
Chosen Thief has fractionally less action and deep storyline than I would have liked as most of the book seems to be setting the scene and introducing the backstory and the characters so that the true action can kick in for book 2. There was still enough tension and plot to keep this book very interesting though and I know from the authors previous books that she does this formula very well so don't let that put you off!<br />
<br />
There are still a lot of questions left unanswered at the end of this book (like what exactly did Caro do to end up in jail and what is so damn mysterious about the Spirits!) but I think there is supposed to be two sequels so we have plenty of time to get answers. It just makes me want the next book that much sooner!<br />
<br />
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for review consideration, this has not effected my opinions or rating in any way*<br />
<br />
Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22985522-chosen-thief">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T5M2NWM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00T5M2NWM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=TBUY5IHGUINXARVS">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00T5M2NWM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00T5M2NWM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=ZG6TM2KDUDWXX7VH">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Laura</span></em></strong></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-82484719831518186512015-03-12T07:00:00.000+00:002015-03-22T21:24:06.776+00:00Review of Here Be Sexist Vampires<head>
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<b>Synopsis</b><br />
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Sam Parker is a vampire with a gift so strong and substantial that she is invited to partake in a test for a place in the Grand High Master Vampire’s private army. She finds that not only has the army never included a woman, but it has never included a Sventé vampire; a breed that is regarded by the super strong Pagori breed and the hypnotically beautiful Keja breed to be too tame and human-like. Most refuse to take her seriously, especially a Pagori commander named Jared who she craves in spite of herself.<br />
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The Grand High Master, however, sees her potential and offers her the position of Jared’s co-commander to help train the newest squad in time for the impending attack on his home. Sam has to demonstrate to Jared and the squad of chauvinists why it is incredibly foolish to underestimate a willful, temperamental, borderline-homicidal Sventé female.<br />
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Warning: This novel contains an iron-willed female vampire with an energy whip, a sexist male vampire who is determined to have her, explicit vampy sex, and a romance story with real bite.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17826184-here-be-sexist-vampires" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px;"> | </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006XHT9RE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006XHT9RE&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LVBAIKYVU6RCV2CQ">Here Be Sexist Vampires (The Deep In Your Veins Series Book 1)</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006XHT9RE" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006XHT9RE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006XHT9RE&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=RTOLWLK2UL4RGX5U" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<b>Review</b><br />
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Here Be Sexist Vampires is a stellar paranormal romance. The heroine is strong, funny, smart, and loyal to those who deserve her loyalty. She has an unpleasant backstory which includes some rather unsettling elements. She has to go above and beyond to prove herself but she doesn’t shy away from hard work so she has no trouble proving her worth and putting her doubters in their place. You’ll notice that she has a bit of a “Mary Sue” element as the story progresses in this book and the two subsequent books but I enjoy it as it is balanced by the various struggles she has to deal with. <br />
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The hero is…an ass for a decent portion of the book. He creates numerous roadblocks for the heroine and, frankly, has to do a lot to redeem himself. His character is the typical philandering, misogynist that is prevalent in novels these days but his character definitely grows on you. Especially with the segments from his POV that show the shift in his outlook towards the heroine. And the heroine is no push-over so don’t worry, she puts him in his place repeatedly and makes him earn the chance to be with her.<br />
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The main story line of the book is preparation for a large battle. As such there is a lot of strategizing and training leading up to it, which gives the novel more substance than a simple paranormal romance. The heroine was an impressive strategist so it was fun to see her apply it to the various challenges she encounters. The romance is definitely on the steamy side (seriously, steamy) so it made for an enjoyable read as well. There were lots of side characters that provided added depth to the story but the standout is the heroine. She is definitely one of my favorite heroines.<br />
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As I am writing this review, I have already devoured the two follow up books that focus on the two main characters from this book. The subsequent books flesh out the hero more, had major story line developments and were good reads as well, but the first book is the standout in the series. <br />
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Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17826184-here-be-sexist-vampires" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px;"> | </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006XHT9RE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006XHT9RE&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=LVBAIKYVU6RCV2CQ">Here Be Sexist Vampires (The Deep In Your Veins Series Book 1)</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006XHT9RE" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006XHT9RE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B006XHT9RE&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=RTOLWLK2UL4RGX5U" style="background-color: white; color: #ff3da3; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 28px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<span style="color: #393939; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><i><strong>Katie</strong></i></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-84847700442490810642015-03-03T16:56:00.001+00:002015-03-22T21:25:39.494+00:00Review of Hero <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Synopsis</strong><br />
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Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren't his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.<br />
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Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.<br />
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Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again…<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23355069-hero?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451475607/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0451475607&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=4ZRFH4SW2HBQGSDN">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OYTQ6HO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00OYTQ6HO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=IW27M7VX7EUNWU3F">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<strong>Review</strong><br />
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Hero is a highly enjoyable contemporary romance. I first got introduced to Samantha Young through her Young Adult novels but there is no denying she can also write a great adult romance. From start to finish Hero is emotionally charged and a truly intriguing read.<br />
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Our two main characters Alexa and Caine have some awkward history in their families and because of this Caine hates Alexa whilst she feels responsibility for his unfortunate past. Added to this is an instant attraction between them both which leads to some delicious sexual tension.<br />
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Alexa is a great character, she is mouthy, snarky and stands up to herself when needed. Whilst some romance heroines can be a bit wimpy and boring, Alexa is one to go full steam ahead after what she wants. Caine has the whole brooding, mysterious millionaire thing going for him which I'm sure most readers will love. Together they are a little bit dysfunctional but only because they are both lying to themselves about what they want and feel.<br />
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Whilst Hero does have a few steamy scenes to me the focus of the story was about the growth and romantic development of Alexa and Caine. It is about them both finding a kindred spirit in one another and through that being able to overcome their pasts. <br />
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The storyline isn't particularly unique but it is done in a really great way that makes it stand out. Oh and Hero is a standalone which is refreshing to see in a world of seemingly never ending series'! A definite recommend for romance fans.<br />
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Try it for yourself! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23355069-hero?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451475607/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0451475607&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=4ZRFH4SW2HBQGSDN">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OYTQ6HO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00OYTQ6HO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=IW27M7VX7EUNWU3F">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>Laura</em></strong></span></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-72608018094803201592015-03-01T07:00:00.000+00:002015-03-07T17:56:59.992+00:00February Monthly Wrap Up<h3>
On The Blog</h3>
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This month consisted mainly of my still trying to get into the swing of posting regularly. It has definitely improved from January and I posted several reviews this month alongside a Stacking The Shelves every Saturday/Sunday, several Hot New Releases and some other fun stuff :)<br />
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<strong>The Most Viewed Posts From February</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/his-dark-materials-readalong.html">His Dark Materials Readalong - Announcement</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/review-of-fire-sermon.html">Review of The Fire Sermon</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/ukya-extravaganza-blog-tour-lou-morgan.html">UKYA Extravaganza Blog Tour - Lou Morgan Turns The Tables</a> <br />
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<strong>Reviews Posted</strong><br />
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Four reviews were posted on Bookish Treasures this month.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/review-of-becoming-alpha.html">Becoming Alpha</a> - YA Paranormal Romance - 3.5 Stars<br />
<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/review-of-dark-siren.html">Dark Siren</a> - YA Paranormal Romance - 4 stars<br />
<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/review-of-smokescreen-releases-feb-5th.html">Smokescreen</a> - Contemporary Romance - 5 stars<br />
<a href="http://www.bookishtreasures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/review-of-fire-sermon.html">The Fire Sermon</a> - Dystopia / Fantasy - 5 stars<br />
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You can expect even more in March! :D<br />
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<h3>
Personal Things</h3>
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University has now fully restarted from after Christmas and though it is hectic and hard work at times it is so much fun. We have now started our Children's Writing & Publishing module in which we are working in groups to conceptualise and part produce a picture book and I am loving that so much! I have completely rediscovered my love of picture books. We have also started production & design which is being taught by AMAZING freelance designer <a href="http://www.beckychilcott.co.uk/">Becky Chilcott</a>, she works with top publishers in the UK and has been part of the design team behind covers such as Throne Of Glass, Jacqueline Wilson's books and the new Harry Potter covers! She is an excellent person to be learning from and she is always talking about children's and YA books which is extra fantastic.<br />
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The cheerleading competition season has now started for Universities and though our full cheer team hasn't competed yet February saw the debut competition for our two stunt groups and the pom dance team (which I am in) and we left with 3 trophies :) We are now gearing up for a big competition in early April.<br />
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February has actually been pretty uneventful :P<br />
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<h3>
Books Read</h3>
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<h3>
March TBR</h3>
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In February I did a terrible job of sticking to what I planned to read so I'm not going to pressure myself too much to read any particular books as I don't think it works for me but at a minimum I would like to read Hero by Samantha Young, Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth, Crow Moon by Anna McKerrow and Love Bomb by Jenny McLachlan.<br />
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Feel free to recommend me books to read in March especially as I am feeling uninspired by most of my TBR (I just want Urban Fantasy at the moment!) :(</div>
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Here's to a hopefully fantastic March!</div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-9544983520745041652015-02-28T19:06:00.003+00:002015-02-28T19:06:49.012+00:00Stacking The Shelves / Showcase Sunday #60<div style="text-align: center;">
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/search/label/Stacking%20The%20Shelves" target="_blank"><span style="color: #df8812;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a> and Showcase Sunday is Hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and they both give bloggers the opportunity to share the books they have received in the past week.</div>
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I didn't get any paperbacks this week BUT I received some amazing ebooks to review and bought a few also :) It's quite UF heavy as that is what I am really into at the moment but I do still love me some contemporary fiction. As usual if you click on the book cover you will be taken to the Amazon page for that book.</div>
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<strong>For Review</strong></div>
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I was incredibly happy to receive both Chosen Thief and Deep Blue Eternity as they are the next offerings by two FANTASTIC authors. Thank you to both Scarlett Dawn and Natasha Boyd for the review copies :D</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T5M2NWM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00T5M2NWM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=ZALQX7YF4NQ475VD"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00T5M2NWM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00T5M2NWM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PQN3SKU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00PQN3SKU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=GAY33GK4YZZLX5SZ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00PQN3SKU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00PQN3SKU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<strong>Netgalley</strong></div>
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<strong></strong><br />
I saw this fab sounding PNR on Netgalley and even though it is about the seventh or eighth book in a series I think it might be possible to read as a standalone so I am going to give it a try!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/051515556X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=051515556X&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=TCIXQH37MHZBGNF2"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=051515556X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=051515556X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Bought</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong></strong><br />
I have been excited about the thought of Lion's Share for a while (and it was fantastic!) whilst Dragon Marked I stumbled across whilst seeking more UF to read (I can't get enough at the moment).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SG7NSTO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SG7NSTO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=ODZ53J4QS2BFZANV"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00SG7NSTO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00SG7NSTO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SXKFAKO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SXKFAKO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=L6NLTAZB67AY2KZ2"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00SXKFAKO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00SXKFAKO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Freebies</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I found three fantastic sounding freebies this week and I am pretty sure they are all still free if any grab your eye.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PQRJJY0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00PQRJJY0&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=PNH7WR3RNTRJI2L3"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00PQRJJY0&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00PQRJJY0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OUH4AAU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00OUH4AAU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=SLJQRNQY3LIBOSZ6"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00OUH4AAU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OUH4AAU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JW87TLY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JW87TLY&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=JU2AQUFDBGKTPFZC"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00JW87TLY&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bookitreas-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookitreas-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00JW87TLY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What do you think of these books? Are there any you have read or plan to read? Feel free to link to your own Stacking The Shelves or similar posts in the comments.</div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-80558557026220713602015-02-26T07:00:00.000+00:002015-02-26T07:00:02.762+00:00UKYA Extravaganza Blog Tour - Lou Morgan Turns The Tables<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to
the next stop on the UKYA Extravaganza blog tour - and we're doing things a
little differently in this one, as author Lou Morgan turns the tables and
interviews your host, Laura from Bookish Treasures!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No, we
haven't lost the plot - not entirely, anyway. But we thought, as we get closer
to the UKYA Extravaganza event itself, what better way to celebrate the spirit
of the UKYA community than to turn the spotlight on the bloggers who are such
an important part of it. Readers, cheerleaders and friends: these guys know
their books. So let's find out a little bit more about what makes our host
Laura tick…<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Hi Laura,
and thanks for being part of the blog tour! To start off, tell us a little bit
about yourself, and about your site. How did you get into blogging?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My journey
to blogging started with me discovering how great twitter was as a place
to connect with both authors and people who loved books just as much as I
did. From their I discovered book bloggers and reviewers and during
"Cheer Week" in my first year of University (a week over the Easter
holidays when everyone on the cheerleading team would stay at
University even though everyone else had gone home to do long practices
every day) I had a lot of spare time on my hands and so started reviewing for a
site called Readers Favourite.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Getting
experience reviewing and having started to develop friendships with bloggers
made me want to create my own blog where I could post reviews written how I
wanted alongside other posts to help spread the word of books I loved. With
some encouragement and help from the lovely Faye @ A Daydreamers Thoughts,
Bookish Treasures was born in December 2012.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My blog was
set up with intention with it being a YA blog but it also has quite a heavy
focus on NA simply as I was a strong supporter of it as the category was
finding its feet and growing and so I would get lots of requests for those
types of books (I still do but accept much less now). I expect that the types
of books featured on Bookish Treasures will always change slightly as my
reading habits change but YA is something people will always be able to expect
to see as that is one thing I like that never changes. The variety that the
category provides means that there is always a book to suit my current tastes.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Let's dig
into your reading history: what's the first book you can remember reading, and
what was your favourite book as a child? I can remember being very attached to
books like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gobbolino, The Witch's Cat</i>
by Ursula Moray Williams when I was little, and then things like Brian
Jacques's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Redwall</i> series. I still
have my copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark is Rising</i>,
too, which has to be one of my childhood favourites. What about you?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of my
childhood memories are incredibly hazy but one of my clearest revolves around
books. Shortly after starting primary school we were instructed to read out
loud to our parents to practice our reading. Much to the despair of my mother I
forced her to listen to me read the entirety of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> over a two hour period as I didn't want to stop
only part way through. The next night I brought home <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">George's Marvellous Medicine</i> and she had to deal with listening to
me read that also. When the third night saw me bring home <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twits</i> my mum wrote a strongly worded letter for me to take to
school about how she's rather I was encouraged to read on my own in the future.
I still have that letter in a memory box. It is pretty funny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pretty much
ever since then I have been just as crazy about books and often get hooked
on a particular author. I had a childhood jam packed with activities and yet I
still somehow found a lot of time to read. I would always carry around a book
to read between ballet class, gymnastics, swimming etc. and would often stay
awake long past my bedtime to finish off my current read. I haven't changed
much to be honest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for my
favourite reads, that is something I always struggle with as I read so many
fantastic books in my childhood. One that has to be acknowledged is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Varjack Paw</i> by UK author S.F. Said as it
is one of the only age 8 - 12 books that I still have on my bookshelves as I
couldn't bear to get rid of it. I also still have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Confessions Of Georgia Nicholson</i> series by Louise Rennison -
those books guided me through my pre-teen and teen years and are just so laugh
out loud hilarious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. This
interview is part of the UKYA Extravaganza blog tour. What do you think defines
a UKYA book (apart from the obvious!), and what do you think sets it apart from
other YA?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I love
most about UKYA is the culture matching my own so I find it easier to put
myself in the characters shoes. I love books by US authors but I often cannot
relate to the characters experiences - especially in contemporary fiction. UKYA
is always a refreshing change as everything feels more real, I like recognising
the locations and slang terms and I LOVE that everything is spelt properly :P<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my
experience UKYA is often grittier and battles more serious topics. I think
in the UK we are a little more lax than the US about hiding issues such as sex,
mental illness etc. from teenagers. I love books that are not afraid to tackle
serious issues and think that they are very important for teenagers to read.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I completely
agree about the settings and culture: I devoured <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Point Horror</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sweet Valley
High</i> when I was 12 or so, and while I loved them, I always felt a little
sad that there was nothing like that set somewhere I recognised. While on the
one hand it made everything seem more glamorous and exciting, it also made it
harder to identify with the characters' lives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Pick up
the book closest to you right now, open it to a random page and tell us the
first full sentence written there. (No cheating!)</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mine, by the
way, is a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing, so we get this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course all
life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of
the work - the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside - the
ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your
friends about, don't show their effect all at once.</span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which is
cheery, but I rather like it anyway. Yours?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ok so the first time I sat down to answer the questions I was pinned under a cat (</span><a href="https://instagram.com/p/zasAsZLVlT/?modal=true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">evidence</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">) and so unable to go and get a book. The second time, I was pinned under a cat AGAIN so I sent my mum to grab a book at random from my room. And so having set the scene - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
</o:p></span><div align="center">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Always keep your sword in the ready position"</span></em></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">
<em></em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just to give this quote context (though it is much funnier without), this is from The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook in the chapter How To Win A Sword Fight.</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Why do you
think UKYA has developed into such a community? Where would you like to see it
go from here? I can't wait to see how it changes and grows over the next year…<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it
helps that the UK is much smaller than other places such as the US and so
it is easier for everyone to get to know one another, attend similar events
etc. People like Lucy Powrie who runs UKYAchat and Project UKYA have been
a major part of developing the community in recent years and also in terms of
bloggers many of the top reviewers of UKYA (you can see many of them
shortlisted for the UKYA Blogger Awards) are incredibly friendly and welcoming
to new people in the community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My hopes for
the future are simply that the community continues to grow whilst
simultaneously becoming even more tight knit.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What's the
last book you finished reading, and what's next on your TBR pile?</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have just
finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rithmatist</i> by Brandon Sanderson
(not UKYA sorry!) and I am about to start reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven Days</i> by Eve Ainsworth.</span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The
Rithmatist</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> was an unbelievably incredible YA Fantasy novel with
in depth and complex world building and from what I have heard about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven Days</i> it tackles the issue of
bullying in a really unique and fascinating way, telling the story from the
perspectives of both the bully and the victim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Seven Days</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> is the first
of several UKYA novels at the top of my TBR pile. UK authors appear to be
pulling out all the stops to make 2015 the best year of UKYA yet!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good choices:
I've heard some very good things about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven
Days</i> too! I've not long finished reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wolf Hall</i> (I'm so ahead of the curve I'm a couple of years behind
it…) which was incredible, and I'm partway through Mal Peet's <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life: An Exploded Diagram</i>. After that,
I've been thinking about a re-read of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Possession</i>
by AS Byatt. It's one of my favourite books, and it's been a while since I read
it, but it's been on my mind lately.</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. You're
about to be exiled to a deserted tropical island. You have time to grab five
things to take with you. I guess mine would be a bag (which I'd fill with
books), a notebook and pen, a blanket and a big Crocodile Dundee-ish knife.
What are yours, and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always go
silly with these questions :P</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Solar Panels
and a generator so I have access to electricity</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A satellite
device so I can get onto the internet</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My kindle so
that I can read books</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My laptop so
that I can go on twitter, goodreads and my blog</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My cats Lily
and Neo for companionship<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even if I am on a desert island I need to be able to
read and blog!</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you Laura, for all your
answers! And don't forget to head over to YAYeahYeah tomorrow for the next stop
on the tour, with Emma Haughton.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Also don't forget to check out Lou's YA novel Sleepless which is available online and in any </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">bookstore worth its salt!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Young, rich and good-looking, Izzy and her friends lead seemingly perfect lives. But exams are looming � and at a school like Clerkenwell, failure is not an option. Luckily, Tigs has a solution. A small pill that will make revision a breeze and help them get the results they need. Desperate to succeed, the group begin taking the study drug. It doesn’t take long before they realize there are far worse things than failing a few exams.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24980159-sleepless"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1XA6DI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00O1XA6DI&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=EZW3A6G3EDKQK7LH"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O1XA6DI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00O1XA6DI&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=EONL74VBINN4UBAE"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon UK</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lou
Morgan is the author of YA study pill horror <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sleepless</i>, part of the Red Eye series from Stripes, as well as two
adult urban fantasy novels: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blood and
Feathers</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blood and Feathers:
Rebellion</i>, both available from Solaris Books. She lives in Bath with her
family, and has long submitted to the rule of her two cats.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5322850.Lou_Morgan"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LouMorgan"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://loummorgan.wordpress.com/books/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Website</span></a></span></div>
Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319390446482248386.post-36468963701637538312015-02-25T13:51:00.000+00:002015-02-25T13:51:20.546+00:00Hot New Releases: February 11th - 24thWelcome to Hot New Releases here at Bookish Treasures. The last two weeks have brought several fantastic releases.<br />
<br />
We can only include books that we are aware of! If you have an upcoming release please let us know over email, facebook or twitter for the chance to see it included in the weekly round up. We are also always happy to hear about any free or discounted books which we can spread the news of:D<br />
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<strong>Young Adult</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><u>Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott</u></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText8717767436437938534"><em>What would you do to save someone you love?</em><br /><br />In <em>Fire & Flood</em>, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.<br /><br />But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?<br /><br />The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20657437-salt-stone?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545537487/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0545537487&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=7DKB5ONE7QEVQMFH">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0545537487/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0545537487&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=JMHVPAAWGXHVKLO5">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas</u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText10145092645196451155">Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of <em>Sleeping Beauty </em> and what happens after happily ever after.<br /><br />One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.<br /><br />Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. <br /><br />As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.<br /><br />Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and <em>Sleeping Beauty </em> as she’s never been seen before.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22535481-a-wicked-thing?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062303538/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062303538&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=TDZ3EW3O7SOPU7WF">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062303538/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0062303538&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=DFIEQ63PSAFEXUA2">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>Unleashed by Sophie Jordan</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText15421408897317025046">Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.<br /><br />Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.<br /><br />Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19445725-unleashed?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062233718/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062233718&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=46OXEM5IGXNAPMZP">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062233718/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0062233718&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=PR5CGALS67EJBWE2">Amazon UK (releases March 26th)</a> <br />
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<strong><u>A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwaab</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText1584682724505995110">Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. <br /><br />Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.<br /><br />Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.<br /><br />But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22055262-a-darker-shade-of-magic?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765376458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0765376458&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=SVFM7GYW3WGLD4DU">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SEU9TZK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SEU9TZK&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=NNUTHSBWHOBXCLSC">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<strong>New Adult & Adult</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><u>Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder</u></strong><br />
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Once, only her own life hung in the balance.<br />
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Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.<br />
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Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.<br />
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Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130758-shadow-study?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778317404/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0778317404&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=O5OE5EB4WWIG54ZT">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O8XP7SU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00O8XP7SU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=7TEFNLY3C7KSBQTY">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>Lion's Share by Rachel Vincent</u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText12388941265775076308"><strong><em>Abby Wade has a dangerous secret.</em></strong><br /><br />Two months ago, she disobeyed an order, but instead of kicking her out of the Pride, Jace offered her a job. Since then, she’s been battling a completely inappropriate crush on the young, hot Alpha. But when accepting his job offer seems like the only way to keep her skeletons safely in their closet, Abby doesn’t hesitate. <br /><br /><em>Jace Hammond has a big problem.</em><br /><br />A rogue is slaughtering humans in his territory, and he must eliminate the threat before the entire shifter species is exposed. There could not be a worse time for Abby to accept a job he only offered as a boost to her confidence. Abby is smart, beautiful, and resilient—more than enough to distract any man from the mission. Unfortunately, she may just be the worst enforcer ever to hold the title. <br /><br />As they hunt the killer, Abby’s secret becomes a threat to Jace’s authority and to her own life. But the real danger is the grip she has on his twice-shy heart.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23507277-lion-s-share">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SG7NSTO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SG7NSTO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=PMADYQVVOXFAR4TU">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SG7NSTO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SG7NSTO&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=DQJR25IWYDYNMLZL">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>A Stone In The Sea by A.L. Jackson</u></strong><br />
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He wanted nothing at all… <br /><br />Until he found she had everything to give… <br /><br />Sunder lead singer and guitarist Sebastian Stone has everything—fans, fame, and fortune. He also has a heart full of bitterness and a reputation for a short-fused temper. But an outward reputation rarely reveals the true man inside. Facing assault charges after trying to protect his younger brother, Sebastian is sent to Savannah, Georgia to lie low until the dust settles in L.A. <br /><br />Shea Bentley is beautiful, kind, and hiding from the very lifestyle Sebastian has always embraced. <br /><br />When the mysterious, tattooed stranger begins hanging out at the bar where she works, Shea is quick to recognize he is nothing but trouble, but she's helpless to the way her body lights up every time his intense gray eyes tangle with hers. <br /><br />They both soon find themselves drowning in a sea of desire and passion that won’t let them up for air. <br /><br />Sebastian knows firsthand secrets never die, and he’s not the only one who’s hiding them. <br /><br />Loving someone always comes with a price. But will it be Shea’s past that costs them everything? <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23348621-a-stone-in-the-sea?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TWOLMC0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00TWOLMC0&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=HVT4YBIBXC2UGQ2I">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TWOLMC0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00TWOLMC0&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=RIPPBTVHJVJFG77I">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>The Way We Fall by Cassia Leo</u></strong><br />
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Maybe we shouldn’t have fallen so fast and so willingly.<br /><br />Maybe we shouldn’t have moved in together before we went on our first date.<br /><br />Maybe we should have given our wounds time to heal before we tore each other to shreds.<br /><br />Maybe we should have never been together.<br /><br />Houston has kept a devastating secret from Rory since the day he took her into his home. But the tragic circumstances that brought them together left wounds too deep to heal.<br /><br />Five years after the breakup, Houston and Rory are thrust together by forces beyond their control. And all the resentments and passion return with more intensity than ever.<br /><br />Once again, Houston is left with a choice between the truth and the only girl he’s ever loved.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22891184-the-way-we-fall?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TRX6HSU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00TRX6HSU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=RAVZOPA432R5HP32">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TRX6HSU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00TRX6HSU&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=RNDB6S4FYG4CPKL7">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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<strong><u>Collateral Damage by Elizabeth Grace</u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText3493583538172902301"><em>Now trending.</em><br />Hollywood It Girl, Francesca Leon, has just landed the biggest role of her career…one that could clinch an Oscar nomination and open doors. If she’s going to move her career to the next level and work with top directors, she has to nail this part — and keep her sexy, but unreliable leading man from screwing everything up.<br /><br /><em>Team Calder</em><br />Bad boy Calder Fox is the son of Hollywood royalty and fresh out of rehab after his best friend’s death sent him on a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol. While his fans still love him and the paparazzi stalk him, he’s never taken life, or anything about his career, seriously. He may be charming and drop-dead gorgeous, but if he doesn’t stay sober, he could ruin Frankie’s future and expose her long-hidden family secret to the voracious media.<br /><br /><em>Behind the scenes.</em><br />Things heat up during filming and have the potential to become hotter, deeper, and much more real. But can Frankie trust Calder with her secret? Or is he doomed to sabotage his own happiness yet again?</span> <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21860645-collateral-damage?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TSN6ZS6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00TSN6ZS6&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=RV3KCNPFFM3R2UTR">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TSN6ZS6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00TSN6ZS6&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=2SBBTLF5G6QIDCEI">Amazon UK</a><br />
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<strong><u>Unseen by Amber Lynn Natusch</u></strong><br />
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<span id="freeText8658379201241965041">Welcome to the Kingdom of Hades, where even its prodigal princess sleeps lightly.<br /><br />After fighting Soul Stealers in Detroit, Khara hoped to return home to find answers in her father's realm. But the land of the dead offers little information, and far too much tragedy. Now cut off from her brothers, and left only with her dark and unreliable companion Oz, Khara must navigate the centuries-old webs of deceit and betrayal, all while eluding the Underworld's most depraved inhabitant. But she soon finds an unexpected ally in her adopted sister Persephone. Together, they endeavor to right a terrible wrong. And as Khara soon discovers, there's more riding on her success than she ever thought possible.</span> <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23379431-unseen?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NUD0NXS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00NUD0NXS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20&linkId=4YBKIH3PBCUWSK5R">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NUD0NXS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00NUD0NXS&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21&linkId=LDJUQW4RGM4BHRPO">Amazon UK</a> <br />
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Are you planning on reading any of these books? Do you have any new release recommendations that I have missed?Laura @Bookish Treasureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795454043499755702noreply@blogger.com0