Book Banter -- Thin Air

Title: Thin Air (Weather Warden Book 6)
Author: Rachel Caine
Length: 307 pages
Genre: urban fantasy
Plot Basics: SPOILER ALERT

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has to save the world. Again. Only this time, she doesn't remember who she is, what she's doing, how to use the powers she can control (weather and fire and now, surprising, earth) or who the two men, Lewis and David, who come to rescue her are. Jo's past memories have been removed from her by an angry Djinn and end up being taken by a demon, who starts impersonating Jo. Problem is, some people want to take advantage of Jo's powers when she can't remember if she should trust them.
Banter Points: It's always great to see the next exploits of this kick-butt heroine in a series (not about vampires) that has a tough-girl chick lead. The world building of powers to control the elements and the little touches (like Weather Wardens not liking to fly) make the series fun. It's a great airplane/beach/need-something-light read.
Bummer Points: Fun, yes, but not the best of the series, by far. The past five have been great because each book raised the stakes of the plot for the next one in dramatic ways. This one, while an interesting premise of her not having her memory, doesn't carry through with what seemed to be promised at the end of book 5.
Word Nerd recommendation: Caine's reported that she's got a contract for a few more Weather Warden books and a new series on the djinn, so Word Nerd's going to keep this series on her radar.

Fall Book Previews

Within the last few weeks, many of major news organizations and retailers have put out their Fall Book Preview sections.

Here's a round-up.

Washington Post Book World

USAToday

Amazon.com

Some writers to watch for in the lists -- Alice Sebold, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham and Patricia Cornwall all have new books coming out. On the non-fiction side, so does Bill Clinton, Alan Alda and Stephen Colbert.

One book Word Nerd's got her eye on that just missed the fall lists (coming out very early in September) is Brock Clarke's "Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England." Just to be clear, it's fiction... not a how-to book.

Author Answers with Cynthia Dennis

This week's author, Cynthia Dennis, is the author of a memoir, "The Sunflower Sinner," about her father's attempt to become the governor of Kansas.

Dennis will be in Oshkosh on Sept. 20 for an event at the UW-Oshkosh Womens Center. The event, co-sponsored by Apple Blossom Books, will be at 5 p.m. in the Foundation Building on campus.

WN: Why did you decide to write “The Sunflower Sinner?”
DENNIS: I wanted to offer readers a firsthand glimpse inside the life of a scandalized political family. We rarely hear from a politician's spouse or children about the effect of scandal on them. I also wanted to tell this story because it is a compelling example of how one moment of fate, and a politician's fatal decision, can turn an entire family's life upside down.

WN: What challenges were there in writing a personal memoir?
DENNIS: There is a delicate balance between focusing evenly on one's own role while telling the larger story, This memoir was never intended to be about me. Rather, it was written with the goal of examining a scandalized political family within the framework of a sensational abortion murder trial, a bribe, and an explosive political scandal trial. Both Kansas trials are reported in the book.

WN: This book is about your family. How have other family members or close friends reacted to the book?
DENNIS: The response has been gratifying because comments have been insightful and positive. Those who knew our family have offered fascinating tidbits about how they viewed us, and details not known until now. And readers who never met my family have provided a range of interesting reactions, including observations about their own family relationships.

WN: You are a journalist as well. Did that training help you for writing this book?
DENNIS: Having spent my career in various types of journalism certainly helped with the writing. However, as a newspaper journalist for 18 years and a graduate student before that, I was not used to writing in the first person. Journalists are taught not to inject themselves into their stories. Compiling a lengthy book was also a new experience as none of my journalism assignments ever totaled more than 200 pages!

WN: Were you a reader as a kid… what turned you on to reading/writing books?
DENNIS: I was an avid reader as a child, and still am. My parents made sure that we had access to books. My father was an attorney who was passionate about current events and reading newspapers, which influenced me. I began writing at a young age, and never stopped.

WN: What’s the best part of being a writer to you? What’s the most challenging part of writing for you?
DENNIS: As a feature writer, the best part of newspaper writing was meeting new people, having novel experiences, and learning about unfamiliar things. The most challenging part of writing a book was the continuous rewriting to make it better. One spends so much time with the text that it is easy to lose your objectivity, which is needed in order to assess whether the overall product is good or not.

WN: What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
DENNIS: I like, and have been influenced by, so many books that it is difficult to select just one. At the top of my list are two books by Raymond Carver: "Call Me If You Need Me" and "Where I'm Calling From." These collections of short stories are inspiring because they offer fine examples of spare yet eloquent writing with richly defined characters.

Book Banter -- Kushiel's Chosen

Title: Kushiel's Chosen
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 678 pages
Plot Basics: Phedre no Delaunay finds herself once again in the service of the Queen of Terre d'Ange. This time, Phedre goes south to seek out where traitor Melisande may have fled. But even from a distance, Melisande continues to play her game of thrones and Phedre's trip sets part of Melisande's terrible plot in motion. And Phedre must use all her wits, wiles and wherewithal to stop her and save her beloved Terre D'Ange.
Banter Points: Again, Carey's world building is amazing. This alternate Europe she's created is as rich in detail as the real thing and fraught with the same kind of king-making history as the true one as well.
Additionally, she does a good job of writing both a book with exquisite character development and introspection and rousing action sequences.
Bummer Points: The end of the book seemed to drag on, though with a book this long, it's somewhat understandable that the denouement will take longer.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fans of Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin take note. This is a very manageable series but with the magical and fant-historical elements these other authors do well.

August Bibliometer

The reading on the bibliometer for August is as follows:

11 books
3,899 pages
average 126 pages/day

YTD
62 books
21,719 pages
average book length, 350 pages

Another great loss

The Associated Press is reporting that author Madeleine L'Engle died yesterday at age 88.

The story is here.

Word Nerd has always been a fan of L'Engle's works, both fiction and non-fiction. Word Nerd always wanted to meet her; based on her writings, she seemed like such a classy, faith-filled, imaginative woman.

L'Engle is the second, after Lloyd Alexander earlier this year, of beloved childhood authors that have passed away recently. It's sad to know that the world is losing these authors, that there will never be new books like them.

At least their past works will be around for future generations.

Book Banter -- Fourth Comings

Title: Fourth Comings

Author: Megan McCafferty

Length: 310 pages

Genre: Chick-lit/literary

Plot Basics: Jessica Darling, the quick-witted sharp-tongued protagonist of McCafferty's series is back. Now, done with college, she's living in a rented room, sharing a bunk bed with best friend Hope in New York City, while working as a part-time writer/editor for a magazine. Her boyfriend, the ever-eclectic Marcus Flutie is beginning his freshman year at Princeton and before his semester starts, makes Jessica a proposal. The proposal, actually. And while he's off on a freshman trip, Jessica has a week to think about (and journal) his proposal.

Banter Points: Voice, voice, voice. This is what McCafferty's series has going for her. Voice, the first-person narration/journal entries of Jessica have an unique timbre and bite that makes turning pages a necessity. The plot may be kind of predictable, but the way McCafferty tells the story is what's so good, rather than the ups-and-downs of the plot itself.

Bummer Points: It's funny, but Word Nerd liked the books better when Jessica was in high school.

Word Nerd Recommendation: The series is still holding strong four books in. If you are looking for a good book for older teen girls, this series is a good pick.

Book Banter -- Garden of Darkness

Title: Garden of Darkness (releases 12.4.07)
Author: Anne Frasier
Length: 384 pages
Genre: thriller/horror
Plot Basics: Welcome back to the town of Tuonela, Wisc. The town, long plagued by stories of a vampire called the Pale Immortal, is hoping to capitalize on the legend as a tourist attraction, putting the body of the Pale Immortal, Richard Manchester, on display in a museum. The display brings to town ghost hunters and film students all hoping to capitalize on the event. And some of them start ending up dead, making it impossible for Rachel Burton, the town's medical examiner, to leave and go back to California. The town gets in a frenzy over the Pale Immortal and the killings, though none more so that Evan Stroud, who maniacally starts digging up part of the town, looking for a dangerous key to the town's haunted past.
Banter Points: This book is creepy -- not for reading before going to bed and not for the faint of heart, even during daylight hours. Frasier definitely delivered on this sequel to Pale Immortal. It was nice to see the characters move ahead (or try to) in their lives, as they were impacted by the events that happened in P.I.

Bummer Points: There was some switching POV stuff that just isn't Word Nerd's favorite literary technique. Frasier did it well, but it's just not a technique that Word Nerd likes.

Word Nerd recommendation: Mark Dec. 4 on your calendars for the release date for this one.

Author Answers with Scott Westerfeld

This week's author is YA and sci-fi writer Scott Westerfeld. His next book will come out in October, the latest in his Uglies series.

For more on Westerfeld, check out his website.

WN: Your new book, “Extras” comes out in October. On your website, you describe it as a companion novel to your Uglies series. What do you mean by that and how does it fit with the other books?
WESTERFELD: Extras takes place a few years after the events of Uglies/Pretties /Specials. It's from the point of view of a new character in Japan, a 15-year-old girl named Aya, who's watching the end of the prettytime in her own city. The old regime of uglies and pretties is over, so I thought it would be good to see from a new perspective how Tally and her friends changed the world.

WN: You’ve got quite the list of appearances scheduled. Do you like the opportunity to interact with readers and if so, why?
WESTERFELD: Teens are very intense readers. They're willing to tell you what they liked, what they didn't like, and how they would have ended your book. Because their feedback is much more honest than that of adult readers, it's much more exciting (and nervous-making) to hear what they have to say.


WN: Why did you make the switch from writing adult novels to YA novels? Is one harder than the other?
WESTERFELD: I got an idea (for my Midnighters series) that featured a bunch of teenage protagonists, so I wrote the book as a YA just as an experiment, to see if I could. I soon found that I really liked the "YA voice." The teenage years are much more intense and fraught than adulthood, with opportunities for a lot more drama, which I love to write. On top of that, younger readers don't let you get away with as much waffling, so I think it sharpens my writing to keep the narrative focus they demand.

One thing I didn't expect about the shift was how welcoming the world of youth librarians and teachers turned out to be. It's wonderful and humbling to have a whole new set of champions helping readers find my work.


WN: What’s your writing process like?
WESTERFELD: I used to write manically, but as I get older I'm much more of a tortoise than a hare. These days I try to write about a thousand words a day, quite steadily, without any bursts of hyper-activity. Every day starts with a few hours of editing, usually the stuff I've written over the last few days, to get me warmed up before I start on new scenes. The most important ritual is that I always start right after breakfast, before there are too many other thoughts in my head.

WN: Were you a reader as a kid… what turned you on to reading/writing books?
WESTERFELD: I read a lot: under the covers, on the bus, during class. I don't actually remember how that started, except there was a teacher who read to us in second grade who had the best voice ever. I think a lot of readers start off as listeners.

WN: What’s the best part of being a writer to you? What’s the most challenging part of writing for you?
WESTERFELD: I like always having something complicated to think about. My novels are around 80,000 words long, and when I'm thoroughly into a book, that vast presence is in my head all the time, demanding to be shaped and crafted. It's a very rich thing to carry around in your mind.

The most challenging part is the blank page, when there's no characters or voice or setting yet. It's a very lonely place.

WN: What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
WESTERFELD: I don't really have an answer for this one. Sorry.

Author Answers with J.D. Rhoades

This week's author is J.D. Rhoades, author of three books featuring bail bondsman Jack Keller.

For more on Rhoades, check out his website.

WN: Your third Jack Keller novel just came out this summer. What kind of character is Jack Keller?
RHOADES: Jack's a bail bondsman and bounty hunter working in southeastern North Carolina. He's a veteran of the first Gulf War with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a bad case of survivor guilt, stemming from a "friendly fire" incident that wiped out the squad he was leading. The only thing that shakes him out of the emotional numbness that's a symptom of the PTSD is the adrenaline rush he gets from hunting down bail jumpers and hauling them back. He's very good at his job because he's so focused, relentless and pretty much fearless. Needless to say, however, being an adrenaline junkie is not a healthy way to live, and the underlying story in the series is Jack's struggle to get past it, re-learn to connect with people, and become a fully functioning human being again. It's a rocky road; as Jack's friend and psychiatrist observes, "it's hard to treat someone who keeps getting shot at for a living."

WN: When you first created Jack Keller, were you planning to write a series or how the series come about?
RHOADES: I didn't start out with the plan to write a series. Jack was really just a sketch at first. It was about halfway through writing my first novel, THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND, that I started thinking "hey, this guy could be a series character, if I don't kill him off first."

WN: How has your background in journalism, law and Dee-jay-ing (is that a ord?) helped you as a writer?
RHOADES: Well small-town law practice gives me a wealth of anecdotes and atmosphere for what I've dubbed "redneck noir." There's a lot of desperate people leading precarious lives out there and when they go over the edge, step back and watch the fireworks. People ask me if I know any real people like DeWayne Puryear from THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND or Laurel Marks from GOOD DAY IN HELL. I tell them "dozens, but most of them haven't gone that far. Most of them. Yet."
I (fortunately) haven't met anyone quite as nasty as DeGroot from SAFE AND SOUND, but I know a couple of people who have.
Journalism--well, I'm really only a freelance columnist for the local paper. I've won a couple of awards for it, but I can't really consider myself a journalist when I know so many people who labor long and hard to get the facts right, and all I do is open a beer, sit down at thecomputer, and make fun of politicians and celebrities. I guess beingable to crank out a certain word count on deadline's good discipline.
Deejaying--don't know if it's a word, but I can't say drinking rum and Coke, flirting with cocktail waitresses, and playing Janet Jackson records for 10 bucks an hour really affected my writing at all. Best damn job I ever had, though.

WN: What's your writing process like?
RHOADES: Sit down. Turn laptop on. Write book. Turn in book. Wrangle with editor over changes. Collect advance. Repeat.
But seriously folks...I do outline, but only because my publisher wants to see an outline to consider the book. Once it's sold, I pretty much throw the outline away because I hate knowing how something ends before I write it. Don't tell my editor I said that.
I try to write at least 800-1,000 words a day, which I don't always make. I tend to write very slowly; I revise as I go and agonize over every word. I may revise the same paragraph fifteen times before moving on. I'm trying to break that habit. The upside is that when it's done, I usually don't need to do major revisions.

WN: Were you a reader as a kid... what turned you on to reading/writing books?
RHOADES: Oh yeah, I was definitely a reader. My mom taught me to read early, got me my first library card and took me down every week till I could get there on my own. I always had my nose in a book. We'd have holiday gatherings with the extended family, and by mid afternoon, I'd be out in the car stretched out in the back seat with my feet up in the open window, reading.

WN: What's the best part of being a writer to you? What's the most challenging part of writing for you?
RHOADES: There are so many joys about being a writer. Getting to hang out and swap stories with other writers I admire. Meeting readers. Meeting and talking about books with booksellers. But probably the best part is getting my big box of promo copies, ripping it open, and seeing a big ol' pile of novels with MY NAME on the cover. It's a rush, baby.
Most challenging part? Same as for every writer, I think: sitting down with a big empty white screen in front of you, knowing you have to fill it with words, and getting that old familiar panicky feeling in the gut: I can't do this, why did I think I could do this, etc.

WN: What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
RHOADES: Wow, it's hard to pick just one. And I don't like to do stuff that's hard, so I won't.
I devoured John D. McDonald's Travis McGee books when I was younger, and I definitely think his straight ahead style of storytelling influenced me. I loved Hammett's RED HARVEST and pay tribute to it in SAFE AND SOUND. I mean, how can you not love a book that has a chapter called "The Seventeenth Murder"? Plus, I love that that tough, lean prose.
Great stuff. Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series got me back into reading mysteries a few years ago, and his TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT is the gold standard for books on writing as far as I'm concerned. It's one of only two "how to write" books, as a matter of fact, that I've ever been able to finish, the other being Stephen King's ON WRITING. Robert Crais' L.A. REQUIEM's a big influence; someday I hope to write a book that comes close to being that good. Hey, a guy can dream.

Book Banter -- Glass Houses

Title: Glass Houses
Author: Rachel Caine
Length: 239 pages
Genre: YA/urban fantasy
Plot Basics: Claire Danvers is academically gifted and enters college in Morganville TX at age 16. But her brains aren't appreciated by the other girls in her dorm, especially Monica. Monica has it out for Claire, making threats that Claire is sure Monica will follow through on, so Claire leaves the dorm. She finds new housing with Eve, Shane and Michael, a trio of 18-year-olds who for various reasons decide to stick up to Monica with her. But in sticking up to Monica, the group also runs afoul of Morganville's big secret -- that the town is run by vampires...
Banter Points: So, at first, Word Nerd thought this would be like typical YA... campy plot, ragged writing, etc. How wrong she was. And she should have know that because, hello, Rachel Caine wrote this book. Which means the book had a great plot, with great rising action and a typical Caine cliff-hanger. Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael all are great characters with pasts and secrets and different personalities.
Bummer Points: The Oshkosh library system doesn't have book two. Not that it's just checked out. No, they don't have it at all. Sigh.
Word Nerd recommendation: Don't get hung up on the YA label. It's a fun book and everything that was wrong about Gossip Girl (see yesterday's Book Banter), this book's got right.

Book Banter -- Gossip Girl

Title: Gossip Girl
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Length: 201 pages
Genre: YA
Plot Basics: Former "it" girl Serena van der Woodsen returns to her former NYC prep school after a year away at boarding school and comes back with a cloud of nasty rumors about what happened to her during the last year. Her former friends don't really want to interact with her, and so Serena makes some new friends.
Banter Points: It was an easy read.
Bummer Points: Sheesh. Where to begin. Ok, point #1: Word Nerd is not 16. Maybe if she were, this book would have been better. Point #2: There are lots of books written for teens and younger that Word Nerd has really enjoyted. Point #3. Gossip Girl is not one of them. It's amazing to Word Nerd that these books are best-sellers. Not very much actually happened in this first book ... unless you count the under-aged main characters getting wasted a few times. Hopefully not sounding like a prude here, but Word Nerd was pretty appalled at the behavior of the main characters. Yes, teens get drunk and have sex, but honestly, if that the kind of story to put in their hands to have them aspire to?
Word Nerd recommendation: Skip it. If you're a parent that's got a teen girl reader, reconsider these titles. There are other, far better written, far better plotted, far better examples in fiction.

Book Banter -- Whistling in the Dark

Title: Whistling in the Dark
Author: Lesley Kagen
Length: 297 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: Ten year-old Sally O'Malley has an overactive imagination. When a child molester and murderer hits her neighborhood in 1959 Milwaukee, she's convinced she will be the next victim. But she and her younger sister Troo, are left to fend for themselves that summer when their mother ends up in the hospital, their older sister spends more time with her boyfriend Eddie than her younger siblings and their stepfather abandons them.
Banter Points: Kagen writes beautifully through the voice of 10-year-old Sally, managing to capture the insight of how kids see the world. Kagen paints a great picture of this 1950s neighborhood with its deep-rooted Catholicism and hidden secrets.
Bummer Points: One of the big plot twists Word Nerd figured out before it was revealed. Maybe Word Nerd has an overactive imagination too.
Word Nerd recommendation: Before summer's gone, get this book. It'll make a great capstone for the summer reading list.

Author Answers with Jacqueline Carey

This week's author is fantasy writer Jacqueline Carey. Her Kushiel series has won several awards since the first one debuted in 2001.

For more on Carey, visit her website.

WN: Your latest book, "Kushiel's Justice" came out this summer. When youstarted the first one, did you expect it to grow into a series like this?

CAREY: At the very beginning, no. By the time I finished, I sensed the possibility and left the door open. I took a break to let the creative wells refill, and behold! The overall series arc took shape in my mind.

WN: The world you've created for the Kushiel series is quite complex anddetailed. How did you go about your world building, and how do you keepit all organized now?

CAREY: Research, research, research! Some elements are pure fabrication, but because I’m writing alternate historical fantasy, most of the cultures, mythologies and geographies are based on real-world analogues. I’m always on the lookout for those little details that breathe life into a scene. I’d love to say I have an efficient system for keeping it all organized, but in truth, it’s all stored in my mind... which is a very crowded place.

WN: What's your writing process like?

CAREY: Once I have the basic framework and itinerary of a plot in mind, I do a lot of research up front. After I begin writing, I research on the fly as questions like “What’s the saline content of an iceberg?” arise. When I’m immersed in a project, I write for 3-4 hours a day. I’m an edit-as-you-go writer. Every day begins with polishing the previous day’s writing, and I can’t move forward until it’s as smooth as I can make it. No skipping ahead for me, ever!

WN: Were you a reader as a kid... what turned you on to reading/writingbooks?

CAREY: Yes, I’m a lifelong reader. I suspect that would have been true no matter what, but I also credit my mother for reading extensively to my brothers and me. The last book she read aloud to us was “Watership Down,” which took a long time. As soon as she finished, she handed it to me so I could reread it for myself. Don’t tell my old teachers, but I started writing when I was sixteen and bored in high school! It became an addictive hobby that turned into a genuine calling years later.

WN: What's the best part of being a writer to you? What's the most challenging part of writing for you?

CAREY: For me, the best part is being able to do what I love for a living. There are writers who, as the saying goes, hate writing, but love having written. I love the actual process of writing. Consequentially, the most challenging part is ending a major project. I know I need downtime, but I’m always at a loss. What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you? I always go back to Mary Renault’s “The Persian Boy,” a novel about the latter half of Alexander the Great’s life. I borrowed it from a camp counselor when I was ten years old, and it was the first grown-up novel I’d ever read. It introduced me to the wonder of bringing to life a world that no longer was, populated with gods and heroes and villains. That led me to one day create a world that never was, but might have been.

Book Banter Archives

Word Nerd hasn't reread many of the books since she started blogging, but yesterday, she finished her second trip through Anne Frasier's Pale Immortal. Word Nerd wanted to read it again before reading an advanced reader copy of the sequel, Garden of Darkness. She was fairly sure she remembered what happened, but just in case she was forgetting details, she wanted to read it again.

The first review still stands, so, if you missed it in 2006, here's the link for playing catch up.

Book Banter -- Kushiel's Dart

Title: Kushiel's Dart
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 701 pages
Plot Basics: As a child, Phedre is sold to as an indentured servant to Anafiel Delaunay, a mysterious nobleman. Delaunay uses Phedre to help him gain information about the politics in the land and through her spying, Phedre learns a secret that threatens the entire realm. To prevent the land she loves from being destroyed, Phedre along with some dutiful companions takes on a mission to the far reaches of the world.
Banter Points: First, let Word Nerd just get this out there... WOW! This book was incredible. The scope of the world that Carey creates (which looks strikingly like an alternate western Europe) is wonderfully rich in detail. Adding to the fascinating world is a cast of intriguing characters that Phedre interacts with. This book has it all: intrigue, politics, some romance, some fight scenes and they blend together to keep the reader hooked.
Bummer Points: Apparently, all the books in this series are this long, so Word Nerd's in for the long haul to read the next four that are released.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fans of George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan take note. Word Nerd gives Carey's books higher marks than Martin or Jordan. For those that feel that Martin's cast of characters is too big, Carey's is more manageable and for those that got frustrated by Jordan's going-nowhere-fast tomes, Carey's book keeps the action at a good pace.
Bonus: Tune in Wednesday when Carey is the featured author in Author Answers.

Overwhelmed

Is it possible for a bibliophile to be overwhelmed by the number of books she is waiting to read?

She's currently in the middle of two books.

And the stack on the floor? Growing. Daily, it seems like.

Here's a glimpse at what Word Nerd at least hopes to read, based on what she has checked out/borrowed/bought:
--Our Man in Havanna, Graham Greene
--Murder in Clichy, Cara Black
--The Body Farm, Patricia Cornwell
--Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
--Kushiel's Chosen, Jacqueline Carey
--Glass Houses, Rachel Caine
--Thin Air, Rachel Caine
--Gossip Girl, Cecily von Ziegesar
--Whistling in the Dark, Lesley Kagen
--Lady Friday, Garth Nix
--Wicked, Gregory Maguire
--The Blood Books, vol. 1, Tanya Huff
--Labyrinth, Kate Mosse
--Lying with Strangers, James Grippando

Something after Potter?

USAToday has a story about the book that's bumped Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from it's number one best-seller spot.

And it's not what you might think.

It's a young adult novel. About a vampire. And the third book in a series. Oh and the author, Stephenie Meyer never intended to be a writer. Sound familiar?

The full story is here.

Word Nerd saw the huge end-cap for this book at Barnes and Noble over the weekend and several teens (mostly girls) picking up this book.

Curiousity got to Word Nerd and she's put the first book on hold to see what the hubbub is about this series.

Author Answers with Michelle Rowen

This week's author is Michelle Rowen, author of the "Immortality Bites" series. Her second book in the series, "Fanged and Fabulous" just hit shelves in July.

For more on Rowen, check out her website.


WN: Your second book in the "Immortality Bites" series came out last month. With lots of vampire books on the market, how is yours different?




ROWEN: Vampires are very popular right now, and I’m so glad because I love stories about them. The good thing about writing stories with characters who have fangs, is there’s so many different directions you can go.
When I got the idea for my first book, BITTEN & SMITTEN, I had decided I wanted to do the opposite of what seemed to be the normal conception of vampires:make my main character a non-evil one who thought drinking blood was gross. The slayers in my books are the evil (or mostly misguided) ones and the vampires are the good guys. While in paranormal romance there are a lot of romantic vampire heroes, at the time there weren’t too many everygal vampires that readers could relate to.

WN: What can readers expect in the rest of this series?
ROWEN: The Immortality Bites series will be five books. Four of those will be from my heroine, Sarah Dearly’s point of view as she comes to terms with what it means to be a vampire and still try to lead a "normal life,"including the second book, FANGED & FABULOUS, that was just released in July. The third book, LADY AND THE VAMP, which will be out next April is more of a spin-off and takes a character who has been in the first two books – Quinn, the vampire-hunter-turned-vampire – and gives him a chance to be the hero. When we return to Sarah in Book 4: STAKES & STILETTOS, she will be attending her ten year high school reunion (with her 600-year-old boyfriend in tow) and realizing she’s not the only one who has changed drastically during the last decade.

WN: And you are also writing a suspense-type book that comes out next summer? What is that one about?
ROWEN: Under the pen name Michelle Maddox I am writing a speculative romance (which is basically a futuristicthriller) called COUNTDOWN (June ’08). It takes place in the near, dystopic future, and revolves around a street thief who finds herself on a reality TV show where death is the consolation prize with a hardened criminal as her partner. It’s much darker and sexier than my Michelle Rowen titles and I’m having a ton of fun writing it!




WN: What's your writing process like?
ROWEN: Back when I was an aspiring writer I would take lots of time to write. My first book took me two years from beginning to end, so I would write when I felt inspired. Now that I’m published and I have deadlines to deal with, I’m finding that I’m writing every day – even when I have writer’s block! Luckily I do write from an outline...I know what’s going to happen for the most part in the book. I admire writers who can sit down with no plan and tap away at a book. I used to try to write that way but felt that I definitely need a map. Sometimes characters or situations in the plot will take me in different directions, but a loose outline definitely helps make the trip easier.

WN: Were you a reader as a kid... what turned you on to reading/writing books?
ROWEN: I read voraciously as a kid. I loved Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, Judy Blume. I never read much until I was in fourth grade and our teacher would read us a chapter a day. I found that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next and I can attribute that to sparking my interest in reading. I was probably most influenced to be a writer early on by Enid Blyton’s Adventure series because they were about normal kids having wild and exciting adventures.




WN: What's the best part of being a writer to you?
ROWEN: I love writing "The End." No, really. It’s the best part, and you get such an incredible rush from it. All of your imagination, all of your hard work is down on paper, and being publsihed I know that eventually (it usually takes a full year from that point until the book is available in book stores) somebody will read what came out of my crazy imagination. I have the coolest readers, too. They write me lovely notes telling me how much they enjoyed my books. What isn’t to love about that?




WN: What's the most challenging part of writing for you?
ROWEN: Getting to "The End." Ha ha. It goes without saying that a book has a lot of pages. And within those pages you have to have everything make sense. It has to have a beginning, middle, and end. Characters need to grow and change and fall in love. And sometimes, even if you know where you’re going with the story, there are some HARD days along the way getting to the end. And the doubt sets in – maybe this isn’t a good story, maybe I’m not such a good writer – but you need to push through that, because once you finish, there’s no other feeling in the world. For a while, anyhow, because then you have to start revising the thing to make it better!




WN: What's next for you as a writer?
ROWEN: I am contracted for two more books in my Immortality Bites series to finish the five books off. I’m still writing my futuristic romance. I have a couple of young adult novels written that I want to revise because I’d love to branch out in that direction.
Luckily I have about a hundred ideas for books I’d like to write, so the well isn’t going to run dry any time soon.

WN: What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
ROWEN: Wow, tough question! Two great books about writing that come immediately to mind are ON WRITING by Stephen King, and BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. Very inspirational and every writer, either published or aspiring, should have them, well dog-earred, on their book shelf. As far as a novel that has inspired me, it would have to be a really lousy novel that I read once, that after I threw it at the wall I decided that I could do better. Sometimes we don’t have to be inspired by great art. Sometimes something lousy can kick that muse into action, because if they could do it then so could I. And better! At least, I’m giving it my best shot.

Book Banter -- First Among Sequels

Title: First Among Sequels
Author: Jasper Fforde
Length: 362 pages
Genre: literary/comedy/mystery
Plot Basics: It's almost 14 years since Thursday Next's last adventure. During that time, she is maintaining to the world that she's done with Spec-Ops (which has been disbanded) and done traveling into the BookWorld as a Jurisfiction agent. Of course, she's really still doing both. The BookWorld is facing a major crisis as the ReadRate is plummeting as people are watching more reality TV instead of reading books. Thursday is trying to figure out how to stop it while meanwhile, training two new operatives -- Thursday1-4 and Thursday5, the fictional versions of herself from the books in the series. And facing herself could be the biggest challenge to date.
Banter Points: Only Jasper Fforde could likely write this book and pull it off. Literary puns, time-travel, merciless humor at the expense of popular books and a cliffhanger to boot... The Thursday Next books just keep getting better and better.
Bummer Points: The above-mentioned cliffhanger.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Hilarious for anyone's who's a bibliophile. Fforde is imaginative and clever and unique. But, don't start this series in the middle. It's far too complicated to be read out of order.