Zia Marie's Blog, page 10

First Look: Lost, The Taken Trilogy cover

I present the cover for Lost, which I think provides major clues as to where the story is going, and there's also a teaser. I just figured out what I want "Gone" (final book) to look like. Same road/path theme too. 

"If you do this, Jackson, we're no longer friends," Russell says, and the whimsical, child-like nature of his tone stands in contrast to his very serious, raised gun. 

"Well, on the upside, I guess nothing's changing then," I say, smirking. 

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Here's a side by side comparison of Taken and Lost covers:

Congrats to all the LibraryThing winners!

OMG! A record 119 people over two weeks requested to receive The Persephone Prophecy: The Gift. Wow, I'm completely in a shock. I really hope you all like it, but if not (and I'm sure some of you won't, that's how these things go), thanks for even being interested! It was all ladies time time around!

Wendy
Rosetta
Sharon
Linsey
Hannah
Jo Ann
Annette
Lorena
Lisa
Priscilla

The Lying Game!!!

The Lying Game is based on Sara Shepard's YA book of the same name and revolves around separated at birth identical twins Emma, who bounces around from foster home to foster home, and Sutton, a snotty privileged mean girl, who discover the existence of one another as teens. Only to have something really bad happen to Sutton (not by Emma's hand) while Emma is pretending to be Sutton. The book and tv show differ in a pretty big way  regarding the girl's interaction and you should read the book and watch the show to understand.

I'm totally in love with The Lying Game, the tv show. This is like the same reaction I had with The Devil Wears Prada. Liked the book, but LOVED the film adaptation. And this is no different, I absolutely love the TV adaptation. I think Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl fans won't be disappointed. Mean girls. Rivalries. Cute boys. Plots that rope you in...and a pretty cool mystery.

And if you're a fan of the book, I think you'll agree with me that the changes the producers and writers made were for the best. I think I connected way better with Emma in the tv show than I did in the book. (By the way, ABC Family, wondering why you didn't pair this with Switched At Birth, but I guess they wanted to see how they would do individually).I really hope Sara Shepard is happy with the way things turned out.

Alexandra Chando (who plays both Sutton and Emma) is such a cutie...and Sutton's friends (Mads and Charlotte) are not as annoying as I remember from the book, but Laurel (Sutton's sister from her adopted family) takes the cake as irritatingly as hell. Nisha, though no Blair Waldorf, is very much a Queen B in her own right. 

There were also some familiar faces from other ABC Family shows. For instance, hottie Blair Redford (had a short stint  on Switched at Birth...and he was Oscar on ABCF competitor, The CW's 90210) plays potential love interest, Ethan Whitehorse, and there's some love triangle action brewing (between Emma and Sutton, weirdly...it'll make sense when you watch) for those of you who are into that stuff. Sharon Pierre-Louis (as Nisha) and Alice Greczyn (as Madeline or Mads) from Lincoln Heights, Kirsten Prout (as Charlotte) from Kyle XY and Allie Gonino (as Laurel) from 10 Things I Hate About You.

Definitely a great guilty pleasure show worth watching!

My New Orleans pictures and how they inspired me for Lost

Back in June, I went to a really lovely wedding in New Orleans. It's one of my favorite cities. I used to go with my family every summer when I was a teenager, but when I went this year, it had been the first time since before Katrina. The wedding was beautiful and there are just too many photos to share,but I love the architecture in NOLA from Bourbon Street to the mansions/plantations. Everything's big and colorful. I love the terraces and the balconies. I have never seen another city that looks like NOLA.

With Lost, the next book in the Taken Trilogy, I wanted to paint a more vivid picture of the scenery, which I don't think I did much of in Taken. I really want you to feel and see and smell where Jackson is...




What I'm writing: The Death of Melanie Marshall, Lost and TPP: The End (In that order)

What I'm listening to: "Love You Like a Love Song" -- Selena Gomez and the Scene

All photos are copyrighted or used with permission.

LibraryThing Giveaway Winners!!

Congrats to everyone who won The Persephone Prophecy: The Curse through LibraryThing!

Larissa
Cheryl
Sara
Diane
Francine
Kelsey
Samantha
James
Amanda
Marijke

The Bookish Babes reviewed Taken!!

"Although I initially had reservations about him, Jackson became a character I adore. [T]he ending was a fantastic. I didn't see the twist coming. At all. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Lost." -- Andrea, The Bookish Babes (she gave it 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads, Amazon, Nook and LibraryThing).
Click HERE to read the review in its entirety. 

   Synopsis: "Lately, I have been thinking you had forgotten which side you're on," he says to me. Instead of responding, I smile. I know exactly which side I am on. Whichever one gets me the hell out of this place.  ****  All Jackson Smith wanted to do was take his little sister Aubrey to a county fair, but they ended up in the town of Wicker Farm, a place that doesn't even exist on Earth as he knows it. Run by the ambitious and diabolical Governor Richards, Wicker Farm is in the process of rebuilding following a disease that wiped out most of the population. Anyone who ends up there is expected to stay forever.
With the governor's forces everywhere, escape seems impossible-- not that Jackson can even begin to figure out how to escape. That is, until he forms an uneasy alliance with Russell Tremell, the young leader of The Resistance, the rebel group that opposes the governor.

If Jackson can lead two lives, moving up the ranks as the perfect Wicker Farm resident while working for The Resistance, he may be the key to getting everyone out. This means bringing the danger even closer, from Richards' security officers and from the temptations that Wicker Farm offers: the type of life he never would have had access to in his world.

But after finding himself torn between Charlie, the Resistance wild child, and Sasha, Governor Richards' daughter, the real danger could come from the unlikeliest source-- from falling in love.

Buy Taken:  Kindle (US) | Kindle (UK) | Nook | Smashwords (DRM-free versions, which can be played on any device).