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Bel:

 

Cover

I adore the cover art. Black, white and almost cerulean blue. Feathers, scrolling and embossing wrap their way from front to back. Then there is my weakness at the moment, foiling. This all comes together to make a charming and understated, yet relevant cover design.

Characters

It never ceases to amaze me that teens the world over all tend to do the same things. The characters in Hidden are Aussie, but you wouldn’t really pick it.

Favourite

Amber is someone I’d love as a friend of my very own. Fiercely protective, constantly loyal and sweet as pie.

Least Favourite

Adam. Ugh!

Beginning

Ebony knows she’s extremely strong and begins looking for answers.

Storyline

She meets Jordan and all hell breaks lose.

Ending

A great ending that screams for a second book.

Thoughts

I’m proud to say this beautiful story was written by an Aussie about Australia, though you wouldn’t pick it due to the lack of stereotypical markers – shrimp on the barbie, etc. What we do have is a subtle yet moving story about stolen angels in the land down under.

As an added note. Go check out Marianne Curley’s biography. This woman is a true fighter. I’m grateful she’s able to bless us with her beautiful storytelling.

Quote

“Well, Nathaneal Whoever-you-are, I don’t believe you’re telling me the truth because firstly, my name is not Ebrielle. You seem to have trouble remembering that. You won’t tell me your name, and the things you say are creepy.” Ebony.

 

Krista:

 

 

Cover

I love the smooth feel of the US cover, along with the pretty whirly designs. But I thought it weird that they cover her eyes, as it’s explained in the book that she has violet eyes that stand out. I think it would have made the cover pop. But by covering her eyes, it goes along with the “hidden” theme of the book.

Characters

I noticed that all of the characters have something in common. They all have protection as their main goal. The story is told from both Ebony and Jordan’s perspectives, which I enjoyed.

Favourite

Amber, she is Ebony’s best friend. I admired the way Amber was so dedicated and was able to help Ebony through her troubles, whether she agreed with what she was doing or not. Their friendship was one that everybody wishes they had.

Least Favourite

Adam, which is kind of predictable answer because he’s the bad guy. But there was something about his demeanor when we are first introduced to him that just got under my skin. Pretty sure we are meant to hate him from page 1.

Beginning

Ebony and Jordan meet outside a dance club. Ebony comes off as being klutzy and Jordan a bad boy. But as we get to know them, we learn that Ebony she is a very protected girl who loves to ride horses with her best friend and she sticks to her own group at school. Jordan has been through a lot,  moving from house to house. When he goes to live with the Skinner family, a very unfortunate accident happens. His best friend dies and he gains an enemy in the brother, Adam.

Storyline

During a near death experience, Jordan is visited by angels who promise him a better life if he helps them find Ebrielle, an Angel who was kidnapped at birth.

Ending

A couple of things come to a head at the ending to help lead into the next book in the series. It has great action and suspenseful.

Thoughts

Angel stories have become quite popular in Young Adult books recently and I read through this one in one weekend. It was gripping and had a fun twist to it. I was surprised at some of the events that happen and liked the direction the romance took.

Quote

“Do you believe me, Amber?”

She looks straight into my eyes, ‘Every Word.’

 

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Interview by Belinda Hamilton.

 

 

You’ve been working closely with Lauren M. Galley to create beautifully vivid and fun images for her website, self awareness book, Steps to Success, and merchandising for Girls above Society… Did you learn anything new about your artistic process during the collaboration work?

Oh definitely for Girls Above Society. What Lauren needed was an identity and since she is the face of Girls Above Society, her logo needed to show her and not just a clever symbol. The logo she has now was entirely her idea. She had it in her head – she just needed someone to draw it for her. This was the first opportunity I had to create a character from a person who actually exists, as opposed to a made-up character. Everything about this character needed to represent the spirit of Lauren who is also the spirit of Girls Above Society. Lauren makes it very easy to design for her and I work hard to keep the illustrations fun, confident, loving, silly, and inspiring – just like Lauren and the message she is communicating to all the girls whose lives she touches. Lauren is inspiring and teaches me something every day that reflects in my new work for them. 

I get the feeling that drawing and creating pictures makes you extremely happy. Have you found that having your hobby become your job has taken some of the shine off, or does it allow you to go into your happy place more often than is generally allowed for a job.

I get asked that question a lot but the fact of the matter is that I often feel guilty people even pay me to do this. To create for others is something I consider to be a real blessing. I am so very grateful and humble that I have the opportunity to touch other people through my designs. Sure, I have those days where I am dealing with a tough client, or have a technical headache – but I get to wake up and do what I absolutely love every day, and I know not everyone can say that. 

From looking at your blog lots of your work is quite positive, bright, and inspirational. How do you get through the days when you are just not feeling all that bouncy? Do you draw the darker stuff and keep it hidden away?

Well, for me art is the thing that MAKES me happy. It is the one true therapy that works. Often times, if I am feeling discouraged or upset about something I will illustrate my situation in a funny manner to make me laugh or draw something purely for my own entertainment. And yes, perhaps not all these illustrations see the light of day as they’re mainly for my own enjoyment.  I also listen to a lot of music that helps my mood. Or I just go for a walk and take in the fresh air when I feel a creative lull. It is so important to keep your creative spirit alive and well fed!  I think this goes for anyone – but it is especially important to those who create for a living. 

What drawing of yours burns the brightest and why?

The drawing for Girls Above Society that burns the brightest for me would have to be her signature illustration.  Lauren’s signature phrase is “BU – There’s no one else like it” – which is a message to girls to be themselves and love themselves for who they are because nobody else in the world is like them.  I wanted this drawing to show pure joy and self love. I love the hand drawn look of imperfection. It lends a lot of personality to Lauren’s message. Coupled with the bright, vivid colours, I just smile whenever I see it. And any design that brings me such joy to create is the one that burns the brightest. 

 BIO:

Kayti Welsh is a graphic designer whose focus is identity. Her ability to create & brand has allowed Kayti to visually express a product, cause or identity that is impressive and unique to the eye. Her work has covered books, logos, websites, & non profit activism in the areas of bullying and self confidence. Kayti’s belief in communicating is apparent in her work ethic and finished product. Her passion for the greater good comes from her family’s lifetime dedication to helping others. To learn more about Kayti, visit kaytidesigns.com. She would love to hear from you. You may email her directly at kaytiwelsh@gmail.com.

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Bel says:

 

 

Out with the old… maybe!

This year I’ve been challenging the kiddo to watch some of the old movies that have since been remade, to see what she thought of both versions.

We haven’t gotten through many because, really, who wants to watch stuff that was made before their parents were born?

Film making techniques and the acceptable content levels have changed exponentially in the last 60 years, leaving a whole new world to be experienced from both sides of the coin.

We started with Doctor Dolittle 1967 Vs Eddie Murphie’s 1998 version. The old one is 152 minutes long and the more recent remake lasts only 85 minutes. Seriously? How much content have the younger generations missed… Giant Snails and the Push-Me-Pull-You aren’t very believable, but are a seriously cool thing to have in a crazy movie about a dude who can talk to the animals.

Karate Kid in 1984 was iconic, much loved and highly quoted. It ran for 126 minutes and even if you haven’t seen the classic, you’d still know the lines ‘Wax on, Wax off.” The newer one from 2010 with Jaden Smith actually goes for 140 minutes. We have yet to see the modernisation and I’m a little curious as to what is contained within all that extra time.

Freaky Friday with good ol’ Lindsey Lohan from 2003 far surpasses the 1976 version. The old one ran for 95 minutes whereas the new one was only 2 minutes longer. I’m not sure if it’s the extreme chasm that sat between Mother and Daughter before the switch, or the fact that you can get away with far more in 2003 films that you could in the 70’s.

Alice in Wonderland. To just say the title is to let the mind wander. But are you a fan of the cartoon or Johnny Depp? The 2010 film and the 1951 animation are both epic. The old runs for only 75 minutes whereas the new goes for 108 minutes. It just depends on what your taste is, or your mood. The Lewis Carroll story really lends itself to movie adaptation and I think you’d have to be a complete moron to stuff it up.

One we both agree sucks, no matter the era, is the Herbie franchise. The more modern one “Fully Loaded” stars good ol’ LiLo again, but the old one (pick one there were a bunch) for the sake of this example we’ll go with Herbie the Love Bug, sucked just as much. I’m okay with suspending my grip on reality to follow a young girl through a looking glass, but a VW beetle that splits in half and still works as two separate pieces… puh-lease.

What movie classics would you want to see remade and modernised?

How do you think some of our blockbusters will look in 50 years time?

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It is August… therefore it must be Austen.

I’ve been watching the videos of Misty the Book Rat for what must be almost a year… because I began hearing about an event on her blog called Austen in August, (Which would be Jane in June but yeah life etc) after giving myself the gift of faster Internet. Misty is a darling, and she goes all out for her events. She is a huge Jane Austen fan, and who can blame her?

They’re not classed as classics because they’re rubbish.

BTW Here is your official invitation…

Anyway, as a non-connected post but wanting to promote her event, I wanted to share with you two ways you can enjoy Austen in August if you’re like me, and find the thought of reading a classic novel cover to cover a little daunting (imagine a future where Twilight is considered a classic novel ~shiver~).

I can consume a ridiculous number of hours on YouTube… I’ll bet you can too. Search for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on youtube… Or better yet click on the link here…

Lizzie Bennet

(Please remember to set the videos to oldest to newest so you can go riiiiiight back to the beginning)

This is a modernisation of Pride and Prejudice in vlog format. I kid you not. It runs for 100 episodes (not including the Q&A videos) and you can get the gist of P&P from these bite sized, easy to digest, completely consumable clips. I wanna know where they got the hotties from… Meow!

If being glued to the computer doesn’t grab you then how about DVD’s?

Lost in Austen is another warped spin on P&P in TV Mini Series format from 2008.

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1117666/

Modern day Amanda Price swaps places with Elizabeth Bennet through her bathroom wall. Amanda, who happens to be obsessed with P&P, is a breath of fresh air for the Bennet family, and a kick to the crotch for Mr Darcy… which was quite fun I must say.

If you were lucky like I was to find the special edition packaging of this DVD set, you get your discs in the back of a completely charming teal diary.

Let me know in the comments if there are any other ways you like to consume your Austen in August, or any other month for that matter.

 *Marianne says: you  might want to watch out for this upcoming movie too, produced by none other than Stephenie Myer: 

 

 

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August 30 is Wear it Purple day.

This is the 4^th annual day for raising awareness for the safety and self-worth of the LGBT (or Rainbow) members of our school communities.

 As quoted on their FB Page:

Wear it Purple is a student run, not-for-profit organisation that exists to support young people who identify as sexuality and/or gender diverse (i.e. rainbow).

Wear it Purple seeks to raise awareness about the issues faced by these young people and the need to eradicate bullying based on sexuality and gender diversity. We aim to help create a world that is safe for all young people, within which they are free to learn, grow and belong. Wear it Purple believes that everyone has the right to be proud of who they are, and we aim to empower these young people to be able to.

So I wanted to look at a few ways we can go completely purple, inside and out, in honour of purple day, while making it a bit of fun.

Purple Sushi! Why the heck not. (You can get purple sticky rice from Oxfam or ask your local asian grocery store) Thanks to chinesesouthernbelle for this simple yet effective idea.

 

Purple Nail Art thanks to SimpleLittlePleasures

 

Depending what your school’s stance is on make up, here’s a purple smoky eye shadow look by Lana from VivaGlamLana

 

 Keep the motto for Wear it Purple Day in mind… “You have the right to be proud of who you are.”

For more information on Wear it Purple Day and how to get your school involved go to

http://wearitpurple.org/wear-it-purple-day/

And if you, or someone you know, need to speak to someone here are some phone numbers that may help

Kids Helpline 1800 55 (under 18)

Lifeline 131 114 (over18)

Oh, and we want pictures of how you went Purple on August 30.

Purple Power!!!!!!

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