Blog Tour: Interview with Jennifer Echols+Giveaway

Hi everyone! I know it's been long since we've posted here in our blog and we kind of neglected it  for weeks but no need to fret because we are back! I have with me today Jennifer Echols, author of Major Crush and Going Too Far, which we are a huge fan since we even started blogging. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions for the blog tour of her upcoming book Most Likely To Succeed, so don't forget to check that out below and a giveaway!

Hi Jennifer! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I write novels for a couple of hours a day, and the rest of my time is taken up copy editing other authors’ novels, which is lots of fun! As far as I’m concerned, I have the best and the second-best jobs in the world. I love the Alabama heat, and I get to do a lot of my work outside on my screened porch. Some people say there’s no such thing as luck—you make your own luck—and I did work very hard to snag these jobs. But I still feel very lucky.

 

We here at Teen Readers' Diary are a huge fan of yours even before we started blogging and your books have been one of our YA foundations. Can you tell us what sets this story apart from the other books you've written?

Hey, that is very kind of you—thanks so much! I’ve never written a YA series before featuring a different couple in every book. This has been a dream of mine and something I’ve been working toward and fighting for for a while. Most Likely to Succeed is the third book in the Superlatives series, starting and ending with Sawyer and Kaye’s romance but also ending Sawyer’s character growth from the beginning of the series to the end. I think readers who have enjoyed the first two books in the series will find the last one really satisfying.

 

What are the most surprising things about publishing and being an author since your first book deal?

Self-publishing has been the huge change I did not foresee when I first sold a book to Simon & Schuster in 2005. I’d tried to get a book published for 15 years before that. It was a really slow and soul-crushing process. Self-publishing has leveled the playing field, taking a lot of power away from literary agents and publishers and giving it to authors for the first time. I’m not sure where things are going to stabilize, but I do know authors who can’t adapt to this changing publishing world are going to be left by the side of the road, no matter how long and hard they struggled before. The publishing industry has no memory.

 

Can you share some random things about you that people may be surprised to know?

I have a very pronounced Southern accent and regularly get made fun of for the way I talk at writers’ conferences. People who have made fun of me include my own former editor at Simon & Schuster and a literary agent from ATLANTA. If you sound really Southern to someone from Atlanta you start to second-guess yourself...

But I recently took a trip where nobody made fun of my accent because nobody knew what I was saying anyway. My husband was born in Thailand, but he left when he was two years old. In June we went back to meet his many relatives who still live there. I could fill a book with the crazy experiences we had, but the coolest thing for me was talking to his cousins in English, and listening to them in Thai (which I don’t speak at all), and realizing that we understood each other a lot better than I’d thought we would.

 

What's the best piece of advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Write the book you want to read!

Most Likely to Succeed (Superlatives #3)
by Jennifer Echols
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: August 4th 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Blurb:

In this sexy conclusion to The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Sawyer and Kaye might just be perfect for each other—if only they could admit it.

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers, and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future.

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

Follow the Most Likely to Succeed by Jennifer Echols Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

  

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.

US Only

If the winner has one of the Superlatives book, he/she can choose another book instead written by Jennifer Echols.

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Review: Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies, #2) by Tarryn Fisher

Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies, #2) by Tarryn Fisher

Genre: NA Contemporary
Kindle Edition: 265 pages

Release Date: December 21st 2012

Purchase: Amazon

Dear Opportunist,

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now, that he's mine I'll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn't ever think about you anymore. I won't let him go....ever.

Dirty Red

Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn't. Her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.

Review

“Wow. Wow. HELL WOW!”

These were the words I utter after reading Dirty Red which was quite an intense, infuriating and brilliant read.  I almost hurl my phone on the wall every time Leah flips on her inner B-ness. It's good (and crazy) to finally be able to look on the point of view of the person who tries everything in her power to keep two people who love each other apart and mind you she was aggravating beyond imagination. I tried to give Leah her chance she---slightly---deserves because her actions might be just fruits of the difficulties she have suffered through her childhood but almost at every moment that I've made up my mind there'll be twists and exasperating things she'll do that would brought me back to keep her on the bad side. I've finally realized she deserved it after all (you'll know why when the bomb was dropped). She's a dirty fighter and she doesn't know how to set her boundaries between love and obsession plus she's full of insecurities. Well, if you're wondering she's not so bad most of the time...She seemed to have care, love and be thoughtful of another being especially when she have come to realize Estella's importance to her, as her mother. We were given glimpses of the good side of Leah and it's nice to know that underneath the personality she imposes her heart isn't all tainted black after all. Looking through her perspective of the past and the present may give us that impression.

I'm not a fan of Leah---I know most of us are---and there’s a LOT of things she had done which are really unforgivable but I hope in all of these things there is still something that could be saved. However, we’d all be certain that she isn't done yet with Caleb and Olivia.

Dirty Red is the sequel to the bestselling book by Tarryn Fisher, The Opportunist, which I highly recommend to you all if you haven't read yet because if you haven't then you are missing a lot! I never thought that this series could get more compelling and awesome.

Dirty Red is amazingly extraordinary and it completely blown me away.

Can I have the third book now, please? J

Favorite quote:

“Love is illogical. You fall into it like a manhole. 

Then you're just stuck. You die in love more than you live in love."

  

Author Bio

I would like to write a novel that every, single person loves, but not even J.K. Rowling could do that. Instead, I try to write stories that pull on people's emotions. I believe that sadness is the most powerful emotion, and swirled with regret the two become a dominating force. I love villains. Three of my favorites are Mother Gothel, Gaston and the Evil Queen who all suffered from a pretty wicked case of vanity (like me). I like to make these personality types the center of my stories.

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Goodreads || Twitter

Cover Reveal: The Seven Year King by Kiki Hamilton

TEASER:  A deadly sacrifice, a heartbreaking choice, an uncertain future…

Releasing May 14^th!!

THE FAERIE RING - Available Now!

A stolen ring, a broken truce, a kingdom in peril...

"The Faerie Ring is an entertaining magical-historical adventure!" - Kirkus Reviews

“Hamilton’s debut gracefully mixes fantasy, Dickensian London, and a dash of romance.” - Publisher's Weekly

THE TORN WING  - Available Now!  

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation...

"This is a fun read - all but impossible to put down...  Lovers of fairy tales and Victorian England aren't the only

readers who will be charmed by this story of self-discovery."  - Kirkus Reviews

THE SEVEN YEAR KING  - Coming May 14^th!

A deadly sacrifice, a heartbreaking choice, an uncertain future…

The Faerie Ring

Author Bio:

Kiki Hamilton is the author of THE FAERIE RING fantasy series and the YA contemporary novel, THE LAST DANCE. She believes in magic and the idea of hidden worlds co-existing with our own. Kiki lives near Seattle, though she dreams of living in London one day.

Website | Twitter| Goodreads

 

FIRE Blog Tour+Giveaway(INT)

FIRE (Elemental, #4) 

Author: Shauna Granger
Urban Fantasy, YA/New Adult

Date Published: 12/18/12
Tour Host: AToMR Tours

Book Description:  

Demons, faeries, and mermaids. Claws, teeth, and nightmares.

They have been beaten and bruised, set on fire, and nearly drowned, but manage to always find their way home.  Over their last Winter Holiday break before college, Shayna, Jodi, and Steven try again to put aside the magic in their lives for a little mundane fun. But Shayna's mother is having dreams of fire and death. A mysterious stranger by the name of Liam has just arrived in town. And Shayna's attempts to manage her new angelic powers are set back by Steven's insistence that the trio intervene in a riot outside of a concert, with disastrous consequences.

In her attempt to stop the riot, a man sees Shayna use her magical abilities – a man driven mad by watching his brother die at the hands of a black witch. He stalks Shayna, plotting to destroy her and her friends. With her mother’s warnings echoing in her mind, Shayna is now in the fight of her life against an unlikely foe: a human man.

Check out the the first three books in the Elemental Series:

Amazon||Barnes and Noble||Kobo

Amazon||Barnes and Noble||Kobo

Amazon||Barnes and Noble||Kobo

Excerpt #2 of Fire

A muffled cry struck my ear, sending a pang of fear down my spine. I was nearly on top of whoever it was, but I couldn’t see them. I took a few more precarious steps forward, bending down until I could brace my hands on the rocks in front of me so I could peer over one the size of a Volkswagen. There, hidden in the deeper shadow cast by the small boulder, I caught sight of a pink jacket just before the water lapped over it to hide it again.

The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth and a pain in the back of my head started to throb, threatening to throw me off balance. A head injury, did I dare move them? What if I made it worse? What was I supposed to do? Fly them up to the freeway and just dart away into the night? When did my life become a comic book?

“Mommy.” The weak cry warbled as the little girl’s mouth filled with water, making her cough and choke.

“Shit,” I cursed, lowering myself to lie on my stomach to get closer. “Why is it always kids?” I reached into the small cavern created by the shifting of rocks and water and my fingers trailed over her jeans. I managed to pinch the hem of her pant leg.

“Mommy?” she asked, voice frail and terrified.

“No, Amanda.” Her name just suddenly came into my mind as I struggled to pull her closer to me so I could get a grip on her leg. “But I’m here to help you, okay?”

“It hurts,” she said, tears evident in her voice, and my heart clenched against it.
“Don’t move too much too fast, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to try to get you up to me first, okay? Then we’ll get you up to your mommy.” I inched forward on the rocks until I was balancing on the flat of my hips, the muscles in the small of my back contracting to keep me from slipping into the cavern with Amanda.

“I’m dizzy,” she said as her body finally offered resistance against my pulls and I knew I was going to have to lift her up at this point.

“I know, Mandy,” the nickname came easily to my lips, “but I need your help now. I need you to give me your hand, can you do that?” She didn’t answer me, which scared me for a moment before I felt her body shift under my hand that was holding her to keep her from drifting away.

I held out my free hand, hoping for her to be able to see me better than I could see her and she’d take it. I felt her fingers brush my hand as she blindly grabbed for me and missed. I heard her whimper, soft and painful.

“It’s okay, Mandy, just try again, I won’t leave you,” I soothed, straining to keep my hand stretched towards her. The tips of her fingers touched mine, but didn’t fall away this time as she struggled to reach me.

“Good, keep trying, nearly there,” I encouraged. Her fingers trembled, her strength failing her. I sucked in a breath and dipped forward to grasp her wrist, fighting the urge to rock backwards and lift her head up too quickly.

“Good girl, good girl,” I said, trying not to lose my breath. “Now, I need you to try and sit up, but do it slowly, okay?”

“Okay,” she warbled again and I felt her leg move from beneath my hand until I was touching only water. Her hand was no longer taut in my other hand, and I pulled gently, drawing her closer to me.

“Dizzy,” she whimpered again, and I reached for her with my free hand, finding the tangle of her hair and cradling the back of her neck gently. A thicker, slippery substance that I knew wasn’t water coated my fingers as they tangled with her hair. I let go of her wrist and slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her into me, cradling her tiny body against mine.

“Good girl, just relax now, okay?” I whispered to her as I hooked my toes into the gaps between the rocks to give myself some leverage. With every muscle in my body contracted, I lifted us out of the tiny cavern, clutching Mandy to me.
I felt my wings shift and concentrated on those muscles, letting the powerful wings work to lift me off of the rocks and get Mandy out of the dank and dark. She was trembling in my arms, shock setting in, letting me know I had minutes at best to figure out how to get her up to the EMTs.

“Stay with me, Mandy, don’t go to sleep yet,” I whispered to her as I gave one forceful beat of my wings, pulling us completely off of the rocks to hang in the air, slowly pumping my wings to keep us up. It was a strange feeling as the adrenaline pounded in my veins, making my fingers tingle as I gripped Mandy.
The arcing red lights flashed on us as I chewed on my lower lip, wanting to just fly up there and set her down in the arms of an EMT. But then they’d see my face and reports of an angel would hit the news and I’d have to keep my wings hidden long enough to forget how to fly. I had worked too hard over the last few months to lose that now.

I could feel the blood seeping from Mandy’s head drip down my arm, funneled through my fingers. Panic threatened to break me, but I closed my eyes and beat it back. I could panic later when Jodi and Steven were around to hold me against the wracking sobs, but right now a child was dying in my arms. I needed to get her to help; panic had no place here. I saw the dark figure of an EMT crouched on the ground near one of the mangled vehicles; his back was to the edge of the cliff as he examined a spray of glass. I could feel his confusion all the way out here. He was trying to figure out why glass was here, leading towards the cliff. This was where Mandy was thrown through a windshield to fall down the rocks and bash her head as she landed in the cavern.

I glanced away from him and saw everyone else was still running around tending to the injured they could get to, trying to save as many as they could since they had already lost the man with the punctured lung. Frustration fueled them as much as their own convictions; they were just not willing to lose another. The man examining the shattered glass stood, drawing my attention back to him.

“Okay, Mandy, time to go see mommy; are you ready?” I asked her calmly.

“Please,” she begged, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead before I looked back up to the EMT and opened a channel between us, sending awareness to him, willing him to turn around and see me. My heart pounded as he stopped, his head lifting as he turned slowly to look out at the sea.

His shock reverberated back to me when he saw me there, drifting in the air, cradling the bleeding child to my chest. Right then I wished I had the ability to emit some eerie glow around me to make it seem like one of those miracles people talk about so they would just write his vision off later. But instead I was a salt rubbed, scraped, and dripping mess, nothing what you expect when you finally get to see an angel. I hoped he wouldn’t be too disappointed tomorrow morning when the shock wore off.

I nodded to him and propelled myself forward, towards the cliff and the lean of rocks, beckoning him to me through our open channel. He took a moment before he shook himself visibly and then scrambled for the edge of the road and reached out towards us. Bringing myself close enough to pass Mandy to him without hitting the rocks took more skill than I thought. As it was, my feet scraped them and my wings faltered as I stretched my arms out.

“You saw her on the rocks,” I said, letting power fill my voice as I spoke. “You saw the glass and checked over the edge, and there she was.”

“There she was,” he repeated slowly as he gathered Mandy into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he pulled himself back up on the road. He gave a slow blink and I beat my wings forcibly to push myself back in the air away from the rocks, hanging over the water. Mandy lifted her head out of the crook of his shoulder and looked for me. When our eyes met, I lifted a hand and waved at her, my heart swelling when she waved back with her tiny hand.

“Go,” I whispered to the man, knowing he could hear me with the channel between us. I turned my body, opening my wings over my head. Light from the traffic glinted on the tips of my feathers, making them sparkle silver before I struck out back towards the clear beach.

  

Author Bio:

I don't do well talking about myself. So as basics go, I have recently self-published the first two books in my Elemental Series, Earth and Air, Young Adult Urban Fantasy novels. Look for the third installment, Water, coming in 2012!

I have been working on the Elemental Series for the last four years and plan for it to be a 5 book series. It was a hard decision to self-publish but it's been an exciting and terrifying ride.

 Website││Twitter||Facebook

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