Thursday, October 31, 2013

Celebrating Debutantes 2013: Liz Fichera (Interview + Giveaway)


It's day four of Celebrating Debutantes 2013 and it's hot on both my and Dianne's blog. While she features Sabrina Elkins, author of Stir Me Up, I'm featuring the author of Hooked!

Warm welcome to...



Liz Fichera


What do you feel about the number '13'?

13 gets a bad rap.  It’s not been unlucky for me in the least.

What's the best thing that happened after your book was published?

Seeing my book on shelves in bookstores.  It’s still a dream-like experience for me because I remember so many years when I’d visit my favorite local bookstores and think: hey, what if my book was in a window or on a shelf some day… 

How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

Me. My husband. Our favorite Italian restaurant, Va Bene. Boom!

Do you read reviews of your book?

I do like to read the industry reviews like Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, etc.  If a book blogger @’s me on Twitter with a link to his/her review, I usually read those reviews too.

What is your best or most unforgettable moment with a fan?

I recently got an email from a Native teen girl on the east coast in update New York who told me that HOOKED was the first book she’d read with a character that she could relate to.  That was, like, wow.  There are no words.

Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2013 that you loved?

I really liked NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Halbrook and USES FOR BOYS by Erica Sheidt, to name just a few.  I prefer reading contemporary YA with rather unconventional characters, so these two books hit all of the right emotional buttons for me.  Plus I thought the writing was beautiful.

Are you interested in writing in a different genre or for a different audience?

Right now I’m focusing on YA realistic contemporaries but I would never say never about writing in a different genre.  The point is to right what you love.  When I tire of contemporaries, maybe I’ll make a switch but, right now, there are not nearly enough YA contemporaries in my humble opinion.

Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.

Just one?? One time I had to introduce another author at a writing convention.  And I forgot her name—not because the other author was unforgettable. Quite the contrary.  It was more like because I got light-headed addressing a hot room packed with people.  Note to self: Never leave home without eating a proper breakfast.

Favorite color?

Green. Or blue. Depends on my mood.

Favorite movie?

I’ve always been a sucker for GONE WITH THE WIND.  Still.

Favorite ice cream flavor?

French vanilla.

Favorite song?

Gah! Only one? I continue to be in love with The Proclaimer’s “Whole Wide World.”

Ultimate celebrity crush (dead or alive)?

I think Adam Beach is so cool, not to mention gorgeous. Yes, please…

What's next for you?

I’m trying to finish writing two more YA books within the next 12 months. Wish me luck! :)


***

More about Liz!

I'm an American author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.  

Most of my stories are set in the American Southwest because I think the desert is a cool place.  Living in Phoenix, I'm surrounded by Native American culture and influences, not to mention intriguing Hohokam petroglyphs and centuries-old canals.  There are over 20 tribes in Arizona and I'm lucky to be neighbors to the Gila River and the Salt River Indian Communities.  


When I'm not busy writing my next novel, I like to travel, visit museums, support local theater productions, hike, and pretend that I'm training for a triathlon.  I post a lot of photos from my desert and mountain hikes on my Facebook and Twitter pages. In no particular order, I've been chased by javalinas, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and even one curious black bear.  








Haven't check out her debut book yet? Here it is!



Hooked
by Liz Fichera

Published January 29th 2013 by Harlequin Teen

Blurb (Goodreads):
When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done. 

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...


GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.










The Escapist



Today, Dianne features Sabrina Elkins, author of Stir Me Up. Head over Oops! I Read A Book Again now and also get a chance to win her book!

Yesterday: Jack Croxall (mine) and Erin Bowman (Oops! I Read A Book Again).
Tomorrow: Tara Lazar visits The Escapist while Amy Christine Parker drops by Oops! I Read A Book Again!
Check out the full schedule here.




Calling YA/NA/MG debut authors of 2014! Want to join us on this fun event? Fill out this form! Don't forget to spread the word with your debuting friends!




GIVEAWAY!
- 2 swag packs
- international














Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Celebrating Debutantes 2013: Jack Croxall (Interview + Giveaway)


Hey peeps!

It's the third day of Celebrating Debutantes 2013 and I'm enjoying it so far! Do you? ;)
Well today I have the first male debut author to feature--the author who likes chocolate ice cream (just like me), changes his favorite song everyday (just like me), and has an ultimate crush on Emma Watson (not like me; I'd prefer Harry Styles!)!

Let us meet and welcome.......




Jack Croxall

What do you feel about the number '13'?

I don’t really believe that it’s unlucky, personally, but I love the idea of it as a cool, creepy, story device!

What's the best thing that happened after your book was published?

Well the fact that people actually read was incredible, but all the things it led to were perhaps even more amazing. Opportunities to write for established publications and an audience for my future releases –  I really am grateful for the reaction I've had.

How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

Haha! I actually did a little dance when I saw it pop up on Amazon, then I celebrated ‘properly’ later that day.

Do you read reviews of your book?

I do! I want to know what people think, and I want to take any (constructive) criticism on board. People have been so amazing in writing lovely reviews and I try my best to help promote them (as they’re often on a person’s book blog). Reading the not so good ones can be a lot tougher, but I do try to.

What is your best or most unforgettable moment with a fan?

I’m still amazed when people ask me to sign their copies of my books, but the first letter I got from someone saying how much they liked Tethers is a moment I’ll never forget.

Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2013 that you loved?

Absolutely! The Puppet Spell by E.L. Adams is a lot of fun, and Sky Song by Sharon Sant is another fabby YA read.

Are you interested in writing in a different genre or for a different audience?

Not at this very moment as I’m still in love with writing YA. Never say never though!

Favorite color?

Ocean blue.

Favorite movie?

That is a seriously hard question! I would have to say a tie between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (which is the best of the Potters by far), and Jurassic Park which I loved more than any other when I was as a kid :)

Favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate!

Favorite song?

Changes everyday.

Ultimate celebrity crush (dead or alive)?

Emma Watson – I’m sure she’d love me!!!

What's next for you?

I’m currently working on the sequel to Tethers, which should be released in the spring. I’ve just released a spooky short story called X too.



***

More about Jack!


Born in High Wycombe, Jack Croxall now lives in rural Nottinghamshire with his chocolate Labrador, Archie. He has a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham and currently toils away as a science writer in between working on his books. He tweets via @JackCroxall and blogs at www.jackcroxall.co.uk

Find him: Website * Twitter * Facebook







Take a peek on Jack's debut novel!

Tethers
(The Tethers Trilogy #1)
by Jack Croxall

Published February 5th 2013 by Amazon

Blurb (Godreads):
In the wake of a cold Victorian winter, Karl Scheffer and Esther Emerson discover an anonymous journal filled with strange passages and bizarre scribblings.

The journal soon draws them into a covert and sinister conspiracy, a conspiracy centred around an otherworldly artefact with the power to change everything …

Karl and Esther have spent almost every day of their thirteen years in the quiet market town of Shraye. Stifled by their rural surroundings and frustrated by their unfulfilled ambitions, they find the allure of the journal’s mysterious pages impossible to ignore. The book seems to be beckoning them away from Shraye, away from their homes and towards the coast where an unsolved disappearance has set in motion a dark chain of events.

The voyage the teenagers soon find themselves undertaking is one of desperate importance and true peril; it will change the way they see the world, and each other, forever.










The Escapist


Today, Dianne will be featuring Erin Bowman, author of Taken. Head over Oops! I Read A Book Again now and also get a chance to win her book!

Yesterday: Alexia Casale (mine) and Liz Coley (Oops! I Read A Book Again).
Tomorrow: Liz Fichera visits The Escapist while Sabrina Elkins drops by Oops! I Read A Book Again!
Check out the full schedule here.


Calling YA/NA/MG debut authors of 2014! Want to join us on this fun event? Fill out this form! Don't forget to spread the word with your debuting friends!




GIVEAWAY!
- 3 ecopies of Tethers
- open internationally







Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Celebrating Debutantes 2013: Alexia Casale (13 Random Facts)



Welcome to the second day of Celebrating Debutantes 2013! Today you will learn a lot of things from the author of The Bone Dragon! Sit back, fastened your seat-belts and prepare for Alexia Casale's whirlwind of adventure!



Alexia Casale

13 Random Facts


1. I have my very own piece-of-rib-in-a-pot. Actually, I should have 4 of these but medical science stole the rest and wouldn’t give them back. (People who’ve read to the end, please know that The Bone Dragon is not an autobiography in case you’re now very worried.)

2. I was once invited to write a report for the Ministry of Defence: at least one of the recommendations was adopted.

3. Mountain streams and wildflowers make me happy. I flee from crowds.

4. I was elected a Trustee on the Executive Board of a national charity when I was 17. I had to turn the post down for a year until it became legal for me to accept.

5. I nearly became a professional wedding-cake maker specialising in bespoke sugar-craft. I still make cakes for very close friends.

6. Every nativity play teachers were stupid enough to put me in as a child suffered a disaster of fairly epic proportions that made the teachers tear their hair out while the parents nearly died of laughter. None of it was strictly my fault. Well, some of it you could put down to well-intentioned creative input.

7. I used to be Box Office Manager at a music festival. Minions, many minions…

8. I’m both dyslexic and dyspraxic. As a child I also had a massive hyperactivity problem: it literally hurt to sit still.

9. When I was 16, I switched schools without telling my parents. Well, I told my mum on the day of the entrance interview for the new school ‘cos I needed a lift, but it was fairly much a done deal by then. One of the best decisions I ever made.

10. I have a trophy for being the youngest person (age 4) down a particularly treacherous stretch of Grade 4 rapids in the US. It was *brilliant*.

11. I love to dress up. If I could get away with it, I’d spend my whole life in costume. As it is, I often forget to dress as me and not my characters. Wardrobe disasters are a frequent part of my life. I’m working on it. To be fair, I sometimes forget things like shoes (and once, briefly but memorably, my trousers) so I have bigger things to worry about than being fashion-forward.

12. If a man really wanted to charm me, he’d buy me a sword, not a diamond bracelet. If I ever find a man who understand this, I might keep him.

13. My year as a debut novelist:

October 2012: Editing and copy-editing on manuscript all done. Start working on proofs.

November 2012: Cover redesign. Start discussing taglines. Book 2 plan coming along nicely.

December 2012: Cover re-re-design. We have a tagline! Proofs finalised. Book 2 plan finished.

January 2013: Start writing first draft of Book 2.

February 2013: Bound review copies arrive. My book! In print! Panic about reviews: will they be good, will there be any? Dream-come-true: invitation to speak at Edinburgh Book Festival. YES-PLEASE-ABSOLUTELY-DEFINITELY-YES!

March 2013: First copies of The Bone Dragon arrive. My book! Properly my book with its cover and everything! Much cuddling and stroking of book. Book takes up residence in most prominent place in study: look, it’s my book! It’s really there! It doesn't vanish when I turn away! Dream-come-true-again: invitation to speak at Hay Book Festival. 10 full minutes of near speechlessness ensues.

April 2013: Write blog tour posts, design a signature, learn how to use a fountain pen, wait. Wait. Wait. WAIT!!!!! (While doing lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of editing work for clients.)

May 2013: Publication day! Publicity explosion manic-ness! Guest-posts, arranging events, preparing for events, going to events. First reader feedback is in: the lovely Luna from Luna’s Little Library likes the book! Knowing there are people who have read and enjoyed my book: indescribably wonderful. Hay Book Festival: event with Sally Gardner and Nick Lake. Pressure! Am horribly sick but manage not to puke on anyone at all. Day is *amazing*. Passes in a blur and a daze, but a very happy one. Learn that The Bone Dragon is up for the First Book Award!

June 2013: Events, events, events, planning events, preparing for events, going to events, writing guest-posts… Book 2! Must finish Book 2! The Bone Dragon is reviewed in the Financial Times.

July 2013: Book 2 draft finished. Book 2 edited. Book 2 goes to agent. Start work on Book 3. The Bone Dragon is one of only three YA titles on the Financial Times Summer Reading List.

August 2013: The Bone Dragon is reviewed in the Guardian Observer. Brilliant agent gives brilliant feedback on Book 2. Book 2 edits. Edinburgh Book Festival. I am not sick: there is no question of my puking on anyone. One of the happiest times of my life. All The Events! All The Lovely Authors! All The Lovely Book People! Meeting and speaking with Tim Bowler: beyond wonderful. Interview with Enquire and Dyslexic Scotland. Second event: reading and dyslexia – so rewarding. Show Book 2 to my amazing ‘Aunty Pat’, my ‘first reader’, ahead of book going into submission: more brilliant feedback. More editing.

September 2013: Work on Book 2. Discuss cover, proofs, and end material for The Bone Dragon paperback. Brilliant event with CJ Daugherty and Holly Bourne. Work on Book 3. Events, many events. Prepare for Bath Children’s Literature Festival.

And that’s only some of the wonderful things that have happened. It’s been an amazing year, especially because of all the lovely, lovely people I’ve met – authors, people in the publishing industry, bloggers, readers… Please, please can life continue just like this!


***

More about Alexia!


A British-American citizen of Italian heritage, Alexia is an author, editor and writing consultant. She also teaches English Literature and Writing.

After an MA in Social & Political Sciences (Psychology major) then MPhil in Educational Psychology & Technology, both at Cambridge University, she took a break from academia and moved to New York. There she worked on a Tony-award-winning Broadway show before returning to England to complete a PhD and teaching qualification. In between, she worked as a West End script-critic, box-office manager for a music festival and executive editor of a human rights journal.

She’s not sure which side of the family her dyslexia comes from, but is resigned to the fact that madness runs in both. She loves cats, collects glass animals and interesting knives, and has always wanted a dragon.

Alexia is represented by Claire Wilson of Rogers, Coleridge & White.

Her debut novel, The Bone Dragon, was published by Faber & Faber on 2 May 2013. Read the first 15 pages at Sugarscape or Wondrous Reads.


Find her: Website * Twitter * Facebook






Check out her debut novel!



The Bone Dragon
by Alexia Casale

Published April 30th 2013 by Faber & Faber

Blurb (Goodreads):
Evie's shattered ribs have been a secret for the last four years. Now she has found the strength to tell her adoptive parents, and the physical traces of her past are fixed - the only remaining signs a scar on her side and a fragment of bone taken home from the hospital, which her uncle Ben helps her to carve into a dragon as a sign of her strength.

Soon this ivory talisman begins to come to life at night, offering wisdom and encouragement in roaming dreams of smoke and moonlight that come to feel ever more real.

As Evie grows stronger there remains one problem her new parents can't fix for her: a revenge that must be taken. And it seems that the Dragon is the one to take it.

This subtly unsettling novel is told from the viewpoint of a fourteen-year-old girl damaged by a past she can't talk about, in a hypnotic narrative that, while giving increasing insight, also becomes increasingly unreliable.

A blend of psychological thriller and fairytale, The Bone Dragon explores the fragile boundaries between real life and fantasy, and the darkest corners of the human mind.






***


Head over Oops! I Read A Book Again for Dianne's first featured debut author, Liz Coley (author of Pretty Girl-13)!

Yesterday: Kasie West (mine) and intro post from Oops! I Read A Book Again.
Tomorrow: I'll feature Jack Croxall, while Dianne gives spotlight to Erin Bowman!
Check out the full schedule here.




The Escapist



Calling YA/NA/MG debut authors of 2014! Want to join us on this fun event? Fill out this form! Don't forget to spread the word with your debuting friends!








Monday, October 28, 2013

Music Monday (15): Sweeter Than Fiction

Music Monday is a weekly meme created by yours truly. Let's talk about music on Mondays!
Another Music Monday post dedicated only for miss Taylor Swift! Let's celebrate her newly released song (exactly one week today) called Sweeter Than Fiction. This song was written by her (of course she writes her songs!) for the original soundtrack of the movie Once Chance.

Listen to the wonderfully made song and enjoy the rest of your week!







P.S Dream big and reach it! ;)






Celebrating Debutantes 2013: Kasie West (13 Random Facts + Giveaway)



Hey there my lovely readers!


Today is a very special day because the second annual Celebrating Debutantes is back!  For those who don't know what CD is, let me share a brief description. Celebrating Debutantes was made for debut authors for the current year--to celebrate the publishing of their books and give spotlight to the wonderful hard-working authors behind them. My very first post (intro post) was published 12th of November 2012.  I had featured 22 authors. This year is BIGGER and I'm sure you'll all love it! Together with my new event partner, Dianne of Oops! I Read A Book Again, we bring you over 100(!) YA and NA debut authors of 2013! Excited? Me too!

For the first day of Celebrating Debutantes 2013, I have the an author who get to published two awesome books this year! She is the author of the amazing Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us. I loooved Pivot Point (my review) and so did Dianne (her review). She also loved The Distance Between Us (her review), while I have yet to read it (I would never miss this!).

Let's welcome and congratulate.....



Kasie West

13 Random Facts

1. I'm a night owl.
  
2. Which means, I HATE MORNINGS.

3. My closet is as messy now as it was in high school.

4. I always thought I'd be better at cleaning as an adult.....I'm not....surprisingly the 'like to clean' gene didn't immediately activate when I turned 18. 

5. If I could live off of just chocolate, I would. In fact, a lot of days, I try to prove this is possible.

6. I'm terrified of heights. So much so that I can't even watch someone *else* in a high place without having a physical reaction.

7. I always have to have my toenails painted. Usually a very bright color.

8. My husband is 6'8" and therefore most of my shoes have at least 3" heels.

9. I married a jock even though I was a major drama geek. :)

10. I love my mother-in-law (actually all my in-laws). 

11. Three of my babies were born at over 9 lbs. And all three were early. (Yikes!)

12. I love to sing really loud when I'm alone (and I'm really bad at it). 

13. I love the number thirteen. It's one of my lucky numbers. Friday the thirteenth is even better. Some of the most amazing things have happened to me on Friday the thirteenth. Including my book deal.


***

More about Kasie!

I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My debut novel, PIVOT POINT (HarperTeen) came out February 12, 2013, and will be followed by its sequel in 2014. I also have a contemporary, The Distance Between Us, coming out July 2, 2013 with HarperTeen. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

Follow her: Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads 






Have you checked out her debut novels?

Pivot Point
(Pivot Point #1)
by Kasie West

Published February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen

Blurb (Goodreads):
Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.


In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.
Photobucket



The Distance Between Us
by Kasie West

Published July 2nd 2013 by Harper Teen

Blurb (Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.


She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.
Photobucket








The Escapist



I hope you'd stay tuned for every debut author we feature and celebrate with their success as an author. There are lots of fun interviews, 13 random facts and giveaways just for you--we feature almost everyday so don't forget to come back and spread the word! For now, let's welcome Dianne and head over Oops! I Read A Book Again for her intro post! To learn more about this event or to check out this year's schedule, click on the Celebrating Debutantes tab.

Tomorrow: I'd be featuring Alexia Casale, while Dianne will feature her first debut author, Liz Coley!


Calling YA/NA/MG debut authors of 2014! Want to join us on this fun event? Fill out this form! Don't forget to spread the word with your debuting friends!



GIVEAWAY!
- 1 signed copy of The Distance Between Us
- US/Canada only









Wednesday, October 23, 2013

WWW Wednesdays (45) / Waiting on Wednesday (47): Into the Still Blue

Hey everyone! I'm back again with my Wednesdays post, since I'm now having a reading progress. Thank God for sem break. Yay!




To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?







Currently Reading:

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Finished Reading:

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Read Next:

The Selection by Kiera Cass






Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.


Into the Still Blue
(Under the Never Sky #3)
by Veronica Rossi

Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by HarperCollins

Blurb (Goodreads):
The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.


In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.
Photobucket


I just finished Through The Ever Night yesterday and now I can't wait to see how this wonderful trilogy ends!



***

So..what are your books for this week?
How about thoughts about mine?
Happy Wednesday! :)


***




;)