Blog Tour Interview: Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins

Today I'm participating in the blog tour for Stephanie Perkins latest anthology Summer Days and Summer Nights!  We are all HUGE fans of Ms. Perkins and it is an absolute honor to have her on the blog today!

1. In the first anthology, I thought the overarching theme was hope. How does Summer Days and Summer Nights compare?
That’s a wonderful interpretation, and it’s apt for these stories, too. I wanted the two anthologies to feel connected, and the easiest way to do that—when you have so many different authors and genres—is through theme. So we have love, and we have hope.
Several characters in both anthologies are actually going through some pretty dark times, which surprises some of our readers, but I think hope often shines the brightest out of darkness. It’s important to show both sides of it.

2. On your blog you say that there’s a little bit of you in each of your characters. Does this typically help or hinder the editing/revision process?
This is such an interesting question! I don’t have a satisfying answer—it’s probably both, with a slight edge to helping. Putting more of myself into the characters usually (though not always) leads to more honesty in my writing, which is the ultimate goal: to tell the truest version of each story that I can.

3. How do you come up with the names for your characters?
North and Marigold both have purposeful, plot-related names. North’s parents are the proud owners of a Christmas tree farm, so he and his siblings were all cursed with Christmas-themed names—Nicholas, Noelle, and North (as in North Pole). And Marigold Moon Ling was raised alone by her very independent, Chinese-American, hippie mother. So she has a hippie name to match.

4. What can we expect to see from you next? Are there any plans of releasing a new full-length novel soon?
My next novel is a teen slasher, which hopefully (if I finish it on time!) will be published next year. I’m having such a blast writing in the horror genre. And it’s honestly not as big of a departure as it seems. There’s still an attractive boy, an intriguing setting, and quippy friends. It just also contains a lot of murder.


Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: May 17th, 2016
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin's
Purchase: Amazon

Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

Featuring stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith.

About the Editor

 

Stephanie Perkins has always worked with books—first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She's the author of the international bestsellers Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, as well as Isla and the Happily Ever After. My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories is her first anthology. Stephanie and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina.

“This title is a sizzling must-have that will be too hot to keep on shelves.”

-STARRED School Library Journal

“An intelligent beach read with heart, soul, and sizzle.”

-STARRED Kirkus Review

“Offering a sampling of many different genres, bright and distinct narrative voices, and a generous portion of tender moments, this book has something for everyone who has loved or longs for it.”

-STARRED Publishers Weekly

“These stories are perfect for a lazy day at the beach or a hot summer night.”

-Romantic Times Reviews

“Yep, this one’s a beach read, so throw it in in the bag in its well-earned spot between the sunblock and the sandals.”

- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Blog Tour Interview: David Almond

Today on WinterHaven Books we have David Almond with us!  His latest novel A Song for Ella Grey releases tomorrow and he has graciously stopped by to answer a few questions!

1. Describe your book in five words or less.
Ancient magic, modern teenage love.

2. I am a huge fan of Greek Mythology so I am very excited to read A Song for Ella Grey. Have you always been a fan as well?
Yes, I've always been entranced by the Greek myths. They say so much about the nature and mystery of the world. Orpheus and Eurydice have haunted me ever since I was young. It explores all the great themes - love, death, light, darkness, beauty, music, song. It is both tragic and filled with yearning and joy. It asks the great unanswerable questions that have troubled us all - where do we come from? Are we destined or are we free? Why do we love? Why do we die and what happens when we die? Is it possible to live a life that is filled with hope and joy? Is it possible to transcend death? It's an ancient tale that has resonated through the centuries, and has inspired a host of retellings in music, poetry, drama, fiction. It was time to make my own version and to set it among ordinary modern teenagers in an ordinary modern world.

3. What scene was your favorite to write?
I loved writing the scene where Ella hears Orpheus' voice for the very first time - through her best friend's cell phone on a beach in the north of England. I knew it was coming, but as I wrote it I felt a sudden charge of energy. This is the moment when the whole story steps up onto another level. Ella falls cataclysmically in love with this strange young singer. He too falls in love with her, but for him the moment is charged with a sense of danger/destiny. Somehow he knows how this will all turn out. They are lost in each other. Their lives and fates are joined. The modern world of young people, their technology, becomes infused with ancient forces.

4. What do you hope your readers take from A Song for Ella Grey?
Enjoyment, of course. But I also hope that they will be moved, troubled, entranced, that they will share the joys and pains and yearnings of Claire, Ella and Orpheus. I hope that they will know more about this great story of ancient lovers, and how it still has significance for we who live in the 21st century.

5. Can you share what you are currently working on?
I'm writing a stage adaptation of my story The Savage. I love working in the theatre, turning words on the page into dialogue, action, movement, song. Next year, I will be writing a stage version of A Song for Ella Grey! I'm also writing a new novel, which I can't say much about yet!

Thanks David for stopping by!

About David
DAVID ALMOND grew up in a large family in northeastern England and says, “The place and the people have given me many of my stories.” His first novel for children, Skellig, was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and an ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book and appeared on many Best Book of the Year lists. He wrote My Name Is Mina, the prequel to Skellig. His novel Kit’s Wilderness won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. David Almond is a recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in England.
Visit him online at davidalmond.com and on Facebook and follow @davidjalmond on Twitter.

A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 15, 2015

Purchase: Amazon 

David Almond, recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, a Printz Honor for Skellig, and the Printz Award for Kit’s Wilderness, has crafted an enchanting modern take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Written in lyrical prose, this novel for fans of epic romances and mythology retellings explores themes of love, loss, fate, and destiny set against the dramatic and diverse backdrop of Northern England.

Claire and Ella and their friends are bound by ties so strong they seem unbreakable. Then the strange and handsome Orpheus strolls onto the beach, and he sings them all into an astonishing new understanding of themselves. Ella is caught the hardest, fastest, deepest—and Claire feels the pain of looking on.

Raw, emotional, lyrical, funny, and true, A Song for Ella Grey is a tale of modern teenagers and their joys, troubles, and desires. It’s a story of first love, a love that draws on ancient mythic forces. A love that leads Ella, Orpheus, and Claire to the gates of Death and beyond.

Praise for A Song for Ella Grey

“Almond’s lyrical narrative will sweep readers on a journey to unearthly, mysterious realms and back.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred

“An innovative and dreamlike retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in modern-day Tyneside and Northumberland and told in Almond’s

lyrical, distinctive prose.” —School Library Journal, Starred

“[A] rhapsodic modern retelling of a classic tragedy.” —Booklist

“Almond brings his hypnotic lyricism to this darkly romantic tale that sings of the madness of youth, the ache of love, and the near-impossibility of grasping death.” —Kirkus Reviews

Upcoming Release & Giveaway: The Revolution of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #2) by Amy Engel

The Revolution of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #2) by Amy Engel

Expected Publication: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Purchase Links: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and she is alone. Abandoned by her family and separated from Bishop Lattimer, Ivy must find a way to survive on her own in a land filled with countless dangers, both human and natural. She has traded a more civilized type of cruelty--forced marriages and murder plots--for the bare-knuckled brutality required to survive outside Westfall's borders.

But there is hope beyond the fence, as well. And when Bishop reappears in Ivy's life, she must decide if returning to Westfall to take a final stand for what she believes is right is worth losing everything she's fought for.

My Thoughts

5+++ STARS!! Loved it!! 

"…no revolutions are won without sacrifices… I've lost so much, but I've gained something, too. Life beyond the fence is transforming me. Not into a new person, but back into the girl I've always been underneath all the layers… built on top of me. Slowly, I am finding myself. I am becoming Ivy again." taken from an uncorrected proof…

Amazing conclusion to The Book of Ivy!! I knew Amy Engel was going to deliver an explosive ending to this series with her second and final installment The Revolution of Ivy. Her skillful storytelling had the characters flying off the page making this feel so real and exciting.

The Revolution of Ivy takes place right where the first installment left off. Ivy Westfall finds herself exiled beyond the fences of her secure town. Unceasing danger, hunger and thirst are becoming her constant companion until she stumbles upon Ash and Caleb who accept her into their community and teach her how to survive beyond the fence.

When Bishop Lattimer reappears in Ivy’s life, she’s forced to face the lies and secrets she kept from him back in Westfall. As Bishop begins to break down Ivy’s walls of defense, together they final find a way back to each other.

It’s no secret… I absolutely loved this series! Amy Engel really proved her talent with her seamless ability to pace her story and create moments of chaos, hints of security, and later explosive events that kept the momentum going with little downtime.

Ivy and Bishop have become two of my favorite fictional couples. I appreciated their struggles and how they handled the conflict in their lives. Bishop is the absolute perfect hero in my book. He was patient, unassuming, decisive and loyal all in one punch! I fell for this character HARD! Ivy was the perfect balance to his perfection. Her decisions and reactions were sometimes flawed, but never wholly off the mark, and it was nice to see Bishop helped her through her moments of struggle and conflict. I wanted so much for these two and a happy ending of any sort would have been greatly deserved!

Overall, at a time when it’s hard to find a powerful and meaningful YA Dystopia novel that feels realistic, The Book of Ivy proves that there are still authors out there that can remind us how enjoyable this genre can be. The Revolution of Ivy is now one of my favorite YA Dystopic books of 2015! Absolute winner here!

5 Snowflakes

If you haven't had a chance to read the first installment The Book of Ivy, be sure to check out my review HERE.  Also, check out this amazing trailer to get a glimpse of what the book is about. 

About the Author

I was born in Kansas and after a childhood spent bouncing between countries (Iran, Taiwan) and states (Kansas, California, Missouri, Washington, D.C.), I settled in Kansas City, Missouri where I live with my husband and two kids. Before devoting myself full time to motherhood and writing, I was a criminal defense attorney, which is not quite as exciting as it looks on TV. When I have a free moment, I can usually be found reading, running, or shoe shopping.

Social Media Links

Website  |  Blog  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter

Author Interview
And now for the fun part!  Amy Engel was gracious enough to answer a few questions about her series and upcoming projects. Check it out!

What inspired you to write The Book of Ivy series?
The honest truth is I'm not really sure. A vision of Ivy just popped into my head, along with the idea of a girl forced into marrying a boy she's been coached to kill. The whole book was born from there.

Do you have a favorite line or scene in the series?
I have some favorite lines in the sequel, but they might give too much away. I think my favorite line from the first book is: "I don't know how to let him touch me without welcoming the heat of his hand." I just like the way it flows and how it captures Ivy's conflicted feelings in only a few words.

What do you hope readers will come to appreciate about your main character Ivy?
I hope readers appreciate Ivy's growth over time as she learns to trust and think for herself. Sometimes in YA fiction, it's easy to forget that the main characters are teenagers. Although Ivy's faced a lot, she is still very young and sometimes her action and reactions reflect that. But she's also someone who learns from her mistakes and never allows bitterness or anger to completely control her.

Now that you’ve completed The Book of Ivy series, what current projects are you working on?
After I finished writing the IVY series, I signed with an agent for an adult novel ("The Roanoke Girls") and it sold to the Crown imprint of Penguin Random House a few months ago, so I've been busy working on edits for that book.

Would you consider writing a novel in a different genre? If so, which one?
Yes, actually, I already have. My adult novel is gothic suspense and I really enjoyed writing something with a darker theme.

What is the biggest influence in your writing?
I'm not entirely sure. I think I gravitate towards character driven stories and I like writing about family dynamics. As a reader, I tend to like darker, grittier books and I'm sure some of that filters into my own writing. I love beautiful language and the flow of words, but it's important to me that the characters really resonate as well.

Thank you Amy Engel for visiting WinterHaven Books! 

If this sounds like a book you'd enjoy, I am giving away an ARC edition of The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter and share a thoughtful comment below. 

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