Author Spotlight: It's your time to shine

I'm happy to be receiving author Anna Adams today to promote her new YA novel, A French Girl in New York.

Maude Laurent is a spirited 16 year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in North of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt. Maude will dive into a new fascinating world discovering New York City, music, family, love and the truth about her past. 

Find it on Amazon

Hello Anna, it's a pleasure to have you here. Please tell us, what inspired you to write this book?

What inspired me for this book is my love for music first of all. That's why in this book Maude uses her classical music background to enrich her new pop career.

But also what inspired me are the two countries closer to my hear, the two countries in which I grew up and became what I am today: France and America.

Can you name some of your favorite authors?

Anne Bronte for one -- she is a lot less famous than her two sisters, but I think she is the best of the three -- Charlotte Bronte, J.K.Rowling, George Eliot, Toni Morrison.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Travel, travel, travel! In your own country in foreign countries, everywhere you can! It is an inextinguishable source of inspiration. 

 

What are you working on now -- or would you rather surprise us?

Surprise, surprise....

Just kidding!

Currently, I'm working on the sequel of the Maude Laurent series. In A French Girl in New York we get to know Maude on her road to fame. In the second installment, Maude will learn to deal with her newfound fame, she'll learn to assert herself and find her place in the music industry. Her romantic relationships won't be a smooth ride either!

I'm also working on a short story that focuses on street art.

Best of luck to you Anna and thanks for stopping by. You can follow Anna on:

• twitter: https://twitter.com/ADAMSANNA1 
• facebook:https://www.facebook.com/anna.adams.14606936
• blog:http://annaadamsya.wordpress.com/

Review: Ghostworld

Enid and Becky are done with high school. This should be the time of their lives when they party and travel to the beach. But instead, they continue to hang out at the coffee shop and music stores, or just relax by the television having normal pointless talks. You can tell from the very start that these two are best friends.

The problem: Enid doesn't listen to anything Becky says, constantly monopolizing the conversations. Treating Becky as if she were dumb and keeping mum on her plans after high school. Why would she do that? The answer is in the book.

Ghostwolrd

And that is a good enough reason to read this book. It's honest. Not all friendships are good for you, and it doesn't mean that because a person is extroverted that they are able to show their true emotions.

Daniel Clowes also worked on the screenplay for the 2001 Ghostworld movie, and was nominated for an Award for best adapted screenplay.

Top Ten Tuesday: Series on my Mind

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Wanting is part of being human, and frankly I want books. Here are the series I haven't read and invade my dreams. 

1. The Host:  I placed it on top because I want to read it before the movie comes out and I'm running out of time.

2. Obsidian: It comes widely recommended and it has to do with aliens. 

3. Under the Never Sky: Why are they hugging under the sky -- I don't know but I want to find out.

4. The Forest of Hands & Teeth: I bought it when it first came out and keep in my bookcase, unopened.

5. Daughter of Smoke & Bone: The cover drew me in.

6. Anna Dressed in Blood: I've heard it's scary.

7. Legend: Who hasn't read it -- me! I feel like I'm the only one.

8. Darkest Powers series: As a fan of The Gathering, I think this one will do it for me as well.

9. Mara Dyer series: I read so many good reviews from you guys. I need to read it.

10. The Grisha series: The plot, the cover -- everything intrigues me about this one.

Caught my Arrow # 8

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to In my mailbox and  Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.

Whenever I go to the library I tell myself, just get one book, just get one book, but I always end up getting more.

Yup, I went in for Wicked Lovely but had to arrow The Friday Society and Level 2 because if I didn't someone else would have and I couldn't live with that. Muahaha....

I also got The Immortal Rules from Netgalley

What are you reading this week?

Review: Starters

Look at this cover. The poor blue eyed girl looks extremely sad and who can blame her. Callie's parents died during the Spore Wars -- a terrible epidemic that wiped out everyone between the age of twenty and sixty. Sadly, those who didn't have any grandparents were left to struggle on their own. And so Callie who doesn't want to be separated from her little brother must do a crazy thing: she must rent her body.

Please no dirty thoughts. I said rent not sell. What they do is insert a microchip into her head and then the elder who rents her body can operate it while the real Callie sleeps. 

I admit I loved to see the experiment go wrong as Callie woke up and took control of her body. I expected her to do what I would have done: go shopping. But instead she tries to figure out who this  renter is and moves the story from Dystopia to Mystery to Horror, and then sprinkles it with a dash of Romance. 

Needless to say, I devoured this book. Callie is a strong character, never forgetting the huge responsibility   that rests on her shoulders. Helena kept surprising me at every turn. The only character I couldn't warm up to was Michael. Yes, he took care of Tyler but he was so secretive it annoyed me. Can't wait for book two to come out.