Shooting Stars Mag Likes Contests (Do Your Part)

Hello again, everyone! I just HAD to come and tell you all about this awesome contest that Shooting Stars Mag is hosting. Lauren, the cool kid that she is, in honor of the release of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, got a bunch of reviewers (including moi!) to donate 10$ gift cards towards the contest prize.

Check out the post about it here, and be sure to look for I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone when it hits stores!

Oh! And before I forget, be sure to check in for Stephanie's guest blog, coming soon!

News From My Trip (The Thank-You's Are A'Rollin')

Well, everyone! I was hoping I'd get a chance to post about my FBLA nationals trip day to day to keep all of you informed (whether you wanted to know or not), but unfortunately that couldn't happen. I didn't know I could survive 7 days without internet, and believe me, it was hard. Good thing I had some reviews already scheduled to post for your entertainment.

News from My Trip
Everyone, you are looking (metaphorically speaking) at one of the five members of the parliamentary procedure team that placed 5th in the nation. (granted, first would have been great, but still... fifth is pretty bomb).

Unfortunately, our candidate for FBLA National President didn't win. We were all sad.

BUT our Business Ethics team placed 8th in the nation. We're all very proud of them.

I'm just glad to be back home (with my good food... sorry, Georgia, but nothing can take the place of good cajun cooking).

So I'm Extending a Thank You...
Thanks to all of you who in some way wished me good luck with nationals! I really appreciated it. I liked knowing that you (well... some of you) come here for things other than book reviews and/or contests.

Thanks, Dominique, for being patient with my whole internet-connection problem as I got back to you about your prize.

My boyfriend gets a pretty big thanks, also. He checked every day to make sure your posts came out like they were supposed to. And, he's the one that's been responding to my emails (which I found out that I really can't live without) during my brief trip away from the world of internet.

A HUGE thanks to Chelsea (you might care to think of her as The Page Flipper) for being such an awesome person and helping me let you guys know that I couldn't post Linda's guest blog when it was scheduled.

And What's Coming Up?
I would have sworn to you before the trip that I would have all of my books that I brought with me read by the end of the trip. Well... that's not the case. I did, however, manage to read The Year of Disappearences, so let's keep an eye out for that review soon.

Possibly two guest blogs this week will be gracing the pages of From the Corner of Megan's Mind to make up for the lack of one last week.

What's this? There's a new group of bloggers surfing the blogosphere... that's right! Yours truly has joined those that run a blog called Genre of the Month. Check it out!

I did come home to find that I got books in the mail (yay, books!), so you've got a few more reviews to look forward to.

AND.... mystery contest numero 2 might be lurking around the corner.... so keep an eye out!

Review: Bewitching Season

Bewitching Season

Marissa Doyle

Twins Persephone and Penelope Leland couldn’t be more different. While Penelope can not wait to be presented to the queen and her first Season to begin, Persephone would rather stay at home and study. The two have one thing in common, however—magic. They both study magic under their governess’s care.

While in London, however, their governess goes missing. The twins immediately begin a plan to find her. But when their mystery links to the plot to gain control over the princess, they know they must do both—save their governess, and save the princess. And it doesn’t hurt to have a cute guy help them along the way, especially for Persy’s sake.

Since I really like novels placed during the 1700-1800s, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that I really liked this novel. I actually ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. Once I got started, I could not put it down. I found that I could easily relate to Persephone. Although I’m not on a mission to help my governess or perform magic, her daily inside struggles are easy to relate to (especially when it comes down to her relationships). I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes novels about magic, historical fiction, and/or mystery.

Review: The Patron Saint of Butterflies

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

Cecilia Galante

Honey and Agnes are two very different girls with one very big thing in common: they both live in Mount Blessing, a religious commune. While Agnes has a family with her and she tries to live a saintly life, Honey is by herself and doesn’t care to be a saint.

When Agnes’ Nana Pete comes for a visit and learns that the girls were punished in what the commune calls the “regulation room,” she decides that she’s going to take her grandchildren away. Her plan is suddenly set into motion when Agnes’s brother hurts his fingers and the commune leaders “perform a miracle” to put them back on. So she takes Agnes, her brother, and Honey back into the real world, and there, all of Honey’s questions about her past are answered.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies was hard for me to get into at first. But as the story went on, it was easier to see why the characters acted the way they did and why the plot moved as it did. It was pretty good, but one of those novels that I don’t think I’ll read again. The Patron Saint of Butterflies is, however, a novel worth looking for.

Guest Blog (Or Lack Thereof)

Unfortunately, Megan doesn't have internet access (Hi! This is Chelsea!), so there will be no guest blog today. :( She'll be back soon, though!

Contest Links for June 24, 2008

Another Tuesday, more contest links!

Win a copy of The Hunger Games from Teen Reads

If you haven't heard yet, Keri Mikulski's giving away That Summer and A Bad Bride's Tale in her YAY for YA June giveaway.

IB Teen Blog is giving away four different books in three different contests this month!

Reviewer X is feelin lazy, which is fine by us when she's willing to give us a 15$ gift card because of it!

Cynthia Leitich Smith is giving away a set of First Daughter novels on her blog, Cynsations.

YoungAdult on myspace has two copies of Chance Fortune and the Outlaws to giveaway

The Book Muncher is celebrating her 100th post with a contest! The prize? Three books featuring hot musician guys :]

Book Chic is still giving away books on his myspace.

Melissa Walker holds weekly contests on her blog. This week, she's giving away Not Anything.

Don't forget to check out Linda Gerber's blog on Friday for an awesome contest!

Review: The Summoning

The Summoning

Kelley Armstrong

Everyone thinks Chloe Saunders is crazy—her dad, her aunt, and even her schoolmates now. But then again, she was expelled for “attacking a teacher.” But Chloe isn’t sure what to believe about herself. She was seeing ghosts, so she must be crazy, right? There’s no such thing as ghosts, and they definitely do not talk.

So Chloe gets sent to Lyle House, a home for “crazy” teens. There she meets Rae, who has a ‘thing’ for fire, and Simon and Derek, two foster brothers who couldn’t be more different. When Chloe and Rae sneak in to look at Derek’s file, they notice that Simon doesn’t have one. Why is he here if there’s nothing wrong with him?

Maybe Chloe isn’t crazy. Rae, Simon, and Derek don’t seem to think so. There might be more than what meets the eye. And they might be the people to help her realize.

I absolutely loved The Summoning. With so many science fiction type books coming out recently, if most readers out there are like me, you start to wonder if any new good science fiction books are going to come. Believe me when I tell you that this is the book that we’re waiting for. The characters were interesting and unique, while the plot was strong and spellbounding. I absolutely cannot wait for the other two books in Darkest Powers trilogy to come out.

-------------

by the time you read this, I should be somewhere between Louisiana and Georgia on my way to FBLA Nationals. Let me know if you're here too!

Review: Truancy

Truancy

Isamu Fukui

Tack is a fifteen year old just trying to get through school. Most of us would think that it’s not so bad. But for Tack, it’s even worse. Tack lives in a totalitarian city, where the Mayor and the Educators team up together to suppress the students and mold them into good, obedient citizens. But there are some students that just won’t be quieted. This group of students is called the Truancy, and their goal is to take down this school system.

Check out the rest of my review here.

Yay for Random Links!

Yep, I found out about this contest too late to post it with the Tuesday contests, but it'll end before the next post about contests comes up, so here we go!

A Patchwork of Books is giving away five (five!) copies of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.

Review: Roots and Wings

Roots and Wings

Many Ly

Grace’s whole world centers on the two people that make up her family: her mom and grandmother. She’s never met her father, and her mom won’t tell her about him. Yet she feels that there is something missing from her life. And when her grandmother dies, the hole in her heart gets even wider.

Check out the rest of my review here.

Authors in the Corner: Jody Gehrman

Today's Authors in the Corner features a guest blog from Jody Gehrman.

Jody Gehrman is the author of four novels and numerous plays. Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty is her first Young Adult novel and is published by Penguin's Dial books. Her adult fiction includes Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Tart was a Booksense notable in 2005, won an RT Bookclub critics' award, and has recently been optioned for film. Her plays have been produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf recently won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of English at Mendocino College.

-------------------------------

The Novel: Grappling with the Big Picture

“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
~W. Somerset Maugham

“Writing a novel is like driving across country at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole journey that way.”
~E.L. Doctorow

_______________________

The biggest challenge in writing a novel is dealing with the scope of it; most writers start in shorter forms (i.e. short stories or poems) so the idea of churning out 300-or-so pages is often daunting. Most of us who attempt the novel find we get lost at some point in the process, feeling aimless and unsure of how to proceed.

The thing to keep in mind is you have a story to tell, and as long as you can keep the heart of that story within your sites, you’ll be fine.

This, of course, is easier said than done.

Here are some tools that may help you navigate the vast wilderness of your story:

Create an Outline: Some writers eschew outlines for a more organic, build-as-you-go technique. I’ve found an outline to be helpful, as long as I’m spontaneous enough to alter it when needed.

Different types of outlines:

§ Try a 3x5 card for each chapter. This way, you can throw out ideas that aren’t working without having to start from scratch.

§ Timelines: I sometimes use one timeline of major events within the novel, and another for events in the main characters’ lives that preceded the novel.

§ One page synopsis: Really forces you to focus in on the essentials. Also a useful tool later when courting agents/publishers.

§ 5-page synopsis: Lets you expand to cover major plot points. Also a useful marketing tool with agents/publishers.

§ Messy notes outline: If bullet points aren’t your style, a useful compromise is to brainstorm freely about your characters, their needs and desires, plot possibilities, etc.

§ Plot Map: For the more visually inclined, try boxes, bubbles, arrows, etc. to create a blueprint of major events.

Use a Logline: Screenwriters are fond of saying, “If you can’t tell your story in a few sentences, you don’t know what it is.” Hence, the birth of the logline, a 1-3 sentence TV-Guide style summary of your story emphasizing the character’s primary conflict.

Try a Collage: Cut out pictures of your characters, the rooms and landscapes they inhabit, their favorite objects, or just images that evoke the mood you’re trying to convey. Place it near where you write for inspiration.

Get Feedback: Have a trusted friend (or writing group) read your latest draft, and don’t give them too many hints beforehand about plot, themes, etc.; listen carefully to their feedback. Then, if they haven’t already volunteered it, ask them what they think your novel is about.

Consider the Dramatic Structure: Aristotle insisted that every story have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Thinking of your novel in these terms can help. What’s the climax of your story? What’s the resolution? How does each event build toward that climax? Another way of asking this: What’s your main character’s problem, how does that problem become increasingly intense, and how does the problem explode, then resolve?

For me, boiling it down to these three steps is extremely helpful:

Beginning (Act I): Set up the conflict
Middle (Act II): Complications ensue, tensions rise
End (Act III): Turn (climax) and resolution

As Somerset Maugham noted, no one knows the three definitive rules for writing a novel. With this in mind, I hope these suggestions will help you in your courageous undertaking.

Thanks so much, Jody!

You can look for Jody at her website and her myspace.

Readers, what are some of your tips to writing a novel?

Mystery Contest #1 Winner

This contest got a total of 51 entries. I punched the numbers into a random number generator, and it gave me the number 39. Therefore, the winner of my first mystery contest is....

Dominique!

Thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for the next mystery contest. Dominique, you've got 72 hours to email me at darklaceoflight@aol.com. Otherwise, I'll have to choose a new winner.

Contest Links for June 17, 2008

Yay! I'm sticking to my schedule!! Tuesdays are for other people's contest links. So here we go...

I've been terribly neglectful and only just got around to entering Carol's contest on her blog! She's hosting two contests right now. That's how far behind I am.

Contest #1: Win book(s), bookmarks, and/or other goodies! Ends on June 30th.
Contest #2: Carol did an awesome interview with Tina Ferraro, and she's giving away your choice of either How to Hook a Hottie or Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress.

The Elite Series myspace page is giving away a copy of The Elite. According to the blog post, the contest lasts a month, and if my calculations are correct, then the contest ends July 4.

Kayla over at Midnight Twilight's book blog is giving away an ARC copy of Brooke Taylor's Undone. This contest ends on June 29.

The Story Siren is super pumped about getting 20,000 hits on her blog! Wouldn't you be? So she's asking for your feedback in a survey, and sweetening the deal with a contest.

The Compulsive Reader is giving away another ARC copy of Kitty, Kitty.

Book Chic on myspace is hosting a huge amount of contests this month! Check it out!

Elizabeth Scott wants to hear about your summer! Tell her at the same time you enter her awesome contest.

Melissa Walker holds a contest every Wednesday on her blog. This week's contest is for Why I Let My Hair Grow Out.

Check out Linda Gerber's blog on Friday for an awesome contest.

Review: The Fold

The Fold

An Na

It’s the last day of school, and Joyce has to find her courage. Today, she’ll ask her crush, John Ford Kang, to sign her yearbook. But her day goes all wrong. First she gets a huge zit and leaves her yearbook at home. The worst thing, however, is after she buys a new yearbook (fifty dollars!), and finally asks John to sign it, he mistakes her for someone else.

She knows she isn’t as pretty as her sister, Helen, is. But this event seemed to prove it to her. So when her aunt wins the lottery and offers Joyce a chance to get the eye fold surgery, she embraces the idea. Trying a temporary solution only reassures Joyce of what she wants to do. She can’t understand why Helen seems so disappointed in her… until she finds out her sister’s own big secret.

From a summary like that, it seems as if there isn’t anything that someone could not like about this novel. Many of my friends highly recommended An Na, praising her novel Wait for Me. So after reading this, I just wonder how someone who so many people rave about could write a book as horrible as this?

Yes, you might have guessed it. This is my first negative review. And believe me, it was hard to write. So let’s start with Joyce. It just amazed me how selfish and shallow she really is. She only worries about her looks and her crush and completely ignores her friends and family. Speaking of which, the book doesn’t cover a lot about her family. What is mentioned is extremely brief and sometimes confusing. I would have loved to know more about almost any other character in this book, especially her sister Helen and her friends. That would have made for a much richer story (and a much better novel).

Another thing: if you totally get embarrassed because your crush mistakes your name, not once but twice (he mistakes Joyce for Helen when she’s trying out a temporary eye fold), then why would you keep trying to impress him? Seriously. She needed to get a life and faced that there was someone right in her face for her and he was much better for her, too. I wasn’t very impressed with The Fold.

Contest: Cynsations and The Juliet Club

Hey guys! Now, I'm not breaking the schedule. I just found out about this contest, and it ends before my now-normal time to post contest links. So, here you go!

Cynthia Leitich Smith is giving away a copy of The Juliet Club on her blog, Cynsations. Make sure to tell her what your favorite Shakespear quote is.

If you enter, leave a comment on this post from now until June 16th (which is the day that her contest ends) telling me your favorite Shakespear quote, and you'll get an extra entry to le concours de mystère (with the help of my French book and an online translator, mystery contest).

If the scheduled post thing's working correctly, I'll be taking the ACT again at this time. Cross your fingers for a better score (not like I need a better one, anyways. lol)

Only a week until FBLA Nationals. I'm so nervous. Our school has a tradition that mustn't be broken.

Is anyone else going? Let me know :]

More Randomness... Yay!

Okay, I'm bad. I know. I just gave you a schedule and I already broke it. I'm disappointed in myself. Bad Megan! *slaps hand*

I've been reading; don't get me wrong. I just have written the reviews for them yet. There hasn't been much time between setting up that awesome new feature for you guys, work, and parliamentary practice (nationals is just a week away! eek). And if you don't know what that is, believe me. You don't want to know.

So, I'm going to try to crack down over the weekend (in between taking the ACT for the gazillionth time and work) to write some reviews for your reviewing pleasure. Some reviews for you to look forward to:

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
Roots and Wings by Many Ly
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
The Fold by An Na

AND I'm not going to disappoint you further. I did say that Fridays were going to be about my contests and/or extra entry opportunities. So! If someone can fix my problem with the stupid drop down arrow thingy not working. (see in my TBR list, that arrow thingy? I want one of those that will actually bring me to the review, instead of just listing them.) You'll get three extra entries if you can help me with this.

Authors in the Corner: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Yes! The unveiling of my new feature--Authors in the Corner. Everyone's excited, right? You better be!

Today we have with us Cynthia Leitich Smith for a brief Q and A.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is an award-winning author best known for her Native American themes, humorous picture books, and YA Gothic fantasy. Her more recent titles are a picture book, SANTA KNOWS (Dutton, 2006), and a young adult gothic fantasy novel, TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007). She makes her home in Austin, Texas; with her husband, author Greg Leitich Smith and four bossy cats. When not writing, Cynthia is a big fan of "Monk," comics, dinosaur exhibits, theater, sushi, and ghost hunting.

-----------------------------------

How did you decide that you were going to be an author?

At the time, I was working as a law clerk for a federal office in Chicago. I'd enjoyed law school but had never meant to practice. My plan had been to cover the courts for a major newspaper, but my husband had a patent law position in Chicago and neither of the city's big papers were hiring. My job was okay-in the Loop with nice folks and I was madly in love with the urban landscape. But it wasn't my dream.

I started scribbling stories at lunch and at home after work. It didn't take long to realize that I didn't want to be one of those people who spent their lives saying "someday." I took a deep breath, winced at my student loans, and quit to write full time.

We all have ambitions as we're growing up. As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

I played "teacher" a lot, and I do teach writing for children and young adults quarter time at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Mostly, though, I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I loved her boots.

What's your greatest influence?

I don't think I'd be writing Gothics today if it weren't for Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and Annette Curtis Klause's Blood and Chocolate (Delacorte, 1997).

Are you working on something right now?

I just finished the final copy edits of Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), and my current focus is the graphic novel adaptation of Tantalize (Candlewick, TBA), which will be told from Kieren's point of view. Along with picture books, I learned how to read from comics, so it's sort of like writing in my real first language.

Have you ever refrained from writing about a certain topic for fear of how others would react to it?

You know, I don't worry about that. I did have a couple of friends warn me that I shouldn't write Tantalize because it might provoke banners and alienate my Native American readers. (I'd had an established reputation as a Native children's author before diving into YA). So far, neither of those predictions has come to pass.

Who's your favorite author? Your favorite book?

When it comes to a body of work, author A. M. Jenkins is steadily emerging as a favorite. I highly recommend her poetic ghost story, Beating Heart (HarperCollins, 2006), her Printz honor book, Repossessed (HarperCollins, 2007), and her gritty new "vampire" novel, Night Road (HarperCollins, 2008).

My favorite novel is David Levithan's Marley's Ghost (Dial, 2005), which is a retelling of A Christmas Carol. It appears to my affection for the Gothic, my romantic nature, and my interest in contemporary YA ties to classics.

Is there something that I didn't ask that you wish I had?

How about: what can readers look forward to next?

My forthcoming short stories will be found in Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast (BenBella, 2008); Geektastic, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009); and Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2009).

On the novel front, Tantalize will be available in paperback in July 2007, and Eternal will be released in March 2008.

Readers should watch my site and blogs for updates on the Tantalize graphic novel and the next prose books set in my Gothic universe. See: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/, and expect big announcements soon!

Thanks so much, Cynthia!

You can see Cynthia at her webpage or on her myspace.

Readers, here's your chance to give your input! Do you like the new feature? Who else would you like to see here?

Randomness about the Site

Okay, you guys! I'd love some feed back on my site if you don't mind. What would you like to see more of? What would you definitely like to see less of?

What do you like? What do you dislike?

Any feedback would be appreciated!

---------

I'm going to try to stick to a new schedule as much as possible, see the following:

Mondays - Reviews

Tuesdays - Other people's contest links

Wednesdays - NEW FEATURE (to be announced soon, but until it is announced, Wednesdays will remain blank)

Thursdays - Reviews

Fridays - If I'm hosting a contest, or starting a contest, the information will be here (or if there are chances for extra entries, they'll probably be there too)

If I'm online on the weekends, they'll probably just be randomness from my life or contest links that I found and forgot to post :]

So what do you think? Please be truthful!

And I'm still looking for help for the drop down arrow thingy, if any one knows how to do it!

(This is supposed to be posted at 11:30 AM if it works. lol)

Review: Violet by Design

Violet by Design

Melissa Walker

Violet’s definitely enjoying her break back in her home town in North Carolina. She’s been ignoring all of her agents calls, determined to relax and be with her friends. But when she finally answers Angela’s call, she gets the offer of a lifetime. They want her to go to Brazil. She can see the world.

But in Brazil, Violet gets tangled up in a relationship that ends badly. And instead of wallowing in exercise, she wallows in pints of ice cream. Needless to say, she gains weight, and her agent isn’t very happy about it. When she gets an offer to be in a huge fashion show for one of the top designers, she couldn’t be more amazed. Except for the tiny fact that they want her to lose weight, scarily fast. Can she stay with her morals and be a true role model, or will she give into the time honored tradition of the modeling world?

And then there’s that thing with Roger. The Kiss. What does it mean to her? To him? Does he have any ties to the “I heart Violet Greenfield” that was scrawled on her locker junior year? Will she realize the truth too late?

Once again, Melissa Walker completely dragged me into Violet’s world. I was intrigued when I found out that Melissa brought out the dangerous topic of eating disorders in her novel. Not only was it interesting, but it showed readers that although many people worry about the way they look, it takes amazing courage to have the strength to turn away from those bad habits. On another note, I wanted to scream when the book was over about the tangled web that is the friendship of Roger and Violet. I can only hope to get my hands on the next installment, Violet in Private, as soon as I’m able.

-----------------

Okay, so I'm trying out that cool thing to have the posts show up at a later time, so if I posted twice today, I didn't mean to. I meant for it to post Tuesday.

I've got to figure this thing out since I won't be able to update personally with reviews and such between the 23rd and the 30th since I'll be at FBLA Nationals.

AND If someone knows how to put a drop down arrow thingy on my blog so I don't have a huge list of reviews in my TBR list, please tell me how to do it! I'd appreciate greatly!

Review: Violet on the Runway

Violet on the Runway

Melissa Walker

If you had asked Violet Greenfield to describe herself in one word, she’d tell you that she was plain with a capital P. It was her friends that were interesting: Julie, with her overachieving ways, and Roger, with his immersion of pop culture and a need to prove himself. And all Violet really wanted was to be a BK. A Bee’s Knees. One of those girls. The popular ones.

Then Violet meets Angela Blythe, who represents Tryst Models, at her dorky job at the movie theater. Not only does Angela think that Violet is gorgeous, but she wants her to go to New York City. To be a model. And you know what? She might just do it.

Melissa Walker’s Violet on the Runway is a definite “yes” when it comes to book recommendations. It was amazing to see how much Violet’s character changed when she hit the model scene in New York. And more importantly, her friendships and relationships only improve how interesting Violet truly is. With so much revolving around fashion these days, it was wonderful to get a novel that not only appeals to fashion lovers, but also to those of us who just want to see a “real” character.

--------

Mystery Prize extra entry opportunity:

Add me to your blogroll! Leave me a comment!

(I don't mind adding you to my blogroll, just ask :] )

Contest: Mystery Prize # 1

Woohoo! I told you I had it in my mind to have another contest :]

This is the start of a series of contests.

However, unlike most contests, you won't know the prize of this one. Just that it's a book.

Ways to enter:
1) Leave me a comment ON THIS POST about your favorite book-turned-movie movie :]
2) Blog about this contest and link me.

You may be able to get extra entries in other ways, but you won't know if you're getting them or not. Just know that it's not favoritism--if one person gets extra entries doing a specific thing, anyone else who does that specific thing will also get extra entries.

I've got no definite end to this contest; it'll just end when one day I post and say "contest has ended" and announce a winner.

Please take notice:

Since this is a series of contests, if you win, you're not eligible to win in the immediately following mystery prize contest. So let's say you won the first one, so you can't win in the second one. But you can try again in the 3rd. If you're confused, just tell me lol and I'll try to make it clearer.

AND as a further note: Each mystery prize will probably be different, so don't rely on what others tell you about the prize.

Thanks! Now get to entering my contest :]

Oh, and I almost forgot. The odd numbered Mystery Prize contests are open to everyone, and the even numbered ones are limited to U.S. people.

Sorry I couldn't open all of them to everyone, but it gets pretty expensive mailing out of country all the time.



Oh, and I just finished reading The Summoning from Harper Teen's First Look. It was awesome! Just as a note if any of you got a copy, also.

//EDIT//

I forgot to mention!

Tasha
Chelsea
Lauren
Booksandlove

You all already have an extra entry, if you choose to enter this contest for replying to my post about the contest ideas. Thanks, guys! They were helpful.

Review: Suite Scarlett

Suite Scarlett

Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin’s family is unusual, even for New York City. They live in and own a hotel. The most unusual part about their family comes on the fifteenth birthday – in addition to the normal birthday gifts, each person gets a key to a room they have to take care of. Because, you see, the Martins may live in a hotel, but that doesn’t mean they’re rich. In fact, they’re a little bit further than that.

Check out the rest of my review here.

Review: Screwball

Screwball

Keri Mikulski

What happens when you have to choose between your heart and your favorite pass time? For Ashley Clarke, this isn’t the easiest decision for her to make. Sure, when it came to switching teams to be on a better, older baseball team, she was concerned, but didn’t worry about it. Her main concern was her pitching.

That is, until she met Andrew. And they started dating. She thought things were going pretty well, but even she didn’t realize how things in her life were changing. She couldn’t concentrate on baseball when he was around. She even quit basketball to spend more time with him. And when he breaks her heart, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She throws herself back into baseball, and forgets all about having a social life. But she can’t figure out what’s missing.

Until she realized there was someone who was always there waiting for her. She’s such a screwball.

Keri Mikulski impressed me greatly with her debut novel Screwball. While at some parts I couldn’t get into it as much as I’d have liked because of Ashley’s obsession with sports, other parts I could totally dive right into. Her emotions were so real and honest that your heart broke as you read Ashley’s story. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet, I suggest you do! Ashley’s story will only get better.

---------------------------------

Score: 4/5

Yes, it was good, but like I said, I couldn't completely get into it because of the sports aspect. However, that doesn't mean you won't like it!

Review: Lost It

Lost It

Kristen Tracy

Tess Whisle’s life was fairly unusual. Her parents, recently “born again”, are determined to keep Tess safe from the dangers of television, driving, and even beef. Her best friend is obsessed with creating a bomb and blowing up a poodle. You heard right. A poodle. The only thing that stays constant in Tess’s mind is the fact that she will not, will never, have sex until she is married (or at least engaged). That, and the fact that she’s absolutely terrified of all wild animals.

Then she meets Ben Easter, and her world is turned upside down. Her best friend actually goes through with her plan. Her parents leave her to go to a survival camp, and her grandmother becomes more of a parent to her than her parents ever really were. And she and Ben get closer… and before she knows it, she’s head over heels.

Kristen Tracy’s Lost It was a very cute story. It reminded me a lot of real teen life because even though all these weird things are going on, and her life is changing in so many ways, she still worries about these miniscule things. Readers who liked The Second Virginity of Suzy Green should definitely consider reading this book. Although they both initially deal with the same topic, the stories are vastly different and make you want to smile.

Contest: The Elite

Both The Book Vault and Book~Adorer are giving away copies of The Elite!

And, if you haven't already, go enter Teen Book Review's contest with author Daphne Grab's guest blog to win a copy of Alive and Well in Prague, New York.

Contest: How NOT to be Popular

Steph at Reviewer X is giving away a copy of How NOT to be Popular. Just give her your best tip on... well, how not to be popular. lol. You can say I referred you, if you want :]

--------------------


On other news, to make up for my lack of reviews last week, I've got a whole bunch of reviews planned for all you lovely people this week!

And, if anyone's good at html-y things, shoot me an email please! I need some help. lol

Review: The Second Virginity of Suzy Green

The Second Virginity of Suzy Green

Sara Hantz

Suzy Green could not have felt worse about what happened to her older sister Rose. Her parents were even more torn up, Suzy figured, because Rose was the perfect one in the family. So when her dad’s job sends their family to another city, Suzy uses this as a chance to recreate herself and her image. She does not drink anymore. She works harder than she ever has before in school. She even thinks about joining a few clubs, until she finds out that the cool thing is…

Virginity club.

Check out the rest of my review here.

Contest: Francey

And another awesome contest from And Another Book Read! This time, she's giving away a copy of Francey. It sounds awesome (judging from her review), so go enter! now!

AND on another note, I know I just had a contest, but I'm already thinking of another one. Give me your imput! Do you think I should hold another contest? What should I give away? What should the special event be? (100th post, someone's birthday, etc)

Keep in mind that I already have an idea of what I'll do for the next one, so this is for future reference.

I'd love some feedback from all you awesome people :]

And who knows? Maybe your suggestions will earn you early entries to my next contest.... I'll never tell ;]

Contests: June 2

Yeah, so what? I labeled it with a date. Simply because I have a bunch to post about! YAY!

Shooting Stars Mag is at it again! The last book for the Mark it up May contest is The Death of Jayson Porter. Check it out.

Hope at Hope's Bookshelf is giving away a CD of songs relating to Siobhan Vivian's A Little Friendly Advice, and some cute buttons to boot!

The Book Vault is giving away two copies of The Swan Kingdom. It's their first contest, so go and show them a little support!

Keri Mikulski enjoyed her YAY for YA May contest so much, she's having another one this month! Her YAY for YA June contest books that you have a chance of winning are That Summer and A Bad Bride's Tale.


This weekend was the grand opening of Chelsea's new website! Most of you know Chelsea from her blog, The Page Flipper. And what better way to celebrate a website opening than with an amazingly awesome contest! And might I add, I helped decide what the prize would be, so you should feel special :] An Ultimate Reading Kit could be yours!

Oh, and just for you to know, I saw 12 Stones in concert yesterday.

They were amazing. brilliant. awesome. a great live show!

If you've never heard of them, you should totally check them out. Like, seriously. You're missing out if you haven't. They're so interactive with the audience. It was wonderful!