Mundie Moms

Friday, September 17, 2010

Smart Chicks Kick It Tour & Freebie Friday

Smart Chicks Kick It Tour- I don't even know where to begin on describing how awesome it was!! Seriously, it was such a blast not only helping Vania out (she was filming and talking pictures), but I was able to visit, have dinner with and hang out with some seriously amazing women! If I could bottle up just a fraction of their awesomeness and give it to everyone, I would. With over 450 people at the Austin signing and over 400 at the Woodlands one, every author stayed and signed for everyone who came to meet them. Not only that, they loved meeting everyone.

1st picture- Cassie, myself, Holly Black.
2nd picture- Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
3rd picture- Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel.
4th picture- I had so much fun with Cassie, Vania & Holly (Pictures taken by Vania and used with permission)


I absolutely loved helping Cassie out during the tour and meeting so many of her fans. Now I can put faces to names of our followers. WAVES HI to everyone I finally got to meet.

Everyone was so awesome with my daughter at the Woodlands signing. Margie Stohl has a new best friend, and Cassie and Rachel Vincent seemed to enjoy getting the toy flowers my daughter made for them. The polls Cassie and I were talking were a lot of fun. We wanted to know which of her characters was favored the most at each stop. Of course Magnus had the most votes in Austin, and in the Woodlands Jace won. I wish I could have been there for the Houston stop, and I'm looking forward to hearing who won the poll there.













Pictures- Myself, w/ my daughter, Cassandra Clare & Rachel Vincent.
My daughter playing peek a boo with Margie Stohl

Cassie picture taken by Yara and the author one by Vania (used with permission)












I am looking forward to seeing Melissa Marr, Kelly Armstrong, Alyson Noel, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Rachel Caine, Margie Stohl, Kami Garcia and Rachel Vincent again. If you have the chance to, stop by the tour. You will not regret it. Not only will you get to meet some fantastic women, but you'll get to meet some amazing bloggers. It's amazing how books can bring so many people together.


Kami & Margie pictures by Vania (used with permission). Girls in the Stacks w/ Jeremy & Jeffery West, myself. No I'm really not that short, and yes they're really that tall. lol










Be sure to visit the Smart Chicks site here http://www.smartchickskickit.com/index.html to find out where they'll be visiting next.
You can see some videos here from the stops http://tinyurl.com/287zs9m There's a snippet of Vania and I talking in the first video and I'm the one who's walking out of the back room at the very end of the second video. I'm the one by Stephanie and Shandra, who are waving.

Here's some of the goodies I received, picked up for gifts and have for giveaways!!

My favorite gift of the tour is my Clockwork Pendant, which is leaning against my Clockwork Angel book in the picture. Thank you so much C!!!

What I'm giving away:

From the Austin stop:
*a SIGNED 5x7 Smart Chicks Kick It Tour poster, SIGNED by Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black and Kelly Armstrong. I'm also including two tattoo runes
* 2 Sets of: a SIGNED Cassandra Clare book plate, a signed Rachel Caine book plate and a signed Melissa Marr book mark (one winner per set)

From the Woodlands stop:
* a SIGNED 8x10 Smart Chicks Kick It Tour page signed by Cassandra Clare, Rachel Vincent, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Kelly Armstrong, Kami Garcia and Margie Stohl
* a SIGNED Cassandra Clare book plate and a Beautiful Darkness Poster (not signed)

Becca Fitzpatrick Interview & Giveaway


















Recently we had the chance to interview Becca Fitzpatrick, author of Hush, Hush & the soon to be released book, Crescendo (which is so good).

With Hush, Hush being a beloved book with so many readers, did you find it was easier or more challenging to write Crescendo?

More challenging by a landslide! I had five years to write Hush, Hush, which is probably my ideal amount of time to write a book. Of course, publishing schedules and author's wishes do not always coincide, ha! I didn't realize how difficult it would be to write a book in a year, but I'm thankful for the experience, because it taught me a lot. I've learned so many things since Hush, Hush was first published one year ago, and that experience is invaluable. For example, I now know that a fairly hefty revision in a small amount of time is not beyond me, and that flexibility and determination go a lot further than stubbornness. I feel this terrible nervous excitement about Crescendo's release. I want it to be out there, so I can finally discuss it with readers. But at the same time, it's quite frightening! My readers feel so strongly about my characters, and I don't want to disappoint.

What was your most challenging scene to write?

The climax was hard for several reasons. For starters, I was on a deadline (what author isn't!) so there was the time crunch. I'd been working so hard and so fast on Crescendo, and by the time I hit the climax, I could feel myself running out of steam. Second, the climax is always difficult for me, because that's where everything has to come together. My books are very plot-driven, and by the end of the climax, the reader needs to understand everything in the story that leads up to that point. All red herrings and clues must play out, and that's easier said than done. I always want my readers to look back and say, “Ah-ha! Yes, now I see why this is the only way the story could have ended!” Finally, the climax was emotionally taxing. So many crazy things are thrown at Nora in those chapters, and it would have been much easier to get rid of those things and make Nora suffer less. Of course, that option would have been far less satisfying.

I was more emotionally invested with Crescendo and I wondered how you as an author separate yourself from the emotions of a scene in order to be able to write it?

Oh, gosh, good question! I don't know that I'd say I'm very good at it. When my characters are having a hard time, I'm often having a hard time too. I think part of being a writer is submerging myself into my characters lives and experiencing their hopes, joys, sorrows and trials. I draw heavily from personal experience in my books, and when I'm writing a scene, I often try to remember where the emotion I'm putting on paper stems from. When have I felt jealousy before, and how can I use that? What did it feel like to first kiss a guy I was in love with? That kind of thing.

What are three things you must have in order to write?

A tall glass of water, (relative) silence, and lots and lots of index cards for plotting.

If you could put any favorite fictional character into Hush, Hush or Crescendo, who would you write in and why?

Laughing! Love this question. I've always been in love with Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series. It would be fun to bump into him during one of my flashback scenes. Perhaps Patch spent a few years in the Scottish Highlands...

I'm going to have to read Outlander, as I've heard a lot of great things about it. Thank you so much Becca for your time and to Simon & Schuster for providing a SIGNED copy of Crescendo to giveaway!

This giveaway is open to US residents only, as Simon and Schuster will be mailing the prize out. One entry per person please.

You can find out more about Hush, Hush & Crescendo on Becca's site here http://beccafitzpatrick.com/

You can find out all the latest Hush, Hush & Crescendo news by joining Fallen Angel (a Hush, Hush & Crescendo fansite) here
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SIGNED City of Glass WINNER


Thank you to everyone who entered our SIGNED City of Glass giveaway. Our winner is...

#266- Laura Wardle

Congratulations! Laura has been contacted. We've got more giveaways lined up, including City of Bones, the complete TMI series and Clockwork Angel audio books!! All of our giveaways are posted in our right hand side bar.

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