Blog Tour~She Speaks to Angels by Ami Blackwelder:Review & Interview

 

Welcome to my stop on the She Speaks to Angels Blog Tour! 

Title: She Speaks to Angels

Author: Ami Blackwelder

Series: (The AngelFire Chronicles #1)

Published: 2012

Genre(s): YA, Paranormal Romance

What if everything you believed was a lie?

A Suicide 

Seventeen year old Allison Maney attends Millennium High School in Manhattan. Nothing out of the ordinary, unless you consider the occasional suicides at the school. At least that is what everyone is told, what everyone believes. But Tommy Bachelor was a popular football player; why would he jump off the roof of the school? 

Dangerous Liaisons 

When Dameon pays attention to Ali, she couldn't be more excited, because for the past three months he was all she could think about. But now that Dameon is finally pining for her affections, she is becoming more and more wrapped up in a clique of three who, as new transfers to the school, are proving to be trouble. But at least Dameon loves her, doesn't he? 

Kian- a dangerous love interest she did not ask for. 

Powers- belonging to an underworld she never knew existed. 

A Clique- that could be friends or foes?

A Soul Purpose 

The underworld of angels and demons have one thing on their mind: Earth. Demons want to do what they want. 

Angels want to protect humans from these rogue angels, AKA: Demons For Allison Maney, everything is not exactly what it seems… 

A Suspenseful Romance 

Caught between Dameon and Kian, the suicide and the clique of three, Ali won't know who to trust…or who to love.

My Review: Ami Blackwelder wasted no time getting into the story! The story starts off with Tommy, a popular football player jumps off the roof of the school and dies. Everyone assumes it is a suicide, but Allison and her friends are suspicious. They begin to investigate Tommy's death and Allison soon discovers the world of AngelFire. Angels who protect mankind from demons. 

I liked the main character Allison. She was likeable to me and I also liked she did not try to "follow the crowd. Her and her friends Jennifer and Molly have known each other nearly forever. I like their different personalities all working together. 

Dameon appears very early on in the story. Allison has had a crush on him since he came to their school. But then Kian comes into the picture and becomes a love interest for Allison.

The story kept me guessing as to who was a demon and who was an angel. I won't tell you here though, you'll have to read it for yourself to find out! I really enjoyed this book and would definetly recommend it. Especially if you enjoy angel stories. This one is very suspenseful as well. I would add this one to your library!  

Interview with the author:

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

I have always loved storytelling, yes.

Me: 

Some writers have rituals or routines they go through or schedules they stick to, do you? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

Somewhat. I like tea, writing by a window or where there is lots of light and outside environment. 

Me: 

What is your “writing space” like? Do you have a specific place you like to write? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

See above question:)

Me: 

A lot of writers listen to music while they’re writing. Do you like to listen to music while you write? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

I like to listen to classical, and sometimes other fun music. Mostly though I like quiet when writing. 

Me: 

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Where did the inspiration for The Angel Fire Chronicles come from? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

Inspiration comes from dreams, talking with people springs ideas, seeing movies and wishing things were different, wanting to tell a certain story with a particular message. AngelFire came from a love of angels and mysteries and YA.

Me: 

Do you have any favorite books, or authors or genres? Have they influenced your writing any? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

Yes, I love George Orwell. 

Me: 

Where did your inspiration for the characters in She Speaks to Angels come from? Do the characters show up fully formed for you or is it a process? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

Some characters come in the beginning and others develop as the story progresses. Inspiration for them comes from my life and imagination. 

Me: 

Do you have any advice for all those aspiring writers out there? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

Never give up. Write what you love. Write what you know. Never give up. Yes, I said that twice :0

Me: 

Anything you want to add? 

Ami Blackwelder: 

I love storytelling which is why I do it. If you are in writing only for making money, find another venue. There are much easier ways. Do what you love. Period. Life is too short.  

Thank you for checking out my stop on the She Speaks to Angels Blog Tour! Be sure to check out the other stops! 

Add She Speaks To Angels to your GoodReads list: 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11866271-she-speaks-to-angels

Thank you again and be sure to check this one out!

<3 Amanda Leigh

Cover Reveal ~ She Speaks to Angels

Hello everyone! I'm lucky enough to be participating in the She Speaks to Angels blog tour! Here is the beautiful cover and more information about the book and it's author Ami Blackwelder!

She Speaks to Angels

Series: (The AngelFire Chronicles #1)

Published: 2012

Genre(s): YA, Paranormal Romance

Synopsis: What if everything you believed was a lie?


A Suicide
Seventeen year old Allison Maney attends Millennium High School in Manhattan. Nothing out of the ordinary, unless you consider the occasional suicides at the school. At least that is what everyone is told, what everyone believes. But Tommy Bachelor was a popular football player; why would he jump off the roof of the school?

Dangerous Liaisons
When Dameon pays attention to Ali, she couldn't be more excited, because for the past three months he was all she could think about. But now that Dameon is finally pining for her affections, she is becoming more and more wrapped up in a clique of three who, as new transfers to the school, are proving to be trouble. But at least Dameon loves her, doesn't he?
Kian- a dangerous love interest she did not ask for.
Powers- belonging to an underworld she never knew existed.
A Clique- that could be friends or foes?

A Soul Purpose

The underworld of angels and demons have one thing on their mind: Earth.

Demons want to do what they want.

Angels want to protect humans from these rogue angels, AKA: Demons 

For Allison Maney, everything is not exactly what it seems…

A Suspenseful Romance 

Caught between Dameon and Kian, the suicide and the clique of three,

Ali won't know who to trust…or who to love.

Author Bio:

Ami Blackwelder is a romance suspense writer in the paranormal, scifi and historical genres. Growing up in Florida, she graduated UCF and in 1997 received her BA in English and additional teaching credentials. Then she packed her bags and travelled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered her second home now. She has always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however, her novels began when she was in Thailand.

Having won the Best Fiction Award from the University of Central Florida (Yes, The Blair Witch Project University), her short fiction From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return was published in the on campus literary magazine: Cypress Dome and remains to this day in University libraries around the USA. Later, she achieved the semi-finals in a Laurel Hemingway contest and published a few poems in the Thailand’s Expat magazine, and an article in the Thailand’s People newspaper. Additionally, she has published poetry in the Korea’s AIM magazine, the American Poetic Monthly magazine and Twisted Dreams Magazine.

http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com/ 

FaceBook:  http://www.facebook.com/amis.bookpage 

Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/She-Speaks-Angels-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B007PSPT5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334757515&sr=8-1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11866271-she-speaks-to-angels

Barnes & Noble (Print): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109853843?ean=9781475116724

Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWorXi8Rxv8

The blog tour for She Speaks to Angels is taking place from April 30th-May 11th. On May 9th I will have a review up as well as an interview with the author! Speaking of the author, Ami Blackwelder is hosting a Pre-Tour Giveaway over at her blog! There will be two winners! 


One more treat to leave you with. The cover for Falling Angels (The AngelFire Chronicles #2). Enjoy! And don't forget to enter the giveaway (Rafflecopter below) and check out all the stops on the blog tour! 

<3 Amanda Leigh 

The Top Eleven Books That Broke My Heart

I couldn't keep it to ten! 

 

1. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176108.The_Outsiders

 

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/136251.Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows 

 

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.Harry_Potter_and_the_Order_of_the_Phoenix 

 

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.Harry_Potter_and_the_Half_Blood_Prince 

 

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire

 

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6185.Wuthering_Heights 

 

7. Midnight (The Vampire Diaries: The Return #3) by L. J. Smith

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6934395-midnight 

 

8. Revelations (Blue Bloods #3) by Melissa de la Cruz

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2753843-revelations 

 

9. Holly's Story (Angels in Pink #3) by Lurlene McDaniel

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/294691.Holly_s_Story

 

10. Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6654313-linger

 

11. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Twilight #3.5) by Stephenie Meyer

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7937462-the-short-second-life-of-bree-tanner 

So these are the top eleven books that broke my heart! If you want me to elaborate on this post, or even just one of those books, let me know in the comments! I may be following this post up with explanations as to why each of these broke my heart. Let me know if you'd be interested! 

What books broke your heart?   

Valentine's Reads

Last week I got a couple of books I considered sort of "Valentine's Day" themed. They are both very centered around Valentine's Day. The one I'm reading now is love? maybe. by Heather Hepler. I'm calling this my "themed read". I thought it would be cute to do that. The other book is Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate. This is just a short post with pictures and links to the "Valentine's Reads" I got.

 

love? maybe. by Heather Hepler

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11387463-love-maybe 

 

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12588363-fallen-in-love 

So these are my recent "Valentine's Reads". Not something I usually do, but I kind of felt like it this year. Do you guys know of any books you think would qualify as good "Valentine's Reads"? Do you have any favorite "Valentine's Reads"? Let me know! 

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! <3

<3 Amanda Leigh

On Blogging, Classes, Writing and Being the Assistant Managing Editor of VOX

Hi everybody!


In this post I'm going to talk about blogging, classes, writing and being the Assistant Managing Editor of VOX. But not necessarily in that order. . .


Classes:
Yesterday the Spring Semester started! I've been taking a class over the Winter Intersession that bleeds into the Spring Semester, so until the 31st I have five classes. My winter one is a Normative Ethics class. After that's over I'll have four classes. That's only because I have to take a science lab this semester. I chose Earth Science. Science is not really my thing, but it's part of the core curriculum. I find some of it interesting, I just can't do it - unless it's psychology. I'm excited to take an Adolescent Psychology class this semester! Especially since I write mainly in the YA genre. I would've taken the Young Adult Literature class too, but stupid science got in the way. grrr. I'll take it next Spring - well I better, I graduate next Spring, AAAA!!! Scary freakin' thought! The other two classes are Spanish. I do love Spanish, I'd just rather not take it in college since everything they're covering I learned in junior high lol. At least I'll probably get a good grade. Now, we finally come to the Literature class! The Native American Experience! I think this should be a great class. I've read some Sherman Alexie before and am excited to read more Native American authors.


VOX:
Probably my favorite part of college is working on the campus literary magazine VOX. VOX is latin for "voice". I've worked on the literary magazine since my freshmen year. I started as Editorial Assistant for Poetry, sophomore year I was Co-Poetry Editor and this year I'm Assistant Managing Editor. Classes and VOX take up the majority of my time. Combined probably about 85-90%. I do a lot of stuff for VOX. And since I've been Assistant Managing Editor I've gotten much more involved in the business, finance and event planning side. Crazy thing is, I LOVE it! I LOVE doing this stuff! It's a ton of work but it's all worth it. I also get 3 credits of tuition remission back the university for working on VOX so that helps. Though I would do it even if I wasn't getting paid for it. VOX is the best part of going to Pace for me. I discovered that working on the editorial board of a literary magazine is something I'd like to do in real life. In addition to being an author. Or until I write those NY Times Bestsellers lol. Elections for next year are in March. Keep your fingers crossed I get Managing Editor!! Besides graduating while keeping my GPA over 3.0, that is my biggest goal for college!


Blogging:
I have found out that I really love blogging! I hope to do it more in 2012 and on. Now that I'm back in school I'll have to figure out how to make it fit into my schedule. Yesterday was only the first day so it's not that bad yet. But the work is already stacking up, plus the work I do on VOX. But I'm hoping to blog at the very least twice a week. And to try to participate in the memes Teaser Tuesday, SWOON Thursday,  and In My Mailbox. Plus put up more book reviews and hopefully interviews! 


Writing:
I also have to carve out time in my schedule for writing my novel My Heart is Yours. I have Parts 1 and 2 written, so only Part 3 to go before the first draft is done. Wish me luck! Then on to editing! Then after that, on to querying! Again, wish me luck! lol.
Thanks for reading this very long post. Or heck, even for skimming it and reading the parts that interested you. I appreciate it! 
Have a great day everyone!


<3 Amanda Leigh

Short Story Review: Four Houses by Victoria Scott

 Title: Four Houses
 Author: Victoria Scott
Release: eBook June 26, 2011


Synopsis:
A young girl faced with four choices, must make a decision that will forever haunt her.



Excerpt:
The door in front of me is the ugliest shade of plum I've ever seen. It's a prune Grandma would eat, a raisin on its last leg, a swollen bruise in the most inconvenient of places. 


The waiting is the worst part, wondering who will open the door. But this time the waiting is killing me, tearing me down piece by piece and devouring me with its insatiable jaws. 


I bite my lip and raise my hand to knock. 

Review:
I loved this story! Certainly one of the best I have read. I've read a few in my lifetime and it's hard to come across Young Adult Short Stories -unless I'm missing something and if I am please let me know. The writing in this story was poetic and lyrical yet still realistic. I could picture what was happening each step of the way. I'm legitimately getting chills up spine now just thinking about it. 
The way the story is formatted is also very unique. I will admit when I looked at the first page I was thrown off, but after reading it I have to say the format fits the story perfectly.
This story is about decisions. Decisions. . .a word often dreaded. Even the simplest ones can be so hard to make. When we have to make one that will affect us forever, it is even harder. The main character Victoria has created has to make arguably her biggest decision ever.
A wonderfully haunting beautiful story. Don't miss this one!  
Rating: 5 Stars!

Get Victoria Scott's Four Houses here: http://www.victoriascottya.com/work/fourhouses/

Happy New Year!

I've been making resolutions ever since high school I think. Maybe a bit earlier than that. I didn't actually keep any of them until my 2011 resolutions. Because I made them more like specific goals. I did the same thing for this new year of 2012! 


So here they are, my New Year's Resolutions/Goals 2012:
1. Read 17 books in 2012.
2. Finish the first draft of my novel.
3. Edit my novel.
4. Send out queries to agents and publishers.
5. Set up an Etsy shop.
6. Practice yoga at least once a week.


For some reason, I think number 6: "Practice yoga at least once a week" will be the hardest to stick to. 


As for my blog, it's still fairly new and I'd like to make it better. I want to do more reviews, and I would love to start to receive books for review. I want to participate in more memes and would be absolutely ecstatic to do interviews with authors, writers, agents, editors, publishers and so on. 


The first review I desperately must do is of Four Houses by Tori Scott. I've been saying I would do a review for too long now. So my next post better be a review of Four Houses! 


<3 Amanda Leigh

My Top 7 Reads of 2011

Happy New Year! I'll start by saying I wish I had read more in 2011. (Besides the reading I did for classes. Which, being an English major, is quite a lot.) I read 15 books in 2011 - well, one was a play, one was a poetry collection and two were short stories. So I decided to compile a list of my Top 5.  However, it was extremely difficult to keep it down to 5 because the short stories I read were just so good. Everything on this list got my 5 star rating - one even got my 6 star rating. These are books I read in 2011, not all books that were published in 2011. Now, instead of My Top 5 Reads it is my Top 7 Reads and here it is for your pleasure.


1. The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight by L.J. Smith

I am a die-hard Vampire Diaries fan. I love this series, no matter what criticism the latest books may face. So it is safe to say The Vampire Diaries will always be on my list of Top Reads. What really keeps me coming back though, is the character of Damon Salvatore. Such a complex, complicated, intriguing character. I love him. This is the book that got my 6 star rating.

2. The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith

Just like I said above, I am a die-hard Vampire Diaries fan and I love Damon Salvatore. This one is of course on the list. Love it.


3. Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

I love this series, I think it is amazing. I love Grace and Sam. Even Isabelle and Cole. Isabelle and Cole are not always easy characters to love, but I do. Terrific, beautiful. I need to read Forever very soon. Even though I'll be devastated that the trilogy is over.

4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Wow. That is all I have to say. Wow. Whoa. Holy crap. Great great book. Quite a book. Real and powerful. Highly recommended.

5. I don't want to be crazy by Samantha Schutz

This is a memoir written in verse. It's about the author's struggle with anxiety disorder. This was a great read and is a great read whether or not you struggle with anxiety.


6. Four Houses by Tori Scott
A lot of people for some reason have an aversion to short stories; I have never been one of them. This, however, is one of the best short stories I have ever read. I'm not going to say a lot because it is easy to give too much away. (Plus, who knows, there may be a review of this coming soon. ;) I will say this: I LOVED it!

7. Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe 
Another example of short stories not being a "waste of time". Again, I won't say too much because I don't want to give too much away (and there may be a review for this coming up too! ;) Simply wonderful! I loved it! Can't wait for her novel Destiny's Fire to come out!


These were my favorites. Did you read any of these? Or are any going to be added to your list? What were your favorites of 2011?


<3 Amanda Leigh

Book Review: Keys to the Repository (A Blue Blood Companion Book) by Melissa De La Cruz

                                                     Blurb:

"Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods. Won't you come inside?"                                      

Review:
I love the concept/idea for this book. It's a companion novel to the other novels in the Blue Bloods series. It has untold stories about the characters during the books and in between each book. As well as family records, short stories to explain things that have happened, character lists, dictionary of terms, chapters from a new series (Wolf Pact) spinning off from Blue Bloods and the first two chapters of Misguided Angel. Very informative and gave a lot of insight into the books. Really enjoyed it!!  5 Stars!


<3 Amanda Leigh

Progress on My Project

So I have been working on my first YA novel, My Heart is Yours. This is a YA Romance novel. The idea for it started five years ago, when I was fifteen years old. It wasn't originally going to be a novel but the idea kept turning in my head and my characters kept talking to me. I'm sure all of us writers out there know what that's like. They say you do have to be a tad schizophrenic to be a writer. Argueably, we are just functioning schizoprenics.
Well, my characters wouldn't shut up. So I decided to take on this idea and turn it into a full length novel. If all goes well, I'll be finished with my first draft at the end of January. I'll keep you updated on the progress of my project. 
I promise I will blog more later. And it won't only beabout my book, it will also be about books, authors, writers, and hopefully have some interviews. I hope you enjoy! 


<3 Amanda Leigh