The 4 W's of author Jodi Vaughn

Author Jodi Vaughn gives the Peas the a run down of her book VEILED SECRETS!

 

WHO is Celeste Hart?

Celeste is a misfit that is desperately trying to find her place in the world. She has always felt invisible and never fit in. She values family, and honor, and kindness above all else. She has a quiet strength and steel resolve that accentuate her true beauty. When she discovers her Fae blood, she must hone her power to fight the evil that is coming.

WHAT can a reader expect from VEILED SECRETS?

Loveable characters, dark paranormal plot and sexy romance that will keep the reader turning the page.

Author Jodi Vaughn

WHERE will the readers find the book?

VEILED SECRETS is available at:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

HOW can we find Jodi Vaughn?

Check out her blog! 

Follow her on Twitter: @JodiVaughn1

And Facebook

Olde City New Blood: February Recap... Eesh!

This is so, so late...

Olde City New Blood

A recap on a conference that happened months ago seems...
Well, I just should've done one sooner.

But it was such an amazing group of organizers, authors, bloggers, and readers--I feel like the Peas owed all of them a little shout out.

Holla! You were terrific!

This was one of the most fun cons for me. Not only did all in attendance have their fingers in some facet of the genre/sub-genres/categories I love, but the attendees and faculty were so accessible. I got to hang with one of my heros (Janice Hardy) and meet a slew of other authors and new faces that were just amazingly generous with their time and willingness to share: Alex Hughes, James R. Tuck, Jenna Bennett AKA Jenny Bentley, Karina Cooper, Delilah S. Dawson, Lexi George, Lea Nolan, C J Ellison, just to name a few that were particularly awesome to me and gave me great advice. Since, I have read a lot of their books since, I am even more glad I got to be in the company of their talented selves. (So if you are looking for a summer reading list and some new authors to explore, start with the links above).

I also met an incredibly talented lady forging her way through this jungle of the publishing world, Cat York. A talented illustrator and writer. And now a friend and comrade for the future.

For news on the next incarnation of this conference... check out Coastal Magic
This is a Con worth following. Give them some love--great things are happening here.

~M

Guest Reader Interview: Twenty Questions with Chris Hutchison-Jones

My final reader at this roundtable of book lovers is Chris Hutchison-Jones. This one's going to require some explanation. First of all, it's seventeen questions not the usual twelve because there's just no way to edit this. Everyone should have people in their lives they refuse to edit. My interviewee did not replied via email... but rather post. Yes, that box in your front lawn that holds catalogs... it receives honest to goodness mail too! As I couldn't very well copy and paste this into the Blogger window, I'm left to interpret his reply the best I can and offer visual aids.

The single sheet of paper I pulled from the envelope. It's more organized that it looks.

Chris Hutchison-Jones

What you should know about this reader...
Chris is a great friend as well as a musician/songwriter, social worker, and philosopher of life. Married to Crissy (my previous reader interviewee), I've know him for a lot of years. He's also the person I credit for influencing me to re-embrace my passion for writing. He challenges me, inspires me, and even now with this blog -- coerces me to leave pre-describe formats and try something new. I added some photos to this interview to help create the best and most honest mood for this installment I could. 


Here's my interview with Chris Hutchison-Jones.



1) What kind of reader do you consider yourself?

Scattered? A fisherman? Restless?

Scattered? A fisherman? Restless? Short attention span. I read like a songwriter. I'm just looking for something to steal. I have several books going on at once, at varying degrees and speeds. I read Slaughterhouse 5 in two weeks. I've been working on Moby-Dick for three years. A Levon Helm biography has put everything else on hold.

2) What kinds of books do you read and why? 

The ones I can see. The ones I wouldn't mind dating. I take commitment very seriously.

3) What author's (or stories) do you return to again and again? Why?

I think most males of a certain persuasion go through a Kerouac phase. And he is fun to read still, but he's more of an old friend who doesn't quite fit in with my current station. Someday i want to write a version of On the Road for folks that work 9-5 and take family vacations. An existential crisis with coloring books and pics of the family with the world's biggest ball of barb wire in Texarkana.

Spin me a yarn.

4) As a reader. what do you expect out of the author and the story you are reading? 

Spin me a yarn. Be a good liar so the story's so good that I don't care if they're lyin'.



5) How has the eBook revolution changed the way you read and how you buy books?

The revolution was postponed because of rain. 

6) What makes you pick up a book or author you've never read before?

A whim. First and last name of the author starting with the same letter. 

7) With so many books to read, why do you choose the books you do?

Momentary inspiration. At any moment I have five to ten books to read. 

8) Film before book, or book before film? Why?

Plead the 5th.

9) List the five books that stick with you and tell why they do.

Desolation Angels
"I have nothing to offer anyone but my own confusion."
The Undertaking
How did death move outside and defecation move inside?
House of Leaves
Not sure I finished ... or ever started it.
Dante's Commedia
The perfection of theft
Dylan's Chronicles
Dylan in New Orleans writing Man in the Long Black Coat

Paper cuts and dry eyes. Trying too hard to change the world. 

10) What does reading give you in your life that nothing else can?

Paper cuts and dry eyes.

11) Some people read, some people don't -- why do you think you became a reader? 

12th grade English almost killed reading for me. No one should read Shakespeare with a list of words next to them, having to write down the page they appear.

12) What makes a book disappointing to you?

Trying too hard to change the world.

14) Does the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, Good Reads), book reviews (blogs, Amazon, and B&N), or any media buzz influence your desire to read a book? How or how not? 

Um... yes?

Yes. Book choice is often a game time decision. 

15) Do you judge a book by it's cover? 

Yes. Book choice is often a game time decision.

16) Do author blurbs, cover jackets, and award seals matter to you when choosing a book to read?

Not for hardbacks. Dust covers are promptly discarded. 

17) Have you ever read a book that surprised you, one you didn't expect to like but did? 

Slaughterhouse 5 ... didn't know it was a Sci-Fi novel. 

19) Have there been books you didn't finish reading?

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, I think I got lost in the navel gazing. 

20) Favorite villain of all time. Explain.

Dante ... a superior thief.

Instead of a bio I give you a somewhat shameless plug...

Check out Chris's band Dressing the Debutantes right here and learn most of what you need to know. 

Upcoming M Sighting: YA Day

What's YA Day?

I asked the very same question when pal Katie Wood Ruffin proposed that I join her for a YA Day at my local bookstore. It was explained to me thus: YA Day is a chance to promote and discuss Young Adult/Teen Books with readers. Well, of course, I was game! Any opportunity to share a love of reading one of my favorite "genres" of book. Until now, I had no idea something like this was open to authors as well as unpublished writers (like myself). If I'd have known, I would've endeavored to do it much sooner. So, after a short proposal process, Katie and I received permission to hang out in the YA section of my neighborhood Books-a-Million (for four hours on March 31st) and chat up other readers about what they are reading, share what I'm reading, make suggestions, and not get myself kicked out for loitering or soliciting.
(It's like a dream Saturday afternoon come true!)
Here's the flyer:

That's right. Door prizes and goodies, also! Many thanks to my friends Bekka Black and Sophie Littlefield who sent along some surprises for a few lucky attendees. <---This is going to be exciting stuff! Plus, Katie and I will be handing out suggested reading lists and a few other fun things. 

Needless to say, it'll be a new adventure and experience for me. (I'll be sure to blog about it--and take pictures for you all.) Most of all, it's an opportunity to stretch my under-developed social butterfly wings. If you are in the Biloxi, MS area Saturday afternoon stop by and say, "hello." I'd love to see you.

Peas, Love, and Happy Reading. 

Book Review: Warm Bodies

I have the Pod to myself this week. *drops buckets of black paint* A is feverishly working to polish her manuscript. (Go, A!) M is off celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss. (Congrats!) Unfortunately this means flash fiction has been postponed, but here's a book I think our dear readers will enjoy...and don't mind me...I'll just be over here...with some busy work. *grins and picks up paint brush*

WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion


Synopsis: R is a young man with an existential crisis—he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

Review copy purchased at Barnes & Noble.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

First lines: "I am dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it."

J's Thoughts: I have a few criteria for picking up books in a store: 1) eye-catching cover art, 2) intriguing cover copy, 3) a killer first line. WARM BODIES has all three. Add an author bio sporting the phrase "first novel" and a tag line reading "Soon to be a major motion picture," and I was sold.

It's no secret that zombies are low on my dark fantasy/horror list of favorite creatures. In fact, they're number two on my list of Irrational Fears. (Spiders and bad weather tie for the number one spot.) Even though WARM BODIES seduced me by meeting my bookstore criteria, I was sceptical that I'd enjoy -- much less identify with -- a first person zombie story. However, Isaac Marion proved me wrong because I loved every page.

R is a completely sympathetic character. Zombies are normally portrayed as mindless brutes hellbent on their own survival. But Marion shows the "life" of zombies outside the hunt for brains. When not riding the escalators or hanging out with his best friend M, R tries not to draw the attention of the Boneys, skeletal beings who sit firmly at the top of the Undead food chain. Unfortunately for R, he's in the middle of an mid-death crisis that only worsens when he meets Julie.

Julie, a Living girl, fascinates R and he fascinates her. They soon develop a unique relationship that's centered around brains. Julie, however, doesn't know that the brain in question is that of her former boyfriend, Perry. The mystery surrounding R's difference, and what it means, only deepens as he and Julie grow closer and struggle to find their way in a world ravaged by war and social decline.

Filled with humor, action, and thought-provoking narrative, WARM BODIES is only the second zombie book to find its way to my Keeper Shelf. (The first is PATIENT ZERO by Jonathan Maberry.) I loved the dark humor. I loved R's questioning but laid back nature. I loved Julie's free spirit and determination. But mostly I loved that this wasn't your average zombie book. Marion adds his own spin on the genre and does it with a lot of style. One particular bit of flair I enjoyed was the use to old medical diagrams for chapter headings instead of numbers. It's a small thing but it was a touch I found especially interesting.

If you're looking for a good read and a new twist to zombies, definitely check out WARM BODIES.

Join me next week when I interview Diana Rowland, author of the Kara Gillian and the White Trash Zombies series. Until then...

Peas out.

Valentine's Day Book Recommendations

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with a good book? Okay, yes, there are actual better ways to spend it... especially if you have a certain someone to spend it with... but the topic of love is going to be floating around everywhere today, so we Peas decided to contribute by giving you recommendations for our favorite books of love! Now, love comes in many forms, so these won't be Romance novel exclusive {though I have a feeling there will be some in there}. These are simply our favorite love stories... in any genre! Enjoy!

Since I'm the Pink Pea, and the closest Pea, in personality, to a Disney Princess, it's fitting that I start this off.

My first recommendation, of course {because I own 9 copies; one in French and one in Italian, thanks to my sister} is:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

A classic. I love the innocence of this romance. I also love that they spend the entire book getting in their own way. The characters are so real in their faults, and the dialogue is, believe it or not, really witty! And of course {as there must be for me to fall in love with a book} there's at least one character I want to do some kind of physical harm to.

The Symphony of Ages Series by Elizabeth Haydon

High Fantasy. Epic Romance. You know those movies where you get more info than the main characters, and so you scream at the TV in frustrated suspense as they miss clues or walk right into obvious {to you} danger? A story that crosses the planes of time, this series has that same effect in its romance. You know well before the main characters do what's going on and you can't read fast enough for them to put it together... before it's too late. It's your classic "boy goes back in time, meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy gets sucked back to future without girl, girl unwittingly finds her way to the future years later, but neither recognize each other" story. I have never wanted a character to figure out something so badly in my life. Except for maybe this next book...

The Way of Shadows {Trilogy} by Brent Weeks

This is decidedly not a love story... on the outset. It's more like... ninja assassins with magic powers. But the love story that blooms inside these three books was, to use the word again, Epic. I nearly cried when I finished the last book because I didn't want the story to end. {Though it ended fantastically}. I am ever grateful to Michelle for suggesting these.

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

One of the few true romances I own, this story was beautifully told. And the plot was cleverly set up. Though I cringe at stories of love blooming from adulterous situations, factor in the time period and setting, add a scarily abusive husband/antagonist, and I can let it slide. Definitely one worth turning into a movie.

J's Black-Hearted Almost Love Stories

A thinks her list is the shortest. Nope! That would be mine. Unlike the Pink Princess and Dr. Buttons over there with her "touchy-feely" addiction, I don't read a lot of romance. If a love story pops up as the natural progression of a death and despair story, I'll read it and often enjoy it...as long as it's believable. So here are a few of my favorite "almost" love stories.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I love the natural progression of the "romance" between Katniss and Peeta. It fits the story, the time, the place, and the characters...and it's not over-the-top-sappy.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

R is Dead. Julie is Living. Their world is changing. This is not your typical boy-meets-girl story and it has a great twist on the zombie myth. Plus, it's the first novel for the author.

The Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison

I love this series. Love the characters and the various love stories are real, affectionate, heart-breaking, and seamlessly blend with the action.

 My list might be the most expected (and unexpected -- in some ways). My romance reading chops started young with a very large box of some fifty Harlequin romances handed over to me by a family friend at age thirteen. Though I believe every story has a romance at it heart -- these are a few "hardcore" romances that still hold special places on my bookshelves and in my heart.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
It's no secret that Jane Eyre is my favorite romance and book, ever. I own twenty-one copies and my collection grows each year. Classic, Gothic, full of tension and missteps -- Rochester is the ultimate almost bad boy and Jane is the heroine that you want to see overcome it all in the name of love.

Jane by April Linder
A great companion read to the classic is the retelling by April Linder, Jane. I love this book as much as the original. It's a fresh up-to-date retelling of a romantic tale that shows how this story stands the test of time. I might even love Nico Rathburn a little more than Rochester -- because who doesn't love the idea of falling for a musician.

If you like a nice light romantic read I have two favorites that I dust off and reread once in a while.

Jemima J  by Jane Green
This is a fantastically fun Chic-Lit novel about an ugly duckling journalist that learns love isn't always about looking like a swan. It's a fun, fast, and light read with a lot of heart and humor.

Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian 
This is a YA favorite of mine. Thrust into a household with seven boys, what's a single and only child like Megan to do? If you want to reclaim that boy crazy and young love feeling you remember at thirteen -- this is the book for you.

Both Megan and Jemima are heroines you can champion because they learn that love isn't always what you expect and sometimes we find love (and love finds us) in unexpected ways.

Lastly, Fire and Ice by Catherine Hart
If you want something a little (a lot) steamier and enjoy a fun Historical Romance, this is a classic of the genre. Pirates, a feisty Irish heroine with a couple tricks up her sleeve for rogue Captain Reed Taylor, and a lush old southern Savannah landscape -- couldn't ask for more.

Have a {sweet/romantic/sexy/steamy/fun/chocolatey/delightful/wonderful} (circle one... or more) Valentine's Day!! See you next week for part two of all the fun I missed! -A