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Interview with James Hill – Student, basketball player, musician

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Author Scott Cramer turns into Coach Scott at the YMCA, coaching basketball in an 11-14 year old coed league.  One of my players, James Hill, weighs in on NOPM.

About how many books do you read a year?

A headache worth of them, thats what. To me, that’s counting the number of letters in this interview. Not going to happen.

What is your favorite book of all time?

That’s a hard question to answer, to tell you the truth. As far as fiction books, Scott’s is an amazing story, and will easily please countless science fiction readers.

Favorite ice cream?

I love ice cream. Personally, I prefer black raspberry.

What is the next book you plan to read?

That’s the thing. I never know, they sort of come to me. I know that once I hear the second book in the trilogy coming out, I’ll be chasing after Scott’s tailends (Not that I have actually SEEN him wear a suit) for a few copies.

You read Night of the Purple Moon. What kind of star rating would you give it?

Five out of five. I love the suspense in it, even though it drives me insane not knowing what will happen next. The thing I like most about it is the fact that it’s original;
Countless other books out there just copy the same stuff over and over again, offering nothing new to read.

Do you have a favorite part?

The whole book, pretty much. After a few chapters or so, you especially get into the story, and get a feel for it. After then, you can’t stop reading, sometimes for fear that when you turn around a purple mist crowds the room, and…

What would you do if a comet came and visited us and you woke up the next day and we were all dead, the adults?

Wipe the dust off my microscope and get to work, thats what. Also, of course, take out my telescope too.

Could you guess how it would end?

Not really. Honestly, I was too busy being worried sick over them all.

Would you recommend this book?

How could I not! I’ve already asked Scott for 4 or so more books to give as gifts. It’s a novel worth to novel at.

***

THANK YOU JAMES. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT – Coach Scott

 

 

Mandy(I read Indie) Anderson reviews Night of the Purple Moon

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“Puberty was a ticking time bomb planted in each and every teen. The older you were the louder and faster it ticked.”

The night the comet streaked across the sky was the beginning of the end. Everyone was looking forward to it and the 2 weeks of having a purple moon. What no one imagined was the destruction it left behind: death to all those that are over the age of puberty.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Me not being absolutely crazy about books that come from younger kids perspectives; I found it really wasn’t so bad. Only a handful of the kids were annoying and luckily we don’t have to deal much with them. I will also mention that there is also a lot of sad moments in the book that will tug at your heart strings.

Read review

Sophie delivers her verdict on NOPM

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The Verdict – Overall I highly enjoyed the book. The authors pitched the age group just right, mixing in death, Apocalypse, love, loss, responsibility, adolescence and teenage rebellion all into a solid story-line. As such, I think many young teens would identify with the characters and themes discussed in the book, as well as being entertained by an imaginative and gripping plot. 3.5* Stars.

The above is only the last paragraph of the review. Sophie wrote quite an extensive review.

Sci Fi Promo & Rafflecopter!

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Join me and a group of talented authors for a Sci Fi Spotlight. Check out the books that will be available at incredible prices or free by clicking this image.

You can enter our Rafflecopter giveaway NOW! To enter to win autographed books, Amazon gift cards and more…just click here to join in the fun.

Then come back on the 26th for FREE and 99 cent books from some of the most talented independent authors around.

Top ten kick-ass heroines – from YA YEAH YEAH (Abby @ #5)

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1. Kat (The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series by Stephanie Burgis) – These are technically in no order, but Kat is possibly my favourite ever heroine. Loyal to her family, she’s a wonderful friend and a ferocious enemy, as well as being brilliant at magic. Considering she’s still only about thirteen in the last book, that’s pretty stunning.

2. Verity/Maddie (Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein) – As always, am saying as little as possible about CNV due to being petrified of spoiling it, but anyone who’s been reading my blog this year could guess this would be here. Two incredible young women with a wonderful friendship.

3. Brianna (Gone series by Michael Grant) – I could have picked a couple of people from this series, but it’s Brianna who’s always been my favourite. At an age when dealing with growing up is hard enough, she’s also trying to control super speed, fight the bad guys, and deal with people she wasn’t expecting to be interested in her having feelings for her. A stunning portrayal.

4. Larissa (Department 19 series by Will Hill) – Larissa, eternally seventeen after being turned into a vampire two years prior to the start of the series, is a kick-ass heroine with real bite. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

5. Abby (Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer) – As the leader of the kids on the island in this harrowing dystopian book, Abby does an amazing job of keeping her community together after the deaths of all the adults.

6. Margo Roth Spiegelman (Paper Towns by John Green) – I’m keeping it to one per author, so Margo edges out Green’s nearly-as-awesome Alaska. Right from the moment she crawls into Q’s window, dressed in black and wearing black face paint, she’s a fabulous character.

7. Gloria (Flappers series by Jillian Larkin) – Hard to choose one from the central trio here, but Gloria’s forbidden interracial romance with Jerome is so well-handled that I’ll give her the nod.

8. Lottie Biggs (Lottie Biggs series by Hayley Long) – Lottie is a stunning creation who is just a joy to read about. Her courageous battle with mental health issues in the first book, Lottie Biggs Is (Not) Mad, is especially well-handled.

9. Meg (The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald) – As with Flappers, this is a book with three brilliant lead female characters. Meg, who’s quiet and often overlooked but really grows during the one night the book takes place in, is my favourite.

10. Princess Eilonwy (The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander) – Most of the children’s fantasy novels from the 60s, 70s and 80s that I can remember had some strong male characters but relatively few really good female leads. Eilonwy bucks that trend, being far more than ‘just’ a love interest to Taran in this wonderful sequence.

Go to Ya Yeah Yeah

 

First customer review on Amazon Germany

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5 – star… and quite impressive if the Bing Translator did its job. A huge DANKE to this German reader.

In Night of the Purple Moon geht es darum, dass ein Komet nah an der Erde vorbei fliegt. Die Vorfreude ist groß, denn es wird ein spektakuläres Himmelsbild mit einem “Purple Moon” erwartet. Doch als das junge Mädchen Abby am nächsten Morgen aufwacht, sind alle Erwachsenen tot, sie und ihre Geschwister entdecken bald, dass auch ältere Jugendliche betroffen sind, sobald sie in die Pupertät eintreten, fangen die vom Kometen mitgebrachte Krankheitserreger an zu wirken. Auch Abby und ihr Bruder sind nahe an der Pupertät, genauso, wie viele andere junge Leute aus der Nachbarschaft, mit denen sie sich zusammenschließen. Doch ein paar Erwachsene in hoch gesicherten Forschungslaboren haben begonnen, einen Impfstoff zu entwickeln, die Frage ist nun: Wer wird bis zur Fertigstellung noch leben?

Die Geschichte ist sehr spannend geschrieben, es ist ein richtiger Wettlauf gegen die Zeit. Das relativ kurze Buch hat man deshalb auch recht schnell gelesen und es hinterlässt einen bleibenden Eindruck. Besonders gefallen hat es mir, wie sich Jugendliche und Kinder zusammenschließen, um zu überleben. Im Kontrast dazu, wird aber auch immer wieder angedeutet, dass es nicht überall so harmonisch ist, sondern dass in anderen Gegenden Babys verhungern und die Schwächeren beklaut und misshandelt werden. Die Katastrophe bringt also gute und schlechte Seiten bei den Kindern und Jugendlichen hervor. Die Hauptpersonen überzeugen ebenfalls und man durchlebt Höhen und Tiefen mit ihnen. Beim Buch steht, dass es Teil einer Trilogie ist, es kann aber auch als einzelnes abgeschlossenes Werk gelesen werden.

 

 

Life is better with Books. Verdict: Recommended

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I think this book would go really well in a Civics or American History class. Students could use a disaster like the one in the book as a springboard to discuss how to rebuild society. There would definitely need to be changes made in government if people didn’t live past the age of 18. (That’s not a spoiler by the way.) It could provide some interest in studying several different types of governments.

See more of the verdict