Guest Post with author Samira Armin Hodges

Today I am so excited to have Samira Armin Hodges, author of the new release Milestones novel, with us for a guest post. Instead of your everyday interview, we decided to go from a different perspective!

Samira wrote a little blurb from a secondary character's point of view. Hazel Lane is not the main character in Milestones but she talks about Faye (who is) and you get to hear her inner monologue for the first and only ever time.

"Opposites don’t attract, they just learn to co-exist" : By Hazel Lane, Milestones Camper, Year 2

I don’t do nice. I don’t see the point and I really don’t care what people think of me. Truly, they should worry about what I think of them. Because I’m that girl. I have it all: the looks, the style, the money, the popularity, the friends and the smarts. You should be so lucky to roll in my crowd. I’m not even bragging. It’s a fact. I’m the one all the girls envy and the one the boys want. My name? Hazel Lane.

Did I mention I have a low threshold for B.S.? Well I do. Here are my biggest pet peeves:

• Pushovers. AKA girls who have no spine. Like. Give. Me. A. Break. Get a life and get out of mine.
• Floozies. If you change boyfriends more than I change hairdos, you are gross, have no self-respect and I don’t want to be associated with you.
• Fakers. They probably have the biggest effect on my upchuck reflex. If someone comes up to me and says, “Like hi! Omigod Hazel I just looooooooove your shoes,” I will walk away. The End.

Sure, most think of a certain “B” word when I come to mind but I don’t care. I never have and I never will. I’d rather be rude and snobbish than be a loser. I’d rather be honest and tell it straight than be a liar that can’t be trusted. If you go shopping with me, expect the truth. If it looks ugly, I’ll tell you that it looks ugly. If you want to be lied to, I’m the wrong person to ask. Personally, I expect the same courtesy from my friends. I don’t want to be lied to – I want the truth. Play it straight. That’s all I ask.

Then I met Faye Martin. I went to Camp Milestone and I came face to face with the biggest drama queen this side of the ocean. Ugh. It was too much. “Oh my God! My suitcase is heavy!”, “Oh my god, my life is so hard! I asked for salt and I got pepper!”, “Oh my god! Woe is me!”. Seriously people. My worst nightmare. A redhead who has like zero self-confidence and who pitifully pines away after this boy. How utterly pathetic. I mean, if you like a guy, just grow a pair and tell him! The worst part? Camp Milestone isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis; I was forced to actually socialize with this person. As much as I wanted to ignore her AND her raggedy converse shoes, I couldn’t. I was forced to sit there and watch her like, be. Everyday, I woke up, did my hair, put on my make-up, wore my Burberry top and my Prada shorts and had to look at the sight that was Faye Martin: hair tossed in a pony (does she even brush?), old khaki shorts and shoes that belonged on a homeless person. And then, to top it all off, I had to hear her whine all day. I’m telling you: My worst, worst, worst, nightmare.

Well, that’s how I felt at first anyway. Because things kinda changed. I can’t say how or why, but Camp Milestone isn’t exactly a “normal” camp and despite my resistance (and trust me, I resisted), I changed. Well, we all changed. I’d like to think Faye changed the most (and therefore became more palatable and tolerable). At Camp Milestone, our lives were turned upside down and as a result, we did things we never thought we would do. But I’ve said too much already. It’s all very hush-hush. Sorry. If you’re not part of the clan, you can’t know the rest… But my point? Well, I guess even a cold-hearted you-know-what like me can make friends with a goody-goody like Faye Martin. For now anyway….

Wasn't that awesome!? I haven't read the book yet (I know, I know - bad me!) but I really got into this character! All the more reason why you should go check out this book. If you would like to read the other posts Samira has written for her blog tour of Milestones, click here to go to her blog!

Or just use one of these url's to go right to it:

September 13: theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com

September 14: wantmyya.blogspot.com

September 18:flipthepagebookreview.blogspot.com

September 19: readingtomyself.blogspot.com

September 20: addicted-to-literature.blogspot.com

September 22: mariah-readingadventure.blogspot.com

September 25: readingrocks4me.blogspot.com

September 27: darlingreviews.blogspot.com