ICONS AND THE TESTING GIVEAWAY AND ASK THE EXPERT INTERVIEW

Hi Everyone! Just a few things before I get to my fabulous interview. First, just to let you know, I may not be around as much this week. My mom is coming in for a visit on Thursday so I'm getting ready for that. Yay! The house is finally clean. And of course the night before her visit I have a potluck meeting for the swim team and need to register Anna Li for school the day my mom comes. It'll be a bit crazy.

Next the winner of ALL OUR YESTERDAYS is Amanda!

Congrats! Please e-mail me your address so I can send you your book. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

Today I’m excited to interview Gabbey, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Dianne Salerni who’s going into eleventh grade in the fall for my ASK THE EXPERT series. She’s an avid writer and occasionally contributes a guest post on Dianne’s blog. Dianne is a middle grade and YA author and her most recent book is THE CAGED GRAVES.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your school, and what you like to read and write.

I am 16 years old and I will be a junior at Avon Grove High School in the fall. I really like the Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who, and I enjoy reading classic literature as well as some science fiction and fantasy. I have tried writing with several different genres but the one I like best is fantasy. I get to use more imagination. :D

2. I love fantasy and sci-fi too. And I love writing fantasy too. That’s great that you’re starting to write now. Does the fact that your mom is an author influence what you read or what you write? How?

I guess it does, because I usually end up going to a lot of events like PAYA and getting signed copies of books from the authors there. I wouldn't say it has much of an impact on what I write.

3. Awesome you get to meet authors and get signed books because of your mom. What are you reading now? What’s the last book you read for pleasure instead of for a school assignment?

Right now I am reading the Glass Castle for my AP English summer assignment. I'd be enjoying it more if I didn't have to complete a dialectic notebook on it. Blech. The last book I read for pleasure was actually a manga, which is a Japanese graphic novel. It was the fifth volume in a series called Yu-Gi-Oh, which is about a shrimpy high schooler who is occasionally possessed by the spirit of an incredibly good-looking Egyptian pharaoh.

4. My daughter’s reading East of Eden for her AP English class. She doesn’t have as much time as she’d like to read for pleasure either. Do you buy most of your book or get them at the library? How often do go to a bookstore?

Usually I buy books from Amazon...I don't go to bookstores too often since there aren't really any good ones that I know of nearby.

5. Oh, that’s too bad there aren’t any good bookstores near where you live. Do you read any teen book blogs, author blogs, or author or publisher websites? Become a fan of an author on Facebook? Why?

I just started my own blog (http://writerssword.blogspot.com/), but as I have just gotten started, I don't have too many blogs that I follow. As for Facebook, I don't really go around liking too many author pages. I don't know why, it just doesn't occur to me to look up authors I like.

6. That’s so cool that you’re starting your own blog. Has your teacher or mom recommended any blogs or websites to your class or to you?

Yes, my mom has e-mailed me lots of links to blogs and as I said I am trying to immerse myself in the blogging world. However my teachers don’t really do that sort of thing. My school is more interested in standardized test results than it is in helping creative minds to blossom.

7. I bet your mom has lots of blogs to recommend to you. Tell us about the Writing Club you founded at your school? What inspired you to start your own club?

I am very happy with the success we have had with the Writing Club so far. We have quite a few members and through the club I have met and gotten to know a lot of people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. The idea for the club actually came when I was in ninth grade, and a friend of mine from middle school was still in eighth grade. We noticed that the high school didn’t have a writing club, and my friend said that once she got to high school we would start one. So the next year we did!

8. The writing club sounds like a great way to become friends with other aspiring writers. Are there things authors could do that would make you more likely to visit their website, their blog, or become a fan on Facebook?

Hey, as long as they don’t write books about sparkly vampires, I’ll visit any website they want me to.

9. Have any authors visited your club in person or by SKYPE? What are you looking for in a guest author?

No, as we were just getting started this past school year, we did not get any guest authors. We hope to find some volunteers for this in the coming year. We are just looking for someone who writes YA books and is willing to talk to teens and answer questions.

Having Skype visits sounds like a great way to connect with authors. Thanks for sharing all your advice, Gabbey.

Now onto my giveaways. First, I’m sharing ICONS with you.

Here’s a description from Goodreads:

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.

I read this right after I finished THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancy. Both are sci-fi/dystopian stories where aliens take over our world. I was struck how different these stories are and how amazing the power of imagination is and how you can put fresh spins on a story. In ICONS, our world is not as destroyed as in THE 5th WAVE, though things are pretty bad.

This was a fast paced story with lots of action and twists. I loved figuring out what Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas’ connection is to each other and what their captors want with them. The interactions between all four of them and their developing relationships really kept me reading. They all grow through the story. And I wasn’t always sure whose side some of them are on. And there’s a conspiracy and rebellion too. I found this to be a fast read.

The second book I’m giving away is an ARC of THE TESTING. The reality is that I can’t read all the books and ARCs I receive. But many, like THE TESTING, have gotten good reviews and I want to pass them on to you while they’re still fairly current. I’ll be doing more of this type of giveaways as my schedule and budget permits.

Here’s a description of THE TESTING from Goodreads:

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close

when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

I’m giving away my ARCs of ICONS and THE TESTING. Thanks to Little Brown and Company for the ARC of ICONS and Houghton Mifflin Books for the ARC of THE TESTING. To enter, To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight September 7th. I’ll announce the winner on September 9th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome, but I’ll only pick one international winner at most.

Here’s what’s coming up:
On Wednesday, I’m interviewing Darcy Pattision and giving away a copy of her new book, START YOUR NOVEL-SIX WINNING STEPS TOWARD A COMPELLING OPENING LINE, SCENE, AND CHAPTER. Darcy’s the author of picture books, non fiction books, and a YA novel. And she’s also the author of NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS: UNCOMMON WAYS TO REVISE NOVELS, a fantastic book that I found really helpful when revising my novel. I know she’ll have lots of great advice to share with us.

Next Monday I’m thrilled to have C.J. Redwine back to talk about her new book, DECEPTION, the sequel to DEFIANCE. I really loved how C.J. took the story in a totally different direction I didn’t anticipate. And of course, I’ll be giving away an ARC of this.

The following Monday is Labor Day and I’m participating in a Sequels Blog Hop Giveaway. I’ll have lots of great sequels for you to choose from. Don’t worry if you’re busy on Monday having fun. The contest will run through September 9th.

Wednesday that week with an interview with Mari Mancusi and a giveaway of SCORCHED, a dystopian/fantasy/time travel story. I’ve been excited about this book since I read the book sale blurb in PW Children’s Bookshelf. And I was not disappointed. It’s fantastic and I can’t wait to share it with you. I’m sure Mari with have lots of advice for us because she’s also the author of another 8 book series.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you Wednesday!