www.BookHoundsYA.net

You'd have to have, like, a lentil for a soul to hate wiener dogs. ~Zuzana from The Daughter of Smoke & Bones by Laini Taylor


Sunday, June 30, 2013

Giveaway! SUMMER CIRCUS KISSING BOOTH - Win 2 KISS books!



Welcome to the KISSING BOOTH! 


For an extra entry, tell me about your first kiss!




This hop is hosted by: 
There are 20 participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts July 1st and and ends on July 12th,  midnight.  There are lots of fun events planned at each blog and I am hosting Sweet Reads! 


HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER: (click on the covers for more information)

Kisses From Hell Kiss Crush Collide



Want to win these books (both used ARCs) ?



Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address within the free shipping areas of The Book Depository.
Contest ends on 7.12.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen. Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.
This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE set is available.
Complete the below form 

Follow Me Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
+1 Like BookHounds on Facebook HERE 
+1 Follow my reviews on Goodreads HERE
(I am at my limit of friends!)


For an extra entry, tell me about your first kiss in the comments, be sure to leave an email or twitter address!


Giveaway Interview VIRAL NATION by SHAUNTA GRIMES @shauntagrimes




About Viral Nation:

Synopsis:

After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.

Book Details:

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0425265130
First in a series.
Two chapter excerpt available on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15985355-viral-nation



About the Author:

Shaunta Grimes has worked as a substitute teacher, a newspaper reporter, a drug court counselor, and a vintage clothing seller. No matter which direction she strays, however, she always comes back to storytelling. She lives in Reno with her family, where she writes, teaches, and perpetually studies at the University of Nevada. Viral Nation is her debut traditionally-published novel.

How to Connect with Shaunta:

Email: shauntagrimes@gmail.com
Twitter: @shauntagrimes
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/yEc11


I had the pleasure of meeting with Shaunta at BEA this year!  

Please welcome her to BookHounds YA




What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

I learned to read with these little yellow paper books about a lion named Sam. Sam I am, I am Sam. So, I guess those are the first I remember. I also remember reading Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by myself. I was four and I can still remember how proud I was of myself. I have a really strong memory of being about eight and realizing that I could read anything I wanted to read. That is my first real memory of having a sense of personal power.

What are you reading right now?

I'm reading The Book Thief. I have book blog called Story Carnivores with my friend Brian Rowe, and it's our June book of the month. I'm also working on The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. She came and spoke to my writing workshop class at UNR last semester and I'm in love with her short stories. Look up “Basement Magic.” You can thank me later.

How does your garden grow?

Sadly, it grows neglected and slightly pathetic. Someday I will have the time to have a sweet little garden where I grow flowers and herbs and vegetables and have a little pen for goats and a chicken coop. That day has not yet come. But it will! I harbor serious Secret Garden fantasies.

What is the last thing you Googled?

Eminem. For some reason my eight-year-old daughter Ruby and her friend Samantha worked themselves up yesterday because Samantha, who is a fifth grader, had heard that he was nearly stabbed to death. For the record, that's a hoax. Eminem is alive and well and, according to Wikipedia, working on an eighth album.

What makes you cringe?

Mayonnaise. The super gore-filled scenes in The Walking Dead. Movies and books that don't have satisfying endings. Flies inside my house. Insta-love. Other people's eating noises. Hearing that one of my favorite TV shows has been cancelled (R.I.P. Smash.)



Giveaway details:
5 finished copies of Viral Nation US/Canada only

Giveaway DESOLATION by TRAVIS SIMMONS WIN $15 Amazon GC @TravisSimmons5 #BookBlast






ABOUT THE BOOK:

Asher St Paul thought it was just a typical zombie apocalypse like in the movies, until the necromancers crawled out of the woodwork. Since the undead have chased the living into hiding, the necromancers are able to roam freely in a new America of their making. Asher is seeking safe harbor. The need for safety is what drove him from his home in Philadelphia Pennsylvania before it was shelled. He has searched from quarantine to quarantine, always finding them overrun with zombies until he hears of The Refuge, a military compound in Binghamton New York.

With his family and lover lain to rest by his own hand, he has nothing left to lose and gives everything he has to reach the safe haven. But questions arise when he reaches The Refuge, mainly, how has he been able to sustain multiple zombie bites and not change? He thinks he has found safety in the military compound turned quarantine, but he was wrong. Even now there is a necromancer trying to make The Refuge their kingdom of the dead

Amazon *   Goodreads





I have always been a do-it-yourselfer. I haven’t had any formal education on writing, and I haven’t been raised around writer types. For that matter, I wasn’t even encouraged to read when I was a kid, even though plenty of people in my family read. When I was a teenager, I discovered Cliff’s Notes on Mythology, and it sparked something in me. It was like a floodgate had been opened, and all of these stories started rushing in. I would get ideas at random times, and I would jot them down. I have a pretty big file system of everything I have ever written. Someday I will get to them and put them all into electronic files. There is some good material in there, but there are a lot of bad stories too.
I started writing when I was thirteen or fourteen. At an early age I was already writing books of Saracin (the world The Bonds of Blood takes place in). The first book I wrote of that place was “The Calling of the Two” (not yet released). While I was writing that, I kept thinking of these characters Jovian and Angelica. I knew they had a part to play in the storyline, but they weren’t going to be in the same series. For that matter, they weren’t even going to be in the same age. As I finished the first draft of “The Calling of the Two” I went on to write the first book of Angelica and Jovian’s story. At that time it was The Mirror of the Moon. Later an editor told me it was so massive that I should make the one volume into two, and so The Bonds of Blood was born, and The Revenant Wyrd Saga went from a planned three to six.
That story has taken many forms until now, and I am sure if I didn’t declare that it was “done” it could continue to transform.
Along the way, I discovered my passion for research. I absolutely love researching. It would be nothing for me to sit for days on end, barely eating, just getting up to take care of necessities, and research really odd theories and stories. I get my ideas from them to be honest. Of course, my idea’s are never the main theme of the research I am doing, but it always seems to come from some obscure topic mentioned while I am researching. For instance one book I am outlining now is based on something I heard while watching Ancient Aliens.
Unlike most authors, I have not always loved reading and writing. I hated it until I was in 7th grade. My teacher wanted us to read the entire semester. We would read a book and write in a journal about it. Back then the teachers were allowed to spend more time on what their passions were, and actually foster something in their students, and she did just that. She made me love reading and writing. She told me to go to her book shelf and pick out a book that I was interested in. I found one of my first loves: David Eddings’ Pawn of Prophecy.
Back then I was in remedial reading, and my teacher (Mrs. Peters) would sit with me for the time I was in her classroom, taking turns reading the story out loud with me. We would read where the adventure was taking Garion, and then we would flip to the beginning and look at the map so we could follow them as well.
I think it was at that point, getting lost in a book I love to this day, that I knew I had to do this. I had to create the same magic for others that Mr. Eddings created for me.
At times it is boggling. I have three series of books started, and 2 more forming in my mind (and outlined on the computer). At this point I have to step back and finish the ones I have started before I can let myself move forward.
I feel that I am blessed in being able to write, and forging a life of my passion. It is tough at times, but that is what makes the payoff all the sweeter. The writing business is a huge adventure, trying to figure out what to do and what not to do; when to do things and when not to do anything. Currently I am planning the release of the second book to “The Bonds of Blood”. This is the first time I am armed with the knowledge of what I must do for a book release, and I finally understand why it nerves so many authors up, but it is that excitement that makes me love writing. Every time I hear a reader I don’t know praise my work, it makes my heart race and brightens my day.
Travis is the author of The Bonds of Blood, the first book in his epic fantasy series The Revenant Wyrd Saga. He has also written a young adult novel called A Lament of Moonlight which is book one of his pre-apocalypse series The Harbingers of Light. He is currently seeking publication for the first book of a third series, a zombie novel called Desolation. When he isn’t writing he is helping his family and trying to live a normal, under the radar life. His interests lie in cooking, gardening, green living, and human rights advocacy. He is a huge supporter of the Trevor Project and all agencies that seek to preserve natural resources and protect pets from abuse.”






ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:
Must Be 13  To Enter | Open Internationally | Prize to be delivered via e-mail
One winner will get a $15 Amazon Gift Card
One winner will get a $10 Amazon Gift Card



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Giveaway IXEOS: REBELLION (BOOK TWO) by JENNINGS WRIGHT @JenningsWright #BookBlast


BookNerd Tours






IXEOS: REBELLION (BOOK TWO)

With rebel leader Darian free at last, the humans and outsiders on Ixeos must find a way to join forces and defeat the Firsts. The problem? All slaves are tracked with GPS, the Firsts are the only ones with power, and roving gangs hate the rebels just as much as they hate the aliens. As Darian and the outsiders from Earth travel the globe through the mysterious tunnels in Paris, they learn that the Firsts are preparing to launch another wave of biological warfare. With a transporter that will allow the aliens to target any city, anywhere on the planet, the rebels know they must stop them at all costs.



As things get more dangerous on Ixeos, the outsiders find that they’re pushed to their limit. Will they fight for freedom, no matter the price?

Add to Goodreads 

Purchase:






IXEOS: BOOK ONE



The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose: to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren’t the only problem on Ixeos — the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved. The worst part? There’s no way home.

Add to Goodreads HERE

Purchase:

Barnes and Noble HERE




Born and raised in Rockledge, Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn’t spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of the South and the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of script doctoring, business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit to Uganda.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn’t stopped since. She’s written four novels and a screenplay in less than a year, with more ideas on the drawing board. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a writer, and two children, and travels extensively.


    





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, June 28, 2013

Giveaway JUMP WHEN READY by DAVID PANDOLFE #NerdTour


Since he drowned, Henry has remained isolated with the same group of teenagers and he keeps wondering why. After all, what could he possibly have in common with a Mohawk-sporting punker from the 80s, a roller skater from the 70s with a thing for kimonos, and an English “rocker” from the 60s? Henry can hear the other groups but he never sees them. Soon, Henry learns that his new friends all possess unique skills for making themselves noticed by the living. Is Henry’s group kept isolated because of their abilities? If so, are they considered gifted or seen only as a potential bad influence?


Before Henry can reach any conclusions, he witnesses his sister being kidnapped. He knows who did it, where she’s being held and what will happen if the kidnappers don’t get what they want. As the police chase false leads, Henry comes to realize that he’s his sister’s only hope. But for Henry to even have a chance, he has to convince a group of teenagers that dead doesn’t mean helpless.


David Pandolfe has been a bartender in Seattle, the front man for an alternative rock band in Los Angeles and a college writing teacher in Richmond (among other things).
One day, it occurred to him that sometimes these experiences felt like completely different lives altogether. Which got him to writing Jump When Ready, a novel about of bunch of teenagers trying to get over their past lives while getting ready to jump into their next.
While he’s still writing about himself in third person, David Pandolfe should probably mention that at one point he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has had short stories published in Millennium and the Georgetown Review. Jump When Ready is his first YA novel but he’s currently working on another, to be released in the fall of 2013.



Jump When Ready
Official Blog Tour


Launch Party Schedule:
·         June 24th Monday                Interview & Review Jean BookNerd
·         June 25th Tuesday               Guest Post & Spotlight Beneath the Cover
·         June 26th Wednesday         Review & Spotlight Because Reading is Better Than Real Life
·         June 26th Wednesday         Music Playlist & Spotlight Tam’s Two Cents
·         June 27th Thursday             Review & Spotlight The Sleepless Gal
·         June 27th Thursday             Tens List & Spotlight Sassy Book Lovers
·         June 28th Friday                   Review & Spotlight & Spotlight A Little Shelf of Heaven
·         June 28th Friday                   Favorite Things & Spotlight Mom with a Kindle
·         June 28th Friday                  Spotlight Book Hounds
·         June 29th Saturday              Tens List & Spotlight Me, My Shelf and I
·         July 30th Sunday                  Review & Spotlight Best Books
·         July 1st Monday                    Guest Post & Spotlight Chapter by Chapter
·         July 2nd Tuesday                  Review & Spotlight The Real Bookshelves of Room 918
·         July 2nd Tuesday                  Excerpt & Spotlight A Dream Within a Dream
·         July 3rd Wednesday             Interview & Spotlight I’m a Reader, Not a Writer
·         July 4th Thursday                 Review & Spotlight Bound by Words
·         July 4th Thursday                 Excerpt or That & Spotlight Chapter Break
·         July 5th Friday                       Review & Spotlight Paranormal Book Club
·         July 5th Friday                       This or That & Spotlight Books Beside My Bed
·         July 6th Saturday                  Review & Spotlight Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace
·         July 7th Sunday                    Artwork & Spotlight Artist James Vallesteros


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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Giveaway! John William and the Bandits of Basswood by Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows @lizzypbellows WIN $50

 

bandits

John William and the Bandits of Basswood

We already know Alexander Drake’s story. His father, John William started it all years before when he entered Azra’s Pith. This is his story. John William was born an explorer; just like his dad before him. His adventure really began with the worst year of his life. He lived everyday in misery until his twelfth birthday. He set out to turn things around and find his smile again. A new friend gave him an invitation he could not turn down… follow me and change your destiny. He never imagined being captured by bandits and taken to a ship riddled with river rats was part of his fate. Not just any bandits – the Bandits of Basswood; known to be a ruthless and wild crew of thieves. Trying to escape would be a ridiculous idea. No one has ever escaped and lived to tell about it. Someone should have mentioned that to John William before he snuck off the ship. The chase out of Basswood was on. He took a chance to change his destiny and ended up on a wild ride to save his life.

Amazon

   

lizzie

Author Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows

Being the frizzy-haired tomboy with buck teeth gave me a slight case of shyness as a kid. A colorful imagination meant escape and adventure at the drop of a hat. Over the years I learned that the insecurities I carried around were a waste of time. I still prefer a football game to a manicure any day of the week. That indispensable imagination has found its way into my writing providing a sense of joy and a true purpose.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

   

Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
 Ends 7/10/13

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Guest Post! Giveaway! CATHERINE by APRIL LINDNER @misadventure123 @LBKids


Rockstar Tours


A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.





April Lindner is the author of two novels, Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights, and Jane, an update of Jane Eyre.  She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped.
She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs.
A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.





you can read my review here

PLEASE WELCOME APRIL TO BOOKHOUNDS!

***


I go to a lot of rock concerts…maybe too many, sacrificing sleep, spending money that could be used for more practical purposes like, say, eating or paying the mortgage.  Nothing gets me more excited, more inspired, than music; it taps straight into my emotions in a way that other arts—even books—can’t quite do.  And live music is even more immediate, because when you’re in the audience you’re part of the experience, giving back to the performer, interacting with him or her, helping to amplify the energy.   I love being lost in an enormous arena crowd, part of something so much bigger than myself.  Even better is being in a small club, up against the stage, interacting with the band, making eye contact, cheering them on.

As you can see, I’m a more than a little obsessed with the live music thing, so it’s no surprise that music and musicians have made their way into my books.  My first novel, JANE, wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for my fascination with music in general and rock in particular.  Though I’ve always loved retellings of classic literature, and I’d long wanted to write a JANE EYRE retelling of my own, it was the realization that Mr. Rochester could be a rock star that jolted me into action.  It’s no secret that I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan; I’ve been to upwards of fifty shows, sometimes travelling many states away to get there.   And I confess, I’ve done some musing about what it must be like to be Bruce, or someone like him, who plays to packed arenas and has a huge, loyal fan base.  When I set down to write JANE, I already had a pretty vivid idea of what Nico Rathburn’s life would be like, and what pitfalls there might be for an ordinary girl who falls in love with him.

Something similar happened with my second book, CATHERINE.  I’d made up my mind to write a retelling of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.  As in the original, I wanted setting to be really important, almost a character in itself. I’d been thinking of the White Mountains of Northern New Hampshire, a place that can feel almost as stark and remote as I imagine the Yorkshire Moors do, but the story just wasn’t falling into place for me.  Then one night, I happened to be at a show at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey—basically my favorite club in the world, as steeped as it is in Bruce Springsteen history and in whole Jersey Shore music scene.   I can’t recall now who I was seeing that night, but about halfway through the show I felt that familiar mid-concert crackling energy coursing through me and realized that I felt, for the first time in a while, truly inspired.  That’s when it occurred to me that the story of Catherine and Heathcliff could be set in a night club, and that Heathcliff could be a punk rocker.  After that, the story began to crystallize.  I transplanted the club to New York’s Lower East Side, mainly because I wanted it to be a part of punk history, right up the street from the legendary club CBGB.

Right about the time I was writing the first draft of CATHERINE, I became obsessed with a musician named Jesse Malin who, like my hero Hence, started out in a punk rock band and went on to own a nightclub on the Bowery.  Jesse Malin is an incredible songwriter; he’s more of a rocker these days than a punk, and, boy, can he write a song!  When I was putting the finishing touches on the first draft of CATHERINE, I happened to notice that Jesse was going to be playing his own club, the Bowery Electric, so of course my husband and I had to be there.  I’d seen Jesse live several times before, but there was nothing quite like seeing him play his own club.  Hence, my Heathcliff character, does something very similar in a key scene in CATHERINE, and from the buzz in the air that night it was very clear that there was something very special for a musician taking the stage in his very own club.  I was able to rewrite that scene, to make it better, for having been at that show. 

Finally, I’m in the process of writing a new retelling, this time of E. M. Forster’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW, about a young British girl travelling through Italy.  My new novel, tentatively titled LUCY, is about an American backpacker touring Europe; she has a life-changing encounter with a free-spirited street musician.  So music has found its way into this new book too.  After this one, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away with any more novels that feature rock music and musicians; it might be time to move on to some of my other obsessions.  We’ll see.

check out the other blogs on this tour



Week One
June 17th - Bewitched Bookworms - Review + Interview
June 18th - Jessabella Reads - Guest Post
June 19th - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - Interview
June 20th - Romancing the Dark Side - Guest Post
June 20th - Between the Pages - Review
June 21st - Emily's Crammed Bookshelf - Interview
June 21st - A Little Shelf of Heaven - Review

Week Two

June 24th - Parajunkee - Guest Post
June 25th - The Book Belles - Interview
June 25th - The Bookmark Blog - Review
June 26th - Curling Up With A Good Book - Review
June 26th - Ink Skies - Interview
June 27th - BookHounds - Guest Post
June 27th - To Read or Not To Read - Review
June 28th - Tales of the Ravenous Reader - Guest Post

 The Giveaway
A hardcover copy of CATHERINE by April Lindner to THREE (3) winners.
It is a tour-wide giveaway shared across all the stops via a common Rafflecopter.
Giveaway is US only.
Must be 13 or older to enter.
Giveaway ends July 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter and contacted by email.
Mandatory requirement is to leave a comment. Optional entries are to Like the CATHERINE Facebook page, follow the author on Twitter and Tweet (daily) about the tour/giveaway.
All giveaway options are weighted evenly.



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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Giveaway! DISNEYLANDERS by KATE ABBBOTT #NerdBlast WIN




In Disneylanders, 14-year-old Casey Allison, on the brink of starting high school, struggles to find a new identity on her family’s annual summer vacation, but with the help of an outgoing boy she meets while waiting in line, she discovers that Disneyland is the one place where her overprotective parents let her have the freedom to grow up.

Casey looks forward to her family’s annual summer vacation to Disneyland to escape her anxieties about starting high school. This summer, however, her vacation forces her to confront her parents’ ancient attitudes, getting dumped by her best friend, an intense crush, and a pack of gum-snapping girls who seem intent on ruining her vacation.
Her parents won’t accept she’s no longer a little kid, but she can’t fathom growing up to be like the bra-strap girls who seem to be following her. Worst of all, she fears that in order be accepted as “mature,” she’ll have to not only display her underwear but stop going to her beloved theme park. As she explores Disneyland—and her first romantic relationship—with Bert, the charming high school sophomore she meets, she realizes that she can overcome her real-world insecurities only when she’s in the Magic Kingdom.
As Casey and Bert banter in line for rides, they find that confessing the secrets they couldn’t share with anyone back home lets them both discover their true selves. Although they spend time in Fantasyland, they confront their real-life issues…Bert’s flaky parents, his precocious grandmother, and why he wears a watch that hasn’t worked in two years; Casey’s ex-best friend, her secret passion for old-school film photography, and her cast member crushes. By the last fireworks show, after she’s been on a wild ride of a summer vacation, Casey rediscovers herself and takes home new self confidence, along with a sentimental souvenir.






Disneylanders is Kate Abbott’s first novel. She received an MFA in creative writing from UC Riverside, Palm Desert. Kate lives in Northern California with her husband, son, terrier, and tiny parrots.












One lucky winner will get this awesome Disney themed gift pack from Kate Abbott, including:
Note card set
Mickey Bookmark
A copy of Disneylanders
Must be 13+ to Enter
US Shipping Only
No PO Boxes




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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

WoW STEELHEART by BRANDON SANDERSON @RandomBuzzers @BrandSanderson








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

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




Book Description

September 24, 2013 Steelheart

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson, comes the first book in a new, action-packed thrill ride of a series—Steelheart.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics . . . nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 12 and up 
  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press (September 24, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385743564
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385743563





About the Author

BRANDON SANDERSON is the author of the international bestselling Mistborn trilogy. Recently, he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time series based the late author's notes. His books have been published in over 25 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. He lives and writes in Utah. You can visit him at brandonsanderson.com.



I am such a sucker for these end-of-the-world type books where mortals end up with powers.  

Giveaway Matt Archer: Legend by Kendra Highley Win $50 @KendraHighley #BookBlast

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Matt Archer: Legend 

When Matt Archer was fourteen, he was chosen—by a magic, spirit-inhabited knife—to hunt monsters with a special paranormal division of the Army. When he was fifteen, he was thrown into a global war the rest of the world didn’t know existed. Now Matt’s sixteen and the war has cost him more than he ever thought it would. He’s also learned that the knife-spirits have an agenda he doesn’t totally agree with. The only problem? The spirits have the upper hand, and they plan to control the fight—and Matt. Then things get worse: the next lunar eclipse cycle is starting, a prominent physicist has gone missing, and Matt’s best friend is thinking about quitting the team. If he loses Will—after everyone else he’s lost—Matt’s not sure how he’ll fight alone. As the source of his nightmares starts to creep out of the shadows, Matt knows he’ll need all the help he can get…because being alone could prove deadly.  
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Matt Archer: Blade's Edge When Matt Archer was fourteen, he discovered monsters are real. As if that wasn’t enough to go on for a few decades, Matt also found out that he’d been chosen to hunt those monsters--with a sentient, supernatural knife. Now fifteen, Matt has spent the last year working with a clandestine military unit, trying to rid the world of monsters, demons and other vicious creatures, all while keeping it a secret from nearly everyone he knows back home in Billings. Including his mom. Add in a new girlfriend, family secrets, sibling drama and enough homework to sink an aircraft carrier, and Matt’s life has become more complicated than he ever imagined. Worse, the knife has developed some very definite opinions about Matt’s personal life and it interferes in his business whenever it wants. More and more, Matt’s coming to realize that sharing brain-space with a spirit kind of sucks. When stories of decimated towns and hordes of zombies start pouring into the Pentagon from Afghanistan, Matt knows he’ll be called up soon. Between the new mission and the knife’s increasing control over his mind, Matt wonders if he’ll survive long enough to take his driver’s exam.
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Matt Archer: Monster Hunter
Fourteen-year-old Matt Archer spends his days studying Algebra, hanging out with his best friend and crushing on the Goddess of Greenhill High, Ella Mitchell. To be honest, he thinks his life is pretty lame until he discovers something terrifying on a weekend camping trip at the local state park. Monsters are real. And living in his backyard. But that's not the half of it. After Matt is forced to kill a strange creature to save his uncle, he finds out that the weird knife he took from his uncle's bag has a secret, one that will change Matt's life. The knife was designed with one purpose: to hunt monsters. And it's chosen Matt as its wielder. Now Matt's part of a world he didn't know existed, working with a covert military unit dedicated to eliminating walking nightmares. Faced with a prophecy about a looming dark war, Matt soon realizes his upcoming Algebra test is the least of his worries. His new double life leaves Matt wondering which is tougher: hunting monsters or asking Ella Mitchell for a date?
 
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Author Kendra C. Highley
Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.

 


  Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 7/9/13

 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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