{Giveaway winners} Author Interview and eBooks Giveaway: Derrolyn Anderson

Derrolyn Anderson is the author of Marina's Tales, a self-published series of books about mermaids, and much more. For the moment, two books have been released, Between The Land and The Sea and The Moon and The Tide. I really loved those two books, they were fantastic, refreshing and awesome readings. I can't praise them enough and you can find my reviews here and there. Derrolyn has very kindly accepted to answer a few questions and she has also offered to give away two sets of ebooks for two lucky winners (the link to enter is after the interview).

I'd like to thank Derrolyn a lot, for her time, as she's working hard on the third book and for the giveway.

- What motivated and inspired you to write a book about mermaids, surfers and Californian beaches?

I’ve always been a reader, but suddenly got the idea to start writing my first book last summer. I’m not really sure what made me think I could do it, but once I got started I became a little bit obsessed! It ended up being one of the most challenging, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding things I’ve ever done.

I spent the first ten years of my marriage living in the little neighborhood in Aptos where the story takes place, and I really miss my daily walks down to the beach. There really is a “secret staircase”, a cement shipwreck with a pier leading up to it, with really good surfing just up the coast a little bit! I think that given the setting, mermaids seemed like a natural choice! Now I see them everywhere I look!

- Which of the characters is your favourite one and why? Are the characters based on the people you know?

Wow, I love them all, so that’s a really hard one to answer. In the book that I’m currently writing (#3), so far I’m having the most fun with Shayla - there are some big things in store for that girl! All of the characters I write are loosely based on people I’ve known, or imagined I knew, taking a whole lot of artistic license.

For example, I have a very interesting, very chic aunt, that the character Aunt Evie is inspired by. My Aunt Janice was a fashion model and designer in New York, San Francisco and Paris, working in the glamorous “Mad Men” era. She was even featured in the 1963 Louis Malle film, “The Fire Within” (shown in flashbacks and still photos as the long-lost American girl). Unfortunately, unlike the mercenary Evie, she didn’t marry for money- so no fancy clothes and sports cars for me!

-Why do you write for young adults? Do you wish to write adults books?

I love all of the great the YA stories I read, and I think some of the most interesting writing today is coming out of that genre. As for me, I’m the mother of three teenage girls, so I have a vested interest in keeping my stories reasonably clean and sweet! Perhaps when my girls are a little bit older my writing will mature along with them. I have a few crazy eighties tales to tell....

- Which place is most likely to inspire you when you're writing? Do you rather write outside or at home? Do you plan a lot?

My husband and I run a home-based business, so I’m always at home. I try to carve out a little alone-time with my lap-top each evening, usually in my bedroom, sometimes out in my garden, which is bordered by hundreds of acres of vineyards- an ocean of pinot noir grapevines! I begin with an outline, but I’m open to random inspiration, and I often end up surprising myself.

- You're self-published, how was that experience?

Everything I read told me the first step in getting published was having a literary agent to shop your book around to the big publishing houses. When I finished my first book I sent query letters out to dozens of agents and got back plenty of form rejection letters. Steve, (my visionary entrepreneur of a husband) had been encouraging me to self-publish all along, so I worked up a few quick book covers with Photoshop, priced them low, and went for it.

I would have signed anything in order to get published, but now I own all the rights for all eternity so who knows? With the advent of e-readers, ten years from now it may seem like the brightest move I ever made! I do need to re-work my covers though... I think I can do a little better!

Self publishing takes away the gatekeeper’s power, but it also lets a lot of questionable writing through. I think that’s where trusted critics will step in to filter through the masses of content and help direct the right reader to find the right book. The hardest part about being an indie-writer is doing the self promotion, but with wonderful book-bloggers like you, and great websites like Goodreads, it’s getting easier!

- Can you tell us something fun about yourself that we probably don’t know?

When I was in college studying art, I used to work at night as an airport hotel bartender, and that alone has provided me with the inspiration for dozens of characters! Oh, and I type with one finger.

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This giveaway is now terminated. Thank you again to all who entered. 

The winners, picked with Random.org, are :

- Luna Z.
- Mirlou

They will be notified by email. Stay tuned there'll be other giveaways soon.

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And now the Giveaway. I totally loved those two books (you can find my reviews here and there). So I'm really glad to be able to share them with two lucky winners. Thank you so much to Derrolyn.

Giveaway details: Two winners will be picked using Random.org. Each winner will receive a set of two ebooks (Between the Land and The Sea {Marina's Tales, book 1} AND The Moon and The Tide {Marina's Tales, book 2}). Several formats are available: mobi (Kindle), epub (Nook, Kobo, Sony..) Pdf - you can view all of them here.

You don't need to be a GFC follower, but that's appreciated.

You can have extra entries:
+1 if you follow my blog (GFC follower)
+1 if you share this giveaway (twitter or facebook or anywhere) You can use the following tweet: Ebooks giveaway: Win Between The Land and The Sea and The Moon and The Tide by Derrolyn Anderson http://bit.ly/mU9DC1 @liliesbooks

Click here to enter!

The contest is open from now to the 30th July 2011. The two winners will be announced on the blog on the 31st July 2011 and I will contact them by email. If I don’t hear from them within a reasonable time, I will select other winners using Random.org. The giveaway is opened internationally. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Enter Here!

Good Luck to Everyone :)

{Review} The Moon and the Tide by Derrolyn Anderson

Just when things seem to be all figured out, Marina discovers that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than she ever imagined. When a terrible accident exposes her secret, she discovers that her whole life has been one big lie, and has to cope with more than one kind of betrayal.

A dangerous enemy arrives on the scene, putting her bravery to the test and forcing her to use all of her new-found talents to protect her family. Will good win out over evil? Can love triumph over jealousy?

Title: The Moon and the Tide {Marina's Tales, book 2}

Author: Derrolyn Anderson

Publication: 2011

Publisher:  Self-Published

This review may be spoilery for the first book. This book is the second novel of a series written by an indie ebook author Derrolyn Anderson.

My review

I really loved the first book, Between The Land and The Sea - you can find my review here, so I was a bit afraid to be disappointed in this sequel. As often, I get worried for nothing because, once again and as with the first book, I had a wonderful time with this second instalment.

After the prologue, which is full of mysteries and revelations, the pace is perhaps a bit slower than in the first book, but that does not mean that The Moon and the Tide is not totally exciting. Derrolyn Anderson has really a way to keep her reader's attention even when only of few things happen. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but she keeps the reader hooked from the first line to the last. At first, we follow the daily life of Marina and her family: school, surf and much more. Then, the action really accelerates, the plot becomes fast-paced and the twists are numerous.

At the beginning, Ethan is a bit annoying. Indeed, he is quite overprotective. I was a little afraid of the turn taken by the story. But Marina has also her faults, she is quite stubborn, sometimes to the detriment of her own safety, and her decisions are not always very wise. Fortunately things changed and are explained rather quickly and I totally enjoyed following their new adventures. The reader feels really close to Ethan and Marina, and close to all the characters in fact. They are so well-described that it's a bit like if we knew them. All of them are credible and believable and it was very easy for me to relate to them.

Derrolyn Anderson's writing is once again delightful to read. In fact, it's kind of magical, she manages to totally draw and mesmerize the reader. The descriptions are precise and they are never boring. Thanks to this book; and as with the previous one, I travelled to the Californian coast and to Greece. Feelings, as jalousy, love, sadness and pain - to name just a few - are also very well-described. The author really writes in a unique and fantastic way, I do not know how to describe it, but it totally captivated me.

Once more, some aspects are a bit predictable, especially due to the epilogue of the first book and the prologue of The Moon and The Tide, but it was nonetheless an awesome and entertaining read. There are still a lot of twists and action, and it's really pleasant for the reader. I had a few surprises and the plot is fast-paced, especially in the second half of the book.

To sum up, I utterly loved this second instalment, which is, once more, captivating, full of action and twists. If you loved the first book you won't be disappointed at all in this sequel. It's really as excellent as the first. The author's writing is still totally fantastic, the atmosphere is awesome and the characters are endearing. I never would have thought that I would be as interested in this series, but I'm now really looking forward to reading the third book, as I already miss the characters and the atmosphere. The Moon and The Tide is, as the previous one, a cute romance, enthralling and full of mysteries.

It seems that Derrolyn Anderson may certainly need a fourth book, and perhaps a fifth, in order to end the adventures of her characters. She expects the third book to be ready by the end of the summer 2011.

This book was provided to me by Derrolyn Anderson for my honest review. Thank you so much.

You can find this ebook on Amazon.com, Barnes&Nobles or Smashwords for instance for only 2.99$.

{Review} Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson

Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. In just a few weeks after moving to the small beach town, sixteen year old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive her increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to unlock the mystery of her past to learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her...and maybe even find true love along the way.

Title: Between the Land and the Sea {Marina's Tales, book 1}

Author: Derrolyn Anderson

Publication: 2011

Publisher:  Self-Published

This book is the first novel of a trilogy, written by an indie ebook author, Derrolyn Anderson.

My review

First of all, I'd like to thank Derrolyn Anderson a lot, because I probably wouldn't have discovered this book without her kind email, and I would have missed an amazing read.

Mermaids are the new vampires, these days I've seen a lot of books featuring them, but before The Land and the Sea I hadn't read one. So, when Derrolyn Anderson asked me to review her books, I didn't hesitate and I was really curious because mermaids sounded totally original. As it was my first book about mermaids, that may explain why I like it so much, but now that I have finished this first installment, I can say that I am not disappointed at all and I utterly loved it. I will, without a doubt, read more books with mermaids and, if you love them, you should definitively check this one out.

In fact, I loved everything about this book: the characters, the writing, the atmosphere, the plot, the mythology. In my opinion, it was a  really awesome and exciting read. In Between the Land and the sea we meet Marina, a young teenage girl. I immediately loved her, she is strong and determined. Under the circumstances she could have easily been selfish, spoiled and arrogant but, on the contrary, she is really nice and kindhearted. It was so easy for me to relate to her and I loved her voice, she is a great character.

I also fell in love with Ethan the minute I met him. He is totally adorable, sweet and cute. As he is a surfer and a popular boy, he could have been cliché, but he feels real and genuine. The secondary characters are also really endearing. They are all well-described, important and necessary to the story. I wish I had an Aunt Evie too :)

It is a really cute and romantic book, but it's also full of mysteries and suspense. Everything is believable and you got the impression that you know Marina and Ethan, they could be anyone and it feels real. The romance is a huge focus for this novel, but Derrolyn Anderson doesn't forget the other aspects of her story. The plot is fast-paced, full of surprises, twists and suspense.

The intrigue is captivating and I immediately dived in the universe of this book. I found it really original, it's totally different from everything I've ever read. The book is quite long, but I read it really fast, I was totally unable to put it down. Some aspects of the story are a bit predictable, but I still had a few surprises, especially near the ending.

The descriptions are accurate, but they were never boring, and everything feels vivid and alive. I could easily imagine myself in Aptos. I could visualize everything: the beach, the sun, the sand, the waves, the salt. The feelings and emotions are also very well written.

The writing is fantastic, smooth and pleasant with a touch of humor. The dialogues are often exquisite and savory. Everything feels genuine and natural: the relationships between the characters, the dialogues, the plot. I don't quite know how to describe it, but everything is in its place and occurs when it must. The plot is fast-paced but Derrolyn Anderson takes her time to build the characters, the landscapes, the relationships, the romance, so the story flows naturally and smoothly.

To sum up, my review doesn't do justice to this book as it is a really fantastic novel. I totally loved it and it's a perfect summer read with mermaids, surfers, beach, sun and romance. The storyline is compelling, the plot is fast-paced, the dialogues are funny and the characters are really pleasant. The ending is satisfactory, but the epilogue questions everything and I was really looking forward to reading the sequel.

You can find this ebook on Amazon.com, Barnes&Nobles or Smashwords for instance for only 0.99$.