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GIVEAWAY!! Blog Tour: Living in Glass Houses by Zoe McKnight with a guest post by the author
Living in Glass Houses
written by Zoe McKnight
published by Kelli Burgos
find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads
Why did I pick this book: I am participating in the blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)
Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. I read it every free chance I had.
I found it interesting to watch all of the characters. Each of them went through their own issues, problems, joys, etc. A lot of these situations were similar to other characters’ yet everyone passed judgment on the others. The old saying rings true…”those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
I did not like Jonathan. I thought he was a bit of an ass but he was an ass who tried to do the right thing. Elle was strong and confident. I was happy with some of her decisions. Blair needs to be stronger. She doesn’t need Vaughn. Lauryn was clingy. And Vaughn was an ass who, unlike Jonathan, did not try to do the right things.
At first, I thought Living in Glass Houses would be hard to follow because of the changing character focus of each chapter. However, because each chapter was titled with the character’s name, it was easy to follow along. The only confusing part that I found throughout this book was the jumps in time. I would have liked some signal of the amount of time that had passed or a mention or something. Those transitions were hard to follow.
The ending was quite interesting. I cannot wait for the sequel!
Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book.
Will I read it again: I will not but I can’t wait to read the sequel to Living in Glass Houses.
About the book – from Goodreads: Even good people make bad decisions when it comes to affairs of the heart.
Living in Glass Houses is a contemporary story of three friends, all at a crossroads after discovering that sometimes even the best laid plans won’t result in the life you want. It’s about navigating the murky waters of relationships and friendships and having the courage to make those hard, life-altering decisions which mark the difference between existing and living.
Every Free Chance Book Reviews is pleased to welcome Zoe McKnight, author of Living in Glass Houses, to the blog today! Ms. McKnight has written the following guest post about writing a book from different characters’ points of view. Enjoy!
When I started writing Living in Glass Houses, it was my plan to tell the story from only one character’s point of view — Elle. But I found her too level-headed and logical to make for an intriguing story on her own. So, I introduced more characters and felt their stories needed to be told as well.
In order to balance out Elle’s pragmatism, I developed a second character. One with a riveting story line, to which I believed readers would respond strongly. And, they did. The most impassioned feedback has been about Blair. Readers either sympathize with her or hate her.
And because chick-lit (by definition) focuses solely on women, I thought it would be cool to show things from a man’s perspective. Having several close male friends, I’ve learned that they go through a lot of the same relationship woes we do. Only they rarely talk about it. That was the genesis of my third character, Jonathan.
I had a lot of fun dipping in and out of the three character’s heads, but my challenge was in telling enough of their personal stories so that readers could connect with them each. Believe me, there was a lot more I wanted to write, but, for the sake of brevity, I had to limit their back stories. In order to find their individual voices, I created a bio for them each. A detailed story about who they were and not just the surface things like their occupations and hobbies, but also details like their personality quirks, fears, and bad habits. The small things that make people who they are. For instance, I knew Jonathan had a touch of ADD and Blair was perpetually late. Once I felt like I really knew them in my mind, I had a better sense of how they would react under certain circumstances and what drove their decision-making. It also helped as a reference when I came to points where I wasn’t sure which direction to take.
In my next novel, the sequel to Living in Glass Houses, I’m only telling the story of one character, Blair. This will answer a lot of questions readers had after completing the first book. It gives a deeper look into her past, who she is and why she’s such a controversial character.
About the author: Zoe McKnight was born and raised in New York City. When she’s not writing she can be found reading or satisfying her reality show fix. Her two favorite things are eggnog lattes and the love of her neurotic ten-year old cocker spaniel. Living in Glass Houses is her first novel. The sequel, ‘Til Our Lies Do Us Part, will be released later this Fall.
Find Ms. McKnight here: web, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
And now for the GIVEAWAY!!! CLP Blog Tours and Zoe McKnight are offering one lucky winner a copy – either print or ebook – of Living in Glass Houses!! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!
4 Comments
by Samantha
Thanks for being in the tour!
by The Every Free Chance Reader
It was my pleasure! I enjoyed the book!
by Zoe
Thanks for the review!!!
by The Every Free Chance Reader
It was my pleasure, Zoe!