Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Author Interview-Valerie Frankel


Valerie Frankel was born at an early age.  Once a professor at San Jose State University, she does storytelling for kids and has taught most grades, from kindergarten through high school.  She's the author of a dozen books and over a hundred published stories and articles. After earning a B.A. at UC Davis, she became the youngest person ever to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from San Jose State University, an event that has earned her only limited wealth and success.

She enjoys dancing, acting, and costuming in what little remains of her spare time, and reads a novel every day, just for fun.  She would have gone crazy long ago, except for her collection of singing potatoes.


Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of many nonfiction books:

  Buffy and the Heroine’s Journey·  From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine’s Journey in Myth and Legend·  Katniss the Cattail: An Unauthorized Guide to Names and Symbols in The Hunger Games·       Winter is Coming: Symbols, Portents, and Hidden Meanings in A Game of Thrones·       Winning the Game of Thrones: The Host of Characters and their Agendas·       Doctor Who: The What Where and How·    Sherlock: Every Canon Reference You May Have Missed in BBC’s Series 1-3·       Women in Game of Thrones: Power, Conformity, and Resistance

1.Do you prefer to read YA or NA?
YA has a lot of vivacity lately with the Hunger Games/Mortal Instruments/steampunk books. While I loved all of these, I can’t think of much NA that’s made such a big impression. Though dystopias where they’re ALL a sixteen-year-old girl coping with a  screwed up world get a bit repetitive.

2.What motivated you to follow your dreams and become an author?
I’ve always been obsessed with books. I wrote my first novel at 16 and tried traditional publishing. That didn’t work out (and it wasn’t very good) but by the time I was done with grad school, I’d been studying creative writing for six years and done lots of practicing. Basically, by that point I was writing every day, and my path became quite set. Then, more work and rejections as I published a hundred short stories and spent lots of time on the traditional route. Finally I self-published a couple Harry Potter parodies, then traditionally published a guide to the heroine’s journey (my book that gets me the most fan mail and appreciation now). In 2012 I tried Createspace and self-published a Hunger Games guide (analyzing the Roman and flower names and their significance). When it sold in giant amounts, I realized I’d found a workable model for other books and followed this with  analysis of Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Buffy, Firefly, Sherlock… I now have about 40 of them.

3.Doctor Who companion or Marvel Super hero?
Well, not Black Widow or Jessica Jones or Wasp or Scarlet Witch. So no one from the films. Depends which superhero I expect. On the other side, even as humans, those companions seem to have an awful lot of fun…Being Buffy would be the most awesome, I think.
4.There's a lot of controversy about self-publishing versus traditional publishing, though self-publishing is becoming more widely accepted. What are your thoughts on that matter?
I haven’t made a firm decision, as shown by my books still being half and half. Traditional gets a bit more respect, but the editing and publicity and all the aspects that USED to be major draws have vanished (or perhaps it’s that my gang of pop culture publishers aren’t the big five in New York). So there’s increasingly less of a difference. Traditional also offers help with cover, title, and those choices…which can be a plus – or not. My worst covers are from two of my traditional publishers, though two others have provided some of my best.

5.If you could hang out with a fictional character who would it be?
The Scarlet Pimpernel. Breathtaking series and character.

6.What is the best piece of advice you received so far?
Since you can’t please everyone, write to please yourself. That way at least one person will like it. And people with similar tastes to yours will like it too.

Waiting On Wednesday (58)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..


Title: The Raven King
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: April 26 ,2016
Publisher:  Scholastic Press

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.





So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)




Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday (57) The Leaving Season

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Title: The Leaving Season
Author: Cat Jordan
Release Date: March 1 ,2016
Publisher:  HaperTEEN

Middie Daniels calls it the Leaving Season: the time of year when everyone graduates high school, packs up their brand-new suitcases, and leaves home for the first time.

This year Middie’s boyfriend Nate is the one leaving. Nate, who’s so perfect that she can barely believe it. Nate, who makes her better than she is on her own. Nate, who’s promised to come back once he’s finished his gap year volunteering in Central America. And when he does, it’ll be time for Middie to leave, too. With him.

But when a tragedy strikes, Middie’s whole world is set spinning. No one seems to understand just how lost she is… except for Nate’s slacker best friend Lee. Middie and Lee have never gotten along. But with the ground ripped out from under her, Middie is finding that up is down—and that Lee Ryan might be just what she needs to find her footing once more.

Cat Jordan’s heartbreaking story proves that no matter the season, no matter the obstacles, love can help you find yourself in the most unexpected of places.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR (32)

Check out how Top Ten Tuesday works & the future schedule of topics HERE.The Top Ten Tuesday, is hosted by the ever-fabulous The Broke and the Bookish   This  meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish.


  1. More Than Happy Not Adam Silvera 
  2. Unlovely by Celeste Conway Eerie Ballerinas...
  3. The Clique by Valerie Thomas
  4. Sophomore Year is Greek To Me Meredith Zeitlin 
  5. Reawakening Marc Johnson 
  6. Down The Wormhole Ana
  7. Melophibia Jim Morris
  8. Demon Princess Kassandra
  9. The Way To Game The Walk of Shame  Jenn P. Nguyen 
  10. The Last Time We Were Us Leah Konen
So Aout 75% of these books are already out and I just haven't picked up yet and the rest are books that have yet to come out yet.

Teaser Tuesdays(7)



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Title: Egg & Spoon
Author: Gregory Maguire

" I always think a weeping child makes a sweet picture,don't you?I see this in a dim,crepuscular light, a little greenish."
Pg 25 The Narrator Egg & Spoon, Gregory Maguire 

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