Waiting on Wednesday

"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.

Body & Soul (Ghost & The Goth #3)
by Stacey Kade

hitting shelves May 29th 2012 from Hyperion

description: STOP if you haven't read this series!! Spoiler for books 1 & 2 ahead!!
The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

My thoughts: Love, love, LOVE this series so far!! Book one was awesome, book two only got better, and I doubt this one will let me down! So far, it's been fun and hilarious and heartfelt (I even cried a few times with book 2). The characters are great, and I hope this won't be the last we get of Alona & Will! Click here and here to check out my reviews of the previous books!

Author interview with Stacey Kade!

Have you read Ghost and the Goth yet?? If not, you really should. It's a fun book. If you haven't had a chance to read my review, you can find it here. I was lucky enough to be able to interview debut author Stacey Kade and get the scoop on this great book of hers!! Thanks, Stacey!


Describe Ghost and the Goth in your own words.
For me, it's always a story about a boy and a girl. In this case, it's a weird boy and a dead girl, but you get the idea. :)

Will we get to see any more of Will and Alona? If so, when will the sequel be out?
Yes, absolutely! Book two, title is still be determined, will be out next summer. And then the third book will be out in summer 2012.

Did you hang out with the Alona crowd or the Will crowd in high school?
The Will crowd. In some ways, he is an easier person for me to understand because his experience in high school was more like mine--minus the ghosts, of course!

Can you tell alittle about how you got interested in writing?
I've been writing for a long time. Even before I could write for myself, I would dictate to my mom who would write it down for me. I have always loved starting stories, but I didn't know how to finish them. It wasn't until I got to college and was REQUIRED to finish a short story for a class that I even knew I could do it.

Tell us about your ideal writing space.
Lots of natural light, a comfy chair, my laptop, and my giant Roswell poster (from the Season Three promotion) for inspiration. :)

How would you describe your writing style?
Oh, boy. I don't know. Let me say this: I aim to be funny and kind of sarcastic while commenting on some aspect of life. Whether I achieve that every time...well, that's more up to you guys to decide! :)


Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now?
I have too many favorite authors! Jane Austen is my favorite "classic" writer. My mentor, Linnea Sinclair, writes fabulous science fiction romance. But I have dozens of authors that I "autobuy" whenever they have new books coming out. Next up on my stack to read is an ARC of Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin. Love her books!

What kind of books did you love to read as a child/teenager?
Anything with a paranormal or science fiction twist to it. I liked the strange stories! And mysteries.

Which of the characters that you've written is your favorite?
Nope, I can't choose. Sorry! I love all of them, though some are easier for me to understand than others.

Fun questions:
Favorite snack while writing?
*Sigh* Raw cookie dough. I know, I know. It's terrible for me and really bad for my keyboard. So I just try not to buy it because if it's the house, I'll eat it!

Favorite movie?
Oh, it's hard for me to choose! I love movies almost as much as I love books. But I will say this, it's summer and my favorite summer movie is Disturbia.

Favorite flower?
Tulips! They're just happy flowers. :)

Favorite band and song?
This fluctuates for me, depending on what I'm writing.

Favorite teacher from your school years?
I have two, actually. Mrs. Koshinski, who taught me to keep a writer's journal, and Mrs. Buske, who was the first person outside my family to say that she thought I had a talent for writing.

Like cupcakes? More cake or more frosting? :)
I do like cupcakes. My favorites are yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and I like an equal balance of both cake and frosting! :)

Be sure to check out Stacey's website!

Review: The Ghost and the Goth

The Ghost and the Goth
by Stacey Kade

publisher: Hyperion books

release date:June 29th, 2010

intended audience:Young Adult

source:Traveling ARC Book Tours

rating:


description from website:
After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit (DON’T call her a ghost) in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast who despises the social elite. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

Review: You know, sometimes stories are just plain fun to read. I guess it's kind of odd to say that about a book where one of the main characters has just been plowed down by a bus, but it's true. The Ghost and the Goth was fun, and despite the grim premise and a few emotional dilemmas mixed it, it stayed light: a perfect summer read.

I absolutely loved the mix of the super popular girl and the antisocial goth boy. Seeing them trying to work out their differences was so amusing and their back-and-forth banter was very funny. I am quickly becoming a huge fan of the method of telling tales in alternating view points. Seeing this one from only one side of their story would have lost so much. I loved getting inside both their heads, especially Alona's, and not only seeing how death did not affect her attitude much at first, but also seeing how she reacted to getting a little taste of her own medicine after her death! I loved the progression of Alona and Will's relationship, it seemed perfectly paced to me, and it constantly keeps you guessing as to whether they will be able to get past all their differences and help each other.

This one was a buyer for me...because I definitely plan to read it again!