Mundie Moms

Monday, January 21, 2013

Who Is Marcus Finch? Campain Kick Off


Who is Marcus Finch? That's the million dollar question we're all dying to know. Starting tomorrow, and spanning over the next two weeks, Penguin Teen is going to give you clues into who Marcus is! Be sure to stop by MM's and a few other of the blogs each day, not counting the weekends, to read the daily clues/quotes into who he is.  In the mean time stop by here to read an excerpt from The Indigo Spell. 




In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood. -quoted from Goodreads


Be sure to check out the Bloodlines Website, visit the Bloodlines Facebook page and check out the trailer below. 



Another Round Won in MTV's Movie Brawl and a Clockwork Princess Snippet Treat

Woolsey and Magnus by Cassandra Jean, part of the postcard pack Cassie will be handing out on tour

"City of Bones" made it past another round of MTV's Movie Brawl and Cassie, true to her word, treated us to another snippet from Clockwork Princess:
Rage flared up in Tessa and she considered belting Woolsey with the poker whether he came near her or not. He had moved awfully quickly while fighting Will, though, and she didn’t fancy her chances. “You don’t know James Carstairs. Don’t speak about him.”

“Love him, do you?” Woolsey managed to make it sound unpleasant. “But you love Will, too.”

Tessa froze. She had known that Magnus knew of Will’s affection for her, but the idea that what she felt for him in return was written across her face was too terrifying to contemplate.
Don't forget to vote again in this next round. We're up against "Spring Breakers".

Just One Day: Author Interview & Giveaway

This past Friday I had the chance to attend Gayle Forman's JUST ONE DAY signing at Book People, here in Austin. Thank you to Penguin Teen and Gayle herself, I also had the chance to sit down with her prior to the signing to talk to her about her book. Before I talk about our interview, can I just say READ THIS BOOK!!! Sophie posted her glowing review here, but I just want to throw in my two cents about Just One Day.



By: Gayle Forman
Published by: Penguin Young Readers Group
Release On: 1/8/2013
Purchase: Amazon Barnes and Noble | IndieBound 

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.


Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!


My review: This is one of those perfectly written, beautiful reads that will connect with you while you're reading, and leave you thinking about long after you finish it. Whether you're at that stage in life where you're trying to figure out who you are and where you want to go, or whether you're long past that stage (like me). This is a book about finding yourself, and in following Allyson's story it took me back to those moments and years right out of high school where I had the world at my finger tips, and I had to decide what I was going to do with it. Like Allyson, during my adventure of figuring out the world, was the discovering of who I was.

Just One Day is also a story that encompasses love, loss, friendship, venturing out on your own, fear, hope, accomplishment, and empowerment. I'm talking that empowerment that only one's self feels after they achieve something they never thought possible. Gayle's writing is beautiful. It's raw, it's honest, and moving. Gayle's writing extremely realistic and encompasses so many things that real life throws at us. Well in my case Gayle's writing also offers me something I've always wanted to do and haven't yet done, and that's seeing parts of the world I've yet to see. I love feeling like I was traveling right alone Allyson. Feeling her joys, her worries, and understanding what she was dealing with both with her heart, and with her friendships. 

I LOVED this book. This is a book that readers of all ages will/can connect with on some level. It's one I'd highly recommend picking up if you're a teen reader and older. 



InterviewDid you guys know that Gayle Forman is hilarious?! I'm not talking just about joke telling. I'm talking about Gayle being one of those people who when she enters the room, and the moment you start talking with her you not only feel at ease, but she'll have you laughing in a matter of seconds. She's also someone who when you sit and talk with her, the time flies by way too fast! *please not that some of Gayle's answers and my responses are paraphrased, since I wrote down her responses* 

Allyson is a character I feel readers of all ages can relate to. Whether they're at the stage of trying to find themselves, or are looking for an adventure or have already passed that stage. What's something that drew you to Allyson and her story?

Oh God, Allyson. I wanted to smack her (laughs). I wanted to write her. She's a pleaser. She's a buttoned up good girl with insecurities, and I wanted to balance that. I knew travel would change her. Yes there's a romance, but it's the events that change her. She became heroic to me from the moment she threw that book at the skinheads. That's not something most people would do. 

Aside from Allyson, which character would you want to spend Just One Day site seeing with and where would you go?

Dee! I love Dee. We'd go to Dee's mom's house for food. Dee's mom would feed me cobbler and collared greens. There would be lots of food. Then we'd wander around the city together. Go thrift store shopping. 

I love how you are able to bring realism into your books. How do you balance out the love story with the story line's reality?

I like that romance is part of the character's growth. It's like life. Like life it can be complicated. I like that books can portray that to. Stephanie Perkins's Anna and The French Kiss does that. (this was my favorite answer of Gayle's, as it spurred on a few minute conversation between her, myself and Megan about Gayle's books and her writing).

Willem. I'm asking this for Sophie and for those who are dying to know. What was the thought that ran through his mind during the last scene of the book?

(laughs out loud). Nice try! I can't answer that. 

Me: (laughing) I had to try for Sophie.
Gayle: The mystery in book two comes from the events of book one, and I'm not going to spoil anything.
Me: I love that we get the story from Willem's point of view, and that Penguin Teen is not making us wait another year to read it. 

* In talking about Allyson's Mom: Allyson's mom is a character that while there were things she does that were infuriating, we understood some of the things she does, not all the things, but some. We liked that your book has a mother who is present and apart of your character's life. Did you draw inspiration from your own mother to write her?

My parents were so proud of me. They trusted me and supported me in my travels. Back then we didn't have the Internet and it wasn't so easy to stay in touch like it is now. I would call home every two weeks. 

* Gayle's parental themes in her books; Gayle: If I Stay was about making sacrifices for your kids without thinking. Just One Day is about creating boundaries. 


(Magan, Gayle, myself)

THANK YOU to Gayle for the fascinating, and fun interview! This interview was one of the funnest interviews I've done. We sat and talked about so many things that I can't share here. It was a blast. Gayle Forman is such a delight to talk to. I THANK her visiting with me, and thank you to my friend Megan Blasig, for helping me out! It was such a blast to visit with both of you and talk books. 

(Gayle during her Q&A, reading from Just One Day, and talking about her personal experiences from her traveling years and how some of those moments made into Allyson's story).

You can also read part of her signing Q&A via the #JustOneDay hash tag. I tweeted her responses on Friday night via it.

The Giveaway: I've got a copy of Just One Day along with a signed book plate, and an additional signed book plate to give away! 1 winner will receive the book and signed book plate and an international winner will receive the other signed book plate. To enter, please fill out the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kiki Strike Blog Tour: Guest Post with author Kirsten Miller

I'm thrilled to be apart of Bloomsbury Teen's Kiki Strike blog tour. Today author Kirsten Miller stopped by to talk about 5 books that got her interested in reading as a child. First, here's a little bit about her newest book (which releases tomorrow).



Published by: Bloomsbury Teens
To Be Released on: January 22nd, 2013 (Tomorrow)
Series: Kiki Strike #3
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

First they ventured deep under New York to save the city itself. Then things got personal as the Irregulars ventured into a haunted mansion in Chinatown to uncover an evil twin. Now, in the third installment of bestselling author Kirsten Miller's Kiki Strike series, this delightful group of delinquent geniuses jump feet first into a fast-paced international pursuit, going underground in Paris to pursue a pair of treacherous royals who have killed Kiki's parents. With a dash of romance, a fresh take on good manners, and loads of butt-kicking bravery, Kiki, Betty, Ananka and the other Irregulars sharpen their amazing skills in this highly anticipated new adventure.




Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp by Mercer Mayer

I adore this picture book. I read it to my four-year-old daughter all the time. (As someone who grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line, it’s a joy to read something written in syrupy Southern-speak.)

I must have discovered Liza Lou when I was around six or seven years old, and it’s influenced my work (and imagination) more than just about any other book I’ve read since. It’s the tale of a clever, tough, wise-cracking bayou girl who singlehandedly rids the Yeller Belly Swamp of monsters, witches and haunts. The writing is superb. The illustrations are spectacular. And I love the way Mayer hides little creatures in all of his pictures. He turns every page into a scavenger hunt.

Half Magic by Edgar Eager
Throughout my life, I have always kept a copy of this book close at hand. I’ve probably read it more than 100 times. (And tonight, I may make it 101.) The story, when summarized, sounds quite ordinary. Three siblings discover a magic coin. The problem is—it only grants half a wish at a time.

What makes Half Magic so . . . well . . . magic, is Eager’s refusal to talk down to his audience. And he doesn’t attempt to teach his young readers any important “lessons.” He seems to understand children in a way that most authors simply don’t. Eager know kids can be horrible little monsters (his three characters certainly are), and he’s one of the rare adults who thinks that is absolutely wonderful.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The day I write something as good as the first paragraph of this book, I will happily retire. The Westing Game is another YA title that I will re-read for the rest of my life.

The Shining by Stephen King
I read quite a few horror novels when I was a kid. (Starting with The Amityville Horror at age seven.) I loved scaring myself senseless. But this was the first novel that I found truly terrifying. I read it when I was twelve—and decades later, I still sleep with the lights on when I’m home alone.

I’ve been thinking of writing my own ghost/horror story. But when I recently tried to re-read The Shining, I found it too disturbing to finish. It wasn’t the horror or gore that really got to me. It was the relationship between Danny and his dad. The Shining may be one of the best horror novels ever written, but it’s also incredibly sad.

The Book of Lists (Volumes 1 – Who Knows) by David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace

My father and I are two of the world’s greatest collectors of useless information. These books were tailor-made for us. My father owned the entire series, and I’d read them all, cover to cover, by the time I was eleven or twelve. As a matter of fact, I consider these books an essential part of my education.

Here’s the sort of thing I was reading about in grade school . . .  

8 Almost Indestructible People
15 Famous Events that Happened in Bathtubs
The Worst Places to Hitchhike
People Suspected of Being Jack the Ripper

Is it any wonder I’m a little bit nuts?


Thank you for Kirsten for stopping by today!! 
You can visit Kirsten via her: Blog | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Mundane Monday #171: Will & Jem

Happy Mundane Monday! I had a post all planned for this morning, but upon looking for the "right" fan art for it I stumbled upon this fan made artwork of Will and Jem, and then, well I had to change my post so I could share this picture. With all the worrying over what's going to happen to both of them in Clockwork Princess I felt it fitting to include the Parabatai oath.



Whither thou goest, I will go; Where thou diest, will I die
And there will I be buried: The Angel do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.

Okay, maybe that wasn't such a great idea. Excuse while I go cry my eyes out so that way when I sit down to read Clockwork Princess I won't have any more tears left. lol (artwork source & quote found here)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day



MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY: In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day I wanted to share just a few of my many favorite quotes of his.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

(image source: google)

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