Good Choice Reading: Blog Tour: Awaken by Skye Malone

Title: Awaken
Series: Awakened Fate (Book One)
Author: Skye Malone
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Wildflower Isle
Publication Date: June 3, 2014

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski's plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend's hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which 'normal' doesn't even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend's stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It's turning out to be a whole lot more.

Purchase:

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About Skye

Author Biography: Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the things she imagines couldn't actually exist.

Born and raised in central Illinois, she hopes someday to travel the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.

Skye also writes YA urban fantasy as Megan Joel Peterson and is the author of The Children and the Blood trilogy.

Interview

1. When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer? What was the very first thing you ever wrote?

I was in eighth grade and my English teacher assigned us a short, creative story to write. All the other kids groaned, but I felt like someone had handed me an opportunity for which I’d never realized I’d been searching. Ideas just flooded my mind for a fantasy-adventure story. I’d never been so excited over homework! When I started writing and my two-page assignment reached 15 pages – and that was just the beginning of the story, mind you – I realized this was absolutely what I wanted to do with my life.

2. What's the one piece of technology you can't live without?

My laptop. Hands down, no questions asked, my laptop. In case of fire, flood or general Act of God, it’s me, my husband, and the laptop that have to make it out in one piece.

3. What's your favorite thing to do when you're not writing?

Read books. I tend to binge read. I’ll go without reading for weeks – mostly when I’m writing a great deal – and then I’ll read numerous books in only a few days. I love it.

4. Who designed your cover?

Karri Klawiter of artbykarri.com

5. What do you need to set the mood for you to write?

Give me my tea or coffee (or both) and my music, and I’m good to go.

6. How many blurbs did you have to write before the final one?

You know, this blurb wrote itself. Sometimes it doesn’t go that way, but this time around I just sat down, thought ‘I need to write a blurb (oh boy)’… and then it just happened. It was awesome!

7. Tell us what comes to mind when you think about the release of Awaken.

“Oh God, oh God, I hope people like it!” J

This or That

Heels or flats? Flats.

Iced tea or hot tea? Hot tea, even in summer.

Movies at home or Movie Theater? Movies at home with popcorn and root beer – perfect evening!

Spring or Summer? Summer

Fall or winter? Fall

Long Sleeves or Short Sleeves? Short sleeves.

Horror movies or Mystery movies? Mystery, please.

Mountain views or Ocean views? I can’t choose. I love both so much!

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I have a love-hate relationship with mermaids. I like the creatures, but I very rarely find a book or story about them that I enjoy. They're such beautiful majestic creatures, and in my opinion they are often either too simplified, or it seems as if the writer tried too hard to make them something unique. That was not the case with Awaken.

I really enjoyed the way Malone put Awaken together. It's a light read, but there is still plenty of back story and creativity to make these characters exist in their own world. I love when an author can blend contemporary settings with fantasy seemlessly, and Malone accomplished that.

I do wish it had been a bit longer and we had gotten to know the secondary characters a bit more, but I'm definitely excited to see where Descend takes us. Awaken was a great start to a new young adult fantasy series! If you're a fan of young adult, specifically fantasy or paranormal romances, I would recommend this one!