Review with Author Interview and Giveaway: Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee

Book info:

Title:  Ask Me Anything
Author:  Molly E. Lee
Genre:  YA contemporary
Release Date:  May 7th, 2019
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Source:  Finished copy received from publisher for review which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?

Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right.

My Review:
I knew from the author's reasoning for writing the book when I heard about it, as well as the topic and knowing that the main character had experienced something similar to what I experienced when I was younger, that this book was right up my alley.  This did not prepare me for how good this book really turned out to be.  The story was so realistic. The way certain people acted, the fellow students, to the types of questions people might have, as well as even when they're answered a certain way, some people still wanting to blame and pretend that she said something different that caused them their problem.  I'm not a coder or anywhere close to being like one, but I enjoyed a lot of that part of the story.  I could definitely relate to getting so sucked into what they were doing with what they loved, as I do with many things in my life.  The way that Amber felt that liking something now was wrong when she had told the other guy no, the guilt, all of that is realistic.  

But it was even more than just this specific issue that made this a great story.  There was how strong  Amber was, and how Dean knew it, recognized it, respected it, and even told her that's part of what he liked about her without being patronizing.  It was even so realistic how he reacted at the end of the story, but especially because we got his inner dialogue and feelings on the issues, and knowing what he knew about her totally fell into all of it and his final decisions.

Honestly, I can't wait to put this one in my school library to share with students.  Not only did the website answer honestly, Amber used research from experts and adults to answer things, but also always told them that this was an opinion, and they should try to talk to parents or girlfriend/boyfriends before they did anything on their own.  It was very well thought out and exactly the thing that is needed these days with all of the experts and fake news and clickbait news stories out there.


Author Interview:

1.      What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start?  Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?  If you plan it out, how do you do that?  Outline, notecards, post-it-notes, etc.?  

Thanks so much for having me! 

My writing process varies depending on the content of the book. Normally, I start with the characters—though there have been books where a scene plays out in my head without me even knowing the characters. With Ask Me Anything I saw Amber (my main character) first. She formed in my mind and we took the plot from there. After narrowing down a general concept and theme, I sat down and plotted each chapter—a line or two about each scene—on one of my thousands of notebooks (I have a weakness for buying too many at a time lol). Once that was completed, I sat down every day and wrote. There were some new chapters added and some old ones cut, but for the most part, I stuck to the original plot.

2.      Do you edit as you go, or wait till you're finished before you edit?  How many times would you say you go over it yourself before having another set of eyes look it over? 

I always wait until I’m finished before I go back and edit. I have friends who edit as they go and I think they’re amazing for having the power to do it. For me, it’s easier to get everything out. I like the freedom in the first draft, that sweeping feeling of knowing that you’re writing this first draft solely for you. I learn so much about my characters through this process and the true grit of the story and by the time I’m finished I have a much better sense of what is important to the plot and what can be cut. I tend to edit it twice myself before sending it to a trusted friend with an objective eye. Then I send it on to my editor and we’ll go through nearly four passes of edits before the book is sparkling enough for print. 

3.      Are you part of a writer’s group that gets together and helps each other with their writing?

I’m not part of a physical or official group, but I’m lucky to have an amazing circle of author friends who help support and encourage me on any given project. I do the same for them and we often cheer each other on and check in with daily word counts. It helps all of us get the words on the page when life tries to get in the way.

4.      I'm a high school librarian, former teacher, and I love how this story touches on schools and what they offer for sex ed. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Well, thank you for all you do! Seriously, teachers and librarians are real-life superheroes! This concept was a collaboration between myself and my editor, Stacy Abrams. Given the social climate, we were craving a story with a strong female lead who was done sitting quietly by when her peers were in need. As I dug deeper into the story and themes it revolves around, I realized that learning about how to be healthy and safe when dealing with sex as a teenager is truly one of the easier concepts compared to some of the dark situations happening in schools in our modern world. The more I learned about Amber’s character and the deeper I dug into the story, it became clear that being open about sexual health often led to being more open about other sensitive issues, and having healthy communication between adults and teens is the first step in creating a positive change in the world. 

5.   What are your favorite: Books/authors/genres: 

This is such a HARD question! I love to read and do so across genres but I truly love fantasy and paranormal. Something about the other-worldly elements call to me when I need an escape from reality. Some of my favorite authors are, JK Rowling, Kimberly Derting, Sara J. Maas, Molly McAdams, Staci Hart, Rebecca Yarros, Rachel Harris, and Cindi Madsen! 

Movies/TV Shows: I’m a GIANT Marvel nerd and proudly where my Loki emblem wherever I go! So anything superhero related I’m all about. I also love shows like New Girl, Comedians in Cars getting Coffee, Sons of Anarchy, Buffy, and Stranger Things.

Music: I am a Spotify addict so I’m constantly discovering new music! Some of my go-to bands are Blue October, Queen, NF, deadmau5, Halsey, and all kinds of movie scores which I love having on in the background while I’m writing!  

Food/Writing snack: Coffee or green tea, and I usually try to go for something that will fuel my writing session like carrots or an apple. Only because I tried my favorite chocolate for a while and that only made me crash LOL.

I’m so grateful you had me over today to chat! I hope you’ll enjoy ASK ME ANYTHING when it releases on May 7th! Be sure to check out the EPIC giveaway I’m hosting in celebration of its release! Spoiler alert—there is a laptop up grabs!!! https://www.mollyelee.com/ask-me-anything-pre-order-giveaway.html

  
Giveaway:

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY CHOSEN TO RECEIVE

   - Signed-copy of Ask Me Anything
   - Microsoft Surface Pro 6 with keyboard and pen
   - Amber's Zox bracelet
   - Arrow extra-large Book Beau
   - Custom Ask Me Anything tumbler
   - Two Disney ColorPop lipsticks
   - Hackers Blu-ray

*If an international entrant is chosen they will receive a $1200 Amazon Gift Card in equal value of prize shown. 

All the details and more for Molly's Epic giveaway can be found at the link below: 

https://www.mollyelee.com/ask-me-anything-pre-order-giveaway.html

  

Lisa's Looking Forward To #13 - April 30th and May 7th

Back to a Sunday post this week since I have several posts already scheduled for this Wednesday and didn't do one last Wednesday.  So it will be two weeks' worth of new books. 

From my ARC list for April 30th:

Love the cover, love the story idea.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

* She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
* Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
* Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.
* And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Normally I don't pay a lot of attention to the romances on Edelweiss, but this one just sounded really good. I think I might still be able to download it.  Or maybe I'll just wait to buy it at the store!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT

Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Sounds like a great #ownvoices type of story.  Didn't get time to get to it, but probably will some day!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.



From my ARC list for May 7th:

There's a ton this week!

I loved the first book by this author, Fawkes, and was so intrigued with the idea behind this one when I heard of it.  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy to read and my review will be posted a week from today, and I'll just say right now that I was NOT disappointed!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

So I love the cover of course, and I also love a good girl pirate story.  I just wish I'd had time to get to this one!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series.

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences.

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world.

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

So, I used to have a contact at Disney who got me a lot of great books. And while at one time this wouldn't have been one I'd have picked, after my contact had me read Little White Lies, now I'd be interested in this one. Alas, my Disney contact is now at Simon Teen, and while that has helped me a bit on that publisher front, it has taken away my in with Disney.  :-(  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Kira Bennett’s earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs found her perfectly. Adopted into the Bennett family, Kira still struggles with human interaction years later, but she excels at the family business: search-and-rescue. Along with Cady’s son, Jude, and their neighbor, Free, Kira works alongside Cady to train the world’s most elite search-and-rescue dogs. Someday, all three teenagers hope to put their skills to use, finding the lost and bringing them home.

But when Cady’s estranged father, the enigmatic Bales Bennett, tracks his daughter down and asks for her help in locating a missing child—one of several visitors who has disappeared in the Sierra Glades National Park in the past twelve months—the teens find themselves on the frontlines sooner than they could have ever expected. As the search through 750,000 acres of unbridled wilderness intensifies, Kira becomes obsessed with finding the missing child. She knows all too well what it’s like to be lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival, alone.

But this case isn’t simple. There is more afoot than a single, missing girl, and Kira’s memories threaten to overwhelm her at every turn. As the danger mounts and long-held family secrets come to light, Kira is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her adopted family, her true nature, and her past.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I haven't read the other book by this author, but really want to, and this one sounds just as good!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award longlist title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright.

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another great #ownvoices story that I wish I'd received a copy of!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She's got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection...and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can't be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won't be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I enjoy a good story that is told from a little bit different point of view or aspect, and this one sounds exactly like that.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Fifteen-year-old Eleanor Fromme just chopped off all of her hair. How else should she cope after hearing that her bully, James, has taken his own life? When Eleanor’s English teacher suggests students write a letter to a person who would never read it to get their feelings out, Eleanor chooses James.

With each letter she writes, Eleanor discovers more about herself, even while trying to make sense of his death. And, with the help of a unique cast of characters, Eleanor not only learns what it means to be inside a body that does not quite match what she feels on the inside, but also comes to terms with her own mother’s mental illness.

Set against a 1993-era backdrop of grunge rock and riot grrrl bands, EVERYTHING GROWS depicts Eleanor’s extraordinary journey to solve the mystery within her and feel complete. Along the way, she loses and gains friends, rebuilds relationships with her family, and develops a system of support to help figure out the language of her queer identity.

Through author Aimee Herman's exceptional storytelling, EVERYTHING GROWS reveals the value of finding community or creating it when it falls apart, while exploring the importance of forgiveness, acceptance, and learning how to survive on your own terms.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

 I still need to read one of this author's books, and this one sounds good!  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
The New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things and What to Say Next delivers a poignant and hopeful novel about resilience and reinvention, first love and lifelong friendship, the legacies of loss, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.

Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.

Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She's psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.

Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it's a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers? 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This is one that I only recently heard about, and I was lucky enough to get a copy to read.  My review of this will probably be a week from today as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
“Edgy and smart with a sweet and sexy core.” —Rachel Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Eyes on Me

I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?

Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.


Final Thoughts:
 So, only two that I actually have copies of, although I'm considering going to Edelweiss to download the Hot for the Scot book now that I remember about it.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The giveaway is open till next Saturday.