Books · interviews

Interview With Book Author Jason Price

Interview With Book Author Jason Price

Hello all,

I had the pleasure to do an interview with Jason Price, the author of “Pleasant Grove”. I read this book recently and I really enjoyed it! It is the perfect adventurous book to read during winter. You can read my review by clicking HERE. Get to know Jason Price better and find out more about his reading and writing preferences and his favourite books.

Who is Jason Price?

I’m a husband and father. I’ve worked in movie publicity for almost 20 years, which, I suppose, tells you the most about me as an author: my lifelong love of movies and storytelling.  

Tell us a little bit more about your book – “Pleasant Grove”.

In many ways, it was movies – particularly those I watched as an adolescent – that most informed the writing of Pleasant Grove. I wrote the novel for my daughters, who are both in grade school now, and approaching the same age when I first discovered movies like The Goonies, and E.T. and TV shows like The Twilight Zone. I wanted them to read a novel that captured the same spirit of wonder and adventure that Steven Spielberg’s Amblin films captured for my generation. Pleasant Grove is the story of a 12-year-old girl named Agnes Goodwin, who lives in an idyllic small town with one peculiar feature: It’s enclosed by a glass dome. But that all changes the day Agnes discovers a strange boy from the outside. The hook was to take a small town and drop it in the middle of a sci-fi story – a story built around a single mystery: What’s outside the dome? I grew up in the suburbs, so I pulled from those experiences as well. The kids’ adventure becomes an exploration of what it means to leave a hometown – what’s gained…and what’s lost.

Interview With Book Author Jason Price

What was your favourite moment when writing “Pleasant Grove”?

My favorite moments are when a character says something, or acts in a way, that’s contrary to my outline. It happened multiple times during the writing of Pleasant Grove, despite my best-laid plans. That’s always exciting, because if I can surprise myself then there’s a good chance it will surprise the reader too.

Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

Agnes. She’s curious and likes asking questions…which puts her at odds with the adults in the town, who hold the secrets of Pleasant Grove and aren’t too keen on spilling the beans. But Agnes’s quest for knowledge knows no bounds. I hope readers of all ages can identify with her. I wanted to ground the extraordinary in the ordinary. My favorite sci-fi stories would still resonate without the supernatural element, because as much care is given to the ordinary as the extraordinary.  

How long does it take to write a book?

Pleasant Grove took me a little over 2 years, from rough draft to published copy. But the truth is, a book takes as long as it takes. There were months of brainstorming before I began writing. Stories are an accumulation of life experiences, so perhaps the more accurate answer is a lifetime.  

How do you deal with a writer’s block? 

Some days the writing is easy; some days it’s hard. I outline before I start writing, which gives me a blueprint. Inevitably, the characters and story will take the lead, but the blueprint helps mitigate any potential writer’s block. I also find it useful to end the writing day when I know what happens next, so when I sit down again, I have the benefit of a head start. 

What is the most challenging part when writing a book? 

I can only speak for myself here. The way I see it, there are 3 major steps to writing a book: brainstorming, first draft, editing. None are easy, but all hold their pleasures. I find brainstorming to be the most difficult. It’s the foundation. Building a foundation is grunt work; it’s exhausting, and your hands get dirty. But a good foundation – a house with good bones – will see you through; so in that sense, it’s also the most rewarding. 

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A screenwriter. This started in high school when I began writing screenplays. I also wrote stage plays and had a couple works performed at the Alley Theatre and Stages Theatre in Houston. But there’s a certain creative freedom to the long-form narrative that appeals to me now, namely that the work is complete when I type “The End.” It’s not dependent on funding, or performance, only a willing reader.

What kind of books do you like to read in your spare time? 

At the moment, I’m coming off a deep dive into Stephen King and Richard Matheson. I like genre books that transcend their genre.

When you are not writing, what keeps you busy in life? What are your hobbies? 

When I’m not reading or writing, I’m on the hunt for my next favorite movie or album. Outside of a great book, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as watching a great movie, or listening to a great album, for the first time. 

What is your favorite book, author or quote? 

I’ll take a crack at all three. I’ll pick the first book to really blow my mind, and that’s 1984. Over any other author, give me Stephen King at his best. My favorite quote comes from King: “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.” 

What are you planning next for us, readers?

This is going to sound like a dodge, but I like to keep ideas close to the vest. Many of my closest friends didn’t know about Pleasant Grove until it was published.

Get your copy of Pleasant Grove here. And don’t forget to follow Jason Price on Goodreads as well.

Thank you so much for this lovely interview, Jason! I wish you all the luck and success in the future. 

It was a pleasure. Many thanks Ivana!

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Books · interviews

Book Author Interview – Matthew Moss

Author Interview Matthew Moss After the Last Battle blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference book books

Hello all,

I had the pleasure to do an interview with Matthew Moss, the author of “After The Last Battle”. Get to know Matthew Moss better and find out more about his reading and writing preferences and his favourite books.

Who is Matthew Moss?

I’m a twenty-three year old author with one book published so far. My future plans are to hopefully publish the sequel to my first book, “After The Last Battle”, within the next year.

Tell us a little bit more about your most recent book – “After The Last Battle”.

The inspiration for “After The Last Battle” actually came from a song that got me thinking about a story in which angels were extinct or nearly extinct. I also toyed with the idea of a world in which the good guys didn’t prevail. A story which focused around the victory of the bad guys intrigued me and fit well with the concept of no angels, so I went with it. In the book, Telarious sets out with an angel in hiding to try to use his newfound abilities to help those he can. Little does he know, that very quest will get him into something deeper than he ever expected.

How do you deal with a writer’s block?

I don’t know that I’ve ever reached a point where I just can’t think of any ideas. Instead, I have the most trouble selecting which ideas are best. Trying to sift through all the possibilities to select the few options for the next scene that fit the scene’s mood, serve the purpose in the story that I want them too, and fit the characters involved is the hardest part. And, my advice for that, is just to sit down and work at it. Eventually, something will come to you that just works.

What is the most interesting thing about being an author?

One of the most interesting things I’ve found that comes with being an author is all the random bits of research. I knew there would be a lot of research involved with writing a book, but I didn’t realize just how many random, odd things I might need to Google. For example, I was helping another author with a question for their book and I had to research whether or not a human body would float in pickle relish. In case you’re wondering, it will.

What is the most challenging part when writing a book?

Details. Details can make or break a story and the reader’s immersion, so keeping everything lined up from one POV to another is difficult but necessary. While the big details might be the most important to keep straight, it’s the small things that are easy to miss. It’s not uncommon that I come to a scene and I have to stop and think, Wait, did I describe this building in the last book as wood or stone?

How long does it take to write a book?

My first book took me about a year to complete from conception to writing the last word. It took a few more months of editing and other finishing touches before it was worthy of publishing.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I actually wanted to grow up to be a Marine and graphic designer. While I always had an interest in stories, it wasn’t until much later that I decided I wanted to be a full-time writer.

What kind of books do you like to read in your spare time?

My preference is definitely fantasy and sci-fi, but I’m not afraid to venture out if the book catches my eye.

When you are not writing, what keeps you busy in life? What are your hobbies?

When not writing, I’m usually at work or playing video games. And, when playing video games, I’m usually kicking myself for not writing.

What is your favorite book, author or quote?

This is a tough one. I really like the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, but it’s hard to say if it’s my favorite series of all time. There are a LOT of good books out there.

Where can we find your content and follow your future steps?

Thank you to Diary of a Difference for the chance to talk a little about my book. Also, thank you to everyone who has helped support a new author’s journey into the literary world.

I’m by far most active on Facebook at FantasticalFiction, but I can also be found on Instagram as @the_american_writer. You can join my mailing list on my website at https://www.fantastical-fiction.com/. On my website, you’ll also find links to all of my other social media and my contact email, as well as the trailers for After The Last Battle. Finally, while still a work-in-progress, you can check out my World Anvil page to get a deeper look into the world, characters, and lore of After The Last Battle at https://www.worldanvil.com/w/after-the-last-battle-fantastical-fiction.

Thank you so much for this lovely interview, Matthew! I wish you all the luck and success in the future.

Purchase Links for “After the Last Battle” by Matthew Moss:
Amazon UK | Amazon US |

Author Interview Matthew Moss After the Last Battle blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference book books

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Books · interviews

Book Author Interview – Katie Lowe

author interview katie lowe the furies uk harpercollins hq writer diaryofdifference book books blog blogging wordpress

Hello All!

I have the pleasure to give to you an exclusive interview with KATIE LOWE, the author of The Furies, a book which I love and cherish!

Katie Lowe is a writer living in Worcester, UK. Her debut novel, The Furies has been published by Harperfiction (UK) this May. I have the pleasure to have this amazing short e-interview with Katie, while we discuss who she is, what inspired her to become an author and find out more about her first book.

Who is Katie Lowe?

Well, at the moment, first and foremost, I’m a novelist – spending almost all of my time working on my second book. I’m also about to start my PhD in literature – on the subject of female rage in literary modernism, and contemporary women’s writing – so I’d also say I’m an avid reader!

I live in Worcester, in a lovely little house with my sister, who’s an incredibly talented musician… So I consider myself to be a pretty lucky person, all things considered.

What inspired you to become a writer?

I think in one way or another it’s what I’ve always wanted to be – there’s a photo of on my eighth birthday in front of the typewriter I’d begged my parents for, because even back then, apparently, I took myself very seriously as a writer!

With that said, I always thought I’d write non-fiction – so for a long time, my great dream was to become an academic, or a journalist. It was only when my agent suggested I try my hand at fiction that I even considered I might be able to do it – and even then, I had to work at it for a good four or five years before I figured out how, exactly, fiction works… And that I could have a lot of fun doing it.

What particularly inspired you to write ‘’The Furies’’?


I knew I wanted to write a book about young women – particularly teenage girls – because I remember that period of my own life as being pretty emotionally intense, and full of potential. And the idea of witchcraft as a form of rebellion seemed to me too interesting not to write about. I find it a really powerful idea, personally, to have this history of (often forgotten) women who’ve positioned themselves as outsiders, even in the face of truly terrifying consequences… So I wanted The Furies to, in some way, explore that.

What message do you want to give to your readers through ‘’The Furies’’?

I don’t think there are any characters in the book that are particularly aspirational, or who’d serve in any way as role models – so I’m not sure it’s got an enormously positive message, in that respect. But what I’d love for it to do is to show that women – even, and especially, young women – have real agency, and power, and that they only have to believe in their own ability to harness it to make incredible things happen… Though whether that’s a good thing for the girls in this book, I’ll let your readers decide!

How do you deal with a writer’s block?

To be honest, I’ve never really found writer’s block to be a huge issue – partly because, up until quite literally the last month, I’ve always had to find time to write outside of work, using free minutes here and there… So each time I’ve sat down at my desk, I’ve been desperate to get going.

However, I’ve definitely found myself stuck on plot points, or other technical issues, while writing before – and for me, the best way to keep going is to go and do something else. So, for instance, if I’m stuck on how to move the plot forward, I’ll go back to another part of the book and focus on the description, the dialogue, or something else, and polish it up – and usually while I’m working on that, something will click with the bigger issue, so I can pick up where I left off.

What is the most challenging part when writing a book?


For me, it’s definitely plot. I so admire writers who can put together a really gripping, twisty plot – and it’s what I wanted to learn how to do with The Furies (though I’ll let you decide whether I’ve succeeded!) Writing flowery descriptions and spending time in character’s heads – that, for me, is all a joy – but the mechanics of getting a story from beginning to end in a way that’s believable, and yet unexpected… It’s definitely the biggest challenge, for me – and yet also the most satisfying thing to get right.

What kind of books do you want to read?


Given my PhD topic, this might be a fairly predictable answer – but I love books with complex, angry women – ideally who aren’t particularly likeable, either. I don’t know what that says about me, as a person, but… Here we are.

I also love books that give me an insight into a world, or a situation, that I know nothing about. I think there’s nothing better than closing the last page of a book and feeling like you truly experienced something you’d never have had the opportunity to, otherwise.

What was your favourite read in 2018?

A book that I absolutely adored – by which I mean, kept bringing up in conversation, without any context, and forcing it into the hands of almost-strangers – was Suicide Club by Rachel Heng. It’s an incredibly well-written book, with a brilliant premise – but it’s also deeply bittersweet, and asks a lot of questions about how, and why, we should want to live. I loved it.

Thank you for your time, Katie! It was a pleasure.

If you want to read my thoughts about The Furies, click here.

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble |

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Books

Blood Moon: Part 1 – S. Yurvati [BOOK REVIEW]

blood moon part 1 s yurvati book blog book review blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★

A beautiful writing, but a confusing adventure, mixed with Out-Of-Earth creatures that don’t really appear until the end of the book, a very disturbing plot, however, a very promising ending as well. I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but it did leave me curious to read the next one.

It is hard to put this book in a certain genre, as it’s quite diverse and quite specific in places. If this is the first time you encounter the book, please don’t read the synopsis. It is not accurate, and nothing that is placed there actually happens in this book.

It is important to mention straight ahead, that this book contains sexual abuse, assault, anxiety, panic attacks, various fears and paranoia and explicit contents.

We have Candy Cane, a woman with a weird name, who keeps telling us her name is weird. I found her slightly annoying, to be honest. She is one of those people that want to not be known about certain thing (in this case, she doesn’t want people to notice her name), but at the same time she keeps talking about it, and telling us how much she hates her name. After a couple times, it gets unbearable.

Nevertheless, her father passes away, leaves her an apartment, but he also leaves the house to his young new wife (now widow) and her extremely thick son.

We spend about half of the book reading about their daily ongoings, and only a few things happen worth noticing, but not really quite related to the story. But even still, the writing is beautiful and witty, and kept me going, even though it was slow-paced at times. Even though nothing really happened for a while, I still enjoyed reading it. 

While Candy Cane and her step-mother Cherry Ann (I am not kidding, her name is Cherry Ann) don’t quite get along, but don’t argue either, they both go through a phase of grief and self-assessment in their lives. Candy Cane is an aspiring artist, but she has suffered a traumatic experience in the past and tries to cope with this on a daily basis.

On the other hand, we have Cherry Ann, who doesn’t really have a phase of grief. She wants men, and she does meet one, who doesn’t seem to be who she appears to be. He is willing to take her to an unpleasant journey and she is not even aware for it.

The very same man, seems to be out of this world, and keeps trying to find a missing object that belongs to him from a long time ago. He asks Candy Cane to do a portrait for him, while he dates Cherry Ann, but he wants to harm Candy as soon as he gets the chance.

Before we see any really meaningful action happening, the book is about to end. Very confusing and slow paced, with unnecessary characters and points of view – I have to mention that there were a few chapters where the house cat has her own point of view. I still don’t know how I feel about that, but I think I am slowly coping…

The ending though, was quite promising and left me wanting to read the next book, which I have on my shelves already. I will be reading it soon, and I really hope it is better than this one. I am a bit sad that I didn’t enjoy this one, but hopeful for the second book.

A huge thank you to the publisher, Book Publicity Services, who sent me a paperback copy of Blood Moon Part 1 by S. Yurvati in exchange for an honest review.  

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Books · Down The TBR Hole Tag

Down The TBR Hole #13

down the tbr hole book books blog diary of difference

Hello again. The first Down the TBR Hole post for this year – I am so excited to see what progress I will make in 2019.

Credit for this tag goes to Lost in a Story.

How it works:

❤ Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ Order on ascending date added.
❤ Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ Decide: keep it or should it go

flower-divider-flower-dividers-clip-art-flowers-line-divider-stock-vector-illustration-of-elegant

Here’s the next patch:

down the tbr hole book books book review blog diary of difference downthetbrhole

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzy

I haven’t heard about this book, and I don’t know what it’s doing on my TBR honestly.

Verdict:  REMOVE ✖

Sandstorm (Sigma Force, #1) by James Rollins

I have heard mixed reviews about this one, and usually it’s either a 1 star or a 5 star. Not sure what to do with it.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey, #6) by Dorothy L. Sayers

It’s book number 6 in a series, and I haven’t read the previous one. But I have added the first book of the series on my TBR instead.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

Walk on Earth a Stranger(The Gold Seer Trilogy, #1) by Rae Carson

I have heard so many great things about this book, but some of my friends really trashed it, so I am not sure what to do. I will keep it for now, and hopefully will come back to it later in the new year.

Verdict: KEEP ☑  

Obsession (Talisman, #1) by Sofia Grey

Interesting plot, but I am not sure if this is the right genre for me at the moment.

Verdict:  REMOVE ✖

Love’s Prophecy (Prophecy, #1) by Brenda Dyer

A paranormal vampire fantasy book? GIVE IT TO ME! I haven’t heard about this book or author before, and I am not sure when/how this ended on my TBR, but the synopsis is so intriguing, I want to read this book so bad!

Verdict: KEEP ☑  

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

I have a thing for lighthouses. It’s true. And I still don’t know how I haven’t picked this book up yet.

Verdict: KEEP  ☑ 

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

A hard book to read, and I am not sure if I want to dive into it.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1) by Susan Dennard

With too many witch books right now, this one seems to have so many bad reviews. I will pass on for now.

Verdict:  ☑ REMOVE ✖

Currawong Creek by Jennifer Scoular

Um, who are you and how did you end up on my TBR?

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

flower-divider-flower-dividers-clip-art-flowers-line-divider-stock-vector-illustration-of-elegant

I managed to remove 7 this time. My TBR is looking happier already!

Let me know if you have read any of these, and if you want me to keep or remove any of these books from my list! I look forward to see what you think!

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