GCC presents Laurie Faria Stolarz

As you might have noticed, I still haven't quite got my new blog up and going, so what better way to really christen it than with the last GCC tour of 2011! Today I've got Laurie Faria Stolarz and her new book, DEADLY LITTLE VOICES, which is part of her Touch series.

Camelia Hammond thought her powers of psychometry gave her only the ability to sense the future through touch. But now she’s started to hear voices. Cruel voices. Berating her, telling her how ugly she is, that she has no talent, and that she’d be better off dead. Camelia is terrified for her mental stability, especially since her deranged aunt with a suicidal history, has just moved into the house. As if all of that weren’t torturing enough, Camelia’s ex-boyfriend, Ben, for whom she still harbors feelings and who has similar psychometric abilities, has started seeing someone else. Even her closest friends, Kimmie and Wes, are unsure how to handle her erratic behavior.
With the line between reality and dream consistently blurred, Camelia turns to pottery to get a grip on her emotions. She begins sculpting a figure skater, only to receive frightening premonitions that someone’s in danger. But who is the intended victim? And how can Camelia help that person when she’s on the brink of losing her own sanity?

Praise for the TOUCH series:
Texas Tayshas List, 2010 (DLS)

Children’s Book Council’s 2010 & 2011 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee

Reluctant Reader Quick Pick Nominees, 2010 & 2011, American Library Association

Teens@Random, Favorite Book of 2009 (DLS)

Gold Star Award, TeensReadToo.com, 2009 (DLL)

“…lively first-person narrative…. CW-worthy dialogue, quirky secondary characters, romance and suspense: a winning combination” – Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging, eerie tale about the darker side of relationships – when it becomes a matter of life and death to know who your friends are.” – KLIATT

“The book was full of shocking surprises and revelations, earning the book five stars. This is a must-read for fans of romance, suspense, and mystery because it won’t disappoint.” – Teens Read Too (DLL)

“Laurie Faria Stolarz is a master creator of suspense and romance. Her words cause the heart to pound, the palms to sweat, the spine to shiver, and the stomach to flutter. The trepidation born from the anonymous threats will make the pages fly, and the palpable tension between Camelia and Ben as they attempt to ignore their hearts causes the fire to burn hotter.” – TeenReads.com

Bio: Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston.

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Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic covers!

Wow! Turns out that book covers are like buses. First you have nothing and then you have three of them all at once! Anyway, please feast your eyes on the covers for my new middle-grade series, Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic, which is out next June.

I've always been lucky with my covers, and these are no exception! They are actually done by Jeaninie Henderson who also did my Zombie and Fairy cover and I'm pretty sure that she has taken up residence in my brain since I honestly couldn't have dreamed of anything more perfect.

More importantly they are all "so Sophie' right down to her magic djinn ring and her outfits. Oh and seriously, I've even got a magic carpet, just like the one she uses in book three! Plus, I can see a peep of a colored Converse, which Sophie's shoe of choice!

And isn't the cover model amazing? She looks like she's having so much fun (and I can almost see her using some magic to give her hair a bit more bounce and shine, which is what Sophie likes to do, especially when a certain boy is around!)

Anyway, yes, I'm rambling, but I'm honestly so thrilled with these gorgeous covers! I don't have the official back cover blurbs yet but I will get them posted on my website as soon as I do.

But the short version is that the day before sixth grade Sophie Campbell accidentally gets turned into a djinn and then has to learn how to control her powers and hide it all from her mom (who is still super stressed since Sophie's dad walked out on them four years earlier). She also has to stop her new, recently-deceased djinn guide, Malik from ruining her life. Let's just say that chaos ensues!

Wishful Thinking and Under a Spell are both out in June 2012 and Out of Sight will be out a few months later so looks like next year is going to be super busy for me!

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GCC presents Kristina Springer

Today I'm touring Kristina Springer and her adorable new book, Just an Ordinary Princess (which the cutest cover that I ever did see! I want that frock. And the gumboots. And the pretty hair.)

Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!


Are we in love with it yet? Though so. Anyway, here is a bit more insider info about the book and Kristina!

1 How did you come up with the idea for this book?
I love pumpkin anything—candles, bread, you name it. I was staring at my pumpkin colored kitchen walls and the idea of a pumpkin patch setting popped into my mind. Then I thought what if you were a teen girl who grew up on an awesome touristy pumpkin patch. And I was off from there.

2 What’s been your favorite author moment so far in your career?
My favorite is whenever someone loves one of my books. In one case I went to an author fair and a whole teen book club had come to meet me. It was fun.
3 It’s Oscar speech time! Who are the three people that you would most like to thank for helping you write this book?
Hubby and kids for scoping out pumpkin patches with me and one of my critique partners (and fab YA writer and YA librarian), Deena Lipomi, for reading the book several times and her great advice.

4 Describe a typical writing day
Running my kids all over the place and once each is in school (the littlest one is only in for two hours, two days a week), I write. Fast.
5 Tell me one strange random fact about this book.
The corn chucking I talk about in the book is actually something we used to do in college when we were bored. Retweet this button on every post blogger

Competition time

Hello lovely peeps. Though I'd better do a bit of a catch up since I've been MIA for so long!

I'm over at We Love YA talking about all things writing and television related and there is also a giveaway comp going on so please swing by and enter (and tell me what your favorite TV shows are!)

There is still time to head over to Amazon and buy You Had Me at Halo on Kindle for the bargain price of 99 cents before it goes back up again.

I'm still getting in some lovely reviews of Fairy Bad Day, which is wonderful. Turns out that cheeky fairies and Skittles are a popular combination. Who knew?! ReadPlus said:

"Ashby has brought together the tried formula of a school for talented paranormal teens, a quest to save the world from evil and an interesting romance to make a very enjoyable, quick read. Teen girls who are after something amusing and cheerful will enjoy this one. I will certainly be reading anything else by this author purely for the laughs I know I will receive from her clever dialogue." ReadPlus Pat Pledger

And City Book Reviews said:

"This fairy read puts a new spin on a cliché that I have not seen before. Full of action, entertaining banter, and fairies (of course), Fairy Bad Day is a fun paranormal read that any young adult fan would enjoy putting on their summer reading list."City Book Reviews, Missy Wadkins

And finally, because it can't all be about me. I'd like to give a special shout out to Teri Brown who has just sold an an amazing new YA series. The first book is called Houdini's Daughter and I'm already dying to read it!

Oh and one last thing. Some of you might know that in August the beautiful and talented Sandra Hyatt (Hyde) died suddenly. This was such a terrible shock to everyone who knew Sandra and I think it will be quite some time before the news really sinks in. However, her family and her closest writing friends have set up the Sandra Hyde Memorial Trust to help emerging writers and if you would like to contribute to it, you can do so here.

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You Had Me at Halo Kindle special

Dear sweet, kind, lovely blog readers,

Have I mentioned how pretty you look today??!!!!

Anyway, yes, I know I'm a very bad author for ignoring you for so long so as a way of saying sorry I've reduced the price of my kindle book, You Had Me at Halo. That's right, for one week it will be 99cents over at Amazon.

You Had Me at Halo was my first published book and not only was it a Romantic Times Top Pick and a finalist in the Reviewer's Choice Awards, but Publisher's Weekly said it was 'The Lovely Bones meets Bridget Jones' so if you haven't read it yet then now is your chance. But be quick because I'm only going to keep the price down for one week. And no, there aren't any steak knives to accompany it, mainly because my heroine isn't trustworthy when sharp objects are concerned!

When Holly Evans wakes up dead at the tender age of twenty-two, she’s pretty sure things can’t get any worse (especially since her boyfriend was about to propose to her with a diamond ring the size of her knuckle). But Holly’s wrong and it turns out that she’s still got some mortal baggage to unload before she can walk through the pearly gates, which is why she’s being sent back to earth to get things sorted out.

Problem is that when she lands in the body of computer geek, Vince Murphy, she discovers that instead of having left the building, Vince is still very much alive (and remarkably unimpressed at the idea of sharing with a dead girl). So now Holly has to sort out her unresolved baggage in the next forty-eight hours while stuck in the body of a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. And if she doesn’t? Well, let’s just say that she’s probably not going to like the alternative.

So, if you're looking for something a bit lighter to read then this is the book for you!

lots of hugs

Amanda


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GCC presents Jeri Smith-Ready

Well my sweet bloggers, here I am again. Good news is that I'm going to be doing a blog overhaul very soon and then you will be seeing a lot more of me. It will be all singing, all dancing and all glittery. Well, maybe! Anyway, before I start my tour, just to let you know that I've over at Totebags giving some advice to unpublished authors (don't worry, none of it involves complicated long words or anything that will hurt your brains). So if you're chasing publication, then please pop over and say hi.

Anyway, enough about me. Today I'm touring Jeri Smith-Ready, who is honestly one of the coolest, smartest authors out there and if you haven't read her books then please, you need to get that sorted out stat!!!! So Jeri's latest release is a short story in, ENTHRALLED: PARANORMAL DIVERSION, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

This collection of original paranormal YA short stories grew out of the 2010 Smart Chicks Kick It Tour, a multi author, multi city, author-organized tour of the US and Canada. With it, these 16 authors hoped to bring a little taste of the Smart Chicks experience to readers everywhere.

Jeri's story is called Bridge and here is the skinny:

In the world of the SHADE novels, everyone seventeen and under can see and hear ghosts, but no one else can. So when Logan Keeley dies and his eighteen-year-old brother Mickey blames himself, they can’t ease each other’s pain or reconcile their rage. Over the course of SHADE and SHIFT, Mickey sinks into a near-suicidal depression over Logan’s death.

“Bridge” is the story, told in free verse, of how two brothers, with the help of a stranger, forge the chasm between them to find a lasting peace.

REVIEWS

“A solid collection of stories...Sarah Rees Brennan's ‘Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road’ follows a vampire in a boy-band and stands out with its perfect blend of snark and sincerity. It's followed in a one-two punch by Jeri Smith-Ready's intense and earnest ‘Bridge.’...This collection is ideal as a sampler tray for paranormal readers looking to pick up new authors to follow or to further explore the fictional worlds they already know. —Kirkus Reviews 1. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

In the first draft of SHIFT (SHADE book 2), I wrote some sections in free verse from Logan’s point-of view. He had the intro, the outro, and a couple of interludes to bridge parts of the novel where a lot of time passed. None of my beta readers really “got it”—they thought it was supposed to be a song, not part of the narrative—and my editor wanted SHIFT to be consistent with SHADE, keeping to Aura’s point-of-view. I cut Logan’s portions, a few of which were later released on the SHIFT blog tour:

http://hefollowedmehome.blogspot.com/2011/04/shift-blog-tour-deleted-scene-guest.html

But I’d been bitten by the “free verse” bug! I’ve always loved reading verse novels, and since Logan is a songwriter, it made sense for his story to be in verse.

Besides, Logan is a special dude. He’s more like me than any other character in the series. I wanted to show him apart from Aura, the POV character in SHADE, so readers could see who he was without her.
2 What’s been your favorite author moment so far in your career?

Definitely the YA Crush Tournament this summer, when another SHADE character (Zachary) went from last seed all the way to the finals and gave Jace from Mortal Instruments a serious challenge. It happened not because of anything I did, but because Zach’s advocates (bloggers Amy and Jen at Fictitious Delicious) created the phenomenon now known as “Team Kilt” (Zach is Scottish). They made videos, wrote poems, and rallied fans from around the world to support Zachary. I am still blown away by the hundreds of fans who came out to have fun during the tournament and beyond.

Oh, I wish I'd know, I would've joined Team Kilt (Jace is a bit too tetchy for me!)

3 It’s Oscar speech time! Who are the three people that you would most like to thank for helping you write this story?

Can I name four people? It would be Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane—the members of the band Mumford & Sons. I listened to their CD, SIGH NO MORE, over and over and over and over and OVER again, probably five or six times a day for three weeks. Their music is so evocative and heart-rending and redemptive, making it perfect for this story about two brothers learning to forgive each other. These lines from “The Cave” say it all:

I will hold on hope
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again.


4 Describe a typical writing day.

No such thing! I get twitchy if I have too much routine and structure, so I’m constantly shuffling things around to trick myself into working.

But it always involves coffee and comfy clothes.

5 Tell me one strange random fact about this story.

At every stop on the Smart Chicks tour, the audience members entered to win the chance to be killed in one of the anthology short stories—I mean, for someone with their name to be killed in our stories. I hope Cindy thinks I did her justice. Retweet this button on every post blogger

GCC presents Dear Bully

Today I've got a super important book to talk about. Dear Bully was put together by two of the wonderful GCC authors, Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones in response to the death of Phoebe Prince last year after she was bullied so badly that she took her own life. As a mother with two kids in primary school the idea that they might face cyber bullying as well as regular bullying is completely terrifying and anything that we can do to break it down and stop it from happening has to be worth it.

WHY THEY DID IT
Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones formed the group YAAAB (Young Adult Authors Against Bullying) in April 2010 when they both coincidentally blogged about the Phoebe Prince case on the same day. Megan reached out to Carrie expressing her frustration with this case and the fact that bullying that seemed to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate. As a Massachusetts resident and having already spoken about bullying in schools, Megan was horrified after hearing about the bullying that took place in the Phoebe Prince case.

While writing her books, SISTERS OF MISERY and THE LOST SISTER, she had to dig deep to make “mean girls as evil as she possibly could. When she heard about all the bullying and bullycide stories in the news, she felt like the bullies had jumped off the pages of her book and into real life. She was also disheartened by the numerous times she’d done book signings and would say to readers, “I hope you never meet girls as mean as the ones in my book.” Shockingly, they almost always said, “We already have.”

Carrie Jones was also moved to do something, as she was the target of bullying as a young child due to a speech impediment. Together, they felt that they owed it to teen readers to discourage bullying -- to make it "uncool." Megan Kelley Hall started by creating a Facebook page that kicked off an entire "movement" to end bullying. This was the day that Megan, Carrie and other authors decided to use their platform as Young Adult authors to actually facilitate change and to be a voice for those kids who cannot speak out or are too afraid to be heard.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Right away, a large number of authors jumped on board of this cause -- wanting to be involved in any way possible. The Facebook group jumped from 5 to 1500 members in one weekend and is now closing in on nearly 5,000 members. Carrie and Megan were thrilled when HarperTeen offered to put all of the stories into an anthology. The thought of having 70 authors – well-known, highly successful writers – sharing their personal bullying stories with their fans was something beyond what they had ever hoped for.

The stories in DEAR BULLY come from all angles: from the point of view of the victim, the mother, the friend, the sibling, the classmate – even a few from the actual bully. Some of the stories are light-hearted, while others are raw and emotional. All of them drive home the point that bullying is something that almost everyone has experienced. And while that is a sad fact, they want to prove that it's not a rite of passage. It doesn't make you stronger, wiser, or better. But it is something that can be overcome, something that can be changed, something that is relatable, and something that one should never be ashamed of. Through these stories, the authors want to show that they understand what teens are going through today. It is important to encourage bystanders to speak up and make bullying unacceptable. Parents and adults must get involved. Bullying is something that people no longer have to endure--at least, not by themselves.

Though quite a lofty mission, the goal of DEAR BULLY is to help just one person get through a difficult time, and hopefully make bullying a thing of the past.

Don't forget to join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dearbully, visit the website at www.dearbully.com, or follow DEAR BULLY on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dearbully.

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