FFBC: Welcome to the club, Such a Good Girl by Amanda K. Morgan

Such a Good Girl
by Amanda K. Morgan
Release Date: June 20th 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Riley Stone is just about perfect. (Ask anyone.)

She has a crush on her French teacher, Alex Belrose. (And she suspects he likes her, too.)

Riley has her entire life planned out. (The plan is nonnegotiable.)

She's never had a secret she couldn't keep. (Not ever.)

Riley is sure that her life is on the right track. (And nothing will change that.)

She's nothing like a regular teenager. (But she doesn't have any problem admitting that.)

Riley doesn't usually play games. (But when she does, she always wins.)

She thinks a game is about to start…

But Riley always has a plan…

And she always wins.

Hello Amanda! We are super excited to have you back in our FFBC tours.

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about SUCH A GOOD GIRL?

This is pretty tough to do without giving anything away! SUCH A GOOD GIRL is a book full of twists and turns. It’s like nothing that I’ve written before. My other two books were multiple POV, and this focuses on a single character. 

Can you tell us a bit about Riley? She seems like a girl that knows what she’s doing. How would you also describe her personality and how she fits in your story? 

Riley is the most interesting character I’ve ever written. She’s intelligent and insightful and is incredibly powerful, and I like that about her. 

Can you tell us about Riley’s style? 

She has very classic style, and doesn’t follow trends, but you see her exploring a few daring pieces thanks to her best friends. 

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing? 

I have to be careful with these because I don’t want to give anything away, but the first seeds of this story came from the idea of blame! My publisher compares this book to Pretty Little Liars and Luckiest Girl Alive.

Tell us your favorite quote from SUCH A GOOD GIRL. 

Welllll…I can’t actually tell you my favorite quote, because it’s a bit of a spoiler. But I’ll tell you this one:

“Riley Elizabeth Stone is just about perfect. Ask anyone.”

I also love this quote:

“It’s almost like being good is the perfect alibi for being bad.”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? 

Yes! We’ll call it the pizza scene. You’ll know it when you get to it, but honestly, who doesn’t love pizza? There’s also possibly kissing. Pizza and kissing.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for SUCH A GOOD GIRL – Which one would you pick? 

This is actually easy! There are perks to living in Nashville, and one of my good friends, Lexi Larsen, is a country singer. She wrote this song called “Bad” and ever since I heard it, I knew it was the theme song for Such a Good Girl. 

Imagine that we get to see your book on the big screen (how awesome would that be?). Who would you pick to play your characters?

Riley is a brunette Sophie Turner

Alex is Ben Whishaw

Neta is a younger Diane Guerrero

Kolbie is a younger Tanisha Harper

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read SUCH A GOOD GIRL (specific music, snacks…)? 

Personally, pizza and nachos make me happy. I’m not sure how they would fare at the beach, but you could always slip this book into a beach bag, too, and take it on your next vacation!

What’s next for you? 

I’m so excited to share that Such a Good Girl will be published in France by Lumen Editions!

Thank you so much for everything, Amanda!

  

Follow Such a Good Girl by Amanda K. Morgan Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Amanda K. Morgan is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. She covers events and works on freelance projects when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda’s books include After Hours, written as Claire Kennedy, Secrets Lies and Scandals, and Such a Good Girl.

For more information on Amanda's freelance/technical writing, to ask for information on a specific project, or for other questions, contact her.

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FFBC: Welcome to the club, The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano

The Suffering Tree
by Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: June 13th 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Synopsis:

“It’s dark magic brings him back.”

Tori Burns and her family left D.C. for claustrophobic Chaptico, Maryland, after suddenly inheriting a house under mysterious circumstances. That inheritance puts her at odds with the entire town, especially Jesse Slaughter and his family—it’s their generations-old land the Burns have “stolen.” But none of that seems to matter after Tori witnesses a young man claw his way out of a grave under the gnarled oak in her new backyard. 

Nathaniel Bishop may not understand what brought him back, but it’s clear to Tori that he hates the Slaughters for what they did to him centuries ago. Wary yet drawn to him by a shared sense of loss, she gives him shelter. But in the wake of his arrival comes a string of troubling events—including the disappearance of Jesse Slaughter’s cousin—that seem to point back to Nathaniel.

As Tori digs for the truth—and slowly begins to fall for Nathaniel—she uncovers something much darker in the tangled branches of the Slaughter family tree. In order to break the centuries-old curse that binds Nathaniel there and discover the true nature of her inheritance, Tori must unravel the Slaughter family’s oldest and most guarded secrets. But the Slaughters want to keep them buried… at any cost.

From award-winning author Elle Cosimano comes a haunting, atmospheric thriller perfect to hand to readers of the Mara Dyer trilogy and Bone Gap.

Hello Elle! We are super excited for THE SUFFERING TREE and to have you in our FFBC tours. 

Favorite Book?

My “stranded on a desert island what book would you take with you” book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Favorite TV show? 

Right now? I’m completely obsessed with TURN: Washington’s Spies. 

Favorite movie? 

Grosse Pointe Blank

Favorite Song? 

 I have to choose?! Ugh, that’s really unfair. Okay. For today, let’s go with Ghosts That We Knew by Mumford & Sons.

Favorite Food? 

 Bacon-wrapped smoked gouda-stuffed grilled jalapenos

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat. 

Hogwarts (Gryffindor House), Neverland (growing up is highly overrated), and the Millenium Falcon (assuming Han and Chewie are at the helm).

What were your favorite books growing up? 

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. In high school, I devoured everything by S. E. Hinton.

Favorite Quote? 

 “Do or do not. There is no try.” -- Yoda

What are your fandoms? 

I’m a total Potterhead. Always.

Who is your favorite fictional boyfriend (or girlfriend)? 

 James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Hands down.

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about THE SUFFERING TREE?

The Suffering Tree is the story of a deeply troubled teen, struggling with grief and questions over her own identity, who literally unearths the past when she discovers the body of a 18th century indentured servant buried under a cursed tree in her new backyard, land her family inherited under mysterious circumstances. Only the boy isn’t dead. He has a story to tell—the story of his own murder. And the family who owned the land before is determined to keep the past buried at any cost.

It’s part historical, part modern-day thriller--two mysteries interconnected, three hundred years apart. It’s a love story. And a ghost story. Both romantic and creepy. 

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books says it’s "deliciously unpredictable... a compelling exploration of how roots twisted in cruelty affect a family tree for generations to come." 

What are your favorite mystery/suspense/thriller movies and/or TV shows?

The Blacklist and Dexter are two of my favorite TV thrillers. I love stories in which the lines between hero and villain are blurred--when a deeply flawed hero is both human and monster, sympathetic and relatable because within them, we see the terrifying bits of our own selves. I can’t get enough of them.

What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of THE SUFFERING TREE.)

#theremustbesalt #lovewithoutfear #whoiamisinmyblood

How did you come up with the story? 

The story of The Suffering Tree came to me during my son’s kindergarten field trip to a local farm. As the bus went rolling down a scenic country road in Virginia, we passed miles and miles of lush green fields, and somewhere in the middle of them, a very peculiar tree. It was old and long dead, its bark bleached white and peeling from the sun. At its base was a cluster of very old headstones. They were thin and leaning, heaving up around the tree’s roots and so covered in moss they were impossible to read. I began wondering why no one was caring for the cemetery. I began wondering why the tree was dead and who might be buried beneath it, and if it was haunted. I knew the history of the early colonies in the area, and I began to imagine a tale of two children, thrust into a seven-year indenture, and what might have become of them when they finally came of age. I wondered what they would say if they could tell their own stories.

You can see pictures of the tree that inspired the story here.

Tell us your favorite quote from THE SUFFERING TREE.

“We try to hide things, to bury our own shame. But it ain’t the nature of secrets to lay down quiet. Shame’s gonna find its way to the surface. It don’t matter. . . You can cover secrets in more secrets. . . You can bury ’em deep. But the more you try to hold ’em down, the harder they’re gonna fight to come out. And the Slaughters got a lot of history to wrestle with. They got a lot of shame scratching at their back door. And they’re not gonna let no one open it and let it all come rushin’ in.”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

I think all of Nathaniel’s memories were my favorite scenes to write. This was my first time writing about a historical time period, and it was really fun (and challenging) to translate my research to the page! 

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for THE SUFFERING TREE– Which one would you pick?

Work Song by Hozier

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read THE SUFFERING TREE (specific music, snacks…)? 

Warm apple cider, roasted peanuts, and a warm wooly blanket around your shoulders. Crack a window and listen to the wind rustle the trees sometime just after dark.

What’s next for you? 

That remains to be seen. I’m drafting my first adult suspense novel and I’m really excited about how it’s coming together. I’m also in the drafting stages of two new YA novels--a YA urban fantasy and a YA contemporary crime thriller. I guess you could say my attention is divided between three projects at the moment. I’m curious to see which one finds its way into the world first!

Thank you so much for everything, Elle!

Follow The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Author of NEARLY GONE, NEARLY FOUND, HOLDING SMOKE, and THE SUFFERING TREE (Disney*Hyperion, 2017). Represented by Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

 

The following giveaway is a GENERAL giveaway hosted by the FFBC Tours and Disney Hyperion:

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The following giveaway is an INDIVIDUAL giveaway and you can find more like this in every participating blog on this tour. Each blog will be giving away independently the same 'THE SUFFERING TREE' bundle. Want to increase your chances at winning? Visit all the tour websites!

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FFBC: Welcome to the club, Obsidian and Stars (Ivory and Bone #2) by Julie Eshbaugh

Obsidian and Stars (Ivory and Bone #2)
by Julie Eshbaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself. 

Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.

Hello JULIE! We are super excited for OBSIDIAN AND STARS and to have you in our FFBC tours. 

Favorite Book?

This is suuuuuch a hard question. I’m sure I answer it differently on different days. One of my all-time favorites is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It’s a real study in obsession! I also love Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. And though those are both classics, I also love fiction by current authors, especially YA. Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park is a book I loved so much I recommended it to everyone. Lastly, I love sci-fi and fantasy. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is amazing. 

Favorite TV show?

I loved Stranger Things, and can’t wait for its return this fall! I also never miss Elementary, and can’t wait for more episodes of Sherlock.

Favorite movie?

It was made long before I was born, but Casablanca is my all-time favorite movie. 

Favorite Song?

How Soon is Now by the Smiths. 

Favorite Food?

If I had to eat one food every day, it would be spaghetti, so I guess it’s my favorite. 

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Hogwarts

Rivendell

The Millennium Falcon (not really a place to move to, but I would love to travel on that ship!) 

What were your favorite books growing up? (Michelle: I was a Fear Street girl!)

I loved Judy Blume’s books! Starting with Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, I read them all. 

Favorite Quote?

Make good art. ~Neil Gaiman

What are your fandoms?

Harry Potter for sure! I would have to add Star Wars, too.

Who is your favorite fictional boyfriend (or girlfriend)?

Mr. Darcy!

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about the IVORY AND BONE SERIES?

Of course, and thank you so much for inviting me to the blog!

The books are set in prehistoric times, at the end of the last Ice Age. The first book, IVORY AND BONE, is loosely based on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but the genders are reversed, with Mya being a bit of a female Mr. Darcy! OBSIDIAN AND STARS picks up where IVORY AND BONE left off, but it’s told from Mya’s point of view. And I know a lot of readers are expecting this to be a trilogy—I had originally planned a duology, but then expanded it to a trilogy—but in the end, it worked much better as two books. I think with one book from Kol’s point of view, and one from Mya’s point of view, I knew the series was complete. So OBSIDIAN AND STARS closes out the series.

Since IVORY AND BONE takes a classic story and takes it back to prehistoric times, what other TV Shows/Movies/Books would you love to see reversed in time and technology?

Great question! I’d love a retelling of Les Miserables, set in the contemporary world. I also really like the idea of a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but set in a different time and place, like maybe the Old West, or the far future.

What Hogwarts Houses would you sort your characters into? How about a Patronus for any of them?

Kol would be a Gryffindor, and I think his Patronus would be a wolf.

Mya would be a Hufflepuff, and I imagine her Patronus might be a bird of prey, like an eagle or a hawk.

Lo would be a Ravenclaw, and her Patronus would probably be a saber-toothed cat.

What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book series? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of IVORY AND BONE or OBSIDIAN AND STARS.)

#PrehistoricRomance, #HistoryRepeatsItself, #LoveIsTimeless

Tell us your favorite quote from OBSIDIAN AND STARS.

“That's why I like the blackest nights—the darkest, obsidian skies of winter. When the world is coldest and darkest, the stars shine brightest.”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?

There is a scene between Kol and Mya involving honey that gets pretty romantic. I would say that scene was the most fun to write. There are several scenes that made me cry to write them—both happy and sad tears. I won’t give any details because I don’t want to give anything away, but the sad ones were pretty hard to get through.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for OBSIDIAN AND STARS – Which one would you pick?

There’s a song from the Album Wish by the Cure called From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea. I think that song fits the book really well. 

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read the books in the IVORY AND BONE series (specific music, snacks…)? 

I would recommend lighting candles or being near some kind of fire. Or read it on the beach or outside, since the characters are out in the natural world so much. 

What’s next for you? 

I’m working on a new fantasy story! I don’t want to give anything away, except to say it is very different from the IVORY AND BONE books. I just sent the first draft to my editor, so it’s in the early stages, but I’m excited about it! 

Thank you so much for everything, Julie!

Follow the Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Julie Eshbaugh is the author of Ivory and Bone (HarperCollins, 2016). She used to have trouble staying in one spot, having lived in places as varied as Utah, France, and New York City. Julie eventually returned home to the Philadelphia area, where she now lives with her husband, son, cat and dog. Her favorite moments are when the unexpected happens and she cheers loudest when the pitcher gets a hit.

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