Hello loyal readers! We’re doing something a bit different today in light of the COVID-19 quarantine. As you know, many events have been cancelled; everything from national sporting events to Broadway to… well, book tours. When Alexis Marie Chute contacted us to see if we wanted to be a stop on her virtual book tour for the release of Inside the Sun, we couldn’t say no!
You may remember Alexis Marie Chute from when we interviewed her last June. She chatted with us about the release of the second book of her trilogy, The 8th Island. Well, the long-awaited third book has finally arrived, and we’ve got the insider scoop! Click “read more” below for photos, an interview with the author, an excerpt from Inside the Sun, and of course, information on where to buy the books!
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Still seeking the perfect holiday gift for that YA fiction-lover in your life? Author Yvonne Ventresca‘s sophomore novel Black Flowers, White Lies may just fit the bill.
Black Flowers, White Lies follows cat-loving, superstitious protagonist Ella, a teenager whose strong connection to her father endures despite the fact that he died before her birth. When strange things start happening in Ella’s life, you can’t help but wonder: Is her father sending warnings from the afterlife? Are her family’s hereditary psychiatric problems slowly claiming their latest victim? Or is there an earthlier explanation?
I chatted with Yvonne Ventresca about the common themes in Black Flowers, White Lies and her debut novel Pandemic, what appeals to her about writing YA fiction, and more. Check out an excerpt below:
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Author Sarah Glenn Marsh‘s debut novel Fear the Drowning Deep was released by Sky Pony Press on Oct. 11. Set against the mystical backdrop of the Isle of Man in 1913, this YA book follows protagonist Bridey as she grapples with her fear of the ocean (hence the title), encountering a supernatural threat and a blossoming romance in the process. The novel draws in readers from the first page when a drowning victim is discovered on the beach, “her dark hair wrapped around her neck like seaweed,” and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the young woman’s death (which echo the demise of Bridey’s own grandfather years earlier) keep the reader engaged and intrigued, with Marsh’s vivid descriptions painting an evocative picture of Manx living.
I interviewed Sarah Glenn Marsh about how she chose the setting for Fear the Drowning Deep, the most challenging and enjoyable aspects of writing her first novel, who she would cast in a film version of the book, her tips for unpublished writers, and more. Check out an excerpt below:
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Title: The Midnight Watch
Author: David Dyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9781250080936
Published: April 5, 2016 St. Martin’s Press
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Main Characters: John Steadman, Stanley Lord, Herbert Stone
Synopsis: Did you know that on the night of April 14, 1912, when the Titanic was sinking, that there was a large cargo ship six miles away that could have saved every person who died that night? Boston reporter John Steadman, covering the horrors of that night, learns about the ship and its complete inaction. Unlike the other reporters, he is not content to let it stand. Thinking of the twelve hundred people who died that night (including fifty-three children, whose names no one can be bothered to utter), he dons disguises and travels thousands of miles to uncover the truth: How could the SS Californian see every one of Titanic’s eight distress rockets and do nothing? The Midnight Watch by David Dyer, based on actual articles and dispositions of the time, aims to delve into the mind of those responsible and find out the truth.
Check out the review behind the jump!
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Title: Uses For Boys
Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Genre: YA Fiction
ISBN: 1-25-00071-19
Published: January 2013, St. Martin’s Griffin
Purchase: Amazon, MacMillan
Main Characters: Anna, her mother, Toy
Synopsis: Anna is alone. She has a mother, sort of. She has no father. She never has. She’s trying to grow up on her own, desperately searching for a place to belong or some sort of sign that she’s on the right path, that where she is now is where she’s supposed to be. Every time she makes a new decision– a new apartment, a new friend, a new boy– she hopes it’s the one that will finally make her life make sense. “Tell me again,” she says. Will she ever find a reason to smile?
Review: This book reminds me of the way I felt when I was a teenager. Our situations were nothing alike, but I can identify with the overall feeling– not knowing where you’re going, where you belong, if you’re lovable…
Continue reading at Analaithe Books!
