Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Kaki Olsen, Swan and Shadow, Swan Lake, Sweetwater Books 0 Comments
I had such a strong connection to the story within Swan and Shadow, I wanted to reach out to the author Ms Olsen to ask if she wanted to be a guest author on my blog – kicking off a week where I celebrate #YALit as this is one branch of literature I have a keen interest in seeking out whilst I find new debut authors to champion each New Year.
The Young Adult market has a wide selection of offerings but each year, I find myself trying to find a particular niche of offerings which are threaded with light and not too darkly underlit to push out the light completely. I appreciate finding stories set in the Contemporary world, the historical past or amongst the genres of Speculative Fiction which have the tendency to carve out new worlds of thought and dimension per each writer’s unique perspective and imagination.
I was quite taken by the level of depth Ms Olsen knitted inside her debut novel, and I wanted to explore those depths with her whilst giving her a chance to flex her wings with guest features which broached a bit deeper than the surface of her writerly inspirations. I definitely wanted to learn more about the supernatural attributes but at the core of the story, there is a coming-of age tale of a girl not quite confident in her own skin whose attempting to sort everything out one step of the way.
Underscored to the Fantasy elements are topics young adults will appreciate seeing in this novel, such as the highlighting of mental health and wellness and the struggle between sisters, of whom love each other dearly but do not always act in the best interests of each other. Olsen owns her story to such a degree of honesty, as to ground you directly inside the lives of her characters whilst giving you this curious story surrounding a shapeshifting swan! The back-story is one that is quite well known but it’s her interpretation of the story’s heart which stands out from the pack!
This Guest Post Feature kicks off my showcasing of Young Adult Literature – a special focus which will be re-occurring on Jorie Loves A Story straight til the start of Summer! I look forward to bringing a variety of stories to my blog, across genres and styles where characters are on the fringes of exiting their childhood but have a bit of growth left in their younger years before they fully embrace their adulthood. It’s a transitional part of our lives which endears me the most to the stories, but also, to the authors who find new ways of talking about this period of growth, discovery and self-awareness which everyone (lad or lass) can relate too.
Happily join me as I converse via:
#IReadYA | #IndieYA (movements of their own)
Tags to promote these showcases: #JorieLovesIndies | #JorieLovesYA
Aislin’s curse is the standard fare: swan by day, college student by
night, true love as the only cure. But does true love even exist outside of fairy tales? After having to cover for Aislin during her swan hours, Aislin’s twin, Maeve, is willing to resort to anything from matchmaking to magic to see her sister live happily (and human) ever after.
Will either of them get their wish?
Topic of Interest: Shadow and Light can metaphorically tackle a wider depth of a human’s journey; how did you seek to define Aislin’s struggle to grow in strength and personal acceptance of her swan / human duality?
One Saturday afternoon, I was standing in line for a book signing. I’d been a fan of Brandon Sanderson since my friend made me read her writing teacher’s debut novel and this was years before he was an award-winning podcaster, novelist and the man who finished the Wheel of Time series. I’ve always found him to be an approachable and unassuming man, which is what gave me the guts to comment on one of his observations.
The person standing in front of me was having him sign a middle grade book called Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians and said how much her son loved reading something that didn’t have to be homework. Brandon wittily said that he’s never been the type to write books that people would have to write papers on. I immediately piped up that I was presenting an academic paper on leadership in two weeks and had used a chapter from his first book as the foundation for part of it. He blinked, signed the woman’s book and, while signing my copy of Hero of Ages, asked me what I had written it on. I immediately quoted a passage from the book in which a young prince is taught about noble leadership by some well-phrased observations and questions posed by a glowing ball that used to be his constant companion. Brandon responded with something along the lines of, “Well, THAT’S not exactly what I thought that chapter was about” and laughed. Read More
Posted Monday, 25 April, 2016 by jorielov in After the Canon, Ballet, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Chronicles of a Prospective Adoptive Mum, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Equality In Literature, Fairy Tale Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Methodology of Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, Musical Fiction | Non-Fiction, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Realistic Fiction, Shapeshifters, Supernatural Fiction, The Writers Life, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Urban Fantasy, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Wednesday, 30 March, 2016 by jorielov A Gown of Thorns, Bookouture, Natalie Meg Evans 2 Comments
I have a penchant for items which curate a story out of the historical past, as there have been a few incredible pieces of historical fiction stemming out of an article of clothing – A Vintage of Affair by Isabel Wolff (a hidden gem discovered at my local library!) and A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner (of which I happily had the pleasure of reviewing!) come to mind instantly! One features a boutique of vintage clothes and the other, has a story threading through the history of a scarf – both have a particular strife attached to their back-stories, as the clothes of the first go back to the World War era and the scarf tackles a modern tragedy and the Shirt Waist Industry from the early Nineteen Hundreds.
Meissner anchoured her story with a duality of plots which fascinated me and emotionally gutted me at the very same time! Wolff entranced me by how the ‘clothes’ slipped the past into view, front and center. Between the two novels, I realised I have a passion for how objects and ‘things’ can become transportative whilst giving us a plausible step ‘backwards in time’!
This is why I continue to seek out stories which parlay on the same general themes as A Gown of Thorns the latest of which I will be reading next is The Black Velvet Coat by Jill G. Hall whilst I continue reading my challenge reads (Summer & Fall) on behalf of BookSparks this Spring. It is also why I was so wicked happy to be in a position to interview Ms Evans on her new release A Gown of Thorns as you will see in our conversation how invested I am in this topic and thankful our convo became a lively one where we explore the context of her story!
To gain a bit of a back-story on how I came to host Bookouture authors,
please visit my first conversation I featured with this publisher with Teresa Driscoll!
From the multi-award winning and bestselling author, comes a bittersweet romantic story set against the backdrop of the French Dordogne valley.
Hidden within the wardrobe’s embrace, she rifled through the folds of cloth until her fingers stopped at a gown of violet, lavender and silver-grey pleats. She lifted it off its hanger and turned towards the mirror…
Shauna Vincent arrives in the little French village of Chemignac after accepting an offer to be an au pair to the grandchildren of an old family friend.
As she begins to explore her new home at the ancient Chateau de Chemignac with it’s beautiful vineyards, she discovers a locked tower room where she unearths a treasure trove of exquisite vintage dresses. One gown feels unsettlingly familiar.
When Shauna falls asleep one afternoon in a valley full of birdsong, she has a strange dream of a vintage aircraft circling threateningly overhead. So when she suddenly awakes to find charming local landowner Laurent standing over her – Shauna wonders if he might be just the person to help her untangle this unexpected message from the past.
A Gown of Thorns draws you into a richly evocative world steeped in secrets that will mesmerize fans of Rachel Hauck’s The Wedding Dress, Kristen Hannah’s The Nightingale and Adriani Trigiani.
I love hidden secrets which unravel a portraiture of history stitched inside a historical narrative – in many ways, this is why I loved reading A Vintage Affair by Isobel Wolff because the article of clothing is a tipping stone towards the heart of the story. How did you approach developing the setting of the back-drop of your story against the gown which is the link to the past inside A Gown of Thorns?
Evans responds: An interesting question. What came first, the backdrop or the gown? When I am musing over a new story, I rarely think it out in a linear way. I tend to get a whole picture all at once. In the case of Gown of Thorns, the sun-scorched vineyards of the Dordogne simply arrived in my head and I knew I wanted to make the backdrop a wine estate. Grape growing and pressing is a piquant and lush affair, and the scents and colours of the region add layers of richness.
The dress, the Gown of Thorns, of the title slipped into my head when I envisaged a stone tower that housed a dress whose history was checkered and passionate. That it was a Fortuny Delphos gown was established after I had looked at many, many photographs of vintage evening dresses on line. It jumped out at me as a style of dress that was so alluring and simple, that it was entirely believable that three generations of women should fall under its spell. Read More
Posted Wednesday, 30 March, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bookouture, Fashion Fiction, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Author Interview, The Writers Life, Vintage Clothes & Boutiques, Women's Fiction, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 25 March, 2016 by jorielov Bookouture, Last Kiss Goodnight, Teresa Driscoll 0 Comments
This conversation has a lovely back-story about how a book blogger was discovered by a writer who loves reading ChocLit novels! As you see, when I released my review for Margaret James’s novel The Silver Locket I had the pleasure of interacting with Ms Driscoll via Twitter! I like to check to see who appreciates what I’m tweeting about in the twitterverse, and being that I had such a strong emotional connection to the novel and the story as a whole, it was a joy to find people engaging with my tweets by either re-tweeting them or favouriting them! It’s a small gesture to know someone out there is appreciating what your sharing and more times than naught, I like to take a moment to interact with these tweeters.
As a writer myself, it goes without saying ‘writers are dedicated readers’ because we all came through the gateway of literature inspiring our own literary paths therein. It did not surprise me finding a writer was keen on the Charton Minster series, in other words! What I hadn’t realised is this interaction about my ChocLit readings would lead to a lovely DM convo with the publicist at Bookouture! Ms Nash is a delightfully bookish soul who not only champions interest in the publisher but she knows how to unite readers, book bloggers and authors!
Bookouture is an Indie publisher from England – a digital first publisher (similar to ChocLitUK) who also releases their novels in print (via Print on Demand) with a focus on the quality of their submissions rather than focusing on quantity. This is a trend that I’m finding across the board with the Indie Publishers I’m currently hosting as I shift away from hosting blog tours and working directly with publishers. This is why you’ll be seeing me champion the stories and authors not only from Bookouture but from my continued appreciation of ChocLitUK, Seventh Star Press and World Weaver Press; whilst adding Prometheus Books (and their imprints: Seventh Street Books & Pyr), Impress Books (also from the UK) and Curiosity Quills Press. I will be going into a bit more about all of this on my End of the Year Survey 2015 which I’m releasing on my 3rd Blogoversary 31st of March, 2016.
If you’d like to check out the founder of Bookouture, I direct you to the introductory page on behalf of Oliver Rhodes.
Meanwhile, I am happily going to be showcasing their authors through bookish conversations which not only directly relate to the author’s new release but will encompass their writerly life as well. Each conversation I bring to Jorie Loves A Story (and on my contributions via steampunkcavaliers.com) have the same focus and concentration: to use dialogue to engage in a conversation everyone will enjoy reading!
I am delighted to bring my conversation with Ms Driscoll to my readers today on her #pubday as I hadn’t realised I’d have the pleasure of celebrating her new release in coordination with her book birthday whilst beginning my showcases for Bookouture! It’s quite fitting I get to begin with her book, as without her ‘wink of a nod’ on Twitter on behalf of Margaret James’ novel, I might not have discovered her collective works or those of her authorial colleagues at Bookouture!
I stroked the top of my baby’s head and whispered to him gently that I would find a way. I will not let them take you…
Once upon a time Kate’s life was full of love and smiles and laughter. A time where she dared to dream and hope. But then her perfect family unit is shattered in the most unthinkable way. And now Kate is silently and steadily falling apart.
When she meets Martha, Kate recognizes a kindred spirit. Martha is searching for a lost love; tragedy has touched her life too. Why are they so inexplicably drawn to one another? And why are they both keeping secrets about their pasts?
As Kate and Martha are forced to face the painful memories they’d each locked away, can they save each other and learn to live again?
A beautifully written story full of emotion,
hope and the redeeming power of love and friendship.
The back-story of inspiration on behalf of your sophomore release Last Kiss Goodnight has such a powerful impact on the emotional journey of a mother’s soul as she attempts to find peace where ambiguous loss has resided. How did you prepare yourself to dig inside the emotional anguish necessary to convey the emotional eclipse of your characters?
Driscoll responds: This story was inspired by an experience that has haunted me since I was a television reporter years ago. One day I was sent to a campaign launch near the House of Commons to film a group of women releasing balloons. Each one, I was to learn, represented a child who could not be found. The reasons for the estrangements were varied but all the mothers’ stories were heartbreaking. I interviewed a number of the mothers and learned something very important that day…the difference between empathy and sympathy. These women truly understood each other. Read More
Posted Friday, 25 March, 2016 by jorielov in Author Found me On Twitter, Blog Tour Host, Bookouture, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Author Interview, The Writers Life, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event, Women's Fiction, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 8 May, 2015 by jorielov Laura Templeton, Month9Books, Summer of the Oak Moon, Swoon Romance 0 Comments
One of the blessings for hosting blog tours with Chapter by Chapter, is watching all the lovely new releases by Month9Books and their imprint Swoon Romance! On the latter side of the ledger, the Swoon Romance titles which interest me to read in the future when I can acquire a print copy of the books are the Young Adult and New Adult titles; although I notice most of the ones that tempt me of late are strictly YA. I happen to fancy the stories where authors take different turns highlighting the coming-of age period of young adults and the shifting of perspectives from childhood, adolescence, and the opening chapters of their adult lives.
This is why I was drawn into wanting to read Summer of the Oak Moon, as I have previously picked up a similar story about societal perceptions and influences on a multicultural relationship by Julie Kibler in Calling Me Home; a novel I still need to finish reading. I first discovered it soon after my local library purchased it as a debut novel, and what compelled me inside the story itself was the honest realism of the relationship as it was unfolding inside the narrative grace Kibler gave her characters to inhabit. It is these kinds of stories I am in search of finding, and as soon as I read the synopsis for Templeton’s Swoon Romance, I felt as if I had found a novel to anchour alongside my readings of Kibler.
When I decided to ask the topic for this blog tour, I decided to talk about the heart of the story and counter-balance that against the social movement towards seeking Equality and Diversity in Literature. I have openly spoken about my pursuit of #EqualityInLit which runs hand in hand with the #WeNeedDiverseBooks mission towards a balance of stories which represent the world we live in. I found the author’s response quite refreshing and I look forward to hearing your response in the comments after you’ve read her essay.
Rejected by the exclusive women’s college she has her heart set on, Tess Seibert dreads the hot, aimless summer ahead. But when a chance encounter with a snake introduces her to Jacob Lane, a black college student home on his summer break, a relationship blooms that challenges the prejudices of her small, north Florida town.
When Jacob confesses that Tess’s uncle is trying to steal his family’s land, Tess comes face to face with the hatred that simmers just below the surface of the bay and marshes she’s loved since birth. With the help of her mentor Lulu, an herbal healer, Tess pieces together clues to the mysterious disappearance of Jacob’s father twenty-two years earlier and uncovers family secrets that shatter her connection to the land she loves.
Tess and Jacob’s bond puts them both in peril, and discontent eventually erupts into violence. Tess is forced to make a decision. Can she right old wrongs and salvage their love? Or will prejudice and hatred kill any chance she and Jacob might have had?
Published By: Swoon Romance (@SwoonRomance)
an imprint of Month9Books (@Month9Books)
on 5th of May, 2015
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook | Add to Riffle
Converse on Twitter via:
#SummerOfTheOakMoon, #YALit & #Month9Books Read More
Posted Friday, 8 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, African-American Literature, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours, Civil Rights, Coming-Of Age, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Contemporary Romance, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Family Drama, Family Life, Indie Author, Modern Day, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Realistic Fiction, Small Towne Fiction, Small Towne USA, Taboo Relationships & Romance, The Writers Life, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Thursday, 26 March, 2015 by jorielov Leigh Statham, Month9Books, The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl 0 Comments
I have participated in Sci Fi November for the past two years, as it happened that when I created my blog on the 31st of March, 2013 (my blogoversary!) I did not launch Jorie Loves A Story to the world until the 6th of August, 2013. Therefore, I indeed gave myself plenty of time to prepare for Sci Fi November 2013! Each year, I seek out a way to read Steampunk, and sadly, for the past two years, I have faltered a bit in my reach to hit this mark of my SFN event plans. I even re-queued the notion to read a bit of Steam during this year’s Sci Fi Experience (another annual event I participate in!) except to say, I only made it through the lovely appendix of Ms Elliott’s icepunk/steampunk novel! A bit more on this will be revealed at a latter time!
I like to keep my eyes peeled for upcoming Steampunk authors as I am looking towards uncovering a particular ‘type’ of steampunk novel. Previously I have discovered the Dystopian Steampunk styling of J.L. Muvihill’s The Boxcar Baby inasmuch as the mech insects and mech-tech steam world of A MidSummer Night’s Steampunk by Scott E. Tarbet (based on a Shakespearean play!). Both novels were published by Indie Publishers who are dedicated to wicked quality and the craft behind world-building which gives a reader a firm grounding of where they are exploring once they pick up their books.
In this, I discovered the same dedication from Month9Books, and as I discover each new novel which whets a thirst of an appetite to read their selections, I endeavour to host their authors for special guest features in lieu of reading their novels for review (as at this time they only provide e-books). I must say, between the cover-art (which is eye-popping bang-on brilliant!) and the synopsis, this novel definitely held my attention! So much so, I am hoping my local library might take a chance and respond to a purchase request I submit for it in April!
My local library has a small collection of Steampunk novels, most of which I have explored or mentioned during one of the Sci Fi events I referenced above and/or on other exploratory blog posts such as my Library Loot where I discussed my hit/miss love affair with Steampunk! I am quite eager to continue my search for stories which invigorate my mind as much as capture my attention within the Victorian Steam worlds writers are happily creating for me to devour! If you haven’t picked up The Clockwork Man by William Jablonsky I highly suggest that you do! I read this one in conjunction with a steampunky event a book blogging friend of mine created, thus giving me my first foray into reading Steam!
I am hopeful as you go back through the links I’m sharing to see where and how my travels in stream have led me to traverse thus far along, you’ll be a bit closer to understanding how wicked happy I am to be hosting this lovely author interview on behalf of Ms Statham!
Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: Money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except, she suspects her heart may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family’s steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. Only the trip proves to be more harrowing than she anticipated. Love, adventure and restitution await her, if she can survive the voyage.
{ Read Chapter One : via the author’s blog }
Published By: Month9Books (@Month9Books), on St. Patrick’s Day, 2015
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Public Library | Add to Riffle
Converse on Twitter via: #NotSoInnocuousGirl, #YALit & #Month9Books
What initially inspired you to create a story set within 17th Century France and bend it into a steampunky world where an adventure awaits your young protagonist as much as the reader who picks up the novel?
Statham responds: I first discovered Marguerite’s story while doing genealogy research. She is one of my great-great grandmothers. I knew I wanted to write her story, but when I started to do it straight up historical fiction, I was soon bored to tears. I had just finished reading Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan, and I thought – wait a minute, who says I can’t make something steampunky out of 17th century France? And that was all it took. I was in love once again. Read More
Posted Thursday, 26 March, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Fantasy Fiction, France, French Literature, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Indie Author, Library Find, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Steampunk, The Writers Life, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice, Young Adult Fiction