Amanda Strong Interview

                                         We have the lovely Amanda Strong over to talk with us today.


Your book With Just One Click has a slight edge to it as I have never read a book based on social networking sites. What made you decide to write a book based on this topic?
Over the past few years, I heard stories about Facebook from friends or friends of friends; the stories never changed just the people. The universal situations of love, friendship, and betrayal on Facebook were fascinating to me. I wanted to further explore those relationships and expose the good, the bad, and ugly of social networking in a novel without naming any names. 

Are you a Facebook addict?
No, I’m far from being a Facebook addict. When I first began writing this book, I think I was the total opposite. To be totally honest, in the beginning, I sometimes would half kiddingly say, “Facebook ruins lives.” After writing the book, I actually changed my opinion, because I realized social networking gives you a tool to communicate with other people, but the user themselves have to be responsible for their own actions. When you see close friends being affected by the temptation of any social networking site, I think it’s natural to have some negative thoughts. I don’t think a Facebook addict could have written this book, because they would be too close to the situation. 

I have found as a book reviewer that social networking sites are a great way to advertise my blog and books which I enjoy. Have you found that social networking sites have helped to publicise your books in any way? 
Most definitely, I think social networking is a great tool to publicize the book by introducing yourself to an audience that you otherwise would’ve never met. Before I had a personal account on Facebook and never really posted. Now that I have written a novel, I have a Facebook page for myself as an author, and I post updates and news. This type of communication and exposure is priceless, pretty ironic when you think about the stories in, with just one click.

Are you currently working on your next novel or do you have any ideas for your next novel you can share with us? 
I’m still focused on this novel, because I don’t want to leave these characters just yet. I also want to know I gave it my all publicizing this book before venturing onto another project. I actually have a couple ideas floating around in my head but can’t go into more detail just yet.
What was the last book you finished reading and would you recommend it? 
I just finished Elin Hilderbrand’s, Silver Girl. I would definitely recommend this book…classic chick lit with a very timely story set in beautiful Nantucket. I enjoyed the emotional roller coaster of each character, and won’t give away anything else but to say it was a touching novel with an ending that struck a cord with me on a personal level.

If you were stuck on a desert Island what would be your 3 key items you couldn’t live without?
A stockpile of paper and pens, and my mascara (if I got rescued, I’d like to look my best :-) .)

So Followers you have read the review on this unique book, you have learned a little more about the author so surely there is only one more thing to do.... go and buy the book!!
ALTHOUGH

AMANDA STRONG HAS KINDLY AGREED TO A GIVE AWAY ON OUR BLOG SO FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER THIS BOOK COULD BE ON IT'S WAY TO YOU!!! HEAD OVER TO THE GIVE AWAY TAB ABOVE AND FILL OUT THE FORM TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN!!

With Just One Click by Amanda Strong

There has been a lot of talk on many blogs at the moment about With Just One Click by Amanda Strong. The reviews have been a great mix and so I was eager to read it to put my two pennies worth in!

Plot

 “Reluctance was matched with a pit in my stomach; once I joined, anyone could randomly find me…did I really want to be found?” Chloe, a successful movie reviewer and serial dater, finds herself added as a friend by her first love. The one who left her at seventeen standing with a note in her hand as he simply walked away. Will she allow herself to open old wounds? Morgan, a loyal stay-at-home mom and wife, discovers one of her husband’s friends is his very single and flirtatious ex-girlfriend from high school. Will obsession and jealousy tear her solid marriage apart when she hunts for the truth? Brynn, a lonely forty year-old living with her two distant teenage children and workaholic husband, fights temptation while revisiting the past with one of her friends. Will her deception destroy her family? Three lives changed forever WITH JUST ONE CLICK. Confirming a friend isn’t as simple as it seems… but do these women have more in common than just Facebook?

My Opinion

I am sure the majority of you who follow this blog are on a social networking site but ask yourself one question, do you love it enough to want to read a booked based on it? No was my answer but yet I found myself picking it up anyway as the plot intrigued me as it is based on the social networking site Facebook which is something I have not read about in a book before so I was intrigued to see if this topic could work in a novel.

Each chapter of the book alternates and focuses on our three main characters Chloe, Megan and Brynn. The beginning of the book introduces us to each of our characters and shows us how they landed up on facebook and giving us a little background about our characters lives. The ladies personalities are completely different and I feel as though each reader will connect with one of the characters. Personally I couldn’t take to Brynn’s character even at the end of the book I wasn’t interested in her ending, but I feel that each reader will connect with a different character. I loved both Chloe and Megans characters with Chloe being my favourite I instantly took to her from the start of the book.

As Strong writes the story of the three ladies we get to see  the posts that they all put on facebook and this continues all the way through the book. Although the book is based around Facebook I don’t feel that at any point in this book I started losing interest because of it, as the facebook posting is not over done and there are storylines we are following alongside the posts which I found were weaved in quite nicely.

I especially loved the ending of this book it was totally unexpected but finished the ending of beautifully.

With social networks being used by the majority of people I think it was only a matter of time before a book was made about them and I think it could have been a disaster but this is not the case with this book and I would defiantly recommend this book.

Do you like the sound of this book? If so come back tomorrow for a special post which may interest you. Ummmmm what could it be.....!