Rochester Teen Book Fest

So my poor blog has been suffering this week. It's not that I'm neglecting it, it's just that I've been really busy doing some awesome book stuff on another site I work on Eve's Fan Garden. So rather then post in both places- I'm going to take the lazy man's route and do a bunch of links- if something catches your eye, please click away and check out some great stuff that I did in for the Greater Rochester Teen Book Fest. The festival brought together 26 authors and over 4000 attendee's for a day of panels and presentations, as well as a great autograph session. My inner fan girl was in heaven!

Recap of the fest and interview with the fabulous Lisa McMann (Wake trilogy): click here

Interviews with A.S. King (The Dust of 100 Dogs) and Ben Mikaelsen (Touching Spirit Bear): click here

Interview with Lisa Schroeder (I Heart You, You Haunt Me): click away!

I still have one more interview to post. Simone Elkeles (How to Ruin series, Perfect Chemistry) was nice enough to sit down for a quick interview, which turned into a great 1/2 hour conversation. I'm still transcribing my notes- hopefully this interview will be up on Sunday at the very latest, so stay tuned!

Far From You

By Lisa Schroeder
http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole.

Alice thought she knew
what solitude was:
Her mother—gone.
Her father—remarried with a newborn
daughter.
Now
trapped
in the icy embrace
of a deadly snowstorm
Alice faces the true meaning of loneliness.
But hope
may not be as far away
as she thinks.
(from Lisaschroederbooks.com)

This is yet another great book by Lisa Schroeder- sticking to the same format (prose) as her other two books, Far From You again deals with a young girl coping with death and finding her way in the world after a loss. In this book our main character is Alice, who has lost her mother to cancer, and who is now dealing with her father's remarraige and newborn daughter. A crisis throws Alice together with her "evil-stepmother" and they must learn to communicate and trust eachother in order to survive. This book also has a romantic storyline, with Alice's boyfriend a constant presence, but it isn't the focus here. This is a book about family and how you have to stick together even when things are bad.

Like Schroeder's other books, I loved Far From You, it deals with death with grace and shows you how to learn to move forward and love the people who become your new family, while never forgetting the ones who have gone.

Chasing Brooklyn

By: Lisa Schroeder
http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/

This is another great book by Lisa Schroeder. Once again Schroeder deals with death and how the living move forward in a unique and poignant manner. Like her earlier book, I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Chasing Brooklyn is written in poetry. This time the story follows the brother and the girlfriend of a boy, Lucca, who died in a car accident. In alternating entries you see how Nico and Brooklyn are visited by the dead (both Lucca and the dirver of the car, Gabe, who dies of an overdose a year later), and implored to move on without fear, and how Nico and Brooklyn find eachother exactly when they need it the most.

One thing I loved about this book are the connections the I Heart You, You Haunt Me. They aren't big and overpowering, but a mention of Jackson and Jackson's Hideaway (where he died) and a friendly visit or two from Ava, serve to tie the two stories together in a meaningful way. It really shows how the stories, and people, are all connected, and how you can find solace from people if you just let them in.

This was a quick, easy read, but it certainly packs a punch. Once again Schroeder has written a moving story about death and living that sticks with you long after you turn the last page.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I Heart You, You Haunt Me
By: Lisa Schroeder
http://lisaschroederbooks.com/


This book was a great. Written entirely in poetry form, it quickly draws you into Ava's world as she deals with the death of her boyfriend. Even though this book didn't really delve deep into all that was happening, I think it was really effective in showing us how Ava felt as she struggles to move forward. I also liked that it was from Ava's perspective, so you really got a chance to feel what she was feeling, having lost her boyfriend and blaming herself. In the end you got a story about coming to terms with yourself, and finding happiness despite the sorrow. I really enjoyed it.