I Need Your Help! What Should Come First?

Hey folks!

You know how I almost always post an author interview up with my review? Well, I was wondering...which one should I post first? The review or the author interview? And why? I'd be really grateful if you helped me out here...Right now, I'm posting the interview BEFORE the review, but I'm still not sure...what's your take on it?


Peace, Love, and Awesome Blogger Friends (Hell yeah!),

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The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Title: The Vinyl Princess
Author: Yvonne Prinz
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 22, 2009

Summer is here, and 16-year-old Allie, a self-professed music geek, is exactly where she wants to be: working full-time at Berkeley’s ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records. There, Allie can spend her days bantering with the street people, talking the talk with the staff, shepherding the uncool bridge-and-tunnel shoppers, all the while blissfully surrounded by music, music, music. It’s the perfect setup for her to develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favourite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging.
Her mother, though, is actually the one getting the dates, and business at Allie’s beloved record store is becoming dangerously slow—not to mention that there have been a string of robberies in the neighborhood. At least her blog seems to be gaining interest, one vinyl junkie at a time….

Allie, a complete music geek, has got the perfect summer job at Bob & Bob Records. A lot can happen in a store full of records. It's the perfect place to fall in love, try to solve a mystery, and develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess. Her blog and zine get more attention that she expected, and a thief is on the loose, stealing and pointing guns at cashiers...it's a good thing Allie's ready for anything right? And sure, business is slow, but is she ready for Bob&Bob's to close down?

Allie is the epitome of a vinyl princess. She's funky, fab, and completely music-savvy. She is one spunky heroine! Allie isn't the only well-developed character in The Vinyl Princess; Prinz populates the book with quirky and friendly characters; each with his or her own individualized personality. But even with her entertaining line up of characters, the plot is disappointing, but with great potential. The execution of the plot itself is great, through Allie's humorous voice, but the plot is confusing with its aimless chain of events. Allie's (two!) love interests, and her relationship with each of them is underdeveloped and bland. And the conflict with the thief is also not as emphasized in the novel, but it works to Prinz's advantage because in doing this, she weaves more suspense into the novel. And on the other hand, Allie's best friend is gratifying and humorous! Kit is one funny and supportive BFF that anybody would love to have at their side! Allie's mom is also another character that absolutely supports Allie but she's more like Allie's friend, rather than a mom. While Allie's stuck between two, her mom is out there getting her groove on, jumping into the dating arena!

The Vinyl Princess really focuses on the blogging and music aspect. Allie's opinions on vinyls are compassionate and real. It's not any of that generic, fake *excuse my language* crap that some people just make up. Prinz offers a true, modern--and at the same time classic--take on life, music, and love. The Vinyl Princess is a light, pop-culture book that just needs a little polishing; it introduces a whole new genre to YA! A =)

The Bottom Line: I really enjoyed The Vinyl Princess. It's like nothing I've read before! It's probably the most modern, tech and music-savvy book out there!

---Report Card---
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 7/10
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 7/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 4/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Total Score: 90/100 (A)

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Author Uncovered: Yvonne Prinz (Author Interview)

Hey peeps! Here, I have the fabulous, super musical-savvy Yvonne Prinz, author of The Vinyl Princess and the Still There Clare series! and the author who has the coolest name ever =) The Vinyl Princess is about music and blogging! What more could you want?!?!?


Did you always want to become an author?
Yes, always.

What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses as an author?
We’ll start with the strengths, of course: I’ve got a pretty good head for facts and figures and I think that writing a book is a lot of that. People also tell me that I have a wild imagination. That probably helps. I think I’m organized, although I might not be.
My weaknesses are as follows: I’m way too sensitive, I’m obsessive, and I can be talked out of writing on any given day. All one needs to do is wave the notion of food or anything food-related in front of my face. Also, I’m a terrible typist. While the other kids were learning to type, I was reading poetry and pretending to be Sylvia Plath.

What's the most interesting thing a reader has ever said to you?
A girl told me once that my books inspired her to want to become a writer. That was shocking…and interesting.

Do you have any must-haves when you're writing?
Well, I need quiet and a good beverage, coffee in the morning, I really only write for a couple of hours at a time and then my brain shuts off so it’s not like I’m packing for an over-nighter when I sit down. Also, I need a good outline to keep me on track.

How does it feel like, knowing your books are on those bookshelves in a bookstore?
Oh, it feels great but I think I spend a lot of time worrying that they ARE on the shelves. I make my friends check because I’m afraid that I’ll dissolve if I don’t see them there.

If you had to be any character (any at all!), who would it be? Why?
I always wanted to be ROY from Bladerunner (played by Rutger Hauer) . Even though he’s not human, he shows great humanity in that famous scene at the end in the rain with the dove. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzA_xesrL8&feature=related).
Pus, he looks fabulous in leather.

What are your ten, most favorite things?
1. Cheese
2. Indie Films
3. Pasta
4. Strong Coffee
5. Reading
6. A cold glass of good French chardonnay.
7. Laughing
8. Road trips
9. Writing
10. Languages

What is your typical day?
I don’t really have typical days unless I’m writing a book, then I usually sit down in the morning and hammer away for awhile until I can’t see straight. I try to get a walk or a swim in every day and I do a bit of yoga. Other than that, anything can happen.

Do you have any upcoming books apart from The Vinyl Princess? Are you working on something else?
Yes, my next book, currently titled “All You Get Is Me” will be out in winter 2011 on Harper Teen. I’m also starting work on another new book soon (ish). It’s going to be called “Lucky, like me.” It’s loosely based on an Andy Griffith episode.

I read The Vinyl Princess and you'll be seeing a review on it right after this post =) I can't wait for Yvonne's next books!!!

Peace, Love, and Music-Savvy Authors,

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Why are my reviews so positive?

Hi guys!

Many of you might be wondering: Why are my reviews so positive? or Why do I always give high ratings to most of the books I review?

Well the answer is...

All of the books I review or choose to review are hand-picked by me. I decline a book if I don't think I'll like it. I guess I'm just good at picking the right books for me =) And if in case I don't like the book as much, I focus more on what the author HAS done WELL, I spend as little of my review on what the author has done WRONGLY...but this doesn't happen a lot because so far, I'm liking a lot of the books that I pick for review on my blog. I like most genres of YA, and most of the YA books I read, are just simply good. One thing you should know about me, is that my ratings will ALWAYS and HONESTLY reflect how I feel about the book. If I found the ending to be okay, I'd probably give it a 6 or a 7, for example. Only some books are perfect; you can see the very select few I have rated perfect here, they're called The Holy Grails: Beholders of the Perfect 100 =)

The bottom line is that the reason why I rate the books I review here so high, is because I choose the books I read, and most of the time, I love them!

Peace, Love, and Totally Kick-Ass YA Books,

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Author Uncovered: Nancy Werlin (Author Interview)

Hey guys! Today, I have with me Nancy Werlin, author of Impossible. Thanks to Nancy who took the time to answer my questions!

Did you ever base any of your characters on anybody?
No, I make them all up. On the other hand, I've had the thought that in one way or another, they are all me.

The concept of Impossible is very unique, how did the song inspire you to write a book around it?
Thank you for asking. I wrote a long essay answering this question, and it's on my web site, here: http://nancywerlin.com/impossible.htm#gpm1_3.

Book you've faked reading?
Ulysses by James Joyce.

Books you're an evangelist for?
DAMAGE by A.M. Jenkins and STAINED by Jennifer Richard Jacobson.

Book you've bought for the cover?
GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. But the insides are worth the price, too.

How does it feel being an author?
It's the one job I always wanted, since I was old enough to know what it was. It feels wonderful to know that I have made it happen by keeping on writing, through thick and thin, good times and bad, despair and happiness. I hope I always will. It never gets any easier to sit down and do the work -- not for me, anyway.

What's the most interesting thing a reader has ever said to you?
I have been very moved by the people who have told me that THE RULES OF SURVIVAL was, in fact, their life.

What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
My biggest weakness is laziness. Often I would rather do almost anything else than sit down and write. I have to fight that with every book. As to strength, well, that's harder to say. I feel as if my writing has changed so much over time, and I have needed different skills for every book. So maybe the strength I value most is that I have learned this and adjusted to it, so that I don't expect to know everything in advance with a new project. I now trust that I can learn what I need along the way.

I totally get what she means with laziness...I'm the ultimate procrastinator!

Peace, Love, and Authors,

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