Guest Post:: Amy Lignor on the Expectations of a Writing in a Popular Genre + Giveaway!

 Happy Friday, Everyone! Today, I'm delighted to introduce you to Amy Lignor, the author of the Angel Chronicles series. The first book in the series is Until Next Time is now available. Paranormal and supernatural romances are virtually everywhere from our library and bookstore shelves. Some may have almost an identical cover or even book description where the only change seems to be the character's names. I can only imagine the obstacles authors who want to pursue this genre face. I asked Amy about these high expectations and how she works past them. Be sure to check out the giveaway information at the bottom of this post for your chance to win a copy of Amy's book!


 What expectations and/or pressures do you face with writing in a highly popular genre and how do you deal with them?

   Before this ‘jump’ into YA, I concentrated mainly on historical fiction. I love doing research about famous characters throughout history, as well as events - real and legendary - of fantastical treasures, and the good and ‘evil’ that happened in our past. Tallent & Lowery is my largest project. This is a seven-book series that’s basically along the lines of Indiana Jones meets The DaVinci Code, and it’s a great deal of fun. My mother is a research librarian, so I think I got that ‘gene’ from her, being able to take completely different facts from the past and finding a way to combine them into a mystery for a reader to really sink their teeth into.

   YA, as far as the pressure you face, is astronomical. Let’s face it, YA is now the largest and most popular genre in the world. When J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter she didn’t end up with a series of books, she wrote herself into history. Then, with the huge outpouring of love for the ‘fanged ones’ that seemed to begin full-force when Twilight turned into a phenomenon, even attempting to write a unique YA seems almost impossible. There are so many titles out there right now that young adults have actually formed fan clubs for, and the characters have become household names.

   I am having fun watching the ‘winged ones’ appear more forcefully and try to unseat the vamps. I took a chance with my series because I truly wanted to do something that went down a different path. It still has adventure, romance, characters that are trying to keep their faith in each other while buried in a world that’s intent on tearing them apart, but I wanted to move away from the ‘fallen’ angel category and begin with some truly innocent souls.

   I wanted to know, if there was an angel/warrior team that’d trained and worked for the express purpose of coming here and saving humans, would they even stay? Human emotions are the hardest things in the world to learn and be able to live with. I mean, romance, anger, hate, fear, evil, heartache, true love - these are subjects that are hard enough for a human to deal with on a daily basis, let alone a being that’s never experienced any of them before. I certainly wanted to make Emily and Matt a team that readers would love and want to see more of, and get them involved with a romance that was completely unexpected, but I also wanted to make characters that were new to YA fiction. Hence…the fear.

  All passionate readers are extremely loyal to the characters they love, so all I can do is hope and have faith that people will see the mystique of this team when they see themselves in Emily and Matt. We’ve all faced these emotions, so it’s interesting to see how Emily and Matt deal with them.

Expectations I have? I’m hoping not to get too much hate mail because I have a daughter who’s very proud of me…and Book II is completed. :)  But I’ll just have to wait and see.

Until Next Time, Everybody.

Amy 

   Thank you for stopping by, Amy. I think readers will be curious to see angels as innocent souls. I'm always intrigued on how much we focus on humanity when we're discussing the supernatural. I wish you the best of luck with your series! 

 How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

More information about Amy and her Angel Chronicle Series: 

 Find Amy on her website, blog, Facebook , Twitter, and Goodreads.

 The Angel Chronicles website & The Angel Chronicles Facebook page

To purchase Until Next Time: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, PDF buy link

GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.

Blood Lie

  There are some events in history and in our lives that we can't wrap our heads around. One of the puzzling things for me is understanding why humans hurt one another. Where does the hatred come from and how does it start? Shirley Vernick's novel The Blood Lie zeroes in a dark period in American history where ignorance and prejudice collide.


Description (from the publisher): September 22, 1928, Massena, New York. Jack Pool's sixteenth birthday. He's been restless lately, especially during this season of more-times-at-the-synagogue than you can shake a stick at. If it wasn't Rosh Hashanah, then it was Yom Kippur, and if it wasn't Yom Kippur, it was the Sabbath. But temple's good for some things. It gives him lots of time to daydream about a beautiful but inaccessible Gentile girl named Emaline. And if she isn't on his mind, then he's thinking about his music and imagining himself playing the cello with the New York Philharmonic. Yup, music is definitely his ticket out of this remote whistle-stop town--he doesn't want to be stuck here one more minute. But he doesn't realize exactly how stuck he is until Emaline's little sister Daisy goes missing and he and his family are accused of killing her for a blood sacrifice.

Review: The Blood Lie is a very slim novel that packs a lot of information and food for thought in less than 150 pages. The reader is taken back to 1928. Unlike the glitz and the glamor of the flappers, mobsters of the Jazz Age, our setting is a quiet, provincial Massena, New York. Jack Poole is 16 and  wants nothing more than to leave his small, insular upstate town to study music in Syracuse. Not only is Jack's dream, but also a welcoming distraction from his forbidden crush, Emaline, a girl he can never be with because he is Jewish and she is Christian.
  With the exception of Emaline's family who accepts the Poole's as friends and looks beyond their different religious affiliations, the town simmers in anti-Semitism. The depth and strength of the town's prejudice is revealed when Emaline's sister, Daisy, goes missing and presumed dead. When a libel starts that Jews use human sacrifice as part of their Yom Kippur celebrations, Jack is accused of Daisy's murder as he was last seen with the child. Investigators assume that Yom Kippur involves human sacrifice and the use of children's blood for religious ceremonies is correct and starts to target the Jewish community. Vesnick does a good job in keeping the reader in suspense about Daisy. We are given several scenes of a search team trying to find her but come up empty. The plot twist does come in much later as the mob hysteria grows to a feverish pitch.
  I found the plot twist improbable, but I was fascinated to read in the afterword that the book is closely based on an incident that occurred in the author's hometown of Massena, NY., which proves the often saying that life is indeed stranger than fiction. The dialogue and details about the characters' social world are given importance and seem carefully researched. Though the setting and period may seem distant to us, we can identify with the characters' universal desires and feelings.
  My main issue with The Blood Lie is its brevity. The action is extremely compressed, which makes for a fast but unsatisfying. The novel is clearly plot driven and doesn't give us enough time nor space to get a deeper, more-nuanced knowledge of the characters. I also had a problem with some of the Hebrew words, which weren't translated. I had hoped there was a glossary that was included in the book, but there wasn't. Still, Vernick reminds us how terrifying intolerance, prejudice, and ignorance can be.

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies, Religious studies

 
Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There are some violent images mentioned in the book and some language. I would be comfortable in recommending it to Grades 8 and up.


If you like this book try: Witness by Karen Hesse

Fables #1: Legends in Exile

  Fairy tale retellings have always been popular. Now fractured fairy tales are hotter than ever, especially with hit TV shows such as Once Upon a Time (I still have to catch up to the last few episodes) on ABC and Grimm on NBC. The blockbuster graphic novel series, Fables by Bill Willingham, is a must read for those who can't get enough of fairy tale characters and new stories. I finally got around to reading the first volume of this series and enjoyed it. 

Description: Who killed Rose Red? In Fabletown, where fairy tale legends live alongside regular New Yorkers, the question is all anyone can talk about. But only the Big Bad Wolf can actually solve the case - and, along with Rose's sister Snow White, keep the Fabletown community from coming apart at the seams.

Review: The first volume of Fables begins as a classic whodunit, but quickly unravels as a larger story about Fabletown, a place where fairy tale legends live alongside regular New Yorkers. Many years ago, fables and fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella were separate kingdoms that are spread over several magical worlds until they were invaded by the unknown entity called the Adversary and driven into hiding. Some live on a remote farm, but those who can pass as human live in New York City, hiding their extraordinary nature from the world. King Cole is the mayor of Fabletown, but the real overseer of the city is by his no-nonsense deputy, Snow White.
  The story is set into motion with Snow's rambunctious and estranged sister Rose Red goes missing, detective B. Wolf (Bigby for short) is called in to investigate the crime. Rose is assumed to be murdered as her apartment is covered with her blood. The suspects include Rose's boyfriend Jack the giant-killer; Bluebeard the pirate, with whom Rose had had an affair; and Snow's ex-husband, Prince Charming. The mystery is solved like a game of clue and nicely introduces the reader to the key characters in Fabletown, which is where I think the first volume shines. 
  Snow White is not your average Disney princess. She has gone through a rough divorce from her philandering and cadish Prince Charming who uses his swarmy charm to sleep his way out of payments. She has lots of snark and seems like the quintessential savvy city dweller. My favorite character so far is Bigby, an old school detective that reminds me of Humphrey Bogart (or at least that's I how I imagined him to be), who seems to be in control of his animal side and has paid for his famous mistakes. It was also nice to be introduced with characters that I've never heard before such as Bluebeard and Rose Red.
  The first volume is very easy to read and the story is engaging. Willingham has some great one-liners and tongue in cheek humor that made me chuckle. It was nice to see fairy tale characters spend their time fretting about our common troubles such as money and martial problems. The mystery seems like a device to delineate Willingham's world and to process a tremendous about of information without having large info dumps, which can easily take the reader out of the story. The illustrations are nice and a few things are left to the imagination, especially when it comes to Prince Charming, but it's the written script that is stronger and makes me want to continue the series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and sexual content including crude humor. The series is marketed towards adults, however, I would feel comfortable in recommending it to older teen readers.

If you like this book try: Fables #2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham, Stardust by Neil Gaiman

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book 1

  We all have heard of the Frankenstein story, whether it's from the original novel written by the brilliant Mary Shelley or from various film adaptations. What we haven't examined is what was Victor Frankenstein like as a teen? How did his passion about the sciences start? These are the questions addressed in Kenneth Oppel's new series called This Dark Endeavor which is a prequel to Shelley's Frankenstein.

Description: When his twin brother falls ill in the family's chateau in the independent republic of Geneva in the eighteenth century, sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein embarks on a dangerous and uncertain quest to create the forbidden Elixir of Life described in an ancient text in the family's secret Biblioteka Obscura.

Review: This Dark Endeavor is a stylish gothic story, first in a planned series, which chronicles the adolescences of Victor Frankenstein. When Konrad Frankenstein, the beloved twin brother of headstrong, quick-tempered Victor, falls inexplicably and deathly ill, Victor is devastated and confronted by his own mortality. Without much hesitation he embarks on a dark quest to find a cure. Enlisting the help of his distant cousin and crush, Elizabeth, and his best friend, Henry Clerval, he seeks a disreputable alchemist named Polidori who sends them to retrieve the ingredients for a potion that will supposedly restore Konrad's health. The potion, of course, does come with a cost: it has a history of killing those who drink it. Despite the ambiguous nature of the remedy and warnings to look for the elixir by his father, Victor pushes forward and feverishly follows his course. He not only pulls himself but also Henry and Elizabeth into greater danger with each relentless step.
  Readers familiar to Shelley's original story will have an advantage while reading this series. They will easily see where this series is going and will pick up on familiar personality traits of a megalomaniac in the making. While I never liked Victor as a character because I found him to be too arrogant and cold, I thought he was more approachable in this installment. Though his arrogance and desire to overcome the power of illness and death is still prevalent, we also see that his intentions to save his brother's life is noble. Victor is also plagued by jealousy and sibling rivalry, which also makes him more realistic to the modern reader, which isn't an easy task to do but Oppel does it well. My favorite character, Elizabeth, has a small role in this first book, but I hope she will play a major role in the next as she is a vital character to the story as she provides the voice of reason and caution.
 Though the gothic ambiance is much of a character of itself and sets the mood to the story, the book is highly readable despite its 19th-century style. The author stays true to the original tale by adding his own unique touches to the story including taking a closer look into the dark side of his characters. As a result This Dark Endeavor is tale is melodramatic, exciting, disquieting, and intentionally over the top. It is a delicious mixture of science, history, and horror. Even though I know what the end outcome will be, I'm curious as to how Victor will get to the point of no return.

Curriculum Connection: Use along with the original novel.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Mild PG language and some disturbing images. Recommended for Grades 6 and up particularly for those who enjoy historical fiction, horror, and adventure with a minor romance subplot.

If you like this book try: Such Wicked Intent (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book 2), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Death Note manga series by Tsugumi Oba

Manga Q + A: Submit your questions!

Vampire Knight Chibi image

 I've been inspired by Small Review's Tips and Tricks feature and thought I could do something similar for readers who have questions about manga. I've tried to write up informational posts on manga but to due to the sheer amount of information out there, I had no idea what would interest you. So, I thought I would appeal to you to let me know what questions you may have. All you have to do is simply fill out this form. The form is completely confidential so please don't feel shy in submitting a question and remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish Read-along: Chapters 1-5

Kiss Me, I'm Irish is a read-along of HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne, and hosted by Felicia of Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, Amanda of On a Book Bender, Ash of Smash Attack Reads!, Jen of In the Closet with a Bibliophile and Missie the Unread Reader. Today we are discussing Chapters 1-5.

1.  Kevin Hearne had the most perfect beginning for this book:  "There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius."  If you were to live for centuries what do you think you would be excited to see?  

I think I would be excited to see all the technological advancements in the future. I curious to see what the "it" technology we would have years from now. I'm still waiting for a remote control to pause time or a cyborg/robot ala Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons to be created so I don't have to do the dreaded house chores. Wouldn't that be nice?

2. In the 2nd chapter we learn about the amulet and its protection powers!  Do you think having met the Morrigan and heard about Aenghus Og that it will be enough to protect Atticus?  I mean the Morrigan has a point about hot chicks coming after him and his defenses might be down! He is very male! 

Although Morrigan really freaks me out, it is smart of Atticus to have have a god on his side. I'm curious to see how their relationship progresses as the series continues. Though he is male, he doesn't strike me as someone who will lower his defenses when being seduced or tempted. Surviving two millenniums seem to be evident of that.  

3. The literary world's coolest dog is introduced in this chapter!  Did you love Oberon immediately?  Show me a picture or describe the type of animal you would love to have as a talking companion! (Cat, Dog, Mouse, Sloth, Horse---what is your pick--pictures please)?

I'm guessing were-creatures don't count? *Pouts* Well, I always thought Jack the monkey in the Pirates movies was cute. As long as he's not under the curse. 

 

4. In this chapter Flidais asked Atticus what his name is and then precedes to ask if anyone actually believes he is Greek?  He says nobody pays attention to names here.  Do you know what your name means and where it comes from?  Or do you have a name you wish had?  Let's talk names!

My first name is derived from the Arabic word rumman, which means pomegranate. I loved pomegranates long before finding out that's what my name means. Weird, huh?

 5.  We learn about Atticus' lawyers in this chapter, a rather unique combo!  Without jumping ahead, would you hire a lawyer combination of two supernaturals who on the surface would appear to be natural enemies or at the very least two very Alpha attitudes? What would be the positives and negatives of that decision.

 Absolutely! The lawyers would know everything about keeping my secret under control, especially with themselves being supernatural. While they both may have alpha attitudes, they would work different shifts- one during the day and the other during the night. It would also be nice to have some what you would call 'normal' friends where you can put your facade on hold once in a while. 

Deadly

 Have you heard of Typhoid Mary? Did you think it a woman who carried the disease with her and purposely transferred and killed many people? I did but after reading Julie Chibbaro's Deadly I realized that I didn't know Mary's story at all. 

Description: Sixteen-year-old Prudence Galewski takes a job in the early 1900s as assistant to the head epidemiologist at New York's Department of Health and Sanitation, who is trying to discover how a seemingly healthy woman can be spreading typhoid fever.

Review: Deadly is an absorbing read that weaves historical fiction, coming of age, and medical mystery seamlessly together. The year is 1906 and our heroine and narrator, Prudence is 16 years old and in her final year at a school for girls where cultivating the skills and charms are considered classes and instead of a degree with your name on it, you get a financially secure husband as a reward for your completion. The school does, however, allow senior students to seek part-time secretarial work.
  Unlike most of her classmates, Prudence isn't interested in being a "lady" and desires more for her life. Prudence is an outsider in more ways than one. She's always been scientifically curious, particularly regarding the nature of infection and disease. She's seen way too much ugliness growing up among the impoverished tenements of New York City and assisting her midwife mother. She finds the typical lifestyle of a woman of her time to be confining and boring. Instead of seeking comfort, Prudence wants to make a difference and have a purposeful life. When she lands a position as assistant to an epidemiologist working for the Department of Health and Sanitation, she believes she has gotten the opportunity of a lifetime. She quits school completely to help investigate the microbial mystery of Mary Mallon, an immigrant cook and suspected "healthy carrier" of typhus.
  Deadly is entirely composed of Prudence's diary entries. Instead of a just being a record of what she did or the people that she interacts, they are deeply personal and insightful as Prudence pours out her insecurities and doubts on paper. As a female working in a "man's job" she is faced with discrimination, from men and women alike, and at times harassment, but Prudence stays strong and pushes forward in order to pursue her dreams.
  The diary entries are pretty short and the pacing speeds up quite nicely when we the investigation surrounding an outbreak of typhoid begins. All outbreaks seem to stem from Mary Mallon, a poor Irish immigrant who works as a cook. Mary seems to carry the typhoid disease yet has never been sick herself. She adamantly denies she's been unwittingly infecting a series of employers' families and instead insists she's the victim of anti-Irish discrimination. As Prudence delves into the investigation, she is torn between her medical rationality and her compassion for the woman's untenable situation. It was interesting to watch the struggle between rational science and popular opinion as shaped by a sensational, reactionary press. By the way, it was the press who dubbed Mary Mallon as Typhoid Mary and started the urban legend.
 Prudence may be ahead of her time, but I think she fits just nicely in ours. I would definitely recommend Deadly to readers who are interested in a great historical fiction story, curious about science or likes TV shows such as CSI.

Curriculum Connection: Science and Social Studies
 
Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper, Fleshmarket by Nicola Morgan