A Book and a Chat with Caroline Star Rose

Back in December of 2011 I had on my show the first author from the Class of 2K12, the debut YA authors for 2012. It was a little strange having a 2k12 in 2011, but as we learned at the time it was due to the book originally planned for release in late 2011 being deferred to January 2012 (clear as mud…I know).

As we near the e3nd of 2012 it was great to have Caroline Star Rose back on the show to let us know how her year with the fantastic novel “May B” has gone since we last spoke to her.

The book has already won several awards and I believe firmly put Caroline on the YA/Mid Grade map, in fact just checking out Goodread’s for instance I see there are no less than 315 reviews for her book.

“May B” is a fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, a book that can and has been enjoyed by people of all ages.

About “May B" (taken from Caroline’s Web Site)

I watch the wagon

until I see nothing on the open plain.

For the first time ever,

I am alone.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s homestead—just until Christmas, her pa promises. But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel—and courage—to make it through the approaching winter. 

This gorgeous novel in verse by Caroline Starr Rose will transport you to the Kansas prairie—to the endless grassland, and to the suffocating closeness of the sod house where May is stranded.

May’s eloquent yet straightforward voice, and her bravery, determination, and willingness to risk it all will capture your heart. 

As we found out during the show Caroline has continued to be busy not just with promoting

Based on the traditional rhyme, “Over in the Meadow” (due out 2014), this picture book follows the animals of the Louisiana shoreline as they prepare for and withstand a hurricane. Also she has been working on a children book.

 

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Caroline Star Rose

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Caroline Star Rose

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
" Caroline Star Rose"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
" Caroline Star Rose - May B
"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Kathryn Burak

Even though we are coming to the end of 2012 we are still lucky enough to have some of the Class of 2K12 sharing with us their debut YA novel, and today is one of those one hour specials that we reserve for the YA debut authors. I am pleased to say that today on “A Book and a Chat” I have Kathryn Burak author of “Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things” as my guest.

Kathryn started got the writing bug with success when a letter she wrote to Santa was chosen to be read on a local radio station at the age of seven. This plunge into stardom was the start of Kathryn’s journey into the literary world. It was followed by an appearance in Highlights magazine when her letter appeared in the “Letters from Near and Far”. After which she received pen pal requests from 37 people in countries all over the world, Kathryn of course wrote back to everyone.

Further success followed for Kathryn with poems being published in “West Branch” and “The Gettysburg Review” and eventually after over thirty rejections (including three by the eventual publisher) she managed to get her first short story published.

Her career carried was on the up but the major novel had not yet surfaced, Kathryn shared with us the amazing story of how she “eventually” found and agent and then how that followed up with the production of her debut YA novel “Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things”

About “Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things” (Taken from Amazon)

When Claire’s best friend Richy went missing, he disappeared without a trace. But when Emily Dickinson’s dress goes missing from the Amherst museum, she knows exactly where it is: in her closet.

As Claire and her student teacher, Tate, attempt to figure out what do to about the dress, they begin to uncover the truth behind Richy's disappearing act. Following a trail of clues across state lines, Claire and Tate attempt to find the person that Claire knows in her gut is responsible for his disappearance..

Top of Form

“Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things” was launched this month and is already proving popular with YA readers. As one reviewer put it…

I read this book in one sitting and found it beautiful and haunting. Claire is prickly and compassionate, vulnerable and strong; I grew to love her as she navigated her way through grief, loneliness, and first love. Her darkly funny internal monologue added both levity and depth to the story, and Burak's writing is spare, elegant, and lyrical--a respectful tribute to Dickinson herself. This one is not to be missed. 

Kathryn Burak might be one of the last 2K12 authors to debut but her book has been well worth waiting for.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Kathryn Burak

Barry

Direct link to the show
Kathryn Burak

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Kathryn Burak"

You can find out more about my guest at:
"Kathryn Burak - Emily's Dress And Other Missing Things"


Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK (Including my Olympic Blog) - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson

Corrine Jackson and that is sounded “Cor-een” is one of the Class of 2K12 debut YA authors for this year, however in her case it’s not one book coming out this year but two.

Corrine wrote her first short story in second or third grade. Which she still has.. Oddly enough, it was about a girl whose best friend was being physically abused by her dad. That theme somehow made it into her first novel “Touched”, so maybe everything comes full circle?

She continued writing through her school year moving around a lot, she actually attended eleven different colleges, has earned bachelors and master’s degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing. She is its lead to believe a dab hand in creating pies, cup cakes and the odd bowl of Mac and Cheese.

Along with a normal job and her educational studies Corinne now has produced two totally different books both of which are due to be launched in 2012.
“Touched” is the first book in a trilogy, the second already going through the editing stage with the third shortly to get underway.

About “Touched -Sense Thieves” (Taken from Corrine’s Web page)

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies.

Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

As stated this is the first of what is a trilogy; however in the mean time her she has a debut novel coming out next month which is totally different to Touched.
In a way “IF I LIE” has somewhat a similar theme to “Touched” where a girl keeps a secret at great cost to herself. It is however a deeper book that covers the gray space between truth and perception.

About “If I Lie” (taken from Amazon):

Cheater. Traitor. Slut.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Shunned by everyone she knows, Quinn loses her friends, her reputation, and her identity. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s a Marine who’s serving overseas, and beloved by everyone in their small, military town.
But Quinn didn’t cheat. She could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. So she stays silent, and waits for Carey to come home.

Then Carey goes MIA, and Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.



As one reviewer put it…

"If I Lie" is easily one of the better written contemporary debuts I've come across this year, if not the best. It is powerful, thought-provoking, and is beautifully written. While it touches upon a variety of subjects and something or the other is constantly happening throughout the novel, at its core, it is a character-driven story like no other. I guess if I had to, I’d describe If I Lie as a cross between The Scarlet Letter and Speechless, but really, it is a novel that manages to hold its head high and stand all on its own, for although it covers a similar subject matter, it also covers so much more. It is a novel not only about bearing burdens, facing a cold shoulder of shame, torn families, friendship, and the army; it is also a story about hope and perseverance and the ability to find strength and courage even in the darkest of times.

With two different styles yet the same creative talent, I can well see the name of Corrine Jackson being on many YA readers book shelves.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Corrine Jackson"

You can find out more about my guest at:
"Corrine Jackson - If I Lie"


Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK Including my Olympic Blog - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Sarvenaz Tash

In this month’s Library Media Connection magazine, which is aimed towards school librarians and whether or not books are good fits for their curriculum and collection, my guests book was ladled “"Full of adventure and mystery, this novel is sure to bring out the explorer in every reader."

After listening to today’s “A Book and a Chat” I am sure it is a book that will find its way into many library.

Sarvenaz Tash, pronounced Sar (like the first part of Sara) – ve (rhymes with meh) – naz (rhymes with ‘cuz... yet I still had issues saying it..
Was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where all the streets are laid out in a delightfully simple grid system, which is a good thing for as we learned she is not very good with directions unlike “Goldenrod Moram” the hero of her debut book “The Mapmaker and the Ghost.”

About “The Mapmaker and the Ghost”

Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest. Intrepid, curious, and full of a well-honed sense of adventure, she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her idols, the explorers Lewis and Clark, and to map the forest right behind her home.

This task is complicated, however, by a series of unique events—a chance encounter with a mysterious old lady has her searching for a legendary blue rose. Another encounter lands her in the middle of a ragtag gang of brilliant troublemakers. And when she stumbles upon none other than the ghost of Meriwether Lewis himself, Goldenrod knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer . . . or an ordinary quest

The book is a rollicking adventure full of great characters from Goldenrod, the intrepid explorer, who has the quest to map her town. Her little brother, who just wants to be brave enough for his sister to let him come along on her adventures, to a group of runaway kids called “the Gross Out Gang”, and of course the ghost…

The book has just enough danger to make you worry for their safety intermixed with humor ranging from slapstick of the Gross Out Gang with their gleefully disgusting habits and kids will adore to equally as intelligent and quirky interactions that any adult reader would enjoy.

The book is due out April 24th, if I were you I’d get an order for this book in now, no matter what your age as I can see this not only being a great hit, but to me "The Mapmaker and the Ghost" is also destined to appear on one form or other silver screen.

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining sixty minutes with my guest Sarvenaz Tash.


If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Sarvenaz Tash

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Sarvenaz Tash"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Sarvenaz Tash - The Mapmaker and the Ghost"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Megan Bostic

My guest on today’s Book and a Chat is one of this year’s debut YA authors, a member of the Class of 2K12 Megan Bostic. Let’s first get the name right it’s Megan with a long “e” so it’s more like “Me gan”, now that’s out the way let’s chat about this great new author. Megan is the author of “Never 18” a YA book that has received great reviews from teens and adults alike.

Megan lives over on the west coast, but not the sunny climes location that one thinks of, the rainy and gray northwest weather that makes her extremely “angsty” (one of her favorite words). Megan loves the color black, monkeys (has a collection of sock monkeys), and is a notorious Facebook addict. She migrated from early writing of poems and songs, though the poetry is making somewhat of a comeback to writing her first novel which she completed in 2008. That novel still has to see the light of day and in 2009 she produced “Never 18”.

She writes in the “seat of your pants” style, typing away with reckless abandon to get, with the aid of numerous sticky notes, the story that is bursting out of her head typed out. Once written, then starts the editing and smoothing out process.

While “Never 18” is only 200 pages long it is filled with emotional scenes, though some the language and topics are perhaps not for the younger end of the YA market, “Never 18” is a book for all ages, and can and should be shared by adults as well as children as it relates to real life situations.

About “Never 18”

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

While Never 18 is Megan’s debut novel there are already several others either completed or in the pipeline, including another contemporary YA tentatively titled, Sad. I call it a story of loss, loathing and lacerations. It’s about a girl suffering from depression who ends up being a cutter, and her healing process.

As one reviewer put it…

New author Megan Bostic makes writing look easy. Her new novel, NEVER EIGHTEEN, is so clear, so smooth, so effortless, that the reader is completely immersed in the story, living it along with the characters. This story is so moving, so touching that I could not put it down. I read NEVER EIGHTEEN from cover to cover in a matter of hours. And normally, I would never look at this kind of book. It just isn't my normal genre. But I knew of Ms Bostic, and I had heard a lot about this book, so I leaped at the chance to give it a try. And, OH MY, I feel honored and privileged to have read NEVER EIGHTEEN. Megan Bostic it a true talent, and NEVER EIGHTEEN is a brilliant debut.

I for one, totally agree with that!

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining sixty minutes with my guest Megan Bostic

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Megan Bostic

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Megan Bostic"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Megan Bostic - Never 18"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry