Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan - Not An Ordinary Ghost Story

I am so excited to be talking about Andrea J. Buchanan's GIFT, a special enhanced ebook (And be sure to scroll down for a fab interview with Andrea Buchanan)

Release Date: 3/27/2012

Basic Blurb: (from Amazon)

High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about.

Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in—and a cute senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide—before it’s too late?

Extra features include:

•   A short graphic novel illustrated by Alexis Seabrook, telling Vivi’s story

•   Danielle’s journal, revealing her deepest thoughts

Why I liked it: 
I was excited to read this book from the minute I heard that it was an enhanced ebook. In fact, the enhancements intrigued me so much, that I bought the book after I read the arc, just to check it out and experience the book for myself. And man, that was the right choice. The story is fab without the enhancements, yes - but the extras really makes this something to EXPERIENCE. Just watch the trailer and image what it would be like to experience some of the hauntings as you read the story. EPIC, I'll tell you...
truly EPIC.



To find out more about GIFT and the Andrea J Buchanan - just check out her interview: 

About the Book:

• Give me the blurb for the book in 140 characters or less: Four friends must work together to untangle a ghostly mystery. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide—before it’s too late? 
  
  
• Why an enhanced ebook?    Reading on an iPad brought to fruition my childhood dream to be able to read in bed, in the dark, without a flashlight -- but more than that, it brought the realization that I was reading books on a platform that was not just a book reader, but also a video player, a music maker, a gaming device. I was just beginning to work on a ghost story about a high school student and her friend who have the same dream when I thought: How cool would it be to read a spooky story on a tablet or e-reader capable of sounds and art and special effects like that?

• What was the hardest part of doing the enhanced ebook?  Waiting for technology to catch up with my ideas! 

About the Author:

• What inspires you?  Everyday life. But also: still moments, silent places.

• What drew you to your story, "Gift"?    A very long time ago, a friend and I had the same dream. Although nothing more came of it (we didn't, for instance, have to battle an evil ghost or anything), I always thought it would be fun to explore the "what if"s of a premise like that in a story.

• Who is your writing hero? Oh, that's a tough one! I have so many! I learn so much from each book I read, good or bad, that I feel like each and every one of them is a kind of teacher.

• Randomness:

o   Sweet or salty? Salty!

o   Beach or mountains? Mountains (although I love a deserted beach on a cloudy day)

o   Online or in person? Online!

o   Ebook or print? BOTH!

 About the Future:

• What’s next for you?   I have a lot of things in process at the moment, and right now I'm not sure exactly which one of them will become the thing I do next. But whatever it is, I'm really excited to explore the possibilities at the intersection of reading and technology.

• One outrageous goal for the future?   This may sound boring, but I try not to look too far ahead -- there's so much that's amazing right here and now, all around us, and I don't want to miss a minute of it! .

 Isn't she great? I think so! Do yourself a favor and check out GIFT and the future of enhanced ebooks! Add it to your Goodreads TBR list today. Or better yet, buy it here on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.


What have you read lately?

DIES IRAE by Christine Fonseca

THE BLURB:

Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love.

Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. That is, until he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth. Assigned as Watchers while they await their decision of which angelic order to serve, the three assume the bodies of teenagers and experience life as human.

The sensations are overwhelming as the angels experience a host of human emotions—rage, terror, love—and come ever closer to breaking one of the unbreakable rules—never fall in love.

But being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia; a peace Azza seems bent on destroying.

Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces and Azza, and fighting against his rising emotional attachment to Demi, Mikayel must now decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for his new found love—a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

I know I have the advantage of having read LACRIMOSA, the first full-length novel in the Requiem series, but take my word for it DIES IRAE is the perfect introduction to the Requiem world. I would have loved to have spent more time in the ancient world that Christine weaves around her characters. As a novella, that is necessarily limited. But Christine packs so much emotion into her pages that you are instantly drawn to these characters and their epically tragic story.

The story explores a lot of very intense themes; forbidden love, friends who become mortal enemies, how there is good and evil in everyone, how choices can tip the scales one way or the other, sacrifice, duty, honor, loyalty, betrayal, and the heart pounding (and breaking) of true love. There is a LOT of story packed into these pages.

If you’ve read LACRIMOSA, you’ll love getting to see what started everything and getting an insight into Mikayel and Azza. And if you haven’t read it yet (you won’t have to wait long – it comes out on March 21 - just a few weeks!) then this is a wonderful way to start immersing yourself in the Requiem world.

WHERE THINGS COME BACK by John Corey Whaley

I have been wanting to share this review for MONTHS! And finally, I got it written. Let me start with a little background info about the author and this book ~

About the Author: John Corey Whaley

Here is the official bio from Amazon:

John Corey Whaley is an American Young Adult author from Louisiana. His first novel, WHERE THINGS COME BACK is a finalist for the 2012 William C. Morris YA Debut Award. 
Whaley was named a Spring 2011 Flying Start Author by Publishers Weekly as well as a Top Ten New Voice for Teens by the ABC Children's Group at ALA and a Spring 2011 Okra Pick from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

 WHERE THINGS COME BACK has also been nominated for the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012. 

Whaley was recently selected by the National Book Foundation as a Top 5 Under 35 author, making him the first YA author to be awarded the honor. 

Whaley studied English and writing at Louisiana Tech University and later earned a Master's in English Education. 
To learn more about John Corey Whaley and WHERE THINGS COME BACK, visit www.johncoreywhaley.com

Now, my unofficial 4-1-1...
I had the opportunity to meet and "hang out" with Corey for a couple of days when he came to do some school visits with Elana Johnson and Jessi Kirby. Let me tell you - he is FABULOUS! Smart, funny, talented - all words I would use to describe him. Needless to say, I was so excited to read his book...especially after meeting him.

About the Book: Where Things Come Back

Here's the "official" blurb on Amazon:

In the remarkable, bizarre, and heart-wrenching summer before Cullen Witter’s senior year of high school, everything he thinks he understands about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town vanishes. His cousin overdoses; his town becomes absurdly obsessed with the alleged reappearance of an extinct woodpecker; and most troubling of all, his sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother, Gabriel, suddenly and inexplicably disappears.

As Cullen navigates a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young, disillusioned missionary in Africa searches for meaning wherever he can find it. Through masterful plotting, these two stories are brought face-to-face in a surprising and harrowing climax that is tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, and above all, hope.

My thoughts:

This is a wonderfully crafted book that explores death...and life. His characterizations are rich, as is his use of setting. I found both plots interesting as I kept reading to find out how and when they would intersect. The ending, while I certainly predicted it, was exciting and satisfying.

Whaley does a fabulous job in his debut novel and I sincerely can NOT wait for more from him. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Christine Reviews SHINE by Lauren Myracle

Hi all! I am so excited to be doing my first review for Afterglow. And I picked a perfect read...
SHINE by Lauren Myracle

The Blurb (from Amazon)
When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.
My Take:
Wow, where do I even begin? This is one of the better reads of 2011. The writing was powerful, the characters rich, and setting - oh my word, what a fabulous setting. I was immediately drawn into the world Cat lived in. Each of the characters were well-developed, 3-dimensional characters that had both good and dark sides to their personality. The heroes were flawed, and the villains redemptive (well, most of them).

What really grabbed me with this story, however, was the storyline itself. Myracle confronts the difficult topics of drugs, poverty and intolerance. The story is gritty, dark and painfully realistic. And the ending - now, I personally think some will hate the way things end in this story. For me, I found it to be a pretty accurate depiction of the power of hate and the willingness for some to maintain the status quo, even when the status quo is wrong.

Why You Want To Read This:
I don't know about you, but I am really enjoying the trend of contemporaries that have made their way to YA shelves, and SHINE is one of the better ones I've read. Stories like this do a great job of opening up a conversation about some of the ills of society and dangers of closed-minded thinking.
Definitely a must-read, in my opinion.