Today for Feature Friday let us welcome the awesome Catherine Mesick and her first book in the Pure Series, Pure.

We will have info about the book and author, plus a great interview with Catherine.

Make sure to check everything out and go and show her some support and add her books to your TBR ;) 

 

Happy Reading :) 

 

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Sixteen-year-old Katie Wickliff lives quietly in the small town of Elspeth's Grove, unaware of the troubled past that forced her grandmother to flee Russia with her when Katie was only a child. When people in the town begin to disappear, and Katie's own home is attacked by a terrifying creature, Katie and her grandmother return to Russia to find answers. Pursuing them is the handsome William – who just might be a vampire. Katie discovers that William is indeed partially a vampire, but he is also one of the Sidh, an ancient clan whose members are gifted with great power – a clan to which Katie's deceased mother also belonged. Soon, Katie discovers that her mother's seemingly natural death was actually murder, and she is forced to confront the question she wants to face the least: Is William her otherworldly protector, or is he the dark creature who killed her mother eleven years ago?

 

 

 

 

Buy Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Catherine. Thank you for taking the time to stop in and chat with us, it is lovely to have you. 

 

Thank you for having me. It’s great to be here!

 

 

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I do a lot of research, but luckily, it’s usually on myths and legends, so it’s a lot of fun. I also do a lot of ‘location’ research for places I haven’t been to—for example, I watch videos on YouTube so I can see what a place looks like from a person who’s actually been there. And I use Google Maps, too, to look up neighborhoods and get a look at the ‘street view.’ I also look up times for flights, trains, how long it takes to drive somewhere, etc. And then there are always the random questions that occur to me as I’m writing.

I usually just spend a week or two researching before beginning a book. I do most of my research while I’m writing—I do it as each topic comes up.

 

 

What is your best cure to get out if a reading slump?

I find the best cure for a reading slump is to break out one of my old favorites and read it again. Anything by Jane Austen or J.K. Rowling will usually help me find my love of reading again!

 

 

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?   Are there any other talents you are hiding from us?

If I didn’t write, I would love to be a tour guide. I think it would be wonderful to show people around a city and introduce them to all of its secrets. I would do all the regular sights, as well as a ‘hidden gems’ tour that would include all the cool things you don’t usually get to see on the regular tour.

As far as hidden talents, I love to sing in the shower, and I think it sounds great, but I’m not sure anybody really wants to hear me. :) 

 

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

The best money I ever spent as a writer was hiring Mirella Santana to be my cover designer. She creates the most beautiful fantasy covers, and I was able to get her to do book 1 and book 4 for my series, Pure. She is also currently working on new covers for books 2 and 3 for me. So, soon all of my books will have her lovely covers.

 

 

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I’m friends with Christina Rowell, who writes YA fantasy and poetry and has a really great blog. When I see how much she loves fantasy and how much she loves writing, it really inspires me to find that same love in my own writing. I’m also friends with Ripley Patton, who writes YA, too, and also runs a booklist, where you can finds some really great reads. Ripley’s really creative and loves writing and reading. When I see how hard she works on her own writing, and how much she supports other authors, I am inspired to do the same!

 

Thanks very much for having me! These were great questions!

 

 

This was fun, again thank you so much for taking the time to chat. You're awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine Mesick is the author of Pure, Firebird, and Dangerous Creatures. She is a graduate of Pace University and Susquehanna University. She lives in Maryland.

Links

Website *** Facebook *** Twitter 

 

 

Here's a cross section of some of the books I read this year that gave me the most pleasure, as well as insight and edification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

President Barack Obama The Kindle Single... This interview with the President of the USA has caused such vitriol on Amazon and guess what? Most of the people spewing forth the vitriol have not even read the interview! I cannot fully express how annoyed I become when people do not read something they review, nonetheless spew forth their sheep-mentality, idiotic hate/fear mongering ideas and generally accost readers of reviews with their mediocre brains.

As there is not a single person in the world I agree 100 percent with, I do not agree with everything the President says/does/believes yadda yadda. But I do think he would make more positive changes and overall progress if it were not for the idiots he has to deal with day in and day out in D.C..

The interview was nothing unexpected but I did enjoy and agree with the following quote:

"But you also want enough of a sense of shared destiny, enough common commitments that we can keep our air and water clean. That we can maintain our technological edge. That we can ensure the next generation is well educated. It's part of the reason why the one institution that has been more successful in our society than just about any other has been our military-because that's one area where everybody understands we're one nation, and we all have to make sacrifices. Obviously, the men and women in uniform make the true sacrifices. But we have to pay for it. We have to support it. Democrats and Republicans understand that. The question is: How do we broaden our lens so that what's true in the security arena is true when it comes to our economy, is true when it comes to education, is true when it comes to the environment? There are things we can do better together."

Education and environment.....yes!

President Barack Obama The Kindle Single... Well, who am I to pass up a free Kindle read?

Mostly, if not all, softball questions and the answers which may or may not have been prepared. Who knows?

Not much new here and given an opportunity as David Blum was, I would sit down with the POTUS, too! Not sure that I would have asked about the same things that Blum asked. I would have gotten a bit more personal, such as what do you like to read? Do you keep track of what you read?

All this was a rehash (Q&A) but gives the flaming Republicans another forum to bash the President of the United States. It really doesn't matter what the bashing is about...it's about anything and everything and has been since 2008. (I still contend they don't like the color of his skin although my Republican friends say "no, that's not it." I know my friends very well, and that's it regardless of what they say. But cannot say the same about any Republicans reading this.)

Noticed on Amazon though, as of right now, there re 561 reviews...some long, some short. Of the 561, 242 gave it one star and there are some (a lot of) rants thrown in. 198 gave it five stars...78 with four stars. The remaining ones, two to three stars.

When I read Amazon reviews (mostly on political books) mostly there are rants on something and I always check to see if they've reviewed any other books. Looked on one review of one-star rant and the last thing reviewed was for the stock of some rifle...no surprise there. Needless to say that I hold very little credibility in Amazon reviews of just about everything.

Yes, I supported and worked for OFA in both campaigns but still, not much new here and wouldn't have bought it. (Well, except maybe to offset an Amazon reviewer who said she got it and read it to write review, to put in her two cents in about a president who was not born in the United States of America anyway.)

Get my drift here? Want to borrow it, let me know...or it's still free on download, now. But same, same if you watch the news. (BTW, unemployment is down again to 7.4% which tells me things ARE getting better.)

President Barack Obama The Kindle Single... I was brought up as a democrat. Also brought up middle class as Obama claims he was. My parents owned their home and the only debt they had was medical.

However their was no way in hell my parent's could have afforded to send me to the best schools. That was/is a privilege only afforded by the wealthy and prestige.

Also I guess no one informed the President that a representative of Ammazon hired hundreds of people and when they reported to work was told they have no jobs. So where was the boost to the job markey?