C.J. Redwine

When I went to see the Hunger Games (for the second time) this past week, I saw a movie trailer for the book to movie adaptation of the incredible ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER book. Haven't read it yet? You really, really should. Here's the trailer. What do you think?

Today's Author Mad Libs guest is E.C. Myers whose book FAIR COIN (which has garnered some very stellar reviews!) hit the shelves this week. I sent E.C. a parts of speech list. He sent back words. This is the result. Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is  _bounced_ when he comes home from school and finds his  _sloth_ unconscious at the kitchen _ninja_, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide  _tricycle_ is even more dis­turbing: she thought she'd identified Ephraim's  _waffle_ at the hospital that day. Among his dead double's _clowns_, Ephraim finds a  _woeful_ coin--a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his _dolphin_, he can turn his alcoholic mother into an  _industrious_ parent and catch the eye of the  _turducken_ he's liked since second grade. But the coin doesn't always change  _chopsticks_ for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people's  _banshees_ as easily as it rebuilds his own. T

Today's guest is Elizabeth Norris, author of the upcoming debut novel UNRAVELING (April 24th!). I met Elizabeth through our editor, Kristin, and was privileged to read an advance copy of her book. It had me at the edge of my seat from the word Go! If Fringe and Veronica Mars had a baby, this book would be it. Full of heart-stopping action, fringe-y science, mystery, romance, and characters who are both complicated and relatable, this is a book worth devouring. If that doesn't convince you, let me add this. 1. There's a debate scene that will melt your face off. 2. There's a countdown. Literally. To the end of the world. 3. You won't see the ending coming. Here's a peek at UNRAVELING: Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Micha

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

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.

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 danger

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.

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,

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 expe

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

1. I laughed so hard when I saw this pic, I nearly injured myself. 2. If you know me at all, you realize I've injured myself on far less. 3. It's sort of a talent of mine. 4. Princess J's birthday was Sunday. She turned two! 5. Her new favorite words are "zombies" and "darn it." Yesterday, she wandered around the house saying "Zombies?? Oh no! Darn it!" 6. In case of a Zombie Apocalypse, I have a built in early warning system. 7. You  wish you were as prepared as me. 8. The writing of DEFIANCE's sequel has been both a difficult and rewarding experience. I'm happy with the draft (finally) and the scenes are flowing faster for me now. 9. But writing stories with the level of emotional authenticity I want to bring to the table takes a lot out of me sometimes. Maybe I'll blog about that process one day... 10. Today is release day for book 3 in two of my favorite series! Tomorrow, I'll be interviewing Rachel Haw

This book came out in 2010, but finding this book trailer was my first introduction to it. I'm interested by the premise! What do you think?

Not that wearing pants helps me any. Just last week, I ran several errands, talked to any number of people in the course of those errands, and then returned home to discover I'd neglected to zip up my jeans. I'm just going to start color-coordinating my undies with my outfit so that when this kind of stuff happens (And let's face it ... this wasn't the first, and it won't be the last.), I can just call it accessorizing and move on with my day. Considering my track record, there's a 2 in 10 chance you'll see more than you bargained for if you come to a book signing of mine. *remembers the time she flashed her orange bra at her photographer* Um ... better make that a 3 in 10 chance. Who needs swag when you can just roll film and get a viral video out of it, amiright? The problem with writing this post is that a) I've forgotten to number my thoughts and so now you all are expecting a coherent post instead of a collection of random

Thank you to all who entered to win the first ARC of DEFIANCE! As always, I used random.org to help me generate the winning entry. And the winner is Valia Congratulations, Valia! You will receive a confirmation email from me shortly. Your ARC will ship out to you as soon as Kristin has permission to send my book out into the wild. :) Thanks for entering and happy reading!

I admit, when I heard there was going to be a new Spiderman franchise, I rolled my eyes. After that disastrous emo-Spidey film foisted upon us by Sam Raimi, I was ready to say adios to Spiderman. Seeing this trailer changed my mind. It feels gritty and full of unexpected depths. I got a similar feeling from Christopher Nolan's Batman reboot, and I'm a huge fan of that series. I'll definitely be in the theaters checking this one out. What do you think?