The One Where Jolene Perry Guest Blogs & We SHOULD Be Buds!
I love when authors come to visit! Please welcome Jolene Perry! So. When I'm on blogs that I don't visit often, I feel the need to skim them over and check them out, and the longer I was on Nicole's blog, the more I was like - WE MUST BE FRIENDS! WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS IN COMMON.FIRST - PROJECT RUNWAY. I love this show. LOVE. This is the only bit of reality TV that I watch. I have not missed an episode. Ever.SECOND - There are a lot of Twilight posts on this blog. I will readily admit that I don't have TV and when I want it on just to have it on... I usually toss in a Twilight movie.THIRD - I Have a board on Pinterest labeled - STUFF THAT MADE ME SMILE.For real.SO, there.Anyway. Since I gave you three reasons why me and Nicole should be friends, I thought I'd also give you three reasons to read my book ;-)ONE -Writing a guy with one arm who is falling for a girl and is trying to figure out how to be with her, how to get closer to her, when he's used to having two arms... It was fun.TWO -Kate is a scattered mess who rarely does the right thing the first time - very much like me.THREE -The hair cutting scene, the scene where Kate helps him drive his stick shift car before he has to sell it, the scene where he kisses her in the back of said car, the night she sleeps over and where I wrote my fav sex-scene EVAH :-)So. Thank you SO much for letting me "invade" for a day!!!!~ Jolene
"All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction."
Scoop up The Summer I Found You on AMAZON/BARNES & NOBLEFind Jolene Perry Online: Blog • Twitter • Website • Facebook • Tumblr Jolene Perry is a YA Author of:Out of Play The Summer I Found You (March 1, 2014)Stronger Than You Know (September 1, 2014)Love Blind (2015)Other Books By Jolene Perry Thanks Jolene!Can't wait to read The Summer I Found You!xo nicole
The One Where Jolene Perry Guest Blogs & We SHOULD Be Buds!
I love when authors come to visit! Please welcome Jolene Perry! So. When I'm on blogs that I don't visit often, I feel the need to skim them over and check them out, and the longer I was on Nicole's blog, the more I was like - WE MUST BE FRIENDS! WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS IN COMMON.FIRST - PROJECT RUNWAY. I love this show. LOVE. This is the only bit of reality TV that I watch. I have not missed an episode. Ever.SECOND - There are a lot of Twilight posts on this blog. I will readily admit that I don't have TV and when I want it on just to have it on... I usually toss in a Twilight movie.THIRD - I Have a board on Pinterest labeled - STUFF THAT MADE ME SMILE.For real.SO, there.Anyway. Since I gave you three reasons why me and Nicole should be friends, I thought I'd also give you three reasons to read my book ;-)ONE -Writing a guy with one arm who is falling for a girl and is trying to figure out how to be with her, how to get closer to her, when he's used to having two arms... It was fun.TWO -Kate is a scattered mess who rarely does the right thing the first time - very much like me.THREE -The hair cutting scene, the scene where Kate helps him drive his stick shift car before he has to sell it, the scene where he kisses her in the back of said car, the night she sleeps over and where I wrote my fav sex-scene EVAH :-)So. Thank you SO much for letting me "invade" for a day!!!!~ Jolene
"All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction."
Scoop up The Summer I Found You on AMAZON/BARNES & NOBLEFind Jolene Perry Online: Blog • Twitter • Website • Facebook • Tumblr Jolene Perry is a YA Author of:Out of Play The Summer I Found You (March 1, 2014)Stronger Than You Know (September 1, 2014)Love Blind (2015)Other Books By Jolene Perry Thanks Jolene!Can't wait to read The Summer I Found You!xo nicole
Book Review: "And We Stay" by Jenny Hubbard
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard the author of Paper Covers Rock is a story of overcoming tragedy and is full of good prose and in a few instances poetry which caused me do that thing, where you inhale and hold it for a second…because you want to pause for a moment to give yourself enough time to really absorb the words.Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt disconnected from the main character Emily Beam, as she tried to deal with her guilt over the role she played in the events that transpired in her school's library. Events, which ultimately led her to be in Amerherst, the home town of her favorite poet Emily Dickinson. I have to wonder if the author didn't choose to write in third person so that the reader would feel a separation from Emily, much like she felt from the world as she struggled to face the pivotal moments that shattered her life. It is through her poetry the reader really begins to feel for Emily, and I suppose that is the point.If I had one issue with the plot it's with regards to Emily Beam's character mirroring to perfectly in a lot of ways that of Emily Dickinson. I however enjoyed some of the history regarding Emily Dickinson and the treat of both her poems and those written by her namesake.And We Stay by Jenny HubbardPublished by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014Genre: Young AdultStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source: NetGalleyFormat: eARCBuy on Amazon • Goodreads
Book Review: "And We Stay" by Jenny Hubbard
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard the author of Paper Covers Rock is a story of overcoming tragedy and is full of good prose and in a few instances poetry which caused me do that thing, where you inhale and hold it for a second…because you want to pause for a moment to give yourself enough time to really absorb the words.Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt disconnected from the main character Emily Beam, as she tried to deal with her guilt over the role she played in the events that transpired in her school's library. Events, which ultimately led her to be in Amerherst, the home town of her favorite poet Emily Dickinson. I have to wonder if the author didn't choose to write in third person so that the reader would feel a separation from Emily, much like she felt from the world as she struggled to face the pivotal moments that shattered her life. It is through her poetry the reader really begins to feel for Emily, and I suppose that is the point.If I had one issue with the plot it's with regards to Emily Beam's character mirroring to perfectly in a lot of ways that of Emily Dickinson. I however enjoyed some of the history regarding Emily Dickinson and the treat of both her poems and those written by her namesake.And We Stay by Jenny HubbardPublished by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014Genre: Young AdultStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source: NetGalleyFormat: eARCBuy on Amazon • Goodreads
Owlet: Society of Feathers Book Review
Everything about Iris’ daily life weighed her down. She lived a sheltered lifestyle filled with nothing but homeschooling and books. Her asthma seemed to limit her every move, never letting her run or get overly emotional. To Iris, everything in life was a threat she had to face—everything but her father. Even her dreams seemed to have switched into nightmares, making themselves her enemy.“Iris, calm down. It is just me. You are all right. I found you and brought you in here.” She heard him add softly, “You are in trouble for not taking your preventative meds, Izzy.”Iris tried to sort out her thoughts and realized what must have happened. Finally awake enough to open her eyes, she looked around. She wanted to be in her room, because there she would find strength in her surroundings. But as she surveyed the scene nothing was familiar to her. It felt as if she were sitting in a foreign land.Novel: Owlet: Society of Feathers #1Genre: Young Adult Paranormal RomancePublished: by Tribute Books, October 13, 2012Stand Alone or Series: This is the first in a series.How I Got it: I received a copy in e-book format from the publisher.Where can you get it? Amazon, PDF version.What’s it About?From the publisher:
Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.
Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
What made me want to read it: I love a good "lied to her whole life" story, I am writing one after all.What I thought…Iris, though physically weak due to chronic asthma, is a strong female protagonist, who is smart and likes books. (I can totally relate!) I would have preferred to see this "strong" aspect of her character explored more in the story, instead of having other characters relate their experiences and perception of her strength.I totally dug the premise. This is not a book about a shape-shifter girl who becomes an owl, which is what I was pretty sure was going to happen; but rather a coming of age story in a world where everything isn't as it seems. I went cross-eyed from time to time when the author used an alternate "inner voice" that dwelled inside the protagonist. The main character actually had full blown conversations with this inner voice, which made me wonder in the beginning if she was schizophrenic and these conversations and dreams were hallucinations. As a reader I don't like to work to figure out who's voice I'm reading, and it took me a few chapters to get into it. If you experience the same problem press on, it takes a bit of getting used to, once you do all will be well. The author's writing style is flowery which bodes well with the theme, but at times felt a bit awkward to this reader especially during scenes that contained songs or poetry.What I enjoyed best was the rather witty dialogue between characters, the lovely descriptions of the MC's dream-turned reality island retreat, and her love interest. I wasn't crazy about the extensive use of flashback to relate the protagonist's back story, however it was well done and it helped the reader understand Iris better. Overall the premise is fantastic, and not like anything I've read recently which was refreshing.As part of the blog tour check out this cool giveaway that includes original artwork created by Emma Michaels herself!
Author Emma Michaels On Her Inspiration for "Society of Feathers" Series
Tomorrow I'll share my thoughts on Emma Michael's novel Owlet: Society of Feathers Book 1, but first I had to share with you a post she wrote on what inspired this series...
The dream that inspired me to start drawing Iris had her reaching out for an owl, catching a piece of its soul and flying away. After some time I came to realize that the owl was simply a part of herself that she was reaching for, a piece of freedom. The idea of a human with a part avarian soul then started to fascinate me. How would it affect their day to day life? Would it make differences in the small nuances that make up a personality?
I thought back to my research on ornithology when I was younger and realized that it wouldn’t be a physical difference because anatomically speaking hardly any traits could carry over. It would be smaller things that would matter. Birds have different personalities and it is a mystery how their emotions and thought processes work. So I decided to have some fun playing with the ideas over time. I would see someone on the street or someone who I knew and ask myself what bird they would be. I won’t lie, I think there were a few instances where I burst out laughing in public and everyone looked at me wondering what was wrong. Admit it, when you see a man who is so pompous and swishing from side to side as he walks and peacock pops into your head with their attitudes, graces and unadulterated self grooming, you might laugh too.
As I wrote Owlet the Stryx expanded past just being a concept into being a culture of its own. It has a history, it was rich with knowledge others had forgotten because different aspects of national history meant more to them than the individual countries. I then thought about what a young Stryx might be taught in school and realized that as half avarian souls they would love different aspects of culture like songs, legends and stories.
The more I wrote, the more fascinated I became and the more detailed the world I had created started to be. Now, it is as real to me as the lands in literature I have loved. Creating the Stryx wasn’t just writing, it was an adventure and I loved every minute of it. I can hardly wait to get more in depth and have more revealed to you in book two where you get to find out more about the illustrious Eyrie who work as a council for all Stryx!
Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel 'Owlet' is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.
To view other blogs on this tour October 1 - December 31, 2012, please visit Emma's blog
Author Emma Michaels On Her Inspiration for "Society of Feathers" Series
Tomorrow I'll share my thoughts on Emma Michael's novel Owlet: Society of Feathers Book 1, but first I had to share with you a post she wrote on what inspired this series...
The dream that inspired me to start drawing Iris had her reaching out for an owl, catching a piece of its soul and flying away. After some time I came to realize that the owl was simply a part of herself that she was reaching for, a piece of freedom. The idea of a human with a part avarian soul then started to fascinate me. How would it affect their day to day life? Would it make differences in the small nuances that make up a personality?
I thought back to my research on ornithology when I was younger and realized that it wouldn’t be a physical difference because anatomically speaking hardly any traits could carry over. It would be smaller things that would matter. Birds have different personalities and it is a mystery how their emotions and thought processes work. So I decided to have some fun playing with the ideas over time. I would see someone on the street or someone who I knew and ask myself what bird they would be. I won’t lie, I think there were a few instances where I burst out laughing in public and everyone looked at me wondering what was wrong. Admit it, when you see a man who is so pompous and swishing from side to side as he walks and peacock pops into your head with their attitudes, graces and unadulterated self grooming, you might laugh too.
As I wrote Owlet the Stryx expanded past just being a concept into being a culture of its own. It has a history, it was rich with knowledge others had forgotten because different aspects of national history meant more to them than the individual countries. I then thought about what a young Stryx might be taught in school and realized that as half avarian souls they would love different aspects of culture like songs, legends and stories.
The more I wrote, the more fascinated I became and the more detailed the world I had created started to be. Now, it is as real to me as the lands in literature I have loved. Creating the Stryx wasn’t just writing, it was an adventure and I loved every minute of it. I can hardly wait to get more in depth and have more revealed to you in book two where you get to find out more about the illustrious Eyrie who work as a council for all Stryx!
Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel 'Owlet' is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.
To view other blogs on this tour October 1 - December 31, 2012, please visit Emma's blog