Enchanting Interview: Melissa Walker

1. What inspired LOVESTRUCK SUMMER?
A trip to Austin one summer made me want to write a book set there. A romance seemed like the perfect thing, and the city just breathes music, so I had to add that aspect too.

2. Can you describe LOVESTRUCK SUMMER in three words?
Hot Austin Romance.

3. Which character surprised you the most over the course of writing the book?
When it suddenly came to me that Penny's little dog, Miss Tiara, was a male dog who liked to wear girly accessories, I was surprised. But I had to go with it! I loved that dog.

4. What was your favorite scene to write?
All the scenes with Quinn and Russ were fun because they had chemistry. Writing two characters with chemistry is just pure bliss.

5. What do you like most about Quinn? What do you like least about her?
I like that she's willing to expand her mind... eventually. I don't like her quick-to-judge tendencies.

6. If Quinn was going to make you a mix tape, what songs would have to be on there?
Well, after this summer in Austin, I think she'd include "Portland, Oregon" by Jack White & Loretta Lynn, "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis, "Speeding Motorcycle" by Daniel Johnston and, of course, "Africa" by Toto.

7. Do you have a favorite line of dialogue in the book?
Ooh, hard question! I don't think I really do. Is that lame?

8. If you could cast yourself into the book for a scene, which one would you choose?
I'd love to be an extra on the river float scene where Russ and Quinn are getting to know each other as they ease down the Guadalupe River in inner tubes.

9. What's next for you?

I'm working on a new book, but it's all secret for now. Stay tuned!

Interview by Lisa

June 2009

Visit Melissa online @:

melissacwalker.com
twitter.com/melissacwalker
iheartdaily.com
readergirlz.com

Guest Blogger: Christine Marciniak

Revise the Story, not the Dream

When I was twelve I planned on being the world’s youngest best-selling author. Or maybe just in the nation. (I knew how to be realistic in my goals.)

Didn’t happen.

It’s not that I didn’t write. I wrote all the time. I filled pages and pages with wonderful prose. I simply never got to the end. In most cases it seems a book has to have an ending before it will be published.

There was one story in particular I was working on. It featured a very rich, very wonderful-in-every-way high-school girl named Casey. She had adventures, she had romance. She had it all.

Well, except maybe a cohesive plot and theme. And, you know, an ending.

Ah, but revisions are a wonderful thing. With them it’s possible to take a fragmented story written in high school and turn it into an actual book.

I’ll share a secret with you: the very beginnings of the story that turned into When Mike Kissed Emma can be found in one of my old high school notebooks.

Take for example this paragraph written in high school:

But during this scene, this one scene when everyone was watching, Jim decided to not fake the kiss. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her in a way that could be described as passionately. To Kate’s horror she found herself caught up in the moment, she was enjoying it, and kissed him back. Suddenly, with a start, she realized what she was doing and pushed him away from her.

And this scene from When Mike Kissed Emma:

And I kissed him back.

I was in his arms. His lips were on mine. The world around us disappeared. There was no one here but me. And Mike. I held him tight. Mike’s mouth was warm and soft on mine. My legs were like rubber. I held him tighter to keep from falling down.

The DJ started playing Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and the spell was broken. I backed up from Mike. What had I done? I’d been kissing Mike! He smiled at me. I just stood there. What had I done?

And it’s more than just the kiss they have in common. There’s the school play they are putting on and the love triangle and the irritating older brother.

It would be tempting to say that the story from high school finally got published. But that would be like saving a few fancy windows from an old house, knocking the house down, building a new house and putting those windows in it and saying it’s the same house. The windows may be the same but the house is very different.

When Mike Kissed Emma is not the same story I wrote in high school, but it’s a descendant of it. Which leads me to my final thought: never underestimate the power of revision.

Oh, and one more thought (this is the last one, I promise): Never give up. I may not be the world’s youngest best-selling author (that ship sailed long ago), but I am an author.

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to be a guest blogger here.

Christine Marciniak is the author of When Mike Kissed Emma coming August 19, 2009 from Climbing Roses imprint of The Wild Rose Press.

Enchanting Review: Shine Coconut Moon

SHINE COCONUT MOON
NEESHA MEMINGER
YA Contemporary
McElderry Books
ISBN # 978-1-4169-5495-8
253 pages
$16.99
Hardcover—Available Now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Seventeen-year-old Samar--Sammy doesn’t know much about her Indian heritage. Her mother refuses to have anything to do with her parents or anything that deals with her past, which includes Sammy’s father. But that all changes after 9/11. Some man with a turban shows up on Sammy’s porch, claiming to be her uncle. He wants the family to get back together and to teach Sammy about her Sikh heritage. Sammy doesn’t know what to do. Her mother is against this. Then a girl at school calls Sammy a coconut, brown on the outside and white inside. Sammy wants to know the truth of who she is and more about her Sikh background. Then some guys from school do something to her uncle’s car, while shouting for him to go home. Sammy realizes that things have changed and how scary it can be. It’s up to her to try to reconcile both of her worlds.

This tale really hit a cord for me. My own brother-in-law is Muslim and came over to our country right before 9/11. The stories of being singled out because he shared the same faith of the terrorists are very similar to the experiences that Sammy witnesses happening with her uncle. In this case, her uncle is ridiculed for wearing a turban. Though he’s not Muslim, those in Sammy’s town assume he is based on his appearance. At first hateful words are thrown at her uncle that slowly turns into personal attacks. Meminger does an excellent job of showing the inner turmoil and conflict that goes through Sammy, especially when the same hateful things are directed at her.

The scenes where Sammy confronts her mother about the denial of their culture are very powerful. Through this all Sammy starts asking some serious questions. Who exactly is American? When do you need to stand up to injustices? These are some tough questions and ones that I know will resonate with other teens, especially those who find themselves in Sammy’s situation. Meminger does a great job of showing that ignorance is dangerous. This is an important tale for teens that are struggling with their identity amidst prejudice in troubling times. It’s also a tale about the importance of family and being true to yourself.

This is Neesha Meminger’s first novel. Find out more at her website: neeshameminger.com

Kim
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
May 2009

Enchanting Review: Prada and Prejudice

PRADA & PREJUDICE

MANDY HUBBARD

YA fantasy

Razorbill

ISBN # 978-1-59514-260-3

215 pages

$8.99

Paperback trade—Available Now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Fifteen-year-old Callie is on a school trip to London but instead of being excited, she’s stuck in her room while the other more popular girls plan on going clubbing. Callie then decides to buy an expensive pair of real Prada pumps, thinking this will impress the girls so they will invite her to come along. Instead she falls, bumps her head and finds herself in the year 1815. She stumbles along when she finds a huge house where Emily welcomes her in thinking she’s her American friend Rebecca. Callie, afraid of being left alone, plays along. Along the way she meets Emily’s cousin, the dashing Duke of Harksbury. Sparks erupt. Then Emily confides in an arranged marriage she doesn’t want. Callie wants to help. But time is ticking down until the ‘real’ Rebecca will show up. Will Callie be able to help her new found friend? And will she prove that she’s more than the clumsy geek-girl from the twenty-first century?

This is a fun romantic tale sure to appeal to Jane Austen fans. Callie’s adventure into the world of 1815 London was fascinating with everything from huge estates, tight corsets, and hot English dukes. Hubbard creates a believable and likeable character in Callie. I could relate with her feeling out of place with her snobby London roommates. Callie’s antics are heartfelt and hilarious such as trying to eavesdrop behind a huge plant in a restaurant to getting enough nerve to see if the others will let her go clubbing with them. Readers will want to follow Callie and see what adventures she’ll stumble on in the past.

This story reminded me of a teen LOST IN AUSTEN.

The tension between Duke of Harksbury and this modern day Jane Austen was fun to follow. I especially liked how Hubbard got Callie into the past with a pair of expensive Prada pumps. The only thing I did wonder was what the consequences would be for Callie when she went back in time. But since this is a light romantic fantasy, I forgot that and sat back to enjoy this romp through prim and proper London with a modern day heroine. Who wouldn’t love to have a magical pair of shoes take you back in time?

Mandy Hubbard lives in Tacoma, Washington. Find out more at www.mandyhubbard.com

Kim

ENCHANTING REVIEWS

May 09

Enchanting Review: Lovestruck Summer

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER

MELISSA WALKER

Contemporary Young Adult

HarperTeen

ISBN#978-0-06-171586-0

266 Pages

$5.99

Paperback--Available Now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

A perfect summer read! LOVESTRUCK SUMMER features Priscilla aka ‘Quinn’ but don’t call her Priscilla! Quinn has big plans for the summer, interning at the Amalgam records, and finding the supreme boyfriend, an indie loving guy with the perfect hair and some funky glasses and she‘s sure she‘s going to meet him in music loving Austin. But things aren’t quite what she expected in Austin, something she finds out right away when her study-conscious cousin Penny picks her up at the airport, resembling something more out of a sorority guidebook then the cousin she remembers. What quickly follows is one of the funniest romantic comedies I’ve read in a long time!

Ms. Walker has a knack for creating memorable characters and LOVESTRUCK SUMMER continues that trend. I liked Quinn immediately, especially her attitude and the fact that her life seems to revolve around music. She practically lives in headphones, using the music to drown things out. Her cousin Penny, fellow intern Jade and neighbor Chrissy round out the cast of characters, as does Miss Tiara, Penny’s cross dressing dog, one of the most unique characters I’ve ever read! And don’t forget the two complete opposite guys she finds herself attracted to, skinny indie DJ Sebastian and country loving jock and frat boy, Russ. One minute Quinn wants to never lay eyes on the frat boy again and the next, she can’t wait to listen to the mix tape he makes her. The summer in Austin moves fast, and Quinn finds herself deeper into the Austin way of life, her preconceived notions about pretty well everything falling away--or so it seems, until she gets called on it by someone unexpected. Has Quinn changed at all or is she merely the same girl who stepped off the plane, the one who wanted to have the perfect summer romance?

It’s hard to pick just one favorite scene to highlight in the review, because I enjoyed them all—especially the ones between Russ and Quinn. But I’d have to say one of my favorites is when Russ takes Quinn for a trip down the river. The chemistry between the two characters is great, the dialogue hilarious and the scene is so well done you feel like you’re tagging along with them.

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER is a fun young adult romance that will have you lose track of time as you lose yourself in Quinn’s summer and hope she ends up with the right boy.

Visit Melissa’s blog at http://www.melissacwalker.com/blog/ and follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/melissacwalker

Lisa

Enchanting Reviews

June 2009

Enchanting Review: L.A. Candy

L.A. CANDY

LAUREN CONRAD

Contemporary YA

Collins

ISBN#9780061767586

336 Pages

$17.99

Hardcover--Onsale June 16, 2009

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Jane Roberts has just moved to Los Angeles with her best friend, Scarlett, in hopes of stepping out of her comfort zone. She just didn’t expect to step this far out of her comfort zone and become the star of what is the soon-to-be the popular reality T.V. show L.A. CANDY. Between her internship with event planner Fiona Chen, her friendship with Scarlett and her somewhat dubious relationship with new friend/crush Braeden, things in L.A. won’t stay sweet for long.

Scarlett Harp moved to L.A. with her lifelong best friend to attend U.S.C. and enjoy life in the city. But there’s a lot of adjustments to make, like getting used to their small and dingy apartment that Jane simply calls ‘charming’. When the two girls go to Les Deux and end up meeting famed TV producer Trevor Lord, they couldn’t imagine the turn their lives are suddenly about to take. A turn that frankly Scarlett finds herself regretting.

I really enjoyed L.A. CANDY. Jane’s a likeable character, fighting to navigate life in Los Angeles when suddenly her entire life is changed again before she can get a true handle on things as they were when she becomes the star of a reality show. It seems in an instant, everything changes again—their apartment for one. Gone is their small, cramped apartment and they find themselves in pure luxury. Her cold and slightly scary boss even undergoes a transformation when the cameras are around and Jane finds herself suddenly attracted to someone she never thought possible. Can she really like two guys at the same time?

Hands down my favorite scene is Jane’s first date in Los Angeles with Paolo, the cute guy she met at work when he accidentally walked into her office. If that wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, not only is it her first date with him, but it’s also her first date with an entire camera crew around.

Ms. Conrad pens a highly entertaining debut with L.A. CANDY, creating a world that takes the reader behind the scenes of reality T.V. and some of L.A.’s hottest nightspots to show that things aren’t quite what they seem on T.V., especially for two girls who aren’t fully prepared to deal with sudden fame. Equally memorable is the ‘villain’ of the show, Madison, who’s totally willing to do whatever it takes to take what she believes is rightfully hers—being the star of the show. She’s truly a devious character, without question and what she’s willing to do to get Jane out of the picture is definitely shocking. Jane and Scarlett are two memorable characters and with the major cliffhanger ending, I can’t wait to see what Ms. Conrad has in store for Jane in the next book.

Ending with a major jaw dropper of a cliffhanger, readers will no doubt be demanding to know what happens next to this group of entertaining characters. Anyone who loves books about life in Hollywood will no doubt enjoy this debut read by Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad is the star of MTV's number-one hit show, The Hills. She launched her career as a fashion designer in Spring 2008 with the debut of the Lauren Conrad Collection. Lauren has been featured on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, and Entertainment Weekly, among others. She lives in Los Angeles. This is her first novel. Her website is http://www.laurenconrad.com/

Lisa

Enchanting Reviews

June 2009

Enchanting Review: Twenty Boy Summer

TWENTY BOY SUMMER

SARAH OCKLER

Young Adult Romance

Little, Brown and Company

ISBN# 978-0-316-05159-0

304 pages

$16.99

Hardcover - Available Now

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Matt Perino, best male friend turned boyfriend, or something like it. Sister to Frankie Perino, Anna’s best friend since time existed. The three of them grew up together, Matt acting as big brother to both girls until one evening when everything changes. A kiss transforms Matt’s relationship with Anna and starts a relationship that pulls their two souls together. He’s the perfect big brother and wants his sister to hear the news from him. He plans on telling her during their annual summer vacation getaway, but he never gets the opportunity. Instead, he dies.

Anna, our heroine and the voice of the story is an intelligent and well-behaved daughter. Devastated by Matt’s death, she keeps her promise to him and hides their secret relationship from Frankie, even after he’s gone. Anna is Frankie’s protector, always looking out for her and ensuring that she goes on, even when Anna herself is dying inside.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is the story of life after Matt’s death. Two summers after the tragic loss, the Perino’s decide to continue their vacation tradition, hoping that it will bring some normalcy back to their lives. Frankie brings Anna along and together the girls attempt to plan the best summer ever. Completely boy crazy after Matt’s death, Frankie devises a scheme whereby the two girls will attempt to meet twenty boys by the end of the summer. Hopefully, by the time they go home, at least one of them will have found a true summer romance. Sunny beaches, thrilling adventures and boys aplenty color their vacation. But when emotions run high and memories are stirred, will it all prove to be too much for Matt’s survivors?

I really loved this story. Sarah Ockler did an amazing job of illustrating what it means to live, to die and to survive. TWENTY BOY SUMMER had beautiful prose and an undercurrent of hope that we, as the readers, couldn’t help but feel. I felt that her descriptions were so lovely and so realistic that it was almost like she picked us up and tossed us on the sands of the beach at Zanzibar Bay. We can really feel the sun on our face, the sand beneath our toes, and most importantly, the raw emotion that fills the pages.

There were points in the book where I couldn’t help but to wonder if this story was a little too deep and dark for young adults. I quickly realized that whether it was dark or not, the story was real. Anna and Frankie display real emotion as they grieve in their own separate ways. Ockler shows us that despite the darkness, despite the despair at losing a loved one, life really can go on. This, above all, made me an absolute fan of this story. I loved the romance, both remembered and new, and the realism that Ockler gives it. With writing as colorful as the various shades of sea glass, Ockler created a true winner.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is the debut novel for author Sarah Ockler. She can be found online at http://sarahockler.com where links to her Facebook, Myspace and Twitter pages can be located.

Cinnamon

ENCHANTING REVIEWS

June 2009