It’s a blog tour day, it’s a blog tour day!! Who’s excited?! I’m excited. Today we have all kinds of goodies to celebrate the release of The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller–A review, an interview, and a giveaway.
So, let’s get to it, shall we!
About the book: On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl’s body isn’t just unknown, it’s anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever. -Goodreads
Review: As soon as I heard about this book, I contacted the author to see if I could get my sticky little hands on a review copy… the concept was just too awesome to pass up. Preppy, highschool cheerleader lets her freak-flag fly.
The main character Maddie is a pretty typical cheerleader, but it’s only on the surface. She’s also an epic comic book nerd, but an epicly embarrassing moment a few years back made her feel like she had to repress all that. Anyways, the stars align and Maddie meets Logan, whose parents run the local comic book shop, and sparks fly.
I won’t go into the whole plot for you, but this book is a lot of fun for nerds and non-nerds alike. But as someone who is undoubtedly a nerd (although, I’ve never tried LARPing), there were a lot of references in here that made me all kinds of giddy. I really enjoyed both Maddie and Logan as character and was definitely rooting for them throughout the whole story.
The one thing I will say is that the book was a little predictable at times, and the message wasn’t even a little bit subtle–but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story for me.
The Summer I Became a Nerd is a quick, cute read that is perfect for the coming season.
Purchase The Summer I Became A Nerd
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository
Interview with Leah Rae Miller!
Kellie- From concept to completion, how long did TSIBAN take you to write?
Leah- From point A: getting the idea and sitting down to write the first word, to point Z: signing the contract with Entangled, it took about six months.
Kellie- Was there any research involved in crafting the book? Please tell me you LARP’d.
Leah- I didn’t have to do much research at all other than the occasional question for a friend. I watched a lot of teenage romantic comedies like Easy A and Sixteen Candles. As far as LARPing goes, I did a lot of it in my early twenties so all I had to do was rehash those old, awesome memories.
Kellie- Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process?
Leah- I usually start out with a simple idea. I’ll toss it around with my writer friends and let it simmer in my head. I’ll write a query for it to help pinpoint the real gist of the book. Then I sit down to write. Normally, I’ll have the first few chapters done before I find myself needing to plot.
Kellie- Without giving anything away, what was the most difficult scene for you to write?
Leah- Wow, that’s a tough one. I guess it’d have to be the final LARP scene. Even though it was my favorite scene to write, it was also hard because there’s a certain amount of action in it and a well-balanced action scene can be difficult to write.
Kellie- What has been your favorite read of 2013 so far?
Leah- SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard was awesome! I love stories derived from classics and Anita did such a great job! I can’t wait for the second book! Team Jeb, baby!
Kellie- What’s next for you?
Leah- I have a lot of stories in the works. All different kinds, too. So hopefully, you’ll be seeing a lot more from me in the coming years!
Kellie– Thanks, Leah! I really enjoyed TSIBAN and can’t wait to see what you come out with next.
Win!
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