Home of a Book Lover: Blog Anniversary & Christmas Giveaway 2013

Hi everyone, since I was not online these past few days, and I wasn't able to post my other giveaways, I decided to post one big GIVEAWAY, this giveaway will be open INTERNATIONALLY and the other is open for PHILIPPINE RESIDENTS ONLY.

Since this will be my last giveaway for this year, I want to thank all those authors and publishers from foreign countries and online shops here in the Philippines who helped me. This wont be successful without all of you. Thank you for answering my questions, I'm glad to know you more. Thank you to my friends who kept encouraging me to blog. It's awesome, blogging for me now is not just a hobby, it's my job and I enjoy it. I still have so many things to learn though, but I'm glad that I reached one year.

Thank you to those authors and publishers who kept sending me galleys or e-galleys. Thank you for trusting me and being open minded to my reviews. I love you all, thank you for being a good friend.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Thank you everyone for joining! I will reveal the winners before this month ends!

Interview with Katie McGarry

Tell us something about your life as a writer.

I’m a stay at home mom of three very active children, so my writing schedule is a little hectic. It revolves around their schedule so there are days when I can write for several hours and then there are days when I don’t have time to write at all.

What's the first book you've read?

Runaway Marie Louise by Natalie Savage Carlson. It’s a children’s book and I read it several times when I was a child.

What do you want in life other than being a writer?

I want to be a good friend, relative, wife, and mom. The people in my life are very important to me.

What are you working on at the minute?

I am currently working on revisions for Take Me On. This is the fourth book in the Pushing the Limits series and will be released in May 2014.

What are your thoughts on writing a book series.

I love being able to stay within the world I’ve created and what’s great about the Pushing the Limits series is that each book belongs to new characters. For instance, Beth, the heroine in Dare You To, was a secondary character in Pushing the Limits. It’s like having the best of both worlds!

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

Books are sort of like pizza toppings. There are people who like pepperoni and people who only like cheese. It’s what makes us all unique and different. There are going to be people who like my book and people who don’t. That’s okay. I just appreciate that people gave my book a chance.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I would love to thank my readers. It is because of you that I get to live out my dream of being a published author. I can’t thank you enough for reading my books and for all the wonderful messages I have received. Hugs to you all!

Katie McGarry's Books

Interview with Lea Nolan

Tell us something about your life as a writer.

It’s very blessed because I’ve got an incredibly supportive family who puts up with all my “typing”, great writer friends who help rescue me from my plot emergencies, wonderful editors who help bring out the best in my stories, and fantastic readers who have fallen in love with Emma Guthrie, Cooper Beaumont and the rest of the characters from CONJURE and ALLURE, the first two installments in The Hoodoo Apprentice series.

What's the first book you've read?

I don’t remember exactly, but I think Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was either the first, or among the first books I ever read. I loved it and every one of Mr. Dahl’s books.

What do you want in life other than being a writer?

I want my children to grow up to be happy, healthy, loving and kind. If they can accomplish that, the rest will fall into place!

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

For me, the hardest part of any book is always the beginning. When you first start out, even if you’ve plotted the story, you don’t always have a great handle on the main character, her personality, and voice. That takes time to fully discover, usually about the first third of the book. Also, I always write and re-write the first chapter a million times trying to make sure the book starts in the right place.

What are you working on at the minute?

I’m drafting a proposal for a brand new, stand alone young adult contemporary story. It’s edgy and dark and and I’m very, very excited about it!

Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

I have always thought that Emily Osment would make a great Emma Guthrie, the heroine of The Hoodoo Apprentice series. She looks spunky, smart, and plucky enough to try and save her brother and boyfriend from centuries-old curses and battle evil monsters and villains.

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?

It’s hard but also very rewarding. Hard because you have to sustain a long term story arc while also satisfying readers by wrapping up individual plots in each book. And you’ve got to know enough about what happens in the later books to drop bread crumbs in the earlier books. So it takes a lot of careful planning. Also, you need to create characters that are compelling enough to make readers want to follow their journey for several books. Pulling all that off is an amazing accomplishment, which is its own reward.

What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?

Luckily I’ve been spared any vicious or demeaning critiques since I’ve been published. Thank goodness! But back in college, I had a nasty experience in a creative writing class where a fellow student was extremely dismissive of a story I wrote. When asked what he thought about it, he tossed his copy across the table and said, “What can I say? It’s trite.” His face was contorted with disgust and his tone dripped with distain. What he didn’t realize was that this “trite” story was about something very personal and meaningful to me. The professor reprimanded him for his tone but no one disagreed with his assessment of my writing. Needless to say, his comment (and their tacit approval of his sentiments) cut me deep and actually made me swear off any more creative writing. I didn’t try my hand at fiction for another twenty years. And now look at me, I’m probably the only student from that class who’s actually a published writer! Looking back, I realize I never should have given them that power, but sadly, I was young and naïve and very vulnerable so I did. I tell you this story in the hopes of keeping some other writing student from giving up.

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

First of all, I try not to read them! Bad reviews can worm themselves into your brain and seriously mess you up (see my answer to question number 8!). The same goes for good reviews, by the way. If you only read the good ones, you can end up with an inflated sense of yourself and your abilities. Also, I tend to believe that reviews are written by readers, and are intended for other readers. It’s not an open letter to me, but rather is an opportunity to express how a particular book impacted the reviewer/reader. Once the book is out there in the world, it’s no longer “mine” and will likely take on a life of its own.

That said, I can’t say I completely avoid all reviews. When I do encounter a less than glowing review, I try to hear what the reviewer/reader is saying and examine whether it has merit. No one’s a perfect writer and no one author is going to satisfy every reader, but if the critique is valid (and many times it is), I think about how I can address it in the next book.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you! Thanks for taking the leap and reading CONJURE and for enjoying the story enough to follow up with ALLURE. I promise, I’m working hard to make sure you love the final book in the series, ILLUSION. And thanks so much for the emails, Facebook messages, and tweets expressing your love for these characters and their journey. You have no idea how much those missives mean to me and how inspiring they are.

Lastly, I wish you the very best holiday season and the happiest and most joyous new year!

Thanks so much for having me! This was great!

Lea Nolan's Books

Interview with Nikki Godwin

Tell us something about your life as a writer.

Being a writer is actually like a double life in a way because I'm not a full-time writer, as much as I wish I was (like most writers). I tend to write better at night, and I don't write everyday. My methods are pretty unorthodox, and if anyone knew them in detail, they'd probably question my sanity and the quality of my books.

What's the first book you've read?

I loved reading while I was growing up, but the first book I read that really made a difference in my life was The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

What do you want in life other than being a writer?

I'd love to write full time and not have to have a day job. I want to get married someday. I want to meet David Desrosiers from Simple Plan because he's the only one in the band I haven't met (and he's my favorite). And I personally really want to meet a pro surfer (I have a list of names, but any of them would do).

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The hardest part of writing each book varies. My first book, Chasing Forever Down, as super hard to write because my day job took up 11 hours a day + multiple hours off the clock due to after hours phones. It was a nightmare. AGOS's writing process was actually really smooth.

What are you working on at the minute?

I am revising a YA LGBT m/m romance called Falling From The Sky. It's due for release on February 21, 2014, and I'm super excited for it because this was actually the first novel I ever wrote. I'm ready for it to have its moment in the spotlight.

Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

In all honesty, I don't keep up with Hollywood and am waaaaay behind on all the popular movies. I'm not a huge movie-goer. I have no clue who the hot young faces of Hollywood are these days, so I have no answer. :\

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?

I actually have one in process, and my Spaceships Around Saturn books will be somewhat of a series. I plan for them to be more "companion novels" so they can be read out of order, for the most part. My Drenaline Surf series is my favorite of all my projects, and I'm super stoked to be working on it for 2014.

What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?

Ahh, that's a tough one. I had someone say some really awful things to me on a personal level, but those things aren't fit to be seen on the internet. Sometimes I think the whole falling out was quite ridiculous, but then I reread that last e-mail and remember why we parted ways. Sometimes things are just better if you let go.

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

Books are a subjective thing, so if someone doesn't like my book, the chances are I probably don't like the books they enjoy either. We're all different and like different things, so I just assume they have different tastes and move on. For the most part, people have really enjoyed my books, so majority rules ;)

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I can't say THANK YOU enough. I wouldn't be where I am, my books wouldn't be selling, and no one would know who I am if I didn't have such awesome readers. You guys spread the word better than I ever could, and I love each and every one of you for it. I'll say thank you a zillion more times in the future. You've been warned. :) Thank you so much for having me, Camelle! <3

Nikki Godwin's Books