Frozen - Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

::Post by Jackie Lindert::

Synopsis: Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.
At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

I went into this book cold (get it? Frozen-cold? ha!), having heard nothing about it. I didn't know what to expect other than another dystopia, but this book wiggled it's way into my heart. I saw a not too pleasant review of this book, which made me want to post my review even more because this book was great. Maybe I'm just the only person not burned out from dystopias, but I thought this book was original and well-written. The characters were my favorite part of this book, as usual.

I think this book had some great complexities. There were paranormal aspects, which didn't even seem paranormal because the post-apocalyptic world they live in makes it seem so plausible that such things have come to exist. There's adventure, political unrest, creatures, pirates, a fascinating new world, and the dream of something better-a place called "the Blue." It all mixes together and ties in so well, that this book made for a great mental escape for me.

The reason the characters are my favorite part in this book is because it might be the first time I've ever read scenes where characters are flirting and thought, "Oh my God! Someone finally nailed it!" It's absolutely perfect. I feel like that is the exact same way I used to flirt when I was in high school. And for Melissa de la Cruz to have made me relate to a book about a frozen world completely unlike my own, bravo. It's the perfect mix of cocky and shy. Nat and Wes are so wonderful. I want to hug them both. She is selfish and brave and he is a selfless, strong leader.

What makes this book fantastic, I think, is that people suffer, die, and fail. Lovely way for me to think, right? But seriously. I'm sick of books where every escape is a little too convenient. There wasn't just action to fill pages. These characters faced challenges that forced them to change their plans and their strategy, which seemed so much more realistic, and made Wes and Nat stronger and smarter protagonists.

If you are into dystopias, definitely give this one a try. There's a lot going on, but it's all pretty great. And it's going to be a trilogy! So I'm pretty excited to see what comes next, especially after how it ended. So let's give this book tons of love because it is very deserving. 

Interview with Mary Casanova & Giveaway

I had the amazing opportunity to interview Mary Casanova, which is a bit like my childhood dreams coming true. She's written some wonderful books and her newest young adult novel, Frozen, just came out. It's amazing and you should definitely track down a copy!

I'm delighted to welcome Mary Casanova to the blog today. 

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Can you talk a bit about where your inspiration for this story came from? What drew you to this time in Minnesota history?

The inspiration for FROZEN came to me over 20 years ago while reading about my region’s history in KOOCHICHING by Hiram Drache. In it, I read just a few sentences about how one morning at the turn of the century, a prostitute was found frozen in the snow in a small northern Minnesota town. As a joke, someone took her frozen corpse into the meeting hall and stood it up as a joke at the start of a meeting. Drache wrote that it caused a great stir. I couldn’t let the image or this woman’s life go. Or perhaps, she reached out to me across the centuries and wouldn’t let me forget her. I had to somehow make sense of the times she lived in and vindicate her life and death.

 You have written quite a few middle-grade and children’s books. What was different or surprising about writing for young adults?

As this story took shape, I really didn’t know who my audience was going to be. Was it for young adults, or was the material geared more for adult readers? Many times, I had to put aside that concern and simply write the story that demanded to be written. Once I had a publisher for the novel, there was debate within the publishers’ offices, too, about if it was a YA or adult novel. My hope is that if it’s a good story it will find a wide range of readers as a cross-over novel.

What kind of research did you conduct while writing this novel? Was there anything interesting that you weren’t able to work into the book?

In writing historical fiction, there are worlds of interesting material that I must sift through. I may find a wealth of interesting details, but I must use only those that serve this story. It’s a bit like panning for gold. Along with visits to the archives of the Koochiching Historical Museum, I delved into other books, finding gold in Joe Paddock’s book, Keeper of the Wild, which chronicles the life of Ernest Oberholtzer and his environmental battle with industrialist E.W. Backus.

My hands-on research is living where I live, across from the historic lift bridge in a hundred-plus year old house, and incorporating the oral history and details of living on Rainy Lake. I have spent many summers returning to “Ober’s” Mallard Island, which is historically preserved. I made a point to return to Kettle Falls Hotel, which is also on the Historic Register, and spend a night in one of the upstairs hotel rooms. (I didn’t stay in the allegedly haunted room. Maybe another time for another story!) And I gleaned history from Jim Hanson and his family who own Atisokan Island, and the restored yacht, “Virginia,” which I fashion Trinity’s namesake after in the novel.

I love Minnesota authors and books that take place in Minnesota. I actually grew up reading your books because I related so well to your Minnesotan characters. What is your favorite thing about living in, or writing about, Minnesota?

My writing career now takes me all over the country--sometimes out of the country. But the more I’m away, the more I appreciate the last leg of my trip from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to International Falls. The bright lights and buildings thin the farther north I head and are replaced by vast stretches of dark green dotted by winding rivers and lakes. As the plane touches down at the tiny runway, I’m glad to return home to a much slower, unhurried pace. A place where I can hear myself think again and be restored by the abundance of nature around me.

Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most challenging?

I loved getting to know my main character, Sadie Rose. She has so much to confront about her past and so many decisions to make about her present, yet the story starts with her being unable to speak--and hasn’t said a word in 11 years. My challenge was to make the reader care about her each step of the way on her journey to wholeness.

And as the author, that means getting out of the way and allowing this character be who she needs to be. It’s a balancing act between being in-control (somebody has to write the story) and being out-of-control (really not knowing what your character is going to do next). Somewhere in the middle is where inspiration comes and art happens!

I love the character of Aasta, partly because I can hear her Minnesotan/Norwegian accent so well. Was it difficult to work dialect into the story?

Dialect is always tricky. When I first wrote Aasta’s dialogue, I tried to make each sentence and phrase sound exactly as she might have said it. The problem is, it becomes cumbersome on the page to read this kind of dialogue. So I pulled back a bit, reminding myself that the reader needs a hint of the accent--but too exactly depicted and it’s almost like too much salt in a dish.

Since you are writing books for teens, what were you like as a teenager?

As a teenager, I was always looking for the “road less traveled.” I wasn’t great at being in team sports or school activities, but I loved anything that took me outdoors. I had an appaloosa named Keema, and he and I put on many miles together on the outskirts of the Twin Cities. I loved water-skiing, down-hill skiing, sailing, and camping. I especially enjoyed heading north to a family cabin near Ely and absorbing the haunting cries of the loons, the crisp pine-scented air, and the quiet of the northern forests.

I discovered the power of words when I was in high-school. I loved the medium of words, sentences, and paragraphs as an art form. That’s when my dream of becoming a full-time writer began. But before getting that degree in English, I found a way to graduate a half-year early and go to Florida with a few girlfriends (I talked them into the loop-hole I’d found, too). I went to Aspen with another girlfriend to become ski-bums for another year. And eventually, I made my way through college and immediately upon graduation, moved together with my husband, Charlie, to northern Minnesota.

I was--and still am--a strong believer in listening to your heart and following your dreams. The trick is to be still enough to listen. . .

 What are you working on now? Can you talk a little bit about any projects you have coming up?

I’m really excited about a novel I have in progress. It’s something different for me. It’s a bit of time-travel, and explores the scars left by war, whether present or past. I would love to tell more about it, but for now, readers will have to wait and wonder!

Connect with Mary Casanova through her website! 

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University of Minnesota Press has been kind enough to offer a copy of Frozen to one lucky winner. This giveaway will run until September 16. You must be 13 or older to enter. Giveaway is international. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter! 

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Frozen - Mary Casanova

Synopsis: Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn’t know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother—and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.
One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs—pictures, she realizes, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life’s great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel—did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?Sadie Rose’s search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama—a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area’s wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota. Frozen is a suspenseful, moving testimonial to the haves and the have-nots, to the power of family and memory, and to the extraordinary strength of a young woman who has lost her voice in nearly every way—but is utterly determined to find it again. (From Goodreads)

I grew up reading Mary Casanova's books. So I was excited when I heard she was coming out with her first young adult novel. This is the Mary Casanova I remember, so it felt a little bit like nostalgia, but it also felt like she was doing something different here. But mostly, this book is going to be different from what you've read before, if only because of the time and location.

1920's Minnesota? Yes, please! I'm fairly familiar with Minnesota history, but I've never considered what was going on around here in the 20's. And I love everything about the 20's. So when someone put those two things together, I was so thrilled. The political state is touched on, but it's more fascinating to see the way the state is in transition during this time. Sadie Rose is also the perfect character to highlight the social changes occurring during this time.

Sadie comes from a bit of a seedy background. All she knows is that her mother was a prostitute. Sadie Rose was found in a snowbank the night her mother died, and the senator and his wife took her in. She finds some pictures of her mother and then sets out to become her own, self-sufficient woman, while finding out the truth about her mother. She unearths some political scandals, exposes the darker side of Northern Minnesota, and in doing so she discovers her own power.

The only thing that had me worried was Sadie's inability to speak. She hasn't spoken since she was found in the snow, but early in the book she finds her voice. I was skeptical about how she would learn to speak again, but that turned out to be a powerful part of the book. She didn't just figure out how to communicate again, but she managed to come to a place where she could speak her opinions and demand to be treated with respect. Women's rights are a subtle, but strong, part of Sadie Rose's story and that her empowerment through her voice is what makes this story still extremely relevant today.

Ladies - you have a voice - if you feel you are mistreated or overlooked, use it! Don't take that power for granted.

So yeah, I'm thrilled with Mary Casanova's new book. If you haven't read any of Casanova's work - I highly recommend her, and Frozen is a great place to start!