Thursday, May 23, 2013

Forever Me Blog Tour: Excerpt and Giveaway


I'm thrilled to have the Forever ME Blog Tour stopping by today! Below you will find an excerpt from Forever ME by Thomas Amo, plus an ebook giveaway...


Forever ME
by Thomas Amo
10/11/12
GothicTwist Publishing
Purchase: Amazon

Inspired by True Events

Hannah Richards isn't your typical 16 year-old at Wichita Falls High. Fashions, trends, cosmetics and style are unimportant to her. An avid reader, guitar player, classic movie and television buff, Hannah marches to the beat of her own drum. Visible only to her Father the town Sheriff, and her two best friends. Hannah lives a simple, un-pampered life as an "Eastie."

After coming to the aide of Taylor Monroe, a popular member of the ultra snobby "Stilettos" at school, Hannah's life beings spiraling out of control. As she starts spending more time with Taylor, her best friends abandon her, after a series of misunderstandings, causing Hannah to re-invent herself.

Hannah quickly gets caught up in a life much different than the one she knows, where status, glamour, makeup, appearance and acceptance become her masters. And what of the dark secret that haunts the streets of Wichita Falls?

Can Hannah survive the lies, deceit, jealousy and rage that are now waiting for her behind every corner? Will she succumb to the pressures of popularity? Or will she be crushed under the heels of the "Stilettos"?

~High school is hard enough just being yourself, let alone being someone you're not~


From FOREVER ME...

The alarm buzzed and Hannah rolled over on her back in bed and stretched. She tried to get her eyes to focus on her cell phone to see what time it was. The digital numbers told her it was 4:15 a.m. She stopped the noise and reached an arm behind her to shake Taylor awake, but the bed was empty. Surprised, she rolled over and found she had the bed all to herself.  She hoped she hadn’t forced Taylor out. She had been known to be a bed hog, especially with the covers. She propped herself up on her elbows when the bedroom light flipped on. Like a vampire recoiling from the sunlight, Hannah’s hand quickly went to shield her eyes.
“Morning sunshine,” called Taylor in a chipper voice.
Hannah slowly lowered her hand and saw Taylor standing in the doorway, still wearing her father’s t-shirt but with a gator clip in her hair to hold it up.
“I thought I set my alarm for six.”
“You did, but I changed it. Hot Girl Rule Number 1: Rise early and get your face on. Only homely girls sleep in.”
Hannah let her head fall back on the pillow. “Ohhhh, let me be homely, just for an another hour.”
“Oh no you don’t,” called Taylor as she reached under the blanket, grabbed Hannah by the wrist and tugged her up into a sitting position. “Let’s get those feet on the floor, I already picked out your outfit, got the flatiron hot and made coffee.”
“I swear, if I didn’t love men, I’d probably marry you, just for the fact you made me coffee,” Hannah said rubbing her face trying to wake up.
“Yeah, don’t get ahead of yourself there, doll. You’re pretty cute, but not my type. By the way I made the coffee for me. I’m just sharing it with you. Now let’s get going, the sun will be showing up in an hour,” Taylor teased.
“Okay, Sarge,” Hannah said with a half salute. Her feet touched the floor and she recoiled. She started to climb back under the covers but then saw the look on Taylor’s face. “Okay, okay.” Hannah stood up and winced once more from the cold floor on her feet. She stumbled from her bedroom to the bathroom across the hall. Taylor had everything laid out like a display in a showroom. She was truly organized when it came to preparing for the day. Hannah examined her face in the mirror. She was prepared for the worst. She was afraid she was going to wear the after effects of Lauren’s punches for the next week, but surprisingly, there was only a small amount of bruising on the corner of her chin and up next to her right eye. Even the swelling in her lip had pretty much disappeared.
Taylor returned to the bathroom with a cup of coffee for Hannah. Hannah turned and took the cup with a grateful expression. She took a sip and instantly felt the perfectly made drink intoxicate all of her senses. She sat the cup on the vanity and wrapped her arms around Taylor and hugged her. “I love you,” she whispered.
Taylor stood being a prisoner of Hannah’s clinch. Her eyes darted from side to side. Her expression of feeling awkward reflected in the mirror. “Um—love you too, but it’s just coffee, Hannah.”
Hannah shook her head. “No, that is a cup filled with love,” she said with sleep-crusted eyes.
“Okay—are you like this every morning?”
I just need a moment,” Hannah teased as she hugged her once more. Taylor gave the patented pity hand pat on Hannah’s back that meant, Okay, I love you too but I’m beyond comfortable now.
“How did you sleep?” Hannah asked as she took a healthy drink of coffee.
Taylor took Hannah’s hair into her hands and ran the flatiron across it. “Pretty good, but you are a cover hog.”
“I know, but in my defense you’re the first person I’ve ever slept with.”
Yeah—let’s not share that information,” Taylor said teasing.


Thomas Amo
Thomas Amo is the author over 20 comedies and farces for the live theatre. This former full time theatrical producer has spent the last thirty years writing in many different genres, from pilot scripts for television to screenplays on independent films. Outside acting, directing and producing, his first love has always been writing. Forever ME, marks his debut into YA fiction


Win a Kindle ebook copy of Forever ME!
Thomas has generously offered one Kindle e-copy of his book for one winner.
DETAILS
-US ONLY
-winner will recieve a ebook copy via Amazon Kindle
-ends 5/30
-must be 13+, one main/free entry per person
-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
Fill out the Rafflecopter form:



Wednesday, May 22, 2013

"Waiting On" Wednesday (64): The Real Boy


"Waiting On" Wednesday...is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week I'm excitedly waiting on...

The Real Boy
by Anne Ursu
9/24/13
Walden Pond Press

From Anne Ursu, the author of one of the most widely acclaimed middle-grade novels in recent memory, comes a new fairy-tale adventure of magic and friendship.

On an island at the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city that was saved by the magic woven into its walls from a devastating plague that swept through the world over a hundred years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow. Oscar spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in.

But it's been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it...

What are you waiting on this week?!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gadget Girl Blog Tour: Review, Author Interview, Giveaway


I'm excited to have the Gadget Girl Blog Tour stopping by today! Below you'll find my review, a fun interview with the author, and a fab giveaway...



Gadget Girl
by Suzanne Kamata
5/17/13
GemmaMedia
Purchase: Amazon

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS meets STONER AND SPAZ


Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity. When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.


an eARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Suzanne Kamata's Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is a charming and quirky YA Contemporary book with a unique and memorable main heroine.

Fourteen year old Aiko lives in Michigan with her artist mother. Aiko has cerebral palsy and has long been the subject of her mother's famous artwork, but Aiko wants to be known for her manga art. Gadget Girl is Aiko's secret manga creation, featuring a heroine that Aiko believes she will never be (beautiful and brave). Aiko longs to visit Japan, the Manga capital of the world, and also the home of the father she has never met. But when her mother wins an art contest in Paris, Aiko must spend her summer in France. A cute French waiter with a love for manga of his own and an interest in Aiko, changes the way Aiko sees both herself and her mom.

Suzanne Kamata has crafted a cute and heartfelt story about family, acceptance, and first serious crushes. With a fun French setting, thoughtful mother/daughter relationship, and the neat manga infused elements, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is certainly an entertaining, quick read.

Kamata is an effective and enjoyable storyteller, who has given her story a great deal of heart and depth. Aiko's cerebral palsy and the ways it affects her life and self image, and her complicated and realistic relationship with her mother make for an often poignant story. Kamata doesn't sensationalize Aiko's cerebral palsy or use it to play on readers' sympathies, nor does her disability define Aiko's character, which I really appreciated. This is a very character driven story and, while her cerebral palsy doesn't define Aiko, it does give her a unique and refreshing voice. For the most part, I really liked Aiko and her wry, honest observations. At times though, I found her anger and resentment toward her mother, and her almost reverent way of thinking about the father she never met, to be too much and hard to relate to.

I really liked Aiko's love of manga and the fact that she has created her own manga series, Gadget Girl. And Gadget Girl herself is a pretty cool character. All the manga love and appreciation adds such a fun geeky coolness to the story.

I really like the fun French setting, which Kamata paints beautifully. And who doesn't love cute, sweet French boys?! Herve makes for an adorable and likable major crush for Aiko. Aiko is only fourteen so the fun flirting between these two never goes further than the butterflies in your stomach, holding hands, and innocent kisses kind of flirting. But I liked the interaction between the two teens and how Herve has a positive impact on Aiko's self esteem.

The story itself moves a bit slowly and needs tightening to remove unnecessary filler, and I would have liked to have seen Aiko get more closure where her absent father is concerned. But the ending is heartwarming and made me smile.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is an enjoyable and thoughtful read with a likable main character and some fun elements.

MY RATING


What three words best describe GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE?
Art, Paris, Manga
Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE a try? 

Aspiring manga artist Aiko Cassidy goes to Paris with her mother, where she meets a cute French guy and learns the truth about her father in this short, easy-to-read novel.
Grab a copy of GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE and answer the following:
Favorite chapter? 

Chapter 21
Favorite page? 

Page 204
Favorite character? 

Aiko
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser:
In my head , I’m already dining on sushi and seaweed soup, but then I look inside and see that we’re going to…Paris” 
What inspired GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE? What do you hope readers walk away with after reading your book? 

This book was inspired by my 13-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy, and who is an aspiring manga artist. I actually started writing this book seven years ago, before my daughter started drawing manga, so maybe she was influenced by my imagination.  It’s also inspired by my love of Paris. Most of all, I hope that readers will feel satisfied and entertained. And it would be great if they were inspired to pursue their own artistic dreams! 
 Why do you think it's so important for characters with special needs, like your main character Aiko, to be featured and given the chance to shine in Young Adult literature.
In the real world, there are many people with special needs, but they don’t show up all that often in books and movies, which suggests that their stories are not worth telling, or that they don’t matter. My daughter is not happy about having special needs, but she is always, always thrilled when she comes across a character in a book or movie who is deaf or uses a wheelchair. Reading about others, like ourselves, validates our own experiences. Reading about people who are different helps us to understand them. I think that reading and writing about characters with special needs adds empathy to the world and makes it a better place.

Are you a manga fan like Aiko? Any particular manga you'd recommend to YA readers, especially newbies?
I tend to prefer novels, but I have developed an interest in manga.I really like The Rose of Versailles, by Ryoko Ikeda, which is a classic. It’s never been released in English, though it was huge in France and in other countries (and you can read it in English online, though it’s not exactly legal). It’s a great story with a strong female character, forbidden love, and Marie Antoinette.Another favorite, more contemporary story is Nana by Ai Yazawa about a punk rock singer in Tokyo and her more demure friend. Very cool.  
What's it like living in Japan? How has the Japanese culture influenced your work? 

As a white American in Japan, I can never quite fit in. I’ve developed a lot of sympathy for the two or three Asian kids who I went to school with in Michigan! Also, there are lots of rules, that I always tend to break unknowingly. On the plus side, being an outsider gives me a degree of freedom that most people don’t have. I’m not really expected to belong entirely, so I don’t try. As a writer, I think being on the margins is just fine. And since I write in English, I don’t have to worry about offending my neighbors and co-workers, who speak only Japanese. They don’t even know that I’m a writer!Japan has become my main subject. I wrote Gadget Girl partly because I wanted to try to write about something other than Japan, but of course some elements of this country still crept in.
Fill in the blanks:
I'm really awesome at___.
making miso soup 
I'm really embarrassed to admit that___.
I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel. 
My first literary crush (author or character) was___
Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights
If I were a superhero, my superpower would be ___ and my superhero name would be ___
teleportation and Suzy Slash 
The last great book I read was___
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 
If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it? 

Of course it would be chocolate with maybe some sort of Eiffel Tower motif. (The Eiffel Tower is rather gadgety, is it not?) And maybe a sprinkling of green matcha tea to give a wink to Japan. I’d call it A Miracle in Your Mouth.

Suzanne Kamata
Five-time Pushcart Prize nominee Suzanne Kamata is the author of the novels Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible (GemmaMedia, 2013) and Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), and editor of three anthologies - The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). Her short fiction and essays have appeared widely. She is the Fiction Co-editor of literarymama.com.


You can win 1 of 5 paperback copies of 
Gadget Girl!
This blog tour wide giveaway is open internationally.
Enter through the Rafflecopter:


a Rafflecopter giveaway