AskSeekKnock Interviews: Christy Sloat

AskSeekKnock Interviews!

Hey guys!

So! This my very first author interview and I am so stoked to have gotten the chance to speak with author Christy Sloat (Slumber, The Past Lives Series, and Who We Were) Maybe you know her from her debut paranormal series, The Past Lives series or from her latest fantasy/retelling, Slumber! Either way she has become one of my favorites and is sure to become the same for you!

So! Let’s get right to it!

Sarah: Okay so I'm a big fan of your latest work, Slumber. It is such a cool new take on an old familiar story, what did your writing process with that story look like? Did a character pop into your mind first or maybe the plot?

Christy:

I always knew I was going to write a story on Aurora but I wasn't sure how. I was writing another book when Slumber came to me. I fleshed out the details in a day or two and Slumber was born. When I started writing Slumber an idea came to mind for Who We Were so I had to set Slumber aside for a bit. I'm glad that happened because ad's for Maleficent started coming on the TV. I waited until I saw Maleficent before I wrote the rest of Slumber. I didn't want it to be the same plot or be confused. I'm happy to say it's not the same.

Sarah: What 2 actors would you like to see as Rory and Sawyer in a Hollywood adaption of Slumber?

Christy: Oh, this is something I've thought about in detail. I would definitely request Brit Robertson for Rory and Kit Harrington for Sawyer. Every time I see Kit play Jon Snow, I see Sawyer. He just makes a good match for him; he's so hot.

Sarah: SUPER good choices!!! Kit is a hunk!

Sarah: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?

Christy: I'd be working in the school district. I love working with kids.

Sarah: What book do you wish you could have written?

Christy: Hmm. That is a very challenging question. Probably either Twilight or Harry Potter. They're both genius and have really defined YA as a genre. Both authors are heroines in the YA community.

Sarah: So true. I can’t imagine how YA would have turned out without them both!

Sarah: What can you tell me about your current writing project/s? I have seen that you're working on the second book in the Slumber Duology, and I have seen hints to another possible retelling!

Christy: Yes, I'm writing Slumber's second book in the duology, Awaken. I love returning to Rory's world. I can tell you that it's going well and that you won’t see as much Sawyer in the beginning. *sad face*

Sarah: Extra sad face!!!

But Rory gets some pretty kick-butt scenes that make up for all of that. We also get to meet some new characters that I'm really excited about. This world has been very fun for me to create.

After Awaken I have a new project in the works. Once I have all the ideas out and on paper I'll give you some more information. I promise.

Sarah: EEEP! That all is so exciting! #Fangirling

Sarah: Which of your own book characters would you say is most like yourself?

Christy: I think they are all a bit like me since I created them. It's hard not to put a little bit of your own personality into your characters. But if I had to choose just one, I think I'd say Brylee from my Visitors Series. She is so much like me it's scary. 

Sarah: Love it! I need to check out the Visitor’s series SOON!

Sarah: Do you have any writing advice or marketing tips you can share that have been most helpful to you?

Christy: My advice for writing is this; get some notebooks and fill it up with ideas. When your ideas are looking like a pretty darn good book, write it. Once it's written get a REALLY good editor. Make it shine.

My advice for marketing; make friends online and be yourself.

I honestly am still having a hard time with marketing and authors are all on their own when it comes to that. Our publishers don't help us with that, no matter who publishes you.

Now for a few random/silly questions!!

Sarah: If you were a superhero, what would your power and name be?

Christy: Oh, how fun! Okay, my power would be to invisible on demand and my name would be Crystal Clear.

Sarah: Hahaha! Yes! Love that!  

Sarah: Divergent or The Hunger Games?

Christy: Divergent. No contest. I do love Katniss but dang, Roth can really write a good book.

Sarah: She soo can! I wish she would put out more work!

Sarah: What was the last movie you watched?

Christy: I've watched a lot of kid movies with my kids, so let's not count those. The last grown-up movie I saw was Fifty Shades of Grey and it was awesome. I was so heartbroken at the end and I totally knew it was coming. That's the beauty of a well made movie.

Sarah: Oooo! Too funny!

Sarah: Thank you SO much for taking the time to chat with me!

Is there anything else you want to add?

Christy: I adore you and thank you for asking me to do an interview.

You all can read about and purchase Christy's books through the links below!

Christy Sloat

www.christysloat.com

Instagram - Instagram.com/AuthorChristySloat_Writes

To see my review of Christy's Slumber click here -> Slumber Book Review

To purchase Christy's books from amazon click here > Amazon.com/ChristySloatBooks

Thank you so much for reading!

Xoxo,

Sarah

Book Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

"But of the tree of the knowledge

of good and evil,thou shalt

not eat of it: for in the day that

thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Genesis 2:7

Okay yeah I realize that I am 10 years late on the “Typical White Girl” bandwagon with this one but anyway I thought that this would be interesting nonetheless.

So my family and I moved, back in November, into a parsonage. I had lived in a parsonage one other time in my life and the previous family had left nothing at all. Not even a single hair, the house was spotless but this time was a little different..  Anyway, the previous pastor and his wife left a couple of boxes behind in their move and me and my mom decided to be nosey and take a peek inside to see what had been unworthy of the trek to a new home. To my surprise/delight the boxes were filled with books! Of course, though. Every pastor has a crap ton of books. BUT among the pastoral selections there it was, in all of its used and unwanted glory, with its spine unbroken but the edges a little rough, and the cover oh so glossy and inviting, Twilight!

About a week ago I decided to officially hop on the “Typical White Girl” train. (Not like I wasn’t already there seeing as how I am infatuated with coffee and Instagram.) I went down to the grimy basement/dungeon-like room and rescued it from its cardboard prison.

Twilight, as you probably know by now, is about 17 year-old Bella Swan. She is a plain girl with major balance issues, even on flat surfaces. Bella’s mother, Renee, has just married Phil, a traveling ball player. Knowing that her mother will be away most of the time with her new husband, Bella reluctantly decides to move to Forks, Washington where her father lives. Forks is microscopic, cold, rainy and just plain boring. It is the epitome of everything Bella hates. She moves in with her somewhat reclusive father, Charlie, who has already enrolled her at the local high school. Bella is not at all excited. She is dreading living in Forks and going to a new tiny school. She meets a couple of seemingly friendly people the first day of school and then she sees him. Edward Cullen. Bella is immediately intrigued by him, his pale skin, his incredibly good looks and his color changing eyes. Edward glares at Bella and seems to hate her without even knowing her. Edward and his family are all stunningly gorgeous. They are also secluded and stick to themselves.  After meeting Jacob Black, the son of a family friend and hearing an old supposed legend about the Cullens and the Indians who live on a reservation nearby, Bella becomes suspicious of Edward and his family. She has suspicions that the story which Jacob told her may actually be true and she goes online looking for clues to figure it all out.

Bella and Edward interact but it is an aggravated like/hate type of situation for a time and Edward seemingly disappears for a while. Bella notices the way the Cullens never eat, the way Edward stopped a moving car with his bare hands, the way his skin is ice cold and she comes to the not so shocking conclusion. That Jacob’s story was a lot less legend and that Edward is in fact a vampire aanndd so is his whole pretend family. Duh! Cause we all know by now. Anyway, Edward finally comes back around and tells Bella that he has given up on avoiding her, that he is drawn to her and feels the need to protect her. He and she develop a relationship. Bella knows that his interest in her should scare her, terrify her even, but it doesn’t bother her at all as he and the rest of the Cullens don’t drink human blood.

As the story progresses Bella finds herself stuck in the middle of serious danger. Her affiliation with the family of vampires gets her into deep trouble when they cross paths with a rogue vampire, James, who wants to kill her more than anything. This forces them to leave Forks with Bella in order to try to protect her and her family from James. But when Bella hears that James has kidnapped her mother she throws all caution to the wind to save her. And being the accident magnet that Bella is, her act of bravery/idiocy to try and save her mom lands herself in the hospital.

Bella has come to want the life that Edward has. The immortality that vampires have is something Bella wants. She knows that the transformation will be excruciatingly painful but it is something she is willing to endure to be with Edward forever. It’s just a matter of time for Bella of when she will get her wish granted and finally be Edward’s for an eternity. 

So, there has been SO MUCH HYPE over the Twilight saga for 10 years now and honestly the book didn't disappoint…..don’t worry you can pick your jaw off of the floor. It didn't disappoint because my hopes were not high. The book had a real lack of emotion to it. The story was interesting, yes, but it was not gripping and didn't make me want to be Bella’s bff. I really expected more of Jacob Black in there to add to the famous love triangle but he was not really that prominent in the story and really not even vital to it at all. For a while it was just Bella constantly thinking about Edward with no real plot in sight. It wasn’t the worst book I've read but it was dull despite the attempt at the opposite with vampires being a focal point. The vampire strengths and weaknesses could have been emphasized more. I mean I would have LOVED for Edward to have just been like, “Wow, I’d really like to bite you and suck your blood.” Or “Bella, you make me want to be a typical vamp.” You know? I mean if he is really a vampire make him really voice that he wants to act on that. I guess that’s what Midnight Sun is for.

Recommended age:

13+

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

Not too many really. The book was heavily deprived of emotion. Of course I did like instances where Bella and Edward were being cute and sappy but it wasn’t really getting to my feels.

3/10

Violence:

Bella gets herself into some trouble. She almost gets squashed by a car and gets herself some nasty injuries from the not so polite vamp, James. James and the Cullen’s fight to protect Bella.

4/10

Sexual content:

Bella and Edward kiss a few times. He has a hard time when she kisses back…supposing that’s because he wanted to suck her blood? That was never said though. Other than kissing and the normal hand holding there was no sexual content.

3/10

Crude language:

Little to none. Depending on whom you ask. One or two minor curse words were used.

2/10

Other elements/comments:

Of course there will always be the ones who say “Vampires are bad!” or “That’s just gross” or “That is sinful” but the book it really pretty G-PG rated. The "blood thirst" wasn’t a big factor in the book, it was more about Bella falling for a guy who was just different.

In the beginning of the book a Bible verse is quoted saying, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17

Overall:

Overall it wasn’t awful, terrible writing, gruesome, bloody or scary at all but could have used some pizazz. I personally enjoyed the book alright but the lack of emotion bothered me.

7/10

Xoxo

- Sarah

Books that we wish were movies//TV shows!

Books that we wish were movies//TV shows!

First up..

The Murder Complex (series) by Lindsay Cummings!

This book(series) is about Meadow Woodson and Zephyr James who both live in a walled city in dystopian Florida, where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate! It’s packed with action, feels, and romance!

This series has become one of my favorites! I would LOVE to see a TV series come out one day!

Casting Suggestions..Meadow: Olivia Holt from I Didn't Do It.

Zephyr:Luke Bilyk from Degrassi

Second we have…

Branded by Abi Kentner and Missy Kalicicki

Branded is about Lexi Hamilton, a girl who is wrongfully accused of the sin of Lust and is sent to the Hole. The Hole is a dirty, and dangerous place where all of the accused live in a prison with no rules.

Branded would make a killer movie series!

AHHH! So scary. I mean HP fans want to live at Hogwarts, Narnia fans want to live at Cair Paravel, Percy Jackson fans want to go to Camp Half-Blood…Branded fans are like “Nah, I'm good.”

 

 Casting Suggestions...Lexi: Kaya Scodelario from Skins and The Maze Runner

Cole: Colton Haynes from Teen Wolf and Arrow

Thirdly…

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me is the story of a girl named Juliette Ferrars. Juliette’s skin hasn’t touched or been touched by someone else in years. The last time her skin came in contact with another human’s it ended in pain and death. Juliette is a dreamer and just longs to be normal. Others have their eye on using her abilities as a weapon but Juliette is getting tired of being used.

 Shatter Me would make a really cool movie or TV series but I would LOVE to see a TV series!

 

Casting Suggestions...Juliette: Marie Avgeropoulos from The 100

Adam: Liam Hemsworth from The Hunger Games series

Warner: Jamie Bell from The Adventures of Tin Tin

And Fourth... 

Slumber by Christy Sloat

Slumber is about, Rory, a patient of Spindle Ridge Asylum. Rory is in the asylum for murdering her boyfriend, Phillip but Rory cant remember doing it, or the boy at all. Rory has strange and lifelike dreams that make her start to question her placement at Spindle Ridge and everything around her. This re-telling of the classic fairy-tale, Sleeping Beauty, is anything but a fairy-tale. Imagine if Sucker Punch met Maleficent!

I would so love to see Slumber on the big screen!

 

Casting Suggestions... Rory: Eliza Taylor from The 100

Sawyer: Theo James from Divergent (series)

I hope you enjoyed this fun post! Feel free to comment your favorite books that you want to see on screen and casting suggestions!

You can find reviews for all of these awesome books here on the blog!!

Xoxo,

Sarah

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me, Shatter Me, Shatter Me. It severely lived up to the mega hype.

Shatter Me, is about a seventeen year old girl named Juliette, who has a deadly touch. Her condition cost her everything. She never had friends at school. She never got to experience love from anyone. Her family gave her up to live in an asylum. Now, she sits alone in her cell with her notebook and her broken pen, just waiting for a bird to fly past her window. Alone, until a boy, who seems strangely familiar to her, shows up in her cell as her new cellmate.

Juliette dreams of flying birds but there are none outside in the real world. The real world is a disaster. The Reestablishment is supposed to be helping heal the earth but they are only harshly ruling and harming it further. The Reestablishment has plans for Juliette. They know of her condition and what terrible things she has done in the past. They know that she is powerful and plan to use her as a weapon but Juliette has plans of her own.

Okay. So, this book had SO, SO, SO MUCH hype surrounding it. I was really excited to read this book. I had really high hopes and expectations for it. I went in expecting a killer story and to have fun reading it. I had heard that Tahereh’s writing style was a thing of beauty and something we don’t see often. I was really intrigued by the hearsay and I was NOT let down. This book was dystopian, yes, BUT it was very picturesque. The extensive use of adjectives was not as annoying as it can sometimes be in YA. I loved the poetry to the book. The use of repeated words was something I liked. And the crossed out words of what was left unsaid was interesting. Juliette’s mind is a beautiful calamity. I feel like I learned so much about the art of writing from Tahereh’s style of writing that I can apply to my own work. I will certainly be buying books 2 and 3 sometime!

Recommended age:

14+

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

Ah the feels..there were some emotion provoking moments but none that made me want to cry. I found myself seriously “shipping” Kerrars? I think that’s the proper “Ship Name” for them. Also there may have been a momentary lapse of judgement on my part. I almost, kinda, unintentionally liked Warner with Juliette. Just for like a page though. Also loved Kenji and James.

6/10

Violence:

There were some scenes where Juliette touches people and it is a little violent, but not bad. Also some fighting and shooting. But hey, nothing is as bad as the Rue, Tris, and Newt scenes. You THG, Divergent, and TMR fans get me.

4.5/10

Sexual content:

There are a few steamy make-out sessions but nothing really beyond that. The sexual tension between Juliette and a couple of the guys is really thick and totally fun though.

5.5/10

Crude language:

There is one or more of almost every “cruse word” including, “hell” “shit” and even a few religious profanities that seemed highly unnecessary and just random.

8/10

Other elements/comments:

Themes of captivity, power lust and some self-loathing.

Overall:

Overall I really enjoyed the story. Some things like the bad language may prove to be too much for some individuals under say, 14, but when comparing this book to other YA books it was just really interesting and got really X-Men-ish towards the end which I liked a lot and totally didn't expect.

8.5/10

Xoxo

- Sarah