Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff Review, Interview & Giveaway!

Quinn Robbins' life was everything she thought a teenager's should be. She has good friends, a family that she loves, good grades, and an after-school job she enjoys. And, she's just been asked out by Zander Cunningham, a popular football player and great guy. But one day when driving home after picking up her little sister from the baby-sitter's, she nearly hits a boy who, after running blindly into the street, mysteriously disappears.

The mystery only deepens as she figures out who the boy is; William Rose, a reclusive, awkward boy from school who always has his nose in a pile of books.
As she becomes more aware of his behavior it becomes more obvious how out of the ordinary William is and how hard he deliberately tries to blend into the background. This only intrigues her more and she finds herself working to find out more about him, and exactly where he keeps disappearing to.

On a whim one night she follows him and suddenly finds herself in a new world. One where William is a prince, literally, and she is treated like a princess. She also discovers that she is stuck; the gate back to her own world isn't always open.

Quinn finds herself smack in the middle of a modern-day fairy tale, on a course that will change her life forever.

I GIVE THIS BOOK: 4 Stars


MY THOUGHTS:
The beginning of Seeds of Discovery was a bit boring, but once Quinn crossed over to the other world, the story became very interesting. The ending was very abrupt, but maybe that is part of the reason I want to read the next book so much!

There were two things that stood out in this book as very different. The first is that William is the fourth child in a family of thirteen and the second is that his family is one that genuinely loves to be around each other.

I thought that many parts of the story were predictable, and that is the main reason I am not giving this book 5 stars. The other reason is that it took awhile for me to get interested in the book.

I think that Seeds of Discovery is a wonderful debut novel. I am looking forward to reading Roots of Insight, the second book in the Dusk Gate Chronicles, which will be available on January 9, 2012.


***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

Product Details
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Musefish Independent Press (September 16, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0983993017
ISBN-13: 978-0983993018
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Available to purchase at Amazon

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Breeana, welcome to Hardcover Feedback! Would you tell us a little about yourself?
I'm not all that exciting of a person, really. :) I'm a single mom of a beautiful little girl who keeps me on my toes all the time. I was an elementary school teacher in public schools for the last eleven years, although I quit my teaching job last May to write and to start my own preschool program. I plan to homeschool my daughter for at least a couple of years and see how that goes.

What are you currently working on?
My current writing project is Book Three in The Dusk Gate Chronicles, which does not yet have a title. I've also been excessively busy with the launch of Book Two, Roots of Insight, which releases on Monday.

What or who made the biggest influence on you wanting to become a writer?
I don't think there's such a thing as "becoming a writer." There's putting your work out into the public sphere for others, but a writer is someone who writes, and in that sense, I don't remember a time when I wasn't a "writer." I've always loved writing and telling stories. My second grade students were writers, and my four year old daughter is, also, a writer. :)

That being said, my grandmother, Virginia, was a poet. She died when I was eight, and her poems are the biggest piece of her that's left to really get a glimpse into who she was. She was my mom's mom, and she was only 45 when she died. My mom died at age 50. She wasn't a writer -- though I still comb through her belongings looking for things she might have written. Every signature on a Christmas card is special because it's kind of a personal part of her.

After her death, it became very important to me to make sure that my daughter has something she can have. Published or not, something someone has written is just special in a lasting kind of way.

What was the first book you ever wrote about and was it ever published?
I don't remember the first book I ever wrote, but no, Seeds of Discovery is the first thing I've ever published. Over the last two decades, most of my writing was pieces I was modeling for my students, journal entries for my daughter, and huge long papers for my Master's degree -- and before that, my Bachelor's.

Do you have any writing habits that people might find unusual?
I don't think so. Aside from the fact that I tend to be a very "organic" writer -- I plot as I go along, rather than much beforehand (at least, so far!), my writing habits are very, very typical -- procrastinate, Twitter, procrastinate, write a sentence, Facebook, another sentence, realize it's bedtime and write 2,000 words in a go ... get up the next morning and repeat. :)

I have heard that many authors listen to music while they write. Do you? If so, what do you usually listen to?
Sometimes I do. If I do, I usually turn on Pandora. If it's not Pandora, it's piano solos.


Do you have a favorite character or one that is especially close to your heart?
Picking a favorite character would be like picking a favorite child -- can't do. They're all close to my heart in different ways, for different reasons.


What is the best gift you have ever received and who gave it to you?
Cliche, I know -- but some things are cliche for good reasons -- the best gift I have ever received is my precious little girl. Everything else doesn't matter so much.

What are three things (not people) that you wouldn't want to live without?
Hmmm... my cell phone, my laptop, and a ponytail holder. :)

What is something that you have always wanted to do, but just haven't gotten around to it yet?
Visit Australia.

All the music in the world is being destroyed and you can only save one album, what would you
save and why?
I'd get bored of any album after a short amount of time. I'd rather save some musicians who could make music all over again.

What is your all-time favorite book? What is your favorite book you have read this year?
I really don't have an all-time favorite book. Too many of them are special to me. And this year? I haven't read as much as I normally do, with the release of two books. But I recently read The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund, and I enjoyed it. My current read is The Daddy Pact by Kristy K. James, and I am enjoying that very much as well.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?
A night owl in the extreme. Or, as extreme as one can get when a job calls at seven in the morning. :)


Where can people connect with you online?
People can connect with me in a few places.

I tweet regularly on @bputtroff

You can visit my blog at breeanaputtroff.wordpress.com

Or, you can find my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/duskgate

Thanks you so much Breeana for being on Hardcover Feedback!

Thank you so very much for hosting me! :)

I am giving away an e-copy of Seeds of Discovery by Breeana Puttroff. To enter, all you have to do is follow this blog in at least one way and then complete whichever extra entries you want in the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open internationally and ends January 11 at 11:59pm (EST).


a Rafflecopter giveaway