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Today - day five - we're featuring author Sarah Daltry.
Enjoy her post and have fun entering the giveaway.
5. She’s smart. Personally, when I read, I want to
relate to a character, even if I don’t necessarily have similar experiences.
One way I do this is through feeling like they’re intelligent. We may not all
make the same choices as Nora but at least I don’t feel like anyone else makes
her decisions for her. Even when the world is falling apart around her and
she’s brought into this ridiculous out of the world experience, she even makes
sure she goes to class and attempts to study. Because vampires or not, end of
the world or not, she’s going to need that education!
Enjoy her post and have fun entering the giveaway.
5 Reasons to love Nora from Bitter Fruits
In writing New Adult, I
have come across a strange phenomenon. If the book is set in college, it seems
to draw a line between readers who had a similar college experience, and those
who didn’t. However, I chose New Adult because college was a huge part of my
life. I went away to school at 17 (I was young), had to adjust to being on my
own, spent four years there – during which I met my husband, and then ended up
doing two Master’s degrees. I have also taught high school and college students
for over a decade, so I feel like my whole life revolves around college, or
planning for it. Finally, I grew up, went to school, and currently live in the
Northeast United States, which is the haven for higher education.
All of this leads me to
feel emotionally attached to my characters, and often disappointed when readers
don’t relate. So today, I want to talk about why Nora is awesome. I don’t see
her as lacking self-esteem, as being weak, or even close to being whiny. Let me
explain.
1. Nora relies heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecation.
It’s not because she has no self-esteem, but because she’s a pretty typical
girl. She’s 22, in college, and from Delaware. Her parents are professors and
she’s traveled a lot, but mostly, she’s just a fairly average New Adult – who
is now drawn into extraordinary circumstances. It’s good she can laugh about
it, because otherwise, she might go a little crazy!
2. She has a tendency to run away. Not from the
guys she loves, not from danger, and not from her friends, but she doesn’t stay
behind to fight massive battles with the undead or with monstrous creatures.
Why? Because let’s be honest. Would you? Regardless of the fantasy nature of
the series, I still see my writing as rooted in realism. It’s contemporary New
Adult, that just happens to have a paranormal/mythological twist. That doesn’t
make Nora superhuman. Again, she’s a 22 year old college senior. Of course,
maybe in the next few books…
3. She is loyal. Her professor is abducted, her
roommate and best friend is a bit of a flake, she’s torn between two guys.
However, through all of this, she remains steadfast. Sure, she does a little
bed hopping, but trust me, things are way beyond typical in the relationship
sector. Nora may not be able to choose, but there are greater forces at work,
and even though she is fiercely loyal to two guys at the same time, she remains
loyal. And given the ending… well, that’s a pretty strong sign of faithfulness
and sacrifice.
4. Nora is strong as a woman. She likes sex, and
she isn’t ashamed of it. When she meets Alec at the party, she doesn’t care
that she barely knows him. This doesn’t make her a slut (in fact, she admits
she’s used to awkward frat party groping), but she also isn’t worried that she
enjoys sex. College is a time of experimentation and sexual exploration. She’s
a senior, so she’s not a virgin and she isn’t innocent. What’s wrong with a
single girl meeting a hot guy at a party and having a little fun? We don’t
judge men for doing the same. I say go for it, Nora! Men don’t get to claim the
only pleasure in sex!
5. She’s smart. Personally, when I read, I want to
relate to a character, even if I don’t necessarily have similar experiences.
One way I do this is through feeling like they’re intelligent. We may not all
make the same choices as Nora but at least I don’t feel like anyone else makes
her decisions for her. Even when the world is falling apart around her and
she’s brought into this ridiculous out of the world experience, she even makes
sure she goes to class and attempts to study. Because vampires or not, end of
the world or not, she’s going to need that education!
RELEASE DATE: 12/2013
GENRE: FANTASY
IMPRINT: ESCAPE PUBLISHING
PAGINATION: 186BITTER FRUITS
BY SARAH DALTRY
- About the book
Great writer, I have some of her other books
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