Interview with Kate Evangelista – author of Romancing the Bookworm

I'm delighted to welcome author, and my lovely friend, Kate Evangelista to the blog. Her latest novel is Romancing the Bookworm, and it's due to be released on July 9th. You can find its blurb, plus links to Kate's blog and social networking accounts, at the bottom of the interview.

Q: Your upcoming novel, Romancing the Bookworm, is a new adult contemporary romance, whereas your earlier releases were young adult fantasy novels. What encouraged this change in direction?
A: When I first started taking writing seriously, I actually began in the adult romance genre. But as I reached the part where it got steamy between the characters, I just couldn’t move forward. I remember blushing so hard. So, I backtracked and started writing young adult. Twilight was really popular at the time and I thought if she could do this then I can too. But as I kept writing YA, I felt like I didn’t quite fit into this genre as well…or should I say my characters didn’t quite fit in. Then New Adult burst onto the scene and I tried it and loved the experience. I could push my limits as a writer with the issues the characters go through or the situations they get into. I think I’ve found the genre I’m most comfortable with now. My not-so-little corner of the publishing industry!

What can readers expect from Romancing the Bookworm? Is it a gentle tale of romance or something more sensual?

It’s very steamy. There’s a scene involving waxing a surfboard that you won’t want to miss!

Judging by your Twitter feed, you’re certainly a productive writer! How do you stay motivated? Do you have a day-to-day routine?
I read somewhere that being a writer is giving yourself homework every day for the rest of your life. I’ve gotten to a point in my career where, if I don’t write something in a day, I get the shakes or I feel really guilty. It’s like you practice and you practice and, finally, you need to write or your day doesn’t feel quite right (it rhymes! *laughs*).

As for a daily routine, I begin my day taking care of all my social media. I answer emails from my editors, come on twitter and reply to interactions, then I hop on to Facebook. Then, after lunch, I get cracking and write or edit well into the evening. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop because I won’t be able to go to sleep if I don’t power down.

You’re currently residing in the Philippines. At any time, have you found that your location has made it more challenging to become a published author?
I think the only challenge I face is access to conventions. I really want to attend RT and BEA one day. I’m saving up now. But, other than that, the internet makes being a published author so much easier. I wouldn’t change anything about where I live…right smack dab in the middle of a mango grove. Being in the middle of nature is really conducive to feeding my muse.

Finally, what projects are you currently working on? Do you have any other genres up your sleeve?

Lots. I’m in edits for the sequel to Reaping Me Softly called Unreap my Heart. I actually think of it as the real first book in the series and Reaping is the prequel to it. I can’t wait to show everyone Balthazar.

I’m also editing my first dystopian New Adult called Impulse. It’s fast paced and adrenaline driven and really, really dark. I’m so excited about it.

For Til Death, I’m deep into edits for that as well. And readers should watch out for Savor, Luka’s long awaited book.

So while y’all are waiting, please add Romancing the Bookworm to your to-be-read list. Tamara and Xavier’s story is really something you need to bring with you to the beach!

~

Blurb:
It's spring break, and Tamara Winters would rather stay on campus and read romance novels than flaunt her size-fourteen body on a beach. But her best friend, Ronni, has other ideas. Against her wishes, Tamara is whisked away to picturesque Maverick Bay, where she's wrangled into waiting tables with Ronni at the Shore Shack for its busy week leading to Maverick's Surf Invitational. There she meets fellow schoolmate Xavier Solomon, the Invitational's organizer and campus womanizer by reputation. From the moment Tamara sees him emerging from the waves like a hero in of one of her romance novels, all she wants to do is run away from the feelings he inspires in her.

Little does she know Xavier has been watching her for weeks now. In fact, after failed attempts at asking her out on campus, he's concocted a crazy plan: fabricating romantic situations straight out of her favorite books. Xavier quickly realizes that if Tamara gets a whiff of his designs, he might as well spell CREEPER across his forehead. Yet as they grow closer, he's convinced it's a risk worth taking. What he hasn't planned on, of course, is his drug-addicted, alcoholic stepbrother, who decides to join the fun and put a wrench in Xavier’s scheme.

Spring break is proving hotter than Tamara expected. Will her romance novels be able to compete? 

~

Kate's blog  -  Twitter  -  Facebook  -  Goodreads

Life of Pi DVD giveaway – the winner!

I'm happy to announce that the winner of my Life of Pi DVD giveaway is Helen Dickinson!

Congratulations, Helen! I've sent you an email, and you have one week to respond before the giveaway is redrawn.

To all who missed out, don't worry – I'll be holding more giveaways in future. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Life Between Pages!

I would say it's hard to believe that my blog is two years old today, but that would be a lie! Truly, it's been an amazing journey and what is difficult for me to grasp is the good fortune I've had thus far.

I expected little when I started writing Life Between Pages. It began because of the stacks of books lying about my house which needed reading, and I saw a blog as being the perfect way to get them read, record my perspectives and improve my writer's voice.

And although I have now read a few of the books which were previously collecting dust, their absence seems to have only made room for more! I guess that's what happens when one is not only an impulsive shopper (I need rehab!), but also when one has the privilege of working with, and on behalf of, talented authors, publishers, and other representatives of such a fantastic industry. I am grateful to them for believing in me and my little blog, and for trusting me with their craft.

Thank you, also, to my fellow book bloggers, and to those who stop-by every now and again to have a read. I definitely wouldn't have reached this point without so many clicks and comments. Having almost 50,000 blog views in two years is crazy!

I may not be posting as much these days, but this isn't because of waning enthusiasm. Life Between Pages has given me confidence and a direction in life which I've never had before, and there is no way I'd abandon it now. Indeed, we'll be around for years to come, even if it does mean only four or five posts a month due to a busier life.

Finally, here are links to some of my favourite posts from year two, month-by-month.

June 2012:

Review: Taste by Kate Evangelista

July:

Matt Bomer as Christian Grey? Do you really think so, Entertainment Weekly?

August:

Review: Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussman 

September:

Paris in Photographs 

October:

Filmmaking with the Raindance Film Festival 

November:

Audio books vs. the budget 

December:

Visiting Professor Tolkien's final resting place 

January 2013:

Interview with C.W. Gortner – author of The Queen's Vow 

February:

First drafts and business cards 

March:

Interview with Richard C. Morais – author of Buddhaland Brooklyn 

April:

Review: The Girl Behind the Mask by Stella Knightley 

May:

Interview with Annemarie Neary – author of A Parachute in the Lime Tree

Review: All I Want is You by Elizabeth Anthony

Set in a country house in the 1920s, this tale of forbidden love between a kitchen maid and her aristocratic master is perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey.

1920. Seventeen-year-old Sophie is a scullery maid at a large country house, Belfield Hall, but what she truly desires is to dance on stage in London.

Glamorous Lady Beatrice offers her assistance, though not without an ulterior motive. A new heir - the seductively handsome Lord Ashley - is about to arrive at the Hall: a man that Beatrice will do anything to ensnare... even if she has to exploit her young maid.

What she doesn't know is that Sophie has met Ash once before. And as Lady Beatrice's devious plan unravels, Sophie has two choices: refuse to be a mere plaything for the man she loves so desperately, or give in to the thrill of unimaginable sexual pleasure... (via Hodder.co.uk)

I'm a massive fan of Downton Abbey, and of course I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, so I have to admit that I was pretty intrigued when All I Want is You popped through my letterbox. But, then again, I was also weary – historical romance novels which tend to take 'modern liberties' have a track record of getting on my nerves (see my review of Julia Quinn's The Duke and I). How would I end up feeling about this one?

Well, All I Want is You starts like a normal historical novel. In the beginning, Sophie describes her life as a young girl and the lead-up to becoming a maid at a big house. It seems to show more of an accurate portrayal of a servant's life than even Downton Abbey (it's fair to say that the staff at Downton are perhaps a little too spoilt to be believed!). However, these accuracies fade as soon as the expected sexual side of the plot begins to develop.

At first, I found it really hard to accept that all these people could be that forward and blasé about sexuality. Surely they would have been a little more careful about discussing sex it in those days, and would have chosen their partners with greater care? This certainly wasn't so in Sophie's version of 1920s England.

And that's the point. All I Want is You isn't supposed to be an accurate historical representation of love, sex and hierarchies in the 1920s – it's supposed to be enjoyed for what it is, and that is a powerful story of forbidden romance. So when I finally managed to wrap my brain around this realisation, I really started to enjoy the novel.

In the end, I managed to finish All I Want is You in about three days, all because I could barely put it down! I became addicted to Sophie and Lord Ashley's love story, and I couldn't wait to find out how they would resolve the many complications getting in the way of their relationship. One of these complications is the seductive and relentless Lady Beatrice, who will do anything to exploit those who get in the way of her plans.

There are plenty of sex scenes in the book and they can be quite graphic, though they are tastefully written. But, be warned, many are not for the squeamish!

In summary, All I Want is You is a wonderful, addictive tale of romance in an alternative 1920s England. If you enjoy an intense love story and don't mind some modern touches blended within a historical period, I'd highly recommend it. My only complaint now is having to wait for book two to find out what happens next!

Rating: 4 / 5

Review: Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais

A novel about clashing civilizations and the search for truth across cultural divides

As he approaches his fortieth birthday, the introverted monk Seido Oda is ordered by his superior to leave behind his peaceful refuge in the remote mountains of Japan and set up a temple in Brooklyn’s Little Calabria. There Oda is confronted with an uphill struggle to get to understand the ways of his new host country, and finds his patience and beliefs tested by a motley crew of misguided American Buddhists – a shock which will enable him to come to terms with painful memories of his past and finally experience that sense of belonging he has always sought.

Featuring rich descriptions of idyllic Japanese landscapes and the gritty chaos of New York, and a cast of eccentric, larger-than-life characters, Buddhaland Brooklyn – Richard C. Morais’s second novel after the acclaimed The Hundred Foot Journey – is an entertaining and edifying meditation on faith, cultural divides and the meaning of true acceptance. (via Alma Books)

Having had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Morais about Buddhaland Brooklyn earlier in the year (click here to read), it’s great to have finally read the novel itself. And, even better, I’m happy to say that I wasn't disappointed!

The novel unfolds at a gentle pace, which I feel reflects the overall theme very well. Usually, as I've mentioned several times in the past, stories that are slow to develop usually make me impatient but here I was happy to just let it blossom in its own time. Much of this had to do with the wonderful, poetic descriptions filling each page – they enticed me to read on further. I even went so far as to bookmark and highlight several pages, so that I might revisit certain images or words of wisdom again!

But ultimately it was the novel's main character, Seido Oda, who persuaded keep reading. His backstory and developing insights into the world around him were all fascinating, and I had to find out how he would fare in Brooklyn amongst such challenging personalities. I particularly enjoyed Reverend Oda's interactions with Jennifer and Michael; two very different New Yorkers who perhaps bring out the most in him.

Overall, Buddhaland Brooklyn is a personal story told with wit, insight and simplicity. If you enjoy novels with a compelling sense of place and culture, spirituality, and strong characters, I would definitely recommend this.

Rating: 4 / 5

Interview with Annemarie Neary – author of A Parachute in the Lime Tree

Last month I reviewed Annemarie's engaging historical novel, A Parachute in the Lime Tree, and now it's wonderful to welcome her back to the blog to answer a few questions.

You can find the book's blurb and links her website, social networking accounts, and a place to buy the book at the end of the interview.

 

~

Q: What influenced your decision to write A Parachute in the Lime Tree from both Irish and German perspectives during World War 2?

A: Ireland during the ‘Emergency’ was a rather colourless, isolated place so Oskar and Elsa, my German characters, would have seemed like exotic birds. Like many people in Ireland, I grew up hearing comic book tales of incompetent German spies during the war and I was intrigued by the idea of Germans who might have been there for other reasons.

Oskar is intent on a quest that really has nothing at all to do with the country in which he finds himself, a place that must have seemed a world away from the lurid blare of war. However, he is much more conspicuous than he thinks and I wondered how he would have fared at a time of such great anxiety and apprehension about a possible German invasion.   

As for Elsa, I wanted to explore her experience of exile. In Ireland, she experiences utter disconnection from all she has ever known – and in a place where, having effectively come in through the back door, she has no real sense of security.  

The novel tackles some notable historical adversities, including the holocaust. Did you encounter any obstacles whilst researching and, if so, how did you overcome them?

My inability to read German was the biggest obstacle. Ideally, you want to be able to trawl through letters and diaries in order to get a feel for ordinary lives, and I found there was surprisingly little available in English about either the conscript experience or the lives of ordinary Germans on the home front.

Through an online forum, someone in Australia got in touch and offered to put my questions to his elderly neighbour who turned out to have been a member of KG100 based, like Oskar, in Vannes. That was invaluable because I was able to ask him questions about things like the relationship with his comrades, how he spent his free time in Vannes, what it felt like to be in one of those planes.

Someone else put me in touch with the widow of a pilot whose Heinkel had come down over neutral Ireland. She was kind enough to send me her only copy of her late husband’s memoirs (in English!) from her home in Canada – a vivid insight into one young German’s experience of Ireland at the time.

I studied art history and tend to approach things visually, so I find images a very useful source of both inspiration and information. Often it’s the things on the fringes of the main image – the details the photographer or painter took for granted – that are the most fruitful. I spent a lot of time with newspaper images and advertisements because they tell you a lot about people’s preoccupations and priorities.

I really enjoyed the novel's balance, with sections focused on a particular character's perspective or location. Was this something you decided to integrate into the novel before writing, or was it something which just unfolded during the process?
I wrote the first draft in a bit of a splurge, and actually ended up with much more material than I needed. That’s when the hard work of pruning and shaping began. The book concentrates on events in four intertwined lives during a six-week period. However, the relationship of Oskar and Elsa in Berlin some years before (and their subsequent individual experiences) is crucial to understanding what comes later. I needed to find a way of including these aspects without diluting the tension of the main narrative strand. I’m so pleased the eventual structure worked for you.

What advice can you give to other writers interested in tackling historical fiction?
At the moment, I’m immersed in Venice in the 1920s with a handful of characters and the faint outline of a plot. So, right now I’m in evangelical mode when it comes to the value of research as a source of ideas. An object, a photograph, a throwaway remark in a letter – they can all send you off down paths you’d never otherwise have considered. Some of these will be dead ends and you might have to retrace your steps, but it will still lend a quality of authenticity to your writing. This time, incidentally, I can read enough Italian to get by!

Finally, what projects are you working on at the moment? Can we expect to hear more from any of the characters in Parachute?
This summer, I’m going to be spending a week in Annaghmakerrig, an artists’ retreat in Ireland, and I want to have a good chunk of the new novel written by then. I’m also editing Siren, my second novel – restructuring it and firming up aspects of the plot with a view to arriving at a final version before I go away. I love writing short stories and I have lots of bits and pieces that need attention, but I probably won’t get round to those for a while. 

I don’t have any plans to revisit the characters in Parachute at the moment, though somebody did ask me at a book club recently ‘What happens after the end? I mean you know, right?’ One character I do wonder about is Emmi, Oskar’s sister, but I’m not sure I want to write her story.

~ 

Blurb:
April 1941. German bombers are in the air, about to attack Belfast. 
Oskar is a Luftwaffe conscript whose sweetheart, Elsa, was forced to flee Berlin for Ireland two years before. War-weary, he longs for escape. 
In remote Dunkerin, Kitty awakes to find a parachute trapped in one of the lime trees. When she discovers Oskar, injured and foraging for food in her kitchen, he becomes a rare and exciting secret. But Ireland during the Emergency is an uneasy place, and word of the parachute soon spreads. 
Meanwhile, Elsa is haunted by the plight of the parents she left behind. With the threat of Nazi invasion, she feels far from secure.
A chance encounter with Elsa, and Charlie, a young medical student, finds himself falling in love. Oskar, Kitty, Elsa, Charlie. Their lives intertwine in a climate of war, exile, and ever-uncertain neutrality. 

 ~

My review  -  Annemarie's website  -  Facebook  -  Twitter  -  Purchase book

Closed for entries | Win a copy of Life of Pi on DVD! [UK Only]

 NOW CLOSED

After a small shopping blunder last week, I have two copies of Life of Pi on DVD. So I've decided to put the extra one up for grabs in a giveaway!

Due to financial reasons, and because the DVD will only play on Region 2 players, you can only enter if you're a blog follower who lives in the UK. Sorry, international followers! Stay tuned for an international giveaway later in the year.

To enter, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below.

The Giveaway closes on 16th June (my blog's birthday!). Good luck!

Review: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift

Sadie Appleby has lived all her life in her small village. One night she is rudely awoken by her older and bolder sister, Ella, who has robbed her employer and is on the run. The girls flee their rural home of Westmorland to head for London, hoping to lose themselves in the teeming city. But the dead man's relatives are in hot pursuit, and soon a game of cat and mouse begins.

Ella becomes obsessed with the glitter and glamour of city life and sets her sights on the flamboyant man-about-town, Jay Whitgift. But nothing is what it seems - even Jay Whitgift.

Can Sadie survive a fugitive's life in the big city? But even more pressing, can she survive life with her older sister Ella?

Set in London's atmospheric coffee houses, the rich mansions of Whitehall, and the pawnshops, slums and rookeries hidden from rich men's view, The Gilded Lily is about beauty and desire, about the stories we tell ourselves, and about how sisterhood can be both a burden and a saving grace. (via Goodreads)

The Gilded Lily is an atmospheric historical novel, filled with vivid descriptions and characters who come to life.

Yet, while I enjoyed the beauty of the writing as a whole, there were some elements of the novel which hampered my enjoyment. Firstly, I felt The Gilded Lily developed slowly in places, and I purposefully read through some parts quickly. Secondly was Ella, one of the main characters, who at times I hated so much that I wanted to slap her! Although, this does show that Swift has created a strong, realistic character who can provide intriguing conflict.

Keeping that in mind, there were, in addition, characters whom I loved. These included Ella's caring sister, Sadie, and their acquaintance, Dennis. I adored reading of the developing friendship between Sadie and Dennis; their meetings were certainly one of the reasons why I decided to keep reading.

Overall, The Gilded Lily is skillfully written with striking descriptions and characters capable of summoning a wide range of emotions. If you enjoy a historical novel with a relaxed pace and an unpredictable ending, this could be for you.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Catching up in May and June

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April has been a strange and busy month so unfortunately I haven't had much time to post.

However, I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up some speed in May and June, owing to the fact that I have some exciting books to read and review, events to recount, and perhaps some author interviews and guest posts in the works.

One thing to watch out for is a recap of my very first experience of the London Book Fair, which I attended on April 15th. It was a pretty insightful day for a variety of reasons, and I'm looking forward to sharing my perspective with fellow book bloggers and students.

So stay tuned, everyone, and remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Friend Connect for the latest!

Review: The Girl Behind the Mask by Stella Knightley

Leaving the heartache of sexual betrayal behind her in London, historian Sarah Thomson intends to make the most of her research trip to Venice. But she soon finds her attention consumed by mysterious millionaire Marco Donato. Despite their deepening relationship, however, the handsome playboy persists in playing a secretive game. What exactly is Marco hiding?

The subject of Sarah's research is eighteenth-century Venetian Luciana Giordano. At a time when debauchery is the city's favourite pastime, virginal Luciana is kept out of trouble by a zealous chaperone--until she meets a man who promises to help her escape her restraints. But just what does the worldly stranger want to teach her in return? (via Goodreads)

Ever since Fifty Shades of Grey became a smash-hit, many publishers have grown the desire to replicate its success by releasing their very own version of the trilogy. While you can't blame them for this (after all, publishing is a business and they have to make money), it does annoy me that they don't generally pick very imaginative novels. For example, you might remember my review of Sylvia Day's Bared to You, where it seems as though Day hasn't gone to great lengths to separate her plot from that of Fifty Shades (the characters' names are even similar: Eva and Gideon instead of Ana and Christian!).

So when The Girl Behind the Mask arrived in the post, I admit that I was apprehensive about reading it at first glance – the front cover certainly doesn't look any different to other books of its kind. But when I flipped it over and read the back, I could tell that, despite some superficial similarities, this novel would be more unique.

Reading through the chapters, it became increasingly evident that The Girl Behind the Mask wasn't just another carbon-copy. It blends together the lives of two women living in different eras – present day Sarah and eighteenth century Luciana – as they experience the allure of Venice, Italy for the first time.

I enjoyed the very personal feel to both stories; Luciana's is told through a series of diary entries and letters which we read alongside Sarah as she does her research. And though Sarah's narrative isn't presented in diary form, I still felt as though she was personally confiding in me as she discusses her life before and after arriving in Venice.

The sex scenes, while unambiguous, are told tastefully. The language used is subtle, rather than being explicit for the sake it (for example, there are no 'C' words here... unless you think that letter stands for the word used to name a male bird!)

Altogether, The Girl Behind the Mask is a multi-layered erotic romance novel with a difference. If you loved Fifty Shades but don't just want to read another version of it, this is probably for you. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Sarah in The Girl Behind the Fan!

Rating: 4 / 5