Friday, April 30, 2010

Blog Hop Friday!!

This week I'm participating in the Blog Hop, hosted by Crazy For Books! Here's what she says about the hop:

ABOUT THE HOP:
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all book bloggers and readers a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!

Looking forward to finding some great new blogs out there!!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday : Beautiful Darkness

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.


Beautiful Darkness by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

releasing: October 26, 2010

Description from Goodreads:
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen. Sometimes life-ending. Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

The first is this series is completely fantastic (you can see my review here), so I can't wait to see what is next for Lena & Ethan!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Winners of my 75 Followers Contest!!


The lucky winners of my 75 Followers Contest have been chosen! It took me a few days to calculate all the entries, but now I'd like to congratulate the winners:

1st place: Sara of YA Vampire Books

2nd place: Spav of Fiction Kingdom

Thanks so much to all who entered and to all my readers!! Don't be too bummed if you didn't win, you can always check under the banner for the next great contest and enter away!!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

In My Mailbox (14) & More!!!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!

I was a super good girl this week and didn't purchase anything new! :) (Ok, so maybe it had something to do with the fact that book depository wasn't delivery to the US for most of the week.) And nothing new for review, but that is all ok---because I always have my loverly library. This week I brought home these three: The Girl who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

To my readers: Do you prefer the description to be posted right here on the blog or do you mind clicking the link to Goodreads to find out the details? Just curious!! :)


Ok so my haul was not huge this week, and I don't mind at all because it was an exciting book-related week all the same!!! WHY, you ask? Well, my hubby built my early mother's day gift, that's why!! Take a look!!A FULL WALL of BOOKSHELFY GOODNESS!! Before this, I had one small store bought bookshelf in that far corner there, where my sad books were piled two deep fighting for space. NOW they will have room to breath! My head is spinning with how I will organize them!! Yay for my handy hubby!! I love my new shelves!! I can't wait to start filling them!!

OH and last but not least..I did get one more new thing this week,
although not book related. A new addition to my family!!
Introducing Little Bear ♥♥♥

Hope everyone had a great week!! Link me up to what you got! :)

Friday, April 23, 2010

Interview with Abra Ebner & Knight Angels Giveaway!


I'd like to welcome Knight Angels author, Abra Ebner,
to Stories & Sweeties!!

Describe Knight Angels in your own words.

Knight Angels is my second series, and I believe that changes everything. My first series was from the hip, but Knight Angels is a lot better orchestrated. I believe the complexity of characters is, quite frankly, a lot more fun! I love having four narrators, because the secrets seem juicer—you feel like a part of it. It’s addicting in that respect, much like a soap opera. When the scene changes, you find yourself (I found myself, even after reading a million times) wanting to read just a little bit more. There’s always something happening.

Is there a planned release schedule for the following books in the series?

I know that Book Two: Book of Revenge, will be this summer, but after that, there’s no telling. I’m planning for four books, but we’ll see how the story goes; it all depends on that.

Can you tell a little about how you got interested in writing?

I’ve always loved writing, but it never dawned on me to actually write until I studied abroad. I didn’t have a TV, and books were rather pricey. I decided to start writing my own books to pass time. It wasn’t until 6 years later when something finally came of it.

Tell us about your ideal writing space.

The couch. I know it sounds uncomfortable, and it is at times (need a new couch), especially after sitting for six hours—as I have at this moment. I don’t do well sitting at a desk, even though I have a lovely office. Sometimes I’ll sit in bed, but that’s dangerous because I forget to stop and eat. When this is all you want to do, it’s hard to remain and active member of society.

What is your inspiration for Knight Angels and the characters in it?

My own life, as I’m sure it is for most people. I was an observer when I was young. I never talked much, but I still had many friends from all planes of popularity and personality. My high school boyfriend died in a car wreck, and I suppose that’s where I get the idea for guardian angels. My boyfriends and friends were always different from one another, sometimes drastically. I’ve seen it all, so to speak, and they’re all in there somewhere.

How would you describe your writing style?

From the hip. Even though I said I plan a little more now, that still doesn’t mean much. I like the story to surprise me as well, not just my readers. First and foremost, my books are meant to entertain, including me.

Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now?

Right now I am reading Wicked Lovely, but that changes fast. When I get on a roll, I will read a book every two days. Sunday I read Shiver (loved it) and today, Wednesday, it’s Wicked Lovely.

Favorite books this year include: Hush, hush; Fallen; The Immortals Series; Shiver; and Beautiful Creatures…

What kind of books did you love to read as a teenager?

Harry Potter was my favorite—but that’s a given. I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. That was probably my favorite, though I think I was twenty by then. I also fell in love with Lovely Bones and Time Traveler’s Wife. When you’re young, those are electric.

Which of the characters that you've written is your favorite?

Probably… Elle, from Feather Book Series, but Max from Knight Angels rivals that. I had meant for Jane to be my favorite, but then I loved Max more!

I just got my hands on one of your previous novels, Parallel, about a boy who gets launched into the future. If you could go anywhere in time, future or past, where would it be?

Third grade. I loved my teacher, Mrs. Livingston. I swear I learned nothing that year other than the importance of being creative and open. Many mothers had a fit, but not mine. My Parents have always supported my free-thinking and creativity. They sent me to Art School after all.

Now for a few fun questions:

Favorite snack while writing?

Orange Juice and Peanut M&M’s (really helps when I forget to eat—sugar)

Favorite movie?

Thomas Crown Affair—I can’t watch it enough. And then Becoming Jane Austen—Male lead is, well, hot!

Favorite color?

Blue and Pink

Favorite band and song?

Dave Matthews Band—You and Me

Favorite teacher from your school years?

Mrs. Livingston!!!

You can find more info on Abra and her books at her website!

And because I absolutely loved her newest book, Knight Angels, I am giving away a copy (not my copy! I'm keepin' that!!) to one lucky winner!! I'm keeping this giveaway sweet and simple---all you have to do to enter is comment with your email and your favorite fact about Abra! On May 15th, I will choose a post number with a random number generator. Unfortunately, I have to keep this one within the U.S. and Canada, but for my international friends, please feel free to enter if you have someone in the U.S. who is willing to ship it to you!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Review: Knight Angels by Abra Ebner


Knight Angels by Abra Ebner

publisher: Crimson Oak Publishing

release date: April 26th (but its shipping now)
paperback, 395 pages

intended audience: Young adult

rating:



Description from author's website:
When I think of death, I don’t see what everyone else does. There’s a soft whisper when you find it, and a voice telling us that everything will be okay.

We never die alone, because they are always there watching over us, protecting us, and guiding us. They are s
ilent, like a simple gust of wind, but it is in that wind that our world can change.
Mine did.


When the accident hap
pened, and my father died, I was there. I saw them. I can’t remember their faces, but I know they weren’t human.

There were two—one
was the murderer, and one was my knight. I was spared. Ever since, the nightmares of death haunt me.
Somewhere deep inside, I know that I should have died.


Review: I'd been eager to read this book since I first discovered it on the author's website a few months back. The gorgeous cover drew me in first and when I finally cracked the book open, I was anything but disappointed! What a fantastic, whirlwind of a story! This book was told chapter by chapter, alternating between the points of view of the four main characters: Jane, her younger sister Emily, their lifelong friend Wes, and the mysterious new guy Max. This was the perfect format for this story. Because there was so much going on with each character, it really gave you a good sense of connection with each one. I have to say, I loved all four of them. Each of their relationships between eachother was complicated and real. The story was exciting and moved fast, with little pieces of the plot falling into place with every turn of the page. You feel the love and the confusion, the danger and the helplessness against the enemy, the wonder at all the magick...definitely not one to be missed!

The second of this series is due out this summer and I'm so excited to see what happens next!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday : Glimmerglass

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

release date: May 25, 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin

Description:
Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .

It's not hard to see why I am anxiously awaiting this one. The story sounds fantastic: faeries and Avalon?? I can't wait! I also can't wait to see this book up close...if it is this gorgeous on my computer screen, I can only imagine how breathtaking it will be close up!!