Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Economics by Kersten Kelly

Welcome to Author Kersten Kelly

Kersten L. Kelly is a self-published author of narrative non-fiction and semi-fiction books. She grew up in Munster, Indiana, and currently works in a sales role based out of Chicago, Illinois. She started writing at an early age and graduated from Indiana University with a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Communication & Culture. She then went on to earn a Master’s in Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and writing as well as international travel in her spare time.

Website: http://www.theeconomicsbook.com.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/KerstenLKelly

Facebook: facebook.com/KerstenLKelly

Interview:
What is one book everyone should read?
One book everyone should read is definitely the Stranger. The book is old, but it is a quick read and the story line is very unusual. It was recommended to me by my sister, and I actually thought it was confusing at times. It was written a long time ago, and I think it connects current authors with ideas of the past.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
The book will appeal to anyone who has ever made a choice between two things and will help readers make the best choice for their personal situation.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
Yes, I am currently writing a narrative semi-fiction on people that I meet on airplanes. I have a lot of crazy stories that I’ve either experienced myself or that people have told me about. So far, it’s a pretty interesting compilation of individual stories.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
The most rewarding experience since being published was when the newspaper in the area contacted me to do an interview. The columnist wrote a really fun article about me and the book, and I just felt so humbled. There were so many kind words from people about it. It made me feel so special.

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
1. Never give up.
2. Challenge yourself.
3. Edit, edit, edit, and edit again.
4. Reach out to other non-fiction authors and ask questions. People are willing to help.
5. Write about a subject you enjoy and that you are passionate about.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Amsterdam. I spent one New Year’s Eve there and absolutely fell in love with the people, the culture, and the city. It is a beautiful place and the food was simply delicious.

What is your favorite Quote?
“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” -Arnold H. Glasgow

How did you know you should become an author?
When I was a kid, I wrote stories all the time. I used to sit down on the weekends and create stories with no plot, a lack of good characters, and only a few short chapters. I kept writing even though I wasn’t good, and my family and friends continued to encourage me. As I got older, I found that I enjoyed it more than I thought. Now it just seems natural as an adult.

How do you react to a bad review?
The best way I've found to deal with a bad review is to anticipate them. For every 20 letters I sent out for any requests for the book, I could expect to get 1 "yes," a few "no's," and the majority of people wouldn't even respond. The key to this is just to keep moving forward with more requests and remain positive about the bad ones. Someone is bound to be interested, and it takes a lot of inquiries to find a good match and like the book.

Economics

Professional football players, corporate tobacco advertisers, volatile gasoline prices, and the Cold War all share an undetected commonality—each is an intrinsic part of economics. Though not obvious to the naked eye, each entity shares a pattern with the others. This book helps to shed light on these mutual characteristics. It is an extensive compilation of theories interpreted using supportive examples.
Economics is an enthralling science that encompasses our actions, thoughts, and emotional rationality every day in the unconscious. This book dissects economic theory into bite-size, entertaining snippets that anyone can understand and apply to their daily routines. It is a compelling depiction of history, business, pop culture, and social movements intertwined with relevant economic trends. Economics is part of daily life, and this book challenges readers to question how and why people make decisions by adding a simple twist on normalcy.

1 copy of Economics
Paperback open to US only, Ebook open Internationally
Ends 8/13/12

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Book Giveaway: Goddess Girls Super Special by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

Goddess Girls Super Special by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series—let the games begin!

Athena, Medusa, Artemis, and Persephone are sick and tired of being left out of the annual boys-only Olympic Games. Their solution? The Girl Games!

But as the Goddess Girls work to make their dream into a reality, they come up against plenty of chaos and competition.

Told in alternating points of view, this superspecial is packed with Olympic spirit!

This is such a fun series for middle grade readers!




Giveaway Details
1 copy of Goddess Girls Super Special
Open to US only
Ends 8/13/12

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2nd Annual Back to the Books Giveaway Hop Sign Ups

2nd Annual Back to the Book Giveaway Hop
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
& Buried in Books

September 1st to 7th

Each of these blogs is hosting a giveaway as part of this hop!

Dirty Little Secrets Motivated Box of Books Giveaway

I just finished reading the book Dirty Little Secrets.

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.
With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

I've not yet posted a review of the book but it did motivate me to seriously start decluttering my home.  I'm by no means a "hoarder", (I'm often in trouble with my kids for getting rid of things they still want) but we still have too much "stuff" in our house.  I've been going through closets, bedrooms, and bookshelves and getting rid of anything I can.

I've got 3 boxes of books I've collected to giveaway.  I should save them for my next Clear Your Shelf Giveaway but I haven't got it set up yet so I figured I just offer this 1st box for giveaway.

Giveaway Details
The box of books pictured above
Open to US only
Ends 8/12/12


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Author Interview: Son of Venice by Dori Jones Yang

Welcome back to Author Dori Jones Yang, author of Daughter of Xanadu and its newly released sequel, Son of Venice, July . 



A former foreign correspondent, I aim to build bridges between cultures, especially between China and America. My new book, Daughter of Xanadu, reveals my greatest passions: to explore exotic locales, celebrate strong women, seek wisdom, and make history come alive.

Daughter of a bookseller, I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. My childhood was spent reading like crazy and writing stories. In high school, I fell in love with foreign travel, starting with a summer in France.

My father suggested a career in journalism. My first job was a summer internship with my hometown newspaper, where I wrote obituaries! At Princeton, I majored in history but spent most of my waking hours at the college newspaper.

After graduation, I went to Singapore for two years to teach English and study Mandarin Chinese. I traveled all over Asia on a shoestring and returned home through Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, six months before the Shah fell. My next step was a master’s at Johns Hopkins in international affairs, with a focus on China.

The most exciting move of my journalism career was the day Business Week sent me to Hong Kong to be a foreign correspondent. I loved that job for eight years, covering the Sino-British negotiations over Hong Kong’s future and the Tiananmen Square crisis in Beijing. During these years, I met and married Paul Yang. Our three children are Steve, Serena, and Emily.

Since 1990, I have lived near Seattle. I covered Boeing and other Northwest companies for Business Week and later worked for U.S. News & World Report covering Microsoft, Silicon Valley, and the dot-com boom.

In 1995, I began writing books: business, children’s, young adult, oral history. You can read about these books on this website. Daughter of Xanadu tells a story of cross-cultural romance: something I know about personally!

Learning languages brings me joy: I speak Mandarin Chinese and also studied French, Cantonese, Japanese, and Malay. Playing music also makes me happy: piano, violin, cello, and the Chinese zither, called the guzheng. I have traveled widely, including many parts of China, Mongolia and the Silk Road.

http://www.dorijonesyang.com/

Interview:

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

Past.  I’m curious to know what REALLY happened, behind the scenes – and what the women thought of it. I’d love to travel back and visit Marco Polo in China, but there are many other places I’d like to go, too. I’d like to see Anne Boleyn, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Arthur’s sister Morgaine, China’s Empress Dowager Cixi, Cleopatra, and many other famous women whose lives we know only through the records of men.

Night owl, or early bird?

I used to be a night owl, back in my college days, but now I’m an early bird.  I love the total quiet of early morning hours, before the phone starts ringing and before anyone starts making demands on my time. I think more clearly in that pure early air.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Son of Venice will satisfy your curiosity about Marco Polo and the Mongolian princess Emmajin and answer the question: What would it take for such an unlikely love affair to succeed in those days?

What inspired you to want to become a writer?

As a child, I loved books and make-believe, and I wrote my first book at the age of seven, called “Jutht a Meth of Thingth,” about a girl with a lithp who invented brownies. Later, I wrote mystery stories that were obvious imitations of Nancy Drew books.

What is your dream cast for your book?

One blogger suggested Henry Cavill as Marco Polo and Jamie Chung as Emmajin.  I’ve asked many audiences since then, and they all vote for these two to star in the movie version of Daughter of Xanadu and Son of Venice!  I tried to make the story cinematic, so it would make a great movie.

What's the craziest writing idea you've had?

I wanted to write a series of children’s books about selfless people with inspiring lives. My agent said he could never sell such a series to a publisher, and one mom told me her kids would never read such books. I still dream about this idea sometimes.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

Ohio Girl, Asian Dreams

What's your favorite season/weather?

April in Seattle: cherry blossoms herald the arrival of light!

Favorite sport?

Wii Fit. I’m serious. I like the table tilt, the balance bubble, and the flying chicken.

TV or Movies?

Movies. Especially ones with Meryl Streep (I recently saw “It’s Complicated”) or John Cusack (I love “Grace is Gone.”)

Print or Ebook?

I grew up as the daughter of a bookseller, so I love printed books. But in the past year, I’ve learned to love my Kindle as well.   Why? I am always reading many books at once, and this way I can carry many books on one device. Nobody can tell I’m flitting back and forth between books.

Action or Drama?

For me, the question is: action or romance? And my answer is BOTH!

Cats or Dog?

I love dogs, especially small ones with soft ears, but I admit to being a true cat person. They know what they want.

Favorite quote from a movie?

Two quotes from “To Kill a Mockingbird” –

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

and

“Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passing.”

Write a haiku about your book.
A warning: Danger!

Can they find time together?

Fireworks explode.

Son of Venice

Son of Venice continues the story begun in Daughter of Xanadu, set in thirteenth century China. In that book, Emmajin, an excellent archer and fictional granddaughter of Khubilai Khan, poured all her energy into her dream of becoming the first woman soldier in the Mongol army. When she met Marco Polo, a traveling merchant from Venice, he fascinated her with tales of romantic love and caused her to question her ambition. Son of Venice picks up the story as Emmajin begins her journey to the West, assigned by Khubilai Khan to carry a letter to establish peace and cooperation between her homeland and Marco Polo’s. Marco is to travel in the same caravan. But a shaman’s warning of traitors and danger casts a shadow over their journey. Emmajin wants to win respect as an ambassador of the Great Khan and also to enjoy her time with Marco Polo. But her guards—and her cousin, Temur—insist on keeping them apart. Plus, as she travels west with the army, she begins to doubt the Khan’s intentions. Does he really want her to make peace with the West? Told in alternating points of view, this book follows the adventures of Emmajin and Marco Polo as they head west along the Silk Road. They face battles, intrigue, sinister plots, and unexpected challenges to their unconventional love. Can Marco’s famed eloquence and cleverness help when Emmajin faces perils beyond any she imagined?

Book of Choice or $15 Amazon Gift Card - Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the
Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop

July 27th to August 1st

Hosted by Colorimety & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

My Giveaway:
A Book of Your Choice up to $15 from the Book Depository or a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card.  Open Internationally.


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Each of these blogs is hosting a giveaway. The linky will be accurate tomorrow morning.  As blogs send me a link to their giveaway I will place an ~ before their name.

Got Great (Book) Giveaways?

So much for normal... If I hadn't got a message asking if this post was going to go up today it would likely have been completly forgotten!  It's still Wednesday here but just barely!


Got Great Giveaways is a weekly feature hosted here on I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.  This feature will be posted each week on Wednesday.

I love book giveaways.  Enter enough book giveaways and you are going to win them.  Just be sure to follow the giveaway entry rules so you have a valid entry and don't get disqualified.

To win a giveaway you've got to be able to find it and enter it.  Thus I created Got Great Giveaways!  If you are hosting a giveaway on your blog or come across a great giveaway you want to share please link it up here.

Got Great Giveaways? Book Giveaway Link Up Rules:
Giveaways must be book related (books, gift cards to stores that sell books, swag, etc.)
Please do not link up to Blog Hop Giveaways that are hosted on this site.
Link directly to your giveaway post.
Please include as much info as possible such as the genre, book title & ending date of your giveaway, shipping info, etc.

Example: Young Adult - In The Forests of Night by Kersten Hamilton ends 5/28 (US)

You are welcome to grab the code for this linky and add it to your site, just be sure to mention it is for book related giveaways only so it doesn't get spammed with unrelated giveaways.
BOOK & BOOK RELATED GIVEAWAYS ONLY - others will be deleted.


Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts.  So whether you are shopping for books, movies, clothes, games, electronics, music, food or any of the myriad of other things amazon sells, simply use my affiliate link to shop. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site. My Affiliate Link: http://www.amazon.com/?tag=iaarnaw-20.

Guest Post and Amazon Gift Card Giveaway: Super Spies and the High School Bomber by Lisa Orchard

Welcome back to author Lisa Orchard.

Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. Her debut novel “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer,” is a suspenseful thriller about young girls thrust into a situation and the choices they make. The setting is Harrisburg, a small town in Michigan, much like the town where Lisa grew up. Many of her characters’ adventures stem from her exploits as a young teen. After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side. The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the second novel that stars the same quirky teens, and she hopes to turn the Super Spies into a series. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.

Hello everyone! My name is Lisa Orchard and I’m a young adult author and Kathy has given me the privilege of guest blogging today. I’d like to thank her for giving me the opportunity to be here. Thanks Kathy!

My second book in my Super Spies series is being released tomorrow! Whoo Hoo! I’m so excited! It’s titled “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”. My first book is titled “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” and it’s on sale for $.99! 

People have asked me where I get my ideas for my books and I have to say a lot of them come from real life events. For example, in my first book the story evolved from my own exploits as a teen. J Of course, they’re greatly embellished! I did want to be a detective when I was younger, but I certainly didn’t investigate a murder!

For the second book, I took a look at the world around me and I happened to come across some information on Columbine.  Suddenly, I had an idea for my second story in the Super Spies series.

The world is full of events that we can glean inspiration from, and while some of them are horrific we can certainly learn from them. That’s one of my goals with my stories, to make readers more aware of the causes of some of these events. So check out my new series and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!

You can find me at these social media sites:

Website: www.lisaorchard.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Orchard/328536613877060?ref=hl

The Super Spies and the High School Bomber

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?

Giveaway Details:
Lisa is giving away 3 Amazon.com Gift Cards.
Each is worth $10.

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Author Interview & Kindle Fire Giveaway

Welcome to author Suzanne Jenkins

Suzanne Jenkins lives at the west Michigan lakeshore with her husband, two dogs and two sheep.  Her latest books are Pam of Babylon, Don’t You Forget About Me and Dream Lover.

http://suzannejenkins.net/
https://www.facebook.com/suzannejenkinswriter

Interview:
If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
Wow, that’s a whopper to answer right off the bat! I would definitely go back in the past. As I approach old age, I wish I’d handled situations differently. I would only go back if I knew what I know now. I could spend all my questions answering this one thing! I’d change the way I problem solved. I wouldn’t be so selfish.

What is one book everyone should read?
The one book everyone should read it The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. The story is about regrets. If Wang Lung hadn’t given in to greed and lust, I think the outcome would have been much different. That and the fact that the break they got in life came about because his wife stole someone’s jewels.

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.
You should read my books because they will take you to another place and you’ll look at your life with a new appreciation.

Any other books in the works?
The fourth Pam book, Prayers for the Dying, is due out this summer, and I am writing the fifth, Come Back to Me. Also, the first of a new series, The Greeks of Beaubien Street is due for release next month. My goals are to reedit Pam of Babylon; unfortunately she does have some typos which readers are telling me they find distracting. It was my first self-published book and I had no idea how difficult it was to catch every mistake. Also, I have an old manuscript; The Savant of Chelsea which I would love to go back to and rewrite.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

The best advice anyone has ever given me was that this is not a dress rehearsal. I was in a situation that I felt there was no solution to without causing hurt feelings and I just had to take the risk and get out of it. The contrast of being in it and out of it was so astonishing I cannot believe I was able to tolerate it for as long as I had! So if you find yourself unhappy for whatever reason, just remember that the time you waste being that way can never be retrieved. Just thinking about how close I came to wasting more of my life gives me the goosebumps.

What is your favorite children's book?

My favorite books growing up were Box Car Children and Junior Miss. I was intrigued with the idea of self-sufficiency that the Box Car Children had and how they gathered what they needed. I was sort of the odd man out when I was growing up and Junior Miss appealed to that part of me that didn’t measured up, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel in which I might belong.

One piece of advice you would give an aspiring writer?

The one piece of advice I would give an aspiring writer is to just do it. Write. Eventually, you will find your voice. And the biggest surprise is that the more you do it, the better you get.

What is the dream cast for your book?

My favorite dream cast for Pam of Babylon would be Hugh Jackman for Jack, Julianne Moore for Pam, Naomi Watts for Sandra and Scarlett Johansson for Marie.

What is your favorite quote?

My favorite quote is from E.L.Doctorow. “Writing is like driving a car at night. You only see as far as your headlights go, but you can make the whole trip that way.” I can’t imagine having to outline my story before it’s written. 

What is the craziest writing idea you have ever had?

The craziest writing idea I’ve had is probably The Savant of Chelsea. The idea came to me when I went on a business trip to New Orleans with my husband in 1988. I took notes while we were there, but didn’t start to write it until we got home, and once I was out of that environment, it rang false. It started out as a children’s book about a little girl who could talk to the horses who pulled the tourist carriages around the French Quarter, but the dialogue reminded me too much of the Mr. Ed television program of my childhood. So I began to concentrate on the little girl’s circumstances apart from the horses, and they were really horrific. She grew into an intelligent human being and ends up in Manhattan living quite a different life than she had imagined. It’s actually a very sad story with some gallows humor and a tragic ending. I’m not sure I can rewrite it and have it keep the quality it has that I like, but it’s not publishable in its current state. A lotta work ahead!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was ‘little’ I wanted to write. I wrote little stories and would give them to my grandmother to read. One summer when I was about seven, she chose one for her father, a famous poet, to read. He had a sarcastic comment about it and I was so embarrassed that I didn’t show anything I wrote again. However, I enjoyed writing letter to my family and friends. I will probably be blackmailed someday for some of the things I have written in fun. I’m glad I’m already sixty-one because I don’t have that much time left to get in trouble. Years ago, maybe forty years or more, I had fun with a friend writing a story a chapter at a time. I would send it to her and she would write a chapter and then send it back to me for my input. It was silly, but fun.

I got sidetracked in my twenties when my sister became deathly ill and was hospitalized. I decided then I wanted to be a nurse. I was intrigued by the stature the nurses seemed to have. I like their professionalism. I started out by being an Operating Room Technician, which I loathed, but I did it for years. Finally, at the age of forty I went to nursing school thinking I would do better in the OR as a registered nurse. Well, what a mistake. It was literally torture. I have so much respect for my nursing buddies. No one understands how difficult that job is. You are at the mercy of the doctors you work with, trying to anticipate their needs, and then do your own job so you don’t kill anyone. I worked as an RN for fourteen years and then thankfully, we went on strike and I opened a yarn shop. That story was another mistake for another time! The only thing I can say about both experiences is that I met the most wonderful people. The best friends I have are women who I worked side by side with, saving lives in the middle of the night, or who came into my shop and bought yarn from me. I still have a textile studio in our current home.

So all those experiences brought me to this time in my life. My husband and I left New Jersey and bought a modest house in the woods near Lake Michigan. He works from home and I have an office which overlooks the pasture my two sheep are in. I have bird feeders out my window and my desk is positioned so the birds are right there watching me. It’s quite wonderful.

How did you know you should become an author? 

I guess I answered that question in the previous answer. Once I did everything I had to do to come to this place, the words have just flowed. I haven’t had ‘writer’s block’ or any malady like that yet. In the past twelve months, I’ve written and published five books and have two more in process. The readers who love my books are waiting for the next one to come out, and that is a source of inspiration in itself.

What is your most rewarding experience since being published?

The most rewarding experience I have had since being published is probably the validation of my readers. I think I was shocked when the reviews started coming out and I discovered that people actually liked the stories. Once I get Pam’s typos cleaned up, I’ll feel much better. It’s such a great story; it deserves to be perfect in every way.

Pam Smith lives a charmed life as a well-to-do Babylon, N.Y., homemaker in a large house by the water. In her 50s with her children grown, Pam is happy with her exemplary husband Jack. After he has a heart attack on the subway, however, she finds out more than she ever wanted to know about Jack. Pam must confront a series of revelations that unmask a life she realizes she only thought she knew, and the losses and disappointments she discovers give color and understanding to a man markedly different than he appeared. Uncovering secrets and betrayals far worse than her most vivid nightmare, Pam retreats to their meticulous Babylon beach house, the one refuge she has to put the pieces of her life together and move toward ultimate forgiveness.






Kindle Fire Giveaway!!
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Book Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway: Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Welcome to Author Karen Tuft.

Karen Tuft was born with a healthy dose of curiosity about pretty much everything, so as a child she taught herself to read and play the piano. She studied composition at BYU then graduated from the University of Utah in music theory as a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honor societies. In addition to being an author, Karen is a wife, mother, pianist, composer, and arranger. She as spent countless hours backstage and in orchestra pits for theater productions. She also has a 75 percent success rate when it comes to matchmaking and is a big believer in happy endings. Among her varied interests, she likes to figure out what makes people tick, wander through museums, and travel, whether by car, plane, or paperback.

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarenTuft

http://karentuft.blogspot.com/

Interview:

Nickname? 

In high school I was called Squirk. A friend started adding Sk– or Squ– sounds to everyone’s names one day, and my last name Kirkham morphed into Squirkham and I ended up as Squirk. Diane Howell got called Scowl for three years so, really, I was lucky.

What was your favorite children's book? 

Myths and Enchantment Tales by Margaret Evans Price: http://www.amazon.com/Myths-enchantment-tales-Stories-illustrations/dp/B0007FUPYY. The stories are wonderful adaptations of the Greek myths and the illustrations are exquisite, with fiery heroes and diaphanous goddesses. (Do a Google Image search and you’ll see what I mean.) I think I believed I was a tree nymph until I was about seven.

Who or what inspired you to become an author? 

I’m one of those who didn’t necessarily dream all my life of becoming an author, although I was always on the lookout for the next cool creative project. (I once carved a bust of Socrates out of a bar of Ivory Soap for a grade school class project. Yeah, I was that kid.) A dozen years ago a friend, who was an editor, suggested I write a book. I was flattered but didn’t really take her seriously. A few years later I developed eye problems, and needed to find something that I could see to do that would fill my need for creative expression. Based on the seed of confidence my editor friend had planted, I decided to try writing, and have found, thankfully, that it’s a pretty good fit for me.

How do you react to a bad review? 

Hmm. Well, I grew up performing in piano competitions and being critiqued, and as a composition major in college I was required, along with everyone else, to have my original works performed and publicly critiqued by the professors and other students. So I’d actually had a lot of experience with critical commentary before getting published. But surprisingly, book reviews feel a lot more personal than piano performance critiques! So if I find I’m having an emotional reaction to a review, I allow myself time to breathe, try to get into an objective frame of mind, and then evaluate whether the comment was useful or a case of not being able to please everybody all the time. That being said, so far people have been extraordinarily kind. 

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. 

It actually happened right after my first manuscript was accepted. My brother-in-law asked me to write the official biography for his grandmother, Olympic gold medalist Elizabeth Becker Pinkston, to be read when she was posthumously inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.phillyhall.org/inductee_profile.asp?ind=340 It was a huge honor to be asked, and I was so inspired as I learned about this woman who, among her many accomplishments, won the U.S. national diving championship in 1926 when she was five months pregnant with twins!!

You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy? 

Oh, man! I’d pay off the loan sharks, tell the hubby to retire, and then set out on a long trip around the world with an extended stay in Europe. And then I’d spend at least a year in England and Scotland, writing and hunting for cool genealogy stuff.

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit? 

I confess that I love romance novels and The Bachelor/ette. I like the dynamics of relationships and the potential for happy outcomes. (Even though the TV show rarely ends in a permanent relationship, I still find the dynamics interesting.) But most people either gasp or roll their eyes when they find this out about me. Oh well! I know why the books and TV show appeal to me, and I know how to establish reading/watching boundaries when it comes to content. The rest of the world can go read about zombies and vampires and post-apocalyptic-televised-teen-battles-to-the-death. I’m sure they are wonderful and compelling. They just aren’t for me.

Night owl, or early bird? 

Night owl, bordering on dysfunctional.

Skittles or M&Ms? 

M&Ms. I’ll eat them both, but if I get to choose I’ll always go for the chocolate.

Print or Ebook? 

Print. Feels more intimate to me, at this point. I could change my mind.

Regular or Diet? 

Diet

Coke or Pepsi? 

Dr. Pepper

Spontaneity or Planning Ahead? 

Spontaneity. Planning is my version of hell.

PC or Mac? 

Mac

Cause or Effect? 

Cause. It’s why I’m drawn to shows like The Bachelor/ette and even Criminal Minds. What’s the motive? What makes people tick? I don’t necessarily want to know all the gruesome details about the murder—I want to know what drove an average Joe to commit it.

Truth or Dare? 

Truth. Truth can be dangerous but not necessarily life-threatening. It also ties in with why I chose Cause over Effect.

What is your favorite Quote? 

It’s one my husband shared with me when I was just starting out: “You want to be a writer/ But don’t know how or when/ Find a quiet place/ Use a humble pen.”  —Paul Simon “Hurricane Eye”

Reality Check

After college graduation, Lucy Kendrick heads home with big plans for work, travel, and relishing her freedom—which means no romantic entanglements. But her two best friends have other ideas. Lucy is seriously steamed when she realizes they’ve signed her up to be a contestant on the reality dating show Soulmates, but she decides not to renege and soon finds herself in Los Angeles—a small-town Mormon girl vying for the love of millionaire bachelor, Ethan Glass. At first this cute, smart, fun young woman, who would rather pray than party, bewilders Ethan. But his interest and admiration grow with every encounter. However, the conniving associate producer is determined to stir up some made-for-TV drama and takes strides to make this reality television show anything but real. When the show finally airs, Lucy has been recast as someone she unquestionably is not. Lucy is left humiliated in front of the world, and Ethan is left wondering who the Lucy is that he was falling in love with. Will the duplicities that have created this humiliation ever come to light? And will the truth emerge too late for the would-be soulmates?

Tour Giveaway:

Karen is giving away a paperback copy of Reality Check plus a starfish charm bracelet to one lucky reader. All you have to do to gain entries is to leave a comment on any of the tour stops. Each comment will gain you an entry. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

For those readers who prefer a non-LDS read, an ARC copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass is also available.

Make sure you leave your email address and which book you are entering for in your comments (i.e. Reality Check, The Selection, or Both).

For all the tour stops visit:  http://thebookbug-hogan.blogspot.com/2012/07/reality-check-tour-kickoff-sneak-peek.html

Author Interview: Night School by Michelle Cromwell-Jordan

Welcome to Author Michelle Cornwell-Jordan

Michelle Cornwell-Jordan is a book lover, with YA paranormal adventures as her favorite genre, although she can be a glutton for any young adult title. Michelle’s other love is writing, Michelle has been writing about as long as she has been a bibliophile! Losing herself in a fantasy world that she, or others have created is how she loves spending her spare time...
One last thing about Michelle, she believes that she has her own secret powers:)

https://twitter.com/mcjordan37
http://indiewritersreview.wordpress.com/

Author Interview:
What inspired you to want to become a writer?
I am unsure if one thing inspired me to want writing for my life. Yes, I always enjoyed reading. There was trouble and deep heartache in my childhood and books helped me escape, set my thoughts free. So yes, that may have influenced my decision, to be able to write stories to help others have that type of enjoyment and freedom… But the truth is I believe writing was simply how I was made. Just as I was created with my specific hair, eye and skin color…
It has always been a part of me. I made up stories in my head; not simply normal daydreams…but continuing sagas so, it has always been who I am.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? 

Dasheen (Angel) would be a good bet for being me She is trying to find her way, even when life has thrown her some very crazy turns…and she is extremely loyal to family and friends…I like to believe that is me a little…Just wish I had those cool kick butt fighting skills…well, it’s not too late to learn rightJ

What's the craziest writing idea you've had?
To write an entire series in blog form:)

What do you do in your free time?
Read

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Redwood Forest/Mountains

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published?
When some of the kids at my After School program read my books and asked “When are the next ones going to be out!”

You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy?
Land in the mountains to build my dream bookstore/café

If you could have any superpower what would you choose?
Shapeshifting

If you were a superhero what would your name be?
Phoenix or Mystic (I just like how they sound:)

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters?
Unbreakable by FireFlight (Fits Dasheen perfectly)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRJAHaOrYg

Hidden talent?
I am a DJ…LOL I have my own radio segment IndieReview behind the Scenes
Not sure how talented I am at it…but it sure is fun!

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
Told my 14yeard old daughter which was one of the proudest moments of my life…because I could tell her….and then I bought a picture frame to have as a keepsake of the first proceeds…then we ate our favorite meal and watched How To Rock television show:)

Harry Potter or Twilight?
Twilight

Text or Talk?
Text

Night School

Fifteen year old Dasheen Bellamy’s world is turned upside down, when she is accused of killing her father and godmother. Dasheen cannot remember the events of the night her world turns upside down, but she feels inside that she is innocent; due to lack of evidence against her and with no other family; Dasheen and her younger brother Jordan, are sent to the elusive and mysterious Ame’ Academy ; a residential school where all is not what it appears. 
There all goes well, until Jordan, begins to become distant and behave strangely as if he is afraid of something or someone. Jordan is transferred to Ame’ Academy’s Night School track, which is usually only open to special cases. 
In order to discover what is happening with her brother, Dasheen is finally allowed to also transfer, attending classes in the evening while the rest of the world sleeps. Soon Dasheen’s world changes again as she discovers that things out of fairytales and horror stories exist, that she has ancient powers and is the major player in a mystical prophecy; and then she falls in love with a boy, whose mission is to see that she is destroyed before her destiny is fulfilled…

Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Vodnik by Bryce Moore

Welcome to Author Bryce Moore.

Bryce Moore is a young adult fantasy author whose first book, Vodnik, will be published by Tu Books in March 2012. He currently is a librarian in Western Maine, where he uses his spare time to fix up his old 1841 farmhouse and shovel snow. He received a Masters in English from BYU, where he studied American literature, creative writing, and film adaptation. He also has a Masters of Library Science from Florida State.

Check out his blog on writing, libraries and dentists at brycesramblings.blogspot.com

Interview:
How did you know you should become an author?

I don't think I ever knew it. I became an author because I enjoy writing. It's something I've down every day for more than a decade now. Even back in grade school, I was writing books (or starting them, at any rate. Finishing them was something that didn't come until I'd had a lot of practice). Once I came to grips with the fact that writing was going to be a part of my life one way or another, it just made sense to start working toward the goal of eventual publication. Of course, once you reach that goal, you realize that there is no "destination" in being a writer. Once you reach one (publication, for example), another one pops up further away (getting a sequel published, or writing something more challenging). I'm still not a full-time author (I'm a librarian by day), but it's wonderful to be at the point where some of what has been a passion also pays a few bills.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
The other day I visited a local middle school class. When I got there, I asked the librarian (who was running the class) what I should expect. She told me that they were her trouble makers, and that she'd been using the promise of an author coming to visit with them as a reward if they were well behaved. My stress levels immediately shot up, with visions of being heckled by a room full of twelve year olds flashing through my mind. The reality was so different. They were attentive, asked wonderful questions, and were all enthusiastic about the book and what I had to say. After they'd left, the librarian let me know that some of the most talkative kids had been ones she could never pry a word out of, normally. That was a great feeling--knowing that what I'd said had been able to connect with kids somehow. Very rewarding.

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? 
The Chronicles of Narnia has always been a favorite. I loved the whole series--they were my first gateway into fantasy. From them I went on to The Chronicles of Prydain, The Dark is Rising, The Hobbit and more. But the first one is always the one you remember best. It also helped that my family had a cabin up in the mountains of Utah, which my grandparents had themed after Narnia. All of the rooms had different names (Eagles, Centaurs, Giants, Unicorns). There was a playhouse out back called the Wardrobe. I would go there with my family for holidays and summer vacations. I loved it, and still do.

Favorite Candy?
Dark chocolate. The darker, the better. I have yet to taste something too dark.

How do you react to a bad review?
I think it helps that I write movie and book reviews myself on my blog. I've come to the realization that there is no way to please everyone--and that you shouldn't even try. The best thing to do is to think of your favorite book--the one you just flat out love love love--and then go to Amazon and see what nasty things people said about it. A quick jaunt over to check out reviews for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, for example, brings up this: "These books are probabley(sic) the worst books that I have ever read in my entire life. They keep going on and on about nothing. We were forced to read them at school. They really stink." Once you know that, you learn to let bad reviews slide off you.

Who are your favorite authors of all time?
CS Lewis, of course. Other particular favorites over the years include David Eddings, Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Mark Twain, Terry Pratchett, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie--although I'm sure I'm forgetting a slew that really ought to be listed here, too. I'm a librarian--I like things to be accurate and complete. "Favorites" lists are rarely both.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?
I really wanted to be a Disney animator. Not that I ever animated anything. But I liked to practice drawing, and I loved to dream about doing it. But it's one thing to dream, and another to do, and I never did.

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.
I get up each day at 5:45 and write for an hour. My goal is 1,000 words, although that changes when I'm editing or plotting. After that, I get ready and go to work from 7:30 until 4:00. At work I'm busy cataloging, ordering books, weeding the library collection, teaching classes on information literacy, fixing computers, tweaking web pages, and doing other library-related pursuits. I write my blog posts during my breaks. Once home, it varies depending on the time of year. In the summer I'm mowing the lawn, doing construction projects on the house, or going fishing. In the winter I'm shoveling snow, keeping the wood stove burning, or ice fishing. Playing with my kids and cleaning the house are both permanent activities, plus I'm active in my church. The kids go to bed, and my wife and I usually watch a movie every evening. Then I fit in some reading, journal writing, and off to bed around 11:30.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world.. which would it be?

Definitely Narnia. That's one of the things I loved about those books. You were never sure when and where someone would get sucked in to Narnia. I always tried every wardrobe I saw. It never worked.

What's the craziest writing idea you've had?

I wrote an entire novel that was an adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, except the setting was literally inside a particular copy of that book. It's a world where characters from one book are reincarnated as characters in a new book, so you had Brom Bones played by Beowulf, the Horseman played by Sherlock Holmes--that sort of thing. When a human would read their book, these characters would act out what the human was thinking. Add a murder mystery plot to that, and you've got the basics. It's one of my favorite books I've written, but it's really hard to explain.

What is you favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Movies, movies, movies. I watch movies all the time. Every genre, every time period. Silent, black and white, modern, impressionist, action, comedy, foreign--you name it. I also enjoy watching TV shows, though I don't have cable or satellite, so it's mainly whatever's on Netflix. I think my record is 6 movies in day, though it might have been more.

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

You know, I was just reading an article today on the history of surgery. Up until that article, I always thought it would be great fun to live in other times and places, but after that . . . not so much. I'm too used to modern medicine, plumbing, air conditioning, and electronics. But I'd love to be a time tourist. Check out some World War II battles, a bit of the Civil War, some medieval events--that sort of thing. I'd love to watch, but I don't think I'd really want to be there and participate anymore.

Vodnik

When Tomas was six, someone — something — tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States.
 Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. It wants to drown him again and put his soul in a teacup. And that’s not all. There’s also the fire víla, the water ghost, pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are after him.
 If Tomas wants to survive, he'll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb, So smrťou ešte nik zmluvu neurobil. With Death, nobody makes a pact.

Giveaway Details
1 copy of Vodnik
Open to US only
Ends 8/6/12


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