I am very excited to get to host author Holly Bodger on my blog today. I was so excited to see that she would be one of the authors we would get to choose, and then to find out I got to host her on my blog was even more exciting.
Author Bio:
I am represented by Lauren MacLeod of The Strothman Agency, LLC. My debut novel, 5 TO 1, was released on May 12, 2015 from Knopf Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House).
I am also the author of TEN which was a finalist for the 2013 RWA Golden Heart (YA Category).
Author links:
Book Info:
Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Contestant Five, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Five’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Five thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.
This beautiful, unique novel is told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Contestant Five’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.
Purchase Links:
Author's Top Ten Favorite Books:
It’s always hard to list my favorite books, especially when I’m only allowed ten so I’ve decided to focus on those that have inspired me as a writer.
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Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
I’ve read this book,
listened to the audiobook (narrated by the late Frank McCourt himself) and
seen the movie and I could do so over and over again. It’s a wonderful story
that mixes despair and humor in the perfect way. It’s also an excellent
example of how to write a memoir.
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I like happy-sad
books and this is another fabulous example of one. It’s a tiny ray of
sunshine in the middle of a horrific setting. The POV is original and
well-done (and yes, I watched the movie and loved it too!)
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Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
It may not come as a
surprise to hear that I’ve read this, listened to it and watched the movie
like ten or twenty times (I do tend to overdose on things I love!) This story
is one of my go-to feel-goods. It’s hilarious and romantic and a fine example
of how to write in diary format.
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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Like the other books
on this list, I have read this many times and have seen many of the movies
(the one with Helena Bonham Carter is my favorite). This is an amazing book
with so many levels to it that I still continue to discover more every time I
read it. It is a fantastic example of how to write a complex and sympathetic
antagonist.
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Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter
As per my earlier
comment about overdosing on things I love, I’m refusing to pick just one of
the books in this series because I love them all. I also love the audiobooks
and promise to love the movies if they ever make them. These books feature
smart, kickass heroines with awesome friendships and familial relationships.
The pace is absolutely perfect and the setting is very well done.
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
This is obviously a
recurring theme here, but I have read this and listened to it many times and
I always love it just as much as the previous time. This novel is a great
example of using multiple POVs to tell a story and handles the letter format
very well. It’s also both sad and funny and a little bit romantic.
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Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
And now for the part
where I sound a really obsessive. I have read all of these books. I have
listened to all of the audiobooks. I have seen all of the movies many many
times. I have been to the Harry Potter theme parks in Florida (also many
times). I own my own wand, sorting hat, golden snitch, rats, troll (fake of
course)… I adore not just these books but this entire world. When I talk
about how to create a fabulous setting, these are the books I use as
examples. They are unmatched in that area.
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Identical by
Ellen Hopkins
I adore everything
written by Ellen Hopkins, but this one had a twist that blew me away. I
actually re-read it immediately afterwards (and then listened to the
audiobook) because I was truly awestruck.
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This has always been
one of my favorite books of all time. I have read it, listened to it and
watched the movies (and let me just say that Colin Firth is the only Darcy I
will acknowledge). It’s a wonderful story of love and family strife, and is a
great example of how to write quiet, yet powerful romantic conflict.
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Wonder by
RJ Palacio
This is an
absolutely lovely story that made me smile and cry and smilecry. It is told
in multiple POVs (I see a theme running here) all of which are done very
well. It also features a diverse character without making diversity an issue.
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I couldn't let you leave without a chance to win a copy of this book. I thought this would be US only as I will be mailing from my home a copy of 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger, and with Christmas I just can't afford to ship internationally myself right now. However, I found out that the author is going to make available a copy internationally, so there will be two copies up for grabs! I'll be running the giveaway until the end of the month, and you can do a couple of the entries daily. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Click on the button below to go see the schedule and all the authors and blogs that will be participating!
