Fun Facts: Behind the Scenes of the Midnight Fire Series by Kaitlyn Davis

Fun Facts: Behind the Scenes of the Midnight Fire Series!

1) When I played pretend as a little girl, I always used the name Daffy (short for Daffodil) and fell in love with a boy named Tristan. With Ignite, I ditched Daffy and used Kira instead (I guess at my mature age of 22, I finally realized main characters shouldn’t be named after fictional ducks!), but I couldn’t part with the name Tristan.

2) The surfing scene in the first book was inspired by a real-life surfing accident of mine! I wiped-out and lost half of my tooth when I crashed into my own board. I understand Kira’s pain :)

3) In high school, my English class always acted out scenes of Shakespeare’s plays to better understand them. The only role I ever got to play was the Ass from A Midsummer Night’s Dream… donkey ears were unfortunately involved. Needless to say, I pursued a little dream fulfillment when writing a certain scene in Ignite

4) In Simmer, Kira has to deal with an overprotective sister who I won’t name. But, she was partially inspired by one of my older sisters! The running joke in my family is that any guy I date will have to ask my dad AND my sister for my hand in marriage before he even tries proposing!

5) When I first self-published Ignite, I didn’t tell anyone! I wanted to see how it would sell without the help of my friends – to see if my work could live on its own merit. But, about six weeks after I published, my aforementioned older sister found out because she Google searched my name. Now they are all watching me like hawks!

Simmer by Kaitlyn Davis
Midnight Fire #2
Published: April 3, 2012

Slowly, like a whisper almost blown away in the wind, two words streaked across her mind: "Kiss me."

Kira may have survived the eclipse, but her troubles are far from over. She's headed to Sonnyville with one goal in mind: to learn more about her parents. But with Luke and Tristan competing for her heart and Diana gunning for her head, time is running out on the search for her mother. And the closer Kira gets to answers, the more terrified she becomes. The conduits fear her, the vampires fear her, and Kira is starting to wonder if maybe they're right...

Add it on Goodreads, or buy on Smashwords or Amazon.

Ignite by Kaitlyn Davis
Midnight Fire #1

Published: October 2011 

"With one last look, one final search of the lines of his face for some sign, Kira turned and ran away from the sound of the man she loved laughing in the face of her death."

When Kira Dawson moves to South Carolina, she meets Luke, a blond goofball who quickly becomes her best friend, and Tristan, a mysterious bad boy who sends shivers down her spine. Kira knows they're keeping secrets, but when she discovers Tristan's lust for blood and her own dormant mystical powers, Kira is forced to fight for her life and make the heartbreaking decision between the familiar comfort of friendship and the fiery passion of love.

Add it on Goodreads, or buy it on Smashwords or Amazon. 


About the author:

Kaitlyn Davis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. She's been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to finally share her work with the world. She currently lives in New York City and dreams of having a cockapoo puppy of her own.  

Find out more about Kaitlyn on her blog, Twitter and Facebook. 

 See the rest of the stops on the blog tour's official site.

Giveaway & Fun Facts: Splintered by A.G. Howard

This giveaway is part of the Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and vvb32reads. There are a lot of great blogs participating in this hop. After you enter here, hop over and enter their giveaways too.

While you are here, please check out my other giveaways. They can be located in the right sidebar.

The Splintering of Wonderland

 (With visual aids)
Guest Post by A.G. Howard

1. SPLINTERED’s main character, Alyssa Gardner, has been blessed (or cursed) with the power to talk to bugs and hear their whispers, the very thing that sent her mother to an asylum. So to keep herself from going crazy, Alyssa does the only thing she can to silence them: capture and smother them in bug traps. But, being a frugal and artistic gal, she doesn't waste the corpses ... she preserves them and uses them in her mosaics. The girl's not squeamish, which is a good thing, considering some of the creatures she encounters in Wonderland. 

2. Alyssa’s best friend/secret crush, Jebediah Holt, is a bit of a bad boy due to his scarred childhood. He rides a souped-up Honda CT70, wears a lip labret, and is fiercely protective of Alyssa and his younger sister, which sometimes triggers glimpses of his white-hot temper. But like Alyssa, he relies on his art for therapy, curbing his violent side through sketching and painting. His favorite subject? Gothic faeries with veined-wings—black tears pouring from their eyes as they stand over withered human corpses in haunting depictions of misery and loss.

3. Alyssa’s sexy-but-enigmatic guide through Wonderland’s warped landscape is Morpheus, a fae-like creature who may have dark motives all his own. His characterization, wardrobe, and smug sneer were heavily influenced by two of my favorite anti-heroes in fantasy movies from my teen years: Jareth from The Labyrinth, and the Crow from, you guessed it … The Crow.

4. Both Alyssa and Jeb skateboard, proof that an author’s passions sometimes bleed into their books. Although I never actually learned to skateboard, I can rollerblade with the best of them. In fact, when I get stuck on a story and need inspiration, I go to a neighborhood park and roller-blade several times around. It opens up my mind to new ideas and directions I might never have come up with while sitting boxed inside four walls.

5. Throughout SPLINTERED, Alyssa often turns to her mother’s copy of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece to help her solve riddles. I’m hoping this will set my book apart from the other Alice in Wonderland young adult spinoffs being released in the near future. From what I’ve seen, SPLINTERED is the only one that is actually a tribute to the original Lewis Carroll tales, with creepy counterparts of the characters from both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

About the author:
A.G. Howard is most at home when weaving the melancholy and macabre into settings and scenes, twisting the expected into the unexpected. She was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working as a library clerk at a local middle school. It is her first young adult novel. A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

You can find out more about A.G. Howard and how to connect with her on her website.


My Giveaway:

One winner will receive an ARC of SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard! (ARC will be mailed in May just as soon as they are available.)

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Expected publication: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books

For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell -- the real life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers ... the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

When her mother takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong for Alyssa to bear, she seeks the origins of their family curse. A set of heirlooms and a moth tied to an unusual website lead Alyssa and her gorgeous best friend / secret crush, Jeb, down the rabbit hole into the real Wonderland, a place more twisted and eerie than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, creepy counterparts of the original fairytale crew reveal the purpose for Alyssa’s journey, and unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.

How to enter:

Be a follower of Krazy Book Lady in whatever way you choose. Then fill out the form below.

Additional Optional Entries:

+1 Follow A.G. Howard on Twitter or "fan" her author page on Goodreads.

+1 Leave a blog post comment about the 5 Frabjous Facts about Splintered or about why you would like to win this ARC.

Giveaway details:

Giveaway is open internationally. (ARC will be mailed just as soon as the author receives them.) This giveaway will run until midnight EST on May 1st. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to include the name of the winner. Winner has 3 days to contact me or a new winner will be selected.

 Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

Winner: Stephanie V. 

The Cracked Slipper by Stephanie Alexander - Fun Facts

The Cracked Slipper by Stephanie Alexander

Published: February 29, 2012

When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she's sure she's found her happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle.

Eight years of mistreatment, isolation and clandestine book learning hardly prepare Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor’s eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matter worse, her royal fiancé spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring spree. Before the ink dries on her marriage proclamation Eleanor realizes that she loves her husband's best friend, former soldier Dorian Finley.

Eleanor can’t resist Dorian’s honesty, or his unusual admiration for her intelligence, and soon both are caught in a dangerous obsession. She drowns her confusion in charitable endeavors, but the people’s love can’t protect her from her feelings. When a magical crime endangers the bond between unicorns, dragons, and the royal family, a falsely accused Eleanor must clear her own name to save her life. The road toward vindication will force a choice between hard-won security and an impossible love.

The Cracked Slipper is a book club friendly fairytale retelling in the vein of Gregory Maguire, with a dash of romance. Set in a pseudo-renaissance, corset-and-petticoats enchanted kingdom, The Cracked Slipper brings a magical twist to women’s fiction.

Fun Facts About The Cracked Slipper:

Stephanie Alexander got the idea for The Cracked Slipper while driving ballet carpool and listening to an audiobook of Cinderella. At the point of "happily ever after" she found myself thinking: "Yeah, right. She probably died in childbirth." The entire story flowed from that one thought.

Eleanor Brice has one blue eye and one brown eye. This could be a magical sign...or a curse from HighGod.

She's tall...probably about 5'10", and very thin. In this day and age that would be a bonus, but in a society that values a Botticelli figure over a Giselle Bundchen one, the supermodel look is NOT where it's at. She feels gawky and awkward...and wishes for a little more cleavage. :)

Eleanor is a scholar...a feminist historian in petticoats. She also has a lot of opinions and likes to share them...regardless of her audience...gets her into trouble at times. Well, most of the time.

Her best friends are a gossipy parrot and a philosophical unicorn.

Eleanor's stepmother cannot decide if she loves her or hates her.

When Eleanor gets nervous she starts to sweat.

Most people in her country cannot understand unicorn speech, but to Eleanor the language makes perfect sense.

Eleanor is the first female member of the royal family to see a dragon up close and personal.

Eleanor's country, Cartheigh, is known for its sophistication and great stores of academic knowledge...and the hedonistic court life at Eclatant Palace. 

Eleanor keeps the cracked slipper in her mother's music box.

She has a habit of ignoring the obvious...from her husband's questionable temperament to her growing obsession with his best friend. Like most women...she just wants a happy ending.

The Cracked Slipper is intended to fill an unique niche...it's a book club friendly fantasy novel.

Fun Facts About Stephanie Alexander:

She has three kids...two girls and a boy. They are awesomely awesome.

She's an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston, SC.

When she was four years old her mother took her to the pediatrician. The reason? Little Stephy thought she was a horse. When people said hello to her she would neigh. Diagnosis: Wild imagination.

Stephanie plots out her stories while running or taking spinning classes.

She cannot stop biting her fingernails, but she has perfect teeth and has never had a cavity.

She is addicted to chocolate covered almonds and hates mayonnaise with a passion.

Her favorite writers are Stephen King, Jane Austen, and Frank McCourt. 

She is a beach person. Mountains are nice...but water is necessary.

About the author:

Stephanie Alexander grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, the oldest of three children. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women, a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement. Stephanie has three children, and she's an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston, SC. 

The Cracked Slipper is her debut novel.

You can find out more about Stephanie Alexander and how to connect with her on her website.

Lightning Tree by Sarah Dunster - Fun Facts Guest Post

Lightning Tree by Sarah Dunster

Expected publication: April 10, 2012 by Bonneville Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort

After surviving the tragic deaths of her parents and her baby sister and a harrowing trek across the plains to Utah, it's no surprise that Maggie's nights are plagued by nightmares. But after years of harsh treatment by her foster family and memories that seem to hint at an unthinkable crime, Maggie is forced to strike out on her own to separate the facts from the lies.

Guest post by Sarah Dunster:

Fun facts about Lightning Tree and its background

What drove me to write Lightning Tree was, first and foremost, a deep interest in the history of the place I lived at the time: Provo, Utah. I drove through the main streets and looked at old buildings and wondered about them. There is a park in the middle of town with a collection of old log cabins with family names on them… I wanted to know so many things about those families and about the people who lived there. And I was also interested in the narratives of immigrants who joined the Mormon faith and then moved into a place where most everyone spoke English. What were the dynamics like for a “foreign” convert in a pioneer community?

As I researched for my story, I came across many entertaining anecdotes about Provo and its citizens. Maggie, my main character, is what was called Waldensian or Valdois. The Valdois were a French sect of Christianity separate from the Catholic Church, who adhered to old doctrines and a certain, older version of the Bible. For that reason they were persecuted throughout the centuries they lived in the Turin valleys in Italy. The Mormon pioneers related to them—a lot of the beliefs between Waldensians matching up well with Mormon beliefs, and of course, being driven from place to place, having to deal with persecutions from the government, etc.—and so they sent missionaries over there to see if anyone was interested in the message they had to offer. In the end, a handful of families converted and came over (together, in the same boats and pioneer companies) to settle in Utah. They formed their own little knot of a congregation in the middle of the LDS population. I felt that a story about a Waldensian girl who is isolated from this very strong sense of identity and culture, being, in a way, forced to become “Americanized” as a part of her acceptance of the new life living the gospel her parents accepted, would be an interesting narrative.

Another interesting thing about my story, and history, is that the anecdote that starts off my conflict—Maggie finding her mother’s name written on the Aldens’ mattress—actually happened in my own family history. One of my ancestors, who had immigrated to America with his parents, was orphaned and then adopted by a family who hid some of his past from him. And then one day, he found his family name written on a mattress the family used. He was fifteen—like my character—and actually, ran away from home. It’s an interesting struggle for me, too, dealing with the issues of loss and acceptance surrounding adoption, as I am an adoptive mother. And so I found the story a very interesting and sometimes, therapeutic one to write.

About the author:

Sarah Dunster is an award-winning poet and fiction writer. Her poems have been published in Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought, Segullah Magazine, and Victorian Violet Press. Her short fiction piece, Back North, is featured in Segullah’s Fall 2011 issue. Her novel Lightning Tree will be released in spring of 2012 by Cedar Fort. Sarah has six children and one on the way and loves writing almost as much as she loves being a mom.

You can find out more about Sarah and Lightning Tree on her website and the Book Poster page.

Click here to see the rest of the tour stops.

Night Sky by Jolene Perry - Fun Facts Guest Post

Night Sky by Jolene Perry

Published: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Tribute Books

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

Fun Facts about Night Sky and Jolene Perry

When I first got the idea for the story, Jameson did not end up with the girl that he ends up with at the end of Night Sky.

Jameson's parents are based on an awesome couple my husband and I knew when we lived in Las Vegas. They had one of the nicest houses in the neighborhood behind the apartments where we lived. He was a dealer at a casino, and she was a waitress. Both had worked in the back, but made more money with all the tips while working in the front. We used to see her leaving for work about 10 PM wearing almost nothing, climbing in her car, and taking off. They were way cool.

Sky really had to be the opposite of Sarah, but I didn't know what she looked like until I wrote the scene where Jameson drives up behind her. That first scene between Jameson and Sky wrote itself, and it was cool to learn about who she was as the scene progressed.

I'm third generation Alaskan (almost fourth), and most of my family still lives in Southeast Alaska where the Tlingit people live. When I was little (and to this day) their drumming and dances are my favorite of the many cultures of Alaska Natives. I've spent hours in the parks in Sitka and Ketchikan, and never got tired of the massive totems there.

My parents own a company that installs gym floors (yes, I know how to install a gym floor, as well as how to paint game lines and logos) and it gave me the opportunity to be in a LOT of native villages all over the state. Many times we had to bring in all our own food, and slept in the school because it was the only public building. I was in Manokotak a few years ago, and the native language of Inuit is still the first language spoken for these kids, and there is one phone for the community. This is changing with the spread of hand-held satellite phones, but I love that there are still places like that in the U.S.

There's talk in the book about Native Corporations versus Reservations. Alaska has only one reservation. The Native people up here formed corporations, which gave them a lot more rights and control over their land than most Native Americans, if not all. It's a very cool thing. My sister and her husband just adopted a native baby, and had to get permission from the tribal council - they work very hard to preserve the cultural heritage.

I put In-N-Out Burger in almost all my books so I can live vicariously through my characters. The chances of one ever making it to Alaska are very, VERY slim.

About the author:

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of The Next Door Boys and the upcoming Knee Deep. 

You can find Jolene on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

You can find out more about Night Sky on the book's official website or add it on Goodreads.

 

Concealed by Sang Kromah - Fun Facts & Excerpt

Concealed by Sang Kromah
Published: October 2011
Published by: The Little Things Publishing

Concealed Fun Facts
1.)    The background story for Concealed is a story that I started to develop as a little girl. It has changed so much since I first started to create it in the first grade.

2.)    Concealed takes place in the town I grew up in (Sykesville) and at the high school I went to. I thought, what better way to make the story more authentic than writing about the place I spent my teenage years? Of course I embellished A LOT, but hey, it’s fiction! 

3.)    When I first decided to write Concealed, Sebastian was British instead of Australian, and then I thought I’d be crazy for not making him Australian. I’ve had this life-long obsession with Australia my entire life. So while I wrote, I’d watch a lot of Aussie TV to help authenticate the lingo and slang, and now I’m even more obsessed.

4.)    When I was a kid, my parents told me a story about a Djinn and a little girl named, Femeni from their native country of Liberia, and I could never get that story out of my head, so I would write my own stories about Femeni for years until one day, I wrote a story about Femeni having a daughter, and that story is Concealed. 

5.)    Many of the characters in Concealed are named after people I know or have met before, but no one is anything like their character, except for Moh, who is named after my younger brother, Moh.

6.)    Writing Concealed is the reason I have such horrible insomnia. The creation of Bijou’s dreams and visions was the death of sleep for me.

7.)    A lot of times as I write, I feel guilty for the horrible things I do to my characters. You would think I hate them or something.

8.)    Like Bijou—I’ve spent most of my life being socially awkward, but Bijou is a whole different realm of weird.

9.) Bijou’s entire life has pretty much been lived vicariously through movie, TV, and literary characters, so she’s like a walking, talking pop culture reference book.

10.) Writing Concealed has made me somewhat crazy…I think. It’s seriously done some sort of damage. ;-)

Excerpt

Chapter 10: Whistling in the Dark I opened my mouth to continue, when suddenly my eyes began fluttering lazily as an intoxicating haze surrounded me and I was no longer surrounded by my peers. The fire was gone and my only companion was the heavy fog that hid my surroundings from me. Off in the distance, I saw a figure standing with its back towards me. “Who’s there?” I yelled. The figure did not answer; neither did it flinch at the sound of my voice. I waited for a few more moments, but still…nothing. Then I heard an odd noise. Someone was whistling. I got to my feet and began walking towards the figure. The figure did not stir in the least, though I am sure that my approach was heard. As I got closer, I could see that the figure was an unusually tall man wearing dark clothing; the broad shoulders made his gender clearly obvious. His head hung low, so I couldn’t make out any other features. I slowed my pace; not wanting to get too close to this strange man, and the whistling grew louder and louder. “Excuse me sir, but is everything alright?” I asked, now only a few feet from this odd individual…still no answer. He just continued standing there with his back turned as he continued to whistle louder and louder. And then it hit me; I had heard that song before, long, long ago, but where? The tune was so familiar, yet it was like a distant memory; maybe even from a dream. “I’m looking for my friends. They were here just a little while ago…” He cut me off midsentence. “Do you know what is said of whistling in the dark?” He asked in a hushed tone that made the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. “Um no… I’m sorry I don’t know. I just need to find my friends, so I can get home.” I responded, slowly becoming aware that I may be in danger. “Everyone?” His rhetoric was followed by a dark and sinister laugh. “Do you know your true home? You’re neither here nor there. So tell me, where do you belong?” This man spoke in riddles. I was now officially confused. If I were a smart person, I would run away now! But there was a deafening silence as I contemplated whether to speak or not. I thought about slowly backing away from this frightening man, but my legs failed to obey. The man slowly began to turn around, his head still bent. This has to be one of my dreams. When he lifts his head, I’m sure it will be Sebastian, and then I will awaken. But when he faced me, I still could not see his face. It hung very low, and the whistling began once again. This time something even stranger began to happen. It was as if I were on the outside looking in. I was watching myself and had no control over my own actions. I began walking closer to him. STOP! I tried telling myself, but it was no use. I was no longer in the driver’s seat. I began humming the beautiful melody in harmony with him. I watched as my eyes closed and my mouth opened. I began singing in a voice that I didn’t recognize, “ce billet doux est toi, mon bijou.” My eyes suddenly opened and my outer body experience ended; once again, I was in control. “Ce billet doux est toi, mon bijou,” I repeated, talking this time—not singing. Where did those words come from? He continued whistling as I repeated the words to myself in French. “This love letter is yours, my jewel,” I finally translated. Where had I heard this song before? “So indeed it is you!” I said nothing in return. “You still offer me no answer to my first question,” he said. His voice was disturbing. “What question?” My voice was raw, as if I hadn’t spoken in a long while. “Do you know what is said of whistling in the dark?” He sounded as if his patience were worn. “No, I don’t,” I answered hesitantly. He began to sway from side to side. I fought hard to catch a glimpse of his face, but saw nothing. I shouldn’t even be conversing with this weirdo. Dread rose in my chest causing it to ache. “Whistling in the dark is an invitation for the djinn to enter,” he said in a whisper. “The djinn? They’re not real.” As the words left my mouth, I had a feeling I was wrong. “They’re as real as you and me,” he answered, reaching out for me. “Sebastian, is that you?” I asked, still trying to see his face. He did not answer. He grabbed my right wrist with hot hands and in that moment I knew this was not the boy from my dreams. “Let go! You’re hurting me.” I fought hard, trying to free myself from his grasp, but he was too strong. The heat from his hand burned my wrist so badly I began to think I would see smoke. “So the traitor has a name,” he yelled, his voice grew loud with curiosity. “Sebastian, is it?” The stranger pulled me closer, my back facing him as his grip tightened. But something made him scream in absolute horror, forcing him to release me from the chokehold. He screeched—obviously in some sort of pain—an imprint of an eye branded on his arm. I ran, but my legs wouldn’t move as fast as I willed them to. Although I could not hear him pursuing me, I could feel his presence near. The smell of sulfur was strong. My legs were tired now and I was completely out of breath. I stopped running, resting my hands on my knees—my breaths coming rapidly. I realized that I was back where I started—the sight of the bon fire—but the fog was gone now. “I am weak, but you have revealed the traitor to me.” “Bijou!” My eyes opened widely and I gasped for air as if I had been holding my breath all the while. I looked around, Sebastian to my left and Amina to my right. Everyone was once again sitting around the large bonfire. Where had they all come from?

You can find Sang Kromah on her site and Twitter.
To see the book blurb, please visit GoodReads.

 Click here to see the rest of the tour stops.

Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry - Review, Fun Facts, & Giveaway

*Today is the official release of Blue Sky Days by debut author Marie Landry.* 

Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

A year after graduating from high school, nineteen-year-old Emma Ward feels lost. She has spent most of her life trying to please her frigid, miserable mother - studying hard, getting good grades, avoiding the whole teenage rebellion thing - and now she feels she has no identity beyond that. Because she spent so many years working hard and planning every moment of her life, she doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and basically doesn't know who she is or what she really wants from life. Working two part-time jobs to save money for college hasn't helped her make decisions about her future, so she decides it's time for a change. She leaves home to live with her free-spirited, slightly eccentric Aunt Daisy in a small town that makes Emma feel like she's stepped back in time.

When Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, everything changes - he's unlike anyone she's ever met before, the kind of man she didn't even know existed in the 21st century. Carefree and spirited like Daisy, Nicholas teaches Emma to appreciate life, the beauty around her, and to just let go and live. Between Daisy and Nicholas, Emma feels like she belongs somewhere for the first time in her life, and realizes that you don't always need a plan - sometimes life steers you where you're meant to be.

Life is wonderful, an endless string of blue sky days, until Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes once again for Emma in ways she never thought possible. Now it's time for her to help Nicholas the way he's helped her. Emma will have to use her new-found strength, and discover along the way if love really is enough to get you through.

My review:
Blue Sky Days is a sweet, emotional love story. Emma has spent her life trying to please a controlling, emotionless mother. At 19 years old, she decides she is ready to take charge of her life and make changes, so she leaves home and moves to another town to stay with her Aunt Daisy. Aunt Daisy is much younger than her sister, and Emma has always had a good relationship with her. Emma almost instantly feels at home in Riverview and meets Nicholas the day after she gets there. She has never had friends or a boyfriend, so it is a new experience for you. But she falls in love with Nicholas right away, and they spend almost all of their time together. When Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, Emma is there to support him with no hesitation.

Emma seems very mature for a 19 year old, and a few times, it seems like she is having too much reflection and self-realization for her age. There are many expressions of love that may be considered to be "cheesy," and this is even pointed out in the story. However, at the same time, it is just sweet that they feel such a connection to each other. This is a story of changing your life, falling in love, and supporting the one you love during the hardest of times. I enjoyed reading this story. You would like this book if you enjoy sweet love stories. You might not like this book if you enjoy fast paced stories.

A copy was provided by the author for review.

Fun Facts about Blue Sky Days - Guest post by Marie Landry

*I wrote the first draft of Blue Sky Days in 2004 when I was 20. It was only about 34,000 words and I knew it needed a lot of work, but I had no idea what to do with it, so I put it away. During the next seven years, I thought about it a lot, even as I wrote other stories and novels. When I finally brought it out again early in 2011, it seemed to take over my life. I thought about the characters night and day; they always seemed like real people to me, but they became even more real during those months of rewriting and revising. I tripled the word count, and came away with a story I was really proud of. But it did totally consume my life—I’d be doing something else and would hear Emma’s voice in my head, or picture Nicholas doing something, and would have to write it down and then work it into the story.

*Riverview, the setting in the book, is a fictional place in Canada.

*Emma has never done any traveling. She’s never been outside the province, let alone the country.

*I don’t like to name main characters after people I know, but I try to work in the names of some of my favorite people for minor characters. Emma’s middle name is Hazel, after my Grama who passed away in 2011 and was one of my best friends; the husband of the widow who owns the general store was named James, after my brother Jamie, who I’m very close to; and Emma’s dad was named Paul because that was my dad’s middle name.

*When I wrote the book in 2004, Emma’s last name was Stone, but when I started working on the book again in 2011, I realized there was an actress named Emma Stone, so I had to change her last name.

*Blue Sky Days was originally an adult contemporary romance, but after becoming a book blogger and falling in love with young adult books, I made a lot of changes and turned it into a YA book.

*Emma had never had a best friend until moving to Riverview.

*I’ve always pictured Sam, Nicholas’s dad, with a southern accent for some reason…even though he’s Canadian.

*Emma’s favorite band is U2.

*The painting I describe in Nicholas’s hospital room is actually a painting I own. When I was 17, I went to France on a school trip and my best friend and I were wandering around Nice one night and saw an artist on the streets painting with spray paint and sponges. It was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen—the paintings were gorgeous, and if I hadn’t seen them done with my own eyes, I’d never have believed he did them with spray paint. We each bought a painting, and mine is one of my most prized possessions.

About the author:

Marie Landry has always been a daydreamer. She has created imaginary worlds for as long as she can remember, so it only seemed natural that she would become a writer. With a passion for words that started in early childhood, Marie has written a varied range of works, and has been freelance writing since 2009. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, or having grand adventures with her two precious nephews.

You can find Marie on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

GIVEAWAY:
One winner will receive a Smashwords code to download a copy of Blue Sky Days in the format of choice.

How to enter:
Just fill out the form below. (Please note, if you enter other giveaways on this blog, all giveaways may have different entry requirements.)

Additional optional entries: (For 4 total entries.)
+1 Follow Krazy Book Lady on Twitter or like on Facebook.
+1 Follow Marie Landry on Twitter or like on Facebook.
+1 Leave a blog post comment.

Please do not leave emails or usernames in the blog post comments. Please include usernames, etc, in the comments section provided on the entry form.

Giveaway details:
Giveaway is open internationally. This giveaway will run until midnight EST on January 25. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be emailed and this blog post will be updated to include the name of the winner. Winner has 3 days to contact me or a new winner will be selected.

Thank you for entering and good luck!

Sorry! This giveaway is now closed.

 Winner: Laura M.