2014 Debut Authors Bash: Kristen Lippert-Martin (Guest Post)
Hey guys!
I am so excited to be participating in the 2014 Debut Author Bash, hosted by YAReads! Today, I have have got the author of Tabula Rasa (and a fellow Kristen) here on the blog:
Kristen Lippert-Martin
Her patronus is a platypus and she prefers Star Trek to Star Wars.
You guys definitely have to check out her book:
Author: Kristen Lippert-Martin
Publisher: Egmont
Publication Date: September 23, 2014
Synopsis: The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this heart-pounding debut.
Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is being taken away.
But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh start could be her end.
Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of a teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want her erased. And she won’t be silenced again.
A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short, unforgettable.
Guest Post:
3) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Really I love all things Jane Austen and though this isn’t considered one of her finest works, I just adored it—especially the way the (spoiler alert) bad boy falls for the plain but sensible girl, and she doesn’t go all squishy for him because he’s hot and rich and all that. Nuh-uh. She’s like, “Yeah. No. I don’t think so, son” and then marries the other guy who she’s loved all along.
4) Middlemarch by George Eliot: The reason I became a writer was because I hoped that I could someday tell a story even one-tenth as meaningful to someone as this story was to me. I will tell you nothing of the plot. And yes, it’s a long slog but read it. It’s a book that can change your life.
5) The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt: It’s an odd book. Relatively short. But something about it spoke to me. Maybe it was the time in my life? I don’t know. Sometimes you can’t explain the things you love.
6) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: I mean, come on. This is a no-brainer. And it’s sort of obligatory if you’re a SF/F writer, isn’t it? I don’t think I’m technically allowed to NOT mention LOTR in any top ten list or I’ll get chucked out of SFWA.
7) Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon: There was a time in my life, right after I finished my M.F.A., when I wanted to BE Michael Chabon. This book is just so freaking funny and full of heart. It’s a writerly book for writers about the writing life, which would normally make me want to puke, but this is the one exception to my “No Books About Writers” rule.
8) Harry Potter Everything. I came to Harry Potter as many adults did, with a sort of sniffy attitude like, “Oh, what’s all this hype about?” Then I got sucked in and by the time Order of the Phoenix came out, I remember thinking, “I cannot think of a book that I’ve looked forward to reading more than this, like, EVER.” And it kind of got me thinking about taking my own writing in a new direction. Nothing was the same after that.
9) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Oh, how I love this book! The humor, the pain, the beauty of it all. I recommend this book probably more than any other. And usually after singing its praises I add, “I assume you’re OK with tons of masturbation references, right?”
10) Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt: I can’t think of another book where the voice just jumped off the page at me like this did. Talk about a powerful opening chapter. Such a remarkable book.
11) Gracelingby Kristin Cashore. A-ha! This top ten list goes to eleven, baby! Katsa is an iconic character in YA fantasy, and yes, I know, I know, his name isn’t the greatest, but Po is one of my favorite book boyfriends in all of YA.
-Kristen ♥
My Top Ten List
What could be easier for a writer than creating a top ten list of her favorite books, right?
RIIIIIGHT.
This is a recipe for a total nervous breakdown, but I’m going to tough it out and hope for the best.
And just so you know, I could have been a complete punk and taken up seven of the ten slots with Harry Potter 1-7, but I decided not to do that. Because I am not a punk.
So here is my list, and I’ve put them in chronological order of influence. Does that make sense? I mean, this is the order in which I read these influential books.
I know. I’m confusing even myself but let’s press on, shall we?
1) Agatha Christie: Yes, I realize that “Agatha Christie” is not a book. She’s an author—an author who possessed one of the most amazing brains in the history of literature. I think reading her murder mysteries is what got me hooked on reading as a teen, and as well all know, reading is a gateway drug to writing.
2) Duneby Frank Herbert: This was my introduction to reading science fiction. I mean, I’d been a devoted Star Trek and Star Wars fan for years, but this was my first epic SF novel. The movie version was kind of laughably bad, but I’ll still watch it whenever it’s on T.V. just for this quote: “Fear is the mind-killer.” I mean, that is soooo right on, isn’t it? It’s like . . . whoa.
1) Agatha Christie: Yes, I realize that “Agatha Christie” is not a book. She’s an author—an author who possessed one of the most amazing brains in the history of literature. I think reading her murder mysteries is what got me hooked on reading as a teen, and as well all know, reading is a gateway drug to writing.
2) Duneby Frank Herbert: This was my introduction to reading science fiction. I mean, I’d been a devoted Star Trek and Star Wars fan for years, but this was my first epic SF novel. The movie version was kind of laughably bad, but I’ll still watch it whenever it’s on T.V. just for this quote: “Fear is the mind-killer.” I mean, that is soooo right on, isn’t it? It’s like . . . whoa.
3) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Really I love all things Jane Austen and though this isn’t considered one of her finest works, I just adored it—especially the way the (spoiler alert) bad boy falls for the plain but sensible girl, and she doesn’t go all squishy for him because he’s hot and rich and all that. Nuh-uh. She’s like, “Yeah. No. I don’t think so, son” and then marries the other guy who she’s loved all along.
4) Middlemarch by George Eliot: The reason I became a writer was because I hoped that I could someday tell a story even one-tenth as meaningful to someone as this story was to me. I will tell you nothing of the plot. And yes, it’s a long slog but read it. It’s a book that can change your life.
5) The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt: It’s an odd book. Relatively short. But something about it spoke to me. Maybe it was the time in my life? I don’t know. Sometimes you can’t explain the things you love.
6) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: I mean, come on. This is a no-brainer. And it’s sort of obligatory if you’re a SF/F writer, isn’t it? I don’t think I’m technically allowed to NOT mention LOTR in any top ten list or I’ll get chucked out of SFWA.
7) Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon: There was a time in my life, right after I finished my M.F.A., when I wanted to BE Michael Chabon. This book is just so freaking funny and full of heart. It’s a writerly book for writers about the writing life, which would normally make me want to puke, but this is the one exception to my “No Books About Writers” rule.
8) Harry Potter Everything. I came to Harry Potter as many adults did, with a sort of sniffy attitude like, “Oh, what’s all this hype about?” Then I got sucked in and by the time Order of the Phoenix came out, I remember thinking, “I cannot think of a book that I’ve looked forward to reading more than this, like, EVER.” And it kind of got me thinking about taking my own writing in a new direction. Nothing was the same after that.
9) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Oh, how I love this book! The humor, the pain, the beauty of it all. I recommend this book probably more than any other. And usually after singing its praises I add, “I assume you’re OK with tons of masturbation references, right?”
10) Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt: I can’t think of another book where the voice just jumped off the page at me like this did. Talk about a powerful opening chapter. Such a remarkable book.
11) Gracelingby Kristin Cashore. A-ha! This top ten list goes to eleven, baby! Katsa is an iconic character in YA fantasy, and yes, I know, I know, his name isn’t the greatest, but Po is one of my favorite book boyfriends in all of YA.
And there it is. My list!
And now I’m seething! Agonizing! Gnashing my teeth!
Because there are so many books I couldn’t include on this list. I’m going to lose sleep over this now, I’m telling you.
-Kristen ♥
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