The Immortal Rules - Review and Giveaway

I was lucky enough to receive access to a galley of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. Remarkably, I hadn't read anything else by her, even though the whole bloggosphere has been raving about the Iron Fey series forever. The series just didn't strike me as something I'd like, but I'm definitely going to try them out now.

From Goodreads:

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Vampires? Really? I mean they've been done to death, and brought back to life. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) The approach, however, is completely different. These vamps are not fuzzy-wuzzy sparkle puffs. Despite the fact that there is an organised system for obtaining blood, these vampires still kill on occasion. And when Allie joins the ranks, she has a real struggle with who she is and not hurting those around her.

Another refreshing thing about this book is that it combines vampires with a few other speculative fiction arenas. It's a postapocalyptic world. A virus has killed off much off the human race. The rules of living have been redefined. Allie lives in a Vampire City. The walls protect the humans from rabids and in return most of the humans are Registered to donate their blood to keep the vampires fed. It seems like a semi-equal exchange. But in the very first scene, some Unregistereds are brought to justice for stealing, even though there is no food provided for Unregistereds. The opression adds dystopian elements to the plot.  And of course, there are the rabids. The rabids are essentially zombies. Like all zombies, they seem to have one overwhelming impulse: eat.

Let's not forget that the kick-butt heroine, Allie, is Asian. Honestly, I can only think of one other spec-fic YA book with an Asian heroine.

I think it's the combination of all these things: vampires, post-apocalypse, dystopia, rabid/zombies - that make the book a winner.

But there are 2 more elements I feel like I should mention. Zeke and Kanin. Zeke is a possible love interest. He's been raised to despise vampires and Allie knows this. Since leaving the city, she's been surviving by pretending to be human, but how long can she really keep that up, right? Then there's Kanin, the vampire that changed Allie. Kanin is all "Oh, humans are just your food," yet he doesn't kill them, and is as humane as someone can be to their prey. And Kanin is obviously troubled. I fell right into him. Totally wanted to hug him and make it all better, and then go beat up the people that made him feel bad. lol.

To win a copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES, just tell me what's your fave type of vampire?
This contest is open internationally until Wednesday April 25 at 11.59 pm EST.

INSANITY!!! Day 5- Grab bag edition

It's the final day of INSANITY!!! and what a week it's been (ridiculous amounts of overtime on my end- for a teacher anyhow). But before we get into today's prize pack, let me announce the winners for Day 3 and Day 4. Also thanks guys, for your thoughtful comments on yesterday's post.

Day 3 winner is....

Iffath! (so not attempting to figure how to write the heart at the beginning of your name. lol)

And the Day 4 winner is...

Asiamorela!

Shoot me a mail at muchlanguage(at)gmail(dot)come with your real names and addresses.
......

It's 13 hours past midnight JST, but it's like I always say, It's never too late for INSANITY!!!

Since it's the final day (and I doubt I'll have time for another INSANITY!!! before next year, we're going out with a bang.

6 BOOKS UP FOR GRABS

Yes, you read that right. 6 books: the most I've ever given  to a single person at once. (shudders to think of the next INSANITY!!!)

The books I have pictured are some of my faves for the year.

Chasing a semi-friend across the country, Lillian and Josh explore their almost-relationship. This book struck a chord for me because it lived on the line between friendships and "more".

The only reason I picked up this book was because I follow Beth's blog. I'm not a sci-fi fan, and I was convinced I wouldn't like it. I'm glad to say I was wrong. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE sent me on a mission  to find more character-driven sci-fi. 

I found FAIRY TALE FAIL purely by accident.The name pulled me in, and I'm glad it did, because I got a great book, and an awesome tweep (twitter friend) out of the deal. FTF is an adult book for people like me, who still love a fairy tale, and would rather live in that world than the real one.

I don't know what to say about WASTED, except that the concept still haunts me. A boy decides to flip a coin and abide by whatever it decides.  Deep stuff.

I can not even put into words how much I love this book. I've spoken about my uncomfortable relationship with sex before. What I love about this book is the way it deals with sex. Often, we see YA with beautiful relationships involving sex, and almost as often it is the root of some evil. But it's rare in YA that sex just is. And sometimes, that's the way it is.

Now if you've been counting, you'll notice that's only 5 books. No, my brain isn't that fried from school festival preparations. The 6th book is WINNER'S CHOICE. $20 US limit and available on Amazon (for the US and Pakistan) or Book Depository (for everybody else).

To win:
I've been saying it all week. Today you win by sending me your list of 10 books for the 100 books every writer should read.

Rules:
Open internationally
To everyone, follower or no.
Open until SATURDAY 11.59 pm EST
The winner will be announced on Monday if I wake up after my crazy weekend.  lol.

Good luck!

INSANITY!!! Day 4- The October Edition

The winner of INSANITY!!! Day 2 is...

#6...

Sana!! (Also very interesting and detailed comment.)

I really enjoyed all the comments to this post, and as a YA writer, I think it's a treasure trove of things to write about. :)

So I'm supposed to write a "Scaredy-Cat" post every Thursday. I missed last week due to the cold, and my 4 presentations. But I'm back. Today's fear:

GOING HOME

This probably sounds crazy, but I'm afraid of going home. There are lots of reasons, and I'd like to share them (brutally) honestly with you today.

BEING A MOTHER

All my Super-Mummy readers are probably puzzled by this. If I go home it means being a mother to my 7 year old son. It's weird to admit publicly that I'm scared of that, because Mummy's are supposed to be invincible creatures that will overturn 10-ten trucks to free their babies. That's not me.

Somehow, for the majority (if not all) of my son's life, my parents have been his main care-takers.  For the first 3 years, I was in university. Then I was working 2 jobs and had no car- which involved a crap ton of ungodly hours, including getting home at 1 am two mornings a week. Then I moved to Japan. I considered bringing him, but from a practical standpoint, there are 2 things in the way. The fact that my house is sub-zero (celcius) for half the year. And the fact that he doesn't speak Japanese.

Additionally, I kind of don't feel very motherly. My nature is such that I'd rather do fun things than practical things. If money weren't an obstacle, we'd be gallivanting all over the world. It's probably not the best idea for a child to spend every year in a different country because his mother felt like. This sort of attitde extends in less disruptive ways to everything in my life. I don't feel very adult. I don't act very adult. I don't know what that will do to a child.

Finally (for this point at least), I struggle with being a single mother. For a million reasons, I believe in the institution of marriage. And from a practical standpoint - namely that I suck at being practical- and an emotional standpoint- I still feel guilty about a child out of wedlock- it's a hard thing for me to handle.

FAMILY

I've gotten very used to living on my own. I make my own hours. I leave crap where I feel like. I I've gotten used to my mother nagging me for an hour max and then hanging up the Skype and going to sleep.

All of that will change when I go home. Thanks to the way I live, I'm in no position to be on my own. Especially when you factor in not having (and not really wanting) a car, and single parenthood. And I really don't want to deal with the "joys" of living at home again.

NOT MEASURING UP

The unfortunate side effect of going to the top school on the island is that most of my friends have masters and PhDs, are doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, and make a boatload of money. I, on the other hand, am a broke teacher (for now) with a BA. I love my friends, and I know they love me back, but sometimes, it hurts to think about who they are, and how far they've gotten in life.

Out here (or in any other corner) of the world, I don't have to think about it.

AWESOMESAUCE
Don't get me wrong, I know I'm amazing. (And modest.) I know lots of people think that me speaking 5 languages is cool. And wish they could have seen 6 continents as well. And that living in Japan is a dream lots of people will never acheive. And I know that even though I'm not very far along on my writing journey, I've published a few shorts and that's something.

But I'm not at all traditional. Being here allows for that. Being home doesn't really. It just reminds me how short I fall by tradtional standards...

Today's giveaway is the October Edition- a collection of YA novels released this month.

Carmen, a teen violinista, aims to win violin's most prestigious prize, while trying not to fall in love with the competition.

 Mary usually has her feet firmly on the ground, but after everything in her life starts going wrong, she decides to try things she never would have. She decides to fly!

A re-telling of Tristan of Isolde: Izzie a young witch means to set up her girlfriend, but accidentally uses a love potion on herself and falls for Tristan.

To win:

JUST COMMENT.

Rules:

Today's giveaway is open until 11.59 pm EST on Thursday.
Open internationally.
Followers only.

Don't forget, the only chance at tomorrow's crazy grab bag, is to send a list of 10 book for the 100 books every writer should read.

INSANITY!!! Day 3- The Other Edition

The INSANITY!!! Day 1 winner, according to random.org, is...

Entrant # 4...

Sidrah!

Congrats, Sidrah.

In literature, there's a certain type of character that appears more often as the protagonist. In YA, that's a white, female, who's at least fairly fit and heterosexual. Any MC (and to some extent it also applies to secondary characters) who doesn't fit that norm is Other.

There's a lot of talk, especially in YA circles, about our responsibility to write the Other. I think writing stereotypical Other characters or ones you're not passionate about is worse than no Others at all. Before you write an Other, think about what that will really mean.

How does being Black/ Asia/ LGBTQ/ fat/ short/ developmentally-challenged/ academically-challenged (etc) affect your character? Go deep, don't just think about the surface ways. What does being fat mean for going to parties? What does being Black mean for college choices? What does being gay mean for which countries a character dreams of visiting?

Today, for INSANITY!!! Day 3, it's the Other Edition. Up for grabs, some of the books I've read this year featuring an Other MC.

 One of the best things about this book is that Hanna's (the MC) struggles with who she is aren't the main focus. Because not every Other character spend s all day thinking about their Other-ness. She's half Finnish and half-Black, but the strange, paranormal goings-on in her town in the American South are the bigger issue.

 This book is as multicultural as they come. About a Muslim girl, torn between not letting her school friends know that she's Muslim in the midst of all their post-911 issues and really enjoyng many of the facets of her Muslim heritage. Also, it's set in Australia.

Marcelo is somewhere on the autism spectrum. This is the story about a boy who sees the world in a different way, but is being forced to interact with it.

To enter, tell me in the comments:

WHAT TYPE OF OTHER CHARACTERS WOULD YOU LOVE TO SEE MORE APPEARANCES FROM IN (YA) FICTION?

Rules:
Open until Wednesday, 11.59 pm.
Open to everyone - international and non-followers as well.

Don't forget the only way to win on Friday is to send me your 10 books every writer should read.

INSANITY!!! Day 2- Issues in YA edition

When I was in secondary school, a group called MADD released a calypso called Saturday Night. MADD is known for it's comedic tunes. but this one was a lot heavier than usual. It was about a 15 year old boy and his 13 year old girlfriend. They go to a fete (party) and someone steps on his toe (or was it him stepping on someone's toe). They almost fight but a friend holds him back. The guy waits for him outside the club, and it turns into a bloodbath.

A section of the public got up in arms over the song. They ragged on the relationship between the boy and girl. And the "glorification of violence".  And some of them said that it should never be on the radio because things like that don't happen.

I wondered where those people lived. Yes, Barbados is a tropical paradise, but we have crime too. And we definitely have teens engaging in sexual relationships. I was a teen at the time. I'd seen it with my own eyes.

Here in Japan, I do a huge detailed medical every year. It's mandatory for every government employee. They test things I don't even understand in English. But they don't test for AIDS. My neighbour last year says it's because Japan likes to pretend there isn't any here. Same deal with homosexuals. Ask the average Japanese citizen, there are no Japanese gays. I know way too many gay foreigners with Japanese boyfriends to believe that.

What do these 3 things have in common? For me, they are reminders: Just because you pretend something doesn't happen, doesn't make it any less true.

Every once in a while, someone- a parent, a school board, a committee- will try to ban a YA book on the grounds of some horrible circumstance in the book. I don't like the circumstances any more than they do, but the fact is that these things happen. And people need to know that. And the people they're happening to, need support.

Today, I'll be giving away two books.

Jay Asher's Th1rteen R3asons Why- I feel like this book affected me more than any other book. Ever. It deals with the aftermath of a suicide, and highlighted one thing above all else in my mind: you never know how bad someone else is hurting.

But i Love Him by Amanda Grace (Mandy Hubbard)- What I loved about this book was the reverse chronology, aimed at stopping the reader from judging the protagonist who is abused by her boyfriend.

To win simply comment and tell me:

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE TEENS FACE TODAY?

Rules:
Open until 11.59 pm EST Tuesday
Open internationally to followers and non followers alike.

Don't forget to send your list of 10 books every writer should read to enter the Friday Grab Bag.

INSANITY!!! Day 1- The Elana Johnson packet

Today's my anniversary, folks! 2 years for POINTS OF CLAIRE-IFICATION. I'm so happy you guys have supported me. And to thank you, we'll be having INSANITY!!! this week. All week long, you can stop by for daily giveaways! Be sure to check the rules at the bottom. Each day's drawing closes at 11.59 pm EST. 

Also,  the only way to enter for Friday's grand grab bag is by sending your list of 10 books for 100 Books Every Writer Should Read. So, get to thinking about your lists. And good luck.

Today, amazing Elana Johnson is joining us. 

----------

Hi Elana! Welcome to POINTS OF CLAIRE-IFICATION. I loved POSSESSION. (My readers may be sick of me saying this by now.)  Can you tell us what sparked that novel?

I’d been writing for about four months when the idea for POSSESSION hit. I’d just finished reading my first dystopian novel (UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld), and I didn’t even know what “dystopian” was, but I knew I wanted to write a novel in the genre.

So I got busy figuring out what dystopian was, and then I started drafting POSSESSION. I wanted someone who didn’t want to be bossed around, and who was searching for what they believed in. Vi and my brainwashing society evolved from that pretty authentically.

POSSESSION is literally “Goodies” vs “Baddies”. For me the names brought  back memories of playing with my brother as a kid. Lol. They turned out to be one of my favourite things about the novel, though. Using these names made the book not only about control vs freedom, but the overarching theme of what is good and what is bad, and whether anything is completely good or bad. What made you go with the simplicity of goodies and baddies?

For exactly that reason! I wanted my MC to really think about what is good and what is bad, and why. Are things good because someone else tells you they are? I wanted Vi to be able to critically look at what she’d been told and then decide for herself, without labels. And “good” and “bad” are the most simplistic labels, and often we have justifications for what we believe is good and bad, but in POSSESSION, Vi didn’t. So I wanted her to examine the things in her life from the most basic perspective.

 I have to admit that I’m wearing a little thin for YA love triangles. So I was refreshed by the Vi-Zenn-Jag relationship. Vi is sure of who she wants, but she’s not sure that is where she should be. How did you go about building this intellectual (as opposed to the usual emotional and angsty) love triangle?

I’m with you. I think sometimes the love triangle detracts from the real plot. I was hoping to make the relationships between Vi and Zenn, Zenn and Jag, and Jag and Vi more plot-based instead of a romantic sub-plot, which is sometimes what we see. So maybe that’s how? (Ha! I wish I knew for sure!)

 Normally, I’m not a fan of endings (writing or reading them), and they’re especially hard to do in dystopian where you have to balance out the implications of the bad in the good. But the way POSSESSION wrapped up  was bone-chillingly perfect. How did you go about crafting that culmination? Did you always know where the story would end?  How did you drag my soul out and leave me literally unable to enjoy another book for days?

I’m so glad to hear you say that. The end of POSSESSION came to me as I was writing it. I don’t outline or even really know where the story is going until I get there.

So as I was writing the climax, I realized where this had to go to be complete. To be authentic. To make sense for the rest of the book. And that’s the ending that I wrote—almost feverishly.

From there, I had to go back through the first 46 chapters and make sure that everything in them was leading toward this (in my mind) perfect ending I had just written. That’s where the real work was.

I’m thrilled you couldn’t enjoy another book for days! That’s a huge compliment for an author, and while I sometimes wish POSSESSION ended differently, I know it ends the exact right way.

  

Tell us a little about your publication journey. How did you connect with Michelle Andelman? Was POSSESSION your first attempt at novel-writing?

Ah, my publication journey is a long and winding road. POSSESSION was my third written novel, and the second one I queried. So I have one shelved novel and about 10 more that aren’t even worth opening to work on.

I connected with Michelle through a cold query and invitation to read my book. She requested it, read it quickly, and wanted to know what else I had on my hard drive.

After a few months of back and forth, revisions, and phone conversations, we signed together. She sold my book very soon after that, and I love working with her.

You’re a part of the awesome-ness  of WRITEONCON – which might just be the most amazing thing to happen ot YA writers online in EVER – can you tell us a little about that?

WriteOnCon is this amazing beast that has sort of taken on a life of it’s own. It started way back in 2010, when I was doing a series of “pay it forward” events on my blog to celebrate my book deal. I’d asked my blog readers what I should do for July, and the fabulous Casey McCormick commented, saying she had an idea she wasn’t sure about.

I jumped on that, and basically forced her to tell me her idea—which was an online children’s conference. From there, we assembled a team, contacted agents and editors, and held our first conference in August 2010.

This past year, we basically did the same thing, bringing on The Reading Room, a graphic designer, a web person, and a team of forum experts. It’s amazing the stories we hear from people who’ve made a connection from WriteOnCon. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of. (Big shout out to Casey McCormick, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Shannon Messenger, Jamie Harrington, Dustin Hansen, Nikki Katz, and Carolin Seidenkranz!)

  

Finally, most of my readers are writers. Any advice for those of us still in the pre-query, pre-deal, pre-pub stages?

Never give up! Never surrender! (That’s from Galaxy Quest, BTW, a fabulous movie.)

No, but seriously, don’t. Work harder. Write another novel. Polish it; make it the best you can. Send it out. Write more. The only way you’re sure to fail is if you quit. But success? Success could be just around the corner. 

Thanks so much Elana for joining us, and being fantastic in general!

----

So today, up for grabs we've got Elana's debut novel POSSESSION, as well as 2 books Elana recommends:

 

To win, tell me in the comments: 

WOULD YOU RATHER CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED? 

Rules: 

Open until 11.59 pm EST on Monday

Open internationally

Open to followers and non-followers alike

 

Giveaway 35

Remember how I said I wasn't giving away books in September?

Well, Oops, I did it again.

Blame Beth Revis, author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. She said that Michelle Hodkin's THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER was unputdownable. Which made me curious, because books are rarely unputdownable when people say they are. And life is hectic right now, I just didn't have time to read the whole back. So I decided to check out a few chapters.

2.15 am, meet Claire. Claire, 2.15.

I will tell you the truth. I started following Michelle's blog a long time ago. Ether shortly before or shortly after her book deal was announced. And when the summary of MARA became available, it didn't do much for me.

It was so vague.

From Michelle's Blog:

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Creepy, but vague.

And then, I heard her editor talk about it, and it was still creepy, but less vague, and I wanted to read it. But not in a "give it to us NOW, your horrible Hobbitses. We wants it it NOW" sort of way.

And then release day came, and Beth started gushing. And since the Kindle fairies had already deposited my pre-order (I read all new releases by bloggers I follow), I picked it up.

MY TAKE:

I understand now why summaries are vague. It's hard to explain MARA without telling the whole story.

There are elements of mystery, romance, and paranormal. And don't worry if you're not a fan of "teen paranormal romance". It's not that kind of book. It's more in the sense of "Holy Crap, my jewelry box just spoke to me in the voice of my dead grandmother! Time to up the meds, Doc!"

There's a creepy edge to the entire book. Something happened with Mara and her friends. They died, she didn't. And from that moment, things never quite add up. Her Mom, a psychiatrist, is convinced it's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But there's always a vibe that it could be more.

Also, the ending is a doozie. Beth warned that I wouldn't see it coming. So I was extra vigilant. Still blindsided.

And I loved the pop culture references to The Eye of Sauron and Gryffindor, etc.

I can't wait for the next book.

And I couldn't NOT give it away.

TO WIN:
Tell me: What paranormal thing/creature/experience would(or does) creep you out the most in your real life?
Open internationally, followers only.
Open until Wednesday 11.59 pm EST.

(PS, My bloggiversary's coming up. Get ready for INSANITY!)

Loving Literacy Blogfest: Win a Kindle

Remember how I told you September was going to be bigger than weekly book giveaways?

September 8 is International Literacy Day (and my Daddy's birthday, which is why I remember it). Books and literacy have done so much for me, that I felt like I needed to do something big to celebrate.

BUT FIRST THE KINDLE

Model: 3G + WiFi Kindle.

I was tempted to go the cheap route (because I need to be less of a spendthrift), but I didn't for two reasons.

1. The least expensive Kindle route includes ads on your Kindle. I don't want ads in my books. There are ads every-dang-where else.

2. This Kindle (and the DX- the one I have) provide free Wireless and 3G coverage worldwide* (check Amazon for caveats). And you know how important "internationality" is to me.

If it's not good enough for me, why should it be good enough for anybody else?

WHAT TO DO?

In honour of International Literacy Day I'm hosting the Loving Literacy Blogfest.

BLOGGERS, enter by adding your blog to the linky thing and posting 400-600 words on any topic to do with literacy.

NON-BLOGGERS, email me your 400-600 words on any topic to do with literacy, along with your desired "display name" and your state/city/country.

(Anything you tie back to literacy is ok as a topic: Why I love books more than movies, Why there should be more literacy programs in 3rd world countries, How popular books are a great way to convert "non-readers", How books are the least expensive avenue to different worlds, etc.)

WHO WINS?

I will select my five favourite posts and, YOU, the awesom-est of the awesome, will select our winner by a vote. :)

Voting is also open to everyone, but there'll be a scale in favour of pre-contest followers.

Voters can only vote for one of the five entries.

And if you enter, and you want to campaign your friends, that's totally kosher.

TIMELINE:

SEP 1-8: Enter your link on this post.

SEP 8: Post or email your Literacy Day entry

SEP 12-16: The entries go up, one a day on my blog.

SEP 19-23: Voting

SEP 26: KINDLE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

ELIGIBILITY:

This contest is open to everyone, everywhere Amazon will ship Kindles. (Pakistan crew, I'm sorry they don't ship there.) If you're in an exempt country, you're welcome to use a friend's address in another country, but you might want to make sure the shipping thing isn't your country's restriction as opposed to Amazon.



Looking forward to reading the posts. :)

Review and Giveaway-34

As I mentioned before, this will be the last regularly scheduled giveaways. That doesn't mean there won't be giveaways from time to time. As I looked through my options for today's giveaway, I realised there were several books I hadn't got to give. And I want to. So, stay tuned...

First, last week's winner of

WRITE TO BE PUBLISHED is...

Liza!!!

Congrats! Email me at muchlanguage (at) gmail (dot) com with your full name and address.

Now, for today's giveaway.

From Goodreads:

Manhattan It Girl Riley Swain is no pudgy wallflower. She's brash, bold, fashionable, and yes, fabulous. Riley has no qualms about kissing her best friend's crush, or bribing her dad's lawyer. But this spring break, Riley's dad and wicked stepmother are shipping her off to New Horizons, a two-week fat camp in upstate New York. And it's miserable: like military school without carbs. But then Riley gets to know adorable Eric, who sees beyond Riley's tough exterior. Soon, Riley might just realize that maybe it's not her shape that will change at New Horizons. . . but her heart.

My take:

I'm always complaining about how any "other" character always has to have an issue with being "other". Finally, a book with a fat chick who's happy. (Please note: I'm not a phat and proud type who thinks morbidly obese is fine, but Riley isn't morbidly obese.) Riley is fabulous. In a "nothing in the closet is last season" sort of way. She's the sort of person who you always notice when she walks into a room. She's strong-willed and (mostly) knows what she wants. Fantastic character!

I did have a fairly major issue with the book. There is quite a bit of "Edward Cullen" creepiness going on. And somehow, all that stuff is even more creepy when it's not a vampire doing it. That said, the difference between a sweet obsession and a creepy obsession is a fine line. And frankly, if someone was like that to me, I'd probably ignore the creep factor. (Sadly.)

RULES
Tell me your favourite strong, secure (preferably YA, but not necessarily) protagonist.
Open internationally, followers only.
Open until Wednesday, 11.59 pm EST.

Good luck!

PS, Literacy day coming up and the next contest has to do with that...
PPS, Anyone know where to find the Mr. Linky things so people can sign up with their blogs, a la blogfest style?

Review and Giveaway 33

Someone's having a lucky month!

The winner of MY LIFE UNDECIDED IS...

the newly agented Kate Scott!!!

Congrats Kate!

Today up for grabs is WRITE TO BE PUBLISHED by Nicola Morgan.

Nicola Morgan is the author of more than 90 non-fiction and fiction titles. She is also a freelance editor and she blogs at Help! I need a publisher. Even though she's not an agent, she's kind of the UK's version of Nathan Bransford.

I'd planned to meet Nicola and have her critique my work in March at The York Festival of Writing. The great Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11th had other ideas, and I was still stuck in my town with no train service and gas shortages when the conference started. So when I heard she had a craft book coming out, I had to have it.

I love reading up on the craft, but I must admit, craft books aren't easy to digest. But this one is. Maybe it's because much of the information comes from Nicola's blog, and has been organised into blog-post-sized segments. It might be the simple premise she follows throughout the book too. Wanna be published? Write the right book, and then send it to the right people at the right time.

The caveat is that the book doesn't go into much depth on anything. But it's not meant to. It reads more like a checklist for beginning writers and for those whose work has been rejected. And Nicola knows about rejection, as someone who took 2 decades to sell a novel. (What perseverance!)

I suppose the other caveat is that this book is from the other side of the pond. BUT it's not so much about the publishing wheels, so there's not that much that's strictly relevant to the Brit writers. A good book is still a good book.

Today's rules:
Any comment will get you a chance to win WRITE TO BE PUBLISHED.
Open internationally, followers only until Wednesday 11.59 pm.

Good luck!

PS, Don't forget to check out the final day of Write On Con!

Review, Giveaway -32

The winner of one copy of

CRACKED UP TO BE

is...

Natasha Areena!

Congrats Natasha! Email me your full name and address at muchlanguage(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll get it right to you.

FIRST THE BAD NEWS

I'm going to be discontinuing the weekly giveaways at the end of August. Honestly, it's a bit exhausting. I have to read up to 3 books each week to figure out what to giveaway. I have to write a review. Or contact an author, get a response, and write an interview. And then there's actually imputting addresses and ordering prizes. I knew it would be tiring, but I promised myself to stick with it if I had a lot of interest. But most weeks, it's 5 or less entries.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS

There's another reason why I'm discontinuing the weekly giveaways after August. I have some really, really special I'm going to do in September. One lucky, lucky person- follower or not- will have the chance to win HUGE. And YOU, my fantastic Honey-bunches, are going to get to choose who that person is. STAY TUNED! Something wicked, this way comes!

THIS WEEK

Firstly, the cover blurb is awesome. You immediately get a taste of Brooklyn Pierce. She makes bad decisions- except not really. I mean you wouldn't think having a party would end in burning down a model home, right?

Brooklyn is so convinced that everything she touches will turn to mush that she decides to put her entire life in the hands of her blog readers, and promises to follow whatever decisions they make. It actually takes quite a while to get to the whole "start a blog" bit, and normally I hate when books do that- advertise something on the back and then there's a whole chunk that doesn't do it. Except Brooklyn's story pulled me in so completely that I wasn't impatient.

Add in a stellar supporting cast- a best friend that's a bit of a twat, the requisite super sexy love interest, a new friend and a crabby old lady- and you've got yourself a winner!

Like Brooklyn, I make a lot of bad decisions. To win this week, tell me:
What's your relationship with decision-making? Do you like it? Do you make good decisions? How do you react to the bad ones?
This week is followers only.
Contest is open until Wednesday 11.59 pm EST and international as per usual.

Good luck!

Review and Giveaway- 31

Hey guys!

Did you miss me??? I missed you. But being offline for 6 days has worked wonders. Even though I worked 14-18 hour days at the conference, I feel more relaxed. Go figure.

-------

The winner of last week's giveaway of

BUXTON SPICE

is...

Sidrah! It's on the way, Sidrah.

This week's giveaway is...

Massive fail on my part for not getting to this book sooner. I came late to the Courtney Summers party. I read SOME GIRLS ARE last October and even though I loved it- despite generally not being a fan of cheer-leader books- I still didn't pick up another book by the author.

CRACKED UP TO BE follows Parker Fadley, the perfect student. Only now she's not so perfect. She's taken to drinking, her grades have slipped into the abyss, and she's shoved her boyfriend out the door. The book starts with her trying to mend her ways just enough that they let her graduate, but not so much that her friends and family want to associate with her.

It's confusing at the start, because you're not sure what happened. All you know is that Parker has been drunk before. Including at school. In fact, while the main story is what is happening now, the story that I couldn't wait to unravel was the one in the past. What happened to Parker to make her like this?

This week we're going to play a little differently. :)

To win a copy of CRACKED UP TO BE:
Please send me a list of your ten books for inclusion in the 100 books Every Writer Should Read. (Your list will also make you eligible for that giveaway.)
If you've already sent me a list, just leave a comment saying that, and I'll count that as your entry.
OPTIONAL: Pick up an extra entry by spreading the word (blogging, tweeting, facebooking) about the 100 books, and comment to say you did. You can also comment on the 100 books page with the linky for an entry into that contest.
Contest open internationally, to everyone including non-followers.
Contest closes on Wednesday at 11.59 pm EST.

GOOD LUCK!

Congrats to the winner of

WRITE GREAT FICTION:
PLOT AND STRUCTURE

is...

Sophia Richardson!

Congratulations, Sophie. It's on it's way.


Remember how back in January, I promised to have some multicultural offerings in the giveaways?

May I present Buxton Spice by Oonya Kempadoo, who has lived in several Caribbean territories as well as England.

From Goodreads:

Told in the voice of a girl as she moves from childhood into adolescence, Buxton Spice is the story the town of Tamarind Grove: its eccentric families, its sweeping joys, and its sudden tragedies. The novel brings to life 1970s Guyana-a world at a cultural and political crossroads-and perfectly captures a child's keen observations, sense of wonder, and the growing complexity of consciousness that marks the passage from innocence to experience.

I honestly don't read a lot of books by Caribbean authors. Lots of Caribbean books seem to take the super-literary take itself too seriously route. And that's fine for some readers, but not for me.

The thing that most stands out to me in Buxton Spice is the portrayal of sex. I'd never really thought about how the facets of sex are different in the Caribbean than how I've seen it portrayed in mainstream books. In some ways, sex is always just below the surface here. Many of the calypsoes (songs) have a double entendre, with other words used to cleverly (or not so cleverly) take about sex. There's an old calypso, where a man and a woman are dancing together and the women says to the man, "Something in ya pocket keep sticking me," and the man responds, "It's a ripe plaintain."

Kempadoo also provides a look at politics and corruption in Guyana. When you say corruption, I think of Guyana. Guyana has just about every natural resource I can think of: gold, diamonds, bauxite, lumber, a little oil, etc, etc. It should be one of the richest countries in the world. Instead it's one of the poorest countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. In my view, that's mismanagement and corruption.

Buxton Spice also shows so many of the "characters" in a Caribbean neighbourhood. Things are a lot more "Americanised" than they were in the '70s, but there is a lot that hasn't changed.

There is one caveat. The book uses a lot of dialect. It's not particular hard to understand, but it does take some getting used to. I suppose it's not so much dialect as a Caribbean style of speech. For example, instead of using "very" we repeat a verb for emphasis. "After a long day of work, I tired tired tired."

RULES:
Make a comment to enter.
Contest open til 1159 pm EST Wednesday.
Followers only.

Good luck!

Review and Giveaway- 29

Don't forget to email your list of 10 books every writer should read, for your chance to win.

Great zombie stories from last week's entrants. I've never seen Shaun of the Dead, though. *Hangs head in shame.*

Last week's winner

of Carrie Harris' BAD TASTE IN BOYS is...

DIANA!!!

Congratulations, Diana. Send me your full name and address and I'll get that right to you.

Today up for grabs is WRITE GREAT FICTION: PLOT AND STRUCTURE by James Scott Bell

So far, this book is my favourite book dedicated to plot. And I think that's mainly due to the concept at the centre of the book: the LOCK system.

Lead
Objective
Confrontation
Knockout

Lead- You start with a character. Who is he/she? What makes them interesting?What do they do? What do they love? Who do they love?

I love that Bell lets character take such a prime role in plot, because really plot and character are intertwined. Think of your fave plot-heavy mysteries, procedurals, etc. Sherlock Holmes stories, CSI, Murder She Wrote, Miss Marple... they all work because of their characters. I think plot and character are intertwined. The best plots fall flat without the right characters. And characters only get to show themselves and their qualities if the plot allows.

Objective- What does the character want?

Confrontation- What stands in his/her way?

Knockout- The final blow to wrap up your story.

Apart from the LOCK system, Bell goes into to detail on how to structure your story, how to get ideas, how to build scenes, how to fix plot issues, common plots within certain genres, etc. I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone who struggles with plot, wants to fix plot problems, or wants to take their plotting to the next level.

I've mentioned several times that plot is the weakest of the "pillars of writing" in my arsenal. I don't plot beforehand, because it kills my interest in a story, and so far, all my stories end up with plot holes bigger than my country.

For your chance to win, tell me: What's your relationship with plot and/or structure?
This contest is open to followers only until Wednesday, 11.59 pm EST.

Interview and Giveaway -28

In Today's TMI moment, I have a ridiculous rash. It's everywhere except my stomach. Face, arms, legs, feet, palms? soles? Yeah, I didn't know you could have rashes there either.

But back to bizz, the winner of Mina Esguerra's FAIRY TALE is...

Sana Castellano!

Congrats! It's on the way.

Today's giveaway:

BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris. And she's been nice enough to come over today!

Carrie Harris has a purple blog and writes about zombies. In a previous lifetime she researched Mad Cows, qualifying her to produce entire theses on brain-eating monsters.

Thanks for stopping by Talk Back Thursdays, Carrie. Seems like you made it safely past the undead watch-dogs.
YOU HAVE ZOMBIE DOGS? ZOMBIE DOGS CRACK ME UP. I’m one of the only people who saw the Resident Evil movie four times in the theater and giggled maniacally every time.

Well then, that's rare. lol. So, zombies in high school? Where did the idea for BAD TASTE IN BOYS come from?
My books are less AN idea and more a BUNCH of ideas all mashed together like an algebra equation gone out of control. So I started off thinking I wanted to do a book about the dead football players from Beetlejuice. And I wanted to do a book about a rational person who became convinced that zombies were attacking her town. And I wanted to write a book in which the geek saves the day. And I think mad scientists are awesome. So you put all those things together, and the result is BAD TASTE IN BOYS.

Your blog is so chock full of humour that you once earned the title of “Grand Lord Snarf Zombie” on a prestigious (ahem ahem) industry blog. Can we expect the same fall-out-of-chair-roll-under-table inducing writing in BTIB?
I still love that title. LOVE.

Personally, I tend to gravitate toward really campy horror. If I’m simultaneously hiding my eyes and snarfing things out my nose, I’m happy. So I did try and write a book that was funny but still had lots of zombie mayhem. I also wanted to add random photos of my head on David Hasselhoff’s body, but for some reason, my publisher wasn’t down with that.

Professionally, you’ve done a little bit of everything. What made you decide to take the writing plunge?
Yeah, I’ve had the prerequisite writer’s wonky job history, DEFINITELY. But I’ve been freelance writing since I was in college. I’ve always enjoyed it, but I figured it would just be a hobby. But after having three kids, my husband and I decided I’d stay home for a couple of years and give the writing thing a try. If it didn’t work, I’d find a job once the kids were all in school. And I don’t have to do that! EEEEEEEEEEEEE. I’m so so soooooo lucky.

How would you describe your publishing journey? Slower than Frankenstein on a treadmill? Sparklier than merpires? More brain-devouring than football zombies?
Slower than Frankenstein on crutches using a treadmill. My first book didn’t quite make the cut, so I was on submission for over a year straight, even though BTIB sold pretty fast. And it will be two years from the offer until the book hits the shelves! Not that I’m complaining, because I’ve had a lot of time to learn about what to expect, and what to do, and things. I’ve had a lot of time to write more books and get better at it. I HATE feeling rushed, so I think the slow and steady thing has really worked for me.

Finally, as an aspiring author, I’d like to pick your brains. Any words of advice?
BE YOURSELF. I spent years attempting to write Serious Books about Serious Issues, and they sucked some serious suckables. But I kept at it, because I wanted people to take me seriously as a writer, and who’s going to do that when you keep sticking your head on the Hoff’s body all the time and writing treatises on why all paranormal creatures deserve sparkles too? But I finally decided that I should just be myself, and if people thought I was certifiably insane, so be it. And really, isn’t self-acceptance a Serious Issue? I think there’s something pretty cool about a person who waves their Freak Flag proudly, so I always try to do that.

I think that’s really important in a profession like this, when you’re always hearing that you need to follow this trend or that one. Sure, it’s good to know the industry, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth leaping on bandwagons all the time. Be YOU. And write YOUR books, and then learn to write them BETTER. Even if that means waving a Freak Flag.

I love that advice!

Thanks for stopping by, Carrie. Er- *looks outside* - it seems the zombie dogs have picked up your scent. Guess you won’t be leaving any time soon. Mummy in a blanket?
--
BAD TASTE IN BOYS has been devouring teenage brains since July 12!

For a chance to win a copy, tell me:
What's your favourite zombie story?
Open internationally, followers only.
Open until 1159 pm EST Wednesday night.

Interview and Giveaway - 27

The winner of last week's SIGNED copy of ORCHARDS

is...

CaliforniaMeaghan!

Congrats!

Today, I have an interview with Mina Esveguerra, who wrote one of my favourite reads of the year, Fairy Tale Fail. Let's give Mina a friendly Points of Claire-ification welcome.

I'm a fairy tale-aholic, so I loved your novel Fairy Tale Fail. Can you tell us a little about the book and where the idea came from?
Fairy Tale Fail is about Ellie, a twenty-five-year-old living in Manila. She's fascinated with fairy tales, to the point that she stubbornly tries for "happily ever after" with the guy who breaks up with her, even though everyone else in her life is telling her to move on already. The story was inspired by something that happened to a friend, but I used the fairy tale template to give it structure.

The book is set in the Philippines. Did you make any special considerations to tailor it to the international market?
Surprisingly, not that much. There's a growing demand for English-language chick lit/women's fiction in the Philippines, so I wrote it for that market originally and didn't rewrite when I released it on Amazon. Whether it's accepted as is internationally, it's a toss-up. Some people can tell right away that it's not the usual America- or UK-based story, others don't notice until the few foreign words come in. Some mind that it's set in an unfamiliar place, others don't.

I hope though that people who wind up buying Fairy Tale Fail learn a little about what it's like to be a certain kind of woman in the Philippines. Maybe some experiences are the same, and hopefully whatever's different will be interesting anyway.

You were traditionally published for earlier books, but you now self publish. Would you like to share the reasons behind the switch? What are the pros and cons for you of traditional publishing and self-publishing?
In a way, I haven't made a complete switch yet. I still submit manuscripts to my traditional publisher. The way it works in the Philippines, if you want to reach more readers within the country you'll still have to work with a publisher who can offer nationwide distribution. Amazon's Kindle Store isn't that popular here yet, mostly because you need a credit card to buy, and many people here don't have one. But even people who have credit cards and Amazon accounts, many of those I've talked to don't really know what's up with the Kindle Store. Usually I end up explaining the Kindle store, the free Kindle apps, how to buy other formats at Smashwords... and that's a bit overwhelming for someone who just showed some interest in reading my book.

When I started the self-publishing experiment, I found out that my audience for that was global, rather than local. So now I try to do both: develop some stories for a local audience (to be submitted to my traditional publisher) and some stories I let loose onto the world via self-publishing.

Can you give us a quick idea of what to expect in your new novella, LOVE YOUR FRENEMIES?
Love Your Frenemies is about Kimmy, beautiful, twenty-seven-year-old manager-in-training, who isn't very well-liked because she's brash and headstrong. But then her wedding is called off humiliatingly close to the date, and it shakes her enough that she escapes overseas to regroup. The novel opens with her return to Manila, having decided that all she needs to make it work there again is to make some changes in her life, and get away from the people who got her in that mess to begin with.

Any pearls of wisdom to share with us, the aspiring authors still in the trenches?
What held me back for so long was a lack of confidence, and I didn't even really have it when I finally got published. For me it was a series of moments when I felt brave and just decided to go for it -- to finish the novel, to let someone else read it, get it published. Usually there's crushing regret and doubt immediately after, but at least I moved forward bit by bit. So if I were to share anything it would be that: write often, and then when the moment comes and you feel brave enough to put it out there, do it.

Beautiful advice. Thanks you for joining us, Mina!(Btw, Mina means 'everyone' in Japanese, so it feels weird every time I say it. lol.)

To win your copy of Fairy Tale Fail, just tell me:
Have you ever clung to a fairy tale instead of reality?
Open until Wednesday at 11.59 pm EST.
Open internationally, to everyone.

Good luck!

YA Contemp Month- ORCHARDS (SIGNED!!!)

The winner of Ally Carter's Heist Society

as selected by random.org

is #1...

Sidrah!!!

Congrats Sidrah! It's in the mail...

Today, I’m especially excited to welcome Holly Thompson to Points of Claire-ification. Holly is the author of several books, most recently ORCHARDS, and the Regional Advisor for SCBWI Tokyo. Thanks for joining us Holly.

Thanks so much for having me during YA Contemp Month.

From the beautiful cover art and the name, it’s not hard to tell that the book has something to do with mikan- Japanese mandarin oranges. Can you give us a quick synopsis?

Kanako Goldberg, a half Japanese and half Jewish-American from New York, is sent to her grandparents’ mikan farm in Shizuoka after the suicide of a classmate. In Japan she attends school part-time and helps in the orchards, all the while, addressing Ruth, the classmate who died. Kana is confused and resentful, but gradually as she works in the groves and as she becomes more immersed in village life, she comes to a deeper understanding of Ruth and of her own bicultural identity. But then news from home sends Kana reeling into orbit all over again.

I was really happy to read a book where Japan so seamlessly integrated, without necessarily being the focus of the story. How did you go about gathering the information you needed on the setting?

I actually was apprenticed to a mikan farmer for 18 months as research for an adult novel about an American woman who marries into a mikan growing family. I learned everything I could about mikan cultivation, and for a while I lived in the village with my young daughter so that I could more fully immerse myself into village society. I have thousands of photographs and pages and pages of research notes. Midway through my work on the farm, the farmer’s American-born niece visited, and briefly seeing her there, somewhat out of her element, sparked ideas for Orchards.

What tips can you offer for writing multicultural YA novels?

I think that multiculturalism has to be a part of who the author is for an author to be successful at writing multicultural characters. The author needs to have a deep understanding of the cultures portrayed--even if the main characters have only a shallow understanding of those cultures. Research and experience are essential, and not just surface research and a brief visit to another country. Dig deep and learn far more than will ever be used in your book.

I think it’s also important to keep in mind that so many teens cross cultures now—through relatives and friends, living outside the country where they were born or have citizenship, accompanying parents overseas, and as children of migrant laborers. There are so many stories to be told.

ORCHARDS is a verse novel. What made you choose this medium? What are some of the challenges of verse and how does it compare to using prose?

Orchards started out in verse. The voice was too intense and too lyrical for me to fit into prose. With verse the aim is to distill scenes into those few key brush strokes that will convey the action and emotion effectively. Dialogue is difficult to do in verse, but verse is a great vehicle for teen voices and roller coaster emotions. I love playing with the white space on the page, having more control over the pacing through stanzas and page breaks, and working with rhythm and different poetic elements. The challenge is to make the verse elements seem invisible and organic so that the scene arcs and overall story arc are at the forefront.

What’s your writing process like? Are you a pantser? Plotter? Somewhere in between?

I do a lot of plotting in my head and make charts and tables. I do plenty of research including character studies. Some of this I do before starting the manuscript, but often I start the story because of a voice and character, then research and plot along the way. It’s a mixture of planning and then chasing after the characters.

Please tell us about your publication journey. How did you meet up with your agent, Jamie Weiss Chilton?

As I was pushing to complete my first draft of Orchards, I decided to apply for the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. Although I attend all of the SCBWI Tokyo events, living in Japan I don’t have as much opportunity to meet agents and editors, take courses in writing, or work with mentors, so I thought a six-month low-residency type program would be perfect for me. Nevada was not the most convenient location for me, but it was exactly the program I needed and presented me with excellent opportunities. On the opening conference weekend, I was able to confer with my mentor Esther Hershenhorn, meet Jamie, give a public reading, have the first page of Orchards critiqued by Jamie, and attend a key session on revision. By the end of that program, I had an agent and a polished manuscript, and soon afterward, Orchards was accepted for publication by Delacorte/Random House in a two-book deal.

In between being a university lecturer, having a family, organizing SCBWI events, and having a life, how do you even find the time to write?

Well, the reality is that some days I don’t write. Some days are just for family or work or soaking up life in Japan or wherever I am—those days feed my writing, ultimately. Other days I can immerse myself completely in my writing. I don’t have as many days with long stretches of time for sustained writing focus as I’d like, but I am always thinking writing—drafting in my head or doing a few moments of editing or jotting notes—even on my busy days.

Many of my readers are aspiring writers. Any advice for those of us still in the trenches?

Realize that the learning curve is steep and endless, and that we are all still in the trenches even after we are published! Read constantly and write steadily. Attend writing conferences, join critique groups, and join writing networks like SCBWI. Learn from other writers. Get on twitter and participate in chats like #kidlitchat and #yalitchat. Follow agent and editor blogs. Set deadlines for yourself. Submit stories to magazines. Challenge yourself with different voices and genres and styles. And get out and plunge yourself into life and the world around you so that you’ll have stores of material and can write your own unique stories that no one else can possibly tell.

Thanks Holly! Wow! So many pearls of wisdom.

TO WIN:
Tell me your favourite Japanese/multicultural story.
Enter by Wednesday 11.59 pm EST
Entries open to all, internationally.

BUT WAIT!!!

Since this SIGNED copy of ORCHARDS is physically coming from me, this week's winner gets an added bonus!

Kitkat special flavour: Zunda!!! (Specialty Kitkats are available- I think- only in Japan.) Zunda is made from Edamame, a type of bean, and is a Specialty KitKat flavour from Sendai, Miyagi.

Good luck everyone!

Sadly, this is the last week of YA Contemp Month, but giveaways continue every week, and will still be open to non-followers the first Thursday of every month. I hope you'll join me next week for another awesome interview and giveaway.

YA Contemp Month: Heist Society

It's YA Contemp Month which means another YA Contemporary giveaway her on Points of Claire-ification.

But first, last week's winner...

*Trumpet fanfare*

Abby Stevens!

Congrats Abby!

Today's giveaway is Heist Society by Ally Carter.

I read this book over a year ago, so why did I decide to give it away now?

1. UNCOMMON CRIMINALS, the sequel to HEIST SOCIETY came out on Tuesday.
2. When people think contemporary, they often think average, daily life, but thrillers, horrors, crime, etc, are also contemporary.

From the GOODREADS summary:


When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

This book is GOSSIP GIRL meets OCEAN'S 11. There's a high society vibe of inclusivity, plus the fast pace of the traditional heist story. The premise makes sense. Kat has given up the life, but then her Dad's in trouble.

I love the way the book is set out in days to go. It adds a certain urgency to the plot. I love the writing style. Carter has a hypothetical way of describing what's going on.

"He did not see the boys hold their breath as they waited to hear him say, "Well... alright."

"If you lived in 1921, and if you had more money than time, and if you were a woman, there were a few acceptable ways in which you were allowed to spend your time."

"Any other student might have flinched in that bright spot-light, but from the moment Katarina Bishop set foot on the Colgan campus, she'd been something of an enigma."

"The guards might have seen the boy throw his arm around the girl's neck and hold a camera out in front of them, snapping pictures. They might have noticed how the couple paced from one end of the waill to the next. They didn't, of course."

I loved this style. I thought it captured the vibe perfectly. By constantly showing what might have happened, you are constantly reminded that things could be different. And if they were different, it could be trouble for Kat and her crew.

The characters rock. This team could steal from you so stealthily you wouldn't even notice you're missing something. And with the exception of the butler- yes the butler, they're not even old enough to drink.

And then there's W.W. Hale the Fifth. The mysterious billionaire. Please catch me if I swoon.

DA RULEZ
To enter, answer in the comments: What's your favourite heist story? (I'm an Ocean's 11 girl myself.)
Contest is open internationally.
Contest closes at 11.59 pm EST on Wednesday, June 29.

YA Contemp Month: Ten Things I Hate About Me

Welcome back for another edition of the YA Contemporary Month giveaways. I'm your host Claaaaaaiiire Daw-awn!

lol!

First congratulations to the winner of last week's giveaway

of The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder...

BEE!!!!

Bee, email me at muchlanguage (at) gmail (dot) com with a full name and address, and I'll mail it right off to you.

---

From Goodreads:
"At school I'm Aussie-blonde Jamie -- one of the crowd. At home I'm Muslim Jamilah -- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can't keep it up for much longer..."

In honour of the concept I thought I'd give you Ten Things I LOVED about this book.

1. Finally a multiculturally YA that doesn't make me want to strangle myself with a United Colors of Benneton flag.

2. Jamie/Jamila. :S

3. Teen views of tensions between Muslims and whites.

4. Sydney, Australia.

5. Mustafa, the rapping Aussie Lebanese-Muslim teen.

6. Even though it's totally not a love triangle, waiting to see if she picks Timothy or John.

7. Jamilah's Dad. You get him, but you still ache for her.

8. The way how the issue is so obviously important but still totally irrelevant. (Not a lot of books do that without getting preachy, and I'll admit this one had a few borderline moments.)

9. Shereen, Jamilah's political activist sister.

10. Jamilah's piping hot and steamy big brother, Bilal. *Grins*

Answer this question in the comments to enter: Were there racial tensions at your high school? (or neighbourhood/workplace/etc)
Open internationally and to anyone.
Open until Wednesday, June 22, 1159 pm EST.

Winner, Review, Giveaway 17

(I've just thought that I should number these. Might make my life easier...)

The winner of Giveaway number 16

a copy of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

is...

Sidrah!!!

Congrats! I loved your response to the question too :)

Today up for grabs is:

Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled onto the Colourful Chick Lit challenge on Goodreads. Man, am I glad I did. I've been to Black Atlanta, and the Philippines, and SERVING CRAZY WITH CURRY took me to Indian America.

First, the title. I picked this book out of the list purely on the title. Apart from being awesome, it's actually very representative of the book. Devi attempts suicide, only to be saved by her mother. As she recovers she stops talking. To replace her voice and drown out her thoughts, she starts cooking up a storm every day.

Because Devi isn't talking, we must wait and discover things with the family as the real story of what happened unfolds. But the story isn't only about Devi. There are two failing marriages, women struggling to uphold or rebel against Indian culture, people struggling to reconcile the Indian bits of themselves with the American bits.

One drawback: sometimes the head-hopping happened and you didn't know and you were left wondering why one character knew something she shouldn't. But the wonderfully written Indian-based food more than makes up for it. Don't read on an empty stomach!

The rules:
Answer this: If you couldn't talk (or write), what hobby would you take up to express yourself?
Comment before next Wednesday May 4th 11.59 pm EST
You must be a follower to win. (Remember next week is the first of the month and open to everyone.)

Good luck!

(PS, Remember how I'm supposed to be staying away from Amazon? Well somehow I ended up in the free Kindle books. They're free, so I'm not technically breaking the ban? Thank God they're free. I have 52 new books on my Kindle! I'm going to be reading classics for the next decade!)