Freebie Friday - Spring Break Edition

Before we talk about this week's freebie, I want to give a shout out to some of my writer friends along with some well-deserved congratulations:

To Sarah Bennett-Wealer: Her book RIVAL was listed in the April/May issue of Girl's Life magazine as a "must read". Yay, Sarah!

You can read about Sarah, her writing journey, process, characters, etc. on Sara Zarr's blog this week--and even enter to win a copy of RIVAL!--HERE.

To Lenore Appelhans: She just made her first sale!!! YAY!!! Her YA novel, LEVEL TWO just sold to Simon and Schuster and CBS Films at the same time! You can read the official announcement HERE.

Lenore is a book blogger extraordinaire and one of the sincerely nicest people around. Huge congratulations to Lenore!

To Nancy Herriman: Another first sale! Her inspirational, THE IRISH HEALER, will come out spring, 2012!! Nancy's a local writing pal and a beautiful songstress. Congratulations, Nancy!!!

Oh... more good news!

Edited to add:

To Simone Elkeles: Her book, RULES OF ATTRACTION is a finalist for the RWA RITA award in the Best YA Romance category. Yay, Simone! (I love any excuse to post this awesome cover again.)

ALSO

DEAR BULLY is up in the Harper Collins catalog. Here's the final cover art. I'm so honored to be a part of this anthology and I'll be talking a lot more about it, and about bullying, as we get closer to the August release date.

And now, for your spring break reading pleasure... it's Spring Cleaning Time at my house, which means I have to part with some of my favorite books to make room for my TBR pile. This week's choices are:

CRYER'S CROSS by Lisa McMann

Here's the official blurb:

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer¹s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....

UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand

The offical blurb:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

UNEARTHLY is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

THE IRON DAUGHTER by Julie Kagawa

Official Blurb:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

To be entered to win, leave a message below, telling me about your spring break plans. Be sure to include which book you would like to win and why. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, March 30.

FF - RIVAL by Sara Bennett Wealer

The Author:

Sara Bennett Wealer grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the “Little Apple”), where she sang with the choir and wrote for her high school newspaper. She majored in vocal performance at the University of Kansas before deciding she had no business trying to make a career as an opera singer. She transferred to journalism school, where nobody cares if you can hit a high C or convincingly portray a Valkyrie.

Sara now lives in Cincinnati with her husband and daughters, and she still sings when her schedule allows—most recently with the May Festival Chorus, the official choir of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

You can find Sara online at her website, on her blog, on facebook, or on twitter.

The Book:

What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

Kirkus calls RIVAL "Glee, only with chamber music."

The Interview:

Have you ever been in a fierce musical rivalry?

Sure! I feel like I've been in a few over the years. The arts can be competitive, even at a school or amateur level, so you're always looking sideways at someone. Even if you don't have an all-out "enemy" rival, you're keeping tabs on how everybody else is doing and hoping they don't show you up. It's not *always* like that, but it took me years of singing actively before I could just relax and appreciate someone else's gifts without comparing to my own By that point I was just singing for fun.

What excites you?

Right now, it's having time to myself - time to write, time to sleep, time to shop and read. I'm a working mom with a busy husband, so time away is precious. At the moment, peace and quiet really excite me!

What turns you off?

Unnecessary drama. I figure life will create enough crazy business without people dragging me into theirs. I'm a big fan of "saving the drama for your mama."

What is an average writing day like for you?

Do day job, take care of family, put children in bed, sit down at computer and write or edit until midnight. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?

Nope. My muse only visits when she knows I'm doing the gruntwork. She doesn't like rituals or incantations or scented candles, she just wants to see sweat on my brow.

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?

I have a list of favorite people I'd like to hang out with. They include Steve Martin, Dolly Parton, Edith Wharton, Tori Amos and Julie Andrews. Wouldn't that be an interesting retreat?

What songs would make the playlist for RIVAL?

I've got a playlist for RIVAL right here! http://www.sarabennettwealer.com/rival_playlist.shtml

If RIVAL were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Brooke? Catherine? Chloe?

That's hard, because I would want to see actresses who could really sing. I don't like when movies cast a superstar then get a double to do the singing/dancing/etc. I don't know any big names right now who sing opera, so maybe they could do a talent search for Brooke and Kathryn. As for Chloe, there's a Disney Channel actress named Bridgit Mendler who I find kind of interesting. I'd love to see what she'd do with the part.

What are you working on now?

My new project is a blend of contemporary and supernatural - hard to describe in just a few words, but if you saw it, you'd get it. Unfortunately, it's way too early to share! :-(

The Freebie:

To be entered to win a signed copy of RIVAL, leave a comment below, telling us about your greatest rivalry. This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, February 23.