YA Reader Appreciation Week Continues with Woman Crush Wednesday & author, Tiffany Truitt

Today for YA Reader Appreciation Week blog hop we have Evernight Teen author, Tiffany Truitt talking about Women Crush Wednesday. (BTW, Sasha Hibbs hosts me today) BTW, here's the entire week's lineup, and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter when you're there, to win some very cool reads. Okay, now take it away, Tiff!

I would like to start off by thanking Catherine for hosting me today! I am so excited she agreed to be a part of the YA Reader Week Blog Hop ☺ Now, let’s get to Women Crush Wednesday.
As part of my post for Man Crush Monday, I followed my male protagonist, Ed, through some of my novel’s twists on the contemporary love story (i.e all those classic romantic tropes turned on their head). I thought, since my YA Contemporary / Mystery, The Language of Silence, was told by dual narrators that I would do the same… this time focusing on my female protagonist, Brett.

The Meet: Typically, the meeting of the two lovers is done in some highly convenient but seemingly random aligning of the stars way. But in The Language of Silence, my couple already knows each other. Using the famous, “I have a crush on my best friend’s sister,” element, I added my own twist. Brett and Ed, while always attracted to each other in an almost ungovernable way, are brought together when Brett’s brother, Tristan, dies under mysterious circumstances. With Tristan no longer there to keep them apart combined with the magnetic pull of their own grief, they are doomed to collide.

Here's the excerpt, in Brett’s Words:
   The cold air causes my skin to erupt in goosebumps. I pull the towel tighter. I only glance at Ed. He’s still sleeping, the blanket pulled over his head, and only his arm pushes out from the covers as if he is reaching for something.
   I pull open his closet door and begin to go through his collection of t-shirts. I hear him stir, but ignore him.
   “What the hell, Brett?” he yells groggily.
   “Good morning, sunshine,” I reply, refusing to turn around.
   I hear the bed creak as he moves to sit up. “What…what…what are you doing, Brett?” he asks. His anger suddenly diminishes. I know it’s the shock setting in.
   “I need something to wear.”
   “Obviously. Your lack of clothing tells me that much,” he snaps. It’s almost funny to see his emotions go so unchecked, unregulated.
   I turn around to face him, one hand clutching my towel and one hand on my hip. “Calm down, sugar plum. It’s not like I’m standing here naked. I have a towel on.”
   “Just put some fucking clothes on, Brett.”
   I sigh. “F-ing clothes? Huh? And here I was thinking no clothes was the way to go about that.”
   He closes his eyes and runs his hands through his hair. “Brett,” he warns.

The First Kiss: The first time a literary couple kisses is usually filled with fireworks, shooting stars, and gentle, sweet caresses. Mine involves trash, a shower, and a bit of cursing.

A short excerpt, in Brett’s Words: 
   “Do you regret it?” I wish my voice wasn’t so shaky.
   “The truth?”
   “Always.”
   “No. I don’t regret it. I just fear I will later.”
   I take a deep breath. Not the answer I dreamed of, but one I can accept.
   “Can I kiss you again?”

Get The Language of Silence! Amazon, B&N, Evernight Teen

Tiffany Truitt received her MA in literature from Old Dominion University. Her debut Chosen Ones, first in the Lost Souls trilogy, is a searing look at what it means to be other and how we define humanity, as well as a celebration of the dangerously wonderful feeling of falling in love.

Who's one of your fave fictional heroines?

YA Reader Appreciation Week's Man Crush Monday AND Underrated Treasures Blogfests!

Today on Idea City I have two amazing features. The first is YA Reader Appreciation's Man Crush Monday, the brainchild of Tiffany Truitt, where each day for a week authors chat about interesting details of their books and characters. See the week's lineup here. Today I feature author Kate Jarvik Birch. (And Shannon Lee Alexander hosts me).
The second feature is Alex C. Cavanaugh's Underrated Treasures blogfest. The idea? Everyone has a favorite movie, book or band that no one's heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is your chance to tell the world about this obscure treasure! So let's get to them both, shall we?

Excerpt from Kate's futuristic YA novel Perfection with Entangled:    

   I hovered at the edge of the party near the pool house and watched as the guests orbited one another.
  “They really went all out, didn’t they?” Penn walked up next to me wearing a crisp black tuxedo.
  I stared. He looked handsome in this change of clothes, polished and refined. His father would be happy to see his son blending in so well with his colleagues. But this new version of him made me nervous.  It wasn’t until I looked up at his tousled hair and warm eyes that I relaxed, grateful that his new clothes couldn’t hide the real him.
  In each of his hands he carried a long fluted glass. “I guess they don’t really get the concept of excess,” he said, handing one of the glasses to me.
  I cradled the glass in my hand and took a tiny sip. The drink was utterly foreign. A million bubbles fizzed in my mouth. “It’s magical,” I said, looking out at the sparkling lights.
  Penn smiled and stared at me before he turned to look out at the crowds of elegant people. Finally he looked back down into his own drink, where the bubbles climbed up the side of the glass like tiny strands of lights. “Sorry for being so cynical. Sometimes my parents bring out the worst in me.”
  We stood silent for a minute, listening to the sounds of the other guests. Their voices were a soft hum, punctuated every now and again by the sound of laughter and clinking glasses.
  After a minute Penn turned back to me. “You look different tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you at first… when I came over. You’re really… beautiful. I guess I’m so used to seeing your hair down, but it’s really nice up like that.”
  “Thank you,” I said, reaching up to touch the thick braid that wrapped around the top of my head. It was the same way I’d worn my hair for years in the training center, but it did feel different tonight.
  “Do you want to go see the dance floor?”
  “I promised your mother that I would stay toward the edge of things. She asked me not to draw too much attention to myself.”
Penn shook his head, as if he should have expected this from his mother. “It’s impossible for you not to draw attention.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the grass. In front of us, the tent was alive with light and noise. A wide wooden dance floor had been laid over the grass at the other end of the tent, and past it, the band stood on top of a small stage pouring music out into the night.
   “I really wanted to dance with you,” Penn said, frowning as he looked out over the crowded floor where his father stood talking with a large group of men.
  The ceiling inside was covered with large lanterns, which reflected off of the glossy wood, and as much as I wanted to stand beneath them , I didn’t want to disobey the congressman’s wife.
  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Penn. I can’t.” Watching the sweet way his face fell in disappointment made me laugh.
   “Oh, you think hurting my feelings is funny?” he asked.
   “No.” I smiled, covering my face with my hands.
  Penn turned his head away from me, but his smile was impossible to disguise. “Good thing I don’t give up easily,” he said. He pulled me around the corner of the tent and down the dark hill into the shadows. “We’ll just have to dance out here.”
With a quick flick of the wrist, he grabbed me again by the hand and drew me into his chest. My breath caught in my throat. After all the Dance lessons we’d been given at the training center, this was my first time dancing with a man.
   A wild tingling spread through my chest, as if all those tiny bubbles in my drink had begun exploding inside me the moment he began to move me across the grass in a slow waltz. He wasn’t a great dancer, but his arms were firm, his hand warm and strong against my back. I leaned my head on his chest, letting myself breathe in the clean smell of his starched shirt and the lingering fragrance of the bubbly drink on his breath.

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann's Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. Visit her website, her Facebook page, Twitter
Also, check out her YA novel Deliver Me!

Underrated Treasures 

Blogfest is next! 


I pick the book DINOTOPIA! I bought my copy of this lushly illustrated fantasy way back in 1992. It supposes that humans and dinos lived at the same time, and that we domesticated them, using them to ride on and help us do our work. Here's the Amazon blurb:
"When James Gurney's Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time first appeared in 1992, it was immediately hailed as a fully imagined world of the caliber of J. R. R. Tolkien's. Gurney's premise — of an undiscovered island where a race of mystical humans co-exists in harmony with intelligent dinosaurs — has been since reiterated over and over in numerous films and by scores of other writers. Now, Calla Editions brings Gurney's spectacular artistry to a new generation in this 20th anniversary edition. Digitally re-rendered from the original transparencies, Gurney's dramatic panoramas of Dinotopia and close-up character studies of its inhabitants — both human and saurian — take on new vitality. And as a tale of high adventure and discovery told as entries and sketches in journal form, Dinotopia presents a shipwrecked visitor's glimpse into an imagined social order, a culture, and even a cooperative interspecies technology that will satisfy lovers of fantasy and science fiction of all persuasions. This edition includes a new Afterword written by author James Gurney as well as a special section of behind-the-scenes studies and maquettes he used in developing his paintings."

Cool, huh? See all of the Dinotopia books here. Then click here and scroll down to the fest links to read other posts about underrated treasures. 
But first, answer me this: what's your fave underrated treasure? (book, film, band?)

All About Young Adult Reader Appreciation Week!

It goes without saying that authors adore readers. Not just because they drive our book sales but because they inspire us in so many ways. Whether it’s great book discussions on twitter or awe-inspiring, witty book reviews on blogs, readers let authors know that all those countless, caffeine fueled hours of staring at a blinking cursor were not in vain. They challenge us to make our work better with every retweet and Facebook like.  Readers are truly an inspiration, and it’s about time we appreciate them.
That’s right! Next week is all about you, the readers. And while we're busy giving away tons of fantastic prizes both on twitter and our blog hop, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite characters and novels. But let’s get to the good stuff first…the prizes.
What and How You Can Win:
There are two ways to win prizes during our YA Reader Appreciation Week. All week make sure to follow the Reader Appreciation authors on twitter because they'll be giving away a ton of swag. Not only will you get exclusive content from their latest works, but by hitting follow on twitter, you could win a ton of free books and book-related awesomeness.
Check out the Twitter loot:
Tiffany Truitt (@tiffanytruitt) – ebook of The Language of Silence
Shannon Alexander (@shanlalexander) - 4 Teal Toes prize packs (teal polish & teal nail kit in a teal burlap bag) and 1 Ugly Cry Reader Survival kit (tissues & Amazon gift card)
Danielle Graham (@drgrahambooks) - 1 eCopy of Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel, One eCopy of Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up by Sara Hantz, 1 Audio copy of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden, 1 eCopy of HIT THAT AND YOU’RE DEAD by D.R. Graham
But the fun won’t just be going on in the twitterverse. Each day of the hop, you can enter to win a HUGE, HUGE prize pack of awesomeness. How? Just follow the hop and...
Enter the Rafflecopter for these Prizes:
Ebook of The Language of Silence by Tiffany Truitt
Ebooks of Colors Like Memory and The Chemistry of Fate by Meradeth Houston
Ebooks of Model Position and Private Internship by Catherine Stine writing as Kitsy Clare
Ebook of Love and Other Unknown Variables and a handmade math book magnet by Shannon Alexander
1 digital copy of Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel, 
One digital copy of Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up by Sara Hantz, 
1 Audio Copy of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden, 
1 Digital copy of HIT THAT AND YOU’RE DEAD by D.R. Graham
Ebooks of The Vulcan Legacies Series by Sasha Hibbs
Swag bag of “Talismans for the Journey" inspired by the novel HOW TO DROP A CLASS & FALL IN LOVE by Lisa Brown Roberts
Now to the hop. Each day the authors below will be talking all things YA and NA. And having fun doing it.

Monday (9/22) is Man Crush Monday.  Meet leading males of YA (& NA's) hottest new novels.
Catherine Stine hosts Kate Jarvik Birch
Sasha Hibbs hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Meradeth Houston hosts Sasha Hibbs
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts D.R. Graham
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Tiffany Truitt
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Catherine Stine
D. R. Graham hosts Meradeth Houston
Tiffany Truitt hosts Lisa Brown Roberts

Tuesday (9/23) is Transformation Tuesday. Find out how your favorite novels went from ideas to published works.
Catherine Stine hosts Meradeth Houston
Sasha Hibbs hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Meradeth Houston hosts Kate Jarvik Birch
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Tiffany Truitt
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts D.R. Graham
D. R. Graham hosts Catherine Stine
Tiffany Truitt hosts Sasha Hibbs

Wednesday (9/24) is Woman Crush Wednesday. Meet the leading ladies of hot new novels.
Catherine Stine hosts Tiffany Truitt
Sasha Hibbs hosts Catherine Stine
Meradeth Houston hosts Sasha Hibbs
Lisa Brown Roberts Meradeth Houston
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Katie Jarvik Birch
D. R. Graham hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Tiffany Truitt hosts D.R. Graham

Thursday (9/25) is Transformation Thursday. Find out more about the lives of some cool authors.
Catherine Stine hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Sasha Hibbs hosts D. R. Graham
Meradeth Houston hosts Tiffany Truitt
Lisa Brown Roberts Catherine Stine
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Sasha Hibbs
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Meradeth Houston
D. R. Graham hosts Katie Jarvik Birch
Tiffany Truitt hosts Shannon Lee Alexander

Friday (9/26) is First Look Friday. Get sneak peeks and exclusive content from our authors.
Catherine Stine hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Sasha Hibbs hosts Meradeth Houston
Meradeth Houston hosts D. R. Graham
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts Tiffany Truitt
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Catherine Stine
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Sasha Hibbs
D. R. Graham hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Tiffany Truitt hosts Katie Jarvik Birch

We hope you're as excited as we are to celebrate some YA and NA Readers! Help spread the word and check back on 9/22 for the start of the bloghop and tons of chances to win great loot! But WAIT…you can enter the giveaway today by following our authors and helping to spread the word. Click on the Rafflecopter below to find out more!

code: a Rafflecopter giveaway