Summer of Supernovas Blog Tour: Character Profiles + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS blog tour! Today I have character profiles of Wil and Grant to share with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, check out the schedule at the end of the post.

SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS 

Author: Darcy Woods 

Release Date: May 10, 2016 

Publisher: Crown BFYR 

Format: Hardcover; eBook 

Find it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Goodreads 

Description:

As the daughter of an expert astrologer, Wilamena Carlisle knows that the truth lies within the stars. So when she discovers a rare planetary alignment, she is forced to tackle her worst astrological fear – The Fifth House of Relationships and Love. But Wil must decide whether a cosmically doomed love is worth rejecting her mother’s legacy, when she falls for a sensitive guitar player hailing from the wrong side of the chart.

Debut author Darcy Woods explores love in all its complexities and how to best honor the loved ones who have passed before us, in a novel packed with both humor and heart.

 
Character Profile: Wil
 
Full Name: Wilamena Grace Carlisle (also goes by Mena)
 
Age: 17 
Astrological sign: Aquarius
 
Height: 5’4”
 
Eyes: Blue
 
Hair: Black
 
Mother: Grace Carlisle (deceased)
 
Father: Unknown
 
Grandmother: Genevieve Carlisle/Gram
 
Siblings: None
 
Wingwoman: Russian piercing artist, Irina Dmitriyev. Her wit is like her needles—sharp.

Most Valuable Possession: The amethyst necklace my mom gave me after my first astrology reading. Of all her pretty, shiny jewelry, this piece was my favorite. I wear it everyday so it’s always close to my heart.

Natural Clothing Habitat: Vintage! Vintage! Vintage! I adore vintage dresses—especially from the 40s era. Those styles have such a timeless allure. And since my vision is crap, you’ll always see me in these retro cateye glasses. 



Fears: Besides relationships? Clowns. Yes, I’m deadly serious. When I was seven I went to a birthday party and the moment I saw that painted monster, I screamed bloody murder and wet my pants. Which is how I ended up with a very unfortunate nickname.

Favorite Memory: When I was little my mom would wake me up—sometimes in the middle of the night—and we’d sneak out into the backyard. Just me and her and the sky rolled out like a huge movie screen. I’d fall asleep to the sound of her voice as she pointed out all the planets and constellations we could see. Those were my first lessons in what she called the language of the sky.

Favorite Food: Cupcakes. I blame my gram entirely. She owns a business called Carlisle Confections and her cupcakes are out of this galaxy! I’ve been her baking assistant ever since my motor skills were reliable enough for precise measurements.

Quotable Quotes:
For a nanosecond, I wonder if I’m flashing the world my full moons. Butts aren’t meant to be seen moving at this velocity. 
 


 
Character Profile: Grant
 
Full Name: Grant Walker
 
Age: 18
Astrological sign: Pisces (aka: Wil’s forbidden astrological fruit)

Height: 6’1”
 

Eyes: Brown
 

Hair: Brown
 

Parents: Jackson & Charlotte Walker
 

Siblings: Seth
 

Wingman: Latino brother from another mother, Manuel (Manny) Rodriguez. Terminal flirt with a heart of gold.

Most Valuable Possession: My guitar. That instrument has seen me through some pretty rough times. Playing gave me an outlet for the grief, the anger, the helplessness of everything I was dealing with. So yeah, you could say music saved me. 

Natural Clothing Habitat: Broken-in jeans, T-shirt, and old Chucks (had to use duct tape on one to hold it together). And I always wear my black leather cuff. It’s got sentimental value.

Fears: Heights. My palms actually sweat just thinking about it. But then there was this girl and . . . I climbed the water tower anyway.

Favorite Memory: When I was little I convinced all the neighbor kids to petition the Tooth Fairy to get our teeth back. My brother Seth really wanted to help, so I wrapped him in toilet paper so he’d look like a tooth. Next thing I knew, everyone wanted to be a tooth. Imagine a half-dozen orphaned molars canvassing a neighborhood for signatures. Then it rained. It was such a mess. Mom cracks up whenever we tell that story.

Favorite Food: Hands down, Wil’s gram makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls. I could write entire songs and sonnets, and it still wouldn’t do them justice.

Quotable Quotes:
Grant’s indignation glows in the dark. “Now who’d have thought I’d be a worse alternative than someone born in the Year of the Pecker.”

 

Young adult author Darcy Woods had three big loves in grade school: Reading, writing, and pizza day. Some things never change. She lives in Michigan with her madly supportive husband, two tuxedo cats (who overdress for everything) and a closet full of neatly organized shoes. Once upon a time, she served in a US Army aviation unit and threw live grenades. Now she throws words. 

Darcy’s Golden Heart®-winning debut YA romance, SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS, comes out from Random House/Crown May 10, 2016. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

 

 (3) winners will receive a finished copy of SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS - US Only!

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Tour Schedule: 

Week One: 

5/2/2016- The Cover Contessa- Guest Post 

5/3/2016- Brittany's Book Rambles- Review 

5/4/2016- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Review 

5/5/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Guest Post 

5/6/2016- Lost in Literature- Review 

Week Two: 

5/9/2016- Novel Novice- Review 

5/10/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Guest Post 

5/11/2016- Fiction Fare- Review 

5/12/2016- Book Briefs- Review 

5/13/2016- Swoony Boys Podcast- Guest Post

 

 

Illuminae Content Reveal: New Character Profile + Teaser Video

For fans of Marie Lu and James Dashner comes the first book in an epic new series,

The Illuminae Files_01

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

           

Amie Kaufman, the award-winning co-author of the Starbound series, and Jay Kristoff, the award-winning author of the Lotus War series, have joined together to create an innovative and enthralling sci-fi thriller, ILLUMINAE (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | On sale October 20, 2015). A heart-stopping, high-octane story about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. The first book in a trilogy, ILLUMINAE is a game changer.

Every month, around the 20th, we will reveal new content about ILLUMINAE as we get closer to the on sale date. This month we are excited to introduce Kady and Erza with a new character profile and a teaser video on our site IlluminaeFiles.com.

We would love for you to share and post this link on your social media outlets, using hashtag #Illuminae. We hope you enjoy the site and look forward for more revealing details on ILLUMINAE in July!

ILLUMINAE (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | On sale October 20, 2015 | $18.99)

Description:

 

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
 

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
 

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But pursuit by battleship is the least of their worries. Their fleet’s artificial intelligence—which should be protecting them—may actually be an enemy. And a plague is slowly ravaging the fleet with terrifying consequences. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking in search of the truth, she realizes that there’s only one boy who can help her bring everything to light . . . and of course, it’s her ex-boyfriend, Ezra.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—ILLUMINAE is a ground-breaking, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that will draw teen and adult readers of James Dashner, Rick Yancey, and Veronica Roth yet stands on its own with Kaufman and Kristoff’s unique storytelling.

Praise:

« “Ambitious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world awesome.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and political thrills, told with eccentric aplomb. ILLUMINAE is both the weirdest and most heartfelt thing you'll read this year. ”

—Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and Zeroes

“Absolutely brilliant. This is the sci-fi I've been waiting for!”

—Beth Revis, bestselling author of Across The Universe on Amie Kaufman’s These Broken Stars

Visit IlluminaeFiles.com

#Illuminae

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Blitz + Giveaway: A Necklace of Souls by R.L.Stedman

Welcome to my stop on the book blitz for A Necklace of Souls! Today I have the pleasure of introducing you all to Will - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

A Necklace of Souls (SoulNecklace Stories #1)

Author: R.L. Stedman

Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: December 19, 2014
339 pages

Description:

‘A true dream is when the events I see in my sleep have, or will happen. It’s a talent that runs in my family. I was thirteen when I had my first true dream.’
 

Will’s Aunt says the Kingdom of the Rose is the most fortunate of lands. But Will hates the place – his uncle and aunt are horrible, and he misses his parents. Oh, how he misses them.
 

Dana wishes she wasn’t a princess. She’s always being told how to behave, what to wear. There’s a strangeness in the castle – why will no one talk about the Guardian, or the necklace that protects the land? And why does her father look at her with such sorrow? The collier’s cart seems the perfect escape. Only she didn’t realize she’d become so dirty, or so lost. Fortunately this boy, Will, has a sense of direction. And next to the forbidding stranger, N’tombe, he seems reassuringly normal.
 

Welcome to A Necklace of Souls: a story of love and loss, of shattered lives and desperate hopes. In the Kingdom of the Rose, bravery is not always measured by strength and magic is real, if only one has the courage to dream.
 

Shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Award, A Necklace of Souls was awarded the Tessa Duder Award for Young Adult Fiction, Best First Book at the New Zealand Post Children and Young
Adult Book Awards and is a Storylines Notable Book.  

Character Introduction - Will: 

Will was twelve years old when the plague began. Winter in North Wales is always a dreary, damp season, but that year seemed particularly harsh. The winds blew strong and cold and the people were reluctant to leave their homes. Will’s parents, the town bakers, still kept their shop open but now customers arrived singly, and said little while waiting for their bread.
 

As the plague spread, Will’s familiar world began to change. First, the school closed. Normally this might have been something to be celebrated. But not now, not with the town locked in fear, and no one going in or out. Then the fishing boats at the quayside didn’t sail, either. Eventually even the church shut its doors. But by then the plague had spread, growing like a big black cloud, until it seemed to smother all the light. And in the bakery Will and his parents lay ill, unable to move, unable even to think, as the world spun slowly about them.
 

Will didn’t remember much of the illness, just a vague recall of heat and burning and endless, heaving nausea. Like seasickness but far, far worse – the sort of seasickness you might feel if the ship on which you were sailing had suddenly caught alight. For days he tossed about, thrashing his head on his pillow, calling for Ma. For anyone. But no one came.
 

Finally Will woke and lay blinking at the ceiling. His throat felt thick and tight, as though he’d been screaming for the longest time. Outside the world sounded eerily quiet; no shop bells, no wagon wheels creaking. No horse’s hooves, or people calling to one another across the street. Only the distant wash of the waves and the creaking of the shop sign in the wind. 

All his life, Will remembered the feeling of waking into silence, the bitter knowledge of his loneliness in a wide, wide world. Because after the plague, everything had changed.

My name is Rachel Stedman. I’m a physiotherapist (physical therapist) by background, but now I work as a freelance contractor. I live in the wild and windy place of Dunedin, New Zealand, with my husband and two kids.
 
I write mostly for children and young adults. In 2012 I won the Tessa Duder Award for an
unpublished YA work and my first novel, A Necklace of Souls, was published by HarperCollins in 2013 (available in the United Kingdom and on Book Depository from June 2015). This year, A Necklace of Souls was awarded Best First Book at the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards and won a Notable Book Award from Storylines. Inner Fire is my second novel. 

Author Links: Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Buy Links: Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books 

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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow

Diamonds in the Rough (The Secret Diamond Sisters #2)

Author: Michelle Madow 

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 448

Summary from Goodreads:

All-access doesn't mean no problems.

The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves. Savannah's YouTube stardom turns into a Sweet Sixteen reality show extravaganza—with complimentary enemies on the side. Dangerous flirtations don't keep Peyton from a gamble that will risk far more than she planned to bet. And when Courtney and the sisters' archenemy, Madison, uncover two explosive secrets, it will rock even this town of glittering illusion—and turn their lives upside down all over again.

Sisterhood, first crushes, and scandalous secrets explode in book two of Michelle Madow's riveting series, The Secret Diamond Sisters.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million| Book Depository | iBookstore

At seventeen years old, Peyton is the oldest Diamond sister. She’s been hurt in the past, but because of it, has developed a thick skin. She will do anything for her sisters, going as far as protecting them from their mom’s outbursts and getting home first from school to make sure everything in the house (including their mom) is ready for them. She’s tough, doesn’t trust easily, and while she has many people she hangs out with, the only people who she feels truly know her are her sisters. She doesn’t like school (she gets restless sitting in classrooms!) and can’t wait until graduation so she’ll be done forever.

Peyton’s a natural night owl, and waking up in the morning is a constant struggle. (Her sisters usually resort to throwing things at her to wake her up, and often yell at her to hurry up showering so they can have time for their morning routines, too.) She needs at least three cups of coffee to get going. She loves rock music, and can usually be found with an earbud attached to her ear, even during her classes. She loves partying and dancing and getting lost in the music. She also enjoys an occasional chill night of movies and television shows, as long as it’s not a rom-com chick flick.

She wears mostly black clothing—why bother with colors when black always looks hot on her? Her nails are usually painted black as well. She’s not afraid to speak up for what she believes in and she will always stand up for her sisters. She tries to not let anyone in to avoid getting hurt—but really she just wants to find that one person who cares enough to break down her walls. 

Sequel to:

(cover linked to Goodreads)

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Book Depository | iBookstore

Michelle Madow was inspired to write The Secret Diamond Sisters series while walking through her favorite hotel in Las Vegas. The next book in the series, Diamonds in the Rough, launches in October. Prior to The Secret Diamond Sisters, she successfully self-published The Transcend Time Saga. A tireless promoter of her work, Michelle is active on social media networks and has toured across America to promote her books and encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. A graduate of Rollins College, Michelle lives in Florida ... but she loves going to Vegas.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook!

Author Links:

   

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