Current Giveaway:


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

20 Questions with Kia Garriques + Giveaway


The UK based author Kia Garriques has stopped by my blog today to do an interview and tell us more about herself and her book "Innovera Yakov: A Journey of a Thousand Eyes"

J:Have you always wanted to be a writer?

KG: I wanted to be lots of different things: a psychologist, and actress... until I tried them and realised I didn’t like them. In actuality I have always written. Writing has always been what I return to after my attempts at different things - so I guess I have always been a writer, whether I chose to become one or not.

J: If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

KG: Well I am currently in fashion, so I would probably be doing what I am doing right now.

J: Was there anything specific that inspired you to write Innovera Yakov, or did the idea just come to you?

KG: The concept of Innovera Yakov originated from my dreams. I used to dream about these Beings in some other world. At first, it was scary but then I learned to overcome that fear and started looking forward to them. At one point, I became so enthusiastic about science, evolution and the possibility of realities and forms of life that might exist outside of what we know, that I wanted to absorb anything in relation to that. Innovera Yakov addresses many of the questions I have about our earth and the universe in general. It’s my attempt to understand life.

J: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

KG: When I am faced with characters that have to die or disappear. Losing them is very hard.

J: Are any of your characters based on people you know? Which character is most or least like you, and in what ways?

KG: I haven’t based my characters off anyone in particular. I think Ayana, in Innovera Yakov is similar to me. She is the underdog and it takes her a long time to discover her strengths. It took me a long time to start to believe in myself. The day I started doing that, I realised that I had the power to transform my life and be the person I wanted to be. I can relate to her because she has scars - both inner and outer scars - that she has to learn to live with and it’s only when she embraces them that she begins to find herself.

J: Do you need anything specific when you write? Music on, quiet, snacks?

KG: I always write after midnight - around 2 or 3 am - when it is very quiet outside and I imagine that everyone else is asleep. My impulse to write and dream up worlds comes alive around that time. I like listening to music from swing-beat to blues to jazz. But I write best while listening to classical music turned down low, especially Bach.

J: How long does it take you to write a book?

KG: It depends really. The first draft takes a couple of months, and then there is the whole refining process – cutting out things here, fleshing out other bits - it’s a long process.


J: Can you tell us a little bit about what you are working on right now?

KG:I am working on my second book in the series while networking and meeting other authors.

J: What do you like to do when you are not creating such great stories?

KG: I love watching movies. I enjoy going to the gym, spending time with my family and friends I guess.

Alright, let's do some 'Get to Know You' questions:

J: Are you a morning person or night owl?

KG: Night owl!

Last song that was stuck in your head?

KG: I was here by Beyonce

J: Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show?

KG: The Simpsons. I can watch the same scenes over and over again and laugh myself silly. I really can.

J: What was your favorite book as a kid?

KG: Beauty and the Beast!

J: If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

KG: Working! I can’t sit still. I feel guilty when I do.

J: If you had to eat one thing and one thing only for an entire week, what would it be?

KG: Special fried rice. I love it!

J: If you could recommend one book that everyone should read, what would you choose?

KG: Animal Farm! I think everyone should read that.

J: Picture this scenario. You just received a phone call from someone who wants to turn your book into a movie. They also tell you that you have full control over who gets cast in the movie. Who do you pick to play the parts?

KG: I am all for giving people a chance. Whether you are new and established, for me it’s all about the talent and that person’s ability to embrace the part and make the most of it. There are new and emerging talents out there and so it would come down to how well you can play the characters and whether you are a perfect fit.

J: Finish this sentence. My perfect day off would be... 

KG: having readers around the world, read, love and recommend Innovera Yakov to others; tweeting me and talking about the book. When that day happens it will be my perfect day off.

J: Everyone can always use another piece of good advice. Is there a piece of advice that someone has told you that you or something you have learned on your own that you would like to share with us?

KG: Follow your dreams. Work for what you want and even in the depths of despair or fading confidence never give up. It is important to believe in yourself because not everyone is going to believe in you.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Kia! It was great to have you!
You can find out more about Kia by visiting her website HERE, her Facebook page HERE, or following here on Twitter HERE.

Now for the giveaway.
Giveaway goes from March 27th til April 10th.
Open internationally.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And keep an eye out for my review of "Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes"!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Top Ten Books I shove at people. All the time.


We all have those books that we have read that we just think that everyone should read no matter if they like that genre or not. If you loved it and it has pretty much changed your life forever, you think everyone should read it, no?
Yeah, here is my list of those books and the reasons why I pick those books.


The Fault in Our Stars
This is one of my all time favorite books.
If I had the money I would buy all the copies and throw them out my car window to people like they were candy.
Candy that rips your heart out and makes you bawl into the wee hours of the morning. But candy nonetheless.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1)
Boarding School. Catty Girls. Magic. Secret World. Historical Gothic Romance.
Libba Bray...
Why would you not read this series?

Redeeming Love
A story of mercy and grace.
It's beautiful.

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)
Dimitri. Vampires. Battles. Kickass Herione. Dimitri. 
They don't sparkle...did I mention Dimitri?
Yeah, I like pushing this one at vampire lovers.

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)
For the dystopian lover.
Her writing is magical and you'll want to marry it.

Delirium (Delirium, #1)
A world where you are killed for loving.
Yeah, check it out.
And it's being turned into a tv show!

Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Some days I love this one more than I loved Hunger Games.
It's that good.
And I'm still terrified to read the second book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1)
The cover will look gorgeous on your shelf. 
It will mess with your mind and keep you up til all hours of the night.
Noah Shaw.

Anna and the French Kiss
Anna. Etienne. Paris.
LOVE.
Stephanie Perkins take all my money for your future books!

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
I was skeptical about this series at first. Everyone loved it so I was nervous I'd be that one person that wasn't impressed.
Now I push it at everyone I can. If I see you looking at summer romance books in a bookstore I will drag you to this one.

Darkfever (Fever, #1)
This was my first urban fantasy and I LOVED it. 
Fae. Dark Underworld in Dublin. Mac. BARRONS.

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)
This one didn't grab me right off the bat. But I stuck it out and am so glad I did.
It ended up being such a fantastic story.
LOVED it.

So there's my list...plus a couple :D
BUT YOU SHOULD READ ALL OF THEM EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT GENRE.
DO. IT.

What's on your list that I should read?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Top Ten Books I HAD to buy...but are still unread

                Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovelies over at The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's topic is about those books we were counting down the minutes until they were released, or those books that a friend told us we HAD to read A.S.A.P....so we got it...and it's still sitting on our shelf or in our Kindles waiting to be read.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2)
So I'm gonna start this out by saying I have a deep seeded fear of sequels.
When I love the first a whole lot I am usually willing to sell my kidney for the next one...but once I actually acquire the next one it takes me FOR-EV-ER to actually read it.
I'm just so nervous it won't live up to the first.
So is the case with Mara Dyer #2.
Also, I'm scared of the ending since the first had the cliffhanger of DOOM.

Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire, #2)
Fear of Sequels.

Looking for Alaska
John Green is one of my favorite authors.
The only book I've only read by him is The Fault in our Stars.
That book destroyed me, and I loved every minute of it.
I tried reading An Abundance of Katherines but I DNF'd it for now as I just wasn't in the mood for it.
I'm worried his other books won't stand up to TFioS...so I keep putting off reading them.
But since I put this one of my Spring TBR TTT, I do plan on giving it a whirl in the next couple months.

The Book Thief
This is such a popular book.
It has over 280,000 ratings on Goodreads with an average rating of 4.35. Dang. I rarely see that.
But that makes me nervous that it is super hyped and I won't like it, as has happened with other super loved books.
And then there are all the other people who say this book ruined them, that it ripped their heart out and stomped on it.
I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

Jellicoe Road
Another super hyped book.
All the super hype made me buy it.
All the super hype has made me scared to read it.

Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)
Vampire Academy is one of my favorite series ever.
I about died when I finished the last book, so imagine my excitement when I found out there was going to be a spin-off series involving two of my favorite characters.
Bought it almost immediately.
Still have yet to read it.
I'm nervous I won't love it as much...and it scares me I may love it more...cause I am a Dimitri kind of girl and I don't want to cheat on him :p 

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)
I'm dying to find out what happens next...but, ya know, Fear of Sequels.

A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2)
I preordered this one so that it would get to my doorstep the day of release.
Fear of Sequels.

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
I didn't think Lauren Oliver could do anymore damage to my soul than she did with Delirium, but every time I pick this one up to read it, to see what happened to a certain character, I get all nervous and put it back.

Wolfsbane (Nightshade, #2)
I was kinda 'meh' about the first half of Nightshade, but the second half of the book had me pretty hooked.
I really wanted to get on to Wolfsbane so that I could find out who Calla picked, Ren or Shay (I really am hoping for Ren...BUT DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ME) so I bought this one pretty quickly after I finished Nightshade...still haven't gotten to it.
I actually kinda keep forgetting I have it.

So there is the list of the 10 books that I just HAD to buy but haven't read...
I will read them ALL this year though.
What about you? What books are on your list?

  


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Perfect for Summer Romances!



It's not secret that I love romances. Here are a couple from Entangled that are going to be just the perfect summer romance reads!
 JUST FOR THE SUMMER: Dani Sullivan has come to Lake Bliss to write her latest cookbookÉand to see if the baby she gave up for adoption eight years ago is happy. When she’s done with her reconnaissance, she plans to return to Detroit without any doubts about past decisions. But when she sees her little boy—indeed happy despite living with his single dad—she finds she can’t keep her promise to stay awayÉfrom her son or from his flirtatious father, who has no idea of her true identity.
Recently divorced sheriff Matt Reagan is ready for a new relationship, but he doesn’t want short-term—his son needs permanence, and so does Matt’s heart. Unfortunately, it’s the smart-mouthed and sinfully sexy Ms. Sullivan who catches his eye. But when Matt learns Dani’s secrets, will he still want her to stay? Or will her chance for love last just for the summer?








THE PRACTICE PROPOSAL: Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.
 
Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.
 
When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?




Earth-Sim by Jade Kerrion

"Jem Moran has a reputation to prove and a secret to protect. The prestigious world simulation program seems the answer to both her problems, but only if she can succeed in spite of her partner, Kir Davos, and the uncooperative human beings who populate her planet. From the Great Extinction to the Renaissance, from world wars to intergalactic treaties, Jem’s conflict with Kir will shape Earth’s history, and their opposing management styles will either save or doom our planet. Either way, you finally have someone to blame for the shape our world is in." - GoodReads.


Kindle Edition207 pages
Published February 2nd 2013
Source: Author provided review copy. Thanks Jade!






This was an incredibly unique story. It took me until the second chapter to really start to grasp things and what was going on since it wasn't really explained at first. You are just kind of told things. But once I caught on I was pleasantly surprised with how neat this story was.

The plot of the story is rather complex, but once you catch on to what is going on it's not hard to keep up as a bunch of science lingo isn't being thrown around the whole time and your just expected to know what all those terms mean. 
Earth-Sim is a well thought out creation of our world that made me believe it. I myself, just like every other living person, have my own thoughts on how the world came to be, but Jade Kerrion made me believe during this book that this was actually how it happened and I love that.

The main characters start off not liking each other very much but a good friendship with the possibility of something more starts to develop. I really liked Jem and Kir for different reasons and I hope there is going to be another book to see if something does in fact happen there.

After reading other reviews for this book and seeing how many people have compared how good this one is to her other works I can't wait to grab one of Jade Kerrion's stories.

Get your copy of Earth-Sim HERE. And you should definitely get on that!

I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.

Top Ten Books on my Spring '13 TBR List

                Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovelies over at The Broke and The Bookish.


 Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles, #1)
I adore the fact that I've been following Lenore's blog for a while now and she has a book published. This makes me really happy when people I know through blogging get book deals. So I cannot wait to get this one and dig into it.

The Farm (The Farm, #1)
I've met Emily twice now and she is just the nicest lady. Always has good advice for people like me striving to be a writer. I love the sound of this book. When I saw her a couple weeks ago at a B&N event she said she wanted to write a vampire book about mean vamps that don't sparkle. So The Farm was born.
Sounds creepy and fun.

Doomed
You guys, if you ever have a chance to meet Tracy DO IT. She's been to my B&N twice in the last 6ish months or so and I love getting to see her. She's always encouraging my writing and telling me she can't wait to be able to by my book. That is just so wonderful to hear.
And her new book Doomed sounds FANTASTIC. Technological apocalypse? Uhm, yes please.

Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #2)
What most of you may not know, I have a MAJOR LOVE for urban fantasy. Like, boarding obsessed. It is such a fun genre and I am IN LOVE with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I just finished Dark Lover and am about to start working on this one, which is the second in the series.
This one I am soo excited to get to.

Fever (The Chemical Garden, #2)
Love Lauren. She's a favorite of mine, both her writing and her tweeting. She's hilarious...though she likes to rip your heart out in her books. I'm looking forward to having my emotions played with.

Revolution 19
Robot apocalypse. Yes.

Trouble's on the Menu: A Tippy Canoe Romp-- With Recipes
I love this cover. Like a lot.
This sounds like a fun book to end spring and begin summer reading with.

Summerset Abbey (Summerset Abbey, #1)
I'm already having Downton Abbey withdrawals so I'm hoping this will take my mind off of having to wait a year til season 4. Especially since all 3 books release between January and August. So I have high hopes for this one to help me out.

How to Tame a Willful Wife (Shakespeare in Love, #1)
The first book in the Shakespeare in Love series, it's a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.
Love retellings, love the sounds of this one, love romances.

Looking for Alaska
I figured it was time to give another John Green book some loving since I love on TFioS so much.

Alright fellow readers, what's on your spring TBR list?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start...but Haven't

                 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovelies over at The Broke and The Bookish.

This weeks topic is the series that I have wanted to start...but just haven't. Which could really be a longgg list since my TBR shelves are overflowing.
Since I read so many different genres I decided just to keep it to YA series that I've really really want to start, but haven't for a variety of reasons.

{1}
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
I've been wanting to read this series for a while now, but especially with the release of the movie. I was going to attempt to read it before I saw the movie...that didn't happen though.
The reason I haven't started this series is I've seen so many mixed reviews. They've been either super gushy or super disappointed and that makes me nervous to start investing time in another series.

{2}
Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)
If you don't follow Kiersten on twitter...do it. Now. Here's a link: @kierstenwhite. You can thank me later.
She is one of my favorite authors to follow on twitter. She is so sweet and funny allllll the time.
I think that is what has made me a little shy of starting her series. I've really only heard good things about her books, but I'm worried I've built it up in my head from seeing her posts and from talking to her.

{3}
The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)
This was a series I couldn't wait to start and I was so excited when I got the first book for dirt cheap at a Borders closing sale.
For some reason though it just sits on the back of my shelf.

{4}
Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)
Um, so yeah. This one I am ashamed of. I have an undying love for Vampire Academy. It is one of my most favoritest YA series. I BAWLED when I finished Last Sacrifice. I love how it ended, but I hated that it had to end. You would think that I would jump right into the spin-off series. Nope, Bloodlines has been patiently waiting for a longgg time on my shelf.
Even though I was always Team Dimitri, I adored Adrian so I love that this series is about him. But I think that I'm worried it won't hold up to VA and I'll be miserably disappointed.

{5}
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)
I devoured the first 3 books in the The Mortal Instruments series, but I just haven't been able to jump back into it with City of Fallen Angels. Which makes some sense since I don't own it. But I've had Clockwork Angel for about 2 years. I've even tried to read it once and only got about 12 pages in before I stopped. It is a series that I would really like to get into though cause I've heard such great things about it.

{6}
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
Great reviews are everywhere for this book. I really don't believe I've seen a bad review for it. With Siege and Storm releasing in the next few months I really feel like I need to jump on this one.
All this talk I keep seeing about "The Darkling" makes me suppppper curious.

{7}
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
I have some very Percy Jackson obsessed friends on twitter and pinterest. Some things in the series has been spoiled because of this so that's made me lose some steam to get on this series soon.
But I love stories about demi-gods so, maybe this summer before the second movie comes out.

{8}
Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)
Action...romance...magic. Why haven't I read this book yet???
I'm not intimidated by the size...it just keeps getting pushed down my TBR list.

{9}
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)
One of my favorite bloggers, Heidi at YA Bibliophile, has only ever raved about this series and I really trust her reviews and her opinions on books. So you'd think I would have jumped on this series.
It's one that I am super interested in but I just haven't gotten to it.

{10}
Black Hole Sun (Black Hole Sun, #1)
I have a soft spot for Sci-fi. I can't ever find that much of it in YA so you'd think I would jump on a series that does exist....

So fellow book lovers, any of these series you've wanted to start and just haven't?
Any that you have read and loved and think I'm crazy for not having started?
Link me to you TTT in the comments :)