CHAOS WALKING TRILOGY BY PATRICK NESS: BOOK REVIEW // A MERCIFUL ADVENTURE?

Title(s): The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking trilogy
Genre: Dystopia, Sci-fi, [Young-Adult]
Heat Rating: Cool
Format: Paperback
Published: Candlewick Press
Source: Purchased
Trigger Warning: Violence, war, death (of loved ones)

Blurb (from Goodreads):

The Knife of Never Letting Go (book 1)

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn’t she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd’s gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is. 

The Ask and the Answer (book 2)

We were in the square, in the square where I’d run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her – But there weren’t no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men…

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor’s new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode…

Monsters of Men (book 3)

As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

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The Choas Walking trilogy was on my 2020 Accountability list. This series has been sitting on my shelves for quite a few years and I finally wanted to cross them off my list. I knew this was a good series from all the glowing reviews on Goodreads, I just honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it this much since I had grown out of the dystopian genre.

An engaging & investing plot

One of the biggest advantages of this series is that it has a good balance between the plot and the characters. Neither was too heavy. The book starts off with introducing our main protagonist Todd Hewitt who is the only boy in town (a blink away from becoming a man when he turns 13). and Prentisstown is where the adventure begins.

From the very beginning, there’s this lurking feeling that something’s wrong.

Well, what do you expect? The town has no woman. Literally NONE. They have all died in the Spackle war (as told in the first book).

Here comes another interesting aspect. The Spackles. The alien race who were the actual residents of the “New World” which the humans have colonised. Their history and backstory were really intriguing. As the book proceeds, a lot of new info pops up. It never feels like an info dump, rather it pulls the story forward. I really loved the worldbuilding, from Prentisstown to New Haven, everything just keeps getting better and better (or the worse, which is literally true in this case).

The best part of the book is the story is constantly moving. With the characters and there is no dull moment.

Then there’s war. And BOOM (which was brutal, tragic but also epic!!). 

So yes, it was not a merciful adventure at all. 🙃

The NOISE

The noise is the showstopper of the book.

All the men have “the Noise”. It’s constant chaos and the writing style prominently depicts that.

The Noise virus affects every man in the “New World”, so basically, there is zero privacy since everybody can hear everybody’s thoughts. Image how horrifying that would be in real life. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.

Likeable characters

Ohmygosh, the characters!

There’s a lot of them. However, I could remember each of them because each of them was distinctly fleshed out.

Some characters you want to kill, brutally. Some you wanna hug them to death.

Okay, so I literally love Todd to death. He is a stubborn kid who believes everything will be okay when he turns 13. But then, he meets Viola.

Todd was told there was no woman left on “New World.” Viola is literally the first girl Todd actually sees. Then his world takes a massive 180-degree turn. I am a huge romance fan. Like, I want a bit of romance in my every read but I really didn’t mind the lack of romance in this series although there’s a teeny tiny bit in the last one. I really, really enjoyed the character development of both Todd and Viola. I rooted for them from the beginning and they grow up so much throughout the whole series.

Then there’s Ben and Cillian, Todd’s gay dads who you immediately fall in love with. However, Mayor Prentis and Mistree Coyle are the two characters to look out for. I just literally wanted to strangle them both, they are super awesome characters. 🙃 You just have to listen to them talking, it makes your blood boil.

I did really hate Prentis Jr at the beginning, but he became a grey character and well my feelings are complicated. Also, a special shoutout goes to Manche, I loved that dog to death.

If you haven’t read this series, please do. It makes you are riding a hurricane.

The writing style

The central factor of the book. There’s a thing about Ness’s writing style which captures you from the very beginning. It was the same when I read A Monster Calls. PLUS, the way the “Noise” was represented, I um, loved it. VERY MUCH.

Recommend it?

Yes!

Also, who’s excited about the movie? 

I am excited to see Tom Holland as Todd, although he doesn’t look a bit like 13. Actor age-wise, it’s the same for almost every book to movie adaption but this one, may I can compromise happily 🙂 I heard the movie’s coming this year (hopefully)!

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So, I was thinking about adding a K-pop song at the end of each review that matched the vibe of the book. 😀

I mean, you guys can give it a try once, maybe? You don’t know, you may end up falling into this blackhole (MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA…)

Okay, so for the Chaos Walking trilogy, I felt it matched a lot with BTS’s ON. Although this song takes a lot of inspiration from various movies, the journey shown in the MV definitely matched Todd and Viola’s one. So here goes:

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So guys, have you read this series? Are you excited about the movieee?

Also, didya listen? 😛

Review: A Veil of Shadows by Michael W. Garza || Where my adventure knew no bounds

Title: A Veil of  Shadows
Author: Michael W. Garza
Series: The Shadow Gate Chronicles, book 2
Genre: Fantasy, [Middle-Grade]
Heat Rating: Cool
Page Count and Format: 229 pages, Ebook
Expected Publication: September 22nd, 2017 by NeverHaven Press
Source: I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: 

Blurb (from Goodreads):

A desperate search leads to a new world.

Naomi and Gavin are on the run. Having narrowly escaped Azzmon’s clutches, they find themselves hunted by Malick, another Shade Lord. He has amassed an army of foul creatures, and the city-state of Tarravale stands on the brink of chaos. Naomi’s ability to open Shadow Gates makes her an alluring target, and the Shade Lord will stop at nothing to possess her. The children must find a way to escape before their new world is buried in an unwinnable war.

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Like the first book in this series, this book was also pretty fun to read. Full of adventure and action, there’s never a dull moment. You can read my review of book 1: The Last Shadow Gate, here.

Gavin and Naomi discovered a whole new world which they enter through the Shadow Gate. But that world was not devoid of evils. Having escaped once, they are being once again chased by another Shade Lord, Malick. Alone and afraid, they are finally surprised to find one ounce of hope in the midst of everything but will that be enough for them to finally return home?

The story picks up right where it left off. Gavin and Naomi manage to escape the clutches of Azzmon, although being betrayed does not sit well with Gavin despite Naomi’s way of understanding things differently. The siblings only want one thing, that is to go back home but this world has a whole other plan for them. The first capture was the ultimate surprise. When they were first caught, I was afraid for them but then it definitely was bittersweet *spoiler*because they were finally reunited with their great-grandfather who was stuck in that world for ages*End of Spoiler* but I was really happy for Gavin and Naomi but that was just the start of their new adventure.

Soon enough, they are running from yet another enemy, a.k.a Malick and he has plans of his own. The trio has to face a number of complications and hurdles on their way to the Shadow gate which is the only way they will be able to return home. The pages are lined with action and something or the other kept happening. But everything felt a bit too repetitive for me, I wanted something new to surprise me which didn’t happen.

Anyway, I enjoyed the characters. I loved Gavin and I cherished the bond between him and Naomi. They both cared about each other so much. But those serpent like creatures were definitely scary as well as the Noctright. They kinda reminded me of the Pterodactyl, just scarier because it was hybrid of sorts. This book ended on a hopeful note and I definitely want to see how it all ends.

Overall, A Veil of Shadows was a good read though somewhat predictable. The plot was executed neatly and I enjoyed the character growth. The writing was smooth and easy to read and it was fast paced throughout the book. I really hope the next book manages to surprise me more!

Recommend it?

Yes.

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So guys, what do you think about this book? Are you interested in reading it?

Review: The Last Shadow Gate by Michael W. Garza

Title: The Last Shadow Gate
Author: Michael W. Garza
Series: The Shadow Gate Chronicles, book 1
Genre: Fantasy, [Middle-Grade]
Heat Rating: Cool
Page Count and Format: 264 pages, Ebook
Expected Publication: March 3rd, 2017 by NeverHaven Press
Source: I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating:

 

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Summer vacation was never supposed to be like this.

It was bad enough Naomi had to be shipped off to her dad’s home for the summer and deal with her half-brother Gavin, but when the siblings are forced to spend their break with their great-grandmother in upstate New York, everything changes. An investigation into the strange disappearance of their great-grandfather forces them to retrace his footsteps. They discover a gateway between worlds and encounter extraordinary creatures in a land where the people are desperate to escape the coming of a shade lord. To survive their adventure, Naomi and Gavin must settle their differences and find the elusive shadow gate that will take them home again.

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The Last Shadow Gate was a fast paced and adventurous story which I really enjoyed.

Gavin and Naomi are forced to spend their summer holiday with their great-grandmother whom they believe to be crazy. But that soon changes when they begin to investigate upon hearing the full story from her. Their world turns upside down when they land into a different realm through the Shadow Gate, the same realm where their great-grandfather never returned from. Will Gavin and Naomi be able to return home or will they be lost forever?

The plot was really enjoyable and I had so much fun reading this story. Gavin lives with her father whereas Naomi with her mother, they both don’t get along much but they have no other choice than to spend the whole summer together with their great-grandmother. I loved how the story was weaved and the plot was rich in world-building.

All the characters were layered which was an added bonus. Gavin acted a bit matured for his age but I seriously loved that guy! He reminded me of my brother in fact. I really love sibling stories and this was one of the books that portrayed a really good sibling relationship. I loved how their bickering turned into caring for one another. I really, really enjoyed it.

There were so many different kinds of people in the realm where Gavin and Naomi ended up in. They added the much-needed depth in the story. Tiberius was a kind of hybrid, I wasn’t really sure what to feel about him at first but I really liked how this character matured throughout the book. Lanacin was another character I enjoyed and I really hope to see more of him in book 2 and of course, how can I forget Kesi, I really loved her and I understood why she did what she did.

I enjoyed the action and the adventure they had to go throughout the book in order to obtain all the diaries of Gavin and Naomi’s great-grandfather in order to return home. The Wretched, the zombie-like monsters were a bit predictable and we got only a glimpse of the villains- Azzmon and Malick in this book but I so wanted more.

Overall, The Last Shadow Gate was a good read. The plot was neatly executed and I really enjoyed the characters. The pace was fast throughout the book and the writing was smooth and easy to read. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

Recommend it?

Yes.

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So guys, what do you think about this book? Are you interested in reading it?

Review: The Keeper of Portals by V.S. Nelson || Plus Interview!

Title: The Keeper of Portals
Author: V.S. Nelson
Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, [Middle-Grade]
Heat Rating: Cool
Page Count and Format: 320 pages, Ebook
Published: January 28th, 2017 by Matador
Source: I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating:

Blurb (from Goodreads):

‘All I have to do is think, walk through a door and I come out another. There is nowhere I cannot get to, nor any lock that can deny my passage.’
The Keeper of Portals lifted a hand and stroked the ancient black wood of the door.
‘I can do all that and yet, after 400 years, I still cannot open this door.’

Everything in the universe is maintained by its own keeper, from the most insignificant insect to time itself. When 15 year-old Martin moves into a stately home that’s dangerously overhanging a cliff, he meets the Keeper of Portals and learns of the mysterious door at the end of his bedroom.

One morning, Martin wakes to discover the Keeper of Portals is missing and the door at the end of his bedroom is open. Martin steps through the door to find himself in the 17th century where he meets Isabel, the house’s maid. Upon discovering two imprisoned keepers, Martin and Isabel gain the ability to control time and travel through portals.

After being attacked by hordes of brainwashed villagers, Martin and Isabel learn that the master of the house has a devious plan, one the keepers are powerless to stop. Martin and Isabel must jump between the present day and the 17th century in order to hide from the twisted master, avoiding past versions of themselves, as powerful keepers thwart them at every turn. But as items from the future begin to bleed into the past and the present day is plagued by malfunctioning portals, Martin and Isabel’s only option is to confront the master – the Keeper of Questions.

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This book was really fun to read, though it had its ups and downs but I loved the overall journey and I’m glad I got to read this book.

Martin has just shifted to his ancestral home with his mother where he meets a strange creature who calls himself the Keeper of Portals. He has the ability to open all the doors in the universe, except the one in Martin’s room. When that door finally opens and Martin steps in, his whole world turns upside down. Will Martin be able to return to his home ever again or will he get stuck in the past forever?

The plot was really interesting but a little confusing at times. I liked how the author didn’t waste much time and plunged directly into the action. This book narrates the story of Martin, a 15-year-old boy who has just moved into the massive new house which belonged to his ancestors. As he begins exploring the house he discovers a strange voice who reveals himself to be the Keeper of Portals. I liked the concept of the Keepers. There were so many Keepers for every little thing.

I enjoyed Martin’s adventure. I felt like I was there with him. He was such a caring and sweet character. Isabel on the other hand, I was not much of a fan of her when the story started but she slowly warmed into my heart. I hated The Keeper of Questions who was Isabel’s master as well, he was really twisted. The world-building was the one fact that disappointing me a little, I wished it was more concise and clear because it was really getting confusing to understand what was going one when Martin and Isabel were jumping from one portal to another.

Martin and Isabel formed a great team. I enjoyed how they tacked everything together. There was barely any romance in this book but I didn’t mind the attraction that shimmered between the two characters. The ending was bittersweet and I really wished it was different but that made this story more realistic and rooted to the ground.

Overall, The Keeper of Portals was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the plot, though it was complex at times and the characters were really well written. I liked the adventure and the action! The writing was easy to read and the pace was even throughout the book.

Recommend it?

Yes.

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I also got the opportunity to interview the author which was a lot of fun! So without further ado, here’s the…

Interview

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m married with two children and live in the English city of Winchester.

2. Describe your story to the readers in not more than 140 characters.

Two teenagers learn to step through portals and control time while battling the Keeper of Question in the 17th century and modern day.

3. Which authors were your inspiration?

I have a lot of favourite authors, but I’m unsure any have really inspired me. Story-wise, there are similarities between Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman, but I wouldn’t say they inspired me to write the story, I just decided to do it.

4. What do you love the most about our protagonist, Martin?

Martin is a snarky, reluctant hero whose people skills need a little work. What I love the most about him, though, is that he’s not particularly good at being the hero in the story. For the majority of it, Isabel is the one solving the problems and leaving Martin in her wake. Martin may be the protagonist, but really, it’s all about Isabel.

5. How do you develop your plots and characters?

Bit by bit. My plots and characters are like towers made from Lego bricks. I’ll work on them a bit, put them away from a while, then come back to them and build them up a bit more. Even when I think I’ve finished, I’m still adding bits while at the same time taking away other bits. Things never BANG! and appear for me, it’s always a slow creation process.

6. Do you have any unique or quirky writing habits?

Not at all! How dull… I write at my desk in the sweet time in the evening after my children have gone to bed and before I need to do the same. Like all authors, I have written on planes, trains, in hotels rooms and airport lounges, but most of the time I’m reclined in my chair, feet on my desk with the keyboard on my lap.

7. What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Don’t be shy about your work. Get as many people as possible to read it and listen to their feedback. A book is rarely the product of a single individual. Also, writing is not going to make you rich; so if you’re young and thinking of becoming a fiction writer, make sure you have a separate career to focus on as well!

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So guys, hope you enjoyed the interview! What do you think about this book? Do you want to read it?

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Title: A Monster Calls

Author: Patrick Ness

Standalone

Genre: Magic realism, [Middle-Grade]

Page Count and Format: 237 pages, Paperback

Published: May 7th, 2015 by Walker Books

Source: Purchased

My Rating:

Blurb (from Goodreads):Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.

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A Monster Calls was such a heart warming read and it was so unique at the same time. It’s very difficult to review a book like this without giving the entire thing away so this review is going to be short.

Conor doesn’t have many friends, especially after her mother got ill, he didn’t want to be pitied by other so he mostly stayed alone. But when the monster comes, he demands an answer from him, he wants the truth. Will Conor finally accept the truth and tell it?

This book had a unique blend of storytelling which made it hard to put it down. Conor’s mother is ill and he tries to put a brave face on as he faces the world. He faces bullying in school and then there’s the monster who won’t go away without knowing the truth that he demands from Conor. I liked the monster but I sometimes felt angry when he didn’t agree with Conor though I knew his intentions were quite… wise.

I simply loved the voice and the style of this book. The monster tells Conor a few particular stories before he tells him he wants one from him too. I really felt for Conor and I soo wish I could give him a hug. Although the story dealt with magic realism but it was deeply rooted in realism as well.

Overall, A Monster Calls was a heartfelt read. I loved the plot and the characters and well pretty much everything! The pace was even throughout the book. I definitely can’t wait to read more by this author.

Recommend it?

Yes.

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So guys what do you think about this book? Are you interested in reading it or have you already read it? If yes, what did you think about this book? Share your thoughts with me!

Review: The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes || Plus Interview!

Title: The Ugly Teapot

Author: Fred Holmes

Series: The Ugly Teapot, book 1: Hannah [Can be read as a standalone]

Genre: Magic Realism, [Middle Grade]

Heat Rating: N/A

Page Count and Format: 205 pages, Ebook

Published: March 30th 2016

Source: I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Bradbury loved her father so much that she worried about him constantly. After all, he was a photographer who traveled to the most dangerous places in the world.

To allay her fears, each time he came home he brought her silly gifts, each one with supposed magical powers: the Seal of Solomon, the Ring of Gyges, even Aladdin’s Lamp. It was that lamp Hannah found the most unbelievable, for it looked like an ugly teapot. Nevertheless, her father assured her it was real, and made her promise to save her three wishes for something very special.

Then . . . six months later . . . the unthinkable happened. Her father was killed while on assignment to Baghdad. And so on the day of his funeral Hannah did something she never thought she would ever do.

She took out that teapot and gave it a rub . . .

The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes is a timeless tale, filled with magic and adventure. More importantly, it will make you believe in the overwhelming power of love.

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I don’t usually read Middle Grade books, I don’t know why but I haven’t give it much a try. But something about this book called to me and I wanted to give it a try! I am sooo glad I said yes to read this book because this was such magical experience that I am never going to forget!

Hannah had received an ugly teapot from her father the year before that he had claimed to be magical. Now he is no more and Hannah can’t bear that fact. So with one last push she decides to test the teapot’s magical properties and try bringing her father back to life. And woosh! Within sometimes she is whisked into a magical adventure along with his father that is going to change her life forever. Well is she manages to make it back alive!

First of all, the plot was magical! I enjoyed it so, sooo much! I enjoyed every element of this story, it was so much fun to read about and I loved the fact that it was quite unpredictable. It managed to surprise me throughout the entire book. The magical realism part was handled really well and it was just so great! Hannah can’t imagine a world without her father who is a photographer and travels throughout the world. But when the unthinkable happens, Hannah feels crushed. I felt so bad for that little girl. I could understand the pain that she was going through. Nonetheless, every time Hannah’s dad came back from an assignment he bought something for Hannah and the last time he got her an ugly teapot which he claimed was Aladdin’s magic lamp. Hannah doesn’t believe in those things but this time she decided to take a leap of faith.

I enjoyed the adventure that Hannah embarked with her father so much. I adored Hannah. She was such a great character. I felt like a little girl myself, on an adventure while I was reading this book. The experience was surreal. Hannah was such a strong and caring character. She was ready to do anything for her dad whom she considered her hero. I can’t say much without giving out the story but you guys have to read this one, believe me!  All the characters were fleshed out really well, I liked Hannah’s dad. I could understand why Hannah loved her dad soo much. Despite the adventure with her father, the last portion where Hannah understood the bond which she shared with her mother made me cry. It was so heartfelt!

Overall, The Ugly Teapot was a fantastic read! I loved the plot from the very beginning and there was not a single dull moment in this book. It managed to hold my interest as one thing or the other was constantly happening. I adored the characters, especially Hannah! The writing beautiful and it felt like a vivid picture was painted in front of my eyes. The pace was fast and I loved the overall ride! This book changed my view on the middle grade category and I am definitely going to give MG more a try! Last but not the least, I am so excited to read the next adventure in this series!

Recommend it?

Yes!

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And now I present to you guys the lovely Q&A that I’m glad the author agreed to do! Without any further ado, here it is! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did!

Author Interview:

1. Describe your story to the readers in a line or two.

THE UGLY TEAPOT is the story of a young girl who goes on a magical adventure with her father. There is just one problem. Her father died a month ago.

2. Which authors were your inspiration?

There are so many authors I absolutely love it’s difficult to narrow them down. But high on my list would be Terry Pratchett, George R. R. Martin, Patrick Rothfus, and Neil Gaiman. The author who inspired TEAPOT was Ray Bradbury. He wrote a wonderful book called DANDELION WINE, and it is one of my favs. Years ago, a friend of mine was working with him on a movie version of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. The movie didn’t get made, but my friend got Mr. Bradbury to autograph a copy of DANDELION WINE for me, and it is one of my prize possessions. In homage to Mr. Bradbury, I named the town in TEAPOT Green Park, after the Green Town of DANDELION WINE, and I named my family Bradbury.

3. The Ugly Teapot is a pretty interesting story. How did you come up with such an intriguing idea?

The story sprang from tragedy. My brother died very young and his death was very difficult for me. That was decades ago, and I’m still not over it. I wanted to write a story that would accomplish two things: help me through my grief, and help others as well. The story itself came from my love of fairy tales. I wanted to write a timeless tale that had elements of the stories I read as a child, but had a modern sensibility. I enjoy urban fantasy, and am intrigued by the idea that magic exists all around us all of the time, we’ve just lost our ability to see it. I love stories like THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, that start in the real world, take you into a fantasy realm, then bring you back. If you’ve never read Joseph Campbell’s HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, you should. It talks about the commonality that exists in stories told all over the world, and is an excellent primer on the mythological structure of a story.

4. Are you as adventurous as Hannah’s father?

I do love a good adventure. It is one of the few pure joys in this world, in my opinion. I have been fortunate because my profession (I write and direct television documentaries, etc.) has taken me all over the world, and along the way I have had some pretty exciting adventures–more than I could possibly relate in this short interview! Some of these places were very dangerous, and I’ve had a few close calls, but I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

5. What was the most challenging aspect that you faced while writing The Ugly Teapot?

There were many challenges in writing TEAPOT, but one of the most challenging was keeping the real world and the fantasy world “in sync”. What I mean by this is that once Hannah completely immerses herself in the fantasy world, her link to the real world slips, such that time passes differently for her and her mother. I tried to make this disparity seamless, but if you look at the two timelines closely, you will see they do not match. This was by design.

6. What is the thing that you love the most about our protagonist Hannah?

I adore her bravery and tenacity and her willingness to risk death to save her father. But most of all, I love the fact that even though she was often terrified out of her wits, she never let this stop her from doing the right thing. This is something I believe we can all identify with. There is nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is nature’s way of telling us to be careful. But what separates the great from the mediocre is that the great continue on despite their fear. Perhaps this is why my favorite character in the HARRY POTTER series isn’t Harry Potter. It’s Hermione Granger. Not only did she have a brilliant mind, she was fearless. She weighed the odds, adopted a plan, and moved forward.

7. Are you working on any new project that the readers should be aware of?

Oh yes! I’m almost finished with the sequel to THE UGLY TEAPOT, and I love it even more than the first one. This is mainly because my new heroine is my homage to Hermione Granger. She is freaking brilliant, but also fearless–which is good because she faces some insurmountable odds. I can’t tell you any more than that, but if you enjoyed the first TEAPOT, you will adore the second!

(I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear that!!)

8. What is your advice for aspiring writers?

A lot of people will give you advice on character and conflict and on good writing habits. The internet is bulging with writers giving other writers advice. I prefer to talk about why you should write. And I guess I would want to say that as writers, our stories are our gifts to the next generation, so make them good gifts. In a world in which so many people use their creativity to harm others, be one of those who gives something of value to others. Write stories that serve a grand purpose—that spread joy and happiness. I know I probably sound like a hippy from the sixties, and if I do, thank you for the complement. But those of us who write have been given a unique opportunity. We get to create worlds that have never existed, and to populate those worlds with flesh and blood characters who go on to accomplish worthwhile goals. If you do your job right, people all over the world, people you will never meet, will be impacted by your stories in a positive way. And what a rare and beautiful gift that is!

You guys can check out the book trailer here.

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Author Bio:

THE UGLY TEAPOT is Fred Holmes’s first fiction novel, having previously ghost written a nonfiction book, LETTERS FROM DAD, published by Thomas Nelson. He is known primarily as a writer and director of films and television, working primarily in family films and children’s television. His work can be seen on Mary Lou Retton’s FLIP FLOP SHOP, BARNEY & FRIENDS, WISHBONE, HORSELAND, IN SEARCH OF THE HEROES, and many other shows, for which he has won two Emmys and three CINE Golden Eagles, among numerous other awards. He has also directed three feature films, including DAKOTA, starring Lou Diamond Phillips, distributed by Miramax, and HEART LAND, a Bollywood feature film shot on location in India. He lives with his wife and son in the southwest United States, and can be found online at http://www.flholmes.com.

Author Links:

Website || Facebook || Goodreads

Purchase Link:

Amazon

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