Debut Author Challenge (and FREE ARCS)

I signed up a while ago, put their icon and my blog then sort of forgot about it.

The challenge is to read twelve debut authors in the year. As an audiobook listener this is tough since most debut authors don't come out in audio until the book is wildly successful.

This keeps me from supporting debut authors as much as I should, especially since I'd very much like to be one myself.

So, I'm going to share the only two debut books I've read so far. Then I have some Free ARCS of one, THE DUFF, to share with those who can give me recommendations on who to read next.




This book, DESIGNATED UGLY FAT FRIEND, is about a girl who learns about herself through a seemingly dysfunctional relationship. It comes out Sep. 7th, and will be available in audio the end of Oct. I read it right after BEA, and it is so worth all the hype.





I read LOSING FAITH before the author sold it, as Denise Jaden is one of my wonderful critique partners. But I'm not just promoting this because my name is in the acknowledgments (which it is, BTW). I love Denise's writing style. She says so much with so few words, which is always my goal when writing. Plus, this one has grief, mystery, romance and a cult. What more could you ask for?

Now, as I said, I have a few FREE ARCS of  THE DUFF to give out to those who give me debut author recommendations of where to read from here. I'll pick the ones that sound most promising, and send the ARCS to them. I also have signed LOSING FAITH bookmarks for anyone else who helps me out in getting to my twelve books by the end of the year.

What debut authors do you recommend?

Audiobook Review and Free Download

Wondrous Strange-  Lesley Livingston


For the first time, I'm posting about a book I haven't finished listening to yet. That's because it's available as a free download through Audiobook Community...but only until tomorrow.


***Wondrous Strange blends faeries with the human world and Midsummer Night's Dream into reality (there's even a "real" Puck playing Puck onstage). Things are not what they seem, and Kelley isn't who she thought she was. But this mixing of the worlds could have dire consequences for more than just Kelley and her new-found friends.***

As a Reader:


I love books that use theatre and/or literature to enhance the story. This one does it well. The twist of a mortal stealing a fairy baby in revenge for her stolen son also worked for me, along with using Central Park as the "porthole" between the two worlds.


As a Writer:

Kelley (the protag) living independently in NYC at seventeen felt like a bit of a stretch for me. It made it seem like an adult book pushed into YA. Kelley does do some reckless things to make her seem like a teenager but also some overly mature things. The voice also mixed between teen and adult sounding to me. And it felt like we were missing info about Kelley's social life before she moved to NYC.  I'd be curious to know why the author made some of the choices she did.



If You Like This, You might also like:

Valiant- Holly Black
Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity- Melissa Marr
Minister's Daughter- Julie Hearn 
Keturah and Lord Death- Martine Leavitt
Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle series)- Libba Bray 
Carter Finally Gets it- Brent Crawford 
Undercover- Beth Kephart
Enthusiasm- Polly Shulman

Don't forget, this is a free download until tomorrow.

For those of you who haven't plunged into the audiobook world yet, this is a great chance to do so. Make the most of your time when driving, doing dishes, mowing the lawn, or doing laundry by getting some extra reading in.

And for my fellow writers, not only do audiobooks help improve your skills because you're reading more books, but I'm convinced that hearing books read out loud has helped me improve the flow of my own writing when I read it out loud.

Audiobook Review

Incarceron- Catherine Fisher

A prince lost in a prison that is a world unto itself. The warden’s daughter living in a prison of conventions where she will be forced to marry a man she does not love. Both have keys that link them together and could be the means of their escape.

As a Reader:

It took me a few chapters to get into the story. It would have been even harder if I hadn’t known and liked the premise before I started. Otherwise, I loved the dark Alice in Wonderland/Big Brother feel of the prison, the multi-world aspects, and the themes of prisons and what it means to be free.

As a Writer:

I feel I’ve become oversensitive to clichés. After all, it's the lost prince and the legend, Sapphique, serving as part prophecy/part map, that makes this book clearly fall into the Fantasy genre. The overdependence on coincidences also stood out to me, but having the two keys fall into the right hands at the right time not only makes the story but adds to the fantasy elements. Cliché, to me, means overdone, but at what point a certain element starts to feel overdone is subjective for different readers, writers and (it seems) the publishing world. Also, readers do want familiar elements, so I try to aim for familiar with a twist. I do shy away from most coincidences, preferring to build in enough believable backstory to make situations seem more logical than coincidental.

If you like this, you might also like:

The Maze Runner- James Dashner
Hunger Games and Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins
The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson series)- Rick Riordon
Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr- Christopher Paolini

Audiobook of the week

The Boyfriend List and The Treasure Map of Boys –E. Lockhart


Ruby lost her boyfriend, became a leper at school, started having panic attacks, and now she sees a shrink. A shrink who had her make a boyfriend list. Now she needs to see if sorting out her past can help her deal with the present and figure out the future.

As a Reader:

I thoroughly enjoyed these books and wish my library had the middle one, The Boy Book, on audio too. There’s no perfect guy to fall for or male best friend with a heart of gold for Ruby to end up with. Ruby is flawed and so are her friends, ex-friends and the guys in her life. Flawed in perfectly likable ways. Yay! What a realistic breath of fresh air!

As a Writer:

I have to admit I’m jealous of the author’s clever premise, which allowed her to explore the complex minefield called dating in more than a “get the perfect guy” kind of way. I’m also jealous that Ruby doesn’t always make necessarily likable choices, but she’s still a character you root for and care about. Writing likable protags in genre fiction, especially YA female protags, can feel limiting at times. Although the author does keep the protag’s sexual experiences on the fairly innocent side of things, it’s still refreshing to see flawed done well.

If you like these, you might also like:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks- E. Lockhart
The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things and Vegan Virgin Valentine- Carolyn Mackler
Viola in Reel Life- Adriana Trigiani
Peace, Love and Baby Ducks- Lauren Myracle
Secret Life of Prince Charming- Deb Caletti
Keeping the Moon- Sara Desson

Coming soon: Incarceron, along with a contest to win an ARC of its sequel, Sapphique.

Audiobook of the week

The Silver Kiss- Annette Curtis Klause


For those of you still thirsting for vampire/teen love, you can check out this story. It was written in 1990, a year before Vampire Diaries even, so it might stand as the original high schooler/vampire romance (Feel free to inform me if I'm wrong!). No sparkles, but the author does blend her bloodthirsty romance with the complimentary theme of death and dying.

As a Reader:

I felt the author nailed the helplessness, anger and confusion of a teen facing her mother’s illness. I also liked the vulnerability of the vampire hero.

As a Writer:

Without giving anything away (or trying not to, at least), I appreciated the unexpected ending but wished she’d made it more expected at the same time. The aim (as a writer) is to surprise the reader but have them think back and see how the plot twist makes total sense. I didn’t have that happen here.

If you like this, you might also like:

Bluebloods series- Melissa de la Cruz
Twilight series- Stephanie Meyer
Eternal and Tantalize- Cynthia Leitich Smith
Evermore- Alyson Noël

Okay, I technically got in two posts in this week. Look for two next week. And more free books on the way!!!

Audiobook of the Week

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks

E. Lockhart

Frankie enters her second year of boarding school a new girl. Seniors she hung out with the year before with her sister don’t even recognize her, but one likes what he sees. He calls her adorable and eventually his girlfriend, but Frankie knows he’s hiding something...membership to a male-only secret society that her father belonged to when he attended the school. Frankie decides to infiltrate that world and stir things up a bit.

As a reader:

I love how the book explores the theme of seeing and breaking the unwritten rules that bind us, especially as girls/women. Though I do think the sexual conflict between the most popular senior boy and his inexperienced sophomore girlfriend could have been handled in a more believable way without taking away from these broader themes.  

As a writer:

I also appreciated, to my surprise, the strong but unidentified narrator of this book. The author took some risks I’d advise most would-be writers not to take, but E. Lockhart is established and (I’m convinced) talented enough to pull it off.

If you like this you might also like:

The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things and Vegan Virgin Valentine- Carolyn Mackler

Viola in Reel Life- Adriana Trigiani

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks- Lauren Myracle

Looking for Alaska- John Green

Free Audiobook Downloads

Shelli at Market My Words let me know about free audiobook downloads offered through the Audiobook Community. YALSA (YA Library Services Association) has more info about the YA offerings here:

http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2010/06/01/psyched-about-sync-free-audiobooks/

Audiobook of the Week

Fragile Eternity-Melissa Marr

In this sequel to Wicked Lovely, Aislinn (pronounced like Ashlyn in the audiobook) is settling in as the reluctant faerie queen of the summer court. She made a deal with her King, Keenan, that they would rule together but not as a couple. That way Aislinn can keep her mortal life, which includes school, her grandmother and her mortal boyfriend, Seth. But deals with faeries never turn out as planned, and Aislynn feels drawn to Keenan despite her love for Seth. Seeing the writing on the eternal wall, Seth decides to try for forever, but his deal with the highest faerie of them all will have consequences none of the rest of them can see clearly.

As a Reader:

I like Aislinn’s struggles to write her own rules about how to be queen. I’m not usually into politics, supernatural or otherwise, but the characters are so strong…all torn by the roles assigned to them verses their personal desires…that I find these books thoroughly enjoyable. This is a to-be-continued ending. Radiant Shadows is out now, but it looks like another companion novel like Ink Exchange, so we may have to wait for more of Seth and Aislynn.

As a writer:

As I’ve said before, I prefer first person in my reading and writing. It’s to the point where head popping and omniscient stuff…even when done on purpose…can pull me out of a story. But if I ever have a story idea that won’t work in first person and/or needs multiple POVs, I'll aim to do close third person as well as Melissa Marr. 


If you like this, you might also like:

Minister's Daughter- Julie Hearn
Keturah and Lord Death- Martine Leavitt
Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle series)- Libba Bray
Valiant- Holly Black
Impossible- Nancy Werlin

Audiobook of the Week

Cupcake-Rachel Cohn

Cyd Charisse is about to take on the Big Apple in a big way…or not. Skipping her culinary class to scope out guys in Central Park while she pines for her true love, Shrimp (see also, Gingerbread and Shrimp) may not seem like the best way to make a new, grownup life for herself, but somehow she stumbles into one anyway. Then Shrimp appears, back from surfing in New Zealand, to mess up all her non-laid plans.

As a Reader:

I love Cyd (Cee Cee) with her brass talk, unconventional family and quirky friends. Her takes on NYC and the bi-coastal contrast of settings are great. And from what I’ve seen, the city is still a little cupcake crazy.

As a Writer:

I prefer plots (like this one) that are a journey rather than the relentless goal-seeking quest most plot-writing advice will tell you to do. A nagging little part of me says this is a sign I need to improve my plot writing skills but another part argues that this is a more natural way to tell a story. To me, believable and likable characters can flounder around, take detours, change their minds and sometimes just aren’t sure what they want. And for some, what they want ends up not being what’s best for them. 

If you like this, you might also like:

Gingerbread, Shrimp- Rachel Cohn
Soul Enchilada-David Macinnis Gill  
Liar- Justine Larbalestier
Looking for Alaska- John Green
King Dork- Frank Portman 

Audiobook of the Week

Three Willows- Anne Brashares

Take the summer setting and differing activities from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Take away one girl, make them all younger and less sure of their friendship. Then take away the magical pants but add a different tangible link between them, and you have Three Willows.

As a Reader:

While reading the Sisterhood series, I sometimes wondered if the girls’ friendships ever clashed over their varied interests, other friends, or social standings at school. I may never get to hear those stories, but Three Willows gives us a new set of girls who shared a bond that was blind to their differences in grade school but they drifted apart though middle school then find their way back to each other the summer before high school.

As a Writer:

If I were in charge of writing a motto for Anne Brashares, I’d use, Walk softly and carry no hammer.  Her tone, pace and emotional depth are so delicately handled…She’s never going to hit her readers over the head with anything…and I so appreciate her for that. *spoiler alert* I also loved that one character has growth through failure. An unusual twist and well handled.

If you like this you might also like:

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series- Anne Brashares
Star Girl  and  Love, Star Girl- Jerry Spinelli
Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle series)- Libba Bray
The Heartbreakers-  Pamela Wells
Chicks With Sticks- Elizabeth Lenhard
This Lullaby- Sarah Dessen
How to be Popular- Meg Cabot 

Audiobook of the week

The Summoning- Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book One

Kelley Armstrong

She sees ghosts, he’s a sorcerer and his foster brother’s a…oops. I’m not giving everything away. Kelley Armstrong brings her world of supernaturals to teens, and as a listener, I’m super glad she did. The adult books have paranormal politics to navigate, relationships to balance and mysteries to solve, but the YA experience takes us back to when a supernatural first learns about her powers and her plight. And what she doesn’t know can definitely hurt her.

As a Listener:

I enjoyed the first person narrator more than the third person multiple POV Kelley Armstrong uses with her adult books, but that’s probably a personal taste issue more than anything else. The protag, Chloe, is a good mix of insecurities and growing strength. She has some terrific movie and movie heroine comments. The show of the various characters trying to manipulate their mental health treatment seemed realistic to me, and there were some decent twists along the way. It’s a to-be-continued ending, so if you don’t like those, you might wait until you have The Awakening on hand too. And The Reckoning, the final in the trilogy.

As a writer:

I totally get why writers of adult fiction do YA too. It’s a growing market, they can draw in future readers for their adult work, and I’m sure a lot of them soon figure out that YA’s a lot of fun to write. For the publishers it’s a no-brainer to give a proven seller a shot at a new market, and it could even bring teen and parent readers together with a shared favorite author. Win, win, win, right? The only problem is, for us would-be authors, it could mean a few less debut spots on the lists each year. But hopefully, the number of adult fans these writers can cross over to YA will make up the difference.

If you like this, you might also like:


Wicked Lovely-Melissa Marr
City of Bones-Cassandra Clare
Graceling-Kristin Cashore
Eternal-Cynthia Leitich-Smith
Soul Enchilada-David Macinnis Gill
Evermore-Alyson Noël
Shiver-Maggie Stiefvater