Giveaway + Interview- Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick

Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
"The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now.

When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse--until the doctors found the monster in her head.

She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue--on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit--she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn't over.
The Changed are still evolving.
And...they've had help.

With this final volume of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning readers to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply.

A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise."- summary from Amazon

Thanks to Media Masters Publicity and Egmont USA, I have a hardcover copy of Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick to give away. US residents only. All you have to do to enter is just leave a comment on this post by Friday, November 8 at 9pm EST. Leave your email address if it's not readily accessible (i.e. if it's not on your blogger profile). If there are any questions, leave them in the comments. Also, if I can find them, I may be giving out a second prize consisting of the ARCs of Shadows (Book 2) and Monsters (Book 3)- let me know if you prefer one prize over another, or if you're fine with either. So more opportunity to win!

and here's an interview with Ilsa:

1) How did you get the idea for the Ashes trilogy? Is it sad to see the story ending now with the release of Monsters?

About four or five years ago, I read a very good book with an end-of-the-world scenario and liked it so much I found myself wondering if I could pull off something like that. The problem I felt with that book—and others like it, though—was that the setups weren’t that believable; people were too well behaved; and/or we were dropped into societies eons after whatever catastrophe had taken place. So I decided that if I were to try something like that, the science would have to be fairly solid; people would act like the savages they can be; and I would let things evolve rather than simply drop readers into a world that’s already changed.

As for the end: I wrote a whole blog entry, “Letting Go,” about this, and you can read it here: http://www.ilsajbick.com/?p=2354. I also just did a PW podcast where they asked that question, too, and you can listen to that interview here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=5&podcast=153#path/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=5&podcast=153.

But, in a nutshell, I’m both proud and pretty bummed. I did something I’ve always wanted to try, and that was to tell a very big, very complicated story: see it all the way through, juggle multiple plotlines and POVs, that kind of thing. I think I’ve pretty much succeeded, too.

Yet I’m also very sad to say good-bye. I still toy with ideas for a fourth book; I even know what it would be about. But you have to know when to let things go. If another book’s meant to be, it’ll notify me.

In the meantime, I’m really glad I’ve got another series coming out. Fills the void, and now I have new characters to torture.


2) You're a child psychiatrist. Does any of that background feed into your writing at all?

Oh, sure. How can it not? Shrinkage was part of my daily life for over twenty years. I’m always interested in what makes people tick, and I think my background helps me avoid easy characterizations, or caricatures, for that matter. Almost everyone has another agenda, and nobody’s really all one thing or the other. (Well, okay, if you’re an ax-murderer, maybe then. But having worked in a women’s prison, you learn that you have to try and see things from a different point of view. Not always a comfortable experience, and it can be downright creepy. But you still have to try.)

When people walked into my office—whether this was in my private practice or during my time in the military—they were in their darkest moments, at the brink of the apocalypse. I’m not joking. People came to me when all their normal modes of functioning or coping had broken down and life was no longer business as usual. Until the moment they walked through my door, parents could hang onto the idea of—and hope for—a perfect child. Seeing me was not only synonymous with defeat: it meant the death of that future. If that’s not catastrophic—if that’s not horror—then I don’t know what is.

I also saw a ton of people who were truly awful to those they profess to love. A lot of families are sometimes bound much more strongly by hatred than love.

So, yeah . . . I draw on that stuff all the time.


3) What are you currently working on? Can you tell us anything about it?

I just went through the first-round copy-edits for Book I of my new Dark Passages Series, WHITE SPACE, and am now in the beginning throes—really, think hand to hand combat—of the sequel, THE DICKENS MIRROR. If you want a general idea what the books are about . . . think The Matrix meets Inkheart and Inception, and that will give you a clue. They’re basically YA horror/psychological thrillers with a dash of sci-fi and, in the case of DICKENS MIRROR, historical fiction. I know; I’m hard to nail down.

Just as soon as I’m done with DM, I’ll go back to a new standalone I’m about halfway through and then revisit the first book in another projected series that I’ve also got about half-written. (So much to do, only so many hours in the day I can spend at a computer before my brain turns to oatmeal.) By the time I’m all done with those, I’m sure I’ll have thought of something else to write. If I haven’t, I’m in trouble. My husband might make me go back to work.



4) What is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor, or if you don't like those, your favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

Heh. I try not to snack when I write, and when the writing’s going well, I sometimes forget to eat. I actually don’t use/see food as a reward for writing either. Food is, you know, fuel. On the other hand, I do have a dry martini on Friday nights (my reward for enduring the work week, although since I work on weekends, too . . . it’s kind of futile, you know?). But when I finish a book, I will give myself permission for a vodka martini (Belvedere, three olives, very dry) even if it’s not Friday.

But I do have three favorite Jelly belly flavors: chocolate pudding, chili mango, and lemon-lime.


5) What book(s) are you currently reading, or are about to start?

Currently reading and/or listening to: Storm Front by John Sandford; The Final Descent by Rick Yancey; Dr. Sleep by Stephen King; Never Go Back by Lee Child; and The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus.

Blog Tour- Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow
"In the world of SORROW'S KNOT, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry, something deadly. Most of the people of this world live on the sunlit, treeless prairies. But a few carve out an uneasy living in the forest towns, keeping the dead at bay with wards made from magically knotted cords. The women who tie these knots are called binders. And Otter's mother, Willow, is one of the greatest binders her people have ever known.

But Willow does not wish for her daughter to lead the lonely, heavy life of a binder, so she chooses another as her apprentice. Otter is devastated by this choice, and what's more, it leaves her untrained when the village falls under attack. In a moment of desperation, Otter casts her first ward, and the results are disastrous. But now Otter may be her people's only hope against the shadows that threaten them. Will the challenge be too great for her? Or will she find a way to put the dead to rest once and for all?"- summary from Amazon

REVIEW TO COME!


and here's an interview with Erin:

1) How did you get the idea for Sorrow's Knot?

I have no idea.

I’m sorry, I know it’s a disappointing answer. I can remember some of the early and abiding images, chief among them a girl with her hands spread and a cat’s cradle between them. She is wearing red. Something about the gesture — bound up, yet full of power; ancient, but playful — caught my imagination. It ended up on the cover of the book, too.

The other question I asked myself went something along the lines of: “In a world where knots give you the power over life and death, what would happen if someone had too much of that power?”

But where that image and that idea came from, I’m not sure. Some things just come.


2) What are you currently working on? Can you tell us anything about it?

The new book is called Children of Peace. It's set 500 years into the future, in a long period of peace that followed a global climate war. To keep that peace, the rulers of various countries send their children to be raised together in these idyllic country schools, where they make friends with other future leaders, grow their own food, learn about ruling the world, and get killed if their countries go to war. It's sort of a hostage drama and sort of a boarding school novel, and it has randy goats and snarky artificial intelligences in it. I like it a lot. How can you not like a book narrated by Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy?

I envision Greta’s story as a trilogy but I’ve yet to sell it — so I’m afraid it will be some years before anyone can read it.


3) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)? Or, if you don't like those, a favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

Please don’t hate me, but I’m not a huge candy person. I love chocolate. I have a secret bar of fair trade chocolate in my desk drawer that I nibble a little at a time. Any dark chocolate will do, but bitter flavours like orange or chili or sea salt caramel don’t go amiss.


4) What book(s) are you currently reading, or are about to start?

I just read Oryx and Crake and Fangirl. I liked Fangirl better — suck it, Margaret Atwood! I’ve just started One Year in Coal Harbour, an MG contemporary which has a lead character named Primrose Squarp, and is utterly charming. I recommend it for fans of the Penderwicks. Next on my nightstand is a nonfiction book called Love and Math. It’s about math. And I have Untold on order!

Cover Reveal- Bleed Like Me by C. Desir

I've been meaning to read Fault Line by Desir and it just sounds so good, so when I was offered the chance to help reveal the cover of her second book, I jumped at the chance. I love being a part of cover reveals and it's just great.

Here's the synopsis for Bleed Like Me:

"Seventeen-year-old Amelia Gannon is overwhelmed. Her parents are pre-occupied with her high-needs adopted brothers, her best friend is more interested in bumming cigarettes than bonding, and her job at the hardware store feels more and more like a life sentence. She finds an escape in troubled new guy, Michael Brooks. He's obnoxious, possessive, and addictive. Gannon lets him insert himself into her life, and Brooks is just as addicted to her as she is to him. Swept into an intense relationship, their passion ultimately becomes dangerous to them both."


and here's the beautifully simple cover:

What do you all think? I absolutely love it. Bleed Like Me will be released in Fall 2014. Desir's debut Fault Line is in stores now.

The Originals by Cat Patrick

The Originals by Cat Patrick
"17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...

Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely loved Patrick's debut and have been meaning to read her second book Revived for a while, but I was glad to pick this new one up from her. It's got a fantastic premise like all her books and she delivers brilliantly, for the most part. I will say that the ending left much to be desired. I felt it ended pretty abruptly and too neatly; like I was surprised at how quickly the final scenes played out. I was expecting much more.

Aside from that, it was a good book. We spend the book in Lizzie's perspective and it was interesting to see her grow throughout the book and become more of a unique person. The romance between her and Sean was really great too. I loved their interactions and they had some good chemistry together.

There's some wonderful twists and turns too, with the mystery and suspense building up throughout the book to keep the pages turning. The reveal is interesting and not necessarily what I was expecting, which was nice.

Overall, a good read and worth a look.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

September Girls by Bennett Madison

September Girls by Bennett Madison
"In September Girls, Sam is spending the summer in a beach town filled with beautiful blond girls who all seem inexplicably attracted to him. But that’s not the only reason why he thinks the Girls are strange. They only wear flats because heels make their feet bleed. They never go swimming in the water. And they all want something from him.

Sam finds himself in an unexpected summer romance when he falls for one of the Girls, DeeDee. But as they get closer, she pulls away without explanation. Sam knows that if he is going to win her back, he’ll have to learn the Girls’ secret."- summary from Amazon

I've noticed there's a lot of extremes with this book- either love or hate. I'm more in the middle- this was a good book but I didn't think it was amazing by any means. If I were in the business of giving stars, it'd be 3.5 out of 5. Madison does a really good job putting a twist on the whole mermaid mythology, and it's very interesting, especially when reading the chapters from the girls' perspectives. They're a bit vague in the beginning, but reveal more as the story goes on.

Most of the book though is from Sam's perspective, and he's a typical teenage boy, which means cursing and thinking about sex a lot. So if stuff like that bothers you, this isn't the book to read. Sam is more introspective and thoughtful though, which gives the book a more grounded, intimate feel to it. It's really a character-based novel and I feel like if you don't care about the characters, the book won't be good. Not a lot happens in the book, so it's certainly not a page-turner. I spent much longer reading this book than most books I read because there wasn't that urgency. I did really like how Madison handled the ending, and it was just very realistic.

Overall, like I said earlier, it's a good book but I feel like it's something you need to read a snippet of online before making your decision to read it. See if it's the kind of book for you.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.