Her Book Self

If there's one thing I enjoy more than books that can make me laugh, it's authors that can do the same!  Along with taking the time to answer my questions, Tominda Adkins, author of Vessel (Book I: The Advent) is sponsoring an awesome giveaway of her hilarious and fun novel.  Check out the details after the interview, and join me in a warm Her Book Self welcome to Tominda Adkins!

*applause, applause*

Welcome, Tominda!  Tell us a little about yourself - How did you get started as a writer?

Coming up with stories has always been my bliss. Four days out of five, I was that kid at recess who just got on the swingset and did nothing else. Except I wasn't just swinging, I was completely spacing out and building intricate plot lines about dragons and god-knows-what-else in my head. I was always writing up character profiles, drawing them, creating maps and new nations, and building story outlines. By the age of eleven I pretty much knew that I wouldn't be content until I published a book, and yet I never planned for a writing career. Majoring in English never crossed my mind. I wasn't interested in English; I was interested in my stories, and in telling them the right way. I discovered the right way by reading a lot, and by writing a lot.

How did you come up with the concept for the Vessel series?

The short story: Too much anime as a kid! My personal favorites were Ronin Warriors and Sailor Moon. The long story: When I was twelve, my best friend Lindsey and I stayed up until dawn writing separate epic fantasies. The notebook I filled that night hardly resembles Vessel, but the seeds are there: five young men, elemental powers, and comedic situations. It just kept evolving from there. Anyone who knew me in high school can tell you I was never without a spiral-bound neon notebook filled with this ongoing story and supplemental manga-esque doodling. I went to college, put it away for a few years, and tried writing some light literary fiction, which never got anywhere. And then one day, Jordan invited herself into my head and the rest of Vessel just came pouring out of me. It all fell into place, and this time I knew it was mature enough, it was good enough, so I dropped everything in order to get it published. Now I am finally able to share it with readers, and I couldn't be happier with the response so far.

One of the things I loved about Vessel: The Advent was that it is a road trip novel. I've always enjoyed stories where a physical journey parallels the journey of character development. Are you a fan of road trips? What is your favorite destination and method of travel?

I do love road trips! I'm generally content on the road, whether alone or with friends. I love driving, and I adore diners (I've honestly fantasized about being a trucker). Two summers ago, I drove from West Virginia to Seattle in four days. My car broke down five times and the AC was kaput for the entire journey. Despite what my travel companion will tell you, it was the best trip ever.
Honestly, my favorite destination is someplace I've never been, and my favorite method of travel is by horse. But since I don't own a horse and rarely get the opportunity to ride in Seattle, I'll say that 'by car' is a close second. It's when I'm driving around listening to loud music that I start to visualize key scenes for Vessel. Probably not the safest way to craft a novel, but it works for me.

Was it difficult to develop so many characters concurrently?

Character development always feels like the easiest part. One thing that consistently amazes about writing is the way characters tend to dictate their own creation. You start to get a feel for them, but sometimes when you begin priming them to be a certain way, they flatly refuse. You want specific relationships to form, or you want a protagonist to show strength before he's ready, but the characters have a way of pointing you in the right direction and thus improving the story itself--if you let them. It's truly a group effort. I sit and type, and I've got these guys glaring over my shoulder the whole time, saying: "Are you kidding? I'd never do that!" or: "I'm wearing what?" and: "Yes! Yes! I'd totally say that!" and so on. When this whole thing started, for instance, Corin was supposed to be a total ditz. He wound up being the most sensible character I've got. I wanted Ghi to stand out as the key male protagonist for Book I, but Jesse absolutely jumped up and stole the show. There was no stopping him. All these developments were for the better, though, and I have my characters to thank for it.

 Whose storyline was the most enjoyable to write?

Jesse is obviously a ball to write, but Khan's storyline is probably my favorite right now. There's a lot of mystery to him--not just concerning his past, but his current actions. Doing a character who doesn't speak is a challenge, but a fun one. Readers sometimes ask why he doesn't talk. It's not that he doesn't know English; he just doesn't see the point in speaking in most situations. Or maybe he's just a total sociopath. I don't know. Heck, I created the guy, and I hardly know what he's thinking half the time. He has a lot of depth, though; he's a lot sweeter and selfless than readers realize right now, and I can promise that he'll continue to surprise.

Your website has a Vessel character quiz - which character is most like you and which is the least?

This is a fun one! I think a lot of people would guess that Jordan and I are the most similar, but I don't see it. Friends do tell me that reading Vessel is like sitting with me while I tell a story, and I guess the way I talk really does show through in Jordan's narration . . . but she's just so cranky. I like to think that if I were stuck on a tour bus with the Vessel, I'd have a darn good time. So I'll say that I'm most like Jackson. He's loud, friendly, up for anything, and rarely in a poor mood. I can identify with that. The least like me is probably Khan. He and I don't have much in common, except maybe a predilection toward tattoos.

Another aspect of the book that I found really entertaining was Jordan's narration and her witty banter with Jesse. Do your friends and family consider you a funny person or is most of your humor saved for your writing?

I see humor in everything, and I'm always bursting to tell someone a funny story. I'm a total ham, sure, but it helps that the most outrageous (and usually embarrassing) things always happen to me. I don't know why that is. I'm like a Seinfeld situation magnet. I can't walk out the door in a long skirt without it winding up over my head in a strong wind, or ripped completely off by bicycle gears, or half-digested by pygmy goats. You see? There's this stereotype of authors using their sorrows to inspire, or writing to make use of their pain. I suppose, then, that I write to make use of my absurd circumstances. So when a naked man accidentally locks himself in my kitchen pantry (true story), I just think: "Yep. I can use that."

Using a haiku, how would you persuade someone who had never read the book that Vessel: The Advent is a work they will love?

What an original question! Here goes:

Earth is in peril!

Five gods, one girl, add liquor . . .

Oh no. We're all doomed.

The Hollows were also a delightfully creepy new concept and I liked that you took a new spin on zombies as an adversary. Are you a fan of zombies in books and movies? How did you come up with your reinvention of them?

I had eight zombie apocalypse nightmares in 2010! I wouldn't call myself a zombie afficianado, but I do appreciate a well-done zombie movie or graphic novel. Zombies terrify me for the same reason that sharks do: you absolutely cannot reason with one, and it wants to eat you. You can't reason with a toddler, either, but a toddler can't gnaw out your intestines. Unless it's a zombie toddler.
Zombie movies definitely helped inspire the Hollows, who've undergone some major evolution throughout re-writings of Vessel. They used to be demon spirits in another dimension, then vampire-like beings, and probably other things I'm forgetting. For a long time, I wasn't sure what their endgame was, what they were after, you know? "Taking over the world" is overdone, and there are too many civilized vampires out there who kill with moral discrecion. I wanted the adversary to be savage, calculating but insatiable, and scary. Then I saw this bad movie a few years ago about seances, with this black ectoplasm floating up out of a kid's mouth, and I was like: Yes! That's what my evil is! It doesn't think, it just feeds--like zombies! No political goals, no dreams of eternal life, no name even--just a hunger. A hunger that takes the shape of the people it has fed upon and emptied. Hollows. Bingo.

You already have some plans for future books in the Vessel series - what can you reveal about the next book?

Well, there will be five books in all, and each one will shine a little extra light on one Vessel in particular. Jesse got Book I. Next up is Jackson. In Book II, we'll learn a lot more about the Luna Latum, the Vessels' abilities, and their drink preferences. Basically, the boys get a few months of R&R at their new digs, the Elysium (where Jordan is miserable, of course). Then they are called to Egypt by the Luna Latum Consulate, where sand is displaced and trouble is had. My website promises "cults, prosthesis humor, the bloody return of a certain not-quite-dead princess and her flesh-eating horse, and, naturally, a gay disco club". The book doesn't have a subtitle yet, and in fact I'm holding a contest to name it. The winner will have a doomed character named in his or her honor!

What other projects are you currently working on?

I write the occasional speculative short story, but right now Vessel is all I have time for. I'm always looking to do cover design, typesettng, and e-book formatting for other authors, though. Eventually, I want to expand my publishing capabilities and promote works other than my own. As for what I'll be writing after Vessel, who knows!

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

ReadVessel.com is a great place to start, and the Elysium blog: TomindaAdkins.blogspot.com. I'm always trying to keep things interactive and show visitors a good time. And, of course, anyone is welcome to email me: vessel.tom@gmail.com. I love questions, comments, suggestions, rants, recipes, weather updates--whatever you want to send my way.

Thank you so much for sharing your time and work!

Thank you for the questions, Lisa! This has been a pleasure. Happy reading!

And now for the giveaway details!  Great news for eBook fans: for a limited time only there is a FREE download available at the book's website!  In case that's not awesome enough, Tominda Adkins will also send a paperback copy of the novel to one lucky Her Book Self reader!  To enter the contest for the paperback copy, leave a comment below with your email address and answer to the question, "Are you a fan of road trips? What is your favorite destination and method of travel?"  Giveaway is open to US and Canada mailing addresses and ends on April 13th! 

Winner will be selected using random.org and will have three days to respond via email with a valid mailing address; if no response, a new winner will be chosen.

I love to laugh so it should come as no surprise that I also love books that make me laugh.  Granted, some of my favorite books are poignant classics or tear-jerking works of literary fiction, but I'm also a huge fan of straightforward well-told stories that bring a smile to my face and make me giggle a bit as I read them.   So it was with Vessel by Tominda Adkins. 

When five strangers share recurring dreams about both ancient Egypt and the Statue of Liberty, they all know something strange is going on. However none of them, least of all pop star Jesse Cannon, could have expected that behind the dreams lies the truth that they each represent the reincarnation of a god sent to defeat evil incarnate. A firefighter, a philanthropist, a convict, a diva celebrity, and an amnesiac who just might be a terrorist make an odd host for the spirits of earth, water, fire, air and light; but it's up to this cocktail of characters to stop the plague of zombie-like Hollows determined to destroy them and spread a deathly plague. For Jesse, saving the world is going to have to wait until after his appearance on Oprah, and it's up to Jesse's frazzled assistant - the book's hilarious narrator - Jordan to keep the unlikely heroes in line.

Vessel, Book I: The Advent is the first in Tominda Adkins' new series, and if the subsequent books are as well done as this one, readers are in for quite an enjoyable treat. I love the characters that Adkins created and the witty banter - especially between Jordan and Jesse - was delightful. From New York to Chicago and Toronto with flashbacks through the Middle East, Vessel blends fantasy with real life details to give the story a great structure. The Hollows were also a unique and wicked creation. Described as "the lasting imprint of a dying person", these flesh-eating beings masquerading as humans were a frightening and suspenseful addition to the story.

Adkins' book is not a life-altering work of profound literature but what it is, is a heck of a lot of fun. Multiple passages that are literally laugh-out-loud amusing are mixed with nail-biting action sequences to create a fast-paced story that is highly entertaining. With a writing style that might best be described as Rick Riordan meets Christopher Moore, Tominda Adkins shows wonderful promise with this debut work and I eagerly look forward to the future books in the Vessel series!

 The biggest downside to books that make me laugh is that a good portion of my reading is done in public.  It's always an interesting experience to be stifling a snicker when the bus riders around me are casting strange glances my way.  Are you a fan of funny books?  Do you prefer more serious literature?  Or do you like to mix it up?

Stay tuned this week for my interview with Tominda Adkins and a Vessel giveaway!

I'm not much of a re-reader.  I generally follow the opinion that with the overwhelming size of my TBR list, it's sort of crazy to go back and read something that I've already read.  Yet, I do make exceptions.  The Harry Potter series is one that I've revisited a few times.  There are Mark Twain works that I read in middle or high school that I've gone back to as an adult.  I've honestly lost count of how many times I've torn through R.A. Salvatore's Homeland after first reading it in the early 90's.

And I'm about to embark on another journey of rereading.  A Song of Ice and Fire is the name of the epic fantasy series by George R.R. Martin.  There are currently four books in the series with the fifth due out in July.  Book one, A Game of Thrones, has also recently been made into an HBO series and debuts next month (and yes, I'll agonizingly be waiting until it's released on DVD/Blu-Ray to indulge as I don't have premium cable).  I have been following the trailers and promos on George R.R. Martin's website and I must say it does look quite awesome!  But back to the books, I read the first in the series in 2006 and the second (A Clash of Kings) and third (A Storm of Swords) in early 2007.  And then I stopped.

For those unfamiliar with the series or Martin's writing, book three leaves off with some shocking cliffhangers, only half of which are resolved in book four (A Feast for Crows).  The fourth book carries the story of half the characters in book three, but the other half are left hanging until book five A Dance with Dragons - the book that Martin fans have just been told (officially!) will be released in July.  So I've waited four years to even crack the spine of book four but since there are four months until the release of Dance and four books in the series leading up to it, I figure now is the ideal time for a reread!
Check back here for my progress report:

If anyone wants to join in the series reread or try out A Game of Thrones, let me know as I'd love to swap notes and join discussion!  Or if any long time Ice and Fire fans want a partner for the happy dances of joy that will accompany July's release, I'm glad to join in those as well!

"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

- A C Grayling

I haven't posted a good quote in a while and this metaphor really made me smile.  I think it's sometimes hard for me to put my love of reading into words, but the next time someone asks me why I spend so much of my time with my nose in a book I may just respond, "To read is to fly".

Willa Jackson and former classmate Paxton Osgood have never been close friends despite the fact that their grandmothers were inseparable. With their stations reversed from past generations - the Jackson family meeting financial ruin and the Osgoods climbing to social elite - the two girls have never had much in common. However, when Paxton takes on the project of restoring the Blue Ridge Madam, a mansion built by Willa's ancestors, a skeleton buried under a peach tree thrusts Paxton and Willa together to uncover the secrets and half truths hidden in the distant - and not-so-distant - past.

In The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen has composed another gem of a novel. Set in Walls of Water, North Carolina the story is infused with the signature southern charm and touch of magic that distinguished Allen's previous works (The Sugar Queen, Garden Spells). The mystery is compelling and the characters are delightful. Willa and Paxton were equally enjoyable to read and as the masks that each hid behind were whittled away, I was torn between which heroine I preferred.

Though less dependent on fantasy elements than some of Allen's other novels, The Peach Keeper still had an air of magical realism to it. Allen fans will also enjoy a brief cameo appearance from a past heroine. I really enjoyed this book. The plot is fresh and unique, but the themes of love and friendship - across generations, past grudges, and hurdling stereotypes - are timeless.

When I set the challenge for myself to get through Jane Eyre in a Week, I didn't think it would take over my blog for the past seven days, but I also didn't realize what a blog-worthy book I was embarking on. Also, I can think of no better book with which to conclude Jane Eyre Week than Juliet Gael's Romancing Miss Brontë.  I read this book last month - yes, before reading Jane Eyre - and I was captivated by the story.

Though the title would suggest a fanciful romance, Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael is a mostly somber historical fiction about the life - and eventual love interest - of Charlotte Brontë. The book opens on the younger life of Charlotte, with sisters Emily and Anne and brother Branwell, and their father the Reverend Patrick Brontë.

Assuming the pen names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, the three sisters encourage each other in literary pursuits and all succeed in publishing novels but keep their endeavors hidden from family and friends. As tragedy repeatedly strikes the family, the novel takes a tearful turn but is slightly brightened by the courtship between Charlotte and her father's curate Arthur Bell Nichols.

I really enjoyed this book. Though I previously knew very little about the lives of the Brontë sisters, Gael stayed close to fact. The everyday scenes and conversations that she wove for the now-famous authors were entirely believable and worked to transpose the reader into Charlotte's life. I certainly would have preferred a happier story, but the true joy of Brontë's life was in the legacy of literature that she left for future generations.

I suppose it's a slightly off-kilter order of operations to read a novel about Charlotte Brontë before reading her most famous work, but I think knowing a little about the author's life and family gave me an added appreciation of the story created in Jane Eyre.  It was delightful to realize the parallels between Charlotte and her fictional heroine, and I think the correlations are intriguing regardless of whether Gael's work is encountered before or after Brontë's.  I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of Jane Eyre as well as those looking to learn more about the Brontë family or anyone who enjoys stories set in the 1800's. 

I finished the book!

I'm sure the world doesn't really need another review of Jane Eyre so I'll keep this more general with my impressions of the book and sharing some more quotes that I loved.  I will say that the excellence of Jane Eyre the novel lies in the excellence of Jane Eyre the character.  Late in the book, another character sums up her personality by saying, "Jane, you are docile, diligent, disinterested, faithful, constant, and courageous; very gentle, and very heroic".  It is this compilation of traits that make her such a magnetic narrator and protagonist and makes her story so engaging.

Here's a few more Jane Eyre quotes I loved:

"It is a happy thing that time quells the longings of vengeance and hushes the promptings of rage and aversion." (4324)

"The rooks cawed, and blither birds sang; but nothing was so merry or so musical as my own rejoicing heart." (4850)

"...if you are a Christian, you ought not to consider poverty a crime." (6501)

"I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth." (8608)

Brontë has a wonderful talent with words and her elegant style and first person voice made this book a true joy to read and digest.  It rightfully earns its place as a classic and I'm glad that I finally took the plunge and tackled it!

With my new-found love of the work of Currer Bell, I couldn't resist sharing the following video with all the fellow bibliophiles out there. Hilarious and historically accurate! (Okay...maybe not the dinosaur part...)