Friday, March 5, 2010

Congrats to the Giveaway Winners!

 
 

Congrats to all the winners!  Please email me with your shipping address at
girlfrienddesignz@gmail.com  Please put Contest Winner in subject line.
All winners have until midnight Sunday to contact me or I will draw a new winner.

Hasta la Vista, Lola Winner

08--Vicki


The Moon Looked Down Winners

06--Simply Stacie
10--Cheryl F (The Lucky Ladybug)
14--Marjorie
17--Sean
22--Nancye


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Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Bantam (March 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553807218
ISBN-13: 978-0553807219
Rating: 4/5

Emily's mother passes away leaving the teenager alone but soon to discover she has a grandfather she never knew of in Mullaby, North Carolina and he has agreed to be her caregiver so off to Mullaby she goes.

She has many questions but is met with resentment from most of the towns folks and her grandfather doesn't seem to want to talk about her mother. A neighbor, Julia, befriends her and tries to help her to fit in but it's really hard when your having to live down your mothers sins she later discovers.

Julia has issues of her own she is trying to work out and by helping Emily it distracts her a bit. She inherited her fathers diner after he passed away and returned to town herself and vowed to only stay long enough to get it doing well enough to sell and she was out of there but things dont always go the way we think and wounds heal while she is there and old love tries to be rekindled but will it be able to withstand all the secrets?

And then there's Win Coffey whose family has forever lived in Mullaby and who has a long time secret of their own that destroyed his uncle while he was involved with none other than Emily's mother before she was shooed out of town so many years ago.

This story is full of secrets, love, and even a bit of magic and I enjoyed it all! It was beautifully written and easily shifted from scene to scene. All the characters were strong and believable. I truly hated for it to end.

Review Copy Provided by Author

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Reviews: Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz


Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606840347
ISBN-13: 978-1606840344
Rating: 3/5

This is a story of friendship, love, same sex relationships, jealousy, and rumors. A nice list of things until you mix them all together.

A rumor gets started that Tara's boyfriend, Brent, has been having sexual relations with a male teammate and she cant deal with it so she asks for a time out from their relationship. Now this is what I thought the book title meant by stupid is that she would just assume a rumor like that to be true especially after she had been dating this guy for like a year or more?

While they are on a timeout a new girl comes to town and it appears as though Brent may have an interest in her so Tara's friend Whitney Blair rises to the rescue and threatens the new girl to back off that he is taken, but then when Tara also takes an interest in the new girl the crap literally hits the fan in alot of ways!

Overall I enjoyed the book and loved how the author divided each person up into their own chapters when the story shifted to them. I feel like she took some touchy subjects and addressed them in a tidy, easy to understand way while still being realistic.

Review Copy Provided by Publisher/ Courtesy of Other Shelf Tours
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Interview: Linda Poitevin

Today I have some interview questions/answers from a wonderful author and a sweetheart of a lady; Linda Poitevin.  Linda lives just outside Canada's capital, Ottawa, with husband, three daughters, a dog, two cats, a rabbit, and a Bearded Dragon lizard. She cans and freezes her family’s winter fruit and vegetable supply, knits, and crochets! A very busy lady indeed!
 
Thank you for the interview and kind words Linda! {{Big Hugs}}
 
 
Q: What if you woke from a dream to realize you were a character from your book knowing everything that happens in your book -- who would you be and why?

A: Is there any question? Lol! I would absolutely choose to be Gwyn – who wouldn’t? Gareth is a totally hot Hollywood star who is mature, sexy, secure in himself, and ready to commit (though he doesn’t know it yet!). Knowing what happens in the book and that he’s going to…and then he’ll…oh, I would SO definitely be Gwyn! J



Q: Would you make any changes in the story?

A: As the author, my first inclination is to say no. And if I were Gwyn? Still no. I think Gwyn is a lot like me, believing that everything happens for a reason. If one thing were to change in the story (or in my/her life), it could affect everything else…and knowing how the story turns out, I absolutely wouldn’t want to change a thing!



Q: Would you choose to stay inside your own story and carry out the rest of your life or would you like to "wake" up again in your "real life"?

A: Lol – questions like that are so unfair! I think it would totally depend on the kind of day I was having when you asked me, because there are some days….

Seriously, though, I think I’d like to wake up again in my own life – in spite of its ups and downs – because I like who and where I am. Although I must admit it would be tempting to lose a few years off my age…except that would mean going through all kinds of life experiences a second time around…so nope, my life definitely wins. J

Plus there’s the whole Hollywood aspect to consider…it’s one thing to write about a character dealing with being in the spotlight like that, and quite another to live it myself!



Q: Can you give me a quick overview of your current project? I believe you’re working on a paranormal next?

A: My work in progress is a dark paranormal suspense with strong romantic elements – a series, actually (I hope!). The first book is complete and sitting with my agent, who is waiting for me to polish and send the synopsis for the second book before she starts the submission process. The story takes place in today’s world but draws heavily on angel mythology – I’m really excited about it and have already started the second book.

Q: Can you share an excerpt with us from A Fairy Tale for Gwyn?
A: I’d be delighted – here’s one no one else has seen yet:


He rose from the couch and raised his hands over his head in a slow stretch. “Thank you again for dinner, and for coffee. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything too important.”

Gwyn didn’t think much could be more important than watching a thin denim shirt strain across a broad chest, but neither did she think it wise to say so. She simply smiled and shook her head. “Nothing at all,” she said, and trusted that he wouldn’t hear the slight strangulation in her voice.

She uncoiled her feet and leaned forward to put her mug on the trunk. When she straightened up, she found Gareth’s hand extended to her. She hesitated, exhaled shakily, and then put her own hand out and let him pull her to her feet, inches away from the broad shoulders she’d just admired—along with all the rest of him.

No amount of reasoning with herself could make her raise her gaze to his. Long seconds ticked by, alive with electric expectation. Gareth cleared his throat. “I should go,” he said, his voice low and husky.

A tremor twisted through Gwyn’s belly. She stared at a button at eye level on his shirt. The one that marked the beginning of an open vee that exposed a glimpse of dark hairs. “I know.”

“Gwyn—”

She inhaled sharply at the rough sound of her name. Gareth’s fingers tightened for an instant on her own, then began a slow slide up her arm to her shoulder, around to the nape of her neck. A strand of hair, not her own, brushed her cheek. Gwyn closed her eyes.

“Mommy, my head hurts.”
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Review: Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061799254
ISBN-13: 978-0061799259
Rating: 3/5

An enjoyable read but I cant help feeling that it lacked something that I can't put my finger on. I really think I had higher expectations than the book delivered.

The main character, Joy, was plum annoying and ignorant. If ever I could reach out and touch someone I'd like to reach thru my pages and smack her one or two times. At first I felt sorry for her because it appeared like her sister always ruined her life so to speak but then she just developed this holier than thou attitude like it was all about her and I totally turned my sympathy to the "bad sister".

I dont think the book was without some merit though. I did enjoy the family interactions strange as they were and I did appreciate how the two sisters came together at the end each having a better understanding of what the other was feeling and going thru.

Review Copy Provided by Author/Courtesy of Around the World Tours.

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