The Girl is Trouble Blog Tour: Interview with Kathryn Miller Haines

Hi everyone! As part of The Girl is Trouble Blog Tour, I’m interviewing Kathryn Miller Haines, the author of The Girl is Murder and The Girl is Trouble. If you read YA historical, this series is a must-read.

Why do you write historical mystery books?

It is, I think, a curious part of being human that we always assume we’ve missed out on something during its heyday. We look back at the past with rose colored glasses and think the times we live in now are but a pale shadow of those days. People were harder working, movies were better, music more listenable, children better behaved and the things we valued actually meant something. This is what made me want to delve into the past – to see if the times in which I am living were really inferior to those experienced by my parents and grandparents and, by extension, if the people in the here and now are somehow not as good. What I suspected, of course, is what is the reality: no matter the when, people are similar. We have the same hopes and dreams, we make the same mistakes. There are heroes in every era. And there are villains too.

You've probably done a lot of research for the series - did you find anything that really intrigued you?

From pointersviewpoint.wordpress.com 

I think the thing that always surprises me is how prevalent crime has always been. We think we live in more violent times, but the truth is sex, drugs, violence – they’ve always been part of our society, including part of youth culture.

If you could write a novel that is not mystery nor historical, what would it be and why?

A really dark, twisty contemporary thriller. I love reading them and I think I would really enjoy the challenge of trying to write one.

If you could go to the story world of your books, The Girl is Murder and The Girl is Trouble, what would you do? Why?

I think I’d pal around with Iris and Pearl and offer them quiet assurances that life is eventually going to get a lot better for them. I remember all too well being that age and, let’s face it, it sucks. And I’d be a tourist, witnessing for myself what life during the 1940s was like, tasting the food, seeing the sites, breathing in the life on NY streets.

Does your being an actor help you when it comes to writing? In what way?

From DIY Musician

Absolutely. I think the biggest thing is helping to teach me how people talk and how what you don’t say is often more important than what you do. It’s also given me a ready toolbox of tricks to use to help (hopefully) accurately render emotion in a scene, remember to use all my senses, etc. I really think all writers would do well to take an acting course or two.

Thank you for your time, Kathryn!

About the Book:

Out now from Roaring Brook Press!

Iris Anderson and her father have finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide, suddenly Iris is thrown headfirst into her most intense and personal case yet.

About the Author:

Kathryn Miller Haines is an actor, mystery writer, and award-winning playwright. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and received her BA in English and Theatre from Trinity University in San Antonio and her MFA in English from the University of Pittsburgh. She's a member of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime and has been a board member of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Follow Kathryn: Twitter | Goodreads | Website

Stacking the Shelves (3)

Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a great weekend! For today, I’m back with Stacking the Shelves.

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing books that you’re adding to your ‘TBR,’ hosted by Tynga from Tynga’s Reviews. 

Current Contests:

Win a Signed Copy of The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

Win Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

Win Arena One by Morgan Rice

Win1 of 2 copies of Shut Up by Anne Tibbets

Won:

Storybound by Marissa Burt (Signed Hardcover)

For Review:

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (ARC!!!!) – ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod. I started this…I love it!!

Winter’s Shadow by M.J. Hearle (Paperback)

Winter’s Light by M.J. Hearle (Paperback)

What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen (Signed Paperback)

Sirenz Back in Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman (Signed Paperback) – Read and loved! Review to come next week! Oh, and…there are new characters in this sequel. Intriguing, charming boys.

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier (Paperback)

Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel (egalley) – So. Freaking. Ecstatic. For. This!! Bram & Nora!!

The Journeys of John and Julia in Chapter One: Genesis by Aurelia (egalley)

The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman (egalley)

Paraglide by Peter Anthony Kelley (egalley)

Freebies:

Clockwise by Elle Strauss – sounds really intriguing. Love time-travel books!

Swag:

Signed Swag (poster, magnets, bookmarks and sticker) – This one came with traditional Spanish chocolate powder (which at this point in time, is almost gone. My parents are now chocoholics because of this!)

Paris-themed notebook from Revenants Central and Amy Plum

Sirenz Back in Fashion, Until I Die and What She Left Behind signed bookmarks

Signed bookplates from Amy Plum & AG Howard

Big thanks to:

Lisa from Badass Bookie & Marissa Burt, Charlotte & Pan Macmillan AU, Tracy, Char & Nat, Random House & Netgalley, Revenants Central & Amy, and AG Howard!

What did you get this week? Leave a link and I’ll drop by as soon as I finish researching for my thesis. ;)

Review: How to Keep a Boy as a Pet by Diane Messidoro

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 338 pages

July 2012, Hardie Grant Egmont

The Official Truth about dating the male human species!

Can taming a gorgeous boy really be as easy as walking a dog?

Circe Shaw is on a mission. She must transform into a fabulously sophisticated journalist and discover the amazing scientific truth about boys. Urgently.

But life is beyond complicated. Circe has to deal with a poisonous rival, her mum’s annoying ‘just friends’ men and her own Dark Past.

Can Circe’s daring investigation really teach her the facts of love? 

Will it help her finally get a boyfriend? 

Or will it break her heart…?

Source: Jen & Hardie Grant Egmont (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

How to Keep a Boy as a Pet was the kind of book that lured you in from the beginning. Upon reading Circe’s first blog entry, I was glued to the pages. Fueled by curiosity and desire to find out why she never had a proper boyfriend, she embarked on a scientific research in proving that boys are more or less like pets. If you project the confidence and use the right kind of tone on boys, they will be at ease with you.

Circe was very funny, enthusiastic and inquisitive. It was easy for me to connect to her because she was down to earth, flawed and imperfect. She felt real to me. She was the kind of teenage girl who had family issues, confidence issues and even boy issues. Who wouldn’t get that?

Broad-backed and fit with piercing eyes, Rufus was attractive. He was deemed the perfect pet boy target by Savvy Rose, Circe’s one and only blog reader, and Tash, her best friend. But he was the Rudest, Meanest, Most Despicable Boy Circe has ever met so ‘taming’ him was bound to be difficult. It didn’t start well but with enough patience, practice and advice from Savvy Rose, Circe got result. Eventually, Rufus stopped barking and hissing at her. He became gentle with her and even started to like her. At first, I didn’t like Rufus at all. He was far too snappy, rude and sarcastic for my liking but after I saw his gentle side, I changed my mind about him. He was actually nice when he fought off his sarcastic side.

I liked how the plot developed. In the beginning, the mood was light. But as the story progressed, I got to know more about the characters and more about Rufus and Circe’s issues. Gradually, it started to get more emotional and heavier as both Rufus and Circe kick started their relationship while dealing with their own family problems. I liked how the author showed the fragility of Circe’s relationship with her mum, as well as the ghost of her long-lost dad. The only thing that was lacking for me was that Rufus didn’t get to explain his side of the story. It has been a mystery throughout the novel and even though I got to know the basics of what his problem was, I think it would have been better if he was given a chance to talk about it near the end. Ahem, the reader (me) would also love to hear from him.

Packed with humor, sweet and hot kisses, and disastrous situations, How to Keep a Boy as a Pet is the perfect balanced read for YA contemporary readers. I couldn’t stop smiling at Circe’s funny and quirky point of view. I couldn’t stop laughing, too. Romantic, entertaining and unputdownable. Highly recommended!

Rating:

Character Interview with Eva + Giveaway: Signed Copy of The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna + bookmarks

Hi everyone! Today, I have Eva from The Lost Girl, Sangu Mandanna’s debut. She’s very intriguing. You see…she’s a replacement for a girl named Amarra.

Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Eva. I... no, I can't. I can't give you a real answer. I am an echo. I was stitched by Weavers at the Loom. I am a copy of someone else, which means one day I may have to replace her, which means I am not allowed to be me. But I can answer the way I'm supposed to: my name is Amarra. I have a brother and a sister. I want to study archaeology when I'm at college. I love iced coffee and Jane Austen.

What do you think of the present world?

Erm, what do I think? The real me? It's not so different from the world I know. I mean, my time isn't far ahead at all. Though I do think it strange that hardly anyone talks about the Loom or echoes at all.

What was the first thing you did when you got here?

I ate haggis. It's a Scottish thing. Amarra has never had it, see, so I just had to... it would be really nice if you didn't mention that to the Weavers.

If you lived in our time, who would you be? What would you do?

Me. If I lived in your time, if I knew the Weavers would never find out, I would be me. That is the easiest question in the world to answer.

What is your favorite thing about 2012? Why?

I kind of answered that already: the fact that hardly anyone talks about the Loom. It's like the world is still able to ignore it, somewhat, and as strange as that is to me, it's also a relief. I can almost pretend the Loom doesn't exist. I spend most of my life pretending, but this is one pretence I would gladly live with.

If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for? Why?

I would wish to be me. I would wish for a lot of other things, a pony among them, but in the end, they all come back to the first one: I would wish to be me.

About the Author:

Sangu Mandanna was four years old when she was chased by an elephant and wrote her first story about it and decided that this was what she wanted to do with her life. Seventeen years later, she read Frankenstein. It sent her into a writing frenzy that became THE LOST GIRL, a novel about death and love and the tie that binds the two together. Sangu now lives in England with her husband and son.

Follow Sangu: Twitter | Facebook | Website

Giveaway: Signed Copy of The Lost Girl + Bookmarks

Thanks to Sangu, one of you will win a signed finished copy of The Lost Girl, one of my most anticipated novels of 2012, along with The Lost Girl bookmarks! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Goodluck!

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

Rules:

Open internationally.

You must be at least 13 years old.

Follow Fragments of Life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal + WoW in One: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Hi everyone! So...as you all know, the Uni is taking almost all of my time (because I still manage to read books.) Today, I'd like to introduce you to a stunning YA release: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty.

Release Date: September 18, 2012
Published by: Pan Macmillan Australia


Some books defy description. Some authors make us feel as though we are discovering stories for the very first time, and seem to be choosing their words from a secret stash. 

A Corner of White (the first book in The Colours of Madeleine trilogy) is one of these books. Jaclyn Moriarty is one of these authors.

A Corner of White is a book that evokes superlatives: 
the vision is extraordinary, 
the writing is poetic, 
the characterisation deeply moving. 


From Goodreads:


Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

‘Perfectly strange, and absolutely comical and heartfelt ... Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the most original writers we have.’ – Markus Zusak


Why I Chose This:


To be honest, I'm a real sucker for Aussie YA contemporaries. For some reason, all Aussies write amazing contemps! Heart-touching, unforgettable ones...I'm sure this one will be, too. Lots of people love Jaclyn Moriarty but I haven't read any of her books...this is going to be my first.

Review: The Glimpse by Claire Merle

Book Description via Goodreads:

Paperback, 411 pages

June 7, 2012, Faber & Faber

Once you've seen into the future, can you change your destiny?

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

Source: Laura & Faber & Faber (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

In the story world that Merle created, the population was divided into two groups depending on the result of their DNA test aka Pure Test: the Pures and the Crazies. The Pures lived in walled and guarded Communities and were allowed the luxury of life while the Crazies lived outside the walls in chaos and violence.

Arianna Barber led a comfortable life in luxury. She was about to be joined with Jasper Taurell, her longtime crush. But in a snap, everything changed. The Council told her that here was an error with her Pure test. She was not supposed to be living with the Pures, instead she should be living outside the protective walls, along with all the Crazies.

When Ana sneaked out from the Community and into Crazy-land to look for Jasper, she stepped into an entirely different world. The city outside the walls had a foreign and otherworldly vibe for me. It was almost like going down the rabbit hole, anything could happen. Some of the ‘Crazies’ weren’t crazy at all. Ana had to live with them and she survived. She was never threatened or hurt.

In her search for Jasper, the guy Ana was meant to join with, she fell for somebody else. Cole was charming, dependable and almost always on the run. More importantly, he was part of something big: The Enlightenment Project, an anti-Pure-test compound. To be honest, I prefer Cole over Jasper. Jasper was the childhood crush that Ana never got to know while Cole was the solid, trusting, to-the-rescue and rebellious guy who actually got to connect with Arianna. Sparks flew between them. I enjoyed reading about their hesitant but sweet encounters.

The sense of being out of control and being trapped in a society where psychiatrists judge you and diagnose you as unstable when in fact you’re not, was too terrifying for me. It was one thing to be misdiagnosed but it was an entirely different thing to be subjected to that kind of helpless experience even though you are normal, like Ana.

Although not all of my questions were answered, I still enjoyed every page of The Glimpse. Surprising and heart-pounding with just the right amount of sweet romance, rebellion and defiance, The Glimpse is a joy to read. I recommend this to dystopia and post-apocalyptic readers!

Rating:

An Apology + An Explanation + A List of Winners!

Dear Lovelies/Readers,

I know I have been a bad blogger of late. At this point in time, I almost only visit the blog once a week. *winces* But first let me explain why:

Reason #1: No internet at home.

Reason #2: Hectic schedule. School starts at 9:00am and ends on 5:30pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Reason #3: Thesis with a big fat T. (thank God it’s about literature.) So during my free time, I’m scrambling between shelves and moving from one library to another, requesting abandoned, dusty old books dating up to…60 years ago.

But I will try to be a better blogger by:

#1: Making sure that I have posts including reviews, WoWs, Stacking the Shelves and Dystopian Domination posts for the week.

#2: Continuing my meme, YA UnScene. (more features and giveaways)

#3: Interacting with other bloggers, commenting on other blogs.

I’d like to say SORRY to you guys and to my blog, too. *pats blog* I’m here to give you a sort of peace offering. I’ve the list of the winners of the recent giveaways.

Signed Possession & Signed Surrender by Elana Johnson: Liz Tan

Signed Copy of The Glimpse by Claire Merle: Marla

Goddess Interrupted: Nicole

ARC of Fated by Alyson Noel: Dea

*I've emailed all the winners and all of them have replied.

If you didn’t win, don’t pout. There are other on-going giveaways for you!

Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

Arena One by Morgan Rice (currently reading it – quite good)

Two signed copies of Shut Up by Anne Tibbets

2 ebooks of The Secret of Spruce Knoll + To Ride a Puca by Heather McCorkle

Also: Lookout for The Lost Girl Giveaway later this week (by Sangu Mandanna!)