Blog tour stop: Maggie Stiefvater

Welcome to the next stop of maggie Stiefvater's blog tour for her newest novel, Linger!

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: July 13, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 368

Grace and Sam are back --along with a few new wolves. At the end of Shiver, Beck had created some new wolves with the intention for them to keep the pack strong. But he didn't know that Sam had been cured, no longer forced to shift between wolf and human, thanks to Grace and Isabel.

Now the new pack has become Sam's responsibility, and taking care of the new wolves won't be easy after Sam worked so hard not to be wolf. One of the newcomers is Cole St. Claire, lead singer of a popular band who wants nothing more to escape his life by being wolf.

Isabel feels wolves coming back into her life all over again when Cole shows up. With her brother's death in the back of her mind, Isabel is hesitant to have anything to do with the wolves beyond Grace and Sam, but she can't help but feel drawn to Cole.

While Grace and Sam are happy to have more time together now that Sam is no longer wolf, Grace's health has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. It starts off small but then her fevers get worse and Grace starts to reek of wolf, Sam fears this is no ordinary flu.

Linger seemed a bit slow at times, but halfway through, a new sense of urgency starts to take over. At first, I was not entirely sure what the plot was; it seemed that Grace and Sam's relationship was progressing and new characters were coming in. Things really start to pick up further into the novel.

Hopeless romantics, myself included, with be glad that Grace and Sam are going strong as ever, though sometimes their narratives got even too mushy and lovey-dovey even for me. Thankfully, this is balanced out by Maggie's expansion of the points of view to to include Isabel and Cole's voices. Cole may come off as the angsty teenager type, but it works with his extreme cynicism and arrogant charm. He and Isabel's POV's quickly became my favorite parts to read, especially when the two met. Isabel and Cole each struggle with their own demons, but their banter and how their relationship evolves was fun to read. It really helped balance out some of the sadness and urgency that started to grow as the story progressed.

Although I enjoyed Shiver more, most fans of the first book will not be disappointed. Maggie Stiefvater's fantastic ability to create unique characters that each have different but believable voices carries through in Linger. Ms. Stiefvater is able to portray images and emotions so vividly, it draws readers into her novels. Although the plot seemed much more evident in Shiver, I feel that the character development was much better and beautifully done in Linger, now that the focus is not just on trying to keep Sam human. I look forward to finding out what happens in the final installment of this series when it comes out!

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Maggie Stiefvater is the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie, Shiver, and Linger.

Maggie Stiefvater's website (blog here) Shiver series Website Follow Maggie on Twitter @mstiefvater

Ms. Stiefvater has graciously taken the time out to answer a few questions!

If you could spend a day as any one of your characters, who would you like to be?
Well, they all have pretty tormented lives. I’d need therapy. I would like to be the girl from the candy shop in Shiver, because then I could stuff myself with sugar for an entire day and then abandon all those calories and stomach aches for my normal body the next. See my animal cunning there?

What is the most rewarding part about being an author?

I have a selfish thing and an unselfish thing. The selfish thing is when I get the first real copy of each book I write. I hug the cover and pet the pages and cuddle it and show it to everyone who can’t get away fast enough. The unselfish thing is when I get an e-mail from a reader whose life was really changed by reading the book in some unexpected way. I’ve gotten some emails that literally made me sniffly and you can ask anyone, sniffly is not something Maggies normally are.

What are your favorite childhood books?

I was a big fantasy reader as a pre-teen -- I would look for anything with the fantasy sticker in the library -- and as I got older, I decided Dean Koontz was da bomb. Then I gravitated back to YA fantasy again. I still love Diana Wynne Jones’ books.

What is your favorite word and why?

Revolting. Hey, you asked, not me.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
READ. A fantastic book is your best text book. Oh yeah, and google "how to write a good query."

Thank you so much for stopping by, Maggie!

Scholastic has graciously donated a finished copy of Linger for a giveaway! Interested in winning? Just fill out the form below!

Rules:
Open to US only (sorry!)
No PO Boxes please
Please only fill out the form once
Please enter by August 7th, midnight, EST.

extra entries:
+ 5 new or old follower of The Book Vault
+5 follower of me on Twitter (@BookVault01)
+3 if you tweet/post about this giveaway elsewhere (please include the link)
+2 if you comment on this post w/ your thoughts about the interview, Linger, or about Maggie's novels

Please fill out the form HERE to enter!
Good luck!

Blog tour: The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer!

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

Release Date: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 352

Abby has always covered for her sister's, Maya's, wrong doings. Not one to follow the rules, Maya dropped out of school, rarely came home, and hung with a questionable crowd. But Abby has always been there for her--been the buffer between Maya and her parents, covered for all the trouble she caused, and suggested Jefferson Andrews as Maya's tutor for her GED. Jefferson Andrews is the star of the high school--a stellar student despite his poor household and a teenager admired and loved by all--who eventually becomes romantically involved with Maya.

But then Jefferson Andrews shows up dead, and Maya was the last known person with him. Has Maya gone too far this time? Hardly remembering what happened the night Jefferson died but adamantly stating that she did not kill him, Abby knows she needs to hide Maya, who is already seen in less-than-favorable light by her parents, before Maya is found and brought to the police.

With Maya hidden away, Abby begins her own secret investigation to clear her sister's name, but her own investigation may lead her to not just clues that reveal more about Jefferson's murder, but also clues about Jefferson's background (which reveals his true--and not so beautiful--personality), and Maya's messed up life.

As the investigation progresses and more clues are found, just how deadly a sister can be soon becomes apparent...
The Deadly Sister is an great summer mystery! Although confusing at times, readers will enjoy finding clues along with Abby and guessing how they fit into the crime. The twists will keep readers turning the pages until more of Maya, Abby and Jefferson's backgrounds are revealed and the killer discovered! Cleverly worded at some points, this novel allows readers to interpret them how they will, and make their own guesses for who's guilty and who's not.

I feel that the ending could have been a bit more shocking if it had been revealed through actions and more clues (that could be interpreted in many ways) being unearthed, rather than it just be stated in a near monologue. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading The Deadly Sister! It was a little slow for me at first, but once the pace picked up, I could hardly put it down! I'm definitely glad I kept reading!

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Eliot Schrefer, author of The Deadly Sister, The School for Dangerous Girls, and Glamorous Disaster, has generously taken the time out to answer a few questions:



Which of the characters you've created is/was your favorite to write about?

The antagonist from my first novel, Glamorous Disasters, took over every scene she was in. Since the book was satire, I was able to go over-the-top with her, really go gothic and horrible and unpredictable. At the same time she had this yearning need, and I think she's one of the most sympathetic characters in the book.

What is your favorite place to write?

I'm a big fan of cafe writing. Years of childhood spent not heeding my mother's advice and listening to music while I did homework paid off—I get into work mode when I have headphones on, and the rest of the cafe falls away. Yet, when I reach a pause point in my writing and come up for air, there's bustle and people around me. It breaks up the essential loneliness of the writing process.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I think the main reason many aspiring writers don't finish a draft is that they don't allow themselves to be bad. The urge is to perfect what you have before you move on, which is fatal to the writing process—write a truly crummy first draft, and then spend as long as you want making it better. Just keep reminding yourself that the first draft doesn't have to be good, it just has to be there.

If you could spend a day as any fictional character, who would you like to be?

Oh, I would be Tibby from Howards End. Not because I love the character, but because he's the brother to the Schlegel sisters, and I would love to spend an afternoon having tea with them in their gray little London townhouse. Their dialogue in that book is amazing—profound and yet light and crisp and personable.

What is your favorite word, and why?

I'm in Italy right now, so the word that comes to mind is stanco, which means tired. Because, to an American ear, it captures something ineffable about being tired, that there's something stank, something sharp and pungent, about it.

What is your favorite childhood book?

The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende.

Describe yourself in 3 words?

I was at a bar with some friends once, and we assigned one another categories from the wine list. I got “light, citrus-y, and crisp.” I think it works.

And one just for fun: If you won the lottery, how would you spend your prize money?

Easy. A house with a garden. And I'd love to fund a sanctuary for primates in the Congo—with all the internal conflict, they're getting harder to protect.

Thanks for stopping by, Eliot!

Check out this Q&A video by Eliot where he discusses a few aspects of his upcoming book!

Don't forget to visit Eliot Schrefer's website & pick up a copy of The Deadly Sister in bookstores today!