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!

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

Interview: Jennifer Laurens

Today I have my first author interview with the wonderful Jennifer Laurens!

Here is a little bit about her. Taken from Goodreads.

Jennifer, aka JM Warwick was born and raised in Southern California and her hometown of Palos Verdes Estates flavors her books: A Season of Eden and An Open Vein. She doesn't limit herself to writing one genre, and was the first to author four romance novels centered around the popular sport of ballroom dancing. Now, she focuses on writing young adult. She has YA novels published under her YA romance name of Jennifer Laurens: Falling for Romeo, Magic Hands, Nailed and the Heavenly series: Heavenly ( 2009) Penitence (2010) and Absolution (2010) A Season of Eden and Overprotected. Two are under her other YA author name: JM Warwick - A Season of Eden and An Open Vein. Jennifer lives in Utah and has 6 children.

Now for my interview with her:

What is your favorite book?

Most recently - Damage by Josephine Hart. Magnificent.

How old were you the first time you wrote a story?

5th grade.

What do you like most about being a writer?

Sharing what's in my head and heart with readers.

Do you know anyone who is autistic?

My daughter. Heavenly is the story of our family learning to cope, accept and live with autism and the effects on each family member.

What do you like about angels? and what compelled you to write about them?

My beliefs about angels are pretty straight forwardly portrayed in HEAVENLY: that they exist to help us and they are about doing good. My daughter with autism ( on whom the character Abria is based ) has had so many close calls I can only attribute her safety to the fact that there are people watching over her that love her. People other than us!

What is the best Halloween costume you have ever seen?

So many! I can't pick one, but my favorite of MINE was Smoky the Bear when I was 9 years old.

If you could be anything supernatural what would it be?

Time traveler.

It's always a pleasure to get to know a little more about the author of fantastic books. Thanks so much for joining me, Jennifer!

Here's the link to my angels giveaway.

5 Angel Books

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

Kissed by an Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler
I've been reading Elizabeth's books for years. These books have mystery and love and heartache. The first three books were combined into this one book, and then she wrote Evercrossed. The next book, Everlasting, will be coming out next year.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
I recently read this book and fell in love with it. The entire story feels so real. I'll have a review of this book up later this week along with an interview with the author. There are two books that come after Heavenly that I can't wait to get my hands on.

Eternal by Cynthie Leitich Smith
The first book I read by Cynthia years ago was Tantalize. I can still remember how excited I was when I heard Eternal was coming out. Fantastic book!

The Fallen Angels series by J.R. Ward
J.R. Ward is one of my 4 favorite authors and she has been since I was 13 or 14. This is a romance series, but it's one of the best! Her writing is incredible and her characters the most lovable I have ever read about. The first book is Crave, the second Covet, and Envy just recently came out.

A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young
I actually just read this book today. My review will go up later this week. I absolutely loved this book! They never officially say the main character is an angel, but they do say she is something similar, or something more. She is one of the Forgotten.

There are so many amazing books about angels lately I was having trouble deciding which one are my favorites. Be sure to tell me some more that you like in a comment! I'd love to hear of some more good books.

Here's the link to my angels giveaway.

Featured Creature of Week #1 and Giveaway

Hello everyone! Are you ready to discover what the first creature me and Tiffany are featuring this October is? All this week we will be blogging about Angels!
We were going to have it be angels and demons, but we ended up changing our minds. Angels have become popular recently in YA books and we wanted to take the time to admire them.

Are you ready to hear what I have planned on my blog this week?

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

Tuesday: I share a list of my 5 favorite angel books.

Wednesday: "Waiting on" Wednesday featuring a book with angels I'm waiting for.

Thursday: A review of Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens.

Friday: An interview with Jennifer Laurens.

Saturday: A review of A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young.

Now that you have all the information about this coming week it's time for my giveaway!
This is my first giveaway, so I will be starting out with a small giveaway. The coming weeks will have bigger giveaways.
This week I am giving away a A Need so Beautiful stickers and bookmark signed by the author Suzanne Young.

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

Halloween Excitement

I know I haven't been around lately, but I'm going to be here more than ever now! All this month me and Tiffany at "perfectly" Inked! will be blogging about Halloween. Each week we'll feature a new creature. We'll have giveaways with books and swag, reviews, interviews, and more! All of it featuring the creature(s) of the week.
We would love it if anyone would like to join us and do posts about the creatures! If you post anything about them let me or Tiffany know and we'll share a link to your posts. Plus, if you blog about the creature you can get extra entires in our giveaways.
The creatures will be announced every Monday and we'll blog about them all week. The first one will be announced Monday October 3rd.
I don't have any questions prepared yet, but if you want to take a shot at guessing the creature that comes in two days I'd love to hear what you can come up with!
Are you ready for October?!