Author Interview with Patti Roberts, author of Paradox: The Angels Are Here

Thank you so much Patti for doing this author interview and giving us a copy (ebook) of your book to giveaway to one of our lucky bloggers. Btw great picture :D

This is So Many Books, So Little Times first author interview & giveaway (may more to come).

Gorgeous graphics on the front cover - something I forgot to mention in my review!

So lets get the ball rolling with some pre-ready questions and some new ones:



Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born in Brisbane, Queensland Australia. However, I consider 2 places home. Darwin in the Northern Territory, where I grew up. My heart will always think of Darwin as home. And Cairns, Queensland, where I have now lived for over 20. Cairns really is a beautiful part of the World. Where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say? Book 2 in the Paradox Series (Progeny Of Innocence) is just about to be released. It continues on from where book 1 (The Angels Are Here) ended off. It is a story being Narrated by Juliette, a soul that died 900 years ago when a battle raged, and Angels fell.

If your book became a movie who would you like to play the main characters (from book 1)? I don't want to say for Grace, I would like everyone to form their own opinion about that character.

For Angela (teenager) Ksenia Solo from Lost Girl.

For Brian Connors Eric Banner

For Wade Alex O'Loughlin

For Kate Connors Radha Mitchell


How is book 2 and 3 coming along and when can we expect them to be out? Book 2 – Progeny Of Innocence is due out 30th November…..

What or who inspired you to write? A broken heart. It was either go shopping for a new wardrobe or….. buy a new laptop. I chose the laptop, started writing, and here I am. The best decision I ever made!

And how long have you been writing? I have been writing since 2009

How did you come up with the title and cover design? I really liked the word Paradox, and the meaning. It makes you think, see things from other perspectives. And the cover I ended up choosing for book 1 is kind of dark and mystic, Gothic I thought. Little bit EMO. I liked it, it really suited the story. It is by the talented artist Hazel Brown from Overland Park, United States.

Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life? Yes…real events. And there are lots of bits of trivia throughout the book that mostly only I know about. Like the little friend of Grace’s Patrick Wheat, that dies in the book. I used the name Patrick to honor the life & death of Patrick Swayze. And the boys surname “Wheat” was the surname of the character that Patrick Swayze plays in the movie “Ghost”. That is just one example.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet? George RR Martin. Author of the Game of Thrones.

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover? Ebooks, I love my kindle. And paperbacks. Have never liked hardcovers.

Have you ever read a book more than once? Not really. There are so many books out there waiting to be read….

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version? PS I Love You. And TV's shows. The Vampire Diaries. The TV show is way better than the books.



Do you have a book trailer? Sure do - http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com/book-trailer-book-1/

What are your thoughts on book trailers? I really like them. I had fun making mine.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Read, read, read and write, write, write as much as you can

What are 4 things you never leave home with out? Phone, bag, lipstick, money.

Computer or pen and paper for writing? Laptop and a notepad for keeping notes and ideas.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing? At the desk In my room, usually in the middle of the night.


One of your favorite quotes – you meet people for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

List 3 of your all time favorite books? Kane and Able was very good. I'm really enjoying the Game of Thrones series right now. And a ton of new books from Indie Authors that I have met on goodreads. Awesome bunch of people.

Where can your readers stalk you?

Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/PattiRoberts7
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Paradox-Series/150822348341990
Blog - http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com/
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/980856.Patti_Roberts

After reading my review on your book was it deliberate to have so many questions raised and unanswered in your first book and why? (I do personally think it has peeked ((for me)) huge interest in the second book.

Most certainly it was deliberate. And I'm glad that it left you asking questions and wanting to know more. I like to read a book and watch a movie where it isn't all spelled out for me. I like to have to really work at searching for clues and try to work out what's happening. I like the uncertainty of it all. Life is like that…. There are always more questions than answers. That is what keeps life so interesting. I understand that some people like and easy read, not a lot of thinking. I'm just not one of them. 

Great Patti thank you so much for your time and your thoughts and again for the giveaway.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

You don't have to be a follower here or of Pattis blog.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Paradox: The Angels Are Here by Patti Roberts please leave a comment with your email and or you blog address and a winner will be picked through the usual method (names in a hat) and we will get the book to you.

Synopsis for Paradox:The Angels Are Here by Patti Roberts (From Goodreads)

Nine hundred years ago, I died...

A little girl's world is turned upside down by a visitor,the Angel of Death. She finds herself trapped in a nightmare, consumed by her paralyzing loss and overwhelming grief. The haunting visions and untimely deaths of others are a constant reminder that life and death are only a heartbeat away.

A journey crossing Two Worlds. One Ancient - One New.

How do the heartbreaking visions experienced by a little girl fit into this Ancient World of Angels, Myth & Legend?

Where lives are bound by blood - and nothing is as it seems. In a World where there are more questions than answers. This journey will leave you wanting and have you asking... Who, When, Where?

Is your Guardian Angel From Heaven or Hell...?

Paradox - Progeny Of Innocence (#2 in the
Paradox Series) Available November 2011

Review - Paradox: The Angels Are Here by Patti Roberts

Paradox: The Angels Are Here by Patti Roberts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Nine hundred years ago, I died...

A little girl's world is turned upside down by a visitor,the Angel of Death. She finds herself trapped in a nightmare, consumed by her paralyzing loss and overwhelming grief. The haunting visions and untimely deaths of others are a constant reminder that life and death are only a heartbeat away.

A journey crossing Two Worlds. One Ancient - One New.

How do the heartbreaking visions experienced by a little girl fit into this Ancient World of Angels, Myth & Legend?

Where lives are bound by blood - and nothing is as it seems. In a World where there are more questions than answers. This journey will leave you wanting and have you asking... Who, When, Where?

Is your Guardian Angel From Heaven or Hell...?

Paradox - Progeny Of Innocence (#2 in the
Paradox Series) Available November 201

My Review

If you thought after reading the blurb you would get your answers in this book you would be wrong, if anything I ended up with more questions. We go from the Ancient World (or planet) to the present day. From a family of murderous and magnificent beings(they could be vampires or fallen angels) to what is seemingly a normal family who have at least one Angel with them for a time. Grace is a little girl who is having flashbacks to previous lives which noone knows about and is trying to make sense of them.

The family of ?Angels are brutal killers fighting to make their mark in their own world over the other family, beings who are very sexual with each other and also aggressive. They want the girl from our time and send members of their family to get her and bring her back alive.

Book 1 is basically a base layer, I honestly think book two will answer a lot of questions and fill in the huge blanks and questions that arise reading the first. I really enjoyed the flashbacks of Juliette and Abaddons family and their antics. Wondering what did cause the war and where is this much loved and feared brother and what is his role going to be. What really happened to Graces father and what is the story with Angela and her dog, and is there more to Wade than meets the eye.

So many questions but the parts of the story we are given are really good but I think once part two is read the story will take shape and so much will be explained. They say a writer should leave their readers wanting more so I would say job very well done but I would have liked to have known just a bit more for my first book. Frustrating but enjoyable so 3/5 for me and I will be looking out for the next volume to hopefully have my questions answered and at least some of the mysteries explained.

Thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this to read and it is available for the kindle for only £1.48 on Amazon.co.uk also on Smashwords or on Amazon.com for $8.50 in paperback.

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Review - Rise Again : A Zombie Thriller by Ben Tripp

Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller by Ben Tripp

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

A MYSTERIOUS CONTAGION. MASS HYSTERIA. SUDDEN DEATH.

And a warning that would come all too late . . .

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun—starting with what might very well be the end of the world. Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit . . . and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself. . . .

Filled with adventurous human drama—and shocking inhuman horror—Rise Again marks a vivid and powerful fiction debut.

My Review

The story starts by introducing us to Sheriff Danny (Danielle Adelman) and her sister Kelley, Kelley is writing a letter to her sister who she feels has neglected and left her behind many times and she has had enough. It is a slow start as the author is building up a picture of our main character and the town however once the contagion actually starts (just shy of 100 pages) it really takes off. During the book we have flash backs to Dannys time in Iraq and offers a window into understanding how she is the way she is.

The zombie side of it is fabulous, roughly where it starts (which quite a few zombies books pass over) and how it progresses. We follow our band of survivors and the struggles and horrors they face, not only the flesh eating kind but fellow humans at their worst.

There is a few friendships formed, some unlikely and interesting to read however it doesn't take over or away from the story. Once you get by the first quarter it is really fast paced and the ending is really good and there is plenty of gore to satisfy the horror fans.

I really enjoyed this book and would read more by this author, 4/5 for me

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Review - Jokers Club by Gregory Bastianelli

Jokers Club by Gregory Bastianelli

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

Diagnosed with a brain tumor, Geoffrey returns to his hometown for a reunion of the Jokers Club (his childhood gang) with the hopes of unearthing the imagination he held in his youth. Upon arriving, he discovers the creative juices that drove his writing many years ago surround him: the tombstone salesman who chisels out names of the dead, the far-sighted barber with the bloodstained smock and the reclusive Tin Man, just to name a few.

Unfortunately Geoffrey’s tumor quickly worsens, bringing on blackouts and hallucinations where he encounters the spectral figure of a court jester who had been his muse as a child. The jester inspires Geoffrey’s work on his manuscript, fueling his writing at a ferocious pace. The dead and the living co-exist in the pages of Geoffrey’s story, in a town where time seems to be frozen in a past that still haunts the present.

When one of the gang is found dead it rattles not only his group of friends, but everyone begins to look at each other as possible suspects. Will the pounding growth in Geoffrey’s head be held at bay long enough for him to discover who is targeting his friends, or will the pages in his unfinished novel rewrite history?

My review

A wanna be author heads back to his hometown for a reunion with his old pals, he has a brain tumour and would like to pen down a story and decide what he will do in regards to his health. Geoffrey is our story teller and jumps from present day to past and recounts his tales of happiness and horror he experiences with the jokers club.

Sometimes the jump from past to present is really easy to follow and understand but other times you have to go back and re read as it gets a bit confusing. Also he has hallucinations followed by flashbacks to the past and again it takes a read back or two to find out what is going on.

There is a horrific scene of animal torture and whilst I have read far worse in horror books I think it is worth giving potential readers a heads up so as not to get a nasty suprise.

The pace of the book is good and the childhood flashbacks are neccessary to what leads up to present day events and some of it gives good insight into the characters. There is a good few twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the last few lines in the book. The parts I liked in this book I really liked but the few things I didn't like I really didn't so all in I give it a 3/5.

Definately worth a read if you like suspence/thriller/horror type reads, available on Amazon for £7.51 in paperback or £4.32 on the kindle.

As always thanks goes to the author for giving me the chance to read his work and I will definately keep an eye out for his other work.



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Review - 11.22.63 by Stephen King

11.22.63 by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

This enhanced edition includes the trailer and a short film written and narrated by Stephen King, which gives a unique insight into '11.22.63'.

WHAT IF you could go back in time and change the course of history? WHAT IF the watershed moment you could change was the JFK assassination? 11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless . . .

King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life - a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

With extraordinary imaginative power, King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense.

My review

I have been looking forward to this since I heard it was getting written. A story with time travel and heading back to when Kennedy was around with the chance to change the future, fabulous idea. Jake is a great character who changes and grows and he goes through the mind boggling experience of time travel whilst trying to keep his mind focused on the task in hand he can't help but get caught up in other peoples lives.

The only thing that might annoy some readers is that the story doesn't just go straight to Kennedys assassination, there is a whole chunk (3 quarters of the book) of what he does until that time, the characters he meets and relationships he builds up. However I really liked that aswell as the characters all play an important part to the story and for a small part we have a link to one of Stephen Kings previous books, I love when a character from a previous story shows up (even if in passing or a small part).

I have often heard people say Stephen King isn't as good as he once was however I would say pick this up and give it a go, it will restore your faith and rekindle the love for Stephen Kings writing. 4/5 for me.



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Review - The Vagabond King by James Conway

The Vagabond King by James Conway

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

When his mother dies and he discovers the man he believed was his father is not, sixteen year old Chris is haunted by a mysterious apparition that forces him to question his pampered existence and embark upon a quest to find himself. Hoping she will “make a man of him”, he seeks sanctuary in the home of Magda, a middle aged waitress with a penchant for sex, only to discover she lives with her father, a cigarette smoking, beer swilling immigrant.

Chris hates his shabby new surroundings at the end of the street and the shabby old man at the end of his life who spends his days listening to old blues records and making Chris fetch him fresh cans of beer. But, when the old man tells tales of Communism, torture, escape and the mysterious medallion he wears, Chris learns that, like the old man’s skipping records, history repeats itself and the roles we play have been played many times before.

My review

Another book I fought between a 2 or 3 star rating. It had a fantastic start and a huge hooking line and I thought it was going to be a completely different story than it turned out to be. However I really struggled to get through this book after that until up until I was 70% through. It begins with Chris finding out his father is not his real father by his mother who is dying with cancer. After his mum dies Chris finds himself going from having his whole life planned out and being a straight A student to dropping out of school and leaving home with his belongings and nowhere to go. He finds himself at the mercy of the older but attractive waitresses house of his local diner and ends up staying with her and her father.

What follows is tales from Magda about religion, egyptians and mythology. This is the parts of the story that kept me going as I was really fascinated by the tales and of Magdas fathers stories of his life. Chris however I found a horrible character, he was whiney, self involved and very shallow until spending some quality time and learning life lessons from the Vagabond King.

The way the story came together with the suprise turn at the near end was very well done also and added another star onto my rating as I was torn between a 2 or a 3 as I really struggled to get into it when it was about Chris and found there was a bit of repetition throughout the book aswell. All things considered it is a 3/5 for me and thank you to the author for introducing me to his work.

This book is available for only £0.86 on amazon so worth checking out as other readers have loved it and gave it 5 star ratings.





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Review - The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.
From the Publisher (Random House)

My Review

Another where I was torn between a 2 or a 3 but after weighing it up I had to go with a 2. The first quarter I really liked, how it all started and Amys beginnings however the next quarter after that was an uphill struggle and I was ready for giving up to be honest. The whole set up after "the time before" I found hard to remember what the new terminology was and got really bored and annoyed with a lot of the characters.

However it picked up again and I was glad I stuck with it and got to like some of the characters and the twists that followed. However as the end came around I was really disappointed, I won't spoil it as I hate spoiler reviews but even at the end I found it just came to a stop and was left hanging which lost the book another few stars.

Definately a marmite read, some love it some hate it - I think you should read it yourself and see which side you fall to 2/5 for me.



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