I almost feel like a bad blogger because I haven't done any follower giveaways. I've done lots of giveaways- but no big milestone ones. Maybe it's because I don't feel like I've hit anything TOO big.
But now I'm at 350 followers (eeeek!!!) and I can't believe it- and it got me to thinking, how close is that to 500?! Crazy talk!
So I promised on Twitter that I've got a really fantastic giveaway planned out in my head, which I was going to use for the Back to Books Giveaway Hop but it's just so BIG I figure that I should save it for something BIGGER.
Something like 500 followers big.
I'm not going to say the exact details of it yet; but I'll give you a teaser. There will be many prizes. Special prize "packs" for readers, reviewers, and writers.
And depending on when I reach 500 followers so I can start the giveaway - there may be an ARC or two to give away as well. Most likely from Penguin ;)
So here's what I need YOU to do (that's you, right there, on the other side of the computer screen):
SPREAD THE WORD.
And if you aren't a follower yet, then follow so you can join in on the fun! I love talking about books, discussing books, reading books and reviewing books.. so don't be shy! Get involved, because as much as I do this for myself, I also do it for you! I love feedback of any kind.
Tell all your book loving friends, and then have them tell they're friends. Super easy.
How about a tweet like:
"@EverAfterEsther promised a huge 500 follower giveaway - help us reach that! http://everafteresther.blogspot.com"
"Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark..."
Have you heard of the Night Creatures series by Marianne de Pierres?
I'd been eyeing Burn Bright (the first book) for weeks before I finally caved and ordered it- all the way from Australia. (you can already read my review HERE for it! It got 5 stars from me!)
Burn Bright is published by Random House Australia but is currently unavailable overe here on our side of the world.
I was not disappointed when I read it. Burn Bright is fabulous- the story is so creepy and dark, yet enticing all at the same time. Kind of like Ixioin.
Maybe I just haven't read enough books, but Burn Bright was unlike anything I've ever read.
The sad part is that there aren't any plans (as of now) to bring Burn Bright to the US/Canada, although it will be published in Turkey fairly soon. So to hold you over until then, I'm offering a copy of Burn Bright to one lucky winner from the US or Canada (because I ordered an extra copy! See how much I love all of you?)
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, YOU GUYS WANT THIS.
But for those of you who are cautious, or just haven't heard about this book before, I'm including some book related content to get you all excited.
Burn Bright has a fabulous webpage here that you can check out.
You can also read more about it on Goodreads (where you can see all the great reviews it's been getting).
I'm also including the book trailer at the bottom of this post from the website.
BUT WAIT- there's more!
Strangemore has an interview with Marianne de Pierres, along with her campaign to Bring Burn Bright to the US (can I add Canada to this?)! Link up your reviews, sign the petition, spread the word - right HERE.
Finally, the summary from Goodreads for you (just to give you a tiny idea of what it's about): Into a world of wild secrets and deadly pleasures comes a girl whose innocence may be her greatest strength.
In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . .
Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.
But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.
When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?
Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?
Now for the giveaway. All you need to do is be a follower and comment on a review. Super easy, super quick and you're done! Giveaway ends on August 29, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. You can also tweet once per day for extra entries.
UPDATE: I added this to my review of Burn Bright, but I received an e-mail from a reader, letting me know that Fishbond Books has Burn Bright and offers free shipping. And as well, you can buy Burn Bright from the Book Depository in e-book format (click here to go to the page to buy it). Great news, and thank you for sharing, Adva!
The winner of the Crossroads signed book and crystal heart necklace giveaway is Sierra (#82)! She has already confirmed her prize, so congratulations to her!
If you didn't win, then get ready for another round! Because I have TWO more giveaways starting today which will be posted soon!
And again, a big thank you to Mary for offering these prizes for a giveaway!
A few weeks ago Mary also did an author interview with me; thank you so much for joining me at Esther's Ever After, Mary! She is such a friendly woman, and I love the thoughtful answers she gave to my questions. There's also a tidbit about a Crossroads sequel... ;)
How are you and Claudia similar?
I have to confess. Claudia is very much like me. I was naïve and very sheltered growing up. It’s not so much that my parents sheltered me; I think I did it to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I was very social and had many friends, but I liked staying home rather than going out. Just like Claudia, I was always grateful and thankful for everything and still am.
You’ve said before that parts of Crossroads are based off of your dreams. Can you tell us which parts specifically are inspired by your dreams and life?
Chapter one is where I first started writing my story. It was easy to put it on paper because I was basically writing out my dream. The only part that I made up was Michael. Too bad I really didn’t dream about him…lol!!! Even though there was someone telling me to go back, no name was mentioned in my dream, only a bright light. I was pretty sure, she was female. Also, chapter two was based on my real dream. The part where I enter a room thinking that it was a classroom, but it looked more like a church. My friend gave me one last hug and she lifted a heavy burden off my chest. I don’t remember if she said anything to me, but she did give me a hug and then she let go.
This is one part that confused me- why are there two Claudia Emersons?
There are two Claudia Emerson because when I started writing this story, I basically started writing what happened to me in high school. I had a friend who had the same name as me. We attended the same Catholic church. We looked alike: same height, same hair style, and people would get us confused. She did know a lot more about fashion and boys. She also passed away the way Patty describes it on the phone, expect it was prom. She was the prom queen and her date was the prom king. No matter how long it has been, when someone you care about leave this world, you never forget them. The pain may lessen, but the memories are forever. Because this story is part of me, I didn’t take it out. I figure if there were questions, I could explain.
Besides Michael, who’s your favourite angel from Crossroads?
That would have to be Davin. I had so much fun writing about him. He is sweet, funny, and very friendly. Davin is also someone I knew who passed away. He was what you can say, everyone’s best friend. He also passed away in a tragic car accident. So in memory of my dear friend, I named this character after him.
Will there be a sequel?
YES!!! I had so many positive feedbacks and the readers are asking for more. Also, I had so much fun writing about these characters, they’ve become part of my life.
If so, can you tell us any hints about it?
Everybody is wondering about Austin. He will play a bigger role and as there will be more angels on earth. Do you have the rest of the story planned out already or are you going to let it “write itself” so to speak? I have somewhat planned out, but I like to start from chapter one. When I can’t decide which way to go, I take a break. I think in the shower, while I’m cooking, driving, and even when I’m sleeping…lol!!! Writing book one was easy because it was what I experienced: new car, first job, attending church, camping, falling in love and my dreams. Book two will be a bit challenging because there are more characters involved. The last few chapters are the hardest for me...how to end the story.
What was the hardest part about self-publishing a book?
The hardest part is that you basically have to do everything yourself. I was lucky to have had several wonderful friends who help me organize and edit. They were not professionals, but they did a great job. Being traditionally published now helps with reaching medias that only will accept traditionally published books; it will also be edited by professionals. Do you have any tips for writers? I sure do. First draft, getting it all down. Write down everything that you can think of, even if it doesn’t make sense because you can go back and delete. Then write details. Third, emotions-gotta have the emotions. Place yourself inside the character’s mind. What is that character thinking and feeling. You can never be too young or too old to write. If you are inspired to write, do it! Never in my wildest dream did I ever thought that I would publish a book… and here I am! Same thing can happen to anyone if you just believe. :)
What’s the most important thing you want readers to take away from Crossroads?
I give subtle hints about lessons in life. I started writing when my grandmother passed away. It was a way for me to heal her passing. Gamma is inspired by my grandmother. I had many emails letting me know how this book has touched them in a special way because they’ve lost their loved ones or how chapter two had happened to them too. I hope that this book helps them heal as it did for me. There are many readers who have lost loved ones. There are no words that can ever comfort them. But knowing that our loved ones are somewhere, whether we want to call this place Heaven or not, and that they are happy and at peace, can give us great comfort. Also, I’m going to sound like a parent, but… don’t forget to call and visit your parents and grandparents. Sometimes we get so busy with our lives that we tend to forget to call or visit. You may one day wish you had done it more often.
I kind of forgot to post my mailbox from last week, so this week includes a small highlight of books I also received last week as well as this week's books. These past couple weeks have been AWESOME in terms of books received :) There are so many good ones I've just been itching to get in to! And as you can see, I'm really going to a busy few months ahead of me for reading.
Received July 31-August 6:
Starcrossed by Josepine Angelini (purchased from BD)
Across the Universe by Beth Ravis (purchased from BD)
Die for Me by Amy Plum (purchased from BD)
A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine (purchased from BD)
Alcestis by Katharine Beutner (from Soho Press for review)
ARC The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (won from S&S in a Goodreads giveaway)
On Wednesday, August 10th I had a fantastic opportunity to attend the Penguin Canada HQ in Toronto where I got to discuss YA books and Penguin with some other great book lovers and the wonderful folks at Penguin Canada. As a thank you, they very graciously allowed us to select some goodies to take home with us! These are probably my favourite picks this week :)
The Replacementn by Brenna Yovanoff (same name as me!)
ARC of A Million Suns by Beth Ravis (TBR: January 10, 2012)
ARC of Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer (TBR: January 24, 2012)
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
Bloodrose's release has been moved up from February 2012 to January 2012! Very exciting news, which is sure to please everyone ;)
Finally, there are some very cool e-books I received since the beginning of August:
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Released: December 2, 2010 Dutton ISBN13:9780525423270
5/5 Stars!
Goodreads Synopsis: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?
I've only heard people raving about how good Anna is, and I was in the mood for something lighter so I picked this one up. Stephanie Perkins definitely doesn't disappoint with Anna and the French Kiss! If I had only read the description, I never would have been interested in it but it really is fantastic.
Perkins' writing is humorous and lively, and easily captures her reader's attention. The whole story flows so well together, and it reads almost as if you were reading Anna's journal with her rambling thoughts. Normally, I find that this writing would detract from the story but with Anna it just added so much character and flavour!
The development of both characters and relationships is wonderful; you can really feel it building and everything progresses so naturally. There's nothing forced about it.
This is a lovely, sweet read that will really make you ache with nostalgia for those giddy crush feelings. Who hasn't felt this way as a teenager? And here we get to relive all of that with Anna and St. Clair, particularly after she realizes she's in love with them.
Most importantly, Perkins demonstrates wonderfully powerful emotions in her novel, whether it's through the absolute confusion between St. Clair and Anna as they try to sort out their feelings, or the strength and intensity of friendship and the role of forgiveness in relationships.
Anna and the French Kiss is a sweet, beautiful coming of age story that will stick with you and make it hard to forget. It is such a fun, light read and one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time.
A big THANK YOU to Ashley from Book Labyrinth who bought this for me as an August RAK gift! I loved it so much :)
Goodreads Synopsis: Benjamin Skyhammer has more than his fair share of problems. He's a magic-less outcast, he's hiding a terrible secret from his best friend and the valuable Relic he found has been stolen. Just when he thinks things couldn't get any worse, he discovers that the human species believes he's a sorcerer bent on destroying their magic powers and they want him dead. Now he must hunt down the real sorcerer and discover the truth behind the threats to humans and their magic powers.
Benjamin Skyhammer's story is one of the ultimate underdog; there is really nothing particularly special or attractive about Skyhammer. And the world Nicole Sheldrake creates for him is just bursting with ideas and stories for the reader to experience.
The same goes for Sheldrake's characters; they're vibrant and complex living in an elaborate world filled with magic. Reading about these characters in such a world is thorougly enjoyable; but it can also become extremely confusing and complicated. I found myself wishing for more details about the other species and Skyhammer's past but few were given. When I started reading, it even felt like I had entered the middle of a story because so much had happened which I just didn't understand and the book didn't explain well enough.
The characters were lively, but Skyhammer was difficult to relate to. He had such tunnel vission and was really obsessive about his ideas, and this caused him to act so cold at other times. His reactions just didn't always feel...human, and about halfway through I didn't feel like I cared about what happened at the end. Higgins, on the other hand, was fascinating and I loved reading about her and seeing the part she played in the plot.
The development also felt slow, but when the plot went through its transitions they happened so quickly that I would have to stop and look over what had just happened. Without spoiling anything, I also wasn't pleased with the ending becaues it wasn't consistent with everything else we had previously been told about in the book, specifically one character who was described as being a cold, bitter individual but yet her actions at the end were supposedly self-sacrificing in order to save the rest of the world.
It's a decent read, and I did enjoy parts of it but I felt equally frustrated and disappointed at the same time and so I didn't particularly like it. I do have to commend Sheldrake for her depth and imagination in creating Skyhammer's story.
Review copy provided from author in exchange for an honest review.
Every Friday, Parajunkee hosts Follow my Book Blog Friday! So welcome to another stop on this hop!
It's fairly simple- follow the hosting blog, the feature blog, and then use the links to discover new blogs to follow! And if someone follows you, be kind and follow back! It's a fun way to find new bloggers to read :)
Q. How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? or If you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently?
My reading habits actually haven't changed much, but they haven't had much time too since I was a teen (haha). The biggest difference is probably how much I read (I read a lot more now then I used to then) and how I critique the books I read. My study habits seem to have rubbed off on me in other ways, so that I tend to appraise novels in the same way I would an article for school. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing yet!
Thank you for hopping over to visit my blog! Make sure to share yours in the comments and I'll make sure to visit and follow back! :)
Also, look around on here to find different things like some recent reviews and a giveaway for a copy of Crossroads and a Swarovski crystal heart necklace from the author, Mary Ting.
