{Interview & Giveaway} Shudder by Samantha Durante

Today I have Samantha Durante, author of Stitch & Shudder, with me today on the blog.

Hi Samantha! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to be here at Doodle’s Book Blog!Thanks so much for hosting me, Emily!

Pet Peeves? Everyone has them. Could you tell us about a few of yours?

Biggest pet peeve is smoking! Especially now that I'm pregnant, it's the wors - you just can't get away from it, ugh. And penny-pinchers. Life's too short to squabble over a few dollars on the dinner bill!

If you could choose to have any superpower, what would you want and why?

Time travel - I'd love to be able to see the future and go back to meet my ancestors or experience major events for myself.

If we were to take a look at your nightstand, what book would we find?

At the moment, a whole bunch of pregnancy/parenting books! My first baby is due in October, so I've been reading up trying to prepare. :-)

When you aren't writing what do you enjoy doing?

Reading, of course, and spending time with family/friends. My DVR schedule is also quite packed...lol.

Name 3 things you always have with you when you are writing.

My laptop (that's number one!), my notes for whatever chapter I'm working on, and most likely my cat, who likes to think he's my faithful writer's assistant!

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, can you name a few songs that were playing or inspired you while writing Stitch & Shudder?

I love music, but I'm actually totally anti-music when writing - I just can't concentrate on writing when music is playing. But I was listening to a lot of Muse around the time when I came up with the idea for the trilogy, so I'd say they had an influence!

Can you describe Stitch, Shudder, or the trilogy in 10 words or less?

Dystopian sci-fi romance with some paranormal and lots of twists!

Where did you get the idea for this trilogy?

I began with the idea of doing a college ghost romance, but couldn't figure out how to get the girl and the ghost in the same time/place for a happy ending without resorting to time travel. The Stitch Trilogy is a very creative solution to that problem!

Are any of the characters based off of people you know?

Yup, they're all amalgams of people I know. Alessa in particular is a lot like me since I generally just put myself in her shoes and try to figure out how I'd respond in her situation!

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

THANK YOU so much for all of your support! You guys are the best, and I absolutely can't WAIT to share the final book of the trilogy with you!

Thanks again for being here with us today Samantha!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you haven't read the first book, Stitch, you can find my review here.  Only $0.99 at Amazon!

And be sure to check back later this month for my review of Shudder!

Shudder 
by Samantha Durante
Pages: 348
Available as of June 15, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

-- Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy --

It's only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa's life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she'd counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she'd thought she'd tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she's discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering "stitch" unlocked something in Alessa's mind, and now she can't shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers - and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world's sorry history - will soon leave Alessa reeling...

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante's shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

July RAK Wrap-Up

I Received:

Beauty From Pain by Georgia Cates & a $10 Amazon GC from Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry from Stephanie @ Bookfever
Pivot Point by Kasie West & Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie from Memrie @ Dark Angel Reader
The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Robin Palmer from RJ @ RJ Does Books

I Sent:

Ink by Amanda Sun & Secret for a Song by S.K. Falls to Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness to Vonnie @ Vonnie's Reading Corner
The Farm by Emily McKay to RJ @ RJ Does Books
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen to Gabbi @ Book Breather


 Enchantment by Nikki Jefford, Forever by Lauren Burd, & Hopeless by Colleen Hoover to Memrie @ Dark Angel Reader


A BIG thank you to everyone who sent me books and to Isalys and Vanessa at Book Soulmates for hosting!!

{Review} Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster
by Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books 
Pages: 418
Source: Purchased
Available as of August 14, 2012
Read: October 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

After so many recommendations to read Beautiful Disaster, I finally got a chance to read it. Jamie McGuire captured my heart with this emotional roller coaster that ended in anything but a disaster. 

The school womanizer has his sights set on Abby, the girl who left home to escape her father. She didn't expect to find a guy who would change her world, a guy so much like the father she's running away from. Will she take a chance and see what happens or will she close herself off and push him away?

I've never read a novel so explosive, so intense, so mesmerizing. I was sucked in from page one and devoured the book like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The relationship between Abby and Travis is one to root for because there are so many outside influences affecting what they are to each other. They are magnetic and tend to sizzle when around each other. To say this book is not a light read is an understatement. Its heavy, has lots of drinking, and some sex, but that's to be expected of a new adult book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, turning page after page, dying to know how it would end. It was fast-paced and I loved every word written and every emotion it evoked. I found myself happy, miserable, elated and pissed off. 

Overall, Beautiful Disaster is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. Those who are fans of Tammara Webber's Between the Lines series, Easy and Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits are sure to enjoy this breathtaking read. I highly recommend this one!

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge - July Wrap Up

Hi Everyone!!

It's time for the July wrap up.

I haven't been reading a whole lot this year, but I 

have finished 10 of my 21-30 books I wanted to read

 for this challenge.

Anyways, for everyone participating, this is where you get to link up your reviews and enter to win a book of your choice (up to $12 USD) from The Book Depository or Fishpond.com. This giveaway is open Internationally!!

Rules:

1. You must be a participant in this challenge to enter.

2. You can only use reviews you haven't used in prior giveaways.

3. Each entry will be daily. 

4. For Review entries: It must be a new review each time and if it has been used in a previous giveaway for the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge it is not valid and will be deleted. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway