Monday, December 19, 2011

Blog tour ~ Saving Elizabeth ~ Interview with Amy Machelle

Today author Amy Machelle has stopped by to share with us a little about herself and her writing.  Thanks Amy for taking the time from your busy schedule to let us know about your book!


**What brought you to the paranormal genre?**
Honestly, the girls in our youth group recently pointed me in the paranormal direction. I read all kinds of books, but after they jumped on the paranormal bandwagon, I realized that I also enjoy a twinge of fantasy from time to time; however, I can only handle it in small doses. It must be grounded in reality for me to truly enjoy it, and paranormal, for the most part, seems to fit that criteria.

**What is your favorite type of character to write about?**
I love writing about genuine characters with raw emotions that you can relate to. Sometimes, those are the most emotionally exhausting. It’s a challenge, but there’s nothing worse than reading a novel and not being able to relate to the people in the story. I want each reader to see herself in my characters in some shape, form, or fashion .

**Name your top 5 favorite books? **
The Giver, Havah, Forbidden, The Giving Tree, and Old Turtle and the Broken Truth

**What is sitting on your night stand right now?**
  The Hunger Games

**If you could visit any time period, which time period would it be and why?**
 I’d definitely want to visit the 60s, just so I could go to Woodstock and say I’d been there.


**What is the main thing that you would like your readers to know about you?**
I give 100% of myself to everything I do, especially my writing. You won’t just find an entertaining story if you read Saving Elizabeth. You’ll find my heart and soul poured out on the pages.

Saving Elizabeth by Amy Machelle
Source: Received to review
Age Recommendation: Teen
Genre:  Christian YA/ Paranormal

Description from Goodreads: Blaming God for the death of her father, sixteen year old Elizabeth Bridges denounces her faith and vows never to utter His name again. She tries to distance herself from anything spiritual, but the events that occur after an unwanted move make that difficult. 

First, the dreams come – dreams of evil creatures, and rendezvous with the gorgeous stranger she thinks her mind created to escape her miserable life. But her first day at Glacier High proves there’s more to it than that. 

Elizabeth meets Riel, the boy from her dreams, and he knows more about her than is humanly possible. He says she possesses a coveted gift that all of Hell is clamoring to seize. The monsters she dreams of are real, and they’re battling for her soul. Soon, Elizabeth is thrust into a spiritual realm where she doesn’t know friend from foe. She battles demons in the storage closets of her high school, with Riel, her only protection. 

Will Elizabeth be able to trust Riel and help him save what matters most, or will they both join forces with darkness and turn their backs forever on the only One who can offer them the love and peace they so deeply desire?



My thoughts about the book: "Saving Elizabeth" is a story about the struggle between good and evil.  Elizabeth is dealing with some life changing issues.  First there is the tragic death of her father.  He passed away after fighting cancer.  Her mother uproots her from her home and friends in California to move to a small town, then she has to deal with the strange dreams and feelings that she is experiencing.

Help is on the way in the form of a guardian angel.  Gabriel has been assigned to help Elizabeth fight the evil that is trying to win her over to it's side.  She has a gift that Lucifer and his minions crave.  One of the big obstacles that Elizabeth and Gabriel have to overcome is their blossoming attraction for each other.  It is against the rules for a Guardian Angel to have a relationship with his project.

The story alternates points of view.  Each chapter will be in either Elizabeth or Gabriel's points of view.  Amy takes the ending circumstances of the previous chapter and lets us know how the other felt and interpreted the events.  It is a very interesting technique.  It helps us to better understand the two main characters and their feelings and thoughts.

This is a very clean and sweet story.  It illustrates the power of Satan and how he tempts and tries  humans.  There are some powerful statements and illustrations geared to empower teens in their quest to a life overcoming temptation.


About Amy: Amy is teacher who uses writing to escape after long days of tying shoelaces, opening ketchup packets, and begging children to please use tissues instead of sleeves. While it had always been a hobby for her, writing swiftly turned into an obsession during the sweltering summer of 2009. A year of clacking away on her laptop later, she typed the final period of her young adult paranormal romance, Saving Elizabeth. Satisfied, she packed her laptop away, but the characters she'd invested a year of her life in insisted on being shared with the world. Keep your eyes peeled for Saving Elizabeth, coming December 14th from Tell-Tale Publishing! (taken from Goodreads)

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