Book Blogger Hop (November 26-29)

     I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! What about you all? My brother's dog had puppies on Thanksgiving Day. They are sooo cute! She had two girls and two boys. Sweet little faces...

Question of the Week:
     What is your favorite book cover?
Answer:

     This is a really difficult question. I like a ton of different covers. The cover of Life As We Knew It is beautiful, but simple. The Host is neat looking. The eye is just so pretty!  I also like the look of Gathering Blue and Lips Touch: Three Times.

Book Blogger Hop (November 19-22)

     Happy Hopping! I'm really late this week, but I was busy spending time with friends and my mom. Oh, how I love this time of year...

Question of the Week:

     Since Thanksgiving is coming up next week, let's use this week's Hop to share what we are most thankful for and what our holiday traditions are!

Answer:
     I'm thankful for many things, namely my family (including my dogs) and friends. I don't know what I would do, much less who I would be, without them! I'm thankful for the opportunities I've been given and for all of the wonderful things I've experienced.  Also, I'm very thankful to my followers and to authors for writing books for me to read. :)

     This year I think the plan is to just stay at home and eat all of the scrumptious food that my mom and I are planning to cook! It's going to be great. We'll have turkey, stuffing, green been casserole, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes... Oh, and don't forget the cranberry sauce and maybe some homemade biscuits. Goodness, I can't wait to dig in! Throw in a little family banter, a holiday movie, and some hot cocoa or tea and I'll be in heaven.

     What are you up to for Thanksgiving?

Gratitude Giveaway: My Thanks to You

     Thanksgiving is just around the corner! This is definitely my favorite part of the year. For one, I get to eat all I want without feeling guilty about it, which is always a plus. Also, this season just makes me feel all warm inside, thinking about all that makes my life what it is and how thankful I am for that.
     I'd like to show my thanks to all of the people who visit my blog and comment on posts, so I am participating in my first giveaway (I've had quite a few blogging firsts lately). Thank you for reading my blog. It would be little more than a record of books I've read without your support. :)

     I realize that it isn't really a Thanksgiving oriented book, nor is it a Christmas-y book. Regardless, I am giving away two hardcover copies of Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie! I'm really enjoying this book so far and I hope the winners will as well.

To Enter:

-You MUST be a resident of the U.S.

-Leave your name and email in the comments section of this giveaway post

-Comment on at least ONE other post (please make it meaningful)

-You do NOT have to be a follower (though it is appreciated)

-Enter by midnight on November 28th

     Don't forget to take a look at the other participating blogs and our host from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer!

Book Blogger Hop (November 12-15)

     This week I posted my first interview, with Lacey Weatherford! I was super excited about that. I also had a lovely night last night with five of my best friends. Who wouldn't love running around the mall trying on random dresses and other articles of clothing, then taking zillions of pictures? ;D

     Last week, Jennifer challenged everyone who participated in the hop to pick one new blogger to actually get to know. I chose Alison from Alison Can Read! I didn't keep track of all of the posts I commented on, so I'm not sure if I left five comments or not. What I do know is that I really love her blog! Alison reads some very interesting books and she reviews them so well. She goes beyond the general scope of the book to really get at what the author is saying about life, love, or anything else. Another plus is that we seem to have a similar taste in reading material (Harry Potter is just so wonderful). One last tidbit about Alison: she used to take gymnastics, but claims to be better at watching than actually being a gymnast.

Question of the Week:
     If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?
Answer:
     I can't help it! I hate reading things out of order. I feel like I'm doing the characters a severe injustice by not reading the beginning of their story. Plus, I seem to be out of the loop if I don't know the story from previous novels.
     We are reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain in my English class. Guess what I have yet to read? That's right, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This really irks me, because I'm wondering if I would understand the story better if I had read about Tom Sawyer first. Oh, well. :)

     So, how do you feel about reading things out of order? Who did you get to know last week?

Lacey Weatherford

     This is my first ever author interview! I will be forever grateful (and indebted) to Lacey Weatherford, the fabulous author of the Of Witches and Warlocks series, for agreeing to bare with me as I come up with questions for her. She was incredibly patient, even though I told her I would have questions for her by a certain date and then didn't send her anything until a week or two later.

     Without further ado, I present Lacey!

Interview

1.   Portia and Vance have an intense relationship. How did you develop that? Did you have any personal experience of the sort? ;)

     I have long been a lover of romance and at the risk of sounding silly I have to say that I was often termed as “boy crazy” during my younger years. I was fortunate enough to be able to experience some of those breath stealing kisses from some of the boys I dated, and I have never forgotten the way those moments made me feel. But when I met my future husband we hit it off almost instantly and there was just this spark with him that I had never felt with anybody else. We have always had a very close and caring relationship with one another, to the point of being best friends as well as spouses. I’m certain some of those attributes from my life were key in helping me form the relationship between Vance and Portia. It’s easy to draw off from bits and pieces of myself to help to create something fun. When it came to these two characters I wanted them to be able to have a relationship that was both romantic and able to withstand the tests and trials they would have to face together.

2.   Is there anything specific that led you to finally write and try to publish The Trouble With Spells?

     The idea for The Trouble With Spells actually came from a funny hair dying experience that my daughter had. She had dyed her hair from a very light blond to a near black color and someone made the comment that people were going to call her a witch. After laughing about this together the idea just stuck in my head for some reason and I began to ponder on it for a few days. Initially, the story was going to revolve around the two best friends of Portia and Shelly, but after I had the first chapter written I decided that I should add a hunky bad boy to play the boyfriend in the story. Thus Vance was born and the storyline change to be his story, told through Portia’s eyes.
     When I was finished writing the book I passed it around to some of my family and friends just to let them read it and see what they thought. They loved the story and told me they thought I should try to get it published. I didn’t know anything about getting a book published so that was very scary for me. I sent out about 20 query letters and had an offer in two days from a publishing company. I accepted it since it was the first one. I wish now that I would have waited because I received multiple requests from several other agents and publishers clear up until the book went into print. It would have been interesting to see how some of those might have played out.


3.   Portia's family is immensely important to her. Are you close to your parents/family?

     My family and I are extremely close! I’m close with my own spouse and children, my parents, my siblings, and was fortunate enough to marry into a family that’s exactly the same way. If feel as if my husband’s family is my own flesh and blood. I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by such a wonderful network of people. There is nothing more important to me than my family!


4.   What was your favorite part of The Trouble With Spells? Your favorite part to write?

     I actually have a hard time answering this question when people ask it. I enjoyed writing all of it so much. Because I am a sucker for romance, probably any interaction between Vance and Portia is a favorite scene of mine. As far as my favorite part to write, that may have been the explosion scene and what comes after. I used to work in the emergency medical services, so it was fun to kind of draw on some of those experiences I’ve had in that line of work and put them into that part of the book.

5.   Which character is most like you? Can you tell us some of the similarities or biggest differences?

 

     Hmmm. That’s a tough one too. I really haven’t considered what character would be like me. Portia has a lot of the attributes of my oldest daughter and she is very similar to me so I guess maybe Portia. Love for family and loyalty to those she trusts would be similarities I think. I think I’m much quicker to laugh and more sarcastic than Portia is though, maybe a little self depreciating too. But Portia may have more backbone than I do when it comes to stepping up and doing something scary on her own.

6.   If you could travel through time, where might you want to go? Why?

     I’m a huge history buff so it would be very difficult for me to pick one thing that I would like to go see. I think I would love to make travel stops in many different time periods and locations just to observe their traditions and way of life. It would also be fun to witness some of the big events throughout history that have changed the way we live in the world today as well. But right now books serve as the best time machine I know of, so I tend to lose myself in the pages of those, and I feel much safer reading about a battle than I would standing in the middle of it!! :D


7.   Who would you meet, if you had the chance to meet anyone (dead or alive)?

     This is the easy question for me. I would most definitely want to meet actor Matt Lanter, who was the inspiration behind the character of Vance Mangum in my books! Matt is currently known for his roles on the CW’s 90210, where he plays the character of Liam Court, his voice over role of Anakin Skywalker on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and for his recent role as Edward Sullen in the movie Vampires Suck. I have had the privilege of being friends with Matt on Twitter and getting to know him a little bit, as well as being able to send him my books. He has been very friendly and supportive of me so I hope that someday soon we will get to meet and visit in person. He is a super nice guy!


8.   Is there anything else you would like to share whether it be about the writing process, your novel, or you?

     For any would be authors out there I would encourage them to keep writing and trying to get their work out there to be seen. My advice to them would be to go to a wonderful site called predatorsandeditors.com and look up agents and publishing houses there. That will help you to avoid some of the bad sharks that are in the industry out there. I found my second publisher through them for the rest of my books and they have been truly amazing. So really do your research to make sure your end up with the right people for you.

     As far as my novels go, the third one in the Of Witches and Warlocks series, Blood of the White Witch, was just released so be sure to check that out. You can find out more information and links on the website at www.ofwitchesandwarlocks.com. This site has sample chapters, extra stories that didn’t make it into the books, reader reviews, media appearances, purchase links, and even a tribute page to actor Matt Lanter, who was the muse for Vance. So go check it out! It’s lots of fun! There’s also a Facebook fan page for the books at Of Witches and Warlocks- Paranormal Book Series.

     And as far as I go, I just want to say thanks for hosting me here and giving me the opportunity to visit for a bit. I really love book blogs (I even have one of my own at http://thedelusionaldiaries.blogspot.com) and I think it’s a wonderful network and way to share the love of reading with everyone. I love hearing from people too so you can always feel free to leave me a comment or you can follow me on my social media pages. ( http://twitter.com/LMWeatherford , http://www.myspace.com/LaceyWeatherford , Facebook at Lacey Jackson Weatherford) I’m always up to chatting with people so come on by!!

     If you are interested in learning more about Lacey's books (which you should be!), you can check out my reviews for each of them. I loved both The Trouble With Spells and The Demon Kiss! You can also visit her on her website, blog, or personal pages as listed above. I loved getting to know Lacey and I hope everyone else enjoyed the interview as well!

     Thank you again for agreeing to do this for me Lacey!

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

     I read this in eigth grade. It is even more wonderful the second time around, if possible. The characters are just so thoroughly developed. The plot line is interesting as well.

     Miranda is a sophmore in Pennsylvania. She is basically your average teenage girl. When an asteroid crashes into the moon, knocking it closer to earth, her life changes. The world is going through cataclysmic events including tsunamis, volcanoes, and crop failures. Along with her family and the wonderful Mrs. Nesbitt, Miranda's life is turned upside down and they must find a way to survive.


     Miranda is the girl I wish I could be under these circumstances. She is amazingly strong and I love her for it. Compared to most teenagers at her age, she is quite mature. Miranda doesn't go around complaining about everything all of the time. The situatio

n is excruciatingly hard, but she manages to avoid being a complete brat. She finds ways to make life seem a bit more normal, if only for a bit. She goes ice skating, because that is what she loves. Miranda helps keep the entire family sane.
     Matt is Miranda's older brother, the one she goes to for advice. He is definitely the best big brother. He doesn't avoid subjects to protect her, but he explains everything to the best of his knowledge. Matt is just great.
     Johnny is young, but he's still old enough to understand most of what is going on. I feel bad for him though. No one tells him what is going on. I wish he didn't have to go through all that he does.
     Miranda's mom is wonderful too. I love how much she cares about her family. She will do anything for them, anything. I thought it was kind of funny how she made all of them study something since they couldn't go to school. Beyond that, she let's Miranda make her own mistakes. She realizes that for her daughter to really learn, she has to experience some things.
     Pfeffer weaves a wonderful story. It is real and amazing. She obviously put a lot of thought into her masterpiece! What is so amazing is that it seems like some of this could actually happen. The moon really could be hit by an asteroid. If that were to happen, everything that follows is plausible: the volcanoes, food shortages, and everything else.
     Miranda's voice brings the events to life. I like that it is written in journal form, it makes it seem even more real. Everything about this book is beautifully written. I know I probably sound like the nerdiest fan girl, but I can't think of anything I would change about it. I love the details and the characters and all of it! I'm eager to finish the next book!
     Rating: 10!!
     If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and  pick it up from Amazon or Walmart.



This video was just pretty epic, so I had to put it in here!

I like her points on the book too. :)

An Angela Morrison Contest

     I've been hearing great things about author Angela Morrison! Her books are supposed to be just absolutely fantastic, so I've found a contest to win one of her books.
     Blkosiner's Book Blog is giving away a copy of Taken By Storm! Scratch that. A SIGNED copy of Angela Morrison's Taken By Storm! Enter here and good luck to all!

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

     The Velveteen Rabbit was given to a little boy on Christmas day. Initially, he wasn't played with much. He would talk to the Skin Horse and learn about being real. He was often put down for only being made of velveteen. Eventually, the boy comes to love his little rabbit and play with him all of the time. The rabbit is made real by his love.

     I can't remember the last time I read this. It has been years, that's for sure. It brings up fond memories though. I can remember reading this book as a child and thinking that I would never give away any of my stuffed animals and that I would love them forever. I remember putting every one of my stuffed animals on my bed because I didn't want any of them to feel lonely. There was hardly any room for me, but I still slept with all of them. To this day I still have all of my zillions of stuffed animals, from the elephant I got at a thrift store to Diny (my rainbow dinosaur) to Pooh. Granted, they are packed at this time, but I still have them.

     I loved this book when I was younger. Re-reading it now makes me want to cry! It's such a wonderfully powerful story of how love changes us. If you haven't read this story, you are missing out!
Read the whole thing here.

Book Blogger Hop (November 5-8)

     I'm so full I could pop! Seriously, I went to a Chinese buffet with my family today and I'm not sure how I ate everything that I did. It was quite tasty though! :) Now onto more interesting things...the hop!

Question of the Week:

     What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?

Answer:

     This question is actually a bit difficult to answer. I suppose it really just depends on how you define the word 'follower'. When I first started blogging (which wasn't but a few months ago), I thought that the number of followers listed on my blog was really how many people kept up to date with what I was posting. As I began to follow people myself I realized that there was no way that I could possibly keep up with all of them, and they surely couldn't all keep up with me.

     I think if I did lose followers on google friend connect, it would make me slightly sad. Of course, I know that most of them don't even truly read my posts, so it wouldn't be a big deal. Everyone has the right to like and dislike whatever they want. I want my followers to actually read my reviews and comment with actual opinions.
     No, I haven't stopped following anyone on google friend connect, but as I said before I can't read everything on every blog I follow every day. So, technically I guess I have stopped following some. Lately, I only click the follow button if I honestly like what I read on their blogs and plan to check back.

     So, how do you feel about followers or following others?