Things of Awesome: October Edition

Hey Everybody!

It's been a little while since I've done one of these posts, but I've had some fun bookish things come across my desk recently and wanted to share them with all of you. I apologize for the lack of "Life with Kevin" in this month's Things of Awesome, I've had some very amusing conversations with him lately but just haven't had time to write them down. I promise I will though, and then you'll all get to see once again how ridiculous my marriage can be sometimes (it of course has everything to do with Kevin and absolutely nothing to do with me. Obviously:) And now on to the bookish goodies!

1. COVER REVEAL: AUTUMN ROSE
(releases January 28th from William Morrow/HarperCollins)

I was intrigued by the first book in this paranormal new adult series by Abigail Gibbs, Dark Heroine, so I'm excited to see where things go now that we're following Autumn Rose rather than Kaspar and Violet.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Books-A-Million | iBookstore | Image Map

In book two of her breathtakingly magical series, Abigail Gibbs draws us even further into the dangerous and romantic world of the Dark Heroines.

Autumn Rose lives in a sleepy seaside town in the southwest of England, but buried deep under the surface of her quiet life are dark secrets. Her grandmother is dead, murdered eighteen months before, and the whirling social scene of London in which she was brought up is a world away. Even worse, at her new school she is shunned and condemned-all because of the swirling marks on her skin that prevent her from blending in the crowd.

But the appearance of a handsome young man at her school-who has the same curious markings as Autumn Rose-sends her world into turmoil. Suddenly the marks are cool and Autumn is thrust into the limelight, but her sudden popularity brings danger as her secrets threaten to come to light. Plus, there is the fact that Autumn keeps dreaming of a human girl who is about to be seduced by a very dark Prince… and Autumn must figure out how to save her before it is too late.

2. DARK DAYS TOUR

This Tuesday, October 8th, HarperTeen's Dark Days tour is stopping at Books & Co in Dayton, Ohio. Young adult authors Rae Carson (The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy), Amelia Kahaney (The Brokenhearted), and Mindy McGinnis (Not a Drop to Drink) will all be present to answer questions and sign their books, so I hope if any of you are in the Dayton area you'll be able to come by and say hi! I'll be there in all my socially awkward glory and will be doing a full recap when I get back.

If you can't make the Dayton event, Dark Days is continuing on to Cincinnati on October 9th.

3. SWOON READS

I'm enormously excited about Swoon Reads (YAY ROMANCE!), a new community for YA lovers of all kinds that was recently launched by the amazing team behind Macmillan Children's Publishing. Given they'll be able to explain all the epicness that is this new endeavor better than I could, I'm just going to give it to you straight from their far more eloquent mouths:

Swoon Reads is a new YA romance community for writers and readers, but even more exciting is that it is a revolutionary new crowd sourced romance imprint that is dedicated to publishing books that capture the intensity and excitement of teen love.

So what does that mean?

Are you a writer and working on a YA romance novel? You can submit your manuscript to Swoon Reads. We accept from any genre: historical, adventure, paranormal, contemporary, etc.

As a reader, you can become intimately involved with the publishing process by reading, rating, and commenting on submissions. The manuscripts achieving the highest ratings by readers and the Swoon Reads editorial team will be published in both print and e-book formats. Some manuscripts have already been submitted and are generating great discussion!

Swoon Reads wants to give you the opportunity to see what goes on behind the publishing process and you get to decide what we publish!

Our motto is “Fall in Love with Falling in Love” and we hope you get a chance to explore the site, read some manuscripts, read the blog, and maybe even submit that YA romance manuscript that you’ve been working on ever so diligently.

Swoon Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest

4. ARE YOU ALLEGIANT?

It's almost time everyone. Allegiant releases on October 22nd from Katherine Tegen Books, and as a way to tide you over in this home stretch, be sure and check out all the fun promotional graphics now available. 

You can also refresh your memories on all that happened in Insurgent with Epic Reads who is hosting a re-read this week. Get all the details HERE (scroll down to "other things to know", they should update the link for the Insurgent read-a-thon once it starts on Monday).

5. SOURCEBOOKS + WATTPAD

From Sourcebooks:

• Sourcebooks will edit and produce select new Wattpad-branded editions of YA stores into print and e-book platforms.  All of these new books will live under Sourcebooks Fire, our YA imprint.
 

Two titles scheduled for release in Winter/Spring 2014: My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak, a contemporary romance that has garnered over 22 million reads on Wattpad; and The Cellar by Natasha Preston, a mystery-thriller that has been read over 6 million times.

• Sourcebooks will be a prize sponsor for Wattpad’s 2013 Watty Awards and we’ll be developing channels for top Wattpad writers to have their stories be distributed into traditional retail outlets both in print and digitally

• Sourcebooks writers including CJ Lyons, Miranda Kenneally, Janet Gurtler, and Zoraida Cordova, among others, will be making exciting new stories available for free and engaging with readers on Wattpad! (Dates to come on their Wattpad debuts!)

Interview: Miranda Kenneally +Things I Can't Forget

Today I'm thrilled to welcome young adult author Miranda Kenneally to the blog to answer a few questions about her newest release, Things I Can't Forget. I have absolutely adored all the books in this fabulous contemporary series, and I highly recommend it to any reader who loves very character-driven stories. Thanks so much for stopping by Miranda!

This series focuses on a variety of different sports including football, softball and horse racing. What's one sport you'd love to work into a future novel just so you can learn more about it?

Curling. Pushing a big piece of steaming metal across the ice with a broom sounds fun! For real though - I would probably want to write about lacrosse, because I have no idea what goes on in that sport. I never even knew it existed until I moved to DC when I was 18.

If you were to sit down with Kate for a promotional interview, what's the first thing you'd ask her? What might she ask you?

If we're talking Kate at the beginning of THINGS I CAN'T FORGET:

I'd ask Kate why she didn't get the guts to ask out Will Whitfield until senior prom, when it was too late for her. Kate would ask me why I haven't been to church in 12 years!

If we're talking the end of the book:

I'd ask Kate if she's going to try out for intramural soccer in college, now that she can run well again. Kate would probably invite me to come back to church with her. And I would consider it, because she asked.

Let's say in a few months you're going to be a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp along with Kate. What camp activities have you most and least excited?

Most excited - Swimming, hiking, singing, and making smores.

Least excited - Cooking over a campfire. It's hard to build a fire with wet logs! Also, I am terrified of spiders, so I would not look forward to using a bathhouse where spiders may have nested.

If you could spend five minutes with pre-Catching Jordan Miranda, what would you most like to tell her about the journey she's about to embark on?

I'd tell her not to spend so much time obsessing over whether or not her books are going to fail and to just keep writing the best books she can, because if the books are good, they will sell. I'd also say don't put too much stock in one bad review, but look at the individual lives you influence. If you help just one reader, it's all been worth it.

What's one thing you learned about Kate while writing Things I Can't Forget that you didn't know about her from just your outline or notes?

So many things. I didn't know she was a soccer player in high school. I also didn't know she was a daddy's girl. And I didn't know she liked green beans so much!

• • • • • • • • • • 

MIRANDA KENNEALLY

Miranda Kenneally is the author of CATCHING JORDAN, STEALING PARKER, THINGS I CAN'T FORGET (March 2013), and RACING SAVANNAH (December 2013). Miranda is the co-creator of Dear Teen Me. The Dear Teen Me Anthology was published on October 31, 2012. She enjoys reading and writing young adult literature, and loves Star Trek, music, sports, Mexican food, Twitter, coffee, and her husband. Miranda is represented by Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • 

THINGS I CAN'T FORGET

Some Rules Were Meant To Be Broken.

Kate Kelly has always been labeled the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. Kate turned her back on everything she’s been taught to help her best friend Emily, who accidentally got pregnant. And the guilt over her decision is weighing on her. This summer, she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. Unexpectedly, she runs into Matt – the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt – with her. He’s inspiring feelings in her that make her question everything she’s been taught about the world – and help her understand what Emily experienced. Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy.

Review: Emblaze

EMBLAZE

The Violet Eden Chapters #3
Jessica Shirvington
Paranormal Young Adult
464 pages
Sourcebooks Fire
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

MY THOUGHTS
Emblaze wastes little time in making us brutally aware of how emotionally intense it's going to be, bringing us up to speed on the notable events of Entice quickly and riddling the emotional dam built in the time since the last book with holes, allowing the painful waters of Violet and Lincoln's relationship to pour through and envelop us once more. Where Lincoln and Violet were hopeful of their future together in book two despite the lingering issues caused by Phoenix's role in their lives, this book deals in the aftermath of having that hope violently ripped from them, hearts and souls now raw and fully exposed with the roughness of their pain like sandpaper to our skin, rubbing constantly until we find ourselves hurting as much as they are.

The highlight amidst the darkness of this tale is Violet herself, a young woman we struggled to connect with upon our initial meeting–thanks in large part to Phoenix's manipulations–who has grown into a heroine of extraordinary strength emotionally and physically. She exists in a state of suspended torture in this book, pieces of her soul tied with rope and handed off to a handful of people who each pull their end in an opposite direction. She's stretched to the limit many times over in this story, but she never breaks or cries out, the only evidence of her pain being the tears that track their way down our cheeks as she holds herself together for the sake of those around her, and we can't help but be impressed by the transformation she's undergone from the girl we first met.

The romance between Violet and Lincoln is at its most dramatic in this third installment, and while our hearts ache with their pain, we find ourselves thankful their hurt stems not from playing games with one another now that they know they cannot be together, but rather from the bone-deep chill that results from forcefully denying love. While Phoenix and Lincoln are both uniquely entangled in Violet's life, there's no triangle in sight, Violet's feelings for Lincoln radiating from her body and soul so there's simply no question as to where her heart lies. Phoenix is not so easily disregarded however, his dark complexity and his search to find a place he truly belongs making it incredibly difficult to hate him the way we'd like to, and he remains at the forefront of our thoughts even though he's no threat to Lincoln and Violet's relationship.

Overall, this is a series that continues to get better with each an every installment, delving deeper into the thoughts and feelings of all the characters as the battle between Grigori and Exile reaches its turning point in the final pages. Ms. Shirvington expertly balances emotional drama with physical action, ensuring we devour hundreds of pages despite our intent to read only a chapter or two before bed, but she makes the weight of sleep lost the next day a burden we're more than happy to bear. As mentioned previously, we conclude our time with Violet in this book at a turning point in her fight, riveted to every word spoken and praying our eyes are deceiving us when they reach the last sentence, loving how addictive these books have become and already craving the next fix.

Rating: 4.5/5

Interview + Giveaway: Jessica Shirvington and Emblaze

Today I'm thrilled to welcome young adult author Jessica Shirvington to the blog to talk a little bit about the third book in her Violet Eden series, Emblaze (releases March 5th from Sourcebooks). This is a series that, for me, has gotten better and better with each installment, and Emblaze is definitely the best one yet. I was a gloriously emotional mess by the time I reached the last page (my review will be posted soon), and I'm strongly considering moving to Australia just so I can get my hands on book four already. Who's with me?

If Lincoln was to sit down with Violet as part of the promotional tour for Emblaze, what’s the first question he would ask her?

Do you love Phoenix?

*Jenny dies a little inside at this answer*

What one piece of art might Violet say adequately summarizes her emotional journey since the events of Embrace?

I don't know that any one art piece sums up Violet. But I have often found myself looking at this depiction of The Last Judgement and thinking of my characters and the roles they play.

There’s something undeniably appealing about a bad boy, and Phoenix wears that label rather deliciously. Would Phoenix attach a different label to himself if asked?

At times I think he would be very comfortable with the bad boy image. But really, I think Phoenix is often looking for something with more substance. He just struggles to make the appropriate changes to get there.

What is one quirk Lincoln has that he’d be embarrassed by if Violet found out about it?

He can dance. Like really dance - ballroom dance! And she will find out...one day. ;-)

All the books in the series have single word titles that begin with the letter “e”. Were there any other title frontrunners for this third book that you can share?

I think EMBLAZE found its title fairly easily. I remember we almost called ENTICE, EXILE instead but there were a few books around with that title. I think for EMBLAZE we considered ENTRAP and maybe ENDURE but EMBLAZE was an easy pick in the end (once you've read it you'll know why).

Let’s say your characters get to spend a half hour with you in which they can ask you any questions they want about their world or how you wrote them; whose questions would you fear answering most?

Probably Steph. She would come at me all guns blazing wanting to know what the hell I was thinking and how I could have made things so hard for Vi. Yep, definitely Steph (never mess with a gal's bestie!).

If Violet were to paint a mural based on Emblaze, what color would be predominant in her palette?

Red. Things get more than a little fiery in this book!

Thanks so much Jessica for stopping by!

• • • • • • • • • •

JESSICA SHIRVINGTON

One day, instead of picking up a new book, I started to write. The first name that came to mind was Violet. From there the rest naturally followed. I can honestly say, once Violet was discovered – she really did write the rest of the book!

Writing this book has drawn on my life experience – in my travels around the world and the different people I have met. It draws on love and loss and the overall confusion that comes with growing up. It also looks to many of my friends and their experiences.

I have always loved ancient history – tales and stories of the best kind.

More information on Jessica and her books can be found here:

Website • Blog • Embrace Website • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • 

EMBLAZE

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

Can't wait to read Emblaze? Then check out an excerpt HERE.

• • • • • • • • • •

 GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the fabulous people at Sourcebooks, I have one copy of Emblaze to give away on the blog today! To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only, good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway