BOOK TRAILER LOVE and a HUGE SHOUT-OUT for DON TATE!

Happy Friday! In the spirit of "I need to get writing," here's just a quick shout-out to my fellow Texas Sweetheart (or Scoundrel), Don Tate! Don is the author (not the illustrator) of this upcoming book, and he's created this wonderful book trailer that really does a great job of drawing people into the story! Congrats, Don!

IT JES' HAPPENED: WHEN BILL TRAYLOR STARTED TO DRAW written by Don Tate, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Lee & Low Books, April 2012)





From Amazon:

A biography of outsider artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who at the age of 83 began to draw pictures based on his memories and observations of rural and urban life.

As an enslaved boy on an Alabama farm in the early 1860s, Bill Traylor worked in the hot cotton fields. After slavery ended, Bill's family stayed on the land as sharecroppers.

By the time he was 79, Bill was all alone in the world. Lonely, poor and eventually homeless, he wandered the downtown streets of Montgomery, Alabama. But deep within himself Bill had a reservoir of memories of his lifetime spent on the land. When he was 83 years old, these memories blossomed into pictures. Bill began to draw people and places from his earlier life, as well as scenes from the busy city around him. Today, Bill Traylor is considered one of the most important American self-taught artists.

ALEX VAN HELSING by Jason Henderson

On this subject of the 5th grade boys' book club I run, my favorite part is finding books that I love and that the boys love. Like this one that I picked for our next book meeting.

ALEX VAN HELSING: VAMPIRE RISING by Jason Henderson (Harper, May 4th, 2010)


What is this book? Well, the best thing I can come up with is ALEX VAN HELSING is what happens when Vladimir Tod meets Percy Jackson. Yes, there are vampires in the books. But from the very first sentence until you set the book down late in the night, there is non-stop action, adventure, and a huge dose of vampire mythology. I can already see the movie in my mind.

Five reasons you (or your kid) should read ALEX VAN HELSING:

1) You like young adult books, but you prefer those on the younger end of the scale where heavy romance, bad words, and sexual innuendos have not yet taken over. ALEX VAN HELSING was totally appropriate for 5th grade boys.

2) You love a hero that doesn't automatically know everything. Alex learns along with the rest of us, and I adore his innocent nature.

3) You liked Percy Jackson and are looking for other great books for boys. That said, girls will equally enjoy this series!

4) You think Jason Henderson is cool and enjoy listening to his wacky podcast. Wait, you don't listen? What better time to start than now?

5) You like edge-of-your-seat action and heroes that take big chances with big consequences.

So what are you waiting for? Seriously! Highly recommended!

Source of book: Purchased

(And look, the hardcover is bargain priced on Amazon right now!)





From Amazon:

The Van Helsing name reborn

Fourteen-year-old Alex has no idea that he's descended from the world's most famous vampire hunter, but that changes fast when he arrives at Glenarvon Academy and confronts two vampires in his first three days. Turns out Glenarvon isn't the only school near Lake Geneva. Hidden deep underground lies an ancient university for vampires called the Scholomance. And the deadly vampire clan lord known as Icemaker? You might say he's a visiting professor.

When two of Alex's friends are kidnapped by Icemaker, it's up to Alex to infiltrate the Scholomance and get them back—alive. Assisted by the Polidorium, a top-secret vampire-hunting organization with buried ties to the Van Helsings, Alex dodges zombies, bullets, and lots—and lots—of fangs on his way to thwarting Icemaker's plans and fulfilling his family destiny.

And check out book 2, also!

FOLLOWER LOVE GIVEAWAY: PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver

I'm thrilled to be participating in the FOLLOWER LOVE GIVEAWAY HOP hosted by Inspired Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and co-hosted Rachael Reene Anderson. It's simple. Lots of blogs. Lots of giveaways. Visit them all, and you're bound to win something. The odds are totally in your favor.

To enter other awesome contests, visit all the blogs listed on I am a Reader, Not a Writer!



Up for giveaway this time around is an ARC of a book I've been dying to read! I loved the first book in the series, DELIRIUM, and I can't wait to see where book 2 takes me!

PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver (Harper, February 28, 2012)


From Amazon:

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

*****

It's easy to win! Two things to note...

1) This giveaway is open until 11:59 on February 14, 2012
2) Contest is US and Canada only!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

To enter other awesome contests, visit all the blogs listed on I am a Reader, Not a Writer!

MY VICIOUS VALENTINE: The Do-Not-Miss Austin Author Event!

I know there are tons of author events here in Austin. It's because:

1) Austin is cool (and weird).
2) We have the best indie bookstores in the country (like BookPeople and The Book Spot).
3) Everyone wants to visit Austin for one of the following reasons: good live music, good food, good books.
4) Cedar and Mold promote lots of written words. I'm not exactly sure why this happens, but the proof is in the number of books being pumped out of our community.
5) The Austin Kidlit Community is out of control. Really. Out. Of. Control.

And yes, probably every week you're getting invited to a different author event here in the Lone Star State. But trust me when I tell you that this is one you do not want to miss.

The event is so cool, amazing out-of-town authors will be flying in just for it. Somehow I am included in this lineup, and let me tell you, I am beyond honored.

It's going to be hot. It's going to rock. And it just might be a bit scary, too. And I promise to bring cookies with enough food coloring to dye your pinkie toes red.

***

WHEN: Friday, February 10, 7:00 pm
WHERE: BookPeople, Austin, TX

My Vicious Valentine

YA Author Panel Featuring:

Rosemary Clement-Moore

Jordan Dane

P. J. Hoover

Mari Mancusi

Cynthia Leitich Smith

LA Weatherly

Moderated by Sean Petrie

Join BookPeople when six top YA authors dish* on the devilish, gab about ghosts, and soar with the angels in this panel celebrating spine-tingling stories, supernatural creatures, and perhaps scariest of all, true love.**

*Truly, dish. Awesome secrets will be revealed.
**Their words, not mine.

See you there!

FEATURING: Bethany Hegedus and The Writing Barn

The Writing Barn...what is it?

Maybe you've heard me mention writing there with some of my writing pals. Or maybe you've heard me mention going to the book release party for Jeff Crosby and Shelley Jackson complete with an entire herd of miniature horses. (Are horses in a herd? What is a group of tiny, tiny little ponies called?) Anyway...

...today I want to talk a bit more about what The Writing Barn really is and why you might want to have your next event there. See, Bethany Hegedus and her fiance (soon to be husband) own The Writing Barn. Yes, it really used to be a barn, complete with a horse (not a miniature). But Bethany got the great idea to remodel the place and turn it into the most happening location in Austin for all kinds of events (not just writing). We're talking retreats, workshops, weddings, bed & breakfast. You get the idea.

So today, with the help of Bethany Hegedus herself, are

THE TOP 10 REASONS YOU WANT TO HOLD YOUR NEXT EVENT AT THE WRITING BARN

10. We have comfy workshop chairs. (All the better to keep the butt in the chair)

9. When in need of inspiration, pull a craft book or a novel off the shelf.


8. The workshop space and screened in deck become a party space, with the right lights, music, good food and friends.


7. The instructor can stay overnight in The Barn apartment--providing ease at the end of a long workshop day.


6. The Live Oaks add an ambiance only Mother Nature could provide.

5. We have a fully stocked event cabinet with wine glasses, pitchers, coffee mugs, buffet plates.

4. Buddhas smile down from the shelves. If lucky, the novel will write itself.


3. Access the free WiFi or pretend the internet doesn't exist. Your choice.

2. You never know when the deer will walk by. (Yesterday, Bethany counted 8. They especially like to wander in the mid-morning and near dusk.)


1. You feel like you've left the city without leaving Austin City Limits.

Interested yet? You can get the full scoop and contact Bethany through The Writing Barn website. And make sure, if you have a retreat, to invite me, pretty please!

Fantastic Flying Books

Set aside 15 minutes and watch this video. It's beautiful and captures so perfectly the love of books.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

And thank you to fellow Austin writer Gene Brenek for passing on the link!

GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers ARC Giveaway

I've been a fan of Robin LaFevers since I first discovered her books via Google Alert (long story having to do with The Emerald Tablet). So I bought and read her Theodosia series and fell in love with the world and the writing. And now I'm thrilled to offer up for giveaway an ARC of Robin's latest book, a young adult this time.

GRAVE MERCY: HIS FAIR ASSASSIN BOOK 1 by Robin LaFevers (Houghton Mifflin, April 3, 2012)


I'm going to give you five reason why you will love this book. Five reasons why I loved it. Because I did! And you will, too!

1) You love high fantasy and wish there would be more awesome, original high fantasy in the world of young adult books these days.

2) You appreciate beautiful writing. Robin has a gift with words, and in none of her books before has it shown so well. I've read Robin's Theodosia books and her Nathanial Fludd books and they are fantastic, but her writing is exquisite in GRAVE MERCY. It's the writing craft at its finest.

3) You, like me, think Robin is awesome.

4) You are a sucker for romance. I admit it. Above all else, I love well-done romance. I love when the main characters cannot be together for a valid reason, and the author keeps them apart while at the same time drawing them close together. Yes, you guessed it. GRAVE MERCY is a beautiful example of this.

5) Assassin Nuns? Do I really need to say more?

In short, this book is amazing and at the top of my list of books read. I will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Highly recommended for girls (especially fans of books like THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS) seventh grade and up.

Source of book: From publisher by request



From Amazon:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

So what are you waiting for? Enter the contest already to win! Just fill out the form below!

Note: Contest is US and Canada only!

ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman

I purchased this audiobook via Audible two years ago on the recommendation of some friends, and I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to read. Maybe because it's not Young Adult or Middle Grade, and so much of my reading falls in those categories? Still, the majority of my audiobooks are adult, and after listening to bits and pieces of about five other audiobooks in my library, I finally skimmed down the list until I came to this one and remembered I never listened to it.

ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman (HarperTorch, September 26, 2006)


As for the book, here are five reasons you will love ANANSI BOYS:

1) You, like me, are a mythology buff, and even though you think you mostly like Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, you will be fascinated by the god Anansi and his trickster ways. I want to say one more thing about this. So many times when I read about less well-known mythologies, I find them vague and hard to grasp since I have not grown up with the stories. Not the case with ANANSI BOYS. The mythology is present yet so fun and perfectly easy to understand.

2) You don't always like to predict the endings of books after the first fifty pages. Seriously, I loved the ending of this book. Yes, it was happy and so many strings were tied neatly. Just not in ways would have thought.

3) You like when even minor characters who are introduced have some important role in the story.

4) I'm telling you this book is seriously worth checking out. The humor is laugh-out-loud funny, the plotting is clever, and you're looking for something a bit different to read.

5) You think Neil Gaiman is brilliant.

As for the audiobook rating, this one kept my interest completely. I mentioned I'd listened to bits and pieces of maybe five other books from my library, and seeing as how I now have something like 500 titles in my audiobook library, I can be choosy in what I settle upon reading. ANANSI BOYS started out strong, with a great narrator, and entertained me throughout.

Overall, highly recommended for fans of Neil Gaiman, fans of mythology, and fans of fantasy. Since it is technically an adult book, I'd say high school and up.

Source of book: Purchased


From Amazon:

Fat Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.

Now brother Spider's on his doorstep—about to make Fat Charlie's life more interesting . . . and a lot more dangerous.