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Stuck In Books: It's Halloween - Trick or treat GIVEAWAY

Monday, October 31, 2011
Stuck In Books: It's Halloween - Trick or treat GIVEAWAY:

'via Blog this'
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Yesterday's post was so much fun to do. And yes there will be more guest authors in the future. So I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as me. 

Touch by Jus Accardo

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Touch by Jus Accardo
When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe. A secret Kale will kill to protect.
Action, Intrigue, Excitement, and Romance killer combination. Jus gives you all this in one book what else can you ask for.
WOW this book captivated me from the very beginning a non stop page turner.
Dez is well sorta the heroine in this book you will either love or hate her. I just happen to love her. She is a tough as nails teenager who will stop at nothing to piss her father off. The perfect chance to do so just falls right into her hands when walking home from a party she runs into a guy Kale (um yummy) he is running from a group of men and she helps him out by taking him home to piss her father off little did she know but her father already knew him. Kale is what u call a Six he has a special ability a killer one at that the Touch of his skin kills any living organism except for Dez. Dez and Kale are in hideout to avoid Dez’s father Marshall Cross who she thought was an attorney when come to find out he is in charge of Denazen Corp. a place where he keeps Sixes and uses them as weapons. Dez will stop at nothing to stop her father from hurting any more people, and she even finds love along the way.
I was lucky enough to read this awesome book and do an interview with Jus. Now how awesome is that? I got to ask Jus a few questions and even a Q&A with Dez (she rocks). I will leave links to find Jus at the bottom of my Interview I hope u all enjoy as much as I did.
Let’s talk to Jus first to get this thing started.
Ok Jus here we go:
Q. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?


A. There's not a lot to tell about me. I'm fairly boring. I live in upstate NY with my husband and out three fuzzy kids--a snobbish GSD, a narcoleptic Akita, and a Brittney Lab mutt named Duck. I also have a guard bear named Oswald. He lives in the woods out back and frequently comes down to hang with us. I've been told that I speak my own, weird language and have an insane (and almost freaky) love of coffee and cheese.


Q.  What was your favorite chapter or part to write and why?


A. Oh, this is a hard one... My editor will tell you I have a fondness for a specific (though short) bit involving a bear, but if I had to pick my absolute fave scene, it would be a certain kissy scene inspired by Black Lab's This Night. I won't say too much, but it's all kinds of swoon worthy.


Q.  Do you see yourself in any of your characters if so who and why?


A. Dez and I share some traits--mainly because we're both snarky and have authority issues, but I think there's a tiny bit of me in all of them. Quirks, personality traits, fears... Writing is such a personal thing. You can't help pouring a little of yourself into the characters.


Q. Have you always wanted to be an author if so do you have any authors that influenced you?


A. I've always wanted to be either a writer or a chef. Well, there was one week when I was six that I wanted to be a Jockey... But I've always had this crazy, insane imagination and my grandfather was a chef so I grew up in the kitchen. I loved both things so much--food and fiction--but food seemed like the more practical of the two. I applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America around the time I was reading Rob Thurman's Nightlife. I was all set to start at the CIA and I remember having this moment...this HOLY CRAP YOU'RE DOING THE WRONG THING kinda moment. I finished that book and was like, this is what I wanna do. I wanna create something this awesome.


Q. Do you have a particular time or place that makes writing easier?

A. I generally write at the dining room table. That's kinda my spot. As for time, pretty much all the time. As long as the coffee is hot and the dogs are (fairly) quiet, I can get something accomplished. Also, might sound silly, but during the winter, with the xmas lights turned on (I put them up around the doorways so I can see them while I work) and the fireplace going, I find I'm very productive. I'm really not sure why...
Ok Thanks Jus for doing that little interview with us. I believe we will move on to Dez now. Hope your ready Dez because we are all ready to talk to you.
Q. What was or is your best adrenaline rush other than the rush u get from being around Kale?


A. As simple as it sounds, I love to bungee! Last year a bunch of us went up
to Parkview Ridge--It's this set of cliffs that overlook the lake. There's
a small bridge that goes across and we jumped from it. There's nothing
more freeing than that weightless feeling you get from falling. Have you
ever tried it? We could totally take you with next time we go!
 

To answer your question no I have ever bungeed but I would totally love too.


2. If there was one action or thing you did in Touch you could take back what would it be and why?


A. There's this thing I do to someone... It kind of gives them the wrong idea
and hurts them in the end. It caused a lot of problems and I wish I could
take it back--but what's done is done.



Q. What is the one trait that you deplore in yourself and in your father?


Sometimes I'm a little impulsive. Okay. A lot of times. I mean, it makes
me who I am, but it also gets me into a ton of trouble... As for my dad.
Have you met him? A total dick. He's one of the biggest liars I've ever
met, and the one trait I despise above all is lying.



Q. How far would you go to piss your father off?


A. All the way. I'm constantly striving cause him high levels of stress.
Once, when he went away on a business trip, I donated all the furniture in
the house to Goodwill

.Q. In true twitter fashion 140 characters or less how would you describe Kale (Yummy) ?


A. How would I describe him? Hmm. An uber-hot, badass cheese junkie with the
most amazing eyes and purest soul I've ever seen

Thanks for talking with us Dez would love to have you come back when Toxic comes out.
You can find The Ah~May~Zing Jus Accardo at
http://www.jusaccardo.com/

Touch

Monday, October 17, 2011
Touch

Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

Sunday, October 16, 2011
. In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different..



Review
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge was a steampunk novel revolving around the life of young Aoife Grayson. This novel was my first that I consider having actually been a steampunk novel. I, however, am familiar with the genre. To me, this book was the epitome of what a steampunk novel should be. It combined Aoife's love of the machinery so perfectly with magic that it seemed almost flawless. The city was built completely around the machines, making it a huge part of not only the setting, but the plot itself. The way Caitlin described the machinery in the novel was also fantastic, but as always her descriptions were spot-on. When reading, one can actually see the gears of the machines, the swirls of the aether. It's almost as though the machines in the book are something tangible that Catilin was holding when she wrote it. Not only do the clothing and machines match the genre, however, but the magic as well. For the first couple chapters, I had no idea it was even coming. There were allusions of course, but when finally the magic and machines mixed, the affects were fantastic.
Throughout the novel you see sophisticated vocabulary and well-written explanations of the setting. There's never any doubt about what exactly is going on in the book, in my opinion, as Ms. Kittredge managed to write the setting so well that you can feel the steam of the machines while you read. The plot itself reflects her sophisticated writing as well, and we see not just one, but several plot twists throughout the book. Once you've finished reading, you'll wonder if it was the same book you began. You'll go back and think "Was it always like that? How did I miss that?"
All-in-all, Caitlin's fantastic writing style, her sophisticated use of grammar and vocabulary, the plotline (twists, cliffhangers and all), and the genre make for an incredibly interesting read. It's a page-turner for sure, and you won't be able to put it down until the very end (I know I wasn't). I'd give this book a 5/5, for sure. I can't wait for the sequel!
Reviewed by Dakota Unger (Koda)