Mundie Moms

Monday, October 8, 2012

TMI Movie News: First Look at the TMI Movie Coming Later This Week


You know how we're all anxiously awaiting for some exciting TMI movie news? Well Josh Horowitz with MTV, who was up on set a week or so ago, just became the guy all the TMI fans are now in love with because of this:



I agree with Cassie's follow up tweet when she said we all need to thank Josh. Yes, Cassie, yes we do. THANK YOU Josh!! We can not wait to see what you're going to share with us fans!

*image credit from the tweets goes to TMI Source

SANCTUM Blog Tour: Author Interview / Book Review

Today I'm thrilled to have author Sarah Fine on the blog today. She's stopped by to talk about her upcoming YA debut release SANCTUM


Published by: Marshall Cavendish Children's/Amazon
To Be Released on: October 16th, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4 stars: I Enjoyed It
Series: Guards of the Shadowlands Book #1
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone – she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife. 

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't – the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate. -quoted from Goodreads

This is an unexpected read full of hope, despair and something that's a bit dark and a little beautiful all at the same time. Sarah Fine's well crafted story, and incredible world building really set the tone for this book. The imagine of Hell as a setting for a book would seem a little hard to create and make readers want to read about, but Sarah's detailed descriptions of the dark and dreary place where Lela goes to, to risk it all for her friend really added depth to her story. Journeying to hell is just as dangerous as it sounds, but while there something remarkable happens to Lela. Not only does she learn to conquer her own demons, and find that inner strength she needs to make out of this place, but she finds hope and for the first time in her life she gets a glimpse of love. It was this part of the story that made it hard for me to put down this fast paced, engaging read.

This book's world of hell is where those who committed suicide go. It was really interesting me to see how this complex world was made up. Many of those there are too hung up on themselves and the reason that drove them to commit suicide in the first place, that they don't pay any attention to anything going on around them, which also puts them in danger of not only really losing themselves, but losing their afterlife. To me that made sense to call it hell. It would be. It was interesting to me that Lela out of all people would the one to charge through the Suicide Gates to save her friend. I'll admit, Lela is someone I found to be incredibly brave, and strong, especially given all the hell this girl has gone through. Her voice was rich, and commanding, which made it easy for me to hear her. She also got on my nerves one too many times with her continuous self sacrificing ways. I can only read about that so often before I'm totally irked by a character who continues to make the same choices and rationalizations over and over again, despite knowing the grim out come of their actions.

Aside from Sarah's incredible writing, the thing I enjoyed more about this book is the relationship that is formed between Lela and Malachi. Wow was it intense, believable, slow burning, and hopeful. Malachi matched Lela perfectly. He's strong, broken like she is, smart, commanding and incredibly precise with his actions. I might have fallen for him and loved his character a bit more than I did Lela's. There was something about him that just grabbed me, and I can't even pin point what it was. I loved how the relationship between Malachi and Lela developed and grew. These two were broken in so many ways, and yet through each other they found the hope and that meaning to fight for something more. I felt that the way Sarah told their story, and created this world was incredibly engaging, because it struck a chord with me. There's so many meanings to what the characters go through, find in each other, and deal with in this dark world, yet together they become the light the other person needs, and wants. I liked the depth this story had.

This book however will not be for everyone. This may not be a book for those who are sensitive to the topic of suicide, as this plays a huge roll in the book. Lela recounts her failed attempt at suicide, her friend Nadia commits suicide and the world which Lela goes to, is the place those who commit suicide arrive to. I would also caution those who are sensitive to language, violence, and mentions of sex and sex abuse before picking up this book. There is a lot of language at the beginning of the book with the f-word, which honestly totally turned me off of the book and I almost stopped reading it. When you drop the f-word that often within the first 15 pages of the book it makes me feel that the author is trying too hard to make your main character seem "bad" or rough around the edges. Not only that, it's just excessive to me, and I personally didn't care for it. It felt out of character for Lela, or I should say I didn't buy into how often it's said. However I understood the use of the language used later on in the book.There is some violence, and mentions of sex abuse which isn't described in detail, but none the less conveys what happened to Lela. 

Everything that is mentioned in this book plays a role in who the characters are, why they fight so hard to escape their hell, and in who they become. This book has dark, gritty world, with an unexpected engaging storyline. It's one that I'm surprised I liked as much as I did, and I credit Sarah Fine's writing for that reasoning. I'm looking forward to finding out what's in store for Malachi and Lela next. 



 Hi Sarah! Thank you for stopping by Mundie Moms today! How would you describe Sanctum in 5 words or less?

Dark. Romantic. Hopeful. Action-y (sorry, that’s totally not a word)
 “unexpected” this is one I’ve seen in several reviews so far, and it makes me so happy. 

What was one of the things you enjoyed creating the most with your story, the characters, the plot line, the events that unfold?

I loved constructing my characters’ back stories, the events that made them who they are in the book. None of them came out of nowhere, and their histories are rooted in real world events. Although all the details aren’t necessarily included within the pages of the book, I was able to deepen my understanding of the characters because I spent a lot of time thinking about how they had lived (and … died). 

If you were a character in your book, who would you be friends with and why?

Probably Raphael. He’s the most understated character, the one least likely to stab someone, and has the most inside information. Or possibly Diane. She doesn’t get a lot of page time in this book, but she’s powerfully cool.

Which of your characters is most like you and in what way?

Oh, goodness. I tend to write characters I wish I was similar to rather than ones that are actually like me … but I guess I have a lot of Ana’s frank cynicism and impatience for wasting time. I can’t throw knives like she can, though, which I know must come as a big surprise.

What was your favorite line or chapter to write?

Chapter 23, no contest. I love writing the moments when strong characters are brought to their knees by the power of their own surrender. 

If you could write in one of your favorite fictional characters into Sanctum, who would it be and why?

Buffy (hey, you didn’t specify a book character!). Lela’s a huge fan. I think they’d get along smashingly. 


Thank you Sarah for stopping by Mundie Moms today
Be sure to follow Sarah via her: Blog | Website | Twitter | Facebook

You can find out more Sanctum here:

The Shadow Society Blog Tour: Author Interview / Giveaways


Back in June I had the privilege of revealing the cover to Marie Rutkoski's debut, The Shadow Society, and today I'm thrilled to be kicking off MacTeen's The Shadow Society blog tour! Today's tour stop includes an interview with author Marie Rutkoski, as well as a giveaway!



Hi Marie! Welcome back to Mundie Moms. Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Shadow Society. How would you describe your book in 5 words or less?

Thanks, Katie! I’m thrilled to be here.

Five words or less? Eek!
Overcoming a dark legacy. Love. Forgiveness.
(I’m not counting the article)

Which character did you enjoy getting to know the most? Were your surprised by any of your characters in terms of the direction they took in The Shadow Society?

I feel closest to Darcy, my main character. This is in part because so many details of her world spring from my teenage years (I have vivid memories of collecting junk by the railroad tracks with a friend for an art project, and my mom has a silver spoon collection). I also admire Darcy’s resilience. Her ability to survive is rooted less in physical strength than in intelligence, care for others, and her willingness to let new experiences change her. Without giving anything away, I can say that Darcy changes into someone able to stand up for herself and for other people.   

I was surprised by Jims, one of Darcy’s friends. He was so much fun to write. I wish he existed and we could hang out and be silly together. Sometimes I couldn’t believe the stuff he was saying—even though I was writing it!

What element of your story did you enjoy creating the most (the storyline, the intrigue/suspense, the characters etc.)?

Probably the invention of a new paranormal creature, Shades. I have loved many novels about creatures from our collective mythology: fairies, vampires, werewolves, angels, etc. But…I didn’t want to write about any of them. I wanted to make something from scratch.

I knew the Shades’ most important power as soon as I had the idea for the book. Other aspects of them came later—like the fact that they are visually identifiable. When you see a Shade, you know it (so long as you know what one is). This makes Shades different from a lot of other paranormal creatures, who usually can pass as human. For me, a thrilling thing about writing this book was thinking through the consequences of Shades’ physical differences from humans—how would these differences shape the Shades’ society? How would it influence their hopes and fears? The relationships they form?

I like the concept of the Shadow Society. What inspired you to write about Darcy's story?

Thank you! The original seed of the novel was in a story a friend of mine told me about how, when he was in high school, his mom threw a knife at him.

But what inspired me to write The Shadow Society (what sustained me through the long endeavor of writing a novel) was homesickness. I love where I live (New York City, usually. This year it’s Paris), but I’m also far from where I grew up (a suburb of Chicago). I wanted to write about what it means to find a home, love it, leave it, and come back changed.   

Can you tell us about any future projects you're currently working on?

Sure! I’m working on a new YA trilogy unrelated to The Shadow Society. The first novel is called The Winner’s Curse, and will be out in either Fall 2013 or early in 2014. It’s about a girl who is aristocratic member of an empire that conquers and enslaves. I don’t want to say too much, but the novel has duels, balls, risky gambles…and a brewing rebellion.

*******

Thank you Marie for stopping by Mundie Moms today! I'm looking forward to finding out more about The Winner's Curse.

About The Book:


Published by: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (MacMillan)
To Be Released on: October 30th, 2012
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
Add To: GoodReads

Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. So she isn’t surprised that she doesn’t recognize Conn, the new boy at her high school, even though he seems to know her—or at least know something about her.
What does surprise her is how quickly she comes to trust Conn, and that he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But his interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her.

As if she was his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy and she is arrested, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not Conn, not herself, and not even the laws of nature. Because this world isn’t the only one. Darcy belongs in an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire never happened, and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population.

Darcy needs some answers.

And she hates that the person most able to help her get them is Conn. -quoted from the publisher

About the author:
Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society, about a girl who discovers that she's not human and that her kind are terrorists in an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire never happened. The Shadow Society will be published October 30, 2012. Marie has also written the children's fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of WondersThe Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the KalderashThe Cabinet of Wonders, her debut novel, was named an Indie Next Kids' List Great Read and a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, among other honors. 

Rutkoski grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She attended the University of Iowa. After graduating, she lived in Moscow and Prague. Upon receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard University, she held dual appointments as a lecturer there in both English and American Literature and Language, and History and Literature. Rutkoski is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children's literature and creative writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.


To learn more about The Shadow Society please be sure to visit Marie via her Website | follow her on Twitter

Fierce Reads:






Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour here:

Monday 10/8                     http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/
Tuesday 10/9                     http://www.pocketfulofbooks.com/
Thursday 10/11                 http://christinareadsya.blogspot.com/
Friday 10/12                       http://www.goodchoicereading.com/
Monday 10/15                   http://www.bookswithbite.net/
Tuesday 10/16                   http://www.thebookmonsters.com/
Wednesday 10/17           http://cuddlebuggery.com/
Friday 10/19                       http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/
               
The Giveaway:

To enter to win a copy of The Shadow Society, please fill out this form below. Good Luck!



Mundane Monday #157: Clockwork Princess Teaser

Happy Mundane Monday! Hopefully many of you are enjoying the holiday today, and are relaxing at home. Today's feature is from Cassie's most recent CP teaser she post two days ago.



THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT PITY.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT REGRET.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT NUMBER.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING.
(written on a wall in blood in Clockwork Princess)

Ooh is it March yet? Hmm I wonder which room this was written on and who wrote it. Any ideas?

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