Stealing Bases - Keri Mikulski

Reformed mean girl Kylie Collins desperately wants to put the craziness of basketball season behind her. (And with it, her cheater ex, Zachary Murphy.) Maybe she'll finally be able to silence her snarky streak and concentrate on her lifelong dream - being recruited for Division One softball.

But when Kylie arrives at her first softball practice of the season, she comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare: Amber McDonald, the best pitcher in the state.

Now, Kylie's forced to warm the bench as Amber wows crowds again and again. With all the drama happening out on the softball diamond, Kylie finds herself drawn back to bad habits-sabotaging people and hanging out with a certain Zachary Murphy. . .

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: Stealing Bases (a prettyTOUGH novel)

Author: Keri Mikulski

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: July 7, 2011

Format: Softcover

Source: Received from author/publicist courtesy of Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to Keri Mikulski and Teen Book Scene for sending me a copy of this book to review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour: Teen Book Scene. You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner located below the review. 

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository

My rating: 4.5/5

This year's softball season is going to be Kylie's year, until a curveball is thrown her way and she  is warming the bench as her pitching rival, Amber, mesmerizes the crowd game after game as starting pitcher. Kylie wants her spot back, and now that she's sitting on the bench, she has a lot of time on her hands. Her ex-boyfriend, Zachary, has been hanging around and wanting to spend time with her, though Kylie is torn as she questions his intentions. 
If softball met the O.C., Stealing Bases would be considered their love child. With competitive school spirit, prom, softball, and rivalries between the boys and the girls, Stealing Bases doesn't let up. Primarily the focus is on Kylie's pitching status or lack thereof. She wants her spot back and is frustrated because it seems like she is losing everything; first her mom to her parent's divorce, the house, Zachary, and now her starting position. It seems like everything is going wrong for Kylie and she is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. When an opportunity arises, will Kylie revert to her old ways, or will she rise above? 
I really liked the competitive feel when Kylie was playing ball. With the teams egging each other on, it felt like you were sitting there playing with the team, chewing gum and sunflower seeds. As a softball player in my teen years, I loved reminiscing with Kylie and her team as they played their way to the Desert Invitational. The added bonus of boys, prom, and high school make this a well-rounded, fun and flirty read.
All in all, a fresh, sporty and fun read. Kylie will entice readers to commiserate with her as they see what she is going through and how hard it is for her to deal with everything that is going on. This is definitely one of those reads that brings back the nostalgia of playing softball, and I wish this book was around when I was a teen. It would be a great addition to any library. Sports fans are sure to enjoy reading about Kylie's adventures in Stealing Bases.  

Blog Tour: Stealing Bases - Keri Mikulski - Guest Post

Keri Mikulski is here today with a guest post courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, Stealing Bases. Thank you for being here today, Keri! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

How did your history with playing sports affect your writing about them?

Thanks so much, Corrine!

Writing Sporty Books from an Insider’s Perspective

Every page, every sentence, and every word of my sporty novels are affected by my athletic history. From teammates to game scenes to sensory details, it’s all pulled from my past.

Since I’m officially a ‘has been’ I can’t play sports like I used to. Today, my life gets in the way and I can’t play everyday. But when I sit down to write a new novel or even revise a scene, I see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the sport again. Instantly, I’m back on the mound, field, or court playing like I used to. The opportunity to play again through my writing is definitely the best perk of writing sporty fiction.

Other perks….

1. Teammates – After participating in athletics for many years, I have a ton of teammates and athletes to pull from. While I’m developing my characters, I usually add one unique characteristic of an ex-teammate or player I coached and embellish the rest. I also love to add tiny shout-outs to my teammates. Like in Stealing Bases, Coach Kate is named after a teammate and friend, Kate Ormsby.

2. Sporty Scenes – Most of the time, I’ve played the sport I’m writing about; therefore, my novels don’t require a bunch of specific background research for my sporty scenes. I use my previous knowledge from my playing and/or coaching days. However, I always rely on at least one beta-reader and/or expert on hand to double check the book before I send it to my editor.

3. When Research is Required – What could be better? I can continue to play co-ed soccer competitively and call it research. Gym membership - research. Watching ESPN obsessively– research. The tennis lessons I’m just signed up for – research.

The opportunity to write sporty fiction for girls is a dream come true for me. I feel truly blessed and I’m so thankful to continue doing what I love.

Thanks bunches for having me today.

You are more than welcome! Thank you for being here today, Keri! I loved this insider's look into the making of your sporty books. =)

-------------------

Keri Mikulski is the author of Head Games (Penguin/Razorbill, 2011), Stealing Bases (Penguin/Razorbill, 2011), and Making Waves (Penguin/Razorbill, 2012). A three-sport athlete in high school, Keri worked as a magazine columnist, personal trainer, lifeguard, registered nurse, middle school teacher, and high school coach. Currently, she teaches college writing courses at Rowan University and Stockton College while working toward a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. Keri splits her time between the New Jersey suburbs and the shore with her husband and daughter. Find out more at http://www.kerimikulski.com.

-------------------

Reformed mean girl Kylie Collins desperately wants to put the craziness of basketball season behind her. (And with it, her cheater ex, Zachary Murphy.) Maybe she'll finally be able to silence her snarky streak and concentrate on her lifelong dream - being recruited for Division One softball.

But when Kylie arrives at her first softball practice of the season, she comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare: Amber McDonald, the best pitcher in the state.

Now, Kylie's forced to warm the bench as Amber wows crowds again and again. With all the drama happening out on the softball diamond, Kylie finds herself drawn back to bad habits-sabotaging people and hanging out with a certain Zachary Murphy. . .

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Blog Tour: Stupid Fast - Geoff Herbach - Author Interview & Giveaway

Today, Geoff Herbach is here with an author interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for his book, Stupid Fast. Thank you for being here Geoff! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

If you were faced with the same situations that Felton is faced with, what would you do? Would you have done anything differently?

I definitely would have done some stuff differently (knowing what I know now – as a teenager, probably not). I would have gotten help, fast. It’s hard to know how bad things actually are while they’re happening. I think people naturally want to cover up trouble, 1) Because they’re embarrassed and, 2) because they’re not exactly sure if the trouble is bad enough to warrant telling someone about it. Here’s what I’ve figured out: if you think there might be real trouble, you’re probably right. So, if my mom, or kid, or wife, or whatever, started acting weird and not getting out of bed, I’d start searching for help right away. I sort of had to see a lot of little blow ups over time to figure this out, though!

What songs, or books would Felton relate to? Does he have a theme song?

Felton claims to like some music, The Beatles and some punk stuff his dad liked and some rap, he’s not like Andrew who knows music that well. He really likes movie and TV theme songs. That said, Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days are Over” kills him. He thinks its about Jerri, but also thinks its about him. It makes him tear off down the road. (I have pictured this.)

I think of Felton as having read a lot of Old School sort of fantasy stuff when he was younger (Chronicles of Narnia, Fellowship of the Rings, etc.). I think he would really relate to Looking for Alaska and King Dork. I don’t think he’s read much, though. Not like Andrew. Andrew has read everything. Felton watches more TV, which is one reason I think he’s more fragile than Andrew in some ways. One of the gifts of a book is that it gives you a deeper understanding of the world and that makes for stronger people, I think.

If you could meet a character from any book ever written, which character and book would you choose, and why?

I’d really like to hang out with Franny and Zooey, the two youngest members J.D. Salinger’s Glass family. They’re both very smart and sort of sad and extremely funny and they’ve dealt with tragedy (their older brother killed himself) but seem capable of overcoming the rough stuff, capable of figuring out what’s important in life. I’d like to walk around 1950s New York smoking cigarettes with them (it wasn’t bad for you then – at least no one knew it, so that’d be nice!).

What would the front page headline of a newspaper say about you?

Author Herbach found dead in a dewy bush

I have really bad insomnia. I assume one night I’ll sleep walk out the window and land in a bush.

If you could be a tree, which would you be, and why?

Burr Oak. They’re giant, gnarly and tough and also really wicked beautiful. What’s not to like in a Burr Oak?

Thanks, Corrine!

You are very welcome, Geoff! Thank you so much for being here and answering these questions. I'm hoping that newspaper headline never comes true!

Geoff can be found on his blog linked here.

-----------------

Giveaway

Geoff has graciously provided Lost For Words with a copy of Stupid Fast for giveaway.

Giveaway is open to US/Canada only. (Sorry to those of you who are international.) 

Giveaway will end June 10, 2011.

Please fill out this FORM to enter. Comments, while appreciated, will not be counted as entries. 

Thank you!