Red Dawn Tour Stop ~ Guest Post & Q&A

Hi Mindy! Thank you for featuring the Red Dawn blog tour on Magical Urban Fantasy reads today! I’m really excited about today’s post as I found something special for your readers. Fans of the Crossroads series know that Katia and Nik have a hot/cold, love/loathe kind of thing going on. Their banter is endless, and while Nik’s feelings are pretty obvious, he never passes up the chance to get under Katia’s skin. ‘10 Things I Love About You’ is just his latest attempt! Enjoy!

10 Things I Love About You
Katia-
I love the way you watch me,
and the way you twirl you hair.
I love the way you drive me crazy,
it really isn’t fair.
I love your sexy, kickass boots,
and how you’re loyal to a fault.
I love the way your green eyes shine,
even during an assault.
I love it when you play all tough,
and when you lick those ruby lips.
I love it when you get all flustered,
I’m a sucker for those hips.
Have I told you that I love your style,
and how you keep me on my game?
I really love a challenge,
I think you like the same.
I love the way we fit together,
I’m always hungry for your kiss.
I love the way we’re just alike,
I’d follow you into the abyss.

-Nik
If you enjoyed ’10 Things I Love About You’, be sure to check out the remaining Red Dawn tour stops as Katia is sure to reply in kind! She’s not the sort of girl to just let things go. Nik was looking for a reaction with this little bout of poetry, and I’m pretty sure he’ll get one!

Aug 20: Fall Into Books
Aug 21: My Seryniti
Aug 22: Eternally Books
Aug 23: Bengal Reads
Aug 24: A Dream Within A Dream
Aug 27: All the Fun Starts After Dark
Aug 28: Little Read Riding Hood
Aug 29: Fiction Writing Tools
Aug 30: Paranormal Opinion
Aug 31: Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf
Sept 3: The Story Seekers
Sept 4: The Book Addict’s Guide
Sept 5: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Sept 6: Firestarbooks
Sept 7: Simply Infatuated
Sept 10: Librarían Mouse
Sept 11: Reader Girls
Sept 12: A Bibliophile’s Thoughts on Books
Sept 13: Rants ~N~ Scribbles
Sept 14: The Book Nympho

About the author: J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes young adult speculative fiction. Her debut novel, Crossroads, was released in fall of 2011. It is the first in the Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.
You can find her here:
Facebook ★ Goodreads ★ Shelfari ★ Twitter

Me: Thank you for stopping by Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! I’m really excited to get to know you.

Me: Which was your favorite character to write and why?
JJ Bonds: I love writing Katia. She’s a little rough around the edges and she’s not for everyone, but once you get past the tough exterior, she’s really just a creampuff. Katia’s intensely stubborn, loyal, and independent, which, depending on the day, can be good or bad traits. I guess what I’m saying is, she’s flawed, but always growing which is something I love about reading and writing YA- the characters are always changing.

Me: Why did you decide to self publish and what was the process for you?
JJ Bonds: I spent a few months pursuing publication via the traditional route --querying agents and seeking representation-- and although I got a few bites, nothing came of it. When I saw the success of other indie writers like JL Bryan and Amanda Hocking, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I hired an editor and a designer and I got busy researching publication. It turned out to be much easier than I’d expected, although it’s a LOT of work!

Me: Do you have any ideas for other books you want to write?
JJ Bonds: Absolutely! There’s a new character introduced in Red Dawn, The Shadow, that I would really like to explore more fully although I’m not usually a big fan of spin offs. I’ve also been toying with a middle grade paranormal series.
As a writer, you’ve always got to be generating new ideas and thinking of the next project. Especially in this age of technology where readers want more, more, more. I love that my favorite authors can crank out several books a year!

Me: Here is a quick Q&A to get to know you!

Me: Facebook or Twitter?
JJ Bonds: Twitter

Me: Most visited online website?
JJ Bonds: Google

Me: Kindle or Nook?
JJ Bonds: Kindle

Me: Favorite food?
JJ Bonds: Chicken Chimichanga

Me: Morning or night?
JJ Bonds: Night owl!

Me: Strange quirks?
JJ Bonds: I’m really shy when you first meet me, but once I get to know you, I’m a complete chatterbox.

Me: Guilty pleasure?
JJ Bonds: Chocolate anything. Or wine. Or chocolate and wine!

Me: Preferred weapon?
JJ Bonds: Crossbow

Me: What do you like to do in your spare time other than writing?
JJ Bonds: If not reading or writing, I can probably be found playing with my daughter or watching tv. I’m a sucker for Awkward, PLL, and anything else in that vein.

Me: Top fave movies?
JJ Bonds:

• Zombieland
• Resident Evil
• Ginger Snaps
• Haute Tension
• 30 Days of Night

Me: Top 5 authors that inspire you?
JJ Bonds:

• Veronica Roth
• JK Rowling
• Stephenie Meyer
• Amanda Hocking
• RL Stine

Me: Top 5 fave books?
JJ Bonds:

• The Hunger Games
• Harry Potter
• Nightshade
• Covenant
• As the World Dies

Me: Favorite TV show when you were a kid?
JJ Bonds: She-Ra: Princess of Power. Yes, really. ;-)

Me: Which would you be willing to kiss, scares you the most and willing to ally with in an apocalypse? Your choices are : Aliens, Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Faeries and Demons.
JJ Bonds:
Alien - If these aliens are anything like the ones in YA lit (read: hawt!), I’d steal a kiss!
Vampire - In an apocalypse, I’d be willing to trade my blood for protection... I think.
Zombies - Scares me the most. I could never be a zombie!

Find on
Goodreads

Katia’s done running. She’s fought fiercely to protect her identity, her secrets, and those she loves most. And while it hasn’t been easy, she’s finally making peace with the past. Katia’s even looking forward to the start of a new school year at Crossroads Academy.

Too bad things at Crossroads are going to be a little different this fall. There are new rules, new students, and new relationships. Katia quickly discovers that navigating the halls of Crossroads is as complicated as ever.

When a friend’s life is at stake, Katia will be forced to choose between the safety of Crossroads and an enemy more dangerous than any she’s ever faced. Will Katia have the courage to risk it all -including her life- for a friend?

Impatiently Waiting! Nameless by Lili St. Crow

Expected publish date:
February 26, 2013

Summary: When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

New York Times bestselling author Lili St. Crow thrilled legions of fans with her dark paranormal series Strange Angels. Now she has crafted an evocative update of Snow White, set in a vividly imagined world and populated by unforgettable new characters.


♥♥♥♥♥

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Fated by Alyson Noël

Publisher's summary: Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

My take: I’m struggling with my feelings about this one. I think that I would have to say that it was just OK because, as I sit here and try to think about my thoughts while reading Fated, the things that I didn’t like or that bothered me heavily outweighed the things that I liked.

Before I start to blabber about all the things that bothered me, I want to talk about the things I liked. I have to say that I actually really like Alyson Noël’s writing style; her writing is very smooth and compelling. There were also a lot of really unique and amazing scenes that painted very vivid images in my mind, and those I really liked…in particular, one scene that introduces us to the bone collector.

Now on to the things I didn’t really like. While I was listening to the audio of Fated, I wondered if I wasn’t really getting into the story because of the narrator’s voice and reading style, but the more I listened, the more I realized that the story just wasn’t really intriguing me.

The prologue, for one thing, is something that stands out where I thought, “What the heck was that? I didn’t know, nor did I even care to know, what the heck was trying to be said there. Then, throughout the story, I felt like I was reading (listening) to a lot of inspirational speeches. There was also way too much repetitiveness when describing the differences between the two twins, but the repetitiveness probably stood out more just because I was listening to the book instead of reading it.

The last thing I want to mention that bothered me is that there were a lot of missing holes in the story. And the things that I think I would have liked reading about were also missing. For example, when Daire’s grandmother finally convinces her to learn about her power, there’s a period of time that’s totally skipped. Then, when Daire is entering her new school and talking about how she could basically destroy these new bullies with her power, I was left wondering, “What the heck did she actually learn to do with her powers?”

I don’t think that this was a horrible book, and I do believe that there are probably a lot of people who will like it. This is just not something for me.