Siren's Fury by Mary Weber + Giveaway

by Mary Weber

Contrary to the popular belief of my children . . . sometimes my husband and I are cool enough that we get invited to parties.

(Either that or the party hosts just think this poor couple needs help at socialization with real live people and thus they send us an invite. In which case, it clearly seems to be effective since, at these parties, we end up visiting and laughing and do in fact generally act like humans who know what they’re doing.)

And sometimes, at said parties, we meet nice people who say lots of lovely things about life. And we say lovely things too. :0)

And every so randomly-often these newly-met nice people also say kind things like, “Oh hey, I read your book.”

Confession: This is always followed by a moment of silence. Until after a moment I coolly fumble out the words, “Oh. You did? Why?” (because I apparently need to be as awkward as possible and ask why on earth someone would do such a thing.)

“Ummmm because you wrote it.”

Me: “Oh.”

Nice Person: “And I really enjoyed your fantasy world. Especially the powers and man-eating horses.”

Me: *smiles sheepish* “Awww thanks.”

Nice Person: “So how’d you come up with the ideas for those?”

Me: “………...” *mind goes blank*

It’s usually not until handsome husband and I are driving home that my brain suddenly kicks back on and I think, “Why didn’t I tell them the truth?”

The truth being that sometimes I can be a decent collector of ideas.

Ideas resulting from being raised on Lord of the Rings and medieval history books.

And the massive love affair I have with all things Avatar, The Last Airbender.

As well as Maggie Stiefvater.

Along with Hayao Miyazaki

And comics.

In fact that last one I enjoy so much, I married one of the characters.

#wolverine

So… for the next time any of you feel inclined to pity us poor nerds and invite us to your super cool party to hang out with your super nice friends – WE ACCEPT!!!

And if one of those nice friends happens to ask about the world of Siren’s Fury . . .

Those will be my answers. ;0)

Siren's Fury
by Mary Weber

Publisher: Thomas Nelson/Harpercollins

Release Date: June 2nd, 2015

Blurb: "I thrust my hand toward the sky as my voice begs the Elemental inside me to waken and rise. But it's no use. The curse I've spent my entire life abhorring—the thing I trained so hard to control—no longer exists."

Nym has saved Faelen only to discover that Draewulf stole everything she valued. Now he’s destroyed her Elemental storm-summoning ability as well.

When Nym sneaks off with a host of delegates to Bron, Lord Myles offers her the chance for a new kind of power and the whispered hope that it may do more than simply defeat the monster she loathes. But the secrets the Bron people have kept concealed, along with the horrors Draewulf has developed, may require more than simply harnessing a darker ability.

They may require who she is.

Set against the stark metallic backdrop of the Bron kingdom, Nym is faced with the chance to change the future.

Follow the Siren's Fury by Mary Weber Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

  

Mary Weber is a ridiculously uncoordinated girl plotting to take over make-believe worlds through books, handstands, and imaginary throwing knives. In her spare time, she feeds unicorns, sings 80’s hairband songs to her three muggle children, and ogles her husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. They live in California, which is perfect for stalking L.A. bands, Joss Whedon, and the ocean. Her debut YA fantasy novel, STORM SIREN, is available now in bookstores and online, and SIREN'S FURY (book 2 in the trilogy) will be out June, 2015 from TN HarperCollins.

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Blog Tour: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb (Interview) +Giveaway

Good day everyone! Today we're one of the 3rd stop for Kissing in America blog tour. Below we had a brief interview about Margo and how she started writing. There's also an audio tour for the book! Join on the giveaway below and follow the tour for more chances of winning! ;)

Kissing in America

by Margo Rabb

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 26th 2015

Blurb:

I loved romances because when you opened the first page, you knew the story would end well. Your heart wouldn't be broken. I loved that security, that guaranteed love.

In real life, you never knew the ending. I hated that.

Sixteen-year-old Eva has never been in love. But when she meets Will, everything changes. With him, her grief over her father's death fades, and she can escape from her difficult relationship with her mother. Then, without any warning, Will picks up and moves to California. So Eva—with the help of her best friend, Annie—concocts a plan to travel across the country to see him again. As they leave New York City for the first time and road-trip across America, they encounter cowboys, kudzu, and tiny towns without stoplights. Along the way, Eva and Annie learn the truth about love and all its complexities.

Congratulations on your book Margo! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Thank you! I was born in NYC and raised in Sunnyside, Queens, and after living for 7 years in Austin, TX,  we now live in the Philadelphia area. I write essays and book reviews for the New York Times, Salon, and The Rumpus, and I’m the author of Kissing in America and Cures for Heartbreak.

When and how did you decide to become a YA writer?

I’ve always loved writing and wanted to be a writer ever since I was a little kid. My first book, Cures for Heartbreak, was actually considered  an adult book originally--I wrote an essay about how it sold as YA for the New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/books/review/Rabb-t.html?scp=1&sq=margo%20rabb&st=cse

Could you describe the mundane details of writing: How many hours a day to you devote to writing? Do you write a draft on paper or at a keyboard?

I always draft on paper first. I try to write for a good 4 or so hours a day, but not on weekends. When I’m revising I like to print out drafts and then mark them up with a pen and type in the changes.

So far, what has been the most surprising part of the publishing and writing industry for you?

I think the most surprising part is what a small world it is--before I started writing professionally, I didn’t know that the world of writers can feel quite tiny and close-knit. I love that aspect of it.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? the worst?

The best piece of advice is from the writer Antonya Nelson: “You have to have a leather ass.”  She was talking about how to endure rejection. :) The worst was when I was an MFA student in fiction, and a  guy in one of my workshops wanted everyone to set our stories during wartime. Every single story.

Are you working on something right now? What's next for Margo?

I’m working on a new YA novel and lots of new essays that I’m excited to share soon!

“Wonderful . . . Margo Rabb has created nothing less than a women’s map of American mythologies, navigating from Emily Dickinson to Barbara Cartland, from the cowboys of the rodeos to the makeup studios of Hollywood, and from the bottom of the Atlantic to the spacious skies of the USA.” — E. Lockhart, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

“A wonderful novel about friendship, love, travel, life, hope, poetry, intelligence and the inner lives of girls. Margo Rabb writes with compassion and clarity about lives that are worth telling, journeys that need to be taken, peace that needs to be reached. I loved it.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray Love

“That Margo Rabb can write a story so gorgeous, funny, and joyous that is also unsentimental and honest is a testament to her skill and to her heart. I loved everything about Eva and the supporting cast in this beautiful novel.” — Sara Zarr, author of The Lucy Variations

“Rabb eloquently gets grief right in this compassionate, perceptive, and poignant story, deftly leavened with irreverent humor, of a girl in conflict with her mother. Wise, inspiring, and ultimately uplifting-not to be missed.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“With a full cast of multidimensional characters, this novel explores the complex nature of relationships and the many faces of grief and love with equal parts humor and poignancy.” — School Library Journal

“A smart teen’s novel. [The] characters are authentic and complex. Rabb knows the perfect point to interject humor to diffuse a potentially devastating situation—a leavening of sorts to the reality that death and love inexplicitly alter the landscape of a person’s life.” — Booklist (starred review)

“In this indelible coming-of-age story, Rabb seamlessly weaves together multiple narratives. Sprinkled with the poetry Eva reads and writes, this story makes for a hilarious, thought-provoking, wrenching, and joyful quest.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Humor and depth . . . Often entertainingly snarky” — The Horn Book

“It is a marvel and I love every word of it: the carefully structured plot, the memorable characters, the wholly apposite style and tone. It is funny, sad, wistful, wise, and altogether memorable.” — Michael Cart

Follow the Kissing in America AUDIO TOUR that Epic Reads is hosting. You can win lots of prizes and hear excerpts from Margo Rabb's book. Click on the banner below to start following the AUDIO TOUR!

Follow the Kissing in America by Margo Rabb Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

  

Margo Rabb's stories have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, Zoetrope: All Story, Seventeen, Best New American Voices, New Stories from the South, New England Review, One Story, and elsewhere, and have been broadcast on National Public Radio. She received grand prize in the Zoetrope short story contest, first prize in The Atlantic Monthly fiction contest, first prize in the American Fiction contest, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Award. She grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. A complete list of her published work can be found here.

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