A Part To Play by Jennifer L. Fry Review and Giveaway

Thank you for stopping at my spot on A Part to Play. This Virtual Book Tour is brought to you by Goddess Fish Promotions. I will provide you with a synopsis of the book, review, and a small bio from Jennifer L. Fry Visit the other blogs on this Book Tour to learn more about this book.

 

Synopsis: 

When fifteen-year-old actress Lucy Carter loses her older sister in a car accident, her mother shuts down and her father can’t hold the family together. Their only choice is to ship Lucy off to the Edmond School for Performing Arts. But boarding school is no cure for Lucy’s grief. With failing grades, wooden stage performances, and curfew violations, Lucy is threatened with expulsion. For the once talented Lucy, it feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

One night, Lucy hears mysterious music drifting through the school’s old heating system. The music leads her to a troubled but passionate songwriter whose brilliance gives her the strength to perform like never before. Yet their intense relationship puts Lucy in a precarious position: if she follows her muse, will she lose herself? And if she breaks it off, can she stand on her own again?

Excerpt:

As Lucy sat down in the graveyard against an aging oak tree, she caught her breath and thought of all the ways Kate had helped her to be stronger. She thought of how hard her sister pushed her to go to ESPA because Kate believed in her so much. Lucy knew she'd disappointed her sister when she decided not to go to the school. She told herself it was because it was too expensive for her parents and she would miss her friends and family too much to go, but deep down, she knew it was because she was afraid that she wasn't talented enough and she would embarrass herself and her parents.

Imagining her life going forward without Kate, all she could see was a vast emptiness ahead. A throbbing pain started in her head, her stomach, everywhere all at once. Lucy hugged her knees to her chest and let the tears come as hard and fast as possible. She stamped her feet and pounded her fists into the moist dirt at the base of the tree. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

Her life came down to a before and after. Before accident, the bright world full of laughter, and after accident, the muted world through fogged up glass. Just when the glass started to clear up, something reminded her of all that she'd lost.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jennifer L. Fry is a writer, artist, and teacher in Marin County, California, where she lives with her wonderful husband, two adorable dogs, and orange tabby cat. Though she has been writing since she was young, A PART TO PLAY is her first novel.

LINKS:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-L-Fry/394827827250769

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/frygurl

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/JenniferLFry

Amazon Author Page:

amazon.com/author/jenniferlfry

Author Website:

http://www.jenniferlfry.com/home/

Buy the print book from publisher:

http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAYPOD

Buy the ebook from publisher:

http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=APARTTOPLAY

Interview With Jennifer:

What inspired you to become a writer?

According to my parents, I've been telling stories since I was old enough to talk, and writing stories since I learned to put pencil to paper. Writing is very much a part of who I am and how I experience the world, so I would say I have always had an innate passion for writing.

Any other works in progress?

I'm working on several ideas at the moment, but nothing concrete enough to share just yet. I am playing with the idea of writing a book that follows the male lead character in A Part to Play because I feel his story isn't over yet.

What advice would you give someone who wants to write a book?

There really is no better advice than this: if you want to write, then write. Tell a story that inspires you, not what you think people want to hear. And be prepared that no matter how great a writer you are, there will always be readers who don't understand or like your work. Every time I receive a negative review, I remind myself that even my favorite writers, some of whom are bestsellers and award winners, receive one-star reviews. And that's okay – it doesn't devalue you as a writer or as a person.

What is your favorite city to visit and why?

I haven't been yet, but I expect Paris to be my favorite city. The art, the culture, the history, the food – I think I will love every little secret nook and beautiful monument the city has to offer. I'd love to spend at least a couple of weeks living as locals do by exchanging my home in Northern California for their Parisienne apartment.

Any other hidden talents?

Many people don't know that I designed my own book cover for A Part to Play. As a professional graphic designer, I had a very specific idea of how I wanted the cover to look, and what I wanted it to symbolize, so I worked hard to make that happen. In the same vein, I created my own book trailer with the help of my husband, who is a professional 3D computer graphics artist. Art and design are as much a part of me as writing is – all just forms of creative self expression.

Review: 

I really liked A Part To Play. It was an easy to read interesting book.  I think that it is a book that anyone would like to read.

Lucy's older sister was killed in a car crash and her family is having a hard time dealing with the lose.  Lucy's parents decide it would be best to send Lucy off to a boarding school.  Her father gives the school a donation so that Lucy can start mid school year.  The school is actually specializes in the theater which Lucy is very interested in.  During the first few weeks Lucy can hardly make it through the day, she is in a fog.  Her work suffers, and she is put on probation.

One night Lucy can not sleep and she hears music coming through the heating vent.  She follows the music through the basement of the school and she finds Chris.  He seems to help her out of her funk.  You will need to read what happens next. Does Lucy continue at the school? Does she fall in love with Chris? Does her family make through there lose?

Giveaway:

Jennifer will award 2 of each 8x10 autographed print of an original illustration of one of her characters to randomly drawn commenters on the tour, and a grand prize of an 11x17 autographed set of all three main characters in the book. (US/Canada only) 

 
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Stop by these other tour stops for more information on A Part To Play .

November 19:  Books in the Hall
November 20:  Andi's Young Adult Books
November 21:  Long and Short Reviews: YA
November 22:  The Masquerade Crew
November 23:  Journey of a Bookseller
November 26:  For the Love Of Film And Novels
November 27:  TaraLenWalker
November 28:  Let's Get BOOKED!
November 29:  Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
November 30:  Books à la Mode
December 3:  Kaisy Daisy's Corner
December 4:  Musings From An Addicted Reader
December 5:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
December 6:  My Devotional Thoughts
December 7:  Books and Other Spells
December 10:  Sandra's Blog
December 11:  Diane Vanaskie Mulligan
December 12:  Bodice Ripper Novels
December 13:  My Reading Obsession
December 14:  Reviewing Shelf
December 14:  STOP 2  Loose the Hounds 


I received a Copy of this book from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for the review, and the review is honest and my responsibility.