Today I’m very excited to be interviewing Keris Stainton. Keris started out as a blogger and has fully embraced Twitter with a brilliant online presence. Earlier this year she set up Authors for Japan in response to the devastation caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami raising over £12,000 in the process. On top of that she’s Mum to two gorgeous boys and author of two fab young adult novels; Della Says OMG which came out last year and her latest release Jessie Hearts NYC.

Amanda: Jessie is your second young adult novel; why did you decide to write for this audience?

Amanda: How does it feel to have your second book published and if your sixteen year old self was reading it what do you think she’d say?

Keris: A love letter to New York, first love and fate. And food. There’s lots of food.

Keris: Oh wow. My ideal day. Um, it would start with breakfast in a diner – maybe the Tick Tock Diner on 8th Avenue, which I’ve been meaning to go to for years, but still haven’t managed. I’d eat enough to keep me going until mid-afternoon (in theory) and then I’d get on a bus tour. I’ve been to New York five times and so shouldn’t really keep doing the touristy things, but I love ‘em. The bus tours are great and such an easy and entertaining way to get around. I’d get off in Greenwich Village and have a wander and then I might have a mooch around Central Park before popping to Serendipity III for a frozen hot chocolate mid-afternoon. I’d have to go to Top of the Rock again because it’s just so glamorous and gorgeous and then if there was one showing I’d see a film in Bryant Park and eat a picnic tea from WichCraft. Would a martini and oysters at Grand Central Station be too much late at night? (Would they even still be serving?) It’s my perfect day, so let’s pretend they are. And then a cab back to Hotel on Rivington, which I’ve been gazing at online for a few years now. I’d like this room please.

Keris: If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz, which inspired the character of Finn. Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys, which inspired me to write when I couldn’t get going. New York by They Might Be Giants, which is just perfect for Jessie and Finn’s story: “But the best thing about New York City is you and me.”

Amanda: Jessie and Finn’s story is so romantic; who are your favourite literary romantic hero and heroine and why?

Keris: Oh I’m going to be boring again and go with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Just perfectly swoonworthy.

Amanda: I agree! Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing?

Keris: My favourite YA author is Meg Cabot. I’m not sure how she’s influenced my writing but I love her enthusiasm, support of other writers, and outrageous range of ideas. My favourite adult author is Armistead Maupin. His Tales of the City series got me through a very difficult time in my life.

Amanda: And finally … what can we expect next from Keris Stainton?

Keris: I’m afraid I can’t say yet … but almost certainly romantic locations and hot boys will be involved.

Can’t wait! Thanks Keris and good luck with your next projects!

You can follow Keris on Twitter @Keris and find out more about Keris and her books at: http://www.keris-stainton.com/

July was a busy month in terms of reading and the huge number of fab releases that came out. I managed to pack in nine books which is my monthly record for this year! My ‘to read’ pile is still huge but I’m steadily and happily working my way through it!

The nine books I read were:

July book of the month

The Raising by Lauren Kasischke

Working it Out by Nicola May

All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan

From London With Love by Jemma Forte

Maidens’ Trip by Emma Smith

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

Incubus by Carol Goodman

Lessons in Laughing Out Loud by Rowan Coleman

Sometimes it Happens by Pauline Barclay

All but one of these were paperbacks with just one Kindle book … I need to spend more time with my Kindle! Six of these were new releases for July. I’ve found it really difficult to choose a book of the month for July; I rated four of the books I read with my top 5/5 rating and I’ve been in a total dilemma trying to pick a favourite but I’ve finally chosen From London with Love because I think it’s such a lovely summer read and it made me laugh out loud!

As well as reading lots I was lucky to be invited by the lovely Headline team to interview Sheila O’Flanagan on Twitter which was great fun and I also interviewed Nicola May on the blog.

July's most popular review!

The top three most popular reviews on the site for July were:

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon
About Last Night by Adele Parks
To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

‘Paige Toon’ was top search closely followed by Adele Parks. This month I thought I’d take a look at the more unusual search terms that brought people to the site. My favourites are: “book black page edges”, “female antique appraiser discovers secret”, “book about a girl who loses her job and moves to Brighton” and “prom queen dies in car crash” – extra kudos to readers who correctly identify the books from those

August is going to be an interesting month for me as my baby is due at the end of the month so I might have to take a little blogging break at any time … or I could still be waiting to meet the little man in September! I’ll keep you posted but look out for reviews of Bad Girls by Rebecca Chance, A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James and What You Don’t Know by Lizzie Enfield. I’ll also be interviewing the lovely Keris Stainton very soon!

Happy Reading!

Jessie’s just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they find each other?

I’d been looking forward to reading Jessie ♥ NYC for a long time and I was so excited when Keris tweeted to say that the book had been released early that I burned the crumpets in my haste to order it! Having got my hands on it, I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Jessie ♥ NYC is the most romantic book I’ve read so far this year and I absolutely loved the combination of my favourite city with great characters and a story that proves that some things are just meant to be.

Main character Jessie heads to New York to spend the summer with her Mum, taking her best friend Emma along for the adventure. I warmed to Jessie and Emma straight away; Keris has really captured the teenage friendship well and as with her debut novel Della Says OMG! has created a lead character that a lot of girls will identify with. Jessie worries about her love life, her future and her relationship with her parents, particularly her Mum who she feels has always put her career first and abandoned her to move to New York.

Although Jessie gets her name on the front of the book, the story concentrates equally on New Yorker Finn with alternating chapters initially focussing on Jessie and and Finn in turn. Finn has his own set of issues which are very similar to Jessie’s; he’s in love with the wrong girl (his best freind’s girlfriend) and the expectations of his family are putting a lot of pressure on his decisions about his future at college. As with Jessie and Emma, Keris has written the friendship between Finn and his best friend Scott well and really seems to have captured the mindset of the male characters in a believable way.

I loved the way that the two strands to the story kept overlapping whilst the two main characters were barely aware of each other – the book reminded me of one of my own favourite New York films Serendipity.  With some good twists in the plot, Jessie ♥ NYC is a fun and enjoyable romantic read. A more serious undertone is added as the book examines two complex parent child relationships and touches on issues surrounding divorce and relationships with a parent’s new partner resulting in a realistic read that has both depth and humour and will appeal to a wide audience of all ages.

From it’s shiny gold cover to the words ‘The End’, I was totally gripped by Jessie and Finn’s stories and finished the book with a big smile on my face. Keris clearly loves New York and knows the city well and there are lots of references to films and TV shows set in the city. I’ve been to New York twice but reading Jessie has added a whole new list of places that I need to visit and if I ever head there again I’ll be taking my copy of Jessie with me!

5/5

You can find out more about Jessie ♥ NYC and Keris Stainton at: http://www.jessieheartsnyc.com

I watched events unfolding in Japan last week with utter horror and like many, wished there was something I could do for those affected. Author Keris Stainton felt the same way and inspired by Authors for Queensland, has rallied donations from over a hundred authors and others in the publishing industry to launch Authors for Japan – an online auction to raise money for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

The auctions went live on the Authors for Japan website this morning and the bids are already flying in. There are some amazing items on offer so if you fancy starring in your own personal short story written by Miranda Dickinson; having Jill Mansell’s next book dedicated to you, or getting your hands on an early signed proof of Ali McNamara’s next novel, then head over to the website and start bidding. There are 160 items on offer ranging from signed books and proofs, critiques, naming characters in future novels, artwork, writer training and mentoring and more!

Bidding will close at 8pm on Sunday 20th March and all of the details on how to bid and donate can be found at Authors for Japan.

Please spread the word and let’s raise as much as we can!

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared…

When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets?

A couple of things drew me to this book before I’d even read a page. The first was the cover – the black background with the pink and green detail is very eye catching. Secondly, at the bottom of the cover there is a quote from Meg Cabot saying that Della Says is, “A fun delicious treat you’ll want to eat up in a single bite?” As a huge fan of Meg’s books, what better recommendation could there be?!

This is Keris Stainton’s debut novel.  It tells of Della’s summer as she works at her parent’s deli, hangs out with friends, starts her first relationship (with the boy she’s had a crush on since she was five!) and deals with someone trying to spoil it all for her by publishing extracts from her diary. I kept a diary all through my teenage years and I have to say, the thought of having parts of it out in the big wide world horrifies me so it was interesting to see how Della dealt with the situation … I think she was a lot more sensible than I would have been!

Although the diary storyline keeps the plot moving, for me, this book is really about first love and the Della and Dan relationship is written brilliantly. The story is written from Della’s perspective giving us her thoughts and experiences first hand and Keris has really captured what it feels like to be a teenager – all those questions and new feelings! Della’s character is really ‘normal’ and I mean this as the biggest compliment. I think it’s incredibly hard to write a character that so many teenage girls will absolutely identify with and Keris has got it spot on.  The supporting characters, especially Della’s parents (who I loved) are also completely believable and the relationships between the friends are very real.

Della is a brilliant role model for teenage girls and if I ever have a daughter I’ll be passing my copy on to her. Not only does Della get the message across that it’s OK to be who you are and that ‘good’ does not mean ‘boring’ – it is also ‘laugh out loud’ funny. True to Meg’s words, I did read Della in a single sitting and it is a yummy read! I’m looking forward to Keris Stainton’s next book already.

You can find out more about Keris Stainton and read an excerpt from Della at: http://www.keris-stainton.com

4/5