Ghosts, Microphones, Sheds, Music, Dolls, and Radios, OH MY!!!!

Welcome to DebsTour 2009, Dueling Debs edition!! I've had several BlogTours scheduled very close together and am still trying to unpack . . . and then re-pack to leave again next week so I thought I'd go for double duty today and try to shake things up a bit. And it's totally written in the stars. After all, this is Cynthea Liu's second book (2) and Danielle's book came out on the same day as mine, so we're book twins (again, 2) so it's totally meant to be!

So let me introduce you to our contestants today!! We have the lovely Cynthia Liu, author of Paris Pan Takes the Dare, and the equally lovely Danielle Joseph, author of Shrinking Violet! Here's a bit about both books!

Shrinking Violet: For high school senior Teresa Adams, every day is an ordeal. She’s so painfully shy that she lives in dread of having to speak to anyone in the hallways or answer questions in class. But after school, in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks—doing mock broadcasts for Miami’s hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up, Tere surprises herself by working up the nerve to ask her stepfather to give her a chance—and finds herself The SLAM’s newest intern on one of the station’s most popular shows. Behind the mike she’s Sweet T, her sexy, confident on-air persona. To everyone’s shock—especially her mother’s—Sweet T is a hit. Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ’s awesome taste in music, making Tere wonder if it’s possible to be jealous of yourself. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest—and a prom date with “Sweet T” is the grand prize--Sweet T’s dream could turn into Tere’s worst nightmare. . . .

And Paris Pan Takes the Dare: Twelve-year-old Paris Pan's life is a mess. She's just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn't possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris's new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who's anyone takes the Dare, and now it's Paris's turn.

Two very different books, two very different authors!

Cynthea spent her formative years in Oklahoma and Texas where she was a Whiz Quiz member, an Academic Decathloner, and a spelling bee champion. (Yes, she was very popular.) After attending college on the East coast, she worked at a corporate job where she mastered PowerPoint and racked up thousands of frequent flyer miles. Eventually, she traded in her suit for sweats to do the fun stuff–writing for children.

Danielle Joseph was a college DJ for five years on the Gyroscope, a world music show. She also interned at several top Boston radio stations while earning her BFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Marketing Communications and Advertising from Emerson College. She has taught Creative Writing and English to Middle school students.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Danielle now lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two young sons. These days you can find her cruising around with the tunes blaring and her internal DJ hard at work.

Okay, so now that we know the two contestants, let the duel begin! Bring on the Feasty Five!!

AP: What kind of soda does your MC drink?

CL: Pop, of course. Paris Pan is from Oklahoma.

DJ: Well--

AP: Wait, wait, wait!! I just realized that Danielle's initials are DJ and her story is about a DJ!! Yes, yes, I am totally lame . . . anyway, Danielle, you were saying?

DJ: *looking slightly annoyed* Tere drinks Diet Coke.

AP: Girl after my own heart.:) What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

CL: Paris is into any flower that her dog Go can't dig up. Go has been known to get her into trouble with Mom over stuff like that.

DJ: Well, I'd have to say violets:)! And I'm not too picky when it comes to flowers but I've always been fond of sunflowers.

AP: Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

CL: Paris will believe anything she convinces herself of. Magic? Why not?

AP: Ha! I love that! Danielle?

DJ: I'm like Tere, I believe that anything can happen!

AP: And frequently does.;) Superman or Batman?

CL: Superman! But Paris doesn't really believe in superheros (according to everyone else.)

DJ: Superman!

AP: Hey! Look at the duelers agree on this one thing!! Whoo-hoo!! Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.:)

CL: "I needed a decent education, to live past twelve, to sleep without earmuffs, a flashlight and a power tool."

AP: *laugh* Don't we all! Danielle?

DJ: I try to smile, but I feel like it looks more like I'm sucking on an orange.

AP: Love it!

Okay, that's the duel! And they were both just so darn good, I totally can't decide!

SO YOU'RE GOING TO!!

I haven't done a giveaway in ages, so here goes (and bonus, there will be another giveaway tomorrow). Vote for who you think won this duel, Danielle or Cynthea. On Wednesday I will tally up the results and randomly choose one commenter on the "winning" team to get one of these two books (of your choice!) You can base your opinions on anything: who answered the questions the best, whose book looks more interesting, what you think the authors had for breakfast this morning, whatever! But vote for a chance to win one of these awesome books!!!

In case you need more info to base your vote on, you can visit Danielle at her website or Cynthea at hers.

Vote!

Ciao!