Small Town Sinners
Melissa Walker
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Pages: 259
Source: Publisher

Rating: 5 stars

The story of Lacey Anne Byers, a small town girl who is excited to star in Hell House, her church’s annual haunted house of sin, until a childhood friend reappears and makes her question her faith.

This is my first Melissa Walker book, and will by no means be the last. Melissa Walker has filled the pages of Small Town Sinners with relatable character, every day events that affect communities, and wonderful writing. The moment I finished reading, I had a strong urge to go and start reading it over again.

Lacey is a character everyone can relate to. She is the all-religious girl, but as the book goes on you see her exploring her faith. I think a lot of us go through that, you see her questioning things and making choices. This makes her very real. Ty is the charming boy that you always know there’s more too, and the entire book you are simply guessing at what it might be. Starla Joy was a character as fun as her name. She always lightened up scenes, and while she was a lot of fun, she was serious at the same time.

Small Town Sinners had a really unique plot! It isn’t jump out of your seat suspenseful or anything like that, but it is very cool. Lacey lives in this small town, and they have a Hell House. It’s sort of like a Haunted House only they stage different “sins” and then have the opportunity to join in with the church and become closer to God. Lacey is very into this, and dreams of becoming “Abortion Girl”, the star of the house. That was such a new thing, I never would have thought something like that would exist. It’s very cool, and even just reading, it really brings up my faith in myself. Everything that goes on was just so real and down to earth, like it could happen to anyone. Melissa Walker’s writing was the cherry on top, and really just brought the story to life.

Small Town Sinners is a fast read that will be sure to be a pleaser. It is filled to the brim with wonderful characters, a great plot, and superb writing. I really can’t express all my feelings for this book with mere words, but this will be a book I will press in to the hands of everyone I know. It is that good.

I got to read this last August, and I have been dying for it to come out ever since!

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I am super excited to also have Melissa by the blog for an interview!! Melissa is the author of Small Town Sinners, Lovestruck Summer, the Violet series.

If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would you choose and what would you do?

I think I’d spend the day with Ty, because he’s a deep thinker, and I love those talk-for-hours afternoons.

If the characters from Small Town Sinners got stuck on a deserted island, who would fare the best? The worst? And who would be the one to get them off the island?

The best: Ty. He’d take it all in stride and make sure everyone stayed calm.

The worst: Dean. He doesn’t do well in direct sunlight and he hates the heat. Plus he’d need snacks.

The savior: Starla Joy. She’s resourceful in a pinch.

Since your gorgeous cover features a nice apple, I must ask: What kind of apple is your favorite? Or what is your favorite apple dessert?

I love a MacIntosh apple (with peanut butter). In terms of desserts, I’ll go with the classic apple pie (homemade cross-hatched crust, please, with lots of butter).

I read your Cover Stories on your blog every time one goes up. From your own books, which would you say has had your favorite Cover Story yet?

I have to admit that while emailing and facebook friending the girl who posed as Violet on the cover of the Violet on the Runway series covers, I think Small Town Sinners has been the most epic Cover Story (it’s in three parts!). I got to talk to the amazing designer, Danielle Delaney, and also the photographer who took the original photo (Joe Horne), who emailed me out of the blue to request a signed jacket. That was really cool.

Do you have any routines you follow while writing?

When I’m on a deadline, I don’t let myself eat lunch until I have 1000 words down on the page. They don’t have to be good, but they have to be THERE.

What is a book you have read lately and loved?

Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando. It’s a world full of singing mermaids, mysterious misfits and beautiful tattooed boys.

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Thank you so much for stopping by Melissa! You can find her on the web at her website, blog, twitter, facebook, and I Heart Daily among other places :)