Spring Fling YA Giveaway Hop

The Giveaway: 
The winner can pick any one of these new releases:

How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the green "Do It" buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner via email. This contest is open to international entrants.

Monday Muse: The Glitch Mob - We Swarm (Beats Antique remix)

This song reminds me of a rave being crashed by a bunch of gypsy-clad polka musicians and a high school marching band. No joke. Rule #1: You can't beat Beats Antique. Rule #2: Remixes are awesomesauce.

P.S.-I've never actually been to a rave, but I have a good idea of what one might look and sound like...Yay television!

Feature Friday: Leah Bobet and ABOVE Giveaway

Today's Feature Friday author is Leah Bobet whose debut novel, Above, just released at the beginning of this month!  Leah is officially the first Feature Friday author that I've never personally met, so we'll all be learning a little more about Leah through this interview.  So far, we know: Leah's short fiction and poetry have appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Rhysling Award. She received a 2008 emerging writers’ development grant from the Toronto Arts Council. She lives in Toronto, Ontario where she drinks tea, wears feathers in her hair, and plants gardens in back alleys...We genuinely hope the faeries don't kidnap her.

Interview:

A.L.: 
This is probably a very common question when you’re interviewed, but since some of the readers may not have read any of your past interviews, what was your inspiration for ABOVE?  

Leah:

There were three or four elements that came together to form the idea for ABOVE. The first was reading an essay in Eli Clare's Exile and Pride; it was coursework for a philosophy class in the third year of my university degree. The author was describing how his disability was diagnosed, and there's a paragraph about having to stand, barely dressed and in pain, under bright lights for what felt like forever while the doctor used the diagnosis to teach medical students. It's one of the most effective pieces of writing I've ever read: it's full of shame and display and hurt, and it hit me right between the eyes.

The second thing was me getting kind of annoyed with the whole cliche of outcasts living underground and how it's treated in fiction and TV. For one, there are lots of people who'd have better reasons to want to live outside of society in a safe place, a place where they weren't marginalized or discriminated against, not just people with imaginary mutations. And living underground wouldn't be fun or easy: so many TV shows had reliable technology and marble floors and people who were suspiciously clean living in secret. Really, you'd be stealing canned food all the time and every bad cold would turn into pneumonia.

The third thing was something I'd been wondering for a while: when you stop trying to save someone from themself. When constantly bailing someone out, saying it was okay, being supportive and taking time to help didn't actually mean they'd get better, but that they'd just pull you into trouble that neither of you could get out of.

Those three things came together once I finally got a hint of Matthew's narrative voice, and while a lot of other issues came into the book later, that was enough for a start.

A.L.:

What advice would you give to a budding author?  

Leah:

I think mostly to be patient with yourself and your process, and to remember that this is supposed to be fun.  Learning to write well-crafted fiction takes time, mostly because you usually can’t see how much you still have left to learn – and this doesn’t change after your first novel comes out!  I was writing with an eye to publication for nine years before ABOVE sold, and that’s actually pretty normal.  So, it’s entirely possible what you’re doing is going to take a while, and there’s no cheat sheet around that: just remember, always, to have fun doing it and make sure it’s a positive part of your life, even when it’s hard.  

 A.L.:

The cover for ABOVE is amazing!  Do you love it?  Does it look how you thought it would?  How to you feel about Ariel being on the cover and not Matthew?

Leah:

The cover’s breathtaking – it’s a terrible cliché, but I literally sucked in a breath the first time I saw it – and I do indeed love it, and it’s nothing like I pictured.  The idea of a cover I had in my head was something more like Holly Black’s TITHE or VALIANT; that stark black and brightness combined.  And when I got this, which was something I’d never dreamed of…well, it explains exactly why it can be a very good thing that authors don’t make any decisions about the covers of their books.  It’s much, much more suited to the book than what I was thinking, and it’s lovely.

As for Ariel being on the cover instead of Matthew: that doesn’t really hit me one way or the other.  I worked for four years in an independent bookstore, and one of the things you learn seeing so many books go through your hands is that covers aren’t really supposed to show you exactly what’s going on in the book, they’re supposed to show you what kind of book it is.  So for example, if a hard science fiction novel has a cover with a spaceship, even if there aren’t spaceships, it’s still sending a message that says, “Hey, look!  Readers who like science fiction!  You might want this one – it’s a book like the ones you like!”  Covers are, well, signals.

Having Ariel on the cover sends a few of those signals, telling people this might be a book that works for them.  So I’m perfectly happy with that happening. 

A.L.:

Who is your favorite character in ABOVE and why?

Leah:

I have a bit of an extra fondness for Jack.  He’s the smartest one there, really: He sees everything that’s going on and knows the score entirely – and he’s been breaking any rules he didn’t like for years -- but he also knows when to stick his nose out of something.  He’s got himself together, basically, which is pretty rare with this cast of characters.

Also, he swears like a pirate.  

A.L.:

Why a bee for Ariel? 

Leah:

You know, I couldn’t even tell you.  It just fit her: Bright and soft and fragile and viciously tough.  Some things about a story, for me, just are, and this was one of them.  

A.L.:

The main character, Matthew, has a very particular kind of voice.  Did you create his voice on purpose?  Did you just fall into it?  Did it take a little practice? 

Leah:

Matthew’s voice is another thing that just came with, although when I look back, I’d been experimenting with that kind of voice in different short stories and projects for years.  If you want to see an earlier version, a dry run almost, there’s a post-apocalyptic short story called “Six” in the Clockwork Phoenix 2 anthology that I think was my first crack at that weird-grammar young boy’s voice.

It did pretty much just fall together when I started writing – it was the thing that let me start writing, the last puzzle piece I needed – but it also took some practice, and some work: I was overdoing it a bit in the early chapters, and had to smooth it out in my second and third drafts, once I’d figured out the exact feel I was going for.  

A.L.:

Are there any authors/novels that you feel have inspired you and your work? 

Leah:

Plenty!  We take something out of everything we read, I think, even if it’s just an argument, or I wouldn’t do it like that.  Especially the arguments.

Some of the authors who inspired ABOVE, though, aren’t yet publishing novels or are out of print.  Some of the voice and style are inspired by my friend Amber van Dyk, whose short stories are available here and there, and who is one of the most unique prose writers I’ve ever seen.  I wanted to do something a little Amberlike when I started ABOVE.  And I wanted to do something practical, something that showed how it would really be to live underground secretly, because when I was probably ten I read this series called Night-Threads by Ru Emerson, where people got transported into a magical fantasy world to depose an evil upstart duke, and…ran out of coffee.  And aspirin.  And had to figure out how to defend themselves against armed swordsmen, because the protagonist was a lawyer and had never taken weapons classes, and you don’t pick those things up overnight.  I loved the practicality of that.  It shows up a bit in everything I write.  

A.L.:

If you could choose your Curse, what would it be? 

Leah:

Hah – if I chose it, it wouldn’t be a Curse.  It’d be a superpower.  The whole point, with Curses, is that you don’t get to choose the things your mind or body is going to do, but people are going to act as if you could, and did.  And it’s left to you to deal with that as best you can.  

A.L.'s NOTE:  Haha, yeah...I guess that's true.  *PWND*

A.L.:

You mention in previous interviews that because Above is such a different book that you weren’t certain it was even going to sell?  What kind of experience did you have trying to sell it?  Did it sell right away?  Did you get frustrated that people couldn’t see your "genius/vision"? 

Leah:

To be clear, right off the top: I don’t really believe in that “you just can’t see my genius!” idea, even though, yes, it’s everywhere.  Editors are very smart and perceptive people, and they’re on your side: they want the book you sent them to be good, and they want it to work, because they love good books so much they spend their entire workdays finding and improving them for readers.  When they say no to a piece of writing, usually it’s for a reason, and in my experience the reason usually isn’t that I, the author, was just too smart for them.  It’s usually because it either doesn’t fit what their readership wants, or there’s something the book isn’t doing as well as it could -- and it’s a big enough problem that they don’t think we could sit down together and fix it.  That’s all.  So while thinking they’re just not getting the vision is…well, I suppose it’ll make the author feel better about himself or herself for five minutes?  It doesn’t fix the problem of why people aren’t connecting with a book, and feeling better about yourself at someone else’s expense doesn’t sell books; fixing the reasons people are putting them down does.

So when we were out on submission with ABOVE and getting a small stack of very, very nice rejection letters (they were really very nice), I did get frustrated, yes: but I got frustrated with myself.  I felt like I had done my very best with this book, and about three months into submissions, I started thinking my best might still not be good enough.  ABOVE is a difficult, prickly book, and I know it; it’s the kind of thing a lot of people are going to be confused by, or hate.  I worked hard to make it connect with readers too, and I hit the point where I couldn’t find one more thing that would help the book connect better.  And if I couldn’t find that, couldn’t make it a better book and fix the things that were making those editors say no, then maybe this was a sign that I wasn’t ever going to have the skill to make the stories I wanted to tell accessible to people who weren’t me; that maybe this whole writing thing, on a very practical level, just wasn’t going to work.

I didn’t know how to get better.  I didn’t know how to write better.  That was frustrating, and it hurt.

I was wrong, of course.  You usually are when you think you can’t ever do something.  The book sold after six months on submission, and it was very much to the right editor, and the right publisher: one who loved it, and who could see how we could improve the things that were making it not connect with some people.  And then we improved them in ways I would have never even dreamed of, and I learned some more things about good writing during that process: I learned how to get better.

I still am learning that, every day.  And I don’t expect to stop.

A.L.:

Since you love tea, we’d like you to put the following five teas in order of what sounds most tasty.  Amandine Rose Black Tea, Earl Grey Tea, Jasmine Oolong Tea, Honeybush Vanilla Herbal Tea, and Dragonwell Green Tea.  You may also add your favorites in, if you’d like. 

Leah:

Oh, tea question!  Awesome!  I’d have to go with the Amandine Rose, Jasmine Oolong, Earl Grey, Dragonwell Green, and then the Honeybush.  I like florals, but I’m not so great with sweet.

Current favourites, though: There’s a local tea shop called Herbal Infusions that one of my friends discovered, and they make these amazing, kind of offbeat blends.  I’m working through two of theirs right now.  One’s a spicy cherry rooibos, which is just sheer amazing, and the other?  Orange creamsicle.  Seriously.  It tastes so much like a real creamsicle you can almost taste the popsicle stick, and that’s just magic.  

A.L.:

When did you decide you wanted to be an author?  What was it like taking those first steps? 

Leah:

I don’t think I ever decided I wanted to be an author.  I wanted to write.  Sending out what I wrote for publication was kind of a side effect of that, because when you’ve written something you’re proud of and you think it’s good, putting it in a drawer seems like a bit of a waste.  Also, I was in my first year of university and terminally broke, and anything that helped pay the power bill was worth doing.  This will sound maybe really flippant, but no, really: that’s how it started.  I was poor, and there was a chance to make that less bad with this thing I was already doing just for the love of it.

But there was no decision; no day where I sat up and said “I’ve decided that I want to be an author and am going to make a career plan for it.”  I just sort of drifted into it.  One day I was puttering around with writing in my spare time; a year or two later I woke up and realized that submissions, wordcounts, editing, conventions -- this was my life.  It had happened sneakily, bit by bit, like all the best things do.  

A.L.:

What’s your favorite book and why? 

Leah:

I don’t really have a favourite; I have lots of books I love, for different reasons. I think I’ve read too many books for favourites!

The thing I fell in love with last, then: Zoe Whittall’s HOLDING STILL FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  I could say it’s because it’s set in my city, in my neighbourhoods, and about people who are so very much me and the people I know and care about; or that she’s just an amazing, evocative, smart writer.  But really it’s because it was the exact book I needed at the exact time I needed it, and I didn’t even know that when I picked it up.  

A.L.:

Have you been reading the reviews ABOVE has gotten or do you not care?

Leah:

If you don’t mind, I’d rather not answer this one.  People put a lot of work and thought into writing reviews of books, and if I say I don’t read them, then that’s a bit of a slight to the work they’ve put in.  That work does matter, and brushing it off is unkind.  On the other hand, reviews are also a place where readers can talk about books between themselves, honestly, and if I say I do read them, then it’s possible it’ll feel like the author’s looking over their shoulder or spying or something.  I don’t want to stop readers from being able to have complete conversations about the book, or change what they’re willing to say just by them knowing I might be there.

So it’s a bit of a no-win question, unfortunately, and if it’s all right, I’d rather keep the issue of whether I read reviews of ABOVE strictly to myself. 

Find Leah Bobet:

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

The Giveaway:
For this Feature Friday giveaway, Leah has sent me two copies of Above.  The giveaway is going to be held from April 27th to May 3rd.  You may enter below.

Above: Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

Read Goodreads Reviews
Buy Now at Barnes and Noble
Buy Now on Amazon



TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter.  Hit the green "Do It" buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be two winners (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winners via email. This contest is open to international entrants.

YA Fairy Tale Giveaway/Hop

For this Giveaway/Hop I'm going to tell you a little something special about my favorite fairy tale characters.  They're technically not "fairy tale" characters, cause I figure I might as well be the different one, but they are in fables, fairy tales, folk-tales, etc...  A couple aren't the ones swinging the ax either, but I love them none-the-less.

Favorite Fairy Tale Heroes/Heroines:
1.  Psyche from Eros and Psyche.  I first read this story in The Golden Ass by Robert Graves and I got caught up in Psyche's love for Eros and what she had to do it get him back.  It reminded me of the Whie-Bear-King-Valemon tale, which I'm also a huge fan of.
2.  The Little Match Girl, which is a Hans Christian Anderson story.  Morbid I know, but I read this tale when I was very young (first grade?).  To this day, I often think about that little girl huddled in a corner, lighting match after match, freezing to death, and I still want to find her and hug her.  Perhaps she's not a hero, but she certainly made an impact on my young mind.
3.  Brer Rabbit from the Uncle Remus tales.  I know what you're thinking:  He's a trickster, A.L., not a hero.  I beg to differ.  After doing the research I just did for my Trickster series, I'm going to stand by my feelings that tricksters are mayhaps the most heroic of them all.  :)

THE GIVEAWAY:
The winner can choose any one of the following YA fairytale re-tellings:

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the green "Do It" buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be two winners (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winners via email. This contest is open to international entrants.

NOTE:  This giveaway is running in conjunction with my Feature Friday giveaway of ABOVE by Leah Bobet.  If you want to win ABOVE as well, go here.

Monday Muse: SAIL - AWOLNATION

Fun and exciting song! I first heard this song watching this exact clip. I LOVE Nanalew and Meekakitty. They do their own music videos in which awesome things happen and they're just hilarious. When I first saw the video I was like, "Aw, pretty Nanalew in the rain!" But then there's crazy faces and death...Or implied death (Cause Nanalew would never kill Meekakitty, they're besties). I figured you'd all think I was off my rocker for putting this video up, especially since there's been a rash of dark Monday Muse videos. I tried really hard to find a video version that wouldn't make you all think I was silently crying out for help or something, but alas, I again disliked the sound quality and the other videos. AWOL Nation's own video is disturbing, so I just give up trying to be PC. Please note the bright happy colors and dramatic representation of lovely young artists! And, despite the strangling bit the faces are pretty dang funny...Enjoy!



Lyrics:
Sail!

This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
I blame it on my A.D.D. baby

This is how an angel cries
I blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my A.D.D. baby

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself
Blame it on my A.D.D. baby

Maybe I'm a different breed
Maybe I'm not listening
So blame it on my A.D.D. baby

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

La la la la la la oh!

La la la la la la oh!

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

Sail with me into the dark
Sail!
Sail with me into the dark
Sail!
Sail with me into the dark
Sail!
Sail with me, sail with me
Sail!

Feature Friday: Esther Friesner

Have you ever met someone who is just a unique diamond-in-the-rough kind of person?  I've decided that's the kind of person Esther Friesner is.  Esther has been getting published in the SciFi/Fantasy realm for years, but she only just recently started writing historic YA novels, most specifically the Princesses of Myth series.  I've seen Esther on panels at Lunacon for years and I've always thought she was interesting to listen to.  This year I had the pleasure of being on a panel with her and that was quite a great experience.  This year I learned that Esther is a fellow Connecticut author, a lover of anime, and that she loves hamsters; but I didn't get to know the true Esther until I asked her to become a Feature Friday author and I read her info page on her website.  Holy moly what a fun info page to read!  It's a little too long to copy and paste onto the blog, but I encourage you to take a look here.  Even if you don't get a chance to read her bio page, I hope that this interview is enough for you to get a taste of Esther's personality and creative vision as an author. 

INTERVIEW:

A.L.:

All your heroines tend to be strong roll models for the readers you set out to write for. How much of this is intentional and how much is just your own inclination for that kind of character?

Esther:

It just happens because I like that sort of character and that sort of person. I hope I never set out to use a character as a lecture platform or a pulpit! I don't like reading what I call A Valuable Lesson characters and I doubt most readers do either. I also think that strong characters are more interesting, especially female ones, because it's never been easy--and still isn't--to be a strong woman in any society.

A.L.:

Your new book, Spirit’s Princess, is about a Japanese historical figure named Himiko. Can you tell me why you chose her?

Esther:

I don't remember when or where I first heard of Himiko. I know she's one of the illustrations in an Osprey "Men at Arms" series book. I do recall being fascinated to learn that she--not a warrior-queen but a shaman--managed to unite the warring tribes of Yayoi-era Japan, and that this was not just a legend since her existence is attested in the Chinese chronicles of Wei. Foreign historians gain nothing by glorifying the leader of another nation, especially not if said leader were purely imaginary. She was real, all right, a unifier and a peace-bringer. (BTW, she exchanged tribute with China and archaeologists have found evidence of this exchange. Very interesting!)

A.L.:

When it comes to choosing which YA book you write next, do you decide to choose an area, time period, or a particular historic figure/event first?

Esther:

I choose my heroine first, not her era or country, though to be more accurate, I choose at least three young women whose lives and histories interest me enough to set me wondering about what their girlhoods might have been like. Then I take my ideas to my editor and we pick one. The good part is, I am equally interested in writing about any one of the three or I would not suggest them, so it's win-win-win for me no matter which one, er, wins. :)

A.L.:

What kind of research did you do to prepare to write Himiko’s story?

Esther:

Books and Our Friend the Internet. There aren't many books available about Himiko, but the one I chiefly used was excellent. I am very thankful for all the online resources available concerning daily life in Himiko's time, Yayoi-era Japan. I also owe thanks to the Japanese Tourism Office in New york for maps and beautifully illustrated brochures. Finally, I am happy to say that I've been lucky enough to visit Japan twice and on my second trip was able to travel beyond Tokyo. I would love to do so again, and hope that my next journey will allow me to visit a reconstructed Yayoi village, about which I have only read online. It looks wonderful!

A.L.:

I’m assuming you’ll go along with the two-book-standard for Himiko, so we should expect a second book in her series, but after her, who do you think will be your next heroine?

Esther:

There is definitely a second book about Himiko, Spirit's Chosen.

And for my next heroine in the Princesses of Myth series, I am hoping to take readers to Ireland of the Iron Age in order to share the adventures of the girl who grew up to be the redoubtable Queen Maeve. She was quite the kickbutt character, probably able to give young Helen of Sparta powerful competition, but trust me, I've got some powerful surprises and twists in store for her! [Cue Author's Gloating Laughter here.]

A.L.:

Do you see yourself writing in another YA genre anytime soon?

Esther:

I'm having too much fun writing my YA historicals right now to turn to another genre, but you never know.

A.L.:

If you walked into a Japanese restaurant, what would you order?

Esther:

YUM! I love Japanese food.

I would order the following: miso soup; assorted sushi (I prefer roll style and my preferred kinds include, but are not limited to: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, cucumber, any combinations of the above featuring avocado, scallions, other veggies, and roe, but I am open to sampling new and untried varieties); rice balls, especially stuffed with ume (pickled plum); oshinko (assorted pickled vegetables); seaweed salad; udon (a specific type of noodle); green tea; sake.

Please note that I would not order all of these for one meal. I just don't want to leave out any of my favorite dishes. (Except I fear I might have done so anyway. There are so many good things! When shall we go?)

A.L.:

If you could give one piece of advice to budding authors, what would it be?

Esther:

May I give more than one?

Don't give up.

Recognize that your work is valuable and that you deserve to be paid for your talent and effort.

Don't take rejection personally. You are not being rejected, it's just that one piece of your writing was not a good "fit" for that particular editor/publication. Try submitting it elsewhere. Write more. If your submission receives a criticism from one editor, it might be no more than a matter of that person's taste, but if your submission receives similar criticisms from more than one editor, you might want to consider rewriting it.

Don't fall for any of the "We want to publish your book/be your agent!" scams out there. Reputable agents do not charge fees for trying to sell your work to a publisher; they receive a percentage of the money you receive once they do make that sale for you.

Beware of "contests" that charge entry fees.

If you aspire to become a professionally published author, remember the wise words of James Macdonald: "Money flows toward the writer."

A.L.:

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a historical novel?

Esther:

The hardest part is making sure that I don't let my heroines act like 21st century young women who are playing dress-up. This means that sometimes they may accept as normal certain parts of their culture that we would find horrible.

Case in point: All three of the cultures about which I have written so far--ancient Egypt, Minoan-Mycenaean Greece, and 3rd century Japan--were slave-owning societies. It would be artificial for my heroines to declare "Slavery is wrong!" unless they first had the opportunity to think about it and the personal experiences that would bring them to this realization naturally.

And I get to give them those experiences. :)

A.L.:

Out of your three YA heroines (Helen, Nefertiti, and Himiko) which is your favorite? Likewise, whose story was the most interesting/fun to write?

Esther:

No contest: All of the Above, for all different reasons.

Never ask a mother to name her favorite child. :)

A.L.:

Some of your best baddies have been women; do you like writing female baddies more than male? Or is this just a coincidence?

Esther:

It's coincidence. I am an Equal Opportunity Baddie-Employer! I will admit, it can be a great deal of fun to write a really juicy villain's part. (Dracula is so much more interesting than Van Helsing!)

If you delve into history, you'll find plenty of examples of notorious baddies both male and female. Unfortunately, when they're a part of history rather than historical novels, they do real damage.

A.L.:

If you could be a particular female character (mythical/real) who would you be? Why?

Esther:

Off the top of my head, I'd pick Eleanore of Aquitaine. She was an independent ruler, she had the most marvelous real-life adventures, she traveled widely, and she lived into her eighties or nineties.

She could have had better luck with her husbands, though. Can I be Eleanore without that part of her life where her second husband, Henry II of England, imprisons her for years and years? Yes, it was a very comfortable imprisonment, but still--!

But she did get out eventually, and went on to make her own happy ending.

Or so I like to imagine, and for me, imagination's what it's all about!

Esther Friesner

Web: http://princessesofmyth.com/

THE GIVEAWAY!
For this Feature Friday giveaway we have a real treat!  Esther has provided two advanced reading copies of her new book, Spirit's Princess, as well as some autographed book plates.  The giveaway will run from April 20th to the 25th as part of my Showers of Books Giveaway Hop.

Spirit's Princess: Himiko the beloved daughter of a chieftain in third century Japan has always been special. The day she was born there was a devastating earthquake, and the tribe's shamaness had an amazing vision revealing the young girl's future—one day this privileged child will be the spiritual and tribal leader over all of the tribes. Book One revolves around the events of Himiko's early teen years—her shaman lessons, friendships, contact with other tribes, and journey to save her family after a series of tragic events. Once again, Esther Friesner masterfully weaves together history, myth, and mysticism in a tale of a princess whose path is far from traditional.

Read Goodreads Reviews
Buy Now on Barnes and Noble
Buy Now on Amazon

Showers of Books YA Giveaway Featuring Esther Friesner

 

THE GIVEAWAY!

For this giveaway we have a real treat! Esther Friesner has provided two advanced reading copies of her new book, Spirit's Princess, as well as some autographed book plates. The giveaway will run from April 20th to the 25th.

Spirit's Princess: Himiko the beloved daughter of a chieftain in third century Japan has always been special. The day she was born there was a devastating earthquake, and the tribe's shamaness had an amazing vision revealing the young girl's future—one day this privileged child will be the spiritual and tribal leader over all of the tribes. Book One revolves around the events of Himiko's early teen years—her shaman lessons, friendships, contact with other tribes, and journey to save her family after a series of tragic events. Once again, Esther Friesner masterfully weaves together history, myth, and mysticism in a tale of a princess whose path is far from traditional.

Read Goodreads Reviews
Buy Now on Barnes and Noble
Buy Now on Amazon 



TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter.  Hit the green "Do It" buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be two winners (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winners via email. This contest is open to international entrants.

Monday Muse: Kyla La Grange - Been Better (official video)

I really love this song. It has a soulful folkie kind of seventies appeal to it. The video, while it goes with the song, is kind of dark and disturbing. I'm not the biggest fan of it, so I tried to find a better video. Alas, the other videos were either live or had bad sound quality. You can just listen and not watch if you'd like. :)



Lyrics:
Tell me, none of your longings
I don't need them, or you
And leave me, none of your wisdom
I don't need your lies, or your truths

I've been better, when the sky was red
And a face like yours couldn't make me scared
I've been better, with the things I've said
When I took the lead instead of being led

Feed me, none of your lines
I won't fall for them, 'cause I'll lose
And hold me, to none of my words
I don't mean them, when I'm with you

And the cars streak past with a life inside
Why is my life in your eyes?
And the windows glow with the hearts they've known
Why is my heart never mine?

I've been better, when the sky was red
And a face like yours couldn't make me scared
I've been better, with the things I've said
When I took the lead instead of being led
[x2]

I've been better, when the sky was red
And a face like yours couldn't make me scared
I've been better, with the things I've said
When I took the lead instead of being led
[x2]

I been better, be

Autism Awareness Blog Hop/Giveaway

This giveaway/hop is to help bring Autism Awareness to the readers at large. I have a couple of friends as well as some friends who have family with Autism, so it's a close thing to me. Even I didn't entirely understand what it was until I did some research. This morning, I wrote up a nice big informative blog post and was quite proud of myself. Then I tried editing it, somehow managed to delete it, and then didn't hit the undo button in time for the auto-save to make the deletion permanent. GRRR... Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to re-post what I had, so I have to do just do links. :( Sorry guys. If any of you would like to share information or stories, please feel free to leave a post!

These are my top sites for information and assistance:
Autism Fact Sheet
Wikipedia
Autism Speaks
Autism Society

THE GIVEAWAY:
The winner can select any one of the following novels:

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. This hop runs from 4/11/12 to 4/17/12. Hit the green "Do It" buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner asking for their choice. This contest is open to international entrants.

Monday Muse: Sick Puppies - All The Same lyrics

This song has an old 90s feel to it. Mayhaps that is why I like? Enjoy!

Multiple Alternate Realities Convention

Come crazy o'clock tomorrow morning, I shall be boarding a plane to Ohio to attend MARCON (Multiple Alternate Realities Convention).  Before you get a confused face, yes, I do belong as a guest author at this convention.  Why?  Let's see...I write alternate world steampunk.  in Scar-Crossed, my YA paranormals create and move through portals into other realms.  My YA cyberpunk, The Anansi Inheritance, deals with a virtual reality RPG.  My urban fantasy series, The Will of the Fallen, deals with a parallel world where the biblical occurrences took a very different turn.  I'm also an author...So 75% of my daily existence takes place in a fantasy world. :D

I'm attending with two of my author friends, Stella Price and PJ Schnyder.  This should be interesting, seeing as I've never been to this con or any con like it.  It's also happening over Easter!  I didn't even look to see when this con was happening when I signed up for it and purchased my plane ticket.  I just kind of figured no one would plan a con over a holiday weekend.  Oops.  My poor mom!  I felt so horrible calling her up and telling her I wasn't coming for Easter dinner!

Anyway, I'm going to be on four panels: Costuming the Victorian Aesthetic, Paranormal Romance, Steampunk Lives in Literature, and Good Villains.  Considering two of the panels are late tomorrow night, it might be interesting to see just how multiple alternate realitied my brain is at that point. o.O  No joke, I get super loopy when I'm overtired and consequently hopped up on caffeine.  It's actually pretty funny...

Despite that, this con is definitely a break from last weekend's (I-Con), where I was flying solo and on nine panels.  Let's just say that sending a girl with anxiety and road-rage issues to Long Island on her own is a bad idea.  I got through it okay...So did the other drivers.  I'm learning to be Zen.  *Pats self on back*

I shall be back next week with Monday Muse and the Autism Awareness Giveaway/Hop.  Starting the week after that, I'll have a couple of non-con weeks, so there will be some more in-depth, writing related posts.  Look forward to some fun Feature Friday Authors as well!

-A.L.

Muse for Thought

This is actually kind of a serious muse post. I was a little leery about even posting this video, but I want to know what other people's thoughts are. I'll be candid about my own thoughts:

When I first heard this song, it was on a friend's I-Pod. I told him, "I love this song," cause I admittedly do. He told me that I should watch the video, that I would be like, "What? What's going on?" But that it was still a cool video.

So, I watched it.

The beginning got me a little freaked out because the thing that makes me most uncomfortable are people who abuse children. I was biting my nails and hoping this guy wasn't a creeper. But he was. What surprised me was this little girl's ability to fight back. I was like, "You go, girl!" I loved the idea of a child being given the ability to fight back and I'm obviously a huge advocate of the paranormal, so I liked her being able to have special skills that kept her safe.

As I watched, I grew more aware of the sheer violence this child wielded. Her eyes were black, as if the power controlled her or she, herself, was evil. That, and the demon...Which has it's own set of uncomfortable symbolic implications. Despite that, part of me was thinking of a dark guardian angel. That is until the end...When it's implied that she ruthlessly kills him. Even though the violence in this child frightens me and I don't think any child should be exposed to or use that kind of violence, part of me is like, "Good."

Because don't I always think that people who abuse others should be put out of their own and everyone else's misery? There's a reason why prisoners who are convicted of abusing the helpless and innocent are considered the lowest of the low, even by other inmates. There's a reason why they suffer a terrible role reversal when the bars are locked. I'm not saying it's the right thing, I'm just saying that I see the logic driving the system.

At the very end, the little girl is marking off her tally. She, or the demon, has done this before. Someone's a vigilante. What I'm wondering: "Is the little girl a slave to the demon or is the demon helping her protect herself and others like her from predators like this man? Does she welcome this violence or does it consume her? Is she just a result of her surroundings, the prey become predator?"

YA Inspired Photoseries

I love this blogger's YA inspired photo series.  Check it out!

The Real Fauxtographer

Monday Muse: Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix)

Oh, I love this song. I love this song so much that I created a new radio station for my new novel and made this the first song. For those of you who are interested, I shall be adding additional music to the "Anansi Chamber Music" station over the next few months. It will have a more industrial/futuristic feel to go along with the cyberpunk! Happy Monday.

Lyrics: "Lights"

I had a way then losing it all on my own

I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown

And I'm not sleeping now the dark is too hard to beat

And I'm not keeping now the strength I need to push me

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine It when I'm alone

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

And dreaming when they're gone

'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home

Calling, calling, calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine It when I'm alone

Home

Noises, I play within my head

Touch my own skin and hope that I'm still breathing

And I think back to when my brother and my sister slept

In an unlocked place the only time I feel safe

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine it when I'm alone

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

And dreaming when they're gone

'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home

Calling, calling, calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine it when I'm alone

Home

Yeah, hee

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine it when I'm alone

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

And dreaming when they're gone

'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home

Calling, calling, calling home

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine it when I'm alone

Home, home

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights

Home, home

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights

Home, home

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights

Home, home

Light, lights, lights, lights

Light, lights, lights, lights