Mundie Moms

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Author Interview with Sherri Browning Erwin, author of Jane Slayre

If you are a Jane Austen fan and loved Jane Eyre, than you'll really enjoy Jane Slayre. Sherri did such a wonderful job at keeping Jane's true voice in the book, as she put a great paranormal spin on this classic story.
What inspired you to start the project?
My daughter, 16, was going to read Jane Eyre for a school assignment this year. It is one of my favorite books, so I decided to read it again, too. While reading, I kept finding all sorts of places in which paranormal activity seemed to fit right in. I blog with the Whine Sisters (http://www.whinesisters.com) and I happened to joke about it. Jane Slayre! With Jane as a vampire slayer! But my friend Kathleen Givens said, "Don't joke! That sounds like a hit. Get it off the blog and write it." I took her advice.
We think you have done a wonderful job at rewriting Jane Eyre. How daunting of a task has it been to tear apart a classic and add in a paranormal twist?
Thank you. I'm so pleased that it has come off so well. It was a very daunting task to attempt to write "with" Charlotte Bronte, in a way. I wanted to fit my voice seamlessly in with hers so that it seemed we were writing with one voice. Fortunately, I think we really might have got on well, and it wasn't as impossible as it first seemed. Charlotte had a fantastic sense of humor. Her wit shines through time and again. And the paranormal elements fit in as if she'd intended to lean in that direction, though perhaps not as far as I pushed it.
In Jane Eyre, we already know which characters are "monsters", but how did you go about adding in their paranormal character in Jane Slayre?
I spent a lot of time reading, re-reading, and getting to know the characters. I had an idea of what vampyres, zombies, and werewolves might be like, and I decided which character fit which role best as I proceeded. Charlotte Bronte, at one point, compares Bertha Mason to a vampyre. But when I thought about Bertha, she just seemed so werewolfish to me, all that hair and snarling. The Lowood girls could only have been zombies. The Reeds were vampyres to me from the start, right from John Reed attacking Jane at the beginning.
Who's your favorite character in Jane Eyre and why?
I know he's controversial, but I'm a fan of Mr. Rochester. He's quite the man, a big, burly, man's man. He sees the beauty in Jane right away and he pushes her to accept her own beauty. I love that about him! Even though he was hiding a wife in the attic the whole time, the scoundrel. Jane is a steady moral compass through the book, but we get to see Rochester grow and learn and reform. It's very exciting to see the change in him by the end of the book.
Who was your favorite character to re-write in Jane Slayre?
Jane! She didn't need much work, but I never liked how she was so down on herself sometimes, so willing to accept that she wasn't a beauty and she would always be plain and average. I never bought it, because we see that inner confidence flair out when she expresses her opinions on circumstances and people around her. I always thought she protested far too much. I loved having the chance to see her embrace her own confidence and feel strong and powerful. And yes, even pretty.
Are you planning on working on any similar projects like this in the future?
I am. I really hope so, anyway. I'm always reading, and I favor the classics. If I came across a book that inspired me the way that Jane Eyre did, I would jump right in and put my spin on it. It hasn't happened yet. The characters of Jane Eyre are still so alive in my mind that I think of working more with a few of them, too. We'll see. I'll keep you posted! Thank you for talking with me. I've had a great time with Mundie Moms. :)

Thank you so much Sherri for taking the time to chat with us. You can visit Sherri's site to learn more about Jane Slayre here- http://www.sherribrowningerwin.com/

Twitter Tuesday - Bree Despain and KatieB


This past Sunday, Bree Despain announced her Street Team Winners and well, drum roll please...our Founder, the creative ball of energy, KatieB, was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner.



What does this mean?

It means that in the sequel to The Dark Divine, there will be a "significant supporting character" named after her. I know what you're thinking -- no way!!! We are so excited to see Katie's name in print that now we have even more reason to be pre-order The Lost Saint which will be released on December 28th.

Congratulations Katie from all of your Mundie Moms!

Book Review ~ Split

By Swati Avasthi
Published by Random House
Released March 9th 2010
Source: Around the World Tours
5stars

Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.
He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.
At least so far.
Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. First-time novelist Swati Avasthi has created a riveting and remarkably nuanced portrait of what happens after. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split — how do you begin to live again? Readers won’t be able to put this intense page-turner down.

Sorry if you have previously read this review on my blog. It was such a good book, I wanted to post it again.

WOW! Outstanding debut from Swati Avasthi, my favorite from 2010 so far; it's raw, gritty, and graphic. Swati, does not sugarcoat what happened to this family, and I am glad- it makes it real. Split, follows the life of Jace, after he decides to do something about his abusive father and the effect domestic violence has on a family. This is a subject I strongly feel needs to be written about for Young Adults - especially one incident involving Jace. I will not be surprised if this book ends up winning lots of awards, and is on every reading list for 2011.


Jace has had enough, and in a split decision decides to fight back. It didn't accomplish much, but it did get him thrown out. His mom tells him to find his brother, the brother that ran away 5yrs earlier. When Jace turns up at Christians house 1300 miles away from home, Christian agrees to take him in, no questions asked.

Like brothers, they have their problems, but the abuse Christian suffered has left him cold and unwelcoming. Jace's main concern is the mother he left behind and the ex-girlfriend who knows something he is not willing to share with anyone.

Sarah Rees Brennan's May COOKIE for Demon's Covenant

Don't forget, you can go pick up The Demon's Covenant NEXT Tuesday, the 18th. I have to say, it's a MUST read. Here's a little teaser from Sarah's Demon's Covenant cookie:

“Hello,” her mother said, going for the fridge. Mae waved her coffee cup in greeting and watched as Annabel drew out a packet of lettuce leaves that had turned brown and dispirited.

“Oh dear,” she said. “Thai food all right by you?”

“I’ll be honest: I wasn’t going to eat salad either way.”

Annabel nodded with just a hint of pain. She and Mae had gone back and forth on this a thousand times, and Mae had made it extremely clear that she cared more about eating cheese sandwiches today than being skinny when she was forty. “Is James home? I’ll ask him what he wants.”

“Yeah. Um, he has a friend from school with him. They’re studying.”

Mae realized what an enormous tactical error that had been when she saw her mother’s face light up.

“A friend?” she asked. “Jamie?”

“Yeah,” said Mae, getting up very quickly and almost spilling her coffee in the process. “Look, maybe you shouldn’t—”

“A girl or a boy?” Annabel asked, and went for the stairs.

She was much too fast for a woman in six-inch heels, Mae thought, and dashed after her.

“A boy,” she called after Annabel’s swiftly ascending back, stricken with horror at the very idea of her mother opening Jamie’s bedroom door expecting a studious young lady, possibly in a blouse and spectacles, and finding Nick Ryves.

“He must stay for dinner,” Annabel said with determination, doing a wickedly fast turn on the landing and heading for the second set of stairs. “I’m so glad that James is getting on better at school. I couldn’t think what to do. He said he didn’t want to move schools.”

“I didn’t know you wanted him to change schools!” Mae shouted after her. Annabel was outside Jamie’s door now, and Mae wasn’t going to reach her in time. Disaster was inevitable.

“How do you move so fast?”

“All my shoes are designer,” Annabel informed her. “Quality always tells,” she added as she opened the door.

“‘There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well,’” Jamie read out, doing what Mae thought was supposed to be an upper-class Victorian lady’s voice. He sounded as if someone was choking him to death with bonnet ribbons.

He was sitting on the window seat, feet up on a chair.

Nick was sitting on Jamie’s bed. Only the lamp in Jamie’s room was on, a yellow pool of light stopping short at Nick’s feet, throwing tiny yellow shards of light into the dark hollows of his eyes. He was turning his magic knife over and over in his hands, the rough carvings glinting in the light.

“Mavis and I were wondering if your friend wanted to stay for dinner,” Annabel said in a voice that lacked all conviction, but also belonged to a woman so dismayed she had no idea what else to offer.

Nick lifted an eyebrow. “Mavis?”

“Shut up,” Mae told him.

“All right,” said Nick. “Mavis.”

You can read more of Sarah's cookie here http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/165883.html. Don't forget, if you're the Houston/Austin area next weekend, both Sarah and Holly will be signing books at Murder By The Books. See our side bar for more information.

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