Interview with Teri Harman and Review for "Blood Moon"

TITLE OF THE BOOK: Blood Moon

AUTHOR: Teri Harman (www.teriharman.com)

NUMBER OF PAGES: 350

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2013
PUBLISHER: Jolly Fish Press

GENRE: Young Adult

SUMMARY: Willa and Simon have grown up feeling out of touch with society because of a magic housed deep inside them - Willa's sees ghosts and dreams future events and Simon feels others emotions and can heal with a touch. It isn't until a chance meeting in Willa's hometown, Twelve Acres, that the two teens find out that they are actually witches. As an unexplained and powerful magic pull them together, they have to choose to put away their simple lives and dreams to become part of true Light Covenant, joined together forever with 10 other witches. If they don't, the Dark witches may send Twelve Acres and the rest of their world back into the dark ages.

Teri Harman

Check out the Book Trailer:

REVIEW: We were lucky enough to get the author, Teri Harman, to come IN PERSON to our magical night! Nearly everyone dressed in their witchiest attire, including Teri, while we ate our magically-inspired food. Since Teri was there, we spent a bulk of the evening getting to know her and getting behind the scenes info on all things Blood Moon (see Q&A below). Check out and download the fun PowerPoint created by our moderator, Kelly HERE.

As we talked with Teri, we discovered that many of the questions we had with Blood Moon will be answered in Book #2: Black Moon. We all want to know what is going to happen with poor Simon. We also want to know more about Amelia and Solace.

Storm Moon will be Book #3 – which Teri admitted she has yet to write. We all tried to give her ideas, though :). She also admitted she is not an outliner when she writes. She is a discovery writer, meaning she the story is created as she writes.

We discussed soul mates and the relationship between Willa and Simon. We thought it was beautiful to read about their instant connection. Teri compared Willa and Simon's connection to how she met her husband at a young age and eventually started dating him. Delicious Reader, Karen, admitted she felt the same way about her husband too. We wondered about the reader response Teri has gotten about starting the book straight off with Simon and Willa. Teri wanted everyone to understand right at the start that Simon and Willa have an unbreakable bond, that may be challenged, but it is solid. She wanted people to get that this story wouldn't be about some cliche love triangle, but that it would be about the magical story of all the characters.

Teri told us that she wrote Blood Moon not thinking about readers, but wrote the story that she saw. When she started Black Moon, she started to think about readers and after 45,000 words she had to throw it all out and start the story over because she was trying to do something that wasn't right. She quoted Stephen King, “Write with the door closed. Re-write with the door open.” So she wrote the first draft without paying attention to anyone else and not reading people's reviews of her book.

Teri met real witches before Blood Moon came out. She went to Salem and talked with some real witches that truly believe their magic comes from the earth and you can manipulate the earth to make things happen. She compared spells to the Christian version of prayer.

We all loved the idea of the 6 magic gifts:

Each of us took the “Which Witch Are You” quiz to find out which type of magic we would have.

Q&A with Teri Harman

1. Where did you grow up?

Kansas City, Kansas, Miami (for 2.5 years), and Utah (since 12 years old)

2. Have you always enjoyed writing?

Yes! I've always loved writing even as a child. My first story was about a cow, which I dictated to my mom and she typed on her electric typewriter when I was four or five.

3. Where did your inspiration for Blood Moon come from?

A Halloween party. Every year I host a witch themed Halloween party for the women in my family. In 2010, I found an incredible location - a 100 year old school house out in the middle of nowhere. The Camp Floyd School House was so perfect I needed a party to match. I started reading up on witches and magic to get ideas for the party, but was so fascinated by what I read that it soon became inspiration for a novel.

4. What was your publishing experience like?

The first book I tried to publish didn't work out, but I was able to get an agent for Blood Moon. A year later, we still hadn't found a publisher, but my brother was at a BYU conference and saw Jolly Fish Press. We sent my stuff off and they agreed to publish. All together it took me 6 years and over 100 rejections before I saw my first novel published.

5. Tell us what it’s been like to be a “Mom Author.”

It's chaos! But it's also great. I have to be disciplined, but also flexible to get everything done that I need to everyday. I love being at home for my kids, but am so glad I have my own pursuits as well - it keeps me sane. And luckily I have wonderful kids and an extremely helpful husband.

6. Tell us about your other book, “A Painted Life”

This book is very dear to my heart. I wrote it while BLOOD MOON was on submission and I was wondering if my dream would ever be realized. This is Saffron's story. Saffron is a painting - a girl in a painting who is alive. She wants nothing more than to escape her prison of oil and canvas to live a normal life. A normal life with the man she loves, Emmett Charles. The book is set in the late 1890's in Boston and is part literary fiction, part magic realism, part romance. I can't wait for reader's to read it!

7. What other hobbies or interests do you have?

I am addicted to stories. I read a LOT! I also love watching TV series and movies. I enjoy yoga, dancing and biking. We also love to travel and be in the great outdoors. And when the mood strikes me, I love to cook.

8. What are your favorite movies/TV Shows?

Call the Midwife (Netflix), Walking Dead, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, North and South (BBC), Wuthering Heights (BBC with Tom Hardy), The Big Bang Theory. The best witch movies I've seen are Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus. There are so many non-witch movies--its so hard to choose. An oldie but goodie is Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson one), The River Wild, The Decoy Bride, Love Actually, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, I'm also a sucker for old movies and musicals.

I'm kind of a geek too so we love Doctor Who, Battlestar Galatica, and some of my favorite movies are the old Star Trek movies. I grew up on them, but I'm sure people who watch them now are saying, "What is wrong with you?!" I watched The Next Generation and probably have seen every episode at least five times.

9. Do you have a favorite witch book? Other than your own ;)

My favorite witch writer is Paula Brackston. She actually has two books out right now The Witch's Daughter and The Winter Witch. The Winter Witch just came out this spring. Her books have natural magic--they are like historical fiction/supernatural thriller. I hope she comes out with lots of them.

10. What books have you enjoyed that you think would make a good book club book?

We have a book club and we've read The Thirteenth Tale, The Book Thief, Big in Japan, Eleanor & Park (watch out for swearing and sexual content), The Snow Child, The Light Between Oceans.

11. Tell us about your book launch at The King's English.

That was one of the surreal, dream days because I go to the King's English all the time. It's my favorite book store. Every time I've stepped in there or gone to an author event, there was always in the back of my head, "I really want it to be me! Why isn't it me yet?" So that day was surreal and perfect. The King's English had a cake made with the book cover image. I didn't even know they were going to do that.

12. Which Witch gift would you choose?

I would have to say Willa's gift because a lot of the scenes in the book were inspired by my own dreams. That's why I gave her that gift. That's where it all began. The hand reaching out - that was a dream I had. I saw that hand. Also, the part where Willa is running through the forest and the sky shatters and falls. That was a dream. When I was thinking of what her magical power would be I thought, "Let's make her a dreamer." She's not me, but that gift is what I would want.

CONTENT: 

*CONTENT CATEGORIES*	*RATING*
LANGUAGE/PROFANITY	NONE
SEXUALITY	MODERATE (kissing, caressing)
VIOLENCE	HEAVY (fighting, killing, abuse, animal cruelty)
DRUG/ALCOHOL USE	MILD
INTENSE/SCARY SCENES	MODERATE (dark magic, lots of suspense)

"Shadow and Bone" {by Leigh Bardugo} Book Review

Shadow and Bone

by, Leigh Bardugo

Book One of the Grisha Trilogy

356 Pages

Published: 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Reading Level Ages: 13 and up

Genre: Young Adult

BOOK SUMMARY

 "The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free? The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?" 

Watch the official book trailer!

                                                                  Our Star Rating....

 4 out of 5 stars!

 

About the Author:

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem but grew up in L.A. She was an only child. She attended Yale University and while there changed her major 22 times. Now she is in Hollywood, California. She is an author, lead singer in a band and a makeup artist. 

World Building:

Leigh used Russia as a foundation to create "Tsarpunk." She said, "The technology in steam punk transcends understanding and becomes, for all intents and purposes ... magical."

War Theme:

There is war between countries and war between the classes.

Upper class vs. peasants

Technology vs. Magic

Freedom vs. Slavery

King vs. Darkling

Grisha:

They have the magic power but not their freedom. They are essentially orphaned. Grisha means "watchful", but it also evokes "Geisha" which is beauty and secrecy. We thought that the Grisha used more of molecular science then magic. Their powers have limits.

The Fold:

Leigh said this, "The real story of Shadow and Bone began when I stood at the end of a darkened hallway sure that something with teeth was waiting for me in the dark."

SPOILER: The evil creatures were the men and women who died when The Fold was created. The light was sucked from their souls.

Alina Starkov:

She is a 17 year old orphaned girl. She is pragmatic and prickly. Her desire to belong effects her decisions. Alina had experienced all different classes in her life and had a good view on people and the situations they are in and how they feel. How do you feel about your talents? Alina experiences other Grisha and a necklace that amplify her power. People can be amplifiers in your life also just like Alina. Alina embraces her powers and who she is and becomes her best self. When you are in your element you portray your best self also. Alina didn't ever have that sense of being better than others because of the experiences she had growing up. This made her empathetic to everyone's situation.  

Genya:

We thought in our heads that she would look like the Mad Men star Christina Hendricks. She perfected her looks through skill but also with her power. Do you think Alina is her only friend? Some of us thought that maybe she has more power then she is letting on. Why do you think David doesn't reciprocate her feelings? Do you think it is because of her reputation or that he is just blind to her flirting or maybe he is really shy? We think she likes him because he doesn't pay attention to her like all the other men. When the king becomes ill do you think she had anything to do with it? Like giving him a poison because afterwards she is rewarded and given a higher rank in the Grisha. Is she a friend or an enemy? We will have to find out in the next books.

The Apperat:

He is the king's priest. The Darkling suggested that the Apperat had "his uses". We will have to wait and see in the next books what he meant by that. Is the Apperat on the Darkling's side? Or is he only there for himself. He said that being worshipped like a saint can be dangerous. "Faith" is the most dangerous thing to the fold and the Darkling.

Mal:

Yeah...sigh... let's talk about Mal. What a sweetheart! He is attractive, confident, and the most talented tracker. What ways did his character mature in the book? When his two friends were killed in battle it changed him. I think he thought they were invincible and that was a strong reality that made him see the fragility of life.  He felt responsible for Alina and not knowing what happened to her when she was taken really killed him. He was suddenly worried about someone other than himself. It was an awakening to his feelings for her. His urge to protect her and love her were stronger than ever. If you have the paperback version of the book there is a letter from Mal to Alina that she never gets. Also we think that Mal has got to be Grisha in some way. He has to talented a gift with the earth, sensing life, and finding
things for it to be normal.

The Darkling:

Did you see his true plan? I was totally gullible and believed him. But there were some in our group that saw through his charm. Even for a while a lot of us wanted Alina to be with him. He seemed like the best match for her for a while. Do you think he really has feelings for her or was he just using her the whole time? We thought that his feelings for Alina surprised him. That he wanted to just use her but wanted her at the same time. It might have been because their powers were drawn to each other. He is ambitious, driven and prideful. Who do you think his dad is? The Darkling and his mother are amplifiers but what was his mother's other power? The Darkling had this mysterious, bad boy image that a lot of girls are attracted to.
Why do you think it is that makes us attracted to the "Bad Boy".

Morozova's Stag:

The scene where Mal and Alina find the stag reminded us of the scene in "Snow White and the Huntsman" when Snow White meets her white stag. There are many other movies and books that have this type of Stag in it. The Stag symbolizes strength, grace, and leadership. How does the Stag symbolize Mal? They both had their life saved by Alina. They both amplified Alina's power. Her love for Mal and the necklace made of the Stag. Plus the Stag only emerged after they kissed in the grove. And only Mal could find the Stag. Mercy ended up being the ultimate power.  The Stag and Mal were linked.

The Broken Cup:

"The fragile cup she thought was beyond repair." But when Mal came home she realized it and she could be fixed. That is what the scar on her hand reminds her of. That Mal was her strength so that she could be fixed.

The Future:

2nd book in the Grisha Trilogy is out already and is called "Siege and Storm" and the 3rd book comes out in 2014 called "Ruin and Rising".  Movie rights have also been bought by the Harry Potter producers. Let's cross our fingers that they will turn this awesome book into a movie.

Leigh Bardugo:

Leigh Skyped with us after book club and can I just say that she is one fabulous woman?!  We loved reading her book and loved that she would take the time to chat with us, it was a Delicious Reads highlight for sure!

Check out our Q&A with Leigh HERE!

Content Categories                     Ratings

Language/Profanity                    None

Sexuality                                       Mild

Violence                                         Moderate

Drug/Alcohol Use                         None

Intense/Scary Scenes                 Moderate

Don't forget to look at our book club photos from this fantastic evening!

"The False Prince" {by Jennifer Nielsen} Book Review



 TITLE OF THE BOOK: The False Prince                               

AUTHOR: Jennifer A. Nielsen  
NUMBER OF PAGES: 342
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2012
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
READING LEVEL: Young Adult
GENRE: Adventure, Fantasy                                                       

BOOK SUMMARY:  Sage is a young 14 year old orphan who is used to starving and stealing to survive. Sage's real adventure begins though when he meets Conner, a nobleman of the court. In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner comes up with a plan to find a young boy to impersonate the Prince of Carthya, who was lost at sea and presumed dead. Sage and two other boys are bought by Conner to go through a two week training course where they learn what it takes to be a prince, but only one of them can be chosen. Layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed in the end that may be more dangerous than all the other lies. 

Our group rating for The False Prince was 3.8 out of 5 Stars

Watch the book trailer below to learn a little of what this book is about.

OUR GROUP REVIEW: Jenny did a fantastic job Moderating for The False Prince. She had a wonderful power point that you can download for your own book club by clicking here.

·         Some themes we found in the book:

One of the things we discussed was what some of the most powerful motivators for human behavior are, and what motivates different characters in the book. There are so many things that motivate human behavior and the ones we came up with that drive human behavior the most are; Fear, love, survival, greed, power pride, and loyalty. The main character Sage seemed to be driven mostly by survival, pride, and compassion.

Another theme in the book we discussed was “the end justifies the means” and did we agree with that statement. King Eckbert and Conner both do this. It’s hard to agree with some of the decisions that they make and it might not seem right, but to them the end result was so important that they justified their actions. Especially with Conner he justifies murder and treason because he believes what he is doing is for the greater good. We definitely could not agree with the statement “the end justifies the means” in this situation, but we could with King Eckbert’s and how he dealt with his son Jaron.

·         What were some of our favorite things about the book? (SPOILER FREE)

We really enjoyed the plot twist! Most of us didn’t see it coming and it was a fun surprise. Many of our readers read the book twice and said they enjoyed it more the second time knowing the twist and seeing the little hints the author leaves beforehand.

We really liked the characters, and thought the book was a fun and enjoyable read.

·         What characters did we like the most?

We really liked Sage’s character, and how the book was written in first person from his point of view, but we still didn’t know what the twist was. The author did a great job of not revealing anything, which would be hard from first person. Mott was also a favorite. He was smart and loyal to the right people. Mott’s character was very likable in general. At first most people didn’t love King Eckbert, but ones we found out his motives and why he did what he did with Jaron, we liked him a lot more. Prince Darius and Queen Erin seemed to be true, honest, and genuine characters.

·         Some of our Favorite Quotes:

Jenny posted some great quotes from the book on the PowerPoint that we all enjoyed.

-          “My father said a person can be educated and still be stupid, and a wise man can have no education at all.” – Sage

-          “…a strong heart will always overcome a strong body.”  - Mott

-          “If you can’t give anyone pain, you can’t give them joy either.” - Roden

·         Overall what did we think of this book, and did it make a good book club book?

This book was a great book for book club. We had so much fun playing up the royalty theme with our food and decorations. Not only was it fun to have a royal feast, but the book provided some great discussion when we talked about it.

In general everyone seemed to really enjoy this book. This is the first book of a trilogy so it’s hard to rate it on its own, but it was a definitely a fun entertaining read and we can’t wait to see what happens in the next books to come!

Amazon Exclusive: Q&A with Jennifer A. Nielsen

I liked the "action shot" of Jennifer better than her dust jacket photo lol!

Question: What inspired you to write The False Prince?
Nielsen: I’d had the general idea for The False Prince for some time, but could never find the right protagonist to carry the weight of the story I wanted to tell. The central character, Sage, was found in the words of a song called Guaranteed, by the great Eddie Vedder. It said, “I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me, guaranteed.” From that line, I had the instant image of a defiant but charismatic boy who always stays a step ahead of the game, and where other players have no clue that all the rules are very quietly being rewritten.

Q: Where did Sage’s voice come from?
Nielsen: Sage came to me as a complete character, as fully developed as if he had been a real person. So writing The False Prince wasn’t really about creating him, but instead, it was the experience of discovering him as the story unfolded. There were several moments when I knew what was waiting for Sage if he didn’t back down, and yet, he never would. So I gritted my teeth and let things unfold the only way they could with him. As I work on the sequels, he continues to surprise, amuse, and shock me. He’s the most complex character I’ve ever written, and I’m always thrilled to get feedback from readers who are as fascinated by him as I am.

Q: Was the setting or any of the other characters inspired by real people or places?

Nielsen: Sage is very much his own person, and as a whole, is completely unique. However, there is one trait of his that I borrowed from a student I had when I was a high school debate teacher years ago. He was popular, brilliant, charming, and an amazingly talented thief. At the start of every ride to a tournament, he would steal the watch off of the bus driver’s wrist, then keep it for the entire trip. As he left the bus at the end, he would hand the watch back to the driver, explaining it must have fallen to the floor. Then the driver always thanked him for being such a great and honest kid. I should’ve been angry, but I never was – he just pulled off his scams that well

Q: Where do you like to go to write?
Nielsen: I’ll write anywhere. I work out scenes in my head while driving or in the shower, and pick up inspiration from events I notice each day. I try to always keep a pen and extra paper handy so that if something occurs to me I can write it down and not risk losing it (I hate it when I know there was something I thought of earlier that I had loved, but now can’t remember it!). My favorite places for actual writing aren’t very exciting. I love to write curled up on a love seat beneath a sunny window. And nearly every night I’ll print out pages I’ve worked on in the day and edit them in bed before I fall asleep.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you first know this is what you wanted to do?
Nielsen: I’ve written for as long as I can remember, but the idea that I could turn that into a career never seemed real to me. I never knew any authors growing up, and as far as I could tell, they were mythical people who lived like the Great Gatsby on the other side of the country, or who had lived a hundred years ago. So I wrote as a hobby, then planned on other careers that real people had, such as being a detective, or working somewhere in the theater, or being a teacher.
That all changed after my oldest child was born and I stayed home to care for him. Suddenly, I had a lot more time on my hands, which I filled with reading. But it wasn’t long before the stories in my head became more interesting than the books in my hand, and I realized that I wanted to hold a book of my own. That was when I decided to seriously pursue writing as a career. It’s the perfect place for me to be now, and I can’t imagine being happier anywhere else.

CONTENT:

SEXUALITY: NONE

LANGUAGE/PROFANITY: NONE

DRUG/ALCOHOL USE: NONE

INTENSE/SCARY SCENES: NONE

VIOLENCE: MILD

 Check out book club ideas and our photo recap of this book HERE