Welcome again to YA Indie Carnival ~ Interview and Giveaway

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Dani Snell. She reviews YA books on her cool-looking blog with the equally cool name of Refracted Light. I suggest heading on over to her blog--after you read this interview first!--and clicking on "About Us" to learn about her. You'll discover why she named her blog Refracted Light in question number 5. I personally loved that part....

First the questions:

1.What first draws you to a book you’d like to read, the cover or the description?

I'd have to say probably a combination of both. The covers tend to draw me in, but if the blurb doesn't sound that interesting, I move on. But the opposite can also be true, in that the cover might not seem like anything special, but the blurb will catch a hold of me. I like to think I'm an equal opportunity book lover, and that I'll pick up a book despite it's cover, because when it all comes down to it, it's the blurb that seals the deal.

2.How many books do you, or can you, read at one time?

I cheat on my books horribly. <shhh...don't tell them.> I'll usually have a book going on Kindle, an audiobook I'm listening to, and an actual paper book that I'm reading all at once. I like being in the middle of several different stories at one time, but typically one of those will stand out and I won't be able to put it down. If that happens, I usually finish that one before continuing on with the others.

3.Who was your favorite character from the books you’ve read so far and why?

Oh boy. That's a really tough one. I can't say I have a one & only when it comes to favorite characters, there are so many that I love and for different reasons. But I'll list two....

I loved the title character of Greyfriar from Clay & Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar. I can't fully explain why I loved him because that would ruin the story, and you should definitely pick it up if you haven't read it. But in short, he's a bit of a steampunk superhero who fights to free humans from the vampire menace that plagues them. He's honorable, courageous, committed, selfless and yet also has a wonderfully vulnerable side. He's a character with a lot of depth....and goggles. Which is awesome.

My second character would be Elisa from Rae Carson's upcoming Girl of Fire and Thorns. I just really connected with Elisa's character for many reasons, her self-doubt, her ordinary appearance, her fears, and her hopes. I haven't connected with a character like that in a really long time and Carson does an amazing job of developing Elisa throughout the story and transforming her into this amazing, strong, confident woman. I just loved her journey and she was just a character that really resonated with me.

4.Within YA, what kinds of stories or genres really draw you in?

I mostly read paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi – anything that's “other.” I find when I read, I'm wanting to escape the mundane and the typical human problems that plague us all. I'd rather read about impossible odds and impossible abilities, fantastic lands and amazing and terrifying creatures, unlikely heroes and the age old struggle of good vs. evil. Recently, I've really gotten into Steampunk which is kind of Victorian-era sci-fi that runs on steam and is more mechanical in nature. Typically these worlds feature alternate histories, corsets, dirigibles (say that five times fast) and – of course – goggles. Do I own a pair of leather and brass goggles? No. Do I want to? Absolutely. Would I wear them? All. The. Time.

5.I love the title of your blog, Refracted Light. What inspired it?

Refracted Light. That was first inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's poem Mythopoeia, and I particularly loved this passage:

Man, Sub-creator, the refracted light

through whom is splintered from a single White

to many hues, and endlessly combined

in living shapes that move from mind to mind.

Though all the crannies of the world we filled

with Elves and Goblins, though we dared to build

Gods and their houses out of dark and light,

and sowed the seed of dragons, 'twas our right

(used or misused). The right has not decayed.

We make still by the law in which we're made.

I know that talking about God is not everyone's cup of tea. But I've always loved these lines as they infer God as ultimate Creator and that we as humans, follow in His example using our imaginations to create entire worlds, peoples, creatures, languages, histories and legends. We have been given an amazing gift – the ability to create. We are ourselves refractions of the brightest light and we continue to refract that light – reshape it and redirect it – as we create art in all forms, but specifically in this case, literature. So yeah, short answer: a love of reading inspired it. However, it also does double duty and combines my love of books and photography quite nicely I thought!

Now on to the giveaway! If you missed the Back to The Books giveaway, you have another chance. But I'm only giving away the eBook of Fractured in this one, so if you haven't tried Fateful, I suggest you snatch it up now. Plus, when Forever comes out sometime this month, Fateful will no longer be on sale for 99 cents.

TODAY'S GIVEAWAY: Just comment on a Q & A post ALL DAY TODAY and tweet the carnival [#yaindiecarnival] to win these ebooks from the carnival authors:

Kindle copy of The Understorey by Fisher Amelie
Kindle digitally-signed edition of Winnemucca by Laura A. H. Elliott and a Winnemucca signed Coffee Mug.
Kindle copy of Breathe by Abbi Glines along with an autographed canvas Breathe tote.
Kindle copy of Solstice by PJ Hoover
Kindle copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft
Kindle copy of PineLight by Jillian Peery
Kindle copy of Filter by Gwenn Wright.
Kindle copy of Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams
Kindle copy of Fallen Eden by Nicole Williams
Kindle copy of Soul Quest by Amy Maurer Jones
Kindle copy of Run and Hide by Patti Larsen (YA thrillers, 1 and 2 in a series of 4)
Kindle copy of Fractured by Cheri Schmidt
Kindle copy of Warriors of the Cross by T.R. Graves
Kindle copy of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Bees of St. John, Mushrooms, Whistles, and Beergarden by Rachel Coles

There's a special surprise too. Open to all 13 and over internationally. Winners will be announced September 16. Thanks for helping to celebrate two months together! See you at the carnival next Friday and good luck!

PS: The wonderful Abbi Glines interviewed me. If you'd like to see that check it out here.

Come to the carnival every Friday! (Heh...now I'm craving cotton candy....)