So, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now, guys. Not only did I win an ARC of this beautiful, beautiful book from the ladies at The Midnight Garden earlier this year, but I also get to interview the amazing and totally swoon-worthy Tarver as part of the These Broken Stars Blog Tour!!! (You can check out my review here.)
Tarver is seriously soooo dreamy...he's giving all those other book boyfriends a run for their money, that's for sure. And he's all mine here to tell us a little about himself. I wish this interview could have lasted forever, and even now I'm still thinking of questions I wish I'd asked him. =)
o Full Name: Major Tarver J Merendsen
o Age: 18
o Occupation: Military, Major
o Goals: Survival!
o Likes: Hiking, reading, sparring, traveling
o Dislikes: Formal situations, my dress uniform, snobs
Thanks for stopping by, Tarver. I know you’ve had your fill of being interrogated, so I promise to make this as quick and painless as possible. ;)
First things first, tell us a little about your background. Where are you from? What’s your family like?
I’m from a quiet planet, mostly pastoral, colonized a few generations back now. My father’s a teacher and my mother’s a poet, and we lived outside town. I had a lot of room to run around as a kid, and I spent a lot of time climbing trees and falling out of them again. It was a good place to grow up.
That does sound nice. So, how did you come to be on the Icarus?
It was a public relations exercise. I was on my way back to get my next assignment, but I’d recently been received some commendations after an incident on Patron. Rich people don’t like to think too hard about the realities of war, so the military tries to get some PR value out of guys like me by parading us around in our dress uniforms. It was nearly as bad as being shipwrecked. Maybe worse—at least while I was shipwrecked I had good company.
Speaking of, LaRoux may be a household name in your world, but you’re pretty famous in your own right. Care to tell us how you came to be known as a war hero and what that means for/to you?
There was nothing heroic about it. It was a bad situation, and a lot of people died. I was lucky enough to get a group of soldiers and civilians out of a bad situation, but none of them ever should have been there in the first place. Medals don’t mean much in the field—they don’t stop bullets.
That sounds terrifying! You sound a little bitter about it...so that makes me wonder what made you join the military in the first place? What did your family think of this decision?
I was following my in my brother’s footsteps. My parents weren’t wild about it. To say the least.
Your first meeting with Lilac LaRoux was rather pleasant, but your second meeting…not so much. Was there ever a moment you regretted sitting down at that table in the salon on the Icarus? Maybe the moment you realized just who Lilac was? Or maybe when you realized you’d be stuck on a desolate planet with her and not much else?
Are you kidding? I lost count of the moments. She drove me up the wall. From the moment she humiliated me on the promenade deck to the moment she started complaining about how the forest floor was ruining her shoes… yeah, I had regrets.
What was your initial impression of Lilac LaRoux, and how did that change over the course of your time with her?
My very first impression? I thought she was a knockout. Prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Then, shortly after that, I thought she was a stuck up princess. Over time… I learned there was more to her than that.
Yeah, it's not all glitz and glam with Lilac, is it? She's got some hidden depths. And I know you were concerned for Lilac’s sake, but what was going through your head as the two of you watched the Icarus plummet to the ground of that foreign planet?
Nothing good. It’s hard to be anything but numb when you’re watching a disaster on that scale, knowing people are dying. If I was thinking anything at all, I was thinking of the lives lost. Wondering if ours would be next.
You obviously thought your best chance of survival lay with the wreckage of the Icarus, which was several days travel away from the remains of your own shuttle. That trek was full of unknowns, and there were plenty of times along the way that most people would have given up. The likelihood of rescue diminished with each passing day. How did you keep hope alive – keep both of your spirits up – when your situation seemed so dire?
We thought rescue craft would be most likely to head for the wreckage, so that’s where we went too. I knew our odds weren’t good, but you make your own hope in a situation like that. If you don’t keep moving, then it really is over. If you’re still moving, still breathing, you’re still in the game. Morale, in a situation like that, is a luxury. I just had to keep us moving forward, and we could worry about whether we were happy, later.
Strange things were happening around you and to Lilac. If you hadn’t experienced any of this for yourself, would you have ever believed that what Lilac saw or heard was anything more than a hallucination, a product of her own shock and grief after what she’d survived?
Where did you hear about those? I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about. Lilac suffered no more than a minor bump on the head, and that’s in the official report of the incident. Can we move on to the next question?
Sorry, sorry...I forgot there might be prying eyes out there. On your journey to the site of the wreckage and after, you and Lilac developed a very close bond. Did you attribute that to what you’d survived together, or did you always have stronger feelings toward her? When was the moment you think you actually fell in love with her?
I always thought she was beautiful. It took me a while to learn how strong she was, though. There’s a difference between being attracted to someone and falling in love with them. The first part was easy. The second came one piece at a time.
I do so love a “wrong side of the tracks” type romance. What chance did you think your love for each other had of overcoming the odds, her father being who he is and you being from the family you are, assuming you made it off that godforsaken planet?
I didn’t think there was any chance of it at all. Society’s designed to keep people like us apart. I know when you’re in the field, you think those bonds will last forever. Getting back to real life changes that, sometimes.
Is there any part of your story you wish you could go back and change? What do you hope is next for you?
There were parts of it… I don’t ever want to live through something like that again, but I don’t think you can change just one part of a story. You tug at one thread and the whole thing unravels. If we had never crashed on that planet, I never would have met Lilac. Really met her. And I couldn’t ever wish that undone. Next… peace and quiet, I hope. I think I’ve earned it.
Oh, I'd definitely say so! Alright, alright. I know when I’m ahead. But I gotta ask…how many times did you have to refrain from hitting that other interrogator? :P
So. Many. Times. But there was too much riding on it to lose control for an instant.
Thank you again, Tarver, for indulging us. I know your story is over, but I hope we meet again!
You know… we just might.
*sigh* See? Isn't he just the dreamiest?!? And guess what!?! You can have a Tarver of your very own! Just check out the giveaway below!
Thanks to Disney-Hyperion and the very lovely authors, you can enter to win:
1 of 5 shiny, finished hardcovers
1 Grand Prize of an autographed/annotated These Broken Stars galley, along with a limited edition necklace + TBS swag!
Open to US and Canadian residents aged 18 and up, or 13 and up with parental permission. See entry form for complete details.
About the Authors: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, NC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.
So, I'm sure you guys have all noticed that flashing button in my sidebar tempting you with the promise of five hot guys as part of the Elementals Read Along that Steph from Cuddlebuggery and I are hosting. I'm sad that it's almost over, but I'm glad I got to experience these books for the first time with some of you!
You know what else I'm excited about? Hosting a stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden! And the always delightful Gabriel Merrick is here to answer a few of my burning questions!!!
o Full Name – Gabriel Merrick
o Age – 17
o Goals – Qualify to go through Fire School for the spring semester. Stay alive.
o Likes – Layne, fire, macaroni-and-cheese, running
o Dislikes – Health food, math, when Michael is being a moron
o What constitutes your perfect woman? Have you met Layne?
Welcome
to The Starry-Eyed Revue, Gabriel. I hope you don't mind letting me pick your brain today...I know you control
fire but do you think you can you handle the heat? I guess we’ll find out…
First
things first, why don’t you like to be called Gabe? You call your twin brother Nicky but you don’t like to be called
anything but Gabriel.
Seriously, does anyone like to be called Gabe? Ugh. And I’ve called my brother
Nicky since we were little kids. If he minded, he’d tell me.
Ooookay. I actually knew a Gabe in school, but that's neither here nor there.
So,
I did a little research, and all four of you Merrick boys bear the names of
patron saints. Do you think this was
intentional? Saint Christopher was a
patron for storms. It had to be
intentional, right? That’s just too big
of a coincidence. Except that Saint
Gabriel is the patron saint of messengers, communication workers, and postal
workers. Your parents kind of missed the
mark on that one, huh? Or was I just
looking in the wrong place?
Yeah … um … we’re not really all that
religious. Some d-bag at school said that Gabriel was supposed to be a chick angel
or something. I punched him in the face.
Ha, I'll just bet you did. And deservedly so.
If
you had to pick -- and there was no chance it would cause a fight -- who’s your
favorite brother? (Oh, who am I
kidding…you’d probably do it just to
pick a fight.)
I’m closest to Nicky. That wouldn’t
start a fight. They know.
Okay...I just thought that maybe after what had happened in Spark and what's been foreshadowed with Nick, that maybe you'd have a different opinion. Glad to see you guys are as tight as ever.
I
gotta say, you were my favorite character right from the beginning. That first exchange with Becca in your
kitchen was when I knew. Sure,
you’re cruel to her later in the story, but you own up to your mistakes and
apologize, even going so far as to defend her honor. I think you are a genuinely good guy; you
just don’t know how to verbalize it or show that side of yourself to
others. Am I right?
*scoffs* It’ll probably save you time if
you just keep assuming I’m a complete tool. *hesitates* Nah. You’re right.
You’re right.
Glad to hear it. I've got a soft spot for the bad boy who has a change of heart.
You’re
kind of the black sheep of the family.
And it’s never more evident than in your book. After the events in Spark, do you think you guys might get closer? I
mean, you do realize that your brothers are only trying to protect you,
right? Even when Michael’s being a
hard-ass, it’s because he cares.
It’s funny. Sometimes I think we’re
growing apart—but sometimes I think we’re growing closer. *rolls eyes* Mike
still needs to switch to decaf, though. Or maybe spend more time with Hannah.
*wink*
Agreed. I think Hannah will prove to be very good for Michael.
While
you were avoiding your brothers, you found a friend in an unlikely place. What do you make of this Hunter kid? I really enjoyed the bromance that developed
between the two of you in Spark, but
are you sure we can trust him?
If I answer this question, can we quit
calling it a bromance? Ugh, I hate that word. It’s like we should be sharing
sloppy kisses or something. But yeah, Hunter’s all right. He’s a messed up kid,
but we all are, really. He’s been screwed over too many times. Once he figures
out that we’re not next in line to mess with him, he’ll calm down a bit.
*shakes head* Sorry...that was hawt. I was picturing...no, never mind. Ahem. Where were we? Oh, yeah...sure, sorry, I'll stop calling it a bromance.
Sure, Hunter's as messed up as any of you, but he did get you involved in a pretty risky venture. Was it the lure of the fire drawing you, or
was it saving innocent lives that made you keep doing it? Or are you just that crazy?
Sweetheart, I am just that crazy.
That's okay. I like crazy. *bats eyelashes*
You
finally shared your secret with someone outside of your family. Do you feel relieved not to have to hide it
from Layne anymore? Do you feel like
you’ve burdened her now or put her in danger, like Chris inadvertently ended up
doing to Becca?
Yeah, it’s a relief. Layne earned the
right to know. Maybe I have brought danger to her doorstep—but I can’t undo
that. And now that it’s out there, I don’t think I’d undo it, even if I could.
*wince* I know that makes me sound like a selfish bastard. See what I mean
about keeping up the assumption that I’m a complete tool?
That doesn't make you a tool; I'm glad Layne makes you that happy and that you're that comfortable with her. Speaking
of, how badly did you want to wipe that grin off Chris and Michael’s faces
whenever they compared what you had with Layne to Chris’s romantic entanglement? They really do like to antagonize you. Don’t they realize they’re playing with
fire?
*grin* Don’t worry, I can get them back.
Wait til you see what I do to Chris in Nicky’s book.
Heh. Can't wait!
I
love that the girl you fell for was the polar opposite of anyone you’ve dated
before. I think you surprised just about
everyone…including yourself. Was there
ever a moment when you tried to deny how you felt about Layne, whether to
protect her or yourself? And if so, you
knew that was never going to work, right?
I never wanted to deny what I felt for
Layne. I was too busy hoping she felt the same way back. You’re not going to
print that, right?
*swoons* But, yeah, I'm totally printing that. :0) I
assume you see a future with this girl, considering you let the cat out of the
bag and there’s no going back from that point.
But aside from that, what do you think your future holds? Think you’ll take Hannah’s advice?
Right now, I can’t see a future without
Layne. She’s helping me get my math scores up so I can go through fire school
in the spring.
*sigh* I think that's every nerdy girl's dream...a hot firefighter. Or is that just this nerdy girl?
Besides
fighting fires, I think you should consider a career dealing with special needs
kids. You were really great with
Simon. I know a lot of readers who don’t
exactly like you after reading Storm. Think your actions in Spark will redeem you in their eyes? Do you even care?
You think I give a crap if people don’t
like me? I care about protecting my brothers. I care about protecting Layne. I
care about douchebgs walking through the school hallways and beating the crap
out of some kid who can’t even hear. If that makes me a dickhead, I’m pretty
sure I’ll get over it.
Yeah, I kind of thought that might be your response. For the record, I think it makes you honorable.
Well, that about wraps it up, though I could think of a million more questions to ask you. Thank
you so much for stopping by, Gabriel. I loved you before, but I think I love you
even more now. Don’t be a stranger! ;0)
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
the Elementals series
(click on the images to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)
And now's your opportunity to pick who Brigid writes about next:
About the author:
Brigid Kemmerer started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years!
Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013.
Find the full tour schedule on the main tour page over at The Midnight Garden!
Big thanks to The Midnight Garden, Brigid Kemmerer, and Kensington Teen for putting this tour together and allowing The Starry-Eyed Revue to be a part of it!
Yay! It's finally my turn!!! =) So, I posted my giveaway earlier this month to get maximum exposure and give you guys extra time to enter. But now it's time for the guts of my post. ;-)
If you've visited the giveaway post, you know I'm featuring the Anna books by Kendare Blake. This series (can it be called that when there's only two books?) is an absolute favorite of mine. I don't think any other books have ever given me so many sleepless, nightmare-filled nights. But don't let that deter you from reading these awesome books. The fact that they can create that type of response in a reader is proof enough that they are Halloween-worthy reading material.
With Kendare's help, I was able to wrangle the Cas Lowood into playing a little This or That with us. As always, he doesn't mince words, but that's one of the things we love about him, right?
Chocolate or Fruity Pebbles?
Chocolate. And that goes for Pebbles too. Cocoa is the way to go.
Books or Movies?
Books. Also, movies. One shouldn't have to choose.
Truth or Dare?
Dare. Truth is sort of irritating.
Reality or Fantasy?
I don't see the difference.
Fight or Flight?
Fight. Easy choice.
Fast or Slow?
Fast.
Home or Away?
Away. What is this "home" you speak of?
Glass half-empty or Half-full?
The glass has liquid in it. The liquid is probably vodka. I guess you could say I'm a realist.
Old or New?
Old, if it's magic. New, if it's...I don't know. Food.
Public or Private?
Private. So why am I doing this interview?
Black & white or Somewhere in the middle?
Black, white and everything in between.
Ketchup or Mustard?
On what? Bologna? Then mustard. Pretty much ketchup for anything else.
Country or City?
I see plenty of both, and either one can kill you.
Noisy or quiet?
Same answer as above.
Light or Dark?
Dark.
Love it! Thanks so much for stopping by, Cas!
Don't forget, guys, that I'm giving away both books in this series. You can check out my original post for details and enter below for your chance to win.
Rules:
This giveaway is international. As long as The Book Depository ships to your location, you are good to go. (You can double-check that here.) [Button will be shipped separately if winner is international.]
One entry per household.
All entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant.
Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. And, people, check your SPAM folders...I've had to reach out more than once to some winners because they "didn't get the first email." I don't want to, but I'm going to have to start just picking new winners. :C
I am not responsible for lost packages.
And now on to the fun stuff! You only have to follow my blog to enter, but all other entries/follows are appreciated! :D
I've got a treat for you guys today! It's my stop on The Treachery of Beautiful Things Blog Tour, and the Faerie Realm's own Jack o' the Forest is here for an interview. But first, a little about the author and the book:
A lifelong fan of fantasy, romance, and ancient mysteries, Ruth Frances Long studied English Literature, History of Religions, and Celtic Civilization in college and now works in a specialized library of rare and unusual books. She lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. The Treachery of Beautiful Things is her first novel for teens.
Find out more about Ruth Frances Long and her books:
Title: The Treachery of Beautiful Things Author: Ruth Frances Long Series: n/a Publisher: Dial Books Publication Date: August 16, 2012 Purchase:Amazon | Barnes & Noble
A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction.
The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.
An Interview with Jack
So, Jack, without spoiling anything for those who haven't read your story yet, can you tell us how you came to be a Jack and what exactly a Jack is?
I came to be a Jack because I lost a war, and a love, through many failures—my own and others. To be a Jack is to be a slave, and to be forever cut off from yourself and what you truly are.
You go by many names -- Jack o' the Forest, Jack in Green -- but what name best suits you? What name would you choose for yourself if given the opportunity?
I am simply Jack. That is, after all, what Jenny calls me.
Your loyalty is questioned time and again throughout this story, but in the end, Jenny seems to trust you. What do you attribute that to?
Jenny’s heart is so great it gives her the ability to see things in others that they can no longer see in themselves.
Speaking of Jenny, what was your very first impression of her, faerie politics aside?
I noticed her freckles first, a small imperfection which made her so much more real. I saw that she was mortal, a brief flame, but that inwardly she is a fire beyond anything the Realm can kindle. Where she sees imperfection, I see all the wonderful things that make her unique.
In our world, we've heard many a tale spun about Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, as he is also known. You consider him a friend, even though his loyalty ultimately lies with Oberon. So, what's he really like?
Ah, the hobgoblin. Let me tell you about Puck and heed my words. You can only trust Puck if you have him tied in a sack, and even then he’ll lie to get you to let him out. But he means well, and would do good if he could. He’s the closest thing I have to a friend.
What's your favorite thing about the Faerie Realm? Least favorite?
The Realm is my home, the place that made me. I cannot help but love it. To deny its beauty is to deny breathing. My least favorite thing is the way it corrupts good intentions and twists them until they decay into something dark and terrible. That, and its Queen.
Describe a typical day for a Jack.
I wake with a hole inside me, part of myself gone forever, as if I am trying to remember something I have lost. Throughout the day, as I guard the Edge, it seems that I might grasp this lost thing, but the course of a day never changes. As the sun goes down and night draws in, I know I will lose it again.
If you had it to do all over again, which would you choose: to go back to your life before you were a Jack, or are you happy with how your story ended?
As long as I can be near Jenny, I’ll be happy. To go back might mean losing her, or succumbing to the decay at the heart of the Realm. I couldn’t do that. Some things are best forgotten.
____________
Awww!!! That Jack is just a big ole softy at the core, at least when it comes to his Jenny.
Be sure to check out my review of The Treachery of Beautiful Things and enter below to win your own copy! The Treachery of Beautiful Things releases next week on August 16th.
On today's stop of the Sovereign Hope Blog Tour, I'll be interviewing Daniel from the novel. He's the Clark Kent to Farley's Lois Lane, and though he's normally as tight-lipped as Superman, today he's spilling the beans. :D
What was your first impression of Farley? You know...before you met her, when you were technically stalking her?
I was hardly stalking her. Agatha and I were both following her to make sure she was safe. I had much better things to be doing with my time, too. Sitting in a high school car lot really doesn't rank high on my list of things I enjoy doing. I guess the first month, I hated following her around. I resented her because she seemed incredibly boring. She just went to school and then came home, and in between those two places she was either at the police station, or driving around putting up posters of her mom.
Things changed when I realised how sad she was. She was around people all the time, but you could see it in her eyes: she felt alone. It ended up that I couldn't bear watching her at night, because it was too tempting to go up to the house and talk to her. I told Agatha I wouldn't take those shifts, so she was mostly stuck with them.
Can you give us a hint as to the cause of the bad blood between you and Kayden?
*frowning* I don't really like talking about Kayden. Let's just say he can be incredibly selfish and leave it at that.
Do you think Kayden might have designs on Farley? He did seem to be flirting with her. What would you do if he did?
If he does, then he's screwed. I can understand why he would be attracted to her. She's beautiful- any guy would be crazy not to see that. But if he touches her... if he looks at her the wrong way, it won't end well for him. I've fought with Kayden countless times before, and over some seriously stupid things, but him hitting on Farley would be an entirely different matter altogether.
What do you think the future holds for you and Farley?
It's hard to say. It's going to be a long time before things could ever be 'normal' for us. There's still so much that we need sort out- like where Agatha and the others are. Plus we're hardly safe from the Quorum, either. I think once this is all over, Farley might like to go back to school. I'd probably go with her.
I think....*pauses* I think I'd like to blame that on the fact that I want to keep her safe, but the truth is that I can't bear to be apart from her.
Lastly, what are your feelings toward Operation: Find Daniel? Do any of the submissions come close?
Uhh... I think it's weird. I have no idea about these guys. I can't see it. Farley's said a couple of them do actually look like me, though, so I suppose she'd be the one to ask.
A big thanks to Daniel for taking the time to talk to us today! Here's a little more about the book and the author, and be sure to check out Frankie's website for the full tour schedule!
Title: Sovereign Hope Author: Frankie Rose Series: Book 1 in the Hope series Publisher: create space Publication Date: July 1, 2012 Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Everyone has a soul.
Some are just worth more than others.
Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was. Since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.
The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy following her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her window in the LA lunch hour traffic, trying to persuade her to leave everything behind and follow him. And he's hot as all hell.
The moment Farley lays eyes on Daniel, everything changes. He is cold and withdrawn, but there are cracks in his harsh veneer- cracks that betray the secrets he is trying so hard to hide. Farley is drawn into a world that will shake apart everything she thought she ever knew. There are truths out there that she must learn: that a person’s soul is their only real currency, and there are people who would do anything to take hers; that loving someone can hurt so much more than hating them; but, most importantly, when your future is predestined, there is little you can do to change it.
Farley Hope is prophesied.
Her coming has been awaited for hundreds of years.
She is destined to end the tyranny of the Soul Reavers.
To do so she must die.
And here's the trailer:
About the author:
As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!).
The truth of the matter was a little more embarrassing: I used to sit too close to the T.V. That was the reason why I had to wear glasses, but kids don’t really care about small, insignificant details like the truth, and so I was labelled a nerd. The label kinda stuck, and after some sage advice from my awesome nana (nana, you rock!) I decided that if I was going to be abused for my supposed literary obsession, I might as well develop one.
I guess that’s how I got into books and reading at an early age. Since then, I’ve been ripping through books like they’re going out of fashion, which, thankfully, they’re not. Good thing, too, because I’m a writer now, and books are my business!
I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
Friday, November 15, 2013
{Blog Tour} These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: Character Interview + Giveaway
So, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now, guys. Not only did I win an ARC of this beautiful, beautiful book from the ladies at The Midnight Garden earlier this year, but I also get to interview the amazing and totally swoon-worthy Tarver as part of the These Broken Stars Blog Tour!!! (You can check out my review here.)
Tarver is seriously soooo dreamy...he's giving all those other book boyfriends a run for their money, that's for sure. And he's
all minehere to tell us a little about himself. I wish this interview could have lasted forever, and even now I'm still thinking of questions I wish I'd asked him. =)Thanks for stopping by, Tarver. I know you’ve had your fill of being interrogated, so I promise to make this as quick and painless as possible. ;)
First things first, tell us a little about your background. Where are you from? What’s your family like?
I’m from a quiet planet, mostly pastoral, colonized a few generations back now. My father’s a teacher and my mother’s a poet, and we lived outside town. I had a lot of room to run around as a kid, and I spent a lot of time climbing trees and falling out of them again. It was a good place to grow up.
That does sound nice. So, how did you come to be on the Icarus?
It was a public relations exercise. I was on my way back to get my next assignment, but I’d recently been received some commendations after an incident on Patron. Rich people don’t like to think too hard about the realities of war, so the military tries to get some PR value out of guys like me by parading us around in our dress uniforms. It was nearly as bad as being shipwrecked. Maybe worse—at least while I was shipwrecked I had good company.
Speaking of, LaRoux may be a household name in your world, but you’re pretty famous in your own right. Care to tell us how you came to be known as a war hero and what that means for/to you?
There was nothing heroic about it. It was a bad situation, and a lot of people died. I was lucky enough to get a group of soldiers and civilians out of a bad situation, but none of them ever should have been there in the first place. Medals don’t mean much in the field—they don’t stop bullets.
That sounds terrifying! You sound a little bitter about it...so that makes me wonder what made you join the military in the first place? What did your family think of this decision?
I was following my in my brother’s footsteps. My parents weren’t wild about it. To say the least.
Your first meeting with Lilac LaRoux was rather pleasant, but your second meeting…not so much. Was there ever a moment you regretted sitting down at that table in the salon on the Icarus? Maybe the moment you realized just who Lilac was? Or maybe when you realized you’d be stuck on a desolate planet with her and not much else?
Are you kidding? I lost count of the moments. She drove me up the wall. From the moment she humiliated me on the promenade deck to the moment she started complaining about how the forest floor was ruining her shoes… yeah, I had regrets.
What was your initial impression of Lilac LaRoux, and how did that change over the course of your time with her?
My very first impression? I thought she was a knockout. Prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Then, shortly after that, I thought she was a stuck up princess. Over time… I learned there was more to her than that.
Yeah, it's not all glitz and glam with Lilac, is it? She's got some hidden depths. And I know you were concerned for Lilac’s sake, but what was going through your head as the two of you watched the Icarus plummet to the ground of that foreign planet?
Nothing good. It’s hard to be anything but numb when you’re watching a disaster on that scale, knowing people are dying. If I was thinking anything at all, I was thinking of the lives lost. Wondering if ours would be next.
You obviously thought your best chance of survival lay with the wreckage of the Icarus, which was several days travel away from the remains of your own shuttle. That trek was full of unknowns, and there were plenty of times along the way that most people would have given up. The likelihood of rescue diminished with each passing day. How did you keep hope alive – keep both of your spirits up – when your situation seemed so dire?
We thought rescue craft would be most likely to head for the wreckage, so that’s where we went too. I knew our odds weren’t good, but you make your own hope in a situation like that. If you don’t keep moving, then it really is over. If you’re still moving, still breathing, you’re still in the game. Morale, in a situation like that, is a luxury. I just had to keep us moving forward, and we could worry about whether we were happy, later.
Strange things were happening around you and to Lilac. If you hadn’t experienced any of this for yourself, would you have ever believed that what Lilac saw or heard was anything more than a hallucination, a product of her own shock and grief after what she’d survived?
Where did you hear about those? I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about. Lilac suffered no more than a minor bump on the head, and that’s in the official report of the incident. Can we move on to the next question?
Sorry, sorry...I forgot there might be prying eyes out there. On your journey to the site of the wreckage and after, you and Lilac developed a very close bond. Did you attribute that to what you’d survived together, or did you always have stronger feelings toward her? When was the moment you think you actually fell in love with her?
I always thought she was beautiful. It took me a while to learn how strong she was, though. There’s a difference between being attracted to someone and falling in love with them. The first part was easy. The second came one piece at a time.
I do so love a “wrong side of the tracks” type romance. What chance did you think your love for each other had of overcoming the odds, her father being who he is and you being from the family you are, assuming you made it off that godforsaken planet?
I didn’t think there was any chance of it at all. Society’s designed to keep people like us apart. I know when you’re in the field, you think those bonds will last forever. Getting back to real life changes that, sometimes.
Is there any part of your story you wish you could go back and change? What do you hope is next for you?
There were parts of it… I don’t ever want to live through something like that again, but I don’t think you can change just one part of a story. You tug at one thread and the whole thing unravels. If we had never crashed on that planet, I never would have met Lilac. Really met her. And I couldn’t ever wish that undone. Next… peace and quiet, I hope. I think I’ve earned it.
Oh, I'd definitely say so! Alright, alright. I know when I’m ahead. But I gotta ask…how many times did you have to refrain from hitting that other interrogator? :P
So. Many. Times. But there was too much riding on it to lose control for an instant.
Thank you again, Tarver, for indulging us. I know your story is over, but I hope we meet again!
You know… we just might.
*sigh* See? Isn't he just the dreamiest?!? And guess what!?! You can have a Tarver of your very own! Just check out the giveaway below!
Thanks to Disney-Hyperion and the very lovely authors, you can enter to win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more special content and additional chances to win!
The Midnight Garden
World-Building for the Future
Tuesday, 11/12
Love is Not a Triangle
Author Interview
Wednesday, 11/13
The Perpetual Page-Turner
Using Technology to Write with a Partner
Thursday, 11/14
Good Books and Good Wine
Audiobook Sample + Narrator Interview
Friday, 11/15
The Starry-Eyed Revue
Character Interview with Tarver
Monday, 11/18
Cuddlebuggery
Author Interview
Tuesday, 11/19
Books With Bite
Amie & Meg's Favorite Things
Wednesday, 11/20
Xpresso Reads
Establishing Characters with Role-Playing
Thursday, 11/21
Great Imaginations
Co-Authoring Books
Friday, 11/22
Nawanda Files
Lilac's Gorgeous Dress: A Look at These Broken Stars' Cover Art
Thanks so much for stopping by! Best of luck & happy reading!
Friday, May 24, 2013
{Blog Tour} Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer: Character Interview + Giveaway
So, I'm sure you guys have all noticed that flashing button in my sidebar tempting you with the promise of five hot guys as part of the Elementals Read Along that Steph from Cuddlebuggery and I are hosting. I'm sad that it's almost over, but I'm glad I got to experience these books for the first time with some of you!
You know what else I'm excited about? Hosting a stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden! And the always delightful Gabriel Merrick is here to answer a few of my burning questions!!!
o Full Name – Gabriel Merrick
o Age – 17
o Goals – Qualify to go through Fire School for the spring semester. Stay alive.
o Likes – Layne, fire, macaroni-and-cheese, running
o Dislikes – Health food, math, when Michael is being a moron
o What constitutes your perfect woman? Have you met Layne?
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, book #3
Publisher: Kensington/KTeen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.
He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.
Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…
(click on the images to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)
And now's your opportunity to pick who Brigid writes about next:
Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013.
Find Brigid:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule: May 20 - 31, 2013
Find the full tour schedule on the main tour page over at The Midnight Garden!
Big thanks to The Midnight Garden, Brigid Kemmerer, and Kensington Teen for putting this tour together and allowing The Starry-Eyed Revue to be a part of it!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Something Wicked Comes: Halloween Blog Tour/Giveaway Hop
Yay! It's finally my turn!!! =) So, I posted my giveaway earlier this month to get maximum exposure and give you guys extra time to enter. But now it's time for the guts of my post. ;-)
If you've visited the giveaway post, you know I'm featuring the Anna books by Kendare Blake. This series (can it be called that when there's only two books?) is an absolute favorite of mine. I don't think any other books have ever given me so many sleepless, nightmare-filled nights. But don't let that deter you from reading these awesome books. The fact that they can create that type of response in a reader is proof enough that they are Halloween-worthy reading material.
Chocolate. And that goes for Pebbles too. Cocoa is the way to go.
Books or Movies?
Books. Also, movies. One shouldn't have to choose.
Truth or Dare?
Dare. Truth is sort of irritating.
Reality or Fantasy?
I don't see the difference.
Fight or Flight?
Fight. Easy choice.
Fast or Slow?
Fast.
Home or Away?
Away. What is this "home" you speak of?
Glass half-empty or Half-full?
The glass has liquid in it. The liquid is probably vodka. I guess you could say I'm a realist.
Old or New?
Old, if it's magic. New, if it's...I don't know. Food.
Public or Private?
Private. So why am I doing this interview?
Black & white or Somewhere in the middle?
Black, white and everything in between.
Ketchup or Mustard?
On what? Bologna? Then mustard. Pretty much ketchup for anything else.
Country or City?
I see plenty of both, and either one can kill you.
Noisy or quiet?
Same answer as above.
Light or Dark?
Dark.
Love it! Thanks so much for stopping by, Cas!
Don't forget, guys, that I'm giving away both books in this series. You can check out my original post for details and enter below for your chance to win.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Blog Tour: The Treachery of Beautiful Things - Character Interview + Giveaway
I've got a treat for you guys today! It's my stop on The Treachery of Beautiful Things Blog Tour, and the Faerie Realm's own Jack o' the Forest is here for an interview. But first, a little about the author and the book:
Author: Ruth Frances Long
Series: n/a
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: August 16, 2012
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.
So, Jack, without spoiling anything for those who haven't read your story yet, can you tell us how you came to be a Jack and what exactly a Jack is?
I came to be a Jack because I lost a war, and a love, through many failures—my own and others. To be a Jack is to be a slave, and to be forever cut off from yourself and what you truly are.
You go by many names -- Jack o' the Forest, Jack in Green -- but what name best suits you? What name would you choose for yourself if given the opportunity?
I am simply Jack. That is, after all, what Jenny calls me.
Your loyalty is questioned time and again throughout this story, but in the end, Jenny seems to trust you. What do you attribute that to?
Jenny’s heart is so great it gives her the ability to see things in others that they can no longer see in themselves.
Speaking of Jenny, what was your very first impression of her, faerie politics aside?
I noticed her freckles first, a small imperfection which made her so much more real. I saw that she was mortal, a brief flame, but that inwardly she is a fire beyond anything the Realm can kindle. Where she sees imperfection, I see all the wonderful things that make her unique.
In our world, we've heard many a tale spun about Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, as he is also known. You consider him a friend, even though his loyalty ultimately lies with Oberon. So, what's he really like?
Ah, the hobgoblin. Let me tell you about Puck and heed my words. You can only trust Puck if you have him tied in a sack, and even then he’ll lie to get you to let him out. But he means well, and would do good if he could. He’s the closest thing I have to a friend.
What's your favorite thing about the Faerie Realm? Least favorite?
The Realm is my home, the place that made me. I cannot help but love it. To deny its beauty is to deny breathing. My least favorite thing is the way it corrupts good intentions and twists them until they decay into something dark and terrible. That, and its Queen.
Describe a typical day for a Jack.
I wake with a hole inside me, part of myself gone forever, as if I am trying to remember something I have lost. Throughout the day, as I guard the Edge, it seems that I might grasp this lost thing, but the course of a day never changes. As the sun goes down and night draws in, I know I will lose it again.
If you had it to do all over again, which would you choose: to go back to your life before you were a Jack, or are you happy with how your story ended?
As long as I can be near Jenny, I’ll be happy. To go back might mean losing her, or succumbing to the decay at the heart of the Realm. I couldn’t do that. Some things are best forgotten.
____________
Awww!!! That Jack is just a big ole softy at the core, at least when it comes to his Jenny.
Be sure to check out my review of The Treachery of Beautiful Things and enter below to win your own copy! The Treachery of Beautiful Things releases next week on August 16th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, July 23, 2012
Blog Tour: Interview w/ Daniel from Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose
On today's stop of the Sovereign Hope Blog Tour, I'll be interviewing Daniel from the novel. He's the Clark Kent to Farley's Lois Lane, and though he's normally as tight-lipped as Superman, today he's spilling the beans. :D
I was hardly stalking her. Agatha and I were both following her to make sure she was safe. I had much better things to be doing with my time, too. Sitting in a high school car lot really doesn't rank high on my list of things I enjoy doing. I guess the first month, I hated following her around. I resented her because she seemed incredibly boring. She just went to school and then came home, and in between those two places she was either at the police station, or driving around putting up posters of her mom.
Things changed when I realised how sad she was. She was around people all the time, but you could see it in her eyes: she felt alone. It ended up that I couldn't bear watching her at night, because it was too tempting to go up to the house and talk to her. I told Agatha I wouldn't take those shifts, so she was mostly stuck with them.
Can you give us a hint as to the cause of the bad blood between you and Kayden?
*frowning* I don't really like talking about Kayden. Let's just say he can be incredibly selfish and leave it at that.
Do you think Kayden might have designs on Farley? He did seem to be flirting with her. What would you do if he did?
If he does, then he's screwed. I can understand why he would be attracted to her. She's beautiful- any guy would be crazy not to see that. But if he touches her... if he looks at her the wrong way, it won't end well for him. I've fought with Kayden countless times before, and over some seriously stupid things, but him hitting on Farley would be an entirely different matter altogether.
What do you think the future holds for you and Farley?
It's hard to say. It's going to be a long time before things could ever be 'normal' for us. There's still so much that we need sort out- like where Agatha and the others are. Plus we're hardly safe from the Quorum, either. I think once this is all over, Farley might like to go back to school. I'd probably go with her.
I think....*pauses* I think I'd like to blame that on the fact that I want to keep her safe, but the truth is that I can't bear to be apart from her.
Lastly, what are your feelings toward Operation: Find Daniel? Do any of the submissions come close?
Uhh... I think it's weird. I have no idea about these guys. I can't see it. Farley's said a couple of them do actually look like me, though, so I suppose she'd be the one to ask.
A big thanks to Daniel for taking the time to talk to us today! Here's a little more about the book and the author, and be sure to check out Frankie's website for the full tour schedule!
Author: Frankie Rose
Series: Book 1 in the Hope series
Publisher: create space
Publication Date: July 1, 2012
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Some are just worth more than others.
Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was. Since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.
The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy following her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her window in the LA lunch hour traffic, trying to persuade her to leave everything behind and follow him. And he's hot as all hell.
The moment Farley lays eyes on Daniel, everything changes. He is cold and withdrawn, but there are cracks in his harsh veneer- cracks that betray the secrets he is trying so hard to hide. Farley is drawn into a world that will shake apart everything she thought she ever knew. There are truths out there that she must learn: that a person’s soul is their only real currency, and there are people who would do anything to take hers; that loving someone can hurt so much more than hating them; but, most importantly, when your future is predestined, there is little you can do to change it.
Farley Hope is prophesied.
Her coming has been awaited for hundreds of years.
She is destined to end the tyranny of the Soul Reavers.
To do so she must die.
And here's the trailer:
As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!).
Contact Frankie Rose: website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
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