Tune In Tuesday (102)

Posted in Music To Listen To, Tune in Tuesday by talesofbooksandbands

Tune In Tuesday Road Trip Edition

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature in which bloggers get to showcase another one of their loves, music! This feature was originally created by Ginger over at GReads! but you can now find it here at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands. If you would like to participate in this weekly feature, make a blog post showcasing a song (or a few!) and link up at the bottom of this post by clicking the cute blue guy! While you’re here make sure to check out all the other awesome blogs that have decided to participate!

It’s the last Tuesday of April so that means this is the last Road Trip Edition post *sad face*. I have LOVED seeing everyone’s road-tripping playlists and I hope you’ve all enjoyed it as well! Just a reminder, the month of May will be a “normal” month for Tune In Tuesday and sometime within the next couple weeks I will be announcing the next special edition for the month of June so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for it!

I am going to apologize to you guys in advance for the musical overload today (but considering you are all music lovers, I hope you wont mind too much)! The playlist I put together for the final week of Road Trip Edition started out as a good idea, I wanted to compile a list of awesome songs that talk about traveling, moving, driving, saying goodbye, coming home, etc. while also steering clear of the obvious choices, but once I got started I realized just how many songs there were that fit into that category! I had to cut myself off at around 60-ish but I could have very easily kept going! I have the Spotify playlist below (feel free to subscribe!) but as per usual, I also selected five random songs to share as YouTube videos. Hope you enjoy!

Always Where I Need To Be by The Kooks

I loved this song from the very first moment I heard it. Also, their accents get me every time!

Cowboy Take Me Away by Dixie Chicks

I grew up on the Dixie Chicks so their songs are always comfort songs for me. This song is perfect for singing along to.

Float On by Modest Mouse

I love this song to absolute pieces!

Lost In California by Stamps

This is such a fun, pop-y song. Also I would absolutely LOVE to go and get lost in California for a day or 10.

Where The River Bends by Matthew Barber

I have the lovely Cyndi to thank for introducing me to Matthew Barber. Because of her I have been introduced to the pure gorgeousness that is this song.

26Apr2013

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: For Everly by Raine Thomas

Posted in Cover Reveals, Giveaways, The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

The absolutely lovely and talented Raine Thomas has another book coming out and guess what, this one is going to be a New Adult Contemporary Romance! *happy dances while simultaneously throwing confetti* The book in question is titled For Everly and we are going to be getting the first look at the covers today (Yes I said covers! More information on that down below!) Before we get to the cover reveal, let’s learn a little bit about what this book will be about!

Title: For Everly

Author: Raine Thomas

Expected Publication: May 27th 2013 from Iambe Books, LLC

Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

Excuse me while I squeal over the pure AWESOMENESS that will soon be this book! In case you may have missed it, Raine leaked a sneak peek of the book on her website and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I am sure you are just dying to see the covers and are also probably wondering why I keep using the plural version of that word. Well here’s the deal: Raine can’t decide which cover to use so she is asking for your help!

After commissioning two talented cover designers, Tonya Dsigns and Allie B Designs, to send her concepts, Raine fell in love with their different styles. Raine has set up a poll so you guys can vote on YOUR favorite cover! The winning design will be announced on Monday, May 6^th. To support your favorite one, follow this link and cast your vote! And now, on to the gorgeous covers!

For Everly

Aren’t they both just fantastic! I can’t decide what I like better; the colorful one or the black and white one! I love that both seem to be set in a gym/physical therapy clinic because DUH, it goes along with what’s going on in the book!

Be sure to 1) cast your vote and 2) let us know in the comments what you thought of both covers!

Giveaway:

Raine is hosting an AWESOME giveaway for a signed paperback of For Everly. To be entered to win, follow this link and fill out the Rafflecopter form!

About The Author:

Raine Thomas

Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the Firstborn trilogy. Her upcoming release, For Everly, is a New Adult Contemporary Romance. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer’s Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Blog Tour + Author Interview + Giveaway: Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Posted in Author Interviews, Blog Tours, Giveaways, The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

Suddenly Royal Blog Tour Button

I am all sorts of excited to have the lovely Nichole Chase here on the blog today! Nichole is the author of the newly released Suddenly Royal as well as several other already released books. I had the chance to read and review Suddenly Royal just yesterday and holy smokes people it was full of adorableness. Oh, and there’s a swoon worthy prince rightfully dubbed Prince Yummy! There was the whole fairytale aspect, there was a great cast of characters, and I absolutely adored the romance. If you want to check out my review of Suddenly Royal you can do so right here. As part of the Suddenly Royal blog tour, I had the chance to interview Miss Nichole. Check out my interview with her below to find out all about how this book came to be, which princess Nichole would like to be, why she would like to be Sam from Suddenly Royal, and much more!

Suddenly Royal

Title: Suddenly Royal

Author: Nichole Chase

Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working toward a master’s degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it’s to discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of her life in ways she never dreamed.

Alex D’Lynsal is trying to keep his name clean. As crown prince of Lilaria, he’s had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women—especially women in the public eye. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She’s stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone’s front-page news.

While Sam tries to navigate the new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.

I’ll admit, as a little girl I wished I would wake up one day only to find out I was part of some royal family. Considering I find this whole idea fascinating, can you let us know how it came to be?

I’ve always been intrigued by royalty. I think it stems from my love of history—royalty played a large part in shaping the world we know today. The idea for Suddenly Royal really started with Samantha. A character that wanted absolutely nothing to do with fancy clothes, public scrutiny, and tea parties, thrust into the world. Only I had to know what would force her into accepting that life. That got the wheels turning in my head and the idea for Suddenly Royal was born.

Were any of the things your characters endured throughout the book, experiences you’ve dealt with or did you find your inspiration elsewhere? (i.e. Have you ever found out that you were an heiress to some royal estate in a faraway country?)

Unless you count all of the emails I’ve received from Nigeria telling me that I’m inheriting millions of dollars and I all I have to do is send them my bank account number, then no. LOL! There may have been smaller things that happened in the book, like tripping on a fancy gown, or accidentally saying something I didn’t mean to, but not any of the larger stuff. I have seen how the media can twist things, or not report accurate facts, but the rest all came from my imagination.

You also write paranormal so I must know, what made you decide to write a contemporary?

I wrote the story in my head. While the majority of books I read are paranormal, I also love contemporary stories. Especially those with romance and humor. When I had the idea for Suddenly Royal I never really thought about the fact that it was another genre. The characters certainly didn’t care that I’d been writing paranormal! They just wanted me to get their story out for others to read.

If you could be any character from one of your books for an entire day, who would it be and why?

Hm. Considering that Samantha gets to spend so much time with Prince Yummy, er, I mean Alex, I’d have to say her. She also has a little more freedom to say what she is thinking, which would be nice.

Every girl I know wants to be at least one Disney princess throughout her lifetime. Which one would you want to be if given the chance and why?

Well, you already know that I write paranormal, and one of those books is Flukes, which is about a mermaid. Needless to say, I’d be Ariel, but I’d want to be able to switch back and forth between legs and a tail.

If you found out you were “Suddenly Royal” (and crazy-rich!) what are the first three things you would do?

I’d laugh. Really. I tend to laugh when I’m surprised or freaked out. Then I would panic and worry what that all meant, how much I had to pay in taxes, and if I was going to have to change my whole life. After all of my panicking, I’d probably do a little shopping. ;)

About The Author:

Nichole Chase

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule.

For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs.

Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Ms. Chase is the author of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy, Flukes, and Suddenly Royal (including several short stories).

Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, dog, tortoise, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

Suddenly Royal’s Goodreads Page

Nichole Chase’s Goodreads Page

Purchase Suddenly Royal:

Check Out The Giveaways:

There are two giveaways going on right now for Suddenly Royal. The first is a Rafflecopter giveaway in which you can win a signed copy of Suddenly Royal along with some AMAZING swag. You can enter by clicking this link! The second one, hosted by Nichole, is one in which you can nominate someone to be a princess for the day. You can find that giveaway by clicking this link!

Follow The Blog Tour:

April 21^st

I Read Indie-Dream Cast
Globug and Hootie-Excerpt

April 22^nd

A Life Bound By Books-Guest Post
Dear, Restless Reader-Interview

April 23^rd

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH (See bottom of this post for participating blogs)

April 24^th

Novel Thoughts Blog-Interview
Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands-Interview

April 25^th

Seeing Night Reviews-Guest Post-Sam’s POV
Book Addicted AA-Playlist

April 26^th

I Heart Big Books-Character Interview-Cathy
Kate Tilton-Guest Post

April 27^th

My Not So Vacant Shelf-Excerpt

April 28^th

The Autumn Review-Review
Roxy Kade-Excerpt

April 29^th

Book Bitches Blog-Character Interview-Sam & Alex
Every Free Chance Reader-Review

April 30^th

Parajunkee-Guest Post
Defiantly Deviant-Guest Post

May 1^st

A Good Addiction-Interview
Ladybug Storytime-Guest Post

May 2^nd

Magnet 4 Books
The Howling Turtle-Guest Post

May 3^rd

Indie Ignites-Interview
TarHeel Bibliobabe-Interview

May 4^th

Stuck in YA Books-Excerpt
Whirlwind Books-Guest Post

May 5^th

Literati Literature Lovers-Interview
T’s Bookish Moments of Escape-Guest Post

Ink Slinger Button

23Apr2013

Guest Post + Giveaway: Happy Birthday William Shakespeare!

Posted in Giveaways, Guest Posts, The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

I know this bad boy is going up on the blog a little bit late but as they say, better late than never! Anywho, the lovely author duo, Kim Askew & Amy Helmes write these super awesome books that are part of the Twisted Lit series. They rework some classic literature written by the one and only William Shakespeare and make it more relevant to teen readers today by making similar situations happen in the modern world. One title that may sound familiar to you is Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. I read and reviewed this book at the beginning of the year and absolutely ADORED it! It was funny & charming and I loved the set of characters that Kim & Amy created. In honor of William’s birthday, Kim and Amy have put together an AWESOME guest post and giveaway for you guys. How would you like to have a character named after you in a future Twisted Lit novel? Read the post below to figure out how and in honor of our dear old Billy, go read one of Kim and Amy’s retellings!

Tempestuous (Amazon // Barnes & Noble) & Exposure (Amazon // Barnes & Noble)

Get A “Twisted Lit” Character Named After You!

We reimagined William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “Macbeth,” with our “compulsively readable” YA books, Tempestuous and Exposure. Ever since the novels were published a few months ago through Merit Press we’ve encountered a frequent question: Which of Shakespeare’s plays will inspire your next books in the Twisted Lit series?

While we’re currently hard at work putting our own spin on the Bard’s “Romeo and Juliet” we thought we’d look to you, the readers, to help us pick the fourth Shakespeare play that will inspire our next book in the series. Got a hankering for a new spin on “Hamlet?” Love to see “King Lear” get a YA update? Would you make much ado over our take on “Much Ado About Nothing?”

Go to our Facebook page (Facebook.com/Twistedlitnovels) and write on our wall to weigh in on which Shakespeare play you’d like us to revamp next. In doing so, you’ll be entered to have your very own name mentioned in one of our upcoming books (either as a character or some other fun reference). If you’ve always wanted to see your name in print — in a YA novel, no less — now’s your chance! The winner will also receive autographed copies of our first two novels, Tempestuous and Exposure.

We’re looking forward to hearing your suggestions! (And don’t forget to follow us on twitter at @kaskew and @amyhelmes.)

* Winner will not be compensated for use of his or her name, and publication is not guaranteed. Details of plot and character used in connection with the name as it appears in the book are up to the sole discretion of the authors. Contest ends June 1.

Kim & Amy

23Apr2013

Release Day Launch + Book Review + Giveaway: Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Posted in Book Reviews, Giveaways, The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

Suddenly Royal Release Day Button

Suddenly Royal

Title: Suddenly Royal

Author: Nichole Chase

Pages: 464 Paperback

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source: I received an e-book of this book in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review as part of this blog tour

Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase was just the type of book I needed to get me out of the reading slump I have been in lately. With a feisty main character, a Prince Yummy, and all this royalty business, it was the perfect mix of romance and a modern-day fairytale.

I absolutely love the character of Sam! Sam faced a lot of tough situations in this story before AND after finding out she was part of the royal family and through it all she had this spunk to her. She wasn’t afraid to put people in their place and if something bugged her she would call someone out on it in a highly entertaining (to me) way. But Sam was more than just a feisty character, she was also so sweet, insecure at times, and extremely loyal to those that she loved (this is most evident in Sam’s relationship with her sick stepfather. Their relationship both broke my heart and made me incredibly happy at the same time). I especially loved how all of these personality traits made Sam seem like a real person to me. She faced all these crazy situations with a consistently fun personality and by the time I was finished reading this book it felt like I had made a new friend.

I especially like what Nichole did with this story. Suddenly Royal is like a mix of The Princess Diaries and The Prince & I but she also added her own little spin on it. For one, the characters are older which made me happy because us older girls want to be princesses too! When Sam finds out that she is a descendent of the royal family from a small European country, it takes her a long time to come to terms with it. Finding out you are royalty is most definitely deserving of a freak out session or two so her resigned acceptance of it made the story seem just that much more believable. Sure the money and fame would be cool but there are also drawbacks to being in the public eye at all times so it was great to have a main character that was very cautious of that. I also liked that the one thing holding Sam back from truly embracing her title and her budding romance with Prince Yummy was herself. At times she was too scared to give in to her feelings and other times she was a bit insecure which made her very relatable. It also allowed Sam to grow and learn as a character which made me all sorts of happy to see!

To help Sam through the many adjustments from transforming from a grad student into royalty is an awesome set of characters a.k.a. the staff that works to keep Sam and the rest of the royal family safe and on task. I absolutely ADORED meeting them all; they added so much fun to this story, each one having a quirky personality. I especially LOVED Chadwick! Chadwick, Sam’s assistant was hilarious and supportive of Sam but was also an equal match to her stubbornness so it made for some entertaining encounters between the two. You could see the friendships budding between Sam with a lot of these characters and it was fun to see.

And what’s a princess story without a little romance? Prince Yummy a.k.a. Alex had me swooning from the beginning of this story. Yes he is a prince, yes he has an accent, yes he is hot, and while all three reasons are GREAT reasons to swoon all over the place, those are not the only reasons why I loved Alex and his relationship with Sam so much. Alex, although he has a past that hints at his flirtatious, woman-loving ways, what surprised me immensely was his devotion to Sam. Their relationship started out slow with the two of them being just friends despite the obvious attraction between the two. Alex noticed that Sam had a lot of hesitations and worries and didn’t seem to mind waiting for her, letting her take the time to adjust before progressing their relationship further. I liked that Nichole took this approach to the relationship because not only did it allow all the feelings to grow between both characters but it also seemed realistic considering Sam has so much else going on in her life. Throughout the whole transition from rags to riches, Alex is there for Sam either offering her advice for the spotlight or stealing her away for a few hours to get her mind off of all the craziness. Alex, with his charm, humor, sweetness, and of course the accent, will likely have you swooning too!

If you are looking for a totally adorable romance, a snarky main character, and a modern-day fairytale to carry you away for a day or two, I suggest picking up a copy of Suddenly Royal!

About The Author:

Nichole Chase

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule.

For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs.

Website: www.nicholechase.com

Blog: http://www.nicholechase.BlogSpot.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NicholeChase

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.nicholechase

Suddenly Royal Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143323-suddenly-royal

Goodreads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5074162.Nichole_Chase

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nicholechase/

Purchase The Book:

Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Suddenly-Royal-Nichole-Chase/dp/1483953297/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_3_E5R0

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suddenly-royal-nichole-chase/1114988788?ean=2940016431925

Books a Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Suddenly-Royal/Nichole-Chase/9781483953298?id=5656484998337

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306775

The Giveaways:

Check Out Other Participating Blogs:

Literati Literature Lovers

I Heart Big Books

Stuck in YA Books

Magnet 4 Books

3 Chicks & Their Books

A Handful of Confetti

Bookmarks, Spoilers & Happily Ever Afters

Novel Thoughts Blog

My Pathway to Books

Into the Night Reviews

23Apr2013

Tune In Tuesday (101)

Posted in Music To Listen To, Tune in Tuesday by talesofbooksandbands

Tune In Tuesday Road Trip Edition

Week number 4 for Tune In Tuesday is finally here! I decided to put together a future road trip playlist for this week. I like my road trip playlists to have a little bit of everything; I like the slow songs, and the fast ones; I like the songs with catchy lyrics and the ones that tell stories; I also like a bit of oldies but goodies mixed with some newer tunes. With that being said, this road trip playlist is made out of absolute randomness but it is full of songs I love so that’s all that matters, right? The playlist is below along with some videos!

Endless Summer by The Jezabels

Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Rich Girl by Hall & Oates

Michigan Left by Arkells

Last week I hosted a giveaway in honor of 100 Tune In Tuesday posts. The winner gets their choice of 5 songs from my Tune In Tuesday playlist. The winner of that giveaway is…

Cassie Johnson!

Cassie, I will be emailing you shortly with all of the details!

21Apr2013

National Volunteer Week: Book Lover’s Edition

Posted in The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

Prudential Spirit Of Community Awards Button

Today marks the beginning of National Volunteer Week and in celebration of that, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has brought to my attention two young women who have made sharing their love of books and reading a personal mission. Alison and Emily, the two young women being highlighted today, were named among their state’s top youth volunteers of 2013 for helping to spread the love of reading. It is incredibly inspiring to see what these two teens have accomplished at such a young age and I thought you all, fellow book lovers & nerds, would love to hear their stories! Looking at what these two have done for not only their community but for as the book community as a whole, makes me wish that I could have accomplished even a fraction of what they’ve done as a teen. Let their stories inspire you to extend your love of reading beyond the blogging community. Search out libraries that could use a book club coordinator for teens and/or adults. Volunteer to read to the classes at your child’s school. Find out which schools or libraries could use the books you have finished reading. No matter how big or small it may seem, sharing the love of books can make a world of difference to someone. Without further ado, let’s take a look at these two young lady’s very inspiring stories. Also be sure to check out further information on the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at the bottom of this post!

Reading Quote

The Honorees:

Alison Forger, 16, of Monroe, Conn., a junior at Masuk High School, promotes the love of reading and writing in young students through a club she organized that sends high school students to elementary school classrooms to assist with reading activities. When Alison was in eighth grade, her English teacher challenged her to use her love of reading and writing to benefit the community. Alison created “Reading and Writing Rock,” a student mentoring club that she has run for the past four years. “I wanted all of those students to be able to pick up a book or write a story and feel the same sort of happiness and satisfaction that I do,” said Alison.

To start her club, Alison, with the help of her English teacher, recruited six fellow students and contacted local elementary school officials, who agreed to let the students visit their school once a week during English classes. The older students read to the children, helped them write stories, taught them about authors and even organized plays based on their favorite books. Over the years, the club has grown to include 35 high school mentors in all three of the district’s elementary schools. In 2010, Alison won an essay contest sponsored by NBC Connecticut’s Education Nation and was awarded $5,000. After soliciting input from elementary teachers involved in her program, she used the money to purchase more than 500 books for the schools. Last summer, she also worked with a local bookstore owner to hand-pick 100 books to stuff in backpacks for children in need. “I always tell other high school students how much fun it is to see the kids light up when you walk through the door,” said Alison.

Emily Morgan, 17, of Moscow, Pa., a senior at North Pocono High School, has raised $24,000 in donations and distributed 1,700 new books, bookcases, art and school supplies, games and puzzles through the organization she founded called “Eat a Book.” Emily, who started the project in 2011 to inspire children to “devour” good books, developed curriculum for two summer camps, publishes a children’s magazine and has built six literacy centers at shelters and other facilities for at-risk children.

About The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards:

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Since 1995, more than 345,000 young Americans have participated in the program. Each year, the program’s judges select 102 State Honorees to receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where, on May 6th, 10 of them will be named National Honorees. You can watch the live webcast of the May 6th event here.

Tune In Tuesday (100) + Giveaway!

Posted in Giveaways, Music To Listen To, Tune in Tuesday by talesofbooksandbands

Tune In Tuesday Road Trip Edition

This is the third week for Tune In Tuesday: Road Trip Edition and it just so happens to be my 100th Tune In Tuesday post! When I first joined in on Tune In Tuesday, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that this AWESOME blogger named Ginger had created this fun feature for bloggers to participate in. They could share some of their favorite songs and then check out the favorite songs of other bloggers. I originally thought it would be a cool way to share some of my random music tastes but it quickly became one of my favorite blogging days of the week! I absolutely LOVE coming home from work and school on Tuesdays just to see what music you are all sharing for the week. I have been introduced to so many new types of music, unknown artists, and even new blogs through Tune In Tuesday; it has been amazing. To show my thanks for feeding my musical cravings, I am hosting a giveaway this week with the winner being announced next Tuesday. Check out all of the details at the end of this post!

Now on to my third road tripping playlist! Kati and I found ourselves on our way to Chicago last spring. We were going to the RT Convention and we were beyond excited to not only explore The Windy City but to also meet awesome authors at the convention, get lots of books signed, and even spend some time with AWESOME bloggers. One blogger was missing from the fun though and that would be Ginger. Even though she couldn’t make it, we still had a mixed CD from her that we listened to the whole ride down there. It was like she was with us the whole time! So without further ado, here is my road trip playlist this week, the one I now call my “Ginger Playlist”!

If, for some reason, the actual playlist is not working properly, you can find it here. I picked out a few of my favorite songs to show as YouTube videos. Be sure to check them out!

Swim Until You Can’t See Land by Frightened Rabbit

A Heavy Abacus by The Joy Formidable

FortyFive by Bootstraps

Giveaway:

This giveaway is opened internationally! The winner will get their choice of 5 songs (via iTunes) from my “Tune In Tuesday” playlist below. It is not required that you be a Tune In Tuesday participant to enter but it will get you lots of extra points!

Click to enter into the giveaway!!!

11Apr2013

Cover Reveal: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

Posted in Cover Reveals, The World of Books by talesofbooksandbands

I am beyond thrilled to be part of the cover reveal for One Tiny Lie, the follow-up novel to Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker. Before we get to the oh so lovely cover for One Tiny Lie, let’s learn a little about the book!

Title: One Tiny Lie (Ten Tiny Breaths #2)

Author: K.A. Tucker

Publisher: Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Expected Publication: Summer 2013

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents’ tragic death and Kacey’s self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would…and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

I am jumping with excitement over this book! I feel like I can already relate so much with Livie and what she is going through just by reading the summary. I had all these great expectations for how college would turn out and let’s just say, it ended up being NOTHING like what I expected. I think it is going to be so great to see what Livie goes through, not only with the fun parts like parties, roommates, and guys, but also with the tough stuff like how she is dealing with her parents’ death.

Before I begin to ramble too much, let me introduce you to the gorgeous cover of One Tiny Lie:

One Tiny Lie

So what do you guys think? I absolutely LOVE it! I think the leaves falling mixed with all the pretty Autumn colors make for such a pretty picture. And then to have Courtney Cole’s blurb on the front, it makes me beyond excited to read this book! I would love to hear what you guys think about this cover. Please be sure to share your thoughts about the new cover down in the comments section. Also make sure you check out the video along with all sorts of fun links at the bottom of this post!

ABOUT K.A. TUCKER:

K.A. Tucker

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

WHERE TO FIND K.A. TUCKER’S BOOKS:

Ten Tiny Breaths Goodreads Page

Purchase Ten Tiny Breaths on: Amazon—Barnes & Noble

One Tiny Lie Goodreads Page

Pre-Order One Tiny Lie on: Amazon—Barnes & Noble—IBooks—Booksamillion—Bookish

Ink Slinger Button

This cover reveal was hosted by the lovely Kelly from InkSlinger PR!

9Apr2013

Tune In Tuesday (99)

Posted in Music To Listen To, Tune in Tuesday by talesofbooksandbands

Tune In Tuesday Road Trip Edition

Yay! We are on the 2nd week of Road Trip Edition! I loved seeing everyone’s picks last week and cannot wait to see what you guys have put together for this week! For those of you just tuning in, Tune In Tuesday has special editions every other month. For the month of April we are sharing our road tripping playlists! Feel free to join in by making up a blog post with your favorite road trip tunes and linking up at the bottom of this post. You can also check out everybody else’s picks while you’re at it!

This week I have one last “Kati & Katelyn Playlist.” The one I have for you today, we like to call our “Greatest Hits” album because they are the songs we both absolutely LOVE singing along to in the car. She made us each a mixed CD with these songs on it and it has been on many road trips due to its pure awesomeness.

Like last week, I have the Spotify playlist for you down below along with a few YouTube videos. Hope you enjoy!

Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days

We jack up the words to this song no matter how much we listen to it but it doesn’t stop us from loving it.

Holidae In by Chingy featuring Snoop Dogg and Ludacris

I very rarely listen to hip-hop or rap but when I find a song that I like, I listen to it NON-STOP. That is the case with Holidae In. It entertains Kati to no end when I sing this song word for word.

Hold On by Wilson Phillips