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March 17, 2017 - March 31, 2017

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of March 17 - March 31.

March 17, 2017

For most of the country, last Sunday was the simultaneously dreaded and applauded Daylight Savings Time. While we lost a very precious hour of sleep, we gained an hour of much-needed sunlight. After more cups of coffee than seem safe, many of us are finally emerging out of our zombie state and becoming fully-functioning humans again.

Stanislaw J. Lec

If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?

Attribution

Stanislaw J. Lec

Interview: Chevy Stevens, author of Never Let You Go

Mar 16, 2017

Chevy Stevens’ debut, STILL MISSING, won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel in 2011. She has followed up that enormous success with one gripping psychological thriller after another, including ALWAYS WATCHING and THOSE GIRLS. Stevens' latest, NEVER LET YOU GO, introduces readers to Lindsey Nash, who leaves an abusive relationship and tries to start a new life with her young daughter, Sophie --- but will learn years later that it is almost impossible to escape one’s past. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Rebecca Munro, Stevens reveals why this book got such a late start; describes the challenges she faced in alternating the story’s points of view between Lindsey and Sophie; explains how she ensured that Andrew, the abusive ex-husband, wouldn’t be a cliché; and offers a few tantalizing details about her next novel, her first to be set outside of Canada.

Interview: Gena Showalter, author of Lifeblood

Mar 16, 2017

Last year, readers were introduced to Gena Showalter's FIRSTLIFE, a book set in a world where life begins after death. The star of the book, Tenley "Ten" Lockwood, is only 17, but has spent the last year of her life in an insane asylum --- not because of a mental instability, but because she has refused to allow her parents to choose where she will live after she dies. You see, in the Everlife, your Firstlife is only a dress rehearsal for what comes after, and Ten is caught in the middle of a deadly battle for her soul. With two powerful, but deadly, realms fighting over her, Ten must stay alive long enough to make the right choice. Now, Showalter returns with LIFEBLOOD, the explosive sequel where we reunite with Ten, who must learn about her chosen realm from the ground up --- all while struggling to launch her first mission. In celebration of the release of LIFEBLOOD, Teen Board member Isabel C. had the chance to ask Gena a few questions about the Everlife series, her favorite characters, and where the series will go next. Read below to see her answers!

Author Talk: Mary Anna Evans, author of Burials: A Faye Longchamp Mystery

Mar 16, 2017

Mary Anna Evans is the author of the award-winning Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries. Her most recent addition to the series, BURIALS, follows Faye and her husband, Joe, to Sylacauga where she will investigate the death of Dr. Sophia Townsend, also an archaeologist. In this interview, Evans discusses the archaeological and historical background of the series, her decision to set this latest installment in Oklahoma on the tribal lands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Faye’s morality.

Author Talk: Charlotte Hinger, author of Fractured Families: A Lottie Albright Mystery

Mar 16, 2017

Charlotte Hinger is an award-winning novelist and Kansas historian. In FRACTURED FAMILIES, the fourth installment in her mystery series starring Lottie Albright, the undersheriff of Carlton County, Kansas, investigates a series of murders in which the victims are found in the arms of statues in a sculpture park. In this interview, Hinger talks about her decision to set these novels in Western Kansas (although later she reveals a change of scenery for book five), the emotional challenges of writing FRACTURED FAMILIES, and the mystery writers who were the most influential in her creation of Lottie.

Early March 2017

The last time we spoke, I was just about to dash out the door to head to an author meet and greet featuring Susan Dennard, Erika Lewis, Kim Liggett and Victoria Schwab. As I mentioned, I was absolutely dying to meet Susan Dennard --- and let me tell you, she did not disappoint. In between getting teary about great YA, talking about WINDWITCH and recommending books to each other, we had just enough time to snap one selfie, which you can see above.