Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts

Friday, April 20, 2012

Socialpunk: Review


When I was asked to participate in the blog tour for Monica Leonelle’s book Socialpunk I knew that I definitely wanted to read the book and write a review. I mean, if I’m promoting this book I should probably know what it’s about, haha.

 

Read a brief synopsis and an excerpt of Socialpunk [HERE].
Read an interview with the author, Monica Leonelle [HERE].

I’m not a sci-fi person and I don’t know if a cyberpunk book would be my first choice when picking my next book to read. With that being said, I was intrigued when I read the synopsis and prologue to Socialpunk.

One of the things I liked about the book was that it immediately grabbed my attention and held it through the entire book.  It was an easy, and fairly short read; it clocked in at 180 pages on my Nook.

The story follows Ima on an adventure when she finds out her world is not what it seems. Like Monica said in her interview, Ima really grows as a character throughout the book; that was one of the things I really liked. Her early years were filled with adversity so in the beginning of the book she was more of an invisible girl. When Vaughn comes up to her and says, “If you want to live, come with me.” things start to change.

I loved the creativity and details that went in to describing the city and surroundings. It created a picture in my head of what it was like, especially when Ima was seeing it for the first time.

Here’s another short excerpt that is a great example of that exactly:

A woman with long purple eyelashes, who kind of reminded Ima of a butterfly, brushed by Ima with tattooed art entirely covering both her arms. One of the tattoos started out as a young boy who grew just a little older with each second, until he looked like a man. To Ima’s amazement, the tattoo played like a home video.

Ima looked at Vaughn for explanation. “How—?”

“Pixel skin-grafts,” Vaughn whispered into ima’s ear. “Some people do their entire bodies in them. Doesn’t do much in terms of protection, but lets you change your outfit on a Clout.”

I would recommend this book and I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the trilogy, Socialmob, when it comes out in July. The story ended so abruptly with a cliffhanger that threw me for a loop. If I could change one thing it would be the end, because it just seemed to cut off. But I guess that’s one way to keep people coming back for more. The series will wrap up with Socialhood, in October.

Let me know if you read Socialpunk and what you think of it!

Check out the Socialpunk Trilogy.

Buy Socialpunk:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Click to enter the blog tour giveaway by Monica:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Socialpunk: Interview

I interviewed Monica Leonelle, via email, as a part of the blog tour for her new book Socialpunk.
See my first post [HERE] with a brieft synopsis and excerpt from the book.

 

Me: When did you start writing?
Monica: I've been writing forever! I write a ton almost every day, as it turns out. Writing is the way I express myself, so I just fell into it naturally.

Me: What was your motivation?
Monica: I started a Gen Y blog in 2007 called Twenty Set. It actually gained quite a bit of steam early on, but eventually I moved away from Gen Y topics. The reason I started that blog, though, is because I couldn't clear my mind! I literally just needed to get things out of my system. So I wrote that blog 4-5 times a week for about six months until my ideas stop churning so quickly. My love for writing as an adult grew out of that experience.

Me: Where did the idea of Socialpunk come from? 
Monica: I was inspired by the city of Chicago, by social media issues in our current world, and by the cyberpunk genre. The book is a bit like the Terminator series and I reference that a couple times just for fun. James Cameron is basically my favorite director ever, and he really inspires me with his world-building and storytelling skills.

Me: Who is your favorite character in Socialpunk?
Monica: I would have to say Ima is my favorite character, as she's the main character and the book is told entirely from her point of view. What I love about her is how much she changes from the beginning of the book to the end. She feels very guilty and is constantly struggling with right vs. wrong. She's probably one of my favorite characters out of all the ones I've written.

Me: Were any of the characters inspired by people in your own life?
Monica: Nasser was slightly inspired by my own approach toward leadership (why I shouldn't be a leader!). Nahum was inspired by a major crush I had in 4th grade, haha. No one else is similar to anyone I know in real life.

Me: Right now, what are your favorite book and movie?
Monica: Hmm, I guess I would have to say I love this movie called Flipped. It's a love story and totally cute. My favorite book is harder to pick, since I don't read as much fiction as I'd like to these days! I really enjoy Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater. I'm reading their stuff most recently.

Me: What is one book that everyone should read?
Monica: When I was a kid I loved this book called The Girl With the Silver Eyes. [HERE] is the exact cover of the book I had. 
It's one of my absolute favorite YA novels, and, surprise! Maggie Stiefvater loves that book too. This was the first novel that made me want to write fantasy and science fiction.

Me: Besides writing and reading, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Monica: I'm training for the marathon right now! I also love to eat and travel. Eating is the worst habit, lol. Hence, the marathon training.

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Monica: A writer, I guess! I consider myself grown up at this point. I'm 28 years old, so I feel very independent and confident in my life choices.

Me: What is one of your biggest dreams? What are you doing to go after it?
Monica: I would love to get a serialized fiction series going. I plan to start outlining fairly soon, hopefully the end of April.  It's a challenge though, because everything has to be outlined before I start so all the delicious foreshadowing happens. Plus, I have no idea if people will buy serialized fiction. But I'm willing to take a chance.

Thanks Monica for the interview! Check back later this week for my review of Socialpunk!

Buy Socialpunk:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Click to enter the blog tour giveaway by Monica:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, April 29, 2011

Fashion Friday: Michelle Williams

I absolutely love the photos of Michelle Williams for Interview May 2011! Michelle was photographed by Mikael Jannson and wore retro inspired looks [Fendi, Nina Ricci and Prada] styled by Karl Templer.






source

Friday, September 10, 2010

Fashion Friday: Blake Lively

Blake Lively Goes To Jail

The Gossip Girl is behind bars in the cover story of Interview magazine's September issue. Photographer: Craig McDean.









Friday, September 3, 2010

Fashion Friday: Rachel Zoe

Rachel Zoe died for fashion in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar.

"Rachel's energy is electrifying? ...And often shocking!" Marc Jacobs

"The perfect accessory can make the difference between looking blah and totally to die for." Michael Kors

"I only want to kill Rachel when I don't land one of her fabulous clients for the Oscars!" Vera Wang

"Death by Stilleto? I can't image a better way to go." Brian Atwood

"I would die for Rachel's vintage archive." Francisco Costa