STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth -- The Book Trailer

I warned you this day would come.

You read my book review (you didn't? Read it now!)

You already pre-ordered the book (oh, come on... you're killin' me here)

You've visited her new website (just go...)

And now, the event you've been waiting for -- the epic book trailer for STRUCK.

Tell me that isn't brilliant. I am blown away by the book trailer. They should have just filmed the rest of the book and they would have had the movie released at the same time! Her husband Ryan Bosworth is the director. Yes, he's a badass.

As you may recall, I was one of the extras. I know what you're thinking. "Dude, where are you?"

Two guesses.

Hmm, no. I am not the prophet, the creepy dude with cataract eyes.

One more...

Okay, I'll help you. I'm the dude at the far left of the screen at the 00:33 second mark.

What do you mean you can't see me? Look again. Silhouette of my glasses... proud nose.

Still can't see it? Here it is.

Okay fine. So you can barely see me... but I really was there. And I really was epic.

I tell you what, go to Jennifer Bosworth's Facebook and "friend" her. You will find dozens of pictures from the shoot.

Here's one. Yes, that's me on the far right.

You will also find that she's one of the nicest people you'll come across. Which explains why she writes about the end of the world, or writes screenplays about murderous psychopaths. Word to the wise: be nice to her. You may end up in one of her books!

Okay, this concludes Ara's one second of fame. The good news is that I still have a whole 14 minutes and 59 seconds left. My services can be hired for a nominal fee.

Fight the good fight!

STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth

"A girl struck by lightning hundreds of times holds the fate of the world in her hands."

That's on the cover of the advanced reader copy of Jennifer Bosworth's debut YA novel STRUCK.


With that hook, I didn't need much more to jump right into the novel. But there's more to the story...


Full disclosure: Jennifer Bosworth is a friend. No, not just a Facebook "friend"... I've actually met her. I even provided my extraordinary acting skills (stop laughing!) to the production of her book trailer (okay, so I was an extra... I was still epic!). Needless to say, even without the killer hook, I was more than ready to read this novel.


As I cracked the book open, an unfortunate memory came to mind... I had just finished another YA novel that had left me disappointed (I'm being kind).


That "other" book felt formulaic, contrived. Somethings I could forgive, like forcing a love triangle. Other things were not excusable, like not finishing the story just so there can be another book twelve months or so later. Then I realized, I was seeing a lot of that lately...


Are you in my state of mind yet? I had been looking forward to STRUCK for months, now another book had left me a bit jaded. 


But I had faith in Jennifer. After all, she's a Stephen King fan. She wouldn't let me down! (no pressure)


So, you ask, was the book good? 


Well, yes. It was great! 


And it was great without formulas... instead, she relied on something very old-school... story telling. 


Many can write a book, very few can write an engaging story.


The first thing that you'll notice is that  STRUCK is written in first person past tense--and I loved that. It was very appropriate for this story. It reminded me of campfires with friends spinning a good story.


Then you meet Mia. She is the lightning addict, the answer, the problem, and the voice of the story. A memorable character whose imperfection and inner struggles make her vivid and memorable.


This is a sensory-rich book. Because Jennifer Bosworth is a screenwriter, she was able to harness her magic to create a visual world. To her credit, she does this without inundating the reader with mind-numbing detail. She gets us there with just the right amount of context and detail. 


Also, the scenes are crisp and the chapters tight. Long chapters mean long scenes. Long scenes usually translate to slow pacing. Slow pace feels like a marathon (marathons are overrated). This book starts fast, then transforms into a sprint!

And when the book ends, the reader is left complete. No need to wait 12+ months just to see what happens next, and next, and next. You get the story all in one book. How quaint!

Finally, for me, the hallmark of a good story is when at the end I am left stranded in the story world--not quite ready to leave. And that's what STRUCK accomplished. A great book, written by a talented story teller. 


I highly recommend STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth. It will be released on May 8th, 2012. You can go on Amazon or any other booksellers and pre-order it today. 


I thought this blurb captured the essence of the novel nicely:


“Cinematic! Struck builds into a massive, darkening, electric storm of a novel.” —Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why and The Future of Us


I would have said those same words, but Jay Asher beat me to it. Well played, Asher. Well played.


When the book trailer is released, I'll warn tell you all about it. I really do think I was awesome... even though after all that is said and done, my 1.7 seconds of fame will probably ended up on the editing room floor... That's show business folks! :)

"It's about the story, and it's always about the story." ~ Stephen King -- On Writing

Fight the good fight!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I am at a loss for words...

Yes, I claim to be a writer. So admitting this ineptitude is quite embarrassing.

But facts are facts... I am struggling. How can I do justice to Tahereh Mafi's debut novel with the limited words that I have at my disposal? I'm not sure that I have the talent nor ability to properly express my enthusiasm over this brilliant book.

I received the ARC on Wednesday July 6th. That was a tough day for me. With only a few chapters of editing to go with my new manuscript, I did not want to be distracted. My wife was waiting to read the story, and so was someone else (who will remain anonymous for now). Like I said, no distractions.

By Thursday evening I was done with my manuscript, and by 10 PM I gave myself permission to peek at Shatter Me. No, I was not going to read it on a Thursday night. That would be irresponsible. I had a conference call at 6 AM the next morning. Beyond irresponsible, that would be silly. The plan was that I would start reading it on Friday and enjoy it over the weekend. It was a good plan. As I said, all I was going to do was... you know, take a peek.

At 3:21 AM, I was on page 239, the start of chapter thirty-five. The Editorial Director at Harper Collins used the word "unputdownable." That's not a marketing line. It's a warning. A promise. I had to set it down. But when I came back home from work, I started to devour the novel. I read it standing up in the kitchen, leaning on the hood of my car, sprawled on my mother-in-law's floor. I had to finish it. I had to.

The newly revealed cover... sweet

Yes, this YA Paranormal/Dystopian/Romance/Suspense novel it is that good. No, I take that back. It's better than that. It's a voyage.

The journey starts with her dedication sentence. I don't know if I'm allowed to share it with you--so I won't. But the words she uses, the sentiment she portrays, and the poetic rhythm that is captured in that one sentence alone told me that I was in for a ride. [In fact, when my wife read that line, she tried to take the book away from me. Don't worry, we've worked it out. We have an agreement: when she finishes her husband's manuscript (that would be my manuscript) then she may read another person's novel (I had to put my foot down!)].

So what can I tell you about Shatter Me, without spoiling the story?

I can tell you that Tahereh creates characters that are deep, complex, thoughtful, evil, dangerous, wonderful, lovable, hatable.

I can tell you that these characters transform into real people by... oh somewhere around... page 1.

I can tell you that the dialogue is deep, multi-faceted, funny, hurtful, but always crisp and painfully honest.

I can tell you that the plot grabs your heart and forces the blood to pump faster and eventually explode through your veins.

I can tell you that the use of language, the vivid words she uses will forever etch the images in your mind's eye.

I can tell you that the romance is full of passion and heart, but never gratuitous and always on fire.

But all of this is still not enough. The only way you'll really understand is if you read it. And you must.

There's one other thing that I must mention. Tahereh Mafi's writing style is extraordinary. Nearly supernatural.

There is a beat, a rhythm to her writing. It's an orchestration of images. At one point, my heart was beating with the same cadence as her writing. The writing is fluid and viscous. It changes, alters, pushes, pulls, burns and cools. But at all times, it hooks. The talons sink deep into the reader.

But alas, the news isn't all good.

For one, since this is a trilogy, it means that I will have to wait for heaven knows how long before I read part II.

And lastly, my ARC isn't autographed by this brilliant debut author who, in my humble opinion, will soon (should be, must be) be the talk of both the publishing and entertainment worlds. I think I understand now what agents mean, when they talk about that indescribable moment when they realize that they have solid gold in their hands. She is golden.

I have a sense of longing right now. I miss the story. I miss the characters. I miss the erratic heart rhythms I experienced as I read it. My only solace is that I will be able to talk to my wife about it once she reads it. I feel like I belong to a special cult. Like I know something that others don't know, yet.... but their time will come. Your time will come.

Fight the good fight!

### 

Shatter Me will be released November of 2011. The synopsis and the trailer are posted below. Check it out, then pre-order it.

Tahereh Mafi's blog:

Click Me! Easily one of the best out there. You owe it to yourself to follow it (see I even have it in my blog roll, waaaay over there --->

The Synopsis:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. 

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. 

The Teaser Trailer: