Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

I am SO EXCITED to bring to you guys the cover for Jennifer Mathieu's 2014 debut The Truth About Alice!

So first.........



I. Love. It. I love the sort of old feel, blended with a modern feel as well. This book sounds seriously awesome, and exactly my kind of book: One that kicks me in the gut, and makes me think.

Haven't heard of this one? It's currently set to hit shelves June 10, 2014 from Roaring Book Press.

Also, those of you in Texas that are hitting up the (sure to be amazing) Austin Teen Book Festival on Saturday, Jennifer will be attending as well - and even has bookmarks. So be sure to find her. And gush about her cover. I know I will. 

About the Book: Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

Add to your Goodreads shelf now (and you can even preorder already!), and keep your eye out for this one. 

About Jennifer: Young adult author Jennifer Mathieu (pronounced Muh-two, but if you speak French you can pronounce it better than that - sadly, Jennifer doesn't speak French) is a writer and English teacher who lives in Texas with her family. A native of the East Coast and a former journalist, she enjoys writing contemporary young adult fiction that treats teenagers like real people. She loves to eat and hates to cook.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Character Interview: Griff from Find Me

Out today is Romily Bernard's gripping and fun debut Find Me, so to celebrate, I've got Griff here for an interview!


What's your favorite part about hacking? Least favorite?

I’d always been interested in computers, hacking, but it wasn’t until I started doing some work for my cousin—he’s a detective—that I realized how much I could help. And, you know, it got me closer to Wick. Which is more than three years worth of classes ever did.

Least favorite part? Seeing what it did to Wick.

Describe Wick in three words.

Smart. Prickly. Amazing.

What's it like to kiss Wick?

Dangerous. The first time we kissed…well, I thought I had the upper hand. Never make deals with her. She’s always one step ahead.

Any hints at what's next for you and Wick?

I’m not sure actually. She’s been…distant lately. Lot of fallout from what happened. Things are rough. I’m trying to keep her distracted, keep her thinking about the future. My drawings have gotten some attention. I might be able to go to college after all. Art school. There’s one in Savannah that’s interested in me. I won’t go without her though and Wick hasn’t decided what she wants. It’s fine. I’ll wait. I know what I want: her.

What kind of sea creature would you describe yourself as?

Ha! I’m supposed to say shark, right? I’m probably more like a barracuda. Lean (you’ll never catch me working out with the football players) and fast (if I’m not hacking I’m working on my bike).

****

Enormous thank you to Kari for hosting me on A Good Addiciton. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoys FIND ME!!


Congrats, Romily, on the release, and man do I need the next book ASAP! 


About the Book: “Find Me.”

These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found . . . dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.

Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.

But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.

Because it just got personal.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Giveaway: What Goes Around by Courtney Summers

Recently out is an awesome compilation of Courtney Summers' first two books. It's called What Goes Around, and includes Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are.

In case you somehow don't know this, Courtney is an amazingly talented author, and these books are still some of my very favorite YA's. Some Girls Are is one of those books where certain scenes still stick out vividly in mind, several years after having read it. And Cracked Up to Be has quite the prickly, not so easy to like, yet still somehow completely understanding and relatable main character.





So to celebrate this awesome release, I've got one copy up for grabs for one lucky winner. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below - and trust me that you want this!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview: Jen McLaughlin

Dropping in today is Jen McLaughlin to celebrate her recent NA release, Out of Line! Definitely add this to your list if you haven't yet - it deals with one of my very favorite things: forbidden romances.


What is the hardest part about going from adult romance to NA romance?

Remembering that the characters will not always make the smartest choices! In New Adult, they are still growing up and becoming the adult they will someday be. Things in this time period can change a person and shape them into their future selves. Making those decisions and, yes, consequences realistic can be tough when you're used to writing adults!

Which scene, without spoilers, was your favorite to write?

The "discovery" scene. If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about.

Describe Finn and Carrie in three words each.

Finn: Hot, Brave, and loyal.

Carrie: Sheltered, Kind, and Adreneline-junky.

Finn is hard to like from the start since he's so blatantly lying to Carrie about who he is. What was your biggest challenge in making him sympathetic and being sure readers don't write him off right away?

I didn't really think he was hard to like, I hadn't thought of it like that! Probably because I can see all his thoughts even more so than what's there, huh? But, anyway, *clears throat* I'd have to say giving him clear, concise reasons for what he's doing (and why he's doing it) and making it something that the reader can relate to easily. Ya know? :)

If you found yourself in a situation like Carrie's, would you be able to forgive someone like Finn?

I would. Maybe not at first, but I would eventually forgive him, yes. Especially if he was Finn. ;)

If you could pair Finn and Carrie with any character from any book, who would you pick for them?

Oooh. I'd totally pair them with Harry from Harry Potter. They could go hunt horcruxes together. She'd be very similar to Hermione in that series, I'd think.

What kind of sea creature would you describe yourself as?

Hmm...A mermaid. ;)


Thanks, Jen, for stopping in and congrats on the release! This one is out now, so be sure you grab it! And check out the contest below for a seriously amazing giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the book:

Desperate to break free…

I've spent my entire life under my father’s thumb, but now I'm finally free to make my own choices. When my roommate dragged me to my first college party, I met Finn Coram and my life turned inside out. He knows how to break the rules and is everything I never knew I wanted. A Marine by day and surfer by night, he pushes me away even as our attraction brings us closer. Now I am finally free to do whatever I want. I know what I want. I choose Finn.

Trying to play by the rules...

I always follow orders. My job, my life, depends on it. I thought this job would be easy, all the rules were made crystal clear, but when I met Carrie Wallington, everything got muddy. She's a rule I know I shouldn't break, but damn if I don’t inch closer to the breaking point each time I see her. I’m ready to step out of line. And even worse? I’m living a lie. They say the truth will set you free, but in my case…

The truth will cost me everything.

B&N    Amazon

Friday, September 6, 2013

Character Interview: Finn from All Our Yesterdays

Cristin Terrill's debut All Our Yesterdays hit shelves earlier this week, and to celebrate, I've got the handsome, charming, yet rather cocky Finn here for an interview. I seriously love this book - it is hands down one of my favorites of 2013. It's brilliant, totally messes with your head, and left me completely stunned. So without further ado...


Describe yourself in three words. What about Em?

I’m gorgeous, brilliant, and humble. She’s stubborn, aloof, and perfect.

You time travel! What’s the hardest thing about that?

Probably getting past the men with the machine guns. Once you’re in the past, though, the hardest thing is knowing that there are some things you can never change.

There are definitely not easy things ahead of you in All Our Yesterdays. What is the main thing that got you through everything?

Em, but if you tell her I said that, I’ll deny it.

What’s your favorite thing about Em?

Underneath everything, she’s got a really good heart. She loves completely and selflessly. In fact, I think that’s why she’s so hard on the outside. She needs that shell to protect her soft, squishy insides.

What’s it like to kiss Em?

Hey now, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell! (But it’s awesome. Mostly because of me, of course, but she’s not half-bad either.)

Can you give any hints for what’s next for you?

I have no idea. Hopefully something involving pizza.

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

Peanut butter. A little nutty, a little sweet. Pretty much everyone likes it, but a few people are violently allergic.


Thank you, Finn, for the interview, and congrats, Cristin, on the release (and I need book two like, yesterday!).

Make sure you guys pick this one up - it is a disservice to yourself to not! I love it so incredibly much.


About the Book: "You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Fault Line by C. Desir Release Giveaway + Info

Hitting shelves October 1 is Christa Desir's debut, Fault Line. This is a book that, in truth, I don't even know how to talk about without really giving anything away. But I will say, as Christa does, it's not for everyone. If you expect an HEA ending, don't. If you expect to walk away feeling good, well, you probably won't. But if you want to be tested and challenged and want to walk (limp?) away with a different take on an unfortunately overall widely known situation... read this book.

I'll save my full thoughts on this one for another post, but I will say, I went into this one like I did any other book. A work of fiction. A story about characters who, as real as the author might make them, still live within the pages. I had certain expectations, certain things that for me, for any book, make it great versus good versus not for me. I went into it as a reader, but for me, this is a book that I really feel, you have to go into as a person. As someone who gives a crap about those around you. Though I don't usually like books with specific messages, because all too often getting that message across irks me, this one does it perfectly. It made me so, so uncomfortable. I ached for Ben, I ached for Ani. I went through an entire array of emotions, some probably more acceptable than others.

This book. You guys. This wonderful, painful, beautiful book. About a boy who doesn't let something so awful effect how much he loves his girlfriend, but what if that love isn't enough anymore?

So read this one. Preorder it now. Love it like I do. Just know, it really isn't for everyone, but it's so incredibly important, and so potent, I want everyone to read it. (And note, The novel came out of Christa’s work in The Voices and Faces Project, a writing workshop for survivors of sexual violence that promotes speaking out and writing as a therapeutic process. She will be donating 50% of her proceeds from the novel back to the project. For more information on The Voices and Faces Project, go to voicesandfaces.org.... and how amazing is that? Even more reason to buy this one!)

And to celebrate the release, Christa has an awesome contest going on for a contemporary reads prize pack. I've read all but 2 of these (which I do own!), and have loved each one. Check out her website for the full list of books and the teaser trailer! This lady has fabulous taste. Or, for international readers, you can win a $20 Amazon gift card.

So enter the contest. Spread the word about this book. And check below the widget, for a note from Christa, on the story behind the story. Because this, alone, will stop you in your tracks, even if just for a moment.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Story Behind the Story: Fault Line

By C. Desir

About fifteen years ago, I sat in a hospital ER with a young girl who had been raped and badly beaten. Her entire being was shut down, turned inward. My job as the rape victim advocate in the room was to stay with her through the process, to explain what was going to happen, and to empower her as much as I could, even if just offering her a glass of water.

She would not talk to me. Or the doctors. Or the police. I stayed in the room and held her hand because she took mine. I waited with her after everyone left and two teenage boys came in. They were maybe eighteen or nineteen. Her brother and her boyfriend. They kissed the top of her head. Then her brother asked who did it. Nothing else. No comfort or assurances. Just “Who did it?” And she spoke for the first time. One word. A first name. Her boyfriend looked at her brother, a silent communication that I couldn’t interpret. Finally, her boyfriend said, “Don’t say anything to anyone. We got this,” and walked out. Within moments, it was like life poured back into the girl’s body. When she left the ER, still not having disclosed anything to the police or doctors, her boyfriend stood waiting for her.

Fast forward a few years, and I’m participating in a testimonial writing workshop for survivors. We’ve been told to write a scene from the perspective of a different gender. A character came to me. Ben. A boy who wants to fix his girlfriend and take care of it all. A boy who would say, “I got this.”

That was the beginning of Fault Line.

I am a childhood survivor of sexual assault. This is a label I wear on top of all the other ones: mom, wife, writer, Sunday school teacher, activist. It is something that I often don’t think about, yet it has steered the course of much of my life. From mundane things like never wanting to shop at a mall to bigger things like panicking when I get lost. I never tell people this to garner pity, but so they can understand how I see the world and how my lens has been affected.

I didn’t think I would write a book about rape until that day in the workshop. I didn’t think I had it in me. I didn’t think I could do it right. But Ben, my wonderfully flawed Ben, gave me something I needed to say. Rape impacts not only the survivor, but also those around her. And you cannot “fix” a survivor. And the way we treat survivors has a huge effect on how they heal. And sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we lose survivors.

This is not a happy story I’ve given Ben. But it’s an important one. It is a call to action for those around survivors. Stay. Fight. Hope. Believe. After seeing hundreds of survivors over the years, watching them interact with loved ones, I am astounded by the human capacity for compassion. And I hope that people see that in Fault Line. Maybe Ben’s story will help them respond in a way survivors desperately need.


About Fault Line:

Who do you blame?

When Ben meets Ani, the sarcastic and free-spirited new girl in town, he falls for her – hard. Luckily for him, the feeling is mutual. Just when their relationship is getting serious, the unthinkable happens to Ani at a party that Ben decided not to attend. Ben watches as his once-vivacious girlfriend becomes a shadow of her former self; he must try to be supportive while wrestling with his own emotions about Ani’s ordeal and the lingering question in his mind: who is to blame?

C. Desir delivers a gritty, devastating, brilliant debut novel with Fault Line. Fans of Ellen Hopkins, Jason Myers, and Hannah Moskowitz will enjoy this author’s edgy realism. However, Fault Line stands out from other novels about teen sexual violence with a fresh point of view – the story is told not through the eyes of the victim, but from her boyfriend’s perspective. Unfortunately, far too many teens will recognize his feelings of frustration, anger, and helplessness in the wake of his girlfriend’s attack; readers with similar experiences will relate to and perhaps learn from Ben’s journey.


Goodreads    Author Site    Twitter    Amazon    B&N