Summary: Fenway is an excitable and endlessly energetic Jack Russell terrier. He lives in the city with Food Lady, Fetch Man, and—of course—his beloved short human and best-friend-in-the-world, Hattie. But when his family moves to the suburbs, Fenway faces a world of changes. He’s pretty pleased with the huge Dog Park behind his new home, but he’s not so happy about the Evil Squirrels that taunt him from the trees, the super-slippery Wicked Floor in the Eating Room, and the changes that have come over Hattie lately. Rather than playing with Fenway, she seems more interested in her new short human friend, Angel, and learning to play baseball. His friends in the Dog Park next door say Hattie is outgrowing him, but that can’t be right. And he’s going to prove it!

This book could not be more adorable or engaging. We get to see the world through the eyes of Fenway, the super excitable Jack Russell Terrier, and he focuses on the important things: avoiding the Wicked Floor that is too slippery for him to walk on, making sure Food Lady and Fetch Man know he’s got everything under control, and, most of all, keeping Hattie, his beloved short human, safe from marauding squirrels. Readers will be so ready to join Fenway for another adventure as soon as possible.

Fenway and Hattie is available now.

SWORD AND VERSE Playlist

February 6, 2016Extras, Sword and Verse, Young Adult Fantasykathymacmillan

I always have music playing when I write, but there have been certain songs that really resonated with me as reflecting the characters and themes of Sword and Verse.

Here’s the Spotify playlist where you can hear them all:

Direct Link to Spotify Playlist

More info about how each song fits with the story:

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield: I consider this the theme song of the book, both for the literal theme of writing and the idea of Raisa finding out who she is.
“Outro” by M83: A wonderful atmospheric song that matches the mood of the story.
“Something of a Dreamer” by Mary Chapin Carpenter: This one is all about Raisa for me.
“I Know Places” by Ryan Adams (I also love the Taylor Swift version, but that’s not on Spotify.): Raisa and Mati in love and in hiding.
“Halo” by Beyonce: A song for when things are going well for our lovers…
“North and South of the River” by Christy Moore: …and the first of many for when the reality of their positions becomes clear.
“I’m Not That Girl” by Idina Menzel (from Wicked): Heartache and pain for our heroine.
“All of the Stars” by Ed Sheeran: …and more heartache and pain.
“Sleeping with Ghosts” by Placebo: And more.
“The Kind of Love You Never Recover From” by Christine Lavin: If things hadn’t worked out with Mati, Raisa would have been okay. But she never would have fully recovered, and I think this song captures that idea beautifully.
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica: I think of this song being from Mati’s point of view, as he realizes where his priorities are.
“My Life Would Suck Without You” by Kelly Clarkson: For this moment: “I was not foolish enough to think that the situation had changed…But I had changed. I knew how it felt for my heart to lie dormant, and now that it had been reawakened it would not go silent again.”
“Master Pretender” by First Aid Kit (warning: there are naughty words in this one!): I think of this as Mati’s theme song.
“Wherever You Will Go” by Charlene Soraia: With lyrics like “If a great wave shall fall/It’d fall upon us all/I hope there’s someone out there who/could bring me back to you”, how could I not include this song?
“Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer: For Jonis and the Resistance. (Bonus: Check out this wonderful video of the song in ASL from the Deaf Professional Arts Network!)
“This is the New Year” by A Great Big World: For the new Council.

Thank you to my amazing betareader Manuela Bernardi and to Nicola of Queen of the Bookshelves for their contributions to this list!

#LoveInBooks: 7 YA Authors Sending Love

February 4, 2016Authors You Should Know, Contests and Giveaways, Newskathymacmillan

LoveInBooks

Hello, lovely reader!

Today is the first day of a multi-author Valentine’s Day special: #LoveInBooks.

Seven of us have teamed up to share quotes from our books containing the word “love” from now through Valentine’s Day.

Here’s the first quote for Sword and Verse:

gods read out

Grand Prize Giveaway

To spread even more love, each of us is giving away a finished copy of our books and swag. You can enter the giveaway below. Entries are accepted daily through Feb. 12th. The winner will be announced on Monday, Feb. 15. USA only.

Participating books and authors (alphabetically, by book):

Rafflecopter giveaway

Read This!: ASSASSIN’S HEART by Sarah Ahiers

February 2, 2016Read This, Reviewsassassin's heart, sarah ahierskathymacmillan

Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers

Summary: In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down. Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

The worldbuilding in this story was wonderful. Ahiers creates an expansive world of holy assassins and complicated family – and Family – politics, and a heroine at the heart of the story who must fight her way through betrayal and revenge and find something more. Lea and Les are a wonderful pair, point and counterpoint – it says a lot that I was rooting for them both, when both were unapologetic murderers. I found the way that Ahiers entwined murder-as-worship into every part of this story to be completely fascinating and utterly plausible.

Assassin’s Heart is out now.

View all my reviews

Read This!: THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD by Emily Henry

February 1, 2016Read This, Reviewsemily henry, the love that split the worldkathymacmillan

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Summary: Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start… until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Natalie Cleary is a normal high school girl – except for the fact that she can see ghosts, or possibly people from other dimensions. When Grandmother – the name she gives to the cryptic old woman who has been visiting her in the night since childhood – issues a warning that Natalie only has three months to save someone close to her, she knows she has to figure out what her connection is to that other world. Then one of the beings who flickers at the edge of her consciousness reveals himself to be all too real – a handsome, brooding boy named Beau – and burgeoning romance complicates her quest. Henry’s writing is lucid and lyrical, exploring Natalie’s fractured sense of self, both as a child of Native American descent adopted by white parents, and as a traveler between worlds. The story’s twisty plotline remains firmly grounded in Natalie’s emotions, in her quest to find the place where and when she belongs, and in her determination to save the people she loves.

THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD is out now.