A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson

Corrine Jackson and that is sounded “Cor-een” is one of the Class of 2K12 debut YA authors for this year, however in her case it’s not one book coming out this year but two.
Corrine wrote her first short story in second or third grade. Which she still has.. Oddly enough, it was about a girl whose best friend was being physically abused by her dad. That theme somehow made it into her first novel “Touched”, so maybe everything comes full circle?
She continued writing through her school year moving around a lot, she actually attended eleven different colleges, has earned bachelors and master’s degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing. She is its lead to believe a dab hand in creating pies, cup cakes and the odd bowl of Mac and Cheese.
Along with a normal job and her educational studies  Corinne now has produced two totally different books both of which are due to be launched in 2012. “Touched” is the first book in a trilogy, the second already going through the editing stage with the third shortly to get underway.
About “Touched -Sense Thieves” (Taken from Corrine’s Web page)
Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.
Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies.
Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.
As stated this is the first of what is a trilogy; however in the mean time her she has a debut novel coming out next month which is totally different to Touched. In a way “IF I LIE” has somewhat a similar theme to “Touched” where a girl keeps a secret at great cost to herself. It is however a deeper book that covers the gray space between truth and perception.
About “If I Lie” (taken from Amazon):
Cheater. Traitor. Slut.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Shunned by everyone she knows, Quinn loses her friends, her reputation, and her identity. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s a Marine who’s serving overseas, and beloved by everyone in their small, military town. But Quinn didn’t cheat. She could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. So she stays silent, and waits for Carey to come home.
Then Carey goes MIA, and Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.
As one reviewer put it… “If I Lie” is easily one of the better written contemporary debuts I’ve come across this year, if not the best. It is powerful, thought-provoking, and is beautifully written. While it touches upon a variety of subjects and something or the other is constantly happening throughout the novel, at its core, it is a character-driven story like no other. I guess if I had to, I’d describe If I Lie as a cross between The Scarlet Letter and Speechless, but really, it is a novel that manages to hold its head high and stand all on its own, for although it covers a similar subject matter, it also covers so much more. It is a novel not only about bearing burdens, facing a cold shoulder of shame, torn families, friendship, and the army; it is also a story about hope and perseverance and the ability to find strength and courage even in the darkest of times.
With two different styles yet the same creative talent, I can well see the name of Corrine Jackson being on many YA readers book shelves.
So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson
Barry
Direct link to the show A Book and a Chat with Corrine Jackson
or you can download the mp3 file of the show from “Corrine Jackson”
You can find out more about my guest at: “Corrine Jackson – If I Lie”
Barry Eva (Storyheart)
My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK Including my Olympic Blog – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Rustie MacDonald

Here are those people in this world whose aim in life is to help people, to make the lives of others better and no matter what is thrown at them, they take the negative, turn it around and use it to aid others. As Eric Idle sang those who “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. My guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” is one of those people, who though she had enough suffering and turmoil in her own life, took time and made it her aim to help others.
Rustie MacDonald had this overwhelming desire to help others from an early age. Growing up in the 1980’s she had personal  knowledge of queuing up at the Salvation Army for food, yet even at the age of four she had already begun to save food to help the local Salvation Army “feed that long line of people who are hungry.”
Throughout her childhood this compassion and need to help others showed in many ways despite her own life being far from uncomplicated and without its own issues. She began to volunteer for various organizations including Big Brother Big Sister.
In 1996 came a pivotal moment in her life when she  was invited by the State Of Vermont’s Children Services (DHS) to Speak at a Foster Care Conference in 1996. She spoke about the difficulty of attending college as a foster child. Her motivational speech was made in front of Legislators, DHS employees and 100 foster youth. Her speech helped to create opportunities for foster children to attend college. That was the moment she took the first steps on her path as a coach, mentor and lifelong advocate.
In 2005 Rustie was diagnosed with Celiac disease a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. People with Celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.
Shocked to find that there was little support,  that her insurance did not cover the nutritionist, whom she so desperately needed and the general lack of information  to understand how to live with this disease. Instead of giving in Rustie began to fight learning more about the illness sharing with others starting web sites and groups to share her knowledge.
As I started of on the blog, she is a person who was born to help others and her work, radio programs, web sites and teaching do just that.
Soon you will be able to find out more about Rustie and her fascinating life as she has written a book called “Having tea with my Skeletons” , in which she shares some of the darkest moments of her life  with her many fans.
So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Rustie MacDonald
Barry
Direct link to the show A Book and a Chat with Rustie MacDonald
or you can download the mp3 file of the show from “Rustie MacDonald”
You can find out more about my guest at: “Rustie MacDonald”
Barry Eva (Storyheart)
My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK Including my Olympic Blog – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D

D

I am back from my trip back across the pond to England, and what a wonderful time I had there, the whole country during the Olympic Games seemed to be walking around with a smile on its face. From the first to the last it was a truly magical event.
You can read my Olympic blogs at http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com
Talking about magical it’s great to have on my first show back a writer of another truly magical time and location.
Ray East along with her partner Sam D is the author of the magical, mythical, adventure, romance, coming of age YA fantasy novel  VOLUSPA- A Magical World.
While the book is a YA fantasy. It is a crossover between urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a mythological and dystopian twist. This book showcases a unique coming of age story of a fifteen year old girl who struggles with the ramifications of forbidden love, obscure parentage and in essence struggles to find her place in a world that is threatened by her very existence.
One reviewer described the book as having “the edge of Harry Potter, the vibe of Narnia and the twists of Twilight”… now that puts this book as a must read, which it is.
About VOLUSPA- A Magical World(Taken from Amazon)
Twilight meets Harry Potter Amy, a forlorn fifteen year old girl from NYC, never thought that she would attend school on a magical mountain with wild animals as her classmates and that she would go to a prom on a flying carpet.
Its love at first sight when Drake- a shape shifter rescues her from a pre-historic beast and befriends her. Little does she know that Drake’s father is the tyrannical leader who has always wanted Amy and her kind dead. In her struggle to challenge the supremacy in the magical world, she realizes her powers, confronts aspects about herself that she may not be comfortable with, makes lasting friends while excelling in her school – something which she had not been able to do in her human world.
All hell breaks loose, as Drake goes missing and Voluspan mercenaries try to hunt Amy down. Amy and her friends use strategic warfare, pit adversaries among themselves and use every last drop of strength, skill and courage as they take on warriors far more ruthless and skilled than themselves. But Amy is in for a rude shock when she finally finds Drake.
The book has already received many rave reviews with readers clamoring for the next in the series, it is indeed a book for the whole family. As one reviewer wrote..
A plot which sucks you in and you wish for more. The 5 main characters of Amy, Drake, Jacek, Amelio and Cornelius are very well fleshed out, and this is something you dont get to see a lot in middle grade books. I love Amy, the 15 year old heroine and i felt i could relate to her a lot.
What makes books for me is the writing, and this story is amazingly written. There are ancient creatures, gnomes, kapas, griots, niads,gangrels, magic, and you think to yourself “This is true fantasy as far as fantasy will go” but because of the writing, you also feel for the characters, and it all seems so real, so normal, and so true. The events in the book are grand and fantastical, but the emotion that the characters feel, and that you feel with them, is very grounded and personal.
The writing and the story caters itself well to the teen reader, but I enjoyed every bit of reading it with my 12 year old.
I now also add my voice to the many others saying bring on book two…
So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D
Barry
Direct link to the show “A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D”
or you can download the mp3 file of the show from “Ray East and Sam D”
You can find out more about my guest and their books at: “Ray East and Sam D –  Voluspa: A Magical World”
Barry Eva (Storyheart)
My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK Including my Olympic Blog – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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