Author Interview: Eilis O'Neal

Eilis O'Neal is the author of False Princess (review), released this year by EgmontUSA. She is answering a few questions about writing and her novel.

Describe your novel in a couple sentences including the following words: extraordinary, fat, raging, pleasant, purple, and love

The False Princess is the story of a girl who goes from extraordinary, very pleasant circumstances to humble, not-so-pleasant ones. Sinda has been raised to think she's the princess of Thorvaldor, but finds out just after her 16th birthday that she isn't. She's just a stand-in for the real princess, and, more than that, she's not needed anymore. After being kicked out of the palace, she also finds that she has magic raging inside her, love complications with her best friend, and a big fat mystery that only she may be able to solve and that has implications for all of Thorvaldor. Also, the cover background is a lovely purple.


Will we see a sequel to The False Princess?  If not, are you working on any other projects?

I'm still interested in the world of Thorvaldor, so maybe someday, though probably with a secondary character as the main character. At the moment, though, I'm working on an unrelated YA fantasy novel.

Sinda goes through some amazing character development as The False Princess progresses. How much of Sinda’s journey can you relate to? What do you hope readers will gain from reading about Sinda’s experiences?

I can relate to a lot of it, actually. In many ways, Sinda is very like me as a teenager. I was shy and felt awkward about some aspects of myself, just like Sinda does. As I got older, though, I became a lot more comfortable with myself, and happy about myself as a person. In that way, Sinda's journey mirrors some of my own experiences--though she's lucky enough to get to that point a little earlier than I did! But that's what I'd like people to take away from the book. That you have to learn how to like yourself, and to be proud of who you are, regardless of what other people think you should be.

Whatever happened to Sinda’s aunt? Does Sinda stay in contact with her? 

Originally, when I was doing my rough outline for TFP, there was a scene in which Sinda went back to Treb and Varil had to help her at a key moment.  As I actually wrote the book, though, that part didn't fit, and so it fell away. It fell away partially for plot reasons, but also because I didn't think Sinda was ready to go back and try to have a relationship with her aunt. It takes until the tail-end of the book for Sinda to really accept who she is, and before that, I don't think she could interact with Varil in a way that would be meaningful. In my mind, though, she probably does try to get to know Varil better after the end of the book, though that may be a year or more down the line.

You have published several short stories, with The False Princess being your first novel.   What prompted you to make the jump into writing a novel?

I've actually been writing novels--or at least trying to--since I was 12. I tried to write my first then, though I only got about 20 pages into it. I finished a novel for the first time at 15--a very Mary Jane-ish summer romance about a girl and a guy with a motorcycle. And there were two finished fantasy novels between that and TFP. While all those were good practice, none of them was good enough to be published. TFP was the first novel I wrote that really gelled. So I've wanted to publish a novel for a long time--it just took a while to get good enough to make it happen.

In The False Princess, Sinda discovers that she not, in fact, the princess, and is forced to live a common life after 16 years of being royalty.  How would you react in a similar situation? What about if you found out that you were the lost/hidden princess? 

I'm not sure I would react as well as Sinda did, especially at the age of 16. I had a hard time breaking rules then, and I might have been more timid about forging my own path. I think I would have done better if I'd found out that I really was a princess. I've always been good at taking on more responsibility, and there would be a lot of that. Honestly, though, either would be a bit tough on me, even now. I have a hard time with change--I even got nervous picking out new paint for the bathroom recently!

Thanks for stopping by Eilis!

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Author Bio:
I’m a writer of fantasy and the Managing Editor of the literary magazine Nimrod International Journal. I started writing at the age of three (though the story was only four sentences long). My short fantasy has been published in various print and online journals, and you can find links to some of my stories here. I was born, raised in, and currently live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Reading Room Review: January 30

I'm so glad that January is almost over. It is my least favorite month by far, and I am not sad at all that it's only got a couple days left.

This week I got two books for review:

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (already read it, it's fantastic, and solidifies my love for historical fiction)
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (Haven't read any of the series, but I have been meaning to. I've heard a lot of great buzz about it.)

Two more small announcements. If you haven't filled out the Reader Survey, please do. I've got some awesome prizes up for grabs.

And last announcement is this: I'm writing a book.  I had serious doubts about putting that out into the universe, but I thought that you all may be interested in knowing about it. I'm not going to give a whole lot of details about it since the plot is pretty fluid right now. But, it is a YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale retelling, and I love it very much. I'm co-authoring it with my friend Julie. I will probably ask for some beta-readers towards the middle to end of the Summer. If you want to be one, either email me, or wait for the post in which I beg for them.

Thank you all for your awesome support. Happy reading!

Local Author Signings Page

Thanks to some fantastic reader feedback, I have an exciting new feature for those of you who live in the Utah area.  I have created a page with listings of the Young Adult author signings and appearances in the area.


I am working on adding this page to my menu bar. However, for some reason I am having some trouble doing it, so I've called in the expertise of my fantastic blog designer. Until then, you can check out the page at this link. Update: You can now see the link in the menu bar.

My hope is to keep this page updated often.  If you know of signings in the area that aren't listed, please send me an email with the information or a link to a website with information, and I'll get it on there.

If you don't live in the Utah area and want to know about signings, you can head over to Bookish Events where Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner has information about book tours all over the country.

Ask HTMiLy (6): Progress Bars

Making a Progress Bar

Did you join a reading challenge this year? One great way to visually keep track of how you are doing on your challenge is to create a progress bar.  You can see mine on the left-hand sidebar.

1. Create an HTML Gadget: If you are using Blogger, it's as simple as going to Design-Add a Gadget-HTML.
2. Insert the following code:

<center><a href="http://theladybugreads.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-e-book-reading-challenge.html"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ljvi5hLJFs8/TPabsMliUUI/AAAAAAAABS8/MFqnDsUnvi0/s1600/EBookReadingChallenge-small.jpg" /></a></center><br />

<div style="width: 190px; height: 15px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(254, 243, 210); border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="width: 8%; height: 15px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(106, 71, 42); font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;">
</div></div>1 / 12 books. 8% done!<br />
<br />

Now, here's how the code breaks down:

<center><a href="http://theladybugreads.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-e-book-reading-challenge.html"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ljvi5hLJFs8/TPabsMliUUI/AAAAAAAABS8/MFqnDsUnvi0/s1600/EBookReadingChallenge-small.jpg" /></a></center><br />

<div style="width: 190px; height: 15px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(254, 243, 210); border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="width: 8%; height: 15px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(106, 71, 42); font-size: 8px; line-height: 8px;">
</div></div>1 / 12 books. 8% done!<br />
<br />

Link to the challenge sign-up or information page

Link to the challenge button image

Changes the colored portion of the progress bar

Text below the progress bar

Once you are done, it should look like this:

1 / 12 books. 8% done!

If you want to add more progress bars for different challenges, then just continue copying, pasting, and editing the code.

And if you want to get really fancy, you can combine with the instructions on making a scrolling button bar, and make a scrolling progress bar!

Drought by Pam Bachorz: Review

Drought
By: Pam Bachorz

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Published: January 25, 2011; EgmontUSA
Source: ARC received from publisher
Challenges: 2011 Debut Author Challenge

author website | author twitter | author blog

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Summary (from Goodreads): Ruby Prosser dreams of escaping the Congregation and the early-nineteenth century lifestyle that’s been practiced since the community was first enslaved.

She plots to escape the vicious Darwin West, his cruel Overseers, and the daily struggle to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive and gives Darwin his wealth and power. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient that makes the Water special: her blood.

So she stays.

But when Ruby meets Ford, the new Overseer who seems barely older than herself, her desire for freedom is too strong. He’s sympathetic, irresistible, forbidden—and her only access to the modern world. Escape with Ford would be so simple, but can Ruby risk the terrible price, dooming the only world she’s ever known?

My Review: I think I've written this review about five times. I can not get my finger on how I felt about this book. I think what it comes down to is that I saw the potential in this book, and I felt like the longer it went on, the more my interest in the book slipped through my fingers. Let me explain why.

When you are reading a book, the first half of the book is about creating questions in your reader's mind. However, by reading a book, I trust that my questions will be answered, whether or not I like the answers.  When they aren't answered, I feel quite let down. I am not very good at creating my own endings or conclusions.

I wanted to know why Ruby and her congregation live so long. Also, has Darwin lived that long? How long have they been in captivity? Why didn't Otto return? Did he actually ever live? What do the Elders and others gain from remaining in captivity? And why is Ruby's blood special?

Oh dear, the suspense in this novel was great. The whole time I thought how great the ending was going to be, and that I was going to be taken in a new and exciting direction. And then the book ended. It was like waking up in the middle of a great dream. All I want to know is HOW IT'S GOING TO END.

So, here's the deal. All of the things that I didn't like aside, the book had it's good moments. I especially loved the descriptions of Ruby being with Ford and discovering the great things in the world.  Which is why I'm posting it here on the blog, and giving it 3 stars. If you can suspend your belief and just go with the story, you'll probably like it.

My Rating:

Profanity: None
Sexuality: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: None

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal: Review

The False Princess
By: Eilis O'Neal

Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Published: January 25, 2011; EgmontUSA
Source: ARC received from publisher

Author Website | Author Twitter | Author Blog

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Summary (from Goodreads): Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

My Review: I have something to confess. For some reason I've always been a little bit apprehensive about declaring my love for fantasy. I really love stories about princess and dragons and court intrigue.  But, I'm ready to say now, I LOVE FANTASY.

And, I really loved this book. Sinda started out as a character that was weak, flawed, and quite two-dimensional. By the end of the book she was lively, strong, and very in control. It was one of the best transformations in a character that I've seen in awhile.  I really enjoyed reading through her progression.

Another absolute plus to this book was the romance. I don't need to tell you all that I am a sucker for the best friend romance. It really gets me every time. Thus, I absolutely fell for Keirnan hook, line and sinker. I was rooting for them to get past their shyness and misunderstandings and realize that they are PERFECT for each other.

Sinda's wizard tutor, Philantha, reminded me a lot of Irys in Magic Study. She's kind of an outcast, has her own ways of doing magic, and doesn't really care what others think. I absolutely adored her.

I had a pretty good idea of where the story was going the entire time. Which was actually quite nice. It was kind of like floating down a lazy river. The plot just flowed, curved in all the right places, and ended up very nicely.

The only complaint that I had was that I felt like a few loose ends needed to be tied up. First, Sinda's aunt just kind of disappeared. It seemed like the only use that she had was that she gave some background on Sinda. Which, was helpful, but I really would have liked to have gotten to know her better.

I think this is one of those books that I am going to be recommending a lot this year. It was very well-written, and I can't wait to see more from Eilis O'Neal.

My Rating:


Profanity: None
Sexuality: Mild; references
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Violence: Mild

Reading Room Review

Bloggiesta Wrap-Up and Changes

I've made some minor changes to some things around the blog this weekend. You may or may not notice it, but I wanted to bring a few things to your attention.

• Starting this week, the format of reviews is changing.  I am going to begin including the publisher information and page count.  Also, I will have links to each author's twitter, website, and/or facebook page.  This will allow you to connect more with authors that you are interested in.
• As well as adding new information to reviews, I will be changing a little of the way they look. I am hoping the new changes will make them more aesthetically pleasing.
• I've been able to get my email inbox situation under control.  I plan to reply more to your comments whenever I'm able.  If you are using a blogger account, I suggest you enable your email so that I can reply directly to your comments. (link to tutorial on Housewife Eclectic). If your email is enabled, there is a very good chance you'll get a reply from me on your fantastic comments.
• A look back at my history of posts revealed that I am becoming quite stale in my content (at least in my opinion). So, in the coming months, I will be adding more discussion posts, author interviews, and guest posts. In fact, if you are interested in doing a guest post, send me an email.
• Want to see a full list of what I did (and didn't) accomplish? Check out my first bloggiesta post.

In My Mailbox

Okay, I haven't done one of these forever, and if I listed all the books that I've acquired since November, this would be the longest post ever. So, I'm sticking to the books that I've received in the last couple weeks.

For Review:

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Enclave by Ann Aguirre (I was so happy when I got a pitch for this one. I've been on the lookout for it since I first heard about it a year ago. It had a different name and title back then. Can't wait to dive into it.)

From Paperback Swap:

Gone by Michael Grant (This book really looks fantastic, but I think the page count is freaking me out. It's a massive book, even in paperback.)

From Library Book Sale:

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Who didn't want to be a frontier girl after reading these books?)

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale (The only book of hers that I haven't read).

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

Purchased:

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (I HAD to have the shiny cover) 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (I immediately switched the cover to the blueprint one. My husband approved)

If you've made it this far in this post, bravo. Sorry it was kind of dry, but I figured I may as well get it all over with in one post rather than dragging it out through several.  Thank you as always for reading. You guys rock!

Doing the Bloggiesta

It's bloggiesta time again! I've got a fantastic laundry list of items that need to be completed. (And laundry, but I'm not counting that for this particular challenge.)

Want to join in the fun? Head on over to Maw Books and sign up!

1. Update Reviews on Goodreads
2. Update Reviews on Amazon
3. Clean up email inbox
4. Fix tags
5. Add Book Blogger Confidential to menu bar
6. Go through blog roll and clean up
7. Update review policy, about me page, and advertising page
8. Write 10 reviews
9. Write blogger confidential posts
10. Write 2 discussion posts
11. Organize bookshelves
12. Update Review by Title page
13. Update Review by Author page
14. Create local author signing calendar, page or something
15. Change blogger accounts from old email to new one.

Reader Survey and Giveaway!

I've been blogging since June 2009 and have loved getting to know all of you. I really want to provide content for you that is interesting and helpful.

In order to bring you content that you want to read, please fill out this readership survey and let me know your thoughts.

I'm going to make it worth your time... Promise.


If you complete the survey, you will be entered to win a prize pack of YA novels. (Prize pack available for US readers only. So sorry guys!)

Up for grabs we have...

Drought by Pam Bachorz (ARC)
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (ARC)
The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes (Hardcover)
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford (ARC)

So, thanks in advance for your answers!

Click Here to Fill Out the Survey!

Great Amazon Deal Today

I found this fantastic deal that has been ALL over the internet today.

That's right! It's a $20 Amazon gift card for only $10 from Living Social.

Like all of these types of deals, it's only good for a limited amount of time. So what are you waiting for? Get clicking!

Blogger Confidential: Book Hype

Have you ever been faced with an issue while reading or blogging and thought: I wonder what other bloggers think about this?  No matter what genre or audience you blog for, we all face the same problems.  Are you a publisher or author wondering what goes on in a blogger's (and by extension a reader's) head?

Blogger confidential is a series of 12 questions asked to 11 bloggers about the nitty gritty details of blogging. Everything from what prompts a blogger to pick up a book, to what happens when a book doesn't live up to its hype.  This series was inspired by Wastepaper Prose's Author Insight series.

If you feel inspired by any of these questions, leave your answer in the comments, or create your own post!

This week's question:

Does a preconception of a book affect your review? Do you write a review differently if you feel a book doesn’t live up to the hype?

  

"Preconceptions definitely do affect my reviews, as does its genre. I think it's a natural part of human interaction: if the book leaves you feeling let-down and underwhelmed, that's going to be the tone of your review. If you close the book feeling pleasantly--or even ecstatically--surprised, same thing. I think that preconceptions are inevitable, even if you've heard absolutely nothing about the book before you read it. Even merely reading the jacket or back cover summary will give you certain assumptions or expectations. It can't be helped!" Steph from Steph Su Reads

"I stay away from the hype. I read reviews, and tweets after I read the book for myself." Pam from Bookalicious

"It does. Sometimes I won't like a book that everybody else seems to be raving about or else I'll love a book that receives a lot of negative reviews and I'll start to question my savviness as a reader in the first place. Questioning oneself about whether or not you’re a good reader is awful! I haven't written my review yet for Day for Night (didn't finish it) because I keep thinking that maybe one day I'll come back and finish it to see what they hype was as I just wasn't getting it. If I think a book didn't live up to the hype I'll usually just say so." Natasha from Maw Books

"I don’t think I write the review differently, but I will certainly acknowledge that I was aware of the hype and that—for me—it didn’t live up to it. But the way I go about writing the review remains the same. I talk about how I heard about it and where I ran across it, I write a spoiler-free summary, and then go into my reaction, what I thought of it, and why." Angie from Angieville

"I try not to get caught up in hype surrounding books I have for review because I’ve found that it definitely has the power to skew my opinion. Sometimes I’ll actively seek out reviews, both positive and negative, so I have a well-rounded preconception. There are also times when I’ll wait a few days before writing my review so I can look past my preconceptions and analyze the novel for what it was, not what I wanted it to be." Sara from The Hiding Spot

"If I feel the opposite of what the general YA blogging consensus feels then I definitely go harder and ensure I am more exact in my reasoning. I've read two books that have lived up to the hype in the past 2 years, the rest have fallen by the wayside. I always start reading a book with optimism but it doesn't take long for reality to hit. Of late I have taken to asking a few trusted bloggers if a book is worth my time because I hate being disappointed. That being said, when hype for a new release is based solely on cover art and an author's online manoeuvrings then I am very wary." Adele from Persnickety Snark

"Sometimes, if a book "claims" to be one thing, but ends up being completely different, I can get irritated and end up not liking it. I tend to have different moods as far as books go. Sometimes I'm in the mood for romance, sometimes fantasy etc. If a book claims to be paranormal, then ends up basically a high school drama, it gets on my nerves!" Andye from Reading Teen

"I actually try not to read too many reviews before I sit down to read or write the review for this very reason. Of course I find books based on reviews I read, but I honestly have a slightly poor memory when it comes to reading those. Thus the reason for my "wish list". I have had a situation where the book did not live up to the hype and it was pretty difficult to remove myself from that impression without some effort." Danielle from There's A Book

"I would not say that my preconception affects my review, but rather how I look at the novel in general. There have been numerous novels that I have heard glowing things about, but when I read it, I am not too impressed. If the novel does not live up to my expectations, it does not effect how I write the review. However, I will from time to time comment on my expectations in the review. I feel like for certain novels this can be important to the review. But I always make sure that when doing this that I explain what I was expecting and how it did not live up to expectation X. I feel like if I do not give that full explanation I am doing myself, my readers, and the novel / the author a great disservice. I whole heartily believe in honest reviewing, but sometimes it is necessary to fully explain what you were looking for." Kate from The Neverending Shelf

"Yes. My reviews are really my reactions to books. If a book is hyped there is no way for me to stand apart from all that hype...it's part of the reason why I chose to read the book and my overall experience with it. If I don't like it, I will still try to discuss the merits of the book, but the story of a book in one's life begins before you read it and doesn't end even with a review, really. So I think it's hard to completely divorce yourself from your expectations. Additionally, most readers of book blogs are looking to increase the discussion of their reading material in their lives and keeping your reviews personal is one way of doing that." Amy from My Friend Amy

"No, I don't think preconception of a book affects my review. What is hype, anyway? A bunch of people who like something and talk about it? So if that's what hype is, then it's not *that* much different than if a friend recommended a book. I guess if people feel there's hype, then there's a certain amount of peer pressure to like a book, but I don't feel that I *have* to like a book. I like it or I don't. I recently reviewed a very popular book that I really didn't like, but that most people seem to like. So when I posted my review, I thought I'd get a bunch of people saying, Sorry you didn't like it, but I did. What I actually got was a ton of people who came out of the woodwork saying they didn't like it either." Trish from Hey Lady! Whatcha Reading?