Sunday, March 24, 2013

Things of Awesome: March Edition

Remember back in December when I started this feature and explained my inherent laziness and how it might affect things down the line? Yeah. That came into play a little bit last month when I didn't post any February Things of Awesome. New feature fail. The good news though, is that I'm feeling properly motivated again and have some fun bookish things to share with you all, including another short conversational snippet between me and Kevin.



Nineteen-year old narrator Maya Vidal is struggling to make it through her teenage years. Abandoned by her mother and neglected by her father, Maya lives in Berkeley, California with her willful, outspoken, and wise Grandmother Nidia – affectionately known as Nini – and her gentle and beloved grandfather, Popo, who both help her navigate the turbulent waters of her adolescent years.

When her Popo dies of cancer, Maya is devastated and goes completely off the rails. With her girlfriends—together, they are known as the vampires—she falls into a life of drugs, alcohol, and petty crime. Her Nini attempts to help by enrolling her in a rehabilitation center, but she continues on a downward spiral, winding up in Las Vegas in a dangerous underworld of big time drugs, crime, and prostitution.

With a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol in hot pursuit, Maya flees the country with the help of her Nini to a remote island off the coast of Chile – Chiloé. Adapting to a completely strange new life and in the company of a torture survivor, a lame dog, and other unforgettable characters, Maya records her thoughts as well as her story in her notebook, uncovers a terrible family secret, comes to understand the meaning of love and loyalty, and initiates the greatest adventure of her life: the journey into her own soul.

Thanks to the wonderful people at HarperCollins, I have two ARCs of Maya's Notebook to give away on the blog today. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Giveaway is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. TOUCH OF FROST ON SALE


Touch of Frost, the first book in the outstanding Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep is on sale for $2.99 at several retailers through March 25th. This is a favorite series of mine, so if you've been wanting to start it, now is the perfect time to do so!


My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why - especially since I should have been the one who died . . .
 


The marketing department at Little, Brown launched an epic and insanely creative campaign for Etiquette & Espionage prior to its release, and they haven't slowed down one bit since it's been out. They've recently designed a very entertaining graphic about what one should do if one's carriage happens to be hijacked by flywaymen. This is vital knowledge people. Many a peril awaits those who travel by carriage ;-)

Check it out HERE. 

4. BIG BAD BITE


Big Bad Bite, an adult paranormal romance from authors Crystal Leo and Melissa Pahl (writing under the name Jessie Lane), has undergone some changes and is being re-released. From the authors:

“We're excited to announce that Big Bad Bite had a makeover! Inside and out! We have a sexy new cover featuring our favorite Wolf, Adam, AND Big Bad Bite was sent off and edited by the amazing girls at C&D Editing

Some might wonder, "Has the story changed?

The answer to that would be yes and no. No, because the story line is still the same. Yes, because it no longer has those pesky grammatical errors, info dumps were cut down, inconsistencies were caught, and best of all, a tiny scene was added! Overall, it's a better story, but still has a kick ass, snarky heroine Jenna, and the snarly, but lovable, Adam who wants her.
 

So, if you haven't picked up your copy of Big Bad Bite yet, then go get it today!”

• • • • • • • • • •

Jenna O’ Conner has been taught her whole life to hide from everyone. Never to let anyone to close enough to know that she would prefer a shotgun for her birthday over of a bouquet of roses. She’s been smothered by her over protective family so that no one learns what she truly is. Which is not human. Nor, is she considered the norm for the supernatural Other community that is benevolent enough to share this world with the humans.

In a desperate attempt to live her own life away from the small town she was raised in, Jenna obtains her dream job as the newest member on the Wilmington Police Department’s SWAT Team. What she didn’t predict was that she would run into trouble her first day on the job, in the form of a deadly, mouthwatering man named Adam McPhee. Who is also not human, but more like a wolf walking around in human skin. He’s determined to figure out exactly what Jenna is, which unbeknownst to him, could very well put her life in danger. He’s also determined to have her all to himself.

As if that wasn’t enough for Jenna to deal with, bad news blows into town. A group of extremist Shifters who think humans are cattle and factions of Others worldwide should stay within their own species - never to intermingle. Chaos ensues. Jenna has to find a way to shut them down, but in the process of trying to do that, discovers things about herself that even she never thought was possible.



5. LIFE WITH KEVIN 

For the full story behind these little conversational snippets go HERE.

Me: (reading in my head) He held out his arms, and she hit him full force right in the chest. He lifted her, hugging her so close that he was sure he crushed her. He spun her round and round as he buried his face in her hair, absorbing the feel of having her in his arms –

Kevin: RIIIBBBBIIIITTTT

*Please let it be noted that the word "ribbit" (yes, like a frog), in this particular instance was not yelled out, but rather belched. BELCHED.

Me: Wow. Seriously?

Kevin: What?

Me: You just interrupted a very romantic scene with your obscene burp. Must you always "ribbit"?

Kevin: Yes.

Me: I've never been less attracted to you than I am right now. I'm pretty sure Bowen (the hero) doesn't ribbit when he belches. In fact, I'm thinking he doesn't belch at all.

Kevin: *glances at book cover* You're reading a book about a highlander. There's no way in hell highlanders didn't belch.

Me: Bowen doesn't. I'm quite certain he doesn't fart either. He's a miracle of nature. And manhood.

Kevin: According to that cover, he's also perfectly waxed. Seems unlikely for a highlander.

Me: You don't know that Kevin. You weren't alive then. Maybe this particular clan of highlanders were all inexplicably hairless and perfectly toned. YOU'RE RUINING IT BY QUESTIONING!

Kevin: Okay.

Me: Let me preserve the fantasy, alright? I like to think that somewhere out there is a glorious male specimen who refrains from randomly belching out words in the presence of the woman he's madly in love with.

Kevin: Well, unfortunately for you, that man is not here. Here there be ribbits.

Me: *headdesk*

48 comments:

  1. I'm glad you found the motivation for this feature again, Jenny! *pulls out pom poms*

    Ooh, I haven't started the Mythos Academy series yet, so I hope I can get my hands on Touch of Frost. 2.99 is a fantastic price! :)

    And I LOVE the conversational snippet between you and Kevin. I couldn't stop smiling. I'm even smiling while typing this. Let's face it: all the wonderful, fictional characters we read about are miracles of nature. And manhood! ;)

    Fabulous post, Jenny! :)

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    1. Thank you Sophia! I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm last month:) And Touch of Frost is fabulous, I hope you get it!!!

      And I agree, all my fictional boyfriends are paragons of male perfection ;-) Damn them.

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  2. Awesome books although I'm not a fan of the cover of Big Bad BIte.

    You guys are too cute! It makes me want to start ribbiting too haha. Although it's unbecoming of a girl like myself but YOLO. =))

    Fantastic post, Jenny!

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    1. You would certainly be welcome in this house if you did ribbit Gellie. You'd fit right in ;-)

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  3. Ahh, these little snippets are priceless, Jenny!
    I absolutely must read Maya's Notebook, first because I adore Isabel Allende (and well, who doesn't?) and second because the MC and I have the same name, albeit differently spelled. I didn't like Kelley Armstrong's Maya OR her books, but hopefully I'll like this one.

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    1. We're absurd Maja. Anyone who lived with us for an extended period of time would likely be scarred for life:)

      And I hope this Maya is worthy of the name!

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  4. Etiquette & Espionage sounds really good :D I loved Soulless and I can't wait to see how this one works out. Happy reading.

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  5. Yay! I love this feature. Thanks for the heads up regarding Mythos Academy. I know how much you love this series and I've had my eye on the book for awhile now. Your "Life with Kevin" conversations are my absolute favorite and make me laugh out loud every time. :)

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    1. Please read Mythos Christina! It's such a fun story and I think the series gets better as it goes:)

      And I'm glad Kevin and I amuse you. The book-related conversations we have are completely ridiculous. And also awesome ;-)

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  6. Men just don't get it. Of COURSE the Highlanders were clean and coiffed and didn't smell like wet sheep or have more hair than your local Sasquatch. And they certainly didn't fart or belch like frogs. *sniffs*

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    1. THANK YOU MARY! I'm glad someone understand. Honestly. Of course Bowen has washboard abs with nary a hair in sight. He also miraculously recovers from grievous injuries with ease. HE'S SPECTACULAR DAMMIT!

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  7. *dies laughing* I don't mind belching, but I think ribbiting while belching would be enough to drive me nuts.

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    1. I don't mind the belching either (for the most part - sometimes he can really let one rip though), but the ribbit is nauseating. *shakes head* I'm quite sure I don't do anything that's unattractive to him ;-)

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  8. I'm so glad you made you and your husband's book related conversations a meme! It's so fun!
    You just made grouchy ol me smile on a Sunday morning! :D

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  9. I'm giggling so hard I can't even come up with a comment worthy of your belching story. YOU WIN THE INTERNET TODAY, JENNY!

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    1. YESSSS! I've always wanted to win the internet Kelly! *does victory dance*

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  10. I've ALWAYS wanted to know what to do in case my carriage is hijacked by flywaymen. Thanks for the link, Jenny! That will come in handy. ;) And I love your conversation with Kevin! Does he not know we readers have the highest standards? Pfft.

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    1. Right? You can never be too prepared I always say:)

      And Kevin should really know by now that I have unrealistic expectations when it comes to him. One day he'll just stop questioning it ;-)

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  11. hahaha..love the conversation between you and your hubs. Big Bad Bite was good.

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    1. I hope to get to BBB soon - it sounds like something I would love:)

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  12. I SWEAR I gotta be online more on Sundays. You have convinced me to do just that! LOVE the convos of you and the hubs. Too funny!! Went back and saw the other post too. LOVE the puppy pics. Glad I'm not the only one who does that. ;)

    Btw, Jenny is TOTALLY right. Bowen would NEVER do that and Jenny is right. She's just right... *runs crying from the room in case Jenny is wrong...*

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    1. I AM RIGHT MELISSA! I am. Definitely. 100% right in every way. For sure.

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  13. I read an Allende book, loved it, and then I read no more, sighs, life

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  14. Hahaha Jenny I love your posts on your life with Kevin! Men huh they always have to ruin our little fantasies, I never tell my male best friend which fictional character I'm crushing on at the moment, as I would never hear the end of it! I remember last time when I was going through my Edward Cullen phase, he kept coming up of reasons Harry Potter was a better hero! *face palm*. Also thanks for the heads up on the Etiquette and Espionage post, I of course will always need to know how to deal if my carriage was hijacked! ;)

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    1. Honestly Jasprit. Let a girl dream right? Let us keep the delusion that out there somewhere are fart-free and belch-free Etienne's and Jace's and Noah Shaw's. WHO IS IT HURTING?! ;-)

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  15. " Here there be ribbits."-- HAHAHA! Love these conv, snippets:)

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  16. I think you need to make a feature out of your Kevin conversations, Jenny! I am of course laughing my head off once again. I feel your pain, though, my dear. My husband likes to belch as well, not in words like "ribbit" though, I feel a little neglected. I bet that trip to Ireland is sounding better and better, right?!! I'm so there. Maybe Kevin and Lenny (my knight in shining armor) can plan their own trip. One that's sure to involve loud bodily functions. Hahahaha! Just kidding, mostly.

    In reply to your book news, Maya's Notebook sounds like a touching story, thanks for the giveaway! But let's face it, Big Bad Bite is what's caught my attention here. *stares at cover* I must point out our hero is hairless as well, so it must be a universal sign of manliness that Kevin isn't aware of. I'm sure no waxing or oiling were involved. ;)

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    1. I'm thinking they can come with us to Ireland and then we'll split once we're there. They can go to the Guiness factory and we'll find ourselves a Chester's :-)

      And clearly Kevin needs a lesson in how being hairless equates to hyper masculinity. I shall have to teach him.

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  17. This is a lovely feature, Jenny! Glad you were able to do a feature again. Maya's Notebook sounds really fantastic and touching. I haven't read any from the author but I might start with this one. And yes, Etiquette and Espionage is something I'm really looking forward too! The snippet between you and Kevin is very amusing. Men would never understand our fixation with our heroes. Haha! Great post, Jenny! :)

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    1. Thank you Eunice! I adored E&E, it was such a fun book. I can't wait to see what happens in book two (and what the marketing campaign will look like!).

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  18. Lol, I love your conversations with Kevin, Jenny. It helps to make up for the fact that you haven't critiqued covers in a while. I miss that feature :(

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    1. I know. I decided to stop doing the cover critiques when all the author/blogger craziness hit last year. People were posting snarky reviews left and right and there was drama everywhere, and I guess I just sort of felt like I was doing the same thing, only to the cover designer rather than the author. So I decided to let that feature go:)

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  19. How was I not aware of that promo for Etiquette & Espionage?! Oh boy, I can see myself spending some time on that super fun website.

    Here there be ribbits!! BAHAHAAA! I can't get enough of the convos you have with your hubs on the blog. When you think about it though, he does have a pretty good point. Our book boyfriends are pretty ideal - never belching or farting and always somehow hairless and muscly. Not exactly like real men, haha!

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    1. Right? Wasn't it so cute?! I'm addicted to their tumblr now.

      And don't laugh at Kevin! It will only make him think he's funny and he most decidedly is not ;-)

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  20. LOL... the pains of real life... thanks for the fun post!

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    1. I know it. Sometimes the things I suffer through in this marriage ;-)

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  21. Seriously. I have yet to come across a single book in which the hero ribbits. Where is the realism people?! ;-)

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  22. It's almost 2am and I am trying my damnedest not to wake my husband up with my laughing! Seriously, the things we buy into for romance. And the men we love that put up with us. I believe there probably is a Highland clan out there perfectly toned, tanned (don't forget that) and hairless on their bodies. It's a new species.

    Heather

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  23. I'm pretty sure Shane has interrupted many romantic, sexy scenes by doing something very similar... Hence the reason I need these books :)

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  24. Love this! Yes, fictional men do not belch and they also smell like the sea or a warm breeze, which real men do not.
    I don't really read near my husband, I usually read when he's not around or in a different room. But I think I'm the one doing the belching around here, he's a bit more quiet about it. My husband is also of Scottish descent, so really, I have my very own highlander! ;)

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  25. Jenny! Loved this post and I totally understand about the guy thing. John does the same thing to me ALL THE TIME! He ruins books for me. Sigh. Why can't he just let me be? But nooooo. John has to point out every detail just to nerve me.

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  26. I LOVE this feature! Even if you can't do an April Things of Awesome, I hope you'll at least do an April "Life With Kevin" because I always double over laughing! :D " Here there be ribbits." <----*dies*

    The last thing we want to bring to these books is realistic expectations, and boyfriends/husbands always seem to want to bring them up. Let me live in fictional ignorant bliss, please!

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  27. I'll just say that I think YOU ARE awesome for wanting to give us Things of Awesome and that snippet of Life with Kevin is the most awesome of all!! LOL!!!! :)

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  28. Ahahaha, I can relate to Life with Kevin! My BF always belches "BRAINS" whenever he has to belch, be it a short belch or a long one. It's like I'm living with my own personal zombie. :P

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