HUSHED Blog Tour...interview with Kelley York!

Hi guys!

First, let me apologize for being absent from the blogosphere for 2 weeks (the horror!). Due to the holidays, I took some time away to spend with family/friends, but I'm back now! And what a way to return, with an interview with the the awesomely talented Kelley York!

As part of the HUSHED Blog Tour, I get to interview Ms. York today, and I couldn't be happier! I hope you enjoy the interview, and be sure to check out the giveaway at the end...but first, here's a bit about her debut wonder, HUSHED.

HUSHED

by Kelley York
pub date 11/30/2011

product description from goodreads.com

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Sounds good, right? Trust me, it is. But don't take just my word for it...check out these rave reviews for HUSHED (which it totally deserves!):


'Kelley York delivers in this impressive debut. I was at the edge of my
seat waiting to see what would happen next! Bottom line, this was
unputdownable!!!' --- YA Fantasy Guide ---

'How exciting that we live in a time when gay teen protagonists can be
just as screwed up as straight ones -- and their stories just as creepy!'
--- Brent Hartinger, award-winning author of Geography Club and Shadow
Walkers ---

Believe me when I say these awesome reviews are spot-on! 

Here's a bit about the author herself, Kelley York:     


Kelley was born and raised in central California, where she still resides
with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she
does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She has a
fascination with bells, adores all things furry - be them squeaky, barky
or meow-y - is a lover of video games, manga and anime, and likes to
pretend she's a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real
unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid.

Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres
from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers,
paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character
development takes center stage.

Kelley's website: http://www.kelley-york.com/blog
And now, on to the interview!

Hi Kelley, thanks for stopping by my blog and answering some questions today! Let's get to it, shall we?

1. HUSHED is a great blend of darkness and light, showcasing how one person can be both good and bad simultaneously. Did you find writing such a multi-dimensional story easier or more difficult than writing one focusing on just the good or bad?

Whenever I'm asked something like this, I'm never entirely sure how to answer because it wasn't a conscious choice. I just kind of go with the flow where my characters take me, both to the good and the bad places. But I do think it's easier for me to write dark and heartbreaking than it is to write light, fluffy, and happy.

2. Archer, though an evil murderer by society's standards, pulls on your heart relentlessly throughout this book. Though he does bad things, you feel for him and ultimately root for him. Was this a difficult character to write? And is Archer based on a real-life person (well, besides the whole 'killing' thing, lol)?

Archer was the easiest to write out of all the characters in the book. I have a fondness for (and thus, I suppose, a lot of practice at writing?) characters like him. Ones who are so fragile and broken, and bend over backwards to make others happy. Archer definitely wasn't based off of anyone, though. Vivian is the only character who minimally resembles anyone I know in real life, and she was a sort of general idea around many girls I knew in high school. Those types of girls who put guys before their friends, and never got into a relationship that was good for them.

3. Evan. Ah, Evan. When you think of someone you'd like to run into and fall in love with and spend the rest of your life with, Evan is definitely on that list. He's smart and sincere and considerate and loving...the total opposite of Viv. Was the decision to have a bad and good character in Archer's life a conscious one on your part, or did one or both of these characters grow into what we read?

Nope, not a conscious decision at all. In fact, when I started out, Vivian was intended to be a much more sympathetic character than she turned out to be, and Evan wasn't meant to be in love with Archer. But once I start writing, the characters take on a life all their own. By the end of the original chapter where Archer and Evan meet (which is not the one in the final draft of the book), I realized Evan wanted to gather Archer up and love him and protect him, and...well, the rest is history.

4. Do you have any plans to write more about Archer and Evan and Viv? Like, perhaps, a sweet, romantic comedy about Archer and Evan?!! ;-)

It won't be a full novel, but I would like to do a short follow-up for the boys! It seems to be in high demand, so who knows... Maybe I'll put something up on my blog. ;) They might make (very brief) cameos in some of my other books, too.

5. And finally, the question I ask all interviewees. If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one book to read, which would it be and why?

ONE? Can't I say my Nook so I have many?! No?? Oh, all right. It would probably be Hannah Moskowitz's GONE, GONE, GONE, or...if I go way back into my childhood, THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle. (I'm always stunned by how few people have read that.)

Thanks so much, Kelley, for taking time to visit today! HUSHED was a fantastic read that sucked me in and didn't let go until it was over...nicely done! Can't wait to read more from you!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there's a giveaway! The awesome folks at Entangled Publishing has offered up an e-copy of HUSHED for my followers today. If you'd like to win it, simply comment on this post by Wednesday, 1/4 at midnight CST. That's it! I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

And since it's an e-book, this contest is international!! 

So be sure to comment, and check back on Thursday for the winner!

Review: TRANSCENDENT and a giveaway!

I am happy to be a stop on the Transcendent Blog Tour! Be sure to visit the Transcendent Facebook page here, and the Goodreads discussion here!

Here's a bit about the book.

Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal

by

pub date 12/2011

product description from goodreads.com

Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories.

Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you.

Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction.

My Review:

Transcendent is a great collection of fun, spooky short stories that does a great job of keeping your interest. I've often found that with short story collections, there's always at least one that I'll start and then skip to the next one, but each of these was interesting enough to make me keep reading (nice job, authors!)

Of course, I have a few favorites. The story of the shipwrecked ex-friends who happen upon a siren was a fun read, as was the story of the Homecoming party that comes to life and the ghost-hunting group of teens who spend the night in a haunted house (no way would I have EVER done that! lol). All in all, these were well-written stories with defined characters that flowed well from one to the other right to the end.

My Rating:

I'm happy to give Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal 4 stars, and recommend it for anyone looking for short, spooky reads that will entertain--and sometimes scare!

Giveaway!!

The authors of Transcendent have been kind enough to offer an ecopy of the book for my followers today (yay, giveaway!). To enter, simply comment on this post between now and Sunday at midnight (yes, that's Christmas for those who celebrate it!), and I'll post the winner on Monday...that easy!!

And be sure to visit wendyswore.blogspot.com (the tour host) for more awesome giveaways, and check out the other stops on the tour:

And if you're interested in picking up a copy of Transcendent, you can do that here:

For your Kindle! (paperbook coming soon!)

For your Nook!

TGIF at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in!

This Friday's Question:

Most Popular:

What blog post has gotten
the most comments/activity
on your blog this year?

Excellent question as always, G! Hmm, let's see.

My all-time most active post was when I hosted my 100 Followers Giveaway. In that post, I gave away a set of books that a certain someone (hint: her name starts with G, ends with "inger") had never read, and I couldn't be happier that she won, because now I consider her a friend! :)

As far as regular, non-giveaway posts go, that would have to be a post I did on Writing Compelling Characters. It was part of an experiment hosted by the awesome @elanaj, and though the traffic it received was nowhere near the 100 Followers Giveaway post, it did get a lot of views and comments!

What about you guys, what's been your "biggest seller" as far as the ole' blog goes?

And thanks for stopping by!

500 Followers! And a giveaway!!

My blog just hit 500 followers.

That's crazy.

Seriously.

I can't believe that 500 of you actually care what I have to say (which isn't much), but thank you!! Honestly, truly, thank you so much! I've been trying to get more reviews going, maybe throw in some posts on writing and the whole "getting published" process, so I promise...it'll get better! ;-P

Now, in honor of you guys clicking that little follow button, I wanna reward you somehow.

What can I do, what can I do...

Oh! I know!

How about an ARC of my upcoming book, Blood Born?

Anyone care to win a free copy of that, personalized by yours truly? Well, if you do, then you came to the right place!

Now, I'm not one of those who makes you scour the earth for clues, or earn 5,000 extra entries by posting about my giveaway all over the web on a daily basis (please feel free to do so, though!). No, I try to keep it easy. Normally, I simply ask for a comment on this post.

This time, though, I would like you all to take it 2 steps further. I know, you're all screaming "But hey! You just said--"

And I did just say I'm not that type, and I promise I'm not. But hey, this is an ARC of MY book--I can't give it away that easily! ;-P

So, to enter the giveaway (which is only for those folks in the US. Sorry international peeps, next time!), here's what you gotta do.

1. Comment on this post. (see? easy!)

2. In said comment, give me a link to somewhere you mentioned this giveaway (Twitter, your blog, Facebook, anywhere)

3. Head over to goodreads and add Blood Born to your TBR lists (see? easy again!)

That's it! I told you it wouldn't be that bad.

I'll keep this giveaway open until Midnight on Sunday, January 1 (Happy New Year!). Then on Monday, January 2nd, I'll post the winner!

Oh, and some Blood Born swag has been ordered, so if it arrives before I mail our the winner's ARC, I'll toss some of that in as well (bonus win!).

And thanks again to you all for following along with me...I <3 each of you!!

Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

The One That I Want

by Jennifer Echols

pub date 12/6/2011

product description from goodreads.com

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

My Review:

The One That I Want is yet another winner from Jennifer Echols! It's fun, quirky, sexy, filled with great dialogue...need I go on? The difference with this one, however, is that it kind of breaks the mold with its characters.

Let's start with Gemma, who is not your typical high school teenager. We learn right away that Gemma just lost some weight. A lot of it. About 50 pounds to be exact (which is a lot if you've never struggled with your weight, believe me!). And throughout the book, we see how Gemma deals with her new image--both inside and out. That's definitely not something you see everyday in these fun romance novels. I love it! Gemma is an excellent character, very real and down-to-earth in a way that makes her very relatable. I found myself chugging right along with her, keeping my fingers crossed that things worked out the way she hoped!

Now on to Max, the male lead. He's your typical jock: hot, athletic, hot, popular, hot. Ahem. What's different about Max, what makes him stand out from the endless supply of YA male leads...is he's Asian. Now that is definitely not something you see often in this genre, and it's a breath of fresh air! On the surface, Max seems to have it all: outstanding talent in sports, steamy good looks, parents who love him. But what we learn is that just like Gemma, Max struggles with being different--and always has. This connects Gemma and Max in a way that nothing else can.

It also connects the reader with these two characters in that same way, that "I was different growing up, too, so I can relate!" way. As each of these characters came to life and their stories unfolded, I was right there with them, nodding my head and completely understanding the feelings they expressed. Well done, Ms. Echols!

My Rating:

As if you have to ask. I honestly don't think I could ever give one of Ms. Echols' books less than a 5 star rating, and The One That I Want is no exception. A great story told through relatable, believable characters, witty, spot-on dialogue, and of course romance, believe me when I tell you that this book is The One That You Want! :)