Girls Without a Bookshelf

Book Review: If I Die (Rachel Vincent)

2012-02-06T17:25:00.000Z

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death. But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out. Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either. But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life.

Welcome to the 4th day of Rachel Vincent' IF I DIE blog tour! The 5th book in the Soul Screamers Series is a fantastic, fuel-filled rush of a book - so much so that my postman probably grabbed my copy for himself! Thank yo Lucy and MIRA for sending me a second copy, and I promise if the first one ever turns up I'll be giving it away for you guys to enjoy - watch out for it!

In the meantime, check out my review:

I've always been a fan of the Soul Screamers series, but I must admit - there is always a make or break book in every series and this is it. It is, in many case, a hit or miss, love it or hate it book. It's the book that completely changes the trajectory of the series, and although we readers have probably suspected this, Rachel Vincent still manages to surprise us with the twists in If I Die.

Luckily for me, I was one of the happy one after reading the book. It all begins in a rather awry way for Kaylee, and it seems that this time, she might not come out unscathe. Her relationship with Nash hangs in the balance, a very suspicious teacher is being rather unprofessional in his extra-curricular activities, and worse of all, Kaylee may not even have the time to correct all these and get her life back on track. Indeed, it was very possible she won't even have a life at the end of it.

Every book in the series is generally fast-paced, but If I Die was particularly. Because there were so many challenges for Kaylee in the book, it was inevitable that the book breezes through some of, in my opinion, the more important explanations. There were twists that I find were not of complete surprise - regardless, it didn't take the enjoyment out of it though, which was why, overall I still enjoyed it. I did still gape at some scenes and flickered through others like there was no tomorrow!

Kaylee was undoubtedly under a lot of pressure in the book, and her resilience shines through quite spectacularly. While there were some actions of Kaylee that I found questionable, far be it for me to call it out; after all, unless you yourself have your days numbered, who are you to judge one who does? Having said that, Kaylee's maturity and her ability to act for the greater good even when she is in peril herself, really underscores everything admirable in her - not to mention it gives us readers some really good action scenes! Funny enough, I particularly liked the bloody scenes that I would usually otherwise have ignored. Rachel really does know her action scenes!

Of course, we learn more about the netherworld and the complexity of the creatures that inhabit it. For me, one thing that stood out was that the netherworld creatures that were featured in If I Die still had a heart. At times I even felt like perhaps Kaylee should not interfere with nature, because it was after all in the nature of these demons to act in their own interest and humans are, no matter how sad, the collateral damage in this case. Much like the animals are to provide for human needs. Only a very convincing character and a heartfelt speech from one does this to me, so kudos to Rachel for getting me all pro-demon in this case!

Last but not least, Tod (insert heart sign here).

That is all - and I, as always cannot wait for Kaylee's adventure in Before I Wake!

Four Stars!

*

Book courtesy of MIRA INK.

PS - Pop into Endlessly Bookish for more If I Die tomorrow and check out the banner for the rest of the tour stops:

Heart of Stone Blog Tour: The Setting.

2012-01-13T16:24:00.004Z

Hi guys! It's been a while since the last post, but the ball's rolling soon, so let me begin with The Heart of Stone Blog Tour! Today's the final day of the tour, and I'm pleased to have Melanie Welsh with me, author of the Mistress of the Storm and its sequel, Heart of Stone! Both are magical books I'm sure younger teens will enjoy!

Welcome, Melanie!

This month sees the publication of my second children’s novel, Heart of Stone, the follow-up to Mistress of the Storm. Both books are adventure-mysteries, and both feature a young girl called Verity Gallant and her friends.

For each book my editors, Bella and Hannah, were always very keen to emphasise that one of the most important things to aim for as a writer is creating a strong ‘sense of place’. In other words they wanted a world that was accurately described, so the reader found it believable and felt satisfied they could see it in their own mind.

My solution to this – in part – was to set both Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone in a fictional version of Ventnor, a remote town on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. Although I actually grew up in Cowes, which is on the north coast of the Island, I always had a fascination with Ventnor. It’s such a quaint town with a lot of privately owned shops but it’s also very striking: with steep tree-covered cliffs that tower over the houses. It felt like the perfect setting for an old-fashioned adventure story.

Using the south coast of the Island for Verity and Henry to sail around also meant that I stood a better chance of making my descriptions of their racing more accurate. I’m not a strong sailor at all, it’s just something I love, so knowing how the tides work and what the coast is like made me feel more confident that everything would hang together realistically.

I think if you get down to the nitty-gritty of why I chose the Isle of Wight in particular, then it’s probably also because, when I first started, I’d recently moved from London to Suffolk with my husband and was feeling very homesick. Writing the Verity stories gave me an excuse to at least be on the Island in my head.

Perhaps as a consequence Wellow is a very vivid place in my imagination, and it’s lovely when people tell me they feel like they can see the town and the coast themselves. I think possibly the ingredient that made this possible was that – to me – there’s something quite magical about the southern Island. I took a trip back there earlier this year to make notes on the places I was writing about and it was incredibly inspiring. There are so many hidden spaces, mysterious buildings and atmospheric places – all the story elements I used to love when I was a child. I’ve tried to fit as many of them as I could into these two books. And I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

This is the last of Melanie’s blog tour posts to promote the hardback publication of Heart of Stone. If you’d like to know more about her first two books or ask her a question about writing go to www.veritygallant.co.uk

ANGEL FIRE blog tour: From Mexico, with Love

2011-10-06T12:25:00.000+01:00

Hello there! You've probably have noticed the lack of posts and general inactivity of Girls Without a Bookshelf this summer holidays - much apologies, we did not have any wi-fi due to our recent move, but since I am back at university, thankfully wi-fi is also back!

I feel it is fitting to re-open the blog with a guest post from the author of one of my favourite books, ANGEL, and so as part of the ANGEL FIRE blog tour, I hugely welcome the talented L.A. Weatherly who is here to talk about the setting of the sequel to much beloved ANGEL!

Welcome Lee!

The Setting of Angel Fire

When I first started planning the Angel trilogy, I had no thought at all of setting the second book in Mexico – a country where, at the time, I’d never even been. The fact that Angel Fire takes place almost entirely in Mexico City is completely down to Alex. Remember that scene in Angel, where he suddenly starts speaking fluent Spanish? Well, I was as surprised as Willow; I’d had no idea that my hero was bilingual. (Sometimes characters just do things. You kind of get used to it, after a while.) Thinking it through, I decided that it made sense, when he’d grown up so close to the Mexican border. More importantly, I couldn’t see it impacting the story very much (ha!), so I just went along with it.

But then, of course, when it came time for Alex and Willow to discuss What Next, it was the most natural thing in the world for Alex to suggest going to Mexico. Because, you know – he spoke Spanish. And by then, I was so used to him as a fluent Spanish speaker that I hardly even thought twice. It wasn’t until later, when it came time to plan Angel Fire, that it suddenly hit me exactly what my hero had done. Holy cats, I had to set a book in Mexico! I’d never even been to Mexico. And Alex might have been fluent in Spanish, but I sure wasn’t.

My mental wheels spun for a while, trying desperately to think of a way out of this. (“OK, maybe they’re on their way to Mexico, but then something happens and they have to go back to the US! Yeah, that’s it!”) Finally, though, I knew that I had to resign myself to my fate: I’d promised readers a book set in Mexico, and that was that. So then came research. A lot of research. I read at least a dozen books about Mexico, and probably half a dozen more about Mexico City…because an exciting idea had started to form. Angel had taken place mostly in the wide, open spaces of America. So for contrast, why not set the sequel in Mexico City, and have a gritty, urban feel to it instead?

The more I read about the Mexican capital, the more I realised what an amazing setting I’d chosen – it’s one of the largest cities in the world; a place where Aztec ruins jostle for space beside Art Deco buildings; where the smell of spices from street-corner food vendors mingles with car fumes; where you hear the pulsing of rock music and of Aztec drums. During the writing of Angel Fire, Mexico City filled my senses: this chaotic, tilting city of concrete almost became a character in its own right.

Books and the Internet can only do so much, though; I was painfully aware that I was writing about a place I’d never been. I was determined to go and see it for myself – and a few months ago my husband and I were lucky enough to do just that. As I walked through the crowded Mexico City streets that I’d been writing about for so long, I had the most incredible sense of déjà vu; I could practically see my characters around every street corner. Especially Alex, raising an eyebrow at me and smiling. Because of course he’d known this would happen all along – back when he started speaking Spanish out of nowhere, that day in Spanish Harlem.

The Catédral Metropolitana, the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Little does Mexico City know that it’s soon to become a Church of Angels cathedral…!

The outskirts of Tepito: one of Mexico City’s roughest barrios, where one of the characters is from. Entering it is like going into a dark, rustling tunnel, with miles of plastic awnings from vendors’ stalls overhead (or so we were told – it was strongly recommended that we NOT go there!).

The Angel of Independence is one of Mexico City’s most famous statues. A huge golden angel, holding a wreath to the sky? Excellent, I can use that!

Thank you Lee!

Watch out for my review of Angel Fire coming up, and don't forget the next stop of the ANGEL FIRE blog tour at Daisy Chain Book Reviews on 11th October for the ANGEL FIRE Soundtrack!

Fury UK Blog Tour: An Extract from FURY!

2011-08-30T14:23:00.000+01:00

Second day of the FURY Blog Tour here at Girls at Without a Bookshelf and your treat for today is an extract from FURY! Check it below -

Out of the snowy fog emerged one girl, then two more. Chase couldn’t help but let his jaw drop a bit; these chicks were amazing. The one in front, a redhead with fair skin, was smiling, while the other two—one blonde and a little curvy, the other petite with wavy, honey-colored hair and a paisley scarf around her neck—stood behind her with serious expressions on their gorgeous faces. All three of them seemed to be enveloped in some sort of white light; probably the moon, playing tricks with the snow.

Or maybe he was still drunker than he thought.

“Hey, sorry to startle you,” the redhead said, stepping toward him. “I’m Ty. These are my cousins, Ally and Meg.

Chase stuttered, “Um, hi. Hey. I’m Chase.”

“Hi Chase,” all three girls said, practically in unison.

“Our car ran out of gas.” Ty motioned up the road a bit, where Chase thought he could just see the outline of a vehicle. “Any chance you could help us?” For a girl stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, she seemed fairly relaxed.

“Do you want me to, um, drive you to the gas station? Or something?”

“That would be great, thanks,” Ty said. “Why don’t I go with you, and Ally and Meg can wait in the car?”

Chase wasn’t one for new age crap—his mom had been to see a psychic a few times and always came back muttering voodoo bullshit, all about “affirmations” and chakra. Not to mention the fact that she’d gone to the psychic in the first place to try to communicate with Chase’s dead father, the deadbeat who’d leave them for week-long drinking binges and come back to eat their food while he “cleaned up.”

Nevertheless, for a split second, he felt like this was fate—like a sign from the universe. Sure, the party might have been a bust—the Sasha news was pretty much the definition of a buzzkill, and he’d been in no shape to get numbers or hook up—but now he would get alone time with the hottest girl he had ever seen in his life. It was fate, clearly.

Everything was going to be okay.

“So, was there a party tonight?” Ty asked, once they were in the car. He could barely resist the urge to brush the snowflakes from her hair, to lean over and breathe in her musky, floral scent. He silently thanked the dudes at the local garage for letting him use their cleaning supplies for free in return for a couple hours on Saturday mornings. Without them, he couldn’t perform his bi-weekly car-cleansing ritual—the only thing that combated the stale smell of his mom’s Pall Malls. As he put the car in drive, he felt like he was launching a spaceship into the night, into the snow. He and Ty would explore the dark, winding roads and stark, branch-lined fields between Minster’s street and the gas station.

“Yeah, a Christmas party type thing,” he said, mentally kicking himself for sounding so uncool. She was probably picturing people dancing around in elf costumes. He quickly added, “You know, just some high-school kids.” He was sure this girl must be in college.

“Sounds like fun. I love parties,” Ty said, smiling at him in the dark. “Don’t you wish we could go back to having parties like they did centuries ago? With dance cards and formal invitations and choreographed dances? Or masquerade balls? I’d love to go to a masked party. Wouldn’t you?”

“Totally,” he said, thankful she hadn’t been there to see him try to set up the beer pong game. “You, um, study history or something?”

“Or something,” Ty said, laughing. Her laugh was like the sound of clinking coins. Chase couldn’t think of anything else to say. He fumbled with the radio dial, trying to tune in to something sophisticated and moody.

“God, the snow is amazing,” Ty said, looking out the window. “It reminds me of that old poem—you know. Something about the snow in the air, something something, the secret of despair.”

Chase was so entranced that he could barely focus on anything outside the car; the trees blended together outside his window like a movie in fast-forward. This girl was driving him crazy. It was like she was wearing one of those pheromone perfumes.

Then she turned to him, her eyes piercing. “Did you hear all those sirens before? Any idea what that was about?”

His mouth went dry. The sirens were the last thing he wanted to talk about. “Nope. Maybe some kind of accident…Lots of people just don’t know how to drive in this weather.”

“Nothing’s ever really an accident,” Ty said, once again smiling at him. Her eyes glittered, cat-like. “Don’t you think?”

Chase didn’t really know what she meant, but he nodded anyway. One thing he was sure of: meeting Ty was no accident.

If that's not enough to entice you, I don't know what will! :) Check out the banner above for the rest of the stops for the FURY UK Blog Tour - and don't forget to visit The Crooked Shelf for tomorrow's feature post!

David Blog Tour: Mary Hoffman's Five Favourite Things to Eat in Florence!

2011-08-03T19:30:00.005+01:00

A late blog tour post - my apologies, we do not have access to the internet at home, having just moved in - but here it is!

Today I'm very glad to have Mary Hoffman, the author of David, on the blog to share with you her favourite food - a must read if you're heading off to Florence for a holiday!

• Pizza and a cold beer at Nuti’s in Borgo San Lorenzo

The oldest pizza establishment in Florence, handily situated between the San Lorenzo

market and the cathedral square. I was last there on the 1st of April 2011 and had the artichoke pizza, as I usually do. Once when I was sitting outside, which is the best place, a hanging flower pot came crashing down between my table and the next, fortunately on to an empty chair!

• Coffee at Gilli’s in the Piazza della Repubblica

Oh, the pastries have to be seen to be believed! We went here in April too, for a celebratory “tea” (no tea actually consumed) I had a fruit tart and a spremuta of grapefruit and my companions had a millefoglie chocolate pastry with pistachio milk-shake and a very superior individual apple pie with a fruit smoothie.

•

Pumpkin flower risotto at Il Santo Bevitore

This restaurant is a find of my youngest daughter’s and she says I should stop telling people about it. Oops! We had our best dinner of the week there in April, with black Sicilian wine – yum!

• Ice-cream at Festival or Vivoli Gelateria – coffee, nocciola or giandiuja (or all 3)

Italian ice-cream is so delicious it would be a crime not to eat it or at at the very least rude. You can tell how honest I’m being about my favourite things to eat because I went here on our last day in Florence in April and had coffee and nocciola flavours.

• Pasta all’olio e aglio practically anywhere.

With lashings of fresh parsley and some chilli.

YUM. I know, I'm hungry too :) Thank you to Mary for sharing (and making us drool over) these lovely delicacies - one thing's for sure, when I get to Florence I'm definitely not missing these!

You can follow Mary for more updates about the blog tour and David at:

www.maryhoffman.co.uk
www.twitter.com/@MARYMHOFFMAN
www.facebook.com/maryhoffman.fanpage
www.bookmavenmary.blogspot.com

And don't forget to check out the final stop of the blog tour tomorrow!

Book Review: Popular (Gareth Russell)

2011-07-13T23:53:00.005+01:00

'AND HOW ARE WE?'

'BETTER.'

'THAN?'

'EVERYONE.'

MEREDITH HARPER is rich, popular, manipulative and almost unnaturally beautiful. At the age of sixteen, she's already a social legend.

IMOGEN DAWSON, beautiful and sexy-chic, she's Meredith's best friend and a total bombshell. And doesn't she just know it. Then there's . . .

KERRY DAVISON, daddy's little princess with a passion for pink and a penchant for Fabulous Induced Breakdowns. Now meet

CAMERON MATTHEWS, six-feet tall, blue-eyed and the most popular guy in school.

Together they're unfathomably gorgeous and like, totally beau. But under the glamorous surface of parties and spa-days is a wealth of comforting lies and convenient silences, bitching, break-ups and scandal. Let the games begin . . .

Popular by Gareth Russell was a very fun read. It was hilarious and exciting, which you could probably guess by the blurb, and it is such a girly-girl book, as you can totally tell by by the cover! It really was funny and full of typical high school socialites. It's like gossip girl and mean girls and ... you know, those girls!

The characters were funny and beautiful popular high school socialites. The life the characters live is an almost perfect one, although behind those parties and glamour were a pile of lies and scandals. This book is mostly based on high school life. They all have their own personalities and they are very (as you may have already known) rich, rich, rich. Made me envy them, but made me see how easily money can get into someone's head also.

I liked the plot and it showed high school life. It sounded like a typical high school I expect, too. Parties, secrets, break-ups. As it turns out, the life of the unmistakably gorgeous socialites aren't perfect at all. It's always good to appreciate the little things in life!

What I didn't really like was how some characters were without common sense sometimes. It happens in real life I know, but I felt like the book exaggerated and it became annoying. Maybe it's just the socialites in the characters that make them annoying, but I wish I liked them better.

I would recommend this book to readers who like the drama and flair of high school life and Gossip Girl. Popular is the perfect read for those of you wanting to read a very fun and glamorous book.

Three Stars.

* Thanks to Razorbill for my review copy!

QoTD Winners, Part deux!

2011-07-04T17:31:00.000+01:00

All righty - part deux of the QoTD Winners will receive author copies of Queen of the Dead, courtesy of Stacey Kade! Here are the lucky winners!

Šárka O.

For the Special Giveaway Post we have two, whose answers to the question "If you were Will, what would you give Alona Dare for her birthday?", were chosen by Stacey herself!

Hannah S.

I would let her pick out my outfit for the day. Not only would that make her content for a little while but I won't have to hear about my clothes for the rest of the day.

Kaitlyn K.

If I were Will, I would try to find something from Alona's life that had meaning to her. Something that still has meaning to her even though she died. Whether it is a picture, a stuffed animal, or something else from her childhood, I would find it. Maybe it would bring a bit of innocence back into her life!

Congratulations! E-mail will be on your way soon.

Hot off the Press: Haunting Violet Competition!

2011-07-04T16:46:00.000+01:00

Wonderful news, Alyx Harvey fans! Emma at Bloomsbury shared this news this morning,

The wonderful Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey is out today! To celebrate we are offering one lucky winner the opportunity to win an incredible iPad 2, along with a signed copy and goody bag for 10 runners up. Head to the Facebook page to find out how to enter:

My Love Lies Bleeding Facebook Page

Good luck!

Forgive My Fins Blog Tour: The Mermaids + Giveaway!

2011-07-04T13:25:00.012+01:00

Terra Lynn Child's Forgive My Fins is one enchanting book - I fell in love with its mermaid mythology right off the bat and so, given the opportunity to ask TLC to guest post for the Forgive My Fins UK Blog Tour, I jumped at the chance! Want to read more of the Thalassinia? Check it out below:

I don’t remember exactly when my obsession with mermaids began. Maybe when I wasalittlegirl playing with Sea Wees (bath tub mermaid dolls with floating sponge lily pads) or when Ifirst saw the movie Splash. But I’ve been in love with mermaids for as long as I can remember and, yes, dreamed of becomingone. When I got the idea for Forgive My Fins I was excited to finally create my own mermaid world.

In bringing half-mermaid princess Lily to life on the page I had to develop two parts of her life. First, I thought about the underwater world. What would a mermaid kingdom look like? Where would it be located? What would everyday mermaid life entail? Second, I imagined being a mermaid living on land. What would be different? What would be the same? How would she be affected, physically and mentally, by being out of the water? These were the questions I had to answer as I wrote the book.

My first priority in building the underwater kingdom was to make it as believable as possible. A mermaid kingdom is a completely fantastical world, but I wanted mine to conceivably exist in our world. The buildings in Thalassinia are covered in anemones, seaweed, and starfish, disguising their underlying structures. They are built from coral and natural-looking rock formations. The kingdom looks like something you might actually see if you were snorkeling in the Bahamas.

Once I had the overall world designed, I layered in small details of everyday mer life. I thought about things we take for granted as normal in our world—mattresses, cars, refrigerators—and tried to imagine how those things would be different in the sea. Their beds are shaped like shells, they get around on seahorses and water-powered wavemakers, and their food stays cold enough in the chilly ocean water. Everything is slightly different because of the wet and cold and floating in the sea.

For a mermaid living on land, our ordinary human things would be very out of the ordinary. I had to imagine myself as someone from an underwater world, and was suddenly living on land. In Thalassinia sea slang is common, but on land it’s weird to call someone a son of a swordfish. There are no beverages in the ocean because they’re surrounded by water already. On land, a mermaid dries out and has to take saltwater baths to stay hydrated. Lily has to make lots of little adjustments to life above the water.

It was an amazing challenge to try to create a realistic mer world, one the reader could easily imagine actually existing beneath the Atlantic, and then to write a character who grew up in that world and is living in ours. As a writer, it’s my job to make the world of my story as real as possible, and hopefully these details of mer and mer-on-land life help make Forgive My Fins more believable.

Needless to say, I was swept away by Thalassinia and its lovely, mer

people, including Quince, of course!

Want more? Forgive My Fins was published 1st July 2011 in the UK by Templar Publishing. In the unlikely event of you not having your copy in your hands just yet, here's a little extract to tempt you!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway below to win a fabulous new copy of Forgive My Fins! Do read the rules below - and good luck!

GIVEWAY

UK only.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 11th July 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party, save Templar Publishing.
Fill out the form below!

Book Review: The Emerald Talisman (Brenda Pandos)

2011-06-28T21:56:00.006+01:00

To be normal, sixteen-year-old Julia Parker would shed her empathic gift in a second. Life has been difficult since her mother's mysterious disappearance ten years earlier - an event she witnessed, but can't remember. Julia's situation becomes more complicated after a near death experience from a blood thirsty stalker. As high school students go missing it is clear there is a connection to her own experience--past and present. Someone has to stop the madness and a chance encounter with a creepy psychic foretells that only Julia is the key to stopping the madness, but it may require the life of the one she loves.

Saying this book tested my patience does not even begin to cover it; it truly exhausted every ounce of whatever patience there was in me. While I admit I was intrigued about its premise at first, and was thoroughly excited at having the book in my hands, eventually I had to get rid of it or risk insanity.

For the record, I actually did not finish the book. So whether or not you'd take my review as accurate, I'll leave it for you to decide. However, note that I did try to read as much of this book as I could possibly endure. But it just was not possible to finish the book.

The protagonist, Julia, narrates the story and this pretty much guaranteed it's downfall for me. She's a whiny character, one that comes across as stupid more than naive. She's also rather weak in character and I was especially put off with her incessant pining after Nicholas.

So the guy heroically saves her and she falls head over heels in love at first sight, granted. But when Nicholas fails to show up after his saving her, she acts as if her life has suddenly lost its purpose. She goes through the five stages of grief, as though she has lost a lover. She begins blaming him, acting as if Nicholas owed her a lengthy explanation for promising to show up and somehow failing to do so (sure, a promise is a promise - but when a stranger promised something to you, do you honestly fall into a depression when it's broken? Aren't you more likely to be surprised if that stranger actually fulfilled a promised visit?). She also actually gets into the point where she tells herself to finally 'move on' from Nicholas. Move on? As if they ever had a relationship in the first place? It was just too pathetic.

Of course a good mystery and even more mysterious hero is always welcomed in my book - but as I waited for the mystery to unravel, there was nothing else to sustain the plot other than Julia's never-ending pining for Nicholas. Not only did this lack of subplot resulted in the dragging of the storyline, it also made it boring, and Julia's narrative practically killed it for me. Being annoyed to death by this character overshadowed my reading experience so much I can hardly comment on the book's writing and structure.

So sadly, despite my initial enthusiasm, Emerald Talisman turned out to be rather unbearable.

One Star.

* Book courtesy of UK Book Tours.

Hot off the Press: RHCB acquires three new novels from YA author Karen Mahoney!

2011-06-27T12:54:00.000+01:00

Fabulous news from RHCB today - to all the fans of The Iron Witch, this is something to delight you with I'm sure!

Random House Children’s Books is delighted to announce a three book deal with YA author Karen
Mahoney. Fiction Publisher Annie Eaton and Fiction Editor Jessica Clarke secured a deal for World
English Language rights for two titles in a brand new series called Beautiful Ghosts, on behalf of
Miriam Kriss at Irene Goodman, the first book of which will be published by Random House in 2012.
A separate deal was made with Heather Baror of Baror International for The Stone Demon, the third
and final book in The Iron Witch trilogy which will be published in 2013.

Annie Eaton, Fiction Publisher comments ‘Karen Mahoney is a natural storyteller with a wonderful
imagination. Her debut novel, THE IRON WITCH, was published to rave reviews, and there is an eager
audience out there wanting more!’

Jessica Clarke, Karen Mahoney’s Editor adds ‘Karen is a dream author, with an incredible passion for
YA fiction and a huge online following on both sides of the Atlantic. Her blend of strong female
protagonists and punchy paranormal drama is breathing new life into this genre, and we are very
proud to have her on the RHCB list.’

THE STONE DEMON is the final book of The Iron Witch trilogy, where Donna Underwood must work with the alchemical Order of the Crow in London to create a new Philosopher's Stone. If she fails? A three-way war between the dark elves, demons and alchemists will lead the world into an
unimaginable apocalypse.

BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS - Being a vampire is for life - not just a lifestyle. Reluctant teenage vampire Marie 'Moth' O'Neal infiltrates a group of Otherkin kids in Boston, teenagers who believe they are reincarnated vampires, in order to find out who or what is killing off the troubled teens... and then turning them into something truly undead with a taste for human flesh. All this while trying to stop sexy young hunter Jace Murdoch from shooting anything that doesn't breathe - including her.

Karen Mahoney is the author of The Iron Witch and The Wxtood Queen. She has been published
alongside some of her favourite authors, in anthologies like THE ETERNAL KISS and KISS ME DEADLY.

Karen lives in London though she dreams of one day living in Boston. You can visit her website at www.kazmahoney.com.

Score! :D

Book Covers: The Last Echo (Kimberly Derting) & Bloodlines (Richelle Mead)

2011-06-27T01:14:00.006+01:00

Two very exciting cover releases that I wish to share with you guys tonight. First up is the third book in one of my favourite series - The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting! I am absolutely in love with Violet and Jay and can hardly do more waiting for the third book!

Kimberly has hinted on her blog that the colour is significant - perhaps there will be an echo with the colour purple in the book? What do you think?

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers.

Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

Now for another much-awaited cover...

Fans of Vampire Academy rejoice! The UK cover of the much awaited first book in this brand new trilogy by Richelle Mead has finally been unveiled! May I present to you the cover for BLOODLINES?

LOVE AND LOYALTY RUN DEEPER THAN BLOOD…

Sydney protects vampire secrets – and human lives. As an alchemist, she is part of a secret group who dabbles in magic and serves to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she’s still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir—the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir—is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as Jill’s protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathising with vampires. And now she has to live with one . . .

Published by Razorbill 25th August 2011 - mark the date!

Passion Blog Tour: Lauren Kate on Running Down a Plot!

2011-06-14T12:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the penultimate day for Lauren Kate's Passion blog tour! Today here at Girls Without a Bookshelf, Lauren is going to share her other hobbies, apart from writing. Check it out -

Years ago, I went to a bookstore in Manhattan to hear Joyce Carol Oates read from her first YA novel, Freaky Green Eyes. From my view of her frail, birdlike physique, I found it hard to believe Oates when she spoke of running six miles everyday. She said running was this magical time when she plotted all her novels. At that point, I really didn’t believe her. Who could do anything while running other than count the seconds until you were going to be finished running?

I was not a runner then. But sometime in the years between leaving my hectic job at a publishing house in New York and beginning to write Fallen, I took up the sport. I found myself living on a tomato farm in Northern California. It was their first time in my life I’d lived somewhere with that much open space around me. One day, I started to run the boundaries of the tomato plots. I hated it at first. I hated it for months. I definitely did a lot of counting down the seconds until my run was up. But the seed of a dream to run a marathon someday had been planted in me, so I kept up the running.

I remember one day during the summer I wrote Fallen, I woke up worrying about Miss Sophia. Something about her character wasn’t all the way there. I got dressed for my run, laced up my shoes, went out the door into the hot California sun. I took off through the tomatoes vines. When I think of them now, I can smell their precise aroma in the morning—spicy and velvety at the same time. I ran a few miles and didn’t realize I wasn’t counting down the seconds, I was thinking about Miss Sophia. I was resolving what was wrong with her character. At one point, I stopped in the middle of the field and I knew with absolute certainty that Miss Sophia was not good, as I’d written into my first

draft. She was pure evil, one of the most evil forces in the book. I don’t know when my mind would have worked that out if I had not been running. Joyce Carol Oates had it right all along.

The plotting run became an almost daily ritual. I live in Los Angeles now—less space but still some beautiful trails—and I rely on those morning runs—with my dog, Milo, these days—to clear my mind and unlock the scene I plan to write that day. This morning, I realized something new about Cam about a mile and a half into my run. I came home ready to hit the keyboard and transcribe the scene. I still haven’t run that marathon, but I did a half-marathon last summer. Maybe I’ll save the marathon training for my next series when I have a whole new set of mysteries to work through on the trails.

Thanks Lauren! I've always wanted to run a marathon myself, but I'm too lazy to train. Whoops, lazy me :D

Are you excited about Passion? Check it www.ihavefallen.co.uk for more about the series, connect with fans at the facebook page www.Facebook.com/FallenNovels and check out the squee-worthy trailer below!

And don't forget to head over to Writing from the Tub on the last day of the Passion blog tour tomorrow!

Immortal War Blog Tour: Playlists & The Music of Vampirates!

2011-06-11T05:07:00.001+01:00

Hello Vampirates fans! Welcome to the sixth stop at Justin Somper's Vampirates: Immortal War blog tour. I'm sure a lot of you have been enjoying the treats from this exciting blog tour so far and there's more fun to come! Today we get a glimpse at Justin's tastes in music as he reveals the music behind Vampirates!

Check it out below!

VAMPIRATES: PLAYLIST

Warning: this is a decidedly eclectic mix!

1. MC Sultan - Der Bauch (Arabesque) – I don’t usually listen to music when I’m actually writing or about to write but this track was my inspiration for the mesmeric music used to annouce Feast Night.

2. Camille O’Sullivan - Whatever Lola Wants (A Little Yearning) – “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. And, little man, little Lola wants you!” Originally she was going to be called Lady Angelika Lockwood but I though the alliteration of Lady Lola Lockwood sounded better and then the lyrics to this song removed any further uncertainty.

3. Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West - Run This Town – This was chosen by the Nocturnal who won a competition on vampirates.co.uk to select Sidorio’s theme song. Actually, it also connects with my characterisation of the pirates. Warning: some versions of this have explicit lyrics!

4. The Eagles – Desperado (Very Best of) – “Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?... These things that are pleasing you can hurt you somehow.” Every cowboy Vampirate needs a theme tune and this is Johnny’s.

5. Carter Burwell – End Titles (Theme from Miller’s Crossing) – If Lorcan had a theme, it might just be this. It would take him right back to his Celtic routes.

6. The Wannadies – You and Me – This song makes me think of Connor and Grace. As much as circumstances tear them apart, they will always be united.

7. Jack Johnson – A Pirate Looks at Forty – I just really like this song. “Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call. I’ve wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall… you’ve seen it all.” I’d say it was a good anthem for Cheng Li if it wasn’t so mellow! Maybe for Bo Yin then.

8. Norah Jones – Chasing Pirates (The Fall) – Both this song and its accompanying video me think of Jasmine and her often challenging relationships with Jacoby and Connor.

9. Carla Bruni – You Belong to Me (Comme si de rien n’etait) – Bruni’s fragile voice and the romantic lyrics makes me think this is the kind of song Darcy might have sung aboard the Titania before its fateful crash. With its theme of exploring the world, this might also be a fitting song for Grace and Lorcan too.

10. Coldplay – Viva la Vida – This song has a strong sense of power lost and power won. It was one of those rare pieces of music that I did listen to to get me in the mood for writing. It made me think of both Sidiorio and Stukeley.

11. Sam Sparro – Black & Gold – Lots of oceanic and nocturnal lyrics here and I reckon this could be a great summary of Sid’s feelings for Lola. “If you’re not really here, then I don’t want to be either.”

12. 6 Day Riot – Reinkarnation of Take the time (The Folie a Deux LP) – I love this band and their distinctive sound. I met them at a radio show and have seen them live. This song is nostalgic yet timeless and suffused with yearning. It’s the kind of mood I’ve often tried to capture in the books. Incidentally, I wrote the group into EMPIRE OF NIGHT (they’re the ones massacred by Sid and Lola on their honeymoon!). It was my idea of a tribute!

13. Marianne Faithful - Pirate Jenny (20th Century Blues) – The Nina Simone version is on the Dirty Dolphin jukebox at Vampirates fansite www.tempesttwins.co.uk, which reminded me that this song was a definite inspiration for the books and, in particular, for Ma Kettle – the character and the tavern. Though it’s more likely it would be Sugar Pie who would sing this song than Ma! Warning: explicit lyrics in Marianne’s version!

14. Neil Diamond – Captain of a Shipwreck – A gem of a song (no pun intended!) from Neil Diamond. His voice as well as the lyrics make me think of Molucco’s awkward relationship with Connor.

15. Nina Simone – Here Comes the Sun (Soho Hotel) – a beautiful song with rather sinister implications for a number of my characters, especially in IMMORTAL WAR. If VAMPS ever does become a movie, this song might be a cool choice for the closing credits.

BONUS TRACKS

16. Jeff Buckley – Grace (Mojo Pin). A small but nonetheless heartfelt tribute to my infinitely accomplished heroine.

17. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra – Snakecharmer (The Hours Between Night and Day) – for Scrimshaw. Picture the scene…. Molucco’s cabin. Two old comrades. A plate of honeyed dates. Sheer bliss!

18. Angus & Julia Stone – I’m Not Yours (Down the Way) – a haunting song that makes me think of the complicated relationship between Darcy and Stukeley and in particular their return encounter in IMMORTAL WAR.

You can also check out some of the songs in the playlist below, or click HERE to listen on Spotify!

Special thanks to Justin for sharing with us his very eclectic taste in music indeed! Don't forget to head off to Wondrous Reads tomorrow for the next stop in the Immortal War Blog Tour!

QoTD Week: Queen of the Dead (Stacey Kade) Review

2011-06-01T16:12:00.000+01:00

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

I waited with baited breath for this book. As in, If-I-died-without-reading-it-I-will-haunt-Stacey-Kade kind of crazy. So quite understandably, there was a lot of expectations that I put on this book even before I had it in my hands. I loved The Goth and the Ghost so much it was hard to rival. Well folks, Queen of the Dead is just as good - it's ACE!

With Will and Alona's 'Help the ghosts to the light' project firmly in operation, there are countless misunderstandings, drama and pretty hilarious antics to be expected from this sequel. There is also a multitude surprises that I'm sure will catch many readers off guard, as they did with me - and one massive, dramatic, completely on a level of its own twist that left me awestruck. Pick up this book and look forward to the twist because damn, I was bowled over!

Having said that, QoTD is still primarily character driven. The stupendous plot is due to the characters' own decisions and one can see exactly how the characters are epitomised by it. I have fallen in love with Alona Dare right off the bat from G&G, I think I have mentioned it a couple of times. She is such a superb, vibrant, true-to-life character. Out of all possible Alona antics, I did not quite expect to be moved to tears by her in QoTD! But she did just that - her instantaneous connection with readers propel this book into an emotional read at some key points in the book. Alona, strong as she is, shows her vulnerability quite plainly in this book. We discover the little things that makes Alona Dare the girl that she is and while her bitchy side is forever present, readers also see the extent of her selflessness. It's hard for my heart not to go out to someone like that!

In QoTD we also dig up a lot about Will's past as well as his talent. I'm very surprised how this part turns out, because while it's only touched on on G&G, it's a huge part of the plot in QoTD and I think Will is as surprised as everyone else. Mina adds depth to this part of Will's life, and all the tension, rift and reflection that occurs as a result of that really reflects the dimension of the characters. It's superb how the characters grow and develop - even secondary characters. Mina's a little bit of a bitch by the way, but she's a quirky character you can't help but like anyway.

Fast-paced, with the right amount of romantic tension flavouring the plot and a superb array of characters, QoTD is a fantastic sequel indeed!

Having said all that, THE TWIST! THE TWIST! Makes me want to demands book three. Now. Right now.

Five Stars.

* My ARC copy is from Stacey of course :D Thanks love!

Queen of the Dead is out ~~today~~ yesterday so you know what to do :D

QoTD Week: Queen of the Dead Soundtrack, teaser + giveaway!

2011-05-30T18:23:00.002+01:00

Don't we all love music in one form or another? I sure do. Often times when I read a book I wonder about that song that fits the plot perfectly, as I'm sure a lot of readers do. Today Stacey's sharing with us not only a glimpse of her music taste, but also her choice of songs for QoTD! Check it out:

Here is a portion of the playlist I used when writing QOTD and actually some of the third book (title to be determined) as well. I'm not sure that these match up to any particular scenes, but they evoked the mood I needed to be able to write certain parts. A huge thank you to my friend Magan Vernon for pointing me toward the songs on the second half of the list and to my sister for telling me about "If I Die Young."

Um, *clears throat* I may have also spent a great deal of time listening to my Ke$ha Pandora station, but that is neither here nor there. ;)

Breathe Me by Sia

Haunted by Taylor Swift

If I Die Young by The Band Perry

Tell Me I’m a Wreck by Every Avenue

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

Pieces by Sum 41

Only One by Yellowcard

Make You Smile by +44

Thank you Stacey! Being the most un-savvy of music ever, I have not heard most of these songs, but now that I've listened to them I find that I've been missing out! Now I can't listen to these without thinking of Will and Alona ;p

Just the Girl by Cick Five

This is another song which I have known for years but only just recently connected with Will and Alona - I thought I'd add this and let you judge. It's super sweet and from the very first line Alona's definitely just the girl!

Are you ready for some more QoTD teasers?

Will: Yes, Alona was, in theory, already dead, but you don't spend eighteen years as a ghost-talker without realizing there are all kinds of dead, and some kinds are preferable to others.

Giveaway, Day 7.

We have several copies of Queen of the Dead and The Ghost and the Goth up for grabs this week, so if you want your hands on this awesome series, post a comment below and check back in tomorrow for more! For more information on how the giveaway runs, check it out HERE.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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QoTD Week: Giveaway galore + more teasers!

2011-05-29T22:38:00.001+01:00

Now that you've heard from our main protagonists, as well as from Stacey Kade, known who the ideal faces for the characters are, it's time to test your wit and creativity! Winners will be chosen, based on the answers and reasons given, by the author herself.

For our special giveaway post, all you have to do is show how creative you can get by answering the question - If you were Will, what would you give Alona Dare for her birthday? Why?

Not only is Alona going to nitpick your present of choice, she's also already dead. So let's hear all the interesting things you'd give this wayward spirit for her special day!

Before that though, here's today's QoTD teaser -

Alona: Still, I didn't like the way he was looking at [Mina], like she was some kind of miracle delivered to his door. So she could see spirits. Big deal. I could, too.

Aww.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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QoTD Week: G&G and QoTD Movie Casting, teasers + giveaway!

2011-05-28T17:31:00.000+01:00

I have long wanted a Ghost and the goth movie and as nothing is in the works just yet, the next best thing for me to do was to see which character fit what actor according to the author herself! Today Stacey's giving us a glimpse on who's who in a movie casting ensemble. Here's what she had to say -

This is tricky. First, I totally agree with you - the cover models look exactly like what I would want Alona and Will to look like. Second, I suspect I'll be terrible at this, lol. I have actors or actresses in mind for nearly every one of these roles because that's how I write. But they're often not the right age. That's one of the great things about books is you can say, I want this person to look like so-and-so but when so-and-so was ten years younger, lol!

So, I guess, everyone should assume that the actors would all be age appropriate! I'd also be happy to hear suggestions on who people would like to cast. The actors I'm listing provide an idea of what I think that character should look/sound like, nothing more. And I'd be very interested in hearing what people come up with. Also, it should be stated, I am soooo not an expert at this and should a movie opportunity ever come around, I would happily defer to the producer, director, casting people, etc. on all of this. :) This is just based on what exists in my head.

Director:

Mark Waters (left), director of Mean Girls or Will Gluck (right) of Easy A - two of my favorite movies!

Will Killian:

Landon Liboiron - Really, really liked him as Sam on Life Unexpected.

(Dwayne: He looks a little like Dan Radcliffe in his other photos, but he looks good as Will here!)

Alona Dare:

I haven't found someone yet who embodies Alona to me, other than the cover model whose name I really wish I knew. Curious to hear who others think should be Alona.

Mina Blackwell:

Mila Kunis - Okay, again, ten years younger and with some serious wacked out hair.

Principal Brewster :

Oh, this is tough. I have a picture in my head, but I don't know the actor's name! Ack! I'm pretty sure he played a mean drill sergeant in a movie, but I don't know which one.

(Dwayne: Principal Brewster show yourself!)

Joonie:

A younger Azura Skye.

Lily Turner:

One of the few who is close to age appropriate--Sosie Bacon (middle).

Eric Hargrove:

Eric Szmanda in a powder blue tux.

Liesel Marks:

Amanda Seyfried with appropriate 70s hair and dress!

I love the choices for Eric and Liesel - but I thought Mila Kunis was a fantastically superb choice for Mina! Pity we don't know much about the cover model as Alona, but she is perfect for the role.

What do you think? Did you have any particular person in mind to play Alona? Or perhaps Will? We'd like to know what you think!

Casting aside, here's some more teasers from QoTD for you -

Alona: Touch me with that, you freaky haired bitch, and I will make you regret the day you decided to home perm.

I looove this quote! It embodies Alona very strongly - the fighter and the survivor in her, her attitude to fashion notwithstanding :D

Giveaway, Day 5.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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QoTD Week: Author Interview with Stacey Kade II + teaser + giveaway!

2011-05-27T19:16:00.000+01:00

So far in Queen of the Dead week, we have heard from Alona (twice) and Will and met Mina Blackwell. Today we continue with the interviews, but slightly different this time - I have the one and only, Stacey Kade!

We discuss QoTD, the Ghost and the Goth series, and perhaps - book three? Check out our interview below -

As you spent more time with your characters in writing QoTD, what of Alona, Will and the other characters did you learn more about?

Oh, you always learn a little more about everyone. For me, I think I learned more about Will's dad and uh, without getting too spoilery, other people's family members. :) It was also interesting to learn how Will and Alona handled Mina being around. So many things NOT said, you know? Makes it kind of complicated!

QoTD readers would never have seen the big twist coming - was that on your part planned, or was it simply something that came abut as the story progressed?

Planned from the get-go. :)

If you can describe Will and Alona's relationship in one word - what would it be and why?

Balanced, I think. Not necessarily in the "gee this is healthy" kind of way but in the "they need each other" way. Kind of like two people on a see-saw. Each needs the other to keep things level. :)

You know I looove the blossoming romance between our ghost and goth - but would you rather read a book about forbidden romance, the-more-you-hate-the-more-you-love romance or a best-friend-turned-boyfriend romance?

I'm all about the forbidden romance! I think there's always an inherent vulnerability to falling in love and when it's forbidden, it just kind of ups the ante. You don't know whether it'll be just your heart that's destroyed or, you know, your whole life. I was a HUGE fan of Buffy and Angel. :)

Were there any particular challenges in writing QoTD that you had to overcome?

Oh, I was definitely my own worst enemy on this one. It was so hard trying to find a way to tell a story that was similar enough to the first book so as to be recognizable as part of the series but also different enough that people didn't feel it was repetitive. I kind of made myself crazy on this one, overthinking it. Lots of rewriting went on, but in the end, it is definitely a better book because of it.

Was there more pressure on you in writing this book in comparison to writing G&G?

I want fans and readers to love the story, obviously! :) But that can get kind of crazy because not everyone wants the same thing from a particular book. So, instead, I always try to focus on doing my best for the characters, trying to hear them as clearly as I can and tell their story truthfully. So from a pressure standpoint, I think it was more about wanting to make sure I got it right for Alona and Will.

Were there researches that you had to do for QoTD?

I did some digging to learn about the worst fires in U.S. and Illinois history, more for context than anything that would make it into the book.

In retrospect, was there any part of the book you wished you have written differently?

Actually, I think I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. :)

Is the 3rd book going to be the last in the series or are we readers granted more?

Third book is, as far as I know, the last in the series.

(Dwayne: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)

Are there any deets you can share with us about book 3? Because I know I am not the only one desperately waiting to know what happens next!

I'm afraid I'm still sworn to secrecy for the moment. Actually, because we're still working on the book now, some things may yet change. :) But I loved writing the third book!

So not much info about book three for now, as it turns out. Be sure to catch up with Stacey for more news and information at her website, www.staceykade.com or on twitter (@staceykade). You can also check out my first interview with the lovely Stacey here.

Here's our QoTD teaser for the day!

Alona: There's always that one thing, right? A particular action that is your own personal line in the sand. The nuclear threat you keep in your back pocket, never even mentioning it because it will escalate any conflict beyond the chance of reconciliation.

And yet, here I was, declaring war, turning that line in the sand into a mere dot in the distance behind me.

Giveaway, Day 4.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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QoTD Week: Presenting Mina Blackwell + teaser + giveaway!

2011-05-26T16:12:00.000+01:00

So far during the QoTD week, we have heard from our headstrong cheerleader-from-the-afterlife Alona (twice) and from Will. Today it's my pleasure to introduce a brand new character from Queen of the Dead who I'd have to say, spices up the book some more. Here's Mina Blackwell!

Hey Mina, describe yourself in one word. And why so?

Fighter. Nobody's ever handed me anything. I didn't end up with all the right genes to make my life easier.

What is Mina Blackwell into?

Training. Improving my echo-handling skills.

If you were to die and find your spirit still on earth, what do you reckon you'd do?

Would never happen. It doesn't work that way. But if there's an echo of me left behind, I hope the Guardians will address it on my behalf.

If you weren't doing what you're doing now, which field of work do you reckon you'd end up in?

This is my life. I can't imagine not being a part of [redacted for spoilers] in some way. But if that wasn't a possibility, maybe something in law enforcement. I like helping keep people safe.

Any particularly memorable spirit you've bumped into in your uhh, career?

Nope, bag 'em, tag 'em, and move on. Plus, the more attention you give the echoes, the more difficult they become. They start thinking they're souls or people or something.<

What is your greatest success?

Tracking down a red-level echo.

And what is your greatest fear?

Failure.

Do you ever think of moving away from home and perhaps teaming with a spirit guide like Will's doing?

Absolutely not.

We know you believe that the world would be a better place without these spirits around, but is there anyone dead you'd want to meet and you know, chat with?

Nope. Like I said, talking to them only makes things more complicated. Besides, they'll tell you anything they think you want to hear if they think it'll keep you on their side. So there's no point in it.

What is Mina Blackwell's pet peeve?

Alona Dare. Does that count?

Will Alona ever learn, do you think?

*snorts* That princess? No.

What was your first impression of Will Killian? And I'm sure Alona would like to hear what you thought of her too.

Cute, but stupid. Well, not stupid exactly, I guess. Just naive and soft, untrained.

As for her...is there really any question what I thought of her at first? SPOILED. DEAD. PRINCESS. Yeah, that about sums it up, I think.

Thank you Mina! I'm not sure Alona loved this interview, but I sure did! It's great fun getting to know Mina more - she's an interesting character so say the least, and you guys should really look forward to the role she'll be playing in the Queen of the Dead!

And here's a short but meaningful teaser for you from Alona's words of wisdom:

If nothing else, you have to love being dead for the dramatic exits.

Don't you just looove Alona? :)

Giveaway, Day 3.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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Trial by Fire Chapter Trail!

2011-05-25T22:53:00.000+01:00

Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Trial by Fire is out in the UK tomorrow and Quercus has a very special treat for you to celebrate! Below is the second part to the much awaited first chapter of Trial by Fire which I'm sure many of you are looking forward to read this evening. Follow the trail and check out the third and penultimate part on Bloggers Hearts Books! Don't forget to grab your respective copies in store or online tomorrow and wait no more. Enjoy! :)

…contd

“Bronwyn, please, you’re making me blush.” Dev–who could read me like a book, with or without whatever I was projecting through the pack-bond–adopted a scandalized tone and brought a hand to his chest, like he was seconds away from demanding smelling salts and going faint. But I sensed his wolf stirring beneath the surface and knew that it was hard for Devon on a day like today to be reminded that I wasn’t his to protect in the same way anymore.

That I was alpha.

That Chase and I were . . . whatever Chase and I were.

“Fine,” I said, ﬂicking a French fry in Devon’s general direction. “Have it your way. No more school, no more books . . .”

Dev made an attempt at harmonizing with me, but given my complete lack of vocal chops, it did not go well, and a horriﬁed silence descended over our entire table.

After several seconds, Devon regarded the rest of us with mock solemnity. “We shall never speak of this moment again.”

“In your dreams, Broadway boy.” Shaking out her long blonde hair–a motion laden with excess adrenaline–Lake stood and stretched her mile-long legs. If the girls in school were all secretly pining for Devon, the boys were absolutely smitten with Lake. Clearly, they’d never met the business end of her shotgun or had their butts whipped at pool.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

Across the table, Maddy sighed, and Devon bumped her shoulder with his, a comforting gesture meant to communicate that he understood. Soon, our entire pack would be gathered in the woods. Soon, the Weres would Shift and I would let their power ﬂow through me, until I forgot I was human and the difference between four legs and two virtually disappeared.

Soon–but not soon enough.

“So,” I said, my voice low and soothing, intent on keeping my pack-mates focused, however brieﬂy, on the here and now. “Hamlet. What do I need to know?”

“New girl.” I balked at Lake’s answer. “I was thinking more along the lines of Guildencrantz and Frankenstein.”

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,” Devon corrected absentmindedly as he followed Lake’s gaze to the double archway at the front of the cafeteria. I turned to look, too, and the rest of the student body took their cue from us, until everyone was eyeballing the girl who stood there.

She was small–the word tiny wouldn’t have been a misnomer–and her eyes seemed to take up a disproportionate amount of her face. Her skin was very pale, and she was dressed almost entirely in black, save for a pair of white leather gloves that covered her arms from the elbows down.

She looked like a porcelain doll, and she felt like a threat. Given that I could tell, even from a distance, that she wasn’t a Were, I had no idea why something inside me insisted I track her every move.

“The natives are getting kind of restless,” Devon commented offhand. Weston wasn’t a big school, and mid-semester transfers were practically unheard of, so White Leather Gloves was garnering more than her fair share of murmurs and stares.

Including mine.

“Mayhaps I should go play the white knight, divert the spotlight a little?”

Devon’s suggestion was enough to make me switch my gaze from the new girl to him.

“No.”

I wasn’t sure who was more shocked by the sharpness with which that word exited my mouth–Devon or me. Our pack didn’t do orders. Given the way I felt about people getting dictatorial with me, I wasn’t prone to pulling rank on anyone else. Besides, Devon and I had spent so much time together growing up that even if he hadn’t been my second-incommand, I still wouldn’t have been able to force my will on him. The closest I could come to ordering him to do anything was threatening to decapitate him if he didn’t stop singing The Best of ABBA at the top of his lungs, and even that was mostly futile.

With a lightly inquisitive noise, Devon caught my gaze and held it. “Something you’d like to share with the class there, Bryn?” he asked, arching one eyebrow to ridiculous heights while keeping the other perfectly in place.

I debated answering, but it was probably nothing–just that time of the month, with emotions running high and my heart beating with the power of the impending full moon. Still, I hadn’t spent my entire life growing up around people capable of snapping my neck like a Popsicle stick without learning to pay attention when my instincts put me on high alert.

If my gut said someone was a threat, I had to at least consider the possibility that it was true–even if the someone in question was ﬁve foot nothing and human down to the tips of her leather-clad ﬁngers.

Instead of mentioning any of this to Devon and opening that can of worms, I threw another French fry in his general direction, and the tension between us melted away as he reached for his plate and armed himself. “You know, of course,” he said, pitching his voice low, “that this means war.”

I couldn’t help glancing back toward the archway and the new girl who’d been standing there a moment before, but she was already gone.

Pack. Pack. Pack.

Protect. Protect. Protect.

I let the feeling wash over me, absorbed it, and then relegated it to the back of my head, with the promise of soon, soon, soon and the desire to run. At the moment, I had more immediate concerns–like my retention of Hamlet deﬁnitely leaving something to be desired and the incoming French fry ﬂying directly at my face.

QoTD Week: An Interview with Will Killian, teaser + giveaway!

2011-05-25T17:42:00.002+01:00

Day 2 of our Queen of the Dead week celebrations here at Girls Without a Bookshelf and today I have had the privilege of sharing with you an exclusive, and very rare ~~one-to-one~~ interview with surely one of the most awww-some heroes in the YA world - Will Killian!

Of course as an unexpected bonus we also have - surprise, surprise - Alona Dare tagging along to ~~annoy, irritate, make Will feel uncomfortable,~~ support Will!

Hi Will. Since Alona is also here, why not talk about her? Any secrets of the legendary Alona Dare you wish to divulge now that you can?

Will: Yeah, no. Sorry, but I still have to work with her. So, the fact that she has six toes on each foot will have to remain a secret forever.

Alona: *Elbows him. Hard.*

Will: Ow! I was just kidding! Besides you told them I talk in my sleep.

Alona: You do!

Will: So you say.

Alona: Do you really want me to record it? Bring others in to witness it? Because seriously, that could be arranged.

Will: Never mind.

What's the most irritating thing a spirit has ever done to you / asked of you?

Will: Some of them really don't respect boundaries. There have been a few, uh, peeping incidents...

Alona: I told you that was an accident! Don't be in the shower at 7:03, okay?

Will: *sighs* Not you. This was before I met you. Or, you know before you, uh, crossed over.

Alona: Seriously? Ew. Let me know if that happens again. I will so not be putting up with that...on your behalf, I mean.

Will: Right.

How much has life changed for you since Alona came into your life? (Err - positive or negative.)

Will: For all the hassle and strife and pain in the--

Alona: Hey!

Will: --my life is better. I feel, I don't know, safer, more sane, better able to deal with whatever's thrown my way. Some of that is having her around. Some of it's because of the changes she pushed me to make, like telling my mom the truth.

Unfortunately, I also now know way too much about cheerleading, Krispy Kreme, the Lifetime channel, and Bath and Body Works scent rotation schedule.

When was your first ghostly encounter?

Will: I don't really know. When I was little, I didn't know the people I was seeing weren't alive or that others couldn't see them. The first time I realized all of that was when I was six and talked about seeing my grandmother, who was dead. I think my dad had been hoping I wouldn't inherit his ability, but he wasn't all that surprised. My mom freaked, of course.

You HAVE to tell me this: how exactly did your little crush on Alona Dare begin?

Alona: Yeah, Will. Let's hear all about when you started adoring me.

Will: *shifts uncomfortably* I'm not really sure that's a good idea. And besides, I don't really remember...

Alona: Liar.

Will: *glaring* Fine. It was raining outside and you came in from recess with your hair all puffed up and--

Alona: Oh, my God, you liked me when my hair was FRIZZY? What is WRONG with you?

Has Alona begin forcing you to dress differently yet? Will you?

Will: No. But she's limited, and frustrated, I think, by the fact that she can't buy clothes for me. So she's reduced to sighing, rolling her eyes a lot and making snide comments. Will I change the way I dress? Probably not. What's wrong with it?

Alona: *sighs* Don't EVEN get me started.

Now that you've shed some light on your father's past, have you ever speculated about his death?

Will: I've always been caught between trying not to think about it and trying to understand why. I think he must have thought he had no choice, that he was caught between two impossible situations.

Have you ever considered a future where you'd make your ability a business?

Will: Interesting that you should ask that. Alona has mentioned it a time or twenty, especially recently.

If there's one thing your spirit guide has taught you in the two months of being with her, what would you say it was?

Will: That my life is worth living, even if it's difficult. Because you only get one.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years' time?

Will: Right now, I'm just focusing on one day at a time. Sometimes just an hour at a time.

(Apart from Alona Dare,) what is Will Killian into?

Will: Movies, graphic novels, hanging out with my friends...the few I have left.

Your father aside, is there anyone from the afterlife you'd love to meet and talk to?

Will: No. My life is already complicated enough. Definitely not looking find any more ghosts to talk to.

Thank you, Will, for sharing a part of you with us. And uh, thank you to Alona also for uh partaking in Will's supposed solo interview.

Teasers anyone? How do you feel about a little romantic quote from our resident goth?

Will: Her scent filled me, overwhelmed me with the desire to shut out everything but her. This girl who equally drove me crazy and made me care more about her than I should. She was the only one who understood. The only one who could make what I was more bearable, even if she occasionally tortured me in the process.

Giveaway, Day 2.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

Note - Rather than the 'username name you used to comment on Alona Dare's interview post', I meant 'the username name you used to comment on Will Killian's interview post.' Either way, you should have given the same name and commented on this post to enter.

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QoTD Week: Getting to know THE Alona Dare, teaser + giveaway!

2011-05-24T17:56:00.000+01:00

This girl needs to introduction. Let's welcome the prettiest and most popular cheerleader of them all ... Miss Alona Dare, also known as Queen of the Dead.

Hi Alona! So let's start with this - What was a typical day like for (a living) Alona Dare?

Get up super early, track down my mother in the house--hopefully she's in the house and not passed out in the garage. Clean up whatever mess she's made and make sure her head is tilted to the side so she won't choke if she gets sick again. Get showered and dressed in the outfit I picked out the night before (possibly switching to my back up outfit, depending on how I feel). Arrive at school in time for zero hour and then meet up with Misty and Chris and keep them from fighting with one another (oh, if I'd only known then what I know now...).

Go to classes, dispense helpful fashion advice here and there, ignore the weirdos and losers (do not want contamination by association), field several calls from my dad about whatever he wants my mom to do.

After cheerleading practice, go to Misty's house to hang out until I have to go home. At home, check to make sure my mom is alive and breathing (usually obnoxiously drunk again by that point) and then retreat to my room and lock the door to do homework and prep for the next day.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

You have to be completely honest about this, Alona - what do you think is Will's best asset?
And his worse?

He really does try to see the best in people. To understand and sympathize with them. Which can also be completely frustrating, I might add.

He doesn't stand up for himself. Getting him to believe he's worth something and therefore has a right not to be pummeled by the undead has just about killed me...again.

Is undead life more difficult to live than living life?

It depends. Undead life never really changes, you know? It's like there's a giant reset button every morning. And there's something kind of reassuring about that. Makes it very easy to plan. But that also means there's never any really new experiences to be gained. And that kind of sucks.

What do you miss most about living?

The food! Not just the choices, but the actual act of eating and tasting...you don't think about it that much until it's gone.

What do you like best about your new job?

I do like helping people. Contrary to what Will and some others might think, I was always trying to be helpful. Some people just don't know how to appreciate me and my particular brand of helpfulness, I guess.

If you can change one thing about your undead life as a spirit guide what will it be?

Being dragged to wherever Will is at 7:03 every morning. Oh, yeah, it was fine and good during the school year. But after graduation and with him working, yeah...there were a few "shower" incidents. I mean, how hard is it to remember: don't be naked at 7:03 a.m. Seriously.

Not that I'm complaining exactly...the boy has abs. ;)

You've obviously hated how quickly your "friends" moved on after your death. How long do you suppose is a respectable mourning period?

Duh. Forever. I should have been such a loss to them that they'd never properly recover. Isn't that how we all want it to be when we die?

Are there any secrets of Will you can share with us now that you're tied to him at the hip?

Oh! I know so many, many things. :) But not anything I'm willing to share here. Information is currency, you know, especially for people in my condition.

But I will say this, which might be something even Will doesn't know about himself. He talks in his sleep, occasionally. :)

What quote do you abide by?

Pretty is as pretty does...and pretty does a lot. :)

(Note from Stacey: I'm not sure Alona's interpretation of this saying exactly matches the traditional understanding of the quote...)

Any advice for the newly dead?

If you need us, try to find us. We'll do our best to help you. Or, Will will do his best, and I'll provide helpful commentary. But don't lie to us. It's really annoying.

What is Alona Dare's pet peeve?

People who won't fight for themselves and expect others to do it for them. And black licorice. Gross.

I see you've met Mina Blackwell, though not in the best of circumstance.Of course, as the Queen of the Dead, any fashion advice to this girl?

Please. Where do I begin? Honestly, she should burn her wardrobe--if one could even call it that--and start fresh. It's not hard to find cute clothes at a good price. There are lots of resale shops around, if she could be bothered with it, which I doubt. She also needs a major hair intervention.

Oh I adore you Alona!

She's super awesome - and more so after Queen of the Dead, I assure you! And speaking of Queen of the Dead, I'm sure you'd like to read the excerpt now, so here it is. Enjoy!

Will: I just looked at her. Since [Alona] hadn't had anything to eat or drink in well over enough, I seriously doubted that was a concern. Besides which, I hadn't ever heard of any ghosts visiting a bathroom, unless, of course, they'd died there. (No, I've never met Elvis, but it's an educated guess.)

Check back in tomorrow for more teasers, plus a rare interview with Will Killian with a special participation of ... Alona Dare. Again.

Giveaway, Day 1.

RULES.

Open worldwide.
You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
Extra entries welcome!
Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
Winners will be drawn through random.org.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
Fill out the form below!

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QoTD Week: The Giveaway!

2011-05-24T17:55:00.007+01:00

Do you want to win ...

... this?

... plus this?

... and some more of this?

Well then here's your chance! From today until the release of Stacey Kade's Queen of the Dead, we'll be giving away several copies of Queen of the Dead plus The Ghost and the Goth too!

All you have to do is to comment on the posts this week to be eligible - the more comments you give the more chances of you winning! Sharing the link will also give more entries so spread the word!

Fill out the form at the end of each post everyday to submit your entry for that day and at the end of the week, we'll add them up for you and choose our winners from the pool of entries!

So now all there's to do is to check out Alona's interview, comment and fill out the form to submit your Day 1 entries!

Will's Interview for Day 2 is up - check out how Alona tagged along, comment and fill out the form to submit your entries for the second day!

Presenting Mina Blackwell is our day 3 feature. Meet a fresh character from Queen of the Dead and don't forget to comment to enter your day 3 entries!

Check out our Author Interview with Stacey Kade for day 4!

Want to know who's who in Stacey's Ghost and the Goth and Queen of the Dead movie casting choices? Check our Movie Casting post for more!

Giveaway Galore post - a fun, creative challenge to compete over!

Check out the Music Playlist for Queen of the Dead - selected by Stacey herself!

Finally, here's what I think about Queen of the Dead - QoTD Review!

Good luck ;)

Queen of the Dead Week @ Girls Without a Bookshelf!

2011-05-24T02:48:00.001+01:00

I've been looking forward to hosting this very special week for months and I'm super excited that it has finally dawned!

You know I'm one of the biggest fans of Stacey Kade's The Ghost and the Goth, which was one of my favourite reads of 2010, and have been eagerly awaiting Queen of the Dead since. Well, what better way to end the whole wait than to devote a weekly special to it? So dear readers, let me welcome you to the Queen of the Dead Week here at Girls Without a Bookshelf!

For the past few weeks Stacey and I have been e-mailing each other to prepare for the event and we sure have a lot in store for you! We have tons of insider deets from Alona and Will, a special giveaway coming up, plus QoTD teasers - so don't miss out!

Check out what's in-store for you in the upcoming days:

Tuesday 24 May - Getting to know the Alona Dare
Wednesday 25th May - An Interview with Will Killian
Thursday 26th May - Presenting Mina Blackwell
Friday 27th May - Author Interview with Stacey Kade (part deux!)
Saturday 28th May - G&G and QoTD Movie Casting
Sunday 29th May - QoTD Giveaway galore!
Monday 30th May - QoTD Soundtrack
Tuesday 31st May - (Release Day!) QoTD review!

I hope you'll join us in celebrating the upcoming release day of Queen of the Dead - if you're not already awaiting this it's something that you should be impatiently looking forward to! It's a fantastic book - take it from me!

Check back in later in the day for our interview with Alona Dare, who I'm sure is much obliged to start the week with a bang! Plus, we'll have our first teaser from QoTD chosen by Stacey herself and the giveaway details.

We're looking forward to hearing from you this coming week!