Glitches Galore!

Dear readers

I apologize for all the time I have spent off this cite. I have read so many amazing books, but every time I try to upload a review this cite gets all glitchy. Especially when I'm trying to set up pictures. I will try my best to get everything on order, but I do apologize if some of the reviews are set up a little odd. I will try my best to get everything running smoothly.

Jeramey Kraatz interview

Jeramey Kraatz

 

 

 

 Tell me a bit about yourself.

Hello! I’m Jeramey and I wrote The Cloak Society and Villains Rising, the first two books in a trilogy about a boy born into a family of supervillains (the final book in the series will be out next year). I really like comics, snow cones, horror movies, and my cat, Loki. I live in Texas and eat a lot of chips and queso. When I’m not writing about superpowers, I work at in the animation industry. That means that sometimes it’s my job to spend all day watching cartoons.

What inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always liked telling stories. When I was a kid, I got in the habit of writing a few paragraphs after reading a comic book about what I thought would happen in the next issue. Those little bits of work got longer and longer, until I was writing entirely new stories for the characters (a lot of the time I was in them, too). I never really thought of myself as a writer until I was in college, though. That’s when I realized that what I really wanted to do with my life was what I’d always done—to tell stories.

What is the hardest thing about being an author?

Being an author can be really tough. There are a lot of deadlines and late nights and days where you just stare at the screen without getting much done. I think one of the hardest things isn’t the beginning of a book, but about 25 pages or a few thousand words in. That’s when the excitement of starting something new wears off and you start to realize how much work is ahead of you. (On the opposite side of things, one of the best parts about being a writer is getting to talk to other people about your work, or writing in general.)

If you could have any super power what would it be?

When I was growing up, I always thought I’d want telepathy, the power to read minds. While that would be super useful, I think it would actually make life really boring to know what people around you were thinking. So now, I say telekinesis: the ability to move things with my mind. You can make yourself and other people fly, use it for offense or defense, and can float stuff out of the kitchen and into your hands without ever having to leave your chair. It’s no accident that this is the power the main character in the Cloak Society books has—it’s my favorite. 

How does your writing process go?

Every book and story is different for me, but usually it starts out with a question. For The Cloak Society, it was “What would a kid raised to be a super villain be like?” From there, the questions flooded out. (“Who are his friends?” “What does he want out of his life?” “Is that what his parents want for him?” “Can his powers move people? Cars? Planets?”) In a lot of ways, writing a book is all about answering those questions, and even the stuff that doesn’t make it into the book usually turns out to be useful because it gives you a better sense of your characters and their world.  

What was it like when you published your first book?

It didn’t seem real. It still doesn’t sometimes (it’s only been a little over a year since my first book came out!). I don’t think it all really sank in until I started visiting schools and talking to people who’d read the book who wanted to know more about the Cloak Society and the characters that I was like “This is real! People are reading what I wrote!” That feeling is kind of indescribable.

What is your advice to aspiring authors?

Read. Read as much as you can, and as widely as you can (meaning, as many different types of books, plays, poetry, etc. as possible). Ask yourself what’s good about the stuff you like and what’s not working in the stuff you don’t. And then write. Write about stuff you love or about topics that interest you. Don’t be afraid to write silly stuff, or stories that don’t make sense. What’s important is the act of writing, and figuring out what process works for you. When I was a kid writing adventures about the X-Men or the Avengers, I was just telling stories about characters I loved and never really thought about it as writing. But that stuff was an important step in my life as an author.



Hail Cloak!



Be sure to read the cloak society series:

 

 

Pegasus Olympus at War review

Pegasus: Olympus At War

Book two in the Pegasus series, by Kate O'Hearn

Emily and her winged horse face a war of Olympic proportions in this second book of the Pegasus series.

Emily, newly recognized as the Flame, is living in Jupiter’s palace on Mt. Olympus. Her friends, Joel, Paelen, and—of course—Pegasus, are there as well. The only person missing is Emily’s father, who is still being held prisoner by the CRU back in the human world. Emily wants to go find him, but Jupiter won’t allow her to leave. However, Emily does have access to a winged horse…

Determined to rescue her father, Emily and her friends make plans to sneak away from Olympus and back to New York. Then Cupid, Emily’s sort-of crush, decides to come along as well. It will be hard enough to hide a winged horse from the prying eyes of the CRU, but a winged boy as well? And when the gruesome Nirads begin a new invasion, old grudges are unearthed, new enemies are discovered, and Emily and her friends become entangled in a conflict more dangerous than they ever anticipated.

This is an amazing sequel to the Pegasus series! Its got action, adventure, humor, suspense, fierce friendship's, and a bit of romance. It is a book that is sure to impress anyone who has read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I loved how fantasy, mythology, and the modern day are all intwined to make such a great story plot.

Emily is a strong character: She is kind, intelligent, and persistent. I think she is the perfect heroin. As you read through this book you get to see how she is adjusting to her new life and her new image.
With the help of her friends Emily is confident that she can take on the world.


My book Rating: ***** meg-a-stars

If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:

The Heroes of Olympus series

Percy Jackson series

Kane Chronicles series 

Shelby Bach Interview!

Shelby Bach

Author of : The Ever Afters series

 

Official Bio:
Shelby Bach grew up reading every book she could find and writing stories in battered notebooks. She also rarely came home with a clean shirt and had lots of accidents that ended with a hunt for Band-Aids. Nowadays she writes on her laptop rather than in a notebook, but not much else has changed.

I am honored to say that Shelby Bach has agreed to an interview! Those of you who read my review blog probably know that I am a HUGE fan of Shelby's books. So... Thank you Shelby!
Without further ado, here is the interview.


 

Hey, Meghan!

Thank you so much for interviewing me, Meghan! 

 

What is something that most people don't know about you?

Hmmmm. Okay, this is the first thing that came to mind: I could whistle from a ridiculously young age. My mom said that she took me into the doctor for a regular check-up when I was six months old, and when he asked about my development, Mom was all like, Shelby can whistle—is that normal? The doctor didn't believe her…so my mom had me demonstrate. The doctor was shocked, and he brought in all the nurses to watch me whistle for them. 

Of course, I forgot how to whistle sometime in preschool, and when I relearned the skill in elementary school, I was totally proud of myself since I didn't remember being a whistling baby. And when I showed my mom, expecting her to be all impressed, she told me this story. 

What do you do in your spare time?

Oh, I'm boring. I read. I go to dinner or to the movies with my friends. I have a thing for needlepoint and for cooking. I watch a fair amount of TV (I'm currently hooked on Sleepy Hollow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). But mostly I read. 

I love to travel too, though, and since I'm still getting to know the Pacific Northwest, I sometimes take drives for little mini-adventures. For example, I went to my first Washington state beach, and I ended up  getting into a bit of an accident on the way home—on a dark road, in the middle of the forest. That WAS an adventure. 
-I'm glad to know you are ok :)

Who is your favorite author?

This is a hard question!!!! I have too many favorites! Can I do a top ten list? 

Here we go, in no particular order: Madeleine L'Engle, Robin McKinley, Gail Carson Levine, Kirsten Cashore, Sarah Addison Allen, John Green, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, Tamora Pierce, Neil Gaiman. Six of these have been on my favorites list since I was 13, so clearly, they have staying power. But if you asked me which new authors I loved the most, or which adult authors I love the most, the list would look very different. 

When did you decide you wanted to be an author?

You know, I don't remember ever deciding that I wanted to be an author. In second grade, I have a very clear memory of telling someone that I wanted to be either a teacher or a writer when I grew up, but once I started practicing more (ie. writing my own stories), becoming an author became center stage. By middle school, that was my number one goal, and I didn't really waver on it after that. 

What is your favorite thing about being an author?

It's a two-way tie: getting to know my characters and getting to know my readers. The first thing was something I always enjoyed about writing, but the second thing was a delightful surprise that came after getting published. :-)

What would be your dream come true?

Well, now that I'm an author, my dream HAS come true in a lot of ways. But that answer is pretty boring. 

Sooooooo, let's say: I would LOVE to win a trip—all expenses paid, maybe even with room for friends—to go to five countries of my choice: Japan, China, Morocco, Scotland, and Ireland. Or maybe Turkey, Czech Republic (Prague), France (Provence), Singapore, and Peru. And I forgot about Greece and Norway and Chile! I obviously have a hard time narrowing things down, even made-up choices like this. :-P

What is your advice to those who want to be authors?

I usually tell people to practice, but I'm pretty sure that you already do that, Meghan. I've also told young writers this year to figure out what makes them tick as a writer, and you've probably already read that too. 

So, here's a new one: learn how to listen to your story. 

I mean that in two ways: first, sometimes the story wants to go off in a direction that wasn't what the writer expected. For example, when I first started The Ever Afters, I knew Chase's dad would be important in Of Giants and Ice, but I never planned his mom's side of the family taking over Of Witches and Wind. I loved it, though. I loved learning about his backstory, and letting Chase and Rory grow when they dealt with certain issues (which I can't reveal since they're spoilers!). If I hadn't listened to the story and been open to exploring that part of Chase, I would have missed out on something that is now one of my favorite parts of the whole series.

Now, the second thing I mean about learning how to listen to your story is learn what your story wants you to do with it—especially in relation to the world. For instance, when I was in middle and high school, I wrote a ton of stories that did NOT want to be shared…even though a lot of friends were curious about what I was writing all the time. So, I kept them to myself. Then I wrote some stories that only wanted to be shared with a few of my friends—the ones who loved reading and writing as much as I did, and that worked out pretty well. Next, in college, I wrote one that was adventurous enough to be shared with strangers, so I listened and put it online. People seemed to like it (but not everybody). The Ever Afters came a few years after that, and it felt different from the very beginning. It burned to be told AND to be shared—which is why I worked so hard to get it published. I'm still a firm believer that not every story needs to be published, and I also believe that writers can feel the difference if they listen to their stories.

Once again, thank you Shelby Bach!


To see more of Shelby Bach click here.

To see my reviews on her books click here and here

 

Keeper Of the Lost Cities: Exiled review

Keeper of the Lost Cities: EXILE (Book 2)

By Shannon Messenger

Sophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled into her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny--the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities--her life finally seems to be coming together. 

But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there. And when Sophie discovers new messages and clues from the mysterious Black Swan group, she’s forced to take a terrifying risk—one that puts everyone in incredible danger. 

As long buried secrets rise to the surface, it’s once again up to Sophie to uncover hidden memories—before someone close to her is lost forever.

In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more.

Exiled is the second book in the Keeper Of the Lost Cities series. In this book you get to revisit Sophie, Fitz, Keefe, Dex, the rest of the gang, and in addition to that you also get to meet a new character named Silveny. She is the first female alicorn to be found in the Lost Cities. In my personal opinion this book is

not as good as the first book, but the first book was AMAZING, which still makes this book pretty awesome.

This book has lots of fun characters and an exciting new twist!

There are many questions that are answered in this book, and many questions that have yet to be asked. I can not wait for the next book in the series!

My book rating: **** meg-a-stars

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

Keeper of the lost cities #1

Heroes Of Olympus: The Mark Of Athena

Of Giants and Ice

The House Of Hades review

The House Of Hades
Book four in the Heroes Of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan





Heroes of Olympus, Book Four
Coming October 8, 2013

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

The House Of Hades is another wonderful addition to the Heroes Of Olympus series. You get to see more of your favorite characters: Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, and Nico. You even get to see some of the characters from previous books, but you also get to meet some new ones!

This book has you sitting on the edge of your seat and leaves you wanting more! There is action, adventure and witty comments around every corner.  The House Of Hades has a great plot, great characters, and pulls the reader into the story.
In this book Rick Riordan has taken a different approach, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many secrets and surprises that unravel in this book. In my personal opinion some parts are overdone, but that does not change the fact that it is an awesome book.


My book rating:**** meg-a-stars


If you enjoyed this book you might like:

Percy Jackson series

Heroes Of Olympus series

Pegasus and the Flame Of Olympus series

Sarah Prineas Interview

Author Interview

Sarah Prineas

Author of The Magic Thief, and the Summerkin series!               

                   



I would just like to say thank you to Sarah Prineas for agreeing to be interviewed. I know that she must have been busy so I am super happy that I am able to post this. So once again...
 Thank you Sarah!

Without further ado, here is the interview:

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

“I grew up on the east coast, but now I live in rural Iowa with my family and also two dogs, a cat, and three adorable goats.  The things that I love to do besides reading and writing, are going for hikes in the woods, gardening, and getting long emails from my friends.”

 

 

Which characters from any of your book series do you relate to?

“Well, I relate to all of them, one way or another, because I invented them.  The character I'm most like is Nevery because he's cranky in the mornings before he's had his tea--and I'm that way about my coffee.  I'm also a little like Rowan, because she's impatient and so am I.”

 

 

What is your favorite book?

"My favorite book of all time--that's a tough question!!  I'll try to list some of my favorites:

Picture book (tie): Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Four Fur Feet by Margaret Wise Brown.

Middle-grade book (tie): Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

YA book: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Adult book (tie): Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry."

 

“I'm a little nutty about books, so I couldn't choose just one!!”

 

 

How do you get your ideas for books? For characters?

“When I start writing a book, it's like meeting the characters for the first time.  As I write, I get to know them and their world, and I start to figure out what's going to happen to them.  That's when the book gets rolling, and I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas, and bring a notebook on hikes with me in case the ideas leap out of the woods at me, and really, the ideas are everywhere at that point.”

 

 

When did you decide you wanted to be an author?

“I didn't start writing until I was in my 30's!!  Before that I had a career and everything, and started writing because I was living in Germany and couldn't work there, and I needed something to do.  And wow, I discovered this thing that I *love* to do.”

 

What is your advice to those who want to be authors?

“I have three pieces of advice.  One: If you start something, try to finish it so you can understand what a complete story feels like. Two: Find a critique group; read their work and accept their comments on your work.  Three: (advice from one of my best writer-buddies) NEVER SURRENDER.  Writing can be hard and you can get lots of rejections, but you have to keep going past those challenges.”

 

Once again thank you!

“You're very welcome!  :D”

SarahP

 

to see my reviews on her books click here , and here.

To see more of Sarah click here , to go to her website.