Book Details:
Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: February 29th, 2016
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Synopsis:
What if Peter Pan was a homeless kid just trying to survive, and Wendy flew away for a really good reason?
Seventeen-year-old Kettle has had his share of adversity. As an orphaned Japanese American struggling to make a life in the aftermath of an event in history not often referred to—the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the removal of children from orphanages for having “one drop of Japanese blood in them”—things are finally looking up. He has his hideout in an abandoned subway tunnel, a job, and his gang of Lost Boys.
Desperate to run away, the world outside her oppressive brownstone calls to naïve, eighteen-year-old Nora—the privileged daughter of a controlling and violent civil rights lawyer who is building a compensation case for the interned Japanese Americans. But she is trapped, enduring abuse to protect her younger sister Frankie and wishing on the stars every night for things to change.
For months, they’ve lived side by side, their paths crossing yet never meeting. But when Nora is nearly killed and her sister taken away, their worlds collide as Kettle, grief stricken at the loss of a friend, angrily pulls Nora from her window.
In her honeyed eyes, Kettle sees sadness and suffering. In his, Nora sees the chance to take to the window and fly away.
Set in 1953, NORA AND KETTLE explores the collision of two teenagers facing extraordinary hardship. Their meeting is inevitable, devastating, and ultimately healing. Their stories, a collection of events, are each on their own harmless. But together, one after the other, they change the world.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26489591-nora-kettle
Purchase:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nora-Kettle-Lauren-Nicolle-Taylor/dp/1634221354
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nora-kettle-lauren-nicolle-taylor/1122157779?ean=9781634221351&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/nora-kettle
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/nora-kettle/id1008283921?mt=11
Author Interview:
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1. What does your writing process look
like? Do you know the whole story when you start? Or do you just
start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)? If you plan it
out, how do you do that? Outline, note cards, post-it notes, etc.?
My
writing process looks like the inside of my brain: A total mess. I usually just
start writing and then maybe write a very rough outline about halfway through
once I’ve got a good sense of who my characters are. I usually write little
quotes in my notebook as I go along and they guide my scenes.
2. I love retellings of fairy tales or other
classic stories. How did you come up with this reimagining of Peter Pan?
The Peter
Pan theme really just fit my characters. I’d say about a third of the way
through writing Nora & Kettle I realized that I was taking inspiration from
Peter Pan and then I just ran with it. To me, it was important to have a
fantastical element to the story to help the reader gain some relief from the
confronting situations the characters face.
3. How long have you been writing?
I have
been writing for about three years now. Before I wrote my first book, The
Woodlands, I’d never written more than a few pages of anything.
4. What tips do you have for aspiring
writers?
I’m sure
everyone says it, but be persistent and just keep writing. The more you write
the better you’ll get at it.
5. How important are names in your
books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds, or the
meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
Names
usually just come to me because I like the way they sound and then I have to
look them up to see of they fit the era. Nora was always Nora and Kettle was
always Kettle. Frankie was actually Eleanor or Ells for short to start with but
I just didn’t like it after I’d written her character some more.
Some fun
questions
Favorites:
Books/authors/genres
I have
many favourite books. Pinocchio was my favourite childhood novel. I also loved
the Shiver series, The Sea of Tranquility, Me Before You… I could go on and on.
Movies/TV
Shows
I’ll
watch just about anything but I tend to like comedies more at the moment.
Loving The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine Nine and Undateable at the moment. Old
faves include, Scrubs, The X Files and The O.C.
Music
I’m a Hip
Hop fan. Some of my favourite artists are Common, Jurassic Five, Hilltop Hoods
and Lupe Fiasco. But I also love the folky stuff like Jose Gonzalez and Paul
Simon. Plus I have a soft spot for musical soundtracks like Wicked and Les Mis.
Food/writing
snack
Chips!
Social
Media Site
Instagram
Author Bio:
Lauren Nicolle Taylor lives in the lush Adelaide Hills. The daughter of a Malaysian nuclear physicist and an Australian scientist, she was expected to follow a science career path, attending Adelaide University and completing a Health Science degree with Honours in obstetrics and gynaecology.
She then worked in health research for a short time before having her first child. Due to their extensive health issues, Lauren spent her twenties as a full-time mother/carer to her three children. When her family life settled down, she turned to writing.
She is a 2014 Kindle Book Awards Semi-finalist and a USA Best Book Awards Finalist.
Author links:
http://www.laurennicolletaylor.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7201181.Lauren_Nicolle_Taylor
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandSeries
https://twitter.com/LaurenNicolleT
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL) - Ends March 10th
- Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thanks for being on the tour, Lisa! 🙂
No problem, sorry about messing up on the date though!
I am SUCH a fan of Lauren's books. Have you read Nora & Kettle yet? It's fantastic! As is The Woodlands series that she mentioned above- it's one of the things that got me into blogging, actually! I had fallen in love, and wanted a good spot to shout about it- and other books that I loved, but The Woodlands series was really the first I'd featured! And Nora & Kettle was just so amazing. Great interview!
I have not read it yet. Although it sounds really good! I didn't realize she was as popular as you're saying. If she got you into blogging, then I will have to make sure I read this soon! Thanks so much for stopping by!
I haven't read any of this author's books yet. This book has been on my to-read list since I first heard about it. Now that it's out, I can't wait to move it to my "read" list!
I haven't yet either. But this one sounds really good! Thanks for visiting!
This retelling seems very interesting. I liked reading about the author's writing process. If I were a writer, I imagine my process would also "[look] like the inside of my brain: A total mess." 🙂
@dino0726 from
FictionZeal – Impartial, Straightforward Fiction Book Reviews
I thought it sounded like an interesting way to retell Peter Pan as well. I always love hearing how the authors write, that's why I ask those questions. Thanks for stopping by!
I'm really excited about this book. Not a lot of people have read it, but it has some great review so far!
That's what I'm seeing as well! Thanks for visiting!
I LOVE retellings of classics and fairytales!
Same here! They are kind of a new genre in my opinion, and a good one! Thanks for stopping by!