In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

FOR REVIEW:

KISS OF NIGHT by DEBBIE VIGUIE

SLEEPWALKERS by J. GABRIEL GATES

MISFIT by JON SKOVRON

THE TWILIGHT OF LAKE WOEBEGOTTEN by HARRISON GEILLOR

SEERS by HEATHER FROST

THOSE ACROSS THE RIVER by CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN

DEVIANT by ADRIAN MCKINTY

THE MEPHISTO COVENANT by TRINITY FAEGEN

FORBIDDEN by TOD DEKKER & TOSCA LEE

THE JULIET SPELL by DOUGLAS REES

WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD by STEPHANIE CHONG

ONLY MINE by SUSAN MALLERY

THE LEGACY by KATHERINE WEBB

TWO MOON PRINCESS by CARMEN FERREIRO-ESTEBAN

Review - The Hunger Games

THE HUNGER GAMES by SUZANNE COLLINS

Learn more about The Hunger Games and Suzanne Collins at suzannecollinsbooks.com

This book was borrowed from a friend.

BUY IT

SUMMARY:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh 

survival against humanity and life against love.

REVIEW:

I was a little hesitant about this book at first.  I assumed it was going to be good, but I didn't know how good it would be.  There was so much hype about it, that I was afraid I would begin reading it and find myself disappointed.  But oh, was I wrong.  I absolutely loved this novel.  From the first pages, it had me.  And let me say to all of you that have yet to read it...  believe the hype.  Give yourself up to it and just read it already.

The main thing I loved about this book was that it wasn't easy to figure out.  You didn't know what was going to happen until it happened, or how things were going to happen.  You were basically left in the dark with no choice but to continue reading.  I was kept guessing on every single page.   The Hunger Games is very well written.  Whether it's the horridity of the violence and the Games, or the heart and emotion you feel as you read on about the individual characters.  It was easy to get sucked in and you remained there until the end.

Another thing that stood out to me about this novel was the lack of romance.  Of course, there's a little romance in the novel, but only a tiny portion.  It doesn't take center stage and demand all the attention.  The book itself does not revolve around lust and love like most do.  I love my love stories, but this book was a bit refreshing in that sense.

I loved this book so much and it is so different from anything I've read recently.  As soon as I finished the last page, I honestly wanted to throw myself right into book two, Catching Fire.  This book really does live up to the hype.

MEMORABLE QUOTES:

RATING:

5 MOONS.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

The Hunger Games is currently being made into a movie and will reportedly be released in 2012.  I absolutely cannot wait!  To find out more, click here.

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?

This shirt isn't very thrilling, but if I had to pick one that I've seen recently, this would have to be it.  Not only am a big, huge, mega reader, enough so that my collection could easily be called a library, but I freaking love to bake...And I am obsessed with cupcakes.  I'm such a big lover of cupcakes that I actually plan on getting not one, but TWO cupcakes tattoos when I get enough cash.  I love making cupcakes, and I love to read.  What could be yummier?

Also, don't forget to sign up for email alerts (so you don't miss anything!) as well as adding us on Twitter, adding me on GoodReads, and liking us on Facebook!

And make sure you stay posted, because not only do we review books constantly, but we have a couple giveaways coming up soon!

Interview - Mette Ivie Harrison

Mette Ivie Harrison has written six novels, the most recent being Tris & Izzie, a modern day magical romance inspired by the German fairytale Tristan and Isolde.  Read our review for Tris & Izzie here.
To find out more about this author and her novels, visit her official website at metteivieharrison.com

DESCRIBE TRIS & IZZIE IN ONE (1) SENTENCE.

Clueless for Wagner.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK INSPIRED BY THE GERMAN FAIRYTALE TRISTAN AND ISOLDE?

I studied German for years in college and have a PhD. I took a graduate class in German opera, and Tristan and Isolde was one of the operas we looked at. It was also the first piece of German literature I read when I started college. It's one of the foundation pieces of all German literature, so I guess I studied it multiple times. I love romance and magic, and this was sort of before magic and fantasy began to be considered low brow, so it was something I had always wanted to do a retelling of. It took a long time before I got over the fear of touching something that meant so much to me.

WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON A NOVEL, DO YOU HAVE A SET WRITING SCHEDULE OR DO YOU JUST WRITE WHENEVER YOU FEEL THE URGE?

I write five days a week, for about 3-4 hours a day. I'm pretty rigid about my schedule and tend to write on holidays and I don't take vacations much. I know other writers who work differently, though. This is just the way I am, not just about writing, but about everything in my life. I have a pretty rigid schedule about my workouts and eating, too.

WHICH CHARACTER FROM TRIS & IZZIE WOULD YOU HAVE TO SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE?

I actually love the serpent Gurmun. I also like the Mark and Branna pairing. I really like that Branna is the kind of best friend who is so loyal that she won't even say that she's in love with Izzie's boyfriend for a whole year. Though it is also part of the problem in her character. I think that in some ways our virtues are always flaws, as well.

THE COVER TO THIS NOVEL IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL.  TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.  DID YOU HAVE ANY PART IN THE DESIGN?

No, authors really don't have much say in cover art. I saw the cover about a year ago. My editor sent it to see what I thought. I was bowled over and said Yes, please, and that's about it.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR?  IF NOT, WHAT OTHER OCCUPATION WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE?

Yes, I knew I wanted to be an author when I was in Kindergarten. My more practical parents tried to talk me out of it for years. I thought maybe I would be a high school teacher for a while, and then got a PhD and taught German at a university for a few years. But it wasn't right for me, and I finally got the courage up to quit my job and go for my dreams.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?  ANY RECOMMENDATIONS?

Right at this moment, I am reading Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Surrender and Jim Butcher's Ghost Story. I recommend highly anything by Holly Black, Shannon Hale, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Megan Whalen Turner.

DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORKS?

Always. I've got a big, fat fantasy coming out probably next year about two princesses from rival kingdoms who become best of friends and have to choose between their friendship and their kingdoms. I also have a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing tentatively titled Ben and Bee. And a retelling of The Happy Prince. I never know what will work for the publishers I am with, and I just write what I am interested in and let other people decide what is marketable.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TRIS & IZZIE FOR THE READERS WHO HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO PICK IT UP YET.

Izzie is a girl who has a great boyfriend, Mark King, captain of the basketball team. She wants her best friend Branna to have as much success in love as she has had. Branna is clearly in love with someone who doesn't love her back, so Izzie decides to use one of her mother's love potions on Branna and a guy she thinks will be suitable. This turns out to be new guy Tristan, but then Izzie accidentally takes the potion instead of Branna, and she is in love with Tristan. She fights against it because she feels like it's artificial love and Mark is the real love of her life. But she slowly realizes the love potion isn't going to be cured, so she has to let Mark be free to fall in love with someone else.  But this is set against a backdrop of some old magical dangers that Izzie has to learn how to fight with Tristan's help.

IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN AND HAVE DINNER WITH ANOTHER AUTHOR, LIVING OR DECEASED, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

I've actually had dinner with some authors I dreamed about having dinner with. Orson Scott Card is one of them. It's one of the delights of my life that I've met so many wonderful authors who care about books as much as I do. So people who are on my list like Megan Whalen Turner I suspect I will eventually meet. But Jane Austen isn't really a possibility and she is one of my huge favorites, so I guess I would choose her.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING AN AUTHOR?

Oh, I love writing stories. I hate it sometimes, too, when it isn't going well. I whine and complain about how hard it is to be a writer, how cruel reviews are. But I am also living my dream, so I know that I am truly lucky. I have a supportive spouse, which helps enormously, and my kids are old enough to be readers for me and tell me what they like and don't like. I suppose I also love getting free books. Who knew?

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS?

Lots of advice at my website: www.metteivieharrison.com. Mostly, I would say keep writing. And remember that you have something unique to say, so say it well.

ARE THERE ANY LAST WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE WITH OUR READERS?

Writing a novel is like running a 50 mile race. It seems at time like it will never end. It hurts in places you didn't know it could hurt before. You have to prepare in advance to do it, mostly by doing a lot of writing. Nothing can actually prepare you better than doing more of the same. You need to take care of yourself while you are racing and not ignore those little twinges in your knees or the pangs of hunger or thirst you feel. You also may need to take some walking breaks where you think about what you are doing. But when you are finished, you may be surprised to discover that you want to do it again.

We would like to thank Mette Ivie Harrison for all of her help and cooperation.  She is a great writer and from what we've seen, a wonderful person!  We cannot wait to work with her more in the future, and read more of her writing.

Review - Tris & Izzie

TRIS & IZZIE by METTE IVIE HARRISON

Learn more about Tris & Izzie and Mette Ivie Harrison at metteivieharrison.com.

This novel was provided for free by the publishers for review.

BUY IT

SUMMARY:

A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

REVIEW:

Alright, first off I absolutely adore the cover of this novel!  I think it's one of my favorites!  It's so beautiful in a romantic, serene kind of way.  It definitely gets an A+ in my eyes.  It's everything I'd want a cover to be (for this story anyway).

I was introduced to this novel a little while ago on other book blogs.  It was being reviewed and author interviews were popping up everywhere.  As soon as I took a look at the cover, I knew I wanted to read it.  So to GoodReads I went.  The summary for Tris & Izzie had me hooked as well.  I desperately wanted to read this book.  So after a little research, and finally delving into the world of NetGalley, it was once and for all in my hands (or on my computer screen, I should say...).

When I opened it up, I quickly lost myself within the pages.  I could not stop reading it.  I was instantly hooked.  I ended up sitting on the computer for hours doing nothing but reading Tris & Izzie.  I finished it the same day and was a little sad when I was done.  I wanted to keep reading.

There was so much about this novel to love; interesting characters, romance, magic, and teenage angst.  I have to admit though, the romance and magic is what got me and held my attention.  When I read the first few chapters, I was instantly intrigued by the magic and how it was used and portrayed.  It made the story desirable and even more interesting to the reader.

The only thing I can think of that could have made the book better is if it had gone a little more slowly.  I feel like the book itself, as well as the characters and the situations they were put in, were a little bit rushed.  Everything happened a bit quickly.  But hey, I don't know anything about other-wordly beasts and a magical whirlwind romance.

I loved this novel.

MEMORABLE QUOTES:

"If you knew exactly who you were going to fall in love with before it happened, then everything would be a lot easier.  But you didn't get to plan things like that beforehand.  You just had to scramble and figure things out once they happened."

RATING:

5 MOONS.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

If you have had the opportunity to read this novel already, or if you're desperately awaiting it's release, keep your eyes peeled.  Because in the next couple of weeks, we will be having a swag giveaway as well as an interview with Mette Ivie Harrison, author of Tris & Izzie!

Review - Getting The Mercury Out

GETTING THE MERCURY OUT by AINE NI CHEALLAIGH

Learn more about Getting The Mercury Out and Aine Ni Cheallaigh at mercurystories.com

This novel was provided for free by the author for review through GoodReads FirstReads.

BUY IT

SUMMARY:

At the age of 30, Aine Ni Cheallaigh began to develop mysterious symptoms. Her health was eroding and she felt that she was aging faster than everyone around her. Suspecting that toxins were to blame, she had her mercury fillings removed. But restoring her health wasn’t going to be that simple. Over the following months, she found herself catapulted into a nightmare of mental and physical illness. Getting the Mercury Out follows this ordinary woman’s quest to solve her health mystery. Can she cure a disease that the medical establishment won’t even admit is real? Can she find a treatment that will restore her to health and sanity? Sometimes funny, often heart-wrenching, this book is a deeply engaging story of personal struggle and endurance. It’s an eye-opener for those who are curious about mercury poisoning, and an absolute must-read for anyone grappling with the desperate search for healing.

REVIEW:

I love the cover of this book!  It's one of those that catches your eye even though it's very minimalistic just because of house pretty it is.

I normally don't read memoirs, but for some reason this one caught my attention when I was entering giveaways on GoodReads.  I was very interested in this story and how it would unfold.  And let me say, it held my attention.  It's so hard to believe that this woman (the author) went through all of the stuff in the book.  Some of the situations and health problems that are described sometimes make you feel like you're reading a work of fiction.  But oh, no.  What you're reading is real life.  The problems that she went through really scare you and make you feel for her on a personal level.  I could never imagine going through all of that!

I actually enjoyed this book and it gave me some insight into the world of mercury poisoning, something that I honestly did not know existed before I stumbled upon Getting The Mercury Out.

This book is a definite must read for anyone suffering from, think they may have, or just want to find out more about mercury poisoning.  And just like the author, maybe you don't know you have it until you hear about someone else's case.

MEMORABLE QUOTES:

RATING:

3 1/2 MOONS.
WORTH READING!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

The Rules:

• Open to a random page.
• Share two (2) or so "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 and author too, so that other TT readers can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teasers.

BOOK:

THE HUNGER GAMES

suzanne collins

BUY IT

TEASER:

"For a moment, the cameras hold on Peeta's downcast eyes as what he says sinks in.  Then I can see my face, mouth half open in a mix of surprise and protest, magnified on every screen as I realize, Me!  He means me!  I press my lips together and stare at the floor, hoping this will conceal the emotions starting to boil up inside of me."

The review for The Hunger Games will be up later this week.

   

Release Day

WILDEFIRE by KARSTEN KNIGHT

karstenknight.com  BUY IT NOW     learn more

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

I just finished having a bit of fun in the Wildefire release Twitter Party.  It was an amazing chat.  A lot of questions were answered (a couple of mine!) and we got to know a little bit more about Karsten Knight, the author.  If you've never heard of him, or watched any of his vlogs, then you are definitely missing out!  He's a really great guy and I'm sure his work will be just as great (unfortunately, I have yet to read Wildefire.  Hopefully soon!)  So I just want to say congratulations to Karsten and to everyone else, go buy the book!

And congrats to the two winners of the Twitter party giveaways!

MY QUESTIONS THAT WERE ANSWERED:

How did you come up with the name(s) for your characters?

Fun fact about names--Ashline Wilde's name was originally Amanda Marsh. Not a very volcano goddess friendly name.

If Wildefire was made into a movie, who would you choose to play the main characters?

 I would love for Taylor Lautner to play the role of Colt Halliday. Great actor, and Colt is a Native American role.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

FOR REVIEW:

TRIS AND IZZIE by METTER IVIE HARRISON

GETTING THE MERCURY OUT by AINE NI CHEALLAIGH

THE DISTANT HOURS by KATE MORTON

BLOOD by K.J. WIGNALL

CINDER AND ELLA by MELISSA LEMON

THE MARKED SON by SHEA BERKLEY

BORROWED:

THE HUNGER GAMES by SUZANNE COLLINS

Review - The Strip

THE STRIP by J.J. SALEM

Learn more about The Strip and J.J. Salem at jjsalem.com

This ARC was provided for free by the publisher for review through GoodReads FirstReads.

BUY IT

SUMMARY:

In a city built for sin, where any fantasy is one phone call away, three successful women scheme through a culture where today’s stripper could be tomorrow’s Governor’s wife—and nobody would blink an eye. They are Las Vegas wives, and THE STRIP is their adults-only playground, a neon-splashed boulevard where excitement, seduction, and betrayal never go to sleep. 

Kristin Fox is the bestselling writer of controversial sex-in-suburbia novels who hungers for a sensual feast that goes beyond the pages of her money-making fiction. Jennifer Payne is the insightful marriage and family therapist who has an answer for every relationship problem except the one happening in her very own bedroom. Billie Shelton is the casino showroom song-and-dance dazzler who has been saved, remade, and quietly shattered by a dangerously obsessive Svengali husband. 

And Cam Lawford is their stud-for-hire who sees a career-ending sports injury lead him from roaring crowds in NFL stadiums to willing and generous women in luxury hotel rooms. And, ultimately, straight to an early grave...

REVIEW:

I honestly have to say that I absolutely loved this book.  Everything from the cover, to the characters, to the story waiting inside was amazing.  And is it just me, or does the woman on the cover look like and adult LeAnn Rimes?

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I first saw it on GoodReads.  It just didn't seem like my kind of book.  But when I received it in the mail and starting reading it, I couldn't put it down!  It was so easy to get sucked into The Strip.  I seriously read for hours, not wanting to put it down.  My husband practically had to pry it out of my fingers when it was time for bed.

Not only is this book really sexy and dangerous, (very sexy and very dangerous), but the characters are so well defined and created that you can't help but to love them, hate them, or want to be with them (Cam anyone?).  

Even though there's a lot of sexy situations, yummy characters, and a fantasy-style storyline, there's also a dark, dangerous side to The Strip.  The book goes really deep and shows the dark side of fame, success, money, sex, control, marriage, and the very greedy side of love.  It draws you in.

In my opinion, the ending didn't stand up as well as the majority of the book.  But I'm sure that would be different for different people.  Different readers would want it to end different ways.  I wasn't too fond of this ending, but it definitely didn't take away from the rest of the novel.

All in all, this was a great read that I will definitely read again in the future, and I have to say, it should be made into a movie!

MEMORABLE QUOTES:

RATING:

41/2 MOONS
HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

The Strip Trailer

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

That's such a hard question.  There are so many wonderful authors out there that I would love to meet and try to pick their brains.  But if I had to choose...

1. Anne Rice

No way she would not be on my list of authors to meet and get advice from.  She's created so many distinct amazing worlds in her novels.  Ah, there's so much that could be learned from that I honestly don't even know where to start!  I've always wanted to meet her.

2. J.K. Rowling

I have the same kind of reasoning for meeting her as I do Anne Rice.  But for Rowling, I would just love to pick her brain about how those first months were.  When she was writing, poor, not sure of what she was going to do next.  As an aspiring author myself, I want to know those things and I would want reassurance that no matter where you come from, you can make it.

3. Charlaine Harris

I would love to meet her.  And for no other reason than I am a big Sookie Stackhouse fan!  (Fayth and I both are!)

Novel Covers

When I was checking my email today, I received an update from author A.G. Wright's blog.  The topic of the post I had received was novel covers.  I was instantly intrigued because I love, love, love novel covers.  Nothing about a new book gets me like a beautiful cover.  That is, after all, what attracts us first.  It's our first glimpse at the amazing world inside.  I'll let A.G. Wright explain it:

"They give us our first impressions...the first feeling we ever get about that book, the first introduction to a new unfounded world, the first glimpse of possibly something great, and so on."

I can't agree with that more.  I am a slave for a beautiful novel cover.  I decided that I would put together a little collage of covers that (as of now) I'm finding insanely gorgeous and share them with all of you.  

1. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
2. Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
3. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
4. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
5. After Obsession by Carrie Jones
6. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
7. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
8. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
9. Hereafter by Tara Hudson
10. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin




Aren't those just beautiful?  I have only read two (2) of those novels.  But the rest are definitely on my TBR list and I hope I can get to them soon!


So tell me, what novels covers have you entranced?  Where there any books you bought just because you loved the cover?  I wanna know!

Interview - Michael D. Young

Michael D. Young is the author of The Canticle Kingdom, Portrait of a Mother, and his latest novel The Last Archangel. Read our review of The Last Archangel here.

To find out more about this author and his novels, visit his website at writermike.com

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THE LAST ARCHANGEL?Some of my books are lightning flash/light bulb moments.  This one came to me slowly over time. I can’t really pinpoint the moment it happened, but I’ve always been interested in angel lore, especially after having lived in Europe and been exposed to various traditions about angels.

WHO WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL?
I’ve got say, I love Xandir.  He’s powerful, quick-witted, but also complex, with many faceted to him.  Oh, and he carries two swords.  Twice as cool.  
Judy is a close second.  I like her combination of spunk and know-how. Anyone who could take out a cobra with an umbrella is great in my eyes.

DESCRIBE THE LAST ARCHANGEL IN THREE (3) WORDS.
Exhilarating, layered, imaginative.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT NAMING YOUR CHARACTERS?

I drew on a lot of names from Christian tradition.  All of the angels except for the fallen ones, end in “el” as is it in the Bible. (Think Gabriel or Michael).  The name Eden brings to mind a woman with a pivotal role, and the angel Absalom even had a mane of hair just like his biblical counterpart.  The villains Cain, Jubal and Tubal are all mentioned in the Bible.  It is even mentioned that Jubal was a musician. 

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS NOVELS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO READ THEM.

For now, I only have one that has been published called “The Canticle Kingdom”.  It is the story of a kingdom inside of a music box, where the inhabitants are not yet aware that they are in a box.  The music from the box plays sometimes and some of those who hear it are drawn in and made part of the world inside the box.  I also have many other novels I’m working on and should be appearing in the coming months and years.

WHAT PART OF WRITING A NOVEL DO YOU FIND THE HARDEST?

Revision.  It is so hard to know how much is enough.  You could revise endlessly, but I think there comes a point when you said “It’s time to let this one out of the bag.”

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR?

It was about high school that I figured out that I really wanted to write.  I’ve always been a storyteller, but it was only as I got a little older that I saw the real practical applications of my talent and got the drive to make it happen.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE LAST ARCHANGEL TO NEW READERS?

It is an action/adventure story about a fallen angel who must make the final choice between good and evil and about the lives of some of those who figure into the earth’s final chapter.

IF THE LAST ARCHANGEL WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY XANDIR AND EDEN?

Wow, that’s a hard one.  I hope that’s a choice I’d get to actually try to help with someday.  I think Gerard Butler for Xandir and maybe Amy Adams for Eden.  I’ll have my fingers crossed.

DID YOU PLAY ANY PART IN THE DESIGN OF THE COVER?  IF SO, TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT AND WHAT THE IMAGERY AND SYMBOLS ON THE COVER MEAN.

They gave me an initial mockup of the cover and asked for opinion.  I gave them some input and the final cover was the result.  (I suggested having Xandir’s swords featured on the cover).  On the bottom, you see ruins, reminiscent of what Xandir does and especially the scene with Pompeii at the beginning.  All around him, you see Xandir surrounded by symbols of time, which is appropriate because he is a prisoner until “The End of the World”.  The swords are Xandir’s dark and light swords, crossed in an X for “Xandir”.  Xandir himself is looking down and shrouded in darkness to denote that he is a fallen angel.  And from above you see a sinister face representing the demons and other evil beings who have a hold on him.   

All in all, I really love the cover!

IS THIS STORY FINISHED OR IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF A SEQUEL SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE?

I have two more books mapped out that tell a little more of Xandir as a mortal and how the events with the demons and with Cain unfold.  I’m very excited to see how it turns out.

ARE THERE ANY LAST WORDS YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE WITH OUR READERS?

I know there are a lot of angel stories out there now.  I started writing this one years ago before angels were sort of a trend.  I think that it takes a different approach then many angels books out there and I hope that you’ll give it a shot and that you’ll enjoy it as much as enjoyed writing it.

We would like to thank Michael D. Young for all of his help and cooperation.  He is an amazing writer and a great person!  We can't wait to work with him more in the future!