Back to the Books and 100/300 Follower Giveaway Winners!
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways!
The winner of the Back to the Books Giveaway is
Hannah
blog: Once Upon A Time
Check out her awesome epic fantasy giveaway!
Congrats, Hannah!
And here are the results of the 100/300 Follower Giveaway!
The Misfit winner is
Aik
blog: The Bookaholics
The Wicked Appetite winner is
Shannon
Congrats to you both!
Now, the giveaway did reach 100 entries so I added a special prize.
This was the opportunity to choose any book released this summer.
The lucky winner?
Denise!
The winners have all been contacted. Congratulations to all. 
And a special thank you to all of you who follow the blog and have participated in events.
I really appreciate it. 
I’m looking forward to celebrating the next milestone!
Next giveaway scheduled is for the Banned Books Week Hop.
Mark your calendars for September 24th.
And be on the lookout for the Bridger blog tour coming through soon.
Writing Post: Timing (Can Be Everything)
All right, short writing post tonight about the nature of timing. This one’s really quick and simple, so there won’t be as much ruminating as usual. 
Telling a linear story is great. Stories are quite often told linearly, but there of course are many exceptions. Linear plotting makes events easy to follow, which is nice. But here’s one piece of advice from Ron Carlson, who is an amazing writing teacher. Say you’re writing a short story with events numbering 1, 2, and 3, which happen in the world in that order. That’s fine for your own knowledge. But in the work itself, one may make the story more interesting if one tweaks the order so that 2 comes first, then 1, then 3. For even more fun times, one could mix it up even more.
This advice doesn’t mean that story must be a bunch of mixed up events. Many stories employ this method while still telling a linear story. Consider this an extension of the writing advice to start “in medias res” or in the middle of the action. The action would be event #2, where things are happening, and #1 will come up later to illuminate the world and the characters. Maybe as flashbacks or in dialogue, or what have you.
To study this concept, consider any number of books. There’s the classic, The Iliad by Homer. The first line tells us that Achilles is angry, at a pivotal point in the Trojan war. We don’t see the Greeks rallying together and sailing to Troy, which linearly would be event #1. The story is better for it.
Another example is Beloved by Toni Morrison, which is an amazing feat of plotting and timing. The opening chapter starts at an important point in the main characters’ story, with an arrival, and later there are many flashbacks that tell us the complicated, heart-breaking past that surround and will affect this arrival. Misfit by Jon Skovron starts in a “present” and brings up the past in alternating chapters, which I loved.
So that is the advice I pass on tonight. It doesn’t have to be a huge shift to start further in the story–you can always provide the same information later if it is that important–and not all stories will work with it. But it might help get a reader’s attention, at the very least.
The 100/300 Follower Giveaway
Okay! Hi everyone! I have been pondering this since I realized there was a possibility I could do this.
So here’s the situation: I have 320 followers on Twitter–which is amazing, thanks everyone–and 136 blog subscribers (I know, I wish I could do GFC, but until I magically get webspace we’ll have to deal :\). Thank you everyone for following/subscribing! At the beginning, I wasn’t sure if the whole blog thing was going to work out, but I’m really into it now. And I have a lot of you to thank for it.
Thus, I really wanted to celebrate the 100/300 landmarks. I came up with several ridiculous, elaborate plans that just were too confusing and difficult, so I’m going to keep things simple. Well, relatively simple.
Some rules before we get started:
-Must be over 13 years old. If under 18, you must have parent/guardian permission.
-Giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Check here.
-Giveaway ends on September 10, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.
-Winners will be chosen by random.org.
I will send emails and/or tweets to the winners after the giveaway ends. They must respond within 72 hours or new winners will be chosen.
A little warning: this giveaway is different from my previous giveaways.
In order to enter you MUST either
subscribe for email updates (subscribe button is on the sidebar–be sure to confirm your subscription) +2
OR
follow my Twitter account (@mavieenprose) +2
If you do both, you get the extra points. Easy as pie for a lot of you.
I’m doing this because these prizes are reserved for you followers and subscribers.
As usual, there are extra entries for spreading the word (tweet, post, blog, etc.) +2 each
Example tweet: “Enter to win Misfit by @jonnyskov or Wicked Appetite by @janetevanovich http://wp.me/p1CDw8-8R @mavieenprose More entries, more prizes!”
If anything, make sure you @mavieenprose and provide a link in the tweet.
Now onto the good stuff!
Here’s what will happen. If the giveaway gets up to 100 entries (total… there are enough of you!), I’ll add a third winner for yet another prize. I’ll do it again at 150, and if we make it to 200, well things are going to get real! But in a good way.
For now, up for grabs are:
for winner #1, one copy of
Misfit by Jon Skovron
(read my review here)
AND
for winner #2, one copy of
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
(Goodreads page here)
THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
I’ll post updates if I get to add more prizes.
Thanks for following, subscribing, or even just stopping by!
Good luck everyone!
Come back August 15th-23rd for the Show Me Your Teeth Blog Hop!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (005)
Time for this week’s Beg, Borrow, & Steal! If you’re just joining us, this is my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Basically I am probably a book addict and these posts are here to prove it to the world!… Or something like that.
That said, let’s see what I acquired in the past week!
Begged:
Books at good prices that I absolutely had to have!
Misfit by Jon Skovron
Really… does this surprise anyone?
Solstice by P.J. Hoover
Borrowed:
Books checked out from different libraries.
Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Steals:
ARCs and ebooks received from giveaways or for review.
The Keepers by Monique O’Connor James
Looking forward to reading and reviewing this!
Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon
Release Date: January 24, 2012
ARC won in a giveaway!
Thanks to Jennifer over at J. D. Nichols Writes!
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Release Date: October 18, 2011
ARC won in a giveaway!
Thanks to Nora and Hannah over at wherethewildbooksare!
Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn
ARC won in a giveaway!
Thanks to Nora and Hannah over at wherethewildbooksare!
XVI by Julia Karr
Book earned in fundraiser!
Thanks to Carina over at Dystopian Desserts!
Speaking of which, you can earn a free book of your own. Go ahead and read about Carina’s fundraiser at this post here. I’m sure she would appreciate any amount. College is expensive!
I’m planning incentives for those who contribute or spread the word about the fundraiser.
So keep the fundraiser in mind. More details soon!
Book Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron
Misfit by Jon Skovron
Jael Thompson has issues. She’s moved constantly with her father since she was a baby, she never knew her mother, and she can’t control her hair. Then she turns sixteen, and instead of letting her celebrate, her dad gives her a gift that keeps on giving–an object that taps into Jael’s true nature as the daughter of her mother, who happened to be a demoness. It all snowballs (or fireballs???) from there.
You guys, not even exaggerating, I just blasted through about 350 pages of this book. In one night. It took me more than eight hours and it’s 7:39 am at the time of writing. (I told you I’m slow!)
But you know what?
I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW.
I absolutely loved this book! I was intrigued by the premise originally, and by the end of the second chapter, resistance was futile. To put it mildly, I have a weakness for mythology. All types, including Judeo-Christian mythology. There is a lot of name-dropping here, but none of it is superficial. I’m no expert, but I recognized a lot of references and allusions and the dedication to the history and the background just made this story all the more rich.
This story hit my awesome button in more than one way, though. The actual magic that’s involved and the rules and logic behind it made it really interesting. It wasn’t just flashy instant magic, there was a method to it that made me appreciate Skovron’s level of sensitivity to what is usually taken for granted in the genre. I also really liked the way he explored the different philosophies concerning the beliefs that are pertinent to this book, ranging from religious overzealousness to the motivations of the Big Bad. This is a story about demons and magic and priests and other things, and it could have easily relied upon a cardboard cut-out belief system. It did not. The ideas floating around and the metaphors employed added a hefty depth to the plot.
I have some very small niggling details that bothered me. Jumping back to the past jarred me the first few chapters it was employed. Despite that, I actually liked the chapters that happened in the past much more than the present story for a noticeable fraction of the book. There seemed to be more forward plot movement and I liked the characters more in those flashbacks, while in the present the story was moving more slowly for a while. (I still enjoyed those present chapters too, though.) It also seemed strange to me the way a certain relative of Jael’s talked. For someone so old, he… didn’t sound old. And that was actually pretty amusing, but it did bother me a little at first. Small quibbles, really.
The quality of the story itself was great. The pacing worked well, there was a good balance between exposition and action so I never felt like I was suffereing through an info-dump, even though there is a lot of explaining to do to establish the rules of the world. A lot of the characters surprised me, either by the way they were given depth or history, or by the way they used the rules of the world to try to get ahead. Jael’s father was very present and active in the story, which was so refreshing and different from the YA norm. The ending didn’t feel forced at all, and was totally believable. There was just a tiny bit of romance, which is just enough for me.
There’s something else that I noticed about this story. It might just be because I just read and reviewed Wingshooters (by Nina Revoyr), but the theme of identity hit home for me. Being half-Korean, half-Filipino, and all-American, I’ve struggled over the years with trying to figure out who I am. It’s not so much being a misfit and not fitting in, but always questioning my nature. My parents even pronounce my name differently, which actually (sort of) comes up in this book. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but reading Jael’s evolving concept of who–or what–she was really made me think in new ways about being mixed. Even Jael’s abilities relied upon her sense of identity in a way, and it made me feel empowered for a bit.
It’s really hard to boil down this book. There’s so much great stuff. If you like fantasy that’s heavy on the fantasy and mythology and cool magic, I think you’d really like this story. Think Constantine (the movie) meets Percy Jackson (the book) in an awesome and incredibly thoughtful and very well-written package.
Today happens to be the release date, so what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy! I might pick up some for a giveaway. I just have to share the joy…
Review copy provided by Abrams Books via Netgalley.
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (002)
Beg, Borrow, & Steal time again! This is my version of the In My Mailbox meme, which is hosted by The Story Siren. Here are the books I acquired in the past week! One of them is a hint for a prize in one of the upcoming giveaways…
Begged:
Books I bought because they were priced well. Like, REALLY well.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Borrowed:
Final copies checked out from different libraries.
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
Imaginary Girls by Nove Ren Suma
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
Steals:
Free downloads or eGalleys received for review.
Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: May 10, 2011
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
Release Date: September 27, 2011
The Poisoned House by Michael Ford
Release Date: September 1, 2011
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Vanish: A Firelight Novel by Sophie Jordan
Release Date: August 17, 2011
The Rafters by A. C. Montgomery
Release Date: September 15, 2011
Misfit by Jon Skovron
Release Date: August 1, 2011
A fun batch, indeed. I’m doing laundry for the library later today (… yes, libraries have laundry) so I’ll have a chance to chip away at the pile! Woohoo!
Don’t forget to enter to win the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld!
