Top Ten Blogging Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish! 

This week's topic: Top Ten Blogging Confessions

My Top Ten* Blogging Confessions: 

1. I am the absolute worst at keeping a schedule by myself. When it comes to blog tours and whatnot, I'm fine. I have a deadline and I GOT THIS. People are counting on me for that post to be up and I get that bugger up, even if I have to stay up until some unmentionable hour in the morning to make it happen (*cough* possibly today... *cough*) But when it comes to reviews that are all me? I AM TERRIBLE. I keep my reading up just fine, but review-writing/posting on an actual schedule doesn't work very well for me. It just happens when it happens.

2. I read every single comment everyone ever posts on my blog, but I suck at replying. Partly because of TIME, but mostly because I always wonder if anyone actually comes back to check. The blogger comment system thingy doesn't alert you or anything if a person replies, so if you don't come back to see my reply, then you'll never know I replied, and that just makes me sad. (If I started replying, would you come back and look?)

3. I am a mood reader. BIG TIME. I have tried and tried to change this and be the type of person who can have a set TBR who never has to worry about whether or not they've read a book on time to review it. But I just can't. It never fails to end terribly for me. When I FORCE myself to read a book strictly because I want to review it on a certain date, I end up liking that book less than I would have if I'd waited until I was in the mood to read it, and that's just not fair. To anybody. 

4. My list of books I've read? It's a lie. Sort of. Remember what I said in #3? (You should, since you just read it.) I'm a mood reader. I read things when I feel like it, when they look good to me. So let's say I'm on a blog tour and I get this book. It lands in my inbox and I'm all excited about it, happy dancing around the house like a lunatic. But OH WAIT. I'm in the middle of some other book. I'm not breaking that up in the middle and, technically, I shouldn't/don't/wouldn't have time to read the book that just landed in my inbox. So I read it anyway. I read it fast--like in a few hours--but don't mark it on Goodreads or anything. Then, when I'm about to review the book for the blog tour, I re-read it real fast and mark it then. So it's all an illusion because I'm paranoid, as if anyone actually cares when I read what. 

5. I am the most self-conscious person ever. I know, I know. A lot of people read that and are like "HA NO. That's me." But seriously. I am so critical of everything I do, and that kind of doubles as far as blogging goes. I have so many ideas for things, I have so many things I want to do, but I worry so much about how they'll be received. And not even because I think people would think it's stupid. More because I think people just WOULDN'T NOTICE. And that would make me sad.

6. I'm pretty sure I have more blogging friends than real life friends. Which is so sad. I should try to fix this. But I'm not very good with people. I'm the absolute BEST at saying the wrong things, and am so bad at talking about things that other people might like. I'm good at talking with my family, I'm good at talking about books/authors I love, and I'm good at talking about The Walking Dead. And a few other things, but they don't do much for me, either.

7. My bookshelves are almost always a mess. Part of the reason for that is probably the fact that I have too many books for my bookshelves. I have a bunch of stacks in my closet area for the books that don't fit on my shelves--and most of those books are unread. Another part of the reason for this is because I am an obsessive re-reader. Not whole books or anything--I try to keep that to one a month, since I started my monthly re-read (though I need to be sure to do that this month, since I missed June!). I like to re-read my favorite parts of books. Sometimes because I need a laugh, sometimes because I need my heart to flutter, sometimes because I need to cry, and sometimes because I just remembered that one part in that one book and can't concentrate on anything else until I've read that part again. So I'll grab the book, do my little re-read, and then it'll end up in a stack on my bedside table/next to my bed. You could tell what my favorites are if you kept an eye on which books spent more time next to my bed than in their place on the shelf. 

8. I rarely ever--like, so rare that it's in the neighborhood of NEVER--read in silence. I always have music playing. My radio, a CD that I'm in the mood for, or whichever Pandora station I'm currently obsessed with (last was Eminem, now it's Dave Matthews Band). This is how I make such strong connections between some books and specific bands/songs/albums. Paramore's Brand New Eyes album never fails to make me thing of The Vampire Diaries books and other beautiful series by L.J. Smith. Because that's what I listened to as I read them. Lady Gaga's Bad Romance will forever take me back to the third and fourth Night World books by L.J. Smith (and also, Canada). Listening to music just enhances my reading experience, and helps me focus, in a way. 

9. I wish I was better at designing things. I want so badly to have one of those super fabulous blogs, the kind that make you wonder who the eff did that for them and then you find out OH WAIT. They did. HOOOOOOW? I heart the way my blog looks now--which is a huge improvement to how it started out, let me tell you--but still. I also wish I could make better graphics for things and knew more about how to work things like Photoshop and Gimp and whatever to make cool stuff. I just really, really like pretty things.

10. My NetGalley feedback ratio? Is so embarrassing. Like, I can't even. A big part is that I forget to input my reviews. And then all at once I go back to do it all, and end up getting bored after three. So it's a slow going process for me. But the other part is the fact that I have a couple super good autoapprovals and a twitchy finger. And the OTHER part is that I've had my NG account for a while. Like since before I really got a grasp on everything and went cray cray with being able to review things. I was so stupid, and I'm paying for it now, but I'll deal. I mean, how terrible could it be to read a bunch of books and write some reviews? There are worse things. 

I think a lot of people have bad NG ratios, though, right? We're all trying to make ours better. I think that's a big focus of mine this summer. Because why not?

11. I. Feel. So. Much. Pressure. I love blogging. I love it more than I could ever describe. I've made so many friends this way, and I enjoy having a place where people don't think my book talk is stupid. Where people don't get pissed because all I ever seem interested in is reading and books and Jennifer L. Armentrout (yes, this is an argument that has been had in real life--"Oh, it's not about Jennifer L. Armentrout, so clearly you don't want to talk about it." It was a stupid conversation). But goodness, it feels so hard to keep up sometimes. In real life, I tend to be the kind of person who looks in on other people doing their thing. The quiet kid in the back of the classroom laughing at the jokes everyone else makes. That's kind of carried over to me in the blogging world, too. There are so many people and I have so many friends, but it's hard to match up. I haven't read that book everyone else has (but goodness, I'm working on it!), I don't do all the cool stuff everyone else does, I don't have as great of a handle on things as everyone else does, and I'm straight-up not as good at what I do (but I try!). I feel pressure to live up to what everyone else does. And I know it's stupid--I know, I know, I know--but I can't help it. 

Then again, I'm kind of having a pity party right now, aren't I? I need to move on with my life. I liked this post, though. It was a nice little vent. I'll need to do it again sometime. :)

*Eleven

So, what do you think? What are your blogging/bookish confessions? Did you do a TTT post? Link me up! 

Blog Tour: Wisteria by Bisi Leyton ♥ Top Tens List!

Welcome to my stop on the Wisteria blog tour! To learn more and see the schedule for this tour, just click the lovely banner above!

 

Sooooo. For my stop, I get to have Bisi Leyton drop by witha  top tens list. A top ten of WHAT, you ask? Well...

 

Top Ten With Endings That Were Just OHMYGOSH

 

Yeah, I came up with that. Can you tell? ;) So without further adieu, here's the list!

 

This was hard, not because I realise I’ve been reading a lot of the same kinds of books and while the
endings haven’t been like wow, I have enjoyed the process of reading them. I’d call myself a journey
reader, because I can love a book, but not care about the end. However, if the journey’s kind of
weak, I’ll drop the book… I suppose that’s most people.

 

Okay here’s my list:

 

Number Ten:Second Chance by Nyengi Koin. I found this story really offensive on so many levels.

 

Number Nine:The Governor’s Sons by Maria McKenzie. Please be warned this book is not what you expected.

 

Number Eight:Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

 

Number Seven:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Okay sure we all know
the twist, but I read this few years ago and if you try to ignore what you already know it’s pretty
surprising. I’m reading this with my niece (who believe it or not hasn’t heard of the book) and she
was shocked.

 

Number Six:Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

 

Number Five:The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

 

Number Four:Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 

Number Three:Civil War by Mark Millar

 

Number Two:Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

Number One:
Cat O'Nine Tales: And Other Stories by Jeffrey Archer. You have to read the short story - Eye of
Beholder.

 

And that's the list! Thank you so much to Bisi for listing those for me. My personal favorite on this list? The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Close second? Things Fall Apart. Just so you know ;)

 

Wisteria by Bisi Leyton:

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Praise for Wisteria:

“I love the buildup of this story, getting to know the characters and watching their connection grow. I had no idea which way the story was headed and I was kept in suspense right up to the very end! It has plenty of action and a fascinating plot and I can’t wait to see what Bisi Leyton has for us next!!”

~ Naomi Hop

“There are a lot of great things in this book, so much more than zombies and a struggle for survival. At it’s base core it is about star-crossed lovers, literally and the supporting characters roles… Ms. Leyton brings to Wisteria a mixture of science fiction, fantasy, dystopic world with a twist to the paranormal romance angle!”

~ Cabin Goddess

“The book was full of nonstop action from the beginning until the end, and I did not put it down until I had finished it. I loved the book.”

~Author Monique Morgan

Purchase:

Lulu * Amazon * Smashwords

 

Author Bisi Leyton:

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.

She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.Links

Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway!

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal cash in this tour-wide giveaway!

 

**I am not sponsoring or running the giveaway. To see the rules of entry, you should click on the banner at the top of this post to head on over to the blog tour webpage and see the full list of rules! I am not responsible for this giveaway. It's super cool, though. Oh, and my giveaway policy? Does NOT apply. As I said, banner above. Thanks!**

Enter through the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks to Bisi for her list and YOU for dropping by!

♥Jessica(:

Top 10 of 2012 ♥ Best Couples

  Today was actually a choice day, but since I'm ME, I had to choose the most obvious one. I mean, if you'd seen the list, you'd automatically think "Jessica's totally going to pick that one!" And, well, yeah. Some of this list I KNOW y'all are already predicting. But hey, some you might not. So yay!   Oh, wait. I might have picked the bad boy one, too. So yeah. But I would have only picked that for one boy, so...hehe. Either, way, my favorite couples I've read in 2012!   Honorable Mentions: Ethan & Emme Oh, they are so cute.   Maxon & America I love these two, but they aren't OFFICIAL as a couple enough yet for me to put them on the actual list. America needs to open her eyes and choose my boy.   Zach & Aura Zach...<3   10. Sam & Ana I luuurve Dossam. He's so nice.   9. Bennett & Anna They're so cuuuuute!   8. Dawson & Bethany I know what you're thinking. "I CAN'T BELIEVE A JLA COUPLE'S ONLY #8!" But we haven't seen all that much of these two. And I love them, but I had to take that into account. I'm glad to include them, though, especially after Opal. I love these two. Dawson's so sweet.   7. Trevor & Elliot OH, TREVOR. I heart that boy.   6. Nick & Mae    These books weren't released in 2012, but I did read them this year and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. They're part of the reason I started my blog. First review  wrote, all that jazz. And Nick & Mae are two of my favorite characters. I adore them as a couple.   5. Perry & Aria Do I need to explain this? Have you READ this book? I cannot wait for Through the Ever Night.   4. Andrew & Camryn Andrew is so amazing and these two make one of my favorite couples ever. I hope to goodness there's a follow-up to this book. Hopefully a sequel? That would make me so happy!   3. Adrian & Sydney So I probably seem like a hypocrite after what I said about America & Maxon. But the difference here is that I've loved Adrian for so long now. Things are GOING to work out in the long run, I have no doubt. With America, though, there is a question. Which makes me mad. Plus, Sydney and Adrian clearly love each other. I can't wait for The Indigo Spell which, fun fact, comes out on my birthday! ;)   2. Aiden & Alex   It's no secret that I was Team Seth for a little while. But honestly, it is so obvious that Aiden and Alex are supposed to be together. Plus, Seth's not the best guy right now. NOT COOL, SETH. Nevertheless, I love these two. Can't wait for Apollyon!   1. Daemon & Katy    You can NOT tell me you're surprised right now. I love these books, and I love these two. I just finished Opal on Christmas Eve, and....ohmygod, guys. I can't even. This is my favorite couple ever. EVER. I can't see that changing anytime even remotely soon. Katy's so kickass, and DAEMON. That boy gets me. He does things to my heart, I tell you. My favorite. Favorite, favorite, favorite.   And those are my favorite couples. I know there are a bunch of other great ones--some I've read and some I haven't--but this is MY list.   I'd love to know who some of your favorite couples are!   ♥Jessica(:

OPAL Release Party!! ♥ Recap

Um, yeah. That happened. On the 15th. In Humble, Texas. And I was there to witness it!

 

You remember the Opal Release Party, right? I mean, I've had the #VoteHouston button at the top of my left sidebar for weeks now.

 

Well, I actually got to go!! So I'm going to ATTEMPT to recap it somewhat for y'all. Notice, I say "attempt." It was so much fun, I will probably not have words sometimes. Plus, I don't have the absolute BEST memory in the world. But there WILL be pictures. So yay!

 

Since I live around Austin, we had to drive a good amount to get to the signing. I also planned on helping setting stuff up, which meant we got to leave that much earlier. Not too bad, though. Some people came from waaaay farther than us. Valerie from Stuck In Books? She flew from Colorado. And I heard there was a girl there from Costa Rica. Um, WHOA, right? I unerstand, though. If I could, I totally would.

 

So there was a nice amount of waiting all around, but at least I had stuff to do and/or people to talk to. Then Jen and Pepe got there. And...um....PEPE IS GORGEOUS. Let's just get that out there now. He is. He is he is he is.

 

DO YOU SEE THAT? *swoon* And he has an amazing accent, which we all heard when he announced that Houston was the winning city! Only thing better than that? Pepe saying "Hey, Kitten, want a cookie?" Or aha, maybe "Hey, Kitten, want a cookie again?" (Both of these things DID happen.)

 

Jen? Well, Jen is so. Flipping. Awesome. Seriously, I can't even. She's so nice and she knew who I was! That's such a big deal for me you don't even know.

 

Mmhmm. She hugged me. When she realized I was me. I still have zero words.

 

So there was a Q & A, of course, and honestly, I can't remember specifics. Like, I can't tell you "So and so asked this" and then "Jen said this" followed by specific word for word quote. So I'm going to give y'all bullets of information of what was said.

 

- Jen liked being able to use...certain words...when writing Obsession.

- Pepe misses Sztella. (We all "AWWWWW"ed when he said this.)

- Jen likes to eat microphones, apparently.

- Pepe prefers not to use microphones. (Luckily, I was close enough to hear his beautiful voice.)

- Sztella couldn't make it because of school and stuff. Totally understandable. We missed her, though!

- We should pretty much thank Liz Pelletier for everything Lux related.

- Liz loses all her bonus points because SHE'S the one who says no to Jen telling us what was in the note in Onyx.

- Jen has an idea for the title of book 5, but can't share it because Liz doesn't even know it yet.

- When Pepe & Sztella first came to the U.S for the original Dameon Invasion, it took Jen two hours to find them in the airport.

- Obsidian was originally titled Fallen Stars. (Is that so pretty or what?!)

- Jen had never seen Pepe before in her life when she wrote the character of Daemon, but he fit Jen's idea of Daemon perfectly. AND, he already had an obsidian necklace. BEFORE he even knew about the book or anything. (Um, yeah. Meant to be, right?)

- In Humble, Texas, there is officially a Jennifer L. Armentrout Day.

 

And that's all I've got for you guys as far as the Q&A went. Did I get everything for you guys? Honestly, I probably didn't. But I got the cool stuff.

 

After the Q&A, there was the signing. Where Jen signed so many books...I have no idea how she did it. Pepe, too, but he only had to sign the Lux ones. Jen had to sign her Covenant ones and Cursed, too. But she did! And she was so cool about it. I brought/bought/recieved a gazzillion books for her to sign. But I repeat: she was so cool about it! I kept apologizing about it. She told me I shouldn't apologize and Pepe...well, he asked me WHAT I was apologizing for. Sweet boy.

 

 

 

 

Fun fact: During the signing (after my books were signed, of course) I spent a nice amount of time sitting on the floor near Pepe. Don't think Pepe noticed much, though. Not because I'm creepy, but because I was helping out with swag but then I wanted to sit down...so I did. Great view.

 

After the signing, we got to take pictures! Well, before that, there were raffle drawings for jewelry from Hebel Designs and some little bags and stuff. All the winnings were awesome. I won nothing. BUT my mom and sister-in-law DID, and gave their winnings to me. You shall see later. Anyway, back to pictures!!

 

I have PROOF of how sweet Pepe is. Ready?

That, my friends, is my nephew. Guess who talked him over to take this picture? (Well, with a little of my help, but I think he didn't want to get in trouble. He's four, guys.) SO CUTE! This is my absolute favorite picture from the signing. Even more than the one with just me and Pepe. And the one with just me and Jen. Even though Pepe's not looking at the camera here. He's looking at Billyboy.

This child was CLUTCHING my hand. But in the end, I did get him to say "Hi, Pepe." And Pepe gave him a high five. I'm telling you, Pepe is so freaking sweet.

 

Then there were the other pictures...

 

 

 

Yeah. I'm that short. And that IS Jen's leg. As much as I adore Pepe, I think her leg is my favorite part of this picture.

 

I really like how there is a huge wall of LUX right behind all the pictures. Perfect background, if you ask me.

 

So...those are my pictures! After the pictures...well, it was over. Some of us went out to dinner afterwards where I sat next to my friend Jodie and Rachel Harris (yes, author of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century) and dropped some money on the floor so I got to crawl underneath the table to find it. Then I talked to Jen some (which was so insanely cool, I can't even) and...um...kind of ran after Pepe so I could get one last hug when we were all leaving. As I...said? I can't rememeber, but it was coming out of my mouth, "Pepe Pepe Pepe!" Um. Yeah. Got my hug, though!

 

All in all, the signing was so insanely fun. Anyone who couldn't make it for whatever reason--lived too far away, had to study for the dreadful midterms that start tomorrow for me (ohmygosh, I am so doomed), or their grandmother's ninetieth birthday party--I am so sorry. I tried to put everything cool that went on into this post, though! I'm sure I'm not the only one who's going to do this, so be on the lookout for recap posts and read those, too for more stuff!

 

Aha, I went to this with eight books. Then I bought two. We were part of the first 100 people, so we got four free copies of Opal, then I got an extra copy of Opal at the end because people are nice. PLUS, I won some books at the blogger mingle and my friend Jodie gave me one that SHE won because she already owned it. I at least doubled the amount of books I went home with compared to when I arrived.

 

As of this moment, I own seven copies of Opal. I have plans to send off some and keep some, but still. Right now, there are seven.

That's five of the seven. The other two were in the car and since it was early this morning before we got ready to check out or our motel, I, nor did anyone else, want to go outside to get the other two. But there are seven. Trust me. Or ask JLA. She knows.

 

My Covenant books. Now all signed and personalized. Well, kind of. I've decided on good homes for the extras to go to, after a lot of mind-changing. I have to send them this week sometime!

 

My Lux books! Now signed and personalized. Sorry for the flash. Remember, early this morning. I was too lazy to retake the picture without flash. My copy of Opal was in the stack of five. Because I'm a genius, I didn't think to take a picture of all three together. *facepalm*

 

Those are the books I acquired from the dinner after the signing. All of those are signed. I'm so glad I own Fallen and Hush, Hush now! I kind of want to re-read.... And I haven't read the other two. I'll have to do that sometime!

 

ALLLL of the books I went home with. Well, that were involved with the signing. I had a library book lying around somewhere, too, and a copy of Dear Teen Me which I got signed by Mary Lindsey (because she was at the release party!) for a friend. I have a picture of that somewhere...

 

Yeah, there it is. See it? Off to the left. And, um, that's a majority of the swag I got. I have a better picture of that...

 

That;s most of my swag I got. Not all, though. Some of it was in books or scattered through my bag and I didn't feel like digging it out. I'm lazy, in case you hadn't noticed. Either way, I have more than enough Lux stuff to give people I like. :) And to stow away for things...yeah. You may see some of this again, folks. Plus, I have LOTS more at home. Well, I'm at home right now...but I wasn't when I took this picture and I'm too lazy (ha!) to take another picture right now. And yeah.

 

So that's my recap, guys! I had an amazing time, got some cool stuff, polished off my Christmas gift buying (well, kind of), and got to meet Jen & Pepe!

 

I have no idea what I should ask you guys to comment about. So leave a comment if you have anything to say! I love reading comments!

 

P.S. I hugged Pepe. At least twice. And I hugged Jen at least three times. Just saying.

 

And I have more pictures. I'll post those some other time, though, because I already have so many in this post, I have a feeling blogger's going to rebel against me...so yeah. That is all.

 

Wait, no it's not. Pepe? *swoon*

 

And Jen? Easiest author to talk to I have ever met.

 

Okay, NOW I'm good. So we can end with this, becasue it's my favooorite:

 

 

♥Jessica(:

Update (Yes. Another update.)

Hey all you awesome bloggy people! I've pretty much disappeared as of late. Why? Because my oh so wonderful computer has officially died. Mhm. It's gone. Forever. Never coming back. Therefore, I do not have a computer to update this peeerrtty little blog with.

Now, that does not mean I'm giving up and will never ever post again. Not a chance. No, instead it means that I'll have to post when I can. Like now--from the library. I'll make as many posts as I can and schedule them so you'll get posts in a somewhat regular manner. I'll try my very best. But please have patience. Please.

Happy topic time? Yeah, I think it's happy topic time.
1. Y'all are awesome. That's something happy, yes? YES.

2. The Austin Teen Book Festival. Have you heard of it? Well, since I live close to Austin, it interests me. I've been doing some research on it, but I don't know much. So. If you know something helpful about this wonderful bookish event, I would much appreciate it if you e-mailed me about it. Seriously. I'd love you forever. (makesmeworse12 at gmail dot com, if you don't feel like going to the "Contact Me" tab. I getcha, I'm a lazy person.)

3. It's Thursday! Which means that tomorrow is Friday, and who doesn't love Fridays? Exactly. Nobody. Plus, there's a House marathon on Oxygen. I am addicted to House.

All right, so again--thank you (thank you thank you thank you) for being the incredible people you are and sticking around. I apologize for my odd method of disappearing and will do my very best to . . . not.

Have a wonderful day, Friends!

Jessica(:

OBSIDIAN + ONYX trailers!

I've been away for a while, and I promise you a post with an apology, explanation, and quite possibly a giveaway very, very soon. But for today, I must post these trailers.

Why?

BECAUSE THESE BOOKS ARE AMAZING.

Truly, they are. And the trailers? So great. Seriously, like, clapping-my-hands-together-jumping-up-and-down-and-squealing-a-little-bit great. Which I suppose makes "great" a bit of an understatement. But you get my point. Or, if you don't, you can watch the trilers for yourself!

First, the Obsidian trailer:

*fans self* Yeah. How can one not love Pepe and Sztella? They are the PERFECT portrayals of Katy and Daemon. EEEK! Such a great trailer.

Now, for the Onyx trailer:

Mmhmm. I cannot wait to read this book. TWO. MORE. DAYS. I may spontaneously combust between now and then. So amazing.

All right. That's what I had to show y'all for today. What did YOU think of the trailers? Truly amazing things, I know. Be on the look out for my post where I apologize/give things away/etc. It'll be posted either tomorrow or Tuesday. But probably tomorrow because I'm most likely going to need Tuesday to gush. Still, not sure, though.

Have a great day, Friends!
♥Jessica(:

Author Interview: Tanya J Peterson

Ah, yes. Interview time! I am coming to find that I have a newfound love for interviewing authors. They're so nice, and I love finding out that I have things in common with them. Oh, and since I know you're all wondering--yes, I am listening to Mr. Jones by Counting Crows again. THIS SONG IS AMAZING.

Now, for the interview!

I interviewed Tanya J Peterson, the author of Losing Elizabeth. I reviewed Losing Elizabeth on Thursday; if you want to take a look click HERE.

 What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?

 I love the outdoors, and I relish the opportunity to do things outside. My very favorite things are kayaking, hiking, and my new passion, mountain biking. I enjoy doing these things with my two children (I have a daughter who is almost 16 and a son who is nearly 11), and I also enjoy doing them on my own for some nice solitary time.

 Where did you come up with the names of your characters in Losing Elizabeth? (This always interests me.)

 I have to know my characters a little bit before I can give them names. I have their general stories in mind first, and then I develop an image of them in my head. I “spend time” with them in my mind. Usually, I’ll get the impression that their names begin with a certain letter (I know this probably sounds quite strange). Then, I often look at baby name books and/or websites and peruse names in that letter until I find one that clicks. That’s how I decided on the names in Losing Elizabeth, and that’s how I came up with the names in the novel I’m writing now.

I search baby name websites, too! It really is helpful.

 What inspired you to write Losing Elizabeth?

 As a high school teacher and school counselor, I have encountered numerous adolescents who become involved in abusive relationships. Too often, people mistake controlling behavior for love, like Elizabeth does when she believes that Brad is sweet for wanting to be able to spend time with her. Frequently, too, the abused is too close to the forest for the trees and thus can’t see the abusive behavior the way those on the outside can. Classic abusive behavior is for an abuser to chip away at the other person’s self-esteem, convincing him/her that no one else will put up with them and that he/she is lucky to have the abuser in their lives, like Brad does to Elizabeth. I have witnessed many teenagers become sucked into unhealthy, abusive relationships, and I wanted to tell a story that enlightened teens to the dangers of such relationships in an entertaining manner that (hopefully) isn’t preachy. Thus, I wrote Losing Elizabeth.

A note: While in Losing Elizabeth the abuser happens to be male, this isn’t always the case. Guys can just as easily fall into an abusive relationship, and girls can be abusers.

This is very true. If you watch Teen Mom, amber and Gary would be an example of this. And for the record, I mean nothing bad by that statement. Amber's getting help and whatnot for her problems, last I heard, and I just meant to point out the example.

 What was the writing process for Losing Elizabeth like?

 Extremely fun! Writing is the one place in my life where I truly get into a flow. The process doesn’t involve non-stop writing, of course. I do a lot of brain storming, note taking, research, etc., but to me these things are part of the fun. Then when I do the actual writing, I get lost in it. Even the challenging spots are enjoyable. (That’s not to say that I do things perfectly! I’m still learning and evolving. I’m happy with Losing Elizabeth, but there are spots where I see lots of room for improvement. I hope my subsequent novels show growth, and I also hope I always continue to find ways to get better.)

 Which character did you enjoy writing about the most in Losing Elizabeth? Least? Why?

 While I certainly don’t like Brad the most, I think I enjoyed writing about him the most. I enjoyed the challenge of portraying the complexity and motivation of an abuser. I probably enjoyed writing about Sarah the least, probably because her actual role was small. I didn’t have a chance to really develop her; thus, writing her parts felt a bit canned. If I were to re-write the novel, she’s one that I would do more with.

I really liked reading about Brad the most, so that totally works out! And Sarah was okay to me, though you're right--not much goes on with her.

Now it’s time for favorites! Just tell your favorite!

 Movie: Schindler’s List, Regarding Henry, and The King’s Speech (Okay, so that’s three; I have a hard time making decisions!)

As do I, Taya. As do I. :)

Food: Grilled fish (any mild fish) with grilled or roasted vegetables (no red onions, though)

Book Character: Seth in Adam Schwartz’s A Stranger on the Planet

I love the name Seth!

Book Cover: A Stranger on the Planet  (You might have figured out that I’m a sucker for this book. I love the cover because it’s simple but not bland, and there are no human images that interfere with my own mental picture of the characters. Plus, as I read and then would look at the cover, the broken heart on it tugged at my own heart.) The cover does so much because it has so little on it.

Song: Imagine by John Lennon.

OH, John Lennon♥

Season: A tie between summer and autumn.

Funny, mine's a tie between winter and spring. Though I think winter would seriously win. I'm not sure.

All right, now just some this or thats—all you have to do is pick one!

Day or Night? Day

I'm somewhat of a night owl myself (and by that I mean--I'm practically nocturnal)

Warm or Cold? Warm, with an explanation: Between hot and cold, I’d definitely prefer cold, but between warm and cool, I’d go with warm. There’s really no explaining me. :)

Sweet or Spicy? Spicy if it’s mild. Once again, I defy explanation. I also have a REALLY difficult time limiting myself to single word answers, much to the annoyance of my husband and kids. Ha!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to do this interview! I’m just getting started as an author, and I love any opportunity to connect with readers.

Thank YOU so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Nice people are awesome.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tanya J. Peterson was born and raised in the Midwest.  Looking for adventure, she recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children.  While she is embracing new experiences, she is continuing to pursue her life-long passion of working closely with young adults to help them learn and thrive.  Tanya has a bachelor of science in secondary education and a master of science in school counseling and has worked with youth in schools and other settings throughout her adult life.  Currently, she teaches in a school for homeless and runaway adolescents where she helps them remove barriers and create success.

Tanya enjoys spending time with her family in the outdoors.  She loves to hike, bike, and kayak.  She also enjoys the arts and is delighted to live in a city with many diverse venues for music, theater, dance, and the visual arts.  Her personal artistic pursuit is the written word.  She has published the short story Challenge!, a book review in a national counseling publication, and the novel Losing Elizabeth.  She has more novels on the way.

 (ABOUT THE AUTHOR and picture taken from Tanya's website. Click HERE to check it out!)

Okay, that's it for today, y'all. Thank you for checking out this interview!

Have a great day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Review: Losing Elizabeth by Tanya J. Peterson

Losing Elizabeth by Tanya J Peterson
Date Released: April 25, 2012
Format: Paperback, 154 pages
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:
High school junior Elizabeth Carter is self-confident and outgoing with a bright future. Life is good for Elizabeth, then she meets Brad Evans. To those on the outside, and even to Elizabeth at first, her life gets even better with Brad. Slowly and insidiously, though, Brad takes control of Elizabeth. Is she really as lucky as she thinks she is? What price is she willing to pay to be this popular, charming, attractive senior boy's girlfriend? Is she envied...or pitied? Most importantly, does she have to lose herself in order to be Brad's significant other?

Losing Elizabeth is one of those books that tackles an important topic--abusive relationships. On the level of focusing on this topic throughout the whole book, this story was very well written. As far as telling a riveting story that I didn't want to put down, Losing Elizabeth did fall somewhat short.

First, I want to focus on all the wonderful things about this story, because there are many. Tanya has written a very informative story about a common isue that is approached often in literature and film, but really can never be covered enough because bad things like those in this book DO happen. It was nice and interesting to read about this because there were some things I honestly didn't know regarding these issues.

Tanya also did a good job of giving us a look into the head of a girl being abused by her boyfriend. We all look at situations like this and think that we would never let ourselves stay in a relationship like that, so why would anyone? Losing Elizabeth gives great insight into what is really going on in her head and why she stays in her relationship. Not only that, but we see inside the mind of her best friend trying to help her, too. A very good look at two sides of this problem.

Character Rundown: Elizabeth. I felt that Elizabeth was a little too perfect to be believable before she got into her relationship with Brad. She seemed like a very boring person, with no little quirks or anything. This did help to show the contrast of how much she changed throughout the story, though. Meg--Elizabeth's best friend. Again, not a very characterized person in this story. We only really learned things about her by Brad saying mean stuff about her. I much rather would have liked to discover these little things myself. Last, we have the tough guy--Brad. This is the first book I've read in a while where I didn't swoon over a guy. Brad's a huge jerk, of course. He starts out all sweet and lovey and then turns into a monster. I did have some fun laughing at his twisted logic sometimes, though. I rolled my eyes at him a bunch, too.

The ending. The ending was exactly what you would expect from a book like this. It was a nice, positive ending, but it was what we all saw coming. Regardless of this, though, it left me with a little feeling of pride. The story comes full circle, and it was great to see that.

Overall, I really felt like this story was very predictable. It did a wonderful job of displaying its main message, but it was done in a very generic way that leaves pretty much no room for surprise. Still, I do suggest you read this. Awareness for this issue can never be a bad thing, and Tanya does a marvelous job of focusing on this.

All right, that's it for today. Thank you to Tanya for sending me this book to review.

Have a splendiforous day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Kimberly Sabatini Mini-Interview + 55 Follower GIVEAWAY

Hey, everybody! So. I now have 55 followers. Now, I know that this number probably doesn't SEEM all that big. But to me, that's 55 more followers than I ever dreamed of having (yeah, I was a pessimist about the whole "blog" thing). So now that I'm at 55, I have a special little way to say thank you--in the form of some gifts!

Gift Numero Uno:

I did a mini-interview with Kimberly Sabatini, author of Touching the Surface which comes out October 30th! What is my definition of a mini-interview, you ask? Weell, it's not book related. A mini-interview is purely fun. So, let's see what was said, yes?

All right, so we're going to start off with some favorites. Just say what your favorite is, easy-peasy!

Song: Gahhh always changing. When I love something I play it until I almost hate it LOL!  But overall...IMAGINE by John Lennon...oh, the message...
Book (of the moment, because goodness knows it's hard to pick one for all time!): I'll give you all time--THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. It changed me.
Food: Chocolate ice cream closely followed by mashed potatoes.
Beverage: Sparkling water
Movie: White Christmas
Book Character: Skeeter from THE HELP
Quote: "No Day But Today..." RENT
Book Cover (include a picture if you'd like!): I'm going to return to THE GIVER...perhaps I can't separate the inside from the outside, but all I know is that I remember looking at it in high school and thinking that I must know what lies behind the look in that mans eyes. I remember thinking that this was different before I even cracked the spine.

 Okay, now just some this or thats. All you have to do is pick one!
Night or Day? Night
Sweet or Spicy? Both
Summer or Winter? Fall--I can't even pretend that there is another choice for me.
Twilight or Hunger Games? Hunger Games!!!!!!

 Last, we just have two Team questions. I LOVE picking Teams when I'm reading, so I'm just going to ask the two most common Team questions:
Team Edward or Team Jacob? Jacob! Is there even a question?
Team Peeta or Team Gale? Team Peeta of course...although...Gale was looking pretty good in the movie.

And that's it for the questions. Thanks again for being so AWESOME as to answer these for me! This makes things so much more fun, I think. :)

Thank you sooooo much for having me. I LOVE this kind of interview--it's so much fun to do!

Ready for Gift Numero Dos?

I know you're all thinking "Wasn;t interviewing Kimberly kind of random?" And my answer is this--NO. It wasn't. Because . . .

Gift Numero Dos:

I'm giving away some Touching the Surface swag!

I don't have a camera, so I can't take a picture of it all, but here's the cover of Touching the Surface:

(click on the cover to go to the Goodreads page)

Since I can't take a picture of it, I'll tell you about it:

I'm giving away . . .

2 bracelets

3 bookmarks

3 postcards

1 sticker

various little Touching the Surface things

All of this swagis goodness will be split between 3 winners. There will be a Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post, after I tell y'all about the last gift.

Which brings me to . . .

Gift Numero Tres:

This requires a wee bit of explanation. Originally, I was just going to leave this as a swag giveaway. Buuuut, today is my brother's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABOON JOHNNY B. KEIBLER SASQUATCH BUDDYBOOPER WANNABE ANT ANTHONY!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you! Have a really great day and a most happy 15th birthday!

So, in honor of my goof of a little brother's 15th birthday, I am also giving away my ARC of The Temptation by Alisa Valdes.

I'll probably throw in some more little swaggish stuff with the ARC, too, because I'm a nice person. Yeah. I try. Still, this will be a fourth winner.

So, those are my thank you gifts! I hope you like.

Now, fir the Rafflecopter. . .
GIVEAWAY:
-4 winners will be chosen randomly for my ARC of The Temptation and some cool swag
-You must be 13 or older to enter or have parent permission
-I am not resoponsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items
-This giveaway will start on 6/18 and end on 7/19
-This giveaway is US only (EDIT 6/18)
-Be sure to check out my Giveaway Policy for a full list of rules for all my giveaways

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank y'all for everything! Every single one of you is awesome. I also have two other giveaways happening at this very moment--you should check those out to win some more cool stuff!

Have a wonderful day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

EDIT 6/18--Kimberly interviews new book bloggers on her blog, and today (wonder of wonders) she's featuring me! So click HERE if you want to see Kimberly Sabatini interviewing me. :)