Interview With Author Cidney Swanson.

Interview With Cidney Swanson Author Of The Ripple Series.

1. How did you come up with such an original idea?

Well, I had this image in my head that just showed up one day: A girl (who is staring at a river) turns invisible. Only she doesn’t realize it. I was really puzzled by this image. It stuck with me and I wrote the story to figure out (1) why she’d vanished and (2) why she hadn’t even noticed. 

2. Any more books in the series after the second one?

Yes, there will be a third book coming out soon!

3. What would you do if you could turn invisible?

Hmmmmm . . . I’d for sure find a large plate glass window and just ripple back and forth through it! Oh, and I used to have these fantasies of walking around in my hometown shopping mall and picking out anything I wanted. Of course, in my “Rippler” world, I wouldn’t be able to grab anything.

4. Did you grow up wanting to be an author?

Absolutely. It’s the earliest dream I had. Hit me about age 7. Oops, I take that back. When I was 6, I wanted to be a magician.

5. When did you first think of yourself as a writer?

Well, promise not to laugh too hard, but I took myself pretty seriously at age 8. That’s when I started my first novel. I wrote the first page. Only. A more serious answer would be that by middle school, it was pretty obvious I was a word-girl.

6. Which author's have inspired you?

JRR Tolkien, Jane Austen, Frank Herbert, George Eliot, Suzanne Collins, Markus Zusak, Maggie Stiefvater, Audrey Niffenegger, and lots more!

7. What are you currently working on?

A story set in a very ancient world, book three in the Ripple Series, and a sci-fi series!

8. Any upcoming appearances you would like to share?

Oh, absolutely! I’m on a blog tour at the moment! 

 November 5: Romancing-the-book.com

November 8: Sibelhodge.com

Thanks For Your Time Cidney , And I Wish You The Best Of Luck.

Book Review (12).

Rippler (The Ripple #1)

by Cidney Swanson

Publication: 15th June 2011

Publisher: William's Press

Pages: 288

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love. Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments. The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe

My Thoughts.

I loved this book, the concept was so fresh and original from all the other paranormal books out on the market.

The story begins with Samantha 'Sam' who is rafting with her cross-country team when she goes missing and everybody assumes she's drowned when in actual fact she has 'rippled' (turned invisible), the only one who notices is a boy named Will.

Luckily for her Will's sister Micki used to be a research assistant into rippling.

Everybody associated with researching this have either disappeared or been killed, all they have to go on are some journals that are written in a language they don't know from the World War 2 era.

There is also a potential romance between Sam and Will which I hope will flourish in the second book. 

This book was a great start to a new series, now onto the second book.

I give this book 4/5.

A big thanks to the author Cidney Swanson for allowing me to review this book and it's sequel.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Haunting Violet

by Alyxandra Harvey 

Australian.

American.

Reblog This.

Behold - the fanciest thing I own, a box full of Advance Readers’ Copies of TEAM HUMAN, a book that Justine Larbalestier and I wrote, which will not be out until JULY! Would you LIKE one?

It is about that first time in school when your best girlfriend has a boyfriend and she loves him SO MUCH and she talks about him ALL THE TIME… and also, he is a vampire.

Seemed a good idea to start tumblring with a FANCY GIVEAWAY!

If this gets reblogged 100 times, I shall put all who did so in a hat for one of these fine fancy things…

Book Review (11).

Prized (Birthmarked #2)

by Caragh M. O'Brien 

Publication: 1st November 2011

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 368

Genre: Dystopian

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Price: $16.99

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

My Thoughts.

Prized takes place a short while after Gaia and her baby sister leave the Enclave and make their way across the wasteland and finds herself and her sister close to death, they are picked up by an outrider who takes them to Sylum a society ruled by women.

Sylum is ruled by Matrarc Olivia where 9 out of 10 people are male but they have no rights.

The men are not allowed to touch the women or they get charged with attempted rape, men and women are only allowed to kiss once engaged and every married couple  are expected to have at least ten children in hopes to increase the female population.

Straight away Maya is taken away from Gaia and given to another family and Gaia seems to lose her identity and while in the previous book she had a fighting spirit in Prized she seems to give up and give in.

In Birthmarked Gaia wasn't attractive to anybody (besides Leon) because of the scar on her face but in Sylum she has three males interested in her.

I really liked the book as much as the first one to see Gaia become so self doubtful and not confident within herself and it isn't until Leon calls her on it she realises how lost she is.

If you're looking for a dystopian that's different from all of the others out there check this series, now I'm eagerly awaiting next year for the third in the series to come out.

I give this book 4/5. 

A big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura #1)

by Jonathan Maberry 

Australian.

American.

I personally prefer the American cover.

Book Review (10).

Birthmarked (Birthmarked #1)

by Caragh M. O'Brien 

Publication: 2nd May 2011

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 361

Genre: Dystopian

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Price: $16.99

IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future.
In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.
A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

My Thoughts.

Gaia is following in her Mother's footsteps and training to be a midwife.The first three babies born each month are handed over to the Enclave to be adopted and live inside the wall (these included Gaia's two older brothers).

One night arriving home after delivering her first unassisted baby she finds both her parent's have been arrested by the guards of the Protecterate, there is a guard there waiting for her to ask her about important information that her parent's had (a record of all the births of the babies given into the Enclave) Gaia doesn't know anything but was given a ribbon by Old Meg who works with her Mother, not knowing the information they're after is sewn onto the ribbon.

Gaia's time is then spent trying to find a way into the Enclave to save her parents, and once in there trying to find her way out. 

I liked this book way more than I thought I would and now it's straight onto the second book Prized.

I give this book 4/5

A big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia