Winnners!!!!!! ....Finally

Thank you everyone, for your patience. I don't normally take so long to post winners from a promotion, but that respiratory infection kicked my butt. I'm glad to say that I'm officially on the mend. :)

And now for the reason you're really reading this. The winners from the My Soul to Save promo are:

1, mandye

2, uprobablydontknowme

3, angel28140

Please email your address to me at wantmyya at gmail dot com. I need addresses by 11:59pm Tuesday night. If I haven't heard from you by then, I'll draw a new winner on Wednesday. I don't want anyone to miss out on their prize so please contact me quickly.

Thank you everyone, for your comments! Have a great day!

Out due to Illness

Hey all! I know I owe you winners and a review, but today it's just not gonna happen. Unfortunately I came down with something yesterday and it's only gotten worse. This means I'm very tired and very out of it. Not the best time to try to write anything coherent. I'll get the winners announced and the review for Wherever Nina Lies up soon, promise.

Promo: Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Wherever Nina Lies
by Lynn Weingarten

Point (Scholastic)
http://www.lynnweingarten.com
Official Book Site
ISBN: 9780545066334
Release date: February 2010 (paperback)
February 2009 (hardcover)

book overview:
Nina was beautiful, wild, and adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But, one day, Nina disappeared. Two years later, everyone has given up home that Nina will return, but Ellie knows her sister is out there. If only Ellie had a clue where to look. Then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing. Determined to find Nina, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she’s got a chance—her hot, adventurous new crush. Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn’t planning on. Like love. Lies. And the most shocking thing of all: the truth.

the fun part:
Three lucky winners (with US addresses) will each win a copy of Lynn Weingarten's Wherever Nina Lies. I just finished reading my copy last night, and trust me, this is a good one. I don't want to say too much here though because I plan on posting my official review tomorrow.

Here's how you enter. All you have to do is join the Want My YA Yahoo Group
That's it, it's easy. Now I would prefer if you not only joined, but introduced yourself and chatted with everyone. :) If you already belong to the group then you're already entered. However, I know not everyone in the group is in the US so I'm afraid the only way you can actually win a book is if you have someone in the US willing to accept the book on your behalf and then ship it on to you themselves.

The Promo runs until March 5th with winners being announced around March 6th or 7th.

**Update 3/2/10**
Due to my illness and therefore my inability to properly promote this giveaway, this promo will run for an extra week and will instead end on March 12th with winners being announced on March 13th or 14th.

Crunch Time for My Soul to Save Promo

Update: I'm extending the giveaway until Midnight Wednesday. This means you have until 11:59pm Central Time tomorrow night to enter. Everything else below still applies, I've just extended the deadline.

Ok, we're down to crunch time. Today is the last day to enter the Promo for 1 of 3 copies of Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Save. For today only, to enter, all you need to do is leave a comment letting me know why you want to read My Soul to Save. You've got until 11:59pm Central time to get those comments in. You can leave your comments on this post, you don't need to find the original post. If you already entered under the original rules there is no need to re-enter, you're covered.

So come on, get those entries in! I'll announce winners sometime tomorrow.

PS, in case you didn't see the original post, this is just a reminder that entrants must have a US address to receive their book.

Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Demon King
by Cinda Williams Chima


Disney Hyperion
http://www.cindachima.com
ISBN: 9781423118237
Release Date: October 6, 2009

from the publisher's site:

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

my thoughts:

Cinda Williams Chima held me in thrall with The Demon King. Once I settled into the world of the Seven Realms I didn't want to leave. There were moments when my heart was pounding in anticipation of what was to come. Throughout the story I kept trying to determine how each character was connected to the other, sometimes I got it right, sometimes Ms. Chima caught me by surprise.

The Demon King was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I'm so excited for The Exiled Queen coming in late September 2010. If you love a great fantasy then Cinda Williams Chima is the author for you.

Review: Meridian by Amber Kizer

Meridian
by Amber KizerDelacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385736688
http://www.amberkizer.com
http://www.meridiansozu.com
Release Date: August 11, 2009

from the author's site:

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has always been surrounded by death. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders burrowed into her bedclothes to die. As she grew, the animals got bigger, and soon they were finding her at school to die in her presence. Meridian became an outcast, labeled by her classmates as Reaper, Gravedigger, and Witch. Each death she witnesses weakens her body, and loneliness weakens her spirit.

On her sixteenth birthday, she witnesses a deadly car crash. Though she’s untouched, Meridian's body explodes with the victims’ pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she's a danger to her family and rushed to her great-aunt's house in Revelation, Colorado. It's there that she learns the secret her mother has been hiding her entire life: that she is a Fenestra, the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. It's crucial that she learn how to transition human souls to the afterlife and preserve the balance between good and evil on earth. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos. Dark, lovely, and lushly romantic, MERIDIAN introduces a powerful heroine who will entrance readers.

my thoughts:

Every time I picked up Meridian I was completely absorbed into her world. Amber Kizer crafted a wonderful tale that sucked me right in. Meridian is a very likable character, as are Auntie, Tens, and of course Custos.

I like that initially we get a little bit of background into Meridian's life and then immediately the action picks up. Meridian finds herself thrust into a world she knew nothing about and despite some reluctance at first, she manages to survive and thrive. Auntie and Tens are a wonderful supporting cast; they are exactly what Meridian needed. I love the inclusion of Custos the wolf because I always have a soft-spot for animals.

I love the hopeful ending of the book and I can't wait to see where Meridian and Tens go from here. I anxiously await their next adventure; it can't come too soon.

You Recommend Wednesday

It's that time of the week again!!!! It's time for your recommendations. Come on you lovely readers you, tell me what you've been reading that I've just got to pick up. :)

ps. Don't forget about the My Soul to Save promo. It's still going on, and with so few entries right now, you've got a good chance to win.

Check it out here:

My Soul to Save Promo

Have a great week all!

It's Vlad day!!!!!!

Normally I dazzle you with a new Eyecatcher each Tuesday, but today I say who cares about those other books? Vlad is out today!!!! Don't know who I'm talking about? Well shame on you. :) Just kidding (kind of). Anyone who knows me knows how very much I love The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer, and today is the release day of book 4, Eleventh Grade Burns. I'm so freaking excited and I can't wait to read it. Sadly I have to wait til payday on Friday to pick up my copy, but I encourage the rest of you to pick up your copies right away. Here's the details.

Eleventh Grade Burns
Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Book 4
by Heather Brewer
http://www.heatherbrewer.com

from the author's site:

Things have taken a darker turn for the half-human teenager with an appetite for blood. Joss, a vampire slayer and Vlad’s former friend, has moved back to Bathory. A mysterious and powerful new vampire, Dorian, appears with a shocking secret and an overwhelming desire to drink Vlad’s blood. And Vlad’s arch enemy, D’Ablo, has a sinister plan to eliminate Vlad once and for all. With death threatening from every angle, Vlad will have to use every ounce of his skill and training to survive, but nothing can prepare him for what awaits him in the end.

Yeah, I think that pretty much says it all. This book is gonna be awesome and you need to get it today.

Author Interview: Sarah Ockler

Happy Monday Readers! It's time for another great author interview. Today I have Sarah Ockler, author of Twenty Boy Summer and coming this Fall, Fixing Delilah Hannaford.

And away we go....

1.Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks for hosting me on Want My YA! I was born to write stories about
young adults, even though I hated high school and pretty much
everything about being a teen. I love guacamole and Indian food
(though not at the same time). I work from home with my husband, and
together we stay up all night watching movies, eating, debating,
plotting, and generally causing trouble. We also move around a lot
because we love seeing and experiencing new places and people (and
writing about them, of course).

2.What got you started writing? What brought you to YA?

I've been writing silly little poems and stories since I learned how
to read, but I didn't think about writing fiction about teens until a
few years ago when, at the suggestion of an awesome instructor at
Denver's Lighthouse Writers Workshop, I signed up for a young adult
novel course. At the time, I was just starting to take my writing self
seriously, and I was experimenting with journals and personal essays
and stories from my own teen years. I didn't really know where I'd end
up, but as soon as I stepped into that YA class and started reading
authors like Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Laurie Halse Anderson, it
was like the light finally shined right on down, and I just KNEW I was
meant to be there, writing YA literature.

3.Tell us about your most recent/ upcoming release?

Fixing Delilah Hannaford is a story about confronting painful family
secrets, understanding the complicated bond between mothers and
daughters, finding unexpected new love, and holding fast to the hope
that sometimes, somehow, even the most shattered relationships can be
pieced back together. The book isn't out until November 1, but readers
can learn more about Delilah at
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7074259-fixing-delilah-hannaford.

We're also releasing Twenty Boy Summer in paperback this year on May 1!

4.Do you plot out in advance, or just start writing and see where things go from there?

My writing approach changes with every book! With Twenty Boy Summer, I just started writing, adding and rearranging and cutting as I went, but I never stopped to outline or plot it out. I didn't even know the ending until I was basically finished, and then it changed a few more
times. With my second book, Fixing Delilah Hannaford, I started with an outline, and though it quickly disintegrated as the plot took on its own life, it still helped me get to know the characters and set them on their ultimate paths. The third book is turning out to be a
combination of both approaches. Overall, I think outlining can help organize initial ideas, but for me, a lot of the magic of writing lies in watching the characters duke it out on the page and allowing them to take me on their own crazy journeys.

5.Many authors have told me their characters talk to them, and sometimes even have different ideas of where the story should go than the author. Do you hear your characters?

As much as I try to tune them out, yes, sometimes I hear my
characters. The problem is that they're never clear. Sure, they stop
listening to me partway through, or they just stop working altogether,
leaving me with a general sense that something just isn't right. But
they never give me any hints about what *exactly* isn't working or how
*exactly* I could fix it. It's more like, "Yeah, it's not you. It's
me. I hope we can still be friends." Delilah Hannaford was the most
stubborn of all of them. She was pretty headstrong about where her
story needed to go, but she didn't let me in on the details until the
very end. :-)

6.Who is your favorite character (of your own)?

Like Mom always said about us kids, they're all my favorite. :-) But
lately I've been thinking a lot about Delilah from the new book,
Fixing Delilah Hannaford. I guess it's because I just spent the last
two years of my life with her, and now that her story is over, I keep
hoping that I've done right by her. Anna from Twenty Boy Summer has
been out in the world for months now. She's fine. Delilah's still home
with me. She's the baby of the family. :-)

7.What hobbies do you have when you're not writing?

I love photography -- it's just a different way of storytelling,
especially at weddings and with children where there is so much love
and emotion. I also love hiking, camping, and eating Indian food. I'm
not sure if that last one qualifies as a hobby, but I'm *really* good
at it, so...

8.If you had not become a writer what would you have done instead?

I would still be a writer, even if I didn't get paid to do it. I tried
to outrun that destiny long ago, but my fingers kept finding their way
back to the keyboard. If I didn't write for a living, I'd probably
turn my photography business into a full time gig, but I'd still be
writing during all of my lunch breaks, just like I did when I had a
corporate job. I don't know how to NOT write.

9.Where can readers find you online?

Readers can visit me online at http://sarahockler.com, at
http://twitter.com/sarahockler

, and at
http://facebook.com/sarahockler.

10.Your turn. What question do you have for readers of Want My YA?

Yay! Well, reading and writing often go hand in hand. So I'd love to
know how many Want My YA book-lovin' readers out there are also
aspiring writers? What kinds of things do you like to write?

Thanks so much for being here today Sarah! And yeah you caught me, I'm an aspiring writer too. :) How many more of ya are there? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know.

You Recommend Wednesday and Upcoming Reviews

Hey there all! So what's everyone reading this week? Personally I haven't gotten as much reading done as I'd like because I found a fun new-to-me tv show that's sucking up all my time. However since it's a British show all three seasons only total up to 18 episodes, so I'm almost done. What is this fun new British time-suck? It's called The IT Crowd and it's freaking hilarious. :)

I promised you info on upcoming reviews in the subject line. Well I'm currently working on Meridian by Amber Kizer and LOVING it! I should have a review posted for you soon. Normally, I'd list everything else coming up but I'm in the process of moving to the basement so many of my books, including my review books, are in boxes right now. Just keep your eyes out for many more fun reviews.

Promo: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Save

by Rachel Vincent


Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9780373210046
http://www.rachelvincent.com
Soul Screamers Official Site
Release Date: December 29, 2009

book synopsis:

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series -- My Soul to Take -- was released this past summer, and readers found out why Kaylee Cavanaugh screams bloody murder when someone’s about to die.

In Book 2 – My Soul to Save – when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

the fun part:

Three lucky readers will each win a copy of My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent. (US mailing addresses only please) Here's how you enter: Check out last Monday's post Wanted: Author Interviews. Since I only got one comment last week, I'm requesting your assistance again with this contest.

What new questions should I include in author interviews for 2010? Who would you like to see me interview this year? Let me know in the comments section here or on last Monday's post. (commenting on both does not get you 2 entries) However, for the first time I am offering a bonus entry to readers who help spread the word that I'm looking for authors to interview and link back to last Monday's blog entry. So make sure you let me know if you've spread the word elsewhere. Either link it in the comments or email me at wantmyya at gmail dot com.

Promo ends Monday February 15th and winners will be selected and announced on Tuesday February 16th.

more fun stuff:

Make sure you stop by the official Soul Screamers site above for the free read prequel to the series, My Soul to Lose.

And now for the video: