Interview: Maureen McGowan

The brilliant mastermind behind the Twisted Tales series is joining us today: Maureen McGowan! :D

Very Click-able Links: {website} · {blog} · {goodreads} · {amazon: cinder & sleep} · {book depository: cinder & sleep}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

that's some badass. // artist

1. Quick! If you crossed Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, what would you get?

Sleeping Cinder: Ninja Slayer

2. Even as a child, have you always wanted to twist traditional fairytales? 

In hindsight, I think I did want to fix a few of them. Especially Cinderella. I never understood why the Prince, if he was so in love with her, needed a shoe to find her.

3. When writing Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, did you think of any other fictional characters? (i.e. I think "ninja warrior" and "Naruto," and "vampire slayer" and "Buffy.")

I didn’t really think of any other characters while writing. It’s almost impossible not to think of Buffy when one hears, “vampire slayer” but I didn’t really think about her while writing the book. Except that I wanted my heroine to be equally kick-a**. My main aim was to create characters who were resourceful, brave and strong. Once I started creating their backstories—Cinderella being orphaned at a young age, trapped and abused, Lucette being overprotected and torn between warring parents—their personalities developed.

5. On your blog, you mention that when you made up stories, "[your] mother called it lying, [your] teachers creative talent." If you had to assign a label to story-making, what would it be?

For me, storytelling swings between freeing and fun to frustrating and challenging. I think the moments when it’s difficult and really frustratingly hard work are more numerous, but the good parts far outweigh the bad.

(And the lying as a child is a joke. Mostly. I was a horribly well-behaved child.)

Buy one! B&N

6. If you could invent one brilliant creation, what would it be named and what would it do?

If I knew, I already would have invented it and I’d be rich. :) But now that I think of it, I would love to invent a robot to do all my housework. Perhaps I’d call it Cinderella. ;)

7. Last of the silly questions, if you were a eating/cooking utensil, what would you be?

A spatula. They’re always getting dipped into yummy things like cake batter.

8. Can you give us any hints on what's upcoming in the Twisted Tales collection?

I have worked up ideas for quite a few fairy tales, including Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, but I can’t announce anything official, yet.

9. And finally, any parting words to the readers and writers out there? :)

Keep reading. Keep writing. Follow your dreams.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, Maureen! If you're not yet sold (tell that to CINDERELLA), check out my review and enter the giveaway for a chance to win the a set of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer -- ends June 3rd. <3

Blog Tour: Leslie DuBois & Giveaway!

Today I have Leslie DuBois here to give her thoughts on "queen bees," which, of course, play a huge part in her new novel The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. Welcome, Leslie!

Mean Girls Revealed!

Why do “mean girls” and cliques keep popping up in YA literature? I think it’s because we have an addictive fascination with royalty. I mean, look at all of the fuss over William and Kate! Face it, as a society we are obsessed with royalty. And in this country, we have several types of royalty: the first family, musicians, reality TV stars etc. And then each high school, as a microcosm of society, has their own levels of social status which includes the high school royalty: queen bees.

The mean girls in action.

As a society, we are riveted to their actions, their movements, their devices. People on the outskirts want to know what it’s like to be “in”. The people in power want to stay there and sometimes go to extremes to insure their position.

I do think TV, films, and books exaggerate the phenomenon a little. I mean, when I was in high school, I remember there being popular kids and I remember not being one of them. But I honestly don’t remember there being one particular group targeting other people or trying to rule the school. Or maybe I was just so far removed from popularity that I didn’t know what was really going on!

I also taught high school for 9 years and while I did notice cliques, I didn’t see them being vicious toward each other. Especially at Georgetown Day School in Washington DC. Those were the most loving group of students I had ever seen in my life. The other school I taught at did inspire me to write The Queen Bee of Bridgeton and actually gave me plot ideas. But the events were things that happened outside of school.

On the other hand, how many times have we heard of the catastrophic ends of extreme bullying? Kids committing suicide or homicide as a direct result of the actions of their classmates. So obviously it does happen.

Another thing that attracts us to these “mean girls” is that we all love a good underdog story. We always want to see someone rise above the obstacles laid upon them. I believe it inspires us and motivates us to be better people. That’s what I hope The Queen Bee of Bridgeton does.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks, Leslie! I also love how The Queen Bee of Bridgeton features such a unique and strong protagonist, who you can get a peek of in the trailer:

As part of the tour, I also have a copy of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton (Dancing Dream #1) to giveaway!  

 

When fifteen-year-old Sonya Garrison is accepted into the prestigious Bridgeton Academy, she soon discovers that rich girls are just as dangerous as the thugs in her home of Venton Heights. Maybe more so. After catching the eye of the star, white basketball player and unwittingly becoming the most popular girl in school, she earns the hatred of the three most ruthless and vindictive girls at Bridgeton. Can she defeat the reigning high school royalty? Or will they succeed in ruining her lifelong dream of becoming a world class dancer?

Rules:
• To enter, fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open U.S. and Canada
• Contest ends Monday, June 6th at 11:59 EST
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Dinoland & Wither Love

As promised, a bit of random:

background

It's still not completely finished, but I thought I'd share some kind of art since I'm not doing YA Chibi-fied this weekend. We're going to do some Statistics monopoly with it, so it's not a masterpiece by any means. But I tried to make the soft colors match the game pieces one of my friends designed:

cuuuuute! <333

(Please don't take any of the graphics, but if you're interested in using them to play some Dinoland monopoly, feel free to shoot me an email!)

As for the book-related aspect of this post, Lauren Destefano is giving away ARC's of both Wither and Fever, the sequel! I'm sure some of you have already heard about it and entered, but if you haven't, enter HERE before May 31st. :)

(... when I was just about to post this, my little sister ran down with her demented Furby which first sounded like a cicada, then went "furbbby *grunt* oink *snort*." Freaking scary. /end random.)

I'm not doing an IMMM this week, but feel free to leave a link and/or tell me what you got! :D

Winners Galore & New K-pop!

First off, there won't be a YA Chibi-fied this weekend, sorrrrry. I have a TON to do, but I'm in the home stretch! Only one more hectic week of SAT prep and final projects, and I'm a freeee woman. The taste of freedom makes me want to sing and stretch my words. :3

Anyways, on to the winners. A couple contests have quietly ended this past week, so with my google docs and trusty random.org, I tackled them. And the winners areeeee:

OYMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

Karen (#1 -- wow.)

TEMPEST RISING by Tracy Deebs

Carol M (#31)

892 Followers Contest

Sandy (#165)

CORSETS AND CLOCKWORK by Trisha Telep
Louis (#49)

Congrats, and I'll be emailing shortly! Thanks to everyone who entered, and for who entered that didn't win, feel free to check out some other giveaways for a chance to win one of two sets of Dead Rules buttons, a Twisted Tales set by Maureen McGowan, a signed copy of Nightspell (Mistwood #2) by Leah Cypess, or a copy of Mistwood.

I'm also doing the music portion of IMMM today, since I'm delaying it yet again. (Next weekend, I promise!) I'm kind of switching the usual art and IMMM days in that tomorrow I'll be posting a simple, cute Dinosaurland background that I'm doing right now for my math project. So if you're looking for something book-related... uh, I'll include something in there.

So today I'm going back to k-pop (yes, I'm a fan if you didn't know). Beast just released a new MV last week called "Fiction." It's pretty catchy and the little shuffle they do during the chorus is so cuttte/weird to imitate, haha. You can move the cursor to about 1:24 to find what I'm talking about. ;)

And the K-pop machine keeps churning out new artists. Amidst another actress-turned-singer, etc. debuting in the past and the coming week, I picked And You, a male duo that just released their first album yesterday. The below MV is for "Words On the Very Tip of My Tongue." I don't think it really stands out much from a sea of Korean ballads, but they do have very soothing, beautiful voices.

Not new, but one of my favorite artists: Kim Ah Joong. Her voice is STUNNING. The below video is a fan-made OST of one of Kim Ah Joong's songs in the Korean movie 200 Pound Beauty (which I've watched, but that's a post for another day), and it's called "Byul" or "Stars" in English. Shivers-all-over love.

Whew, sorry if that was K-pop overload. I only meant to post one or two and got carried away... haha. Well... if I'm at it, I might as well use a video to wrap up. A group called B1A4 debuted about a month ago and they've had a really positive response. B1A4 = one blood type B member and four type A's. They're OK (man, I'm witty), but I thought their music video was really cute and uplifting. So here's the start of a great weekend! OK, GO!

Nightspell Week: "Educational" Movies -- for Writing

It's the last day of Nightspell week, and Leah's here to wrap it up with another guest post, this time on her definition of "educational" movies:

Top Five Movies I Watched to “Research” Nightspell

 
[1] The Man in the Iron Mask

The Guardian, in Nightspell, is a mysterious figure encased in black iron armor. While working on ways to describe his movements and voice, I checked out the 1998 version of The Man in the Iron Mask.  As it turns out, the mask in the movie didn’t look much like the one the Guardian wears -- but a few moves from the fight scene at the end made their way into the book, so it was all worth it.

[2] Ladyhawke

There’s a falconing scene in Nightspell; and even though I both went falconing myself and read a falconing handbook, there’s nothing like a movie for helping you write descriptions. (Well, I guess there’s real life. But the falconing lesson cost over a hundred dollars. It was a one-time kind of thing.)  Unfortunately this movie caused traumatic flashbacks for my husband, whose parents apparently once rented it instead of whatever their two teenage sons had requested. He makes many sacrifices for my art.

 

[3] Marie Antoinette

I watched this – as well as a number of other “royalty” movies – primarily to steep myself in the atmosphere of a decadent, intrigue-filled court.

 
[4] Vanity Fair

There’s a scene in Nightspell that takes place in a litter being carried by four men. How to describe the movements of such a litter? I asked the internet (where “the internet” equals my facebook friends and twitter followers), and someone helpfully informed that there is a scene in a litter at the end of Vanity Fair. Indeed, there is.

[5] Casino Royale

This was actually coincidence. I watched it while I was writing Nightspell for no reason other than that both my husband and I both wanted to watch it (a fairly rare occurrence); but the James Bond concept definitely folded itself into Varis’s character. I think of him as looking like a darker-skinned version of Daniel Craig.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A HUGE thank you to Leah for an awesome post (come on, it has Daniel Craig) and a great week! Be sure to mark May 31st on your calendar for Nightspell's release date, and leave a relevant comment for an extra entry into the Nightspell giveaway. Have something to say to Leah? Now's your chance! :D

My personal comments on the above-mentioned movies: I haven't watched Ladyhawke, but I think it would be wicked to learn falconry. As for the movies on the list that I have watched, one of the two is Vanity Fair, which I didn't like much -- but I still bow down to its stunning costumes and props. The other, Casino Royale...

Did you see Daniel Craig dressing as a woman in support of International Women's Day 2011? ;)

Nightspell Week: Nightspell Review & Giveaway!

Leah Cypess's website here // $9.99 from {amazon}
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (May 31, 2011)
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: Author
Summary:

When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.

In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

My Thoughts:

It took me over ten tries to get this right: NIGHTSPELL is indescribable. It’s indescribably amazing. It’s indescribably fantastical. In a word, it’s brilliant. (And, yes, paradoxical.) Leah Cypess is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA fantasy writers, and in NIGHTSPELL, it’s clearly evident why.

My top reason to love: Leah Cypess is a master at world-building and plot-weaving. NIGHTSPELL doesn’t just throw out some Ghostland facts and leave you attempting to connect-the-dots. Rather, it gradually and seamlessly laces them together to form a rich history and haunting setting. Nothing in NIGHTSPELL is simply “a crack,” it’s “a hairline crack [that] spread along the length of a black-speckled gray coil” (315, ARC).

Likewise, the plot is fully fleshed out and filled with just as many twists-and-turns as its companion novel, MISTWOOD. For those that have read MISTWOOD, Rokan’s sister Clarisse steals the spotlight in NIGHTSPELL. She’s the same Oscars-worthy actress and cunning enigma that I knew and loved (though her previous history isn’t vital to the plot). She’s so incredibly self-serving, but man, do I like it that way. Clarisse is the one who makes so much of the plot unpredictable and exciting, and when everything does finally click together, it’s definitely a historical “WOW” moment.

However, what failed to impress me were the characters: solid, but not great. NIGHTSPELL switches between Darri, Varis, and Callie’s point of views, which was... fine. I didn’t really gain any spectacular insight about Varis or Callie, whose perspectives really just worked to further the plot. They lacked that extra ounce of unique personality, which, actually, could be said of all the characters, from primary to secondary ones. They each seemed driven by one self-defining purpose, and past that, it was a fuzzy fog. I had some quick glimpses and possible ideas, but never felt like I saw the raw essence of personality. That being said, the characters all had genuine struggles and authentic voices, and it was enjoyable learning more about them. 

In the end, does it matter that I wouldn't cry buckets if a character died? Not at all. NIGHTSPELL is a book that revolves around its stunning, mystical world and constant intrigue, and after adding some more action, what could be a better recipe for a fantasy-lover? :)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Romance: No real physical contact. There's the promise of something at the end, but sometimes reality cuts in and I'm glad NIGHTSPELL reflects that.

Cover:  I LOVE IT. The castle is perhaps a bit too pretty and Disney-esque, but the girl on top really matches my mental image of Darri.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend both NIGHTSPELL and MISTWOOD to fantasy and, to a lesser extent, mystery lovers, because the plot and setting are just that amazing. If you're not that into either genre, it's still a great book, just go in knowing what to expect.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I love Leah Cypess's books, I thought I'd give someone else a chance to read my finished copy of Mistwood. If you'd like the chance to win Nightspell, enter here. Remember you can comment on this review for an extra entry into the Nightspell giveaway! :)

Rules:
• To enter, fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open Internationally
• Contest ends Thursday, June 2nd at 11:59 EST
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Nightspell Week: The Journey of First Lines

Today, Leah Cypess is here to give an inside peek on how the first line of Nightspell grew from the day it was inspired to the soon-to-be-published version next Tuesday. Because it wasn't a BAM-AMAZING-IDEA moment, but a journey over the span of many years. But I'll let Leah explain that herself...

If you want to find out more about Leah, you can check out her about me page here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first first line of Nightspell was written when I was seventeen years old and at summer camp, in a spiral-bound blue notebook:

Here be ghosts.

I then wrote about a third of a book, a murder mystery set in a kingdom where the dead returned as ghosts to take vengeance on their killers. By the time summer was over, I had bogged down the story in so many unnecessary complications that I had no idea what to do with it next. So I put the blue notebook away and started something new.

Eleven years later, I pulled it out, read through it, and started again. With a new first line:

The ghost was watching them from behind a tree.

The story progressed better this time, and before long (if by “long” you mean “two years”) it had become a workable first draft. One day, I rode my bike to a nearby lake to work on the story, but the day was so gorgeous that I ended up writing a description of the lake instead. That description turned into a new prologue for my manuscript, the first line of which was:

She shouldn’t have been there.

Finally, the manuscript was ready for my critique group, Critters (www.critters.org). One of the things I love about critters is that you get critiques from a variety of people who haven’t seen each other’s comments, which makes it easy to decide which comments need to be addressed. A number of these people independently told me two things. First, that the prologue gave away too much. And second, the beginning seemed slow.

So literally days before sending it in to my agent, I took out the prologue and rewrote the first scene, changing the first line to:

Darri didn’t see the ghost until he was upon her, a solid weight that dropped from the branches above and threw her sideways off the saddle.

And so it remains!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, Leah!

In terms of first lines, some authors go the humor route, some go for the shock factor, but my personal favorites are always the ones that start off with the action or paint things out stroke-by-stroke by stunning detail. And I think Nightspell's first line and prologue definitely fall in the former. :)

Your turn: What do you think of Nightspell's first lines? What kind of first lines are your favorite? (If you entered the Nightspell giveaway, you can comment here for an extra entry!)

Nightspell Week: Nightspell Giveaway!

Courtesy of Leah Cypess, I have one signed, finished copy of Nightspell to give away!

When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.

In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

Rules:
• To enter, fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open Internationally
• Contest ends Tuesday, May 31st at 11:59 EST
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Leah Cypess posts will be linked on top *points* and, again, check back and comment for additional entries (and another giveaway)!

Nightspell Week: Introduction

NIGHTSPELL WEEK: GO! To kick off a whole week of Leah Cypess and Nightspell, here we are with the summary and a brief teaser...
Links: {goodreads} · {amazon} · {book depository} · {website}

When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.

In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

And Leah's pick for a scene, which depicts Darri's first time at the Ghost Court:

It wasn’t until they were seated -- at a blessedly empty table -- that they had enough privacy for Varis to hiss, “You know you were supposed to sit with the prince. What were you thinking?”

            “That I’d like to speak to Callie,” Darri said.

            “Do you really think it’s a good idea to insult Prince Kestin within two minutes of arriving in his country?”

            “Yes,” Darri said, just to see his reaction, “I do.”

            Unfortunately, at that moment a young woman in a yellow gown took the seat across from them, and Varis’s face smoothed instantly into an expression of bland politeness. The woman tilted her head at them and said, “Guess.”

            “Guess what?” Varis said, falling right into what was obviously a trap. Darri resisted the urge to kick him under the table.

            The woman smiled. She was plump and pretty, despite her pasty skin, with red-tinged hair arranged in knots and twirls. “Whether I’m alive or dead.”

            Varis flinched, and Darri couldn’t blame him. She tried to think of something cutting to say. Nothing came to mind.

Darri had once fallen asleep in long grass and woken to find ants crawling all over her body, wriggling into her nostrils and tickling over her tongue. That had been nothing compared to how she felt now, surrounded by dead creatures whose corpses were rotting below the ground. She kept catching whiffs of decomposing flesh, kept imagining the anguished screams of human spirits bound to lifeless bodies. This was a terrible place, beneath the gowns and smiles and glitter.

And she was going to spend the rest of her life here.

            “Stop it,” Callie said from behind Darri. “Leave them alone.”

            Darri turned so fast she almost overturned her chair. Her younger sister stepped away from the near-mishap primly, without looking at Darri. Her eyes were on the woman, who smoothed back her hair and smiled.

            “Oh, come, darling. Why protect them? No one protected you.”

            “As you made perfectly clear,” Callie said. “Though I understand your motives, Lizette. With that hairstyle, only a foreigner couldn’t guess in seconds that you were dead. And for quite a while.”

            Lizette raised one hand to her hair, and suddenly there was no face beneath the elaborate hairstyle; instead there was a skull, shreds of skin clinging to gray bone, a white maggot squirming out of one blank eyehole.

Varis made a sick noise, obviously involuntary. Lizette’s mask of a face reappeared. She smirked at him and at Callie, then turned to Darri and said, “I understand you have your eye on our prince. You had better get used to this sort of thing, if you’re thinking of marrying him. I’m the least frightening ghost here.”

            “Really?” Darri did her best to sound unconcerned. She would show these creatures they couldn’t cow a Raellian princess. “How did you die?”

            A short, absolute silence passed. Lizette tittered and touched a finger to her lips. “Now, now. We’ve only just met.”

            Darri glanced at her sister, whose face was beet red; the last time Darri had seen Callie so embarrassed, she had just lost control of a horse. Apparently this was not a question one asked of the dead.

            Lizette vanished. Varis made another strangled sound. Callie sighed and said, “It would really be better if you stopped doing that.”

I can promise it only gets better from here. Are you excited? *passes out mini Leah Cypess flags* Check back tomorrow for a giveaway! :)

Armchair BEA!

I originally was going to participate in Armchair BEA, but due to the horror that is end-of-the-year school projects, I won't have time to do the scheduled posts and run Leah Cypess week. This is just a quick post (I'll be back this afternoon with a Leah Cypess post) to give a shout-out to the awesomeness that is Armchair BEA, to all the hard-working organizers of this event, and to all the bloggers attending BEA right now. Have a BEA-filled week! :)

YA Chibi-fied (3)

Where I take YA -- and chibi-fy it (with a 2B mechanical pencil)! ;)

Chibi (ちび): n. This is a drawing style where anime/manga characters are shrunk into a small, cute, child-like form. This drawing style is sometimes called 'super-deformed' in the west and is pronounced 'chee-be'. [animetion.co.uk]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think today's chibis speak for themselves:

Voldemort!

Little Hermione with mini-Crookshanks. <3

Hermione is dedicated to Sandy @ Pirate Penguin's Reads, who requested her and Crookshanks. :)

The top of Voldemort's head and wand scanned in fuzzy for some reason, so I used Photoshop and made a glow emanate from his wand (see, that kind of explains the fuzziness). In general, they were fun to draw, though I nearly died of boredom from shading the robes. ;_;

What helped me stick through it was the fact that the Harry Potter Puppet Pals song wouldn't stop running through my head...

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing next week, but suggestions I'm considering are: Rose from the Vampire Academy series and Deuce/Fade from Enclave. (And maybe Shakira sometime, lol.)

Thoughts or suggestions for characters you'd like to see chibi-fied? I'd love to hear them! :)

Giveaway: Twisted Tales Series by Maureen McGowan

Thanks to Silver Dolphin books, now you have the chance to read Maureen McGowan's twisted, twisted tales. Up for grabs are a set of two, finished copies of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer. You can read my review here.


 
Cinderella: Ninja Warrior (Twisted Tales #1)
Summary:

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales #2)
Summary:

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Rules:
• To enter, please fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open to U.S. and Canada
• Contest ends Friday, June 3rd at 11:59 EST 
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Review: Twisted Tales Series by Maureen McGowan

Maureen McGowan's website here // C:NW $8.95 from {amazon} // SB: VS $8.95 from {amazon}
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books; Reprint edition (April 1, 2011)
Paperback: 320 pages
Source: Premier Virtual Author Book Tours {here}

 
Cinderella: Ninja Warrior (Twisted Tales #1)
Summary:

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

My Thoughts:

CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR is exactly what the title promises: fun, original, and deliciously twisted. So twisted, in fact, that I really hesitate to call it a fairytale retelling. It’s much more like a new fairytale reimagining, unless in the traditional fairytale, I somehow missed the part where Cinderella leaps across shifting blocks in her ball gown and glass slippers. Oh, and the page where she walks calmly across broken glass? Right.

When thinking of this book, I’m in serious danger of only reviewing it with one word: fun. CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR defines light fun. New crazy-but-awesome ideas are constantly being introduced, and while there isn’t much depth, the scope is truly impressive (ninjas and magic?). The balance between background and action was perfect, dull moments be banished.

In terms of characters, I applaud the fact that Cinderella actually has character. As much of a closet Disney fan as I am, let’s face it: Disney princesses are not known for their unwavering courage and kickass-bility. So it’s refreshing to see Cinderella not only adept at physical defense, but also independent and freed from the whole “love at first sight, prince sweeps me away,” one-chance-only deal. I give major points to her for refusing the swoon at the prince’s feet.

Having already talked about content, I can’t neglect to mention the “choose-your-story” aspect that makes CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR so unique, and so reminiscent of when I was six and believed myself to be the queen of choosing my own endings. The novelty of the furious page-flipping definitely adds to the fun factor, and though it gives an idea of just how short the story is (divides page number by two), the light-hearted magic likely would wear away over the course of another hundred pages. My only grumble is that sometimes I would say “no wand,” for instance, and she’d get one anyways... which doesn’t quite give the same heady feeling of power, but it’ll do.

Overall, CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR is a book that flows easily in both writing and plot, and is like literary whipped cream for fairytale fans of all ages.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales #2)
Summary:

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

My Thoughts:

(To avoid being redundant, I’ll be concentrating on my differing thoughts on CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR and SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER.)

If CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR was the whipped cream, SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER was much of the same… but a few days expired. In areas where CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR shines, this book glows dimly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still enjoyable, but the characters, plot, and originality aren’t quite up to par.

My main issue was by far the romance. Sleeping Beauty’s tale is centered around the necessity of finding true love’s kiss, so it’s not surprise that romance has a greater presence in SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER. And that’s fine. Rather, my problem lies in the Sleeping Beauty Lucette’s romantic interest. Admittedly, she doesn’t have many romantic prospects, considering all the humans are asleep at night, but I never felt that their love was genuine with that fairytale ability to last forever-and-a-day. When her love does profess his feelings, I was literally waiting for him to pop out with “JK, I only think you’re hot!” It sounds crude, but I'm just glad that my opinion of him transitioned from dislike to apathy. He does later show some redeeming qualities, but the way he was introduced never let me shake the feeling of shallowness and general... unease. That feeling when someone is simply too nice, that there has to be burried darkness.  

That being said, SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER still features fluid writing and fun plot. Making Sleeping Beauty a vampire slayer was absolutely ingenious; by making the kingdom and Lucette fall asleep at different times (rather than all the time), we see another Disney princess that actually does something, and what else is awake at night but a vampire? The night undoubtedly places limitations on plot, yet despite the repetitive cycles of slaying-after-slaying, Maureen McGowan still manages to bring in some original ideas, such as vampire rose allergies and vampire politics. All-in-all, I’m happy with how she managed to work the plot to give it that twist.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Bottom Line: I can't stress enough how fun Maureen McGowan's TWISTED TALES are. They're refreshingly brief, unique, and so, so twisted that I never found myself able to predict what was coming next. Great reads for fairytale lovers!

Cover: I actually like them. They're simple but suit the stories, really bringing out the originality and playfulness with the interesting costumes and bright colors. The more I look at them, the more perfect I think they are. Not jaw-dropping gorgeous, but brilliant all the same.

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral
Releases October 13, 2011 from Razorbill

Glory is a young piano prodigy. Frank is the boy who moves in next door. Over the years, their friendship blossoms into an undeniable romance. As Glory descends from stunning piano prodigy into a kind of madness, Frank's love becomes more and more unshakable. They both become hopelessly fixated on the song "Chopsticks".

Part love story, part mystery, part visual collage, this novel is told through images as much as it's told through words. Ultimately the reader must decipher what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along.

Richly imagined by author Jessica Anthony and hauntingly designed by Rodrigo Corral, Chopsticks will rivet teens and adults alike on numerous platforms, including a gorgeous book and paid app for the iPhone and iPad, with many additional features.

Okay, so I can never resist a promising music-related YA novel, and Chopsticks is no exception. Mm, I love the sound of "descend[ing] from stunning piano prodigy into a kind of madness." In YA lit, madness is a beautiful word.

I'm also intrigued by the fact that it's part visual collage, since I loved the images in The Sky is Everwhere by Jandy Nelson. I'm assuming that's where Rodrigo Corral comes in, who designed the new covers for the Uglies series, etc. At least I know if the story doesn't live up to my expectations, the photography probably will.

They're clean and modern, though I'll always love the old ones more. <3

And, finally, I leave you with a PRO medley of songs (cookies for those of you that recognize any!) played with chopsticks:

Giveaway: Dead Rules Buttons!

Courtesy of Randy Russell and Marissa @ JKS Communications, I have two sets of Dead Rules buttons to give away! (I know it looks like one and 5/6 sets from the picture, but it's two, I swear.)

Here's the rundown on Dead Rules by Randy Russell (releases June 21st):

Sometimes falling in love means you have to kill somebody. 

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were destined to be together forever. Of that, Jana was sure.

 
But Jana just died—in a bowling accident. And now she’s trapped in Dead School. Jana is certain that it won’t be long before Michael kills himself in order to spend eternity with her—but the days are passing and Michael is, inexplicably, still alive. So Jana decides to take matters into her own hands. And nothing—not even Dead School bad boy Mars Dreamcote’s enticingly warm touch or the devastating secret he holds about her death—will stop her from making her dreams come true. 

 
Romeo and Juliet meets Heathers in this hilariously macabre take on paranormal romance, packed with heart-stopping suspense and sizzling star-crossed love.

And, finally, check out this page on Randy Russell's website for many, many awesome prizes, including iPod nanos, indie bookstore credit, and iTunes gift cards. All you have to do is spread the word that Randy Russel Supports Teen Reading, then link up for a chance to win! :)

Rules:
• To enter, please fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open internationally
• Contest ends Tuesday, May 31st at 11:59 EST 
• For more information, please view my contest policy.

Guest Post: Tessa Gratton

I have yet another 2k11 debut author with me today: TESSA GRATTON! She's the author of Blood Magic, which releases on May 24th... oh wait, that means it's exactly a WEEK from today! Wow. I've been keeping the eagle eye on Tessa after finding out she was part of Merry Fates Fiction, so I'm excited like no other. And, now, handing over the spotlight to Tessa...

Very Click-able Links: {goodreads} • {blog} • {website} • {amazon} • {book depository}

  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON VILLAINS.

I adore a good villain – in fact, they can make or break a book for me. I suspect I’m not the only one!

My favorites fall into generally three categories:

Total Bad-*ss: The Terminator. Grendel and his Mother. Maleficent.

Understandable, yet Evil: Lestat. Jareth. Claudius. Gaston. Cancer Man.

Just Plain Evil: Angelus. Iago. The Captain from Pan’s Labyrinth. Top Dollar. 

 

To me, the best villains need very good motivation, or they need to be so totally evil that you aren’t ever wondering WHY. Shades of gray are important, so that as a reader/viewer I can start to understand and maybe even sympathize. That makes their antagonism all the more repulsive, if you’re able to identify with them even just a little.

Some of my favorite books and movies ARE my favorites purely because of the delicious villain. Last year, I read FIRE by Kristen Cashore, and although he wasn’t the main antagonist, Fire’s father Cansrel was most definitely a villain. He was my favorite character in a book filled with great characters – because he was powerful, shocking, horrible, selfish, oh-so-evil, and also loved. I reread all the sections he was in, trying to pick apart exactly how Cashore developed him so well, despite him being dead before the book itself begins.

When I set out to add a villain into BLOOD MAGIC, I knew I wanted her to be of the “understandable, yet evil” type because of the way the magic works (it’s neither good nor evil in and of itself), and also because I wanted to try giving my villain a point of view. It’s something that’s done is a lot of high fantasy, but infrequently in paranormal novels. I wanted readers to see what made her into a villain – how much of it was her nature, how much of it was in her reactions – and to see if I could make readers sympathize with her despite the horrible things she does. Honestly, Josephine is my favorite character, and I think it’s because she’s passionate, loyal, fierce, and ruthless. Ok, also arguably in need of major therapy. She’s delightfully fun to write!

So, I hope you all enjoy Josephine and her wicked, wicked ways! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks, Tessa! I am 100% with her on the villains, especially Maleficent. *shivers* 

You can also check out her YouTube account for her readings of tiny excerpts from Blood Magic -- in character! The first chapter's video is below:

Post of Win.

So, I got back from my IB Economics exam all worn-out, and my butt, back, and arms are sore from dragon boating yesterday. MUSCLES I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD, btw. But then salvation came in the form of a brown-uniformed man -- err, the UPS man -- who literally ringed the doorbell around half an hour ago (aka posting now because I've settled down a bit) with this lovely package:

.... [stealing a page from Sandy @ Pirate Penguin's Reads with this brief interlude]

.gif The Little Mermaid style! // source

(Can you recognize that scene from The Little Mermaid?) My day has just been made. Though I do wonder if those chocolate-covered espresso beans have any caffeine in them... *bounce bounce* :DDDD

Here's the summary of All These Things I've Done, which will be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on September 27th:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Additionally, Kimberly Derting is offering the first (!) signed ARC of her upcoming dystopian novel The Pledge on Goodreads here (I previously featured it here). Yes, go. Now.

So, is it a day of WIN, or what? :)

In My Musical Mailbox (30)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

I thought I'd take a picture of my books on one of my bookshelves, since I've never really shared my bookshelves before:

For review:
• My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody -- Have you seen Jessica Brody's trailers? Because they're so well-done, they look like movie trailers.
• Nightspell by Leah Cypess -- FANTASY and LEAH CYPESS = awesome. Nightspell week is coming up soon *points to banner* and in the meantime, you can check out my review of Mistwood if you haven't read it yet. 
• The Power of Six (Lorein Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore -- I have neither watched nor read I Am Number Four, but I'll probably search up a synopsis so I can review this one. I've heard some disparaging things about IANF though, so my hopes aren't very high... we'll see.

Thanks to Ksenia @ Farrar Straus Giroux, HarperCollins, and Amaris Glass (for Nightspell)!

If you're wondering what are those things scattered on my bookshelf, from left-to-right: a crystal piano, a blown glass rose with 14k gold finish (from The Corning Museum of Glass), a glass rose with Beauty and the Beast written on it (from Disney World), a crystal cube with a dolphin inside, and a crystal dog.

What can I say? I love delicate and shiny things. Next week I'll take a picture of the second level of my bookshelf, where I keep all my souvenirs from different places (Germany, Baltimore, etc.). :D

----------♥----------

Today's music feature are: Adele and Kelly Clarkson. Because when I look to these two women, I see two gorgeous women that don't necessarily fit into size 2 jeans but aren't afraid to be confident and fierce. Not to mention, they have absolutely stunning voices.

On a last small, small note, I'll be putting up a page of reviews by rating by tomorrow because I know I sometimes like to find books that way. If you do look by rating though, please keep in mind that I rate mainly by enjoyment, and they're not objective by any means; I just like using them as benchmarks to compare books.

So, what did you get this week? :)