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Branwen O'Shea is back! And today in addition to an excerpt from her book The Chasm, we get to meet Rana of Peleguin Rookery, one of the characters. And if you follow my blogs at all, you know how excited I get when the characters come to visit! (Authors, I do love you as well. These characters visits are just much rarer!) So please enjoy and ask both Rana and Branwen more questions in the comments section. Follow the tour to see what else is going on. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
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**My thoughts**
I love the relationship that these characters have with each other. Naturally, Annie and Izzy are going to be close because they are twins. But there's so much more than that. They have grown up together and their lives are very intertwined. And isn't it every girl's dream to fall in love with her best friend?
It's a coming of age story in the sense of first love, first loss, first time. There are a lot of emotions as the twins and their family are still mourning the loss of their father the previous year. Friendships are multidimensional and we don't always like everything that our friends do, leading to feelings of betrayal, even when their concerns are for our benefit.
Relationships are complicated. Being a teenager sucks. You are still a kid and yet you have to make a lot of adult decisions, especially in this story. I could really feel the conflicts within these characters as they had to make difficult decisions.
I think what I appreciated most about this book was its length. Too often, books are written in shorter formats and move along very quickly to wrap up everything in a pleasing ending. This one took the time to really show the ups and downs of the situation the kids find themselves in so that it couldn't all be wrapped up in 120 pages. It felt more real to me that way. I also felt like it touched on a lot of real situations that teens can find themselves in. I will say that I wish there had been better resolution with Wesley, though.
I really became invested in these characters and their story. I'm glad to know that their story continues in future books and will have to check those out as well.
Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours and the author for a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Patient, Laid Back, ObservantWhat do you like to do in your free-time?
My best friends all live in my neighborhood, so hanging out with Tucker and the twins is always at the top of the list. Parties are great, too. I do the sports thing like a lot of guys. Football team. Captain of the wrestling team. But surfing beats either of those any day.When did you first know you were in love with Annie?
I’m also really into cars. My dad’s a mechanic, and he’s been teaching me everything he knows for a long as I can remember. It’s not just a skill for me, it’s a passion. My biggest passion, though, would have to be my girlfriend, Annie. She’s like no girl I’ve ever met… my perfect match.
If you ask anyone else, they’d say it was probably sometime during junior high because that’s when we started dating, but in reality? I’m that sucker that fell in love with the girl next door the first time I laid eyes on her. We were only four years old, so my concept of love was way different back then, but the moment I saw her, I knew she was something special. The hardest part was waiting for her to see me the same way.
Impatient, outgoing, athletic, protective, loyal, awesome, smart… Okay, so that’s more than three, but they’re all true. Ask me to start a list, and I’ll just keep going.What are some of your interests and goals?
I love pretty much anything outdoors…surfing, swimming, jet skis. I live near the beach, so the water thing is kind of a theme. But running beats all of it. There’s nothing better than the wind in your face and the ground beneath your feet with your favorite music blaring in your ears… Seriously the best.You mentioned awesome girlfriend as a goal. Can you tell us about you and Jet?
Sports aside, I love to party, but school’s really important, too. I’m shooting for class Valedictorian, and I’m involved in all kinds of activities. Track and student counsel being the most important. That and putting Tucker in his place when he screws up could probably be listed as a hobby. But that’s just part of being a good friend.
I don’t have a lot of girly interests. That’s really more my twin Izzy’s department, but I do like a good chick flick or rom com, and I’m not one to turn down a good mani-pedi. Not only are they good for time with my sister, but gross feet are just…gross.
Oh, my God, Jet…that boy is seriously my other half. He’s literally the calm to my storm. I go off the rails, and he brings me down. He centers me. I can’t ever imagine not being in love with him. Doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either.
The honest answer? Or the one everyone wants that keeps things from getting awkward? Kidding. I don’t have to take it there. I’d say the three main things to describe myself would be that I’m a good friend and sister, that I’m comfortable spending time alone…really, sometimes I prefer it, and while I’m pretty introverted, I have no problem standing up for myself if needed. Also…all things purple and glitter, lol.Do you have any interests or goals you’d like to share?
Interests…I love kids. I’ve been babysitting for a few years now. And as much as I like peace and quiet, I’m obsessed with dancing. Like, life would be empty and weird without it.Tucker…I’m glad you brought him up. With Annie and Jet dating, that probably leaves the two of you paired up at times. Is there anything more there than meets the eye?
Life would be empty and weird without my friends, too. Annie really is the best sister. We’re different in so many ways, but she’s my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Just like I don’t know what she’d do without Jet. Any time I miss stepping up to the plate, he’s there for her. They’re the real deal.
Sometimes, I wonder if I get a little jealous of what they have, but no. It’s not like that. I mean, I’d love to have that with someone one day. That all-encompassing love that you never have to doubt. Finding that person that just being in their presence makes breathing easier. That would have been pretty helpful this past year when my dad died.
Ugh. Sorry, I don’t know why I’m complaining. I had so much support. Especially from Tucker. He was a lifesaver sometimes. People don’t always give him enough credit. He might be girl-obsessed, but he can be deep when he wants, and he’s better at reading people than you’d think. At least with me, he is.
Anything more? Like as in feelings? Ha! I’m sorry, I’m really trying not to laugh. Tucker is hot, yes, okay, freaking gorgeous, and flirty, and pretty much the guy every girl around can’t keep their hands off of. God bless whatever girl eventually ties him down, but no. I have no interest in being another one of his fan-girls. He’s my best friend and someone I know that I can always turn to, but that’s all.
Even if that ever wasn’t the case, I have no interest in dating someone who can’t make a commitment, and Tucker’s too in love with playing the field.
Athletic, friendly, determinedAny interests or goals you’d like to tell us about?
Interests… Girls. Girls. And I repeat, girls.
Okay, I’m not really that shallow. Getting attention from girls is great, but I swear there’s more to me. For example, I have no problem dropping a sure thing if a friend needs me. And I’d never let one distract me from my main goal. Letting a girl distract me, that is, not my friends.
Basketball’s my main goal, by the way. I’ve been captain of my high school team since sophomore year, and the college deal is already pretty much a set thing. Next step, keep working hard to go pro.
Training, parties, and hanging out at the beach are my main go-to’s for free-time. Not much to share other than that; I’m a pretty straightforward guy. My friends know I’ve got their backs, and girls know I just want them on theirs. All girls except the two that live across the street, at least. Jet’s my best friend, so Annie got stuck on a ‘don’t even think about it’ list years ago. And Izzy? She’s just…too good for anyone we know.
Uh. Yeah, that includes me. Izzy’s a-whole-nother level of girl. Not that I see her that way or anything. I mean, yeah, she’s gorgeous and incredible, but she’s been through so much, being her friend is more important than anything else. She’s always had my back when I mess up, and I’ve got hers. That comment just meant that it’s hard for me to imagine a guy that’s actually good enough for her. She deserves the best. Someone who can really make her happy.
Keelan lives in Texas with her husband and two children, and when she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, taking midnight drives, pretty much anything teal, and inhaling unhealthy amounts of iced coffee.
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“Leave her alone.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. It took about a half a second for everyone’s eyes to swivel towards me, Sedna’s included. She looked like she wanted to tear my limbs off, one by one. I gulped.
And then she chuckled. “Billie, the hero, is here to save the day.”
I ignored the flush in my cheeks as I said coolly, “We both know she’s not the one you are mad at.”
And just like that, the smirk slipped off her face as her glower returned, like my candor had reminded her how much she hated me.
“It’s really cute how protective you are of your roommates,” she said coolly. “There’s one you might want to be a little more concerned about. She’s in the hospital. Her name is Artemis.”
I could swear my temperature dropped at the icy way she said Artemis’ name. I also couldn’t stop myself from looking down. My voice was small as I said, “I’m sorry for what—”
“Don’t,” her voice sliced through mine like a knife, “you dare apologize to me.”
For a moment, I really thought she was going to tear my limbs off, but she seemed too angry to move. No one else dared move either, even her friends. They just stared between the two of us, waiting to see who would break first.
It was me. “You want to pick a fight with me, fine.” I lifted my chin, trying to look more confident about that statement than I felt. “But leave her out of it.”
He grabs the hair on the back of my neck and pulls down, exposing the breadth. My mind leaps to my years of night terrors; to that vampire from ten years ago; to my mother changing before my eyes into one of the fallen. I nearly forget to breathe while terror floods my veins.
He’s going to turn me into one of them!
“No! You can’t!” I scream as he lowers his face to the crook of my neck and shoulder, his hot breaths sending chills along my skin—as if each and every inch knows the horror that lies ahead.
“I can,” he says.
My fingers grasp at his immovable arms that have me locked against him. I pull and push with as much might as my hands can muster, to no avail. If I am dirt, he is steel.
