Aussie Author Month Giveaway: Preloved by Shirley Marr

As part of my Aussie Author Month, I have some signed books to give away! 

First up is Preloved by Shirley Marr...

If you had a second chance at love, would you do it all over again?

 Amy has enough to deal with for one lifetime. A superstitious Chinese mother. A best friend whose mood changes as dramatically as her hair colour. A reputation for being strange. The last thing she needs is to be haunted by someone only she can see.

Logan is a ghost from the Eighties. He could be dangerous. He's certainly annoying.

He might also be Amy's dream boy.

What I said:

"Preloved is a story filled with Chinese superstitions, ghost tales, 80’s fashion, an obsession with The Princess Bride and quotes from Labyrinth. It is a story about letting go, reincarnation, letting love in all its forms in, and accepting yourself. A story for the younger YA market although will be adored by those of us who wish we had grown up in the 80’s."

Click here to read my full review.

To enter:

- Fill out the form below

- You must be a follower of this blog

- The giveaway is international

- Entires close 30th April 2013

- Extra entires available for those who share the giveaway on their blog, facebook and/or twitter

Preloved by Shirley Marr

Title: Preloved
Author: Shirley Marr

Release Date: 1st April 2012

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
If you had a second chance at love, would you do it all over again?

Amy has enough to deal with for one lifetime. A superstitious Chinese mother. A best friend whose mood changes as dramatically as her hair colour. A reputation for being strange. The last thing she needs is to be haunted by someone only she can see.

Logan is a ghost from the Eighties. He could be dangerous. He's certainly annoying.

He might also be Amy's dream boy.

In A Nutshell:
Preloved is a story filled with Chinese superstitions, ghost tales, 80’s fashion, an obsession with The Princess Bride and quotes from Labyrinth. It is a story about letting go, reincarnation, letting love in all its forms in, and accepting yourself. A story for the younger YA market although will be adored by those of us who wish we had grown up in the 80’s.

My Review:
Amy doesn’t want to get caught up in stereotypes. She shuns most people, trying to avoid being associated with the other Asian students in the ‘Minority Group’. Ironically, her best and only friend Rebecca also attempts to shun stereotypes but is possibly the biggest one of all. Amy believes she would have fitted in much better had she grown up in the 80’s and while she loves being friends with Rebecca, she pretends that she doesn’t have a problem with always being in her shadow. She shuts everyone out in an attempt not to end up hurt like her mum did after her parents divorced.

When the ghost of Logan, a teenage boy from the 80’s appears out of an old locket, Amy is at first frustrated by the belief that Rebecca was supposed to find the locket, but later grows attached to Logan and his endless 80’s infused commentary and fascination with new technology. As usual, Amy is too preoccupied dealing with Rebecca and her admirers, and this new found ghost only she can see, to realise she may just have an admirer of her own.

I loved the references to 80’s movies (The Breakfast Club, Never Ending Story, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride) and music (Boy George, Michael Jackson, Kylie Minogue and Icehouse) as well as mix tapes, which, as someone who used to make these before CD’s took over, I miss the effort it took to create such a collection and the meaning behind them!

I was also excited to find a reference to Etsy that was slipped in, as well as my favourite David Levithan book. There were also some character similarities to Lane from TV’s Gilmore Girls, another of my favourites!

Preloved is a story filled with Chinese superstitions, ghost tales, 80’s fashion, an obsession with The Princess Bride and quotes from Labyrinth. It is a story about letting go, reincarnation, letting love in all its forms in, and accepting yourself. A story for the younger YA market although will be adored by those of us who wish we had grown up in the 80’s.

And as a side note, this cover is stunning! I think it has to be one of my favourite YA covers of the year!

Thankyou to Walker Books for this review copy.

Preloved Blog Tour - Interview with Shirley Marr and Giveaway

Today I have the lovely Shirley Marr stopping by as part of her Preloved Blog Tour! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Preloved the blurb says...

If you had a second chance at love, would you do it all over again?

Amy has enough to deal with for one lifetime. A superstitious Chinese mother. A best friend whose mood changes as dramatically as her hair colour. A reputation for being strange. The last thing she needs is to be haunted by someone only she can see.

Logan is a ghost from the Eighties. He could be dangerous. He's certainly annoying.

He might also be Amy's dream boy.

**************************************************************************

I've just finished reading Preloved so I haven't had a chance to review it yet but, I loved it! Like Amy, I have often felt I have grown up in the wrong decade, although my reasoning is more to do with music than the fashion! Stay tuned for a review next week.

In the meantime, Shirley has answered some questions to help us get to know the real Shirley Marr!

I was the kind of kid who…
was always lost in her own world. Sitting up in trees and imagining stories. I remember me and my sister lying in our white walled bedroom and I would describe to her this magical land we were in instead.

My mother always told me…
never to trust smart, witty and good looking boys. If they are too good to be true, they are probably demons. Or ghosts. Or even worse - your imagination.

The biggest lesson I learnt at school was…
I could be both a Goth and also sit at the front of the class (because I liked learning) and not get struck down by the Stereotype Lightning God. So I go through life these days just being generally weird, and being anything I want to be.
<--------- Teenage Goth Princess Shirley


My first big crush was…
David Bowie. Goblin King. Pants magic pants. How could I resist?

I earnt my first pay cheque…
Being an accountant. I am still earning my pay cheques this way these days! Writer Shirley is poor and lives on love and raindrops.

I really hate it when…
I'm reading a book on public transport and I start to cry.

I’m very good at…
baking. I had to fold my cupcake catering side-business when I became an author because I couldn't hold down two hobbies. I'm always going to kinda regret I never got my own little baking van. --------> Pacman cupcakes for an 80's inspired party.



The hardest thing I’ve ever done…
is writing novels. I put all my soul into it. Both Fury and Preloved feel like my horcruxes.

I’m frightened of…
ghosts

When I’m in the shower I sing…
Naked and Sacred (I guess it's fitting?) by Chynna Phillips. I'm a diehard 90's teen. It's also my Karaoke song!

The last book I read was…
On The Jellicoe Road By Melina Marchetta. She demonstrates why the Aussie YA crown belongs to her with this book.

I would love to meet…
Every fictional character I have ever had a crush on.

When I get the munchies I eat…
anything sweet. if I am desperate, I make this Five Minute Mug Cake. I eat it with guilty pleasure and then pretend nothing happened.

I hope I never…
have to cry again.

Life is…
too short. Read and re-imagine a better world. Write a novel and live forever.

Thank you Jess for having me on your lovely blog today. Tomorrow I will be heading over to My Girl Friday to talk about the awesome 80s, so please join me then!

~Giveaway~

Thanks to Walker Books, I have a copy of Preloved to give away! To enter, please leave your first name, email address and answer to the following question, in the comments below. Entries close 30th April 2012 AWST and winners will be drawn using random.org.

Now to stick with our 80's theme and because I love 80's music...
What is your favourite song from the 80's?

A Night With Our Stars and Give-Away!

Last night, I went along to the CBCA's A Night With Our Stars, a showcase of West Australian authors and illustrators published in 2010. Along with my friend Julie, and Danni from The Book Nerd Club, we listened to just over twenty authors who each had three minutes to talk about their books. The speakers who were highlights for me were YA authors Shirley Marr, AJ Betts and Deb Fitzpatrick, as well as Elaine Forrestal, Sally Murphy, Meg McKinlay and Cristy Burne who write for younger readers.


Shirley Marr and Deb Fitzpatrick


AJ Betts

After the talks we were able to mingle with the authors and have books signed and I also got to catch up with some friends from my bookshops days (that makes me sound old!). I finally got to meet Shirley Marr and AJ Betts whose books, Fury and Wave Length, I reviewed last year and I got their books signed. Deb Fitzpatrick, author of 90 Packets of Instant Noodles, also signed a copy of her book for me which I am very much looking forward to reading. Unfortunately Kate McCaffrey, the author of Destroying Avalon, In Ecstasy and Beautiful Monster, wasn't able to make it which was unfortunate as I really wanted to meet her and have my books signed.


It was a wonderful evening and I got to meet some very lovely people. I was also lucky enough to have photos with both Shirley Marr and AJ Betts who were both SO nice. I still find it daunting introducing myself and meeting authors and I was so glad I didn't get star-struck and tongue tied this time. Danni put it perfectly saying "meeting authors is right up there with meeting rockstars". I idolise them both.


I would like to make a special mention of the venue for the evening, Westbooks. If you haven't already visited this fantastic store, you should. It has an amazing selection of children's and YA books with a small amount of adult titles as well. It's like the opposite of a regular book store, kids and teens have the majority here! I hadn't been there before but I will definitely be making a return visit.


GIVE-AWAY!
As a special treat, I got extra copies of Fury, 90 Packets and Wave Length all SIGNED as give-aways.

The give-away is open INTERNATIONALLY until 11th April 2011. All three authors are from Perth, Australia so would be perfect for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge.

There are three simple steps:
1. You must be a follower
2. Tell others about this give-away, either in a blog post or by placing the give-away button on your blog
3. Leave a comment under this post with the link to where you have 'spread the word'

Fury by Shirley Marr

Title: Fury
Author: Shirley Marr

Release Date: 1st May 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.

Strap yourself in...


Eliza Boans has everything.
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.

So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

I've never had so much trouble trying to find the right words to review something before! I will do my best not to spoil anything.

I really enjoyed Fury. I sat down to read it one night and ended up finishing it that same night. Shirley Marr has created fantastic suspense with Eliza telling her story and leading up to the expolsive conclusion as to why she is covered in blood. It is a story about violence, friendship, the cruelty of teenagers, pain and vengeance.

Eliza is a spoilt little rich girl who is strong, opinionated and stubborn. And she can be an absolute bitch. But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, she loves her friends (although in real life I can't see why someone would be friends with her in the first place, the way she treats them sometimes). At the beginning of the story I found it very difficult to like her and I just wanted to slap her, but throughout the book you get to understand the reason she is how she is and understand her actions. By the end I wanted nothing bad to happen to her and for her and her friends to get on with their spoilt lives.

I like that Marr got the inspiration for her book from The Furies, the personification of vengeance in Greek mythology and it sums up the story perfectly. It is probably my favourite thing about the book. I also really enjoyed that it was from Eliza's perspective and that it went back and forth from present time back to the events leading up to Eliza sitting in the police station. It gave it depth and suspense.

The only thing that bugged me about Fury, and while this may seem insignificant to everyone else but bugs me in anything I read, is that al ot of the characters names were either taken from famous people (Paula Yates, Ronnie Wood, the english teacher was named Mr Trollop - as in famous author Anthony Trollop, history teacher Mr Tolstoy and Brian Fadden, - as in singer Brian McFadden?) or they were rather cliché (Jane Mutton and The Dashwoods, you will understand these when you read the book). If it had just been one character it wouldn't have bothered me but it was significant enough through the whole book for me to notice.

Fury is Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar crossed with Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson crossed with the attitude of Rose from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.