Guest Post: Cara Lynn Shultz on Inspiration

I'd like to welcome Cara Lynn Shultz, author of Spellbound, to the blog today to tell us a little bit about where her inspiration comes from:

About Cara Lynn Shultz

Cara Lynn Shultz’s love of supernatural writing began when she was 7 and wrote a play about ghosts, which she and her friends acted out on her grandparents’ porch. Since then, her work has appeared in Teen People, Alternative Press, Stuff, InStyle, Us Weekly, The Guardian UK and countless posts on Facebook and Twitter. She is a proud graduate of Fordham University and is currently a senior editor at PEOPLE.com. Cara lives in her native New York City with her husband, tuxedo cat and 8 million other people. Spellbound is her first novel.

Inspiration—oh, where does it come from? I wish there was a magic formula, because then I’d never know the (bang-your-head-against-the-wall) frustration of writer’s block, but there are a few things that put me in the writing mood:

I can’t write without music. At all. When I was writing Spellbound, I listened to a lot of songs that I loved in high school—I put those songs on, shut my eyes, and—boom! I’m 16 all over again. (I listened to a lot of Green Day, The Cranberries and Bouncing Souls.) Listening to the soundtrack of my own teenage years put me right back into that headspace of being a teen girl.

When I was writing Angelique’s epilogue in the back of the book—a story which does get a little dark—I listened to “O Fortuna,” the super-creepy Carmina Burana song, more popularly known as the song from The Omen (aka the “Things Are Gonna Get Creepy” song).

When I’m blocked, I like to put on my headphones and just go for a walk, and work the characters out in my head. I get a lot of inspiration just walking around New York, people-watching and seeing how they interact. You’d be surprised by some of the conversations you can overhear in Times Square.

I’m inspired by art—in Spellbound’s case, particularly Rodin’s The Kiss. It’s amazing how something cold and hard like marble can appear so soft and convey such desire, such emotion. The man and woman depicted are supposed to be doomed lovers from Dante’s Inferno—sharing their last kiss—and they embrace with such passion, they could set the damn marble on fire. No matter what tragedy surrounds them, they lose themselves in the embrace.

I’m also inspired by great characters—Emma and Brendan’s last names are nods to favorite authors/characters. Emma Connor is after Conor Larkin, the hero from Leon Uris’s Trinity whom I absolutely LOVE. Personality-wise, she’s inspired more by favorite female characters—tough, but vulnerable survivors. Francie Nolan, Buffy Summers and Elizabeth Bennet come to mind. Those characters are all so different, but they’re all strong willed with such a clear sense of self. And Brendan Salinger’s name is, of course, in homage to J.D. Salinger, since Catcher in the Rye is one of my all-time favorite books. After I reread Spellbound, I realized that some of Brendan’s traits are very Holden-esque. His hatred of phony people, his general disdain for high school and sometimes for himself—I didn’t realize it until I was finished how Brendan was inspired by Holden.

Thank you so much, Cara, for stopping by and telling us about the things that inspire you!

You can find Cara on: Website | Facebook | Twitter
You can find Brendan from Spellbound on: Twitter | Facebook
Cara's debut novel, Spellbound, is now on sale. Amazon | Goodreads

Who wants some prizes?!
There are two awesome prizes that you can win:

Prize #1:

• One finished copy of Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz, courtesy of Harlequin Teen

The Rules:

• U.S./Canada residents only
• Must be 13 years or older to enter
• Contest ends July 4th at 11:59PM CST
• One entry per person
• See my Contest & Privacy Policy for details
• Fill out the form below to enter

iPod Nano Giveaway

The Grand Prize:

• An iPod Nano, complete with a Spellbound skin and playlist

The Rules:

• Collect the pink highlighted words in the text messages between Brendan and Emma, which are provided each day at the individual tour stops. The daily words can be joined together in sequential order to create the winning secret message. Once you've collected all of the words and constructed the winning secret message, you can enter that message on the Spellbound tour home page to be entered to win.
• No purchase, affiliation, status as follower to any certain blog, or any other association is required to win.
• For a full and detailed listing of rules, visit the Spellbound tour home page.
• Winner will be announced on Cara's homepage on Tuesday, July 5th.

Here is clue #14 for the Spellbound iPod giveaway:

Thanks for stopping by! Check out all of the other stops on the Spellbound blog tour to collect all of the clues for the iPod contest, as well as enter each stop's giveaway for a finished copy of Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz!

June, 13th - The Page Turners
June 14th - Candace's Book Blog 
June 15th - Baffled Books
June 16th - Hooked To Books
June 17th - Truly Bookish

June, 20th - Paranormal Opinion
June 21st - Mission to Read
June 22nd - Reading Angel
June 23rd - Miss Page Turners
June 24th - Books At Midnight

June, 27th - Pure Imagination
June 28th - The Unread Reader
June 29th - Bookish Delights
June 30th - Mimosa Stimulus
July 1st - writers write, right?

Tuesday, July 5th: Announcement of the big prize winner on Cara's Site!

These contests have ended.

The winner of Spellbound is Tina W. Congrats, Tina!

The winner of the iPod Nano is Jill of the O.W.L. Congrats, Jill!

A special thank you to Kismet Book Touring for hosting the Spellbound blog tour.

Top Ten Bookish Websites & Apps

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten list features bookish websites and applications. These are probably my ten most-visited and used book-related websites and applications. If I'm not paying attention to the time, I can lose hours on these places:

1. Goodreads - I'm addicted to it. This is where I do the majority of my book-related activities outside of blogging. I use it to check out what my friends are reading and what their opinions are on the books. I'm also a member of a few online book clubs and discussion groups on there, and have met some amazing and awesome people. There are giveaways, lists, challenges, and other fun things. Oh, and the app has a barcode scanner which makes it incredibly easy to add books to your TBR.
2. LibraryThing - Similar to Goodreads. I'm a lifetime member of the site, and love the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, because it matches the books with reviewers who have similar libraries. Also, each month you don't win a book boosts your chances to receive one the following month.
3. Shelf Awareness - This site puts out an awesome daily newsletter for all things bookish. It's got articles about anything and everything book-related, reviews, interviews, best-seller lists, links to request or win review copies of books, and a lot more. I read it every morning.
4. NetGalley & Galley Grab - I love these sites because I prefer to read a digital galley and save my shelf space for the finished copies. I browse these religiously to check for new books to request. I especially love that NetGalley gives me an easy way to submit my reviews to publishers when I'm finished with the book, as well.
5. Random Buzzers - This is Random House's teen website, and I love it because they hold weekly book contests and author chats. You can earn buzz bucks for site participation, and use those bucks to buy books from their store.
6. Kindle Android App - I love this because it makes it quick and easy for me to get in a little reading while I'd otherwise be wasting my life away in lines or waiting rooms.
7. Audible - Guys, if I couldn't listen to audiobooks while I cleaned then my house would be filthy. It also helps a lot to lessen the suck of long car trips and exercising. The Audible app makes it really easy to listen to the books in your library, without having to plug up your phone and sync the books manually.
8. Inkmesh - This is an awesome site for finding e-book deals and freebies, and for comparing prices. Another good one for Kindle users is ereaderiq.com, which tracks newly Kindleized books, price drops, and available freebies. I try to remember to check these every day.
9. Edelweiss - So many publishers' catalogs, all in one convenient place. I believe that at some point it will be possible to request review copies directly through this website, as well.
10. Overdrive App & My Local Library - For my ebook and audiobook rentals, and book renewal.

So, there you have it. My most-visited/used bookish sites and apps. What are some of your favorites, your can't-live-without, bookish websites and apps?

Guest Post: Author Book Picks With Eileen Cook

I'd like to welcome Eileen Cook to the blog today to share some of her favorite books and to tell us about what we can find in her library:

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.  Her latest release, The Education of Hailey Kendrick came out in Jan 2011. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.

My house is stuffed with books. There are bookshelves in the living room, dining room, office, and on the landing outside our bedroom. I have the kind of house where you will never run out of something to read. When you look through my shelves you would decide that there was no rhyme or reason to what I like. Books I’ve read in the past few months include nonfiction (In the Garden of the Beasts by Larson), YA (Invincible Summer by Moskowitz and The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Cooper), eerie/creepy (Don’t Breathe a Word by McMahon), chick lit funny (If You Were Here by Lancaster), MG (The Penderwicks), historical fiction (Elizabeth I by Margaret George). This is the stack of books that I can see from where I am sitting and typing. I am sure there are more around here somewhere.

For me, what book I want to read depends in part on my mood. I also enjoy that I get to read books for research. This is one great thing about being a writer (the other great thing is that you get to hang out all day in an old pair of yoga pants making things up and getting to call it work.) In the past year I did research on fairies, con-artists, and the Salem witch trials. Not all for one book.

I have a hard time trying to figure out what is my favorite book. There have been so many. Growing up I loved The Phantom Tollbooth, pretty much everything Judy Blume ever wrote, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. A Prayer for Owen Meany, or The House at Riverton, might be my favorites as an adult,  but I reserve the right to change my mind depending on what I’m reading next.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your book picks with us, Eileen!

Check out my review of THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK, Eileen's latest book! I also voted it my delicious rainy day comfort read in my Favorite Reads of 2011 (So Far) post.

Thanks to The {Teen} Book Scene for hosting Eileen's blog tour. Be sure to visit all of the other tour stops for more fun with Eileen Cook:

Tuesday, June 28: Melissa at Mel's Books and Info
Wednesday, June 29: Julia at Rex Robot Reviews
Thursday, June 30: Kelsey at The Book Scout
Friday, July 1: Jessica at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Monday, July 4: Corrine at Lost for Words
Tuesday, July 5: Elizabeth at Swords for Fighting
Wednesday, July 6: Kari at A Good Addiction
Thursday, July 7: Crystal at My Reading Room
Friday, July 8: Kim at The Book Butterfly

Favorite Reads of 2011 (So Far)

Faves of 2011 (so far) is hosted by Nomes over at Inkcrush. It is a three day event, and highlights the favorites of the year so far. The first day is all about the books. Day two features characters and covers. And the third day is for all of those squee-worthy scenes and other random tidbits. Stop by Inkcrush to participate or to see what some of the favorites are for this year thus far!

My Favorite Reads of 2011 (so far):


Favorite Book:




Most Powerful:




Brilliantly Funny:



Achy, Heart Breaking, Tear-Jerker:




Most Beautiful Story:




Delicious Rainy Day Comfort:




Adrenaline-Fueled, Unputdownable:




Best Prose:




Most Atmospheric and Vivid Setting:




I So Want To Go There:




Most Imaginative:





Best Under-Appreciated Hidden Gem:




I Had No Idea I Would Love This So:




Most Haunting Story:




Outside My Comfort Zone But Gosh How I Loved It:




Series That I'm Loving:




Most Memorable Voice:




Completely Awesome Premise:




Would Make the Best Movie:




Want To Re-Read Already:







I have reviews up on the blog for most of these books (and a couple of them are coming soon), if you are interested in my specific thoughts on them. What are some of your favorite reads so far in 2011?

Review: The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Title: The Day Before
Author: Lisa Schroeder
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: June 28, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Galley Grab

Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

I love novels in verse. The ones that I've read tell stories that are fundamental and real, and they do so with minimalism and feeling. The Day Before does that. It's about fear. It's about summoning the courage to do a thing, when what one really wants to do is cut and run.

I like Amber. She's a drummer. She likes loud music and jelly beans and the beach. The reader gradually gets to know her through the verse and flashbacks of a series of letters. It is obvious that she is attempting to be free of something that she cannot control, and what it is that she is running from is revealed in time. The bigger mystery is Cade, whom she meets on her indulgent day of escapism. He is also spending a day alone, contemplating, avoiding, escaping. So of course they end up escaping together, agreeing not to discuss the reasons that they're each avoiding the world. The development of their relationship feels believable even though they only spend one day together, partly because of the vulnerability of their situations - they find in each other someone who understands the desire to spend a day avoiding thoughts about what comes next. They might only spend that one day together, but it is the quality of the time spent that makes Amber's concern for Cade feel authentic.

The verse fits the moods of the story and adds to it the effect of being suspended in time on this one perfect day, the day before. It's a quick read (it took me a couple of hours) which really captures some of humanity's fundamental fears and brings them to life in these characters.

Waiting On: And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features upcoming releases.

And Then Things Fall Apart
by Arlaina Tibensky
July 26, 2011

Keek’s life was totally perfect.

Keek and her boyfriend just had their Worst Fight Ever, her best friend heinously betrayed her, her parents are divorcing, and her mom’s across the country caring for her newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. To top it all off, Keek’s got the plague. (Well, the chicken pox.) Now she’s holed up at her grandmother’s technologically-barren house until further notice. Not quite the summer vacation Keek had in mind.

With only an old typewriter and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for solace and guidance, Keek’s alone with her swirling thoughts. But one thing’s clear through her feverish haze—she’s got to figure out why things went wrong so she can put them right.

Amazon | Goodreads

This looks like it will be a great summer book. It's always fun when characters are removed from their accustomed surroundings. And I love that her comforts are a book and a typewriter! The cover on this one is kinda cute and different, as well. I like the sort of whimsy of it.

What book(s) are you waiting on?

Awesome Fathers in YA Literature

In honor of Father's Day, I want to recommend some YA books that have awesome fathers. There are so many books for kids in which the parents are either dead, absent, or uncaring. Lately though, I have read a few books in which there are parents who are present, loving, nurturing, and engaged in the lives of their children. I want to applaud these literary fathers on Father's Day:

Clara's Dad
Stay by Deb Caletti

Clara's father is pretty awesome. He is not without his flaws, but he is a good parent. When things in her life start to go downhill, he notices. He talks to her about it and makes attempts to help her and tries to get her to admit that there's a problem. He realizes the potential risks of her relationship with Christian before she is willing to admit them to herself. It's nice to see a literary parent who pays enough attention to his child to notice when something isn't right. When things get bad, she can call him. When they get really bad, he takes her away from it. And when family issues come up, he talks to Clara and respects her enough to give her the truth, however ugly it may be.

My Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Anna's Dad

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Anna's father is a single parent. He's protective but not sheltering. He threatens all of the lifeguard boys to stay away from her because she is off-limits, but when he sees that she likes one of them and recognizes that he's a nice guy, he encourages a relationship and tells her to invite Tyler over for dinner. Part of Anna's life in their new home involves facing the past and learning more about both of her parents. In this book, the relationship between Anna and Tyler does not overshadow the one between Anna and her father or Anna's issues with her mother, which is nice.

My Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Annabel's Dad
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

This might seem like a little bit of an odd choice, since we really don't get a whole lot about Annabel's father in the book. But there are a lot of things that I really like about him and I feel like he deserves to be on the list. One of my favorite things about this book are the family dynamics that exist in it. Annabel's father is there. He's quiet a lot of the time, and is somewhat non-confrontational. But the dude lives in a house with his wife and a bunch of daughters. He's surrounded and outnumbered, and doesn't really know how to react at times to all of the girls and their issues. But he's always there, even though we only get him in small doses. He likes to watch the History Channel, and enjoys for Annabel to watch with him. When Annabel's mother is weak, he is always there, being the strong one and lending that strength to her mom. The thing, though, that tells me the most about him in the story is that the events that take place toward the end of the novel give a glimpse of the heartbreak that he feels as a result of Annabel's pain.

My Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I did a post like this for Mother's Day as well, but attentive literary fathers seem like they're even more difficult to come by, so comment and let me know of some other books that you've read that have amazing father figures in them!

In My Mailbox (24)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Here's the stuff I got this week:

For Review:
Frost by Wendy Delsol
Clean by Amy Reed
Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw

Bought:
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

 

What books did you get this week?