Review
of WICKED COOL
Meet
Zara Norland, your typical teen...yea, not at all. Zara has always felt out of place and has
hidden a secret from those that she loves for quite some time, including Nonny,
her guardian. Zara has a unique set of
abilities that set her apart from everyone else. She has been safe for most of her life, until
she goes against her own rules and uses her powers to save her best friend’s
brother from a fall. Her powers have now
been recorded for television and her world is about to implode. Do I have your attention now?
When
Lance Donovan, a young, sexy stranger, shows up in Zara’s life, she instantly
knows that he is just like her...if she could only figure out what exactly SHE
is. Lance knows what they both are:
Spellspinners. He tries to teach her all
that he can about their way of life and warn her that her existence could bring
her demise, but Zara fights back, unable to accept that her life among the “sticks,”
their term for humans, is over.
As Zara
learns more about her true identity, and the fact that she shouldn’t exist, she
is pulled further into Lance’s grasp.
She is wary of him and these people who hold those she loves in
contempt, constantly trying to keep him at arm’s length. What will Zara do, now that she knows what
she is? Will she be able to accept her
new life? Or will she go down fighting? There is heartbreak and betrayal around
every corner for Zara...
I loved
the concept that Diane conceived for this book.
It is fresh, original, and an all-together FUN read! These Spellspinners are not witches, just to
be clear about that. They have many
amazing abilities, such as skatching, which is the ability to basically
teleport to their destination, but there are rules that go along with it. There are so many twists and turns in this
novel that I was literally DYING to know what would happen next. The ending leaves you craving the
continuance, which is good for ya’ll since it’s now available! Make sure you
grab this series!! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal
reads that are both intriguing and fun!
Review
of SCARY COOL
SCARY
COOL picks up where WICKED COOL left off. Zara thinks that she is rid of Lance and the
rest of the Spellspinners but finds out that she’s officially in over her
head. When Lance returns to town, he
brings his uncle back with him. One
Spellspinner in town is bad, but the more that come, the worse it gets.
The
Council knows of Zara’s existence now and they are not happy! She shouldn’t exist and throws the balance of
their entire group out of balance. She
is also VERY powerful; more so than any other Spellspinners, but that is
because of a secret that is shared with Lance.
(I won’t tell what it is because that is seriously something you should
read on your own!) The Council believes
that Zara is a threat, scared that she and Lance will take over now that they
are so powerful, but she only wants one thing: to live a normal life again.
Zara
must now fight to keep Nonny and Meg (her best friend) safe from the people
that have come to town. She must also
team up with Lance, whom she still doesn’t trust, in order to survive. They want her gone, but will Lance’s feelings
for her be enough to save them? Will Zara
and Lance be able to get past their own problems to work together to survive?
If you
thought I loved the first book, you haven’t seen anything yet! The second book in the series keeps you on
your toes, from start to finish. You can’t
help but fall in love with Lance yourself, and yet you still know that he is
conniving and dead-set against “sticks.”
Yes, Lance is one of those characters that you wish you could meet in
real life: gorgeous, sarcastic, and oozes sex appeal. Okay, well, he’s one that I wish I could meet
in real life, lol.
I give
both of these books 5 Stars Each! I know, I don’t normally do the whole star
thing, but these books were just too fabulous not to. If you’re looking for a fun and exciting
read, pick up Diane Farr’s WICKED COOL and SCARY COOL now! You won’t be
disappointed! And if you do read it, make sure you send her some love on
Facebook to tell her what you thought of her books! I KNOW you’ll love them as
much as I do!
Top Five Signs Your Boyfriend is a Spellspinner
By Zara Norland (with help from Diane Farr)
If you’ve read Wicked Cool or Scary Cool—and some of you may have read both—you might be wary of
strangers these days. Trust me, I know the feeling. You meet the perfect boy
and catch yourself thinking he’s a tad too perfect. If a boy seems too good to
be true, guess what? He probably is.
In these circumstances, you need to
know: Could my boyfriend be a
spellspinner? I’m not saying it’s a good thing or a bad thing, either way.
Maybe you want a spellspinner boyfriend. Maybe you don’t. I’m just saying …
knowledge is power. So here are the top five signs you should look for—the
tell-tale, sure-fire “giveaways” that will tell you if that too-perfect boy is
a spellspinner.
1. He has no tan
lines.
Unfortunately,
you may not be able to thoroughly check this out until you’ve already reached
relationship-commitment stage. But basically, if your boyfriend gets tan,
freckles, or sunburns—heck, if he even gets a zit occasionally—chances are he’s
NOT a spellspinner. On the other hand, if the guy has perfect, unblemished,
unchanged skin, even after a long day at the beach, beware. You may be dating a
creature of power.
2. He’s always on
time.
Okay, some people
are naturally prompt. But those people tend to be the nervous, obsessive type.
If your boyfriend never seems to worry about anything, and yet somehow always
arrives just at the perfect moment, that’s not normal. Be on the lookout for
particularly suspicious arrivals—like, you could swear he wasn’t there a minute
ago, or you are quite certain he’s miles away, but then he suddenly walks
through the door. With not a hair out of place. This is a dead giveaway. Mr.
Perfect is probably a spellspinner.
3. He’s lucky. He’s
really, incredibly, lucky.
Does your
boyfriend invite you on picnics, hikes, or other outdoor activities without
bothering to check the weather report? And when you check the weather report
and say, “Oh, no, it’s going to pour on Saturday!” does he just smile and say
something idiotic like, “Trust me”-? As if he could control the weather, ha,
ha? Better put that to the test. Go with him on that picnic. And if it doesn’t
rain after all—or, worse, pours everywhere except
your picnic site, which remains miraculously dry until you leave, at which
point the clouds move in and it pours there, too—be suspicious. Be very
suspicious.
4. You’ve never
seen eyes quite like his.
Your boyfriend
has gorgeous eyes, like jewels. They might be blue or green, but they’re like
no blue or green you ever saw—or maybe they’re some color human eyes don’t come
in at all, like purple or yellow or red. He probably tells you they are contact
lenses. Yeah, right. Ask him where he got them, because you want some, too.
Better yet, ask him to take them out so you can see them. Because if those
sparkling, gem-like eyes are real? Major spellspinner sign.
5. He gives you
everything you want.
See, some girls
actually want spellspinner boyfriends for this reason alone. Even though they
know spellspinners are cold, uncaring users who will dump them for the next
shiny object they see, they love being the shiny object for as long as they
can. Because while you are the focus of his attention, you pretty much get the
shoes and the perfume and the jewelry and—let’s face it, even the car of your dreams. Whether your parents
let you keep these items, of course, is another question entirely. But he can
get them for you, no sweat. So if your boyfriend showers you with material
things and you’re not quite certain how he pays for them, look out. You’ve
either got a spellspinner or a master criminal on your hands, and either way,
you’re in trouble.
Good luck.
Interview with Diane Farr
Can you tell
us an interesting fact about you, your writing, or anything at all? Or, is there anything in particular you want
the readers to know about you?
There is nothing particularly
interesting about me, but if you like I can make something up. I’m good at
making stuff up.
When did you
first know that writing was what you wanted to do as a career?
I started telling stories before I
could talk. Seriously. I recently came across a tape my father made of me at
about 9 months old, babbling away in my playpen. No words, but you can tell by
the inflections of my voice—and the fact that occasionally I crack myself
up—that the baby is telling a story. Must’ve been a pretty good one, too. Too
bad I don’t remember it!
When you are
working on a book, do you plan ahead, or do you let the story flow as you
write?
Ah, yes, the age-old question of
“plotting” and “pantsing” (flying by the seat of your pants). I’ve used both
methods. I think my favorite way to work is with an outline. When I do an
outline, it’s very detailed; 20 pages or more. Then writing the book is like
playing connect-the-dots.
There’s not much difference between
Plotters and Pantsers, in my view. After all, Plotters are pantsing while they
connect the dots.
Is there a
special place in your home that you work at?
I have a wonderful office with a
beautiful cherry wood desk and two windows. It’s painted in a lovely orchid
shade to promote creativity. My father’s portrait hangs over the desk, and on
the opposite wall is the oil painting of the cover art for my first book (The Nobody).
I love my office. It’s the perfect
writing space for me. But I haven’t used it for years.
My husband is an engineer. He doesn’t
“get” the writing thing. Whenever I retreat into my office and get into the
writing zone, he calls my name from the other room. It’s hard to write with
someone plaintively bellowing, “Diane? Diane?” in the background. (“Diane,
where’s the mustard?” “Diane, what’s this receipt for?” “Diane, did you already
feed the cats?” etc.) So now I sit on the couch in our family room with a
laptop and write while my husband watches football.
Are any of
your characters in your books based on people that you know in real life?
A couple of my Regency heroes express
affection by teasing. That’s a Farr family trait. But the only character who is
really based on a person (sort of) is George Carstairs, Lord Rival, who first
appears in Falling For Chloe and gets
his own book in The Fortune Hunter.
He is based on Sean Connery’s James Bond. So now you know who to picture while
you are reading those books!
I was watching Goldfinger with my husband one night, and marveling over the fact
that Mr. Connery’s Bond was the sexiest man imaginable —and in real life, you
would HATE him, because he’s a total jerk! To him, women are completely
disposable objects; use ‘em and lose ‘em. And you just know that every woman he
flirts with and/or beds is thinking she is going to be the one who breaks
through; he’s going to fall in love with her. And it never, never happens. So I
said to myself, “I’m going to take this sexy scumbag, put him in Regency
clothes, and drop him into a book. And then I’m going to force him to fall in
love.”
Falling
for Chloe
was one of the books I “pantsed.” I had no idea how it was going to turn out
while I was writing it. I let the characters lead. Needless to say, Lord Rival
took over; his personality is so strong it overwhelmed the book! But my cute
little heroine was no match for him. I was hoping he’d fall in love with her
and be taught a valuable lesson when she chose the nice guy instead of him. It
didn’t work. He needed someone much stronger.
So I wrote The Fortune Hunter. And sure enough, he finally found his match!
Do you have an
interesting writing quirk? Maybe something that you have to do while writing,
or something that you have to do before you start writing?
No. Shall I make something up?
What is your
opinion on Indie publishing versus mainstream publishing?
Well, as you know, I’ve done it both
ways. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I talk about this a lot on my
blog! (http://www.bestbyfarr.com) Traditional publishing still has a cachet
that indie publishing will probably never have, since anyone can publish now.
It’s nice to have that “stamp of approval” from an outfit whose business it is
to skim the cream off and throw the rest away. (“Hey! I’m cream!”) On the other
hand, traditional publishing—until lately—has been an emotional roller-coaster
for most authors. The euphoric high when you say “yes” is almost immediately
followed by a series of soul-crushing maneuvers on the part of your publisher,
because it has always been in their best interests to keep authors down.
Publishers are businesses. Their job is to make money. The more they can make
you feel like a worthless, powerless nobody, the less you will expect to be
paid. They’ve gotten really, really good, over the years, at making authors
feel like worthless, powerless nobodies. This is not a pleasant way to feel.
Authors put up with it because there was nowhere else to go.
Until now. The great thing about indie
publishing is, you never feel like your fate is in the hands of people who
don’t really know you or care about you. It’s in your own hands. You can treat
yourself really, really well. You love all your ideas. You think about you
first, not all those other authors. You pay yourself promptly. You return all
your phone calls and emails right away. You give yourself veto power over the
cover art…the whole experience is just wonderful. <G> The downside? No
advance. And if your books aren’t as good as they should be, no one will tell
you or help you fix them. If they are full of errors, they get into the hands
of readers with the errors intact, making you look like an idiot. Your books
aren’t eligible for awards. Readers who might love your book if they read it
will never read it, because they only buy books at grocery stores, airports and
bookstores and your books aren’t in grocery stores or airports or bookstores.
Et cetera.
So, advantages and disadvantages, both
ways.
Do you hear
from your fans a lot? If so, what are some of the best & worst things that
you have heard?
It’s always fun to hear from fans, and
sometimes it’s even useful! I do take fan suggestions, sometimes, so keep ‘em
coming! A lot of readers of The Nobody
wanted me to write a book for Ned and Serena, but I couldn’t because they were
already leaning toward each other at the end of The Nobody. To write a book featuring them, I would have to break
them apart and have them come back together, and I didn’t want to do that to
such lovely people! But one reader asked for a book featuring the dreadful
Duchess of Arnsford and her snobby daughter, Lady Elizabeth, two characters she
“loved to hate.” That sparked the idea for Once
Upon A Christmas. Sadly, although I thanked this reader in the book, I
don’t know if she ever discovered that. Her email address was defunct by the
time the book came out, so I had no way to tell her.
What does your
family think of your writing?
It doesn’t seem to surprise them much.
How has being
published changed your life, if any way?
Well, it’s obviously nice to have an
income. Apart from that… getting published by one of New York’s “Bix Six” is a
bit surreal. A week after The Call, you are the exact same writer you were—if
you sucked a week ago, you still suck; if you were good before, you’re still
good—but everyone views you differently. Suddenly you have credibility. Other
writers turn to you for advice. People stop rolling their eyes; they listen
respectfully when you talk about writing. You are no longer “an aspiring
writer.” You’re a writer. You know perfectly well that you were always a
writer, so it’s unsettling to discover how many people thought of you as a
hopeless amateur.
What are you
currently working on? We would love to
know what is coming next from you.
I just published Scary Cool, book #2 in my “Spellspinners” series, so I am taking a
breather! The sales will determine my next move. I have another Spellspinners
book I could write; I also have a couple of ideas for Regency stories. I plan
to try an audiobook, perhaps; maybe recording one of my Christmas books to see
how that goes. And then I’ll start writing my next book—whatever it might be!
What advice
would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Read. Read voraciously. Read
everything. Then write. Write a lot. Try a bunch of different types of writing.
It’s not enough to know you want “to write.” You need to find out whether you
are a journalist or a poet or a novelist…there are lots of different kinds of
writing, and if you start down the wrong path you will be miserable. And
probably not successful.
What was the
hardest part of writing your book?
For me, the beginning pours out, and
the ending pours out, but that long, slow slog through the middle is tough!
What hardships
have you encountered while writing your books?
There were a couple of years when I had
to support my entire family with my writing. That was scary, but we made it!
What books (or
authors) have influenced you the most during your career?
Georgette Heyer and Meg Cabot.
Fun Questions:
Favorite
flavor of ice cream: butter
brickle, and you just can’t find it anymore
Favorite
color: purple
Favorite
animal: pig
Favorite
season of the year: spring
Favorite
Author: Georgette Heyer – if
I MUST choose!
Favorite
drink: coffee with just the
right amount of milk & sugar
Favorite food:
the crab & macadamia
nut wontons at the Hula Grill on Ka’anapali Beach
Favorite
Halloween Candy: anything
with Reese’s on the label
Diane
Farr was first published at the age of eight when the local newspaper printed
one of her poems. She has spent most of her life with her nose in a book --
sometimes reading, sometimes writing. Eventually she produced eight historical
romances and a novella, all published by Signet Books. Her latest adventure is
a teen paranormal series: The Spellspinners. All her books are available on
Kindle.
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