Teaser Tuesday: The Athena Effect

Welcome to Day 2 of my Birthday Week! Already, I've spent a morning pretending I can sew, went to lunch with Baby (who is an excellent conversationalist), made a trip to Cold Stone after school because ice cream is best enjoyed with kids, and had dinner from my favorite restaurant. Then I started reading a really cool book from an equally as cool author.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Derrolyn Anderson's The Athena Effect is about an enigmatic girl named Cal and a thug-in-training also named Cal. Caledonia was raised by her hippie/hermit parents in almost complete seclusion. But their sudden death immerses her in a modern world with skinny jeans, cell phones, and high school classes. Not to mention the handsome boy with intense eyes who shares her nickname. But her own eyes are equally as startling; one blue as a summer sky and the other a green as freshly mown grass. But that's not the most interesting thing about her...

And here's another something interesting - Derrolyn Anderson is giving away a free copy of her book on SmashWords, along with a gorgeous necklace inspired by the book. Another great way to celebrate my Birthday Week!

Here's the Teaser: 

"She poked at the napkin dispenser, picking up a laminated advertisement to read with her brows knit together. She squeezed the catsup in the little packets from side to side. 

“Have you ever tried this place before?” he asked. 

“I’ve never been to a restaurant before,” she said lightly, like it wasn’t the weirdest thing in the world to say."

- (not sure of the page but it's at the beginning of Chapter 8), The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson

What are you reading?

Happy Monday

Happy Monday!

And why is it a happy day, despite being a Monday? Because it's the start of my Birthday Week!

Since I want my readers to be as happy this week as I will be, I'm kicking it off with a gorgeous giveaway. You're welcome.

If you've read my blog for any period of time, then you've most likely encountered my myth obsession. So when one of my favorite authors offers her new book, titled The Athena Effect, my interest was piqued.

And it's young adult. And a romance. AND the author is offering a copy of her new book to one of my readers. AND she's also giving away a stunning necklace inspired by the book.

Here's the book synopsis from GoodReads:

"Country girl Cal has been kept a secret her entire life, raised in isolation by two very troubled people. Despite her parent’s disturbing fits, Cal is perfectly content, living at one with the nature that surrounds her, and finding adventure inside the pages of her beloved books. When an awful tragedy tears her away from her remote cabin in the woods, nothing she’s ever read has prepared her for a world that she knows very little about. 

Girls and motorcycles are what bad-boy Cal’s life is all about. Brought up in a raucous party house by his biker brother, he’s free to do as he pleases, going through the motions on his final days of high school. Aimless, Cal stopped thinking about his future a long time ago. 

Attacked by a gang of thugs while running an errand for his brother, Cal is in serious trouble until a fierce girl appears out of nowhere to intervene. She chases off three grown men, sparing Cal a brutal beating before disappearing into the night like a spirit. He can’t stop thinking about his mysterious rescuer, and when she turns out to be the weird new girl at school who goes out of her way to avoid him, he can’t contain his curiosity. 

He’s never met anyone like her before, and the more he learns about the unusual girl who shares his nickname, the more he wants to know. Cal can’t help falling for Cal, but can he keep her from falling victim to a dangerous enemy from her parent’s tragic past?"

Along with a copy of the book from Smashwords, Derrolyn Anderson is offering this beautiful necklace to one reader. Approximately 18’’ with a toggle closure, the necklace is a rainbow of gemstone chips, including : Citrine, Peridot, Green Adventurine, Malachite, Amazonite, Magnesite, Turquoise, Lapis, Howlite, Amethyst, Coral, Jasper. and Amber.

To enter, leave a comment about…anything, really. Birthdays, books, Mondays, jewelry…whatever. 

Only one comment per person, please. I know, I'm totally bucking the trend by not allowing for 19 other ways to get more entries but I'm getting lazy in my old age.

Contest runs for one week. I'll announce the winner next Monday, Oct. 1. So get your entries in by then!


(And come back later this week when I give away a box of birthday awesomeness! Spoiler: there will be at least two kinds of chocolate inside.)

Get Ready to Par-tay!

There is much awesomeness to report.

First, I got in on a swap! It's been ages and this one is Halloween-themed. Also? The hostesses are two of my favorite bloggers, Miss Angie and Beth. Together, they formed Chaotic Goddess Swaps.


Remember the lovely and talented Derrolyn Anderson and her books about mermaids? After she finished Marina's Tales, she began a new series. The first book is out. Come back on Monday to see what it's all about and perhaps win a copy.

Also, next week begins my Birthday Week! Woot! I am putting together a special package of things that *I* would love to receive for one lucky winner. And I am still looking for ideas on how to celebrate…any suggestions?

Teaser Tuesday: Before I Fall

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Remember high school? (Or perhaps you are still in high school.) Remember the popular kids that could get away with anything? Say or do anything to anyone else and still be prom royalty? Sam Kingston is one of those girls, right up until the day she dies. But February 12th doesn't end with her death. Sam wakes up each morning, on the same day, forced to have a new perspective on her life, friends, and family.

A lot of people describe this as Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day, and they would be right on. If you were one of the kids that was picked on in high school, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book. I'm having a difficult time with the ending.

Here's the Teaser:

"Do you think I was being stupid? Naive?  

Try not to judge. Remember that we're the same, you and me. 

I thought I would live forever too."

-pg. 132, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday: Abandon

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Among my many obsessions is myths, legends, and folklore. I even named my eldest child after my mythology professor. So the recent trend in fractured fairytales and myth retellings has me going to extremes when it comes to authors. Some, I love, adore, think are gifts from the gods themselves (Jessica Day George) and some I want to drag out into the street and shoot (Tannith Lee).

When I heard about a retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth, I shoved teens in skinny jeans out of my way to get my hands on it. Maybe I should have read a few more reviews first. (My review is here.)

Here's the Teaser:

"By then I was too deeply dug into my real-life glass coffin to care anymore--about her, about the evil I'd promised to protect her from, or even the fact that everyone thought I was crazy. 

It wasn't until the following year that I realized what a mess I'd made of everything. 

By then it was too late for Hannah, of course."

-pg 87, Abandon by Meg Cabot 

What are you reading?

Because It's Monday

And we could all use a little smile right about now…

(but you might want to go to the bathroom first so you don't pee yourself)

How I Made My First Million…Almost

At the beginning of summer, just before school let out, I had a moment of genius. These moments are rare so I tend to brag about them. While having the kids home had some perks (like fetching me a drink or the tv remote), I wasn't looking forward to weeks of whining, complaining, and declarations of deadly boredom. Usually, I'd just ignore them until I ran out of chocolate patience. Then the yelling stern reprimands would suck all the fun out of vacation. For all of us.

There had to be a better way.

Then I got an idea. It was so simple that I was surprised someone hadn't already created these and had them mass produced in China.

Behold, the Busted Jar.

An old mason jar with a slot in the lid, an overuse of colored fonts on my computer, some tape, and voila! The kids were totally busted. And I was gonna get rich one nickel at a time.

The week the Busted Jar was implemented, I gave each child a dollar's worth of nickels as part of their allowance. I explained the purpose, went over the "banned phrases," and reiterated that fines would be due immediately. And should we not be at home, I kept a tab for them, due as soon as our car pulled into the garage.  But we had plans for summer, they insisted, and season passes to the water park. Surely they wouldn't owe me a cent, because they would be having too much fun!

Ah, the follies of youth.

Here's a few of the "banned" phrases:
I'm bored.
What can I do?
That's/It's not fair!
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?
This is boring!
There's nothing to do.
Awwwwwwww (in a super whiny voice).
Aldo banned? Saying "no" or asking "why?" in response to a request.

Did you get a good look at the pictures? Did you notice that along with the nickels, there are dimes, quarters, and even a dollar? That was after two weeks. TWO. WEEKS. This was gonna be awesome.

Then something strange happened. They stopped whining! By the end of the first month, the two older kids were no longer getting busted. Baby still had issues but hey, she's three. I must say, we all had a much better summer vacation. With a lot less whining and yelling.

Now that school is back in session, I've kept the Busted Jar on the counter.

Just as a reminder.

Teaser Tuesday: Supernaturally

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Hello, my name is Jessica G. and I am a YA Paranormal Romance addict.

And I say that with pride. While checking over my shoulder to make sure there are no zombies sneaking up. Or vampires at the local high school. Or ghosts lurking in my daughters' room. Or monsters under my bed.

The latest in my pile of books is Kiersten White's trilogy, starting with Paranormalcy. I'm nearly done with the second book, Supernaturally, and I have this advice for all future heroines in this genre: do not lie to your boyfriend. Not even if you think you are protecting him. Because you're always going to get caught red-handed, probably at the worst possible moment. Authors are mean like that.

Here's the Teaser:

"Fairies didn't have wings and bordered on evil; pixies were dirty, feral, and tended to bite; and mermaids had neither glorious hair nor seashell bras. Now this about unicorns. Sometimes reality sucked."

- pg. 127, Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) by Kiersten White.

What are you reading?