BOOK SPOTLIGHT: "The Cemetery Boys" by Heather Brewer

Part Hitchcock, part Hinton, this first-ever stand-alone novel from Heather Brewer, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, uses classic horror elements to tell a darkly funny coming-of-age story about the dangerous power of belief and the cost of blind loyalty.
When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.
Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood—and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end...

The Cemetery Boys will be released as a hardcover book and ebook on March 30th. Purchase it at your local bookstore or via:

Amazon
Add it on Goodreads

Or visit her official site for all other online retailers!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: SM Spencer

"DESTINY" from SM Spencer's All Shadows Trilogy will be FREE on Amazon from April 13th through the 18th! Link to her Amazon page is below!

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I think the desire to be a writer started in my teens. I read a lot and would often get caught up in the characters, living their stories long after I’d finished the books. I had a great deal of respect for authors that could do that, and I wanted to be like them.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Daphne du Maurier, Mary Stewart, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ray Bradbury were among my favourite authors when I was young.
I go through various genre moods. I devoured Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia (didn’t everyone?) but also enjoy finding an author with a continuing series, like Patricia Cornwell, John Lescroart and Janet Evanovich. I particularly enjoy a good mystery/thriller with a romantic element.
At this very moment I’m reading fellow indie authors, from both the Rave Reviews Book Club (RRBC) and indieBRAG Medallion.

3. What was the inspiration behind the Absent Shadows Trilogy?

I was working around the corner from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Markets, up near the Flagstaff Gardens. Walking around at lunchtime, I started sensing that I was smack dab in the middle of the perfect setting for ghosts and vampires—and the story just developed from there.
Of course, the late night ghost tours I’d done in the area, where I’d learned the history of the cemetery under the market’s carpark and about ghost sightings all throughout the area, really helped. And like many, I was caught up in the resurgence in popularity of vampires.

4. Will we ever see these characters again in the future?

Probably—the continuing story is bubbling away in my mind, and when it’s ready, it’ll surface.

5. You grew up in San Francisco but live in Australia. Has your location influenced your writing at all?

I think everyone’s writing is influenced by their surroundings and their perceptions of their environment.
Writing Lili in the first person was easy for me because in some ways she was living what I’d done. I think it would be pretty difficult for someone to write a story set in Australia if they didn’t live here.

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Aspects of the characters were inspired by people I’ve known, but none are meant to be anyone in particular.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I’d like to have a go at a rural romance and also science fiction (the thought provoking eerie sort).

8. If you could trade places with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Crystal. I loved writing her. She is caring, and beautiful, and gentle and all things feminine. But at the same time, she is strong and powerful, and not to be messed with. She is Aphrodite and Athena wrapped up in one awesome little package.

9. What is it about vampires that made you decide to use them as your "main creature"?

Mostly, I think it’s a bit of that beauty and the beast thing—seeing through the horrible exterior to the goodness that dwells deep inside. You have this hero who is handsome and charming, but also deadly, dark and powerful. And the heroine sees all sides of him and falls in love with him.

10. Would you like to see the Trilogy as films? If yes, who do you want to see play your characters?

Of course! Abigail Breslin would make a lovely Lili and perhaps Liam Hemsworth would make a charming Sam. But without a doubt I would pick Lucy Liu for Crystal.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I love where I am right now. It’s taken me a lot of years to get here, and I’m savoring the ability to progress my journey toward becoming a better writer. I hope to continue with my writing, as well as encouraging and supporting other indie authors.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Gathering inspiration so I could start writing again.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I’m currently working on a rural romance, but I’ve also got a science fiction story that’s been writing itself for a few years. And of course, the continuation of Absent Shadows—those characters are very much alive and their on-going story is constantly building.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Oh, this is really hard. As already mentioned, I have the utmost respect for the creative skills of the late authors Ray Bradbury, Daphne du Maurier and J.R.R. Tolkien. If meeting with them meant that even the smallest portion of their talent rubbed off onto me, I’d be thrilled.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Growing up, my favourite TV shows were Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. I loved all things paranormal, and one side of me truly regrets not doing a degree in parapsychology.
My favourite food, and the one I’d chose if I could only have one for the rest of my life—tortilla chips (or as we say here in Australia, corn chips)! And a bit of salsa on the side, please.
My favourite sound—a kitten purring. There is, quite simply, nothing better. Well, perhaps there is one better sound … the soft uttering of the words ‘thank you’. And I’d like to say them to you, Kelly, for providing this wonderful opportunity for me to connect with you and your followers.

Find Ms. Spencer online via:

Amazon
Facebook (LIKE page)
Goodreads

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ewa Zwonarz

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

As a child, I loved writing poems for my mom and was often told that I had a wild imagination. Some of my family members even ventured as far as commenting that I had my head stuck in the clouds. And they were actually quite correct. I was infatuated with the sky, which lead me on a lifelong search of the secrets to our creation. Early on I realized that religion and science could only offer part of the answer and it was my responsibility to ask the difficult questions such as who we are and why are we here. Overtime, I amassed many bits of stories and experiences and they began to arrange into kaleidoscopic patters constellating in my head. While they were my own, they contained within them the common archetypes of humanity. It was at that point, around 2005, that I decided I wanted to learn how to write books in order to convey all those stories to those on similar searches. I was, and still am, hoping for a mind share of sorts, for the stories to add fuel to the conversation that questions our origins. “Moonchild” was my first thread in that lineage of stories, and it aptly so deals with the bit of our history that occurred before the flood, the repercussions of which we still feel today. The book was supposed to be a training wheel, a practice book, through which I would learn how to write a story that came to me in a flash a decade ago, which I am yet to write. But soon, I fell in love with the process and reliving the part of my teenage life when the story is set. Sharing it with a couple of friends, they encouraged I keep on working on it and that eventually led to its release. The craft itself became a transformational process of self-discovery. I know this is a long answer, so to sum it all up, I write because I have to. All these stories live inside me and they want to come out to again be reborn in other people’s minds. I write because I love it. I write because through the process of writing, I get to live an expanded life that otherwise would not be available to me.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

When I was about thirteen, I found first four books of a Norwegian saga on my mom’s bookshelf. The story was so captivating I read all four within a week, only to realize there were a total of forty-seven of them. It was quite a feat to get my hands on the remaining forty-three but when I finally did, I got so consumed, I would hold the book on my lap in my math class, not wanting to disconnect from the world the author, Margit Sandemo, had conjured up. The books exposed me to Nordic mythology, which I have great affinity for to this day. Simultaneously I was reading historical and archaeological books on Egypt and Sumer that were extremely hard to find in my little provincial town in the early 90s. But thanks to my friend, based on whom I model Ben in Moonchild, I was able to get access to a few unique pieces. Today I try to explore a wide variety of authors. The bulk of my library consists on non-fiction books exploring unification themes in theoretical physics (my favorite being Walter Russell), memoirs, such as “Initiation” by Elisabeth Haich, travel books and the occasional novel that grips me from the first page, such as “Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Zafon.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Moonchild?

There were several. The biggest one that drives the plot is my fascination with the myth of the fallen angels. The Bible offers mere few teaser lines concerning who they were that leaves you, or at last left me, wanting more. Who were those glorious male beings who lusted after human women? What could their stories be like? After some digging, I was able to get my hands on the Apocrypha and Book of Enoch and the yarn began to unravel. Add to that a sprinkle of imagination and voila – the story of Moonchild began to come to life in individual scenes popping in my head at random intervals. A very significant influence on the story came from music. It was the catalyst and the cohesive glue that tied the pieces together – the mental bits of stories and myths that swirled in my mind got lined up and linked up via the successive unfolding of emotion that music so brilliantly coaxes out. Bands like Fields of the Nephilim, Love Like Blood and Tiamat were some of the biggest influences. I included the soundtrack to “Moonchild” on my website in case readers would be interested in supplementing my words with the melodies that inspired me to write them.

4. Will we ever see these characters again?

It is one of those sad moments for a writer when a story concludes; there is this emptiness you feel, this void. The characters still exist but soon they become more of a shimmering afterglow than substantial beings tugging at your mind, asking for attention, or wakig you up in the middle of the night to share their secrets with you. Evelina, Ben, Daniel, Punk, and of course Sariel have become immortal in the sense that their story once cast down, shall live forever, so they got their wish and they feel satisfied as far as I can tell. As to the question of continuing their saga, there is always a possibility. I have outlined eleven books I’d like to dive into and eventually birth, so unless I hit at wall at twelve and Eve comes knocking at my door, I think that the “Moonchild” story is complete.

5. Why did you decide to make a character an angel?

This goes back to my fascination with the myths of the fallen angels. Here I’d like to digress for a second and mention that what we call myths these days is something to be perceived as false, a mere remnant of history, more of a symbolic representation, if you will. But for old cultures and societies myths were the unifying factor, the only thing that was true in an ever-changing reality. Myths aimed at explaining the unexplainable, growing the spiritual or etheric dimension on early cultures. I can only imagine what thoughts were going through our ancestors’ minds as they beheld the glory of an eclipse, the terror of a thunderstorm or witnessed a rainbow appear before them. It is important to mention that here, because if we remember that myth comes from a true, authentic place, it is here is where the myth of the fallen begins to transform from some half-imagined legend to something that might be closer to reality that we may have thought.
There are so many versions as to what happened back thousands of years ago. But the fact that there was some form of foreign presence on Earth is a thread that seems to weave through many histories, from Mesoamerican through Arabic, European, African and Asian. As soon as you cross the threshold of biblical records and keep going back in time, you discover amazing things. But back to your question about choosing the angel… ever since I was young I liked exploring the dark. So anything that people shied away from, I was drawn towards. It was a form of escape perhaps but also a hunt for secrets. I figured that a good way to shield information is to make people afraid to look. But I loved the mystery of what lurked in the shadows and suspected that due to much fear that obstructed the view, a lot of unexplained phenomena must have gotten skewed and misinterpreted. Let’s add another dimension to the dark mystery – the alluring draw of innocent love. Because Eve is fifteen and at the point where her nascent womanhood is blossoming, there is this erotic tension underlying her search for truth. Her finding her way in the dark links with her discovery of what it means to surrender to a male force, a force I wanted to symbolize by light – the light of the Moon. Its dark side thus represents the feminine and it’s lit up side by the masculine. From an occult (which means hidden) and spiritual standpoint, the feminine is usually represented as deep, dark and mysterious, while the male is bright and radiant. And this is where I wanted her to go and what I wanted Eve to explore – the darkness representing her own inner, yet unexplored nature – and have that be touched by the light of an angel, a very different kind of angel than the one we meet in prayer. As far as I can remember, when I was her age, my idea of love was extremely idealistic and simultaneously tinged with a taste of the forbidden. What teenager hasn’t fantasized about meeting a vampire or a demon? As much as we might be frightened by the prospect, there is something alluring about it. It beckons us to step away from the circle of familiarity and explore our own boundaries, seeing how far we can go. So, I thought it would only be fitting to have Eve fall in love with the fallen, the one she cannot even touch, the one who comes to her in her dreams, carrying with him a cloak of that familiar darkness which at once fascinates and frightens. 

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Yes! [laughs] In fact, all except for Sariel, which was an amalgam of research and fantasy. Since “Moonchild” was my first book, I wanted to give it everything I had to make it come across as authentic, so I drew from my life a lot. It is interesting that some readers have remarked that some of Eve’s decisions seemed unrealistic. Well, I was her in many of the circumstances described, so that surely gave me a new way of evaluating myself as a teen – impulsive, rash and quite naïve, haha! Eve is actually at once a toned down version of my teen self in one way and exaggerated in another. While I was much more moody and emotional in real life, I kept my inner meanderings to myself, tucked deep within the shell of my private world. With her, I wanted her inner meanderings to have an outlet and actually take place. I didn’t want her to just hold the porcelain plate. I wanted her to smash it.  Ben was indeed my best friend during my teen hood and someone who imbued in me the passion for diving deep into antiquity and questioning everything. He was someone I felt I’ve known for lifetimes when we met, and an avid supplier of awesome music tapes! Rock and Art were also my buddies and I tried to describe them in a way so that if they ever were to read the book, they could instantly recognize themselves. Punk was also based on a real character, but only in part. In real life, I’ve only gotten a chance at one conversation with him. But he left such impression I wanted to bring him back to life and journey with him for a while. Daniel as a nineteen-year-old was all imagined but Daniel as a boy in the hospital was completely real. What I describe as our first encounter when we were both children absolutely happened. Eve’s domestic situation was also reflective of my own. I grew up in a stormy household and while I am happy to have thriving relationships with both of my parents now (are not together anymore), there was much childhood trauma that needed mending, and actually writing “Moonchild” was part of that unraveling and re-stitching process for me. I realized that they did the best they could, regardless at how many people have gotten hurt in the process. I had a lot of fun growing my family legacy, most of which was built from scratch. It was actually mom who gave me the idea to make her father a Siberian shaman and I loved it from the first mention.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I would like to try my hand at so many things. For me, it begins with the story and the genre becomes a frame, and it takes a bit of experimenting and adjusting before it’s set. I certainly love mystery – the hunt for truth can be exhilarating – and mixing it with a personal heroes’ journey. All of my protagonists in my future projects have a dramatic arc undergoing deep shifts in their psyches, the outside world mirroring their inner struggles. Next I am giving another coming of age story a shot, this one being more of an R-rated adventure, drama, thriller, however. The character is older than Eve and in a sense could be a continuation of Eve’s unfolding as a woman. In fact, in my next two books, the main character gets progressively more mature and could be seen as a growing female archetype. Up ahead I have plans to write a full on fast paced thriller featuring many exotic locales, sports vehicles, guns, futuristic technology and military jets. The frame has been set already. But I also want to write the trilogy that inspired me to write in the first place, and that will yet again, though more explicitly, tackle the themes of our origins. Once that is complete, my dream is to write one more trilogy for children, revisiting shadowy realms, as well as the means to redeem our innocence though our communion with nature.

8. What would you do if you were Eve?

I think I would do exactly as she did. Looking back at that period of my life, as I was writing the story, I kept thinking that if I had any regrets, they would be about the things I didn’t say or do rather than the things I actually did. If I could go back and had another chance, I would try to live more boldly and fully. I would doubt myself less and initiate more. I would take more risks. This is how I choose to live my life now. It’s like I can’t get enough of life; it passes so quickly! This is why the story goes the way it does. This is how I would’ve lived it out if I could bring the supernatural to manifest in my world, while keeping the true essence of my actual experience that shaped me to be who I am today, intact.

9. How did it feel to be picked as one of Amazon's best books of 2014?

I was? I didn’t even know until you mentioned it! Wow, it feels absolutely amazing. In fact, just yesterday (March 5, 2015) I was notified that “Moonchild” was a winner in the BookBzz contest in the Young Adult category. The feeling one gets when their work gets acknowledged at such scale is indescribable. To give you a hint, I was jumping and screaming with my mom in my living room like a little child! I was breathless afterwards, and so so grateful.

10. Would you like to see Moonchild as a film? If yes, who do you want to see play your characters?

I would love that! In fact my sister is a young film director and she reserved her rights for it already, haha. For character casting, I would love to see a cast of new faces with Sariel perhaps coming from the rock star world, with his long jet-black hair and chiseled chest. My goodness, I’m getting giddy just thinking about how cool it would be to bring this story onto the screen and work on such project. Yes, it would be absolutely awesome!

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

Hopefully my books would have found their way to many bookshelves. The most rewarding thing for me to experience in the coming decade would be to connect with my readers and understand how the stories impacted their perceptions and lives. So, in an ideal world, there would a community forming around the discussion of our origins, perhaps involving other authors as well. As for me, I would love to have the ability to travel more to those remote places that still contain the spirit of the old and be able to swathe the old stones with fresh stories to honor the past and bring back their essence.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Living half of my life in Silicon Valley, it is difficult not to be drawn into the whirlwind of innovation and technology that’s so prevalent here. This place is teeming with genius. I’m one of these odd people who in order to feel fulfilled, needs to grow both aspects of my brain – the analytic and creative – the structure of the first and the flow of the latter supporting and nurturing one another. So when I don’t write, I am engaged in growing businesses. But if I were to craft a whole other career for myself, perhaps I could be an archaeologist.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

Yes, I am working on an adventure-drama-thriller story titled “Venus” whose protagonist is also a female. The story features the most dynamic year of her youth, her personal journey cast on a backdrop of a show that takes place in a remote location and challenges her still young and forming values and beliefs. Beside a myriad of colorful characters, the story will also feature clandestine group of individuals with deep knowledge of astrology and the occult.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I would love to have a coffee chat with Carlos Zafon in a Barcelona cafe, spend a weekend strolling through nature and picking Einstein’s brain and enter the mind of Walter Russell, even if for a nano-second. As to writing a book with someone, I would certainly love to explore that. Writing is a bit of a lonely craft, but all in good light. It requires digging deep and unearthing parts of ourselves we never knew we had, and blending that with the amorphous imagination unfolding in the moment. It is about facing inner obstacles and fears and pushing our limits in order to know ourselves better. It is also a tremendous discipline. It would be very interesting to share that journey with someone, some day. If I were to team up with someone, I would love that person to really understand and be able to explicate that internal aspect of the art. Having said that, I can’t think of a person than Julia Cameron, the author of “Artist’s Way,” whose book launched me on my own journey.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

One might be that I am a total health fanatic. Most of the work I do is not physical so I need to counter it with heavy and ever-growing physical fitness routines and paying close attention to what I eat in order to be able to focus properly. I used to teach raw food preparation classes and retreats, I’m a certified personal trainer and hold a yoga teacher certification but never pursued either as a full on career. Another thing might be that I used to play bass in a goth band back when I lived in Poland. I was the only girl. I still like to listen to the dark music, including some death metal bands. I find these musicians incredibly precise and fast, what might sound like noise to someone, to me is an apex of creative speed. And finally, I love hula-hoop dancing and used to study circus arts and perform, through that part was short lived due to time constraints. I still dance and find movement to fuel my creativity and inspire new ideas.
Thank you Kelly so much for your wonderful questions and having me. I feel deeply honored by this invitation and wish you all the best in your current and future endeavors.

Find Ms. Zwonarz online via:

Official site (has all social links)

BOOK REVIEW: "Moonchild" by Ewa Zwonarz

In this coming-of-age tale that blends myth, mystery, and the magic of storytelling, we enter the world of a fifteen-year-old seeker named Eve. Growing up in rural Poland, Eve's small-town existence is radically transformed by a series of lucid dreams, influenced by the moon, in which she is exposed to Sariel, a fallen angel. Sariel's cryptic messages, and demands for Eve to free him, draw her deeper and deeper into an ancient story of love, loss, and redemption. Eve's desire to heed the callings of her inner-life are confronted and challenged by family secrets and growing dysfunction, and her increasing alienation from her peers at school. Determined to find out who she really is, and the truth about her family legacy, Eve undertakes a quest, guided by a strange boy who calls himself Punk, in which dreams and reality merge, and a buried past is brought into the light.

Teenage angst, fallen angels, magical quests. For me, those are the only phrases I'd ever need to get me to read a novel. But let me tell you more about my opinions of Moonchild.
It begins with a very normal and likable character, who quickly starts going through some not-so-normal things when she has lucis dreams of an angel.
The quest Eve goes on is literal, but it is also very symbolic: trying to find herself through her family's long-buried secrets. This seems to me almost a parallel to what many teenagers go through when they are "finding themselves" while in high school.
The fantasy elements are whimsical, occasionally eerie and always beautifully written. Ms. Zwonarz's skill at the keyboard is stunning; her words immediately capture you until the book is done. The characters' personalities are all three-dimensional. They become like friends as you go deeper into the book.
This was a whimsical ride everyone who loves the YA fantasy genre should take!

*If you can, read the book while listening to the playlist Ms. Zwonarz has on her website (link below). It is an entirely different experience!*

4/5--a beautiful book!

Purchase Moonchild via:

Official site (has all purchase links)

BOOK REVIEW: "Preserver" by Chris Reardon

17-year-old Corey not only has to deal with his mother’s disappearance, but recurring nightmares horrifying him to no end. Each and every night, an old man constantly begs for his help. He pleads for assistance escaping a murderer keeping him hostage in another world. 
Corey, according to the old man, is the only one that can stop this monster. After all, he does know the spell. Melody, an unpredictable, no-nonsense girl from his math class, has also been having horrific nightmares with this same old man. She, however, is not willing to talk about it. Melody also refuses to believe any of his pleas. 
When Corey and Melody are thrust from their homes by a mysterious woman, they embark on a journey through a mystical land. From battling demons to escaping prison chambers, they realize they’re part of something much bigger, and hiding from their duty is no longer an option.

Preserver by Chris Reardon is a dark, YA fantasy novel that is (literally) out of this world. In another dimension, to be exact. Teens need to save the world from utter destruction by a crazed god, with only a strange short sonnet of sorts to go by, and a very harsh and reluctant teacher.
I don't know if Mr. Reardon intended this, but I know teens will be able to relate to these kids on more levels than one. They come from different backgrounds, deal with their raging emotions and have strange tasks set for them by adults who aren't inclined to help in any way...except to criticize and press upon the importance of said task. Sounds like what many high school kids are going through on a daily basis. And if they fail, adults make it seem like the end of the world. They need to make adult decisions while still feeling like they're kids at the same time. Just like these characters.
That doesn't mean that adults won't enjoy the book, too. I loved it. It was short, sure, but I really enjoyed reading it and think that it is definitely and underrated story. It's emotional, exciting and gripping. Anyone over the age of fourteen should definitely add this to their TBR list!

5/5--a hidden gem!

Purchase Preserver via:

Amazon
Goodreads

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: "Ilmarinen" by Marilla Mulwane

Title: Ilmarinen
Author: Marilla Mulwane
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Illusio & Baqer

Blurb:
Altana Burrows has always been special.

She’s smart, talented, and quick to learn. She also has a secret, and whenever she tries to tell anyone about it—her friends, her family, the school psychiatrist—they accuse her of letting her imagination run away with her. They don’t believe her. They don’t understand.
They don’t know about Ilmarinen.

They don’t know about the prophecy, or the role Altana will play in it. But the people of Ilmarinen know, and they will help her: a young hunter with a dangerous secret; a talking horse who loves to play; a little girl with a big axe; a beautiful woman in a red dress. Eventually, they will all play a part in Altana’s story, and the fate of a world will rest in their hands.

That is, if they can figure out how to kill a god.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ilmarinen-Marilla-Mulwane-ebook/dp/B00NJ0PU6C/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424363041&sr=8-1&keywords=Ilmarinen+by+Marilla+Mulwane

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20648108-ilmarinen?ac=1

Author’s Bio:
Marilla Mulwane is a small town girl that loves to write, read, craft, and play video games. All the best things to do in a small town! She just wants people to read her work. If it leads to fame, fortune, and world domination, she'll take it.

Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5994258.Marilla_Mulwane
Website: http://marillamulwane.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marillamulwane.author

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Krysten Lindsay Hager

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I have been creating stories since I was a kid and it was really the only thing I ever wanted to do. I pursued journalism as well, but writing always came first in my heart .

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I remember getting The Great Mom Swap when I was in the fourth grade and loving that book. Good-bye, Glamour Girl by Erika Tamar was another book that made an impression on me. I read all the different series books as a kid: The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, etc. I still read YA and middle grade along with women’s fiction, and classics. And I love biographies and memoirs, too.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel True Colors?

When I was growing up I was convinced everyone had it all together…and then there was me. I saw all these magazine covers and TV shows with the tight-knit group of friends and the perfect looking teens (who you just knew were leading perfect lives) and thought they all were in on some sort of secret that I didn’t know. What I didn’t realize is that everyone feels that way. I decided to write this book to show a character, Landry, who has all these same feelings and insecurities and wonders where (and if) she fits in. As a teen, I was stuck between wanting to fit in and stand out, which is why I have Landry feeling the same way. It’s a struggle a lot of us face—even as adults.
I wrote the book wanting teens and women of all ages to see they weren’t alone in feeling this way and I put in humor because I think the best way to get through life’s difficult times is with a sense of humor. I have Landry go through the same situations we’ve all been through with the “frenemies,” passive aggressive comments, mean girls, trying to get noticed by the popular crowd, the impossible crushes, and all those insecurities we go through. I think it’s even harder for teens now with Facebook and Instagram showing the “perfect” side of everyone, so teens and tweens today are faced with even more of those “perfect life” images that made me feel insecure as a kid.

4. Will we ever see any of these characters again in the future?

Yes, the sequel to the book will be coming out March 24th. I still can’t believe I have a series! The series is called, Landry’s True Colors and book two is titled, Best Friends…Forever? I am working on the third  book right now. The books pick up right where the previous one leaves off because I hate when I pick up the next book in the series and so much has happened off the page.

5. Were you ever or did you ever want to be a model?

I started modeling when I was a little younger than Landry. I stopped for a while and then in college I was doing some internships and people kept telling me I should try it again, but my first shoot made me feel so uncomfortable and I realized I had to rethink it. I try to be very realistic in showing modeling and not making some glamourous fantasy world.

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

I do use real life experiences as inspiration, but just as inspiration. All the characters are made up because it’s much easier to create a character whose backstory and motivations I can make up. Real people are far too complex and ever changing. However, I feel all Landry’s emotions when I write the scenes. I can remember what it was like to talk to a crush and all those anxious feelings come back as I write the scenes where her friends turn on her. One thing that’s different is I that I never got nervous modeling and she does. However, lots of other things make me nervous—like the first day of school! I’d rather walk a runway in front of a crowd and trip and fall on my face than to ever do another first day of school again. First days are the worst! Actually, second days are no picnic either. And in book two you’ll see her visit a high school and it mirrors my own experience—total culture shock. Landry and I both went to small, private schools, so visiting a big public high school and wondering what you’re in for the next year was terrifying to her and to me.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I also write older YA, women’s fiction, but I’m interested in doing a humor memoir.

8. What would you do if you were Landry?

I would like to say I’d stand up to Erika (her main frenemy), but at that age (and the way Landry’s personality is) I wouldn’t be able to—just like most of us aren’t. I like to think I’ve gotten better at this myself, but just today I was on a call where someone made a little passive aggressive dig at me and instead of saying, “That’s offensive,” or, “What did you mean by that?” I was defending myself to them instead of stopping and putting them in their place. So I’m still very much a work in progress on that.

9. Were you trying to make a statement about high school politics, bullying and the like? What do you have to say to young readers who are being bullied in school?

I think some of the things we go through in school goes under the radar of adults/teachers/school admin like the mean girl stuff— especially if the girls it’s coming from are supposed to be your friends. I went to a small grade school (kindergarten-8th grade) and I know how Landry feels when she lets things go because in a small school you have less people to turn to if you do tell someone, “Hey, back off, I’m not taking that from you anymore.” Adults often don’t pick up on that sort of thing when they see it’s coming from someone the person is friends with. They notice the outright bullying, but the more subtle mean girl stuff gets past them.
For kids who are going though that themselves I’d say to realize what these people are saying to you has NOTHING to do with you or what you are about—it is all a reflection of the person (bully or frenemy) saying that. Well-adjusted people do NOT go around tearing other people down for fun. Hurting people hurt people, so as hard as this is to believe, just know it’s not personal. If you have a teacher or adult you can go to for help, reach out.

10. Would you like to see True Colors as a film. Who do you want to see play your characters?

I think that would be amazing! I had a cast list made up where I picked more current people to be the characters (you can see that and the original inspirations on my Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/true-colors-inspiration/ and on my website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/ ) For Vladi, I could see Ross Lynch playing him. Maybe Bella Thorne as Peyton. I often say I could see Zendaya as Ashanti, but I always picture the original Ashanti, a singer/actress named Letoya Luckett in my mind when I’m writing scenes with her. As for Landry, I picture her as a younger Ashlee Simpson or maybe Elle Fanning. Selena Gomez could be Devon. And for Devon’s older action hero crush? Liam Neeson!

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I’ll still be writing. I can’t see myself ever stopping. A lot of readers have expressed to me that they’d love to see Landry grow up throughout the series and even take her into college and the adult years! So maybe I’ll still be writing Landry stories as well as pursuing my other ideas.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Probably working as a journalist for newspapers or TV. That’s where I started out and I do have a curiosity about everything. I have a strong desire to get to the truth and get both sides of the story.  When I was interning (and then working in news), I always read at least four newspapers as well as news magazines and watched local, national, and international news broadcasts to get a bigger picture. I was a news junkie, but when I’m writing I do try to step away from it a bit. I used to have my favorite news programs, but when I moved overseas, a lot of those shows weren’t available there, so I’d watch international news but I watched less. I will say working in news made me see things are almost never black and white and to look closely and bring in all the facts.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I’m working on the third book in the Landry’s True Colors series, which has been a lot of fun to write. I’m also working on another upper middle grade book and more YA and doing a rewrite of a women’s fiction novel.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I call F. Scott Fitzgerald my literary boyfriend. I love his essays, fiction, and quotes. There’s a vulnerability to his prose. I met Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High creator and author of the Victoria books) once and I choked up. I have no idea if she noticed or not, but the good news is that she didn’t call security and she let me take a peek at the Sweet Valley High “bible” she used for the series. Yes, I touched it. And for your follow up question, yes, I did eventually wash my hands after that. I didn’t want to, but health codes being what they are…

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

I once lived on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
I have strong intuition and often times things I’ve written will come true. I keep a notebook of some of these coincidences. Sometimes I’ll see something play out just like I wrote it and all I can do is sit there with my mouth open. My family is getting used to getting calls where I say, “You are not going to believe this!” My friends tell me I should write about myself and them winning the lottery. I did write that once, but it didn’t happen…well, yet anyway. Stay tuned.
I won my first school wide writing competition when I was in the first grade.

Find Ms. Hager online via:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW: "The Last Orphans" by N.W. Harris

One horrifying day will change the life of sixteen-year-old Shane Tucker and every other kid in the world.
In a span of mere hours, the entire adult population is decimated, leaving their children behind to fend for themselves and deal with the horrific aftermath of the freak occurrence. As one of the newly made elders in his small town, Shane finds himself taking on the role of caretaker for a large group of juvenile survivors. One who just happens to be Kelly Douglas--an out-of-his-league classmate--who, on any other day, would have never given Shane a second glance. 
Together, they begin their quest to find out why all of the adults were slaughtered. What they find is even more horrifying than anything they could have expected--the annihilation of the adults was only the beginning. Shane and his friends are not the unlucky survivors left to inherit this new, messed-up planet. No, they are its next victims. There is an unknown power out there, and it won't stop until every person in the world is dead.

A world without adults and teenagers must learn how to survive. How many times have I heard that plot? Countless. You can't go to the bookstore without seeing at least ten books with slightly varying executions of that exact plot. What's different about The Last Orphans? It's not sci-fi, not your typical dystopian teen fiction with young lovers and an identifiable evil to take down. Plus, it's a horror novel for teens! Those are hard to come by (with the exception of Darren Shan and Barry Lyga), and I think Mr. Harris did a great job on the story.
It does have a vibe similar to Stephen King's The Stand, and I can see what an amazing adult horror novelist he could be. The story doesn't have a lot of unnecessary subplots, with the exception of Shane's crush on Kelly and how bad his relationship with his father was. That's another rarity in teen fiction.
I like the characters, especially Shane. I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to him and Kelly. They're very realistic without being caricatures of teenagers.
I'm not sure where future books in this series will go, as the book would've been great as a one-shot novel, but I'm eager to find out!

4/5--scary with a hint of "feels"!

Purchase The Last Orphans via:

Official site (has all purchase links)

BOOK REVIEW: "Transfixion" by J. Giambrone

Every so often, you read a book that makes you stay up till all hours of the morning just so you can finish it. Transfixion is that book.

Kaylee Colton is a high school girl and bibliophile. She has just received the latest book in her favorite series, Ghostliest, and all she wants to do is read it. No TV, no internet. Just good ol' ghost hunters Jasmine and Kurtz.
But then, the world ends.
Everyone has been hypnotized by the TV and computer transmissions. She watches as her older brother stabs their mother to death. On a quest for survival, she meets a bad boy named Dustin and they hole up with a few other survivors in the high school, but is it a futile attempt, add the rest of the world has gone insane?

First of all, this is NOT your typical YA dystopian novel. It's not the future. It's right now, featuring kids just like us, including the endearing main character, Kaylee The Bibliophile. Dustin could be the bad boy you crush on in the back of the class, Sara your little sister, and the other kids your classmates.
Aside from the believability of the characters, there's the vivid way in which Mr. Giambrone tells the tale. You're inside Kaylee's mind, you're watching the "dupes" try and kill all the normal people. You're fighting along with her.
She's also got a psychological quirk, suddenly becoming mute after the events occur. It's a topic for discussion for sure one you've read the book.
There's everything from a to z in this story, and it will keep you up all night (I'm writing this at one in the morning). Your next obsession? Transfixion.

5/5--absolutely amazing! Must read!

Purchase Transfixion via:

Amazon

Barnes And Noble

Createspace (paperback)

BOOK REVIEW/AUTHOR INTERVIEW: "Bad Blood" by Nicky Peacock

Synopsis:

“I am Britannia. I am your protector. I will fend off the hungry hordes of undead hands that reach toward you. I am your steadfast defender. I will stand between you and the zombie masses as they try to taste your flesh. I am strong, unyielding, and dedicated to your survival. All I ask from you… is your blood.” 
A five-hundred-year-old bloody game of vengeance will need to be put on hold if vampires are to survive the zombie uprising. Britannia and Nicholas, bitter enemies and the only two surviving vampires left in London, have to work together to save un-infected humans and deliver them safely to a vampire stronghold in the Scottish Highlands. Unable to drink the zombie ‘bad blood’, the remaining vampires need the humans to stay alive. But will the vampires tell the survivors who they are and what they want from them? Will Britannia be able to hold back her vengeance for the greater good? Is survivor Josh the reincarnation of Britannia’s murdered true love? And can she bring herself to deliver him to the ‘safe’ hold? Survival instincts run deep, but bad blood can run deeper.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK       Amazon US      Evernight Teen

About the Author:

I guess I’ve always been a storyteller, not in a ‘liar liar pants on fire’ kind of way, although I do work in advertising! When I was little, kids would crowd around me in the playground and I’d tell them tales of blood soaked horror filled with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more. Yes, most would consider me a disturbed child, but my playmates couldn’t help themselves, they’d huddle around me every break time like an ancient tribe feeding off the fear; and that’s how I learned that horror stories hold a certain power, no matter what some might say, everyone is addicted to a good scare, especially if it is somewhat rooted safely in unrealistic beings… or are they unrealistic?
Writing was really a natural progression. Right now I’m obsessed with writing: a YA Urban Fantasy novel, a Paranormal Romance novella series, and several short horror stories! So I’m currently living in a functional fiction coma – and loving it!
I’ve so far been published in 5 countries: USA, UK, Australia, Ireland and Canada and had short stories included in 40 anthologies with over 17 publishers.

Blog: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickyp_author

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NickyPeacockYaBooks

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Nicky-Peacock/e/B007UH2ACW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_4

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4958833.Nicky_Peacock

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nickypauthor/

Tumblr: http://nickypeacock.tumblr.com/

Excerpt:

We ran to the hospital. On the way, we encountered hardly anyone, alive or dead. Where were they all? When we arrived at the hospital car park, I understood. Zombies were pack animals. A massive crowd of them were crammed in and around the main building like they were waiting for a concert to start, all barely paying attention to their surroundings and seemingly swaying against the force of gravity. The other thing was the smell. When watching horror films filled with shuffling zombies, the horror came from their ghastly looks—the reminder that death has a tight grip on us all, well, most of us. But what the filmmakers should focus on—if they could—was the acidic rank odor zombies gave off. They had been dead barely twenty-four hours. It took a normal human body at least thirty-six hours to really start to smell, and that was with a vampire’s heightened senses. These guys smelled like they’d been out in the sun for three weeks covered in rubbish and besieged by wily maggots. They were mostly intact, though. Maybe this hospital had been Zombie Ground Zero. Most had turned so quickly their comrades hadn’t had time to feed.

“Maybe we should try a less populated target.” Nicholas twitched his nose and turned away from me to dry retch.

“Maybe you should grow a pair.”

“Maybe you should act like a lady.” He now had his hands on his hips, squaring up for yet another argument.

“Acting like a lady isn’t going to help now, is it? What do you want me to do? Drop my handkerchief in front of the zombies and watch them fight one another to scoop it up for me? Moron!”

“Always to the ‘nth degree with you, isn’t it?”

“Shut up. Look, the doors are holding, and they’re outside, not inside, which means there must be some people left in there alive to have barricaded this place so tight.”

“Or maybe there are just more zombies in there.”

“Well, there’s definitely a blood bank in there, and that’ll help matters no end!”

Nicholas looked thoughtful then nodded. He of course didn’t want to actually say aloud that I’d had a good idea. “So, how do we get past them?”

I assumed it was a rhetorical question, so I started down to the car park entrance, where most of the zombies were mobbing. I opened the outer door as quietly as possible.

“Ladies first,” Nicholas whispered in my ear.

“I thought we’d agreed I wasn’t a lady.” And with that, I shoved him as hard as I could into the throbbing throng of zombies.

Published by Evernight Teen

REVIEW:

For my Halloween special post this year, I was sent Bad Blood, an upper YA novel by Nicky Peacock, about vampires saving humans during the zombie apocalypse.
It might sound strange, and it is, but in the best way!

Britannia is a 450 year old vampire, turned without permission by Nicholas, a pompous vampire who fell in love with her and wanted to keep her with him for eternity. He even killed her fiancé.
She spent centuries hunting down his vampiric children, but now they must work together, because the vampire Elders need as many humans saved from the zombies as possible, or else vampires will starve.
But when the spitting image of her lost fiancé shows up, things get even stranger...

Young adult vampire novels are often cheesy. Young adult zombie novels are often pure violence and no story. Bad Blood is neither of those things. Think, Darren Shan and Poppy Z. Brite had a lovechild.
The story is a very quick read, very violent and very emotional. You get love, hate and every little thing in between. There are twists, but nothing too complex.
Britannia is a wonderful lead, with snark and depth. Nicholas is the perfect antagonist, and the supporting characters will imprint themselves in your memory.
My only problem here is, will we get another book about them? You won't want this story to end and you will ask yourself, "Why isn't this a movie?" Ms. Peacock has so much untapped potential here. I'm excited to read more from her!

5/5--wonderful!

INTERVIEW:

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I'd always wanted to be a writer. My mum got me into writing at an early age and I've always been an avid reader. But it has only been in the last couple of years that I've been published. 

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Growing up I read a lot of Anne Rice and Kelley Armstrong. I then moved on to Charlaine Harris and Laurell K Hamilton books. I still read all these authors to this day. I've recently been introduced to Karen Marie Moning books (which are great) and, for my horror addiction, I've been reading all the lovely gems coming out of Dark Fuse Publications. 

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Bad Blood?

I really loved zombie and vampire books and wondered what would happen if they were thrown in together. But when I looked around i couldn't really see anything like that available - so I decided to write it myself!

4. Will we ever see these characters again?

Yes, the Battle of the Undead series is planned to at least a trilogy. I'm currently beavering away on the 2nd book entitled, Bad Timing.

5. How would you act if you were in Britannia's position about being turned without permission?

Good question! I always try to inject a piece of myself in all my protagonists, but Britannia really only had my sense of humor. I'm not as angry as she is or as impatience. I'd probably be pissed about it for a few hours, until I realized that I was going to be young and beautiful for ever, I'd then get over it pretty quickly (yes, I am that shallow! LOL)  

6. Why vampires vs zombies?

I think it's because they are both technically 'undead' but are so different in terms of what they are, what they do and how they kill. Vampires are usually portrayed as pretty ruthless and with them having so long to live, they are intelligent and scheming. Zombies are just shuffling, pack animal killing machines - I've always said that 'at least you know where you are with a zombie' they're not going to deceive you or pretend to be something they're not.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I write horror, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I'd like to give steampunk a proper go - I think its a very under-estimated genre with a lot of potential.

8. Do you believe in magic?

I'd like to say I do. I did growing up. But unfortunately, the older you get the more you realize that magic is a belief rather than a reality - man, that sound so depressing :( I actually had a recent experience watching that mermaid documentary on Animal Planet. It was shown in the UK a couple of months ago and I didn't realize that it was a fake. For a brief twenty minutes I was actually convinced there were real mermaids and out there! Magic was real! Of course I discovered later that the whole show was a lie, but I still remember that feeling of thinking that anything was possible. I called Animal Planet a lot of nasty names that day! 

9. Where did you get the idea for the vampires' backstory?

In all honesty, to make Bad Blood work, the vampires really had to hate one another, other wise there would be no tension. So I deliberately created Britannia with a stubborn streak a mile wide and Nicholas with a kind of old world 'I know better attitude' and their back stories pretty much wrote themselves. 

10. Would you like to see Bad Blood in theaters or on TV? If so, what actors would you like to see play your characters?

It would lend itself to either a movie or TV (there's too many locations for it to work on the stage) For the actors - For Britannia, it would have to be Emma Watson, I think she would rock the attitude Brit has and she definitely has the right look. For Nicholas, he was a little tougher, but I'd go with Andrew Garfield, more for his earlier performances than his current Spiderman hi-jinx. For Philippe It has to be Tom Hiddleston - he could work both angels of this complex character. Jack would be a Nicholas Hoult, Tate would be Daniel Kaluuya (I just loved him as Tea Leaf in Psychoville - UK program) and Josh would be Liam Hemsworth. Lyle isn't in this book as much, but he features a lot in the next two so I'll pre-cast him as Eddie Redmayne. 

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

10 years goes by quicker than you think! I'd hope to still be writing books I love to write, and with the readers still enjoying them. I'd like to say that, at that point, I could give up my day job and write for a living, but I'm not that naive. Probably only the top 10% of authors get to live that sort of lifestyle, so I would have to be very fortunate indeed to achieve that.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

My day job is advertising sales and marketing, so I'd be doing that. I'd probably be reading twice as much to fill the gap - so living in a semi-functional literary coma!

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I'm working on Bad Timing (2nd in the Battle of the Undead series) and also an adult retelling of a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale - I've turned it into a historical urban fantasy. 

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

A few years ago I worked on a project called the 48 hour Book for the UK's World Book Day. It was basically 20 authors writing a book in 2 days. Although we managed it, it was probably the hardest thing I had to write as most authors are very stubborn,  and everyone had a specific vision of where they wanted to go with the story - so I'd politely decline doing anything like that again with any author. But, I'd love to meet Richard Laymon and talk to him about the horror genre.   

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Okay.
1) I have no sense of direction.
2) I'm a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to clothes and nail polish.
3) I'm always honest in interviews.
*Thank you for the interview Kelly! Happy Halloween everybody!