Author Interview: Erika Castiglione Talks Inspiration and Love for Classic Literature

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I’m excited to share an opportunity I had to interview interview Erika Castiglione, author of The Hopper-Hill Family, a middle-grade book about a girl whose family cares for her three cousins after their parents’ unexpected deaths. If you missed my review of Erika’s heartwarming story, you can check it out here.

Erika CastiglioneA Little Bit About Erika Castiglione

Erika Castiglione was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and she has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, and China. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in English. She’s an avid reader, a mother of three, a part-time English tutor, and a young adult fiction writer. (from her Goodreads Author Page)

Author Interview

A story is often inspired by a question. What question inspired you to write this novel?

Most of my adult life I have lived far from extended family (when my children were preschoolers, we lived in Asia while my parents, siblings, and in-laws lived in the U.S.) and, like many parents, I sometimes wondered what life would be like for my children if something happened to my husband and me.

I think you’re right that many people have thought about things like that. Scary thoughts, but you’ve turned them into a really heart-warming story. What made you choose to write this story from Piper’s point-of-view? (as opposed to her cousins, who are most directly adjusting to the loss and new family)

I don’t think it was a conscious choice when I began writing from Piper’s perspective, but looking back now I think I needed a character who was affected by the tragedy, but from the outside. Cora, Seth, and Sam were still too devastated to be able to piece their story together. I also tend to like stories with peripheral narrators (like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby or Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird)

That makes sense. Piper brings a unique view to the story. Also– The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird are two of my favorite books. Who is your favorite character in The Hopper-Hill Family? Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in the novel?

That’s a really hard question to answer. Would it be a cop out to say that I love them all the same? There were definitely things about all of them that couldn’t be included–especially stories from their past and interactions with others outside of the family. I’d like to fill in some of those gaps in a sequel.

Ha! I guess it’s like asking you to choose a favorite child, so maybe it’s not a perfectly fair question. I’m excited to get to learn more. I like the idea of a sequel. What do you most hope that readers take away from The Hopper-Hill Family?

I hope that they will enjoy reading it. I love the way I feel when I read a book that I like and I would love to be able to give others that feeling. I hope it might also cause them to ponder and appreciate the gifts of life and family.

Definitely worthy goals. I think the book definitely communicates the gift and value of family. Is there an up-and-coming author you’re following with interest right now? Can you tell us about an author or novel you think deserves a greater spotlight?

A good deal of my reading time is spent on the classics and I’d love to see a new generation of readers shining a spotlight back on writers like L.M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott. As far as more recent books, my twelve-year-old daughter and I really enjoyed the historical fiction novel, Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. I recently made a list of my favorite middle grade fiction books on my blog.

We are BIG fans of L. M. Montgomery in our house. My daughter has been reading the Anne books with me. We will definitely add Joyce Moyer Hostetter to our reading list! Thanks for sharing a link to your list of favorites!

The Hopper-Hill Family by Erika Castiglione Giveaway!

Enter to win a copy of The Hopper-Hill Family by following the instructions below. One winner will receive a paperback copy of the book. US addresses only, please.

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Mini Reviews: Never Never Part 1 and Reprieve

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Never, Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher / Hoover Ink

I stumbled across this series of novellas on Amazon. Of the three parts, I’ve only read Part 1. It basically seems like a novel broken into three pieces. The whole series is available as a bundle for $2.99, which is a pretty great deal.

In terms of the story, it was definitely a wild ride. There’s a lot of romantic tension and some sexual content (main characters watch a video that includes a sex scene, thought it’s dark and only sounds are described) and brief violence. I was really hooked by the idea that both characters have lost their memories and are scrambling both to pretend they’ve got things under control/run their lives as if nothing’s wrong but also figure out what made them lose their memories. It’s clear something sinister happened, and we don’t know if our protags are good guys or bad guys. Will I read part 2? Possibly. I’m definitely curious about the story. Not curious enough to bump it ahead of the rest of my TBR list, though, so for now it’ll have to wait.

Inherit the Stars: Reprieve by Tessa Elwood/Running Press

After falling face-first in love with Inherit the Stars (read my review), I HAD to read this short story featuring Asa and her sister Wren (who is unconscious in Inherit the Stars.) I’ve read short stories by authors whose novels I love and been disappointed by the lack of structure (short fiction is not as easy as you think), but this was not the case with Elwood’s tale. The writing was powerful and the characters really moving. I loved having that chance to see Wren and Asa interact with one another, to have that real-time look at how their relationship worked. It only strengthened my understanding of Asa’s motives in Inherit the Stars. If you liked the novel, I recommend the short story. If you haven’t read the novel, check out the short story. It’s free, and you’ll get a really good feel for the narrative in the full-length novel. Update: I can’t seem to find a good link for the short story online. I think I got it on Amazon, but I don’t see it there now. Check out the Goodreads page and see if maybe it gets updated to show it posted somewhere else?

 

Review and Author Interview: Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

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Anaiah Press Blog Tour for Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

 Jacqueline
Jackie Minniti
Anaiah Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Jacqueline and her mother receive news that her father, a French soldier in World War II has been shot down, she refuses to give up hope that he’ll return home. She studies hard, prays to the saint in the book her father gave her, and visits the train yard where wounded prisoners arrive. As the Nazis who occupy her small French town begin to remove local Jews from the neighborhood, Jacqueline and her mother hide a boy in their home. Soon the Americans come to liberate France from German control, and Jacqueline befriends an American soldier who promises to help her find word about her father. The friendship changes both their lives.

I love World War II stories, and this tale is no exception. My daughter (in fifth grade) and I read Number the Stars this year, and I think Jacqueline would make a good companion novel to read as part of a World War II unit in the classroom as it shows a similar story about what was happening in another country during the war. The fact that this tale is based on a true story also gave it special meaning to me. I enjoyed feeling like I was sharing in a piece of history and one of those moments that humanity and generosity crosses national lines. Very cool stuff.

As far as the writing, the characters were entertaining. I especially liked the banter between Jacqueline and David and the way their relationship develops, particularly in the way they share the experience of grief.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Interview with Author Jackie Minniti

Hi Jackie! Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions about your book. Can you tell me a little bit about the story of the real WWII veteran who inspired you to write Jacqueline?

Jacqueline is based on an experience my dad (a WWII vet, age 99) had while stationed in Rennes, France with the 127th General Hospital shortly after D-Day. Rennes had just been liberated after a brutal period of Nazi occupation, and the citizens were desperately poor. A little girl named Jacqueline began following my father to and from the military hospital where he worked as a pharmacist. Dad said she was like a little lost puppy. Since he spoke very little French, and she spoke no English, they learned to communicate by teaching each other words and phrases and using hand gestures. Their friendship blossomed, and when the 127th was transferred to another city, Jacqueline came to the hospital carrying a loaf of bread and a book as goodbye gifts. This was a huge sacrifice since she had so little. It was New Year’s Day, and sleet was falling. Jacqueline was wearing a sweater and was shivering with cold, so my dad wrapped her in his coat. He was so touched that he promised her if he ever had a daughter, he would name her Jacqueline. This was the only war story Dad was willing to share, and it became part of our family lore.

That gives me chills. How awesome to be able to take that cherished family memory and share it with th world in your book. What was it about this real life event that inspired you to write a novel for middle readers?

After I retired from teaching and began writing, my father started “hinting” that I should write a book about Jacqueline. I explained that while there might be enough material for a short story, there wasn’t enough for an entire novel, and though our family loved the story, there wasn’t an audience for it. But this didn’t deter my dad, and the hints continued. Several years later, at my son’s wedding reception, one of the guests approached me. “Your father’s been telling me the most amazing story,” he said. “He tells me you’re a writer. You should write a book about it.” I started to explain why it couldn’t be done, but he stopped me. “I have a daughter in 6th grade. She doesn’t know anything about WWII, and she’d love to read a book like this. It could help her learn history.” That was the “Eureka!” moment for me. I can’t explain why it never occurred to me to write the book for younger readers, especially since I’d spent so many years teaching reading in middle school. And the real Jacqueline was the same age as my students, so she’d make a perfect protagonist for a middle grade novel. Once I started thinking of the story in those terms, the plot began to take shape, and I couldn’t wait to start writing.

Haha! That’s awesome. It’s funny how sometimes all it takes is that pivotal change in our expectations that really kicks inspiration into high gear. Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in the novel?

Jacqueline was definitely my favorite character since I feel like I’ve known her all my life. I would have liked to include more detail about her life before she lost her father, but I didn’t have any information to base it on. And I felt that the day she received the news about him being shot down was a natural place for the story to begin.

I can see how you’d feel that pressure to stay faithful to the real story and yet also have that curiosity about her larger life. That definitely resonates with me as a reader of the story. But I think you made the right choice for the point at which to begin. What do you most hope that readers take away from Jacqueline?

We are losing our WWII veterans at over 600 per day, and their stories are disappearing with them. I think it’s essential to preserve these stories for future generations. I want kids to understand and appreciate the sacrifices that the Greatest Generation made to secure the freedoms they now enjoy and how blessed they are to live in this country. I don’t think today’s students have a thorough understanding of American history, and I see that as a problem. I’m a firm believer that if we don’t learn from history, we’re doomed to repeat it, and I hope that Jacqueline will help keep that from happening.

Wow. I didn’t realize we were losing so many veterans so quickly. My grandfather was a navigator during World War II and was shot down. He survived and returned home to us, but passed away several years ago. Reading stories about servicemen always makes me think of him. I agree with you about how important it is for us to remember our history. What are you most looking forward to reading next?

I’ve been wanting to read The Book Thief because a lot of people have compared it to Jacqueline. I didn’t read it while I was writing Jacqueline because I didn’t want it to bleed into my story, but I plan to read it soon.

That’s a GREAT choice. It’s my number one favorite book. I can see why people compare it to Jacqueline because of Liesl’s character, the loss of her family, and the friendship between her and Rudy. The style and voice are very different. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again for your time.

For more information on Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti or to visit other stops on the blog tour, click here.

Reading Recap and Plans for 2016

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The last two weeks of 2015 flew past me without a moment for blogging, and I’m only now beginning to catch up on the massive list of things I want to do around here. There are books to read, author interviews to post, exciting blog tours coming up, and of course, more books than I could possibly hope to read!

Coming Soon: Books I’ve Read to Review

To start, here are the books I have read but haven’t posted reviews for yet:

I’m super excited about posting my review of Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell is an author I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I had started Fangirl last summer, but just didn’t get into it. In E&P, she had me at the first line. Wowza. And I felt like I held my breath until the last line. If you haven’t looked at the fan art for the story, it’s definitely worth checking out, too. There are some really clever/cute images.

I also LOVED Paradox of Vertical Flight. I read it after being selected for a blog tour to promote Ostrovsi’s sophomore novel Away We Go. After the amazing ride that was his debut, I can’t wait to read his next. (Also… he’ll be here on TSS in the form of an author interview! *insert hyperventilating and hoarse star-struck sputtering*)

So all those lovely titles will be reviewed here in the next couple of weeks as well as a couple of shorter pieces. I recently read both a short story (“Reprieve” by Tessa Elwood, author of Inherit the Stars) and a novella (Never Never part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher) that I thought deserved a post. So those will be appearing as well.

But, Wait. There’s More! (Books I Meant to Read Last Year)

Curious about what’s coming after that? In taking stock of my 2015 To Read List, I noticed some books I wasn’t able to fit in. I haven’t accepted many new reviews for Jan-March. My plan is to work back through that list and catch up on those first. Here’s the list:

Every Blogger Has a Mammoth TBR List. This is (part of) Mine…

I’ve also got quite a towering stack of books sitting on shelves and next to my bed that I need to read. Nightingale’s Nest, Shouldn’t You Be In School, Across a Star-Swept Sea, All the Bright Places, Belzhar, and Feuds are among those. Also worth noting (translation: can’t believe I didn’t list these on my TBR list) are Brown Girl Dreaming, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Isle of the Lost, and Embers in the Ashes. Here’s the full stack:

And those are only the actual physical copies of books that I have. Doesn’t include the lists of ebooks filling up my tablet. More reading for me! So it’s already shaping up to be a busy season for reading in my house. My daughter is most excited about the Descendants book and the finale to the Lemony Snicket series All the Wrong Questions.

I also accumulated several really cool nonfiction books that I’m eager to crack open. I’ll save those for another post, though.

How about you?

So how about you? What are you reading now? What did you plan to read last year that you haven’t managed to sit down with yet?

Review: Protector by Jennifer Tubbiolo

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Protector (The Narthex Academy Series, Book 3)
Jennifer L. Tubbiolo
Relevant Pages Press

Amazon | Goodreads

The last thing Asher Haynes expects is to be drawn into another battle for his life. But when servants of the Dark Prince show up in Charleston looking for a powerful artifact, Asher finds himself caught in the center of the conflict. If the Dark Prince finds the artifact and his servants use it, they will unlock terrible power. Asher and the Seer Team are the only ones who can stop them.

I think my favorite thing about this story was the way Tubbiolo set up the story framework—the Seer Team and Dark Prince and the whole conflict that translated really well in terms of being a Christian parallel. I liked that it felt paranormal but true to its roots at the same time, if that makes sense. I’ve read Christian fantasy that somehow felt contrived or like the Christian elements were just laid on top of an existing fantasy landscape. In this story, the elements felt really well integrated with each other.

One thing that I struggled with was that the narrative sometimes switched from present to past tense and back. It didn’t seem consistent, and my internal editor kept wanting to flag each change, so it really disrupted my ability to stay in the story.

I enjoyed Asher as a narrator and liked the rest of the cast of characters. The story felt like its own complete tale while also raising enough unanswered question to create some curiosity about the other books in the series. Fans of Lisa Bergren and Lynn Rush will probably find Jennifer Tubbiolo to their liking.

Language Content
No profanity or crude language.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The story centers around an artifact called the matteh, or “rod of Moshe.” (From the Biblical story of Moses, the staff he used to challenge Pharoah and lead the Israelites to freedom.) Men who represent an ancient Egyptian god want the staff as part of a ritual that will grant them great power from the Dark Prince (Satan). Asher and his friends are part of the Seer Team, a group who believe in Elohim (God) and are aided by God-given supernatural gifts (prophecy, dreams, etc) as well as angelic warriors.

Violence
Some battle violence. Nothing gory.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Life at the Speed of Us by Heather Sappenfield

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Life at the Speed of Us
Heather Sappenfield
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After the car accident that takes her mother’s life, Sovern stops talking. She tries to lose herself in dating the boy she shouldn’t, in the rush of speeding downhill on a snowboard. But when another accident disconnects Sovern from even more of her life, she embarks on a quest outside time with only a strangely familiar boy who doesn’t speak her language as a guide.

There were things about this book that I liked. I thought it was cool that Sappenfield used Sovern’s dyslexia throughout the story. She really hammered home the idea that just because Sovern didn’t recognize letters as they were written did not mean she was by any means less intelligent. I liked the scenes in the Ute tribe.

In the scene where Sovern leaves the tribe behind to go home, I had a really hard time following what happened. It’s possible that it’s an issue resolved between the galley version that I read and the final published version. Sometimes I had a hard time connecting with Sovern’s character. The bad boy boyfriend thing seemed a little cliché. I liked that he turned out to be more than that, but I wanted the revelation of who he really is to involve him more, to give me reasons to invest in him more.

I’m going to break a cardinal rule and make a comparison between this book and a BIG book, which I really cringe to do, but hear me out. I think if you like the type of story that is Slaughterhouse Five, you might enjoy this book. I’m not comparing the quality of the writing in one versus the other, but more the somewhat disjointed, go where the story goes feeling that I had in reading Vonnegut’s novel. If you liked I Crawl Through It for the story, not the writing style, you might also enjoy this book.

The style of the narrative is a lot more straightforward and simple than the books I listed.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used moderately.

Sexual Content
Sovern and her boyfriend Gage share cigarettes and kisses together, but she doesn’t have sex with him. Sovern and a boy from the Ute tribe are treated as a married couple after rumors that they’ve slept together. She holds back from giving herself to him, though, unsure whether they can remain together.

Spiritual Content
The Ute believe that a bear chooses someone who is gifted with an ability to travel to other places. Sovern becomes interested in the ideas about the multiverse and theorizes ways to reach other universes.

Violence
Soldiers come to destroy the Ute village. Two tribe members fight them, one is fatally injured. Sovern is injured in a snowboarding accident and then speared by porcupine quills.

Drug Content
Sovern mentions that she and Gage smoke marijuana together.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.