Whew! Where has this week gone? For that matter, where has this month gone and this year? Everything's whizzing by in one big blur. My kids have less than 2 weeks of school left, then it's onto a long, hot summer. Heaven help me.

Is anyone else growing tired of the helpless "heroines" who seem to populate every paranormal romance? You know, those beautiful, clueless girls who get themselves into all kinds of scrapes just so they can be rescued by some hunky half-man/half-some-kind-of-mystical creature? Do you ever wish for female leads who contribute more to the story than just a pretty face? Well, you're in luck. Mistwood, a debut novel by Leah Cypress, stars a woman who's tough, smart, and, oh yeah, did I mention she's the king's bodyguard? See, I told you you were going to like this one ...

Isabel knows she's a shape shifter, a creature who lives only to serve the king she's sworn to protect. Human weaknesses, petty emotions, silly courting games - none of these things penetrate the heart of the Shifter. She's focused, determined, and so attuned to her master that she recognizes a threat almost before it materializes. At least that's how it's supposed to work.

As soon as Prince Rokan rides into the mystical woods, Isabel knows her duty - she must guard his life with every fiber of her being. Still, something about the would-be king troubles her. Confused images flash into her battered memory, but she can make no sense of them. Something happened long ago to make her wary, to tamp down her powers, to cripple her confidence. What was it? None of it matters as much as protecting Rokan, except that she's having trouble even doing that. As much as Isabel longs to change herself into a wolf, an eagle, or a sly cat - bodies she remembers inhabiting - she can't. Fear she shouldn't feel haunts her every move. As fuzzy as her memory is, she knows she's failed before. She can't let Rokan down, can't let another king die because of her.

Piecing together clues about herself leads Isabel to some startling discovers about who she is, what she is and why she is. What it doesn't tell her is how to deal with everything she's suddenly feeling - fear, jealousy, envy, love. The Shifter has no right to experience anything that will distract her from duty, or does she?

If you haven't guessed already, I loved everything about Mistwood. It's a fast-paced story filled with adventure, mystery, and plenty of courtly intrigue. Isabel's character captured me - she's tough without being hard, vulnerable without being weak, and cool without being arrogant. The minor characters could have used some fleshing out, as I didn't care about any of them nearly as much as I did Isabel.

Now, I know you're thinking, "This chick never loves everything about a book," and you're right. If pressed, I'd have to admit that Mistwood gets a little predictable. Not enough to be bothersome, but enough that the big reveals aren't that big. Still, Mistwood provides the kind of fun, exciting - and clean - adventure that I'm always thrilled to find in a YA novel. It's not perfect, but it will do. Very, very nicely.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of The Bayern series by Shannon Hale; the back of the book compares it to Kristin Cashore's Graceling and Fire and Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for very mild language and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at HarperTeen. Thank you!

Today, I'm pleased to introduce Lindsey Leavitt, author of Princess for Hire. Welcome to Bloggin' 'bout Books, Lindsey!



Me: You've said that you were a bit of a tomboy growing up, so what prompted you to write a princess book? It's an anti-princess book, but still ...


LL: Ha! I don’t really know why I’m the chick writing the princess books. Ideas just kind of come and you go with them. I fought it a bit, actually, because I didn’t think I could do it justice! Someone else with the same idea would have written a totally different story, but I do think my tomboy ways add a unique perspective.


Me: Since you were THAT girl in high school (the one who was popular and involved), how do you tap into the kind of insecurity/angst felt by kids like Desi, who are picked on and not part of the in crowd?


LL: Oh wow, maybe I should revise my website bio. Involved at my high school did not equal popularity. It just meant I really wanted to get into college and so spent more time padding my resume than my bra. So I still had plenty of insecurities, ESPECIALLY in junior high. I felt like everyone was watching me and that I never measured up in comparison. That was really easy to go back to because emotions at that age felt so BIG. And the more I talk to people about their adolescence, the more I find these feelings of alienation and invisibility are sadly universal.


Me: Why did you include the Old Hollywood themes in PRINCESS FOR HIRE? I'm in my 30s and I barely recognize the names Grace Kelly, Paul Newman, Ingrid Bergman, etc. Do you think modern kids will be able to connect with this old-time glamour?


LL: I didn’t want to date the story—if I would have included celebrities hot right now, they might not be hot next year. Old Hollywood has a timeless quality that more closely resembles the elegance we associate with royalty. AND I wanted Desi to be a little quirky, to have interests that don’t match her peers. Modern kids don’t have to know who Ingrid Berman is to appreciate that. (and to learn more, I’ll be featuring a different Old Hollywood screen siren every month on http://www.princessforhire.com/)


Me: How did you come by your love of Old Hollywood? What are your favorite classic movies?


LL: I used to watch them with my dad. I remember one time REAR WINDOW was on and he pointed to Grace Kelly and said, “You know, she left acting and became a real princess.” How cool is that? I was hooked.My favorite movie when I was younger was SABRINA with Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. Does the love triangle thing like no one’s business.


Me: Since we're talking favorites, who are the authors you like to read? Which writers have inspired/influenced you most?


LL: I seriously read all over the map. I’ve been reading lots of tenners books lately (debut authors in 2010) because I’ve made friendships with lots of these authors and am interested in their work. Some I’ve read recently from that group that I really enjoyed are PROPHECY OF DAYS by Christy Raedeke and TORTILLA SUN by Jennifer Cervantes. Oh, and another that won’t be out until fall is THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff. Chilling and delicious.


I grew up a reader, and my favorite writers inspired me to give writing a go—Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Kurt Vonnegut, P. G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen... we could be here awhile.


Me: You've got several projects in the works. Tell me about them (I know you like to be cryptic, but we want DETAILS).


LL: Well, I have to be cryptic about the second book in the PRINCESS FOR HIRE series because I don’t want to spoil anything for people who haven’t read the first! Plus, I’m still tweaking it and thus don’t want to say there will be a zombie mermaid because zombie mermaid might not make final cut.


Another book I have coming out next March is called SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD and I’m so excited about it! It’s a little older than P4H and straight contemporary. Here’s a bit about it…After discovering her father’s big Multiple Sclerosis secret, Payton Gritas’s structured life crumbles. So begin her excruciating ‘chats’ with Ms Callahan, a school counselor aiming to save Payton from drowning in denial by encouraging her to write Focus Exercises on any random object. Payton chooses Sean Griswold, her alphabetical connection since kindergarten. More specifically, she chooses his somewhat over-sized head.As Payton’s research grows into something a little less scientific and a little more crush-like, it spawns more and more questions about Sean and his dome. Like what’s with the scar? And why is a fifteen year old training to be the next Lance Armstrong? Payton finds answers to these questions by getting inside Sean’s blond head, while Sean somehow finds a way into her guarded heart. But when Payton realizes her Sean obsession won’t ultimately mend her battered relationship with her dad, she must shift her focus to the one person who can find the way forward – herself.


Me: Okay, The Tiara Tour - how much fun did you have on your first book tour?


LL: You know, I was warned that tours aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. And it’s true, it’s pretty nerve-wracking walking into a store and not knowing if anyone is going to come. Still, it was a blast—blogged about it here http://lindsey-leavitt.livejournal.com/124255.html. It’s been so wonderful to meet readers and potential readers and booksellers and teachers and librarians. Writers spend so much time behind the computer, it was lovely to step out and talk with real life PEOPLE for awhile (but just awhile. Gotta get back to those fictional characters, after all).


Me: How has your life changed - or not - since you've become a real, live, published author?


LL: The main thing that's changed is I have a career now (It still feels funny using that word. Like when I first signed with my agent, I dropped her name All The Time). A career gives me legitimacy to family, friends, and anyone else I have to tell to leave me alone so I can hole up and write. I’ve also had to take on some more authorly roles (interviews, fan mail, book signings, ect) but the writing is the same. I still need to hammer out the next story.As far as day to day living goes, everything is really the same except now there’s a book on a shelf (and okay, maybe I go visit said book about three times a day).


Me: Lastly, I ask this of all the authors I interview, because I'm always amazed by the variety of answers I get. How do you write? Is there a certain time of the day when you prefer to work? Do you write every day or just wait for the mood to strike? Do you outline or just let the ideas come as you're writing? Is there anything - chocolate, perhaps? - that you have to have by your side in order to write?


LL: My best writing usually happens late at night, but lately, with three little kids, I’m finding I’m just too tired to go with the muse most evenings. Now, I write WHENEVER I CAN. As I type this, my baby is sleeping and my other two (6 and 3) are playing Play-Dough at the table with me. I find I can do businessy stuff when they’re around, but save real writing for when I’m alone. When I have a deadline, I hire sitters or hubby helps out. There isn’t a set schedule, I just kind of get by and do what I can when I can. I prefer to let my ideas take me where they may, but with a series, that can really turn into chaos. So I’m starting to outline more than I have in the past and I keep charts so I can keep track of details for continuity purposes. Chocolate is always readily available in this home. Always. That and a laptop and I’m good to go.


Me: Thanks so much, Lindsey!