Duplikate by Cherry Cheva

Duplikate by Cherry Cheva
"To Do List:

Ace SATs
Ace finals
Ace AP physics project
Avoid murdering lab partner
Submit Yale application
Resolve possibly evil twin situation

Due date: December 15th
Countdown: 11 days

By the time Kate Larson accidentally fell asleep at three a.m., she'd already done more work in one night than the average high school senior does in a week. Getting into Yale has been her dream for years—and being generally overworked and totally under-rested is the price of admission. But when she opens her eyes the next day, she comes face-to-face with, well, her face—which is attached to her body, which is standing across the room. Wait, what?

Meet Kate's computer-generated twin. Kate doesn't know why she's here or how to put her back where she belongs, but she's real. And she's the last thing Kate has time to deal with right now. Unless . . .

Could having a double be the answer to Kate's prayers? After all, two Kates can do more work than one. Or will keeping her twin a secret turn her dream future into a living nightmare?"-summary from Amazon

Cheva's sophomore effort is, in my opinion, much better than her first. While I enjoyed She's So Money, Duplikate just had that extra oomph factor to it. It's an absolutely hilarious read and an extremely intriguing concept. The romance was a bit cliche and predictable, but still very cute. The final act of the book had my heart pounding and with me on the edge of my seat (or bed, since that's where I did most of my reading) and the ending had an unexpected twist to it, which made me smile. Overall, a solid book and one I really loved; I can't wait to read more from Cheva.


Interview with Cherry Cheva
1) How did you get the idea for Duplikate?

Props go to my very smart editors! We were throwing around a couple different ideas, and somebody mentioned something about a girl interacting with a computer avatar, and I basically took that general concept and ran with it.


2) What are you working on now, both on the book side and the Family Guy side?

Let’s see…Family Guy, we’re in the middle of production season 8. Some awesome episodes coming up! I wrote the two-part season premiere for next fall, so watch for that on TV a year from now (it’s a murder mystery!). On the book side, I’m working on some stuff, but no super concrete info right now.

Also, Cherry has an episode coming up this season called "Hannah Banana", in which Stewie gets tickets to a Hannah Montana concert, which will hopefully be debuting by the end of this year.

ETA: I just checked Wikipedia and it turns out that Cherry's episode will debut on November 8! Be sure to watch it!!


3) Are you more like Katerina (from this book) or Maya (from She's So Money)? Or is there another character that you're more like?

Probably more like Maya, although let’s face it, both those gals are waaaay more hard-core than I was in high school. I mean, I was pretty nerdy with the AP classes and trying to get into Ivy League schools and whatever, but nowhere near their level.


4) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor?

Oooh! I love this question. What’s the purple flavor, like island punch or something? I also like the sour ones.

Discussion Post- My Reviews

After looking around the blogosphere and seeing posts about negative reviews, I read some thoughts and comments (and have heard this same sort of thing elsewhere in an unrelated discussion) that made me think about my own reviews. Yes, this is essentially a self-centered post and are my sort of stream-of-consciousness thoughts on this matter so I'm not sure how much sense it will all make.

Several people said that they find it off-putting when a blog has only positive reviews and they feel that they can't trust the blogger in question because how can every book be amazing? This made me think about my own blog because my reviews are always positive, which then led me to think about my readers. Do my readers trust my reviews? Do they even read my reviews, or am I losing my audience because of my consistently positive reviews? Because if everything's good, why read my review? Should I even continue being a blogger? Other book bloggers seem to do much better because they have such a variety of reviews- 1 star to 5 stars. You never know what's going to come up next and that makes the blog intriguing. Is my blog bland in the review aspect of it? Or, like I saw someone else say, is it becoming more like a promotion site than book blog?

One other thing that really frustrates me is when people equate "honest" with "positive and negative". I am always honest in my reviews. I am not just kissing ass or anything. These are my honest thoughts and my honest perspective, which may not always include a negative side of things. Am I somehow not being honest when my review is all positives just because someone else saw flaws within the book?

This has been bothering me for a while so it's nice to be able to finally type this out and get it posted. Any thoughts, suggestions, boosts of confidence (as I'm feeling insecure at the moment), whatever would be fantastic. And just so everyone knows, I am moderating all comments on all posts but every comment will get published. I'm mainly doing this just because of the spam I've been getting (always written in Chinese/Japanese language, which I find really odd- has anyone else been getting this?) so it is not some tactic to weed out negative comments, so feel free to say whatever you want.

ETA: So I was looking through my Amazon reviews today and in my review for Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby, someone had left a comment saying that since I only post 5 star reviews (that should change when I go through my reviews and post them up on Amazon and there should be a little more variety then), I must be a shill, which is someone who praises or talks up an item to veil the hidden truth of its suckiness and to get people to buy it anyway.

This comment was posted in early March but I'm just now coming across it. I thought it was funny though that it happened to be the same week I talk about my reviews, lol.

Blog Tour- Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

This is a very messed-up book, but in a good way, which is an odd statement to make about a book, but it's true. Bray has created a story that is hilarious, random, surreal, and thought-provoking. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think it's for everyone. It's definitely a crazy, very weird, adventure-filled book; I mean, just look at the summary. I loved the characters in this book and they were all so much fun to read about. There was one part though toward the end that gave me pause; I was happy about this revelation, but at the same time, it felt like it came out of nowhere and I was puzzled by it. From what I'd read, there had really been no clues or hints about it, so when it was revealed, it seemed out of place. The ending was really interesting and very climactic. This was a wonderful book all the way through; it is very long but it held my interest all throughout.


Interview with Libba Bray
1) Cameron has a traumatic experience during the It's A Small World attraction at Disney World when he was young. Have you ever had a traumatic experience at either Disney theme park? If not, where did you get the idea for that to happen to Cameron?

You mean other than having to hug oversized, perpetually smiling chipmunks? I never went to Disney as a kid. It wasn’t until my son came along that we went. And I loved it. I remember thinking, man, this must be like a pre-schooler’s version of an acid trip. So surreal and completely delightful. It still ranks as my favorite family vacation.

There were three things that found their way into the story. The first was the Small World ride. I did have a thought that maybe, when you’re entering into whatever comes next, you get there on the Small World ride. It seemed like a great way to go. Monotonous, but great. And that got me to thinking about the River Styx, making those associations.

The second was the Transit Authority tram. It was possibly the least populated ride while we were there, and perfect for chickens like me, so I rode it more than once. Mostly, I liked it because it made me feel like I was five and everything was wonderful and possible, especially when we hit the part where the light streams overhead. To me, it felt profound. (I’m easily thrilled.)

Third, and most importantly, I suppose, was how much I enjoyed watching my son enjoying Disney World. That idea of a contagious joy definitely became a part of Cameron’s journey.

I guess that’s the thing about Disney that I really identify with—it’s all about staying in touch with your sense of wonder.


2) You've now done both historical fiction and contemporary fiction. Do you prefer one over the other? Was one genre easier to write? What made you decide to write this contemporary piece after the trilogy of historical fiction?

I don’t prefer one to the other, but I found that writing contemporary fiction didn’t present the same challenges that writing historical fiction did for me. Although I still did research for GOING BOVINE (mad cow disease, Norse mythology, physics, Don Quixote), the world I’ve constructed is its own ecosystem. It’s almost an alternate reality, so anything can happen, really. That freed me up a bit. Certainly, having contemporary teens using contemporary language that was closer to my own speech patterns was a relief.

With the trilogy, even though Gemma’s world involved magic and so was a bit altered, I was still playing with Victorian society and the London of 1895-96. So there were details that had to be gotten right, or as right as I could get them. (I never feel like I do enough.) I actually enjoy the research aspect. I like learning new things, and when you’re dealing with history, you’re dealing with narrative, with what came before and seeing the threads that connect you to the past. I find that fascinating.

As for why I decided to write this contemporary piece after writing a supernatural, historical trilogy, um, I’m wondering if this is the same fool-proof logic that told me I should quit piano lessons to play 8th-grade basketball. (For the record, I am very short and have zero hand-eye coordination. Also, I hate having objects thrown at me and will immediately duck.) The truth is that I actually wrote GOING BOVINE between books two and three of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and then I put it in a drawer until that project was finished. I seem to like to ping and pong between creepy, horror-type pieces and weird, dark comedy pieces. Maybe I should just write a weird, funny, creepy, horror piece. Oh wait, that would be “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Curse you, Joss Whedon!


3) What are you working on now? Thinking of tackling a new genre?

Yes. Put me down for whatever Joss Whedon hasn’t gotten to yet. :)

I’m writing a satire about beauty queens stranded on a deserted island. Kind of like LORD OF THE FLIES meets LOST, but with a talent portion and lots of sequins. And I’d like to do another historical supernatural series at some point.


4) A lot of people have looked forward to this new book from you. What books are you looking forward to reading?

So much. I need a secret room where I can freeze time while I sit and read. I really want to read David Smalls’ graphic memoir, STITCHES. He and I were at the Novello Festival in Charlotte, NC, a few years back and he shared a bit of that story with us. He’s a lovely man, and I hear the book is absolutely stunning—in its art, its storytelling, and its honesty. I can’t wait to read Scott Westerfeld’s LEVIATHAN, David Levithan’s LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW, Jo Knowles’ JUMPING OFF SWINGS. I want to read the latest incarnation of WHITE CAT, the first book of a new trilogy that Holly Black is working on, which will come out next year, and I’m doing a manuscript exchange with Sara Ryan on her latest and can’t wait for that. On the adult side, I hear John Irving has a new book coming out. He’s one of my faves.


5) Now, the burning question on everyone's mind: what is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor?

Watermelon.

By the way, I hear a little Neosporin will take care of that burning question sensation.


Thanks to MO for supplying the book to me and Libba for answering my questions! Please check out the other blogs that are featuring Libba as part of the blog tour: Book Divas and Shaken & Stirred.

In My Mailbox- Week of September 21

No vlog this week- sorry guys! There just wasn't enough things to talk about. I had a VERY small book week, as you'll see. Here's what I got:


Ice by Sarah Beth Durst (2 hardcover copies) When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.
Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.



The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.


And that was it for this week! Can't wait to see what everyone else got! :)

Picture Post- Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong signing

So when I saw a long time ago that Melissa Marr was coming to Richmond, VA (just two hours from me) with Kelley Armstrong (who's Canadian, so she doesn't come down to this area much, if at all), I was absolutely ecstatic. I actually saw both at RWA from afar, but didn't want to go chat with them as I'd be at their event just a few days later; plus, as you saw from the RWA recap, I had a busy, author-filled evening that night, lol.

I've met Melissa twice before, during her tours for her first two books, so it's just become this ritual for me to go to one of her events every year (please don't move away from the DC area anytime soon, Melissa!). This was my first event without my dad (he accompanied me to the previous Melissa events and enjoyed himself both times, which was good) and instead was attending the event with a new friend of mine Benn and his friend whose name I can't remember. Both of them are huge Kelley Armstrong fans, and Benn's friend also really likes Melissa's novels and was trying to get Benn to read her stuff, which he did after the event where he bought copies of Melissa's books.

Anyway, I drove to Richmond with my roommate, who was coming along for the ride so she could visit her boyfriend. I dropped her off at his place, and went off to McDonald's for dinner then to the B&N where the event was being held. I arrived a bit early which was a good thing because by the time the event started, the place was packed. It was also a good thing I arrived early because I tried bringing in my paperback copy of Ink Exchange that Harper had sent me since I wanted it signed as well to be given away. Unfortunately, when I walked in, the things beeped and so I was worried that I was going to have to pay for a book I had brought in myself, so I took the book back out to my car and left it there. I just didn't want to be hassled. Anyway, they had set up a table and for some reason, had a line starting even though this was a reading too, not just a signing. Well, they remedied that situation and brought out chairs for everyone. And guess who helped bring out the chairs? Yes, Melissa and Kelley! I joked with Melissa when I saw her that she was working at her own event and helping to set up. They were both wired with caffeine though, so they needed to blow off some steam somehow, I guess, lol.



Once the event was set up, they came out and informally introduced themselves and then formally introduced themselves. This was the first of many hilarious moments to come. Both of them hate to read at readings, so they just did one long QnA session and threw out prizes to people who asked questions. Melissa had USB bracelets with deleted scenes, maps, and other goodies as well as court bracelets, and Kelley had Edison Group messenger bags and maybe tshirts too? I can't remember. The QnA session was really funny and interesting, and they both had such great chemistry together.

After the QnA, the signing started up and we all got into a wonky line and had our books signed. Melissa had a ton of court bracelets left over and so people were able to grab one or two when they came up to the table. She was so sweet and fished a USB bracelet out from her bag just to give to me since she thought I deserved one. We chatted for a little bit while she signed my copy of Fragile Eternity and also signed a copy of Wicked Lovely for the Ballads of Suburbia giveaway that Lauren of Shooting Stars Magazine hosted on her blog back in August. It was really fun seeing her again. Since I'd already had two previous pictures with her, I decided to hold off this time and not get one. Plus, I had to keep an eye on my friends in front of me who wanted a picture with Kelley since they're such huge fans of hers.



I took their picture with Kelley and then after that, they waited while I had my books signed. I had brought my ARC of The Awakening with me and then bought a copy of The Summoning for the giveaway I mentioned. Kelley was so sweet and thanked me for my recent (at that time) review of The Awakening and also told me that if I ever wanted to do a giveaway on my blog with her books, I should let her know and she would supply signed copies. It was just great. After she signed my books, I got a picture with her, and then said bye to her after that. I went up and purchased the books and then left. What was funny was that I had the ARCs with me of FE and Awakening and the cashier asked me if those were my own copies that I had brought. No, I just found these ARCs lying on your shelves and thought they were cool so I want to buy them, lol. But anyway, a fantastic evening and I loved every minute of it.


Picture 1- During the QnA session. Notice in the background how they set up the books on the left. Head facing right (Summoning), then head facing straight ahead (Awakening), then head facing left (WL). Isn't that funny? Picture 2- This is how hyper they both were as they were always a blur, and has nothing to do with my poor camera skills when there's no flash. Picture 3- Me with Kelley Armstrong. WOO!