Being a teen is tough. Especially when your dad’s the devil. Literally.
Angel is not sure she’ll ever gain control of the powers she inherited from her devil father. All she meant to do was help poor nerdy Max break into the popular crowd. But somehow the wires got crossed and she ended up granting all of her best friend Gabi’s secret desires instead.
Not that Angel has anything against Gabi getting what she wants. It’s just that the things Gabi dreams about on the QT—1) starring in a reality TV show with Angel at her side and 2) dating Angel’s boyfriend, Cole—just happen to be the stuff of Angel’s worst nightmares.
Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. In addition to tween and teen books, Shani writes for news programs and several other venues. When she’s not locked in her apartment typing away, she spends a whole lot of time on books, boys, TV, daydreaming, and shopping online. She has no devil lineage as far as she knows.
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Have you read this cute, cute, cute series yet? Want more of a taste? Well, your wish is our command.
We just “happened” to be surfing YouTube (you know how much we love YouTube) and found the book trailer for the first book. Take a look:
You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love-after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. This summer, she’s going to focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in-think of all the great advice she’ll get.
But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly-hot skateboarder who keeps showing up while she’s working at Wild Waves water park, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman?
No advice column can prepare Polly for what happens when she goes on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love-and still be herself.
About Sydney
Sydney Salter has never had an ex-boyfriend or worked in a water park, but she did once babysit a bulldog. Sydney now lives in Utah with her first and only boyfriend (now her husband), two daughters, two cats, two dogs, and a pair of tortoises. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and really tall, really twisty water slides.
1. The future has arrived and geeks finally rule the world. You’ve been called before a council to establish your geek cred. What will you tell them?
I prefer glasses to contacts, and when my hair is long enough, I can rock that geek girl glasses with ponytail look; I only wear comfortable shoes; I read two books a week–and always finish books I start; I look up words I don’t know in one of several dictionaries; I keep up on current events; I love documentary films; I adore research–whether it’s for a book, a family vacation, or a new skirt. I prefer museums to malls. When I do go shopping, I rely heavily on help from the sales clerk or buy whatever the mannequin is wearing. A few months ago, a mannequin dresser chased me down after I’d removed the plastic woman’s clothes (she happened to be wearing my size) to ask me why I liked the outfit. I had to admit that I have no real fashion sense and figured that she might.
I could go into the fact that I still get pimples decades after puberty, but I don’t want make anyone too depressed…
2. The Geek Girls are always armed with Nerds and Smarties at public appearances. What type of candy best represents your book?
Rocky Road Chocolate Fudge.
3. It’s mash up time at cheerleading tryouts! What two songs would your main character combine to create the perfect dance performance?
So What by Pink and Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. Let’s just say Polly is confused, and being a closet geek herself, doesn’t know much about putting together a good tryout routine.
~*~
This sounds like a great summer read! Thanks, Sydney, for stopping by!
A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.
Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried–and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.
But, to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss-to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston–charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.
If she’s not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all-the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love . . .
About Sarah:
Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born far too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book.
She lives and writes in New York City with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at www.macleanspace.com.
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Ooh, la, la. Picture me, fanning myself. If you enjoyed Sarah’s YA debut, The Season, I have the feeling you’ll like her debut adult romance as well.
Just because you don’t have a pulse doesn’t mean you can’t be perky.
One second, freshman Karen Vera’s on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she’s lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she’s a genetically undead zombie.
Suddenly, Karen’s non-life is an epic disaster. She’s forced to attend a boarding school for the “death-challenged,” her roommate is a hateful wannabe-Goth weirdo, and she’s chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot (um, ew?). Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a forbidden dark ritual. And it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen’s non-beating heart flutter!
Armed with a perky smile and killer fashion sense, it’s up to Karen to track down the brain snatcher and save her fellow students from certain zombie death.
About Stacey:
Stacey Jay is a workaholic with three pen names, and a sick sense of humor. She loves creepies, crawlies, and of course, romance. What would a zombie novel–or any novel–be without kisses that make your toes tingle?
Stacey has been a full time writer since 2005 and can’t think of anything she’d rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, and waiter.
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Zombie … cheerleader? How awesome does that sound? We think it sounds pretty darn awesome. So awesome, we’re gearing up for a zombie cheerleader giveaway this May. Stop back later this week for all the details.
Today we have the lovely and talented Stacey Jay visiting. We loved You’re So Undead to Me, and can’t wait to read Undead Much?
(Charity notes that a book title with punctuation make it difficult to write sentences proclaiming desire to read said book. That is not a question. We really do want to read Undead Much? Argh, there it goes again. Why don’t we just move on to the book?)
Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues…
A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.
Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still…things could be worse…
Oh yeah, right:
1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.
2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocalypse. Check.
3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.
4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.
I’m going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I’m learning that’s not something Zombie Queens can take for granted.
About Stacey:
Stacey Jay is a workaholic with three pen names, and a sick sense of humor. She loves creepies, crawlies, and of course, romance. What would a zombie novel–or any novel–be without kisses that make your toes tingle?
Stacey has been a full time writer since 2005 and can’t think of anything she’d rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, and waiter.
The interview:
1. The future has arrived and geeks finally rule the world. You’ve been called before a council to establish your geek cred. What will you tell them?
I will confess that I know almost every line to “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, that I’ve dressed up as a Conehead more than once, and that I have a vast collection of t-shirts with only words on them.
2. The Geek Girls are always armed with Nerds and Smarties at public appearances. What type of candy best represents your book?
Sugar skulls from a Dia de los Muertos festival. Scary, zombie-friendly, and sugary all at the same time.
3. It’s mash up time at cheerleading tryouts! What two songs would your main character combine to create the perfect dance performance?
The theme song from “Exodus” mixed with something from Eminem. I think it would work…maybe…lol…
Thanks, Stacey!
And … if you have a yen for zombies and fashion, head on over to Zombies in Tiaras, the very funny blog by Stacey and Julie Linker.
Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy.
It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet’s genius seven-year-old sister will attend middle school with her– and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she–like her family–is anything but average.
About Erin:
Erin Dionne’s debut novel, Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, was inspired by events that occurred in seventh grade, when she wore a scary peach bridesmaid dress in her cousin’s wedding and threw up on her gym teacher’s shoes (not at the same event). Although humiliating at the time, these experiences are working for her now. Erin lives outside of Boston with her husband and daughter, and a very insistent dog named Grafton. She roots for the Red Sox, teaches English at an art college, and sometimes eats chocolate cookies.
The interview:
1. The future has arrived and geeks finally rule the world. You’ve been called before a council to establish your geek cred. What will you tell them?
I played in marching band for eight years. EIGHT! (all of high school and all of college) I bleed band geek.
2. The Geek Girls are always armed with Nerds and Smarties at public appearances. What type of candy best represents your book?
Chewing gum. (well, it represents the cover, at least!!)
3. It’s mash up time at cheerleading tryouts! What two songs would your main character combine to create the perfect dance performance?
Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel and “Who do You Want To Be” by Oingo Boingo.
Thanks, Erin, for answering our questions (and I totally wish someone would make that mash up–I’m going to go search YouTube now for it).
2009 Deb Debs Kirstin Cronn-Mills’s debut, The Sky Always Hears Me and The Hills Don’t Mind, is in the running for the 2010 Minnesota Book Award. As part of that, her book is also up for the Readers’ Choice Award.
Want to help? Head on over to Twincities.com to vote for Kirstin (scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page).
Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a signed copy of Shani’s book!
About the book:
Angel Garrett knows two things for sure. The first is that she inherited her devil-dad’s powers. The second is that she wreaks havoc whenever she tries to use them. Especially when she’s trying to impress her crush, Cole.
Angel’s only solution is to stay as far away as possible from him until she learns how to harness this new gift. But how do you avoid someone and get him to ask you to the school dance at the same time?
About Shani:
Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. In addition to tween and teen books, Shani writes for news programs and several other venues. When she’s not locked in her apartment typing away, she spends a whole lot of time on books, boys, TV, daydreaming, and shopping online. She has no devil lineage as far as she knows.
And now … the interview:
1. The future has arrived and geeks finally rule the world. You’ve been called before a council to establish your geek cred. What will you tell them?
I’ve definitely had 1 or 2 or 300 geeky moments. I look back at some of my hairdos and outfits from when I was younger and cringe.
2. The Geek Girls are always armed with Nerds and Smarties at public appearances. What type of candy best represents your book?
Since the devil is involved in my book… I would have to say fireballs and red hots definitely make the list!
3. It’s mash up time at cheerleading tryouts! What two songs would your main character combine to create the perfect dance performance?
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know – Selena Gomez and You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift. The songs definitely fit my characters train of thought in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Dress!
Thanks, Shani!
Win a signed copy!
Now, if you’d like to get in on some red hot reading fun, simply leave a comment on this entry between now and midnight, March 6th. We’ll draw a winner bright and early on March 7th. Open to U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The 2009 Debs have banded together with The Leaky Cauldron Fansite to Help Haiti Heal. This weekend, donations will be taken for the cause, with prizes given away to random, lucky donors.
Sarah Ockler — TWENTY BOY SUMMER (signed hardcover)
Jackson Pearce — AS YOU WISH (signed hardcover)
Shani Petroff — BEDEVILED: DADDY’S LITTLE ANGEL and BEDEVILED: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY DRESS (signed paperbacks)
Aprilynne Pike — WINGS (signed hardcover)
Cindy Pon — SILVER PHOENIX (signed hardcover)
Carrie Ryan –THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH (signed hardcover)
Sydney Salter — MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS (signed paperback) and JUNGLE CROSSING (signed hardcover) and SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK (advance review copy)
Kristina Springer — THE ESPRESSOLOGIST (signed hardcover)
About the book:
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
My So Called Death
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet
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