Corrine Jackson's Blog, page 12
August 24, 2012
Upcoming Events
Hi All,
This is going to be a busy week. To keep you in the loop, I wanted to give you an update on where I’ll be. Mark these dates on your calendar.
Saturday, August 25, 8-9 AM PST:
Blog and a Talk – Blog Radio show: Join me at 8 AM PST (11 AM EST) for a one-hour discussion. You can even call in and ask questions. Details here.
Sunday, August 26, 3-5 PM PST:
Live in Northern California? Come out for the first ever Palo Alto Litquake! I’ll be on a YA Panel with Katherine Longshore (Gilt), Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky), and Talia Vance (Silver, Spies and Prejudice). Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303. More details here.
Tuesday, August 28, 7PM PST:
Join me for my book birthday! IF I LIE Launch Party, Books Inc. @ Opera Plaza, San Francisco, CA. There will be cake balls ZOMG, sweet tea, a candy bar, and swag bags. More details here.
Tuesday, September 3, 5-6PM PST (LABOR DAY):
#IFILIE Twitter book birthday party. Join me on Twitter (@Cory_Jackson) as I reveal behind-the-scenes IF I LIE trivia, the IF I LIE playlist, and character inspiration photos. There will be prizes! Use the hashtag #ifilie to join in the fun.
And as always, if you see me in person, ask for swag. I carry it around like it’s a third arm. No, really.
Corrine
August 23, 2012
Bookanista Review: AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE
Here is the official blurb from the publisher:
AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE by Kat Rosenfield
Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town–and Becca–into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson’s life are intercut with Becca’s own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia’s death.
****
As soon as I saw the cover for this book, I wanted it, and I was so excited to get an ARC at ALA in June. From the first paragraph, the prose impressed me. Kat Rosenfield has a poetic style with beautiful descriptions and a unique turn of phrase. More than that, though, she chose an interesting structure.
There are three distinct POVs in the book: first person POV (Becca), close third person (Amelia/Luke), and distant third person (town). Becca’s story is one of heartbreak. She has never fit into her town and can’t wait to leave it behind. In the prologue, her boyfriend, James, rocks her world when he breaks up with her and the rest of the book deals with the ramifications of that. Then we have Amelia and Luke’s story, which I found to be the most intriguing of the story. Amelia is dead at the outset of the story, and the mystery of how she is murdered propels us through the novel and – for me – made her chapters the most compelling. Amelia and Becca have something in common; they are both outsiders in the small town where Becca lives and Amelia dies. Between these two distinct POVs, we have the town POV. This is where we learn the philosophy of the town, and we understand that when you are part of the town, you are of one mind with it. There is a shared history, philosophy, and sense of belonging, but also a danger of getting stuck in the past. The rotation between these POVs helped shine a light on what it means to be from a small town and what it means to leave that behind, highlighting Becca’s need to escape from it and the sadness of Amelia’s bright life ending there.
The book’s greatest strengths are also its weaknesses. While I adored the prose, sometimes it didn’t serve the plot. It shone bright and beautiful, but at times it didn’t tell me anything about the characters or push the plot along. I’m not always adverse to that – I love pretty prose – but there were times when I wished the story would move along. Not much happened in the town POV chapters, and they got a little repetitive. Add that to Becca’s chapters where she seemed frozen by circumstance, and the book suffered from a pacing problem. The end didn’t satisfy the way I hoped, either, but I think the slow pacing put a lot of pressure on the conclusion – reading so patiently made me want the story to end with a bang, but it landed with more of a soft blow.
With that said, I found much to like about AMELIA ANNE. As I mentioned, the prose is gorgeous, and I’m completely jealous that I didn’t write some of the lines. Plus, I found James to be an intriguing character, and by far the most rounded.
I would recommend AMELIA ANNE for those who like realistic fiction with a mature edge.
***
Check out the links below to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about!
Nikki Katz raves about the THE RAVEN BOYS
Tracy Banghart talks up TIMEPIECE
Shelli Johannes-Wells wows with an ebook giveaway
Jessica Love feels a kinship for KISSING SHAKESPEARE
Teen Book Scene: IF I LIE Blog Tour – Stop #4
August 22, 2012
Teen Book Scene: IF I LIE Blog Tour – Stop #3
At today’s stop on the tour Jenny at Supernatural Snark interviewed George, the Vietnam Vet who becomes Quinn’s friend in IF I LIE.
Full tour schedule here.
August 21, 2012
Teen Book Scene: IF I LIE Blog Tour – Stop #2
August 20, 2012
Teen Book Scene: IF I LIE Blog Tour – Stop #1
To celebrate the release of IF I LIE, Teen Book Scene is hosting a blog tour. For the next two weeks, you’ll be seeing review, unique interviews, and more at various blogs round the blogosphere. Please join me on each leg.
Word for Teens interviewed me about IF I LIE, and my answers are all in lyrics.
Full tour schedule here.
August 16, 2012
IF I LIE Reviews and News
IF I LIE is out in the world in just twelve days.
12 DAYS.
Okay, now that’s out of my system, I can get on to the good stuff. I’m happy to post the full reviews for IF I LIE from Kirkus and VOYA. These are up at Barnes and Noble, too, so I figure it’s okay to post them now. Here we go.
VOYA
Quinn has done the unforgivable. Caught cheating on her boyfriend, a hometown hero now MIA in Afghanistan, she is hated by everyone in her small military town. While Quinn knows the truth that would clear her name, it is rooted in secrets that are not hers to tell, secrets she may have to live with for the rest of her life. Jackson’s debut novel is a strikingly poignant portrayal of a young woman’s struggle to be right in the face of persecution from, not only her peers, but her entire community. While the novel is told in Quinn’s first-person narrative, the author has gifted Quinn with the capacity to recognize the pain underlying others’ actions, even those who are slinging the most hate her way. Addressing bullying, homophobia, family dysfunction, grief, and the awesome cost of war, the novel is mostly about honor and what it means. Strong, achingly human characterizations help make the novel as emotionally sound as it is; Quinn’s work with the Veteran’s History Project at the local VA hospital is especially moving. In a few places, Quinn’s flashbacks do not transition smoothly and it takes a few sentences to realize she is looking back, but otherwise the storytelling is gripping. Much more than a unique spin on being the high school outcast, this is also a thought-provoking glimpse into a community built around service to our country and the many faces of honor. Reviewer: Vikki Terrile
Kirkus Reviews
Six years after Sophie’s mother cheats on her father, a Marine, Sophie does the very same thing and becomes a pariah. Sweethaven, N.C., is just west of Camp Lejeune, and it is a Marine Corps town through and through. An injury to one is an injury to all, so when a half-naked Sophie is photographed wrapped around a boy who is not her boyfriend just days before he is deployed to Afghanistan, she becomes “slut” to everyone, including her father. As Sophie reflects of her boyfriend, “He might as well have a PROPERTY OF SWEETHAVEN label stamped on his ass.” Her only solace is the time she spends at the VA hospital with George, a crusty soldier-turned–war photographer whom she is helping with an oral-history project. What she won’t—can’t—say is that not only was she not cheating on Carey, she is suffering all this to protect him. Sophie’s blunt, perceptive present-tense narration takes readers effectively into her personal emotional maelstrom. Relationships and their dynamics play themselves out naturally and with satisfying complexity; readers see all too clearly the damage done in the name of love. If Sophie’s friendship with George feels familiar, readers won’t begrudge her the only human who shows her warmth. Set in the waning days of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” this portrait of a military town rings true.
WOW. I mean, WOW. I’m stoked. I’m beyond stoked. I’m flipping euphoric. I’m doing this.
Source: thechosenjuan
And the good news? You can now read sample chapters at a gorgeous site that Simon Pulse made. 
August 9, 2012
IF I LIE Freaking Awesome Contest
If you saw this, then you know finished copies of IF I LIE arrived in the mail yesterday. And I love nothing better than a contest (except coffee and Kraft blue box and, well you get the point…). So make ready for a contest of AWESOME.
How it Works
It’s so, so easy. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Each person can enter +10 times (depending on how many times you tweet about the contest). That’s a lot of entries in the pot with your name on them. Kind of like the reaping in Hunger Games, except SO MUCH BETTER and with prizes and no death. Here are possible ways to enter:
Tweet about the contest once per day – +1 per tweet
Like my page on Facebook – +1
Sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar – +1
Follow me on my shiny, new Tumblr page – +1
Add the IF I LIE countdown clock to your site via the Get Widget button on the below clock – +1
Send me a pic of you with the cover of IF I LIE OR a pic of IF I LIE in your favorite reading spot. Warning: photos WILL be used in a future vlog. – +5
ETA (due to question): Valid International. WTH? Let’s go global. Though, if you’re in Australia, I’m sending it via a steamship, sailboat, or other cheap method. Likewise for other far-flung countries.
But wait, there’s more…
For every 250 entries I receive, I will add another signed copy of IF I LIE to the prize pool (max 4 copies). Are you dancing yet?
(Psych Snoopy Dance)
What are you waiting for? Ready, set, enter the IF I LIE Freaking Awesome Contest!
Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/i/68cb434f-5... Creator Pro</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”&am... free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”&amp...! Not seeing a widget? (<a href=”http://support.widgetbox.com/”&am... info</a>)a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 8, 2012
August 7, 2012
Countdown has begun!
Due to popular request, I give you COUNTDOWN CLOCKS. Feel free to steal them for your websites. I dare you.
And because I like to give things away, leave me a link in the comments below showing any one of these clocks on your website, and I will send you a pack of swag. This is only good for the US. (The postage is outrageous to ship outside the US. Sorry!) Limited to the first 20 people.
Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/i/b122b8a8-2... Creator Pro</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”>great free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”>Widgetbo...! Not seeing a widget? (<a href=”http://support.widgetbox.com/”>More info</a>)
Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/i/a0a2de2b-a... Creator Pro</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”>great free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”>Widgetbo...! Not seeing a widget? (<a href=”http://support.widgetbox.com/”>More info</a>)
Please note: This clock is for the German edition ONLY. The US version will have a later release date.
Get the <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/i/0907dd3c-3... Creator Pro</a> widget and many other <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com/”>great free widgets</a> at <a href=”http://www.widgetbox.com”>Widgetbo...! Not seeing a widget? (<a href=”http://support.widgetbox.com/”>More info</a>)
