Interview: Rachel Hawthorne

Today I have the author RACHEL HAWTHORNE! The author of many great books, and the author of the Dark Guardian series about werewolves!

By the way, I have three giveaways going on right now! My angel giveaway, faerie and ghost giveaway, witch giveaway, and vampire and werewolf giveaway. In the vampire and werewolf giveaway, Rachel offered to send the winner a signed set of her Dark Guardian series! Pretty awesome of her, right?

Here's a big about Rachel taken from Amazon.

Rachel Hawthorne is the author of many books for teens, including Caribbean Cruising, Island Girls (and Boys), Love on the Lifts, The Boyfriend League, and Snowed In. She lives in Plano, Texas, with her husband and two dogs.

Here's a link to her website.

Now it's time for the interview!

Is it safe to assume you like hiking? Where do you hike?
Actually, I’m not much of an outdoors person. I wish I was. I have gone hiking in Wyoming and Arkansas and I do enjoy it when I do go, but not sure three hikes makes me a hiker. J

Did you enjoy writing any one book of the Dark Guardian series more than the others?
I liked writing all the books, but I really enjoyed DARK OF THE MOON because Brittany was dealing with disappointments and trying to define who she was. I think that’s a universal challenge for all of us.

What are some of the best things fans have said to you?
That they weren’t readers, but decided to give one of my books a try and discovered the joy of reading. I have fans who reading skills have improved by reading my books and that’s rewarding to know.

What do you like about werewolves?
I like that they have a pack mentality that makes them so loyal to each other.

What kind of candy are you excited to eat every Halloween?
Candy pumpkins. For some reason they are better than candy corn.

What is your favorite part of Halloween?
Handing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters and seeing all the costumes.

What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas. We go all out—big tree, lights along the stairs, lots of food, family visiting. It’s just a great time for getting together and enjoying company.

Thank you!

Glad to have you here, Rachel! Thanks so much!

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Lover Reborn and The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

 

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

 

Here are my picks of the week!

 

Title: Lover Reborn

Author: J.R. Ward

Release Date: 27 Mar. 2012

Publisher: NAL

Pages: 512

Informatiom from Goodreads

So there actually isn't a synopsis of this out yet, but it's The Black Dagger Brotherhood! This is Tohr's story. I am so excited for this. BDB is one of my two all time favorite series. It's going to be incredible!

Title: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

Author: Catherine Jinks

Release Date: 8 May 2012

Publisher: Graphia

Pages: 416

Synopsis from Amazon

When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found by the police. At Featherdale Park. In a dingo pen.
As if that isn't weird enough, suddenly a very menacing looking guy and a priest show up at his door.

As the mystery unfolds, Toby finds himself keeping company with some very strange and sickly looking people - members of a suburban vampire support group. And when he's abducted in broad daylight, he will need all their help to break free . . . and to come to terms with his own incredibly rare condition.
What's your pick of the week? Leave a link and I'll check it out!

By the way, I have three giveaways going on right now! My angel giveaway, faerie and ghost giveaway, witch giveaway, and vampire and werewolf giveaway.

5 Vampire and 5 Werewolf Books

The list of my 5 favorite books about witches in no particular order...

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward.

This is one of my two all time favorite series, and J.R. Ward is one of my four all time favorite authors. The sexy vampires and their battles, love, and life problems. They are those characters that fill you with happiness to read about. It's painful waiting a year for the next book.

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead.

This is the other one of my two favorite series. The characters, that's what gets me. I fell completely in love with them, and now I want to cry every time I think about them. Dimitri is the best male character I have EVER read about. I have NEVER fallen for a character harder than I have for him. This series is full of incredible characters and shocking events that leave me frustrated and utterly hooked.

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde.

Vivian is another one of my four favorite authors. This was actually the first vampire book I ever read, and I still reread it about once a year. I even read aloud to my younger sister. Wonderful vampire book for all ages.

Blue Bloods Series by Melissa de la Cruz.

The newest book called Lost in Time just came out, and I still need to get it! It's going to be incredible. The storyline keeps getting more epic with each new book. There are many characters all falling in love and being torn apart. It's a fantastic story.

Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn.

This is another book I read when I was much younger. It has that feeling of the old vampires with power that are impossible to resist. The modern vampires don't have that feeling of doom and love anymore. I still love them, but this book has the old feelings to it.

The list of my 5 favorite books about werewolves in no particular order...

Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater.

These are the most beautiful books I own. I got Shiver the day it came out and I pretty much carried it with me all week. The story is so fantastic and overwhelmingly amazing.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curis Klause.

This is another book that I read when I was much younger. I've read this book so many times that once I was able to sit down and recount the entire book chapter by chapter without it being with me. I'll admit that this is my favorite werewolf book.

The Changeling Prince by Vivian Vande Velde.

Remember me saying Vivian is one of my four favorite authors? This is her awesome werewolf book. The names in this book are fantastic. I'd really like to pull the main character into my arms and keep him there forever.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

This book is about both vampires and werewolves, but I prefer the werewolf in the story, so that's the section of the list this book is going to be in.

Dark Guardian Series by Rachel Hawthorne.

I did tell you that Rachel said she would give away the whole series signed, right? It's a really good series! Enter here to try to win the awesome werewolf books.

Featured Creatures of the Week #4

Are your ready for the featured creatures of the last week of October?! Here it is!
Vampires and Werewolves!

Two AWESOME creatures, right?

Well here's what I'm doing with them this week:
Monday (today): Announcement and giveaway.
Tuesday: List of my 5 favorite vampire and werewolf books.
Wednesday: "Waiting on" Wednesday featuring them.
Thursday: Interview with Rachel Hawthorne.

Check out my review of the book with vampires in it called Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.

So, now it's time for the giveaway!
This week I'm giving away Evernight by Claudia Gray (Vampire) and Marked the first House of Night novel by P.C. and Kristin Cast (Vampire)! Plus, Rachel Hawthorne said she would send the winner a signed set of her Dark Guardian novels (Werewolf)!
 
Giveaway Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older
• I am not responsible for anything lost in the mail
• US only
• Must be a GFC follower
• Winner will be notified through email and must respond in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen
• Giveaway ends October 30th 2011 at midnight
• To enter fill out the form below  

Interview: Tessa Gratton

Now I have an interview with the great TESSA GRATTON! Woohoo! She's the author of the book Blood Magic!

By the way, I have three giveaways going on right now! My angel giveaway, faerie and ghost giveaway, and witch giveaway. In the witch giveaway I have postcards and bookmarks from Tessa!

Here's a bit about Tessa taken from Goodreads

Tessa Gratton has wanted to be a paleontologist or a wizard since she was seven. Alas, she turned out too impatient to hunt dinosaurs, but is still searching for a someone to teach her magic. After traveling the world with her military family, she acquired a BA (and the important parts of an MA) in Gender Studies, then settled down in Kansas with her partner, her cats, and her mutant dog. She now spends her days staring at the sky and telling lots of stories about magic.

Check out her awesome website here!

Interview:

What comes to mind when you read each of these words:

ebooks? The future!

Color? Blue as the sky.

Animal? Lions and tigers.

Candy? Caramel apples.

Witches? My book (ha ha) and dancing around bonfires.

Halloween? Goblins and scary costumes,

Now these questions are "this or that"

Letters or emails? Emails!

Write on paper or computer? Computer! It’s so much faster.

Pen or pencil? Pen! Especially pink or blue.

Black cat or crow? Ooo, both?

Brooms or cars? Cars – I’d rather fly on my own.

Scary or funny? – Scary!

Blind trust or excessively cautious? Caution.

Night or day? Dawn!

Trick or treat? Treat!

Thanks for having me!!!

Tessa

I'm so happy to have you with us, Tessa! Thanks so much for the interview and swag!

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Born Wicked

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

 

Here are my picks of the week!

 

Title: Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1)         
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Release Date: 7 Feb. 2012
Publisher: Putnam's Sons for Young Readers
Pages: 326

Synopsis from Goodreads

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.
Doesn't is sound like a fantastic book? And look at that cover! I am so excited for this book.

What's your pick of the week? Leave a link and I'll check it out!

By the way, I have three giveaways going on right now! My angel giveaway, faerie and ghost giveaway, and witch giveaway.

5 Witch Books

The list of my 5 favorite books about witches in no particular order...

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has been an inspiration to me since I started reading. She was 14 when she wrote and published her first book. Isn't that amazing? The thing is, it's an excellent book! All of her books are. Her books are about vampire, shakeshifters, witches, all that good stuff. I'm choosing to highlight this witch book that has some incredible characters in it that I am completely attached to.

Old Magic by Miranne Curley

It's been a while since I read this book, but I remember really enjoying it. The tension in this book builds way, way up and becomes crazy toward the end. I remember how surprised I was with how the story turned out to be. Great read!

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

I love Melissa's books and was so excited for this book when it came out. Then, I loved it. I actually have a review of it.

The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith

This book is actually one of the books in my witches giveaway, and it's my favorite witch book. I love ALL of L.J. Smith's books. I've actually read all but two of the, and she has a lot of book... She's ne of my 4 favorite authors. This is my favorite of ALL of he books. Love the characters, the setting, everything about it.

The Conjurer Princess by Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian is another one of my 4 favorite authors. This is one of her books I read more recently (in the past two years), and I fell in love with the character! Oh my, they make me happy and smiley. Must get this book!

Featured Creature of the Week #3 and Giveaway

Are your ready for the featured creature of the third week of October?! Here it is!
Witches!

Those creepy green ladie who fly around on brooms? Hah, yeah! Those quiet misunderstood women who want to help/heal people using herbs or just a few little spells? Yup! Many images run through my head when I think of a witch, but they're all related to magic.

Ready to hear my plans for the week?
Monday (today): Announcement and giveaway.
Tuesday: List of my 5 favorite witch books.
Wednesday: "Waiting on" Wednesday post about a witch book.
Thursday: Interview with Tessa Gratton.
Frriday: Interview with Victoria Schwab.

Sounds like a pretty good week, right?
Well here's my witches giveaway!

Two signed Witch Eyes bookmarks from Scott Tracey.
The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part 1 by L.J. Smith (my favorite witch book of all time!)
Sweep: Night's Child by Cate Tiernan.
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Farie Stolarz.

Giveaway Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older
• I am not responsible for anything lost in the mail
• US only
• Must be a GFC follower
• Winner will be notified through email and must respond in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen
• Giveaway ends October 30th 2011 at midnight
• To enter fill out the form below

Interview: Janni Lee Simner

Today I have the wonderful Janni Lee Simner joining us for faerie week!

I have two giveaways going on right now! Check out the angels giveaway, and the faeries and ghosts giveaway. I have bookmarks and postcards from Janni in the faeries and ghosts giveaway!

Before the interview, here's a bit about Janni.

Taken from LiveJournal

I live in the Arizona desert, where the plants know how to bite and the dandelions have thorns; in spite of these things--or maybe because of them--I'm feel like I live in one of the most stunning places on earth. I'm author of the post-apocalyptic young adult fantasies Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter, as well as of Thief Eyes, a contemporary YA fantasy set in Iceland.

I've also published four books for younger readers, most recently Secret of the Three Treasures, as well as more than 30 short stories.


Interview!

What do you order at Starbucks?

Either a black iced tea or--if I need a more serious caffeine hit--a caramel frappuccino.

Who is your favorite author?

Madeleine L'Engle. I fell in love with A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Arm of the Starfish, and A Wrinkle in Time as a teen, and those have remained touchstone books for me ever since. I go back and reread them every few years.

What is the most enjoyable part of the process of writing and publishing a book?

I think it always comes back to the writing process for me. I love immersing myself in the world of a story, and then doing all I can to make that world vivid and real enough that others can see that world, too.

Publishing means I get to share my imaginary worlds with others. :-)

What is your favorite way to describe your Faerie books?

As post-apocalyptic faerie tales.

The books are set in the aftermath of a War between the human and faerie realms, one that's destroyed much of our world and left behind a land filled with deadly magic: stones that glow with deadly light, forests that can swallow a person whole, and trees that seek human blood and bone.

What attracts you to faeries?

I think I'm drawn to writing about them because they scare me, especially in the older stories. And because they look almost like us, and yet a million small things remind us just how Other they are. 

What is your favorite symbol/image/thing associated with Halloween?

I confess, it's the candy. Giving it out and eating the leftovers both.

I also love the time of year Halloween is in, that transition from our long Tucson summers to the cool evenings and clear air of autumn.

What was your favorite Halloween and why?

I don't know if it was my favorite exactly, but the Halloween I always look back on and laugh about is the one where I decided I wanted to dress up as an alien. My mom carefully sewed aluminum foil to a shirt and pants for me, so that I could be all covered in a silvery spacesuit.

Only … aluminum foil is not very sturdy. That costume fell apart piece by piece as I walked through the neighborhood, leaving bits of silver spacesuit behind me. :-)

Can you give me any insight into your third Faerie book you just finished?

I've been thinking of the third book all along as the book where Liza returns to Faerie. The third book picks up some of the threads of the first book, and we see more deeply the damage the War has done to both worlds, but it also looks further back, to events that happened long before the War that are still affecting those worlds.

It's also the last Faerie book, from Liza's point of view at least. I feel like Liza and I have traveled such a long way together--it's going to be strange to let her go!

Thanks so much for the interview and swag, Janni! I've enjoyed having you!

Her faerie books!

Interview: Lisa Schroeder

Here is an interview with the fantastic author Lisa Schroeder! She is joining me during my ghost and faery week for her ghost books. I've loved her books for years and suggest you pick any of them up! My favorite is I Heart You, You Haunt Me, but they're all great! I've been reading her books for what must be years, and I'm thrilled to have this interview with her.

I have two giveaways going on right now! Check out the angels giveaway, and the faeries and ghosts giveaway.

Before I present the interview here's a bit about Lisa.

Taken from her website

Lisa Schroeder is a native Oregonian which means her childhood summers were spent camping, fishing, reading books (of course!) and playing in the sun, when it finally came out. These days, Lisa spends her summers, and every other part of the year, sharing all of the wonderful things Oregon has to offer with her husband and two sons. She is the author of numerous books for kids and teens, including CHASING BROOKLYN (Simon Pulse, 2010) and IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES (Aladdin, 2010).

Now for my interview with her:

What questions do you not like answering in an interview?

*checks your questions* :) I don't really like the - what are you working on now - question. I have to be careful about what I say regarding that, because I've found the closer I keep it to myself, the better. I don't write well the more people who know what I'm writing. Feels like there are then expectation around it or something, even if they aren't.

Where is your favorite place to write?

At the beach in a beautiful beach house with someone serving me my meals and giving me a back massage every couple of hours. But, since that is almost impossible to come by, my office. Once in a while, I go out, to a coffee place or something, but I'm sort of a creature of habit, so my office works best.

Did you ever tear up while writing any of your books?

I have a couple of times, yeah, but not a lot. I don't even know if I could tell you exactly when. I think at the end of The Day Before, I got teary because I knew I'd reached that point where the day was over. I felt their pain at what came next, for both of them.

What is the most touching thing a fan has ever said to you about your books?

Wow, I've gotten so many amazing notes from readers. And I am thankful for every single one. I think the one that stands out the most was the one I got from a 12 year old girl who had lost her dad from a roadside bomb in Iraq. She said my book I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME really helped her to know her dad would want her to try her best to be happy, and to keep on living. I've gotten quite a few notes from readers who have lost someone close, and could really relate to Ava and what she went through. Even people who haven't lost someone will tell me the book helped them to appreciate their loved ones more. I never imagined how much that book would touch people. Here it is, almost four years later, and I still get notes about that book.

Did you ever feel a particular attachment to a specific character of yours?

All of them? :) In an odd sort of way, they feel a little bit like family to me. I mean, I write characters I love, because, I have to, or I won't do them justice. Each one of them has a special place in my heart.

What do you like about ghosts?

Haha, this question makes me laugh. Because honestly? I don't really like ghosts. When I started writing my ghostly stories, I was like, can I do this? I don't like scary things! That's partly why Jackson was never really scary. I wanted to write a different kind of ghost story. One where the main character was happy to have him around rather than afraid. In CHASING BROOKLYN, Gabe had to be scary. It was hard for me to write some of the creepy scenes. But I'm proud of that book and how it turned out, so I'm glad I was able to write it despite being a total wimp!

What is your favorite part of writing about ghosts?

I think trying to figure out how they might communicate to someone when they can't communicate. I was worried people wouldn't buy into the things I came up with, but it turns out, people are pretty accepting of weird things ghosts do! Who knew? 

What was your favorite costume you dressed up in for Halloween?

I was a fantastic nerd one year. I even won a prize! I had the pocket protector, pants too short, the glasses, a sign that said, "Kick Me" on my back. I'm not good at planning for Halloween. Most years, I go into my closet and think, what can I throw together. Many times, it's bad. So it's always fun when it actually turns out fairly well.

Thanks for having me here!!!

Lisa

Thanks so much Lisa! I'm so glad to have had you here celebrating Halloween!

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Faery Tales and Nightmare and Fracture

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

Here are my picks of the week!

Title: Faery Tales and Nightmares   
Author: Melissa Marr
Release Date: 21 Feb. 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 432

I was actually unable to find a synopsis of this book. All I know is that it's a collection of short stories. I love Melissa's books and cannot wait for this new faery book!

Title: Fracture

Author: Megan Miranda

Release Date: 3 Jan. 2012

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Pages: 224

Synopsis from Goodreads

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

I have been wanting to choose Fracture for a while, but have had so many other amazing books to feature as well. And this is the closest I can find to a ghost book coming out that I've been waiting for. Really, where are all the ghost books? This one isn't even dead! Although, it sounds AMAZING, doesn't it? And I love the cover!

5 Faerie and 5 Ghost Books

The list of my 5 favorite books about faeries in no particular order...

Wings by E.D. Baker.

I read and loved this book quite a while ago. I then shared it with my little cousin who will only read faerie books. It was her starting book and she adored it, and read so many faerie books in the next year. I'm so glad I came across this book.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

It's been so many years since I first read this book, but I still love it and all the books that come after it. There is Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity, Radiant Shadows, and Darkest Mercy.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

I read The Iron King the month before it came out, and it was my first ARC. I still have the ebook on my computer. It's grown so much since then, and I'm happy to call myself a fan of the series.

Need by Carrie Jones.

I guess I read all my faerie books a long time ago, because I read this book when it first came out, too. After Need came Captivate and Entice.

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater.

Alright, Maggie is such a wonderful author! I love ALL of her books. This is anotehr faerie book I got my cousin to read, and she even showed her brother and he loved it too! After reading Lament I couldn't stop looking for four leaf clovers. Ballad games after Lament.



The list of my 5 favorite books about ghosts in no particular order...

Beating Heart by A.M. Jenkins.

This was a lucky find. I got this book, went home, and read it. I finished it in maybe an hour. It's short, but fascinating. It's a fantastic ghost book.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

Creepy ghost book! It actually gave me a nightmare. This is no random ghost, this book is about Jack the Ripper. I love Maureen's books. They're all fantastic. I was delighted to get an ARC of this. It was my first book that was already on my list that I won an ARC of.

 

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder.

Later this week I will have an interview with Lisa posted. Every time I went to the library for years I would grab this book and go through it. I cry every time I read from it. I have suggested it to many of my friends and about half a dozen of them have read and loved it. There's a book connected to it called Chasing Brooklyn that's also fantastic.

Being Dead by Vivian Vande Velde.

Vivian has been one of my three favorite authors since I started reading. One of her books was the first YA book I read at the age of 12. Every time I went to the library I would grab this and read my favorite short stories in it. I finally ordered my own copy of this book, and I still reread it.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

This is another book I read when I was much younger. I guess faeries and ghosts were what I was into when I started reading. Well this book has my all time favorites ghosts. They have my heart. Love, love, love these characters and this story.



Featured Creatures of the Week #2 and Giveaway

Ready for the featured creature of the second week of October?! Well here they are!

Faeries and Ghosts!

Now what I have planned on my blog this week.

Monday (today): I announce the creatures of the week and post my giveaway.

Tuesday: I share a list of my 5 favorite faerie and ghost books.

Wednesday: "Waiting on" Wednesday featuring a book with faeries and one with ghosts I'm waiting for.

Thursday: An interview with Lisa Schroeder.

Friday: An interview with Janni Lee Simner.

 

 

Now that you have all the information about this coming week it's time for my giveaway!

This week I'm giving away postcards and bookmarks from Janni Lee Simner, the book Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, and Shadowland (The Meadiator #1) by Meg Cabot.

Giveaway Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older
• I am not responsible for anything lost in the mail
• US only
• Must be a GFC follower
• Winner will be notified through email and must respond in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen
• Giveaway ends October 30th 2011 at midnight
• To enter fill out the form below