Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala


Released: 256
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Contemporary Fiction - Young Adult
Pages: 256
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥


Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.


Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

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I think the first sentence of the book: It's hard living in the shadow of a dead girl really says a lot about Miranda herself. A lot of people, especially teens, know what it's like to play second fiddle to someone. Being that Xanda was the rebel of the family, Miranda was always expected to be the good one. She keeps trying to please her mother, never speaking up for herself when she does in fact have a lot to say.

While I did enjoy this book, I was pretty iffy on Miranda. She was constantly thinking of what her sister would have done or what her best friend would do in a lot of the situations she's put it. It was hard to really get a hold on her, and sometimes she even came off as a big drab. But as the progression of the novel goes, Miranda is able to stand up on her own which was a very nice thing to see.

I really enjoyed the way Holly Cupala writes. Her style is very easy going and made the book flow nicely. It was hard to put it down because each page I wanted to know more about everyone. The way she weaved in Miranda's past and present never felt like a huge background drop nor did it get boring. Tell Me A Secret might not have been an instant favorite for me, but I still think it's one a lot of reads of contemporary fiction will enjoy and should definitely check out.

♥amber

Sometimes I like to pretend I can bake.

I made the mistake of watching Ace of Cakes for the first time the other night. Have you seen that show? It's awesome! (And oddly enough I find the main guy of that show kind of cute as long as he's wearing a baseball cap.)

Since I work in a bakery/deli (I bake breads - I don't do cakes) I decided to bust out some of our books and try to make something at home. I saw these tree stump cupcakes:

We didn't have any of the stuff like the little woodland critters or the flowers so I made my own little things like flowers and mushrooms out of fondant icing a couple days before.

Here are my results. It's kind of dark because the camera on my phone kind of sucks, but you get the idea.

I think they turned out half way decent for my first time trying.

Note to self: Almond Bark melts very fast even if it doesn't look like it's melted. So don't keep hitting the start button the microwave or you will burn the heck out of it, and it will stink. Then you have to throw it away and start all over.

♥amber

Rock This! Thursday Interview with Simone Elkeles

You've been quite the busy lady this year with two different sequels - Rules of Attraction and Return to Paradise - coming out. Do you have a favorite between the two or is kind of like children, you just can't choose one?

There is no way, I could ever pick! I love the chemistry between Carlos and Kiara. Carlos lives his life on the edge and breaks rules whenever possible. When this bad boy is forced to live with good girl Kiara, he's met his match! It's just so unexpected for him to be challenged by shy Kiara, and I find it fascinating! (and hilarious) On the other hand, Caleb and Maggie have a truly deep love story. They are both fighting such strong demons, Caleb with a juvenile record and a dysfunctional family and Maggie with a new physical handicap and struggle to reinvent herself. I love seeing how they strengthen each other without necessarily meaning or wanting to help the other.

You're walking down the street - what song is following you?

True Companion by Marc Cohen-- just because it's my favorite and why wouldn't I want to hear my favorite song while I'm walking down the street!?

When writing any of your novels, did you have a playlist? If so, could you share a few songs with us?

You can find playlists I created fom Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction at www.perfectchemistrythebook.com However, I have to say that I had to add the song Hot N Cold by Katy Perry to the Rules of Attraction playlist because Katy Perry’s groom in that video, Alexander F. Rodriguez, played Alex Fuentes (the hero from Perfect Chemistry) in the book trailer I did – which was shot just like a movie trailer!

I was so excited to hear you were making a trilogy out of the Fuentes brothers. Did you find it hard to slip into Carlos's character?

Not really. I had to think about Alex's family a lot while writing Perfect Chemistry, so I felt like I already "knew" Carlos before starting Rules of Attraction. While Alex was good boy deep in his heart, Carlos is truly a bad boy with a good heart. Carlos was a terrifically fun character to write, because he could be such a jerk and get away with it because that’s who he is (of course it takes good girl Kiara Westford to turn him around). I love writing bad boys and the girls who love them. I’m very excited to start the third book in the trilogy – the hero will be Luis, the youngest Fuentes brother. He’s such a good boy, but he’s also a Fuentes so he’s got that bad boy streak just itching to come out!

Any hints of what is going to happen in Return to Paradise between Caleb and Maggie? And is this where their story ends or is there going to be a third book?

Return to Paradise will be the conclusion of Maggie and Caleb's story. After having some much needed time apart to grow and "find themselves," Maggie and Caleb will cross paths again. I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that those fans who have been begging for a happy ending for these two will not be disappointed. . .

Your favorite band/artist? Why are they your favorite?

Pat McCurdy. . . he is a local musician/comedian in Chicago.

You're given one golden ticket to see ANY band from ANY decade. The only catch is that you have to take one of your characters with you. Who are taking and who are you two going to see?

I'm not sure who I would see, but I would have to break the rules and take two characters: Alex (as played by Alexander F. Rodriguez) and Carlos (as played by Giancarlo Vidrio)! I met Alexander and Giancarlo when they were filming my book trailer for Rules of Attraction, and let's just say I would go see any band just as long as they were with me! Check out my book trailer and I bet you will agree with me!


What song do you think would make a great novel?

I think it's too hard to narrow it down to just one song. I have sixteen songs posted on my playlist for Perfect Chemistry and you should have seen the list I started with! It took me forever to narrow it down! Although, I have to say I think "Here" by Enrique Iglesias is a great song for a love scene.

Have you experienced any 'rock star' writing moments?

Whenever I do a book signing, my fans make me feel like a rock star! Some are so excited to get my autograph and tell me their favorite scenes in my books. It's totally surreal and awesome! I love my fans. They are the reason I keep writing.

 If you are an author or blogger who would like to be interviewed or write up a guest post, just shoot us an email: justyourtypicalbookblog(at)hotmail(dot)com.


If you want to learn more about Simone's books check out her website. You can also see my reviews of Perfect Chemistryand Rules of Attraction.






♥amber

Guest Blog: Sean McCartney discusses his new book!

First off I would like to thank Amber and Cheryl for allowing me to talk with all of you. This is my first blog so it is quite exciting for me.

My name is Sean McCartney and I’m currently on a blog tour to promote my new young adult action adventure novel entitled THE TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB: SECRETS OF THE MAGICAL MEDALLIONS. It’s being released on July 6th, 2010 from Mountainland Publishing.

The story is about Tommy Reed and his treasure hunting friends Shannon McDougal, Jackson Miller and Chris Henderson. One day Tommy receives a rather ordinary looking medallion from his very famous treasure-hunting uncle “Diamond” Jack Reed and finds himself the object of an evil treasure collector named Manuel de la Ernesto. Now Tommy and his friends must find the secret behind the medallion before Manuel can get to them and the medallion.

When I set out to write The Treasure Hunters Club: Secrets of the Magical Medallions I wanted to pull together all the things from books and movies that I liked. The mystery of the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown, the adventure of Percy Jackson, a little magic from Harry Potter and the action and history of the movies Indiana Jones and national treasure.

Though this is the first book in the Treasure Hunters Club series, with your help to make it a success, the next books will follow. I have planned six treasure hunting books as they follow the club through the 8th grade and into high school. Of course, as they get older their treasure hunts get more dangerous and more exciting.

I have been asked why I created a series around treasure hunting. The truth is I believe treasure hunting is something everyone can do. You don’t need super powers just a desire to do research and find where to look. Also treasure hunting touches on the sidebars of history, the stuff not in the textbooks. That is usually the most interesting and provides a solid building block for the series.

My goal has always been to be published and have a series that kids can enjoy and have a lot of fun reading. I was lucky to find a publisher who believes in the series as much as I do. What I was surprised to find out was how much the publishing world has changed since I started this journey toward “being published.” The emergence of ebooks has shaken the publishing world like never before and I believe we have only scratched the surface of what this new technology can do to help promote reading.

In the meantime, I hope you take a moment to check out my website www.treasurehuntersclubbook.com and learn more about the series and read some short stories about the characters.

Thank you again for this opportunity and allowing me to be here and I hope you enjoy the book and the series.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review:

• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Traveling ARC Tours)
• Stranded by J.T. Dutton (Publisher)
• Forget You by Jennifer Echols (Traveling ARC Tours)
• Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

Bought:

• Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready
• Waiting to Score by J.E. MacLeod

I joined Jeri Smith-Ready's Street Team and got some awesome book marks and swag. Mindi Scott also sent me a very sweet card and some bookmarks of her debut novel, Freefall.

That's it for me! What did you guys get?

♥amber

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (Book One)


Released: June 2010
Publisher: HaperCollins
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Series
Pages: 304
Source: Around the World Tours

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.


Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.


When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.



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Growing up, I loved the Little Mermaid so when I heard about Forgive My Fins, I thought for the inner mermaid fan in me who can still bust out A Whole New World, would have to give it a try. And holy crab cakes was I glad I did! Forgive My Fins was such a cute, charming, and fun read!

Lilly is a bit bubbly, a bit stubborn, sometimes childish, but overall a great voice to slip into. I really like how she had her own insecurites when it came to her looks and how she dressed, but it wasn't the overly sappy and whiny voice that some ficitional characters have. Another thing that I have to point out is the uniqueness in words that Terri decided to use. There are many sea references in Lilly's vocabulary, like son of a swordfish, that really add to the mermaid tale, but not so much where you find yourself annoyed.

Then there was Quince. Oh Quincey boy how I adore you and the fact you used the word: darlin'. The banter between Lilly and Quince was amusing and cute all at the same time. Quince has the slightly bad boy vibe to him, but one I think even anti-bad boys can learn to love.

The plot itself is on the predictable side, but I think a lot of people will enjoy the freshness of Lilly's voice and the overall charm the mermaid world has. I really adored Terri Lynn Childs writing. She never gave too much of a character or history dump that sometimes happens when reading any paranormal read. You learn about Lilly's world as the story goes on.  The epilogue was a bit surprising, but left me curious enough to see what else is going to happen in the kingdom of Thalassinian in the second book.

♥amber

Rock This! Thursday: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Normally I feature a book or an author for Rock This! Thursday, but this week I've got something new for you guys. Now before you go running when you see the word fanfiction - hear me out here.

Some of you (okay, most of you) probably don't know this, but I used to write fanfiction. I loved it. It's a great way for writers to put their work out there, and hey most of the characters are already developed for you. The fanfiction I mainly wrote and read were based on Garrett Hedlund movies.  (Look this kid up. He's going to be HUGE!)

Because of this fangirl way of mine, I've had the pleasure of not only reading some great stories but making friends with these amazing talented writers. One of them is named Laura aka Maxiekat and I'm featuring her story today.

Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk by Maxiekat

Summary: A chance meeting at a NYC coffee shop leads to old friends reconnecting. Jack hasn't seen Kathy in years. Back when they were teens, she had a huge crush on him, but he was a tough kid and she was nerdy and shy. Would things be different this time around?

You don't necessarily have to watch Four Brothers to read this. (Though you should watch it because it was a great movie. If you haven't seen it, there will be some spoilers, but this is not based on the movie at all.) Laura took the character of Jack *sighs*, threw in her own main character, Kathy, along with a few minor characters (*waves at Steve*) and created such a wonderful and fantastic story.

The setting is based on one night in New York with flashbacks that weave the two characters history together. I cannot praise Laura's writing enough. She is SO talented, and I will not be surprised when she one day gets published. Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk will make you laugh, make you get teary eyed, break your heart, and make you smile. Seriously guys, click the link under the banner and go check it out. You will not be disappointed!

♥amber