P.J. Hoover's Blog, page 62

What I did on my Winter Break Part 2

In case you think all I did was paint the propane tank this break, here's what else went on at our house over the holidays.

Monster X


Anyone know which coin I copied the back of?
Oh, wait, I guess it says at the bottom.

Have a great weekend!

DOGSLED DREAMS by Terry Lynn Johnson GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited about the book and giveaway I'm featuring today. Why? Because I have been so fortunate as to get to know the author through the blog world this past year. Terry Lynn Johnson has been an inspiration, from her starting out blogging to selling her book to signing with fabulous agent Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency (my agent-sister). Yay, Terry! You rock!

Anyway, up for giveaway today is

DOGSLED DREAMS by Terry Lynn Johnson (4RV Publishing LLC, December 2010)


From Terry's Website:

Twelve-year-old Rebecca dreams of becoming a famous sled dog racer.

She's an inventive but self-doubting musher who tackles blinding blizzards, wild animal attacks, puppy training, and flying poo missiles. All of her challenges though, seem easier than living up to the dogs' trust in her abilities.

Rebecca runs her huskies along the crisp trails near Thunder Bay, Ontario, where northern lights flare and dangerous beavers lurk.

Through the bond she shares with the dogs, Rebecca learns that hard work, dedication and living in the moment bring their own rewards.


Source of book: From author (thanks, Terry!!!!)

For your chance to win this book, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post


For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me


And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, January 21, 2010!

And don't forget...

Enter to win an ARC of BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, January 25, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!



Enter to win an ARC of THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster, October 2010)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

My Kindergarten Challenge for You

See what came home in the folder today?


In case you need a translation, it's:

"I want to learn about grass and snow and infinity and God and red."

See, now my Kindergartener has a goal for the year. And now's your chance to do the same.

Don't just set the goal. Write it down by hand and color yourself a pretty picture to represent it.

To make it easier for you, I've created the blank page below. So grab your crayons and get to work. And then share!

Best of the Best—My Top 2010 Book Picks

So I set a goal to read 75 books this year, and I came in at 82. That's down 6 from last year's 88, but I'm still thrilled that I was able to read so many awesome books in 2010.

But of all the great books, how am I supposed to pick my favorites? It was hard because so many are so OSUM, but for your viewing pleasure, here you go.


My Top Book Picks For 2010 (in no particular order):


DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegen Books, May 3, 2011)

Let no one tell you the dystopic genre is over. This book, due out in May 2011, rocks the house. Dystopia, may you live long and prosper. I can't wait to see what you do in book 2. And please, Veronica Roth, if you need a beta reader, keep me in mind :)




PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White (Harper, August 2010)

If you think you're sick of faeries of vampires or werewolves or any of the like, read this book.



BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (Harper, March 2010)

I worried this wouldn't live up to its reputation. It did, and then some. Groundhog Day, move way, way over. But Lauren, could you stop with the making me cry?



THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster, September 2009)

Just looking at this cover makes me thirsty. This book is best savored with some liver, a side of fava beans, and a nice chianti.



BLACK HOLE SUN by David Macinnis Gill (Harper/Greenwillow, August 2010)

Yeah, I know when reading the blurb, it says I won't want to mess with Durango. But I'm sorry, David, after reading this book, I really do want to mess with Durango. So finish book 2 already. Bring it on.




THE MARBURY LENS by Andrew Smith (Feiwel & Friends, Nov 2010)

I think I stopped to breathe once or twice while reading this. Maybe. I can't remember. It all kind of seems like I was in another world. And if I was, would I be one of the few remaining good guys or one of the really creeped out bad guys?



PERFECT CHEMISTRY by Simone Elkeles (Walker, December 2008)

The only dual POV book I've read to date where I never once got confused as to which character was narrating. And the romance. The word "perfect" isn't in the title for nothing.





MOSTLY MONSTERLY by Tammi Sauer (Simon & Schuster, August 2010)

Tammi, you named your chicken wrong. The monster will always be Lola to me. And if there's any cuter artwork in the world, I've yet to see it.

BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith ARC Giveaway

Late last year, I got an ARC of this book and did a giveaway in case any of you remember, but guess what? I managed to get a second ARC! And guess who's lucky enough to have the chance to win it? Yes, you!

If you haven't read any books by Cynthia Leitich Smith, then I have to tell you: you are really missing out.

If you don't know Cynthia personally, then I have to tell you: you are really missing out.

I can't begin to say how *blessed* I am to count Cynthia Leitich Smith among my friends, and so in honor of the very soon and upcoming release of her newest paranormal novel, I'm offering up this ARC of it!

BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, January 25, 2011)


From Amazon:

With a wink and a nod to Bram Stoker, bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith unites the casts of Tantalize and Eternal in a delicious dark fantasy her fans will devour.

Quincie Morris, teen restaurateur and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life — or undeath.

Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love — the hybrid-werewolf Kieren — of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents' restaurant up and running.

She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature — and his flaming sword — and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it's too late.

Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie's soul?


This book rocks!


Source of ARC: From publisher at NCTE

For your chance to win this ARC, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post


For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me


And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, January 14, 2010!

And don't forget to enter to win an ARC of THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster, October 2010)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Writing from the Place: TEN WRITING RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR!

It's the new year! All bright and shiny! One zero, two ones, and one two (that comes out to be 2011). A new year is a perfect time to set writing resolutions, but maybe you aren't sure what your resolutions should be. Maybe everything seems too overwhelming. Or then again, maybe you just want to know what our resolutions are going to be :)

Well, we here at the place (being K. A. Holt, Jessica Lee Anderson , E. Kristin Anderson, Madeline Smoot, and sometimes members Mari Mancusi and Jenny Ziegler) have the answers you need.


We give you our Top Ten New Year's Writing Resolutions:


1) Pull five manuscripts out from under your bed. Burn three, tear one to pieces, and resurrect the other. Or burn it and start something new.
The key thing is to pick something to work on.


2) Write everyday.
Blogging doesn't count.
Emails don't count.
Write words and sentences in a manuscript everyday.


3) Read everyday.
Internet doesn't count.
Magazines don't count.
Read words and sentences in an actual book everyday.
(If you're looking for some suggestions, perhaps check out the books by those of us who write at The Place.)




4) Make a schedule so that (2) and (3) are actually feasible.
Once you make the schedule, stick to it. Life is so much nicer when a schedule is involved.
Really.


*****

5) Submit something somewhere by the end of the year.

Of course that means you have to

6) Have something finished and good enough to start submitting by the end of the year.


7) Stop tweaking your manuscript!
You've been working on it forever and it's time to let go, query, and submit!

*****

8 ) Sell that book!
See above suggestions if you need help getting to this point.

*****

9) Never be without pen and paper.
Travel with a notebook, write everything down.
Eavesdrop on conversations and record observations.
Make note of every idea, no matter how silly it seems at the time.

(gratuitous Star Trek reference)

*****

10) Enjoy the process more and not worry so much about the destination.
I suggest reading this poem daily on your journey to Ithaca.

Happy 2011!

3 Days Left...

...until the New Year!


So here's what I'm asking:

1) What are you going to get done in the next three days?

Books to read?
Errands to run?
Propane tanks to paint?

2) How are you going to kick off the New Year?

Me...I'm jumping in the neighbor's pool bright and early New Year's Morning. The Polar Bear Club, right?
Anyone else game?

CURSE OF THE WENDIGO ARC Giveaway!

I'm pretty sure I mentioned how much I loved THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey. It had that perfect mix of suspense and action and character development that made it more than deserving to be a Printz Honor book. For those of you complaining there aren't enough good books for teen boys out there, this is one book you should definitely check out.

Okay, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the gore. THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is not for those with a weak stomach. But for those who can handle it, it's a must read! And so is its sequel which I was so excited to get my hands on, and now I'm offering up the ARC for you!

THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO by Rick Yancey (Simon & Schuster, October 2010)


Aren't sure what a WENDIGO is? Then you'll have to read the book! (Or I guess you could google it if you are impatient like me.)

I have to note, I'm also fascinated at how the hardcover and paperback covers changed for THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST. Which do you like better?



In case you weren't hooked at my "gore" description, check out the book trailer for THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST:



From Amazon:

While attempting to disprove that Homo vampiris, the vampire, could exist, Dr. Warthrop is asked by his former fiancÉ to rescue her husband from the Wendigo, a creature that starves even as it gorges itself on human flesh, which has snatched him in the Canadian wilderness. Although Warthrop also considers the Wendigo to be fictitious, he relents and rescues her husband from death and starvation, and then sees the man transform into a Wendigo. Can the doctor and Will Henry hunt down the ultimate predator, who, like the legendary vampire, is neither living nor dead, whose hunger for human flesh is never satisfied? This second book in The Monstrumologist series explores the line between myth and reality, love and hate, genius and madness.

Source of ARCs: From publisher at NCTE


For your chance to win these ARCs, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Follow The Texas Sweethearts blog
3) Comment on this blog post


For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me


And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, January 7, 2011!

JAMES PATTERSON ARC Winners!

Hope you all had a great holiday (and are still doing so)! Thank you to everyone who entered!

The winner of the four James Patterson ARCs



is ...

BELINDA at The Bookish Snob!

*****

Look for some fantastic giveaways coming up!