Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Blog Tour: Pieces of Us - Margie Gelbwasser - Author This or That

Margie Gelbwasser is here today with an author this or that courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, Pieces of Us. Thank you for being here today, Margie! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!
Pop or Coffee: Coffee, definitely. Can't start a day without it.


Rock or Rap: Bon Jovi, Springsteen, Beatles—rock all the way

Skirts or Pants: Jeans are my go to style

Lipstick or Lip gloss: Why wear it if you can't see it? :-)

Writing or reading: I'm going to cheat and say both. I need both to survive.

Toaster Strudel or Pop tarts: My health has been eh and I'm on a gluten free diet now, so unfortunately neither.

Tom boy, or girly girl: Girly tom boy maybe? I like to hang with the guys, but want to look cute doing it.

Serious and sweet, or carefree and reckless guys: As a teen, I was into the reckless, class clown type guys. As an adult, I'll go for the sweet, but they don't have to be serious all the time. :-)

Comedies, or Action movies: I like both, but not usually rom-coms or chick flicks.

Summer or Winter: Definitely summer. I'll take one snowfall so my kid can get the sledding out of his system, and then bring on the warmth.

Mountains or Beach: I like hiking a lot, and the ocean. If we're talking vacation spots, the beach will probably win.

Thank you for sharing your preferences with us, Margie; and thank you so much for being here today!

Margie Gelbwasser can be found on her website, her blog and on twitter

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Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.
Synopsis taken from goodreads

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Blog Tour: Pretty Crooked - Elisa Ludwig - Aiden This or That

Elisa Ludwig is here today with a character this or that list, courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her new novel, Pretty Crooked. Thank you for being here today, Elisa! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!
Khaki Pants or Jeans? Jeans, for sheez.

Pomegranate or Dragon FruitDragon Fruit, just because it sounds badass.

Action or Drama MovieAction. Preferably John Woo.

Go Out or Stay InGo out. The world is out there!

Coffee or TeaCoffee, and chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Desktop or LaptopLaptop, because I like to go out (see above).

Marilyn Monroe or Audrey HepburnMarilyn.

Dr. Pepper or Mr. PibbDr. Pepper, but only because I had to look up Mr. Pibb!

Dog or CatDogs. If I could, I want adopt all of them!

Boxers or BriefsBoxers. A dude needs some space.

Thank you for giving us your preferences, Aiden! Thank you also, Elisa, for being here today!

Elisa Ludwig can be found on her website, and on twitter

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High school sophomore Willa and her artist mother move to Arizona where Willa starts attending an elite prep school after her mother finally sells some paintings, and Willa attempts to even things out by stealing from the rich students and giving to the poor ones.
Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Blog Tour: Cobbogoth - Hannah Clark - Author Interview & Giveaway

Hannah Clark is here today with an author interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her new release, Cobbogoth. Thank you for being here today, Hannah! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!
What would your characters say to you if they met you walking down the street?

Lylend: “Ah, so you’re the kyndie who made me a jewelry-making war captain. Not sure how I feel about that.”
James: “At least she gave you ‘Viking-sized’ arms and a nice scar, old man. That’s something.”
Norah: “But are you sure you meant to make me the protagonist in Cobbogoth? I mean, look at me, I’m a freak.”
Lylend: “What exactly is a ‘freak’, kyndie?”
James: “Don’t listen to Nor; one day I’ll convince her that she’s beautiful. In the meantime, can you tell me what’s up in Book 2? Do I get to kiss her again?
Lylend: “Eh-hey! That’s my kynd!”
Norah: *blushing*

If Murphy's Law applied to you, what scenario would most likely happen? 

I don’t know. I’m a pretty cautious person. I consider all that could go wrong before I go into a situation, so I’m usually prepared for the best and worst case scenario.

Describe Cobbogoth in one sentence. 

Cobbogoth is a fast-paced fantasy-adventure with mystery, danger, and intrigue, a unique and complex power system, and a story and mythology all its own.

What inspired you to write about archaeology? 

I love ancient things—artifacts, legends, buildings, history, etc. When I was a kid, my best friend and I used to explore our small town looking for Native American and pioneer artifacts. We never found anything exciting, but it was fun just the same. I guess you could say that I was with my town, the way Uncle Jack was with Hella, Iceland, only he was searching for Viking and Cobbogothian artifacts.

What will readers hopefully take away from Cobbogoth? 

I hope readers take three things away from reading Cobbogoth:

1) Most of all, I hope the world of Cobbogoth and Norah’s story gets under their skin, the way only entering a unique, new world can. And I hope they can’t wait to come back!

2) I hope they leaving feeling like being afraid of something is okay—we live in a scary world—but that they are inspired to face their fears and push through them. Like Lylend says to Norah: “You can’t really be courageous without fear, for courage is when you act in spite of the fear.”

3) Finally, I hope they have a better understanding of how our choices don’t just affect us, but everyone around us. We all belong to some kind of a community, whether it is our family, our town, or society in general. Like Norah, when she has to make a decision about the Haven, I think it’s so important to consider how our choices will affect our communities before we make them. And despite popular belief, I want readers to see how powerful selfless choices can be—they are the choices that change the world for the better.

If you could sum up Norah's personality in one sentence, what would it be? 

Norah is an extremely smart, very loyal, yet chronically anxious seventeen-year-old who is not only searching for where she belongs in the world, but wants to love and be loved more than anything.

What is your favorite line from Cobbogoth? 

Aside from the line by Lylend up above, it’s a toss-up between these two:
“What is it with you and shiny rocks?” -Norah
and
“I see you’ve met the ding-bats.” -James

What is up next for you? 

Well, I’ve just finished the outline for Book 2 in the Cobbogoth series, and have started writing. I’m very excited about the continuation of James and Norah’s story. We are hoping to have it out by December of 2013.

Thank you for answering my questions, and for being here today, Hannah! 

Hannah Clark can be found on her website

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To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.
Synopsis taken from goodreads

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Giveaway Details

Hannah Clark has graciously provided Lost For Words with a copy of Cobbogoth for giveaway. 
Thank you, Hannah!
Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. Sorry to those of you who are international. 
Giveaway will end on Monday, March 19.
Please fill out this FORM to enter. Comments, while appreciated, will not be counted as entries. 
Thank you!