REVIEW: Need by Carrie Jones

Title: Need (Need #1)

Author: Carrie Jones

Publication Date: December 23th 2008

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Pages: 306

Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb: Pain shoots through my head. Fireworks. Explosions. All inside my brain. The white world goes dark and I know what's about to happen.

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Review: At first, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Need and Twilight- moving to a new, cold town? Getting a car on the first day? Slipping over on snow? People disappearing? The similarities were kind of hard to ignore. But then, Carrie Jones kicked it up a notch and presented something completely different- pixies and not just wolves but tigers, eagles and bears too (Oh my!). 

The main character, Zara, was different- chanting phobia’s by alphabetical order inside her head whenever she got scared or nervous which is both funny and informative. The other characters in the book were awesome as well- Betty, Nick, Issie, Devyn, Ian and even Megan. On top of all of this, there were twists that I didn’t see coming and moments that had me want to start chanting phobias in my head. It’s probably needless to say, but I will be picking up the second book- Captivate, within the next few days so I can see what happens to Zara and her friends next!

UPDATE: Chami

Hey Hey Blog Readers!

I decided to give you guys a small update, and kinda got taken away by my camera. So here's a collection of photos of things that are happening to me!

IN MY MAILBOX: The Gatekeeper's Sons and The Gatekeeper's Challenge by Eva Pohler

Reached by Ally Condie

 Reached by Ally Condie

Nanowrimo Table of death.

Random sketch of an armed clocktower for my Nanowrimo Novel.

Eva Pohler's book awesomely sent to us. 

My, "I made a Mood Board."

Oh look at the time!

A Random Photo

Writing the Nano Novel!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Barbara Brunner

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barbara grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from a small women's college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Meeting her husband in Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest and is a prolific fundraiser for breast cancer research. She and her husband are retired and now reside in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur. She is currently working on indulging her well known flip flop addiction. 

1. Do you have a usual writing process that you go through? What is it?  

I do not have an unusual writing process, per se. I do need total quiet in my office when trying to formulate ideas. I do not like to be disrupted.  

2. Did your book end up the way you wanted in the end? Did it change from the first plan to the final draft? Are you happy with how it ended up?

My book did change quite a bit from inception to the finished manuscript. The guts of it remained constant, but the beginning and end were originally totally different. They evolved through the editing process to provide a more clear beginning and end and ultimately a much better book. Apparently my readers think so too, as the book soared to number one on Amazon a few weeks ago. 

3. What was the hardest part about writing your book? Do you feel you learnt anything from it?

  Since it is a true story, the hardest part of writing the book was reliving the memories. Some were very happy memories and some were quite sad. I involved my family and friends to tell the stories as they remembered them and it was challenging to incorporate some drastically different versions and write them into one consistent tale. I am continually amazed at how two people in the same room under the same circumstances and at the same time can remember a situation so differently. I understand why eye witnesses to crime scenes cause confusion to the police. 

4. Do you research for your novels? If so, how much?

my research took the form of sifting through thousands of photographs. I was amazed at the memories each photo brought back to me. If there is one piece of advice I can give to anyone in this digital age is to remember the necessity of printing physical copies of photos. They will transcend when placed into photo albums for future generations.  

5. How do you find or make time to write?

I do not force writing time. I start when I feel motivated. If I have a deadline, it stifles my creative process. 

6. Do you have any tips for wannabee Authors?

My advice is to write as much as you can. It will only serve to improve your style. Take the opinions of others lightly. Learn from advice, but do not let it tempt you to change your content. I have seen many a budding novelist stymied by an editor or teacher who through poor skills or possibly jealousy caused a fabulous book to be shelved. Be confident in your work, go to school and learn as much about your language as you can. Become a great editor and if all else fails, HIRE a great editor.

  

You can find Barbara's book Dogma, here:

Amazon/Kindle

Barbara's website 

Also available on iTunes, Nook, Sony and Smashwords