From Me to You ... Video, Photography and Book Reviews: Blog Tour - Made the Grade: Impossible by Komal Lewis

Today I'm turning my blog over to Komal Lewis, who I interviewed about her debut novel "Impossible," which is the 1st book in her With Me Series!!

ALSO -- Be sure to check out Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post to be able to sign up for this blog stop's GIVEAWAY!! [Blog Tour will run from November 26 - December 16, 2012]

My Q&A with Komal Lewis :

Komal : Thank you so much for having me on your blog! I really appreciate you hosting me! :)

Jess : You're welcome!! I'm glad to have you here!! ... and something that is completely off topic ... Blue is my favorite color too!! *hehee*

Anyways ....

What books did you enjoy reading while growing up?

Komal : This is so hard for me to answer because there are too many to name. I am literally a book junkie. Between the ages of 5 – 11, I enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia, "The Hobbit," the Rowan of Rin series, the Deltora Quest series, any books by Roald Dahl, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lord of the Rings, to name a few. Age 11 and onwards, I started reading all the classics. "Cat’s Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut was my favourite during this period.

Jess : What sparked the idea for your With Me Series?

Komal : My husband and I ended up watching Drive Me Crazy one night and after it ended, I turned to him and said, “I want to write a book like that one day.” So, the very next day, I started writing and didn’t stop until I was done 4 weeks later!

Jess : Since I read that you are overly enthusiastic about comic books (and a bunch of other things) – if you could have a super power (or be a super hero/villian) what would it be (or who would you be) and why?

Komal : I would love to have the power to either teleport or become invisible. If I were a superhero, I would be Spiderman or Captain America, and if I were a villain I would be Loki.

Jess : Which of your characters would you most & least to invite to dinner, from which book and why?

Komal : In "Falling for Hadie," readers will be introduced to Lincoln Bracks and his family. Now, Lincoln is as nice as they get, but his family is another story. I don’t think I would want Mrs. Bracks over for dinner because she would probably find something to complain about.

Jess : Please describe your hero, from "Impossible," in one to two sentences.

Komal : Ashton Summers is mean, spoilt, selfish and arrogant. Luca is a social outcast, caring, independent and isn’t afraid to be different.

Jess : Is there one particular scene in "Impossible" that you’re dying for readers to read? Can you tell us anything about it?

Komal : It’s being dubbed the “kitchen counter scene” by readers. It’s a steamy make out scene between the two main characters. Readers 17+ only!

Jess : If "Impossible" were to be made into a film, who do you see playing the main characters and why?

Komal : I never thought about it while I was writing the book, but I have been asked this question a lot since the book came out. I picture Alex Pettyfer as Luca, because he has the right face, his hair is longish and unkempt, and I’m pretty sure he has green eyes. He would need a complete makeover though. His hair would have to be black/dark brown, he’d need lots of tattoos, and some black eyeliner too. As for Ashton, I picture someone like Teresa Palmer playing her.

Jess : Out of all of the secondary characters within "Impossible," do you have one or two favorites so far? If so, who are they and can you tell us why?

Komal : My favourite secondary characters were probably Hadie, because she doesn’t care what other people think about her; Stacey, because she’s very strong-headed and opinionated; and Ashton’s mom, because she’s such a caring person. A lot of readers have told me that they like the character of Eddie, probably because he gives great advice.

Jess : When writing "Impossible" did you listen to a certain song list/playlist that you could share with us?

Komal : I actually drove my husband insane because I only listened to ONE song for two months: With Me by Sum 41. This entire song sums up Luca’s feelings for Ashton. I also listened to The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars when I was writing the end of the story. This song perfectly describes how Ashton was feeling at Kendall’s party.

Jess : How many books have you written? Which is your favorite (so far) and why?

Komal : I’ve written too many stories over the years to count. Probably somewhere between 50 – 100. As for published books, I only have one so far. My favourite story I’ve written so far is definitely my Serena Merchant series. My protagonist is a siren with amnesia and she is hilarious. The story is loosely based on Greek mythology and is such a fun read. I can’t wait until readers get to read it!

Jess : Do you have any other projects in the works? If so, can you share a little of your current work with us?

Komal : I’m currently working on the second book in the With Me series. It’s titled "Falling for Hadie" and will release in February, 2013. It basically follows the relationship between Lincoln Bracks (the new boy in town) and Hadie Swinton (who we met in "Impossible").

Here is a small teaser from "Falling for Hadie":

Taking her hand again, I smiled and her face brightened. “Are you saying you have a crush on me, Hades?”
Hadie rolled her eyes, but didn’t seem annoyed. “I’m saying that I might have more than a crush on you.”
Frowning, I stroked my chin with my free hand. “Well, this creates a bit of a problem.”
Hadie’s face fell and her eyes were somber as she drank me in. “What do you mean?”
Sighing, I tried to keep a straight face. “I mean that I don’t know what my wife’s going to think about me having a girlfriend.”
Hadie stared at me, her mouth hanging open as my words sunk in. My mouth twitched, and Hadie shot me a glare before she started hitting me all over my body.
Laughing, I grasped her by the arms and we fell back onto the long grass, rolling around on the damp ground for several seconds before Hadie managed to climb on top of me.

Jess : Do you prefer eBooks, paperbacks or hardcover? Any specific reason why?

Komal : I love paperbacks, I really do, but e-books are so cheap and convenient. The other thing about e-books is that there are so many AMAZING self-published authors who have their books available via e-book only and I wouldn’t have discovered them if I hadn’t given e-books a chance.

Jess : Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?

Komal : I am a huge clean freak so, yes, the bed gets made every morning without fail.

Jess : If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Komal : "The weird and wacky life of the OCD bookworm with too many pets."

Jess : List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?

Komal : • "Easy" by Tammara Webber – If you haven’t read this book, what are you waiting for? This is one of the best books I’ve read all year! Trust me, you will love it!
• "The Edge of Never" by J. A. Redmerski – This book was so beautifully written, the characters were great, and the plot was absorbing. I’m pretty sure it’s my favourite book of the year.
• "Fallen Crest High" by Ti Jan – Ti Jan didn’t hold back with this book. We get a gritty, realistic look into the characters’ lives and I didn’t want to leave. Well-written and such a great read!

About the Author :

Komal Lewis is an author who writes both Young Adult and Adult novels in the Contemporary and Fantasy genres. Her debut novel "IMPOSSIBLE" is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door.

Komal lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and one too many dogs and cats (although she never seems to think they have enough). She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Batman films, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles, and pretty shoes.

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 254; Kindle Edition - File Size: 478 KB | Expected Release Date: October 25, 2012 | Publisher: Self-Published | Obtained: Romantic Maidens Book Tours

"Impossible" [With Me Series, Book 1] by Komal Lewis

My Book Summary : Ashton had it all--she was popular, recently became the head cheerleader of her squad, and a family that loves her--except for one thing, she wasn't dating Oliver--the quarterback of the football team--who she has had a crush on for a long time. That is until her supposed best friend Kance took it all away from her--her reputation, their friendship, being the head cheerleader, and Oliver--because she was jealous of Ashton. Therefore, Ashton sets out to get back her popular status any way she can ... even if that means becoming friends, again, with her old childhood best friend who is also her rock band next-door-neighbor, Luca.

Luca would like nothing to do with Ashton, especially now that she has changed into a stuck-up snob instead of the sweet girl she used to be. However, he still cares about her, even though at times he'd like not to, so he agrees to help her out by becoming her fake boyfriend.

As Ashton and Luca because of their forced proximity to each other, they become closer then they have in years while working through the reasons why their friendship dissolved in the first place. Slowly they become friends again and find parts of themselves would like to have a whole lot more. But are they willing to forgive each other for their past mistakes and when their agreement works out to the conclusion that Ashton wants--getting her popularity back--will their newfound relationship fizzle out? Especially when some of Ashton's other friends, have agendas of their own...

My Book Review : 3 out of 5 stars! This is an intense and highly dramatic novel; about two "ex" friends working together and finding there is a lot more going on between them then they ever thought before! I loved Luca, as he seemed so sweet and dynamic that it was fun reading from his point-of-view. Plus, some of the secondary characters in this novel were enjoyable too. I especially liked Luca's best friends, Eddie & Riley, and Ashton's cheerleader friends, Kendall and Yuki!

However, as much as I tried, I did not like Ashton. I enjoyed her and Luca together since they are very much connected and it was touching to see them together while working through their issues. Nevertheless, I could not stand how much Ashton used Luca throughout most of the novel and how wishy-washy she was when it came to her feelings with him. Plus, how naive she was when it came to some of the friends she chose to have.

I was shaken my head at some of the stuff she did most of the way through.

With that being said, I still recommend everyone who likes contemporary YA romance novels to give this novel a try.

It was a good start for this series, and I'm curious what, "Falling for Hadie," book 2 of this series will bring!

Author's Novel Extras : Impossible - Teaser #1 | Impossible - Teaser #2 | Impossible - Teaser #3 | Impossible - Teaser #4 | Impossible - Teaser #5 from Ashton's POV | The Best Thing About Having Critique Partners | Cover Reveal: Impossible | Cover Reveal for Impossible! | Interview with Komal Lewis & a Giveaway! | Review for Impossible by Komal Lewis | Character Interview with Luca and Ashton | My expectations for Impossible | Excerpt of Impossible | Let's talk Ashton and "mean girls" | I'm thankful for...

Author's Series Extras : Transitioning period | With Me Stats | An Update on...Everything! | The past week in links! | What comes next

Book Teaser(s) :

He raised a cup to his lips and made a face at whatever the contents were.
“Coffee?” I asked, catching Ben’s eye.
Matthew Sutton elbowed him in the ribs and laughed. “Yeah, he’s trying to be all mature and sophisticated to impress some girl.”
Ben elbowed him back. “She’s not some girl. Her name’s Hadie.”
Hadie. The name tickled a faint memory in my mind. Hadie didn’t run in our circle, but I knew her from sight. She’d been in my art class in sophomore year and seemed like a nice girl. Ben deserved nothing less.
I laughed and gave Bennett a pout. “Aw, and here I thought we had something going on.”
Bennett grinned and pulled me onto his lap. “Of course we do, Ash. I’d never betray you like that.”
I noticed Oliver paying extra close attention to us, and couldn’t help feeling smug. Everyone knew that Bennett and I were just good friends and always joked around about dating. ~ within Chapter 5

When I walked into detention, I had to walk back out just to make sure I was in the right room, even though I’d been here so many times over the years it was like a second home for me. Stunned, I stared at the table in the second row that was closest to the wall.
What was wrong with this picture?
Well, for starters, I was pretty sure Ashton was sitting in detention. Either that or I was hallucinating. ~ within Chapter 11

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Komal, then please check out her website.

Giveaways!! :

An paperback copy of "Impossible" to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
An Kindle e-book copy of "Impossible" to ten randomly drawn people from Rafflecopter

The Fine Print -- To Enter :