Beautiful Creatures: Movie & Book Review

On March 3, 2013March 3, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies3 Comments

When I found out Beautiful Creatures was going to hit the silver screen, I knew it would be a gargantuan disappointment. I mean, come on, how in the world can moviemakers crunch a 500+ word tome into a two-hour flick without garbling the plotline and obliterating important characters? As I expected the movie distorted the entire story, characters and plot threads into a hot mess of teenage melodrama. Not since Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, have I seen such a warped movie adaptation of a book.

But I have to confess, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained. Despite the choppy scenes and unanswered questions, the movie put an interesting spin on some of the characters and left me hanging with an entirely different ending. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but I will say that the ending in the movie is far more interesting that where they left off in the book.

To show you the hits and misses, let me break it down for you like this.

The Cast

How awesome is the Emily Blunt lookalike actress playing Lena?!? With her porcelain complexion and luxurious dark hair, she fits the profile perfectly. But what about the electric green eyes and crescent moon-shaped birthmark? How could the moviemakers overlook these significant features? Symbolic of Robert Frost’s “nothing gold can stay” prose, her stark green eyes mark her temporary state of purity. She’s constantly scribbling “nothing green can stay” on the walls with her Jedi mind-trick powers, foreshadowing her inevitable fate as a dark castor.

Literary symbolism is a huge part of the book, but the moviemakers didn’t really bother with the many references to T.S. Eliot and Faulkner. I guess it kind of makes sense considering that it would probably be lost on their teenage audience.

As for Ethan, I was not impressed by this guy at all. I pictured more of a tall, lanky, disheveled writer-type, not a short pretty boy. Sure he’s cute and all, but his big, cheesy smile has all the charms of a schmoozy used car salesman. Ethan is so much more loveable in the book because of his tragic backstory. After his mom dies in a car accident, his dad completely shuts down into a walking catatonic state. The authors did a beautiful job making me fall in love with Ethan and his sad life as an orphan. Hopefully in the next movie, they’ll delve more into his mother’s death – and Sarafine’s possible involvement.

The Romance

I wasn’t digging the leading man, so maybe I’m a little biased, but the romance just kind of seemed forced in the movie. You get a better feel for their magnetism in book, especially because they can speak to each other telepathically – and when they touch, sparks literally fly! In the movie, Ethan is about as sexy as a sweet little puppy dog.

Ridley Duchannes

I have to tell ya, Ridley is much more interesting in the movie. Emmy Rossum does a bang-up job playing an evil-to-the-core seductress. In the book, she’s more of a rebellious punk rock princess who walks a fine line between good and evil. Yet in the movie, she clearly reached a point of no return and is a shining example of what happens when a caster girl goes dark. I really liked the flashback scene where Lena describes Ridley’s moonlit transformation from a sweet farm girl into a stone-cold killer. She has no reservations about manipulating horny boys into early graves, and I’m interested to what’s next for her in Beautiful Darkness!

Amma

Considering that it’s probably politically incorrect to cast a black woman as a housemaid in a very white bread movie set in the South, I can see why the changed Amma’s role from the loyal housekeeper to the town librarian. In fact, this was a very clever way to fold two characters into one.

To speed things along, they had to get rid of some characters, including Marian, the town librarian, castor watchkeeper, and Ethan’s mother’s best friend. Since they decided to cut out Ethan’s backstory, I guess that makes sense. I think Vioa Davis did a great job playing a wizened mystical voodoo lady of the swamps, but I was picturing more of a little old eccentric grandmotherly woman who rules the house with an iron fist. It’s a shame the movie had to leave out her complex relationship with Macon Ravenwood, and her super-cool time-bending powers.

The Library

I was so excited to see how they were going to create the library in the movie. Considering that the story is set in a small Southern town, I pictured a two-story Carnegie library with a spiral staircase and walls of books. But nope, they just decide to plop the library in a dumpy nondescript building. And that’s not the worst part! The castor library, described as a dark, dank crypt-like labyrinth of books, is just another brightly-lit extension of the library. Boring!!! With the wonders of CGI graphics, you’d think that they could come up with something more Harry Potteresque than that.

Oh and what’s the deal with the Book of Moons? Of course they had to save time by omitting characters and scenes, but why did they have to leave out the creepiest, most deliciously atmospheric scene in the whole story? I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll just say that Ethan and Lena had to go on a rather gruesome grave-digging quest to find the book.

Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood

Of all the magical characters, I found Uncle Macon to be the most fascinating. As the story unfolds, he gets more and more complex, leaving me with more questions than answers. Is he a castor or some sort of dark angel? What’s going on with his strange connection with Ethan’s dead mother? Of course, he isn’t nearly as interesting in the movie, which basically pigeonholes him as just another castor. And what about Boo Radley, Macon’s ginormous dog? I was really hoping he’d make it to the big screen, but hopefully he’ll make an appearance in the next movie.

The Mean Girls

Now here’s where the moviemakers made some smart choices in cutting the fat. The book is long, and in some spots, it gets really tedious. The movie left out a lot of the stereotypical mean girl antics and high school party shenanigans, which is totally fine by me. I was glad to see that the movie didn’t bother with Lena’s surprise birthday bash, which seemed to go on and on and on forever. However, the book beautifully captures the evils of small-mindedness and bigotry. It’s a sad fact of life that we live in a society filled with judgmental, unforgiving people. And what better way to bring this message home than by sticking a witch in a god-fearing bible belt?

I would love to go into detail about the plot twists and alternate ending, but I don’t want to ruin it for you. But I will say that if you resolve to only watch the movie, you are missing out big time!

A Q&A With Lauren Clark, Author of Stardust Summer

On March 1, 2013March 1, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies7 Comments

Fellow chick lit lovers, I am pleased to bring you a Q&A with one of my most favorite women’s fiction writers, Lauren Clark! Not too long ago, she broke into the publishing world with her debut novel, Stay Tuned – and I’ve been a fan ever since. Read on to learn more about her latest novel, Stardust Summer. I have a feeling I’m going to need a box of tissues for this one!

What compelled you to write a story about a young mother reconnecting with her estranged father? And how can women readers identify with her struggles?

The story is really about Grace losing her father. It’s about her coming to grips with never having the chance to reconnect. I’ve had close friends not speak to parents for years or known a sibling that shut out another sibling over a misunderstanding. I wanted to explore the shock of a life that’s taken away suddenly. Grace’s life was steady and predictable until then. I don’t think she would have grown up and faced her fears without some sort of terrible situation to shake up her same-every-day existence.

What was the most interesting thing you had to research for Stardust Summer?

I’ve always loved Garrett Chapel, where Grace’s mother holds Henry Mason’s funeral service. It’s a rustic, gothic-style stone chapel built in the woods on Keuka Lake’s Bluff Point. The structure was built in memory of a young boy, Charles Garrett, who died from Tuberculosis in 1929. Garrett Chapel is still used today as a seasonal church and a popular setting for weddings and special events. I’ve been to the chapel several times with my family and it’s even more lovely than the photographs.

Tell me a little bit about the East Coast setting – and how it evokes your own childhood memories.

It’s the place where my family has vacationed since I was five years old. It’s gorgeous, with glacier-carved mountains, and a deep, cold lake full of fish and clean, clear water. I remember ALWAYS being the first one of the kids (there are 3 of us) to jump in the lake, no matter how cold it was outside or the temperature of the water. There was no TV, only radio, and we always ate outside, dining on whatever the Mennonite farmers put out on their stands—corn on the cob, fresh peppers, beans, and strawberries. I think, for me, the setting conjures up a time of innocence and purity of mind—a place where life was simple and love and beauty was everywhere I looked.

Who was your favorite character to develop while writing Stardust Summer?

I actually enjoyed developing Ryan’s character. I’ve worked with a lot of physicians and many of my family members and close friends are in the medical profession. I wanted to show the dedication that many doctors have for their field of work, and how that career (and many others) has the potential to destroy marriages and families. Luckily, Ryan was able to recognize that he contributed to Lori leaving and grew as a result of that loss. When Grace stepped into his life, he was finally ready.

Now, a little more about you! What made you decide to write women’s fiction? And what do you love most about this particular genre?

I love being whisked away to a place I’ve never visited. I believe that it’s a wonderful feat when an author can describe a setting in just enough detail that I can fill in the colors, sights, and sounds in my head. I do prefer stories with a bit of humor, and those that have a character with flaws who does grow and change as a result of a big catastrophe or problem that changes everything in her life. I adore a little flirtation and romance—the anticipation of that first kiss is so delicious.

Do you have a writing routine? What is your average writing day like?

I am such a morning person. I love the quiet and peacefulness, and always make a huge cup of flavored coffee. I do my best work at the local college. They have an amazing library with expansive windows that look over Mobile’s landscape and, in the distance, downtown city buildings. There’s a lot of green space around the cottage and the vibe is full of energy. It’s a happy place.

I’m always fascinated by how authors can churn out multiple books in a short time span. How do you manage your writing time between Stardust Summer and your forthcoming Pie Girls?

I have some personal challenges in my life right now, so I made the decision to put Pie Girls on hold for a few months. Laura Pepper Wu had read Stardust Summer about a year ago, and suggested that with some changes—mostly in terms of Grace’s character development— the book would be ready to publish. I actually wrote the novel about seven years ago, so it was one of my first manuscripts. (So in terms of the short time span, it’s only one dog year, right??). It was a bit of a gamble, because I didn’t know if readers would embrace the storyline like they seemed to in Dancing Naked in Dixie.

After two months of hard work, though, I was pleased with the revisions. In the end, it was cathartic to release Stardust Summer. With the rest of my life in a bit of turmoil, it was a positive task that I was able to focus on. There’s nothing better than hitting that “upload” key!!

And last, but not least, how do you spend your “free” time when you’re not writing?

I went to the movies last night with about a dozen people—so fun—and we sit in the back row of the theater for $5.00 Tuesdays! This morning, I am actually running off to yoga class in about five minutes. I am meeting a close group of friends for lunch to celebrate a birthday, and then, this afternoon, have a meeting regarding a fundraiser for one of the local hospitals. It’s a Festival of Flowers event, and our job is to make Dancing Naked in Dixie into a visual display for the “Seeds of Wisdom” part of the charity event. I like to be home by 3:30 in the afternoon to see my children. I’m big on making dinner at home, even if it’s just burgers or tacos. And of course, at night, before I fall asleep, I love to read. I’m halfway through John Green’s fabulous novel, The Fault in Our Stars. Thank you so much for having me on Chick Lit Cafe, Jessica!

Be sure to check out Lauren’s blog for more about her writing life. Go here for my review of Stay Tuned. And go here for my review on Dancing Naked in Dixie.

A Q&A With Michele Gorman

On February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

What would life be like if you pursued your passion in ballet instead of law school? Or if you reconnected with the one who got away? What if you dropped the monotonous office job and ran off to the bright lights of Hollywood? So maybe none of these situations apply to you, but you get my point, right? To live life to its fullest, you’ve got to take some risks. That’s the underlying message in Michele Gorman’s new novel Bella Summer Takes a Chance. Although everything seems hunky-dory in Bella’s lovelife and career, she knows that it’s just not enough. With some help from a colorful cast of friends, she takes life by the horns and chases her dream to become a musician.

Michele was kind enough to chat with me about her new book. Read on to learn more about her writing process, character development, and…ahem…how she goes about describing some rather blush-worthy bedroom scenes.

What compelled you to write a story about a woman risking it all to pursue a career in music? And how can some of her struggles resonate with women readers?

I started to toy with the idea of what’s “enough” for a woman (complete with giant quotation finger movements). Where is that line? As I started to play with Bella’s situation (oh the fun of toying with my characters’ lives!), I found myself feeling very disgruntled on her behalf, in all spheres of her life. Why should a life in which nothing is wrong be a life that’s right? Just because society, or your friends or family or boyfriend say so? Nuh uh. I wanted Bella to grab the golden ring with both hands. She may fail, fall off the horse and end up in a heap on the ground with her underpants showing, but she’s going to try.

The fragility of identity also interested me. Having taken ten years and four books to get my first publishing deal, I knew how hard it was to continue on a creative path when anyone else in her right mind would have given up. As Bella says: When do you stop becoming a musician-with-a-day-job and start being an accountant-who-is-musical? I think that having that experience helped me write her musical pursuits realistically.

Could you tell me a little about the setting, and why you chose that particular location?

That’s easy. Bella is set in London, where I’ve lived for the past 17 years. I absolutely love my adopted hometown, so it’s the natural setting for my books. My debut, Single in the City, is about an American who moves to London, so the city is the other main character in that story. It’s easy to write about an American when you are American (I have dual nationality), but I’ve wanted to write about a British character in London for awhile. I got halfway there this time (Bella is Canadian-American who has lived in London for a decade, so her speech and characteristics are more British than American). My next book, The Reinvention of Lucy Winters, will finally have all British characters in London.

What was the most interesting thing you had to research for Bella Summer Takes a Chance?

Ooh that question made me snort my coffee! Well, okay, I’ll tell you. There is a threesome scene in Bella. Don’t worry, it’s not gross or explicit; I get terribly embarrassed writing about sex, so if I have to do it, I do it with humour rather than detail. Anyway… I felt I needed some help with this, since I had no first-hand experience (Bella gets kissed by a girl). So I invited one of my closest male friends out for lunch. Since he’s bisexual I figured he’d be able to tell me about the differences. Oh boy, could he ever. Unfortunately he described every detail with theatrical glee, in a very quiet restaurant full of old people. As he talked, I noticed the two couples beside us staring over their main courses. I got my research notes, and they got more than petit fours with their coffees.

Who was your favorite character to develop?

That’s a hard one! Usually I have just one or two favourite characters, but I loved Bella, Marjorie (her ninety-one year old friend) and Frederick (Bella’s flatmate). I couldn’t possibly choose!

What message do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

When I began writing, I saw the book as an exploratory journey for Bella but it soon became clear that this is a girl-power story J Each character faces “societal” pressures (there are those ditto fingers again) but lives her life exactly as she feels she needs to. Their stories are all very different but involve balancing ideals (whether that’s in love and relationships, or career or motherhood) against reality to find out what’s possible, and what’s right for them.

Now, a little more about you! Do you have a writing routine? What is your average writing day like?

I do have a writing routine of sorts. I’m an early riser, so usually get up, make a coffee and spend an hour or so answering emails and doing admin. Then I’ll go for a jog or a walk (otherwise the day can go by without me setting foot outside the house) and settle down for a few hours of writing before lunch. I’ll either carry on writing after lunch if I’m on a roll (or haven’t hit my word count – I aim for around 2,000 a day). I always have a nap, then spend the afternoon marketing. Marketing might involve doing Q&As for lovely bloggers, or working on the million little details that each soon-to-be published book needs doing. I try my best to stay off twitter and facebook when writing, but I always fail miserably. I do have a software programme called MacFreedom that I can turn on to block my internet (saving me from myself) when I really need to concentrate.

And lastly, but not leastly, how do you spend your “free” time — when you’re not writing?

I’ve always been a homebody, so I hang out with my friends and boyfriend (technically he’s now my fiancée, but that’s very recent and I’m still getting used to that title!). Cooking, watching films, reading, going to the local pub or restaurants, having walks in the park. It’s a very low-key lifestyle and I love it!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks so much Jessica, for having me on Chick Lit Café! And if anyone would like their eBook copy of Bella Summer Takes a Chance signed and inscribed, there’s a genius website called www.authorgraph.com where you can send me a request (if for a friend as a gift, just tell me in the Comments). I’ll e-Inscribe your book and you’ll be able to add it to your kindle (or print it out, keep it as an email or send it to your friend). I’m happy to do that for any of my books – they’re all on there.

WWW Wednesdays

On February 20, 2013February 20, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies4 Comments

Happy hump day everybody! WWW Wednesdays is a bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading, or shall I say re-reading, Beautiful Creatures. I listened to it a couple years back on Audible and can’t seem to remember a darn thing aside from a few bits and pieces about a creepy song about 16 moons, a bewitched plantation home, tons of To Kill a Mockingbird references, and a small Southern town full of asshole bigots. The movie looks awesome, so I want to have the book fresh in my mind before I watch it all unfold on the big screen.

What did you recently finish reading?
Let’s see here…I’ve torn through a lot of books lately. I believe the last book I devoured was Angel Falls by Nora Roberts. I actually really enjoyed the Lifetime movie version (aside from the fact that a botoxed Heather Locklear was all kinds of wrong for that role) because it cut to the chase a whole lot faster than the long, dragged out novel. Sure there were a ton of plot holes and the scenes were choppy, but it was so much more bearable than those long, unnecessary bickering sessions between Reece and Brodie. And ugh – did the author really have to describe Reece’s pap smear procedure with the old grandfatherly family doctor? UNCOMFORTABLE! It’s a mystery to me why so many people gave that book five-star reviews.

What do you think you’ll read next?
Hmmm…decisions, decisions. I think my next book is going to be Naturally, Charlie by S.L. Scott. I bumped into this Austin-based author at the Texas Book Fest back in October and still haven’t gotten around to reading her book! I’ve been reading a lot of supernatural stuff and mysteries, so I figure it’s time to give myself a break from fanged creatures and dead bodies. Normally I’m not into fluffy romances, but this one looks like a fun little escape.

The Friday Five: Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater

On February 9, 2013February 9, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

In honor of the coolest day of the week, I bring you The Friday Five. Every Friday I will ask the same five questions to myself, or any other willing participant! All my fellow book lovers are welcome to join in on the fun.

From the publisher: Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry… … in a new, horrific, unimaginable way… Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature. All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what’s worse is that he’s a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind. But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation… or her death?

Why did you choose this book? The Bookish Brunette gave it a crowned rating, so I knew it was worth a read. Plus the cover is really gruesome!

Where did the author go right? Or if it’s a turkey, what went wrong? What really set this book apart from the rest is that the author went old-school, meaning these aren’t your happy, friendly vampires that sustain themselves on animal blood. Ooooh no – they prey on humans, and sometimes it gets downright messy. Just when I thought I was burned out on vampires, she brought me back into the fray with this spellbinding tale of bloodlust, romance and adventure. I love that the vampires abhor mirrors, and that they can’t cross over a threshold uninvited. This gothic throwback is a welcome departure from a lot of the urban fantasy crap I’ve been reading lately. Oh and did I mention zombies are involved? Think Buffy meets The Walking Dead meets Anne Rice. In case you’re wondering, that’s the trifecta of blood-sucking awesomness!

On a side note, I would also like to mention that I REALLY appreciated the Austin infusion. Clearly this Texas woman loves her home state – and it shows in her descriptions of the rugged Hill Country landscape and Austin’s eclectic nightlife. She even mentions the gingerbread pancakes at Kirby Lane, which is pretty much the yummiest breakfast ever.

Did anything bug you about the book? The fact that it had to end kind of bugged me. Other than that, everything about the book – the plot threads, the characters, the romance – is spot on!

Would you read another book by this author? Absolutely, positively 100 percent YES! I’m already moving on to Pretty When She Kills.

How would you sum up the book in three words? Bloody, intense, fun.

A Q&A with Stacy Kramer

On February 7, 2013February 7, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

From left: Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

I’ll say it loud – I love young adult books and I’m proud! Typically I gravitate toward the dark and spooky stuff, but something about this fun little coming-of-age adventure really caught my eye. Perhaps I was allured by the Mexico shenanigans, which really takes me back to my glory days when I spent my weekends drinking it up in Tijuana and Rosarito. Ahhh Pappas and Beer…how I miss thee. Yes, I was a bit of a bad girl back in the day, but if it wasn’t for Tijuana, I never would’ve met my husband!

But I digress, this is an AMAZING book, and I had a ton of fun reading it all the way through in one Saturday. Not since Flowers In the Attic have I been so enamored by a young adult book. Don’t judge, you know those smutty, incestuous books were crazy addictive back in the day!

So while I was tearing through the pages, I kept wondering how the heck the two authors found the perfect movie quotes for each chapter, which character they like the most, and whether they’ve experienced the gorgeousness of Ensenada for themselves. Luckily I was able to wrangle an interview with Stacy Kramer, one of the two lovely ladies who masterminded this rollercoaster ride of thrills, romance and teenage angst.

What made you decide to get together with Valerie Thomas and co-write a young adult adventure/romance novel?

Valerie and I are good friends. We met years ago while both working as film producers. We then both segued, around the same time, to becoming writers. Just for fun, we decided to work together on a screenplay and ended up selling it to Twentieth Century Fox. It was a great experience and while Valerie eventually decided to go back to school to pursue a graduate journalism degree at Columbia University and I went on to write film and television, we always knew we wanted to work together again. Over lunch one day, a few years later, we were discussing the possibility of writing together again when we landed on an idea that we both loved and realized it would be best suited for a young adult novel, rather than a film. That idea eventually became KARMA BITES, a middle grade novel for Houghton Mifflin.

I’m curious about how you and Valerie seamlessly wrote a page-turning story filled with complex characters and rollicking adventures. What is your secret?

Our secret is simple, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, until eventually, our voices merge and there is no distinguishable difference between what Valerie wrote and what I wrote. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to tell who wrote what since we’ve both rewritten each other so much.

What are the perks and challenges of co-authoring a book?

I feel like it’s all upside, at least right now, after having two published novels (KARMA BITES and FROM WHAT I REMEMBER) and two new novels just recently finished. Talk to us in a few years, maybe we’ll change our mind and be fighting like cats and dogs. But, so far, it’s been great to have someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to break story with, someone to complain to, someone to commiserate with and someone to laugh with. I don’t think I could nor would I want to do it alone after having worked together on four books. It’s too much fun doing it this way. If it ain’t broke and all that…It’s also like having a built in editor, which is great. So by the time our books make it to our editors, they often feel like most of their work has already been done.

All of the characters in your book are endearing in their own ways – even the high school mean girl! If you could go out to lunch with one of them, who would you choose?

Hands down, Will. He’s both of our favorites. He’s funny, smart, charming, snarky and endearing, everything I look for in a lunch date. Personally, I could have lunch with him every day.

I got a big kick out of the foreshadowing movie quotes at the start of each chapter. How did you go about selecting the perfect quotes?

It was a bit of a process. We started by culling our favorite movie quotes from our favorite movies. It was a fun project and a great way to postpone actual writing (which is something every writer looks for in their day). After a week or so, we had lists and lists of fantastic quotes, too many to use. After we wrote each chapter, we’d pore through our lists and choose the quote that best matched the tone of the chapter. Once we finished the book, we changed a lot of the quotes but made sure to keep our favorites in there.

The picturesque backdrop of the Mexican coast really set the mood for romance and adventure. How did you become familiar with Ensenada?

We’ve both road tripped to Ensenada. I lived in L.A. for ten years, during which time I must have made ten or so road trips into Baja (one particularly treacherous one where my front tire blew and since it was a Mexican holiday, I couldn’t get the tire repaired and had to drive forty miles and back over the border with a flat until I could find a service station in San Diego). I always loved Ensenada for it’s quirky scenery, the fun mix of people and the delicious food. Valerie grew up in Berkeley, California and went down to Ensenada for a holiday with friends. It’s a fun town and a perfect setting for a rollicking adventure. Once we decided we wanted to have Kylie and Max taken over the border inadvertently, Ensenada was a natural destination. Toronto seemed slightly less exciting (no offense to Toronto, I actually love it there, it’s just a different scene).

If you could go back in time and have your own pre-graduation adventure with your high school crush, where would you go?

We’d both love to have Kylie’s adventure, which is, in part, why we wrote it. Sort of living vicariously and all that. I grew up in Pittsburgh so the closest border I could get to was Canada, which wasn’t very inviting. And Val, in Northern California, was quite far from any actual borders for a day trip. Ideally, I think, if I could live anywhere and go anywhere on my own hypothetical high-school adventure in the way back machine, I’d choose to live in London and then get lost in Paris with the boy of my dreams.

Could you give me a sneak peek into what you’re working on now?

We’ve just finished two new novels and can’t wait for people to see them. We’ll let you know when they’re coming out, just as soon as we know. One is called FAKER and it’s set in the world of Hollywood but that’s all we can tell you as there’s a big secret at the center of the book and if we tell you the secret, we’d have to kill you (not really, but it would be a HUGE spoiler). It’s a romantic comedy, although less of an adventure than FROM WHAT I REMEMBER and slightly more poignant. The second book is called SURFACE BURN and it’s a bit of a departure for us as it’s a thriller, set in Berlin and involving uranium smuggling. It’s about a teenager who’s forced to rescue her father when he’s kidnapped. It’s a bit of a reverse TAKEN.

Want to know more about these two talented authors/screenwriters? Go here to check out their website! Go here to read my full review of the book.

Friday Finds!

On January 26, 2013January 26, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies7 Comments

Hooray for Fridays! I am so looking forward to two blissful days of uninterrupted reading bliss. Hmm…let’s see here…am I in the mood for spooky ghost children, bloodthirsty vampires or a cozy B&B whodunit? I’ll leave it to you guys to pick one out for me. Psst…that means y’all need to post a comment.

Friday Finds is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Hop on over to her blog to see what she’s all about!

Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel
Red Rain: A Novel by R.L. Stine
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Murder on the Half Shelf (A Booktown Mystery No. 6) by Lorna Barrett

Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

On January 22, 2013January 22, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

There’s a reason why C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series is on the best-selling lists. Her main character is living every teenage girl’s fantasy. Tall, blond and gorgeous, she’s the prettiest – and most mysterious – girl at Camp Shadow Falls. Two of the camp’s hottest boys are chasing after her – plus she’s got the coolest best friends a girl could ever ask for. Oh – and did I mention that a side-effect of her hidden super-powers is growing an extra cup-size over night? So not fair…the only things that sprouted on my teenage body overnight were pimples.

If you’re not familiar with the Shadow Falls series, here’s the scoop: Kylie is a camper at Shadow Falls, a place where teenage fairies, vamps, werewolves, shapeshifters and witches can learn how to hone their supernatural powers. They can do some really cool stuff like reading each other’s brain waves, shifting into four-legged beasts, and communing with ghosts..

Unlike her fellow campers, Kylie’s supernatural identity is a total mystery. Desperate for answers, she hires a PI to look into her ancestral past. And as her powers begin to develop, she comes up with more questions than answers. What kind of preternatural species can talk to dead people, run at warp speed, and grow taller and more boobalicious overnight? No one – not even the camp counselors – seems to know.

In this second installment, Kylie is plagued by a new ghost who insists that someone she loves is on the cusp of death. It would be helpful if the blood-drenched spirit could give her more details. But like everything else, Kylie must figure it out on her own. And if that’s not enough, she’s facing some serious boy drama. Lucas, a gorgeous werewolf with smoldering blue eyes, inexplicably skipped town with the world’s bitchiest she-wolf. She wants more than anything to write him off completely, but his love letters and dream-scaping invasions keep her hanging on.

Wouldn't Jared Padalecki make a great Derek?!? — Wouldn’t Jared Padalecki make a great Derek?!?

And then there’s Derek. Don’t let the half-fairy status fool you; this guy is no sissy with sparkly wings. He’s big, buff and completely smitten with Kylie. I have to say that the shower scene is one of the hottest romantic moments I’ve encountered in paranormal teen lit. With his brown shaggy hair, chiseled features and barrel chest, I kept picturing a half-naked, dripping wet Jared Padelecki. Supernatural fans, you know who I’m talking about! Kylie must have some crazy superpowers to walk away from…shall I say…a very promising opportunity.

Considering the formula of YA paranormal love triangles, I’m willing to bet she’s going to end up with the mysterious bad boy, but oh how I wish she could just be with Derek. He’s sweet, romantic and oh-so-very perfect! If the author really wants to give her readers a plot twist, she should make Kylie choose the nice guy in the end.

Aside from the love triangle, Kylie is also helping her friends deal with some serious problems. Miranda is crying into her pillow every night over a bad breakup. Della fears the death angels will make her atone for the sins of her past. And Sara, Kylie’s mortal BFF back home, is no longer returning her phone calls. Aye yay yay – teenage life is tough!

The plot thickens when the prophetic ghost gets more and more demanding. Soon someone Kylie loves will die – and she only has a short window of time to stop it from happening. And if that’s not enough, she’s also being stalked by a rogue vampire who is out killing mortals on the streets.

There’s a lot going on in this book, but the author does a fine job weaving the plot threads into a cohesive story. With every chapter she hits me with a cliffhanger, leaving me with no other option but to tear through the pages to get some answers. Warning: if you have weekend plans or chores to tackle, DO NOT read this book. I took this thing with me on the plane, and it was torture having to put it away when I had to make a connecting flight! All in all, this is one of the best paranormal series out there. If you’re looking for a good character-driven novel filled with plot twists, romance and mystery, give Shadow Falls a try!

A Q&A with Chrissy Anderson, Author of The Life List

On January 12, 2013January 12, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

What exactly is American dream? Is it a family of four living in a cookie-cutter house complete with a Range Rover and perfectly manicured lawn? According to the crap on TV, this “keeping up with the Joneses” way of life is the pinnacle of happiness. But is it really?

For Chrissy Anderson, happiness meant living the good life – perfect husband, successful career, uppity friends and all. Even though her life is the textbook definition of happiness, something’s missing.

After a chance encounter with a cute guy at a bar, she discovers an itch that desperately needs to be scratched. She begins to question the authenticity of her “perfect life” and faces some life-altering decisions. Should she take the safe route and just keep going through the motions? Or should she go with her gut and take the road less traveled? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Chrissy Anderson, the author and leading lady of The Life List, was kind to chat about her book. Read on to learn more about her personal quest for happiness, and why society’s depiction of “the perfect life” is all smoke and mirrors.

What made you decide to write a book about a woman whose life is turned upside down after a chance encounter at a bar?

If that chance encounter never happened, my life would’ve continued on a course that was less than satisfying. I would’ve stayed married to a man I had nothing in common with only to please other people, and I most likely would’ve had children with him. I would’ve continued to fake happiness, or worse, become a bitter old bitch who would one day look back on her less than satisfying life wishing in vain for a do-over. Most women aren’t as lucky as I was- they don’t get that chance encounter to slap them in the face. I wrote The Life List for all of the women out there who need a good slap.

Is this somewhat of a memoir/fiction hybrid?

Seems like I did more research on what the heck to label my book than the actual writing of it!!! Most of the story is true, but certain things were definitely embellished/changed to make my real life love story even more chaotically convoluted than it actually was.

Looking at all the star reviews, readers really love your book! Why do you think women connect so well with the main character?

Because the world is packed with mini-Chrissy’s. Think about it…how many of your own friends fall into one of these two categories?
1) They got married too young…before they even knew who they were or what they wanted out of life.
2) They scrambled when they turned 30! Started freaking out that they wouldn’t have the big wedding and the happy little family they always dreamed of, so they settled on a dude just so they could “live the dream.”

I also think too many women live their lives according to what others think. They struggle with defending their choices, and they fear failure and the public humiliation that goes along with it. I know better than anyone what it’s like to have everything I thought I always wanted, only then to say, “Uh-oh.” But how do you un-do plans that involve other people’s lives without suffering huge amounts of shame and regret? The answer is, you can’t, and I think that’s what so many women identify with The Life List. They want reassurance that they’re not alone. At least that’s the bulk of the feedback I get anyway.

What are your thoughts on “life lists?” How can women sabotage themselves by aspiring to live what society deems “the ideal life”?

Living your life according to other’s expectations is like not living at all. I lost thirteen years of my life doing it and I’ll spend the rest of it convincing anyone I come in contact with not to. I can honestly say that I give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks of the choices I make now. I’m completely happy. Before you throw up….I’ll quote Charlotte from Sex &The City, “I’m not happy all day every day…but I’m happy.” In my opinion, anyone who has a problem with my choices…my happiness, isn’t happy with their own life and they need to take a good long look in the mirror or get a good therapist!

What message do you hope readers will take away from the book?

My tag line! “The difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything.”

What is the best piece of advice you could give an aspiring novelist?

If you believe in what you’re writing, others will too. There is no money in this industry, even when people do give you five-star reviews, so you better have your heart in the game and be committed to your work. Trust me, you’ll be better equipped to handle criticism if you believe in the story you’re telling. When people don’t like my novel,( fyi… it’s usually because Chrissy swears too much and is overly-judgmental) I say to myself, “It’s just not their cup of tea and that’s okay.” My editor actually gave me the best advice and it’s calmed me down quite a bit over the last year. She said, “We want readers to either love The Life List or hate it, no in-betweeners…bad for business!” And you know what? She was right. Average reviews equal mediocrity (blah!). But, overly bad reviews pitted against awesome reviews, creates interest! That’s where the fun begins. Oh, and by the way…only two of my reviews are lower than five stars. So far, so good!

What are you working on now?

The rest of The List Trilogy- The Unexpected List and The Hope List. I just handed over the first draft of The Unexpected List to my editor and hope to have it published by March. My website has totally taken off. I’ve had over 30,000 visits and over 3,000 people have voted in the Leo vs. Kurt poll! The two men are such polar opposites (sexy and compelling in their own right) and it’s fun to see women gravitate toward each of them and find out why. I’m also working on getting The Life List in front of some Hollywood power players. I think it would make an amazing chick-flick. I just need to get it into the right hands and that’s proving to be just as hard as writing the damn book! I won’t quit though. It’s the slap in the face too many women need!

Want to know more about this talented new author? Check out her blog. Go here to download her book.

From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

On January 6, 2013January 6, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

In honor of Sunday – a day I reserve for reading and lollygagging – I bring you a short and sweet book review!

From the publisher: In the span of forty-eight hours, socially awkward valedictorian, Kylie Flores and conceited jock, Max Langston, who’ve never spoken in four years of high school, will find themselves kidnapped, taken over the Mexican border, married and falling in love. Kylie’s best friend, Will, Max’s girlfriend, Lily and Max’s wingman, Charlie are the unlikely cavalry charged with rescuing them. Against all odds, this crew must find their way back over the border in time for graduation and for Kylie to give her long awaited valedictorian speech, without killing each other en route.

What I liked loved: It’s hard to pinpoint the book’s biggest strength. The multiple strings of narratives, the swept-away romance, the rollicking misadventures – everything just meshes together like peanut butter, chocolate and bananas! If I had to choose, I’d say the book’s biggest selling point is the fast-moving plot. I love how the authors structured the story with each chapter jumping from one major character to the next. I credit their Hollywood screenwriting skills for weaving the multiple narratives without jerking the reader around or muddling up the plot. You get to know the characters bit by bit and want to keep tearing through the pages to find out how they overcome their problems. Oh and did I mention there are a couple of high-speed car chases involved? Vroom, vroom!

The romance: Max and Kylie’s unlikely romance rekindled my silly high school fantasies of being marooned on a desert island with the Luke Perry lookalike from my fifth period English lit class. They had the whole Jude Law/Ally Sheedy love chemistry thing going on (Breakfast Club fans, you know what I’m talking about) and it worked! Come to think of it, this book flows much like a John Hughes 80s romance. Think Some Kind of Wonderful meets Pretty in Pink meets The Breakfast Club. And just when I didn’t think it could get any better – the love drama sweeps into a motion all-too-reminiscent of my most favorite romance movie of all time, Before Sunrise. If you haven’t seen it, put it on you Netflix queue stat! Oh Ethan Hawke…how I wish we could have a spontaneous romantic interlude on a train to Paris…sigh.

Thoughts on the cover art: If the first couple pages don’t grab you, the cover certainly will! The image, depicting a foursome of stranded rich teenagers amidst the backdrop of a Mexican sunset, looks like a “coming soon” poster in a movie theater. The little bitty Chihuahua is a nice touch, and I wonder why he couldn’t have played a larger role in the story. If I had to get nitpicky, that would be my only gripe about the book.

Overall: There’s a reason why this book made my shortlist of Best Books of 2012. It’s a fast, furious rollercoaster ride of misadventures, romance and drunken teenage debauchery! But it’s not all teenage hijinks; the characters are dealing with some heavy duty stuff, such as mental illness, cancer and financial meltdowns. Each character may seem to be neatly compartmentalized as a “jock,” “class clown” “brain” and “princess,” but they each have their own unique backstory, which the authors slowly reveal in every chapter. I love a good coming-of-age story of self-discovery – and this book totally delivers. Don’t be overwhelmed by the 400+ pages. It’s a super-fast read that can easily be devoured in one weekend. Get it. Read it. Share it!

BUBBLE BUBBLE BOOKS & TROUBLE

Author: Bubble Bubble Books and Trouble