{Review & Giveaway} Persephone the Daring @JoanHolub #SusanWilliams

Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11)

Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy. His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

This book like all the others is a big fat five stars for us!  They are so cute!  We kinda wish we didnt do a giveaway with the other and will deff have to buy them! 

Want reviews?   

Aug. 10th-12 Crossroads will be posting one review a day of the Heroes in Training Series and then on Aug. 13-22 we will be reviewing the Goddess Girls Series 

Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist "Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly “…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

• Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
• Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
• Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
• Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
• Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he'll get kicked out of MOA! Although she's not sure it's wise, Athena agrees to help out.
• Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she's the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever.
• Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair!
• Medusa the Mean Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy -- immortal. Is that too much to ask?
• The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) Listen in on what all four goddess girls are thinking as Mount Olympus Academy hosts visitors from many lands--including an adorable kitten!The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series!
• Pandora the Curious Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school.
• Pheme the Gossip As the goddess girl of rumor and gossip, Pheme prides herself on being “in the know” and having the most up-to-date info on anyone and everyone at Mount Olympus Academy.

Author Suzanne Williams Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children's choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 - 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 - 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.

Website * Blog

Author Joan Holub I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children's books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job. I illustrated my first published children's book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts -- Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee! Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children's books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

Twitter * Website * Blog

Book Blast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 8/22/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Reivew & Giveaway & Excerpt} Dust and Decay @JonathanMaberry

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them. Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

Click the covers to buy now!

 

Biography

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries.

His novels include the Pine Deep Trilogy: GHOST ROAD BLUES (Pinnacle books; winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2006), DEAD MAN’S SONG (2007) and BAD MOON RISING (2008); the Joe Ledger series of action thrillers from St. Martin’s Griffin: PATIENT ZERO (2009, winner of the Black Quill and a Bram Stoker Award finalist for Best Novel), THE DRAGON FACTORY (2010; now available), THE KING OF PLAGUES (March 2011), ASSASSIN’S CODE (March 2012), EXTINCTION MACHINE (2013); THE WOLFMAN (NY Times bestseller from Tor, based on the Universal Pictures film starring Benecio Del Toro, Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins; winner of the Scribe Award for Best Adaptation); the forthcoming standalone zombie thriller DEAD OF NIGHT (Oct 25 2011); and the Benny Imura series of Young Adult dystopian zombie thrillers from Simon & Schuster: ROT & RUIN (2011; named in Booklist’s Ten Best Horror Novels for Young Adults, a Bram Stoker and Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award finalist; winner of the Cybils Award, the Eva Perry Mock Printz medal, Dead Letter Best Novel Award, and four Melinda Awards), DUST & DECAY (Aug 30 2011), FLESH & BONE (2012) and FIRE & ASH (21013).

› Visit Amazon's Jonathan Maberry Page

So this one was so much better than book 1! Which almost never happens. In this one we find ourselves in the POV of just about everyone. But Mayberry does it so well that you don't have to wonder who's head your in which makes the book even better!  We also get glimpses of Nix's journal entires at the end of each chapter which is just awesome!  I think my fav character is Dr. Skillz he is one of the surfer guys and is so funny. I hope we get a novella about them in the future!  The only thing I didn't like about this book is that we loose a beloved character near the end. So make sure you have tissues near by cause your gonna need them. 

There were a few typos in this one like the first. Nothing to big. Just a few things like it said alive instead of live etc. Other than that I love this one even more than book one. I love that Mayberry has created a series that keeps you entertained without the book being all about running for your live away from the zombies. That the book has a real plot with wonderful characters. 

In this one we find Benny, Nix Lilah, and Chong growing up.  Benny is no longer the skinny know it all kid he was in book 1. Lilah will change and become more human and less like the Zoms that roam the Rot and Ruin. Nix will blossom into a fierce warrior and Chong will learn that he is braver than he thinks he is!  

This book is full of nail biting action that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the last page!  Love and loss also play a part in this second installment as well as a twist that will haunt these four kids for the rest of their lives!

On a side note. I still love that this series explores zombies in a new light. Do they feel? Is there still anyone inside? What are they really?  These questions are things that normally are not even asked.                                                                                        "*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Check out the first chapter in Rot and Ruin!  

This will scroll!

READ AN EXCERPT  1 BENNY IMURA WAS APPALLED TOLEARN THAT THE APOCALYPSE CAME with homework. “Why do we have to study this stuff?” he demanded. “We already know what happened. People started turning into zoms, the zoms ate just about everyone, everyone who dies becomes a zom, so the moral of this tale is: Try not to die.” Across the kitchen table, his brother, Tom, stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you deliberately trying to be an idiot, or is it a natural gift?” “I’m serious. We know what happened.” “Really? Then how come you spent most of last summer complaining that no one my age tells anyone your age the truth about the living dead?” “Telling us is one thing. Essays and pop quizzes are a whole different thing.” “Because heaven forbid you should have to remember anything we told you.” Benny raised his eyebrows mysteriously and tapped his temple. “I have it all right here in the vast storehouse of knowledge that is me.” “Okay, boy genius, then what started the plague?” “Easy one,” Benny said. “Nobody knows.” “What are the leading theories?” Benny jabbed his fork into a big piece of buttered yam, shoved it into his mouth, and chewed noisily as he spoke. It was a move calculated to annoy Tom in three separate ways. Tom hated when he spoke with his mouth full. He hated it when Benny chewed with his mouth open. And it would muffle most of what he said, which meant that Tom had to pay even more attention to the yam-packed mouth from which the muffled words came. “Radiation, virus, bioweapon, toxic waste, solar flares, act of God.” He rattled it off so there was no break between the words. Also annoying, and worth at least another point on Benny’s personal Annoy-O-Meter. Tom sipped his tea and said nothing, but he gave Benny the look. Benny sighed and swallowed. “Okay,” he said, “at first people thought it was radiation from a satellite.” “Space probe,” corrected Tom. “Whatever. But that doesn’t make sense, because one satellite—” “Space probe.” “—wouldn’t carry enough radioactive material to spread over the entire world.” “We think.” “Sure,” conceded Benny, “but in science class they told us even if one of the old nuclear power plants did a whatchamacallit, there—” “Meltdown.” “—wouldn’t be enough radiation to cover the entire planet even though it has more radioactive materials than a satellite.” Tom sighed. Benny smiled. “What conclusion can you draw from that?” “The world wasn’t destroyed by radioactive alien space zombies.” “Probably wasn’t destroyed by radioactive alien space zombies,” Tom corrected. “How about a virus?” Benny cut a piece of chicken and ate it. Tom was a great cook, and this was one of his better meals. Yams, broiled chicken with mushrooms and almonds, and rich green kale. A loaf of steaming bread made from the last of the winter wheat sat near where Benny could plunder it. “Chong’s dad says that a virus needs a living host, and zoms aren’t alive. He said that maybe bacteria or a fungus was sustaining the virus.” “Do you know what a bacterium is?” “Sure … it’s a bug thingy that makes you sick.” “God, I love it when you display the depth of your knowledge. It makes me proud to be your brother.” “Kiss my—” “Language.” They grinned at each other. It had been nearly seven months since Benny’s lifelong hatred and distrust of Tom had transformed into affection and respect. That process had started last summer, shortly after Benny’s fifteenth birthday. On some level Benny knew that he loved Tom, but since Tom was his brother and this was still the real world, the chances of Benny ever using that L word were somewhere between “no way” and “get out of my way I’m going to throw up.” Not that Benny was afraid of the L word when it came to someone better suited for it, namely the fiercely red-haired queen of freckles, Nix Riley. Benny would like very much to toss that word up for her to consider, but he had yet to do so. Shortly after the big fight at the bounty hunters’ camp, when Benny had tentatively tried to bring up the subject, Nix had threatened bodily harm if he said that word. Benny had zipped his mouth shut, understanding completely why the moment had been so inappropriate. Charlie Pink-eye Matthias and the Motor City Hammer had murdered Nix’s mother, and the insane events of the days that followed hadn’t allowed Nix to properly react. Or grieve. Those days had been the weirdest mix of absolute horror, black despair, and soaring happiness. The emotions he’d felt didn’t seem to even belong in the same world, let alone the same person. Benny gave Nix her time for grief, and he grieved too. Mrs. Riley had been a great lady. Sweet, funny, kind, and always a little sad. Like everyone else in Mountainside, Jessie Riley had suffered terrible losses during First Night. Her husband, her two sons. “Everyone lost someone,” Chong often reminded him. Even though they’d been toddlers, Benny and Chong were the only ones among their friends to remember that night. Chong said that it was all a blur of screams and shouts, but Benny remembered it with a peculiar clarity. His mother handing him through a first-floor window to Tom—who was a twenty-year-old cadet at the police academy—and then the pale, shambling thing that had been Dad coming out of the shadows and pulling Mom away. Then Tom running away, his terrified heartbeat hammering like a drum inside the chest to which he held a squirming, screaming Benny. Until last year Benny had remembered that First Night in a twisted way. All his life he had believed that Tom had simply run away. That he had not tried to help Mom. That he was a coward. Now Benny knew different. Now he knew what kind of torment Tom had suffered to save him. He also knew that when Mom had handed him through the window to Tom, she had already been bitten. She was already lost. Tom had done the only thing he could have done. He ran, and in running had given value to Mom’s sacrifice, and that had saved them both. Now Benny was fifteen and a half, and First Night was a million years ago. This world was no longer that world. On First Night the old world had died. As the dead rose, the living perished. Cities were incinerated by the military in a futile attempt to stop the growing armies of the dead. The electromagnetic pulses from the nukes fried all electronics. The machines went silent, and soon, so did the whole country. Now everything east of the small town of Mountainside was the great Rot and Ruin. A few other towns littered the foothills of the Sierra Nevada north and south of Benny’s home, but the rest of the old world had been consumed. Or … had it? During that adventure in the mountains east of town, Benny and Nix had seen something that to them was as inexplicable and potentially world-changing as the zombie plague had been. Flying high, high above them had been a thing Benny had only ever read about in old books. A jet. A sleek jumbo jet that flew out of the east, banked in a slow circle around the mountains, and then headed back the way it had come. Now Benny and Nix were counting down the days until they left Mountainside to find where the jet had come from. The calendar pinned to the wall by the back door had black Xs over the first ten days of this month. There were seven unmarked days, and then a big red circle around the following Saturday. April 17, one week from today. The words ROAD TRIP were written in block letters below the date. Tom thought that the jet was flying in the general direction of Yosemite National Park, which was due east of the town. Benny and Nix had begged Tom for this trip for months, but as the day approached, Benny wasn’t so sure he still wanted to go. It was just that Nix was absolutely determined. “Earth to Benny Imura.” Benny blinked and heard as an after-echo the sound of Tom snapping his fingers. “Huh?” “Jeez … what planet were you orbiting?” “Oh … just kind of drifted there.” “Nix or the jet?” “Little of both.” “Must have been more about the jet,” Tom said. “There was less drool.” “You are very nearly funny,” said Benny. He looked down at his plate and was mildly surprised that it was empty. “Yes,” said Tom, “you were eating on autopilot. It was fascinating to watch.” There was a knock on the door. Benny shot to his feet and crossed the kitchen to the back door. He was smiling as he undid the locks. “That’s got to be Nix,” he said as he pulled it open. “Hey, sweetie …” Morgie Mitchell and Lou Chong stood on the back porch. “Um,” said Chong, “hello to you, too, sugar lumps.”

So today is the 2nd Day of the 4 Day giveaway!  
To start out you will have to watch the following video!  
The Second question is listed at the end! 

So what will you win?! 
This giveaway is open to everyone and you will win the following!

1 Grand Prize Winner will get - ALL 4 finished copies of the Rot and Ruin Series
1 Winner will get- ARC of Fire and Ash book 4 in the Rot and Ruin Series

CROSSROAD REVIEWS THANKS SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE FIRST 3 BOOK IN FINISHED COPY AS WELL AS THE ARC OF FIRE AND ASH! 

Without them we would not be able to do this giveaway!  The finished copy of Fire and Ash was purchased from donations made to this site!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} Asylum @Authoroux

This title will be released on 

August 20, 2013

Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

› Visit Amazon's Madeleine Roux Page

Biography

MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.

Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Wisconsin where she enjoys the local beer and preparing for the eventual and inevitable zombie apocalypse.

I should have known that I wasnt going to like this one when it said it was for fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  The story sounded great!  A 16 year old Dan comes to stay for weeks over the summer at a college program and he finds our that the dorms are located in what was once an asylum!  Now how cool does that sound?!  Now the issues came with the characters!  They go from acting their age to acting like children! And to top it off it just didnt feel real!  I will say one thing the pictures that were included in the Home for Peculiar Children were wonderfully creepy.  Even though I didnt like the book those pictures gave me nightmares.  Now in this ARC the pictures were not well made and most of them that were included didnt even illustrate what was being talked about in the book which made the pictures pointless to say the least. Lastly I cant believe that this is being made into a series.  It could have been a wonderful book if a little more care would have been taken!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

{Review + Giveaway} Dork Diaries 1-6 @DorkDiaries

Love and crushes are in the air for Nikki Maxwell in this sixth book of the New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series.It s the biggest dance of the year and Nikki Maxwell is hoping her crush, Brandon, wants to be her date. But time is running out. What if he doesn t want to go with her? Or worse what if he ends up going with Mackenzie?!! In the sixth book in the blockbuster Dork Diaries series now with more than 8 million copies in print join Nikki, Chloe and Zoey as they tackle the topic of love, Dork Diaries style!

Rachel Renee Russell is an attorney who prefers writing tween books to legal briefs. (Mainly because books are a lot more fun and pajamas and bunny slippers aren’t allowed in court.)

She has raised two daughters and lived to tell about it. Her hobbies include growing purple flowers and doing dotally useless crafts (like, for example, making a microwave oven out of Popsicle sticks, glue, and glitter). Rachel lives in northern Virginia with a spoiled pet Yorkie who terrorizes her daily by climbing on top of a computer cabinet and pelting her with stuffed animals while she writes. And, yes, Rachel considers herself a total Dork. Website

This review is from Endarine!

This review is for the entire series!  I was so happy when the publisher sent them all to me!  I read one at a time and loved each one!  I even got to make my own Dork Diary!  (I cant show it to you because its a secret!) I loved these books soooooo much and cant wait to get my own copies!  I hope one day to meet the author and cant wait to get the next book if the author does more!  These are so cute and a great series for girls!

Giveaway Open to the USA Only!

 "*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review + Giveaway} Rot & Ruin + Giveaway Part 1 @JonathanMaberry

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

› Visit Amazon's Jonathan Maberry Page

Biography

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries.

I really did love this book and cant wait to finish the series!  Although I dont agree with Zombies were once people to and they should get respect. I do understand it.  I am a big believer that if zombies happened now that I would just kill them all and try to retake small sections of the world. Leaving them alive (undead) is not really helping anyone and there is a greater chance of them killing more people!

I loved all the characters but think that Tom should have been teaching Benny everything he knew and not wait until Benny turned 15. I think that Benny would have been better prepared for dealing with the Rot and Ruin.

So today is the start of the 4 Day giveaway!  To start out you will have to watch the following video!  The first question is listed at the end!

So what will you win?! This giveaway is open to everyone and you will win the following!

1 Grand Prize Winner will get - ALL 4 finished copies of the Rot and Ruin Series
1 Winner will get- ARC of Fire and Ash book 4 in the Rot and Ruin Series

CROSSROAD REVIEWS THANKS SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE FIRST 3 BOOK IN FINISHED COPY AS WELL AS THE ARC OF FIRE AND ASH! 

Without them we would not be able to do this giveaway!  The finished copy of Fire and Ash was purchased from donations made to this site!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own." a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review + Interview} Paper Princess #ElisaKlevenBooks @SamiJoLien

A gust of wind sends a paper princess flying. ?Wait! I didn?t finish you,? cries the little girl who made her. ?I?ll finish myself,? calls the princess, and the wind carries her away, over a meadow and a river, to a carnival and a town, until finally she finds her way home. Elisa Kleven?s ?mixed-media collages are a kaleidoscope of color and activity, encompassing a vast, multiracial cast of happy people? (Publishers Weekly). ?The best book yet from this talented author/illustrator, and one that children will love.? -- School Library Journal, starred review Elisa Kleven?s award-winning picture books include her own Ernst and The Lion and the Little Red Bird, the illustrations for Abuela, by Arthur Dorros, and her most recent book for Dutton, The Puddle Pail. She lives near San Francisco, California.











Biography of Author/Illustrator Elisa Kleven
Children’s book author and illustrator Elisa Kleven has touched the lives of thousands of kids and their parents over the past two decades with stunning storytelling accompanied by gorgeous drawings in her more than 30 published books.
Kleven grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in the San Francisco Bay area since moving there to study at the University of
 California, Berkeley.
Kleven’s latest book “Glasswings: A Butterfly’s Story” released Spring
2013 from Dial Press, and her forthcoming title this September, “Cozy Light, Cozy Night,” is one of four featured titles of the debut children’s press Creston Books.
Other favorites among readers include “Welcome Home, Mouse,” “The Paper Princess,” “The Lion and the Little Red Bird” and “Sun Bread.” She has provided illustrations for Arthur Dorros’ “Abuela,” Jose Luis Orozco’s “De Colores” and Thacher Hurd’s “The Weaver, among others.
Kleven is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has been recognized nationally with awards and honors from the American Library Association, the New York Times, the Junior Library Guild, School Library Journal and the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Author Website: http://www.elisakleven.com/

Amazon: 

Glasswings:http://www.amazon.com/Glasswings-Butterflys-Story-Elisa-Kleven/dp/0803737424/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373479578&sr=8-1&keywords=Glasswings

The Carousel Tale: http://www.amazon.com/Carousel-Tale-Elisa-Kleven/dp/1582462399/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373479610&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Carousel+Tale

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/250903.Elisa_Kleven

Q and A with Elisa Kleven

Had you always wanted to write children’s books?
It was a childhood dream of mine, which I think began with my love for Hans Christian Andersen’s transporting fairy tales, and the joy I felt looking at the marvelous pictures in my favorite books.
Why did you choose to feature the glasswings butterfly in your latest release?
I was intrigued by the creature’s transparency and delicacy. I loved the idea that they could take on the colors of whatever surrounded them (they’re known as “Espejitos,” Little Mirrors, in the Latin American countries where they’re found), and I marveled at their fluid identity. I was also impressed that this incredibly fragile creature could accomplish so much as a pollinator.


Can you tell us a little about your forthcoming title “Cozy Light, Cozy Night” from Creston Books?
The book presents a year of everyday wonders, giving children an opportunity to snuggle up with a parent and enter into a warm, cozy world, where even the planets are tucked cozily into bed along with the shining stars.
I was inspired by my appreciation for how the small things in life give us comfort and make us happy. I, for instance, enjoy taking a hike with my dog in the incredibly beautiful landscape we live in. I find extreme pleasure in sharing a meal with family and friends, curling up at the end of the day with a good book, or the quiet magic of creating art in my studio. Life would be a cold, hard struggle without access to coziness. I hope my book will provide children, who are often so stressed, over scheduled and steeped, for better and for worse, in technology, with a little piece of coziness, too.
“Cozy Light, Cozy Night” brings the simplest yet most magical details of each season to life.



You have done both the poetic text and luminous illustrations for than 30 picture books in your career. As you write, are you picturing the scenes in your mind, and do they end up looking the same once you start drawing?
I picture the scenes in my mind, then try my best to translate them to paper. Sometimes I’m disappointed with how they come out, and sometimes pleasantly surprised. Creativity is not always controllable!



Do the words always come to you first for a book, or do you visualize something and decide to write a story around that sometimes?
Sometimes the words come first, and sometimes the pictures. In the case of “Cozy Light, Cozy Night,” they came together. I thought of the things that bring me the most joy (warm sand, soft snow, summer light, autumn leaves, snuggling with my family and animals), and suddenly words began clustering – in rhyme, no less – around the images. Of course I rework many drafts of a story, including this one, until it feels as finished as it can be.

This one was so cute!  Its about a girl who creates a paper princess only to have her fly away before she can do her hair.  The rest of the book is a tale of the adventures that the paper princess goes on as she tries to get back to the little girl who drew her.  This one was a wonderful little story that my girls made me read them for the past week before they go to bed!  They loved it that much. 

{Blast} Over the Rainbow #BrianRowe

Over the Rainbow RELEASE DAY

By Brian Rowe

YA Fantasy

Date Published:  8/6/2013

16-year-old Zippy Green never meant to fall in love with a girl, but when she does, her ultra-conservative father tries to send her to anti-gay camp. At the Kansas City airport, however, she hides inside a giant suitcase and sneaks onto an airplane headed not to the camp, but to Seattle, where her online love Mira lives. Halfway through the flight, the plane barrels out of control and crashes into the ground, knocking her unconscious.

When Zippy awakens, she finds that most of the passengers have vanished. She doesn’t know what’s happened, but she’s determined to find out. She begins a quest on foot toward Seattle, and along the way, she meets a teenager with a concussion , a homeless man with a heart condition, a child without a shred of bravery, and a terrier named Judy. Together the group discovers that more than two-thirds of the world's population has mysteriously disappeared. But that's only the beginning...

All Zippy wants is to find her Mira, but before she can she has to contend with two outside forces. The first is her homophobic father, who does everything in his power to keep her from the girl she loves. And the second is extinct creatures of all shapes and sizes, including living, breathing dinosaurs, which have replaced the missing population.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Over-the-Rainbow-ebook/dp/B00E9Q4WOQ/ref=tmm_kin_title_0

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/over-the-rainbow-brian-rowe/1116277262?ean=9781484104972

“Over the Rainbow” Short Excerpt

The end was coming, faster and faster, as the plane plummeted. I peered into the carrier to see a little white terrier staring back at me.

            When I closed my eyes for the final time I felt two ice-cold tears roll down my cheeks.

            “Mira… I love you… I love you… I—”

            The plane collided against the Earth, and I launched forward, struck my head against the cargo door, and blacked out.    

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Brian Rowe

Brian Rowe is a writing fiend, book devotee, film fanatic, and constant dreamer. He's written nine novels, dozens of short stories, five feature-length screenplays, and hundreds of film articles and essays. His fiction has appeared in Dreamspinner Press, Mobius Magazine, and Wilde Oats Literary Journal. He is one half of the YA book blog Story Carnivores, where he reviews the latest in books and film. He is currently pursuing his MA in English at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is hard at work on his first New Adult novel, which will be released in November 2013.

Author Links

Website | Goodreads

This Promo Blitz is brought to you by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

{Reveal & Giveaway} Chaos @coneilYA

Today Christine O’Neil and Entangled Teen Ember are revealing the cover for book 1 in The Kardia Chronicles Series, CHAOS. 


Coming out this August!

On to the reveal!

Blurb:

My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this---annoying and super-hot---guy all up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I'm bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it's like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he's got secrets of his own---that may just kill us both.

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Exclusive Excerpt

I was done with guys.

Not in that fake, I-say-that-but-deep-down-I-really-want-a-boyfriend kind of way, but in, like, the seriously-I'd-rather-eat-maggoty-cheese kind of way. No relationships. Not for me. Not now and maybe not ever. Who I am…what I am, and what I’m capable of? Everyone’s better off this way.

"I have to stop at my locker real quick," I said, veering to the right and cutting through the crush of kids heading straight like wildebeests to a watering hole. Libby followed and then stood by me as I fiddled with the lock.

"What's that?" She pointed to a white piece of paper sticking out half an inch from one of the slots in the olive metal door.

I tugged the padlock open and flicked the catch with my thumb. "Dunno." Maybe Bink had left me another note. Bink was my neighbor, bud, and—most days—my ride home. Last time I’d found a note in my locker, it was when his cell phone died and he needed to bail early. I seriously hoped this wasn’t a repeat performance.

I mentally ran down the list of people I could bug for a ride and came up empty. Libby always had to stay after for some activity or another, and I only really had two other people I could call "friends" and neither lived near me. I wrinkled my nose in anticipation of the dirty-sneakers-meets-day-old-bologna smell of a bus filled with kids who'd had last-period gym and opted not to change clothes. 

With a sigh, I pulled open the door and the white rectangle floated to the floor.

Libby bent to grab it and read it out loud. "'Dear Sad and Lonely…'" She trailed off and went quiet 

for a few seconds until her peachy complexion went hot pink, and then she gasped. "Oh my God. 

Holy… Oh, Mags, you are so not going to like this."

I snatched the paper from her, trying to ward off the growing pit in my gut.

Dear Sad and Lonely,

Since I can almost guarantee She is about to give you some seriously shite advice like she does every week, let me be the voice of reason. Your boyfriend is just like most high school guys. Cut him some slack and, even better, why not offer to learn how to play some of the games he likes? He'd probably appreciate the effort and might even take you somewhere nice after. If that doesn't work, sit him down and let him know how you're feeling so he can tell you what's going on with him. Could be that constantly calling the things he likes stupid isn't the best way to get what you want in this situation, yeah? In any case, don't let the ramblings of some bitter emo chick who's probably never had a boyfriend ruin your relationship.

Hope it helps,

He

The shock was too thick to let the anger in right away, but as stunned as I was, I knew exactly who was behind this. There was only one person in the whole school who would use the word “shite.”

Mac Finnegan.

Opinionated, annoying, hot—did I mention annoying?—Mac Finnegan, who had barely given me the time of day since he'd come to Crestwood High a couple months ago. Mac Finnegan, who thought he was soooo cool with his Irish accent and his mocking smile. Mac Finnegan, who inexplicably made me want to lick him like an ice cream cone and then immediately rinse my mouth out with acid.

How had he discovered my secret? Only Bink and Libby knew I was the girl behind “That's What She Said,” and I would have bet everything I owned that neither of them would have ratted me out.

Didn’t matter, though. One way or another, he knew. Even worse, he'd chosen to taunt me with it. Bitter emo chick who’s probably never had a boyfriend, indeed. I had a boyfriend once and it hadn’t ended well for either of us. I was in no rush to repeat the experience. Besides, what did this Irish asshat care?

Anger tightened my chest. I could feel the power rising in me, clawing to get out, roaring to be heard. The hair on my arms stood on end as I tried to breathe through it, to let the fury dissipate and flow out of my pores in harmless pings of energy, but it was no use. I pressed a hand to my locker and opened up the tiniest of escape valves, the spout of the teakettle, whistling off a stream of steam. The cheap metal instantly heated against my skin, the door buckling and warping on the spot just beneath my fingertips.

"Uh, Mags—" Libby whispered urgently, but a male voice cut her off.

"How's it going there, Libby? Maggie."

I turned around, still trying to catch my breath, and there he was, strolling by, a grin splitting his sinfully beautiful face.

Mac Finnegan, who had decided that being the new kid wasn't bad enough, so he had to actively go out of his way to make enemies. Mac Finnegan, who wanted to turn my world upside down rather than minding his own business. Mac Finnegan, who didn't know the meaning of live and let live.

Mac Finnegan, who clearly had no idea who he was fucking with.

 

About Christine:

Christine O’Neil is one half of the happiest couple in the world. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys and their two dogs, Gimli and Pug. If she gets time off from her duties as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory. She doesn’t like root beer, clowns or bugs (except ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate, going to the movies, the New York Giants and playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Writing is her passion, but if she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate…or, like, a ninja maybe. She loves writing fun and adventure-filled romance stories, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to dig his eyes out with rusty spoons. Christine loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to get in touch with her via the Contact Page. Christine also writes adult romance under the name Christine Bell.

Website/Twitter/ Goodreads

 

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