Book Blast: Have No Shame by Melissa Foster

The racially-charged prejudice of the deep South forces eighteen-year-old Alison Tillman to confront societal norms—and her own beliefs—when she discovers the body of a hate crime victim, and the specter of forbidden love turns her safe, comfortable world upside down.
Alison has called Forrest Town, Arkansas home for the past eighteen years. Her mother’s Blue Bonnet meetings, her father toiling night and day on the family farm, and the division of life between the whites and the blacks are all Alison knows. The winter of 1967, just a few months before marrying her high school sweetheart, Alison finds the body of a black man floating in the river, and she begins to view her existence with new perspective. The oppression and hate of the south, the ugliness she once was able to avert her eyes from, now demands her attention.
When a secretive friendship with a young black man takes an unexpected romantic turn, Alison is forced to choose between her predetermined future, and the dangerous path that her heart yearns for.
HAVE NO SHAME is an emotionally compelling coming of age novel featuring a young woman who cannot reconcile the life she wants with the one she’s been brought up to live.Have No Shame will resonate with anyone who has ever fallen in love, and those who have been forced to choose between what they know in their hearts to be true, and what others would like them to believe.



AMAZON BUY LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/Have-No-Shame-Melissa-Foster/dp/098905084X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367161615&sr=8-1&keywords=have+no+shame

AMAZON PAGE FOR MELISSA FOSTER
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Foster/e/B002LTT7U2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

1 Winner will receive a gift bag full of goodies, including:
-Snacks
- Signed copy of CHASING AMANDA
- Signed copy of COME BACK TO ME
- Signed Copy of MEGAN’S WAY
- 1 Pink Journal
Shipping in US Only, No PO Boxes. Must be 13+ To Enter
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of four International bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on The Women’s Nest, Fostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Find Melissa Foster:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melissa_Foster
FB Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor


PRAISE FOR HAVE NO SHAME
“A gripping and poignant novel dealing with a subject once taboo in American society.” Hagerstown Magazine

“Have No Shame is a powerful testimony to love and the progressive, logical evolution of social consciousness, with an outcome that readers will find engrossing, unexpected, and ultimately eye-opening.” Midwest Book Review

“A historical novel of love and its triumph, told with a unique and compelling voice.” Bestselling Author Kathleen Shoop

“Have No Shame is a delightful eye opener and a rather poignant book that everyone everywhere should put on their must-read list.” Readers’ Favorite

“A dynamic and heartwarming tale of young love, giving testament to those who struggled so we can live in an integrated society.” Author Rachelle Ayala

“…a stunningly impactful read.” Rabid Reader Reviews
“A book that brings the evilness of racial bigotry to light, through the eyes of one awakening to its reality.” Cindy Smith, avid reader

“[HAVE NO SHAME] perfectly catches the South at the dawning of the Civil Rights Movement. Melissa Foster takes us on an adventure that twists and turns unpredictably to a tense climax that renders this novel a true page-turner. This is undoubtedly the best novel I have read in a long time.” Roderick Craig Low, Author of Promises of Love and Good Behaviour

“This book is not just a story; it’s an experience.” Author G.E. Johnson

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris Pilot

I think I remember reading about this a while ago, but I guess I just forgot.  Regardless, MTV has optioned to make Elizabeth Norris' series in to a TV show.  I'm mentioning this now because someone had brought it up during the book signing.

Here's the scoop.  A writer has been hired and is writing a pilot.  Crystal asked if she had a dream cast and she said that she just wanted people that could act rather than pretty people.  While she was writing, she pictured Ben as James Franco from Freaks and Geeks, but now James Franco is obviously too old.

I hope this works out, but if MTV is attached I'm a little scared.  I'm not a big fan of their shows, nor have I ever been.  Fortunately or unfortunately, depends on how you look at it, the actors and actresses are almost always good looking on the shows.  It's like the CW!

Having only read Unraveling, I'm curious as to how the writer would break the series up.  The books aren't that long.  Should this actually turn into something, would it turn into something completely different from the books, trying to extend the seasons?

Author Event: Elizabeth Norris Book Launch (Unraveling series)

Yesterday, Crystal and I went to the book launch of Unbreakable by Liz Norris.  It really was no different than a regular book signing but with a little more swag.
Swag included magnets, an Unbreakable extra content book, and bookmarks.  It was cool nonetheless.

Crystal and I were in Doylestown walking around, so we went into the bookstore an hour early and just read.  Crystal tried to finish up Unraveling because we both have a habit of completely forgetting what happened in books that we haven't read in awhile.  Meanwhile, I tried to finish The Host.  Yes, I am still reading it, but I've been busy.  And guess what?  I'm only 100 pages to go, which is basically done if you know how thick and heavy that book is!

2:00 hits and we were the only ones there.  I initially felt bad because this was the first stop, the big opening celebration.  However, more people showed up so I didn't feel bad.  Although I love the Doylestown Bookshop for its super lenient rules, I have to say that it is terrible at advertising!  A good crowd did show up, but there are never more than 20 people at events there.

I've meet Liz Norris when she was on tour with Aprilynne Pike and Bethany Griffin at the Barnes and Noble in Oxford Valley last year.  I found out that she graduated from the high school I was currently attending.  So, this time Crystal and I talked about our high school and teachers.  Specifically, we wanted to know if she knew one of our teachers whose last name is Struzinski.  All the kids call him "Struz" so we were wondering if the character named Struz in the books were named after him.  Nope, Struz is based off another friend who works for the FBI.

I also found out that MTV optioned it for a TV show.  Guess I'm late on that one but I'll repost the article about that too.

I swear that I'm going to finish The Host and a review of Unbreakable will be next!

Book Launch Reminder: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Come join Crystal and moi at the Unbreakable launch today!  Get your books signed and get some swag like bookmarks and posters!



Who: Everybody!
Where: Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA
When: Today (4/27) @ 2 PM

The Doylestown Bookshop is a very relaxed place.  You can bring books from home, and tickets are not necessary.  Honestly, I don't even think a book purchase is necessary.  But I'm not encouraging you not to buy a book because Elizabeth Norris deserves your money. Hahaha.  What I mean is, if you already bought a copy on Tuesday when the book was released, you can bring that copy and not be obligated to buy another.

City of Bones Trailer #2

I guess I'm really late, but I finally watched the newest trailer of City of Bones.  I really think that I need to reread this book and get caught up with the series.  It's certainly been awhile.

Divergent News!

Is Detergent really the name of the 3rd book in the Divergent series?  Silly Veronica Roth!  Find out what it really is named.  

And take a look at the first exclusive movie still provided by Entertainment Weekly.  Veronica Roth wrote this scene twice, from Tris' POV in Divergent and Four's in the novella, Free Four.

Excited for the movie/book?

Book Blast: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

 Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter.

She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.

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Happy Book Birthday Elizabeth Norris (Unbreakable)!

Liz's sequel to Unraveling comes out today, so check it out!!!!

And if you don't know, Liz will be having her launch party this Saturday at the Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA at 2 PM. I'm going to be there for the signing and swag! She'll also be doing a couple more signings but if you live near the Philly area, this is the only chance you will have to get your signed copy and meet the author! If you don't live near me, check here to see if Liz will be visiting you.

Unbreakable Summary:

It’s been four months since Janelle Tenner stopped the earth’s destruction with the help of Ben, the boy who resurrected her after she died. Ben is gone now—disappeared through a portal to his home world.

Even though Ben broke her heart, Janelle refuses to believe it when Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay tells her Ben is suspected of running a human-trafficking ring across several universes. She vows to uncover the true culprit and rescue the people who have been sold into slavery on alternate earths—not to mention find Ben and prove his innocence.

In addition to Ben, Barclay, and Janelle, Unbreakable brings back fan favorite characters Elijah and Cecily in this action-packed thriller.

Shadowhunters Unite!

Do you want to meet the cast of the City of Bones movie?  Mostly, I want to see Cassandra Clare, but I wouldn't mind meeting any Shadowhunters:)

Let's use the power of social media to make this happen!  Use the hashtag #shadowhunterswanttmitour2013. 

Regardless if this happens or not, who is excited to see this movie?  Moi!!  Do you think this will be the next big franchise or should people stop comparing new YA adapted movies to The Twilight Saga and The Hunger Games?

I Have the Weirdest Dreams

I bought a dream dictionary a little while back. Dreams have always interested me, and this book looked pretty cool but this book is strange! I'm still debating whether or not it was worth the money because the ridiculous explanations it gives act as entertainment. It was written in the 1970's; no judging here but it was probably written by people under the influence of some drug.

So, it works like this: you have a dream. Then you search through this dictionary the subject matter of your dream. Finally, it tells you what the dream meant.

I don't remember my dreams that often, and I don't have much time to write during the weekdays, but I've been finding myself writing my dreams down during the weekends.

Its funny how strange dreams can be. You'd think that if a dream was that weird, you would be able to remember it well. Perhaps it's just me, but I couldn't remember a single detail of the last dream I documented.

Guess you're wondering what my crazy dream was about. I don't know if it was crazy but it shows that you dream about recent thoughts. In essence, dozens of dark figures surrounded my house during the night. They had guns, and I thought that was the end of my life. I even recall saying that this was the new Boston bombings. Those occurred early this week and its all that CNN is covering. All I can really remember is the feeling of desperation, believing that my life was over. It was awful.

While I was writing down my dream, I looked back at some previous entries. Now this is the best part of writing them down. You look back and wonder what food you ate before going to bed that lead to your wacko dream.

What's the oddest dream you can remember???Try writing them down!

Book Blast: Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan

The Boys of Summer – Book Blast Posting Info
Title: The Boys of Summer (Summer #1)
Author: C.J. Duggan
Published: 12/17/2012
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: sexual references, and occasional coarse language.

Book Links:
Amazon (U.S) Digital: http://www.amazon.com/The-Boys-Summer-Series-ebook/dp/B00AOA4VMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357719262&sr=8-1&keywords=c.j+duggan




Amazon (U.S) Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Summer-C-J-Duggan/dp/148120646X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357719324&sr=1-3&keywords=c.j+duggan



Amazon (U.K) Digital: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Boys-Summer-Series-ebook/dp/B00AOA4VMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357719428&sr=8-1

Amazon

(U.K) Paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boys-Summer-C-J-Duggan/dp/148120646X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357719499&sr=1-4




Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-boys-of-summer-cj-duggan/1114044270?ean=2940045139755



Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/the-boys-of-summer/id586702213?mt=11



Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Boys-of-Summer/book-nbJVbLjS0EKxDPxlrnp3Bg/page1.html?s=8sB8NWDubEaYqQSljvS-VQ&r=1

Cover Reveal of An Endless Summer!

Author Bio:

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
For more on C.J and ‘The Summer Series’, visit www.cjdugganbooks.com.

Author Links:

WEB: www.cjdugganbooks.com

BLOG: http://can-duu.blogspot.com.au/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/CJ_Duggan

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002387829530

GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779034.C_J_Duggan

FACEBOOK (The Boys of Summer)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cj-Duggan-The-Boys-of-Summer/207724915934429

RIP E.L. Konigsburg

E.L. Konigsburg died today at the age of 83.  She was a great children's author, multiple time Newberry award wining author.  Her most famous book, From the Mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is still one of my favorite books from childhood.  It is a great book about growing up and having an adventure.  I wanted to run away to a museum after I read it, but in retrospect it was probably written in order to prevent that from happening.  But it sounded like so much fun!!!

Once I got a little bit older, I read Silent to the Bone.  This one is for a more mature audience and has an important message:  When you know something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up.  This book is much heavier than her others, but I enjoyed it.

I've never met E.L Konigsburg, and therefore can't truthfully say she is a lovely lady, but I sure wouldn't doubt it.  May she rest in peace, and let her wonderful books continue to be appreciated.

The Maze Runner Cast So Far...

Thomas Brodie- Sangster (aka the Disney character Ferb's voice!)= Newt

Kaya Scoldelario= Teresa

Will Poulter= Gally

Aml Ameen= Alby

The scheduled release date is Valentine's Day 2014!  I know what I'm doing next year!

Reading Olympics 2014 List Released!

Both Crystal and I participate in Reading Olympics, aka "sporting competitions for nerds."  The 2013 competition was just earlier this month.  We got the blue ribbon. No surprise, hahaha.  I was obviously the MVP having read 4/45 books.  I hope you caught the sarcasm there...

I'll definitely be reading these books over the summer.  The list actually includes books that I'm excited to read.

Voila, la liste:

High School 2014 Book List

1. Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
2. Bad Boy: A Memoir Walter by Dean Myers
3. Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Boy 21 by Matt Quick
5. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
6. Cinder by Marrisa Meyer
7. Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
8. Dawn by ElieWiesel
9. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
10. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
11. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S.King
12. Fat Kid Rules the World by Kelly Going
13. Final Four by Paul Volpini
14. Geeks by Jon Katz
15. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
16. Haunting of  Hill House by Shirley Jackson
17. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
18. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
19. Inherit the Wind by Jerone Lawrence
20. Invasion by Robin Cook
21. Journey Back by Johanna Reiss
22. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
23. Level Up by Gene Luen Yang
24. Luna by Julie Ann Peters
25. Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
26. Mister by Pip Lloyd Jones
27. Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
28. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
29. Never Fall Down by Patrica McCormick
30. Paper Towns by John Green
31. Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card
32. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
33. Pregnancy Project by Gabby Rodriguez
34. Raft, The by S.A. Bodeen
35. Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
36. Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
37. Saving Gracie by Carol Bradley
38. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfield
39. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
40. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
41. Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
42. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
43. Timeline by Michael Crichton
44. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchet
45. Year of Wonders by Geraldien Brooks

Happy Book Birthday Hilary Duff (True)!!

The third book in Hilary Duff's and Elise Allen's third and final installment in their bestselling triology is out today!!

Summary: The epic love story of Clea and Sage comes to its thrilling conclusion in the final book in the Elixir series by multitalented star Hilary Duff.

Following the harrowing events of Elixir and Devoted—and the ceremony that almost killed Sage—Clea faces a new reality: With Sage’s soul in Nico’s body, the love of her life looks an awful lot like her best friend’s boyfriend. Can Clea and Sage really be happy under these circumstances?

Clea wants to try to enjoy their new life together, but Sage is acting different—angry—and she struggles to keep her friends from finding out what has happened to him. Something is clearly haunting Sage, and Clea is losing control. Can she trust her friends with the dangerous truth, or will she have to risk losing Sage to madness?




And if you're lucky enought to live in CA, not me :(, Go to Hilary's book signing tonight at Mrs. Nelson's!

guys it's happening 2nite...come see me @ my book signing @mrsnelsonsbooks 7pm! oh yeah, TRUE is out 2day! pick up a copy, u know u want to!
— Hilary Duff (@HilaryDuff) April 16, 2013

Catching Fire Exclusive Trailer/ Teaser (MTV Movie Awards)

If you missed it during the MTV Movie Awards last night, I'll be posting the exclusive new and first teaser/trailer thing for Catching Fire.  It's two and a half minutes of pure intensity!!!Enjoy :)

Super excited for the movie!! Hey, maybe I'll even go midnight premiere!

Reminder: Catching Fire Trailer Reveal

Set your DVRs and TiVos because the trailer of Catching Fire is being released tonight during the MTV Movie Awards!! It begins at 9 PM EST.

Got to be honest, even though I'm a huge fan, I'm not watching tonight. It probably won't premiere at 9 and will actually premiere closer towards the end of the show. So, I'll be waiting until tomorrow when I will see it on YouTube .

Review: The Deadline by Gayle Forman(One Teen Story Vol. I Issue I)

4/5 stars

Summary: Mags has had a crush on Grant for a long time.  She feels that she understands him much more than the airheads that he usually dates.  With no progress, she sets a deadline: If Grant and she don't have a change in their relationship, she'll stop hoping for more.

Characters: (spoilers probably coming soon)

Mags- I like her optimism, but she seems so naive.  She lets herself think that Grant is the one.  Through her story, she shows us to be cautious with our feelings, but not to be afraid of showing them.

Grant- Ew, what a lame guy.  He seems sleazy to me, always going for the same shallow girl and using the same go-to lines. Ugh.

Robin- I can't say much about this guy, but he seems super sweet.  I like his shyness and honesty.  If this were a long book, I'd probably swoon over him.

Plot- Ive read a ton of story like this one, yet I didn't guess that ending.  I'm not sure how because I really should have.  Nonetheless, it was still super cute and I really love that one line Robin says which I can't spoil!

Cover- This is an illustration of one of Grant's poems.  I thought it was a little rough looking for a cute romance, but it looks cool for a different genre!

Would I recommend it to a friend? Yeah, go check out this magazine.  It's not too shabby :)

Last chance to be a "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" extra

Last chance to be a "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" extra
By Jennifer Brett

The "Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" filmed in Atlanta a good part of last year but they aren't quite done.

A casting call seeks extras for some reshoots this weekend.

They're looking for men and women ages 18 to 35 of all ethnicities for the reshoots, to be done on Saturday. I'm not sure where this will be taking place but filming sites last year included the Georgia World Congress Center, the Goat Farm Arts Center and the Atlanta History Center's Swan House. That last one was a big party scene for which extras were instructed to show up in costume, so chances are that's not the one being reshot. When I find out more I'll let you know.

For now, if you're free on Saturday and want to be in the movie with Katniss an'em, email three pictures of yourself along with height, weight, age and phone number toIdiomReshootsATL@gmail.com and put your age, gender and ethnicity in the subject line.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

How cool would it be to be an extra for this?  Well, I think it would be because I love the franchise so much, but who doesn't want to be paid for basically nothing?

Hunger Games: Catching Fire Movie Stills

Some new stills of the Catching Fire film were released.  I'm so pumped!  Finnick is my favorite character and this was my favorite of the series.  I'm a huge Glee fan, so I wanted Grant Gustin to be Finnick but I love this Sam Claflin guy!!!  He's very witty and is nice to his fans, actually taking the time to answer their tweets.  I can totally see him as Finnick.  I'm in love already.

Why My Librarian Annoys Me: My Hopefully Not Boring Complaints Part 2

Here's a continuation of my little blow up with my annoying librarian.  I just need to get it out because I couldn't do it in front of her.  That would have been stupid.  Why make her mad if she can kick me out of NHS?

So she told me to come talk with her.  As a good little girl who just wanted to make sense of this debacle, I went only to wait for her to talk to another teacher and then get on the phone.  And that's not rude, making me wait so that I am then late for my next class?  Thanks.  

I just did what I was told, that every faculty member knows that clinic takes precedence over everything and what do I get? An hour of service and using up one of my meetings that I'm allowed to miss. Great, so I'm one meeting away from getting kicked out of the club and I haven't even had the official inductions?  And a pass from the counselor, not the teacher, something with more weight doesn't suffice? What the hedoublehockeysticks?  And you know what the reply was when I said,"May I ask this without offending you?  Why is clinic not a viable reason to miss?"  She said then nobody would come to the meetings then.  So she just admitted that the students don't actually have any honor and would lie to get out of a meeting?  That's when I relized that I couldn't reason with this woman which is a shame because I really liked her.  Now she's just annoying and I start complaining to myself as soon as I leave the library.  

I guess I'm disappointing her, but she's getting a little psycho about having this one authority role.  Imagine if she hadn't liked me prior to his whole thing.  I think I would've been dunzo a long time ago.

Don't you hate when authority figures are aggravatingly abusing their power?  Maybe that's a little extreme but this is stupid.  I don't want to step on any more toes and tell the guidance counselor but why should I be on the verge of getting kicked out for trying to bring up a low grade?  How am I supposed to maintain a high GPA if I'm denied the right to get help?  Contradictory, non?

Review: You Never Know by Francesca Lia Block (One Teen Story Vol. I,Issue VII)

3/5 Stars

My Summary:  1D could sum this one up well with their lyrics to " What Makes You Beautiful."  I don't know how you could have missed hearing their song on the radio, but it's about a girl not knowing how awesome she is and it goes a little something like,

"You don't know you're beautiful,

If only you saw what I can see,

You'll understand why I want you so desperately,

Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,

You don't know"

Plot: This is a story that everybody can relate to because it's about that time where you're insecure, trying to find yourself, and you're just lost. But eventually, you find yourself. I've never read anything by Francesca Block, but she manages to bring the genuine feelings of moving into adulthood and leaves the audience with hope.

Writing: This is written in 2nd person. I don't know if its just me that feels this way, but I hate 2nd person. It's rare to see it within the books that I read, but I feel like I'm being attacked. "You, you, you!" I never did anything wrong!!!!

Formatting and Misc.: I love the cover art on these magazines!! The colors of them are always bright and colorful, perfect for its YA target audience. Additionally, the font and size are great. A blind person such as myself can even read it. Overall, I'm very impressed with One Teen Story, especially since it has gotten established authors to write for it. Go subscribe!

Don't Be Called Out on Your Bull: Fallacies

I've never done a post like this before. Its gonna be a mix of personal + venting + informative (at least I can hope). And it might be stupid to vent through a public blog but I don't have any followers anyway.

Alright, if you haven't figured it out by now I'm still a student in high school. So, physics is giving me problems and my grade's been going in the pooper considering I've always done well in school. After the meeting with my teacher and counselor, they decided it would be best that I get help from my teacher every single day after school. Ugh, I know, like 50 minutes isn't enough time with physics?
I knew ahead of time that today there was a National Honors Society(NHS) meeting that would be pretty important, but frankly I thought I could get out of it because my counsel said clinic(that specific time where you get help) takes precedence over all and I thought my advisor would have a heart. Ehh(is that how it is spelled?), wrong! I had my mother email the advisor because people never say no to parents. Yes, I thought that before I had her send it. However, my advisor sends her back a completely bogus email , so condescending. She threatened to penalize me if I did not come talk to her(uhh, how I would know to do so without her telling me is still a mystery to me? Maybe my spidey senses will kick in or I'll develop ESP. You know, either could come.). Coincidentally, I stopped by to give her money to join this stupid club that you have to join to put on your transcript to get into "good" colleges. And she told me that it wasn't a good idea to get mommy to fix my problems. Ok, that has validity but it always works:( I'm not even mad about that. No, she said that clinic is not an excuse to miss a dang meeting. Should I miss the extremely vital 15 minute meeting in May I will have to make it up with an hour of service. Ok, what the heck are you talking about for 15 minutes that requires an hours time to make up? You better be finding the cure to cancer. What I don't understand is this: how can I be expected to keep an above average GPA but denied the right to clinic? If my grades are sucky because I can't go to clinic, I'll get kicked out. Major fallacy.

And what is a fallacy? Its when your argument is backed sans reasoning. If you can see reasoning in that horse feathers I just mentioned then I don't know what because that doesn't make sense. Even high school sports teams force you to go to clinic if you need it. Its necessary to keeps a certain GPA in order to play so it makes a great deal of sense to get help if your struggling. Fallacies can come in all different ways, but if you can spot them, you win. Its impossible to defend a fallacy. Don't make them, don't make yourself look stupid. It takes a person with good sense to see fallacies. Despite how easy they seem to spot, so many people will get away with using them because people aren't ware of what a fallacy is.

I'm so aggravated right now.  Who does she think she is?  How can she go from the Blue Fairy(no, seriously she looks ans sounds like the fairy) on Once Upon of Time to the Wicked Witch?

YASH Winners!

From the YASH blog:

WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:30 PM PDT Hi everyone! We're very pleased to announce the winners of the Spring 2013 Scavenger Hunt! For Red Team: Candy For Blue Team: Gabby A Each of these winners has been contacted by email already.  Many of the authors also held individual giveaways on their blogs for people to win smaller prizes. Below are all the ones that have selected winners so far--for other winners, visit the individual authors' webpages: Beth Revis gave away a signed copy of SHADES OF EARTH, along with DEFY THE DARK swag to Mel B. Maureen McGowan gave away: Hardcover copy of DEVIANTS:  Rachael Matthews and Elizabeth Kotkiewicz Hyatt Kindle copy of DEVIANTS: Alaiel Kreuz, Tamara Theresa Nathan, Stelina Papagianneli, Birgitte and Deanna Babcock CD mp3 audio copy of DEVIANTS: Gwenola Hamelin Amalie Howard did the ARCs of Awesome Giveaway to Melissa Robles and Kelsey Dietrich Lea Nolan gave away: Francine Soleil won the digital copy of CONJURE Jessica Jackson won the signed paperback copy of CONJURE Lisa Burstein's winner of The Next Forever digital copy: Kaitlin Snider Colleen Houck gave away: Tiger's Curse books: Ivana Maric, Mary Perez, Katherina Barney, Nichole Springer, Shanon Vuong, Megan Kyser, JenniferG W, Chantelle Ip, Brandon N Amanda Hamer, Kristia Militiadou Grand Prize: Angela Reads Jenn Johansson gave away a bonus signed ARC of Insomnia to "Kim V."  Scott Tracey gave away signed ARCs of THE GODDESS TEST, THE RAVEN BOYS, and TEN to Jocelyn Rish Aprilynne Pike gave away an ARC of both LIFE AFTER THEFT and EARTHBOUND to Justine Winans Rachel Carter gave away a signed hardcover of SO CLOSE TO YOU and a signed ARC of THIS STRANGE AND FAMILIAR PLACE to Roxanne McCleary Erica O'Rourke's winner is Tessa Van Diest.  Winner of Scorched ARC giveaway by Mari Mancusi was Anastasia Montero Megan Miranda's winner was Ali Kiki Victoria Scott gave THE COLLECTOR swag to Kristina Haecker Kathleen Peacock gave away an annotated copy of Hemlock and the ARC of Thornhill to Megan K. Alyxandra Harvey gave away: Drake Chronicles Books 1-6:  Eli Y A Killer First Date: Rose P, Lea, Stephanie P, Holly R, Destiney R Languish: Maud G, Danny M, Fatema A, Rachel S, Kim Vampire Bites: Tal R Mindi Scott gave away a copy of FREEFALL and LIVE THROUGH THIS for Kris and Kim. Jessica Shrivington gave away: 1. From my Facebook page                =    Katherine Adams 2. From Embracetheseries FB Page   =    Nicole Kha 3. From Twitter @jessShirvington      =    Vahhaba Lamis @nz_crazy_chick 3. From my blog comments                =    Angelica Joy Erin Underwood gave away a copy of FUTUREDAZE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF YA SCIENCE FICION to Tonya Cool Jennifer Armentrout gave away a signed copy of Apollyon plus Hebel Designs' Wait for You inspired bracelet to Marissa Walker Kat Evangelista's winner was Tessa Van Diest Amy Plum's winner was Lis Carcamo Amber Argyle's winners are:  Alisha M Blanchard wins a signed copy of Witch Born, 3 bookmarks, and 3 bookplates Grace wins an ebook of Witch Song Jen Stasi wins an ebook of Winter Queen

Last Day of YASH

The Young Adult Scavenger Hunt ends today at 12 PT so if you want a chance at some awesome signed bookish swag, enter before it's too late!

Movie News: Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters to be Released One Week Earlier

Who else is excited to hear that SOM is coming out one week earlier on Aug 7th???? I loved The Lightning Thief even though it was meant for a younger demographic.  It was funny, you must admit it.  "This is a pen."  And can't forget about Grover.

While I was doing "research" aka stalking Jake Abel and Max Irons a little while ago, I discovered that SOM was supposed to be released the same weekend as The Host.  However, it was decided that SOM would be in 3D so it got pushed back to summer.  I'm not a fan of 3D, but I think this is one movie that would be pretty awesome in that format, getting to see all that ancient Greek mythian magic come to life.

The new SOM still

I'm a Winner, Winner! : Reading Olympics 2013

I am a winner!  Well, I showed up to the competition and was on a team that got over 50 points so I got a blue ribbon automatically.  However, I really shouldn't have gotten this ribbon because I didn't answer any of the questions. I only read 4/45 books, so I was next to useless besides the questions on Divergent by Veronica Roth, but then again everybody read that book so I stand by my original position that I was next to useless.

The entire team owes it to Meghan and her twin for being an awesome captain! She knew the majority of the answers, having the devotion to actually read the titles and really was a huge part in our victory.  No one else could be more deserving of this ribbon, and I'm glad she was able to end senior year with a victory!

I have participated in Reading Olympics from 5th-8th grade and then again this year in 11th.  Last night I was reminded of the excitement, laughs, and competition that comes with the club.  I wish I had read more books, but now I know what to do for next year.  Watch out other schools in the county!

To any people in my school: This is a really cool club.  Or just join for the free shirt and pizza.

Reading Olympics Competition Tonight!

Tonight's the big night!  It's the night of the competition.  reading Olympics is a county wide thing, the list varying for each area but the premise is simple.  You've got all year to read the books on the list, and then in April you get your team together and meet at one school where a whole bunch of other teams from all over come.  there are 3 rounds.  20 random but specific questions about the books are asked.  If the other team doesn't get the answer right, you have the opportunity to answer.  It's actually very fun, especially if you read the books, but I have only read 4/45 books so I think I'm going to be the LVP (Least valuable player).  And our team name is NERDS GONE WILD.  Wish us luck!!!!!!!


If you want to check out the list, look under "book challenges" because Crystal challenged herself to read them all.

YA2U Author Event Announced

Remember that old competition thing to bring YA authors to your town?  Well, details on the winning town and the events (notice the s on the end of "events") were released   Here's the email Mrs. Beth Revis sent me:

Winning Cities Announced

Read below to discover when and where our YA2U stop will be.

Hello All!

First, we want to thank you for participating in the YA2U program. This was a unique program, and the first we've ever done, and we never dreamed it would be as big as it became! More than 12,000 people entered, and we are so inspired by your participation and enthusiasm.

The winning cities were announced online, but before we talk about that, we want to emphasize that even if your city didn't win, that doesn't mean we won't be stopping by. We've shared the information about which cities were eager to have us with our publishers, and hope that means your city is more on the radar for future tours. And we're working behind the scenes to visit more cities on our own. Travel is often expensive for authors, but because we know you want us in Boise and Calgary, Shreveport and Toronto, and even more cities beyond, we're going to do our best to include you in future travels. We also encourage you to get in touch with your librarians and teachers, and ask them to request us for events. We can work with you on grants and other means to fund events in your area.

WINNING CITIES:

The winning city of the 2013 YA2U program was....Cookeville, TN! And because the third-place city, Shelby, NC, is close enough to Cookeville, we're able to do two events! We're also going to be making a video just for the second-place winning city, Lewisville, TX (parts of the video will be accessible online at a later date for everyone).

EVENTS INFORMATION:

COOKEVILLE, TN:

School Visit: Open only to students at Algood Middle School
Day & Time: April 9, 1pm
Location: Algood Middle School Auditorium
Books Sold On Site By: Books-a-Million
Event: We'll be doing a panel discussion with the students, followed by a question and answer session and signing. This is just for the kids at Algood, as it was their votes--organized by the wonderful Ms. Young--that led to Cookeville winning.

Public Visit: Open to EVERYONE!
Day & Time: April 9, 6pm
Location: Algood Middle School Auditorium
Books Sold On Site By: Books-a-Million
Event: We'll be doing a panel discussion with the students, followed by a question and answer session and signing. This event is open to everyone, is free, and should be a lot of fun! Please come by with your questions. You're welcome to bring your books from home, but BAM! will be on-site to sell copies as well.

SHELBY, NC:

School Visit: Open only to students in the Cleveland County School District
Day & Time: April 10, 1pm
Location: The Board Room in the new central office building (formerly Shelby Middle School). Seating limited to 200 people.
Books Sold On Site By: TBD
Event: We'll be doing a panel discussion with the students, followed by a question and answer session and signing. Each school in the district will be coordinating which students attend this function.

Public Visit: Open to EVERYONE!
Day & Time: April 10, 7pm
Location: The Board Room in the new central office building (formerly Shelby Middle School). Seating limited to 200 people.
Books Sold On Site By: TBD
Event: We'll be doing a panel discussion with the students, followed by a question and answer session and signing. This event is open to everyone, is free, and should be a lot of fun! Please come by with your questions. You're welcome to bring your books from home, but there will be a vendor on-site to sell copies as well.

LEWISVILLE, TX:

Video Visit: The logistics of having a Skype visit open to everyone may be a little prohibitive at this time. We're currently working to record one of the visits, with a special message to Lewisville, and present the DVD to libraries and the school district. We're also going to try to have a visit later on in the year, if we can get funding. More info as this comes available.

-- 

Beth Revis

Author of the New York Times bestselling Across the Universe series
www.facebook.com/acrosstheuniversebook
www.acrosstheuniversebook.com

www.bethrevis.com

Across the Universe: Available now

A Million Suns: Available now

Shades of Earth: Available January 2013