Dancergirl by Carol Tanzman

DANCERGIRL

by Carol Tanzman


Young Adult

HarlequinTeen
www.CarolTanzman.com

5 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, December 2, 2011!

About the Book:

A friend posts a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm "dancergirl." And suddenly it's like me against the world--everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy--even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali, "dancergirl." Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the Author here:

1) Thinking back to the way beginning, whatss the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

Location, location, location. Although character development is obviously crucial, paying attention to the setting is so important. DANCERGIRL is the first in a series of contemporary YA thrillers set in Brooklyn, NY (even though I now live in L.A.). I always go location scouting with my camera and take lots of pictures. So many times it's the smallest detail in the setting that ends up being crucial. Especially when writing action scenes, what's actually in the environment -objects, the way the moon creates certain shadows, how far the ledge is from the water's edge - helps bring a fresh perspective to the writing.

2) No matter how many books you write, I'm sure each one has it's own challenges. How was this book more challenging to write than your others? How was it easier?

The biggest challenge was keeping all the threads in balance. Like most teens, Ali has a busy life. School, the dance studio, her friends, the Internet... juxtaposing her "real" life with the thriller aspect that starts to taunt -and haunt--her was tricky. The easiest part was writing about dance. I was a performer in high school, college, and beyond (mostly theatre, some dance) so I completely understand Ali's love for performing.

3) What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of and why?

Most of the book is tense and exciting. Ali and her best friend Jacy have serious problems - and their long-term friendship has frayed. In this scene, however, Ali has come back after a weekend away. For one brief a moment, they go back in time.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jacy says. "I don't want to talk about anything serious. Let's eat crabs, fight over the remote, and pretend things are exactly the way they used to be. Before this f---ed-up year ever started."

I grab the Batman action figure. With my best Caped Crusader voice I say, "Don't be sad, Jacy!"

He doesn't even crack a smile, so I toss him the rabbit. "Show me your stuff, One-Ear."

Jacy raises an eyebrow. "How come I have to be the rabbit? I am so clearly the superhero."

"No way! I'm Batman's Queen!"

On the word queen I move the action figure's plastic leg and kick the rabbit in the head.
Jacy extends the rabbit's paws. "ZZZZZZAP. You are so lasered!"

The battle is on. By the time Mom calls, "Dinner!" Jacy and I are laughing our heads off. Neither of us notices that poor rabbit's remaining ear hangs by a thread.

4) Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what's your favorite part of the process? What's your least favorite?

Unlike most authors, I really like to rewrite. Especially when I have an editor who asks important questions along with their notes. Then I really can hone the characters, their motivations, and make sure the plot has no holes (very important in a thriller). My least favorite part is marketing the book once it's published. I'd much rather hide in my room and write new stuff!

5) If you could choose one dessert or snack food that you could eat as much as you want of (and never gain an ounce!) what would it be?

Vanilla bean ice cream, farmer's market strawberries on the side, both drizzled with a "Crema" balsamic vinegar that I discovered in Italy. The vinegar adds a chocolately taste with a little bit of bite to it. So delicious.

About the Author:

Carol Tanzman was an abstract chicken in a mime company, a stage manager in Germany where her major responsibility was making sure the sheep entered and exited on cue, and an award-winning theatre director. Her first YA novel THE SHADOW PLACE was on the YALSA Quick Pick List, the ALAN list of Best Books, and the CA Collection. DANCERGIRL is the first in a series of contemporary YA thrillers for Harlequin Teen. Visit the author online at: www.CarolTanzman.com.

**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!

Skyship Academy - Winners!

5 lucky winners will be receiving a free autographed copy of Skyship Academy!

And here they are...

1) Julie Witt
2) Kara Mackie
3) Rebecca Day
4) Arka Ghosh
5) John Fry

If you didn't win, but still want to read Skyship Academy, you can order your own copies on Amazon by clicking here!

Or find it in our Free Book Friday Amazon Store!

Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James

SKYSHIP ACADEMY
THE PEARL WARS

by Nick James


YA Sci Fi

Flux
www.NickJamesBooks.com

5 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, November 25, 2011!

About the Book:

A devastated Earth's last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers—political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth's stratosphere—and the corrupt Surface government.

Jesse Fisher, a Skyship slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable—and dangerous—abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess.

Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn't know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.

"A definite must-read!"—JAMES DASHNER, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the Author here:

1) How did you get the idea for the novel?

Initially, the story developed from the opening scene. The book begins with the protagonist, Jesse Fisher, hanging from the side of a twelve-story building as his opponent threatens to knock him off. That first chapter came to me very clearly when I started writing the initial draft. I wanted to kick everything off with a lot of action and suspense, but that first scene also raised a lot of questions, which got me thinking about the world these characters lived in and the various conflicts and relationships that would be present in the story.

The idea of Skyships and a training academy above the clouds had appeared in drafts and outlines for other stories I'd attempted to write. None of them really panned out, but I held onto elements that I liked and many of my ideas eventually made it into THE PEARL WARS. Also, at the time I started writing this book, I lived in Central Washington. I'm from the Northwest interior of the state, and anyone who's familiar with Washington geography knows that as soon as you cross the Cascade Mountains things are completely different. At the time, I was really inspired by my new desert-like environment and this setting really helped to create the foundation of SKYSHIP's world.

2) Who’s your favorite character in the book and why? Who was the most fun to write?

SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS is unique in that it's told from dual perspectives. So essentially, there are two main characters. I'm very attached to both, and part of the reason I like them so much is that they're so different from one another. Jesse Fisher is the classic underdog--klutzy, sarcastic and underestimated by everyone (including himself). Cassius Stevenson, on the other hand, is the perfect soldier--driven, confident and athletic. I love writing them both. If I had to pick one over the other, I guess it would be Jesse. He's got such a dry sense of humor that's incredibly fun to write. What I like best is writing the dialogue between the two of them when they're together in a scene.

3) When you set out to write a book, are you usually sparked by a story idea or a character?

Both. When it's an idea, it's usually a specific scene that sparks in my mind first. In fact, I'd actually say the same about character. I usually start with a very dramatic scene (like the one that opens SKYSHIP) in mind. This scene often provokes questions that snowball into more and more ideas for the story. Even when the seed is a specific character, I often start by imagining an interaction or conflict they might have with another character. It grows from there. For SKYSHIP, I think it was really a combination of the two. I had definitely been wanting to create a story with two opposing teen boys that were very different from one another. At the same time that I created the characters of Jesse and Cassius, the idea of the opening rooftop scene came into my mind.

4) If there was one thing about Jesse Fisher's life that you’d like to have in your own life, what would it be? What about the one thing about his life that you’d NEVER want to have?

I would like to be able to explore the technology that Jesse's exposed to. I mean, how cool would it be to get to visit a Skyship? Just to have an entire community living above the clouds would be pretty trippy. I don't think I'd ever get tired of exploring the various ships of the Skyship Community. That's one of the things I enjoyed thinking about the most as I was writing this book. It's incredibly fun to invent an entire new world.

The thing I'd like least is all of the questions and pressure Jesse faces. In a lot of ways, he's pretty isolated. His parents are dead, making him one of the only orphans aboard the Academy, and it's clear from the onset of the book that the faculty doesn't quite understand what to do with him. He's constantly forced to live up to an ideal that really doesn't interest him. And worse yet, people are keeping secrets from him. That's the worst feeling in the world.

5) If your book were to be turned into a movie, would your dream cast be?

I'm a big movie buff, so this is definitely something I've given some thought or the years. Here's what I'm thinking for some of the key characters, both heroic and less so:

Skyshippers:

Jesse Fisher - Joel Courtney: In Super 8, he had the sensitive, troubled teen down pat. Of all the young actors right now, he's got the chops to anchor a movie like this.

Avery Wicksen – Christa B. Allen: The first of two actresses from ABC’s Revenge that are on my cast list. Her character on the show is, in a lot of ways, opposite of Avery, but I think she has the look for the part and would be a believable crush to any teen boy.

Eva Rodriguez – She’s the hardest one to place, and it’s more a testament to who’s appearing (and who isn’t appearing) in movies these days. We’d need a strong, young Latina actress—someone who can hang with the boys and not be intimidated by battle. I’m open to suggestions!

Skandar Harris – Alex Esmail: I recently saw Attack The Block and just couldn’t stop seeing Skandar in Esmail’s character, Pest. He’s got that perfect mix of funny and scrappy. Plus, he’s British!

Captain Alkine - There are a lot of actors who could play this grizzled old war veteran, but I think Avatar's Stephen Lang would strike the right amount of fear into Jesse and the rest of the Academy.

Unified Party:

Cassius Stevenson - Connor Jessup: Cassius has perhaps the most dramatic character arc in the book, but if Jessup can hang with aliens in TNT's Falling Skies, I think he'd do great here.

Madame - Madelaine Stowe: Watching ABC's Revenge, I'm transfixed at how Madame-like Madelaine's character is. Plus, she can pull off that "is she or isn't she evil?" dichotomy perfectly.

About The Author:

Nick James grew up in the small island town of Anacortes, Washington. He graduated from Western Washington University and currently works as a substitute teacher in Bellingham. Inspired by the big drama and dialogue of comic books and graphic novels by Brian K. Vaughan and Brian Michael Bendis, James began writing at a young age. His love of fast-paced storytelling led to his debut, Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars, an action-packed science fiction novel for young adults. Visit the author online at: www.NickJamesBooks.com.

**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!

My Unfair Godmother - Winners!

3 lucky winners will be receiving a free autographed copy of My Unfair Godmother!

And here they are...

1) Amanda Lofing
2) Rhonda Johnson
3) Tammy Shelnut

If you didn't win, but still want to read My Unfair Godmother, you can order your own copies on Amazon by clicking here!

Or find it in our Free Book Friday Amazon Store!

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER

by Janette Rallison


YA Fantasy

Walker Books
www.JanetteRallison.com

3 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, November 18, 2011!

About the Book:

Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control.

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the Author here:

1) How did you get the idea for the novel?

I’ve always loved fairy tales. (As a child, when adults asked me what I was going to be when I grew up, I told them I was going to be a princess. I was so disappointed when I realized that princess wasn’t a viable career option.) The fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin never made any sense to me though. Why did Rumpelstiltskin want the queen’s baby? Why would anybody want to marry a king that had just threatened to kill you if you didn’t spin straw to gold? And why in the world did the king believe the miller’s daughter could actually do such a thing? Was he stupid or just looking for an excuse to kill her? I got to answer all of those questions in My Unfair Godmother and add a lot of fun twists too.

2) This would make a great film. Any talks of turning your book into a movie?

The movie rights for the companion book, My Fair Godmother, have been purchased, so who knows—there could be a string of fairy godmother movies. When I wrote these books, I wanted to create stories that were like my favorite movie: The Princess Bride. If these books do get made into movies, I hope they’ll have a similar fun feel to them.

3) Let's talk about your main character, Tansy. How did you think her up and is there any of you in her?

Tansy is basically a good girl who’s flirting with the rebellious crowd in order to get back at her dad. He left the family years ago when her parents divorced, and she’s never forgiven him for it. In that way, I’m not at all like Tansy. I was about as straight-laced as teenagers come. But in other ways I’m like Tansy. Her fairy godmother gives her a pathetic-o-meter to track her progress out of patheticness. On some days, I could use one of those.

4) Be honest, how many drafts did you have to write for this book? Any horrific scenes that were cut from the original that you want to share?

I was on a deadline, so I had to write this book really fast. There were only two drafts, and then it went to copyedits. The problem was that it was at copyedits when I found out I’d made a huge mistake that the editors hadn’t caught.

Do you know that there is a difference between straw and hay? I didn’t. I thought the words were synonymous. Nope. As it turns out, nothing eats straw. It has no nutritional value. And I had written all of these sentences like, “What will the king feed his horses if I change all the straw to gold?” Um, maybe all that hay that you didn’t change to gold?

Yeah, I tried to catch and change all of those references on the copyedits but one still slipped through anyway.

5) What's up next for you?

I’m always working on something. I’m going to write another Fairy Godmother twisted tale eventually, but right now I’ve been working on a YA fantasy series about kids who have superpowers to fight dragons. The first book is called Slayers and is under the pen name CJ Hill. I hope all my fans will like those books as well.

About the Author:

Janette Rallison is the award winning author of 17 novels and has sold over a million young adult books. Her novels have been on many reading and state lists including IRA Young Adults' Choices List. Her latest release is My Unfair Godmother, which tells the story of what happens when you get an incompetent fairy godmother. Visit the author online at: www.JanetteRallison.com.

**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!

All These Things I've Done - Winners!

3 lucky winners will be receiving a free autographed copy of All These Things I've Done!

And here they are...

1) Freda Mans
2) Callie Stuck
3) Joy Patchell

If you didn't win, but still want to read All These Things I've Done, you can order your own copies on Amazon by clicking here!

Or find it in our Free Book Friday Amazon Store!

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE

by Gabrielle Zevin

Young Adult

Macmillan
www.MemoirSofa.com

3 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, November 11, 2011!

About the Book:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the Author here:

1) Your characters seem so alive and real...what's your secret?

I don't know if it's a secret but I couldn't write a decent character until I was honest with myself about my own flaws. (And strengths!) The other thing is eavesdropping — unrepentant, serial eavesdropping.

2) When you got that first phone call announcing you had sold a novel, how did you celebrate?

This is kind of weird, but I cut my hair really short. When I got the news of the sale, it was like a weight had been lifted off of me, and I wanted my head to feel as light as my heart did.

3) How did you get the idea for the novel?

I've always loved organized crime movies even though the female characters are usually supporting players — wives, girlfriends, hookers — and they're almost never in positions of power. With ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE, I wanted to tell an organized crime story where the female was the lead.

4) Thinking back to the way beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

So many things! But I'd say the importance of a good chair cannot be underestimated.

5) Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

Well, one of the more exciting things from this year was finding out that a British singer named Scott Matthews had written an album inspired by my book, Elsewhere. (You can listen to the titular song HERE.)

About the Author:

Gabrielle Zevin is the author of award-winning books for young adults including Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and Elsewhere. Her books for adults include The Hole We’re In and Margarettown. She was also the screenwriter for Conversations with Other Women, which received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Of her writing, The New York Times Book Review said, “Zevin’s touch is marvelously light even as she considers profundities.” A dog lover and Harvard graduate, she lives in New York City. Visit the author online at: www.MemoirSofa.com.

**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!

Secret Saturdays - Winners!

3 lucky winners will be receiving a free autographed copy of Secret Saturdays!

And here they are...

1) Cara Fernandes
2) Pat Wilcox
3) Danielle Winters

If you didn't win, but still want to read Secret Saturdays, you can order your own copies on Amazon by clicking here!

Or find it in our Free Book Friday Amazon Store!