Presenting Lenore is having mega prize pack contest that includes a Signed hardcover copy of THE STOLEN ONE, $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, and $75 of MAC cosmetics from the 'redhead"collection (don't worry, just about anyone can wear it - you don't have to have read hair)! The contest ends on September 19.
The Shady Glade is giving away a copy of Gone by Michael Grant. The contest ends on September 21. She is also giving away a copy of A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell here. The contest ends on September 30.
J.Kaye's Book Blog is giving away a copy of Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.
Princess Bookie is having a contest where the winner gets their choice of one of the following: Hate List by Jennifer Brown, Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis, Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer, Karma for Beginners by Jessica Blank, Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, or a mystery ARC! The contest ends on September 17.
Fantastic Book Review is giving away a copy of Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. The contest ends on September 25.
Jenn's Bookshelves is giving away a book of your choice! (limit $20). The contest ends on September 21.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The Friday 56- September 11, 2009
1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like).
5. Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like).
5. Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
"Everyone was screaming at me all the time. 'Did your sister really bite Rex Wentworth?' "
From Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck
Food 4 Thought Friday- September 11, 2009
Breakfast
What do you like most about this time of the year? Football season!!
Lunch
What has been your favorite age so far? hmm...21, I think...I miss college!
Dinner
What was the funnest thing or best memory you made this summer? I guess the trip that Kory and I took to Virginia
Midnight Snack
What is your favorite thing to make for dinner? I don't really have favorite...still getting the hang of cooking...so if anyone has an easy, yummy recipe, please pass them on to me!
Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Sometimes even when you have a short week at work, it feels extra long
What do you like most about this time of the year? Football season!!
Lunch
What has been your favorite age so far? hmm...21, I think...I miss college!
Dinner
What was the funnest thing or best memory you made this summer? I guess the trip that Kory and I took to Virginia
Midnight Snack
What is your favorite thing to make for dinner? I don't really have favorite...still getting the hang of cooking...so if anyone has an easy, yummy recipe, please pass them on to me!
Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Sometimes even when you have a short week at work, it feels extra long
Friday Fill-In- September 11, 2009
1. That's a great thing to be.
2. Hey you; I'm over here!
3. The possibilities include: pizza or Chipotle for dinner.
4. Clam chowder is one of my favorite cool day recipes.
5. How will you know when it's time to give up?
6. I love it when I am cuddled up with a good book and there is a stormy sky.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include going to the bar to watch the Gator game and Sunday, I want to watch NFL football...I love football season!
Forgive My Fins- Tera Lynn Childs
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Contest Winners- Defining Twilight
According to Random.org, the winners of Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT by Brian Leaf areKittenAB
hasmik_92
Congrats to both of you! Email your address to me at belle2211 (at) yahoo (dot) com by Saturday at 6pm and I'll have your book mailed out to you!
Guest Blog- Bill Walker
I am honored to have Bill Walker, author of A Note from an Old Acquaintance, writing a guest blog for me today!
I hear a lot about authors who outline their novels before they start writing, outlines that can often be quite extensive. I'm not one of them, at least not with the books I've written thus far. For me, if I had to sit down and ponderously map out every little move my characters make and every twist and turn of the plot, I would more than likely lose interest in taking it any further. To then sit down and write the book would be like repeating myself. At worst, it would be excruciating. At best--anti-climactic. And I need that catharsis that comes with discovery. More about that in a minute.
The method that works for me is to first have an idea so compelling that it seizes my imagination and won't let go. Call it an obsession if you like, because I won't deny that it has the feeling of one, and for me I need that unrepentant passion to carry me through the months of work to get to a first draft. The next requirement is discipline, having the will to sit and type at least three pages per day. If I want to do more, fine, but that doesn't get me off the hook for the next day.
Because I'm a film school graduate, I have always tended to see my stories as movies on a big screen in my mind. And that is the way I write, in a sort of cinematic trance. While I have a firm grip on where the story is going, the characters will often assert themselves and take the story in a different direction. Sometimes I have to rein them in and, at other times, I'm delightfully surprised to find them taking me in a fresh direction I'd never previously considered. These are the moments for which all writers live, and an outline will kill it. Not because those moments will elude you if you've outlined your book, but because you've put so much work into that outline, you won't want to deviate from it to go somewhere else with the characters and the story.
My advice, then, is to take that basic idea and just start writing it. Once you get the first draft down, THAT will be your outline. You will then be able to see what needs to be changed with a much clearer vision and you will not have hampered your creativity at the outset by creating a rigid roadmap.
Thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotions for setting this up!
I hear a lot about authors who outline their novels before they start writing, outlines that can often be quite extensive. I'm not one of them, at least not with the books I've written thus far. For me, if I had to sit down and ponderously map out every little move my characters make and every twist and turn of the plot, I would more than likely lose interest in taking it any further. To then sit down and write the book would be like repeating myself. At worst, it would be excruciating. At best--anti-climactic. And I need that catharsis that comes with discovery. More about that in a minute.
The method that works for me is to first have an idea so compelling that it seizes my imagination and won't let go. Call it an obsession if you like, because I won't deny that it has the feeling of one, and for me I need that unrepentant passion to carry me through the months of work to get to a first draft. The next requirement is discipline, having the will to sit and type at least three pages per day. If I want to do more, fine, but that doesn't get me off the hook for the next day.
Because I'm a film school graduate, I have always tended to see my stories as movies on a big screen in my mind. And that is the way I write, in a sort of cinematic trance. While I have a firm grip on where the story is going, the characters will often assert themselves and take the story in a different direction. Sometimes I have to rein them in and, at other times, I'm delightfully surprised to find them taking me in a fresh direction I'd never previously considered. These are the moments for which all writers live, and an outline will kill it. Not because those moments will elude you if you've outlined your book, but because you've put so much work into that outline, you won't want to deviate from it to go somewhere else with the characters and the story.
My advice, then, is to take that basic idea and just start writing it. Once you get the first draft down, THAT will be your outline. You will then be able to see what needs to be changed with a much clearer vision and you will not have hampered your creativity at the outset by creating a rigid roadmap.
Thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotions for setting this up!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday Wordle- September 9, 2009
Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Waiting on Wednesday- September 9, 2009
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
Publication Release Date: March 2, 2010
From Lauren Oliver's website:
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
Blog Tour- A Note From An Old Acquaintance
I just finished reading A Note From An Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker for a book review for Pump Up Your Book Promotions.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Brian Weller is a haunted man. It's been two years since the tragic accident that left his three-year-old son dead and his wife in an irreversible coma. A popular author of mega-selling thrillers, Brian's life has reached a crossroads: his new book is stalled, his wife's prognosis is dire, and he teeters on the brink of despair.
Everything changes the morning an e-mail arrives from Boston artist Joanna Richman. Her heartfelt note brings back all the poignant memories: the night their eyes met, the fiery passion of their short-lived affair, and the agonizing moment he was forced to leave Joanna forever. Now, fifteen years later, the guilt and anger threaten to overwhelm him. Vowing to make things right, Brian arranges a book-signing tour that will take him back to Boston. He is eager to see Joanna again, but remains unsure where their reunion will lead. One thing is certain: the forces that tore their love asunder will stop at nothing to keep them apart.
Filled with tender romance and taut suspense, A Note from an Old Acquaintance is an unforgettable story about fate, honor, and the power of true love.
MY REVIEW
I have mixed feeling about this book. On the one hand, its a love story, and I love a good love story. I love a romance that lasts forever, and in the case of Joanna and Brian, it lingered for years even when they were apart. But in this story, Joanna cheats on her fiance and then shares a brief kiss with Brian after she and Ruby are married (To me, this is still cheating since there are such strong feelings behind it). * I can understand that she and Brian had feelings for each other that never went away, but I just don't condone cheating.
That said, I liked the characters, even Erik Ruby, who did questionable things to keep his wife (you'll have to read the book to find out what!). Even though Ruby was controlling, he seemed to be truly in love with Joanna. I would have liked to know more about the life between Brian and his wife Penny. If he was so in love with Joanna the whole time, how did he end up married to Penny.
Overall, I thought the book was well written.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Walker is a graphic designer specializing in book and dust jacket design, and has worked on projects by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Between his design work and his writing, he spends his spare time reading voraciously and playing very loud guitar, much to the chagrin of his lovely wife and two sons. Bill makes his home in Los Angeles and can be reached through his web site: http://www.billwalkerdesigns.com/
Thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for the review copy!
* edited as requested by the author to add that the cheating part after Joanna and Ruby were married was a brief kiss, but that I still feel this is cheating.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Brian Weller is a haunted man. It's been two years since the tragic accident that left his three-year-old son dead and his wife in an irreversible coma. A popular author of mega-selling thrillers, Brian's life has reached a crossroads: his new book is stalled, his wife's prognosis is dire, and he teeters on the brink of despair.
Everything changes the morning an e-mail arrives from Boston artist Joanna Richman. Her heartfelt note brings back all the poignant memories: the night their eyes met, the fiery passion of their short-lived affair, and the agonizing moment he was forced to leave Joanna forever. Now, fifteen years later, the guilt and anger threaten to overwhelm him. Vowing to make things right, Brian arranges a book-signing tour that will take him back to Boston. He is eager to see Joanna again, but remains unsure where their reunion will lead. One thing is certain: the forces that tore their love asunder will stop at nothing to keep them apart.
Filled with tender romance and taut suspense, A Note from an Old Acquaintance is an unforgettable story about fate, honor, and the power of true love.
MY REVIEW
I have mixed feeling about this book. On the one hand, its a love story, and I love a good love story. I love a romance that lasts forever, and in the case of Joanna and Brian, it lingered for years even when they were apart. But in this story, Joanna cheats on her fiance and then shares a brief kiss with Brian after she and Ruby are married (To me, this is still cheating since there are such strong feelings behind it). * I can understand that she and Brian had feelings for each other that never went away, but I just don't condone cheating.
That said, I liked the characters, even Erik Ruby, who did questionable things to keep his wife (you'll have to read the book to find out what!). Even though Ruby was controlling, he seemed to be truly in love with Joanna. I would have liked to know more about the life between Brian and his wife Penny. If he was so in love with Joanna the whole time, how did he end up married to Penny.
Overall, I thought the book was well written.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Walker is a graphic designer specializing in book and dust jacket design, and has worked on projects by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Between his design work and his writing, he spends his spare time reading voraciously and playing very loud guitar, much to the chagrin of his lovely wife and two sons. Bill makes his home in Los Angeles and can be reached through his web site: http://www.billwalkerdesigns.com/
Thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for the review copy!
* edited as requested by the author to add that the cheating part after Joanna and Ruby were married was a brief kiss, but that I still feel this is cheating.
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