Decked With Holly Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway

I'm thrilled to be a part of the Decked With Holly Blog Tour and to have the adorably awesome Marni Bates stopping by today with a fabby fab guest post and giveaway...

Holly Dayton is about to go way out of her comfort zone…
Spending Christmas vacation on a cruise with her two cousins from hell isn’t Holly’s idea of a good time. And when in a moment of seasick-fueled desperation she lurches into an open suite—she’s greeted with an eyeful of pepper spray. The culprit? A gorgeous guy calling himself Nick. But when Holly goes to make her exit, she gets the shock of her life: a corridor crammed with screaming teenage fans. Because Nick just happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for ReadySet—one of the hottest bands in America.
Suddenly rumors are swirling, and Holly’s face is captured on countless phones and plastered all over the Internet. But the band can’t risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend—just for two weeks. How bad could it be to be fauxmantically involved with one of the cutest rockstars on the planet? Holly’s about to find out…

From K-Teen

Released 9/25/12

A peek at Chapter One

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Marni’s Guide to Faking a Relationship with a Rockstar!

Okay, so let’s say that you’re taking a holiday cruise and get super seasick and . . . accidentally end up puking out your guts in a rockstar’s cabin.

No judgement here. As someone who tends to have a very bad reaction on boats for prolonged periods of time, I totally feel your pain.

But now rockstar Dominic Wyatt is asking you (not all that politely) if you’ll be willing to be his fake girlfriend just long enough to get the press off his back. What’s a girl to do?

Here is my advice:

1. Play it cool. The guy is probably used to a lot of screaming attention from his fans. Okay, he’s definitely used to getting it. But it’s nice to talk with people when they do more than, y’know, shriek. So try that.
2. Have some fun! I mean, dating a celebrity has to come with some perks, right? Scuba diving. Horseback riding. At the very least you should be able to make your cousins squirm with jealousy for once. Enjoy it while it lasts.
3. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Nick may be a rockstar but that doesn’t mean he can’t also be an activity buddy. And foreign countries can be a whole lot of fun when you can explore them with a friend.
4. Speaking of friends . . . call your bestie! Trust me, nobody likes hearing news about their best friend from a tabloid. But brace yourself for a whole lot of questions.
5. Living in close quarters with someone can be really difficult, which is why it’s important to discuss boundaries. And if Nick ever starts acting like a jerk, call him out on it. He probably won’t be all that open to hearing criticism, but so what? Your romance isn’t real. And even if it were, you should never be afraid to speak your mind.
6. Don’t fall in love with him. Just don’t. I know that he’s smart and nice and talented and really, really hot. But don’t do it. Things will just get super complicated and then—
7. Why am I wasting me time warning you? We both know you’re going to start developing feelings for him. Heck, even I totally fell in love with him. Dominic Wyatt is one very difficult guy to resist.

In fact, I was so swept away by him that I created this book trailer all on my own. I hope everyone enjoys it! 

Happy Reading!

~Marni

Marni Bates: Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Marni Bates began her writing career at the age of 19 with her autobiography, Marni, for HCI’s Louder Than Words series. Her debut novel, Awkward, has been translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Hungarian and has been optioned by Disney Channel as a made for TV movie. She has three other novels with KTeen; Decked with Holly, Invisible, and Notable, as well as a short story in Ambush Books’ Magical Mayhem Anthology. In her free time she can be found reading romance novels, rollerblading, singing really loudly (and off-key) in public and . . . watching copious amounts of television. You can visit her at www.MarniBates.com, check out her author page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter at @MarniBates, or do all of the above! Really. It would make her day.

Win a copy of Decked With Holly!

Thanks to K-Teen and Marni Bates, I have one finished copy to give away to one lucky cupcake.

Details

-US ONLY

-Will run from 1/3 - 1/10

-One main entry per person, Must be 13+

-Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-I am NOT responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prize in the mail

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Interview and Giveaway: Maggie Lyons

I'm pleased to have middle-grade author, Maggie Lyons, back today for an interview! Today, Maggie is going to talk about her new book Dewi and the Seeds of Doom. Plus, there's a giveaway...

When Dewi is clobbered by a falling rat, the nosy Welsh dragon snoops his way into a challenging predicament. Helped by a toad with a passion for chemical wart cures, Dewi discovers that a megalomaniac baron is secretly breeding mutant corn at an unfriendly castle. To thwart the genetically modified-corn baron’s sickening plan, he must use moxie and firepower in a series of catastrophe-skirting capers.

From Halo Publishing

Released Oct. 2012

Purchase: Amazon / Halo Pub

WS: What three words best describe DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

Fantastic dragon detective

WS: Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers why they should read DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

If you love losing yourself in whirlwind adventure stories brimming over with surprises, mishaps, chaos, and comedy, you’ll find this Welsh dragon detective’s antics irresistible as he battles an evil baron who breeds genetically modified corn.

WS: What do you hope young readers will learn or take away from DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

• It’s good to be curious about things and ask questions.

• Friends are important.

• It would be a good idea to find out exactly what you are eating, especially if it comes off a supermarket shelf.

WS: Grab a copy of DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? Chapter 1 in which Dewi decides to take up a challenge and dig into a mystery. Favorite page? When Dewi finds a last-minute hiding place and eavesdrops on the dastardly baron. Favorite character? Peegor, the baron’s long-suffering and equally ghastly servant. Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser from that page: “What’s the matter, Peegor? Is your dungeon too warm and your straw mattress too comfy for you to get up until half the day has gone?” A very nasty laugh crawled through the gap in the baron’s rotten teeth.

WS: Besides your own character Dewi, who is your favorite dragon character from any book or movie? 

Hiccup’s pet dragon, Toothless, in Cressida Cowell’s hilarious How to Train Your Dragon book series.

WS: Imagine you've discovered a time machine and you step inside...do you go back in time or into the future? Where do you go?

I’d go back to the past, about two hundred years ago, to France or Britain, when the air was cleaner, food far more wholesome, and people much more sociable.

WS: What would the title of your autobiography or memoirs be called? 

What a Motley Slew!

WS: Random favorites:

Midnight snack? I’m asleep long before midnight. But if I can add a food I might dream about, it would be a small bowl of lobster bisque— no, make it a large bowl. Place to write? At my desk with a view from the window of ducks doing ducky things on the creek. Superhero? Jeffrey Smith courageous pioneer advocate for the right to know what’s in our food. Nail polish color? No polish. My fingernails are short because I play the piano, and I don’t want to highlight the fact they’re short—but wait! I just remembered I have toes. I paint my toenails metallic rusty red to match the hair on my head. And now that I think of it, that color may also match the rust inside my head. Obviously a Freudian insight here. Middle-grade appropriate curse word or expletive? Oh no!

WS: Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at procrastinating, especially when it comes to filling a blank page. I'm embarrassed to admit that I like liver, onions, and spinach. Liver, onions, and spinach—oh my! My first literary crush (author or character) was Robert Louis Stephenson (Treasure Island). The last fantastic book I read was Jerry Spinelli’s The Wringer. Talk about a grab-your-thoughts, rend-your-heart, and stick-to-your-memory’s-ribs kind of story!

WS: If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM what would it look and taste like and what would you call it?

Dewi’s lightly charcoaled lamb chops cupcake would taste of—surprise!—lamp chops and it would be served with flaming hot sauce.

Maggie Lyons: Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Google+
Maggie Lyons is a writer and editor who was born in Wales and crossed the pond to Virginia. With no regard for the well-being of her family and neighbors, she trained as a classical pianist. Then came a career of putting rear ends on seats—that is, orchestral management, marked by reams of marketing and fundraising writing and program note scribbling for audiences, many of whose first priority was to find their names in the donors’ lists. Editing for academic publishers also brought plenty of satisfaction—she admits she has a fondness for nerds—but nothing like the magic she discovered in writing fiction and nonfiction for children. Several of her articles, poetry, and a chapter book miraculously appeared in Stories for Children Magazine and knowonder! magazine. Her middle-grade fiction Vin and the Dorky Duet and Dewi and the Seeds of Doom are published by MuseItUp Publishing and Halo Publishing International. She hopes her stories encourage reluctant young readers to turn a page or two.

Win a copy of 

Dewi and the Seeds of Doom!

Maggie has generously offered one copy of her book, in the winner's choice of paperback or ebook, for one lucky winner. This is a perfect book for the younger readers in your life!

DETAILS

-OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

-Will run from 1/2 - 1/7

-One main entry per person, Must be 13+ to enter

-Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged, stolen prize in the mail

Fill out Rafflecopter form to enter:

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Happy New Year!! {Blogging Resolutions}

Happy New Year, Cupcakes!!!

I can't believe 2012 is finally over and 2013 is here! 2012 was a crazy year for me: personally, it sucked, but bloggerly (is so a word!), it rocked! I read so many fabulous books this year, met so many awesometastic bloggers, readers, and authors, and I scored my first literary internship. But, I have a feeling 2013 is going to be even better. There are like abijillion fabby fab books coming out this year AND come May, I'm going to be an auntie for the first time *squee*...so, yeah 2013 is already looking stellar.

But, as this new year begins, it has me thinking about my blogging resolutions. This past year of blogging has been wonderful, but it hasn't come without its quirks and dark spots. We've all experienced blogging slumps, where blogging stops being fun and just feels like SUCH WORK...and yeah, blogging is a lot of work and requires a lot of time and dedication. But, it should always be fun. This past year I sometimes felt like I needed to "keep up" with other blogs when it came to reviews and such, which caused a lot of unneeded stress. My biggest blogging resolution this year is to have more fun and blog the way I want to and not how I think I should.

So, this year I vow to not stress myself out so much! I'm not going to put myself under strict reviewing deadlines and I'm going to review the books I want to review. I'm also going to make sure I finally allow myself the time to read all those books sitting on my shelf or on my Kindle that have been passed up time and time again for ARCs and review books, and all those great books I've been wanting to re-read. And (this is a big one), I'm going to refrain from requesting so many books on Netgalley and Edelweiss (scary, I know!). Lately, I've been posting about 2 reviews a week, which seems to allow me the most time to read review books, read for my internship, and read just for fun, so I think I'm going to stick to this for the next year. 

This year I'm also all about QUALITY over quantity. In the past, I had a hard time just walking away from the blog for a week or so and not posting, but sometimes this is necessary. So, this year I'm going to focus on posting quality reviews and author interviews and guest posts. I love promoting great books and authors, so I'll still be participating in blog tours and the occasional book blitz and cover reveal, but I won't be so hard on myself when some days I just don't post anything at all. 

I'm cutting down on the weekly memes and think I'll keep posting Teaser Tuesdays every week, Waiting On Wednesdays every other week, Goodie Basket (book hauls) posts twice a month, and Sweet Reads and Tatted Thursdays maybe once a month....quality over quantity, right?!

Most of all, I'm just going to enjoy blogging, talking about books, and interacting with other booknerds! I have some fun stuff planned for this year on the blog, like the 2nd Annual March MG Madness event and my 2nd Blogiversary, and I'm super excited to see what this year brings.

What about y'all? Got any New Years resolutions?!