The Vicious Deep: Tens List

Today as part of the promotional tour through Teen Book Scene, I have a couple of fun tens lists to share, one from both Zoraida and her main character Tristan! Through a happy series of miscommunications and wire crossings I wound up with two different tens lists which I consider a win, so below is a twenties list(?) for all of you!

TRISTAN'S TOP TEN FOODS HE COULDN'T FUNCTION WITHOUT

1. Bacon, you salty goodness

2. Hawaiian pizza. I mean, pineapple and ham. Who knew?

3. Fish tacos. Though lately, I’ve been feeling a little guilty.
 

4. It isn’t a Coney Island summer without the consumption of a couple of hundred corn dogs.

5. You’re not supposed to swim after you eat, right? But sitting all day at the lifeguard post makes me hungry. I always, always keep watermelon. Plus, it’s Layla’s favorite.
 

6. Tater tots. It’s the only good thing about school food.
 

7. My special combination of ketchup and mayo. It’s an art form, you see. I get it juuuust right.
 

8. Everything my mom makes, but especially her buttermilk pancakes. For an ex-mermaid princess, she sure knows how to cook.
    

9. Yellow rice and beans. With Layla as a best friend, it’s hard not to love it.

10. Wait. Did I already say bacon?

TOP TEN SUPER POWERS ZORAIDA WOULD MOST LIKE TO HAVE

1. Speaking to animals.
 

2. The ability to remove wrinkles out of clothes without an iron.
 

3. The ability to freeze time when I drop something. I go through lots of glasses.
 

4. Apparating - JK Rowling was onto something!
 

5. X-ray vision. Especially around cute guys.
 

6. Flying, just like my favorite girl, Rogue.
 

7. The ability to see ghosts! They're scary and it'd be nice to get a heads up.
 

8. Magical cooking powers. I want to be Bobby Flay when I grow up.
 

9. The voice of a siren. Maybe I'd start a career as a singer.
 

10. Super speed. Have to be fast to get the bad guys.

THE VICIOUS DEEP

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

Tens List: Shut Out

Today as part of the promotional tour through Teen Book Scene I have Kody Keplinger joining me on the blog to give us the top ten roles she'd love to have in a film. Thanks so much for stopping by Kody!

TOP TEN FILM CHARACTERS I'D LOVE TO PLAY

As a kid, my mom was super supportive of my writing. However, she was also realistic. She warned me that writing was a tough career to get into and that I needed a backup plan. Sound advice, right?

Not so sound was my choice in backup. My plan B? Acting! Yeah, I was a smart kid, obviously.

But I really do love to act. Whether I’m any good or not is another issue. Anyway, as someone who both loves to act and loves great characters, I figured a top ten list of film character’s I’d love to play would be fun!

10. Elizabeth Bennett, Pride & Prejudice - There are a million film adaptations of this book, and I just wish I were in one of them! Lizzie is strong, flawed, and from a time period of pretty dresses. Also, she snogs Darcy eventually. Win.

9. Kathryn, Cruel Intentions - CI is my favorite movie of all time. Kathryn is one of the most devious, wicked characters and she’s also stylish. It would be fun to be a villain like her!

8. Padme, Star Wars: Episodes 1-3 – I know people slam the prequels, but Padme was awesome. I’d love to make her even more badass.

7. Beatrix Kiddo, Kill Bill 1&2 – She’s a former assassin. She’s totally kickass. What more can I say? I want to rock the katana!

6. Kat, 10 Things I Hate About You – Kat is the most sassy, snarky, cool girl character in a teen comedy. Of COURSE I want to play her! I idolized her so much growing up. Go young feminists!

5. Michelle, American Pie – “And one time, at band camp . . . “ Yeah, I just think doing this would have been fun. Michelle cracks me up.

4. Ariandne, Incepetion – This is really just about kissing Joseph Gordon Levit. We’ll leave it at that.

3. Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film-) – I know, I know. The movie wasn’t great. But the list was film, not TV, and I really just want to be Buffy.

2. Scarlet O’Hara, Gone with the Wind – Hey, I do have the southern accent! And Scarlet is such a wonderfully complex character. I would be a challenge, but so fun.

1. Juno, Juno – Snarky. Adorable. Pregnant . . . Okay, well, the first two are appealing at least. The last not so much. But hey, if I’m just PLAYING the role, then its only a fake belly! Who wouldn’t want to be Juno, though? She’s one of the most loveable characters of the past few years. I would love to work with some of that dialogue!

SHUT OUT (from Goodreads)

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Tens List: Christopher Grant + Teenie

As part of a promotional tour through Teen Book Scene, I have author Christopher Grant joining me on the blog today to share with us some of his favorite places in the world. Thanks so much for stopping by Christopher!

TOP TEN PLACES YOU WOULD LOVE TO USE
AS A SETTING FOR A BOOK

I love to travel, so this list is biased towards places I’ve been or would like to go to in the near future.

1. Grenada - It’s a small Caribbean Island not too far away from South America. I had the pleasure of living there for six months and it changed my life. It was a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of New York City. There was rhythm to life there. It was everywhere, in the food, in the music, in the way folks communicated with each other. I love that I am of Caribbean descent. We have a colorful way of expressing ourselves. Everyone has a nickname and believe me, they’re spot on. My barber’s name was Cow. I asked him, “Cow, why do they call you Cow?” He answered, “I guess because of my nose.” …Wow.

2. Dubai - The gap between the haves and havenots was startling. I met some interesting people there, folks who emigrated from Pakistan, the Philippines, and the Ukraine, all in an effort to make a better life for themselves and their families. I know every man thinks his burden is the heaviest, but watching some of those guys doing hardcore manual labor in 110 degree heat was humbling.

3. Costa Rica - I’ve never been to Costa Rica, but it’s high on my list. My wife has talked about the pace of life, the natural beauty, tarantulas as big as my hand, belligerent monkeys that steal and DRINK alcoholic beverages, and boa constrictors curled up in her room. So much to write about!

4. India - Yet another place that I haven’t had the privilege of visiting, but plan to shortly. I have always been fascinated by the culture, the food (seasoned with lava), and the caste system.

5. Gaza - Rich in history and (unfortunately) conflict. The area is a character in and of itself.

6. Arizona - I’m sure I could pump out a few hundred pages about their controversial, “Jim-Crow-like” immigration policies.

7. Tibet - I’ve got to know how those monks survive in such treacherous conditions. Mind over matter?

8. Jamaica - My father was born there. My sister told me that one of our great grandmothers was a Maroon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Maroons).
I will write something about this one day. That is a guarantee.

9. Scotland - From discussions with my father, I’ve learned that my great-grandfather was born in Scotland. Though he lived in Jamaica for much of his life, my great-grandfather still wore a kilt. I would love to explore and write about that part of my lineage, though I’m a bit unsure of how my chicken legs would look in a kilt.

10. Barbados - My mother was born in Barbados and I’ve spent quite a bit of time there. It’s commonly referred to Little England. They still wear wigs in court and have that trademark British arrogance. A friend of mine asked my aunt why Bajans (short for Barbadians) thought they were better than everyone else. Her response, “Because we are.”

For more information on Christopher and TEENIE, you can find him here:

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TEENIE (from Goodreads)

High school freshman Martine (Teenie for short) is a good student, with a bright future ahead of her. She's desperate to be accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in Spain so that she can see what life is like beyond the streets of Brooklyn. She wouldn't mind escaping from her strict (though lovable) parents for awhile either. But when the captain of the basketball team starts to pay attention to her after she's pined away for him for months and Cherise, her best friend, meets a guy online, Teenie's mind is on anything but her schoolwork. Teenie's longtime crush isn't what he seemed to be, nor is her best friend's online love. Can Teenie get her act together in time to save her friendship with Cherise, save her grade point average so that she can study in Spain, and save herself from a potentially dangerous relationship?