Colleen Houck Book Club

July 9, 2014

BOOK FOR THE MONTH OF JULY- THE PLEDGE

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and are enjoying your summer so far. If you didn’t get a chance to read last month’s pick, After the End by Amy Plum, it’s not too late to check it out. For those of you who participated in the live chat on Goodreads with authors Amy Plum and Colleen Houck, thanks! It was so much fun to read everyone’s questions and participate in the discussion. For July’s book selection, Colleen has chosen…

THE PLEDGE

by her good friend Kimberly Derting

This is the first book in The Pledge Trilogy and for those of you who CAN’T wait for the next book when reading a series, there’s good news. This series is already out and available so NO waiting!

Here’s a little teaser of book #1,

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I first met Kimberly while attending a book convention in Chicago and I was listening to her talk about her book The Body Finder and her process for writing it. I immediately wanted to pick up her book and start reading! Here’s a little more about her,

“I was born and raised in the Seattle area, with the exception of a few short stints in Phoenix, Boise, and San Jose. I had a colorful childhood, raised by a single mother who worked her butt off to make ends meet. She showed my brother and me how to enjoy life on a shoestring budget. She was the kind of person who, given the choice between paying a bill and taking us to the circus, would always opt for the circus…and somehow, she always managed to pay the bill. She was the one who taught me how to laugh.

My publishing career began at an early age, when I started making homemade coloring books with sheets of blank paper and a stapler, and then went door-to-door to sell them. Unfortunately, my neighbors had limited disposable income for such frivolous purchases, so I was forced to seek my fortunes elsewhere.

I first fell in love with writing (giving up my childhood dreams of being a Veterinarian, and then my later aspirations of “lady trucker”) when I signed up for Journalism as my 7th grade elective. It was supposed to an easy A, but it soon became my passion. I moved on to be Copy Editor of the high school yearbook so that I could correct other people’s writing mistakes and fill in when they missed their deadlines (and, hey, it was high school…deadlines were frequently missed!).

I still live in the Pacific Northwest, which is the ideal place to be writing anything dark or creepy…a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. I live with my husband and our three beautiful (and often mouthy) children, who serve as an endless source of inspiration for my writing.”

Kimberly has also written several other series which you can read more about on her website at KimberlyDerting.com. Here’s a little preview of her other works,

Newest book series, The Taking

The Pledge Trilogy

The Body Finder Trilogy

A retelling of Hansel and Gretel

I’m very excited to check out her series and I look forward to discussing it at the end of the month with all of you on Goodreads for the live chat.

So everybody who wants to join us, go get your hands on this book and if you’ve already read it then awesome! You can start leaving your questions right away (but don’t share spoilers just yet).

Join Colleen Houck and Kimberly Derting for a live chat on July 31st, at 7pm (pacific time) on Goodreads!

Also, stay tuned for the 4th edition of THE MODERN INK SOCIETY featuring guest blogger- Kimberly Derting!

Happy reading everyone!

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

This entry was posted in Colleen Houck Book Club, Featuring Authors.

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Author Bio

Linda

I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.

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