C.J. Redwine

Here's a book that just hit the shelves last month. I'm usually not drawn to contemporaries, but who can resist a modern day Robin Hood? What do you think?

Today's Author Mad Libs guest is Jodi Meadows, author of the lovely and compelling fantasy INCARNATE. The book is available now! I sent Jodi a parts of speech list. She sent back words. This is the result.








NEWSOUL


Ana is _slimy_. For thousands of _knitting needles_ in Range, a million _coffee cups_ have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their _tissues_ and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul _plopped_, and no one knows why.
NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own _cloud_ thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of _shimmery_ things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her _bear_ and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana _crunches_ to the city of Heart, but its _ferrets_ are suspicious and afraid of what her _pushpin_ means. When dragons and sylph _squelch_the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is _joyful_ and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their _yarn_ blooms. But can he love someone who may _grunt_ only once, and w…

Today's book trailer is for CROAK, which came out in March. I love this trailer like I love munching on cookies while watching Grimm. High praise indeed. What do you think?





Also, today I bring you the extended movie trailer for one of my most anticipated movies of this year: Snow White and the Huntsman. Can't WAIT. What do you think?

1. Oh, look! My children summed up in one pithy little picture.

2. I just typed a list all the way out to ... #19? 20? Forgot to look. And then deleted it.

3. It wasn't truly entertaining, and there are just some things that no matter how hard I try to clearly communicate, end up sounding like maybe I need to visit a proctologist and have the uptight precociousness surgically removed from my never you mind.

4. So.

5. I will leave you all to wonder what that lovely piece of writing was and move on.

6. To something that I think has shoved my hubby one large step closer to never taking me out in public again.

7. You'll recall that a few weeks ago, we had media passes to a sneak peek of John Carter, and he had to drag me out of the aisle after the movie ended so I wouldn't cause a scene with the incredibly rude person sitting behind us.

8. Well.

9. First, please understand that I don't actually go looking to cause a scene whenever I leave the house.

10. Most days.

11. Se…

Two nights ago, I saw the following picture on Pinterest.  (Link to original pic and comment trail here.)



It took maybe 2.5 nanoseconds for anger to kick in. Because honestly? This is a dangerous, dangerous statement. It's a slap in the face to both men and women. I figured others would immediately see that, but the comment trail proved otherwise. Not only was this posted by a woman, but other women commented their approval. (And thousands of people repinned this.) In the comments, sprinkled in among outrage and disagreement, were statements defining what it means to be a lady (dressing up to go grocery shopping, smiling when you feel like crying, deceiving your husband into thinking he has the power ... all of those were mentioned).

And it occurred to me that the underlying assumptions in this statement are still firmly rooted in our culture, and are therefore being passed down to the next generation. So, I want to take a stand. Explain why the statement above is a dangerous lie…

Today's final Author Mad Libs Hat Trick Day guest is Gina Damico, author of the upcoming (and fabulous!) CROAK. The book will be in a bookstore near you on March 20, 2012. I sent Gina a parts of speech list. She sent back words. This is the result.




Fed up with her wild _tugboat_, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate _Sir Puffington Huffington_to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few _laser guns_ of dirty _velociraptor_ work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true _Q-tip_ is much dirtier than _humping_ manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the _flugelhorn_ business.

She quickly assimilates into the _engorged_ world of Croak, a town _exploded_ by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the _trombone_. But Lex can’t stop her desire for _a two toed sloth_—or is it vengeance?—whenever she encounters a murder _trombone_, craving to stop the attackers before they can _snorkel_ again. Will she ditch Croak and go rog…

The second author in our Author Mad Libs Hat Trick Day is James Mihaley, author of the book YOU CAN'T HAVE MY PLANET: BUT TAKE MY BROTHER, PLEASE. Feel like reading a fun adventure? This book hits the shelves April 10, 2012. I sent James a parts of speech list. He sent back words. This is the result.






Thirteen-year-old Giles is the last _wombat_ anyone would expect to save the planet. He's not as _cartoony_ as his little sister, and not as brainy as his goody-goody older _yogi_. But when Giles witnesses an alien _whoopy cushion_ showing Earth to possible new tenants, he knows he'd better _empurple_ something. With the help of an alien "attorney" and the _tawniest_ scientist in middle-grade fiction, Giles just might save _pygmies_ from eviction from Earth. Let's hope so. The alternatives are...not so _peppy_.


About the Author:

James Mihaley has milked _tusks_. He drove 1,000 miles in one day for a _spectral_concert. Once, he almost got eaten by _manure_. He liv…

Today is Author Mad Libs Hat Trick Day! Check back throughout the day for two other featured Mad Libs authors. Our first guest is Elisa Ludwig, author of the much anticipated PRETTY CROOKED. This modern day Robin Hood story hit the shelves this week, and I can't wait to pick it up. I sent Elisa a parts of speech list. She sent back words. This is the result.







Willa's secret plan seems all too _rabid_.


Take from the rich _piccolos_ at valley prep and give to the _spiffy_ ones.

Yet Willa's turn as Robin Hood at her _clammy_ high school is anything but. _Crystallizing_ her "friends"—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a _girdle_ is far from easy. Learning how to break into lockers and _zephyrs_ is as hard as she'd thought it would be. Delivering _auspicious_ packages to the scholarship girls, who are bullied just for being _torpid_, is more fun than she'd expected.

The _rutabaga_ Willa didn't expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, VP&…

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome back my talented and hilarious friend Rachel Hawkins, author of the best-selling HEX HALL series. Yesterday, the final book in the trilogy came out, and I freely admit I can't wait to find out if Sophie ends up with Archer or with Cal. Um ... and also, yanno, if she saves the world and stuff. But MOSTLY to see if she ends up with Archer or Cal. =D  Here's a peek at SPELL BOUND:

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.


Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get …