MFT Guest: Interview with Aimee Carter and Giveaway of The Goddess Test

Today for My Favorite Things I have Aimee Carter on for an interview about The Goddess Test.  I loved this book and am excited to have her here today.  She's also giving away a copy away so make sure you check out the details at the bottom.

About The Goddess Test:

Every girl who has taken the test has failed. 
Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. 
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. 
Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. 
If she fails...

How did The Goddess Test come to be?  Was it a full idea that popped into your head?  Or more of a niggling of an idea that came to you as you wrote?  

I usually do some significant outlining before I sit down to write a story. I don't write twenty or fifty or a hundred pages of outlines, but I do make sure to get the major plot points down. I consider it a map of sorts, though I'm not against veering off-course if it's what's best for the story. The Goddess Test has been niggling in the back of my mind for literally years, ever since I'd first really understood the myth of Hades and Persephone. Rather than focusing on Persephone's terrible circumstances, I looked at Hades and tried to see the story from his side of things.

Along the way, I made a lot of changes to the plot, and it didn't fall into place until 2007 or so, when the idea of Kate going to Hades in an effort to save someone she loved occurred to me. From then on out, I spent a lot of time writing and rewriting the outline, coming up with ways in which everything would work. Sure, Kate would be stuck with Henry for six months, but what was going on in those six months that makes the story compelling? It was a long process, but in the end, it was definitely worth it.

Were you in control of the story?  Or did your characters completely take over? 

I've had characters do some surprising things, but I'm always in control of the story. Everyone has a different way of writing, and I've heard of authors whose characters take over and drive things for them, but I'm not one of them. I'm very conscious about what I write and how I can make it the best it can possibly be, at least at that stage of the process. It'd be wonderful if they took over for me though! That'd make my job a lot easier. :)

What made you decide to write about the Greek Gods?  Were they something you found fascinating and studied before you ever thought of The Goddess Test?  (I have to throw in here that my daughter’s name is Phaedra.  Phaedra was a Greek Goddess but we won’t share her history here.  It’s not really such a great story.  But I LOVE Greek names!  And that one especially!) 

Oh, Phaedra is such a beautiful name! Your daughter's lucky to have it. I've always loved mythology, ever since I was a kid, and it came naturally, I suppose. I read everything I could get my hands on, but I kept coming back to that myth and continued to wonder about Hades' side of the story. I'm a sucker for ancient Greek culture, and I studied it whenever I could. 

What was your biggest challenge when writing The Goddess Test or the next book(s)? 

While there were certainly challenging parts to writing The Goddess Test, especially getting the ending right, I think the most challenging part about writing the trilogy as a whole is the spot I'm in now. People are reading and reviewing The Goddess Test, and while I don't read anything but positive reviews - for my own peace of mind - I'm hyper-aware of the fact that people are going to be reading the book I'm writing now, which is the third in the series. And it's daunting. I can see why a lot of writers have a hard time with sequels, but I'm determined to make this the best of the three, and hopefully that determination will produce results.

Did you have any input in the cover?   What can you tell us about the process?  

My publisher is amazing and asked me all kinds of questions about various scenes in the book, about what I envisioned for the cover, about the different characters, etc. In the end, I really had no idea what I wanted for the cover, and I was floored with the beautiful results.

Are any of your characters based on real people?  (Maybe you shouldn’t tell me if Henry is based on a real person… ) 

Ha! No, no, I'm very careful not to do that. Some of them have traits from myself or people I know, but no one is based off of anyone specifically. Not even Kate's mother is anything close to what my own mother was like.

What’s a book(s) that you find yourself recommending over and over? 

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. And of course the Harry Potter series. I reread those books all the time, and they never get old.

If you could be a Goddess which one would you want to be? 

 I've been asked this a few times, and my answer changes each time, so take this answer as you will. I think I'd like to be Athena. Intelligence, power, and beauty, all rolled into one. She's always stood out to me, and she has the fewest downsides as far as the major Olympic goddesses go.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?  Have you made any excursions outside The Goddess Test series that you can share? 

Besides the next two books in the Goddess Test trilogy (the second, Goddess Interrupted, will be released January 2012), I also have a dystopian trilogy coming soon from Harlequin TEEN as well. The first book is called Masked, and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

Oh, I can't wait for the Dystopian trilogy!  Thanks so much for being on Aimee!

Thanks so much for having me, Candace!

You can find Aimee on her website:  http://www.aimeecarter.com/

The Giveaway:

Aimee is giving away one copy of The Goddess Test to one lucky person!
You must have a US or Canadian address
You must be 13 or older to enter
Ends July 5th, 2011

To Enter:

Leave a comment and include contact info please!

 

For the schedule of The Favorite Things event check out the schedule post.  And make sure you head over to My Bookish Ways to see what she has going on today as well!

MFT Guest: Interview with Lisa Shearin and Giveaway of full set of the Raine Benares Books

Today for My Favorite Things I have the pleasure of having Lisa Shearin on for an interview.  She's also being incredibly generous and giving away a set of her Raine Benares books.  You'll find the giveaway info at the bottom as well as the link to the schedule for My Favorite Things where you'll find many more awesome posts and giveaways! 

Let's welcome Lisa to the blog! 

Can you sum up your books in 10 words that you think best describe them? 

My books are snarky, action-adventure, comedic fantasy with a touch of sex. 

Your books are full of some magical creatures, can you tell us about some of them?  

I wanted to do something different with both my elves and my goblins.  My elves aren’t the “high elves” like you’d find in Tolkien.  My elves work for a living.  Though the law enforcement in most kingdoms would refer to it as stealing or piracy, the Benares family consider themselves to be “seafaring businessmen specializing in acquisitions.”  

With my goblins, I wanted to do a complete turnaround from the usual perception of goblins.  My goblins aren’t short, gnarled, and long-nosed with a bad case of post-nasal drip.  I asked myself why couldn’t goblins be gorgeous?  Why couldn’t they be tall, leanly muscled, silvery skinned and wicked sexy?  And while I was at it—for added fun and frolic—I thought deep black eyes, long black hair, and fangs that weren’t for decorative use only would be a nice touch.  (Heck, they don’t call it “fantasy” for nothing.)  My goblins are just your basic dark-eyed, smooth-talking, dangerous bad boys who you probably wouldn’t take home to meet the parents.    

What was your biggest obstacle to overcome when writing a series? 

Keeping the details straight.  Each of my books builds off of the one before.  Basically, the where one book ends, the next one begins. It can be a challenge to keep up with who did what to whom and when.  I think I do a good job of keeping my facts straight—because if I didn’t, I’m sure my fans would let me know.    

Your books have awesome titles and amazing covers, how did you decide on the titles?

 I came up with the titles for the first three books myself. But I had trouble with the fourth one (Bewitched & Betrayed), so I had a “Name That Book” contest and let my fans come up with suggestions.  The winner would get their name on the Acknowledgement page in that book for having come up with the title.  It worked so well that I did it for the next two books as well—Con & Conjure and All Spell Breaks Loose (which I’m working on now).
  

  
And did you have any input when it came to the covers?

Authors really have little, if any, say in the covers.  My editor will ask me if I have any ideas, and I’ll give them to her.  But the next time I see the cover is when it’s in its final form.  It’s mainly a publisher’s art and marketing departments that determine how a cover for any given book looks.  They consider the type of book that it is, the demographic that they’re marketing it toward.  Ideally, they want the cover that will best sell that book to the target market.  

What is your all time favorite book, or author?

I absolutely adore Jim Butcher’sDresden Files series.  And of that series, my favorite book is Dead Beat.  I recently discovered and also love Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar mystery series.  

What can we expect to see from you in the future? Anything new in the works?

I’m presently working on Raine Benares’s sixth adventure—All Spell Breaks Loose.  It will be out next year.

About  Magic Lost, Trouble Found:

 A girl with attitude. An all-powerful amulet.This could only mean trouble.My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound…Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they’re after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.
Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul?

You can find Lisa Shearin on her Website:  http://www.lisashearin.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by Lisa!  And for the giveaway as well, of course!

The Giveaway:

The complete set of the Raine Benares books (Magic Lost, Trouble Found; Armed & Magical; The Trouble with Demons; Bewitched & Betrayed; Con & Conjure) signed and personalized to the winner with bookmarks and postcards as well.

    

Rules:

Must be 16 or older to enter.
Must have a US or Canadian address to ship to.
Ends July 5th, 2011

To Enter:

Leave a comment about the interview (Feel free to tell us which cover and/or title you like the best, because seriously, I'm in love with them!)  Don't forget contact info!

 

 

 For the schedule of The Favorite Things event check out the schedule post.  And make sure you head over to My Bookish Ways to see what she has going on today as well!

Book Tour: Interview with Josephine Angelini, author of Starcrossed and a Giveaway of awesomeness!

Today I have the pleasure of having Josephine Angelini on as part of her blog tour for Starcrossed.  It just so happens that it fits with the My Favorite Things event as well.  I LOVED Starcrossed and you'll have to be sure to check out my review.
Today we get to learn a bit about Josie through an interview and at the end there will be a giveaway as well as the info you'll need to enter to win the big giveaway for the Kindle 3.
But lets get to it!

It's great to have you on for your blog tour and for the Favorite Things Event.  I'm so glad the timing was so perfect!

Me too!  

When writing Starcrossed what was your biggest obstacle to overcome?

The biggest obstacle was finding a way to make Helen and Lucas sympathetic.  I had to do a lot of creative heavy lifting to set up a situation where two likable characters could start a war by falling in love.  

That's a good point, but you did a great job so I'd say you succeeded smashingly!

Which of the characters is your favorite other then Helen and Lucas?

I love Claire, which isn’t surprising because she’s a mixture of several women who have been my closest girlfriends at different periods in my life.

Claire is a very likable character ;) And that's very cool!

   

The cover is gorgeous, did you have much input in it?

I had a lot of input, but I can’t take credit for how well it turned out.  The art department at Harper Teen went all out, and my editor Laura Arnold paid attention to every detail.  I’m so happy with the outcome!

In my opinion you certainly hit the cover jackpot.  This cover is freaking GORGEOUS!  So gorgeous in fact that I happened to have it in my purse when I stopped by a bookstore and ended up showing it to one of the salespeople I 'know'.  I think I may have a few people super excited for it who hadn't heard of it yet ;)

Was there anything in particular that inspired some or all of Starcrossed?

I’m going to have to give Homer props right about now!  The Iliad is the inspiration and the template.  I just tried not to mess up that classic work too much.  

*Blushes* I don't remember The Iliad though I think I read at least a condensed version in school.  

Which character, from any book, do you have the biggest crush on?

Cyrano de Bergerac is my ultimate crush.  I read Rostand’s play when I was fifteen and I’ve never gotten over him.  TLF.  

Hmmm... no clue who that is... *runs off to look him up*

What is your favorite place in the world?

At the moment I’m going to say my kitchen table.  I like to write here (I’m sitting at it right now).  I’m comfortable.  There are some flowers, my coffee, and a cat sleeping just behind my computer.  It’s all good. 

There's nothing like the comfort of home.

If you could travel anyplace where would you choose to go?

I’m itching to go to Greece.  Wonder why, right?  

I'm right there with you!  I've been itching to go since I saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  Since then I've researched it a bit.  One day...

What are some of your favorite things to do outside of writing?

I’m a good eater.  I can’t cook, but I like to go out to dinner with friends or family and gab the night away.  I also love to look at art.  I can’t draw or paint to save my life, but I really admire anyone that can.  Music is another big part of my life, although I can’t sing or play an instrument.  I love exercise, but I’m really clumsy so I don’t play any sports. Let me put it this way, I enjoy lots of things, but I don’t have many skills outside of writing.  I’m sort of a one trick pony.

I gotta say, that makes me feel a bit better.  I'm not really good at anything though I like a lot of things.  At least you can write fantastically!

If you were to pick actors for a movie of Starcrossed who do you picture playing Helen and Lucas (and any of the characters if you have an idea of who you'd pick)?

I have no idea!  Any suggestions?

I don't.  Yet... But I would like to hear some from the readers!

About Josephine Angelini: (website) 

Josie was born in a tiny town in Massachusetts called Ashland. When she meets people from Massachusetts and tells them ‘what part’ she hails from, she usually gets one of two answers. The first is: “Ashland. Isn’t that in Oregon?” And the second is: “Did you just say Ass-land?”
Her next stop was about as different from her hometown as it gets without leaving the country. As soon as Josie was legal, she packed a bag and moved to New York City to attend NYU. Somehow, she managed to squeeze in a little higher learning between bartending shifts and graduated with a BFA.
Massively in debt with college loans, she then moved to Los Angeles for reasons that are still a little blurry. Something about the weather was mentioned, and a vague idea to write poetry and find herself. She found that she is a terrible poet, but she never gave up on the writing bit.
Josie still lives in Los Angeles with her husband and now writes YA fiction.

The Giveaway info:

You could win aKindle 3with a specially designed Starcrossed skinand including a letter from Josie to the winner.Ummm... WOW! 

Isn't that freaking beautiful?!  I'm IN LOVE with this cover!  And if I had a Kindle 3 I'd be all about getting my hands on this gel skin!  

• In order to enter to win a Kindle3 WiFi, including a copy of Starcrossed, a personal letter from Josie to the winner and covered in a GelaSkin of Starcrossed's cover art, you must collect the pink highlighted words from Lucas's love letter to Helen that are provide each day at the individual tour stops.  The daily words can be joined together in sequential order to create the winning secret message.  Once you've constructed the winning secret message, you will need to enter that message on Starcrossed's tour home page (http://www.kismetbt.com/upcoming-tour/starcrossed-by-josephine-angelini-on-tour-mayjune).

• No purchase, affiliation, status as follower to a certain blog or any other association is required to enter.

• Full rules for the contest can be found at the Starcrossed tour home page (http://www.kismetbt.com/upcoming-tour/starcrossed-by-josephine-angelini-on-tour-mayjune).

• Winner of the Kindle give-away will be announced on Josie's homepage (http://www.josephineangelini.com/blog/) on Tuesday, June 7th.

This letter was exclusively written for this blog tour.
If you want to know what Lucas told Helen in the letter then you'll need to stop by each tour stop.
Each day a new piece of the letter will be revealed and one or two words will be in pink.
It is these pink words you'll have to collect to enter the grand prize giveaway at the end. 

Today's bit of the letter is:

The full list of tour stops!

Monday May, 16th - Bewitched Bookworms/ Tour Kick-off!

Tuesday, May 17th - Becky, Stories & Sweets

Wednesday, May 18th - Elie, Ellz Reads/ Starcrossed Skin giveaway

Thursday, May 19th - Heidi, YA Bibliophile / Starcrossed Skin giveaway

Friday, May 20th - See Scoot Read / Character Interview with Helen's BFF Claire

Monday May, 23th - Missie, The Unread Reader / "When I'm not Writing"

Tuesday, May 24th - Savanna, Books with Bite /Starcrossed Skin giveaway and 2 Starcrossed copies

Wednesday, May 25th - Natalie, The Mindful Musings / Character Interview with Helen

Thursday, May 26th - Heather, Buried in Books /Starcrossed Skin giveaway & Interview with Josie

Friday, May 27th - Nely, All about {n} / "Josie's Bookcase"

Monday May, 30th - Candace, Candace's Book Blog / Starcrossed Skin giveaway & Interview with Josie

Tuesday, May 31st (Starcrossed Book Birthday!) - Kristi, The Story Siren / Vlog post by Josie

Wednesday, June 1st - Small Review /Starcrossed Skin giveaway

Thursday, June 2nd - Jenny, Supernatural Snark / Starcrossed Skin giveaway & Character Interview with Lucas

Friday, June 3rd - Cynthia - A Book About Nothing /Starcrossed Skin giveaway

Tuesday, June 7th: Announcement of the big prize winner on Josie's Blog!

To Enter to Win the Kindle 3 Prize Package:

At the end of the Tour can follow this Link to the official Blog tour page to enter Lucas' sentence to be eligible to enter thebig Kindle 3 WiFi giveaway!

To Enter to win the Starcrossed gel skin for Kindle 3, here, on my blog: This giveaway has ended! 

This is open to US addresses only and ends June 4th at 12 pm EST. 

Leave a comment with contact info!  That's it!

Also feel free to let us know who you think would play Lucas and Helen if you were to cast for the movie.

Thanks to the gals at Kismet book touring for putting this tour together.  Also a huge thanks to Josie for her generosity! 

Book Review: Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk

Title: Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom #1)
Author: Devon Monk
Details: Mass Market Paperback, 355 pgs.
Published: Nov, 2008 by Roc
isbn: 0451462408 (ISBN13: 9780451462404)
Reading Level: Adult
Source: Purchased (years ago!)

Description:Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy-tale, hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o, sparkles and pixie dust crap. Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got. 
Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user - maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they Offload the cost onto innocents. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster - and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is. 
Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune - and the strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magic Offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic. 
Now Allie's out for the truth - and must call upon forces that will challenge everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine ... and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

I've had this series on my shelf for a very long and desperately wanted to read it.  But I feel that way about a lot of books and there's just not time to read them ALL.  But I finally said screw it and I picked it up.  I really ended up enjoying the book and I think I'll love the future books, but it wasn't a fun ride the entire way.


I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Allie.  I think maybe because it's the first in a series and I'm just learning so much about the world, I'm not sure.  But it took a bit before I started establishing a connection and getting her and her actions.  By the end of the book I can say that I do like her and I think this book is just the very beginning of what's to come.  


I LOVE Zayvion.  LOVE!  He really is a mysterious but sexy dude.  But it took awhile to feel the connection between him and Allie.  Maybe it's because in the beginning I wasn't feeling Allie.  I can say that the way things eventually developed I started to see a real connection.  I think maybe they were just moving too fast for it to feel real to me.  They had to really show me their connection a bit more for me to feel it.


I thought parts of this book were a little slow.  The first half really.  I also felt confused.  I think it's just because it's the first in a series and I'm just getting introduced to the world and the characters and so I wasn't feeling it right away.  By the second half I was very involved in it though and was happy how things progressed with characters and plot.


This book was more serious than most UF I read, usually there's more funny thrown in and there wasn't in this one at all really.  It's not really a bad thing,  I just prefer some funny.  BUT she was spending most of her time trying to stay alive, so future books could introduce a bit more of her funny side or some characters with a sense of humor.


I did love that this book takes place locally to me.  I love being able to picture things when she says where she is, etc.  It's just a bonus for me ;)


Although I pointed out a few things I didn't love I really believe that it's because it's the first in a series.  A lot of it is me and the way I am with most urban fantasy books, there's just so much to learn about the world.    I really think that the future books will be better for me and it could very easily turn into a favorite urban fantasy series.  

Find the author:

Website |  Twitter

In My Mailbox (61)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is where we share with everyone all the books we got through the week.  

I was going to make a vlog but we spent most of the day at the nursery buying plants and now I'm too tired to take the time.  But I did get a few good ones!

For Review:

Flawless Ruins by Kieryn Nicolas

Thank you Kieryn!

This is a dystopia that comes out in June.  Because I think it's one that not many know of I'm including the description.

In 2238, life in America is finally perfect. The Wars are over and the CommWall is in place, blocking communication with what remains of other continents. The women are content to have great education, choice careers, and glamorous hair. Best of all, when every girl turns seventeen she’s given her Like; an adorable, perfect spouse tailor-made just for her. 

Everyone looks forward to the day she gets her Like, and Morgan Waters is no exception—until she accidentally stays out past curfew and stumbles across someone who appears to be a Like but claims to be a man. Morgan’s perfect world crumbles down around her in the midst of a forbidden romance, forcing her to deal with the realization that her life may not be so flawless after all.

Purchased:

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

I've been wanting this one since it came out!  I'm SO excited to finally have it!

Household Gods by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove

This is actually a book I read a few years ago and LOVED LOVED LOVED it!  Since it's My Favorite Things right now I thought it was a good time to pick up some of my favorite books that I don't own.  I'm actually hoping I can reread this sometime soon'ish.

Gift:

The Dark City #1 (Relic Master) by Catherine Fisher

Nikki from Wicked Awesome Books is amazing and sent me an ARC of this because she knew how much I was wanting it.  Huge (((hugs))) to her!  I'm so excited to read it!  I LOVED Incarceron and Sapphique.

 

What was in your mailbox?

Make sure you check out the schedule for My Favorite Things.  We have a full week of Steampunk goodness behind us and paranormal/urban fantasy/ fantasy/ sci fi/ horror is up next!