In My Mailbox 79

In my mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren that encourages other book bloggers to share what they bought, won, begged for or borrowed. It is usually held on Sundays!

From Tahereh Mafi and Veronica Rossi signing:

• Signed Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (5 copies--though 2 were for friends and one is for a giveaway)
• Signed Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi  (5 copies--though 2 were for friends and one is for a giveaway)

From St. Martin's Griffin:

• ARC of Wake by Amanda Hocking & press packet

From the bookstore:

• The Selection by Kiera Cass
• The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
• Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Second Character Saturday 1

Hannah over at In the Best Words started up a new meme which I love and will try to participate in as much as possible. Saturdays are now dedicated to honor the characters that don't always get their voices heard, who support (or work to destroy) our beloved protagonists. This is for the third wheel in the love triangle (can you have wheels on a triangle?), for the BFFs, the family members, or even just the kind and loving (or deceitful and creepy) stranger who shows up and changes the game. We all know these stories wouldn't hold up without support so I'd like to take the time to highlight the best secondary characters I come across. This is an opportunity to talk about what makes these characters special, maybe to speculate what their world would be like without them, or maybe cast them in their own primary roles.

Roar from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Ah Roar, you sunk into Under the Never Sky and thought I wouldn't notice you. But how could I not? Your skill with the blade had me interested right away. Let's not forget to mention your easy-going attitude and instant connection with Aria and Perry (though you've known Perry for quite a while).

But you know what really sold me? It was that you already had a love. You loved Perry's sister and were actively searching her out. I loved that you were torn between your love for her and your sense of duty to your village.

Basically in a very grave situation, you broke the tension. You seemed to understand both Aria and Perry and were able to help them understand each other. You helped make us laugh too. 

Which has got to be why you are the first secondary character I choose!

Side note: I'm not really sure why I addressed this to the fictional character but I did and I'm going with it. What did you all think of Roar?

Saturday Discussions: Paper vs. Screen

So I've been re-accessing my thoughts on e-readers and deciding if it is worth getting a Nook and entering the land of e-readers.

My friend just got a shiny new Nook for her birthday. Did I mention it's shiny and puts millions of books at the tips of her fingers? Did I also mentioning that you can get lost in Etsy exploring beautiful covers for said Nook and/or Kindle? I really like the way the Nook is and that I can keep all my books with me.

But then I turn around and look at my glorious bookshelf. I look at the titles all in neat rows organized by author and smell the ink on the pages. I took this book with me on vacation, this book has a little tear in the page when I took it out on the beach. See, these paper books were their covers like battle scars, they feel delicious in my hands and they let me know instantly if I'm halfway done with the book. They let me see how much reading I've accomplished.

E-books are much more practical though. The truth of the matter is my books are piled up on the floor and taking over more floor space with every title I buy. My hubby can see the mass of my "sin" but simply turning his head.

So where do I go?

How would I decide which books to buy in print and which to add on an e-reader? I'm just having a really hard time deciding.

I think paper is always going to be the ultimate for me because in the end, I just really like seeing my collection of books all piled on to shelves. Not much makes me more happy than venturing into my library and running my hands through the shelves.

But I guess that doesn't mean I can't have a Nook too.

So you guys tell me, paper or screen? And if you engage in both, I'd love to hear how you manage deciding what to buy on your e-reader and what to purchase in paper.

Purchase Fated and get a present!

See those lovely pair of earrings? They could most definitely fall down your rabbit hole. All you have to do is pre-order Fated in any format (print, e-book or audiobook) and submit your receipt and you will receive a pair of soul seeker inspired earrings–while supplies last.

Now, I'm not sure about you guys but getting a book and a pair of earrings sounds like a darn good time to me.

If you'd like to learn more about this epic deal, head over to http://stmartins.com/fatedpreorder and learn about all the rules and what not.

Fated by Alyson Noel

The first book in a magnificent new series about a girl who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead by #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël.

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

Just thought you ought to know!

Weekend Report (#27) and Giveaway Winners!

  <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekend%20Report"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa452/Love-Being-Vegan/powerpoint_001-Copy-2.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">

Weekend Report is where I share what I accomplished (book-wise) the previous week! Feel free to join along and post your own Weekend Report on your blog/site. If you do, please leave the URL in a comment below.

What I'm currently reading:

What I've read this week:




What I think I'll read next:

Reviews posted this week:

The Strange Man by Greg Mitchell

Current Giveaways!



Enter to win By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer! US and Canada. Here is the link to enter.



Enter to win Enemies of the Cross by Greg Mitchell! US only. Here is the link the enter.

Giveaway winners!



The winner of N.H.I. by Ray Ellis is...

Jeannette!





The winner of The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer is...

Andrea!!

Congratulations to both of you!!

~

So that's what I accomplished (book-wise) this week, what about you? Please share in a comment below. :)

A Fairy Tale in Photos- Alice In Wonderland

I'm looking for something fun to do on Fridays and I figured that this might be something interesting. As you all can probably tell by the theme of this blog, I really love fairy tales. I've been looking through Deviantart and thought it might be fun to pick a fairy tale and showcase pictures I like from it.

This week's fairy tale has to be Alice In Wonderland.

Aveyy 

pure-insomnia

Shtacey

kirawinter

Granula

~violet-funeralflower

Dipliner

Maji-sama

Clefchan

Likos

ToxicTenshi

Voodica

pure-insomnia

=maskqueraide

Yuujin-RuI

Bypolar bear

DeadCountess

Yurihappiny

Sugarock99

CalamityJade

Clefchan

I think the thing that I truly love about Alice In Wonderland is it can be as light or dark as you want. There's a timeless innocence about Alice that will always be there but that innocence can be twisted into something so dark that it's horrifying. Part whimsy, part horror and all creativity, everything about Wonderland is magical. I think that is what has always drawn me to this story.

My favorite of this set, though it is very hard, is the one with Alice and the Mad Hatter on his knee offering her a white rose. It's too cute for words!

What do you think? Which is your favorite photo?

Interview with Krista Van Dolzer ... and Winners!

My dear friend and critique partner of two years, Krista Van Dolzer, signed with Super Agent Kate Testerman (a.k.a. Daphne Unfeasible) a few weeks ago. I am over-the-moon excited for her!! To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to do a little interview and pick her brain about writing and what it's like being newly agented.

 

Welcome Krista! I know it's early in the author-agent relationship, but what are the top three things you've come to appreciate about your agent?

 

I appreciate how enthusiastic Kate is, both in general and about my manuscript. I'm an exclamation-point person (online, anyway), and Kate is, too, so that works out well. As for my manuscript, Kate offered representation a few hours before leaving for the Bologna Book Fair because she couldn't stand waiting, and I loved that. It actually factored into my decision to sign with her.

 

I also appreciate how patient she is, especially with me. I'm kind of a worrywart, so I e-mail her more than I probably should. But she's never been anything but kind and enthusiastic in her responses. I never feel like I'm bugging her.

 

Finally, I appreciate her tenacity. As another of her clients told me, she's committed to having success with every one of us, so she's not afraid to submit a manuscript as many times as it takes. 

 

Can you tell us a little about your current novel? Tell us about genre and subject, but also a nutshell version of what the querying process was like for you this time around.

 

THE REGENERATED MAN AND ME, whom I affectionately call Steve, is an MG historical with a dash of science fiction. I was lying in bed one night, just on the verge of sleep, when a first line came to me: "Mama said it was plum foolishness to keep my cousin's dog tags like that, with his blood still stuck between the ridges of his name." I wondered what kind of story would start with that kind of line, and Steve was born.

 

Steve is the fourth manuscript I've queried, but to be honest, I thought my third manuscript was going to be the One. When it didn't land an agent, I was devastated, heartbroken. I started querying Steve in this weird in-between place, with absolutely no expectations as to how it would turn out. Happily, the first query I sent turned into an offer (although it did take a few months).

 

Have you always written Middle Grade? Do you see yourself continuing to write in this genre?

 

Steve is the first truly MG manuscript I've tackled; my previous novels were YA. Eventually, I want to build a career like Shannon Hale's or Lauren Oliver's, in which I bounce back and forth between YA and MG, but for the time being, I plan to stay in this category, just for continuity's sake.

 

(Oooh, I'd love to bounce back and forth between YA and MG, too!)

What's it like being on submission?

 

Exhilarating, terrifying, surreal. Mostly surreal. I've been on submission for less than two weeks, so I guess I can't say for sure:) I can say that I'm still having a hard time believing that real-life editors are reading my manuscript. And after spending so long in the query trenches, I'm still trying to figure out how to relinquish control of the process. Thank goodness for Kate's patience:)

 

Do you have a favorite author who inspires you in your writing?

 

You know, I've never really thought about it. I certainly have authors whose books and writing I admire. I love Lauren Oliver's work and how effortlessly she writes both YA and MG. I just finished Maggie Stiefvater's THE SCORPIO RACES, and the soul-deep realness of the relationship between Puck and Sean thoroughly engaged me. And then there are those authors--A.J. Paquette, Ally Condie, a bunch of others whose names I can't think of right now--whose prose just makes me sigh. I wish I could put words together half as beautifully as they do.

Thank you, Krista, and congratulations again! And if you aren't already following Krista's blog (or Kate's for that matter), you really need to. Besides blogging fantastically, Krista holds Agent Inbox contests regularly, which are golden opportunities for aspiring writers.

And, very quickly, I want to announce the fabulous winners of my little celebration critique contest:

Full Manuscript Critique: Andrea Berthot 

Ten-page Critique: Suzi

Ten-page Critique: Julie DeGuia

Congratulations, winners! And thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I had time to give a critique to every one of you!  


Happy Writing!