Sucks to be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley

Mina Hamilton thinks that her life is perfectly normal. She's a high school junior with decent grades and has had a crush on Nathan for forever and still stutters around him. Oh yah and her parents just happen to be vampires! Just your typical teenage girl right? Now on top of high school she has to deal with going to these vampire classes with all these weird kids and a horrible teacher, even though she's not that sure she really wants to be a vampire. Mina's only got a couple of short weeks to decide whether or not she wants to be a vampire. She can't talk to her parents about it, nor can she talk to her absolute best friend Serena about it. The only person she has to guide her is her Uncle Morty, who's a little off beat! Along the way Mina finds a little romance and learns more about herself than she realized. Will Mina make the right choice for her, or will she make the choice that pleases everyone else?

From the very first page I was literally "sucked" into this book. It was truly fantastic. What I loved the most was the humor. Mina had such a witty voice that I found myself laughing with every turn of the page. I also really enjoyed the format of the book. It was written through Mina's journal entries. I felt like we really got to know Mina without a third party intervening. Her voice was that of a genuine teenager that I was really able to relate to, except for the fact that I'm not considering being a vampire! Kimberly Pauley kept poking fun at common vampire myths which made the book even funnier. If I hadn't known that this was Kimberly Pauley's debut novel I would have never known. She obviously has a great talent that I am hoping she continues with. Maybe there will be more stories about Mina, or maybe she'll try something new. All I know is that I will be grabbing and devouring all of her future novels. This was seriously one of the best books I've read this year and I urge you all to run out and buy it when it releases in September.

A Few Announcements!!

I have had the lovely pleasure of being interviewed by not one, but two fabulous authors.

My first interview was posted last Saturday at the lovely Beth Kephart's blog (I know it's a little late, but I've been at camp!!). Click here to read it.

Then there was my lovely interview with the class of 2k8. Click here to read it. Also if you comment by tomorow evening you'll be entered to win a copy of N. A. Nelson's fabulous upcoming release, Bringing the Boy Home. To read my review click here.

And Another Awesome Author Visit: Christine Fletcher

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Fletcher, author of Tallulah Falls and Ten Cents a Dance. For my review of Ten Cents a Dance, click here. Christine is a delightful person and a wonderful author. I also want to thank her for sending (and signing) me a copy of her book for me to review, again.

A little background on Christine. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon with a multitude of animal companions, and a human one too! Not only is she an author, but a vet too. She even likes to give herself some credit for inventing veterinary science! Of course she's a big reader too, always has been always will be.

For more info visit her website.

Now without further ado I am pleased to present you with our fabulous interview!!!

___________________________________________________________
1. How did the story of Ten Cents a Dance come about?

One of my mother’s aunts was a taxi dancer. When Aunt Sofia was fifteen, she got kicked out of the house. To survive, she supported herself by taxi dancing. Later, she became the mistress of a prominent mob boss. Talk about a black sheep! After I heard Aunt Sofia’s story, I got curious about taxi dancing and started doing some research. I learned that it was considered really disreputable, and that many girls -- especially the ones still living at home -- kept their job secret from their familes. In essence, they lived double lives. I began to wonder: How would a young woman manage this? Why might she have to? And how long could she possibly get away with it? Before I knew it, I was working on a novel.

2. Were you an author or a veterinarian first? Why did you chose to become a vet?

I was a veterinarian first. When I was a kid watching doctor shows on TV, sickness seemed like a kind of puzzle that you had to figure out from clues. That really appealed to me. And I’ve always been fascinated with animals. So, when I was about seven, I had this amazing flash of genius: I would be the world’s first doctor for animals! I couldn’t believe it when my mother told me other people had thought of it first. But then I decided that was OK, I’d be one anyway.The writing came much later, after I’d been a veterinarian for a while. I still work in veterinary practice part-time…I’m not ready to give it up!

3. Do you prefer to write about events in the past, present, or future? Why?

Ooh, good question! I haven’t tried writing any stories set in the future (although I’d like to try someday). As far as present vs. past, it really depends on the story. My first book, Tallulah Falls, could only have been set in the present, and Ten Cents a Dance could only be set in the 1940s. But I admit I do love historical fiction. I like imagining how people used to live, what they took for granted that we would find strange. Also, I’m a total research geek. So writing stories set in the past lets me spend lots and lots of time in libraries, discovering obscure and irrelevant things that I can stuff into my head. Which is why I can tell you all about the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, but I can’t remember where I put my sunglasses.

4. How did the names for your characters come about? Did you always know what they were going to be from the moment you sat down to write or did you sift through a baby name book?

For Tallulah Falls, I knew the main characters names from the beginning. But Ten Cents a Dance took a lot more work. Names go through fads, just like clothes. Something like Amber or Stephanie would be way too modern for the 1940s, while Fannie or Ida would be too old. Also, the name had to suit my main character. Fortunately, there are records of popular baby names going back decades. My absolute favorite is the Baby Name Wizard ( http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager). That thing is addictive, I can play with it for hours! (See, I wasn’t lying about the geek part). As soon as I saw the name Ruby, I knew it was perfect. It’s colorful and sparkly and strong, just like Ruby herself.

5. What was your road to publication like?

Strangely, I didn’t set out to be a YA author. I wrote my first novel, Tallulah Falls, for adults. I thought maybe it was good enough to publish, and fortunately, a wonderful agent, Dorian Karchmar, agreed. We got a lot of interest from editors, but the novel kept getting rejected; the editors said that adults won’t read books with teenage characters. So Dorian suggested we try the young adult market instead. I told her I didn’t see myself as a “kid’s author.” My agent, bless her, she’s so patient. She said, “Go to the bookstore and look at YA and see what you think.” So I bought an armful of YA books and read them all and I loved them. Dorian started submitting Tallulah Falls to children’s publishers, and within a couple of weeks, we had two offers. Now, I can’t imagine writing anything but YA. I love the books, and I adore the readers. They’re enthusiastic, and at the same time they’re so honest. They just come out and tell you what they loved and what they didn’t, and I really enjoy that.

6. What are you currently working on?

The next novel is also set during World War II. But unlike Ruby, this girl starts off with everything…and loses it all. She figures out a plan to get her life back, and the boy she loves too. But whether or not it’ll work…well, we’ll see.

7. What are the last three books you've read? Do you read a lot of YA or do you mainly read adult novels?

Wild Roses by Deb Caletti, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, and Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin.I still buy armfuls of YA. There are so many good books and many of my favorite authors are YA authors. I read adult novels, too, but it’s about half and half with YA.

8. What's one quirky fact you think readers would enjoy knowing about you?

I once chased a giraffe on foot across the South African veldt. I was taking a hands-on course in wild animal management -- not that I need to know how to catch giraffes, but as a safari kind of thing it sounded more fun than riding around in a jeep taking pictures. Which it was. Compared to a giraffe, I’m a really slow runner.

9. What's your ideal writing location?

It used to be my office, but the internet and email (and computer Scrabble!) are too much of a distraction. So now I write on an ancient (ie, non-internet-enabled) laptop on the couch. The dogs love this, because I let them climb up and sleep next to me all day.

10. How much of yourself do you see in your characters? Of all your characters which is the most like you?

My characters are all way more interesting than I am! Ruby and Tallulah, my two main characters, are both very different from me. Maybe I’m most like Stan, in Ten Cents a Dance. Quiet but ambitious. I’ve been told a couple of times in my life that I’d never succeed at something, but each time I went after it anyway and I made it. (One was getting accepted to veterinary school. The other was getting published).

11. Are there any other questions you wish I'd asked?

You’ve asked such great questions! I can only think of one: “What advice would you give someone who’s interested in being a writer?”Read. Read, read, read, and then read some more. While you’re reading, start writing. Reading gives you a feel for the rhythms of language, how dialogue works, etc. But you’ll only really learn by writing. Writing is a craft. No matter how good you think you are, always believe you can do a little better. It’s the only way to improve.

Thanks again, Tasha!

Thank YOU, Christine!!

Plenty of Paper's Hiatus Tour: Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

This is the wonderful girls from Plenty of Paper's review of Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz. It is not my review, but I have read the book and have a review up and coming. Don't forget to comment to be entered into their fabulous contest. For the rules, click here.

_______________________________________________________

Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help—her grandfather. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly under way for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city’s wealthy, powerful, and unhuman—a true Blue Blood affair.

But it’s at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire’s destiny. [description from inside cover]

After taking months to get into the first book in this series, Blue Bloods, I jumped right in to Masquerade. The new plot developments were much more interesting in comparison, and the suspense was built up to extremes. Not only did the characters become more developed and have stronger emotions, but the vampire lore became more developed and had a past. Everything about the Blue Bloods that you couldn’t figure out in the first novel was very well explained in the second.

For example:

Once Schuyler finds her grandfather, he decides she needs to be trained to use her powers—something The Committee is no longer doing with new vampires. In his training, he teaches Schuyler about the four factors of the glom, or mind control. This is just one of the many new introductions to vampire lore in Masquerade.

Despite the lack of many Silver Blood attacks in this novel, it is surprisingly more suspenseful than the first. I was flipping pages fervently as it got later and later into the night—I just couldn’t put it down. The romance between Schuyler and Jack (and Oliver) becomes part of the story, as does the romance between Jack and Mimi, Bliss and a new character, Kingsley, and Charles and Allegra.

If you’ve read the first and are skeptic about the second, I encourage you to go pick it up now. It will not disappoint.

Or even if you haven’t read the series at all, I encourage you to start it—and don’t worry, if you can’t get into Blue Bloods, it ends up turning into a great series.

4 cups of coffee for this one.

Heather

Hinting the Final Location:

These lovely mistresses, in the dark they rest,

Through the water, you’ll begin your quest;

they judge their books using the archaic Levin,

Their swirling home is location number seven.

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

It's 1941, fifteen year old Ruby and her sister and mother live in Chicago's meat packing district. Ruby has had to drop out of school in order to go and pickle hog's feet after her mother has to quit her job because of illness. When the local bad boy, Paulie Suezle, tells Ruby he knows a place where she can make $50 a week, she jumps at the opportunity, even if she knows her mother won't approve. The idea of the job gets even better when Ruby learns she will be working at the Starlight Dancing Academy. Even though she is naive at first she soon learns that she has become a taxi-dancer. Men pay a dime for a chance to dance with a pretty girl and the illusion that these girls are interested in them. Not minding the job too much, especially because she loves to dance, Ruby soon finds herself making quite a bit of money, but also getting into an equal amount of trouble. With the aid of her only friend at Starlight, Peggy, Ruby learns the ropes of becoming a taxi-dancer. Will lying to her mother about her job be worth it in the end? Will she get a happily ever after love story?

What I was expecting was a good book. Historical fiction is right up my alley and I'm not too familiar with this particular time period, except for the whole war, but that's not too prominent in this particular book. What I got was a great novel filled with a strong heroine and a fascinating plot. It's been a long time since I read a book where I was immediately drawn to the strength of a character. Ruby was strong willed and determined to help her family what ever it took. At some times I felt she was a little stubborn, but still came to respect her. I also thought that the spectator characters were really developed. I especially enjoyed Yvonne, who was Ruby's biggest instigator at Starlight. She was so funny and she reminded me a lot of my younger sister, always stirring the pot! I also loved how Christine Fletcher wrote about a time that isn't as well known. Yes we all probably know all about World War 2, but do we really know what was happening to the normal people in America? Another great thing was the book was really easy to get into. The author had me absorbed into Ruby's story as soon as Ruby set foot into her first dance. Overall I was very impressed with Christine Fletcher's second novel and will definitely go back and read her other book, Tallulah Falls, and will eagerly anticipate her future works.

And Another Awesome Author Visit: Claudia Gray

Today I am pleased to present the ever fabulous Claudia Gray. Her debut novel, Evernight, hit shelves just a couple of weeks ago and is already getting tons of praise. It is definitely a must read for everyone. For my review click here. I have here a great interview with Claudia that I think you will all enjoy. So read on and enjoy getting to know yet another awesome author!

_________________________________________________

1. What inspired you to write about vampires as opposed to other sorts of creatures?

I plan to write about other sorts of creatures too! Vampires simply wound up being first in line.

2. In the book Bianca does not like Dracula, do you share the same dislike, or is it one of your favorites?

I enjoy Dracula -- I wouldn't call it a favorite, but I do like it. I can see why Bianca's doesn't, though; it can be fairly slow going in parts.

3. How does it feel being a publicized author? Do you think you'll have the same feeling when your next book comes out?

Mostly it feels fabulous. I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed the book, and it was a real thrill to see it on bookstore shelves for the first time. But I wasn't prepared for how much time it would take. Next time I'll be ready.

4. When did the idea of Evernight come to you?

The rough idea of the story took form during late 2005 and very early 2006. At that time, I only had the plot of the first book. I would say that I had the rough form of the four-book arc planned by the end of 2006 (although some details change all the time).

5. Now I know that there are going to be four Evernight books, but can you tell us a little bit about what's going to happen in them? Are you working on any other books that don't have to do with Evernight?

I can't tell you too much! However, I can promise that Lucas will return to beautifully complicate Bianca's life all over again, and that Bianca will become much more curious about all the aspects of the vampire world that she's taken for granted before. Balthazar, Vic and Raquel will have major parts to play in future books, as will Mrs. Bethany. We'll learn a lot more about Black Cross, too, as well as other supernatural creatures in this world.

I'm currently working some other YA paranormal ideas and researching a thriller I hope to write for older readers.

6. What's the best part about being a writer? The worst?

The best part is the writing itself -- I love figuring out who the characters are, what happens to them, where we go next. I honestly don't know that there is a "worst," because so far, the process has been very rewarding.

7. Do you write full time? If not, what do you do?

Not full-time yet! By day, I do in-house communications for a large law firm. This means I write their newsletters. My office is in Times Square, which is about as much glamour as I can claim.

8. Where is your ideal writing location?

At home, in the coziest chair in the house, with some soft music playing.

9. Do you see a lot of yourself in any of the characters? If so, which one?
I see some of myself in virtually all the characters. I think that's fairly important, really -- to identify with everyone, at least a little bit. (Maybe not Erich, though.)

10. What's one quirky thing about yourself that you think readers would find interesting?

I have a tryout for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in a couple weeks. Wish me luck!

11. Are there any questions you wish I'd asked?

"Would you like this completely legitimate check for a million dollars?"

The answer would've been yes, by the way. No need to worry about my game-show audition then!

_________________________________________________________

One last thing....

The winner of last weeks copy of La Petite Four was.....

Blair!!!

Please email me your address so I can send the book your way!! Thanks everyone for entering, I loved reading your responses.

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Bianca’s parents have taken her away from her small town to move her to Evernight Academy. Bianca can’t believe her world is crumbling like this. I mean she cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like to have to make new friends, especially making friends with the snooty students at Evernight. In a failed attempt to run away Bianca meets Lucas. Lucas isn’t stuck up like all the other Evernight students and he and Bianca immediately forge a friendship. While all the perfect, smart, and too good to be true students at Evernight keep getting better, Bianca finds herself getting more and more lost as the days go by. But as her relationship with Lucas strengthens, she knows that she will be able to make it through with him at her side. As things get tougher and tougher and secrets get unveiled, Bianca realizes that she will do anything for Lucas, but will it hurt her in the end?

OMG!! This is seriously one of the best books I have ever read!! I LOVED it. I was sucked in from the beginning and literally couldn’t put the book down. I mean I fell asleep before I stopped reading, it was that good! I really enjoyed Bianca’s character. I felt like I was able to connect with her a lot, especially because she felt so torn up about leaving the town she had known her whole life. I definitely know how it feels to leave a bunch of great friends and go somewhere where you know no one. Now the absolute greatest thing about this book is the amazing plot twist. The story was moving along just fine and then BANG the whole story changes into something even more spectacular. While there were a few hints as to what was coming, I really never expected it. You may be wondering why I’m not telling you anything about this and really it’s simple, I think it would definitely put a damper on the book. I definitely recommend that you all go no RUN to the nearest bookstore and snatch up your copy before they are all gone - you will not be disappointed. As I’m sure you can imagine I am desperately anticipating the release of the next book in the series, Stargazer, which comes out at the end of the year. This book has seriously opened my eyes to a whole new area of YA books that I am so excited to dive into!