Interview with Julianna Baggott + win a signed copy of Pure!

1) Could you tell us a bit about yourself.



I'm a short  fast-talker who likes chocolate. PURE is my 18th book, including books under my pen names, N.E. Bode and Bridget Asher. I mouth off sometimes
in essays and op-eds; my work has been published in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, NPR... I teach at Florida State. I have four kids, two dogs and a cat.
    
2) Could you tell us a bit about Pure.

It started with the image of a 16 year old girl with a doll-head fist who's hiding in an ash-choked cabinet. There's also an older boy who escapes a Dome. Their lives entwine. It's set post-detonations and so there's a lot of world-building. 


3) What was the inspiration for writing Pure?


This question always stumps me because it's never just one idea. The images above, the desire to write on a large canvas, a psychological realism, a connection to my oldest who loved the early pages and urged me to write the rest. 


4) Were there any personal experiences that went in to writing Pure?


Yes. In that the fusings themselves -- some of them -- harken back to having small children, who I always held and let fall asleep on my chest, and I wrote with them all bundled to me. When you read about the Mothers in the book, you'll understand why it's related. Fusings.  


5) Was Pressia's character based on anyone or was she a  purely made up character? What is she like?


She holds traits of my own, my daughters, those around me -- but the result is that she's her own person. Completely
.  

6) What was your inspiration in the cover art for Pure?


The cover art was done by brilliant designers in-house. I loved it immediately.  


7) Who is your favorite character in the book? And why?


I can't choose between them. But I really unexpectedly love writing one character who begins as a bad guy but emerges as a main character who's actually
very complex. El Capitan -- and his brother who's fused to his back, Helmud.  


Read my review of Pure HERE!


Where to find Julianna:
Facebook
Website
Goodreads

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Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Julianna Baggott
Hardcover, 448 Pages
Grand Central Publishing
February 8, 2012 


“Beauty, you can find it here if you look hard enough.” 


We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run. 

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

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Pure is a spectacularly detailed story, with unforgettable characters in an amazingly original post- apocalyptic world. 


Pure is one of those book I was super excited for. I an riding the Dystopian train right now and Pure fits right it. I loved how original this story was. The detail of each setting was breathtaking and I became so absorbed with the world Baggott had created. 


The Detonation has created a world of subhumans who have become fused with whatever they were close to at the time of the detonation. Each character is so original and has such a story based on there fused bodies. I loved learning why they were fused to these certain objects that are now a part of them forever. 
Many have called this book quite grotesque but I thought the fusing was a completely original idea and I quite enjoyed learning why this was happening and how it effected each character. 


Pure is told from four point of views. Pressia lives outside the Dome with her grandfather. She has had to take on most of the responsibility of survival due to her grandfathers declining health. She is a strong personality with amazing survival skills. I loved reading her perspective on this new world. 
Partridge lives inside the Dome. Saved from the Detonation, Partridge lives a relatively normal life. Goes to school, has a safe and secure life. Until he discovers that his mother may be alive and he has been lied to for most of his life. I really enjoyed Partridge. He is quite naive in the way of the world outside the Dome. But does not come of smug. I like that he knows he is not the strongest nor the best at surviving. He is ok to let others lead. I like that about him. The other two POV;s are told from El Capitan, an officer outside the Dome and Lyda, a classmate of Partridge, who lives inside the Dome. Both are very interesting characters and I enjoyed reading from there POV's and getting to know their characters. 


Overall, Pure is one of the most originally written stories I have read. It is full of terrifying creatures, unforeseen plot twists and unforgettable characters. By the end of the book I was left wanting more. I give Pure 5 Hoots. If you are looking for a completely original Dystopian  story, Pure is for you. I can not wait to find out what happens next. 

New Meme: Poetry Friday's

Hi Guys!!! So I am a huge Poetry fan and I was thinking of doing something to share my favorites with you. So Poetry Friday's is here! Basically we just post a poem of our choice on our blog to share it with our readers. Spread a little poetry into the world! So that't it. Grab the pic, or make your own.. and stick a fav poem on your blog! 

Here is my poem of the week:

The Stolen Child  by William Butler Yeats

Where dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,

There lies a leafy island

Where flapping herons wake

The drowsy water rats;

There we've hid our faery vats,

Full of berrys

And of reddest stolen cherries.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand.

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses

The dim gray sands with light,

Far off by furthest Rosses

We foot it all the night,

Weaving olden dances

Mingling hands and mingling glances

Till the moon has taken flight;

To and fro we leap

And chase the frothy bubbles,

While the world is full of troubles

And anxious in its sleep.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes

From the hills above Glen-Car,

In pools among the rushes

That scarce could bathe a star,

We seek for slumbering trout

And whispering in their ears

Give them unquiet dreams;

Leaning softly out

From ferns that drop their tears

Over the young streams.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,

The solemn-eyed -

He'll hear no more the lowing

Of the calves on the warm hillside

Or the kettle on the hob

Sing peace into his breast,

Or see the brown mice bob

Round and round the oatmeal chest

For he comes the human child

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand

From a world more full of weeping than he can understand

Author Spotlight: Mary Lindsey

Please Welcome

Mary Lindsey

Author of

Shattered Souls

  1)     Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Mary: I live in a house that used to be an art gallery on the Texas Gulf Coast with my husband, three kids, and a plethora of creatures, some of which could be considered pets.

  2)     Could you tell us a bit about Shattered Souls?

Mary: Shattered Souls is a young adult ghost story about a girl who can hear dead people. The full description of the book can be found HERE!

  3)     What was the inspiration for writing Shattered Souls?

Mary: I knew I wanted to write a ghost story. I also knew I wanted it to include an historical disaster that would produce a lot of unresolved dead guys. I toyed with the San Francisco Fire, the Civil War, World War II, but then, a high school student of mine told me she was reading a book for English that she hated. Trying to help her out, I offered to read it with her, like a buddy. She agreed, and I read Isaac’s Storm. It was amazing. I’d learned about the Great Storm of 1900 in high school, but the book made it real for me. I had my disaster. My enthusiasm for the Isaac’s Storm made it more tolerable for my student, but I’m still not sure she ever fell in love with it.

 4) Were there any personal experiences that went in to writing Shattered Souls?

Mary: All authors write from personal experience to some extent, I believe, but no; I’ve never seen a ghost. I did set the book in my hometown, so in that regard, it is based on personal experience.

5)     Was Lenzi's character based on anyone or was she a  purely made up character? What is she like?

Mary: She’s named after one of my students, but she’s a purely made up character. I’ve been told by my friends that she reminds them of me in her speech patterns and sense of humor. I’ll take that as a compliment?

6)     What was your inspiration in the cover art for Shattered Souls?

Mary: Because I was published by a large, traditional house, I had no control whatsoever over the cover. That’s probably a good thing, because Penguin did a far better job than I could have dreamed of doing myself. The cover is not only haunting and beautiful, it represents the book to a tee. The main character’s name in her past lives is Rose, so the fact she is shattering into rose petals on the cover is fantastic.

7)     Who is your favorite character in the book? And why?

Mary: Alden is my favorite character. In fact, the original draft was in third person, with half of the story told from his point of view.

8) Do you write to music? If so, what is your favorite?

Mary: Yes and no. I write my rough draft to music, but do all my edits in complete silence. A complete playlist with quotes from the novel can be found HERE!

9) What do you plan on doing in the future?

Mary: I plan to keep writing books! Right now I’m working on a modern Gothic based on Edgar Allan Poe’s last poem, “Annabel Lee.” It’s scheduled for release Summer 2013 by Penguin USA.

10) What are you reading right now?

Mary: A biography of Edgar Allan Poe called Everything Poe.

Thank you, Stephanie, for having me on your blog today. I enjoyed the interview.

Where you can find Mary:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Blog 

Where to find Shattered Souls:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Penguin

Goodreads

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries. Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

Review: Mockingjay By Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins
Hardcover, 390 pages
Scholastic Press
August 24, 2010

“You love me. Real or not real?" 
I tell him, "Real.”

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

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Mockingjay the final installment in The Hunger Games Trilogy was nothing short of breathtaking.  There was a huge mark to live up to in the final book and I believe Collins did beautifully. I must say I cried for about 75% of this book and for an hour afterwords. I am still unable to get this book off my mind and must say it is one of my favorite series of all time. 

Although I was unhappy with a few choices Collins made plot wise I very much enjoyed reading every page of this book. I had my heart ripped out a number of times and I could see why some readers did not enjoy this book as much as the others. Even though I was unhappy with parts of this book, I feel it made it all the more real. Life isn't always fare, and sometimes we don't get the fairy-tale ending. I really enjoyed that Collins gave us a book that was not all about pleasing the readers. It was real and it was raw. 

The characters in this book will live with me forever. I loved each and every one for there uniqueness. I wish we could have a spin off for each of them, I just couldn't get enough. With each turn of a page I was afraid for them and felt helpless in their struggles. I loved that through each book the characters grew and were still able to surprise me. I repeatedly got my heart torn out and was trying not to mess up the pages of my book with tears. 

Mockingjay was such an unbelievably heart-wrenching read and I loved every minute of it. This series has changed the way I look at literature. Suzanne Collins is not afraid to go where no one has gone before and has come out with a trilogy that I will truly cherish. I give Mockingjay 5+ Hoots for being an amazing book and a fantastic finale to a truly horrifying and beautiful world. 

Catching Fire By, Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins
Hardcover, 391 pages
Scholastic inc.
September 1, 2009

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever.” 

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster children for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol...

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Catching Fire, The second installment in The Hunger Games left me breathless.  I thought to myself

 "There is no way this book can be better then The Hunger Games!" Well I was wrong. I, in a way felt lucky I waited so long to read this series because I didn't have to suffer through the wait between books... That must have been torture. I barely made it across the room to my book shelf for this book. I could not imagine waiting almost a year. Wow.. that probable sucked. 


Once again Suzanne Collins has created a world that has sucked me in. I have found myself reliving every frightening image on a daily basis.  I tore through the pages of this book in record time. Not caring if my laundry got done or if I ate dinner. I can say with absolutely certainty that I am completely obsessed with these books! 


The characters are ever bit as strong and now that Kitness and Peeta are home we are able to get to know all the people they left behind in District 12. Prim is one of my favorite characters. She reminds me so much of my little sister and her relationship with Kitness is one near and dear to my heart. She is so lovable and I adore every moment with her. Then there is Gale. Boy do I love Gale. Which is hard because I also happen to love Peeta. Collins did what many authors fail to do; give you a love triangle that is totally believable. In so many instances you tend to lean to one side or the other. But with Gale and 
Peeta my heart is completely ripped in half. I never knew which to root for because I loved them both. Both have great qualities and I can see Kitness's struggles. I also loved the introduction of a few new characters Finnick being my favorite. I really loved his so called charm. He really grew on me and I loved his humor. 


Catching Fire Put me through things that I never saw coming and at times made me want to through my book across the room because I could not believe what was happening. This book made me cry on a number of occasions. If I could add up all my Hoots for this rating I would. But  5+ Hoots will have to do. I can not stress to you the magnitude of this book and how much I loved it. I literally feel like a screaming school girl every time some one brings it up. if you have not read this series yet, I literally want to smack some scene in to you and scream "Wake Up, What are you waiting for!?!"  Go get it now!! It will change your life!

The Hunger Games By, Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins
Paperback, 374 pages
Scholastic inc.
October 1, 2008


“Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true, here is the place where I love you.” 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

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I struggled whether or not to review this book. Not because it was unworthy of a review but for the fact that many have already read it. But I was unable to resist. When a book like this one comes along, I feel there are not enough times you can hear about it. To sum up The Hunger Games in one word: Unforgettable. I fell in love with this book and still to this day it is in my thoughts. 


I bought The Hunger Games on a whim. I had heard it was a good read and had every intention of reading it. There it sat on my book shelf for the better part of a year until I finally decided to give it a try once I saw the movie trailer.  I guess you could say I still am kicking myself for waiting so long. Every so often you come across a book that truly changes your outlook on the world. This one did it for me and I am not sure if I will ever get over the haunting images that are scorched in my brain from this book.


The Characters in The Hunger Games are among my absolute favorite. From their truly original names that I loved, to the unbelievable pull I felt to each and every character, I can truly say every character in this book has a place in my heart. Kitness is by far my favorite heroine. She is the strongest character I have ever seen and I loved living through this book through her eyes. Peeta is one of those characters that grew on me. In the beginning he didn't have that much pull with me and at times I was weary of him. Not knowing if he was one to trust.  But as time when went on I feel for him as so many others have. 


The entire plot of The Hunger Games was so original that I never know what was coming and was surprised constantly as the story progressed. Let me warn you, The Hunger Games is not a book for the faint of heart. It was not a fell good type of book with a worm and fuzzy romance at the core. This book did have a grotesque plot and in all honesty it was one of the things I loved about it. Collins was not afraid to go into detail of the gory parts in this book. She gave you a true horror story. Everything about this book was so unique and it had a raw undertone that I absolutely loved.


The Hunger Games was by far my favorite book of the year. I give it 5+ Hoots and if I had a higher grading scale I would give it more. If you have not read this series I urge you to go pick it up...now! Don't be afraid if its not exactly in your comfort zone of reading style. This book will change your life and I will warn you, It's going to consume your life for a bit.