IMM 57: Faulker Stars

In which I predict the date of this going live...

uhhh....There's still snow on the ground outside my window here... the grass is green now...

Thank you to:

Grace (Words Like Silver)

Walden Pond Press

Mary Pauline Lowry

Stefne Miller

Simon & Shuster

SourceBooks Fire

Little, Brown Books

Random House

HarperTeen

Fated Feathers

The cover of Alyson Noel's newest novel, Fated, is pretty fantastic, right? 

The birds, a personal favorite motif of mine, the never-ending hair we all wish we possessed and the earrings, the long, feathery earrings!

Wouldn't you like to have a pair of them? I really, really would.

Well, St. Martin's Press has just announced that any pre-order of Fated, be it print, E-book or audiobook, will be rewarded with these Daire-esque earrings! 

You can find the official rules for the promotion, HERE! 

ModPodge Prints and Portraits by Messenger Photography!

Have you ever been scared to launch something? 

A blog?

A Youtube channel?

A Novel?

The Querying Process for that Novel?

A Photography Company? 

Well, until very recently I had ticked those top four off while the fifth remained rather daunting. 

I've been a photographer longer than I have been a blogger, or even a writer, and yet I was most afraid to put my photography out there.

Why? 

I don't know, really. 

I can tell you that without a camera in my hands, or without a print in front of me, I can forget I do actually know what I'm doing and that I am actually good at it.

But that's all changed now! 

Not only am I offering six ModPodge Prints on my Etsy shop, Messenger Photography for purchase, I am also going to start shooting people for a living! 

Erm, I mean, I'm going to take headshots for authors, bloggers and industry professionals, you know, if you want to hire me for that sort of thing... I promise, the only thing in my camera bag is an extra lens or two! 

Please go check out my Etsy Shop to learn more about purchasing prints and reserving time during BEA for your portrait sitting! 

You can also like my Messenger Photography page on Facebook!

Dear Cute Boy

Dear Cute Boy Who Works at the Bookstore,

I do not know your name; you don't know mine. I didn't initiate a trading of such important information when we met. Why? I don't know. I should have, would have, were it not for you being something close to my dream guy.

You're not handsome in a traditional sense. You have red hair to begin with, you wear nerdy glasses, and you're a touch on the skinny side. 

(For the sake of this letter, and its intended purpose, we will pretend two of the three aren't perfect in my eyes.) You probably know very little about that game that was played on that night with the ball and those people. However, I would venture a guess that you know a little something about Shakespeare and maybe you've read The Princess Bride. You have green eyes, which would have been enough to do me in no matter where we were, but we were in a book store and you were ringing me up. 

I had a lot of books; of course I did! 

It took a while to checkout.

 I wish I had just happened to wander in, chosen a singular title and had the chance to carry on a quick, decent three question conversation. 

Instead...   

I spoke so nonsensically I had to give myself a verbal lashing afterwards. Honestly I'm still berating myself. Yes, I see the irony in that. I don't even know what I talked about, but you laughed a couple of times. I am assuming this was at me and not with me as I am 100% certain that what I said wasn't funny, though completely amusing. On the off chance you were having a similarly smitten moment, therefor laughing at my "jokes" to impress me, I seriously question your taste in bookish girls. Usually I'm charming, witty, slightly flirty and I always, always have something to say about the written word. Except when I'm around you.

If a girl comes up to you carrying Browning, and Rilke and Plath, and Dickinson and Love in the Time of Cholera then it is safe to assume that this girl has a very clear grasp on the English language and if she just can't pull it off then she is either an impostor, or falling for you. You, with your black-rimmed glasses and your hands that hold the books all day.

Now, the chances of you reading this are slim to none, and even if you did read it, well, would you know it was you?

Probably not.

So I guess this goes out to all the guys who work in bookstores and handle books all day long. 

You are so sexy to us girls who want nothing more than to spend hours walking the rows, waiting for that hidden gem to make itself known and speak to us like we want to speak to you.

Moral of the story, oh Cute Boys in Bookstores world-wide, is that we may read about Edward Cullen... 

but we want you to be a part of our own stories.

Sincerely,

The Girl with the Books and the Tied Tongue

Mod Podge Thoughts (3)

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Bronte

Thots:

I've heard that if you love Wuthering Heights, if it speaks to your soul and you understand Cathy, the great, tragic heroine, then it is near impossible to also understand the notions of one Jane Eyre. I hold to this.  #TeamCathy

The Iron Knight

by Julie Kagawa

Thots:

Capturing a unique voice in the world of the Iron Fey, Kagawa paints a gorgeous picture of the world beyond the three kingdoms- Iron, Winter & Summer- and to the ends of the earth!

Sweet Venom

by Tera Lynn Childs

Thots:

I have a love/hate relationship with TLC. This one bored me to death, I couldn't even get to Greer's chapters I was so off-put by Gretchen and so bored by Grace. The girls are fabulously well-named, however!

The Book of Blood and Shadow

by Robin Wasserman

Thots:

I'm using the UK cover for this one as the US cover is one of my most loathed and the story is one of my favorites of the year! Not without its faults, Blood and Shadow is a fantastic, stand-alone novel of espionage, lies and foreign worlds both here and past.

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Thots:

Marvelous. Just marvelous! This book is pure imagination engagement. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters of Great Character

I had a problem when designing this post. 

The problem was Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, which is my favorite novel. I love all of Marchetta's people as if they were my own. I cannot explain what this book means to me, but I've read it twice and I ache to read it again writing this.

                         Taylor Lily Markham

Jonah Griggs 

Narnie 

Tate 

Raffaela 

Jude 

Chaz Santangelo 

Webb 

Fitz 

 

Ben Cassidy

As Raffy says, "I believe in you, Taylor Markham."

Unwind: A Short Film

MainstayPro was the film company that first made Rue's death come to life in their short film of The Hunger Games. 

Now they've portrayed the affects of being Unwound, a futuristic phenomena from Neal Shusterman's novel, Unwind.

I started rocking back and forth, I covered my ears, and I still feel nauseous, the same emotions I felt when I first read the book. With the sequel to the masterpiece hitting shelves later this year, now is the perfect time to watch your first Unwinding...

The Post-College Guide to Happiness

Bryan Cohen here, guest poster and author, promoting my new book The Post-College Guide to Happiness for The Happiness Blog Tour. I'm giving away free digital review copies of the book and doing a giveaway for paperback copies, audio copies and even a Kindle Fire! Read on and check out the info below the post. 


ìIf youíre feeling good, then youíre creating a future thatís on track with what you desire. If youíre feeling bad, youíre creating a future thatís off track with your desires.î
- Marci Shimoff Positive Momentum 


 Letís say that you are the kind of person who scoffs at books like The Secret and all they stand for. When someone brings up the Law of Attraction, you bring up the Law of Shut the Heck Up. And the only kind of visualization you do is watching television. Even if youíre against anything having to with New Age philosophy, you canít argue much with the concept of positive momentum. People who have a positive attitude tend to experience good things in life. Itís not 100 percent, but itís certainly a higher percentage than the portion of negative-learning people who have great things occur. Followers of The Secret and the Law of Attraction would say that the positive attitude is a cause of future successes on a cosmic level. Non-followers could label the positive, successful person as lucky, but luck is as ìscientificî as the Law of Attraction when it comes to excuses. So why are these positive, happy people so successful? Optimistic people take more chances. They create more contacts with industry leaders who might be able to help them. Heck, people want to help them because of their sunny personalities. Happy, genuine people are probably more likely to get a job or a promotion then their dour counterparts. The positive people of the world get more opportunities, more advice and more support. Even if you think that the Law of Attraction is a sham, there are plenty of reasons to cop a positive attitude because youíre more likely to experience good things. Now, if youíre a bit of a hippy like me, and you believe in some of the odd but interesting lessons of The Secret, happiness can help you just as much on a higher plane as it does in your everyday life. My positive attitude has brought me closer to achieving my goals and itís improved my health, wealth and quality of life. It doesnít matter if it ìworks spiritually,î because making happiness a priority just plain works. -- Bryan Cohen is giving away 61 paperback and audio copies of The Post-College Guide to Happiness and a Kindle Fire between now and May 7th, 2012 on The Happiness Blog Tour. All entrants receive a free digital review copy of The Post-College Guide to Happiness. Bryan hopes to give away at least 1,000 copies during the blog tour. To enter, post a comment with your e-mail address or send an e-mail to postcollegehappiness (at) gmail.com. Bryan will draw the names at the end of the tour. Entries will be counted through Sunday, May 6th. 


 Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written nine books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade, Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job and his new book, 1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More. His website Build Creative Writing Ideas helps over 25,000 visitors a month to push past writer's block and stay motivated. Feel free to follow along with the tour at The Happiness Blog Tour Hub Page or on the book's Facebook Page.

The Character of Names with Zoraida Cordova

Today Mergirl, Zoraida Cordova, joins me to discuss the character of names under in her Vicious sea!

The Character of Names

By Zoraida Cordova

Tristan Hart (merdude) - I picked it out during an Arthurian Lit class in college. Tristan and Isolde is one of my favorite stories and the name just hit a cord in me. 

Layla Santos (human chick) - I happened to be listening to that song while looking for the right girl's name. The last name is Spanish, and it means Saint. She isn't a saint, but in some ways, she is there to save a part of Tristan. 

Kurtomathetis (court merman) - It's severe, much like Kurt. And in some mythology text, a turtle god. 

Thalia (court mermaid) - Greek muse. Thalia is worthy of being a muse. 

Gwen (mermaid princess) - Yes, famous Arthurian name, but this one was an accident. She has the tendency to be a bitch, and that's the first name that came to mind.  

Cover Lover (4) Kick-Butt Covers

My name is Gabrielle Carolina, and I am a cover lover with a question:


Are kick-butt babes the new girls in glamorous gowns?

Babes'n'Boots:

Gals'n'Gowns:

Darings'n'Dresses:

Personally I'm having a cover crush on those just above this comment. Somehow these girls are managing to look feminine and fearsome! In the words of the Cheetah Girls, Growl power, baby! 

How to Find Great Books

Reading is a great pastime. It allows you to educate yourself about various issues, get entertained and achieve personal growth. Reading exposes you to many aspects of great writing. Students enrolled in writing and editing programs understand only too well the value that reading adds to their development. The beauty of reading is that you’ll never run out of good books to read. In fact, there’s not enough room in the world to hold all the good books. However, it can be a bit of a challenge identifying good books. Here are 5 tips to help you find good reads, regardless.

• Amazon – the categorization of books in Amazon makes it easier for you to identify what may interest you. Whether you’re looking for adventure, biographies, mystery, romance or subject-specific books such as accounts or music, Amazon makes it easy. By checking the Amazon lists regularly, you’ll keep up-to-date with new publications and always find a good read. Amazon also offers personalized recommendations for account holders. It helps if you make a point of rating books you’ve read. The system is able to use this information to improve on its recommendations to you.
• Library Shelves – you don’t have to be pursuing a librarian degree to spend quality time in local libraries. Browsing library shelves is an engaging and rewarding experience. There’s nothing quite like the thrill experienced when you stumble upon a good read on library shelves. The good thing about libraries is that they give you the best of both worlds. You can find really old publications as well as latest book releases. Obtaining books from a library need not be a tedious process, especially if you think of it as a treasure-hunting experience. Many libraries allow you to place your requests on the library site for books you’ve identified using online resources and would like to read. In most cases, the librarian will obtain the books and have them ready for you in a couple of days.
• Online Resources – for many people with busy schedules, online resources are a convenient way of finding good books easily. You’ll find plenty of book-focused sites on the internet that allow you to keep up-to-date on various publications. Barnes and Nobles Book Club is a great site for readers who need help in finding great books. Goodreads is another excellent site that allows you share book recommendations with your friends, keep track of what friends are reading and make latest book discoveries. You can also check out book blogs for more information on latest releases.
• StumbleUpon – finding good books is an adventure, no less with StumbleUpon. The site makes use of search tools that allow you to discover virtually anything, whether its books, electronics, music or travel destinations. You’re sure to discover your next good read on this site.
• What Should I Read Next? – for speed and efficiency in identifying what to read next, check out What Should I Read Next? All you have to do is enter the book title, author or ISBN number. The site uses a search mechanism to analyze an extensive database of books, which then offers suggestions for what you may want to read next.

 Sources:
3 Ways to Find Great Books. Retrieved April 16, 2012. TeamUp.
Help Me Find Great Books Please. (2010) Barnes & Noble.
How to Find Good Books to Read. (2012) Life Optimizer.
Meet Your Next Favorite Book. (2012) Goodreads.

Mod Podge Thoughts (2)

Shelter Puppies

by Michael Kloth

Thots:

A book filled with puppy pictures. I would buy them all if they came in editions.

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins

Thots:

I liked it, I didn't love it. I just didn't "feel" about Lola and Cricket the way I feel about Anna and Etienne. My 'thot' is that the Max/Lola relationship should have just ended at the beginning of the book and we should have watched their relationship in juxtaposition with she and Cricket's to really see that Max was "drawing her back in," and he was more than not right for her, he was wrong for her. I never really felt that strongly enough, how very bad Max was; I more understood that Cricket was just good, and good equals better, so voila, perfect little fantasy ending. Things never got screwed up enough to make Lola's story believable for me.

Enclave

by Ann Aguirre 

Thots:

I didn't finish this one. I was so bored. The book is promised to be so action-packed that really anything less (and it was just that for me) couldn't hold me to it.

Ladybird, Ladybird

by Abra Ebner

Thots:

Now, this was a cool little book. I think it could have stood for some stronger editing and I also feel the book could have been opened a lot wider. There was a lot going on for such a little book and I was intrigued enough that I would have enjoyed another well placed one-hundred pages.

Incarnate

by Jodi Meadows

Thots:

I didn't really connect deeply with the characters, but I loved Meadows world building and can't wait to see what happens next!