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Review of Box 1571
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Saturday, October 31, 2015
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: R.M. Tudor
Today we will be spotlighting the talented, R.M. Tudor. She is the author of Box 1571, which Angel reviewed.
Interview Conducted by:
Angel
1. Why did you make Box 1571 about Ella trying to help her family?
Family is very important to me. Somebody recently asked me what aspects of my own personality were reflected in Ella. I like to think that I would go to great lengths to help and look after my family. I know they would do the same for me. I’m very fortunate in that respect.
2. Have you written any other books? If so, I would love to read them for you!
That’s very kind of you to say so! I am in the process of writing my next one. It is aimed at the same age group as Box 1571 but it is not a sequel. Keep checking www.rmtudor.com and all the news will be posted on there.
3. How did you begin your writing career? How old were you?
I feel like I’ve always wanted to be a writer! I remember being about eight and compiling a ‘book’ of all sorts of different stories and poems I’d written. My primary school teacher was very encouraging, and that made me start to think I could do it. But I loved reading and listening to stories before I started writing them. My dad used to put on different voices when he read to my brothers and me. It made us laugh.
4. What inspired you to write Box 1571?
I originally had the idea when I spent six months living in Adelaide, Australia. The company that I was working for had a post office box. I had to collect the mail and I was really surprised to see that the box had a big hole at the back. It was so that the postal workers could put the mail in from the other side but I thought it was brilliant! It was like a hidden, secret room behind all the shut doors.
5. Have you had any strange journeys throughout your life?
Not as strange as Ella! The strangest journey I can think of was somewhere in south-west USA. All I can remember was that there was this fabulous road which went right through a mountain side. It was like driving through a tunnel but there were big open ‘windows’ carved out in the rock. Mostly it was dark, but every so often we got a flash of the magnificent view beyond. The bus driver played quite spooky music at the same time so it felt very surreal.
6. What do you like about writing?
I like the freedom it gives you to go anywhere and do anything because the only thing that limits you is your imagination. I also like the fact that I can change one or two words, or a sentence here and there, and it totally changes the meaning of what I’m trying to say. That can be frustrating too; but I find it a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and I’m adapting the pieces to make them fit together. It’s not unlike the lock in the Sale Room.
7. What is your favorite book(s)? Author(s)?
I’m a Roald Dahl fan. I don’t even know how many times I’ve read Matilda, or The Witches, or The BFG. I read them as a child and I happily read them again as an adult. There are so many great books out there, though. I love discovering new ones.
8. If you had a magical box that gives you money for completing a task, what kind of door would you open? Where would it lead?
That’s such a great question. I always find that readers of Box 1571 have different rooms that are their favourite so it’s always interesting to me to find out why they have made their choice. I think if I was going to win something for completing a task, then I’d hope the door would lead to quizzes or puzzles because I enjoy those. But if I could enter a room that would let me do anything, then I would like to be able to fly!
9. Before you began writing, what kind of job/career did you have?
I’ve always written, even when I had another job as well. I did a degree in geography and I taught that subject in a secondary school in Oxford, UK, for nine years. At first I wrote in my summer holidays and at weekends, then I taught part-time to write some more, and then I stopped teaching there so that I could write even more!
10. What are your thoughts on our blog and reviews?
It’s great that you’re reading so many books and sharing your thoughts with others! Discussing books and finding out what other people enjoy is such a great way to discover new stories. Keep it up!
11. Where do you write (i.e. park, office, couch, etc.)?
I mainly write in my office which is very quiet and looks out over the garden. In a previous flat I lived in, I had my desk looking out over the main road. It was too distracting! I had to move the desk so it faced the wall. Sometimes I go to write in a park or a café. The change of scene can help. Usually, I go for a walk and then come back to my office.
12. Is the Happy Teapot based on a cafe that you know of or have been to?
SPOILER ALERT: It is but I’m not going to tell you where! The reason is because the café that gave me the idea is really lovely whereas The Happy Teapot isn’t (in the beginning at least) so I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression of the real café!
13. If you had a voice that was every where like Finder in the book, what would you name it and tell it? Can anyone else hear it?
I think everyone has a voice like Finder in his/her head already. The name ‘Finder’ is an anagram of ‘friend’. That’s where his name came from. Friends and family can be such an important influence that they can help and guide somebody even when they’re not physically in the room.
14. Any other interesting info/facts about you.
I have a phobia of buttons! Well, maybe not a phobia exactly, but a great disliking of them. It’s called koumpounophobia apparently. People seem to find that fascinating about me…
Thank you so much Ms. Tudor!
Friday, October 30, 2015
GIVEAWAY: 2 Print Copies of "The Good Dog" by Todd Kessler
Enter for your chance to win this lovely children's picture book from Todd Kessler. Perfect for a Christmas gift!
Angelina's review of The Good Dog can be found here.
BLOG TOUR, DESCENDANT'S LIST & GIVEAWAY: Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien
Uprising (Children of
the Gods #2)
Release
Date: 10/02/15
Summary
from Goodreads:
When Kara arrives with the news that Anna and Chloe have been captured, Elyse
is faced with the realization that no one is safe until The Council is stopped
and Christoph is destroyed. She doesn't need a prophecy to tell her to lead an
army. Christoph has done the one thing that ensures she'll fight to the death.
He's threatened the people she loves.
It will take more than the words of an oracle to help them fight against the
most powerful Descendant alive. To break The Council's oppression and rise up
against a plot so many years in the making, Elyse will need to get dangerously
close to her enemy. So close, in fact, she may not survive.
Buy
Links:
Book
One:
Oppression (Children of
the Gods #1)
Release
Date: 09/02/15
346
pages
Summary
from Goodreads:
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets
her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than
average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's well over
eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal.
For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous.
After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as
closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows
about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping
secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very
people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been
waiting for her for a long time.
Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that
have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are
determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just
beginning-and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules
Buy Links:
Books three in this
series:
Children of the Gods Descendants List:
Hi I’m Jessica
Therrien, author of the YA paranormal romance series, CHILDREN OF THE GODS.
Thanks for stopping by. One of my favorite things about writing this series was
coming up with supernatural abilities for my characters. Each character is a descendant
of a Greek god, so their powers had to be related to the gods in some way. It
made for some really interesting abilities. For example, descendants of
Dionysus, the god of wine, can turn any liquid into wine (including the blood
in your veins).
Below is a list
of my characters and their abilities. Of course, to see them in action you’ll
have to read the books ;)
ELYSE & FRIENDS
Alex
Bloodline: Aether
Messenger—The ability to
move from place to place using teleportation
Call Name: Alaximandrios
Elyse
Bloodline: Asclepius
The ability to heal or
poison with her blood
Kara
Bloodline: Prometheus
The ability to access to
the mind
Mac
Bloodline: Soteria
The ability to create
safe havens
Nics
Bloodline: Nix
The ability to manipulate
light and create darkness or invisibility
Paul
Bloodline: Hermes
Messenger—Flight
Rachel
Bloodline: Iris
Messenger—Flight (changes
form)
Sam
Bloodline: Dionysus
The ability to change
liquid to wine
William
Bloodline: Aphrodite
The ability to persuade
by infatuation
COUNCIL
Adrianna
Bloodline: Hera
Ability control for
female Descendants
Antec
Bloodline: Hades
The ability to confine
Descendants to the “Underworld”
*The Underworld is a void
of nothingness where Descendants are trapped in a semi-conscious limbo.
Christoph
Bloodline: Zeus
Ability control for male
Descendants
Dimitri
Bloodline: Demeter
The ability to age or
grow living things
Dr. Nickel
Bloodline: Ares
The ability to mimic
Descendant powers
Lilia
Bloodline: Hestia
Ability control for
Council Members
*Must be in the presence
of two Council members for Council abilities to work
OTHER DESCENDANTS
Aaron
Bloodline: Clotho
The ability to revive the
dead before the spirit transcends
Amy
Bloodline: Auxesia
The ability to grow
plants and trees
Daniel
Bloodline: Auxesia
The ability to grow
plants and trees
Dehne
Bloodline: Apate
The ability to deceive
Dr. Nickel
Bloodline: Ares
Old Council member – Could
mimic Descendant powers. Abilities have been passed down.
Elan
Bloodline: Amphitrite
The ability to breathe
under water
Eva
Bloodline: Bia
The ability to repel
objects with force
Florence (Oracle)
Bloodline: Delphic Oracle
– Pythia
The ability to see the
future
Hannah
Bloodline: Mnemosyne
The ability to erase
memories with her blood
Jena
Bloodline: Echo
The ability to duplicate
objects
Jeremiah
Bloodline: Kydoimos
The ability to cause
confusion
Phoebe
Bloodline: Phoebe
The ability to sense
danger
Richard Adler (Elyse’s Father)
Bloodline: Hephaestus
The ability to manipulate
metals, woods, and stone
Robert
Bloodline: Boreas
The ability to generate
winter weather
Rylan
Bloodline: Ponos
The ability to generate
energy
Sarah Adler (Elyse’s Mother)
Bloodline: Asclepius
The ability to heal or
poison with her blood
Sofia (Mrs. Nickel)
Bloodline: Aphrodite
The ability to persuade
by infatuation
Unnamed
Bloodline: Harpocrates
The ability to eliminate
sound
Unnamed
Bloodline: Tethys
The ability to draw water
from the ground
Unnamed
Bloodline: Astraeus
The ability to create the
illusion of stars
Unnamed
Bloodline: Lelantos
The ability to stay
hidden in plain sight
Unnamed
Bloodline: Phobos
The ability to cause fear
Unnamed (Young Boy)
Bloodline: Zephyrus
The ability to create
wind
About the Author
Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal
fiction series Children of
the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression,
became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release in February
of 2012.
Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica’s work can
also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner
Challenges 2011. Out of over 350 submissions her story, The
Soulless, won first place for people’s choice and fourth
place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie’s Writing Campaign Challenge. Her
story, Saved, is
also available as part of the anthology.
Jessica
spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no
street lights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be
creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things
artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.
In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her
passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to
Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the
Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she
graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.
Jessica currently lives in Irvine with her husband and two sons. She is planning a re-release of her series through Acorn Publishing in September of 2015. The re-release will include the third and final book in her Children of the Gods series as well as a bonus chapter in the back of Oppression.
Author Links:
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