Wednesday 30 October 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #26: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

16156357
 
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodline series returns with the second installment in her acclaimed Age of X series.

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors and I would read anything by her. And I liked the first books in this series so I can't wait to read this one. But what did they do to the covers! The previous one was much pretier!
 
Publication date: May 29th 2014
 
What are you waiting for? Let me know below or link me up!
 

El

 

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Book Blitz: The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper

 
Book 1 Synopsis
When your dreams come true, sometimes you get more than you bargained for...

Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart. Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.


- Goodreads -
 

Book 2 Synopsis
Since becoming employed by a supernatural protection agency, Natalie Johnson's life has been more interesting than ever. While most teens are working on their summer tans, Natalie works on slaughtering the undead lurking just outside her town's borders.

The workload takes more than just a toll on her love life, it dampens her spirit and her health, as the town is plagued by a mysterious murderer intent on stealing the residents' souls. Natalie's investigation is hampered by her declining health and the sicker she gets, the more inadequate she feels.

Guilt over her inability to act, weighs heavily on Natalie's shoulders during a time when her strength is needed more than ever. As some of those closest to her begin to lose faith, she must make the hardest stand yet to save the soul of the one person she can always count on:

The Slayer.


- Goodreads -


Book 3 Synopsis
Protection, murder, deception....

No one can know Natalie works for a supernatural protection agency and is charged with protecting Meadow’s Creek from vampires. But as their numbers swell, their presence doesn't go unnoticed throwing her town under the microscope from the local government and the FBI.

Natalie’s job is pushed even further into the shadows where she must dodge the police, concerned citizens and even her own parents.

Meanwhile a deadly plague grips the town and Natalie suspects it’s more than just a hacking cough. While the stress of working overtime erodes her relationships she will race against time, illness, to face a familiar enemy, save an old friend, and stop an undead seize that wants nothing more than to suck Meadow’s Creek dry.


- Goodreads -

Excerpt

Tristan beamed. “You’ve grown so much this past year. There was a time you would never be able to say something like that.”       Natalie grew taller under his gaze. “I get my strength from you.”
       
“No, you don’t. You’re Nat. You’re strong all by yourself, princess.”
       
“I like it when you call me that.” Natalie said softly.
       
“It’s true. You’re even better than a Disney princess. You’re the Miller princess.”
        
Natalie’s heart leapt and tumbled in a way that was special; new. “I’m yours?”
       
“Uh-huh and there’s something I want to give you. I wanted to wait until it was special, but you look like you could use some cheering up.”
        
“Give me?” Natalie was surprised. “Did you get me a present?” She bounced lightly.
        
Tristan fished around inside his pocket and finally pulled out a small box; it was a small velvet box. Natalie saw ones like it on television all the time and in her sister’s bedroom. Her head spun, wondering what could possibly be inside such a box.
      
“I wanted to do this at that fancy restaurant last week, but it was still on layaway.” Tristan flipped the box open.
        
Natalie gawked at the silver ring. It was a simple band and crusted on all sides with jagged cuts of gems in a rainbow of colors. She never knew anything could be so beautiful or that anyone would ever think enough to get something so nice just for her.
       
“I know it seems kind of dorky, but when I saw it, I thought, that’d be perfect for Nat. I could see how it’d look on your finger. You never ask for anything. You just do this incredible, responsible job and you never ask for anything nice. The way you were just now with your dad…I guess I never saw how much responsibility you really have. I need you to know, Nat, I’m serious about this thing. Us.”
Author bio
Author of the YA Dream Slayer series, Jill loves to blend horror, comedy, the supernatural, and love, through her novels. A fan of genre blending, her work strives to cross boundries, but most of all strives to entertain.

She loves soft cuddly cats, warm blankets, and paranormal romances.

Jill resides in Massachusetts, is constantly renovating her home that she shares with her husband, young daughter, and two skittish cats.


Extra
Title:

  • Book 1: Dream Slayer
  • Book 2: Demon Royal
  • Book 3: Dawning Apocalypse
Author: Jill Cooper
Series: The Dream Slayer
Genre: Paranormal, YA
Links:

El

Monday 28 October 2013

Sunshine by Nikki Rae

Synopsis
1663781218 year old Sophie Jean is pretty good at acting normal. Sure, she’s not exactly happy, but happiness is nothing compared to being like everyone else. She can pretend she’s not allergic to the sun. She can hide what her ex-boyfriend did to her. She can cover up the scars she’s made for herself. Ignore anything. Forget anything. Then Myles enters her life, and he has more than a few secrets of his own. When accident after accident keeps happening to Sophie, she can’t help noticing that he’s everywhere. That he knows too much. That she’s remembering too much.

It’s one thing covering up her own dark past, but does she really need to worry about people finding out just how much Myles likes her? Or that despite how much she doesn’t want to repeat past mistakes, she kind of likes him back? Not to mention the fact that she now has to conceal that Myles drinks blood-that he says he’s about four hundred years old.

She almost forgot about that part.

But Sophie has no plans to ruin the normal life she has created for herself. She can deal with this little glitch, no problem. Even if word has gotten around to the wrong vampire about Sophie and Myles, even if she’s putting the few people she loves at risk. Suddenly, those who were monsters before are just people, and the monsters? They’re real. Now being a normal human being is the least of her problems. Now she has to stay alive.


- Goodreads -

Opinion
I needed some time to adjust to Nikki Rae’s writing style in the beginning but even than I liked the book. Sure the main plot wasn’t that original, human falling in love with a vampire. But the characters definitely maid up for that.

The main character Sophie was a very interesting girl and her sun allergy made her special. She has gone through so much since she was a little kid, but she never gave up. Of course she had a hard time fighting of her demons and she couldn’t always manage it well but in the end she was ok. It gave her some depth and it made her realistic. And a character with flaws is always better than a perfect one, you could see Sophie grow during this book and we could definitely thank Myles for that.
Myles was so great, all the other vampires I’ve encountered in previous books were all confident and didn’t bother about what others might think. But not Myles, he was protective of Sophie but in the beginning he was shy when he was around her. He didn’t know how to act, afraid she might reject him which made him more human. But above all he was a great friend. He was there when Sophie needed someone even when she didn’t know it herself. And he helped her recover from her past and let her see that nothing was wrong with her, that she deserved as much happiness as any other young girl.
Another thing I loved where the side characters. They weren’t just there to fill up space, they were important and I loved them all (at least the good ones). Hopefully we get to see more of them in the next book.

I really liked this book and I’m definitely going to read the other ones as well. And if you’re looking for a YA paranormal-romance book than you should definitely check this one out!
 
Extra
Title: Sunshine
Author: Nikki Rae
Series: The Sunshine Series
Publication date: January 28th 2013
Pages: 330 (Kindle)
Other books:

El


Sunday 27 October 2013

Stacking The Shelves #18

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Netgalley:

15980406 13579352 16094953
For review:
17156140
What did you get this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Thursday 24 October 2013

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Synopsis
13065327After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?



Opinion
When I found out that Simone Elkeles was writing I was so excited. She’s one of my favorite authors and I would read anything by her. So when Wild Cards finally came out I went out and bought it immediately.  And Simone didn’t disappoint me, I loved this book. It has everything that her other books have: strong characters, a great plotline, humor and chemistry.
I loved both of them, they both had their flaws and where ready to admit that which made them both realistic. Ashtyn is a female football player so she definitely knows how to stand her ground. But at the same time she’s a girl in every aspect and at times insecure about herself. And she got some issues concerning trusting others, with good reason. So when she meets Derek, the bad boy, she knows better than to trust him. But she can’t help thinking about him.
Derek like Ashtyn doesn’t let himself get close to anyone, afraid to get hurt. But that’s until he meets Ashtyn, brick by brick the wall he had built around himself falls apart. It might seem that he’s tough but that’s just a façade. Derek had this sweet side, he considered his stepbrother as if was his real brother. And he would do anything to help Ashtyn achieve her goals.
Both Ashtyn and Derek grew on me during reading this book, so I hope to see more of them during the other books in this series.
Like with all the other books I’ve read by Elkeles I was hooked after the first couple of chapters and I couldn’t put it down. So that again was prove for me that she’s one of the best YA contemporary authors out there.
The only thing that I missed in this book was the football. It’s a book about football players but still there was so little to find about football in this book. I hope to see more of it in the next books!


Extra
Title: Wild Cards
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: Wild Cards
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Publication date: October 1st
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Pages: 342 (Hardcover)

El

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #25: The One by Kiera Cass


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:
 

15844362
 
The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: I read the previous two books this summer and I liked them (espcially the first book). So I can't wait to find out how this series will end.
 
Pulication date: May 6th 2014
 

El

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #14



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is: Top Ten Unusual Character Names and Top Ten Character Names I Love:
 
Unusual Character Names
  1. Katniss from The Hunger Names: not a name you hear everyday when walking on the street.
  2. Vasilissa from Vampire Academy: maybe it's more common in eastern Europe, but I hadn't heard of it before.
  3. Ciardis from Sworn to Raise: I believe that this name was made up by the author, but please do correct my if I'm wrong.
  4. Celaena from Throne of Glass: not a very common name, but I do love it!
  5. America from The Selection: maybe their are people named America but it's rather unusual in my eyes.

Character Names I love:
  1. Rose form Vampire Academy: I just love this name, if I ever had a girl I would definitely name her Rose.
  2. Sydney from Bloodlines: I know it's a city, but I still love it as a name.
  3. Elena from The Vampire Diaries: maybe I'm a bit biased because my own name resembles it so much. But still a beautiful name.
  4. Augustus form The Fault In Our Stars: if you want to name your child after a month than this is the perfect name.
  5. Gemma from A Great and Terrible Beauty: a simpel but beautiful name.

El

Sunday 20 October 2013

Stacking The Shelves #17



Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Netgalley:

17233800 10838787


So excited to read both of them! Especially Crash into You, Katie is such a great author!

What did you get this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #24: Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

16140838
 
The yearbook votes have been cast. Senior year is about to get interesting.

Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laid-back swagger.

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing away Will drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirt along with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will's new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started out as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I want it: So far I liked every book that I've read by Jennifer Echols. They are always fun to read and it looks like this one is no different.
 
Release date: May 20th 2014
 
Which book did you pick this week? Let me know below or link me up!
 

El


Tuesday 15 October 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #13



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is:  Top Ten Books I Was "Forced" to Read:
 
480173 14935 1420
    I had to read a book for school that was set in the ancient time, and I picked this one. And
    I'm glad I did because I really loved it.
 
    Okay actually I was forced to reread it in my freshman year of college. But that doesn't 
    take away that I love this book!
 
    I had to read it just like S&S my freshman year. And I know that it's not a book, but a play 
    but well I loved it so here it is.
 
7733 1885 2767052
 
 
 
    Apparently I had to read a lot of great books in my freshman year!
 
    I had to (re)read this one in highschool. Still one of my favorite Jane Austen books.
 
    I put it off for a very long time to read this one. But everyone kept telling me how great it
    was so I gave in. And guess what I loved it.
 
345627 4271 60510
    Same story as THG. After reading again and again how great these books were I felt  
    obliged to read this one. Best decision of my life!
 
    I had to read this one once in highschool. I don't remembe much about it anymore but I 
    do remember that I liked it back than.
 
    Just like with VA and THG I kept hearing great things about this author. And now she's
    one of my favorite authors.
 
13035203
 
      And last but definitely not least TFIOS. When I walked past this book in boostores I
      never picked it up because of the cover and the synopsis. I just looked such sad book
      and it was, but it was so much more than that. But after a while it was impossible to
      ignore all the good reviews and ratings so I finally bought it. And I still can't say after all
      those months how much I loved it.
 
What's your Top Ten this week? Let me know below or link me up!
 

El

 


Monday 14 October 2013

Cover Reveal: Only you by Stephanie Feagan + Giveaway





Only You by Stephanie Feagan
Formally known as The Mephisto Mark by Trinity Feagan
 
Synopsis
Orphaned at six and sent to live with abusive relatives in Bucharest, Mariah learned early in life to box up violent, agonizing memories and put them in permanent mental storage. Now almost nineteen, she has a paying job, a tiny apartment, and a plan to attend university. She loves her independence and is steadily overcoming her past, but when an enigmatic stranger walks into the pub where she works and the trajectory of her life changes yet again, she begins to wonder if she’ll run out of mental shelf space.
The only females unafraid of the Mephisto brothers are the extremely rare Anabo, born without Original Sin. Over one hundred years ago, Phoenix was first to find one, but he made a fatal mistake and she was murdered by his oldest brother and enemy, Eryx. Phoenix soldiered through the next century wrapped up in grief and guilt, his only outlet planning takedowns of those who pledged their souls to Eryx. When one of his brothers brings Mariah to Mephisto Mountain, he’s torn between his instinctive, powerful need to pursue her, and his certainty that he can never have her.
Drawn into the world of the Mephisto, Mariah sees the pain and misery Eryx unleashes on humanity, and the boxes in her mind begin to fly open, one by one. All that keeps her from slipping off the edge is her unlikely, sexually charged friendship with Phoenix. He’s incredibly screwed up; she’s completely broken. It would take a miracle for them to find happiness. Then Eryx brings the war for Hell to a whole new level, forcing Mariah and Phoenix to make a choice that will bind them together for all eternity, or rip them apart forever.



Teaser
 

I knew if I moved at all, my body would go to hers of its own volition. I wanted her with crushing desperation. And I could never have her.
 
Available on

AmazonBN
 
Guest post
 
What Kind of Moron Changes Cover, Title and Author 3 Weeks After Release Day?


Me. I’m the moron. But maybe not as idiotic as it seems. When I decided to self-publish the third Mephisto book and make it New Adult with sexy times and more grown-up-y angst, I gave serious consideration to doing this to start with, but couldn’t decide, and so I asked author friends for their advice and they unequivocally said I should keep Trinity Faegen as the author, use the same font for the title, and the same general theme of the cover. Continue the package and branding.

So I did. And it’s beautiful – I love the cover of The Mephisto Mark. But most people have never heard of the Mephisto Covenant series, so they don’t know – or care – that this book is all matchy-matchy with the previous books. So no new readers are jumping on board. And readers of the first two assume this will be like those, but it’s not. Even the writing is different. Book 1 & 2 are in third person, alternating POV and this one is in first person alternating POV. This one has more language and adult themes and is not anything close to a YA. It’s New Adult – except not about somebody in college. Just college age. It’s a romance novel, pure and simple. It’s a sad story, a hopeful tale, a love story with a happy ending – like all romance novels.

The first two Mephistos were romances. Young Adult romance, but romances just the same. This book, the third Mephisto, with a new title and cover, written as Real Me, the romance writer, will hopefully find its place on the right bookshelf, and people who love romance novels will find it and enjoy it. Should I have done this to begin with? Well, yeah, but who knew? That’s the beauty of self-publishing! You can climb down off the horse in the middle of the stream and get on another horse. Or swim to shore and take a bus. Y’all come with me – read Only You and tell me what you think.
 
Giveaway
$100 Amazon or B&N GC

Sunday 13 October 2013

Stacking The Shelves #16



Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Netgalley:

16136176 17824861


For review:

16637812

Sunshine by Nikki Rae (Thank you Nikki!)

Bought:

1656001


What did you get this week? Link me up!

El


Saturday 12 October 2013

Book Blitz: No Angel by Helen Keeble


Synopsis
Rafael Angelos just got handed the greatest gift any teenage boy could ever dream of. Upon arriving at his new boarding school for senior year, he discovered that he is the ONLY male student. But what should have been a godsend isn’t exactly heaven on Earth.

Raffi’s about to learn that St. Mary’s is actually a hub for demons-and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he’s no angel-but it’s pretty hard to deny that there’s some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.

Helen Keeble’s debut novel, Fang Girl, has been praised for its pitch-perfect teen voice, and VOYA called it “refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series.” No Angel brings you angels and demons like you’ve never seen them-complete with the wry humor of Vladimir Tod, sinfully irreverent romance, and some hilariously demonic teenage dilemmas.


- Goodreads

Excerpt
In which our hero arrives at his new school…

The shiny new sign above the towering wrought-iron gates said St. Mary’s Boarding School for Girls and Boys, which, as it turned out, was wrong by one letter.
“Wait,” I said, staring at the Headmistress with a slow-rising sensation of dread. “You mean I’m just the first guy to arrive, right?”
“If you fail to understand the meaning of the word only, Mr. Angelos, I will have to schedule you for remedial English lessons,” replied the short, severe woman. “But to make it crystal clear, you are indeed the first, sole, singular member of the male gender here.” It was obvious that she considered this at least one boy too many. “I trust you will be a worthy representative of your species. Welcome to St. Mary’s.”
Declarations of outright war had been uttered in friendlier tones. I grabbed my dad’s arm as he came back from the car, carrying the last of my suitcases. “I’ve changed my mind,” I said, turning us away from the waiting Headmistress. “Don’t leave me here!”
“You were the one who begged to come to your mother’s old school when you found they were accepting boys this year. ‘A way of honoring her memory’, you said.” He dropped my bags in front of the school gates and raised an eyebrow. “Not to mention ‘a heaven of honeys in very short skirts’, as I recall you saying to your friends.”
I flushed. I hadn’t realized he’d overheard that conversation. “But I thought there would be at least a few other guys around. Who am I supposed to talk to?”
“Girls?” Dad suggested mildly.
“Ha ha. Seriously, Dad!”
“You want serious?” Dad folded his arms, looking up at me. “It’s cost me a serious amount of money to enroll you here, so I expect you to actually make an effort for once, Raffi. St. Mary’s has always been one of the most exclusive schools in England, and we’re incredibly fortunate that they’re opening up to boys at last. And even more fortunate that they’re allowing you in for just the final year.” His finger jabbed me in the center of my chest. “You will work hard.”
Behind him, the Headmistress’s expression suggested that she personally thought boys were best put to work down dangerous mine shafts.
I scowled down at my feet, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my new suit. “If it’s so fabulous here, then why didn’t any other guys apply?” I muttered under my breath.
“Our entrance requirements are extremely strict,” the Headmistress said as if I’d spoken normally. “There was no shortage of male applicants, I assure you. Were it not for your late mother, I would have rejected you along with all the rest. But she was a personal friend of mine, as well as an outstanding member of this institution.” She fixed me with a piercing stare. “I trust you will live up to her legacy.”
“You hear that?” My dad poked me again. “This is your last chance, Raffi. You’re lucky to get into any school, after what happened at your last one. You should be grateful for this opportunity.” In my head, I started reciting the inevitable speech along with him. I’d heard it enough times to have it memorized. “You can’t keep wandering around in a dream, absent-mindedly strewing chaos in your wake.“ 
Honestly, incinerate one lousy building by accident once, and your dad will never, ever let you forget it. “That fire wasn’t my fault!“
“Perfectly ordinary toasters do not spontaneously spout four-foot pillars of flame!”
The Headmistress took a phone out of her pocket and murmured into it, “Memo to self: Mr. Angelos is banned from Home Economics.”
My dad was still on a roll. “Your problem, Raffi, is that you’re too unworldly for your own good. You have got to quit goofing off and start paying attention to what’s going on around you-“
His voice droned on, but I didn’t hear another word. I was too busy falling in love.
She was tall, only a few inches shorter than myself, but so light and slender she seemed to float on the breeze. Her feet barely made any sound on the gravel as she slipped round the gate and headed for us, her waist-length blonde hair rippling behind her like a cloak. Even though all the girls must have been warned boys were joining them this year, she still did a very gratifying double-take at the sight of me, her summer-sky eyes widening. For my part, it was all I could do not to gawp at her like a total idiot. The instant I saw her, I knew her. She was The One.
For a moment we stared at each other. Then the girl shook herself, her hair shimmering with the movement. A delicate rose tinted her high cheekbones, but — my stomach dropped into my socks — she didn’t look pleased. A small frown marred her perfect face as she turned decisively away from me. “M- I mean, Headmistress?” Even her voice was perfect, so soft and sweet I half-expected her to break into a duet about kittens and rainbows with a passing bluebird. “Everyone’s ready and waiting.”
“Thank you, Faith,” the Headmistress replied. She lifted a hand, cutting off my dad’s lecture. “Major Angelos, while I am certain your son’s head has not yet been filled with your sound advice, time grows short. I must ask you to make your final farewells.”
“Of course.” Dad put his hands on my shoulders, looking me squarely in the eye. “Now promise me you’ll apply yourself, Raffi.”
“Oh,” I said, staring past him at Faith. “You bet I will.”
“That’s my boy.” To my utter mortification, Dad ruffled my hair, then pulled me in for a hug. “You’ll do fine.”
“Mr. Angelos, you may leave your bags here for now,” the Headmistress said as I disentangled myself as fast as possible. “Faith will escort you to the hall. A last word with you please, Major Angelos?”
“This way,” Faith said, holding the gate open for me. She avoided my eyes, her own gaze lingering on my dad and the Headmistress as they headed back toward his car. “Your dad seems nice.” There was an odd, wistful note to her musical voice. “You’re lucky.”
“I certainly am.” Falling into step with her, I tried out the charming, enigmatic smile that I’d spent the summer practicing in front of the mirror. “Though not because of my dad.”
“Yes, of course we’re all lucky to get to go to a school like this,” Faith said, a little too quickly. She indicated the carefully tended flowerbeds lining the path, and the landscaped woods beyond. I had to admit, it was all very pretty. Also, unspeakably girly. I could already feel my testosterone draining away. “It’s so beautiful here, don’t you think?”
I edged a little closer, trying to keep up my smile while also throwing in a hint of smolder. My face was starting to ache. “Yes, I do.”
“Some of the buildings we use for classrooms are hundreds of years old,” Faith said, in the bright, brittle tones of someone determinedly paddling against a conversational undertow. She lengthened her stride, like a tour guide on a tight schedule. “Look, there’s the main school building. It has many unique architectural features.” I had a horrible feeling that Faith was about to start listing them all. Given that the monstrosity rising in front of us sported everything from Gothic gargoyles to a sort of bonsai skyscraper, she could probably keep going for hours. “It started as a chapel, though of course it’s been extended a lot since then. St. Mary’s used to be a convent, you know.”
I was beginning to feel like it still was one. Faith wasn’t looking at me at all. Time to deploy the big guns. “I know a lot of things, Faith Jones. Especially about you.”
That got her attention. She stopped dead, swiveling to face me. “What do you mean?”
Going for broke, I reached for her hand, gazing deep into her astonished blue eyes as I lifted it to my lips. “I mean that you’re the reason I’m here.”
This was absolutely true. School brochure, page three, full-page picture: “After a hard day’s work, nothing beats a swim in our beautiful outdoor pool!” — Faith Jones. The photographer had captured her rising from the water with her head thrown back and water streaming from her hair, looking like some sort of classic sea-goddess. In a red bikini.
The instant I’d seen that picture, I’d known this was the school for me. And now all my research in the romance section of the library was about to pay off big time. All the wariness had vanished from Faith’s face, chased away by incredulous, breathless hope. Her fingers tightened on mine as my lips brushed the back of her hand-
“Ah, Mr. Angelos,” the Headmistress said from right behind me. “I see you’ve introduced yourself to my daughter.”
… Daughter?

Interview

1. Your first book, Fang Girl, was a paranormal comedy about a vampire fan girl who becomes a real vampire. Is No Angel a sequel?
No, they’re completely unrelated – no characters from Fang Girl show up in No Angel. There isn’t any mention of vampires in No Angel, and Fang Girl didn’t have any angels or demons in it, so the jury is out as to whether they’re even set in the same world. (Even I haven’t quite made up my mind on that one)

However, for those who enjoyed Fang Girl, I can promise that No Angel has the same sense of humor, including affectionate mockery of ridiculous paranormal romance tropes! Basically, what I do to vampires in Fang Girl, I do to angels in No Angel.

2. What was the hardest part of writing No Angel?
Working to a deadline! Because I had a two-book contract with HarperTeen (the first being Fang Girl), I actually had a deadline for No Angel before I’d written a single word, or even worked out what the story was going to be about! A very different experience from slowly writing Fang Girl in spare hours over the course of several years, with no-one but myself caring whether or not it was ever finished…

3. How did you become a writer?
The short answer is that I wrote a lot of stuff, and eventually got good enough (and lucky enough) to find someone that would pay me for it.

The longer answer is that I’ve always written for my own amusement, but never let anyone read it until I went to university and started writing fanfic based on a role-playing game called Legend of the Five Rings. It was a rather unusual fanfic community, because people generally used the game’s setting but invented their own original characters rather than writing stories about pre-existing characters (like Harry Potter or Twilight fanfic tends to do). It gave me a lot of practice in inventing imaginary people! I then slowly drifted into writing completely original stories, and was eventually lucky enough to be able to sell some to magazines. After a few successes with short stories, and in a fit of pique at the prevalence of both Twighlight-inspired novels in bookstores and Twilight-bashing articles in newspapers, I decided to try writing a novel… and that was Fang Girl!

So now, somewhat to my bemusement, I seem to have become a YA comedy author. I still blink at my own books sitting on my bookcase, amazed that they are really real.

4. Are you a full-time writer?
I wish! No, like most writers I have a day job – I’m an industrial software engineer. It is a very awesome career (where else do you get to play with oil rigs and nuclear power plants) but does mean I have to squeeze my writings into the evenings. I have a bad habit of forgetting to go to bed, so I’ll often be typing away at my laptop well into the small hours of the morning.
 
5. Fun fact about writing No Angel?
In order to keep track of where all my characters were at different times in the school day, I made timetables for them in Google Calendar… and then forgot to delete the calendars after I'd finished the book. I was greatly puzzled when Google started bombarding me with reminders to get to my history class.

6. Are you a pantser (just sit down and write) or a plotter (outline everything first)?
I used to be a total pantser (the first draft of Fang Girl was written in a month, for NaNoWriMo), but these days I’m more of a plotter. It’s something of a necessity when working to a deadline, with an editor who wants to make sure you’ve actually got a plan, and are not just going to kill all the characters in the last chapter out of despair.

7. What do you do when you’re not writing?
Apart from the day job, sleeping, and taking care of my family? I read everything I can get my hands on, especially fantasy and science fiction books. I’m also very into board games of all descriptions, from light family fun like Survive! and Kingdon Builder through to heavy strategic games like Tzol’kin or Puerto Rico. In any spare moments, I like to dabble in crafts – I recently learned to knit dolls and dolls’ clothes, and am now experimenting with making jewelry out of resin and plastic. If only there were more hours in the day!

8. What books make you laugh out loud?
I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. They’re an amazing blend of so many different types of comedy: parody, political satire, character-driven, situational, wordplay, puns… even slapstick! He’s a master of messing with reader expectation to comic effect. I think my very favorite example of this in the entire series is the character in Thief of Time who’s dialogue is all “----ing” this and “----ing” that… but late in the book we find out (spoiler alert, look away now!) that all he’s doing is pausing and saying “ing”. Genius!

Other writers I can consistently rely on to make me giggle are Sarah Rees Brennan (though she’ll make you laugh in one paragraph and stomp on your heart in the next) and Louis McMaster Bujold (who also manages to mix high emotional stakes with very witty characters). I’m also very fond of the classic P. G. Wodehouse stories, although some of them have, erm, really not aged very well (why hello there, casual racism).

 9. Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on now?
I'm currently writing a YA dystopian comedy. No, really.  If anything is ripe for a parody, it’s the whole “THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS X AND Y IS BANNED!!” genre! The working title is Escaping Utopia, and it's set in an idyllic far-future society where there is no war or crime as everyone’s needs are perfectly fulfilled by government-issued androids called Soulmates. Unfortunately for one 16 year old boy, his brand-new Soulmate tries to kill him on sight. Hijinks ensue!

The story also features a grumpy girl revolutionary hacker, a ridiculous number of huge planet-shaking conspiracies, and a bubblegum-pink battle robot named Candi who just wants to be loved. Let’s just say I’m having a lot of fun with this one!
 
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Author bio
Helen Keeble is not, and never has been, a vampire. She has however been a teenager. She grew up partly in America and partly in England, which has left her with an unidentifiable accent and a fondness for peanut butter crackers washed down with a nice cup of tea. She now lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a variable number of fish. To the best of her knowledge, none of the fish are undead.

Her first novel, a YA vampire comedy called FANG GIRL, is out 11th Sept 2012, from HarperTeen. She also has another YA paranormal comedy novel (provisionally titled NO ANGEL) scheduled for Sept 2013.


Extra
Title: No Angel 
Author: Helen Keeble
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication date: October 8th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Links:

El