Blog Tour + Giveaway: Entangled by Amy Rose Capetta

ENTANGLED is out in paperback now, and Presenting Lenore is today's stop on the blog tour to celebrate it. I read ENTANGLED over the weekend and I loved the mix of science and music. Amy has such an inventive use of language and the story speaks to our need as humans for connecting with others.

Here's the summary:

ENTANGLED is the story of seventeen-year-old Cade, a fierce survivor who lives solo in the universe with her cherry-red guitar until she finds out she was created in a lab in the year 3112, then entangled at a subatomic level with a boy named Xan. Cade’s quest to locate Xan joins her with an array of outlaws on a galaxy-spanning adventure. And once Cade discovers the wild joy of real connection, there’s no turning back.

The rest of Cade’s story is coming in UNMADE, which hits shelves January 13!

And here's Amy!

I’ve always loved science fiction.

But the truth is nerdier than that: I’ve always loved science.

Whenever I play the “what would you have done with your life if you weren’t doing this?” game, I only have one answer. Scientist. BOOM. Easy. A lot of people see writing and science on opposite ends of a spectrum of What People Do, but I don’t think of it that way. Science and writing are focused ways of looking at the world where you don’t get to take anything for granted.

And no matter how weird creative writing can get, science is ALWAYS weirder.

Seriously, there is no way to top the strangeness of our own world. Writing has to follow WAY more rules than nature. Nature might have inherent patterns, but it also delights in breaking them, and coming up with more variety and just plain oddity than a single person could ever do if you stuck them in a bare room with a notebook and said, “Now make up the whole world.”

Take quantum entanglement.

Quantum entanglement is one of the weirdest things in all of the vast weirdness of science. It’s what happens when two particles start talking to each other. Across impossible distances. They interact in ways that break ALL of the rules.

So of course, as a writer, I heard that, and my metaphor-making brain kicked in. What if it was people instead of particles having these weird and intense interactions across impossible distances?! I was lucky, because I already had a character wandering around in my brain, in need of just such a bit of science. Cade already had a crappy home planet and a loudloud guitar. All she needed was a plot!

As soon as I used quantum entanglement to connect Cade to a strange boy far across the universe, things really started to heat up. I used some of the details of entanglement to add specifics to the way they interact. Of course, I also fictionalized and stretched the idea. A lot. But if it’s within the realm of human imagination, it’s probably within the realm of scientific possibility.

Do you know how many inventions have been predicted by science fiction? SO MANY. This is the moment where I remind you that we currently have hovercraft technology! HOVERCRAFTS, people. And scientists are talking about bending space-time around a spaceship! (WARP DRIVE, people.) And…

(Thirty minutes of nerding out redacted.)

Here’s a funny thing that I’ve noticed. Some of the people who’ve picked up ENTANGLED have assumed that quantum entanglement isn’t real—that I just made it up. And I can’t really blame them. It just SOUNDS so fictional. It sounds more than fictional, actually. It sounds bananas.

But it’s real. And to me, that was too incredible NOT to write about.

Want to know more about science and fiction colliding in ENTANGLED? Watch the EXCLUSIVE excerpt!

And enter the giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview: Audrey Vernick discusses Screaming at the Ump

I don't read a ton of middle grade (or books about sports for that matter), but I was intrigued by the journalism angle in SCREAMING AT THE UMP and would definitely recommend this to budding reporters. Casey has grown up surrounded by baseball because his father runs a school for umpires. But he himself doesn't want to be an ump, or even a player. He wants to write about baseball, and now that he's starting middle school, he'll finally have the chance to be on a newspaper staff. 

Only when he gets there, he finds out that 6th graders never get to write -- they have to pay their dues by selling ad space. But what if the story of the century just happens to fall in his lap? What if a disgraced former major league player just happens to be at his father's ump school? In the course of pursuing his big break, Casey learns a lot about being objective and the importance of second chances.

 

I have the pleasure of having Author Audrey Vernick on the blog today to answer some questions about her book and baseball. My readers might know Audrey as the fabulous writer behind the Buffalo picture books that Daniel had the honor of illustrating. Welcome Audrey!

You tackle a lot of subjects in SCREAMING AT THE UMP: divorce, umpiring, journalism. Which aspects of the story came first and how did you manage to make all the threads come together in such a meaningful way?

Umpiring came first. I struggle with plot, so thought it would be wise to come up with a hooky something that set my book apart before I started writing it. I stumbled upon the idea of umpire school one night when watching baseball playoffs on TV. The umps were making lots of bad calls and I realized that I considered myself a big baseball fan but had no idea how one became a professional umpire. One google search later, I learned about the two umpire schools in Florida. I decided to create a third and put it in New Jersey, where I live. I started writing the book with that setting and characters other than the ones now in it. Before long, I realized those folks didn't belong anywhere near an umpire school and that's when Casey and Zeke emerged.

Journalism was a very minor part of earlier drafts of this book but as the parallels between it and umpiring kept showing up--impartiality being key among them--I had to take notice. Also, in early drafts, Casey didn't have any real drive and while I know many, many real-world children who do not have grand ambitions, I don't know of many book-world children who don't. It's not my favorite part of writing novels, the whole "what does the character want" part. In the books I love, the answer would often be "for things to stay exactly as they are." That was surely what it was for Marley, the main character in my first novel. But editors really like driven characters.

As for divorce...I've had lots of kids in the past month ask me why both of my novels feature divorced families and I hope that the next time I'm asked, I will do better than stammer. The answer, at least in part, is that interesting upper middle grade characters need a fair amount of independence to be able to do things interesting enough to be worthy of a book. I didn't want to orphan my characters, so I did the next best thing. My, that sounds awful.

Also, it's a reality so many kids deal with, nothing exotic. The sadness that comes with it isn't always given its due. My characters have both felt that sadness very deeply, in ways that I hope seem authentic to readers.

As for the threads coming together, all I have to say about that is: THEY DID?

Ha! Well, I thought so! I loved the whole idea of "You suck, Ump!" day. Does such a thing exist in real life? Is there any group other than umps that you wish there was a "You suck!" day for?

I don't think such a thing does exist. And yes, there are many, many, many groups other than umps that I wish there was a "you suck" day for. If forced to choose one, I would choose the people I call the my son Jordan people. I promise you: You know these people. Let's say you're at back-to-school night and the speaker has given a general introduction and asks if there any questions, stressing that all questions should be of a general nature, not questions specific to any family. The my son Jordan people are always called upon and begin with, "My son Jordan is gifted in math has been reading four grades above his level since preschool. My older son, too. What can you offer to challenge someone as supremely gifted as my son Jordan?"

Sadly, the realm of the my son Jordan people extends far beyond parental bragging at local schools to self-aggrandizement as audience member. I attend a fabulous event every October--The New Yorker Festival in NYC--and the my son Jordan people, also warned (most hilariously by Andy Borowitz when he's the moderator) that questions should not be opportunities to share the wonders of oneself with the audience but opportunities to ask actual questions of the speakers. But the my son Jordan people cannot help themselves. They give a three-paragraph introduction about their own unique wonderfulness, and then tack on a semi-question at the end.

So please, townsfolk. Gather with me and let's let them hear it loud and clear:

YOU SUCK, MY SON JORDAN PEOPLE!

Oh gosh, yes. Those people do need a you suck day. You're well known for your love of baseball. What are your go-to books about the sport?

There are so many fantastic baseball picture books! I love Phil Bildner's The Unforgettable Season. and every baseball book by Matt Tavares and Jonah Winter. Though I reserve the right to not love Matt's forthcoming book about Pedro Martinez. (You do not grab an old man's head and shove him to the ground: words to live by, Pedro.) And Teammates by Peter Golenbock is the book that my son needed to hear every night for a long period of time, so that has a place in my heart. As for adult reading, The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach was a great read.

Thanks Audrey!

Find out more about Audrey and her books at her website. Add SCREAMING AT THE UMP to Goodreads.

FTC disclosure: Bought

Book Review: Parched by Melanie Crowder

This haunting little middle grade novel is set in an apocalyptic near future North America where water is so scarce that gangs have taken over the cities. Musa is kidnapped from his home and forced to look for water. Meanwhile, out in the middle of nowhere, gangs kill Sarel's entire family and burn down their homestead leaving her with a dwindling well and a pack of adorably loyal dogs.

So, here's the thing. I guess I should have known that dogs + drought + evil gang = animal death. It's kind of inevitable, isn't it? Fortunately the animal death didn't feel emotionally manipulative, like many fictional animal deaths do, so plus points for that. 

Crowder's writing is a highlight here. It's spare yet atmospheric. She even writes believably from one of the dogs perspectives, and the dog comes off as much more intelligent than say, Manchee (of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series). 

Despite many bleak episodes, the story of unlikely friendship between Sarel and Musa is ultimately uplifting. 

More about PARCHED.

FTC disclosure: Free from publisher at ALA

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Author Interview: Melanie Crowder previews Parched

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interview authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!

Today I'm pleased to have Author Melanie Crowder here to discuss PARCHED a middle grade novel coming from Harcourt Children's Books in June 2013.

Here's the summary:

Told in three voices and set in a near future scarred by drought and
devastation, PARCHED is a story of survival and of hope. 

In the desert where raindrops slide between the cracks in the ground
as quickly as they fall to the earth, water riots pour out of the
dying city, killing Sarel’s parents and burning her home to the
ground. Now she struggles to keep herself, and her dogs, alive. Nandi
and her pups watch over Sarel as she worries over their dwindling
water supply, flinching away from the reach of the city gangs. 

Musa’s mother taught him to read the twitching dance of the dowsing
sticks. But in this time of punishing drought, Musa’s own brother
betrays him to the brutal Tandie gang. He is kept in chains and forced
to dowse for water while the city is slowly crushed on all sides by
rival gangs. 

When Musa escapes, Nandi senses the approach of the boy with the water
song inside him and eases the way between the two untrusting children.
But Sarel and Musa must work together if they are going to find water
before the Tandie find them. 

"Spare, unflinching, and beautifully written, this novel walks theline between magic and reality."-Franny Billingsley, National Book Award finalist

The newly released cover:

And the interview:

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
When I look back, the middle grade books that stuck with me over the
years are the dark ones. The ones that allowed me to confront the loss
or hurt or betrayal in my own life by experiencing the life and death
struggles of a character in a book.

Dark stories can also serve as a warning. I think one of the strengths
of PARCHED is that it presents a very real and potentially near future
for all of us.


If your book had a theme song, what would it be and why?
I have to mention Ndinderere by Stella Chiweshe since that one song
was the actual soundtrack playing while I wrote PARCHED. But thinking
more mainstream, I would have to pick I Dream of Rain by Sting, though
not all the lyrics fit—this is middle grade after all!


What fictional character from another book would your main character
chose as his/her best friend and why?
 I think Sarel and Hollis Woods would be great friends. They are both
the kinds of girl who put up all this emotional armor to protect
themselves because they have to, because the world has been brutal
with them. But underneath, they are all resilience and love and hope.


What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?
There is no way I can pick only 5! So instead, I'll mention 5
dystopian books that are also debut 2013 titles:

THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH by Peggy Eddleman
LANDRY PARK by Bethany Hagen
IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta
DUALED by Elsie Chapman
ACID by Emma Pass


What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends?
Honestly? Seeing this novel come to life. I have worked so hard for
this! In "The Voiceless," Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: Alas for those
that never sing, but die with all their music in them.

This book is me singing, fulfilling my dreams, living an extraordinary
life. I have traveled the world, found the love of my life and laughed
often. Given another decade or six, I will hopefully only write,
travel, love and laugh more!

How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
PARCHED is very real. It's not dystopian, or even post-apocalyptic. It
is straight-up apocalyptic. The story is set when the already
teetering balance of the planet tips into devastation. When everything
around you is dying, how do you find the strength to live?

Thanks Melanie!

https://www.facebook.com/MelanieCrowderAuthor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5446303.Melanie_Crowder
http://melaniecrowder.net/

Book Review and Blog Tour: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Sunday is the youngest child in a family named for the days of the week.  She's fond of writing, but she sticks to writing about family history because the things she writes come true.  Her adventure starts when she meets a lonely frog in the woods - a frog who turns out to be the prince of the realm, from a family at odds with her own. Will Sunday and the frog prince find love? Will she find a comfortable place within the family hierarchy? Will she come to terms with her own power?

ENCHANTED is a pure delight for any fan of fairy tales.  Kontis weaves in so many references and allusions to tales well-known and obscure, but these flights of fancy never overwhelm the main storyline.  Sunday's relationship with the prince progressed naturally and I loved her interactions with her family.

Most of the fairy tale retellings I've read have been considerably darker so I appreciated the light, airy atmosphere which swirled with fun and whimsy.

ENCHANTED is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

I'm excited to be able to share an exclusive deleted scene from ENCHANTED read by the author herself. Enjoy!

Book Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

When Perry's parents make him take their odd Lithuanian exchange student Gobi to prom, Perry is not pleased - he has a gig that night with his band in Manhattan. But Gobi is not at all who she seemed to be for the past nine months and Perry is in for the scariest, most exciting night of his life.

This novel is pure male adventure fantasy - with the car chases (in a Jaguar no less), a femme fatale, explosions, murders, thugs, torture, etc.  Perry has good reason to think Gobi is crazy and she has good reason to be the way she is.  Not that there's a huge amount of character development - it's very much about the high-octane thrills.  It's a fun, quick read with a really awesome title.

AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK is available now.  Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: I borrowed this from a friend.

Blog Tour: Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler

I've been following the Riders of the Apocalypse books since the beginning, so I was thrilled to get the chance to read the third book in the series, LOSS.  LOSS is different than the first two installments in that it takes the fantasy element much further. Instead of seeing a teen gearing up to take on the mantle of a rider, we have a teen trying to get the current rider (in this case Pestilence) to return to his job.  We get to see more of the mechanics of the concept (fascinating stuff) and take a decidedly dreamlike journey into the mind of a very troubled entity. 

I have Jackie on the blog today, and she's here to talk covers. Give her a warm welcome!

Books and their Covers
By Jackie Morse Kessler

Most authors who are published by commercial publishers don’t get a lot of say in their covers. Well, no, they get plenty of say—just usually not until after it’s too late to change anything. Sometimes, authors get lucky and are asked for their input or advice. Other times, they get no say in the matter and don’t see covers at all until after production. It’s a toss-up, and it will change from publisher to publisher, and even from author to author.

I got very, very (very) lucky with the Riders of the Apocalypse books. I love my covers. Huge love. Serious love. The incredibly talented Sammy Yuen {{LINK: http://www.sammyyuen.com/ }} designed the covers of the three books in the series so far, and I couldn’t be happier.

Each of the novels in the series focuses on a teenager suffering from a specific issue, and how the teen tackles that issue once she or he becomes one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. On the cover of Hunger, which is about an anorexic teenage girl who becomes Famine, an old-fashioned set of scales is front and center. The scales, also called a balance, is absolutely perfect—not only is it a nod to the topic of eating disorders, it’s also Famine’s symbol of office. The second book, Rage, is about a teen girl who self-injures and becomes the new avatar of War. That cover shows a sword—which is War’s symbol of office—tinged in red, as if the blade were stained with blood.

LOSS, which is about a bullied teenage boy who is tricked into becoming Pestilence, is different in that there isn’t one symbol in the book but two. In the story, Pestilence—also known as the Conqueror—wears a crown, but he also has a Bow that shoots arrows of disease. On the cover of LOSS, the crown is displayed prominently, but inside of it is a cluster of arrows. The colors are fantastic—the silver of the crown, the hints of purple that to me speak of royalty. 

And all three books have a foil treatment, making them all shiny—and that’s in both the literal and the Firefly sense. :) I really am so very lucky to have been blessed by the cover gods for this series. I’m in awe of Sammy’s talent and so very grateful that my publisher hired him.

What are some of your favorite covers?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

LOSS by Jackie Morse Kessler comes out March 20, 2012!

GIVEAWAY: One lucky commenter below will win a small cover poster of LOSS—and will be entered in the grand prize drawing! The grand prize winner will receive signed copies of HUNGER, RAGE and LOSS—and will get to name a character in BREATH, the fourth book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series. The grand prize winner will be picked on Sunday, April 1, 2012. No foolin’.

--
Riders of the Apocalypse by Jackie Morse Kessler
Hunger (Harcourt Graphia, October 18, 2010)
Rage (Harcourt Graphia, April 4, 2011)
Loss (Harcourt Graphia, March 20, 2012)
Breath (Harcourt Graphia, TBA)
http://www.jackiemorsekessler.com

Author Interview: Joelle Charbonneau previews The Testing

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interview authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!

Joelle Charbonneau is here to preview THE TESTING, out with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's in Spring 2013.

Here's the summary: 

Welcome to the United Commonwealth – a group of 18 colonies in North America that survived the brutal effects of biochemical war and natural disasters. Every year the Commonwealth selects the best and the brightest graduates from each colony to be candidates for attendance at the University where they will use their talents to help restore the earth and help the Commonwealth thrive. As the youngest graduate in the smallest colony, mechanically inclined Cia desperately wishes to be chosen for The Testing, but she knows her chances are slim.  

And yet – four are chosen and Cia is one of them. But her elation is short lived for her father believes the testing isn’t as it appears. Students who don’t pass are never heard from again and those that do move on can no longer remember what happened during those fateful days. Now Cia must decide who to trust and hope that her wits are enough not only to get a passing grade, but to keep both her and her friends alive.

And the interview:

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
While I am a fan of both light and dark stories, I think dark stories appeal to readers in for the same reason horror films draw huge box office crowds. We like to be scared. We also like the feeling of triumphing over our fears. Dark stories allow us to walk in the shoes of the main characters as they are pushed into extreme situations. While we take that journey with them, we get to explore themes and story questions that are relevant to our own lives. I think it is the combination of watching characters triumph in adverse situations and the ability of the reader to confront their own fears while walking in the characters’ shoes that make dark stories impossible to resist.

If THE TESTING had a theme song, what would it be and why?
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police. The instrumental part of the music is a lovely, power ballad. Which seems innocent enough. Until you listen to the lyrics. Those are downright creepy. When THE TESTING opens, Cia Vale thinks the world is a lot like the instrumental side of that song. Then she starts paying attention to the lyrics and begins to realize that everything is not what she thought it was.

What fictional character from another book would your main character chose as his/her best friend and why?
Huh…this question made me really think for a while. If Cia had to choose a best friend from another novel, I think she’d pick Benny from CIRCLE OF FRIENDS by Maeve Binchy. Cia values loyalty above all else. While Benny isn’t the most self-assured or assertive character around, she is incredibly loyal to her friends and family. She also has an understated sense of humor and a quiet intelligence that Cia would greatly admire. Now we just have to arrange for the two of them to be in the same country and the same year for this friendship to get off the ground.

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins: Because it belongs on everyone’s Dystopian lit recommendations.

BATTLE ROYALE by Koushun Takami: A Japanese precursor of THE HUNGER GAMES, this book really delves into how fear makes it difficult to trust—even when you have known the people surrounding you for your entire life.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess: This book was assigned to me as a senior in high school, and I’ve read it at least a half dozen times since then. The language the author utilizes is unique. The story is disturbing. You might not enjoy the story, but I promise you’ll come away having learned something from reading this book.

RESTORING HARMONY by Joelle Anthony: The fact the author is named Joelle is a compelling reason all in its own, but I loved this book because it is so different from most of the Dystopian fiction out there. It is a sweet story filled with adventure and music.

THE RUNNING MAN by Stephen King: While the movie is entertaining, it is not even close to being similar to the story that inspired it. I read this story years ago along with all the other books King published as Richard Bachman. It resonated with me then, but has pulled even stronger feelings with me in the past couple of rereads perhaps because of the rise in popularity of reality shows.


What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends?
I want to see the Cubs win the World Series. (Honest! I do!)

How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
Dystopian young adult is a hot genre right now. There are a lot of really great books out there for readers. But I do think THE TESTING is unique because almost every reader can relate to the fear that comes with taking a standardized test—especially the SAT and the ACT. The pressure that comes with taking those tests and with the entire college application process has gotten more extreme with every generation of students. THE TESTING delves into what it takes to deal with the pressure of needing to pass an exam as well as question whether the people who operate best under that kind of intense, competitive pressure are really the people we want to be leading our country.

Thanks Joelle!

Visit Joelle's website: http://www.joellecharbonneau.com/
Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoelleCharbonneau
Follow Joelle on Twitter: @jcharbonneau
Add THE TESTING to Goodreads
Joelle also blogs every Sunday at Do Some Damage (http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/) and on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at The Stiletto Gang (http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/)

Book Review: Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

Holly doesn't have it easy - not only did her boyfriend Rob recently die in a tragic accident, but she also becomes the caretaker of her grandfather after he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Rob's friend Jason takes a romantic interest in Holly, and just as she starts to open her heart to him, she discovers that Rob's ghost has been communicating with her grandfather.

There is so much about this story set-up I love:
- the totally realistic situation that Holly is forced to grow-up before her time and take charge of her sister and ailing grandfather while her single mother works many jobs to make ends meet
- the socioeconomic divide that conspires to keep Holly and Jason apart
- the sensitive portrayal of an alzheimer's patient (Aldo, Holly's grandfather) and his desire to really be seen
- the confusion and sadness Rob feels as his childhood comes to an end
- the fact that ghost Rob can communicate with Aldo
- Aldo's list of favorites and Jason's desire to recreate them for him as a gift to Holly

Also noteworthy is Davis use of POV.  Holly is written in first person, Rob in second and Jason in third. It's a pretty risky narrative choice, but I thought it worked really well.

While this wasn't as romantic as Davis' THE CLEARING (which I adored), it's very open and honest about the realities of life and love.

WHEREVER YOU GO came out this week.  Find out more about it at the author's website.

Book Review: Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

In 2060, most people don’t get out much.  They live their lives inside, turning to virtual reality for their entertainment, friendships and education.  17 year old Maddie, the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the US because he invented digital school (henceforth referred to as DS), lives a life of solitary luxury and has learned to accept it – that is until she meets anti-DS activist Justin who slowly awakens her to the real world.

There are many things to admire about AWAKEN, chief among them the message that we shouldn’t let our digital addictions stunt our connections to the physical world. There are some really well-done scenes that show how empty a virtual life is in comparison to a real life – for example when Maddie hears live music for the first time and dances in a crowded club juxtaposed with the sterile DS benefit she attends with her parents featuring canned music and virtual dancing.  I also enjoyed seeing normal things – like a sunset and a bonfire – through Maddie’s eyes as she experiences them for the first time.  It really makes you wonder how an entire culture would voluntarily sacrifice life’s pleasures and become hermits.

And that’s sort of my main problem with the novel – that I don’t really believe its premise.  It has a lot to do with the spotty and oftentimes contradictory futuristic worldbuilding.  Kacvinsky introduces a few neat gadgets here and there, tells us most real trees have been replaced with plastic ones, and writes of a mass of large-scale school shootings and bombings that ushered in an era of hyper-fear of social settings and the outdoors and mandatory distance education.  There is public transportation (almost no cars) but it’s practically empty whenever Maddie rides it.  How do people get to work? I know a lot of office-type jobs can be done virtually – but what about plumbers? Construction workers? Electricians? Etc?

Also, as a love interest for Maddie, Justin rubbed me the wrong way.  Sure, he brings chocolate cake into her life, but most of their conversations involve him preaching to her about the evils of computers.  It’s also clear that Justin is using Maddie for her connections to further his own aims, and the way he makes her depend on him against her better judgment is akin to brainwashing. All that makes him fascinating as a character, but because I disliked Justin so much in his role of romantic hero/ideal, I could never get into their building romance - a shame since it is a big focus of the novel.

AWAKEN is available now. A sequel, MIDDLE GROUND, is planned for Fall 2012.  Find out more about the series at the author’s website.

Zombie chickens say: A mixed bag, but most definitely ripe for discussion.

Song for the Ultimate Dystopian Playlist: Digital Ghost by Tori Amos. Sample lyrics: “Hands lay them on my keys, Let me play you again, I am not immune to your net, Find me there in it.”

See index of all reviews on Presenting Lenore 

Book Review, Guest Post & Giveaway: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy Miller, a cutter, has been chosen to be the new avatar of War.  Will she accept the post, or will War destroy her?

Characters killing cats? It's a deal breaker.  So when Missy admits to killing her cat in the first sentence of this book, I was prepared to hate her.  Heck - I might not have even read on if I hadn't agreed to do a blog tour and if I hadn't enjoyed HUNGER - the first book in the series.  Fortunately, not all is what it seems, and I grew to really sympathize and care about Missy.

Short but unflinchingly brutal, RAGE is the kind of book you read in one sitting, but preferably with purring furry creatures next to you.  Though it's hard for me to believe that Missy's classmates could be so cruel (and they are seriously deranged in their cruelty - on par with the girls in SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers, and that's saying something), it works in the context of this story. 

And now... a word from the author herself!

WHEN TO THROW AWAY THE SYNOPSIS

By Jackie Morse Kessler


When I sat down to write HUNGER, the words came pouring out. That’s probably due to the book building inside for more than 10 years (note to self: don’t wait 10 years to write another book). I hadn’t thought beyond HUNGER until, after my agent sold it, she asked me which Horseman I’d be writing about next. Based on events in the book, it made sense for the next story to focus on War. And that got me thinking about the huge sword that War carried in HUNGER. And that got me thinking about other types of blades, and soon I made the connection to self-injury. So I pitched RAGE, about a 16-year old self-injurer who becomes the new avatar of War. “Great!” said my agent. “Get me a proposal!”

So I sat down and tried to figure out who the protagonist would be. And I sat. And I sat. When the answer didn’t magically appear, I began researching self-injury. Slowly, I got to know the main character. Even so, I was stalled until the day my cat died. When I was putting away her carrier for the last time, the first lines of RAGE appeared in my head:

“The day Melissa Miller killed her cat, she met the angel of death. But he was no angel—and he wasn’t there for the cat.”

I mourned; I wrote. I came up with the prologue and first three chapters, and I wrote a synopsis. I handed everything over to my agent, who then sold it to my fabulous editor at Harcourt. And then I got my deadline: could I finish writing the book in three months?

Um. Sure?

Full-speed ahead. I ate and slept RAGE. I opened myself up to Missy, and she filled my veins with passion and overwhelming despair and a simmering fury. She exhausted me and left me feeling raw around the edges. And the words came flooding out.

Until the day that the words stopped.

I’m the sort of author who gets writers block when I’ve taken the story down the wrong path. So when days passed and the writing just wasn’t working, I knew that I’d done something wrong. And soon I figured it out: my synopsis wasn’t right.

Now, in case you’re wondering, synopses are proof of all things evil. Asking an author to summarize hundreds of pages into a document about 10 – 20 pages is just cruel. And asking the author to do this before she’s written the book? Evil. Evil, evil, evil.

So I did what any self-respecting author would do: I threw away the synopsis and opened myself up to epiphanies.

The best places for such inspiration? The shower and behind the wheel. I don’t know why; it probably has to do with it being horribly inconvenient in terms of writing down those epiphanies. (Once I actually pulled over and grabbed a notebook and hastily scrawled a few lines.) But here’s the thing about epiphanies: they rarely appear on demand. As my deadline came closer, I decided to meet the Muse halfway and just start writing, and see what happened. Some days it worked. Others? Well. Those were the days I ate far too much chocolate. Writing the last third of RAGE was brutal. It was like Missy was fighting me every step. (Which, you have to admit, is rather appropriate in a book about War.) Or maybe she wanted me to be absolutely certain of the words I was committing to paper.

And I had no idea how the book would end until I actually wrote the last two chapters. Do you have any idea how upsetting that notion can be? But it’s also kind of cool. Liberating. And exciting. When I typed the last lines of the book, I felt like cheering—and only partially because I made my deadline.

So don’t be afraid to throw away your synopsis. Just, um, don’t tell your editor. ;)

Riders of the Apocalypse giveaway! Three lucky winners will receive one copy each of HUNGER and RAGE along with postcards and a mini-poster! To enter, send an e-mail to RageGiveaway@gmail.com. In the body of the e-mail, include your name and e-mail address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and e-mail address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on 4/30/11. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on 5/1/11 and notified via email.


Jackie's next stop is Steph Su Reads at http://stephsureads.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

After an event known as the Big Black plunges NYC into darkness for two weeks, people in the city prefer to keep their heads down and communicate via technology. Mal is a foster kid. Laura has been raised by loving parents in the suburbs. Circumstances throw them together as they face off with a nameless corporate evil that is trying to erase them from the memories of everyone they’ve ever known.


This novel got off to a very promising start. I was fascinated with the concept and the characters were well developed right off the bat. Near the end of part 1 one, though, things took a turn for the paranormal and baffling. To be honest, I am still not quite sure what actually happened! So I’ll just chalk this one up as not for me.

2 Zombie Chickens – Entertaining but not essential

THOSE THAT WAKE comes out next month on March 21, 2011. Find out more about it at goodreads.

See index of all dystopian reviews at Presenting Lenore

Book Review: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

2008. Nya spends all day every day walking to the pond to carry water home to her family. 1985. Salva is fleeing a war and soldiers that threaten to conscript him in to the army. In a dual narrative, we see the hardships people in Sudan face through the eyes of two children.

At 115 pages, this is a slim novel, but the story of survival against the odds is so heartfelt and moving, the emotional takeaway is massive. Salva’s story is based largely on the childhood memories of Salva Dut, one of the “lost children of Sudan” who was later relocated to the US from a refugee camp. While some of his experiences were horrifying (imagine being shot at and forced to cross a river full of hungry crocodiles), the novel never sensationalizes. The detached “reporter” tone takes the edge off, making the story more suitable for young readers.

It is ultimately a story of hope and the triumph of the human spirit and is well worth the read.

A LONG WALK TO WATER will be released next Monday November 15th in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

FUN FACT: I won an ARC of this book in a contest on the author’s website (thanks to Cynsations for the link). Included with the book was a sticky note in the back with Salva’s phone number! I am sure that it was an accident, but it served as a gut-wrenching reminder that a real person went through what I had just read. Very sobering indeed.

Book Review and Author Interview: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Teen anorexic Lisbeth Lewis has a choice: death (as a consequence of her overdose) or taking on the mantle of Famine, riding a black steed across the Earth, seeing the effects of hunger first-hand.  Will wielding the power of Famine help her to overcome her own inner demons?

I have to admit, with my busy schedule, the immediate appeal of this book was its brevity. At a mere 175 pages, it takes a very focussed look at Lisbeth's eating disorder and how it isolates her from those who love her. 

It really is an inspired way to look at eating disorders, and the author takes a magical realism approach to the plot - never really explaining the rationale of those in charge (or even who is in charge) and basing the whole experience on Lisbeth's needs rather than a grand Four Horsemen plan. This focus is definitely an argument for all the fantastical elements being figments of Lisbeth's imagination, although most will probably not read it that way.  In any case, this is a riveting, affecting novel - and dang is Lisbeth's "thin voice" scary!  It had me second guessing my reading snack choices (plantain chips ??? calories - don't know because I was scared to look).

Today, I am also thrilled to welcome the author, Jackie, for an interview as part of the Traveling to Teens tour.

HUNGER is about an anorexic teen who becomes Famine, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. In your version, the riders constantly change and have been around presumably since the creation of the Earth. How much of your inspiration did you take from the Bible? Did you research biblical scholarship at all?
The passages in the Book of Revelation definitely were a springboard. The two things that resonated most for me were 1) the Horsemen were truly global, which is a big reason why Lisa in HUNGER travels far away from her home when she is the Black Rider, and 2) Famine’s symbol, the Scales, is important to Famine’s function; in the book of Revelation, a voice speaks when the rider on the Black horse comes forth, saying that now it would cost a day’s wages for a quart of wheat and a day’s wages for three quarts of barley (and the oil and wine would not be affected)—thus, scales must be used to accurately measure the food. That inspired me to have the Horsemen’s Symbols of office be more than mere symbols. (There’s more about this in RAGE, I promise!)

In your novel, Death looks like Kurt Cobain. If you had to choose a currently living celebrity to take over for Kurt in say 50 years, who would you choose?
There’s a reason he looks like Kurt (although I didn’t know it at the time I created the character). Who’s to say that Death will still look like Kurt by the end of the fourth book in The Riders’ Quartet? **grin** Stay tuned.

I was recently awarded Best Author Interviews during Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010, so I am feeling the pressure. What is the best question you’ve ever been asked?
Hey, congratulations! Ooh, the best question? Ever? Well then. This goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to 1995, when I was single. Loving Husband To Be and I had just chaperoned a youth group dance, and we and a bunch of our friends went out for dinner after. We exchanged phone numbers. The next day, I called him and asked for his email address. He asked me, “Why do you want my email address?” And I replied, deadpan, “To send you email.” **grin** Or was that not what you meant?

Not exactly...but I'll take it! In your bio, you mention your cranky cat. Tell us more! (We love cats at Presenting Lenore!)
Yay, cats! Tawny is a 17-year-old tortoiseshell cat, and she’s the queen of the house. It took her seven years to get used to Loving Husband and realize that he wasn’t leaving any time soon, so she grudgingly agreed to share the bed. While she won’t let anyone but me feed her (at six in the morning, sigh), she finally has deemed him worthy of occasionally petting her. When she allows it, of course. I don’t have any good stories about her, not like I do for her sister Mist, who died two years ago. (Mist’s death actually wound up leading to the first line of RAGE. But that’s another story, literally!)

Ooh! I do want to hear that story, someday. You also mention that you have a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature. What American classic is ripe for one of the paranormal mash-ups that are so popular these days?
I’m waiting for The Old Man And The Sea Serpent, in which the fisherman Santiago encounters Cthulhu. Hilarity ensues.

Thanks Jackie!
 
HUNGER is available now in paperback.  Find out more on Jackie's website.

Book Review: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN is not the follow-up of LIFE AS WE KNEW IT that I was hoping for.


I think the root of the problem is that the diary format just doesn’t work for this installment. In book one, it was interesting enough to follow Miranda’s personal journey via her written thoughts. She goes from a girl who has the whole world open to her to a girl trapped in a dark, cold room with only her starving family (and, yes, the family cat). However, this time around, Miranda’s character arc is so scant that it can’t sustain 256 pages of her whining.

The diary format also makes the creation of three-dimensional supporting characters difficult. I do recall caring about the fate of Miranda’s family in the first book, but here all we see through Miranda’s eyes is mom being an agoraphobic shrew, older brother Matt being a selfish jerk, and everyone else just kind of existing.

Unfortunately, the romance between Miranda and Alex (the “hero” of book 2) is dead in the water. These two have so little chemistry together, I cringed when they touched. And c’mon Miranda – I know you don’t have a lot of options for romance, but Alex is NOT boyfriend material. He wants to be monk. He’s super controlling and stubborn. And he’s obsessed with his sister. (Good at finding food though. I’ll give him that.)

And what’s up with everyone just moping around the entire novel until a tragic event (in the last 20 pages) forces them into action? Why couldn’t we have gotten more exploration of the “safe town” idea for instance?

My advice? Read LIFE AS WE KNEW IT and stop there (unless you are just totally in love with it and would read anything with the same characters, no matter what).
My rating: 1 Zombie Chicken - For Dystopian completists only.

Series Order:
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT (read my review)
THE DEAD AND THE GONE (skipped it!)
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN (available in hardcover)

Find out more about the series at the official website.

See index of all Dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: The Clearing by Heather Davis

Moving to her Aunt Mae’s farm after escaping an abusive relationship, Amy finds herself attracted to a clearing surrounded by a deep fog where she meets Henry. It soon becomes apparent that Henry is stuck in the past – 1944 to be exact – reliving the same summer over and over. Amy and Henry form a bond that puts them both on the path to accepting life as it comes.

I’m a sucker for a good time travel story, and this one – with its simple yet believable logic and undeniably clever storyline – really delivered on its premise. I’m also a sucker for impossible, bittersweet love affairs – the ones that sneak up on me and make me sigh when closing the last page.

The atmosphere Davis creates in THE CLEARING is pitch perfect. It strikes me as a cross between TUCK EVERLASTING and THE OTHERS (the movie starring Nicole Kidman) – though the story itself is quite different. I might have liked to have seen the scenes between Amy and Henry fleshed out a bit more. I do like the restrained nature of the writing – it just that, though their relationship is tender and heartfelt, it never has the chance to soar to the lofty heights you might expect from a book that declares “True Love is Timeless” on the cover.

THE CLEARING just came out this week in paperback original. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

Read-a-thon Book Review: Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

Elizabeth and her sister Mary have never been close, but Elizabeth never imagines that her very life will be threatened by her.

This historical retelling unfolds from Elizabeth's perspective from the time her father, King Henry VIII dies when she is 13 up until the day she becomes queen. It's familiar territory, at least for me, but Meyer manages to imbue the story with urgency and intrigue. The Tudors are endlessly fascinating, and it's always fun to revisit them from a new angle.

BEWARE, PRINCESS ELIZABETH is availbable in paperback.

Book Club Report: Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

This was our book club's 4th pick.

Short summary: Madame Mao, dubbed the "white-boned demon", is one of the most reviled women in recent history as many blame her for the excesses of China's cultural revolution. In this work of historical fiction, Min offers a more sympathetic portrait of a woman driven by ambition and a futile attempt to keep Chairman Mao's love.

The group's verdict: Only half the group (me included) was even able to finish this one. Madame Mao is definitely a fascinating personality but Min didn't do her any favors by choosing a strange writing style that shifts between first person present and third person present every other paragraph. This set-up seems especially senseless since both POVs are too close to Madame Mao's emotions - a lost opportunity for a more distanced assessment of her often reprehensible actions. Recommended only for those with a moderate to high interest in China and its history.

Up next: The Invention of Curried Sausage by Uwe Timm. I'll be reading this one in its original German.

Book Review: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin comes from a long line of witches with special talents. In her family, some can see the future, some can find lost things, and some have the power of persuasion. Tamsin feels like an outcast though because it seems her talent never materialized. When a stranger mistakes her for her powerful sister Rowena, Tamsin goes along with the ruse because she wants to feel like she belongs. But is helping the stranger in his mission a terrible mistake?

There are quite a few aspects I really liked about this one. First, I found it refreshing to read a YA book where I didn’t have to attend a high school class. Tamsin mentions her school, but fortunately, none of the action happens there. Instead we get a couple of really fun backdrops including a creepy old NYC townhouse in several different time periods. Yep, the main character gets to time travel – and I always love that. In fact, I wish she would have done more of it (or that the author had written the modern scenes to be as evocative as those set in the past).

This was a very quick read for me, and it was entertaining enough. I just never developed a strong emotional connection to any of the characters (with the possible exception of Tamsin’s grandmother, who was stellar in her short yet pivotal scenes). I mean I liked Tamsin (and tolerated Rowena), but I never really feared for her or anything. Perhaps part of that is the fault of the rather anemic antagonist (seriously, the McDonald’s Hamburglar is more menacing). I also found it jarring that Tamsin smoked cigarettes, so despite the low scare factor, I’d be reluctant to recommend this to very young teens.

Still, I thought the mythology and world building were intriguing enough that I’d be willing to check out a sequel. (NOTE: I have no confirmation for this, but I’ve heard there is one due this year called ALWAYS A WITCH.)

ONCE A WITCH is now available in hardcover. Find out more about it at www.onceawitch.com

Book Review: The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson

In this short middle grade novel, we follow Meli Lleshi, an ethnic Albanian in Kosovo, as she and her relatives live in fear of Milosevic and his Serbian army, eventually becoming refugees and finally making their way to a new life in Vermont.

Paterson, known best for Newberry winning books BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and JACOB I HAVE LOVED, is not afraid to tackle difficult topics like war and death, though the more horrific realities of war are muted here. Her skill and experience in crafting three dimensional characters we come to care about is evident, and the Lleshi family’s story is an important one that children certainly need to hear.

But I do wonder if this book has an audience beyond required reading lists. There is nothing really compelling in the story that might appeal to a book buying or library going 10-14 yr old reader or that even differentiates it from other war/hardship/refugee tales (not that I know of any others for this age group).

THE DAY OF THE PELICAN comes out October 19th in hardcover.