Author Interview: Atarah L. Poling

1) Before we ask you more about your writing, it would be very interesting to know more about you, the author. How and when did you start writing?
I actually started writing in the fifth grade because I really got interested in an assignment for English Class. Also started writing poetry in the sixth grade.



2) Was it hard to decide to "share" your writing with the world? What's the best thing about it?

No it wasn't really hard for me to decide. Ever since I started writing I wanted to share my works. The best part about sharing my writing is that I know in my own way I am promoting reading. I know not many people enjoy reading, not as many as there once was years ago. With writing young adult books and making them slightly shorter in length I hope to captivate the readers.


3) One of your books, Hidden Light deals with some difficult topics but it is quite special from what I've read. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes, I can. I have personal difficulties with mental illnesses and I know how they can affect anyone's life and make you feel alone. It was because of this that I wrote Hidden Light, hoping that many will see that you're never alone in this life. There's always someone else out there that can understand. I want to get it across that yes, at this time, life may seem dark but there's always a hidden light.


4) Your other book, Forbidden Secret: Shadows Behind Locked Doors is quite different, right? What motivated you to write this one?

Yes, Forbidden Secret: Shadows Behind Locked doors is actually a young-adult fiction based on a paranormal romance. I've always found the paranormal to be interesting and I enjoy reading these kind of books the most. It always help to be able to escape our current lives in the pages of books. That is why I decided to write Forbidden Secret. Even I, myself, was able to escape this world and imagine this young girl's life.


5) Are you currently working on another book?
Yes I am writing another one currently and there's also one that is in the process of being published. The contract has been signed. The one that is soon to come out is another paranormal-romance for young adults.


6) Is there any reflection you'd like to leave our readers with?
I just want readers to know that no matter what obstacle you may face things will be alright. The stress will eventually dwindle down. Also to keep up the reading. I find that reading, especially fiction based books, allows us to handle whatever stress we may be handling in the present. Us authors wouldn't be able to continue on writing with out the support. If you enjoy a book by all means leave a great review. Those reviews are always helpful.


7) Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?
I am on goodreads.com, simply look up Atarah L. Poling. I love getting friend requests and would be willing to answer any questions. I also have a fan page on facebook. Once again under the name Atarah L. Poling.

Book two of Kristie Cook's Soul Savers series: PURPOSE

Kristie Cook did it again with this book!
It was just as good as I hoped it would be. After reading I wanted to read more about the characters, I wanted to continue reading their story.

Purpose was different from book one in many aspects, but that is what made it so good. I could feel how the characters had evolved, Alexis was not in the same state of mind and this helped me empathise with her even more. Many questions I had from "Promise" about the background of the characters and small things that were not clear before were answered in this one. In this book one gets to understand better the Amadis and the Daemoni, and what I most wanted to know personally... what happens with the Angdora!

I can't wait for book three in this thrilling series! I'm sure that this author will manage to make it even better than the first two. Truly it is a series you must read, every page is worth it!

"Promise" the first book of an amazing series by Kristie Cook

I found this book by chance on the net and found its description quite enticing so I decided to give it a try. The ebook is beautifully formated and words flow effortlessly from page to page. I bought it on smashwords in January and to be totally honest, once I started reading I simply could not stop.


It is the story of Alexis, a quite special human teen who holds a huge responsiblility since her birth... though she doesn't know at the beginning.
An amazing lovestory develops between Alexis and Tristan, a completely lovable character that you must read the book to meet...

I completely fell in love with this book, I went from not knowing the author to wanting to read everything she's written so far with this book. In fact, I can even say that "Promise" has become one of my favourite books of all time. It is a perfect mixture between a paranormal story and romance, so well balanced that it gives you action, romance and sexiness in a perfect dose.

Don't miss , book two of this amazing series!

Hush Money

I just finished reading this book over the weekend and couldn't wait to write a tiny review about it.
It is a book in the young adult genre that manages to make a quite paranormal story completely believable! Some teens have special abilities called "talents", those make them different from other people but they also make them almost outlaws. A government agency looks for talents to lock them up and be able to control their abilities.
The story is sort of in the lines of X-men, so if you like them you will probably enjoy this story too! It is nicely written, with an alternating point of view that reminds me of the technique used in "Shiver" which proves to be vaery effective in this story too.
The title itself did not attract me at the beginning, but I'm very happy I got to read it anyway. It was a delightful read. And you know what else? The kindle version is truly inexpensive!
I finished this book wanting to know more about these talents, I will certainly read something else by this author!

A great werewolf book: "Raised by Wolves"

Following the paranormal genre, I wanted to talk to you about a very good book I read last month: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Even though it is a werewolf book it manages to escape certain stereotypes and surprise the reader. Its main character, Bryn, is a human girl who was in fact "raised by wolves". Living amidst a werewolf pack after being attacked by a rabid werewolf when she was a small kid, Bryn learnt everything about living with wolves... That is untill Chase appears in her life.

There is some romance in this book but it is not the "mushy" kind of romance we typically find in many YA novels, it is very down to Earth and almost "wolflike". It is not what the reader tends to expect but fullfils expectations non the less.
I personally enjoyed very much the way in which the author describes wolf pack interactions, she obviously did her homework on the matter really well! She applies real wolf ethologhy traits almost to the werewolf packs in the novel and thus manages to make them completely believable. Completely superb!

Another plus I found on the book? Are you still not convinced? Well, let me tell you something else I liked... There is a book two!
I love yet hate finnishing a good book. It leaves me with a bitter-sweet taste, yet if I liked the book and know there is a sequel I feel relieved! Sometimes I just want more! I want to keep on reading about the characters... And in this case there is a book two, yey!

I have not read it yet, but it is waiting for me to read it...