Blog Tour: Quick Q and A with Tricia Rayburn, author of Siren!

As part of the Siren Blog Tour I have Q and A with Tricia featured below, though before we get to that here's some info about Tricia's latest release.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death.

Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a string of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear.

Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair try to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever.

A seductive paranormal romance full of unexpected twists, Siren is certain to make a big summer splash.

To read my review head on over here.

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1 . In your opinion what are the top three reasons why teens, or even adults, should consider picking up Siren the next time they see it online or in a store?

Teens and adults should consider picking up Siren if they’re in the mood for a spooky summer read, if they want to check out a paranormal romance in which the ladies (not the men!) are the ones in control… and if they’re curious to see just how long and far those silver eyes will follow them!

2 . Siren is told in the point of view of Vanessa. So can you tell us a little about her? Also, if you could offer her any type of advice what would you say?

Vanessa’s a lifelong scaredy-cat who’s forced to face some of her worst fears after she loses her older, protective sister. Along the way she makes some discoveries that threaten her new romance and change her life forever.

I think she does okay all on her own, but if I were to give Vanessa advice, I might suggest that she confide in Simon more. I understand why she doesn’t, but I’m pretty sure he’d stick by her no matter what!

3 . In Siren Vanessa has a close relationship with her sister Justine, so were parts of their relationship pulled from your own life?

I have a younger sister and an older brother, and we’re all very close. Our relationships are different from Vanessa and Justine’s, but we definitely look out for each other!

4 . What inspired you to set Siren at Winter Harbor?

I knew I wanted to set Siren somewhere along Maine’s dramatic coast, and I chose Winter Harbor upon learning that it earned its name because the harbor never freezes—not even in the middle of winter. That contributes to a key plot development in the book!

5 . What were you like when you were Venessa's age? Were you similar to her in any ways?

When I was 17, I was scared of the dark, rather shy, and in love with a bit of a brainiac. So yes, in those ways I was a lot like Vanessa!

~~~

Thanks, Tricia! Make sure to check out the next stop on the Siren blog tour tommorow at The Book Vixen.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything--the dark, heights, the ocean--but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident. After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers.

But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.

Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.

As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

Review:

If you've been a long-time reader of my blog, you'll know that I've been looking forward to reading this book for quite awhile now, since the cover was eye-catching and the premise seemed mysterious (and I do like my mysteries, you know). So when the chance came up to read an early copy of it, I jumped at, and I'm so glad I did!  Since while Siren didn't always live up to expectations, it still was one book that proved to be an exciting and un-put-a-down-able guilty pleasure!

Vanessa is a character who to put it lightly seems to be afraid of everything. Water, heights, life... you name it and she'll probably be at least a wee bit afraid of it, but when it came to her sister's death, she puts aside her own fears and became a fighter with only one mission. That mission? Find out who killed her sister along with all those other men.

While sometimes I was put down by the fact that Vanessa constantly let her fears get the better part of her, I did like her. I could feel her sorrow for loosing her sister too soon radiate off the page, as well as her exciting non-friendship feelings for the alluring, brilliant Simon. And seeing her find out the mystery behind her sister's death made me proud of her in a way that I wasn't before. Also her friendship with Paige was anther aspect of this book that I enjoyed because it was easy to see what great of friends they were given the short amount of time.

The plot of this was also proved to have me hooked, as it will any reader who loves mysteries, siren stories, and romance. I was always rushing through the pages, eager to find out what happened to Justine and whether or not Simon and Vanessa would ever get together, as well if the two of them would ever overcome each road-block thrown in the way to figure out the mystery. Though I felt that some of it could have been better explained, especially in the last few chapters were everything seemed to be a rush of excitement with no real, logical explanation. Though don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this story, but I felt that it would've been better if explained.

Overall, Siren proves to be an easy, light read that will be perfect read for the summer season, since it does drop on July 13. And the ending has left me with the hope that there will be sequel, thankfully.

Grade: B-

Siren will be released July 13, 2010.

Source: Around The World Tour

Waiting On Wednesday: Week 58

I'm so sorry this is a day late! I feel horrible about it. :(

Though, without a futher ado, my pick this week is:

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.
Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death.
Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a string of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear.


Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair try to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever.
A seductive paranormal romance full of unexpected twists, Siren is certain to make a big summer splash.
 
First off, the picture above is taken from the author's blog. It's the cover of the ARC, so I'm not really sure if it's final or not. Anyway, Siren looks amazing!! Plus, I'm sure it is going to turn out great, since almsot all Egmont books I've read so far are. :) Though, why June 2010?!? That's so far away!
 
Siren will be released June 8, 2010.