Readerly Interview with Kate Tilton

Over the past few months I've gotten to know Kate as an amazing advocate for authors. Not only that, but she is a book nerd like me (probably more so, actually), and when I saw her suggestion to interview readers in order to see their view on things, I jumped right on that and interviewed her! (See how I worked that?) So please help me welcome Kate to the blog! Here is part one of the interview:

First, thank for letting me interrogate you, Kate! ;D

K8: It’s my pleasure to be here! :)

How long have you been an avid reader? 

K8: When I was younger reading was a part of daily life but it wasn’t until one certain year that reading became invaluable to me. As a child I lived in a village where there were very few other children. When my two dearest friends moved away reading became my life. Books were my friends when I had none.

Most readers have that *one* book (or perhaps that *one* series) they can attribute to pulling them into the love they have for reading today. Do you have one? If so, what is it, how old were you, and what are a few things that you appreciated about it?

K8: For me I was brought into reading because of the circumstances (above) but there are a few book series that really mattered to me. A ten book Spy Kids series, and two Star Wars series (Jedi Apprentice and Boba Fett).

Do you have a favorite author and/or authors? What makes them your favorite?

K8: I do have favorite authors! I actually have two lists of favorite authors (I know, I know, I’m a little obsessive). On one list I have authors such as Maggie Stiefvater and Ally Condie who have wowed me with their writing. On the other list I have authors who have become my dear friends like Beth Revis and Marie Lu. (And yes, authors can be on both lists like Victoria “V.E.” Schwab.)

How about a favorite book cover (or two)? Tell us what made it/them stand out.

K8: One of my favorite book covers is Untraceable by S.R. Johannes. I have a picture of a group of authors holding up their books and Untraceable stands out from the crowd. The cover contains bold colors, professional type, and careful placement that makes it look good no matter how small it is.

What merits a book making its way onto your personal favorites list?

K8: The books that are on my personal favorites list (the books that get authors onto my special list) are the ones where the words are carefully selected. Read Crossed by Ally Condie or Vicious by V.E. Schwab (note by Jessica -- Vicious is an adult book, and not YA) to get a feel for what I mean. I also adored the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater because they moved me to want to create (draw, sing, write). I have never before been so moved by another’s creativity that my own felt alive.

Tell us a little bit about why you started up #k8chat on Twitter. 

K8: #K8chat is a weekly Twitter chat (Thursdays at 9pm Eastern) designed for authors and readers. I am a Twitter addict and I love being able to connect with others via Twitter chats. However I noticed most chats were either entirely made for authors or readers. I felt that Twitter needed a place where both groups could come together to form valuable relationships and have fun. If you are interested in joining #K8chat please check out katetilton.com/k8chat for details!

Thanks so much for being here, Kate! Join us next week for the second half of Kate's interview! 

About Kate:

Kate Tilton has been in love with books for as long as she can remember. Kate believes books saved her life and strives to repay authors for bringing books into the world by serving as a dependable author assistant. A cat-lover and fan of many geeky things, Kate can likely be found curled up with the latest Doctor Who episode, plotting world takeover, or assisting authors and readers in any way she can. Kate is also a self-proclaimed Twitter addict. You will find her hosting #K8chat, her own creation, every Thursday night on Twitter from 9-10pm Eastern.

“My goal for the longest time has been to help authors. Make their life better because they make my life better. You are my rockstars.”

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*** Pssst! I'm throwing a #JLBBirthdayBash for my birthday week and giving away books, book swag, t-shirts, and the good folks at Rafflecopter have thrown in a free month! It ends Saturday! You can check it out, HERE.

Top Ten Character Names I Love

As I'm getting deeper into editing and writing and reading again, I'm finding a lot of the readerly blog memes to be a lot of fun and a nice break from "work"! In fact, there are two separate Tuesday memes/features I especially enjoy -- Top Ten Tuesdays, and Teaser Tuesdays. The first of those requires making decisions, however, and I tend to have a hard time doing that (for some reason... is this a writer thing?). So, while I will participate in Top Ten Tuesdays on occasion, I think the one I'm going to do more often is Teaser Tuesdays. (First one coming up next week!)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at
 The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is:

Top Ten Character Names I Love

1) Viola: I love the name Viola, and not just because She's the Man is one of my favorite movies.* I actually first found this as a book character name from is Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani.

2) Azalea: If you've followed my blog long enough, you know that my upcoming book, IF I SPEAK TRUE, was first called FLORA (I've since titled it "The Flora Series"). There are a few reasons for this, the most obvious being many characters are named after flowers and trees. So of *course* I like flower names, and I haven't heard of Azalea much, plus I really enjoyed Entwined (which is where this particular name comes from), so there you go.

3) Lennie: Four words: The Sky is Everywhere. That's really all I have to say. I love the name because I love the story and I love Jandy Nelson's voice as Lennie, so therefore I love Lennie, too. (Not to mention, it's not a typical girl name, so that's another reason I like it.)

4) Rowan: This reason is two-fold. IF I SPEAK TRUE has a Rowan (he's a good guy) and Hafsah's Unbreathable has a Rowan (not so good). Maybe it's the name. I don't know. All I know is, if I had a boy I'd name him Rowan right this very moment and never ever regret it. ;)

5) Will: Lately, it seems like every other guy character name in YA is Will. For two years, my David (sorry, IF I SPEAK TRUE on the brain right now, guys) was a Will, too, and as I continued to write and read, I realized just how popular Will is. Wills are just naturally charismatic and nice with big smiles and great eyes and the perfect hair and sometimes have an English accent, too. I don't care what book you're reading, if there's a Will, you're going to fall for him. So yeah. I love Will.

6) Jonah, Jonas, Joel: I've read the three of these multiple times (and have a Jonas myself in PITY ISN'T AN OPTION). Apparently I really like guy names that start with J. **

7) Warner: If ya'll have read any of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series, you will recognize this name. I just like it. It's different, but not too much. I'm finding I'm really enjoying names that should be last names as first names as long as they're not too "out there". Warner just works. 

8) Malcom: My Malcom pick comes from Suzanne Selfors' Coffeehouse Angel. I just loved him and it made me love this name. (I've seen it somewhere else but can't remember where... and not just as the creepy, tarantula-loving guy on She's the Man!***)

9) West: First time I saw this was in L.M. Augustine's Click to Subscribe. Love it. (I obviously have a thing for W names, too! Ha ha) ****

10) Emerson: Ah, back to last names for first names again. This comes from Myra McEntire's Hourglass series. I just love this as a first name for a girl!

And there you have it!***** How about you? What are some of your favorite character names?

Pssst! I'm throwing a #JLBBirthdayBash for my birthday week and giving away books, book swag, t-shirts, and the good folks at Rafflecopter have thrown in a free month! You can check it out, HERE.

* Fun fact: She's the Man is actually based on William Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night. Which I haven't read. But the main characters' names are true to Shakespeare's play. 

** If you're into zombies, Carrie Ryan's (very) short enovella, What Once We Feared, has a Jonah in it that I totally would have loved to get to know better! (grumble grumble) If you're not into zombies but like a good novel that weaves tons of elements into the story and at the end makes you go WHOA, read On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta to find another Jonah. :)

*** Pardon all of the She's the Man references. It's like one of our favorite movies (along with Stick It) so we tend to quote it a lot around here.

**** Also, West is a character's last name in the Shatter Me series. (Had to make that connection for ya'll.) And as I am a huge fan of The Princess Bride movie and saw this mentioned somewhere else, I have to add that Westely is a pretty darn cool name, too. Okay. I am done now.

***** Remember how I said I can never make up my mind? Well I can't. And had to add that I've been seeing Thomas around a lot, too, and I just *love* the name Thomas. And Cam (from Neal Shusterman's UnWholly). So I kinda shared, technically, fourteen favorite names. But it could have been worse. And for some reason most of these are guy names. I don't know why. Still, I think I did pretty well. *pats self on the back*

What makes a favorite?

Image source: Pinterest

Over the weekend, I made a new Goodreads shelf titled, "favorites". (Which means I now have like, four shelves. Yeah. I'm exciting like that.) Anyway, I realized that I didn't have to have even given them a five-star rating to love them, and it got me thinking: What makes a book a favorite?

Obviously no (or a very limited few) books are perfect. So what makes a book go from being just a book, to being one of those you gush over and are willing to read over and over?

As I went through my list, I realized there were a few particular reasons a book made it to my favorites list--they all had at least one (but usually more) of the below attributes:

1) The prose was beautiful.

2) Great storyline.

3) The book stuck with me and made me think about it long afterwards.

4) I fell in love with the characters.

5) The book gave me all THE FEELS.

6) I simply found the book entertaining.

What about you? What makes a book your favorite, and which ones are you currently in love with?

I'm having a birthday party, but you're not invited, but you can come if you want.

The above quote is from one of my favorite movies, What's Eating Gilbert Grape.  (Some of you have noticed hints on my tweets lately, and this blog is what they have been about.)  

For months now I've planning to do a blog based solely on my favorite movies...but after realizing I have way too many favorites, I'm thinking none of them would get the time they deserve if I post them all at once, so this will be broken down into a few blogs over the next few weeks.

We'll start out with my favorite 90's movies, and go through 1993.  Keep in mind that I am just stating my opinion - not all of these are critically acclaimed (Are any  of them? I'm not sure.) or five star rated movies, just the ones that will forever be in my "favorite" list. Ones that I fell in love with, that made me laugh or cry, or both.  

Would I suggest you watch them?  Of course I would. They're my favorites.  (FYI I'm not very picky with movies -- as long as there isn't tons of blood flying everywhere I watch almost anything.  Not a fan of horror though -- sorry horror fans.)

Hope you enjoy the facts about each one. (Keep in mind that movie ratings during the 90's were more lenient than they are now!)  Movies with a ** symbol are ones I would love to add to my DVD collection. (Ebay and I are best buddies.)  Also, I was using the tab key overzealously at first, and had to go to a different format...but in the process a few things stayed spaced out but they will NOT show on my draft...so I apologize.

Very quickly before I start, I'd like to give you all an idea of my age.  I turned 12 years old in October of 1990, so that should put my movie viewing status/tastes in perspective a bit.  And here we go....

1990

*Not sure why, but for some reason I have no favorites for this year.   

1991

My Girl - PG

When your dad's an undertaker, your mom's in heaven, and your grandma's got a screw loose, it's good to have a friend who understands you.  Even if he is a boy. 

Starring:   

Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky (Vada)

Awards:  

Won MTV's "Best Kiss" category, nominated for "Best Breakthrough Performance" for Anna Chlumsky , and "Best On-Screen Duo" for Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin.

Won Young Artist Award's Special Award for "Most Promising Young Newcomer" for Anna Chlumsky, nominated for "Young Artist Award" in the Best Family  Motion Picture category

Memorable quote:  

Vada - "I was born jaundiced. Once I sat on a toilet seat at a truck stop and caught hemorrhoids.  And I've learned to live with this chicken bone that's been lodged in  my throat for the past three years.  So I knew Dad would be devastated when he learned my latest affliction."

Coffee chatter:  This film begins in the summer of 1972 (so yes, you get to hear songs from the 70's).  Viewers see the world through an 11 year old girl's eyes.  I saw this movie in the theater with two of my friends. Love it.

  

 

The Man in the Moon -   PG13

Remember when you couldn't wait for your life to begin... and then, one day, it did?

Starring:  

Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Gail Strickland, Reese Witherspoon (Dani), Jason  London,  Emily Warfield

Awards:   

Young Artist Award nominations for "Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Motion Picture" for Emily Warfield and "Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture" for Reese Witherspoon

Memorable Quote:

Dani - "Are you always this nice to people you just met or are you practicin' up to be a horse's butt?"

Coffee Chatter:  This movie takes place in the summer of 1957 -- and was ReeseWitherspoon's film debut at 14 years old.  (She actually tried out for the role of an extra, and landed a lead role.) 

**Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken -  G

The inspiring true-life adventure of a courageous young rebel who defied the odds...and won.

Starring:  

Gabrielle Anwar (Sonora), Michael Schoeffling, Cliff Robertson, Dylan Kussman, Kathleen York

Memorable Quote:     

Sonora - "Manure just happens to be my specialty."

Coffee Chatter:  This Disney movie takes place during the depression, and is based on the true story of a woman who did horse diving during that era.  (Yes, it is exactly how it  sounds - diving into water, while on horseback.)  Wild Hearts Can't be Broken is a very inspirational movie -- though it is rated G and a good family movie, I could watch it over and over again by myself, as well.

1992

Alan & Naomi - PG

(No tagline so I'm using something the product description from Amazon.com)

This atmospheric tale of real love, set in 1944 Brooklyn and shot on a deliciously alive studio street, concerns a young Jewish boy named Alan Silverman (Lukas Haas) who is pressured into providing companionship for a catatonic French girl, Naomi Kirschenbaum (Vanessa Zaoui). The latter witnessed her father's death at the hands of the Gestapo and has been lost in herself ever since. A small crowd of Naomi's boosters, including Alan's parents (Michael Gross, Amy Aquino), hope that his frequent visits to her can resuscitate her old spirit. Poor Alan, however, with his mind on such crucial matters as improving his stickball game, is hardly in a position to understand Naomi's psychological wilderness, let alone penetrate it. Yet his essential decency wins over all else, and if his secrecy about the matter draws the disappointment and wrath of his bewildered best friend--an endearing, tough, Irish-Catholic pug named Shaun Kelly (a wonderful performance by Kevin Connolly)--then Naomi's progressive steps toward trust are worth it. ..." --Tom Keogh

Starring:  

Lukas Haas, Vanessa Zaoui, Michael Gross, Amy Aquino

Awards:    

Won Heartland Film Festival's "Crystal Heart Award", nominated for "Young Artist Award" for Vanessa Zaoui (Naomi) in the Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Motion Picture category

Coffee Chatter: This movie has been very hard for me to find on DVD, but I think I may have finally found it. For those of you who still own VHS players, there are many VHS versions out there.  Alan & Naomi is based on the book of the same name by Myron Levoy (a children's book for the 11-14 year old range - that I have not read).  Wonderful, touching movie.

School Ties - 1992

Just because you're accepted doesn't mean you belong.

Starring: 

Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff

Awards:

Nominated for Casting Society of America, "USA 's Best casting for Feature Film, Comedy", and Political Film Society, USA's "PFS Award" in the Human Rights category

Coffee Chatter:  School Ties is based on personal experiences of writer and TV producer, Dick Wolf (producer of Law & Order, amongst other things).  The story takes place in the 1950's and one thing it does is show the viewer how people can make ethnic jokes and yet not realize the very person standing next to them may be that exact ethnicity.  If you enjoy watching "pre-star" performances, this is a good movie to check out -- Chris O' Donnel, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Brendan Fraser are all in this movie.

1993

**Swing Kids - PG13

In a world on the brink of war, you either march to one tune or dance to another.

Starring:

Robert Sean Leonard (Peter), Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey

Awards:

Won American Chreography Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film" category (tied with "What's Love Got to Do With it"), Young Artist Award in the "Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture" category for Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard, David Tom and Frank Whaley

Memorable Quote:

Peter - "It dont mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Do wah, do wah, do wah, do wah do wah!"

Coffee Chatter: Swing Kids takes place in Germany during World War II.  As the war progresses, the "laws" become more and more strict, until no one is allowed to do anything unless it is deemed "German".   A group of kids who are taken by America's Swing music and don't care about the politics of the war go underground at night, dancing together, wearing long hair (another "law" -- the boys/men were not allowed to have long hair), and listening to Swing night and day (even though they knew anything played by anyone of a different race or skin color other than German was just downright dangerous).  I like anything with music and dancing -- but don't worry -- there wasn't a whole lot of dancing, though when there was, it was great.  (I can't imagine attempting to dance like that - the women are tossed all over the place!)  Again, if any of you like "pre-famous" movies, Robert Sean Leonard (currently on House), Christian Bale and Noah Wyle are all on this movie.

The Sandlot - PG

The adventure of a lifetime, the summer of their dreams... the dog of their nightmares.  

Starring:

Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar (Benny), Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York

Awards:

Won Young Artist Award in the "Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture" category - Brandon Quintin Adams, Victor DiMattia, Grant Gelt, Tom Guiry, Chancey Leopardi, Shane Obedzinski, Patrick Renna, Mike Vitar and Marty York

Memorable Quote:

Benny Rodriguez - "Anyone who wants to be a can't-hack-it pantywaist who wears their mama's bra, raise your hand."

Coffee Chatter:  The boys of The Sandlot all have quirky characteristics which makes you like them even more than you would if it was just another group of boys playing baseball.  The theme of the movie is baseball, yes, but there's more to this movie than that. The Sandlot, based on the 1960's, proves that friendship and determination go a long way.  There have been two more Sandlot movies since this original - I have seen Sandlot 2 once and though it was cute, it wasn't as good as the original.  Sandlot 3 came out two years ago but I only learned about it today as I was researching.  Chauncey Leopardi, who plays Squints in the original, reprises his role in Sandlot 3.

**What's Eating Gilbert Grape - PG13

Arnie knows a secret.  His big brother Gilbert is the greatest person on the planet.

Starring:

Johnny Depp (Gilbert), Leonardo DiCaprio (Arnie), Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen

Awards:

Won awards for Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Leonardo DiCaprio in "Emerging Actor" category, National Board of Review, USA for Leonardo  DiCaprio in the "Best Supporting Actor" category, and two foreign film awards.  Nominated for a Golden Globe for Leonardo DiCaprio in the "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" category, nominated for an Oscar for Leonardo DiCaprio in "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" category.

Memorable Quotes:

Arnie - "Match in the gas tank, boom, boom!"

Arnie - "I killed it, Gilbert!  I killed it!"

Coffee Chatter:  What's Eating Gilbert Grape was a different kind of movie for the early 1990's. The main issue is Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) dealing with the huge undertaking of taking care of his mentally handicapped brother, Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his home-bound mother, but it's also a love story.  For those of you who, like me, watched Leonardo DiCaprio each week on Growing Pains, it's easy to see that he was pretty young in his acting career at this point (WEGG came out a year after those episodes), yet he does an absolutely amazing job playing Arnie.  This movie might have meant more to me considering I have a brother with a handicap, I'm not sure -- but I really recommend watching it at least once.

Until I began to post everything, I hadn't realized most of the movies I love take place at least a few decades ago!  If anyone would like to remind me of more movies from 1990-93, please do.  It was hard to narrow it down to a few, and at the end it may be necessary to list a few honorable mentions for the entire decade. Keep watching for tweets to more lines from my favorite movies -- and if you recognize them, I want to hear about it!