Merit Press Author Interview: Shana Silver + Giveaway

I am back today with another Merit Press post. This is one I am VERY excited about because we get to learn a little bit more about one of the authors and their book, as well as a GIVEAWAY for the book! Yay, everyone loves a giveaway!

I would love to introduce you to Shana Silver, author of Alice in Wonderland High, one of Merit Press' recent releases. 

I asked Shana some interview questions, and here are her responses (continue reading for the giveaway at the end of the post.)

1. How did you first think up the idea for Alice in Wonderland High? Is it something that just came to you, or did you take motivation from somewhere? 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has always been one of my favorite books. As part of a reading challenge, I decided to re-read it. At the same time, I was mulling a book idea involving extreme environmental activism but hadn't gotten very far plotting it. While I was re-reading the original book, I started to realize how many of the scenes and themes of the original aligned with my environmentalism idea. For example, in the original, Alice's main goal is to get inside a beautiful but forbidden garden. A few key scenes became obvious to me too, like how to re-imagine the baby turning into a pig after Alice rescues it. Maybe instead she has to dress a pig as a baby to rescue it. Stuff like that. Once I started plotting, it all fell into place! 

2. Did you base any of the characters in the book (personality, looks, etc.) off of yourself, family, or friends?

I wish I had a fun answer about this, but since this is a retelling, I mostly used the original characters personality traits as a basis for guiding these. I did sort of model Chess's appearance after Finn from the TV show GLEE, but very loosely. Really, the only Easter egg from my real life that made it into the book is the orange and navy sweater the college tour guide wears. That was the same shirt worn by tour guides at my alma matter. That said, in the book, Alice is extremely short, and while I'm not as short as her, I am only 5 feet, so I was able to draw from experience to describe her struggles with being vertically challenged. 

3. What was your favorite scene to write from the book?

My favorite scene to write from the book was actually the last scene I wrote in one of the later revisions. It's the scene where Alice calls Kingston for help in breaking and entering. I love the dynamic between the two of them in that scene, how they hate each other but also really need each other. I can't believe this scene didn't exist the entire time in the book! It was conceived as part of a revision request during querying to add more beats to the mystery plotline. 

4. What do you hope readers will get/achieve from reading your book? Is there an overall theme you hope that they take away from it? 

Honestly, I just hope they have fun while reading it and enjoy it! I guess if they want to take away something, maybe they should consider not doing ecotage? 

5. Do you have any favorite quotes from the book?

The first line of the book is a particular favorite of mine. It was originally buried in the middle of the first chapter until a critique partner pointed out it was the perfect starting place. I also love a few of the lines between Alice and Chess, particularly when one slips in something and the other withholds something the other wants to hear (trying to be vague here!).

6. Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers? 

Don't give up! I had a very long journey from first deciding I wanted to pursue publication to actually becoming published and it would not have happened if I had given up. To that end, my best advice is to continue writing. You can't publish a blank page.

GIVEAWAY! 

Merit Press is giving away TWO (2) copies of Alice in Wonderland High!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day: Sleeping Tom by E.V. Fairfall + Giveaway

I just wanted to share a quick post because an awesome author/friend had her latest book release TODAY. Happy Book Birthday, E.V. Fairfall! I had the immense pleasure of being a beta reader for this book, and I cannot recommend it enough! Feel free to use the links below to go ahead and purchase your own copy! My paperback from E.V. got here yesterday, and the cover is even more gorgeous in person!

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Hitchhiking is a bad idea but Caden is desperate.
When she accepts a ride from the first car to come by she meets Gabriel. He's her age, hot, and the closest thing she has to a savior. Problem is, he is a total jerk. With nowhere to go, Caden convinces Gabriel to let her stay with him for one night. He reluctantly lends a couch.

That night Caden wakes up to strange noises. Concerned, she rushes into Gabriel’s room, already anticipating his bad temper. Instead, he’s kind, sweet, and suspiciously harmless—nothing like the man who gave her a ride. He seems like a different person altogether, and claims he is. By night he is Tom, and by day he is Gabriel. Caden finds herself drawn to the mysteries hidden in his eyes.

For Gabriel, Caden is an annoying mistake. One night turns into many, and despite all his anger towards her, she stays. She even seems to accept him and his flaws, but he still doesn’t trust her—is she staying for him, or has she already discovered more than he's willing to share?

GOODREADS.

Buy It:
AMAZON

About the Author: 
The hunger is encompassing, so she feeds the beast books. But the hunger never settles... so she writes. E.V. Fairfall has an itch that drives her to the world of story telling. With several published short stories, and soon several books (fingers crossed), she explores the topics of humanity and hardship.

During the daylight hours, a book is always within reach. She spends her nights reading with her husband, surrounded by towers of tomes and three furry children curled in close. If she isn’t reading, she is browsing bookstores or hiking, but always awaiting her next adventure.

Twitter. Website.  


Giveaway: 3 e-book copies of Sleeping Tom


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Year Blogoversary!! (& Giveaway)

It is so incredibly difficult for me to believe that exactly a year ago today I sat down and wrote/published my first post on this blog. The idea for this book blog had been in my head for several months before I actually took action. I loved writing, and obviously reading, and I had been reading so many book blogs already. It seemed like a wonderful thing to do, but I had no idea how any of it really worked since I had never done it before. Still, I worked for a couple of weeks to come up with a blog name, get it setup, and slowly figured out how things were supposed to work. After I had it looking decent (at least I thought so), on February 8, 2014 I decided it was time to say hello. It was terrifying, hitting the "Publish" button. I had no idea what was going to happen, or if I would even be able to/want to keep up with the blog once I started it. 

Things weren't always easy, of course, as I am sure most of you can relate to. I still didn't know what I was doing for awhile. I signed up for WAY too many blog tours at first because I was so excited. Requested WAY too many books on Netgalley because I thought that it was the coolest thing ever. And spent WAY too much time trying to figure out how Twitter actually works (still working on that one, actually...still need to improve). Despite all of the difficulties and occasional frustrations, I am so glad that I have stuck with it. It has become a wonderful hobby, and something that I absolutely love. I don't know what I would do without it now! 

I thought I would just very quickly break down some of my stats/accomplishments from my first year of blogging. I know in comparison to some "big" book review blogs these stats probably aren't impressive, but I am very pleased with how this blog is going! 

Roughly 20,600 Total Page Views

804 Published Comments

386 Total Posts 

119 Published Book Reviews

149 Bloglovin' Followers

95 GFC Followers

718 Twitter Followers

542 Instagram Followers

I also had the privilege of hosting several other bloggers on my Blogger Spotlight post

Have begun hosting Author Spotlight posts

and have been a Beta Reader for an author friend EV Fairfall whose book comes out this month! 

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you, my wonderful readers/followers, for taking the time to read and comment on my blog over the past year. It has been wonderful to get to know some of you, and I look forward to talking even more in the future. I have HUGE plans to focus on commenting and communication much more this year, so I hope you're all ready to hear from me A LOT! Thank you to those of you who always stop by to leave a sweet comment, and for those who have read books because you trusted my recommendations. You guys make this blogging thing SO amazing. 

I also want to say another HUGE thank you to my family, most of whom follow and read my blog almost daily. It means so much to have your support, especially since this hobby means so much to me. To have you guys mention my blog posts and read books based on my reviews, it really does mean a lot to me. I love you guys so much. 

Naturally, this would not be a real celebration without a GIVEAWAY!! 

I am so excited to host my first official giveaway here on the blog (one that's directly from me, and not a blog tour), and it's going to be a good one! It is for US only (sorry to my international readers, but shipping just gets so expensive!). Here is what you could win!

A STACK OF BOOKS TO INCLUDE: 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (Paperback)

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (Paperback)

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall (Paperback) 

The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger (Paperback)

AND YOUR CHOICE OF BOOKMARK FROM CRAFTED VAN ETSY - UP TO $13 VALUE

You get to pick which set you would like, as long as it is under $13 (most of the sets are) 

You can see the selection here, so you know what you might be interested in! 

**Here are the rules/other information you need to know before entering**

US only

Must be 13+ or have parental permission

I am not responsible for packages lost/damaged in the mail

No PO Boxes

There will be ONE winner chosen by Rafflecopter. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

I reserve the right to disqualify any entries I see unfit.

Please don't cheat (I check each entry!) 

Giveaway starts today and ends February 22. 

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ellie Stanton by Aurora Zahni Blog Tour + Giveaway

Ellie Stanton by Aurora Zahni
Genres: YA Contemporary
Published: January 14th, 2014
Publisher: Beau Coup Publishing

GOODREADS
AMAZON

Synopsis: Book 1 in the Heller Park Series focuses on Ellie Stanton. An imperfect, unremarkable girl makes a hero’s journey. Ellie Stanton needed to have a good day. The universe had something else in store. Getting caught shoplifting. Check. Dumping her lame boyfriend. Check. Expulsion from school. Check. Getting kicked out of her house and then stealing her mother’s car while she’s in a New Jersey turnpike rest stop Cinnabon? Check. The only sensible option is to run as fast as she can and never look back. Now Ellie is running going cross country to raise a little hell and maybe along the way learn everything she needs to know about life.

Review: Honestly, the synopsis of this book completely drew me in. When I received the email about the blog tour, I could not help but to be intrigued by it. First of all, it is a YA Contemporary, which is really right up my alley. Then, throw in that a character who seems to cause all sorts of trouble and then run away from home, and it just seems like a book that would have to be entertaining. And entertaining it was.

You get thrown right into the life of Ellie Stanton, and it is quite obvious that she has been getting into trouble for some time now. She starts her first day back to school after winter break and promptly gets expelled before making it through her third period history class. She has been told that she only had one last chance before she was out of there, so she takes it upon herself to bypass the trip to the principal's office and just leaves the school instead, flipping off said history teacher on her way out. I have to tell you right now, I love Ellie's spunk. It is really what made the whole book for me, and I could not get enough of the ridiculous things she could make up and say. It made parts that could have been dull incredible interesting, and I applaud Zahni for that. 

Throughout the book, the reader gets to see Ellie go on an exciting, spontaneous adventure, meeting new people and using whatever made up name she thinks up at the time. You see, she has been breaking rules for awhile, that much is obvious. Coming from a broken home obviously has a pretty serious impact on her life, and it makes it understandable why she acts the way that she does. Her mother does not care to be a parent, and does not seem to worry too much when her sixteen-year-old daughter decides to take off on her own with her car. Parent of the year right there, folks! 

Romance is not a big factor in this book, which is something that I really did appreciate. While there was Brett, who is completely in love with Ellie, she does not love him in return and even admits (often) that she treats him like crap. In the end he ends up with someone else, though it is clear that he will always have his heart on Ellie. I love that Zahni created a character who says she is incapable of love, and then stick with that instead of making her suddenly change her mind. That is not something that you see in YA books, especially when it comes to contemporaries. I love how Zahni decided to break the mold, and I am glad that she did.

My favorite part of the novel was some of the other characters that were brought into the story; mostly people that Ellie met while she was traveling, but stayed in contact with even as she returned home. They all gave her good advice as she traveled, and it all seemed to come together to help her figure out who she wanted to be and what she needed to do. Her best friend, Hilary, was definitely my favorite character behind Ellie, though. She was just as witty, though she was a caring figure that Ellie did not get from anyone else, including her mother. They had both had difficult lives, and they seemed to fit together so well. This is certainly one of those books where the characters made the whole thing, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

 Rating: 4.0/5.0 

About the Author: 

Aurora Zahni is a former rebel who’s trying to bring a little bit of Judy Blume and Sylvia Plath to the Twilight Generation. Over the years she7092273 has given half-assed / full throttle contributions to numerous zines and blogs, written a web movie and done significantly well in countless competitive eating events.

When she was in the 8th grade she was on the local evening news. A dead body was being lifted out of the water at a marina by the Meadowlands and you could clearly see her standing in the background watching, looking a bit excited for the camera. Looking back it may have been the highlight of her entire childhood.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7092273.Aurora_Zahni

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoraurorazahni

Website: http://aurorazahni.beaucoupllc.com/

Giveaway:

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