Mundie Moms

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Interview with author Keren David
















We're excited to have author Keren David on our site today! Last year we had the privilege of reading her debut book, When I Was Joe, (you can read our review here), and this year we have the privilege of interviewing Keren about her sequel, Almost True.

We were really enjoyed reading your debut book, When I Was Joe and we're looking forward to reading it's sequel, Almost True. What can you tell us about your newest release?

Things get even more dangerous for Ty, and his family decide that police protection isn't working for him. So he's in hiding with complete strangers, and their seemingly savage dog. Ty finds out many secrets about his own past and about the crime he witnessed - until the day comes when he has to tell his story in court.


What do you admire most about Ty's character growth from When I Was Joe to Almost True?

Ty makes a lot of mistakes, and he's still liable to rush into things headlong. But he's brave and loyal and he tries to do the right thing - even if it doesn't always work out like that - and he's quite resilient considering everything that happens to him.

What do you find more challenging to write, the first book in a series or its sequel and why?

The first book, I think, the characters are all new and you're feeling your way. It's great to be able to pick up their stories again in a sequel. Ty's voice was very familiar to me by the time I wrote Almost True, which made life easier. I loved exploring the secrets in his past, and introducing him to new characters.


When you're not writing, what is one thing you enjoy doing?

I love going to the cinema. I feel really bereft if I don't get to see a movie at least once a week. The last film I saw was The King's Speech, which I enjoyed a lot despite its historical inaccuracies.

Is there a book you've read lately that you'd recommend to us?

The YA fantasy Firebrand by Gillian Philip is excellent - Scottish faeries in the sixteenth century, with a wild rough irresistable anti-hero . And Tall Story by Candy Gourlay, which is just about to come out in the US is a really moving and beautifully written story of two siblings who've never met before. It's a book with everything - drama, magic, realism, humour and a definite tear-jerker.

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Thank you so much Keren for joining us today. We'll be sharing our review for Almost True tomorrow. Be sure to visit Keren's site here to learn more about Almost True and her writing.

Blog Tour/ Book Review- Love Ya Like A Sister


Published by Wise Moon Books
Released on November 1st, 2010

If you want something done right, then do it yourself. At least, that's what people say. But does that include having three girlfriends at the same time--and stealing a car?

Life is simple for Randy: 1) he loves his girlfriend and 2) he likes his motorcycle. And even if he really likes his motorcycle and only thinks he's pretty sure he loves his girlfriend, it's still the same difference. Easy to know, easy to think about.

Then Randy's life gets complicated. In one week he makes friends with a senior girl and her five-year-old sister, his girlfriend dumps him, and his ex's older sister helps him with his math--although, it turns out, she's better at biology.

While trying to uncomplicate their lives, Randy and his friends learn what to do when your parents are too busy, too divorced, too drunk, or too dead to help (quoted from Goodreads).

Love Ya Like A Sister is a very raw, honest story about teenagers making the best of the situations they're in. It wasn't hard to understand why Randy, Susie, Gwen, Hope and the other characters all made the decisions they do throughout the story. I mean, we all make mistakes as that's part of life and growing up, but some of these characters deal with some really tough, and all to often heart breaking situations, leaving them to fend for themselves.

I'll be honest, this wasn't my cup of tea. I had a very hard time really getting into the story and I'm not sure why. I don't know if it's because I didn't really connect with the characters, or if it's because I didn't care for some of the language or sexual references or maybe I needed to be in a different mood when I read this. I mean, Tom does portray what some teens deal pretty bluntly and it's heartbreaking knowing this really goes on.

What I liked about the story was the dynamics between some of the characters and I really came to admire Gwen, who's mother ran off with a trucker and left her to care for her 4 yr old sister, Hope. Then there's Randy who's mother died when he was young and his father is for the most part always gone on business trips. The bond that Randy and Gwen form, the innocence that Hope adds to the story are what I liked most. A few elements stood out to me, and that's how these friends became more like a family, and helped each other when no one else would. There are two great adult characters I liked who "adopt" these kids in a sense, and that's 95 yr old Jonas, who's a hoot. His non-sugar coated, blunt responses made him a lovable character, and Randy's motherly neighbor Mrs Bachman. While I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to, I see why this book would be appealing to teens.

If you'd like to download a digital version of the book, Tom has generiously given us a coupon to use through April 15th. This makes the ebook price $4.99, which you can purchase here using the code is JF47Y.

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