Emi posted her Teaser Tuesday last week – and this week from her current WIP (Bri and Daisy did too). I thought this was just nifty city! So until the end of November I will be doing the same, and anyone else participating in NanoWriMo (or writing in general!) should share too! I love seeing what people are writing!

I picked out Emi’s this week and last, so this week she picked out mine:

Working Title: The Unwilling

Teaser:
Layla spun her head around and locked eyes with Issy, standing up to level their gaze. At first Layla couldn’t believe what she said, she was convinced that she must have misheard her but the entire courtyard was looking at her, waiting for her to react, to say something, to do something, and so she did.

Main Characters: Anne, Ethan, Anastasia, Tess

Summary:

Sixteen year old Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she smacks into handsome, mysterious, and okay, annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history altering mission she may not want, and a growing attraction to this blue-eyed stranger. And Ethan- who at eighteen made some choices he’s starting to regret – realizes that Anne is the girl for whom he’s been searching – for a very, very long time. Stir in doomed Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia – who is definitely not quite as dead as the history books say – and Baba Yaga, the legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got DREAMING ANASTASIA, a contemporary YA fantasy that alternates between the voices of Anne, Ethan, and Anastasia as Anne and Ethan join forces to battle the bad guys and save Anastasia. Only problem is – no one’s quite sure who’s really bad and who’s good. And everyone has some secrets.

Anna’s Thoughts:

I have putting off this review for so long, I couldn’t even list all of the reasons why. The main reason however, is that I simply cannot figure out how I feel about it. I like it, but then I don’t (not in general, for very specific reasons I will touch on). Let me start out though by telling you what I liked about Dreaming Anastasia, which equals out to a whole lot! First, the world! I loved the setting of Dreaming Anastasia, be it in the ‘real world’ or in Baba Yaga’s hut in the forest! I always knew where I was and I could always SEE where I was. I also loved the characters, Anne was a brave heroine, and Tess was everything a good best friend should be, Ethan was also very protective of both his secret, Anne and Anastasia which left me kind of putting him on the ‘Anna does not like you’ list.

I love love love love love hearing about folklore, be it Russian, Greek, Irish, American, it doesn’t matter I enjoy it beyond the ends of the earths. So I also LOVED learning more about the Slavic folklore behind Baba Yaga. I had heard of her before but I wasn’t aware she actually was a part of any sort of folklore. I loved the descriptions of her, as well as her hut and the forest! I can tell you one thing, I’m an adult and her description almost scared me, I can’t imagine being a child and being told her story.

Now… onto the bad stuff. Basically there are very few things in the history of the world that I am passionate about or feel connected to, I can’t explain it, I just am. The Romanov assassination is one of those things. It was such an absolutely HORRIBLE thing that happened, and not even 100 years ago. I think what gets me the most isn’t that people were killed – that happens every single day – but the fact that CHILDREN were killed (the youngest, only 14), and so brutally for that matter. Anyway, the most appalling thing about Dreaming Anastasia (and this is a minor spoiler) is the reference to Nicholas II having an illegitimate child. Now Nicholas had a lot to answer for for his treatment of his country, and while I’m not scholar on the matter, I have never read even ONCE a belief that he was unfaithful to Alexandra (except from people who like to stir up trouble). Now I am sure no one NOW knows for sure, and of course it could have happened, but every report I have ever read about Nicholas one thing has always been the same: That he absolutely adored and loved his family -wife included- beyond a shadow of a doubt. I understand that this is Fiction too, but there is a really fine line between meddling with the past, and defamation of character. It’s fine when the person is made up but the situation is real, however when it’s the other way around you’re walking on glass, and I think that Joy may have crossed a line for me personally.

But like I said in the beginning, I DID also like the book. I wasn’t completely put off by the history meddling, I was able to read the book without it effecting it very much, but whenever I think back to it that little piece gets under my skin. On the bright side though, it’s the only thing that bothered me about it!

Main Characters: Abbey and Caspian Crane(Vander)

Summary:

When Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead… and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey’s life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he’s the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again… but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen’s betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Jenny’s Thoughts:

To start, I’d like to say anyone who doesn’t like this book, while I may value every individual’s opinion, I can still think you’re crazy all I want. This book is amazing. I have to say I predicted the ending a little bit in advance but nonetheless it was a really good read. I could put it down but after a while it itched at me if I wasn’t reading it.

The connection Caspian and Abbey have is authentic and genuine. Not to mention, come on, he’s got to be hot. Ha ha. The characters are well rounded, from Katy and Nikolas to Kristen, Abbey’s late best friend. Something else I found very unique and shocking about it is Abbey’s hobby (which I won’t tell the name of in case some of you haven’t read it yet). I’ve read a ton of books, and yet I’ve never come across one with that particular avocation.

In my personal opinion it is a little disappointing that Caspian is a ghost but I think it’s incredibly sweet that he decided to show himself to Kristen when he knew she was in so much pain. He knew she needed a friend. Hopefully in the books to come they can find a way to be together. That would be absolutely amazing. But I am happy with the interaction between them even being separated by life and death.

Main Characters: Lucy, Zach, Miranda, Soledad, Padraig

Summary:

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

Anna’s Thoughts

Everyone always says: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It’s a good saying most of the time, but everyone does it anyway. You’re walking through the bookstore and out of the corner of your eye you catch something – whether it’s the photo on the book or the colors, or both, it caught your attention. Which is the exact reason I picked up Impossible – it caught my attention. I was scanning the books at the local Walmart (by the way, who usually has prices lower than the bookstore, and VERY sticky stickers on the covers), and suddenly I had to stop, between the photo, the colors and composition I was hooked. To be honest, I would have probably ended up buying this book even if it hadn’t sounded completely amazing, which, it does.

The main thing that pulled me in about Impossible was the song, “Scarborough Fair” by Simon and Garfunkel, which is what inspired Nancy to write Impossible. And it truly was, every inch of this book is infused with the lyrics, as well as the history of it, and the made-up history that Nancy imagined for it. When I started reading Impossible I didn’t know the song, and to be fair I still don’t completely know it, but I certainly have listened to it beyond numerous times, it’s enchanting. I can see why it inspired Nancy to write Impossible, however I think I would prefer the version that Nancy has in the book, purely for lyrics sake. It sets a good ground for the story, and burrows it’s way into your head – if you forget the book, you won’t forget the song.

The only problem I have with Impossible is how seemingly easy Lucy gets over her rape. I have never experienced such a thing (thank the Heavens), but I also know people who have and it’s not something you brush off in the way that Lucy did. It’s something that takes years to get over, so when it barely effected her at all, it kind of peeved me.

Impossible itself is absolutely enchanting as well, I love the story, and I love how once Lucy let everyone in – no matter how unreasonable her story sounded – they rallied around her. I loved Zach, and I loved Lucy and Zach together, their chemistry was really well woven, and although I would have preferred to see more of their relationship in the past, I think it ended up beautifully. And the story! There are plenty of books who have good ideas, plenty of books that have good writing, exceptional writing, but very few things nowadays – be it a book, a song, a poem, etc – is original or unique, and that is exactly what Impossible is. It’s a fairytale based in OUR world, instead of us being swept away in Faerie. It has a wonderful concept, and excellent execution.

Anyone who has been following Book Nerds for say ohhh.. the last two months? Will know that I absolutely loved the book Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender. So much, that it’s the first book I recommend to people now. “I need a book for a 12 year old, have anything in mind?” Sure, Bad Girls Don’t Die! “My grandma loves reading, any suggestions?” Bad Girls Don’t Die. “My dog is so fidgety…” Read her Bad Girls Don’t Die… seriously. It works. Okay, maybe reading it to a dog won’t make it calm down. But it sure did make me want to sleep with my light on for awhile, and lock away my sister for a few weeks. So naturally, when I started planning for Haunted October I wanted to interview my favourite author who scared the spooky out of me. Which is exactly why I contacted Katie, and to my surprise, she wrote back and said she’d love to do an interview… which is why you now have the following post :) Enjoy!

Bad Girls Don’t Die

What made you originally come up with the idea for BGDD?
The idea originated as a daydream about two sisters who fill their spare time (and their emotional emptiness) with made-up stories about their family, which then start to affect reality as the younger sister treats them as actual truth. It grew from that seed into what it is today.

Why was Kasey the ‘bad’ one? Why do you think it’s usually the younger sister who is evil, possessed, stark-raving mad, etc?
That’s an interesting pair of questions. The answers are very tied together. Partly because I don’t see Kasey as “bad.” She’s just younger and more vulnerable. In a way, it’s more of a narrative device than any sort of decision. If a story is about a character who is encountering change or a threat of some sort, you tend to find that character and build the story around him or her. Alexis is 15, she’s ready to start seeing the world differently (in my opinion; I don’t know if she would consider herself that way!), and to tell her story, she needed to be in a position of some strength. We are naturally protective of our younger siblings, and Kasey was a natural fit for the story.

Strangely enough, having the younger sibling be possessed/mad/what-have-you is upsetting the balance of power between siblings. Alexis is used to being the protector, the defender, even the aggressor when it comes to looking out for Kasey. Suddenly Kasey finds her own power. And Alexis grows through that.

I have a feeling this can all be positioned in terms of the classic archetypes, although obviously none of that was in my head when I was writing it.

Was Sarah’s evil tendency’s based on anyone?
No, not on anyone in particular. There’s that classic idea of the innocent child turned evil, which is deliciously scary.

Did you have a certain artist/song/album/soundtrack you listened to when writing BGDD?
I have “inspiration playlists” for all of my books. I don’t listen to them when I’m actually writing, because it’s too distracting. But I listen to them a lot when I’m not actually sitting at the computer. It helps get my head into the story and (especially) the mood. The playlist for Bad Girls Don’t Die can actually be found in the “Alexis’s Darkroom” section of my website. Probably the “theme song” is “Girl Next Door” by Saving Jane.

How is BGDD2 coming along? Are you excited as you were the first time around?
It’s coming! Like a freight train, actually. I’m very excited about it. It’s a lot of fun to write. There are some character dynamics that I’m really enjoying.

Halloween

What is your favourite Halloween memory?
Oh, golly. I guess the years my dad was in the Jaycees and I got to help out in the haunted house. I was probably nine or ten years old, and I got to dress up all scary and jump out at people. The bad part was that when it was break time, I had to walk through the house and tell everyone it was time to take five. And they just assumed I was a visitor and tried to scare me.

Do you have a favourite Halloween costume from when you were a kid?
Well, I can name a few of them. I was a sad clown, a ballerina, a baby (wearing sweltering polyester footie pajamas in South Florida in the 85-degree heat), a sort of Mariachi lady (improvised)… You know, I can’t say I had a favorite. I’ve never been very suave about costumes, LOL. A couple of years ago, we had a party and I dressed up as a farmer. That’s a pretty cute costume. And being matching Dalmatians with Winston (my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) was a hoot. And last year I was a nun, which meant I got to wear VERY comfy shoes.

What’s your favourite ghost story/urban legend/myth?
I adore the movie “The Others.” It’s elegant (both visually and in terms of the way the story is treated), classic, and extremely spooky without being gory. I can’t handle gore. Also, the story of the monkey’s paw is so scary to me! There was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that used that legend to perfection.

Out of all of the Halloween-ish mythical creatures (vampires, witches, faeries, etc), which is your favourite?
I have to be true to myself and say ghosts. There’s such an interesting dynamic to these forces that are basically just energy, but can be so dangerous. Plus, ghosts aren’t just looking to suck your blood or eat your brains–they all want something different. I find the idea of fairies intriguing, but I haven’t ever delved into that mythology at all.

Do you have any Halloween traditions?
Actually, I kind of do, and it’s even mentioned in Bad Girls Don’t Die. I have a devil-horn headband that I tend to wear to work every year, just like the one Megan wears to school.

Does Winston (Katie’s pup) get dressed up for Halloween? If so, what’s he gonna be this year?
Winston usually has the misfortune of having to dress up. I don’t know what he’s going to be this year. I usually end up making our costumes on Halloween morning!

Do you have a favourite Horror/Thriller/Suspense Author?
Well, you can’t beat Stephen King. Even if some of his books are too scary for me.

Out of all of the cultural celebrations for Halloween throughout the world, what do you think is the most interesting one?
I don’t know that much about very many of them, but I do like the Day of the Dead stuff that you find in Mexico (and possibly other Latin cultures?). There’s something about celebrating death, even in a macabre way, that stands out in contrast to how much we avoid thinking about it for the rest of the year. Death has been sealed off in hospitals and behind closed doors and closed caskets. People used to live with death, right in their faces–the family would keep their dearly departed on display in the parlor for days! I’m not a “dark” person at all and I’m not fascinated with death or anything. But I am a little fascinated by the idea that we can honor and possibly even delight our departed loved ones by celebrating them even after they’ve passed on. And then, of course, there’s All Saints Day on November 1, to bring things back to the light side, so to speak.

We were talking a few weeks ago about you interviewing yourself, so in honor of that, what is one question that you wish someone would ask you and what is your answer?
Straight-up birthday cake wish? I wish that people who really love my book (or any book) would think to ask, “Is there anything I can do to help ensure this author keeps writing books?” And my answer would be, yes! Spread the word a little. Mention the book to your school librarian, or to your local bookseller, or put a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Especially if your copy is a review copy, or a copy you borrowed from a friend, or got from an ARC tour. I am thrilled to bits when people read and enjoy my book, but at the end of the day, my publisher (and all publishers) make their decision based on sales. I would love to keep writing books for the rest of my life, and if, as a reader, you would like to support that, taking two minutes to pass the word along is an amazing way to do it. Mind you, I don’t mean you have to do this for every book, or even for my book, if it left you cold. But if you find a writer or book you feel passionate about, channel that passion.

Also, with the advent of e-books upon us, please think long and hard before you read pirated material.

Thanks so much for the great interview! And much thanks to Katie as well for answering my questions!

You can find out more about Katie and her book Bad Girls Don’t Die at KatieAlender.com.

You can also find my review of Bad Girls Don’t Die here!

Main Characters: Elspeth, Julia, Valentina, Robert, Martin

Summary:

When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers–with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building’s other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin’s devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt’s neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including–perhaps–their aunt, who can’t seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Anna’s Thoughts

You see that summary up there? Yup, that one. Unless you’re really into stories, to the point where you want to know what a character ate for breakfast, there is really no reason to read Her Fearful Symmetry because that summary about says it all. And it’s disappointing. In all honesty, I expected a ghost story, not in the ‘there’s a ghost hanging around’ type story, a ghost story – the semi-spooky kind. Knowing the authors past work, I was a little apprehensive about it, but I figure she could have branched out and I was so hyped for Her Fearful Symmetry, I was also so disappointed.

My biggest issue with Her Fearful Symmetry is that to me it was being promoted as a ghost story, a spooky/scary/what-have-you ghost story, as the synopsis lead me to believe that there is a ghost but only MAYBE is it their aunt – not that it absolutely without a doubt is – which you learn in the first couple chapters that it is. Personally that right there takes out a lot of the interest to me, Her Fearful Symmetry is less of a ghost story and more of a coming of age story with a supernatural twist. The biggest draw to finish the book was the secret between Elspeth and Edie, and once that is learned, I was close to the end I figured I might as well finish it. The twist in the book (because isn’t there always one?) was predictable, I was able to guess that it was going to happen about half way through the book, it was a gut feeling.

Having said that though, it wasn’t a complete waste of time, I did enjoy the imagery and the dynamic between the characters. Whether Audrey’s version of London really exists is beyond me as I’ve never been out of the U.S. however it’s certainly clear in my mind. I can see the building where the twins lived, their flat as well as the cemetery and the little alley between the two. I can clearly see both of the twins, Robert, Martin, and Elspeth. Although, through it all the only characters I could actually bring myself to care about were Julia and Valentina, and I think that’s merely because I have a sister who I’m extremely close with. I felt bad for Robert in the end, and eventually Elspeth, but that was more because of the hole/rut the had dug themselves into, not because they deserved it.

Overall it was a slightly entertaining story, although it did take me a while to read. There wasn’t really any arc to me where I had to sit back and think and go ‘Wow’, and I certainly didn’t expect the secret between Edie and Elspeth to be what it was. Even so, it majorly confused me since you figure it out about 3/4th of the way through the book and everything has already happened, it takes time (or it did for me) to sort things out. I liked the characters, and the story itself, although for the most part it felt flat. There are certain authors whose books I won’t read, such as Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks, because they have the habit of writing the same story over and over again and people end up losing more than they ever gain, and I’m afraid Audrey Niffenegger might have just been added to that list. Personally, I don’t want to read a book that is completely depressing, and as I told Daisy, if I wanted to read/hear about a sad story, I’d turn on the news.

By the way, for any who don’t know, this is completely not in anyway a YA book, I wouldn’t recommend anyone handing it to their children, unless they’re considered adults.