Hey guys, I must be doing something half-way okay because here is a third author interview. And I am very excited about it! I hope that you will be too! This goes along with the review I posted on June 7th, Loving Marcus. Please read, enjoy and go out and buy her book!
1) What inspires you to write?
I began writing when I was a young teenager. It was my way of expressing my feelings and the things I saw happening around me. Over the years, it became a comfortable habit and after taking several creative writing classes in college, I was told by my professors that I had a gift for storytelling, especially when it came to my journals!
2) You mentioned that this was a personal story for you, what is it that is personal for you?
Unfortunately, many people who have been close to my heart, have suffered with and succumbed to cancer. I believe this was my way of working through what they went through and to show how difficult it is to make choices when their life is at stake, knowing how it will affect the people who love them.
3) This is a very emotional story, so full of sadness, what made you want to write about such an intense topic?
It wasn't really that I wanted to, or chose to. The topic picked me. I have stories in my head all the time and the characters come to life on the pages of their own free will. I know this sounds strange, but when I sit down to write, the story unravels without any forethought.
4) Do you have any authors that really move you?
The authors who have moved me the most are Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird", any works of C.S. Lewis, William Golding, "Lord of the Flies" and of course more recently, Nicholas Sparks and Danielle Steel are excellent story tellers.
5) You once told me you were a storyteller, have you always been one or is this something new that has developed?
I've always enjoyed storytelling. When I was younger, I would entertain my two little sisters (yes, sometimes it was strictly meant to scare them to death!) and I raised my children telling them stories at bedtime.
6) Can we expect to see more from you soon? I know I'm looking forward to seeing what is next, so I hope it's soon!
I'm working on a modern novel about a young American Indian woman who has moved away from her family and is struggling to create a life for herself. It's very different from my first novel! I'm hopeful that it will be ready by the end of the summer.
And there it is folks, another interview for your viewing pleasure. Remember I'm still getting the hang of actually being able to interview authors so forgive me if this is a little short or not quite as back and forth as most interviews. I'm trying and also it's still an interview with an awesome author so be grateful for that! I know I am, and with that a very special thank you to Ms. Victoria Kante for her time and the wonderful novel she wrote. I can't wait for her next book! Watch for a review here!
Book Title: Loving Marcus
Author: Victoria Kante
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9781484063019
Published: May 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Createspace
Genre: Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From the back of the book: Brelynn's life seems to be going in the right direction. She has a caring, loving man in her life, an over-protective sister who raised her and a job in New York City that she loves. When a diagnosis of Leukemia falls into her lap, her world begins to crumble and the people around her alternately support and desert her. She must find the strength within herself to make difficult decisions and search in new places for the help she needs. A love story that captures the beauty of life from an unexpected birth and death; it finds the characters caught in situations that force them to reach deep inside to find their true selves. In the middle of her fight to live, Brelynn must make a difficult choice, to her life or to give life. This story follows her journey as she struggles with her own conscience and with the demands of her family and friends who believe they are putting her interests first. When her lover walks away, she turns to the God she never knew, and finds that even with the guidance of a friendly priest, the ultimate decision is hers.
REVIEW: I heard about this through someone that I work with because Ms. Victoria Kante works with us. I bought it and read it in support of a writer I know. But as soon as I started reading it I found myself sucked into the story and not wanting to put the book down. It is a first novel, and self edited and published and you can tell but there is something about it that makes it impossible not to like.
The story is a tragic one, and that's obvious from the very beginning. But it's also obvious that it's a meaningful one, a personal one to the author. This personal touch makes the story richer and deeper which is important in a tale such as this. And the thing is the story is so intense that I couldn't not fall into it. I truly appreciate a really good story even if the writing isn't perfect and this was a really good story.
The writing was good, it's obvious that Ms. Kante is a talent in the making. She has a good style and feel for the way a story should unfold and I can't wait to see where she goes from here. I think though that this really would have benefited from some editing. There were moments that were a little scattered and a few parts that didn't really feel well put together or realistic. The dialogue was mostly unbelievable in the sense that most people don't actually speak the way her characters spoke. All in all I think that having a few more pairs of eyes read the manuscript before it was published would have turned this good book into a great one.
The characters were good, for the most part well fleshed out. I found myself liking Brelynn and appreciating her will to make it through her struggles. I liked Brelynn's friend Peter and I found myself liking the priest that shows up most of the way through. Again these were characters that were good but I know that Ms. Kante has more in her. I am really very excited to see what comes next from her because there really is a great storyteller there and I think that she can become a truly great writer.
I think all in all this is a good first novel and you should give it a chance. It's been self published so it's going to be a little hard to come by. It is available as an ebook so if you have a reader of any kind go ahead a buy yourself a copy. The physical book will be available at Barnes & Noble 5th Ave. so if you are in the New York area stop on by and purchase your very own copy. I promise, story-wise it is well worth it!
Book Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Version: Library ebook
ISBN: 9781423131892
Published: May 5th, 2009
First Published: June 1st, 2005
Genre: Young Readers Fantasy/Adventure
SYNOPSIS: Percy Jackson has grown up having a lot of problems. First off he isn't really sure who or where his dad is, his mom has to work in a candy shop just to support them when all she ever wanted was to go to college and become a novelist. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD and been kicked out of six schools in six years. It's pretty safe to say that his life has been a little on the difficult side.
Percy's sixth grade year at Yancy Academy started off the same as almost everywhere else. But for his mom's sake Percy wants to try and make this school work. He has a new friend named Grover who has a disability that makes him limp and he gets picked on a lot so Percy looks out for him. And he has a teacher that seems to be on his side for once, his Latin teacher Mr. Brunner. However towards the end of the term things begin to go a little wonky. On what should be a routine field trip to The Met Percy ends up alone with his math teacher Mrs. Dodds who turns into a crazy scary monster and attacks him. Thanks to a little help from Mr. Brunner and a magic pen Percy disintegrates Mrs. Dodds and gets away.
When Percy confronts Mr. Brunner and Grover about what had happened they both act as if they have no idea who Mrs. Dodds is and what really throws him off is that all the other students seem to be on the same train. Percy tries to put the whole incident behind him and get through the rest of the school year. When he is told that he will not be allowed to come back to the school for the next year Percy kind of gives up. But because Mr. Brunner has always been on his side Percy decides he'll make some effort to pass his Latin final. On his way to ask for some last minute guidance from Mr. Brunner he hears something that stops him in his tracks. Mr. Brunner and Grover talking about him, Percy, Mrs. Dodds and the terrible danger that Percy is in. Feeling confused and a little scared Percy heads back to his dorm room and attempts to fall asleep.
When he gets back home on the first day of summer he has great plans to spend the summer with his mom and finding a new school. Everything seems to be going in a good direction when his mom and him head out to Montauk for a stay at the beach. But then things start going wrong that night when Grover shows up and tells them it's time to leave. And so begins an adventure that Percy soon realizes isn't one he signed up for. While on the run he finds out that not only is all the Greek mythology that he has been studying actually real and still valid, seeing as the gods are all alive and well, but that he is in fact the son of one of them. He is a demigod, a half-blood and he is in terrible danger out in the mortal world. As the three of them head toward camp half-blood they are chased by a Minotaur who grabs Percy's mom who then disappears in a shower of gold. Percy defeats the Minotaur and promptly passes out.
He awakens in a room in Camp Half-Blood feeling weak and out of sorts. When he is strong enough to move into the general population he is put into the Hermes cabin where kids who are unclaimed go to live. There he meets Luke, son of Hermes, who kind of takes him under his wing and they quickly become friends. After a few days during a game of capture the flag Percy finally finds out who his father is. His father is Poseidan god of the sea and one of the big three, the three brother gods, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidan who had sworn an oath never to sire half mortal children again. He moves into the Poseidan cabin all alone and feels more confused and lonely than before. If all that wasn't enough Percy finds out that Zeus is threatening war against Poseidan because Zeus believes that Percy has stolen his master lightning bolt. Offended and angry and hoping to clear his name and prevent a war Percy, his new friend Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover set off on a quest to find the lightning bolt, return int to Olympus and find the real lightning thief before war breaks out.
REVIEW: Ok I'm going to be 100% honest, I saw the movie first and I really loved it. And it is only now, years later, that I have finally read the book. There cat's out of the bag and we can all move on. The movie was good, the book was amazing! I love Greek mythology I always have and that was what originally drew me to the movie. After moving to New York and meeting my good friend Sidney McEntyre and after hearing her talk about how good the book series was I added it to my giant list of 'to read' books. After being here over a year I finally got a library card and with my new lending abilities I decided to borrow the ebook version of "The Lightning Thief" and I am so glad that I did.
This was such a great book! I had been in a little bit of a reading rut lately, reading a lot of simply ok books or books that I wasn't that excited about. This book though turned everything around. I was reading it and I got excited about reading all over again. The writing is great for a young reader's book. Simple but full of things that would make kids want to learn more. And I found that the way that the Greek mythology was part of it was a stroke of genius on Mr. Riordan's part. I thought that he did an incredible job making it accessible and yet keeping it so that kids will want to learn more. It's pretty cool.
The story is amazing! Pure and simple, I mean what kid wouldn't love an adventure story about kids that have extra powers because they are the children of Greek gods? The story is just so very cool and full of awesomeness. It was a fun read from start to finish, I didn't want to put it down ever. That is a great adventure story, one that makes you want to read all the time and never put it down. I'm really glad that this is a series because I didn't want the story to end. This way I get a lot more of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
The characters were so much fun! These kids were cool, like really cool! Sure they greatly burdened with the fact that they are half god and are kept in constant danger by the monsters that seem to always find them but they are still really cool. They have these powers that comes from their god/goddess parents and they know how to use them to a extent. Although they are young and just starting out they can take care of themselves and they know how to navigate themselves in the world of myth and legend which is very real to them. I just loved the characters in this book and I went ahead and read the second one and I simply can't get enough of Percy and Annabeth and all their merry friends!
I highly recommend this series to all readers who are interested in Greek mythology. This is a great read for every age and a great way to start the love of reading for young kids just starting out. It's a fantastic book and I'm thinking that the rest of the series is just as great. I say go forth and find a copy, buy it, borrow it, however it is done take a chance and read "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan because it's a truly great read and I know that it made me love reading all over again!
