Follow Friday: Who would you want to come out of your birthday cake?

FF 2012 Feature & Follow #103


Q: Birthday Wishes- Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake.. who is it and what book are they from?

A: Oh wow. This is a tough one lol there are so many great character's that I would love to come out of my cake but I would have to say it is a toss up between Adam from Shatter Me by Tehereh Mafi or Will from Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton.


Canada Day Blog Hop 2012 Giveaway!!

CanadaDayHeader

Hey Guys!! So I am a little late posting this I am so sorry. I spent all night making cupcakes for my boys school because today is also their last day! But I am participating in this years Canada Day Blog Hop which is being hosted by Aislynn from Stitch Read Cook, Carmel from Rabid Reads and Crystal from Snow Drop Dreams . For this giveaway I am giving away two books!! That's right two! 

I will be giving away a paperback copy of 
Across the Universe

And a Hardcopy of
Infamous (Chronicles of Nick, #3)



Also do not forget to check out all the other great giveaways!

Waiting On Wednesday: Embers and Echos by Karsten Knight




Waiting on Wednesday is a great way to showcase the books that you are most looking forward to releasing. This week I am waiting on


Embers & Echoes
Oh my god did I ever love Wildefire and I am so freaking excited for the release of bk 2! The cliffhanger at the end of Wildefire left me in shock and I am still in shock and I need!!!! to see what happens next! For anyone whose read Wildefire I think you know what I am talking about
Embers and Echoes is set to release August 28 2012 from Simon and Schuster

Recommend A...


Recommend A

So for this weeks Recommend A.. The theme is A Book That You Thought Was Funny
Again these are supposed to be posted on Monday's but I already had a scheduled post so I am doing it today but a book that I thought was funny would be


Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)

Half Blood from Jennifer L Armentrout. I absolutely adore this series! If any of you have not yet read these books then you are seriously missing out. The main character Alex is absolutely hilarious. She is sarcastic and snarky and I adore her. But yes I am pretty sure I laughed out loud through the entire novel (which kind of annoyed my husband oops) but yes I thought this was such a great read! If you have not read this yet then you must go now, I mean now and pick up a copy.

Bewitching Blog Tours: Guest Post Kelley Rae author of What If






Thank you so much for having me, it’s a pleasure to be invited to chat with your readers today.



Please tell my readers a few things about Kelly Rae?
I’d love to; let’s see I am a mom first and foremost. My son, Triton, is nine and constantly keeping me on my toes. He is also my favorite person in the world. We currently live in southern California, but I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love movies, mostly romance and shoot ‘em up bang-bang types. I can’t watch scary movies, because I laugh and ruin it for everyone else. Finally, if you catch me on a good day I will make you a pasta sauce that will knock your socks off!


What made you decide to write "What if..."?
I started writing this book before my son was even born. Then life took over for a bit and I lost focus on writing. Then one day my son and I were talking about his dreams (being drafted into the NBA) and I thought what better way to show him that dreams are possible than to do it for myself. Triton knew I wanted to be a writer and so I went for it, full force. I just decided it was time to live my own dream, so I finished What If… and started the work of polishing, for publishing.


Why is "What if..." close to your heart and what was the challenges in writing this title?
I think since it’s my first published work there is bound to be a level of closeness that will surpass all other books I write. However, there is also the element of forgiveness that is key to me. Things happen in life and we take on blame that is not ours, sometimes shaking that undeserved blame is very difficult. I love the journey that Katie takes to forgive herself and move forward. I think it was actually a lesson I learned while writing the book and forgave myself for a few things in the process.

The difficulty for me was letting go of the story, letting it out into the world where it will be reviewed and judged and not just my little baby anymore.




What are some of the issues for today's aspiring authors?
I think one of the biggest issues currently is deciding whether to wait for a traditional publishing contract or to self/indie pub. This new ability has made a lot more options available to aspiring writers. For a long time it was very important to me to have a NYC, big six publisher pick me out of the blue and publish my book. The trouble is that it can take a long time to be SEEN by someone in the big six. You will face many a rejection by agents and editors before anyone in NYC will take a serious look at your work. J.K. Rowling wasn’t noticed until she had already published the first Harry Potter book on her own, so it doesn’t mean you aren’t a solid writer. It’s a very subjective business, just like reviews and readers themselves. Not every agent or pub house is going to think you or your work, works for them. You can choose to wait for the nod from New York or even a smaller press…or you can DIY. Self-pubbing is also a risk and will take time to build a readership, but for some at least it’s time spent being published. My best and only advice is to research all of the options you have and decide what works for you, personally. Writers are making a success in both veins of publishing. So, research and then write, write, write!

I see you are considered a bit of a daredevil by your friends, tell our readers some of the things you have "dared" to do?
Oh, this is a fun question! Let’s see, I swam with sharks in Waikiki, I bungee jumped off a crane, zip-lined in Catalina. In addition, on a slightly milder scale, I’ve been in hot air balloons, helicopters and raced on the back of a motorcycle. The motorcycle one I wouldn’t do again – not enough protection between me and cement and I have to admit I enjoy my skin. But there are still a few items on the dare devil list 

Who would you say is your biggest "supporter" and why?
My biggest supporter is my son, because while I was finishing What If... and working on getting it published, he agreed to move away from California to a small town in Oregon. It was a place where it would be cheaper to live and I had family to help, while I worked on the book. It was a pretty big sacrifice for a seven year old, at the time. Nevertheless, he did it for me and someday I will return the favor and do whatever it takes to make his dreams come true. Here is to hoping that whatever it takes involves a waterfall and rappel ropes. 



Please tell my readers where to find you and where "What if..." is available? 
What If… is currently for sale in ebook and paperback on Amazon and Barnes&Noble and ebook only on Smashwords, KOBO and Diesel.

Kelly, do you have anything you would like to add today?
Thank you for having me and taking the time to stop by and learn a bit about me and What If… One lucky person who makes a comment on this blog today will win a free copy of What If… via Smashwords coupon so you can download to any ereader or laptop you might have. I hope you enjoy reading What If… should you decide to pick up a copy. Have a wonderful day!



Thank you for spending time with us and our readers today! Thank you so much for having me and I wish everyone a blessed day of living or planning their dreams!


Book Synopsis:

Can once in a lifetime happen twice?
On one fateful night during high school Katie Wright loses everything: her father, the first man she ever loved, dies in a car accident and Chris Staller, the first boy she’s ever loved, breaks her heart. Fast-forward ten years and Katie is a beautiful, successful woman who has spent the past decade doing her best to make her life all about work and to keep everyone at arms length—friends and lovers alike. But she’s lonely and beginning to awaken to the fact that she is only pretending to be happy and content. Working through her emotional challenges while maintaining a stellar career reputation is tricky, but she’s a fighter and always determined to come out on top.
When Katie pays a visit to her old high school, however, she runs into Chris, now a dedicated PE teacher who pines for the one he let get away. An upstanding member of the community and a much better man than he was a boy, Chris is determined to win Katie back at all cost. But Katie is less than receptive to the idea, and when he lays down a challenge, she is determined to come out on top again.
Purchase Links:

Kindle


Nook

Smashwords

Print

Where to Contact Kelly:Website
Facebook
Twitter: @kellyraebooks



Author Bio:


Kelly Rae is a native of California, currently residing in a mountain of snow in Central Oregon, covertly planning her escape to get back to her Golden State roots. Kelly has a nine year-old son named Triton, who is her inspiration in all things, and a passion for writing, reading, and traveling.

In My Mailbox#45



So I am without an internet connection And I am posting this from My phone so
We will see how this turns out LOL. This week I was very lucky to attend HarperCollins very first Frenzy Presents event along with some other great Canadian bloggers where we were very lucky to get a preview of This falls hottest upcoming reads and let me tell you I am extremely excited for them. We were also extremely lucky to have a special guest come all the way.from California to speak with us and it was none other then Tahereh Mafi author of Shatter Me. I definitely had a fangirl moment for sure. This was such a great event and I was lucky enough to have Tahereh sign her book for me as well.
So because I'm posting this from my phone I wont have any links this week but I do have a photo!
I hope everyone Had a great week as well.
What did you get In your mailbox?
Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.6

Breaking Dawn part 2 Trailer is out!



So I am not sure if any of you guys have seen this yet but the official Breaking Dawn part 2 trailer is out! Now I know that everyone has their opinions on this series but I would have to say that I absolutely love it and I am a big fan and I cannot wait to see the finale of a great saga! So if you love this series as much as I do enjoy!


Waiting On Wednesday: Breathe by Sarah Crossan


Waiting on Wednesday is a great way to showcase the books that you are most looking forward to releasing. This week I am waiting on 


Breathe (Breathe, #1)

Breathe is an exciting new Dystopian that is set to release from Greenwillow on October 2 2012 
I was lucky enough to attend HarperCollins Canada's first Frenzy Presents event in Toronto last night and this is one of the books that they revealed to us and it is an absolutely gorgeous cover and sounds like such a unique and interesting story set in 3 POV's. I am so freaking excited for this one! 

Recommend A...

Recommend A

So for this weeks Recommend A.. The theme is A Book That Made You Emotional.
I am a little late with my post today but a book that made me emotional was

Bitter End

Bitter End my Jennifer Brown. If you have not yet read this book then you seriously need to. It is about a young girls struggle through an abusive relationship and how she deals with this and finds herself. This was such an emotionally gripping novel and it spoke to me on many levels. I've read and reviewed it and you can check out my review of Bitter End here. 

Review: Bitter End by Jennifer Brown


Bitter End by Jennifer Brown
Release Date: May 10 2012
Publisher: Little Brown for Young Readers
Format: Paperback
Pages: 359
Genre: YA/Fiction/Contemporary
Source: Publisher 

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole -- a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her -- she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate . . . someone who truly loves and understands her.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats.

As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose -- between her "true love" and herself.


My Thoughts:
This is the first time that I have read Jennifer Brown and I was absolutely blown away with this book. This is such an intense book with very mature subject matter and I could not have loved it more. This is a book that every single teenage girl needs to read.

 Bitter End is the journey of one girls struggle to find herself even in an abusive relationship. It was an amazing thing to go through the book with Alex and watch her find herself, her self esteem through the worst situation that a young girl can go through. I think this is a great book for every young girl to read.

 This story touches my heart in many ways and it is absolutely one of my most favourite reads of 2012! Jennifer hit me with such an emotional novel that it has left me with an ever lasting impression on the kind of author that Jennifer is. She has the ability to just pour these amazing elements and emotional aspects into her words.

 She is extremely talented and I cried throughout the entire novel. There were great, happy moments as well, but I loved the intense, gritty and as I have already said emotional elements of this story. 

 This is a novel that every girl and woman needs to have on their shelves.

Recommend A... a great new meme check it out!

Recommend A
This is a great new meme that I came across yesterday. This originates from Shayn from Chick Loves Lit. This is a great way to recommend book titles to one another. I thought that this was a nice and creative way to recommend books to each other that I thought I would take part. Now these posts are suppose to go up on Mondays but I already had my review of My Life In Black and White by Natasha Friend posted before I saw this, so I will post this today but then stick to the Monday regime. So if you want to check it out visit Shayns Introductory Post to this great new Meme.

So this week is to Recommend A Trilogy. So for this week I am going to recommend 
Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

The Shiver Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. I honestly just picked this series up and finished reading it this week and I loved it!! Maggie's take on her wolves is amazing. I love how she stayed so close to the actual nature of how wolves are. This is also a great love story. So if you have not yet had the chance to read this series I highly recommend you do!

In My Mailbox #44



IN My Mailbox is hosted by the wonderful Kristi from The Story Siren. This is a great way to feature all the wonderful books you either received for review, purchased or borrowed.


So this week I only received one book and things are really hectic around the house right now so I am going to save it for next week.  But feel free to post your IMM and I will definitely check them out! 


I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend! 

Kick Off To Armchair BEA



Hey Guys! So yes this year my BEA hopes were kind of dashed but not in a horrible way. As most of you already know I am expecting my fourth child! So I had to put BEA off this year just because there was no way that I was going to be able to go being pregnant especially with the baby coming in two months. So instead I am going to participate in the wonderful Armchair BEA!! This is such an awesome way for those of us who could not attend the wonderful BEA to still participate in our own way! So to kick things off here is the first post, an introduction to all of us wonderful bloggers.
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? I am  24 a wonderful mother to 3 boys and a fourth along the way. I work full time, well now I am off for maternity leave. I have been blogging since Sept 2010 and I absolutely love it! I actually kind of stumbled into it. I have this great love of reading and to be honest my friends and family do not quite get my obsession with it. So I was just browsing the internet one night and came across a book blog and I was hooked! I honestly had no idea at the time that there was this huge community of book obsessed people just like me :)
  2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012? I am currently reading Linger by Maggie Stiefvater which is absolutely amazing! Oh wow my favourite book for 2012 that's a hard one. I would have to say I loved Embrace by Jessica Shrivington and Pure by Jennifer L Armetrout
  3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. I have a huge obsession with reality television. I don't know why but anything to do with reality t.v and I am pretty much hooked. 
  4. What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)? Well I have been doing a little blog reorganizing over the last week or so but I would have to say my favourite feature would have to be author interviews/guest posts. I just think its amazing how they will take time out of their busy schedules to indulge us readers!
  5. Where do you see your blog in five years? I see my blog flourishing. I honestly do not think I will stop my blog any time soon. Sure life might get hectic sometimes so my posts might be a little lacking but I am so in love with this blog and have worked so hard to maintain it that I just see me doing exactly what I am doing now just with more content
  6. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? Oh that one is surprisingly easy. If I could have dinner with any author it would be Lara Adrian. I absolutely adore her. She is one of my favourite paranormal romance authors. 
  7. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years? My favourite part of the book blogging community would have to be the absolute joy that everyone shares in one common entity. It is amazing how much the written word can bring people together. From all different walks of life and lifestyles but to share one common love is absolutely amazing. 
  8. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How? My reading tastes have definitely changed since I started blogging. I find now that I am much more eclectic in my reading choices. I love a little bit of everything.

This has been so much fun! I cannot wait to continue to participate in Armchair BEA!!!

In My Mailbox #43





IN My Mailbox is hosted by the wonderful Kristi from The Story Siren. This is a great way to feature all the wonderful books you either received for review, purchased or borrowed

I Received for Review:
Insignia (Insignia, #1)
Insignia by S.J Kincaid
Goodreads
PreOrder Amazon

This week I purchased:
Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Goodreads
Amazon
EBook

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Goodreads
Amazon
EBook

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3)
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Goodreads
Amazon
EBook

Destiny and Deception (13 to Life, #4)
Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany
Goodreads
Amazon
EBook

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Goodreads
Amazon
EBook

I want to thank HarperCollins Canada for sending me Insignia. These are all the books for me this week, What did you get in your mailbox?





Discounted EBooks

Here are some discounted ebooks that I have found. There are some YA and Adult ones as well. Check em out


YA Novels

The Goddess Hunt by Amiee Carter
Purchase here for 1.99 


Hunting Kat By Kelley Armstrong
Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong
Purchase here for 0.99


I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy By Pittacus Lore
I am Number Four the Lost Files
Purchase here for 4.99

Dream Dark: A Beautiful Creatures Story By Kami Garcia,Margaret Stohl
Dream Dark by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Purchase here for 1.99

Darkest Powers Bonus Pack By Kelley Armstrong
The Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong
Purchase here for 2.99


Adult Novels
A Taste of Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novella By Lara Adrian
A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian 
Purchase here for 1.99


Warlord Wants Forever By Kresley Cole
A Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
Purchase here for 2.99

Chaotic: A Novella By Kelley Armstrong
Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong
Purchase here for 0.99





I am Back and Need some Help

Hey guys! Gah I cannot express how much I appreciate all of you being so patient with me while I get my schedule back under control. With working full time and raising three boys and also being pregnant I have been absolutely exhausted, but I am now on Maternity Leave woot!! and I am trying to get back into the swing of things, which is not as easy as I thought it would be. My post have been extremely sporatic and to be honest not all the content has been the best but all of that is going to change.


I am trying to figure out exactly what you guys want to see some more of? Is there anything specific that you absolutely love or hate? Let me know and don't hesitate to be honest :) 


I run this blog not only for myself but for you guys as well and I want to know what you guys want to read more of.


Let me know in the comments below! Thanks again for sticking with me guys you rock!!