——

publisher: Pendrell Publishing
author site: Website  / Blog
buy me: Barnes&Noble  / Amazon

from pendrell:  Waking up in a coffin hungry for blood is only the beginning for sixteen-year-old Ava Blue. When Chance Caldon, the hottie who dug her up, tells her that she’s half vampire, Ava’s world really turns upside down.

Half vamp? Ava can’t believe it…she doesn’t even know what that means! Not until Aldric, a thousand-year-old vampire, shows up and tells her it’s true–and that he’s the one who turned her. Then Ava truly begins to believe what she is. Now, she has to deal with a sudden and powerful bloodlust, the desire to see Aldric dead, and her growing crush for Chance. Ava knows she’s a monster now, she can feel it; and her life is over.

But redemption isn’t lost. Aldric is giving her a chance to regain her humanity. The price? Kill a hundred vampires, or remain a bloodsucker forever.

So Ava sets out to get her life back. But killing vampires begins a battle that could destroy everything she is working toward. In the end, Ava’s decisions will forever change her life and the lives of those she loves. 

Be sure to follow along on the rest of the tour! There are giveaways at every stop!

3rd: Refracted Light Reviews
4th: Fire & Ice
5th: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
6th: Hypable
7th: Oodles of Books
8th: The Reading Date
9th: A Book Lovers Review
10th: Good Choice Reading
11th: SupaGurl Books
12th: Books with Bite
13th: Once Upon a Twilight - Grand Prize
27th: Live Chat with Jamie on Once Upon a Twilight at 9PM CST (10PM EST / 7PM PST)

It was a full house!!  The questions that were asked, as always, were insightful.  During the whole event, I tweeted using #pitchdarkdays.  That was fun and challenging!!  I realized how difficult it is to listen, condense to 140 characters, and remember a hash tag.

Since I mastered that, my next step is to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Here are some pics of the fab trio:

Yes, they are as friendly as they appear!

Ellen Schreiber, Me, Veronica Rossi, and Tahereh Mafi

As an added bonus I was surprised to see the uber cute author, Kiersten White (whom I just adore and I’m sure came to the event just to hug me.  Kiersten, isn’t that true? *crickets*) AND met the fab debut middle grade AND YA author Shannon Messenger (I see a friendship in our future)!

Needless to say it was a super cool night. Thank you, Harper Teen, for allowing me to be a small part of this fantastic tour!  I truly appreciated it!!

Love, STACKGIRL Shannan

So, what did I do when I was given this prestigious opportunity?  I did what any respectful blogger would do, spun around my living room floor singing, “the hills are alive with the sounds of music…,” very gleefully and then I packed a suitcase, put my kids (and hubby) in the car, and hit the road to spend a weekend away full of book adventures!

Who’ll be there?? Just a few of they’re so-hot-if-you-touch-them-you-will-burn-yourself authors;  Tahereh Mafi (SHATTER ME), Ellen Schreiber (MAGIC OF THE MOONLIGHT) and Veronica Rossi (UNDER THE NEVER SKY)!!!!

So…come meet, chat with, ask questions and have your books signed by these fabulous authors -TONIGHT!

Want to participate virtually? If you’re like the other STACK girls and live in a cold place and can’t make it tonight, you can still join in on the fun! Here’s how; follow Pitch Dark on facebook and twitter and then follow tweets, using the #pitchdarkdays on twitter!! I’ll be live tweeting throughout the entire event!

Check out the rest of the tour dates!!
Friday, January 13^th
SAN DIEGO
Mysterious Galaxy, 7pm – Shannan will be here!

Saturday, January 14^th
PHOENIX
Changing Hands, 4pm

Thursday, February 16^th
DALLAS
B&N Southlake, 5pm   – Stacy and Nancy will be here!

Friday, February 17^th
AUSTIN
B&N Austin, 7pm

Saturday, February 18^th
HOUSTON
Blue Willow Book Shop, 4pm

Tempest by Julie Cross
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Julie Cross online: Website / Twitter
Find Tempest: Amazon / Goodreads

From Goodreads: The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just  harmless fun. That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate  to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities. But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this  powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him. Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

FANTASY CASTING: 

Who would you choose to play the part of Miss Stewart?  Julie Cross and I have made our decisions.  Comment below on who you would want to be in the movie version of Tempest.  If you are fans of Glee or The Vampire Diaries, you will surly be fans of our picks!!

Julie Cross has picked Naya Rivera (left), and while I think she is gorgeous; I like Kat Graham (right). Kat is super talented and seems to have the essence of Miss Stewart.

Teaser Quote: October 12, 2007 (2:30 p.m.)

My hands were on her face, her mouth moving with mine, fingers curling around the back of my neck, the stream from the shower running over us like a waterfall. It was just like the first time…a couple of years in the future.

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Click  this FORM  to try to win 1 of 5 signed copies of Tempest by Julie Cross. Readers can enter on each blog, for a total of 15 entries and must leave a comment to enter. This is the last night of the giveaway.  It ends at midnight tonight so enter away. Check out the Tempest Blog Tour Page for a list of everyone on the blog.

Want to know more? Just check out DARK DAYS here and here.

Like we mentioned earlier DARK DAYS are coming, but first we have DARK“Kiersten White shows off her comedic timing” DAYS, in which Kiersten White interviews herself. Brace yourself for funny and touching moments. Eh, who are we kidding the whole thing is just chuckle after chuckle.

Kiersten: Hi Kiersten! I’m so excited to get to interview you today on behalf of Girls in the Stacks for the Dark Days Tour!

Kiersten: Thank you for taking the time to—wait. Umm, is something wrong here?

Kiersten: No, I’m good to go. First, I wanted to ask about

Kiersten: WAIT. Kiersten, I’m Kiersten. You’re interviewing yourself. I mean, I’m interviewing myself. That doesn’t make any sense. And you aren’t even a Girls in the Stacks team member. They are all way more articulate than you.

Kiersten: Don’t be a diva. You agreed to this interview.

Kiersten: You are so weird!

Kiersten: Not as weird as you are. Well, exactly as weird as you are. Moving on. Why did you give up your lifelong dream to be a photographer for National Geographic and decide to write YA books instead?

Kiersten: What are you talking about? I wanted to do that for like two weeks. In fourth grade. Until I heard they had to sleep in nets in the canopy of the Amazon with a hundred billion bugs. But I did want to write and illustrate picture books instead of YA until I realized I was a really crap artist, and that I was the most interested in YA stories in my head.

Kiersten: You ARE a really bad artist.

Kiersten: Shut up. So are you.

Kiersten: I’m interested in this “YA stories in my head” phrase. Have you always carried around stories in your head? What kind of storage do you use? Are we talking Tupperware? Or luggage? And if so, do you use the luggage with the little rolly-wheels, because otherwise what’s the point, it’s so hard to lug anywhere!

Kiersten: I’m thinking more along the lines of a cement mixer. Everything churning all the time, getting mixed up together, and then suddenly BAM out of nowhere I dump a whole story into the waiting framework!

Seriously though, I’ve always told myself stories, even had running strings of narrative that I’d go back to when I was bored or stressed. I remember lying awake in bed at night for hours, running the same scenes over and over in my head, tweaking, fine-tuning, re-imagining. The first YA book I ever wrote was a development of one of those ideas that I’d been playing with since I was a young teenager.

Kiersten: So, again we are back to the weird thing.

Kiersten: I even dream in stories. I thought everyone did—dreamt stories that they  weren’t really part of, just watching, maybe the main character but not usually. My husband has informed me that this is odd, though.

Kiersten: You mean our husband.

Kiersten: No, I mean MY husband. If you think I’m going to share, you’ve got another thing coming.

Kiersten: You do realize we are typing this while he sits on the floor, reading. This is kind of creepy.

Kiersten: Are you going to ask me another question or what? I don’t have all night. We look terrible when we don’t get enough sleep.

Kiersten: Which is always. Okay, two more questions. What would you say your biggest inspiration is for stories?

Kiersten: Emotions. I’ll hit on something that strikes an emotional chord in me—whether it is a book, a movie, a song, even an image—and I’ll want to create something to capture that particular feeling. I think that’s why I start so many things but know within a few dozen pages whether or not they’ll work. Even if I like the plot, if it doesn’t have a soul, doesn’t have the emotional core I wanted, I won’t continue. That’s also why you can enjoy books across genres. No matter what they use to tell the tale, whether it’s monsters or science or high school, the emotions at the center of it all are what we relate to as people.

Kiersten: You are, like, so totally deep.

Kiersten: Liar.

Kiersten: Okay, yes, I’m a liar. I can also fake cry on demand! But you already knew that. Last question: Why haven’t we talked about Paranormalcy and Supernaturally, the novels you’re going to be on the Dark Days Tour to promote?

Kiersten: Because we are terrible at self-promotion. But, if you insist, how about, HEY GUYS READ THOSE BOOKS THEY ARE AWESOME.

Kiersten: Works for me.

Kiersten: Excellent. Chocolate?

Kiersten: Always.

——

Need more DARK DAYS excitement? Well, you’re in luck – check out the trailer below!! It’ll make you wish you lived in one of the cities below.

Meet HarperTeen authors Claudia Gray (FATEFUL), Kiersten White (SUPERNATURALLY), Amy Garvey (COLD KISS), Anna Carey, (EVE), and Jocelyn Davies (A BEAUTIFUL DARK) as they visit the following cities:

Wednesday, October 12^th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
*Lynnwood, WA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Thursday, October 13^th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
*Huntington Beach, CA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Friday, October 14^th
7:00 PM
Tattered Cover
9315 Dorchester Street
*Highlands Ranch, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Saturday, October 15^th
1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
2999 Pearl Street
*Boulder, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Sunday, October 16^th
2:00 PM
Anderson’s
123 West Jefferson
*Naperville, IL*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

In celebration of the HarperTeen Dark Days tour, I’ve come up with some Dark Days of Literature—things that, were they to have happened, would be so dark it’s almost not worth thinking about.

1. Frodo keeps the ring. He uses it to become the All Powerful Overlord of the Shire, forcing all of the hobbits into slavery to support his pipeweed habit.

Also, everyone dies of lung cancer.

2. Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund enter the wardrobe. It is just a wardrobe. Thus starts the most boring summer in the history of  summers, and they all become mathematicians.

3. Instead of receiving an owl-delivered invitation at age eleven, Harry gets a pigeon. It’s all downhill from there.

4. Like all of my teenage diaries, Mia’s Princess Diary starts with a New Year’s resolution to write every day. And ends two days
later.

5. Edward fails to resist the urge to kill Bella that day in Biology. The Twilight series is much, much, much shorter. Jacob never gets to take his shirt off.

6. Everyone in Panem is well-fed; the Moderately Peckish Games lack tension.

7. Milo doesn’t even make it past the Phantom Tollbooth before the toy car’s battery dies. He goes back to being bored.

8. Alice mistakenly falls down a robot hole rather than a rabbit hole, and short-circuits the Cyborg Mad Hatter with tea.

9. Sherlock Holmes gives up detective work and instead writes Murder Mystery Party Games full-time. It’s always the maid.

10. And finally, in what would be this author’s personal Dark Day, the internet breaks, and I am forced to actually be productive.

Or, you know, take a nap.

—-

We don’t even want to think about #1, #3, #5 or #6 (shivers). Hey, check out the video for the Dark Days tour and prepare yourself, because you’re gonna want to go!!

Here are the tour dates, are they rolling through your town? Sadly, they’re not coming through Texas. We’ll try and not hold that against HarperTeen (haha).

Wednesday, October 12^th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
*Lynnwood, WA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Thursday, October 13^th
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
*Huntington Beach, CA*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Anna Carey

Friday, October 14^th
7:00 PM
Tattered Cover
9315 Dorchester Street
*Highlands Ranch, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Saturday, October 15^th
1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
2999 Pearl Street
*Boulder, CO*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Sunday, October 16^th
2:00 PM
Anderson’s
123 West Jefferson
*Naperville, IL*
with Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, Amy Garvey, and Jocelyn Davies

Fallen(Georgia Series #3) by Karin Slaughter
publisher: Delacorte Press
audiopublisher: audiogo
release date: June 21, 2011

book info: Goodreads

from Goodreads: There’s no police training stronger than a cop’s instinct. Faith Mitchell’s mother isn’t answering her phone. Her front door is open. There’s a bloodstain above the knob. Her infant daughter is hidden in a shed behind the house. All that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations taught Faith Mitchell goes out the window when she charges into her mother’s house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room. She sees a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn’t see is her mother. . . .

When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions, not enough answers. To find her mother, she’ll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and they’ll both need the help of trauma doctor Sara Linton. But Faith isn’t just a cop anymore—she’s a witness. She’s also a suspect.

  My thoughts: So Karin Slaughter’s Fallen was the first audiobook I got free as an official member of GitS-yeah! Even better, audiogo- the audio publisher, offered GitS a chance to be on the Karin Slaughter blogtour as part of the deal Hurrah!

So I listened to the whole book, then looked it up on Goodreads only to discover there was a backstory for both the Will and Sara characters.  Obviously it reads so well on its own that you can go grab Fallen first, or you can go back and read the other two books in the series—along with several other presumably awesome books as Karin Slaughter is a multiple-bestselling crime novelist.

So the book-GREAT!  Having a small child myself, I wasn’t sure if I could handle the “small baby in a shed while murder happens in the house” scene but the opening sequence was just kick-butt action and small baby Emma was never harmed.  I loved how realistic the characters were –and that the book was told through multiple points of view so you know that Sarah likes Will and Will likes Sarah, Faith is worried about her kidnapped mom Evelyn, hostage Evelyn is worried about her daughter Faith etc.  Plus, the characters are unique -Faith is a cop who had her first child at 15 then went on to follow in her mother’s footsteps of being an officer, Will is dyslexic and so chooses to listen to his interviews rather than read his notes (go audio!) and more.

Karin also has tons of interesting factual details woven into the story like how hard it was for Evelyn and other females to be cops in the 70’s, how Faith has to deal with her blood sugars because of being recently diagnosed as a diabetic, and how so many criminals illegally have cell phones in prisons (who knew?)!

The narrator, Shannon Cochran, made this performance great, especially having to juggle four different narrators.  Since this is an adult novel, the adult narrator didn’t sound too old-she sounded just like seasoned cops (or, for Sara, a doctor/coroner) should sound.

The ending totally surprised me, and although the guy’s motivation wasn’t fully developed enough for me, I am definitely putting Slaughter on my thriller author list –and not just because I will never forget her name when I go into a bookstore looking for a suspense novel!

offical blog tour stuff: As part of her blog tour, I have one of a series of Q&A points with Karin Slaughter (and free audiobooks to give away-see below); however, it will be worth your while to go back, starting with Jen’s awesome review and longer Q&A to get more details and see the whole Q&A, plus it’s really cool to see other bloggers’ perspectives on the same book:

6/21 – Jen’s Book Thoughts (this is a MUST visit stop)
6/22 – In Reference to Murder
6/23 – Book Addict Reviews
6/28 – Dew on the Kudzu
6/30 – Beth Fish Reads
7/1   -  Teresa’s Reading Room
7/5   -  You’ve Gotta Read This

Question for K. Slaughter: You never pull any punches with your characters, and often put them through an emotional or even physical ringer. This novel feels a little different, a lot more psychologically suspenseful with the mystery of Evelyn’s fate. Is that a conscious shift or just what this book required?

Answer from K. Slaughter: There’s not a conscious shift, but I was aware when I was writing the book that it was more psychological.  That’s the great thing about writing in a series—you get to do a different type of book each time.  Some, like Fractured, are more rip-roaring out of the gate.  Others, like Fallen, are more of a steady build.  Then others still are like Kisscut, which I think of as one of my darkest works.  I love changing the focus and making sure that I’m telling each story as a stand-alone by giving it its own style.  My only goal in writing is to make sure each book is better than the last.  I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again.  There are authors who do that, and I love their books even though it’s always the same, but for me, my preference is always to do something different. Those challenges keep me on my toes and hopefully my readers appreciate that the story I am telling is just as exciting as the one they are reading.

FYI: Karin Slaughter is a huge fan of libraries and helped start SaveThe Libaries.com -check it out library lovers!

—

GIVEAWAY!!! GIVEAWAY!!!! I get to give away audio copies of Fallen and possibly another Slaughter audiobook (and those aren’t cheap people!) Complete the form below by July 20, 2011, (my birthday and the day I will offer up some of the previous audiobooks I’ve reviewed!) to hopefully win one of Fallen copies…

offical rules:
-US only, sorry
-must be 18 years old or older
-giveaway ends at midnight (CEN) on July 20, 2011

—

Although I worked in the music business for about twenty years I am pretty much out of the loop these days. I rely on a few friends to introduce me to cool new bands. Of the more recent, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Forgetters lead the pack but mostly I listened to old favorites while writing ‘Ashes, Ashes’. I still have a huge vinyl collection and a turntable set up in the basement next to my boxing bags and gloves.

Massive Attack- Protection

The Clash- s/t and London Calling

American Steel- Destroy their Future

Jawbreaker- 24 Hour Revenge Therapy

The Pixies- Surfer Rosa

Bjork- Homogenic

The Stooges- Funhouse

While I was writing a lot of the Aidan/Lucy scenes I listened almost exclusively to Jets to Brazil’s ‘Orange Rhyming Dictionary’ especially the track “Chinatown”. And Del’s scenes called for The White Stripes’ ‘Elephant’ ‘cause that girl is full of vinegar and honey.

I think this sufficiently whets the appetite, does it not?

from goodreads.com…The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

——

Kimberly Derting’s Top Ten YA list:

This is always one of those crazy-hard questions, like asking me to choose my favorite child!  (Okay, maybe not that dramatic.)

I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise that I’ll stop at ten.  These are just some of my favorite YA paranormals:

  1)  The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr  (I’m counting that as one book)

 2)  Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl  (Also counted as one book)

 3)  The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (One word: the fast zombie!)

 4)  The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong  (I still haven’t read the rest of the series, but I’m dying to know if Chloe and Derek hook up.)  (Please don’t tell me if they hook up!)

 5)  The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

 6)  Unearthly, the new release by Cynthia Hand

 7)  A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young (Not out till May, but you should definitely read it!)

 8)  Tithe by Holly Black. 

 9)  Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (Since they’re both Tenners, I’m counting them as one

 10)  The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare (I’m actually only halfway through City of Glass right now, but this is definitely my new book crush!)

*check out The Teen Book Scene for the complete tour schedule*

Shannan and I (maybe Nancy too if she can get away) are going to Book People in Austin this Friday (10/16) to help Mundie Moms with the official Beautiful Darkness tour!! We are beyond excited. I mean come on, we get to see Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, again. That’s right, we said again. We are so lucky! Plus this means we’ll have a new and very beautiful signed book to giveaway!

So, if you’re in the area or feel the need for a quick road trip then come to Austin. We’d love to see you all and hang out, take a few pictures and gab about books.

If you can’t make the Austin event then check out the tour stop list below. What…you said you can’t make any of the tour stops? Never fear because each event will be streamed LIVE on blogtv. That’s right. Check out the official Beautiful Darkness tour page for more details.

• October 13th, 6:30 PM (MST)
  BORDERS
  10100 West McDowell Road
  Avondale, AZ 85323
   
• October 14th, 4:00 PM (MST)
  POISONED PEN
  4014 N Goldwater #101
  Scottsdale, AZ 85251
   
• October 15th, 6:00 PM (CST)
  BOOK PEOPLE
  1640 603 N. Lamar Blvd.
  Austin, TX 78703
   
• October 16th, 1:00-1:45 (Panel) & Signing 2:00-3:00
  TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL
  Panel – 1:00-1:45 in Room E2.012
  Singing 2:00-3:00
  610 Brazos, Ste 200
  Austin, TX 78701
   
• October 17th, 1:00 PM (CST)
  TWIG BOOKSHOP
  200 East Grayson Street, Suite 124
  San Antonio, TX 78215
   
• October 18th, 6:30 PM (MST)
  BOULDER BOOK STORE
  1107 Pearl Street
  Boulder, CO 80302
   
• October 19th, 6:00 PM (MST)
  TATTERED COVER
  Reading & Signing
  9315 Dorchester Street
  Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
   
• October 20th, 7:00 PM (CST)
  BARNES & NOBLE
  7157 Plaza Center Drive
  West Jordan, UT 84105

• October 21st, 7:00 PM (CST)
  KING’S ENGLISH BOOKSHOP
  Reading & Signing
  1511 South 1500 East
  Salt Lake City, UT 84105

 Okay, so you all know that we met up with the fabulous authors on the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour at their stop in The Woodlands. We did a couple of interviews, had our pictures taken with them and sooo pretended they were our friends (we really did, call us the ‘kick it’ groupies).

 You knew that, right? Just nod your head yes… (but for those shaking it no then read this).

Anyway, to share the love and joy of Smart Chicks everywhere (because we like to think all chicks are smart) we decided to host a GIVEAWAY! That’s right a giveaway, but not just any giveaway. A darn good giveaway.

Just look at all the lovely goodies in the picture below.

The (one) lucky winner of this darn good giveaway  will receive the following:

swag:
signed – Body Finder poster
signed bookmarks –  Alyson Noel and Melissa Marr
Red Door handout by Holly Black
Zombies Vs. Unicorns (first chapter) handout By Cassandra Clare
tattoo – Alyson Noel

books:
signed – The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
signed – Dark Flame by Alyson Noel
signed – Radiant Shadows – a Wicked Lovely novel by Melissa Marr
signed – City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
signed – Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
signed w/ cute cat pic – White Cat by Holly Black
signed –  My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
signed – The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Giveway ends October 1st. US and Canada only. To enter fill out the form below.

NOW CLOSED

Also, please feel free to leave comments on how great my hair looks (and Shannan’s too), we found the best stylist there and we will share her info! The little girl you ask, oh we picked her up on the way…she was too cute to leave behind.

As you can see from the pictures below we were all smiles while hanging out with the authors on the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour…we were  definitely having our rock star groupie moment!!

 
Shannan and Nancy with Kelley Armstrong, Alyson Noel and Melissa Marr!!

Stacy (yep, that’s me all alone with some amazing minds) with Rachel Vincent, Kami Garcia, Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (who btw is an Austen <3er too)!!

Now, on to the actual interviews (and not just pictures of the interviews)…

We’ll call this interview the ‘organizers who kick it and have chicks who kick it too’ with  Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel and Kelley Armstrong *swooning fangirl moment*.  Wanna know what they thought about chicks that kick it?

We’ll call this interview ‘holy moly was I actually talking to them!? and I think their chicks could totally have kicked my &%$’ with Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Vincent and Kami Garcia!! Which kick it character (in the whole literary world) would they want to be…think you know the answer?

We also had the unexpected pleasure of meeting the other half of Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl!! We call this one ‘isn’t she cute, I just had to include her in this post!!’ Just so you know, she has some killer orange glasses (not pictured, of course) - me wants them badly though they would probably clash with my red hair.

feel free to re-post any video, they all can be found on our YouTube channel, again look at the bottom right for the link!

and a big HEY THERE to… the West brothers from Novel Thoughts Blog…Natalie from I’d So Rather be Reading…Katie from Mundie Moms…and Stephanie and Jennifer!!!!

September is right around the corner and so is the highly anticipated Smart Chicks Kick It! Tour, the brainchild of Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong and Alyson Noel. If you happen to be living under a rock (smile) and not sure what it is… Well, it’s just a multi-city, multi-author tour that is being produced by the authors themselves – their way. *doing my quirky Elaine dance here*

Graciously, Kelley Armstrong answered a few questions about the tour…for more information please visit the Smart Chicks Kick It! Tour, where you can find the schedule, author listing and blog.

It had to have been a daunting task to choose locations for the tour. How did you select the cities? Was it just logistical?

We had a list of stores we wanted to go to, then built the tour up from there, by store requests and reader requests.  There were store requests and strong reader request areas that we couldn’t fulfill for logistical reasons, but we did our best!

The size of this tour is phenomenal, it is unprecedented really. We are pretty sure ya’ll are making history.  How did you (and Melissa and Alyson) get so many authors to participate?  Was it blackmail?

Melissa and I came up with a list of authors whose work we enjoy and just started sending out invitations.  While there were a couple who couldn’t participate due to their own busy schedules, our “success” rate was so high that we didn’t get near the bottom of our wish list.

Momentum seems to be growing in anticipation for this tour, lots of buzz. How does that make ya’ll feel? Getting nervous? Excited?

Trying something different like this is always cause for nerves.  But everything has gone beautifully so far, so it’s mostly excitement now.  It’s wonderful to see a year’s work finally coming to fruition. 

With all the awesome authors at each stop, we can only imagine packed bookstores. (YAY for the bookstores!!) How will the events be run? Will each author get to speak, Q & A and then signing? 

We’ll each introduce ourselves very briefly, then answer questions—asking for ones we can all answer, like “what’s your next project?” or “how did you get started?”  Then we’ll sign and answer questions about our individual books/series up at the table.

Will we be able to get our picture taken with each of the authors when they sign our books?  How many books can we get signed?  Do we have to buy all of them from the bookstore? 

Pictures are fine if readers can either get behind the table or lean over.  With this many authors, we can’t come around the table for photos or do multiple author shots, unfortunately.  We’re not putting a limit on the number of books, but we will ask readers to keep it to three books per author per time through the line (so if you have more than three for one author, you can rejoin the end of the line)  As for buying/bringing, we’d suggest double-checking with the stores.  As far as we know, books from home are fine at all stops, though we strongly suggest that attendees support the store by buying any new books there.

And the last question.  Do you mind if we cry with joy when we meet you?  Yeah, we are pretty stoked about seeing you chicks!  You are our rock stars and we are your groupies!! Smart chicks kick it for sure!

We may be the ones crying with joy if we pull this off <grin>

SCHEDULE & AUTHOR APPERANCE:

September 13th, 2010 7 PM @ BOOKPEOPLE, Austin, TX
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Rachel Caine & Cassandra Clare

September 14th, 2010 7 PM @ B&N THE WOODLANDS,  Houston, TX
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Kami Garcia & Rachel Vincent.

September 15th, 2010 7PM. @ The Refuge (13150 Memorial Dr). Hosted by BLUE WILLOW, Houston, TX
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Margaret Stohl & Cassandra Clare

September 16th, 2010 6 PM @ Plantation Commons (105 Plantation Cove, Gluckstadt). Hosted by LEMURIA BOOKS, Jackson, MS
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Jessica Verday & Sarah Rees Brennan

September 17th, 2010 7PM @ Scottsdale Civic Library Auditorium, hosted by POISONED PEN, Scottsdale, AZ
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan & Kimberly Derting

September 18th, 2010 6 PM @ Menlo Park Library, Hosted by KEPLERS, Menlo Park, CA
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa de la Cruz, Margaret Stohl, Kami Garcia & Kimberly Derting

September 20th, 2010 6 PM @ VEOMAN’S, Pasadena, CA
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, Melissa de la Cruz, Rachel Vincent, Margaret Stohl & Mary Pearson

September 21st, 2010 6 PM @ Encinitas County Library, hosted by MYSTERIOUS GALAXY, San Diego, CA
Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Pearson, Rachel Caine, Rachel Vincent, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Vincent, Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia

September 22nd, 2010 7 PM @ Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, Hosted by ANDERSON’S, Naperville, IL
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Barnes & Carrie Ryan
NOTE: for this event, it is free with the purchase of one book by a featured author or $5 without purchase.

September 23rd, 2010 7 PM @BOOKS & CO AT THE GREENE, Dayton, OH
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Jennifer Lynn Barnes & Kami Garcia.

September 24th, 2010 7 PM @ JOSEPH BETH, Cincinnati, OH
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jeri Smith-Ready, & Margaret Stohl

September 25th, 2010 2 PM @ CHAPTERS BRAMPTON, Brampton, ON
Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Melissa de la Cruz, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Of course Shannan, Nancy and I will be at the September 14th stop. Let us know if you will be there too, we would love to say HI and take a picture with you!

fyi: many apologies Maggie STIEVFATER, someday it will be like second nature when spelling your name. I blame it on my two-year old who was “helping” me.

 
We also had fun. Lots of fun.  In this first video Carolee made an intro for us, as well she showed off her kickin’ cowboy boots.

 
AND here is our “official” interview with her. 

 

We are also hosting a giveaway, courtesy of Carolee Dean. Just leave a comment below to win a Take Me There tote, a bracelet and a Dallas Cowboy bumper sticker. (GO COWBOYS!!) US only, deadline ends August 30th.

 
Want more? Follow the blog tour by visiting here, each blogger has unique prizes. Want even more? There will be one grand prize which is part of the Texas Trivia Challenge (just find the clues by visiting all the blog stops), which you can find all the information at The Teen Book Scene.

As well, be sure to visit Carolee Dean’s blog for all the latest news on Take Me There and a  list of bookstores in Texas where you can find signed copies of her book.

Yes, her name is Becca FITZPATRICK. I was so nervous asking the questions that I said her name wrong on the podcast. Please, forgive me.

Don’t worry, it is short and sweet.

enjoy what the fans had to say about Hush, Hush…