The Naughty Book Kitties

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

2012-01-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

1/10/12
May B. | Caroline Starr Rose
Schwartz & Wade
Hardcover/240pp.

I've known it since last night:
It's been too long to expect them to return.
Something's happened.
May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

I’m a huge fan of novels in verse, but, surprisingly, I’d never read a middle grade novel in verse. That is, until Caroline Starr Rose’s MAY B. came around.

MAY B. is a historical novel, featuring May, a girl with a strong will to survive. Her voice is very mature, and though sometimes it does appear too mature, it hooks you in. I really, really admired May, and I cheered her on from the very first couple of pages.

The setting is rich, too. We get a real good sense of setting—of growing up alone in Kansas. I felt like I was right there, right next to May during that brutal Kansas winter, and I was freezing.

If you want a quick, deep read, try Caroline Starr Rose’s heartfelt debut.

Interview with Alecia Whitaker

2012-01-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

Today I present you Alecia Whitaker, author of THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY. Alecia is a Kentucky native, so I’m super excited to be hosting her on Naughty Kitties. THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY is an absolutely fantastic novel, and I can’t wait for you guys to read it.

Website | Twitter
Alecia Whitaker grew up with a big imagination on a small farm in Kentucky, which was worlds away from where she currently resides in fast-paced New York City. She knows more about cows, tobacco, frog gigging, and carpentry than the average girl, and she applies the work ethic and common sense she learned from her southern upbringing to the way she now navigates her career and family life in the big city. The Queen of Kentucky is her first novel.

1. You grew up in Cynthiana, KY and now live in New York City. What, if anything, do you miss most about your hometown? What do you miss least?
I miss my grandparents and my high school friends more than anything. It's so nice going back and knowing that I'll bump into someone I know around town. There are people that live in that town who have supported me and wished me well with every single endeavor I've attempted, so the relationships I made growing up are priceless. (I also miss Leono's pizza, which says a lot considering that New York pizza has a pretty solid reputation of its own.)

What do I miss least? I don't miss the fact that a few stores and restaurants around town still allow smoking, (or at least they did last time I was back home).

2. Was THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY any easier to write because you know the setting so well?
Definitely! When people who have read the advanced copy ask me if it's based on me or if the things that happened to Ricki Jo happened to me, I remind them that it's fiction. That said, the setting is so rich because I can close my eyes and picture my childhood. I see the creek on my uncle's farm where we used to watch crawdaddies scurry around backward on the bottom. I hear the kids screaming on bus 30 after school as we bumped through the countryside headed home. And I smell the thick scent of tobacco curing in the barn and feel the sticky residue it left between my fingers. I love that back home feeling so much that I had to give rural communities a protagonist that wasn't backward or redneck, but that was a normal, fun teenager going through the same stuff suburban or big city kids go through.

3. If there’s anything you and Ricki Jo, the protagonist in THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY, have in common, what is it?
When I was Ricki Jo's age, I was built exactly like her. My growth spurt came laaaaaaate. I know what it's like to watch other girls "develop" (for lack of a better term) all through middle school and be left wondering if I had a prayer at shopping at Victoria's Secret one day. Puberty is brutal. Can we all just agree on that?

4. In THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY, Ricki Jo tries really hard to fit in at her new school, and sometimes she becomes so desperate it affects her relationship with her best friend/boy next door, Luke. It’s quite sad, but I also felt sympathy for Ricki Jo—we’ve all been in her shoes (or, in her case, cowboy boots) before. If you could offer any advice to girls like Ricki Jo—girls that try so hard to fit in that it comes at the price of important components of their lives—what would it be?
I would grab Ricki Jo, or girls feeling that same sense of desperation, by the shoulders and face them toward a mirror. I would ask them to name three things that they see that they like. I would tell them to love those things and love themselves – spend at least as much time appraising themselves as they do picking themselves apart. But moreover, I would tell them that high school is not nearly as big a deal as it seems. That you will only stay in touch with a handful of your "friends" and that you will be surprised at what you see at your high school reunion. Hang in there!

5. What sorts of books can we expect from you in the future? Do you think you might stray away from the small-town setting, or keep at it?
Well, the book I'm working on right now takes place in Lexington, KY. I love bringing positive attention to a place in this world that I truly love and that's my home state. But I will say that the setting isn't nearly as important in this next one.

6. What are some of your favorite current YA titles?
Well, like most people I know, I devoured The Hunger Games trilogy and will definitely be at that movie on opening weekend. But I also loved Tighter by Adele Griffin and was gripped til the end. My new friend Jen E. Smith has a book coming out from the same publisher on the same day as me called The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and I adore both the story and the novelist.

7. What’s the best thing about being a published author?
Having a dream realized.

Interview with KM Walton

2012-01-02T09:51:00.001-05:00

As part of her blog tour, author KM Walton is answering five questions about her novel, CRACKED. I haven’t gotten the chance to dig in, but I am so excited to read it! I hope you enjoy the interview…

Website | Twitter
K.M. Walton writes contemporary YA, middle grade suspense, picture books and nonfiction. Her debut contemporary YA novel, CRACKED comes out from Simon Pulse ~ Simon & Schuster January 3, 2012. She is fortunate to be represented by the lovely Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown Ltd.

1) Your debut novel, CRACKED, is about a boy and his bully. What compelled you to tackle that subject? How has bullying affected you?
Anti-bullying was always the core principal of my teaching career. I never shied away from facing or addressing bullying – I believed it was my job, as the adult, to discuss and address bullying – every single time it reared its hideous head. My entire purpose was that I wanted kids to see each other for the human beings they were, not the labels or assumptions they attached to each other. CRACKED was a natural write for me because of my passion for the subject.

2) The bully in CRACKED isn't portrayed as some one-sided, evil-to-the-core mean teenager. How important was it to you to show the emotional depth of Bull, to show that bullies are victims, too?
I’ll refer again to my time teaching middle school. Every bully I encountered had a backstory, a reason for their anger and aggression. Human beings don’t torture or hate by accident—something has to fuel the bullying. I wanted Bull’s horrendous actions to have a source and a reason and not be read as “Oh he’s just the mean teenager. That’s why he bullies. He’s mean.” Human beings are far more complex that that, and Bull was very real to me. So was Victor and his heartbreaking pain. I sincerely hope the reader ends up loving those boys as much as I did while writing them.

3) If you had the chance, what are some of the things that you'd say to teenagers getting bullied? And the bullies themselves, what would you say to them?
During my twelve years in the classroom my eyes and ears were on constant alert for bullying. If I heard or saw or was told about bullying, I addressed it. I brought the victim and the bully together countless times. Some meetings were formal lunch meetings while others were a quick talk in the hallway. My goal was always the same: get each child to see the human being across from them. I wanted the bully to fully understand the pain he/she was causing— to try and understand the tangible effects from their hateful words and actions.
Let me back up though right here. I’d like to clarify that my anti-bullying classroom atmosphere was built from minute-one with my classes. My students knew my stance on it from the moment they entered my room. I also took great and carefully planned steps to build a solid classroom community the first two weeks of school. Curriculum was introduced, but it was always through the lens of community building. I wanted every single student to feel safe and important and part of the community of learners.
I purposefully crafted my language arts units to focus on some type of social action, which made it very easy for me to consistently provide genuine opportunities to discuss and explore—via reading and writing—courage, racism, bullying, etc…. In retrospect, it was that solid classroom community that allowed me to bring the bullies and victims together and have what I coined, “Explicit conversations” about their feelings. If that base of trust wasn’t built, there’s no way in hell I’d have gotten twelve and thirteen year old students—boys especially—to open up and change their hearts.

4) What do you think makes CRACKED different than other books about bullying? What can your novel say to teens that others haven't?
CRACKED definitely isn’t a “I’m going to intentionally try and teach the reader a lesson” kind of book. Truthfully, I find those types of books unsatisfying. I want to come to my own understanding from the story and the characters, not be bonked over the head with an author’s message.
CRACKED lets readers inside both boys’ heads so they can experience each side of bullying. The point of view alternates chapter to chapter. I wanted my characters’ voices to speak to the reader, not mine.
I’d like to think that CRACKED has the potential to get teens talking about bullying—maybe in high school English classes or book clubs. Talking opening about a subject helps break down walls and barriers and misconceptions. Explicit Conversations have the power to let teens see each other as they are, feelings and flaws and all.

5) What bullycide story -- in the news; there've been tons -- has caught your eye the most? What do you think would be a solution to the bullying epidemic?
Every bullycide story breaks my heart because I believe it could’ve been prevented. Bullycide is a failure of the adults surrounding the bullied child…and the bully. Oftentimes it is an unintentional failure. Many adults simply don’t know how to help. They fear they will do or say the wrong thing—make the situation worse. Or the help they do provide is ineffective and fails to make the necessary impact.
While part A of the focus should always be on the victims of bullying, there seems to be a forgotten part B. Dealing with the bully and figuring out a way to break the hate-filled-behaviors is the only way the cycle will end. For good. By dealing I mean getting the bully to identify why they bully and understand, like, in their very soul, that their behaviors have ripped a fellow human being’s heart out.
Until adults (teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, coaches and of course parents) realize bullying can never be ignored or minimalized, it will continue.
Until adults learn how to bring bullies and victims together and conduct Explicit Conversations, in which the bully walks away fully realizing the pain he/she has caused, and the victim walks away with a sense of peace knowing the bully will no longer cause him/her pain, it will continue.
Children, regardless of age, need to be taught that their actions and words can have a profound effect on other children—in both a positive and negative way. Who is responsible for teaching this crucial bit of Humanity 101? Adults. Adults must take the reigns here and lead the way. They must take a stand, reach out, make themselves uncomfortable if need be, step out on the limb and change lives. Actually, save lives.
Brent, I have to say, your questions were deeply thought provoking for me. Answering each question was an experience. It is obvious from these questions that bullying is also close to your heart. I truly appreciate you giving me the venue to share my thoughts on the subject. It was an honor.

ZOMBIE TAG by Hannah Moskowitz

2011-12-30T21:11:00.001-05:00

12/20
Zombie Tag | Hannah Moskowitz
Roaring Brook Press
Hardcover/240pp.

Wil is desperate for his older brother to come back from the dead. But the thing about zombies is . . they don’t exactly make the best siblings.
Thirteen-year-old Wil Lowenstein copes with his brother’s death by focusing on Zombie Tag, a mafia/
capture the flag hybrid game where he and his friends fight off brain-eating zombies with their mothers’ spatulas. What Wil doesn’t tell anybody is that if he could bring his dead brother back as a zombie, he would in a heartbeat. But when Wil finds a way to summon all the dead within five miles, he’s surprised to discover that his back-from-the-dead brother is emotionless and distant.
In her first novel for younger readers, Moskowitz offers a funny and heartfelt look at how one boy deals with change, loss, and the complicated relationship between brothers.

You thought Hannah Moskowitz’s YA was good? Wait until you get your hands on her MG debut, ZOMBIE TAG.

I started ZOMBIE TAG expecting a real good story about brothers. The typical Moskowitz book.

But what I got was even better than a typical Moskowitz book (and believe me, typical Moskowitz books are THE F%^$IN S&*%). It was the best Moskowitz book I’d ever read.

First of all, the writing is tight. It’s to-the-point and short and harsh and blow-by-blow and it paints a wildly beautiful picture. Second, the characters are a blast to read. They make you laugh and laugh, but they also tug at your heart. I really did sympathize with Wil—the loss he suffers is written so real. That’s Moskowitz for you. Real.

Also: Moskowitz is THE ONLY WRITER ON THE PLANET that can write a porn magazine into a novel for middle grade readers and make it work. She should be applauded.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DON’T LET ME GO

2011-12-27T08:47:00.000-05:00

Today is a very important day.

Today JH Trumble’s DON’T LET ME GO officially hits shelves.

I read this story about two years ago, and it’s one I love a lot. I say it’s one of my favorites, and that’s really, really true—not just because JH is my friend, but because the writing is impeccable and the storyline is flawless. And the characters? You will love them so much it hurts.

It’s about love and acceptance and hurt, but mostly love. I remember sitting down at the kitchen table one night, and opening up a word document, reading the first page, and not being able to stop. That manuscript was flawed and had typos and missing punctuation but oh dear god was it amazing. I couldn’t get past the first ten pages without sending JH emails like, “PAGE TWO! I adore paragraph five.” When I was finished the story, I told JH something along the lines of, “I hate this book, it makes me want a boyfriend too bad.”

Now and then I’ll re-read DLMG or something else from the ever-talented JH, and I’ll tell myself, “Man I am lucky to have such a talented friend.”

So you should get your hands on a copy of this book. Because I love it, and I think you will too.

You can read an interview I did with JH on Lambda here.

JH Trumble’s Website * Goodreads * Amazon * B&N
IndieBound * InsightOut Book Club

Cover Reveal: CHOSEN ONES by Tiffany Truitt

2011-12-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

Aaaaaaaaand the cover is here!

Beautiful, yes? The only thing I don’t love is the font; it’s too all over the place and not crisp enough.
Here’s the official summary:

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.
Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.
But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

S.R. Johannes on Publicity

2011-12-20T07:14:00.000-05:00

Today I have independently-published author S.R. Johannes (aka Shelli Johannes-Wells) on the blog to discuss her publicity technique for her YA thriller, UNTRACEABLE.

Publicity For Untraceable

First of all I don’t like to call it “publicity” or “marketing”. Because I honestly care and appreciate everyone who has supported me. So I don’t want my contacts to seem impersonal, because it isn’t.

I guess that is part of my “publicity” is getting to know people, build relationships, and be appreciative (not expectant) of great reviews and supportive posts.

To me, when you are doing publicity for a book, bloggers are the best way to get started. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of bloggers and I love meeting them online. They read books and do reviews on their own time. They don’t ask for anything in return. They do it because they love books and they love to talk about the ones they love to their readers. I think we, as authors, are lucky to have them put that time aside for us. I never understand when authors are jerks to bloggers or reviewers.

For Untraceable, I really wanted to build a grass roots effort and get directly to readers and see what they thought about the book. So I offered anyone who signed up or emailed me a free ebook. They only had to post an “honest and constructive” review – good or bad – online at Amazon, Goodreads, and B&N.

I also offered to do interviews, guest posts, or anything they felt was fun on their blog. I never turned anyone away and I always made sure I cross-promoted his or her blog as a reciprocal.

I did do some official PR and marketing stuff. I did a press release drop on PRWeb - but saw little results. I did a sponsorship in Kindle Nation, which was a wonderful way to reach ebook readers directly. And I submitted my book to places for formal reviews – Indie Reader, Kirkus, and some smaller sites.

But in the end, bloggers were my priority over anything else. I’m hoping for word of mouth over time. That a buzz will build about Untraceable. My book is a contemporary thriller. I hope it is good and different enough to stand out in a YA world dominated by paranormal and dystopic books.

But in the end publicity is not about just selling books. It’s about building relationships and being courteous.

***

S.R. Johannes lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com

the future of us by jay asher & carolyn mackler

2011-12-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

11/21/11
The Future of Us | Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Razorbill
Hardcover/356pp.

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler team up to create an engrossing, emotional story about appreciating your life and living in the moment. Though 13 REASONS WHY isn’t my favorite book ever, and I’ve never read anything from Carolyn Mackler, I was really excited to start reading THE FUTURE OF US, because you have to admit: that’s a great concept.

Emma has just gotten her first computer. As soon as she turns it on and inserts an AOL CD-ROM, a weird-looking website called “Facebook” appears on the screen. And at the upper left hand corner? Is an image of a woman that looks exactly like Emma. After a little clicking around, she finds out that the woman is her, fifteen years into the future. The sad thing is: future Emma isn’t happy with her life. Well, then Emma’s best friend Josh gets in on it, and turns out, he has a perfect life in the future. Emma and Josh fight to keep their friendship alive and come to realize that everything they do in the present has an effect on the future.

I loved the characterization and the writing, though the plot was a little nonexistent. If it weren’t for the Facebook aspect, this would just be a simple childhood-friend-turned-lover story. It’s kind of funny to see how even though there have been all these major advances in technology, etc., there are a lot of things that have stayed the same: people, feelings, and relationships.

If you want to read a heartfelt contemporary story with a cyberpunk twist, try THE FUTURE OF US.

virtuosity

2011-11-03T17:50:00.000-04:00

10/18/11
Virtuosity | Jessica Martinez
Simon Pulse
Hardcover/304pp.

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?
Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

I love contemporary more than anything in the universe. Contemporary done right, that is. There isn’t anything more satisfying than reading a book and thinking, “That character is so me,” and seeing the protagonist as a reflection of yourself. And I did that with VIRTUOSITY. Carmen was written so well, and I understood everything she said/did—not saying her moves were easily calculated or expected or boring, just that I perfectly understood them.

When I say I related to Carmen, I don’t mean that I am also one of the top violin players in the world and am going to Julliard in the fall. I mean that I understood her desires: perfection and companionship. Carmen had all this pressure from her family to win the Guarneri that it turned into something they wanted, not Carmen. And her interest in Jeremy! It started out as just a know-thy-enemy thing, but transformed into a full-on relationship. Jeremy wasn’t a St. Clair or a Cricket, no, but reading his and Carmen’s interactions was delicious, and it either made your cheeks hurt from smiling too much or had your stomach turning in knots.

I expected the drug addiction to play a bigger role in the story, but I wasn’t disappointed at all. There’s so much happening, so many twists, it really is compelling.

This book is the best ever. It’s tense, moving, and exhilarating.

mercy lily

2011-10-31T15:16:00.000-04:00

10/8/11
Mercy Lily | Lisa Albert
Flux
Paperback/240pp.

A poetic, moving story about a teen who must make an unimaginable choice
Mom has slowly been losing herself to MS. After traditional treatment fails, she takes bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can't handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that Mom wants to die.
One beautiful spring day, Lily's mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. They live in Oregon, where the Death with Dignity Act allows a patient to make the decision to end their own life.
While navigating first love, friendship, and the other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: grant Mom's request, or cling to Mom's fading life for all it's worth.

When I picked up MERCY LILY, I really didn’t even know what it was about. I just knew that one of my online friends wrote it, and that it had the most pretty cover ever.

As always, character development is my FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD, and guess what? MERCY LILY HAS IT! I sympathized with Lily so, so easily. She was written in such a way that Suzie the 67-year-old ex-clown truck driver could relate with her. (Not trying to say that ex-clown truck drivers don’t easily sympathize with teen girls with dying family members… I’m just saying… okay, never mind.) Reading about Lily’s mother deteriorate was like watching my mother deteriorate. I also really liked Lily and her friends’ interactions. You see, she has these ex-friends that aren’t her friends anymore because they became “popular” or whatever and Lily sorta distanced herself from them and also there’s a cute boy that they all like and he likes Lily and it’s all kinda awkward and sad.

MERCY LILY is a quick read, but not a light one at all. The writing is direct and forceful and the last few chapters are punch-you-in-the-gut beautiful.

bestest. ramadan. ever.

2011-10-30T08:01:00.000-04:00

7/8/11
Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. | Medeia Sharif
Flux
Paperback/299pp.
No pizza. No boyfriend. (No life.)

Okay, so during Ramadan, we're not allowed to eat from sunrise to sunset. For one whole month. My family does this every year, even though I've been to a mosque exactly twice in my life. And it's true, I could stand to lose a few pounds. (Sadly, my mom's hotness skipped a generation.) But is starvation really an acceptable method? I think not.
Even worse, my oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially since Peter, a cute and crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa likes him, too. To top it off, there's a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short skirts, commanding every boy's attention-including Peter's. How can I get him to notice me? And will I ever figure out how to be Muslim and American?

I’ve been on the lookout. I’ve been on the lookout for books with Muslim protagonists, and I haven’t been able to find that many. (But maybe I’m looking in all the wrong places? I don’t know.) But one day, I stumbled across a blog, and it was the blog of a writer named Medeia Sharif. After a little clicking around, I found out that she had a book coming out titled BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. and you can guess the rest. I was thrilled to have found something with a Muslim protag. And the fact that there was a little romance mixed in was icing on the cake. I absolutely positively had to buy this book!

In BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER., 15-year-old Almira can’t seem to ever get through one Ramadan without cheating. The temptation of Oreo cookies is just too. freaking. much. But not this year. This year, Almira’s controlling family has put an insane amount of pressure on Almira to make it through the fast. This year, Almira is dedicated and devoted. This year is going to be the bestest. Ramadan. ever. Or, at least, that’s what Almira says. Making her family proud is hard when all she wants to do is kiss all over that cute new guy at school and party with her friends…

This book is hilarious. I mean, not the book, but Almira. She’s witty and snarky and she has all this commentary on nearly everything in her head. What I really, really loved was that Almira was written as a normal teenage girl with the same interests, etc., and that her being Muslim was just one of her many qualities—like me and my uber gayness, Suzie Q. and her blue-eyedness, etc.

I also really liked how Almira’s family was written. Her grandpa was very traditional (y’know, likes to follow the rules, condemns pop culture) and judgmental. I, like Almira, have family members like that. Also, I loved how Sharif mentioned some of the Muslim stereotypes, and how Almira’s grandpa would judge other Muslims more than he did people of other religions, race, etc.

Basically, I just really liked this book. It’s funny, it’s enjoyable, and it somehow manages to be both lighthearted and deep.

uprinting poster giveaway

2011-10-24T16:27:00.000-04:00

Are you a fan of POSTERS? Are you a fan of POSTERS YOU DESIGNED YOURSELF?

Lucky for you, the kind folks at Uprinting.com, an online printing site, with services like poster printing, and photo enlargements, etc., are sponsoring a giveaway here at Naughty Book Kitties.

One lucky reader will win:

An 18”x24” Poster Print
Semi gloss OR high gloss
1 business day print turnaround time *Free Shipping

Giveaway rules:

must be over 18 to enter
one entry per person
US mailing address only
open to entries until October 31, 2011
fill out the form below or linked here

***This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive a poster for hosting.

DEADLY COOL Blog Tour Post

2011-10-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

Gemma Halliday started writing fiction in 2002 and after winning several awards as an unpublished writer, her career kicked into high gear in 2005 when she won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Award. One month later she was offered her first book contract, saving her from adding another dead-end to her eclectic employment history. After stints in Portland and Los Angeles, Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay Area where she is hard at work on her next book.

On this leg of my DEADLY COOL blog tour I’m talking about my life as a teen. One of my favorite things to do as a teen was watch movies. Somewhere around my sophomore year in high school I started taking drama classes and caught the acting bug big time. So movies were definitely my thing. I spent hours watching old ones, new ones, and even some horrible ones. (I’m ashamed to say I did go see several Nightmare on Elm Street flicks in the theater. Shudder.) So here are some of my favorites from my high school years:

1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
I always wanted to have his guts. And his friends. And his devoted class mates. (Save Ferris!)

2. Gone With the Wind
Okay, this one isn’t technically from my era, but I discovered it while I was in my teens and fell in love. I read the book cover to cover, then watched the movies at least ten times. It was the first time I encountered a heroine who was so flawed yet so loveable at the same time.

3. Back to the Future
Number one was fabulous, number two was okay, number three was back to fab again. Incidentally, after I moved to Los Angeles to work as an actress in my twenties, I lived right down the street from the mall where they filmed the DeLorean scenes. I always wanted to speed through the parking lot to see if *maybe* I could time travel just a *little*.

4. Braveheart
So dramatic, so exciting, so many hot guys in kilts. What’s not to like?
And a cool aside…years after this movie came out I was helping my brother do a little family research for a school project. We traced our Halliday lineage back to Scotland and, amazingly, found out that we were related to Braveheart. We were descendant from his sister, which I guess makes him good old Uncle Braveheart to me!

5. Pulp Fiction
Okay, the first time I saw this movie I thought it was sick. (And not in the “Dude that’s sick!” good kind of way.) The second time, I could look past the violence a little and see the beauty in the story format. The third time I think I might chuckled here and there. The fourth time I was hooked and even went out and bought the soundtrack.

So what are some of your favorite movie memories as a teen? Any movies that just scream “high school” to you?

(P.S. Join me at my next tour stop where I’ll be talking about my favorite music as a teen! YA Bibliophile)

~Gemma
http://www.gemmahalliday/

First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously? As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim. I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time.

interview with author a.j. paquette

2011-10-20T15:24:00.000-04:00

Today, my darling readers, I am thrilled to present A.J. Paquette to you in an interview. Ms. Paquette is the author of the recently-released NOWHERE GIRL, which is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. I hope you enjoy reading A.J.’s answers as much as I did!

Author Website
A. J. PAQUETTE lives in Massachusetts with her family, where she is also a literary agent. Nowhere Girl is her first novel.

1) The majority of NOWHERE GIRL is set in Bangkok, Thailand. By the wonderfully-written descriptions of the city, readers would assume you've traveled there before. Have you?
Yes, I actually did visit Bangkok many years ago. There’s something about setting foot in a place yourself that I think really helps to anchor the tone and feeling of any given location. With that said, though, it was a brief visit very long ago, so I knew I would need more than that to get all the details right. Basically, I spent a lot of time immersing myself in every possible view of Thailand: I read as many novels set there as I could get my hands on; I read travel guides voraciously; I watched movies; I researched specifics on YouTube. I also spoke and emailed with friends currently living in Thailand, who read my manuscript and helpfully pointed out certain specifics I had gotten wrong. All in all, it was a form of long-distance immersion that was immensely satisfying, and the more so when I hear from readers that, even just for a moment, they too felt like they slipped across the ocean and set foot in that amazing city.

2) Luchi Ann is very -- can't find the right words to describe it -- sophisticated and brave girl for her age. When the idea for the story came to you, was she always so young or did you ever plan for her to be older? Basically, was the story always middle grade or did you originally plan for it to be YA?
Luchi’s age was something that I did grapple with when first starting to tell her story. I had envisioned this originally as a YA novel—the themes and some story elements feel darker and more mature than a typical MG. Knowing that Luchi would need to travel such a long distance on her own, I also felt she might do better being a bit older. On the other hand, she had remained in prison alongside her mother until her mother’s death, and in the end this was something I could not conceive of an older teenager doing.—At least not a strong, smart girl such as Luchi is. So she needed to be old enough that she could capably make her way alone in the world, and yet young enough that she was still willing to follow her mother’s lead for as long as she was able. That thirteen/fourteen-year-old age is right around the time kids are really coming of age, growing into who they will become as adults, and that ended up feeling just right for when Luchi’s story should begin.

3) One of the big themes in NOWHERE GIRL is finding a home, a place where you truly belong and know it with every little fiber of your being. To me, the whole book was about Luchi Ann being ripped from her home (her home = wherever her mother was) and struggling to find a new one. What I want to know is: what does "home" mean to you?
Wow, good question! I have definitely had a tumultuous and widely-traveled upbringing, so the meaning of home is a concept that I do grapple with in my own life. (Maybe that’s where some of the subtext comes from? Hmmm…) But in pondering your question, I would say that home is very much about the people I care about. I don’t have the luxury of a long-lived and deeply-rooted family house to look back on, so for me, home is my family, plain and simple. Much like the old clichéd saying, my home really is where the heart is.

4) I know you've written a few picture books, and that your website mentions some upcoming projects, but can you tell us anything about what to expect from your writing in the future?
There’s definitely lots of new stuff brewing! My next project to be released will be THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO CHASING MERMAIDS (Tanglewood, 2012), a companion picture book to my 2009 release THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING FAIRIES. I am also hard at work on PARADOX (Random House, 2013), a fast-paced YA science fiction novel about a girl who wakes up in a rocket ship on an alien planet, with no idea who she is or how she has come to be there, only knowing that she has to get moving while she still can. I realize this doesn’t tell you much about the actual storyline—but that’s intentional! Stay tuned… :)

5) On top of being a writer and mother and human, you are a literary agent at the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Have you learned anything from your clients that you've been able to apply to your own writing and processes?
I feel so blessed to have such talented authors on my client list, and I feel like I am always learning from them: their amazing work ethic, dedication to their craft, professionalism, and passion for what they do. They are the best of the best! You can read more about some soon-coming debuts from EMLA at the blog Emu’s Debuts http://emusdebuts.wordpress.com/

6) What is the best thing about being a published writer?
Very hard to say, but I think there’s a special rush you get from the idea that somewhere, maybe next door, maybe all the way across the country, someone might at this very moment be picking up those words you’ve written in the dark, alone at your computer, might be reading them and infusing their own emotion and subtext and viewpoint into them, might be taking these words you’ve written and making them their own, giving them new life. To be a part of creating something that has the potential to pretty much last forever… how insanely fabulous is that?

See? A.J. Paquette is delightfully wonderful. If you like great writing and emotionally thrilling stories, you must check out NOWHERE GIRL.

FREEBOOKSWHOOOOOYAY

2011-10-20T15:23:00.001-04:00

My dear friend Misty Provencher, previously represented by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, lost her agent this past week. Misty (hereby referred to as “the MistWeisters”) has decided to post chapters of the manuscript she landed her agent with on the internet. Basically, you get to read a kick-ass story for free. The MistWeisters’s blog is here: http://tenaciousink.blogspot.com/

BEAUTIFUL CHAOS GIVEAWAY

2011-10-18T05:57:00.000-04:00

You see those books up there? Those bestsellers?

They look eerie and creepy and dark and thrilling and amazing, right?

The 3rd book in the Caster Chronicles series, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, comes out this week, and I have a special treat.

Two lucky readers will win a copy of BEAUTIFUL CHAOS!

Giveaway rules:

must be over 13 to enter
one entry per person
US mailing address only
open to entries until October 24, 2011
fill out the form below or linked here

stick

2011-10-11T07:12:00.000-04:00

10/11/11
Stick | Andrew Smith
Feiwel & Friends
Hardcover/292pp.

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.
When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

A while ago, I received an email, asking to be apart of the cover reveal for STICK. And now, the book is here and published and in stores and being read. Time flies.

About a year ago, I got my first taste of Andrew Smith. His novel THE MARBURY LENS was sorta crazy—I think in my review I said something along the lines of, “Andrew Smith writes about rape and dismemberment, and he doesn’t make you feel awkward AT ALL.” I was totally being honest. I was talking about Andrew’s level of awesome with one of my friends, and he said something like, “He stands out among cookie cutter writers.” And that’s true, too. Andrew Smith’s books are all these different things, and I absolutely love them.

In STICK, Stark McClellan is missing some things. He does not have a girlfriend, he does not have a loving family, and he does not have a left ear (or was it right?). What he does have is a gay brother, Bosten, and a gut feeling that he needs to escape from the tight clutches of his abusive father before he finds out.

Bosten leaves, and rightly so, but he left Stark (“Stick”) behind. STICK is about a boy who wants something so bad, more than anything in the universe.

So, this book? Was written in this cool little way. Because Stick is missing one ear, he hears things different. Words travel slower. And Andrew Smith shows the reader this on the page, through funky formatting. I wouldn’t call it verse or prose, it’s just… different. Much like the story itself.

Second to the writing, the characters and their relationships with each other are probably the best thing about STICK. Andrew Smith can write about brotherhood dynamics better than anyone I know, and I got so immersed in the story I felt like they were my brothers and I was on this epic journey with them.

STICK really just blew my mind.

It’s different. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before. It’s Andrew Smith.

variant

2011-10-03T19:22:00.000-04:00

10/4/11
Variant | Robison Wells
HarperCollins
Hardcover/356pp.

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.
Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.
But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

So, this book? Is pretty freaking compelling. But before I start gushing, let me get one thing clear: this book is not dystopian. No matter what anyone tells you, it is unique and original and fresh and omg and thrilling, but it is not dystopian.

VARIANT was one of my vacation reads, and I must say, I couldn’t have picked a better one! I read the first hundred pages on the way down to FL, and I was so hooked that I didn’t even mind my aching back (sitting for that long is hard, y’know). And when I actually arrived and was able to finish the book on the beach: absolute bliss! Though I read this book months ago, I still remember how addictive the story is and the complete shock I felt after those closing chapters.

In VARIANT, Benson Fisher arrives at Maxfield Academy with one thing: hope that this will be the end to his cliché foster-kid life. But when he finds out that there are no adults in the Academy—only students, who teach themselves and, somehow, form a system on how things run—he realizes that education is the last thing on the owners of Maxfield’s minds, and that he’s a guinea pig in a big experiment.

Can I also just say Thank the Lord this book has no snarky female protagonist? Benson Fisher is completely relatable and I sort of found him funny. His romance with one of the students, Jane, was icing on the cake.

Honestly, do I recommend you go out and buy this book and READ IT IMMEDIATELY? No. Because there is a huge, larger-than-life cliffhanger at the end, you should go out and buy it and, a week before the sequel comes out, read it then!

the unbecoming of mara dyer

2011-10-02T07:38:00.000-04:00

9/27/11
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer | Michelle Hodkin
S&S BFYR
Hardcover/450pp.

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

I love psychological paranormal thrillers. This book? Is the the epitome of psychological paranormal thriller. Michelle Hodkin brings you into her story with fantastic writing and even more fantastic atmosphere—in those first few pages, you’re creeped, you’re paranoid, you’re scared. You have a lot of questions, and, by the end, most of them get answered. But just enough are left not; just enough to make you yearn and crave for a sequel. (Which, by the way, is definitely happening. I asked the esteemed Ms. Hodkin myself.)

THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER is about a girl whose name may or may not be Mara Dyer. Mara Dyer is a funny girl, a misplaced girl, but most of all just a girl that wants to fit in. But after an accident—an accident involving her group of friends dying—she hasn’t been able to fall back into normalcy. MARA DYER is about what happens when a girl wants to find out the truth, even if it may disprove everything she ever knew about herself.

As I said, Michelle Hodkin’s writing = great. And her romance-writing skill? Is killer. Noah, a most attractive British dude, will drive you bonkers.

Seriously, this book will make you go WTF. But not WTF in a bad way, like, “WTF WAS THE AUTHOR THINKING??!?!?” More like, “WTF JUST HAPPENED OMG THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN OMG THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!”

This book left me speechless, breathless, and absolutely exhilarated. Read it if you fucking DARE.

lola and the boy next door

2011-10-01T11:11:00.000-04:00

9/29/11
Lola and the Boy Next Door | Stephanie Perkins
Dutton/Penguin
Hardcover/338pp.

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Last December, Stephanie Perkins wrote a book that I absolutely loved. And back in June, when I got my greedy little hands on an ARC of her sophomore novel, LOLA, she became one of my favorite writers. Stephanie Perkins is great, her books are even more great, and I could spend days and days gushing over the characters she creates in her contemporary stories.

Stephanie Perkins books are all about the characters. To me, they are, at least. Before starting LOLA (I started it on a beach in Panama City, btw. So it was STEPHANIE PERKINS and THE BEACH. Most perfect day of my life) I was a bit scared I wouldn’t love the characters as much as I did the ones in ANNA. BUT NO! Lola and Crocket and Caliope and etc. are just as lovable—if not more than—the characters in ANNA we loved so much. Stephanie Perkins has this amazing ability to make your body and heart and soul ache to know the characters in her story in real life. I don’t know how she does it, but she does it phenomenally well.

Besides the usual wonderfully-likable female protagonist and dreamy male love interest, the thing that sets LOLA and ANNA apart is this: the pair of hilarious, adorable gay dads. That’s RIGHT, Lola Nolan has two fathers, and they will warm your freaking heart. They totally made the novel a thousand times better than it already was.

Sometimes when I try to describe these books, I call them romance. They are romance, but they’re so much more. Like, it’s not all about finding love and being happy and I can’t live without him, yadda yadda yadda. The characters in LOLA, they have to work through different situations and learn to be comfortable with themselves before they can actually get to the, well, romance part.

I just love this book.

nowhere girl

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000-04:00

9/13/11
Nowhere Girl | A.J. Paquette
Walker Books for Young Readers
Hardcover/256pp.

Luchi Ann only knows a few things about herself: she was born in a prison in Thailand. Her American mother was an inmate there. And now that her mother has died, Luchi must leave the only place she's ever known and set out into the world. Neither at home as a Thai, because of her fair skin and blond hair, nor as a foreigner, because of her knowledge of Thai life and traditions, Luchi feels as though she belongs nowhere. But as she embarks on an amazing adventure-a journey spanning continents and customs, harrowing danger and exhilarating experiences-she will find the family, and the home, she's always dreamed of. Weaving intricate elements of traditional Thailand into a modern-day fairy tale unique unto itself, Nowhere Girl is a beautifully rendered story of courage, resilience, and finding the one place where you truly belong.

Multi-cultural middle grade, holla. There’s nothing better than spending a few days in a foreign country with that naive, wondered-by-discovery voice you get in middle grade fiction. Seeing the cover was enough to get me to add NOWHERE GIRL to my to-read list; the straw hat, the dark forest, and the Thai-looking temple in the background set the tone for an emotional story about a young girl in a world that seems so far away.

NOWHERE GIRL is about Luchi Ann, but don’t tell her I told you her name; she’ll get very upset. You see, Luchi Ann’s mother has just died, and one of the last pieces of advice she gave her daughter was: don’t tell anyone your real name. When her mother dies, Luchi Ann has a choice: stay in the Thai women’s prison in which she was born in, or leave. Go see the world. Be free.

Luchi Ann leaves. With no clue about her other family, why she seems to not be like the other people in Thailand (Luchi Ann is American), or why her mother was in the women’s prison in the first place. On the way to finding where she belongs, she discovers the secrets of her mother’s past. And they aren’t pretty.

So basically, I really freaking enjoyed this book. Luchi Ann is so desperate for guidance and love and a home, she’s so young, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her narration. I was awed by how incredibly brave she was, and the insurmountable hope she kept throughout the entire story.

I’ll admit, the story is a bit slow-moving. That doesn’t mean it’s boring, though. Ms. Paquette’s writing is so lovely, and her characters so emotionally real, that you flip and flip the pages and lose your sense of time, because you are in her story, experiencing everything Luchi Ann is and getting bruised and beat up along the way. NOWHERE GIRL is about a girl in search of a home, and it is beautiful.

LAST RITE COVER REVEAL + ARC GIVEAWAY

2011-09-29T05:22:00.001-04:00

BOY, DO I HAVE A TREAT YOU.

When my friend Lisa Desrochers sent me an email with the words “Last Rite” and “cover” in the subject, I jumped. And when I opened it, I squealed. And when I saw the cover, the real-life, actual LAST RITE cover, I jumped and squealed and screamed and hollered.

This cover is the best. The. Best.

And Lisa Desrochers, the absolute cupcake that she is, has decided to make the cover reveal a little more fun.

Each blogger that’s participating in the reveal has been given a word or two. What you readers have to do is visit each blog, collect all the words, and unscramble the sentence. THEN you will visit Lisa Desrochers’s fine blog, and you will enter to win something (it’s 5am when I’m writing this and I am SLEEPY, okay? and I can’t remember what the prize is so don’t judge me).

My word is: trust.

If you’re slow like me and absolutely cannot figure out what the unscrambled sentence is, BRENT HAV SPECIAL TREAT JUSTAFA YHU: I am giving away a galley of LAST RITE, and you do not have to have good unscrambling skills to enter!

You just have to fill out this form.

Giveaway rules:

Open to entries in the US only
Open to entries until October 7th
One entry per person
Fill out the form below

ARC FOR TOURING!

2011-09-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

My best friend ever and favorite person in the whole entire world, JH Trumble, has this book coming out on December 27th, and guess who has an ARC they’d like to share?

ME!

I had the fine privilege of reading this brilliant masterpiece back in summer ‘10, and I’m reading the ARC now, and it’s soooo extremely interesting seeing a book after it’s been edited. I loved the story when I first read it, before Kensington had even laid eyes on it, and I love it even more now.

ANYWAY, this is a fantastic story, and I want to share it you guys. So I’m shipping my ARC around the country so you can all read it and, if you like it, which I’m sure you will, help spread the word about JH’s fine writing.

It’d be great if a lot of bloggers signed up for the tour, but it’s also totally OK if you’re not a blogger. So, writers, readers, non-bloggers, etc., you are welcome to join.

Fill out the form below. Signing up doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be on the ARC tour! Each person will have one (1) week to read the book and then they will be required to ship the book to the next person on the list. I’ll be in touch with you if you get on the tour (it’s basically first come, first serve).

the unwanteds by lisa mcmann

2011-09-17T09:05:00.001-04:00

8/31/11
The Unwanteds | Lisa McMann
Aladdin
Hardcover/390pp.

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.
In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.
But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Prior to THE UNWANTEDS, I was (shamefully) a McMann-virgin. Whenever I saw one of her books around the store, I’d be all, “I WILL BUY THAT! TODAY!” and I’d forget and months would go by until my next shopping spree and I’d forget again. Anyway, when I saw she was writing middle grade, THE UNWANTEDS went to the top of my to-read list! Middle grade fantasy is the best, and when Kirkus calls something “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter,” you just know you can’t pass it up.

McMann is great at creating tension. The story starts off with nervousness and gut-wrenchingness and scaredness and OMG, what will happen nextness. Also, the main characters are delish. I loved reading the alternate POVs, switching between Alex (the unwanted) and Aaron (the wanted).

As soon as I started THE UNWANTEDS, I couldn’t stop. McMann has marvelous voice, and if she nails YA just as good as she does MG, I need to read those books stat. THE UNWANTEDS is the story of two brothers—twins—and what happens when the government they live under decides one of them is disposable. It’s about art, it’s about creativity, and it’s about being different.

Mara Madness Blog Tour

2011-09-14T05:30:00.000-04:00

I bring you Michelle Hodkin, the brilliant lady behind the most psychotic + addicting read of the year, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER. My lucky self snagged a spot on the official blog tour, and I’m so thrilled to have Ms. Hodkin discuss her MARA DYER playlist with you.

Website / Blog / Twitter
At the age of sixteen, Michelle Hodkin lost the rights to her soul in a poker game with pirates just south of Natchez. Shortly thereafter, she joined an acting troupe and traveled the world performing feats of wonder and mischief. She has been seen on stages nationwide and earned rave reviews for her one woman performance of Titus Andronicus before writing THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER, her first novel. Michelle currently lives with her three pets and may or may not be a reliable narrator of her own life.

***
I’ve been answering a lot of MARA DYER related questions lately (which I love!) and one of the ones I hear most often is: “Did you listen to music when you wrote it?”

For a book that mentions a band in the very first paragraph, it’s probably not surprising to anyone that the answer is yes. For some scenes, music was pivotal for the creation of a particular mood. Other scenes might not have existed if some songs hadn’t popped up in iTunes at just the right moment.

I love searching out playlists for the books I love the most so that when I reread the book, I can listen to the music the author listened to when he or she wrote it. My biggest hope is that in a few weeks, someone out there will love MARA DYER enough to do the same. Anonymous MARA DYER person? This is for you.

Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing (Chris Isaac)
Mad World (Gary Jules)
New Slang (The Shins)
Crazy (Gnarles Barkley)
I Will Possess Your Heart (Death Cab for Cutie)
Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap)
Night Terror (Laura Marling)
Paper Bag (Fiona Apple)
Tymps (Sick in the Head) (Fiona Apple)
Put Your Lights On (Santana)
Lunchbox (Marilyn Manson)
Shadowboxer (Fiona Apple)
Someone to Save You (One Republic)
Demons (Guster)
Down in the Park (Marilyn Manson)
Burden In My Hand (Soundgarden)
Today (Joshua Radin)
Marching Bands of Manhattan (Death Cab for Cutie)
Good Life (One Republic)
Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
When the Lights Go Out (The Black Keys)
O Saya (A R Rahman & M.I.A.)
Closer (Kings of Leon)
Transatlanticism (Death Cab for Cutie)
Limp (Fiona Apple)
It’s All In Your Mind (Beck)
What If You (Joshua Radin)
When The Night Comes (Dan Auerbach),
Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley),
Crosses (Jose Gonzalez)
I Was Broken (written by Marcus Foster & performed by Robert Pattinson)
Say Hello To Heaven (Temple of the Dog)
Killing for Love (Jose Gonzalez)
Criminal (Fiona Apple)
Fast As You Can (Fiona Apple)
Black Dog (Kelli Schaefer)
***

Thanks, Michelle! So interesting.

Now, let’s have a little fun. If you don’t already know: each blog on the tour has been assigned a letter. When you collect each letter and arrange them in a particular way, they form a key sentence in THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER. Once you get all the letters and figure out what the sentence is, submit your answer here: viewform-formkey=dDg0UzA3VmpKaVExVW9DLVNnMDJyZ2c6MQ.

My letter is…

For the full list of blogs on the tour, visit here: unbecoming-of-mara-dyer-blog-tour.html

cover interview w/ scott tracey

2011-09-05T08:25:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Today I bring you the super cool Scott Tracey, author of WITCH EYES (Flux, Sept. 8, order here, here, and here). We are discussing his book cover, and oh, what a cover it is.

1) Is it just me, or does the dude on the cover of WITCH EYES have a rainbow-colored eye? Does this have any significance to the story? Do I smell gay witches? Not so much a rainbow eye as an eye full of lightning. So if you're asking if the book contains a lot of fabulous electrocutions....well, you'll just have to read and find out. But yes, Braden, the main character, is gay, but that's just one aspect of what his life's all about. He suffers under a condition known as the witch eyes - a power that reveals the world as it really is: a living memory of pain, magic, and darkness.

2) It looks like there's a red-ish mansion at the bottom. Does this mean there's MYSTERY, and SECRET PASSAGEWAYS, and HOT ROOMMATES in your story? There's actually two mansions featured in the book, and the one on the cover (to me) is more of the second mansion, which we only see briefly at the end. But there's definitely an element of mystery at the core of Witch Eyes - Braden comes to Belle Dam looking for answers. And the longer he's there, the more questions that come up.

Alas, there aren't any secret passages (in this book), but there's a hottie or two.

3) There's this dark, brooding forest in the background of your cover. Not saying your story is set in a forest, but: can you tell me a little bit about the setting of WITCH EYES and the role it plays in the story and/or cover? Witch Eyes is set in Belle Dam, a city in Washington that's up the road about an hour northwest of Seattle. It's a city that was founded by two families, the Lansings and the Thorpes, and just like Gretchen Weiners' hair, it's full of secrets. It's a city full of intrigue: which side are you on, how can you curry favor with Jason Thorpe or Catherine Lansing, how can you use those secrets you've collected.

Belle Dam is a city that was founded by witches, and the supernatural undercurrent stretches all the way throughout the city. Now, most people don't know that magic is real, but they know that things in their town are...different, and it affects the way they deal with their daily lives.

4) I'm only speaking for myself when I say this: I get a dark, mysterious feel from the cover. What tone do you think it sets? Do you think it's accurate to your writing + the WITCH EYES story? I think the cover sets the tone perfectly. While I don't think Witch Eyes is as dark as some other YA urban fantasies (and don't get me wrong, I love me some dark YA), I think it has its moments. There's a little bit of somberness in it, I think, and seriousness. One of my favorite movies is Cruel Intentions, and that was the kind of atmosphere I was going for with Witch Eyes - something that has it's light hearted moments, but then things get serious.

5) If you could add one thing to the cover (a tagline, a Barbie doll in the bottom left corner, the McDonald's arches, etc.) what would it be and why? I'm going to be lame and say I wouldn't add anything. I tried, valiantly, for months to try and come up with some sort of tagline that I could use on my website, and couldn't come up with anything, so that's definitely out. And I think Flux did a fantastic job with the cover, it seriously blows me away every day.

juniper berry by mp kozlowsky

2011-08-25T06:17:00.000-04:00

4/26/11
Juniper Berry | MP Kozlowsky
Walden Pond Press (HarperCollins)
Hardcover/227pp.

Juniper's parents have not been themselves lately. In fact, they have been cold, disinterested and cruel. And lonely Juniper Berry, and her equally beset friend, Giles, are determined to figure out why.
On a cold and rainy night Juniper follows her parents as they sneak out of the house and enter the woods. What she discovers is an underworld filled with contradictions: one that is terrifying and enticing, lorded over by a creature both sinister and seductive, who can sell you all the world's secrets in a simple red balloon. For the first time, Juniper and Giles have a choice to make. And it will be up to them to confront their own fears in order to save the ones who couldn't.
M.P. Kozlowsky's debut novel is a modern-day fairy tale of terror, temptation, and ways in which it is our choices that make us who we are.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
The cover and synopsis of JUNIPER BERRY make it sound it’s everything I want in a good story. Dark, creepy middle grade is the absolute best, and the cover gives off this larger-than-life feel. When my good friend Jessica recommended I give it a try, I listened. (Oh yes, I listened. You should always listen to your friends, especially when they are speaking of books.)

JUNIPER BERRY is the story of Juniper Berry (a fine name indeed) a lonely girl whose parents are the most famous actors. When she notices a change in her parents—they don’t give her the same amount of attention they did a year ago, they don’t cook dinner, they aren’t interested in Juniper period—our marvelous protagonist sets out to get to the bottom of this peculiar behavior. With her best fried, Giles, Juniper enters the woods behind her house with nothing but fervor. Little does she know, she’s going to need much more than love for her parents—or rather, her OLD parents—to defeat the sneaky creature responsible.

JUNIPER BERRY was a delightful book. Honestly, I expected more—the tone was a little flavorless, and the story was a little stale—but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I felt sympathy for Juniper Berry and was oh so scared for her well-being once I hit those final chapters. (NO, don’t go through that door Juniper Berry! RUN! RUN! RUN!) I also loved her friend Giles, who may or may not resemble a scared cat.

JUNIPER BERRY is the perfect read for the season coming up, I think. But it now, read it in October. The beautiful illustrations only add to the dark and creepy atmosphere.

the incorrigible children of ashton place, book 1: the mysterious howling by maryrose wood

2011-08-21T11:09:00.000-04:00

3/1/10

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling | Maryrose Wood

HarperCollins

Hardcover/288pp.

Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.
Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies.
But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I think I said this a while ago, but I’ll repeat: one of my favorite MG-subgenres is historical. There’s nothing better than wacky characters in a lush historical setting! It reminds me that while a lot of things have changed (society, technology, etc.) the big things like childhood, human nature, and everything else has not.

The cover looked cute, the story sounded great, my Nook Color was sitting on my shelf, empty of a fresh new story, and I just had to download it. And I’m so glad that I did!

THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING starts off with Miss Penelope Lumley, our lovely protagonist that we must first get acquainted with as Miss Penelope Lumley and then later simply Penelope, trekking her way through the European countryside. You see, Penelope Lumley—I mean, Miss Penelope Lumley, as you are not yet acquainted with her—has just graduated the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and is now in search of a possible job. What job? Well, what else might a Poor Bright Female be than a governess to three wolf children?

When Miss Penelope Lumley arrives to Ashton Place, she is shocked to see that three children she is to take care of aren’t even human children. Or maybe they are. Or maybe they aren’t. All she knows is, they have a ferocious growl and the gait of an ill-groomed dog.

I seriously ADORE this book! Usually when I love a middle grade so much I call it “cute,” but that word doesn’t fit. The words “lovely” and “lavish” and “fun” fit. The moments when Miss Lumley Penelope is attempting to train the children, and there are many (oh yes, they so need all the training they can get), were my favorite. Their interactions are laugh-out-loud funny.

Here’s my inner-publishing intern coming out: The protagonist of THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING is 15-years-old, yet this book is nowhere near a YA. It never reads as anything but MG, and I’m in awe of Maryrose Wood’s talent for keeping the MG voice with YA-aged characters. In the slushpile, I see a lot of these situations that just don’t work (the protagonist has a YA voice when the story is supposed to be MG, and vice versa). This is a perfect example of how to master the middle grade voice with hard-to-tackle characters.

Really, just go out and get your hands on this book! Maryrose Wood is a marvelous story-teller.

personal demons by lisa desrochers (this review is totally PG! just sayin’)

2011-08-14T13:09:00.002-04:00

7/5/11

Original Sin | Lisa Desrochers

Tor Teen

Paperback/400pp.

Luc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn’t feeling as demonic as usual lately—thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realized she had. But you can’t desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc’s allies.
Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn’t the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn’t long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too…tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.
Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears—and they’re not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won’t give up and Heaven won’t give in. Frannie’s guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell’s grasp.
And not everyone will get out of it alive.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I want to hack Lisa Desrochers’s computer. I want to hack her computer, open up every single word document there is, and print out LAST RITE. I don’t recommend this series to anyone who isn’t up for major cliffhangers.

Lucky for me, the book starts off with very little Gabe! I’m ~~fucking thrilled~~ glad to report that most of the novel was spent developing the wonderful, perfect relationship between Luc (!!!!!!!!!! love him) and Frannie.

I love writers that bend and blend and test out new stuff and push the limits. Lisa Desrochers, the fine lady, she doesn’t just push limits. She flips them off! The PERSONAL DEMONS is seriously hot. Like, borderline-adult romance hot.

But it’s not just the romance that makes these novels sizzle. It’s the action. It’s the suspense. It’s the twists, the break-neck pacing, and the jump-off-the-page characters. I seriously LOVE these books.

WARNING: The ending to ORIGINAL SIN will make you want to cry and fight and send Lisa Desrochers little cards with cute teary-eyed puppies with a “How could you do this to us?” tagline.

ANOTHER WARNING: Say on the internet that you “love Luc, he is totally mine and no one else can have him!” and see what happens. Don’t try me.

wolfsbane by andrea cremer

2011-08-14T08:26:00.001-04:00

7/26/11

Wolfsbane | Andrea Cremer

Philomel

Hardcover/400pp.

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Even though I read this nearly half a year ago, I can still remember it clearly. Let me tell you: I savored every last word of this story. The NIGHTSHADE series is probably the only paranormal romance I still read and am still addicted to.

Before I start talking, let me set everything up.

Brent before reading WOLFSBANE: TEAM SHAY TEAM SHAY TEAM SHAY TEAM SHAY!

Brent after reading WOLFSBANE: TEAM REN TEAM REN TEAM REN TEAM REN! BUT OH, WHAT ABOUT SHAY? I FORGOT ABOUT SHAY. I CAN’T DECIDE. I JUST CAN’T.

WOLFSBANE is a completely different story than NIGHTSHADE. Same characters, same everything, but in the second installment of this thrilling series, we get to see a different dynamic. We meet tons of new characters in WOLFSBANE (the Searchers), and let me tell you: you will love them.

Now, about the switching-teams thing. While we definitely learn more about Shay, and he takes the lead, we also get to see how far Ren’s love for Calla goes.

While I have a foggy memory (I read it in freaking December! Don’t judge me) I remember being captivated by Andrea’s intense writing and marvelous characters that I love OH SO MUCH. I’m so glad BLOODROSE’s publication date was moved up to January. :-)

SOLSTICE Blog Tour: Character Interview w. Shayne

2011-08-08T08:18:00.000-04:00

Today I present you PJ Hoover and her debut YA dystopian novel, SOLSTICE. SOLSTICE is one of the first titles to be independently published by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and it was also the first ebook I ever accepted for review! Below is an interview with the character Shayne, who, let me tell you, is very endearing indeed.

Author website:
http://www.pjhoover.com/

Link to Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkWezTGdTkg

BIO:
P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is also a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis, chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.

*****
SOLSTICE by P. J. HOOVER: CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH SHAYNE
Thanks for letting me be here. Ever since I read that interview with Reese last week (http://www.thereadiacs.com/exclusive-interview-with-pj-hoover), my blood has been on fire. He’s always trying to get the spotlight, but now, I have my chance. So thank you for that. Seriously.
So you have some questions. I’ve been known to keep secrets from time to time, but in this case, there’s no reason to hold out on the truth.

1) How do you deal with all the hot weather?
Hot weather? You think this is hot? Let me tell you hot. Hot is walking through a wall of fire to get into Tartarus. Hot is fired coals that melt in front of your eyes. Hot is the steam that comes out of the factories in Asphodel. So this global warming stuff on Earth…it’s really not even worth mentioning.

2) What's your favorite story of Greek mythology?
The stories that hold the most merit with me are the ones I see on a daily basis. Like Prometheus, for example. Poor guy thought he was doing humans a favor. He brought them fire. Of course Zeus was going to get mad. Zeus ordered him not to help. So even though I visit Prometheus in Tartarus, I can’t help him. He disobeyed the command of the king of the gods. And trust me, I know how order can begin to slip just by one person disobeying. Because then there’s another. And another. And before you know it, chaos reigns. It’s what I need to make sure never happens in the Underworld.

3) If you could be one Greek god (or goddess) for a day, who would it be and why?
Um…really? Besides myself? Absolutely no one.

4) Describe yourself and the role you play in SOLSTICE in 140 characters or less!
I’m a god. I maintain control of the Underworld and help Piper find freedom. And I kick the snot out of Reese.

5) I must ask: do you enjoy reading mythology-based fiction?
Of course, I love to read. And mythology-based fiction…it’s my favorite genre. The myths are so rich, and they tell the story of heroes over the ages. And these stories of heroes are no different from the stories we hear about today. People find themselves involved in a quest, and they change the world. It’s a great genre, and it’s timeless.

Thank you again for the interview!

The Lying Game #2: NEVER HAVE I EVER Blog Tour

2011-08-04T06:35:00.000-04:00

Readers of Naughty Kitties very well know: I am a huge Sara Shepard (you can follow her on Twitter @Sarabooks) fan. So of course, I just had to be a part of the NEVER HAVE I EVER blog tour. For those of you that don’t know, NEVER HAVE I EVER is book two in an all-new series from Sara Shepard. While it has nothing to do with PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, it’s filled with the mysterious and thrilling charm of Sara Shepard’s writing.

NEVER HAVE I EVER released August 2nd. The ABC Family original series premieres on August 15th.

Monday through Friday this week, participating blogs will host a different game of NEVER HAVE I EVER, featuring three “Never Have I Ever…” statements from a different set of twins. Readers must post a comment below correctly identifying the lie, as well as answer whether the Never Have I Ever statement from The Lying Game’s Emma and Sutton is true or false. Readers who successfully comment on each of the 5 blogs with all the right answers will be entered to win Sara Shepard’s books (all nine Pretty Litte Liars and the first two Lying Game books)!

The blog tour schedule:
August 1st: Katie’s Book Blog: http://www.katiesbookblog.com/
August 2nd: Forever Young Adult: http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/
August 3rd: I Swim for Oceans: http://www.iswimforoceans.com/
August 4th: Naughty Book Kitties: http://naughtybookkitties.blogspot.com/
August 5th: Princess Bookie: http://princessbookie.com/

****
Quiz: Jenna and Barbara Bush
A.   Never have we ever graduated from the same college
B.    Never have we ever campaigned together at the Democratic National Convention
C.    Never have we ever joined the same sorrority

Bonus Round: Emma and Sutton True or False:
Never have we ever attended the same high school

**The deadline to enter the comment on each post is 11:59 PM EST on Friday August 5th and readers must include their name and email address in order to win.

EXCITING NEWS! + digital publishing

2011-08-02T07:45:00.000-04:00

Good morning, gracious readers of Naughty Kitties.

Today I have TWO things to tell you guys.

The first: I am now employed.

The second: Two fabulous writers (who just so happen to also be linked to my place of employment) have just digitally published some of their stories, for the first time ever.

One is a short story, priced at $0.99 | And the other is a full-length novel, priced at $2.99

Trust me when I say that these are two writers you don’t want to miss! DARK BEAUTY is a great prequel to one of Taryn’s stories currently out on submission with editors, and REMEMBRANCE is one of Michelle’s first-ever full length novels. While I haven’t read REMEMBRANCE, I’ve read Michelle’s last few projects, and she is just bursting with talent.

interview with author andrea cremer + giveawayCLOSED

2011-07-31T08:39:00.003-04:00

Boy, do I have a treat for you.

As part of the WOLFSBANE blog tour, I get to interview the New York Times bestselling author of the NIGHTSHADE series, Andrea Cremer. Andrea Cremer is an absolute doll, and I’m so excited to be a part of her blog tour!

Penguin, her publisher, has so kindly provided me with one set of the series to give away to one lucky reader. You’ll find more details at the bottom of the post! ALSO they have split the bloggers into groups, to go along with one of their quizzes on Facebook. I'm in Tordis!

Website | Blog | Facebook

Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the “Canadian Shield” rather than the Midwest. Her debut novel, NIGHTSHADE, was published by Penguin in fall 2010 and was a NYT bestseller. WOLFSBANE, its sequel, came out July 26th.

1) Without being spoilery, what would you say are the biggest differences between NIGHTSHADE and its sequel, WOLFSBANE? Great question! NIGHTSHADE introduced the world of Guardians and Keepers and the members of the pack. WOLFSBANE offers a much broader picture of the Witches War and particularly who the Searchers are. You'll meet several new characters who play a vital role in the series (and some of my favorites by the way!) WOLFSBANE explores the limits of loyalty, friendship, and family. Though there were some dark moments in NIGHTSHADE, I think WOLFSBANE is a book with more heartbreak, but also hope.

2) On your blog, you say you wrote NIGHTSHADE in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's pretty fast!!! Was this a one-time thing, or are you a naturally fast writer? How long did it take you to write the other books in the NIGHTSHADE series? I need to qualify that: Thanksgiving to Christmas is when I wrote the first draft! The full book from first draft to copy edits took about nine months. I am a fast writer. A draft takes on average six weeks, but the full process of revision is several months.

3) The love triangle in NIGHTSHADE is one of the biggest reasons I am so addicted! Calla's indecision and attraction to both is so relatable and believable. I just have to know: have you ever been in her shoes? I see how it is, evil Brent... :) I'm very happy to say that I have not been in Calla's shoes (though I wouldn't complain to have Shay or Ren wanting to snuggle with me...). While love triangles create interest and tension in a narrative, in reality I think they are messy and painful. Actually they are message and painful in books too. Messy, painful, and I'm glad I have not ever been in one.

4) What's the hardest part about writing the NIGHTSHADE series? The easiest?The hardest part is waiting for the books to come out. I'm revising the fourth book (a prequel about the origins of the Witches War) and nobody knows what's happened in WOLFSBANE and BLOODROSE. I'm dying for readers to know what's happening to Calla and her pack! The easiest part is letting my mind wander through Calla's world. I love the characters so much.

5) Is it true that every time someone buys a copy of NIGHTSHADE and/or WOLFSBANE you dance to Shakira's She Wolf? You've been spying on me! Actually it's not Shakira - I'm more inclined to dance around to TV on the Radio's Wolf Like Me.

6) On top of being a NYT bestelling author, you're a history professor at Macalester College. I know from the numerous chats we've had that you really love history! How, if at all, has this impacted your writing? History informs everything I write because history examines the major conflicts, trends, and struggles in human existence. The themes I research and write about as a historian shape the worlds I create and the problems my characters face.

7) You're coauthoring a book with Our Lord and Savior David Levithan. Can you tell us anything about that? I can confirm that David is, in fact, a writing god. I am happy to be his disciple. Our book is THE INVISBILITY CURSE and it follows lives of a boy who has been invisible since birth and the girl who is the only person able to see him.

***
I have one (1) set of the Nightshade series for one (1) lucky reader. The set includes one (1) paperback NIGHTSHADE and one (1) hardcover WOLFSBANE. I wonder how many times I can say “one (1)” in one (1) blog post.

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)CLOSED
one entry per person
open to entries until August 12th, 2011 CLOSED
US mailing addresses only

lisa desrochers title reveal + signed ORIGINAL SIN giveaway

2011-07-25T07:23:00.000-04:00

It’s Sunday morning. Some of you may be at church, and some of you, like me, are sitting at home and blogging about books with the words DEMONS and SIN in their titles.

Today I present the official title for The Novel Formerly Known as Hellbent, by my friend Lisa Desrochers. I also present you with a chance to win one (1) signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN, the second book in the PERSONAL DEMONS trilogy.

The jaw-dropping, gripping, seductive, thrilling title is . . .

~LAST RITE~

I adore this title. More than HELLBENT, actually. I finished ORIGINAL SIN the other day, and OMIF*CKINGOD. Lisa Desrochers is an evil creature for leaving us with such a huge cliffhanger.

I have one (1) signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN to give away to one (1) lucky winner.

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
one entry per person
open to entries until July 29th, 2011
US mailing addresses only

I’ll email the winner on Friday, asking how you want your copy signed. If you don’t respond within 24 hours, your copy will not be personalized.

ripple by mandy hubbard

2011-07-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

7/21/11
Ripple | Mandy Hubbard
Razorbill
Hardcover/272 pp.

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
As a Hubbard-virgin, last spring break I picked up RIPPLE with great interest. It had a great cover, a great premise, and—from what I’ve heard from my blogger friends—a great author. FORTUNATELY, as soon as I started I couldn’t stop, and I find cursed myself for not getting a taste a Ms. Hubbard’s previous Razorbill titles. (Actually, I cursed my friends for not forcing me to check them out. WTF, GUYS?)

RIPPLE is the story of Lexi, who has been cursed to kill anyone around her—when she’s in the water, in her true form, as a siren, that is. When she kills her first love, she vows to never swim in the ocean again. In her eyes, what she did is unforgivable, and she must pay for it by settling for a small lake in the middle of the woods—a siren must swim somewhere.

Lexi isolates herself from the kids at school, and even her relationship with her grandmother is becoming strained. When the charming Cole starts to het an eye for Lexi, she’s one-third thrilled, one-third annoyed, and one-third terrified. Lexi fights to keep a distance from Cole, but when she realizes that their attraction is too strong and their romance unstoppable, she tries to figure out a way to keep herself from killing him. But then another temptation comes into the story, and his name is Erik…

These days, I tend to shy away from paranormal romance (YA is so diluted with it, that’s a fact), but RIPPLE is absolutely an exception. Let me tell you: Mandy Hubbard writes a new twist on mermaids, and her tension-building ability is phenomenal. If you want to read a book that has all the elements of a perfect story, read RIPPLE.

I also really like the fact that it’s a standalone. Do you REALIZE how many trilogies we have going on in the YA genre right now? I’m not saying anything against series, or cliffhangers, (trust me, I love them too) but one of the reasons I loved RIPPLE so much is the fact that it actually has an ending. You read that last chapter, and you’re shocked and thrilled and on the edge of your seat, but there’s a definite ending and when you finish you’re not left wondering what the heck is going to happen next and WHAT THE #$%^ HOW COULD THE AUTHOR DO THIS TO ME???????!!!!!

Mandy Hubbard is a wonderful writer, and if you haven’t already, I recommend you get one of her books RIGHT THIS SECOND. If you can’t get your hands on RIPPLE, she wrote this one book that’s pretty damn awesome, too.

interview with THE NEAR WITCH author victoria schwab

2011-07-21T08:43:00.001-04:00

Webiste | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

I love fairy tales, and folklore, and books that make me wonder if the world is really as it seems. I love writing about doors, and places between, and the cracks where reality slips into something darker, stranger, and invariably more interesting.
Job-wise, I have been a clerk in a department store, where I met a very nice Erotica writer while re-hanging bras. I have been an assistant caterer and a personal chef. Because of this, I bake some mean chocolate chip cookies, can plate hors d’oeuvres, and know how to make twirling napkin towers. I was a dog daycare attendant for a few summers, and have the scars to prove it. In college, I worked in a bookstore, where I never made ANY money because I spent every check feeding my book-buying habit.
And now, I am an author. That’s still really fun to say, and I feel like I need to fact-check myself just to make sure it’s true.

(Bio taken from Ms. Schwab’s webiste)

1) In college, you changed your major six times. According to your blog, you went from Physics, to Film, to Set Design, to Art History, to English, to Communication Design. I don’t even . . . what the hell, Victoria. EXPLAIN YOURSELF. Hahaha. Essentially, I've calculated that I need approximately FIVE Victorias to do everything I want to do. The problem is I get whims. Right now I want to be a baker, a bookstore owner, an explorer, an author, and a college professor.

2) My readers and I would like to know how we can get you to spill all the dirty secrets of your book, THE ARCHIVED, which just sold Disney-Hyperion. Can you tell us anything at all about it? How is it different than THE NEAR WITCH? Oh, man. It is about as different as a book can be from NW, while still being mine. It is Buffy meets The Shining. My editor have this joke that NW is the story of disappearing children, and THE ARCHIVED is the story of appearing ones. I will say that I first began the thing that would become (oh that was a fun way to put it) THE ARCHIVED two years ago, and I cannot cannot cannot wait to be able to share it with you guys.

3) THE NEAR WITCH is this sweet mix of fantasy and folklore. Do you see yourself sticking with this, or do you think you’ll explore other genres as your writing career furthers?
I see myself doing it again, yes, but in different ways. THE ARCHIVED is a modern paranormal thingy <--official term. It's, as I said above, pretty different from NW. But I think what will be the common factor across my writing is the whimsy, the magic. I like my worlds a little (and sometimes a lot) off, odd.

4) What books have had the most impact on your writing? The Graveyard Book, Lips Touch, Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell...Really, the books with the most impact on me creatively are the ones that break rules, or rather, that do their own thing with little regard to trope or norm. They just tell the story the way they see fit.

5) What’s the hardest part of writing for you? Twists. Mainly that I want to know all of them as I'm drafting, and get frustrated with myself when I can't weave them all in first pass.

the near witch by victoria schwab

2011-07-20T19:26:00.000-04:00

8/2/11

The Near Witch | Victoria Schwab

Disney*Hyperion

Hardcover/288 pp.

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Love, love, love this book. If the summary isn’t enough reason for you to be interested in buying THE NEAR WITCH, read the first page—you’ll definitely be hooked, then.

Victoria Schwab’s writing is descriptive and fluid and the way she does atmosphere… While reading, I felt like I was actually there, alongside her characters in the town of Near. The world completely drew me in, and Ms. Schwab’s writing completely won me over.

THE NEAR WITCH is blend of genres, making it an addictive and thrilling read. I’d call it a romantic paranormal mystery told like a fairytale. It’s just brilliant.

giveaway: dragon’s oath audiobook

2011-07-20T10:42:00.000-04:00

If you remember reading my review of DRAGON’S OATH, you know I loved it.

Which is why I’m excited to be able to give away one (1) copy of the DRAGON’S OATH audiobook.

One random winner receives:

one (1) DRAGON’S OATH audiobook

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
one entry per person
open to entries until July 27th, 2011
US mailing addresses only

**Thanks to Macmillan Audio for sponsoring.

interview with CRUSH CONTROL author jennifer jabaley

2011-07-18T12:56:00.000-04:00

Website | Blog

Books:
Lipstick Apology
Crush Control

Born in New York and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Jennifer Jabaley is a graduate of James Madison University and Southern College of Optometry. She began writing in 2006 and tries to manage optometry, writing and motherhood. She lives in Blue Ridge, Georgia with her husband and two children.

1) CRUSH CONTROL is about what happens when a girl uses hypnosis to make a boy fall in love with her. When you were a teenager, did you ever wish you had the ability to make boys fall in love with you through hypnosis? When I was in high school I definitely wished I had some spectacular way I could just make a boy NOTICE me!! But I was unfamiliar with the concept of hypnosis at the time - mostly I just dreamed of fairytale romantic moments of sudden love :)

2) In what ways was writing CRUSH CONTROL different than your debut novel, LIPSTICK APOLOGY? I wrote Lipstick Apology then found an agent and then we found a publisher. With an editor I went through a series of revisions. However with Crush Control, I contracted the book based on an idea and synopsis. This allowed me to work with an editor from inception which drastically reduced the time required to finish the book.

3) What's your favorite non-spoilery scene of CRUSH CONTROL?
I have to say I love the very first chapter when Willow's dog humps Quinton's leg. Because really, dog humping a hot guys leg is a scenerio that just makes me both cringe and laugh.

4) Use three words to describe CRUSH CONTROL. Hypnosis gone crazy.

5) Do you have any other projects in the works you can tell us about? I've begun working on a new project recently and it's all new and sparkly in my mind right now!

dragon’s oath by pc cast + kristin cast

2011-07-15T09:10:00.004-04:00

7/12/11
Dragon’s Oath | PC/Kristin Cast
St. Martin’s Press
Hardcover | 145 pp.

The first in an enthralling new mini-series of novellas from the #1 bestselling authors of the House of Night, Dragon's Oath tells the story behind the House of Night s formidable fencing instructor the love that will transform him, and the promise that will haunt him.
With almost 12 million books in print, the House of Night is an international publishing phenomenon that shows no sign of stopping! Now, for the first time, the Cast duo will share the back stories of some of the House of Night's most crucial and mysterious characters. And it all begins with Dragon s Oath. Before Zoey is Marked and arrives at the House of Night before she rises in power to confront utter darkness, and the House of Night is divided there's Dragon, and the dark choice that won t let him go.
Long before he's a professor at the House of Night with Zoey and the gang, in the early 19th century, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome, yet talented human teen. He thinks he can get away with anything until his father, a British nobleman, has finally had enough, and banishes him to America. When Bryan is Marked on the docks and given the choice between the London House of Night and the dragon-prowed ship to America, he chooses the Dragon and a new fate.
In 1830's St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, Dragon Lankford becomes a Sword Master, and soon realizes there are dangerous challenges and beautiful perks. Like Anastasia, the captivating young Professor of Spells and Rituals at the Tower Grove House of Night, who really should have nothing to do with a fledgling But when a dark power threatens, Dragon is caught in its focus. Though his uncanny fighting skills make him a powerful fledgling, is he strong enough to ward off this new darkness, while protecting Anastasia as well? Will his choices save her or destroy them all?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
If you follow my blog, you definitely know that PC Cast is one of my favorite writers of all time. She’s one of the only writers who, in my opinion, can bend and blend two genres together perfectly, and she’s one of the very few paranormal/fantasy authors I read. I can’t even describe why I love PC so much, her writing is just magical.

While DRAGON’S OATH isn’t an actual part of the House of Night series, it’s a short novella that allows us to get a better understanding of one of the House of Night’s most cool professors, Dragon Lankford.

In DRAGON’S OATH, we follow Dragon Lankford when he was just a boy, just a human, yet to be Marked. We get to see how he was Marked, how he got to Tulsa’s House of Night, and everything that happened in between. We also get to see his relationship with the late professor Anastasia, and how much her death affected him.

It doesn’t really move the overall HoN story along, but DRAGON’S OATH does develop Dragon’s character so much more. Read it if you love House of Night!

twisted by sara shepard

2011-07-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

7/5/11
Twisted | Sara Shepard
HarperTeen
Hardcover | 301 pp.

It’s been a year since the torturous notes from A stopped and the mystery of Alison DiLaurentis’s disappearance was finally put to rest. Now seniors in high school, Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily are older, but they’re not any wiser. The Pretty Little Liars have more secrets than ever - twisted secrets that could destroy the perfect lives they’ve worked so hard to rebuild.
Aria’s jealous of her boyfriend’s new exchange student. Spencer’s getting a little too cozy with her soon-to-be-stepbrother. Hanna’s one scandalous photo away from ruining her dad’s Senate campaign. And Emily will do anything to get a swim scholarship.
Worst of all: Last spring break in Jamaica, they did something unforgivable. The girls are desperate to forget that fateful night, but they should know better than anyone that all secrets wash ashore … eventually.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
As a huge, huge fan of the first eight books in the Pretty Little Liars series, I was a bit nervous when I first heard that Ms. Shepard and Alloy would be continuing the series with books 9-12. I was mainly worried that the new books would have a dragged-on feel and wouldn’t live up to my expectation! But, oh, was I wrong, wrong, wrong…

TWISTED picks up a year after where WANTED left off. To get away from all the drama and the press, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily take a trip to Jamaica. But once they get there, they realize they haven’t escaped anything, and they do something so unforgivable, their friendship is shattered in the process. TWISTED is about what happens a year after the Jamaica trip, and what happens when what they did comes back to haunt them.

TWISTED is just as compelling, just as well-written, as the previous eight in the series. Once I started, that nervous feeling completely went away and I was tugged back into the story of those four troubled girls and their deathly secrets.

As always, each girl has her own storyline and conflict and the story follows each one. There’s a 4-book arc that’s carried through the entire series, and before reading, I had absolutely no clue how Shepard could pull off bringing A back into the game (A’s identity has been revealed TWICE before—how could someone possibly bring her back into the story?) but she did it, and she did it good.

I am so, so thrilled with the continuation of the Pretty Little Liars series. If you haven’t started these books, but want to, the time is now!

CLOSED giveaway: jennifer echols prize pack

2011-07-11T10:40:00.002-04:00

Today, dear reader, I have a special treat for you!

I a have the wonderful opportunity to give away a Jennifer Echols Prize Pack.

You know, Jennifer Echols? We’re huge fans of here, right? Her stories are absolutely wonderful and emotional and real. I am amazed by the way she masterfully develops a relationship. But let’s save gushing over Ms. Echols’ writing for another time.

One winner receives:

copies of GOING TOO FAR, FORGET YOU, and Jennifer Echols’ new release, LOVE STORY

Take it from me: you definitely want to read Ms. Echols’ books. I haven’t had a chance to read LOVE STORY, but I am so, so excited. Be sure to visit Jennifer at her website: http://www.jennifer-echols.com/.
Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
one entry per person
open to entries until July 18th, 2011
US mailing addresses only

Good luck!

Saturday Six

2011-07-09T00:11:00.001-04:00

1. The summer is half-over. This depresses me greatly.

2. I have an entire bookshelf of books in my TBR pile. Before the summer started, I said to myself, “I AM GOING TO DOMINATE THAT BOOKSHELF YEAH LET ME HOLLA AT YOU, SUMMER ‘11.” But, as it turns out, summer ‘11 is all about manuscripts.

3. I have two full pages of yearbook ads due on August 18th. I haven’t sold a single one.

4. I embraced the digital revolution and invested in an eReader! My Nook is probably my favorite thing at the moment. Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to read one book on it.

(WHY CAN’T THERE BE 72 HOURS IN A DAY? *sigh*)

5. I may (hopefully!!!!!!!!) have exciting news to share this time next week. News that involves (but is certainly not limited to) me purchasing a new desk and getting a snazzy new email address. BUT REMEMBER: I said maybe hopefully. (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

6. I love middle grade fiction. Especially middle grade fantasy. THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING-like middle grade fantasy. I tell you, I can live off of it.

xoxoxoxo and thanks for putting up w/ my shenanigans!
Brent

inside out and back again by thanhha lai

2011-07-08T09:56:00.001-04:00

Published 2/22/11

Inside Out & Back Again | Thanhha Lai

Hardcover | 272 pp.

HarperCollins Children’s

No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.
For all the ten years of her life, HÀ has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. HÀ and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, HÀ discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Multicultural middle grade. Those three words, they are my life. When I say multicultural, I mean a story that introduces its readers to cultures other than the ones they live in. Multicultural, to me, also means stories that are insanely diverse in characters. The cover and synopsis especially pulled me into this story.

INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN is the story of HÀ, a young girl whose life is shattered when her country is overtaken by the Vietnamese war. Forced to fled her beloved Saigon, HÀ doesn’t know what to expect of the future—she doesn’t know where she’ll end up, how long it will take to get there, and most important of all: she doesn’t know if her father’s alive or not. These thoughts drift away—but only slightly—from her mind when she arrives in Alabama and has other things like fitting in, finding friends, etc. to worry about.

I read this book in one entire morning. HÀ had so much voice that I was compelled to read farther, and I was on the edge of my seat when her and her family were trying to escape Saigon. I was shocked that a child so young had to go through such events, and it really made me think. Kids actually do go through these things in real life. It’s happening now to Iranian children. It’s awful, but it happens. I never really thought that much about it until I read INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN.

Before downloading on my Nook, I had no clue this story was written in verse! I totally didn’t expect it, but it made the story . . . pop. I don’t know, it just worked. I also really like the fact that it’s the only middle grade verse novel I’ve ever read. It made it stand out.

I absolutely, completely, totally recommend INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN—for readers of all ages. Don’t let the short page length fool you; this story is a big, huge emotional and spiritual wild ride.

Re: bloggers & whether or not they sell books + why I don’t give a flying fuck

2011-07-06T14:38:00.001-04:00

For a while now, bloggers/authors/publishers have been asking the question, “Do bloggers sell books?”

My answer? I don’t know, and I really don’t ~~give a fuck~~ care.

First of all, let me set this straight: I am not blogging for anyone but myself. I am not blogging to please publishers. I am not blogging to please authors. I am not blogging to please your mother, your friend, your teacher, your librarian, or you.

I am blogging to please myself. Period.

I blog because I like it. I blog because it takes my favorite hobby and true passion—reading—something a person does alone—and turn it into something I can share with others. I blog because I love books.

When I write my reviews, I’m not thinking, “How can I get on Publisher X’s good side?” or “How can I flatter Author Y and become best friends and omg I’ll be so effing cool. ??? !!!!”

Now, don’t get me wrong. If one of my reviews makes a reader of mine go out and buy the book, I’m extremely happy. For myself, because my words had influence; for the author, whose readership expanded. What I’m trying to say is: it’s not my intention or purpose, as a book blogger, to sell books.

It’s my intention to spread the love of books and inspire discussion, to provide a place where people can come for book recommendations, and to introduce a certain book or author to someone who might not have otherwise read it.

There are some book bloggers out there (not naming names) that write these mindless fucking raving reviews in hopes of selling all the books they can and getting on a Big Six publisher’s good side. I am not one of those bloggers.

Stories are my favorite thing in the universe, and my blog enables me to share them with people.

I am a reader. I am a kidlit enthusiast.

Not a bookseller.

~Waiting on Wednesday~

2011-06-29T10:39:00.001-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights upcoming books to get excited for. It’s hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I’m waiting on . . . .

Storybound by Marissa Burt
HarperCollins Children’s
April 2012

In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.
In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.
But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....
With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.

What really draws me in is the imaginativeness of the story. I think that’s one thing that middle grade has the YA doesn’t—imagination.

BLOG TOUR—IMAGINARY GIRLS/Nova Ren Suma + Giveaway

2011-06-29T08:52:00.000-04:00

Hey kitties! I was lucky enough to snag a spot on the blog tour for IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma—a book I love dearly. Below you will find a guest post from Nova, and a few goodies. Enjoy!

I’m here spilling secrets about my book Imaginary Girls. As the cover says, “Secrets never stay below the surface.” I guess not, because here’s another one bubbling up now…

Secret #8: Music shaped Imaginary Girls more than you know.

Sometime ago, I was listening to a CD my sister told me I’d love: You Are Free by Cat Power. I was staring at a blank page, headphones in, willing words to come. Suddenly they did, and those words were the opening paragraphs of the story that would become the novel you now know as Imaginary Girls. There was something about a particular song—a favorite of my sister’s that I made into her ringtone on my cell phone whenever she called or texted me—that gave me ideas about the plot. In “Fool,” Chan Marshall sings this:

     Come along, fool
     A direct hit to the senses, you’re disconnected
     It’s not that it’s bad, it’s not that it’s death
     It’s just on the tip of your tongue, and you’re so silent

The last two lines, especially, found their way into my story. And this wasn’t the only time music my little sister introduced me to informed the book. She sent me a song called “Hanging High” by Lykke Li, an artist I’d never heard of before, and the idea of what happens when Chloe returns home after two years away can be found in these lyrics:

     Oh I’m hanging high
     Oh won’t you let me down
     Back where I started at
     You know I’m a little lost

Clearly my sister is an inspiration for Imaginary Girls—and not just her, her music. Thankfully I don’t quote these lyrics in the book (or I’d have to pay permission fees to music companies), but I am absolutely sure the book wouldn’t be what it is without them, even if the connection is obvious only to me.

* * *
Here are links to the songs, if wanted, from YouTube:
“Fool” by Cat Power: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBE1uxe8j2c
“Hanging High” by Lykke Li: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qsoDSGMRFI

Nova Ren Suma’s Website | Twitter

Isn't she a cutie?

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

You can read an IMAGINARY GIRLS sampler here.

I have one (1) signed finished copy of IMAGINARY GIRLS to giveaway to a winner in the US. To enter, fill out this form. Open to entries until July 8th, 2011.

Early Buzz – Fall ‘11

2011-06-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

♦August 2011/Penguin♦

I literally squealed when I got my hands on this book! As a huge fan of Richelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY series, I’ve been dying to read BLOODLINES ever since Mead announced she’d be writing a spinoff. BLOODLINES has everything I loved about VA: a relatable heroine, sizzling romance, and thrilling plotline.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

I absolutely love middle grade! As of late, I’ve been reading every single MG story that lands on my desk. Before I even started reading THE UNWANTEDS, I knew I would love it—up until that point, I read every single YA Lisa McMann ever wrote, and loved them all. THE UNWANTEDS is one of the best MG I’ve read all year. It’s so compelling. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna read something pitched as “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter”? This is a book that I will be forcing my friends who don’t generally enjoy middle grade to read.

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

♦September 2011/Flux♦

Homosexual witches. That is all I have to say to get you interested in this action-packed Romeo-and-Juliet-like story. Once I started, I could not stop reading! Scott Tracey’s writing is addicting. This right here is the future of gay YA—where the protagonist’s sexuality is only one of his/her many qualities.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

Do not even get me started on MARA DYER—I want to carve my name and the book’s title with a heart into trees everywhere. It’s creepy, psychotic thriller mixed with insanely intense romance. This book blew my mind.

Stick by Andrew Smith

♦October 2011/Feiwel & Friends♦

Andrew Smith’s STICK is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s unique, dark, and will make you wince. But the ending fills that spot in your stomach where STICK punched you with hope. Andrew Smith is so talented.

Variant by Robison Wells

♦October 2011/HarperCollins♦

First of all, let me just say that I have a small problem with the way VARIANT is being pitched: as dystopian. If VARIANT is anything, it’s scifi. Not dystopian. But I guess that’s just reader response…? Idk. Anyway, VARIANT is a quiet and intriguing book that grabs your attention and guides you through the first couple hundred pages until BAM! you reach the ending and you’re left w/ the world’s hugest cliffhanger. There’s a twist at the end that just blew my mind. Add this to your reading list!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

♦September 2011/Penguin♦

Stephanie Perkins brings everything you loved about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS back in LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. When you love a debut author’s first novel so much, you get scared their sophomore novel won’t live up to your expectations. I was scared before starting LOLA! But no, no, no. LOLA is just as magical. This is a story about first loves and the impact they have on you. This may be a tad spoiler, but: there’s a set of adorable gay daddies that just made this book shine! I can’t even get started talking about LOLA without wanting to take up 20,000 words. Stephanie Perkins is my new favorite writer.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

Another amazing novel from one of the most well-known YA writers out there. Love the topic, love the approach, love the authentic voice. Ellen Hopkins writes brilliant poetry. This book is perfect.

sirenz by charlotte bennardo and natalie zaman

2011-06-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

June 8th, 2011
Charlotte Bennardo + Natalie Zaman
Flux
Paperback/264 pp.

Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some serious damage at a midnight sample sale when they find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes—with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades—the god of the underworld—himself. To make them atone for what they’ve done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld any individual whose unholy contract is up.
But just because they have an otherworldly part-time job now doesn’t mean Meg and Shar can ignore life’s drudgeries (work) or pleasures (fashion!). Finding that delicate balance between their old and new responsibilities turns out to be harder than they expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there’s the matter of the fine print in their contracts . . .

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
A few weeks ago, I was in the mood for a mythology-type book. I was also in the mood for something light and fun. SIRENZ looked like the perfect book for me!

Once I got my hands on a copy, I immediately started reading and omg couldn’t stop. I was sucked in by the voicey narration of Meg and Shar—they are seriously funny!

I liked that mythology was a big part of the story, and that it was portrayed as light and funny, rather than hardcore serious. I especially liked the way Ms. Bennardo and Ms. Zaman wrote the character Hades—charming and hot and mysterious and a little bit too coy.

SIRENZ was a great, funny read!

imaginary girls by nova ren suma

2011-06-22T06:36:00.000-04:00

June 14th, 2011
Nova Ren Suma
Dutton Juvenile
Hardcover/352 pp.

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
That cover! My god, that cover is enough to make this book a besteller! I’d been following Ms. Suma’s blog long before IMAGINARY GIRLS had a cover, but once I saw it, I knew more than ever that I *had* to read this book. It’s so funky and artsy—and once I started to read IMAGINARY GIRLS, I realized it matched the writing perfectly.

Let me start off my review by saying that Nova Ren Suma’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful. Her descriptions are intricate, and she plays with word placement a lot, and I just loved it. I have this things where I judge a manuscript/book/whatever on how many quotable phrases it has—how many lines it has that I’d want tattooed on my body. IMAGINARY GIRLS has too many to count!

The relationship between the main character (Chloe) and her sister (Ruby) is what really drives the story. I have a younger sister, and since I’m gay I think that makes me an older sister figure to her, LOL. Nova Ren Suma nailed that sister relationship. Chloe was intimidated by Ruby, and she tried so hard to please Ruby. She loved and hated Ruby at the same time. Oh, it was just perfect!

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book today!

hourglass by myra mcentire

2011-06-21T06:09:00.000-04:00

June 14th, 2011

Myra McEntire

EgmontUSA

Hardcover/397 pp.

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I read HOURGLASS because all of my favorite bloggers loved it. (And also because Myra McEntire is funny, as I found out after months of Twitter-stalking.) The premise (time travel) was intriguing enough, and I was sold once I saw the cover. Before opening it up, I was crossing my fingers that it’d live up to the hype.

And it did! I completely adored HOURGLASS. The characters were extremely relatable and funny, and the hot guys were, well, hot. I want to carve “Brent Taylor + Michael Weaver / April 20, 2011 to Forever / <333” into a tree.

I love genre mashups. It amazes me when a writer can masterfully write an umbrella novel that has so many different and striking elements that no one knows what to call it (scifi, paranormal, etc.). HOURGLASS is a time-travel story (scifi), a love story (contemporary), and a story about loss and grief and recovering (literary).

I’m having a hard time gathering my thoughts and putting them into words.

I’ll summarize for you: THIS $H*T IS F%CK!NG GREAT BUY IT NOW!!!

CLOSEDgiveaway: the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making

2011-06-20T13:11:00.001-04:00

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday. With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

One lucky reader will win a copy of THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING by Catherynne M. Valente.

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
one entry per person
open to entries until June 27th, 2011
US mailing addresses only

**Thanks to Macmillan + Zeitghost Media for sponsoring.

my week in tropical paradise

2011-06-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Kittens!

I’m (finally) back from vacation—with tons of blogging to do. Did you miss me?

I thought I’d take a few minutes to post a few photos and tell you guys a bit about what I did with my week off.

First of all, I read absolutely no manuscripts! Lately, my inbox has been popping with mss to read, and while most of them are painless, it gets tiring. I wanted a week full of great reads, so I took tons of Fall ‘11 ARCs with me. I read some fantastic books—I’ll probably blog about a few of them this week.

I left two Fridays ago for Panama City Beach. When I got there, it was sweltering. That ocean-side breeze is the only thing that kept me alive.

This is the beach: (I instagrammed it, that’s why it looks so vintage)

This is the view from my hotel room balcony:

This is the beach at sunset: (not instagrammed)

At some beachfront restaurant, there was this really pretty collage of license plates, so I snapped a photo:

Also, I bought this hand-carved shell ring, and I adore it:

And in case you missed it, last week I was accused of being Teisha Little. To those people: I bought five of these—watch out!

q&a with author kady cross

2011-06-09T07:19:00.000-04:00

You're previously published, just in a different genre. What made you make the switch from adult to YA? Back in 2001 I wrote 2 historical YA's for the defunct Avon True Romance line. I've been wanting to write more ever since, but the timing was never right. When the idea for The Girl in the Steel Corset struck, I knew I wanted to do it as a YA novel.

In what ways would you say adult and YA are different? I would say there's so much more freedom in writing YA. In romance, there are certain things readers expect, but in YA you can do whatever you want. My characters can fall in love, or not. They can be whatever race and gender I want. The book can have sex in it or not. Really, the only limits in YA are your own imagination. It's an amazingly exciting part of publishing.

Which writers have had the biggest impact on your writing? Wow. Judy Blume. Stephen King. Sidney Sheldon. Oscar Wilde. Jane Austen. I think those are my big 5.

Your steampunk YA is set in 1897 London. While writing THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET, did you have any trouble getting into the mindset of teenagers in this time period? I'm used to writing historical, so I think there were times I made the characters too mature because a 17 year-old at that time would be considered an adult by today's standards. So yes, there were times when I forgot my characters were young. Thankfully, that's what I have an editor for! The only character that really gave me trouble was Griffin, because he's a duke and supposed to be in control. However, when I found my groove, it wasn't that difficult to see these characters as teenagers. All I had to do was remember how awkward I felt at that age, and it was suddenly a lot easier to combine history with a more youthful voice.

What's your favorite thing about the time period in which your novel is set? The clothes! Seriously, I love Victorian clothing, and Steampunk fashion as well. I also love the Victorian era because it was such an amazing age for science and discovery. Industry boomed, Darwin made headlines, Tesla played with radio waves. It was a fantastic era for technology and innovation.

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

FYI – Kady’s publisher, Harlequin Teen, is giving away the jewelry on the GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET cover art to one lucky reader! Visit http://facebook.com/HarlequinTEEN at the end of this week for details.

blood red road by moira young

2011-06-07T07:38:00.001-04:00

June 7th, 2011

Blood Red Road | Moira Young

Margaret K. McElderry

Hardcover | 512 pp.

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I cannot adequately blog about BLOOD RED ROAD. I loved it far too much to write a review that says more than, “OMG, OMG, AMAZING.” BLOOD RED ROAD is a unique dystopian story about a girl fighting to save the ones she loves, all the while guiding her entire civilization through a revolution. BLOOD RED ROAD completely blew my mind. This isn’t one of my favorite dystopian story—it’s one of my favorite stories, period. I like to call it “literary dystopian.”

Where to start. One of the many things that makes BLOOD RED ROAD stand out is the writing. The jacket copy calls it “poetically minimal,” and it is just that. It’s a poetry/prose hybrid, and it is genius. When I first started reading I was like, “the fuck? grammar?” but then I immediately fell in love with it. There’s nothing I love more than when an author’s writing style matches their story.

Also, I should mention: the plot and pacing will keep you up all night. You’ll finally fall asleep (with the book in your lap) at 5am, only to wake up at 6:30 because you dreamt too hard about what was going to happen next in the story. Luckily, I read this over winter break, and didn’t have to worry about anything. You know, there’s a reason Simon & Schuster made this a summer release! With no homework to worry about doing, you can read BLOOD RED ROAD all day long.

Since December, I have read this book twice. No joke. Each time I flip it open just to glance and remember how in love I was, I get sucked back into the story and end up reading the whole 400 pages over again.

BLOOD RED ROAD put that deep and wrenching nervous feeling in my stomach that didn’t go away until I flipped the last page.

1,000,000,000,000,000,000/5 stars

Read the first chapter here.

giveaway: forgotten by cat patrick

2011-06-06T08:51:00.001-04:00

What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before? Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come. When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting – before it destroys her future.

Learn more/Watch London’s video diaries

Two lucky readers will win:

a copy of FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
one entry per person
open to entries until June 13, 2011
US mailing addresses only

**Thanks to Little, Brown for sponsoring.

a need so beautiful by suzanne young

2011-06-03T14:17:00.000-04:00

Published 6/21/11

A Need So Beautiful | Suzanne Young

Balzer + Bray

Hardcover | 272 pp.

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I usually tend to shy away from angel books, but because I heard such great things about it, I read A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL—and I’m so glad I did! Suzanne Young’s writing hooked me, and I just couldn’t stop reading.

My favorite part of any story is the characters. Characters just have to be great, or I just won’t like the book. Luckily, the characters in A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL are fantastic. Charlotte was perfectly relatable, her best friend Sarah cracked me up. And the hot dude, Harlin? TOTALLY HOT. You can feel the many forms of love flying off the pages.

I also really loved the fresh take on angels. I’ve never read any story like this one. It’s intense, it’s filled with passion, and the ending will make you want to hack Suzanne Young’s computer and download the sequel. Not that I ever thought about doing that before. Just sayin’.

guest post: suzanne young on lgbt characters in ya

2011-06-03T08:02:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of different ways to approach LGBT characters in YA. There are books that are centered around coming out, books that have the main character coming to terms with a friend/relative being gay/lesbian. Then there are just characters that are gay, just like there are some that are straight. It’s just… there. My friend Lee Wind has a site: I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell do I read? over at www.leewind.org where he breaks down LGBT books into categories in an amazing list that he’s put together. It’s a great resource!

For me, the character of Alex—my main character Charlotte’s foster brother—was one of the most fun to write. He was witty and sarcastic with his brotherly tauntings underneath. He was also gay. He mentions his boyfriend, but Alex being gay was never an issue. He just was, just like he was Puerto Rican. Just like he was adopted. Just like he… was everything. It was just part of him that didn’t require a spotlight.

Now there are many great books out there that capture LGBT issues, but I also think it’s okay to have books that capture a character without highlighting their sexual orientation. Everyone grows up with a different experience and I think stories should reflect that. Books become more diversified every day, and although I know we’re not there yet, including characters who are the love interest, the brother, sister, best friend, protagonist, antagonist, and oh… they’re also a LGBT character is something that will reflect some reader’s experiences and widen the acceptance in books of what some of us already see in life.

Pre-order A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL/Add it on Goodreads

Suzanne Young currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she uses the rainy weather as an excuse to stay inside and write obsessively. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts in Arizona. Now she can be found at home chasing after her two children and writing novels for teens.

guest post: brian farrey talks about changing his book title

2011-05-26T05:47:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Today I present you Brian Farrey, author of WITH OR WITHOUT YOU (formerly titled CHASERS). I absolutely loved WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, as you can see in my review here. I read it when it was titled CHASERS, so I thought it would be very interesting to hear why the title changed. Enjoy!

_______________________________________________

Brian Farrey recently completed his MFA in Creative Writing at Hamline University in St. Paul, where Chasers was awarded the Outstanding Fiction Thesis prize. His short fiction has appeared in Weird Tales and Project for a New Mythology. He lives in St. Paul, MN and is currently an editor at Flux Books. He tweets @BrianFarrey and he blogs at Brian Farrey Books.

_______________________________________________

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Here is the completely true, totally unembellished, occasionally frustrating, but often entertaining story of how a book I wrote that was once called CHASERS became the book currently known as WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. To really appreciate the process, it’s best to look at the timeline:

2005

After having dinner with a friend who was going to nursing school to treat patients with HIV and AIDS, I get the first inklings of the idea for a book. I do a bit of research and, as I’ve just started an MFA program and know I’ll need to write a book for my thesis, I start taking many notes on where the story might go, who the characters are.

2006

“The Project” is about 1/3 of the way done and it needs a name. Something better than “The Project.” I spend nights thinking about it. I spend days thinking about it. I create a small altar and sacrifice marshmallow Peeps in the hopes that a good idea will come to me. I finally settle on calling it CHASERS, after a group of the same name that is central to the story. I’m not wild about it but it works. I am thoroughly convinced that a new and better title will come to me by the time I have to turn the finished book in as my thesis.

2007

I am mind-bogglingly wrong. No better title comes. First draft is finished. Revisions begin. Somewhere in this book there’s a wonderful title just waiting to get out.

2008

The wonderful title has decided it does not want to come out. It wants to keep hiding. The wonderful title turns out to be a big tease. I start to hate the wonderful title and I don’t even know what it is. Trying to explain to my writing group why I hate an unknown title only earns me sideways glances and whispers behind my back. I turn CHASERS (then a whopping 96,000 words) in as my thesis. My thesis committee says very nice things. Nowhere in the nice things can I find a better title.

2009

I finish rewrites so the book is much more svelte and send it out to agents as CHASERS. A wonderful agent named Robert Guinsler from Sterling Lord Literistic offers to represent me. He has no better idea what to call it so he shops it around as CHASERS.

2009—Later

Offers come in for the book. It’s a tough decision but we go with Simon Pulse. I’m convinced they will want to change the title as “chasers” would be confused with a popular alcoholic beverage (and the book is not about alcoholic beverages).

2010

Simon Pulse seems fine with CHASERS as the title.

2010—Later

Nope, time to change the title. The title we’re going for is supposed to play up the drama angle (there is a lot of drama in the book). A dramatic title will attract a certain audience. My editor and I start brainstorming titles. All of the following are discussed and subsequently rejected:

LIFE AT THE SPEED OF STUPID
MARKED
NOWHERE FAST
CONTACT

2010—Later still

Nope. CHASERS really does seem like the best title. It’s a go!

2011

“It’s a go” gets redefined as “It’s not a go!” After further marketing analysis, a better strategy to reach the biggest possible audience is to play up the romantic aspects of the book more so than the drama. I am okay with this. To me, the story is really about the rise of one relationship in the shadow of one that’s falling apartment. The relationships are important so a title that reflects that will work best.

But, remember, this is the guy who couldn’t think beyond CHASERS as the title. The elusive wonderful title has been thumbing its nose at me for almost six years now. I have no choice. I must at last think….out of the box. I took a good look at the book, and said “What’s really going on?” I thought about the main character, Evan, who’s facing a choice: he can move to California to be with his boyfriend or he can stay at home in Madison and keep an eye on his best friend, Davis, who’s gotten involved with a dangerous group of guys. He suddenly realizes that he faces a future without one of the two most important people in his life. He’s going to have to live with or without one of them. That’s more or less where the title sprang from. It has resonance throughout the book. It’s a threat (“I’m doing this with or without you”). And it’s also a question (“What will I do if I stay with you? What will I do if I choose to go on without you?”).

So…. I suggest WITH OR WITHOUT YOU to Simon Pulse. They go bananas for it and a title is born.

2011—Later

Title still WITH OR WITHOUT YOU? Yep? OK, just checking.

And that is the story of how I got my title. Thanks, Brent, for letting me ramble on. Now, before I go, if you’ll indulge me in a quick plug: check out my blog for the details on a couple contests I’m having. Writers could win a full manuscript critique by a real live editor (c’est moi) and readers could win a slew of signed, first edition books. Click the link below to learn more!

[BRENT SPEAKING: Brian's super-huge contest can be found here: http://bit.ly/lCC6kC.]

Brian Farrey’s debut YA novel, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, will be published May 24 by Simon Pulse. He tweets @BrianFarrey and he blogs at www.brianfarreybooks.com/wordpress.

with or without you by brian farrey

2011-05-25T15:22:00.002-04:00

Published 5/24/11

With or Without You | Brian Farrey

Simon Pulse

Paperback | 349 pp.

Eighteen year-old Evan and his best friend Davis get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik–whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year.
Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status. Davis is swept up in the excitement, but Evan is caught between his loyalty to Davis and his love for Erik. Evan’s lied to keep his two worlds separate. Now his lies are about to implode…and destroy the very relationships he’s been trying to protect.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Everyone is on the hunt for a book with gay characters. With gay characters, not about gay characters. Books about gay characters have plots that central around coming out, and have themes of acceptance. Books with gay characters are have plots that are, well, normal plots. Books with gay characters can be about vampires, apocalypse, or even fat mobsters who always fall down the stairs. Books with gay characters have other themes besides acceptance.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU is a book with gay characters, not about them.

High school seniors Evan and Davis are sick of being bullied for no other reason than the fact that they’re gay. So when school lets out and they meet Sable, a weird/interesting/mysterious gay dude with a hidden agenda, they’re easily pulled into the Chasers, a group that celebrates homosexuality. With each meeting, Davis is sucked farther in to the group, and when it gets dangerous, Evan must decide between saving his best friend and following his heart.

There are a billion things I love about this book, but I’ll try to only name a few.

The protagonist, Evan, is probably my favorite main character of 2011. He’s so insanely relatable, and just straight-up real. Evan is the character that everyone will love and want to be IRL friends with. He doesn’t have the snarky, whiny, depressed attitude. When you think of him, you don’t say, “Oh, Evan? That gay character in W/ OR W/OUT YOU?” Because his sexuality is the least interesting thing about him. He paints, using windows as his canvas.

Brian Farrey writes about lots of different relationships in WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, but there are two that really take lead: Evan and Davis’s, and Evan and Erik’s. I love that the relationship between Evan and Davis stayed at the friend-level. There was nothing romantic between them, and that made the story even more real. You don’t know how many times I chill with one of my gay friends and someone asks if we’re dating. That bothers the $#&% out of me, when people assume that just because two people are gay they’re automatically in love and dating. I was beyond thrilled to see this in WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.

I think I mentioned this before, but Evan is a painter. But not your typical, average painter—he creates his art on windows. Glass is his medium. I don’t want to give too much away, but Evan’s problem is this: his art, while refreshing and beautiful, is completely unoriginal. He has no unique style. No identity. Instead, he mocks other artists. The book is a lot about relationships and balance, but it’s also about self-discovery. From the beginning to the end, we see a change in Evan, through his artwork. It’s like, as he learns more about the person that he is, he also learns about the artist he wants to be. This is what made WITH OR WITHOUT YOU brilliant.

And, of course, Mr. Farrey’s writing just made the story shine.

This is a book you definitely want to read.

FIVE STARS

CLOSED: beach bound prize pack giveaway

2011-05-24T15:26:00.001-04:00

Jenny Han's bestselling trilogy, which includes The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You, concludes with an impossible choice in We'll Always Have Summer.
Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the last two years, she's almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. Conrad has not gotten over the mistake he made when he let Belly go even as Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it's now or never--tell Belly he loves her, or lose her for good. Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face a truth she has possibly always known: she will have to break one of their hearts.

When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass.
Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love. Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.
But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends. Moonglass is a dazzling debut from an undeniable talent.

One lucky reader will win:

a summer tote bag
a copy of MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby
a copy of WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han

Giveaway rules:

to enter fill out the form below
one entry per person
open to entries until May 31, 2011
US mailing addresses only

**Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster + Big Honcho Media for sponsoring.

shift by jeri smith-ready

2011-05-17T09:58:00.000-04:00

Published 5/3/11

Shift | Jeri Smith-Ready

Simon Pulse

Hardcover | 367 pp.

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.
As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
If you have followed me on my miraculous journey into blogging from the very beginning, you may or may not remember me raving about this book called SHADE. It was this teen sci-fi / paranormal romance that I couldn’t get out of my head. Well, 98 years later, the sequel SHIFT has been released.

It only took a few pages to remember what happened in SHADE + get back in sync with Aura’s story. The book starts right where SHADE left off, with Aura and Logan trying to figure out (1) what the hell is going on and why Logan’s switching from ghost to human to shade, and (2) what their relationship is. It’s really tense (the whole book is, really) and it reminded me why I enjoyed SHADE so much.

I love Jeri Smith-Ready’s world building. In the SHADE trilogy, ghosts roam the earth, and the teenagers born before the Shift have the ability to see & communicate with them. Which makes it less tragic when Aura’s boyfriend, Logan, dies of a drug overdose. The ghost thing is perfectly pulled-off in these books, and very fresh. There’s a whole lot of Scottish influence in the books, so that spices it up and makes it even more fun to read.

SHIFT, like all good sequels, answers a few burning questions readers were left with after SHADE. We find out more about Aura’s mother, as well as what really went down the night of the Shift.

And now I’m to my last point, the boys! There’s Logan, the hot bad-boy-turned-ghost-turned-shade-turned-ghost-again, and Zachary, the sexy Scottish guy. Aura has a hard time deciding who fits her better, where her heart belongs, and the consequences of her choice, but she’s not the only one! I was completely torn between the two up until the very last pages. TEAM ZACHARY, FTW.

My point is: SHIFT is an excellent sequel, one that didn’t disappoint me at all. Definitely check these books out, if you haven’t already!

interview with author jessi kirby

2011-05-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

website | blog | twitter | goodreads

Jessi Kirby is the author of MOONGLASS. She grew up in Mammoth Lakes, California, where scenery inspired her to write. After moving through different parts of California and passing through jobs as an English teacher and librarian, she finally settled in Orange County and wrote MOONGLASS. I think Jessi is brilliant, and am so thrilled that she agreed to an interview on Naughty Kitties. You can see my review of MOONGLASS here.

Who are some authors whose books have had the biggest impact on your writing?
Sarah Dessen, for sure. She was my introduction to YA, and the whole reason I began to write it. Other authors whose work I adore: Jandy Nelson, Sarah Ockler, Jenny Han, Heidi Kling, Deb Caletti, all amazing contemp gals!

Can we expect more emotional and vivid beach reads from you in the future? (SAY YES, JESSI. YES.)
Yes! I’ll always want to write a story that tugs at your heart, and I do adore the beach…BUT. I also adore any setting that’s big and grand and takes your breath away, so you can expect to see a few others in there as well.

MOONGLASS isn’t the first manuscript you’ve ever written, is it? Cause if so, MAN YOU ARE TALENTED.
Oh, you do know how to make a girl blush. Thank you! MOONGLASS is the first manuscript I’ve written, but by the time you read it, it’d been re-written quite a few times, so it was more like the eighth or ninth manuscript, really. It’s definitely true that revision is when you get the real writing done.

MOONGLASS is set in an easy-going beach town. I’d say that the beach is such an important part of the book, you could consider it a character! What is it that draws you to write about such landscapes?
I’m a person who will always be inspired by nature, so it will always find a way into my writing. I grew up in the mountains, so the beach held this mystique for me that was just so delicious and different from what I was familiar with. Writing MOONGLASS was a way for me to pay homage to that feeling. Hopefully my future stories will do the same for different settings!

MOONGLASS is a lot about girls and their mothers. What inspired to you to write about this relationship rather than any other one?
Some of my most favorite books are mother-daughter stories. That relationship is such an intricate, important one, and I think exploring those intricacies can lead to a really rich story.

straight from the mouth

2011-05-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

Straight from the mouth of this lil intern right hurr: prologues are abominations.

Literary Agent Sarah LaPolla explains why—in an extremely well-written post—here.

but i love him by amanda grace

2011-05-09T17:10:00.001-04:00

Published 5/8/11

But I Love Him | Amanda Grace (Pseudonym/Mandy Hubbard)

Flux

Paperback | 264 pp.

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.
At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.
This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I’ve always seen positive reviews for Mandy Hubbard, and I’ve always wondered what about her writing made readers so keysmashing enthusiastic. I joined the Mandy Hubbard fan club once I finished reading her paranormal romance, RIPPLE. I loved the way she paced the story, the way she slowly built up the tension and romance and then let it explode the last 100 pages. That book got me excited for this book. And I must say: BUT I LOVE HIM is probably the better of the two.

You know how they say it’s impossible for a writer of paranormal to switch over to contemporary w/out losing quality and/or disappointing fans? COMPLETE BULL$#^%. Mandy Hubbard flow can flow freely between genres. BUT I LOVE HIM is the best book I’ve read in a long time.

BUT I LOVE HIM is the story of Ann, a girl broken in half. It’s about Ann’s abusive relationship, and how she got into the whole mess, told in reverse chronological order. (So it starts at their 1-year anniversary, and continues to jump back until we’re at the day Ann and her boyfriend meet.)

There are so many things that made me love this story, but I’ll start with the first: the reverse chronological order. Picking up a book and flipping to the first couple pages sounds like an easy, light task, right? Right?

No. As soon as you lay eyes on the first couple of lines, you meet Ann. You meet Ann on the floor, right after she’s been hurt by Connor. I’ve always thought that stories should start out with strong beginnings, but this one, it knocks the wind out of you.

Seeing Ann at her worst dragged me in. Seeing how Ann got there pulled me along. I don’t think the book would be as powerful if it weren’t told backwards.

The second thing that made me love this story: the villain. In nearly all the dating violence books I’ve read, there is one villain. And that villain is the person who does the abusing. That villain is cruel, mean, and ugly. That villain is flat. The villain is a villain, plain and simple. There’s nothing else to it.

Not in BUT I LOVE HIM. Ann isn’t the only that’s broken. Connor is, too. There’s a whole story on why Connor does the things he does, and what possibly influenced him from early on. I just could not hate him, much as I should have or wanted to. Connor wasn’t a villain, as in the ninety-nine other dating violence books I’ve read. That’s what sets BUT I LOVE HIM apart from those other stories.

The third: it beat me up. Each page was a bruise on my arm. Every time Connor unleashed himself on Ann, it felt like a knife was jabbed into my side. Cause that’s what this book makes you do: feel.

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book. It's intense, scary, and an addictive mix of pretty + ugly.

This is what a 5-star story looks like.

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

2011-05-06T11:28:00.000-04:00

Published 5/3/11

Divergent | Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

Hardcover | 487 pp.

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I wanted this book ever since December, when the fiery cover caught my eye. At the time I read DIVERGENT, I was addicted to dystopian. Now I’m kind of over the trend, but I can still talk about how much I loved DIVERGENT. Every once and a while, I pick up a book that so great I wake up at 4am just to have extra reading time. These types of books remind me that reading can be the most entertaining thing ever, and that people who call it nerdy are missing out big time.

DIVERGENT is all about being given choices and making decisions. In Tris’s world, you’re forced to choose which Faction you want to live in at age 16. Choosing a place to live doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? But choosing a Faction is much more than that. Your Faction becomes your family. Your Faction becomes a part of you.

The action and characters are really what made this book so extraordinarily compelling. There’s romance that will melt your heart, and action that will blow your mind.

Divergent is that badass dystopian that makes your adrenaline pump. It’s about a girl who lives in a society where you’re given five choices, and what happens when people start to realize that they shouldn’t be confined by the choices the government gives them. This is the book that makes “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God” play in your head, ON REPEAT.

DIVERGENT is magnetic. Pulling your eyes away from Veronica Roth’s storytelling will be difficult.

Also, the awesome book trailer:

WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE by Sarah Dessen

2011-05-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Published 5/10/11

What Happened to Goodbye | Sarah Dessen

Penguin

Hardcover | 416 pp.

Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Sarah Dessen is one of the best YA authors out there. If she published a book a day, I would read one each day. Each one of her novels is better than the last, each year, when the sun comes out and the birds start signing, I get an itch to read one of her novels and return to Dessenland. You guys don’t know how much I screamed like a girl—not to say girls scream a certain way, cause, you know, I’m all about breaking stereotypes—when I heard about WHAT HAPPEND TO GOODBYE.

In Sarah Dessen’s latest masterpiece, Mclean moves a lot. Hopping from town to town, she changes her name, her entire identity, according to her mood. She doesn’t get close to anyone, doesn’t make any effort to make any new friends, because that would mean getting emotionally attached. And if there’s one thing Mclean knows, it’s that getting emotionally attached to one specific thing only leads to heartache.

She’s been Eliza, Lizbeth, and Beth until one day, when she moves to the quirky town of Lakeview, and she’s just Mclean. Introducing herself to the kids at school as her real, actual self—if she even knows who that is—is one of the most impulsive things Mclean has ever done.

But what shocks her the most is her blooming relationship with the residents of Lakeview. The friendships she starts forming, the romantic moments she shares with the boy next door. Mclean realizes that, all this time, she wasn’t running from love . . . she was running from herself.

Sarah Dessen has this amazing ability of writing characters and stories so real that they feel personalized to each reader’s list of things that make a perfect novel. Can I just say that she is my god, and that she could publish her grocery list and I’d give it 5 stars?

Sarah Dessen writes about the things no one else can put into words. I think that we teenagers are constantly trying to put ourselves into categories and finding out where we fit to learn more about the type of people we are, and that one of the scariest things ever is realizing you can’t categorize yourself. Realizing that you don’t really know who you are. I would say that Sarah Dessen tackles this in WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE, but that wouldn’t be very accurate. She hits it upside the head with a club, rips it open, and bears its guts across the pages.

MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby

2011-05-03T15:25:00.002-04:00

Published 5/3/11

Moonglass | Jessi Kirby

Simon & Schuster

Hardcover | 224 pp.

From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead.
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.
Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
There’s something about beach reads that get me every time. I love heading to beach (vicariously) with a great set of characters. I love the sand, the bon fires, the flip flops, and the ice cream. There’s nothing better than reading about that cute boy down the beach. I’m always on the lookout for books that capture everything summer is perfectly—and I squee every time I find one! MOONGLASS is one of those books.

Anna spent her childhood on the beach, scraping through the sand with her mother to find little bits of sea glass. But that was until her mother drowned herself in the ocean.

Ten years later, when Anna’s all grown, she returns to the beach of her childhood with her father. Anna makes friends, falls in love, and learns more about her mother’s death than she ever thought possible.

Jessi Kirby hooked me with the very first page of MOONGLASS. Her writing is so, so beautiful—I had to keep reading. I was sucked into Anna’s story as Jessi Kirby slowly unfolded all her grief and emotions.
Anna’s love interest is pretty . . . uh . . . not likable at first. Tyler is cocky, over-confident, and just a little arrogant. At the very beginning of the novel, I didn’t get why Anna liked him at all. But with each chapter, I understood more and more why they were a perfect fit for each other. By the end, I think I was a bit jealous of Anna.

Read MOONGLASS because it’s almost summer. Read MOONGLASS because it will make you tear up. Read MOONGLASS because Jessi Kirby is a superb writer who perfectly captures a summer that changes a girl’s life. Read MOONGLASS because the cover is pretty. Read it for whatever reasons. You’ll love it.

Related: The dude on the cover of MOONGLASS has a real nice butt.

ILLUSIONS by Aprilynne Pike

2011-04-29T15:21:00.000-04:00

Published 5/3/11

Illusions | Aprilynne Pike

Series: Wings, #3

HarperTeen

Hardcover | 375 pp.

Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
Way back before Naughty Kitties was a twinkle in my eye, before I even thought about starting up a book blog, I loved Aprilynne Pike’s WINGS series. I remember picking it up at the bookstore and wondering whether or not to get it, whether or not it was just another one of those faerie books. I ended up buying it (I’ll admit, the blurb from Stephenie Meyer won me over), and %^#$ING DEVOURING IT.

I was so so so so so pumped to get my hands on ILLUSIONS, the third book in the WINGS series! The last book left me breathless and eager to see where Laurel’s journeys through love and war would end up. Tamani or David. Faerie life or human life. That seems to be the question Laurel is trying so hard to answer throughout the entire series.

ILLUSIONS picks up at the start of Laurel’s senior year. She just got back from spending the entire summer in Avalon, and is ready to return to her normal, teenage life (if she even has one…) Laurel is eager to spend what is supposed to be the best year of high school with her boyfriend, David.

Until Tamani, her sorta-ex-hot-faerie-boyfriend shows up. With Tamani also comes bad news about Avalon and the war with trolls about to take place, and complications with her relationship with David. Oh, being a teenager is SO HARD.

In the first two books, I was split between David and Tamani. I thought both were equally fit for Laurel. But in ILLUSIONS, I found myself slowly drifting towards Team Tamani. With each chapter it seemed like he got more handsome, more sweet, more caring, and more passionate about Laurel. In other words: TEAM TAMANI, SUCKAS.

ILLUSIONS, just like the two previous books in the series, was perfectly paced. Aprilynne Pike has this way of slowly dragging you into her stories. She’ll hook you with a pretty description, and then you’ll be hung up on her writing by the time she gets to the fast-paced action and tension scenes. ILLUSIONS is a book that colors your face with both smiles and worry lines.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you read this series! Aprilynne Pike writes these crazy addictive novels with a fresh take on faerie folklore, and you’ll be some impressed with the world she’s built. (And if you do, be sure and come back here and comment, telling me who you’re rooting for: David or Tamani!) (Team Tamani, FTW!) (David’s a loser.) (Okay, that was mean. He’s not really a loser. Just not as hot as Tamani.) (Yeah. HOT TAMANI WHO MAY OR MAY NOT SPARKLE.)

4Qs for Veronica Roth

2011-04-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

Veronica Roth, the author of the mind-blowingly awesome DIVERGENT, is here today answering 4 of my Qs. If you haven’t already, be sure and pre-order DIVERGENT now—it’s one hell of a book.

_________________

Veronica Roth is only 22, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT, her YA dystopian thriller (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011!), while she was supposed to be doing homework. This was a decidedly good choice that will unfortunately make it difficult for her to someday lecture her future children on how important it is to get your homework done.

_________________

1) Why Chicago as the setting for DIVERGENT? Is there any significance to this?
There are so many reasons I chose Chicago. For one, I’ve lived in the Chicago suburbs most of my life, so it’s a place that’s both familiar to me and unfamiliar to me at the same time.

As I worked more and more of the city into the manuscript, I got the chance to rediscover
my home, which was wonderful—there’s so much I don’t know about it! Also, I wrote about the Dauntless riding the trains before I realized that the only place I have ever been where trains are above ground and in constant motion is Chicago—that I had been writing about my favorite city without even knowing it. But my personal connections with the place aside, I also found it interesting to turn such a clean and organized place upside down.

2) In your dystopian world, 16-year-olds have to choose a faction to join. If you had
to choose, which faction would you join? Would you be scared to diverge from your
family's usual choice?
It’s hard to say, because I’m not sure I would be brave enough to actually go through with
it, but I believe I would choose Dauntless. Not because of a thirst for freedom, although
that’s certainly appealing, but because I think courage is so important. I would be compelled
to choose them not by aptitude, necessarily, but by ideology. For the record, though, my
favorite faction is Abnegation, so I might pick them if I was too afraid to choose Dauntless. I
make different choices than my family members all the time (and they do the same), so I’m
not sure how much they would factor into my decision. Mostly because I would break all the
rules to see them again if I chose to leave them.

3) You graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in creative writing.
What would you say it the most important thing you learned there that had the
biggest impact on your writing?
I learned so many things, it’s hard to pick just one, so I’ll list a few: Writing a story is like
mountain-climbing with a heavy backpack—pack only the things you need to get to the top,
the rest is just weighing you down. Turn off the internal editor. People rarely argue about
exactly what they’re angry about—they argue about silly things instead. “Said” is really the
only dialogue tag you should use, because it doesn’t call attention to itself. No one is either
completely good or completely bad. Revise, revise, revise. The list goes on.

4) Do you see yourself writing in any other genres as you get deeper into your writing
career?

I don’t think about it much, because I don’t want to impose limits on myself. I will say
that I feel particularly connected to the YA genre and would be hesitant to leave it. But if
the right idea comes along, I’m not going to ignore it just because it’s not YA.

May 3rd, 2011
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

French Boys: Amy Plum Reveals All

2011-04-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

The fabulous Amy Plum, author of DIE FOR ME, is guest posting today on FRENCH BOYS. Go figure, right? What else is a girl to blog about on the Naughty Kitties?

_________________________________________

AMY PLUM
DIE FOR ME

Amy Plum grew up in Birmingham, Alabama before venturing further afield to Chicago, Paris, London and New York. An art historian by training, she finally traded a tiny apartment in Brooklyn for a rambling farmhouse in a village of 1300 people in the French countryside. She lives there with her French husband, two young children and big red dog Ella, and spends her time writing in a tiny ancient stone house in her garden.

________________________________________

Oh man. Where do I start?

Okay, first of all, it would be easy to throw a lot of stereotypes out there. But if I did the reverse—explained American boys to the French by talking about “jocks” or “nerds” or those Williamsburg hipster types with beards, glasses and tight jeans—that wouldn’t even start to cover half of the American guys I know. So...I decided to give you some stories instead.

French Boy Story #1
I was living in Paris, and had just broken up with a British guy I was seeing. I met this French guy named Sebastien—a friend of a friend—who was an artist. He was tall and lanky with disheveled dark hair...totally my type. He would drive me around Paris on his old dilapidated Vespa to art exhibitions, or to a pile of old stones that he had read were part of a Roman wall, or to an out-of-the-way park for a picnic. I liked him, but wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship after English Guy.

Soon afterward, another French guy named Laurent—who I had had a crush on for about two years, while we were both dating other people—began asking me out. He dropped by my apartment one afternoon, and saw the flowers and bottle of wine that Sebastien had brought the night before when he had come over for a movie. Laurent asked who they were from, and I told him, “a friend," using the masculine word “un ami."

The next night Laurent showed up with a much bigger bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne. And as we left my house to go for a walk down by the river, he took my hand and held it firmly—a little bit possessively. I had kind of been avoiding that because, again...I wasn’t sure if I was ready to date someone again, but he reached down and appropriated my hand. That’s the best word for it.

He never asked me any questions about Sebastien. The topic of the “other guy” was never broached. But he silently decided to try to beat his competitor.

French Boy Quality #1: an understated, quiet confidence that I find totally sexy.
(Oh, and...by the way...I married Laurent a couple years later.)

French Boy Story #2
One of my husband’s friends from childhood had a pretty rough life. To say he’s been a bit messed up for a long time would be putting it lightly. My husband hadn’t seen him for years. But when he passed through our region a few weeks ago, he asked if he could come spend the night. I was scrambling to finish a manuscript, but threw together a decent dinner, fixed up a bedroom, and welcomed him as best as I could while juggling kids, dinner and work.

I knew he had been an addict, and had briefly met him over a decade ago, but didn’t know what to expect when he arrived. He was emaciated. He seemed sad. But he was polite, helped with everything he could see to help with, played with the kids, and went outside to smoke without me asking him to. When he went into town the next day to “do some shopping” he asked if I needed any groceries. And when he came back, it was with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

A day later, I got a thank you note from him in a beautifully-written French (my translation’s not going to do it justice): “A quick weekend in Touraine (our region) with just the basics: friends, a sumptuous home, and a few glasses of wine. I couldn’t have asked for more. Lolo & Amy, congratulations on your exemplary achievements. Thank you and bravo.”

French Boy Quality #2: gallantry and poetry when you’d least expect it.

French Boy Story #3
I’m standing in the train station at the Paris airport wrangling my kids and luggage as we wait for the train to take us home after an exhausting trip to New York. I notice a man taking photos in my direction and figure he must be a railroad enthusiast or something. Until I notice him moving to the other side of me and shooting from another angle.

I wave over my husband, who’s off studying train times, and tell him I think the guy is taking pictures of me. Laurent takes a good look at me and his eyebrows shoot up. “Your dress is totally see-through in this light,” he says. “What? It’s black! I looked in the mirror, it’s fine!” “Not here in this light, it’s not,” he replies. So we move the kids and luggage and I sit down with my back to pervie camera guy.

Ten minutes later, the guy has come around and is standing in front of me, a ways away, taking photos of me again. And at the same moment I notice him, I see my husband walk up to him and they start to talk.

I don’t like tough macho guys. I especially don’t like guys that get in fights. My husband has never been in a fight in his life, and as I watched him, I was kind of surprised that he had confronted the guy. They exchanged words in a polite manner, and then the man turned and walked away, not to be seen again. As Laurent sat down next to me, I asked him what he had said. “I told him that if he took another picture of my wife I would break his camera and then break his face,” Laurent said calmly.

“What!?” I gasped.

Laurent did that cool French-guy shrug and said, “C’est normal.” (e.g. “What else would I do?”)

French Boy Quality #3: born into a culture that’s been around for thousands of years, they’ve got the whole “this is how things work” figured out.

French Boy Story #4
One of my father-in-law’s best friends is this guy named Claude, who has these enormous white moustaches that curve up on the sides. He’s old-school French, complains about the government no matter who’s in power, has all of these conspiracy theories about banks and the minorities living in France, and is mildly but annoyingly sexist in that “they’re another generation and just don’t get it” kind of way.

YET...when I was pregnant he brought over tons of clippings from his lilac trees because he knew how much I loved the smell. We had a long conversation about using apple seeds to firm up fruit jam (this was during my thinking-I-actually-fit-in-in-the-countryside phase), after which he brought me sample jars of several different types he had made that year. And he joins my father-in-law in clipping sour cherries from my FIL’s tree with scissors, gathering them in cute little baskets, and making this kick-ass moonshine-style cherry liquor from them.

French Boy Quality #4: there is a completely different view of what is masculine and feminine, and even the old guys can be seen as embracing their femininity. (Just don’t tell them that.)

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz

2011-04-25T05:31:00.000-04:00

Released 4/19/11

Invincible Summer | Hannah Moskowitz

Simon Pulse

Paperback | 269 pp.

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?
Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....
Not your typical beach read.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that girls with the last name “Moskowitz” write intense and powerful books. Whenever you see the name, expect a gritty and truthful story of love, lust, and the complex relationships between family members. Hannah Moskowitz dominated me with her debut novel, BREAK, and again with INVINCIBLE SUMMER.

Across four summers, four family vacations, the McGills slowly starts to fall apart. Maybe it’s because there’re too many dang kids running around like chickens with their heads chopped off and making the parents contemplate putting a gun to the head. Or maybe it’s because Chase is falling in love with his older brother’s girlfriend.

Moskowitz books are THE #$%^. They grip you, tug you into the story. They’re real. They’re truthful. They’re a bittersweet mix of ugly/pretty. Hannah writes these characters that you feel like are part of your family, and that are so easy to relate to your heart gets torn out every time something bad happens. Chase was this lost boy working so hard to keep his family from falling apart, looking for love, or some other meaningful emotion . . . too bad he found it in his brother’s girlfriend.

INVINCIBLE SUMMER is not your typical beach read. Don’t pack it in your bag and take it to the pool, expecting some fluff about summer and love and paradise. It’s much more than that.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

PS – I fucking love Hannah Moskowitz. She's my absolute best twitter friend and idol, and tweets about magic gay fish.

CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS by Cassandra Clare

2011-04-20T05:36:00.000-04:00

Released 4/5/11

City of Fallen Angels | Cassandra Clare

Margaret K. McElderry

Hardcover | 424 pp.

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.
Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I have waited eighteen-thousand years for this book. For this moment. I have waited an eternity to be reunited with my old friends Clary, Jace, Simon, Alec, Magnus, Isabelle. Ever since the eighth grade, when I was introduced to the fast-moving world of Shadowhunters, I’ve dreamed of this (shut up, you know dream about books too)—being able to return to Clary and Jace’s story. On April 5th, I conducted a hunt for my copy. Every mail man in my neighborhood was tackled.

Cassandra Clare has this amazing ability of making everything—literally everything—sound sexy. Her setting, characters, everything. CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS takes place entirely in New York City. One of my favorite things about Cassandra Clare’s writing is how she makes the places where her books are set come alive. I was thrilled (!!!) to return to the dark alleys where the Shadowhunters lurk, looking to kick demon ass.

Before I started CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS, I was a little worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much since the sibling tension was gone—but no, no, no. There’s tension. Lots of it. CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS explored all of the different relationships between the characters Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Maia. Though he has no competition in the book, I am completely and absolutely Team Jace. I loved him in the first three books that I read way, way, way long ago, and I love him now. Alec and Magnus also get a few adorable mentions and high-tension scenes.

This book blew my head out. Cassandra Clare throws in these plot twists that no one who read the series would even think about. The plot is fast-moving, but not confusing, and it had me flipping the final few pages faster than you can say, “Shitwhatthefuckjusthapppenedomigodnoooo.”

The first half of the book, I read the hard copy. The last half, I read the hard copy and listened to the audio book. I must say, it was interesting having someone else read the book to me. I haven’t really listened to that many audio books, so it was nice to give it a try and see if I liked reading via that format. And who better to try it with than Ed Westwick? His voice is effing dreamy. I’d say anyone would enjoy listening the audio book—my only complaint is that it went by a bit slow. But hey, that’s what audio books are about.

So. CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS is the best damn thing of Spring 2011.

Malinda Lo On Chinese Influences

2011-04-18T05:27:00.000-04:00

Today Malinda Lo, author of ASH and HUNTRESS, is guest posting here at Naughty Kitties. I asked her to talk a little about the Chinese influences present in her latest novel, HUNTRESS. Enjoy!

MALINDA LO

ASH | HUNTRESS

Malinda Lo was born in China and moved to the United States as a child. Ash, her first novel, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, and the Lambda Literary Award for Children’s/Young Adult, and was a Kirkus 2009 Best Book for Children and Teens. Formerly, she was an entertainment reporter, and was awarded the 2006 Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for Excellence in LGBT Journalism by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has master’s degrees from Harvard and Stanford Universities. She now lives in Northern California with her partner and their dog.

------------------------------------------

Before I became a writer, I went to graduate school and studied East Asian Studies, focusing on Chinese anthropology. Although I never ended up becoming a professor, I'm happy to say that I have finally managed to use some of that education in Huntress, because the world in this book is based in several different Asian traditions.

I think the biggest influence is Taoism, which is a Chinese philosophy that focuses on harmony and nature. It isn't a religion like Christianity, because there is no god and it does not have an official church with a hierarchy. But it is a spiritual practice that has influenced and intertwined with other Asian religions, including Buddhism.

In the past ten years I've become a student of Buddhism, so some of those practices have also made their way into Huntress, especially meditation, which is what Taisin is doing at the very beginning of the book. All the descriptions of the way she or Kaede use their breath to bring themselves into the present are basically lifted from my own experiences with Buddhist meditation.

Kaede also practices archery in several scenes, and the techniques she uses are drawn from kyudo, or Japanese archery, which has been influenced by Zen Buddhism. The weapon that the girl on the cover of Huntress is holding is actually a Japanese bow, but it's drawn head-on so it's hard to tell what it is.

The magic in Huntress is fairly closely based on the practice of qigong, which is a kind of meditative martial art, related to taichi. I've actually done qigong before (during meditation retreats), and even though I was a total beginner, I was able to feel the qi (the Chinese word for energy) moving in the air between my hands. It was pretty amazing! I don't practice qigong now, but I remembered that experience and I drew from that in describing Taisin's use of magic.

I also did some reading into Chinese medicine, particularly herbal medicine, to help me flesh out the various rituals that Taisin needs to do. It's fascinating stuff because Chinese medicine is so holistic compared to Western medicine, and that holistic quality carries through the whole book. Every part is related to the other, even if it's not immediately obvious how.

I'm often amazed by how life really is like that. Every little thing connects to something else. I never knew, when I was in grad school, that sometime in the future I'd write a novel that drew on the things I was learning then — but now I have. I think that's pretty cool.

------------------------------------------

Be sure and follow Malinda on her blog tour, at the following stops:

Tuesday, 4/19: Manga Maniac Cafe
Wednesday, 4/20: Mundie Moms
Thursday, 4/21: Ellz Readz
Friday, 4/22: Steph Su Reads
Monday, 4/25: Bibliophilic Book Blog
Tuesday, 4/26: Reading in Color

THEN I MET MY SISTER by Christine Hurley Deriso

2011-04-11T16:35:00.000-04:00

Published 4/8/2011

Then I Met My Sister | Christine Hurley Deriso

Flux Books

Paperback | 246 pp.

Shannon has been the backdrop of my life since the moment I was born.
Summer Stetson lives inside a shrine to her dead sister. Eclipsed by Shannon's greatness, Summer feels like she's a constant disappointment to her controlling, Type A momzilla and her all-too-quiet dad. Her best friend Gibson believes Summer's C average has more to do with rebelliousness than smarts, but she knows she can never measure up—academically or otherwise.
On her birthday, Summer receives a secret gift from her aunt: Shannon's diary. Suddenly, the one-dimensional vision of her sister becomes all too solid. Is this love-struck, mom-bashing badass the same Shannon everyone raves about? Determined to understand her troubled sister, Summer dives headfirst down a dark rabbit hole and unearths painful family secrets. Each revelation brings Summer closer to the mysterious and liberating truth about her family—and herself.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I read this book because I thought the girl on the cover had pretty hair. I was tired of reading books with covers with no good hair, so my fingers were itching to crack open the pages. From the very beginning, this book sucked me into its story.

Summer and I clicked on the very first page. She’s snarky and full of angst, ready for school to be over, and ready for her life to finally start. Under the roof of her control-freak, the shadow of Summer’s dead sister is so heavy that she can’t ever get away from it.

Not even on her birthday, when her aunt gives her the journal her sister wrote in the weeks before she died. Summer is scared to open it. Summer is eager to open it. Summer is terrified of the secrets in the journal. Summer reads it. Brent needs to stop saying "Summer" now before everyone gets annoyed and leaves his blog.

Summer was a fantastic narrator, very easy to connect with. Summer's this teen girl bursting with snark and anger and sorrow because she can't ever live up to her parents' high expectations. She doesn’t come off as whiny or annoying. Her actions and the things she say are understandable, and make the reader relate with her so well. Her uneasy relationship with her parents makes the reader think deeper about being the good kid, living up to expectations, and the difference between pleasing others and doing what’s right for yourself.

THEN I MET MY SISTER is an emotional read that hooked me immediately with its authentic voice. If you liked THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, this book is for you.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Oprah Presents: The Official STICK Cover Reveal

2011-04-08T05:17:00.003-04:00

If you follow Naughty Kitties, you know that I am a huge Andrew Smith fan, and have been pawning over his Fall 2011 release, STICK, for the longest time ever.

Today, Oprah presents you guys with a FIRST LOOK at the cover of STICK.

It’s really dark and pretty. I adore it.

Andrew Smith said the following about STICK:

I wrote on my blog that Stick is really all about how love doesn't weaken in the face of cruelty and ugliness -- it flourishes, no matter what. And I think that's the real idea behind the book. The main character, Stark McClellan, grows up in an environment where he is surrounded by ugliness and cruelty, but he still manages to see beauty and wonder in just about everything. There are lots of "snapshots" about love and relationships in the book -- and, being a kid, Stark really doesn't have the range of experiences to see the difference between the pure and the profane -- but he does learn the truth eventually. There are gay teens in the book. I've always had an issue with people who use terms like "acting gay," because, to me, it's like saying "acting (insert stereotypical group here)." And there's no "act" about the characters in Stick.

If you look close enough, you can see a blurb from Sara Zarr. She says, “Andrew Smith is one of the most courageous and compelling authors I’ve read. Stick moved me deeply.”

When showed the STICK cover, Oprah was reported saying, “Wow. What delightful artwork! I think I may just have to buy a million copies for all the viewers of my show.” It feels good getting a thumbs-up from Oprah, don’t it Andrew?

Brent Taylor, when showed the cover, was reported saying, "Hey, um, Andrew . . . [coughs] you think you could get Macmillan to give me that guy's number?"

I am PUMPED to read this book. I really, really liked Andrew Smith’s THE MARBURY LENS. Andrew is such a cool guy, as you can see in this interview I did with him.

Be sure to pre-order it, mark it as to-read on Goodreads, and visit Andrew’s blog.

Happy Friday!

Your Worst Nightmare

2011-04-07T06:04:00.006-04:00

This is the reason I wake up every night screaming.

[the above is a link. click on it.]

RED GLOVE by Holly Black

2011-04-06T07:22:00.000-04:00

Published 4/4/2011

Red Glove | Holly Black

Margaret K. McElderry

Hardcover | 320 pp.

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
This past summer, I got hooked on Holly Black. Her book WHITE CAT sucked me into her fantasy world of mobsters, kitties, curses, and hot mafia dudes in leather gloves. Did I mention kitties? Holly Black owns her concept in RED GLOVE, and uses her skilled writing to execute a great sequel.

At the end of WHITE CAT, Cassel Sharpe found out that he was more than just the average curse worker—he can transform anything. In RED GLOVE, he’s still trying to come to term with that. On top of that, his brother is murdered, and the Feds are trying to get him more involved in solving the case than he wants to be. To make it even better, Lila, his best friend and almost-sort-of-ex-girlfriend has become obsessed with him—an effect of being worked by Cassel’s mom, who’s fresh out of jail. So, basically, the book is about how Cassel Sharpe belongs on an episode of Maury.

Related: http://bit.ly/gICjkA.

One of my favorite things about Holly Black’s Curse Workers series is her protagonist. Cassel, an actually MALE(!!!!) mc in YA lit. Cassel’s narration is enjoyable and authentic, and it’s so refreshing to read through the eyes of a teenage boy—it’s a break from the usual teen girl narrator. Holly Black’s series would just not be the same if Cassel were a girl.

Holly Black knows how to work in themes into her novels without being preachy. You know how they say that kids want to read a story, not be taught a lesson? By reading WHITE CAT & RED GLOVE, you can see how much Holly Black seems to understand this. The characters in the Cure Workers series are going through a time when political turmoil is at its highest. Cassel and his group of friends learn through their mistakes, about loyalty and doing the right thing.

RED GLOVE is a book that makes you stay up late at night reading. It’s also a book that, when you’re finished, makes you reevaluate the things in your life that Cassel reevaluated in his. Holly Black tells a wonderful story.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Holly Schindler Vlog Interview!

2011-04-04T07:56:00.000-04:00

Today I present you Holly Schindler, author of the two YA novels A BLUE SO DARK (May 2010) and PLAYING HURT (March 2011). Holly Schindler is a fantastic writer, and I'm so excited to be able to share an interview with you guys! Enjoy!

~Holly Schindler on the web~

http://hollyschindler.com/

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PLAYING HURT by Holly Schindler

2011-03-31T05:25:00.000-04:00

Published 3/8/2011

Playing Hurt | Holly Schindler

Flux

Paperback | 312 pp.

Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.
That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I became a Holly Schindler fan last summer, when her debut novel, A BLUE SO DARK, came out. I thought it was emotional and dark, beautiful and twisted. The MC felt so relatable, even though I’ve never, ever had to deal with a schizophrenic mother.

Holly Schindler does that. She makes you feel like the things happening in her novels are happening to you, whether you have anything in common with the characters or not. She sucks you into her stories with ringing voice. She did it with A BLUE SO DARK, and she did it again with her PLAYING HURT.

Chelsea Keyes beasts it on the basketball court. She’s a firecracker in her home town. Until she’s injured on the court, and crippled from doing the thing she loves the most. Scholarships, gone. Her future, gone. Happiness, in the trash.

Chelsea isn’t only injured physically. She is sad, all the time, and the sadness is so heavy that she can’t ever get away from it—not even when she’s with her boyfriend. Without basketball, she’s not the same sweat-covered, gleaming, radiant Chelsea. Her parents think that sending her on a trip to a Minnesota lake resort will help bring her peace. So they’re off.

At the resort, Chelsea meets her physical trainer, Clint, a college-aged workaholic trying to forget his own traumatic past with love and relationships. The two of them click, both hurt, and both looking to heal. Chelsea loves him more than she’s ever loved anything in her life… even basketball. Clint feels the same two. Even though he’s sworn to never date again. And even though Chelsea has a boyfriend back home.

I’ve never in my life played basketball, but when Chelsea was crippled from playing, I felt like something was being ripped from my heart. Holly Schindler writes in a way that will make you feel Chelsea’s physical and emotional trauma. I can’t even count on my fingers how many emotions this book had me zipping through. Chelsea’s voice appealed to me. She was vulnerable and hurt, because of her injury, but that didn’t keep her from being her firecracker self.

The alternating points-of-view just made the book better. Getting inside Clint’s head was like piecing together a puzzle. I had to work to take the clues that Clint gave away about his past to find out what really happened to make him so distant and resistant to love.

Then there’s the whole thing with Chelsea cheating on her at-home boyfriend, Gabe, with Clint. Let me tell you: I absolutely hate cheaters (been there, done that). But I couldn’t help but sympathize with Chelsea. She knew she was cheating, but continued to do it. This sounds bad, right? But it’s not. Chelsea’s relationship with Gabe just wasn’t right. And Holly Schindler makes sure the reader knows that. At the beginning of PLAYING HURT, we see Chelsea with Gabe. And at the end, we see Chelsea with Clint. We get a taste of both, and this makes us see the difference between being in a relationship and being in love. Chelsea may have cheated on Gabe, but at least she did it for all the right reasons. She did it for love of Clint.

God. How many times can I say it? Holly Schindler knows how to write a perfect novel.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

DARK MIRROR by MJ Putney

2011-03-30T05:22:00.000-04:00

3/1/2011

Dark Mirror | MJ Putney

St. Martin’s Griffin

Paperback | 306 pp.

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.
Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic.
When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.
But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I’m always cautious with historical fiction. It’s really just not my genre. So I have to be really, really interested to pick one up. This was true for DARK MIRROR. When I first saw it, I really was not interested, but once I started noticing that my friends at Electrifying Reviews and The Story Siren were enjoying MJ Putney’s YA debut, I decided to give it a try.

Lady Victoria Mansfield has just found out she’s a mage, the marrow in her bones replaced with a magic that’s just now starting to flow out from her in the most unfortunate times. Like while sleeping, or even at a party.

When everyone finds out about Tory’s status as a mage, her parents send her off to Lackland Abbey, a school widely known for reforming mages. But when Tory arrives, she finds out that she’s not the only one opposed to getting her magic ability “reformed.” She wants to keep it, and with the help of some of the other students, she just might be able to…

My favorite things about DARK MIRROR were the descriptions. MJ Putney really takes her readers back to the regency era in her YA debut. Her historic, paranormal world was very authentic.

I usually find historical fiction overly descriptive. DARK MIRROR was, at some points, overly descriptive. But that didn’t take away from the novel at all. MJ Putney sucks readers into her world with details on 1800 England society.

DARK MIRROR is a fantastic book for readers itching to read about interesting characters set in a rich historical, paranormal setting.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Sappy Stuff You Probably Don’t Want To Read

2011-03-29T05:19:00.000-04:00

***WARNING: This is a sappy post on how I feel about my blog & readers, my favorite things about blogging, and all the great people I’ve met through blogging. It’s emotional, and you’re going to cry your fucking eyes out.

On March 29th, 2010, when I started Naughty Book Kitties, I was this quiet little blogger who liked to read girl books. I had a bright pink layout with a girl blowing bubble-gum, and a total of 17 followers.

Fast-forward a year, and I have over 1,000.

Having 1,000 followers is something I never thought would’ve happen to me or my blog. Having 1,000 followers was for those legit bloggers. Bloggers who people liked, whose opinion was trusted. Bloggers who were likable and funny, and had cute layouts. I wasn’t one of those bloggers—I was just posting random crap about books at Naughty Book Kitties.

I can’t believe 1,000+ people read this random crap about books.

I love the comments I get. I love hearing that one of my reviews made someone go out and buy a book. I love hearing people say I pointed them in the direction of one of their new favorites. It’s the best thing ever. My readers are the best thing ever. I love them more than Vanessa Hudgens loves leaking naked photos of herself.

I also love all the writers + bloggers + readers I’ve met through blogging. I love staying up late, not doing my homework, and just tweeting them giggle-enducing things. I love talking about hot boyz with my favorite writers, gossiping with my favorite bloggers, talking about books with everyone. I love telling Hannah Moskowitz that she needs to get the fuck off Twitter and go write another book so she can pay me child support. I love using cheesy pick-up lines on Julie from Bloggers Heart Books. I love getting pictures of the New York City skyline from Mitali at Alley of Books. I lovelovelove everything about blogging + the people I’ve met because of it.

I’ve learned so much about what kind of reader I am, what in a book makes me tic. I’ve learned that stories are the best thing in the universe, and that I’m going to spend the rest of my life working with them.

So, thanks for reading my blog. Thanks for being a reader of Naughty Kitties. Thanks for making blogging fun. Thanks for encouraging me. Thanks for inspiring me. Thanks for being my friend.

An Interview With That Ridiculous Kid

2011-03-26T05:09:00.002-04:00

You asked questions, I’m answering them. Below you will see all of my naughty secrets—spilled!

(The above is an exaggeration.)

You're very positive about every book you review. I was wondering what you do if you don't like a book. Do you find something to like? Not post a review? Do you read quickly or are you one of those lucky people who don't need much sleep?
I simply don’t blog about books I don’t like. I wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

So, like, what are your hopes and dreams?
Like everyone else, I just want to be happy. I want to be happy, wherever I end up in ten years. Besides that, I want to work in publishing and eat bucket loads of Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Puffs without being scolded by my mother.

What's your process for writing a book review? Do you write stream-of-consciousness style, make notes or a combination of both?
I log on to my Windows Live blogging app, set everything up (book cover, Amazon link, summary, etc.), and then ramble like there’s no tomorrow.

Which character from any book would you bring to life for a day and why? Where would you go/what would you do together in that day?
Luc, from PERSONAL DEMONS by Lisa Desrochers. He’s hot. And I have BIG PLANS for our day together. (Plans I probably shouldn’t mention on a YA book blog.)

Who's your dream date and where would you go on your date?
I don’t really know who my dream date would be. But I do know that we’d go to the mall. I know, go figure.

Favorite book of ALL time?
It’s a tie between WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger, and DREAMLAND by Sarah Dessen.

Favorite TV character of ALL time?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has awesome hair.

If you had one wish... what would it be?
To be one of those people who don’t worry about anything, to be carefree. I worry so effing much—about everything.

What is your absolute favorite faery book/series?
The WINGS series by Aprilynne Pike. The writing is good, the characters are likable, the world-building is spectacular. The third book, ILLUSIONS, comes out this May!

Are you flamboyant in real life or is it just your blog persona?
I wouldn’t call myself flamboyant. I’m definitely more girly than usual (I use glitter pencils, have zebra print pillows, obsess over my hair, etc.), but I am still a boy. I don’t cry when I break a nail, or talk like Paris Hilton. I’d say I’m in the middle.

Favourite hair styling product?
Aussie Hair Spray.

Favorite song?
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.

What is your favorite color or glitter?
Red.

I love some of your recommendations but wonder why it seems almost all of your reads are from women authors about female leads?
It’s just the simple fact that the majority of YA writers are women, and the majority of books being published these days are about girls. (There are always exceptions. Andrew Smith is the bomb, and I interviewed him here on my blog a couple of months ago. Google it.)

How has reading impacted your life?
It hasn’t impacted my life in any certain way; reading is just one of those things I have to do every single day. I think every person has a thing they do every day, a constant, that you do when you're happy, or sad, or need to relieves stress, gives you time to think, etc. Mine is reading.

I just wanted to ask if you could be the author of any book which book would you have "written"?
Anything by Sarah Dessen. She’s my god.

How did you get into blogging and make so many connections? Is it just unbelievable dedication?
I slept with every single person in the book industry. It was both exhausting and thrilling.

Do you have any brothers or sisters? How old are they?
My brother is eight, and my sister is eleven. They like to steal my books and damage them. I’m half-terrified and half-fond of them.

What is the best thing about high school?
There is absolutely nothing good about high school.

Why are you so awesome? I just don't understand how someone could attain your level of coolness! Mind imparting some words of wisdom?
Be fierce.

Absolute favorite quote ever?
“The world is vast and meant for wandering. There is always someplace else to go.” –Nick Burd

What inspired you to make a blog that critiques books? And do you plan to become a writer?
I don’t critique books; I ramble about them.

And I really don’t know about being a writer. I think I am a writer (in the way that writing is just an ordinary part of every single day). All day long I analyze words and thoughts and sentences and ideas. I constantly observe the way people speak (words they choose, better words they COULD have used, the way they organize their thoughts and speak them aloud).

In November, I wrote my first long piece of fiction. I loved writing, but I hated the story. I stopped after 100 pages. Just because I had no clue where the story was going, and it felt forced.

Right now I’m writing my second novel, and am enjoying it so much more than the first. The storyline is a puzzle, and I’ve found every single piece and have molded them to make a big, sprawling picture. I’m not going to say much about it, but I will say this: It feels like *my* story to tell.

When I finish, and it’s something I’m proud of, I guess the answer to this question is yes.

But right now writing isn't really a big concern. I'm a teenager, and writing good, quality fiction ain't easy. I think I might need a couple more years. ;)

Do you want to move to NYC/Boston/some other big city and intern for a literary agency?
Duh. It’s all I think about these days.

Is your last name really T-Money like your Twitter profile says?
Yeah. It’s Celtic, can’t you tell?

Do you like books that start out right into the action?
Actually, I prefer books that ease into the action. Books that start off with a little backstory, or in calm scenes. I.e. Sarah Dessen.

Are you tired of the Mysterious New Guy thing in books?
Yes, but there are always exceptions. For example, Victoria Schwab’s THE NEAR WITCH is a superb novel that I thought was absolutely perfect, and it has the Mysterious New Guy.

I follow you on Twitter, and can never understand what you’re saying. Do you speak another language?
People not understanding anything I say = story of my life. I do speak another language, actually. I am 100% fluent in slang. I can conjugate “buttah” like no other. (And if you don’t know what “buttah” means, then get the fuck off my blog…)

Blogiversary Giveaway, Part 3: The ARC Edition

2011-03-25T05:29:00.001-04:00

After reading this post, you’re going to love me.

You’re going to love me just as much as I love you!

To wrap up my blogiversary giveaway & to show appreciation for my wonderful readers, I’m giving away the hottest late spring + early summer ARCs that I know all of you are absolutely dying to get your hands on.

One lucky reader will win:

an arc of RED GLOVE by Holly Black
an arc of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
an arc of HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire
an arc of ILLUSIONS by Aprilynne Pike

A second lucky reader will win:

an arc of POSSESION by Elana Johnson
an arc of WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight
an arc of THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab

You want these books SO BAD. I know you do!

How to enter:

fill out the form below
US addresses only
for one extra entry tweet the following: I want to win some AWESOME BOOKS from @NaughtyBlogging as part of the #naughtykitties blogiversary. Enter here: http://bit.ly/eifmmL

Good luck! And thanks for making this a spectacular blogiversary!

SHIMMER by Alyson Noel

2011-03-24T05:27:00.000-04:00

Published 3/15/11

Shimmer | Alyson Noel

Square Fish

Paperback | 192 pp.

Having solved the matter of the Radiant Boy, Riley, Buttercup, and Bodhi are enjoying a well-deserved vacation. When Riley comes across a vicious black dog, against Bodhi’s advice, she decides to cross him over. While following the dog, she runs into a young ghost named Rebecca. Despite Rebecca’s sweet appearance, Riley soon learns she’s not at all what she seems. As the daughter of a former plantation owner, she is furious about being murdered during a slave revolt in 1733. Mired in her own anger, Rebecca is lashing out by keeping the ghosts who died along with her trapped in their worst memories. Can Riley help Rebecca forgive and forget without losing herself to her own nightmarish memories?

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
     I just adore Alyson Noel. She writes these glimmering stories that reflect the real world so much you can’t help but tear through them. Her writing is sharp & fun, her characters feel like best friends after only the first chapter, and her storylines develop fluidly. I’m beginning to like her middle-grade series more than her YA!
     In the first Riley Bloom novel, RADIANCE, we travel to the afterlife with Riley, and find out she’s expected to work as a Soul Catcher. In SHIMMER, we follow her on her next journey as a Soul Catcher. On vacation, Riley finds an old, mysterious plantation house. With the house is Rebecca, a sweet-looking little girl.
     But as Riley has found out since being dead, looks can be very deceiving. Rebecca is actually a little demon child (not literally), who lets out her anger on the ghosts of those who died on her father’s plantation. Riley has to find a way to get Rebecca to cross over to the afterlife peacefully without getting her ass beat…
     After a few chapters, you’ll start to think of Riley as your own little sister. She’s funny, playful, sassy, and strong. Her narration is funny, engaging, and makes me feel like I’m in middle school again. Some people will say she’s too headstrong and rude. I say she’s twelve, and that’s what girls her age are like.
     Even though the characters are only pre-teens, there is just teensy little bit of romance between Riley and her colleague/teacher/partner-in-crime, Bodhi. Though they never come out and say it, you can tell that the two really care about each other. It’s cute.
     As I said, Alyson Noel knows how to create vivid paranormal settings that reflect the real world. Riley learns to confront her fears and trust her gut. SHIMMER shows readers that forgiving and loving is always a better way to spend time, and that grudges should be let go. I recommend these books to anyone looking for engaging middle-grade stories.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars