Colleen Houck's Blog, page 26

Modern Ink Society- Featuring Author April Tucholke

FEATURING GUEST

April Tucholke

Films that Inspire

Welcome to the twenty-first session of

 THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!

“Don’t be afraid of being different,
be afraid of being the same
as everyone else.”

 — Unknown

 

 Introducing the lovely

April Tucholke

Today we are featuring the author, April Tucholke, in celebration of her new YA horror anthology,  Slasher Girls & Monster Boys , releasing TODAY, August 18th! Check it out,


Here’s a little description,

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

Stefan Bachmann

Leigh Bardugo

Kendare Blake

AG Howard

Jay Kristoff

Marie Lu

Carrie Ryan

Megan Shepherd

Nova Ren Suma

McCormick Templeman

April Genevieve Tucholke

Cat Winters0

Films that Inspire
 

“Hi, I’m April Genevieve Tucholke, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, its sequel Between the Spark and the Burn, and the upcoming Wink Poppy Midnight.

I’m also the anthologist for Slasher Girls & Monster Boys, a YA horror anthology. In tribute to the horror theme, I’d like to challenge you to a:

Horror Film Pop Quiz

See if you can guess the films which inspired some of the authors in Slasher Girls & Monster Boys. Answers listed below, along with the stories they influenced.”

 1.

Hint: Norman Bates. Hitchcock. You know this one.

 

2.

Hint: One is a 1976 adaptation of a Stephen King novel that ends with a prom, pig’s blood, and fire. The other is a 1997 slasher film featuring the urban legend of “The Hook.”

 

3.

 

Hint: One is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The title means “a hideously ugly vampire.” The other is a really, really creepy 2012 movie starring Daniel Radcliffe.

 

4.

Hint: Two more iconic Hitchcock films. If you’ve never seen them, then may god have mercy on your soul.

 

5. 

Hint: The lead actor was accidentally killer during the making of this 1994 film.

 

6.

Hint: 2007. Quentin Tarantino. Muscle cars.

 How do you think you did? Scroll down to check your answers. . . if you dare!

 

 

 

Answers:

Psycho. Jay Kristoff’s “Sleepless.”
Carrie and I Know What You Did Last Summer. April Genevieve Tucholke’s “The Flicker, the Fingers, the Beat, the Sigh.”
Nosferatu. The Woman in Black. Cat Winters’s “Emmeline.”
Rear Window and The Birds. Nova Ren Suma’s “The Birds of Azalea Street.”
The Crow. Megan Shepherd’s “Hide-and-Seek”
Death Proof. Kendare Blake’s “On the I-5″

How many did you guess correctly?

If you got 1-2 correct, take a film class. Please.

If you got 2-3 correct, at least watch the Hitchcock movies. I beg you.

If you got 4-5 correct, not bad, not bad.

If you got 5-6 correct, let’s be friends.

 

A huge thanks to April for sharing some of her sources of inspiration!  If you’d like to learn more about April Tucholke and check out her books, you can go to her website, at www.apriltochulke.com.

 

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

Bree Despain interviews Colleen Houck about ‘Reawakened’

Bree Despain interviews Colleen Houck about ‘Reawakened’

HAPPY EVER AFTER

Special for USA TODAY12:08 a.m. EDT August 12, 2015

Today, HEA hosts Bree Despain, whose latest release is The Eternity Key (book two in the Into the Dark series), chatting with fellow author Colleen Houck about her new YA fantasy, Reawakened, the first book in a new series.

Bree: I love that Amon is a noble prince but also a fish out of water in the modern world — who doesn’t know things like to watch out for taxis on the streets of Manhattan, or that hot dogs aren’t really made out of dogs. And then on the other hand, Lily is a highly organized, Ivy-League-bound, savvy New Yorker. Will you tell us more about these two characters and their inspirations? What parts of you are reflected in your characters?

Colleen: With Amon I tried to imagine what the modern world would look like to a man who hadn’t been alive for a millennium. I’m sure it would be fascinating and frightening, especially when he rose from the dead in New York City! At the same time, he has vast powers that mortals couldn’t comprehend so I would think he’d be more curious about the things he saw than he would fear them.

Then there’s Lily. My heroine lives a sort of self-imposed very strict lifestyle. She’s smart, in control, and wound up tighter than a ballerina’s hairdo. She’s inspired partly by my crazy organized side. The other half is an ambitious NYC girl — the type who can exercise on her way to work wearing tennis shoes and a skirt, while putting on makeup and conducting a business meeting. She has my sarcastic sense of humor, a version of which I also loaned to my other heroine, Kelsey, but these two girls couldn’t be more different. I’d like to think the three of us would come to appreciate each other … eventually.

Bree: Being a total mythology buff, one of my favorite things about your books is your use of mythological elements from all over the world. What made you decide to write about Egyptian mythology in Reawakened? Where else did you pull mythological inspiration from?

Colleen: I credit my middle-school English teacher for my love of mythology. She had huge posters of the Greek gods plastered all over her walls, and I spent an entire year staring at them and making up stories about their adventures. Egypt has always fascinated me. There’s something very romantic and mysterious about the mythology of that region, and I’ll admit that it was a bit difficult to wrap my head around it at times. But isn’t it awesome as an author to fashion these long-written-about characters into people we can not only understand but admire? Any time I’m researching a series, I reread all my mythology books and jot down themes and ideas that I think might be applicable. Since death is an obvious element when writing about mummies, I kept notes on all types of death rituals and my villain ended up being a necromancer of sorts. It’s so exciting to take all these stories and try to wrap them into one big epic adventure.

Bree: When I read your books, I can really tell that you do your research. You take us to exotic locations all over the world — and then beyond to fantasy realms — and everything feels so detailed and real. Tell us about your research process. Are you a world traveler? If not, how do you go about finding such wonderful details to share with your readers?

Colleen: Sadly, I have not traveled as much as I would like to. I’ve always been interested in seeing other places, trying new foods and learning new languages. Every time I head out of state, I try to take a city tour and book a reservation at a new restaurant. There are so many things to see in this beautiful world, I’d hate to miss out when opportunities like that come along. When I can’t get to a place I’m writing about, I do the next best thing. I seek out local restaurants and shops that reflect that culture and read as many books as I can to get a feel for a place. I watch YouTube videos and take virtual tours, too, keeping copious notes on the things that inspire me. Once I spent an hour just watching traffic videos in Mumbai so I could study patterns, cars, animals, shops, etc. Sometimes that’s the best an author can do. I think it’s much easier to create my own fantasy world than it is to truly grasp and give the proper credit to a culture that already exists. There’s a responsibility to get it right that sits on my shoulders, and even though I know it will never be perfect, I want to do the best I can to be respectful to the cultures and communities I write about.

Bree: On that note, what is the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of book research?

Colleen: I think the craziest thing I ever looked up was how a body decomposes. I researched a place called The Body Farm. Bodies that are donated to science are brought to this huge “farm” and are left in various types of environments so forensic scientists can study the differences in how a body will decompose. Police and medical students go out there to do training. It’s such a fascinating and disgusting thing to expose yourself to and, yet, there are some careers, including that of an author on occasion, where that knowledge is not only useful but necessary.

Bree: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of your Tiger’s Curse fans — they are a devoted and passionate group of readers. However, many authors find that even dedicated readers may be reluctant to follow their favorite author to a new series and a new set of characters. Will you give us what you think are the best reasons that Tiger’s Curse fans will also love Reawakened?

Colleen: That is an excellent observation. It’s funny because the biggest reaction I got from fans when I announced the Egyptian series was, “What about the tigers?” Our goal as authors is to build a career and hope that readers will follow us from book to book, from series to series, and yet I know as a reader myself that there is usually a series that ends up being my favorite. I would not be surprised at all for my most avid fans to feel a little betrayed that I am writing about something new. It was hard for me to move on, too! It’s a bit like breaking up with someone you still love but you know you can’t really be together any longer. It’s sad! On the other hand, I have really, really grown to love these new characters and if there is one thing these two series have in common, it’s the fast-paced adventure. My hope is that my readers will trust me to always keep it romantic, always keep it exciting, and always keep them guessing.

Bree: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Colleen! As a Tiger’s Curse fan myself, I can personally say that your readers (new and old) will loveReawakened. It has magic, intrigue, exotic lands, three hot princes and, of course, a great romance. (I totally have a crush on Amon!) Do you have any parting thoughts on the new book for us?

Colleen: Yes! There is more to come, readers. Much more. Nothing is exactly what it appears to be. You know how I like to leave you hanging by your fingertips while torturing you until you cry? Well, expect that and more. You won’t see the end coming. That’s a promise. =)

Did someone mention lions?

Find out more about the authors and their books at colleenhouck.com andwww.breedespain.com.

Book Reviews for Kids by Kids- A to Z Mysteries, White House White Out

For those of you who are looking for new books appropriate for middle grade that both boys and girls might enjoy, this is the place to look!

Every month, at least one new book will be added for review right here and they will be reviewed by the best critics, KIDS! That’s right, the one’s who read them will be the judge!

This blog is written by my 8 year old son, Alexander. 

Introducing Alexander, or the name he goes by, Lex. 

“Hi, this is Lex. I am a fourth grader and I my favorite subjects are recess, lunch, and sometimes science. My least favorite things about school are some of the rules like having to sit while  you wait for parent pick up. My favorite movie is Guardians of the Galaxy, Frozen, and The Incredibles (to name a few). Things that scare me are scary sounds like howling winds, thunder and creepy ghost sounds. Things that amaze me are surprises like birthday presents and how big tornadoes can be, how much destruction is caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters and that plants like the Venus Fly Trap can eat bugs! 

My favorite activities are play games, family night, swimming and bowling. My favorite foods are brownies, blueberries, cheese-its, raspberries, marshmallows, and Vietnamese spring rolls and noodles. I really don’t like cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Something unique about me is that mom thinks I’m handsome and I make people laugh.

 I got this book in 3rd grade. It didn’t look so good at first. But when I read the book I thought it was great!!!”

 Here’s Lex,

 

 

 

And now, introducing our next middle grade book review for kids, by kids!
Book review on White House White Out
by Ron Roy

 

Setting:

The book was about a snowy December in Washington, D.C., and Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are there to see the lights.

They meet the president’s daughter, KC, and her friend Marshall. While they are there, the dog goes missing! They set out to find her. They get lost in the cold snowy snow. They find out that 2 robbers took her. The police caught the criminals! The policeman said “thank you! We have been trying to catch them for 7 years!”

Main Characters:

 

Personal Review:

My favorite part of the book was when the criminals were caught because they’ve been trying to catch them for so long! It was scary when they got lost in the snow because it was night time and they were in the middle of nowhere.

I give this book 5/5 stars because it had great details, a great story, and a lot of other things.

 

 

Here’s a list and link to the other books we’ve reviewed:

The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child by Michael Buckley

Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (In full color) by Dav Pilkey

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

 

Invasion of the Overworld by Mark Cheverton

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony Di’Terlizzi and Holly Black

Artemis Fowl, book 1 by Eoin Colfer

The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl

How to Train Your Dragon: How to Break a Dragon’s Heart, Book # 8 by Cressida Cowell

~ Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

Body Scrubs That Make You Sigh

I love body scrubs!  I love the way my skin feels while the course sugar and salt crystals buff and polish my skin. The fragrant oils and spices leave my skin smelling sweet and feeling baby soft.  I love to do it after I do the dishes as a little reward.  They are a great way to keep skin soft during winter months.

There are many over the counter products that I love and return to. The Mango Body Scrub is my favorite summertime fragrance.  The other one I stumbled upon at Costco is LaLicious Sugar Souffle Scrub.  It has a sweet vanilla aroma which I LOVE and my skin feels great.  Costco is notorious for finding a great product and selling it for a bit then it’s gone forever.  So check out the manufacturer or just go to Amazon.com.

 

 

Since I love scrubs so much and don’t have $20 to drop on a tub of heaven al the time I have learned to make my own and customize it to my favorite scents.  I want to add cinnamon and nutmeg to my next batch.

Coconut Vanilla Almond Sugar Scrub

1 Cup of Raw Sugar

2 Tablespoons Sea Salt

1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil (good Quality that you would eat)

1 Teaspoon-Tablespoon of Mexican Vanilla

1 Tablespoon of Almond Oil

 

Here are some I found on Pinterest that look absolutely yummy!  These make great Christmas presents.

Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Orange Creamsicle Sugar Scrub

 

Shara

Modern Ink Society- Featuring Beth Revis

FEATURING GUEST

Beth Revis

Finding Stories

Welcome to the twentieth session of

 THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!

“If “Plan A” doesn’t work. Remember that there are 25 other letters “.

 — Unknown

“I read and walked for miles at night
along the beach,
writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly
for someone wonderful w ho would step out of the darkness and change my life.
It never crossed my mind that
that person could be me.”
-Anna Quindlen

 Introducing the lovely

Beth Revis

Finding Stories
 
“One of the most common questions that an author gets is, “Where did you find the inspiration for your novel?” It’s also one of the toughest questions to answer.
 
Because the truth is, inspiration is everywhere. But that answer is far to simple, because while inspiration is everywhere, it’s also impossible to pinpoint, and impossible to know just what can become inspiration.

I love to tell students during classroom presentations how much I used to hate science class. Hate, hate, hate. And yet, more than ten years after graduating high school, I became a science fiction writer. And all those classes I hated? Man, they’ve come in handy. While I was struggling through physics, some of my teacher’s lectures penetrated my brain, giving me the seeds of knowledge and ideas that became whole novels years and years later.
 
Sometimes, I’ll experience something that I know I want to become a story…but I don’t have the story yet. When I was in college, I had the great opportunity to travel to the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta. My university’s program was there to analyze their educational system, but there was something about that island that resonated deeply within me. As I soaked up the tiny details–the colorful luzzu boats, the clear azure water, the almost desert-like landscape spotted with dusty cities built in the Middle Ages–I knew I wanted to set a story there. I tried to write a story set there several times, but each one petered out.
 
And then I found myself with a story idea for what would become The Body Electric. I had a plot–girl who could alter memories–but no setting. Unlike my Across the Universe books, I knew this story had to be set on Earth. And I knew I didn’t want to put it in America–far too many stories are set in America.
 
Malta rose up in my mind.
 
And suddenly all the pieces clicked together. My girl lived in Malta, but I changed the city into the global center of the world–something that it was on the cusp of being during World War II strategies due to its ideal location. Malta has its own language, and my research made me stumble across the world “zunzana,” which means “bumblebee” and can be used as an affectionate nickname for a girl who holds her family together, who is strong and loyal and industrious and fierce. Now I had a name for my rebel organization. The luzzu boats that litter the island’s shore all have the “evil eye” painted into the bow; I was writing about a government that always had its eye on its people, so the boats in my story have electronic eyes, used to spy on the citizens.
 
When I went to Malta, I didn’t have The Body Electric in my head yet. I didn’t even have Across the Universe, or most of the novels I’d begun writing that were rejected for publication. But that’s what it means to be a writer–live your life in such a way that the stories can grow out of your memories. “

A huge thanks to Beth for sharing some of her sources of inspiration!  If you’d like to learn more about Beth Revis and check out her books, you can go to her website, at bethrevis.com.

 Also, if you are able to participate in the live chat on Goodreads with her and Colleen it is going to be so much fun!

August 27th @ 5pm

I really love learning about the how’s and whys behind the story and how their stories come to life. 

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

Modern Ink Society- August #1

FEATURING GUEST

J.A. Souders

Villains

Welcome to the nineteenth session of

 

THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!

“A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told“.

 — Chris Colfer

 Introducing the lovely

J.A. Souders

 Villains

“First I want to say a HUGE thank you to Colleen Houck for inviting me here today! I kind of feel like a freshman in high school and a senior I’ve admired from afar has invited me to sit at her lunch table.  You’re truly an amazing writer and person. Mwah!

When Colleen first invited me to do a blog post, not gonna lie, I pretty much went straight into panic mode. I kept thinking: Oh great! A blog post. Blog posts and I are like sworn enemies. Not to be too hyperbolic, but blog posts (and their topics) are my Lex Luther. What in the world was I going to talk about? Then it hit me. I’d talk about villains!

One of the questions I get asked the most is: how did I create a villain that everyone loves to hate?

When I first started RENEGADE, I didn’t know anything about Evie or her story. I only knew I had this voice in my head of an amazing main character, who lived in an underwater society, who just kept telling me that her life was just about perfect. I ended up spitting out the first (mostly unchanged from it’s original form) chapter in about twenty minutes in the middle of the night. I had no idea where those lines would take the story.

At first Mother was just this abstract thought. I was just going to make her this evil person who stole girls from the Surface for her own evil plot to help populate Elysium as breeding stock. She was going to be a momentary character barely worth a quick mention. However, even as I finished writing that first chapter, I knew Mother was much more than just a Snidely Whiplash character twirling her metaphorical mustache. It wasn’t until I had written and rewritten RENEGADE that I really knew just how important Mother’s story was to Evie’s.

 One of my all time favorite stories is Sleeping Beauty. And my favorite villain was Maleficent. Of course, Sleeping Beauty is Aurora’s story, but there wouldn’t be a story without Maleficent. But, even as a child, I always felt there was more to her than just being slighted from attending a party for a baby. I KNEW there had to be a reason for her to be the way she was. (Of course, with the Maleficent movie, we know there really WAS more to that story, but I wrote RENEGADE way before that came out.) So Sleeping Beauty just felt…flat to me. Like something important was missing.

When I finished RENEGADE, it felt the same way. As if the story was one of those 3-D puzzles and I was missing all of the important pieces that made the entire thing pop to life. It was at that moment, I realized that like Maleficent, Mother wasn’t evil for evil’s sake. Something in her past had changed her and shaped her into the horrible person she was. Every decision she made (good and bad) was directly related to whatever it was that happened. And that Mother was so much more than the villain of Evie’s story. She was the hero of her own.

That’s when I decided I had to do much more than just a character sketch of Mother. I had to stop telling Evie’s story and start telling Mother’s, so I could see what that moment (or moments) was.

So I did.

Right in the middle of revisions for my editor I stopped what I was doing and wrote Mother’s story. I ended up writing what essentially amounts to a complete manuscript completely devoted to Mother. When I’d finished it, all of RENEGADE’s missing puzzle pieces were lying on the table in front of me, waiting for me to pluck them up and fit them into place. It completely changed not just the direction of Evie’s story, but also the entirety of the Elysium Chronicles.

So why is Mother a villain people love to hate? I think it’s because people can relate to her even if it’s in just some small way. Mother wasn’t just evil for evil’s sake.  She had reasons for the decisions she made. And while most of us would have made different decisions, we can also see how she justified the decisions she did make and that in and of itself is just as powerful as her actions.”

 

 

A huge thanks to J.A. Souders for sharing how her villain was discovered and the layers that her villain (and all the best villains) have. I loved the way she was able to piece her story together by taking a detour from Evie’s world down a path of her villain, Mother. What a beautiful bit of Souder’s writing process that she’s unveiled for us. This is evidence that there is no one way to write a beautiful, complex story. inspirational! If you’d like to learn more about J.A. Souders and check out her books, you can go to her website, at jasouders.com.

Stay tuned for the next Modern Ink Society post featuring author Beth Revis!

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

RECIPE: Creamy Grape Salad

RECIPE:  Creamy Grape Salad

I am totally obsessed with this salad! It is so delicious, refreshing and extremely easy to make. I have made it twice in 2 weeks changing it up a little each time. I was afraid that the halved grapes would release their juice and make the salad soggy, but it held up very well, even with apple and lemon juice added. Both times I made it, I kept some in the refrigerator for at least a week with no problems.

 

Creamy Grape Salad

2 pounds table grapes, preferably mixed colors

1 apple, any firm variety

1 C sour cream, at room temperature

1 C cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Some notes before we get started:

GRAPES: you want sweet, seedless “table grapes”. Table grapes are grapes meant to be eaten fresh. You can use all one variety of grapes or a mixture. I like a mixture because they all taste slightly different and the different sizes and colors make for a more visually appealing dish. You can cut them in half or leave them whole. I like to halve them because they’re easier to eat. And, because I’m obsessed with using the between-2-lids method of cutting them. Also, if one of your grape varieties is less sweet you can make sure you get half of a sweeter one with it on your spoon.

APPLE: I don’t even know what variety the one I used was. You just need one that is firm not mealy. Unless you like mealy…? Does anyone like mealy apples? Anyway, you can peel it or not. I chose not to and it was fine.

SOUR CREAM / CREAM CHEESE: I used full fat dairy with as few ingredients as possible. You can use lower fat but I don’t know if it would hold up as well. You could probably use Greek yogurt, but I haven’t tried it. With this batch I used half sour cream & half cream cheese. I made it before with all sour cream, which I prefer, and will probably continue to do all sour cream in the future. Make sure your dairy ingredients are at room temperature for easier mixing.

SUGAR: I used dark brown sugar, but you could use white, light brown or a substitute. And, unlike me, make sure your brown sugar doesn’t have clumps before you try and blend it in. I had to grab a fork and try and find all the clumps in the dressing to break them up.

LEMON JUICE: I threw this in spontaneously since I was juicing them for another dish and had some left over. And, since I had decided to throw in the chopped apple, lemon seemed like a good idea to help prevent browning.

SALT: Why salt? Habit. I always add a pinch of salt to sweet dishes to enhance flavors.

GARNISH & OPTIONS: I garnished the salad with a toasted minced coconut. Toasted pecans or walnuts would also be great. Had I noticed the orange in the fruit bowl sooner, I would have added orange zest to the salad and substituted orange juice for the lemon juice. I think the next time I make this salad, I will leave out both the apple and the citrus juice, but include either lemon or orange zest…or chop and add some of the candied orange peels I happen to have in the pantry. Or add some fresh herbs. I have spearmint, lemon verbena and pineapple sage in my herb garden, and I plan on trying each of them in this salad at some point.

Okay, now on to the method:

1. Wash grapes, remove them from stems, discard any rotten grapes, pat them dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel, or let them drip dry in a colander.

2. Make dressing by whisking last 6 ingredients in a salad bowl until well combined and smooth. Again, watch out for clumps if using brown sugar.

3. Wash and dry or peel apple. Core and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add to dressing and stir to coat. This will help prevent the apples browning.

4. Cut the grapes in half and add to the salad bowl. The easiest method I’ve seen for cutting a lot of grapes quickly is the “between-2-lids” method pictured above. Or, add uncut grapes if you prefer. Stir to coat all of the fruit.

This salad can be served immediately, or covered & refrigerated for up to a week. You may need to give it a stir before serving to redistribute the dressing. This salad is especially refreshing cold right out of the refrigerator on a hot day.

 

 

August Contest of the Month

How Well Do You Know Your Mythology?

 

In celebration of Colleen Houck’s upcoming release of her new Egyptian series, REAWAKENED on August 11th, 2015, we are holding ONE MORE contest for a chance to win a fun Adventure Pack including an official Hardbound edition of REAWAKENED signed by Colleen Houck!

 Enter rafflecopter below to take the “How Well Do You Know Mythology Quiz”

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Good luck and have fun!

Announcing July Contest Winners!

In celebration of Colleen Houck’s upcoming release of her new Egyptian series, REAWAKENED on August 11th, 2015, we held a contest for a chance to win an advanced reader copy, and also for a chance for one lucky fan to win a grand prize (including the book along with other surprises)!

 

 First, a HUGE thanks to everyone who participated in this one, it was a great success! And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. . .

 

The winner of the GRAND REAWAKENED PRIZE PACKAGE is:

Sandra Li

The three winners of the REAWAKENED advanced reader edition are:

 Samantha Wallace

Dominique Cobb

Allison Jones

Congratulations! An email has been sent to you requesting your mailing address for your prize to be sent. Stay tuned for the August contest of the month going live in the next couple days! 

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

Colleen Houck Book Club-August

The Body Electric

by Beth Revis

Last month’s pick was Revelations by J.A. Souders. For those of you who participated in the live chat on Goodreads with authors Jessica and Colleen Houck, thanks! It was so much fun! For the next reading selection Colleen has selected…

 

The Body Electric

Beth Revis

Here’s a little teaser

“Ella Shepherd can slip into other people’s minds. Using technology invented by her parents, Ella has the ability to experience–and influence–the memories of others. She’s used this ability to help ensure the safety of the world from a dangerous terrorist group, but not all is as it seems…because someone’s been inside Ella’s head, too.

Find out what happened on Earth while Amy and Elder were in space!”

 

 Introducing Beth Revis

“Beth Revis is the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and IndieBound bestselling author of the Across the Universe series(Razorbill/Penguin ), as well as several in-world short stories published in various anthologies. The books are currently available in more than 20 languages.

The Across the Universe books blend mystery with science fiction as they follow the voyage of a generation spaceship to a new world fraught with danger. The first book in the trilogy, Across the Universe, is a “cunningly executed thriller” according to Booklist, and the second book, A Million Suns, was hailed by the LA Times as “a fast-paced, action-packed follow-up.” Shades of Earth, the final volume, was called a “tense and delicious ride” by The Examiner.

Across the Universe was selected as a YALSA Teen Top Ten novel, recipient of the Seal of Excellence and the Futuristic Novel of the Year Award from Romantic Times, long-listed for the Carnegie Medal, and featured on several state reading lists. The second book in the trilogy was selected as a Kirkus Best of 2012 novel and a Best Book of 2012 from Wired Magazine, and the third book was featured as a Book of the Month from Seventeen Magazine and an Indigo Must-Read Novel.

A former teacher, Beth lives in rural North Carolina with her husband, brand new baby, and a dog. Currently, she is working on a new science fiction trilogy title for self publication and two forthcoming novels for Penguin/Razorbill.”

Check out more on her website at bethrevis.com

 

 

I’m very excited to check out her novel and I look forward to discussing it at the end of the month with all of you on Goodreads for the live chat on August 27th at 5pm (PST). 

 

So everybody who wants to join us, go get your hands on this book. You can start leaving your questions right away (but don’t share spoilers just yet). Also, remember that you don’t need to read the book to participate in the live chat. It’s a GREAT opportunity to get to know the authors and ask any questions you’d like!

For fun there will be a GIVEAWAY including a copy of The Body Electric and one of Colleen Houck’s books during the live chat!

Stay tuned for the next edition of THE MODERN INK SOCIETY featuring guest blogger- Beth Revis!

Happy reading everyone!

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti