New Blog -Book Reviews

Here's my new blog, to anyone who missed my stuff. Hope you like it.

Half Way Through At The End Of The Year

I like Capitalizing the first letter of all the words in my headings, I don't know why.
Ok let me get

I am writing a fictional novel. It's a supernatural thriller, for young adults or grown ups not sure yet. It's more work than I thought it would be, and it's funny how the book grows as I grow as a person. I don't think it will be my best work, but I am pouring my heart and mind into this. I feel like i am writing it in a rush, because i gave myself a deadline, but because of Teacher Training, holidays, and my new boost for getting back in shape, I have fallen behind. I do hope to make hedgeway as I thought it was called, but then Ryan corrected me, and I know it is headway. It's going to be a fun book to read, creative and imaginative.

This book takes me places in my mind, and makes me people I am not! Can't wait to share it with you all eventually! Writing this blog, makes me feel like I've finally come clean, in regards to my absence from blogging. I mean I have blogged, but its not as incessant as it was. In fact am proud to say last year I published 137 blogs posts. My blogger stats tell me the most number of views were in July and Nov 2013. USA rules with most readership, followed by Russia! India follows in at third, and European countries including UK follow after that. I just have to say thanks for reading to all my readers! I hope you all will like my book!

Most people view it from a Windows computer; 28% from a Mac. Oooh! 48% view from firefox, and only 20% from Chrome, (chrome is personally my preferred browser. It's fast and better all round). 15% of readers still use IE, whyyy!!!! There's so much other info from the stats, but this was supposed to be about the book I'm writing, how I got carried away!

I'm half way through writing this book. YA(young adult books are usually 55k to 60k long, and I am (a grandmother figure in my life, told me to never measure/ count progress but to get through it), 26k in. Which is half way for the 50k goal, ok plus there will be more added. However for sci-fi fantasy "they" say a 6 figure range is better... really?

Trudging along then!
I can do this!


Breathe!

Winter Is Coming: Reading

Nope not the Game of Thrones books, but let's revisit the classics. Which of these have your read? Looking to gift someone a present? You can't go wrong with a classic! I began reading classic by the time I was in 4th grade, I loved Shakespeare (go figure). I loved going to my school library and devouring an entire book in a  week, feeding my imagination. Now there are video games, but the knowledge, awakening that happens from reading is lacking in video games, and movies... so pick up a book this winter!

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - as much as Mark Twain is loved, as a girl, growing up in India, I couldn't identify much with Tom Sawyer, however I did dream of being a "lady" in the arms of Darcy in the old days when men were gentlemen and women were elegant... It's a must read for all young girls, whether they are a tomboy or girlie, it puts life into perspective.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes is always an amazing adventure and mystery. He teaches us to think in new ways. It's amazing what we can learn from his methods of deduction! Heck when I first read a Sherlock Holmes book, I had no idea what deduction meant, but it was so well written one could easily deduce what it meant! ;-)

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - my mother first made me read the Grimm's Fairy Tales, and well they weren't fairy tales, more like horror stories. Still highly recommended, interesting, intriguing!

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - this is an awesome witty story, much like a comedy of errors. It had me laughing.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Divine Comedy by Dante
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - When reading it for some reason, I took the whale's side. It was always about the whale. I really had no attachment to anyone, except the whale and all the other whale friends. It's interesting what goes through a child's mind when they read books for the first time.

Ulysses by James Joyce
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
The Republic by Plato
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens- One of my favorite classics this one, I don't know why I was so drawn into it. Maybe I was there, but Dickens works his magic through a political plot, to the most... Ok i can't say but its one heck of a book.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Dubliners by James Joyce- A spinet of life in Ireland. It's so cultural, and a different type of adventure, living in other people's shoes.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë  - the most amazing romantic- tragedy ever. I saw the play after reading the book, and it made me cry as students acted it out.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Emma by Jane Austen
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad- my most favorite book of all time. I have so many copies of it. I love this story for the darkness it so truly captures.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin

Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - I recently began reading the Horla and oh boy! Maupassant had a way with horror, so creepy, dark and macabre!

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe - With all the rave about the show the Following, one must pick up some Poe. The Raven, The tell-tale heart... More darkness and Macabre!

The Iliad by Homer
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll - Read this book and find out why Wonderland is really creepy and scary. It's like Stephen King's IT if not scarier. I had nightmares as a child.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - if that much Shakespeare is an overdose, my favorites are a Winter's Tale, Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Macbeth (as a kid this gave me nightmares), The Tempest, As You Know It, A Twelfth Night or What you Will and of course the popular ones such as Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Othello...

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Call of the Wild by Jack London - this was another childhood favorite of mine. If you love dogs, the wilds, read this! Also great winter reading.

Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - of all the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Homles' stories this was always my favorite because it involved dogs. It's a great mystery and a great ending, and a lovely trip to the dreary countryside in the bogs, and other lovely geography found only in England!

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Aesop's Fables; a new translation by Aesop
Thus Spoke Zarathustra. by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
The Odyssey by Homer
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien- with the second installment of the movie based on this book coming out, it would be great to revisit the story. Mostly because how did they drag out a simple story into 4 movies?! It's a classic to read over and over again, and now we can watch it.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Slaughter House - Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Where the Red Ferns Grow by Wilson Rawls
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
White Fang by Jack London
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
The Time Machine by HG Wells
The Litttle Matchgirl by Hans Christian Anderson
The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - another period story of women in England, women who weren't nobility, and how they lived. It was a very important book in my life, and Tess is one of my favorite books, characters, and its so well written.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell - Another classic, and favorite. A book about cruelty to animals, however also teaches us about loving, living and treating animals. Although fantastical it was a wonderful book to read as a child.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Hunchback of Notre- Dame by Victor Hugo
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein
Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
Paradise Lost by John Milton
The Bhagavad Gita
The I Ching
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Medea by Euripides
The Mahabharata
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
Selected Short Stories by Anton Chekhov

Hiatus

I am giving my time and energy to writing my novel, so it's really sucking up my creative energies.

However I will definitely post something new every now and then!

lots of love and sunshine

Breathe!

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords - Chapters 69 - End (Spoiler alert!)

After much analysis, and reflection... I am Sansa. I thought life, this world would be this amazing place, what a bunch of bollocks. In other aspects I am like Arya, but it takes us a while to wake up from childhood, and break free from fairy tales. It can go the other way too, one might think life is harsh and rough all the time, and when they reach a moment of tenderness they are as much in shock as a person who thought the world was flowers and butterflies. Right?

Kids grew up faster back in the day, mortality was shorter for humans then too. Now a days we keep are kids protected from the big bad world, longer than we should. The darkness, the winter, the evil, has ways of seeping in however. I learnt young, to be wary of men; what I didn't learn was how to play the game, the game of thrones. I never liked politics, but it is important to be aware of, kind of like the game "Risk", where we take over countries and such.

It is true, maybe there was some sort of entitlement with the whole middle-class-college-educated-generations. We were told by our parents and society: "get a degree and you'll get a good job", at least that's the way of success since the 70s. Then the colleges began handing out Master Degrees like hot cakes in every field whatsoever. Then catastrophe, economic downfall, war, and loss of jobs occurs. Which gives birth to the "occupy wall-street" movement by the "99%". We forgot we have to work hard to get the job, and keep working harder still after that. What will the Joffreys, Sansas, Margearys, Briennes, Cersei,s Jaimes of the world DO! They have to be like Tywin and write letters, or be like Tyrion and deal with WHATEVER LIFE hands you.You were Sansa one day, and the next day you are a fallen Sansa. Or one day you are Tyrion, and then the next- Tyrion the traitor.

So much to learn from this book, so much. An article I read recently, reflected the racism in the series. Dany the beautiful white haired, white skinned lady, who tames a bunch of brown skinned barbarians. The story has been done before in history- British and the Indians... both the Native Americans and Indians from India. Same story different age! ;-)

This was an amazing book, the epitome of the series although there is a book 4 and 5, and a rumored book 6 and 7! For once I shall not give you any spoilers although I stumbled across many on the internet while reading, however I will say, before going the easy route and watching the show. Read the books, there's more IN it.

Breathe!


 

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords - Chapters 56 - 68 (Spoiler alert!)

If you thought the Red Wedding was big... well especially for all those that didn't read the book... Mr. Martin has more in store for us.

Remember what I said in my previous blog post about Melisandre saying that if Joffrey is killed while still safe behind walls, with all his guards present, then truly the Lord of Light is working. However Joffrey lives and thus Davos argues. Well Joffrey falls drops down dead at his wedding, after humiliating Tyrion over and over again. I say, he got what was coming for him, or you can think poor little rich blonde boy. Eh... I beg to differ, he deserved it for no lesson would set him right. In fact after the way he insulted Tywin I would hope it was Tywin who slipped him the poison, but we still don't know who poisoned Tyrion.

Sadly though Cersei is first to blame Tyrion and he is awaiting a trial and for sure execution. The trial goes horribly, because there is no witness For Tyrion, everyone is against him, because the ever so beloved king is dead. They see that Joff beating Sansa was righteous, etc. Come on people this was a King who was a boy, he didn't even FIGHT. The only blood he ever shed was disciplining slaps from his uncle Tyrion. I am glad to say he suffered, and choked and died. How could Cersei spoil a kid so much, ugh. Worst. Mother. Ever! So we shall see about Tyrion's fate. I hope he kills his sister, and gets vengeance.

However this was waaaay bigger than the red wedding... Joffrey is the sickest #@$%#er ever and he finally gets what is rightfully his! Such a relief, catharctic moment. Oh and while everyone is fussing about Joffrey dying, Sansa slips away... but more on her later. Joffrey is dead! Joffrey is Dead! The wickedest King there ever was, the enemy of all of us here in the North is DEAD! Goodness! No one Mourns the Wicked! Ok that was from Wicked - Broadway musical... check it out if you haven't! He's DEAD!

Jaime gets to King's Landing, Brienne is taken in custody cause Loras Tyrell still blames her for Renly's death. Jaime visits Cersei who is crying at the sept for Joffrey and they do it right there. She kind of is weirded out by his hand, or lack their of, and she estranges herself from him. Keeps him at bay. So I hope he got her pregnant just then cause he did EVERYTHING for her, and this is how she repays him, especially sleeping around with other men. Tywin wishes Cersei to wed a Tyrell or a Martell, doesn't matter. Tywin wnats Jaime to renounce the Knighthood, marry and take up Casterly Rock. However, Jaime has had it, he wants to marry Cersei and rule openly, but instead he just says he will never give up knight hood and Tywin renounces Jaime. What a family I tell you. Jaime asks the kingsgaurd after Tyrions really bad trial if they really think Tyrion is guilty, also if they did swear to protect the king, how the heck did he die? So they all give excuses. In the end I feel Jaime feels the "imp" is innocent, and convinces Loras that Brienne is innocent. Whoopdido.

I forgot what Dany was upto... Oh right! She is still trying to en-capture cities, and people are still trying to kill her. Oh and she find out that the two blokes she trusted the most Mormont, and the other dude Barristan Selmy who called himself Arstan, were actually traitors. Mormont fought for Robert once upon a time, and Selmy was a knight for Raegar and then bent the knee to Robert when the House of Targaryen fell. So she's so angry at them, she tells them she never wants to see them again. Also she finds out the Mormont had been sending Varys stories about her, until he fell for her, and then he stopped. She is super pissed.


 Arya is stuck with Sandor Clegane, although the last chapter made you think she fled for him. As the red wedding took place, war sprung about. In the chaos Arya found out 1- her mother and brother were dead 2- she wanted to see them 3- perfect opportunity to run. So she ran. Clegane hit her up-top her head, she passed out. They escaped safely. She took to being a nobody. Then Clegane wanted to take her to the Eyrie which would be good cause... wait for it.... Sansa was being taken there by Petyr! When she escaped after Joff's wedding (ofcourse she was sad to 1-be wed to Tyrion, and 2-that her mother and brother were killed, but glad to escape to WHAT?), Dantos took her to Baelish who then killed Dantos, and they were off to the Vale, so that Petyr could marry Lyssa, the nutty lady! That's the only drawback Lyssa Tully now Aryn is nuts! Arya has it in her head to head to Jon. Jon is infected and delirious about life, and is made Commander in Chief... oops ... Lord Commander of the Black Crows by the maester. In the mean time Sam, Gilly and the baby cross the wall in a secret underground tunnel. They bump into Meera, Jojen, Hodor, Bran and Summer! Fun times. They cross to the North side of the wall, and who knows ... Sam goes back to Gilly?

That's all folks!

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords - Chapters 31- 55 (Spoiler alert!)

Amazon has paired up with Audible to give us these synced audiobooks- to ebooks! How cool right? I mostly listen to the audiobook though, and the narration is great. Because I hear the story (unabridged), its like seeing it in my mind, while I drive, get ready, cook, clean, pack, exercise. I am living this. So closely entwined am I, that the loss of my great Aunt, was in time with the loss of Robb and Catelyn Stark. The Red Wedding, they call it.

What happened was that Edmure was to marry Rosalin Frey, this would help make amends with the Freys. Since Robb marrying Jane Westerling had spurned the Freys so. Anyway Tywinn on his end won the war with letters as he had promised and told Tyrion. He wrote to the Freys, won them onto his side, and then when the wedding and bedding was on way, everyone else was killed. Bastards. (To get over this Samantha Durante - yes the author I recently interviewed- sent me this link which basically has steps to get over the Red Wedding. It helped - buzzfeed FTW). Anyway I'm glad by reading the books, I won't be shocked and surprised like other people who were astounded by the Red Wedding. Ha! Also I will know what happens in Season 4 and 5 and 6! Read!


Honestly what more is there to say? I feel drained of all my energy thinking of this great loss. What's more... Tyrion's POV, Joffrey the King is acting like HE'd done it. Bragging and all proud. He tells Tywinn, "you write to Frey and tell him I want Robb's head! I will present it to Sansa, and make her kiss it..." What a dou@#$bag! Tyrion will not have any of this, so Tywinn sends Joff to bed, literally! Joff retaliates saying Tywinn is a coward or something to that effect. Cersei apologizes on behalf of her son, and Tywinn sends her to bed too! Anyway Tyrion is set to a new task of entertaining the guests, and keeping them from killing each other before Joffrey's wedding. I hope Joffrey gets his, soon. I'd love to give him my own taste of justice, oh yes. Those Lannisters.

Before Robb died he signed a will sort of thing that decreed his heir... I think it's Jon Snow... but we shall see... oh the cliffhangers!

Arya has her own journey, and finally she flees from Sander Clegane who had taken her from Beric Dondarion. So now she's a free bird, except her brother and her mother are dead. Dead and gone, and to her knowledge Bran and Rickon are dead too. Sansa married off to Tyrion, so it leaves Jon Snow in the North. Should she go there. Ofcourse Arya, and no one else, has a clue that Bran is on his way North, and is holed up some place safe with Meera, Jojen, Hodor and Summer. Bran is like Frodo, they are taking the wolf dreams north to the three-eyed crow. By now Bran can slip between Summer and himself really quickly. He sees Jon craven out of killing an old man, cause them wildings have crossed the wall. So Yigrette (who Jon has been bedding ALOT), does the honors, saying "you know nothing Jon Snow". She has a Irish accent, according to the narrator. Jon Snow rides off to Castle Black, or one of those castles by the wall. He meets up with his Black Brothers, and they trust him after he explains to them why he killed his buddy, and on whose instructions. Now they are preparing for the wildings attack. See the wildings strategically attacked the wall at many places, thus spreading the Crows thin (Crows- Black Brothers- Night's Watch). So this will be a cluster fudge.

Davos receives a letter from the Night's Watch, and guess what he learns! Oh the wildings are crossing south. Blimey, he says this is too troubling, and puts the letter away. Yeah lets ignore the important stuff since we live on an island. In the mean time Stannis discusses with Melisadnre, his wife, and Davos ... Davos is now his hand... whether or not to sacrifice the Robert Baratheon's Bastard (the one who was at Storm's end and Davos saw his taken by the shadow etc.) to give life to a Dragon. Kind of like how Dany had done. Previously Melisandre had done a spell to have the Greyjoy King killed, Robb Stark Killed, and Joffrey Killed. So far two are dead. Joffrey remains. Melisandre says - imagine if Joffrey is killed while he is safely behind his walls, with guards... that would truly mean the lord of light is at work. I hope she does it!

Dany is winning city after city... yes she bought an army of Eunochs and then had them kill their masters. Then she has been conquering all.

Here are some good maps:

Essos (Essos on Left) and Westeros

Westeros

Jaime gets away from Harrenhal after striking a deal with Bolton. Bolton and Frey (REMEMBER) ganged up on the Starks, so they aren't good. Jaime leaves without Brienne, leaving her to the Brave Companions, however he goes back for her, and they travel to King's Landing together. Which is decent of him, he only does this, because 1- he has lost a hand 2- he's been having bad dreams 3- in his dreams only Brienne remains to protect him.

Oh Sam! I almost forgot Sam! He was caught up in the whole take over by the wights at the camp. Then he got to Caster's Castle, and there there was a mess, and the old Bear Mormont was killed. He forgave Jorah before he died. Then Sam took Gilli, and was heading to the wall, when they were surrounded by wights again, and a man on a Stag or some sort of Deer creature rescues them. My guess or prediction is that he is Benjen Stark or a OH RIGHT... ELK!

So that's the big news so far!
Another 25 or so chapters to go!

Breathe

A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords - Chapters 1-30 (Spoiler alert!)

"I'm crying because we never found the horn of winter. we opened up half a hundred graves and let all those shades loose in the world, and never found the horn of Joramun to bring this cold thing down!"

So now we know what those cold dead zombies are!

Since the last book many a thing has taken place... Dany has gone to the city to buy slaves. She buys an entire army, in exchange for everything and her dragon - drogon. She claims the army, and then she kills all the slave traders. Her army is the unsullied- they are all eunochs, who are disciplined and only kill for her now. She will soon be ready to amass an army and take over Westeros. Jorah creeps her out, however she has needs, and takes to pleasuring herself.

I was wrong last time, I thought Davos, was captured by the Lannisters but he was stranded on a rock. A ship found him and took him back to Dragonstone, where he learned that Stannis has slunk away into his castle with the red lady, and everything was a mess. He went to Stannis with the intention of killing the red lady, and instead found himself in the dungeons. Then the red lady visited him, and they spoke and the conclusion was he was full of doubts about her, but his loyalty was with Stannis.

Tyrion and Sansa get married. Why!? Why!?!?!? Do you ask Why!?!!??! Because they fell in love! He is her ideal Prince, Knight in shinning armor, Handsome and Gallant! Obviously a perfect match! 
Margaery Tyrell comes to Kings landing with her whole family of Tyrells from High Garden. She is to marry King Joffrey. She also makes sure she befriends Sansa. She learns that Joffrey was absolutely ghastly to Sansa. The Tyrells come up with a plan to wed Sansa to their eldest cripple son, Wyllis. However Cersei gets wind of this. She can not let this happen, because then Winterfell will fall into the hands of High Garden. So Lord Tywinn forces Cersei to marry Wyllis, and Sansa to Tyrion. If Cersei marries Wyllis, it will make the bond between their houses stronger, she will be able to put to rest the "lies" of her incest, she will produce more heirs... So one night Tyrion and Sansa are wed, then they eat with everyone, and Joff whispers to Sansa that he will still bed her, for he is king and is allowed to have whores, even if it is his uncle's wife. Ugh. I hope this kid is beheaded soon. Anyway Tyrion does not bed Sansa that night, and says he hopes she will get to know him and one day maybe love him.

Jon Snow  gets laid! oh yes! With the wildling who works under Mance Raider - Yigrette. He seems to have bought most of their trust, and they climb the wall ... yes THE WALL, and that's when Yigrette says the above line. So now we know. Jon, for a 1/2 stark is a little slow sometimes, although very kind, and noble at heart. Waiting to see his moment. I don't think it has come yet.

We suddenly read a few chapters from Sam's perspective. He's being a craven as usual, after sending some crows off with messages. The waits have attacked the Crows/ Watchmen's camp from all sides. Everyone begins to retreat to the wall. Disaster! Let's hope Sam survives.

Catelyn has been cooped up in Riverun, ever since she let Jaime Lannister go. Robb comes back, and totally apologizes to her for letting Theon go. Also eh comes back with a wife, but not one of Fray's daughters. She is pretty but she was the daughter of the enemy they had come to take over. They were sworn to the Lannisters, but now this. So I suspect they will take the wolves down from the inside. Shucks Robb, shucks!

In this book we are introduced to Jaime Lannister's POV or perspective. What a shocker aye? yep! HE turns out to be very decent to Brienne who is trying to get him safely to King's Landing. We learn everything he has EVER done has been for Cersei. ALWAYS. Super gross right? He's slept with no other woman, but Cersei. GROSS!!!! Anyway they seem to be making their way to King's Landing, but on the way they are intercepted by bandits, and after which Jaime gets the sword from Brienne and they are captured by the Brave Companions who work under the Wolf and Roose Bolton at Harenhaal. He warns Brienne that they will rape her, and she tries to say she was sent by the wolf. No one listens.

Bran is making really slow progress up to the wall. He's listening to stories from Meera, and Jojen, and unable to control his warg dreams. He's a cute kid who just wants to live, and be normal. He loves living through Summer.


Arya Arya Arya!  I love and am partial to Arya POV chapters. Arya escaped from Harenhaal in the last book, and she is on her way to Riverrun. On the way they are coguht by some "Kingsmen", one whom she recognizes from her Childhood at Winterfell. He used to work for her father, but after he died, he switched to the side of the realm, of the side of Ser Berick Dondarion. Anyway they are at some little town, in a ... before which Gendry and Sansa have a little tickling fight, almost brotherly, but seemed like there was some chemistry there... I could be wrong. Anyway they are at the Peaches Brothel for some reason, and GEndry says Arya is his sister to protect her....


Just read the book... aaah!!!

1- how big do these dragons grow? really as big as a man riding a horse may pass through it's mouth?
2- will Gendry and Arya get together?
3- Will Sansa learn to love Tyrion?
4- Will Joffrey die?
5- What will happen to Theon?
6- What about Davos?
7- What will Robb do?

Breathe!


 

Shudder by Samantha Durante 2013 Blog Tour - Interview!

Back in March I wrote a short review (click to read synopsis) on Stitch. I recommend this series - the plot line is amazing, and just keeps getting better. If you like zombies, post-apocalyptic stories, politics, suspense, little bit of romance, adventure, and a strong young woman protagonist, then this is book is for you. So if you haven't read the first book in the series, you can check it out on :Amazon and Goodreads.  Just $0.99! 

I recently got the opportunity to interview the author on the release of the second book in the Stitch trilogy - Shudder! I am so excited about this!

Hi Sam! How are you today?

Hey Pree!  I’m doing well, very excited to be here!  :-)

I just finished reading Shudder last night. :-D  it was so intriguing I want to ask you what Stuck is going to be like, but aaah! I know you won’t tell me.

Glad you liked it!!  I actually couldn’t tell you about Stuck even if I wanted to, since I haven’t started writing it yet, haha.  However, I will tell you that there’s still plenty of excitement in store for Alessa and the gang, including some big setbacks that will require them to think creatively about how to take down Paragon...

 

Ah! But you did write the epilogue, and that was pretty intense as it is!

Yes, the epilogue definitely sets the stage for some major conflict coming in the third book...

I was wondering if you could give our readers a small synopsis as to what Stitch leading to Shudder is about?

Sure, for anyone who’s not familiar, the Stitch Trilogy is a YA/NA dystopian series with some romance and paranormal elements mixed in.  Stitch starts out seeming like a college ghost romance, but there’s a BIG sci-fi twist in store for our protagonists - I can’t say too much without ruining it - but suffice it to say, nothing the characters think is going on is real.  Shudder is the continuation of their story and reveals a lot more about the background of their world and is more of an action-packed thriller with lots of surprises for our characters!

So Shudder was very different – stylistically- from Stich. Can you explain? I loved both, but Shudder definitely shows how you have matured as a writer. Which means Stuck can only be super awesome.

Haha, well hopefully I haven’t set the bar *too* high!  But thanks for the compliments.  :-)  Stitch was my first book, and due to the nature of the twist, it’s more of a slow burn - there’s a lot of build-up as you get to know the characters and their backgrounds, until eventually you’re knocked over the head with this huge revelation right along with Alessa.  The book pretty much takes off at lightning speed from there, and Shudder picks up right where Stitch leaves off.  So in Book 2, it was easier to keep the pace high since all the world-building and character introductions had already been taken care of in Stitch.  And of course, I’m always listening closely to reader feedback, so I tried to tailor Shudder to what readers were looking for - more action, more romance, more interactions between the characters, etc.  Naturally, the genre-bending twist in Stitch was hard to top, but I think Shudder does a good job of keeping the story engaging by filling in all the details and dropping a few new bombshells.

What inspired the story behind Stitch? What inspired the ideas?

The idea for Stitch came from my attempt to give a happy ending to a ghost romance.  How could I get the ghost and the girl in the same place at the same time, given that he’s been dead for 100 years?  The solution I came up with was a *little* out-of-the-box, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I became about the story.  I just kept wishing someone would write this book, so eventually I realized that maybe I should do it, lol.  And from there on out, I just looked at different stories that I’d enjoyed and tried to borrow elements I loved and piece them all together to create something new.

That makes so much sense...  :)

Are you a fan of apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, zombie, science fiction, supernatural, psychological, thrillers?

Yes, yes, yes, and more yes!  I love ALL of these genres - hence the ginormous mash-up of all these genres in the Stitch Trilogy.  :-)  I couldn’t choose just one!

What are some of your favorite sci-fi books? Fantasy books? Adventure/horror books? Your favorite books as a teenager?

I became a fan of the dystopian genre in middle/high school when we read classics like The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, etc.  I also got into sci-fi kind of young with A Wrinkle in Time, which was kind of mind-blowing as a kid.  Some more recent favorites include The Hunger Games, the Divergent and Delirium series, and on the fantasy side, Twilight, Game of Thrones, the Eragon series, plus classics like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia.  I actually haven’t read too much horror, which is surprising b/c I’d consider that one of my favorite genres - I definitely watch a lot of horror movies, but in terms of reading, it’s mostly been short stories.  I guess I’ll have to add some more to my TBR!

I've never read "a wrinkle in time" but I think I saw the movie...

Hmm, I don’t think I’ve seen the movie - I can’t even imagine how they’d film some of that stuff!  I’ll have to check it out.  :-)

If you could be a character from Game of Thrones who would you be? (random question) and why?
Game of thrones Spoiler alert :-P

I would be Daenerys Targaryen, because she’s so goddamn FIERCE.  And she’s kind and fair and a good leader.  I hope she marries Jon Snow and takes it all - Westeros, Beyond the Wall, everything over the Narrow Sea -  in the end.  That would make me SO happy.

I love Dany too. She isn't too exciting in book 2 but I hope it picks up in book 3. I can see you as Dany.

Aw, thank you!  I’d have to get a lot blonder though, lol.

In this book we are introduced to the people that run Paragon. Are they the “ruling class”?

Shudder brings you up close and personal with the Engineers, the previously faceless leaders behind the “Ruling Class.”  While they’re definitely part of that class, there *is* an important distinction to make - whereas most members of the Ruling Class are generally good citizens who have just gone a little wrong by abusing their privileges, the Engineers are another story.  They’re the masterminds behind the whole scheme of Paragon, and while they might think they’re trying to do good towards the people of Paragon, I think most readers would agree that they have an interesting way of showing it.  So even though the Engineers are the de facto rulers of Paragon, I wouldn’t lump them in with the Ruling Class as a whole.  They definitely have their own motivations and agenda, beyond what the Ruling Class is trying to achieve.

The Developer, the Engineer, the Economist and so on. In one of the chapters they are explained in detail. Is there a reason they are all male? Can you tell us more about these guys, their qualifications, their ideas and what makes them the expert in their field (ie. who were they before paragon?).

Check out this guest post (an Engineers “Cheat Sheet” if you will) from earlier in the tour for a full run-down of who each of the Engineers are and where they come from.  As far as why they’re all male (and white, I might add), that’s because who else would come up with such a barbaric idea as Paragon besides rich white men who think they know better than everyone else?  I’ve never met a woman with little enough empathy or compassion to ever consider doing something this extreme, and unless you’ve spent your entire life under a cloak of privilege like white males in our society generally do, you would never even conceive of the kind of ideas that the Engineers have enacted.  I know that’s generalizing - and there’s always an exception to the rule - but at its core, the Stitch Trilogy is about one powerful class of people oppressing everyone else.  And in the real world, let’s face it, it’s usually men doing the oppressing.

Amen sister! :)

Personally I found these guys intriguing because they essentially, like you say in the book, play god. Their arrogance is what really moves me, cause like Phoenix, I am somewhat brainwashed too.

Yeah, that was something that was important to me to dissect a bit in Shudder - I didn’t want the bad guys to just be evil for the sake of evil.  I wanted to explore how evil is really perpetrated, even by otherwise normal people who might even believe they’re doing good.  Passion and arrogance are a very dangerous combination.  We see it all the time with religious extremists, whether they’re Muslim terrorists or over-zealous Christians hating on gay people (or pretty much anyone who’s different than that they consider “normal”).  Anyone who believes so strongly in their own viewpoint that they refuse to acknowledge others’ - and especially anyone who can communicate well enough to win new believers over to their side - is a threat to all of us.  There can be no peace without tolerance, and there’s no tolerance when you think everyone else’s opinions are invalid.

I totally agree with you... So well said.

Thank you.  :-)

Question for Janie- Janie do you hope to meet a real nice guy soon? I understand that now is not the time or place to look for a boyfriend, but do you hope? Also describe your ideal man.

Thanks so much for inviting me along today, Pree!  Of COURSE I’d love to meet a good guy.  Like you said, Paragon is not exactly an ideal dating pool, but hey, love happens - I’m certainly keeping my eye out.  I don’t have a “type” necessarily, I just want someone fun and trustworthy, someone who makes me laugh.  You know, the usual.  :-)

The usual? You're a special girl Janie! But I hear you def someone as energetic as you! Where do all the characters work out at?

Haha, if mandatory labor counts as working out, then Paragon is a very effective fitness program!

Janie- do you resent Alessa sometimes for 1-escaping 2-being happy with Isaac? I know she’s your sister, but there is sometimes sisterly rivalry. I was just wondering how the events have affected your relationship with Less.

Well, naturally, I love my sister and I want what’s best for her.  It wasn’t easy to stay behind and let her go, but I knew the rebellion needed her, so I did what was asked of me.  And Isaac is amazing, but yes, I certainly feel like a third wheel around them sometimes...  Less and I fight like any other siblings, but in the end, I know she’s always trying to protect me, so I try to let stuff go.  She’s the only family I’ve got left, after all.  She’s a pain sometimes, but she means well.

Third wheel sucks! But as a sister you get used to it... I know from experience!

Janie- what do you hope for the future of paragon? The rebels? And you?

 I just hope that someday we can all get along and live happily ever after!

Janie- if a movie was made about your life who would you have play you?

 Willa Holland, but she’d have to get a good bob.

She acts in Arrow the TV show. I love that show- guilty pleasure! Do you watch it? Almost dystopian...

Ohh, I haven’t seen it, I’ll have to update my DVR!

We’ve seen a lot from Alessa’s perspective, Isaac, Nikhil, and Lizzie, but will we see anything from Janie’s perspective next book?

(This is Samantha answering again!)  We’ll definitely see a lot more Janie next book, but I’m not 100% positive yet if I’ll write any chapters from her POV.  It’s definitely not off the table, but I try not to bring in extra POVs unless the story warrants it.  We’ll have to see how things go.  :-)

I'd love her perspective... although similar to Alessa, her character has grown to a personality of her own.

Questions for Phoenix- what was it like when you faced the various founders of paragon? Were you scared, awestruck?

I was definitely a little freaked out.  I couldn’t remember who I was, and with all the injuries I’d sustained, I was having trouble processing everything... Information overload!

I  was scared they were going to physically hurt you more... As in...

Phew, yeah, luckily I was too out of it mentally to even consider that possibility... otherwise I would have been a lot more worried!

Phoenix- how can you knowing what you know, think what you think is superior to those of experts, ie the founders of Paragon? They are obviously older, more educated, experienced than you are, how does knowing that make you feel what you think is right? (I hope this question is clear) :-P

I think I get what you’re saying.  Well, I guess the short answer is I think everyone’s entitled to an opinion.  You should certainly take what the experts say into account, but it’s impossible to agree with everyone, so sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

What's the long answer? Or is that for Stuck? ;-)

Let’s save the long answer for Stuck  ;-)

Phoenix- if a movie was made about your life who would you have play you?

Katheryn Winnick! 

What did she act in? I def saw you as a Regina from mean girls... But Ms. Winnick is quite on the dot too...

I think Katheryn Winnick is best known for her role on the TV show Vikings. Oh wow, Rachel McAdams is gorgeous so that’s quite a compliment!  But she’s very thin - I’ve got a little more going on in the curves department.  :-)

Samantha- seeing this book is for young adults, would you ever expose them to the brutal reality of 1-politics 2-loss and death (especially of characters we’ve grown to love) 3-heartbreak?

Absolutely - these things are part of life, and experiencing them through characters we love is part of how we learn how to cope with these things in our own lives.  Young adult or not, we all need to face these hardships at one point or another.  Reading can be cathartic in its own right.

Oh no now I'm going to be worried...should I be? Please not Janie. :(

(Janie butting in) PLEASE NOT JANIE!!!

Where is Paragon? is it in USA? or is this left unknown on purpose? I like it like that but would love to see maps someday!

I didn’t want to tie Paragon to any one real place so that I could have total freedom in setting up the geography/history, etc., but Paragon and the surrounding area is based on the Northeast US (NY/NJ/CT/PA) where I grew up, since I know that area best.  I do have a very rudimentary map that I whipped up in PowerPoint to help me measure distances and make sure that Isaac and Alessa’s timelines were realistic while traveling outside Paragon, but it’s not pretty.  I would need to hire an artist or something if you wanted a real map!

I love that you did that. I'd totally help you do a map! I am a cartographer/geographer! let me know.

Oh awesome!

If you have to pick one character to be in Shudder, who would you be and Why!?!?

Alessa, because she’s already a lot like me, so it’d be an easy transition!

This makes sense, I can almost see the similarities... so are you an empath too?

Haha, NOT quite... but I do like to think I’m pretty intuitive and good at reading others’ feelings.

Thanks so much for doing this Sam! I hope to do more author interview with you, or if you would want to do a guest blog sometime about motivation, writing, women entrepreneurs, leadership etc. I’d love to have you guest write!

Thanks so much for hosting today!!  I’d love to come back for a guest post sometime!

Lots of Love!

-Pree

Author Samantha Durante

About Sam:

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.

Length: ~80,000 words (348 pages)

Sample Chapters: Ch1-4 (31 pages)

Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Links
Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante
Goodreads: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
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LibraryThing: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante
Shelfari: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante






Breathe!