Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen
by Lauren Kate

Luce thinks she's crazy. Of course, you would too if you saw evil shadows lurking behind you inconsistently. A boy she kissed was burned to death and she's not sure exactly what happened. Due to the incident, she is sent to Sword & Cross boarding school - a school for kids with some serious issues. At this school she meets Daniel, a boy who seems so familiar but so inconsistent with her. He flicks her off, gives her the cold shoulder, but still gazes at her with a longing even she can't ignore. And her feelings soar for him, something she can't quite understand.

With the craziness of a new school life and the constant invading shadows, Luce tries to decipher why Daniel seems so familiar and what draws her to him so quickly - almost inevitably. The question is - is there more to Daniel than just a mysterious background?

I have to admit I was disappointed just a wee bit in this book. The main reason is the lack of action. I liked the characters, the setting and the basic plot, but you miss the whole huge fight scene and well - I like violence. This first novel in a new series is definitely a builder novel - one that builds up the background and leaves a bazillion questions unanswered, making you want to know more. I do wish there was a bit more indulgence in the general background of Daniel's life, but it's exposed very close to the end of the book and leaves little room for revealing much of anything.

Instead, you see a lot of Luce. Who she is, what she thinks about and how she deals with the shadows constantly showing up. Not always a bad thing, but you do get a bit sick of being in her head. The love triangle between Cam, Daniel and Luce is a bit... I don't know.. redundant? You can definitely tell something is a bit off with Cam and I really wish more was revealed about who he really was as well.

So, definitely some discrepancies I had with the novel, but overall an enjoyable read and definitely a series to keep your eye out for. I will definitely be reading on when the second book is available.

4/5 Roses
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Thinking ahead to the new year

Okay, so I'm in the shower this morning and I have a brilliant idea - yes, most of my ideas come in the dead of morning in the shower...

But, I need your help to iron out the idea. Basically, I want to do something to motivate me (and others) to read over the holiday break - aka Christmas break to most. I may be the only geek out there who doesn't party hardy on New Years Eve and was thinking about a "Read into the New Year" type deal.

Basically, you read as the clock turns midnight. Would anybody be interested in this?

If you guys do party harty... would you be interested in a Readathon after New Years Eve.. a kick off to start you reading in the new year? I've never hosted a readathon - but I'd have some decent bookish prizes and whatnot. It would be over the weekend after New Years.

My other plan, if no one likes the last two - is a basic - post your New Years Resolutions type post going live at 12:01 of the new year.

Or... should we attempt all three? Anyone in?

Okay, so I created a google doc for this below. Please fill it out and then leave all comments the regular way. :-D




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It's Monday, What are you Reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Read this past week:
Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana
Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages
Silver Pennies

Currently Reading:
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Upcoming:
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer


Updates:

• Pulled a winner for my Medina Hill contest - Maria! :) Congrats! Already heard back from you and hopefully Tundra will send the book off right away.
• Starting to plot my birthday bash giveaways. Please vote on the polls I have up to help me decide what I'm doing!
• The hubby has a job interview today! Cross your fingers for him - we need more mulah!
• Unpacked half the boxes.. still a lot more to go! Where did all these books come from? *sigh*

Question: Google docs... are they helpful for contests or not so much? Been considering using them with all the spam issues around.
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Silver Pennies

Silver Pennies
Edited by Blanche Jennings Thompson

One of my favorite collections of poetry. I decided on a reread when I was unpacking boxes of books. I found copies of this at Borders a few years back - bought myself and my older sister a copy. My mom used to read us all of the fairy poems when we were kids and she has an older copy of this book.

I gaped a bit when Amazon had it listed as 61.00 for a used copy!

Anyways, I wanted to share a favorite poem from the book. It was my older sister's favorite - she had it memorized when we were in elementary school. There's a tree like this on a road near my old apartment and my husband and I would pass it on the way home Sunday nights from his parents'. It always reminded me of this poem:

Strange Tree

Away beyond the Jarboe house
I saw a different kind of tree.
Its trunk was old and large and bent,
And I could feel it look at me.

The road was going on and on
Beyond to reach some other place.
I saw a tree that looked at me,
And yet it did not have a face.

It looked at me with all its limbs;
It looked at me with all its bark.
The yellow wrinkles on its sides
were bent and dark.

And then I ran to get away,
But when I stopped and turned to see,
The tree was bending to the side
And leaning out to look at me.

-Elizabeth Madox Roberts
p. 39, Silver Pennies


5/5 Roses


Read more of the poems in this book here.

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Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages

Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages
by Bill Willingham

Jack is always trying to find some way to get rich and keep rich. He's a lady-killer and will definitely let a beautiful woman side-track him from his adventures - but only for a bit.

This latest graphic novel is interesting in the fact that it's more serious than usual - well, until your dear narrator Jack notices and has Babe the Blue Ox breaks it up with his strange sense of humor.

Definitely another great volume in the Jack of Fables series.

5/5 Roses

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Jack of Fables 4: Americana

Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana
by Bill Willingham

An off-shoot of my favorite graphic novel series - Jack of Fables focuses on the notorious lady-killer Jack. A character that is a part of many different fables.

Jack is now on an adventure to find the American version of Fableland - Americana. And the reason - to get rich, of course. If he finally lays the final Page sister - all the better for him.

I have to say - how did I let this book sit for so long gathering dust before I read it? These books simply crack me up. Jack is such a player and not exactly the most brilliant looking guy - but he has some seriously good get-rich schemes going on in that head of his. If you like graphic novels and fairy tales - this is a great series.

5/5 Roses

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Swagbucks = awesome!

Hey guys! I know I've talked about this site before, but I'm going to divulge some strategies to make the most of this site.

What is Swagbucks?
Basically, a search engine. Only you will randomly earn swagbucks and are able to spend them on prizes. The best of which, I've found to be the $5 Amazon giftcard for 45 swagbucks. Unfortunately, you are now limited to 5 of any prize per month. I'm currently saving up for the $50 Amazon giftcard - 590 swagbucks (I have 227 currently).

How to make the most of Swagbucks:
1. Promoting banners - put them on your blog, tweet your referral link every once in a while.
2. Get your friends to join - you can email buddies and tell them about this awesome website. You get swagbucks when they do!
3. Search EVERYTHING. Download the search bar and search for any and all websites you use. I look up yahoo mail, google mail, blogger, twitter, and many more!
4. Pay attention to what is under the Ways to Earn tab. You can do online shopping and complete special offers to earn swagbucks
5. Swagbucks has a blog - where they update nearly daily and have special things going on. Check it out - add it to your google reader. Also, they are on twitter! Follow them and you could win big by tweeting about swagbucks.

This site it ever growing, so check it out and start earning!

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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

It's been crazy with moving, so I wasn't able to do an IMM post last week. And well, my laptop is at the Best Buy doctor getting fixed, so no vlog or digital camera pictures. Stuck with the hubby's desktop computer for now.



So here we go:

For Review:
The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein by Libby Schmais

Mooched/Given:
Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman
A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew H. Vanderwal

Bought (from Borders):
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Bought (from Half-Priced Books):
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain
The Riddle by Alison Croggon
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol. 1
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol. 2
Grimm Fairy Tales Vol. 3

I bought some secret santa books too - but I'm not revealing those for obvious reasons :-D.

I've been trying not to buy books.. but then I got some Borders bucks and had coupons.. and well, the Half-Priced Bookstore is on the way... *sigh* I'm so bad.
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Sunday Spotlight - Pirate Penguin's Reads

Hi guys! Welcome with me today a blogger who is super outstanding - she's only been blogging for about 6 or 7 months and she's got a freakin' fantastic blog!

Name: Sandy
Blog name: Pirate Penguin’s Reads
Blog URL: www.piratepenguinreads.blogspot.com

Tell me a bit about yourself:

Despite my blog name, I’m not an aquatic bird OR a swashbuckling pirate… (although how cool would that be?) I’m really just a eighteen-year-old girl who’s obsessed with books! When I’m not feeding my addiction for books, I draw, play my violin, hang out with friends and go to college (I’m a freshman again! Arrrgh.)

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog March of this year… as to why I started? I just felt like it was something I should try. I’ve always entertained the idea of maintaining my own book blog but I’d just shrug it off in the end, thinking it’d never happen. (How wrong I turned out to be!)

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
I review primarily YA but occasionally a book that’s not of that genre will sneak its way into my blog; Example: a few weeks ago I reviewed a nonfiction memoir about bellydancing. (yes, you read right!) What can I say? I like variety! xD I also do fun memes like In My Mailbox, Teaser Tuesdays and Waiting on Wednesday. I’m also planning on doing interviews and contests in the future.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?
My review system’s simple: I grade the books I read from 1 to 5 (1 being the worst to 5 being amazing). The rating I give to the books is overall; I don’t break the book down, grading the characters, cover, etc. It feels like I’m dissecting the book. :/

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?

My favorite genre is basically YA, but lately I’ve been branching out into adult books (and occasionally middle-grade). I read anything, really, as long as it has some romance sprinkled in it (I confess to being a romance junkie….) I’ve been craving supernatural books for a few days though o.O

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Just do it. If you’ve been mulling over it and hesitating because you don’t think anyone will read it, you’re wrong! I hesitated for months, thinking: No one would ever read my reviews. Who would care? But I’ve come to see how awesome the book blogging community can be (and that there’s a lot of fun and support in it). It’s really great. :D

Thank you Sandy for letting me interview you! If you guys don't know about her awesome blog, go check it out now!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at dragonzgoil (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Saturday Spotlight - Cover to Cover

Today we have a blogger who is an aspiring writer! I want to start writing again someday so I'm very much inspired by her blogging and writing at the same time.

Name: Jessica
Nickname and/or blog name: Cover to Cover: One Twenty-Something's Journey to Starting (And Finishing) A Novel
Blog URL: http://jessicalawlor.blogspot.com




Tell me a bit about yourself.
Hi! My name is Jessica and I'm a twenty one year old PR student in Philadelphia. I've loved to read and write for as long as I can remember. It's always been my goal in life to write and publish a novel. In my free time, I love to read, write, shop, hang out with friends, and indulge in wonderfully trashy television. I also love traveling and studied abroad in Rome this past summer!


When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog in August 2009. I decided to start my blog because I was reading tons of books and wanted an outlet to tell all my friends about them. I also wanted to document my journey to writing a novel and connect with other awesome book bloggers and future novelists.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is half book reviews, book news and author interviews (hopefully soon) and half writing tips and stories from my personal novel writing journey. I also participate in a few fun, weekly memes including "It's Monday, What are you reading" and "Booking Through Thursday."


What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
My two favorite genres are women's literature (chick lit!) and young adult fiction. My two favorite books of the moment are Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and Hollywood is Like High School with Money by Zoey Dean.


How do you find out about the books you read?
Honestly, it began with my love for browsing Barnes and Noble. I'm definitely a judge a book by its cover kind of girl and I would spend hours browsing the shelves at the bookstore and write down books that appealed to me. Now, I still do that, but I'm also getting a lot of recommendations from all of the book blogs I read!


Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Just do it! It can be slow at first and it's hard to keep the book reviews coming at times, but it's so worth it. I'm loving getting so many new book recommendations and all the support I need to write my novel. Make sure once you start your blog to comment lots on other blogs to make it easier for people to find your blog!


Thank you Jessica for taking time to answer some questions for me! I hope you'll stop by and check out her blog, it's super cute and full of chick-lit and young adult reviews for those of you that love those genres!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at dragonzgoil (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Link a Contest Thursday!

Ah... it's that time again! Link a contest Thursday!

I've been thinking about having a creative contest to have someone create a button for this feature. What do you guys think?

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.

Thanks!

And please steal this! Not all my followers will be following your blog, so if you spread the contest love with a Mr. Linky, all the better for contest-loving-bloggers!


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Invisible Touch (1 ARC Tour)

Invisible Touch
By Kelly Parra

Kara has changed since her father's death. She sees signs on people - signs that mean something that she has to piece together. A series of symbols leads her to meet a young man who becomes her boyfriend.

Because of her circumstances, she cannot confide in the one person who has learned to like her for who she really is - not the person she pretends to be for her mother. Will Kara be able to solve the puzzle behind these signs before it's too late and someone gets hurt?

I really enjoyed reading this novel - something a bit different in the realm of paranormal fantasy. Adding in the latino culture of this day and age, it's something I was never exposed to. I liked the realism, yet decent character of Kara. She goes to parties, but is responsible when she does.

4/5 Roses

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A Crooked Kind of Perfect

A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda Urban

Zoe has a dream - to play the piano well enough to play at Carnegie Hall. Only, Zoe has never played the piano before - she's 11 and has a father who hates to leave the house because he gets lost whenever he drives anywhere out of the norm. When he goes out to buy her a piano, he gets sucked into buying an organ. Zoe takes lessons anyways and works past her frustrations to work towards her first recital.

The book was superbly cute, with a twist of plot involving a boy that is a bit more than meets the eye. It's definitely middle grade fiction or even lower. Zoe is very innocent and so is the topic. Even a high reader in 3rd grade could read this book and enjoy it.

5/5 Roses

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It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Read this past week:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Currently Reading:
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder


Upcoming:
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Updates:

• In blog news.. I hit over 500 followers! I'd hold a contest, but I'm saving up for some cool stuff next month!

• Well, we moved in this weekend! Everything is in disarray - except for the books I put away the last few weeks. I'm ashamed to say 1 and 1/2 tall bookshelves are filled with books I still need to read. Bad me. Just need to clean up the old apartment before we turn in the keys.

• Been thinking more about my birthday bash next month - it's going to be freakin' awesome. I should have details up the last week of November. We're talking 20 days of awesome giveaways and 25 total winners! Thinking about a comment contest as part of that.

• Vote on the new polls that are up so I can make next month's bash a super success!

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Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan has been having strange dreams about a girl - the same girl who shows up in Gatlin. A girl unlike any of the native citizens of the small Southern town. Ethan has to decide what he would give up for this girl - who has strange powers and a background that would scare any normal guy away from her. Not only that, she is the niece of the local recluse, making her an instant target for all of Ethan's teammates and supposed friends. There's more to Lena than meets the eye and a history that first started in Gatlin years ago. Lena has her own choices to make.

I fell in love with the characters in this book - even the not so nice ones. The personalities just swept me up into the plot - even the minor characters that only appeared for a few scenes. Kami and Margaret do an amazing job of sucking you into the storyline and keeping you from becoming disinterested.

I do like that the book was told from the guy's perspective - it made Lena's secret all that more secretive and keeping the readers wondering. I have to talk about the length of the book too - it's perfect. Yes, you think 600+ pages would get old - but I can't see that book being any shorter than that. It may look like an intimidating size for a book, but trust me, you won't want this book to end. In fact, I had to tweet them to make sure they had a book planned after this one (yes, I'm a bit slow lately at book news).

Due to the awesomeness that is this book, it gets 5/5 Roses

Rumor has it that this book is already available at some online stores and bookstores.

*This book was given to me for review by the publisher.

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Sunday Spotlight - Mrs. Magoo Reads

Today we have a blogger who's a veteran at this, whose blog I love and does a ton of great stuff. So, if you haven't heard of her before, you must check her blog out!

Name: Sophie
Nickname and/or blog name: Mrs. Magoo at Mrs. Magoo Reads
Blog URL: www.mrsmagooreads.com


Tell me a bit about yourself.

I'm a teenage girl who has been running a YA book blog for two years!

When and why did you start your blog?

Two years ago, I was hearing a lot of buzz about blogging in general, so I decided it would be cool to have a blog. After some deliberation, I finally decided on books as my topic-- little did I know that there was such a great YA book blogging community!!

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?

Mrs. Magoo Reads reviews mostly YA novels. I also have...

Saturday's Scribe: Weekly author interviews/guest blogs
Movie Monday: Every Monday, I create a review video of a novel along with a contest to win that book
Blogger Profiles (sometimes with contests)
Monthly Contests

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?

I'm not very picky about my genres. I prefer fiction over nonfiction and realistic fiction over fantasy/sci fi-- although I'm quite a fan of Scott Westerfeld! Recent reads that I loved include The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson and How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson.

How do you find out about the books you read?

1) It was sent to me by the author/publisher.
2) It received a positive review on many other blogs.
3) It was recommended by a friend.
4) I see it at the library, pick it up, read the back, and decide it looks interesting.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Keep yourself organized! I print out monthly calendars and fill in what posts I'll write when. Also keep a list of books you receive, when you receive them, when you need to review them, and who your contact for the book is. I wish I had started doing all of this earlier!!

Thank you so much for the interview, Kristen!


You will absolutely fall in love with this blog, if you just go and check it out. She's just plain awesome, no joke. :)

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at dragonzgoil (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Saturday Spotlight - The Bookologist

I want to welcome a cool new blogger who actually got into blogging because of her sister (how cool is that?). So, a big round of applause and welcome to YA Book Reviews.


Name: The Bookologist
Nickname and/or blog name: The Bookologist
Blog URL: http://the-bookologist.blogspot.com/

Tell me a bit about yourself.
I love to read, swim, play badminton, and blogging. I'm a very funny, friendly, and happy person. You also should know I'm a hyper person (well sometimes) and I love making friends. I love blogging and reading the most and I guess that's it! :)

When and why did you start your blog?
I started blogging about 3 months ago (July 30, 09). I started my blog because I wanted to share my opinion about my books and a lot of blogs out there had inspired me to start one.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is obviously a book review blog and I also have contests, author interviews, etc... I also participate for the IMM, and I also hold a new meme/post called "Tuesday's Chatter," it's where I interview new bloggers like what you are doing right now!

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
Some genres I like to read is Drama, Adventure, Angst, Paranormal, and lots more. Books is a really tough question. I'd have to say Prophecy Of The Sisters by Michelle Zink, Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph, and JINX by Margaret Wild, The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, Coffeeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors. But that changes sometimes!

How do you find out about the books you read?
That's a good question. I mostly find the books I read from all other book blogs. I love looking at each and every blog. Looking at their opinion and point of view of the book, if majority says it's a good book then I sure will read it at some point.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Hmmm.... I think that be creative is a good advice. Do whatever you want to do. That's what matters. Be creative, don't be shy to start something new. Also for reviews, make sure it has something interesting or something a reader would want to read in your blog. And, don't fill up your posts with memes, it's a filler! You should have a variety of things in your blog to make it likeable!

Thanks for interviewing me Kristen!

How cool that both her and her sister love books! I wish my sisters would get with it.. seriously, couldn't ONE of the two read? *sighs* But, I have inherited two sisters-in-law who are teens that read, which is rockin'!

A little ramble-y right now, but please check out this awesome blog and her sister's as well. They're both awesome new bloggers and will definitely be sticking around for a while. :)

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at dragonzgoil (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Link a Contest Thursday!

Things are going to become hectic soon with the move on Saturday, but I'm still trying to get a few blog posts up this week... including... Link a Contest Thursday! Can't miss this one ;).

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.

Thanks!

And please steal this! Not all my followers will be following your blog, so if you spread the contest love with a Mr. Linky, all the better for contest-loving-bloggers!

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It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Read this past week:
Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder


Currently Reading:
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl


Upcoming:
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder


News:

• I launched my Maria V. Snyder week with this post.
• Met Maria in person along with some fellow bloggers in Michigan! Read about that here.
  
• I Interviewed Maria V. Snyder!
• I had my first official blog tour with Tundra books for Medina Hill. The author, Trilby Kent, wrote a guest blog post for me as well!
• Had my first blog tour with Traveling to Teens as well for When the Whistle Blows!
• Reviewed my October-ness.
  
• Planned ahead for December by putting out an all-call.

I was Cat in the Hat for Halloween:


And I also saw Justine Larbalestier at a book signing that I met up with Jen from Devourer of Books at:



Okay, a few wedding photos to hold you guys over:

The good, kissing ones - of course. :-D

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Author Interview: Maria V. Snyder

Maria was awesome enough to answer some questions for me, even with her busy weekend! Without further ado:

How did you create the world the Study and Magic series are set in?

Since it all started with POISON STUDY, the world of Ixia is a combination of my 12 years attending Catholic School, where we all wore uniforms, and the business practices of the company my husband works for. In his company everyone wears a uniform, even upper management, and everyone sits in a large open-spaced room. There's no "good-old boy" network or special treatment to anyone. I really admired their way of treating their employees.

Sitia is a more a standard fantasy convention, with the clans making up a council. But both worlds became more “real” as I wrote the books. Similar to a Polaroid picture – at first it was gray and fuzzy and then as my characters interacted with the world, it became clearer to me.


Have you always written in the fantasy genre?

No. I started writing short stories and they were almost all science fiction. I've also written a few more mainstream stories, but they haven't been published. I wrote a middle grade novel for kids ages 8-12 that has no fantasy elements, but it never found a publisher. And I write nonfiction articles for a few local newspapers and magazines. I especially enjoy the travel articles since they let me take my travel expenses off my taxes :)


Which character in your books do you find is most like yourself?

I would love to say I'm just like Yelena, but I think I'm more similar to Opal. Growing up, I was very insecure in middle and high school, shy and a bit of a nerd. I am more confident now, but there are times I doubt myself and worry I've made the wrong decision.


Who or what is your 'muse'? How do you get the think tank working?

Everything is fodder for my imagination. Sometimes just sitting and watching people can spark ideas. My kids might make a comment that gives me an idea or I might read a magazine article that's interesting. I don't lack for ideas, I lack time to write them all out!

What is your writing process?

I'm what's known as a "seat of the pants" writer (a.k.a. pantser). I like to discover the plot and twists as I write. However, I usually have a general idea of where and how the book will end, but I wouldn't write it out until I reach that point, because it can always change.

This method is fun, but very stressful as I usually spend the first half of the book worried I don't have enough story for a full novel and then spend the last half of the book worried I have too much.

Any secret projects we should know about?

If I tell you then it wouldn't be secret :) Actually I'm working on the third Glass book, SPY GLASS – it was due last month and I'm still finishing it! After that, I'm going to be working on OUTSIDE IN – the second book after INSIDE OUT, which is coming out in April 2010 – it's a science fiction, but the story is focused on the characters just like my other books. The science fiction element is just the world they live in – the world of Inside.

Maria is amazing and you guys need to read her books!

This wraps up my Maria V. Snyder week - thank you guys for participating and commenting all week!

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Maria V. Snyder Book Signing

Okay... you guys are going to think I'm crazy, but Saturday afternoon I drove 5 miles with a fever to Michigan so I could see Maria V. Snyder on Sunday afternoon. I coerced my hubby into driving part of the way when Dayquil wore off.

We stayed the night at a hotel - where we had a nice 4 am fire alarm go off and evacuated for about 5 minutes when it randomly turned off - no sign of the fire department anywhere.

Then we headed off to Monroe, Michigan to the Writers on the River book signing event. I met Misty from The Book Rat and Sarah from The Hiding Spot, both who live in Michigan. I introduced Sarah to the awesomeness that is Panera - I still don't understand how she NEVER had had it!

Maria was awesome - so awesome in fact that she said she had been asking every young lady who passed if they were Kristen! Gah! How cool is that?

We had been chatting back and forth on email for a while and I know her from Goodreads. If you didn't know there's a fan group just for Maria - called Study Buddies. Well, it's more like a discussion/reading group than a fan group - but it centers around all of her books and herself.

So, I got the prize winners' books signed and my Study series signed (both Storm and Sea Glass I had won or gotten from Maria signed.) We chatted a bit and then I tried to pretend to be interested in the other authors - I did buy a Xmas gift for my niece and a fun little middle grade epic fantasy book for myself.

All in all, it was a great time and totally worth the drive! (Although my hubby now says he will agree to no more road trips... but we'll see about that!)

And here's some pics!

The Newlyweds on their 2nd road trip!

Maria and Me! :)

Group photo #1

Group photo #2

It was so great! :-D

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Review: The Door in the Dragon's Throat

Title: The Door in the Dragon’s Throat (Book 1 of Cooper Kid's Adevnture Series)
Author: Frank Peretti
Publisher: Crossway Books (originally 1985, reprinted since)
Pages: 120
Age Level: 9-12

Book Source: personally owned
Overall rating:

Synopsis: A mystery as old as the desert sands…

When teenagers Jay and Lila Cooper and their archaeologist father travel to Nepur, an uninviting land of deserts and danger, they must search to uncover the truth behind an ancient legend. Locals claim that inside a dark cavern called the Dragon’s Throat is a forbidden Door that brings certain death to anyone who tries to open it.

Armed with the knowledge that God is more powerful than any legend or curse, Jay and Lila plunge down into the Dragon’s Throat, determined to find out what awaits them on the other side of the Door. This daring tale will have you on the edge of your seat.

My Thoughts: At the moment of writing this review I am 26 and this isn’t a book that is meant for someone my age so that is the only reason that I give the characters themselves a 3. Because for me while I am a huge fan of Frank Peretti, which is why I read it, I would have liked a little more character development. You get enough for the age group that this book is meant for. You know who the main characters are and what their purpose is in the story. I would have just liked a little more.

One of the things that I love about Frank Peretti is that the way that he writes I feel like I watch a movie of it as I read it. This book didn’t fail in that area. For the age group that this book is meant for it is written so they can understand and get hooked.

Peretti is a Christian author so his books do have that theme in them.

It had a good build up to the three main characters saving the day. With the way that Peretti writes if you were watching an action movie you would be on the edge of your site cheering them on to make it to save the day.

The cover is good in showing two of the main characters and what they went to do.

If you are age 9-12 then the book is perfect for you to read. If you are older like me then I would only read it if you are already a fan of Frank Peretti.

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Sunday Spotlight - Read Now Sleep Later

Today, I'm featuring a friend of mine from over on Goodreads! She had a blog going for a while and was neglecting it up until the end of this past summer. She fabulous and you guys are about to learn a bit more about her.

Name: Alethea
Nickname: frootjoos
Blog URL: http://www.readnowsleeplater.com

Tell me a bit about yourself.
I love to read! I started reading when I was three--my mom says I woke her up one morning by reading her random facts about moths and butterflies from the Singaporean newspaper, The Straits Times. My grandfather started me early with the classics: Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Through the Looking Glass is still my favorite). My mom got me hooked on mysteries and romance: Nancy Drew. My mom got me hooked on mysteries and romance: Nancy Drew when I was 7, Agatha Christie when I was 10, and Regency romances when I was not much older than 12. My Aunt Debbie was the sci-fi/fantasy influence: John Bellairs (which I lost in a move many years ago, and am still struggling to collect them all again), J.R.R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey (actually I was the one who got her hooked on
those!). I've also been a bookseller for about 10 years. I hope to be a librarian someday, or maybe even an author! (Or both!) Also, I use a lot of exclamation points, which according to Terry Pratchett is "a sure sign of an insane mind."

When and why did you start your blog?
I used to blog a lot over at diaryland.com, then fell out of the habit for a few years, but since joining GoodReads I can't seem to stop talking/writing/updating about books. This summer I thought I'd better channel all of this book-loving energy into something I can share and save. I thought about the title about a year ago after staying up for almost 3 days straight to read Maria V. Snyder's Study series. Don't get me wrong, I *love* to sleep. And if I'll put off sleeping to
read something, it must be good!

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
I love reading (did I say that already?) and I've found that I've become impatient with writing book reviews, so instead of crafting a full review of any book, I'll pretty much just give you the bullet points. Going off the GoodReads star rating system, I start most books off with 3 stars (I liked it enough to start reading it) then add or subtract stars depending on how I liked the book, giving reasons as I go.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
My favorite genre is now Young Adult--there are so many great authors and books blossoming in this area right now! I particularly enjoy sci-fi/fantasy, dystopian/utopian adventures, and anything that examines social constructs like gender roles, marriage, family, etc.

How do you find out about the books you read?
I find a lot of them on GoodReads through my friends, and most of the time I get Advance buzz at work through the Ingram catalog (one of our book distributors). I've put way too many on my To-Be-Read shelf, though--I hit 1000+ books already! At the rate I'm reading, it'll take me 10 years just to get through the current TBR shelf. But I can't resist adding a book on, because I hate forgetting a title that's piqued my interest.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
I've been working in retail for a very long time and so have developed a pretty thick skin. I think new bloggers need to keep that in mind--that there are some not-so-nice people out there who may react negatively to the things that you blog, especially if you give a bad review to something that they like, and ultimately all you can control is your own reaction. If you flame back, they win. If you give up and stop blogging, they win. The best thing to do is delete their comments, take a deep breath, and keep blogging! That said, there's a line between giving a bad review and just plain trashing a book. If I have to tell someone a book isn't good, I do try to be tactful about
it and give the reasons why I didn't like it. I don't just go off on an unsubstantiated tirade. Be honest, be polite, and be patient. And if that doesn't work, keep a box of chocolate bonbons in the freezer for emergencies. ^_^

Thank you Alethea for taking some time to be interviewed! Love your blog and keep it going girl!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

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IMM Vlog (11)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.


People/Blogs mentioned:
Take the Dare Show you Care
Half Price Books

Books won:
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
The Vampire's Assistant and Other Tales from Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

Books for review:
Firespell by Chloe Neill

Book mooched:
The New Policeman by Kate Thompson

Books bought:
Nobody's Princess by Esther M. Friesner
Need by Carrie Jones
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside by Beth Fantaskey
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Swoon by Nina Malkin
Madapple by Christina Meldrum
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Traveling to Teens - When the Whistle Blows

I'm the first stop on Traveling to Teen's tour of When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton.


Jimmy comes from a family where all the boys eventually end up working on the steam engines of the trains nearby. His father keeps telling him the times are changing and that soon steam engines will be replaced with diesels. This doesn't squelch Jimmy's dreams - especially when his two brothers start working with his father. Under all of this is whispers of The Society - a group of men that meet secretly for reasons unknown.

The book is written in small segments progressing from year to year - always written on All Hallow's Eve. You see the considerable growth in Jimmy as he progresses from middle to high school and then finally to graduating. His father is a force to be reckoned with and always at the center of these stories.

I really enjoyed this book with the different events that happened - some terrifying, some funny, and others a bit heart-wrenching. Definitely a great book to read around Halloween.

5/5 Roses
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Saturday Spotlight - A Passion for Books

Today I have with me a very special person who I chat with all the time on Twitter. She's very passionate about books, as you can tell from her blog name. If you haven't heard of her yet, you'll find out more about her here. :)

Name: Casey
Nickname and/or blog name: A Passion for Books
Blog URL: http://casey62588.blogspot.com/

Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m 21 and an avid reader. I have a passion for young adult novels in particular. I’m currently going to college to be a registered nurse.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog July of this year. Before I would follow blogs because I liked reading the book reviews and author interviews. I love to find new authors to read. After I finish a book, I usually have all these thoughts running through my head, so I started my blog to get them out and share them with others.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
Basically right now, it’s just reviews because I’m still new and all. In the future, I would like to have author interviews and even host contests. Who doesn’t love contests!? I do post contests that I find around the blogging community on my sidebar. I have an upcoming list of books coming out this year, which I plan to do every year because it helps me keep track of what’s coming out. I have a “Cover of the Week” where I post a cover that I like. A book’s cover is usually what catches my eye if I haven’t heard of or read a book by an author.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?

I like just about any genre. I enjoy anything paranormal, supernatural, or fantasy. I also enjoy reading more realistic stories because not always is there a happy ending to life. My favorite book is PERFECT CHEMISTRY!! That book was amazing.

How do you find out about the books you read?

A little bit of everything. If I have read a book by an author and really enjoyed it then I look upcoming books by them. I get on amazon.com (yes, I am another crazy amazon lover) and they usually have great recommendations for books. I go to the bookstore, or library, and just look around. Friends and family recommend certain books. I found a lot of great books from the blogs I follow. Also, Waiting on Wednesday is a great help with discovering upcoming books.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Go for it and Have fun with it! It will be slow in the beginning but eventually it will pick up. You just have to get your name out there and promote you blog. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace are all great ways to promote your blog. Also commenting on other blogs. I always read every comment and check out their blogs too. Remember I’m still new to this too, but this is what has worked for me so far.

And Casey really does have a rockin' blog! Go check it out and leave her a comment!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

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Winners!

Hey guys!

I pulled the winners for the Maria V. Snyder giveaway this morning.

The Study Series went to Lili from ChicaReader!

The Glass series + glass ball went to Jenny N.!

Both winners have been emailed!

I can't wait to see Maria on Sunday. I've been feeling a bit flu-y so I'm crossing my fingers on it going away with some good drugs and rest tonight.

If you didn't win, fear not - check out Maria's website for some other cool contests that can get you one of her books!
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Storm Glass

Storm Glass
by Maria V. Snyder

Opal is a glass magician - but she thinks of herself as a one-trick wonder. She's only able to put magic into small glass animals - which the Master Magicians of Sitia use as messengers. With a lack of confidence and trust, she's simply getting by in life at the academy.

All of that changes when she is sent on a mission to figure out why the glass orbs Stormdancers use are breaking. She finds there is more to her magic then her glass messengers and more people to trust then herself.

Opal is not the strongest female character, but you can see her becoming more confident and less of a push-over by the end of the novel. She makes many mistakes and then uses her wit to get herself out of sticky situations.

There is an awesome amount of action and danger involved in this book - and the romance adds to the flare of the novel. Maria has once again outdone herself in sucking her readers into a world far from anything we could have ever experienced - yet with characters that you can relate to.

I also rather enjoy the humor put into the book, there are some undertones as well as the flat-out humorous sections. I love Janco's appearance and Leif seems much more light-hearted in this book than in the Study series. Of course, Yalena's brother Leif now has a woman in his life and we all know that makes quite a difference to men. ;)

5/5 Roses


Read the first chapter of Storm Glass on Maria's website.

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Link a Contest Thursday!

It's that time again! I can't wait to see what kind of contests are going on around the blogosphere!

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.

Thanks!

And please steal this! Not all my followers will be following your blog, so if you spread the contest love with a Mr. Linky, all the better for contest-loving-bloggers!



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Researching Medina Hill with Trilby Kent

Trilby Kent, author of Medina Hill, has graciously offered to talk a bit about her researching process for her book - which I loved.


It might sound a little strange, but I often find I enjoy researching a new book just as much as I enjoy writing. There’s something very exciting about historical research, in particular. Not only does it help to really understand my characters, to get under their skin, but it can also suggest all sorts of alternative plot developments that would never have occurred to me otherwise. One thing that you learn very quickly as a historical novelist is that fact often really is stranger than fiction!

I had to do two types of research for Medina Hill. The book is partly about Dominic’s discovery of a real-life hero – Lawrence of Arabia – who had risen to fame in the days of the Great War. Although I’d been very interested in Lawrence for several years prior to writing the book, I did need to polish up my history of the Arab Revolt and decide how much of this was relevant to Dominic’s story. The second type of research related to the time and places in which the main action of the novel is set; namely, England in the 1930s.

Whereas the Lawrence research was fairly straightforward – checking names and dates in reference books and online – I was very keen to capture the “feel” of Dominic’s world in a way that would evoke the sounds and smells and tastes of Cornwall in the summer, or London’s East End. This meant sampling some of Marlo’s favourite recipes and listening to popular music from the period, as well as traditional Romany songs. I found an early edition of Lowell Thomas’ The Boys’ Life of Colonel Lawrence, on which I based the book that Dominic discovers at the beginning of the story. I went to see an exhibition of work by Madge Gill, who drew pictures inspired by what she claimed were clairvoyant experiences, similar to Birdie’s drawings. I visited Cornwall, which was already one of my favourite English destinations, and stayed in a house that had once been part of an artists’ commune very much like the one I imagined for the book. I watched documentaries on selective mutism (which is the modern name we’d use to describe Dominic’s inability to speak) and learnt about a carrier pigeon that saved 200 lives in the First World War. Most of the time, this kind of research hardly felt like work at all!

Of course, it’s not enough simply to pool lots of interesting facts and shoehorn them into a book. The challenge is to make the research melt into the story, so that readers are so absorbed by what’s happening to the characters they don’t feel they’re being taught a history lesson. That’s one of things I hoped to achieve with Medina Hill. If it inspires some readers to go off and do a little research of their own, that’s a bonus!

-Trilby Kent
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Medina Hill by Trilby Kent + Giveaway

Medina Hill
by Trilby Kent

Summary
In the grimy London of 1935, eleven-year-old Dominic Walker has lost his voice. His mother is sick and his father’s unemployed. Rescue comes in the form of his Uncle Roo, who arrives to take him and his young sister, Marlo, to Cornwall. There, in a boarding house populated by eccentric residents, Marlo, who keeps a death grip on her copy of The New Art of Cooking, and Dominic, armed with Incredible Adventures for Boys: Colonel Lawrence and the Revolt in the Desert, find a way of life unlike any they have known. Dominic’s passion for Lawrence of Arabia is tested when he finds himself embroiled in a village uprising against a band of travelers who face expulsion. In defending the vulnerable, Dominic learns what it truly means to have a voice.

Review
Trilby creates the backdrop of this book beautifully, combining the feel of London in the 1930s and the escape into the past with Lawrence of Arabia. The difficulty of life during that period is evident in the parents of Dominic and Marlo - their mother ill and father unemployed. But, they each find their own outlets in different books. These interests peak when they leave with their Uncle Roo and connect with other people who bear the same interests. I love how their coping mechanisms grow into something tangible and important, not just slip to the side when taken away from the uncomfortable situation at home.

The story holds your interest with the different events taking place. While you follow Dominic during most of the book, you get a great sense of Marlo and her own struggles. Add in the gypsies, especially one young girl, that live nearby Uncle Roo's home, and we find Dominic partaking more enchanting and fun adventures. There are other characters that add color to the pages, each one with such differing personalities and background that anyone could find a character to relate to - or know of a person just like them.

I had a personal connection to this book that really put me into Dominic's shoes during his journey to speaking again. When I entered Kindergarten, I did not talk at school - at all. I was over it by the end of the year, but from that experience, I can definitely relate to the main character. Overall, I fell in love with the story and the characters and you really can't ask for anything more from a book.


About the author:
Trilby Kent was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in cities on both sides of the Atlantic. After completing degrees at Oxford University and The London School of Economics, she worked in the rare books department at a prominent auction house before turning to writing feature articles for publication in Europe and North America. She now lives in London, England. Medina Hill is Trilby Kent’s first novel.

To purchase a copy, click here.

For a full list of the blog tour stops, check out Tundra Books' blog.

If you would like to read a copy of Medina Hill, I've got great news! Tundra books has offered to give away a copy to one person.

Giveaway rules are as follows:

1. Open to US & Canada
2. Please include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Friday, November 19th at 11:59 pm CST
4. How to get points:

+1 Comment below

+1 Comment on Trilby's guest blog post

+2 follow my blog - email, RSS, or blogger

+2 for everytime you link this contest (please leave a link!)

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