Tour Kick-off: Ink

Hi guys,

I'm so pumped up for the INK blog tour! A big thank you to the amazing Amanda Sun for collaborating with me on this tour, where over six days, we will have various book bloggers reviewing the book and doing promotional posts...

In short, everything will be about "Why I love INK" :)

Get ready to see how awesome INK is from various perspectives, and if you are still hesitating about this book, be convinced thoroughly by all the INK-love <3

Without further ado, here's the list of fabulous bloggers who have joined Amanda and I in promoting INK, the book about beautiful boys, Japanese gods and delicious Japanese food!

TOUR SCHEDULE

June 20 – Bookcase to Heaven (Tour Kick-off)

Becky's Barmy Book Blog

Birth of a New Witch

June 21– Total Travel

Girls in Capes

Tar Heel Bibliobabe

June 22 – Cover Bound

The Fairytale Nerd

The Soul Sisters

June 23 – Book Scents

The Quiet Concert

Rondo of a Possible World

June 24 – Jassie

Gypsy Reviews

June 25 – FlutterealFlight

Priscilla Shay

The Bookaholic Blurbs

BLURB

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Paperback, 377 pages

Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen

ABOUT AMANDA

I’m a YA author and proud Nerdfighter. I was born in Deep River, Canada, a very small town without traffic lights or buses, and where stranger safety is comprised of what to do if you see a bear—or skunk. I started reading fantasy novels at 4 and writing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Hopefully my work’s improved since then.

In university I took English, Linguistics, and Asian History, before settling into Archaeology, because I loved learning about the cultures and stories of ancient people. Of course, I didn’t actually become an archaeologist—I have an intense fear of spiders. I prefer unearthing fascinating stories in the safety of my living room.

The Paper Gods is inspired by my time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan. That and watching far too many J-Dramas. I currently live in Toronto with

my husband and daughter. When I’m not writing, I’m devouring YA books, knitting nerdy things like Companion Cubes and Triforce mitts, and making elaborate cosplays for anime cons.

Official Site | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY (Aw, yeah!)

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xoxo,
Sel

Young Adult Fiction Set All Around the Globe

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”

― James Baldwin

Every book opens another door to a whole new world, with new sights, sounds and wonder beyond your wildest imagination (sounds cheesy but it's true).

So here are a list of places/countries which you can explore through books, listed in alphabetical order. Whether you live in New York, Singapore or the Federated States of Micronesia, there are some real exotic countries out there for you to travel to through the words of talented authors:

Afghanistan: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Brazil: The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson 

China: Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Denmark: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 

Egypt: Sphinx's Princess by Esther M. Friesner

France: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins            

Greece: Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel 

Hawaii: Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

Italy: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Japan: Ink by Amanda Sun

Korea: Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Los Angeles: Vain by Fisher Amelie 

Malibu: Blonde Ambition by Zoey Dean

Nantucket: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Orleans, New: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Pakistan: An Infidel in Paradise by S.J. Laidlaw

Quebec: A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Russia: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

Singapore: Return to a Sexy Island by Neil Humphreys

Turkey: Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfield

United Kingdom: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

These 24 books would be a good way for you to kick-start your worldly travels. Not all are contemporary and hence, these books will offer you peeks into a country's past and future.

Leave your footprints all around the world from the comfort of your armchair.

The world is yours for the reading.

xoxo,
Sel

This is a repost from the original guest post I made on Armchair BEA 2013 while serving as the International Liaison. Read the original guest post here. 

Author Interview: Ashley Elston (author of The Rules for Disappearing)

Welcome to my stop on THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING blog tour organized by Shane @ Itching for Books! She has some amazing tours so do check her site out.

Today, I have an interview with Ashley, in which she mentions Etienne St. Clair (awww) and Julia Roberts and gives us some exclusive information about the book.

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She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky... But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself. 

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Expected Publication: May 14th 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Purchase: Amazon

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YOUR BOOK

You are advertising your book on TV, come up with a catchy tagline!

Never tell anyone your secrets.

Describe Meg and Ethan in three words each.

Meg: Strong, loyal, determined

Ethan: Smart, trustworthy, adorable

Which fake identity did Meg had the most fun with? (Maybe something to do with the hair color?)

Without giving too much away – probably her time in Florida. Who wouldn’t want to spend every day at the beach?

If your characters had the chance to talk to you face to face, what would they each say?

I can’t believe you did this to us.

What was your inspiration for this book? And, why write about the Witness Protection Program?

I wanted to tell the story of a girl who had to hide her true identity and how tough that would be. I’ve always been fascinated by the Witness Protection Program and thought it made a great backdrop for a thriller.

What was one unexpected thing that surprised you in the process of writing this novel?

What surprised me the most was how many talented people it takes to get a book out into the world.

YOU

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Ummm…I guess Julia Roberts because I love her smile and she always seems so happy.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Titles are so hard! I guess… Laissez le bon temps rouler

(For any of you wondering, that means "let the good times roll"!)

Tell me about the worst date in your life.

A boy from another high school invited me to his prom. It was on a riverboat and he was the only person I knew. Once the boat left the dock, we were stuck there. It was the longest four hours of my life.

If you could travel back and forth in time, which era or time period would you choose?

Roaring 20s! I would love to be in a flapper dress listening to jazz music in a dance hall.

Kiss. Kill. Marry. (Your choice.)

Kiss: Etienne St. Clair

Kill: King Leck

Marry: Etienne St. Clair (Love him!)

THIS OR THAT

Heels or sneakers? Sneakers

Thrillers or Romantic Comedies? Both – depends on the mood!

Big Bad Wolf or Prince Charming? While the Big Bad Wolf might be exciting, Prince Charming wins for the long haul

Thai food or Chinese food? Yum! I love both but eat more Chinese food since there’s not a Thai restaurant where I live.

Twilight or Harry Potter? Always Harry.

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ABOUT ASHLEY

Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband, three sons and two cats. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a licensed Landscape Horticulturist and helps her husband run a commercial lawn and landscaping business. They also custom harvest pecans and have cows. Yes, cows.

ashleyelston.com | twitter.com/ashley_elston

GIVEAWAY (Aw, yeah!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


xoxo,
Sel