An ABC Review of UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee

I seriously can't say enough great things about UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee. I read it several months ago and I'm still thinking about it. The characters, setting, and pacing are great. There's a little bit of everything—humor, tension, action—to entertain a variety of readers. 

I've never been much of a Western fan, besides watching DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN with my mom as a kid, but my friend (and Pitch Wars mentor) Stephanie Garber told me she thought I'd enjoy it. And I'm so glad Stephanie recommended it! She was totally right. 

If you like Historical Fiction, badass female MCs, tension and humor, swoon-worthy cowboys, and friendship, you'll love UNDER A PAINTED SKY. And if you're not typically a Western or Historical Fiction fan, I urge you to give it a try anyway. I really think you'll enjoy it.

Book Blurb:

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.

Nails and bookmark courtesy of Stephanie Garber!

You can find UNDER A PAINTED SKY at B&N, AMAZON, and the Book Depository.

AN ABC REVIEW OF UNDER A PAINTED SKY

ACTION 

For me, the pacing was perfect. Even in "slower" scenes there was tension to keep me reading. And Stacey had a magical way of weaving humor into some of the tenser scenes, keeping me laughing AND on the edge of my seat at the same time.

BACKDROP

UNDER A PAINTED SKY takes place along the Oregon Trail and Stacey masterfully recreated the setting, making the reader feel like they're actually there with the characters. I really felt like Stacey did tons of research on the time period and showed the struggles Sammy and Andy would've had to face while traveling through the west in disguise. Stacey also weaved in information about the Chinese Zodiac, which I found really interesting.

CHARACTERS

I loved the characters sooo much! They're great. One of the best things in UNDER A PAINTED SKY is the friendship that develops between Sammy/Samantha, the main character, and Andy/Annamae. Andy and Sammy are really smart and resourceful, and I loved that about them. Along their journey, they meet a group of cowboys: Peety, Cay, and West. If you like cowboys, you'll LOVE this trio. They made me laugh a lot!

For me, it's hard to pick a favorite character because they're all fleshed out and real and I LOVE them all. But my favorite of the cowboys is probably West! ;)



...SO I really think you should treat yourself and read UNDER A PAINTED SKY!!! ;)


If you've read UNDER A PAINTED SKY, what did you love about it? Your favorite character?

Top Ten Influential Albums

For me, music and writing are interconnected. I listen to music while I write, I get writing inspiration from songs, and some songs remind me of my manuscripts or characters. THE TREASURE HUNT and my current WIP are extremely influenced by music—they wouldn't exist without it.

Music is also influential to everyday life. Certain songs or albums can take you back to a specific time and place (good or bad). Music shapes our lives. I don't have a musical bone in my body (I think my parents cursed me by naming me Melody), but music is very important for my writing and visual art.

In no particular order, here are my Top Ten Influential Albums for my life and writing:

1.) They're Only Chasing Safety - Underoath

This album will always take me back to grad school and when I first started dating my husband. For our first official date, we saw Underoath in Boston when they toured for this album.

2.) The Jurassic Park soundtrack

I was so obsessed with Jurassic Park when I was in middle school. (As an adult too, to be honest.) When I wasn't watching the movie or rereading the book, I would listen to it on cassette over and over, picturing scenes from the movie.

3.) All's Well That Ends Well - Chiodos

This is another album that reminds me of grad school. Also, it reminds me of my first job after college, working in special education at the local middle school...and the days of Myspace (where I heard them for the first time).

4.) Metallica (the black album) - Metallica

Metallica's self-titled album was a HUGE influence for THE TREASURE HUNT. I actually changed the time period (in an earlier version of the manuscript) to include this album because it was so important to my characters, especially the song, "Nothing Else Matters."

5.) A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Panic! At The Disco

I LOVED Panic! when I was in grad school, and I saw them in concert at least twice. It's funny, I hadn't listened to this album in years and when I listened to it again recently, I still knew all the lyrics. I think this is one of the funnest albums to listen to.

6.) Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite band. And if I had to pick a go-to album by them, it would be Wish You Were Here. When I draw or paint, I almost always listen to Pink Floyd. For me, they're so inspiring.

7.) The Game of Thrones season 1 soundtrack

I drafted STRANGE ATTRACTORS while listening to nothing but this soundtrack. It's great writing music, especially when you're writing something epic like fantasy or sci-fi.

8.) Selfish Machines - Pierce the Veil

Pierce the Veil gives me ALL THE writing feels. Their songs could seriously be the soundtrack for all my contemporary manuscripts. And I just love them. ;)

9.) Sixteen Stone - Bush

Besides the Jurassic Park soundtrack, I didn't really listen to music in middle school. I'd just listen to whatever my parents were listening to...until I was introduced to Sixteen Stone. Instead of boybands, my friends and I had Bush.

10.) The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack

When I was in college, I listened to this over and over when I was in my room doing homework or drawing. Now it's great writing music. "Concerning Hobbits" makes me happy—I dare you to listen to it and not smile.


What are some of your favorite or inspirational albums?

Top Ten Favorites

These are my current Top Ten Favorites:

1. The TV show SILICON VALLEY on HBO. It is seriously one of the funniest shows, ever. It's rare that my husband and I find a sitcom we both enjoy. (And thanks to my friend Erin who introduced me to it last year!)

2. The writing community—especially people like Brenda Drake who generously spend so much of their own time running contests and helping out new writers. (Yay for Team Coffeehouse!)

3. White chocolate raspberry iced lattes—my new favorite drink from Starbucks. (Half white chocolate mocha syrup and half raspberry syrup.)

4. Maxi dresses are the best invention next to yoga pants. They are as comfy as yoga pants, but you look dressed up! (I only wish they had pockets because I need a place for my lip gloss and phone.)

5. UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee. I finished this a couple weeks ago, but I can't stop thinking about it. I loved, loved the characters. So great.

6. TONIGHT ALIVE. I can't stop listening to them! Jenna McDougall, the lead singer, seems super cool. I totally want to use her an inspiration for a novel. This is one of my fave songs, "The Ocean."

7. Lay's Limón chips. Not gonna lie, I could seriously eat an entire bag by myself.

8.  MAD MAX : FURY ROAD was even better than people said. It's one giant car chase that doesn't let up. Usually, I don't like car chases in action movies, but this was just awesome. You have to see it. And if you've already seen it, you should see it again.

9. Recognizing awesome people! I went to the EDIES last night (NH Excellence in Education Awards) in support of my case manager who won special education teacher of the year. She goes above and beyond for her students, staff, and our school—every single day. She's seriously super woman, and I can't think of someone more deserving of the award.

10. There is only one more week until ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK is back! Should I pace myself or binge-watch the entire season???


What are some of your favorite things?