I have gotten the chance to know this author and she is terrific! I am excited to share with you my review of her books and an interview that she so kindly agreed to do for us!
Into the Dark
by Milly Silver
Emily Baxter has seizures that make her
black out. Naturally, her family is concerned about her health, but
her health is not what Emily worries about. She worries about getting
caught by the misery-makers, as she calls them. See, when Emily
blacks out, she doesn't just loose consciousness for a few seconds.
She travels to different worlds. Places that are dark, and damp and
scary. And every one of them has the misery-makers. They are dead and
hollow people that want to torture her. They want to hurt her and she
must stay hidden.
Book 1 of Into the dark is very entertaining. It tells a unique story and is well written. Emily is a
great character. She's made a mistake, but she is working to correct
it. She's started her first year of college and has made fast friends
with Pippa who is taking the same courses as Emily. And a handsome,
yet seemingly unattainable stranger has caught her eye.
I like that this book is technically
four novellas. That makes them quick reads. I'm looking forward to
book 2.
The story continues after Emily's night
out with her new friends. She's getting into a new routine at school
and for some reason she can't stop thinking about the gorgeous guy
that nearly ran her down on her bike. Then when eating lunch with her
friends, she blacks out in the cafe and the gorgeous guy, Henry is
there to catch her. He then whisks her off to a doctor and as they
spend the day together waiting on test results, their attraction to
each other is undeniable. Emily begins to wonder if Henry could be
the key to getting Irene back.
I must admit, in the beginning of part
2 I started to wonder where the story went. It seemed as though the
story was straying form the main plot and becoming all about a love
interest. But then it all come together. Henry is really part of a
team that is doing neurological research. Research that sends him and
his team to parallel universes while in a drug induced sleep state.
This one is really good and this story just keeps getting better. I
can't wait to start the third book and see where the story goes.
Emily and Henry are very happy and
beginning to think they may be in love. And back in the alternate
universe there is a little girl that wants to help Emily find the
person she's lost. Seb is against Henry and Emily being together, but
why? How does it all fit together. Emily needs to get all the answers
in time to save Irene.
Emily is now a full team member of the
G&T sect, but will her relationship with Henry work out? In a
moment of abnormal neediness Emily confronts Henry about his true
feelings for her. She gets the answer she fears most – he only pursued her to get her on the G&T team. Heart broken she runs to
lifelong best friend, Ben. Ben gets dragged into the G&T search
and rescue mission and now Emily has the added stress of having to
save Irene, and keep her loved ones safe. This mission is the most
important thing she has ever done and she fears she won't be able to
make everything come together. Save Irene...keep everyone
safe....save the mysterious little girl....work things out with
Henry....can she do it all?
WOW Does this story come to an exciting
end! All four books were very good reads, but book 4 is AMAZING! You
will love how it all comes together and the ending will leave you
wanting more. I love love love this series!
Milly Silver interview:
PT - Can
you tell us a little bit about yourself?
MS - I
live in Cheshire in the North West of England with my family. I love
dogs and have two Golden Retrievers called Abby and Anna. They sleep
by my feet while I write at my kitchen table. I am passionate about
storytelling, reading and writing. I also LOVE movies. You can’t
beat watching a stunning movie on the big screen. Oh, and I love pink
peonies. Surrounding yourself with beautiful things is one of life’s
joys.
PT - What
was the hardest part of writing Into the Dark??
MS - I
think the hardest part of writing this story was getting through the
months and months of polishing and editing. There are so many
essential stages of writing a novel, and you can’t rush them,
otherwise it shows. So I felt it was a stamina test to keep going
through the ten beta readers reading and giving feedback on it, then
through the rewrites, then me reading through the story hundreds of
times to check for various elements, copy editing, then onto(what you
hope is)the final read through. The thought that kept me going was
“Every little tweak makes the story stronger. It will all be worth
it. So keep going!”
PT - Who
designed the covers?
MS - A
fantastic cover designer, Cory Clubb worked on the INTO THE DARK
series covers. I chose him because he has a lot of experience in book
cover design from working with top ebook authors such as Aaron
Patterson, and he also works with Random House. I gave him a few key
elements that I wanted to achieve, and he came up with several great
ideas. I knew straight away that the chosen design works to hint at
the story elements of action, adventure, and paranormal romance. I
think Cory’s done an excellent job!
PT - Who
is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about
their work?
MS - I
love lots of different authors, depending on my mood! I enjoy J.A.
Redmerski (see below), Janet Evanovich, Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead
was a book that made a big impression on me. I’ve enjoyed Iain
Banks’ work, and Nicholas Sparks’ and Fiona Walker’s romance
novels. I loved Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong. There are too many to
list! I’m pretty open to any new authors and books.
PT - What
book are you reading now?
MS - I’ve
just finished reading The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski. Wow! Such
a well-told, emotional story. I loved it. Love the characters. Cried
at the letter at the end! I thought it was very inspiring writing and
J.A. Redmerski deserves every success.
PT - What
inspired you to write your first book?
Ms - In
2010, I was fascinated by states of consciousness, by gifted people
who are not neuro-typical, and I was reading 130 novels per year
(mostly YA). So the idea of Emily’s story came out of everything
swimming around my brain at that time. I was at home, just doing the
usual mummy things, when bits of dialogue and scenes began to pop up.
I bought myself a notebook and started jotting ideas down. Quickly,
before they evaporated.
PT - How
did you come up with the title Into the Dark and Hotter than Hot?
MS - I
often think of my titles early on while I’m laying down the first
draft. Titles come to me when I’m going about my everyday life.
They reflect some key element of the story, and hint at what’s to
come! I also want them to hint at the style and genre of the story.
So INTO THE DARK hints at Emily’s black outs, the way she has to
constantly push forward in her life despite being in the dark about
what is going on, and how there’s a dark side to life.
HOTTER
THAN HOT is COMPLETELY different! Lol. It’s a light, fast,
feel-good read to make you laugh out loud! It’s sexy without being
erotica. It’s more about the hot guy and what a great distraction
it is to have that in life!
PT - Do
you have a specific writing style?
MS - At
this stage in my writing, I’m deliberately trying out different
styles, genres and subject matter. I want to push myself and my
writing to see what I can do. I’m still learning (I doubt that will
ever stop!), and so that freedom is important. I wrote INTO THE DARK
because I wanted to see what I could do with a YA angsty, action,
adventure story with a paranormal romance thread. HOTTER THAN HOT has
tested me to see what I can do with writing comedy and romance. Next,
I want to write a NA romance story. Nicholas Sparks and J.A.
Redmerski have inspired me!
PT - Do
you have a day job as well?
MS - I’m
a full time author and I love it! I rush around doing the school run
and all the normal mummy things each day, then I get down to
connecting with readers and writing my next story.
PT - Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
MS - Yes!
INTO THE DARK’s message is that everyone has challenges in life.
You have to put your big girl pants on and push on through. And in
time, you grow stronger and your unique gifts emerge to help you.
People come into your life when you need them, and they support you
as well.
PT - Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
MS - Yes!
I want to say a big ‘thank you!’ to all my readers. You are a
lovely bunch of people. Everyone I’ve met has been wonderfully
supportive – readers, book reviewers, bloggers, fans, FB friends,
Goodreads friends, Amazon reviewers – Each and every one of you has
contributed to the success of INTO THE DARK. Indie authors owe their
success to faithful and proactive readers. Please take a bow! You are
stars! xx
About the Author:
Milly Silver is the British author of
the Young Adult paranormal romance series INTO THE DARK #1-4, and a
brand-new New Adult romantic comedy, HOTTER THAN HOT due for release
in 2013.
Milly Silver lives with her family in
Cheshire, in the UK. Silver is currently writing her next series, and
eating her own body weight in KitKat Chunkies.
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Excerpt:
