The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door
Author: Karen Finneyfrock
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: February 21, 2013
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Description:

That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.

Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.

But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia’s quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she’s forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.

This debut novel from Karen Finneyfrock establishes her as a bright, bold, razor-sharp new voice for teens.  

The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door is a delightful surprise of a novel. After reading the description, I though that this would be a fun read about a high school girl exacting revenge against a couple mean girls in her class for something they had done to her. I couldn't have been further from the truth about this book - and that is putting it mildly. There is so much more to this novel than meets the eye at first glance. I'm glad that the description caught my interest because I would have missed out on a real gem otherwise. 

This book does focus a bit on a teenage girl wanting - needing - to exact revenge on two "mean girls" who did an awful thing to her in school the previous year. But the plot isn't really even focused on that aspect. It really focused on Celia - the main character - and her best friend and new kid to town - Drake - and their struggles. Celia is a great main character because she's very raw and realistic. She's an outcast at her school because of The Book incident - which is the reason behind her need for revenge. She's deeply flawed due to this incident as well as the separation of her parents that happened around the same time. Instead of letting herself get hurt even more, Celia has built up thick walls around herself and has become what she describes as Dark. Drake is another wonderful character in the novel. He's a handsome new guy at Celia's school and the only friend she has. He also reveals his deepest secret to her alone - he's gay. He's dealing with feelings for his best friend back home in New York and also with the stress of coming out to his friends and family. Celia and Drake must both learn to love and accept themselves for who they truly are and not care about what others think about them. That is one of the main themes of this book. Another deals with the very real topic of bullying in our schools and the emotional damage it inflicts on the recipients. I liked that bullying is discussed in depth and not just dealt with easily. It showed the affect it had on both Celia and Drake - and also shows us the damage it causes on people in everyday life. I have to admit that I really connected with Celia in the novel due to being bullied in a very similar fashion during my own high school years. I was able to emotionally connect and sympathize with her thoughts and feelings - especially after reading about what happened with The Book and its affects on her. The writing was well done and had some of Celia's poetry mixed in, which I think gives it originality. Overall, this is a book that may seem fun and edgy on the surface, but holds so much more depth and levity between its pages. Definitely recommended for readers of all ages and for fans of YA contemporary fiction!!

Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, novelist and teaching artist in Seattle, WA. Her young adult novel, The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door, is due from Viking Children’s Books on February 21, 2013.Her second book of poems, Ceremony for the Choking Ghost, was released on Write Bloody press in 2010. She is a former Writer-in-Residence at Richard Hugo House in Seattle and teaches for Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers-in-the-Schools program. In 2010, Karen traveled to Nepal as a Cultural Envoy through the US Department of State to perform and teach poetry and in 2011, she did a reading tour in Germany sponsored by the US Embassy.

Links: 
Website: http://www.karenfinneyfrock.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.finneyfrock 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/finneyfrock 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2736035.Karen_Finneyfrock

 

    

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Fear Collector Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Fear Collector
Author: Gregg Olsen
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: December 24, 2012
Publisher: Pinnacle Books

Description:

"YOU'LL SLEEP WITH THE LIGHTS ON AFTER READING GREGG OLSEN." --Allison Brennan

Ted Bundy. America's most notorious serial killer. For two women, he is the ultimate obsession. One is a cop whose sister may have been one of Bundy's victims. The other is a deranged groupie who corresponded with Bundy in prison--and raised her son to finish what Bundy started. To charm and seduce innocent girls. To kidnap and brutalize more women than any serial killer in history. And to lure one obsessed cop into a trap as sick and demented as Bundy himself. . .  

Fear Collector is a truly gripping thriller that had me turning pages as fast as I could. The plot was fast paced and the multiple story lines were effortlessly woven together to form an interconnected web of fear and mystery. The writing style was smooth and detailed, clearly showing Olsen's talent as a seasoned writer. The characters were each unique and held my interest raptly in each of their stories throughout the novel. I thought the way that each layer of the various character's tales were mixed together showed a level of attention not found easily in fiction these days. The story itself was supremely twisted and dark, following several different character's obsession with the serial killer Ted Bundy. The fact that Bundy was a real killer and the setting was consistent with his hunting grounds - only added  to the fear that settled in my stomach as I read each page. This is a purely haunting thriller that will sink it's claws in you from the very first paragraph and won't let you go until you've read the last word. It's definitely the kind of story that stays with you in that nagging, creepy way in the back of your mind when you're alone in the dark of night. This definitely shouldn't be missed by fans of Olsen's other novels or for true fans of thrillers.

Throughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances. 

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written eight nonfiction books, eight novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child. 

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Dateline NBC, William Shatner's Aftermath, Deadly Women on Investigation Discovery, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News, CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen's Snapped, Court TV's Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E's Biography. 

In addition to television and radio appearances, he has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post. The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington's Secretary of State for the book's contribution to Washington state history and culture. His Young Adult novel, Envy, was the official selection of Washington for the National Book Festival. 

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker spaniel) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).

Links:

Website: http://www.greggolsen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreggOlsenAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Gregg_olsen

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15035.Gregg_Olsen

    

 
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Witch Born Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway!

Witch Born (Witch Song #2)
Author: Amber Argyle
Genre: YA Paranormal 
Release Date: September 5, 2012

Description:

Brusenna thought it was finished. 

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. 

She was wrong. 

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands. 

Some things can't be saved. 

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything. 

Including her life. 

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?
  

 

Defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer. 


I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. When teachers asked what we wanted to be when we grow up, my answer was always a writer or a ballerina—since I have the grace of a one-legged zombie, I think I chose well.

I grew up with a book in my hands and the smell of aged paper in my nostrils. I wrote a story about mermaids and the lost City of Atlantis when I was in middle school. In high school, I had a short story published in a national newspaper and a magazine.

In college, I majored in English. Everything I did was building toward becoming a writer.

About the Author:

Amber Argyle grew up with three brothers on a cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountains. She spent hours riding horses, roaming the mountains, and playing in her family’s creepy barn. This environment fueled her imagination for writing high fantasy. 

She has worked as a short order cook, janitor, and staff member in a mental institution. All of which has given her great insight into the human condition and has made for some unique characters. 

She received her bachelor’s degree in English and Physical Education from Utah State University.

 

Links: 

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads


 

    

 

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