Guest Post: Ali Novak

Today on WinterHaven Books we have the amazing Ali Novak with us as part of the Sourebooks blog tour!  Tina just recently read her novel My Life with the Walter Boys and loved it and we are all so excited to read it too!  

Ali is stopping by to discuss her journey from writing online to being published.  Her insight is amazing and I am so glad she agreed to do this!  Check it out!

                                              From Writing Online to Published Print

The publishing journey for my book My Life with the Walter Boys can be described  in one word—long. Seven years long! I wrote the first version of the story when I was only fifteen. Piles of crammed notebooks and God only knows how many drafts  later, the book is finally being published.

It’s been a long time, but I can still remember the opening line of the original draft. It went like this: “Hey! My name is Jackie Howard and I’m a New York City girl.” Wow, just reading that makes me cringe. Of course, my fifteen-year-old self thought the story was better than sliced bread.

Since uploading the story to Wattpad in 2010, My Life with the Walter Boys has been read more than 29,000,000 times! Sometimes I just look at that number and I can’t even believe it, but I didn’t get my break until 2013 when Wattpad formed a partnership with the publishing company Sourcebooks.

I will never forget the moment I was officially offered my book deal. It happened when I was at work, and after reading the email I started bawling. Like snot dripping down my face and everything. All my coworkers thought something terrible had happened, when really I was on cloud nine.

Besides being a dream come true, publishing was a huge change for me. The transition from writing online to writing under a contract was challenging, mainly because of the deadlines. In the past, I always updated my stories whenever I had free time, which wasn’t often. Having a consistent writing schedule was a foreign concept to me, and suddenly I had to rewrite an entire novel in less than three months! Let’s just say I spent many long nights at my desk chugging coffee and cranking out new chapters.

There were plenty of perks too! The best part of my transition was the wonderful staff at Sourcebooks, mainly my editor Aubrey. I’ll be the first to admit I’m horrible at editing, so to have a pair of professional eyes look over the book really helped whip it into shape.

Now that My Life with the Walter Boys is being published, it’s weird to think that I’ll never edit the story again—especially considering I’ve been fiddling with it for seven years. But I can look back on my journey and know that writing this book made me the writer I am today. If there are any amateur writers reading this and wondering what they can do to accomplish their dreams, I suggest taking a chance and posting online. You never know what might happen!
                                                 Find Ali at: Wattpad / Facebook / Twitter

Ali thank you so so much for stopping by.  I am sure this will help tons of writers out there who are trying to get their own story published.

About Ali Novak:

Ali Novak is twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate from University of Madison Wisconsin's creative writing program. She wrote her first full-length novel My Life with the Walter Boys at the age of fifteen. Since posting the story online, it has received more than 24 million reads and will be published by Sourcebooks Fire in March 2014.

When she isn't writing, Ali enjoys watching Food Network shows even though she can't cook, and reading any type of fantasy novel she can get her hands on. She is a Wisconsin native and hopes to make a career out of writing.

 My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Early Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West

Publisher- Harper Teen

Released- July 1st 2014

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

My Thoughts:

I know this review is super early, but I simply couldn't wait to gush about my new favorite book! To say that I loved On the Fence by Kasie West would be a huge understatement. This book is my definition of the perfect escape. It's filled with the best.characters.evah. 

I freaken loved Charlie's family. Her brothers are her best friends and her dad is just this wonderful warm man raising a daughter without her mother and hoping that he's doing it right. Then we have a fantastic friends-turned-romance love story that plastered a smiles to my face the whole way through and melted my insides into goo. From start to finish, I totally fell in love with everything this book has to offer, so much so that I actually had to read it again once I hit the last page. Such a blast! 

It feels like I've only just discovered Kasie West's books and yet I'm already a screaming fan girl. She's rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors evah!

I've recently read The Distance Between Us and loved the sweet-feels and sarcastically charged humor, but I've always been a sucker for sports themed tomboys who dares to wonder what it would be like to be a real girl. West delivers a flawed but likeable protagonist with a realistic story and relatable connections. I was instantly consumed from minute one and devoured this in one sitting.

In some books, it may be the setting or plot that makes the story, but for this book the characters totally own it. Hands down, this book has the best characters ever.

Charlie is a very conflicting character and not your typically tomboy, she's definitely extreme. Her mother died when she was a little girl so she grew up without a women's touch, but I still think she was born with a competitor's edge and I envied her athletic drive and dedication. She may not have had a mother around growing up, but she still had a cop for a father who is fair, kind and loving and a bunch of boisterous brothers and a next door neighbour who are fiercely protective, supportive and aren't afraid to treat her like one of the guys. Charlie may come off a little too strong at times and I found her to be pretty stubborn, insensitive and defensive, but she also has this sweet and vulnerable side that I couldn't help love. Everyone has versions of themselves that they share with the people in their lives, but in Charlie's case, she didn't realize that she can have the best of both worlds and her journey of self discovering her inner-girl was just to adorable for words.

I simple adored Jerom, Nathan, Gage and Braden. They really are such a force in this book. My favourite part of the story was when all of these guys come together playing sports, goofing around and messing with Charlie's universe. Hilarious stuff!

Then we have Braden, who totally owned my heart. He may not have always handled things the best way, but he's always had Charlie's best interest at heart. Funny enough the romance in this is actually pretty light, but still just as powerful. It has the perfect blend of tension and chemistry. I absolutely adored the late night fence-chats and 'I know you better' games between Charlie and Braden. These two have an easy friendship with complicated emotions, but it was so easy to get lost in their 'alternate reality' and I found myself  living in their moments a little longer with each new scene.

The Distance Between Us fans will be pleased to see Skye again in this book, but we only get a second with Caymen and no Xander in sight, but it was still great to see them in this book. There is some heavy hearted issues that Charlie deals with concerning her mother, it was touching but not overly dramatic.

Bottom line, I couldn't love a book more. On the Fence, has it all my friends. The writing is fantastic and flows at an even pace. The story is absorbing and fun filled and these characters are rambunctious and full of life. Wonderful family togetherness, meaningful friendships and self-discovery journey that reminds us that we don't have to change for anyone and it's okay to be who you really are. Fans who like their contemporary with a little edge and a lot of heart will love this book. It's  my new favourite thing and  I can't wait to devour West's next book. Love, love love!!!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                               5 Snowflakes

Teaser Tuesday, #61 The Selection by Kiera Cass

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...




The Selection by Kiera Call
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Teasers are from ebook Page 20



"I stayed awake a little while longer, thinking of Aspen, and how much I loved him, and how it felt to be loved by him. I felt special, priceless, irreplaceable. No queen on any throne could possibly feel more important than I did."

"I think he enjoyed the sound of my raspy breathing more than the singing itself."




PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks! 

Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher- Disney-Hyperion
Released- April 15th 2014
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive.

My Thoughts:
It’s no secret that Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my all time favorite authors and it’s so hard not to go all screaming-fan-girl every time I read one of her books. But dame! She just keeps getting insanely better and better. In the last few years, I've really grown to like mystery books, but if Jennifer keeps writing like this, mystery is going to be my new favorite genre! Just wow!

Don’t Look Back, follows the story of a girl named Samantha Franco who is struggling with amnesia ever since she came stumbling out into the dark, battered and bloody. Her best friend, Cassie is also missing and Sam is presumed to be the last person to see her alive. Frustrated and lost, Sam wants nothing more to remember her past memories and help find Cassie, but the more she learns about her former-self, the more she realizes how ugly her life was. With a second chance to renew her life, Sam grabs at this unfortunate blessing to be a better person and somehow make all the wrongs in her life right again, but she hasn't given up on trying to find out what really happened to her and Cassie on that faithful night. The only thing is, what if her lost memories are the only reason she’s still alive?

Truth? I wasn't really prepared to love this book the way I did since mystery isn't usually my main escape without some kind of paranormal-goody backing it up, but hey, it’s a JLA book, so of course I'm going into this with an open mind, but yeah, I wasn't prepared to be blown away!

Jennifer’s mix of mystery, thriller and bubbling romance has a pitch perfect pace and flows with incredible suspense and intrigue. This is my favorite kind of whodunit. I've always loved amnesia-type books, it gives us that extra edge since we’re learning everything along with our main protagonist. This book has a brilliant cloud-of-doubt lingering over the entire book. Nothing is as it seems and I didn't know who to trust and found myself trying to remember whole conversations between the characters to see if I could catch any clues. Nope, I couldn't  find any. Jennifer really created this one in a tight hold, only letting go at the right time and place. I loved the flashbacks, memories and notes. They were the perfect pieces to the puzzle and did an amazing job of keeping me on my toes. But it was the big revelation and the motive behind it that left me utterly floored. I was bouncing out of my seat! I would never have suspected this person, never saw it coming and thought it was such a brilliantly played move.

I loved every single one of these characters. They’re all well developed, easy to connect with and easy to love and/or hate.

My heart really goes out to Sam. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose your memories, but this girl makes it look like a blessing and a curse. I loved the way Jennifer portrayed her. I could feel how lost, deflated and desperate she was to help find Cassie, a girl who was suppose to be her best friend and enemy in the same breath. And then later I felt like I was going insane right along with her. I have no love for mean-girls, which is what I found so refreshing in this book since Sam is your ultimate mean-girl and we see the way she use to be with stories about her former-ways and later in her own memories. The genuine regret and sorrow in Sam is heartfelt and sincere and I love her child-like personality as she stumbles along in her renewed life, but she also has a fierce determination and fire in her that fuels the story from start to finish.

Scott is the best brother evah! I loved him so much. I've always been very fond of brother/sister bonds in books, and this one is just made of awesome. He’s protective, kind and funny and I even screamed a big ‘Hell Yeah’, in one of his scenes. Loved! Julie is also pretty awesome and I liked what she brought into Sam’s life. 

But it’s Carson Ortiz that really owned this book for me. My gawd. Can you say intense and sexy as hell? He is Sam’s constant rock and the only real friend in her life, but it hasn't always been this way. I thought it was pretty cool of Carson to give Sam another chance since he pretty much has every right to hate her, and yet, he stays true till the end, loyal, protective and wonderful.

I liked the fact that Sam’s ‘friends’ and even Del didn't smoother the story line. They played their parts well mind you, but they weren't the center of the plot which I was grateful for. It gave us more time to explore Sam’s past without the unwanted attention and immaturity of Sam’s mean-girl groupies and a boyfriend I would love to punch-out.

I love love loved the romance! Sam and Carson’s situation isn't found in very many books, actually, I can’t really think of one quite like this. It’s exciting, refreshing and even a little surreal given their history. The chemistry is off the freaken charts hawt. There were some real intense moments here where I could actually feel the sparks flyin’. So good! But it’s the friendship that I loved the most. In some twisted up way, it was fate that Sam got this second chance and being able to get a do-over, but finally, with the right person.

All in all, another JLA win! Don’t Look Back is an instant favorite! The mystery is captivating, gripping and exhilarating. The twist and turns are calculating and creepy but not overly disturbing and the romance is squeeze-worthy and pulse pounding delicious. Amazing characters, amazing writing and an amazing plot. I couldn't love this book more. I was totally invested and entertained from the first page till its gasping conclusion. I hope Jennifer continues to write more for this genre. She’s a natural story-teller and I can’t ever seem to get enough of her worlds. Loved!!

Find the author:

Goodreads/Website                             5 Puffy Snowflakes

Teaser Tuesday, #60 On the Fence by Kasie West

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...

On The Fence by Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Publication Date: July 1, 2014
*Teasers are from an advanced readers copy.






Teasers from ebook page 168
"So what, then? What were you going to tell me today?"
"The timing is wrong now. I'll tell you later."
"No. Please. I want to know now. I'm tired of secrets."
He stared at me for a long time, as if trying to read my sincerity. His breath touched my lips. It took everything in me not to close the distance between us. When his lips brushed against mine, I let out an involuntary gasp. Had I done that?
"Am I reading you wrong?" he asked.
I shook my head no. I couldn't find my voice, couldn't dare to believe this meant what I thought it meant.
He let out a slow breath of air that smelled so familiar. "I was going to tell you that."
"You were going to tell me that you wanted to kiss me?"
He nodded. "Is this going to change everything?"
"I sure hope so."


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!