#BIR2011: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall.... (From Goodreads)

You can read my review here.



~INTERVIEW~


I'm very excited to have Jessica Martinez here today as a feature for Best I've Read 2011. Her debut novel is definitely a whirlwind read and so very good! Please take a few minutes to learn more about this amazing author!


How would you describe Virtuosity in three words?

Music. Love. Lies.

Just like Carmen, you are a violinist. How much of what Carmen experiences was drawn from your life?

Carmen’s story is not my own, but everything she experiences is something I personally witnessed in the classical music world. I lived in that world. Stage moms, drug use, corruption—those are all things I saw happening around me.

Books about the arts seem to have become more popular as of late. Why do you think this is?

Good question. I’m not really sure. They certainly weren’t popular when I was writing it, but maybe we were all feeling some subliminal cultural turn towards the fine arts? Who knows? I'm just embracing it!

What are some little-known facts about you?

Ha! I don’t feel like anything is little-known about me anymore—I have been confessing to all manner of weirdness lately. Hmm. I’ll try: I’m an insomniac. I love waking up before everyone else. I’m not very good at decorating my house. I don’t like business or anything money related—I’d rather just create what I want to create and enjoy what I want to enjoy without economics (and bills!) screwing everything up. I'm in love with ice cream. I hate techy things--my cell phone is old school and I barely know how to use it. I can knit something fierce.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Whatever I was reading! I loved all of Roald Dahl’s books, but especially The Witches. I read the Babysitter’s Club series, Nancy Drew, The Narnia Chronicles, Anne of Green Gables—pretty much anything I could get my hands on.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about?

My next novel (title still being decided) comes out next fall. It’s about two sisters with a terrible secret. They lie to the world and to each other, but their lies can't save them. That’s a little vague, but the best I can do right now. I should have a cover to show off soon, so be watching for that! Oh, and my good news: I just signed a deal with Simon Pulse for two more books in fall 2013 and 2014!



~GIVEAWAY~
I am very excited to have one copy of VIRTUOSITY to give away!

This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only. Must be 13 to enter. Please see my Contest Policy for more information.

This contest will close on Saturday, December 23 at 12:00 AM CST.

This contest is now closed.



Today the Best I've Read blog is featuring THE IRON QUEEN and THE IRON KNIGHT by Julie Kagawa! Please click here to learn more about this book and author!

Teaser Tuesday (21) - #BIR2011 Edition

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today, instead of sharing a teaser from my current read, I'm sharing a teaser from today's Best I've Read selection. And here it is:



"He played Carmen perfectly, I think. I only half heard him. Instead, my brain went over the rocky ledge of trauma and panic, where I held on by my fingernails. Dear God, please let the earth crack open, suck me in, and swallow me whole."


p. 77-78 (ARC) from VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

VIRTUOSITY
By: Jessica Martinez
Published By: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2011
Series: None
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: BEA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....



I love books about musicians. Granted, I may be slightly biased, but I think that serious musicians, especially in high school, aren't always understood well and are often shunned by others who aren't as serious about music. I think it is great that books like this can help show others what life is like for them.

Carmen is a child prodigy and one of the best violinists in the world. She has toured the globe, played in some of the best concert venues, and even been homeschooled so that she can devote more time to practicing and performing. But one disastrous performance led her to Inderol, an anti-anxiety drug that she takes to get through her performances...and her lessons. Soon she's relying on these much more than she should. Enter Jeremy, the arrogant but oh-so-hot competition. They wind up talking one night, and Jeremy's description of performing causes Carmen to begin to question many things about her own musical life. As the prestigious Guarneri competition grows closer, Carmen finds herself more drawn to Jeremy and more inclined to rebel against her mother the manager. When an unexpected event calls the entire competition into question, Carmen must make an important decision - what is she willing to lose in order to win?

Virtuosity has a little bit of everything YA - the struggle to define yourself, the question of what do you really want from life, striving for independence from parents, and romance - blended together in a fresh and engaging way. I found Carmen's character incredibly easy to relate to. But even if you're not a musician with performance anxiety, we all have things that we dread. No matter what profession we're in or what our hobby is, there is always somebody who is better. This book explores those issues. And I loved the budding romance between Carmen and Jeremy. The cynicism of Carmen's mother Diana toward their relationship sounded just like the doubts that we all let ourself have. Virtuosity embarks on an emotional roller coaster that doesn't stop until the last page. The feelings, struggles, and situations were incredibly vivid, which made for a very intense (in a good way!) read.

There were a few things about this book that I found frustrating, however. Carmen's mother, for instance. She is your classic overbearing, controlling mother (not to mention she's Carmen's manager), and I wanted to defy her right along with Carmen. Even still, I couldn't hate her completely - unfortunate circumstances forced her to give up her dream, and so she shifted the pressure of success onto Carmen. Then there was something that Jeremy did. While some people may find it endearing, I was actually very annoyed with it. So, if you are like me, keep reading - you will be glad you did.

You do not have to be a musician to appreciate the depth of this book. Complete with the butterflies and beauty of first love and the quest of one girl to find her place in the world, Virtuosity is a debut not to be missed!