2016 Debut Author Bash - Interview: Jenny Manzer (Save Me, Kurt Cobain) + Giveaway

   Welcome!

   I am incredibly excited to be part of this years Debut Author Bash hosted by YA Reads. Today I am bringing you the second of my four posts promoting amazing debut authors and their incredible books, along with giveaways giving you the chance to win them!

   For todays post I had the chance to ask by Jenny Manzer, the author of Save Me, Kurt Cobain, a couple of Qs- Check out her amazing As, along with her book and the giveaway below!

Save Me Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer

Published: March 8th 2016 by Delacorte Press

Number of Pages: 272 Pages (Hardcover)

Series: No

   What if you discovered that Kurt Cobain is not only alive, but might be your real father?

   Nicola Cavan has been an outsider since age four when her mother vanished from their home in Victoria, British Columbia. Now 15, Nico is determined to find her beautiful, music-obsessed mother. After glimpsing “Cobain” on a ferry from Seattle, Nico follows the man with the blazing blue eyes to a remote Vancouver Island cabin—and her life will never be the same.

   “Save Me, Kurt Cobain is: Utterly gorgeous. Mesmerizing. Hypnotic. I was intoxicated by Nico's quest for her mother, father, and self, as well as by Jenny Manzer's magnetically lovely writing. I love this book.”

   –Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

   “Raw and authentic.” –Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice and Devoted

   This nuanced and bittersweet YA debut will keep you guessing until the end. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Jenny Manzer

   1 – Describe Save Me, Kurt Cobain with a haiku or a twitter pitch.

   A Haiku:

   Girl in woods wonders:

   Could Cobain be her father?

   Unsolved mystery.

   2 – What sparked the idea for this novel? Why Kurt Cobain?

   The idea came from a news article about a mysterious and sparsely attended Nirvana show in Victoria, British Columbia, on March 9, 1991—just months before the band went galactic with the album Nevermind. Cobain—well, he was so talented, and charismatic, and troubled—he is a compelling figure and always will be.

   3 – What do you like most and least about your protagonist Nico?

   Nico is smart, funny, independent and a survivor—but she ends up hurting her loved ones by making impulsive decisions in her search for answers.

   4 – What do you think makes Save Me, Kurt Cobain stand out?

   I think both the focus on music, and on the real life of Kurt Cobain. The book has a strong non-fiction thread, which is a little unusual. It’s a quirky book, for sure.

   5 – In retrospective, is there anything that you’d change about the story or are you happy with the way it turned out in the end?

   That’s hard to say. Some readers feel there is too much about Cobain and Nirvana. For other readers, this is what makes it a memorable story for them.

   6 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal? Out of curiosity, how many queries did you have to send before you found ‘the one’?

   I started writing SAVE ME, KURT COBAIN in September of 2012, and my book deal was announced in May 2014. I have a wonderful agent now, but I did have to send out dozens of queries—and revise my manuscript once—before I made that breakthrough.

   7 - How did you feel when you first realized that this story you wrote would soon be read by hundreds of people and how do you feel now, a couple of weeks after the publication?

   Excited and nervous! Time was passing too quickly and too slowly as we approached launch date. I think these are the typical symptoms of DAS (Debut Author Syndrome).

   8 – What lead you to writing and wanting to be an author? Is it the way you imagined it would be?

   I am a journalist by training, so I write as part of my daily work, but I have always loved making up stories as well. The facts can only take you so far! I don’t think I had a clear picture of what being an author would involve—it can be so many things. One thing I’ve really enjoyed is connecting with other debut authors. As a Canadian on the west coast, it has been thrilling to share stories with authors from around North America—and to meet fabulous bloggers, too.

   9 – Seeing as you’re a YA author I’m sure you also read YA, so I wondered, what were the last three books you’ve read and what did you think of them?

   I recently read HOW IT ENDS by Catherine Lo, THE SERPENT KING by Jeff Zentner, and FIRSTS by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and they were all wonderful in very different ways.

   10 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?

   I’ll do another Haiku:

   Keep moving forward

   Write every day, with a goal

   Revise, read, and learn.

   11 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

   I would like to shoot lasers from my eyes—that would be an awesome addition to my parenting toolbox. However, I will say: time travel. The possibilities would be endless!

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

   Jenny Manzer is a writer in Victoria, British Columbia.

   She has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and an investigative journalist, and has loved writing stories ever since she was a little girl. Now that she has two children of her own, she does most of her writing (and listening to Nirvana) at night while they’re asleep.

Waiting on Wednesday: Love Blind by Christa Desir & Jolene Perry (Blogmas Day #9)

   Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine in which we discuss our most anticipated upcoming releases.

   The book:

Love Blind by Christa Desir & Jolene Perry
Expected Publication: May 10th 2016 by Simon Pulse
Number of Pages:  320 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   It starts with a list of fears. Stupid things really. Things that Hailey shouldn't worry about, wouldn’t worry about if she didn’t wake up every morning with the world a little more blurry. Unable to see her two moms clearly. Unable to read the music for her guitar. One step closer to losing the things she cares about the most.
   For a while, the only thing that keeps Hailey moving forward is the feeling she gets when she crosses something off the list.
   Then she meets Kyle. He mumbles—when he talks at all—and listens to music to drown out his thoughts. He’s loaded down with fears, too. So Hailey talks him into making his own list.
   Together, they stumble into an odd friendship, helping each other tackle one after another of their biggest fears. But fate and timing can change everything. And sometimes facing your worst fear makes you realize you had nothing to lose after all. (goodreads.com)

   My thoughts:

   I want this book and I want it now, come on May, hurry up!
   I don't know about you but I've never read a book about a character slowly going blind before so that already sounds truly intriguing to me. Also, a list of fears that Hailey wants to tackle before everything goes dark? That sounds brave, probably braver then I would be so I really can't wait to see how that plays out in the story. I also really like the simplicity of the cover which makes it stand out for entirely different reasons then those book covers filled with colors and faces, you know which ones I mean.
   All in all I'm really excited for this one and cannot wait to read it!

   Let me know in the comments below or via twitter (@Alice_Reeds) which books you're waiting for this Wednesday!

Cover Lust Friday: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

   Cover Lust Friday is a new weekly meme that's all about covers. Pick a cover that stands out to you, add your reason why you've chosen that particular one or what you like about it. Let's have fun with it and share the love for our favorite covers.

   The Cover:

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
Published: May 19th 2015 by Greenwillow Books
Number of Pages: 428 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.
   Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.
   Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up. (goodreads.com)

   The Reason:

   I love this cover, and the book it belongs to.
   This cover truly looks like someone actually sat down and put a lot of thinking into what the cover should be like so it would mirror the story perfectly. I really like covers that look like they've been painted and, let's face it, the rain looks amazing! Alex, the protagonist and girl on the cover, looks really cool with that bit of red hair showing and that comfy looking sweater.
   This cover is perfect!

* * *

Want to join in? No problem! Just follow the 'rules' below:

1. Write a blog post about a cover you love.
2. Add your link in the comment section of the original post (click here) so we can have something like a list going on.
3. And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
4. Check out other posts, and have fun!

Ask the Author: Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything)

   Hey guys!
   For this weeks Ask the Author I'm bringing you the amazing Nicola Yoon, the author of Everything, Everything, a very unique and brilliant read that I've loved and reviewed. She took a bit of her time and gave me a few A's to my Q's.
   Here's her book and her A's:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Published: September 1st 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: 320 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
   But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
   Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Nicola Yoon

   1 – Describe Everything, Everything in form of a haiku (or twitter pitch).
   Girl who is so allergic to the world that she can never leave her house falls madly in love with the new boy who moves in next door.

   2 – What inspired you to write a story about a girl that is literally allergic to the outside world? It sounds like such a unique idea so I’m wondering if there is a unique story behind it.
   I started writing EE when my daughter was just 4 months old. I was still a brand new mom and I worried about everything. I worried about her getting sick, accidentally eating dirt, falling down, bumping her head or getting hurt in a million different ways. The instinct to protect her and keep her safe was sometimes overwhelming. It got me thinking about a mother's need to protect her child and that led to thoughts about what if there was a child that needed constant protection not just as a baby but for her whole life. What would that situation do to the relationship between the mother and daughter? What would happen when that daughter wanted to branch out and see the world?

   3 – How hard was it to write a story so unlike any other? What was the most challenging about the story and the writing process?
   Imagining the world through the eyes of someone who had never seen any of it was the most challenging. I tried to imagine what my daughter was feeling & thinking when she saw things for the first time. One of the most challenging scenes to write was when Maddy sees the ocean for the first time. I grew up in Jamaica and I live in Southern California so I've seen the ocean thousands of times but now I had pretend that I never had. Before I wrote that scene I took my daughter to the beach and played with her all day and just watched how she reacted to the sand and the wind and the water. She was totally delighted and awed by it.

   4 – What, besides the obvious, makes Madeline stand out in the sea of female contemporary main characters?
   I like to think that Maddy is a part of a great tradition of wonderful female main characters (like Melinda from Speak, Ruby from The Boyfriend List). She has a personality and a drive. She has strong opinions and she makes mistakes. She loves, she learns, she forgives.

   5 – How and why did you decide on this particular narrative style of Everything, Everything?
   I write really early in the morning from 4 to 6 AM. One morning at 4 AM it occurred to me that Maddy would draw her world as a way to feel like she's a part of it. At the beginning of the book she's obsessed with the Hawaiian state fish — the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a — so a I drew a very terrible version of the fish in my notebook. My husband is a terrific illustrator so I woke him up at 4 AM and asked him a draw me a fish. He is just the sweetest because instead of telling me just to let him go back to sleep, he got out of bed, kissed me, made himself a coffee and drew the version of the fish that's now in the book. So the narrative style all started with that fish.

   6 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal? And how many queries did it take until you found 'the one'?
   I had kind of a non-traditional publishing process. We sold the book on a partial manuscript. It took just under a year from first idea to publishing deal.

   7 – How does it feel like to know that your story is soon (September 1st) going to be out there for everyone to pick it up and read it? What did you feel when the first ARC reader reviews rolled in?
   It's amazing and terrifying at the same time! Amazing because publishing a book is my biggest and wildest dream and I can't believe it's actually happening but I'm so happy and grateful that it is. It's terrifying because I put my whole heart into the book and I really want people to like it but what if they don't?

   8 – What do you think about the cover? Is it like anything you imagined it might look like?
   I looooooooove the cover! I think it's so beautiful and I couldn't have asked for more. It was done by two women artists who own a company called Good Wives and Warriors. They're usually known for doing large scale murals and art installations. I was thrilled when they agreed to do the cover for EE.

   9 – What were the last three books you’ve read?
   Not including the three picture books I read to my daughter last night, I read: Another Day by David Levithan, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart and Illuminae by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff.

   10 – Cats or dogs?
   Cats. Definitely.

   11 – If you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games, as female from District 12, what would be your strategy? Fight or flight?
   Fight. Definitely.

About the Author

   Nicola Yoon grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island). She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.

Ask the Author: Rebecca Phillips (Faking Perfect)

   Hey guys!
   For this weeks Ask the Author I'm bringing you Rebecca Phillips and her novel Faking Perfect. I've started reading Faking Perfect a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it quite a lot so of course I had to e-mail Rebecca about an interview. Luckily, she agreed.
   Here's her novel and her Q's for my A's:

Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips
Published: June 30th 2015 by Kensington
Number of Pages: 272 Pages (Paperback)
Series: No

   When Lexi Shaw seduced Oakfield High's resident bad boy Tyler Flynn at the beginning of senior year, he seemed perfectly okay with her rules:
   1. Avoid her at school.
   2. Keep his mouth shut about what they do together.
   3. Never tease her about her friend (and unrequited crush) Ben.
   Because with his integrity and values and golden boy looks, Ben can never find out about what she’s been doing behind closed doors with Tyler. Or that her mom’s too busy drinking and chasing losers to pay the bills. Or that Lexi’s dad hasn’t been a part of her life for the last thirteen years. But with Tyler suddenly breaking the rules, Ben asking her out, and her dad back in the picture, how long will she be able to go on faking perfect? (goodreads.com)

Interview with Rebecca Phillips

   1 – Describe Faking Perfect with a haiku.
   A girl with a snake
   Is pretending to be real
   But she's telling lies

   2 – What sparked the idea for Faking Perfect? Was it the simple idea of a girl doing what many girls do in High School, pretend to lead a perfect life most don’t really have or was it something entirely different?
   I don't really remember how I came up with the plot. Basically, I just liked the idea of a girl pretending to be perfect and normal but feeling like the exact opposite inside. The rest of the story branched out from there.

   3 – Was there a scene in the book you specifically remember writing because it stuck out to you, either in a positive or negative way?
   There's a scene near the end of the book, with Lexi's father, that I especially labored over because I really wanted to get it right.

   4 – What made you come up with the idea of giving Lexi a corn snake as pet? It’s quite an unusual choice, as most teenage girls rather prefer cute dogs or cats.
   The snake has a specific meaning and is tied to other things in the book. I can't say too much without giving spoilers, but it has to do with a tattoo, and certain types of people probably wouldn't have tattoos of cute dogs and cats. :)

   5 – In retrospective, is there anything that you’d change about Faking Perfect or are you happy with the way it turned out in the end?
   If I had to do it over, I'd probably include more Tyler. He was so much fun to write. He's the first and only "bad boy" I've ever written and I loved creating all the Tyler/Lexi scenes.

   6 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal?
   More than two years. I started writing FAKING PERFECT at the end of 2012. I finished it in April 2013. I got a book deal in April 2014. Traditional publishing takes a long time.

   7 - How do you feel about the fact that in only a few more weeks (June 30th) thousands of readers will be able to hold and read your novel? How nervous were you when the first reviews rolled in?
   It's crazy. I'm both excited and terrified. I get so nervous about reviews. This isn't my first book so my skin is already pretty thick to criticism, but it's still nerve-racking. I have to keep reminding myself that books aren't like hundred dollar bills--not everyone is going to love them. I appreciate any and all reviews. Just that fact that someone took the time to read my book and write about it is amazing to me.

   8 – What do you think about the cover? Is it anything like you imagined it being?
   I love the cover, and it's almost exactly the way I imaged it being. It's so contemporary YA.

   9 – High heels or flats?
   Flats, for sure. I can barely walk a straight line in heels.

   10 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?
   Read, read, read. You can't be a good writer if you're not a big reader. Also, learn patience. Publishing is a long, sometimes frustrating process.

   11 – If you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games, as female from District 12, what would be your strategy? Fight or flight?
   I'd probably hide in a cave and cry like a baby until someone finds me and kills me. So I guess my strategy would be...cowardice?

About the Author

   Rebecca Phillips has been a fan of contemporary young adult fiction ever since she first discovered Judy Blume at the age of twelve. She's the author of the JUST YOU series, OUT OF NOWHERE (2012 ABNA finalist), FAKING PERFECT (Kensington), and ANY OTHER GIRL (January 26, Kensington).
   Rebecca lives just outside the beautiful city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband, two children, and one spoiled rotten cat. She absolutely loves living so close to the ocean. Visit Rebecca on her website www.rebeccawritesya.com and on Twitter @RebeccaWritesYA

Let's be excited together!

   Hey guys!
 
   Just like the title suggests I have some exciting things to tell you about. They always say that an idea for a novel, or any kind of story, can be born out of virtually everything and anything, I agree with that. Around the beginning of 2015 I suddenly had this name in my head, this quite different name, and I knew that I wanted to come up with a history for that name, create the person which belongs to it. At first it was only something I was doing in my head for the fun of it, but soon the name grew into something much bigger.
   More names joined, more information’s started to appear and suddenly all these characters had lives and histories, childhood memories and goals. Suddenly this name in my mind had turned into an entire story I felt the need to tell and share.

  
 A could of weeks late I had around 35.000 words down, the entire story planned out but I was stuck. It's hard to explain what I mean by that, how one can be stuck despite knowing exactly where you are going and which way you need to take, but I suddenly lost my connection to the story. The April round of Camp NaNoWriMo was coming up and I originally planned to finish the book during that time but suddenly I faced the fact that I couldn't. So I did what I always do, I started a different story to get a break and a step back. A couple of days into Camp NaNoWriMo the spark had returned and well before the end of April the story was complete. The first draft of my fourth book had been born.
   I spent the next weeks working on it, re-writing passages that I felt were not quite there yet, edited and revised it until I was happy with the way it was, until I felt that that was it, that was the story I wanted to tell and it was the way I wanted to do it.
Next followed the part that anyone who ever wrote a book with the dream of being published had to go through: querying.

   For those who don't know what a query is: a query is a type of e-mail you send out to agents, and publishers, in order of raising their interest and, ultimately, pulling them on your side. The better your query, the better your chances, though of course a good query isn't everything, your story needs to be good, too.

   And then the unimaginable happened. A month prior to my birthday I told a friend just how brilliant it would be to get a publishing deal before my 21st birthday thinking that it was something that would never happen, because I didn't think I would be just that lucky. I was wrong. I signed a publishing deal with Limitless Publishing on the day of my 21st birthday.
   Now, weeks later, I'm here to tell you guys about it all, have a little chat, story time style. I don't want to tell you too much about the story yet, because the release is still a good two months or more away, but I can tell you that it is a YA contemporary dealing with finding who you really are, overcoming differences, the importance of family and friends, and finding love in times and places you'd least expect it. I know, quite different from what I previously wrote. The title changed two times before the final one has been decided, it changed from two words, to five and finally landed on three: Petty Little Lives.
   The title has a lot of meaning when it comes to the story, which is really nice. It might seem simple, maybe even a tiny bit weird, but once you guys will read it you'll understand the meaning behind it.

   Lastly, Petty Little Lives is set to be released on August 18th 2015. It doesn't have a cover yet, nor does it have a goodreads page, but I will update you guys on everything that is happening along the way. I am really excited to finally have a book being published by an actual publishing house with professional cover designers, editors, formatters and people who believed that my story is worth being told. I am also really excited, and only a tin bit nervous, when I think of the day you guys will be able to read it. I know I didn't tell you much yet about the story, but it's all coming soon!

   Before I will end this post I want to share the name with you which sparked it all, and also the second one which joined in days later: Roxanna Revolution and her cousin Sapphire Hope. I like names that are different, which I'm sure you've noticed by now.

   Anyway, that is all for today. I hope you guys are just as excited as I am for Petty Little Lives as I am.

   Cheerio!

Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
Published: May 19th 2015 by Greenwillow Books
Pages: 448 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.
   Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.
   Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up. (goodreads.com)

“Dear Asshole: Thank you for keeping your word and believing me. It was more than I expected. Also, I'm sorry you were inconvenienced by my gluing your locker shut at the beginning of this year. However, I am not sorry that I did it, because it was a lot of fun. Love, Alex.”

   Made You Up was my most anticipated book of 2015. I fell in love with the cover and fell even more with the blurb which made me truly hope that I would end up liking it. Even more so after I had interviewed the author, Francesca Zappia, and realized the book comes out on my 21st birthday.
   After reading it I can honestly say it was one of my favorite reads of 2015 so far, maybe even my favorite. Made You Up was honest, captivating, extraordinary and weird in the best way possible. I've read many books but none were quite like this one.
   I loved the plotline and the characters which Francesca has created. I loved Alex's voice and just how truly unreliable she was. While reading certain scenes I found myself questioning her description of the scenery and the people because you could just never be entirely sure if it is really there. I was very happy to see that her mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, really was a big part of her and the story, that it wasn't just something that was mentioned a couple times and soon forgotten, but something that was ever present. We got to see Alex try and deal with the things that were going on in a very realistic way and I loved her fascination for lobsters. Free the lobsters!
   Francesca's writing style was brilliant and on point. She managed to capture the atmosphere and mood of certain scenes perfectly which allows you to imagine it easily. I enjoyed the different bits of history that were simply part of what all the characters knew and were passionate about, which on the other hand made me feel like I know nothing, probably because it's been 4 years since I've last taken history in school.

“The only thing missing was Miles. But he was probably circling 

somewhere, destroying villages and hoarding gold in his mountain lair.”

   Miles Richter, the love interest in Made You Up, was fantastic. I love the fact that his nationality, German, played an actual role in this story, that it was mentioned and used in certain ways. And, thank you so much Francesca, the bits of dialogue that were in German were actually correct German which is always great to see in novels written by American authors.
   Seeing Alex and Miles interact was great because they were just so vastly different. On one hand we have Alex who cannot believe the fact that she may have found the boy she believed she had made you years ago, and on the other side we have Miles who was unable to deal with inter human relations in every way possible and it was brilliant. I love seeing characters with such prominent flaws and personalities which they keep up over the entirety of the book and not just drop at some point.

“Believing something existed and then finding out it didn't was 

like reaching the top of the stairs and thinking there was one more step.”

   One of the big reveals in Made You Up, which of course I will not spoil, has truly made me cry because it turned out that something I took for granted and real, just like Alex did, turned out to be not real at all and it was just heartbreaking to see Alex realize it and just read her thoughts and emotions. I love how real and honest it felt.

“I didn't have the luxury of taking reality for granted. And I wouldn't say I hated 

people who did, because that's just about everyone. I didn't hate them. They 

didn't live in my world.

But that never stopped me from wishing I lived in theirs.”

   All in all Made You Up is an extraordinary read definitely worth a shot, especially if you are into books which deal with mental illnesses and/or are just completely different for your average YA contemporary novels. I had a great time reading it and simply loved the way the story unfolded, slowly and beautifully. The ending fits perfectly, the characters are unique and different. I highly recommend this book.

I give Made You Up by Francesca Zappia 5 out of 5 Stars.

Ask the Author: Michelle Falkoff (Playlist for the Dead)

   Hey guys!
   This week for Ask the Author I'm bringing you the author of Playlist for the Dead, a YA Contemporary, Michelle Falkoff. I'm super excited to read her book hopefully very soon, and I'm even more excited that she took her time to answer a couple of questions.
   Here is her book and the interview:

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff
Published: January 27th 2015 by HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 288 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.
   Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.
   As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Michelle Falkoff

   1 – Describe Playlist for the Dead like a twitter pitch – 140 characters.
   Teenaged boy's best friend commits suicide and leaves behind a playlist of songs to help him understand what happened.

   2 – What sparked the idea of writing a YA novel which deals with teen suicide and its effect on those who were close to the one who committed suicide?
   I'd read some books I really loved in which boys lost girls they'd been interested in, and I wanted to explore how it would be different to lose someone who was a friend.

   3 – How did you prepare yourself to write a story like this? Did you simply try to imagine how it must feel like when something like this happens or did you talk to people who had to deal with someone close to them committing suicide?
   For me, it's usually a process of researching the surrounding circumstances and then imagining the specifics with respect to the characters. This means I did a lot of research on suicide generally, but I didn't read a lot of personal narrative because I wanted to be true to Sam's experience, as someone who'd lost someone.

   4 – What was the process of deciding on the playlist which Hayden left for Sam? How hard was it?
   It was so hard, but so much fun! I started out looking for songs that dealt with suicide and death, but they weren't really working for me--they were too dark or too on-the-nose; they didn't really hint at anything specific to Hayden. I ended up looking for songs that fit the theme of whatever I was trying to explore in each chapter, themes that would have meant something to Hayden. Sometimes they were supposed to trigger memories for Sam; sometimes they were signals from Hayden that there were things going on in his life that Sam didn't know about.

   5- How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal? And how many queries did it take until you found 'the one'?
   I worked with a production company, so thankfully I didn't have to deal with the business side of things very much. From our first conversation about the book until it came out was about two-and-a-half years, though I didn't spend all of that time writing.

   6 – What do you think about the final cover? While writing, did you ever imagine how a cover might possibly look like?
   I had not imagined the cover at all--for some reason I had no idea what I thought it should look like, except that I was hoping it would be somewhat abstract, just because I like abstract things. When I got the first version of it I absolutely loved it, and though it went through some edits, it only got better.

   7 – What do you like most about YA?
   I love that it tends to be honest and raw and unfiltered. And I love that the category is broad enough to encompass so many genres--there's really something for every kind of reader.

   8 – Which do you prefer: trilogy or standalone?
   Standalone, but that's because most of what I read is realistic (or semi-realistic) and doesn't lend itself to serialization as well.

   9 – If you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games, as female from District 12, what would be your strategy? Fight or flight?
   I suspect I'd hide until someone came and killed me. Though I like to think I'd set up some traps, just in case. Does that mean flight?

About the Author

   Michelle Falkoff's fiction and reviews have been published in ZYZZYVA, DoubleTake and the Harvard Review, among other places. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently serves as Director of Communication and Legal Reasoning at Northwestern University School of Law. 

Review: None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Published: April 7th 2015 by Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 352 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.
   What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?
   When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.
   But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."
   Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

“Love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

   This book was literally none of the above. It was like no other book I have read before. It dealt with topics such as intersex (which I've heard about for the first time in this book), gender and gender identity and many other topics which are definitely on the list of topics that should be discussed more, especially in YA books. None of the Above is an important book, easy as that.

“Did anyone ever mention anything to you about something 

called androgen insensitivity syndrome or AIS?”

   None of the Above follows Kristin who has a boyfriend, a full college scholarship and two best friends. But, everything suddenly changes when she finds out she is intersex. The story sets of from there and shows us not only many different information’s about this topic of what it means to be intersex, but also uses this opportunity have a discussion about what it actually means to be a man or a woman, beyond the most obvious aspects. It also dealt with the most basic thoughts we all would have in this situation, like "will my friends support me?" or "how will my boyfriend react to this?".
   One of the aspects of this book which I enjoyed most was how true to the teenage nature her classmates and fellow students in general reacted when they found out and how being uninformed can cause a great deal of damage, which most people (especially bullies) don't take into account. I liked the way Kristin dealt with everything that was happening and how true to her character and to the way an actual girl might react in such a situation.

   Speaking of which, I liked Kristin a lot and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. Her voice seemed very raw, real and honest. I liked following her thought process of how she wanted to deal with things, or sometimes not deal with them at all. And I really liked how her father tried to dig up every information the internet would offer on the topic to inform himself, and subsequently also help Kristin deal with the situation. He reminded me a lot of my mother, who each time I'm sick finds any and all possible ways to cure it that she can get.
   I also enjoyed the romance aspect in None of the Above, which luckily wasn't the center piece of the story, but rather something that happened quietly in the background and really played a role later on in the story.

   All in all, None of the Above was a wonderful YA novel which is unique in many ways and shines light on many topics which should be discussed way more, especially in school so that cases of 'uninformed, quick to judge bullying' could be prevented or at least toned down a bit.
   Genres like fantasy or paranormal might be full of action and sizzling romances which intrigue, but, I think it's important to sometimes read a contemporary like this which deals with real life issues in all the right ways in which schools or movies are not quite able to (yet).

I give None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: For the Record by Charlotte Huang

For the Record by Charlotte Huang
Expected publication: November 10th 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: X
Series: No

   Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like . . . until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything.
   Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen hearthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.
   Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule . . . Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

* I recieved an eARC of For the Record from Random House in exchance for a honest review *

   I have so much love for this book and I am beyond happy I got the chance to read it five months prior to its publication. This book just truly has it all: a rock band composed on fun and different characters, a cute Hollywood movie star, the love for music and an outstandingly fun main character, Chelsea, who spreads her wings as lead singer of Melbourne.
   Charlotte Huang did an amazing job at capturing the different emotions that go through Chelsea as she experiences her first concerts and everything that belongs to being the new kid in town, or rather the new girl in the band. And I love the fact that she didn't just do that in the first twenty pages and then forgot about it, but rather that it took her the entirety of the book to develop confidence in what she does and finding her place in this entirely new world she finds herself in.

   Chelsea is a great main character and story narrator. Her thoughts and descriptions of her emotions are very clear and seem real, like they would belong to someone who went through all that she went through. She is fun and she has a personality. She isn't just a bleak character who just seems to exist and do whatever the author wants her to do, but rather like a layered character with flaws and traits which make her the person she is. All her decisions fit her personality and way of thinking.
   The other guys in the band, Pam, Malcom and Beckett are a lot of fun and they are all unique and different. Pam is more of a grumpy cat, Malcom like one who likes groupies and Beckett the guy you'd like to hang out with and talk about music for hours. I enjoyed them as characters a lot and it was really hard to say goodbye to them once the book was over.

   Another thing that makes this book great and stands out is the degree of insight we get to see into the life of a rock band, of the life on tour and how it feels to be the one on stage and not in the crowd. It perfectly captured the dynamics of the band and how crazy life can get when you are in the spotlight, when you are the one with thousands of fans who watch every step you take and gossip knows your secrets before you know them.

   All in all I think this book was amazing, fun and felt incredibly real, which is always a big plus. For the Record is exciting, fun and filled with endearing characters which will make saying goodbye to the book surprisingly hard.
   I think this book is definitely something for those who always dreamed of being a rock star themselves or wondered how life on tour must feel like. I recommend it to, basically, everybody because it's great and something like a fan girls dream come true.

I give For the Record by Charlotte Huang 5 out of 5 rock stars.