The Edible Bookshelf: susan stec

Friday, December 6, 2013

Review: The Other F Word (Susan Stec)

Dekram can't help feeling like an outcast. She's the only mixed breed fairy running around her secluded home realm of Wandermere. She loves her parents, but part of her wishes she could just be like everyone else. That sentiment only intensifies when she begins overhearing strange conversations the adults seem to be having about her and her future. Something isn't quite right in Wandermere and Dekram seems to be at the center of it.

Wandermere is anything but your typical fairy forest kingdom. You won't find any dainty, innocent, classical fairies sitting on toadstools petting baby bunnies. Instead, you'll stumble upon mouthy teen fairies wearing designer knockoffs and texting on their smart phones. It wasn't always like this, and the adults claim the reasons behind the change is to help them better deal with trips to the human world, but Dekram begins having doubts about what is real and who has been lying.

I enjoyed the integration of the modern human world into the world of fae. Stec is very clever in the lingo the teens use and the phrases they exclaim when excited or agitated. Her references to fairytales and Disney movies had me chuckling. The fun atmosphere of this book will draw in younger readers and make it easy to connect with the characters.

Dekram and her friends are a fun lot to follow. Dek is relatable because she has plenty of insecurities and doubts about her future. She struggles to find her place not only in her family and community, but in her own skin as well. She wants to trust her friends and the adults in her life, but she's too smart to follow blindly. Dek battles between doing what she's expected to do and what she feels in her heart. That struggle is all too real when it comes to falling in love.

Everyone in her life seems to be pushing her toward Detaf, but Dek's heart is drawn to Nesohc. The struggle surrounding Dek's relationship problems is an engaging tangle. It becomes clear that the adults in Wandermere are hiding something and what Dek decides may have a huge impact on more than just herself. I enjoyed the hunt Dek goes on to figure out just what is going on and who is telling the truth. It's a fun, fast paced storyline that will pull readers along with the characters.

What I had trouble with was at the end of the book when the truth is revealed, I did feel like I, as a reader, had been tricked a bit. When certain characters reveal that they knew the truth from the beginning, it didn't seem realistic that they could have put on such a good act during the rest of the book. It seemed as if those characters had been written as if they knew nothing, then reinvented at the end of the book. Having said that, I did enjoy the twist at the end and thought it was an original and entertaining story.

The Other F Word is on Sale in Kindle for 0.99 right now!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead~~Oscar Wilde

I've always been weird, even as a child—might've been influenced by all those fairies and trolls living in and around the streams behind Grandma's house. Today I live with my husband and three King Charles Spaniels on 50 acres of woods, fields, and streams in upper Michigan.

More about me and my books: http://thegratefulundead.blogspot.com/

Where you can purchase my books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=susan+stec&x=14&y=15

Connect with me on: https://twitter.com/Suesan0814

https://www.facebook.com/GratefulUndead

www.goodreads.com/author/show/4556170.Susan_Stec

https://plus.google.com/100832701976536983931/posts?hl=en

http://www.wattpad.com/user/SusanStec

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Interview: Susan Stec (author of The Other F Word)

Today I'm welcoming Susan Stec to the blog to talk about her new YA novel, "The Other F Word."

1. What was your inspiration for this book?

My enchantment with fae and their mystical world. I find it interesting how they are portrayed in different countries, and illustrations in beautiful books by authors like Judy Allen, Brian Froud and Alan Lee only peak my imagination—encourage creativity. Usually they are portrayed mischievous and menacing—sometimes wicked-scary and ugly. I wanted to pen these wonderful creatures' ways teens could relate; yet open a whole new word of what ifs.

2. Would you classify your writing as plot driven or character driven?

My writing is always character driven, dialogue and action heavy. Fellow writers I workshop with often tell me I need more description and narration, and I try. I really do. But that's soooo does not work for me. I have to let the characters show the readers who they are.

3. Can you tell us a little about your main character?

Dekram is a mixed-breed fairy girl who has only one loyal friend, Layol. Everyone else hates Dekram because her mother, a Water sprite, married her father, an Air fairy. She's shunned and considered a freak of nature. Mixing elements was just not acceptable until she came along. To make things more difficult, the elders in Wandermere are overly protective of Dekram. That stings Soahc—Miss-Everybody-Has-My-Number-On-Speed-Dial—and impin' cranks enough hatred that Soahc and her friends, Etah, Bacs and Mirg create chaos for Dekram wherever she goes. As Layol might say, "For the love of Disney, Dek, just let me pix 'em!"

4. Without giving away too much, tell us a little about the main conflict in this book.

The adults have a well-kept secret. Dekram is 'marked' for a union with another 'fated' fairy named Detaf. What the teens in Wandermere do not know is the two fairies must be mated; the fate of their race depends on it. Only problem is, Dekram has chosen someone else—the forbidden one, Nesohc.

5. What do you hope readers take away from this book?

That making inappropriate decisions based on what you think you see, and listening to those you think have your best interest at heart, can swiftly become a severe and irreversible lesson. Everything is not always what it seems. Actions create reactions. And thinking for yourself, being who you really are, taking a stand for what you believe in can never be as bad as what you lose if you chose to be someone else.

6. What song best describes your writing style?

What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis

7. Night Owl or Early Bird?

Night Owl

8. Skittle or M&Ms?

M&Ms

9. Who are your favorite authors?

Authors I have read out, or whose books I've read more than once: Stephen King, Anne Rice, Brom, Carl Hiaasen, Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, and Charlaine Harris.

10. Can you tell us about any future projects?

I'm working on book 2 in my Dead Girls Never Shut Up series (YA paranormal with ghosts, necromancers, doppelgängers, and teen romance. The 2nd novella and book 1, in my Dark and Deadly (adult) series. And in my crazy, quirky, vampire series, The Grateful Undead, I've just started book 4.