Susin Nielsen Blog Tour: Writing Two Narrators

Welcome to my stop on Susin Nielsen's UK blog tour! Today I have the lovely Susin herself guest posting a piece about what it's like to write two narrators.

      

What’s It Like Writing With Two Narrators? by Susin Nielsen

Until We Are All Made of Molecules I had never written a book with two narrators. I really wanted to write a story about a blended family. And if it was going to be blended, two narrators seemed like the way to go. Stewart – intellectually gifted, socially awkward, empathetic – was the voice that came to me first. I remember having fun with the first iteration of the opening chapter as I began the journey of discovering his voice.

Ashley was more challenging. I knew she needed to be, in many ways, the polar opposite of Stewart. I knew she would be much more self-centered, socially gifted, academically not so much. It wasn’t until I’d been playing with her opening chapter for a while that I had a revelation: I had met her before. She had been a secondary character in one of my earlier books, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. In that novel, she had been little more than the stereotypical mean girl. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to dig in, and dig deeper, into that character.

So – as you can tell from their micro-descriptions – I rather intentionally started out with two characters who, at first glance, could be perceived as stereotypes; then, chapter by chapter, started stripping back their layers.

I loved writing Stewart because he is just such a decent human being. But I loved writing Ashley, too. Beyond having fun with her malapropisms, I had a lot of sympathy for her. Most readers seem to warm to her; I’ve had a few people tell me they couldn’t stand her. If I’m “totally one hundred percent honest,” to use Ashley’s phrase, maybe I have sympathy for her because I remember being her in so many ways. She is in that teenage girl swirl of hormones and insecurity, and it results in some really crap behavior. Um … been there, done that …

From a technical perspective, writing two narrators was a unique challenge. On the plus side, I really only had to write half a length of a book for each of them. :) The challenges were making sure I kept the story propelling forward every step of the way. I tried hard not to have too much repeat information, unless it was crucial to get it from both perspectives, in which case I’d try to tell it from a different entry-point into the scene.

I also had to be very careful to make their voices entirely distinct. Thank goodness for my great editors, because they found a few slips, where I had given certain expressions to both of my narrators.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

We Are All Made of Molecules and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen are both out now and available in all good bookshops. 

For more from Susin follow her on Twitter @susinnielsen and check out her website http://susinnielsen.com/

March Round Up and Book of the Month

March's Book of the Month is Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

I'm so surprised by March's book of the month! I'm not the biggest fan of non-fiction and I bought this on the recommendation of Sophie (she has the best taste in audiobooks!) and because I love Shonda's TV show How to Get Away With Murder. I fell in love with Shonda Rhimes, a person I knew very little about before reading Year of Yes, as I got to know her through this book. She's such an inspirational lady - especially to introverts who like to live in their head rather than in the real world like me. It's not often that I call a book life changing but Year of Yes was for me. This is a must read for anyone who loves books about smart inspirational women. I now have the biggest girl crush on Shonda! If you haven't let Shonda Rhimes into your life either via this book or one of her epic TV shows yet then you should.

Words cannot explain how much I love How to Get Away With Murder

Read in March 

29.) The Martian by Andy Weir (4*) 

30.) A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (3.5*) 

31.) Leap of Faith by Candy Harper (4*) 

32.) In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings (4*) 

33.) All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker (4.5*) 

34.) These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton (4*) 

35.) Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (5*) 

36.) Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (4*) 

37.) Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge (4*) 

38.) When We Collided by Emery Lord (4.5*) 

39.) Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens (4*) 

40.) Pop Goes The Weasle by M.J. Arlidge (4.5*) 

Monthly Book Awards 

Best Plot: All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker 

Best Writing: When We Collided by Emery Lord 

Best Cover: When We Collided by Emery Lord 

Best Characters: Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens 

Best Ending: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 

Best Romance: These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton 

Best Friendship: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 

Most un-put-down-able: Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge 

Most Memorable: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 

Best Moral: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Year of Yes, When We Collided, All is Not Forgotten 

Books I’m Looking Forward to Being Released in April 

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead 

The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer 

Head Over Heels by Holly Smale 

When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen 

The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters 

Rat Queens Volume 3 

Lumberjanes Volume 3 

Giant Days Volume 2 

 What was your favourite book of March? 

 And what are you looking forward to reading in April?

Review for When We Collided by Emery Lord

When We Collided by Emery Lord 
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: 7th April 2016
Genre: Contemporary, Mental Health
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis: 

"Seventeen year old Jonah Daniels has lived in Verona Cove, California, his whole life, and only one thing has ever changed: his father used to be alive, and now he's not. Now Jonah must numbly take care of his family as they reel from their tragedy. Cue next change: Vivi Alexander, new girl in town.

Vivi is in love with life. A gorgeous and unfiltered hurricane of thoughts and feelings. She seems like she's from another planet as she transforms Jonah's family and changes his life. But there are always consequences when worlds collide."

Review 
Emery Lord is fast becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors. I’ve fallen hard for her vivid and vibrant characters and her beautiful way with words that wrap around my emotions and tug hard. I’ve read and enjoyed all three of her books and am so glad she’s now published in the UK.

When We Collided is told in alternate chapters between our two main characters Vivi and Jonah. Vivi is spending the summer in Jonah’s hometown Verona Cove, she’s a burst of bright light in this small summer beach town and quiet, sweet Jonah is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Vivi bursts into Jonah’s life like a whirlwind picking up his large and lovable family who hit rock bottom when they lost their dad. Suddenly Jonah’s grey world is once again bright with colour but sometimes those who burn the brightest have a tendency to burn out. Vivi’s life is far from the colourful portrait she paints it to be and she’s hiding her own darkness from Jonah. But Jonah has lived in the dark and knows that letting in love means letting in light.

Vivi and Jonah are two very different characters but I loved them both equally. Jonah comes from a large and close family; he’s incredibly grounded and has been trying to fill in his dad’s shoes both at home and at his restaurant since his death. Vivi comes from a single parent family; she’s wild, free and incredibly artistic. The two go together like peanut butter and jelly and the result is a sweet one that has you craving more.

Despite their differences they have one thing in common – they both live with mental illness. Jonah’s mum’s grief has slowly slipped into depression and Vivi is struggling to accept her bipolar. I loved how honestly this book represented both living with a mental illness and loving someone with a mental illness. It has some really positive messages on how best to support someone with a mental illness and most importantly, how to support yourself.

I absolutely adored everything about this book. It balanced the light and dark in life so beautifully creating a fun summer read that carries an important message. It’s a real emotional rollercoaster that made me goofy-grin at the cuteness and get teary eyed when the characters hit their lows. When We Collided is one of the standout contemporary reads of this year and is an unmissable treat for anyone who likes their book boys cute, their heroines strong and their stories powerful.

Book Recommendations Based On Your Hogwarts House

I definitely subscribe to the idea that you can tell a lot about a person by what Hogwarts house they're in. This year I've found myself thinking "Oh, that's *such* a Slytherin book! So and so would love this!" more and more often. So today, just for fun, I've decided to give you some book recommendations based off of Hogwarts houses. Whether you're brave, cunning, loyal or intelligent there's something here for everyone. Except muggles. Muggles should probably leave now.

Gryffindor 

 "Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry" - Wikia

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper 
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I think that Faith is the most Gryffindor character that I've come across outside of the Harry Potter books. She acts first and thinks later and treats the whole world like it's the Faith show. Her act first attitude gets her into heaps of trouble but her chivalry always manages to get her out of the situations she finds herself in. These books are absolutely hilarious and every Gryffindor will relate to the awkward situations Faith gets herself into.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 
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The Throne of Glass series is a firm favourite for most people but I think that Gryffindors will especially love it. The main character Celaena Sardothien is a total Gryffindor who has buckets of bravery and daring. Sure, she makes some bad choices along the way, but her heart is always in the right place. Celaena is also incredibly charismatic and delivers killing blows to her enemies with all sorts of Gryffindor sass.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 
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Simon is another character that just screams Gryffindor. He's incredibly funny and brave and again has that whole chivalrous attitude going on, especially when it comes to his love interest the mysterious Blue. I think that every Gryffindor will appreciate Simon's courage in this contemporary coming out story and the red cover will go perfectly in the common room.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 
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After Harry Potter, the Mistborn books are my favourite series of all time. The first book The Final Empire is an epic high fantasy that follows a heroes quest to defeat the greatest evil their world has ever seen. Gryffindors will love the character of Kelsier and appreciate the bravery of both him and his crew as they sacrifice everything to defeat evil.

Slytherin 

 "Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness" -Wikia

The Young Elites by Marie Lu 
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Slytherin friends! Finally a book has come along that follows the villain of the story, not the hero. Adelina Amouteru is Slytherin to the bone and after a life of being hurt, she wants to be the one who gets to do the hurting. She's got an extraordinary power and has ambitions to grow stronger. Despite being the bad girl you can't help but want her to succeed on her journey.

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
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I feel like this book has everything a Slytherin could ever want and it comes as no surprise as author Mel Salisbury is basically Slytherin headgirl herself. This book has betrayal, sin and poison and is basically darkness itself. There's also a brilliant evil queen who could give Cersei Lannister a run for her money! This book is perfect for reading under the table during potions and check out that beautiful green cover!

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 
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If Fantasy isn't really your thing (are you sure you're a Slytherin?) then try this contemporary read about three girls who are taking names and getting revenge on those who have wronged them. This book is full of surprising twists and despite the acts of revenge getting more and more serious as the book goes on you can't help but will the girls on to claim vengeance as theirs.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
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Dangerous and exciting Six of Crows is the perfect Fantasy/ Heist story. Slytherin's will love (and probably relate to) this group of criminals who'll stop at nothing to pull of their heist. To be a crow you need resilience, cunning and determination - traits that I think fit perfectly with Slytherin house.

Hufflepuff 

"Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play" - Wikia

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard 
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As a Hufflepuff myself, I know how deeply we care for the people we love, especially our friends and Beautiful Broken Things portrays the special connection we have with our best friends. Caddy is incredibly loyal to Suzanne and Rosie and will do anything to help and support them even if it means putting her needs aside. Hufflepuffs will admire the strength of the friendships in this book.

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens 
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Hazel Wong is the most Huffliest Hufflepuff I've ever come across in fiction! She's incredibly hardworking but often lets her best friend Daisy take all of the credit because she's that loyal. Besides, as long as they have time in their detecting to stop for a bun break Hazel doesn't really mind. Hufflepuffs everywhere will connect with Hazel and also salivate at all of the mentions of the lovely cakes she consumes as she goes along.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
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If like me you're a sucker for those sweet, selfless Hufflepuff boys then look no further than Fangirl! Levi is the ultimate Hufflepuff book boyfriend. He's kind, patient and loyal and makes my heart do all kinds of weird fluttery things. I'm a massive champion of the nice Hufflepuff guy who - let's face it -usually gets overshadowed by a charismatic Gryffindor or a sexy Slytherin so it's good to see a Puff as the love interest in the story instead of the typical sidekick best friend.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard 
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Although I wouldn't place Safiya and Iseult in Hufflepuff house it's their epic friendship that makes this book very Hufflepuff in my mind. These two heroines have an epic friendship. They're incredibly loyal to one another and nothing can break them apart. I also like the Hufflepuff  house colour clothes that Safi is wearing on the UK cover.

 Ravenclaw 

"Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, and wit" - Wikia

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett 
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I think that Ravenclaws will really appreciate the creative minds of these two characters. Both Jack and Bex are really into art and I think that Claws will find Bex's dream to illustrate science text books especially interesting because it's a career you don't see every day and is really fascinating to learn about as you read this book.

Geek Girl by Holly Smale 
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Harriet Manners is the most Ravenclaw character I've ever come across. She's constantly talking about all of the obscure facts she knows and is incredibly smart and enthusiastic about school and learning. The facts that Harriet shares throughout the book will really appeal to Ravenclaws and I think they'll find her geekiness very relatable.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski 
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The Winner's Curse is an incredibly refreshing Fantasy read. Instead of a Gryffindor or Slytherin as the main character Kestrel is without doubt a Ravenclaw. Instead of using her fists she uses her brain to fight her battles. She's got a mind for politics and is incredibly bright which I think all Ravenclaws will appreciate.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab 
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This book centers around a very different sort of library where the dead rest on shelves like books. I think that Ravenclaws will be completely fascinated by this concept and will feel right at home in the library setting. Can we also take a moment to appreciate those house colours? I'd say this would be perfect to read in the library instead of doing homework but you're a Ravenclaw. Enjoy this one in your down time.

 Have you read any books that you think would be perfect for a certain Hogwarts house?

Review for The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin 
Publisher: Mantle
Release: 11th February 2016
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis: 

"Noah is four and wants to go home. The only trouble is he's already there.

Janie's son is her world, and it breaks her heart that he has nightmares. That he's terrified of water. That he sometimes pushes her away and screams that he wants his real mother. That it's getting worse and worse and no one seems to be able to help.

In desperation, she turns to someone who might have an answer - but it may not be one she's ready to hear. It may also mean losing the one thing she loves more than anything. Noah."

Review 
The Forgetting Time is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s a book that doesn’t fit into one set genre and is completely and utterly unique. It’s an explosive debut that has opened my mind to a subject that I knew next to nothing about, as this is a book that looks at the possibility of reincarnation.

Noah is an incredibly troubled four year old. He’s terrified of water to the point where he won’t wash and he cries at his mother Janie that he wants to go home, he wants his real mother. But he is home and Janie is his mother.

Noah’s disturbing behaviour comes to a head when Noah starts talking about guns at school. The school give Janie an ultimatum: get Noah professional help or social services will be contacted.

Desperate for help Janie’s search leads her to Dr Anderson – a man who’s seen cases like Noah’s before, but Dr Anderson’s diagnosis is not a simple one to get on board with because Dr Anderson believes that Noah could be the reincarnation of a murdered child from years before.

Janie doesn’t know what to believe but she will do anything if it means helping her son and so Janie, Noah and Dr Anderson embark on a journey that will lead them to answer humanities biggest question, is there life after death?

I think that your enjoyment of this book really depends on how open minded you’re willing to be on the topic of reincarnation. It’s not something I believed in going into this book but I went in with an open mind and ended up being absolutely fascinated by the possibilities, so much so that I ended up researching the subject online.

In between chapters there are extracts from the non-fiction book “Life Before Life by Dr. Jim B. Tucker” that document real life cases of possible reincarnation. They were such interesting true accounts that echoed Noah’s situation and really brought the fictional aspect of this book to life.

Reincarnation aside, The Forgetting Time is a hugely enjoyable mystery that will leave you not sure what to believe. It’s also a touching story about the love a mother has for her child and how far she’s willing to go to help him. There are themes of love, family and relationships – most notably the relationship we have with ourselves as individuals and what makes us who we are.

I was completely enthralled by The Forgetting Time and still think about it now weeks after reading. It’s an impressive debut that gets you thinking outside of the box. Sharon Guskin is an author to watch.