Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley (Author Interview + Giveaway)

I’m so pleased to welcome author Jennifer Bardsley today to the blog as part of Celebrating Debutantes 2016. Jennifer debut novel, Genesis Girl is one  of my anticipated book this year with its unique and interesting premise that caught my interest. And it so nice to have a chance to ask Jennifer few questions about the book and her writing.

To know more about Jennifer Bardsley and Genesis Girl, check the author’s bio and book’s description that follows after the interview, as well as links where to find Jennifer and where to buy copies of the book.

Also, don’t forget to check the giveaway at the bottom of this post for a chance to win Genesis Girl swags!

Interview with Jennifer Bardsley

Your debut novel, “Genesis Girl” has a unique and interesting premise. Where did you get the idea for the story?

I wanted to write a YA book that had never been done before. That meant no werewolves, no vampires, and no games that involved kids risking their lives for reality tv shows. A concept that seemed unique was teenagers who had never been on the Internet. I was also inspired by an ugly part of history. In the seventeen and eighteen hundreds young boys in Italy were sometimes castrated in the hopes that they would become famous opera stars called castrati, who were capable of hitting the highest notes. In the Sci-Fi world of “Genesis Girl,” Vestals have their digital footprints castrated in the hopes they will become celebrities.

“Genesis Girl” features a unique and dynamic world involving digital technologies. What were some of the difficulties in world-building the story’s settings? How did you deal with them?

One of the biggest problems I had to solve was figuring out how Vestals would actually keep themselves off the Internet. Imagine how hard it would be to prevent your picture from ever being uploaded online. You’d never be able to go anywhere because you’d always be afraid of photo-bombing somebody’s picture, or worse, that your picture would be snapped and shared against your will. Part of the Vestal world is that they live in their own communities their entire lives in order to protect their privacy. That’s why I sometimes say Blanca is a Sci-Fi Amish girl.

In “Genesis Girl” digital technologies and Internet plays a major part in the story, for an author like you what do you think is the advantage & disadvantage of Internet or social media?

A huge advantage of the Internet is that I can connect with readers on The YA Gal Facebook or on Instagram every time I turn on my phone. The downside is that it’s hard to know when to turn my phone off. I always feel like I’ll miss something important.

In your opinion, are we headed for a dystopic or utopian future? Why?

Ask me after November’s election. Kidding! No, seriously, I think that we are headed for a bright future, and I’m not just saying that because I grew up on Walt Disney. Technology is bringing people closer together and that gives us the enormous opportunity to make the world a better place.

Now that your debut novel is out, how has it changed your writing life?

This summer I’ll be in the editorial process for “Damaged Goods,” the sequel to “Genesis Girl.” That will involve juggling the promotion of book one, polishing book two, and driving my kids around Seattle from swimming lessons to day camp.

Is there anything you can tell us about the next book in the Blank Slate series, Damaged Gods?

Without giving away spoilers. “Damaged Goods” dives into how the Vestals interact with their Chinese counterparts, the Guardians.

Thank you so much for interviewing me! It was lovely chatting with you!

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Thank you so much Jennifer for stopping by today and for taking the time to answer all my questions above.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Bardsley writes the parenting column “I Brake for Moms” for The Everett Daily Herald. Her debut YA novel, “Genesis Girl” will be published by Month9Books on June 14, 2016, with the sequel releasing in 2017. “Genesis Girl” is about a teenager who has never been on the Internet. Jennifer however, is on the web all the time as “The YA Gal” with over 20,000 followers on Facebook, and 15,000 followers on Instagram. On Facebook, she hosts the weekly instant book club called #TakeALookTuesday where YA Gal friends geek out, share pictures of what they are reading, and chat about books. Jennifer is a member of SCBWI, The Sweet Sixteens debut author group, and is founder of Sixteen To Read. An alumna of Stanford University, Jennifer lives near Seattle, WA where she enjoys spending time with her family and her poodle, Merlin.

Find Jennifer

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Genesis Girl
Author: Jennifer Bardsley
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: June 14, 2016
Pages: 280
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Eighteen-year-old Blanca has lived a sheltered life. Her entire childhood has been spent at Tabula Rasa School where she’s been protected from the Internet. Blanca has never been online and doesn’t even know how to text. Her lack of a virtual footprint has made her extremely valuable and upon graduation Blanca, and those like her, are sold to the highest bidders. Blanca is purchased by Cal McNeal, who uses her to achieve personal gain. But the McNeals are soon horrified by just how obedient and non-defiant Blanca is. All those mind-numbing years locked away from society have made her mind almost impenetrable. By the time Blanca is ready to think for herself, she is trapped. Her only chance of escape is to go online.

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | IndieBound | Goodreads

 

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• Genesis Girl Swags

The Rules:

• Open to International
• There will be one (1) winner
• Winner will be chosen and announced by rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends September 8th, 2016
• Prizes will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each second wave feature post!

 

Book Tour: Invision by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Features & Giveaway)

So thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Invision, the seventh installment of Chronicles of Nick by best selling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon. As part of the tour, I get to share with all of you a short excerpt from the book and the video trailer.

Also, there’s a fabulous giveaway hosted by the publisher where you got a chance to win signed copies of all the books from The Chronicles of Nick. Yes! that’s correct, 7 signed books of Sherrilyn Kenyon and the best part, there are seven sets that are up for grabs, which means more chance of winning!

But before all that here’s a little more info about INVISION

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Invision
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: May 02, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover, eBooks

Think you have a lot of pressure on your shoulders? Nick Gautier was born to bring about the end of the world . . . it’s not easy being the heir of a demon overlord.

But Nick is determined to thwart his destiny and get into a good college. To be more than his genetics and prophecy foretell. No one is ever going to tell this stubborn Cajun who and what he really is. Or how to live his life.

Not even the Fates of the Universe. But now that he and his team of ancient gods and demons have claimed the Eye of Ananke and he sees the missteps of the future, he has to battle the demons within that are far deadlier and more treacherous than any he’s battled before. All the while his arch nemesis is back and determined to reclaim his place as the harbinger for Armageddon. Even if it means killing Nick and barbecuing everyone he loves to do so.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads | Publisher

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK, INVISION

Hanging his head, he pushed his chair back to face her. “What do you want me to say, Kode? You saw what I did. It’s hopeless. I’m going to end this world. Whether it’s tomorrow or a thousand years from now. I’m going to lose it all. Break bad and tear humanity apart. . . . Don’t matter what we do. Whatever we try. We just delay the inevitable outcome. So I’m going to sit here with my eats. And just . . .” he let his voice trail off as the full horror of his future played through his mind for the five millionth time.

He was the end of everything.
Everyone.
All he loved.
The entire world would one day fall to Nick’s army of demons.

Yeah, there was something to put on his college applications. That ought to have schools lining up to accept him. Who wouldn’t want that as their alumnus? We have graduated senators, presidents, movers-and-shakers, and the Malachai demon who ate the world whole…

It was the one reality Nick wanted to deny and couldn’t. Everything eventually came back to that one inescapable fact he wanted to runaway from and couldn’t.
I’m only sixteen. Too young to deal with this crap.

He was supposed to be worried about his grades. About keeping his girl happy. Staying out of trouble. His mom finding his friend’s porn magazines stashed in his room. Getting to work on time. Making curfew.

Not hellgates and demons coming for the throats of his family and friends.
Definitely not about the fact that his birthright was to bring on the destruction of all humanity.

BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular in the #1 spot. This extraordinary bestseller continues to top every genre in which she writes. With more than 40 million copies of her books in print in more than one hundred countries, her current series include The Dark-Hunters, The League, and Chronicles of Nick. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures.

Find Sherrilyn

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• Signed copies of THE CHRONICLES OF NICK!

To enter

Click the photo below to be redirected to the giveaway hosted by the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin

 

Good Luck!!!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana (Author Interview + Giveaway)

I love reading stories set in alternate/parallel universe, especially when there are scientific explanations involve. I like how alternative reality explores “what if” scenarios. Compare to fantasy books, I think science-fiction set in parallel worlds like time travel or time splitting are more engage in reality. That’s why I’m so thrilled to have author Aditi Khorona here on the blog today for a short interview as part of Celebrating Debutantes 2016 event. Aditi’s debut YA science-fiction novel, Mirror in the Sky explores alternative universe. Looking forward discovering how Aditi presents this set-up in Mirror in the Sky when the book hit the shelves this June 21st 2016.

To know more about Aditi Khorona and Mirror in the Sky, check the author’s bio and book’s description that follows after the interview, as well as links where to find Aditi and where to buy copies of the book.

Also, don’t forget to check the fabulous giveaway at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a ARC of Mirror in the Sky and swags!

Interview with Aditi Khorana

Mirror in the Sky is your debut novel, what push you to pursue writing as a career? How did you know what story you want to write about? And why science-fiction?

I was too terrified to pursue my passion for writing professionally for many years. I wrote quietly on the side, at night or on the weekends while working full-time. But my work as a journalist, researcher, market research consultant and communications director at a startup informed both my writing as well as my way of observing the world. Eventually, I wrote my first novel, but it was rejected by multiple agents. I wrote Mirror in the Sky soon after that failure. I was second-guessing myself and all of my choices and Mirror in the Sky came from a very vulnerable place of questioning many of my own life choices. I never really thought of Mirror in the Sky as science fiction while I was working on it. While the overarching idea of an alternate Earth is undeniably science fiction, it’s more of a contemporary speculative story about what the world would be like if we all knew we had a twin on another planet. It’s a book that explores that idea as well as many others, including Otherness, race and class.

One of the things that sets YA science fiction apart from much adult science fiction is how accessible it is for readers (generally speaking), it makes entering alternate world easy (at least based on my own experience). Do you agree? Was that something you thought about while you were writing?

As I was writing, I wasn’t really thinking of Mirror in the Sky as either YA or adult fiction. I just wanted to write a story that felt authentic and was coming from the most honest part of me. But I do think that writing from the voice of a 16-year old was really fun because of how uncensored and raw Tara is. I loved exploring the idea of another world from her point of view, as well as the world that she inhabits in her day-to-day life on the Brierly campus. Ultimately, Tara is an outsider in so many ways and her way of dealing with this is through escaping into a fascination with Terra Nova. The thing is, she’s not the only one. The discovery of an alternate Earth has cataclysmic consequences for nearly everyone she knows.

Could you discuss your concept of mirror Earth? Where did you base this idea?

The Mirror Earth is really a metaphor for all the paths we didn’t take, all the desires we deferred, all the possibilities that still foment within us. That person we could have dated, but didn’t, the career or college we could have chosen, the friends we could have had, that other city we could have lived in. Before I wrote the book, I read Cheryl Strayed’s Rumpus column – The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us – and it inspired me to write MITS. It’s about choosing a particular path and simultaneously wondering about the one we didn’t choose. Since I was in my own period of questioning, writing about another world inhabited by alternate versions of all of us felt like an idea that I was personally aching to explore.

Based on the reviews I have read, you write in such a way that captures emotions completely. How do you manage this?

I just try and write from the most honest part of myself, even if it’s difficult or embarrassing or makes me cringe a little. Especially if it makes me feel this way. So much of writing is about delving headlong into your own discomfort, your own confusion, your own pain.

Did you encounter any challenges while writing Mirror in the Sky? How did you deal with it?

As I mentioned above, I wrote MITS soon after the first novel I wrote – one I (to my chagrin, and perhaps foolishly) had high expectations for was rejected by multiple agents. MITS was something I wrote for myself and my close friends and family. I wrote it in three months and sent it out to agents on a whim. I suppose the biggest challenge I had while writing it was that I was questioning my abilities and facing my own limitations as a writer. It felt like the only way I could deal with these issues was by writing!

Let’s say there is another version of you on another planet, what do you think she will be like? And what she’s doing right now?

Perhaps there is. I’d like to believe she’s chosen to pursue the work that fulfills her and keeps going despite obstacles.

Where do you see your work going after the release of Mirror in the Sky? Do you think you’ll stick with science fiction or branch out into something else?

I’m not married to science fiction and I love exploring ideas, so I hope to continue doing that in whatever I write. I’ve just finished a work of literary fiction as well as a feminist period fantasy set in ancient India.

—

Thank you so much Aditi for stopping by today and for taking the time to answer all my questions above. Looking forward to the released of Mirror in the Sky this June.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aditi Khorana spent part of her childhood in India, Denmark, and New England. She has a BA in international relations from Brown University and an MA in global media and communications from the Annenberg School for Communication. She has worked as a journalist at ABC News, CNN, and PBS, and most recently as a marketing executive consulting for various Hollywood studios including Fox, Paramount, and Sony. Mirror in the Sky is her first novel. She lives in Los Angeles and spends her free time reading, hiking, and exploring LA’s eclectic and wonderful architecture. For more information, visit aditikhorana.com.

Find Aditi

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Mirror in the Sky
Author: Aditi Khorana
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: June 21, 2016
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover, eBooks

For Tara Krishnan, navigating Brierly, the academically rigorous prep school she attends on scholarship, feels overwhelming and impossible. Her junior year begins in the wake of a startling discovery: A message from an alternate Earth, light years away, is intercepted by NASA. This means that on another planet, there is another version of Tara, a Tara who could be living better, burning brighter, because of tiny differences in her choices.

As the world lights up with the knowledge of Terra Nova, the mirror planet, Tara’s life on Earth begins to change. At first, small shifts happen, like attention from Nick Osterman, the most popular guy at Brierly, and her mother playing hooky from work to watch the news all day. But eventually those small shifts swell, the discovery of Terra Nova like a black hole, bending all the light around it.

As a new era of scientific history dawns and Tara’s life at Brierly continues its orbit, only one thing is clear: Nothing on Earth–and for Tara–will ever be the same again.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Goodreads

 

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• ARC of Mirror in the Sky + sun and star temporary tattoos

The Rules:

• Open to US and Canada addresses only
• There will be one (1) winner
• Winner will be chosen and announced by rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends April 20, 2016
• Prizes will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post!

 

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto (Movie Cast + Giveaway)

I’m super thrilled to have author Michelle Modesto here on the blog today as part of Celebrating Debutantes 2016 event. Michelle will be sharing to us her casting pick for her debut YA novel Revenge and the Wild. I haven’t got the chance to read the book yet but Precious is all high praises for it, which makes me more excited to pick up a copy.

To know more about Michelle Modesto and Revenge and the Wild, check the author’s bio and book’s description that follows after the guest post, as well as links where to find Michelle and where to buy copies of the book.

Also, don’t forget to check the giveaway at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a finished copy of Revenge and the Wild.

Here’s Michelle with her casting pick for Revenge and the Wild.

Westie, I think, was the hardest person to cast. It was between several different actresses, but in the end I thought Aubrey Peeples would make a pretty fierce Westie.

James wears many different masks so I thought Tye Sheridan would be best for that role.

With Alistair, it’s all about the eyes so I chose Nicholas Hoult

Costin is both creepy and charming so I thought Ezra Miller would be perfect for the part

And, for the brilliant and sophisticated Nigel, I chose Idris Elba

—

Thank you so much Michelle for sharing to us your casting pick. With all those brilliant actors/actresses I am now more intrigued with Revenge and the Wild. Looking forward meeting Westie, Costin and the rest of the characters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Modesto is a writer, hockey fanatic, lover of most art forms, terrible cook and her social skills aren’t that great either. Her debut YA novel, REVENGE AND THE WILD comes out from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, early 2016. She lives in Northern California in a double-wide mobile asylum with two mastiffs who don’t listen to her and two teenagers who also don’t listen to her.

Find Michelle

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Revenge and the Wild
Author: Michelle Modesto
Publisher: Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins Children’s Books
Publication Date: February 02, 2016
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover, eBooks

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads | Publisher

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• One finished copy of Revenge and the Wild

The Rules:

• Open to US and Canada addresses only
• There will be one (1) winner only
• Winner will be chosen by rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends April 14, 2016
• Prizes will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post!

#CelebratingDebutantes2016 starts tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day to all! I’m excited to finally share more informations about the blog event that keeps me busy this fast few months, Celebrating Debutantes 2016! Together with my bookish buddy, Precious of  Fragments of Life, we are hosting this blog event in which we will feature wonderful debut authors and their novels. There will be two parts: First Wave, in which we will be featuring January to June debut authors; Second Wave, for July to December debut authors.

First wave will start tomorrow, February 15th and will last until March 31st 2016. For 46 days we will feature debutantes of 2016 involving interviews, playlists and movie casts, reviews and giveaways!

Event: Celebrating Debutantes 2016 – First Wave
Duration: February 15, 2016 – March 31, 2016
Scope: Novels that will be published from January to June 2016
#CelebratingDebutantes2016

To give you an idea of what to expect, I made a collage of the novels and authors that we will be featuring and at the bottom is a written list for your reference.

First Wave Partipants:

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright
Zero Day by Jan Gangsei
The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin
The Big Rewind by Libby Cudmore
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk
After the Woods by Kim Savage
Holding Court by KC Held
Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan
Magnetic Shift by Lucy Briand
Flirting with Fame by Samantha Joyce
Bounders by Monica Tesler
The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
Beyond the Red by Ava Jae
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
Liars and Losers Like Us by Ami Allen-Vath
Crossing the Line by Meghan Rogers
Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer
Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost
Without Borders by Amanda Heger
The Way Back to You by Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott
Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan
Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society by Janet Johnson
Curio by Evangeline Denmark
Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer
Consider by Kristy Acevedo
My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan
Draw the Line by Laurent Linn
Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black
26 Kisses by Anna Michels
Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
Please Don’t Tell by Laura Tims
Emerge by Tobie Easton
The May Queen of Murders by Sarah Jude
Love & Gelato by Jenna Welch
Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorona
Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

I hope you’ll join us!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016 Coming Soon!

Precious of Fragments of Life and I are super excited to share to all of you our upcoming blog event, Celebrating Debutantes 2016 which begins on February 15th!

For forty-six (46) days we will features new and upcoming authors of 2016 with their books. We prepared reviews, interviews, guest posts, and of course giveaways! So watch out for the kick-off post with the whole event schedule in three days from now!

But for the mean time, check the #CelebratingDebutantes hashtag across twitter, instagram and facebook for teaser and hints of who are on board with us in this event!