Mundie Moms

Friday, April 19, 2013

LOTS of Book Events in TX this week & next: Teen Book Con, Bridget Zinn, Sarah Dessen, TLA, Spring Into The Future

There are A LOT of exciting things happening in TX over the next two weeks, but before I get ahead of myself and talk about TLA, I wanted to let you guys know about a few events happening in both Austin and Houston over the next couple of days. My FAVORITE Indie Book Store is hosting THREE huge events over the next 5 days. If you've not been to a Book People event yet, you're seriously missing out.


TONIGHT at 7:30 Book People is hosting a CELEBRATION to honor Bridget Zinn and her debut, Poison! Bridget was a reader, writer and librarian who has left her beautiful mark on the YA world. Bridget sadly lost her battle to colon cancer before her book was released. Tonight many local Austin authors will be on hand to read passages from her book. Come join the celebration! Find out more HERE. SEE YOU GUYS THERE!



Speaking of debut authors, on Monday 4/22, authors A.G. Howard and M.M Vaughan will be at Book People to celebrate their releases of Splinters and The Ability! I'm thrilled to announce I'll be there to moderate this exciting event! The fun starts at 7 pm! I look forward to seeing you guys there! You can find out more information about it HERE.


The awesomeness of Book People doesn't stop at two back to back events..... SARAH DESSEN will be at BOOK PEOPLE on TUESDAY 4/23 at 7 pm!!!! I can not wait for this event!! Check out all the info HERE and I'll hopefully see you there!

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I totally wasn't joking when I said this was going to be an insane week full of book awesomeness! This weekend is Houston's TEEN BOOK CON and next weekend is TLA and in between them are some seriously awesome signings. I know, it's seriously crazy at all the book love that happenings here in TX. I LOVE IT!

TOMORROW on Saturday 4/20 is an AMAZING author event you guys don't want to miss! Houston Teen Book Con is a FREE event that will feature a TON of amazing authors like:









Let's just say there are so many, I didn't get them all listed on here. I'm heading down for the event tomorrow! Trust me, it's one not to be missed. This will be my 3rd year attending and it's one I really looking forward to go to. Check out all the info HERE.


Another really exciting and HUGE book event that happens each year in TX, is TLA (Texas Library Association). This event is happening this next week in Fort Worth and authors like Melissa Marr, NEIL GAIMAN, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, Marie Lu, Lisa McMann, Patrick Carmen, Bree Despain, Jennifer Echols, Simone Elkeles, Tony DiTerlizzi, Robin LaFevers, Kiersten White, Ruta Sepetys and seriously so many others will be there! Check out the full list of authors here


I am so thrilled and totally honored to be hosting the SPRING INTO THE FUTURE stop on Saturday 4/27, the same Saturday TLA ends (so LOTS of people can attend this seriously exciting event), featuring Anna Carey, Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi and Cynthia Hand! If you have not met these ladies yet, you NEED TO! I look forward to seeing many of you guys there! Find out more info HERE.

The Bane Chronicles: Jesse Williams Recording The Audio Book


Yesterday Sarah Rees Brennan treated fans to snippet of Jesse Williams's recording of What Really Happened in Peru. Here's what she said:


sarahreesbrennan: (go here to listen)
Check out this fancy, fancy thing that I have… 
a preview of What Really Happened In Peru, audiobook version
… you know, the one read by…
Mr Jesse Williams himself. 
His Ragnor Fell voice is one of my FAVOURITE THINGS. The man is a THESPIAN.
I also wish to share the video of how Jesse Williams totally read words what Cassie and I wrote, and was unsurprisingly intelligent and handsome about the whole thing. ;)
I am overcome by the fabulousness that is happening here, how lucky I am to be involved, and by the fact this is ONLY THE BEGINNING of the Chronicles of Bane!
Links to Purchase: (purchase yet more of Jesse Williams’ amazing rendition of our tale…)
We could listen to Jesse Williams talk about Magnus Bane all day…


Hollywood Crush posted this picture of Jesse Williams recording the audiobook here. Of the recording, Jesse had this to say, "“Because there’s just so much drama and tension on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ it’s refreshing to do something a little lighter, funnier, a little more varied,” Jesse said of the opportunity to read “The Bane Chronicles.” "

TMI Movie News: New Images & New Merchandise


I don't know about you guys, but I'm still oohing and awing over the newest TMI Movie pictures of Jace and Clary that grace both Mortal Movie's and Cassie Clare's Twitter pages right now. The above image looks like it's split in two on Mortal Movie's page, while Cassie just has Jace. 



Holy Shadowhunters, this image of Jamie as Jace is SO JACE!! That is seriously Jace in my head brought to life.  


I seriously love Lily as Clary. She brought her to life in an even more visually stunning way than the Clary I had pictured in my head. 


Now that I've fangirled over these pictures, check out the new exciting TMI Movie Merchandise Hot Topic unveiled yesterday.

Per Cassie's post on Tumblr, 

There is plenty of new merchandise on the horizon that have fans excited, including a Mortal Instruments: City of Bones-inspired clothing line from Hot Topic.
Thanks to Better In Black we have official sketches and can reveal that the clothing will be available in stores within the next few weeks.
It looks like Isabelle’s white dress from Pandemonium, a dress with the Jonathan Shadowhunter statue, dresses and pants featuring the NYC skyline from the teaser poster and more.
Also according to Better in Black, Hot Topic will carry novelty items, including “ posters, bookmarks, collectible dolls, temporary tattoos, notebooks and other stuff too.”
Keep an eye out in Hot Topic for this Mortal Instruments-inspired clothing line in the coming weeks!
Whoa, Hot Topic. That’s just…whoa.

What do you guys think? I seriously want that jacket and one of those shirts. 

The Shadowhunter Tarot Cards Series: Days 1-3

Earlier this week Cassandra Clare announced that Cassandra Jean has completed the Shadowhunter Tarot cards, which you can see all of them here or here, and for the next 84 days she is going to feature one per day. Since this week has been crazy busy with running my kids's school Scholastic Book Fair I am a little behind on getting these up, so here are the three Shadowhunter Tarot Cards Cassie has posted this week. 

DAY 1




Cassandra Jean has finished the complete Shadowhunter Tarot, so for the next … eighty-four? days I’ll be posting a card a day in order, from the first card to the last. Some will be under spoiler cuts; some you’ll have seen before — I’ll explain why each character has the card they have. 
This card corresponds to the Fool, which can be either 0 or 22 in the Tarot. We decided to do one 0 and one 22. 0 is Drusilla and Octavian Blackthorn who we picked because they symbolize uncorrupted innocence which is an aspect of the Fool card.


Day 2





Cassandra Jean has finished the complete Shadowhunter Tarot, so for the next … eighty-four? days I’ll be posting a card a day in order, from the first card to the last. Some will be under spoiler cuts; some you’ll have seen before — I’ll explain why each character has the card they have. Today is day 2.
This card corresponds to the Magician card. Magnus is the Magician, well — for obvious reasons! Many have asked why Magnus has a halo. He doesn’t: the sign over his head is the infinity sign. It is meant to signify the infinite nature of magic and comes from the original Rider-Waite Tarot. I like to think it symbolizes here that Magnus’ life is infinite as well.
Look closely for Chairman Meow, the Book of the White, and Woolsey’s snuffbox!


Day 3




Cassandra Jean has finished the complete Shadowhunter Tarot, so for the next … eighty-four? days I’ll be posting a card a day in order, from the first card to the last. Some will be under spoiler cuts; some you’ll have seen before — I’ll explain why each character has the card they have. Today is day 3.
This card corresponds to the High Priestess card. It’s a traditionally religious card. Cristina Mendoza Rosales is a Mexican Shadowhunter; she’s one of the main characters of the Dark Artifices. When I talked to readers in Mexico they asked for a Mexican Shadowhunter girl. I get asked for characters from specific geographical places a lot, but when I thought about setting a book in LA, where there’s such a huge Hispanic presence, it felt wrong not to include Cristina. 
I’ve been asking lots of questions of my Mexican readers since starting to write about Cristina about what they’d like to see in a Mexican Shadowhunter girl, and a lot of the response I got was “strong in her faith.” So Cristina takes the High Priestess card here to show she is strong in her Shadowhunter faith. Cristina’s wise; she’s a little shy; she’s funny; she loves her family but she doesn’t always want to do what they say. She believes in angels. :) I hope you’ll like her.

The Bane Chronicles Artwork from Cassandra Jean

The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened in Peru has received a lot of great responses, and earlier this week one of our favorite Shadowhunter artists, CassandraJean shared her newest artwork, a picture of Ragnor Fell and a Lama.



Here's what she said,


So What Really Happened in Peru came out today and I read it immediately. Personally, I think Ragnor Fell totally stole the show. (~that adorable mountain mint!~) It’s supposed to be my day off so it’s just a fast 15-20 minute drawing but I wanted to do SOMETHING for it. 

(The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened in Peru written by @CassieClare and  )


Have you read What Really Happened in Peru? What did you think? My review for it will be up later today.

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Happy Friday! I'm so thrilled to be apart of today's cover reveal, and 1st chapter sneak peak into BRANDED by authors Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki. With today's reveal, Abi and Missy are also giveaway one $25 gift card to Amazon! Here's a little bit about the book.


Description

Twenty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best.
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.
The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me.
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.


Chapter One


I’m buried six feet under, and no one hears my screams.
The rope chafes as I loop it around my neck. I pull down on it, making sure the knot is secure. It seems sturdy enough.
My legs shake. My heart beats heavy in my throat. Sweat pours down my back.
Death and I glare at each other through my tears.
I take one last look at the crystal chandelier, the foyer outlined with mirrors, and the flawless decorations. No photographs adorn the walls. No happy memories here.
I’m ready to go. On the count of three.
I inhale, preparing myself for the finality of it all. Dropping my hands, a glimmer catches my eye. It’s my ring, the last precious gift my father gave me. I twist it around to read the inscription. Picturing his face forces me to reconsider my choice. He’d be heartbroken if he could see me now.
A door slams in the hallway, almost causing me to lose my balance. My thoughts already muddled, I stand, waiting with the rope around my neck. Voices I don’t recognize creep through the walls.
Curiosity overshadows my current thoughts. It’s late at night, and this is a secure building in High Society. No one disturbs the peace here—ever. I tug on the noose and pull it back over my head.
Peering through the eyehole in our doorway, I see a large group of armed guards banging on my neighbors’ door. A heated conversation ensues, and my neighbors point toward my family’s home.
It hits me. I’ve been accused and they’re here to arrest me.
My father would want me to run, and in that split second, I decide to listen to his voice within me. Flinging myself forward in fear, I scramble up the marble staircase and into my brother’s old bedroom. The door is partially covered, but it exists. Pushing his dresser aside, my fingers claw at the opening. Breathing hard, I lodge myself against it. Nothing. I step back and kick it with all my strength. The wood splinters open, and my foot gets caught. I wrench it backward, scraping my calf, but adrenaline pushes me forward. The voices at the front door shout my name.
On hands and knees, I squeeze through the jagged opening. My brother left through this passage, and now it’s my escape too. Cobwebs entangle my face, hands, and hair. At the end, I feel for the knob, twisting it clockwise. It swings open, creaking from disuse. I sprint into the hallway and smash through the large fire escape doors at the end. A burst of cool air strikes me in the face as I jump down the ladder.
Reaching the fifth floor, I knock on a friend’s window. The lights flicker on, and I see the curtains move, but no one answers. I bang on the window harder.
“Let me in! Please!” I say, but the lights darken. They know I’ve been accused and refuse to help me. Fear and adrenaline rush through my veins as I keep running, knocking on more windows along the way. No one has mercy. They all know what happens to sinners.
Another flight of stairs passes in a blur when I hear the guards’ heavy footfalls from above. I can’t hide, but I don’t want to go without trying.
Help me, Daddy. I need your strength now.
My previous desolation evolves into a will to survive. I have to keep running, but I tremble and gasp for air. I steel my nerves and force my body to keep moving. In a matter of minutes, my legs cramp and my chest burns. I plunge to the ground, scraping my knee and elbow. A moan escapes from my chest.
Gotta keep going.
“Stop!” Their voices bounce off the buildings. “Lexi Hamilton, surrender yourself,” they command. They’re gaining on me.
I resist the urge to glance back, running into what I assume is an alley. I’m far from our high-rise in High Society as I plunge into a poorer section of the city where the streets all look the same and the darkness prevents me from recognizing anything. I’m lost.
My first instinct is to leap into a dumpster, but I retain enough sense to stay still. I crouch and peek around it, watching them dash by. The abhorrent smell soon leaves me vomiting until nothing remains in my stomach. Desperation overtakes me, as I know my retching was anything but silent. My last few seconds tick away before they find me. Everyone knows about their special means of tracking sinners.
I push myself to my feet and look left, right, and left again. Their batons click against their black, leather belts, and their boots stomp the cement on both sides of me. I shrink into myself. Their heavy steps mock my fear, growing closer and closer until I know I’m trapped.
Never did I imagine they’d come for me. Never did I imagine all those nights I heard them dragging someone else away that I’d join them.
“You’re a sinner,” they say. “Time to leave our society.”
I stand defiant. I refuse to bend or break before them even as I shiver with fear.
“There’s no reason to make this difficult. The more you cooperate, the smoother this will be for everyone,” a guard says.
I cringe into the blackness along the wall. I’m innocent, but they won’t believe me or care.
The next instant, my face slams into the pavement as one guard plants a knee in my back and another handcuffs me. A warm liquid trails into my mouth. Blood. Their fingers grip my arms like steel traps as they peel me off the cement. The tops of my shoes scrape along the ground as I’m dragged behind them until they discard me into the back of a black vehicle. The doors slam in unison with one guard stationed on each side of me, my shoulders digging into their arms. The handcuffs dig into my wrists, so I clasp them together hard behind me and press my back into the seat, unwilling to admit how much it hurts. My dignity is all I have left.
Swallowing hard, I stare ahead to avoid their eyes.
Did they need so many guards to capture me?
I’m not carrying any weapons, nor do I own any. I don’t even know self-defense. High Society frowns on activities like that.
The driver jerks the vehicle around and I try to keep my bearings, but it’s dark and the scenery changes too fast. Hours pass and the air grows warmer, more humid, the farther we drive. The landscape mutates from city to rolling hills. They don’t bother blindfolding me because they escort all the sinners to the same place—the Hole. Twenty-foot cement walls encase the chaos within. There’s no way out and no way in unless they transport you. They say the Hole is a prison with no rules. We learned about it last year in twelfth grade.
To the outside, I’m filth now. I’ll never be allowed to return to the life I knew. No one ever does.
“All sinners go through a transformation,” one of the guards says to me. His smirk infuriates me. “I’m sure you’ve heard all kinds of stories.” I don’t respond. I don’t want to think about the things I’ve been told.
“You won’t last too long, though. Young girls like you get eaten alive.” He pulls a strand of my hair up to his face.
Get your hands off me, you pig. I want to lash out, but resist. The punishment for disobeying authority is severe, and I’m not positioned to defy him.
They’re the Guards of the Commander. They’re chosen from a young age and trained in combat. They keep the order of society by using violent methods of intimidation. No one befriends a guard. Relationships with them are forbidden inside the Hole.
Few have seen the commander. His identity stays under lock and key. His own paranoia and desire to stay pure drove him to live this way. He controls our depraved society and believes sinners make the human race unforgivable. His power is a crushing fist, rendering all beneath him helpless. So much so, even family members turn on each other when an accusation surfaces. Just an accusation. No trial, no evidence, nothing but an accusation.
I lose myself in thoughts of my father.
“Never show fear, Lexi,” my father said to me before he was taken. “They’ll use it against you.” His compassionate eyes filled with warning as he commanded me to be strong. That was many years ago, but I remember it clearly. My father. My rock. The one person in my life who provided unconditional love.
The vehicle stops, and I’m jerked back to reality. “Get out,” the guard orders while pulling me to my feet. The doors slide open and the two guards lift me up and out into the night. A windowless cement building looms in front of us, looking barren in the darkness.
The coolness of the air sends a shiver up my spine. This is really happening. I’ve been labeled a sinner. My lip starts to quiver, but I bite it before anyone sees. They shove me in line and I realize I’m not alone. Women and men stand with faces frozen white in fear. A guard grabs my finger, pricks it, and dabs my blood on a tiny microchip.
I follow the man in front of me into the next room where we’re lined up facing the wall. Glancing right, I see one of the men crying.
“Spread your legs,” one of the guards says.
They remove my outer layers and their hands roam up and down my body.
What do they think I could possibly be hiding? I press my head into the wall, trying to block out what they’re doing to me.
“MOVE!” a guard commands. So I shuffle across the room, trying to cover up.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five of us sit in the holding room. One by one, they pull people into the next room, forcing the rest of us to wonder what torture we’ll endure. An agonizing amount of time passes. I lean my head back and try to imagine a place far away. The door opens.
“Lexi Hamilton.”
A guard escorts me out of the room, and I don’t have time to look back. As soon as the door closes, they pick me up and place me on a table. It’s cold and my skin sticks to it slightly, like wet fingers on an ice cube. Then, they exit in procession, and I lie on the table with a doctor standing over me. His hands are busy as he speaks.
“Don’t move. This will only take a few minutes. It’s time for you to be branded.”
A wet cloth that smells like rubbing alcohol is used to clean my skin. Then he places a metal collar around my neck.
Click. Click. Click.
The collar locks into place, and I struggle to breathe. The doctor loosens it some as I focus on the painted black words above me.

The Seven Deadly Sins:
Lust ¾ Blue
Gluttony ¾ Orange
Greed ¾ Yellow
Sloth ¾ Light Blue
Wrath ¾ Red
Envy ¾ Green
Pride ¾ Purple

“Memorize it. Might keep you alive longer if you know who to stay away from.” He opens my mouth, placing a bit inside. “Bite this.”
Within seconds, the collar heats from hot to scorching. The smell of flesh sizzling makes my head spin. I bite down so hard a tooth cracks.
“GRRRRRRRRR,” escapes from deep within my chest. Just when I’m about to pass out, the temperature drops, and the doctor loosens the collar.
He removes it and sits me up. Excruciating pain rips through me and I’m on the verge of a mental and physical breakdown. Focus. Don’t pass out.
Stainless steel counters and boring white walls press in on me. A guard laughs at me from an observation room above and yells, “Blue. It’s a great color for a pretty young thing like yourself.” His eyes dance with suggestion. The others meander around like it’s business as usual.
I finally find my voice and turn to the doctor.
“Are you going to give me clothes?” A burning pain spreads like fire from my neck to my jaw, making me wince.
He points to a set of folded grey scrubs on a chair. I cover myself as much as I can and scurry sideways. Grabbing my new clothes, I pull the shirt over my head and try to avoid the raw meat around my throat. I quickly knot the cord of my pants around my waist and slide my feet into the hospital-issue slippers as the doctor observes. He hands me a bag labeled with my name.
“Nothing is allowed through the door but what we’ve given you,” he says.
I hide my right hand behind me, hoping no one notices. A guard scans my body and opens his hand.
“Give it to me,” he says. “Don’t make me rip off your finger.” He crouches down and I turn to stone. I don’t know what to do, so I beg.
“My father gave this to me. Please, let me keep it.” I smash my eyes shut and think of the moment my father handed the golden ring to me.
“It was my mother’s ring,” he’d said. “She’s the strongest woman I ever knew.” With tears in his eyes, he reached for my hand. “Lexi, you’re exactly like her. She’d want you to wear this. No matter how this world changes, you can survive.” I turned the gold band over in my palm and read the engraving.
You can overcome anything… short of death.
“You’re going to take the one thing that matters the most to me?” I say, glaring into the guard’s emotionless eyes. “Isn’t it enough taking my life, dignity, and respect?”
A hard blow falls upon my back. As I fall, my hands shoot out to stop me from smashing into the wall in front of me. The guard bends down and grabs my chin with his meaty fist.
“Look at me,” he commands. I look up and he smiles with arrogance.
“What the hell?” He staggers a step backward. “What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Nothing,” I respond, confused.
“What color are they?”
“Turquoise.” I glower at him.
“Interesting,” he says, regaining his composure. “Now those’ll get you in trouble.”
Reality slaps me across the face. I have my father’s eyes. They can't take them from me. I twist the ring off my finger and drop it in his hand.
“Take the damn ring,” I say. I walk to the door. He swipes a card and the massive door slides open to the outside.
“You have to wear your hair back at all times, so everyone knows what you are.” He hands me a tie, so I pull my frizzy hair away from my face and secure it into a ponytail. My neck burns and itches as my hand traces the scabs that have already begun to form. Squinting ahead into the darkness, I almost run into a guard standing on the sidewalk.
“Watch where you’re going,” he says, shoving me backward. His stiff figure stands tall and I cringe at the sharpness of his voice.
“Cole, this is your new assignment, Lexi Hamilton. See to it she feels welcome in her new home.” The guard departs with a salute.
“Let’s move,” Cole says.
I take two steps and collapse, my knees giving out. The unforgiving pavement reopens the scrapes from earlier and I struggle to stand. A powerful arm snatches me up, and I see his face for the first time.

Biography
Abi Ketner Is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband, triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.

Melissa Kalicicki received her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University in 2003. She married, had two boys and currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Aside from reading and writing, her interests include running and mixed martial arts. She also remains an avid Cleveland sports fan.

Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

Follow them on their Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The Giveaway

I'm thrilled to be hosting a $25 Gift Card Giveaway for today's reveal! Abi and Missy would love to know what you think about their cover and the first chapter. To enter to win the Amazon gift card, just fill the form out below, and be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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