Check out what my fabulous Bookanista friends are up to today!

Christine Fonseca  brings you a special Guestanista review of
SPRINKLES AND SECRETS

Shannon Messenger delights in DEAD TO YOU – with giveaway!

Beth Revis interviews TEMPEST author Julie Cross – with giveaway!

Jessi Kirby takes a shine to the SURRENDER and new POSSESSSION covers

Stasia Ward Kehoe adores IN HONOR

Jen Hayley gushes over THE GIRL WHO LOVED A CITY

Veronica Rossi  is crazy for INCARNATE

Nikki Katz marvels at A MILLION SUNS

Gennifer Albin   is on fire over CINDER

Tracy Banghart  is all about THE OTHER LIFE

Jessica Love wonders at THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Hilary Wagner mourns over THE DEATH OF YORIK MORTWELL
– with giveaway!

And a BIG welcome to our newest Bookanistas,
Gennifer, Tracy, Jessica and Hilary!

Tell me: What are you reading this week? 

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the girls at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: Write a dialogue between two of your favorite YA characters…

Thanks to the rewrite I’ve been working diligently on, I lack the creative energy to do this week’s topic any justice. That said, I came across the most AWESOME image on Pinterest last night. It totally made me chuckle, and it works  perfectly for this prompt because it’s a conversational mash-up of two YA stories.

Behold…

If you could hear a conversation between characters from two different YA books, who would you choose?

I bet you’re dying to see pictures…

It was fun(ish) at first…

And then things became a bit gloomy…

And then the ice struck…

So, we had to make the best of things…

Why yes, that *is* beer chilling on the back porch…

Chicken tacos by camp stove…

Catan by candlelight…

My girl was such a trooper…

Thank goodness for Princess Chutes and Ladders!

No power to run the fridge? Just put the perishables outside. It’s frigid out there anyway…

Still, much was lost…

Coming out on the other side… Is it summer yet?

So, what’s the weather been like where you live?

From Goodreads: Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He’s finally free to enact his vision – no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

So… I’ve been sitting on my thoughts regarding A Million Suns for a few days, and this is still a difficult recommendation for me to write. Why? Because there was just SO MUCH I loved about this book. Sure, it probably had a few flaws (what book doesn’t?), but I completely missed them because I was so wrapped up in the tension and suspense and twists and turns on every. Single. Page.

Now, I worry that this post will come across as an incoherent gushfest.

There are worse things, right?

First, let me say that I very much enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, Across the Universe. In fact, it was among my favorite releases of 2011, and certainly one of the best books I read by a debut author (Go, Beth!). That said, in my opinion, A Million Suns is a stronger, more exciting, more layered story. There’s just so much going on, and the best part is that it all comes together at the end in a way that is absolutely brilliant. Seriously. I want to reread the entire novel just so I can find all the clues and hints that failed to register as clues and hints the first time around.

What I loved:

1) The Characters – Amy rocks, quite simply. She’s a strong, smart girl who doesn’t take crap from anyone, but she’s still a girl, a girl I’d love to be friends with. And Elder is so much more than the typical YA boy. He’s got weaknesses and flaws and tons of self-doubt, but he’s also honest and caring and incredibly noble. His character arc was one of my favorite aspects of A Million Suns.

2) The Writing – Beth is one of those authors who makes reading effortless. Her words and sentences and scenes are stunning and they do their jobs without pretension or heaviness. A Million Suns is a hefty book, but I flew through it.

3) The Suspense – Nothing on Godspeed is as you think. There are surprises behind every door (literally), and no one’s allegiance can be trusted. I felt my jaw drop more than once, and I found myself thinking about this book and its characters, trying to work out the mysteries even when I wasn’t actively reading.

4) The Backdrop – Goodspeed is one of the coolest settings I’ve come across. In this installment of the trilogy, the dystopian aspect of living on a completely isolated spaceship with just over 2000 people really comes into play. The way Beth portrays crowd mentality and a possible uprising is fascinating.

I’m happy to report that A Million Suns does NOT suffer from the dreaded Middle Book Syndrome. It is a story very much its own, one with a conclusion that was satisfying yet still left me DYING to read Shades of Earth, the final book in this series. If you love dystopian, science fiction, romance, or any combination thereof, you simply MUST read A Million Suns!

Don’t forget to check out what other Bookanistas are up to today:

LiLa Roecker adores AUSTENTATIOUS

Christine Fonseca is wild about WOLFSBANE

Stasia Ward Kehoe gives cover love to GETTING SOMEWHERE

Nikki Katz takes a shine to UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Shannon Messenger welcomes four wonderful new Bookanistas

Gennifer Albin joins the Bookanistas with a great giveaway

Jessica Love celebrates joining the Bookanistas

Tracy Banghart is wowed by ON FORTUNE’S WHEEL

Tell me: What are YOU reading this week?

Thanks to my dear friend Theresa for sharing this gem. You know me too well!

So, how was your weekend? Anything exciting on your schedule in the coming days?

*stares blankly at computer*

*embraces procrastination*

Okay then. I might be in over my head a bit here. Perhaps I should revisit my beat sheet? Complete basic outline? A DETAILED outline?

Eek.

*yanks at hair* How the hell do you replot a WHOLE STORY?

I used to know these freaking characters inside and out, but now… Who have they become? Who do they NEED to become?

*runs miles and miles and miles*

*ponders*

Huh. All this time I thought I was REWRITING, but I was really just tinkering… polishing a turd, if you will.

*has epiphany*

Must start from square one!

Okay… I might actually be making progress now. No, wait…

*groans* *cries* THIS IS SO MUCH HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE! *shovels handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips into mouth*

*finally secures a fragile hold on sanity*

Good thing my 2012 word is RESOLVE, because that’s what it’s going to take to get this thing done.

*writes*

*writes some more*

Last week SUCKED. Meeting my word count goal was like pulling teeth. But this week… Hmm.

Wait! Is that…? Oh! I think it is! The urge to write! I actually WANT to write.

Happy Friday the Thirteenth. How’s YOUR writing coming along?

From Goodreads: Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

Only one book in my long literary history has made me cry–John Reynolds Gardiner’s Stone Fox–and it was a full-on, heart-wrenching, ugly kind of cry. (If you’re uninitiated, Stone Fox is a chapter book about a little boy in a sled dog race. If it doesn’t send you into hysterical sobs, you might want to check your pulse.) Before I Die is one of the few books that’s come close to taking me back to that place of complete emotional train wreckage.

Despite its melancholy tone, Before I Die is a lovely book. The voice, supporting characters (I adore Tessa’s dad), and setting (yay British slang!) are all quite strong. But there are three things in particular that, for me, nudged this book over the REALLY GOOD line and into GREAT territory.

1 – Tessa. Yes, she can be bratty and selfish and very unlikable, but she’s dealing with A LOT (so much more than your average contemporary YA protagonist), and I think she does so realistically and with more grace than I could hope to retain if faced with a terrible illness and certain death. I enjoyed watching her interact with those around her, especially her dad and her adorable little brother, and it was fascinating to watch her fall slowly and intensely in love.

2 – Adam. Tessa describes him as ugly. She mentions that he has dirty fingernails. He’s kind of sketchy, initially, and his mom comes off as a kook. What’s to like, right? Um, a lot. Growing to know Adam through Tessa’s eyes made him utterly irresistible. Over the course of the book he became this sweet, sensitive, unbelievably strong romantic interest who I won’t soon forget.

3 – The Conclusion. In case you didn’t get this from Before I Die‘s summary, Tessa’s life is coming to a rapid end. That’s a given. They mystery behind this book, the element that kept me turning pages, was HOW she and those closest to her would deal with her death. The format chosen for the last several pages of the story is brilliant. It made me feel what Tessa and her family and friends were feeling, like a bit of me was fading away. And that’s when the tears *almost* came.

Don’t forget to check out what other Bookanistas are up to today:

Christine Fonseca introduces some fabulous reads for 2012

Stasia Ward Kehoe takes a shine to A MILLION SUNS and
UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Veronica Rossi adores EVERNEATH

Debra Driza is in a frenzy over LARKSTORM with giveaway!

Shannon Messenger delves into DOUBLE with an arc giveaway!

Elana Johnson offers musings on her Bookanista moments

Jessi Kirby savors HOW TO SAVE A LIFE

Stasia Ward Kehoe delights in FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB

Nikki Katz is crazy for ASHFALL

Debra Driza adores ANGEL FALL

Lila shouts for joy over SHATTER ME

Shelli Johannes-Wells celebrates January Bookanista books–plus a DISCOVERY OF WITCHES giveaway!

Still, I’ve been setting some mental goals (most significantly: write at least a thousand new words, Monday-Friday, and keep up with my current exercise routine). Then I read a post by my brilliant friend Erin Bowman referencing writer  Jessica Corra, who blogged about how she picks a Word of the Year instead of making traditional resolutions. She strives to keep that one word in mind throughout the year.  Jessica said: Resolutions are too compartmental, too specific and practical. I prefer a word, an attitude, a way of being.

I love this idea. In fact, I love it so much I want to do it too!

I’d planned to mull over my word for a few days, until I’d settled on the perfect one, one that would express the attitude and mental posture I want to adopt for the entirety of the upcoming year. But, there was one word that popped into my head almost immediately, one I kept coming back to over and over again. What is that word?

RESOLVE

Resolve kind of encompasses all the goals I’ve set for the year, big and small, and it will hopefully help me to accomplish them. For me, resolve means, simply, setting my mind to something and making it happen. Choosing to make responsible decisions even when they’re not easy or fun or popular…

Ordering a salad over a cheeseburger at Red Robin. Walking my dogs even if it’s windy and cold. Writing to my daily word goal, regardless of whether I’m tired or grumpy or uninspired. Starting my day early, with yoga, even when my bed feels warm and cozy. Reading my prerequisite one craft book per month even when there’s a hot new release I’d rather pick up. Walking past my daughter’s M&M treat even though they look incredibly tasty. Staying strong, mentally and physically.

So, that’s it.

RESOLVE.

Hold me to it, would ya?

And on that note, I’ll be taking a bit of a blog-cation over the next several weeks. I’ve come to the realization that my writing vs. blogging time has become a bit unbalanced, and that’s something I need to remedy. I mean, what’s the point of keeping an “Aspiring Author” blog if I’m not really, um, authoring anything?

I’ve got some lofty aspirations for this New Year, specifically: Finish the rewrite of tentatively entitled Cross My Heart, and complete a first draft of something shiny and pretty and exciting and new. Plus, my husband’s deployment will come to an end in approximately six (SIX!) weeks, and I’ve got lots to do to prepare for his homecoming.

That’s not to say that this blog will be entirely wordless. I still plan on participating in some of YA Highway‘s Road Trip Wednesdays, and I’ll definitely  share some Bookanista recommendations, but things around here will be quieter. Sort of like her…

What are YOUR goals (writing or otherwise) for 2012? And what will your one word be?

{Hmm… How long will it take me to get used to writing 2012?}

Ringing in the new year with my girlie…

First, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who participated in last week’s Class of 2011: YA Superlative Blogfest. It was an absolute delight to visit the blogs of all you participants and to read about the books you fell in love with last year. My To-Read list thanks you as well.

And another HUGE THANK YOU to my three lovely friends and fellow Superlative Blogfest hosts:  Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, and Alison Miller. This whole shebang would not have been nearly as successful without your brilliance, and it definitely wouldn’t have been as fun.
You girls ROCK!

If you’ve yet to read my Class of 2011: Superlative posts (or if you’d like to reread them) check out my header. I’ve given the blogfest its very own tab for easy access to all of the amazing 2011 releases I read. A perfect place to visit if you’re ever in need of book recommendations.

And, as the final category of my last Class of 2011: YA Superlative Blogfest post, I asked you to tell me your:

Most Anticipated 2012 Release

You responded overwhelmingly with mentions of this book:

Other titles named: Nevermore, Perigee Moon, Butter, If I Lie, Cinder, Partials, Hallowed, The Fault in Our Stars, The Lost Girl, Unspoken, Bitterblue, Girl of Nightmares, Ditched, and A Million Suns

My Most Anticipated Release of 2012? As if I can pick just one!

And, speaking of 2012 releases I can’t wait for… My incredible CP Jus Accardo has one such book. It’s the follow-up to her debut, Touch, and it’s called Toxic (a perfect title, in my opinion!). Jus finally has the go-ahead to share Toxic‘s cover and summary, and (good news!) I get to help in that reveal. Without further ado, the cover of Toxic…

(She is so Dez!)

And the summary… When a Six saved Kale’s life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she’d lose the one thing she’d give anything to keep… And as if it’s not enough, Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading and the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez’s problems. After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice—surrender to Denazen for the cure…or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn’t involve being bagged and tagged—or losing someone she loves—Dez keeps the poison a secret.  But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there’s a traitor among them. Jade. Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there’s any hope of proving Jade’s guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead…

I’ve read this one, guys, and it’s fantastic! Full of adventure and action and Dez’s snarky wit, it had me feverishly flipping pages. Toxic is available May 1, 2012, and you can find it on Goodreads HERE.

Tell me: How did you ring in the New Year?