Character Interview and Giveaway for a Signed Copy of MESMERIZE by Artist Arthur

An Interview With Lindsey Yi

Star of Mesmerize, Book#4 of the Mystyx Series by Artist Arthur

 File Facts

Only child of South Korean parents

“M” birthmark on her right ankle

Has an ongoing compilation of useless facts

power #1 — telepathic (able to read the thoughts and stored information of others)

power #2 — empathic (the ability to share and understand another’s emotions and feelings)

 Lindsey is the daughter of a South Korean diplomat and his adoring wife. As the only child in a very political family Lindsey learned early on how to be personable and charming no matter what her personal circumstances. She’s very intelligent, spending her spare time studying things that others may deem useless but using them in her daily life. As a result, realizing that she could hear the thoughts of others wasn’t so much of a surprise to her. But the horrific train crash that left her parents dead, and her miraculously unscathed, is an anomaly she’s yet to recover from or figure out.

Forced to move to Lincoln with Aurora Hampton, Lindsey is now facing a new town, new friends and an incident that haunts her on a daily basis.

Meeting the Mystyx was no mistake, Lindsey is convinced. There’s a reason she was sent to Lincoln, a reason why the four of them were brought together at this time, in this place, and she’s more than eager to figure that reason out. Until the revelations become too painful and the mind she’s come to pride herself on becomes the very tool that could end the lives of the other Mystyx.

I am the first born and only girl in my family, and six and nine years separate me and my two brothers. Needless to say, I was alone quite a bit. But being alone gave me plenty of time to indulge my imagination in the world of books. One of the first novels I read was a young adult series that traced the lives of two teenagers in high school, Sweet Valley High. Reading those novels I thought I could do better, and so my quest to write entertaining stories began.

Being an introvert, it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to let others read my work. How long? Well, the first person to read a story I wrote was my husband. Since then, I’ve been writing professionally for almost nine years now. But it was my daughter who encouraged me to write a book for teens—just one of the reasons I love her so dearly.

I live in Maryland with my husband and three children. If you take away the opinionated teenagers, family drama, overflowing bookshelves and DVDs, my life is pretty boring. But don’t take those things away, since they’re my inspiration.

I love to hear from readers and can be contacted at yaby…@yahoo.com.

A: What's it like having powers? 
Lindsey: It’s like living a different life, in a different world. You can’t tell anyone, besides the ones who are like you and you definitely can’t go around showing off the power. I feel like I’m two people stuck in one body.


A: What would you change about your power if you could? 
Lindsey: I would definitely add an on/off switch to my powers. It sucks that I’m bombarded with the thoughts of others on a constant and daily basis. Now, I can wear black and it dulls the chatter a bit. It works a lot better if the other person is wearing black as well, then the thoughts are totally blocked. But since nobody knows I have this power anyway, it’s kind of hard to expect them to walk around wearing black all the time. And…I don’t like wearing black all the time. 


A: Explain your power.
Lindsey: It’s intense when the voice in your head isn’t always your own. As I move past a person in the hallway, I hear their thoughts. It’s a constant chatter that goes on and on until I feel like screaming.  


 A: What’s your biggest regret?
Lindsey: Not having my parents around to share all this with.


A: What’s your wish for this holiday season?
Lindsey: To fall in love. I’ve watched Krystal and Jake tiptoe around their feelings until finally falling so deeply in love they often forget Sasha and I are around. And lately, Sasha and Antoine have been wandering in their own little love bubble. So I feel a little left out. I’d like to take the plunge, join the world of couples for a change instead of constantly being the odd one out.


A: Okay, I’m going to say a word and I want you to say the first thing that comes to your mind.

 A:                                                 Lindsey: 
Ice cream                           chocolate
Colors                        blue and yellow
Music                        pop
Soda                                  Sprite
Fruit                              grapes
Cartoons                        SpongeBob

Want to win a signed copy of MESMERIZE ?
Post your responses to these words in the comments and be registered to win a signed copy of Mesmerize. For Extra entries check out my reviews and leave a comment on the review. Tell me in your comment post here if you commented on the reviews. Link next to book titles.

Mystyx

1. Manifest (2010)
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/2010/08/manifest-by-artist-c-arthur.html
2. Mystify (2011)
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/2011/02/mystify-by-artist-arthur-3-12.html
2.5 Mutiny (2011) E-book
3. Mayhem (2011)
4. Mesmerize (Feb 2012)
5. Majestic (Aug 2012)

Manifest by Artist C Arthur

Title: Manifest

Author: Artist C. Arthur

Genre: YA

Rating: * * * 1/2

Publishers Date: Aug 1, 2010

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Kimani

ISBN: 037383196X

FTC Disclosure: PBS

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener - and everything she'd ever want - except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door - Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

I don’t like a book where most of the teen’s angst is due to a parent not telling them the whole story or keeping it from them for the teen’s sake. In fact I don’t like it in an adult book either.  That said, I did enjoy the storyline. It’s nice to see a paranormal that deals with other traits than those of a vamp or shifter.

I didn’t like the character of Krystal in the beginning as she was the “typical” 15 year old, moody, whiny and a brat. However, as she settled more into her new school and made friends with others who had the same mysterious “M” mark on them, it was enlightening to see her come to care about others as they try to solve the mystery of Ricky’s death. I loved seeing her deal with her ability to talk to the dead but was disappointed that she didn’t seem to be inclined to go to her mom or the police about the strange texts she got. She and the other Misfits begin to understand a bit more about their powers as they solve the mystery. I think this new type of paranormal will be a hit with the teens as what teenager hasn’t felt they were a misfit at some time in their life. Can’t wait to read more in this series as I suspect there may be other Misfits who do not use their power for good but for evil purposes.

Misfits

1. Manifest (2010)

Mystify by Artist Arthur 3 1/2 *

Title: Mystify

Author: Artist Arthur

Genre: YA Paranormal

Rating: * * * 1/2

Publishers Date: January 18, 2011

Paperback: 256 pages

ISBN: 0373534310

FTC Disclosure: ARC e-book from Net Galley

Sometimes being an outsider is the best way to fit in…

Sasha Carrington has grown up feeling like an outsider, and her parents are too concerned with scaling the Lincoln, Connecticut, social ladder to even notice her. They’d be really horrified to know about the supernatural abilities Sasha and her friends Krystal and Jake possess. But as part of the Mystyx, Sasha has found her place.

Now her parents have suddenly taken an interest in everything she does, and their timing couldn’t be worse. Sasha’s father wants her to become BFFs with snooty Alyssa Turner, who hates Krystal for stealing her boyfriend. Then there’s Antoine Watson, the boy Sasha has liked forever, the boy her parents would never approve of. But with the dark side getting more dangerous by the day, and the Mystyx’s own powers growing in unexpected ways, Sasha is facing choices that could affect her friends, her love life—and even her destiny…

One of the main things I enjoyed about this book was the main character, Sasha, she was a feisty kick-ass girl who despite pressure from family and so called friends, did not give in to the "I'm rich so therefore I'm better than you" train of thought. She was so much more refreshing than the whiny Krystal. I like that though tested, the friendship of the Mystyxs held firm. When you perceive yourself as "odd" and an outsider, it's comforting to have the unconditional support of friends. While this book did move along the storyline a lot more, I was a bit disappointed in the abrupt ending. Yes, it's a series so there's got to be a cliff hanger, but I guess I've been conditioned by series books to expect at least one bad guy per book to get his just desserts while the storyline moves on to the next character. I was pleased to see that "Mayham", (can't help but have the wonderful Allstate commercials flash through my mind, lol) book 3 centers around Jake and is due out on July 19th (WooHoo! my birthday) so I can't wait to tune back in for my Mystyx fix.

Mystyx

1. Manifest (2010)

2. Mystify (2011)

3. Mayhem (7/19/2011)