A Broken Girl.
Shattered by the death of her parents, Lena knows she is not handling her sorrow well - keeping to herself, running drugs, risking her little brother. But she'll do whatever it takes to keep her disintegrating family together.
Two Lost Souls
Lurking on the edges of the afterlife, Chael and Johnny Beels have spent centuries manipulating events, one pushing for good, the other sowing chaos. Now these two desperate souls have taken human form to play a dangerous game of hope and despair with Lena trapped in the middle.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Lena must maneuver the shadowy realm between angel and demon, love and lust, good and evil, until she finds the courage to see the truth and make the ultimate sacrifice. When do we struggle to change the world? When do we let go and embrace life's broken beauty?
Paperback 272 pages
Published March 26, 2012
Crescent Moon Press
The Never Prayer was such a unique twist on angels and demons. Not what I expected at all when I picked this book up, but I loved it! The real life struggles that Lena go through give it a contemporary feel with just the right amount of paranormal. Aaron has a way with painting a picture with words. I could see every detail of the town. Every distinct quality in every character he introduced. I loved the deceptive differences between Beels and Chale. How he turned the dark vs. the light angle on its head. This book was full of wonderful writing and the story was amazing! I loved this one!
I recommend The Never Prayer to anyone who likes paranormal or even dark gritty YA contemporary romance.
Tara
Miniview with Aaron Michael Ritchey
1. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what band or song inspired your book the most?
Aaron: Yeah, I have to have constant noise because my head is generally so very, very loud. I host about a thousand personalities and none of them like each other. There are fistfights most days.
So the music helps me to keep it all quiet up there. Especially loud music.
The song that inspired me most came in right after the very climax of The Never Prayer, after the bad guys are dealt with and the heroes are bruised and broken. In the darkness, I imagined Jeff Beck’s version of “Amazing Grace” as the soundtrack. I just listened to it and cried and cried. Because the song is so broken, and yet so hopeful. Just like my heroine and her friends at that moment, when the snow begins to fall like feathers out of the sky.
2. What would be your go to survival skill if you were thrown into the Hunger Games?
Aaron: Of course, being a collection of despairing contradictions and being host to a thousand personalities, I have two “survival” skills, diametrically opposed to one another.
On the one hand, I am highly social and friendly. I’d try to get people together and work on figuring out a solution that didn’t involve us murdering each other for the pleasure of our oppressive government. That is personality #1.
Personality #2 is anti-social and self-destructive. I’d prolly lose it, berserker-style, and try to kill everyone, including myself, out of sheer contrariness and crazy. I might not win, but I’d take a lot of those other scumdogs out with me. And hopefully Katniss, or someone like her, would survive.
Oh my. Prolly too much information there. The Hunger Games surely brings out the demons in us all.
3. One of the Avengers has called in sick, and they need you to fill in. Which superhero's shoes would you choose to fight crime in for a day?
Aaron: From my disturbing answer to #2, you’d think the Hulk. I mean, in real life, I’m 6’4”, and to quote the genius of LMFAO, “I work out.”
But no, I’d go with Hawkeye. I love superheroes that don’t have any sort of supernatural abilities. Hawkeye is just a guy with a bow, and I love archery anyway. But how cool is that, a guy with a bow, fighting evil? Like Batman. Batman was this unhinged vigilante who sacrificed his body and soul to battle crime and make the world a better place. But as the mythos goes, he was at times, as psycho as the villains he fought.
Avengers Assemble! So excited for that movie! I have a little of the hero-worship for Joss Whedon.
Grab you copy of The Never Prayer
To read more about Aaron
Love it Aaron - you ALWAYS make me laugh! About to start your book. So excited to get lost in your world... I think.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to start your book, Aaron. Great interview, though I see you more as the Jack-jack of superheroes...
ReplyDeletethe Jack-Jack of superheroes! Now that is funny. I'm more like the babysitter of the Jack-jack of superheroes. Thanks Sasha and Marne!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for you guys to read his book. It was amazing! I loved every page. :)
ReplyDeleteHa! Jack-Jack. I wanna see you turn into flaming metal. Wait, I have seen that, late night at the hospitality suite.
ReplyDeleteGood review/interview.
Yes, I spend a great deal of time as flaming metal. Thanks all!
ReplyDelete