The Sideswiped blog tour is running from October 7-13 and I will be participating! Yay!
Sideswiped, by Lia Riley, is the second book in her Off The Map series featuring a California girl named Talia and an Australian young man named Bran.
Keep an eye out for my review on October 11th. You can also check out my review of the first book in the series, Upside Down. As an added bonus, finishing the book review will increase my percentage on Net Galley!
After reading Family Inheritance, I wanted to know a bit more about the author, Terri Ann Leidich. Thankfully through Net Galley, we can express interest in connecting with the authors of the books we review. Terri contacted me and agreed to be a part of an “Author Interview”. She is my first official interview! Yay!
This is Part of 1 of the interview which consists of questions on the process of writing a book and a few other book related ones. Part 2 will be published later and will be specific to her book Family Inheritance, which I recently wrote a review on. You can check it out here.
So, here we go…
Q: What genre do you like to write in? What draws you to this genre?
I like Contemporary Women’s Fiction because the stories feel real and could be happening to women just like us. Many times, no matter who is reading the book, there is some aspect of one of the characters in the book to whom we can strongly relate. And, that can be life changing.
Q: How much research goes into your books?
A lot! That’s why it took 30 years to bring Family Inheritance to the marketplace. Most of my research is done by talking to people about their lives, their experiences, their feelings.
Q: How do you structure your day for writing? Is there a special time of the day you write?
Because I still have a “day job”, my writing life doesn’t have the structure I would like it to have. Most of my writing is done on the weekends.
Q: What is the hardest thing about writing?
Once the “creation” is done and it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of editing, honing, and bringing the story to the place where a publisher will accept it. That’s hard work!
Q: Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
What works for me is stepping away, taking a nice warm bath, going to Starbucks and sipping on a chai – something that will get me away from “creating the story” and giving my creative self or what I call “the space beyond the mind” an opportunity to let the story flow. Writer’s block for me is often a time where I’m trying to fit my story or idea into a predetermined outline when in actuality, the story wants to be able to flow in another direction.
Q: What writers inspire you?
One of my favorite authors is Jodi Picoult because she tells stories that are so real and sometimes so raw that by reading them, you come out changed. My Sister’s Keeper is one of my all-time favorites. At the end of the book, I just sobbed. I really think the film makers did the movie a disservice when they changed the ending. True, it was a tough ending, but it was so poignant.
Q: Where do you see your writing career 5 years from now?
I intend to keep writing and/or pulling out manuscripts from my jammed file drawer and working on them. How many books I will have written and published in five years, I’m not sure. I’d rather craft a book and have a story unfold than be on a deadline where I have to “put out something” by a certain date. I’ve been delighted to read that reviewers are interested in my writing and look forward to more books. What a nice feeling to take into my writing.
Q: If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Gone with the Wind. That is such a masterpiece! The characters are so real, and they stay with you forever. I still have moments when I think about Scarlett and how she would say something to the effect of, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Sometimes, that’s good advice.
Q: If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would that be?
Write because you love to write. Only a small percentage of authors become rich and famous. If that happens to you, fabulous, but if it doesn’t, make sure that you can say you thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Thank you to Terri Ann Leidich for taking the time to answer my questions.
Look out for my next book review on The Forgers by Bradford Morrow. This will be the second book review for #NetGalleyMonth, running from September 1-30.
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Thank you to Grove Atlantic publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book.
Upside Down is the first in Lia Riley’s Off The Map series. It follows the relationship of Natalia (Talia) Stolfi, a girl from Santa Cruz, California and Brandon (Bran) Lockhart, an Australian young man she meets during her study abroad program.
The past year had been difficult for Talia and she didn’t know how to deal with the death of her sister. A study abroad program to Australia was just what she felt she needed. It would give her time away from the painful memories that consumed her and the life she felt was falling apart.
Bran comes from a wealthy family, but his life is anything but perfect. As he runs from his past, he meets Talia, but finds that his feelings for her, brought his inner demons to the service. While he’s trying to deal with his issues, he hurts Talia along the way…more than once.
Both are trying to forget the past and start something new, but it’s the past that keeps coming between them.
***
I thought this was a great book! As you read, you’re constantly wanting Talia and Bran to finally say they’re together, but too much gets in the way.
After Tailia’s sister dies, her OCD intensified, but spending time with Bran it’s not as apparent. She realizes that she can be more open with Bran than anyone else in her life, including her parents and friends. Not to mention he’s a hot Australian. I was trying to imagine what his accent might have sounded like while I was reading the book.
Talia might have been a little dramatic at times, but I think part of it was her OCD and the other was her inexperience with men.
Bran on the other hand is, internally, dealing with a previous relationship that ended badly. He was in love with this other girl and doesn’t want to feel that same hurt with Talia. That’s why he keeps just enough distance between them, even though he has completely fallen for her.
They both open up about things that lifts weight off their shoulders and in doing so they allow their relationship to grow. They just never solidify their relationship throughout this first book and Talia’s impending departure from Australia makes defining their relationship even more difficult.
The more intimate parts in the book are not over-done and cheesy. It was tastefully done and it didn’t overpower the entire story.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and I’m excited to read the next book in the Off The Map series.
Here are the next two books in the Off The Map Series:
Release Date: October 7, 2014Release Date: December 2, 2014
Favorite Quotes
“There’s a part where Mr. Rochester tells Jane it’s as if he had a string under his rib, connected to hers, and he’s afraid there parting would snap the connection and they’d both bleed inwardly. Bran’s become vital to me, and our time together has almost run its course.”
Overall Rating
If you’ve read this book, let me know what you think.
Here are a few books I found this week and have added to my reading list. The first book I requested on Net Galley and got approved, so I should be reading that soon. The second book has a movie adaptation that’s set to release soon. So, I wanted to read the book before I see the movie. Or should I see the movie first then read the book?
This is Falling by Ginger Scott (Found on BookGirl)
For a long time, I’ve been totally against e-books. I thought nothing could be better than holding a book, curling up in a blanket, and drinking some wine. While I still love the tangible book, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of e-books.
I started by downloading the Kindle app on my iPhone. It was a bit difficult because of how small the screen was, but it wasn’t terrible. So, I decided to get myself an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. Since Net Galley books are only available as digital copies, it gave me another reason to get the Kindle.
I’ve had the Kindle for a week now and have come to find that I’m actually reading more than with the paperback books. It’s really easy to use and it’s easier to carry around. I will always have another book on hand if I finish the one I’m reading.
I don’t think I will completely convert to e-books, but will appreciate what both e-books and paperbacks have to offer.
However, Nicholas Sparks books are the only ones I will have to have as paperback copies. He’s my favorite author.
What are your thoughts on e-books and paperback books?
This is the first book I finished reading as part of Net Galley Month. It was released on August 5, 2014 and is a part of Lia Riley’s Off The Map series. Review coming soon.
Stories Unfolded 