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!

Blog Tour: Possession - Elana Johnson - Vi Character Interview

Today, Elana Johnson is here along with her Possession main character, Vi. Vi's here with a character interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for Possession. Thank you for being here Elana, and Vi! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

What was your impression of Jag the first time you saw him?

That he was bad. I mean, his skin was all stained. But he looked so relaxed, so I thought maybe he knew something about the hearing that I didn’t. Turns out, he knew a lot about a lot of things that I didn’t. Jerk.

If you could change or get rid of any rule, what would it be and why?

Oh, I’d totally annihilate the whole “you must plug-in to the transmissions for eight full hours each night” rule. Just think, without that, maybe people would start to think for themselves.

How has life been for you since you've been on your own with your mom?

Sucktacular. My mom is, well, she misses Ty. Sometimes I’m not even sure it’s me she sees…

What's your idea of the perfect date?

Date? Well, I’ve never really been on a date. Zenn and I used to hang out before we were matched, and he’s the only one I’ve ever spent time with alone. My favorite thing we used to do is walk around the lake and watch the sun go down. That felt perfect.

If you could say anything to Thane without repercussions, what would you say?

I think I left it all on the table when it comes to Thane. Yeah, he’s not my favorite person, and I did tell him off in the book. The problem is, there is no scenario that exists where there aren’t repercussions. So I don’t know what else I’d say to him. “You’re a freaking jerk,” just doesn’t seem to cover it, you know?

I think you're quite resilient, but how would you describe yourself?

I think resilient fits pretty well. I think sometimes I’m very naive. I hate feeling like that, but no one will tell me anything! *shoots a glare at Jag* *and Zenn*

Is there anything you would like people to know about you before they start reading Possession?

Nope. I’m pretty much an open book. Or I will be, as soon as they read POSSESSION.

Thank you again for being here today, Elana and Vi! 

Elana can be found on her website, her blog, and on twitter.

Elana is also giving away 10 signed copies of POSSESSION. The giveaway is linked here.

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

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Blog Tour: The Queen Bee of Bridgeton - Leslie DuBois - Book Picks & Giveaway

Leslie DuBois is here today with a book pick's post courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. Thank you for being here today, Leslie! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

Okay, I just might have the oddest taste in books for a black girl from the hood. Growing up, I literally went to sleep to the sound of gunshots yet in still my favorite book was Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. And I was a Jane Austen fanatic. I read every book of hers one summer while I was in high school. Weird, huh? I just like stories about women who are the underdog, yet through sheer inner strength and determination they are able to rise above their station. And that’s the gist of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. It may not be British literature, but to me at least, it carries the same message.

So what else is on my list of favorite books? Well, let’s continue with British Literature for a while. I loved Shakespeare growing up and read all of his works the same summer I read Jane Austen. I also loved The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. Nowadays to get my fix of Brit Lit I turn to Philippa Gregory. If you haven’t read The Constant Princess, try it, you’ll like it.

On to contemporary books. I really like Michael Crichton. I learn a lot about action and pacing from reading his books. After reading I am Charlotte Simmons, I became a big fan of Tom Wolfe (who also happens to hail from my alma mater Washington and Lee!). That book has such great character development and is so realistic it’s hard for me to imagine how it came from Tom. It really reads as if it came from a teenage girl.

I also like comedy in my books and one of the most hilarious authors of all time is Dave Barry. I highly recommend Big Trouble. You will laugh out loud.

Now on to YA books. Oh, where to start? There are so many awesome YA books and authors out there. I absolutely adore Meg Cabot. The first book of hers I read was Avalon High. I remember staying up most of the night in order to finish it. Since then I’ve been a diehard fan. I even love her older stuff. I love Ally Carter, Ally Condie, Madeleine L’Engle, Jacqueline Woodson and those are just the names I can think of right now. I’m sure there are some that I’m missing. And be on the lookout for great new YA reads coming out this summer from Angela Fristoe and Courtney Vail. Their books will make you cry they’re so good.

Thank you for that awesome book list! I love your selections!! Thank you again for being here today, Leslie! 

You can view the trailer for The Queen Bee of Bridgeton here.

Giveaway

Leslie has graciously offered Lost For Words a copy of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton for giveaway.

Thank you, Leslie!

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

Giveaway will end June 8, 2011.

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

Thank you!