I will tell you that Owen from JUST LISTEN was the first book crush who stole our winner’s heart…
Congratulations to everyone who entered our TWENTY BOY SUMMER CONTEST! Tune in NEXT FRIDAY, JUNE 5th, for our next ARC & SWAG GIVEAWAY…which will be just as over the top as our last! It will close out the following FRIDAY, JUNE 12th, and the winner will be announced via video on SATURDAY, JUNE 13th!
And Congrats to our Twenty Boy Summer Winner, we’ll email you as soon as this video goes up to get your mailing address. Yay for you! And thanks to nearly 70 participants in 4 countries for playing! See you next week :)
and let me tell you, it is not an easy one. Summer is coming along in two weeks for me, and I've decided to get a summer job. I figure that I'll need money for college in a few years, and what better way to get it than a job? Um, none. There really is no better way to get cash, unless mommy and daddy are millionaires who can by their precious anything she wants. Anyways, the quest begins! I'd love a job with books, so a bookstore naturally works. But here's the catch– first you have to find openings. So I walk into Bookstore No. 1 and find the nearest employee: "Hi, I was wondering if this store is hiring now, and if I can get a job application?" "Oh, well, we're not hiring right now, but you're welcome to fill out an application." Oh. Ok. So, you won't hire me yet, but I should fill out an app anyways. Ok, I guess that makes sense.Take the application, thank you very much, and I'm off to store No. 2!
(Repeat above conversation for four more stores.)
And so it goes. I've expanded my search to any interesting looking stores in the mall, which is easy to get to and therefore my first choice in terms of location. Finally I happen upon a little store geared toward the Hannah Montana-Jonas Brother- little Miss Cool in training stores that sells earrings and necklaces and pre-teen makeup and all that kind of stuff, and, though it's clearly not a bookstore, ask my same question. "Are you hiring, and can I get an application?" The manager looks at me, expressionless, and pulls out a piece of paper. "Sure, here you go. You can bring this back sometime later, k?" "K! Yes, thank you." Victory! Almost. Now we fill out the application (which asks for my "desired salary") and drop it off the next day…and wait. Indefinitely. "We'll keep your application on file for a year," the manager says. I assume that means that if, in January, they suddenly have a job opening, I'll get a call. Then again, if they're handing out applications, they must have something available for summer, right? With that (somewhat faulty) logic, I'll wait until school ends and see what pops up. A few other bookstores took applications, so as of now I have three applications floating around. With any luck, one of them will decide to hire people (specifically me), and by the end of summer I'll have added some more cash to the College Money Fund. Keeping my fingers crossed, Caster girl 16
Beautiful Creatures has finally made a cameo in my dreams! I was wondering when that would happen.
So I was walking up the history steps of my old high school, SAMO, and as I was walking up I noticed that Beautiful Creatures was on one of the steps. I was going to walk right by it because the cover was not like the cover that we know now, it was a different cover I guess to hide what was really underneath. The script was still the same but the cover was a different title and the color was gold but when I saw the script I stopped and sat down and picked up the book. I took the cover off and noticed that it was the ARC for Beautiful Creatures. I then looked up and around to see if Kami or Margie were around and were the ones that left the book there. I looked at the back of the cover that I had just taken off and it had my name on it! WEIRD, right?!!?!?!!?
So after I picked up the book and continued to walk up the steps my friend comes up to me and I tell her how weird it is that I just found this book on the floor and she snatches it out of my hands and immediately starts reading it. Once she is done with the first chapter she tells me that she won't give me back the book because she wants to keep reading it and she takes off!
I have no idea what this dream means but I just had to share with you guys what is going on in my head. Has anyone else been dreaming of Beautiful Creatures?? If so, describe your dream? Or any dream for that matter that confuses you.
Caster Girls, you guys are famous. Here's our first ever BEAUTIFUL CREATURES interview — talking about YOU GUYS, of course — over on Vania's superfab blog, REVERIE BOOK REVIEWS. Aren't you dying to know what she (and we!) had to say about you:
Many of you might have seen my photos pop up around the Caster Girl's blog or Kami Garcia's blog and perhaps a few of you have been wondering what is the Caster Girl blog about? Who are the Caster Girls? What does it have to do with Beautiful Creatures?
I have the wonderful opportunity to bring you the Caster Girls and one by one I will be interviewing them in the next few weeks so we can all get a glimpse into who they are and why they are so important to Kami and Margie's Debut novel. I am excited to get to know each girl and hope that you all come check back and see what these lovelies have to spill….. * gives mischievous grin*
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, authors of Beautiful Creatures call themselves Caster Girls. But they aren’t the only ones. There is a whole blog dedicated to the Caster Girls. I wanted to interview Kami and Margie and find out more. Because just like their book, the two of them are full of secrets.
Q: You have a link to the Caster Girls blog on your blogs, and those of us who read your blogs know that you talk about them a lot. Who are the Caster Girls?
K: When Margie and I set out to write Beautiful Creatures, we were writing it with a specific group of girls in mind. When we started the book, we gave them pages and they demanded more. They passed chapters to their friends and started asking questions. Their questions, ideas, and criticism shaped Beautiful Creatures- because for us, they were our audience. We had no idea we would sell BC, or even send it out. In the beginning, we were just writing it for them. These girls eventually became the Caster Girls.
M: A Caster Girl, in its broadest definition, is a girl with the power – the incredible power – the superpower, even – to be herself. Which isn’t easy. Each of our Caster Girls is as powerful and unique, quirky and talented, witty and complicated, and crazy as Lena Duchannes, from Beautiful Creatures. They’ve fallen into our lives in different ways – some are friends, family members, even students. But at the end of the writing process, they became the original sisterhood of the book. So to us, they’re family.
Q: Why did you create the Caster Girls blog?
M: The Caster Girls existed long before the Caster Girls blog. The Caster Girls are the girls we write for, and we believed they needed to be heard. I think it goes ultimately to the issue of YA readers having ownership of their own voice. Kami and I felt strongly that the girls who influenced the actual writing of the book should have a way to directly connect with the people reading the book, or even just following the book. Because in so many ways, it’s their book too.
K: Growing up is hard, even in your twenties. It’s hard to be yourself in the face of conformity and peer pressure. It’s hard to stand up to friends, teachers, even parents who don’t understand who you are. These are issues we explore in Beautiful Creatures and issues Caster Girls face every day. We wanted a place for our Caster Girls to express themselves and interact with other girls brave enough to be themselves. We don’t filter a word of what they write; they edit themselves. We wanted a place they could discuss not only BC, but share their experiences, their art, their talents. Because, as we wrote in the dedication of BC, “There are more of us than you think.”
Q: How did the Caster Girls influence Beautiful Creatures?
M: How didn’t they? Literally, we wrote the book for them. We handed the first page to two of the Caster Girls and they said, DO IT! They demanded pages, and every night we were hounded until we had to hand them over. It was like writing a serialized novel for a newspaper, like Twain or Dickens used to. After the first 50 pages, three more Caster Girls were on board; the story had taken off, and so the CGs were even more demanding, because they wanted to know what happened next. And the questions they asked about what happened next literally changed what happened next.
K: When we started getting texts from their friends in the middle of the night asking for more chapters, we knew the story had taken on a life of its own. When we were revising, three new Caster Girls came on board to read our completed drafts, but still had plenty to say. By the time were polishing the prologue and the ending, there wasn’t a Caster Girl who didn't weigh in. And believe me, they’re demanding and picky. And our toughest editors.
Q: The Caster Girls are anonymous. Why and how are they set apart?
K: We wanted to protect their identities and privacy, since they vary in age from 12 to 25. Each Caster Girl is identified by a photo of their favorite pair of shoes and a number (ex. Caster Girl 25, Caster Girl 15). Shoes are kind of a thing in Beautiful Creatures (no spoilers), and the Caster Girls happen to have some pretty wild kicks, which reflect their very different personalities. Checkerboard Vans, purple high-tops, tattered red Chucks with holes and graffiti, super-glued with gems from Michaels. What tells more about a girl than her favorite shoes?
M: No two pairs are alike, and no two Caster Girls are alike. We have a dancer/photographer, an animal activist/photographer, a poet/writer, an artist/athlete, an athlete/musician, and our resident book/music critic. Some want to be writers; others just love being readers. They have different ethnicities, backgrounds, ages, interests…but some things are always the same. The Caster Girls are like this crazy chorus of YA voices that help us remember who it is we’re writing for.
Q: Each Caster Girl has a talent. What are some of the talents we can see on the blog?
M: We love what Caster Girl 17 has done with the Photo of the Day, and 12, 13 & 18 have put together our Caster Girl Art gallery. CG 25 had some great coverage of Coachella. Mostly, we just love to see what they're thinking and read what they're writing.
K: They’ve been putting up everything from photography and art to poetry, writing, and social commentary. Each of the CGs is incredibly talented, and they never fail to surprise us with their unique view of the world. They also come up with some really creative concepts for their blog readers. Caster Girl 25 just started a gallery of photos for Wreck This Journal, a concept developed by writer Keri Smith. CG 25 is challenging other people to wreck their journals, so she can put photos of their journals up on the site.
Q: What are some other features on the blog we can look forward to?
M: Some of our CGs are huge fans of Frank Warren’s Post Secret books and site. In the same spirit, if you send the CGs an anonymous secret on a postcard, they’ll put it up in their Secrets album. Who doesn’t love reading other people’s secrets? They are also planning to have book debates soon, and everyone loves Vania’s Weekly Photo feature!
K: I know they’re also dying to start talking about Beautiful Creatures once the book comes out, but for now they have been great at keeping everything secret. No spoilers! I think they’re really excited to interviewed on your blog because they’re anxious
to speak for themselves, and share their experiences working on BC.
M: I think 13 just wants to tell everyone that she stayed home from school to edit the book.
K: I don’t think we should let her tell people that, especially since we made her stay home and locked her in our office for two days. We might get in trouble with her teachers.
M: Do you think her teachers read YA book reviews?
K: I’m a teacher and I do. But then, I’m sort of crazy.
V: *la di da di da*
M: Hmmm…okay. Vania leave that whole end part out. Um, Vania?
V: *snaps back to reality* Ohhhh Um, yes!! Sure. Sure.
* Meet the Caster Girls at http://www.castergirls.com. *
And stay tuned for my exclusive interviews with the Caster Girls, beginning with Caster Girl 25 next week!
I'll Try really hard not to spoil anything but much like the Caster Girls I am dying to talk to them about "Beautiful Creatures" aren't you?
Check out Vania's REVERIE BOOK REVIEWS sitehereand stop by and leave a comment letting her know (if) you liked your fifteen minutes of fame! Live it up, Caster Girls! And a giant THANK YOU to Vania for having us visit her site today. We can't wait for you all to *meet* her :)
Our version of the rare sea glass bracelet Frankie wears, Lia's signature purple journal, a beach bag, a post card from California, a shell from the beach, and of course Blue Frosting Flavored Lip Gloss.
Six months to go until Beautiful Creatures hits the shelves… Six months to celebrate 12 amazing titles from some of our favorite debut YA authors…
Consider this the Beautiful Creatures Book Club. Twice a month, the BC blog, FB Fan page, Caster Girls Blog & our Author Blogs will highlight one of our favorite new authors, in a themed CONTESTfeaturing their pre-release ARC or their newly released book.
But that isn't the best part. In addition to the ARC/book, the winner will receive a slew of goodies put together specifically for the book.
May's first book is Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler.
“Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?”
“Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?”
For Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, the ingredients for the Absolute
Best Summer Ever are simple: Two girls. Two bikinis. And twenty days in
Zanzibar Bay, California. The best part? According to Frankie, if they
meet one boy every day, there’s a good chance Anna will find her first
summer romance.
Anna lightheartedly agrees to the fun, but there’s something she
hasn’t told Frankie… she’s already had her romance, and it was with
Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death last year.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what
it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every
beautiful moment life has to offer.
~
Read an excerpt from Margie's review below and her full review here.
"Twenty Boy Summeris a stunning piece of contemporary
YA realistic fiction that upends the genre in its refusal to be one
thing or another. Vary rarely can a writer take on all the great
universal themes of love and loss and joy and pain and loyalty and
betrayal at once, while being funny and real and light and slight.
That's what life is like, and that's what Sarah's writing is like, and
I'm so impressed."
If that doesn't make you curious to read Twenty Boy Summer, we'll find Twenty Boys to convince you otherwise!
CONTEST RULES:
For 1 Entry Point: Leave a comment on this post that answers the question…
WHO WAS THE FIRST BOY YOU CRUSHED ON, FROM ANY BOOK, AND WHY?
For 2 extra entry points: Link this Contest to your Blog.
Check out Margie's blog for reviews and links to two amazing ARCs Kami and I both love, Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Tomorrow on the BC Site we will be announcing a contest where you can win both of these cool YA summer titles, along with various related goodies!
And check out Kami's blog for Classic Characters with Vania Stoyanova #3! I think you'll love this one.
cast.er kast/er; n. Definition: 1. a race of Supernatural with varying powers, featured in The Caster Chronicles (see Beautiful Creatures) 2. a person with the power to be him/herself, regardless of what other think
