Freebee Friday!!

I saw this yesterday and just had to laugh.


--Me

Break it down now!

So You Think You Can Dance SEASON 10, EVERYBODY!!!

Be honest, did you think it would last this long? I did. I decided not to blog during the auditions, because, let's face it, there's not much to talk about. I did like, however, that they didn't focus very much on the crazy, horrible dancers.

But a question has been plaguing me and mine, WHERE IS TYCE??? If you know the answer, please tell me in the comments. I miss him and we all hope he choreographs some routines this season.

So, last week we had our Top 20 announced. And I love the way they shuffled between the Green Mile and the live show with the dances. They were all wonderful and unique, and the Top 10 Boys with the sand was pretty dang awesome. In case you missed it, our T20 are:

Boys

• Aaron Turner (Tapper)
• Alan Bersten (Ballroom)
• BluPrint (Animation) Favorite
• Carlos Garland (Contemporary)
• Curtis Holland (Tapper)
• Fik-Shun (Hip-hop) Favorite
• Jade Zuberi -- I call him Detroit (Animation) Favorite
• Nico Gretham (Contemporary) Favorite
• Paul Kamiryan (Ballroom)

Girls

• Alexis Juliano (Tapper)
• Amy Yakima (Contemporary)
• Brittany Cherry (Ballroom)
• Hayley Erbert (Contemporary) Favorite
• Jasmine Harper (Contemproary)
• Jasmine Mason (Jazz) Favorite
• Jenna Johnson (Ballroom) Favorite
• Makenzie Dustman (Contemproary) Favorite
• Malece Miller (Contemporary) Favorite
• Maria Spears (Hip Hop)

So, how did last night's episode go with partners? Let's find out.

Judges: Nigel, Mary, Wayne Brady

First off.... Did anyone else notice that honkin' diamond on Cat's left ring finger? Hmmmm??? That's the second week in a row it's been on there. I'm just sayin'.

I want to come out and say this, which will make this a short post. I LOVED all the routines. I thought everyone did fantastic. Even the routine that the judges weren't too impressed about. So there. And that opening number? Favorite so far. :)

So, without further time-wasting, here are the routines from last night!

(Videos courtesy of IdolXFactor, @idolxfactor1)

Live Group Routine (Nappy Tabs Hip Hop)

Mariah & Carlos (Jason Jive)

Jasmine M & Alan (Travis Contemporary)

Malece & Jude aka Detroit (Travis Jazz) FAVORITE

Jenna & Tucker (Tyce Broadway)

Brittany & BluePrint (Sean AfroJazz)

Mackenzie & Paul (Jason Viennese Waltz)

Jasmine H. & Aaron (Sonya Jazz)

Hayley & Curtis (Chris Hip Hop)

Amy & Fik-Shun (Sonya Contemporary)

This is the only one Blogger wouldn't let me embed. Silly Blogger. Watch it here.

Alexis & Nico (Hip Hop)

--Me

Contest winners!

Wow! What a weekend!

Caste did great for its big "premier", and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about the book and the sale price. Here's a bit of a breakdown for the past five days:

• Currently sits at #7 out of all the Children's Sci-fi (the highest it reached was #4, and that was for a few days)
• Is in the Top 10 for Fiction Dystopian
• Is in the top 100 for Teen Fiction & Teen Sci-Fi
• For the 4th day in a row, Caste is listed as #1 in Amazon's Hot New Releases  for Children's Sci-Fi

Guys, seriously, this past week has been the best week. In celebration, I'm going to keep the price at $0.99 for the ebook for a bit longer!

Now, down to the winners of the contest! Ready? 

• Nicole
• Kiera
• Stephanie

Thanks so much for entering! I'll send you an email confirmation. Let me know where you want the book sent and I will send it on its merry little way!

Happy Monday, everyone!

--Me

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Freebee Friday!

This is a commercial that's currently on the air where I live. I can't help but chuckle whenever I see it. I hope it brings a smile to your face this fine Friday!

UPDATE:

 I wanted to add an extra Freebee Friday! to today's post, because I'm just so dang excited about this. I hopped on over to Amazon this morning, and this is what greeted me:

Not only is Caste #4 overall for Children's Sci-fi, but it's #1 for their Hot New Releases for Children's Sci-fi! I think this news officially makes this Friday the best Friday in the history of my life.


--Me

Win a copy of CASTE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Promo price and a giveaway!

Buy it here!

CASTE has been out for a few weeks now, and I've gotta say, IT'S DOING GREAT! I couldn't be more thrilled with how it's going.

So, to help it out even more and get the word out there, I need your help. I'm doing a $0.99 promo (sidebar: what the heck happened to the cent sign? Anybody? I found it so useful) from tonight midnight (June 18th) until midnight Sunday, June 23rd.

How can you help, you ask? Simple. Reblog this, Tweet it out, Facebook share it, write a review/rate CASTE on Goodreads, Shelfari, BN.com, Amazon, etc (but please, ONLY if you've read the book, and give it an honest review/rating. I don't want to be one of those slimy, underhanded people that bumps their book's rating by cheating), put it on tumblr, etc. Share the links for each of those you do with me and for everyone, you'll get your name put into the pot once. At the end of the promo period I'll pull 3 winners and send you a signed copy of my book!

How does that sound?

Well, what are you waiting for?! Get out there and spread the word and win yourself a book!

--Me

Freebee Friday!

I choose to believe this is an ad for being a writer and not for Play Station. :)


Happy Friday!!!

--Me

Giveaways are ALWAYS fun!

Wanna win one of three signed copies of my book? Enter over at Goodreads, it's free!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Caste

by RaeLynn Fry

Giveaway ends August 15, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

--Me

Freebee Friday!

Hubby saw this on Yahoo! News. Thought I'd share. Happy Friday!!

--Me

Break it down now!

I love summer because.....MY FAVORITE SHOW IS ON!!

That's right, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) is on its 10th season, and it just keeps getting better and better. I haven't been recapping the past 4 weeks because its just been the tryouts, and then the next 2 or so weeks will be Vegas, where they cut 200 dancers down to 20.

Then I'll start talking about it.

But, I can't help but share some amazing auditions that were on the show last night. I've really gotten into Animation dance (Cyrus from Season 9 made me aware of it). To me, that style of dance takes as much skill--if not more--than any classically trained ballet dancer or contemporary dancer. The talent and skill it takes to move the way they do is just jaw-dropping. I could watch it all day.Turns out Wayne Brady agrees with me. :)

So, here are four five of my favorites from last night. I hope they make it into the Top 20.

BluPrint from Dragon House

Jasmine Harper

Caleb Brauner (don't underestimate the nerd)

Jenna Johnson 

Nicco Greetham (Nigel is such a dirty old man)

Blogger couldn't find the video to embed, so there's a link. 

--Me

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More

Sarah Dessen

4.5/5

Summary

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

My Review

First off, I have to say, wow. I really enjoyed The Moon and More. I think what caught my attention more than anything (other than your talent for telling a story) was the fact that this isn’t your typical “summer changes everything” book. It’s not so much about this great romance that has a cosmic impact on the MC’s  life, but more of a subtle growing up and Emaline finding out who she is through a couple different summer romances and complicated family dynamics. I loved how there was so much going on in her life, but not in an overwhelming and confusing way. Everything fit together nicely. And even though it wasn’t your classic romance HEA, I was okay with that.

The feel of Colby, the small island beach town when Emaline has lived her entire life, was very real and quaint. And the story was addicting. I’d be reading for a few hours straight, would take a break, and do nothing but think about what was going on while I wasn’t there, and would have to pick the book up again.

Dessen has an amazing knack for telling a story. It’s smooth, effortless, and wholly organic. It’s hard to believe that it’s just a story that’s been written and not experienced by a living, breathing person.

Rating

4.5/5. This book was addicting and so well-written. A great story to lose yourself in

--Me

An interview with the awesome Sarah Dessen

You know, working for a newspaper as a book reviewer really does have its perks. Besides getting copies of new/awesome books, being exposed to new authors, and having the privilege of introducing yourself as "The YA book reviewer of Such-and-Such Newspaper", I also get the AMAZING opportunity to interview and meet really cool and talented authors.

Like Sarah Dessen. I mean, she's awesome, right? Her talent for writing books and telling stories is out of this world, and I got to interview her! Plus, she's going to be in Boise this coming Saturday (June 8th) for her newest book, The Moon and More (review here). Want to meet her in person? Have her sign your book copy? Make the trip, I promise it will be worth it.

Hastings
7500 Fairview Ave
Boise, Id 83704

“The Moon and More” is so different from your other work, what made you want to make this change of direction?

I didn't set out for it to be that different, to be honest. I'd written before about a girl going to the beach for a summer and having her life change, and I was intrigued by writing about it from the inside. What is it like to be permanent in a place that to everyone else only exists in summer? And this is my eleventh book. I think I have to change things up now and then, or else I'll just be repeating myself. 

What was your inspiration for Emaline’s story?

I was on vacation in Emerald Isle, NC, the town that is basically my Colby, sitting by the pool. At the time I was super-burnt out on writing and really sick of myself, two things that often happen when I'm finished writing and promoting a novel. I wasn't sure I'd ever write anything again. (That often happens, too.) But then this pool guy walked in. He was cute and shirtless, dragging a bunch of hoses, and a real talker. We said hello and the next thing I knew he was telling me his life story, all about being from the island and what it was like to live there as a local year round, his job, his family, everything. When he left fifteen minutes later, I was like, "Well, there's the next book." It was like he'd just handed it to me. 

What differences do you notice between writing for Young Adult versus New Adult? Do you have a preference about writing one over the other? Do you have plans to do more New Adult in the near future?

The truth is, I'm not really even sure what New Adult is! I guess it's post-high school? Post-college? I've never been one for labels when it comes to what I write. I had a teenage narrator in my first novel, THAT SUMMER, but never thought of it was YA at all. When my agent suggested it was, I was really worried about getting stuck in a genre and never getting out. Shows what I know: I couldn't be in a better place. That said, I do think that eventually my narrators will grow up a bit more, maybe past adolescence and into their twenties. A lot has happened to me since high school. So we'll see. 

A lot of people may look at the YA genre and think that it’s an “easy” genre to write for, but actually, it’s pretty challenging--collecting all that angst and drama and putting it on the page in a believable manner for kids actually living that timeframe. How are you able to do that so well? Do you have specific memories you go back to from that time period in your life to recapture those feelings/experiences?

I was actually pretty miserable in high school. I couldn't WAIT for it to be over. And when it finally was, I remember sitting at graduation with all these classmates getting nostalgic and emotional already and all I could think was, "Get me OUT of here. I never want to see you people again." So it's ironic that I now spend half my day putting myself back there by choice. I think the voice clicks with me, though, because I WAS so unhappy. Those feelings of inadequacy and confusion...they're not so easily forgotten. It also helps I still live in my hometown. Most days I drive past my high school on the way to drop my kid at preschool. So it's always there, whether I like it or not. 

What would you say is the most rewarding part of writing for the YA audience? Any specific story you've received from a reader that’s really stuck with you that you’d like to share with us?

The best part of writing YA is the readers. No question. As adults, we get excited about books, but teenagers are often JUST having that experience where they connect fully with something on the page. The greatest compliment I get is, "This is just like my school! These are just like my friends! How did you KNOW?" I'm also incredibly flattered when people tell me that the books helped them through high school. Because of my own experience, the thought that something I wrote might help someone who felt the way I did when I was a teen...that's huge. It awes me. 

It’s probably pretty hard to do, but out of the several books you've written, do you have a favorite? And if so, which one and why?

It's really hard to pick a favorite. I feel like it isn't fair! And each book represents who I was at the time I wrote it. That said, as far as the writing experience, THIS LULLABY was the most fun. Usually writing is a grueling death march sort of thing for me, peppered with the occasional great day. But that one was like hanging out with friends. I never wanted it to end. When I brought Remy and Dexter back into JUST LISTEN, I was really struggling with it, and I just wanted to follow them back out the door. They were so easy to write in comparison! 

What does your writing process look like?

I normally write in the afternoons, from about 3-5. It's a holdover from when I first started doing it seriously, when I had a morning job as an assistant to a local writer and waited tables at night. It was the only time I had, and I got used to that being when I worked. Ideally, when I have a book in progress, I write every day, although it's a bit more challenging now that I have my daughter. I'm very disciplined. It's the one thing I have going for me. Finally, a use for all my guilt! 

Now for the “fun” questions! What book did you just finish reading?

RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, by Kimberly McCreight. It's about a teen who dies mysteriously and how her mother tries to figure out what happened. I could NOT put it down. I see it being a huge book this summer, kind of like GONE GIRL was last year. 

E-reader or old-fashioned book? 

Both! I usually have one book in progress on my iPad and another by my bed. Plus another on audio in the car. I listen mostly to nonfiction, however. I love celebrity biographies while I'm running errands. 

Editing on paper or screen?

My editor and I still exchange actual manuscripts, with her edits and comments in the margins. Then I make all the changes on screen and send them back to her and we do it again, until it's done. It's how I've always done it. I think I might be too superstitious to ever get more modern about the process. 

If you could co-author a book with any other author (alive or dead) who would it be and what would it be called? 

Honestly, I think I'm way too much of a control freak to co-author anything with anyone. I have a hard enough time writing with myself! I admire people that can do it, but it's not for me. Although it would be nice, during the harder stretches, to pass it off to someone else, saying, "Okay! Your turn!" I see the appeal in that. 

--Me

CASTE is now available!

It's done! CASTE is now available and ready for human consumption!

Currently, the ebook is ready to go on Amazon, and the physical version should be there soon, as well.

B&N is next on the list and should be going up online in the next few days (they're a bit slower than Amazon).

iBooks and Google Books should be in the next week or two at the latest.

Guys, this is SO exciting! Now I hope I am forgiven as to why I've been so absent lately. So, go over and check it out and leave an honest rating/review, if you would be so kind.

Happy reading!!!!



--Me