What I learned from my first writer's conference...
There's a lot of misinformation out there.
I'm not sure if it's because of the mass of information on the internet or because so many people in publishing, be they authors, editors, or agents, have different opinions on aspects of the industry, but a lot of writers out there seem to be confused. One thing I've decided I really like about conferences is that it's a place where writers and agents/editors can meet face to face and actually have a conversation and hopefully dispel some of the misinformation.
There's a fine line between being confident/assertive and scary/aggressive.
Meeting agents and editors is a great opportunity for writers, and they should definitely try to take advantage of the situation. A friendly and approachable writer who makes a great connection with agents and editors and gets good feedback on their writing is obviously going to fare better in the search for representation and publication than a writer who doesn't talk to anyone. Learning to promote yourself is important.
But agents and editors don't like being pitched to all the time. There needs to be boundaries. I heard stories about writers following agents into the bathroom to pitch to them and even following them into their hotel rooms while they were trying to pack up to leave. The best thing for writers to do is try to strike up a friendly conversation at lunch or dinner or in passing and wait for the agent or editor to ask "So what's your book about?" Everyone knows why writers attend writing conferences.
This past weekend I met many writers, but two stand out to me because when I met them we talked about more than just their writing. I got to know them and I felt like they were interested in knowing me, not just getting an agent. (Hey, even if it's not true, it still felt like we could be friends not just writer-agent.) I also remember a few writers for the wrong reason, like thrusting a 300+ manuscript at me and saying something like "read this, it's YA" without asking if I wanted to see it or telling me what it was about or asking if I preferred paper to electronic.
Business Cards are a Necessity for Agents but not Writers.
When I went to the writing conference, I had about twenty business cards on me. They were all gone before the last day, and I had to tear off scraps of paper and writer in writers' notebooks. But I came away with 22 business cards and one postcard - all given to me from writers. While some of them are designed very well and fun to look at, I'm not sure I'll really do anything with them. I'd much rather have the writer email me with a query that includes contact information and their blog address than look it up from a business card.
It might sound lazy, but it's just easier to stay organized electronically versus carrying around handfuls of business cards. Besides, I don't really want to spend the time looking up a writer only to discover they write a genre that doesn't interest me. I prefer to read the book first then check out writer blogs.
What is a necessity for writers - a notebook and a pen. Several writers who came to critiques had to borrow my pen - which was fine. I don't mind sharing, but a pen is much more important than a business card. And when I ran out of cards, it was much better to write my contact information in someone's notebook rather than hand them a scrap of paper or even a napkin.
I also learned things like Janet Reid got the best hotel room ever and Everyone loves having a minion and Conferences while fun are a lot of work and tend to drain your brain (um, I usually sleep in on the weekends, like late). But I had a great time, and I'm definitely going to be heading to more conferences in the future. I've already said yes to two of them for the spring!
300 Followers Contest!
I hit the 300 followers mark this week after only blogging for 4 1/2 months! To celebrate I'm having a quick contest where one lucky commenter will win ARCs for three books released this month. Comment below (include your email address so I know how to reach you) by November 10th in order to enter to win the following titles.
Extra entries:
+1 New followers
+2 If you're already a follower
+1 Linking to my contest on your blog, twitter, etc. Include links. (up to 5)
+3 For posting about my contest on your blog. (Must be actual post)
+2 Add me to your blog roll
+3 for referring someone to the contest
+3 for being the person referred
Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser
Str-S-d:
I’ll begin with Lucy. She is definitely first on the list. You can’t believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I’m some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.
The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy’s friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.
As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic.
Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he’s sharing?
The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d’s blog.
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.
While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.
Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
Extra entries:
+1 New followers
+2 If you're already a follower
+1 Linking to my contest on your blog, twitter, etc. Include links. (up to 5)
+3 For posting about my contest on your blog. (Must be actual post)
+2 Add me to your blog roll
+3 for referring someone to the contest
+3 for being the person referred
Wish You Were Dead by Todd StrasserStr-S-d:
I’ll begin with Lucy. She is definitely first on the list. You can’t believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I’m some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.
The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy’s friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.
As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic.
Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he’s sharing?
The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d’s blog.
The Demon King by Cinda Williams ChimaTimes are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.
While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.
Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love.
Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?
Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?
Contest Winner - Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
My second Charlaine Harris contest has now officially come to a close, and I'm excited to be giving away the next and final book in the HARPER CONNELLY MYSTERY SERIES, Grave Secret. After using the Research Randomizer, the winner is...
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Teaser Tuesday: LIPS TOUCH by Laini Taylor
Teaser Tuesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be ReadingThe Rules:
Grab your current read- Open to a random page
- Share (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for someone else)
- Share the title and book so other readers can add it to their TBR lists if they like it
I'm about a third of the way in and completely hooked on Laini Taylor's National Book Award Nominee Lips Touch Three Times. The book includes three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls.
Teaser:
Kissing can ruin lives. Lips touch, sometimes teeth clash. New hunger is born with a throb and caution falls away.
Book Description:
Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?
Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.
Hatchling: Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?
Kim Harrison is Amazing!
Any urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans out there should definitely start reading Kim Harrison's series THE HOLLOWS featuring the toughest witch out there, Rachel Morgan. I've been following the series for a while, and just caught up by reading the most recent installment, book 7, White Witch, Black Curse. And it was fabulous.Kim Harrison does an amazing job weaving together elements of several plotlines and balancing action, suspense, mystery, and character development. I did find myself frustrated a few times in the book because I was struggling to remember what had happened in past installments, but we finally got to find out who killed Kisten - something I had to know! (Although, I still find a piece of me hoping he'll come back to life somehow...I know it's not possible, but I miss him.)
The series does have to be read in order to get the most out of it, starting with Dead Witch Walking, and several of Harrison's short stories in anthologies also come into play in this book. (And yes, Harrison comes up with the best titles!).
Waiting on Wednesday:
Today's pick for the can't-wait-until-this-title-is-released is Fallen by Lauren Kate. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with Hush, Hush, but this is another fallen angel book coming out with beautiful cover art (not quite as good but striking nonetheless), and it sounds like it might be as amazing as I hope.
There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
Check out the excerpt available HERE.
There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
Check out the excerpt available HERE.
Beautiful by Amy Reed: The New Generation's Go Ask Alice
I read Go Ask Alice when I was in tenth grade. It was the first and only book (until now) that held me eerily bespelled while I read. This weekend I finished reading Amy Reed's debut novel Beautiful and it had the same effect. I was unable to put the book down or look away, yet I had knot in my stomach as I watched Cassie, the main character and narrator sink further and further into her downward spiral.When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie's chance to stop being invisible and become the kind of girl who's worth noticing.
Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined...one moment, one choice, will change everything.
Cassie's new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life but she can't sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.
Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.
Beautiful is a truly amazing novel, and Cassie is the kind of character you'll yearn for, hoping and praying that she'll be able to turn things around before the end of the novel.
Contest Winner - A Touch of Dead by Sookie Stackhouse
One of my Charlaine Harris contests has now officially come to a close and I'm excited to be giving away the next Sookie book A Touch of Dead, which is a compilation of previously published Sookie short stories. After using the Research Randomizer, the winner is...
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Because there’s one main problem with working with books...
Actually, like any career, there’s more than just one potential problem, but while the crazy and rude phone calls and everyone I’ve ever met in my life coming out of the woodwork to tell me they’ve written a book! is sometimes annoying, it’s not anything I can’t handle. (I mean c’mon, I was a high school teacher before this, I can handle almost anything at this point).
But what I’ve come to worry about is my love and enjoyment of reading.
Don't worry I haven't lost my love of reading. But I've heard a few people mention how their own love of reading changed as they got into the industry, and that worries me.
Before publishing, I was the type of person who spent waking weekend moments nose buried in a book, who read every book in one sitting, and managed to read 11 books in five days during that silly week off we got from school in February. When I moved from California, the 16 ft truck I rented to transport my belongings cross country was 75% filled with boxes of books, and the TBR room – formerly known as my bedroom – is even bigger than it was a few months ago (see pictures here). Trust me I still am this type of person.
That’s why I decided I wanted to switch careers and go into publishing. I distinctly remember joking with one of my students a few years ago when I was first thinking of going in a different direction. She asked what I would love to get paid for doing, and I’d said reading. But I’ve realized reading is like many other hobbies, when it becomes a job some of the things you love about it start to taper away.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still love my job. There is nothing better than finding a manuscript that I can obsess over, a manuscript that keeps me awake at night because I’m so hung up on what’s happening in the character’s lives, and then finding the right editors for that manuscript, submitting to them and hoping, praying, and waiting on the edge of my seat while trying to get that manuscript published. But wading through all the queries and requested manuscripts does take a toll on people and lately I’ve found myself ready to fall in front of the TV and zone out for a few hours on the weekend before picking up that manuscript on top of the TBR pile. I'm procrastinating - putting off reading!
I don’t want to turn to TV to procrastinate reading – that’s never been me. So I’ve thought a lot about it and realized the best way to stave off the manuscript blues is to make sure I’m reading actual books as much as I can. This might seem like a duh! option, but even just this week I’ve fallen pray to manuscripts. I started reading Beautiful by Amy Reed last week, and I really want to finish it, but the manuscripts are piling up, and every time in the last week when I get on the train and the two hours of free time present themselves, I choose to try to catch up on work rather than read the book.
I need to find a balance, self-impose some sort of limits, so that I don’t go all “psycho workaholic crazy” as one of my students used to say (while not the most creative phrase, it did accurately describe my behavior at the time), and don’t lose the very reasons I wanted to go into publishing in the first place.
But what I’ve come to worry about is my love and enjoyment of reading.
Don't worry I haven't lost my love of reading. But I've heard a few people mention how their own love of reading changed as they got into the industry, and that worries me.
Before publishing, I was the type of person who spent waking weekend moments nose buried in a book, who read every book in one sitting, and managed to read 11 books in five days during that silly week off we got from school in February. When I moved from California, the 16 ft truck I rented to transport my belongings cross country was 75% filled with boxes of books, and the TBR room – formerly known as my bedroom – is even bigger than it was a few months ago (see pictures here). Trust me I still am this type of person.
That’s why I decided I wanted to switch careers and go into publishing. I distinctly remember joking with one of my students a few years ago when I was first thinking of going in a different direction. She asked what I would love to get paid for doing, and I’d said reading. But I’ve realized reading is like many other hobbies, when it becomes a job some of the things you love about it start to taper away.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still love my job. There is nothing better than finding a manuscript that I can obsess over, a manuscript that keeps me awake at night because I’m so hung up on what’s happening in the character’s lives, and then finding the right editors for that manuscript, submitting to them and hoping, praying, and waiting on the edge of my seat while trying to get that manuscript published. But wading through all the queries and requested manuscripts does take a toll on people and lately I’ve found myself ready to fall in front of the TV and zone out for a few hours on the weekend before picking up that manuscript on top of the TBR pile. I'm procrastinating - putting off reading!
I don’t want to turn to TV to procrastinate reading – that’s never been me. So I’ve thought a lot about it and realized the best way to stave off the manuscript blues is to make sure I’m reading actual books as much as I can. This might seem like a duh! option, but even just this week I’ve fallen pray to manuscripts. I started reading Beautiful by Amy Reed last week, and I really want to finish it, but the manuscripts are piling up, and every time in the last week when I get on the train and the two hours of free time present themselves, I choose to try to catch up on work rather than read the book.
I need to find a balance, self-impose some sort of limits, so that I don’t go all “psycho workaholic crazy” as one of my students used to say (while not the most creative phrase, it did accurately describe my behavior at the time), and don’t lose the very reasons I wanted to go into publishing in the first place.
National Book Award Nominations!
FICTION
Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
NONFICTION
David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy (Princeton University Press)
T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alfred A. Knopf)
YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt)
Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)
POETRY
Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press)
Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again (Viking Penguin)
Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)
Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
NONFICTION
David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy (Princeton University Press)
T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alfred A. Knopf)
YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt)
Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)
POETRY
Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press)
Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again (Viking Penguin)
Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)
Teaser Tuesday: Say Goodnight, Gracie
Teaser Tuesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be ReadingThe Rules:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for someone else)
- Share the title and book so other readers can add it to their TBR lists if they like it
Today's teaser is an oldie but goodie, one of my favorite books from when I was in middle school from by Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver. I was rereading it on the train this morning:
"I wasn't stupid - I knew Jimmy was dead - but I felt like I had to talk to him. I did what I thought was the next best thing: I went out by the garage and pulled Jimmy's jacket out of the garbage can. When I went upstairs, I didn't even wait for it to thaw out - I put it on, zipped it up, and got back into bed." ~ pg 127
Book Description:
Morgan and Jimmy were kids together, whirling around the porch on hot summer days. They've been best friends forever, and by now they know each other inside out. They do everything together - from cutting high school to go into the city to coaching each other at dance auditions and acting workshops. They even argue well. A perfect friendship. Best Friends. For life.
So how could life be so right and then be so wrong? After a terrible accident, Morgan suddenly has to face life alone. Without Jimmy around, though, it's like the best part of her has died. How could he do this to her? And why is love so hard?
Check out Julie Reece Deaver's website.
"I wasn't stupid - I knew Jimmy was dead - but I felt like I had to talk to him. I did what I thought was the next best thing: I went out by the garage and pulled Jimmy's jacket out of the garbage can. When I went upstairs, I didn't even wait for it to thaw out - I put it on, zipped it up, and got back into bed." ~ pg 127
Book Description:
Morgan and Jimmy were kids together, whirling around the porch on hot summer days. They've been best friends forever, and by now they know each other inside out. They do everything together - from cutting high school to go into the city to coaching each other at dance auditions and acting workshops. They even argue well. A perfect friendship. Best Friends. For life.
So how could life be so right and then be so wrong? After a terrible accident, Morgan suddenly has to face life alone. Without Jimmy around, though, it's like the best part of her has died. How could he do this to her? And why is love so hard?
Check out Julie Reece Deaver's website.
Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
For years, three factions—Townies, Cadets (city kids doing a six-week outdoor education program), and Jellicoe School
students—have engaged in teen war games in the Australian countryside, defending territorial borders, negotiating for assets, and even taking hostages. Taylor Markham, a 17-year-old who was abandoned years ago by her mother, takes on leadership of the boarding school's six Houses. Plagued with doubts about being boss, she's not sure she can handle her Cadet counterpart, Jonah Griggs, whom she met several years before while running away to find her mother.
When Hannah, a sort of house mother who has taken Taylor under her wing, disappears, Taylor puzzles over the book manuscript the woman left behind. Hannah's tale involves a tragic car accident on the Jellicoe Road more than 20 years earlier. Only three children survived, and Taylor discovers that this trio, plus a Cadet and a Townie, developed an epic friendship that was the foundation of the many mysteries in her life and identity, as well as of the war games.
Some books are best savored - read and reread. Jellicoe Road is one of those books. Each chapter pulls away another mysterious layer of what is going on at the Jellicoe School, what happened in Taylor Markham's past, and what happened to the five friends who met on the Jellicoe Road. And as much as I was rushing - impatient to get to the end and find the answers to the mysteries - I made myself read slowly and save Marchetta's enchanting prose.
From page 44,
"Where's Hannah?"
I stop and look into Jessa McKenzie's eyes and suddenly I see someone...something that I have seen before. I feel an anxiety I can't explain.
I push past them and escape to my room and when it's securely locked, I walk to the basin and lean over it, nausea rising in me.
I want to see Hannah. I'm not sure why but I find myself repeating the need over and over again. Because it's like a voice whispering in my head telling me that there is something so unnatural about her absence. It's like the last line of Hannah's Yeats poem.
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
Taylor is an amazing character, and her and the other characters to life. And the romance is fantastic. Jellicoe Road has instantly become one of my favorite books, and definitely one I plan to reread over and over again.
To see the awesome interview with Melina Marchetta about Jellicoe Road and her upcoming novels Finnikin of the Rock and The Piper's Son, click here.
For years, three factions—Townies, Cadets (city kids doing a six-week outdoor education program), and Jellicoe School
students—have engaged in teen war games in the Australian countryside, defending territorial borders, negotiating for assets, and even taking hostages. Taylor Markham, a 17-year-old who was abandoned years ago by her mother, takes on leadership of the boarding school's six Houses. Plagued with doubts about being boss, she's not sure she can handle her Cadet counterpart, Jonah Griggs, whom she met several years before while running away to find her mother.When Hannah, a sort of house mother who has taken Taylor under her wing, disappears, Taylor puzzles over the book manuscript the woman left behind. Hannah's tale involves a tragic car accident on the Jellicoe Road more than 20 years earlier. Only three children survived, and Taylor discovers that this trio, plus a Cadet and a Townie, developed an epic friendship that was the foundation of the many mysteries in her life and identity, as well as of the war games.
Some books are best savored - read and reread. Jellicoe Road is one of those books. Each chapter pulls away another mysterious layer of what is going on at the Jellicoe School, what happened in Taylor Markham's past, and what happened to the five friends who met on the Jellicoe Road. And as much as I was rushing - impatient to get to the end and find the answers to the mysteries - I made myself read slowly and save Marchetta's enchanting prose.
From page 44,
"Where's Hannah?"
I stop and look into Jessa McKenzie's eyes and suddenly I see someone...something that I have seen before. I feel an anxiety I can't explain.
I push past them and escape to my room and when it's securely locked, I walk to the basin and lean over it, nausea rising in me.
I want to see Hannah. I'm not sure why but I find myself repeating the need over and over again. Because it's like a voice whispering in my head telling me that there is something so unnatural about her absence. It's like the last line of Hannah's Yeats poem.
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
Taylor is an amazing character, and her and the other characters to life. And the romance is fantastic. Jellicoe Road has instantly become one of my favorite books, and definitely one I plan to reread over and over again.
To see the awesome interview with Melina Marchetta about Jellicoe Road and her upcoming novels Finnikin of the Rock and The Piper's Son, click here.
Waiting on Wednesday: Finnikin of the Rock
Today's pick for the can't-wait-until-this-title-is-released is Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, the fabulous Australian author who's now officially one of my favorites.
Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.
Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.
But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.
Teaser Tuesday: Beautiful by Amy Reed
Teaser Tuesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be ReadingThe Rules:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for someone else)
- Share the title and book so other readers can add it to their TBR lists if they like it
Today's teaser is from Beautiful by Amy Reed:
"Here I am with the first friend I've had in forever. Here I am on my way to meet a boy who wants me." ~ pg 19
Synopsis from Amazon.com:
When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie's chance to stop being invisible and become the kind of girl who's worth noticing.Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined...one moment, one choice, will change everything.
Cassie's new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life but she can't sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.
Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.
Check out Amy Reed's website.
Winner - Rosemary and Rue
The Rosemary and Rue contest has now officially come to a close and I'm excited to be giving away the first book in the October Daye Series. After using the Research Randomizer, the winner is...
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Charlaine Harris Giveaway #2 - Win a Copy of A Touch of Dead
A Touch of Dead is a collection of five previously published Sookie Stackhouse stories now combined into one volume.In “Fairy Dust” Sookie finds her mind reading talents in demand when her fairy godmother, Claudine’s sister is murdered. This story takes place after the events of Dead to the World.
In “Dracula Night” Eric is like a little kid waiting for Santa to show up. It’s the legendary Dracula’s birthday and there’s a big celebration at Fangtasia. Unfortunately, the Dracula who appears is probably not the real thing and Sookie steps in to save the day. This story takes place before Dead as a Doornail. (This one's my favorite!)
In “One Word Answer” Sookie is informed of her cousin Hadley’s untimely death by the half-demon lawyer Mr. Cataliades who is employed by the vampire Queen of Louisiana. The message, however is not as simple as it seems and Sookie will have to puzzle out what really happened to her estranged family member. This story takes place before Dead as a Doornail.
“Lucky” is a lighter story featuring the dynamic duo of Sookie and her roommate (and witch) Amelia. They combine their talents to uncover they mystery of a break-in at a local insurance office and instead discover the reason why he has such good luck. The action takes place after the book, All Together Dead.
My last story in the collection is “Gift Wrap.” Sookie is alone on Christmas Eve and feeling a bit sorry for herself. A unexpected overnight guest brings along some drama and excitement to lift her spirits. This story takes place before the Dead and Gone.
CONTEST: One lucky commenter will win a brand new copy of A Touch of Dead, the newest book featuring Sookie Stackhouse. Be sure to include your email address so I know how to contact you.
Extra entries:
+1 New followers
+2 If you're already a follower
+1 Linking to my contest on your blog, twitter, etc. Include links. (up to 5)
+3 For posting about my contest on your blog. (Must be actual post)
+2 Add me to your blog roll
+3 for referring someone to the contest
+3 for being the person referred
This contest is open internationally! It will end October 15th at
Winner - Molly Harper Giveaway!
The Molly Harper contest has now officially come to a close and I'm excited to be giving away the first two books in her Nice Girls Series: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs and Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men. After using the Research Randomizer, the winner is...
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Send me your address within the next 48 hours so I can ship your new book!
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