Guest Post by Author Mary Pauline Lowry

You can read more about Mary Pauline Lowry or buy The Earthquake Machine at www.marypaulinelowry.com

Growing up, I became tired of reading books and watching movies about boys having adventures. I wanted more books about girls doing wild, amazing things. And I wanted to experience life fully myself; I didn't want to have to be stuck “staying safe” and being demure.

I have always been a handful—I know my parents worried about me a lot. When I was 15, I climbed out the window and ran away from home. I made it all the way to Matamoros, Mexico. (I would NOT advise anyone else to try this—most runaways end up in terrible trouble). When I was 21 I joined an elite “Hotshot” crew of forest firefighters and traveled all over the country battling wildfires. After that I got a job in Durango, Colorado as a carpenter’s apprentice. When I was tired of working outside in the cold, I started a job at a domestic violence shelter, helping women and children stay safe.

But no matter where I was or what I was doing, I always read tons of books. They helped me both escape and understand my own life.  And I always wanted to be a writer myself. I wanted to create female characters that would inspire other women and girls to take risks and live life fully. Hopefully I’ve done that with my novel THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE.

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Mary Pauline Lowry has worked as a forest firefighter, screenwriter, open water lifeguard, construction worker, and advocate in the movement to end violence against women. Due to no fault of her sweet parents, at 15 she ran away from home and made it all the way to Matamoros, Mexico. She believes girls should make art, have adventures, and read books that show them the way.

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The Earthquake Machine, a fun, fantastical and exhilarating tale, explodes the distinction between Young Adult and adult coming-of-age novels, even as it explores the borders between the United States and Mexico, adolescence and adulthood, male and female, English and Spanish. 


 The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda’s world, but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda’s life is her family’s Mexican yardman, Jesús. But when the INS deports Jesús back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation. 


 Determined to find her friend Jésus, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends to Big Bend National Park. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Milagros, Mexico. There a peyote- addled bartender convinces her she won’t be safe traveling alone into the country’s interior. So with the bartender’s help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. 


She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesús. Thus begins a wild adventure that fulfills the longing of readers eager for a brave and brazen female protagonist.

Book News: Scary School

Have you guys heard of this new MG series written by Derek the Ghost called Scary School? It seems like a really funny book, and perfect for any MG fans. I love the trailer for it especially, the music and I just wanted to share it with you guys.




The second book in the series, Monsters on the March recently released it's cover.



It looks pretty cool eh? I think it's just a great series to share with some of the younger boys in our lives. If you're interested, there's more at the official website.

Cover Reveal: Inbetween

Synopsis:

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option. 


 It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.


It's being released on August 7 2012 and you can pre-order it from Amazon. And you can also add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

Today is the reveal date of the cover for Tara Fuller's new book, Inbetween. What do you think of it? I love the simplicity and the contrast of the black, white and green. It will look really nice on a bookshelf, I bet.

Happy reading!

Book Blogger Confessions

Basically, one of my new favourite memes hosted at For What It's Worth  and Tiger's All-Consuming Media. Check it out!

This week's question is: 

Social networking with authors: Do you interact on Twitter/Facebook/etc with authors? Does it affect how you review their work or do you look at their books differently because you're on friendly terms with them?


I actually don't interact too much with authors. I visit Twitter in bursts (though I'm trying to change) but I do follow a bunch of authors. It doesn't affect how I review their work though. A review is your thoughts on a book, not the author. Just because I really like an author doesn't mean I'll really enjoy their book and vice versa. Still, if an author is really nice to me and I don't like their work, the tone of my review will be different than if I thought the author was mean. I'll still say I didn't like the characters, but instead of saying one was awfully dumb and ignorant, I'll talk about how I didn't relate with the character because we're different and I couldn't believe her naivety. It's hard to explain, and I don't ever consciously think about it.

My goal is still to try to write reviews that reflect my reading experience in the most honest way possible. It's not to sell books, or to save the world from reading a book I consider awful. It's to share my opinion of the book, not the author.


What do you guys think?

Other (Super Easy!!) Ways to Follow Tantalizing Illusions

Yup, it's my turn to do one of those "you can follow me via..." posts.

Basically, with the impending loss of GFC to non blogger blogs, the whole blogger world has realized it's time to diversify the ways we follow one another. So here are some ways to follow Tantalizing Illusions.



1. Linky Followers. I LOVE IT! Make an account and start following just like you would with GFC. 



2. Twitter. I'm kind of a fail at this, but I promise I'll be better. I'll basically tweet about new blog posts on Twitter. Follow me, AshesTantalize!



3. Goodreads friend me! I love Goodreads, and I already post every review I write, plus a bunch of mini-reviews or initial thoughts and reactions on a book there. I'm going to start posting links to posts via status updates, and stuff like that.

Next few stuff is really easy.

4. Follow by Email for posts everyday sent to your inbox. I'm using Feedburner and you can sign up on the right.

5. Subscribe! That can be found on the right too, above the GFC page. You can add Tantalizing Illusions to your reader, or whatever you want.

I'm thanking you all in advance for following. :)

Now here's the most important part. These are all the ways I'm already making my content available. That doesn't mean they're the only ways. If there's another way you follow blogs and I don't do that, let me know in the comments. Do I need the Networked Blogs thing? Do I need a Facebook account? Google Plus? What's your favourite way to follow blogs?

Review: Kevin's Point of View (now known as Captain Disaster)

Author: Del Shannon
Pages: 402
Publisher: Flatiron View Books
Source: Review Copy- Thank you!
Synopsis: Kevin Tobin is a relatively ordinary 12-year-old dealing with the aftermath of his father's death in a mountain biking accident near their home in Boulder, Colorado. To escape from his emotional turmoil, Kevin has developed his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes his sister through his superhero antics on an average Wednesday morning, his ability to escape inside a character's head become critical to his survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father's death. A mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted down by a ruthless villain set upon world domination, and after enlisting Kevin's teenage sister and her pizza-delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the secret of Kevin's whole existence is revealed to him by a source we never expected. Del Shannon's imaginative story, appreciation for the powers of family and the desire of young boys to both escape reality and prove themselves within it, and fast-paced, adventure-filled storytelling style make this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.

Buy the Book (The Book Depository/Amazon)

Kevin's Point of View was a really imaginative read unlike anything I've read in a long time. Unfortunately, I didn't really feel like I was the right audience for the book and because of that it didn't work for me. However, I think this is just the read a bunch of younger boys I know of would enjoy, and I'll pass it along to them.

Kevin's Point of View is about a normal 12 year old boy with a heck of an imagination. Ever since his dad died, Kevin can retreat his mind to somewhere else if he doesn't like what's happening in the present. It's hard to explain, except that Kevin gets into a lot of trouble for it. Whenever Kevin isn't being, well, Kevin, the writing was italicized and I enjoyed watching how Del Shannon connected Kevin's imagination with real life. You really start to feel for Kevin. Under his annoying, 12 year old boy exterior, he's just another kid that misses his dad.

Some of my favorite part is when Kevin and Tony, Kevin's best friend and side kick, would talk about things they don't know. They'd mix up words and they were probably uncertain a lot but they had that arrogance that kids have and they'd go around thinking they're right. It was something I'd do all the time when I was younger so I could relate to it and I thought it was realistically done. Except, sometimes Kevin seemed really smart for his age and other times very immature. Like he uses words like "inherent" but doesn't know hypothermia? That puzzles me, but I guess since I'm Canadian we hear more about hypothermia than Kevin who lives in Colorado does!

The plot is really fast paced and fun. The Influxitron is a device that looks like a remote control but is really a time traveling machine. Something is always happening in this book, which I appreciate and I know other kids will too.

The presentation of this book is incredible. It looks professional, the cover had my little sister laughing and wanting to read the book even though she doesn't know how to read yet. The doodles inside the book were cute and I loved trying to guess how relevant they were to the chapter. Also, since each chapter was separated by a chapter page and sometimes a blank page or two, this book is perfect to read in small doses which is what younger readers will probably do. The book itself is long at about 400 pages but it's formatted and written in a way that makes it feel much shorter.

There was a lot of good to this book and I definitely recommend it. Even if I couldn't get into the story because it wasn't really the kind I like (some parts fell into place much too easily, some characters felt way overdone and lacking depth) I can see how others probably will enjoy it. Especially if you're a boy around 8 and up. 3 stars,

***

EDIT: It's been months later and Kevin's Point of View has changed names and will be published as Captain Disaster. As I don't know the extent of the differences between the two (since there was some editing and revision done) I've decided to keep my review above and refer it to Kevin's Point of View. 

Review: Summer and the CIty

Author: Candice Bushnell
Pages: 409
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library
Series: Sequel to The Carrie Diaries
Synopsis: Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream. 


 This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow"—as Samantha Jones dubs her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined. 


 With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.


Buy the Book (The Book Depository/Amazon)

I haven't watched Sex in the City (the movie or the tv show) or read the original series. So all I know about the characters are from reading Candace Bushnell's young adult series of Carrie's life.

I really enjoyed Summer and the City. I've always had a fascination for New York like Carrie. Carrie's experience in the city was interesting. I completely understood her motivations. It's New York- anything can happen. The story itself was realistic in ways but fictional enough to remain entertaining. There was a brand new cast of interesting characters and we met Samantha and Miranda.

Carrie was a flawed character. She wanted to make it big but had a hard time dealing with setbacks. She was a bit hypocritical at times without meaning to and was trying to find her path in New York so that she could stay. As a character, she was really cool though she did make her share of mistakes. I was rooting for her and her love interests.

The feeling the story leaves behind is important to me. It's the aftertaste, and Summer and the City's aftertaste was good. It's the kind of book that makes you want to pursue your dreams, whatever they may be. It makes you remember that not all good things need to last, but not needing doesn't make them less good. That's the feeling I'm left with.

I really like this series. There's plenty of romance, friendship, and big city lights. 4 stars,

****