Colleen Houck's Blog, page 33
April 5, 2015
Pin it to Win it Contest Winner Announced!
Pin it to Win it!
My Dream Theme: Reawakened Launch Party Contest Winner Announced!
In celebration of Colleen Houck’s up and coming release of REAWAKENED, available now for pre-order on amazon, we hosted a contest designed around this momentous event.
A huge thank you to all of you who participated. You had some AMAZING party ideas and I am already re-pinning some of your pins! We may even use some for the REAWAKENED LAUNCH PARTY this August 12th at Powells Book Store in Beaverton, Oregon. It will be an event you won’t want to miss!
The winner of the contest is,
Giovanna Silva
Congratulations! You have won your very own advanced copy of REAWAKENED before everyone else AND a $25 amazon gift card!
*Important, please email your mailing address by Sunday April 5th or another winner will be selected.
For those of you who’d like to check out what other fans have picked for their party ideas, check out pinterest.
If you haven’t heard about REAWAKENED, here’s a little teaser,
When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.
~Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
April 2, 2015
YA Scavenger Hunt-Spring 2015
Hello! I am Colleen Houck,
your hostess for this leg of the hunt.
About Me
My favorite mythological creature is a dragon.
I went on a cruise for the first time last year.
I do all my writing in my bedroom.
I went to school to be a teacher.
I’m fluent in American Sign Language.
You are currently hunting on
TEAM BLUE!
Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching.
Somewhere on this blog hop, I’ve hidden a sneak peek from the first book in my brand new Egyptian series, REAWAKENED. AND you’ll get to find out what the title of book two will be! Shocking reveals are just around the corner. Before you go looking for it, check out the amazing author I’m hosting.
But, first, a few rules.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES
Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM BLUE, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!)
HINT: THE SECRET NUMBER IS HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE!
Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by SUNDAY, APRIL 5TH, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one signed book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast. This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Sunday, April 5th!
There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM, but there is also a RED TEAM, GOLD TEAM, ORANGE TEAM, PINK TEAM, PURPLE TEAM, TEAL TEAM, & GREEN TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win eight different sets of signed books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
I am super excited to be hosting…
GWENDA BOND!
GWENDA’S BIO: Gwenda Bond is the author of Girl on a Wire, a novel about a daredevil heroine who discovers magic and mystery lurking beneath the big top. Next up is Lois Lane: Fallout in May 2015. Her previous novels include The Woken Gods and Blackwood. She has also written for Publishers Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. She has an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives in a hundred-year-old house in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, author Christopher Rowe, and their menagerie. Visit her online at www.gwendabond.com or @gwenda on twitter.
Colleen here-My house isn’t nearly as old. I think it’s around 20. No. Maybe it’s only ten years old. It’s my mortgage that won’t be paid off for twenty more years.
The book Gwenda is showcasing in the YA Scavenger Hunt this season is
LOIS LANE: FALLOUT
Colleen here-Love the title and the cover. It stirs the imagination just looking at it. In case you’re as deeply curious about the story now as I am. You’re in luck. Here’s some info on it.
Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy…
Colleen here-OH NO YOU DIDN’T! Gwenda! Perhaps you are not aware that I have a SLIGHT Superman obsession. This one just shot to the top of my reading list. I will be totally thumbing through that book looking for gorgeous blue eyes and a curled lock of hair.
TOP SECRET BONUS MATERIAL STRAIGHT AHEAD!
Here’s a Sneak Peek Into The Behind The Scenes Of LOIS LANE: FALLOUT
What Would Lois Do?
by Gwenda Bond
My first encounter with Lois Lane is one shared with millions of people, and no doubt some of you reading this: Margot Kidder’s witty, sharp, sincere portrayal opposite Christopher Reeve’s Superman. I’ve often said that I’m not sure anymore whether I love that version of Superman so much because of my affinity for great, banter-filled classic screwball films and their effortless mash-up of humor with more serious themes—particularly screwballs set in newsrooms like His Girl Friday—or if my affinity for those came from loving Superman as a kid. Re-watching it (and the Donner cut of the sequel!) just before I started writing Fallout, I was struck by how Reeve as Clark Kent seems to be channeling Cary Grant at times, and how Kidder as Lois Lane could be heading out to meet up with Rosalind Russell for drinks. After falling in love with the Superman movie, I always kept my eye on those characters, first reading my big brother’s comic books, and later reading my own.
The versions of Superman I love best are equal parts serious themes and humor, mystery and banter, secrets and confidences. Underlying all those things is perhaps the most important element of all—optimism. Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman are such a great team in part because they are both clear-eyed and able to see the bad and the good in the world. But no matter how dark the bad gets, neither of them flinches in their commitment to the good and doing what’s right. Or, in my favorite-favorite portrayals, in their commitment to each other.
There have been many versions of Lois Lane over the years. She’s a character who has had many lives. Some incarnations and eras have been better than others, but that’s part of the mark of a great comics character, isn’t it? A character who grows with good portrayals, but easily survives not-so-good ones. This is a character that has done far more than that. She is iconic. Most of us could probably describe the major traits that define her: her fast-talking wit, her ability to feel emotion deeply (whether it’s irritation or love), her dedication to truth and justice, her loyalty, ambition, impulsiveness and stubbornness, being the best at her job as a reporter and willing to do whatever it takes, screwing up and then getting right back out there to make things right. She is truly a superhero without any superpowers.
Approaching this character to give her a whole new portrayal for a new generation, I kept all this very much in mind. I also realized that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have ended up getting a journalism degree as an undergraduate, if not for Kidder’s Lois Lane. So, what Lois Lane means to me could fill a book (or several), but having gotten to write this character (what a gift), she now means even more to me. Jokingly, I’ve said that one of the best parts about writing Lois is that you can just ask: “What would Lois do?” and there’s your plot. But, after writing her as a teenager, in the process of becoming who she’s meant to be, I feel like this is actually useful in a much larger sense. I feel like Lois Lane is a friend I know almost as well as I know myself. This is about to get schmaltzy enough to make Lois roll her eyes, even if she agreed. But here goes:
I hope that readers of Fallout—particularly girls—end up feeling the same way. Because if you’re afraid to take a risk or not sure if you can pull something off, if you’re not sure whether to stand up for someone else or what to do in a given situation, then the question of what would Lois do, or of what she’d tell you to do, will work. What would Lois do? The answer will always be smart, brave, and to value yourself and what’s right. Lois would tell you, “So you’re afraid, you got this.” Or, “It won’t be easy, but of course you have to do it anyway.” Or, “You know what’s happening to that other person isn’t right, so what can you do to help fix it? That’s what you do.” Or, “You know you deserve better, so don’t accept less.” Or, “You screwed up, majorly. Now you do what you can to make it right, and move on.” Because all those things? Those are what Lois would do. And that’s what Lois means to me—the kind of smart, brave, self-valuing commitment to justice that everyone can try to achieve. We can all share this superpower.
We’re just kicking off a campaign to share what Lois Lane means to you in advance of Fallout’s publication next month. For the next two weeks, 10 people whose responses are chosen by the publisher will win an early copy. Tweet using the hashtag #loislanefallout to enter (this an extra contest completely separate from the #YASH!). It’s what Lois would do. 
Colleen here. Wasn’t that awesome?
You can now add LOIS LANE: FALLOUT to your TBR list on Goodreads!
Are you as interested in this book as I am?
Here’s how you can your hands on it!
You can buy LOIS LANE: FALLOUT HERE!
Or on her Website, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook pages
and sign up for her Newsletter so you’ll never miss out
o n any important book news or updates.
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Gwenda, and many more! To enter, you need to write down my favorite number, find all the other numbers on TEAM BLUE add them up, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you’re here don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt. For an extra bonus entry, leave a comment on this blog post and answer the following: Who is your favorite Superhero and what makes them super to you? I look forward to reading your answers! Have fun! Ten winners will receive copies of the first book in my series, TIGER’S CURSE along with a copy of the prequel novella in the series, TIGER’S PROMISE. One lucky winner will be getting my entire Tiger series! And one super duper lucky fan will win an advanced reading copy of REAWAKENED!
AND…as a special bonus, anyone who preorders #REAWAKENED during the
Good luck everyone!
Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win,
Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt? Then head on over to visit author Dorothy Dreyer’s page.
LINK TO NEXT BLOG
March 25, 2015
Modern Ink Society- J.R. Johansson
FEATURING GUEST
J.R. Johansson
A Walkabout down Inspiration Lane,
How I find Inspiration
Welcome to the fourteenth session of
THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!
“As soon as I saw you,
I knew an
ADVENTURE
was going to happen”.
— Winnie the Pooh
Introducing the lovely
J.R. Johansson
A Walkabout down Inspiration Lane, Via TV Land
“Boredom and apathy are two of the greatest foes of creation. Still, I run into them from time to time, even in projects that I absolutely love. With me, it isn’t generally a symptom of a project gone wrong or one that I’ve just lost excitement about. When I become bored or don’t care, it’s usually because I’ve stretched my creative muscle to the brink and it has lofted it’s little white flag and walked off our battlefield. After years of trying everything from bribery to IV caffeine, I finally figured out that the only way to rejuvenate this particular muscle is to give in. I take some time off, sometimes an hour, sometimes a week, and I let that creativity sit back, relax, and watch someone else do the exact same job. How do I do that? Through the magic of television. There are so many good TV shows that I’m in love with right now and they all seem to do something a little different for me. For the purpose of this lovely post, I’ve tried to hone in on just a couple that are particularly rejuvenating for me lately.
First: Supernatural
SPN gives me a beautiful blend of humor, horror and heroics. The stories are interesting, the character dynamics are some of the best on TV, and the Winchesters…I mean yum. If you haven’t seen it, all you have to do is look here to see what I’m talking about.
Supernatural has an amazing way of helping me figure out where my character tension and relationships might be going wrong. Also, hot guys, k?
Second: Grimm
Grimm doesn’t seem to be watched as widely as it should be. This show does several things very well though: it blends folklore and monsters with a buddy cop show, it has miraculously gray characters, and it follows the case every episode format while also incorporating intricate season/show long storylines. Oh, and one more thing, Grimm may have mastered the cliffhanger ending better than any other show out there. If you’ve watched it, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t…I can’t explain because…spoilers. Anyway, it’s great for reawakening my love of dark plots and complex characters. You should definitely check it out.
Third: EurekaThis beautiful show ended a couple of years ago, but I still miss it and watch reruns whenever I feel like my general excitement for using my imagination is lagging. This show is about a small town where all the world’s greatest minds are hidden away and given the funding to work on truly miraculous breakthroughs. There isn’t a single episode where I didn’t shake my head and say, “wow,” on first seeing it.On top of all the fantastic ideas, this show has an incredible twist on the fish out of water trope with the Federal Marshall turned Sheriff who has more street smarts than actual smarts. And it has fun recurring characters that keep you engaged while mixing in tons of fun guests.
Anyway, those are the things I turn to when my creativity gives up on me. Try them out and see if they help you next time. Have any suggestions that help you? Share them in the comments. Special thanks to Colleen to having me as a guest!”
I’d like to share her Night Walker Series, INSOMNIA and Paranoia, are Young Adult Supernatural Psychological Thrillers
Book 1
Book 2
To learn more about her books and everything J.R. Johansson, check out her website at jennjohansson.com
A huge thanks to Jen for sharing some of her sources of inspiration! I have seen the Grimm show and LOVE it, but I’m going to have to check out the others!
~Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
March 20, 2015
Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt Authors!
Hello Everyone!
I’m so happy to introduce to you the Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt Authors!
We have eight outstanding teams this season. I am going to be a part of #TeamBlue! The Scavenger Hunt runs from April 2nd through April 5th beginning and ending at noon Pacific time on those days.
If you’ve never been a part of the hunt before you should give it a try. It runs like a giant blog hop, introducing you to new YA authors and books along the way. There are tons of prizes including a grand prize for each team. If you win one of the grand prizes you will get a book from each author on that team! For more information and to make sure you get hunt updates, sign up for news on the #YASH website.
Not only will I be hiding an exclusive never-before-revealed sneak peek of REAWAKENED, but I will also be revealing the title of book two in the series! On my website I’ll be giving away 10 copies of TIGER’S CURSE and a few advanced reading copies of REAWAKENED too. You don’t want to miss out on this fabulous and fun event, but play fast because the hunt is only live for three days.
And now, here are the teams! (Hint: If you click on the image you can get a close up)
I hope you are all as excited as I am!
THE HUNT BEGINS 4/2/15!
March 19, 2015
Book Reviews for Kids, by Kids- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
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 fourteen year old niece, Rebecca. She’s extremely creative, smart, and follows in her father’s footsteps when it comes to her love of questing books such as The Hobbit, LOTR, or Star Wars. She’s dabbled in writing her own short quests and designing fashion, namely elf fashion. She has a great love for reading and writing and anything that involves creativity.
And now, introducing our next middle grade book review for kids, by kids!
Book Review of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis
Setting:
The setting of this book is in Narnia a place that has been cursed with an eternal winter. Narnia has a lot of magical creatures like griffons and unicorns. The trees can move and talk and some are even evil.
Main Character:
The main character’s name is Lucy. She is the youngest child in her family. She has two older brothers and one older sister. She has a potion that can heal the worst of wounds. She was also the first to find Narnia.
Personal Review:
I liked the book because all the magical creatures in it and the cool weapons all the characters have like a bow that never misses it mark. I also love all the talking animals and the villain is really good.
They have made this into a movie and some of the others from the series.
There you have it! If you’ve read it or have any thoughts about this book or any other book you’d like to talk about, please leave a comment below and share with the rest of us! If you have a favorite book, share it! We are ALWAYS looking for the next GREAT book to read!
Till next time,
Linda Louise and Rebecca
Here’s a list and link to the other books we’ve reviewed:
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
Join us next time for our first book review by Joshua!
~ Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
March 14, 2015
Spring Cleaning for your Face with a Clairsonic Mia 2
I have tried many different face scrubs out of a tube or bottle, and a few different powered face cleansing systems. I want to tell you about the various powered cleansing systems I’ve tried. 1st I started off with an Olay Fresh Effects Powered Contour Cleansing System. It cost right around $10.00 with a coupon and sale and I took it home to try out. It’s cute, it’s small, but it’s a little rough. I didn’t feel my face was much cleaner but it was fun to use. So I gave it to my daughter.
Olay Fresh Effects Powered Contour Cleansing System
Then I upgraded to the Olay Pro-X Advance Cleansing System. I ended up getting it for around $20 with a coupon and a sale. I’ve been using it for the past year it I felt it was better at cleaning my skin, and it was much softer than the Fresh Effects product. The brush rotates at two different speeds. I normally kept it on the high speed willing it to clean my face a little better. I made the mistake of using a cleaner that had little granules in it that stuck to the bottom of the cleaning brush and I can’t get them out. So it’s been looking pretty yucky. I believe it’s suggested that you change out the brush heads about every 3 months. Those replacement brushes end up to be about $9.99.
See all the gunk in my brush head. Yuck!
Now I have a Clairsonic Mia 2 I bought last months and I sort of LOVE it! I love the way my skin feels, I love that my pores look smaller, that my skin has a healthy glow, that my skin has a more pale and even tone, but I hate the price. $150 is very expensive. Plus I don’t have any definitive proof that it’s making my skin better except for what my pictures show below.
The right cotton ball is after cleaning my face with my hands and my face wash then I used toner with a cotton ball. Yuck! I’ll admit most night this is how I wash my face. There was still a ton of make-up on my face. So then I got another cotton ball and more toner and still more came off.
The next day I used a Kirkland brand face wipe and then used some toner on a cotton pad. The pad on the right is after using only the face wipe to get off my make-up. So that’s not too bad. (I’ll do a blog on face wipes after this one.) Then the next night I used my Clairsonic, and then used the toner with the cotton pad for my final test. The cotton pad on the left shows how much make-up was still on my face and neck. It’s definitely less, but not enough to throw a parade. It’s not a magic wand, I would buy it again with a 20% coupon and treat myself to it for a birthday or Christmas. It doesn’t stop those “monthly constellations” of acne from cropping up, but they do seem to dissipate more quickly and with less red angry protests.
In the end it just comes down to how my skin feels to me. It looks like I’m wearing highlighter all the time now. So it seems like my skin is glowing. The other definitive proof is a comment my husband made. He’s the type of husband who when he folds the laundry (yes it’s awesome that he does fold the laundry) he puts my clothes in with my 14 daughters, which would be flattering if I was anywhere near her size, and my socks in with my sons. Needless to say he doesn’t notice much at any time on any subject, and he stopped in the middle of a conversation we were having and say my skin looked “nice and glow-y.”
Nuf ‘-said!
Shara
March 9, 2015
Contest of the Month- March
Pin it to Win it!
My Dream Theme: Reawakened Launch Party
The long awaited moment is finally here (ok, not quite here but it’s just around the corner)! Colleen Houck’s new Egyptian series REAWAKENED is available for pre-order on amazon and will be hitting the store bookshelves this summer. I don’t know about you but I’m beyond, like giddy-school-girl jumping up and down, excited!!!
So in celebration of this momentous event, we’d like to host a fun party planning contest over the next 30 days.
If you haven’t heard about REAWAKENED, here’s a little teaser,
When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.
Ok, so if the sky’s the limit, what kind of merrymaking, celebrating, festive gathering would you host?
Pin your fantasy Reawakened Launch Party, from the drinks to the decor, from the colors to the games, from the good eats to the entertainment! Then, share your board via the Rafflecopter below to enter the “My Dream Theme Party” contest. You could win your very own copy of REAWAKENED before everyone else AND a $25 amazon gift card (US only) to throw your own Reawakened Party Event! Get inspired by the some of our Party picks below!
So here’s how the contest will work,
1. Log on to Pinterest.com
2. Create your own board and label it My Dream Theme: Reawakened Launch Party
3. Find pictures that inspire your party ideas. *Remember this can be anything from clothing to makeup, from food to drinks, from invitations to party gifts, to decorations.
4. Pin away! Add as many pictures to your board as you want!
5. Enter rafflecopter below when your pinterest board is finished and send the link to your board on the rafflecopter.
6. Have fun!!! Contest will run for 30 days!
~Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
March 3, 2015
Book Review For Kids by Kids- Spiderwick Chronicles
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 fourteen year old niece, Rebecca. She’s extremely creative, smart, and follows in her father’s footsteps when it comes to her love of questing books such as The Hobbit, LOTR, or Star Wars. She’s dabbled in writing her own short quests and designing fashion, namely elf fashion. She has a great love for reading and writing and anything that involves creativity. Right now she’s reading the Spiderwick Chronicles but she just finished Artemis Fowl, book 1.
First, may I introduce the lovely Rebecca. . .
” Hi. I am a freshman in high school and yes, this picture is a Simpson character version of me. I do have blonde hair and play guitar but I don’t have lips quite like that or have just four fingers. Smile! So, here are a just a couple things about me. I like Pokemon, pineapple, astronomy and mythology and I despise tomatoes, English, nails on a chalk board and unoriginality. I love apple pie filling and hate if someone touches my food. I’m not into “girly” books but love to read. My favorite hang spot is my room because it is where I can play my instruments and it is where I keep all my books and art tools.”
And now, introducing our fourth middle grade book review for kids, by kids!
Book Review of The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone
by Tony Di’Terlizzi and Holly Black
The Setting:
This book takes place in forest behind the Spiderwick estate. The forest has a huge river in it that is dark blue and is the home of many water sprites/fairies. In the very back of the forest there is a goblin camp that has hundreds of cages in the trees to keep there food.
Main Character:
The main character, Jared, is a twin to his brother Simon. He is very naughty and gets into trouble a lot. He is the most stubborn in his family and fights with his sister Mallory.
Personal Review:
I enjoyed this book because of all of the magical creatures like goblins and griffons and the magical items like the seeing stone which allows you to see all the creatures.
The story line also moves fast and that’s one thing I like about stories so I don’t get bored. As a fun bonus there is a movie already out and a video game on the Nintendo DS.
There you have it, another review by Rebecca on the first book from the Spiderwick Chronicles. Remember, if you’ve read it or have any thoughts about this book or any other book you’d like to talk about, please leave a comment below and share with the rest of us! If you have a favorite book, tell us what it is. We are ALWAYS looking for the next GREAT book to read!
Till next time,
Linda Louise and Rebecca
Here’s a list and link to the other books we’ve reviewed:
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
Tribute to Leonard Nimoy
The passing of Leonard Nimoy was very sad for me. There are a lot of fantastic actors in Hollywood who play wonderful characters but there is no character as memorable to me as Mr. Spock. He’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I love him as if he were a real person.
My fondness for Star Trek began when I was a little girl. I remember sitting on my dad’s lap watching Saturday Star Trek marathons. We bonded over it and I grew to love the show as much as he did.
When the first movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, came out, Dad took the whole family and we got Star Trek happy meals from McDonalds. Being the oldest of seven children, it was extremely rare for all of us to go out to see a movie AND get a meal, even at McDonalds.
A few years later, the entire family went to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan which was shown as a double feature with Annie. (Isn’t that an awesome tagline by the way?)
This movie changed how I thought about storytelling forever. In the movie, Mr. Spock sacrifices himself for the ship, for his friend. I was only twelve when I saw it and I cried and cried. In fact, I was pretty much inconsolable.
Read the Colleen Houck Article on Grief
He is suffering, dying, and yet he stands up and straightens his uniform. He’s blind, but his words are not about what he’s going through. He simply attempts to explain the logic of his actions and comfort his friend. Even today when I watch that scene, I tear up. It’s so wrong and, yet, it’s exactly right.
Never in all the books I’ve read or the movies or television shows I’ve seen did the death of a character hit me so hard.
Because of my great love for Mr. Spock, I modeled a character after him. My Mr. Kadam in my Tiger’s Curse books is an intelligent, kind, thoughtful sort of man who sacrifices himself in a very similar fashion for those he loves. He is the best, most noblest character I’ve written. In fact there is a blog post about him and how I based him on Mr. Spock.
Read about Characters That Live Long And Prosper
When the tiger books first got picked up by my publisher, Sterling, they flew me out to New York. I got to do some really amazing things while I was there. I took a night tour on an open top bus and saw the awesome NYC skyline, I went out to dinner with agents and editors at some of the best restaurants I’ve ever been in, I got to see two Broadway shows, and, yet, the thing I got the most excited about was the fact that I was being recorded for a Barnes & Noble spot in the exact same studio that Leonard Nimoy had been in.
My dream was to someday meet him. He was kind man with a ready smile and an infectious laugh. I recently watched this Salt Lake Comic Con Skype video he did last year. He was patient and sweet with his fans. He quickly agreed to be a grandfather or a father to those who needed one.
I miss him and I’m feeling heartbroken that he has departed from this world. But I’d like to think that, maybe, his mission isn’t quite over yet. #LLAP, Live long and prosper Mr. Nimoy as you explore the final frontier.
Your fan,
Colleen Houck
March 1, 2015
Colleen Houck Book Club- March
UNLEASHED by Sophie Jordan
Last month’s pick was Fragile Destiny by Suzanne Lazear. For those of you who have never read steam punk, this is a great book to start on! For those of you who participated in the live chat on Goodreads with authors Suzanne and Colleen Houck, thanks! It was so much fun! For the next reading selection Colleen has chosen…
UNLEASHED
by the wonderfully talented and good friend,
Sophie Jordan
Here’s a little teaser
” What if the worst thing you ever did was unforgivable?
Davy’s world fell apart after she tested positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. She was expelled from her school, dumped by her boyfriend, abandoned by friends, and shipped off to a camp that turns HTS carriers into soldiers. Davy may have escaped, but the damage has already been done. The unthinkable has happened. Now, even worse than having everyone else see her as a monster is the knowledge that they may have been right about her all along. Because Davy has killed.
On the run from government agents, Davy is rescued by Caden, the charismatic leader of an underground group of rebels. Despite Caden’s assurances that the Resistance is made up of carriers like her, Davy isn’t sure she can trust them. Then again, she doesn’t even know if she can trust herself . . . or her growing feelings for Caden. But if she doesn’t belong with Caden and his followers, is there anywhere she can call home?“
If this sounds like a series you’d like to read, you might want to start with her first,
UNINVITED
Here’s a little teaser on book 1
“You can’t change your DNA…even when it says you’re a murderer.
When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.
Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.”
Introducing Sophie Jordan
Colleen first met at the first Romantic Times in Los Angelos. She’s very sweet and we LOVE her books, they are great friends and have been since they first met!
Check out more on her website at sophiejordan.net
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 March 30th at 6pm (PST).
So everybody who wants to join us, go get your hands on this book and if you’ve already read it then awesome! 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 free books by Sophie Jordan and a signed copy of Tiger’s Curse during the live chat! You won’t want to miss this one!
Stay tuned for the next editions of THE MODERN INK SOCIETY featuring guest blogger- J.R. Johansson and Sophie Jordan!
Happy reading everyone!
~Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
