Tuesday, January 28, 2014

So Much Book-Related News!

Yep, I'm a total Hollows girl


I've been patiently (patiently for me anyway!!) waiting and waiting and waiting for the release of Undead Pool. That's not to say that the cover hasn't been my desktop wallpaper since it was revealed or that I don't stalk for teaser chapters though. And good news is...Harper has released the first three chapters!! Click here if you'd like a sneak peak into Undead Pool by reading the first three chapters.

The chapters are amazing! I'm waiting with bated breath for the month it will take for the release day to get here.

Morganville Goes Digital and They Want You

Morganville is coming to us as a digital television series, and I'm really excited about this! They are offering two roles for open audition right now from anywhere in the world...the roles of Claire and Eve. Click here for more information on the digital television show and how to audition.

It's Almost Valentine's Again

Last year I participated in the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon and I had so much fun!! It is a time in February dedicated to showing appreciation to other bloggers, authors, and readers. There are a lot of fun little aspects of the event. Planned, scheduled posts and an interview swap between a newbie blogger and a veteran blogger. I did my first spine poetry last year when I participated and Zane loved helping me put it together. I'm not actually sure if I can participate this year because it's the weekend of February 15 - 16 from 9 AM to 9 PM est and I will be very busy that weekend. Anyone can participate just by signing up so I hope you will give it a try if you have the time. There are a lot of giveaways and a ton of bloggers to meet and interact with. Get more information here.

Maleficent

And I leave you with this great new trailer for the upcoming Maleficent (I'm loving the song so much!!):


Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Fantastical Tour


The Tour:

January 26 @ Blogs everywhere: Launching the Tour
January 27 @ Mythical Books: Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel
January 28 @  Wonderings of One Person: Beyond the Hollow by Kristy Tate
January 29 @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer: Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett
January 30 @ A Backwards Story: EnchantedHero by Alethea Kontis
January 31 @ Bookworm Lisa: The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo
February 1 @ Blogs everywhere: The Grand Finale



January 27 @ Mythical Books

Shadowskin 

Cursed with a deadly touch, Pomona never thought she would leave the royal gardens of Norarchland, where she uses her magic over plant life to make the gardens flourish. But when she discovers a magic mirror beneath the roots of an apple tree, she learns a horrifying truth: the life of the beautiful Princess Nevea is in danger, and Pomona is the only one who can save her. Pomona flees with the princess into the dark forest, where she is taken in by the mysterious Selene Magna and her huntress companion, Callisto. They claim that the Tenebrari-short, magical beings responsible for Pomona's curse-are trying to conquer all of the kingdoms of Archland. Even more, Pomona is destined to play an important role in their defeat. The cursed gardener must now embark on a journey far beyond her imagination to stop the Tenebrari, or else she and all those she cares about will be cursed forever.



Bethany Cassel lives in a land surrounded by forests and cornfields, and she was lucky enough to grow up in the same house all her life. Falling asleep to the sound of waterfalls and seldom-disturbed quiet provided the perfect environment for her to develop her passion for writing. Inspired by the beautiful landscape around her, Bethany created Archland, a world with deep forests, rolling hills, and fierce winters, home to dozens of fairy tale characters.

When she is not writing, Bethany is a voracious reader, known to finish the likes of "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman in two sittings (it was a great book)! Her favorite writers are, in no particular order, Sir Thomas Malory, J.K. Rowling, John Keats, Victor Hugo, Kendare Blake, Jay Asher, Toni Morrison, and Marissa Meyer. This list is by no means complete. She is about to earn her Bachelor's of Arts in English from SUNY Geneseo and plans to continue her education in literature in graduate school. Besides all things literary, Bethany enjoys archery and bow hunting, drawing, playing piano, and volunteering with ministries in her community. She currently lives in Western New York with four dogs, twenty-ish chickens (she lost count), a lizard, and a couple of frogs.



January 28 @  Wonderings of One Person


Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent (Beyond #1)



When Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan England, where she meets gypsies, a demon dog and a kindred spirit in Emory Ravenswood.

Emory must thwart the plans of religious zealots. His mission is dangerous, his enemies are fanatical, and Petra Baron is a complication that Heaven only knows he does not need. Or does he? Although Emory is on Heaven’s errand, he learned long ago that Heaven does not always play fair.

As Petra slowly falls for Emory, she wonders if he really is who he seems, or if he is just as lost as she is. How can they have a future while trapped in the past? Or is anything possible Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent?

Beyond the Hollow (Beyond #2)

Petra Baron and her immortal boyfriend, Emory Ravenswood, are living their happily in modern day Orange County, California, until Dane shows up: a heart-stoppingly handsome man from Petra's past. Petra can't remember Dane, or anything else about her time in Tarrytown, New York two hundred years ago. But Emory does remember, and he knows she's lucky to have forgotten all about Dane and the nightmarish episode in 1810.

After Emory disappears, Petra is determined to find him again. Yet she doesn’t know whether Dane can lead her to Emory, or to the nightmare she can’t remember. The one thing she does know is that once upon a time really means two hundred years ago, and that if she wants to find Emory the first place to look is Sleepy Hollow, 1810.

With a collection of Washington Irving's writings in her hand, and a prayer that some nine-pin-playing ghosts will give her a drink of the same magic ale they gave Rip Van Winkle, Petra heads into another time-defying adventure.


Kristy Tate

Kristy studied English literature at Brigham Young University and at BYU's International Center in London. Although a long time resident of Orange County California where she lives with her family, Kristy's heart belongs in her hometown of Arlington, Washington, AKA Rose Arbor--the fictional setting of her popular Rose Arbor series.

For updates on Kristy's upcoming novels, please visit her blog at kristystories.blogspot.com and sign up for her newsletter, where discounts and freebies are sure to happen.


Other books by Kristy:
The Rhyme's Library (2013 Kindle Book Review Awards semi-finalist)
Hailey's Comments (an Amazon Breakout Novel quarter-finalist)
Stealing Mercy
Rescuing Rita
A Light in the Christmas Café
Losing Penny

Enchanted Fairytales

Enchanted Fairytales is a series of short stories based on beloved fairytales. The stories are written as if the fairytales never existed. are contemporary, some are paranormal, some have elements of fantasy or magic. 

Beautiful Beast: After a cruel prank, Calli is forced to move into “Monster House” to befriend the beast. Alex is determined to hate Calli, who he believes is there to get a peek at the beast. Calli must convince Alex that she isn’t there to harm him, and that her feelings for him are very real.

Red and the Wolf: A sudden increase in the violence and frequency of wolf attacks in the forest surrounding Piera has all of the residents on edge. Ruby, contending with the news that Rafe has come home after leaving her three years earlier, and staving off the advances of his brother Lowell, doesn’t have time to deal with wolves - until she finds herself fighting against a wolf for her life.

Snow White: Snow White, sent into the forest to be killed, escapes. She stumbles upon a tiny, magical kingdom called Fableton, where time stands still for its trapped residents. Phillip, blinded centuries ago by a vengeful love, believes Snow is the key to breaking the curse and freeing them all.

The Unmasking of Cinderella: Forced into servitude by her wicked stepmother, Amella longs for the simple freedoms her stepsister takes for granted. When she bumps into Char - literally - her world is suddenly turned upside down. Amella begins to believe that she can have a life she previously thought nothing more than a dream with Char by her side.

The White Swan: Cursed to live as a swan by day by the jealous Benno von Rothbart, Odette desires nothing more than to tell Victor what’s happened, but can’t out of fear for what Benno might do to him. Victor discovers her secret and together they try to break the curse. But the cost of doing so might just be too much.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * Createspace


Cindy C Bennett is the YA author of several books. She lives in Utah with her two daughters. Both of her sons have married, giving her two more daughters (in-law). She loves gooey cookies, dark chocolate, and cheese popcorn. She hates housework and cooking, and has no plans to become a domestic goddess. She occasionally co-hosts a geek podcast with her son, called Geek Revolution Radio. Her favorite pastime—other than writing—is riding her Harley.


Other books by Cindy: 
Rapunzel Untangled, 
Heart on a Chain, Geek Girl, 
The Experiment, 
Whispers of Razari, 
Immortal Mine, 
In the Beginning, 
Reluctance, 
Watched


January 30 @ A Backwards Story


Enchanted

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Hero

Rough and tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" As in Enchanted, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance.

New York Times bestselling author Alethea Kontis is a princess, a goddess, a force of nature, and a mess. She’s known for screwing up the alphabet, scolding vampire hunters, turning garden gnomes into mad scientists, and making sense out of fairy tales.

Alethea is the co-author of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter Companion, and penned the AlphaOops series of picture books. Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in a myriad of anthologies and magazines. She has done multiple collaborations with Eisner winning artist J.K. Lee, includingThe Wonderland Alphabet and Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome. Her debut YA fairy tale novel, Enchanted, won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award in 2012 and was nominated for both the Andre Norton Award and the Audie Award in 2013.

Born in Burlington, Vermont, Alethea now lives in Northern Virginia with her Fairy Godfamily. She makes the best baklava you’ve ever tasted and sleeps with a teddy bear named Charlie.




January 31 @ Bookworm Lisa

The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen

Anonymous, nameless, Adelaide Schumacher should have been lost to history. Medieval girls do not make legends. If they are lucky to live long enough, they make babies.

Adelaide’s mother, Katrina was the finest storyteller in Cologne, but she left one story untold, that of her daughter, Snow White. A rampant fever claimed Adelaide’s mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the dead are dumped in a vast pit outside the city walls. In an effort to save Katrina’s soul, Adelaide’s family obtains a secret funeral by bribing the parish priest, Father Soren.

Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, pushing Adelaide toward vengeance, but the corruption in Cologne reaches far beyond Soren, and the cost of settling scores quickly escalates. Avenging the mother she lost may cost Adelaide everything she has left: her father, her friends, her first love, and maybe even her life.

The Fairytale Keeper casts the famous villains, heroes, and damsels of Grimm’s fairytales into Medieval lives. Seamlessly weaving historical events and Grimm’s fairytales into a tale of corruption and devotion, The Fairytale Keeper, leaves the reader wondering where fact ends, and fiction begins.


Read the first part of the novel for FREE:
Andrea Cefalo is the award-winning author of The Fairytale Keeper series. The Fairytale Keeper series is a Medieval tale of corruption, devotion, and the origins of Grimm’s fairytales. It was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s 2013 Breakthrough Novel Contest and has been recommended by Riffle, Copperfield Review, and other various independent reviewers. The second novel in the series, The Fairest of All, will debut in 2014. When Andrea isn’t writing, she enjoys blogging and tweeting about the Middle Ages, teaching authors how to effectively use social media, and presenting in schools. She resides in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband and their two border collies.


February 1  – Grand Finale

Tour-Wide Giveaway!!

January 26 - February 10
There are FIVE chances to WIN!!
Winners will be drawn randomly, entries will be validated and the IP Addresses checked for shipping qualifications to award winnings in order of preference, if indicated. See Rafflecopter entry. Additional restrictions on Rafflecopter apply.

1 - Signed print copy of Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel plus a signed sketch of the Main Character by the author! (US Only)

2 - eCopies of both books in the Beyond series by Kristy Tate: Beyond the Fortune Teller's Tent & Beyond the Hollow!  (International)

3 - eCopy of Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett! (International)

4 - FIVE Signed paperbacks of Enchanted by Alethea Kontis plus swag! (US Only) (That's five winners. Woop!)

5 - eCopy of The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo! (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Sunday Cover Scramble [53]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the next day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Also, let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more throughout the day if no one guesses it correctly. Here we go:









Friday, January 24, 2014

Sidekick Showcase [60] - What a Brat


Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

For the month of February, we're gonna go down the romance path and select characters that are romantic or just plain hot. Let's celebrate our book boyfriends and the protagonist's love interests.

So sorry I've been missing for the last few days! I got the flu and it knocked me on my tail.

If you haven't stopped by my Blogaversary Giveaway, Please Do!


My choice is Mia Rinaldi
The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Mia Rinaldi picture created by Jaclyn as portrayed by Sami Gayle

I don't even know where to start with Mia. She was one of the brattiest characters that I've come across before. Some of the things that she did to get back at Lissa and Rose were truly despicable. She clawed her way to the top of the popularity ladder and she acted proactively to make sure no one was going to knock her down. She's actually pretty tenacious. She does have a turn-around though which was a lot of fun to watch especially since we get to see that tenacity pointed to more positive things. I love Mia :D This series has so many characters that I love.


Quotes:


Mia: "It looks to me like it came from a garage sale. I thought a precious Dragomir would have standards."
Rose: "She does have standards, which is why you're done talking to her."



Rose: "Are you lost, little girl? The elementary school's over on west campus.”
Mia: "Don't you ever touch me again. You screw with me, and I'll screw you right back.”
- Oh man, what an opening that was. -
Rose: "And if you mess with either of us again, I'll break you in half. If you don't believe me, go ask Dawn Yarrow about what I did to her arm in ninth grade. You were probably at nap time when it happened.”



Mia: "And Rose wants something now."
Rose: "Hey, we're just happy to see you."
Mia: "I believe you. But I also believe you've got an ulterior motive."
Lissa: "What makes you say that? Can you read Rose that well or do you just always assume she's got an ulterior motive?"
Mia: "Both."



Mia: "I sure do wish I knew what you guys were doing."
Rose: "No. I'm not sure that you do."




“Rose only hangs out with guys and psychopaths," said Mia.

"Well," he said cheerfully, "since I'm both a psychopath and a guy, that would explain why we're such good friends.”



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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Sunday Cover Scramble [52]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the next day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Also, let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more throughout the day if no one guesses it correctly. Here we go:








Friday, January 17, 2014

Sidekick Showcase [59] - Stabs His Friends Literally


Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

For the month of January, we should choose characters that we love, but have that one thing that they should definitely set a New Years Resolution for...that one flaw that they need to work on that maybe is even resolved in the series as the character grows. Sidekicks in need of Resolutions...

If you haven't stopped by my Blogaversary Giveaway, Please Do!


My choice is Robin Goodfellow AKA Puck
The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa


Robin Goodfellow picture created by Jaclyn Canada

He's gotta be my absolute favorite character in The Iron Fey Series next to Grimalkin. Robin Goodfellow, also known as Puck, is Meghan's best friend and has been since they were kids. He was sent to watch over her in the mortal world, and he also helps her on her journey during the story. He very much brings a feeling of comedy and mischief into the scenes that he's in, but he also knows when it's time to get serious and it pretty deadly when confronted with an enemy. The problem may lie with who he considers enemies. If Ash and Puck had a relationship status on Facebook, it would be It's Complicated. They bounce from best friends to mortal enemies to allies. Sometimes it's hard to keep up.

Quotes:

“Me? Die? Didn't they tell you, princess? I'm Robin Goodfellow.”



“She pulled up Ash's shirt, revealing a layer of gauze that was just beginning to seep blood onto the mattress. "At least the bandaging was done properly," she mused. "Very nice, clean work. Your handiwork, I presume, Goodfellow?"
"Which one?"
"The bandage, Robin."
"Yeah, that was mine, too.”



“Ash nodded. “Look for Oberon or Mab,” he said grimly, scanning the battlefield. “They’ll likely be on opposite sides of the river. Try not to engage anything, Goodfellow. We don’t want a fight — we just want to get the scepter to the queen.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Prince.” Puck grinned and drew his daggers, pointing to Ash with the tip. “You’re a traitor, Meghan’s the Summer princess, and I’m Robin Goodfellow. I’m sure the ranks of Unseelie will just let us waltz right through.”



“Goodfellow?” Glitch stared at Puck nervously. “Robin Goodfellow?”
“Oh, look at that, he’s heard of me. My fame grows.” Puck snorted and leaped off the roof. In midair, he became a giant black raven, who swooped toward us with a raucous cry before dropping into the circle as Puck in an explosion of feathers. “Ta-daaaaaaaaaa.”




“STOP!” Ironhorse bellowed as Puck immediately pulled out his dagger, shoving me behind him. “I DID NOT COME HERE TO FIGHT, ROBIN GOODFELLOW. PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME.”
“Oh, I don’t think so, Rusty,” Puck sneered, as we began backing toward the edge of the village. “I have a better idea. You stay there until we get to Oberon, who will rip you apart and bury your pieces so far apart you’ll never get put back together.”



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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [17]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

Favorite Sweet Treat in the Books


Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

Zane and I picked up some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans since we are Jelly Belly fans. Check out some of these flavors that are really available through Jelly Belly: Banana, Black Pepper, Blueberry, Booger, Candyfloss, Cherry, Cinnamon, Dirt, Earthworm, Earwax, Grass, Green Apple, Marshmallow, Rotten Egg, Sausage, Lemon, Soap, Tutti-Fruitti, Vomit, Watermelon. I think Dirt was actually the grossest that I had and Marshmallow was my favorite. I don't believe I got one of the Rotten Eggs or Vomit flavored ones though which seem like they would be incredibly terrible.

“A bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."
Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts.”

“Ah! Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my liking for them — but I think I’ll be safe with a nice toffee, don’t you?”
He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.
“Alas! Ear wax!” - Dumbledore

Sunday, January 12, 2014

A Toast to Belle

Belle picture created by Jaclyn Canada
I did a fun picture of Grumpy for a Sidekick Showcase post that featured the Disney version looking at the Lee Arenberg's Once Upon a Time character and thought I'd like to draw some more of these. Alisa requested Belle as the next character of focus, and I'm thrilled to draw her since I adore her so much. If you haven't stopped by Picture Me Reading yet, check it out. She has some pretty amazing graphics over there and some excellent features that I love like Project Disney, Awesome Adaptations, and Book to Movie.

Belle is a character that is hard not to love. She has a big heart, eccentric parent, and men telling her what to do every time she turns around. She is so unselfish, brave, intelligent, and has a deep-seated love of reading. This all carries over to her character on Once Upon a Time as well. She's also a warrior on the show though so it's a blast to watch her intelligence take down some baddies. Emilie de Ravin does such a fantastic job portraying her.

From Disney's Beauty and the Beast:

Gaston: How can you read this? There's no pictures!
Belle: Well, some people use their imagination.

Belle: Gaston, you are positively primeval.
Gaston: Why thank you, Belle. What would you say if you and I took a walk over to the tavern and took a look at my trophies?
Belle: Maybe some other time.

From Once Upon a Time:

Belle: To me, love is... love is layered. Love is a... a mystery to be uncovered.

Belle: I've always dreamt of heroics, but... I think it's safer I stick to my books. They're the only adventures I know that have happy endings.

Belle: No matter what you might've done in your past, David sees the good in you, and... and that tells me one thing.
Ruby: What?
Belle: That it's in there. So if we can all see it, why can't you?





Sunday Cover Scramble [51]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the next day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Also, let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more throughout the day if no one guesses it correctly. Here we go:



As of Monday, no one has it correct just yet so here is a clearer version:









Friday, January 10, 2014

Sidekick Showcase [58] - She's So Vain


Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

For the month of January, we should choose characters that we love, but have that one thing that they should definitely set a New Years Resolution for...that one flaw that they need to work on that maybe is even resolved in the series as the character grows. Sidekicks in need of Resolutions...

If you haven't stopped by my Blogaversary Giveaway, Please Do!


My choice is Aphrodite LaFont
House of Night Series by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast

Aphrodite LaFont picture created by Jaclyn Canada
Aphrodite is so vain that she chose that as her name. Yes, students at the House of Night get to select their new names for their new lives when they enter the school specially built for fledgling vampires. When readers first meet her, she's almost unbearable. A really easy character to dislike since she's egocentric, hateful, and possesses all the qualities of the Alpha Mean-Girl. I haven't read all the books in the series so I'm not up to date, but she quickly became the character that I actually like the most. How do authors do that? I'm not entirely sure. She has excellent sarcastic quips, sees visions of future disasters, and a whole lot more that would just be spoilerly. She will always know she's the most beautiful person in the room though even if the quickest way to cause a mini-meltdown is by suggesting she is having a bad hair day.

Quotes:

“Because you are the superhero fledgling. I’m just your more attractive sidekick. Oh, and the herd of nerds are your dorky minions.”



“Nerd herd, focus. You're here to help the fledglings. Dour One and Dour Two aren't important," said Aphrodite.
"Dr. Seuss reference. I like it," Stark said, giving me a check-me-out-I've-always-read-books hottie grin.
Aphrodite frowned at him.
"I said focus, not flirt.”



"Aphrodite! I just said you look fine."
"Yeah, well, fine is fine for most people. For me it's terrible.”



“People suck. They do stupid things and they're not nice. The end.”



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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday [26]


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn


Publisher: June 10, 2014 Harper Teen
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Dystopia

Dont You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn
Goodreads Summary


Welcome to Gardnerville.

A place where no one gets sick. And no one ever dies.

Except...
There’s a price to pay for paradise. Every fourth year, the strange power that fuels the town exacts its payment by infecting teens with deadly urges. In a normal year in Gardnerville, teens might stop talking to their best friends. In a fourth year, they’d kill them.

Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, was locked away after leading sixteen of her classmates to a watery grave. Since then, Skylar has lived in a numb haze, struggling to forget her past and dull the pain of losing her sister. But the secrets and memories Piper left behind keep taunting Skylar—whispering that the only way to get her sister back is to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

When life's kicking your butt, how about a theme song?

My friend Robyn from robgirlbooks tasked us with coming up with a theme song each month, and I love it! Music is a VERY big part of my life. I'm telling you guys, it hurt my heart when I lost my voice and couldn't sing for a couple of days and I realized how bad it really is. I'm seriously singing during the walk from my car to work, in the shower, in the car, and in every store I enter. That doesn't mean I'm fantastic at it either, just that I love music and I love to sing :D Some songs I enjoy for the lyrics, some move me due to the piano or guitar, and some it is the entire package. Yes, I actually cry while listening to certain songs because they have that impact on me (Sarah Mclachlan Angel, anyone?).

My choice for the month of January is:



Zane's choice for January:

Sunday Cover Scramble [50]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the next day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Also, let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more throughout the day if no one guesses it correctly. Here we go:










Saturday, January 4, 2014

Sidekick Showcase [57] - Party Animal


Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

For the rest of the month of January, we should choose characters that we love, but have that one thing that they should definitely set a New Years Resolution for...that one flaw that they need to work on that maybe is even resolved in the series as the character grows. What do you all think about this topic? Sidekicks in need of Resolutions...

If you haven't stopped by my Blogaversary Giveaway, Please Do! I haven't had time yet to reply to everyone or visit everyone back, but I have read all the great comments and will spend tomorrow visiting everybody.


This week is Party Animal

My choice is Andrea Nash
Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
Andrea Nash picture created by Jaclyn Canada

Andrea is five foot two (my height!) of pure strong, independent woman awesomeness. I know Kate would have to have a friend by her side that can hang, and this one does. OK, so I haven't read Gunmetal Magic yet which is her story, but I really want to. I'm so intrigued by her character, there are so many layers hiding underneath that I just know that I haven't even scratched the surface of yet, and I want to understand what makes her such a mystery. I chose her initially because she has the guns blazing, let's rock this attitude that I really love. Oh, and the animal part is literal. The Party Starter quote was a bonus since I haven't read Gunmetal Magic yet, I didn't even know about it ;)

Quotes:

I gave him my Order smile: sweet grin, hard eyes, reached over to my passenger seat, and pulled out my submachine gun. About twenty-seven inches long, the HK was my favorite toy for close-quarters combat. The rider's eyes went wide.
"This is an HK UMP submachine gun. Renowned for its stopping power and reliability. Cyclic rate of fire: eight hundred rounds per minute. That means I can empty this thirty-round clip into you in less than three seconds. At this range, I'll cut you in half." It wasn't strictly true but it sounded good. "You see what it says on the barrel?"

On the barrel, pretty white letters spelled out PARTY STARTER.

"You open your mouth again, and I'll get the party started."
The rider clamped his jaws shut.”



“I was a knight," Andrea said. "I'm not just going to start shooting every dickhead who mouths off to me."
"Just making sure."
"Besides, if I shot him, I'd do it so nobody could trace it back to me. I'd shoot him somewhere remote, his head would explode like a melon, and they would never find his body. He would just vanish.”



“You’re touching me,” I chided him.
He caressed my back, sliding his hand down, hitting every sensitive point I hadn’t even known I had. “No, this is touching you. That was just accidental contact.”
“Oh? Good to know. If you touch me again and I break your arm off, you can be sure it will be completely accidental.”



“No, really!” Desandra nodded. “Okay, so most guys don’t have a nice ball sack, right? It looks all hairy and wrinkled like some small animal died between their legs, but Gerardo’s is like two plums in a velvet bag...”
Derek, who’d been lingering in the doorway, took a careful step to the left behind the wall and disappeared from my view.
Kill me, somebody. I raised my hand. “Hold that thought. I need to borrow Andrea for a minute.”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway. Behind us Raphael growled, “Don’t leave me!”
Andrea leaned towards me. “Plums.”
“Listen...”
Andrea raised her hands, imitating holding plums the size of small coconuts, and moved them up and down.”



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Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Year Giveaway

So my Blogaversary has come and gone during the holidays and I didn't celebrate. Now is as good a time as any to do the giveaway and celebration of a fantastic and fun-filled year of blogging. I've had such a wonderful time getting to you know all. I would never have guessed how incredibly personable authors are with their readers or how accepting the blogger world is of new people just wanting to chat about the books that they love.

YOU ARE ALL SO AWESOME!!

For my 1 year Blogaversary and the start of a new year, I thought I would do things a little differently. I hear bloggers mention that they'd love a Harry Potter wand, the Maurader's Map, etc and you guys all know how much I love Harry Potter. So I'd like the winner of this giveaway to choose either:

1) a wand (the character's of your choice)


OR

2) the Maurader's Map


OR

3) book of your choice

If you are International, you will need to choose the book of your choice and I'll ship through the Book Depository.




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