10 Days of Halloween Wrap-up!

Sadly, we have come to the end of our 10 days of Halloween. I hope you all enjoyed reading the interviews and guest posts.

If you haven't already, don't forget to enter these amazing giveaways on my blog and Book Infinity's!

10 Days of Halloween Multiple Choice Giveaway - INTERNATIONAL! - Ends TODAY.

Tyger Tyger ARC Giveaway - US ONLY - Ends TODAY.

Romeo & Juliet & Vampires Prize Pack - US ONLY - Ends 11/1, TOMORROW.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side Giveaway - US ONLY - Ends 11/2/10

The Strangers Outside Ebook Giveaway - INTERNATIONAL - Ends 11/5/10

Over at Book Infinity's blog:

Infinite Days Giveaway - INTERNATIONAL - Ends TODAY!

Rot and Ruin Giveaway - US ONLY - Ends 11/2/10

Thanks so much for participating! I had a lot of fun interviewing these authors and hosting giveaways. I hope we'll be able to do this again next year. If you want to read the interviews and guest post I have them listed here.

Author Interview with Adam Selzer!

Today for the last day of the 10 days of Halloween, we welcome Adam Selzer (author of I Kissed a Zombie and I liked It).

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself
I live in Chicago, where I write books by day and work as a historian / ghost tour guide by night. I've never seen a ghost, but I've seen some weird stuff and uncovered some fantastic stories that never made the history books before. I have not given up my childhood dream of buying a van and painting it to look like The Mystery Machine.

2. What is your book, I Kissed A Zombie and I Liked It about?
It's my attempt to do the most realistic paranormal romance possible. There's nothing really paranormal in it - zombies were created scientifically to work as slave labor in a box box discount chain store stockrooms, and the vampires (whose powers come from protein mutation, not a deal with the devil or whatever) came out of hiding to stand up for undead rights. Now there are zombies and vampires in the world, and people just sort of live with it. But vampire teenagers tend to be jerks who mope around, acting all emo. Instead of PSAs telling girls not to use drugs, there are now PSAs telling girls not to become vampires just because their boyfriend is one. The only girl who doesn't like vampires is Alley, who falls for a guy who she thinks is a goth, but turns out to be a zombie (one who just hadn't decomposed enough it to be obvious). Falling for a dead guy forces her to take a hard look at herself and her values.

3. If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things that you would bring?
Something shiny that would make the natives think I'm a god, a copy of Tristram Shandy (which would take me years to understand, so it'd be long-term entertainment) and, if at all possible, a raft.

4. Are you currently working on any books? If so, what is it?
Yes! For a long time I've wanted to take all the songs from a famous musical and build a new story around them. My next book is a follow-up to ZOMBIE, and is about a girl who is told by her "fairy godmofo" that if she doesn't get a vampire to kiss her at homecoming, she'll die (unlike all the girls who only THINK they'll just die if they don't get kissed at the dance). It's called EXTRAORDINARY, and it could be staged as a musical using songs from THE MUSIC MAN. Look for a book trailer soon! It'll be followed by a non-zombie book called TANGLED UP IN BLUE (or possibly DEBBIE DOES DETENTION) about a girl who gets over a crush by embarking on a "holy quest" with a couple of misfits who've invented their own religion. I also have a couple of cool Chicago history books coming out (and strangely enough, Rahm Emmanuel came into the coffee shop while I was typing that).

6. How would you survive a zombie attack? Or would you?
Rush to the nearest 7-11 and order up the biggest slushee I can get, so I can get a serious case of brain freeze. Zombies don't want frozen brains.

Thanks Adam for your time!

Author Interview with Brenna Yovanoff!

In honor of the 10 days of Halloween (ending tomorrow) we have young adult author Brenna Yovanoff (author of The Replacement) here! Welcome!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I really like dresses, and I have lots and lots of wild yellow hair. I'm like a very small lion. Wearing a dress.

2. Can you tell us about your book, The Replacement?
The Replacement is a dark, contemporary changeling story that is not-quite-horror. It's creepy, but with a heart of gold.

3. What inspired you to write this book?
I don't know that any one thing inspired me. It was an idea I'd been tossing around for a long time and one day, I just felt like the time had come to write it.

4. Can you relate to any of the characters in your book? How?
I think I relate most to Roswell. I've always been the kind of person who just goes along and kind of expects the world to be pretty weird. I have a hard time thinking of anything I've learned that I've found particularly shocking, and that's totally how Roswell operates.

5. Are you currently working on any books?
Right now, I'm working on a love story about demons. There are monsters and kisses and true love—it gets messy.

6. How would you survive a zombie attack? Or would you?
I am so glad you asked! I would totally survive a zombie attack because I am small and quick and have a long history of climbing things I'm not supposed to climb. I would wear my steel-toed construction boots and cut off all my hair so it wouldn't get caught on things. Also, my transformation would remind me that this is my new life. My weapons of choice would be my awesome all-purpose kitchen knife, and a crow bar, and a .22 rifle. I realize these aren't the most powerful weapons, but like I said, I'm very small. Also, I was raised in the middle of nowhere. In a tent. I know how to rough it.

Thanks for your time Brenna! I appreciate it.

Giveaway: Ebook of The Strangers Outside

Thanks to author Vanessa Morgan, you have the opportunity to win her ebook of The Strangers Outside! Enter below.
Summary: Two sisters, Jennifer and Louise, return to their remote holiday cabin after a day at the seaside. But little do they know they’re being surrounded. Soon after their arrival, the girls will come face to face with THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE. When the assailants make their intentions known, things take a shockingly terrible turn and an intense battle for survival will begin.

This is a short story, only 24 pages long. But trust me, it's great!


Official Rules
1. Open Internationally!
2. You can get extra entries by doing various things.
3. This contest ends November 5th.
4. When the contest ends ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be sent the ebook
6. This is NOT a comment contest. Enter the form below.


Thanks for entering! Good luck!

Author Interview with Vanessa Morgan!

Today for the 10 days of Halloween we have author Vanessa Morgan here for an interview! Welcome!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a lucky 35-year-old girl who turned her passion for the horror genre into a fulltime activity. Drowned Sorrow and The Strangers Outside are my first books; new novels as well as movies are in development. Apart from writing, I’m also passionate about animals, good food, tea, movies, city trips and my cat.

2. When did you first start writing?
I began writing fiction about ten years ago. Before that I was mainly into journalism.

3. What inspired you to write your book The Strangers Outside?
A little over a year ago, my little sister Jennifer asked me to use her as a main character in my next book. I already had a vague idea for a story with a foreboding atmosphere and dark figures showing up at different places. I thought she was perfect for the story and so the Jennifer in The Strangers Outside not just resembles my sister, she IS my sister. Even the dialogue is based on things she actually told me. To blur the line between reality and fiction even more, I used a real house and setting in Belgium.

4. What are your thoughts about it being turned into a movie?
It’s exciting because it’s a whole new experience for me, especially because I had the chance to visit the movie set. If you’re interested in knowing more about the film, I’ve posted photos of the filming locations on my blog at http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com/2010/08/strangers-outside-filming-locations.html and another set of photos of the film shoot at http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com/2010/09/behind-scenes-of-strangers-outside.html. Also, it’s funny to see how the story changes along the road. If you’ve read the book and think you’ve figured everything out, then you’re in for a big surprise with the film.

5. If you could have any super/paranormal power, what would it be?
I’d like to have all of them: being invisible, reading people’s minds, talking with the dead… But I can only choose one, right? Then it’ll be talking with animals. I have a very special relationship with the animals in my life and I know that there’s so much more to them then what I currently know. Oh, and I’d like to be able to cure people and animals miraculously. Who wouldn’t?

6. How would you survive a zombie attack, or would you?
In zombie movies, the courageous people who fight back almost always get eaten, so I’ll probably barricade myself into my apartment with my cat. And if my cat were to turn into a zombie, we’d live happily ever after.

Thanks for your time! Check back tomorrow for a giveaway of The Strangers Outside!

Giveaway! Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Thanks to author Beth Fantaskey, I am giving away a copy of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side plus some pins featuring cover art of Jessica's Guide and her other book Jekel Loves Hyde. It's a great giveaway! You should enter it!

Official Rules:

1. Open to US only.
2. You can get extra entries by doing various things.
3. This contest ends November 2nd.
4. When the contest ends ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn .
6. This is NOT a comment contest. Enter the form below.


Thanks for entering! Good luck!

Guest Post: Beth Fantaskey

Today, for the 5th day of the 10 days of Halloween we welcome young adult author Beth Fantaskey! She wrote the book Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. I am honored to have her on my blog. Here is her guest post:

Happy Halloween, everybody! I love handing out treats, so I’ve prepared this little “snack” for fans of Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side who are waiting for the sequel, Jessica Rules the Dark Side, to come out fall 2011. This “bonus chapter” – written from Mindy Stankowicz’s point of view – takes place between Jess and Lucius’s summer wedding (read the story at bethfantaskey.com) and the beginning of full sequel, which starts in December of that same year.
Have a fun, safe holiday – hopefully filled with vampires, ghosts and other good stuff!
Beth

October 31, 2010 – Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
“Mindy Sue, get the door now! If we get egg on our windows, you’ll be scraping it off tomorrow!”

“I’m going already,” I hollered up to my mom, who had dumped the whole “trick or treat” thing off on me while she took a nice shower. I mean, I understood that she’d worked late and deserved a bath, but I had stuff to do, too. I was already bombing Foundations of Renaissance Culture at Lebanon Valley Community College, and I had a quiz the next day on Botticelli, who might have been a painter or some kind of pasta, for all I knew.

The doorbell rang again.

“Mindy Sue...”

“I got it! I swear!” I slammed my textbook about Italian art shut and got up off the couch, grabbing the bowl of miniature Three Musketeers and Snickers – which I’d eaten half of already – while I schlepped to the door.

How had I ever liked this holiday?

It sucked.

It had sucked ever since my best friend, Jess Packwood – now Princess Antanasia Dragomir Vladescu – had gone to the Woodrow Wilson High School fall carnival with Jake Zinn, leaving me a million miles behind, socially. Jess got kissed that night, and totally made Lucius Vladescu jealous, too, while I’d sat home – like I was still doing, a whole year later.

What’s Halloween like in a Romanian castle?

Vampires HAD to celebrate.

Is Jess dancing at some big party with her hot prince?

I hauled open the door a little harder than I meant to, and a bunch of kids in costumes screamed, “Trick or treat!” so loud I almost dropped the candy all over the porch.
“Jeez, have some manners already,” I told them, ‘cause they pounced on the bowl the second I held it low enough for their little hands to reach inside. It was like a riot for that chocolate, and I started worrying they wouldn’t leave any for me. “One each, okay?”

Then I felt kinda bad when the world’s cutest werewolf looked up at me, his paw full of candy, and said, “Thanks, lady. Snickers is my favorite.”
I mean, I didn’t like being called “lady,” but who can resist a six-year-old in a furry wig?
“Yeah, I like ‘em, too,” I said. “You’re welcome.”

When they hopped off the porch, I saw there was hardly anything left to give out, so I turned off the light, even though it wasn’t even eight o’clock. And I turned off the lights inside, too, so it would look like nobody was home downstairs, at least, ‘cause I did not want to be scraping egg off windows the next day.

Then I sat down on the couch in the dark, put the bowl on my lap, and unwrapped the last Snickers, popping it in my mouth. I chewed real slow, trying to make it last, and even though I didn’t want to, I wondered, What do surf bum vampires who live on beaches do on Halloween? How do THEY celebrate...?

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang again, and I kinda froze up, ‘cause it should of been pretty clear that the Stankowicz house was closed for business. For a second, I didn’t even chew. I guess I figured if I didn’t move, the kids would go away and I could eat the last Musketeers, too.
But nope, the bell rang again – twice in a row, fast.

“Probably a VAMPIRE,” I mumbled. “They NEVER give up.” And I almost choked on a peanut when I suddenly thought, What if it’s a BEATNIK bloodsucker? ‘Cause it could be. Not that I want that...

Not even waiting for mom to yell at me, I popped off the couch, calling, “Coming!”
And when I hauled open the door, there was a vampire on my doorstep, and I wasn’t sure if I felt relieved or maybe a teeny bit... disappointed that it was just a kid in a costume. I should’ve felt totally treated, but it also kinda felt like I’d been hit by a big, raw egg.

I dropped the last of the candy into the mini-Dracula’s plastic pumpkin and watched him skip off into the night.

Would I ever stop feeling that way?

Thanks for the post! I appreciate it! Check back later for a great giveaway of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side!

Author Interview with Stacey Kade!

Today is the 5th day of the 10 days of Halloween. Young adult author Stacey Kade is joining us today! Welcome!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself
Oh, boy, I'm terrible at this! :) My characters are far more interesting than I am. Uh, let's see...The Ghost and the Goth is my first YA novel. I've been writing for about ten years or so. When I'm not reading or writing, I'm probably obsessing over one of my many favorite television shows--I'm a pop culture junkie! I'm married and we have three retired racing greyhounds.

2. What is your book, The Ghost and the Goth about?
Alona Dare is the most popular girl in school until she dies. Run over by a bus! :) Then she's stuck in between life and death and can't seem to move on. The only person who can see or hear her is Will Killian, this outcast-type, weird kid, someone she would have never spoken to when she was alive. But he has his own problems--a principal who wants him kicked out and a psychiatrist who wants to lock him up.

The two of them have to figure out way to help each other. :)

3. What inspired you to write this book?
You know, I'm not sure except that one day I just heard a phrase floating through my head, "Staring up at the undercarriage of a bus is no way to spend your afterlife." And it all started from there.

4. How would you survive a zombie attack? Or would you?

Hmm. Normally, I would say that I didn't like my chances, but I've been brushing up on my zombie survival skills. I've watched Zombieland several times this year and taken the lessons to heart.

The question is, how much advance warning do I have and is my goal to hunker down and stay safe or to get the heck out of zombie-Dodge? Once I had that information, I could probably formulate a decent survival plan. Would have to learn how to shoot. Have never done that before! :)

5. If you could have one super/paranormal power what would it be and why?
I'd love to be able to heal people just by touch, like Max on Roswell. Though, I'm pretty sure a gift like that usually comes with a pretty steep price, so I'm not sure that I'd really want any supernatural power at all! :)

Thanks Stacey for your time! Check back later this week for some awesome giveaways!

Romeo & Juliet & Vampires Prize Pack Giveaway!

Thanks to author Claudia Gabel, I have a fantastic giveaway! Enter to win a signed copy of Romeo & Juliet & Vampires along with a "Vampire" chocolate bar, red lipstick and nail polish. Doesn't that sound awesome?! I wish I could enter! Now all of you have the chance to win this.
Official Rules
1. Open to US only.
2. You can get extra entries by doing various things.
3. This contest ends November 1st.
4. When the contest ends ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn .
6. This is NOT a comment contest. Enter the form below.



Thanks again Claudia for this amazing giveaway!! Good luck everyone!

Author Interview with Claudia Gabel!

Welcome to the 10 days of Halloween day 3! Today we welcome Claudia Gabel (Author of Romeo and Juliet and Vampires) to my blog. I am excited to be featuring an interview with her.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself
When I was in second grade, my teacher read A Wrinkle in Time aloud in class-- that’s the moment I fell in love with books. I loved going on this adventure in my mind and how fun it was to use my imagination. I remember telling myself then that I wanted to be a writer, and throughout my childhood, I wrote stories in Mead notebooks and gave them to my friends to read. When I grew up, I began pursuing a career as a book editor and helping other writers get published. However, I always hoped that I’d see one of my own novels on bookstore shelves. In June 2007, my hopes turned into reality! My teen fiction series, In or Out, was published by Scholastic/Point. I’m also a Senior Editor with Katherine Tegen Books, and a creative writing instructor with MediaBistro.com.

2. What is your book, Romeo & Juliet & Vampires about?
Set in Transylvania in 1462, ROMEO & JULIET & VAMPIRES is a mash-up novel based on Shakespeare's play, featuring a new version of the love story between Juliet Capulet, the daughter of two notorious vampires, and Romeo Montague, who was born into a family of vampire slayers. Most of the book stays true to the tragic romance we’ve all grown up with, but there are definitely a few surprises in store for readers.

3. What inspired you to write this book?
Honestly, I had a lot of difficulty reading Shakespeare when I was first introduced to his writing in high school. I loved to read, and not being able to understand his plays really broke my heart. I must confess: I relied on lots of SparkNotes back then. But when the mash-up trend started getting popular, I found myself thinking of how much it would have helped me to have some fun, interesting takes on the classics to read along with the originals. Hopefully teens who dip into this book at home won’t be as intimidated by Shakespeare’s work when they are reading it in the classroom.

4. Can you relate to any of the characters in Romeo & Juliet & Vampires?
I actually related to Romeo the most. Even though he was born into a family of vampire-slayers, he is more of a lover than a fighter (at least at first). He has so much love in his heart and it’s totally unconditional and knows no boundaries. I’m just as much of a romantic as he is.

5. Can you tell us a little bit about what you are working on now and what we should expect from you next?
My WIP is taking over my life right now because it involves so much research! The book is a supernatural mystery that’s rooted in American spiritualism, and I’m hoping that the story will be so rich, I’ll be about to turn into a series. I don’t want to say too much more because I’m still fine-tuning the concept, but it’s something that I’m very excited about!

6. How would you survive a zombie attack? Or would you?
I think I might be able to outrun a zombie, but that’s probably about it. My fighting skills are pretty lackluster. I’d give myself a couple of days of survival, but that might be optimistic of me!

7. If you could have one super/paranormal power what would it be and why?
I would love to be able to time travel. I know, it’s such a geeky choice, but I’d love to see how humans lived in the past and how we evolve in the future!

Thank you for your time Claudia! We appreciate it! I encourage all of you to pick up a copy of Romeo & Juliet & Vampires!

Check my blog later for a great giveaway of Romeo & Juliet & Vampires!

Tyger Tyger ARC Giveaway!

Win an ARC of Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton!

Official Rules
1. Open to US only.

2. You can get extra entries by doing various things.
3. This contest ends October 31.
4. When the contest ends ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn .
6. This is NOT a comment contest. Enter the form below.

CONTEST CLOSED

Thanks for entering! Good luck! If you haven't already entered check out my other giveaway!

Book Review: Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Title: Tyger Tyger (Goblin Wars #1)
Author: Kersten Hamilton
Pages: 322
Publisher: Clarion Books
Source: ebook from Netgalley/ARC from publisher

Summary: Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right.

The goblins are coming.

Review: When I saw this book, I thought it looked interesting. I've never read a book that had goblins in it before. I decided to read it. I usually don't like total fantasy books but this book was pretty good. In this book, there are lots of goblins. Only Finn, Teagan, and Aiden can see them. To everyone else, they either are invisible or they look like humans. When the goblins come, Finn shows up to protect Teagan and her family.

I really liked the main girl, Teagan. She wasn't annoying like some characters are. She wasn't selfish and she cares a lot about other people. She is also very protective of her younger brother, Aiden. I also liked Aiden a lot, too. He is a young boy about five years old. He has a lot more confidence than most young boys. He was pretty tough and the goblins didn't scare him much. He still had the innocence of a little boy.

Some parts of this book were a little slow. I thought the romance between Finn and Teagan could have been brought out a little more. Besides that, it was a really interesting book. Some parts were really funny.

I would recommend reading this book if you like fantasy or action books. Kersten Hamilton is a great new YA author. I gave this book four coffee cups. It was a pretty good book!

Author Interview with Kersten Hamilton

Today we welcome author Kersten Hamilton (author of Tyger Tyger) to my blog. This is day two of the days of Halloween hosted by my blog and Book Infinity. I had the opportunity to interview Kersten Hamilton.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in a trailer in the mountains of southern New Mexico. I escaped electrocution when a typhoon blew power lines down over yet another trailer in a swamp in Washington state, and drowning when a station wagon spun out of control and onto thin lake ice in Alaska. Most of the bullets missed, and none of the incidents with bears, snakes, wolves, and angry moose were fatal.
I went to school as little as possible, and read as much as I liked, and raised goats.

I have worked as a woodcutter, a horse wrangler, and a wilderness guide, as well as other, more boring things. Right now my life is relatively tame, but I do enjoy hunting dinosaurs in the Ojito wilderness now and then.

2. What is your book, Tyger Tyger about?

Goblins. And literature. And best friends. And true love.

A blogger friend of mine named Pat Esden, summarized it nicely: “Tyger Tyger is fast paced adventure with a backbone of myth and heart of romance.”

3. Goblins aren't very popular in YA books. Why did you choose goblins for your book?

When I was a child, a goblin crept out of the dark and slipped her paw into my hand. The creature’s name was Lina, and I met her in a book by George MacDonald.

Lina was a dog–like creature with green eyes lit by amber fire, and a huge mouth with icicle–like teeth. Curdie, the hero of the story, could feel the real hand of any creature inside its flesh glove, and when Lina put her paw in his hand “a shudder, as of terrified delight, ran through him…instead of the paw of a dog, such as it seemed to his eyes, he clasped in his great mining fist the soft, neat little hand of a child! The green eyes stared at him with their yellow light, and the mouth was turned up toward him with its constant half grin; but here was the child's hand!”

When I read those lines I felt it. Lina was a small part of George MacDonald’s book. After I met her, I knew that when I grew up I wanted to write a book full of that kind of goblin creature.

But the book took several years to grow into its present form.

Tyger Tyger actually started out as a picture book called Loveleaves and Woodwender. Once I started expanding it into a novel I realized that it had roots reaching back into stories and poems I loved as a child.

One was Tam Lin, the story of girl who must muster all her courage to save her love who has been taken by the Sidhe.

Another was The Lords of the Grey and White Castles, a fairytale by Francis Brown, Ireland’s blind storyteller: http://www.finnvalley.ie/people/francesbrown/ The Lords of the White and Grey Castles is the story of two children- a girl and a boy- who must travel to the goblin realm to save a loved one who has been stolen by the goblin king.

Ginny Greenteeth, a goblin in my novel, has more than a smidgen of Monro’s goblin from Overheard on a Saltmarsh in her: http://www.sheerpoetry.co.uk/junior/junior-poetry-library/in-the-classroom-part-one/overheard-on-a-saltmarsh

4. Can you relate to any of the characters in Tyger Tyger?

I can’t conjure characters from thin air. I use little chips of my own soul to animate the good guys, so I relate to each of them at some level. The bad characters are a different story, of course. Ms. Skinner moves and breathes with the stolen soul of an evil dogcatcher.

5. Are you currently working on any books? If so, what is it?

I just finished book two of The Goblin Wars, In the Forests of the Night, and then I wrote a very young picture book, Big Bus. Now, I hope to finish a young MG steampunk novel before In the Forests of the Night comes back for copy edits.

6. How would you survive a zombie attack? Or would you?

I would. In fact, I have been training since I was a small child to survive the coming Zombie Apocalypse. I never walk into a room without scanning it for potential weapons. Are their blunt objects which can be used for battle? An iron poker by the fireplace? A fire extinguisher, perhaps?

Bring it, zombies. This writer’s ready and willing to rumble.

Thank you for your time Kersten! I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of Tyger Tyger when it comes out on November 15 or pre-order it today! Come back to my blog later today for a giveaway of Tyger Tyger!

Giveaway! Kickin off the 10 days of Halloween!

Today is the start of our 10 days of Halloween! This ends on October 31. To kick it off, my blog and Ava from Book Infinity are having a giveaway! Enter on my blog.



There will be 2 winners. Each winner will get to choose 1 book out of the following:

• I Kissed A Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
• Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
• Jessica's Guide to Dating on The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
• Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
• Romeo and Juliet and Vampires by Claudia Gabel
• The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade (not pictured above)
  

Official Rules
1. Open Internationally! (Everywhere that the Book Depository ships to. Check here if your not sure.)
2. You can get extra entries by doing various things.
3. This contest ends October 31.
4. Contest ends TWO winners will be chosen by random.org
5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn .
6. This is NOT a comment contest. Enter the form below.

CONTEST CLOSED

Thanks for entering! Be sure to check back here throughout the week, there will be more giveaways and other awesome surprises!

Book Review: Minder by Kate Kaynak

Title: Minder (Ganzfield #1)
Author: Kate Kaynak
Pages: 250
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Source: ARC recieved from author
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams...

Review: This book was absolutely amazing! It definitely recieved five coffee cups. This book was never slow, it always kept moving. Mind reading and romance? Totally. The main girl, Maddie Dunn finds out she has the power to read minds and even fry somebody else's brain so they die. She freaks out since she never knew she could do that before. When a man by the name of Dr. Williamson finds Maddie, he offers to take her to Ganzfield. Ganzfield is a school for people with powers. The people there are mind readers (telepaths), healers, sparks (they can control fire), charms (they control people and make them do what they want) and a telekinetic (moves things with his mind).

I thought this book was really awesome. The author Kate Kaynak did a really great job with the characters and giving them all their own unique personalities. The romance between Maddie and Trevor was very cute. They both loved and cared for each other but they were not too overprotective of each other.

Another thing I really liked about this book is the action. If you think this is just another paranormal romance with not much of a plot, think again. This book is pretty intense at parts. The ending was really good. I liked it a lot. I can't wait to read the second book in the series, Adversary.

There was some mature content, though. I gave this book five coffee cups. I would definitely recommend anyone to read this book. There will be a lot more books in this series. I am very excited to read them! I love this book!

Book Blogger Hop (10)

Crazy-For-Books is hosting the Book Blogger Hop. I know I haven't had many posts this week, I have been pretty busy.

This week's question is: When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move onto your next title?

My Answer: Most of the time I will stick it out and keep reading the book. If I read the first 50 or so pages and just hate the book, then I will put it down. There are so many more books to read that are better!

Join the hop with me!

Have a happy Friday!

Halloween Read-a-thon!

I am participating in the Halloween read-a-thon hosted by Young Adult Books Reviewed. It starts tomorrow and ends on Sunday. Basically a read-a-thon is where you read as much as you can in the scheduled dates. This read-a-thon is to read paranormal/Halloween themed books. You can set a goal for yourself if you want. Join me! This will be fun. I've never done a read-a-thon before so I am excited to do it!

Books I will be reading are Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow, and Everlasting by Angie Frazier.

I'm not an extremely fast reader so I doubt I will finish all of these but my goal is to try to finish most of these books. Let's see how it turns out!

Book Review: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Title: You Wish
Author: Mandy Hubbard
Pages: 272
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Bought from Borders
Summary: What if all your wishes really came true?

Kayla McHenry is having the worst sweet sixteenth birthday ever! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. The following day, a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. Then, an oddly plastic-looking boy shows up in a convertible and starts following her around everywhere! As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend’s boyfriend.

Review: When I read the summary, I knew I would love it! It looked like a fun book. As it turns out, It was just as I thought it would be. Amazing! It was hilarious. I was laughing out loud. My favorite wish to come true is Ken coming to life. As in Barbie and Ken. I won't say much about that because it is more funny if you read it yourself.

This book had a really good ending. It was a little sad, but mostly it made me really happy. Every day Kayla would wake up and she would have another wish come true. I was eager to find out what wish would come true every day. As soon as I found out what the wish was, I was laughing. Every wish was really funny. There was never any slow parts in this book. I read it pretty quickly since it was very entertaining.

I liked how I was able to relate to the main girl, Kayla. She is down to earth and deals with everyday problems that every teen goes through. She seems like an easy person to get along with. She doesn't care what others think of her.

I can imagine if all my wishes came true. Lets see... my build-a-bear would come to life and be my best friend. My twin doll would come to life and be my best friend. A boy that I had a crush on when I was 11 would start talking to me. That's all I can remember. I'm sure I've had many strange wishes that would be embarrasing and/or hilarious if they came true now!

This book got the honor of five coffee cups. I would recommend reading this book to anyone. It was SO funny! I loved it!

Whoo! I got Delirium!!

I am so excited! I wanted to share this with you! I got an ARC of Delirium by Lauren Oliver! I am so happy. As soon as I saw this in my mailbox I was ecstatic! I just absolutely adore this cover! I know, I'm using way too many adjectives. But I am just so happy!

Here's the summary from Goodreads: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

The idea behind IMM was not only to put new books on your radar but to also encourage blogger interaction. IMM explores the weekly contents of my mailbox & books bought. And sometimes other fun goodies.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

From the library I got:

• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
• City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

In my mailbox I got:

• Minder by Kate Kaynak

Bought from Borders:

• Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

What's in your mailbox?

Book Review: Wanted by Sara Shepard

Title: Wanted (Pretty Little Liars #8)

Author: Sara Shepard

Pages: 261

Publisher: Harperteen

Source: Library

Summary: In Rosewood, majestic estates sprawl for acres, and Tiffany toggle bracelets dangle from every girl's wrist. But not all that glitters is gold, and the town harbors secrets darker than anyone could imagine—like the truth about what really happened the night Alison DiLaurentis went missing. . . .

Back in middle school, Ali plucked Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer from obscurity and turned them into the beautiful, popular girls everyone wanted to be. Ali was the best friend they ever had. But she also made them do terrible things and taunted them with their worst secrets. Now, three years later, all their questions about Ali have finally been answered and they can put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think.

Not every story has a happy ending, especially when four pretty little liars have done so many wicked things. In the dramatic conclusion of Sara Shepard's bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer could get everything they've ever wanted—unless A has one more horrifying twist in store.

Review: This is the final book in the Pretty Little Liars series. I was so happy to find out all the answers! It was so shocking. I never would have guessed.

A new character was introduced which added to the plot a little. Out of all the characters, I think Aria is my favorite. She is a little more mature than the other girls. At the beginning of the series, she had to deal with some family issues. By the end of the series, she resolved her family's conflicts and overall became a more respectable person. She finally fell in love with somebody her own age.

This book was filled with suspense. I finished it very quickly because I was eager to find out the answers to all my questions. This is my favorite series that I have ever read.

I gave this book five stars. It was a really great ending to the series. All my questions were answered and I finally found out who "A" really is. I recommend this book if you like mysteries and don't mind some mature content and language.

Book Blogger Hop (9) and Follow Friday (6)

Crazy-For-Books is hosting the Book Blogger Hop.

This week's question: What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

My answer: In the morning, I prefer to drink coffee. If you've seen my blog, you know about how I rate books 1-5 coffee cups. I love coffee! The rest of the day I usually just drink water.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://seducedbybooks.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy friday!!