Through My Letterbox is a meme that myself and my mum (from JeanzBookReadNReview) created to showcase the books that we receive and review on our sites. Our meme was inspired by In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren & Letterbox Love hosted by Narratively Speaking.
What came Through My Letterbox (over Christmas!):
For Christmas, my mum bought me the full set of The Giver series by Lois Lowry. . .
. . . the third book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie, Reached, the second book in The Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano, Fever . . .
. . . My Life As A White Trash Zombie and Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues by Diana Rowland!
For Christmas, my nan bought me God Save The Queen by Kate Locke & my mum also bought me Goddess Boot Camp, the second book in the Oh. My. Gods. series by Tera Lynn Childs . . .
. . . as my Secret Santa (from Misty) was the first book in the series! My mum received Enclave by Ann Aguirre as her Secret Santa from Alice Priday!
Since my last post, my mum won Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris from Natalie Cleary via Facebook, and my mum also bought This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers as part of our Zombie Reading Challenge!
Myself and my mum received a signed hardback copy of Lullaby by Amanda Hocking, (the second book in the Watersong series), and Vortex by Julie Cross, (the second book in the Tempest series), for review from Macmillan!
Finally, we also received an ARC of Deviant by Helen Fitzgerald for review from Soho Teen, and a copy of Ashes Of Twilight by Kassy Tayler for review from Macmillan!
Advantage Erin By Kris Kreisman Erin's mom is driving her crazy. Especially about tennis. Erin is good and enjoys the game. But it's not her fault she's not the megastar her mom claims to have been when she was Erin's age. If only there was some way to get Mom to understand... Spring break arrives, which means a visit to Grandma and Mom's old hometown. Grandma is eccentric, but she's also cool and understands Erin's frustrations. And she can help. By taking Erin on a visit to Mom's old high school. Not Mom's school today. But Mom's school as it was in 1970. Erin experiences the trip of her lifetime. Back in time, where she struggles to fit in with a bunch of kids who never heard of the Internt or laptops or cell phones. Where she meets some very cool kids. And one not so cool kid named Catherine. Now known as Mom. Available at Amazon.co.uk.
3. What is the name of your most recent
book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
My most recent book is ADVANTAGE ERIN, a
novel about a girl, her mom, and a tennis match for the ages.
4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is
this book part of a series?
I've completed two other young adult
novels which are ready to go, but are in a holding pattern while I devote my
time and energy to getting the word out on ADVANTAGE ERIN. My two other novels
are part of an anticipated trilogy, so when I free up I'll be starting the
third novel in the series. Unfortunately, at this point I have only the vaguest
notion for the story. But I'm open to ideas!
5. What or who inspired you to start
writing? And how long have you been writing?
I've enjoyed writing since my school
days, but became more serious about it at a time when I was reading a lot of
mystery novels. I'd go into a local bookstore which specialized in mysteries
and saw how many titles were available, and I figured I'd like to give the
writing thing a try. I mean, I could write as well as at least some of these
published authors, right? I connected with a writers group which included
published mystery authors, and learned so much from them about the craft of
writing and the publishing process. I actually had a mystery novel published in
2001 (under my real name). But shortly after that I discovered the young adult
genre, and found that I had some fresh story ideas and really enjoyed the
writing.
6. Do you gift books to readers for book
reviews?
Yes.
7. How did you come up with the cover?
Who designed the cover of your book?
I designed the cover. I prefer a minimalist
approach to book covers, as I find covers that are too busy a turn off. I had
some other ideas, such a picturing Erin in an old tennis dress, but I couldn't
quite pull that together. So I went with the tennis racket, ball and court.
8. How did you come up with the title
for your book?
I really like titles that can take on
multiple meanings. "Advantage Erin" is a line in the novel, when Erin
has an advantage point in her tennis match. But it also means that Erin had the
advantage of playing the match and gaining insights from it.
9. Is there anything you would change
about your book? And why?
I don't think any writer is ever totally
satisfied with their work; it's part of our make-up. I'm sure there are ways I
could have made the book more interesting or wittier.
10. Do you have a book trailer? And what
are your thoughts on book trailers?
I don't have a book trailer. I think
they're awesome, if you have the expertise to put a good one together, or you
know someone who does. Sadly, I have neither.
11. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks,
hardcovers or audiobooks?
Even though Advantage Erin is an e-book,
I admit that I'm somewhat old school at this point and prefer physical books.
But technology changes, and with it so do attitudes, and I now have an e-reader
and find it pretty neat.
12. Are you a self-published / Indie
author?
I am indeed a self-published author.
13. Have you ever read a book more than
once? And if so what was it?
I read The Great Gatsby and To Kill a
Mockingbird in school, then again in adulthood. There are a few others on my To
Be Re-read list as well, including Crime and Punishment. But there are so many
great books out there that I've yet to read that I'm not sure the re-reads will
happen.
14. What is your favourite film based on
a book?
Repeating an answer from above, To Kill
a Mockingbird. More recently, I thought The Hunger Games was very well done and
quite true to the book.
15. What is your favourite book genre at
the moment?
Young adult, of course! Mostly
contemporary. Although I've been known to stray to literary fiction, and
occasionally mysteries.
16. What books have made it onto your
wishlist recently? And why?
Now that I have an e-reader I'll be
browsing for y.a. indie/self-published books that look inviting. Nothing
specific at this point, but I think there are many talented authors e-pubbing
their works, and I want to support them.
17. If you could invite any four
celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
What an intriguing question, and there
are so many ways to go with this! I'm going to go the political/historical
route and say Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, Peter the Great and Napolean.
Then I'd sit back and watch the sparks fly.
18. Do you have any advice for other
writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to
writing?
My best advice is something that was
told to me. Namely, there's no such thing as good writing, only good
re-writing. So don't take shortcuts in the editing process, and don't rush out
your work until you're truly satisfied that it's as good as it's going to be.
19. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t
related to reading & writing?
Sports generally. And I've taken up
playing tennis, my interest having been renewed while writing Advantage Erin.
As myself and my mum (from JeanzBookReadNReview) weren't able to do a Christmas giveaway last year, we decided to do an international New Year giveaway of some Spencer Hill Press swag instead!
Matthew Turner has written Tales From A Tiny Thai Table and Beyond Parallel.
1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Matthew Turner and I'm a writer from
Yorkshire, England
2. What is the name of your most recent book and if you
had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
Beyond Parallel, and it's set in the same mould as
Sliding doors; a parallel tale where one focuses on Bella & Clark as a
couple, and the other as though they never meet.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of
a series?
It isn't part of a series, no, but I already have my next
book planned. I'm going to take a few weeks off and then get stuck straight
into it. I hope to release it in the early part of 2014. I must say, I'm rather
excited about starting a new project.Beyond Parallelhas
been an amazing journey, but I'm eager to start a fresh.
4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how
long have you been writing?
I've always loved creating stories, but it was a bad
breakup in 2006 that pushed me into creatingBeyond Parallel. It was
during this time that I realised writing NEEDED to be part of my life. I
couldn't imagine not writing now. It isn't always the easiest job in the world,
but it's so rewarding.
5. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the
cover of your book?
I designed it myself, but not after receiving some
amazing feedback from several people. I had a few ideas, but it wasn't until I
spoke to readers and fellow writers that I was able to create the final cover.
I'm not sure if it's worthy of a pro-designer, but I'm happy with the final
outcome.
6. How did you come up with the title for your book?
As it's told from two timelines, I wanted to have
Parallel in the name (or something similar to this). I settled onBeyond
Parallelbecause I felt it was fairly catchy and memorable, but also touched
upon the story as a whole. The question ofwhat ifshines
through, and I hope the title makes you wonder about what the grander picture
might be.
I suppose, in a nutshell, that's the reason for the name.
7. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts
on book trailers?
In general I hate Book Trailers. I find they try and
mimic movies, which in general doesn't work. They usually end up looking rather
cheesy, losing the plot, and coming across distant and cold.
I wanted to approach my videos differently and have them
involve me more. I wanted to connect with the reader with the story, and I felt
getting to know me would do this better than a standard trailer.
Therefore I've utilized readings, short videos, and a few
other things to getBeyond Parallelon the screen. I'm a huge
fan of videos, so I love to make them, but I didn't want to createjustanother
trailer. I'm not sure if I've managed to achieve what I wanted to, but I'm
happy with the one-on-one feel that all the videos have. This was my biggest
aim.
8. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or
audiobooks?
I prefer non-fiction books to be in Ebook format, that
way I always have them on me. I do enjoy reading fiction in paperback, though,
although I don't mind the occasional Ebook, too.
As for audiobooks, I'm afraid I don't have the attention
span for them :)
9. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Yes, I'm a self-published writer and absolutely loving
the process. A lot of hard work, but very rewarding.
10. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you
off of reading it?
Absolutely! You can always tell when a cover is rushed
and not thoroughly thought through. I know we shouldn't, but I do tend to judge
a book by its cover.
11. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what
format?
I've been reading quite a lot of coming-of-age type
stories recently. Books like Catcher Of The Rye, On The Road, The Virgin
Suicides, etc. Part of this was to try and help me finalizeBeyond
Parallel, but part was due to the fact that I love these kind of books.
As for the format, I've been reading a lot of paperback
recently. I had a rather unhealthy splurge at a bookstore a few weeks ago :)
12. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or
dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Hmm, what a good question. I think it would have to be:
- Keira Knightley (my ultimate crush)
- Scott Fitzgerald (an amazing writer who I could talk to for hours)
- Morgan Freeman (I imagine he has some stellar stories to share)
- Bob Dylan (simply put, he's a legend!)
13. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s
the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
My advice is to read a lot and write whenever you can. I
know it's cliche, but it's true. I don't care how well educated you are, it
takes a lot of practice to even come close to perfecting this craft. I for one
am nowhere near perfection (not even in the same stadium yet).
I think this was the best advice I got, and it wasn't
from any one person in particular, rather the writing world in general. Like I
say, it's cliche but oh so true. Read every day and embrace every genre you
can. Challenge yourself and push on further and further. It's amazing what it
does to your writing.
My name is Jen Minkman and I am Dutch. I
live in the Hague, the Netherlands. I have also lived in Austria, Belgium and
the UK for my studies and internship.
2. What is the name of your most recent
book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
My YA novel ‘Shadow of Time’ is about
true love, supernatural romance, Native American spirituality, and a little bit
of Navajo history.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is
this book part of a series?
‘Shadow of Time’ is not part of a
series. I already have a new book – the only thing I have to do is translate it
into English, because I write my books in Dutch. They are published by a small
press publishing house in Holland, and I self-publish them in English.
4. What or who inspired you to start
writing? And how long have you been writing?
I
was inspired to write because I have always loved reading books. All the books
I read as a child inspired me to come up with stories of my own. I wrote my
first ‘book’ when I was ten. It was a sci-fi story about four Earth girls
discovering a UFO in the woods. I taught myself how to use a type-writer so I
could make a proper book.
5. How did you come up with the cover?
Who designed the cover of your book?
I design all my book covers myself (even
with my traditional publisher in Holland, I can always make suggestions for
what photos or images to use for the book cover). For ‘Shadow of Time’, I
wanted to have an image that would convey spirituality and romance at the same
time, with a little bit of Native American influence thrown into the mix. That
is how I came up with a silhouette of a couple holding hands, standing in the
middle of a lightbeam in Antelope Canyon (situated in Navajo Nation).
6. Do you have a book trailer? And what
are your thoughts on book trailers?
I
love book trailers! I think it’s a brilliant idea to promote books by showing
the readers snippets of the storyline and find the right kind of images and
video clips, combined with the right kind of music, to convey the ‘mood’ of
your book. I make my own book trailers in two languages (Dutch and English).
7. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks,
hardcovers or audiobooks?
I have never quite warmed up to
audiobooks, because I can’t focus long enough on someone telling me a story on
a CD. I get distracted easily. But e-books are wonderful! Ever since I bought
an e-reader, I haven’t had to take a suitcase full of books with me on holiday
anymore – I can take hundreds of books with me on one device. Having said that,
I do want a physical copy of a book if I really like it and am likely to
re-read it in the future. I prefer paperbacks because they are easier to take
with you (less heavy, smaller) when you’re on the tram, bus or tube!
8. Are you a self-published / Indie
author?
Yes and no. In my own country, I have a
publisher, but in the rest of the world, I am self-published. The chances of my
book ever being picked up for translation in a foreign language are so slim
that I decided to do it myself. Who knows – publishers from Spain, Germany or
France might contact me to make translations for their markets next!
9. Have you ever read a book more than
once? And if so what was it?
I have read tons of books more than
once. If a book is really good, you’ll come back to it more than once, because
the storyline and the characters are interesting enough to hold your interest,
even if you already know how it’s going to end. I regularly re-read books from
my childhood (Thea Beckman, author of ‘Crusade in Jeans’ is one of my
favourites) as well as paranormal romance books and contemporary romance books
when the romance is well-described and can make me swoon each and every time I
read the story.
10. What is your favourite film based on
a book?
My two favourite films would have to be ‘Lords
of the Rings’ (the entire trilogy) and ‘Twilight’ – in both cases because the
film really captured the mood of the books so well.
11. What is your favourite book genre at
the moment?
Paranormal romance and dystopian fiction
or romance. ‘Twilight’ drew me in, but I have discovered so many more good
books since then! Paranormal romance is also my favourite genre to write. I don’t
have any plans to write a dystopian novel yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I
came up with something in the future. ‘Fahrenheit 451’, ‘Day of the Triffids’
and ‘The Hunger Games’ feature in my top ten of favourite dystopian reads.
12. What books have made it onto your
wishlist recently? And why?
I am currently connecting with a lot of
authors from my home country who write in the same genre as I do (fortunately,
the YA paranormal and dystopian genre has finally taken off in Holland as
well!) and buying their work because I want to support fellow authors. It’s
almost Christmas, so I’m hoping for some new, good reads!
13. What book are you reading at the
moment? And in what format?
I am currently reading ‘Divergent’ in
paperback format.
14. If you could invite any four
celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
I would invite John Lennon, Yoko Ono,
David Bowie and Tori Amos. They are all musicians who have inspired me to
create my own music, my own fashion style, and to look differently at the
world. John and Yoko have always been my favourite romantic couple, moreover.
15. Do you have any advice for other
writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to
writing?
My advice would be: don’t think too much
about what to write, just WRITE! Make a rough outline of what you want to
include in your book, but don’t be afraid to deviate from it. And once you have
a draft, don’t hesitate to delete at least half of what you’ve written in order
to make it a better and more compelling read. The best advice I have been given
as a writer is undoubtedly ‘kill your darlings’. Not everything you write and
feels dear to you should end up in the final draft of your book. You have to
leave some of it to the reader’s imagination, too.
16. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t
related to reading & writing?
Yes, I love making music and I also love
drawing and painting. I play the piano, the guitar and the viola.
My name is Wendy Lawless and I live in Los Angeles, California.
2. Do you have a
pen name?
No, though Lawless is my "stage name" that I have used in my
acting career. It's also my maiden name.
3. What is the
name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words,
what would you say?
My memoir "Chanel Bonfire" is my first book. I would say it is
a horrible and horribly funny true story of two girls trying to survive the
shipwreck of their childhood, without a map or a how-to manual.
4. Do you have
plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
There is some talk of a follow-up book to "Chanel Bonfire". It
would be the story of a young actress, living in 1980's New York, searching for
love, identity, work and maybe a free meal. Oh, and she has a crazy mother.
5. What or who
inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
When my second child was born, I decided to stop auditioning for acting
jobs (I still do an occasional television commercial) but I still wanted to do
something creative, so I started writing. First, I wrote short essays, about
being a mom, being a mom in Hollywood and being a mom who was raised by a mom
who was nuts. And one of them became the springboard for my book.
6. How did you
come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
A woman named Lisa Litwak at my publisher, Simon & Schuster,
designed the cover. I love it. The picture on the wall on the book cover is
actually a portrait of my mother, done by a very talented society portraitist
named Pedro Menocal, painted in 1967. The cover depicts the first scene in the
book, so I like to think it helps pull the reader in right away.
7. How did you
come up with the title for your book?
The title was originally a chapter heading in the London section of the
book, where the wild, teenage, backyard bonfire party scene was. My husband
(the screenwriter David Kidd) and I were brainstorming titles one night, and he
landed on this one. It sounded catchy, and we needed something to grab people
while I was trying to find an agent and then sell the book. I think it worked -
people responded to it.
8. Do you have a
book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
I do have a book trailer! It was shot in a little studio at Simon &
Schuster in New York. I think it's a great way to get the word out, especially
now with YouTube, and all the social media outlets we have today. For me, as an
actress, it was like making a commercial for my book. Very fun.
9. What is your
opinion on ARCs?
ARCs are, again, a wonderful way to get the buzz going about your book.
I know that there have been three different giveaways of "Chanel
Bonfire" so far on Goodreads. What doesn't make me happy is when I see
people selling them on Ebay! But what can you do.
10. Are you a
self-published / Indie author?
I was lucky to have my book bought by Gallery Books, which is an imprint
of Simon & Schuster. If it hadn't been bought, I most likely would have
self-published it.
11. Have you ever
read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
I reread "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee every few
years. I love the beautifully true way she writes, through the eyes of a young
girl. I have read "Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James, maybe three
times. It's just so gorgeous and tragic, with intrigue, darkness and a cast of
marvelous characters.
12. Have you ever
read a book just based on it’s cover?
I might be drawn to a cover, but I always read the first few pages in
the bookshop. That's what decides whether I'll buy the book... Must take it
home so I can find out what happens on page four? The last book I simply
devoured was Amor Towles' "The Rules of Civility". It has a beautiful
cover, and the writing is amazing! I scooped it up and finished it in two days.
13. What is your
favourite film based on a book?
I would have to say that my favorite film based on a book is "To
Kill a Mockingbird". I just find it to be a seemless, perfect telling of
the story of the book, with all it's complicated, difficult,social and
emotional material brought to life up on the screen. I'm also very fond of the
film of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", though it is quite different from
the book. It's very romantic, and madcap and I love the music by Henry Mancini
too.
14. What books
have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
My current book wishlist includes: "Cleopatra" by Stacy
Schiff, I love big biographies of fascinating women in history. Also I'd like
to read "The Chaperone" by Laura Moriarity, and "Beautiful
Ruins" by Jess Walter, both I believe are set in the film world, another
interest of mine.
15. What book are
you reading at the moment? And in what format?
Right now I am reading "The Lifeboat" by Charlotte Rogan. I
took it out of the library. I have access to a Kindle (my son has one) but I
don't enjoy reading on it. I prefer a book I can hold, and turn the pages of. I
guess I'm old fashioned in that way.
16. Do you have
any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been
given when it comes to writing?
My advice to writers would be to believe in yourself, and never stop
believing in yourself. There are always going to be people who don't understand
your work, who reject it, or tell you what they think you should change. When I
was in acting school, one of my teachers told me that, in the most immediate
sense, you are acting for you, and in fact you have very little control over
what the audience will think of you. I thought that was terrific advice. You
have to listen to yourself, and stay focused on the course. Oh, and never give
up!
17. Do you have
any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
I go to the gym, hang out with my family, go to the movies. I like to
cook and knit.
18. Where can
your readers follow you?
"Chanel Bonfire" has a Facebook page, my Twitter handle is
WendyLawless2. I am also on Goodreads, and have enjoyed reading the early
reviews of my book, and sometimes hearing from readers through the site, which
has been fun. Gallery Books put up a gorgeous website at www.chanelbonfire.com. It
has an excerpt, a slide show, a Spotify playlist. It's quite something.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
