The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

The Red Umbrella is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan-an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution.

In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Suddenly the revolution hits home. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.

As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States-by themselves.

Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?

The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.

As of late I have grown quite fond of historical fiction and had high hopes for The Red Umbrella. Luckily, it did not disappoint.

Lucía was a wonderful main character, a young woman blossoming right on the cusp of the communist revolution in Cuba. Her strength was one of great envy, as was her spirit. She persevered and outlasted, always keeping sight of right and wrong. It was tragic having to read about her going through the revolution, watching all of her truths slowly slip away. Her constant devotion to protecting her loved ones and persevering was truly heartwarming.

As with much historical fiction, the thing that made this novel the hardest to read was the knowledge that Lucía’s story was a representation of what many real teen girls experienced. The destruction of her wonderful life in Cuba and the slow transformation and loss of those around her to the revolution was a struggle that many youths had to face. My heart broke not just for Lucía but for all the girls that had to endure similar experiences.

One of the qualities that I greatly enjoyed about this book was the melding of Lucía’s Cuban culture with that of the US. While I loved reading about Cuba and her life there, her time in the US was one of my favorite parts of the novel. The stark differences between her old life and her new life brought out a new side of Lucía and provided a window into her innermost thoughts. The best part, however, was how she assimilated into the culture of the US. It was a slow process and beautifully written, exposing all of her hopes and fears about the new, unknown country. Similarly, the melding of the Baxters with Lucía and Frankie was incredibly heartwarming. Being able to see the four of them grow together and become a family was by far the highlight of the novel.

I truly fell in love with Lucía, experiencing all of the ups and downs of her life both in Cuba and as a refugee in the US. Whether my heart was breaking for her or overjoyed by her successes, I enjoyed every minute of this wonderfully emotional novel.

5 Stars!

If you liked this, you may like...Sea by Heidi R Kling.

Source: 1 ARC Tours

10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge Chat with Jen Calonita!

Come chat right now! Just click here and sign in. Make sure to set your color to green.

Calling all 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challengers!

Tonight, February 24th, I'll be hosting the first author chat of the challenge with the wonderful Jen Calonita, author of the Secrets of my Hollywood Life series.

Join us at 8 EST for some fun chick lit chatting with Jen, and don't forget to have questions ready. It will be a super fun chat and you won't want to miss it. Check back here later this evening for the link to the chatroom.

See you tonight!

Book Trailer

I decided to do a quick, impromptu installment in my Book Trailers feature. When I saw this trailer I knew I had to feature it. It is probably one of my favorite book trailers. I love the picture-and-script style trailers a lot, but I really enjoyed the movie preview feel of this one. In addition to that, I was also not planning on reading this book until I saw the trailer. Now, I cannot wait for it to come out. I think that is the sign of a very well done trailer.

What do you think?

10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge: Jen Calonita

Welcome back 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge participants!

Tomorrow night we'll be hosting the first 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge author chat with Jen Calonita, author of the Secrets of my Hollywood Life series. You can check back tomorrow for the official announcement with the specifics on the chat, but for today I have a special Q&A with Jen.

Before we get to the Q&A, here's a bit about Jen's latest book in the Secrets series, Broadway Lights, which will be hitting shelves March 3rd:

Her star power in demand on a hit Broadway play, Hollywood teen starlet Kaitlin Burke packs up her entourage (okay, her showbiz family, friends, assistant, and publicist, but not the dreamy boyfriend) and moves to the Big Apple for the summer. Kaitlin is the toast of the town and she hits the most exclusive New York nightspots, enjoys the best food (Hello, Magnolia Bakery), and even guests as a celebrity host on Saturday Night Live!

But New York isn't all cupcakes and virgin daiquiris. Long distance and a handsome new costar put a huge strain on her relationship with Austin, and it turns out Broadway divas are a whole different breed of neuroses and competition from Hollywood starlets.

What is your favorite thing about teen chick lit, or chick lit in general?

I love books that make me laugh, smile, and think about life in general and chick lit and teen chick lit do that. There are so many heavy, serious things going on in this world, and for me, personally, I like to open a book and escape somewhere fun. Teen and regular chick lit do that for me.

In addition to writing teen chick lit, do you also read it? If so, what are some of your favorite titles?

I absolutely read teen chick lit! And I love adult chick lit too! For adult titles, I am obsessed with anything by Sophie Kinsella. Can You Keep a Secret? is probably my favorite, but I dug Twenties Girl as much as I do her Shopaholic books. I am a big fan of Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Sara Shepard, and I just finished my first Ally Carter book, Heist Society, and I cannot stop raving about it!

Before writing Secrets of my Hollywood Life you worked as an editor at Teen People, how did that experience help you while writing Secrets? Did you draw inspiration from any of your experiences while writing?

I definitely drew from my experience as an entertainment editor when it came to developing Kaitlin and the Secrets story. I always tell people who are interested in writing to start by writing what they know, and what I know, or knew a lot about at the time, was the teen celebrity world. I spent my days watching teen movies, interviewing teen stars, attending events with those stars, and I was fascinated by the whole world. With the reality show explosion, I think the term "teen star" is a bit different these days, but Kaitlin and her friends are based very loosely on people I met, worked with, and/or interviewed when I was an editor.

Can you tell us a bit about the next book in the series, Broadway Lights?

Broadway Lights is Kaitlin's second to last adventure and for the first time she'll find herself outside the comfort zone of L.A. She's come to New York to build back her confidence after a rough few months of media exposure and she's tackling her toughest role to date--Broadway star. Her personal life is just as complicated this summer--Austin is spending time in Texas at a lacrosse camp and for the first time in their relationship they're going to do the long distance thing. I can tell you that it doesn't go as well as Kaitlin had hoped. Let's just say that Austin is not very good on the phone, and Kaitlin is a little too chummy with her cute British play mate. You'll have to read the whole thing to find out more!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the details on the chat. It's going to be super fun!

Happy reading!

Jessica

Cover Judge

Cover Judge is a semi-weekly feature that spotlights the cover of a book (or books) on my wishlist. This week I have the cover of the highly anticipated final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Release: August 24, 2010 (Yes, I have the date memorized)

Synopsis: The synopsis has unfortunately not been released yet.

Cover: I'm quite torn about this cover. For one thing, I love the blue. However, I also think that the bird looks a bit too computer generated for my liking. The covers in this series have been very iconic, and I think it is wonderful that they have kept with it for the whole series. I respect their need to keep tradition, but I would've preferred if it was a bit less graphic-y looking. Here's what I will say though, I really like how they included the grid-like background once again. With both of the other covers the circle grids and the pin were the main part of the cover. In the first book it was backed simply by a black backdrop, dreary, bleak and hopeless. In the second, they mixed it up a bit, including the layout of the arena behind the pin and adding in a bright red background as tension increased. I really like that now, for the final book, the background color is a little more calm and hopeful and the mockingjay has finally broken from the pin, soaring free. This cover gets all of its points for symbolism.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi from The Story Siren that explores the book-related items we get in our mailbox every week.

This week I got two books:

Ever since Christina volunteered to be a part of my Birthday Extravaganza back in October I've wanted to read the Red Umbrella. It sounds fabulous and emotional. I cannot wait to start reading. As for Blood Ninja, I don't know much about it. It showed up by surprise, but it looks interesting enough.

What did you get this week?

My Soul to Save Winners!

The three lucky winners of the My Soul to Save giveaway are:

Stephanie,

Taylor McBroom

& Suzette Escamilla

Congratulations to all three of you! I will pass along your addresses and you should receive your copies within the next 6-8 weeks.

What I'm Reading Issues

I just wanted to quickly say that I have been having issues with my "What I'm Reading" section on my left hand sidebar. So, for all of you who have been wondering why I've been taking so long to read a book, I am not. Most of the time I have finished the book that is featured there and have already read two others. This is all because of some recent internet issues. Irony of ironies, Google Chrome, Google's web browser, does not work well with Blogger, Google's blogging program. My entire middle column, according to my layout page, is pushed on top of my left sidebar, and I thus cannot change anything on the sidebar. I do not know why this is happening, but I am working to fix it. For the mean time, please bare with me.

Thanks!

Also, in case you want to know what I've been reading, I recently finished Sea by Heidi R Kling and Tagged by Mara Purhagen. I will be starting The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez later today. It's a Tenner-palooza!

Heist Society by Ally Carter

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

Ally Carter has done it again. Heist Society is absolutely sensational with its unique mix of art, history and high jinks. For those who loved the Gallagher Girls books, Heist Society will not disappoint. It has all of the undercover work and wit of the Gallagher Girls with an illegal flare.

Kat is hands downs, one of my favorite leading ladies in YA. Her spunk and heart truly made this novel. I was not only caught up in the suspense of her mission, but also her own inner struggle. Carter has crafted a fantastic teen lead and a story to match. Of course, the fabulous cast of characters that surrounded Kat was an added bonus. All of the supporting characters were equally well written and unique. They richened the story and brought about a great deal of comic relief when needed.

In addition to this already fabulous storyline, Carter added in a detail that was equally wonderful. The story behind the paintings was truly heart wrenching, even more so with the knowledge that it is not an entirely fictitious story. The art history, such as this story, that was interwoven with the heist contributed greatly to the excellence of this novel.

And, of course, there is no one better than Ally Carter when it comes to writing teen espionage. Heist Society was gripping and filled with brilliant plans and twists that had me at the edge of my seat. This is an absolute must read.

5 Stars!

Source: Purchased

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I was planning on posting a vlog for my IMM post yesterday, but I was never got around to uploading it and now cannot find my camera to do so. Therefore, here is a quick look at what was in my mailbox this week.

For review:

• Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook
• The Dark Days of Hamburger Haplin by Josh Berk
• After by Kristin Harmel
• Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Poisoned Honey by Beatrice Gormley
• My Boyfriends' Dogs by Dandi Daley Mackall
• Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone
• Tagged by Mara Purnhagen
• Sea by Heidi R Kling (signed + a bookmark)

Bought:

• Heist Society by Ally Carter

From signing:

• The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
• The Line by Teri Hall

What was in your mailbox?

Captivate by Carrie Jones

**SPOILER WARNING**

Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

To start with, I have come to the realization that Carrie Jones’ titles are extremely descriptive of my feelings on her novels. As in, “you need to read Need” and “Captivate captivates.” That said, I’m sure you can already predict that I enjoyed this one.

With all of the supernatural and paranormal aspects of the story explored in Need, Captivate focuses more on the mythological side of the pixies and Zara’s involvement with them. It takes the time to craft the story and delve into the deeper aspects of the characters, both new and old, and their bonds. Through this adventure into character, Jones is able to really develop each and every character and make them shine. From the slightly shaky mishmash of supernatural beings to this fully realized story, Captivate is a wonderful improvement upon the nice base that Need set.

Unlike Need, however, Captivate is not a self contained story. Where most of the loose ends were tied up at the end of the previous book, Jones left the ending hanging wide open in this installment. It has set a fabulous stage for the following novel and I look forward to seeing how she’ll build upon all that has happened.

This was a great second book, carrying on the interests of the previous novel and setting the tone for its successors, all the while drawing the reader deeper into the mystery that is at the heart of the novels.

4 stars!

Source: Purchased

Huge Linger Giveaway!

As many of you may know, I am a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater's Linger. For those of you who have similar feelings, you will not want to miss this fabulous giveaway in which you can win an ARC of Linger, the sequel to Shiver.

Here's a bit of information on the book and giveaway:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Author Signing: Carrie Jones and Alyxandra Harvey

On Thursday night I had the pleasure of traveling to San Francisco for an author signing featuring Alyxandra Harvey (Hearts at Stake) and Carrie Jones (Need and Captivate). The signing was hosted by the wonderful Not Your Mothers Book Club and was tons of fun.

The night started off with a little presentation from the authors about embarrassing crushes. Both Carrie and Alyx were absolutely hilarious, as were their first crushes. Unfortunately, in Alyx and Carrie’s words, “What happens at book club stays in book club.” Thus, I cannot reveal to you their most embarrassing crushes.

After talking about crushes and their various (embarrassing) rock star phases, they opened up the floor to questions from audience members. We learned a bit about how Need came about, which is both an extremely odd and funny story, and Alyx shared why she decided to write about vampires. With all of the gory, historical details of course. Both Carrie and Alyx also discussed the theme of darkness in their books and some similarities between the two. We also got assurance from Carrie and Alyx that there will be more books in both of their series respectively.

In addition to all of this, Carrie and Alyx discussed how they started writing and how they create their characters. And, of course, they talked about what you can get away with as an author – hearing voices, day dreaming and working in your pajamas.

Once the Q&A came to a close we all lined up to get our books signed and get photos with the two lovely ladies.

When the signing portion of the night came to a close and everyone began to trickle out, I was fortunate enough to be able to hang around a bit and chit-chat with the authors. Let me just say that both Alyx and Carrie are absolutely charming and incredibly sweet. After meeting Alyx I cannot wait to Hearts at Stake and, likewise, I understand Zara and her friends so much more after meeting Carrie, who is quite a character.

In addition to Carrie and Alex, I also met up with bloggers Alicia (Shooting Stars Mag) and Zoe (Zoe’s Book Reviews), as well as author Daisy Whitney (The Mockingbirds).

It was fabulous night filled with great authors and great books!

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging - The Movie

You may or may not of heard of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison. For those of you who have not heard of the series, it is an international best-selling YA series about the adventures of a young girl named Georgia. I myself am not too familiar with the books, although I do own the first one. From what I've heard, however, it is wildly funny and, as of recently, been mad into a movie.

I am a huge proponent of YA books being made into movie and/or TV shows and always like to support them. That said, below is some information on the absolutely hilarious and charmingly cute movie based off of this very popular series.

Introducing Chick Lit Teens' Official Bookstore!

I'm super excited to announce that Chick Lit Teens now has its very own official bookstore!

If you've ever read one of my reviews and wanted to buy the book you now have the opportunity to do so straight through my new Amazon.com shop. Simply click here and you can find many of the books I've reviewed, organized by rating, as well as a few upcoming books to preorder.

In addition to those already in the shop, I'll also be adding many more titles. From now on each time I review a book there will be a link at the bottom of the page that you can click on to order the book from my store.

All of the proceeds from the store, which are a small percentage of the sales, will be used to buy new books for reviews and contest prizes.

I hope you all enjoy it!

P.S. You can also find the link to the store on the menu bar directly under the header.

Need by Carrie Jones

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - no human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

Need was tantalizing, romantic and suspenseful all at once. There was a huge array of different elements working to the heart of the story at any one moment. Each one presented a different challenge to Zara and increased the reader’s interest, gathering their attention quickly. When I first began to uncover some of these subplots I was a bit worried that it was going to become overdone. When you’re working with so much it can sometimes became a mishmash of odds and ends, something that can pull the reader out of the story rather quickly. It’s important to make the story feel real, despite how unreal the situation might be. Luckily, Jones blended all the elements together wonderfully and quickly wiped away any doubts.

Because of this expert crafting, it was hard to put this book down once I started. With the witty dialogue and Zara’s sarcasm, Need quickly sucked me in. The story moves swiftly from one rising action to the other, twisting and turning to surprises you’d never expect. The progression of the story was excellent and constantly held my attention.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys paranormal fiction. It has a little bit of everything from the genre, which makes Need pleasing for a wide audience of paranormal fans. I’d highly suggest reading this one.

4 Stars!

P.S. I would also suggest having Captivate on hand, because, like me, you may not want to stop reading once you finish Need.

Source: Purchased

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi from The Story Siren that shares the contents of bloggers' mailboxes for the week.

This was another great week for me. Here's what was in my mailbox:

For review:

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Mia the Magnificent by Eileen Boggess

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Purchased:

The Faerie Path #5: The Enchanted Quest by Frewin Jones

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

(I swear the faerie theme was not planned)

Won:

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

Swag:

Sea bookmarks from Heidi R Kling. (Perhaps I shall have a contest soon...)

What did you get in your mailbox?

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

From the fun cover to the premise of the book, A Match Made in High School screams chick lit and high jinks. Unfortunately, it also runs the risk of being cliché.

The marriage education idea is one that I’ve always liked but have seen little of in YA novels as of late. The big issue with it, however, is that when used there’s pretty much a formulaic idea: girl + guy that girl can’t stand + marriage course = girl falls for guy and realizes how blind she was. This was my main concern with the book when I began reading. Luckily, Walker perfectly crafted the story to avoid many of the clichés that could have hindered the book. She took the basic idea and spun it to create something different, yet equally interesting.

The thing that stood out to me the most with this book was the relationship between Fiona and Todd. Their dynamic is one that is a constant source of hilarity. From the start the two are engaged in a prank war, never truly mean spirited, but always incredibly funny. The constant cycle of push and shove, insult and revenge, breathed life into the book and made it a great read.

In addition to their relationship, every one of the characters in the novel was extremely well written. They were all unique, quirky and hilarious. There was not one character that I disliked. Out of all of them, however, my favorite would have to be Fiona. With her sarcasm and flippant attitude she was the perfect lead for this novel. Her monologues were funny but heartwarming and her voice was absolutely perfect and realistic for a girl her age.

This brings me to my final point: the high school atmosphere that Walker created was wonderful. She found ways to thread in bits and pieces of teen life and language without making it overdone. When an author tries to make a modern teen voice using all of the slang and cursing, it can sometimes seem like they're trying too hard. Walker, however, sprinkles it in at just the right moments, enhancing Fiona’s voice and the characters of her fellow students.

A Match Made in High School does not disappoint. Full of pranks, witty banter and life lessons, this is a great choice for anyone looking for some fun teen chick lit.

4.5 Stars!

Source: From author

Chick Chat: Kristin Walker

Today I have an interview with Kristin Walker, the author of the newly released A Match Made in High School. Here's a bit about the book:

When a mandatory marriage education course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life couldn't get any worse. Until her crush is paired with her arch enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

I've only just begun reading A Match Made in High School, but thus far I'm really enjoying it. If you want to find out more about Kristin or her book simply visit her (extremely cute) website.

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

Why did you decide to write YA?

I'd been trying for so long to get published in the children's book market, but I'd exhausted every age-range genre from picture books to middle grade novels. I decided that young adult was the next (and most promising-looking) arena, so I gave it a shot. I'd never written anything that long before, so I was pretty proud of myself when I finished that first, very rough draft.

Did your own high school experience influence your book at all? If so, how?

Yes! I was a cheerleader in high school, so I pulled a lot of details from that experience and used them in the book. I also was a big geeky dork with only one or two close friends, so I translated those characteristics easily to Fiona.

Which one of your characters do you relate to the most?

Fiona, for sure. But I didn't develop such a smart mouth until I was an adult. I wish I'd had Fiona's ballsy attitude when I was a teenager, though. I also relate very well to her stubbornness and insecurities. And her occasional self-absorbency. (That sounds like an ad for maxi-pads.)

What are some of your favorite books?

I get asked this all the time, and it's impossible to choose! I love the Anne of Green Gables series and the Harry Potter series. For YA, GODLESS by Pete Hautman is amazing. In adult, I really loved THE ACCORDION CRIMES by Annie Proulx and COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier.

But my latest, mind-blowingly-awesome favorite is THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak.

If you could meet any author from any time period, who would you choose and what would you ask them?

I'd love to sit down with Mark Twain and a bottle of bourbon. I think he'd be a riot after a few drinks. I get the feeling I'd just have to ask, "So, how was your trip?" and he'd tell hilarious stories all night.

I'd also love to meet JK Rowling to gush like a fangirl, and then mercilessly grill her about her plotting technique. I know she's from this time period, but really, I have about as much chance of meeting her than I do of meeting Twain.

Outside of writing, what are you passionate about?

My family. Delicious food. Funny films. Unaffordable real estate. Bad reality TV. Good reality TV. TV on a whole, really. And of course, reading remarkable books.

What advice would you give to aspiring teen authors?

Write copious amounts, even if it's just volumes of crap. You'll get better. And focus on the details, especially when writing about your own personal history. Don't gloss over the details. They bring the page to life.

What’s next for you?

Well, I have to make dinner and I should probably shower some time today. Oh! You don't mean directly next. Sorry.

I'm working on a middle grade paranormal manuscript and trying to develop something new in young adult for Razorbill. Wish me luck! Wish me luck with cooking dinner too, because I haven't been to the grocery store in forever.

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

Thank you Kristin!

10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge: February Check In!

Hello everyone!

Can you believe it’s already been a month since we kicked off the 10 in ’10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge? Look at how time flies!

With it now being February, it’s time for the very first check in post of the challenge, which Kay has graciously allowed me to write. Kay and I will be switching off writing check in posts over the course of the challenge, with one post a month. It’s a way for us to keep you up to date on our progress, as well as a way for all of you to let everyone else know how you’ve been doing.

I’ve done pretty well on my challenge thus far. Surprisingly, however, I haven’t actually read many of the books on my list yet. I have started a few of them though. Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland and Wanderlust by Lucy Silag are both sitting on my desk half read, just calling me to finish them. Thus far they’re both very good and I’m looking forward to finishing them up this month. I also just started reading A Match made in High School by Kristin Walker the other day, which I’m looking forward to reading more of.

Most of my progress thus far has been with books outside of my list. I read Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt, which I technically read the last week of December and therefore cannot count towards the challenge. It’s quite unfortunate because I really enjoyed it. I also read The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, which I’m making an exception for and saying it counts. I was reading this one half in 2009 and half in 2010, so I figure it should just meet the requirement to make my list. Another great book I read that wasn’t on my list was Wish by Alexandra Bullen. I honestly do not understand how this wasn’t on my list to start with. I’ve been waiting for it to come out and it is definitely teen chick lit. Needless to say, it will be added to the list as well.

In addition to reading, Kay and I have also been spending a lot of time putting together a wonderful group of authors for monthly chats and Q&As. Now, I don’t want to spill the beans just yet, but I will say that we have a ton of fabulous authors who, if your lists are any indication, I know you’ll all love. By looking at your lists I already can tell that many of you are excitedly anticipating the release of our first author’s book, which is coming out early March. It’s the fourth in a series about a young Hollywood starlet who just so happens to be moving to New York for her Broadway debut…That’s right everyone, Jen Calonita will be our very first guest!

Details on the chat will be coming later this month, so keep your eyes out for it. If, like me, you loved this series you won’t want to miss it.

To sum it all up, this first month has been fabulous and February has all of the promise to be equally, if not more, awesome (need I mention Heist Society?). Now that I’m done sharing, tell me, what was your month like?

Happy reading!

Jessica

P.S. For all of you who have been writing reviews for your challenge books, feel free to add your links to the Mr. Linky below.

My Soul to Save Giveaway

I'm reading My Soul to Save right now, but for those of you who've already read it, how about a copy of the second book, My Soul to Take? Lucky for you, I have three (3) copies of My Soul to Save to giveaway to three winners.

If you're interested, here's a bit about the series:

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series -- My Soul to Take -- was released this past summer, and readers found out why Kaylee Cavanaugh screams bloody murder when someone’s about to die.

In Book 2 – My Soul to Save – when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

For more information on the series you can visit the official website.

To enter simply fill out this form. The contest will run until Monday, February 15th and will close at midnight EST. This is only open to US residents and international readers with a US mailing address.

Edit: No PO boxes please. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Good luck!