Pushing the Limits Read-Along Week One

It's time! It's time!

The Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry Read-Along

is finally here and you are all invited to read along with us! No matter if you haven't read the book before, or if you (like us) read it already and just want to spend some more time with Noah and Echo!

This fabulous event is hosted by ME Candace Book Blog, Natalia @ Dazzling Reads, The Page Turners, Mary @ The Book Swarm and The Bewitched Bookworms.

For 6 weeks, we will discuss the amazing emotional roller coaster that is Pushing the Limits. We will tear up with Echo, swoon over Noah and thoroughly enjoy this unbelievably fantastic book! Every week will have awesometastic giveaways sponsored by HarlequinTEEN and we have an epic, unique and absolutely adorable Grand Prize sponsored by Bewitched Bookworms and Katie McGarry herself!

Ready for some fun?!

Then grab your copy of Pushing the Limits and buckle up! It's one hell of a ride!!

Schedule:

• July 24 - Intro Post for the Read-A-Long - Linky for Participation!Go HERE if you haven't signed up.
  
• July 31 - Bewitched Bookworms Pages 7-84 ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 7th - The Page Turners Pages 85 - 162 - ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 14th - Candace Book Blog Pages 163 - 239 - ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 21th - Dazzling Reads Pages 240 - 316 - ends with a Echo chapter
• Aug 28th - The Book Swarm Pages 317 - 392

We would be incredibly happy if you'd join us! Pushing The Limits comes out TODAY, so if you pre-ordered, get the eBook or have an ARC you will be ready to get started with the first Chapters and read a long with us!

So, right now all you need is the book (..duuuh) and an outlet where to post your answers!

(Blog, Goodreads, Tumblr or even Facebook - wherever you can post the answers!!!)

"Rules" of Participation

• Link up here with the outlet where you want to post. All types of Blogs, Goodreads, Facebook - anywhere where you can post your answers.
• Questions are posted the week before. (You have one week to post your answers)
• Every week a new linky will be posted to link up your weekly post.
• You must answer at least 5 questions to get an entry for the giveaway.
• Have Fun and Spread the word ! ;)
• To make new friends, meet the other participants and leave some comment love!

Giveaways!

Of course we will have some awesome Prize Packages for you to win!

Grand Prize Package

The winner will be drawn from all participants during the course of the Read-Along. Of course, if you participate every week, you'll have 6 chances to win! This Prize Package is sponsored by Katie McGarry (we love her so much!!) and the Bewitched Bookworms and is special, unique and totally inspired by our loves: Echo & Noah!

• 1 personalized, signed, finished copy of Pushing The Limits!(Katie will sign it to the winner!)
• Fudge brownie mix since that's Lila's favorite and she always buys them when she is with Echo
• Pushing the Limits Bookmark
• A small Hot Wheels Corvette - VROOM!
• CD from Angela McGarry. Katie's sister-in-law wrote and recorded a song called Can You. The song is inspired by Pushing the Limits and is from Echo's POV. Part of the chorus is: I'm broken, I'm shattered, I'm scarred. Can you really save me? It's an amazing song.
• Cinnamon Lip Gloss (Bath& Body works) Noah loves that Echo smells like Cinnamon ...
• Cinnamon Room Spray (Bath & Body Works)
• Pair of Fingerless long Gloves

Isn't this a cuteness Prize?!?!

Weekly Giveaways!

Each week, each host blog is going to host an individual giveaway during the week!

Sneak peak of the books you can win:

Speechless by Hannah Harrington, Circle of Silence by Carol M.Tanzman, Temptation by Karen Hopkins, Confessions of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett.

And now onto the Questions for the first week:

1. The story starts out with Echo’s thoughts on how she wants to answer her therapist’s questions (snarky and caustically truthful) which are quickly juxtaposed to how she does (milque-toasty and banal).
Who do you think she hides the truth for more, her parents or herself?

I think her parents because she's not at all able to stand up to them or say anything she really feels.  She says what they want to hear.  Not that she doesn't hide the truth from herself as well...

 2. We see Mrs. Collins, the school therapist, interact with both Echo and Noah in the first few chapters. From those interactions, what do you think of her? Is she a prototypical caricature of state care? Or do you think she’s there to make an honest difference in the lives of those she’s there to help?

I had a good feeling about Mrs. Collins straight away and I think a lot of it is because she's not afraid of Echo's dad.  She says what she wants/needs to say and tries to make sure Echo gets her thoughts in as well.  Right away this made me feel like Mrs. Collins was the real deal.

3. Noah has two friends, Beth and Isaiah, who have his back no matter what--through thick and thin--and he has theirs. Consequently, his life is a little easier because he has two people who know about his situation. Echo only has one close friend, and Lila will barely speak to her in school.
Do you think Echo would have had an easier time coping and moving on if she had friends like Noah does?

I think it would have helped her because she's so determined for things to be back to normal, for everyone to accept her.  And in feeling this way she's kind of setting herself up for failure, because who wants to be friends with people who don't truly accept you?

4 . Echo fixates on a colorful ribbon that sits on the school counselor's desk during their one-on-one sessions. 
 Do you think this is a case of "Oh, look at the pretty ribbon. Let me zone out while staring at it" , or could it have a deeper significance?

I really think there's a deeper significance.  But I have to say it really confused me.  I just wasn't making a connection at first.  But the fact that she felt drawn to it made me feel that there's something there.  Something important.

 5 .) Noah and the jacket... Already when Noah and Echo meet for the first time, Noah got angry when Echo forgot her Jacket (pg 34). Then on Echo’s Birthday party Noah gave Echo his jacket when he saw that she forgot hers (pg 54). There is a significance behind his anger when Echo has no coat and it tells already so much about Noah!
a) Why do you think is Noah so focused on Echo and her Jacket and what does that tell you about Noah's character?

It shows that Noah is a gentleman.  It might be a little deep inside sometimes, but his worry about her shows there's more to him.

b) Show us your favorite jacket! Either with you having it on or alone!

I'm too lazy to dig out my jacket so I headed over to pinterest to find one similar. Then I found out that you can be sued even when you credit the photographer so I took down the image.  But I really love peacoats.  This one is GORGEOUS.

6. Echo wears gloves all the time to hide her scars. Not only for her sake, but obviously also for the others. When Noah sees Echo’s scars for the first time he’s shocked.
a) Do you think this was the moment he began to see Echo in a different light?

Yes, but more so I think this is when Echo sees him in a different light.  Because he doesn't tell everyone about them and he's not disgusted.  But for Noah I think that this is the point when he realizes that maybe he should be a little nicer to her and that maybe there's more to her.  And I guess he felt sorry for her.

b) Show us your favorite pair of gloves!

 I live in Washington and it doesn't get that cold here.  So I don't actually have any gloves.  However, there are some awesome ones on pinterest...  I love the fingerless ones.  And it was hard deciding which one to link to because I love SO MANY! But I love how high these ones go up.

Now head over to The Page Turners for next weeks questions! And to Bewitched Bookworms for this weeks giveaway! 

Link up your own answers here!

Review & Giveaway: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Mass Market Paperback, 448 pages

Expected publication: July 31st, 2012 by Ace

Source: Publisher

The New York Times bestselling Kate Daniels novels have been hailed as “top-notch urban fantasy” (Monsters and Critics). Now, Ilona Andrews delves deeper into Kate’s world, and reveals its untold stories…
After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

Kick ass characters, fabulous world building, and witty dialogue, Gunmetal Magic ended up being a heart racing story that completely won me over. 

This is a spin-off from the Kate Daniels books and can be read without having read any previous books.  As a matter of fact, I am embarrassed to say that I have not read the Kate Daniels books.  I started the first one but that was years ago and I got distracted.  I have met the husband wife writing team that makes up 'Ilona Andrews' and they are fabulous people!  And now I have officially read a book by them!

So I was immediately in love with this world.  It's sort of been an apocalypse of sorts caused by magic (years past).  And there are loads of magical creatures and things.  And apparently lots of shifters of all sorts.  I think I would like to know more background about the world and so I need to go back and read the Kate Daniels series, but this book had enough info I wasn't ever confused.

I really enjoyed the characters.  Andrea is pretty kick ass and straight away we see that she's 'finding' herself, discovering who/what she really is.  And coming to terms with it.  Her relationship is also in upheaval and straight away I got all emotional about it because I was so FURIOUS with Raphael and what he did.  In the end he redeemed himself though.  I can't say that I was blown away with the romance, but I liked it well enough and enjoyed the 'fighting' and banter between the two.

There was one side character that I desperately want a story about.  Roman is a dark priest.  You know, someone who deals in evil and all that jazz.  He should be all dark and scary, but he has this personality that is just, I don't know, AWESOME.  He says things that just had me in giggles and he just seems to bring out the funny in people (except mated male shifters...).  For a dark priest he was basically the opposite personality wise, though power wise he wasn't.  I am putting out a plea here though- I want Roman to have his own story!

This is a larger size book but I never had a hard time keeping with it.  I enjoyed every crazy moment in this world and with these fabulous characters.  I can see that the authors definitely have a talent with world building AND characterization and I can't wait to devour more of their work.

I labeled this as adult, and not adult 18+ because while there's quite a lot of violence and cursing, of course, there's not any heavy sexual activity or description.  It's definitely an adult urban fantasy, but more mature YA readers shouldn't have much problem with the content.

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Giveaway:

Thanks to the folks at Ace/Penguin I have one copy of Gunmetal Magic to giveaway to one of you. *shipped by Ace/Penguin*

This is open to US only

Must be 16 or older to enter.

Ends 8/8/12

Please fill out the rafflecopter to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Road-Trip Giveaway- The Oregon stop!

Reading Road-Trip is similar to a giveaway hop, but is a much more creative version of one.  In this 'hop' we travel across the US visiting each state entering giveaways.  Each giveaway that goes with that state has a book that takes place in that state, or an author from that state.

This giveaway has been running through the entire month and you can find the linky below with each stop!

This awesome event is hosted by Hafsah at Icey Books and Britta at I Like These Books.

Welcome to the Oregon stop!

We have some AMAZING authors in Oregon.  Lisa Schroeder, Inara Scott, Colleen Houck, Devon Monk,  Lisa Burstein, and many, many more.
Today you can win one book by one of these authors (provided it's available at The Book Depository & $12 or less).

By Lisa Schroeder:
The Day Before
I Heart You, You Haunt Me 
Chasing Brooklyn 
and more...

By Inara Scott:
The Candidates
The Marked
Radiant Desire (Adult)
Rules of Negotiation (Adult)

By Colleen Houck:
The Tiger's Curse and more...


Devon Monk:
Magic to the Bone and more... (Adult)
Dead Iron and more... (Adult)






Lisa Burstein:
Pretty Amy

To Enter:
Open Internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
Must be 13 or older to enter.
Ends August 2nd, 2012
Fill out the rafflecopter to enter.

Go HERE for more details and the list of all the other blogs participating.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday Situation- Link Up Your Reviews & Give@ways!

Saturday Situation is hosted by both Lori at Pure Imagination and myself. It's a linky for you to link your book related Giveaways and Reviews (and whatever neglected posts you may have). You'll find the same linky's at Pure Imagination, so don't enter them twice!
Keep in mind that you can add your links through the entire week.
You can find this post again by clicking the button on the right side of my blog. I'll try to keep it up to date to go to the newest Saturday Situation post.

Review: Mothership by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

Mothership by Martin Leight and Isla Neal

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published: July 10th, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Source: Amazon Vine

Teen pregnancy is never easy—especially not when extraterrestrials are involved. The first in a new trilogy.

Elvie Nara was doing just fine in the year 2074. She had a great best friend, a dad she adored, and bright future working on the Ares Project on Mars. But then she had to get involved with sweet, gorgeous, dumb-as-a-brick Cole—and now she’s pregnant.

Getting shipped off to the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers was not how Elvie imagined spending her junior year, but she can go with the flow. That is, until a team of hot commandos hijacks the ship—and one of them turns out to be Cole. She hasn’t seen him since she told him she’s pregnant, and now he’s bursting into her new home to tell her that her teachers are aliens and want to use her unborn baby to repopulate their species? Nice try, buddy. You could have just called.

So fine, finding a way off this ship is priority number one, but first Elvie has to figure out how Cole ended up as a commando, work together with her arch-nemesis, and figure out if she even wants to be a mother—assuming they get back to Earth in one piece.

This is one weird book dude.  But a totally awesome weird book!  Did you read that description?  Pretty crazy, right?  I kept seeing reviews for this book talking about how hilarious it was and I knew I had to read it.  So when I had the chance to review it, I was all over it!  

This is a hilarious book with a bit serious of a plot.  As there's lots of death going on and some scary situations.  But the way that Elvie narrates and the ridiculous things that are happening just makes it more comedy than anything.  Dark comedy, is that what it's called?  I don't know- but it wasn't a very 'dark' book other than people died and stuff.  And it's not like they didn't take it serious, but things were just SO ridiculous and the thoughts going on (and the ridiculousness of teenage pregnant girls) was just too hilarious.

Elvie was a great character because she was so balanced.  She had a fantastic inner voice but often she held back on saying things that she thought just because it was rude or something.  So she was a nice girl.  But not so nice in her head... she's also smart.  MUCH smarter than most of the other girls.  And because of her dads teaching her to always be prepared for anything, she's pretty much prepared for anything.  Even escaping from aliens on a spaceship that's about to rip apart.  She's also very loyal and a fantastic friend.

Now I really loved this book, and I got lots of giggles from it.  But I think I expected to laugh even more, so I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't even funnier.  Don't get me wrong, it was funny.  But I wanted it funnier.
I also felt like the end dragged on a bit.  Like it should have maybe cut out a bit.  The ending was a good conclusion, but opening up a new story line for the next book.

A little warning that this has some bad language and sexual words. (You know, pregnant girls have lots of horrible words to fling about.)  There's also violence but it's not anything I would worry about too much.  I just feel I need to put a warning out there because this cover shouts middle grade to me, and it is not.  I would say mature YA readers.  BTW, I LOVE this cover!  It's eye catching and fits the story perfect.

4/5 stars

Disclosure:  I received this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: August 7th, 2012 by Bloomsbury

Source: Borrowed (also got from Netgalley for review before paper copy came)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Don't you just love when you finish a book and you feel all giddy?  Well, that's how this one made me feel.  

I'm going to start with Celaena.  This is one spitfire, kick ass chick.  She's gone through a lot.  She's suffered, and suffered, and suffered some more.  But she's survived and she's still got all this strength to continue on.  Even when she's afraid she doesn't allow it to blind her or affect her.  She continues on.  She says what she thinks and feels although she's smart enough to hold her tongue when she must (like when speaking to the king who could hang her at any moment).  I loved Celaena.  She is a character that I truly loved completely.  No annoying habits, no ridiculous behavior, nothing.  There were times when I wish she'd tell someone of these secrets she was figuring out, but I understood why she didn't, why she couldn't, tell anyone.  And Celaena might be a trained assassin, but she knows who her friends are and she'll do what it takes to protect them.  Even if she knows they should be her enemy.

Crown Prince Dorian has this personality that 's a bit teasing and him and Celaena have quite entertaining banter.  While he's a bit of a tease, he's a gentlemen with Celaena and he's a friend.  You see that he's a good person, that he cares about things.  I don't want to get into it too much because it's easy to get a bit spoilery.  But I really liked him, he was a fabulous person.  On the same note, I also liked Captain Chaol.  He's darker, more broody, but he has this kindness inside.  You don't see it too much, but I liked him a lot as well.  And right away when I started the book I saw that there would be a bit of a love triangle and that concerned me.  It concerned me more as I discovered I really liked them both!  But the way things slowly play out, with each of them growing to care for Celaena as a person and working to protect her while being her friend I really had no idea which way things would go.  I guess I was okay with the triangle, but I'm very torn about things.  And I guess I don't like that.  I want everyone to win, you know?

I found the story to be pretty fast moving.  While there were periods that were slower, I never found myself bored at all.  I liked the slower parts just as much as the more action'y ones.  And the mystery of who the killer was, was a good one.  I had suspects and even guessed at one point, but I kept going back and forth.  And honestly, I really didn't figure out all those twists.  I thought it was well done.

Seriously, if you're a fantasy fan, read this book!  I totally and completely loved it and can't wait to read more!

Disclosure: All opinions expressed are my own, I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Confident Reads (1): State of Publishing & Review of The Indie Authors Guide to the Universe

Hello everyone!  Welcome to the first week of this brand new feature!  Confident Reads is a way to open communication between readers and indie authors.  Several weeks ago I did a guest post at Pages of Forbidden Love about Self-Published vs. Major Publishing houses (you can find it HERE).  At the time I had read a bit about self publishing/indie publishing and had quite a lot to say about everything from a readers perspective.  The comments that were left (especially by fantastic indie authors) really got me even more interested in the subject.  Since then I have read a bit more and studied more about it.  I've also noticed that readers have very strong opinions about what they want/need in a book.  Confident Reads is to help readers feel confident in the books they spend their money on, and for authors to feel confident in the book they publish.  You can find this feature each week (Wednesdays except in September when it will be Tuesdays) discussing a different subject regarding indie books and authors.

To start the feature off I have invited Jeff Bennington, author of The Indie Authors Guide to the Universe (review below), Twisted Vengeance, Reunion and Creepy to the blog to help us understand the difference in self publishing, indie publishing, trade publishing, etc.  There are so many terms out there, so what do we use for what?  Let's welcome Jeff to the blog!

State of Publishing

In the year 1450 a German blacksmith named Johannes Gutenburg revolutionized the publishing industry. He wasn’t a prolific writer. He wasn’t a well-known scribe. And he never penned a lasting literary work. He was just an average guy, who happened to be a mechanical genius. Although his past is somewhat mysterious, he changed everything about how books were published and reproduced.

Since that time, there have been other printing revolutions, often marked with controversy, excommunications and even death. Today, we’re experiencing another publishing upheaval. Once again technology has caught up with the times and is changing the way books are published, and who gets published. Yet with all the changes in how books are printed, and how we read, I’m surprised no one has been murdered yet!

With that said, the current changes in the way literature is produced is still evolving. In fact, I wouldn’t consider murder beyond the realm possibility where money is concerned, publishing biz or not.

So what’s happening out there in the world of publishing? The answer is complicated, but can be summed up in two distinct phases.

·        Phase 1 - Vanity Publishers gave traditional publishing a hard jab to the eye with the onset of print-on-demand (POD) technology, making publishing easier and more affordable to the masses—specifically writers who did not fit into the “trad” publishers business model.

·        Phase 2 - Kindles, Nooks, Sony eReaders, smart phones and iPads have changed the way we read—knocking traditional publishers out with a deadly 1-2 punch.

• • •

Technology has practically eliminated the need for traditional publishing in terms of ebook creation and online distribution. Any writer who prefers the 70% royalty that Amazon provides over the measly 8-12% royalty offered by most traditional publishers can easily and cost effectively publish their own work at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo (especially Amazon & Kobo) have honed publishing into a science … the science of publishing ebooks.

With ebooks, there is no physical product to handle. Yet there is still a high value, usually, in terms of what is actually consumed. And the cost is rightfully less compared to print, relative to the traditional publisher’s inflated ebook prices ($9.99+).

With that said, I’d like to clarify a few terms.

Let’s start by detailing who the players are, keeping in mind that these are my definitions, and subject to argument:

Traditional Publishers – The folks who have “traditionally” served as the literary gatekeepers, and determined what will and will not be published for the reading public.

Vanity Publishers – Publishers who primarily make their money by selling publishing services to authors rather than selling direct to booksellers.

Self Publishers – Author’s who use a “pay to publish” service (Vanity), including shared publishing (50/50 split in publishing expenses). Authors who use these are often, but not always, publishing with less control because the publisher frequently charges exorbitant fees for common and simple tasks. Many “self-published” authors fall prey to the marketing hype, and lose control of pricing, and quality because the cost to create a fully professional book is so high. As a consequence, some authors settle for less editing, basic cover art, etc. Again, this is my opinion based on what I see every day on Amazon, and in listening to author complaints.

Indie Publishers – Indie publishers, are writers who take full control of their product from cover design, formatting, marketing, editing, etc. They feel more comfortable with the processes and technical aspects of the game. Indie publishers operate like a small press, doing every task in house or subcontracting to those more qualified. They not only hold the rights to their book, but they do not have to answer to a third party to make changes or upgrade quality. Indie publishers often spend far less money on the production of their books and are not restricted to specific price points, cover designs, etc.

• • •

So who receives the benefit from the publishing revolution? Answer: Readers, Authors, and ebook distributors.

From my experience, the distance between the reader and author is shrinking, making reading a personal experience that actually results in a reader/author relationship that was not previously possible. Lower prices are driving readers out of their comfort zones, trying new talent, and enjoying what they read. What they are discovering is down-to-earth writers who are approachable and available. I see this in my social media experience and in the online presence of many other authors.

So now that the fat is removed, and the middleman eliminated, writers and readers can thrive in a world with a greater variety of literary choices and lower prices. In my opinion, excellent books will rise to the top and those with less quality will sink to the bottom. Unfortunately marketing will still play a part in who is visible and who is not, and that is a shame because there are a lot of good indie/self-pubbed authors who do not enjoy marketing. Still, the authors who look at their writing as a lifetime commitment will grow their audience and continue to attract fans, while those who are not in it for the love of the craft will fall away, frustrated and weary from the work required.

I believe publishers will continue to be the predominant force in print and big name authors. The vast majority of authors, including many previously trad-pubbed authors, will choose to bypass the mainstream publishing route because there is more money to be made and they are more in control of their work—nothing wrong with that.

In a nutshell, the world of books has changed. But who knows what’s around the corner? You never know, one day Amazon could develop something like mind chips, with an auto download into your memory.  Sounds far fetched now, but who would’ve ever thought we’d be reading books from a hand held computer? You can even rate and share a Kindle book immediately upon completion, giving the author instantaneous feedback.

These are good times for readers and writers.

As in all things, times change, and change is always hard to accept. Scribes were needed for thousands of years, until Gutenburg came along. Likewise, third party publishers were needed to create and distribute books/ebooks for a season. Today, writers can bring their work directly into the hands of readers with just a few clicks... and with an equal number of clicks, readers can become the new gatekeepers.

Jeff Bennington

Bestselling author of Reunion, Twisted Vengeance, and Creepy.

Blog #1: The Writing Bomb

Blog #2: The Kindle Book Review

Purchase

Purchase

Purchase

My Review:
I'm not looking into publishing my own book just yet, but I've been very curious about it and doing a lot of research about publishing indie. I also work with indie authors a lot and try to read as many of their books as I'm able.  Learning more about it all is just me, I like to know the ins and outs.  And I think if more readers learn about it they may be more open minded to read it.  I'm also trying to help open communication so everyone on both sides (readers and authors) know what the other wants and needs.

That being said, this probably isn't the first book I would recommend to readers who don't write.  There are books that compare traditional publishing and Indie publishing a bit more and in a way that readers that aren't writers will understand more.  But this is an absolute must read for every Indie author out there.  They need to know how important the cover is to us readers.  They need to know how much they NEED to hire an editor if they want people to buy their books. And on top of that this helps with learning how to do a blog tour, get review copies out, etc.  It tells you where to go to get printed books and the good and bad from each company (per Jeff's experience).  Some know most of this already, but it's not going to hurt them to read it anyway cause I guarantee that you'll learn SOMETHING from this book.
This is also a bit lighter reading compared to many 'how-to' books out there.  I would suggest this for if you are thinking of indie publishing as a starting point because it's not as overwhelming as others.  It also has some very motivating and encouraging words for those who are indie publishing.
I give this one a firm 5 stars because it's well written and very informative.  And I don't usually comment on covers, but I think this one is pretty great.  It's eye catching but simple and it looks very professional. 

Disclosure:  I purchased this book myself and was not paid or compensated in any way.  All opinions expressed are my own.

For the comments, do you agree with Jeff's explanation and descriptions?  Do you have any questions?  Please let us know!  (Author feedback is also welcome.)

For next week:
We are going to discuss covers.  What we want/need in a cover as a reader.  
I would like some feedback regarding this.  Please fill out the form and let us know your thoughts.  You may be anonymous, or you can share who you are, your choice.  These thoughts will be shared on the blog next week (if there is a lot of feedback I may not be able to share them all).



For the authors, do you want to know what readers think of your cover?  Fill out the form and link to your cover. I will put it up next week along with a form so readers can anonymously share their thoughts.  The thoughts will not be posted for anyone to see and I will email you with an invite to view the google form.

Giveaway: Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

I have only read the first three books in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, but today is the release day for THIRTEEN, the thirteenth book in the series.  The awesome folks at Dutton are offering up one copy to one of you!

About THIRTEEN: 

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers the novel her fans have been clamoring for: The epic finale of the Otherworld series.
It’s been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it’s all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong’s legions of fans.

A Final Word from Kelley Armstrong

Some series begin with a grand, sweeping plan. Others with a single story. My series belongs to the second camp, and that single story was Bitten, written as a standalone novel, perhaps to be revisited in a few years with a sequel, but certainly not intended to launch a series. When my publishers raised the possibility, I was thrilled by the opportunity to spend more time with Bitten’s characters. But I couldn’t foresee a long-running series centered on my werewolves. I believed that having my Pack face an annual threat would get very old, very fast.

The solution was to expand my fictional universe. I decided not only would I bring in other supernatural types, but I’d spin off to new narrators, weaving a world that widened with every book.

It sounded like a great idea. Little did I realize that by the time Stolen came out, my readers would be happily settled in with Elena Michaels and her Pack, and wanting to follow them on countless more adventures. They really didn’t want me changing narrators, especially not switching to Paige, the over-confident young witch they’d met in Stolen.

So Paige’s first novel, Dime Store Magic, got off to a bumpy start. But I feel it was actually the book that truly launched the Otherworld as a series. It brought in a fresh crop of readers who were more comfortable with witches than werewolves. Most of the original readers stuck around, too, once they discovered that Paige wasn’t as bad as they’d feared.

By the time I returned to Elena in book six—Broken—I could see where I wanted the series to go—and also where it would end. So I began tipping in clues, though it was another five books before I launched the end-game with Waking the Witch, continuing it into Spell Bound and, finally, wrapping it up now with 13.

While some would say it would be fitting to return to Elena for this final story, I’ve always had another plan. Back in Stolen, I introduced twelve-year-old Savannah, and I dreamed that the series might run long enough for her to become an adult narrator. And so Savannah grew up in the series, wending her way through the lives of all the other characters, slowly maturing until, with Waking the Witch, she was ready to begin the journey that would, with 13, cement her place as a true “woman” of the Otherworld.

The Giveaway:

One lucky person will win one hardcover copy of THIRTEEN courtesy of Dutton.

This is open to US only

You must be 16 or older to enter.

Ends 7/30

Please fill out the rafflecopter to enter.

*This book is provided by the publisher and the publisher will ship to the winner.  I am not responsible for the book arriving, though I will do everything in my power to assure it does.*

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Pushing the Limits Read-Along Intro Post & Sign-Ups!

It's time! It's time!

The Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry Read-Along

is finally here and you are all invited to read along with us! No matter if you haven't read the book before, or if you (like us) read it already and just want to spend some more time with Noah and Echo!

This fabulous event is hosted by Candace Book Blog, Natalia @ Dazzling Reads, The Page Turners, Mary @ The Book Swarm and The Bewitched Bookworms.

For 6 weeks, we will discuss the amazing emotional roller coaster that is Pushing the Limits. We will tear up with Echo, swoon over Noah and thoroughly enjoy this unbelievably fantastic book! Every week will have awesometastic giveaways sponsored by HarlequinTEEN and we have an epic, unique and absolutely adorable Grand Prize sponsored by Bewitched Bookworms and Katie McGarry herself!

Ready for some fun?!

Then grab your copy of Pushing the Limits and buckle up! It's one hell of a ride!!

Schedule:

• July 24 - Intro Post for the Read-A-Long - Linky for Participation! - Today!
• July 31 - Bewitched Bookworms Pages 7-84 ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 7th - The Page Turners Pages 85 - 162 - ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 14th - Candace Book Blog Pages 163 - 239 - ends with a Noah Chapter
• Aug 21th - Dazzling Reads Pages 240 - 316 - ends with a Echo chapter
• Aug 28th - The Book Swarm Pages 317 - 392

Special Event: Evening of August 28th - Live Twitter Chat with Author Katie McGarry!!!!

We would be incredibly happy if you'd join us! Pushing The Limits comes out July 31th, so if you pre-order, get the eBook or have an ARC you will be ready to get started with the first Chapters and read a long with us!

So, right now all you need is the book (..duuuh) and an outlet where to post your answers!

(Blog, Goodreads, Tumblr or even Facebook - wherever you can post the answers!!!)

"Rules" of Participation

• Link up here with the outlet where you want to post. All types of Blogs, Goodreads, Facebook - anywhere where you can post your answers.
• Questions are posted the week before. (You have one week to post your answers)
• Every week a new linky will be posted to link up your weekly post.
• You must answer at least 5 questions to get an entry for the giveaway
• Have Fun and Spread the word ! ;)
• To make new friends, meet the other participants and leave some comment love!

Giveaways!

Of course we will have some awesome Prize Packages for you to win!

Grand Prize Package

The winner will be drawn from all participants during the course of the Read-Along. Of course, if you participate every week, you'll have 6 chances to win! This Prize Package is sponsored by Katie McGarry (we love her so much!!) and the Bewitched Bookworms and is special, unique and totally inspired by our loves: Echo & Noah!

• 1 personalized, signed, finished copy of Pushing The Limits!(Katie will sign it to the winner!)
• Fudge brownie mix since that's Lila's favorite and she always buys them when she is with Echo
• Pushing the Limits Bookmark
• A small Hot Wheels Corvette - VROOM!
• CD from Angela McGarry. Katie's sister-in-law wrote and recorded a song called Can You. The song is inspired by Pushing the Limits and is from Echo's POV. Part of the chorus is: I'm broken, I'm shattered, I'm scarred. Can you really save me? It's an amazing song.
• Cinnamon Lip Gloss (Bath& Body works) Noah loves that Echo smells like Cinnamon ...
• Cinnamon Room Spray (Bath & Body Works)
• Pair of Fingerless long Gloves

Isn't this a cuteness Prize?!?!

Weekly Giveaways!

Each week, each host blog is going to host an individual giveaway during the week!

Sneak peak of the books you can win:

Speechless by Hannah Harrington, Circle of Silence by Carol M.Tanzman, Temptation by Karen Hopkins, Confessions of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett.

And now onto the Questions for the first week:

1. The story starts out with Echo’s thoughts on how she wants to answer her therapist’s questions (snarky and caustically truthful) which are quickly juxtaposed to how she does (milque-toasty and banal).
Who do you think she hides the truth for more, her parents or herself?

 2. We see Mrs. Collins, the school therapist, interact with both Echo and Noah in the first few chapters. From those interactions, what do you think of her? Is she a prototypical caricature of state care? Or do you think she’s there to make an honest difference in the lives of those she’s there to help?

3. Noah has two friends, Beth and Isaiah, who have his back no matter what--through thick and thin--and he has theirs. Consequently, his life is a little easier because he has two people who know about his situation. Echo only has one close friend, and Lila will barely speak to her in school.
Do you think Echo would have had an easier time coping and moving on if she had friends like Noah does?

4 . Echo fixates on a colorful ribbon that sits on the school counselor's desk during their one-on-one sessions. 
 Do you think this is a case of "Oh, look at the pretty ribbon. Let me zone out while staring at it" , or could it have a deeper significance!

 5 .) Noah and the jacket... Already when Noah and Echo meet for the first time, Noah got angry when Echo forgot her Jacket (pg 34). Then on Echo’s Birthday party Noah gave Echo his jacket when he saw that she forgot hers (pg 54). There is a significance behind his anger when Echo has no coat and it tells already so much about Noah!
a) Why do you think is Noah so focused on Echo and her Jacket and what does that tell you about Noah's character?

b) Show us your favorite jacket! Either with you having it on or alone!

6. Echo wears gloves all the time to hide her scars. Not only for her sake, but obviously also for the others. When Noah sees Echo’s scars for the first time he’s shocked.
a) Do you think this was the moment he began to see Echo in a different light?

b) Show us your favorite pair of gloves!
 

Posting day is Tuesday, but feel free to post whenever it first best for you during the week. Each week we will post the questions for the upcoming week so that you have a full week to get your post ready and think about the answers.

 

Please feel free to grab the Button and help us spread the word about this feature!

 

Link Up for participation!! Just add your Blog or outlet where you are going to post your answers! Thank you so much for participating!

Review: Endlessly by Kiersten White

Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3) by Kiersten White

Hardcover, 385 pages

Expected publication: July 24th, 2012 by Harper Teen

Source: Publisher for review

 Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal.

I really love this series.  I love how different it is, how full of paranormal creatures it is, and how the characters all really have super strong and memorable personalities.  I love that this has strong characterization AND a strong plot and doesn't really lack in either.   And I love that it makes me laugh so much while still has a serious theme going as well.

Evie is a fabulous character that never fails to make me giggle. She says funny things and has hilarious inner dialogue.  I love that she's pretty determined to live her life now and won't let anyone run it for her.  Evie is definitely awesome.  BUT, I do think that sometimes she's a little bit overboard.  She overreacts at times and sometimes acts stubborn about things that are just kind of stupid.  But I still love her, so the positive is definitely more than the negative.

The romance is good, but not quite great.  I can't put my finger on why exactly.  There's nothing I don't like.  But I don't feel super warm fuzzy's either.  Out of all the characters Lends is the most mild and I think maybe I want a tad more from him.  However, I LOVE his paranormal aspect, what he is.  That is cool.

I love that you never know if the side characters are going to be good or bad in these books.  You're all sure they are bad in one book and you hate them, but then they show up and ummm.... well, maybe they aren't so bad.  They also have such large personalities that you can't possibly forget them.  Even though it's been over a year since I read Supernaturally it pretty much all came back the second the characters started talking.  I loved that.

This was the largest book for the series so far but it was still a super fast read and had constant action.  I had no problem cruising through it as there wasn't any down time at all.

This is a series I most definitely recommend you check out.  It's one with a memorable plot and amazing characters. 

Disclosure:  I received this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Saturday Situation- Link Up Your Reviews & Give@ways!

Saturday Situation is hosted by both Lori at Pure Imagination and myself. It's a linky for you to link your book related Giveaways and Reviews (and whatever neglected posts you may have). You'll find the same linky's at Pure Imagination, so don't enter them twice!
Keep in mind that you can add your links through the entire week.
You can find this post again by clicking the button on the right side of my blog. I'll try to keep it up to date to go to the newest Saturday Situation post.

Interview with Jessie Lane & Giveaway of The Burning Star

Today I have the writing duo that is Jessie Lane on the blog for an interview and giveaway.  They are the authors of The Burning Star.  I had hoped to read the book before I posted this so I could let you all know my thoughts, but I wasn't able to get it read.   So please keep that in mind,  I can't tell you whether this book is good or not.

Crystal

How would you describe The Burning Star in 10 words?
Secrets. Love. Supernatural beings. Crazy people. Loss. Revelations. What if?


Jessie Lane is a name you came up with, but this book is actually wrote by two people. Can you tell us a bit about both of you and how you came to write together as well as your process?
‘Jessie Lane’ is actually the writing team of Crystal Leo and Melissa Pahl. Coming up with our name was just the first in a long line of learning how to work and compromise with another author. Instead of playing rock, paper, scissors, or having a wrestling smack down over what our name should be, we both chose some of our favorite female fictional characters and wrote one long list. In the end we both agreed on ‘Jessie Lane’. ‘Jessie’, is Melissa’s favorite female lead character from the movie, Queen of The Damned, and ‘Lane’ after Crystal’s favorite female lead character from Karen Marie Moning’s ‘Fever Series’ with MacKayla ‘Mac’ Lane.

Working with a co-author is from our perspectives has more ‘pros’ than ‘cons’. For instance when I (Crystal) am stuck on a section of the book (which can be often), I call Melissa and scream help the moment she picks up her phone. When she realizes that I am screaming help because I’m writing and not because my husband (Melissa’s brother) is killing me or because I am being kidnapped by Aleksander Skarsgard then she reminds to breathe by inhaling deeply before I pass out. Then we spend time going over where I am in the writing process, where I kind of thought about going with the story and she takes over for a little while from there. A few days later she sends the book back and I can pick up where she left off. It works very well for us.

One of our only cons is the fact that we live on different coasts. Crystal lives in Kentucky while Melissa lives in Washington state. However as much as Crystal often misses her awesome sister-in-law and wishes she was nearby she finds the fact that Melissa lives far, far away comes in handy when they piss each other off and want to commit homicide. So in other words, even their con is ultimately a pro! Melissa agrees murdering her sister-in-law would be bad.



Can you tell us a bit about your favorite character you've written about and why they are your favorite?
Melissa says: Brendan mainly because he has so many sides to him that are played out throughout the book. He starts out as a loyal and understanding best friend, and then he is forced to become a sworn protector to someone he has never met, and then finally to a fierce and unwavering protective big brother role.

Melissa

Crystal says: Can’t I pick them all? Every character I have written holds a piece of me somehow. Some characters carry all the positive things I see in the world. Other characters carry my struggles that I’ve lived through and survived. But if I have to pick a character from The Burning Star I’m going to have to say it’s Kira. Since she’s not the main character, Kay, that’s mentioned everyone is going to wonder who I am talking about now! Let’s just say Kira is the character you sometimes come across that straddles the line between good and bad. She’s had a hard road in life. Something I can relate too. The journey that she’s going to undertake to come out on the other side is something I am looking forward to relaying.



What was the most difficult scene for you to write? Crystal says: How do I answer this without giving away serious spoilers? Actually the only answer that comes to mind for me is the scene where Kira sees Ryan’s home for the first time. She’s never been in an environment like this and it seems like paradise for her. However I am not the kind of author that will describe a room to my readers so that they know its entire contents down to the pen on the table. I more or less like to write what I call a ‘foundation’. I’ll giving you the necessities and then I’ll decorate a bit, but I’d much rather let your imagination finish off what’s around you in the story. I think it creates a better visual for a reader.

Melissa says: Kira shutting down. She thinks that she is not worthy of people’s positive attention but still wants it. Thinking of herself as trash and wanting to be free from her life.


If you could travel to any place and in any time, when and where would you travel? Crystal says: Ooooooo! I get my own time machine? *does that cabbage patch dance*

I’ve got to admit I am a wannabe explorer. Give me the means and I would travel the world. I mean that. If you gave me a time machine with unlimited trips to make I’d be all over the world in different time periods. Even if it was just to watch for a few days what it was like. Medieval times in Scotland with men in kilts? Check. Prehistoric times to peek at the dinosaurs as long as they didn’t try and eat me for lunch. Check. Ancient Egypt. Check. But more than anything I would want to go to the future! Can I see an alien please? As long as it’s friendly I’m game!

Melissa looks at Crystal like she’s truly nuts before saying: Hmmm not really sure, but I wouldn’t mind being a pirate sailing the seas with Capt. Jack Sparrow or just Johnny Depp without the dreads.



What is one book you highly recommend just off the top of your head? 
 Melissa says: Mortal Instruments: City of Glass. By far it’s my favorite of the series.

Crystal says: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. Not only is her Fever series one of my favorites but I think her world building is phenomenal and her characters are unforgettable. A very close second is Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Not only is Mercy awesome but there’s a lot of werewolves in the stories and I LOVE WEREWOLVES!


And last question, what can we expect to see from you in the future? Is this a planned series? If so, how many books? Are any other books in the works? Will there be more books? YES! The Burning Star does have a sequel in the works titled, The Frozen Star, which will continue the Star Series. However the next two books we are looking to release are titled Big Bad Bite and Secret Maneuvers. Each book is the first in their own series. Big Bad Bite is the beginning of the Big Bad Bite Series which is an adult paranormal romance series. Secret Maneuvers is the first book in the Ex Ops Series and is an adult contemporary romance series. We’re hoping for both books to be out before the end of 2012. Star Series fans can look for The Frozen Star in 2013!

 Description:

 Can she reach her destiny before tragedy strikes?

The doctors have told Kay that she will die before she reaches her eighteenth birthday. Her mother’s determination to save her life leads them to a move outside of Asheville, NC to a new set of cancer specialists in the hopes to help her. But it’s not what Kay and her Mom find in the doctor’s offices in Asheville that lead them on the journey to save her before time runs out. It’s what Kay finds in the woods outside of Asheville, and an inhumanly gorgeous guy named Ryan, instead.

Myths and fairy tales come to life before Kay’s eyes, bringing her closer to the ultimate cure if she can stay alive long enough to get there. And if the cancer doesn’t kill her before she finds the cure the secrets her mother has hidden from her may be the beginning of the end.

Giveaway:

Ebook of The Burning Star, courtesy of the authors.

Open international

Must be 13 or older to enter.

Ends 8/8/12

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Mini Reviews: Shine & Scarlet

Shine (Shade #3) by Jeri Smith-Ready
Paperback, 416 pages
Published May 1st, 2012 by Simon Pulse
Source: Library

This is the third book in the Shade trilogy and this should be a pretty spoiler free review for the whole series.

I really like that creative world that has been created here.  The whole idea of ghosts being something that kids of a certain age and younger can see is pretty awesome.  And how it affects people really feels real.  I also enjoy the characters a lot.  I think they had to grow on me but by this book I was for sure loving them!

This was the final book and so I was hoping everything would play out good.  And it did.  I was worried that there wouldn't be enough of a conclusion, but there was and I was happy with it.  I almost wish series was going on for a bit longer.  Maybe a companion novel?

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Hardcover, 292 pages
Published February 14th, 2012 by Walker Childrens
Source: Gift

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

I have wanted to read this book for so long!  I have some fascination with Robin Hood and I recently started watching the BBC show of it and love it!  Since I had that show in my head I was picturing things like in the show.  The story isn't the same as this is Scarlet's story and there isn't a Scarlet in the show (well, there kind of is, but I don't want to spoil anything).  And this was definitely it's own story.  But the villages and the woods, it was all there in my head.  And I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

I really found myself fascinated with the story.  The author tries to write in dialect a bit, like Scarlet doesn't say 'was', everything is 'were' and while I normally love things wrote in dialect, this was a bit hard for me to get use to.  But it didn't ruin the story or anything.  And Scarlet as a character initially felt much younger to me.  More like 12 rather than 16.  But later on I realized she didn't feel so young anymore, so I'm not sure what changed.  I also wasn't in love with the romance.  There was a bit of a love triangle and I didn't really 'feel' it, I guess.  But since the rest of the story was so great I was able to overlook that.

If you're interested in Robin Hood stories I definitely recommend you give this one a try.  The story felt very true to Robin Hood, though he was a bit moodier in this (I wish maybe he'd been a bit more cheery like he usually tends to be), but he was still his honorable self.