Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 326
Source: Review copy from author
Genre: YA Paranormal
Author Bio and Interview:
Susan Kaye
Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed
them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees
and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA,
and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and
Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All
that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in
future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible
inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two
cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can
handle.
What inspired you to
want to become a writer?
I’ve always
written stories, starting when I was in sixth grade writing bizarre
stream-of-consciousness poems about soldiers returning from the Vietnam War
(yup, I was strange even then). But I never considered myself a “writer.” I
grew up with plans to be an astronaut, and got a bunch of engineering degrees
and worked for NASA, finally landing with a Ph.D. and doing research on global
warming (which was an amazing job, BTW). I left science to be an at-home mom
(another amazing job), and toyed with being a politician for a while (served
for four years on Illinois’ third largest elementary school board). I
rediscovered my love of writing almost by accident, sitting down at a keyboard
one day to bang out a story for my niece. But the love of it gripped me like an
addiction, and three years on, it still hasn’t let go. I figured I better try
to make a career out of it.
Are you a morning
person or night owl?
Definitely a
morning person, although I still require lots of caffeine. Maybe I should try
being a night owl.
How did you choose
the genre you write in?
I started
out writing stories for my niece (young adult) and then tried my hand at middle
grade (so I could read to my boys, who were 6, 8, and 10 at the time). I love
the romance and drama of teen novels – they’re just like adult novels, only
faster paced and involve a time of life that’s almost universal (everyone has
experienced it). But I continue to be drawn to writing middle grade as well,
for the pure, fun storytelling. You can play more in middle grade, and it has a
sweetness and innocence that I love (as well as being even FASTER paced). I
plan to keep writing both, although I’ve only published my young adult novels
so far.
What genre do you
like to read? Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write
yourself?
I read a LOT
of YA and MG. My adult reading tends to be more non-fiction – industry stuff,
biographies, the news. The great thing about reading YA, though, is there is
such a huge range – mysteries, literary, chick lit: it’s all there in YA. I
think the fast pace of YA and MG stories may have ruined me for slower adult
fiction.
Please tell us in one
sentence why we should read your book.
What would
you do if you had to mind-control everyone you loved?
Do you see yourself
in any of your characters?
There’s a
small piece of me in every character that I write (which is a little
disturbing, since some of my characters are downright awful)! J Being a writer
means exploring the human mind – you have to be able to create a complete
personality that exists outside your own and then breathe life into it on the
page. You can’t do that unless you invest some of yourself in the character.
That being said, I try not to create characters that are too much like me. If
you’re too self-involved in your character, it’s hard to be objective when your
character goes through heck on the page.
What
advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write,
write, then write some more. Writing is a craft that you have to wrestle with
on a daily basis. No writer is ever “done” learning how to write. So, be
patient with yourself and your stories. And remember that you are unique – no
one can tell the stories you have inside you. Learning how to let your
uniqueness shine in your stories is an important part of your growth as a
writer.
Book Blurb:
When
everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.
Sixteen-year-old
Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others.
Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a
regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she
accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her
frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But
lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of
mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the
beginning of the deadly choices before her.
My
Thoughts:
I
absolutely loved this book. I’ve
had this book on my to read list for a long time. The author contacted me about a review and I was thrilled to
say yes. Unfortunately my plans to
post a review in February went south when my computer crashed and put me behind
on all my reviews.
However, this is a book I
will definitely put on my shelves at school. We are introduced to Kira who is not like the others around
her. Usually by the time a teen
has reached her age they have changed and can read minds. All classroom instruction is done
through mindreading/mindspeaking.
Kira must try to copy the notes of her friend Raf until her mother
purchases her a special hearing aide that comes with a mic for the teachers to
whisper into.
It is
obvious from the beginning that Raf doesn’t just want to be her friend. When he tries to kiss her something
happens and he hits the desk and ends up with a head injury. She thinks she has caused the injury but
is unsure how. She meets another classmate Simon who has the
answer to what she has done and how to control it. The question she must ask is if the knowledge she has is
worth the risks. The book was so
full of twists and turns and tension.
Lots and lots of tension.
The characters were well developed. The writing was so tight that I was propelled along. I finished the book in about three
hours. I am glad this is a trilogy
because I want to find out what will happen next to Kira and her family. Eventhough the story ended in a fashion
that would make it seem complete
if it was the only book you read of the trilogy, you definitely want to
read the rest. I'm not sure I could give this book enough stars. I look forward to reading the second book Closed Hearts which is already out. Hopefully the third book in the trilogy will follow soon.
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