Waiting on Wednesday: Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Today I am featuring someone very important to me. In my former days as a teen program coordinator for a public library, I often got to attend author events hosted at other branches. At the time I was toying with the idea of starting a book review blog since I've been writing book reviews (for my personal use) for years. Terra Elan McVoy happened to be the author event that I got to attend. With her speech about her debut novel Pure Terra captured my attention. Since it was a small event, there was plenty of time for chit chat afterward. Terra really encouraged me to give blogging a chance & to allow my voice to be heard. Three and a half years later, I'm still at it! I will tell you, I was fortunate enough to see Terra a little over a year later & it's amazing the difference a year makes! There was a large crowd gathered at the book store to hear her talk about After the Kiss. 

Now that you have the backstory, on with the book! Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy is scheduled for a May 7 debut. This one sounds completely different from her other works & I couldn't be more excited about it! I have yet to be disappointed in her work and I'm sure this will be no exception. 

A searing and gripping read that explores the depths of desperation true love can inspire, from the author of Being Friends with Boys.

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

From Goodreads

How incredible does that sound? I don't think I've read anything like it before. I'm quite interested to hear this couple's backstory because that is a lo of devotion to another person. What do you think about it? Can you think of anything else like it?

After the Kiss by Terra Elan McVoy

Love triangles are not typically this well spoken. Camille is the typical new girl in town with a chip on her shoulder thanks to a not-so-wonderful guy in Chicago. Becca is a relatively smart local chick infatuated with poetic, jock Alec. These two girls have more in common than they think when it turns out that Alec kissed Camille at a party. Being unaware of Alec's girlfriend situation, Camille does nothing to stop the kiss and, being Alec's girlfriend, Becca does everything she can not to lose her mind.

Each girl has her own issues and each one of them seems drawn to different parts of Alec, but in the end one of them has to lose.

Terra McVoy is a genius!! I was rather skeptical of this book at first because I find the "love triangle" story overused, but this was fresh. If you look deeper than just the surface you'll see more than angsty teen drama written in verse. The language of each girl is very distinctive and deliberate. There is so much feeling involved in these girls' stories that the novel begs to be read out loud.

Becca was such a nice girl that I had a hard time relating to her until she started to really look at what was important to her. I thought her whole outlook was a bit narrow and I was thrilled to see her rise up to the challenge of really getting to know herself as a person. Camille was such a difficult girl to like and that was very intentional. She's a tough nut to crack and watching her come out of her prickly shell was amazing. Terra said it best in her appearance at Quail Ridge Books, she really tried to start the girls out as opposites with exaggerated characteristics and them bring them into a harmony or balance where each girls seems to take on characteristics and mannerisms of the other.

A wonderful book that I highly recommend, After the Kiss is an instant hit!

ARC for review provided by Around the World Tours

Author Signing: Terra McVoy!

I was fortunate enough to get to attend another signing of the AMAZING Terra McVoy. Apparently I never wrote about the first signing I went to for her debut novel Pure, but she is really the person you have to thank for my blog. Back in July of 2009, I attended her signing at a local library. When I walked up to have my book signed, I told her my plans of doing a book review blog. She was so kind and supportive, considering she offered to be my very first author interview! So, in short, thank her for pushing me to do this blog. :)

Back to the current subject at hand, I went to the ever fabulous Quail Ridge Books to see Terra for her second book After the Kiss. It was a small event, with only about 15 -20 people in attendance, but I find those are the best kinds of events. They seem more personal since the author is right there! Terra was all big smiles & giggles for most of the event, except when she was reading aloud from the book. Let me assure you, that was the most amazing thing I have ever heard at an author event.

For those of you who don't know, After the Kiss is written in prose. Some pieces take the form of poetry, while others take on the form of free-flowing thoughts. While I am a huge fan of poetry, I have always had a tough time reading it; unless it is read out loud. Terra graced us with several pieces from the book so that we could get a feel for the two very distinct voices of Camille & Becca. Listening to Terra read was like listening to a favorite song. She knew where the pauses went (and later explained to me how to discern their location as well) and spoke so eloquently that I could have listened to her speak all afternoon.

To say the absolute least, Terra is charming and delightful and very animated. She makes you feel very welcome and comfortable in her presence. Her excitement about her books and her enthusiasm for life in general make her signings a nice pick-you-up in tough times. If you ever get a chance to see her in person, be sure to take it. I expect to see more great things from her in the future.

Waiting on Wednesday: After the Kiss

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

After the Kiss is set to be released May 4, 2010 by Simon Pulse.

It's a different kind of book from her last one, Pure. This time it is a love story, with a twist. It's a novel in poems and it is about two different girls who are connected by the fact that one is the girl with whom the other's boyfriend hooks up! Drama!

This moment changes everything.

Becca has been head-over-heels for Alec from the instant they met. He's a brainy jock with a poet's heart—in other words, perfect for her.

Camille is careful with her words and protective of her heart, especially since Chicago. Then a new boy in her new town catches her off guard with a surprise kiss.

Too bad that new boy is Becca's boyfriend, Alec.

Camille and Becca have never met, but their lives will unravel and intertwine in surprising ways as they deal with what happens after the kiss.

From Goodreads

Very interesting. I'm looking forward to the poetry of this book. What are you waiting on?