Author Interview: Amanda Ashby

Zombie this, zombie that, I don't think I will ever get tired of them! Speaking of zombies, today I have a new author interview for you! Amanda Ashby is the author of the funny and zombirific young adult novel, Zombie Queen of Newbury High! You can learn more about Amanda either on her site: http://amandaashby.com/ or her blog: http://amandaashby.blogspot.com/.

If we were in an Apocalypse right now, what do you think your chances of survival are?

Pretty good because I’ve been secretly taking some special pills that will make me taste bleurgh to all zombies. In fact if they even take one bite of me they will shrivel up and die. Best news is that these pills are chocolate coated!!!!

Let's say you and your love ones are separated by cities. Would you try to save them, knowing the fact that the city they are in are crawling with zombies? And not knowing if they are alive, dead, or already escaped?

Okay so I’m not a particularly brave person but there is no way in the world I’d let any zombies munch on my kids so yes, I’d definitely go back and those zombies had better be scared because I’ll have my mean face on!!!

If you became a zombie, who would be the first person you would want to snack on first?

Is it wrong that it would be David Boreanaz????

Are you planning on making a sequel to Zombie Queen of Newbury High by any chance?

If my publisher would like a sequel I’d be happy to do one. In fact I already have a rough plot and let’s just say that if Mia caused all the problems this time around, in the next book, it will be Candice that makes a wee small mistake!!!!

What is your current project at the moment? Can you please give us a brief description on what it is about?

My next book for Puffin is about a girl who goes to an elite slaying academy and longs to follow in her dragon-slaying mom’s footsteps. Instead she gets stuck slaying four-inch fairies. Not exactly the stuff that high destiny is made of, but things start to go a bit crazy when she suddenly starts to another kind of fairy that no one has ever heard of before and this is one is a lot bigger. And a lot more dangerous as well…

What kind of themes/genres are you planning on writing in the future?

I love writing young adult books with a touch of paranormal but I could see myself eventually trying to write a mid-grade fantasy book (though whether I’d be any good at it is another thing entirely!!!)

What is your favourite zombie movie of all times?

Shaun of the Dead

And lastly, please give us an interesting fact about yourself that not many people know about!

I can’t spell. Like really can’t spell, which is pretty embarrassing to admit since I’m a writer. Thank goodness for spell checker, critique partners and editors, that’s all I can say!!!

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Title: The Luxe
Author: Anna Godbersen
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 433
My Rating: 5/5

In the late 19th century of the fashionable New York City, gossip of the rich and reputable families are always the latest news. Elizabeth Holland is an uprising star with beauty, grace, and manners. She is the pride of the Holland family. All girls wish they could be her and all guys wish to be with her.

Diana Holland is the opposite of her delicate and soft-spoken sister. She wants excitement and thinks her luxurious life is a bore. She is not afraid to speak her mind and is quite fearless compared to Elizabeth.

The lives of both sisters change completely when they find out their family is not as stable as they thought. Arranged marriages, forbidden love, scandalous events, and backstabbing so-called friends, The Luxe has it all delivered in a pretty written package of rich imagery.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the lavishing cover of the lovely model and the exquisite dress. But, did the story lived up to its appearance? I can confidently say yes, yes, and yes!

The difficult thing about writing a historical novel is capturing the era for the audience. I am not so familiar with what life was like back in 1899 but, The Luxe brought the past to me through its pages. The novel guided me through the eyes of the different characters who were observing the affairs occurring around them. I saw what the characters were experiencing and understood the reasons why they did what they did. I hated them, I loved them, and sometimes I didn't know what to feel about them! I liked how each and every one of them played a significant role to give the story more depth and desire for the reader to continue on.

I personally do not read many novels dealing with history but I can see why so many people love The Luxe. One can relate it to Gossip Girl but I find it a hundred times better. The author kept building up tension in the plot, making the reader curious to know what would happen next. The fact that all the characters are teenagers, most of the readers (female teens especially) would love to put themselves in the position where they could live the dramatic and high-end life. The Luxe unfolds in front of you and all you need to do to keep enjoying the show is to continue reading.

Review copy provided by Book Divas.

Trailer Tuesday: Breathers: A Zombie Lament by S.G. Browne

Title: Breathers: A Zombie Lament
Author: S.G. Browne
Description: Meet Andy Warner, a recently deceased everyman and newly minted zombie. Resented by his parents, abandoned by his friends, and reviled by a society that no longer considers him human, Andy is having a bit of trouble adjusting to his new existence. But all that changes when he goes to an Undead Anonymous meeting and finds kindred souls in Rita, an impossibly sexy recent suicide with a taste for the formaldehyde in cosmetic products, and Jerry, a twenty-one-year-old car crash victim with an exposed brain and a penchant for Renaissance pornography. When the group meets a rogue zombie who teaches them the joys of human flesh, things start to get messy, and Andy embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will take him from his casket, to the SPCA, to a media-driven class-action lawsuit on behalf of the rights of zombies everywhere.

Breathers is a contemporary dark comedy about life, or undeath, through the eyes of an ordinary zombie. It’s a classic story of suffering and redemption, like The Color Purple or the New Testament. Only with cannibalism.

Forgive me, I could not resist putting up another zombie trailer. I heard of Breathers awhile back and thought that it is a book I have to pick up! I didn't get a chance to do that yet but I hope so soon! I love the twist to the whole zombie plot!