L.M Augustine is one of my all-time favorite authors!
I absolutely love his books and his writing style is just phenomenal.
This is why Jodie and I have put together this Author Spotlight!!
We want everyone to know just how amazing he truly is.
Below you'll find information on both his books as well as my reviews.
ALSO....
wait for it...
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An EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!!!
and...
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a CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!
SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you all enjoy this post!!
xx,
Ly
Meet Author L.M. Augustine!!!
L.M. Augustine is a YA romance author who is obsessed with writing about dorky teenagers, love, and happy endings. He currently lives in New England, where he spends far too much time reading books and screaming at his computer, and he believes that the solution to the world’s problems can be found in chocolate cake. Click To Subscribe is his first novel, but it won’t be his last.
Contact:
Interview time!!
So, Jodie and I came with some questions for LM ... Some serious, some....not so much.
1.
What first inspired you to write?
I am
not entirely sure. I've always loved to read and write basically since I was
kid. I was born a creative person, I think, but I'd say it was reading books by
some of my favorite authors and imagining being able to create stories of my
own that first inspired me to get writing.
2. Many authors credit music as being their main inspiration for writing. Does music influence your writing at all? If so, what do you listen to while writing?
Music
doesn't actually influence me much, no. I do love listening to Phillip Phillips
while I write, but my stories tend to come purely through my imagination, and
not very much through music.
3. Do
you see yourself in any of your characters?
I
tend to fuse some of my own nerdiness/dorkiness/weirdness/whatever-it-is into
my characters, but I otherwise don't make them much like me. I like them to be
real people who I understand but not necessarily am, as it makes for a much
more interesting and complex range of characters. Trust me, if they were ALL
like me, you'd get bored fast. :)
4. If
you HAD to choose ONE sweet to eat for the rest of your life, would it be cake
or ice cream?
CAKE!
I
mean… *ahem*
5.
I'm sure you know by now that a bunch of your fans are curious about you. Is
there a reason you have chosen to keep your identity a secret?
Secret
identity? What?! I think I've made it VERY clear that I am actually James Bond.
;)
(*scoffs* See what he did there??)
6.
What are your passions in life? Likes/dislikes?!
Well,
you could say I'm pretty passionate about reading and writing. I'm also a
total history nerd. I love making people laugh, but I am not a big math/science
person. Also, cats. I do not like cats.
7. Do
you have any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring writers?
Basically,
I'd say to write for yourself above all else. Don't write books purely because
you know they'll sell; write because they make you happy, because you can't NOT
write them. And also, write at your own pace, using your own techniques. There
is no wrong way to write a book, so do what feels right for you.
8.
What's your favorite thing about the indie book community?
I
love the connection with readers. You don't get that in other book communities,
but in the indie world, you are always communicating directly with your readers:
talking to them, listening to them, befriending them. It's truly amazing.
9.
What is your hope for your writing career? Where would you like to be in 5
years?
Let
me see… In my dream, I'm sitting on a pile of money while screaming fans circle
my house begging for my next book.
Kidding!
Honestly,
I'd just love a small of following of people who care about my stories and
characters, and will follow me through thick and thin. That's the dream. :)
10.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I
love writing in bed at night… like a total weirdo.
11.
Tattoos. Yay or nay?
Yay! If
you want to get a tattoo of something meaningful to you, who am I to judge? I'm
certain it will kick ass. :-)
12.
RAPID FIRE PREFERENCE QUESTIONS
~ Coffee
or Hot Chocolate? Coffee!
~ Spearmint or Peppermint? Spearmint.
~ Cheese or Pepperoni? Pepperoni.
~ Daytime or Nighttime? Nighttime.
~ Snow or Sunshine? Neither? I love cool weather the best.
~ Paperback or Ebook? eBook.
~ Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!
~ Dogs or Cats? Um… dogs… no question. (Cats scare me.)
~ Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter nerdity FTW.
~ Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles? Choose wisely, here! haha! It pains me to side with Jodie, but… ninja turtles.
~ Cd's or iPod? iPod.
~ Pancakes or Waffles? Waffles!
~ Spearmint or Peppermint? Spearmint.
~ Cheese or Pepperoni? Pepperoni.
~ Daytime or Nighttime? Nighttime.
~ Snow or Sunshine? Neither? I love cool weather the best.
~ Paperback or Ebook? eBook.
~ Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!
~ Dogs or Cats? Um… dogs… no question. (Cats scare me.)
~ Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter nerdity FTW.
~ Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles? Choose wisely, here! haha! It pains me to side with Jodie, but… ninja turtles.
~ Cd's or iPod? iPod.
~ Pancakes or Waffles? Waffles!
Thank you, LM for putting up with Jodie's *ahem* stalking. :) We truly appreciate it.
Now, let's talk about his fan-freaking-tastic books!!!!
Synopsis:
1,135,789. That’s how many subscribers sixteen-year-old West Ryder has on his web vlog series. But he only has eyes for one of them.
As one of the internet’s most prestigious video bloggers, West talks about high school relationships under the name “Sam Green.” As far as he knows, no one from school, not even his best friend, Cat, has seen his videos. But the highlight of the whole thing is Harper Knight, who comments every day at exactly 2:02 in the afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about her aside from the occasional deep philosophical messaging on why pizza tastes so delicious, but as stupid as it sounds, he might be falling for her. So when they finally agree to meet in real life, West’s hope for romance seems more and more in reach. But that all changes as soon as he arrives at their meeting spot and sees Cat walking toward him, wearing the same “I <3 Sam Green” T-shirt Harper promised she'd have on.
To his alarm, West realizes he is falling in love with the best friend who has always been a sister to him.
Review:
5 Stars
"I fell in love with you, and that changed everything."
I have found my soul mate and his name is West Ryder! Seriously… Loved him from page ONE! :) Okay, so now that I got THAT out of the way, let’s talk about this awesome book.
I want to start off by saying; this book made it all the way to the #1 spot in my Young Adult (YA) genre ‘favorite books’ list. Yep, it’s THAT good. It captures the essence of being 16/17 years old and in love, perfectly -- all the doubts, the butterflies, even the flat out awkwardness. I practically read the entire book smiling. There were plenty of moments where I laughed out loud like a complete idiot and others where I just couldn’t stop giggling!!! And even though this was a sweet and generally light read, there were also a few moments where my heart literally broke and ached for the characters, like seriously. I don’t usually cry while reading—I can count the times with one hand—and this book made that list as well.
Oh, and this was hands down, one of the best male PoV…EVER.
Like I said at the beginning, I loved West from the get go... His witty attitude, inner dialogue, smart ass comments, and even his emotional struggles.
“I try to keep my vlog as separate as possible from my real life. My vlog is my happy place; my real life… isn’t”
So basically, West used his “secret” vlog as an escape….from everything. As “Sam Green” he interacted every single day with the girl he ended up falling in love with…Harper Knight. BUT, there was only one teeny, tiny problem. He didn’t know who Harper was. HA! And boy was he in for it! You see, his best friend in the entire world, Cat, was madly in love with him. So imagine his surprise when he saw Cat walk in the coffee shop where he was supposed to FINALLY come face to face with Harper.
“I didn’t make up Harper because I wanted to prank you. I made her up because I love you.”
To say my heart was about to beat off my chest during this scene, is an understatement. I was so anxious and beyond nervous for Cat and West!!! I mean, Cat literally put herself out there and then……. *crack* my heart broke. Of course, another understatement would be to say West was surprised because he was so-much-more. Rightfully so.
As the story progresses, we get to see how Cat and West struggle with their friendship… wanting to be more, yet holding back. West had already been through so much heartache… he’d lost SO much, that I completely understood his fears and hesitations. I couldn’t feel anger towards him nor disappointment because I completely understood where he was coming from.
“I’m almost… afraid to love anyone else again. I want to be happy, and all love has done for me in life is stab me in the back.”
“And losing Cat… well, without her, I’d have nothing, be nothing.”
When I first “met” Cat’s character, I knew I liked her but throughout the book, I flat out LOVED her! I can honestly say she became one of my all-time favorite female characters. She was so strong and she wasn’t afraid to say what she felt or thought… hell, simply put, Cat kicked ass!!!!!!!!
This book was beautifully written. I love L.M’s writing style!!!! It has a smooth and natural flow that allowed me to completely connect with the story line and characters. I felt like I was right there with them along for the ride. I truly loved every aspect of this book. Even the more emotional side which was the main reason I found myself reading through tears. So yes, there’s more than just a “high school romance” at play here.
This book goes in the “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK” pile. You’ll laugh your butt of, I promise.
“Well, sometimes love is right in front of you the whole time, even if you don’t realize it. And, like your vlog, all you have to do is click to subscribe.” – Cat.
Purchase:
Kindle / Paperback / Nook / Kobo / Smashwords
Synopsis:
The only person poetry-loving Cali Monroe hates more than herself is Logan Waters, the geeky kid who lives in the dorm building next to hers.
Ever since Cali's parents told her she would amount to nothing, she has felt entirely inadequate. Friendless and alone, she takes on the mean girl role in hopes it will make her feel better--and Logan serves as the perfect target. He infuriates her with his obnoxiously long lashes, his all too perfect dimpled smile, and his complete lack of personality outside of his intelligence. It doesn't hurt that he's part of the reason her brother is dead, either. So Cali hates him, and he returns the favor. Thus, their prank-filled, insult-driven rivalry is born, and torturing Logan quickly becomes the highlight of her life.
But when Cali's parents set them up on a blind date, she begins to realize Logan might not be as boring as she always thought. He shares her love of poetry, takes a sadistic pleasure in making fun of crepes, and he makes her blush when he calls her smile pretty.
And hey, maybe those long lashes of his aren't that obnoxious after all…
Two Roads is New Adult Romance about finding love, standing out, and learning to embrace who you are. It contains some language and mild sexual content.
Review:
5 STARS
“There are not two roads when it comes to you;
there is only the road that leads to your love.”
“Two Roads” is one of the best books I've read this year!! It's an emotional yet witty and funny story that should not be passed up, for any reason! I knew this was going to be a good book, hell I thought it was going to be great. What I did not know was that it would blow me away!! ‘Un-put-down-able’.
The plot was captivating, very realistic and definitely not the light read I was expecting. I mean yes, it had a lot of moments where I laughed and grinned while reading, but there were also deeply emotional and even dark moments that literally brought me to tears. There’s a serious subject discussed in this book that practicallybroke shattered my heart.
The plot was captivating, very realistic and definitely not the light read I was expecting. I mean yes, it had a lot of moments where I laughed and grinned while reading, but there were also deeply emotional and even dark moments that literally brought me to tears. There’s a serious subject discussed in this book that practically
“The world seems to go silent, and when I glare at Logan, he’s all I see.”
Cali and Logan love to hate each other. It’s that simple. In fact, they lived for it. It was funny seeing them go through all the trouble just to prank each other. (BTW, LOVED the lemonade prank!!! Epic!) They both used these pranks and their so called “hatred” to cover up the fact that they were deeply hurt, and in a way, emotionally scarred by what happened with Ben- Cali’s older brother and Logan’s best friend. Basically, Cali had her reasons for “hating” Logan, but you can totally tell from the very beginning that the very thin line between love and hate was always blurred… though that’s something she would never admit, not even to her own stubborn self.
“Everything else fades away, and it’s just him in front of me right now, him and me in our own little world. And I love it. And I hate it.”
“Our rivalry is beautiful because it makes us both forget about everything else.”
Throughout this book we see how Cali and Logan get under each other’s skin, how even though they are very different, they are, in many ways, very much alike. We see them push their limits – at times too far, but we also see them just be there for the each other when they seem to need it most. More importantly, we see Cali and Logan face reality.
“I just, I need him, and I don’t care if we’re enemies or friends or whatever the hell we are, but I need him here. By my side. With me.”
I have NO complaints about this book. None. I guess, you can say I fell in love with “Two Roads”. The buildup throughout the story line had me turning pages desperately wanting to read more and more. And on top of everything else, the characters were simply put, uh-ma-zing!! Very well developed!!! FYI, I freaking LOVED Ruby! I could sooooo see her as my bff!!! She’s über cool!
OH!!! And something ELSE I abso-freaking-lutely loved about this book was how poetry played such a crucial role in the plot!!
OMG!!! Those poems!! Seriously, WOWZA! Mind = *pow* blown … :)
OH!!! And something ELSE I abso-freaking-lutely loved about this book was how poetry played such a crucial role in the plot!!
OMG!!! Those poems!! Seriously, WOWZA! Mind = *pow* blown … :)
This is a book I’ll definitely be re-reading and one I highly recommend all of you to buy!
“I love you with every part of me, and I need you because I love you.”
P.S.
LM, that’s 2 for 2 in the crying department, thanks! *scoffs* :)
Purchase:
Teasers!
Ok... and nooooww....
CONTEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and in my opinion, it's a PRETTY COOL contest!! Hell, I want to win it!!
Want the chance to win a signed paperback of either Two Roads or Click to Subscribe???
Want to win a HANDWRITTEN note from the author???
Well, since I KNOW you do.........
All you have to do is buy an e-book of Two Roads (which is currently on sale for $0.99) and provide proof of purchase by emailing the receipt to
authoragustine@gmail.com
Thank you all so much!!!!!!!!!
Hope you love his books as much as Jodie and I do!!!
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