Fresh New Voice of YA- Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
"When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love.

Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.

But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends."- summary from Amazon

Kirby has a wonderful debut novel that's a great summer read with depth. Usually, summer reads mainly deal with a romance, but that's on the backburner here. The main plot is all about Anna coming to terms with her mother's death nine years ago and dealing with the pain she's been feeling.

There's such a great balance between light and dark in this book, which can be hard to do. I loved the beach setting and Kirby does an excellent job really making the reader feel like they're at the beach too. The prose is descriptive and flows so well.

I gotta say that while I loved Anna and Tyler, my favorite character would have to be Ashley. She was just so funny but could be pretty insightful too. Tyler isn't seen too much and I kinda wish there'd been more scenes with him, showing off the chemistry he and Anna have. I loved their scenes together and Tyler just sounds like such a great, hot guy. I want a hottie lifeguard now, lol.

Overall, a fantastic debut with a gorgeous cover. I urge everyone to put this on your summer wishlists!

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

FNV Excerpt Vlog- The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

Here's the first excerpt vlog of the week, where I read from The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski, which is out in stores today!



Hope you all enjoyed it!! Fragment Friday is happening this Friday so get your links ready!!

Fresh New Voice of YA- Interview with Jessi Kirby

1)How did you get the idea for Moonglass?

It definitely didn’t come all at once. Ten years ago I worked as a lifeguard during my college summers, and that’s where the idea began. I had just read White Oleander by the insanely talented Janet Fitch, and was completely taken with her mother-daughter story. Back then, I only knew that was something I wanted to explore. Things didn’t totally come together until I moved to Crystal Cove a few years back. Once I got there, ideas for the story were all around me. Between the broken down cottages and early morning runs on the beach, and the sea glass washed up on the sand, I couldn’t help but be inspired.


2) Tell us all about The Call/The Email! Where were you when you got it? Did you do anything to celebrate the sale?

It was intense! Moonglass ended up going to auction, so I was on and off the phone a lot that day with my agent, trying to figure out what to do and who to go with. My kids were completely stir-crazy, and my husband was at work, unreachable by phone. I had a huge decision to make, couldn’t talk to my best partner about it, and had two little people yelling at me for snacks and a trip to the park.

When I finally made the decision and called my agent to tell her I was going with my gut, I took a few deep breaths, snuck out to the back yard, and watched the ocean for a few minutes before I dialed.


3) You're part of the Elevensies group. How did you get involved with it, and how has the group helped you so far in preparing for your book launch?

I worked as an English teacher, then school librarian before this, so I’ve always tried to follow and keep up on great debuts. I loved so many of the Debutatntes’ and Tenners’ books, that as soon as I found out I was going to be published, I found and joined the Elevensies. They’re such a hugely supportive, knowledgeable group. It definitely helps to be able to ask questions you feel like maybe you should know the answer to but don’t, or compare experiences. We celebrate and commiserate together!

 
4) What is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor (or flavors, if you're so inclined)?

Pomegranate and Juicy Pear.


5) Before publishing Moonglass, you were an English teacher and then a librarian. What was your favorite and least favorite part about those jobs?

My most favorite part was always the kids! I loved my students and all their humor and personality. They’re what I miss the most. What I don’t miss—grading papers and contacting parents.


6) What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Read, read, read. Everything you can—books in your genre, books outside your genre, books on craft, everything. You can’t be a good writer if you’re not a good reader first.


7) What book(s) are you reading right now, or are about to start?

I’m just finishing up PLAYING HURT, by Holly Schindler—it’s fabulous, and am about to start POSSESSION by Elana Johnson, who is amazing and brilliant and funnier than hell.

In My Mailbox- Week of May 1 + Retrospective

I have another vlog for you guys with some really awesome books featured. I apologize in advance for the shaky camera at points in the first few minutes. My stupid cat kept moving around on the bed. Normally, they just sit and do nothing, wondering why I'm talking, but this one (Pearl) kept wanting to move around and stuff. Le sigh.



Books Shown:

The Lucky Kind by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (Hardcover, May 2011)
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions Edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong (ARC, Sept. 2011)
Possess by Gretchen McNeil (ARC, Sept 2011)
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (ARC, Oct 2011)
Vanish by Sophie Jordan (ARC, Sept 2011)
Frost by Marianna Baer (ARC, Sept 2011)
If You Ask Me (and Of Course You Won't) by Betty White (Hardcover from library, May 2011)
From This Moment On by Shania Twain (Hardcover from library, May 2011)

and here's my retrospective for the week:

Monday- I answered two questions about BEA that readers sent me. If you have any others, leave a comment on that post or email me (or, heck, you can even ask in comments on this post).

Tuesday- I reviewed Die for Me by Amy Plum, which is out in stores on May 10!

Wednesday- I posted an Ask Book Chic, where people ask me how I like my birthday cakes, what obstacles I've had to overcome, and something else I cannot remember.

Thursday- I reviewed Abandon by Meg Cabot, which is out in stores now. (Psst... I'm going to see Meg on the 26th in NYC at her This is Teen signing! Who else is going?)

Saturday- I reviewed So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti, which is out in stores now. (Psst again... I'm going to see Susane at the Teen Author Carnival on the 23rd! Anyone else going?)

Also, Lauren Myracle gave me a few tour dates she's got coming up this week (btw, I'm doing an interview with her that's going up later this month, so come back for that), so check it out!

May 11- 7:00pm B&N # 1955 Reading/Discussion/Signing
Mansell Crossings Shopping Center
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Phone: (770) 993-8340

May 12- 7:00pm Discussion/Signing
Bethesda Public Library
7400 Arlington Rd.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(This one is being sponsored by Politics and Prose, which is an AWESOME bookstore in DC! Also, I am going to this one, so if you're going, keep an eye out for me!)

May 13- 3:30pm In-store signing
Children’s Bookstore
737 Deepdene Road
Baltimore, MD 21210
PH: 410-532-2000

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
"When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner..."- summary from Amazon

It has been way too long since I've read a Susane Colasanti book (the last one I read was my first- Take Me There when it came out) and I've felt bad about it, but now even more so after having read this book because it was awesome. I have a feeling I'll be reading and reviewing Waiting for You and Something Like Fate soon.

Colasanti's writing just flows so well and I really enjoyed Brooke as a character. I also liked Colasanti's secondary characters too- they were fleshed out and fun to read about. I particularly liked John and his quirky nature.

I don't want to say much about the romance because I don't know if it's a spoiler or not, but I will say I felt that it was handled realistically. Colasanti really knows how to build romance up; this isn't one of those love-at-first-sight books that seem to be cropping up in the past couple years.

Colasanti really made New York feel like another character. I loved it when Brooke was going around the city on her own or with friends because it really felt like I was there. It was a great setting to choose and she used it to its full capacity.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and flew through it quickly. Now I have to go read my copies of her other books!

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