The 12 Days of Lailah: Christmas with Jonah & Gabriel

Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1)
by Nikki Kelly
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: October 7th 2014

Read my review for Lailah

Synopsis:

The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.

Styclar fans, as you may know Jonah and Gabriel are very different. One is a Second Generation Vampire, cocky, self-assured, troubled and with a hard exterior, and the other is an Angel Descendant, loving, protective, determined, at times lost, and somewhat mysterious. So you can guess they have also different traditions when it comes to celebrate Christmas.

In Gabriel's realm it would be like the climax of all Christmas parties. I can imagine his realm all with cheerful angels singing and all full of christmas decorations, and while they are also serious and deadly they can set aside those qualities to celebrate Christmas all together.

In Earth, Gabriel, as the loving angel he is, he would make everything to make, unintentionally, all the female population swoon over him. That means he would make Christmas happen in his house. He would buy the tree, make a big dinner and give presents that would impress everyone. And to make it more special he would probably take Lailah to the Symphony or something like that. He'd be determined to bring the spirit of this festivity to everyone.

As for vampires, I don't think they would be as cheerful for Christmas as the angels would be. Or any other festivity that's not Halloween, right? I bet for them it's just another day.

However, Jonah might have a little Christmas spirit inside of him. Jonah as a human would follow all the traditions of his family. He'd celebrate Christmas with all of them and he would probably celebrate New Year's Eve at some huge, wild party with his friends, and likely to end up with some girl (probably me...). He'd be the perfect brother and buy all the presents he could find for her sister, just to see her smile.

However, the Jonah we know from Lailah, the Second Generation Vampire, would probably crash Gabe's party. Would get drunk, change the music to some rock music, loud enough to wake up an entire city, and would start dancing "Damon-style" while trying to seduce Lailah.

Yep... still wishing it was me. However, I bet these two would drop all their Christmas traditions if Lailah asked them for a real and happy holidays. It wouldn't be strange to find these two singing some carol songs. What do you think?

No matter what, I know who I would invite to celebrate the holidays and have an awesome time. And you? Who would you invite over?

*Sunday, December 14th: Beth at Curling Up With a Good Book shares a Lailah-themed Christmas playlist. 

*Monday, December 15th: Brittany at Please Feed the Bookworm matches Lailah characters to their fitting ugly Christmas sweaters. 

*Tuesday, December 16th: Rachel at A Perfection Called Books shares exactly what to get the Lailah, Gabriel and Jonah for Christmas. 

*Wednesday, December 17th: Patricia at The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club shines some light on exactly how Gabriel and Jonah would celebrate the holidays in their respective realms. 

*Thursday, December 18th: Pili at In Love With Handmade whips up some Lailah holiday cupcakes. 

*Friday, December 19th: Andrew at Endlessly Reading showcases Jonah and Brooke's potential Christmas outfits. 

*Saturday, December 20th: Jessica at The Book Bratz hosts a guest post by Lailah author Nikki Kelly where she shares her favorite Christmas traditions and memories. 

*Sunday, December 21st: Ri at Hiver et Cafe releases some exclusive Lailah quotes and shares her take on what Lailah would wear for Christmas. 

*Monday, December 22nd: Andrew at Endlessly Reading hosts a character interview with author Nikki Kelly, Lailah, Jonah and Gabriel. 

*Tuesday, December 23rd: Genissa at A Story Diary hosts a guest post from Nikki Kelly about the Christmas scene from Lailah. 

*Wednesday, December 24th: Dana at Dana Square bakes some Lailah-inspired Christmas cookies. 

*Thursday, December 25th: Amber at The Book Bratz releases a brand-new rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas - Lailah style.

(Misha not included in the prize. Sorry girls.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unpacking "Chuck": The TV Series Interpreted by G. Walter Bush

Unpacking "Chuck": The TV Series Interpreted
by G. Walter Bush
Publisher: G. Walter Bush
Release Date: July 2nd 2014

Synopsis:

Unpacking Chuck: The TV Series Interpreted is just what the “Chuck” enthusiast has been waiting for! The first and only book analyzing the former NBC and current Netflix series, it digs beneath the surface of the dramatic elements of the show, addressing elements of the plot, characters, themes, and imagery from all five seasons. The author unpacks meanings embedded in the script, cinematography and musical lyrics of the audio-visual text while linking concepts throughout the series to aid interpretation. Not only does Unpacking Chuck clear up ambiguities regarding Chuck, Sarah, and their relationship, but entire chapters are devoted to Bryce Larkin, Orion, Frost, Ellie, Morgan, and three more on Casey! After reading Unpacking Chuck, you won’t view the series in quite the same way again.

by G. Walter Bush

This summer brought with it a first for “Chuck” fans: the publication of a book devoted to the show entitled Unpacking “Chuck”. Remarkably, its author, G. Walter Bush, never watched a single episode of the series while it aired on NBC. One of many recent converts, Bush discovered “Chuck” on Netflix long after the show finished its broadcast run, thanks in part to his teen-age son.

“I saw bits and pieces of episodes from Season 1 when I walked through the family room,” he explains, adding, “While it was entertaining, some of the things I saw actually intrigued me on a deeper level. It wasn’t your typical TV show.” Not only did it offer a unique blend of comedy, drama, romance and espionage, but the college prep high school English teacher noted the music, lyrics and cinematography worked in concert with the script and acting to create a text with substance and complexity. Consequently, he decided to sit down and watch the show from the beginning.

And Bush liked what he saw. “I was impressed with the subtle controlling metaphors and visual imagery that, on a deeper level, accented the central themes and character growth developed in the script.” Similar to his research for his master’s thesis on Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”, the deeper he looked, the more hidden links he discovered. Moreover, he didn’t find others talking about what he saw when checking elsewhere online. As a result, he decided to write a book of critical readings covering dramatic elements from all five seasons of the show. Though half of the final product—finished six months later-- is Chuck and Sarah-centric, the other half focuses on other characters and storylines.

What started out as a personal challenge morphed into something much larger. Global, in fact. With only a shoe-string budget, Bush self-published Unpacking “Chuck” as a kindle book on Amazon in early July only to find a global demand waiting for the book. “I was thrilled when my first copy sold outside the United States in the United Kingdom,” he admits. In September, the book also began selling on Amazon’s sites in Germany, Australia, and Canada. Italy joined the list in early October, followed by France and New Zealand. On his Unpacking “Chuck” Facebook page, Bush has received likes from even more European countries and even Africa (Uganda) leading him to conclude, “The show appeals to discerning fans everywhere, not just here in the U.S.”

As for the U.S., the ebook version claimed the #1 spot in Amazon’s kindle category of Television: Guides & Reviews (out of more than 600 titles). This success lead to the release of a softcover edition two weeks ago, which has made a couple of appearances in the top ten of the over-arching Television: Guides and Reviews category on Amazon (over 1600 titles). Bush sees this success as revealing something unique about the show and its fans, given the book didn’t appear until more than two years after the last broadcast of “Chuck”: “I think a large part of the fan base is still committed and hungry to relive, think and embrace something fresh about the show. They want to continue the conversation.”

Indeed, what gives the author of Unpacking “Chuck” the most satisfaction is letters from die-hard fans like one he received from a viewer who caught the “Chuck” bug in Season 1 and still regularly re-watches the show on DVD. The writer noted his initial reluctance to purchase the book because he didn’t want to ruin the enjoyment of “MY SHOW.” Instead, the writer thanked Bush for enriching that experience by helping him to see the deeper meanings embedded in the show. A “Chuck” latecomer, Bush takes that as the ultimate compliment, conceding, “When an original ‘Chuck’ fan tells you that, what more can you ask?”

G. Walter Bush has spent his life analyzing texts. The author holds degrees in literature from two institutions, Westmont College (B.A.) and the University of California, Irvine (M.A.). Mr. Bush has taught college prep English at a Southern California public high school for over twenty years, during which time he has also completed stints as an adjunct professor in English at Saddleback Community College and Concordia University. Unpacking Chuck is his first book. 

Like the Unpacking "Chuck" Facebook page while visiting for updates and follow the author on Twitter @G_Walterbush.