Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway - The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

Find the tour schedule here.

 

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: June 9, 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQIA

Synopsis:

Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If 

they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her 

name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A 

condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So 

she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in 

igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.

But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse 

is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an 

irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes 

a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, 

complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they 

can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance 

come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting

one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the 

characters actually fall in love… for real.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks

The BookDepository | Kobo | IndieBound

How did you come up with the idea for The Falling in Love Montage?

I have a love-hate relationship with Rom-Coms, a bit like Ruby and Saoirse combined, and my first two attempts at writing were quite dark so I was in the mood to write something fun. I think this idea actually started from a joke between me and a friend and the more I thought about it the more I loved it and wondered what kind of person would try and have a ‘falling in love montage’ relationship.

Did you do any research for The Falling in Love Montage?

Most of the research I did was on dementia, naturally. I was already aware of most of what I wrote about but I consulted with a professional who works in the area for accuracy and I read accounts of family members’ experiences. People of course respond in very different ways to the same challenges so how Saoirse feels is not meant to represent everyone. 

 

Do you have a favourite character in The Falling in Love Montage?

I think my favourite character to write was Oliver. I keep thinking I’d like to write an Oliver POV short story or something. I think that happens with secondary characters though, you can have a bit of fun with them. His relationship with Saoirse makes me laugh, writing their dialogue and text messages was the easiest part of the book.

What was your favourite part of writing The Falling in Love Montage?

As I said above, writing Oliver and Saoirse’s dialogue, but in terms of process I like writing line edits the best. It is the point where everything starts to come together and you’re making sure everything shines. It’s also the point where I get notes from my editor where I can see what jokes land and which lines tug on her heartstrings and which need to be sharpened for more impact. 

 

Do you have any advice for new writers?

My advice is the same as what everyone else says: read, a lot. Watch lots of movies and TV (you have my permission). Think about what you like about those books and movie and TV shows, or what you don't like. In terms of writing craft, my favourite book is Story Genius by Lisa Cron. When I start writing I like to dip into it and remind myself of some of the exercises she describes. It always helps me get a handle on who my character is, and if you know who they are, it’s easier to figure out what they might do.

What's your favourite book/series?

My favourite book of all time is The Bell Jar. I read it when I was thirteen and I must have read it at least twenty times since then. One of my favourite YA books is Beauty Queen’s by Libba Bray. It is genuinely laugh out loud funny and I love how it examines the reality TV show constructs.

About the Author

Ciara Smyth is a social work student by day, writer by night and cat

enthusiast 24/7. 

Her first YA novel - about memory, rom-coms and girls who like 

girls - will be published in Summer 2020 by Andersen Press in the 

UK and HarperCollins in the US.

She previously worked as a teacher and mental health trainer. She 

enjoys jigging (verb: to complete a jigsaw) and claims to enjoy 

yoga in order to cultivate a zen persona that is shattered 

approximately ten minutes after you meet her. 

She is from the south of Ireland but has lived in Belfast for so long 

that her parents make fun of her Northern accent.

Author Links:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

 Tour-wide giveaway

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Blog Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway - The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles, #1) by Kester Grant

Find the tour schedule here.

 The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant

Publisher: Knopf Children's

Release Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retellings, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts theeye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes

The Book Depository | Kobo | Google Books

Read an excerpt here.

Top Ten Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

I’m not going to give the usual advice about reading tons and getting critique partners because most writers have heard that a hundred times, and knowing that I’m an author at the very beginning of my publishing journey – so take whatever I say with a giant pinch of salt. Here’s some of the thoughts floating around my brain these days when it comes to what I want to create think of this more as a personal (to me, YMMV) manifesto being worked out…

Don’t be afraid to let a good idea go, the good aspects of it will return to you in much better skins.

My animal fantasy Goldenpaw is coming out early next year, and the story was originally completely different, with a human cast, for an older readership and in a completely different genre. I put it aside because I wasn’t happy with it. Not because it wasn’t good or fabulous, but rather because I didn’t like certain aspects of it. Yet it was a strong story that would have sat well on the shelves with its book peers. Many years later it returned to me, flashing through my mind – that I could strip the story of all the things I disliked, genre, etc, and be told completely differently whilst retaining the things I loved best about it – the tale of a brother and sister who are devoted to one another, but grow up in a society of freedom fighters and though they desire to protect one another, their destiny and duty is to bring freedom to their people even if it means their deaths. In its new form as an animal fantasy the premise was much newer and fresher than the original one. There was much more humour to the story. And the research and creation of this wild continent of animals rekindled my great passion for animals and the environment and brought me great joy and peace.

I’ve had other projects where I let go completely, promising myself I’d never write them, only to have the strongest parts of them return to me as I plan something completely different. And often the act of sacrificing them, entirely turning away from them, allows me to free myself from seeing them in their old skins, and when only the best parts to remain and return in a fresh form, they’re less precious and more flexible, I see that I could fold them into all sorts of far more original story genres and shapes, and create things that aren’t as common in the market today.

Write the book you want to read. 

 

I’ve looked at the writing and illustrated book industry a lot. I noticed that many of the authors and illustrators I admire the most were busy tinkering away, creating something that was not necessarily “hot” or “commercial” or even getting a ton of buzz, but they created worlds and projects out of their passion. A good example of this is Tove Jansson.

Or Terry Pratchett who created the humorous epic fantasy series Discworld whilst most other fantasy was very serious and in another mold entirely. I call this “dancing to the beat of their own drum” which doesn’t sound like anyone else’s drum.

I’m not advocating being entirely un-commercial, I’m too business minded for that. But sometimes the weird, niche, quirky, you-ness is a strong brand, that distinguishes your creative work from others and I always think that if this is the book I’d have loved to read at X age, then there are surely other people like me out there.

Let creating be joyful again!

This is a hard one as a debut, the urge to read every review good, and especially the bad ones, is strong, checking Amazon stats, wondering why my story isn’t doing as well as X’s book or anxiety over debuting during a pandemic! 

 

Find my heroes and emulate them as best I can.

I think it was Dame Barbara Cartland in an interview who admitted that even though she was a prolific international best seller and quite famous, her children had no idea till they got to university and realized their mom’s hobby had made her a household name. She wrote at night when they were asleep, didn’t really do the “celebrity” circuit, and spent her days being a single mother bringing them up. That interview really spoke to me on a deep level about priorities and what kind of career I wanted. 

 

Don’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling. 

 

One of my biggest dreams is to be a picture book author-illustrator. I’ve had many book concept ideas, but kept putting them aside as though I might have the skill to illustrate them, they didn’t hold up to my author-illustrator heroes. I’ve also drawn comics for fun for years, I’m not amazing at this, but the comics I drew have a style and humor of their own. 

 

Don’t let it eat you.

IDK about you guys, but I’m very hide in the garret neither eating sleeping nor bathing whilst I create all day every day… type thing. My stories take up my mind and I often find myself feeling resentful of daily life and other things which stop me from being able to be the glorious creation-beast I could be if only I could lounge by the well of inspiration all the time.

But the thing is my creative tendencies are not always healthy, and I need routine, and exercise, and family.So, I try to remember to disconnect, and spend time where it should be spent, and focus on what is important.

About the Author

 

Kester Grant is a British-Mauritian writer of color. She was born in London, grew up between the UK, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the tropical island paradise of Mauritius. As a wanton nomadshe and her husband are unsure which country they currently reside in but they can generally be found surrounded by their fiendish pack of cats and dogs.

Author Links:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Pinterest

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Review - The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles, #1) by Kester Grant

Title: The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles, #1)

Author: Kester Grant

Pages: 464

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Release Date: 4th June 2020

Blurb from Goodreads:

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

 
Liberty

 
1828 and the citizens of Paris still mourn in the wake of their failed revolution. Among them, in the dark alleys and crumbling cathedrals of the city, the most wretched have gathered into guilds of thieves, assassins – and worse. Together they are known as The Court of Miracles.

Family

 
Eponine has lost more than most. When her father, Thénardier, sells her sister to the Guild of Flesh she makes a promise to do anything she can to get her sister back, even if that means joining the Court of Miracles, the very people keeping her sister a slave.

Treachery

 
Eponine becomes perhaps the greatest thief the Court has ever known, finding a place among them and gaining another sister, Cosette. But she has never forgotten the promise she made, and if she’s to have any hope of saving one sister, she will have to betray the other.

This beautiful reimagining of Les Misérables tells the stories of your favourite characters and what might have happened if the French Revolution had not come to pass.

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HarperVoyager and NetGalley*

Paris remains divided after the failed revolution and even The Court of Miracles, the combined guilds of assassins, thieves, and more, has its own cracks.

When Nina's (Eponine's) father sells her sister, his very own daughter, to one of the guilds, Nina vows to do everything she can do to get her back and joins the Guild of Thieves.

Nina soon integrates herself into the court and makes a name for herself as one of the best thieves.

Then Nina acquires a new sister in Cosette (Ettie), a young girl who is in the care of Nina's father. 

But Nina will do whatever it takes to save her sister, even if it means betraying Ettie.

Will Nina be able to go through with her plan?

Can she save her sister?

The idea of a Les Mis retelling where Eponine is a thief intrigued me as I've always felt very sorry for Eponine and wished that she had a different story.

I found Nina to be a likeable and relatable protagonist and I liked how determined and capable she was. I also liked Nina's relatonship with Ettie who I liked more than I thought I would.

Montparnasse was probably my favourite character, but I also liked Enjorlas a lot.

I enjoyed the author's take on the characters as well as the Court of Miracles and the guilds themselves.

One thing that did bug me was the whole 'Those-Who-Walk-By-Day' thing. I'm not even sure why it annoyed me, but it did.

The setting of 1800s Paris was intriguing and well done.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, but it did feel a little repetitive at times. I enjoyed learning more about the Guilds and the Court.

The writing style was easy to follow and flowed well, although a few scenes were a little abrupt at times.

This was quite a dark book at times, but Nina and Ettie were the heart and soul of the book and both brought some light to it, the themes of family and friendship being one of my favourite things about the book.

I can see any fan of Les Mis (be it the book, film, or TV show) finding joy in reading this, but I also think that someone that knows nothing about Les Mis would enjoy this too.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Review - And The Stars Were Burning Brightly (And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, #1) by Danielle Jawando

Title: And The Stars Were Burning Brightly (And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, #1)

Author: Danielle Jawando

Pages: 368

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's UK

Release Date: 5th March 2020

Blurb from Goodreads:

An emotionally rich and current story of suicide, mental health, bullying, grief and growing up around social media.

When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart.
Al was special.
Al was talented.
Al was full of passion and light…so why did he do it?
Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan begins to retrace his footsteps. And along the way, he meets Megan. Al’s former classmate, who burns with the same fire and hope, who is determined to keep Al’s memory alive. But when Nathan learns the horrifying truth behind his brother’s suicide, one question remains – how do you survive, when you’re growing up in the age of social media?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK Children's and NetGalley*

Fifteen-year-old Nathan's life changes forever when his older brother, Al, commits suicide.

Nathan has no idea why Al took his own life and is certain that something must have pushed Al to do it.

Determined to find out what that something was, Nathan starts searching for answers.

He meets Megan, a friend of Al's who is as shocked and devastated by Al's death as Nathan is.

Nathan's search for answers reveals a terrible truth.

Why did Al take his own life?

Part of the reason I wanted to read this book so much was that I knew the author had tried to commit suicide because of bullying when at school. I was intrigued to see how her experiences would shape the book, and felt that they would add more gravity to it.

The book is told from two perspectives (Nathan and Megan's) and each chapter begins with a snippet from Al, which I thought was a nice touch.

Nathan and Megan were both likeable and relatable. I felt sorry for them both, and it was interesting to read how they both dealt with Al's death.

This is a very important read in the way it shows and deals with bullying and social media. It shows how easily social media can be used to hurt people, and it made me quite angry.

The plot was interesting, but the pacing was a little slow for me and I felt like the book didn't need to be quite as long as it was. I guessed one of the reveals early on, which was a shame.

I feel like I could have connected to the storyline and characters a lot more than I did, and I'm not quite sure what that was down to.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but still found it to be a heart-felt, important book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, important read.

June TBR

How is it June already?!

This year is flying by!

Here are the books I want to read this month . . .

Blood Heir (Blood Heir, #1) by Amelie Wen Zhao

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

What are you planning to read this month?