tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44287353231948891902024-03-16T00:09:13.283-07:00Adventures of a Book JunkieStaceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-50331790895883631592014-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:002014-03-05T20:11:15.447-08:00The time I movedHi guys!<br />
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If you follow me at all on a regular basis, you've seen me talk about moving from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress. Well, I've done it. <br />
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This blog will remain up under the old blogspot address, but it will not update. For all future shenanigans, go to toofondofbooks.com<br />
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I hope to see you there!!<br />
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Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-89376034444692854922014-01-31T19:33:00.001-08:002014-02-01T08:14:32.806-08:00The time it was the January real book recapHi guys! So, we're one month into the real book challenge and this is my first recap!<br>
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As I said in the <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2014/01/the-time-it-was-real-book-challenge.html">introductory</a> post, I challenged myself to read 150 real books in 2014. In the month of January, I read 35 total books with 15 of them being real books. And here they are:<br>
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So. 15 down, 135 to go. What books have you read this month?Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-86033468546511991812014-01-28T22:33:00.001-08:002014-01-29T07:49:59.314-08:00The time it was a recommendationI got an arc of <i>Red Rising </i>at WonderCon last year with the explicit instructions to read it immediately. Of course I didn't. It went into my TBR stacks and eventually I ended up giving it away. Flash forward to a couple of days ago and my phone started going crazy with people emailing me and texting me about Pierce's launch party.<br>
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It was a last minute decision to go. Mostly because I saw a glowing review from <i>Entertainment Weekly </i>and they're so picky. I knew that if I didn't go, it would be something that I would get pissed about later. </div>
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We got down to Mysterious Galaxy before 6pm. There was all sorts of snacks set up, including a cake [it was Pierce's birthday]. But the most impressive thing was the book display. </div>
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Pierce got to the store around 6:30 and went to work on signing the stacks of books that were around the store. </div>
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Patrick started at 7. His introduction talked about how a year ago he started talking about the book and 8 months ago he was pimping out the arc. Now he can actually sell the book. </div>
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Pierce did a brief introduction. He talked about this being his very first event and that he didn't have anything prepared like a lecture. There was talk about his childhood and parents, but I was taking photos and didn't get any of it. </div>
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Also? I have a disclaimer: Pierce talks fast and smiles so pretty so my recap isn't anywhere near to being complete. Consider yourself warned about the hot mess that's about to happen.<br>
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<i>There will be more?</i></div>
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Yes. It's a planned trilogy. It's always been 3 books for me. I don't want to prostitute the story for money. There could be more stories, but most of it will be told in 3 acts. There could be future stories set in the same world. I have a big black book that I try to hide that has info about the world and characters. </div>
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<i>Without discussing the plot, what is the set up for building the world?</i></div>
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It's sort of like those CDs "Now That's What I Call Music": a compilation of all of your favorite things. My first coloring book was about the Greek and Roman wars. Have you ever seen the great illustrated classics? My parents gave me those. They became part of my childhood. World building is my favorite. </div>
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This book quickly became a revenge book and as I went on, it became about justice. There's a lot of <i>Antigone</i>. There's probably some <i>Hardy Boys</i> in there. There's some <i>Serenity</i>. </div>
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<i>How did you get the idea for the book? Did you pick Mars because of the color or the god?</i></div>
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The first thing I knew was that on Mars there's a flower called a blood blossom and that was the first line and I don't know where it came from. [There was WAY more to this...somehow this was all I got down]</div>
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<i>Were you an English major?</i></div>
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Nope. Political science and economics major. I couldn't get into AP English. They told me that I didn't write correctly. Economics really helped me with the story.<br>
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<i>Will there be deleted scenes?</i></div>
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That's a question my editor should answer. I'm hoping that before book 1 and 2 there will be little episodes. I would like to show Darrow as a lancer. That would be fun. </div>
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<i>How did you end up getting assigned an editor and how do you decide work that way?</i></div>
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<div>
I've been trying since I was 18 to get an agent. I wrote books and query letters for each one. It took me 3 books, well my first book was 720 pages... Five books later, I finally got an agent. I had been rejected by 24 agents and I was working at a tech start up and I wasn't really liking it. </div>
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An agent's former assistant contacted me and asked to be my agent. She was now an agent and I would be her first client. There's a lot of negatives to that, but the upside would be that they have a lot of time on their hands. And she helped me edit it. </div>
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All of the publishers wanted to change something. And at Del Rey, they didn't want to change any of it. Then my editor ended up leaving to go to Amazon. My new editor, Mike, is amazing and we work well together. A good editor will champion your work and you don't have to argue about content. I know that if he sees there's something wrong in the book, there probably is. </div>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/2FFC42F7-DDB5-4468-BD91-ECCCD8F15E2B_zpsoada6mgh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/2FFC42F7-DDB5-4468-BD91-ECCCD8F15E2B_zpsoada6mgh.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
<br></div>
<div>
<i>What modern day authors influenced you?</i></div>
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<br></div>
<div>
Gene Wolfe. <i>Shadow and Claw</i> traumatized me. George RR Martin. Patrick Rothfuss's work is great. I like Neil Gaiman a lot, his world building second to none, except maybe Joss Whedon. They can battle it out. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<i>Did you try to draw in politics that are happening now and put them in dystopian situations?</i></div>
<div>
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<div>
No. I don't like to do that because it seems like I'm preaching. I haven't lived enough to have those sorts of opinions on humanity. I know they will change. When I'm 45 it'll be different, when I have kids, it'll be different.<br>
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<div>
<i>Do you watch tv? </i></div>
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Not as much as I used to. I like a lot of premium channels. I love the idea between revolution, but I couldn't get into the show. And I love <i>Being Human</i>, but I don't really watch. I love anything that JJ Abrams puts his stamp on, so I watch a lot of <i>Buffy</i> and <i>Serenity</i>. </div>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/23DACE35-8230-4D39-8314-E0F856493129_zpsg37iu4bu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/23DACE35-8230-4D39-8314-E0F856493129_zpsg37iu4bu.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
<br></div>
<div>
<i>Are you anticipating studios contacting you?</i></div>
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<br></div>
<div>
Yes. I had a studio send me a gift today. I said that I loved a particular movie and they sent me 4 different copies of it and huge poster. I wasn't home and they sent a huge package and my roommate wanted to open it. So he did and videoed the entire thing. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
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Hollywood is really good at first dates. I don't want to be stuck in development. If the right team comes along, sure. But I haven't given up my rights. </div>
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<br></div>
<div>
<i>How do you approach swearing?</i></div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I fucking love it. [There was more to this answer, but I just didn't catch it. I mean, really. What more do you need?]</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<i>How do you categorize this? YA?</i></div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I wrote it to be YA, but quickly realized that I can't write YA. I find that in a lot of YA, they cater to what they think people want, to get readers. Like the love triangle. TFiOS is an amazing book and it's considered YA. Harry Potter is considered YA and that just literature. </div>
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When I realized at page 20 that I was going to kill someone, I had to abandon the idea that it was YA.<br>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/5E4C0737-DBBA-4552-BAB8-4E1A84E9C3DD_zpseg0ipkyf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/5E4C0737-DBBA-4552-BAB8-4E1A84E9C3DD_zpseg0ipkyf.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
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<br>
<i>Are you going to let them see your previous 6 books if they ask?</i></div>
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Oh god no. I don't think I could even read them. There's some good characters in there. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<i>Do you write with an outline?</i></div>
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<br></div>
<div>
No. And they hate that. I feel that outlines will keep away epiphanies while writing. I do always know where I'm going. The last scene of every book, it's all in my head. </div>
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<br></div>
<div>
<i>Social media? </i></div>
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<br></div>
<div>
Pagers. No, twitter and facebook are the best. My email is a lost cause. I should be writing, but I could be doing that instead. I always answer. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Then he started talking all about book two, giving us some of the plot and the title. I don't want to post that info, just in case...</div>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/2FBF5C6D-E5B5-4986-B95B-D14CCC792E5F_zpsotgrlski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/2FBF5C6D-E5B5-4986-B95B-D14CCC792E5F_zpsotgrlski.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
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The signing started around 7:45. Everyone in my row lined up like normal, only to find that we had to move to a different line up spot. So instead of being 3rd in line, I was near the end. </div>
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<br></div>
<div>
I got up to Pierce almost an hour after the signing started. We talked about hot peppers, Scooby-Doo snuggies, raw cookie dough, London, living in LA, tater tots, throwing things at him and social security numbers...all within 5 minutes. He's chatty and adorable. </div>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/D7CAF070-81C6-4754-B3D4-83BA924C0224_zpser5ztaq7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/D7CAF070-81C6-4754-B3D4-83BA924C0224_zpser5ztaq7.jpg" height="320" width="240"></a><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/81DE61DA-3663-4B1A-A354-5003A5F199FF_zpsptgglwp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/pierce%20brown%201-28-14/81DE61DA-3663-4B1A-A354-5003A5F199FF_zpsptgglwp4.jpg" height="320" width="240"> </a></div>
<br></div>
<div>
I can't tell you anything about <i>Red Rising</i> other than the fact that it came very highly recommended by people I trust and Pierce is charismatic and everything I could want in an author when it comes to interacting with readers. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
That should be enough, right?</div>
Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-26997208463450092182014-01-27T08:05:00.001-08:002014-01-27T08:05:45.224-08:00The time it was about Into the Still BlueMy love for Veronica Rossi knows no bounds. I've been lucky enough to meet her several times and she's always so sweet and puts up with my fangirling like a champ. I've been in love with her books from the beginning and after reading <i>Into the Still Blue</i> [and tweeting the hell out of my feels], I asked Veronica if she would be available to do an interview. And she said yes! <br />
<br />
But, before we get to her answers, let's check out the book, shall we?<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygYas5hy8IBM_ct2TfbnlVEOQbj9QZthM2hhyiAI_pfvDCggUpGd6NbEOGQhm-4WiHvtv5oSo_OTT2QUZPiglV_LmxsNieVa0ijpj6vXYqwx5g5OWgXNSy8nZv0jekAiizuo8VnkLwjo/s1600/14288998.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/AVvXsEhygYas5hy8IBM_ct2TfbnlVEOQbj9QZthM2hhyiAI_pfvDCggUpGd6NbEOGQhm-4WiHvtv5oSo_OTT2QUZPiglV_LmxsNieVa0ijpj6vXYqwx5g5OWgXNSy8nZv0jekAiizuo8VnkLwjo/s1600/14288998.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a><span id="freeText10989070023151095001">The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling <i>Through the Ever Night</i> (Examiner.com).<br /><br />Their
love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and
Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate
attempt to bring balance to their world.<br /><br />The race to the Still
Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this
last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and
they are just as determined to stay together.<br /><br />Meanwhile, time is
running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his
unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with
Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they
have already lost.<br /><br />Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a
team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the
key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's
also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are
what matter most.<br /><br />In this final book in her stunning Under the
Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute
limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.</span></blockquote>
Sounds good, right? [Hint: It's amazing!]<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITWesZ9gGRpokMYLdZ8DCZmx0R5tqtrHslZrWEX-sNEIdyVWPUPQMlMWBEYC5yhZGmkVY3HOJuMBvYDLk95_37Xird12rqzMJZ1v-vDNqfMavxFaE2zQS4BtiMdJKbuyUShMqiH_XPzU/s1600/OhThisIsBrilliantDonnaNoble.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITWesZ9gGRpokMYLdZ8DCZmx0R5tqtrHslZrWEX-sNEIdyVWPUPQMlMWBEYC5yhZGmkVY3HOJuMBvYDLk95_37Xird12rqzMJZ1v-vDNqfMavxFaE2zQS4BtiMdJKbuyUShMqiH_XPzU/s1600/OhThisIsBrilliantDonnaNoble.gif" height="183" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<b>1. How did the idea for the series come about?</b></div>
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Through lots of staring at walls, and imagining a world comprised of opposites. An advanced society, and a primitive one. The idea of safety and danger. Shelter and exposure. Male, female. It came to me that way, and also in images. I "saw" Perry first. Then I started imagining his world, his home, his problems. Aria came right afterward.</div>
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<b>2. I could make a list of reasons why I love Aria and Perry. Why do you love them and why should we root for them?</b></div>
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There are lots of reasons, but I'll mention one of my favorite qualities -- one they both possess: they are driven. Neither one sits back and lets life happen to them. They have agency. They aren't afraid to take action.</div>
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<b>3. Did you know the ending right away?</b></div>
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Yes. </div>
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<b>4. What is the weirdest thing you googled while researching?</b></div>
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Can tattoo ink poison your bloodstream if it's been infused with hemlock? That's not that weird, but that one comes to mind first.</div>
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<b>5. What was your favorite part about writing this series?</b></div>
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The fans. The bloggers. The writing itself. All of it.</div>
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<b>6. Describe <i>Into the Still Blue</i> in 5 words.</b></div>
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How about three?</div>
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Thrilling. Epic. Romantic.</div>
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<b>Speed [ish] round:</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>1. You get the call/email that you're being published for the first time. What happens next?</b></div>
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Lots of silence and catatonic staring, alternating with bouts of utter hysteria. Then, eventually, champagne!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>2. What three things would you take to a desert island?</b></div>
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Perry, Roar and Aria.</div>
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<b>3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?</b></div>
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Something by Jane Austen. Maybe PERSUASION.</div>
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<b>4. Who are your favorite swoony boys? </b></div>
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Ugh, so many. Gale. Finnick. Gale.... Finnick.</div>
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<b>5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?</b></div>
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TONS. Megatons. I'm a booklover! Totally freak out of authors who can suck me into their stories, and their words.</div>
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<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div>
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Huge thanks to Veronica for <strike>always dealing with my fangirling</strike> taking the time. Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/rossibooks">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Rossi-Author/139136976179726">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://veronicarossibooks.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4637369.Veronica_Rossi">GoodReads</a> shelf. </div>
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Now. To celebrate the release of <i>Into the Still Blue</i>, I've got a copy of for grabs! Giveaway is international, as long as The Book Depository ships to you for free.</div>
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<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget. </b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!**</b></span></div>
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</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190693/" id="rc-3a190693" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-33883341915498132522014-01-23T07:12:00.000-08:002014-01-26T17:23:59.939-08:00The time it was about InfiniteJodi Meadows is a lot of fun. I've been lucky enough to catch her on the <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/03/the-time-it-was-full-day-of-crazy.html">west coast</a> and she's even more fun in person. So of course, when it was getting close to <i>Infinite</i> being released, I <strike>bugged</strike> asked her if she would do an interview. And she said yes!<br />
<br />
But before we get to her awesome answers, let's check out the book, shall we?<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVZPbVtCKcersEwfAkWT06_NOQlPGS4tWKcP39EtPXob9oKSEW-p1o9kDiOETboeHTOnI163qFUZU1CJBbh8d_PSTaLqsLTKMvAzsK743Edi9OCjXq37NeUSru1Ae32FKbjOBqCxPD38/s1600/13085374.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/AVvXsEiRVZPbVtCKcersEwfAkWT06_NOQlPGS4tWKcP39EtPXob9oKSEW-p1o9kDiOETboeHTOnI163qFUZU1CJBbh8d_PSTaLqsLTKMvAzsK743Edi9OCjXq37NeUSru1Ae32FKbjOBqCxPD38/s1600/13085374.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span id="freeText1894402889864985555"><b>DESTRUCTION</b><br />The
Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep
within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The
Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night
approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.<br /><br /><b>FLIGHT</b><br />Ana’s
exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she
can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go
north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with
any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.<br /><br /><b>CHOICE</b><br />The
oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves
limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What
she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one
sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan
once and for all.<br /><br />With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the
final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to
the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl
is the key to the lives of millions.</span></blockquote>
Sounds amazing, right?<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>1. Where did the idea for the series come from?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Fairies and sawdust and more caffeine that I care to admit.<br />
<br />
No, okay. The truth is, a lot of times, authors aren't sure where ideas come from. They happen with "what if...?' a lot, but that's not the complete idea. Those questions just kind of circle in the back of a writer's mind for a while until other things stick to it. Answers to the "what if...?' and more questions. Sometimes people. Sometimes places. Eventually an idea is born.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Let's talk Ana and Sam. I could give you a list of reasons why I adore them, but why do you love them and why should we root for them?</b><br />
<br />
Obviously I love them because they were born in my brain. You should root for them because I will come after you if you don't.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Wait, no, that's not an appropriate answer. Um.<br />
<br />
Root for them because they like coffee. Sam is a coffee snob. Ana is not.<br />
<br />
<b>3. What was the weirdest thing you googled while doing research?</b><br />
<br />
Probably not <i>the</i> weirdest, but it definitely sounds strange: I had to look up how to survive a drop into a body of water from a good height. (Answer: cover your mouth and nose so water doesn't rush up. Also, er, your nether regions. And clench those butt muscles. For all the same reasons.)<br />
<br />
<b>4. You've completed your trilogy, hooray! What was your favorite part of writing these books?</b><br />
<br />
I enjoyed all of the writing! But if I had to choose, I think writing the first draft of INCARNATE was probably the best. I'd just come out of a dark emotional place and I was feeling free to write about whatever the heck I wanted to write about. INCARNATE was very healing for me. It was difficult, but it was just what I needed at that point.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Describe the series in 5 words.</b><br />
<br />
Ana is new. Everything sucks.<br />
<br />
<b>Speed [ish] round:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Describe what your writing area looks like.</b><br />
<br />
A desk. Ferrets. Lots of books, yarn, and lately, calligraphy supplies.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Jars filled with the tears of my readers. They make the room smell nice.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>2. What three things would you take to a desert island?</b><br />
<br />
How did I end up on the desert island? Did you leave me there? Were we going on a trip and <i>you abandoned me</i>??? Maybe our plane crashed and now, in addition to have to survive this desert island alone, I'm feeling sad about how violently and senselessly you died during the crash, right after we had that argument about which Hogwarts house we'd be in.<br />
<br />
Gosh, this is a sad question. But here are the things I'd prefer to have, which I probably wouldn't have if that last scenario is how I got on the island. But if you left me there (WHY?) and I was able to pack:<br />
<br />
*Survivor manual<br />
*Canteen with a built-in filter<br />
*Satellite phone with a fully charged batter so I could call for help.<br />
<br />
(I thought about saying a boat, but I figured I'd just get more lost once I was actually on the ocean. I'm hoping the survivor manual will have some clues on natural sunscreen and stuff.)<br />
<br />
<b>3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?</b><br />
<br />
Is the rest of my life really short or something? Do you hate me? I thought we were friends, in spite of that whole desert island incident.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Okay, the Bible. There are lots of stories.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?</b><br />
<br />
Logan from DEFIANCE by CJ Redwine.<br />
Titus from THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas.<br />
Hector from THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson. <br />
<br />
<b>5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?</b><br />
<br />
Yes, but I can't say who because I don't want them to take out a restraining order against me. I have to play it cool. One day, they'll realize we were meant to be together forever, though.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b><br />
<br />
Huge thanks and and endless supply of yarn to Jodi for taking the time to <strike>deal with my fangirling</strike> answer the questions. <b> </b>Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/jodimeadows">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jodimeadowsbooks">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://www.jodimeadows.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4116488.Jodi_Meadows?from_search=true">GoodReads</a> shelf.<br />
<br />
Now. To celebrate the release of <i>Infinite</i>, I've got one up for grabs. The book will be coming from The Book Depository, so it is international, as long as TBD ships to you for free. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget. </b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!**</b></span></div>
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b> </b> </span>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190692/" id="rc-3a190692" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-43479640245287143862014-01-21T07:17:00.003-08:002014-01-21T07:17:26.937-08:00The time I reviewed a book -- 6Susan Bishop Crispell has always been a huge supporter of this blog, so when she emailed me to ask if I would be interested in reading her book and doing a review for the blog tour, I jumped at the chance to support her. <br />
<br />
But before we get to the review, let's check out the book, yes?<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd5kcRRRmwoviCCTLlCJ6v5VCRpfxvasaJ9Oc73OptPsGTm1vuKtNumAnGEXNQehvj8JTijkbedxf0HKDGg72K2_yXht5QLIzfX_A1ZA7LDyjQfKwvhQ7-ddEyDxgBYOUExIpEgGHvYI/s1600/18461609.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/AVvXsEgQd5kcRRRmwoviCCTLlCJ6v5VCRpfxvasaJ9Oc73OptPsGTm1vuKtNumAnGEXNQehvj8JTijkbedxf0HKDGg72K2_yXht5QLIzfX_A1ZA7LDyjQfKwvhQ7-ddEyDxgBYOUExIpEgGHvYI/s1600/18461609.jpg" /></a><span id="freeText260325540121088498">For Jaclyn “Jack” Pace,
sensing what sweets people crave is as easy as breathing. But it’s not
enough to keep her cupcake bakery in the black. <br /><br />So, when her
estranged sister Harper comes back to town with an affinity for making
art out of icing—and a past full of secrets—she reluctantly gives Harper
a job and a place to crash. <br /><br />As their sisterly relationship
begins to thaw, the one with her business partner Graham starts to heat
up. Given the legend that says Hollingsworth men will recognize their
soul mates at first touch, Jack’s always been resigned to the fact that
she’s not his. <br /><br />But when she starts sensing desires that are
decidedly not dessert-related, it’ll take all of her magic to set things
right with customers and make her own desires come true.<br /><br />Love and Cupcakes is a delightfully sweet and sensual romance from Susan Bishop Crispell.</span></blockquote>
Sounds good, right? Now for the review....<br />
<br />
<i><b>**Thanks to my pretty prancy PA AKA Christina from <a href="http://www.thebookhookup.com/">The Book Hookup</a> for letting me <strike>steal</strike> borrow her review format**</b></i><br />
<br />
<u><b>Rating & First Reaction:</b></u><br />
<br />
4 stars. I love the idea of a person who can sense what people want in flavors and cupcakes are a win-win in my book. Throw in a sort of BFF-to-more situation set in the south and I'm in.<br />
<br />
<u><b>MCs:</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Jaclyn: </b>I really liked Jack. She's been in love with Graham pretty much her entire life, but hasn't really done anything about it. She's an every day type of person, aside from her magical ability [which only gets a vague description as to how it all started] and loves cupcakes. Her idea to start a business formed quickly and it has become quite a passion. <br />
<br />
What really sold me on her, was the scene where she names an oven. I name pretty much all of my electronics and cars, so seeing her do something that I do all the time made me really relate to her. I also wanted to hug her a lot. <br />
<br />
<b>Graham: </b>He's a baker. Do I need to say more? Okay...fine. He's been raised to believe that the men in his family will know their soul mate upon touching them for the first time, so he's hesitant to believe anything he feels. We don't really get a lot of details on this phenomenon of sorts and even though we do get some Graham POV, he seems to be just as confused about it as I was.<br />
<br />
His attentiveness to Jack is adorable and their mounting attraction [and his struggle] was interesting to read. I absolutely loved the requisite big brother talk between Graham and Hutton, even though there were times I wanted to throw some punches myself. <br />
<br />
There were swoons sprinkled about in the story, but I'll leave those for you to find. I will tell you that you should prepare yourself for an ungodly amount of UST, brief touches and across-the-room stares filled with longing. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<u><b>Secondary characters:</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Harper: </b>The baby of the family, she sarcastic, headstrong and adds a lot of levity throughout. She's also hiding a few things herself. Harper's story is revealed to us in increments and I really liked it that way. I enjoyed reading into every nuance and dissecting conversations to see if I could figure it out. <br />
<br />
<b>Hutton: </b>As Jack's and Harper's older brother, he provides a lot of the conflict in the book. I don't want to say too much about him because I don't want to spoil anything. I will say that he's exactly what I imagine a big brother would be like. <br />
<br />
<b>Townspeople: </b>Being set in the south, you know there's going to be a lot of nosy, fun characters and this book didn't disappoint. I loved both Jack's and Graham's "mama" and the extra characters that I won't mention due to spoilers all made for a delicious assortment of personalities.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Plot & Pacing:</b></u><br />
<br />
It was a bit of a slow burn for me. There was a lot of build up with the past relationships of everyone involved. And when we finally get the big reveal between Graham and Jack, the book is pretty much over. I would have liked to have had more of their HEA, instead of the seemingly abrupt ending we got, but all in all, it was hopeful and happy.<br />
<br />
Also, a little more of a background on both Jack's and Graham's abilities would have been good. We got brief explanations of both, but there was a definite opportunity to make it something more. And of course, because I'm a greedy whore, an epilogue [or even one more chapter] would have been perfection. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Rec It?</b></u><br />
<br />
Yes. If you're in the mood for a sweet, magical romance that's heavy on the sugar and cupcakes, this book is for you.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Susan for the invitation and to Swoon Romance for providing the arc! Make sure you're following Susan on <a href="https://twitter.com/sbcrispell">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanBishopCrispell?fref=ts">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="https://susanbishopcrispell.wordpress.com/">blog</a> and adding <i>Love & Cupcakes</i> to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257289.Susan_Bishop_Crispell">GoodReads</a> shelf. Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-33600422291137710832014-01-15T07:19:00.001-08:002014-01-15T07:19:08.805-08:00The time it was about Landry ParkI was given an arc of <i>Landry Park</i> a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved it. So, of course, when I saw that there was an upcoming blog tour going on for Bethany, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArrARCJalHCpPF9ucpKgdBx8tScG1Oe1biqN4nLL9hHlYNWUyTDzWxPFcSdt0bvJ4xCBWd3EobXPrwQBI7he4T16rhtIAPZOhlxqRqJRCGwYshf6Iix-9CmAhdYoNzcAG5SIA2G0RYDI/s1600/landryparkbanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArrARCJalHCpPF9ucpKgdBx8tScG1Oe1biqN4nLL9hHlYNWUyTDzWxPFcSdt0bvJ4xCBWd3EobXPrwQBI7he4T16rhtIAPZOhlxqRqJRCGwYshf6Iix-9CmAhdYoNzcAG5SIA2G0RYDI/s400/landryparkbanner.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
But, before we get to her interview, let's check out the book, shall we?<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbXK-KYLNCxjuSNccC-URbe8v1Atr77cma-kO4sE_2XQXtr6JY7joZsljG7PI_tl_wAV_QChMxVcx_oD75Z0b7lkoG9LRKGOlMDqOKK37J_rOTr96uhyphenhyphen_Pwh7m3RoYm_SG1sidVwxg-g/s1600/13479780.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/AVvXsEiYbXK-KYLNCxjuSNccC-URbe8v1Atr77cma-kO4sE_2XQXtr6JY7joZsljG7PI_tl_wAV_QChMxVcx_oD75Z0b7lkoG9LRKGOlMDqOKK37J_rOTr96uhyphenhyphen_Pwh7m3RoYm_SG1sidVwxg-g/s320/13479780.jpg" width="211" /></a><span id="freeText2773675367014949366"><b><i>Downton Abbey</i> meets <i>The Selection</i> in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal</b><br /><br />In
a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry,
seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university.
Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow
that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family
estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the
devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less
fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever
learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling
David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and
Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately,
she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she
loves dearly - and desire.</span></blockquote>
Sounds good, right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnnbGE2rcQiDE5aTXGrDhhkPQbDiuP-unm5wPwFBQ9jwk2gjihnZkk1iDMSDPDndffMwdXnayGZLWoWX1oafOKZjWvmFDnrwWZ5-oqllDuP6eSPlAZNjshyphenhyphennaNyIXLdQvs468I9yKX6Y/s1600/1zv7vas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnnbGE2rcQiDE5aTXGrDhhkPQbDiuP-unm5wPwFBQ9jwk2gjihnZkk1iDMSDPDndffMwdXnayGZLWoWX1oafOKZjWvmFDnrwWZ5-oqllDuP6eSPlAZNjshyphenhyphennaNyIXLdQvs468I9yKX6Y/s320/1zv7vas.gif" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>1. Where did the idea for <i>Landry Park</i> come from?</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The short (ish) answer is that is came from the long days spent working at a local history museum, cleaning Plexiglass cases and staring at the old pictures inside. The long(er) answer is that it came from more than a decade of loving Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and King Arthur and Science Channel documentaries. I think our brains are like crock pots. Or percolators. Or brewing vats...I'm not really sure where I'm going with this metaphor, but what I mean is that our brains are these vessels that things we love/wonder about/obsess over fall over into. Our favorite movies and music and quotes and gifs--and then they all stew together and mix and reduce into a sludge from whence newly birthed ideas crawl shakily forth. (Sludge sounds bad. Goo? Nectar? Whatever it is, it's made of rainbows and angst.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b>2.What do you like most about Madeline and David and why should we root for them?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I think my favorite thing about Madeline and David is that they challenge each other in a very dynamic way. A lot of couples enjoy each other's company because they affirm and reassure each other; this is why so many (but not all) people marry inside their particular educational/cultural/class/political demographics, because it's very easy to be with someone who believes the exact same things you do. But somebody who forces you to examine your beliefs and your actions--that can be both very painful and very rewarding. I think David and Madeline demonstrate this well.<br />
<br />
<b>3. How did you go about building your dystopian world and the rebellion?</b><br />
<br />
I started with the atmosphere, the set pieces. Once I began spinning this world of balls and glowing nuclear charges, I knew there would have to be people who handled the nuclear waste. I came up with a name for them--Rootless--out of nowhere, and from that name, I realized the didn't have money or capital or even real homes. Once I realized what their lives looked like compared to what the gentry's looked like, a rebellion was fairly easy to imagine. Systems of oppression are ultimately unstable because they rely on fear to crush every other feeling and need. And luckily, that's not how people work.<br />
<br />
<b>4. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching?</b><br />
<br />
I am probably on so many FBI watch-lists right now. I've googled bomb-making, how to load and fire automatic weapons and how to start fires. The thing that made my husband go "<i>Really? While I'm trying to eat?" </i>was the time I was scrutinizing pictures of radiation victims (so I could accurately describe their wounds.) It wasn't pretty stuff.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Describe <i>Landry Park</i> in 5 words.</b><br />
<br />
Glowing, dancing, kissing, rebelling elegance.<br />
<br />
<b>Speed [ish] round:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time. What happens next?</b><br />
<br />
Screaming. Hugging. Frantic texting to critique partners. Usually you'll get a congratulatory chat on the phone with your editor, and then it's on to waiting for that first edit letter.<br />
<br />
<b>2. What three tings would you take to a desert island?</b><br />
<br />
An e-reader, a wifi connection and a bottle of scotch.<br />
<br />
<b>3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Jane Eyre. </i>Always.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?</b><br />
<br />
Edward Rochester and Fitzwilliam Darcy, definitely. Also Max de Winter from <i>Rebecca</i>, Sebastian Flyte from <i>Brideshead Revisited</i> and Matthew St. Clair from <i>A Discovery of Witches</i>. The more tortured, the better.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?</b><br />
<br />
Too many to name! I would faint if I ever got to meet Elizabeth Wein or Laini Taylor. I think on every level--technical and artistic--they are telling some of the best stories out there today.<br />
<br />
<b> </b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Bethany for taking the time! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/Bethany_Hagen">Twitter</a>, subscribing to her <a href="http://bethanyhagen.com/blog/">blog</a> and adding <i>Landry Park</i> to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5749310.Bethany_Hagen">GoodReads</a> shelf!<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://merpsquad.com/tours/landry-park-by-bethany-hagen/">here </a>to see the list of other blogs participating the tour and see what goodies they're doing. And...Bethany is hosting a giveaway, so go forth and enter!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>**Good Luck!!**</b></div>
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/36d4cc49/" id="rc-36d4cc49" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-45934218269625877812014-01-13T09:25:00.000-08:002014-01-13T09:25:10.943-08:00The time it was Jared's point of viewYou guys. I<i> </i>loved <i>Another Little Piece of My Heart</i> by Tracey Martin. As you all know, I'm a bit of a whore for Jane Austen retellings and this one was definitely one of my favorites. So, of course when Tracey was offering an extra scene to post, I jumped all over it.<br />
<br />
Before we get to that, let's check out the book, yes?<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w_4PNY-vBodmZ2DMwx4xvP7bnRII0xk7jN1vHSHqneLT0d9pE71CCzv7hXnamnyXYAWeIp3GR7ciAeNxeyxe6u1fen6-wnhaCcqatya_zr2sWW6qVbDnZcClOYIpa2w3UWsB3Xv6Sl0/s1600/18336825.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/AVvXsEj7w_4PNY-vBodmZ2DMwx4xvP7bnRII0xk7jN1vHSHqneLT0d9pE71CCzv7hXnamnyXYAWeIp3GR7ciAeNxeyxe6u1fen6-wnhaCcqatya_zr2sWW6qVbDnZcClOYIpa2w3UWsB3Xv6Sl0/s1600/18336825.jpg" width="202" /></a><span id="freeText11962141011967098163"><i>What if your
devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this
rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either
bring you together or tear you apart.</i><br /><br />At her dying mother’s
request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a
broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers
that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is
catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart
crumbles every time his song plays on the radio.<br /><br />The summer after
her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is
just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to
the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings
reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck
singing the same old refrain?</span></blockquote>
Sounds good, right? [It totally is. You can check out my review on GoodReads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/779956481?book_show_action=false">here</a>] <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxCd7RPtFAMMwjCY0QplN23IwPzHhbn2ZODGqQsD10bJT9KnR9kECQdvT_Gz6vccdbT66-7H98cTvWrRWhi-WE4HetpAMK9uHu1X2Tss61CHu4kvuP4KMY2XjvqG3WisSQQHQ8LXvQ-8/s1600/288.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxCd7RPtFAMMwjCY0QplN23IwPzHhbn2ZODGqQsD10bJT9KnR9kECQdvT_Gz6vccdbT66-7H98cTvWrRWhi-WE4HetpAMK9uHu1X2Tss61CHu4kvuP4KMY2XjvqG3WisSQQHQ8LXvQ-8/s1600/288.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
And now the extra scene in Jared POV:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Dude, I can’t believe
you’re doing this.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Mike’s shaking his head
at me from the doorway. Ignoring the disbelief in his voice, I toss my empty
Coke can in his recycle bin and grab my guitar. “You’ve said that like five
times now. I’m doing this. Let’s go.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Let’s go before the
event is over. Let’s go before Mike’s asshole roommate, Zach, shows up. Let’s
go before I decide trying to win my ex-girlfriend back using the very same method
that made her hate me is not the best decision I ever made.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Let’s fucking go.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Mike unlocks his car,
and I carefully strap in my guitar case on the back seat. Smacking a mosquito,
I climb in the front. Let’s go before I contract Lyme Disease or Triple E.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Neither of us say much
on the drive to Eliot Beach. I don’t know what Mike’s thinking as he plays with
the radio, but my mind is so far away I can barely hear the music. Connecticut,
New Hampshire, Connecticut… My memories ping pong back and forth until I’m
dizzy with them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">For the past two years,
my last memory of Claire was the way her lip trembled that day in the mall, her
brown eyes wide and almost eerily unseeing. Her face vacant and distressed. It
didn’t make for a good last memory, not for a girl whose smile used to make my
heart stop, and whose one-liners used to make me wonder how I’d duped her into
thinking I was smart enough to hang out with her, and whose lips on my skin...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I should stop there.
She’s not mine to kiss anymore, and if I follow that line of thought, I’ll just
get depressed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Point is, that scene didn’t
make for a good last memory, but I’m the one who made it my last memory. Until
a few weeks ago, that is, when I ran into her in the strangest, most unlikely
place in the entire country. How does that happen? What kind of twisted deity
arranged for that?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I hadn’t wanted a
second chance. I’d told myself I’d moved on. But her constant presence was too
much.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I didn’t <i>deserve</i> a second chance. So I told
myself she was better off. But the way she played that day in the park was too
irresistible. I knew then I had to have her back anyway. She’s either my muse
or some demon sent to torment me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">So here I am, either
about to do something really romantic or something incredibly stupid. With my
luck, probably stupid. If I hadn’t been an idiot two years ago, I might not
have lost all that time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">My stomach twists
thinking about it, and I consider that downing that Coke so fast was not a good
move. I close my eyes, concentrating on my new song and playing air guitar with
my seatbelt. It helps relax me, but it’s not performing the song tonight that’s
making my insides roll like the waves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Finally, Mike parks under
a streetlamp by the house where Claire’s family is staying. I force myself to
breathe. I inhale the scent of the beach through the open car window and
realize I’m about to spin my thumb ring off.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Mike realizes it too.
“You sure you—”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Yes, damn it.” I pry
my fingers away from the ring and open the door. “Don’t ask me that again.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">But he asks me that
again when we reach the coffee shop, too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I shoot him a nasty
look, and he laughs, and now I know he’s just trying to bug me. “Come on.” I
push him into the crowd.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The shop is packed, laughing
and whispering people spilling onto the boardwalk. Over the ocean, the sky is
already turning dark and the temperature is dropping as fast as the light is
fading. But inside the store, it’s barely brighter. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The show’s begun and
the lights have been dimmed. I follow Mike to the counter, grateful that no
one’s paying any attention to the guy the with the guitar case for a change. That’s
because some other guy with a guitar is already performing, regaling everybody
with my least favorite Dylan song. I tune him out, just like I always try to
tune out Dylan whenever anyone puts on his music. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">After signing some paper
and buying some over-priced coffee, I worm my way to the back. Mike’s head is
swiveling around, searching for Claire and company, I guess. I let him look out
for friends. I have to look out for my guitar. There’s not enough room for all
of us.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Found them,” he
whispers at last, just as the guy on the makeshift stage finishes. Mike motions
with his cup to the other side of the room, and I push hair out of my eyes,
squinting through the mass of bodies that block my view.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">It’s Claire that I find
first. Of course. It could be that crazy orange hair—what the hell was she
thinking dyeing it orange of all colors?—but I think it’s just that my gaze
will hone in on her no matter what. Especially with that hair, she’s like a
flame. I can’t not stare.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">But she doesn’t seem to
notice me. She’s not noticing much if I had to guess. Her face is strained. She
looks nervous. I can’t tell from here, but I’d bet she’s gripping her case
strap with white knuckles.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Poor Claire. I used to
tell her all the time she shouldn’t be nervous about performing because damn,
she’s good. But I don’t think she ever believed me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">If she’d let me, I’d
make her believe it. But I’m not sure she will.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">My hand runs to the
Buddha charm hanging around my neck, a tiny silver thing that she once gave me for
my birthday. Although I’d stopped wearing it because it was too painful after
we split, I kept the charm in my guitar case this whole time. When I finally
put it back on tonight, I was thinking I needed the Zen. From the looks of it,
though, Claire might need it more than me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">That’s it. I have to go
to her now. I have to say something.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I pick up my case,
ready to risk clocking a bunch of innocent people with it in order to cross the
shop, but then the guy at the mic calls out her name. Too late.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As usual for me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I settle back against
the counter instead, drinking coffee I don’t really want.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“You coming?” Mike asks
while Claire gets settled up front.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">There’s only one seat
open at the table since she got up, so I shrug. Not worth assaulting people to
get to it. “I’m good.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As soon as Mike moves
away, I return my attention to Claire. She’s tuning her guitar and saying
something to the owner. Even from this distance, I can feel the spark in her—the
heat and the life—and I wonder if other people can too. It’s this crazy way she
lights up a room that make my lips dry, as though needing her to wet them for
me. Her wide nervous eyes and that smile filled with self-doubt only add to her
presence. It makes her charming too. And it’s making me crazy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Some girls think they’re
the hottest things on the planet, and I’ve met way more than my share of them.
But they have no idea.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">She is, without
question, the hottest thing on the planet, and she doesn’t even know it. And if
she did, she wouldn’t care. That’s part of what makes it so true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Claire’s talking, and I
have to refocus to hear her. “But I did have an ex who wrote more than one
unflattering song about me. So this is the song I wrote about the experience.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I cringe and drink
more. If that’s the worst she has to say about that whole ordeal, she’s being
too nice. I’m guessing “Romeo Must Die” is one of the least angry songs she
wrote in retaliation. Not sure I want to hear the others.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Then she starts to
play, and even though I’ve watched videos of her performing this song online,
watching her live is amazing. She’s changed so much. Gotten so much better. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">And right there I
decide she’s the hottest, most talented girl on the planet, too. I might be a
bit biased, but screw it. I’m allowed to be. She sounds damn good. Someone else
can play critic.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I can’t drag my gaze
away until she finishes, and then I assess the audience. They’re smiling and
staring at her like I was. <i>That’s my girl</i>,
I start to think, except she’s not.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Um, yeah. New song,”
Claire’s saying. “Let’s hope I don’t forget it like I’m forgetting what I’m
saying, you know? It’s called ‘That Girl.’”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I lean forward with
interest until I hear her lyrics. The words wrap around my chest like a rope,
pulling me toward her and crushing the life from me at the same time. I’m not
sure what to think, what to make of this plea that she’s singing. But it’s
directed at me. I can sense that through and through.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">At one point I almost
catch her eye but she quickly looks away, and for a half beat, she fumbles. I
hear the rhythm crash like the breakers on the rocks. Then she recovers, almost
seamlessly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I don’t, and I close my
eyes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">“So
why can’t I make you see?</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">That
girl is gone</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
girl is here</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">That
girl’s a ghost</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
girl is near</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">That
girl hurt you</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
girl hurts too</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
girl’s sorry for what she did to you”</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">As her clear, silky
voice fades, the room bursts into applause, but I can’t move. Why is she
apologizing? I’m the one who’s supposed to apologize. She did that years ago.
I’m the one who refused to listen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I’m the one. And she’s
the one. It’s my job to make <i>her</i> see,
not the other way around.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">For the first time
tonight, I feel a little less crazy about what I’m going to do. Not any less
nervous because there’s probably never a time when telling the girl you love
that you need her in your life is not going to be vomit-inducing, but less
crazy. Hopeful even.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I remain by the
counter, finishing my coffee for several more performers, but I don’t hear a
damn thing until my name. When the owner calls out “Jared Steele,” sounding
hilariously confused, I’m ready. Inside, I know I’ve been ready for longer than
I care to admit. Claire’s been stuck in my head and heart like the catchiest
damn tune ever, so it’s time to make good on this unexpected second chance.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">What music hurt, it
must also be able to heal.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
Huge thanks to Tracey for letting me be part of this. Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/TA_Martin">Twitter</a>, checking out her <a href="http://tracey-martin.com/">website</a> and adding all of her books to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7142440.Tracey_Martin">GoodReads</a> shelf. <br />
<br />
Now. Tracey is so graciously hosting a giveaway, so go forth and enter!!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>**Good Luck!!** </b></div>
<br /></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0bdc4c1/" id="rc-0bdc4c1" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-72420098641405355442014-01-09T12:00:00.001-08:002014-01-09T12:00:20.285-08:00The time it was bookish mail -- 8Welcome to another episode of Look What I Got in the Mail! Let's proceed, shall we?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoie2L2AtGsDJEeMRbvcgyy5oEzIyFqRQ92k3rzk1H97yZV0P1OEnhpzQgTxPtv3Gth4U9ugnaPyl9oWLspgJqr2NnFqJnYjcRrkjXplKqOV_jvhjPOj4XIwe4WaejvMOehPhxQVZoD1A/s1600/tumblr_lzvxf2hhEk1qdsgwx.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoie2L2AtGsDJEeMRbvcgyy5oEzIyFqRQ92k3rzk1H97yZV0P1OEnhpzQgTxPtv3Gth4U9ugnaPyl9oWLspgJqr2NnFqJnYjcRrkjXplKqOV_jvhjPOj4XIwe4WaejvMOehPhxQVZoD1A/s400/tumblr_lzvxf2hhEk1qdsgwx.gif" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
When I contacted Tellulah Darling about getting some signed copies of <i>My Ex from Hell</i> and <i>My Date from Hell</i> to giveaway during her <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/11/the-time-it-was-about-greek-mythology.html">interview</a> post, I had also wanted to get a set for myself. Not only did she donate the set for me to giveaway, Tellulah is just so awesome that she donated my set as well. If you haven't read these books yet, you really need to.<br />
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When <i>The Dream Thieves</i> was about to be released, <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/">Fountain Bookstore</a>, had an awesome pre-order thing set up with Maggie. If you pre-ordered before a certain date, a pretty doodle of a raven would be added to Maggie's signature. So, of course I ordered a copy. When I realized I didn't have a finished copy of <i>The Raven Boys</i>, I ordered one of those too. And when the copy came, I was blown away...it was more than I was expecting.</div>
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/C03ED198-13F8-41F2-9B5E-4AFF12A2FD35_zps4kxvqghn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/C03ED198-13F8-41F2-9B5E-4AFF12A2FD35_zps4kxvqghn.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/0B561ED8-1266-45EF-AACC-757158CC5619_zpsbjpr41e5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Ivygirl702/Book%20signings/0B561ED8-1266-45EF-AACC-757158CC5619_zpsbjpr41e5.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> </div>
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When I read <i>The Infinite Moment of Us</i>, I instantly fell in love with it. I started stalking Lauren's website, hoping for a chance for her to tour near me at some point. Alas, she was not. When I saw that <a href="http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com/">Kristen</a> was going to Austen Teen Book Fest, I <strike>begged</strike> asked her to take my arc to get signed. And since Kristen is so amazing, she agreed!</div>
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I got <i>The Rule of Thirds</i> from NetGalley and completely devoured it. Seeing that Chantel was in Canada, I DM'd her on Twitter asking if there was a way to get signed copies. She gave me the options to either send her a copy that she would sign and send back or to buy one through PayPal. There was a bit of a shipping snafu, but eventually that pretty pretty book got into my hands!</div>
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If you follow me on Twitter, I'm sure you have seen my fangirling over A.G. Howard. Kristin from <a href="http://beneathshiningstars.blogspot.com/">Beneath Shining Stars</a> gave me an arc of <i>Splintered </i>and even though it took me some time to get to it [because it was swallowed by my TBR stacks], when I did, I was dying for more. I may or may not have taken to Twitter and started <strike>harassing</strike> talking to Anita about <i>Unhinged</i>. </div>
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There is a long, detailed love story between us and I am far too lazy to chronicle it here. I will tell you that it involves an Eggman, wine, Godiva and a not-so-secret rendezvous in Vegas. Needless to say, one day, this gorgeous thing showed up in my mailbox. Oh, and Anita gave me Jeb, I have proof.</div>
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We've established that I'm a spoiled brat and I love it. What pretties have you gotten recently? </div>
Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-51571103884942844892014-01-06T16:36:00.002-08:002014-01-06T16:36:51.949-08:00The time it was a real book challengeSo, the lovely ladies at Fic Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast are putting together a fun type of challenge without any serious rules [my kind of challenge] and I've decided to join in on the action. <br />
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I give you the 2014 Real Book Challenge!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq-1836sSGN4d95IL4MvrzfiRv_Lpicsk50X7fXLfC8TsD3wFR8UpFAPnL4nkNfXAGxzToa5I8MBtFB1eJMU2w2xj7pgX3socrpsM7CaF26swudv_dQFy0puIFnw_veYgtrh5HWQp-Lo/s1600/realbookchallengefeatured2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq-1836sSGN4d95IL4MvrzfiRv_Lpicsk50X7fXLfC8TsD3wFR8UpFAPnL4nkNfXAGxzToa5I8MBtFB1eJMU2w2xj7pgX3socrpsM7CaF26swudv_dQFy0puIFnw_veYgtrh5HWQp-Lo/s1600/realbookchallengefeatured2.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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Basically, it's just a challenge to put down the pesky e-reader and pick up more <i>real</i> books. And since I've recently become mildly addicted to my Kindle Paperwhite, I thought it would be fun.<br />
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<b>I'm challenging myself to read 150 real books for the year. </b><br />
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You guys should all join me! Besides being a fun and laid back sort of challenge, there's a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/122414-2014-real-book-challenge">GoodReads group</a> and there's going to be monthly giveaways. Click <a href="http://www.fictionfare.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-real-book-challenge-sign-up-today.html">here</a> to go to the page at Fic Fare. Jaime explains everything in detail. I hope to see some of you guys signing up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4bQ2IvoIA6bFNMEcEYCUzhzm6OKkN5Hf0U2DaqCmn7q6vu4l5_tHc80ZcxC6iKYYyiUV0yGvi8AcSE4qR-qJZ54DRT7sjnQklkGZvrkEPxBLa_DrWvgJCypYp6NWArpoKUpJlvMJpdA/s1600/Matt-Smith-gif-demolitionvenom-21960937-500-241.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4bQ2IvoIA6bFNMEcEYCUzhzm6OKkN5Hf0U2DaqCmn7q6vu4l5_tHc80ZcxC6iKYYyiUV0yGvi8AcSE4qR-qJZ54DRT7sjnQklkGZvrkEPxBLa_DrWvgJCypYp6NWArpoKUpJlvMJpdA/s1600/Matt-Smith-gif-demolitionvenom-21960937-500-241.gif" height="154" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-10667565044016493502014-01-02T07:55:00.001-08:002014-01-02T09:24:54.785-08:00The time it was all about WonderlandBy now we all know about my undying love and affection for A.G. Howard, yes? So, it sort of goes without saying that <i>of course</i> I was going to do whatever I could to help promote <i>Unhinged</i>. I <strike>bugged</strike> asked Anita if she would do an interview, she agreed. And then I read <i>The Moth in the Mirror </i>and had another set of questions I wanted to ask... So, we had a redo.<br />
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But, before we get to the interview: take two, let's check out the book, yes?<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTt7_Fc7hMpueB50YFdDiAhTRiitQNJNAUYbgx-VlwBfYMhXJICTbJP7VPK0Lbr4TgLurpi8DY10xOBJ-P2zg1JPavrYH2wydow96rSgBR9Fnzz6Sy9HD29wQwsvxfSBzz0tW_DvkuFWw/s1600/17449197.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/AVvXsEiTt7_Fc7hMpueB50YFdDiAhTRiitQNJNAUYbgx-VlwBfYMhXJICTbJP7VPK0Lbr4TgLurpi8DY10xOBJ-P2zg1JPavrYH2wydow96rSgBR9Fnzz6Sy9HD29wQwsvxfSBzz0tW_DvkuFWw/s320/17449197.jpg" width="216" /></a><span id="freeText6324988755239102855">Alyssa Gardner has been
down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of
Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly
seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do
is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the
prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.<br /><br />
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an
asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much
simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to
tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging
Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.<br /><br /> As prom and graduation
creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real
world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten.
Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world
in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far
behind.<br /><br /> If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could
endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps
through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could
cost more than just her head.</span></blockquote>
Sounds amazing, right? [It totally is.]<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9QcJ9j-JGalVEFsaBBEOViUbJR_gPXHVOumMEe69q8YefL5DjWByuQdfUCItpFhorNP9MXfXdSiy5IcG4fbGhYyDY739lk49x7ibm6izEwVcuQ2UXjTTMTqUriTgP8KiwAaYuLo6V88/s1600/tumblr_lspyp9jV0B1qa2hx0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9QcJ9j-JGalVEFsaBBEOViUbJR_gPXHVOumMEe69q8YefL5DjWByuQdfUCItpFhorNP9MXfXdSiy5IcG4fbGhYyDY739lk49x7ibm6izEwVcuQ2UXjTTMTqUriTgP8KiwAaYuLo6V88/s400/tumblr_lspyp9jV0B1qa2hx0.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>1. How did the idea of <i>Splintered</i> come to you?</b><br />
<br />
I've always been a Carroll junkie. The man was a literary genius. But the idea first came to me when I went to see the Tim Burton & Disney Alice adaptation. The cinematography was so vivid and evocative that it stayed with me, and I started playing out my own Wonderland scenarios in my mind. One evening, I went to my writer's critique group and pitched the idea of a modern day Wonderland -- though darker and more twisted -- with a teen protagonist who was related to Alice Liddell, Carroll's real-life inspiration. My group's enthusiasm was palpable, and I knew I was onto something.<br />
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<b>2. Alyssa. She's feisty and smart and unique. I absolutely adore her. What do you love most about her and why should we root for her?</b><br />
<br />
Thank you! I'm pretty sweet on her, too. ;) My favorite thing about Alyssa is that she's 100% human, even though she's not, if that makes sense? She's having to navigate the high school teen waters and feeling all the same insecurities as we do (did), albeit with the added obstacle of otherworldly stuff going on in her life. But even with that, the core of her insecurity stems from not yet knowing who she is, and we've all been there. I think this is what makes her human and relatable. <br />
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<b>3. You recently wrote a novella featuring Jeb/Morpheus POV. Who was easier to work? Was it easier to be in one of their head than in Alyssa's?</b><br />
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Haha. Pulling out the tough questions now, are you? ;) Both guys are complex individuals with their own dark pasts, but Jeb was easier because I once wrote from his POV. In the earliest version of SPLINTERED Alyssa and Jeb had alternating chapters. So I already knew his voice and thoughts inside and out. Plus, Jeb is first and foremost a gentleman, and didn't make life too difficult. Morpheus was a bit more of a challenge. Even when I was "in his head", I didn't always know what his motives were...or what he was going to say or do next. It was the same way in SPLINTERED and UNHINGED. He's often surprising me and taking the story on detours I didn't see coming. My job is to decide whether to follow his lead, or reign him in. Most often, I let him have his way (he can be quite persuasive). But sometimes I have to pull the boss card. He's definitely the most demanding character I've ever written. And Alyssa's head is the easiest to write from because I myself was once a teenage girl and living *some* of her issues.<br />
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<b>4. Can we mention the last chapter in <i>Splintered</i>? There was a pretty big reveal and some satisfying closure, but it was sort of cliffhangery [or was that just me?]. Did you already know it was going to be a trilogy? </b><br />
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I sold it to Amulet as a standalone with a two book potential. That's why the ending was closed with one thread left loose. I signed a two book contract, so I knew there would be another YA book, but they hadn't okayed a second Splintered. They had me set it aside and in fact had me working on a Phantom of the Opera spinoff instead. But when presale numbers started coming in for Splintered, they were ready to invest in UNHINGED. The problem was, we waited so long that my deadline was swiftly approaching so everything was rushed. When I got to the end of book 2, we all knew there would have to be a third, or I would have to change some major plotlines. But they had a meeting, and everyone loved the story as it was, so they signed me for the third book. All that to say, no. I didn't know it would be a trilogy and neither did my publisher, but I'm happy it worked out that way. I wasn't quite read to say goodbye to these characters yet.<br />
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<b>5. What has been your favorite part about writing these books?</b><br />
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Rereading and studying Lewis Carroll's masterpieces.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>6. Describe <i>Unhinged</i> in 5 words.</b><br />
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Frustrating<br />
Frightening<br />
Enlightening<br />
Heartbreaking<br />
Empowering<br />
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<b>Speed [ish] round:</b><br />
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<b>1. What three things would you take to a desert island?</b><br />
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Since you didn't specify whether the desert island is real or fantasy based, I'm choosing fantasy. Which means I only have to pack one thing: a genie in a bottle.<br />
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<b>2. What are you reading right now?</b><br />
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I'm at the tail end of <i>So Silver Bright</i> by Lisa Mantchev. It's the last in a YA fantasy trilogy. I've read them all and love the uniqueness of the premise.<br />
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<b>3. Who are your favorite swoony boys?</b><br />
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Living or fictional? Ryan Gosling, Jr. for my live guy. And for my fictional, Hareton from <i>Wuthering Heights</i>. One of the most underappreciated book heroes. He was loyal, devoted and patient, even in the face of abuse and scorn from the two people he loved most in the world. He was the one redeeming character in the story (If you've read it, reread the last 30 pages to see my point). He's definitely swoon-worthy.<br />
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<b>4. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?</b><br />
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Heck yah! Here are my top six: Neil Gaiman, Alice Hoffman, Charlotte Bronte, Melissa Marr, Christina Rossetti, and of course Lewis Carroll.<br />
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<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b><br />
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Huge thanks, boxes of Godiva and squishy hugs to Anita for being so EPIC and taking the time to <strike>deal with my fangirling</strike> answer the questions. <b> </b>Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/aghowardwrites">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authoraghoward">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://authoraghoward.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5186274.A_G_Howard">GoodReads</a> shelves. <br />
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To celebrate the upcoming release of <i>Unhinged, </i>I've got a signed hardcover copy of <i>Splintered</i> up for grabs. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b> and this contest is international!</span> Also? Don't forget that Jeb is mine, I have proof. <br />
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<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190690/" id="rc-3a190690" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-79482978399118398452013-12-30T07:29:00.003-08:002013-12-30T07:30:43.408-08:00The time it was 2013 best of listWhen digging through the posts at Fic Fare to get to a giveaway page, I saw that Jaime and Erin had filled out an end of the year book/blog survey. And since I'm such a whore for surveys, of course I was going to do this... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C9mkk3Mh4Z22mgkTrfpgqC69P0LZEoL9LMmIxy0kVcVywvvpKGv6779bnJQJAEEymVDR1oWuFt2HWQqS7LQrz9psgOsMb_BIKp-zpOrADDFrAkhXSWHT4U4aE6Yw56pJB7mn1qbVSjI/s1600/best-books-2013-1024x862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C9mkk3Mh4Z22mgkTrfpgqC69P0LZEoL9LMmIxy0kVcVywvvpKGv6779bnJQJAEEymVDR1oWuFt2HWQqS7LQrz9psgOsMb_BIKp-zpOrADDFrAkhXSWHT4U4aE6Yw56pJB7mn1qbVSjI/s320/best-books-2013-1024x862.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks to the <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/12/4th-annual-end-of-year-book-survey-2013-edition.html">Perpetual Page Turner</a> for this awesome idea and the pretty pictures. Make sure you go over there to see all of the links from other bloggers.<br />
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<b>1. Best book you read in 2013? (If you have to cheat, you can break it down by genre)</b></div>
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Ugh. Already this is hard. Ummm... How about: Splintered, The Distance Between Us, Crown of Midnight, Something Real, The Winner's Curse, These Broken Stars, Time After Time.<br />
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<b>2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love, but didn't?</b><br />
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No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale. I love the idea of this book, but I just couldn't get into it at all.<br />
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<b>3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Something Real by Heather Demetrios. I don't normally read a lot of contemporary, but I read the synopsis and was intrigued. Turns out, I absolutely fell in love with this book and may or may not have a mild addiction to it. I loved <strike>Patrick</strike> all of the characters <strike>and Patrick</strike> and the storyline <strike>and Patrick</strike> and it was refreshing to read something so unique. Oh and I've already got a deal with Heather for Patrick, soooo....<br />
<br />
<b>4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Either Splintered, Crown of Midnight, or The Distance Between Us. Anyone who stood still long enough was told about those three beauties.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Best series you discovered in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Splintered [Thank you, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/EloquentDust">Kristen</a>!] I mean, it's a darker take on Alice in Wonderland that has a kick ass girl and a super swoony artist boy. Oh and it is just phenomenal. Unhinged is even better and I'm convinced that Anita is out to kill me with Ensnared. <br />
<br />
<b>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
A.G. Howard and Kasie West<br />
<br />
<b>7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?</b><br />
<br />
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott. I tend to stay away from anything dealing with death/terminal illness and the like, but for some reason, I picked this one up. Man, I was blown away. I loved every single page of it.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Most thrilling, un-put-downable book in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Crash into You, Unhinged, These Broken Stars, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, Time After Time... I'm pretty sure I could keep going on this one.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Book in 2013 you are most likely to re-read next year?</b><br />
<br />
Something Real, The Art of Lainey, The Winner's Curse, Unhinged. All 4 of those come out next year, so I'll definitely be reading the finished copies when I get my grubby hands on them.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvr5aOV0J8Yq79Q9Lyp0IqeZOqnIww7yo3tx32P3fk4AmA4emK7okT1hyphenhyphenyVCh4iK8YFk4T7Fi3KbjJsiENTsAKMEs2OX2PuR35HT9qGct7B0nq6r46V89I-X_gTNRoPxWz6Tg1fLID-A/s1600/13624584.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/AVvXsEglvr5aOV0J8Yq79Q9Lyp0IqeZOqnIww7yo3tx32P3fk4AmA4emK7okT1hyphenhyphenyVCh4iK8YFk4T7Fi3KbjJsiENTsAKMEs2OX2PuR35HT9qGct7B0nq6r46V89I-X_gTNRoPxWz6Tg1fLID-A/s200/13624584.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQgH7gFP9EopLEl61IGan_hCC465FqDc90gh6K8C_hWlNKeQGTKtn88QvsNpOHBWXvkpvsBFM0mLtldLpnQS4ghOY83VkQxlewwkOlolaaB4BXVAsoVUWINiA53dZn-Mf-hL8ifC7jk8/s1600/The+Winner%27s+Curse.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/AVvXsEjEQgH7gFP9EopLEl61IGan_hCC465FqDc90gh6K8C_hWlNKeQGTKtn88QvsNpOHBWXvkpvsBFM0mLtldLpnQS4ghOY83VkQxlewwkOlolaaB4BXVAsoVUWINiA53dZn-Mf-hL8ifC7jk8/s200/The+Winner%27s+Curse.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-i8LQ9b8UhWl61NzgFy5n-fJtZQ14RZA6QvUoXqI7-jzKJEx_UaGDIjHw8MZhNS27mljMRBwlOIsNhlxz7hVxwqgyFZmfSG5-iC98x8PvJpVZcUVFgMorZBw9LPJiCYkbP5Og7UBLp8/s1600/13138635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-i8LQ9b8UhWl61NzgFy5n-fJtZQ14RZA6QvUoXqI7-jzKJEx_UaGDIjHw8MZhNS27mljMRBwlOIsNhlxz7hVxwqgyFZmfSG5-iC98x8PvJpVZcUVFgMorZBw9LPJiCYkbP5Og7UBLp8/s200/13138635.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>11. Most memorable character in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Sturmhond from Siege and Storm<br />
<br />
<b>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Dream Thieves. Maggie has a special way of writing that makes me want to read every single word on every single page.<br />
<br />
<b>13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Crown of Midnight and Dream Thieves were both books that were amazing. They both also had wicked endings that gave me serious feels and major book hangovers. <br />
<br />
<b>14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to read?</b><br />
<br />
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff. You need to read this immediately. <b> </b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2013?</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Nothing immediately comes to mind and it's probably better that way. Otherwise, I'd more than likely end up typing up entire pages of a couple of books. Like the outside dancing scene between Chaol and Celaena in Crown of Midnight. </span><br />
<br />
<b>16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
The Moth in the Mirror -- 40 pages<br />
Ashen Winter -- 576 pages<br />
<br />
<b>17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it? </b><br />
<br />
Pretty much the entire time I was reading <i>The Distance Between Us</i> by Kasie West. Xander and his sips just slayed me with swoons. I forced friends to send me their flails while they read it. <br />
<br />
<b>18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
Jeb and Alyssa from Splintered, Xander and Caymen from The Distance Between Us, Lilac and Tarver from These Broken Stars, Patrick and Bonnie from Something Real, Micah and Lainey from The Art of Lainey... this is another one I could go on and on and on with. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>19. Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author that you've read previously?</b><br />
<br />
Crown of Midnight. I didn't think anything could top the epicness that is Throne of Glass and somehow Sarah did it. I can't wait to see what she has planned for us with book 3. <br />
<br />
<b>20. Best book you read in 2013 that you read based solely on a recommendation from someone else?</b><br />
<br />
Scarlet. I wasn't totally in love with Cinder, so I had put off reading Scarlet. Everyone told me I would love Wolf and they were right. Believe it or not, Cress is even better.<br />
<b>
<br />
<b>21. Genre you read the most from in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>All of them? I don't know. Probably dystopian or paranormal, since those are what I like the most. <br />
<b><br />
<b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Jeb from Splintered [he's mine, I have proof], Xander from The Distance Between Us [he's Jaime's but I have a claim on him just in case she hits her head and becomes completely delusional], Patrick from Something Real [he's mine, I have proof], Micah from The Art of Lainey [he's mine, I have proof].<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> 23. Best debut 2013 debut you read?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
</b>Why haven't you stopped reading this post and started reading Splintered already? Sheesh. <br />
<b><br />
<b>24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Should I just stop reading the questions now and answer with Splintered for everything? With this particular question, Anita takes Wonderland and makes it creepier and all her own. Oh and there's some epic swoons. Make sure you check out question 22 when it comes to Jeb.<br />
<b><br />
<b>25. Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>My Ex From Hell and My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling and Audrey, Wait and Also Known As by Robin Benway. Those books actually had me laughing out loud while reading.<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>None? I didn't cry at TFiOS, sooooooo....<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>27. Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett. It was released as an e-book in 2012 and then released in 2013 in paperback and it's just awesome. It's one of my to-go books when I'm in a slump.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
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<b>
<br />
<b>1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b><a href="http://www.polishedreaders.com/">Polished Readers</a> is pretty awesome. They combine book reviews with matching manicures, which I just love. <a href="http://www.pandorasbooks.org/">Pandora's Books</a> is another great blog and Meredith is super sweet. Go follow both of them in all of the places.<b><br />
<br />
<b>2. Favorite review you wrote in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Umm. Well, I don't really do reviews, but of the ones that I did, I would have to say the one I did for <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/10/the-time-i-reviewed-book-4.html">My Date From Hell</a> by Tellulah Darling. It was especially fun because Tellulah put together an entire contest leading up to the release of the book.<br />
<b><br />
<b>3. Best discussion you had on your blog?</b><br />
<br />
</b>I don't post these sorts of things. :)<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>4. Most thought providing review or discussion you read on someone else's blog? </b><br />
<br />
</b><a href="http://www.ohchrys.net/2013/08/26/leave-goodreads-alone/">This</a> post on Oh Chrys after the GoodReads debacle was extremely well written and really looks at the situation without being assy.<br />
<b><br />
<b>5. Best event that you participated in?</b><br />
<br />
</b>There were so many good events that I went to in 2013. My favorites of the year were:<br />
<br />
**The <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/08/the-time-it-was-in-bar.html">SCBWI guerrilla panel</a> with Gretchen McNeil, Veronica Rossi, Jennifer Bosworth and Brodi Ashton.<br />
<br />
**<a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/10/the-time-i-went-to-berkeley.html">Driving to Berkeley</a> to support Tamara Ireland Stone for her release day for Time After Time.<br />
<br />
**Going to <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/11/the-time-it-was-weekend-in-vegas.html">Vegas Valley Book Festival</a> and getting to spend some quality time with Anita.<b><br />
<br />
<b>6. Best moment of your blogging/book life in 2013?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Hands down: being asked by Bloomsbury to be a <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/07/the-time-i-was-ambassador.html">Throne of Glass Ambassador</a>. I mean, they <i>knew</i> me for my fangirling and actually referenced it in the invitation email.. Also, being asked to be Macmillan's designated blogger for the Fierce Reads tour stop in <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/06/the-time-i-took-day-trip-to-vegas.html">Vegas</a>. And then again for the Fierce Reads tour stop in <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/10/the-time-there-was-guy-with-antlers.html">San Diego</a>.<br />
<br />
Pretty much, being acknowledged by any publisher is pretty awesome. <br />
<b><b><br /></b>
7. <b>Most popular post this year on your blog (whether by views or comments)?</b><br />
<br />
</b>4136 views for the <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/08/the-time-it-was-extra-scene.html">extra scene</a> that Sarah J Maas gave the Throne of Glass Ambassadors.<br />
<br />
136 comments for the post where I hit <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/07/the-time-i-had-so-many-followers.html">500 followers</a> on GFC and 1000 followers on Twitter on the same day. I gave away books, one of them being an arc of Crown of Midnight. <br />
<b><br />
<b>8. Post you wished got a little more love?</b><br />
<br />
</b>All of them? Don't get me wrong, I love blogging, but the majority of comments I get are during giveaways. I guess I don't make it easy because there aren't discussion posts and the like. But it would be nice to know if people are actually reading the stuff I'm putting out or just waiting for the next giveaway.<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> 9. Best bookish discovery?</b><br />
<br />
</b>The Book Depository. I feel like I spend a lot of money there, so I don't know if that's a good thing or not. <b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> 10. Did you set any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of the year?</b><br />
<br />
</b>I set a reading challenge of 250 and right now, I'm at 281 books with a couple of days before the new year.<b><br />
<br />
</b><br />
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<b>
<br />
<b>1. One book that you didn't get to in 2013, but will be your number one priority in 2014?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Does a reread of the Mara Dyer series count? I've been wanting to read them badly [Noah is mine, I have proof], but have been waiting for Retribution to come out.<br />
<b><br />
<b>2. Book you are most anticipating for 2014 (non-debut)?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Retribution of Mara Dyer. I would do horrible, horrible things to get my hands on this early.<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>3. 2014 debut you are most anticipating?</b><br />
<br />
</b>Umm. I don't really keep up on this. I should, but I just don't. I'll sit back and watch what people add to their GoodReads shelves and decide from there. <b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>4. Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?</b></b><br />
<br />
Retribution of Mara Dyer<b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?</b><br />
<br />
</b>I'm not the same as the other book blogs that are out there, I'm different and I really like that. I guess I hope that people continue to like that too.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Don't forget to head over to the Perpetual Page Turner to see the linky list of all the other blogs who participated. And of course, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your best of 2013 survey or just answer a few of the questions!Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-64991977450709980032013-12-27T07:44:00.002-08:002013-12-27T07:44:47.231-08:00The time it was about The Promise of AmazingI got approved for <i>The Promise of Amazing</i> from Edelweiss and <strike>devoured</strike> read it in July. It quickly became one of the books I needed all of the copies of and when I came across a physical arc in the super secret back room, I may or may not have gotten pushy to get my hands on it. Robin was amazing and agreed to sign it if I <a href="http://www.toofondofbooks.com/2013/09/the-time-it-was-bookish-mail-7.html">sent it to her</a>. <br />
<br />
From there, it just got worse. I <strike>bugged</strike> asked Robin if she would be willing to do an interview and she agreed! But before we get to her answers, let's check out the book, shall we?<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDNFSRy-ACBBxuafn-29FmD1ps4BOvEE6F9pgASmdfOcleU3b0ExqHgBCPwi_gsnkQKhqLptFF-6y18EHj6v2MldXlFdODt1bP9IwuaT3XiRLprLOPmomk9dHdJS5QxFQ9jfbIJt_25o/s1600/17844678.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/AVvXsEgwDNFSRy-ACBBxuafn-29FmD1ps4BOvEE6F9pgASmdfOcleU3b0ExqHgBCPwi_gsnkQKhqLptFF-6y18EHj6v2MldXlFdODt1bP9IwuaT3XiRLprLOPmomk9dHdJS5QxFQ9jfbIJt_25o/s320/17844678.jpg" width="211" /></a><span id="freeText10086763780474330742">Wren Caswell is
average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not
popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's
always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this
passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know
how.<br /><br />Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the
lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant
future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is
in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how. <br /><br />One
fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s
Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he
chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively.
What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of
two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling
in love.</span></blockquote>
Sounds great, right? [It totally is. You can read my review on GR <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/666233373">here</a>]<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>1. Where did the idea for <i>The Promise of Amazing</i> come from?</b><br />
<br />
Wren's story had been brewing in my head for a long time. The seed of the idea was to have a shy girl save a local celebrity's life and then be thrust into the spotlight. I worked on other things and fooled around with it every so often, but it wasn't until I moved to a new state that Grayson's part was born.<br />
<br />
Home invasion/break-in is apparently a popular crime in the area that I live. And you know, who wants to deal with that? Before we purchased our home I had a conversation with my realtor about it and she mentioned that most break-ins were either people who knew the owners or rashes of crimes. (Neither of which made me feel better, btw) She went on to tell me about a recent crime spree involving thieves who would scope out malls, take the garage door openers out of people's cars and go to their target's houses while they were still shopping. For some reason this stuck with me, maybe because it's more thought out than just your average b&e. I kept wondering about it - did they have a lookout? What did they do with the merchandise they took? I didn't want to write that story but it kept stalking me. I'd get flashes of scenes and just think no...no...NO! But when I sat down to finally tackle Wren's story, I decided to bring that aspect into it. Grayson had been a minor character in another book I'd been writing and I loved him so much, I brought him along for this story. I put a twist on the method of break-in and changed the local celebrity to former thief and the story took off from there.<br />
<br />
<b>2. You wrote from two POVs: Wren and Grayson. Who was easier to work with?</b><br />
<br />
The book didn't start out in two POVs but I got about a page into chapter two from Wren's POV and thought <i>this is going nowhere</i>. So I switched it up. Grayson was actually easy for me to write in the drafts - he was very visceral/shoot from the hip and it was fun to switch up the voices - but his chapters were the ones that needed the most revision during the entire process. He's such a delicious mess of a person to me, someone who really wants to do the right thing, get out from underneath the trouble he's gotten himself into, but keeps screwing it up.<br />
<br />
<b>3. I really enjoyed the family aspect. Both Wren and Grayson have supportive family members who take an active part in their lives, but don't hinder [for lack of a better word] the character growth. Was that an active choice?</b><br />
<br />
Thanks!! Yes, it was an active choice. I love both of their families. You always here "kill the parents" because your main character is supposed to figure things out for themselves -- which I get to a certain degree but people who come from supportive and loving families can screw things up too. I just always saw these characters with parents and siblings. I love Grayson's father in particular. I think he's this guy with rough edges, someone whose glory days are in his past and he's really okay with that but he wants more for his son -- in his darker moments he dwells on what might have been, but for the most part hes' a guy who is happy and would do anything for his family. And I love Wren's relationship with her brother Josh. So much.<br />
<br />
<b>4. I've seen some reviewers say <i>Promise</i> is a mash up of <i>Pretty and Pink</i> and <i>Cruel Intentions</i>. Do you think that's accurate?</b><br />
<br />
Can I just say I LOVE that comparison? That would have been awesome to put in a query!! I'm not sure I see what the boys are doing as intentional which may sound strange. Or maybe I should say THEY don't look at what they are doing as intentional or cruel. I think Operation Amsterdam is something that started out as 'we bored, let's see if we can get away with this' and it snowballed. Smart boys doing stupid things and they don't quite fully comprehend the consequences of their actions -- moral or legal. They see the end -- a trip to Amsterdam -- and a way to get there. If they had pulled this stuff when they were twenty-five, that would be a completely different story. We think we're above the law and invincible when we're teens. (At least I did.)<br />
<br />
On the other hand, the part I do see that is intentional is Luke and Ava and how they manipulate Wren and Grayson to get what they <i>think</i> they want. And in that respect I can see the <i>Cruel Intentions</i> parallel. <i>Pretty in Pink</i> is a little harder for me (although it's one of my favorite movies so I'll take it!!) but maybe the parallel of Stef trying to keep Blaine away from Andie because he's always sort of liked her and if he can't have her, then Blaine shouldn't either, so he causes trouble for his own amusement? That mirrors a little bit of the Grayson-Wren-Luke dynamic for me. When Luke meets Wren, I have a very specific reason why he acts the way he does, but that's between him and me....mwahahaha.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>5. What was your favorite part of writing the book?</b><br />
<br />
I loved Wren and Grayson's first kiss (outside the hospital). Originally they didn't kiss until the cottage scene. In my first draft Grayson wanted to kiss Wren but he thought it might be too soon, and one of my CPs said, well if he wants to, why don't you let him and see what happens. So he kissed her and the scene took a different route from there. For me, it's Grayson being awkward but being so overwhelmed that Wren would go out of her way to do something for him, when once again he's really done nothing to earn it. He's sort of blown away by her kindness. And while Grayson can really put on the whole lady-killer-jerk act as Mike Pearson...it's an act...he's genuine at heart.<br />
<br />
I also LOVED writing the cottage scene with Wren and Grayson. And I ADORED writing the scenes with Maddie, Jazz and Wren because they reminded me of the best times with my friends.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Describe <i>Promise</i> in 5 words.</b><br />
<br />
Funny. Raw. Sexy. Sweet. Maddening.<br />
<br />
<b>Speed [ish] round:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time. What happens next?</b><br />
<br />
Have heartburn for a year. Kidding. Kind of.<br />
<br />
I got "the call" December 2012 -- I'd just come in from a fruitless Christmas shopping trip and was online looking up a doll for my niece when the phone rang. I have one of those phones that announces the person who's calling so I knew it was my agent and I was immediately like OMG. A million and one different scenarios floated through my head as I walked over to pick up the phone. I'm not sure I heard much after she told me that Donna Bray loved my manuscript and was interested in talking to us. The whole process took about two weeks -- we spoke to Donna before acquisitions and it was all pretty nail biting wondering if the sale would go through -- really you sort of steel yourself by being cautiously optimistic, so by the time my agent called me and said it was a done deal, I just kind of sat down and let it all sink in and was oddly calm, not jumping around flailing like I imagined I would be!! Until I received my editorial letter and started working on the book again, it all sort of felt surreal. Some days it still does!<br />
<br />
<b>2. What three things would you take to a desert island?</b><br />
<br />
Matches, Nutella and a thick pair of socks.<br />
<br />
<b>3. What are you reading right now?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Nearly Gone</i> by Elle Cosimano -- it's coming out March 2014 and it's soooooo good.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?</b><br />
<br />
Pretty much the cast of <i>The Vampire Diaries</i> and <i>The Originals</i>, but I'm partial to the bad boys -- Damon and Klaus and Stefan when he's being evil. And I LOVED the bromance between Damon and Alaric!!<br />
<br />
<b>5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?</b><br />
<br />
I kind of fangirl over every author I meet! And I am so goofy when I'm fangirling -- it's like my brain forgets how to form words. I met Laurie Halse Anderson right before <i>Speak</i> came out and she was so down to earth and genuine, she put me at ease. On the other hand I was recently at an event with Judy Blume and I was too overwhelmed to go up to her and introduce myself for fear that I'd just kind of run off at the mouth of worse, stand there and gape after awkwardly professing my love for her. (I regret that!!) And if I ever met Marcus Zusak, I'd probably do something embarrassing like walk into a wall or trip over my own feet. (That was not a speedy answer, was it?)<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b><br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Robin for <strike>putting up with my fangirling</strike> taking the time for the interview. <b> </b>Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/@RConstantine14">Twitter</a>, following her on <a href="http://rcbooks.tumblr.com//">Tumblr</a>, subscribing to her <a href="http://robinconstantine.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, and adding <i>Promise</i> to your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7062305.Robin_Constantine">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<br />
There will be two winners! Robin has so awesomely offered up an annotated copy of <i>Promise</i> and I'm going to give one away as well. Robin's special copy is US only and since mine will coming from The Book Depository, it'll be international.<br />
<br />
<span id="freeText5474266725609214461"><span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText5474266725609214461"><span id="freeText16122968239215036738">**Good Luck!!**</span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-56682609314583240852013-12-25T08:23:00.002-08:002013-12-25T08:23:31.407-08:00The time it was twelve drummers drummingTwelve drummers drumming added to the eleven pipers piping means the bird menagerie has to be going insane. This countdown of gifts is so odd. Welp, here we are. This is the final day of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRLxHk4zETdSeRhgL3hBF5gKG-B64MfCQylXAAKn5e4H2XP4c0Oxve9yaNIiwEXhWf3wgg_zXjF0TtNWu3XRD9WPiHbS7T8P9rpLvZJ6L27BJIG-nefHXRG1Poz1C_NKMlaiHF8VDOjc/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRLxHk4zETdSeRhgL3hBF5gKG-B64MfCQylXAAKn5e4H2XP4c0Oxve9yaNIiwEXhWf3wgg_zXjF0TtNWu3XRD9WPiHbS7T8P9rpLvZJ6L27BJIG-nefHXRG1Poz1C_NKMlaiHF8VDOjc/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I figured the final day of the giveaway had to be a big one, right? So, up for grabs is....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfk1VP15iwE3gr2JiI3WaE5BBQ1tQSNAGlC4ulImBluAouXRyav_CjVHEAQJENSk6F4xlbi_mDdUuPM-6A8yxIWviDekJ_yx4dqqsdMLNchpbbGkukFQrNaRg8f6-X-4rQJAHjJPZO8Zs/s1600/14290364.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/AVvXsEjfk1VP15iwE3gr2JiI3WaE5BBQ1tQSNAGlC4ulImBluAouXRyav_CjVHEAQJENSk6F4xlbi_mDdUuPM-6A8yxIWviDekJ_yx4dqqsdMLNchpbbGkukFQrNaRg8f6-X-4rQJAHjJPZO8Zs/s200/14290364.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWjQiMiOUigXLZaW4070hvUqwEXsBpF8OxHMAhslXaMjQJcIfe0PBccTVgggtFpmk89zHoDwf9nCp6qA0Crvc_FHtnJU2MxbLoloX_3tFfzDejFJNY-xnRn1lQNvJQAILtjaht70J_Rw/s1600/9275658.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/AVvXsEgsWjQiMiOUigXLZaW4070hvUqwEXsBpF8OxHMAhslXaMjQJcIfe0PBccTVgggtFpmk89zHoDwf9nCp6qA0Crvc_FHtnJU2MxbLoloX_3tFfzDejFJNY-xnRn1lQNvJQAILtjaht70J_Rw/s200/9275658.jpg" width="131" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV1tpSZL6FutrheejY2OBo7OCf-v378-joyNqzN0VypOuueMYIbDw96Ug28oEZcwOWYsxfgvdlBAOCU1T3y-0A6t21cp8oHdP0WpxmKDJWtp0GhZNQ5ABsYBy8mk7lLkjiV0Ua4uLtoU/s200/13414446.jpg" width="128" /> </div>
<br />
That's right. I have a paperback copy of <i>Legend</i> and hardcover copies of <i>Prodigy</i> and <i>Champion</i>. <b>And they're all signed</b>. Click <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342215.Marie_Lu">here</a> to be taken to Marie's GoodReads page to read the synopsis of each. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>. This contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com99tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-23333746103472925982013-12-24T07:19:00.002-08:002013-12-24T07:19:53.026-08:00The time it was eleven pipers pipingAll I can imagine is what eleven pipers piping would sound like. And what the various bird menagerie would do when they heard it. Anyhoo. Here we are for day eleven of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!<br />
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<br />
Today we have fellow Whovian Trish Doller to share her favorite Christmas tradition. Let's welcome her, yes?<br />
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When my kids were little (and still believed in Santa) we would go to midnight Mass together and then they would go to bed. Instead of wrapping their presents early, I would wait until Christmas eve after they were asleep and the house was quiet. I'd keep the Christmas tree lit and sometimes--softly--listen to music as I wrapped. Or, I'd just enjoy the solitude. After I finished wrapping, I'd creep upstairs to sleep for a handful of hours before going back down so I could see the kids' faces when they discovered their presents from Santa. They're too big for that now--my son is 22 and my daughter is 18--but it will always be my favorite Christmas tradition.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Trish for taking the time to share that sweet tradition. Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/trishdoller">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/trishwritesbooks">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://www.trishdoller.com/#!blog/c1cr1">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4382157.Trish_Doller">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oowS30P-P1YRZ6jUxrCJZ3xQlGXUjN6kx5a8rFWYg6tf05pgmb_FcLFilooQiU4dTZSI7_7yLce31kgHvfJPoj6yifH0u8jjjHO2zDKpdq-gEbNxXATr4iIE53yBj8SDUfur7qwLxTc/s1600/15826648.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/AVvXsEj5oowS30P-P1YRZ6jUxrCJZ3xQlGXUjN6kx5a8rFWYg6tf05pgmb_FcLFilooQiU4dTZSI7_7yLce31kgHvfJPoj6yifH0u8jjjHO2zDKpdq-gEbNxXATr4iIE53yBj8SDUfur7qwLxTc/s320/15826648.jpg" width="213" /></a><span id="freeText5474266725609214461">Stolen as a child from
her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than
ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be
like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most
of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by
memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is
finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her
back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida,
Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be
part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who
seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.<br /><br />Trish
Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love,
betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who
want their stories gritty and utterly true.</span></blockquote>
<span id="freeText5474266725609214461">That's right, I have a copy of <i>Where the Stars Still Shine </i>up for grabs. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>.
This contest is international and<i> </i>the book will be coming from The Book
Depository. </span><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>**Good Luck!!**</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span id="freeText5474266725609214461"> </span>
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-61765100934174106232013-12-23T07:39:00.000-08:002013-12-23T07:39:05.223-08:00The time it was ten lords-a-leapingI don't even know what to say about that title, so we'll just get right to it. Here we are for day ten of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! <br />
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<br />
Today we have the lovely Elizabeth Norris on the blog! Let's welcome her, yes?<br />
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It's hard to think about the holidays without thinking of family. Mine is...interesting. I think it's my dad's love for all things Christmas, but my parents tend to go all out. Christmas music played almost six months a year and sometimes our Christmas lights were up until March.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid, I dreaded the lead up because the "preparation" was so intense. We had to pull huge boxes of decorations out of the attic and spend at least an entire weekend setting up the house. Putting up the tree meant going to the tree farm and picking out the right one (not too tall but tall enough and full enough and one that looked like it would last). Decorating it meant stringing the lights, and wrapping the musical bells around the trunk of the tree, and hanging all the ornaments in just the right position that the reflective ones would the lights.<br />
<br />
What I had the most love/hate relationship with though was my mom's <a href="http://www.department56.com/content.aspx?cid=VLSV&ms=prd&msi=59005">Snow Village</a> collection. <br />
<br />
I think it started because they were cool decorations. My dad got her a little cottage that was on our kitchen table: a cute snowy house that lit up on the inside. She liked it so the next year on Christmas morning, she opened up a group of three kids building a snowman and the following year it was a snow house that looked a lot like ours.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the line, we ended up with a bookstore and a hotel and even a police station. Then family members caught on. They noticed my mother was collecting a Snow Village. They knew exactly what to get her for Christmas. It didn't take long before we had our own little cul-de-sac of Snow Village houses. The cottage was surrounded by a Queen Anne Victorian, an Oak Grove Tudor, a Southern Colonial and even a Gothic Farm House. Our Snow Village Main Street had a costume shop, a barber shop, a post office, a fire station, and even a Starbucks. (Really, I couldn't make this up).<br />
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Picture taken from <a href="http://www.genehanson.com/xmas.htm">here</a>. Not actually Elizabeth's family Snow Village. </div>
<br />
And the collection just kept getting bigger. We ended up with special edition pieces like the Snow Carnival Ice Palace and an ice skating rink with several moving skaters. We couldn't even keep them set up in the room of the house. They were on the top of the piano, in the living room picture window, on the hutch in the kitchen, and on top of bookshelves. One year, they even took over our dining room table.<br />
<br />
On one hand, they were really cool miniature house (and other things) and when they were all set up, they were certainly a conversations started for anyone who came over. But they were taking over our house. It took days to set them all up and we didn't have room for them, and why did we really need to display an Armed Forces Recruiting Station around the holidays?<br />
<br />
At some point, my mom admitted that she didn't think we needed anymore Snow Village pieces but she didn't know how to tell all of our relatives to stop buying them. So a few years ago, my parents decided to downsize and moved into a smaller house. My mother started rotating which Snow Village streets she was going to display each year, and last year when I opened my own presents, there was a distinctly cube shaped box among my packages. The tag read: "Now that you have your own place..."<br />
<br />
I knew two things before opening it: inside would be something Snow Village and if this became a thing, I would be needing a bigger apartment.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Elizabeth for taking the time! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/liz_norris">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethNorrisAuthor">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://liznorris.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5073459.Elizabeth_Norris">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAllpdMigt9KsJAoc-Yhe0O0Juz0lwcHvr93IQu0Sov7xh_G-T9dlxWloMJTvI1nldN9wZSSXSkaF1ykYm64bIzwI8yxPSfA6fnub_rZr7Etg3UCMFelxbnP6BHuA_br85-TnD4n6psA/s1600/12157365.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/AVvXsEhVAllpdMigt9KsJAoc-Yhe0O0Juz0lwcHvr93IQu0Sov7xh_G-T9dlxWloMJTvI1nldN9wZSSXSkaF1ykYm64bIzwI8yxPSfA6fnub_rZr7Etg3UCMFelxbnP6BHuA_br85-TnD4n6psA/s320/12157365.jpg" width="212" /></a>Reminiscent of <i>Before I Fall</i>, Elizabeth Norris's <i>Unraveling</i>
blends realistic coming-of-age issues and heart-stopping romance with
something just a little bit more. In this case, a gripping science
fiction world.<br />
<div>
<br />
Unraveling's heroine, seventeen-year-old Janelle
Tenner, is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working
as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's
mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means
Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
And that was <i>before</i>
she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious,
alluring loner from her high school. The more Janelle tries to figure
him out, the more she starts to believe he's connected to a case her
father is working on. The one where people are dying of radiation
poisoning and the body count is rising. The one that involves a strange
clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction. If
Janelle wants to stop the clock and save the world, she has twenty-four
days to uncover Ben's secrets--and keep from falling in love with him.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
From
debut author Elizabeth Norris, comes this shattering novel of one
girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw
coming. </div>
</blockquote>
and<br />
<div id="iframeContent">
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCiQbHPKI2amirCTKoBY28d1mUYxQntNU-Mu-1SoSB21pgNRjb2UlPmfSl5aI9XQIlmjXipkrekMXJyQ2IdibeuJ7qBBJWkryDEoc731pbZhv263EDTgU2qDCzxHJLGO7tBRS1Z2rxGE/s1600/14743784.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/AVvXsEgBCiQbHPKI2amirCTKoBY28d1mUYxQntNU-Mu-1SoSB21pgNRjb2UlPmfSl5aI9XQIlmjXipkrekMXJyQ2IdibeuJ7qBBJWkryDEoc731pbZhv263EDTgU2qDCzxHJLGO7tBRS1Z2rxGE/s320/14743784.jpg" width="206" /></a><i>Unbreakable</i>, the sequel to Elizabeth Norris’s <i>Unraveling</i>, blends science fiction, mystery, and romance into a thrilling story YA readers won’t be able to put down.<br />
<br />
It’s
been four months since Janelle Tenner stopped the earth’s destruction
with the help of Ben, the boy who resurrected her after she died. Ben is
gone now—disappeared through a portal to his home world.<br />
Even
though Ben broke her heart, Janelle refuses to believe it when
Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay tells her Ben is suspected of running a
human-trafficking ring across several universes. She vows to uncover the
true culprit and rescue the people who have been sold into slavery on
alternate earths—not to mention find Ben and prove his innocence.<br />
<br />
In addition to Ben, Barclay, and Janelle, <i>Unbreakable</i> brings back fan favorite characters Elijah and Cecily in this action-packed thriller.</blockquote>
That's right, I have copies of <i>Unraveling</i> and <i>Unbreakable</i> up for grabs. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>. This contest is international and books will be coming from The Book Depository. Oh, and don't forget that Ben is mine, I have proof. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>**Good Luck!!**</b></div>
</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190686/" id="rc-3a190686" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-37503684131698428852013-12-22T07:45:00.001-08:002013-12-22T07:45:23.651-08:00The time it was nine ladies dancingLadies dancing could be interesting, but who wants that as a Christmas present? It's so odd. Anyhoo, here we are for day nine of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uvwZwbV9eVRR2CEuqYTRSPo7wlGud1c2I-LI2mvnlGPOdGOslgxYAqbsibOBkH6kxcsD2xPa29k2r0cpQTN_MaKwD9dzcvKn0xzyoQTxCKtktc25A_oeLBqcCN0pT7yIwO-GRdUEYkM/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uvwZwbV9eVRR2CEuqYTRSPo7wlGud1c2I-LI2mvnlGPOdGOslgxYAqbsibOBkH6kxcsD2xPa29k2r0cpQTN_MaKwD9dzcvKn0xzyoQTxCKtktc25A_oeLBqcCN0pT7yIwO-GRdUEYkM/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Today we have the ever so charming Kasie West on the blog, sharing an embarrassing Christmas story. Let's welcome her, yes?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8XvswA0w6F8bRWpXbfZyUoCFbuaWcbSqkH2jIKyinYaVDJxRudgPYPvjS2BZcdZ8w-Vemt4iecPWB7yntBMx7hTKc5mpjih4uQbloB6Tnyf0NVy0uEZlGHFoztTLjOFzRIuMNGo_JbQ/s1600/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8XvswA0w6F8bRWpXbfZyUoCFbuaWcbSqkH2jIKyinYaVDJxRudgPYPvjS2BZcdZ8w-Vemt4iecPWB7yntBMx7hTKc5mpjih4uQbloB6Tnyf0NVy0uEZlGHFoztTLjOFzRIuMNGo_JbQ/s320/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Ah, Christmas, the time of giving and family and laughter and food and Stacee asking me to share embarrassing stories. Okay, in her defense, she game me options, but of course I chose the "embarrassing story" option.<br />
<br />
So back when I was 19 years old, I was madly in love with a boy. (This is how many of my personal stories start, by the way, from about the time I was 12 on) I had been dating him for a few months and like many 19 year old boys in my church, he decided to serve a mission. This meant for 2 years he'd be gone in South America. My poor little 19 year old heart was aching, but I was determined to wait for him. Yes, I was going to wait 2 years for a boy I hadn't even been dating for 5 months. I may have been a bit delusional, but I was in love!<br />
<br />
He left in November, meaning his first Christmas away, I was going to be the best girlfriend ever. I would send him a present every day for 12 days. I was going to give him his own personal 12 days of Christmas. And don't get me wrong, this would've made me the best girlfriend ever. It was the execution that made me...well...fall short.<br />
<br />
I gathered my gifts and packaged them. But! I thought. Wait. They each needed to have a little story with them. (This should've been when I discovered that I wanted to be a writer but it would take me ten more years to discover that.) So I began. Each package had a story with it that went something like this. (I don't remember exactly what each of them said and I'm sure they were actually even sillier than what I'm about to write. I wish I had copies of them now...no actually, it's probably better that I don't.)<br />
<br />
On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a tie.<br />
"A tie? That doesn't fit very well into the song, why would we give him a tie?"<br />
"Just be quiet, it's what he needs, we're giving him a tie and we're singing about it. Just go with it."<br />
"Fine, but if he asks me, I'll tell him that a tie wasn't my idea."<br />
<br />
And on...and on...for each day of Christmas. I don't know what I was trying to do with these stories. Show him I had multiple personalities? That I talked to myself? That little elves were hidden in my room? I'm not sure but at the time I thought they were a good idea. The best most creative idea. I can't even think about it now without laughing and most of the time blushing at how ridiculous I was. But love makes you do weird/crazy/manic things. To give him credit, he was very sweet about the whole thing and said thank you and that he loved it. Ha. I can't imagine how his roommates must've teased him. Poor guy. Anyway, it's a good thing we didn't end up together. I mean, can you imagine how that story would've been told year after year. Plus he'd actually have the real stories to read aloud to my humiliation.<br />
<br />
Ah, Christmas. Happy times. I love this time of year. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and have many stories of Christmases past with which to mock people. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Kasie for taking the time!! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/kasiewest">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kasie-West-Author/148695348552803">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://www.kasiewest.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5027236.Kasie_West?from_search=true">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIrwfO4rSK970uMXmv4HncRlr0fCw92P2S4g8C5Fv113luAaOoY6flIZQn96DtNwHXSoUn4gkHIaMBbp-PHORwmumQQ1AfcUmKdob1UAa_rfePzDleFKwtb2tWHPV52Xfa8WHifvj6eQ/s1600/15283043.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/AVvXsEjNIrwfO4rSK970uMXmv4HncRlr0fCw92P2S4g8C5Fv113luAaOoY6flIZQn96DtNwHXSoUn4gkHIaMBbp-PHORwmumQQ1AfcUmKdob1UAa_rfePzDleFKwtb2tWHPV52Xfa8WHifvj6eQ/s320/15283043.jpg" width="212" /></a><span id="freeText18095089686080717079">Seventeen-year-old
Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment,
and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for
one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in
her mother’s shop.<br /><br />So when Xander Spence walks into the store to
pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen
to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s
one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to
know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned
from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention
span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare
him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.<br /><br />She
knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather
Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money.
But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince
Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money
is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized.
And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.</span></blockquote>
That's right. Up for grabs is a paperback copy of <i>The Distance Between Us</i>. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b> and this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190685/" id="rc-3a190685" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-34385517208730846632013-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:002013-12-21T09:05:07.685-08:00The time it was eight maids-a-milkingEight maids-a-milking. Really? I just don't know what sort of relationship these people have... I guess it's their problem. Here we are for day eight of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItx3e4xGB0CeIIu-is2TZO-fvWc7RVzZ4pG4zp-Tol2KXpHzaz-PidGP6IX6hwO6jMF2DBxqauOO6LeYvqKMTlZiHFbta5Rottyo1g-dDsZW76ilCWOFh0cJv9_QuUAkiWbnhfUpyssQ/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItx3e4xGB0CeIIu-is2TZO-fvWc7RVzZ4pG4zp-Tol2KXpHzaz-PidGP6IX6hwO6jMF2DBxqauOO6LeYvqKMTlZiHFbta5Rottyo1g-dDsZW76ilCWOFh0cJv9_QuUAkiWbnhfUpyssQ/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Today's entry doesn't have a story with it, but there is a great giveaway for one of my favorite books of 2013. Up for grabs....<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXjFW1rXpw5sB1QRwIjtzr6Ucl-2CMTBHlczyhukXUcKRphpw0vfrGWywATiD1AG7gP-KLrLSjnXz5RCeVrD2SjFL8aB1ehs67Nxl0P2gigG4gxHwU8Rn7XC72fTTDAEbSlHvFd5JEpU/s1600/13138635.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/AVvXsEhxXjFW1rXpw5sB1QRwIjtzr6Ucl-2CMTBHlczyhukXUcKRphpw0vfrGWywATiD1AG7gP-KLrLSjnXz5RCeVrD2SjFL8aB1ehs67Nxl0P2gigG4gxHwU8Rn7XC72fTTDAEbSlHvFd5JEpU/s320/13138635.jpg" width="210" /></a><span id="freeText6359371341346857056">It's a night like any
other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury
spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest
planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be
alone. <br /><br />Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the
universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long
ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with
only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a
tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. <br /><br />Then,
against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the
tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of
a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they
be better off staying here forever?<br /><br />Everything changes when they
uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every
step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be
the same people who landed on it.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText6359371341346857056">A timeless love
story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction
series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three
love stories. One enemy.</span></blockquote>
That's right. Up for grabs is a hardcover copy of <i>These Broken Stars</i>. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>. Book will be coming from The Book Depository and this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190682/" id="rc-3a190682" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-55993941103590708632013-12-20T07:57:00.001-08:002013-12-20T08:10:39.889-08:00The time it was about Bitter PillI signed up for Stacey Kade's blog tour for <i>Bitter Pill</i> because I really enjoyed <i>The Rules</i> and was really intrigued about this particular premise. Down below you'll find my review for the book as well as an interview with Stacey.<br />
<br />
But before we get to all of that, let's check out the book, shall we? <br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ENPmqglRCTvN5e0RyZn9Cd43UazIr_Q6kBKbUwMYxC805EogVHNTXIHK8ZWV0wttwoz0a8UT_wzB4fYqE9xpjAPHesn8rPG6l61JiEXrHxbk7e3mplYF5rJM6XHk8-Kq3cAhARnlhJw/s1600/bitter+pill.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/AVvXsEg5ENPmqglRCTvN5e0RyZn9Cd43UazIr_Q6kBKbUwMYxC805EogVHNTXIHK8ZWV0wttwoz0a8UT_wzB4fYqE9xpjAPHesn8rPG6l61JiEXrHxbk7e3mplYF5rJM6XHk8-Kq3cAhARnlhJw/s1600/bitter+pill.jpg" /></a><span id="freeText9029409649459908027">The truth is a bitter pill...<br /><br />Rennie
Harlow is having a bad year. She had a handsome husband, a good job,
and a renovated condo in Chicago. Now, thanks to one "exotically
beautiful" paralegal, she’s divorced, faking her way through a writing
career, and living above her hypochondriac mother's garage back in
Morrisville, the small town she couldn't leave fast enough at eighteen.
On top of all of that, she just found Doc Hallacy, the local pharmacist,
dead behind his counter. And the worst part is, he's the third body
she’s stumbled across this year. <br /><br />Jake Bristol has lived in
Morrisville his whole life. A former bad boy turned sheriff, he doesn’t
believe it’s just Rennie’s luck or timing that’s the problem. He thinks
she’s too nosy for her own good. The last thing he needs is her messing
around with his murder investigation so that she can freelance for the
Morrisville Gazette. But as they both delve deeper into Doc's death,
they find that things don't add up. This isn't a robbery gone wrong or
the work of a desperate junkie. Someone has a secret they're killing to
keep. The only question is—who's next?</span></div>
</blockquote>
<i><b>**Thanks to my pretty prancy PA, Christina from <a href="http://www.thebookhookup.com/">The Book Hookup</a>, for letting me <strike>steal </strike>borrow her review format!**</b></i><br />
<br />
<u><b>Rating & First Reaction:</b></u><br />
<br />
4.5 stars. <b> </b>I really enjoyed this story. It was a quick, entertaining read that left me wanting more. No, really. I hope there's more [and I'll be bugging Stacey about this] because the ending nearly had me screaming. If it wasn't for the "The End" on the bottom of the page, I would have thought there was a problem with my e-book... <br />
<br />
<u><b>MCs:</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Rennie: </b>Recently divorced, Rennie comes back to her small town home to live with her mom. She's quick to find trouble and whether she likes it or not, realizes that she has feelings for the very married sheriff. I feel like Rennie is the type of girl who would get arrested when she goes out with a group of friends, but not for anything serious. It would be for something trivial law like wearing flip-flops while walking down a sidewalk on a Tuesday afternoon. Does that make sense?<br />
<br />
I loved being in her head. She's hurting over the situation that she's in, but by the end of the book, I knew that she was strong enough to get through it all. Even if we don't get anything else from these characters, I'm certain that Rennie is going to prevail in whatever she does.<br />
<br />
<b>Bristol: </b>He is a good, strong man. A stand up man with convictions. Bristol loves his job, the law in general, and seems to see most of his life in the same sort black and white. Except when it comes to Rennie, she's very much a grey area. The sparks between Rennie and him are very apparent and even if he's aware of the town whispering, he never shows it. I would have <i>loved</i> to have gotten even one chapter from his point of view [hint, hint], I'm very interested in the maybe history he and Rennie had...<br />
<br />
There weren't swoons in the conventional way, but there were some moments where I gasped at what was happening. But, as River Song says, spoilers. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Secondary Characters: </b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Max: </b>Editor of the town newspaper and Rennie's sort of boss. He's a Morrisville transplant and definitely gives off the vibe of "big, bad city guy". But, under all of that gruff exterior, there's a bit of a gooey inside. His exchanges with Rennie are interesting. His respect for her writing shows and sometimes it felt like there was a sort of father/daughter relationship, but it was the mood swings and erratic behavior that kept me curious. <br />
<br />
<b>The Rest of the Town: </b>There's quite a mix of people in the small town of Morrisville and while we only got snippets of most of them, there are a few that I should have added to this. However, I don't want to spoil anything, I want you to experience them for yourself and trust no one. Perhaps you'll be able to pick out the killer. ;)<br />
<br />
<u><b>Plot & Pacing:</b></u><br />
<br />
Well, it doesn't get any faster than starting the book out with having the MC find a dead body. This book is fast paced from the get go. There were several components happening all at the same time. Not only is it a whodunnit, but there's a real exploration of different types of relationships that made for some interesting scenes. There were some definite twists that I didn't see coming. I spent the entire book thinking I knew who was behind all of it and I was way way off.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Rec It?</b></u><br />
<br />
Absolutely. If you're looking for a fun murder/mystery with a sharp, trouble finding heroine and a smoldering, but straight laced sheriff, this one is for you.<br />
<br />
<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b><br />
<br />
And now for the interview!<br />
<br />
<b>1. Where did the idea for <i>Bitter Pill</i> come from?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A couple of different places, actually. It's the only one of my books where a dream played a role. I woke up from a nap one day with the phrase "Pharmacists know all of our dirty secrets" running through my head. Then I had to figure out what that meant, in terms of a story.<br />
<br />
But the idea for Rennie's personal life and her decision to go back home actually came from an incident in my newlywed days. My brand-new husband and I were arguing, likely over something stupid, like who emptied the dishwasher last, and I wanted nothing more than to walk out the door in a grand dramatic exit and slam the door after me. (No worries; the husband and I have been married form almost 15 years now!)<br />
<br />
But I realized then, for the first time, that there wasn't a place for me to go. Once you're married, you've kind of tossed your lot in with someone else's...no matter how infrequently they unload the dishwasher. :)<br />
<br />
So I gave that place to Rennie and tried to figure out what one does when one's life implodes, as hers had.<br />
<br />
By the time my husband tracked me down in the downstairs family room, I was in full note-taking mode and not angry anymore! :D<br />
<br />
<b>2. What do you love most about Rennie and Jake and why should we root for them?</b><br />
<br />
Jake Bristol is one of the most honorable men/characters I've ever written, I think. I both love and hate him for that. I want him to give in to temptation, but I know, as Rennie does, that it might change who he is, if he does. He's a total white hat but so very human and trapped in a bad marriage. To me, it was interesting to see which side of him would win out.<br />
<br />
He needs Rennie because she is someone who sees him for who is is as a person, rather that a status symbol. And her wholehearted belief in his goodness/honor (vs. her lying, cheating ex) is what draws him to her and also makes things complicated. We all want someone who believes the best of us, you know? But if he follows through, then will Rennie see him as that good man? Will he be able to believe it himself?<br />
<br />
Rennie is, I hope, one of those complicated people. She knows exactly how awful it is to have someone you love betray you with another person, and yet, she's dancing on the edge of being "the other person" and playing a role in the destruction of someone else's marriage. She's trying to figure out who she is and what she's capable of (good and bad). She's been battered and tossed around by her circumstances, and she has to figure out whether she's going to rise above and be the person who is worthy of Bristol, even if that means, rather contradictorily, that she can't have him.<br />
<br />
You should root for them because they are two people who belong together. :) What remains to be seen is whether the world will cooperate with that idea.<br />
<br />
<b>3. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching? </b><br />
<br />
I don't know that I googled anything all that strange, but I had a very detailed and awkward conversation with a lovely and obliging pharmacist about what kind of pills could be used to drug someone without their knowledge and how that might happen. It was one of those moments where I was pretty sure the phrase, "I promise, Officer, it's research for a book," was going to become very relevant to my life.<br />
<br />
<b>4. What was your favorite part about writing this book?</b><br />
<br />
I loved writing this book. I cackled with glee every night when I settled in to write. It is almost an homage to all the mystery novels I loved as a kid (Rennie is my grown-up version of Nancy Drew) and I was writing it just for me, just for fun. I loved sticking Rennie in situations and then watching everything go wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Describe <i>Bitter Pill </i>in 5 words.</b><br />
<br />
A funny, small town mystery.<br />
<br />
<b>Speed [ish] round:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time. What happens next?</b><br />
<br />
Does "shriek in disbelief and sheer joy" count as an action? :) Because that's exactly what happened.<br />
<br />
<b>2. What three things would you take to a desert island?</b><br />
<br />
Short of a helicopter, an experienced pilot and a book to read on the flight of the island? I'd have to say sunblock, an iPad (with an endless battery and internet access) and an inflated air mattress. Sand makes me itchy.<br />
<br />
<b>3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Pride and Prejudice</i> by Jane Austen<br />
<br />
<b>4. What are you reading right now?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Parasite </i>by Mira Grant<br />
<br />
<b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b><br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Samantha at CLP for providing the review copy and to Stacey for taking the time to answer my questions! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/staceykade">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorstaceykade">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/blog/staceykade">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3125711.Stacey_Kade">GoodReads</a> shelves.<b> </b><br />
<br />
Annnnnnnd?<br />
<br />
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</div>
If you head over to the <a href="http://www.clpblogtours.com/2013/10/bitter-pill-by-stacey-kade.html">CLP Blog tour page</a> and leave a comment, you'll be entered to win all sorts of goodies. You can also check out all of the other tour stops!<br />
<br />
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Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-31958344811671383352013-12-20T07:49:00.002-08:002013-12-20T07:49:37.173-08:00The time it was seven swans-a-swimmingSwans? WITAF is going on with these gifts? Anyways, here we are for day seven of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!<br />
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<br />
Today we have one of my favorite ladies visiting and sharing a lovely Christmas memory. Everyone welcome Susan Dennard, AKA SOOZ to the blog!<br />
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One of my favorite Christmas memories is from when my husband and I first started dating (back in ye olde 2007). We'd been friends for a few months, but he hadn't yet "made a move". And <i>oh</i>, I liked him so much! And I thought it was pretty clear he liked me back...<i>especially</i> after Thanksgiving when he appeared at my house for our regular Friday night hangout. But THIS time, he had a giant gift in tow.<br />
<br />
Basically, he'd made me an Advent calendar: 25 individual wrapped presents that were attached to a long bit of string. The string was meant to be hung across my living room wall, and the gifts had numbers penciled onto the wrapping paper. Each morning, I would scramble out of bed, search for that day's gift, and rip it open...From chocolates to Legos (yes, I still love Legos) to TICKETS TO THE NUTCRACKER, the gifts were varied and thoughtful. Honestly, it was SO ROMANTIC. Certainly, the boy liked me, right?<br />
<br />
Well, that year's Christmas reached it's epic awesomeness when we finally used those aforementioned tickets to the Nutcracker a few weeks into December. During the "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" my not-yet-husband held my hand! Gasp! I thought I would <i>die.</i> And then a few hours later, once we were back at my house, he asked if he could kiss me, and my only response was, "<i>Finally.</i>" ;)<br />
<br />
So there you have it: one of my favorite Christmas memories of all time.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Sooz for taking the time! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/stdennard">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SusanDennardAuthor">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://susandennard.com/blog-2/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4499623.Susan_Dennard?from_search=true">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hZKVZLdDbyZb2Ll_eEZUOqSMadtGkvIgR3O5-SNJ-kAflj8btcLmVQONd4UCnVRToPLeUYJ9u4BCNydxjRoruicgDVqP413zxsL9VWLSLv8UiPccmcylvvEB1eFFE652lHkiuh00fBo/s1600/9859436.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/AVvXsEi-hZKVZLdDbyZb2Ll_eEZUOqSMadtGkvIgR3O5-SNJ-kAflj8btcLmVQONd4UCnVRToPLeUYJ9u4BCNydxjRoruicgDVqP413zxsL9VWLSLv8UiPccmcylvvEB1eFFE652lHkiuh00fBo/s320/9859436.jpg" width="211" /></a><span id="freeText16426354110691470486">The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…<br /><br />Eleanor
Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family
has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off
to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to
what she’s just read in the newspaper—<br /><br />The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.<br /><br />And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.<br /><br />Whoever
is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor
is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the
notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces.
But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including
their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation
becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her
very life may hang in the balance.</span></blockquote>
and<br />
<div id="iframeContent">
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBwxlAnm2lNlYaOtp_sU9oehaD6j4h5bg5r0t_PO6OSIVYnTXVfzfaLThSYhJvZ4lG4QXodER3bJgCU2_2M0BUjC5HcM1UkE52MnzX5aiCzWXvCziaWVjtRWVV09F1MxHIv2s2u-xffg/s1600/13624584.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/AVvXsEgGBwxlAnm2lNlYaOtp_sU9oehaD6j4h5bg5r0t_PO6OSIVYnTXVfzfaLThSYhJvZ4lG4QXodER3bJgCU2_2M0BUjC5HcM1UkE52MnzX5aiCzWXvCziaWVjtRWVV09F1MxHIv2s2u-xffg/s320/13624584.jpg" width="211" /></a>Perfect for readers Libba Bray’s <i>The Diviners</i> and Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel series, this spellbinding sequel to Something <i>Strange and Deadly</i>
delivers a mix of intrigue, supernatural forces, intense romance, and
revenge, all set against the enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century
Paris.<br />
<br />
With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt
is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome
Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of
hounds and see haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the
necromancer Marcus, are after her.<br />
<br />
To escape, Eleanor boards a
steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims
to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret
involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words.
If she can resist him, she’ll be fine.<br />
<br />
But when she arrives in Paris,
she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there’s a whole new evil
lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go
against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.<br />
In Paris, there’s a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.</blockquote>
That's right. Up for grabs is a paperback copy of <i>Something Strange and Deadly</i> and a hardcover copy of <i>A Darkness Strange and Lovely</i>. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>. The books will be coming from The Book Depository and this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190681/" id="rc-3a190681" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-53755454924512758932013-12-19T07:33:00.002-08:002013-12-19T07:33:45.526-08:00The time it was six geese-a-layingSo now we're adding geese to our bird sanctuary? Wow. Well, here we are for day six of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. We're officially halfway through this!<br />
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<br />
Today we have the ever so lovely Amy Plum on the blog, sharing a Christmas memory. Let's welcome her, shall we?<br />
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<br />
My dad hated Christmas. When I was around nine years old, he decided that we would receive the Christmas presents we asked for, but after opening them, had to give them to a "poor family," as he put it. So, we opened our presents and then piled into the car and drove to the "bad part of town" (again, my dad's words) and met a family that our church must have set my dad up with.<br />
<br />
We gave them a box of food, and then my sister and I had to hand over our Christmas presents. I did what Dad expected without complaining (even at that age, I knew he was crazy). But my sister had a meltdown when she had to hand over the Barbie doll that she had been asking Santa for for ages. She just stood there and cried and wouldn't let go of it, and the little girl she was supposed to be giving it to looked even more upset than she was (probably at being forced to go through this farce in front of strangers).<br />
<br />
Needless to say, that was the last Christmas my dad tried that experiment. And I don't think my sister ever forgot it. One of the Christmas presents she gave to her own daughter when she was old enough: a whole load of Barbie dolls.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Amy for taking the time! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/AmyPlumOhLaLa">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amyplumfanpage">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://www.amyplumbooks.com/blog/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3353516.Amy_Plum">GoodReads</a> shelves. <br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbNgt4299VMjNTPGpItnPFNpaKpTeWlrDTlIATEMGN604qbCWFfzUgAr9yOejUF8rVkvC22B8NtA_CoEzphKFDDixyRdvdNPLiCrAKJUcbZzZefqYjP90JnUXxyEA9BEbMxs0g8zLtQo/s1600/9462812.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/AVvXsEhXbNgt4299VMjNTPGpItnPFNpaKpTeWlrDTlIATEMGN604qbCWFfzUgAr9yOejUF8rVkvC22B8NtA_CoEzphKFDDixyRdvdNPLiCrAKJUcbZzZefqYjP90JnUXxyEA9BEbMxs0g8zLtQo/s320/9462812.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span id="freeText4354643365963861935">In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.<br /><br />When
Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her
life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For
Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of
books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.<br /><br />Mysterious,
charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice
around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall
in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead
being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to
save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a
centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to
murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she
may never be safe again.</span></blockquote>
That's right. Up for grabs is a signed paperback copy of <i>Die For Me</i>. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>, this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190680/" id="rc-3a190680" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-61342328859757207942013-12-18T07:26:00.000-08:002013-12-28T09:01:24.225-08:00The time it was five gold ringsFinally. A gift that I can get behind! Here we are for day five of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! <br>
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<br>
Today we have the lovely Tamara Ireland Stone joining us. Let's welcome her, yes?<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhMeFFi5-qF1ovosYPJZzykvTdtFxaOKnyPw-RhF9K_RHDfJTlh9FroEm-T8brcKDq2psNKfLFSS1Gm8qfS5UpG48l7VHSULM-zVkb6SCZvrWfIePGUq-T8R9J0FllrmSE7Fnn3yYdk/s1600/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhMeFFi5-qF1ovosYPJZzykvTdtFxaOKnyPw-RhF9K_RHDfJTlh9FroEm-T8brcKDq2psNKfLFSS1Gm8qfS5UpG48l7VHSULM-zVkb6SCZvrWfIePGUq-T8R9J0FllrmSE7Fnn3yYdk/s320/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" width="320"></a></div>
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When I was 9 years old I decided it would be fun to try to find my Christmas presents. I spent the whole month sneaking around, peeking under beds and checking the dark corners of my mom's closet. Finally, about a week before Christmas, I found the loot. It was all tucked into place on a high shelf in the hall closet, carefully hidden behind folded towels and blankets. I had to use a ladder to see everything. Bonanza. It was <i>all </i>there. I was elated.<br>
<br>
Then came Christmas morning. To quote one of my favorite movies, I had an overwhelming sense of ickiness. As I opened each gift, I couldn't help but notice the looks on my parents' faces. They were waiting for me to light up with surprise and delight, and as hard as I tried I couldn't fake it. I got about three presents in before I broke down into tears. I told them everything. Of course, my mom gave me a big hug and hold me not work worry about it, but it didn't help. I'd ruined their Christmas and mine.<br>
<br>
Since then, I've never wanted to know <i>anything</i> about my gifts. What can I say? I like surprises.<br>
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
<br>
Huge thanks to Tamara for taking the time to do this!! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/tamaraistone">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tamarairelandstone">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://tamarairelandstone.com/blog/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792225.Tamara_Ireland_Stone">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br>
<br>
And now the giveaway!<br>
<br>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1HIrgmkFsnAFV1uXu1lSUXCd2TXzG-ffDiKMiDTX5OEfpw41BGWgGp9ZYEhjAxXah0psShD_2G-5clFbKOUTRSsmzQILAJduAvTTqF240S5DO7czVA7fNC-stsEQJnFqz9Grw2R97DY/s1600/17307145.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/AVvXsEha1HIrgmkFsnAFV1uXu1lSUXCd2TXzG-ffDiKMiDTX5OEfpw41BGWgGp9ZYEhjAxXah0psShD_2G-5clFbKOUTRSsmzQILAJduAvTTqF240S5DO7czVA7fNC-stsEQJnFqz9Grw2R97DY/s320/17307145.jpg" width="208"></a><span id="freeText5479204133444397008">Anna and Bennett were
never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012
San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time
and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world
of adventure and possibility.<br><br>As their relationship deepens, the
two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he
belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe
into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to
ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what
consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their
love can stand the test of time.<br><br>Fresh, exciting, and deeply
romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an
extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.</span></blockquote>
and<br>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJjmSUyIAdqCz_q6RFngm05XI2KC-Sy_Bb0Ad2PN11qGzWZZnnkgkVktWf6B36g1YkMujPhndj2Yak_f62JhPO2ayJzpKEMRpqomFSQ4-UER8uvujxNJx9x26Kqevlg6if_Ak7jX65O8/s1600/17403128.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/AVvXsEiUJjmSUyIAdqCz_q6RFngm05XI2KC-Sy_Bb0Ad2PN11qGzWZZnnkgkVktWf6B36g1YkMujPhndj2Yak_f62JhPO2ayJzpKEMRpqomFSQ4-UER8uvujxNJx9x26Kqevlg6if_Ak7jX65O8/s320/17403128.jpg" width="208"></a><span id="freeText7413449506635284764">Calling Anna and
Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995
Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of
them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though
they knew they shouldn't. And they found a way to stay together,
against all odds. <br><br>It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with
Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping
out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They
each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work...until
Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen (and
certainly never expected to). Will the decisions he makes from that
point on cement a future he doesn't want?<br><br>Told from Bennett’s
point of view, Time After Time will satisfy readers looking for a fresh,
exciting, and beautifully-written love story, both those who are eager
to find out what’s next for Time Between Us's Anna and Bennett and those
discovering their story for the first time.</span></blockquote>
That's right, I have signed paperback copies of <i>Time Between Us</i> and <i>Time After Time</i> up for grabs. And they're the extra pretty UK copies. A second winner will receive a signed paperback of <i>Time Between Us.</i> <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>, this contest is international! Oh, and don't forget that Bennett is mine, I have proof. </span><br>
<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190678/" id="rc-3a190678" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-85269196122176131232013-12-17T07:29:00.002-08:002013-12-17T07:29:57.147-08:00The time it was four colly birdsColly birds? Really? I always thought it was calling birds. Hmmm. Well, here we are for day four of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l7LGXKpFlrXANaxYjS7sumMbAQHUNPviudS_UG84Sg0O8-i1TXNREGoDlalEooUSCyqv_7M4YfAA9Mide1vdmNLL9WHwmltNEaFBYfnxuRnjC4D2wC-brd9h_8-YmWigddeku_MX_jc/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l7LGXKpFlrXANaxYjS7sumMbAQHUNPviudS_UG84Sg0O8-i1TXNREGoDlalEooUSCyqv_7M4YfAA9Mide1vdmNLL9WHwmltNEaFBYfnxuRnjC4D2wC-brd9h_8-YmWigddeku_MX_jc/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
When I had this idea, I first went to my giveaway stack to see what I
had that I wanted to giveaway. Then I made a list of authors that I
wanted to contact. I knew that not everyone was going to have the time
to send me something, but out of the 12, only 3 people either said they
couldn't, or didn't respond to my email. Which I completely understand,
this time of year coupled with any deadlines makes for some tricky
timing. <br />
<br />
Today's giveaway is one of those that doesn't
have a special story to go with it. However, they're some amazing
books. Up for grabs....<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosEwkp2uS0spMiyzugM6yPykfaxMd-wFuDFiwp4TdfzlsB_r2drJpr10ivRI6LSlj20CPjA8SFdnR0Zup7YvuWGcFOl7eTz2NUmF1YxjIST_RIjFTvaTFqgEu0h0VCNPbKeT1wfVxmTI/s1600/6990472.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/AVvXsEjosEwkp2uS0spMiyzugM6yPykfaxMd-wFuDFiwp4TdfzlsB_r2drJpr10ivRI6LSlj20CPjA8SFdnR0Zup7YvuWGcFOl7eTz2NUmF1YxjIST_RIjFTvaTFqgEu0h0VCNPbKeT1wfVxmTI/s320/6990472.jpg" width="202" /></a><i><span id="freeText4466214078515567708"><b>The critically acclaimed, bestselling novel from Gayle Forman, author of <i>Where She Went</i>, <i>Just One Day</i>, and the forthcoming <i>Just One Year</i>. </b><br /><br /><i>On a day that started like any other,</i><br /><br />Mia
had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a
bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost
all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a
happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day
contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important
decision she'll ever make.<br /><br /> Simultaneously tragic and
hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story
about memory, music, living, dying, loving.</span></i></blockquote>
and<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWp9fahw1R7u1RS41LO8TbFofoLM_ZCoSRIBqHyzy2CFP0bPQwK6X8AbsAPSQlN76uAKs6yuFC4q1zJi3g1jEPRQRoC6R6c5Fm0p2RBtH6KnA2jpJ6rvDDY7LvleUFShRO31TH23oGg0/s1600/8492825.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/AVvXsEhvWp9fahw1R7u1RS41LO8TbFofoLM_ZCoSRIBqHyzy2CFP0bPQwK6X8AbsAPSQlN76uAKs6yuFC4q1zJi3g1jEPRQRoC6R6c5Fm0p2RBtH6KnA2jpJ6rvDDY7LvleUFShRO31TH23oGg0/s320/8492825.jpg" width="213" /></a><span id="freeText1522184798860419303"><i>It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.<br /><br />
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam
is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity
girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings
the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city
that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their
hearts to the future-and each other.<br /><br /> Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
I have signed, paperback copies of <i>If I Stay </i>and <i>Where She Went</i> by Gayle Forman. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>, this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText16122968239215036738">**Good Luck!!** </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><br /></span></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190677/" id="rc-3a190677" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-12988766447794708462013-12-16T07:36:00.002-08:002013-12-16T19:41:30.198-08:00The time it was three french hensThree french hens. Really? It's starting to become quite the bird sanctuary. Day three of the 12 Days of Christmas is here!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk4bt_8oHOQP4Zl2AtoXSYGBFX-GYJ6S_CJvpZtCtBdRxrz5nuWKcA1u0vgCVrS67iyJm1xKUqPzpXybdYWOsM3AqAC_D4Xx3F7az4YCBRu2v7yiuGhyphenhyphenlQsI04IGvRG4_5nQrDQzR2aE/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk4bt_8oHOQP4Zl2AtoXSYGBFX-GYJ6S_CJvpZtCtBdRxrz5nuWKcA1u0vgCVrS67iyJm1xKUqPzpXybdYWOsM3AqAC_D4Xx3F7az4YCBRu2v7yiuGhyphenhyphenlQsI04IGvRG4_5nQrDQzR2aE/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Today the amazing Cristin Terrill is here to share a funny Christmas story that involves pie. Let's welcome her, yes?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhMeFFi5-qF1ovosYPJZzykvTdtFxaOKnyPw-RhF9K_RHDfJTlh9FroEm-T8brcKDq2psNKfLFSS1Gm8qfS5UpG48l7VHSULM-zVkb6SCZvrWfIePGUq-T8R9J0FllrmSE7Fnn3yYdk/s1600/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhMeFFi5-qF1ovosYPJZzykvTdtFxaOKnyPw-RhF9K_RHDfJTlh9FroEm-T8brcKDq2psNKfLFSS1Gm8qfS5UpG48l7VHSULM-zVkb6SCZvrWfIePGUq-T8R9J0FllrmSE7Fnn3yYdk/s320/tumblr_mo8d2lYXRC1s5hc4qo1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Around Thanksgiving, a friend gave my grandmother a cherry pie. My grandmother -- who, incidentally, had terrible eyesight -- was a very meticulous woman, and so she immediately wrapped the pie up in paper towels, put it in a Ziploc, and placed it in the freezer. She eventually forced my uncle to take the pie home. He kept it in his freezer for a while but finally convinced my dad to take it off his hands because he was trying to give up sugar and didn't want the temptation.<br />
<br />
My dad put it in HIS freezer, and it stayed there until we were on our way to a Christmas party with my stepmother's family and realized we didn't have anything to bring with us. Then we remembered, the pie! We took it out of the freezer and took it to my step-aunt's house where she sat it on the counter to thaw. When it was still rock-hard several hours later, we unwrapped the paper-toweled, Ziploc-ed pied and discovered it was made of porcelain.<br />
<br />
My grandmother's friend had given it to her as an early Christmas present to go with the many porcelain fruits she used to decorate her kitchen. It has been passed around the family for over a month, and we never knew. It was very disappointing, because we were all looking forward to finally eating the thing!<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Cristin for taking the time to share this hilarious story! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/cristinterrill">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CristinTerrill">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://cristinterrill.tumblr.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767141.Cristin_Terrill">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now the giveaway!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hJcXxNCebesY7O5BuEt92F1j0tTPgMuOYWa5smnvx1yjp865MgoF0lCkddbxDGeUCRJne6jEhLPYfXSt8HK2RiH19A2o1b9TPLMt1zcLWyvrXj_RhOY2CUg7pcria6x_LuVMsWkryFA/s1600/13514612.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/AVvXsEh_hJcXxNCebesY7O5BuEt92F1j0tTPgMuOYWa5smnvx1yjp865MgoF0lCkddbxDGeUCRJne6jEhLPYfXSt8HK2RiH19A2o1b9TPLMt1zcLWyvrXj_RhOY2CUg7pcria6x_LuVMsWkryFA/s320/13514612.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<i><span id="freeText9071279653007347663">"You have to kill him."
Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing
except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of
instructions she finds taped inside the drain.<br /><br />Only Em can
complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the
creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the
proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each
failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible
present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor
while war rages outside. <br /><br />Marina has loved her best friend James
since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous,
introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families,
James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one
disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s
hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will
protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a
truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl
she once was. <br /><br />All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly
plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite
implications of our every choice.</span> </i></blockquote>
<br />
Up for grabs is one hardcover copy of <i>All Our Yesterdays</i>. Book will be coming from The Book Depository. <span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>, this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><b>**Good Luck!!** </b></span></div>
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190676/" id="rc-3a190676" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4428735323194889190.post-80591594328506214172013-12-15T07:42:00.002-08:002013-12-15T07:42:22.612-08:00The time it was two turtle dovesWhat is someone supposed to do with turtle doves, let alone two of them? Anyhoo. Here we are for day two of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98VzPnsYf0vqjfVu_rixQtsjfxhUDthQqt92jNZSkoEnOCUUZpcjuFifKwi6u84n_fxSw9tTCgaht2r3lT6iVzwO9vgKCgK3QZHB_bWsXw5Fu8vse28Dag0rFwDFCc2hUZ2CWCr1ZG5A/s1600/12days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98VzPnsYf0vqjfVu_rixQtsjfxhUDthQqt92jNZSkoEnOCUUZpcjuFifKwi6u84n_fxSw9tTCgaht2r3lT6iVzwO9vgKCgK3QZHB_bWsXw5Fu8vse28Dag0rFwDFCc2hUZ2CWCr1ZG5A/s1600/12days.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Today we have the awesomesauce Gretchen McNeil sharing an early Christmas memory. Let's all welcome her!<br />
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<br />
"Santa Didn't Come"<br />
<br />
I don't remember much about 1978. I don't remember Roman Polanski skipping bail and fleeing to France. I don't remember porn magnate Larry Flynt getting shot. I don't remember who won the Oscar for Best Picture (apparently, <i>Annie Hall</i>) and I don't remember who won the SuperBowl (apparently, the Cowboys). I don't remember Pete Rose getting his 3,000th hit, or the first Unabomber attack, or the death of not one bu two Popes, or the birth of the first test tube baby, the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, or the horrific mass murder-suicide at Jonestown.<br />
<br />
What I do remember, quite clearly in fact, is waking up on Christmas morning, 1978 with the panicked knowledge that Santa didn't come.<br />
<br />
In fairness, I was three-years old.<br />
<br />
My poor mother -- a single mom, by then -- was awakened at 5am by a semi-hysterical daughter who'd climbed out of her crib and run sobbing into her mom's room.<br />
<br />
"What's wrong, Bunny Rabbit?" my mom asked, still trying to wake up.<br />
<br />
"Santa didn't come," I sniffled.<br />
<br />
I don't remember distinctly, but there's a good chance my mom rolled her eyes in the darkness.<br />
<br />
"Are you sure?" she asked, soothingly.<br />
<br />
"Yeah."<br />
<br />
She climbed out of bed and took me by the hand. "Let's go check."<br />
<br />
Instead of heading for the Christmas tree in the living room, she led me back into my room. Lo and behold, Santa had left a brand new hobby horse wrapped in a ginormous bow leaning LITERALLY against my crib. How I'd managed to miss that as I climbed out is beyond me.<br />
<br />
Clearly, I'd been having a nightmare that Santa had skipped our house that year. Perhaps it was my toddler subconscious interpreting the financial hard times we were going through, or perhaps it was just that age-old fear that you'd wake up on Christmas morning with coal in your stocking and a note from Santa detailing your naughty transgressions throughout the year. Either way, I was convinced that Santa hadn't come, and the joy that washed over me at seeing that damn hobby horse was immense.<br />
<br />
The tree was no less joy-inspiring. Presents and goodies and treats galore, including the most prized gift of the day: Baby Come Back (she'd toddle away, turns, and comes back to you). Yes, that's three-year-old me opening said doll.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYhKbuO8TgWNqfE0QQ0UvQCu7oXwk7SzZBB58t78gaA5kRNR_-yS2j1uJKMUMv9yBXUt7zQdjbiGgEDQRyjWL2e5TANfSp0IlYiAPo6-nqgaGfWgsD3Os0JLaqhApW5EW15ZltXccWgA/s1600/Gretchen-babycomeback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYhKbuO8TgWNqfE0QQ0UvQCu7oXwk7SzZBB58t78gaA5kRNR_-yS2j1uJKMUMv9yBXUt7zQdjbiGgEDQRyjWL2e5TANfSp0IlYiAPo6-nqgaGfWgsD3Os0JLaqhApW5EW15ZltXccWgA/s320/Gretchen-babycomeback.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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I'd like to point out that my mom and I still have some of those ornaments on our respective 2013 Christmas trees.<br />
<br />
I had an amazing childhood. Despite a deadbeat dad and bank accounts that were never as full as those of my friends, I had love in abundance. My mom used to tell me, "Santa will always come as long as someone loves you."<br />
<br />
And he always did.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Huge thanks to Gretchen for sharing this story and that photo!! Make sure you're following her on <a href="https://twitter.com/GretchenMcNeil">Twitter</a>, liking her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gretchen-McNeil/195705662028">Facebook</a> page, subscribing to her <a href="http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and adding all of her books on your <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4145664.Gretchen_McNeil?from_search=true">GoodReads</a> shelves.<br />
<br />
And now for the giveaway!!<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q54fGeE2ek1QNy8nMM1ztr8qLKtFXKgHcljE8JM9nl4PlaRXROWKzQm3LlmpAHhGW1a31bAap-Hx5n1wMhW_DlmG2m7rLIGX4XPUMADsPmWAjrxcaMqhoYQMDNfzvutM6XX01Emask8/s1600/8673931.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/AVvXsEh6q54fGeE2ek1QNy8nMM1ztr8qLKtFXKgHcljE8JM9nl4PlaRXROWKzQm3LlmpAHhGW1a31bAap-Hx5n1wMhW_DlmG2m7rLIGX4XPUMADsPmWAjrxcaMqhoYQMDNfzvutM6XX01Emask8/s320/8673931.jpg" width="211" /></a><i><span id="freeText8988856074569071297"><i>Rule #1: Do not show fear.<br />Rule #2: Do not show pity.<br />Rule #3: Do not engage.<br />Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.<br />Rule #5: They lie.</i><br /><br />Fifteen-year-old
Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of
a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and
inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices
are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to
whatever hell they came from.<br /><br />Terrified to tell people about her
new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in
increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is
starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a
startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the
secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead –
or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.</span></i></blockquote>
and<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90nk01Clo_QqUidGudA9XmLjzI4yhQlCTL3HsG9_0pjW3yykEzauf5cKqBExgKjC3L09PH576G5vVdNnjtzNkL8viofqs254jxrUBda6WxxlnT97b0R8HaM4kw5L4oH1xF53CwVp10nk/s1600/k.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/AVvXsEh90nk01Clo_QqUidGudA9XmLjzI4yhQlCTL3HsG9_0pjW3yykEzauf5cKqBExgKjC3L09PH576G5vVdNnjtzNkL8viofqs254jxrUBda6WxxlnT97b0R8HaM4kw5L4oH1xF53CwVp10nk/s320/k.jpg" width="211" /></a><i><span id="freeText8352965388070669298"><b>SHHHH!<br />Don't spread the word!<br />Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.<br />You do NOT want to miss it.</b><br /><br />It
was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party
on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for
being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor)
and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled
luxury.<br /><br />But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and
what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a
DVD with a sinister message: <i>Vengeance is mine.</i><br /><br />Suddenly
people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from
the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry
that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more
violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before
more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever
imagine?</span></i></blockquote>
<span id="freeText16122968239215036738">That's right. I have signed, paperback copies of <i>Possess </i>and <i>Ten</i>. <b>Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget</b>, this contest is international!</span><br />
<br />
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<b><span id="freeText16122968239215036738">**Good Luck!!** </span></b><i><b><span id="freeText16122968239215036738"></span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span id="freeText16122968239215036738"><br /></span></b></i></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a190675/" id="rc-3a190675" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Staceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03014125902031866413noreply@blogger.com44