Author's Slambook: Kelsey Sutton, author of Some Quiet Place

Author Bio
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Kelsey Sutton has done everything from training dogs, making cheeseburgers, selling yellow page ads, and cleaning hotel rooms. Now she divides her time between her college classes and her writing. Kelsey lives in northern Minnesota with her dog and cat, Lewis and Clark.

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Blue.

2. Favorite food? Cheese.

3. Favorite movie of all time? Chocolat.

4. Favorite song?It's Time by Imagine Dragons.

5. Favorite book of all time? Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originated?

I wish I had a cool answer for this, but the truth is, it's always been there! As a child I would come home from school, pull out my plastic bin full of markers and paper, and arrange everything around me in a circle. I would then fold some paper in half, staple the side three times, and proceed to fill the white spaces with words and pictures. It only got worse as I grew older.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

If a story really has me in it's grips, I'm writing every day whenever I can. And my friends forget what I look like.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

When I'm writing a book under contract, I definitely outline. If I'm writing a book no one knows about, I'm a pantser!

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

The hardest part was the ending, actually. I make so many adjustments and changes, you would be shocked to read the original. But I'm so, so happy with how it turned out. The easiest part was Elizabeth's voice! She came so naturally to me.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Well, I watch way too much television. Ask me about a show and I've probably seen it. I love reading, of course, and spending time with friends. They're probably where all my book sales come from! ;)

Finish the sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is almost nonexistent!

2. Research is what I'm doing when I watch TV.

3. I can write better when the internet is unplugged.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to come up with new ideas.

5. A room without a book is desolate.

Books

Title: Some Quiet Place (Some Quiet Place #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Flux 
Date Published: July 8, 2013

Synopsis:

I can’t weep. I can’t fear. I’ve grown talented at pretending.

Elizabeth Caldwell doesn’t feel emotions . . . she sees them. Longing, Shame, and Courage materialize around her classmates. Fury and Resentment appear in her dysfunctional home. They’ve all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn’t succumb to their touch. All, that is, save one—Fear. He’s intrigued by her, as desperate to understand the accident that changed Elizabeth’s life as she is herself.

Elizabeth and Fear both sense that the key to her past is hidden in the dream paintings she hides in the family barn. But a shadowy menace has begun to stalk her, and try as she might, Elizabeth can barely avoid the brutality of her life long enough to uncover the truth about herself. When it matters most, will she be able to rely on Fear to save her?

Author's Slambook: Kendare Blake + Giveaway

Author Bio
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kendare Blake writes stuff. Most of it is dark and twisted but her parents seem to like it anyway and do not at all think it relates to her mental state or how she was raised. One time, she tried to beat the closing doors on the London subway and failed. She was stuck in between sandwich-style and almost lost her backpack. It hurt. A lot.

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Blue!

2. Favorite food? Unfair question. I love all food.

3. Favorite movie of all time? Also unfair question. I would have to say...the Before Sunrise cycle. Or, Scent of a Woman. Or...Waynes World.

4. Favorite song? This one is hard too! What's with you? :) Mmm, I like most things by Fiona Apple. I like a good beat. Right now there's a song I like about smoking it if you've got it. Don't know who it's by.

5. Favorite book of all time? Impossible question! I could go with The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera. Or, The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Or, N0S4A2, by Joe Hill. Or IT, by Joe Hill's dad.

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originated?

Reading. I loved hearing stories and reading stories when I was a kid. Fictional worlds were my favorite worlds.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Depends on the book. Every one behaves differently. The one I'm working on now, I can only manage around a thousand words a day. Maybe three days a week.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

I just write. But I usually have an idea of what's going to happen in the next chapter, maybe the chapter after that. Not always.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

The easiest is the beginning, and the ending. The middle. Just. Blows.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I like to read (obviously) , eat (a lot), go to parks and pretty places, hike a little, play some bad tennis, hang with friends.

Finish the sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is boredom.

2. Research is what I'm doing when I don't know the things I want to know.

3. I can write better when there are no distractions.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to pass the time.

5. A room without a book is ABSOLUTE CRAP!

Books

Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult,
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date Published: September 10, 2013 
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis

The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Giveaway Time !!!

Le Rules:

• Open US residents only 
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
• Contest ends October 10, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author's Slambook: Jessica Brody + Giveaway

Author Bio
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jessica Brody is the author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, My Life Undecided, The Karma Club, and the recently released, Unremembered, the first in a sci-fi/suspense/romance trilogy. Her books have been translated and published in over 20 countries and several have been optioned for film and TV. Sometimes she wishes her memories could be erased so she could reread all her favorite books for the first time. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Visit her online at www.JessicaBrody.com

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Purple! (Just like the color of Seraphina’s eyes in Unremembered!)

2. Favorite food? Pixy Sticks. Is that a food? Okay, sushi.

3. Favorite movie of all time? Sliding Doors. But Pitch Perfect is pretty high up there!

4. Favorite song? Ours by Taylor Swift (in fact, I’m listening to it right now!)

5. Favorite book of all time? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originated?

I think it’s always been there. I’ve been writing stories for as long as I could write. One of my first stories I wrote when I was five and it was called “The Nice Nice Daddy” (although I spelled it Niss Niss Daddy.)

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I like to write in the morning. I’m most productive then. I usually write about 2-3 hours (or as long as it takes to get at least 1500 words)

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

I always outline. I have to know where the story is going before I start.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

The easiest part is always the beginning. I love writing the first 50 pages of a novel. They always come really easily. The hardest part is everything that comes after those first 50 pages.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I like to read books in my genre and out of my genre. I like to watch TV. But most of my free time goes to playing with my dogs.

Finish the sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is fiction has more kissing (well, if it’s good fiction.)

2. Research is what I'm doing when I can’t for the life of me come up with something from my imagination.

3. I can write better when I’m hopped up on caffeine and somewhere other than my house.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to fix broken plot points.

5. A room without a book is not a room I care to spend any time in.

Books

Title: Unremembered (Unremembered #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR)
Date Published: March 5, 2013
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis:

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

Giveaway Time !!! 

Le Rules:

• Open Internationally 
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
• Contest ends October 9, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author's Slambook: Ruth Silver + Giveaway

Author Bio:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of Aberrant. The Young Adult Romantic Dystopian Adventure, Aberrant is the first in a trilogy, released April 17th, 2013. Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online, role-playing and penning her first novel, Deuces are Wild, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories. Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She also enjoys photography, traveling and of most of all writing. Her second book in the Aberrant series, Moirai, is due for release September 26th, 2013 by LazyDay Publishing.

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Blue

2. Favorite food? Steamed Crabs (although I only get to eat them when I visit Maryland)

3. Favorite movie of all time? The Hunger Games

4. Favorite song? Blackbird by the Beatles

5. Favorite book of all time? The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originated?

I used to fangirl over tv shows like The X-Files when I was in high school. So I started off reading a ton of fan fiction and then I began writing some too.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I wake up in the morning, exercise with XBox Kinect (I dance) and then I'll check emails, grab breakfast and spend the rest of the day writing. I need complete silence when I write and I try to have as little interruptions and distractions as possible.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

When I start a new book I have a basic outline of where I want the story to go. As I'm writing though, it changes and I just go with it.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

The hardest part is making the characters suffer. It's hard to put your characters through painful situations, especially when you always want to strive towards that happily ever after. It has to be done though and often those situations make your characters stronger. The easiest part is probably the romance.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to read young adult novels, blog, hang out with friends, play board games and video games. I also am a huge fan girl when it comes to tv shows or books that I love.

Finish the Sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is fiction almost always has a happy ending. Real life doesn’t.

2. Research is what I'm doing when I'm in the middle of writing a chapter and I want to make sure what a character says or does is accurate.

3. I can write better when the room is completely silent.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to relax and make sure I'm ready to write tomorrow.

5. A room without a book is lacking creativity.

Books

Title: Aberrant (Aberrant #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Lazy Day Publishing
Date Published: April 28, 2013
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis:

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

Title: Moirai (Aberrant #2)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Lazy Day Publishing
Expected Publication Date: September 26, 2013
Add to Goodreads TBR List

Synopsis

Olivia has been on the run from the government of Cabal since the marriage ceremony. Finally settling in and finding herself a place to call home, in Shadow, Olivia and Joshua are preparing for the uprising that they and the rebel alliance have been planning for months.

With new abilities and special talents, from Mindonsiphan, Olivia learns that she can do more than most ordinary eighteen year olds. Learning both to hide and perfect her skills will be one of the biggest challenges she'll be forced to face.

A constant rollercoaster of emotion and adventure await Olivia and Joshua, as they embark on a journey to the rebel city of Torv, and what was once home, Genesis.

Giveaway Time  !!!

Le Rules:

• Open Internationally 
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
• Contest ends October 3, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author's Slambook: Jessica Verdi, author of My Life After Now

Author Bio:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jessica Verdi lives in Brooklyn, NY, and received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. Her favorite pastimes include singing show tunes at the top of her lungs, watching cheesy TV, and scoring awesome nonleather shoes in a size 5. She's still trying to figure out a way to put her uncanny ability to remember both song lyrics and the intricacies of vampire lore to good use. Her second novel, The Summer I Wasn't Me, will be published April 2014. Follow Jess on Twitter @JessVerdi.

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Green

2. Favorite food? Any kind of vegetarian soup

3. Favorite movie of all time? This is a tough one -- if I can only pick one, I'll have to go with Clueless

4. Favorite song? Another tough one. Right now I'd have to go with "Philosophy" by Ben Folds Five

5. Favorite book of all time? Ahhh this one's the hardest of all! Let's go with The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originate?

It was actually a somewhat natural transition from my previous career -- acting. I loved telling stories, but was getting frustrated with all the waiting around, hoping to be cast in a show. I started writing because I was able to be creative and express myself -- but on my own terms, which was so liberating.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Well, I have a full time job in addition to my writing career. I work as an editor for a romance novel publisher. So all day long I'm sitting in front of Microsoft Word, working on other people's books, so working on my book is the last thing I want to do at the end of the day -- I need to get away from the computer! So I work on my writing projects all day Saturday and Sunday, every single weekend.

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

I usually start with a "brainstorm," where I just put down anything I already know about the story down in a big list. Anything from the characters' names and ages all the way through early ideas for scenes. Then, with all that in my mind, I feel better equipped to just start writing, outline-less. My favorite thing is when the story surprises me and takes me in directions I didn't know I was going until it comes through my fingers and onto the page.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

The hardest part was the research process -- the story is about a teenage girl who learns she is HIV-positive, so I had to do a ton of research on not only the virus itself, but also about the testing clinic environment, how doctor's office visits would go, and what support groups are like. The easiest part was everything having to do with theater -- Lucy is a theater nerd, like I was in high school, so it was so much fun to get to write about musicals and auditions and all that stuff.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I'm addicted to television. :) I love getting lost in my favorite TV series -- it's like reading a book or watching a movie, but much deeper in a way, because you get to stick with these characters and follow their journeys season after season, year after year.

Finish the sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is... I don't necessarily think there is a difference! I write fictional stories about real life, so those lines are pretty blurred for me.

2. Research is what I'm doing when... I feel I'm not informed enough to continue working on a story. Often I'll stop mid-sentence and have to stop and research something or other. It can be frustrating, to throw a roadblock in the creative flow like that, but it's all part of the writing process.

3. I can write better when... I'm well rested and in a good mood!

4. Sleep is an excellent way to... reboot and get ready for the next day of writing!

5. A room without a book is... incomplete.

Books

Title: My Life after Now
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance,
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Date Published: April 2, 2013
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis:

Lucy just had the worst week ever. Seriously, mega bad. And suddenly, it's all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a whole new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of.

And now her life will never be the same. Now, how will she be able to have a boyfriend? What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family?

Now her life is completely different...every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left.

Title: The Summer I Wasn't Me
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance,
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Date Published: April 1, 2014
Add it to Goodreads TBR List

Synopsis:

Lexi has a secret.

She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good.

Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and there’s nothing she wants more than to start over.

But sometimes love has its own path…

Author's Slambook: Daria Snadowsky + Giveaway

Today is the start of our Author's Month Celebration and we have the very pretty author of the Anatomy series, Daria Snadowsky to grace the start of this awesome event. So let us all give her a warm welcome, Daria Snadowsky! *cue applause*

Author Bio:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Daria Snadowsky is the author of the novels Anatomy of a Boyfriend and Anatomy of a Single Girl. She also contributed the essay "To Sir Anthony, With Love" to the anthology Crush: 26 Real-life Tales of First Love. Visit her at www.daria-snadowsky.com.

Favorite

1. What is your favorite color? White

2. Favorite food? Mixed berry smoothies

3. Favorite movie of all time? Shadowlands

4. Favorite song? “Say Goodbye” by Dave Matthews

5. Favorite book of all time? Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

All About Writing

How did your interest in writing originated?

Judy Blume books. Reading her fiction was like reading my own diaries.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I write mostly during the evenings and on weekends.

Do you work with outline or just write?

Both. It depends on the project.

What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

Hardest: Making time to write. Easiest: Eh…it’s all pretty hard.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Watch movies.

Finish the Sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is you can’t relive, pause, or fast-forward reality.

2. Research is what I'm doing when I’m not writing what I know.

3. I can write better when I have a hot cocoa by my laptop.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to procrastinate.

5. A room without a book is a room with no view.

Books

Title: Anatomy of a Boyfriend (Anatomy #1)
Genre/s: YA/NA, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Date Published: January 9, 2007
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis:

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

Title: Anatomy of a Single Girl (Anatomy #2)
Genre/s: YA/NA, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Date Published: January 8, 2013
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo


Synopsis:

With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.

After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.

But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.

Giveaway Time !!!

Le Rules:

• Open Internationally 
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  I'm going to check the entries so please follow the directions correctly.
• Contest ends October 1, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway