Tuesday came and went with no blog post from me. Maybe last Thursday too. LOL! I’me in a haze of bleach and card board boxes and I’m only crawling out of my moving hole to do this post/blog tour because I absolutely love this book. #2 in the Nogiku Series. Wait–you didn’t take my advice and read REMOVED? Go back and check it out, fall in love with this quirky, exciting, romantic series and then check out RELEASED.
This is my stop during the blog tour for the Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas. This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from January 20 till February 2, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours: http://lolasblogtours.com/2013/11/21/blog-tour-nogiku-series-by-sj-pajonas/
So far this series contains two book: Removed (Nogiku series #1) and Released (Nogiku series #2).
Released (Nogiku series #2)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Blurb:
**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED (Book 1) Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyo recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s eventual rule on Yusei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs. Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her? From Nishikyo to Yusei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.
Now that NA (New Adult) has taken off, I find myself listening to lots of people wanting NA but “different.” Different is what the Nogiku series is all about. And I’m saying that in the very best of ways. There is something in it for everyone, but there are also things in this series that I didn’t know I wanted out of a book until I was immersed in it. Unique world building, romance without a frustrating love triangle, action and adventure, interesting science fiction, suspense, friendship, diversity and girl power. And while all of that is fabulous on its own–this book is ALL ABOUT THE ENDING!
I can’t wait for book #3. I have a sneaky suspicion this series has just gotten ready to hit it’s sweet spot. Trust me–get invested in the Nogiku series.
About the Author:
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.
Released is S. J. Pajonas’s second work, book two of four in the Nogiku Series. The first book in the series, Removed, is described as “a wonderful story” with “engaging characters, seamless world building, and an action packed plot.” It’s an “up-til-3am-because-I-read-it-in-one-sitting book.” She also writes contemporary romance and her upcoming first book in the Love in the Digital Age series will be published in 2014.
S. J. lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of the Nogiku series. These are the prizes you can win: Amazon Gift Cards, copies of REMOVED, and eBook copies of two fantastic Japanese books: JAPANESE SOUL COOKING and THE SAKE HANDBOOK. Both will be gifted through either Amazon (kindle) or Barnes&Noble (nook).
I’m not a die-hard fan of Eminem, but there are quite a few of his songs I love to listen to. I’ve used one on THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY playlist and there are some on my running playlist. Some I just find captivating for their transparency and honesty.
Usually when I’m calling out my writing heroes, you’ll hear names like Laurie Halse Anderson, Lois Lowry, K.L. Going, John Green and A.S. King, but Eminem has snuck onto my list of people I’m a fan-girl of.
I LOVE his poetic ability to play with word and phrase. I think he has moments of utter brilliance and I am constantly trying to make unique thought and word connections the way he does.
“Now you get to watch her leave out the window I guess that’s why they call it window pain.”
“Cause all I wanted to do is be the Bruce Lee of loose leaf.”
“Ironic ’cause I think I’m getting so huge I need a shrink.”
Seriously, the word play makes me swoon. But there’s more. This song in particular makes me think about being a writer–an artistic person with voices inside of her head. There have been so many times when I’ve loved yet hated the art in my soul and all that comes along with it. At the end of the day…
This was a blog heavy week for me AND a box heavy week. I’m still purging, organizing and packing away my boxed belongings like a squirrel hoarding nuts.
So I’m tossing this one to the John Green…
What’s your favorite kind of nut? I’m a big fan of walnuts on my chocolate sundaes. *grin*
In typical fashion, the new year kicks off conversations about goals and fears–particularly the fear of not achieving said goals. I imagine this to be true for the majority of folks that breath, but I KNOW its a hot topic for writers. Writing and selling books is like asking people to expose their soft spots to the world and then letting everyone take pot shots at them. Sometimes you get high fives, but mostly you get snickers and frowns. Sometimes you get worse. Even when everything is handled professionally, being critiqued can cause a bucket load of insecurities to rise to the surface.
In a recent conversation with some of my closest writing buds, I reminded everyone that we had to go into 2014 with the right attitude. Some people may think it’s hokey, but I believe there is a difference between saying…
a) I want an agent.
and
b) I will get an agent when my writing and my understanding of the publication process is good enough.
In one sentence, the universe hears you say want and you get WANT, which wasn’t really what you were after with that statement. In the other sentence the universe hears WILL and that is a whole different animal. You’ve planted a seed. Now you have to give it time to grow roots. I’m a big fan of deadlines, they motivate me to stop procrastinating and get things done, but I’ve learned to never attach deadlines to the aspects of my success I’m unable to control. There is a difference between saying…
a) I will sell a new book every year.
and
b) I will continue to sell books. I won’t stop writing and I won’t stop trying. Good books will sell, so I need to write good books.
One of those sentences is a lot more attainable than the other.
I also try to remember that the next new thing is always a freaking weird thing first. What the heck am I talking about? Hindsight is not so easy to spot the first time around. All the GREAT new books and authors–the break-out stars, whether they were overnight successes or years and years in the making–came from an uncomfortable uniqueness that most people anticipated would be a big pit of failure. The very same weird thing that makes writers impossible to see coming, is what also makes them visionary. Everyone is looking for the next NEW thing. New is the operative word.
There is a big difference between saying…
a) I’m going to be the next Laurie Halse Anderson
and
b) My name is Kimberly Sabatini and there is not another person out there that can write the books in my heart and my head. My goal is to have a long and successful career, like Laurie Halse Anderson, where I write award winning books and where I’m an advocate and role model for teens, librarians, teachers and my fellow writers. I want to WILL help Laurie disturb the universe. <3
That’s MY story and I’m sticking to it. I know it works because it’s gotten me here so far. Take a moment and think about your goals for the future and if you haven’t already been doing it…
*phrase them in the positive.
*take off all the crazy deadlines that run the risk of making you think you’re a failure. If you have big plans–give them room to unfold.
*know your role models and separate who they are from what the do.
*understand what it is that makes you freaking weird and then then ride that pony to the finish line. No one else has YOUR voice. Use it to disturb the universe.
It’s a brand new year and I’ve got more great books that you might be missing. Time to kick of 2014 with something to keep your pulse racing.
Here’s a little bit about BREAKING GLASS by Lisa Amowitz…
BREAKING GLASS
by Lisa Amowitz
On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears.
When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he’s not sure whether they’re real or if he’s losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
Kimberly’s Review of BREAKING GLASS:
There is so much to love about this book!!! It was a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover. I was trying to guess plot right up until the end, but it was hard because there were tons of twists and turns to keep me on my toes. But even though there was lots of nail biting and adrenaline flowing through BREAKING GLASS, there was also a wonderful sense of balance because of the romance. Interesting relationships occurred in more than one thread of the story and while the “best” relationships were fabulous, some were dysfunctional, but in a great way. I also really enjoyed Jeremy Glass’ voice. I think Amowitz has a natural talent for writing teenage boy. There were multiple times through out the book where I muttered “stupid boy” under my breath, while acknowledging how spot-on my aggravation with Jeremy was. Additionally, I really loved the small town dynamics that were at play during the entire novel. While not every small town has all the politics, social hierarchy issues and corruption that Jeremy’s town does, I certainly could see more than a few truths about human nature breaking through.
And when you rush right out to pick up your copy of Amowitz’s debut novel, don’t forget to ogle and admire the fabulous cover for BREAKING GLASS, designed by the author herself. You can check out more of her fabulous design work HERE.
Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot. She is a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children. Lisa is represented by Shannon Hassan of Marsal-Lyon Literary Agency. shannon@marsallyonliteraryagency.com
You can find out more about Lisa Amowitz and BREAKING GLASS here…
