Reaper: YA urban fantasy written by St. Louis area author, L.S. Murphy, is the story of sixteen year old Quincy Amarante who will become the fifth grim reaper. Quincy is concerned about one thing before Death enters into her life–being popular and going out with a gorgeous guy. But Death won’t leave her alone and neither does her childhood best friend, Ben–whom all readers will be swooning for by the end of the book. Here’s what I think: I really enjoyed this book from the beginning until the end–it’s one that I found myself anxious to read and getting in the way of the things that I should have been doing, such as work. I know Quin is self-centered at the beginning and mostly concerned with being popular. But I liked her–she had some endearing qualities and was pretty funny actually. I loved the love triangle, the grim reaper aspect, the main character learning about what is actually important in life, and the ending. WOW! no spoilers here, but I was not expecting that ending, and I love it! I would read another YA by LS Murphy in a heartbeat. 
Five Famous Mice Meet Winston Churchill: This is a picture book by Jean Davies Okimoto and illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell. It’s a sequel to Winston of Churchill. In this book, five mice go on a quest across Canada to let people know about climate change and how it affects everyone. Here’s what I think: The illustrations in this book are great, and the mice are cute. I like how determined the mice are to get noticed, and the ends they go to–to see the polar bears–to have their voices heard. I think this is better suited for K-2. My 3-year-old loved the mice but had a little trouble understanding why people weren’t listening to them and why they had to go to the polar bears. If I taught K-2, I would definitely use this in my classroom for Earth Day.
Time and Forever: This is Susan B. James’s first romance novel, and it is great. It’s a time travel romance, full of twists and turns. I wrote an entire review for it for The News-Gazette. You can find that here at this link.
Excelsior: This is a new YA book by George Sirois, who is published by the same publisher as me (Rocking Horse Publishing). In George’s book, high school senior Matthew Peters, Excelsior – savior of faraway planet Denab IV – is becoming an Internet sensation as the main character of a popular online comic strip. But before Matthew can enjoy his burgeoning success, a beautiful older woman arrives at his school and tells him that not only is she from the planet Denab IV, but that Excelsior’s lifeforce lives within him. Here’s what I think: I love books that start in the real world and then go into the fantasy world–and Excelsior delivers on this promise. I also love that Matthew is an everyday hero who turns into the best hero ever! I did feel a little sorry for him that the comics he created were actually memories—but you’ll have to read the book to figure out how. I also like that the author did not steer away from modern technology in a fantasy book. Since he sets it in the real world in the beginning and teens are into technology, it was a must he include it and he did not disappoint. (Plus of course, new gadgets were created!) FINALLY, I liked that the adult in Matthew’s life also had to get involved and didn’t just disappear. I think there really are some teenagers who don’t mind an adult or two around every once in a while. . .I’m excited that the author is planning a series.
Sarah Renée has loved writing from an early age. At the age of 10, she came up with the idea for The Tiger Princess and wrote the novel when she was 12. She is fascinated with wild animals and the wild world outside her home, and has a great love of tigers. She enjoys spending time with her cats, reading, drawing, and playing her violin when she is not writing. In her free time, she is constantly daydreaming about her many characters, creating new ones, and coming up with interesting adventure story ideas. She is now 17 years old.
Visit Sarah Renee’s website at www.thetigerprincess.com to learn more about Sarah Renee, her books, and more!
Thank you for joining us today, Sarah. Can you please start off by telling us a bit about yourself?
Thank you for interviewing me! My name is Sarah Renée, I’m 17 years old, a huge cat-lover, and the author of a series of fantasy adventure books written for ages 8-12 called the Saderia Series.
When did you first get bit by the writing bug?
Probably before I was even born! I have loved telling stories for as long as I can remember. When I was really young, I used to just love scribbling out stories on a piece of paper. As I got older, I started writing more complex stories – but even then, they were just short stories about my cats! When I was 12, though, I started getting serious about writing and decided I wanted to be an author. That was when I wrote the final draft of my first book, The Tiger Princess, a 300+ page fantasy novel about a curious tiger Princess named Saderia, which I later went on to publish at the age of 13.
Why did you decide to write stories for children?
I didn’t actually make a conscious decision to write stories for children when I wrote my first book, The Tiger Princess, since I wrote it at the age of 12. When I wrote it, I only wanted to write a story that I would like to read and that other kids around my age would enjoy reading.
Do you believe it is harder to write books for a younger audience?
In my case, no. Since I started writing at a young age – the age The Tiger Princess and the other Saderia Series books are geared toward – writing from a 10-year-old tiger’s point of view for a younger audience came naturally to me. I’ve gotten so used to writing from my young characters’ point of view in the years since I wrote my first book that it still feels natural and easy to write for a younger audience even now that I’m 17. Plus, it probably helps that I haven’t grown up much since then! 
What is your favorite part of writing for young people?
It definitely has to be the fact that you can write so freely. Children in the age range I write for have incredible imaginations – I know I did! What I love about writing for children is that I can capture their imaginations in such fantastic ways. Stories for children don’t have to be totally based in reality – you can write about magical adventures and extraordinary characters when you write for children, and hopefully you can inspire them to use their own imaginations to come up with their own stories too!
Can you tell us what your latest book is all about?
My latest book, Rock Bottom, is actually the fifth book in the Saderia Series. It would be difficult to talk about it without describing the other ones, though, so I’ll describe the first book first.
My first book is called The Tiger Princess, a fantasy adventure book written for ages 8-12. In the book, a sassy and brave tiger Princess named Saderia makes it her goal to solve the mystery of what happened to her parents, the King and Queen, after they vanished in a fire ten years ago. On her quest to uncover the truth, Saderia also stumbles upon ancient secrets and even incredible magic powers!
The second book, Dash, follows Saderia’s adventures in a new school as she tries to befriend a mysterious classmate with a dark secret. The third book is called Hunted Home, and it tells the story of a canine named Dingo who lives in a harsh desert and has to fight not only to save himself, but also Saderia when she finds herself lost. The fourth book, Enchanted Home, introduces a new character named Jeb, who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and who seeks Saderia’s help and magic powers in finding the truth. And that brings us to the fifth book, which tells the story of how Saderia and her new friends must fight to save a lost member of her family – and in the process, uncover a few dark truths.
What inspired you to write it?
More than anything, a love of telling stories and a love of the characters I created inspired me to write each of the books in the series. I actually came up with the idea for the first book, The Tiger Princess, when I was 10 by combining my love of tigers and animals with a fascination with royalty like Princesses and Queens. Now my love of the story of Saderia’s adventures inspires me to keep writing the next books in the series!
Where can readers purchase a copy?
The Tiger Princess is actually free on the Amazon Kindle right now, and you can pick up your e-book copy here. It is also available for free on the Barnes & Noble Nook, which you can find here, and on most other e-readers. If you’re looking for a paperback copy, you can also pick one up on Amazon at the same link. For a list of all the places you can get The Tiger Princess, as well as the other books in the series (Dash, Hunted Home, Enchanted Home, and Rock Bottom), check out the official website for links to all the places you can get them!
What is up next for you?
I have just finished writing the 11th book in the Saderia Series (of which there will be about 16 books), so I’m planning on writing the 12th book and the rest of the books in the series soon and hopefully releasing Book 6 sometime in 2014. I’m also tossing around an idea for another series I’d like to write. So in short, a whole lot of writing!
Do you have anything else to add?
Nope, just a big thanks for interviewing me and letting me share my story!
Thank you for spending time with us today, Sarah. We wish you much success.
Thanks again for interviewing me and thanks to everyone for reading and for checking out The Tiger Princess and the Saderia Series!
The Saderia Series Virtual Book Tour Schedule
November 4th
Book 1 review at This Little Book of Mine
Interview at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection
November 5th
Guest post at Bookingly Yours
November 6th
Book 1 review at YAdult Review
First chapter reveal for Book 1 at CelticLady’s Reviews
November 7th
Interview at Between the Covers
November 8th
Series spotlight at Literal Exposure
November 9th
Book 1 spotlight at Classic Children’s Books
November 11th
Book 1 review at Classic Children’s Books
November 12th
Interview at Pump Up Your Book
November 13th
Guest post at The Crypto-Capers Review
November 14th
Interview at Blogcritics
November 15th
Guest post and giveaway at The Busy Mom’s Daily
November 18th
Book 2 spotlight at Paperback Writer
November 19th
Book 2 review at This Little Book of Mine
November 20th
Interview at Examiner
November 21st
First chapter reveal for Book 2 at CelticLady’s Reviews
November 22nd
Book 1 review at Cheryl’s Book Nook
November 25th
Book 2 review at Cheryl’s Book Nook
November 26th
Guest post at Literarily Speaking
November 27th
Series spotlight at Thoughts in Progress
Guest post at 4 the Love of Books
November 29th
Series spotlight at 4 the Love of Books
Series spotlight at The Children’s and Teen’s Book Connection
Book tour highlights at The Book Rack
photo by midweekpost www.flickr.com
*Young adult, urban contemporary fantasy
*Teenage girl as main character
*Rating: City of Ashes, the sequel to City Of Bones, is a page-turner. You won’t want to stop until you read every last word of the Clary-Simon-Jace saga.
Short, short summary:
It’s hard to summarize this plot without giving anything away. But I’ll try my best. Since this is book two, if you, your teen, or your students haven’t read book one of
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, I highly recommend you do. Otherwise, you’ll be, well, just really confused. At the end of book one, we find out that Jace and Clary are brother and sister, and their father is Valentine. At the beginning of book two, both are trying to deal with this–Jace and Clary hate Valentine since he is the most evil and disturbed Shadowhunter in the world. In spite of being brother and sister, they still find themselves attracted to each other. Simon, Clary’s best friend, is doing his best to try to make Clary attracted to him instead of Jace, even calling her “his girlfriend” and engaging in some make-out sessions. Alec is still dealing with being comfortable in his sexuality, and we even get a glimpse into Isabelle’s dating life when the characters have to visit the Seelie Court (help me with the spelling, folks–I listened to this book on audio, and it turns out there are several ways to spell it?). Basically, someone is killing downworlders and making it look like the vampires are running crazy in the city, but Jace and the other Shadowhunters don’t believe the vampires are doing it. (Hmmm? Who could it be?) The Lightwoods are not so sure about Jace because of whom his father is–can they trust him anymore? The Inquisitor, a very powerful lady in the Clave, also seems to have it out for Jace. I won’t go on, but as you can see, this book is a good mix between the personal lives of the characters and an action-filled fantasy story.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Teens will probably read City of Ashes as part of their independent reading, home school curriculum, or in a book club. So, these activities will focus on those types of readings. First, teens (or adult readers) can find out more about the series and the author (I love her website–very straightforward, direct, and talking to teens) on the author’s website and the series website. Let teens explore these two resources.
2. Exploring and discussing the characters in City of Ashes is a must as character-development is one of Clare’s strengths. Ask teens which character in the novel is their favorite and/or which character they relate to the best. What do they think about Clary and Jace or Clary and Simon? Do they think Jace and Clary are really brother and sister? What are the special “powers” that Valentine has given his children? What about the Inquisitor? What is her motivation? What is the significance of the Inquisitor’s last action? These are all questions that can be discussed or written about in reading response journals. (Some of these answers will not be revealed until book 3, but teens can predict!)
3. The setting of City of Ashes is “an alternative present-day Manhattan.” What makes this an “alternative” setting? Discuss with students if the world that Clare has built is believable and realistic in the context of the book? How does Clare do this? Is the setting like another character in City of Ashes? <
Reaper: YA urban fantasy written by St. Louis area author, L.S. Murphy, is the story of sixteen year old Quincy Amarante who will become the fifth grim reaper. Quincy is concerned about one thing before Death enters into her life–being popular and going out with a gorgeous guy. But Death won’t leave her alone and neither does her childhood best friend, Ben–whom all readers will be swooning for by the end of the book. Here’s what I think: I really enjoyed this book from the beginning until the end–it’s one that I found myself anxious to read and getting in the way of the things that I should have been doing, such as work. I know Quin is self-centered at the beginning and mostly concerned with being popular. But I liked her–she had some endearing qualities and was pretty funny actually. I loved the love triangle, the grim reaper aspect, the main character learning about what is actually important in life, and the ending. WOW! no spoilers here, but I was not expecting that ending, and I love it! I would read another YA by LS Murphy in a heartbeat. 
Five Famous Mice Meet Winston Churchill: This is a picture book by Jean Davies Okimoto and illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell. It’s a sequel to Winston of Churchill. In this book, five mice go on a quest across Canada to let people know about climate change and how it affects everyone. Here’s what I think: The illustrations in this book are great, and the mice are cute. I like how determined the mice are to get noticed, and the ends they go to–to see the polar bears–to have their voices heard. I think this is better suited for K-2. My 3-year-old loved the mice but had a little trouble understanding why people weren’t listening to them and why they had to go to the polar bears. If I taught K-2, I would definitely use this in my classroom for Earth Day.
Time and Forever: This is Susan B. James’s first romance novel, and it is great. It’s a time travel romance, full of twists and turns. I wrote an entire review for it for The News-Gazette. You can find that here at this link. 
Excelsior: This is a new YA book by George Sirois, who is published by the same publisher as me (Rocking Horse Publishing). In George’s book, high school senior Matthew Peters, Excelsior – savior of faraway planet Denab IV – is becoming an Internet sensation as the main character of a popular online comic strip. But before Matthew can enjoy his burgeoning success, a beautiful older woman arrives at his school and tells him that not only is she from the planet Denab IV, but that Excelsior’s lifeforce lives within him. Here’s what I think: I love books that start in the real world and then go into the fantasy world–and Excelsior delivers on this promise. I also love that Matthew is an everyday hero who turns into the best hero ever! 
Thanks for being my guest today, Sarah.
How wonderful to see a young author acting so professionally–and dare I say, A LOT more professionally than adult authors who only respond with one-liners to interviews.
Best of luck with your series and your writing, Sarah! Congrats!
Mayra Calvani
Thank you for interviewing me! I had a lot of fun with the questions.
Thank you, Mayra! I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.