Stitch By: Samantha Durante *Interview, Review & Giveaway*

Hi everyone! Thank you for stopping by! I'm so happy to have Author Samantha Durante on my Blog today! She has had one great Blog Tour for her Debut Novel: Stitch, and just click on the Tour Banner above, so you can check out Wonderful Tour Stops! Here, you will read an Interview I had with Samantha, my Review, and you will see an E-Book Giveaway, where you have the chance to win 1 E-Book Copy of Stitch! 

Book Description 

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results. 

Author Interview With Samantha Durante

*Just want to mention, I loved all your answers, especially about your advice for aspiring writers! :) *

- Tell us a little about you : )

SD: First off, I’m so thrilled to be here today as part of the Stitch Blog Tour – thanks so much for hosting!  I live in New York with my husband, Sudeep, and our cat, Gio, and Stitch is actually my first book, so I’m super excited to share it with readers!

- What inspired you to write Stitch?

SD: I wanted to write something that I would LOVE to read, so I set out to take all the things I loved from other books – dystopian worlds, paranormal romance, kick-ass female characters, and shocking twists – and put them all into one book to see what I could come up with!

- How long did it take to write?

SD: I wrote the first draft in about 3 months over the course of last winter, then I revised it in the spring and figured out all the formatting and marketing and cover design (I’m self-published, so I did it all myself!) over the summer.  Stitch was published on August 1st!

- Which characters (s) was the most fun writing?

SD: Ooh, I only got a taste of it so far (in the epilogue/sneak peek for the sequel) but definitely the bad guys.  They’re just so horrible – it’s very fun to try to figure out what these twisted guys are thinking.

- What do you want readers to get from your story?

SD: I just hope readers get a few hours of enjoyment!  It’s a different kind of story that blends many genres to make a really fun read, with plenty of depth in there for readers who are looking for it!

- Which actors do you see playing the main characters?

 SD: I actually did a guest post on this topic a little earlier in the tour, and I absolutely love the actors I found!  They are: Emmy Rossum for Alessa, Alex Pettyfer for Isaac, Willa Holland for Janie and Robbie Amell for Joe. Check out the photos over at Kindred Dreamhart!

Other Q’s:

- How long have you been writing?

SD: I’ve been writing for fun my whole life, but only I started writing professionally about 2 years ago (doing business writing under my own company), and Stitch is my first published work of fiction.  So I’m pretty new!

- How has the process, of being a Debut Author, been like?

SD: It’s been a whirlwind!  It’s definitely very scary to put your work out there, but I’ve been totally pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic the vast, vast majority of readers have been about Stitch.  It’s been so much fun sharing my book with readers and hearing their reactions!  I’m dying to get started on the sequel so that I can get it to the fans of the first book!

- Where is your favorite place to write?

SD: I do most of my writing right on my couch at home, usually with my cap draped across my lap, haha.

- What are you currently working on now?

SD: Right now I’m mainly working on promoting Stitch and trying to get it in front of readers who might like it.  My husband and I were also just married in September, and we bought our first home a couple weeks after, so we’re working on fixing it up now before we move in!  That’s certainly keeping me busy, but as soon as we’re settled in our new place, I plan to start on Shudder (book 2 of the trilogy).

- For aspiring writers, and for those that might decide to become an Indie Author, what is your advice for them?

SD: Don’t worry about trying to come up with a “perfect” idea for your story – just find an idea that gets you excited, even if it’s not totally new and novel, and write it.  If you like it, chances are other people will like it, too.  And remember: you’re probably a lot harder on your work than anyone else will be, so just have confidence and go for it!

- Who are your ultimate favorite Authors?

SD: Jane Austen, J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and Susanne Collins, to name a few.  I love sci-fi/fantasy epics and strong female leads!

- What are your favorite genres to read?

SD: Science fiction and fantasy are definitely my favorites, but I’ll read almost anything with a little romance and an immersive world – historical fiction often does it for me on that front.  :-)

- Are you reading anything now? If not, what was the last book you read?

SD: I just finished a HUGE reading binge on my honeymoon, which was awesome.  The last things I read were Frost by Kate Avery Ellison and its sequel Thorns.  I read them both practically in one sitting!  Next on my list is Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

- What is one film, or a few films, that you are looking forward to see in Theaters?

SD: I missed The Avengers this summer so I’m looking forward to watching that one at home.  In theaters, the movie I’m most anticipating this fall is the last installment of Twilight!  I’m such a twihard, it’s embarrassing.

- What TV Show do you just have to see on a daily basis?

SD: Haha, well I’m usually pretty good at only watching a show once a week (I’m not so into repeats), but the one I’m always most dying to see each week is the Vampire Diaries!  And actually, I guess I watch ABC’s The Chew (a daytime talk show about food and cooking) on an almost daily basis – I feel like such a dork, but sometimes it really feels like sitting there chatting with friends!  I don’t know how they do it.

- What is the location of a favorite place you have visited?

SD: My favorite place I’ve visited was definitely Italy – I really want to go back and spend more time in Tuscany (eating mainly!).

- Since Halloween is coming up already, do you have a favorite tradition in celebrating it, if you do at all? : )

SD: I LOVE Halloween, but I never get to celebrate it enough.  This was actually a trivia question at my wedding and no one believed that it’s my favorite holiday, including my husband!  I guess the fall just tends to be busy for us, so I actually haven’t had an opportunity to really dress up and do something fun since, well, college.  Boo.  But I’m hoping to start a new tradition once we’re settled in our new house and host a demented Christmas party a la Nightmare Before Christmas!  I feel like that would redeem my lack of Halloween spirit the last few years.  :-)

Thank you so much for your time in answering my Qs!! : )

SD: Thank you so much for having me!  So excited for For the Love of Film and Novels to be part of the Stitch tour!

Review

(*Thank you Samantha, for providing a Copy of your Book!*)

Oh my Goodness! This was a very intriguing novel! The story itself was very good, because the first half of it, I was set on it being like a time travel romance, but oh no, there's a wonderful surprise, and I mean, I was surprised when there is something huge revealed that makes Alessa (College Freshman)  question, and finally remember who she is, finds out what a Stitch is, and who the mysterious Isaac is, because at first she thought he was some ghost that used to live decades ago at the sorority house she currently lives at. 

Stitch is a wonderfully written Debut Novel of a promising trilogy. The Author has a lovely writing style that flows really nicely. I for one, liked how this story takes place in a College Setting, or so you think it is at first... But anyway, there were great descriptions of locations as you feel like you are where the characters are at. I also believe the characters were believable and even relatable such as the feelings/emotions that were written on Alessa's end. I simply cannot wait to read more of Alessa and Isaac's story, so Book 2 will definitely be on my TBR List! :)

My Rating: 4/5

I say a Strong PG-13 Rating (Some Language)

About The Author

Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel. Learn more about Samantha atwww.samanthadurante.com.

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