I was in LOVE with Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and I fell just as in love with the sequel, New Moon with the very first page. New Moon broke my heart and then put it back together again! If you liked Twilight there is no way you could not like New Moon. The first time I read it I was a little mad but the second and third times I enjoyed it much more!
Bella, Edward, and the whole gang are back and things haven’t calmed down in Forks. As Bella’s 18th birthday arrives she should be excited. However the only thing this birthday means for her is that she is officially older than Edward. Okay, maybe not technically, but the fact that he will be eternally 17 years old is a big deal for her and wants this birthday to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, no one seems to be honoring her request. When she finally gives in and goes along with Edward’s plan things take a turn for the worse and force Edward to take a hard look at the danger he puts her in.
When Edward and his family disappear, taking everything that may remind Bella of them, she is devastated. Unable to deal with her feelings she represses them and causes those around her to begin to seriously worry. As the months pass, Bella begins to lean on her friendship with Jacob, who begins to change dramatically. As Bella struggles to deal with the new Jacob, she is surprised to find that she is being hunted once again.
As if thinks couldn’t get worse, Alice Cullen returns and tells her that the whole family believes she is dead and Edward is about to do something terrible. Unable to live without her, he is ready to end his life and Bella and Alice must rush to stop him. Will they be able to get to him in time to save him and escape with their own lives? You’ll have to check it out and this is one series you don’t want to miss!
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is even better than everyone makes it out to be. Stephenie Meyer weaves together a fantastic story of drama, danger, and darkness and leaves readers wanting more!
Isabella Swan, or Bella as she prefers to be called, is dreading leaving her mother and the warmth of Phoenix for a father she has barely spent time with and the rain of Forks. When Isabella arrives in Forks, it is just as she fears: gloomy and filled with rain! Although nerves to start out at a new school, Isabella quickly makes friends and seems to attract the attention of every guy she meets there! None of them get her attention except Edward, who is different from all the rest. Bella can’t help her attraction to him and even though their friendship starts off shaky it quickly grows to something more.
When Bella finds out that Edward and his family are vampires she doesn’t seem upset by it. Edward is surprised by how easily she accepts and copes with everything that she finds out about him. However, being with him may put her in danger, and even though she doesn’t think so, others do. As Bella and Edward grow closer together they have to a lot of things to deal with, one of them being that fact that Bella wants to become a vampire so that they can stay together forever. But that isn’t their own challenge!
This book has everything that makes a book great: romance, action, and drama! It is impossible to put down and I can’t see why anyone would not want to read it!
We were lucky enough to interview the wonderful author of Something Wicked, Alan Gratz! Here is what he had to say!
1) What inspired you to become an author?
I’ve been writing stories of one kind or another for as long as I can
remember, and I’m not sure why. I loved picture books as a child, of
course, but most kids do. I do remember discovering my grandfather’s old
typewriter in the garage and banging away at it as a kid though. I wrote
a semi-regular newsletter for the street I lived on, which my mom
mimeographed at school for me to hand out, and I drew up my own picture
books and comics and stories as well. I wrote my first book in the fifth
grade. It was called “Real Kids Don’t Eat Spinach,” and was a pastiche
on a popular humor book of the day called “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche.” I
guess I just got the writing bug and never lost it. 
2) What made you want to write Something Wicked?
When I had the idea to turn Shakespeare plays into contemporary murder
mysteries, I went back and forth–should I do Hamlet or Macbeth first?
Hamlet has all that great angst in it, which could easily be translated
into teen angst, but Macbeth had lots of blood and betrayal. I finally
settled on Hamlet for the first book, because my main character, Horatio
Wilkes, is based on the Horatio character from that play. But I was
eager to throw Horatio into the world of Macbeth for a second book,
because the story IS so much about friendship and betrayal, issues I
think teens deal with on a daily basis–just not so mortally. I also
knew from the start I wanted to set “the Scottish play” at a Scottish
Highland Festival, and those festivals are just such wonderfully
colorful backdrops. The novel was just a blast to research and write!
3) What would you say is the hardest part about being an author?
I think the hardest part of being a professional writer is juggling all
the things you have to do to make a living at it. Responding to e-mails,
building and maintaining a web site, promoting your books, doing school
visits–not to mention actually sitting down at your desk and WRITING!
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my career for any other. It’s just
that there is so much more to being an author than just waking up at ten
in the morning and wandering into your office and writing for a couple
of hours before taking the rest of the day off. I think that’s image
most people have, and my days are so NOT like that it’s laughable. I
often spend nine or ten hours a day–spread out over the morning,
afternoon, and late at night–doing all of those things, with five or
six hours of actual writing time thrown in there if I’m lucky.
4) I read somewhere that your favorite superhero is the Flash. Who is
your favorite supervillain?
Mr. Freeze, hands down. And no, I don’t mean that awful Arnold
Schwarzenegger Mr. Freeze from the movies. I mean the Mr. Freeze from
the Batman: The Animated Series, as written by Paul Dini. He’s such a
tremendously sympathetic villain. He developed his cryogenic equipment
to save his wife until her fatal disease could be cured, but a greedy,
corrupt corporate honcho pulls the plug and causes the accident that
makes Mr. Freeze have to wear a sub-zero suit. What Mr. Freeze wants, at
least initially, is just to have his revenge on the man who ruined his
life. Like Batman, it’s tragedy that fuels his behavior, but he goes a
step farther down the path of revenge than Batman will allow himself.
That makes for some great pathos. And how can you not feel for a guy who
is doomed to live in a sub-zero encounter suit the rest of his life? He
can never have human contact again…
5) Do you ever find yourself looking back at past works and wishing you
had done something differently?
Oh yes. I could keep editing everything I’ve ever written until the end
of time. At some point though, you have to say, “This is good. Really
good, and it’s time to release it into the world.” I look back at
Samurai Shortstop though, my first book, and I see things even now I
would like to change. Like the first sentence. There’s an adverb in
it–”Toyo watched carefully as his uncle prepared to kill
himself.”–that could be removed to make that sentence stronger. Ah well…
6) How long would you say it takes you to finish a project such as
“Something Wicked?”
I think Wicked took me about six months. That’s the time it took me to
write a polished first draft, of course, not the time it took to have
the book publication ready. After I turn in a polished first draft, it’s
often a year before the book is ready, after all the back-and-forthing
with my editor. I do pretty elaborate outlines for my books though, so
one month of that initial process is usually devoted to just figuring
out what happens. I take the rest of the time figuring out HOW to write
what happens, and then editing it over and over again until it’s tight.
7) Is there a particular character from “Something Wicked” that you can
most relate to?
It would be bad if I said the Macbeth character, right? Luckily, I’m
not THAT ambitious. I’d say that Horatio, my main character, bears a few
similarities to me in terms of world-view and attire, but other than
that he’s different. He’s the guy I always WANTED to be in high
school–the self-assured, take-charge guy who’s good with the ladies and
always knows the right thing to say. That most certainly WASN’T me, as
much as I wanted it to be.
It seems that getting a book published is just as challenging as
writing the book in the first place. Do you have any advice to those who
seek to get their book published?
My approach was to go for editors first, not agents. Both are hard to
place a book with, but when an editor says yes, you have a book sale;
when an agent says yes, you have an agent. Having an agent isn’t always
a guarantee that you’ll sell a book. I also found that most bigger
agents really aren’t interested in a first novel. They want to hear from
you when you have a few sales, and prove that you’re in it for the long
haul. I also found that when I submitted to an editor and she said no,
there was sometimes a request to see more work from me. I never got that
response from an agent.
9) At the end of the day, what is the most rewarding aspect of your
career as an author?
The paycheck! No, wait… Seriously, the most rewarding thing about
writing for kids of course is when a kid reads your work and really
responds to it. I did a school visit in Blytheville, Arkansas, and a
middle school girl came up to me and told me that she really identified
with Fuji, one of the boys in Samurai Shortstop. I couldn’t imagine a
more incongruous pairing: a sumo wrestling Japanese boy and a girl from
a rural farming community. The girl told me that she, like Fuji, was
going to be the first person in her family to go to college, and she was
already feeling the same pressure Fuji was feeling–and she appreciated
knowing that she wasn’t the only person who had ever gone through that.
It was an amazing moment. Those connections are the most rewarding
aspect for sure.
You can purchase something Wicked Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0803736665
*Interview Questions Written by Meagan Anderson and Zachary James
Here are all the others who are participating in the book tour and featuring Alan’s book:
<a href=”http://the160acrewoods.com/”>the 160acrewoods</a>, <a href=”http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/”>A Christian Worldview of Fiction</a>, <a href=”http://paraklesis.com/childrens_publishing_news/”>All About Children’s Books</a>, <a href=”http://blbooks.blogspot.com/”>Becky’s Book Reviews</a>, <a href=”http://bookreviewmaniac.blogspot.com/”>Book Review Maniac</a>, <a href=”http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/”>Cafe of Dreams</a>, <a href=”http://dolcebellezza.blogspot.com/”>Dolce Bellezza</a>, <a href=”http://horslv93.blogspot.com/”>Hyperbole</a>, <a href=”http://kidzbookbuzz.com/”>KidzBookBuzz.com</a>, <a href=”http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/”>Looking Glass Reviews</a>, <a href=”http://maggiereads.blogspot.com/”>Maggie Reads</a>, <a href=”http://www.noeldevries.blogspot.com/”>Never Jam Today</a>, <a href=”http://superfastreader.com/”>Reading is My Superpower</a>
Also, if you want to read the Something Rotten before you read Something Wicked here is a treat for you from Alan and his publicist:
To celebrate the debut of Something Wicked, my publisher is putting
Something Rotten online for FREE until the end of November. Not just a
chapter, not just an excerpt, but the WHOLE BOOK. I’m really excited
about this offer, and I hope a lot of people take advantage of it. To
read Something Rotten for FREE, go to www.alangratz.com and click on the
link to the free ebook.
-Alan
Check back tomorrow for our interview with Alan!!
Author: Alan Gratz
Pages: 264
Horatio Wilkes is back and this time he is at a Scottish Highland Fair with his best friend Mac and Mac’s cousin and annoying girlfriend. When the foursome get to the mountain where the games are held, Beth, Mac’s girlfriend, convinces them all of to visit a fortune-teller. Unfortunately, the fortune-teller gives them a lot more than they came for. When Mac and Beth start getting more and more hyped up about the fortune-teller’s message, Horatio finds himself spending less and less time with them and not really minding all that much.
But when Horatio finds Duncan, the games founder who also happens to be Mac’s grandfather, dead in his tent things really start to change. Duncan’s son is the prime suspect but for some reason Horatio isn’t convinced and Mac and Beth start acting really suspicious. Will Horatio be able to find out who killed Duncan? Or will more innocent people be killed in the process?
This book was not something that normally would have caught my attention, but once I started it I couldn’t put it down! The book is based on the story of Macbeth put with a modern and fast-paced twist. This is definitely a book to check out if you like mysteries! You can purchase Something Wicked here:
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 453
Clary, Jace, and Simon are back and so are their friends…and their enemies. Now that Clary and Jace have found out that they are brother and sister things have gotten a lot more tense between them. Their attraction to each other hasn’t diminished but they are both trying as hard as they can to fight it.
As Clary tries to wake her mother from the magically induced coma she is in Jace wants absolutely nothing to do with her. When Valentine steals the Mortal Instruments the Shadowhunters suspect that Jace is helping his father but Clary doesn’t want to believe it. However, if Valentine is able to use the instruments they are all in danger. Will Clary and her friends be able to stop him from fulfilling his evil plan?
Although I liked City of Bones a little bit better, I still really enjoyed this book! Clary is such a great character and I was more than a little mad when it came out that Jace was her brother. But things still seem a little fishy with that and I can’t help but hope that it will be revealed later that they aren’t really related and they can get together! Definitely check this book out!
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 485
Werewolves, faeries, vampires, demons and Shadowhunters…all of these things are new to Clary. She has been kept in the dark about what the world is really like until her mother is kidnapped. When that happens she finds herself immersed in things that she finds impossible to understand. When Clary is attacked by demons, Jace comes to her rescue, but he can’t figure out why demons would be interested in her.
As Clary, Jace, and the other Shadowhunters search for her mother and for an answer to Clary’s sudden ability to see all things demon and magical, they find themselves being put in constant danger. Will they be able to find Clary’s mother and figure out some confusing secrets?
City of Bones doesn’t revolve around vampires, but I still think it fits in with Vampire month. This book was different from anything I have ever read before and I LOVED it! Check this book out and look for the review of City of Ashes on Friday!
Author: Rachel Caine
Pages: 242
Morgansville isn’t your normal college town, mostly because it is full of vampires. To make things even more weird, the vampires and humans have figured out how to live pretty peacefully together. Of course, most of the humans don’t really know about the vampires. But when Mr. Bishop, an old-school vampire who everyone thought was dead, comes to town things could take a turn for the worse.
Bishop have plans for Morgansville, plans that can’t be good for its human residents. Claire seems to be more suspicious than others and she is determined to find away to go to the formal ball to honor Bishop. But will she only make things worse?
I read the first book in this series, Glass House, when it first came out and I loved it. I didn’t read the second two but I wasn’t really lost at all when reading this book. However, I would recommend reading all the books in the series in order. Keep on the look out for the review of the next book in this series, which will be posted closer to its release date!
Author: Rae Lindley
Pages: 184
The world is a very different place after a science/drug experiment gone bad creates vampire-type creatures known as Dracins. The last thing Raven remembers is getting attacked by one of these creatures, now, years later she comes to find the world had once been at war with Dracins against Humans. Now tho, the world is at “peace” and a company known as Tech Corporation is working on a mission to send humans and dracins to a new, cleaner world. However, what they claim to be doing and what they are actually doing are very different things and Raven finds herself working for the very people she should be fighting against.
Russell and Enos are also trying to survive and to stop Tech Corporation from destroying the Dracins. When the three of them team up together they may have a chance to do some good. But will they be able to survive?
This book doesn’t really focus on being a vampire or the life of a vampire. It is a fresh take which focuses more on how the humans see the Dracins and the attempts of some humans to destroy them. It was a really quick read and one that I would recommend!
By the Book was given the opportunity to interview author Rae Lindley (who happens to share my love of the book Brave New World) and this is what she had to say!!
1. Where does your motivation to write come from?
Oh! A lot of different places. Sometimes I see a movie, tv show or hear a news story and my mind starts running through a lists of ‘what if’ scenarios. Or I speculate how a certain person would react to different situations thrown their way. The scenario usually leads to an idea for the story. When I start it, I’m not entirely sure where it’ll lead me but once I do start it’s like a great ride as I learn more about my characters and the worlds they inhabit.
2. What do you enjoy most about writing?
I love the creative process when the scenes come together in my mind and I can see the characters interacting and talking in front of me. It’s like I’m a movie director/cinematographer recording the actors in a scene. Sometimes it comes out shifty because I’m just focused on getting the story down but after it’s all laid out, the story is much easier to mold when I refine it during rewrites.
3. If you could describe your writing style in one word, what would it be?
Escalating.
4. Who is your favorite author?
Hmm, that’s a hard one. I don’t really have one author as a fave. I usually categorize them in different genres because they offer a satisfactory read depending on my mood. They would include Aldous Huxley, Vivi Anna, Zinnia Hope, Teresa D’Amario, Sandra Kitt, Giselle Carmichael.
5. When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?
I’m not sure if there was a defining moment (or my memory fails me *laughs*) but I always remember writing. Whether I was in elementary school to high school, I was always penning stories based on ideas I’d get from seeing movies or reading plays. I always felt good doing it and I especially got a kick when I passed my stories on to my peers to see how they reacted to it.
6. How many books are planned for the Cimmerian Series?
Originally there were a few books, I can’t remember if it was five or six, but it’s shrunk a little because of how the story has panned out with the second book in the series. After writing it, I knew that it would take another book or two to finish the full arc so in the end it would probably pan out to four books total at most.
7. Are any of the characters in Cimmerian City modeled after you?
I would say the three leads have a little bit of me in them. I always joke that Raven is sorta of my alter ego as she’s much bolder than I am but I had so much fun writing her story due to her progression from hot headed college girl to flawed heroine..
8. How long did it take you to write Cimmerian City?
Five years, no lie! *laughs* It wasn’t the first book I wrote, but it was the first I released which makes it pretty special to me. I remember in English class of my senior year when the story hit me. We were studying my now favorite book Brave New World. I didn’t quite have the whole story then but I did have an idea: what if vampires could roam the Earth anytime, day or night, because the sun was continuously blocked out by a thick cloudy atmosphere of pollution (like Blade Runner)? And from there, as I became a better storyteller, learned the mechanics and how to effectively tell a story, the book unfolded into the world of Cimmerian City.
*Interview questions by Meagan Anderson and Lanee Quintero