VBT: Review, Giveaway & Interview with Rebecca Lynn Talley author of Aura

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Rebecca Lynn Talley kindly answered a bunch of questions for me! :-)

What is your favorite thing about writing?

I love the freedom of creating characters and worlds in which they interact. I love to see the story take shape. My favorite thing is to create a person out of the words on the page--a person who feels real. :-)

Out of all the books you've read, if you could live in one of them which would it be and why?

I would live in The Cat in the Hat because I'd love to just play all day and have cool gadgets that cleaned up the messes. If I have to give a grown-up answer then I'd live in Gone with the Wind and I'd convince Rhett to give Scarlett just one more chance because she truly loves him. She never really loved Ashley--he's such a wimp. I've rewritten the end of that novel a thousand times!

What do you hope people get out of reading your book?

I hope they will think about how our choices define us. Whatever choices we make, we own. Whenever we choose to do something good like be honest, take a neighbor a meal, befriend someone who is lonely, our light grows. The more light we have, the more strength we have. There's lots of darkness out there, lots of violence and evil. But light can combat that evil and we each have the power within us to do just that. Awesome message! Thank you!

How likely are you to suffer from road rage? Not very likely

Breakfast, lunch,or dinner which meal is your favorite?

I love eating dinner with my family.

What is your favorite color? Turquoise

Do you have pets? If so, what kind?

I'm not much of a pet person--having ten kids and taking care of them has curtailed my urge to own pets. However, though I don't have one at the moment (hay is very expensive), I love owning a horse. I love golden palominos with white manes. I'd love to raise them.

Hardback, paperback, ebook or audio book?

I find that I read ebooks much more now. They are so convenient and so immediate--if I want a book, I can purchase one in seconds on my Kindle.

If you suddenly had two free hours, how would you spend them?

I'd spend them with my family talking, playing Just Dance on the Wii, watching the X-Files, or going up to the mountains. I'd spend that time with my family because there's nothing I love more than hanging out with my family. (And if I had a transporter, I'd take us all to the beach and hang out there for the 2 hours because we all love the beach). My boys love to play Just Dance. :D They are very good at it.  Shhh Pease. don't tell their friends. lol!

What is your least favorite chore?

That's easy. Ironing. And a close second, is changing diapers.

Favorite T. V. show? celebrity?

Favorite TV show is Once Upon a Time. I'm not much for celebrity admiring, but I love Harrison Ford and his movies.

What is your favorite favorite splurge?

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes. I think I have a pair in almost every color including lavender, turquoise, and mint green.

What is your favorite flower?

I love roses, especially the multi-colored ones. I have a rose garden in my yard. I also love orchids.

Thank you for answering my questions. :D

Thank you!! I appreciate you interviewing me and being willing to read my book.

Author Rebecca Lynn Talley 

Rebecca Lynn Talley grew up in the gorgeous seaside city of Santa Barbara, CA. She met, and married, her husband, Del, while attending Brigham Young University. She graduated from BYU with a degree in Communications. She currently lives in rural Colorado on a small ranch with a dog, too many cats to count, and a herd of goats. She and Del are the proud parents of ten wildly-creative, multi-talented children.

Rebecca is the author of a children's picture book, Grasshopper Pie (WindRiver 2003), a children's chapter book, Gabby's Secret (DuBon Publishing 2011), four novels, Heaven Scent (CFI 2008), Altared Plans (CFI 2009), The Upside of Down (CFI 2011), and Aura (DuBon Publishing 2012). She has also authored numerous children's stories and articles for both print and online magazines.

When she isn’t writing, Rebecca loves to date her husband, play with her kids, swim in the ocean, and dance to disco music while she cleans the house. She has folded at least one million loads of laundry, baked hundreds of batches of chocolate chip cookies, and eaten 5,478 gallons of ice cream.

Aura ~ Blog * Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter


 
Aura

"I half-turned to her and shrugged, still processing what I'd seen, or at least what I thought I'd seen, in Ms. Neal's eyes—like they weren't hers. Obviously, they were her eyes, but it looked like she'd plucked them from someone else's head. A dead someone else's head."

In the fight between good and evil, Light is your only weapon.

Crystal Scott finally feels like a normal teenager. She has a lead in the high school play, a best friend, and a gorgeous boyfriend. With prom only a few days away, Crystal’s ordinary life seems perfect.

Endowed with great Light because of her virtuous choices and her inherent gifts, Crystal’s aura has become visible to those with the ability to see auras. Unfortunately, her power has also attracted the attention of demons intent on destroying all Light.

When Vincent Crandall, the human host for a powerful demon, discovers that Crystal’s Light is strong enough to disrupt the connection between demons and their hosts, he realizes she may be able to sever the connection altogether. Determined to stop her from interfering with his plans to rule the world, he sends operatives to neutralize her Light.

After the operatives fail to disable Crystal, Vincent decides he must harness her power for himself. He kidnaps her parents, and Crystal is thrust into battle against a demon army she didn’t even know existed. With the help of a mysterious young man and his mother, Crystal must learn to use the power within her before Vincent kills her parents and exploits her Light.

Goodreads * Amazon


Here's an excerpt for you:

“Looks like we’re right on schedule for the summit meeting with the other divisions.” Vincent smiled as he continued. “I’m sure you’ve heard that upper management is considering combining the southwestern and western divisions and I’m in line to head the merger. Of course, I plan to make the western division a strong competitor for our eastern comrades. The east coast currently out sells and out performs us, but I plan to change that.”

“Sir, we do have a problem,” Jack said. “In Colorado. Silver City.”

Vincent glared at Jack. He didn’t like being interrupted especially with news of a problem. Vincent was set to take over the western half of the United States, something he’d been working toward since he started with the organization right out of college. “What kind of problem?”

“There’s this . . .” His sentence trailed off.

“What, Jack? There’s this, what?” He emphasized the last word.

“Disturbance.”

He pursed his lips and then said, “What does that mean?”

Chris, a man in his early thirties with cropped black hair, cut in, “A very recent associate in Silver City has reported a disruption of control over the host.”

“Then take care of it.” Vincent had no time for this, not with the summit meeting looming. He ran his fingers through his thick hair attempting to settle his bubbling anger. His powers of persuasion were far more successful when he was calm.

Jack leaned forward, making his chair creak. “Apparently, a teenage girl there can interrupt the connection in our newer, and possibly weaker, associates.”

“Preposterous.” Vincent blew out a breath. Was he working with morons? A teenage girl? Absurd.

“If she has enough Light to sever the connection between our associates and their hosts—”

“Yes, yes, I know. You don’t have to explain it to me, Jack.” Losing associates, and thus control, in any city reflected poorly on the organization, and on him. Vincent couldn’t have that.

“What should we do?” Chris asked.

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment, considering his options. He drew a deep breath and gazed at Priscilla, head of associate training. “Neutralize the girl.”


Reviews

This YA urban fantasy is fantastic! The story grabbed me from the start and kept me enthralled until the end! I love books that keep me thinking about the characters and events and possibilities even after putting them down...Aura is one of those books! Rebecca Lynn Talley has created characters you care about in a world begging for the special gifts they possess. I love the premise of Aura and imagine I'll be enjoying many more Light vs. Demon novels in the future....at least I hope there are more to come!

~KindleQueen

I loved the clasic good VS evil in Aura. I loved that Crystal made the conscious choice to be good inspite of feelings and doubts. I also loved the idea of demons posessing somone who had made dark choices, or greedy bargains. The book is clean and well handled inspite of the serious subject matter.Well done.

~C. Michelle Jefferies

This is one of those books that you hope will become widespread enough to make a positive impact in this world. Personally, I think this is a book every teenager should read and I will definitely be passing it along to my own kids. Thank you, Rebecca, for writing a beautiful story with a wonderful message! I hope you keep at it because now I want a sequel!

~Rachael Anderson

Aura sucked me in from the first page. The book is intense and well-written. I loved that Crystal is innocent and makes a conscious choice to stay that way in the face of intense pressure. I would recommend Aura to young adults on up.

~Cami Checketts

Wonderful, wonderful message. Probably the most solid moral message I’ve ever read in contemporary literature, but without being too heavy or feeling like a lecture. You could almost look at it like an allegory, I think, representing real life with fictional symbols. I’m trying to explain without giving anything away, and I think I’m doing a bad job. Anyway, I have four boys, but if I had a girl, I would definitely have her read it. The story is imaginative and creative, Crystal is a strong but believable heroine, caught up in high school cares and not realizing her own potential or the battle that is waged around and for her. I thought at times it was a bit predictable, and that the first half of the book drug a little. It probably could have been told quicker or perhaps made a little more interesting. But all in all, I enjoyed it. The story kept me going and the characters were sweet and compelling.

~May Abbey

Wow! I got this book for free and LOVED it! I can't wait to read any follow up books! (There WILL be follow up books, right?) In this story Crystal is full of light, thanks to making good choices, and she has to figure out how to keep the light in the midst of high school where temptation runs rampant and where she just wants to be an average girl! I like that things never went too far, and I felt like it was very well-written, with rounded out characters!

~Tamera Westhoff


Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3.21.13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



My Thoughts:

I just keep thinking of the song This Little Light of Mine. Aura was a paranormal Good vs. Evil story. It was a squeaky clean read with an awesome message. I think teenage girls could get a lot out of reading this book!

Crystal was a good girl. Every time she made good choices, her aura shined brighter and brighter. She was caught up in school and not even realizing the extent of things going on around her. You see her choices didn't just impact her but the world as well!

At first, this book seemed to drag a little. :-( It did pick up pace about a third of the way into the book and stayed that way. :-)   The end felt a little rushed and I felt that it left room for a possible sequel, but I wouldn't call it a cliff hanger.  

Some of it seemed very predictable.  You should also be aware that there are some not so pleasant scenes in this book but they are well written and not overly described. I am talking about an attempted sexual assault.

There were twists, turns, some action, some mystery, some romance, and a wonderful underlying message. I really liked Crystal's character. :-)

I especially recommend this book to teenage girls and their mothers. This is one that could start a great discussion between the two. :-)

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was honestly entertained and it left me with a spring in my step with a song in my head.


Do you believe in the power of making good choices? 


I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!