Corrine Jackson's Blog, page 8

Marketing Monday: TARNISH Launch Ideas

THE BACKGROUND

TARNISH by Katherine Longshore will be released on June 18, 2013. It is the second book in the Royal Circle series, and this particular book focuses on the story of Anne Boleyn. DISCLAIMER: Katherine has agreed to be featured in today’s Marketing Monday, and she may or may not use any of the ideas below. Upon request, she provided a few key images, quotes, and themes from the book as thought starters.

THE ASSIGNMENT

Offer up ideas and suggestions that Katherine could use to help create buzz for TARNISH leading up to the book’s launch. See the description on Goodreads.

THE METHOD

The best marketing ideas are tied closely to the audience and the product that you are trying to market, especially when it comes to a product launch. The marketing tactic should make you think of the product while appealing to the people you are trying to reach. This is the lens I use when developing a marketing plan for a book.

THE PLAN

Swag

People like free things. That is a fact. Most authors will do bookmarks, at the very least. But some of us like to take our swag to the next level. I’ve seen bracelets, soap, nail polish, candy and more. The point of swag isn’t to give away free products, though. It is to get people to remember your book. The more the product can drive recall of your book, the better. With that in mind, I suggested that Katherine give away cloth for polishing silver jewelry, a nice tie-in with her title of TARNISH. It’s unique enough that people will want it, but useful enough that people will keep it around, which means she’ll get more bang for her buck. And what teen girl (or her mom) doesn’t have jewelry that needs polishing?

To do this inexpensively, Katherine can buy the cloth by the yard (from Amazon). I suggested that she buy small envelopes that she can label with TARNISH stickers and she could even stamp the cloth itself with her title. This may take a little bit of labor, but it would make for a fun giveaway for special events or blog contests.

Tudor Life Video Series

TARNISH is a historical novel set in Tudor England. Katherine has obviously done a lot of research about the time period. One way to engage readers would be to develop a few videos that bring the time period to life. Imagine a series of videos that look at elements of Tudor life through a modern perspective. Say Katherine films herself trying to cook a Tudor meal, letting us see the prep that goes into it. One way to make it entertaining would be to let us see the mistakes that she makes. Think Pinterest Fail experiments. Another video might be on how to dress like a Tudor lady in all her finery. Katherine could show how awkward it is to dress in all the layers (without the help of a maid) and to go about everyday tasks while in full regalia. Other video topics might include manners or a dating/courting guide, or – since they play a part in the book – explaining how hunting and falconing was practiced.

Humor is one way to make these videos come to life, and to invite readers inside the world of TARNISH. A series like this could push an author out of his or her comfort zone, but it could also be something that goes viral and brings in readers at zero cost as long as you have a laptop and a camera.

Quotables

You may have noticed that certain quotes have a way of going  viral on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook. Katherine could design (or have designed) a few images to post on these sites. I would make use of that gorgeous tarnished metal background (to drive recall of the cover and reinforce branding), do a few versions with quotes from the book, and add the title in a corner using the typeface from the cover. Like so. This gives people a chance to get a taste of the book, while creating more impressions (ie. more people hearing about the book).

 

Themed Contests/Tours

Hunting occurs in the novel. I would use this happy occurrence to frame a contest or blog tour around a “hunt.” Create images or symbols that people would hunt for at each stop for a chance to win prizes. It’s a way to make a contest more exciting and align it with the subject matter in the book – again driving brand recall.

Jewels are also a key image on the cover. They could be used as symbols in a “jewel hunt” for a chance to win a necklace like Anne Boleyn’s, along with other prizes like silver cleaning cloths and the book itself.

TARNISH Paper Dolls

If Katherine knows an illustrator or can hire one, she could create Royal Circle paper dolls that people can print out or that she could give out at events. This could be costly, though, so keep that in mind. See these as an example.

Party Idea

Anne Boleyn wore a very signature necklace. Katherine could set up a jewelry making station at her party so teens can make their own necklaces. A site like Beadaholique.com offers bulk jewelry supplies at inexpensive prices. This could be done at a library or bookstore while Katherine does a reading from the book, maybe even dressed in costume regalia from the book. Party invitations could be sent to teen centers at local libraries, and the opportunity to make a necklace may be a draw for a new audience, giving Katherine the opportunity to get the word out about TARNISH to more people.

MARKETING MONDAYS

I’ve worked in marketing for ten years, and prior to that, I was a graphic designer for eight years. The first Monday of each month I will discuss different marketing tactics for publishers and writers. Some weeks I will be preparing case studies of new releases and offering up launch solutions to help spark ideas for authors. If you are a debut young adult author and would like to be considered for a Marketing Monday case study, please use my contact form to let me know.

Have a question? Let me know in the comments!

RT Convention Schedule

I can’t decide what I’m most excited about – meeting my favorite authors or meeting the readers. I’ve been looking forward to the RT Convention and I’m so thrilled it’s here. Please come find me. I’ll be giving away swag and signing copies of IF I LIE and TOUCHED at various events.

Wed, May 1 @ 3:45pm - 4:45pm

SPOOKY SOIREE: LOVING THE THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Join Kensington Publishing’s paranormal authors to hear about how extra-normal proclivities pump up the heat in paranormal romance, sneak peeks at their favorite supernatural scenes and win treats especially for freaky fans.

Host(s): Kensington Books

Panelist(s): Zoë Archer, Saranna DeWylde, Jennifer Estep, Alexandra Ivy, Corrine Jackson, Hannah Jayne, Kathy Love, Linda Mercury, Marina Myles, Sharon Page, Kate SeRine, Lori Sjoberg, Jillian Stone, Joan Swan

Location: Ballroom Level

Room: New York A

Thurs May 2 @ 12:20pm – 1:20pm

Kensington Social

Gilliam Room A on Lobby Level

Sat, May 4 @ 11 – 2 PM

YA Alley Signing

From 11:00 am-2:00 pm attendees will join us for the Giant Book Fair where you will meet more than 80 YA authors who will be autographing in YA Alley and whose books you can purchase. A special YA locator booklet will be given out so that you can find out exactly where your favorite author is seated.

Sat, May 4 @ 5 PM – 6 PM

TEEN DAY: AUTHOR SPEED-READING

A host of YA authors will read very short excerpts in these timed readings.

Panelist(s): Brodi Ashton, Jeanette Battista, Lauren Bjorkman, Rachel Caine, Anna Carey, Kimberly Derting, Jill Hathaway, Tara Hudson, Justina Ireland, Corrine Jackson, Kate Maddison, Richelle Mead, Lea Nolan, Eve Silver, Jeri Smith-Ready

Location: Mezzanine Level

Room: Chouteau A & B

Sat, May 4 @ 6:15 – 8PM

TEEN DAY: TEEN DAY PARTY

You’re invited to the RT Teen Day Party Saturday, May 4th from 6:15-8:00 pm!

Sponsored by: HarperTeen

Mingle with your favorite authors including Kelley Armstrong & Melissa Marr. Swag bag pick up for the first 250 TEENS who registered. Tons of giveaways. Must present ticket to receive a swag bag! Books & looks, eats & beats!!!

Authors: All the authors that are taking part in Teen Day will be at this evening party.

The energy was nothing short of magical at last year’s second annual Teen Day event and this year will be even bigger and better. This year we will have well over 80 authors signing in YA Alley and all will be on hand to meet readers at the Teen Day Party. The swag bags will be awesome, brimming over with books and goodies for the fan. Note: Swag bags will be given out to the first 250 teens (no adults) who register, so be sure to sign up early.

Location: Lobby Level

Room: Gillham Hall

 

 

 

TOUCHED is only $1.99 on Amazon!

 

AVAILABLE HERE.

 

Bookanista Review: ARCADIA BELL SERIES

Here is the official blurb from Goodreads:

KINDLING THE MOON by Jenn Bennett   

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . . 

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

 

SUMMONING THE NIGHT by Jenn Bennett   

MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS. After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no.

Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

****

These urban fantasy novels are targeted to an adult audience, but I think teens would eat them up.

ADMISSION: I had KINDLING THE MOON on my Kindle forevah. I don’t know what kept me from reading it, but once I picked it up, I read it straight through. Then I bought the sequel and read that straight through, too. Seriously. I was up until 4 AM reading these books because they were that good. (There’s also a novella that I read, though I’m not discussing that here.)

Cady is a brilliant heroine. She’s a magician – a special, rare one at that – but she is flawed and dealing with extremely dangerous situations. No “Mary Sue” type of character here. Her voice is snarky and fun to read. Her smart observations about the magical world and the demons that surround her had me laughing out loud. And her take-charge attitude was so refreshing. Quite often, the love interest took a backseat to Cady’s efforts in sleuthing.

Which brings me to the love interest. Lon is quite a bit older than Cady. I thought this would bug me, but somehow their chemistry lights up the page. I love their scenes and the way they interact. And then there’s Lon’s teenage son who curses like a sailor and is precocious as all get out. I was cracking up every time he dropped into a scene.

The world-building is fantastic. Magicians and demons. Halos that only demons (and Cady) can see. Magicians who can bind demons. Rival magician organizations. I was so in. Bennett offered up an original take on a mythology that I considered beat to death, proving that you can make something new with a lot of imagination. I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much through a book.

I’ve already pre-ordered the next book in the series, BINDING THE SHADOWS (pub date May 2013). I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Mature fans of Cassandra Clare’s MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series would love these!

Find the series on Goodreads.

***

Katy Upperman  ponders LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS by Laura Buzo

Kimberly Sabatini wonders at WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney

Elana Johson  falls for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

Tracy Banghart  loves LACRIMOSA by Christine Fonseca

Rebecca Behrens delves into CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein

Lenore Appelhans raves about THE RULES by Stacey Kade

Stasia Ward Kehoe wraps up National Poetry Month with THE POETRY TEACHER’S BOOK OF LISTS by Sylvia Vardell

Christine Fonseca  celebrates UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

Jessica Love hails THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

Shannon Messenger  discusses some recent reads

Wednesday Writer’s Vocabulary: MOTIF

MOTIF

A literary device in which recurring elements, symbols, or ideas reinforce a work's themes

HOW WRITERS CAN USE IT

A motif can be an incredible tool for an author. It’s another way to reinforce your story’s theme without being heavy-handed. If you were to repeat your theme, your reader might feel beaten over the head with it. But if you repeat an image or idea, you can introduce your theme in a subtle manner.

To reduce this to its simplest form, say you are writing a a story with a “good vs. evil” theme. You may choose a motif of “light vs. dark” wherein the use of light colors, weightlessness, or knowledge is contrasted with dark colors, heaviness, or ignorance. Instead of saying, this person or thing is good, you allow the descriptions to get that idea across through repetition.

A motif adds a level of complexity to your work when it is used effectively.

Common motifs include:


Seasons (winter can represent death; spring can represent new life or youth)
Colors
The Love Triangle
Light vs. Dark
Love conquers all
Hero’s Journey
The Journey
Lost innocence

EXAMPLES
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson

In SPEAK, the image of the tree is used as a recurring motif. Melinda has lost her voice after a traumatic event. The tree comes to represent many things, including her growth as a character throughout the novel.

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Winter and winter imagery appears throughout WINTERGIRLS as a common motif to represent a girl’s relationship with her body as she battles an eating disorder.

HARRY POTTER series by J.K. Rowling

In the Harry Potter series, the muggles act as a motif. These non-magical humans are used in contrast to the wizards in order to show that the best and worst of humanity exists in both worlds.

PAPER TOWNS by John Green

In a road trip story like PAPER TOWNS, the physical journey is a motif representing the spiritual journey from youth to adulthood.

WANT MORE TIPS?

Wednesday Writer’s Vocabulary are a recurring feature on this blog. Have you ever found yourself struggling to offer critiques because you don’t know the lingo? Every Wednesday I define a writing or editing term and provide practical examples from novels and short stories.

Have a term you want to see here? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday Writing Tips: ANGLO-SAXON VS. LATINATE DICTION

A LITTLE HISTORY

So once upon a time, in the fifth and sixth centuries, the Angles and the Saxons of Schleswig-Holstein (think Germany) invaded Britain and brought with them their Germanic language. Then, several centuries later, the English adopted lots of French words into their language. French, a romance language, is rooted in Latin (like the other romance languages, which is why you notice a lot of words that look and sound alike). The English that we speak today is a combination of that old Germanic language and the influx of latinate words. This is obviously a simplistic explanation, but you get the idea.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Anglo-Saxon and Latinate words have a very different sound and feel to them.

ANGLO-SAXON

concrete
shorter
guttural/blunt
“of the body”
feeling words

LATINATE

abstract
polysyllabic
elevated diction
“of the mind”
thinking words

I once wrote a sonnet where the narrator was very angry. When my professor returned my paper, she said that the anger wasn’t come across because I was in “the head” vs. “the body.” What she meant was that I was using big, intellectual words that a reader would have to ponder the meaning of, rather than shorter, more emphatic words that one would express in a rage. Think of the plethora of 4-letter words that pop out of our mouths when we stub our toes or someone cuts us off on the freeway. Do you say “shit” or “excrement”? If you’re like me, you sound more like a trucker than a professor.

Have you ever been reading a work and felt like the language was formal or somehow distant from emotion? Sometimes, the root of this lies in the type of diction that the author is leaning toward. Fantasy stories and historicals often veer toward Latinate diction, which can be part of the reason they don’t sound modern. In contrast, when YA contemporary stories use a lot of Latinate diction, I doubt the author is in touch with their teen audience.

ANGLO-SAXON WORDS

chew
boss
eat
job
ask
drink
belly
flood
friendly
go
leave
know
meet
wish
break
begin
bless
bow
free
lie
think

LATINATE WORDS

masticate
superior
consume
position
inquire
imbibe
abdomen
inundate
amicable
depart
egress
recognize
encounter
desire
disintegrate
originate
consecrate
prostrate
emancipate
prevaricate
cogitate

HOW CAN I APPLY THIS?

Works are going to employ BOTH Anglo-Saxon and Latinate diction, but awareness of the differences between the two can help you to use them more effectively. When writing an emotional scene, try to get into your character’s body or use blunter language. Use more of those Anglo-Saxon type words and try to avoid abstract thinking. Look at the difference between these two sentences.

LATINATE:

“I slept with your best friend,” he said.

“I hope you putrefy in hell, you prevaricating cheat.” she shouted. “I’m glad to be emancipated from you.”

ANGLO-SAXON:

“I slept with your best friend,” he said.

“I hope you rot in hell, you lying cheat.” she shouted. “I’m glad to be free of you.”

Obviously, I’m exaggerating things a bit, but you can see how the diction and word choice changes the feel of the girl’s reaction. In the Anglo-Saxon version, her emotions come across loud and clear. In the Latinate version, the elevated diction makes her appear removed from her emotions. And, since the reader has to pause and think through the meaning of those multi-syllabic words, you are slowing your reader’s reaction to the scene. If the moment is intended to be intense, this can be a big problem.

TIP: Think of who your audience is and what you are trying to get across on the page. Your word choice can make a huge difference.

WANT MORE TIPS?

Tuesday Writing Tips are a recurring feature on this blog. Every Tuesday I will be offering up a different editing or writing tip.

Have a topic you want to see here? Let me know in the comments!

Authors Who Review

I was at a barbecue on Saturday and had an interesting conversation with a fellow writer. Somehow we fell into a discussion of reviewing. This other writer mentioned that in England writers review other writers all the time, and it’s not viewed the same way over there as we do in America. I haven’t researched this, but it reminded me of a recent happening. Last autumn, Amazon began quietly removing reviews that authors had written for other authors. (See a little background on that here.) Amazon removed those peer reviews in part as reaction to consumers complaining about authors creating false accounts in order write reviews that could (a) bolster their ratings and (b) hurt other authors’ ratings. While I think that concern was legitimate, I don’t agree with Amazon’s reaction to the problem where they revised their review guidelines. The new guidelines prohibit “Sentiments by or on behalf of a person or company with a financial interest in the product or a directly competing product (including reviews by publishers, manufacturers, or third-party merchants selling the product) (Source)” These are the grounds upon which they removed peer reviews.

One problem I have with this is that books are not like other commodities. I might buy only one TV. Say I’m a TV manufacturer and I create sock puppet accounts to dis other TV manufacturers. The assumption is that killing my competition’s ratings will help mine. But books are not TVs. I buy over 50 books a year at least.  If someone likes an author whose style is like mine, the chances increase for that person to buy both of our books. Amazon’s entire recommendation system is built on this practice – readers who bought X also bought Y and Z. So the chance of someone purchasing my books on Amazon are INCREASED when someone likes the work of my fellow authors. If that’s true – and I wholly believe it is – I don’t consider other books or authors my competition. My only competition is my ability to write the next best work that I can. I hate the assumption that I will be dishonest – which is how Amazon’s policy strikes me – but I also have no “financial interest” in the failure or success rate of other books. A negative or positive review of a fellow author will do nothing to move the needle on my career, so what’s the point? Sure, monitor sock puppet accounts. But prohibit all authors from reviewing? That doesn’t make sense to me.

Authors have always been reviewed by their peers. The idea that friends and acquaintances can’t offer up an honest review of each others’ work is something I object to. I do write reviews (though I don’t post them on Amazon). Mostly, I write reviews of books that I would be willing to recommend because that is the policy of the review group that I belong to. Regardless of my undying love or mild liking for a book, I’m a tough reader and I spend some time pointing out a work’s strengths, weaknesses, and who I think would like it. The point I’m trying to make is that I can and do offer honest reviews of books written by my peers, and the assumption that authors are incapable of this bothers me. When I heard that Amazon bought Goodreads, my first thought was to wonder when my GR reviews would begin to disappear. I hope that’s not the case, but time will tell.

Of course, I’m not blinded to reality. I know for a fact that authors will go out and rate their friends’ books 5-stars, sometimes in hopes that their friends’ will do this in exchange. Quite frankly, I’m not here to judge, though this is not something I practice or would encourage for my own books. But just because there are a few people doing this (and I do believe it’s a minority of authors doing this), does that mean that it should be assumed that authors are incapable of impartiality?

I think author Joe Konrath made another excellent point. He says:

Amazon allows one-star reviews from people who haven’t even read the book, but deletes positive reviews from people who honestly enjoyed it, and somehow that’s improving your review system? (Source)

On a personal note, I’ve had books I haven’t even written yet rated on Goodreads. I’ve been told that some readers use the star rating system to rank books by how excited they are to get their hands on a book. Is it possible these false ratings – by authors seeking to manipulate ratings and people who rate works they haven’t read – cancel each other out? Should Amazon police one extreme, but not the other? (though admittedly this may require a discussion of its own). I ask this with genuine curiosity because, at the end of the day, I am BOTH an author and a reader. I am an author BECAUSE I am an avid reader and I would like to have a place where I can continue to discuss books with fellow readers because there are few things I’m more passionate about.

What do you think? Is peer review a thing of the past? What should Amazon’s policy be?

Bookanista Review: CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY GIRL

Here is the official blurb from Goodreads:

CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY GIRL by Louise Rozett    

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…

1. I’m livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I’m allowed to be irate, don’t you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is nowenraged and out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and “seeing red” means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don’t know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)

****

Rose has lost her father, her brother has left for college, her mother isn’t really present, and her best friend is suddenly chasing popularity. On top of all of that, Rose is starting her freshman year of high school. This is a lot of change for this one girl to take, and she is incredibly sad and lonely (more so than angry, though more on that later).  She feels somewhat abandoned by the people she cares about and has a lot of doubt about her place in the world.

The only person who offers her any solace is Jamie, an upperclassman who was a friend of her brother’s. Their friendship offers some of the happier moments of the book as they flirt and get to know each other. The problem is that Jamie has a girlfriend – a cheerleader on the squad with Rose’s best friend, Tracy. Once this cheerleader from hell finds out that Jamie and Rose kissed, she unleashes a fury of bullying on Rose, making her life ever more miserable. This was painful to read, and I kept wishing that Jamie would realize what was happening and step up. In addition to seeing what this mean girl does to Rose, we see how Tracy interacts with the team in her quest to be accepted. Peer pressure makes her do insane things, and the hazing is meant to humiliate her. Rose acts as a voice of reason through much of the book, encouraging Tracy to walk her own path and to practice safe sex with her boyfriend.

Rose is a quiet, contained character for the most part. She doesn’t express what she wants very often. She bottles things up (except with her brother), and there is a growing sense of her needing an outlet before she explodes. The tension grows and grows until you want her to explode.

One of my complaints – and it isn’t really a minor one – is that the title and synopsis are misleading. I expected Rose to cause chaos, but as I mentioned, she is a voice of reason. I expected her anger to be all-encompassing, but I never got the sense that she was out of control. She just came across as in pain. She starts to express her anger a couple of times, but it always gets suppressed. I liked this book a lot, but I would have loved it more if it had taken more chances. If we’d seen more of Rose’s ugly side. Because that is what I thought the novel would be – a girl pushed so far to the edge of reason that she would do things out of character. Again, these expectations were built up by the title and jacket so I went into the book with preconceived notions. I’m also not sure I bought into the chemistry between her and Jamie, but a sequel is planned and I think this will be explored more in the next book.

This book deals with issues of bullying, grief, and the loss of a parent. If you like quiet, strong characters, you will like this one.

Find it on Goodreads.

***

FIRST… Jessica Love welcomes our FIVE NEW BOOKANISTAS!

Carrie Harris croons about THE COLLECTOR by Victoria Scott

Shelli Johannes-Wells hails HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda

Stasia Ward Kehoe celebrates YALSA’s TEEN LIT DAY

Nikki Katz raves about ROOTLESS by Chris Howard

Gretchen McNeil adores UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody

Rebecca Behrens and Tracey Neithercott share why they’re excited to be newbie Bookanistas

IF I LIE is on the 2013 IRA Young Adults’ Choices Reading List

The International Reading Association (IRA) is a “nonprofit, global network of individuals and institutions committed to worldwide literacy.” They put out a few lists for various age groups. Here’s a little info.

Since 1987, the Young Adults’ Choices project has developed an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle and secondary school students. The reading list is a trusted source of book recommendations, used by adolescents, their parents, teachers, and librarians. (Source)

So why am I so honored to see IF I LIE on this list? First, the list is chosen by teen readers, and that is so exciting. I love knowing that teens are reading the book and connecting with the characters. It means the world. Second, only 30 books make the list, and I’m humbled by the company IF I LIE is keeping. So humbled that I can only say THANK YOU.

You can see the whole list here.

Bookanista Review: SUCH A RUSH

Here is the official blurb from Goodreads:

SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols  

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

****

This was my first Jennifer Echols book, and it has made me a fan. First off, I have to confess total adoration for the cover. It thought it was beautiful and intriguing and just so well done. Now on to the writing….

Leah is a high school senior unlike other seniors. She lives in a dump with a mother who makes Cruella Deville look loving. She puts up with a reputation and people who think she isn’t worth anything. And she tries to keep a roof over her head and food on the table with no effort from her mother. Most girls would be crushed under the weight of all of this, but not Leah. Because she has a dream that keeps her going – she loves flying.

And she’s lucky enough to find someone who will give her a chance to fly. Then one day he dies and Leah’s fate in the skies is put into the hands of the man’s two sons. The great thing about the way Echols set the novel up is that we get to see these sons as teens interacting with their father and Leah. We see Leah’s tenuous, shaky relationship with boys that she considers privileged (and who certainly are when compared to her). Then when the father dies, we see these three characters mired in grief, each in their own way.

Grayson is abrasive and determined. For a portion of the book, you feel that you should not like him and sense that Leah feels the same way. Yet, there is something in his spirit that draws Leah, a thing that she recognizes in herself. So even when you hate Grayson, you still are kind of rooting for him and hoping that kinder (if mistaken) motives are driving him. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the love-hate friction between Grayson and Leah leads to some incredibly hot scenes.

Perhaps the thing I loved most about the book was Leah’s voice. She is authentic and 100% real. She sounds mature, but then her past would lend itself to maturity. More than anything, she is full of fight in circumstances that could have ripped that from her. I so badly wanted her to achieve her dream in the book. And if some of the plot felt slightly unrealistic (don’t want to give away spoilers here), I could completely forgive it because of the strong characterization and amazing chemistry. And there were lots of moments of grip-your-seat tension when things didn’t go as expected in the air.

A great read for fans of more mature YA lit and realistic characters. If you like Courtney Summers, this is a great book for you.

Find it on Goodreads.

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