BLOG TOUR! Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman: Guest Post + GIVEAWAY!

Posted August 16, 2012 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 26 Comments

HEY YOU GUYS!
Today is my stop on the

BEAUTIFUL LIES
by Jessica Warman Blog Tour
!

I loved this book! 

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins-so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong-especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? 

(You can read my thoughts on BEAUTIFUL LIES Here)

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I’m so excited to welcome Jessica Warman to the blog today! 
After looking through all of Ms. Warman’s books,
I saw that they seemed to be largely issue-driven.
I asked her what drew her to write issues into her stories. 

While it’s true that my books are always issue-driven (mental illness, eating disorders), I don’t start writing a book by thinking “what issue will I discuss next?” For me, it’s more the idea that everyone is dealing with their own private battles – their own issues – which is something that, I think, becomes very easy to forget when we’re interacting with others on a day-to-day basis. Everyone, no matter how kind or caring they might be, tends to primarily think of themselves as the center of the universe. This isn’t necessarily a selfish thing; it’s just how we’re wired. As individuals, our only frame of reference is ourselves and what happens to us within our own lives. For example, say you’re driving fast down a two-lane road and you’re in a big hurry because you’re late for something very important, but the car in front of you is going painfully slow, and it’s making you crazy. Everyone’s immediate response is to react to how the situation is affecting them: (Why doesn’t this person go faster?! Don’t they understand I have someplace important to be?) The idea that the other driver might be going slow for a very good reason, if it occurs to us at all, tends to be an afterthought.

My point, I suppose, is that I like to create characters who appear one way to others – for example, Alice in BEAUTIFUL LIES or Liz in BETWEEN – and strip away those perceptions in order to examine what has made them the way they are. To label someone as “crazy,” “bitchy,” etc. is almost always inaccurate. As a writer, I want to examine these characters in ways that other people haven’t, or can’t. To put it abstractly, I want to dig into why the other car is driving so slowly – because more often than not, they’re not doing it because they want to piss off whoever is behind them. Everybody has their own private issues, their own personal battle they’re fighting on a daily basis, and that’s what I’m interested in doing – forcing the reader to put their assumptions aside in an effort to understand that how we perceive others is often painfully self-centered.

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I was completely captivated by Beautiful Lies. The mystery was so well-written and mind-blowing – I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I read it! I loved the characters – all of them. This was my first book by this author, but it will not be my last.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog, Jessica Warman!

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GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to the generosity of 

Bloomsbury/Walker Publishing & Jessica Warman,
I am able to offer this copy of 
BEAUTIFUL LIES
 to ONE LUCKY WINNER!

(US Only) ** Ends Thursday 8/23**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck! 

Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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26 responses to “BLOG TOUR! Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman: Guest Post + GIVEAWAY!

  1. Alyssa Susanna

    Well, I just read What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen, so it's fresh in my mind. Its issue is Sara's abusive father and missing mother. I really enjoyed that book, and gave it four stars. I would love to read Beautiful Lies! Thanks for the post and giveaway!

  2. I love how thoughtful this post is. Jessica is right – every person is fighting their own battles and going through their own problems. I think, if we could all remember that, we'd definitely live in a much nicer and kinder world! 🙂

    • I totally agree. I also like that she says she tries to force readers to put their assumptions aside when they read her stuff – I had to do that over and over with this book and with other books I've read. I always like books much better – or can see them much more objectively – when I do that. Thanks for stopping by Alexa!

  3. Thanks for the really amazing post!!! I really do love the more powerful novels. My favorite issue book (ones that deals with something more tabboo) is Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. It's just so heartbreaking!!

    • I don't often read this genre either, and I completely agree that this one is a great place to start. Beautiful Lies was the best mystery/thriller I've ever read, I think. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last word. I loved it!

  4. Thank you for stopping by, Ms. Warman!

    Two mystery/thrillers I enjoyed were Shine by Lauren Myracle and A Spy in the House by YS Lee. I always have a really hard time knowing what books are "issues" books (as silly as that sounds!), but I really liked Impulse by Ellen Hopkins and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. 🙂

    Thank you for the giveaway, Asheley!

    • OH I've always wanted to read Shine because, if I'm not mistaken, that book takes place in NC (I think) and that's where I live. And I REALLY REALLY want to read the YS Lee books – it seems like everyone else has known about those forever but I've only recently started seeing them around.

      Ellen Hopkins is so great for good issues books that I actually really like and I really need to read Before I Fall. (or any Lauren Oliver book, for that matter – I have no book blogger cred because I haven't read any of hers yet)

      Thanks for those recommendations!

    • Yes! Shine certainly does take place in NC. 🙂 I just started listening to the second YS Lee The Agency book today, so excited! I didn't find them until this summer, so don't feel bad! Book 1 was me first audiobook as well, and it was a great one.

      Hehe, I love Lauren Oliver's books. Before I Fall is my fave, but I'm also quite attached to the Delirium series. Definitely look into them when you get a chance!

    • Those are sort of popular these days, aren't they? I've only read two of Larsson's Millennium books but I haven't ventured into the third book or any other Nordic books. I'm wondering if the other Nordic books are as complex in their plots as the Larsson books are. BUT…those are AMAZING.

      Thank you so much for that recommendation! This is an area that I am *not* well-read in and I need to check out more of these. I feel like I'm missing out on something a lot of readers are really enjoying!

  5. I really liked I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. That's thrillerish I think. I also really liked Shine by Lauren Myracle. As for issues books, I liked Cracked by KM Walton and The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, which is mysteryish as well : )

    • I need to read the Barry Lyga book! It looks great. And I've been wanting to read Shine for ages but never have gotten around to it. I actually have The Butterfly Clues on my Kindle but haven't read it yet (SAD). I haven't heard of Cracked, though, so I'll definitely be looking into that one.

      Thank you so much for these recommendations!

  6. I really liked 'Envy' by Gregg Olsen. I think the Empty Coffin series is also issue-driven because they are based on actual true stories. It also makes them more chilling.
    Thanks for the feature!

    • I didn't realize these are actual true stories! Oh wow! I have Envy on my shelf but I haven't read it yet. I need to get to it. Every time I pass it, I consider picking it up but never make the time.

      Thank you for recommending them to me – perhaps that'll give me a boost in reading them faster!

  7. This is such a fantastic guest post! I love the unique perspective of seeing why people do the things they do and act the way they act. It is so true that people in general are very me, me, me (like you said, not necessarily in a bad way it's just the way it is) and often times we forget to think about others and what they are going through. I can't wait to start this book now!

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