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What are you Reading on Mondays?

This is a weekly event hosted by J. Kaye @ J. Kaye's Book Blog
Click on the pic to go to the original post.

This week I finally started reading
The Host, by Stephenie Meyer.

I know it took me a while,
but I finally bought it, and now I'm reading it!
I'm currently on chapter 3 and it's going good.
A little confusing at first, but I think I know how it'll go on.

Have you read it?
Is it a good book?
Or does it fall into the same category as Twilight?
(no offence SM or SM's fans, I do like Twilight, but there re some things I do not like about it)

xo,
Ella

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Another Great Contest!

Parajunkee from Parajunkee's View is holding an awesome contest
to celebrate the fact that she now has over 200 followers!
Woo Hoo! Congrats!

Books Up For Grabs:

Cat #1
  1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
  2. Fire by Kristin Cashore
  3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  4. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
  5. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  6. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
  7. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Cat #2
  1. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
  2. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
  3. Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
  4. Sins of the Flesh by Cardidad Pineiro
  5. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
  6. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
  7. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
  8. Lover Avenged by JR Ward
Contest Deets:
  1. There will be TWO (2) WINNERS
  2. Winner #1 will get a choice in Cat#1 & Cat#2
  3. Winner #2 will get a choice in Cat#2
  4. If I get up to 250 Followers a 3rd Winner will be added with a choice in #2
  5. If I get up to 300 Followers a 4th Winner will be added with a choice in #2
  6. This contest is INTERNATIONAL!
  7. If you want one of the adult novels (Lover Avenged, Sins of the Flesh etc.) you must be 18 or older!
  8. Some of these books are in my possession, some will be sent via Book Depository. ALL ARE BRAND SPANKING NEW
  9. Contest Ends New Year's Eve Eve - 12/30/09 @ Midnight CST
  10. Winners will be announced Jan 1 by email - 48 hrs to respond
  11. YOU HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER - the whole point of this contest! :)
What are you waiting for?
Enterenterenter!
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Dear John Audiobook Giveaway

I'm giving away 3 copies (that means 3 winners!) of Nicholas Sparks's novel DEAR JOHN, which is a soon-to-be-released major motion picture from Sony Pictures starring Channing Tatum ("G.I. Joe") and Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia"). Coming to theaters just in time for Valentine's day, February 5, 2010. The audiobook edition of DEAR JOHN is read by actor and voiceover artist Holter Graham.



Summary (from hachettebookgroup.com):

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else.



Doesn't that sound romantic?



Rules:

-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win (i know... :p sorry!).

-No P.O. Boxes.

-Enter by leaving your e-mail address (no e-mail, no entry!)



Extra Entries:

+1 if you start following me

+2 if you follow me already (i <3 you!)

+10 if you enter the Great Kindle Giveaway by following this link! (enter by joining the mailing list)

+2 if you post this on your sidebar, tweet about this, post on facebook, w/e you can think of (leave link for every thing you do! 2 entries for each link!)



This giveaway ends Dec 20th.

Enter away!
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The Great Kindle Giveaway!



Bibliofreak is also holding a HUGE giveaway,
THE GREAT KINDLE GIVEAWAY!

Bibliofreak is not just giving away one Kindle,
there are 15 of them!*

I've just entered and I'd love it if you entered too!
All you have to do is:
click here to go to Bibliofreakblog.com and enter!
Every time someone enters using the link above, I get a point!
So PLEASE use that link!

This GA is open Internationally!
Ends Dec 18th


*Bibliofreak's words: "For every $259 I make, I will offer up another Kindle."
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Brizmus's Super Mega Radical Star-Studded 100 Followers Contest!


Brizmus is holding a HUGE giveaway!
Be sure to enter!
You have until Dec 18th.

Here's what's up for grabs
-one lightly used copy of Hush, Hush
-one lightly used copy of Evermore )
-one lightly used copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
-one used copy of the City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clark
-one lightly used copy of the Over the Holidays
-lots of surprise goodies - books and swag and all sorts of things!

Enter now!
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Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld


Summary (from Amazon):

Playing on every teen’s passionate desire to look as good as everybody else, Scott Westerfeld projects a future world in which a compulsory operation at sixteen wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The "New Pretties" are then free to play and party, while the younger "Uglies" look on enviously and spend the time before their own transformations in plotting mischievous tricks against their elders. Tally Youngblood is one of the most daring of the Uglies, and her imaginative tricks have gotten her in trouble with the menacing department of Special Circumstances. She has yearned to be pretty, but since her best friend Shay ran away to the rumored rebel settlement of recalcitrant Uglies called The Smoke, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either she follows Shay’s cryptic directions to The Smoke with the purpose of betraying the rebels, or she will never be allowed to become pretty. Hoping to rescue Shay, Tally sets off on the dangerous journey as a spy. But after finally reaching The Smoke she has a change of heart when her new lover David reveals to her the sinister secret behind becoming pretty. The fast-moving story is enlivened by many action sequences in the style of videogames, using intriguing inventions like hoverboards that use the rider’s skateboard skills to skim through the air, and bungee jackets that make wild downward plunges survivable -- and fun. Behind all the commotion is the disturbing vision of our own society -- the Rusties -- visible only in rusting ruins after a virus destroyed all petroleum.

My Opinion:

Why did I wait so long to read this? Oh, that's right. It was just published here in Argentina, imagine that...
I just loved this book. It had everything I expect to read in a YA book: romance, mystery, friendship, trouble, promises... Overall, a wonderful read.

The story begins by introducing Tally and her desire to become Pretty. Like everyone else around her, she thinks she's ugly, and that the only way to be happy is to get the surgery that will transform her, on her 16th birthday.

Enter Shay. She's the rebel that shows Tally there are other ways to live your life. They become best friends, and Tally is heartbroken when Shay announces that she's escaping, right before her 16th birthday (same as Tally's) to go and live in The Smoke.

Tally stays, and waits to be transformed, so she can join her old friends in the city of the New Pretties. But she's still worried about Shay.
Her birthday's come, and Tally learns she won't be getting the surgery. She can either stay ugly, or go after Shay, and bring her back, but not without giving away The Smoke's secret location.

And like this begins Tally's adventure. Once in The Smoke, Tally will learn there's more to people than meets the eye, the meaning of true love and friendship, and she'll have to make a big decision: stay in The Smoke, pretend like she's been one of them from the start, tell everyone the truth, and say she's sorry; or betray those who've shown her how things really are.

Although this can be put in the Sci-Fi genre, that was one of the last things I noticed. Yes, there are flying vehicules, and instant food, but it just felt necessary to have those element there.

The things I did notice were the values this book teaches, values of family, love and friendship, above being a pretty face.

Monkey Rating: 4 & 1/2 monkeys!

Visit Scott Westerfeld's Website

(FTC: this book was a gift from my mum, no publisher sent it to me)
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Author Interview: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Today we have two very special visitors here at TCM: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl!
We're less than ten days before BC's released, but several bookstores already have the book for sale, thanks to the amazing Amazon!

Enjoy the interview!
There are some very interesting things to learn about these two!

-------------------------------------

We’re less than a month away from the release of Beautiful Creatures. I’m sure you’re being asked this a lot these days, but, how are you feeling? Nervous?

Kami: The book hit the stores early, which was a total surprise. I think I’m still in shock. I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, but I never imagined seeing my name on a book at the bookstore. And I love seeing pictures of people with the book on Twitter and our Ning.
Margie: The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, but we’ve felt so much support from the YA community. We would be a mess without you guys! And seeing the book on the shelves is still a shock. Signing them is even stranger! I feel like I’m ruining all these books by writing my name in them.

This is something I’m really intrigued by. What was it like to write a book between the two of you? How long have you two known each other? Did this make it easier?

Kami: We met when Margie’s oldest daughter was in my third grade class. And yes, being friends for so long before we were writing partners has made everything easier.
Margie: We really trust each other, which helps. And these are big, sprawling books; I think we’d have gone crazy if we tried this huge project alone.

How important were the Caster Girls in the process of writing BC?

Kami: There wouldn’t be a book without them, so they are pretty important. The Caster Girls are the teens in our lives that inspired us to write Beautiful Creatures.
Margie: Dared us actually. They’re the reason we kept writing.
Kami: We turned in pages to them every week, like serialized fiction. In twelve weeks, we had a book.
Margie: The CGs were also involved in the editing process. They read our drafts, tore them to shreds, and ultimately made them better.

Did they help you put together Ethan’s Playlist? Or you did that by yourselves?

Kami: We made the playlist. We have to have some surprises for the Caster Girls.
Margie: Although Caster Girl 25 has a Music Tuesday feature on www.castergirls.com that is pretty rockin’ in its own right.

What drove you to create a Gatlin for BC?

Kami: Gatlin is not a real city, but it’s situated in a real part of South Carolina.
Margie: But Gatlin’s not so different than many small towns, in and out of the South. Both of our grandmothers grew up in small towns, and we wanted to capture the charm and magic and, well, smallness of a town like that. Good and bad.
Kami: We named the town Gatlin after my cousin Anna. It was her maiden name, and she has a lot of spitfire, like Gatln.

Another thing that intrigues me is Lena’s necklace. I’m pretty sure there’s something magical about it. Without giving away too much, could you tell us something about it?

Kami: Without giving away too much…Lena’s necklace is a collection of things that are special to her.
Margie: Everything on her necklace is a memory, something she doesn’t want to forget. Because she’s moved around so much, she keeps her memories with on her person.
Kami: We each have one. We made them after we finished the book. In the BC trailer, by VLC Productions, the “Lena” in the photos is wearing Margie’s necklace.

Kami & Margie
---------------------------

Thanks girls for the awesome interview!

Here are some cool links to keep exploring the wonderful world of Beautiful Creatures:

There's one more thing I wanted to share with y'all before I wrap this up:
K&M are holding some pretty cool contests over at the BC Blog:
CONTEST #1: CREATE A MUSIC VIDEO FOR “SIXTEEN MOONS"
CONTEST #2: CREATE A CD COVER FOR “SIXTEEN MOONS"

There are very cool prizes for the winners: for the 1st Contest there'll be 4 winners, and for the 2nd, 5 winners!
(And there are several ways of entering in the 1st one).

I'll definitely be entering in the 2nd one, creating a cover for "16 Moons"!
I'll keep you updated ;)

Thanks for reading!
Ella
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NaNoWriMo Update

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Author Guest Post: LM Preston: How I Do It All


The lovely LM Preston has written a very interesting post, about how she manages to be a mum, an Engineer, a teacher, and an author! That's a lot of work! Here are some tips for the wannabe author, by LM Preston:
-------------------------------------

How do I do it all? Well to start, I am a mom of four kids. I work a full-time job as an Engineer, and I teach part-time at a University. Lastly, I am an author.
I learned a long time ago to manage my time. I’ll provide tips below, however, you must make time management work for you. I make it fun, by managing to do something I enjoy, which is writing every day. If I am not writing, I am usually imagining aspects of a story, because I am an proverbial daydreamer. Most of my friends or family would never think that I am working on stories while I am cooking dinner, taking a shower, driving or eating my lunch...

Steps to do more in a day than you ever thought possible:

1) KNOW YOURSELF
Take time to evaluate what stimulates you to accomplish your goals.
I knew that in order for me to get anything done, I needed to have many things going on at one time. I know it sounds weird, but I write best when I am surrounded by my kids. I also need lots, and lots of breaks. Therefore, most times I write in 10 to 30 minute sprints. I take breaks to play with my kids, watch television, or goof off on the internet (very bad habit because I end up slipping and playing for an hour online).

2) CREATE A CALENDAR THAT YOU CARRY EVERYWHERE

Carry a calendar, pda, ipod or cellphone.

I use all of these items to keep me on track.
You must have the tools of the trade. I use my cellphone and my pocket calendar to store all of my task, appointments, and goals for the week. I even set the alarms or alerts on these devices to call me or beep me to remind me of events. That way if I am riding in the car, I know what I can do to pass the time, yet be efficient.

3) SYNC YOUR LIFE

Update your pocket calendar or ipod, and set reminders for task or goals that you send yourself with your phone, email calendar, or notes in your pocket calendar.
I drive my family crazy with this. I set reminders for my writing time on my cellphone, and my calendars.

4) MAKE YOUR DREAM LIST
I prefer to say dream list. I believe that most people are more apt to complete goals that are in line with their dreams. Therefore, don’t create a DREAM LIST of stuff you have to do like, homework, pick up kids, cook dinner. Create a dream list (or bucket list) of things you want to accomplish before you leave earth. Then list the things you can do or have to do in order to check off your DREAM LIST.
My DREAM LIST included, write a book, snowboard, ride in a hot air balloon, scuba drive, hang glide, and travel. Of those items on my list I have completed over half by my personal deadline dates.


5) WASTE NOT WANT NOT

Use those boring, do nothing moments effectively.

I spend a lot of time at my kid’s sports practice just waiting for them to get finished. Therefore, I usually carry my manuscripts with me, and while I am sitting there for two hours waiting for them, I edit my books. If I don’t have books to edit, I give out bookmarks or other promotional gifts. I also, take a notebook for writing notes, or snippets for any Work In Progress I have. I also use the time to check student’s assignments from my teaching job at the university. Also, when I am riding in the car on long trips, I bring my laptop and write while my husband drives.

6) SET A DEADLINE – and CHECK YOURSELF
Set realistic deadlines for your DREAM LIST. Then squeeze in time to reach those dreams in your everyday life.


I have accomplished and experienced so many things in my life. Some things I have attempted, and yet failed. Others, I have attempted and changed course, and some I have conquered and am satisfied. Imagine your time here on Earth is a gift, an adventure of which you want to taste and do all the things your can before you leave. You will be surprised and amazed at all you have experienced if you know yourself, love yourself, dream big dreams, map a path to reach them, and enjoy every minute along the way.


by LM Preston, Author of EXPLORER X - Alpha.
------------------------

Thanks LM for those amazing tips! I'll definitely be trying to integrate some to my every day routine ;)

Did you find these tips helpful?

If you'd like to learn more about the author and her work, go to www.lmpreston.com

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Covers: 1st Part


The Perfect Boy cover, made with JordynFace.








I love them all! And it looks as if everyone else does too! I have a bunch of covers I still need to make!
I'm seriously thinking of taking a course to keep working on this, designing and stuff.

What do you think?
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Huge Contest @ Teens Read and Write!

Teens Read and Write is having an INTERNATIONAL giveaway, and is it big.
But you only have until midnight to enter, so gogogo!

The Initial Twelve Books:
Glass Houses
by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires#1) Lost Girls by Robert Doherty
Saddled wth Trouble by Michelle Scott
The Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett
Midnight Reflections by Katrina Michaels
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Dragon House by John Shors
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
The Shifter by Janice Hardy
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)
Marked by PC Cast

First Place Winner - First Choice of 3 Books
Second Place Winner - Second Choice of 2 Books
Third Place Winner - Third Choice of 2 Books

AND WE'LL ADD MORE WINNERS!

(They have like 300+ followers, so imagine how many chances to win you'll have!)
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Wasn't I smart?


I just learned that the first word I read was "Mickey", from a little book my mum had gotten me for one of our long distance trips, when I was 2 and a half!

I never asked her for candy, instead I wanted her to get me one of those colouring books from the bus stations' kiosks, or one with pictures.

I still have that book. It's called "Mickey and the Giant".

Once I started Kindergarten, my mum got a phone call one day. My teachers asked her if I had certain books at home (same ones as the ones that were at kindergarten) and my mum said: "no, she doesn't have those books here. Why do you ask?"
And the teacher told her that I was sitting in front of a little group, apparently reading, and they wanted to know if I knew those books by heart. Because how could I have been reading? I was 3!
But yes, I could read at the tender age or 3.

This was just a little anecdote I wanted to share with y'all.

xoxo
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NaNo Chat :)

So, I was on Twitter today, and saw a tweet about a NaNo Chat room.
If you read my previous post, you know I'm way behind on my word cound (12,056, when I should be on 20,000), so I needed the encouragement.

I did not expect to find such a great crowd in there. Really.
They are the bestest.
Yes, I just said bestest, what you gonna do?
So anyway, there we were, talking about our word counts, characters and such, and we started giving each other advice -actually we started giving Jordyn advice-

This is what went down: (click for bigger images)

(this is our Ninja Master)

Jordyn dear, we're waiting for The Ninja Book.
You said you'd have it by Yesterday (well that was Khy...)
Just sayin'

Here's what I think TNB should be about:
The Ninja Book will be about three gorgeous girls (Khy, Mya and Ella, of course)
who will learn they're descendants from this really old Ninja Clan.
They will be beautiful and kick everyone's as***
Cause they're the bestest.
And they'll kick the vamps butts,and marry the werewolves that become wolves only on winter.
And that's cool cause they'll need to keep warm, so that's a plus for them
And when the film comes out, gorgeous actors will play us.
And they'll sparkle.
The End.

LAST MINUTE NEWS:
Major discovery! Khy is actually a Vampire! She is! She said so:

(we were talking about e-readers, fyi)Too bad Sparkles don't show up on film.
We could have made a fortune!

Next post: Title suggestions for JordynFace!
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BMW Z4 Launched in India | BMW Z4 Priced at Rs. 59 Lakhs | BMW Z4 Photos, Picture, Images

BMW launches its convertible two seater sporty "Z4" model in India. BMW Z4 will be available in six colors Alpine White, Black Sapphire, Deep Sea Blue, Orion Silver, Space Grey, and Titanium Silver.

BMW Z4 Price in India: Rs. 59 Lakh

BMW Z4 Exteriors:













BMW Z4 Interiors:








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General Update

So, maybe you noticed I haven't been around lately...
That's because I just came back from La Plata (big city here in Arg), which is 1200 km away from my hometown, more or less...
The reason I went there is because I just enrolled in College! I'm starting on Feb 8th, and I'll be studying English Translation. We'll see if that's the career for me. (I haven't told anyone, maybe a person or two, but lately I've been having second thoughts on my career choice. I don't know what'll heppen next year, or if I'll decide to stay or change my career... I would've liked something to do with Art, maybe I'll do that later.)
For now, my goal with this is to find a job in a publishing home, o wherever, translating books! I'd love to do that :)

After having enrolled, I of course bought me some books! ;)
I found something similar to a book fair, and got:

* Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld.
* The Host, by Stephenie Meyer.
* and The Island Under the Sea, by Isabel Allende (all of these in Spanish).

I'm reading Uglies, and I'm liking it so far.

--------------
NaNoWriMo
My word count is currently of 12, 059.
But that's because I wasn't able to write for 3 days, so I'm good.

Also, I'm making covers for NaNoers! Here's the thread I started, and had over 20 submissions :) Everyone liked the samples I posted, I'd like for you to check them out and leave me a comment here telling me what you think! Covers can be seen on pages 1 and 2 of that same thread.

Well, that's it for now...

xxx,
Ella
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