'Hunting Lila' by Sarah Alderson

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them…

If you really want to know, it all started with murder. . .

Years ago, Lila’s mother was stabbed to death; her killer never found. Her mother’s death wrenched the family – with Lila and her father moving to London, while Lila’s older brother, Jack, remained in the States to live with his best friend’s family.

From that moment on, nothing was ever the same again. Lila’s life became filled with everything that wasn’t said, and by the people who were no longer around. Her mother dead. Her father working abroad and never home. And Jack, a million miles away. . .

But the worst part was losing Alex. Alex, Jack’s best friend and the boy who has held Lila’s heart since she was ten years old. Losing her father and Jack to grief and separation was one thing, but losing Alex too? That’s just unbearable.

And then the change started. When Lila was cut adrift from her family, she started to notice things about herself . . . the movement of a pencil, scissors embedded in the wall and a jam roly-poly becoming a flying missile. Lila could move things with her mind.

The more Lila’s powers grow the more she fears losing control. When a mugging incident in South London leaves her shaken and guilt-ridden, Lila hops onto a plane to sunny California – wanting her big brother’s comfort and Alex’s soothing presence.

But her brother and beloved are tangled up in their own lives and careers, and have little time for Lila’s runaway routine. Alex and Jack are black ops marines working for the mysterious ‘Unit’, and they hardly have time to be babysitting little sis. But when Lila discovers that their mother’s murder is a part of Jack’s secret mission, there will be no getting rid of her.

‘Hunting Lila’ is the debut novel and first in a new supernatural-thriller series from Sarah Alderson.

I have to admit that when I saw the cover of ‘Hunting Lila’ I was underwhelmed and slightly confused. It didn’t scream ‘YA’ to me, and I initially had it pegged as an adult romance, because of the retro Donna Reed dress and red pumps? But the name was quite jarring and didn’t fit this ‘romance’ assumption; ‘Hunting Lila’ isn’t exactly an easy-breezy, lovey-dovey title. I was confused, and stacked it to the bottom of my TBR pile. . . But then the tectonic plates of the blogosphere started shifting and causing an almighty rumble. Whispers spread, five-star-ratings cropped up and recommendations were made. I begrudgingly took heed of these urgings and retrieved ‘Hunting Lila’ from the pile and started reading . . . and then you couldn’t have pried the book out of my hands with crow-bar and baby oil.

‘Hunting Lila’ is superb; it’s adrenaline-fuelled and packing paranormal punch with a brilliant family drama and romantic saga at its centre. The book is ‘X-Men’ meets ‘Heroes’ and ludicrously unputdownable.

Lila is a young woman with a secret – she can move things with her mind. When a dangerous near-miss leaves her shaken and distrusting of herself, she hot-foots it to California and the big brother who has always been reliable in a crisis. Jack is a Lieutenant in the marines, definitely the guy you turn to when in need. And of course there’s also Alex – Lila’s first and last love since she was ten years old – he’s also a lieutenant working alongside Jack in the marine black ops unit. But Lila is greeted with begrudging open arms; Jack and Alex are working a mission and they fear that Lila’s familial ties could put her in danger and a hostage situation.

Lila, feeling rejected and dejected, has no intensions of being babysat and resolves to leave for London . . . until she finds out the details of Jack and Alex’s mission;

“Have you told the police? Shouldn’t you be telling someone? The FBI, maybe? So they can do something?” I wasn’t leaning on the boulder anymore, I was standing looking up at him, shouting. “If you know who killed her and you know why – why aren’t you involving them? Why aren’t you leaving it to the professionals?”

Alex was looking at me and his half-smile returned again. I didn’t get it.

“Lila, what do you think we are?”

I was confused.

“Jack and I are professionals. We’re more highly trained than the police and the feds. We have better equipment and more intelligence than any other government body. We’re using all that to help us find your mum’s killers.”

Alderson’s book is beautifully balanced. Between the action-packed thrills of Lila’s ‘psy’ abilities and the ‘whodunit’ surrounding her mother’s murder, there’s also an emotional family drama and romantic entanglement playing out below the surface. ‘Hunting Lila’ is a prism of plot – it’s multi-layered and churning to keep readers biting their nails and utterly invested from the word ‘go’.

Lila is a wonderful protagonist, and part of the reason I loved her so much was her grace under fire. Throughout ‘Hunting’, Lila has a plethora of emotions raging through her mind. She feels alone in the world, between her freakish new abilities, brother’s abandonment and father’s withdrawal, not to mention her unrequited love; Lila has a lot going on in her life. She pushes her emotions down and buries them deep – scared to rock the boat, she seems reluctant to confront Jack about his cold relationship with their father and is horrified by the thought of revealing her true feelings to Alex, for fear of being laughed away. Lila is an interesting and complex character – she definitely has her issues, particularly where her father and Jack are concerned, and her fear of upsetting the status-quo and being abandoned again. But when push came to shove and Lila’s Psychokinesis abilities have her running scared, she steps up and becomes a formidable character. She revealed a wealth of bravery to be bubbling below the surface and I loved that duality of emotional fragility and awaiting strength.

The other big draw-card of ‘Hunting Lila’ is the romance. Alex is a young, hulking black ops marine who stole Lila’s heart when she was ten years old and he helped rescue her from a tobogganing accident. He’s sweet and macho, compassionate and deadly. There’s a lot to love in Alex, and he’s definitely swoon-worthy. The ‘childhood crush’ romance is tried and true in YA, as is the ‘crushing on brother’s best friend’ angle. But Alderson heats things up and boils the blood by tightly weaving the romance with action.

‘Hunting Lila’ deserves the whispers and rumblings – it is a phenomenal debut novel and a superb supernatural story. Sarah Alderson is a welcome new superstar in the paranormal YA genre; and she’s now an automatic-buy author for me. ‘Hunting Lila’ ends on a BANG! By book’s end Alderson leaves readers looking over the edge of a giant cliff-hanger, and I find myself more than willing to leap off the edge into the sequel!

5/5

Re-Read Reminisce 'Aspect of Crow Trilogy' {Part 2} + GIVEAWAY!

Re-Read Reminisce is a new joint-feature between book-blogger friends: ALPHA reader and Larissa’s Bookish Life.

The Re-Read Reminisce is all about recalling an old series or book that has pride of place on our keeper shelf, but that we haven’t thought about in a while. In Re-Reading the books we’ll be remembering why we fell in love with them in the first place, what they’ve come to mean to us and why we think any of you who are unfamiliar with the titles should give them a read.

Our first Re-Read Reminisce will be: Jeri Smith Ready's 'Aspect of Crow' trilogy!

What characters in the series most stood out for you the first time you read it? And what about this time around?

Danielle: Oh, Rhia and Marek stole the spotlight for me, absolutely. They had such a unique love story that just drew me in, completely. That’s why in the second book I really felt the pain of their separation - and in the third book I had my heart in my throat the whole time, hoping they’d both make it out alive.

But in this second reading, it was all about Sura and Dravek! Hot damn! In my first reading of the series I was still grappling with Rhia and Marek’s diminished roles - I don’t think I paid enough attention to Smith-Ready’s new additions to the series. In this re-read I was totally suckered into Sura and Dravek’s forbidden romance - it was so steamy and conflicted, and even knowing how it all ended I still read with my heart-rate pumping!

Larissa: That is so funny, because on my first read I was also thoroughly involved with Marek and Rhia’s plea and when the third book came along and they became sort of background, I had a hard time dealing with it for a little while. But when I realized that the main characters were simply the kids we had been seeing around and survivors from the previous books, I freaked out! I thought that was so freaking brilliant LOL. The first time I read the series I was totally drawn to Nilik for some reason, I even named my iPod after him =P, I also loved reading about Alanka and Philip. However, this time around I was completely obsessed with Davrek and Sura. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them back then, but this time, book 3 was all about them =D

Did the ending still impact you, even though this was a re-read and you knew all the pitfalls and outcomes?

Danielle: Yes, yes, and YES - and in many ways, more so! I remember when I read final book ‘The Reawakened’ the first time round I was somewhat disappointed that Rhia and Marek’s children (especially Nilik) didn’t get more page-time. I thought this book would be all about them - the next generation of our main protagonist. But in this re-reading I was so much more invested in Sura and Dravek’s romance that I found myself on a whole new roller-coaster ride with them. Even knowing how it all ends (I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!) I still had my heart in my throat and my butt on the edge of my seat. It’s a testament to Smith-Ready’s talent that even a re-read can keep me rapt.

Larissa: Absolutely! I was also so involved with Davrek and Sura that their story was just as riveting this time around. I even found myself crying, AGAIN! How incredible is that! Honestly, I am not the kind of person that re-reads everything I love, it has to be something that impacts me thoroughly to get me to do that and this series is definitely up there and Jeri has the power to make me feel so much, even when I know the end.

You’d recommend the ‘Aspect of Crow’ series to people who also enjoyed …?

Danielle: Suzanne Collins’s ‘Hunger Games’. In this second reading it really leaped out at me how ‘Aspect of Crow’ is like a grown-up, more fantastical ‘Hunger Games’, in many ways. The Descendants are like the Capitol residents - and the ways that the different societies are separated is somewhat similar to the Districts. There’s a big concentration on politics in both series (especially regarding war and the uprising of lower classes against rich oppressors). Definitely, if you liked ‘The Hunger Games’ but wanted a bit more sexiness, then ‘Aspect of Crow’ is a must-read!

Larissa: Totally agree Danielle! I had never thought it like that. Yeah, The Aspect of Crow Trilogy is definitely a more adult and sexier Hunger Games with a Fantastical touch.

I would also recommend it to anyone that has always wanted to try Fantasy out but doesn’t know where to start! =D You won’t regret it!

These books obviously have pride of place on your ‘keeper shelf’ and are special for being worth a revisit. If you could - what would you say to Jeri Smith-Ready about her epic ‘Aspect of Crow’ series?

Danielle: THANK YOU! Seriously, honestly and from the bottom of my heart - thank you! I don’t know if I would have kept reading the paranormal/fantasy genre if not for this series. When I first read these books I was sort of on-the-fence about the genre in general, and I needed something epic and brilliant to sink my teeth into and get me hooked - and that’s what your ‘Aspect of Crow’ did for me. It was my gateway-book, so to speak. One hit and I was hooked, for good and for life. So, thank you - if not for Rhia and her adventures I may never have delved so deep into the fantastical - and I would have missed out on so much! Me (and my imagination) thank you!

Larissa: I’ll copy Danielle and say: THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH! I am not an avid Fantasy reader but I do enjoy the genre and your trilogy was such a perfect mix of incredible world building and unforgettable characters that it’s impossible to not fall in love with it.

Check Out Part ONE of this post at:

http://www.larissaslife.com/

Larissa and I each have x1 copy of Smith-Ready’s (Wonderful! Amazing! See above!) first book in the ‘Aspect of Crow’ series to give away. To be in the running for this book, all you have to do is;

How to enter:

♥ Become a follower of my blog (NOT mandatory, but appreciated)

♥ Leave a comment on this post

♥ Include a way to contact you (e-mail addy is fine)

♥ You can enter the Giveaway on BOTH Blogs (but you can only win either on Larissa's Bookish Life or here)

♥ This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! (anywhere Book Depot ships)

♥ Contest closes September 30th

The two lucky winners will be announced on ALPHA reader and Larissa's Bookish Life on October 2nd.

'Forgotten' by Cat Patrick

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

I remember forwards. I remember forwards, and forget backwards. My memories, bad, boring, or good, haven't happened yet. So I will remember standing in the fresh-cut grass with the black-clad figures surrounded by stone until I do it for real. I will remember the funeral until it happens - until someone dies. And after that, it will be forgotten. Here's the thing about me: I can see my future, but my past is blank. I see the future in flashes, like memories. I remember what I'll wear tomorrow, and a car crash that won't happen till this afternoon. But yesterday has evaporated from my mind - just like the boy I love. I can't see him in my future. I can't remember him from my past. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much.

London Lane can’t remember yesterday, but she knows what will happen tomorrow.

She can’t remember the beautiful new boy at school, but she knows she has fallen for him.

Her best friend is angry at her, but London doesn’t know why.

London’s mother is keeping secrets, but she has to rediscover them every day.

Because London forgets everything – but remembers what’s to come. Ever since she was six years old, London’s mind has reset itself at 4:33AM every day. She writes everything down, living her life note-by-note to remember.

But when a vision of a funeral intrudes on London’s mind she has to work hard to figure out who of the people she loves now, won’t be alive in her future.

‘Forgotten’ is the debut young adult novel from Cat Patrick.

Every once in a while a book comes along . . . you can be five pages or fifty into reading it, but you already know you have to pass it on. You must implore friends and family to read it – you get a visceral urge to press it into a beloved’s hands and just say, “Read it. Trust me.”

Cat Patrick’s ‘Forgotten’ is just such a book.

London Lane is somewhat psychic. Where there are holes in her past, she has sight stretching into the future – she sees herself well-travelled, pregnant, in love, out of love and living a full life. But the here and now is a different story. Her mind resets and her yesterday’s are wiped clean. So she writes notes to herself – detailing what she wore, who she talked to, if she has a Spanish quiz and what new romantic disaster her friend, Jamie, has gotten into. London Lane is a veritable Leonard Shelby – scribbling her life onto notes to fill herself in on what she will inevitably forget.

London’s memory loss is a burden, her visions an oddity. But ‘Forgotten’ is firmly grounded in reality – strange as London’s foretelling may be, Patrick does not make much of it beyond being an interesting character quirk. Initially this is a little jarring, as a reader you are inclined to curiosity about London’s Cassandra-esque visions, you want her to investigate and find answers. But when London’s vision shows her a funeral to come, there are far more pressing plot matters than the origins of her blessing/curse. And since ‘Forgotten’ is grounded in reality (with only a small flight of visionary fancy) London tackles her foretelling realistically – in the real world you’d accept the perceived craziness of your predicament and work around it, as London does. You wouldn’t make a big show and dance about being able to see the future – you’d want to b as normal as possible.

In the end I was glad Patrick didn’t turn ‘Forgotten’ into a full-blown paranormal story. Instead, the novel is an interesting exploration of grief, remembrance, guilt and fated love. The story is richer for having a character with a slight supernatural skill who tries hard not to be wholly defined by it.

At its heart, ‘Forgotten’ is a love story. The girl who can’t remember finds a boy who she falls in love with again and again every day, as though it’s the first time. Luke Henry is the charming new boy at London’s school who takes an instant shine to her loner/loyal personality. But London doesn’t see Luke in her future – so she lies to herself and breaks her own heart, trying to wipe away yesterday’s feelings for him. But, the heart wants what the heart wants – and their love grows despite London’s determined forgetting.

I wonder whether my heart keeps time even when my head doesn’t. Maybe that’s why I feel so much for Luke right now, even though I technically just me him this morning in study hall.

Luke and London’s romance is superb – it’s ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ meets ‘50 First Dates’ – and will go down as one of the greatest YA love stories of 2011. Forget vampires and fallen angels – Cat Patrick has given us epic love with a girl who forgets and the boy determined to make her remember. Sublime.

Tears upon tears splat on to the lined pages in my hands as I read about a nightmare come true. Quickly, I wipe away the saltwater so it won’t fade the ink. Because even as my chest caves in and makes me hate the chipper birds and everything else, I know that I needed to read this today, and I need to read it again tomorrow.

For me, reading is remembering.

Throughout the book I had to keep pinching myself that this is Cat Patrick’s debut novel. I needed to keep reminding myself, because ‘Forgotten’ is not the book of a novice or one-hit-wonder. It’s richly intricate and heartbreaking – London’s psyche duality aside, Patrick has managed to layer a love story and mystery atop an already complex character-explorative plot. She has so many story tendrils unfurling throughout the book, but it never felt like too much or too hectic. Everything fit beautifully – the various stories fitting like puzzles pieces and clicking with lovely finality by book’s end. And, mark my words, ‘Forgotten’ introduces Cat Patrick as an author to watch – if she’s this good in her debut I can’t wait to read what she has waiting up her sleeve.

Beautiful and beguiling, ‘Forgotten’ is a book aplenty – offering an epic love story, cunning mystery and fascinating character exposé about a girl who forgets yesterday but remembers the upcoming. ‘Forgotten’ had me devoted after one chapter. By book’s end I was ready to stand on a street corner and spruik the sucker. But more than anything I felt the need to come online and virtually implore anyone who might be perusing my blog to; “Just read it. Trust me.”

5/5

'The Many Sins of Lord Cameron' Highland Pleasures #3 by Jennifer Ashley

From the BLURB:

A renowned rake, Cameron Mackenzie doesn't care if Ainsley Douglas has a virtuous excuse for sneaking around his bedchamber. He only cares that she's at his mercy. One kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. But what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules.

Ainsley Douglas has the most bothersome task of circumventing a blackmail attempt against the Queen of England. An unhappily married ton darling has got it into her pretty, conniving little head to exploit Queen Victoria’s private infatuation with her servant, John Brown. Ainsley, being a graduate of the Pringle Select Academy for Young Ladies and a family favourite of the Queen, has been given the mission to retrieve the incriminating love letters from the bothersome blackmailer.

Ainsley’s only opportunity to confront the lady is at a house party being thrown by politico, Hart Mackenzie, at his family estate. And Ainsley’s one weakness is in attendance – Cameron Mackenzie. Six years ago Ainsley and Cameron had a seductive near-miss where Ainsley nearly found herself committing adultery to be with the smoulderingly handsome middle Mackenzie brother. Six years on and Ainsley is a widower – Cameron is a cavorting Lothario who enjoys losing himself in training horses and swilling whiskey.

When these two join forces to curb the blackmailer sparks are reignited. Cameron is himself a widower, survivor of a horrendous marriage that ended in his wife’s suicide and him being accused of her murder. The last thing he could ever want is to marry again – but Ainsley Douglas piqued his interest six years ago, and now she’s back and more appealing than ever . . .

‘The Many Sins of Lord Cameron’ is the third book in Jennifer Ashley’s deliciously decadent historical romance series; ‘Highland Pleasures / Mackenzies’.

I fell in love with Ashley’s series last year, when I read first book ‘The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.’ I loved Ashley’s blend of unconventional rakes, family saga and seductive romantic entanglements . . . I was somewhat deflated by second book ‘Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage.’ But I am well and truly enamoured of the Mackenzie men, and settled into this series for the long haul. Still, I was rather delighted to read that Cameron’s book brings the series back to romantic brilliance.

Cameron piqued my interest back in Ian’s book, when it was revealed that his wife met an untimely death that left Cameron’s reputation in tatters and the relationship with his son somewhat strained. Middle child he may be, but Cameron’s mysterious past, shrouded in tragedy and London gossip, had me very much intrigued. Still, I was unprepared for the devastating lengths Jennifer Ashley would go to with Cameron’s past. We learn about his ‘mad’ wife, Elizabeth, who was older than Cameron when they married and remained hell-bent on using him for his money while carrying on her hedonistic lifestyle. Elizabeth was truly heinous – a self-destructive, bitter and egotistical lecher. She scarred Cameron and left him a shell of a man. His only saving grace was their son, Daniel, whom Cameron protected against his wife’s callousness. Honestly, when you read what Cameron went through in his first marriage you will alternate between disgust and outright sympathy.

So when Cameron runs into Ainsley Douglas, six years after their first seductive almost-encounter, he is attracted and intrigued . . . but in no way likely to start a relationship. Which is fine by Ainsley – she is a working widow, dependent upon the Queen’s paycheque and her brother’s kindness. Ainsley doesn’t expect a Mackenzie Lord to be serious about her – not to mention she has her own war wounds from ruined relationships.

It’s only through undeniable attraction (and Daniel Mackenzie’s match-making) that these two form an unlikely but undeniable bond. I loved reading them together, because it’s a matter of opposites attracting. Despite her station in life, Ainsley is upbeat and cheerful – always looking on the bright side and willing to give a helping hand to those she loves. Cameron, by contrast, is pessimistic and solitary; a veritable curmudgeon except where his horses and his close-knit family are concerned. They bring out the best in each other, and work at tearing down each other’s walls and defeating the other’s demons;

“I love your hair,” Cameron said. “I've always wanted to see it down.”

“A bit difficult to tame, I've always found.”

“I don’t want it tame.” Cameron fisted a lock of hair, kissed it. “I want it wild. I want you wild, Ainsley. I know it’s in you.” He put his hand between her breasts, right over her heart.

“Wild? Me?” She contrived to look innocent.

“I work with horses all day, every day. I know which ones are happy to plod along and which ones are bursting to throw off their fetters and run free.”

I did love Cameron – it’s impossible not to, when this big strong and handsome man has such a tender touch despite a dark past. Still, my favourite Mackenzie man remains Hart Mackenzie – the oldest brother and hardest nut to crack. Hart is a politician and widower, whose frail wife died in childbirth years ago. Hart was rumoured to host orgies in his youth, before politics became his world. But even before all that, Hart was the first Mackenzie to fall in love – and get his heart broken. He was engaged to Eleanor, but she broke off the engagement (for reasons unknown, but hinted at) and Hart has never been the same since.

I love Hart. What can I say? I like them tall, dark and unyielding. And I especially loved him in this book, because we get to meet his ‘one that got away’. Eleanor is a most interesting woman, with wise words to share with her friend about those pesky and delicious Mackenzie men;

Eleanor smiled as she lifted her teacup. “Do be careful, Ainsley. They entice you, these Mackenzies, first with their wickedness and then with all that is heartbreaking.”

I’m just perturbed that I’ll have to wait for Hart’s book, ‘The Duke’s Perfect Wife’, until April 2012. Bother and damnation! But my ire was somewhat lessened when I discovered that Ms Ashley has two more books planned after Hart’s instalment. In 2013 we’ll get ‘The Seduction of Elliott McBride’ – not a Mackenzie, but Ainsley’s brother who has an interesting story to tell. And in October 2013 we’ll be treated to ‘The Life and Love of Daniel Mackenzie’ – which I am *THRILLED* about because Daniel proved himself a lovable and ramshackle young man in ‘Many Sins’, and I am eager to read his transformation into a mad Mackenzie man!

Jennifer Ashley has well and truly suckered me into the Mackenzie family. I love these men; with their brutish facades, tragic pasts and tender hearts. Lord Cameron is another brilliant protagonist, paired with an equally infectious heroine. Ashley’s ‘Highland Pleasures’ series keeps getting better and better – but I predict she will hit her stride with the beautiful and cold, Hart Mackenzie. Hurry up 2012!

5/5

'Shift' international GIVEAWAY! + Q and A with Em Bailey

I recently had the great pleasure of reading 'Shift' - the new YA thriller/supernatural novel from Aussie author Em Bailey. The book had me in its throes from page 1 - a captivating and intense read.

So I was very pleased to be given the chance to interview Em Bailey - picking her brain and getting to the nuts and bolts of her thrilling story!

I am doubly excited to announce that (thanks to the lovely Hardie Grant Egmont!) I have one copy of 'Shift' to give away in an INTERNATIONAL contest!

So, without further ado, it is my great pleasure to give you - Em Bailey!

♥

How were you first published, agent or slush pile?

Neither. I got my break when a friend of mine started working for Hardie Grant Egmont in Melbourne. She knew that I was interested in writing (she’d read some of the short stories I’d had published) and she suggested that I submit a book idea to HGE, which I did. They accepted and I’ve been working with them ever since. I know, I know. I was hideously lucky. But I am also very grateful.

Where did you get the idea for ‘Shift’?

The idea came from a couple of different places. The initial trigger was a jokey conversation I had with some friends one night about which celebrities were actually reptilian shape shifters. We had a long discussion about how you could pick them (I think enlarged webbing between the fingers was one of the criteria, as well as having no earlobes). It was silly of course, but it put the idea of shape shifting into my head.

Then a few days later I was walking in town and saw a bunch of high school girls who all looked so similar that it was seeing some kind of freaky optical illusion. It wasn't just that their clothes were the same, it was also the girls’ mannerisms and the way they spoke. They’d obviously spent a lot of time together as they were so perfectly in sync. Watching them I had a flashback to school, remembering how a lot of people (including me) tried to be as much like everyone else as possible. You didn’t want to stand out or be different. I started thinking about how well suited a shape shifter would be to the high school environment, because it would be able to blend in perfectly.

Olive's character came from accidentally overhearing (OK… I was actually eavesdropping…) a girl tell her friend that back at school she was an 'alternative princess.' I was intrigued as to what this phrase meant and starting thinking about what an alternative princess would look like and the path she would have travelled to become one.

How long did it take you to write ‘Shift’, from idea to final manuscript?

It seemed to take forever – but in reality it was about 2 and a half years from the initial idea to the final, final, I-promise-I-mean-it-this-time, manuscript. I discovered during the process that I am a slow writer - and not one of those fortunate people who can bulls-eye a book with the first draft. It took many painful rewrites to get Shift right and I am eternally grateful that my editors at HGE were so patient with me. I would've booted me out the door around the 12 month mark.

So much of ‘Shift’ is ambiguous and, ironically, always shifting. Readers are never quite sure if they’re reading a paranormal thriller or a psychological suspense. Was it hard to write a book that constantly kept readers guessing – and where you had to leave breadcrumbs for readers to pick up?

I'm so glad you found that Shift didn’t quite slot into one particular genre – it’s exactly what I was aiming for. My publishers describe Shift as 'sitting on the edge of sci fi' and I like this. The balance of genres switched around a bit over the various drafts. In some versions it was more of a sci-fi book and in others it was hardly paranormal at all. So yes, it was tricky getting it right. I learned that the hardest thing about writing something 'suspenseful' is that after you've been working on it for a while it all feels so obvious that it's hard to pull back enough to tell if the tension is working or not. It’s like having someone tell you the same joke over and over – the humour rapidly diminishes!

It’s also really hard to resist ‘over-telling’. I hate it when books do this – I like being able to figure things out for myself – but writing Shift I realised how hard it is to stop yourself.

You have picked the perfect terrain to set this novel – the landmine of high school. ‘Shift’ actually feels a lot like ‘Mean Girls’, but with a more sinister, supernatural twist. What is it about girls backstabbing and cliques that held such chilling fascination for you?

Because the initial idea for Shift came after seeing a bunch of high school girls together I never had any doubt that it needed to be mostly set in the school environment. A lot of what goes on between girls in high school is so subtle but can be so devastating. Around the time I started thinking about Shift there were some really tragic stories in the news about high school bullying which I found incredibly heart-breaking. I wanted Shift to touch on some of these issues, looking at how hard it can be for someone lost in the middle of those school years. The central character of Shift – Olive - has been through some big, traumatic changes in her life and feels raw and horribly exposed at school. One of the major threads in Shift is the things Olive does cope with being in this environment.

‘Shift’ has a very different narrator in the form of Olive Corbett – a girl with cracks and big secrets. She’s very interesting for her flaws – but what made you write such a different, skewed YA protagonist (as opposed to a princess-perfect character like Katie)?

Olive went through a lot of changes as I redrafted. She was a lot perkier and more 'together' in the early drafts, but as the book took on a darker tone Olive became darker too. I was happy with this. Flawed characters are much more interesting to write than perfect, well-adjusted ones and Shift needed a narrator like Olive – someone who has positioned herself on the outside, watching what is going on around her. She is also someone whose troubled history makes us unsure how much to trust her. Someone like Katie is too deeply involved in everything that’s was going on to have time to sit back and observe.

Music plays a big role in ‘Shift’ – as a coping mechanism for Olive and a signpost of madness for others. What five songs would you want to appear on a ‘Shift’ soundtrack?

Olive wouldn't approve of anything I suggested. She really only likes music that no one else has ever heard of. She does admit to having crushes on Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain so perhaps some of their songs could be on it – but they'd have to be rare B-sides or something previously unreleased.

Who would your dream cast be in a movie adaptation of the novel?

Sadly, I’m hopelessly out of touch with the starlets of today! I always have been, but I’m even more so now that I’m living in Germany and haven't been to the movies for two years. Any suggestions?

Speaking of which . . . have the movie rights been sold yet?

Not yet, as far as I know!

‘Shift’ ends interestingly . . . with a small possibility for more. Do you have plans to write a sequel? If not, then what’s the next book project you’ll be working on?

Originally Shift was going to be the first book in a trilogy, but HGE and I decided in the end that it would work better as a stand-alone novel. There's an ambiguity about Shift that we liked and that would've been lost if I'd written all three books. All the same the other two books floating around in my head so you never know!

Favourite book(s) of all time?

Such a hard question! I’ve really loved a number of Margaret Atwood’s books – in particular Cat's Eye, The Blind Assassin and The Handmaid's Tale. I also love Lorrie Moore’s short story collection Birds of America – the stories are so funny and yet so sad at the same time. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is another favourite book as is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Favourite author(s)?

Apart from the authors listed above my favourite author is a friend of mine, Chrissie Keighery. She has a new YA novel out called Whisper which is about a teenage girl who suddenly becomes deaf after an illness. Now she has to adjust to a whole new way of defining herself and work out how to live her new life. It’s the most gorgeously written book – it’s moving and true and sweet and sad. I feel proud to know her!

What advice do you have for budding young writers?

People always say that budding writers just need to get to it and write – but personally I find it hard to write just for the sake of writing. One thing I found useful was to enter writing competitions and submit stories to small press publications. It meant I had something to aim for and was a good way to stay focused. Keeping a blog can help too – especially once you acquire a few followers because then you learn about writing for an audience.

♥ International GIVEAWAY - A copy of 'Shift' ♥

How to enter:

♥ Become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already)

♥ Answer the question: 'if you could shape-shift yourself into looking like anyone, who would it be?'

♥ Include a way to contact you (e-mail addy is fine)

♥ One post per entrant

♥ This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway!

♥ Contest closes August 31st
I will announce the lucky winner on September 1st

'A Straight Line To My Heart' by Bill Condon

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

School is over, not just for the year, but forever. Tiff and Kayla are free, which is what they've always wanted, but now summer is nearly at and end and that means life decisions. Tiff is hoping her job at the local paper will lead to something more... But 'The Shark' soon puts her straight on what it takes to become a hard-nosed reporter like him. At home, Reggie - the only grandad Tiff's ever known - has quit the smokes and diagnosed himself as cactus. Then Kayla hits her with some big news. And into all this stumbles Davey, the first boy who has ever really wanted to know her.

Tiff is smart with words and rarely does tears, but in one short week she discovers that words don't always get you there; they don't let you say all the stuff from deep in your heart.

Nothing ever happens in Gungee Creek. Take it from someone who knows; Tiff has lived here almost her whole life, ever since her mum died and her aunt sent her to live with family friends, Reggie and Nell and Nell’s son, Bull. And Tiff can confirm that nothing ever happens in Gungee. Not since Nell died and Tiff was left to be raised by the boof-heads. And not since Tiff befriended the pretty new girl in school, Kayla.

Since then it’s been a whole lot of local rugby games, bingo nights and sneaking out to the cemetery to swig a few drinks. Not even finishing high school could light a fire under Tiff and Kayla while they’re stuck in good, old Gungee.

But maybe all that’s going to change. Tiff has an internship at the local newspaper, the Eagle. Kayla’s mum and her boyfriend are expecting a baby and playing happy families. Bull is getting serious with his girlfriend, Zoe. And a football player from the opposing town has taken a liking to Tiff.

But right when things in Gungee start to perk up, impending tragedy comes knocking. Isn’t it always the way that right when things seem ready to get better, something comes along to muck it all up?

‘A Straight Line to my Heart’ is the new standalone YA novel from Aussie author, Bill Condon.

I didn’t really know what to expect from ‘Straight Line’ – the blurb seemed to be grasping at straws and the title was giving nothing away. So I started the book a bit wary, but I came away with wet eyes and a smile tugging at my mouth.

‘A Straight Line to my Heart’ is a book on the precipice. The characters are all on the verge of their lives, about to be tipped into adulthood, the big wide world and the promise of what’s to come. This isn’t a novel about plot triggers and the igniting instance. Rather, it’s a book holding its breath, introducing characters who are about to unleash their potential on the world and start out on their journeys.

That day I think we really saw each other for the first time. I mean, saw beyond the bag of bones on the outside. You take away her pretty and my plain and what you get underneath is about the same: a couple of lost girls looking to be found.

Tiff is a young woman, nearly eighteen, from an odd amalgamation of a family. Reggie is her ‘adoptive’ grandfather, a man who offered to take care of her when her aunt couldn’t handle the job. Reggie and his wife, Nell, took Tiff in and raised her as their own. Reggie did the same with Nell’s son from a previous marriage, Bull. And when Nell died, Tiff was raised by these two men – one her adoptive grandfather, the other her token brother. True, it’s a strange family – but a loving one nonetheless.

Bull and Reggie support and encourage Tiff’s ambition to get a cadetship at the local paper. Both of them, while not terribly articulate, are proud as punch of their girl Tiff. Reggie especially wants to see Tiff settle down and start her life – because he has diagnosed himself as not long for this world, he wants to get all his affairs in order and his family taken care of. And when a boy from one town over, the awkward and galumphing Davey, takes an interest in Tiff she finally starts to imagine the possibilities for herself . . .

Tiff has only ever had one friend in her life, Kayla. The beautiful and enigmatic Kayla – whose mother was a drinker, constantly pregnant with various father’s for all her brood. Nicknamed ‘Inky’ (short for incubator) Kayla’s mother seems to have turned her life around, all with the help of new boyfriend, Colin. Kayla doesn’t entirely trust the situation, but with her mother and siblings taken care of, she’s finally looking to the future and what she wants to make of herself...

Condon’s characters are vibrant and thoroughly grounded in believability. Reggie is a sweet-hearted curmudgeon, while Bull is a gentle giant – both of them utterly adorable for being mixtures of many men you will know in your own life. That’s part of Condon’s brilliance in writing the small town of Grungee – all of his characters will remind you of people you know; not caricatures, but beautifully constructed people who seem firmly grounded in reality. And one of the reasons Condon’s characters leave such a firm impression is his wonderful ear for dialogue. Really, the rhetoric in ‘Straight Line’ is impressive for all the little verbal nuances – like a ‘yers’ for ‘you guys’ – it all adds up to thoroughly enjoyable Aussie ocker speech.

‘A Straight Line to my Heart’ is a beautiful and tender novel. There’s plenty to make you smile, but by book’s end Condon will have punched you in the guts and left you a teensy-bit heartbroken. Still, ‘Straight Line’ has such lovable characters and Condon's prose and dialogue is melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Superb!

5/5

Interview with 'Days Like This' author, Alison Stewart

As I post, the London riots rage on - with the thuggery spreading like a disease across Britain. So it's little wonder that I, and many other readers, have become so enamored of the Dystopian genre - when life imitates art and current events seem to have already sunk humanity into the bleak.

This is why I am so intensely curious about Dystopia,and why I read the genre voraciously - because its authors take measure of the world and wonder 'what if?' in an endlessly fascinating social science experiment.

I found this to be especially true of Alison Stewart's new YA Dystopian, 'Days Like This'. In the novel, Stewart explores environmental ignorance, tyranny, human vanity and distorted history. It was such a complex and compelling book that I was thrilled at the chance to pick her brain on everything from South Africa's apartheid to the novel's historic roots.

But don't worry, as much as Dystopia explores the dregs of humanity, it's also a genre about speaking out, fighting back and standing up for what you believe in. There's hope for humanity yet.

It is my great pleasure to present to you - Alison Stewart!

★

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Days Like This’, from concept to final manuscript?

If Days Like This were a human baby, it would have been a super long pregnancy! Looking back over my notes and various drafts, I began thinking about it about nine years ago and writing it soon after that. I was also struggling with an adult book and various journalism projects, so Days Like This, which has endured a few name changes - Beyond the Walls, The Memory of Water and Water Moon - was a stop-start affair. It also began as a book for adults and has had to be substantially rewritten. You always worry when this happens that it will lose any flair it had, but I hope not!

Q: How were you first published – agent or slush pile?

I entered my very first manuscript, Born into the Country, into a writing competition. It was shortlisted and published in South Africa, where I grew up. It was inspired by the life of South African black consciousness leader, Steven Biko, who was killed by the apartheid regime. Days Like This had a similar, though more convoluted, genesis. Quite a few publishers read and rejected it. Finally, a friend suggested I enter it into the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which is a worldwide competition. It was one of the three YA finalists and Penguin Australia’s Jane Godwin signed it for publication here. I think the moral of the story is probably to enter your writing into as many competitions and awards as possible.

Q: ‘Days Like This’ is a novel that has its Dystopian roots entrenched in human vanity and environmental ignorance – why are these two subjects so important to you?

I think those two issues – human vanity and environmental ignorance – are consistent with the broad dystopian themes that deal with the rise of the individual and the collapse of community. There’s nothing wrong with individualism, but if it is rooted in a kind of savage materialism which finds form in the pursuit of power for the few at the expense of the majority, that’s when societal rot may set in. It does concern me that the gap between super rich and poor is widening so rapidly. Add to this mix environmental devastation thanks to a combination of resource stripping and climate change, which vested interests love to deny. Outcomes could be grim as the powerful take control of limited resources like water, food and fuel. Days Like This deals with this scenario and takes it further. British historian Lord Acton said that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. When people think they’re all-powerful, they might also think they are invincible, even immortal. This is another issue that’s explored in Days Like This.

Q: ‘Days Like This’ has echoes of history. The Wall surrounding Sydney is reminiscent of Berlin in 1961, and the Blacktroopers conjure images of Hitler’s SS. You grew up in South Africa during apartheid – so is it fair to say that having lived a little slice of dictatorial history influenced your novel’s fascist themes?

Yes, that’s very true. Growing up under apartheid meant people were always afraid. The state wielded complete control, using its secretive and brutal Bureau of State Security (BOSS) to intimidate anyone who opposed it. Like BOSS, Hitler’s SS and East Germany’s Stasi, those who hold power undemocratically must use dictatorial methods to retain control. In Days Like This, the Central Governing Committee represents the fascist state and the Blacktroopers are the enforcers. The Wall is a physical barrier to control the population, including those considered “privileged”. The point here is that everyone suffers under fascism, even the fortunate, because, in benefiting from a brutal regime, you risk losing what is ultimately most important: your humanity. (Try and see the film The Lives of Others for a fantastic portrayal of the harm inflicted on both Stasi perpetrator and victim.)

Q: Were you already a fan of all things Dystopian, or did you start reading and writing in the genre after you had the idea for ‘Days Like This’?

When I wrote this book, the term “dystopian” to describe a fictional genre wasn’t as widely used as “speculative”. So I thought of Days Like This as “speculative”, along the lines of some of my favourite books - Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, Lois Lowry’s The Giver and more recently, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I’ve always been interested in books where the protagonists are faced with a disintegrating world slightly removed from reality (rather than hard-core science fiction which I find harder to relate to) and must use their initiative to survive. I like Australian writer Sylvia Kelso’s description of dystopian and speculative fiction. She calls it “the literature of ideas” and I think that’s spot on - the great “what if?”

Q: Dystopia certainly has its claws in the Young Adult readership at the moment. Why do you think this genre is commanding the reading marketplace?

Today’s young adults have grown up with a range of sophisticated technology. It saturates our world with information about big, seemingly insoluble issues. The internet and all forms of our media feature alarming stories about political unrest, wars, riots, geological disasters like earthquakes, global warming, famine, droughts and economic meltdown. Look at the current British youth riots, which probably have something to do with the fact that the richest 10 per cent are now 100 times better off than the poorest and where it is becoming harder and harder to move out of your social class. From an early age, we witness devastation in technicolour and it can be traumatic. I think dystopian fiction allows young adult readers to not only explore confronting themes safely but also to feel empowered through the actions of characters of a similar age. Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy featuring feisty sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen provides a perfect example of how one small, disadvantaged person can survive with humour, courage and determination in a brutal, post-apocalyptic world.

Q: Some people may be disturbed by Dystopia’s bleak outlook and harsh lessons. But there is merit in a genre that explores the dregs of humanity and compels individuals to rise up against the hopelessness. What do you hope your young readers take away from ‘Days Like This’?

If people are disturbed by these things, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Our world is complicated and it doesn’t hurt to think about decisions our world leaders are making on our behalf, decisions that may have disturbing consequences. Readers are free to explore social possibilities through dystopian fiction and consider big moral issues like the distribution of power and the consequences of excess materialism. I recently read an article where the writer said that “Australia has become a selfish nation addicted to an unsustainable lifestyle, paid for by stealing resources from our children”. Days Like This explores exactly that – what might happen if the world continues down that path. I’d love it if readers thought about that.

Q: Some readers are speculating that ‘Days Like This’ finished with the possibility of more... Will you write a series or sequel, or is ‘Days Like This’ a definite stand-alone?

I purposely left the ending open as I’d really love to write a sequel, even a series. Perhaps this is why some people have found the ending frustrating or oversimplified.

Q: You’re currently working on a memoir titled ‘Cold Stone Soup’. Can you tell us a bit about this?

It’s about growing up under apartheid in South Africa. Like most other privileged white children of the times, I was completely unaware of what was going on, but gradually I, like many others, woke up to the immorality of the system.

Q: Favourite book(s) of all time?

I have hundreds of favourite books but if I have to single out some, here they are: Rose Tremain’s Music & Silence, MJ Hyland’s Carry Me Down, A.S. Byatt’s Possession, Shirley Hazzard’s Transit of Venus, J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians, Olive Schreiner’s Story of an African Farm, Martin Boyd’s The Cardboard Crown, Peter Hoeg’s Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing, Janet Frame’s To the Is-land, Jessica Anderson’s Tirra Lirra by the River, Tim Winton’s Dirt Music, E. Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Kerry Hulme’s The Bone People, Lian Hearn’s Across the Nightingale Floor, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger, Paul Scott’s Staying On, Frank Herbert’s Dune, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, Victor Kelleher’s Taronga and Parkland series, Richard Adams’ Watership Down, the books I’ve already mentioned earlier in the Q&A, This is fun; I could go on and on. Better not.

Q: Favourite author(s)?

Tolkien, Dickens, George Eliot, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Jane Austen for some of the classics. For contemporary writers, I look forward to new books by Kazuo Ishiguro, Aravind Adiga whose fantastic debut novel was The White Tiger, Lauren Beukes who won the 2011 Arthur C Clarke Award for Zoo City, Tim Winton who writes so beautifully about place, Geraldine Brooks – I loved her Year of Wonders, Cormac McCarthy and anything by Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy, Meg Rosoff, Jeffrey Eugenides, Alan Hollinghurst and many more.

Q: What advice do you have for budding young writers?

Don’t be afraid to write and keep writing, but also don’t be afraid to edit. Don’t be put off by rejection – easier said than done! It goes without saying that you should read widely and when you come across something you love, take note of how the author has achieved this. And as I said earlier, enter your writing in competitions. You never know your luck!