Gwen Gardner's Blog, page 33

Launch Day! GUTG and Neverlove!

Thanks for the awesome banner, Tara Tyler!

Do you know what today is?
It's launch day for the Partners in ParanormYA blog tour!
WooHoo!
Today, we'll be over at Alex Cavanaugh's blog for blast off!

Angela Brown and I are so excited for the release of our novels Neverlove and Givin' Up The Ghost.

We hope you'll follow as we tour Blogtown. Our tour schedule is over in the sidebar. Every day will be a brand new post featuring our characters, creatures, and of course, us!

Also, please feel free to spy on drop in on the Partners in ParanormYA blog - our teenage MC's are house-sitting while we're gone.

Both books are now available on Amazon:


Givin' Up The Ghost ebook on Amazon HERE.

Givin' Up The Ghost print book on Amazon HERE.





Neverlove ebook on Amazon HERE.

Finally in Print: The Faerie Guardian!

I am so excited to help Rachel Morgan reveal the cover for her print version of the Creepy Hollow series. I just reviewed her last book, Masquerade, on Monday. So you know how much I adore this series!

Here's the scoop:

Title: The Faerie Guardian


Author: Rachel Morgan

Release Date: 5 Nov 2012

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out of it alive.

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This novel was originally published in four separate parts: Guardian, Labyrinth, Traitor and Masquerade. It includes bonus scenes at the end.

Giveaway Time!
The bonus scenes at the end of the book are NOT written from the main character's point of view. If you'd like to win a $10 Amazon gift card, all you have to do is guess whose point of view these scenes are written from! Head on over to the cover reveal post at Rachel Morgan Writes and fill in the Rafflecopter form. There's a list of characters there that you can choose from. Good luck!

EVER: Character Casting and Availability

Today I'm hosting the awesome Jessa Russo on my blog, in honor of her new release, EVER.

Welcome, Jessa!

I do love character casting. But Jessa, I'm sorry, Jennifer Lawrence cannot play Ever in the movie version, because she'll be busy playing Indigo (from my book). Sorry...


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Thank you so much for hosting me for today’s blog tour stop, Gwen!

If I were living the ultimate dream, and not only was I facing the awesomeness of a movie deal, but I was ALSO allowed to cast my characters myself, I would cast Emma Roberts as Ever Van Ruysdael.




If she was busy (what?) I would cast Aimee Teegarden. I adore her in Friday Night Lights. ADORE.





Both Emma Roberts and Aimee Teegarden have the right face – innocent and pure, with a hint of mischief. They would have to have their hair dyed black, and probably gain a few pounds (Ever is curvier than most seventeen-year-olds) … throw in some brown contacts, and dress them in black leggings, black chucks, and a baggy tank top, and VOILA! The perfect Ever Van Ruysdael. In my humble opinion.

And if they weren’t available – how they could have something better to do, I have no idea – I think Jennifer Lawrence with black hair and brown contacts would be another really great option.





So I guess we’ll see where that goes, huh? One can hope!!

I will be casting the supporting roles over on Juliana Haygert’s blog next week (10/11)! Be sure to pop on over to see pictures of my choices for the perfect Frankie, Toby and Jessie!


Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

EVER on Amazon (Kindle)
EVER on Amazon (ebook)
EVER on NOOK

The Daisy Award: Weird Things About Me

Yay! I received the Daisy Award from Tara Tyler.

Here's what I'm supposed to do. Thank the giver (thanks Tara!) and list 7 weird things about myself.   Umm, why would Tara think there are 7 weird things about me? It's not that whole Italian Night thing, is it? Just so you know, I had to think really hard to come up with 7 whole weird things about me! Just sayin'.
 1. I don't talk to myself, I just want to make that clear. But - years ago I got into the habit of saying positive affirmations while driving in the car. Out loud. To myself. Alone. But I'm not talking to myself. And if anyone sees me, they just think I'm singing. Right? 
2. I don't grocery shop or put gas in my car, but they both magically appear when needed. I suspect a Sprite. Or maybe my husband.

3. When I go for walks, sometimes I skip. Because I still can. Because nobody can see me in our neck of the woods, erm, forest.

4. Speaking of forest, I have worn my pajamas, on a few occasions, to walk the dogs. Again, nobody can see me, except the deer and squirrels, and they're not talking.

5. I once did a run wearing two different tennis shoes and didn't notice. Sort of goes along with the time I wore two different earrings.

6. I don't like pork or beer. Yes, I'm a freak.

7. I once gave CPR to a squirrel after it fell from a tree into my dog's lap. Not mouth-to-mouth, just the chest compressions. It didn't work.

I've just realized I need to get out more because all my weirdness comes from the forest. I'm turning into a Forest Freak. Thanks Tara! Thanks a lot!

Okay, here's the fun part.
Mwahahaha!
I get to pass the Daisy Award on to 5 other bloggers:
Millie Holmes
Angela Brown
Elise Fallson
Linda Jackson
J.E. Fritz

How about you?
Care to share any weird or unusual things about yourself?

Friday Funnies: Alphabet Soup

I wish ideas came to me in alphabet soup!
Instead, my bright ideas usually come at an inconvenient moment, like while driving or sleeping (not at the same time, lol!).

Where's the most unusual place you got an idea from?

Frankie's Blog Takeover - And EVER Release

Hey guys and dolls, how's it going? 
Don't look so startled - I don't bite. 
My name's Frankie. And I'm just a regular guy. Well, except for the whole ghost thing, I guess. 



You’re probably wondering what I'm doing here. Well,
it’s pretty simple actually. Something is coming for my best friend Ever - something
I alone cannot protect her from. Regardless of how much I love her how hard I try. 
So I have to spread the word.
And I need your help to do it.
I've been a bystander for far too long, trapped in
this ghostly shell for the past two years. I've decided it’s time to make myself known and set
some things into motion. See, I've hijacked Amazon, Curiosity Quills Press, and blogs all over the internet to make my move. 
You're probably wondering why, right? 
Well allow me to be a bit more specific. Something isn't just coming for Ever; her actual soul is in danger. So I've decided to stay silent no longer. Word needs to spread. People need to know. 
Evil lurks in the shadows.  
To give Ever more time to figure things out and try to protect herself from the trouble that awaits her, I'm upping the publication date of our story. 




 I'm sure you can understand. I mean, souls are on the line here. 
So, with that said, EVER IS NOW AVAILABLE. Yes, you read that right. NOW. I couldn't wait any longer, so I did what I had to do to protect that stubborn girl I love my best friend, Ever. 
I had to do it. Some things are too important to wait for, and Ever is one of those things for me.
Now as you’re spreading the word about this new development,
take heed this one warning:
Evil lurks in the shadows. And not just any evil. 
It’s disguised as that slick talking, good-looking bastard, Toby James ... the new kid next door. 

GoodreadsAmazon



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Morality In Young Adult Fiction

I've been wondering....why is modern young adult fiction so popular, even among adults?

Is it escapism? There's certainly an element of that.

Is it nostalgia for our teen years? In my case, I would answer absolutely not. Been there, done that, and it wasn't that much fun. It took me too many years to move forward, and there's no way I want to go back, even vicariously through fiction.

So what is it about YA?

For one thing, todays young adult authors take risks: with voice, narrative structure, social commentary and creativity. It's a wide open field. For example, the Book Thief. It's a  Holocaust memoir narrated by Death. How clever, different and interesting is that?

I think the Harry Potter phenomenon kicked it all off. At least that's where my interest began. I checked out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from the library, and from then on, I was hooked. It has a perfect combination of everything. A fantasy world combining magic with the supernatural and paranormal and everything in between and on either side. Being cross-genre, it has elements of fantasy, mystery, thriller, adventure and romance. You can have it all!

I've heard modern young adult fiction referred to as desperation lit and disaster fiction. The truth is, it has the same themes as adult fiction: death, loss, prejudice, war, corruption. While there is an element of truth to these labels, they are only part of the truth. There is always a balance; for every dark thing, there is a corresponding light. For every bad, a good.

In modern young adult fiction, by the end of the book, we still have hope, redemption, a moral code, growth, triumph over adversity and integrity. Perhaps in this challenging world we now live in, we all need these core beliefs to be reaffirmed, whether we are adults or almost-adults. We know life is hard, but hard is okay when it's balanced with a belief in yourself and your fellow man.



Why do you read young adult fiction?   What don't you like about young adult fiction?

 

Alex's GENRE FAVOURITES Blogfest

Okay, I thought I couldn't do this because mom and sister are visiting this week. But I changed my mind at the last minute. I can do this. I'll just sneak off to my computer (which I'll be doing all week anyway) for a few minutes here and there.

So here we go!

Alex Cavanaugh's Favorites Blogfest. It's all about your favorite movies, music and books in each genre and your guilty pleasure in one of these categories.

Here are my favorites:



Movies: I'm not a big movie watcher because we have to drive too far 1+ hours. But my standard go-to movie at home is the Deathly Hallows. Yep, Harry Potter.

Music:

Classic Rock. I know this is really telling my age.  But hey, it used to be just rock. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Who, Black Sabbath, Bad Company, Foreigner, the Doobie Brothers, Chicago. You get the picture. But I listen to a lot of other music as well.

Books: Young adult, paranormal and dystopian. Think Paranormalcy, the Hunger Games, Harry Potter. Also, I like British mysteries (Reginald Hill, Stephen Booth, M.C. Beaton).

My Guilty Pleasure: It's in music, surprisingly. Lately, I've been really getting into Italian music. Weird, huh? We have Italian night every Friday (food, wine, garlic bread - more wine) and to get in the whole Italian mood, we put Italian music on Pandora. My favorite song? Mambo Italiano.

What is your guilty pleasure, hmmm?

Friday Funnies: OCD Editing Support Group

Thank you Debbie OhiI'm done.
With edits, I mean.
For real, this time.
Final, Final, Final edits are completed.

But are they?

My CP, Angela Brown, and I decided to have one more read-through of each others work before publishing. 

And we had to laugh because it was amazing the stuff we were still finding! Stupid stuff. Slap your forehead because "how could I miss that?" kind of stuff.
I think I'll have one more read-through. What do you think?

Thank You! Goals! August Indies!

First things first!Last weeks cover reveal was a huge success because of all of you!
Thank you so much to everyone who helped with the Partners in ParanormYA Cover Reveals.
Angela Brown and I are soooo grateful!
Alex Cavanaugh Jessa Russo Joy Campbell Mary Pax Meradeth Houston Angela Orlowski-Peart Angie Sandro Carolyn Brown Cherie Reich EJ Wesley Nadja Notariani JC Martin Michelle Pickett Tyrean Kyra Lennon Jessie Harrell Rachel Morgan Donna Hole
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Goals, Goals, Goals


August Goal Results:
Work on final final edits of Givin' Up The Ghost. Check. I did work on them, even though they weren't really complete until September. I think - come back for Friday Funnies regarding edits:)Work on scheduling blog tour for GUTG self-publish release. Check. Our schedule is nearly full. Work on marketing plan for GUTG. Hmmm. Yes and No. I wrote down a bunch of ideas. Does that count?Work on posts for the blog tour. I've been stessing thinking about it. Work on synopsis (for real this time) for BuNoWriMo idea, keeping in mind that 19th century ghostly madam's have no place in an MG novel:)There is no way I can talk myself into any kind of partial "check" on this one. I just plain did not do it. Read 3 books. Check. Actually, I read 5 books. You can see them listed below. Visit 20 awesome blogs per week. Maybe. Probably Not. In my spare time *winks* work on 2nd draft of A Guilty Ghost Surprised. Nope, not even a little.
Looking at my list, I'm wondering what in the heck I did in August!*sigh*Oh well. Moving on. September Goals:Finish editing Givin' Up The GhostLearn how to format GUTG for publishing on AmazonFinalize blog tour schedulePre-write posts for Partners in ParanormYA blog tourRead 3 booksPost M-W-F on author blogPost Fridays on Run Gwen, Run!Post twice on Partner's in ParanormYA blogVisit 20 blogs per week
Did you meet your August goals?
What are your goals for September?
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Books read in August - 4 out of 5 were Indies!
Traitor by Rachel MorganNeverlove by Angela BrownFearless by Christine RainsBorn of Fire by Heather McCorkleHowl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
What did you read? Any recommendations?