Spotlight: Get You the Moon by Hasnita Singh

Hi everyone! Today on the blog, we're shining a spotlight on GET YOU THE MOON  by Hasnita Singh, thanks to the fantastic team at Cherry Publishing who reached out to us about sharing it.. So without further ado, let's get into it!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Get You the Moon

Author: Hasnita Singh

Publisher: Cherry Publishing

Paperback, 277 Pages

Published July 2021

 Summary: Scarlet Bridge is beautiful, intelligent, and ambitious. In her final year of high school, she has five goals she wants to achieve before graduation, and she won’t let anything – or anyone – stand in her way. Not even everyone’s favorite golden boy, Levi Henare. Levi has it all – good looks, quick wit, and he is a rugby prodigy. And nothing gives him more pleasure than getting on Scarlet’s every last nerve. When Scarlet accidentally dials Levi’s phone number, a chain of events that neither of them expected is set into motion.  Thrown together by a twist of fate, will Levi and Scarlet overcome the challenges of their final year at school, their mutual dislike of each other, and their own personal demons to successfully graduate? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hasnita Kiran Singh is a twenty-one-year-old living in Auckland, New Zealand. As a university student, she spends most of her time procrastinating. As an Optical Assistant, she’ll do everything to convince you to get glasses. When she’s not writing (which is unfortunately too often), she can be found baking or trying out new restaurants. She loves her friends, being on time, and chocolate fondants as much as she loves reading. She is a proud member of the Draco Malfoy Defense Squad and a lover of the stars.⁠

Keep up with Hasnita: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Instagram

We'd like to thank Cherry Publishing for inviting us to share this spotlight today! If you're interested in GET YOU THE MOON, don't forget to add it to your TBR!

2021 Debut Author Interview: Emma Kress

In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!

At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Emma Kress and her novel DANGEROUS PLAY, and we have been interested in it ever since! We are so excited to have Emma on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

***Content Warning: This book discusses sexual assault and rape culture.

Photo Credit: Erin Summerill

Emma Kress loves writing about badass girls and her debut novel DANGEROUS PLAY (Macmillan, Summer 2021) is a fast-paced thriller about a team of field hockey players who refuse to accept the world as it is, and set out to change it. An educator of over 20 years, Emma was one of four finalists for New York State Teacher of the Year. She is a graduate of Vassar College, Columbia University’s Teachers College, and the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program. Before teaching, Emma worked in social services helping survivors of sexual assault. Now, she lives with her family in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Keep up with Erin: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads / Facebook / TikTok

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?

Emma: Wild. I consider myself to be a chemically-blessed, stable person and yet…I’m pretty sure I feel every emotion every day. It’s a wild thing to get to give this gift of holding a book I wrote in my hands to that 10-year-old self who so wanted to be a published author. All. The. Feels. 

The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?

Emma: The best part about writing is being IN the writing. I adore those days where you’re far enough into the project and you truly inhabit your characters and their world, allowing the rest of the world—especially this year—to fall away. It’s an incredible, magical experience that always leaves me feeling deeply fulfilled. Writing is deeply challenging so there are a lot of hard parts. I’ve always believed, however, that there’s great pleasure in aspiration—in engaging with a hard task. So, part of the fun is the hard. But I think one of the harder things for me that doesn’t really fall into the aspirational pleasure category, is the solitary piece. I don’t mean alone time—oh my goodness, I need and crave alone time, this year more than ever. Rather, I mean that it’s easy for self-doubt to creep in. While I’ve assembled an incredible support team in my editor, agent, critique partners, friends, and family, the problems are still yours and yours alone to solve.

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for DANGEROUS PLAY?

Emma: I began writing Dangerous Play in 2014, before #MeToo. At the time, there were several wonderful YA books that explored the journeys of survivors of rape, but there weren’t any that addressed different sexual assault or rape culture. As a former sexual violence peer counselor and activist, this troubled me. I also began to notice that while there were some amazing books about girl athletes—particularly girls who were trying to find their way in male-dominated sports—there weren’t any books honoring that special friendship that comes from being on a sports team. Thankfully, now this has changed (see these wonderful 2021 debut novels featuring fierce, athletic girls: In the Same Boat, by Holly Green, and The Knockout, by Sajni Patel). But those two observations were percolating for a while. Then, while I was in the middle of writing something else entirely, this fierce team of field hockey players showed up demanding to be heard…so I listened. 

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?

Emma: Well, I love the main character Zoe. She begins fierce on the field, but timid in life, and I loved following her journey as she tried to claim space in all areas of her life. Truly, I love every girl on the team. But probably the most fun to write was Aunt Jacks, a dear friend of Zoe’s mom. She’s irreverent and inappropriate, funny and feminist, and everything she said flowed so easily. Zoe’s mom might have been the hardest to write. There is a lot of nuance in their mother-daughter relationship and it took a lot of passes to communicate that properly to the reader.

The Book Bratz: What surprised you the most about the publishing process?

Emma: This goes back to your first question, but I don’t think I expected to feel so many emotions. I think I just expected joy. But it’s all so much more nuanced than that. It’s a deeply moving experience to have worked for this moment for so many years, to have dreamed of it for so many more. It’s also the first time this work that I’ve been doing mainly in seclusion for my whole life is finally getting into the world, which is scary and strange. And, to top it all off, I’m debuting in a pandemic. So yeah. There are a LOT of feels. 

The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from DANGEROUS PLAY? 

Emma: I hope that this book finds the readers who need it. I hope this book helps them feel seen, heard, and empowered. My grand hope is that in ten years, rape culture and misogyny are gone and this reads like historical rather than contemporary fiction. But I also think power and powerlessness are enduring issues. I think even if we were to solve societal inequities (and wow there’s a lot to do there), there will likely always be individual feelings of powerlessness. In many ways, this book is a blueprint of hope for those moments of powerlessness. 

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of DANGEROUS PLAY in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?

Emma: I feel really good about where I’ve left the team and characters of Dangerous Play. That said, I adore the team and it might be fun to tackle future books from the perspectives of different team members. As for what I’m working on right now—I can’t tell you much, but, like Dangerous Play, you can bet it’s feminist, funny, and fierce.

Title: Dangerous Play

Author: Emma Kress

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: August 3rd, 2021

Summary: Zoe Alamandar has one goal: win the State Field Hockey Championships and earn a scholarship that will get her the hell out of Central New York. She and her co-captain Ava Cervantes have assembled a fierce team of dedicated girls who will work hard and play by the rules. But after Zoe is sexually assaulted at a party, she finds a new goal: make sure no girl feels unsafe again. Zoe and her teammates decide to stop playing by the rules and take justice into their own hands. Soon, their suburban town has a team of superheroes meting out punishments, but one night of vigilantism may cost Zoe her team, the championship, her scholarship, and her future.

Thank you so much to Emma for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about DANGEROUS PLAY and can't wait for it to be out in the world on August 3rd! 

2021 Debut Author Interview: Margot Wood!

In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!

At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. When we found out that Margot Wood, one of our YA *heroes*, had a book coming out this year, we couldn't wait to talk to her about it. So without further ado, we are *so* excited to have Margot on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

Margot Wood is the founder of Epic Reads and has worked in marketing for more than a decade at publishing houses both big and small. Born and raised in Cincinnati, and a graduate of Emerson College, Wood now lives in Portland, Oregon. She once appeared as an extra in the Love, Simon movie.

Keep up with Margot: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?

Margot: It feels amazing! I only get to be a debut author once and I’ve had a wonderful, extremely rewarding experience so far. 

The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?

Margot: My favorite part of the writing process is writing dialogue. I have no formal writing education so I leaned on my experience with acting and theatre when I set out to write this book. For every new scene, I would write the dialogue first and later went back in and filled everything else in. The hardest part of writing for me is plotting. I’m more of a character-driven writer so plots don’t come naturally to me. 

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for FRESH?

Margot: Fresh was inspired by my own experiences as a freshman in college as well as Emma by Jane Austen. Your freshman year is such a wild and messy time with so much change and growth in such a short period of time and I really wanted to explore this specific experience in young people’s lives. And as for Emma, I love the idea of charming characters who mean well but don’t always do well and Emma Woodhouse is the epitome of that archetype. It’s one of my favorite comedies of all time and while Fresh is only loosely based on Emma (aka not a direct retelling), I wanted to honor my fave by writing a modern, queer spin on it. 

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?

Margot: Elliot is obviously my favorite because the whole book is narrated from her perspective, so besides Elliot my favorite characters to write were Elliot’s core group of friends as well as her younger sister, Remy! The most difficult character to write was probably Rose Knightley, Elliot’s resident adviser. I kept making her too likeable from the beginning which didn’t help with tension building at all, so I had to go back a few times during the editing process and make her more of a foil for Elliot instead of a friend. 

The Book Bratz: Do you feel like your vast experience in publishing affected your writing process in any way?

Margot: I was making were choices that might turn off some readers. Like the narration style and its use of footnotes. A lot of people hate footnotes and there are 90 of them in Fresh so I knew going in right away that some readers weren’t going to like the style of the book. Another example would be setting the book in college. I know from my background in publishing that YA books set in college are difficult to sell because people don’t know where to place them. Are they young adult or adult or new-adult? I really want 18–24-year-old stories to thrive which is why I chose to set Fresh in college in the first place instead of high school but I also knew that by doing so I was making it more difficult for my book to sell. Hopefully it can overcome those hurdles!

The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from FRESH? 

Margot: More than anything, I want readers to have fun when reading my book. It’s written to be a fun, escapist, good-time book that’s perfect for those who are in reading slumps or just want something funny to blast through in one sitting or two. Fresh does touch on some more serious topics like sexual assault, but at the end of the day it’s a comedy. It’s meant to be fizzy and bright and chaotic and fun. 

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of FRESH in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?

Margot: I’m always down for more Elliot McHugh shenanigans but for now it’s a standalone story. As for what I’m working on next, that’s a good question because I have like five new book ideas in my mind and I haven’t committed to any of them yet. The plan is to dive into those as soon as Fresh is out so hopefully I’ll have more of an update on that after Fresh is out!

Title: Fresh

Author: Margot Wood

Publisher: Amulet Books

Hardcover, 352 Pages

Publication Date: August 3rd, 2021

Summary: Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe.

Thank you so much to Margot for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about FRESH and can't wait for it to be out in the world on August 3rd! You can also check our reviews of the book, coming soon!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu!

 

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine where we highlight some of the upcoming books we can't wait to read! 

Title: The Donut Trap
Author: Julie Tieu
Publisher: Avon

Paperback, 368
Publication Date: November 2nd, 2021

Summary: Jasmine Tran has landed herself behind bars—maple bars that is. With no boyfriend or job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. She wants to break free from her daily grind, but when a hike in rent threatens the survival of their shop, her parents rely on her more than ever. Help comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai. Not only is he successful and easy on the eyes, to her parents’ delight, he’s also Chinese. He’s everything she should wish for, until a disastrous dinner reveals Alex isn’t as perfect as she thinks. Worse, he doesn’t think she’s perfect either. With both sets of parents against their relationship, a family legacy about to shut down, and the reappearance of an old high school flame, Jasmine must scheme to find a solution that satisfies her family’s expectations and can get her out of the donut trap once and for all.

I heard of this book when Book Twitter was raving about it nonstop, so of course, I had to add it to my TBR and see for myself! I'm a huge fan of sweet, contemporary rom-coms, and as expected, the cover is already making me crave donuts. I can't wait for November 2nd to roll around (which is also mine and my boyfriend's anniversary!), so maybe I can convince him to get me this sweet read to celebrate! 

What are you waiting on this week? Leave your links so we can stop back! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Read In One Sitting

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl in which we create bookish lists about everything from our favorite characters to love triangles and everything in between! 

This Week's Theme: Books I Read in One Sitting

    

    

What were some books on your list this week!? Leave your TTT link below so we can stop back! 

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Moon Shadow by K. Rea

The Moon Shadow
K. Rea
(The Wolfrik Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: February 3rd 2021
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

AN EXILED WOLF.
A VAMPIRE PRINCE.
A LOVE THAT WILL BRING A COURT TO ITS KNEES.
——————————————-

When Evelyn Wolfrik, an exiled wolf-shifter, walked into a Court of Shadows nightclub she had one plan — find the vampire that executed her parents, put a dagger in his heart, and get out.

Being caught by Aiden Kensley, the dark vampire prince, before she could exact justice wasn’t part of the plan. Now that the little wolf is in his hands, Aiden refuses to let her go….

With a wolf rebellion rising, if Evelyn makes one wrong move the Court of Shadows, her people, and her heart could be lost forever.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

One second [Aiden and Jude] were huddled in the semidarkness; the next, a ring of fire surrounded them. Then their swords were aflame

Musicians beat out a rhythm on the drums. Jude and Aiden touched blades briefly, then, as the music shifted, so did they. They turned into two men fighting tooth and nail against each other, with each other, for each other. One went high, the other low; their sparring a dance. They went round and round. The flames circled higher and closer than I expected. Still, they dueled. I saw as Jude stumbled. Jolie gasped, and one of Jude’s swords went flying. The crowd cheered as his other sword was also knocked away with a flick of Aiden’s wrist.

Jude stepped away from Aiden. Aiden stepped back in turn, allowing Jude to back away unscathed. Jude melted into the darkness, yet Aiden’s swords kept moving, never stopping. The fire appeared to engulf him but didn’t stop. His swords spun and danced around him, giving him the illusion of wings made of flame until suddenly they were gone. The entire circle pitched into complete darkness and silence as the drums ended. The crowd cheered, I alongside them as my eyes adjusted to change in light.

The black figure that was Aiden strode toward me. With the swords in his hands, sure-footed, unmarked, and smelling of hot metal, he wrapped his arms around me carefully and kissed me soundly. The clapping and delight from the fae around us rose into a happy ruckus. He slipped into his shirt, then maneuvered us through the fae to the other side of the clearing, away from the bonfire and into the shadows…

Author Bio:

K. Rea is a part-time romance writer and full-time mom. When she isn't writing or playing with her daughter, she's reading and crafting. She lives with her husband and family in Florida.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

We'd like to thank the team over at Xpresso for allowing us to be a part of this book blitz! If THE MOON SHADOW sounds like the type of book you'd be interested in, don't forget to add it to your TBR!

2021 Debut Author Interview: Michelle I. Mason!

In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and to spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun for years to come! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2021 debuts and chat with them about their writing process and what it's like to be a new author. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats, and more!

At the end of 2020, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Michelle I. Mason and her novel YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, and we have been interested in it ever since! We are so excited to have Michelle on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

Michelle I. Mason is the author of Your Life Has Been Delayed, forthcoming from Bloomsbury in 2021, as well as a second untitled young adult novel in 2022. Michelle spent ten years as a PR manager promoting everything from forklift rodeos to Hotel Olympics before deciding she’d rather focus on made-up stories. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, watching too much TV, cross-stitching, baking amazing brownies, or playing the violin. Michelle lives in St. Louis with her husband, two kids, a dog, and two cats.

Keep up with Michelle: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?

Michelle: Thank you so much! As for how it feels--amazing and terrifying and surreal and so many other emotions wrapped up all together. I queried six books over seven years before YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, and then signing with my agent and editor was a whirlwind. Fast forward two and half years later and… it’s here? That’s the surreal part. You’re not completely sure it’s happening until it does, but I have an Advance Reading Copy sitting on my desk. It’s real. It’s amazing. But it’s also terrifying, because now I’m giving the book to actual readers to either love or hate, and I know there will be some of both.

The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?

Michelle: For me, the best part is revising. I hate drafting, and it took quite a while to find a system that worked for me to get a working draft of a manuscript finished. When I finish a first draft, there’s celebrating—with cupcakes. After that, though, I’m in my happy writing place. I could revise over and over. Probably best for me not to read my finished book, as I will likely still want to revise it.

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED?

Michelle: I’ve always been fascinated by time travel, from when I first watched all the Back to the Future movies. Then, a few years ago, I tagged along on my husband’s business trip to Australia. On our return flight, we left Sydney on Feb. 27 at 11:30 a.m. and arrived in L.A. on Feb. 27 at 5:35 a.m. Sure, we were flying across international time zones, but it felt like traveling back in time. And I thought: What if you got on a plane, but when you landed it was many years later? You’re still the same age, but everyone else has moved on. The rest of the story just came from that central idea.

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?

Michelle: Jenny, the main character, was my favorite to write, perhaps because I spend the whole book inside her head and know her better than any of them. It was a journey to figure out how she would react to all the awful situations I threw at her and help her find ways to grow and adapt in unbelievable circumstances. As for most difficult, the answer to that is a bit spoilery. I rewrote the ending a few times, and there’s a character who has a significant role in the climax. It was tricky getting that character’s motivations and actions just right.

The Book Bratz: Are there any other books or authors who give you inspiration for your own writing?

Michelle: I grew up reading romance novels, and you wouldn’t believe how many time travel romance novels there are! One in particular I remember was called Breath of Magic by Teresa Medeiros, about an aspiring witch who traveled to the 20th century. While it’s very different from my own book, I still recall how funny and awkward and strange it was for the character to navigate different technology, fashion and life, and I remembered how that book felt as I was writing. My favorite genre to read now is YA contemporary—or sometimes light sci-fi or fantasy. Some of my favorite authors are Ally Carter, Kasie West, and Marissa Meyer, along with new favorite Debbie Rigaud. And I also really enjoy historical YA like Stacey Lee or how The Lady Janies twist it. I’ve read some really outstanding books by other debut authors this year that I know are going to turn into favorites as well.

The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED? 

Michelle: YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED is about a crazy time jump and all the ways the world has changed, but it’s also about all the ways it’s still the same. Like how finding people you trust and holding onto them is what will get you through the unexpected things life throws at you. But I also hope readers just leave the book thinking, “Wow, that went by fast!” Those are always my favorites 😊.

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?

Michelle: YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED is a stand-alone novel, and I don’t have any plans to return to the world (although those other passengers have some interesting stories!). I have another stand-alone YA novel coming in 2022 with Bloomsbury, and I’ll share more about it as soon as I can! Until then, I hope you enjoy YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED, arriving in bookstores September 7th! Thank you again for having me and showcasing so many debut authors!

Title: Your Life Has Been Delayed

Author: Michelle I. Mason

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Hardcover, 304 Pages

Publication Date: September 7th, 2021

Summary: Jenny Waters boards her flight in 1995, but when she lands, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared . . . 25 years ago. Everyone thought they were dead. Now contending with her family and friends fast-forwarding decades, Jenny must quickly adjust to smartphones and social media while being the biggest story to hit the internet. She feels betrayed by her once-best friend and fights her attraction to a cute boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past. Meanwhile, there’s a growing group of conspiracy theorists determined to prove the whole situation is a hoax. Will Jenny figure out how to move forward, or will she always be stuck in the past?

Thank you so much to Michelle for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED and can't wait for it to be out in the world on September 7th -- and be on the lookout for Jessica's review of the book, coming soon!