Your Turn Thursday! Reader Interview with Abbey

Here's something I promised all of you a long time ago: Reader Interviews! Here's the first (and hopefully not the last) of my new Your Turn Thursday feature. The questions for this interview come from the Your Turn question from my Author interviews. The author name in parenthesis is the interview the question came from. Please note that some questions have been edited slightly so that they make sense outside of the author's interview.

Name: Abbey

Brief Bio:

I'm 15 and live in northern Illinois. I've been reading almost my whole life. The other day I counted my books and I had about 230 but, I have gotten more since then. I have a younger sister, Alayna, and a kitten named Jerry. One of the only two older boy cousins I have just got married in a town in southern Illinois. I got my Learner's Permit in July so I can drive with a parent! Haha. I'm pretty bad at writing biography's of myself, so I'll stop now.

Who do you think would win in a fight – Edward Cullen or Batman? (Saundra Mitchell)

Edward Cullen. Duh! He could read Batman's mind and then outrun him or blind him with his cuteness. :)

What do you think about your own nose? Oh and for extra credit: where is the best chocolate in your hometown? (Sydney Salter)

I like my own nose most of the time! And in my hometown there's not a lot of chocolate shops... If you like dark chocolate then it's probably Chocolat by Daniel.

I'd usually ask the typical: Team Edward or Team Jacob (lol)...but I'd like to know what kinds of stories you enjoy reading the most (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical, Coming of Age, Romance, etc). (Leigh Brescia)

Team Edward! Haha. I enjoy reading stories that I can relate to.

What element in a book makes you most want to turn the page: Is it suspense, caring about what happens to the character, humor, romance, emotion, or something else? What makes you turn the page?(Cheryl Renee Herbsman)

What makes me turn the page is caring about what happens to the character, romance, emotion, and suspense!

I would love to know if teens want to read serious books or comedies. (Simone Elkeles)

Lots of teens that I know, want to read serious books that have humor in it so they aren't completely serious.

I would love to know what one quality about an author and/or their work turns you into full-fledged, card-carrying, lifetime fans! You know, the kind that makes you tell all your friends and really spread the word about a book and/or its author? (Michelle Zink)

I'm made into a lifetime fan when the books by the author are good and the author tries to connect with their readers.

Are you a fan of happy endings, suspenseful endings, surprise endings or bittersweet ones? And what is your favourite ending and why? (Samira Armin Hodges)

I'm a fan of happy endings. It's my favorite because I get so into my books that I feel what the characters do a lot of the time so if something sad happens I get sad and so on.

What book is at the top of your re-read list, the book that's a total classic for you, and why? (Rhonda Stapleton)

The book at the top of my re-read list is Dreamland by Sarah Dessen because it could happen to anyone.

I'd love to know whether your readers' reading habits are seasonal? I've often heard that lighter fare is great for the summer. Is that true for your readers? If so, what are some book fall/winter books that you enjoy reading? As for me, I prefer to read inside, so I'm partial to the rainy day reading mode and of course, I tend toward darker fare. (Swati Avasthi)

I read anything at anytime. If I see a book that I like I'll pick it up and read it whenever.

I'm curious about what attracts you to a book. Do you browse the bookstore or head in knowing what you want to read? (Shair Maurer)

I have a list currently. But I will go in and find a book that looks really good and get it even if it isn't on my list.

Thanks so much for your responses Abbey! It was great having you here this week. :)

Remember, if you want to be interviewed as a reader for Your Turn Thursday you just need to send an email to wantmyya at gmail dot com and I'll send you the questions.

You Recommend Wednesday

Hey there lovely readers! What's everyone reading this week? Got any good books to recommend to me?

I'm finally preparing to read Mockingjay. lol I was so impatient to get it and then it seemed like everything got in my way whenever I wanted to read it. I can't wait. :)

Eyecatcher: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Dead Beautiful
by Yvonne Woon

Disney Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423119562
Release Date: September 21, 2010

from the publisher's site:

A haunting love story about desire, danger, and destiny. After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California's Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, "crude sciences," and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It's here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they get to know each other better, Dante can't seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee's life. Dante's not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own... Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why. Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

why it caught my eye:

I'm just loving YA covers these days. There are so many beautiful eye-catching covers that make me want to pick up a book and get lost in it. I think part of what makes Dead Beautiful's cover so appealing to me is that it reminds me a bit of my Senior pictures from high school. :) All I know is I've found yet one more book to add to my wishlist.

Review: Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer

Twelfth Grade Kills

Chronicles of Vladimir Tod book 5

by Heather Brewer

Dutton

http://www.heatherbrewer.com

ISBN: 9780525422242

Release Date: September 21, 2010

from the author's site: 

It all comes down to this.

Vlad’s running out of time.  The Elysian Council has given him weeks to live, and that’s if the Slayer Society doesn’t kill him – along with all the citizens of Bathory – first.  Then there’s the issue of Vlad’s father, who may or may not still be alive after all these years, and oh yeah, that tiny little detail in the Pravus prophecy about Vlad enslaving Vampirekind and the human race.  So much for college applications.

In this epic finale to Heather Brewer’s heart-stopping Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, dark secrets will be revealed, old friends will become enemies, and warm blood will run cold.  Just be careful it isn’t yours. 

my thoughts: 

Oh my freaking goodness! Talk about going out with a bang. :) I don't want to say too much because you really have to read this book for yourself. Twelfth Grade Kills is full of surprises and betrayals. You won't believe it until you read it. And read it you must. I mean that.  

I've loved The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod from the very beginning. I was both elated and saddened to see this final volume released. At the same time, I know Auntie Heather has more in the works and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with. I just know she can only get better from here.

Author Interview: Denise Jaden

Happy Monday lovely Readers! Today's guest is Denise Jaden, author of Losing Faith. Denise is stopping by today as a part of her official blog tour. To see her other blog stops and find out about the contest Denise is hosting stop by Denise Jaden's website at http://www.denisejaden.com. What I can tell you is that leaving comments on today's post would be a very good idea. :)

1.Tell us a little about yourself.

I've been writing for close to six years. Aside from writing, I'm a professional Polynesian dancer and a homeschooling mom. I've held a wide variety of jobs over the years, including church secretary, fried chicken cook, and mushroom farmer.

2.What got you started writing? What brought you to YA?

I started journaling just over six years ago, and somehow, accidentally, turned my journal into a story. Once the story and characters became fictional, I had so much fun I couldn't stop.

Even though my first novel was officially written for the adult market, I've come to realize that my writing voice has always leaned toward YA. The inner teen in me is very strong!

3.Tell us about your most recent/ upcoming release?

LOSING FAITH is about a teen, Brie Jenkins, who is on a quest to solve the mystery of her sister's death. Through her journey, clues about her late, so-called predictable sister lead Brie to some very unexpected places.

4.Do you plot out in advance, or just start writing and see where things go from there?
I've been a plotter and a panster, but now I prefer plotting. Even though my outlines are very long and involved (the last one was 33,000 words), I'm not afraid to stray from them, even if it takes me in a brand new direction. I do like having the outline to come back to when I'm stuck though.

5.Many authors have told me their characters talk to them, and sometimes even have different ideas of where the story should go than the author. Do you hear your characters?
I'm very close to my characters. I have a theatre background, and I'd say I "become" my characters more than "hear" them. I slip into character. This is one reason that I hate being interrupted while writing.

6.Who is your favorite character (of your own)?
Unfair question! I really, really love all my characters, but okay, if I HAD to name one, I'd say Tessa Lockbaum. Tessa was not in my very involved outline for LOSING FAITH, but just showed up in the writing and took over every scene she was in.

7.What hobbies do you have when you're not writing?
As I mentioned, I'm a Polynesian dancer, which I love. Aside from that, parenting, and reading, there really isn't time for much else.

8.If you had not become a writer what would you have done instead?
I think I'd be living my life in quite a similar way. Except I'd have more free time.

9.Where can readers find you online?
My website is the best place to find me - www.denisejaden.com and readers can also find links to my Facebook, Blog, and Twitter on there.

10.Your turn. What question do you have for readers of Want My YA?
I love to hear about recent favorite books. I'm always on the lookout for great reads.

Thanks so much for the interview, Heather!

Thanks for visiting Denise! Remember readers stop by Denise's website to find out where else she'll be in the coming days. And leave those comments! :)

You Recommend Wednesday

School's back in session. Which probably means that the rest of you, like myself, have less time to read what you want because you're spending all of your free time with homework and required reading. But nonetheless I'll bet that, like me, you're still finding time to read those books that you just can't ignore. :)

So tell me what are you reading these days?