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Jeannie Chin Interview
Jeannie Chin is the author of the small town romance, Blue Cedar Falls, delivering a diverse small town romance readers can feel at home in. She generously shared her time to discuss her writing, the small town romance genre and more.
1. What role has writing been in your life?
I’ve been writing for as long as I remember. As a child and as a teen, I wrote for fun all the time. I drifted away from it as a hobby during early adulthood, then discovered it again at a difficult time in my life. It became a hugely important creative outlet that I’ve been so happy and proud to expand into a professional endeavor.
2. How did you manage the switch from high school science teacher to writer?
My time as a teacher is the difficult period in my life I alluded to above! While I enjoyed teaching, I found it massively stressful and draining, and I was working in an under resourced school with more than its fair share of challenges. I got very burned out and lost while I was there.Tapping into my creative writer brain helped me reconnect with myself, and before I knew it, the writing bug took over my life. While it doesn’t seem like a natural career change, I think my skills explaining things to people and analyzing problems logically has been a huge help as I’ve honed my craft as a story teller.
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Ranking The Chronicles of Prydian
No, not the Disney movie, the Disney movie butchered the books if that’s what you’re thinking of when it comes to The Black Cauldron.
But you wouldn’t be reading this if you were into the Disney movie, would you? I’ve noticed I have made my rankings longer than necessary by describing the plot which I realized was redundant as I’m assuming one wouldn’t be reading my rankings unless they have already some idea of these book series. So I’ll be keeping it short.
- The Black Cauldron: Okay I’m biased with this one. Even though the movie wasn’t good, it did make me look into finding out that it was based on Alexander’s series so I tracked down the novel. Although it’s the second book, I think it does a great job in showing Taren the difficulties and sacrifices that are required for being a hero, an interesting foil, and of course, the rest of the gang backing him up with Ffluer and Eliwonly at their best. So very enjoyable.
- The Castle of Llyr: This comes second for its magnificent quest-like adventure in combination with revealing more of Eliwonly’s origins and her magic. Also I’m just a sucker for the Taren-Eliwonly romance
- The High King: Just epic! Epic, epic! I mean it’s a freaking war over the fate of Prydian with a ephemeral ending that emphasizes the high fantasy setting of the books that is remiscent of the old adventure tales where everyone lives happily ever after. It comes in third though because with the epic nature of everything, the smaller moments get a bit lost in my opinion. Even though everyone has their chance to show which is always great.
- The Book of Three: This is where it all began, and thus while it is wonderful for setting up the story, it is predictable. I do admire how Alexander began this so optimistically in keeping with the original Welsh retellings of legends before adding more mature and darker themes.
- Taren the Wanderer: While this is a great book for Taren himself as it really makes him grow as a hero and as a person, learning more about himself, breaking past misconceptions of his hero’s journey and what it means to be a leader, a wonderful character exploration. . . I just miss his friends. A big draw of the series is its ragtag band of heros who work with Taren and grow to reach their destiny, it just feels like its missing something without them.
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Pop’s Chock’lit Shop of Horrors Review
Here comes another anaology horror series from Archie Horror!
Die and Dash is the story that brings readers to the Chocklit Shop that has turned from cheerful 50s nostaglia to something far more sinister as when Nick and Sherry get caught trying to dine and dash.
First off, I loved the choice to have Nick St. Clair and Sherry, both characters that have been one shot ones. So I was surprised to see them and then even more surprised to see them as a couple but hey, it’s cool. One of the fun things in the Archieverse are the endless couple permutations one can do.
So as they try to dine and dash, Pop catches them and enlists their services as his last employee couldn’t cut it in the work enviroment. In fact, he may be the dead one on the floor. It was quite abrupt and suddenly ends there. . . At least I thought so but Sherry and Nick’s story continues in between the other stories culminating in a killer ending that emphasizes the message–No one can escape Pop.
I mean the Terminator-esque red eyes was a big clue to that but just adds to the surreal landscape of this piece.
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The Cult of That Wilkin Boy Review
Everyone knows how obssesive fans can get about their favorite band or singer, you know cult favorites. . . but in this case, Wilkin’s fans are an actual cult thanks to Bingo’s deal with the devil.
Spoilers ahead.
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What is with the page length in YAs?
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but what is this new trend in YA fantasy books to make them over 500 pages?
For example, I love Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles. Dark Artifices is the trilogy where she really amps the page length into the 800s. Queen of Air and Darkness was nearly a 1,000 if you include the bonus story in the end. But I understood it since it was a big game changer with consequences in the universe. But now her Last Hours trilogy is also in the 700 length?
Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse started off with the standard 400 pages then 500 in Six of Crows but her latest duology goes to almost 700. See this steady progression of adding more and more.
Honestly, I understand why writers may do this. They feel that it needs to be longer to fit everything, it helps set up the greater tone, include a large cast of characters.
But to me, it’s just overwhelming to see this 700 page mammoth. 400 is enough for me, 500 if we’re stretching it.
I also feel that they did such a sufficient job introducing the world in those 350-400 page novel, why can’t they do that here?
I mean with that page count, you could just split it into two and make your trilogy a quartet and rake in the dough. I feel that sometimes the longer it is, it drags on. So much description, so much internal monologue, so much romantic angst often gets repetitive even if it’s shown with varied view points. It could be squashed in a succinct few paragraphs rather than pages.
Also I’m just generally suspicious of 700 page novels. It may be a creative free for all but I also suspect the author is getting paid by word or something. I mean Queen of Air and Darkness is longer than Anna Karenina, think about it.
So what do you think of the progressive longer page lengths in YA? Big fan or no? Write down your comments
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Rick Riordan Presents
I’ll admit I’m one of the few people who hasn’t read the Percy Jackson series. I did read The Kane Chronicles though. And when I heard the news of this new imprint taking on mythologies from all over the world, I finally found time to read the first book of each one. Now I know I didn’t get to every series on the imprint but these were the ones that were available at the library.
While I don’t know if I have time or the want to read the rest of the series since some of them were out of my age of interest, I do think they were all well-done delivering exciting adventure that highlight the breadth of mythology anf their importance in sharing universal lessons that make readers want to retell them again and again.
So below are story summaries from Amazon and my quick thoughts on each. Hopefully, it’ll intrigue you enough to take a look at these epic adventures yourselves.
(more…)#africanamericanmythology, #africandiasphora, #anathology, #arushahandtheendoftime, #carloshernandez, #cityoftheplaguegod, #dinemythology, #disneyhyperion, #gaelicmythology, #gracikim, #hindumythology, #hmongmythology, #j.c.cervantes, #koreanmythology, #kwamembalia, #lorim.lee, #magicalrealism, #mayanmythology, #mesotopianmythology, #mexicanmythology, #middlegrade, #navajomythology, #pahuaandthesoulstealer, #paolasantiagoandtheriveroftears, #racetothesun, #rachelreads&reviews, #rebeccaroanhorse, #rickriordan, #rickriordanpresents, #roshanichokshi, #salandgabibreaktheuniverse, #sarwatchadda, #tehlorkaymejia, #thecursedcarnivalandothercalamities, #thelastfallenstar, #thestormrunner, #tristanstrongpunchesaholeinthesky, #westafriacanmythology, #worldmythology -
Author Highlight: Jeannie Chin
I’ll admit as appealing as the covers of small town romances look to me, whenever I try to read them, I always end up stopping at book 2. They just bleed into one another for me and even dramatic plots feel predictable. Historical and regency romance are more bag than the small Midwestern towns where everyone knows everyone else that is supposed to feel cozy but I feel like its clustraphobic and incestuous.
Not Jeannie Chin’s Blue Ceder Falls, NC.
Yes, it’s another small town where everyone knows your name but it feels more real to me somehow. It doesn’t feel disconnected from the rest of the world. Probably thanks to its diversity.
Chin injects some of her experiences of being Asian-American in a town filled with the usual cast of white characters with the Wu sisters. Even so, it makes it more real. Blue Ceder Falls is idyllic but can also be unwelcoming to strangers like Clay, the marine veteran wandering in the first book to open a bar in honor of his friend. Small towns can be territorial in that sense and Chin acknowledges that by tying it in with her themes of feeling like an outsider.
She also tackles the Asian-American experience in her subsequent books, breaking against the model minority myth with the flighty sister, Elizabeth and the sometimes assumption that the two Asian kids are bound together in the case of May and Han. I mean they do, they love each other but it was kinda annoying when they were insecure high schoolers.
This allows Chin to establish that while this is a wholesome, cozy series, it will also bring up tough issues with depth, balancing the lightness of romance, small town festivals, gallary openings, and family with real life issues like June’s friend coming out to her parents, PTSD, Elizabeth’s friend’s fears with motherhood, financial burden of running inns, and health issues.
The romances are distinct, sweet and charming, combined with the real life issues they face, and internal issues of miscommunication and misaligned ambitions for life, make it layered and heartwarming as everyone finds their HEA.
If you’re looking for a 21st century take on a small town with flawed characters, engaging romances and the importance of community and family over all, you’ll want to visit Blue Ceder Falls real soon.
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Ranking Last Chance Scoundrels
Leigh’s latest trilogy Last Chance Scoundrels series offers sweet romance mixed with spirited heroines, rakish rouges and lots of smut. You’re classic regency romance but who can’t love it.
It starts with such an intresting situation when the Ransome brothers, Finn and Kieran aid their friend, Dominic Kilburn in jilting their sister. They had noble intentions to prevent a miserable marriage but they caused a scandal du jour instead. Willa won’t speak to them and their families are furious that they prevented an advantageous marriage. So they’ll be cut off unless the three men find suitable marriages themselves to make up for their plans and to elevate their fortunes.
- A Rogue’s Rules for Seduction: The last book in the trilogies is my favorite. One can say their love story started it all as Dominic jilting Willa led to this whole marriage deal. Unfortunately for Dom, he can’t get Willa out of his head and after a year on the continent, Willa is abashed to realize the same. But how can they go back to the other after such a disasterous breakup. Well, it helps to have meddling siblings who forced them into close quarters during a week on an distant island. Amidst the foot races. Shakespeare re-enactments and other games, Willa and Dominic fall in love with each other over again, for real this time. Leigh’s second chance romance delves into the pedestals that the two have put each other on. Willa feels like she had to be the happy, pampered nobless for Dom, fearing any unhappiness or implied depression on her part would scare Dom away because who wants a broken person? Meanwhile, Dom felt there was a part of Willa who enjoyed dating him just to scandalize the ton like a wolf on a leash. Their relationship before had been built on intense bickering attraction but this time it’s different, more mature. Now they can see beyond the labels and reputations that had set up for each other and see the person for who they truly are. And still love them for it. There was also a classic “I have a terrible sercret, I’m dangerous and you shouldn’t love me because I’m broken” subplot for Dom that was a bit annoying since its so cliche and ends up not even being a big deal but considering the mature second chance romance that comes out of it, I tolerate it. Plus the scenes here are the smuttiest yet!
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Jenny Elder Moke Interview
Jenny Elder Moke is the author of Hood, and the Samantha Knox series combining intense historical research with thrilling adventure. Here, she kindly took the time to discuss her inspiration, research and what’s coming next.
1. Where did your writing journey begin?
Shortly after I graduated from college, I found myself working at an independent publisher in Austin, TX. It was such an incredible learning experience, and really gave me a great insight into the business side of publishing. But the creative desire was still there, and I needed a way to fulfill it. I’d always been too scared to write a full-length book, so I set myself a challenge that first year: just write a full manuscript.
To this day, it was the most fun I ever had writing a story. I didn’t have any expectations, any voices I needed to silence, I just got completely lost in the story. I wrote it in a fever state, and when I got to the end I realized I probably needed to learn how to actually write. So I signed up for a local creative writing class, and that was the beginning of my journey to becoming a published author.
2. There are so many Robin Hood retellings, including Robin Hood’s daughter (Yours is one of the rare ones not using Rowen), what inspired your own take?
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There was a BBC show in the early 2000s called Robin Hood, and I thought it did such a great job of walking the line between being fun and funny, and tackling serious storylines. It inspired me to do research on Prince John, which is when I learned that the bad guy from all the Robin Hood stories actually became king of England for twelve years. I was outraged for Robin and everything he fought for, but it got me thinking – what would Robin Hood look like decades on from the stories most of us know? How would he keep fighting the good fight against a tyrant who now held the highest seat in the land? And since I knew I wanted it to be a YA I knew his daughter was the best way for me to have a fresh take on an old story. -
The Mirror: Fractured Path Review
It’s 1965 and readers get a glimpse into the aftermath of Zora’s frantic flight to San Francisco. She’s gone now, and her secrets have been hidden from her granddaughter, Blake. Not entirely, she’s aware of her family’s magic and she has “just enough.” Nothing cool like Zora, when she touches objects she gets glimpses of their memories. And while she does wish she could do more, she has a different sort of magic-her art which she is hustling to get recognized with a prestigious internship if only her gender and her race didn’t count against her.
But the magic which she thought was just enough is suddenly growing, expanding to full-on visions of the past with a mysterious girl trapped in a mirror that unleashes Blake on a dangerous mission to uncover and stop her family’s curse.
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