Rachele Alpine's Blog, page 3

Story of My Life!

75 Days until CANARY is released!

Do you know what today is???  
75 days until CANARY comes out!  
That's not a lot of time at all, which is awesome, because I'm so excited to finally get to share this book with you!
I thought this would be the perfect time to give away one of my last ARCs and an awesome prize pack full of other reading/writing things. 

Sound good?
I thought so!
Here's what is up for grabs in my celebration pack:
An ARC of CANARY (because who wants to wait 75 days???):

An embroidered composition book cover (check out Danielle's ETSY shop, she has tons of awesome writer/reader related items!):

Two notebooks to use with your cover:



And a reusable coffee cup sleeve:



The contest is open until midnight on Tuesday, May 28th.

Thanks for helping me celebrate 75 days until CANARY is released!

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INSOMNIA Blog Hop

I'm excited to be a stop on J. R. Johannson's blog hop for her forthcoming book INSOMNIA (and to give you the chance to enter to win her awesome contest).  J. R. is a fellow Lucky 13s member, and I can't wait to read her book!



Her eyes saved his life. Her dreams released his darkness.
After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can’t take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he’s made eye contact with. If he doesn’t sleep soon, Parker will die.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that’s utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker’s furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he’d go. And when someone begins terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker’s memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.
I decided to ask J. R. a bunch of questions about the opposite of insomnia...sleep!  
Are you a night owl or morning bird? 
Oh...I'm a night owl through and through. I can barely function before noon.

What imaginary things used to scare you in the dark when you were young? 
I was more afraid of reality than monsters. For me, it was always the stranger in the closet or the kidnapper outside the window. Not sure if I was too wise or just lacked imagination. ;-)

If you can remember dreams, what's the strangest one you ever remember having (or it could be your scariest, if you want)? 
One wacky dream I've had a few times was that I fell off a cliff and was plummeting toward an ocean, but when I hit it, it was like a trampoline and I bounced back up to the cliff. I panted and caught my breath for a minute...and then I jumped off again.

Do you like to sleep with the TV on or off? Music? Fan? 
I'm a big proponent of white noise, so I use a fan religiously--but it isn't a real fan, it's from a white noise maker on my phone.

Do you like it cold in the room when you're sleeping or warm? 
I'd rather sleep freezing cold and with lots of blankets. I don't know why.

Where is the strangest place you've ever slept? 
In college, I worked for an airline and I got stuck in an airport overnight. But they didn't have flights at night and closed the airport, and I was a poor college student with no money for a hotel...so I slept on the grass outside the airport. It was actually kind of fun. Like camping with no provisions...or anything else.

When does your alarm go off in the morning?
7:30...but only because I have to help get my kids off to school. I don't set an alarm at all every day I can get away with it.

What's your bedtime?
I'm usually in bed by 2am, but not always. Like I said...I'm a night owl. :)

What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? 
In junior high, I was doing plays at a community theater. We had a massive sleepover one weekend and it was two nights in a row. I was up for about 48 hours and totally revved on caffeine and a sugar high. By the end, I felt ill and dizzy. It was miserable at the end, but I totally feel for Parker because of it.

What keeps you awake at night? 
Too many things. Both excitement and worry keep me up too late. I struggle with Insomnia...just so grateful it isn't to the extent of my main character.

Describe one item in your bedroom that is unique. 
I have a tiny crocheted frog named Julian on my dresser. One of my best friends sent it to me when I was sick and said he would heal me. He's adorable. :)

What do you usually sleep in (if it's not too personal!)? 
I'm probably have more pairs of flannel/cotton PJs than anyone else on the planet. They're usually my writing apparel, too. :)

What gets you moving in the morning? 
 Nothing. It's impossible. I just trudge through til afternoon. ;-)

J. R. is offering up a great prize if you pre-order INSOMNIA now.  I have a feeling we all may stay up late reading this book!

Buy copies here at the following locations:  Book Depository, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and Books A Million.

And enter here:

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We're Going on Tour!

Canary is going on tour!  Woot woot!

It will be embarking on a blog tour August 5-10, and you can be a part of it!

The post are arranged by the organizers of the tour, so all you have to do is host.  Are you excited about Canary?  Do you want to share it with your readers?  Then e-mail me (rachelealpine@gmail.com), and I'll show you how to sign up. 

Canary would love to make a stop on your blog!

Gatsby!

Who is getting excited for The Great Gatsby???  It's only a matter of days now!

I'm planning to go after work on Friday with a bunch of my students (who read and loved the book) and some teachers.

I'd love to go to the midnight show, but the movie is 144 minutes long, and I don't think I can call in sick because I went to see a late night movie.  Right???

NOT A DROP TO DRINK - ARC Contest

So I have this little side business where I make teacher/reader guides for authors (check out the information on my website if you're interested).  I was ecstatic when Mindy McGinnis wanted me to make a guide for her book NOT A DROP TO DRINK, because I was dying to read it.

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….



You guys!!!  This book is so so good!  It's dystopian, but felt different than the others I've read, because the world that McGinnis creates feels so realistic.  The events seem like they could really happen, which makes it all the more scary.

The guide for this book is created, which means I want to find a new home for the ARC.  What do you say?  How about a contest?  All you have to do is enter below and help spread the word.  Good luck!

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Happy Spring!

Radley is loving the warmer weather...what about you!?!

Book Blitz

On Saturday The Lucky 13s came together and did a Book Blitz. People on Twitter tweeted us page numbers, and we tweeted out one line from that page. It was a lot of fun, and I loved seeing the lines from some great books that are coming out in 2013! We were even the number one trending hashtag...woo-hoo!
These are the lines I tweeted from CANARY. Which is your favorite?
10: We had been moving through life avoiding conversations about her.
171: I tried to focus on Jack, on being with him and my friends and the fact that I was supposed to be having fun. 

11: We're not his family, his team is. 
223: A quick crack of his words and we were no longer together. 
94: My guess is Jack and the rest of the team would be warming the bench if their actual schoolwork decided playing time.
93: Jack needs help with his history assignment that's due tomorrow.
220: Jack doesn't even try to understand what happened that night at his party.
5: You promised we didn't have to leave our old school.
155: You're going to get killed.
34: If you asked me to pinpoint the moment the breaking happened, I'd say that was the point where I lost Dad. 
First page (and first line!): Your dad will leave you when you are twelve.
46: We tried to be a family.
99: Beacon had given back something that was missing in my life. 
34: He became basketball, and to me, to Brett, he became lost.
56: "Okay, just in case," I promised, but I knew I could take care of myself.
59: Find something to do besides stalking your little sis.
77: What doesn't make sense is why you can just walk back onto the court and Coach makes you a starter.
186: She only goes to our school because her mom teachers math, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to afford Beacon.
97: There is a thin line between everything and nothing.
50: The day after Mom died, I started swimming laps to survive.  

Click, Clack

Yesterday my hubs, mom, and I went on a road trip to Columbus, Ohio to pick up the newest addition to my office.  This beauty belonged to my great aunt and uncle and now resides on the corner of my desk.


It's in mint condition and came with a bunch of ribbon, so now I can clack away all I want.  It's from the 1940's and is the same brand Hemmingway used (which sits in his house in Key West waiting for him to use it again).

A Library Wedding

Galleycat featured a sweet marriage proposal in a library on their blog yesterday.  I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better place for a proposal (well, maybe Napa, but I might be bias!).


Jason and I didn't get engaged in a library, but we did have our wedding pictures taken in one!  The Cleveland Public Library is a beautiful place, and I thought it was perfect for our pictures.  We even brought along The Great Gatsby (a book that's special to both of us....when Jason and I first started to date, I told him it was one of my favorite books.  He immediately bought a copy and read it.  I think that's one of the first moments when I started to fall in love with him.  A man who would read my favorite books???  Uhm, yeah!).