Giveaway Interview LOST by SARAH BETH DURST @SarahBethDurst @MIRAEditors

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2014

Brilliantly riveting. * Thought-provoking and stirring. **  
Award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst has been praised for her captivating novels that merge the darkly imagined with very real themes of self-discovery and destiny. In The Lost, we'll discover just what it means to lose one's way…. 
It was only meant to be a brief detour. But then Lauren finds herself trapped in a town called Lost on the edge of a desert, filled with things abandoned, broken and thrown away. And when she tries to escape, impassible dust storms and something unexplainable lead her back to Lost again and again. The residents she meets there tell her she's going to have to figure out just what she's missing—and what she's running from—before she can leave. So now Lauren's on a new search for a purpose and a destiny. And maybe, just maybe, she'll be found…. 
Against the backdrop of this desolate and mystical town, Sarah Beth Durst writes an arresting, fantastical novel of one woman's impossible journey…and her quest to find her fate. 

About the Author
SARAH BETH DURST is the author of the young adult novels Vessel, Drink Slay Love, Enchanted Ivy, and Ice, as well as the middle grade novels Into the Wild and Out of the Wild. She has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Award three times, for Vessel, Ice, and Into the Wild. Sarah lives with her husband and children in Stony Brook, New York. Visit her at SarahBethDurst.com.

WEBSITE * TWITTER * FACEBOOK  * GOODREADS

PLEASE WELCOME SARAH BETH TO BOOKHOUNDS

1.    Do you have a secret talent?

I can summon dolphins with the power of my voice. Okay, that's not true. The dolphins flock to me of their own volition. No, seriously, I don't have a secret talent. I wish I did. But the fact is that I don't even know how to whistle.

2. Is there a song that really reminds you of your book?

"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men. I have no clue what the song is about, and the lyrics have nothing to do with CONJURED. But the manic feel to the song, the hint of longing, the carnival-like instruments... it reminds me of Eve's life.

3. What was the easiest thing about writing this book?

The visions. In CONJURED, Eve has no memories but lots of bizarre powers. Every time she uses her power, she blacks out and experiences terrifying visions. The visions were so much fun to write. Definitely some of the creepiest sentences ever to crawl out of my fingertips.

4. Is there a word you love to use? 

I love the word "azure. " I don't get much chance to use it because, really, how many times can you say, "The sky looks azure tonight, " before you start to sound pretentious? (I can tell you: zero.)

5. Any real or imaginary pets? 

One real: my evil cat, Perni. She hates everyone except me (on occasion and only if I do NOT try to pet her belly). I once tried to have an imaginary pet griffin, but Perni ate him.


And here is another interview I did with Sarah

What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

I don’t know if this was the first book, but I remember pouring over THE GIANT GOLDEN BOOK OF ELVES AND FAIRIES by Jane Werner and Garth Williams. It was recently brought back into print, and turning the pages transported me to being the fantasy-obsessed kid who checked under her bed every night for spare dragons and behind rocks for slumbering elves.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading THE UNNATURALISTS by Tiffany Trent, and I’m loving it.

How does your garden grow?

Poorly. I love flowers, and I dream about a bank covered in tulips and peonies and lilies and irises… but in reality, plants see me coming and promptly wilt. It may have something to do with always forgetting to water them… 

 What is the last thing you Googled?

The procedure for removing a breathing tube. Also, bandicoot.

What makes you cringe?

Chalk. I can’t stand the feel of chalk. Also, accidentally biting an ice cube.  But more seriously, I cringe whenever anyone talks dismissively about a book they’re reading and enjoying.  If you love it, then it’s a good book! It doesn’t matter if it’s taught in AP English class or not. If it transports you, if it touches your heart, if it makes you laugh or makes you cry, then it has value.  Don’t be ashamed to love the books you love!

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS ARC Book?  US ONLY 

Ends 6/3/14

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Disclosure  I received this book from the publisher at no charge and in no way influenced my review.  If you are considering purchasing this book or anything else from Amazon, please use my link above since I earn a very small percentage of the sale which helps pay for shipping my giveaways!  

Review Interview CONJURED by SARAH BETH DURST @sarahbethdurst @bwkids

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.



At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER / NETGALLEY



MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT



Eve doesn't remember anything about her past life except little blips of information and the surgeries to change her appearance.  Now in a witness protection program, she is told she must remember her past so others won't die.  She first realizes that there is a problem with her past when strange things start to occur.  Her Aunt Nicki is really an agent assigned to protect her and Nicki's partner, Malcolm, tries to make her life as normal as possible.  Whatever normal is for her since she has discovered that she can do things like make the birds on the wallpaper in her room fly around.  Malcolm does try to help her become more "normal" by getting her a job at a library where she meets Zach.   Zach and Eve make an instant connection and while touching Zach, Eve can use her magic without the side effect of blacking out and losing newly gained memories.  When she does blackout, she has horrible  visions of her past that fill her with fear.



Malcolm and Nicki's boss, Lou, wants to press her to regain her memory quicker, so he introduces her to other teens like her.  They can all use magic without losing consciousness and even though they befriend her, she senses something just isn't right. One of the boys, Aidan, tries to romantically entangle her and pull her away from Zach.   As Eve starts to connect more with her memories, the more she begins to fear what she has witnessed.  She begins to fear the other teens, the agents of the WitSec program and even herself.  Forced to face her fears, she discovers that she is from another world and in order to save others from harm, she must go back to where she came from.



This story really captured my attention since it seemed to mix the best of the Twilight Zone with Men in Black in more of a horror-thriller type tale.  The passages where Eve has her visions are the stuff of your worst nightmares.  As Eve starts to remember her past, the horrors just keep on coming.  Even nice, normal Zach has some horror in his past bringing to light some domestic abuse in his own family.  The love story around this pair is one for the ages.  The last third of the book had me guessing and I never imagined the ending.  Parents:  some language, some magical kissing and a bit of violent imagery.

About the Author

SARAH BETH DURST is the author of the young adult novels Vessel, Drink Slay Love, Enchanted Ivy, and Ice, as well as the middle grade novels Into the Wild and Out of the Wild. She has been a finalist for SFWA's Andre Norton Award three times, for Vessel, Ice, and Into the Wild. Sarah lives with her husband and children in Stony Brook, New York. Visit her at SarahBethDurst.com.

WEBSITE * TWITTER * FACEBOOK  * GOODREADS



PLEASE WELCOME SARAH BETH TO BOOKHOUNDS

1.    Do you have a secret talent?

I can summon dolphins with the power of my voice. Okay, that's not true. The dolphins flock to me of their own volition. No, seriously, I don't have a secret talent. I wish I did. But the fact is that I don't even know how to whistle.

2. Is there a song that really reminds you of your book?

"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men. I have no clue what the song is about, and the lyrics have nothing to do with CONJURED. But the manic feel to the song, the hint of longing, the carnival-like instruments... it reminds me of Eve's life.

3. What was the easiest thing about writing this book?

The visions. In CONJURED, Eve has no memories but lots of bizarre powers. Every time she uses her power, she blacks out and experiences terrifying visions. The visions were so much fun to write. Definitely some of the creepiest sentences ever to crawl out of my fingertips.

4. Is there a word you love to use? 

I love the word "azure. " I don't get much chance to use it because, really, how many times can you say, "The sky looks azure tonight, " before you start to sound pretentious? (I can tell you: zero.)

5. Any real or imaginary pets? 

One real: my evil cat, Perni. She hates everyone except me (on occasion and only if I do NOT try to pet her belly). I once tried to have an imaginary pet griffin, but Perni ate him.

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

Want to win a copy of this book?  Head on over to my YA blog HERE

Ends 9-12-13

Disclosure 
I received this book from the publisher at no charge and in no way influenced
my review.  If you are considering purchasing this book or anything else
from Amazon, please use my link above since I earn a very small percentage of
the sale which helps pay for shipping my giveaways!  

10 Questions with SARAH BETH DURST author of DRINK SLAY LOVE

PLEASE WELCOME SARAH BETH DURST!  

Sarah's debut DRINK SLAY LOVE will be released tomorrow, September 13, 2011.  This one takes vampires and unicorns to a whole new snarky level.  I bet that got your attention. 

1.         Bookmarks or dog ears?

Bookmarks!!!  Dog ears are sacrilege.  Even worse is what my mom does:  She flattens a book open to save her spot, thus breaking the spine.  The horror!  The horror!

2.         Dust jacket on or off when reading a hard back?

On.  I like books to look their prettiest.  It helps their self-esteem.

3.         What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

Hmm... not sure.  It could have been the Lorax by Dr. Suess.  I loved those Truffula trees.  They're what everyone needs.

4.         What are you reading right now?

Heartless by Gail Carriger.  It's Victorian England with vampires and werewolves, and it features a brass parasol-wielding heroine who kicks butt.  I am a sucker for stories about women/girls who kick butt.

5.         Do you have a favorite author?

Tamora Pierce.  At any given point in her books, the next scene will always be the coolest thing that could happen next.

6.         Was there a book that inspired you to write?

Alanna by Tamora Pierce, Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane, The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley...  I read those books in fifth grade and thought to myself, "I want to do this!"

7.         Do you have a favorite place to write?

My desk.  I'd love to be all artsy and say "at my local cafe" or "on a mountaintop," but truthfully I write best at my ordinary desk with a bag of Raisinets beside me.

8.         How does your garden grow?

Badly.  I planted about a hundred seeds in a corner of my backward this spring.  It is the only part of the yard that didn't grow.

9.         What is the last thing you Googled?

"Social Security baby names."  The Social Security website is one of my favorite places to look for character names.  It lists out all the popular names by year of birth so you can look at likely names based on your character's age.

10.       What makes you cringe?

The squeak of Styrofoam.  Cannot stand it.

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

Description

Pearl is your typical sixteen-year-old vampire—until the night a unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. Now she’s experiencing a number of alarming symptoms: noticing her own reflection, feeling sympathy for a human victim, and being able to withstand the sun. Pearl’s immunity to sunlight thrills her family, who enroll her in high school so she can lure home tasty friends. Pearl quickly discovers that high school is very similar to vampire culture with its rigid rules, clear social hierarchy, and a might-makes-right attitude. But having a conscience makes it hard to cope with an evil plot the Vampire King has in store for the local humans. Will Pearl overcome her bloodsucking instincts in favor of her newly acquired conscience? This acerbic antidote to other vampire romances is rife with gorgeous vampires, handsome were-unicorns, high school drama, and lots of action!

About the Author

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of the young adult novels Enchanted Ivy and Ice, as well as the middle grade novels Into the Wild and Out of the Wild. She has twice been a finalist for SWFA's Andre Norton Award, for both Ice and Into the Wild. Sarah lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband and children. Visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (September 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442423730
• ISBN-13: 978-1442423732

Where to find Sarah Beth Durst
WEBSITE http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/
BLOG:  http://sarahbethdurst.blogspot.com/
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/sarahbethdurst
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Beth-Durst/70244665813