tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70597477481444288122024-03-13T07:47:48.435-07:00west40crittersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-87911857642974200862013-09-16T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:47.956-07:00GYDO: Amanda Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrpw4PtSesTU36zJw8VXtOBkalzHOcqPkveGRZ0dgUUaVnARv05gmaSAViyQg1x4oWS5SmDMaG2OQ65s66MQdh2xM3NxkanJLBA4_bEE_ZVcGJLDEFxvew_0kJivclrxzdbO0LoboToqy/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrpw4PtSesTU36zJw8VXtOBkalzHOcqPkveGRZ0dgUUaVnARv05gmaSAViyQg1x4oWS5SmDMaG2OQ65s66MQdh2xM3NxkanJLBA4_bEE_ZVcGJLDEFxvew_0kJivclrxzdbO0LoboToqy/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #8e7cc3; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;">Amanda Sun, Author of Ink</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Tomo’s Tips on Controlling the Ink</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZslFx-5nsR-bOtNwOwN36d5EF4r2KunZD2xjOtff4oN_4aUAbRvGnLyZvN8-hcxjLGaKn5z9YycGwpHPaOfvH9L01U7fCFmll7os6oa6xR-PAJb4jWiBCBsFMOt7nbPaXeHidOWrGRo1q/s1600/13423346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZslFx-5nsR-bOtNwOwN36d5EF4r2KunZD2xjOtff4oN_4aUAbRvGnLyZvN8-hcxjLGaKn5z9YycGwpHPaOfvH9L01U7fCFmll7os6oa6xR-PAJb4jWiBCBsFMOt7nbPaXeHidOWrGRo1q/s200/13423346.jpg" width="131" /></a><i><span lang="EN-CA">Domo</span></i><span lang="EN-CA">. I’m here to save your life. You’ve heard about the moving drawings, haven’t you? That what I sketch becomes real? Only there’s something darker that seeps into the sketches, and if you aren’t careful, it’ll take your life—or someone else’s.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">You think the worst part of puberty is zits? Just wait until your drawings try to kill you. In case this starts happening to you, here are my tips for surviving being marked by the ink. No, not surviving…prolonging your life. I’m not sure there’s an escape for any of us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Don’t use Calligraphy Ink<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">If you’re in Calligraphy Club, drop out now. Throw out all bottles of ink, cartridge pens, sumi-e brushes and inkstones. You might as well open a vein if you’re going to let the demons out to play. You think you can control it—you’re wrong. You won’ t last a minute when the ink takes over. Your drawings will attack before you even know what’s happening. Stick to pen ink, or pencil.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Mess up your Drawings</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">When you write kanji with radicals that flick to the side, draw shortened edges. Your teachers will probably give you crap for bad handwriting, but I can live with that. Better than being eaten alive by a mouth of sketched teeth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">You think I’m joking. I’m not. Scratch out every drawing that starts to move on the page. Chain it to the page with X’s, or scribble it into a cage of ink. Ink drawings can’t be killed, but they can be contained.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Don’t Stop Drawing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">At this point you’re thinking you’re clever, right? If it’s so dangerous, just avoid it. But you can’t. You’ll draw in your sleep. You’re going to have to write exams at school. What are you going to do then?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Anyway, if you stop drawing, you block the ink like a dam on a river. And that dam’s going to burst, and the consequences will be messy. Keep drawing—you’re only hope is to learn how to control it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">You can’t stop the ink. You can only try to keep others safe from it. You can only buy time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Don’t Sleep In<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Ah, the nightmares. They’re part of the package. If you’ve had them, you know what I’m talking about. Otherwise, they’re better left unsaid. I don’t want to invoke those kind of things in the daylight.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">You’ll try to avoid sleep, but that could kill you too. Never mind how I know. Sleep as much as you have to, and no more. Sometimes my heart’s beating so fast when I wake up—if you sleep in, you might not wake up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Don’t Let Others In<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Avoid friendship. Avoid attention. Wear long sleeves and wristbands to cover the scars. They can’t know—even if your friends beg you to spill your secret, they don’t know what they’re asking. Showing them could kill them if you lose control.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">If you have some control—don’t trust anyone. People are easily corrupted. I know I sound cynical, but I have my reasons. You’d be jaded too if you lived with this ability.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Being marked by the ink is lonely. But it’s better than hurting others.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Except…it’s too much sometimes. Katie showed me that. So, I take this back. Keep your circle of friends small, but…some people will be there for you. You’ll know when you’ve found one of the special ones.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">That’s all I the wisdom I can impart. If you are marked like me, then I’m sorry. You know none of this advice will do much to help you. The best advice? Just survive. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Ganbatte ne. Good luck.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4343988669476676753" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Ink Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: start;">Amanda Sun is the author of </span><i style="text-align: start;">The Paper Gods</i><span style="text-align: start;">, a YA Paranormal series set in Japan. The first book, </span><i style="text-align: start;">INK</i><span style="text-align: start;">, is a USA Today Top 10 YA Summer choice, an Indigo Top Teen Pick of 2013, a Junior Library Guild selection and a Summer 2013 Indie Kids' Next List selection. She has also been published in the Aurora-nominated </span><i style="text-align: start;">Tesseracts Fifteen</i><span style="text-align: start;"> by EDGE Fiction and in </span><i style="text-align: start;">Playthings of the Gods</i><span style="text-align: start;"> by Drollerie Press. She currently lives in Toronto, where she keeps busy knitting companion cubes, gaming, and making elaborate cosplays.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.amandasunbooks.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://amandasunbooks.blogspot.ca/">Blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/Amanda_Sun">Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Amanda-Sun/286049961408426">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649677.Amanda_Sun">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://amandasunbooks.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=037321071X&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-9466646465910578402013-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:47.987-07:00GYDO: Miriam Forster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dOyYOlIOiNd46ykLiXtGsWosodj-HQzPQ-L3PSYP1Yzqjt_ReQNrvQgTdOtD_J6WueIMd8FqGmqAQsNDNwiL4M9-ULEib04LE1FZUDQvUHmLUbU8BIeMgZLCLT1GDngnXqsc6L7PGcdF/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dOyYOlIOiNd46ykLiXtGsWosodj-HQzPQ-L3PSYP1Yzqjt_ReQNrvQgTdOtD_J6WueIMd8FqGmqAQsNDNwiL4M9-ULEib04LE1FZUDQvUHmLUbU8BIeMgZLCLT1GDngnXqsc6L7PGcdF/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #8e7cc3; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;">Miriam Forster, Author of City of a Thousand</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello, wonderful reader-type people! </span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjk73C042yoWgZXtwOsHdN4Cjk_FW-dncsRN4RRjEVlYCwNL22TBWzOkWFIUNqfgno50PjSD9bWAMbyDvkRdccTBLJO3jU0-_p2Fo6_CZFM5OWU7fVDnHtpe5j4w9poz2rAe6W0DAx_HN/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjk73C042yoWgZXtwOsHdN4Cjk_FW-dncsRN4RRjEVlYCwNL22TBWzOkWFIUNqfgno50PjSD9bWAMbyDvkRdccTBLJO3jU0-_p2Fo6_CZFM5OWU7fVDnHtpe5j4w9poz2rAe6W0DAx_HN/s200/16171202.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was going to do some sort of light hearted guest post about my book, maybe a character sketch or a playlist or something. But when I sat down to write it, I found myself writing something entirely different.</span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That happens to me a lot. And sometimes? Sometimes it’s really discouraging.</span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me explain. As I write this, I’m working on the second Bhinian Empire book. It’s longer than the first one, and much more involved. I’m doing things I’ve never done before. A lot of time this past year I’ve felt over my head. And I get that horrid, sour little voice in the back of my mind. Maybe you know that voice? The one that says. “You’re not skilled enough.” “You’re not experienced enough.” “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” When nothing sounds the same in our heads as it does on the page, when nothing is clicking right, that little voice is right there to tell us we’re not qualified. </span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Go away,” the voice says. “Come back later when you’re better.”</span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hate that voice. It’s a stupid voice. And it doesn’t just happen to writers. It happens to artists, dancers, speakers, anyone who’s had a passion. Because our passions don’t always line up with our experience level. What we love is sometimes so much bigger than what we can do with it. And it’s easy to get discouraged and give up. </span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But for me at least, I’ve learned it’s important not to listen. Because the story/art/whatever that you want to make </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">right now</span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, that’s today’s story. It’s not tomorrow’s story. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_440459273" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tomorrow</span></span>, you’ll have a new story, one that will stretch you just as much. </span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because creating things that are hard is how growth happens. That’s how we learn and get better. </span></span></div><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so I’m writing this post, because I’ve been thinking a lot about art and passions and skill and how all those things intersect. And I think we, all of us, should make what we’re passionate about now, for today. Don’t wait for some fabled time when you’re “better” Let your art be messy and not as good as you wanted it to be. Let your passions show up on the page like an awkward baby gazelle, with skinny little legs and a tendency to stagger around and fall down. (Also that analogy came out way stranger than I intended. It happens.)</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell today’s story today. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">City of a Thousand Dolls Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">Miriam Forster learned to read at the age of five, wrote her first story at the age of seven and has been playing with words ever since. </span><span style="line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS, her debut novel, will be coming from HarperTeen on February 5th, 2013.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://msforster.blogspot.com/">Website/Blog</a></span><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MiriamForster">Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Miriam.Forster.author">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054179.Miriam_Forster">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://miriamforster.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f44/" id="rc-50828f44" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0062121308&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-53115417241588306302013-09-14T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.000-07:00GYDO: Amy Butler Greenfield<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5XfPsIyKUobqMLYEIhAgOSDWzY6UdzJ3qDz4uBPEPl36ippiLoFsJCM_PluXChQC_SPwyeHpMqZNE026v9SlHIgyR0gF-PRLQQbUxJlhpBZRDTcPA6AJS_EBbrUWZ4by4nJ52sbqmQCr/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5XfPsIyKUobqMLYEIhAgOSDWzY6UdzJ3qDz4uBPEPl36ippiLoFsJCM_PluXChQC_SPwyeHpMqZNE026v9SlHIgyR0gF-PRLQQbUxJlhpBZRDTcPA6AJS_EBbrUWZ4by4nJ52sbqmQCr/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #8e7cc3; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;">Amy Butler Greenfield, Author of Chantress</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal"><b> How does the story start?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"> It’s one of the most important questions a writer faces, and it’s not always easy to answer. </div><div class="MsoNormal">When I sat down to write <i>Chantress</i>, I knew my main character, Lucy, was in her teens, but I started with a prologue about something that happened when she was much younger. Here’s how one of those early drafts began:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLrnG3B68QLnj3EtFw2K-JlhhqvaMc3gMRfbzkIOHvZxVBL1s2zuMF0PQo5UIbr4Gha_-FJbjCpBFyTlbEtYCrjkCmZCt735QojlVsK_9NO53MrTWYkTnVxD7_3AXYiHzxNpm0WFGFiuS/s1600/13721337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLrnG3B68QLnj3EtFw2K-JlhhqvaMc3gMRfbzkIOHvZxVBL1s2zuMF0PQo5UIbr4Gha_-FJbjCpBFyTlbEtYCrjkCmZCt735QojlVsK_9NO53MrTWYkTnVxD7_3AXYiHzxNpm0WFGFiuS/s200/13721337.jpg" width="131" /></a><i> Lucy has no memory of that night. Oblivion was part-payment for her safety, and the bargain cannot be undone. But what she has lost sometimes returns to her in dreams. And they always begin this way:<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> With singing.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i>If you could call it singing, that is, for the eerie melody is unlike anything Lucy has ever heard from human lips. And yet singing it unmistakably is. The notes snap on the wind and soar into the salty sky—a wild song for a wild night, churning the sea into fury… <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> I truly loved writing this prologue, and for a long time I wanted to keep it exactly as it was. After it got a special mention in a writing grant contest, I was even more determined to stick with it.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">The trouble was, I couldn’t seem to make that voice work for the rest of the book. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Not sure what to do, I kept going, but I ended up with several drafts that didn’t quite work. I felt removed from the story, and at a distance from Lucy herself. </div><div class="MsoNormal"> One day, while unpacking from a big move, I ran across some very early writing I’d done, back when I wasn’t sure how to start the story. In that snippet, I’d let Lucy speak for herself. And when I read it, I knew that’s what had been missing: Lucy’s true voice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> It meant a lot of rewriting, but I tackled the story again, and this time I let Lucy tell it. Even as I wrote it, I could feel the book coming alive in a whole new way. When I sent the manuscript out, it was snapped up by an agent right away, and soon we had editors racing to buy it. This is the beginning of what they read – and the way <i>Chantress</i> still begins now:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>I was digging in the garden when I heard it: a strange, wild singing on the wind. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I sat back on my heels, a carrot dropping from my mud-splattered hands. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>No one sang here. Not on this island. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>Perhaps I’d misheard—<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>No, there it was again: a lilting line, distant but clear. It lasted hardly longer than a heartbeat, but it left me certain of one thing: It was more than a gull’s cry I’d heard. It was a song. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>But who was singing it?<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i>I glanced over my shoulder at Norrie, hunched over a cabbage bed, a gray frizzle poking out from under her linen cap. As far as I knew, she was the only other inhabitant of this lonely Atlantic island, but it couldn’t have been Norrie I had heard. For if there was one rule that my guardian set above all others, it was this one: There must be no singing. Ever.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i><u>Sing and the darkness will find you... </u><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> So what did I learn about beginnings? Two things stand out:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->(1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Don’t get too set on one way to tell your story. Be willing to try new things.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->(2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Trust your instincts! When it’s right, you’ll know.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Chantress Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion... </span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: serif; margin: 10px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Amy Butler Greenfield was on her way to a history Ph.D. when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Among other honors, her books have won a PEN/Albrand Award, the Veolia Prix du Livre Environnement, and a Beacon of Freedom Award.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: serif; margin: 10px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. She studied at Williams College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she earned a graduate degree in history at Oxford University on a Marshall Scholarship. She now lives with her family on the edge of the Cotswolds in England, where she writes, reads, and bakes double-dark-chocolate cake.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: serif; margin: 10px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">She loves music, romantic adventure, history, quirky science, and suspense, which explains how she came to write her first YA novel, <i>Chantress</i>, due out from Simon & Schuster in May 2013.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.amybutlergreenfield.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/ab_greenfield">Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/amy.b.greenfield">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3901024.Amy_Butler_Greenfield">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f43/" id="rc-50828f43" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1442457031&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-13026673814121560642013-09-13T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.014-07:00GYDO: Erin Bowman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65DJkg1bN33yQbnQu0m8ndUQjUoQRetKE7MWbA9o7CQHyhMqyWMYGd0dOSkQr94C3QV10NkkYGzri4OxNg5ZhCMhReOz9q4f50uTzhFbt0Aen7K9GqQg8WkGaBbyglgMR_FiZQFQrMVwm/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65DJkg1bN33yQbnQu0m8ndUQjUoQRetKE7MWbA9o7CQHyhMqyWMYGd0dOSkQr94C3QV10NkkYGzri4OxNg5ZhCMhReOz9q4f50uTzhFbt0Aen7K9GqQg8WkGaBbyglgMR_FiZQFQrMVwm/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #8e7cc3; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;">Erin Bowman, Author of Taken</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-shading: white; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Which character from TAKEN has the most "you" in it?</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn2GH6BTqzkfaBz4BDTgLf2QhLhLqHT1f6YMO6tgeoN7NMwVj6SmQVAa1GTPBbPrAzeWhsYqSVdbWnOlz7XUzSbANRGsVE5svr2M18f0z02FlqbYmEkiGmZKkwOPJK9VS3IVrbyM0OE18/s475/11044367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn2GH6BTqzkfaBz4BDTgLf2QhLhLqHT1f6YMO6tgeoN7NMwVj6SmQVAa1GTPBbPrAzeWhsYqSVdbWnOlz7XUzSbANRGsVE5svr2M18f0z02FlqbYmEkiGmZKkwOPJK9VS3IVrbyM0OE18/s200/11044367.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blaine, Gray's older brother, shares my intense desire to avoid confrontation at all costs. Like me, Blaine is a peace-maker. He'll say what makes the majority happy, rather than be brutally honest and risk upsetting anyone</span></span><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;">.</span><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">You can get any 2013/14 releases now, what would they be? (Remember, they have to be released after Sept. since that's when this is posted!)</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">I am absolutely dying to get my hands on</span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15835877-raging-star" target="_blank"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: background1;">Raging Star</span></a>, the final installment in Moira Young's</span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">Dust Lands</span></i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">trilogy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /><br /></span></b><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">What's your favorite part of the writing process? Why?</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's hard work, but I really love revising. That moment when your mess of words begins to resemble a polished, read-able book is truly magical. It makes all the sweat and tears worth it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">What's one of your favorite non-spoiler quotes from TAKEN?</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">Maybe it takes going crazy to face the truth.</span></i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">If you had to read one book over and over and over for a year, what book would it be?</span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #92cddc;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</span></span></i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. I could read about time-turners and the Marauders forever.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Why did you decide to dive into a dystopian world?</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't intentionally set out to write a dystopian with TAKEN. When I first drafted it, I was just trying to tell the tale of a boy looking to find himself and his way in life. The setting eventually grew to showcase a dystopic backdrop, but TAKEN was first and foremost about a boy in search of answers. That said, I've always been a fan of dystopian stories. They tend to take some of the evils that exist in our own world and amplify them, letting us experience a "what if" scenario while reading. For me, reading about broken worlds and watching people fight back--even when everything is stacked against them--is incredibly inspiring and hopeful.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Favorite...</span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Debut (of any year)</span><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">Sharp Objects</span></i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Gillian Flynn. I was so blown away by this book when I first read it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Book-to-Movie adaption</span><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fight Club. This is one of the rare instances where I liked the movie better than the book.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Paranormal creature</span><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dragons. All the way.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Sub-genre</span><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't get enough action/adventure/fantasy/sci-fi. (I realize I just cheated and listed four sub-genres. I regret nothing.)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Fairy tale</span><b><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">Andersen's</span><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">The Little Mermaid</span></i><i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">will always hold a dear place in my heart.</span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Taken Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">They call it the Heist.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Erin grew up in rural Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood telling stories. It is rumored that her first words were not “Mama” or “Dada,” but “Once upon a time.” In middle school, when kids were going off to sleep-away camp for the summer, Erin was attending writing camp and penning short stories.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.embowman.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/erin_bowman">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4544076-erin-bowman">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/heyerinbowman">YouTube</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://polishedobjects.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">US/Canada</span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f32/" id="rc-50828f32" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0062117262&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-5285214115218105492013-09-12T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.029-07:00GYDO: Lenore Appelhans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLiD1OoAZxLhGntShEbeEWofgXHbn-Tkb1RjXcIKZzRLyXgHSpBDHxruOd38UpX7N3GbTyTbGS2D-40h-0wjzSr7tQbgclQwJpXqAsIPuUTxhOs88z5qtyHInIRapsQalX_chCcXctN6u/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLiD1OoAZxLhGntShEbeEWofgXHbn-Tkb1RjXcIKZzRLyXgHSpBDHxruOd38UpX7N3GbTyTbGS2D-40h-0wjzSr7tQbgclQwJpXqAsIPuUTxhOs88z5qtyHInIRapsQalX_chCcXctN6u/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Lenore Appelhans, Author of Memory of After/Level 2</span></span><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal">Most authors will tell you that titles are hard. You want something that evokes the atmosphere of the book, that’s easy to remember, and is not like anything else out there. Tall order!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBxZpTekrIo7jQf2uwVJWITlyb8tRWVnPHygRX2_scOHd-yM0-kBQF5F1d5HpTvvgueEdwY1xy3ACObq-iAquI6zc-gDuCNaUcFyOIc3GEZglEXNrBJhV_e4DyphW8XQt6N5K_0TmZFSU/s1600/12579262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBxZpTekrIo7jQf2uwVJWITlyb8tRWVnPHygRX2_scOHd-yM0-kBQF5F1d5HpTvvgueEdwY1xy3ACObq-iAquI6zc-gDuCNaUcFyOIc3GEZglEXNrBJhV_e4DyphW8XQt6N5K_0TmZFSU/s200/12579262.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">My debut novel is out in the world in two incarnations. When it was published in January in hardcover, it came out with the title LEVEL 2. When it comes out in paperback next month (September 3<sup>rd</sup>), it will be under the title THE MEMORY OF AFTER.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4343988669476676753" name="_GoBack"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_h5ITuVERN49MD3uQcm2sfAbUmO1_X20yb8fPOzwXT1XRYhf2CiUdkCrVWgbl5YcLrFTwztwBEBQVJE4ZZOLAkUwkPtSVkG4GpiR46Fg7sRuOihPBw2FuOG3x8iXofbx5Kv3VQeIfZre/s1600/12579262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_h5ITuVERN49MD3uQcm2sfAbUmO1_X20yb8fPOzwXT1XRYhf2CiUdkCrVWgbl5YcLrFTwztwBEBQVJE4ZZOLAkUwkPtSVkG4GpiR46Fg7sRuOihPBw2FuOG3x8iXofbx5Kv3VQeIfZre/s200/12579262.jpg" width="132" /></a>Why? Well, feedback from sales was that book browsers in stores overlooked LEVEL 2 because they thought the “2” meant it was a sequel. This hadn’t occurred to me (or my publisher) before publication, but in retrospect, it makes sense. Thus, the rebranding/redesign.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">LEVEL 2 was my working title, and though we did have a title brainstorm before the hardcover publication, nothing seemed to fit as well as LEVEL 2, so we kept it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When the feedback came in from sales post-publication, we all put our heads together again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are some of the rejected titles:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">THE MEMORY CHAMBERS (the memory chambers are central to the concept, so this was a strong possibility)</div><div class="MsoNormal">MEMORY ADDICTS OF THE AFTERLIFE UNITE AND TAKE OVER (my nod to The Smiths, but makes the book sound like a comedy, which it is not)</div><div class="MsoNormal">WHAT ELSE IS THERE? (Doesn’t really say much)</div><div class="MsoNormal">HIVELAND (speaks to setting, but doesn’t give the full picture like LEVEL 2 does)</div><div class="MsoNormal">RECAPTURE (I like the double meaning and how both are relevant to the book)</div><div class="MsoNormal">ESCAPING AFTER (was in the top 2 – I like it because of the action it promises)</div><div class="MsoNormal">NEXT (action-packed but too generic)</div><div class="MsoNormal">LIMINAL (too obscure of a word)</div><div class="MsoNormal">SANCTUARY (Makes me think of LOGAN’S RUN)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Independently of each other, the publisher and I both came up one title on the list that we loved: THE MEMORY OF AFTER, paired with CHASING BEFORE for the sequel.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While the title LEVEL 2 evoked the action/sci-fi side of the novel, THE MEMORY OF AFTER is more mysterious, which I think fits the narrative incredibly well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So yes, coming up with titles is hard work – but finding the right one makes it all worth it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Memory of After/Level 2 Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><strong style="display: inline; line-height: 18px; max-height: none;">Lenore Appelhans</strong><span style="line-height: 18px;"> has been blogging about books at Presenting Lenore (PresentingLenore.blogspot.com) since 2008. She is the author of the Memory Chronicles, which includes </span><em style="line-height: 18px;">Level 2 </em><span style="line-height: 18px;">and the forthcoming </span><em style="line-height: 18px;">Level 3</em><span style="line-height: 18px;">. She lives with her illustrator husband Daniel, and their first picture book together, </span><em style="line-height: 18px;">Chick-O-Saurus Rex</em><span style="line-height: 18px;">, is being published in 2013 by Simon & Schuster. She splits her time between Frankfurt, Germany, and Benton, Kansas.</span></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/">Website/Blog</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/lenoreva">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4737695.Lenore_Appelhans">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">US/Canada</span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f41/" id="rc-50828f41" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00BSAOLYW&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-76433821115323655482013-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.042-07:00GYDO: Ashley Elston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLiD1OoAZxLhGntShEbeEWofgXHbn-Tkb1RjXcIKZzRLyXgHSpBDHxruOd38UpX7N3GbTyTbGS2D-40h-0wjzSr7tQbgclQwJpXqAsIPuUTxhOs88z5qtyHInIRapsQalX_chCcXctN6u/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLiD1OoAZxLhGntShEbeEWofgXHbn-Tkb1RjXcIKZzRLyXgHSpBDHxruOd38UpX7N3GbTyTbGS2D-40h-0wjzSr7tQbgclQwJpXqAsIPuUTxhOs88z5qtyHInIRapsQalX_chCcXctN6u/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Ashley Elston, Author of The Rules for Disappearing</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I’m so excited to be a part of GYDO! And since this has been a wild and crazy ride – I thought I would give you my “Rules” for surviving your Debut Year:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaN2NP37rWjgpPjHGyGqpNFxvAGc1XLTFHj2w3efqo_5iLzRQ6vDCN0o0_76n2qkCGsexeCFV5EUN6ej0HBeiQuNO2ttHgbG0UTjjE68bDhHeAxpP-zMFSXxep1ql_TPWnej6MFExH85u/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaN2NP37rWjgpPjHGyGqpNFxvAGc1XLTFHj2w3efqo_5iLzRQ6vDCN0o0_76n2qkCGsexeCFV5EUN6ej0HBeiQuNO2ttHgbG0UTjjE68bDhHeAxpP-zMFSXxep1ql_TPWnej6MFExH85u/s200/16171202.jpg" width="131" /></a>Rule #1: Be prepared for your family to act crazy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Your mom will approach strangers is a bookstore and stalk them until they agree to buy your book. You may be presen<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4343988669476676753" name="_GoBack"></a>t and watch in horror as this happens or she may call you afterward to report her sales for the day. I’m sorry, book-shoppers. She means well. </div><div class="MsoListParagraph"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rule #2: Do not Google yourself. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Ever. Or search for your book’s title on Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, etc… This is a hard one. No matter how many gushing, awesome, incredible reviews and posts you find where the reader loves your book, it only takes one gif of a guy banging his head against a wall, screaming, “Noooo!” to crush you completely. Save yourself that heartache. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rule #3: Find 348 ways to tell the same story.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> I’m not kidding. Friends, co-workers, family, and strangers in the grocery store all ask how you sold your book. In order not to be completely sick of yourself before your book hits the shelves, find a way to replay this story in an entertaining way so you don’t drone on like that teacher from FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rule #4: Hope for a crowd but be prepared for empty seats.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Sometimes you will have awesome turnouts for events and sometimes you will hear crickets. My first book signing was incredible – Barnes and Noble sold out at 175 books. And then I had an event where the only attendees were my parents and a random family of three that probably thought they were there for something else. Both were incredibly humbling experiences.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rule #5: Have fun! </div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"> This is the most important rule. You are only a debut once so make the most out of it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Rules for Disappering Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Ashley Elston is the daughter of an attorney and grew up surrounded by talk of court cases and the law in general --- all of which triggered the ideas in her debut YA novel, THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING. She has a Liberal Arts degree from Louisiana State University and worked for many years as a wedding/ portrait photographer. She is also a licensed landscape horticulturist. Ashley lives in Shreveport, Louisiana with her husband and three young sons.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><a href="http://ashleyelston.com/">Website</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://ashleyelston.tumblr.com/">Blog/Tumblr</a></span><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/ashley_elston">Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ashleyelstonbooks">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13018503-the-rules-for-disappearing">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">INT</span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f48/" id="rc-50828f48" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1423168976&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-427531353793519202013-09-10T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.054-07:00GYDO: Kelly Fiore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dOyYOlIOiNd46ykLiXtGsWosodj-HQzPQ-L3PSYP1Yzqjt_ReQNrvQgTdOtD_J6WueIMd8FqGmqAQsNDNwiL4M9-ULEib04LE1FZUDQvUHmLUbU8BIeMgZLCLT1GDngnXqsc6L7PGcdF/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dOyYOlIOiNd46ykLiXtGsWosodj-HQzPQ-L3PSYP1Yzqjt_ReQNrvQgTdOtD_J6WueIMd8FqGmqAQsNDNwiL4M9-ULEib04LE1FZUDQvUHmLUbU8BIeMgZLCLT1GDngnXqsc6L7PGcdF/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: French Script MT;"><span style="font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;">Kelly Fiore, Author of Taste Test</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal">A lot of people ask me why I write Young Adult fiction. Because my writing beginnings centered around verse (I have an MFA in Poetry), I think a lot of people would assume that I’d want to write things that are more…poem-ish. Not only that, but many also will ask what the appeal is in writing for young adults – as in, why write for children (who have seemingly less buying power) than for adults (who have, theoretically, plenty of buying power)?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">People couldn’t be more clueless or wrong about young adult readers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneMHRC1RoeRQ8MaYiTxL6-yQVNdadii9VAt9zGbakQXy3Liil4O5uhRxUFoaqltTObmeQhGPllnp2-RcBFaMrssExOfjw9JnCmkMApnqF0ChJQy66y-fw2pcjtXwH2tFVSS_RJJ5x6wsI/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneMHRC1RoeRQ8MaYiTxL6-yQVNdadii9VAt9zGbakQXy3Liil4O5uhRxUFoaqltTObmeQhGPllnp2-RcBFaMrssExOfjw9JnCmkMApnqF0ChJQy66y-fw2pcjtXwH2tFVSS_RJJ5x6wsI/s200/16171202.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">First, let me say that there is a reason young adult literature is booming – it’s the most visceral, exciting, emotional literature around. Teenagers feel things and they feel them hard. Their literature must be a reflection of that. As a writer for teens, it is my job to reflect that in my work. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moreover – this whole buying power scenario? Trust me, there are lots of adults buying YA for themselves and the teens in their lives. When you write teen literature, you aren’t just writing for teens – you’re writing about a time period that everyone has lived through and that everyone can remember as, most likely, a dramatic part of their lives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another reason writing teen lit is such an amazing ride is because so many coming-of-age “firsts” happen for teenagers – there’s writing gold there, people! I mean, think about it – driving, proms, school, jobs, crushes, relationships. It’s not that adults don’t have those things – but isn’t the first time you do something way more exciting than the 200<sup>th</sup>? I can still remember on my 16<sup>th</sup> birthday, getting behind the wheel of my 1987 red Chevy Nova and jamming to Spacehog’s “In the Meantime” on my cassette player as I drove down the street. But if you asked me what song I listened to in the car just <i>yesterday</i>, I probably couldn’t tell you. Teenage moments matter and they last. Who wouldn’t want to catalogue that?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But, most of all, I write young adult literature because, the majority of the time, I feel like a young adult. I still dream the way my teenage self would dream. I’ve never lost that inexplicable sense of hope – of <i>what if</i> – of <i>one day</i>. If there were a way to encapsulate that wonder, wouldn’t you do it? I get to do it on the page and it’s pretty much the coolest job ever.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Ask any YA writer why they write YA, and you’ll probably get a different answer from each one. But, in the end, we can all agree that YA lit is the place where we can remember how it felt to do something amazing for the very first time. The fact that I get to share those feelings with others – well, that just makes it all the more important.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Taste Test Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Taste Test</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Kelly Fiore</b><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> has a BA in Creative Writing from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. Cooking and writing are two of Kelly's greatest passions; others include cupcakes, facials, and VH1 Classic. She lives in Maryland where she lives with her husband and son. </span><i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Taste Test</i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> is her debut novel.</span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://kellyfiorewrites.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/KellyFioreYaAuthor">Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/kellyannfiore">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5156226.Kelly_Fiore">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">US/Canada</span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f39/" id="rc-50828f39" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0802728383&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-26522604934659299662013-09-09T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.067-07:00GYDO: Amy Christine Parker<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUshKxIxfy5g-QGo4xbOHQC6vwP9cBlSPxrn7M9OE8QyeLmHbXsJy_rQ3cE5pe9qXpdYNtU21r1O26soCGfHasPgvCcozhDVgG-lIIfXBLq44GlpxTAwwA0T3rHtCyS12mvT9RDIkI161P/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUshKxIxfy5g-QGo4xbOHQC6vwP9cBlSPxrn7M9OE8QyeLmHbXsJy_rQ3cE5pe9qXpdYNtU21r1O26soCGfHasPgvCcozhDVgG-lIIfXBLq44GlpxTAwwA0T3rHtCyS12mvT9RDIkI161P/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #8e7cc3;">Amy Christine Parker, Author of Gated</span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Before writing GATED I didn’t naturally gravitate towards writing contemporaries. In my head they had strict boundaries. I’d very wrongly pigeon-holed the genre and found it rather limiting compared with other(more preferred) genres of mine. But then along came this idea that wouldn’t let go of me once it grabbed hold and I knew that I had to jump into the contemporary world—even if I did it kicking and screaming. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I didn’t need to leave behind the genres I loved most in order to write within it. The contemporary genre was really only limited by my own imagination and my perception of the world around me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">GATED is first and foremost, a contemporary novel. It takes place in the real world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"> Right here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Right now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">But you won’t have to read very closely (hopefully) to see that this book has clear nods to the paranormal and dystopian genres in particular within it. It’s not a mash up so much as a pointed observation that our present existence as a society definitely includes elements of the fantastic and communities that border on (and in my opinion, clearly are) dystopian—you just have to look at it under those lenses. When I was brainstorming how to go about writing GATED, one of the things that became obvious is that cults check all the boxes that dystopian societies do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYS6a-kQ2WrsSGPcF6sQW-LR0QjH8BQnjOggSLzlL7QECDg7iBiQzB0pC-3jnPb2MiPbD9C_-ekac7I51EDBoaJjNEiUiPInLTw2zE20GbgAFViEGxyoFjoZ2TaiQUcUNHQQszeKHWG-h/s475/15752340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYS6a-kQ2WrsSGPcF6sQW-LR0QjH8BQnjOggSLzlL7QECDg7iBiQzB0pC-3jnPb2MiPbD9C_-ekac7I51EDBoaJjNEiUiPInLTw2zE20GbgAFViEGxyoFjoZ2TaiQUcUNHQQszeKHWG-h/s200/15752340.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">--There’s a leader(s) who has absolute power over a group of people.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">--The society is built upon 1) The idea that the world/society—as is—isn’t working/is doomed and 2) the quest to change their people’s direction for the better (at least on the surface).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">--The majority of the people inside these societies won’t question those in charge or don’t dare to speak out if they do, for fear of being punished—sometimes for generations.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">-- The person who does gather the courage to stand up and speak out, will face fierce, often times life threatening opposition. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">--Maybe most importantly, in the face of disturbing circumstances, the other, non-questioning members of the group will cling to their devotion if only so that they don’t have to face just how misguided it has been.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">For me, realizing that what I feared most about the future was happening right under my nose was chilling. My hope was that it would be for readers too. Writing contemporaries began to be more and more addicting and now I am an ardent fan. All it took was questioning what I thought I knew about them and deciding to add my own spin.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Gated Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pioneer is her leader.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Will is her Intended.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The end of the world is near.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 17.328125px;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">AMY CHRISTINE PARKER tried out many different jobs, including collectible doll maker, fondue waitress, and inner-city schoolteacher. It wasn't until she became a mom and began making up bedtime stories for her children that she finally realized what she was meant to do. Now Amy writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and one ridiculously fat cat.</span></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.amychristineparker.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://amychristineparker.blogspot.com/">Blog</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/amychristinepar">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6442333.Amy_Christine_Parker">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">US/Canada</span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f30/" id="rc-50828f30" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0449815978&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-89264814843895639792013-09-08T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.080-07:00GYDO: Rachel Alpine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Rachel Alpine, Author of Canary</span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In CANARY, the main character Kate has a blog called All My Truths (</span><a href="http://www.allmytruths.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">www.allmytruths.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">). She titles each post “Today’s Truth” and shares her secrets. I thought it would be fun to posts my own truths and share some secrets about the book!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnVLycSfiReOpjYPQAeHVVLuNTvbIac2OYuHyMjRC9EMxQ60vEA4-aJKUY6_IskzDtX_kavvRLlgfaXVzJwbo668YMLzYXuOduS1kJEEQ9UKbUwcDbbRDfcGvU2jVwiEraIkUPc_S8Dvu/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnVLycSfiReOpjYPQAeHVVLuNTvbIac2OYuHyMjRC9EMxQ60vEA4-aJKUY6_IskzDtX_kavvRLlgfaXVzJwbo668YMLzYXuOduS1kJEEQ9UKbUwcDbbRDfcGvU2jVwiEraIkUPc_S8Dvu/s200/16171202.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Today’s Truths about CANARY:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When I first started to query CANARY it was called UNTIL SOMEONE HEARS YOU. I also suggested called it ALL MY TRUTHS. My publishers loved CANARY and wanted me to keep that title.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The title came from something that miners used to do to test to see if it was safe to go into the mine. They’d lower a canary in a cage down first and then pull it back up. If it was alive, it was safe to go down. If it died, they knew there was carbon monoxide in the mine. They also often brought the birds down with them and knew that as long as the bird was singing, it was safe. Canaries could detect carbon monoxide before humans can. This relates to the main character, Kate, in my book and what she has to breath in and endure in her new school<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">One of the poems that is in CANARY is a poem I wrote in a college class. It’s the poem that sparked the whole idea for the book, and I’m so excited I got to keep it in the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kate swims at night with the pool lights off. I used to go to my grandparents’ house in Florida every year and swimming at night was one of my favorite things to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kate’s brother Brett enlists in the Army. Originally, I had him going overseas, but changed it when I revised because he’s important to the story. I wanted to keep him around (he’s one of my favorite characters!).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A lot of the characters in my book are named after my good friends. They either have a character with their first or last name. However, none of the characters were inspired or based off of my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I was so nervous about what the cover would look like that I didn’t open the e-mail from my publisher for a couple of hours! The good thing is that when I finally did, I loved it!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So there you have it…my truths about CANARY! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the book, Kate starts posting on her blog Sunday, August 11. Be sure to visit her blog (</span><a href="http://www.allmyturths/"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">www.allmyturths</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">) as the posts in the book will be put on this blog in real time!<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4343988669476676753" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Canary Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are perks to being an athlete. </span><br style="line-height: 19px;" /><span style="line-height: 19px;">But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her dad’s vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.</span><br style="line-height: 19px;" /><em style="line-height: 19px;">Canary</em><span style="line-height: 19px;"> is told in a mix of prose and verse.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Rachele Alpine is a lover of sushi, fake mustaches, and Michael Jackson. One of </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">her first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">where she indulges her reading habit. By day she’s a high school English teacher, </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">and by night she writes with the companionship of the world’s cutest dog, Radley, </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">a big cup of coffee, and a full bag of gummy peaches. Rachele lives with her </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">husband in Cleveland, Ohio, but dreams of moving back to Boston, the city she fell </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;">in love with while attending graduate school there.</span></div></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.rachelealpine.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://freckle-head.blogspot.com/">Blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/ralpine">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5191177.Rachele_Alpine">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/ralpine">Pinterest</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/rachelealpine">Facebook</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f37/" id="rc-50828f37" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1605425877&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-87931702827685796172013-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.093-07:00GYDO: April Genevieve Tucholke <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwJ0u8lcEbXZ7k2wwHQpimfDD_9Ehop47EtNP0_nfXTW_YsVH_rspgtTI3NK6i0P2xmXFFDUjX9hgJ9McUXRLoUYEu8I5cwyJmFqrFhk-U-U03Eza13Lb3KS1iJYikUDQSBnJmCvMxNo2/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwJ0u8lcEbXZ7k2wwHQpimfDD_9Ehop47EtNP0_nfXTW_YsVH_rspgtTI3NK6i0P2xmXFFDUjX9hgJ9McUXRLoUYEu8I5cwyJmFqrFhk-U-U03Eza13Lb3KS1iJYikUDQSBnJmCvMxNo2/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">April Tucholke, Author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Happy Never After or Happy Ever After</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A bittersweet mixture of both.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hardback, paperback, or eBook? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Hardback and paperback. I don't own an ereader. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-85-qJM7zmaI/UafyWhmbJaI/AAAAAAAADjg/oDRz2blcLv4/s1600/12930909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></a><span style="background-color: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bad boy or boy next door? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Both.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chocolate or candy? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Dark chocolate.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGir_yBOlWp3WMmy27GJ_XPX7mirXkiZ8LUK9VHtc3zbyoquR_xlDpIVFa0FocsnzBVXxc-BgalhQD03zG7qXUyKWftq2Zs_FKiLcggOd6ZmZSf6fn3N5A4FRQqJd_d3MxN_SZHYhp5MWS/s473/12930909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGir_yBOlWp3WMmy27GJ_XPX7mirXkiZ8LUK9VHtc3zbyoquR_xlDpIVFa0FocsnzBVXxc-BgalhQD03zG7qXUyKWftq2Zs_FKiLcggOd6ZmZSf6fn3N5A4FRQqJd_d3MxN_SZHYhp5MWS/s200/12930909.jpg" width="134" /></a><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Coffee or Tea? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Coffee. No question.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Truth or Dare? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Truth.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading in the sun or reading next to a fireplace? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Both, with a slight leaning towards the fireplace.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sweet or Sour? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Sour is my least favorite taste. And I like my desserts bittersweet, like my endings.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Would you rather be super cold or baking in the sun? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Super cold. Hands down.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />A million dollars or a life time supply of books?</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I already seem to own more books than I could read in a lifetime. I'd take the million dollars and donate half to cash-starved libraries. I would use the rest to build a fleet of bookmobiles that would travel the land, giving away my favorite books.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Favorite YA book? (Besides your own of course!)</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">That's tough. Sabriel and Lirael by Garth Nix. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Golden Compass. A Wrinkle in Time. The Folk Keeper. I could go on and on...</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Favorite 2013 debut? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd. TAKEN by Erin Bowman. IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS by Cat Winters. SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard. And there are still several I haven't had a chance to read yet...</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Favorite place? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Northern Italy. Lourmarin, France. The Scottish Borders. Salzburg, Austria. Bruges, Belgium. </span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Favorite food? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Affogato. Manakeesh with olives, feta, and crisp cucumbers. Summer Corn Chowder made with coconut milk and fresh corn right off the cob. The Khai Soi at Pok Pok in Portland. The Sticky Chicken at the Real Food Street Bistro food cart.</span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Favorite website? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I'm on my local library's website almost every day. I really like deviantART.com...and <a href="http://audible.com/" target="_blank">audible.com</a>. I listen to a lot of audiobooks. </span><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><span style="color: #b6dde8; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Favorite social media? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">None. I wish we could go all go back to writing letters.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #b6dde8; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Blurb</span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">April Genevieve Tucholke</span><span style="outline: 0px;"> is a writer who digs classic movies, red-headed villains, big kitchens, and discussing murder at the dinner table. She and her husband <a href="http://natepedersen.com/" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Nate Pedersen </span></a>live in Oregon at the edge of the forest.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Media</span></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://apriltucholke.com/" style="background-color: black; font-family: Times;" target="_blank">Website</a></div><div style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://twitter.com/nightowlauthor" style="background-color: black; font-family: Times;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div><div style="text-align: start;"></div><div style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5288442.April_Genevieve_Tucholke" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0803738897&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-32661740312785111362013-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.106-07:00GYDO: Liz Coley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1RExiTdOmqx6lH_2bGMXiSPpjNgVfs6G-f_KtkvaHDMy83q9KFN9jjfAyPGrDBAfSHNy3vV4z-YBvwgcaAUMmfh6YtEA0i2Dnd7iZ9EhrNJ4tAGmabhA0JbPdJBLSAi_PlU3daqzkpQY/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1RExiTdOmqx6lH_2bGMXiSPpjNgVfs6G-f_KtkvaHDMy83q9KFN9jjfAyPGrDBAfSHNy3vV4z-YBvwgcaAUMmfh6YtEA0i2Dnd7iZ9EhrNJ4tAGmabhA0JbPdJBLSAi_PlU3daqzkpQY/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Liz Coley, Author of Pretty Girl-13</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Way back in seventh grade, the social divisions were fairly well established even in a tiny private school. There were the cute boys who played basketball and then the rest of the guys, ill-assorted and usually awkward. For some reason, these traits went together, although looking back on yearbook photos, I realize in retrospect that although there were dorky athletes and cute nerds, those category cutting exceptions weren’t noticeable at the time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPA7y-ijDQ5Q80wFJKZF8DF8Yei8aAT-JT8ZZic2nynPr4QAHz9KohDWwy62cb_oVhOFFMe30W4heEmmHPzQ4JPgdgzH_eG8wsg7chs06CzvXjE1y9HSQ41YF4Yp0kJJkbwHjB7waFbSAM/s475/13450398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPA7y-ijDQ5Q80wFJKZF8DF8Yei8aAT-JT8ZZic2nynPr4QAHz9KohDWwy62cb_oVhOFFMe30W4heEmmHPzQ4JPgdgzH_eG8wsg7chs06CzvXjE1y9HSQ41YF4Yp0kJJkbwHjB7waFbSAM/s200/13450398.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In some private schools, there’s one additional category of student—the kid who is there because he’s been kicked out of the public school system. Oddly enough one of these kids became one of my best guy friends in seventh grade.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">His name was generic enough that I’ve no hope of finding him again—Jeff Smith—though I would love to know what ever became of him. He arrived at our school in seventh grade as a bird of a completely different feather. He was worldly, he was a bad boy, he was kind of cute, with shoulder length wavy brown hair and a ready smile. He smoked cigarettes and pot, he shoplifted, and he broke into houses. For reasons I can’t even begin to guess, he decided to hang out with “the good girls” at lunch. Maybe because we were so nice, we just accepted him, with all his baggage. Maybe because our eyes sparkled at his tales of mischief and misdemeanor. Maybe because we were as much a curiosity to him as he was to us. He nicknamed me Albert, after Einstein, and I answered to that name as if it were my own, all year. I considered it a badge of affection and something completely mysterious and indefinable.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwowYaJjPEQ/UbiUwLL3wRI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/-qFvb1bmOSo/s1600/Pic4SFAL_MyFavoriteDelinquent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwowYaJjPEQ/UbiUwLL3wRI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/-qFvb1bmOSo/s200/Pic4SFAL_MyFavoriteDelinquent.JPG" width="149" /></a><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I think he managed to flunk seventh grade. He knew he was leaving in early June, and on our last day, he presented the three of us girls in his odd posse with necklaces, personal to each of us. Mine was an owl, the others a dove and a choker that said “oh shit” on it. He proudly announced that while he had stolen the money, he had actually paid for the jewelry in a store. Shades of moral gray. It seemed like a step in the right direction to us—that’s how charmed we were. I’ve still got this token of the charismatic delinquent who brushed my life for just </span></span><span style="color: white;">a few hundred days, and it’s still an unaccountably precious memory.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Pretty Girl-13 Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">What happened to the past three years of her life?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Angie doesn't know.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Liz Coley's alarming and fascinating psychological mystery is a disturbing - and ultimately empowering page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Liz Coley's short fiction has appeared in <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cosmos</em> magazine and speculative fiction anthologies. Her passions beyond reading and writing include singing, photography, and baking. She plays competitive tennis locally in Ohio to keep herself fit and humble.</span></span></div><div style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">With a background in science, Liz follows her interest in understanding "the way we work" down many interesting roads. <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pretty Girl-13</em>'s journey into the perilous world of dissociative identity disorder is one of them.</span></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.lizcoley.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.lizcoley.com/NEW/blog">Blog</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/LizColeyBooks">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/liz.coley?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4750818">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0062127373&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-83697819980907537302013-09-05T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.164-07:00GYDO: Sarah Skilton<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dOyYOlIOiNd46ykLiXtGsWosodj-HQzPQ-L3PSYP1Yzqjt_ReQNrvQgTdOtD_J6WueIMd8FqGmqAQsNDNwiL4M9-ULEib04LE1FZUDQvUHmLUbU8BIeMgZLCLT1GDngnXqsc6L7PGcdF/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Sarah Skilton, Author of Bruised</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks so much for having me at your blog to talk about subplots, Nikki!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXUHHCSwdIk2hVO4JW2AiasNtLdd1wzgt6vNtu6w_KTqcHOyy8OEP7JDCmApbMOZdS-iCl1Ji7Wf5KNdyY1GV3wMdBMplgGSk6JLeVSctS3BMk9g4-NIA5GvOxDYrEV6fvILNZyTVBW13/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXUHHCSwdIk2hVO4JW2AiasNtLdd1wzgt6vNtu6w_KTqcHOyy8OEP7JDCmApbMOZdS-iCl1Ji7Wf5KNdyY1GV3wMdBMplgGSk6JLeVSctS3BMk9g4-NIA5GvOxDYrEV6fvILNZyTVBW13/s200/16171202.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I was writing BRUISED, I didn’t put too much conscious thought into how many obstacles my main character, Imogen, would face, but apparently I couldn’t stop tormenting her. By the time I finished writing, the book was filled with a host of subplots beyond the main theme of martial arts and personal identity. Family drama, friendship drama, romance, and school make strong cameos in the story, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think our main relationships with siblings and parents affect and inform all the other parts of our lives. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Imogen dislikes the way her brother behaves when he dates people, so she vows to do the opposite in her own life. This in turn has direct consequences on the way she behaves toward Ricky. She’s disappointed and worried about her father, who has diabetes, and these emotions propel her to make specific choices about her own life, some healthy and some not. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For BRUISED, balancing the different subplots of the story was a matter of looking at Imogen’s character -- simply put, she’s mature when it comes to martial arts, but immature when it comes to love -- and proceeding from there. Her Tae Kwon Do black belt makes her stand out, but she’s also a regular girl in many ways. I wondered: how would someone like Imogen approach the other areas of her life, the ares most contemporary teens deal with (such as siblings, school, and friends)? Which aspects will come easily to her, and which aspects will prove difficult? By answering those questions, I was able to find conflict that wouldn’t exist for other characters, as well as strengths and weaknesses that Imogen brings to table.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before you throw every subplot you can think of into the mix, make a list of your lead’s <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4343988669476676753" name="_GoBack"></a>character traits and brainstorm how those traits would manifest in a variety of situations. Then pick the situations that would torment him or her the most, and go from there! ;) </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Bruised Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Imogen has always believed that her black belt in Tae Kwon Do made her stronger than everyone else--more responsible, more capable. But when she witnesses a holdup in a diner, she freezes. The gunman is shot and killed by the police. And it's all her fault.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now she's got to rebuild her life without the talent that made her special and the beliefs that made her strong. If only she could prove herself in a fight--a real fight--she might be able to let go of the guilt and shock. She's drawn to Ricky, another witness to the holdup, both romantically and because she believes he might be able to give her the fight she’s been waiting for.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But when it comes down to it, a fight won’t answer Imogen's big questions: What does it really mean to be stronger than other people? Is there such a thing as a fair fight? And can someone who's beaten and bruised fall in love?</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Sarah Skilton lives in California with her magician husband and their son. By day she works in the film and TV business. She is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, which came in handy when writing BRUISED. Visit her online at sarahskilton.com.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.sarahskilton.com/index.html" style="background-color: black;">Website</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Skilton-Writer/142255925852923">Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/Sarah_Skilton">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4968442.Sarah_Skilton">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f36/" id="rc-50828f36" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1419703870&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-27615114054525891112013-09-04T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.226-07:00GYDO: Kasie West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Kasie West, Author of Pivot Point</span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="MsoNormal">It’s no secret, I love reading about people falling in love. So I thought it would be fun to explore some of the ways used in a few of my favorite young adult novels to build up to that all important ‘L word.’</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Best friends.</b> I love it when long-time best friends discover they have feelings for each other. Whether they tell each other right away and deal with the fall out, or the main character is just discovering her feelings and thinks she is alone in them, it’s fun to struggle along with them. The familiarity of the relationship and the two knowing each other so well, makes a fun story, sure to have my heart aching for them to finally figure things out because they belong together.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of my favorite leading men in this type of story is: Jay (from The Body Finder)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“It was the same thing every day. There was nothing different from yesterday and the day before that. Nothing different from every single day since they’d met.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Except that now her stomach climbed into her throat as he grinned his stupid sideways grin at her and slid into the car.” –Kimberly Derting <i>The Body Finder</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIrw4V058Fpk3wdwETKzDvMplWohFZPaM1-1l17W5p5hU54JoTmecALaFTxlD9oODQqSmn324cYSwhBGxTXOybG42T7ziqBPcdVDZlReSWfXKCAhQTLixM9vbb-KOVCF8O6_RlksdXNrS/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIrw4V058Fpk3wdwETKzDvMplWohFZPaM1-1l17W5p5hU54JoTmecALaFTxlD9oODQqSmn324cYSwhBGxTXOybG42T7ziqBPcdVDZlReSWfXKCAhQTLixM9vbb-KOVCF8O6_RlksdXNrS/s200/16171202.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>The intriguing stranger</b>. On the opposite end of the best friends discovering love is falling for the complete stranger…eventually. There’s something fun about discovering the details of a boy right along with the main character. The not knowing what his looks mean. The not knowing what his past holds. The mystery of it all is compelling. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite intriguing stranger is: Wes (from The Truth About Forever)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Now that he was right in front of me, I could see that he was tall and had brown hair that was a little bit too long. He was also strikingly handsome, with the sort of sculpted cheekbones and angular features that you couldn’t help but notice, even if you did have a boyfriend.” –Sarah Dessen <i>The Truth About Forever</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The cocky bad boy</b>. Why oh why am I still drawn to the bad boy who is hot and knows it? I think it’s because I love seeing that confidence start to crack as the main character breaks down those walls. There is something about the vulnerability that lies behind all that bravado that gets me every time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite cocky bad boy? Jace (from City of Bones)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“He cocked an eyebrow. ‘Can I help you with something?’</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Clary turned instant traitor against her gender. ‘Those girls on the other side of the car are staring at you.’ </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jace assumed an air of mellow gratification. ‘Of course they are,’ he said. ‘I’m stunningly attractive.’” –Cassandra Clare <i>City of Bones<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The childhood crush reappearing</b>. Ah, years of pent up feelings that come rushing back when a childhood crush suddenly reappears in the life of the MC. I love this. I especially love this when things ended badly or in a misunderstanding like with Cricket in Lola and the Boy Next Door. I love this book. I love Cricket.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“We take each other in. My mind spins as it tries to connect the Cricket of the present with the Cricket of the past. He’s grown up and grown into his body, but it’s still <i>him</i>. The same boy I fell in love with in the ninth grade. My feelings had been building since our childhood, but that year, the year he turned sixteen, was the year everything changed.” –Stephanie Perkins <i>Lola and the Boy Next Door</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The protector. </b>Lastly, one of my favorite types of love stories is the girl falling for her protector. I love a strong love interest whose instinct is to protect, even if it’s begrudgingly at first. </div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite protector as of late is: Perry (from Under The Never Sky)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xf7d6RsvghpWp74gjLGwU_nD5y1-7gO0_ThvPK7Ng2BfC9NXHEEiJTvJHPvDNwAEp3MBJFwc9mBuXY-854PK2nf3MzY4KbPSOWSTS9U-ymetmE6h5wH1U0S1YC-edG4mPHuNol_vMjWx/s1600/17332556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xf7d6RsvghpWp74gjLGwU_nD5y1-7gO0_ThvPK7Ng2BfC9NXHEEiJTvJHPvDNwAEp3MBJFwc9mBuXY-854PK2nf3MzY4KbPSOWSTS9U-ymetmE6h5wH1U0S1YC-edG4mPHuNol_vMjWx/s200/17332556.jpg" width="132" /></a>“The Outsider picked up his bow and quiver, looping them over his shoulder. ‘No talking once we cross that ridge. Not a word, understand?’</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">‘Why? What’s out there?’</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">His eyes, always bright, looked like green lights in the pale dawn. ‘Your stories are, Mole. All of them.’” –Veronica Rossi <i>Under The Never Sky<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Isn’t it great how many ways there are to fall in love? And I fell in love with all these characters again while I was putting this post together. I can’t wait to discover more favorites as I continue to read. </div><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Pivot Point Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">(Check out her other 2013 release <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15283043-the-distance-between-us?ac=1">Distance Between Us</a>) </span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">A stay-at-home mom of four children, three of them girls, ranging in age from 12to four, Kasie West hears lots of melodramatic versions of large-than-life events. She graduated with a BA in liberal studies, with a strong focus on linguistics and psychology, from Fresno State University. She lives in Fresno, CA.</span></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.kasiewest.com/">Website/Blog</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/kasiewest">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5027236.Kasie_West">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0062117378&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-33806366263125574922013-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.285-07:00GYDO: Jennifer Rush<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Jennifer Rush, Author of Altered</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Here’s a secret (but not really a secret because this is probably not a surprise to any of you): I started writing way back in my early teens because I was boy crazy. When I was twelve or thirteen, I was obsessed with teen magazines, like <i>Bop</i> and <i>Tiger</i> <i>Beat</i>, and I’d pull out all of the posters and celebrity pictures and plaster them all over my bedroom wall until <i>no wall</i> remained.</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8T-tKa3KcEenCO9O0rw4Kxe3BUg_qiRowkhzphAjf7mB2pqP6kMuDAOGdEXxR-FPkmAK2ySls3PFw8ZqCOeXjaQh-at_kpaFrjo2MbEJDVITNl56311ZI24leRwpXzuywgd61VSLyKBg/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8T-tKa3KcEenCO9O0rw4Kxe3BUg_qiRowkhzphAjf7mB2pqP6kMuDAOGdEXxR-FPkmAK2ySls3PFw8ZqCOeXjaQh-at_kpaFrjo2MbEJDVITNl56311ZI24leRwpXzuywgd61VSLyKBg/s200/16171202.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">I had a major crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Andrew Keegan, and Devon Sawa (anyone remember him in <i>Little Giants</i>?). I couldn’t watch their movies/TV shows enough, and I realized that I could stay with them as long as I’d like if I just wrote my own story, with my own cute boys.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">I started writing vampire fiction (I devoured vampire books at this age). Then I read Sarah Dessens’s <i>The Truth About Forever</i>, and decided I needed to write my own Wes.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Growing up, I was never popular, or pretty. I certainly didn’t have a ton of male suitors. Reading, and later writing, was a way for me to live vicariously through my characters. I got to fall in love with multiple boys without any of the mess (you’re welcome, mom and dad). I was able to kiss a cute vampire. Feel the butterflies from a crush on a brooding artist. Fall for a bad boy (a demon, actually, but he was a super-hot-with-a-sensitive-<wbr></wbr>side demon). </span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">But something changed, the more I wrote, and the more I thought about the <i>girls</i> telling my stories. I realized, not only could I feel a sliver of the crush on a cute boy, I could feel the empowerment of a strong female, or the rush of an athletic girl, or the passion of an artist.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">I started focusing more on my female narrators. I wrote a runner—something I’ve always wanted to do, but have never been successful at. I wrote an artist, because I’d loved art growing up, but never felt I was good enough. I wrote a strong, peculiar girl with tattoos all over, and a best friend she’d die for.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">I guess it comes as no surprise then, that <i>Altered</i> is told from the point of view of a girl who can kick major ass. A girl who is passionate, and creative, and kind and caring, but also courageous and strong and determined.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">As my writing grows, I want to continue writing strong female characters, but also characters that are real, and complex, and interesting, maybe even weak at times. Because we are all weak at times. </span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">I ho</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">pe in the future, that when people talk about my books, they say things like, She writes great female characters, and complex plots, and <i>super hot boys</i>. After all, I couldn’t possibly turn my back on my humble beginnings. :-)</span><br /><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Altered Blurb</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?</em><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Rush lives in a little town on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. She grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist, but realized she hated the desert and declared herself a writer instead. She won her first writing award in the fourth grade (a Mickey Mouse pencil was the prize) and has been crafting stories ever since. In her free time, she likes to read, Photoshop, and consume large amounts of caffeine.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: #f7f7dd; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.jennrush.com/">Website/Blog</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jenn_rush">Twitter</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/jennvrush">Facebook</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4737213.Jennifer_Rush">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://jenniferrush.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Giveaway</span></span><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f46/" id="rc-50828f46" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0316197084&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-48323482322666983752013-09-02T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.344-07:00GYDO: Cristin Terrill<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoC0dHTB2AWP77rOgF2HDDP32ww_Y4c6by_aXXmNHtoqiOYRCbDCYKzjagLLzPaaXgpBx7hcAcPBUdZc08p0RvsImmdp3a3hsyiZ9DvfaVvyAzWrI3OXMSPC2OzvzuwPFBhwp7PrPatLX/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoC0dHTB2AWP77rOgF2HDDP32ww_Y4c6by_aXXmNHtoqiOYRCbDCYKzjagLLzPaaXgpBx7hcAcPBUdZc08p0RvsImmdp3a3hsyiZ9DvfaVvyAzWrI3OXMSPC2OzvzuwPFBhwp7PrPatLX/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Cristin Terrill, Author of All Our Yesterdays</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">(Happy Book Birthday! All Our Yesterdays releases today!)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Fiction Freak:What's your most embarrassing moment?<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Cristin Terrill: Other than my entire middle-school existence? There are so many to choose from. The one that first springs to mind was my very first day of freshman orientation at college. It was already a very stressful day, because I was incredibly nervous and my mom, dad, stepmother, and 6 month old half-sister were there "helping" me move in. Halfway through unpacking I got a note to go to one of the rooms where they were doing administrative stuff. I got there and found out that they'd never received my vaccination records from my doctor, so I had to get a shot RIGHT THEN. I have a severe needle phobia (like, I usually pass out in the doctor's office just from being near all the needles) so all the stress made me immediately burst into tears. My dad looked at me in shock and said, "You're really serious about that needle thing, huh?" and I was like, "YEAH DAD, I REALLY AM." Meanwhile, I'm crying uncontrollably and making a total idiot of myself in front of about fifty of the brand new classmates I was so nervous about meeting. Luckily, I managed to stay conscious, but I still shudder thinking about that moment! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSD6h96xNGFqiMeT-oT9xU9FrO_u-PJdIZRI2pIbaHuLrH6DHAGtXHe4zbVLmpKKaQk8EBlkozMlyDpRqFSl82WnUzhpIVrIW5EY7HznG8UMf69IzPRQ2yeLZK3jcDNDriBS_qeP1DE230/s475/13514612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSD6h96xNGFqiMeT-oT9xU9FrO_u-PJdIZRI2pIbaHuLrH6DHAGtXHe4zbVLmpKKaQk8EBlkozMlyDpRqFSl82WnUzhpIVrIW5EY7HznG8UMf69IzPRQ2yeLZK3jcDNDriBS_qeP1DE230/s200/13514612.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">What's been the most memorable moment that has something to do with your writing? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">The night I first got an offer on ALL OUR YESTERDAYS. I was out to dinner with a bunch of my writers friends and ran outside into the bitter cold without my coat to answer my agent's call. She told me not to tell anyone we'd received an offer, so I had to go back into dinner and pretend nothing had happened. My two closest friends could tell something was up, though, so I told them what had happened in the parking lot after dinner was over. We basically just hugged and cried and laughed for like an hour.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">What's your most anticipated 2014 or late 2013 read? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">THE DREAM THIEVES, the sequel to Maggie Stiefvater's THE RAVEN BOYS. That was my favorite read of last year, and I'm so missing those characters and dying to see what they're up to!</span><br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">What's your biggest pet peeve? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">People who say "literally" when they mean "figuratively."</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">If you could learn a talent in a day, what would it be? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Hmm, I'd love to be able to draw or ballroom-dance or speak a new language, but I think I'd have to pick learning to play the guitar. I can play the trumpet and French horn from my many years of school band, but you can't just whip out your French horn around the campfire with your friends, you know? </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">You can meet anyone, who is it? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">William Shakespeare. I can pick someone dead, right? I have a master's in Shakespeare Studies, and I have so many questions I would love to have answered!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">What YA character would you LOVE to meet? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Tough one! Well, Peeta is my YA boyfriend, so it would be good if we actually knew each other, but I would also kill to have a slumber party with Frankie Landau-Banks and THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE'S Zuzana.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Give us some random facts about you!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I've lived in twelve cities in two countries, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Judi Dench overheard me calling her creepy once, and I saw a flying saucer one night at my grandparents' house when I was fifteen. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Favorite<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">2013 debut: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I'm reading MAID OF SECRETS by Jennifer McGowan right now and really enjoying it. There's also this awesome book I heard about called ALL OUR YESTERDAYS...</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Series: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">TV Show: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I'm a TV <i>addict</i>, so I don't know if I could choose. Some favs are Arrested Development, Friday Night Lights, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Website: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">My life would not be worth living without Netflix.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Animal: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Dolphin. Or sea lion. Or sea otter. Basically any sea mammal will do.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">Color: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Blue</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Food: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">French fries</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Bookstore: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Book People in Austin, TX</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Social Media: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Twitter, although I really love Tumblr too.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This or that <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">eBook or physical? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Physical. Ebooks are easier to read, but I like to be able to look at my books.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Paperback or hardback? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Hardbacks. They're prettier.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Twitter or Facebook? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Twitter! Facebook and I just never clicked, and I'm always on Twitter.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Dogs or cats? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">The cat is my spirit animal, although I love dogs too.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc;"><span style="font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">Morning bird or night owl? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Night owl. I basically became a writer so that I would never have to get up early.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Junk food or candy? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Junk food. I'm not much for candy, but French fries or brownies or pizza? Love.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #92cddc;">Contemporary or paranormal/fantasy? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Paranormal/fantasy. It has to be a really special book to make me want to relive high school!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif;">One Direction or Justin Bieber? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Although I've literally never heard any of their music, I'll go with One Direction. I have a weakness for British accents.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: Berlin Sans FB, sans-serif;">NUTELLA OR NUTELLA? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I make these Nutella crepes that would BLOW YOUR MIND, MY FRIEND.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">All Our Yesterdays Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Marina has everything. She’s got money, popularity, and a bright future. Plus, she’s best friends with the boy next door, who happens to be a gorgeous prodigy from one of America’s most famous families.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Em has nothing. Imprisoned in a small white cell in the heart of a secret military base, all she has is the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Marina and Em have one big thing in common: they’re the same person.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now Em must travel back four years in time in order to avert the terrible future from which she’s fled, and there’s only one way to do it. She must kill the person who invented the time machine in the first place: someone from her past. A person she loved.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Marina won’t let them go without a fight.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">Cristin Terrill is a YA author and aspiring </span><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">grown-up. She holds a BA in Drama from Vassar College and an MA from </span><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and has worked in the </span><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">theatre on both sides of the pond. She now teaches creative writing to </span><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">children and teens in Washington, D.C. </span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://cristinterrill.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://cristinterrill.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/cristinterrill">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13514612-all-our-yesterdays">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1423176375&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-22085174518678483552013-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.405-07:00GYDO: Jordana Frankel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s1600/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNb4YDXb2hzS17dFCFhSYjp-hthISPlxJly3ADEWx230eEwze-0EcwEGgQV5UTB-x8AkD3jem2QAYZhYW4QrzH_NnCf7lr1tJfOef8VGXiW7LuQfyG5XsW_vTE9H8p8CUGDZxZqCflKWn/s200/GYDO.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Jordana Frankel, Author of The Ward</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 29px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Outlining: A Love-Hate Relationship</span></b></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ynSsUvjlytgzFnpS792qJNM-6ZHar2KOpYP0bjbvCMqGP2Fxl7vQow2NzO9KLKXe1edgBv5EPzsuOQ_1Tl2L0OnsbvHTh97KDDW0q-hQ3WuIcrCtc60SpI7rJpeTUQ8sqt75GVAFTYXs/s400/outlines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ynSsUvjlytgzFnpS792qJNM-6ZHar2KOpYP0bjbvCMqGP2Fxl7vQow2NzO9KLKXe1edgBv5EPzsuOQ_1Tl2L0OnsbvHTh97KDDW0q-hQ3WuIcrCtc60SpI7rJpeTUQ8sqt75GVAFTYXs/s320/outlines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="width: 580px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx7Py5MZDumyJl2Bdo13sLFF9zQaa3FKqPwAimyJXEd4H5xT-yDZ3HWh3MyQtGOiaaMEi0s6t97qok_oczqDm0nJEqtt3QHcSWkEWkaXTN_WE_lt8G_4Ailo2J0UXs94OgVvaBa62oD0a/s1600/16171202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFx7Py5MZDumyJl2Bdo13sLFF9zQaa3FKqPwAimyJXEd4H5xT-yDZ3HWh3MyQtGOiaaMEi0s6t97qok_oczqDm0nJEqtt3QHcSWkEWkaXTN_WE_lt8G_4Ailo2J0UXs94OgVvaBa62oD0a/s200/16171202.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />Oh, how I envy authors who can just write without an outline. Every time they pick up their WIP, it's like an adventure. I know! I tried with early drafts of THE WARD- and ended up with 125 pages of swashbuckling nonsense, no real plot though. I had one in mind, I really did, but I just sort of wove it in whenever it felt like it belonged. And by "wove it in," I mean that I just suggested that there may be a plot, if you kept reading. I knew this was bad, but I figured that if I kept truckin', I would figure out what the sitch was.<br /><br />And the writing was so fun! I *never* knew what my main characters were going to do. They could kiss! They could punch each other! I was constantly surprising myself. They were constantly surprising me - and each other. It. Was. Awesome.<br /><br />And then, by way of some really unforeseen variables and some obscene luck, I had an editor interested in the project. Of course, the plot needed work (read: needed a plot). And so I had to start thinking, and hard.<br /><br />There was an outline. It was a sketch, but suddenly it gave my WIP "through signs" as <a href="http://www.micolostow.com/" target="_blank">Micol Ostow</a>(former writing instructor and author extraordinare) said. And she was right. The outlining was a good, good thing.<br /><br />But. BUT.<br /><br />I went back to work on the WIP, and suddenly, no one was surprising me.<br /><br />I felt like I was just writing them to do things, and they - goshdarned it - were LISTENING to me. NO! That's not how it's supposed to work. My characters THEY DO WAT THEY WANT.<br /><br />And in a way, they were doing what they wanted. But it was also what I needed for them to do. In order for this WIP to actually function, they couldn't just be acting all willynilly. So I understood, I got it, but I had to admit, some of the starry eyes I had for them were, well, just less starry (wait, happy ending approaches).<br /><br />Until I realized something.<br /><br />They WERE still surprising me. It was just in an entirely different way. If I were writing them according to the outline, they would be so boring! Suddenly my MC was punching out a bouncer, getting punched back, going nuts in a waiting room. Nothing I had foreseen. The starry eyes were back. I needed to look for the moments and opportunities and allow my characters leeway to feel whatever they were feeling. And then act accordingly.<br /><br />Basically, I realized that in order for me to keep the starry eyes I have for this project, I needed to constantly be learning something or surprised by my characters - in ways that the outline just can't provide. And if it did, if I had thought out all this stuff in advance, I would be sad. So even if some of what I write doesn't make it into the final ms - that's okay. I'm writing the things I need to write in order to stay in love with the book. And now, I'll even gloss over certain parts in the outline because I have a hunch that something awesome will happen if I let it.<br /><br />And because it's also apropos depending on the day:</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RP4abiHdQpc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="width: 580px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; width: 580px;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">The Ward Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Jordana Frankel is a creative-writing instructor at Writopia Lab and a former marketing associate at the Book Report Network. She received her BA from Goucher College and an MFA in creative writing from Hollins University. She currently lives in New York City. </span><em style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">The Ward</em><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"> is her first novel.</span></span></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://www.jordanafrankel.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://infinitum-ad-momentum.tumblr.com/">Blog</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/JordanaFrankel">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141753.Jordana_Frankel">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jordana-Frankel/156052304450973?ref=tn_tnmn">Facebook</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=006209534X&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-12765994184656334052013-08-31T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.467-07:00GYDO 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-bxgwN9-GqVD4PFhM1LOf77Q2Yt5uVZ50Gq80hdL3AWm3W32QqkAhThOXfDY3hMgNajKKodMPpaw23xmy-94p6TpNx1WdVSH5kTA4RyG8H3YCF9DSzHNJ3OGLQItHvs_891Eb-o0uKa7/s306/GYDO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-bxgwN9-GqVD4PFhM1LOf77Q2Yt5uVZ50Gq80hdL3AWm3W32QqkAhThOXfDY3hMgNajKKodMPpaw23xmy-94p6TpNx1WdVSH5kTA4RyG8H3YCF9DSzHNJ3OGLQItHvs_891Eb-o0uKa7/s306/GYDO.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />IT'S TIME FOR GYDO AGAIN! WOOOT!!! We have an awesome line up and GYDO's going to be...a bit longer than last year! Also? Giveaways!<br /><br />If you don't know what GYDO is, it's basically where I ask a whole bunch of debut authors from whatever year it is (sometimes the coming year) and ask them to write a guest post for me! If they can't, they have the choice of an interview, but a guest post is definitely my first choice.<br /><br />GYDO started out because there were some amazing fall releases last year and school was starting up again! So I decided to do an author event that wouldn't take too much time, but would still be fun! If you want to see last year's posts click <a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/p/gydo_17.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />Last year didn't have any giveaways, but this year I asked if the authors could donate some swag or books and they've been so nice! So, yep! You guys are getting a ton of giveaways! I'm sort of jealous! The majority are US, but there are also a lot of US/CA ones and even a few INT ones!<br /><br />Have fun meeting new authors and possibly discovering new books!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-80796477545245282362013-08-30T22:15:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.524-07:00Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSM1ynR5oqtlewuKF1nVn3ogETp9-c-VkOXO1ihphsBCSI49kHxv23Qybm_91cphe0chXExjde0BXPbuy0L9_DFuufGRjSpdLQ2XK8KoSaCYPH18ZujfL_r8-2WuAAWI6wiLZLJD_qwnU/s1600/IMM51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSM1ynR5oqtlewuKF1nVn3ogETp9-c-VkOXO1ihphsBCSI49kHxv23Qybm_91cphe0chXExjde0BXPbuy0L9_DFuufGRjSpdLQ2XK8KoSaCYPH18ZujfL_r8-2WuAAWI6wiLZLJD_qwnU/s320/IMM51.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Goodreads Blurb</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now... not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh you gorgeous, gorgeous, lying cover. When I saw the cover I imagined a sweet, possibly heartbreaking, story that I would love. Instead I got a romance that wasn't exactly my favorite and was more New Adult than Young.<br /><br />I didn't really expect the rather...detailed sex scene that happened or the issues that ended up being mentioned. Namely from one Starrla character. Starrla <i>really</i> irritated for some reason. I think it was because she didn't really seem to have much depth. Yes, she was broken, and yes she had her issues. But beyond her issues and her pain, there honestly didn't seem to be anything else. It was like she was just written to drive a wedge between our two main characters, which she probably was. I just wish there was more to her than her bitchiness and cruelty.<br /><br />Ah, but you want to hear about our main characters don't you?<br />Charlie wasn't exactly my favorite. He seemed a bit...obsessive with Wren and I found him a bit...awkward for the story. I really can't explain why, but something just nagged at me throughout the entire story. But he was otherwise a pretty sweet guy with a real voice. He cared about his family, his friends, Wren, and was definitely romantic enough to make one swoon. But I didn't really see him grow as a character--we were told he changed, but I wish we'd been shown this character development, however minor.<br />Wren was sort of the same, but she annoyed me a lot more. She never really treated Charlie right and she was definitely a bit clingy and needy. She did try to stand up for her parents, and I admired her for that, but she never really said what she wanted. She flinched back a lot and it definitely annoyed me. After so many years under her parents' thumb (who definitely didn't win any parent of the year awards) I felt like she should've been more...explosive with her feelings than the timid rebel she portrayed once. Twice?<br /><br />The romance in this definitely had that insta-love feel to it and I just sort of hated it. I had no idea what they saw in each other. All I kept hearing was "You're beautiful." "You're gorgeous." "You're perfect." But beyond that? Why did they seem so in love? There was no basis of their love and there was almost nothing leading up to it besides their "touching of the souls." Wut?<br /><br />I wanted to DNF this so many times, but I pushed on, wanting to see how it ended, which was rather abrupt for my tastes. The Infinite Moment of Us was rather disappointing and I honestly wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. Of course, I still want to read Myracle's Shine since it received so many rave reviews, but not this one, unfortunately.<br /><br />But guys. <i>Such a gorgeous cover. </i><br /><i><br /></i>Pages: 336</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Contemporary/Romance</div><div style="text-align: left;">Series: Standalone</div><div style="text-align: left;">Publisher: Amulet Books</div><div style="text-align: left;">Release Date: Aug 20, 2013</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 1 star<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs_p1vXsh6zN1gioUe2JaN91qifkc_MVdfeTuD7CcRPZ8dpG1ZDlPMb3RgnUhvuWzkivo0MnTldaM8RF_GQSODIz6NG3dpw8v-ttmKGV5jQRmVQ4sNiN9QyY3xMAmNHTNobWanykx7_66/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs_p1vXsh6zN1gioUe2JaN91qifkc_MVdfeTuD7CcRPZ8dpG1ZDlPMb3RgnUhvuWzkivo0MnTldaM8RF_GQSODIz6NG3dpw8v-ttmKGV5jQRmVQ4sNiN9QyY3xMAmNHTNobWanykx7_66/s1600/untitled.bmp" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-24061790798634383312013-08-28T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.583-07:00Taste Test by Kelly Fiore<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWFaTFdG_BtedAIXYOtE3Kwnv8VKXtmarytFiFYJP4akj0ps4gBQ2h4fmEwp9xtfXaEnK6txthPoQPRROrgRHEX2c8qZMKPgHP75ZZ4yAdoFhTeCDh2xlFHLHTLb24jDxGylVjkpW7uFf/s475/16059410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWFaTFdG_BtedAIXYOtE3Kwnv8VKXtmarytFiFYJP4akj0ps4gBQ2h4fmEwp9xtfXaEnK6txthPoQPRROrgRHEX2c8qZMKPgHP75ZZ4yAdoFhTeCDh2xlFHLHTLb24jDxGylVjkpW7uFf/s320/16059410.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Goodreads Blurb</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Taste Test</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Taste Test was a delicious (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it.) read that I enjoyed (and almost died laughing over.)<br /><br />The number one thing that hit me was definitely the writing style. Or, rather, the other things included. We got "interviews" with all our characters that I definitely enjoyed and giggled over. It let us see what front some of them were putting up and how they felt about what was going on! It was both hilarious and sort of sad sometimes. In the way that I want to be "LET ME LOVE YOU" to them. And then we got recipes. That I really want to try but would probably burn (even if it's not burnable.) I really love how Fiore included these little extras to make our reading experience way more enjoyable (and for all you actually decent cooks out there--can you pretty please make a few of them then send the food to me? I will love you forever, because some of these look absolutely <i>scrumptious</i>.)<br /><br />The relationships between these characters also took center stage. Whether it was the absolutely amazing father-daughter dynamic Nora and her dad had, the unrequited love between her and Billy (BFF), or her hate/love (literally. Mainly hate?) with Christian, all of them were wonderfully written! Nora's weren't the only relationships that played a role though--Gigi (the new BFF) and her friendships and familial ties, Joy's little trysts, and Christian's own relationship with his dad were also ones that were pretty fleshed out! I do wish we spent a little more time on them though, rather than spending a majority of the book focusing on Christian and Nora's chemistry.<br /><br />Of course, that doesn't mean I like it. Trust me, I was cheering these two on from the start! They were absolutely HILARIOUS by themselves, but together? I think I died of laughter several times. Their witty banter was filled with snarky remarks that had me crawling around on the floor clutching my stomach. Kelly Fiore definitely played on the phrase "There's a thin line between love and hate" because that was definitely true here! I never knew whether they were going to end up kissing or if it would end with Nora slapping him.<br /><br />I did love the pacing, though I couldn't help but wish we focused more on the show in the first half. We glossed over several of the "incidents" and we only really read/experienced a few and it wasn't really the main focus. The culprit was also pretty predictable, though I really didn't expect the reason why! The ending, I loved though. (But can we get an epilogue? I DON'T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE.)<br /><br />The characters were probably the thing I liked the least. Nora wasn't really written well and seemed a little flat and she seemed to judge harshly and quickly. She definitely wasn't my favorite character and I can't help but wish she was a little less...impulsive sometimes.<br />Christian, I loved, though he did seem excessively cruel at times. But his snark was absolutely HILARIOUS and I'm pretty sure I fell in love with him by the second time we met him. He was absolutely adorable and a fun character to read about!<br /><br />Taste Test is a cute and fun read I'd definitely recommend to people looking for an laugh out loud book that brings out their Giggle Monster. A perfect read for anyone who needs a break from the paranormal and dystopian!<br /><br />Pages: 352</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Contemporary/Romance</div><div style="text-align: left;">Series: Standalone</div><div style="text-align: left;">Publisher: Walker Childrens</div><div style="text-align: left;">Release Date: Aug 27, 2013</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5-->4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi679ad5LkqKeWcdwyiSPBvr_zoM1hV16GemJ7S2IfstK79IEe52kXvm-fCH5k8WzN8p09n2CRaToLJGoJmvfiEmQJUMcwZaXiAr_cAodBJlbSpGfg6u1k0IsTJCBjUu6pCM74hTu4ZzZHs/s208/4+stars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi679ad5LkqKeWcdwyiSPBvr_zoM1hV16GemJ7S2IfstK79IEe52kXvm-fCH5k8WzN8p09n2CRaToLJGoJmvfiEmQJUMcwZaXiAr_cAodBJlbSpGfg6u1k0IsTJCBjUu6pCM74hTu4ZzZHs/s208/4+stars.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-42497251191057617242013-08-27T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.640-07:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y2qUmWa1t_gPH8ESbN4dTMdvgbh8u_TLJ8y-8kAh8nfcVoWPzI4Ocm-EA4xOh7XwpkUdU5OUcUc-fJCJe0O72jvV1rgnGwzIBc0uiFbRnl6TgRA_T3N5oKVmmq5g08oFF32V03_86swK/s450/Waiting+on+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y2qUmWa1t_gPH8ESbN4dTMdvgbh8u_TLJ8y-8kAh8nfcVoWPzI4Ocm-EA4xOh7XwpkUdU5OUcUc-fJCJe0O72jvV1rgnGwzIBc0uiFbRnl6TgRA_T3N5oKVmmq5g08oFF32V03_86swK/s320/Waiting+on+Wednesday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote style="background-color: #79d3fa; border-bottom: #888 6px double; border-left: #888 6px double; border-right: #888 6px double; border-top: #888 6px double; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12127810-the-house-of-hades?ac=1"><span style="color: white;">House of Hades</span></a> </span></strong>by Rick Riordan</span></div></blockquote><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span><br /><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; right: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; right: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_C2534Lxrn5Ywil6PnXccHgI4J5Ew_8sG2aaviXC4N3xAihfTxYZQ0UkY0ZC82CVfAlUTHo3h4_Rf80DDrovixyZXolYbSyVNeDX4TyYd28W8OfT2rYPZeC5rG1Im6brQvThUvVcArf_/s475/12127810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_C2534Lxrn5Ywil6PnXccHgI4J5Ew_8sG2aaviXC4N3xAihfTxYZQ0UkY0ZC82CVfAlUTHo3h4_Rf80DDrovixyZXolYbSyVNeDX4TyYd28W8OfT2rYPZeC5rG1Im6brQvThUvVcArf_/s320/12127810.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br />At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /><br />Oh my freaking God, seriously. This is one of the only MG series I've ever read and loved and you guys, I pretty much grew up with these characters. AND THEN THEY FALL INTO FREAKING HELL.<br /><br />Wonderful. Seriously. WHY ARE AUTHORS ALL SO MEAN. The only thing I really don't like is that it seems that we don't get anything from Percy's POV. Ummm...EXCUSE ME? UGH. I am both dying to get this, but I now I'll be anxious when I do. UGHHHH<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-29841059392314579542013-08-26T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.702-07:00Blog Tour: Taste Test by Kelly Fiore<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgkXq9nt_uwNCLjPRAAAvzxJT2NCO5eGxkJ9U-qjpUlQIvvgpKx7GDFgTZOWJDs_WpOYvg4NsPpDuORqQtlhQvTnMSmg1ysPb7UgfELGMYWxGFkFPWzilkDbSezeMPBWHzRXSJH60o34i/s1600/Taste+Test+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgkXq9nt_uwNCLjPRAAAvzxJT2NCO5eGxkJ9U-qjpUlQIvvgpKx7GDFgTZOWJDs_WpOYvg4NsPpDuORqQtlhQvTnMSmg1ysPb7UgfELGMYWxGFkFPWzilkDbSezeMPBWHzRXSJH60o34i/s320/Taste+Test+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Me? I definitely loved this book! My review goes up in two days! Now read on for some food related questions. Because I just couldn't help myself.</span><br /><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"><br /></span><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">Fiction Freak: </span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;">What made you want to write about a TV show and why food?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">Kelly Fiore:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">I think the food part was more of a choice than the TV show part. I’ve been involved in a lot of writing workshops and classes and the two things that always ring true are “show, don’t tell” and “write what you know.” I know food – I can remember the dishes I ate on important days more than I can remember what I wore or what I said. Food was a huge part of my childhood and I always cooked with my mom, until I was old enough to do it alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">But, the idea of a teen Top Chef came to me when I was driving – which is when I get a lot of my ideas, actually. And being such a big Top Chef fan (and rooting for Bryan Voltaggio in the TC Masters right now – he lives in my hometown!) it just seemed like a win-win.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> What research did you have to do for TASTE TEST?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;"> </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">Wow, the word “research” really gives legitimacy to the concept of me lounging on the couch and watching every cooking show ever!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">Honestly, I did watch a lot of cooking television – not just the “reality” stuff, but the regular half-hour Food Network shows, too. I wanted to get a concept of timing and how ingredients are prepped. I watched a lot of “behind the scenes” stuff that I found online – like, I remember watching a show where Giada DeLaurentis was showing how her show gets made. I used a lot of those details to pull together what I expected the inner workings of the show to look like. Other than that, the recipes had to be cooked and re-cooked to make sure they were something I would stand behind in a book. And I had to attach measurements to ingredients because I don’t measure anything. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> The banter between Christian and Nora had me LOLing. Did you ever have a witty banter going on between you and someone else?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF: </span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">Absolutely – that is chemistry and it is pure gold. You have that with someone and it means you are totally in tune with them. It can be a friend and totally platonic, but the best is when that banter is really a cover for sexual tension, as in the case of Nora and Christian.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">My husband and I were still in our teens when we met and I can tell you that we had very witty banter – it’s one of our many compatibilities </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">J</span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> What is your FAVORITE recipe out of all the ones you've included in TASTE TEST?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;"> </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">It’s a toss up between the Chicken Pasta Nora (which is imbedded in the book, not at the end) and the Mahi Mahi dish. Both of those are staples in my kitchen and they’re both delicious! <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> If you were placed in a cooking competition, what place do you think you'd get?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;"> </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">Oh, jeez – probably last. I can’t plate to save my life. My food never really looks “pretty” even if it does taste good. That, and I’m a little too sassy for my own good. I’d probably have a hard time building alliances and winning people over </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">J</span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> If you had to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> It’s another toss up – it’s either Crème Brulee or Chocolate Mousse. Or a good brownie sundae. This question is too hard!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> Are there any snacks you ALWAYS have to have on hand while you write?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> I LOVE sushi – especially spicy tuna and vegetable rolls – and Korean BBQ, so those are my go-to take out options when I’m writing. I don’t keep a lot of snacks around the house, honestly. But I do a LOT of ordering in.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> Who was your favorite character to write?</span><b><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> I loved writing Christian and Nora’s interactions more than anything else. I love that bantering chemistry between them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> Did you mean for the contradiction in Joy's (the mean girl's) name? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> No, not at all. Sometimes I put a ton of thought into names – Giada (GiGi), for example, was what we were going to name my son if he was a girl. But other times – like with Joy? It’s just the first name that pops in my head </span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: black; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">J</span><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 153;">FF:</span><span style="background: black; color: #b6dde8; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themetint: 102;"> Do you happen to have any embarrassing cooking moments you'd like to share? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: black; color: #b2a1c7; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">KF:</span></b><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"> I did a lot of cooking experiments in my youth – this question would probably be a better one for my mom! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;">Lately, though, the most embarrassing thing I did was forget to put the sugar in a chocolate zucchini cake batter. I didn’t realize it until the batter was in the muffin tins – so I had to dump/scrap all the batter out of the little paper cupcake cups and back into the bowl so I could add the sugar. It was worth it, though, obviously. Cake without sugar is NOT good.</span><span style="color: #ccc0d9; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="background: black; color: #ccc0d9; mso-highlight: black; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 102;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Taste Test Blurb</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Taste Test</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Author Bio</span><br /><b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white;">Kelly Fiore</span></b><span style="background-color: black; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> has a BA in Creative Writing from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. Cooking and writing are two of Kelly's greatest passions; others include cupcakes, facials, and VH1 Classic. She lives in Maryland where she lives with her husband and son. <i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Taste Test</i> is her debut novel.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.46875px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Media</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://kellyfiorewrites.com/">Website</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/KellyFioreYaAuthor">Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/kellyannfiore">Twitter</a><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5156226.Kelly_Fiore">Goodreads</a></span></span><br /> <span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #92cddc; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Buy</span></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fictfrea-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0802728383&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=000000&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-35098986519371617192013-08-25T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.760-07:00Books to Movies Blog Hop<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQbO799_AveX9LlnmAV-gbWj8c3qvgvsDGbKLzlSIwdSoFPA77Y3o0-84-iVEcHvJaqdVTPrEYPNRrR29FnmrEryyUJ3gfnSW5HTkhm6UNsB_ZYhYoYsHC7IGqPtkiB1yBha7kB3EEsIm/s1600/Find+Me+Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQbO799_AveX9LlnmAV-gbWj8c3qvgvsDGbKLzlSIwdSoFPA77Y3o0-84-iVEcHvJaqdVTPrEYPNRrR29FnmrEryyUJ3gfnSW5HTkhm6UNsB_ZYhYoYsHC7IGqPtkiB1yBha7kB3EEsIm/s320/Find+Me+Tour.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hey! I haven't done many giveaways this year, so I decided to join this one! There are a ton of awesome YA book-to-movie adaptations coming out/came out and I can't wait to watch the 2014 ones! Woot!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 20;">Prize List</span></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">*any book in the series</div><div style="text-align: left;">Divergent by Veronica Roth</div><div style="text-align: left;">Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead*</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*</div><div style="text-align: left;">Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan*</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Fault in Our Stars by John Green<br />Masque of Red Death*</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare*</div><div style="text-align: left;">Delirium by Lauren Oliver*</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you're INT and interested in an eBook copy then this is open to you too!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50828f51/" id="rc-50828f51" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></div><!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=206297" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-38154846150273621322013-08-24T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.815-07:00Week of a Fiction Freak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoc_lhzvfcN3Ven1E9d6Zu-o-ajsBN0ugLczQYpDkk3VkSF4f6ipjTs5p79i2QKmEhCyf1sUUIYQQoS-bFHes08VnKFdWdOoP0Xv-kPU5oMGuqaYcw2-kVI5B03ea_qXReQYBTzxWytLA/s1600/Week+of+a+Fiction+Freak.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoc_lhzvfcN3Ven1E9d6Zu-o-ajsBN0ugLczQYpDkk3VkSF4f6ipjTs5p79i2QKmEhCyf1sUUIYQQoS-bFHes08VnKFdWdOoP0Xv-kPU5oMGuqaYcw2-kVI5B03ea_qXReQYBTzxWytLA/s320/Week+of+a+Fiction+Freak.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />So guys. I have a rather...large haul here. Feel free to watch it through. Or not. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS AGAIN WHY.<br /><br />So NYC was epic, I bought...A LOT OF CLOTHES, had an epic time with Eileen. A little boy called me weird at the airport. I'll end up writing a recap post. Sometime. If you want pics head over to my twitter!<br /><br />Also, I have realized that my neighbors grow pomegranites and that they hang over our fence. I was eyeing them throughout this entuire thing. Also, GYDO starts next week which means I'll have to do ANOTHER video at the end of September. Beautiful. Just. Sigh<br /><br />Have fun. Urgh.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0yNqcl0-yo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Asylum by Madeleine Roux</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Indelible by Dawn Metcalf</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Ten by Gretchen McNeil</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Posess by Gretchen McNeil</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor </span><span style="color: red;">(NOT SHOWN)</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Earthbound by Apprilynne Pike</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: red;">(NOT SHOWN)</span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Something Like Normal by Trish Doller</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Once We Were by Kat Zhang</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">This Side of Jealousy by Lili Peloquin </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: red;">(NOT SHOWN)</span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">All The Truth that's In Me by Julie Berry</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey (x2)</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Pretty Sly by Elisa Ludwig</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Sioban Vivian</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Camp Kiss by J.K. Rock</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Relic by Heather Terrill</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Dare You To by Katie McGarry</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Still Starcrossed by Melinda Taub</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Transparent by Natalie Whipple</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Frozen by Michael Johnston and Melissa de la Cruz</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In Time by Alexandra Bracken</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Keeping Her by Cora McCormick</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Six Months Later by Natalie Richards (NOT SHOWN)</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Promise of Amazing by Robin Constatine</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Liberator by Victoria Scott</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Dearly Departed by Lia Habel</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Dearly Beloved by Lia Habel</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Bone Season by Samantha Shannon</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Dance of Red Death by Bethany Griffin</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Starglass by Phoebe North</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Social Code by Sadie Hayes</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Canary by Rachele Alpine</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Testing by Joelle Charbeannue </span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Fangirl by Rainbow Rowel</span></span></li><span style="color: white;"><br /></span> HAD FUN? Yeah. That happened. I have no clue how I'm going to read all these, but I'm excited to try. Ugh though. So many.<br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">Weekly Recap</span></div><div><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/08/dnf-review-tmi-by-patty-blount.html">TMI by Patty Blount</a></div><div><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/08/mini-freak-out-goddess-by-josephine.html">Goddess by Josephine Angelini *Mini Freak Out)</a></div><div><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/08/waiting-on-wednesday.html">Waiting on Wednesday</a></div><div><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-catastrophic-history-of-you-and-me.html">Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg</a></div><div><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2013/08/359-by-gretchen-mcneil.html">3:59 by Gretchen McNeil</a></div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-14160723007507374982013-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.873-07:003:59 by Gretchen McNeil<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine-dFUDqwAKP-O9KgcslZZpT6qKtaourtg-i0DzM2_A-JCXQyfEDscmvJiHieuLZt2_sWuj85XuTRNF9dV4Py1J97bcwlFbVRfLvGVSt0vKaazIY8wHK2A7T2gh1SDsAVHtzjAeF6sfm5/s1600/15777797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine-dFUDqwAKP-O9KgcslZZpT6qKtaourtg-i0DzM2_A-JCXQyfEDscmvJiHieuLZt2_sWuj85XuTRNF9dV4Py1J97bcwlFbVRfLvGVSt0vKaazIY8wHK2A7T2gh1SDsAVHtzjAeF6sfm5/s320/15777797.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Goodreads Blurb</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="freeText4458218073387266413"><span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;">Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.<br />Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.<br />Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. <br />Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.<br />But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.<br />By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I don't usually start reviews like this, but...<br />Oh my fucking God. I am dead. I can not live. Guys. I just. No. My heart. It fails me. GUYS. Oh my fuck. I can not even. But. Just. <br /><br />Everything hurts.<br /><br />So I absolutely have to start off with the sci-fi aspect of this. There is a ton of sci-fi in there and Gretchen McNeil obviously did her research. There were so many theories thrown around, not to mention a ton of...oh God, I don't even know what to call them, much less understand! But the sci-fi is hardcore in 3:59, and you just have to love the scientific explanations and...other. I can't guarantee you'll understand, but I can promise that it'll blow your mind away! <br /><br />And you guys, the plot. I can't even. It was filled with suspense and anticipation (read: me hyperventilating) and I just couldn't put it down! It hooked me in straight away and then proceeded to kill me several times. It was filled with so many twists I hadn't seen a mile away and smacked me in the face, leaving me astonished and shocked. Not to mention, the ending? Oh, it just breaks your heart. <br /><br />I just loved our characters who were so brilliantly written (much like the rest of the book) and so wonderfully flawed, especially in the parallel world. <br />Josie is the kind of character you have to love. She's been through a lot and she's easy to relate to. I loved her voice and how she wasn't the perfect character. She had her selfish moments and she had her brave ones. She was smart and a bit nerdy, but wasn't the stereotypical "loser" nerd. <br />Nick was sweet in our world, but, of course, was a dick later on. But in the parallel world? Oh God, you have to love him! Madison...I couldn't believe her, how she could change personalities so quickly! It was disgusting and I sort of hated her. But she was definitely kickass in the parallel world and I loved seeing the few, but definitely interesting, interactions Josie had with her! <br /><br />The romance isn't a big part of the book, but you can't help but cheer Nick and Josie on! I can't say much, but I need an epilogue. That is all. <br /><br />This was my first Gretchen McNeil book, but you can count on it not being my last. With the amazingness that is 3:59, I'm now scrambling to read her other works! While I haven't read Ten (despite having a copy), my friends have read and loved it, so I can only assume that McNeil is as much a genius with all her books.<br /><br />I absolutely was <em>not</em> expecting to love 3:59 this much. I had high hopes for sure, but...oh God, they were just completely blown away. And that's saying <em>a lot. </em>3:59 is a gorgeously written sci-fi thriller that literally had my heart pounding from chapter one and wanting to sob an ocean in the last.<br />I have to recommend to absolutely everyone, sci-fi fans or no, everyone has to read this so they can scream with me. <br /><br />Pages: 368</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Sci-fi</div><div style="text-align: left;">Series: Standalone</div><div style="text-align: left;">Publisher: Balzer + Bray</div><div style="text-align: left;">Release Date: Sep 17, 2013</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 10/5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgKYCerGo3ebWi-tXJLrdnSr7iRuJhtoHQGMUdu2av7HluYw1aXqzkY9Lu5MvA673X9abMCbWw0V8OV69P0k4py0ci9Pw6BYPA-fZ9b1DJ0eWKni_L4PqDbc_ORPkr_UDHXadtPk5z-Lh/s1600/photo+%252841%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgKYCerGo3ebWi-tXJLrdnSr7iRuJhtoHQGMUdu2av7HluYw1aXqzkY9Lu5MvA673X9abMCbWw0V8OV69P0k4py0ci9Pw6BYPA-fZ9b1DJ0eWKni_L4PqDbc_ORPkr_UDHXadtPk5z-Lh/s200/photo+%252841%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s1600/untitled-11-1.jpg" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059747748144428812.post-81311682239026667402013-08-21T22:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T09:32:48.935-07:00The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdUg37jPynPAkEqCeUfoJUAZ4Bj3FaDIHKe9AWvpunFWfLgZtKXe_Vz_999wA2SV1YFA6bhETv6iN-m5otvPRIx8qaUEIvZokBaV_ZK19Jm6FN6C-2QFM9nVMpONyCqmiQ0UF-fNcsaEt/s400/15812752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdUg37jPynPAkEqCeUfoJUAZ4Bj3FaDIHKe9AWvpunFWfLgZtKXe_Vz_999wA2SV1YFA6bhETv6iN-m5otvPRIx8qaUEIvZokBaV_ZK19Jm6FN6C-2QFM9nVMpONyCqmiQ0UF-fNcsaEt/s320/15812752.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Goodreads Blurb</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Brie is the “biggest, cheesiest, sappiest romantic” who believes that everyone will find their perfect someone, so when Jacob, the love of Brie's life, tells her he doesn't love her anymore, the news breaks her heart, </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">literally</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">, and she dies. But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie revisits the living world to discover that her family has begun to unravel and her best friend has been keeping an intimate secret about her boyfriend. Somehow, Brie must handle all of this while navigating through the five steps of grief with the help of Patrick, her mysterious bomber-jacketed guide to the afterlife. But how is she supposed to face the Ever After with a broken heart and no one to call her own?</span></span></span></div><br />I've been absolutely dying to read this book for a while now, but I could never bring myself to actually buy it for some strange reason. Then I saw the paperback cover and it happened to be right in front of me. Obviously, it was fate. (GORGEOUS COVER. DO YOU SEE IT?)<br /><br />The Catastrophic History complete surprised me. Even though so many people told me how far from a fluff it was, I still somehow expected it to be light--but it really wasn't. What it was? Possibly the most beautiful love story I've ever read. So heartbreaking, so heartwarming, and so, so, powerful.<br /><br />While it was paranormal/supernatural, Catastrophic History had a contemporary feel to it that made me love it so much more. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we deal with a few issues, but I think it was mainly how amazing Brie's voice was. She was such a raw character who had such a distinct teen personality! She was easy to connect to, sassy and flawed, and I wanted to hug her so many times. The things she had to endure were hard enough--that she couldn't really help? It only made it worse.<br /><br />The romance was beyond amazing and had a twist to it that I just couldn't predict! But it was so absolutely perfect and it made me want to cry (Again! The feels in this book!) I can't say really anything else about it or I'll be spoiling so much, but it truly was one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever read.<br /><br />The plot was, while a bit slow a few times, was absolutely amazing! I loved most of the pacing and I loved everything that happened, the twists, the heartbreak, all of it. This book was just so completely passionate and so completely perfect. So much love! Though, the ending? A little bit too HEA, but otherwise, so completely perfect. So. Perfect.<br /><br />Pages: 400<br />Genre: Contemporary/Supernatural<br />Series: Standalone<br />Publisher: Razorbill<br />Release Date: Jan 1, 2012<br />Rating: 5 stars<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx2qbD5pU9ckzgArBWj6-tkGq03q5udJm6jAT7CE98jBV0ngL9Tl_GywxOjAAXgLjuj2_cMA_0OuCl8zx95czFACVH3peY24gPPfRYiiV3BmBL6GDj8wDKMFuR_zuTgNcB6E5TY4Md0Ad/s260/Stars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx2qbD5pU9ckzgArBWj6-tkGq03q5udJm6jAT7CE98jBV0ngL9Tl_GywxOjAAXgLjuj2_cMA_0OuCl8zx95czFACVH3peY24gPPfRYiiV3BmBL6GDj8wDKMFuR_zuTgNcB6E5TY4Md0Ad/s260/Stars.JPG" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s160/untitled-11-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznkGCgANsTRVpLOMJZRrKaizsVzJZKTrFm5dspS3VsIptB_GtUxpGtowM8OftdrnV0kHItvJFxYQM5L3aE3e-v2TaNJ9V-6P4d-zh6GczT_irgTENw6rGnv6WLohunUDZkqp_UPffzbtY/s160/untitled-11-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18314349470048338021noreply@blogger.com0