YA Unscene + Giveaway: Celia on the Run by Sarah Mandell

YA Unscene is a meme on Fragments of Life that features unseen or deleted scenes of novels that is followed by a short interview and a giveaway. For the second post, I will be featuring Celia on the Run by Sarah Mandell. This is a YA coming-of-age contemporary.

Book Description:

ebook, 173 pages
February 29th 2012, Untreed Reads

Nick Novaczek is a cautious soul, a 17-year old with a boring life, a predictable future, and a quiet thirst for danger. On the eve of his beloved grandmother's funeral, danger finds him by the motel swimming pool. Her name is Celia and she's everything he's not. This foul-mouthed beauty is hitchhiking across the country to make amends with her estranged father and doesn't carry an ounce of fear or hesitation in her tattered suitcase. She's bad news all around, but for a rule-follower like Nick, she's intoxicating.

Twenty-four hours after speaking to Celia for the very first time, following one extremely lucky night, Nick is hopelessly hooked and "borrows" his parents' car to join her cross-country mission, even though her story is full of holes. It's the mistake he's been waiting his whole life to make. Together, they dodge a train, jump off a bridge, and scam everyone in their path. Nick is blossoming into a teenage fugitive, just like Celia, and he's never been happier. She may not be who she says she is, but she's got his vulnerable heart.

After weeks of detours, with hundreds of miles left to go, their wild adventure starts to unravel. The money dries up, Celia's dark secrets begin to surface, and it's clear they both want vastly different things out of this partnership. Celia is all about no strings attached and severing whatever they may have between them once they reach their destination, while Nick is head over heels in love and wanting a future with the girl in his passenger seat. They seem to reach a new low on a daily basis, but she won't turn back, no matter how desperate things get. After all, this is her trip and Nick is just the driver. Celia's got a charming smile to pay her way, a willing accomplice, a hidden agenda, and an endless supply of lies. Not to mention a gun.

Celia on the Run - Deleted Scene Ch6.docx

Could you tell us about Celia?
Celia is wild and unstoppable, she lives each day as though it could be her last. Her past is dark, and her future uncertain, so she does what she wants, when she wants, and isn't sorry about anything. A girl with a tough exterior like this is hard to love at first, but Celia has the natural ability to charm her way through any situation.

How did she wind up with Nick?
Celia is hitchhiking her way east, and crosses paths with Nick, a shy rule-follower who's never been anywhere and never done anything crazy in his life. It's not just her beauty hooks him, it's her wild ways and the cross-country adventure she's on. The temptation to join Celia's mission is just too much for him to resist.

Describe Celia on the Run?
Celia on the Run is a dark coming of age story that follows Nick Novaczek, a shy teenager with a quiet thirst for danger, on a wild road trip across the US with a foul-mouthed hitchhiker by his side. Celia’s everything Nick is not. She's out of control and reckless, but following after this beautiful girl on a mission that doesn't really add up, is the mistake Nick’s been waiting his whole life to make. Following weeks of detours, their adventure begins to unravel, but there's no turning back, no matter how desperate they get. Their cross country journey is an emotional minefield, and with each chapter, new danger awaits, different outcomes are possible, but the reader may never guess what will become of these two characters by the time they reach their destination.

Celia on the Run would be recommendable for what kind of readers?
Celia on the Run is suited for YA readers, but it's on the mature side of that genre. There's some language and violence, and it's not a rosy story of a picture perfect couple or a fun vacation on the road. This is a novel about the not so well off youth of America, and a few scenes may be disturbing for some readers.

What is it about this deleted scene that made you delete it?
This scene was from chapter 6, when Nick and Celia are in the wild and carefree part of their road trip across the US. They have to lie, cheat, and steal to get by because they have no money and are technically runaways, but they're having a great time at this point in the story. I removed this particular scene because there are an awful lot of scenes with Nick and Celia scheming and stealing, they get into a fair amount of trouble during the course of their trip, and I didn't want the reader to get distracted by all the mischief they get into in order to survive on the road and miss out of the character development. This story is all about the characters, who they are, who they say they are, and who the become during the trip, not about all the laws they break and the people they swindle. In this scene, you really don't learn much about Nick and Celia, so I felt it wouldn't be missed in the end.

As we all saw, Celia was quite talented with subtleness and a quick hand. How did you mold her character in such a way that she would eventually get these characteristics?
Bits and pieces of Celia's background are revealed over the course of the story, so the reader does eventually get the sense that Celia is a survivor and does what she has to do in order to get by. When I was creating Celia's character, I molded her in such a way that anything she did, whether it was mean, wrong, or illegal, wouldn't bring her any guilt because it was all out of necessity.

Sarah Mandell is a professionally trained artist with a background in commercial interior design. She's also the brains and busy hands behind a thriving indie craft business called Once Again Sam. Even with an ever-expanding collection of creative outlets, she's truly the happiest when she's writing. Sarah is represented by Nine Speakers. Her publisher is Untreed Reads.

Follow Sarah: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

One of you will win Celia on the Run. This is a digital copy so it's open internationally.

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YA Unscene + Giveaway: When Stars Die by Amber Skye Forbes

Today I'm reviving a year-old blog meme called YA Unscene which lived for a month in 2012. It is a meme that features unseen or deleted scenes of novels that is followed by a short interview and a giveaway. For the first post, I will be featuring When Stars Die by Amber Forbes. This is a YA Paranormal that will be published next week.

Book Description:

Paperback, 267 pages
October 22nd 2013, AEC Stellar Publishing

Amelia Gareth's brother is a witch and the only way to save her family from the taint in his blood is to become a professed nun at Cathedral Reims. However, in order to become professed, she must endure trials that all nuns must face.

Surviving these trials is not easy, especially for Amelia, who is being stalked by shadowy beings only she can see. They're searching for people they can physically touch, because only those they can touch can see them. Amelia soon learns why she is being stalked when she accidentally harms her best friend with fire during the third trial. Fire is a witch's signature. The shadows are after witches.

Now Amelia must decide what to do: should she continue on her path to profession knowing there is no redemption, or should she give up on her dream and turn away from Cathedral Reims in order to stop the shadows who plan to destroy everything she loves?

Pre-order on Amazon

Deleted Scene From When Stars Die

What or who inspired Where Stars Die?
My own imagination pretty much inspired When Stars Die. I know a lot of people have external sources that inspired them, but I simply knew I wanted to write about witches in a unique way and write about convents with witches, and everything else flowed from there. I don't have a Muse, and I don't have some external mystical force guiding me in my writing.

Can you tell us about the paranormal aspect of When Stars Die?
The paranormal aspect of When Stars Die is the witches, of course. There is also a lot of mystery. In the beginning of the book, Amelia sees these shadowy figures, but only she can see them, and she isn't sure why. But they stalk her throughout Cathedral Reims. It isn't until she accidentally sets her best friend on fire does she learn why these shadowy figures are haunting her. These shadowy figures in themselves are paranormal creatures to. They're dead witches, so when witches die they turn into these shadowy creatures. I have an entire elaborate system behind it, and I hope readers can keep up with it.

So Amber was set on becoming a professed nun but showed inhuman (fire) abilities, how does this affect her perception on 'taint' and who she is?
Well, once Amelia learns she is a witch, she starts to feel like maybe she isn't meant to be professed because a witch being a nun is a blasphemous thing. Witches are incredibly despised in her world. And while Amelia believes being a witch is a taint, she is also sympathetic toward them, not only because she finds out she is one, but also because her brother is one. She knows people have been brainwashed into hating witches because her religious texts tells them they should. She knows there is no logical reason to hate them, but she also knows you can't undo the years of socialization people have been put under.

Who is Theosodore Branch and how is he related to Amelia?
Theosodore is an assistant to Mother Aurelia, who is the Mother Superior of Cathedral Reims, the convent Amelia attends. But he is much more than this. Later on he becomes a sort of antagonist against Amelia, but then becomes her ally much later in the book. However, one thing I absolutely have to point out is that in the sequel, Stars Will Rise, Theosodore is the antagonist hands down. He will play an even more major role in the sequel.

What kind of readers do you think would like Where Stars Die?
I think the types of readers who would enjoy WSD are those who love paranormal and paranormal romance in general. Fans of the Infernal Devices, The Forest of Hands band Teeth Trilogy, and fans of other dark books will absolutely love this book. I just know they will.

Would you like to share a few quotable quotes from Where Stars Die?
Quotes: “She is a dance piece in a music box…” (p. 12) – Amelia describing Colette

“People think children are so tender, but they’re resilient. It is we older ones who are tender, already beaten down by life” (p.92) – Amelia comparing herself to Nathaniel

“Yet, even when stars die, they leave a lasting impact through their light, their diamond brilliance as they scatter their material to form new stars” (p. 133) – Amelia reflecting on her future and what if anything she’ll leave behind.

Do you have a favorite scene in this novel? What is it and why is it your favorite?
My favorite scene in the book is actually the third quote. Amelia is ruminating on stars and how when they die, they leave a lasting impact. It's the most literary point of the novel, and it's the scene that determined the title of the book. Amelia basically wants to die leaving that lasting impact.

Any last words?
When Stars Die is available for pre-order on Amazon, though you can technically buy it right now and it's not on pre-order.

Amber Skye Forbes is a dancing writer who prefers pointe shoes over street shoes, leotards over skirts, and ballet buns over hairstyles. She loves striped tights and bows and will edit your face with a Sharpie if she doesn't like your attitude. She lives in Augusta, Georgia where she writes dark fiction that will one day put her in a psychiatric ward...again. But she doesn't care because her cat is a super hero who will break her out.

Follow Amber: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

One of you will win When Stars Die. This is a digital copy so it's open internationally. It ends on October 31st.

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YA Unscene + Giveaway: Slated by Teri Terry

YA Unscene is a meme at Fragments of Life that features unseen or deleted scenes of novels, followed by a short interview and a giveaway.

Last week, I featured Taste by Kate Evangelista (giveaway still on-going.) This week, I’m featuring an exciting YA dystopian from Orchard Books.. Without further ado, here’s the deleted scene from Slated by Teri Terry!

Deleted Scene From Slated
 

I absolutely loved your debut! Where did you get your inspiration to write Slated?

Oh thanks so much. Slated actually started with a dream: a girl running, terrified, on a beach. As is often the case with dreams, I somehow felt I knew what was behind it. I started writing that day as soon as I woke up, and out of my early morning scribblings came the whole concept of Slating. So where it came from is hard to say: somewhere in the murky depths of my unconscious, I suppose! I always write from character, so I didn’t sit down and decide I wanted to write a tale set in the future, or that I wanted to deal with what makes us who we are, the balance of rights and freedoms in society, or when it is right to fight the system. That is just sort of what came out as I wrote.

Where did you get the concept of Levos?

I was free writing – which basically means I had a starting point, my character and situation, and just wrote as fast as I could by hand everything that tumbled into my mind. And there it was, on the page.

Though I’m sure there are a few influences here. One is the electronic tagging system used to keep criminals under control by keeping tabs on where they go, to make sure they don’t infringe rules of their probation or release. Also I know someone who is insulin dependent diabetic, and they have to check their blood sugar levels all the time. I think that is part of the origin of the idea also. Finally, I’m a little obsessed with the nature-nurture debate: ie. are bad people born, or made? If someone is bad through and through, wiping their memories wouldn’t make them change, would it? So you’d need a way to check on them.

Why was this portion deleted? Does the rose symbolize something in Slated?

This particular scene went to keep the pace up in the opening chapters.

The rose doesn’t have any particular significance to the story – it is more just to emphasize that she is experiencing the world and everything in it as if for the very first time. Putting myself in that position: I’d want to touch, smell and feel everything.

I loved how all of the characters in Slated revealed their true selves as the story progressed. Who is your favorite character? Why?

It was a very conscious decision with my characters to give them light and shade. Bad people sometimes do good things; good people sometimes get it wrong. I didn’t want all the adults to be evil like is sometimes the case in YA dystopian tales. And sometimes my characters surprised me as well.

As far as my favourite character goes, that would have to be Kyla. She is strong, but doesn’t know it. She learns from her mistakes, and carries on. In the secondary characters I’d say her mum: she is so multi-layered.

What can readers expect from Book 2?

In Fractured Kyla must make a stand: what does she believe in? There is a seriously badass boy in it to make things confusing; the action heats up, and the stakes are high.

What’s next for Teri Terry?

I’ve just finished writing Fractured: there will be some editing coming up. And after that, book 3! I haven’t started it yet and am itching to dive in.

In my dreams, there will be a movie deal of course!

Beyond Slated – I’m intrigued with ghost stories, so that may be next.

Giveaway: Finished Copy of Slated by Teri Terry

Thanks to Orchard Books, one of you can win Slated!

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost forever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Rules:

Be a follower.

Open internationally.

Must be at least 13 years old!

Ends on June 8, 2012.

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YA Unscene + Giveaway: Taste by Kate Evangelista

Hi everyone! Today, I’m starting a new blog meme here at Fragments of Life.

YA Unscene is a meme that features unseen or deleted scenes of novels that is followed by a short interview and a giveaway.

For the first YA Unscene, I’m featuring my fellow Filipina, Kate Evangelista and her debut, Taste. I recently read and reviewed Taste and I loved it! Be sure to stick around for a giveaway later!

Deleted Scene

Now, my lovelies, I have Kate here with me for the interview.

Where did you get your inspiration to write Taste?

When I used to teach high school, there was this practice every afternoon where the guard would ring a bell and all the students need to stay at the guardhouse to wait for their parents to pick them up. The reasonable explanation for this is that the nuns who run the school are at prayer and need silence. But the writer in me wondered what happens in the school at night that the students aren't supposed to be on campus. This is why Taste actually starts with Phoenix waking up in the library to the sound of the bell ringing. 

I have to admit, I am Team Luka. I really enjoyed reading the deleted scene. I went back to the ending of Chapter 14 and thought that the ending preserved the Demitri-Phoenix connection. Why was this portion deleted?

To be honest, I'm Team Luka too. There's something about him that I love so much. As for the deleted scene, my editor felt that it would take away the attention from Demitri too much if we added it. At the same time, we felt that the tension between Luka and Phoenix in the scene would interfere with her decision in the end. :-)

This deleted scene shows a softer, sweeter side of Luka. Did you prefer him to appear more daring than sweet at this point of the novel (Chapter 14)?

Yes. Making Luka too sweet would definitely interfere with Phoenix's psyche too much. With Demitri, Phoenix's feelings are more immediate because of the connection they share. But with Luka, the feelings need to develop more. They have a connection, but in this stage of the story it's still too premature for it to be romantic. But I do love this scene, which is why I'm sharing it with your readers today. 

You mentioned one of Luka’s favorite food, ‘kikaron.’ Is it true that it was inspired by the Philippine chicharon?

Chicharon (from Market Manila)

I love this question. And yes. Although, I didn't intend it to be a shout out at the time. The use of kikaron came organically in the story because of the pig flesh. 

I loved Demitri's and Luka’s world. How did you build their world?

Their world actually came with the characters. My process usually involves the characters telling me their story, so their world comes with that based on what they share with me. I guess this is why I write a chapter at a time. :-) My characters actually refer to me as the glorified typist. *sigh*

What’s next for Kate Evangelista? What are the titles of your next books and when are they coming out? I know you’ve got a deal with Entangled Publishing.

I'm in the process of editing Til Death, another YA novel, currently with Entangled. That one is part of a trilogy. I can't wait to share Selena's and Dillan's story with all of you. At the same time, I'm also editing the first of another YA trilogy with Omnific called Reaping Me Softly. Another one to look out for in the future. So, make sure to follow me on twitter and my blog to get the latest updates about my writing and the shenanigans I get into. 

I'd like to take this moment to thank Precious for letting me hang out at Fragments of Life today. She has supported me from the very beginning. She even beta read the first chapters of Taste when it was still in its infancy. I owe her much. It's an honor to be here and answer her questions. 

Aww, you're welcome Kate! <3

Giveaway: Ebook of Taste by Kate Evangelista

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

You can get Taste on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


Thanks to Kate, one of you can win and read Taste! Just fill out the form! :)

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