Interview & Giveaway w/Kate Klimo

Everyone help me welcome author & horse lover Kate Klimo!

Horses obviously are a huge part of your life, when did your love of them start?

I have always loved horses, from the time I played "horses" on the playground in kindergarten and took lessons with saved-up allowance in the Brookville stables near where I grew up in Sea Cliff on Long Island. But it was for my fiftieth birthday that my husband gave me a ten-pack of lessons and, for some reason, that triggered what might be called a mid-life mania, starting with lessons, then leasing a horse, then taking clinics, finally owning horses and taking fabulous riding vacations to all corners of the world. Now my horses are in a barn in my back yard and there's nothing more wonderful than to go out at night in my pajamas and visit or first thing with my morning tea. 

 If you could be anything else besides a writer, what would you be?

If I couldn't be a writer, I would be a horse trainer. No question.

 How often do you write?

When I am working on a book, I write every day. I wake up at four and write until eleven or so and then I get up and do stuff, preferably active stuff, like shopping or riding my horse or hiking. When I'm deeply into a book, I will sometimes write for twelve-hour stretches but that takes a toll.  I work in an office four days a week and have a roughly five-hour round trip by bus and, you guessed it, I write the whole way to and from the office. Makes the long trip seem short! There are usually one-to-two month periods between projects or while my editor has the manuscript at whatever stage it might be, outline, rough draft, etc. Those I call my fallow times, my not-writing times, which are as important to the process as the creative times because, after all, you have to let a field lie fallow for it to flourish on a regular basis. Don't want to strip the soil now, do we? Okay, I think I've beat the agrarian imagery to death, don't you?

Favorite writing snacks?

Because I can't be trusted to get up and get my own sustenance, my husband usually brings me a snack: apple and cheese or sliced oranges or sometimes some squares of dark chocolate. (Isn't he a sweetie?) I'm not a coffee drinker but when I am flagging, he will bring me a single shot of very sweet espresso as a pick-me-up. I drink water constantly because hydrating myself is good and also because it forces me to get up and move around, if only to the bathroom and back. Writing is an intense mental and physical process and it's good for both mind and body when you get up and shake yourself out on a regular basis.

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Here's all of Kate's Stalking Info:

Goodreads

Twitter

Website

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GIVEAWAY! 

Feels Like I'm Dying....

These last few days I've been battling something nasty that's been kicking my body's ASS! So today I went to the doctor and after telling me things look ok, "but let's do a nasal swab to rule out Influenza"......what do ya know?! I have Influenza Type A!

Before you all start panicking and planning your speeches for my funeral, it's just a viral strain of the flu that can't be treated with antibiotic. So the doctor is basically telling me to tough this shit out and become Motts' top buyer.

Now the point to this iPhone fueled rant....this shit sucks! Please just try to deal with my Twitter whining and my attempt to stay in top of shit around here. I will BE BACK!

IMM (Vlog) - I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack

Review: Shatter Me -By Tahereh Mafi

Author:  Tahereh Mafi
Website
Release Date: 11/15/2011
Purchase Info: Amazon, B&N, Book Depo


Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.


The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.


The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.


Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

First Thought: Mind-Blowing!! Utterly romantic & completely riveting!

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!


This (points up) is the only word that comes to mind when I think of Shatter Me!


Juliette is probably one of the best characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. Though she is broken, that is what makes her simple and pure, at least in my eyes. 

Starting her story in her isolated prison cell was a fabulous idea. It's gritty, dirty and truly displays Juliette as how she sees herself, completely alone.

Suddenly a roommate named Adam is throw at her, well not thrown at her because he most likely would have died, but her isolation is no longer quiet and lonely. There's something about her roommate that causes her heart to pump faster, and her brain to work a little faster. But all Juliette wants is for him to just let her have the space she needs & pretend she's not in the room. Well, not only will her new cellmate NOT leave her alone, he pays an unusual amount of attention to her.
As quickly as he's introduced, Adam is taken away.

Ugh, then I had the pleasure of meeting Warren....seriously....this dude is SO wacked in the head. He even has some of my best blogger friends considering him a book boyfriend!
FYI, this guy would be the first person I'd shoot for fun.
Warren has a sadistic asshole, who thinks that using Juliette for his own gain is a the perfect way to propose a relationship to her. Showing exactly how much power he has only makes Juliette want to run farther away from him, his luxury and every compliment he throws at her.

Writing this review has been very hard for me. Trying to sum up my feelings for this book took me a loooooooooooooooong time. Editing out the verbal vomit and getting to the point of was the hardest part. I want to sit here and tell you guys word for word exactly what happens, how I think this book was one of the best books I've ever *and I mean ev-ah* had the pleasure of reading!
How Adam is the most courageous male lead in the history of male leads. Or how things aren't always as they seem, and love can make you do some pretty powerful stuff.
The one thing I will say is you absolutely must, must, must give this book a try. You will cry, get angry, but in the end your heart will thank you for taking it on the journey of a life time!


5/5 

Shift Blog Tour + Giveaway: Q & A with Chase & Rayna

The Shift Tour has ARRIVED!!

And all I can say is.......FINALLY!!

I have been waiting extremely, semi patiently for a while to get my hands on this book.

After reading the Exiled (my review here), I instantly knew this would be a new series favorite!

So for this stop on M.R. Merrick's blog tour, I really wanted to be able to ask his main characters some questions instead of him....wait that sounded slightly mean....anyways you guys know what I mean :)

Now here they are!

Rayna:

If your fight scene's had a playlist what would the top 3 songs be?

Brick By Boring Brick - Paramore

Savior - Rise Against

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

What's your favorite thing to do on a day when you're not hunting down evil?

I am a huge fan of horror movies, so in the event I get a moment's peace, I like to snuggle up on the couch with one of my favorites. That, or shopping, although Marcus says I have a tendency to overspend...

If you and Chase were a super hero team what would your team name be, and who would be the sidekick?

I don't now about a team name...but you and I both know Chase would be my sidekick.

Chase:

Ideal post fight meal?

Pepperoni and Bacon Pizza Pops. Nothing beats them.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully alive.

If you and Rayna were a super hero team what would your team name be, and who would be the sidekick?

I don't think I could come up with a name that wasn't lame, so if we ever become superheros, I'll let our adoring fans decide, but I think it's pretty obvious who the sidekick would be.

Thanks to the both of you for actually sitting down with me and answering some questions! I am beyond excited to see what happens to the both of you in Shift!

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Now for the GIVEAWAY!