Blog Tour & Exclusive Interview & Giveaway: VAIN by Fisher Amelie!

I am so very excited to be participating in this blog tour and spreading the word about this amazing, amazing book! I absolutely adored VAIN and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading it yourself, I will have to insist that you do so ASAP ;-) Seriously, you'll love every bit of it! Check out my review below as well as an exclusive interview with Fisher! Enjoy!

xo Britt

★★★★★

Blurb:

If you’re looking for a story about a good, humble girl, who’s been hurt by someone she thought she could trust, only to find out she’s not as vulnerable as she thought she was and discovers an empowering side of herself that falls in love with the guy who helps her find that self, blah, blah, blah...then you’re gonna’ hate my story.

Because mine is not the story you read every time you bend back the cover of the latest trend novel. It’s not the “I can do anything, now that I’ve found you/I’m misunderstood but one day you’ll find me irresistible because of it” tale. Why? Because, if I was being honest with you, I’m a complete witch. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a friend using, drug abusing, sex addict from Los Angeles. I’m every girlfriend’s worst nightmare and every boy’s fantasy.

I’m Sophie Price...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most envied girl to the girl no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

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Ok, so when I started this book, all I could think was that I could not stand Sophie. I mean, how bratty and obnoxious can someone be? I know that was the point, and yes, I appreciated that for what it was worth, but I couldn't help wanting to smack her every time she went on...and on... and on... about how fabulous and beautiful and important she was.

“Vanity's a debilitating affliction. You’re so absorbed in yourself it’s impossible to love anyone other than oneself, leaving you weak without realization of it. It’s quite sad. You’ve no idea what you’re missing either. You will never know real love and your life will pas you by.”

So then the invincible Sophie Price, queen bee, gets busted for possession-- again-- and is sentenced to six months at an orphanage in Uganda. What a life changing sentence this turns out to be! And this is where I fall in love with this book on a million different levels! The people Sophie meets at this orphanage are just incredible. Karina- love. Charles- love. Mandisa- love, love, love. And Ian- in love! And I can't forget about Pemmy and Spencer (please, oh please let Spencer have his own book one day!) Each and every one of these characters, including all of the children at the orphanage-- who have been through so much in their young lives, but still manage to laugh and love and appreciate life-- brought something amazing to this story and were all so inspiring in their own way.

“And what is there to be joyful about?" I asked honestly, thinking on the images of dead children curled into themselves at the village. Another burst of silent tears streamed down.

"Life, Sophie. They still live. They breathe, they love each other, they find joy in the world around them for no other reason than because they are children. They are resilient. They will always rise above. Always. It is a curious facet of the innocent young.”

In Karina, she finally has the motherly affection that she's been lacking her entire life. And Mandisa is just the sweetest little thing, and has a sweet spot in Sophie's heart. I just loved her. The relationship between Sophie and Ian develops beautifully. It feels natural, not rushed at all. I loved that. He was not impressed with Miss Sophie at first, but as she starts to grow as a person, she grows on him. Finally she has someone in her life to love her for who she is on the inside and that fact is extremely gratifying for her. Even more than that, she soon realizes that SHE needs to love HERSELF, and know that she is worthy of love, and everything else will fall into place. Breakthrough, Sophie Price!

“Men wanted me. They all did, however briefly, but none of them wanted to keep me. That's what I needed. I needed to be owned, loved. BUT NOT BY A MAN. I knew then that I never needed to be kept by a man. What I needed was to love myself, to want to keep myself around. And in that revelation, I knew that if I wanted to keep myself, that a man wanting to keep me would just be a by-product.”

There are books that entertain you, books that make you laugh, books that give you a good cry... And then there are books that inspire you and make you look at the world a little differently. This is one of those books. Each of Sophie's experiences at the orphanage touched my heart. I smiled, I cried, I really didn't want it to end. I could go on and on about how great I think this book is, but I'll just say this-- READ IT. Seriously...now! :) Move it up on your list and read it. You won't be disappointed.

“No one can know sincere happiness, Sophie, without first having known sorrow. One can never appreciate the enormity and rareness of such a fiery bliss without seeing misery, however unfair that may be.”

“I smiled at him and we stood quietly, our hands on one another as if we were both awakening to whatever it was that was surrounding us both then. It was written all over us. There was something practically tangible there, like a ray of sun, warming us through to our souls. You could see it, you could feel it, but you couldn't quite capture it in your hands. That didn't mean it wasn't there though. Oh, it was there and it weighed a thousand precious pounds.”

"You are so gosh damn beautiful in here," he said, tapping my chest, "that what's here," he spoke, running the side of his hand down my face, "is magnified tenfold and that is a sight to behold.”

Interview with Fisher:

First of all, let me say thank you for doing this interview! This is the first author interview ever at Brittany and Bianca Blab books and we're very excited about it! I don't think Bianca has had the pleasure of reading VAIN yet, but I absolutely loved it! And I'm a huge fan of your other books as well!

Well, thank you so much for having me. I’m honored to be your first interview! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Brittany! I hope you like it as well, Bianca!

I've read that you've always loved writing, but really got serious about it after college. What inspired you to write your first book?

I was working as a copywriter. It paid the bills but I found that I absolutely despised writing for other people/corporations. I would write these, what I felt to be, lol, hilarious blogs and I’d publish them. I’d get overwhelming responses. The sites I wrote them for would get hits in the thousands anytime I’d post one but I’d always get these corporate fuddy-duds writing me the next day with The Office “Um, yeah. Did you get that memo?” types of reactions. I’d get these incredible emails telling me that I needed to tone down the funny, to steer the topics toward “ more appropriate subject matter”. They’d always leave me scratching my head. I’d tell them over and over, “No one wants to read a blog about the importance of windshield wipers!” Anyway, I’d write them the way they’d demand them then get emails asking why their hit counts were depleting!!! It was beyond frustrating. I found myself hating writing. I hated it. I dreaded every morning. Finally, I decided enough was enough. I was going to write what I wanted so I wrote my first book. It was bad. It is bad, lol, but I wrote a second one. Then a third. Now a fourth and my ability to write a novel improves with every book. I started making enough to support myself so I quit my day job. I’ve never looked back.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Once the skeleton is done and I’ve mapped out my plot completely; my favorite part is the beginning! The first few words are euphoric.

What do you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process?

The mapping out of the plot. Once I know the gist of a story, I’m pretty impatient to start writing. It’s bursting to come out of me.

My next question was going to be whether or not you outline your stories before you start, of if you just like to start writing and see where the characters take you-- but now we know the answer to that :)

Many authors say that listening to music while they write helps to get their creative juices flowing. Do you find this to be true?

Yes! I cannot write without it.

Of all of the books you have written, which is your favorite so far? Or which did you enjoy researching/writing the most?

VAIN thus far is my absolute favorite, writing and researching. I’m still sort of fantasizing about the characters, which is pretty rare. Once I’m done with a book, I don’t like looking back but Sophie and Ian have really captured my heart.

Which author(s) would you say have inspired you the most and why?

M. Leighton, Courtney Cole, Shelly Crane, Colleen Hoover, Amanda Hocking, Tess Oliver. I could go on but these are in my top ten. Courtney and Michelle are my best friends and their success is so incredibly inspiring. All of their successes and the quality of their work is inspiring to me.

Time to show some author love! Who are your favorites at the moment? I would say to pick your top five, but we all know that's impossible!

At the moment, M. Leighton, Courtney Cole, Colleen Hoover, Shelly Crane, Amanda Hocking, Tess Oliver. (Notice a pattern here?) I also still love myself some Jane Austen. I’m really digging George Orwell again. Oscar Wilde, J.R.R. Tolkien…I could go on and on.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a bit obsessed with Jane Austen, so that's a great choice ;-) But who doesn't love her?! All of the authors you listed were incredible. I know that's always a difficult question to answer, it's so hard to narrow the list down!

What book are you currently reading?

I’m reading all the Harry Potter books again.

Where did the inspiration for VAIN come from?

Three years ago, my hubs and I were sitting on the couch like the lazy gits we are, flipping channels and we stumbled across this interview with Sam Childers, the Machine Gun Preacher. Not many know who he is but the impossibly yummy Gerard Butler portrayed him in the film of the same name. The film was…okay. LOL! Anyway, the interview was nothing short of devastating. It exposed Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army, their deeds and goals and we both walked away from it a little damaged. Immediately after, we decided to give a little money to the organizations opposed to Kony and it appeased our consciences for a little while but the images of these broken and beaten children would stay in my mind. I knew not a lot of America was aware of who Kony was, not even the infamous "KONY 2012" video really put into words or images of just how terrible Kony is. So, last year we began sponsoring a little boy and his family in a dangerous part of Uganda. His story would forever brand itself onto my heart and soul. He is the reason I will forever fight for Kony's capture. He is the reason I focus on Uganda. He is the reason I wrote this book.

This book defintely opened my eyes to some things. Certain parts were definitely difficult to read, but it's great that you're bringing attention to these issues through your writing!

Of all of the characters in VAIN, which is your favorite or which character can you relate to the most?

Pembrook is my favorite. I’d love to walk in his shoes for even a day. He wields so much power but he’s so humble and chooses to be so great. I love him. I modeled him after my own father.

Pembrook was a favorite of mine as well, I really enjoyed his character!

The interactions between Sophie, Ian and the children at the orphanage were so touching. The children really added so much to this story! What made you decide to write about a Ugandan orphanage and what was the research process like?

Kony is what inspired me to write about the orphans in Uganda. The research process was grueling but I learned so much about Uganda that I’m in love with it now. I read three non-fiction books from three very different perspectives to really give myself a complete understanding. I watched film after film after film. Documentary after documentary after documentary. I consider myself an honorary Ugandan now.

VAIN will be part of a series focusing on the seven deadly sins, correct? Book two will be about Spencer, I hear! I can't wait for that one, I really did love Spencer, he deserves to find someone special!

Right! The Seven Deadly Series will be a group of companion novels. Each book will feature a seven deadly sin. VAIN was book one and book two will, as you said, feature Spencer and will be called GREED.

When you started VAIN, did you plan for it to be part of a series?

No, the idea for a series came secondary. I found I didn’t want to stop.

Will any of the other characters from VAIN be making an appearance in book two?

There will be brief mentions of past characters from VAIN but they won’t play large roles. The focus will be on Spencer and his sister in an entirely new location.

Well I know we would all LOVE to read more about Sophie and Ian, but we definitely don't want to take away from Spencer's story! ;-)

Do you have a release date for book two yet?

Unfortunately I don’t. I don’t do well under pressure so I don’t allow myself to work under deadlines. Maybe if I didn’t have small children I could work towards a goal but as it is, I write when I have time and that is usually fickle. I can tell you that I am aiming toward a six month window but I’m not committing to anything.

Are you currently working on any other projects?

Nothing other than GREED!

Again, thank you so much for doing this interview! I'm very excited to be spreading the word about VAIN, it really is an incredible book!

Thank you again! I was so happy to be here!

^ Listen to the VAIN PLAYLIST by clicking above ^

Watch the VAIN TRAILER!

About the Author:

Fisher Amelie is the author of The Leaving Series, Callum& Harper and Thomas & January. She began her writing career as a copywriter for an internet marketing company wherein one of their client's said, 'Hey! You're funny. You should write books'. Which in turn she said, 'Hey, get out of here! This is the lady's restroom.' While washing her hands and the embarrassment from her face, she thought they may have had a valid point. So, she took the thousands of hours of writing stories growing up, tucked them into her pocket and began writing and writing and writing.

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