Thanks to the lovely and generous Daisy Whitney, author of THE MOCKING BIRDS and THE RIVALS, I was able to read an ARC of SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by my fellow Apocalypsie–Trish Dollar. And because I *love* you, I’m going to have a contest and give someone else a chance to read it too. Before I explain how you can win this amazing book, let me tell you a little bit about the SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL, Trish and my response to her debut YA novel.
SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.
You can Pre-order SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL here…
Kimberly’s Review of SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL…
It seems like every writer’s conference I attend, someone is always trying to pin down what is meant by that wonderful, but hard to define thing called VOICE. In my opinion, the best way to explain the magic of voice is to have a list of books that contain a distinct and powerful one. Trish Doller’s SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL would absolutely go on my “voice list.” I’m in awe of what she did here.
I’m not sure where to start, because this book has endless depth and layers, but what I do know is that it’s going to be one successful debut. Doller’s knowledge of the military, the amazing nuanced relationships between all the characters, the internal and external struggles, the friendships and the love–It’s all here and I adored every minute of it. There are certain books that I read, where I connect very deeply to the story and the characters because the author has stripped down to his or her vulnerable parts and risked a lot to put a kind of truth down on the page. This is one of those books and Trish Dollar is one of those authors. I am officially a fan-girl for life.
About Trish Doller…
I’ve been a writer as long as I’ve been able to write, but I didn’t make a conscious decision to “be” a writer until fairly recently. For that you should probably be thankful.
I was born in Germany, grew up in Ohio, went to college at Ohio State University, got married to someone really great, bounced from Maine to Michigan and back to Ohio for awhile. Now I live in Florida with my two mostly grown kids, two dogs, and a pirate. For real.
I’ve worked as a morning radio personality, a newspaper reporter, and spent all my summers in college working at an amusement park. There I gained valuable life skills, including counting money really fast, directing traffic, jumping off a moving train, and making cheese-on-a-stick. Also, I can still welcome you to Frontier Town. Ask me sometime.
These days I work as a bookseller at a Very Big Bookstore. And I write.
You can find out more about Trish Doller and SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL here…
Now that I’ve got your interest, I bet you’re wondering how to win this ARC. Easy-peasy! In the comments section, please tell me something about yourself that makes you feel less than normal. Don’t be shy, I’ve got a list of things as long as my right arm. Feel free to share them all or just tell me one. And remember… “like normal” is the new normal–so you’re in good company. Don’t forget to leave your contact information in your comment. You can’t win this amazing book if you I can’t reach you. And trust me, you want to win this book. Yup.
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I feel less than normal because I’ve never lived in a house for more than four years, I’ve lived in three countries and four states, and because of that, I had to be home schooled. I definitely don’t feel normal! But I’m okay with that.
lisalueddecke at yahoo dot com
Oh, and like the author, I lived in Germany! I like her already. :).
Did we have the lives in Germany discussion??? Because I lived there for 4 years too! And we’ll have to discuss home schooling when I see you. :o)
I DO want to win it!
Hmm. Less than normal, huh? Well, my husband claims I can read his mind. No, really. Like to the point where I often freak him out by telling him exactly what he’s thinking, even if it’s some weirdly off-the-wall, out-of-the-blue topic.
I knew you had a super power! That combined with Fifi is pure envy!
Hmmm…something about me that makes me less than normal? How about EVERYTHING? Ha, I am an odd child. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But, hey, this is probably way off what you meant to put on here, but serously–something that makes me feel less than normal is my inability to eat/drink/suck on/chew/fill in other verb here anything cherry/cherry-flavored. I just can’t do it without gagging. Which is incredibly weird because I have NEVER (seriously, NEVER) met anyone who doesn’t like cherry-flavored things. I blame my childhood, I AM SCARRED FOR LIFE. 🙂
makesmeworse12 at gmail dot com
Have a less than normal day!
♥Jessica(:
LOL! You are too cute! Even Blow Pop’s???
Yes, ma’am! EEEEEVEEERYTHING cherry. Blow pops, Starburst, popsicles, etc. I’m just weird like that. Which was the whole point of this discussion. So, yay for me! 🙂
♥Jessica(:
Ha! this makes me want to find just ONE cherry thing LOL! The search is on!
I’m serious! I cannot swallow anything even remotely cherry flavored. I am a weird child like that. 🙂
♥Jessica(:
Yes, we will have to have the Germany/home schooling discussion!
:).
Excellent!
:).
Hmmm..I can find lost items. This is a great quality to have, since my husband is known for always misplacing things. He likes to just set them down at random!! I have a knack for knowing where these items are. Comes in handy.
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Oh tell me I can email you when I missing something (every ten minutes) and you can find it for me!!!!
This will probably not be as interesting as everyone else but here are some not normal things about me.
I have really good intuition, I dislike any potato chips and Oreos.
rsblueviolet@gmail.com
I also adore books with a unique voice!
I’m with you with the good intuition! Mines not too bad, although my hubby says sometimes that translates into too trusting when I get a good vibe from someone. Not an oreo fan myself but the chips…got to love them. Oh, and unique voices…LOVE them!
I’ve got freakishly large ears 😀
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com
LOL! I bet their adorable. (((hugs))
Oh you know how much I would love to win this! Among the plethora of things that make me feel less than normal, I’m going to share that I’m REALLY good at remembering names. Everyone always says they’re terrible at it, but for some reason, names just stick with me. Which makes for awkward times when I see someone I met once 5 years ago and still remember his/her name, and s/he get creeped out; or when I remember a name, but not the face that goes with it (happens more often than I’d like to admit). It extends into people just telling me other people’s names too – like if a friend tells me about her other friend and says the name, I’ll remember. So when they obscurely bring the friend up again months later, I’ll remember the name and get funny looks. Most days I don’t mind it because it’s handy to have, especially when networking and being a journalist and all, but I definitely feel less than normal because of it.
ashleylovesbooksblog [at] gmail [dot] com
We’d make a great pair–I usually remember the faces and not the names LOL!
I am sure there are a lot of things that make me not ‘normal’. LOL What stands out to make me different than a lot of my friends is, I prefer to stay home and watch a movie or read a book where my friends like to all go out to sports events, bars, camping, etc. I’m a big homebody, what can I say! 🙂
sarabara081(at)aol(dot)com
Me too!!!!
There are plenty of things not normal about me, but none that are amusing to share. I don’t care for condiments on food but I enjoy snacking on ketchup packets. I LOVE books (I own over 2,000). Clowns scare me, but since I love horror I look forward to watching movies / reading books with clowns (there’s going to be a remake of Stephen King’s IT, so I’m excited about that) 🙂
amethystfaerie(at)msn(dot)com
Shhhh clowns scare me too. :o)
Ah, I think I’m legally strange LOL! There are sooo many weird things about me. But I think what makes me feel lees than normal is my clean-freak side. I’m obsessed with cleanness. I freak out every time I have to touch something dirty. *shudder* I think I’m like Monica from Friends… you know, the need to keep everything clean and in order? Well, that’s me! x)
Thank you for the amazing giveaway! This book sounds TOTALLY AMAZING. <3 my_saphira (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) id
I mentioned this on live journal, but I need more Monica in my life so we should work together LOL!
I’m kind of paranoid about my school backpack being zipped shut and having everything I need with me. I’ll re-check my backpack pockets several times at school to make sure nothing fell out or got left behind. I’m kind of terrified of being unprepared for a class. I don’t even know where this comes from – I’ve never actually forgotten something, or left homework at home, or anything. I’m just paranoid. :]
That must be the most interesting author bio I’ve ever read! I’m intrigued to check out the book. Thanks for the giveaway!
teddycavygal at yahoo dot com
I should be a little more worried about the stuff I drop–I leave a trail behind me most of the time LOL! Thanks for the bio and the book love!
Thanks for hosting the giveaway! I’m just so excited and eager to read Something Like Normal, I hope June 19 comes soon! 🙂 Oh well, there are quite a few things about me that I feel aren’t completely “normal”. However, right now, I’ll stick to just one thing. So here goes- I absolutely dislike sharing a bathroom! Now I have to with my family, because they are- well, they’re my family. I despise somebody else’s mess! Oh, another is that I can eat ANYTHING! Absolutely, anything! I’m not afraid to try any sorts of food. I may not necessarily like the taste, but I’ll be willing to try it anyway! Most people I know just look at a particular food and it’s like hate at first sight! Weird. 😛
Oh….to have a bathroom free of other people’s messes…I like that one!