Showing posts with label Merp Squad Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Merp Squad Tours. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Treatment my Suzanne Young! The Program, was one of my favorites of last year and I'm so excited to share this sequel with you!
The Treatment
by Suzanne Young
Published: 4.29.14
Pages: 352
Now that we've got the info out of the way, it's time for something really fun! I got the awesome privilege of interviewing Suzanne about her and her Progam duology, and here's that she has to say! Enjoy!
The romance between James and Sloane is a huge part of the books. What is the first thing you do in building up a strong romance?
Thanks for visiting! Leave some comment love to Suzanne, and happy last day of April!! XOXO,
by Suzanne Young
Published: 4.29.14
Pages: 352
Can Sloane and James survive the lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end? Find out in this sequel to The Program, which Publishers Weekly called “chilling and suspenseful.”How do you stop an epidemic?Sloane and James are on the run after barely surviving the suicide epidemic and The Program. But they’re not out of danger. Huge pieces of their memories are still missing, and although Sloane and James have found their way back to each other, The Program isn’t ready to let them go.Escaping with a group of troubled rebels, Sloane and James will have to figure out who they can trust, and how to take down The Program. But for as far as they’ve come, there’s still a lot Sloane and James can’t remember. The key to unlocking their past lies with the Treatment—a pill that can bring back forgotten memories, but at a high cost. And there’s only one dose.Ultimately when the stakes are at their highest, can Sloane and James survive the many lies and secrets surrounding them, or will The Program claim them in the end?
For information about book one, The Program, see here.
About The Author
Originally from New York, Suzanne Young moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She currently resides in Tempe, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration.
Suzanne is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED.
Now that we've got the info out of the way, it's time for something really fun! I got the awesome privilege of interviewing Suzanne about her and her Progam duology, and here's that she has to say! Enjoy!
The romance between James and Sloane is a huge part of the books. What is the first thing you do in building up a strong romance?
Dialogue. The way a couple talks to each other and interacts says a lot about who they are and their relationship. I sometimes write pages of dialogue before anything else. The best part of Sloane and James’s relationship was their humor, their inside jokes. It helps that they have a long history together, so there was a built-in trust and mutual respect.
Where did the idea for The Program/Treatment come from? Or when, did it really start to take shape in your mind?
I’d been writing a contemporary novel about suicide, but it was hitting a little too close to home. I caught a commercial for an anti-depressant where suicide, especially in young adults, was a side effect. I started researching and learned about suicide clusters. From there, the idea of an epidemic formed. I then thought about a cure and found a treatment for PTSD that used memory manipulation. The Program was very much based on real life situations and solutions.
What is your favorite thing about writing for a YA audience?
The emotions. As an adult, I’m jaded and cynical sometimes. I love the thrill of experiencing something for the first time, actually experiencing it without comparison. It’s fun and enlightening to write situations with that mindset.
Are you a daytime or nighttime writer?
I’m a morning writer. I’m basically useless after lunch.
What inspires you to keep writing when it gets tough?
It’s always tough. I’m also a high school English teacher, and I consider myself lucky. When writing gets me down, I have another outlet for my creativity and an audience. I get to come to work every day and inspire teens—and really, it’s a pretty awesome feeling to get people to love reading.
Are you the kind of writer to snack while she writes/reads? If so, what's your ideal "writing snack?"
I love Cheez-its or pretzels. I also eat candy corn. Rarely chocolate though. Sorry…
That was so much fun! Thanks Suzanne! Glad to see we share a mutual love of Cheez-its! Hope you enjoyed that, and now it's time for the Giveaway!
Open to US/CAN, one lucky winner will receive a set of the complete duology! Exciting right? Enter away! Good luck! May the force be with you! (what can I say, I just watched Star Wars)
a Rafflecopter giveawayThanks for visiting! Leave some comment love to Suzanne, and happy last day of April!! XOXO,
Monday, February 17, 2014
Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Under Zenith blog tour! Super excited to share with you the latest and greatest from one of my favorite authors, Shannen Crane Camp! This is her first NA, having begun with lots of awesome YA books! If you're looking for a new author to try I recommend her! Here's a little bit about her book!
UNDER ZENITH
by Shannen Crane Camp
It was the most important day of her life, and for 21-year-old Isla Edison, graduating from college with a useless degree in vocal performance was all part of her master plan. Dying in a car accident only hours later wasn't part of that plan. Yet there she was, standing over her own lifeless body and panicking about ruining the truck her parents had bought as a graduation present. Talk about a bad way to repay them. If coming to terms with the hereafter wasn’t enough to deal with, Isla suddenly finds herself stuck with Hayden, a gorgeous Brit with a bad attitude and a penchant for throwing her off cliffs to keep her in line. Worst of all, Hayden is her Guide, and until she completes six impossible and totally random tasks to reach her mysterious Destination, she's stuck with him. Isla's major problem, though, is that she doesn't know what reaching her Destination actually entails, and soon the mystery surrounding her new afterlife seems more ominous than any purgatory she could possibly imagine. Now Isla must decide if she'll trust her dark and brooding Guide despite his "bad boy" act, or if she'll risk failing her tasks and facing the unknown alone.
Sound like so much fun right? Who wouldn't want to have a hot Brit to navigate the afterlife with them? Okay the afterlife might not be the best.... But either way, here's an awesome interview that I got to do with Shannen! Way too much fun!
This is your first NA book. What was different about your writing process this time around?
I
feel like I had different things to think about with this one.
Normally I’m thinking about high school and relationships in that
context. With this book I had to focus more on things like what my
main character wanted to do with her life as far as a career goes. I
had to think about a job for her, her financial situation, her
relationship with her family as an independent woman. It was
definitely a different character building process. I also had to
think about how she would relate to a roommate or an older brother
who she didn’t live with. That kind of thing.
Now I'm guessing it's because you've always wanted to explore the afterlife with a hot Brit, but tell me about your inspiration for Under Zenith?
You’re
actually pretty spot on. I wanted to write a scenario where I could
do anything I wanted to without it being out of place. I wanted this
space where literally any creature or situation could arise and my
character could stop and think it was weird, but it wasn’t
necessarily surprising. I loved the freedom that afforded. The
Afterlife just seemed like the perfect space for this odd little
dreamscape. And hey, if a hot psychotic Brit was involved, that’s
always a plus! I do love my hot psychotic Brits… I may or may not
be writing another hot psychotic Brit right now!
What's the first thing you do when you start a new story?
I
make a folder on my computer for the book. I create one Word document
for the actual story, and one for everything else. I write out the
plot, story details, and most importantly, character descriptions.
I’ll fill the folder with pictures of people who would “play”
the characters and write out descriptions of their age, physical
appearance, weird ticks, personality details, and their likes and
dislikes. Honestly, it kind of looks like an online dating profile.
Plus I’ll make a playlist of songs to listen to throughout the day
to get me pumped to write when I get home from work. I even dress
like my characters a lot of the time. So if you ever see me in
fifties clothes, I’m probably working on a June
book :)
Are you the kind of writer who eats/drinks while she writes? If so, what's your "writing snack"?
A
giant glass of ice water and something super salty :) I kind of live
on salt. It’s a bit of a problem.
YES! Savor is for sure my choice when it comes to reading/writing snacks!
You've already hit up a variety of genres, from Contemp to Dystopian! What genres would you like (or are going to) to explore in the future?
I’m
actually in the middle of writing a paranormal New Adult novel about
a bunch of ghost hunters :) So I’d say that’s definitely a genre
I want to explore lol. I’d really love to write a murder mystery
but I’m not sure I’m clever enough to do that. I think people
would guess my murderer every time! I’m also going to focus more on
YA contemporary some more. I feel like lately I’ve been drifting
away from that to do more sci-fi/fantasy type of books. As much as I
love those, it’ll be nice to get back to my roots.
I would fully support the murder mystery! I adore that genre!
About Shannen
Shannen Crane Camp was born and raised in Southern California, where she developed a love of reading, writing, and anything having to do with film. After high school, she moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, where she received a degree in Media Arts and found herself a husband in fellow California native Josh Camp. The two now live in either California or Utah... they still can't decide.Thanks for the fun interview Shannen! If you guys like what you see and want to look into some more of Shannen's books go here to see all the beauties!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for visiting! To check out the rest of the tour with more interviews, guest posts, excerpts and reviews, check out the schedule here! Happy Monday! XOXO,
Thursday, October 3, 2013
by Romily Bernard
Published: 9.24.13
Pages: 307
"Find Me." These are the words written on Tessa Waye's diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa's just been found...dead. Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target. Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick's deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step? Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare. But she's going to find this killer no matter what. Because it just got personal.
Let it be said, right here and now that I suck at anything computer savvy. I can do the basic HTML that I need for my blog, but beyond that, if it requires codes or etc, I am useless. So I was really interested with the hacking aspect of this book. It was actually quite interesting, and while some of it flew over my head, I thought it was kinda exciting to read about.
Wicket, our MC was fascinating. I'll be honest, I didn't get into her head from the very beginning. It took a little while for me to really connect with her. But once I started to get her, I sympathized and could really see and understand who she was as a character. All the rest of the cast was fabulous. Loved Griff, the cute boy who's also a computer nerd. Score! Dad, the guy you're afraid of more than anything. Lily, the sister who you live for. Lauren, the best friend who wasn't kept in secret! Aah, how refreshing. Love them all.
And then we have the mystery side of this book. Such a thriller! So well done! Romily kept me guessing. She sets up the plot and all these possibilities and I'd think I have it, and then NO, could it be this? Wait...maybe it's not...AAH. The real answer just crept up on me till I was staring at my kindle in shock, while at the same time, horrified and understanding at the same time. It was so obvious, yet I completely missed it. That's why I loved this so much. I couldn't predict anything.
All in all, I'm gonna have to go with a thumbs up. I was glued to my kindle, eager and itching in excitement and terror as I waiting to find out what would happen next. I totally recommend this if you are looking for a edge-of-your-seat novel! Besides, how could you resist the gorgeous cover?
Content: Moderate
[some language, innuendo, kisses]
Romily Bernard
I graduated from Georgia State University with a Literature degree. Since then, I’ve worked as a riding instructor, cell phone salesgirl, personal assistant, groom, exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service rep.So don’t let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed.
Inky Question: What research did you have to do for the hacking aspect of the book?
Romily: I did a lot of Googling and asking around. Luckily, my husband works in IT so I could bounce ideas off of him. I've started keeping a folder of computer/hacking related news articles that I can go back through as I finish the last two books. I'm always on the lookout for cool new ideas.
Inky's Reaction: SEQUELS?!?! I had no idea! Eepster!
As part of this FABULOUS tour we've got a fabulous giveaway for you! Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the rest of the tour! Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome day!!! XOXO,
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