Saturday, October 1, 2011

Review: Seers by Heather Frost

Seers by Heather Frost

This book is available for pre-order HERE.

Amazon Product Description:
For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.


My thoughts:
Wonderfully written.  Loved the characters.  The world she has built for her characters has a variety of elements.  The world that Kate lives in with her family and friends is solid and realistic, the author has captured the high school feel with accuracy.  The world that Kate finds when she meets Patrick and Toni is something completely new.  
     Her demon/guardian ideas are refreshing.  I loved the idea that a person chooses at their death to either go on to heaven or to become a guardian.  I wonder how she chose 25 as the perfect age, but it seems alright, but my favorite part of her heaven is that everyone gets to be with those that they have loved and lost.  That children automatically go to heaven and get to go on being raised my their parents when they are all united again.  It brings a smile to believe that her idea of heaven could be possible.  
     I enjoyed all the characters.  Kate is great.  Toni makes me laugh.  Lee is the best friend we either all have or if not, all want.  Kate's sisters are typical and realistic, making me glad I not only am not a twin but don't have twins of my own.  Aaron is that perfect boyfriend that you always hear about people having.  Kate's grandparents are wonderful.  But with all these characters, and those I didn't list, Patrick is by far and away my favorite character.  He is "that" guy, the one we all dream about.  
     The plot moves quickly.  The story is fantastic.  Kate's journey from a regular high school girl with a loving family, to an orphaned girl living with her sisters and her grandparents, to a member of a demon fighting team with special powers is a ride you don't want to miss.  I will be waiting for the sequel! 



Interview with Denise Grover Swank ~ author of Chosen

Virtual Book Tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours!
Welcome back to the Wormhole!
Denise Grover Swank was gracious enough to offer an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was a kid. I loved to read and make up stories.
? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Multiple! I’ve done all kinds things, some for very short stints just to try something new. I’ve worked at a fast food chain (as a teen), worked at a floral shop taking orders, worked in a preschool as an assistant, worked for a cement company review AutoCAD drawings of parking garages, worked in a pathology laboratory processing tissue samples for pathologists to examine for cancer (an actual career that lasted 13 years) and as a kitchen and bath designer. I’m Gemini. Nuf said.
? How long does it take you to write a book?
First draft, four to six weeks. Multiple rounds of revisions including beta readers, two to three months.
? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
It takes me a while to settle down into it, but once I do I’m hyper focused.
? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
They just appear in my head. Which is a bit scary when you consider some of them. ;)
? How do you decide what you want to write about?
Sometimes an idea just pops into my head. (The Chosen series) Sometimes it’s a character and I build a story around  him or her. (My southern mystery Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes) Other times I decide I’m going to write using a particular plot point and build around that. (My YA novel Torn coming out the end of November about an alternate universe.)

? What books have most influenced your life?
Oh dear. This is hard. So many. As a kid, Little House on the Prairie. I used to pretend to be Laura and tie a baby dress around my head and pretend it was a sun bonnet.
? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
It was first grade and about a girl who got shiny new red shoes. The illustrations were black and white except for her shoes. I read that book many times.
? What are you reading right now?
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. If I can wrestle it away from my fourteen year old daughter.
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
? What is your favorite comfort food?
Spaghetti.
? What do you think makes a good story?
Great characters that make me care about what happens to them.
? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
I love Sarah Addison Allen who writes magical realism. Her characters are sweet and southern and her words are gorgeous.
? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

Fun random questions: 
·        dogs or cats? Dogs
·        Coffee or tea? Coffee (Starbucks addict)
·        Dark or milk chocolate? Dark
·        Rocks or flowers? Flowers
·        Night or day? Night
·        Favorite color? Green
·        Crayons or markers? Markers
·        Pens or pencils? Pen