Interview with Sherry Gammon & Unlovable GIVEAWAY!

Today I am very lucky to have the talented Sherry Gammon stopping by an interview and also giveaway.  Last week I read Unlovable by Sherry Gammon and it was fantastic.  A book I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.  You can read my review here.  Unlovable is the first book in the Port Fare trilogy.

1.  What were you inspirations? 

Maggie was based on two girls I grew up with. I like to write about things that bother/haunt me as a way to deal with life’s injustices! It helped my find closure on my friend’s unfair lives.

2.  What is one thing that you admire most about Maggie and also Seth? 

Maggie: her strength. She Never gave up. 

As for Seth, his patience and endurance.

3. What is your typical writing day/night like?

I write at night when the kiddies are in bed. It is nice and quiet. Also, I used to take care of an elderly woman, and I would write when she went to sleep.

4. Can you tell us a little bit about the next book in the series Unbelievable?  

Will Maggie and Seth be dropping by? Book 2 is about Cole and his journey to love. There are two woman in his story. One good, one not so good. He has to deal with both. And yes, Maggie and Seth will definitely be dropping by!

5. Unlovable has a beautiful love story.  Who are some of your favourite literary romantic couples?

Jennifer Cavalleri and Oliver Barrett the IV, (Love Story by Erich Segal, Bella and Edward, by… well, I think we all know who wrote their story;] and Layla and Majnum written by Persian Poet Nizami Ganjavi.

Thank you Sherry for stopping by!

GIVEAWAY:

One lucky reader will win a ebook of Unlovable by Sherry Gammon.  Opened INTERNATIONALLY!

All you have to do to enter is a leave a comment with you email address.  

Extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway. 

Giveaway closes midnight on Saturday 24th September, 2011.  

Winner will be chosen by random.org in accordance with my giveaway policy.

Good luck to everyone.

Winners!!!

Time to announce some winners!

The winner of July/August Aussie YA Reading Challenge is:

Isamlq

The winner of a cameo in Shirley Marr's next book is:

Belle from Belle's Bookshelf

Congratulations!

Guest Post by the awesome Shirley Marr plus character name giveaway!

Today, I have the lovely Shirley Marr author of Fury stopping by for a guest post as part of Aussie August.    

I have had Shirley visit my blog a couple of times this year already answering my interview questions and also a character interview with Eliza from Fury.  And each time it has been so much fun.  Seriously Shirley do you know how awesome you are!  So when I was thinking of authors I would love to feature this month for Aussie August Shirley was the first name that popped into my head.

There’s nothing shameless about being a Mary Sue (and character name giveaway!): 

A Guest Post by Shirley Marr

Hi everyone, its Shirley Marr here and I’m so excited to be part of August Aussie Author Month and writing a guest post on Irresistible Reads! Now I’ve been asked a lot of weird and wonderful questions in my time about my novel Fury, but I’m going to talk today about the very first question I was posed in public, which went like this:

Person: Is your novel autobiographical?

Me: Um… I hope not. I mean I hope I’ve never murdered anyone before…

I know the definition of fiction. I think there’s probably a little legal paragraph somewhere in every novel that says, “any resemblance in this work to anyone living or dead, or the villain to someone I do really, really dislike in real life is purely coincidental and/or accidental.” Of course everything I write comes from the fantasy la-la-land inside my head.

So my initial response was denial. My novel is so not about me. For starters it’s set in an exclusive private school in a rich suburb. I on the other hand grew up in (as Jaime King from Summer Heights High would say) a “povo” suburb and I went to a Bogan school where there were no blazers and ironed shirts; the uniform was fleecy tracky-daks and a polo shirt. I’ve never been in with a beautiful and popular group and I’ve definitely never been in enough trouble to end up in a police station. I think the most I’ve ever done is get sent to the naughty corner in primary school when the teacher was trying to explain what a “buoy” was (as in the floatation device) and the Feminist-in-the-making inside of me wanted to know why they weren’t also called “girls”.

Okay, let’s look at something a bit more glaringly obvious that I’ve had people draw comparison at: - my main character Eliza has red hair. Occasionally I have red hair (when I am doing in the public doing authory stuff anyway, when I am at home I have black hair. And I wear specs). I chose the hair colour for Eliza as an artistic device, to reflect the red anger inside of her. I choose the red hair for myself cos… I like the colour. So… I have to admit both decisions are based on preference and intrinsically the same. But it’s not like I’m one of those Mary-Sue writers that put themselves in the shoes of their heroine. The last thing I’d want is to come from an unhappy family and one day end up being interrogated in lock-up while I’m wearing a bloodied school uniform.

No! It’s strictly all make-believe. My brief is to work with plot, characterisation and imagination, not write a dairy entry. But something inside of me told me I was in denial. Just like Eliza is in denial. The final straw came when I had a café-writing session with an author friend recently. Despite knowing that I had to concentrate on my own work, I couldn’t help peaking at what she was doing and…

Me: Cristy… how on earth do you write so fast?

Cristy Burne: It’s easy; I just make the characters do what I like. They’re like my puppets.

Me: Oh. But my characters are like my… babies. They’re like… part of me. Unless I feel what they’re feeling, I can’t write it properly. And if they were ever taken away from me, I think something in me would diiie.

So I finally admitted it. Everything I write is a little piece of me. Eliza is a little bit me. And it is true. The gated community in Fury is reminiscent of the gated suburbs that make up most of the loathing and ennui of Perth. I’ve never been part of a vigilante act (and its not something I condone), but the seething teen angst I felt in high school and the “expected” acts of bullying and ostracising I witnessed built up this rage in me that I knew I could write out and that I so desperately wanted to write out. There are little pieces of me scattered all throughout the novel. Even the postcard that Eliza carries around with her is real in my life, and I’m delighted to feature a photo of it on Irresistible Reads. Even in a way, Neil is real. Maybe that’s not his name in real life, but maybe the person the novel is dedicated to may share some of his initials.

And you know what? I don’t think I would change anything about the way I write. I spend every single day of my life writing and it’s impossible for me not to leave a little piece of me behind. I believe that if I didn’t put every single iota of me into my writing, if I didn’t make myself feel everything single emotion that each of my characters go through and didn’t spend every minute alternatively crying, agonising, laughing and sighing while I wrote, then my writing wouldn’t sound true. And I think a reader can pick someone writing by the numbers or faking something a mile away.

And for that I am not afraid to admit that when I write, although I am making up a story, every single word is the truth. So if the story of my main character is also my story, then I don’t mind being a Mary Sue at all.

In celebration of my writing philosophy, and in conjunction with Irresistible Reads I am giving readers a chance to win a cameo appearance in my next novel! Yes, you could appear as a character and become fictionalised forever. I can’t reveal to you what I am working on just yet, but it is a ghostly love story. Over to the lovely Nic to explain the details. Thanks for reading and thank you to Nic for being my lovely and generous hostess!

Thank you Shirley for your incredible guest post.  

GIVEAWAY TIME!

I am kicking myself that I can't enter this amazing giveaway.  Shirley is giving one lucky person the chance to make a cameo by appearing as a character in her next novel.

• All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your first name and email address. 
• Must be a follower to enter.
•  Extra entry if you tweet just leave the link.
• Competition closes on 28th August, 2011. 
• Winner will be chosen by random.org in accordance with giveaway policy.

More winners....

Time to announce the winners of Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals

Congrats to:

Winner #1

Liz R.

Winner #2

Melissa @ Books and Things

(Each winner has 48 hours to reply to my email with their choice out of the two titles up for giveaway)

I had 91 entries totaling 653 points all up.  And I certainly had some interesting guesses as to what the W.W. in Hale's name stood for.  Some of my favourites included Wa Wa, Wonderbread, Waldo Wadley and Wamalamabangbang Wallaby.  But the most popular choice was William.   Now if only Ally Carter would tell us.

Thanks to everyone for entering.

Stayed tune for more giveaways in August!

And the winner is.....

The winner of an ebook copy of Gateway by Christina Garner is:

Andrea B.

Thanks to everyone for entering.

You can still enter the giveaways for 

Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals

and 

Inside Out and Outside In

Interview & Giveaway (International) with Christina Garner

Today I have Christina Garner the author of Gateway stopping by for an interview. I just recently read Gateway and really enjoyed it.  You can read my review here.      

Christina Garner began writing stories at the age of six. At eighteen, her aspirations as an actor had her loading up her Buick and setting off for Hollywood. Since then she has written and directed 10 short films, including Rewind and Reminder, both of which received acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2007 she was hired to write her first feature film. Her YA Urban Fantasy novel, Gateway, is now available. 

1.  What inspired you to write Gateway?

A fear years ago I watched a TV show on the Houska Castle in the Czech Republic which is rumored to be one of the "Gates of Hell." I have always been interested in the supernatural, and though I didn't want to write specifically about hell, I did like the idea of gateways to alternate dimensions, and who might guard them. When NanoWriMo rolled around a month or two later, I decided to explore the idea. 

2. Describe both Ember and Taren in 5 words or less.

Ember is a survivor, first and foremost. She's also mysterious and wounded. 

Taren is loyal, protective and has a strong sense of duty. 

3. What was the most challenging and also the most enjoyable part of writing Gateway?

They are one and the same: Creating a supernatural world, even one that overlays modern-day Los Angeles, is both challenging and freeing. Freeing because I get to research mythology and ancient civilizations (which I love) in order to pull together the elements that give the story context, and challenging because I need to keep track of every nuance that I've created so that I don't invalidate the world I've put forth. 

4.  There was quite a few unexpected surprises in Gateway.  When you started this story did you have a clear picture of what was going to happen or did it change in the writing process?

I'd say it was a combination of both. I knew how I wanted the story to begin and how I wanted it to end, but in my rewriting process I realized I needed to strengthen the characters' motivation. I did that by deepening their backstories and relationships with each other, which in turn created more tension and plot twists. 

5.  I loved the characters in Gateway.  If you could hang out with any fictional character for 24 hours who would it be and why? 

Wow, tough question! I could ruminate for hours, but I'll go with my first thought, which is Min, from the Robert Jordan series, Wheel of Time. I'd like to hang out in that world (Oh how I'd like to be an Aes Sedai!) and I think Min and I would get along--she's my kind of chick. 

6.  Are there going to be more books in the Gateway series? Can you tell us anything about the next book?

Yes, I'm working on Book 2 right now! The main story of Ember, Taren, and the fate of the Gateway will be told in three volumes, which I already have sketched out. Expect book 2 later this year. After that, I may explore the world through the eyes of some of the other characters as they deal with the aftermath. All I can tell you about Book 2 is that all hell (alternate dimensionally speaking) will break loose ;)


Thank you Christina for stopping by.  I am excited to hear that Gateway will be a 3 book series.


You can find out more Gateway at Christina Garner's website or buy a copy at amazon.


GIVEAWAY:   
Thanks to Christina I have one copy of Gateway in ebook format for giveaway.  
- Open internationally.  
- All you have to do to enter is fill out this FORM.
- You can gain extra entries by tweeting.
- Giveaway ends at midnight 22nd July, 2011.
- Winner will be chosen by random.org in accordance with my giveaway policy.


Good luck to everyone!

Giveaway - Inside Out & Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Harlequin Teen imprint has finally arrived in Australia!  YAY!  They have just launched their Facebook page which is the perfect place to get exclusive information, enter giveaways, read reviews and and more.

Thanks to the super generous people at Harlequin Teen I have one copy of Inside Out , one copy of Outside In  both by Maria V. Snyder,  a signed poster and bookmarks to giveaway to one lucky winner.  All you have to do to enter is help spread the word by liking their new facebook page.

GIVEAWAY RULES
- This contest in only open to Australian residents (sorry international readers I will make it to you soon).
- Must LIKE Harlequin Teen new Facebook page.
- Must fill out this FORM.
- Ends 31st July, 2011.  Winner will be chosen by random.org in accordance with my giveaway policy.

Good luck to everyone!

Also some exciting news - Maria V. Snyder is touring Australia in August!  Go to Harlequin Teen Facebook Page for more details and a chance to interview Maria  V. Synder and win an iPad2.

Giveaway (International) - Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals

I have just read both Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter.  They were definitely entertaining and feel good reads.  So I thought I would share the book love and giveaway a copy of both.

One winner will be chosen for Heist Society and one for Uncommon Criminals.  That way people who have read the first book but don't own the second book can still enter. 

All you have to do is enter is fill out this FORM.  

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!!!!

You can gain extra entries by tweeting, commenting, etc if you like.

Competition closes at midnight on 27th July, 2011 and winner will be chosen by random.org in accordance with my giveaway policy.

You can check out my review for Heist Society HERE and Uncommon Criminals HERE.  Extra entries for commenting.

Also My Book Boyfriend post on Hale is here is you want some eye candy!

Birthday, Winners & More.....

Today is my birthday (I won't say how old I am because I am sure it is wrong)!!!

And also time to draw the winner of my 300 followers giveaway.  And because it is my birthday and I want to share the love I have decided to pick TWO WINNERS!!!

The winners are:           Anna from Cherry Banana Split
                                                           and
                                       Jenny from Supernatural Snark

Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon by email.

Some book news:

The cover for Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta has just been revealed.  And it has to be one of my favourite covers of 2011.  Go check out Inkcrush and Between The Lines for more details.

Also Summer Crossing (Iron Fey #3.5) by Julie Kagawa has just been released and is available for FREE download for a short time at Harlequin eBook store.

Now I am going back to crossing my fingers and toes that Thomas Mackee jumps out of my birthday cake!!!!

300 Followers Giveaway!!!!!!

WOW I have reached 300 followers!  I still can't believe it.  It seems like only a short time ago I started my blog.  I really appreciate all your comments over the past few months.  They always make me smile.

To celebrate I am giving away ONE of the following titles. 

These are all upcoming titles that I am drooling over!

Rules of entry:

To enter please leave a comment with your name and email address.

Open internationally (wherever The Book Depository ships)

Must be a follower to enter

Open until 2nd June, 2011 (midnight AUS time) and winner will be selected by Random.org as in accordance with my giveaway policy.

Good luck to everyone!

The winner is......

It's time to announce the winner of a copy of FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE by Danielle Weiler.

~Drum Roll~ The winner is............... Missie @ The Unread Reader.

Congratulations!  Thanks to everyone who entered.

Winner was generated by random.org

Interview and GIVEAWAY with Danielle Weiler

I am excited to have another brilliant Aussie author stopping by for an interview.  Today I have the very talented Danielle Weiler. debut author of Friendship on Fire.  You can read my review for Friendship on Fire here.

I am always curious with authors - why YA?
A few reasons. Firstly, it’s what comes into my head and sets up house in there. I only get stories about teenagers and ‘coming of age’ older YA characters attacking me during my sleep. I fear for anyone who ever asks me to write a crime or fantasy novel. I could probably stretch to Chick Lit but it’s just not as interesting as seeing a young person flounder around and grow from their misadventures.

What inspired you to write Friendship on Fire?  
Honestly? I woke up one Sunday morning in Melbourne in 2009 and a girl with accidentally dyed red hair was vividly in my head as the school captain of a conservative school who was about to get into big trouble with the principal. I tried to ignore her, saying to myself that I was way too busy teaching to even think of writing a novel. But the first line kept repeating itself in my head – always with the first lines. “You would think that at a school as large as mine, one could go unnoticed and subtly anonymous for one day…” and it snowballed from there – seriously. Think projectile vomit but in a literary, non-gross sort of way.

Did you always have a clear idea of Daisy's journey before you started writing or did the story change once you began writing?
Yes I did. I don’t know why. I wrote a plot outline straight away with all the major plot points and I knew the story was going to encompass her entire last year of school – I can’t write these 2-4 week things. And if some readers think 471 pages is massive for a contemporary YA novel, I had to cut out 15,000 words before I even got to the end product. I could have written about Daisy forever and I also wanted to give people value for money.

I never got writers block as such, but toward the end (I’d already written the exact ending) I sort of didn’t know how to tie it up, like how much detail to include about end of year events and I kind of baulked at it for a few weeks until the seniors at school got sick of waiting and threatened to fill in the blanks on their own. It can also be hard knowing what a character is about to do and still having to write them through it, knowing it’s going to hurt the heck out of themselves or someone else. The one thing I did decide part way through was what to do with Daisy’s best friend, Rachael. That’s all I’ll say before I give away too much.

I loved Daisy's family and how they played such an important part in the story (especially her brothers). Did your own family life influence you at all? 
Absolutely! I have 5 older brothers and 2 very supportive parents. I didn’t have an active grandparent in my teen years though so Nanna came from my imagination. I wouldn’t know how to write about older sisters – I’d have to research that one! I told/tell my mum everything. My parents are teachers though, my dad car crazy but not as spacey as Daisy’s dad. My brothers I kind of mashed together and spread them out again and when Daisy was going through her issues I thought ‘now what would Damon/Brendon/Shannon/Jamieson/Tristan say about this?’ and went from there. I was so incredibly proud of them then (and still am) and they were very tough on me but very loving in their ‘guy’ ways and I have the sense of humour I do today because they wouldn’t let me be a princess.   

I noticed on your website that you said you have been writing stories since you were six. What has your road to publication been like and what was your first story about?
I think I’ve distracted myself from writing for a long time, partly because it takes a lot of energy and discipline and I wasn’t sure if I had that. But I do, and it hurts not to write. I was the editor of my uni mag and year book so I had to write articles for it every fortnight and I tried to write a really bad novel when I was 13 about 5 girls who went on a crazy school camp and told bad ‘why did the koala fall out of the tree?’ jokes. I got to 40 pages then gave up because my mum didn’t like the character’s mother because she smoked. Well, that and I was trying to keep up with my brothers. Because I did an English degree and had to constantly read weekly texts for that, I didn’t read YA until a long time AFTER I wrote FoF, which is a bit stupid. I didn’t realise the power of reading on your own motivation and writing. I had no idea about clichéd characters or contemporary styles or storylines or blogs or anything. I just wrote Daisy’s story how I saw it and I was so green it wasn’t funny.  

I love imagining a soundtrack to go with the books I am reading.  Do you have one song that would be on the playlist for Friendship on Fire? 
I have a series of songs, actually. When I was planning my book launch, I wanted a play list of music that I listened to while I was writing. The artists include: Sixteen Cities, Switchfoot, Tenth Avenue North, Foo Fighters, Anberlin, Brooke Fraser, Leeland… but one that stands out is “You Are” and “You Are More” from Tenth Avenue North.

Now for a fun question:  If you got stranded on a deserted island with one literary character, who would it be?
Haha my first instinct would be to say Nate because he certainly wouldn’t let us get bored. Then I’d say Roman because he’s amazing company but if I ventured outside my book I’d have to try Mr Darcy. I’d love to have a big, fat argument with him and watch him huff and puff and then make him fall in love with me (assuming I didn’t have my current husband, Edward. Shh I won’t tell if you won’t)

What are some of your favourite Aussie YA titles?
“Everything Beautiful” by Simmone Howell – had me in absolute stitches and amazed at her ability to fit so many important words into once sentence.

“On the Jellicoe Road” by Melina Marchetta – I’m not really why as I found it stressful and soooo sad but the style was so clever and the way everyone interacted and were so believable that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to know more. The parallels between past and present were handled well too.

There are plenty more but these two come to mind.

Have you got any plans for any future titles?  Can you tell us anything about it?
The first thing people generally ask me after they finish FoF is – is there going to be a sequel? I do have a sequel in the back of my mind about Daisy’s life at Uni but I’m not sure if it will go anywhere soon. I have written a second book about a reckless girl called Milly that I wrote over a 4 week period while working full time which nearly killed me but she wouldn’t shut up either so I had to start that. I’m in the process of having that looked at. I need to practice writing less…which is hard for me…so yesterday I spent the whole day shaving 9,000 words off the manuscript to try to make it to the first milestone of 80,000 words. There’s more info on my website but I’m really hopeful and excited about having people read it and give me feedback on the change of style and completely opposite character to nice-girl Daisy.

Thank you so much Danielle for stopping by and answering my questions.  I love the sound of your upcoming project.  Milly sounds like an interesting and fun character and I can't wait to meet her.  And I agree that "You Are" by Tenth Avenue North suits this book perfectly.

Danielle is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a copy Friendship on Fire.  It is opened INTERNATIONALLY!!!!

How to enter:
* Simply leave a comment in the section below with your name and email address.
* You must be a follower to enter.
* If you are participating in the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011 you get 5 extra entries.    Make sure to note this also in the comment section.
* Contest ends 3rd May 2011 (midnight Australian EST) and winner will be selected by Random.org as in accordance with my giveaway policy.

Good luck to everyone!

Giveaway winners!!!

One signed copy of Fury by Shirley Marr

Congratulations to Misha at My Love Affair With Books

and

Aussie YA Reading Challenge Jan/Feb Reviews

 $15(aus dollars) to spend on any Australian young adult book of your choice at The Book Depository 

Congratulations to Skye at In The Good Books

Winners were generated by random.org

I will be contacting both of you shortly.  Please reply to my email within 48 hours.

Aussie YA Reading Challenge - March/April Reviews

Wow, we have 59 people signed up for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge now and in Jan/Feb we had 35 reviews posted!  I loved reading them all and I see most of you are enjoying them.

If you are interesting in signing up go here.  You can sign up at anytime.

This prize for March/April is a choice of ONE of the following Aussie titles (my favourites):

A few things to remember before you link up:

• In the linky tool please paste the direct link to your review. Reviews can be from your blog (or a guest post on a blog), Goodreads and Shelfari.  You can link up for each Aussie book you read and review in March and April 2011.
• The prize is only for those that are participating in the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011 and who complete a review by 30th April, 2011.  Please make sure that you have officially signed up here before you link a review.
• Winner will be selected at the 1st May, 2011 using random.org.

March and April Reviews 

Fury Interview & GIVEAWAY (INTERNATIONAL)

Today, I have the always entertaining and outspoken Eliza Boans from Fury by Shirley Marr stopping by for my first ever character interview.

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of reading Fury yet. Here is the blurb from it:

Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
Eliza Boans has everything.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.
Strap yourself in...
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.
So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

1. How are things going for you these days? How has your life changed?
Hey Nic, thanks, like, TOTES for asking me! Everyone just thinks I'm really strong or that I'm going to chew their head off for asking (like of course I won't). I am human too. It's like these days every time I look at anyone I used to know, they pretend not to see me, or they turn away or start talking into their phone even though, like, I know their phone hasn't even rung. I know I've probably aged a million years since being in custody, but I reckon I look at least a billion times better than Lindsay Lohan, so I don't get it at all. I mean, last week I saw a bunch of girls from school I wouldn't even talk to back in the day, and I was like "Hey guys!" (only cos I'm sorta desperate and lonely these days) and they... whispered among themselves, stuck their noses in the air and avoided me. WTF? I'm Eliza Boans! They should worshipped the fact I said hello! But obviously times have changed...

WELL, the court case is taking up most of my time right now. And I'm spending almost every second of the day with my MOTHER. I know, seriously. But Mum's kinda like my only friend right now...

2. Tell us something unique about you?
That I am like totally smarter than anyone else thinks. I mean I don't have a lot of time these days (what with dodging the tabloids and paps, who write the worst, UNTRUE things about me) but when I get the time I read like, really really old books. You know the ones written like about a billion years ago and I review them on my blog (Eliza-Doo-Little). Like my byline reads: I am not a dumbass. I know that Shakes Spears is not related to Britney Spears.
Oh and I totally suck at math, but when it comes to a shoe sale, I can magically work out the discount in my head. Go figure. One of my many hidden talents.

3. Tell us one of your favourite memories?
I remember when I was really young and my dad was still around - Mum, Dad & me would sit together on our old couch on a Friday night and watch a movie. Most of the time it would be something totally crapola and OLD (Dad's choice) or crapola and a chickflick (Mum's choice), but what I really liked was back in the day, we were still kinda poor (before Mum became a rich lawyer) and our couch was so small, we'd all be touching when we sat on it. It was... nice. Like we were very close.
Of course these days our house is huge and our furniture is also massive and Dad's gone. Me and Mum would never dream of sitting so close together.

4. If you could spend 24 hours with anyone famous dead or alive who would it be and why?
Ooo, I should totally say Paris Hilton cos I want to know how she can keep going in and out of jail and still be a socialite people ACTUALLY want to hang out with... but I think maybe I should say, like, Buddha or Ghandi or something Lexi would say. They would probably teach me something actually worthwhile. Sometimes I feel like I don't want to be shallow forever...

5. What do you see your self doing in 10 years time?
OMG. In 10 years I will be, like, almost 30! Sorry, but I can't imagine being that OLD. I guess I will probably be seeing a very good dietician (cos my Mum says I can't keep eating crap 'cos one day my metabolism will catch up with me and then my life will be Muffin-top Misery) and a good beautician. And a good plastic surgeon. Only jokes. I don't want to end up with a permanently surprised look. I like glaring at people for one thing. But um to be, like, serious, I would like to free, independent and a strong working woman, maybe working with other people who have made a massive mistake in their lives, but want to overcome that and just be good person. Actually, it wouldn't be too bad if I ended up like my Mum (but no one ever heard me say that).

6. What is your favourite song on your ipod at the moment?
For some reason I keep listening to this song by The Manic Street Preachers called The Soulmates. My friend Neil put it on there for me last year. Which used to really annoy me, cos he would put random stuff that was "alternative" (yeah, like a crap alternative to decent mainstream popular music). But now I appreciate what he did for me. I keep listening to the lyrics "the graffiti/you left one me/means every part/is still bleeding" and it makes me feel a funny emotion I don't think I've ever felt before... I think it's called... sadness?

7. If you could give advice to your younger self what would it have been?
I would say to Young Eliza: appreciate your parents, cos they might not always be there. Appreciate your friends cos one day they might be gone. And appreciate what you have today, cos these will be the best days of your life.

Thanks Nic for asking me these questions. When I become rich and famous one day I'll remember you.
xoxo Eliza

Thank you Eliza for stopping by!   As you can see Eliza is very amusing and not your typical teenage heroine. You can check out my review for Fury here.

GIVEAWAY :

Thanks to the awesome Shirley Marr I have a SIGNED copy of Fury to giveaway (I am sending virtual hugs to Shirley for this). Fury is an Aussie title and is not available internationally so I am extra excited to announce this contest is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!!!!!

How to enter:
* Simply leave a comment in the section below with your name and email address.
* You must be a follower to enter.
* If you are participating in the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011 you get 5 extra entries. Make sure to note this also in the comment section.
* Contest ends 1st March 2011 (midnight Australian EST) and winner will be selected by Random.org as in accordance with my giveaway policy.

Good luck to everyone!