Check it out! So pretty, yes? I am not on that list. (Don't ask me about it I'm sore, :P) HOWEVER, I AM going to be a guest YA panelist at the AAD YA Event. So, if you wanna come meet me or any of these other faboo authors, book it!
Monday, January 28, 2013
YA DAY Hooray!
Check it out! So pretty, yes? I am not on that list. (Don't ask me about it I'm sore, :P) HOWEVER, I AM going to be a guest YA panelist at the AAD YA Event. So, if you wanna come meet me or any of these other faboo authors, book it!
Young Adult Giveaway/Hop
Don't forget to enter yourself in a chance to win HOOKED by Liz Fichera (here) until Feb. 1.
Don't forget to enter yourself in a chance to win a FALLING KINGDOMS poster (here) starting Feb 1.
NOTICE: All my published work is currently down from retailer sites. I'll have it back up ASAP.
The Giveaway:
The winner can choose from any one of these YA titles.
Splintered by A.G. Howard: This stunning debut
captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a
girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the
whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her
mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches
back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: In a land where magic has
been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is
simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power--brutally transforming their
subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and
battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished--and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past--and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
The Archived: Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
Level 2: Three levels.
Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a
thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists
between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).
'I pause to look around the hive - all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories ... I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'
Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.
Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.
Scarlet: Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling
Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if
she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.
The Madman's Daughter: In the darkest places, even love is deadly.
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.
Altered: When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.
Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.
Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to enter yourself in a chance to win a FALLING KINGDOMS poster (here) starting Feb 1.
NOTICE: All my published work is currently down from retailer sites. I'll have it back up ASAP.
The Giveaway:
The winner can choose from any one of these YA titles.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished--and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past--and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
'I pause to look around the hive - all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories ... I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'
Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.
Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.
Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.
Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday Muse: Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
This is a fun song. And the video is exciting too! Happy Monday!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Feature Friday: Liz Fichera
VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE: Okay guys, so I'm sorry to have to alter the Rafflecopter widget, but apparently there's some drama occurring with my small press and all of my shorts have disappeared from Amazon/B&N/OmniLit. Because of this, I've removed the extra credit options. I apologize if you can't buy/see my work right now, I'm working to try and figure out how to fix it.
Liz Fichera writes stories about ordinary teens who do extraordinary
things. Originally from the Midwest, Liz now lives in the American
Southwest among cactus and people who’ve never seen snow. She is
represented by Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary.
To learn more, visit www.LizFichera.com
Interview:
A.L.
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?
Liz:
Don’t stress so much about getting published. Write the book that’s in your heart, write your heart out, then concentrate on the business of publishing. In the meantime, you have to write, write, read, write, read and write some more.
A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?
Liz:
I have so many favorites that it would probably be easier to talk about my favorites lately. For the last two years, I have been seriously in love with contemporary YAs. Some of my fave authors include Sherman Alexie, Laurie Halse Anderson, Gayle Forman, and Katie McGarry, to name a few.
A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Hooked?
Liz:
I was driving down a desolate road one day near my house and the idea popped into my head. I did a whole video on it, complete with pics and music, if you wanna see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFP9bNCTW4E
A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Hooked? What were they and how did you fix them?
Liz:
There were many snags and many many drafts for Hooked. I think I rewrote it at least six times, experimenting with POVs and various plotlines, and incorporating feedback from trusted editors and beta readers. This is normal. If you don’t rewrite your first draft at least once, something is wrong or you have magical superpowers.
A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Hooked is your favorite and why?
Liz:
I’m very partial to Fred’s father in the book. He’s very much like my own father and I tend to have a real soft spot in my heart for him. I’m also madly in love with Sam, Fred’s best friend, and I loved him more and more as I drew him into the story. He’s the kind of guy I could have easily crushed on in high school. He’s also featured more prominently in the companion novel to Hooked, which is titled Played and which will publish in 2014.
A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?
Liz:
My journey is very typical, I think, of most published authors. I started writing books because it’s what I love to do. After I wrote what I thought was my first publishable book, I spent a lot of time querying agents and editors and got rejected all over the place until, one day, I connected with the right agent. I would write three more books before one of them sold and that opened the door for me for YA.
A.L.:
What are you working on now? Sequel? Something new?
Liz:
As mentioned earlier, Played is the companion novel to Hooked, although its focus is on two secondary characters from Hooked. I also finished another YA contemporary novel this summer that I love very much. I’m currently working on two more contemporaries, one of which will require a research trip to Hopi Land, which is in northeastern Arizona. Can’t wait for that!
A.L.:
Hooked brings together two things that many readers don't have experience with: golf and Native Americans. Can you give us a little story about how you decided to combine these two things in particular? Are you a golfer? Do you have experience with Native Americans or are yourself a Native American? If you aren't, what sort of measures did you take to assure that you were portraying Native American life on "the rez" accurately?
Liz:
The sport of golf and Native American culture go hand-in-hand in Arizona, although they’re not usually connected. I’m lucky enough to be neighbors with the Gila River Indian Community and have been for a number of years. The main character in Hooked, Fred Oday, is a Gila Indian, and several of my beta readers are Native American women. Regarding golf, my husband is an avid golfer and so was my father. Golf is one of those frustrating sports where you can have good days on the course and really terrible, horrible, nightmarish days where you want to take your golf clubs and throw the whole lot off a cliff. But for some weird reason, you keep wanting to get better. That’s me.
A.L.:
You're big into the desert (which I agree is super awesome). What's your favorite desert animal and your favorite desert plant? Can you tell us about your most memorable desert experience?
Liz:
I adore the desert. I love its desolate beauty. I also love the little coyotes that I’ll often see on my hikes. They don’t bother you if you don’t bother them. My favorite plant has to be creosote. When it rains, which is rare, it emits this sweet fresh smell that is sort of indescribable but, to me, represents the desert completely.
A.L.:
You live in Phoenix, Arizona. If someone were to visit your area, where would you suggest they go to get the true experience of each of these: Best food, best desert sights, best cultural location, best music.
Liz:
More tough questions! Hmmmm. Here goes:
Best food: Barrio Queen in Old Town, Scottsdale
Best desert sights: South Mountain Park. Look for the Hohokam petroglyphs on Telegraph Pass!
Best cultural location: Downtown Phoenix has some wonderful museums, restaurants, and art galleries.
Best music: on my iPod!
The Giveaway:
Liz is going to be giving away a signed copy of HOOKED plus a swag bracelet and a signed bookmark.
Hooked: When Native American
Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s
golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a
scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has
done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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 National Entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
To learn more, visit www.LizFichera.com
Interview:
A.L.
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?
Liz:
Don’t stress so much about getting published. Write the book that’s in your heart, write your heart out, then concentrate on the business of publishing. In the meantime, you have to write, write, read, write, read and write some more.
A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?
Liz:
I have so many favorites that it would probably be easier to talk about my favorites lately. For the last two years, I have been seriously in love with contemporary YAs. Some of my fave authors include Sherman Alexie, Laurie Halse Anderson, Gayle Forman, and Katie McGarry, to name a few.
A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Hooked?
Liz:
I was driving down a desolate road one day near my house and the idea popped into my head. I did a whole video on it, complete with pics and music, if you wanna see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFP9bNCTW4E
A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Hooked? What were they and how did you fix them?
Liz:
There were many snags and many many drafts for Hooked. I think I rewrote it at least six times, experimenting with POVs and various plotlines, and incorporating feedback from trusted editors and beta readers. This is normal. If you don’t rewrite your first draft at least once, something is wrong or you have magical superpowers.
A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Hooked is your favorite and why?
Liz:
I’m very partial to Fred’s father in the book. He’s very much like my own father and I tend to have a real soft spot in my heart for him. I’m also madly in love with Sam, Fred’s best friend, and I loved him more and more as I drew him into the story. He’s the kind of guy I could have easily crushed on in high school. He’s also featured more prominently in the companion novel to Hooked, which is titled Played and which will publish in 2014.
A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?
Liz:
My journey is very typical, I think, of most published authors. I started writing books because it’s what I love to do. After I wrote what I thought was my first publishable book, I spent a lot of time querying agents and editors and got rejected all over the place until, one day, I connected with the right agent. I would write three more books before one of them sold and that opened the door for me for YA.
A.L.:
What are you working on now? Sequel? Something new?
Liz:
As mentioned earlier, Played is the companion novel to Hooked, although its focus is on two secondary characters from Hooked. I also finished another YA contemporary novel this summer that I love very much. I’m currently working on two more contemporaries, one of which will require a research trip to Hopi Land, which is in northeastern Arizona. Can’t wait for that!
A.L.:
Hooked brings together two things that many readers don't have experience with: golf and Native Americans. Can you give us a little story about how you decided to combine these two things in particular? Are you a golfer? Do you have experience with Native Americans or are yourself a Native American? If you aren't, what sort of measures did you take to assure that you were portraying Native American life on "the rez" accurately?
Liz:
The sport of golf and Native American culture go hand-in-hand in Arizona, although they’re not usually connected. I’m lucky enough to be neighbors with the Gila River Indian Community and have been for a number of years. The main character in Hooked, Fred Oday, is a Gila Indian, and several of my beta readers are Native American women. Regarding golf, my husband is an avid golfer and so was my father. Golf is one of those frustrating sports where you can have good days on the course and really terrible, horrible, nightmarish days where you want to take your golf clubs and throw the whole lot off a cliff. But for some weird reason, you keep wanting to get better. That’s me.
A.L.:
You're big into the desert (which I agree is super awesome). What's your favorite desert animal and your favorite desert plant? Can you tell us about your most memorable desert experience?
Liz:
I adore the desert. I love its desolate beauty. I also love the little coyotes that I’ll often see on my hikes. They don’t bother you if you don’t bother them. My favorite plant has to be creosote. When it rains, which is rare, it emits this sweet fresh smell that is sort of indescribable but, to me, represents the desert completely.
A.L.:
You live in Phoenix, Arizona. If someone were to visit your area, where would you suggest they go to get the true experience of each of these: Best food, best desert sights, best cultural location, best music.
Liz:
More tough questions! Hmmmm. Here goes:
Best food: Barrio Queen in Old Town, Scottsdale
Best desert sights: South Mountain Park. Look for the Hohokam petroglyphs on Telegraph Pass!
Best cultural location: Downtown Phoenix has some wonderful museums, restaurants, and art galleries.
Best music: on my iPod!
The Giveaway:
Liz is going to be giving away a signed copy of HOOKED plus a swag bracelet and a signed bookmark.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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 National Entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday Muse: How To Destroy Angels - Ice age
My husband sent this to me a couple of months ago and I'm finally getting to share it with you. I enjoy the instrumentals as well as the slow, cool of the lyrics.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Feature Friday: A.G. Howard
PLEASE NOTE: I've added a poll for you to take (see left). Please take a minute to fill it out!
A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.
When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.
Guest Blog Post:
Cooking up a Book
When I was first seeking an agent for SPLINTERED, I received more than one offer of representation. So to help me choose who to go with, I had each agent read not only my YA, but one of my adult novels too, so I could ensure they would be a good fit for both sides of my muse.
What came of it was interesting. Because although these were each very different people with varying likes and dislikes, they each commented on the same four details unique to my stories and prose:
Very visual
Sympathetic and emotionally nuanced characters
Unquenchable longing
Sense of fashion
As for the clothing styles in my books, they’re very carefully planned. I'm a very visual writer, so when I'm building my characters, that includes what their fashion slant would be. This decision not only has to fit the character as an individual, but also compliment the atmosphere of the book. For example, SPLINTERED, as a YA Alice in Wonderland spinoff, is funky, goth, and victorian, so this influenced Alyssa's (my MC's) wardrobe, which in turn, affected who she ended up being internally. I was inspired by the Gothic Lolita /Victorian Lolita fashion subcultures (pictured below--minus the hat). Both fashions fit Alyssa perfectly: underneath her quiet sweetness is a melancholy soul and a dark side she has yet to tap into.
The adult literary novel I had the agents read (think: JANE EYRE meets A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT) is set in Victorian England. Juliet (my deaf MC) is pigeonholed by the fashion strictures of that era. Again, gothic tones darken this novel, but it's a heavier, old world atmospheric goth and there are two mysterious and handsome heroes vying for her affections.
Juliet's wardrobe was influenced by her rebellious and independent nature, fed by the fact that she's deaf and already feels constrained so she's not willing to let society constrain her further with crinoline cages or suffocating corsets. Juiet's also limited in her clothing choices because she's mourning her mother's death. So, she's most often seen in this sort of ensemble below. Another fashion side note about this book ... the living hero (the other hero is a ghost), is a gypsy viscount who wears bright flashy colors that don't match--kind of symbolic for what he brings into Juliet's life: vibrant chaos.
Every writer has something they weave into their books that is individual to them alone. It’s part of their voice. Once an author wins a readership, their fans latch onto those subtle ingredients, maybe not even sure exactly what they're drawn to. All they know is that when they see one of that author’s books on the shelf, they start to crave that flavor again--their mouths water, hungry to sample the new story--expecting that despite the different plot and setting, they'll be satisfied like they were in the past. And it’s the authors responsibility to assure they are, down to the last savory word.
So, what are your favorite recipes in books? What special ingredients are common in many of your favorite reads?
The Giveaway:
I am so jealous of you people right now! A.G. Is giving away an ARC of SPLINTERED as well as a secret key. (See Below)
Splintered: This stunning debut
captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a
girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the
whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her
mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches
back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.
Guest Blog Post:
Cooking up a Book
When I was first seeking an agent for SPLINTERED, I received more than one offer of representation. So to help me choose who to go with, I had each agent read not only my YA, but one of my adult novels too, so I could ensure they would be a good fit for both sides of my muse.
What came of it was interesting. Because although these were each very different people with varying likes and dislikes, they each commented on the same four details unique to my stories and prose:
Very visual
Sympathetic and emotionally nuanced characters
Unquenchable longing
Sense of fashion
As for the clothing styles in my books, they’re very carefully planned. I'm a very visual writer, so when I'm building my characters, that includes what their fashion slant would be. This decision not only has to fit the character as an individual, but also compliment the atmosphere of the book. For example, SPLINTERED, as a YA Alice in Wonderland spinoff, is funky, goth, and victorian, so this influenced Alyssa's (my MC's) wardrobe, which in turn, affected who she ended up being internally. I was inspired by the Gothic Lolita /Victorian Lolita fashion subcultures (pictured below--minus the hat). Both fashions fit Alyssa perfectly: underneath her quiet sweetness is a melancholy soul and a dark side she has yet to tap into.
Juliet's wardrobe was influenced by her rebellious and independent nature, fed by the fact that she's deaf and already feels constrained so she's not willing to let society constrain her further with crinoline cages or suffocating corsets. Juiet's also limited in her clothing choices because she's mourning her mother's death. So, she's most often seen in this sort of ensemble below. Another fashion side note about this book ... the living hero (the other hero is a ghost), is a gypsy viscount who wears bright flashy colors that don't match--kind of symbolic for what he brings into Juliet's life: vibrant chaos.
So, what are your favorite recipes in books? What special ingredients are common in many of your favorite reads?
The Giveaway:
I am so jealous of you people right now! A.G. Is giving away an ARC of SPLINTERED as well as a secret key. (See Below)
 |
| The goodies you're gonna get! |
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Just Because I Saw This and Got Excited
So, someone posted this pic on facebook just now and I totally had a squee attack.
Why?
Read this:
"The spring loaded crossbow -- spring-bow for short -- was one of the newest weapons engineered by the Empire’s industrial superpower, Coldwater Steam. It was light, quiet, and needed none of the Alchemists’ costly gunpowder. The lathe was made of a new composite that the Alchemists and Mechanics had spent the last two years perfecting. The reinforced stock and brass grooves combined with the tinsel strength of the newly lashed gears and coils gave the bolt enough speed and precision that it was more deadly and held twice the range of an airgun. And that was only the bow. The arrows were a thing of lethal beauty all on their own. Needless to say, it was now the preferred weapon of every Company man whether he be a groundsman or a helmsman."
That's an excerpt from, THE GREAT WHITE LIGHT, the steampunk novel I've been working on for two years. It's the novel that will (eventually) go along with the collection of City Steam and City Steam X shorts that I I've been putting out.
The bottom line is: It's like he read my mind O.O
But isn't it so pretty?
Why?
Read this:
"The spring loaded crossbow -- spring-bow for short -- was one of the newest weapons engineered by the Empire’s industrial superpower, Coldwater Steam. It was light, quiet, and needed none of the Alchemists’ costly gunpowder. The lathe was made of a new composite that the Alchemists and Mechanics had spent the last two years perfecting. The reinforced stock and brass grooves combined with the tinsel strength of the newly lashed gears and coils gave the bolt enough speed and precision that it was more deadly and held twice the range of an airgun. And that was only the bow. The arrows were a thing of lethal beauty all on their own. Needless to say, it was now the preferred weapon of every Company man whether he be a groundsman or a helmsman."
That's an excerpt from, THE GREAT WHITE LIGHT, the steampunk novel I've been working on for two years. It's the novel that will (eventually) go along with the collection of City Steam and City Steam X shorts that I I've been putting out.
The bottom line is: It's like he read my mind O.O
But isn't it so pretty?
Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday Muse: OAR - Shattered - Live - Acoustic
So, this is the acoustic version because I like it better this way. I feel like it's more powerful in this version. Especially the guitar! Enjoy and happy Monday!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Feature Friday: Lenore Appelhans
Website: www.lenoreappelhans.com
Blog: http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com
Twitter: @lenoreva
Interview:
A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?
Lenore:
Read a lot (reading is a great education in writing craft). Write a lot (learn by doing). Cultivate patience (you’ll need it in publishing). Live your life (and draw from your experiences to give your work authenticity and depth).
A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Level 2?
Lenore:
It was a combination of two questions, really. “How might currency work in the afterlife – are some memories more valuable than others?” and “What would a dystopian afterlife look like?” Those were the jumping off points to exploring the story.
A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Level 2? What were they and how did you fix them?
Lenore:
I did wrestle with the soggy middle for a while. I knew where I wanted to end up, but it was a challenge to get there. I had writer’s block so bad one day that I switched places with my illustrator husband. I asked him to type the next paragraph of my draft, and I’d draw something. His paragraph was completely off – wrong POV, wrong tense and way out of character (my illustration was equally horrendous). It made me realize I was doing something right and gave me new energy to press on.
A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?
Lenore:
Back in 2004, my husband and I started working on our first picture book. That book was … not good … but it started me out on this journey. I joined SCBWI in 2007 and that was the best decision ever for my writing career. At the 2008 Bologna conference, I heard about book blogging for the first time and subsequently started a blog. My husband was discovered by an art director and got a two book deal with HarperCollins. And then at the 2011 New York conference, wheels were set in motion that led me to getting my agent and the book deal for LEVEL 2, and then eventually to getting the book deal for a picture book together with my husband (CHICK-O-SAURUS REX – S&S July 2103). I am immensely grateful to SCBWI for giving me so many opportunities and so much knowledge about the industry.
A.L.:
What are you working on now? Sequel? Something new?
Lenore:
I am working on revisions for the sequel to LEVEL 2, tentatively called LEVEL 3. Writing the draft for this book nearly killed me, but I’m really proud of how it’s shaping up. I love how it puts into question everything you think you know after LEVEL 2.
I’m also putting the finishing touches on a new picture book with my husband and we hope to go out on submission soon with it.
...And the rest of the questions got lost in the fray!
The Giveaway:
Lenore is giving away a hardcover of LEVEL 2 plus a limited edition LEVEL 2 tote.
'I pause to look around the hive - all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories ... I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'
Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.
Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.
Read an excerpt of the first 50 pages of LEVEL 2
Book Trailer
Read Goodreads Reviews
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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 US entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, January 7, 2013
YA Faeries and Fantasy Giveaway/Hop
Don't forget to enter yourself in a chance to win LEVEL 2 (and a swag duffel) (here) beginning 1/11.
The Giveaway:
The winner can choose from any one of these YA faerie and fantasy titles.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished--and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past--and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
Brianna has always felt invisible. People stare right past her, including the one boy she can't resist, Blake Williams. But everything changes at a house party where Brianna's charm bracelet slips off and time stands still. In that one frozen, silver moment, Blake not only sees her, he recognizes something deep inside her she's been hiding even from herself.
Discovering she is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth, Brianna finds herself questioning the truth of who she is. And when she accidentally binds her soul to Blake, their mutual attraction becomes undeniable.
But Blake has his own secret, one that could prove deadly for them both.
Bound together by forbidden magic, Brianna and Blake find themselves at the heart of an ancient feud that threatens to destroy their lives and their love.
When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to enter in a chance to win other fun faerie and fantasy titles at these other sites!
Monday Muse: Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love
Something fun for this Monday morning. I like the video and the song. Enjoy!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Feature Friday: Victoria Schwab
The Interview:
A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?
Victoria:
Be brave. Putting your work, and by extension yourself--out there is terrifying, and you must make sure your want always outweighs your fear, at least by a little.
A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?
I couldn't pick one, but my favorites tend to be those that blur the line between the magical and the mundane, the ones that make me wonder about the world I think I know.
A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for The Archived?
I actually had the setting first. I wanted to write a story about a family moving into an old hotel-turned-apartment building, and I knew I wanted the family to be struggling through something awful. From there, I knew I wanted the main character to hate the building because of what it was, and realized she disliked it because it was old, and old things had more memories. When I asked myself why she'd dislike it for that, I found the bones of the Archive, a world that revolves around memory. It all kind of spooled out in my mind from there.
A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing The Archived? What were they and how did you fix them?
Victoria:
Hahahahahaha. Maybe one day I will be able to answer this question with real words. For now, the nervous laughter will have to suffice (says the girl currently being crushed by the sequel).
A.L.:
Which one of the characters in The Archived is your favorite and why?
Victoria:
It's a tie between Roland--who is based on David Tennant--and Wesley, my guyliner-wearing boy. Wesley is very important to me, because he's an inversion of many of the tropes in YA, even though I didn't set out to make him that way.
A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?
It's been a ride. I started writing fiction in college, and kind of plunged into the deep end without knowing much about swimming. I'd played with poetry, and micro-fiction, but never anything even close to book-length. I wrote a book, and it was very lovely, but had no plot, so I put it away for awhile. I ended up digging it out and revising it six months later, and while it was interesting enough to land me an agent, it wasn't the book that sold. About 7-8 months into being on sub, I started writing THE NEAR WITCH, and that sold the summer after I graduated college. That was three and a half years ago, and I've been going ever since. Many highs--selling more books, seeing my work on shelves--and many lows--changing agents, writing a sequel that might never see the light of day--but it's an adventure.
A.L.:
What are you working on now? Sequel? Something new?
Victoria:
Right now I'm working on the sequel to THE ARCHIVED (I can't reveal the title yet) as well as a series of short MG books for Scholastic. I'm also playing with an idea for a new adult book.
A.L.:
Mac, your lead character in The Archived, is charged with keeping
violent Histories from coming back to life. How did you go about
constructing a character like her?
Victoria:
See #3 :)
A.L.:
You grew up with an interesting combination of family/location. Do
you think that has greatly influenced your taste as a writer?
I got my wanderlust from my mother, to be sure. For those who don't know, my dad is from SoCal, my mum is from England (my grandmother is from Scotland, which is obviously how I got my stubborn blood), and I think that, in addition to traveling quite a bit as a kid, growing up surrounded by the English accent gave me an early flow/cadence, one that permeates my more lyrical work. And yes, I do tend to lean toward English authors because of it.
A.L.:
You've got two books coming out this year, plus you just had The Near Witch published in 2011. What are your favorite aspects of each world/set of characters?
Victoria:
THE ARCHIVED has been such a journey (as you can probably tell from the mixture of nervous laughter and rambling answers above). It's just been such a CHALLENGE, bringing that world to life, asking a lot of very big questions, and many of them hard to answer. I think the size of that world, and its potential, is my favorite part.
I can't say too much about VICIOUS yet, but I've always, always wanted to write a book about superpowers, one that played with the notions of classic comic book heroes and villains, so it was a total joy.
The Giveaway:
Oh my gosh, guys I'm so excited about THE ARCHIVED that you're lucky Victoria is not giving away a copy of the book, I'd compete against you for it, LOL. Victoria is giving away a pretty awesome little THE ARCHIVED swag pack. (See below.) I've also attached the book information for THE ARCHIVED, as per usual, but keep in mind that the giveaway is not for the book. I've changed up the entry options and point system for the rafflecopter, so please make sure you pay attention so you don't miss out on possible points.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.
Buy on Amazon.
How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the 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 US entrants only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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