Review: Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling

Source: Received a copy from the publisher to give an honest review.
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Teen)
Release Date: November 2, 2015
Number of Pages: 350 (Kindle edition)

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:

The world isn't just black or white. Sometimes it's red...

They think I'm next. That I'll be the seventh kid to step in front of a train and end my life. With the rash of suicides at my school, Mom's shipped me off to my dad's Wyoming ranch for “my own safety.” They think I’m just another depressed teenager whose blood will end up on the tracks. They don't know my secrets...or what I’ve done.

I wasn't expecting Dad to be so sick, for the ranch I loved to be falling to bits, or for Jake—the cute boy I knew years ago—to have grown into a full-fledged, hot-as-hell cowboy. Suddenly, I don't want to run anymore, but the secrets from home have found me...even here. And this time, it's up to me to face them—and myself—if I want to live...

I have loved Heidi R. Kling's writing ever since I first read Sea, so when I heard about Paint My Body Red, I was extremely excited!!! The description sounded dark and edgy, with the promise of some romance involving a swoon-worthy cowboy, which sounded pretty amazing to me. Sure enough, I started the book, and couldn't put it down!

Paint My Body Red is about Paige. When she was younger, her parents divorced, and her mom moved her to California, away from her family's ranch in Wyoming. She goes back years later, after a series of suicides takes place involving students from her school, and when she gets to the ranch, she sees just how much it has changed and how her father's health has declined due to ALS. While the circumstances of her return were sad, I loved seeing Paige make herself at home once again on the ranch. I loved seeing her get to know her father again, and their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the novel. I loved seeing her get to know the woman that her father loved, Anna. And I especially loved seeing her friendship with Jake evolve. I just really loved this story! The characters immediately pulled me in, and I genuinely cared for Paige. It was amazing to see how time on her father's ranch helped her overcome what she experienced back in Palo Alto.

While there is a romantic element to Paint My Body Red, I loved that the story wasn't defined by romance. Instead, the story was largely about Paige healing and growing stronger on the ranch. The story itself was told in an extremely interesting way. Paige narrates the entire book, but it alternates between her present and the events that happened to her back in California, which she records in her diary. Writing out what happened acts as a catharsis for Paige, and her time on the ranch helps her ground herself. She's able to find happiness and joy despite the people she lost, and the abuse that she suffered. I absolutely loved this method of revealing Paige's past—it was unique and engaging.

I also loved the romance in the story, and thoroughly enjoyed Jake and Paige together. I loved their banter, and they brought out the best in each other. They worked extremely well together, and it was fantastic to see their relationship evolve from friendship into something more, especially since it was founded on trust. I also really loved that Jake was a cowboy! There's something so attractive about a boy with the manners of a gentleman, who is still willing to kiss the crap out of a girl. ;) Even better that he never pressured Paige, and that their relationship was never rushed.

Overall, I absolutely loved Paint My Body Red. I loved that it was such a dynamic story, and that it covered such important topics. Suicide, rape, depression, and life-threatening illnesses should never be brushed aside, and I thought it was amazing that Heidi R. Kling approached all of those topics in Paint My Body Red. This story is so important, and it delivers such a powerful message about life, valuing the life you're given, and working to overcome the things that hold you back. I thought that it was a complex, mysterious, and captivating story, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!

What do you think?
Does Paint My Body Red sound like something you want to read?

Review: Devil's Frost (Spellspinners of Melas County #3) by Heidi R. Kling

  Source: Received a review copy from the publisher for an honest review.

Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC

Release Date: Already Released
You can find out more about Devil's Frost and the Spellspinners of Melas County Saga on Coliloquy's website.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Every young witch looks forward to her first Solstice Stones. The pride of representing her coven against the warlocks. The rush from her first taste of dark magic.

But a few short minutes into the Stones, and Lily’s lifelong dream turns into a nightmare of pain and regret. Betrayed not once, but twice, her restraint snaps—with dire consequences.

Lily is wracked with guilt and on the run from the powerful Congression, when her broken confidence is further shattered by an ugly secret from the past. As her options dwindle, Lily is forced into a distasteful alliance.

Will she be able to find her way back to the light? Or will darkness consume her before dawn's new day?

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I've really been enjoying Coliloquy's interactive titles, and the Spellspinners of Melas County is one of my favourites, so I've been eagerly awaiting this book. I absolutely loved getting to return to Lily and Logan's story in Devil's Frost, but there were a few things about this installment in the series that I wasn't a big fan of, so while I did really enjoy it, it is my least favourite out of the three books so far.

Mostly, I was disappointed with this one because it really wasn't interactive at all. As I have gushed about the interactive parts being one of my favourite elements in these books, it's probably not that surprising that I was disappointed with a lack of choices. The only options in Devil's Frost were whether you wanted to read bonus material or not....which frankly isn't a choice at all because it doesn't actually do anything for the plot itself, or to the narrative that you as a reader are following. The fact that there were no actual choices in the book made a lot of it seem really repetitious, too. We see the same events from both Logan's and Lily's points of view, which was drastically different from the narratives of the first two books, where we rarely saw the same scenes twice, and while I enjoyed the story, the repetition made it feel really anti-climatic, and like it was all filler. I also didn't realize that this was going to be a nine-book series. By the setup of the first two books, I was thinking four or five at the most (since I knew it was a "saga"), so instead of having the story start to tie together in this one, like I expected, we just got more conflict, and circled back through the alternating points of view.

While I was disappointed with this one, I was glad to see more of Lily and Logan. I still love their chemistry and the dynamics they have together, especially when they cast spells. As I mentioned, a lot of this book did feel like it was more filler, and that it was laying the groundwork for future books in the series, so I'm hopeful that the next book will return to the feel of the previous ones. A lot of questions were left open at the end of Devil's Frost, but we finally got more about the prophecy and about both Lily's and Logan's pasts. In the bonus material, we also got to see a little bit of Daisy, which was definitely different from the rest of the book, but was interesting nonetheless. I still loved the imaginative world that Heidi R. Kling has created in this series and embedded within our own world. I love the way her spells work, the dynamics of the witches and warlocks, and the vast history surrounding the segregation of the spellspinners by gender...it's incredibly interesting, and has kept me riveted since I first started the series.

Overall, I enjoyed Devil's Frost, but was disappointed in the lack of interactivity in it, and I felt that compared to the first two books, this one was a bit lackluster. There was action, and we got a little bit of Logan and Lily romance, but the parallel narratives felt a bit repetitious, which was very different from the first two books. I do think that fans of the series will enjoy returning to Lily and Logan's story though, and I'm personally really excited for the next book because I think that Devil's Frost set it up for some serious action and intensity...and hopefully lots and lots of romance, too. ;) If you haven't started this series yet, don't let my disappointment in this book stop you. The first two were fantastic, and the magical world in the Spellspinners of Melas County series is amazing, and I think you'll be riveted by it, too.

You can find my thoughts on Witch's Brew and  my review for The Gleaning, here:
Witch's Brew (Book #1) - short GR review
The Gleaning (Book #2) - blog review

Twitter Links: Heidi R. Kling | Coliloquy

Have you started the Spellspinners of Melas County series yet?

If you have, have you read Devil's Frost yet? Thoughts?

And if you haven't, are you a fan of witches and magic?

Does the series sound like something you'd like to read?

Authors Are Rockstars Tour: Heidi Kling Guest Post & Signed Postcard Giveaway!

Why is Heidi Kling a Rockstar, you ask?

First, Heidi is more than just an amazing author, she's an awesome person, too! She happens to be one of the easiest and funniest people to talk to. You can often find her on Twitter, talking away about her favourite things...including TV shows, like The Vampire Dairies (which she'll mention a bit in her post ;D haha), and she's very welcoming and includes everyone in the conversation. Second, she's a Rockstar because of those amazing writing skills that I already mentioned, and she's very open to trying out new, intriguing ways to share her stories with her readers. :D

While her first YA book, Sea, was written the traditional publishing way, her newest series, The Spellspinners of Melas County, is something new entirely. She's one of the authors for a publisher called Coliloquy and her books are what you would call "interactive fiction" meaning that the base of the story is there, and so are the choices, but you get to make the decisions that lead the main character through the book.

The first book in her new series, Witch's Brew, was actually the first interactive book I'd ever read and I loved it! Heidi crafted a story that makes you feel in control, but also takes you on an effortless journey with the main characters, Lily and Logan. She also created two characters that you really want to know more about...and in the sequel to Witch's Brew, The Gleaning, the story just got even better!

So, Heidi is a rock star to me because she tells amazing stories, she's incredibly friendly...and I love that she loves her "guilty" (or not so guilty :P) TV pleasures just as much as I do! ;D

Now onto Heidi's fantastic guest post, where you can see just how much of a Rockstar she really is...I've also left the topics that I gave her in the post and put them into italics just so that you could see the very difficult choice I gave her. ;)

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Guest post choice between these three topics:

1. Creating a modern "choose you own adventure" (i.e. interactive fiction)
2.  Vampire Diaries (since I know she's a huge fan of the show like I am...and I'm open to this being whatever she wants)...maybe as an inspiration post, or guilty/not-so-guilty pleasure, or hot YA book dudes on screen maybe...seriously whatever Heidi wants to do works for me ;D ----frankly this doesn't even have to be about TVD anymore, could just be any of the ones mentioned in general. The idea kind of exploded haha
3.  Reading & Writing YA

ON MANCAKES AND CHOICES.

Hi! Thanks so much for having me!

You have put me in a terrible position of choosing between telling you more about my Spellspinner Series and its interactive choices and writing about DAMON and TVD?! How can you do this to me?!

To protest such cruel and unusual punishment I will touch on both.

What I love about writing my Spellspinner Series for Coliloquy is that I get to explore Lily’s choices. Does she want to follow hot warlock Logan into the woods or be a good little witch and return to her coven meeting? In life I often find I want to do both. I’d like to be both “bad” and “good”. Be the one who is both admired for her fine moral convictions and the girl who is envied for taking risks. In real life, we don’t get to go down both paths, but in Witch’s Brew and The Gleaning and (sekrit titled) Spell 3 YOU DO.

Which leads me, inevitably, to Vampire Diaries and the love triangle between between Elena, Damon and Stefan. Remember the scene where Elena comes down the stairs after the most recent bloody conflict and Stefan pulls her into his secure arms and, though she’s happy to be there, she glances up and sees Damon staring into her with THOSE EYES? YOU KNOW she wants to break free of Stefan and run to him yet also wants to stay in his safe arms.

Elena has to make the hard choices and choose one over the other.

Lily…sort of gets to have her man-cake and eat it too.

(I can’t believe I just wrote man-cake.)

Thanks so much for having me and I hope you gobble up Spellspinners 3 (witch launches soon!)

:) Heidi 

About Heidi Kling: 

After earning her BA in Literature & Creative Writing Literature from UC Santa Cruz and finding her voice in YA, Heidi went on to earn her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. She has directed and written children's theatre on both coasts and lives with her husband and two children in Palo Alto, CA.

Author Links: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook



If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading any of Heidi's books yet, you need to check them out. Below, I've provided a bit of information and some goodreads links so that you can add them too your ever-growing to read list. ;)

Sea 
Add to Goodreads

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder-something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.
But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.
A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in YA.

Witch's Brew (The Spellspinners of Melas County #1)
Add to Goodreads

The Spellspinners of Melas County is a fantasy YA romance series about a witch, a warlock, and their fight for their forbidden but prophesied love.

Once soulmates, the witch and warlock covens of the California coast have been estranged for a century. Raised to hate each other, their teenagers meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground where they draw energy from each other to maintain their balance. 16 year olds Logan and Lily have spent years training for their first Stones…only to discover just days before that the enemy may not be what either of them had thought.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan and her coven’s need to know who—or what—he is. The young lovers race against time, their distrust for each other, and the powerful influence of their elders to unravel the mystery of their pasts before their future is destroyed.

This is an Active Fiction title
"Active fiction" is a new type of e-reading experience that allows the reader and the author to interact with each other and the text in new and different ways.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily and Logan's fate is already decided, but Heidi explores several different possible pathways for how they get there. She shares scenes that wouldn’t normally fit in a book format and gives readers more precious moments between the two young lovers. As the series progresses, you'll see some normal narrative forms, interspersed with smaller scenes, alternate points of view, and a lot of "what if" scenarios.

And it's sequel The Gleaning:

ADD TO GOODREADS

You can also find my review for The Gleaning here on my blog.

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GIVEAWAY

- US Only

- 2 Winners will receive signed Spellspinners Postcards

- Winners will be chosen using Rafflecopter, contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prizes before new winners are drawn

- Ends August 31st at 11:59 PM (MST)

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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THE TOUR

AUGUST 1st

Tour Kick-off Posts at Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

&

Rachel Vincent stops at Fiktshun
Page Morgan stops at Two Chicks on Books
Andrea Cremer stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

AUGUST 2nd

Leigh Fallon stops at A Soul Unsung
Dawn Metcalf stops at Kaidan’s Seduction
Kim Harrington stops at Stories & Sweeties
Amanda Sun stops at I am, Indeed
Cecily White stops at A Dream Within A Dream
Katlyn Duncan stops at Two Chicks on Books
Katie McGarry stops at Bewitched Bookworms (also on 8/9, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30)

AUGUST 3rd

Karen Ann Hopkins stops at A Bookish Escape
Lisa Burstein stops at Jenna Does Books
Corinne Jackson stops at NightlyReading (Priscilla)
Hannah Moskowitz stops at Book Jems
Jennifer Banash stops at Bittersweet Enchantment
Miranda Kenneally stops at Book Nerd Canada

AUGUST 4th

Jessica Spotswood stops at Fiktshun
Robin LaFevers stops at Once Upon a Twilight **Awaiting new tour date.**
Katherine Longshore stops at A Glass of Wine
Amy Butler Greenfield stops at The Eater of Books!
Cat Winters stops at Carina’s Books

AUGUST 5th

Dan Wells stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Elana Johnson stops at Fire and Ice
Joelle Charbonneau stops at The Book Cellar
Lisa M. Stasse stops at Downright Dystopian
Mike Mullin stops at Paranormal Reads
Ammi-Joan Paquette stops at Word Spelunking

AUGUST 6th

Amanda Hocking stops at Just Another Rabid Reader
Chloe Neill stops at Avery’s Book Nook
Anna Banks stops at Icey Books
Shannon Messenger stops at Musings of a Blodger
Gabrielle Zevin stops at YA Romantics
Heidi Kling stops at Burning Impossibly Bright

AUGUST 7th

Amy Tintera stops at Emily’s Crammed Bookshelf
Dan Krokos stops at Step Into Fiction
Heather Anastasiu stops at Shortie Says
J.A. Souders stops at Little Read Riding Hood
Jennifer Rush stops at The Book Hookup

AUGUST 8th

Becca Fitzpatrick stops at The Reading Geek
Cynthia Hand stops at Kari’s Crowded Bookshelf
Leah Clifford at Me, My Shelf and I
Wendy Higgins at Reading with ABC
Suzanne Lazear stops at What the Cat Read
Gina Damico stops at Lili Lost in a Book

AUGUST 9th

Jodi Meadows stops at That Artsy Reader Girl
Renee Collins stops at Book Labyrinth
Sarwat Chadda stops at Bookalicious
Sherry Thomas stops at Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf
Cinda Williams Chima stops at Tsk, Tsk, What to Read? (Shelley)

AUGUST 10th

Sarah Ockler stops at Katie’s Book Blog
Jennifer Echols stops at In the Best Worlds
Kimberly Sabatini stops at Just a Booklover
Chelsea Pitcher stops at The Phantom Paragrapher
Jennifer Castle stops at Confessions of a Bookaholic
Jenny Han stops at Blog-o-rama

AUGUST 11st

Kasie West stops at Fic Fare
Julie Cross stops at Turning Pages
Lauren Miller stops at A Book Obsession
Elizabeth Norris stops at Shiirleyy’s Bookshelf
Myra McEntire stops at Jenuine Cupcakes

AUGUST 12nd

Kami Garcia stops at Bookalicious
Sophie Jordan stops at IB Book Blogging
Kathleen Peacock stops at The Book Belles
Jordan Dane stops at Paranormal Book Club
Laura Toffler-Corrie stops at I’ll Tumble for YA
Michelle Zink stops at Fiktshun

AUGUST 13th

Aimee Carter stops at Never Too Fond of Books
Lesley Livingston stops at Emilie’s Book World
Talia Vance stops at BookPics
Tessa Gratton stops at Lisa Loves Literature
Josephine Angelini stops at Books As You Know It
Jackie Morse-Kessler stops at Chapter by Chapter

AUGUST 14th

Claudia Gray stops at Realm of the Sapphired Dragon
Cara Lynn Shultz stops at Tar Heel Bibliobabe
Danielle Ellison stops at Tater’s Tall Tales
Sarah Beth Durst stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Scott Tracey stops at The Fake Steph Dot Com
Brittany Geragotelis stops at Book Mark Belles

AUGUST 15th

A.G. Howard stops at Dark Faerie Tales
Gena Showalter stops at Parajunkee
Bethany Griffin stops at The Bookish Brunette
Mary Lindsey stops at Nocturne Romance Reads
April Lindner stops at Curling Up With A Good Book

AUGUST 16th

Sarah J. Maas stops at Fictitious Delicious
Susan Dennard stops at The YA Sisterhood
Chloe Jacobs stops at Readers Live A Thousand Lives
Rachel Harris stops at We All Make Mistakes In Books
Fiona Paul stops at Fiction Freak
Kady Cross stops at Fiktshun

AUGUST 17th

Kiki Hamilton stops at Tsk, Tsk, What to Read? (Kathryn)
Amanda Ashby stops at Rampant Readers
Alex Kahler stops at Sweet Southern Home
Tara Fuller stops at City of Books
Cyn Balog stops at I Heart YA Books
Megan Shepherd stops at Daydreaming bookworm

AUGUST 18th

Jennifer Bosworth stops at The Reading Nook Reviews (Jess)
Jus Accardo stops at NightlyReading (H. Lee)
Kelly Keaton stops at Into the Mystic
Victoria Schwab stops at Wholly Books
Jennifer Archer stops at Book Chic Club

AUGUST 19th

T. Michael Martin stops at The Reading Nook Reviews (Elliot)
Alexandra Monir stops at The Bo0ki3
Trisha Wolfe stops at Bookish Things and More
Mary Gray stops at Say It With Books
Georgia McBride stops at Books of Love

AUGUST 20th

Elsie Chapman stops at Sparkles and Lightning
Suzanne Young stops at Peace, Love, Teen Fiction
Mindy McGinnis stops at WinterHaven Books (Amber)
Emmy Laybourne stops at Paper Cuts
Kristen Simmons stops at Stuck in YA Books

AUGUST 21st

Josin McQuein stops at Another Novel Read
Gennifer Albin stops at BookHounds YA
Erin Bowman stops at Good Choice Reading
Lenore Appelhans stops at Scott Reads It
Jessica Brody stops at Good Books and Good Wine
Alexander Gordon Smith stops at Smiling Ina’s Bookish Corner

AUGUST 22nd

Michelle Gagnon stops at The Princess of Storyland
Julia Karr stops at Mostly YA Books Obsessed
Debra Driza stops at Justin’s Book Blog
T.M. Goeglein stops at Read-A-holicZ
Tiffany Truitt stops at Book Loving Mom
Mari Mancusi stops at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

AUGUST 23rd

Gayle Forman stops at WinterHaven Books (Crystal)
Megan Miranda stops at Chick Loves Lit
Nova Ren Suma stops at Lost At Midnight Reviews
Marni Bates stops at Alexa Loves Books
Robin Mellom stops at My Guilty Obsession
Elana K. Arnold stops at The Book Barbies

AUGUST 24th

Liz Coley stops at Inspiring Insomnia
Sarah Guillory stops at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands
J.K. Rock stops at Beauty and the Bookshelf
Ann Redisch-Stampler stops at Living in a Bookworld
Claire LaZebnik stops at Owl Always Be Reading

AUGUST 25th

Jennifer L. Armentrout stops at Mundie Moms
Tahereh Mafi stops at Some Like It Paranormal
Stacey Kade stops at Books With Bite
Melissa West stops at K-Books
Karri Thompson stops at Dizneeee’s World of Books

AUGUST 26th

Gretchen McNeil stops at Gone Pecan
Jeri Smith-Ready stops at The Reader’s Antidote
Jessi Kirby stops at My 5 Monkeys
Vivi Barnes stops at Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
Louise Rozett stops at Books are Magic

AUGUST 27th

Ann Aguirre stops at Supernatural Snark
Lauren Oliver stops at Fantasy Book Addict
Melissa de la Cruz stops at In Wonderland
Sarah Crossan stops at Singing and Reading in the Rain
Veronica Rossi stops at The Happy Booker

AUGUST 28th

Lisa Desrochers stops at Page Turners
Kristi Cook stops at Debbie’s World of Books
Victoria Scott stops at The Book Goddess
Elizabeth Miles stops at Read My Breath Away
Aimee Agresti stops at Ali’s Bookshelf

AUGUST 29th

C.J. Redwine stops at A Life Bound By Books
Elizabeth Richards stops at Literary Exploration
Leigh Bardugo stops at Cuddlebuggery
Michelle Rowen/Morgan Rhodes stops at Tales of the Ravenous Reader
Rae Carson stops at The Reviews News

AUGUST 30th

Heather Brewer stops at Two Chicks on Books
Rachel Caine stops at Poisoned Rationality
C.C. Hunter stops at Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews
Allison van Diepen stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Christine Johnson stops at Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf

AUGUST 31st

Simone Elkeles stops at Fiktshun
Maria V. Snyder stops at Two Chicks on Books
Karsten Knight stops at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

&

Tour Wrap-up Posts at Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

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What did you think of Heidi's post?

And what do you think makes Heidi a Rockstar?

Heidi R. Kling Interview and Giveaway!

I have an awesome guest on my blog today! :D Heidi R. Kling, the author of Sea
and her new interactive series The Spellspinners of Melas County, has answered a few of my questions! And her fabulous publisher, Coliloquy, has generously provided a giveaway that you can find at the end of this post. :)
 
Also, a note, this interview does not contain any spoilers for the series, but it does make mention of characters that you might have never heard of if you haven't started the series yet.

You can find out more about Witch's Brew, and The Gleaning on Coliloquy's website.
And here are their Goodreads pages: Witch's Brew | The Gleaning

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About Heidi R. Kling:

After earning her BA in Literature & Creative Writing Literature from UC Santa Cruz and finding her voice in YA, Heidi went on to earn her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. She has directed and written children's theatre on both coasts and lives with her husband and two children in Palo Alto, CA.

(Photo and Bio from Goodreads)
 Other Links: Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr


And finally, here is my interview with Heidi R. Kling (questions are bolded):

Hi Heidi! :D Thanks for stopping by my blog and chatting with me! 

Thank you for having me!

First, for people who are just hearing about this series, can you tell us a bit about The Spellspinners of Melas County?

The Spellspinners of Melas County is an interactive eBook series akin to those Choose Your Own Adventure books we loved as kids. But this time there’s no falling off cliffs on page 8 and starting over. Throughout you have choice points and you can lead our main character Lily, head of the young witches, on her dangerously romantic adventure with Logan.

Witch’s Brew is the set-up. The Gleaning tests the strength of their relationship.

 

What made you want to write about witches?

It was actually my agent’s suggestion! After I finished my debut novel SEA, she tossed out, “What do you think about witches?” I’d recently had my second child, a daughter, and while in a hormoned-out state created Lily and her fascinating world.

When you’re writing an interactive story does your method for writing change? / What is the process for writing an interactive story like? Is it a lot different from how you write when the book you’re writing doesn’t have choices?

Yes. It’s both challenging and exhilarating! I want to make sure the readers of each path gets all the pertinent information in regards to plot and character development, so if in Path A Lily finds a specific clue, or has a certain feeling toward a character, I try and repeat it in some way in the other path. It gets tricky! 

In Witch’s Brew and The Gleaning you alternate between Lily and Logan as the narrator. How do you decide when to go from a Lily chapter to one about Logan?

That’s a great question! It just sort of flows like that. I write one POV until it has a nice conclusion line, then I switch. I’m writing Spellspinners 3 now and I’m doing something quite different than in Witch’s Brew and The Gleaning in regards to POV. Remember this question when you read it. J

I love the whole prophecy surrounding Lily and Logan. Did the idea come from anything, or is it all from your imagination?

Thanks! It’s all from my imagination. I love the idea of Yin/Yang and the way females/males balance each other out, create a whole. I practice yoga and the theme comes up again and again about balance. So, I played around with the idea of being unbalanced. What that does to us as people, and, in the specific case of witches, how it would alter your magic.

What can we look forward to in the next installment?

The Gleaning pushes the bar as far as Lily being tempted. The theme largely moves around temptation and want. Also betrayal. Spellspinners 3 is largely about loyalty. Who do we love, why do we love them. (Friendship as well as romantic love.) If they betrayed us in the cruellest way imaginable would we still try to save them? Spinners 3 is action packed AND has the perfect ending (in my humble opinion). :D

And finally, what are some of the things that you love about getting to write in such an interesting format?

Unleashing my creativity in a way that is totally acceptable.

My publisher, Lisa Rutherford, is so awesome in so many ways, but what I love best about her is that I will throw out something like, “Invisible ink! Can we do a magic trick in this book?!” and she’s like, “Yes! Let’s try that!” She’s very much a yes person and I’m a yes person, so it works out great.

Thanks for having me! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the series!

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What awesome answers!!! :D I hope you all enjoyed Heidi's interview as much as I did, and....now here's your chance to win a set of the first two books in the Spellspinners of Melas County series, Witch's Brew and The Gleaning! :D

GIVEAWAY!

Details:

- US/Canada Only
- 1 Winner will win a set of Witch's Brew and The Gleaning in the ebook format of their choice.
- Ends Dec.28th
- Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

 TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, The Gleaning's official release is today, so if you've read Witch's Brew and can't wait for The Gleaning, you can get yourself a copy at these sites:
Google Play Store  | Barnes and Noble | Amazon.

First, Happy Book Birthday to The Gleaning!!! Second, thank you to Heidi R. Kling for her fabulous answers and Coliloquy for setting up our interview. :)

Now, what did you all think of the interview?
Are you a fan of this series, or is it new to you?
Either way, what do you think? :)

Thanks for reading, and if you've entered, good luck in the giveaway! :D