Zombies and Rules and the Ocean, Oh My!

It is Blog Tour time again and I have so been looking forward to touring my good friend Carrie with her absolutely amazing novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth!! Most of you have probably heard about this fantastic book already (the hype is not inflated! It really is that good!!) but if not, here is the run-down:

"In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?"

A literary Zombie Apocalypse novel. People always look at me funny when I say that, but I kid you not! The Forest of Hands and Teeth, or FHT and we like to call it, has been getting excellent reviews already, scoring a coveted starred review from Publisher's Weekly, who said: "Mary's observant, careful narration pulls readers into a bleak but gripping story of survival and the endless capacity of humanity to persevere...Fresh and riveting." And reviewers are not the only ones to weigh in. Popular authors are flocking to be part of Carrie's fan club too! Check this out:

"A post-apocalypse romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."
—Scott Westerfeld, author of Extras and Leviathan

"Intelligent, dark and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."
—Cassandra Clare, author of the Mortal Instruments trilogy

"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box; a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it!"
—Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange

"Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down."
—Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy

See, you don't even have to take my word for it that FHT is an amazing-original-scare-your-pants-off-never-the-likes-of-it-seen-before kind of book. They all agree with me too.:)

And a bit about the lovely Carrie Ryan:

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie Ryan is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now writes full time. She lives with her writer/lawyer fiancé, two fat cats and one large puppy in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

(But Aprilynne hopes she is ready for bestsellerdom because that is where she is headed!!!)

And without further ado, we have my Feasty Five!!

AP: What kind of soda does (would) your MC drink?

CR: Tough question! There's really no soda (or as we call it down south, coke) in her world so I have no idea!!

AP: Cheater!! I declared Mary to be a Sprite drinker! Just like Laurel.;) What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

CR: My favorite flower is the daffodil -- I pretty much love all flowers but I love that the daffodil blooms so early, is so bright, and smells so yummy! Mary's favorite flower would be something simple like the little white and blue flowers that carpet meadows in the spring!

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

CR: Yes and yes :)

AP: Explanation?

CR: . . . .

AP: Perhaps your silence is explanation enough.;) Superman or Batman?

CR: Tough choice! I think I give Batman the edge because he doesn't have inherent powers to fall back on -- he's a mere mortal who accomplishes great things!

AP: Kind of like *koffkoff* Mary! Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.:)

CR: On the edge of sleep when my thoughts are no longer my own but controlled of their own volition, the sound of the ocean comes to me: the rustling of leaves of a hundred thousand trees that surround me, pulsing with the wind as the waves crash over my head.

AP: Okay, if that does not make you want to run out right now and buy the book, my life has been wasted.;)

Seriously though; this is a book you do not want to miss out on! And I am so sure you are going to love it that I am putting my money where my mouth is and giving one away!! (See, it pays to read all the way to the bottom of the blog tour entries.;))

Okay, entering is simple. The Zombies are attacking and you have time to grab one thing in each hand!! What do you grab??

Let me know what your most important two things are by midnight on Friday and you will have a chance to win FHT!!

However, if you don't want to wait that long, FHT comes out TODAY and is being stocked in both Borders and Barnes and Noble for your reading pleasure!!

Also, feel free to visit www.carrieryan.com for more about FHT, reviews, an awesome book trailer, and tons more!

Happy release day Carrie!!!

Ciao!

Since I Have an Incredible Memory . . .

I KNEW there was one more thing I was supposed to put in my blog entry last night!

The winner of the signed copy of THE SEASON!!

There were some really, really beautiful ball gown described in the comments and I had a really hard time picking, but I am going to have to go with the dress from FitToSeeJane!

"My dress would definitely be white, soft and empire waisted, with embroidered flowers around the neckline, (which is just low enough to still be tasteful) in jewel tones of scarlett, purple, burgandy and gold. It would have sweet little gathered short sleeves, so I could wear long gloves.
Oh, and a scarlett shawl and matching little scarltt slippers with embroidery."

Please email me your address at aprilynnepike at gmail dot com so we can get this awesome book on its way to you!

And now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.;)

Ciao!

Wishes and Haircuts

A couple different things tonight; a friend of mine, Jeanette Rallison, sent me an ARC of her book, Just One Wish, a while ago. She is also the author of a book that's been getting some good buzz lately called My Fair Godmother which came out in January.

Since I am a fan of stealing content from Amazon, here is a bit about Just One Wish!

"Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it’s all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.

But Annika’s plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him. Annika suddenly fi nds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

Janette Rallison’s proven talent for laugh-out-loud humor, teen romance, and deep-hearted storytelling shines in a novel that will have readers laughing and crying at the same time. "

So, to be honest, I expected a light read with a happy ending. I didn't expect the emotion and bittersweetness that came with this novel. It really is a funny book, full of misadventures and hilarious accidents and coincidences. But at its heart, it is still a fight for a young boy's life.

It's a fun book and if it sounds interesting it will be out *drumroll* tomorrow!! At a store near you.;)

In other news, today was my son's birthday! This is unfortunate for me, because he is now four and I have lost the fun of bragging that I have a three year old who reads.

*shameless* Of course, I felt the same way when he turned three and I could no longer brag that I had a two year old who reads.

Oh, the things I have to deal with. *sigh* *snerk*

But today is a momentous day because it was also the day of the haircut!!! *cue ominous music*

My son hates haircuts. He is afraid of the buzzers, he is afraid of scissors, this has led to me doing several very, very awful haircuts in five minutes or less. (Seriously bad haircuts . . . ones that don't take weeks to start looking normal again, but months. I think some of the other mothers in my neighborhood think I am a blind moron.)

But about three months ago, I made a deal with him. I told him that when he was four years old, he would be big enough to be brave. And so we decided that he would have a haircut in a real "haircut store" when he was four. (And I am sure he only agreed because his birthday seemed so far away.)

But today it was time to pay the piper! (Also I swear his hair grew a whole inch in the last two weeks!)

So here he is before:



And after:



Isn't he cute?

I actually like the long look and if he would sit for a haircut once a month I would keep it but . . . well, he won't.

I could make some obscure comparison about revisions or shaving unneeded scenes and words . . . but in actuality, i just wanted to show you how cute my son is.:)

Ciao!

Lenore . . . ?

I am mailing out prizes today for my ARC giveaway and I haven't heard from Lenore. So Lenore! I'm talking to you!!;)

Unfortunately, if I don't hear from you in the next three days, I am going to have to reassign your prize. Because I have a big gift bag and I don't want it to go to waste!

So email me at aprilynnepike at gmail dot com.

(This has been a friendly reminder, courtesy of . . . me!:D)

Ciao!

Diets and Cookies and Mean Girls, Oh My!

It's been a busy but good week for the Blog Tour this week! A warm welcome to Erin Dionne with her book Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies!

A bit about the book:

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn’t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she’s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste—because, after all, a thin girl can’t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

I actually got a chance to read this book a couple of months ago and it is SO fun! For any 8-16 year old girl who is struggling with self-confidence in any way, this is great book. It's technically Middle Grade, but it was such a fun book, I really think it can skew older. A very real, very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it!

A bit about the lovely Erin Dionne:

Erin Dionne has lived on two coasts and in four states. Her 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.

And I know you all look forward to my Feasty Five! Here they are!

AP: What kind of soda does your MC drink?

ED: She's definitely a root beer girl. At least, she used to be....

AP: *laugh* I suspect she's a Diet Coke girl now! What is your MC's favorite kind of flower? How about yours?

ED: Celeste likes daisies. I'm a fan of violets.

AP: Awww, I love violets! Does your MC believe in magic? Do you?

ED:If you asked her, she'd say maybe, but on the inside she'd really want to believe.
Do I? Absolutely.

AP: Aren't so many of us like that? Believing on the inside? *sigh* Okay, back on track, Superman or Batman?

ED: Batman, baby. Batman. It's all about the car.

AP: Batman still winning. Give us one line from your book. You don't even have to give it context.:)

ED: From when Celeste finds out she's a contestant for Miss HuskyPeach:

But instead of picturing MY FACE THERE, all I saw were Lively and her posse from school, ponytails bobbing, fingers pointing. And what I heard was more moos.

AP: Oh man, that part of the book is so sad! Seriously, people, for an excellent read on how to have confidence no matter what you look/sound/act/smell like (well, maybe smell was going too far . . .) check out MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES! You will not regret it!

And while you're at it, visit Erin at www.erindionne.com

Ciao!