Guest Post: Artist Arthur

Guess who's stopping by today? The author Artist Arthur! (Don't you love alliteration?) Manifest comes out tomorrow, after all, so she's stopping by here to answer a question a lot of people seem to ask her.

I'm super excited for it to come out - I've had a copy sitting on my shelf for some time now, and though I haven't had a chance to read it yet, I'm sure it's fantastic. After all, it's HarlequinTeen, and we know they rock!

What is Manifest about, you ask?

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

The same drill as always - click read more to read the full post! And don't forget to buy Manifest tomorrow!

Final Fridays - Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Happy almost-August! Today we have the lovely Cheryl Herbsman stopping by! Cheryl is the author of Breathing, which was published last year.

Here's a quote from her bio:

Growing up, I was told I was “too sensitive” and a “dreamer.” At the time, I took offense at those labels. Now I’m proud of them. They’re who I am. If I could go back and give my childhood or teenage self advice, I’d say, “Just be who you are – whoever that is -- and feel good about it.”

And THIS is the summary for Breathing. Doesn't it sound fantastic?

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she's convinced he's the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama's strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he's called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

Just click to read the interview!

Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour

You have been chosen as the female tribute from District 3. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Guess what? I'm participating in the Mockingjay 13 District blog tour! I am the THIRD STOP, on the tour - District 3, of course! - so be sure to stop by on August 6. Not only will I be talking about an important discussion point (hint: it involves somebody who flies between trees) but there is a SUPER exclusive giveaway!

So stay tuned, and don't forget to check out the new official Hunger Games facebook page. If you haven't become a fan, you should!

Wondering who the other tributes are? The official Hunger Games fan site, Mockingjay, has them ALL listed!



And just for kicks: the best Hunger Games fan made trailer of all time ever.

The Twin's Daughter

The Twin's Daughter
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Series: ---
Publisher: Bloomsbury
How Received: book fairy
Comes Out August 31 2010

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day…a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started The Twin's Daughter. Was it a mystery? A family story? What?

What it ended up being was a very long book. One worth reading, I think, but it was long. Maybe it seemed longer because I was sitting in a room without air conditioning while I was reading it, but I thought I would make that observation.

The Twin's Daughter has plenty of interesting characters. I'm huge on characters - a great character can make up for a lacking plot, but an amazing plot can't make up for a horrible character. And The Twin's Daughter was going to need the amazing characters to go along with the amazing plot. We have Lucy, who annoyed me for a little bit at the beginning, but then reminded me more of me as the book went on. Kit, her handsome next door neighbor - if you read it, you'll understand what I mean when I say "camels." (Seriously; you should read it JUST for the camel jokes in the last eighth of the book.)

I loved Aunt Helen, though her character underwent a sudden transformation that didn't seem natural. On the other hand, so did Lucy's mother, and I loved her at the beginning, too. That was part of the story, though - people aren't all what they seem.

And DAMN! This plot! I can honestly say the the reason I kept reading in an un-air conditioned room in 100 degree heat was because I had no idea what was going on, in the best possible way. I had my suspicions of what was going on, and Lucy had hers, and we kept chugging through to wait and see if we were right. And we were right! And then we were wrong! And then we realized nothing is ever as it appears! (Though I was proud of myself; I did call a couple of the final points, though not the overall final one.)

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. It's long. But worth it, because you have to really be thinking hard to figure out how this ends. And Kit = awesome.
Cover Notes: I have the ARC, but I may have to go buy the final copy JUST for this cover. SO GORGEOUS!
Author's Other Works?: On top of her other books, Lauren also wrote The Education of Bet, another Victorian era novel that has gotten fantastic reviews.

The Twin's Daughter comes out August 31, 2010. Don't forget to check out your local bookstores that day, or pre-order it online.

Waiting on Wednesday: Infinite Days

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
INFINITE DAYS is solid YA, told in the voice of 16-year old Lenah Beaudonte a brutal, bloodthirsty, vampire queen who sacrifices her eternal life for finite salvation and becomes human. Here's the pitch: Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average sixteen-year-old: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy captain of the lacrosse team. Like any private school worth its salt, petty jealousies, cliquish cattery and unassailable privilege define Wickham as readily as the crest on the gates, and it takes quite a bit to raise the eyebrows of the seen-it-all set. But Lenah Beaudonte just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen, and – as it turns out – that makes everything about her rather more intriguing. After centuries of terrorizing Europe with her unique brand of gleeful mayhem and wanton cruelty, Lenah realized that the one thing she wanted in her (after)life was to be human again. Drawing upon her not-inconsiderable feminine and vampiric wiles, she convinced her maker/lover/soul-mate, Rhode, to discover and perform the dangerous ritual that could restore to her the humanity he had stolen so long ago. To complete her transformation, she entered a century-long comatose hibernation, leaving behind the coven she had ruled and the countless acts of evil they had wrought upon the world. Until, that is, Lenah awakes at Wickham, drawing her first natural breath in centuries and rediscovering a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. And, as if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour hears another tick of the time-bomb, counting down to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where Lenah should be sleeping, and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as the passing moments allow. But, to do so, she must first answer the ominous questions at hand: Can an ex-vampire survive in a time and place so alien to her? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

Series: ? (#1)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: August 03 2010

Ooo. A vampire queen who gives it all up?
This... this is new.
I like this.

Also, eyes on the cover? Gorgeous.

What says you?

Winner: Greek - Double Date

The winner of the Greek: Double Date giveaway (which had surpisingly few entries) is Katherine over at The Lady Critic's Library!

I love Greek and I've been watching since the beginning. I'm going to be so sad when it ends this fall-spring. Dale never fails at making me laugh and I love Rusty. He's so adorable

Congratulations, K!

Sisters Red

Sisters Red
Authors: Jackson Pearce
Series: Sisters Red (#1)
Publisher: Little, Brown
How Received: library

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

I went into this really hoping I would love it. Not just because it got fantastic reviews, or because I have a soft spot for fairy tale adaptions.

No, because Jackson Pearce freaking kicks ass, and I hoped her writing would be as awesome as her music videos. (My family freaks out when I sing this, thinking I'm singing Ke$ha. I correct them.)

And I did like it. A lot.

Was the plot predictable? Yeah. It's based on a fairy tale; you go in knowing that Scarlett is going to beat the big bad wolf. And the plot involving Silas was fairly easy to figure out as well; I had that down from the get go.

But just because it's predictable doesn't mean it's not a good book. For once, I liked reading from both Scarlett and Rosie's points of view (at least, once I got into the swing of things) and seeing through their eyes. They're two distinctly different characters, very well developed, and I love them both. Scarlett kicked ass
and Rosie reminded me a bit of me.

The fight scenes were epic.

And I LOVE these quotes:

It's hard to explain, but when she's angry, it feels as though someone as put me together incorrectly, like a bookshelf with a row of upside-down books.

It's sort of hard to justify taking dance classes when your older sister is trying to save the world.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. Nothing extraordinary, but a fun albeit predictable read.
Cover Comments: DUDE HOW COOL IS THAT!?

[EDIT] In which they analyze something I didn't think about, which makes me think more about the story: [link]

Epic Trailers

I NEED to showcase these two official trailers. They came out this month. They're probably my favorite trailers ever. Because they kick some serious trailer ass.

First, ghostgirl: Lovesick by Tonya Hurley.



And the trailer for The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.



Come on! How epic are they?

Giveaway: Shadow Horse & Whirlwind

This giveaway is over.

Thanks to Alison Hart's lovely publicist Sara Kendall, I have two fantastic books up for grabs today! One was published about ten years ago. One is its long awaited sequel.

The series starts with Shadow Horse, published in 2001, and moves onto Whirlwind, published this May. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for horse books.

Thirteen-year-old Jasmine is found guilty of assaulting Hugh Robicheaux, the owner of the horse farm where she works. But she's still determined to prove that Robicheaux killed Whirlwind, the mare she loved. Jas is sure that Shadow Horse, a scrawny brown gelding she rescues at a horse auction, is the key to the mystery—but just how is Shadow Horse connected to Whirlwind?

When thirteen-year-old Jas Schuler found her beloved mare Whirlwind dead in her padlock, she thought her heart would break. But now Jas knows the truth: Whirlwind is alive! Wealthy horse breeder Hugh Robicheaux faked the mare's death, collected insurance money, then sold her to an unsuspecting buyer. And he's going to get away with his crime, too—unless someone can find Whirlwind. And that's exactly what Jas plans to do.

But hunting for Whirlwind is dangerous. Hugh has threatened to destroy everything Jas holds dear unless she stops her search. As she struggles with her desire to find Whirlwind without endangering the people she loves, Jas must ask herself: Should she risk so much for a horse she may never find? This heartfelt YA novel by a highly regarded equestrian author will have young readers chomping at the bit for more.

Interested in reading these? Well, you can win them! And it's really simple.

Just comment on this post with what you would name your horse and your email address. (I haven't switched over to Google Forms yet; something about it confuses the heck outta me.) Winners in the U.S. only! The giveaway ends on midnight this Saturday, July 31. So comment already!

Quick Recap:
[1] copy of Shadow Horse by Alison Hart up for grabs
[1] copy of Whirlwind by Alison Hart up for grabs
[1] winner in the U.S.
ends July 31

How To Win:
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[mandatory] comment on this post with what you would name your horse
[+1] visit Alison's website

Winner: The Space Between Trees

The winner of the signed copy of The Space Between Trees is Vidisha! She runs a blog called Life... Love... Friendship and is an aspiring artist. Perhaps this super epic cover will help inspire her?

Congratulations, Vid! And good luck next time to all who entered.

Guest Post: Alison Hart

Because who doesn't love a good guest post? Stopping by today is Alison Hart! Alison has written two fantastic horse mysteries (and many other books) that I can't wait to get into reading!

What is one of the books, Shadow Horse about?

Jas Schuler, 13, knows that attacking Hugh Robicheaux, owner of the High Meadows Farm, after the death of her favorite horse was a serious offense. However, she never expects for the courts to place her under house arrest in a foster home, not even allowed to visit her grandfather after his stroke. Slowly Jasmine finds herself returning to a reasonably normal life by helping to keep Second Chance Farm running and finding comfort in caring for Shadow, an ill-treated horse bought by her temporary guardian, Miss Hahn. As the horse improves, Jas grows suspicious about Mr. Robicheaux's secretive actions surrounding the death of several other horses on his farm and is determined to bring him to justice.

And most importantly, I'll be giving away a copy of Shadow Horse and it's sequel, Whirlwind, tomorrow!

But that's tomorrow. For today, click Read More and enjoy the fantastic guest post Alison Hart has written!

Feature Friday: Bookcases (4)

Who said storage had to be boring?



I am a HUGE Alice in Wonderland fan. I almost designed a Lewis Caroll room for my interior design project this past year (though Gail Carriger won out with a Victorian steampunk house). These definitely would have been used - they're so very Alice in Wonderland. I want them!


Image found from Flickr. Does it belong to you? Email me, and I'll give you credit!

Friday Fronts - Wicked Lovely

I feel like these covers capture the mood of Melissa Marr's series perfectly. They're dark and brooding and mysterious and entrancing and pretty and so very Unseelie fey.

Fragile Eternity is probably the prettiest out of all of them - the butterfly just pops right off the cover, a bright spot against a blurry and indistinct background. My favorite, though, is Ink Exchange. I just have a wing-thing, so anytime I see wings I get excited. And these particular wings look kick ass.

And look at how they've done the titles! I love-love-love it! Same font, same border-concept, but with slight alterations to every one to reflect the book. And the color change, of course, but that's to be expected.

Guest Review: Ruined

Ruined
Author: Paula Morris
Series: ---
Publisher: Scholastic
How Received: from Nicole

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Ruined is a ghost story, and being so, is different from what I normally read. I was a tad bit worried if I'd like it or not, but I wanted to give it a shot.

I loved it.

Rebecca Brown is a great character, and SO easy to relate to. She's a bit of a rebel when she gets to New Orleans, and goes places and sees people she's told to stay away from. Her personality is great, and she doesn't fall head over heels for the story's hottie, Anton Grey. She's completely grounded in the romantic relationship with him and I really liked that. I didn't feel like reading it was turning my brain to mush.

My only problem with the characters was Lizette the ghost. She's portrayed in the beginning as a 'little' girl. Yet, we later learn (much later), that she was sixteen when she died. So, I had a really hard time imagining her as a full grown teen and not a little eight year old bouncing along with Rebecca. Plus, the cover image is not at all how Lizette is described. That was a little bothersome.

Aside from the characters, the material was great. It pulled me in, and I didn't want to stop at the end of a chapter, because Morris pulled some pretty awesome cliff-hangers.

At the beginning, it was a tad bit slow, but as I got to the middle, the pieces began to fall together and the real mystery began. It really shined a light on New Orleans' beautiful and dangerous history, the culture, and the reality of the people in that city.

At the end, I was already a big fan of this book. Then I read the acknowledgments, and I now am a big fan of the author, Paula Morris:

Readers interested in learning more about the rich and complex history of New Orleans might want to start with Ned Sublette's 'The World that Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square'. And anyone keen to help rebuild and renew this unique American city should visit www.makeitrightnola.org or www.habitat-nola.org.

Look at that! The author did some research! That. Is. Awesome. And she supports the help of the real city this story is based on. Total bonus points.

So, when I closed this book, and marked it as finished, I felt satisfied and happy. It's good story, easy to read, and a great book to suggest to friends.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Twin's Daughter

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day…a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

Series: ?
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 31 2010

I like Lauren Baratz-Logsted - I think she's a pretty good author. And the summary makes this sound pretty awesome. I don't often read about twins, but this? This sounds like it could be quite the ride. (And reminds me a little bit of The Parent Trap. Yeah, don't ask.)

Also - COVER LOVE!

Giveaway: Greek - Double Date

This giveaway is over.

The lovely people at HarlequinTeen - and they ARE lovely people; I love working with them - have me running a super special giveaway for you guys! Now, they know I don't watch Greek, nor will I probably ever watch Greek. Due to that, they know I have no interest in reading the books. Nott right now, anyway, with Mount To Be Read looking over my shoulder.

But they still care about YOU! Because YOU may want to read this. And you know what that means, right? GIVEAWAY TIME!

Two dates – same night! Major oops. When Casey Cartwright's brother begs her to be nerdy Dale Kettlewell's date to the sure-to-be-boring Honors Engineering Awards, Casey says yes. Even though Dale is totally not her type… and might have a crush on her. Ugh. But it's a nice thing to do, and Casey's always been the "nice" girl.

But now, that night conflicts with the biggest event of the semester, the All-Greek formal. Casey already has a date lined up: hot transfer student Rob Howell. He's her plan to get over her sexy-slacker ex, Cappie. And even nice girls get to be bad sometimes, right?

What to do? With a little help from BFF Ashleigh, unwanted advice from frenemy Rebecca Logan and even a push from Cappie, what Casey does may surprise even herself.

How do you win? EASY. All you have to do is comment on this post with your email and if you watch Greek or not. Simple, right? And you get bonus points for following @HarlequinTeen on Twitter! One winner will be chosen a week from now. If you're bad with thinking, like me, that's July 27.

Quick Recap:
[1] copy of Greek: Double Date up for grabs
[1] winner in the U.S. OR Canada
ends July 27

How To Win:
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[mandatory] comment on this post with whether or not you watch Greek
[+2] follow @HarlequinTeen on Twitter

Epitaph Road

Epitaph Road
Author: David Patneaude
Series: ---
Publisher: Egmont
How Received: publisher

2097 is a transformed world. Thirty years earlier, a mysterious plague wiped out 97 percent of the male population, devastating every world system from governments to sports teams, and causing both universal and unimaginable grief. In the face of such massive despair, women were forced to take over control of the planet—and in doing so they eliminated all of Earth's most pressing issues. Poverty, crime, warfare, hunger . . . all gone.

But there's a price to pay for this new "utopia," which fourteen-year-old Kellen is all too familiar with. Every day, he deals with life as part of a tiny minority that is purposefully kept subservient and small in numbers. His career choices and relationship options are severely limited and controlled. He also lives under the threat of scattered recurrences of the plague, which seem to pop up wherever small pockets of men begin to regroup and grow in numbers.

And then one day, his mother's boss, an iconic political figure, shows up at his home. Kellen overhears something he shouldn't—another outbreak seems to be headed for Afterlight, the rural community where his father and a small group of men live separately from the female-dominated society. Along with a few other suspicious events, like the mysterious disappearances of Kellen's progressive teacher and his Aunt Paige, Kellen is starting to wonder whether the plague recurrences are even accidental. No matter what the truth is, Kellen cares only about one thing—he has to save his father.

I love dystopian novels, and I had high hopes for Epitaph Road. The concept sounded fantastic - a world ruled by women? A secret the kids have to figure out? - and both covers were gorgeous. (Though I preferred the ARC.) Besides, Egmont hadn't handed me a bad book yet.

And it's not that Epitaph Road was bad. I enjoyed reading it and seeing the concept unfold, and what had happened to the world. But I felt the plot line was awfully predictable. I called practically everything that would happen, and the things I didn't I had a suspicion of.

I liked reading about Kellen and Tia and Sunday, but I never really connected to them. It was like listening to one of your friends tell you a story about one of their friends - you're listening, and you're interested, but you weren't really concerned with the actual person they were talking about.

However, I thought the concept was excellent, and I wish we could have seen more of the world that was created. (And more of Mack the Knife!)

Best quote:

... but it was still in good condition, probably because most people checked out the electronic versions of books. I preferred the real thing. I liked the way I could fold over the oversized cover flap on this one to mark a place. I liked the way I could fan through the pages and create a small breeze that smelled of paper and ink and old brick building with tall streaked windows and polished dark wood floors and warm oval rugs.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 7/10. I loved the concept, but I never really clicked with the book.
Cover Comments: It's pretty, but the ARC cover I have I like better.

Interview: Katie Williams

Hello, bibliophiles! Today, we have a BLOG TOUR STOP! Katie Williams, author of The Space Between Trees, did a lovely interview with me in conjunction with signing a book to giveaway! She is a fan of WORD - and she made my day when she told me - so this makes this interview even more fun for me.

What is The Space Between Trees about, you ask?

Not your everyday coming-of-age novel…

This story was supposed to be about Evie—how she hasn't made a friend in years, how she tends to stretch the truth (especially about her so-called relationship with college drop-out Jonah Luks), and how she finally comes into her own once she learns to just be herself—but it isn't. Because when her classmate Elizabeth "Zabet" McCabe's murdered body is found in the woods, everything changes…and Evie's life is never the same again.

Doesn't that sound intriguing? Now, you know the drill - just click Read More to see the super awesome, Jello filled interview.

Giveaway: The Space Between Trees

This giveaway is over.

Thanks to the lovely people at Chronicle Books, I have a copy of Katie Williams' The Space Between Trees up for grabs!

This story was supposed to be about Enid how she hasn't made a friend in years, how she tends to stretch the truth (especially about her so-called relationship with college drop-out Jonah Luks), and how she finally comes into her own once she learns to just be herself but it isn't. Because when her classmate Elizabeth 'Zabet' McCabe's murdered body is found in the woods, everything changes and Enid's life is never the same again.

How awesome does that sounds? Pretty awesome, right?

So here's the deal - there's only one winner, and the winner, will only be in the States. Oh, and the giveaway ends in ONE WEEK, at midnight on Saturday, July 24.

And surprise! It shall be AUTOGRAPHED. How awesome is that!?

But that's more than enough time to enter, right!?

Quick Glance:
[1] autographed copy of The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams up for grabs
[1] winner in the US
ends July 24

How To Win:
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[mandatory] comment on this post with what you think Enid's real relationship with Jonah is
[+2] follow WORD
[+2] become a fan of WORD on Facebook

Oh, and by the way?


Ready, set, GO.

Winner: Box o' ARCs

More than a hundred and forty entries? Really, guys? *sniff* You love me, you really love me!

... oh, no, wait, you just love my free books. But who DOESN'T?

The winner of THIS giveaway is Christina from Books Are Life!

I'm most excited for Inside Out as I love, love, love Maria V. Snyder!

Don't feel bad if you didn't win - I have OODLES of more giveaways coming up. Seriously. I don't know WHAT these people are thinking, giving me things to give away...

Interview: Shari Maurer

Happy Saturday, everybody! Visiting WORD today is Shari Maurer, author of Change of Heart and one of our lovely Tenners! (Whoo, 2k10!)

Here's the summary of Change of Heart. Doesn't it sound awesome?

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?

And to make me love her even more, she's from NYC. AUTHOR WIN.

Just click 'read more' to continue on with the interview! And, as always,

Feature Friday: Bookcases (3)

Who said storage had to be boring?




Coming from a girl who already has to stack her books on top of each other, this is absolutely adorkable. It fits books of all shapes and sizes, looks awesome, and still manages to stay organized. MAD PROPS.


Image found from Flickr. Does it belong to you? Email me, and I'll give you credit!

Friday Fronts - Hollywood Nobody

Maybe it's just me, but I think these covers are adorable and eye catching all at the same time. They're laid out beautifully - the white with the single item, and a scene from the books - with a spiffy font, and they all look really pretty together.

The only thing that annoys me is that I'm pretty sure they changed the model for the last book. Why, why, why!?