Body and Soul Tour: Top Ten List

Today I have Stacey Kade on the blog, telling us her top ten YA movies. Stacey is the author of the awesome, Ghost and Goth series. The third and final book, Body and Soul came out on the first of this month.

Top Ten "YA Movies"

Okay, so technically there is no "YA movie" designation, but you know what I mean. :D These are some of my favorite teen-related films. A few of them were probably made before you all were born (please do NOT think about how old that makes me), but they're SO good. You need to see them!

1. Breakfast Club: A classic. Just as relevant today as it was in the 80s. Not many movies you can say that about.
2. Disturbia: I'm obsessed with this movie. I watch it at least twice a year, if not more. I think it's because it speaks to my experience as a bored kid in the suburbs, wishing something exciting would happen. :D
3. Chronicle: This is the newest film on my list. I thought it was a really fresh look at the dynamics of friendship and how power can change us, literally. Plus, they have really cool powers.
4. Mean Girls: I had no idea how much this movie influenced me until someone pointed out that Alona's death ("run over by a school bus full of band geeks") is very nearly what happens to Regina George in this movie.
5. Sixteen Candles--Two words: Jake Ryan. *happy sigh*
6. 10 Things I Hate About You: It's based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. And I'm a sucker for love/hate/love relationships in fiction. ;)
7. Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Every time I watch this movie, I feel so bad for Cameron. It's supposed to be about how funny and outrageous Ferris is--and he is--but Cameron's storyline has always intrigued me more. Not sure what that says about me!
8. Clueless: Based on Jane Austen's book, Emma. Jane Austen said, when writing Emma, something to the effect of "everyone likes to see the pretty girl fall." And that was a huge influence for me in writing Alona's story in The Ghost and the Goth series.
9. Footloose: Don't tell anyone, but I think I like the new version even better than the original!
10. Pretty In Pink: I know, I know, most people are Duckie fans, but I loooove Andrew McCarthy.

So, what do you think? What are your favorite "YA movies"?

Giveaway: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Today, I get to give one of you amazing readers a copy of Goddess Interrupted. Goddess Interrupted is the sequel to The Goddess Test. Both books in the series are beyond amazing, and if you haven’t read The Goddess Test yet, I strongly encourage you to go pick up a copy. The giveaway is open to US and Canada addresses only. Without further to do, here is the rafflecopter form for you to fill out-

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.Henry's first wife, Persephone.

You guys. This series. You need to read it. Goddess Interrupted is the second book in the Goddess Test series (not counting the novella, The Goddess Hunt, that was recently released). Since I was such a big fan of The Goddess Test and The Goddess Hunt, I had really high expectations going into Goddess Interrupted. My expectations were more than met.

In Goddess Interrupted, Kate goes back to Henry after her months away in Europe. Though Henry is definitely not open about his feelings, I really liked the times that they were together. They’re really adorable together and those moments in the midst of everything hectic that was going on, were really great.

Kate is an amazing character. She’s knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go out and break the rules to get it. I loved her in The Goddess Test, but I think I loved her even more in Goddess Interrupted. The only problem I had with her was that there were times when she was a bit too whiny for me.

I can’t wait for book 3! And this ending, you guys. This ending was awesome. Aimee Carter sure knows how to write a cliffhanger!

FTC- Netgalley.

Waiting on Wednesday (34)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.


Ten by Gretchen McNeil
September 18, 2012
And their doom comes swiftly.
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.
Defiance by C.J. Redwine
August 28, 2012
Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

While He Was Away Tour: Author Interview

Today I have an interview with Karen Schrek, author of the recently released novel While He Was Away. I hope you enjoy the interview!

1. Was it difficult for you to write a book that involved war? 

There are two answers to this question:

1. Yes. I had to start by facing my fears that I wouldn’t be able to do justice to the subject, and the moving beyond those fears. I also had to do a lot of research, and though I love research, because it took me a few years to write the book, and because over the course of the writing, the time frame changed, it proved tricky to keep up with the ever-changing developments in Iraq. Not everything I learned in my research showed up in While He Was Away, by any means, but I felt I had to know as much as I could in order to write the book. And of course, some of what I was trying to explore proved painful.

2. No. I care so deeply about this subject that the difficult thing would have been to NOT write about it. I had to move through it, the better to understand.

2. Who is your favorite secondary character in While He Was Away?

That’s hard, but I guess I’d have to Penna’s grandmother, Justine.

3. Why? 

She carries so much history for me—both my specific family history, and also our greater cultural heritage. She carries memories, and I love the past and the experience of remembering. She breaks my heart, too, since she suffers from Alzheimer’s and her perceptions of the past and present are becoming confused, breaking down. I love her like the grandmother I don’t have anymore, I suppose.

All that said, Ravi is a close second.

4. What was your favorite part of writing this book? 

Oh, every stage had its best part. I do really love revision, especially when I have a good reader to help me see the forest for the trees. My Sourcebooks Fire editor, Leah Hultenschmidt was definitely that person for me. And before her, my good friend, the writer Carmela Martino who blogs over at Teaching Authors, was an incredible sounding board as I explored what motivated the characters, and a great plot wizard, too.


5. Describe While He Was Away in five words or less. 

Oh, dear. Does every novelist balk at this question? J

Love, longing, loss, loyalty, liberty.

5. What novels have influenced you as a writer and a reader?

Lordy.

Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson. Good Girls, Laura Ruby. The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Franweiler, E.L Koningsberg. Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee. Franny and Zooey, JD Salinger. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje. Beloved, Toni Morrison. Beyond the Bedroom Wall, Larry Woiwode.  Old Filth, Jane Gardham. To name a very few.

 

This blog tour is hosted by Teen Book Scene.

Love and Haight Tour: An Interview with Susan Carlton

Today I have Susan Carlton, author of Love and Haight on the blog! She’s going to be answering interview questions in the form of tweets (140 characters or less). I hope you like it!

1. What made you decide to set the book in the early 1970s?

It was a groovy time, especially in San Francisco—love beads, bongs, and bellbottoms.

2. Was Love and Haight the original title? If not, what was the original one?

Opposable Thumbs was the original title—and now the title of Chapter One!

3. If you could be a teen in any decade (besides the 70s), which would you want to be in?

The 1920s. Flapper dresses, cocktails, fighting for the right to vote—sounds good to me.

4. What character in Love and Haight do you relate to the most?

Chloe. She finds out that even in the land of easy love, some things aren’t so easy.

5. Describe your book in 5 words or less!

Big mistakes don’t define you.