Guest Post by Patricia Vanasse, author of Awakened.

We originally showcased Patricia in one of our Shout Out to Indies posts when she released her first novel Resilient.  Now she's here to tell us a little about the characters in the sequel, Awakened

Synopsis:

Under the control of The Agency, a secret, governmental organization that created genetically engineered teens who posses a combination of extraordinary abilities, Adam is serving the purpose for which he was created while his girlfriend, Livia fights to save him. Manipulated to forget his love for Livia and his past, he lives a life crafted by fake memories that enslave him to a life of following the orders of an organization, whose intentions are unclear. Now Adam battles with vivid “dreams” of a life he does not remember and the strong connection he feels to the girl with familiar blue eyes. 

Livia’s desire for vengeance lead her and Daniel on a dangerous race to disrupt the destructive string of events that The Agency initiated seventeen years earlier. As they travel across parts of North America in search of other teens who are just like them, Livia will face an ethical battle over genetics, loyalty, and love. The race is on, and it is up to Livia to destroy The Agency and rescue Adam, but even if she succeeds at saving him, there are no guarantees she’ll be able to save the deep connection they once shared.

In Resilient, you got to meet Livia, Adam and Daniel. In Awakened, you’ll meet new characters that will bring this story to whole different level. Each has their own stories to tell and abilities to explore. Please, allow me to introduce you to these amazing people.

Brooklyn Mathews

Looks Like: AnnaSophia Robb

Special Ability: Memory Manipulation, including projecting lost memories, creating new ones, or deleting all memories from one’s mind.

Favorite Song: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.

Desire: To redefine her life.

Profile: Raised in The Agency, Brooklyn never desired to live a normal, mundane life, until she met Adam. As she slowly allows her humanity and emotions to surface, Brooklyn decides that the world has more to offer her than she’d ever imagined.  

Quote: “Love has never been a part of my life. Not that it didn’t live somewhere within my heart, it just has always been suppressed. Affection was never an option, and I have never expected it or even really wanted it until now.”

Mason Wailer

Looks Like: Alfred Enoch

Special Ability: Accelerated probability, which allows him to sense all the variables of any situation. With that, he can foresee the outcomes of the choices he can make to reach the conclusion he wants.

Favorite Song: Felling Good by Muse.

Desire: To understand his abilities.

Profile: Mason entered college at the age of 16 and is perceived as genius by his Yale peers. Determined to find answers for his special abilities, he hacked into the FBI classified files revealing dirty business within the bureau to the world , but found nothing on super humans. Now chased by government officials, Mason has to escape his life if he wants to find out who and what he is.

Quote: “What the hell, Adam?” he yells. “Next time get one of the pretty girls to whisper in my ear if you want to wake me up, man.”

Jordan Sanchez

Looks like: Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Special Ability: Clairvoyance. Jordan can see visions of people by thinking about them. She can also see glimpses of what that person is doing

Favorite Song: Rebellion by Linkin Park

Desire: To belong.

Profile: Abandoned by her adoptive father, Jordan blames her ability for the destruction of her family. After her mother is taken to a rehab facility, Jordan is forced to use her ability for money and gets involved with a gang who threatens her life if she refuses to help them.

Quote: “When I was thirteen, I started cutting. It was a way to relieve all the emotions boiling inside of me. After a while, I started healing instantly after the cuts, and that’s when I knew for sure that I wasn’t normal.”

Alexis Monte

Looks like: Maia Mitchell

Special Ability: Persuasion, the ability to force others to obey one's spoken imperatives.

Favorite Song: Beggin For Thread by Banks

Desire: To make a difference in the world by working with The Agency.    

Profile: Alexis left her adoptive parents to join The Agency and its causes.

Quote: “Adam, you just don’t get it.  I grew up out there among humans, they’re prejudice, racist, judgmental creatures. They reject their own kind because they have different skin color, or different lifestyles. Do you really think you can be yourself and be part of their world?”

Ethan Jäger

Looks like: Austin Butler

Special Ability: Telekinesis, the ability to move objects with the mind.

Favorite Song: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.

Desire: To be accepted for who he is.   

Profile: Forced by his adoptive father to fight at illegal fight clubs, Ethan pretends to be this cold-hearted guy, when in truth, he is a caring young man.

Quote: “When my adoptive father found out about my ability, he used me to make money. He set up all those fights. He told me over and over that if I didn’t fight, he would make more money by turning me in to government officials near Area 51.”

Now tell me, who do you want to hang out with?

Blog Tour - Resillient by Patricia Vanasse

 

Livia has never felt like she fits in. As normal as it sounds, Livia is anything but ordinary. She can feel every emotion of every single person around her, and it’s maddening. In pursuit of some psychic quiet, she moves with her family from New York City to Whidbey Island in the lush and sleepy Pacific Northwest. But when a horseback riding accident in her new home gives her a broken leg that heals in a day, she finds that another unexplainable ability has manifested, and her life isn’t about to get any easier.

  Adam has no problem fitting in and making friends. In fact, he’s the top of the school, the boy everyone knows and loves. However, people only see what he allows them to. No one knows what Adam is truly capable of. After witnessing Livia’s accident, Adam sees something intriguing in her quick recovery, something that gives him hope that he’s not alone.

 Adam is the only one whose emotions Livia can’t read. Afraid of not knowing what goes on behind his dark eyes, Livia decides to keep him at a distance. Yet the more she tries to ignore him, the more alluring he becomes, and while their personal quests for identity will inevitably bring them closer together, it is the confirmation of what they really are that threatens to tear them apart.

Resilient, told in alternating point of views, is a gripping story of survival and romance, in which two teenagers face the consequences of being anything but normal.

 

About Patricia Vanasse:

Patricia Vanasse was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now she lives on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two adorable children, and two crazy dogs. She has been trough Culinary Arts, Psychology, Law School, and now has finally found her passion in creative writing. She also loves traveling, cooking, and is an avid reader. Her strength- believes that everything is possible.
 

The Paperback Princesses are thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for Resilient by Patricia Vanasse.  We asked Patricia if she would enlighten us as to why she writes for a YA audience. 

First, thank you Paperback Princesses for having me on your fantastic blog!  

 

Why do I write YA?

When someone asks why do I write for teens, it usually comes with a certain connotation that translates to, “Are you stuck in high school? Are you trying to relive the glory days? Or are you scared to write as a grown up?”

It’s none of that. 

My teen years are a part of my life that I can look back and comfortably know all the aspects of. It’s a phase of my life that is fully complete. Another reason I chose to write for teens is because they are living in the moment. They are constantly learning, and every emotion runs on the skin’s surface. Everything is a big deal. I love how one day a teenager says they hate their life, and the next day they’re the happiest person alive. Every little aspect of life matters. They are on the path to discovering who they are, what they want, and what life is all about.  As an adult, today I can look back and know that anything is possible as a teenager. They haven’t lived their whole lives yet, there’s nothing holding them back, and anything can happen. The future is full of possibilities.

I have six cousins whose ages range from fourteen to twenty-one, and they all like to contribute to my stories. They’re my best cheerleaders because of the squeals and jumps when they love something. That’s why I write for YA. 

Author Sites:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Thank you so much Patricia for joining us today and letting us be part of your blog tour.

For those of you who think you'd like to try Resilient check out the Rafflecopter giveaway below. 
 

Short Review

 

I managed to find some time to read Resilient and I am so very glad I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and romance and the characters were well fleshed out and believable. The relationship between Livia and Adam seemed real and finding out the reasons for their differences was very intriguing.

 

I've always thought that having some type of psychic power would be cool, but after reading Resilient I'm not so certain any more.  Poor Livia has such a struggle and I found myself really sympathizing with her and hoping everything would turn out ok.

 

With intriguing concepts, great characters and a gut wrenching mystery, I definitely recommend this one for those who enjoy paranormal romance.



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Cover Reveal - Resilient by Patricia Vanasse

The Paperback Princesses are really pleased to be part of the cover reveal for Patricia Vanasse's new book Resilient.  I'm looking forward to reading this one.


Resilient by Patricia Vanasse is garnering some great attention, even long before the release date of September 3rd, 2013. Published by Pants on Fire Press this is the story of Livia and Adam, two teens who are far from normal and have more in common than they could ever imagine.

According to the press release, Resilient has already got attention from A-list movie studios and production companies that are interested in the movie and screen rights.  Resilient was also the 4th place winner of the 2012 Golden Acorn Excellence in Writing Award.

Livia has never felt like she fits in. As normal as it sounds, Livia is anything but ordinary. She can feel every emotion of every single person around her, and it’s maddening. In pursuit of some psychic quiet, she moves with her family from New York City to Whidbey Island in the lush and sleepy Pacific Northwest. But when a horseback riding accident in her new home gives her a broken leg that heals in a day, she finds that another unexplainable ability has manifested, and her life isn’t about to get any easier.
Adam has no problem fitting in and making friends. In fact, he’s the top of the school, the boy everyone knows and loves. However, people only see what he allows them to. No one knows what Adam is truly capable of. After witnessing Livia’s accident, Adam sees something intriguing in her quick recovery, something that gives him hope that he’s not alone.
Adam is the only one whose emotions Livia can’t read. Afraid of not knowing what goes on behind his dark eyes, Livia decides to keep him at a distance. Yet the more she tries to ignore him, the more alluring he becomes, and while their personal quests for identity will inevitably bring them closer together, it is the confirmation of what they really are that threatens to tear them apart.

Resilient, told in alternating point of views, is a gripping story of survival and romance, in which two teenagers face the consequences of being anything but normal.

Resilient is a YA book recommended for ages 13 and older.  It has 318 pages and will be available in ebook and paperback.

Excerpt:

He opens his eyes and sees me ogling.

         Embarrassed, I turn my attention back to the sky. “I thought you had fallen asleep.”

         “And then you’d take advantage of me.”

         “No! I was just…” I trail off, not knowing what to say. “Can we go? It’s getting late.”

         “We just got here!” He smiles in amusement. “How about we play a game?”

         “What game?”

         “I ask you a question, you answer, and then you ask me one. It’s a good way to get to know each other.” He turns his body to the right so he’s facing me. “Before you decide I’m the worse person ever, you should know the facts.”

         “As long as you tell the truth.”

         “You have my word.” I laugh despite myself as he asks, “If you had to choose between day and night, which would you pick?”

         I frown for a second, thinking. “Day,” I say “Wrestling or football?”

         “Wrestling for sure,” he answers. “Favorite cartoon character?”

         “Ha! Definitely Daria; I feel like we have something in common.” I chuckle while Adam’s eyebrows scrunch together. I guess he’s having a hard time finding the similarities. “Yours?”

         “I’ve got to say SpongeBob. No similarities there, though.” He smiles and lies back down, inspecting the stars. “Do you believe there’s life out there besides us?”

         That question has been on my mind for years, but I never had to answer it until now. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

         “You hope so?” His brows shoots up, “Wouldn’t you be afraid if aliens really existed?” He sounds sincerely curious.

         “No, I don’t think they would be the monsters Hollywood makes us believe. I think they would be just like...”

         “Us?”

         “Yeah, like us. How about you?”

         He nods, “I agree with you.”

         We fall into silence for a little while before his next question. It would be too pretentious of me to believe humans are the only ones to live in a universe so much bigger than we know. There are so many places we haven’t even begun to discover yet. In any case, other life forms could be the explanation to all of my inhuman abilities.

         “What do you like most about yourself?” he asks.

         My mind wanders; I’m not sure what my qualities are, really, but I think of something to say. “I’m stubborn.”

         “And that’s a quality?”

         “Yes. I mean, it keeps me from giving up when things gets rough.”

         He turns to look at me, probably wondering what could be so rough in my life. He doesn’t know that I don’t have everything, I don’t have what I want the most: answers to what I am.

Patricia Vanasse was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now she lives on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two adorable children, and two crazy dogs. She has been trough Culinary Arts, Psychology, Law School, and now has finally found her passion in creative writing. She also loves traveling, cooking, and is an avid reader. Her strength- believes that everything is possible. Her weakness- an obsessive relationship with caffeine.

 
www.patriciavanasse.com
http://patriciavanasse.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/PatriciaVanasse
https://www.facebook.com/ResilientByPatriciaVanasse

Giveaway:

Paperback ARC (early copy) of Resilient.

Open worldwide.

Ends 6/11/13

 

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