Blog Tour (Guest Post and Giveaway): LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD (Scarily Ever Laughter #2) by Amie and Bethanie Borst, Illustrated by Rachael Caringella (MG)

LITTLE DEAD RIDINGHOOD

Scarily Ever After #2

by Amie and Bethanie Borst

Illustrated by Rachael Caringella

Release date: October 14th, 2014

Published by: Jolly Fish Press

Genre: Middle Grade Fairytale

Format: Paperback, eBook

SUMMARY

You know things are going to suck when you’re the new kid. But when you’re the new kid and a vampire… well, it bites!

Unlike most kids, Scarlet Small’s problems go far beyond just trying to fit in. She would settle for a normal life, but being twelve years old for an entire century is a real pain in the neck. Plus, her appetite for security guards, house pets and bloody toms (tomato juice) is out of control. So in order to keep their vampire-secret, her parents, Mort and Drac, resort to moving for the hundredth time, despite Scarlet being dead-set against it. Things couldn’t be worse at her new school, either. Not only does she have a strange skeleton-girl as a classmate, but a smelly werewolf is intent on revealing her secret. When she meets Granny — who fills her with cookies, goodies, and treats, and seems to understand her more than anyone — she’s sure things will be different. But with a fork-stabbing incident, a cherry pie massacre, and a town full of crazy people, Scarlet’s O-positive she’ll never live to see another undead day.

Not even her Vampire Rule Book can save her from the mess she’s in. 

Why can’t she ever just follow the rules?

PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound

GUEST POST

Thanks for having us here on your blog, Margie! I'm so excited about the release of my second book, LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD, co-authored by my daughter, Bethanie! Today is the official release day and I'm just beside myself with glee. It's FANGtastic!

We've been asked to talk about the ups and downs of writing together. I believe this is a trick question because I haven't seen any real downfalls to our writing relationship, though I'm sure Bethanie would state otherwise.

Here's five reasons why I think writing with my daughter is an awesome experience:

1) She's super creative. Her ideas always seem to take things to a whole. nother.level!

2) She's funny. Bethanie has a natural ability to summon a laugh from her audience.

3) Bethanie is a hard worker. A few weeks ago she churned out over 8,000 words in an afternoon. It would take me an entire week to write that many words!

4) She sees the possibility and potential. She's able to connect plot twists and delve into characterization with ease.

5) She's insightful. She knows that the words need to be put on the page first before they can be edited. I'm the opposite. I tend to be a perfectionist and want perfect words, sentences, and paragraphs the first time around. She is the one that reminds me that we can't perfect what isn't written.

If I had to come up with five downfalls of working together they would be:

1) Time. Bethanie is homeschooled AND training for the Olympics in archery. If we had to wait for time to write together, we'd never get anything written. So although we plot together, we tend to write independently. Bethanie will email me what she's written and I incorporate it into our manuscript. We discuss plot, characterization, and story development when we're driving to various activities. If we need time to delve into something deeper we squeeze it in on the weekends.

2) Bethanie's a fast writer. I have a hard time keeping up and sometimes fall behind, which makes me feel bad, like I'm not pulling my weight.

3) Not agreeing. It's rare, but sometimes we don't agree on a plot point, or how to implement it.

4) Bethanie says that one of the hardest things for her is that because we're family she feels as though she can procrastinate if I'm not reminding her to get her writing done.

5) She's always right. That's a hard pill to swallow when you're the parent!

Thanks for having us here today, Margie!

THANK YOU, Amie, for stopping by today!!! 

GIVEAWAY

There are TWO great giveaways happening on the LITTLE DEAD RIDINGHOOD blog tour!!!

First, a copy of LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD! Use the rafflecopter form to enter!...

AND, as soon as you finished entering, be sure to stop by Amie's blog for a second contest! It's a SCAVENGER HUNT that you won't want to miss, offering lots of extra great prizes!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(*Bumbles and Fairy-Tales will not be held responsible for any lost, damaged, unclaimed, etc. prizes.)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS - Amie and Bethanie Borst

Amie Borst is a PAL member of SCBWI. She believes in Unicorns, uses glitter whenever the opportunity arises, accessories in pink and eats too much chocolate. 

Bethanie Borst is a spunky 14 year old who loves archery, long bike rides and studying edible plant-life. She was only 9 when she came up with the idea for Cinderskella!

Little Dead Riding Hood is their second book in the Scarily Ever Laughter series. Their first book, Cinderskella, released in October 2013.

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Blog Tour (Review and Giveaway): ELEANOR (The Unseen #1) by Johnny Worthen (YA)

ELEANOR

The Unseen #1

by Johnny Worthen

Release date: July 1st, 2014

Published by: Jolly Fish Press

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Format: Paperback, eBook

Format read: ARC from publisher.

SUMMARY

It was a gamble for Eleanor to rejoin humanity, but she was driven to it. She’d been too successful forgetting. The last vestiges of her family hung by a thread in her transformed brain and drove her to be reckless. Ten years later, Eleanor hides in plain sight. She is an average girl getting average grades in a small Wyoming town: poor but happy, lonely but loved. Her mother, Tabitha, is there for her and that’s all she’s ever needed. But now her mother is sick and David has returned. The only friend she’d ever had, the only other person who knows her secret, is back. And Eleanor again becomes reckless. 

Eleanor is a modest girl, unremarkable but extraordinary, young but old, malleable but fixed. She is scared and confused. She is a liar and a thief. Eleanor is not what she appears to be.

MY REVIEW

This book is definitely not what it appears to be, just like it's main character - the author has woven together a mind blowing story about a girl who is learning to cope and live with who she is and accept the good and the bad that happens along the way...

When we first meet Eleanor she is a timid, average, lonely girl who purposefully goes out of her way to remain unseen, to never draw attention to herself, to get by without being noticed. She lives alone with her sick mother, Tabitha, in a small cottage within walking distance of her school, but far away enough from the town to not be noticed. They depend on each other in more ways than one can imagine - Tabitha haves cancer and Eleanor does everything she can to take of her and manages the house, money, food, etc; Eleanor does anything that she has to do in order to keep the social worker at bay so they can live peacefully together, alone. Tabitha is the only mother figure Eleanor has really known and depends on her to help her cope with her feelings, how to handle school and social situations and to keep her calm and feel secure so she won't be the monster that she thinks she is, so she won't run away...

The beginning of Eleanor's story was a little confusing to me. I had started reading the story not knowing much than what is in the summary. There was something strange with Eleanor's demeanor and character, and not until her childhood friend, David, comes back to town triggering underlying emotions which then creates some pivotal moments in Eleanor's quiet life which then leads to her making certain decisions and slipping up and slowly revealing her secrets... Eleanor haves a paranormal ability, one that makes her think that she's a monster; an ability that her biological family had that got them killed many, many years ago. After that revelation, Eleanor's story and demeanor started to make sense and then the book became a page-turner that I read in one night! 

As Eleanor continues to struggle with what is right and wrong in order survive and to continue to hide her secret in a small town that is quick to judge and believe rumors, her life is torn apart and she has some really hard and graphic moments to get through. With the help of her mother and David, she barely remains grounded and the monster within her roars to take flight.

This is a book that is best to go into without knowing much. I will not deny that the beginning and parts of the ending are quite confusing, but after finishing and having time to reflect, it is truly one of the best written stories I have read in a long time. I will definitely be looking forward to rereading the beginning of Eleanor's story and continuing on with the trilogy. 

An ARC was sent by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

ELEANOR's PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Johnny Worthen

JOHNNY WORTHEN grew up in the high desert snows and warm summer winds of the Wasatch Mountains. He graduated with a B.A. in English, minor in Classics and a Master's in American Studies from the University of Utah. After a series of businesses and adventures, including years abroad and running his own bakery, Johnny found himself drawn to the only thing he ever wanted to do - write. And write he does. 

Well versed in modern literary criticism and cultural studies, Johnny writes upmarket multi-genre fiction – thriller, horror, young adult, comedy and mystery so far. 

“I write what I like to read,” he says. “That guarantees me at least one fan and a hectic job for my publicist.”

When not pounding on his keyboard, attending conferences and conventions, Johnny Worthen can be found with his wife and two boys in Sandy, Utah.

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