Song of the Sparrow Winner!

Congratulations to Willowe for winning Lisa Ann Sandell's Song of the Sparrow!

Please email me within the next 48 hours to claim your prize! And I'm also still waiting for Scottsgal email!

Saving Juliet Winner!

The winner for Saving Juliet is...

Lenore!

I had to end up doing this twice seeing as how for the first time, I gave a certain person an extra entry. So people, I DO check if what you say is legit. Any way, congrats Lenore! You have 48 hours to email me with your address!

Getting the Girl Winner!

The winner for Susan Juby's Getting the Girl is...

Scottsgal!

Congratulations! Please email me within 48 hours or else I will choose another winner.

Absolutely Maybe Winner!

The next winner this week for Lisa Yee's Absolutely Maybe is...

TowerofBooks!

So just email me your address and I'll forward it straight away to the publishers!

Taken By Storm Winner!

So the winner of Taken By Storm is...

Shalonda!

Just email me your address Shalonda!

The ABC's of Kissing Boys Winner!

The next winner of my Chinese New Year celebration for Tina Ferraro's The ABC's of Kissing Boys is...

Lauren

Congrats Lauren! Just email me your address since I'm too tired to email you...

What Would Emma Do? Winner!

The next winner for the giveaway of Eileen Cook's What Would Emma Do? is....

Cecilia

So I'll email you soon or if you want email me!

North of Beautiful Winners!

So I decided to pick the winners of North of Beautiful earlier than expected! And the winners are...

Sharonanne
The Ravenous Reader
Katterley

You guys have 48 hours to get back to me! I'll be sending the emails out soon! Or if you prefer contact me first with your address.

Congrats again!

Saving Juliet

The last giveaway is for a signed copy of Suzanne Selfors' Saving Juliet!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway. It will end on the 18th of February!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Getting the Girl

So I'm trying to pick up the pace for my Chinese New Year Celebration and the last two post I have are just giveaways.

The first giveaway is for Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.

This giveaway will end on February 17th. US and Canada only!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Hebrew School

Just in the nick of time, I have Lisa Ann Sandell!

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Between the years I was in first grade and twelfth, I had to go to Hebrew School. Two to three times a week. I was not a fan at the time, but now, I am so glad my parents forced me to go. I picked up all kinds of stories along the way—stories from the bible, stories of the Jewish holidays, folktales, morality tales. And one of the stories that has always staid with me goes something like this:

Once there was a man with a very large and very noisy family. He, his wife, their children—and there was a whole bunch of them, and somebody was always crying or yelling—lived in a hut with just one room. So, there was really no escape for this poor, beleaguered man from the constant rumble of human sounds, and it was driving the man crazy. One day he goes to his rabbi and complains that it’s entirely too loud in his hut.

The rabbi asks, “Do you have any animals?”

“Animals?” the man repeats.

“Yeah, animals, like chickens, geese—poultry?” the rabbi prods.

“Sure, I’ve got some chickens and geese and ducks,” the man answers slowly.

“Perfect,” the rabbi says. “Now bring them into your house?”

“Into my house?” the man asks, shocked. He’s very confused, poor guy. But he does as the rabbi instructed and brings his chicken, ducks, and geese into his tiny little hut. The noise level only gets worse. The man can’t sleep with all the yelling and crying and quacking and clucking and honking. He goes back to the rabbi and tells him that the hut is louder. “I can’t stand it!” he complains.

“I see,” the rabbi says, stroking his long, white beard. “Well, do you have any other animals?”

“Yes, I have a goat,” the man responds.

“Perfect! Bring your goat into the hut,” the rabbi instructs.

The man is very confused now, because bringing the goat into his hut sounds like a terrible idea. He does it anyway, and as you might expect, the hut is even louder. The man can’t sleep with the crowding and the noise. So he runs back to the rabbi, and tells him, “The noise is even worse than before! Why did you tell me to bring the goat into the house?”

The rabbi looks at him calmly, and says, “I see. Do you have any other animals?”

“Yes, I have a cow.”

“Great, so bring the cow into your house.”

The man shakes his head dispiritedly, but does as the rabbi commanded him. Now the noise and the crowding in the tiny little hut is absolutely unbearable. He runs back to the rabbi, and says, “Rabbi, what are you doing to me? I can’t sleep, I can’t stand it anymore! There’s no room for any of us to breathe, and the noise is unbearable.”

“Take the animals back outside,” the rabbi tells him.

The man is gone practically before the rabbi is finished talking. He takes the cow and the goat and the ducks and the geese and the chicks back outside into the yard. And that night the man and his family enjoy the most peaceful rest.

The next morning the man returns to the rabbi and says, “Guess what, Rabbi. My family and I slept through the night, and it was quiet and there was room to breathe!”

The rabbi inspects the man with his wise old eyes and says, “Just remember, whenever it seems like things are bad, it can always be worse.”

---

The wonderful people of Scholastic is sending me a copy of Song of the Sparrow to give to a lucky commenter! Since I'll be the one mailing to the winner, once again it's a US only giveaway!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.
8. This giveaway will end on the 19th of February mostly because I have to wait for it to arrive.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

I Take My Luck Where I Can Get It

While cleaning out my inbox folder, I found this guest post! Yikes, I almost forgot about Eileen!

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I'm thrilled to be a part of a Chinese New Year Celebration for a couple of reasons:

1) who doesn't like to be invited to a party, and

2) it is like getting to do New Years all over again! Even if you've already screwed up your resolutions from Jan 1, now you can start all over. It's like a giant cosmic resolution do-over.

I'm lucky enough to live in Vancouver Canada which has a huge Chinese influence. We have a cool Chinese New Year parade complete with music, dancing and those great dancing dragons that I love. It wasn't until we moved here that I heard of the Chinese Zodiac. A whole new source of luck!

My traditional astrology sign is Pisces. I don't believe in my horoscope- unless it says something really good in which case I decide that I TOTALLY believe and hope for the best. Looking at the Chinese Zodiac lets me have another set of predictions that I can choose from. The Chinese Zodiac is a 12-year cycle. Each year in the cycle is named after an animals. Each animal has a different personality and different characteristics, just like the traditional zodiac signs. Your animal is what is supposed to give you your traits and determine your success and happiness.

My sign is the Rooster. At first I was somewhat disappointed because I was hoping to be a cooler looking animal like the dragon or the tiger. Nothing against roosters of course, but who wants to snuggle with one? However, Roosters have a lot going for them, here is what was listed about roosters on one site: "Roosters are the most eccentric of the Chinese zodiac. They are full of dreams and romantic ideas. They are colorful and attractive, radiant and dashing, and they are quite proud of themselves. Roosters are organized, precise,and their sharp eyes seek out fine details in everything. They are perfectionists and leave no room for human error. To Roosters, a difficult task is a challenge. They dearly love starting controversies. Roosters express themselves very well both in writing and speech."

How about that? The most eccentric? Dashing! However, the whole description doesn't fit. I'm far from a perfectionist and many of the fine details slip away from me. The site suggests that Roosters can make great accountants. Uh.... I don't think so. This is one rooster who isn't so great at math.

2009 is the year of the Ox. This apparently means that it will be a year for tradition and values with an emphasis on hard work. Sounds promising. I believe we make our own luck in this world, but I have to admit I love checking my horoscope. How about you? What is your Chinese Zodiac sign and does it describe you or not?

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Who knew this was coming? Anyway, Eileen was wonderful enough it give away a signed copy of "What Would Emma Do?"!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! It will end on February 13th! Just a little note, if you live in Europe or Asia, Eileen won't be sending it airmail.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Year of the Horse

And now we have Jillian Cantor!

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One of my guilty pleasures is astrology. I read my horoscope every morning at breakfast. I like knowing what will be in store for me each day, whether my day is predicted to be 5 stars or 2 stars, and though I only half believe it, I can’t keep myself from looking! (What do you expect? I’m a Gemini! I have dual personality traits!!) So when Yan asked me to write a post for the Chinese New Year, I immediately thought of Chinese Astrology, and I did a little reading up to see where I fit in in the Chinese Zodiac.

I was born in the year of the horse. From what I’ve read, that means I should be energetic, intelligent, persistent, healthy, a good communicator, and creative. I should also like to be the center of attention. Okay, that last part is blatantly not me – I hate being the center of attention – the very thought makes me want to break out into hives!

But the rest really fits me to a tee. I am definitely creative (I even read that a good career for a horse is a writer.) and persistent (It did take me nearly 5 years to get The September Sisters sold after I wrote it, and I refused to give up!). I’m a good communicator – at least in a writerly sense – and I even did a small stint as a journalist in college. I’ve always considered myself intelligent and did very, very well in school. And healthy living – eating tons of fruits and vegetables and exercising -- is definitely an important part of my life.

Of course, if you think about it, you have to wonder, how can every person born in the same year have the same traits? But at least, in my case, horse seems to fit me rather well! So what sign are you, and do the traits fit you? Check out this cool website: www.chinesezodiac.com

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You can find Jillian at www.jilliancantor.com

Lisa Yee and Absolutely Maybe

Okay so I have a confession to make. About the majority of this interview was predone. I was under a lot of stress and I just couldn't find the time to think of some questions, so I apologize. Obviously I will never ever do this again, however, I did manage to come up with some questions in a few minutes before I caved.

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About the Author
Lisa Yee was born and raised near Los Angeles and grew up loving to read. She attended the University of Southern California, where she majored in English and Humanities. Lisa has been an associate director of a creative think tank and co-owner and creative director of Magic Pencil Studios, a strategic creative company. She has written and directed creative projects for Fortune 500 clients and led creativity seminars. Yee’s novel Millicent Min, Girl Genius is winner of the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award; her second novel, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, won the Chinese American Librarian Association Best Book of the Year Award. Lisa lives in South Pasadena, California, with her husband, Scott, and her two children, Benny and Kate.

Q: Can you talk about the genesis of Absolutely Maybe? Why did you want to write the book?
A: It began with a title, Charm School Dropout. I was curious about what it would be like to be the goth-ish tomboy daughter of a diva-esque ex- beauty queen. But as I started writing, the story evolved and became more complex and deeper in scope than I had first anticipated. It also changed from a lighter middle grade novel to a darker, though still humorous, YA novel. Having written middle grade novels before, it was quite liberating to write without constraints. I have a teenaged daughter and while working on Absolutely Maybe, I kept her in mind as my reader.

Q: How did the character of Maybe develop? Did she evolve as you developed the story or was she clear in the beginning?
A: Maybe, who's named after Maybelline cosmetics, came to me all at once. I really felt like I knew her, though she did reveal herself even more as I began writing. She presents such a hard exterior, but inside she's still very much a little girl looking for love and stability. I always write my endings first, so I knew where I was going. Only, I wasn't sure how I'd get there. But because Maybe was such a strong presence, I let her take the lead and show me the way.

Q: What was the most difficult part (or character) in the story to write and why?
A: It was hard to write Chessy, Maybe's mom, because she makes so many bad choices. She hurts Maybe repeatedly and appears to be the total opposite of her daughter. Yet, there had to be something redeeming about her to make Maybe's feelings about her mother be so strong and conflicted. Chessy was also very over-the-top in her beauty queen way, yet I knew I also had to make her vulnerable and sympathetic to round her out.

Q: What themes in the story do you hope resonate the most with teens and why?
A: When I begin writing I always assign a word to my main character. It reminds me of who they are and what they are looking for. With Maybe, her word was aimless. As the story began, she was sort of meandering and, even though she didn't realize it, she was looking for her identity. Maybe had an inner strength that she was not aware of. She had the ability to affect other people's lives for the better, but couldn't see it. Many teens doubt themselves. They underestimate their power, but it's there. It's there.

Q: Which character do you like the best in the story and why? the least?
A: I absolutely love Ted. OMG, he was sooooo fun to write. I had to be careful, though, or else he would have run away with the book. I'd sit and laugh out loud whenever I was writing scenes he was in. But like with all outrageous characters, I knew that Ted probably was very introspective too. Sometimes bravado can hide something. And it was wonderful leaving clues about the real Ted. As for the character I liked the least, I think that would be Gunnar. The way he treated Maybe was awful, but she had to meet him in order to move on with the rest of her life. The way he was, and their meeting, also put her relationship with her mother into perspective.

Q1: Under what animal were you born under?
A1: I was born during the year of the pig. Oink.

Q2: Do you think this describes your personality well? If not, which animal do you think you should have been born under?
A2: Hmmmm . . . well, there are aspects of the pig that I feel describe me, like loyal and thoughtful. However, I can identify with the horse more. I mean, the horse is quick-witted, perceptive, agile mentally and physically, open-minded and astute. Who wouldn't want to be those things?

You can visit Lisa at her blog, or her website.

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Again, the publishers and Lisa was kind enough to donate an ARC of her latest book Absolutely Maybe!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.

This is a US only giveaway! It will end on February 16th!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Find the Beauty

Up next we have the amazing Justina Chen Headley! So this isn't exactly a guest post about folklore but I thought it was too wonderful to pass up!

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Hello, fellow Yan fans! Yan invited me to guest blog here. What an honor! For people new to my work, it's my tradition to tie community service to every book I publish. So to celebrate my new novel, NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL, I am sponsoring the FIND BEAUTY CHALLENGE. I am challenging you to define what True Beauty really means to you--is it your friends? your family? your favorite book? something special about YOU?

Here's how the Find Beauty Challenge works. Load a 90-second video on www.youtube.com/northofbeautiful, telling the world what's truly beautiful to you, and you might win yourself an iPod Touch! Other fabulous prizes for runners-up include an autographed set of my novels: Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), Girl Overboard, and North of Beautiful. As well, there will be other wonderful teen book giveaways! For every video about beauty that fans upload to this channel, I will donate $10 (up to $1,000) to help children in third-world countries born with cleft lips and palates.

I'm hosting the Find Beauty Challenge because my new book deals with beauty. From behind, you'd think Terra Cooper in NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL had it all: she's tall but not too tall, has a figure to kill for, and boasts naturally blonde hair. But the palm-sized birthmark on her face might as well be her fate map. Everyone in her small, touristy town knows what's hidden beneath the heavy makeup she's worn since birth. Sick of being the town oddity and even sicker of her caustic mapmaker of a father, Terra yearns to escape the suffocating grid of her life. And then she nearly runs over a Goth boy, and encounters True Beauty in him and herself.


North of Beautiful: The Find Beauty Challenge judging criteria
1) The Top 5 videos will be chosen by YOU based on the most views and highest ratings. So be sure to tell all your friends to vote for you! Any ties will be broken by the North of Beautiful team.

2) The North of Beautiful team will score the five finalists on A) 40 percent emotional appeal (humor, pull-on-the-heartstrings, incites activism, etc.); B) 40 percent content (clean, widespread appeal across audiences, plot – if applicable, scriptwriting – if applicable); and C) 20 percent professionalism (smooth transitions, stable video, non-jarring editing cuts, constant audio levels).

3) All videos must contain original content. Your entry indicates you understand this and have the legal rights to distribute your video.

4) Any videos deemed inappropriate by the North of Beautiful team will be removed. Please don't upload anything that wouldn't, say, be shown on television during prime-time hours, or anything you wouldn't want to watch with your first-grade teacher. So no nudity, profanity, or racial slurs.

5) The contest will run from 12:01 a.m. Feb. 1, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. Mar. 30, 2009. Anything submitted before or after the deadline can't be considered.

6) Justina will donate $10 for every uploaded video (for a maximum of $1,000) to Global Surgical Outreach to help fund facial surgeries for kids in the third world.

7) The Find Beauty Challenge is open to people over 14.

8) The Grand Prize winner will receive one iPod Touch. 3 runners up will receive fabulous gifts, such as an autographed collection of Justina's novels, other free books, etc.

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I hope everyone will participate for this challenge! It's for such a worthy cause and it connects to her latest book, North of Beautiful! Speaking of which, after raving on and on about how much I loved it, Justina generously offered 3! galley copies of North of Beautiful!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)
5. Leave me a way to contact you
6. If blogging, please leave me a link
7. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week.

This is an US only giveaway! It will end on February 12th!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Coming of the Corn

It's day 2 of my celebration week and Tina Ferraro is up!

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Like many Americans, my family hails from several countries. Mostly European, but my maternal grandfather had been part American Indian. My mother didn’t know much about his background--he had died when she was young and they’d lost contact with that side of the family--but she told me what she thought to be the tribal name.

Years passed, and I became curious about my Indian roots. I researched the tribal name my mother told me, but found that tribe had never lived anywhere near her hometown. So I made some phone calls, and found a relative who told me with certainty that the tribe was the Sauk and Fox. I checked the history on this tribe, and yes, they had originally resided in the exact Illinois/Iowa area.

From there, I proceed to learn all I could about the tribe, and to try to make their history feel like part of my own. In fact, the Sauk and Fox have a reservation in Oklahoma now, with annual reunions in July, and one of these days you might catch me attending!

In the meantime, Id love to share a legend relayed by the Sauk chief, Black Hawk, who made his name by leading a band of warriors against the U.S. forces (including a soldier named Abraham Lincoln). This is from his 1833 autobiography (with thanks to www.native-languages.org):

I will relate the manner in which corn first came. According to tradition handed down to our people, a beautiful woman was seen to descend from the clouds, and alight upon the earth, by two of our ancestors who had killed a deer, and were sitting by a fire roasting a part of it to eat. They were astonished at seeing her, and concluded that she was hungry and had smelt the meat. They immediately went to her, taking with them a piece of the roasted venison. They presented it to her, she ate it, telling them to return to the spot where she was sitting at the end of one year, and they would find a reward for their kindness and generosity. She then ascended to the clouds and disappeared. The men returned to their village, and explained to the tribe what they had seen, done and heard, but were laughed at by their people. When the period had arrived for them to visit this consecrated ground, where they were to find a reward for their attention to the beautiful woman of the clouds, they went with a large party, and found where her right hand had rested on the ground corn growing, where the left hand had rested beans, and immediately where she had been seated, tobacco.

I think this is a wonderful way to explaining the arrival of crops, from the beautiful woman, to the hunters returning with a large party as witnesses. Almost makes me wonder if my own gift for storytelling didn’t derive from my American Indian roots.

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at Sauk and Fox legend, and many thanks to Yan for giving me the opportunity to present it.

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Tina was generous enough to offer a copy of her latest book The ABC's of Kissing Boys!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! It will end on February 14th! Please leave a way for me to contact you as well.

P.S. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week. Again, if you blog about this contest, leave me a link to it.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

The Collier Lad's Loss

I hope everyone is having a great day today! I have a test tomorrow so I'm going to do this quickly~ Anyway, my first guest post is from Angela Morrison!

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My family is living in Singapore this year, so we get to see big Chinese New Year celebrations firsthand. I don't have any New Year's traditions in my forthcoming novel,Taken by Storm (Penguin/Razorbill, March 2009), but when Yan asked me to share folklore I know about New Year's celebrations, I immediately thought of the many unique Scottish traditions I uncovered while researching my historical young adult novel, The Collier Lad's Lass.

The Scots call New Year's Eve, Hogmanay. The tradition that caught my fancy is the kissing reel. Here's a taste of it from the first chapter. Will is our Scots narrator, Jacob his brother, Mallie is the girl who loves the brother, and Lucie, well, at this point Will isn't quite sure who Lucie is anymore. And a collier is a coal miner. The scene is set in the heart of their 19th century Ayrshire coal mining village.

At celebration’s end, young and old, men and maids form a grand circle for the kissing reel. The lassies blush as the fiddler plays the familiar jig. I’ve danced the kissing reel many a time, chased a giggling lass round the circle, touched her lips to mine. Like any lad with blood in his veins, I ache for a turn.

Miss Mallie gets her chance. She drops the hanky for Jacob, and he catches her easy, plants a smack on her mouth that God, Himself, could hear from the heavens. Then Mallie has to try again. At least she got Jacob to kiss her. She drops the hanky ahind a tall collier a couple of years older than me who has his own place at the face. He’s a proud one, that. Mallie kens he’ll not try to catch her. She sprints off and makes it safe to his empty spot.

The tall collier saunters round the ring with a bored look on his mug. The lassies squirm and giggle, try to catch his eye. He passes them all up—until he gets to Lucie. Almost all of her thick hair has fallen from its pins and hangs in a wild mass down her back. Her pixie face is rosy, and her green eyes spark in the night. The coof drops the hanky ahind her.

She turns and scoops up the bit of mangled linen and lace. She runs after him, and something in my gut twists. No. I do not want her kissing that arrogant mouth. I do not want his arms to go around her. She’s fast and agile. His legs are long, but he’s not trying to get away.

Dinna catch him, lassie. Dinna catch him. Lucie stumbles on a loose stone and loses ground. Ach, her lips are safe. I let go my breath.

The collier slows so suddenly Lucie runs against him. Good Lord in his Heaven, the coof is kissing her, devouring her. My guts wrench. Tis all I can do not to knock the man down. He finally releases her. Lucie’s pale face is flushed pink, her lips blood red. Lucie’s been kissed afore in the kissing reel. All the lassie’s have. I’ve watched it afore and never cared. But tonight tis different. That was no playful salute. Anger buzzes in my brain and collides with something hotter that surprises me.

Now tis Lucie’s turn to choose. I canna breathe as she sashays round the grand circle. She spies me gawking and holds my eyes fast.

“Here, Lucie. Pick me.” A grizzled collier calls out to her.

“Did she drop it?” A wee lassie asks her mither.

“I’ll kiss ye sound,” my pal, Charlie, taunts.

I do not call out. The anger and yearning burning in me is much too strong to trust to playful banter.

As she closes on where I stand tense to catch the hankie and spring after her, I tingle from my bonnet to my brogues.

“Me, Lucie, please,” the lad aside me hollers in my ear.

“Lucie.” My whisper is hoarse, pained, but she hears me, smiles. A sweetness I’ve not kent afore opens within me and breaks against my heart like a wave curling to the shore.

The she flips her sassy head around and casts her eyes towards that beastly lout who just kissed her.

Surely no, Lucie. Dinna be a fool.

She skips past me a step—does she ken how she’s torturing me?

She turns back, gives me a saucy look that sets the broiling brew in me to steaming, and drops the hanky.

I scoop up the mangled bit of linen and lace and race round the ring of jeering dancers, needing to catch Lucie and kiss her pink mouth more than breath.

“She’s away!” An old woman cries out. Lucie seems to be flying. Her black hair streams out ahind her.

“Run, Will.” Charlie capers up and down. “Smack her sound for me.”

I’ve worked in the mine all my life. I swing a pick from dawn to dusk without tiring. Surely, I can catch Lucie.

A lad shouts, “He’s gaining.”

I’ve rock hard muscles in my legs. I push them faster.

“Hurry, lass.” A matron swings her cap.

Lucie looks back at me and loses ground.

The factor slaps his thigh with his gloves and leers. “That saucy mouth’s made for kissing.”

Laughing, triumphant, wanting her lips in a way I’ve never kent, I surge forward and grab Lucie just afore she reaches safety. With a fine flair, I whip the dainty cloth round her neck—

Och.

I pull her to me so hard I smack her with my forehead.

We rebound away from each other. Blood trickles from both her nostrils.

“Lassie, Lucie—I’m so sorry. I just wanted—”

A mass of mithers and grannies fall on Lucie. Their shrill voices scold me.

“Stand away.”

“Be off.”

“I’ve never in all my days.”

They hurry Lucie away afore I can do more damage. The commotion breaks off the reel. The celebration dwindles.

I try to get close to Lucie to see if she’s all right. I’ve a stone hard skull. She could be maimed for life. I pray to God High on His Throne that I did not break that perfect wee nose that turns up at the end. I always thought it made her face funny, like a sprite instead of a lass. What if I’ve ruined it?

I do not feel the same as I did at the beginning of the reel—eager to kiss any and every lass who would chase me down. No. I just want her lips, Lucie’s, kissing me like she kissed that collier.

I want her eyes. Her arms. Her hair. Her nose to be all right.

(c) 2010 Angela Morrison

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So you've read my review for Taken by Storm, or at least I hope so, and now I'm giving away my ARC!

1. +1 entry for commenting on this post
2. +1 entry for following me
3. +1 entry for blogging about this contest
4. +2 entries for ... (this is a secret...)

This is a US only giveaway (sorry guys, but this is from my very own pockets!) and will end on February 9th! Please leave a way for me to contact you as well!

P.S. The extra entry puzzles/riddles will not accepted for this celebration week. Also, if you blog about it, leave me a link to it~

EDIT: I'm going to change it to the 15th instead of the 9th.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Happy Almost Chinese New Year!

Tomorrow is the official start of my celebration for...

Chinese New Year
PAR-TAY!!

We say goodbye to the rat and say hello to the ox! Ain't he just adorable!?Anyway, this is where I'm going to have all the post this upcoming week to help keep me organize and to make things easier for everyone. I'm just going to have a warning that since this was quite a spontatneous event it's not going to be very coherent...I'm hoping to have another event planned on later in the year as well, will keep you guys updated on that if it works out.

Anyway, here's a sample of what's going to occur this week.

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"My family spent a month in China a few years ago. (A full month of family vacation together time...Several years later, and I think we just stopped being sick of each other from that trip!) While we were there, we learned about many of the gorgeous traditions, legends, and folklore of China. One of my favorite Chinese customs is the tradition of eating long, uncut noodles on your birthday. The length of the noodles is meant to signify longevity. The symbolism there is so simple and beautiful. And I love the idea of your family fixing you a birthday meal that wishes you a long and healthy life. Of course, I’d probably love any excuse to eat a lot of carbs!"

-- Julie Kraut, coauthor of Hot Mess and upcoming novel Slept Away.
You can visit her at JulieKraut.com

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What I love about this guest post is that it's a tradition that my family and relatives also do every new year.

Party Poopers!

You guys are such party poopers *pout* So some of you guys got it right (Alyce and Cecilia!) and it is indeed Chinese New Year! It's currently in the works....~

I sent a massive amount of emails this morning at 6:30 AM (it was the only time I found in the day, you guys owe me! lol) to authors that I've had contact with over the past month or so. I'm still waiting for their replies but some have already agreed to participate! I just had this sudden inspiration last night in the showers so I'm formally apologizing to all the authors for such a short notice (ekkk).

So far the people who have gotten back to me and agreed to such are Justina Headley, Eileen Cook, and Lisa Yee! And guess what!? They also agreed to have giveaways! And if that doesn't convince you guys to show up, then I will sic Carol at you, but if she's too busy then I'll...I don't know...threaten to burn a book...?

And to the authors who want to participate and haven't received an email from me yet, then feel feel to join in! Just me email (see top left hand side) and I'll let you in on the not so much more secret!

Surprise, surprise, surprise

I'm planning a, you guess it, surprise! Okay it's not really since I'm going to tell you guys now. Next next Monday is a holiday (not American though) and I'm hoping/planning a celebration week for it! I'm going to contact authors and set some things up and host some...giveaways! (because sharing is caring). The reason why I'm saying hoping is because I really don't have much time left and I'm literally filled to the brim with schoolwork and other projects. So wish me luck and I hope to see (or read...) you guys again once it's been officially announced!

P.S. Can anyone actually guess the holiday...? I'm still a bit hesitant on how it might turn out though...