*Book Blitz - Going Under by S. Walden*
Hi Brats :)
Going Under by S. Walden is another amazing book that I've read this month. It has some very dark & intense themes throughout the story but Summer did a fantastic job of tying it all together.
Synopsis:
Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.
Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.
(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and a description of sexual violence.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After the suicide of her best friend, Brooke Wright moves schools with only 2 goals - stay out of trouble & forgive herself for betraying her best friend. She's the only one who knows why her best friend killed herself so when she moves to Charity Run High School, where her best friend attended school, she is determined to redeem herself by bringing justice to the people responsible for pushing her best friend to commit suicide.
Brooke sets out to expose her swim team & their "Fantasy Slut League" but she believes the only way to do it is become one of the "unsuspecting victims". Her plan is borderline madness & what she never counted on was an unexpcted love interest, Ryan, who has a bigger role to play in what's going on in the swim team than she realises.
When she realises the error in her plan, she decides to change her game plan...Unfortunatley, she's already in over her head & when the people she wants to expose find out, the unthinkable happens to Brooke. It takes the same life-changing tragedy to happen to Brooke that happened to her best friend months earlier for justice to be done. Brooke paid a price but was it worth it?
Ryan doesn't feature much, although they are dating, until Brooke learns where Ryan fits in with the swim teams activities. She not only has to deal with what happened to her but now she has to deal with with Ryan's inability to be honest with her, especially when he could've warned her about the lengths the swim team members will go to to protect their secret.
Summer did an incredible job of writing about something extremely sensitive & did so without detracting from the raw emotion of Brookes journey. The story flows beautifully & has you on the edge of your seat all the time. Although Brooke & Ryan get their happy ending, I would not recommend this book to anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violence.
The content warning regarding this book *CAN NOT* be taken *LIGHTLY*. The themes are very dark & the recommendation that this is for mature audiences should be adhered to.
**10 BRAT STARS**
A Guest Post from S. Walden....
People like to ask me where I get my ideas for stories.
“From you,” I reply, and they look confused. And then the confusion turns to suspicion.
“Oh really?” they ask tentatively.
“Mmhmm,” I reply. I drum my fingers on my writer’s notebook. (Well, okay. I don’t have a writer’s notebook. I store everything in my head. So I drum my fingers on my head.)
“Sooo . . . what do you have in there?” they ask.
“You’ll find out in my next book.” I smile and wink.
They’re getting scared. “Were you at Kroger last week? Did you see me in the bakery? I swear to God I didn’t do what you think you saw! It was somebody else! Please don’t put that in your book!!”
“Oh, I saw you all right. And it’s sooo going in my book,” I reply.
“You writers!” they scream. “You think you can slap a disclaimer on your books and write whatever you want!”
“Can’t we?”
The truth may shock you. It may scare you. It may piss you off. But your favorite writer? Well, she most likely got some ideas in that favorite book of yours from spying on people. Maybe even you. That’s right. Flat-out, creepy-but-trying-to-look-nonchalant-about-it spying. And it happens every second of the day. You’re just not aware of it.
We’re sponges, see? We soak up everything we come into contact with. Smells, sounds, tastes, conversations. We store these tidbits away (either in our heads or in notebooks) to later develop into characters or plot ideas. Because the bottom line is this: we can only infuse so much of ourselves and our experiences into our characters and stories before they turn utterly tedious or narcissistic. One of my favorite things about Brooke in Going Under is that (aside from her foul mouth) that girl is nothing like me. (And for the record, I like her a whole lot better!)
So who do I spy on? Where do my ideas come from? Well, all over. I’m acquiring ideas all the time (and I should really start writing them down instead of relying so heavily on my memory). One I’ve been trying to work into a story for a long time comes from an acquaintance who described a church for me she used to attend. One located in the deep South. One with a preacher who liked to stand up at the pulpit and call people out for their transgressions during the service:
“Pete! Jimmy saw you down at Pumpkin’s Bar last Friday! Now we all of us in this congregation know that you have an alcohol problem, son! So what were you doin’ at Pumpkin’s?”
All eyes on Pete. Poor, poor Pete.
“Darlene! I done told you to stop gossipin’ about Jimmy’s wife behind her back!”
Jimmy’s wife looks outraged.
“If you’ve got somethin’ to say to her, say it to her face! But make sure you say it in a loving, Christ-like way, of course.”
Yeah, so I’m trying to work that in because it’s too hilarious to be true, but it’s so freaking true. And stories like these are precisely why writers spy. We soak up these events, these real-life people/caricatures, these conversations because they make delicious stories. They add what our imaginations can’t. And when you write realistic fiction, you need that. The world around you becomes your candy store of ideas, and you begin to discover that reality is pretty crazy.
I love reading reviews of realistic fiction that state, “Oh, that isn’t very realistic,” or “That could never happen.” Wanna make a bet? That story you just read is a collection of soaked up people and events sprinkled with the ideas of the author. It may not be one hundred percent true, but it’s pretty darn close.
So the next time you’re out and about, you might want to look over your shoulder. Go ahead and let your eyes dart around. Think twice before you do what you’re just about to do. Because we’re watching. The notebooks are open, people. We’re watching and we’re jotting.
Totally. Creepy.
The Genre Dilemma
I haveno idea what types of books I write, so I file them under genres like “Mature YA” and “New Adult.” I don’t even really understand these genres (and I suspect no one else does either), but they sound good. And I know they have something to do with older teens and people in their twenties. And they usually include some bad language and risqué situations/themes. So I guess my stories sort of fit, like shoving a size 8 foot into a size 6 shoe.
The problem? I write about ultra mature/ultra taboo topics. And so far they’ve involved teenagers. So you have the “f” word. And you have teens. And you have something really taboo like rape. “F” word + teens + rape = NO GENRE. And I will not classify them as Adult fiction. I refuse because I truly believe they are not (but adults are more than welcome to read them, of course).
New Adult is by far the closest, but even that genre requires . . . oh, I don’t even know what you call it. Mild restraint? Or maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve yet to come across a book about teenagers that just puts it all out there. Raw. In your face. Makes you completely uncomfortable. Maybe outraged. “This is a book for teens?! How dare she! She is an irresponsible woman! She’s sending the wrong message!” (Man, I’ll know I’ve made it when I get a review like that.)
And it’s not like I’m trying to push the envelope. I just write about real things, and I say it in a real way. So it’s probably going to make you shift around in your seat until you find a comfortable position. Or maybe you’ll never find a comfortable position, and then you can write a review like the one mentioned above. I won’t be offended. I swear.
I’m not going to lie and say it’s not frustrating being a genre-confused writer. I feel lost. I’m that sad kid on the playground wandering around by myself with my face turned up to the sky. “Where are my friends? My genres? Who am I?” It’s all very existential crisis when I haven’t the time for it. I need to be writing. And once I’m finished writing, I need to have a genre to put it in.
So right now you’ll see “New Adult.” When enough people yell at me and say my content is too mature for “New Adult,” then I guess you’ll see “Adult.” Or maybe I’ll stick with New Adult just to be spiteful. Or maybe I’ll create a new genre.
How about the “You Know . . .Whatever” genre? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ More Soon Brats :) Smooches Tam
Going Under by S. Walden is another amazing book that I've read this month. It has some very dark & intense themes throughout the story but Summer did a fantastic job of tying it all together.
Synopsis:
Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.
(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and a description of sexual violence.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After the suicide of her best friend, Brooke Wright moves schools with only 2 goals - stay out of trouble & forgive herself for betraying her best friend. She's the only one who knows why her best friend killed herself so when she moves to Charity Run High School, where her best friend attended school, she is determined to redeem herself by bringing justice to the people responsible for pushing her best friend to commit suicide.
Brooke sets out to expose her swim team & their "Fantasy Slut League" but she believes the only way to do it is become one of the "unsuspecting victims". Her plan is borderline madness & what she never counted on was an unexpcted love interest, Ryan, who has a bigger role to play in what's going on in the swim team than she realises.
When she realises the error in her plan, she decides to change her game plan...Unfortunatley, she's already in over her head & when the people she wants to expose find out, the unthinkable happens to Brooke. It takes the same life-changing tragedy to happen to Brooke that happened to her best friend months earlier for justice to be done. Brooke paid a price but was it worth it?
Ryan doesn't feature much, although they are dating, until Brooke learns where Ryan fits in with the swim teams activities. She not only has to deal with what happened to her but now she has to deal with with Ryan's inability to be honest with her, especially when he could've warned her about the lengths the swim team members will go to to protect their secret.
Summer did an incredible job of writing about something extremely sensitive & did so without detracting from the raw emotion of Brookes journey. The story flows beautifully & has you on the edge of your seat all the time. Although Brooke & Ryan get their happy ending, I would not recommend this book to anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violence.
The content warning regarding this book *CAN NOT* be taken *LIGHTLY*. The themes are very dark & the recommendation that this is for mature audiences should be adhered to.
**10 BRAT STARS**
A Guest Post from S. Walden....
People like to ask me where I get my ideas for stories.
“From you,” I reply, and they look confused. And then the confusion turns to suspicion.
“Oh really?” they ask tentatively.
“Mmhmm,” I reply. I drum my fingers on my writer’s notebook. (Well, okay. I don’t have a writer’s notebook. I store everything in my head. So I drum my fingers on my head.)
“Sooo . . . what do you have in there?” they ask.
“You’ll find out in my next book.” I smile and wink.
They’re getting scared. “Were you at Kroger last week? Did you see me in the bakery? I swear to God I didn’t do what you think you saw! It was somebody else! Please don’t put that in your book!!”
“Oh, I saw you all right. And it’s sooo going in my book,” I reply.
“You writers!” they scream. “You think you can slap a disclaimer on your books and write whatever you want!”
“Can’t we?”
The truth may shock you. It may scare you. It may piss you off. But your favorite writer? Well, she most likely got some ideas in that favorite book of yours from spying on people. Maybe even you. That’s right. Flat-out, creepy-but-trying-to-look-nonchalant-about-it spying. And it happens every second of the day. You’re just not aware of it.
We’re sponges, see? We soak up everything we come into contact with. Smells, sounds, tastes, conversations. We store these tidbits away (either in our heads or in notebooks) to later develop into characters or plot ideas. Because the bottom line is this: we can only infuse so much of ourselves and our experiences into our characters and stories before they turn utterly tedious or narcissistic. One of my favorite things about Brooke in Going Under is that (aside from her foul mouth) that girl is nothing like me. (And for the record, I like her a whole lot better!)
So who do I spy on? Where do my ideas come from? Well, all over. I’m acquiring ideas all the time (and I should really start writing them down instead of relying so heavily on my memory). One I’ve been trying to work into a story for a long time comes from an acquaintance who described a church for me she used to attend. One located in the deep South. One with a preacher who liked to stand up at the pulpit and call people out for their transgressions during the service:
“Pete! Jimmy saw you down at Pumpkin’s Bar last Friday! Now we all of us in this congregation know that you have an alcohol problem, son! So what were you doin’ at Pumpkin’s?”
All eyes on Pete. Poor, poor Pete.
“Darlene! I done told you to stop gossipin’ about Jimmy’s wife behind her back!”
Jimmy’s wife looks outraged.
“If you’ve got somethin’ to say to her, say it to her face! But make sure you say it in a loving, Christ-like way, of course.”
Yeah, so I’m trying to work that in because it’s too hilarious to be true, but it’s so freaking true. And stories like these are precisely why writers spy. We soak up these events, these real-life people/caricatures, these conversations because they make delicious stories. They add what our imaginations can’t. And when you write realistic fiction, you need that. The world around you becomes your candy store of ideas, and you begin to discover that reality is pretty crazy.
I love reading reviews of realistic fiction that state, “Oh, that isn’t very realistic,” or “That could never happen.” Wanna make a bet? That story you just read is a collection of soaked up people and events sprinkled with the ideas of the author. It may not be one hundred percent true, but it’s pretty darn close.
So the next time you’re out and about, you might want to look over your shoulder. Go ahead and let your eyes dart around. Think twice before you do what you’re just about to do. Because we’re watching. The notebooks are open, people. We’re watching and we’re jotting.
Totally. Creepy.
The Genre Dilemma
I haveno idea what types of books I write, so I file them under genres like “Mature YA” and “New Adult.” I don’t even really understand these genres (and I suspect no one else does either), but they sound good. And I know they have something to do with older teens and people in their twenties. And they usually include some bad language and risqué situations/themes. So I guess my stories sort of fit, like shoving a size 8 foot into a size 6 shoe.
The problem? I write about ultra mature/ultra taboo topics. And so far they’ve involved teenagers. So you have the “f” word. And you have teens. And you have something really taboo like rape. “F” word + teens + rape = NO GENRE. And I will not classify them as Adult fiction. I refuse because I truly believe they are not (but adults are more than welcome to read them, of course).
New Adult is by far the closest, but even that genre requires . . . oh, I don’t even know what you call it. Mild restraint? Or maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve yet to come across a book about teenagers that just puts it all out there. Raw. In your face. Makes you completely uncomfortable. Maybe outraged. “This is a book for teens?! How dare she! She is an irresponsible woman! She’s sending the wrong message!” (Man, I’ll know I’ve made it when I get a review like that.)
And it’s not like I’m trying to push the envelope. I just write about real things, and I say it in a real way. So it’s probably going to make you shift around in your seat until you find a comfortable position. Or maybe you’ll never find a comfortable position, and then you can write a review like the one mentioned above. I won’t be offended. I swear.
I’m not going to lie and say it’s not frustrating being a genre-confused writer. I feel lost. I’m that sad kid on the playground wandering around by myself with my face turned up to the sky. “Where are my friends? My genres? Who am I?” It’s all very existential crisis when I haven’t the time for it. I need to be writing. And once I’m finished writing, I need to have a genre to put it in.
So right now you’ll see “New Adult.” When enough people yell at me and say my content is too mature for “New Adult,” then I guess you’ll see “Adult.” Or maybe I’ll stick with New Adult just to be spiteful. Or maybe I’ll create a new genre.
How about the “You Know . . .Whatever” genre? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ More Soon Brats :) Smooches Tam
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