Mundie Moms

Monday, February 4, 2013

UNRAVEL ME: Author Interview / Giveaway

UNRAVEL ME is being released soon and I am SO EXCITED to have Tahereh Mafi back on Mundie Moms today! TOMORROW is her big release day! UNRAVEL ME will finally be out in stores. Last week here on the blog I shared my spoiler free review & the first UNRAVEL ME giveaway here, and this past Thursday evening we had a Live Author chat with Tahereh. Not only am I beyond excited to share my recent interview with Tahereh, but I get to give away my last published copy of the book. First, here's a little bit about UNRAVEL ME.


By: Tahereh Mafi
Published by: Harper Teen
Out on Shelves: TOMORROW 2/5/13
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Check it out: Follow the Shatter Me page on facebook

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life -quoted from GoodReads


You guys, I can not wait for everyone to read this. It's such an awesome sequel, and surprisingly better than Shatter Me, which I was not excepting. 



Hi Tahereh! Welcome back to Mundie Moms and congratulations on tomorrow's big release day. Can I just fan girl with you over the release!?! I LOVED this book. Shatter Me received a lot of praise, which it most definitely deserved. How did you try to live up to that with UNRAVEL ME? Do you try and push that out of your mind while your writing, or do you use that as a motivator while writing?

Thank you so so much -- and I'm so glad you liked the book! :D (I love you guys!)

I think it's pretty hard -- but necessary -- to block out any excess noise or opinion while writing, and especially while writing a sequel; I know I certainly tried to do that. It was important to me to write the write sequel -- something that felt organic to the development of the characters and the plot.

I didn't think it was possible for you to top Shatter Me, but you totally surpassed my expectations for UNRAVEL ME, which were high. I seriously LOVE both of these books. When you wrote Shatter Me, did you already have some of UNRAVEL ME's key moments outlined or did you just take it one book at a time?


By the time I'd finished writing SHATTER ME, I had a very distinct idea of where I wanted/thought things would go in UNRAVEL ME. But the more I wrote the second book, the more clear and concrete things became. :D

Let's talk about "THAT" scene for a moment. You know that one.... *coughs* ;) You totally threw me for a loop with those some hot kissy scenes! WOW! *fanself* Did you know that "you know who" was going to do that to the other "you know who" prior to writing this book or did that "you know what" scene totally just happen? I have to know! haha

The specifics of that scene just kind of happened, but I definitely knew something like that would happen.

There are some great one liners in this book. What's one of your favorite comebacks/comments made in UNRAVEL ME?

Pretty much everything and anything Kenji says.

When writing those tougher scenes, where do you draw your inspiration from?

I have no idea. It's always pretty tough; I just try to be true to the story and what it needs.

I really enjoyed seeing how much Juliette, Adam, Warner and Kenji changed/grew in Unravel Me. What's one thing you've come to admire about each them?

I love how they've all developed and matured and learned to stand up in the face of adversity. I love characters with great inner-strength.

Speaking of Kenji, I loved how he stole a little bit of the lime light in this book. He's funny! I loved it. Many of us love Warner and Adam, but Kenji kind of snuck up on us in this book. How has his character changed from your first draft of the series to now?

He's so important now! Which I love. I really wanted him to be so much more than just a throwaway secondary character. I love Kenji to bits.

OKay, let's talk about those awesome shoes you made here.




I would totally buy a pair and I'd name one shoe Warner and the other Kent. LOL Okay, not really with the naming, though you could have a shoe line called UNRAVEL ME. I have to ask you, have you gone disco dancing in those shoes yet?

hahahaha. aww.. you're so sweet! I haven't gone disco-dancing in those shoes, but they are definitely a lot of fun to walk around in! The sunlight makes them sparkle and shine like something I've never seen before.

Speed Round Questions:

  • My two writing must haves are: coffee and tea.
  • A book I've read as an adult that I wish I had as a teen is: The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson.
  • If I could co-write with another author, I'd want to write with: Hermione Granger. She's an author, right? She must be. I'm sure she's written some books by now.
  • I would love to take a writing trip to: Antarctica. Really.
  • I hope Juliette ends up with: (Yeah I know, nice try huh) LOL She can have Adam and I'll take Warner ;) hahahahahaha
  • My secret indulgence is: PUMPKIN PIEEEE
  • I would where my Unravel Me shoes to: ummmmm... everywhere! haha
Thank you Tahereh for stopping by Mundie Moms today! 

You can follow Tahereh via her Blog | Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook

THE GIVEAWAY:
Thank you to a lovely friend who made all this possible, I've got my LAST COPY of UNRAVEL ME to giveaway! There's only one catch, this giveaway will end SOON. I know! What? Since UNRAVEL ME is out in less than a few hours, I'm going to end this giveaway on 2/5 at 2 pm CST! That way the winner won't need to fret tackling a fellow book reader for the last copy of UNRAVEL ME on the book store shelf tomorrow.


The Bane Chronicles: Coming April 16th!


Oh yeah! APRIL 16th can't come soon enough! Cassie posted on tumblr today that this lovely story was going to be available online on 4/16/13! Who's excited for Magnus's story!?! ME!!!!

Book Review: Rise by Andrea Cremer



By: Andrea Cremer
Published by: Philomel Books
Released on: January 8th, 2013
Series: RIFT #2
Source: arc from publisher to review / purchase book
5 Stars: I LOVED It!
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

Everything Conatus stands for is at risk. Hoping to gather enough resistance to save their order, Ember and Barrow attempt a desperate escape. But fate offers little mercy. When their mission is exposed, the couple face relentless pursuit by the supernatural horrors that act on the commands of Eira's ally: the mysterious Bosque Mar. A shocking revelation forces Ember out of hiding, sending her back into the heart of dark magic at Tearmunn keep, where she must convince her old friend Alistair of her love or face dire consequences. Ember's deception offers the only chance for the resistance to succeed, but what she discovers in the shadows beneath the keep will shatter her world and bring about the Witches' War. -quoted from here

A sequel rich in lore, embedded with deception, magic, danger and fueled by love, RIFT is a must have it, must read book! There's something to be said about an Andrea Cremer story, and that's that I LOVE her writing! I didn't think I'd love this series as much as I loved the Nightshade series, but Andrea proved me wrong with RIFT. Now with RISE all I can say is the same thing I did with RIFT, this is Andrea's best book yet! I am hopelessly in love with the way she creates her world, her incredibly enchanting, and yes dangerous world, and her characters.

There is something about the way Andrea writes her characters that just gets to me, and in a good way. In RISE as has been the case with the rest of Andrea's books I've read and fallen in love with, somewhere during the course of reading the story, her characters cross over from being fictional to becoming real. At least in my mind. I can easily not only visualize Andrea's stunning, and captivating world, but I can clearly picture the characters in their elements. I love that Andrea makes me fall for each of her characters, but I can't help but love them, even the ones I wish I could despise, because she allows me to understand them. She shows me what motivates them, what drives them to make the choices they do. Whether driven by love, devotion, greed, jealousy, the need for power or what ever it is. It's through those realistic emotions that makes each of her characters feel more real. I loved being able to see what motived and drove each of the characters on their quests and their downfalls.

My favorite part of this book was getting into the makings of what becomes the lore and back bone of the Nightshade series. This rich history was nothing less than incredibly enticing. I wanted more! Some things I started to figure out right as things were being revealed, and other things I was shocked by. There is plenty of deception, twists, and shocking discovery that fueled how addiction with this exciting storyline. What really drives this story is love. Andrea Cremer knows how to write sensual, and she does it well.

Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic and I can't get enough of Ember and Barrow. They have this truly dynamic, unbreakable bond that makes me believe in this story's true love (*sigh* who doesn't wnat to believe in true love?). These two are a perfect match for each other, at least in my eyes. Ember is ever the fierce, brave warrior I knew she'd be in this story. Barrow is the one that surprised me the most in this book. I LOVE that he embraces Ember for all she is. He helps her and is there to protect her and do anything for her, but I love that he also allows her to do things on her own, and doesn't smother nor does he try to change her. The two of them together could make me sigh, and laugh all within the same scene.

There are a few other relationships in this book that brought out the emotions and also fueled the twists that take place. I was surprised that I felt that each relationship was not only believable, but just as in-depth as the characters are. Honestly, this story has it all. Strong well rounded characters, a rich history into what started it all, and incredible writing. You don't need to be a wolf fan to pick up this series. If you love magic, danger, adventure and romance than this is a book for you! I highly recommend picking it up!


Don't miss your chance to meet Andrea on this year's West Coast Breathless Reads Tour! She'll in AUSTIN next Friday 2/16 at 7 pm at BOOK PEOPLE and yours truly will be there to interview Andrea and the rest of the amazing Breathless Reads authors! If you're not in Austin, here's a few other stops you'll be able to see Andrea on.

Breathless Reads Tour 2013 WEST COAST LEG 
FEATURING:

  • Andrea Cremer (Rise)
  • Jessica Khoury (Origin)
  • Marie Lu (Prodigy)
  • Brenna Yovanoff (Paper Valentine
Sunday, February 10th – LOS ANGELES 
Barnes & Noble, The Grove, 2pm
189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036  
 
Monday, February 11th – LOS ANGELES 
Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop, 7pm 
1030 Bonita Ave., LaVerne, Ca 91750  
 
Tuesday, February 12th – SAN FRANCISCO 
A Great Good Place for Books, 7pm
6120 La Salle Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
 
Wednesday, February 13th – PORTLAND, OR
Barnes & Noble, Clackamas, 6:30pm 
12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97086
 
Thursday, February 14th – BOULDER, CO 
Boulder Bookstore, 6:30pm 
1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302 

Friday, February 15th – AUSTIN 
BookPeople, 7pm
603 North Lamar, Austin, Texas 78703
 
Saturday, February 16th – SALT LAKE CITY 
Barnes & Noble, Orem, 4pm
330 East 1300 South Orem, UT 84058



Mundane Monday #173- A NEW Unidentified TMI/ID Snippet


Yesterday Cassie treated fans to a new unidentified snippet, found here.

"What if I just love you? What if I love you but I never touch you or talk about it, what would happen then?"

I don't even know what to make of this teaser. Part of me wants to sob thinking it's Jem and Tessa, the other part of me thinks it's Will talking to Tessa, and then another part of me thinks this is Sophie and Gabriel. A small part of me wonders if this is Magnus talking to Will, though I don't know how Magnus would refrain from not touching Will. lol

Who do you think this is that's talking and to whom are they talking to?

Speaking of Will, have you seen the newest Cassandra Jean Shadowhunter Tarot card? I love this one. It definitely speaks volumes about Will's broken, tortured soul in The Infernal Devices. You can check out the other ones that Cassie has shared here. I can't wait to see all 22 of them!

Who Is Marcus Finch? Clue #10



Welcome to Penguin Teen's Who is Marcus Finch? two week campgain! Over the next two week's myself and a handful of other fabulous blogs will be treating you to a daily quote/teaser, giving you clues into who Marcus is. Today's clue is:


Dying to get your hands on The Indigo Spell? Be sure here to by and read an excerpt from the book before it's out. Enter to win a copy of the book HERE


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, and visit the Bloodlines Facebook page.

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