Showing posts with label young adults. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young adults. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Chai and Biscuits

The cream that holds the two biscuits together was what we craved for as a children. We even loved just eating the frosting off a cake. Grown ups would be happy with their chaa and Britannia-Marie Gold biscuits, the cake part of the cake without frosting, and read a fat book on philosophy in the corner of a room, or under the tree.

We needed the sugar, the running around, and occasionally swallowing up an Enid Blyton or other fictional book whole, along with cookies. We didn't understand how as we grow tastes change and we refine our tastes in food and books alike. Where is that marie-gold biscuit now, I wish to dip it in my tea.

That day will never come, when I say no to Oreos or Bourbon biscuit (Britannia). I still like biscuits with cream fillings, but I have learned the pleasures of Britannia-Marie with my chaa or earl grey. I do enjoy sipping my wine slowly now, rather than gulping it down like a boisterous college kid. It took a while to get here, but sometimes I still do and did enjoy the childish craves for sweets, and the college binge drinking. Mellowing out as an adult, does give space for the subtle pleasure of life, sometimes even childish, like laying on the grass reading a book on a warm sunny day and observing a lady bug for hours.

Now I finally get it! Why the grown ups love having chai and marie biscuit on the balcony on the morning, reading the newspaper, or just chatting over chaa. Its a simple pleasure and lovely way to start the morning. I would do that, and do the crossword puzzle at the back now, if I was there. Some kids would come and wonder 'why are the grown us eating marie-biscuit, when they could buy the cream filled wafer biscuit? Lets go storm the cookie cupboard!' I'll go on sipping my chaa, dipping my biscuit, hoping it doesn't fall in, and carry on with the crossword. Now I get it.

From running around playing "police-and-robber", to college parties, to meditation and yoga... life has its medley, some stay on in one stage others move and grow. It's nice to revisit stages every now and then, but growing into the butterfly is most exciting!








Breathe

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Shudder Cover Reveal!

Samantha Durante released the cover of the second book in her Stitch Trilogy!

This is one young-adults novel which I can't wait for but it comes out at the end of summer. Why? As I mentioned before in an earlier post, the protagonist Alessa is someone I can identify with: strong, takes the lead, takes initiative, does not give up. I can understand her college habits: studies in bed, she falls asleep, sometimes her mind is somewhere else when she is studying (with a certain someone!), and she feels obliged to take part in social activities in the sorority. The mundane college life get to her, because she knows there is something bigger! Lucky for her, things change drastically from the normal college life to a more interesting scenario. A scenario I always hoped I would wake up to, to make the mundane life not so mundane. To make studying for an exam something minuscule compared to what was happening in the world. Be careful what you wish for, because suddenly when your hold world is turned upside down, all you want is your dorm bed back, although at one point you hated it.

Boys, parties, college, is just the beginning, the world is a bigger, harsher, messed up place than you ever imagined .... in this book, and oh in real life too!

This is just the cover, can't wait to read book 2 "Shudder"!



In March I did a short review/ summary of "Stitch", if you haven't read it yet it be found on Amazon (print $9.99, Kindle $2.99)!

Also there is a is a raffle going on:
(Prize is 1 Print ARC of Shudder, open internationally) Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!


So if you are looking for summer reading (depending on your age it is either light or heavy)... try Stitch and then lookforward to Shudder in the fall!


Shudder Synopsis:
It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.
Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.
And then there are the visions.
The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Breathe!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Stitch - A New Trilogy to Read

Stitch Synopsis
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.




 
Stitch is about a college going girl, Alessa, who finds herself wrapped up in a ghost  love story. Alessa is identifiable, a college student with a tragic past, trying to figure out a life and college when things change all of a sudden. The life she thought she lived unravels into a bigger plot of social control, a dystopic future, and adventure.


What really got me was that Alessa, the main character, is a strong determined character, and smart (unlike Bella Swan and Ana). She takes charge, is intelligent and will do what's right, not wallowing. So that's what drew me in. Secondly the slow building of relationships, between her friend, and the ghost. Third the mysterious dreams that haunt her, it reminds me of my dreams. The fourth reason was it would help me with my book. The fifth is when you get to the twist... it gets you! I thought it would be supernatural, or worm-hole type sci-fi, but it turned out ... different. It really picks up from there on out, and you want more. I am scared to even finish reading the book because I cant wait 6 more months for Shudder. I did wait for the Harry Potters, and other books. I suppose I shall finish it!



I began reading Stitch, after emailing the author Samantha, who also happens to be my cousin's wife. She helped me out with some writing issues I had been having myself. It was so helpful talking to her, also finding out we have books, TV shows, music and video games in common, intrigued me to the point I had to read this book. Then I found myself identifying with the heroine and her approach to college life, studying etc.

The beginning starts off slow, but its necessary for the plot, plus it building up to something big. The story unfolds one way, and the characters develop, which leads one to see patterns. So the main character is a messy girl, who is trying to get through classes, days, find purpose in her life after her parents die in a car accident, seeing ghosts in her dorm room, and Janie (her bestie) has her life together and is immense help to her friend Alessa. Then the twist happens... and a juicy twist it is. It flips the whole story. I have read this sort of a plot twist very rarely, and it is hard to do, without gaping plot holes. Also remember this is fiction.

If you have time, looking for a book to read, enjoy science fiction, a book with a strong female character, a futuristic dystopian setting, a lite read, definitely pick up Stitch!



About tips on writing, this article by Sam really helped me: On Bad Reviews.



Oh I hope to help her with promoting her second book in the trilogy! So stay tuned for more on Stitch, and Shudder!