Interview with Jess C. Scott + CONTEST

We'd love to give a warm welcome to Jess C. Scott, author of novel Eyeleash! [Visit the site here, after you read and comment here obviously.]

1) First off, if you could describe yourself in 5 words, what would you say? What about EyeLeash?

Ah, this is a variation of one of my (self-imposed) interview questions on another book blog (the original question was: "Ask yourself a question, then answer it").

In 5 words, I'm: (In)sane, driven, introspective, complex, intense.

In 5 words, EyeLeash is: Fresh, contemporary, innovative, introspective, authentic.

2) So what inspired you to write EyeLeash?

"A look, a touch, a kiss..." -- I'm listening to Michael Jackson's Dangerous, as I'm writing this. A bunch of things can happen really fast, sometimes. In real life, things don't always make sense. In fiction, they have to. EyeLeash was a culmination of factual and fictitious elements I've lived + imagined ;).

3) When did you start writing/ when did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?

I first started writing EyeLeash in 2005 (I've since tossed aside the initial first draft somewhere). I wrote a lot of poetry as a teen. I can't recall not ever wanting to be a writer -- nothing else gives me the same amount of meaning and satisfaction.

4) EyeLeash is also in the E-book format. Which do you prefer, E-books or printed, and why?

I like both for different reasons. I don't currently own an e-reader (yet), so I find a printed book easier to peruse. However, an E-book is more accessible to readers (especially on an international scale), so in that sense, I'm all for technology/the E-book format.

5) Now, EyeLeash is written in blog format- blog fiction, as you call it. Why did you decide to write it in such a way, instead of the usual writing format?

EyeLeash is dedicated to bloggers/netizens -- some people read more blog posts in a week, than books in a year. I don't believe this necessarily equates to them "disliking books", and/or not having the time for books. I thought I'd write a coming-of-age book, that was/is representative of The Internet Generation.

6) Jade writes her innermost thoughts into her blog. Do you think it's a good idea to put such things on the internet?

I wouldn't recommend it, actually. Even though Jade's blog is private -- it's still not 100%-foolproof. Whatever's online has a chance of being retrieved somehow -- on a global scale -- which literally means that the whole world could potentially end up seeing what somebody intended to be private. Then again, it wouldn't be 100%-foolproof either, if she'd written her thoughts into a journal and/or Word document (though the chances of the number of people stumbling upon it might be lower). Just something to keep in mind.

7) Are there any books that have influenced you and your writing?

Most of the material I love ends up having some kind of influence on me, I guess. Some perennial favorites include De Profundis (an 80-page 'love letter'), Lolita, Roald Dahl's works...these books will stay in my heart till the day I die.

8) Did you base your main character, Jade, or any other characters on anyone in particular?

a) Jade spends more money than I do (right now)
b) I did get my inspiration from many folks. I have several aliases. It helps.

9) For any aspiring writers out there, what is the #1 tip you would give?

Be persistent (in doing better/getting to where you want to be), and dedicated to your work. Keep reading and writing as much as you can. It's advice I'd give to anyone aspiring to be successful/lead a meaningful life.

10) And finally, what are you currently working on?

I've just launched an adult contemporary short story collection. I'm 1/4 of the way done of my next book (a YA series) -- there's been lots of notes + planning -- and I've changed the characters' names several times. Now that that's finally out of the way, I look forward to jumping back in to finish what I started!

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Thank you so much Jess for the lovely interview! And because Jess is such a wonderful person, she's offering up goodies for a giveaway!

So up for grabs, we have 4 e-books of Eyeleash to go to 4 different winners, and an Eyeleash postcard to go with each book! (Post card featured to the left.)

Now, we're going to make this short and simple. We could do the huge list of extra entries, but that seems like a lot of work. Instead:

Comment once here to enter! You MUST leave us your e-mail address here in this post. (Or if you prefer, just shoot us an email with Eyeleash or something of the like in the title.)

+1 if you link to this contest somewhere, whether it be sidebar, blog, twitter, etc. Just please, LEAVE A LINK.

Contest in INTERNATIONAL and ends September 22, 2009!

Thursday Thunks (8)

Welcome to the September 3rd version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the number one thousand twenty six and the color of the dirt spot you need to wipe up on your kitchen floor.

1. Your thoughts on truck drivers?
Alex: Not much really. They're... good I guess? I don't really think about truck drivers that often. Don't they have those cool radios though with all those weird codes?

Lauren: What am I supposed to say? They're cool?

2. Did you hear Michelle Duggar is pregnant for the 15th time? (but that will be kid #19 if you lost count....)
Alex: Wow. Why in the world would you want 19 kids? When do you have TIME to make another kid with 18 to take care of? Just read the article- hadn't heard of Michelle Duggar before. The baby's going to be an aunt/uncle! But the niece will be younger. I've always found that so crazy.

Lauren: ... no.

3. Have you ever done something to hurt someone intentionally... just for the sole purpose of hurting them because you thought they deserved it? Maybe a paybacks a bitch sort of thing?
Alex: Uuum. Maybe? It would have been something little though, nothing big.

Lauren: My brother.

4. Is there anyone in your life that when you go to their place of residence, you just walk in without bother knocking? Does anyone just walk into your house without knocking?
Alex: Outside of my family... not really? Some people will just walk into my house though because my door is all glass.

Lauren: No.

5. Whats in the trunk of your car? Do you even have a clue?
Alex: Lots of crap. Foldaway chairs, reusable bags, some random junk.

Lauren: Safety kit :) blankets, flashlight...

6. When you go to a family holiday get together (such as Christmas or Thanksgiving), about how many people are there?
Alex: Quite a few I guess? Depends. 10-20 maybe.

Lauren: 10 at most

7. What is in your kitchen sink right at this very moment?
Alex: Some pots and pans?

Lauren: Mush.

8. You go to a store to buy an expensive item... say $150. You pick up that item and a couple other this n' thats. You get to the register and the expensive item rings up at $40. The cashier doesn't seem to notice and tells you your total. Do you go with what they say and pay it or do you question the price difference? You know you would question it if your $40 item rang up at $150....
Alex: If I thought I could get away with it... probably I would. But I'd never be buying something that's $150 anyway- way too much of a cheap student for that.

Lauren: I would tell them.

9. Do you fold your underwear or do you just toss it in a drawer?
Alex: Pfft as if. It's just all tossed in/sitting in a laundry basket because I'm too lazy to actual put them in my drawers.

Lauren: Tossed.

10. There is a Harley-Davidson giveaway. Chances are $100 and they are only selling 250 tickets. Do you buy one?
Alex: What's a Harley-Davidson giveaway?

Lauren: OMG HAHAHA ALEX!!!

So sheltered...
And I wouldn't.

11. Who is your favorite Disney character?

Alex: Ariel, the little mermaid. :) Or Mulan.

Lauren: Oh so many to chose from! Megara, Lumière - I like the sidekicks a lot.

12. It's September - most of the weekly sitcoms/dramas are starting new seasons again. Which one are you most looking forward to?
Alex: Glee! Lost and Heroes too, although I don't know when they start. I tend to watch on the internet because I find it more convenient.

Lauren: GLEE WAS SO GOOD! Heroes, So You Think You Can Dance.

13. You are at a grocery store and are on your way out to your car with your cart full of grocery bags. On your way to your car you see a black kitten in an empty cart. What do you do?
Alex: Well, I probably wouldn't see it because I am not at all observant. If I did see it... :/ Oh well. I'm allergic to cats, and so are some of my family. No cats allowed. Maybe push the cart inside the grocery store and get someone else to deal with it.

Lauren: See if it has a tag. Hang around to see if someone gets it.

14. Is there anything that you do for a hobby that you are asked to do for friends/family that most people would hire a professional to do? (example: cake decorating, fixing cars....)
Alex: Uumm not that I can think of. My hobbies aren't quite that useful. I knit and crochet... I can do bags and clothes?That's about it.

Lauren: Psh.

15. Are we there yet?
Alex: For the last time, NO. Now shut up and be quiet. Mommy's busy.

Lauren: I'm starting to get annoyed with these questions...

Challenge updates

The Shakespearean Summer that never was. So in Lauren's words: FAILED. MISERABLY.

I attempted to read The Taming of the Shrew. Sadly I don't own any Shakespeare besides Romeo & Juliet which I read less than a year ago for school and didn't want to read again. So I tried to read Taming of the Shrew online on Sparknotes- but the internet is too distracting. I got through one page and that is it. Oh so sad.

But better than Lauren, who I don't think did anything.

Sarah Dessen Challenge:

Still the same as before. I got some of my SD books back that I loaned out to other friends though, so hopefully will get to reading them soon!







100+ Reading Challenge

I'm still complete. Not like it's possible to uncomplete a challenge, right? I'm currently at 119 books in, which I think is pretty good! Can't compare it to previous years because I never recorded my books read then, but I feel pretty happy.

Lauren is now 79 books read. Maybe 80, depending on if she's finished Catching Fire by now. :D



I know there's lots of other challenges floating around, RIP, Debut Authors, First in the Series. Not going to entering any of those probably, at least until next year.

Good luck to all who are still doing the challenges. And kudos to people who were actually able to finish A Shakespearean Summer.

- Alex

Review by Lauren - Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Oh my God I have been dying to get my hands on this book. Yesterday after school I pretty much sprinted to the book store to scoop it up and read it all through the night. In case you don't know, Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games. It's going to be a trilogy of science fiction novels about a teenage girl named Katniss Everdeen as she becomes a 'celebrity' through a competition designed to kill - I don't want to spoil too much from The Hunger Games so if you dont know what's going on at this point, go read it first.

So we left the last book off on a bit of a cliffhanger? Sortof? At least leaving you wanting more, and I'd read that this one was even worse than the last.

It definitely was.

I am just dying here to know what happens. The book obviously follows the aftermath of the competition & poor Katniss's love triangle (if you didn't see that one coming, get out from under your rock, please). IT'S EDWARD AND JACOB ALL OVER AGAIN. I hate love triangles. So, so much. I thought I was done with gut wrenching books once Twilight ended, but here we go again. It's so hard to because I don't know who to chose. Both boys are so adorable but I think I'm going to side with Peeta. Maybe Gale can go and imprint on their kid or something and solve everything...

:/ I can't see how this is going to end well.

The book was good for a sequel and of course I enjoyed it. Some huge plot twists (that I could sortof see coming) but not as good as the first. It had a sequel feel to it, but I think it fits well into the whole trilogy. It felt sortof like a New Moon style - although I did enjoy it. It seemed very transitionary though... It was transitionary. Like I said, the suspense of waiting for next one is killing me. Arg.

I don't want to spoil much from the book but I will say that things are getting epic. District 13 comes into play and Katniss's pin gets a whole lot of viewing time ;) Ponder that one.

Sadly, it cannot be counted towards Zombie Week. I tried to find something that constituted as a a zombie, but alas.

5/6 shelves

♥ Lauren

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Uh yeah, missed last week's. Was out most of the day with friends and was too tired to do the post. BUT now that we've discovered how to schedule posts (can you tell we're excited? XD) hopefully that will never happen again!

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Publishing date: May 2010
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads | Amazon
Description:
Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Alright, so I've never actually read Oh. My. Gods. or Goddess Boot Camp, but I've been meaning to! Forgive My Fins sounds a little like The Little Mermaid- which I LOVE since The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite fairy tales.

Oh, and isn't the cover so pretty? I love the colours! The only thing I don't really like is the model's lips. The blue colour scares me a little. I think I would rather it be pink like the title.

Tech Tuesdays (2)

(some of) YOU voted & the results are in: ___ Tuesdays have now become TECH TUESDAYS!!

So this weeks video has probably been seen by most of you... but it still makes me very happy all the same.

*confetti shower*

Yup. That's it.

If you want, you can also check out the movie's livejournal community for updates.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

Zombie...

Yeah, I couldn't think of a cool title, hence the title simply being "Zombie..." -sigh- how unoriginal and boring.

So, got this from Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century:

Created by The Oatmeal

Umm, that's pretty good, right? Almost an hour? Take the quiz and we can compare time lengths! (I'm hoping 58 isn't the lowest. :P)

And because I have time before school, I present you a zombie cartoon!

Ahaha... Okay, I thought it was cute.

And also, Lauren and I apologize if we became MIA. School is starting today and you know how that can be. You can rest assured that if you do not see us too often, it means we've become zombies.

Zombies with an overload of homework and a lack of sleep. I know that I may end up sleep walking through the school year. But we'll both try to update frequently! And now that we've discovered how to schedule posts... even better!

:/ Yeah, crappy zombie post. We'll try to think of something better than this for the next post. Maybe a review? Lauren's hoping there's zombies in Catching Fire so that we can count that toward Zombie Week. xD

- Alex