Day Twenty-Five - All About MILA 2.0 + Giveaway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Profile

Name - MILA 2.0 (Goodreads)
Author - Debra Driza
Genre - Sci-Fi Thriller
Release Date - March 12th 2013

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Available - The Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Insider's Scoop

I feel like I should don a navy suit and dark sunglasses while sharing this Super Sekrit Insider Info...except it’s really just Super Silly Random Info. I’m thinking my jammies are appropriate attire for that!

- I didn’t write MILA 2.0 in chronological order. The first scene I wrote was the falling-out-of-the-truck scene, and I skipped around from there. (Bad author. BAD.)

- Despite the above, MILA 2.0 is the first book where I’ve ever written an outline first and worked from that. Usually, I’m a total pantser (a word that brings back long-buried memories of my teammates in high school thinking it was the pinnacle of hilarity to yank each other’s pants down in public. Belts are your friends, people.)

- I was sure that my editor was going to think I was crazy when she read the scene where Mila starts singing as a distraction. (If she did, she was kind enough not to mention it—and the scene stayed!)

- I’m pretty sure my editor *did* think I was crazy when I first wrote the Obstacle Course from Hell scene in MILA 2.0, since it included a huge pile of cadavers. Luckily, she nixed that—MILA 2.0 vs. Zombies just doesn’t have the same ring as a title.

- In my mind, I’d pictured the cover of MILA as being more action-y and gender neutral, so I was really surprised when I saw it for the first time. But I absolutely love it, so I’m glad I’m not in charge of covers!

- I wasn’t able to travel to Clearwater, Minnesota (where Mila is living at the beginning of the book) but I did manage to convince my husband’s best friend—an ER doc—to drive down from Minneapolis, hang out in the local Dairy Queen, and take photos for me. I totally owe him a Blizzard.

- Mmmm, Blizzards (Bookie's Note: mmmmmmm)

- Originally, the first third of the book contained a lot more scenes between Hunter and Mila and Mila and Kaylee, but we had to sacrifice them to up the pace. I’m hoping to publish the cut scenes on my website once the book debuts.

- Er, we had to sacrifice the scenes, not Hunter, Mila, and Kaylee—because that would just be weird. (Not to mention, make for a boring second half of the book. Unless they came back from the dead. In which case we’re back to the whole MILA 2.0 vs. Zombies thing. Hmmmm….)

~Giveaway~

Debra is giving away (2) TWO Pre-Orders of MILA 2.0!

Rule of Entry -

- International

- Ends 25th of January

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on either of Debra's posts +1 each

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Debra on Twitter +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx

Day Twenty-Four - All About Debra Driza ( MILA 2.0)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Debutante Profile

Name – Debra Driza
Debut - MILA 2.0

Genre – Sci-Fi Thriller

Website– HERE 

Blog -  HERE

Twitter - HERE

Debra Driza is a member of the YA lit blogging group the Bookanistas and a former physical therapist who finds torturing her characters infinitely more enjoyable. She’s particularly fond of sweets, all that is random, and teen TV, and is pretty sure she wasn’t built in a computer science lab based on her inability to find her keys and master the common calender. These days you can find her at her (messy) home in California, wrangling one husband, two kids, and an assortment of Rhodesian Ridgebacks (all of which are varying degrees of naughty). MILA 2.0 is her first novel.

Dream Debutante Dress - I LIKE! Steampunk inspired dresses are SO FETCH! 

Notes from a YA Debutante

I’m so excited to be a part of the Debutante Ball, woot! I love this dress because it’s feminine and tough at the same time—especially when paired with combat boots!

I’m not totally sure these will be interesting facts so much as random facts--my mind sort of flits around sometimes (not very shocking to those who know me in person or follow me on Twitter).

1. I am prone to random outbursts of singing and dancing in public, neither of which I do very well. Also, I am a virtual encyclopedia of bad 80’s lyrics. Combine the two and you get special occasions like me serenading innocent bystanders (and Veronica Roth) with Wham! Rap during SCBWI (special thanks to Stephanie Kuehn for the backup.)

2. Speaking of SCBWI-- I may have spent part of my first trip there looking up dirty words on urbandictionary.com and torturing my roommates.

3. HA! Is my favorite sleepover game, one that I try to make all of my roommates play anytime I go to a conference (why am I getting this feeling that finding roommates will soon be a challenge?)

4. If you’re at a book event and hear “Caw-CAW!” it’s about 1000x more likely that it’s me than a rabid cockatoo flying through the hotel. And if you see some crazy blond girl performing The Worm or planking…RUN! 

Debra Planking at the ALA

Debra performing The Worm at SCBWI 2012

5. We don’t own any birds, but we do have Rhodesian Ridgebacks, which are supposedly lion hounds but act more like couch hounds. I’ve taken several into the show ring over the years, which can be a very humbling experience.

6. I don’t watch much TV, but when I like a show I’m a total addict. I think I watched all 3 seasons of Veronica Mars in under two weeks, and when Buffy was still on the air, I used to frantically hunt down spoilers for the next week as soon as the “Grrr…Argh” sounded on the current episode.

7. My current favorite TV show is probably Awkward!—why oh why must it only be on in the summer?

8. I was a swimmer growing up, and my hair was super blond so sometimes the chlorine would turn it green--especially in summer. Nowadays, I add all kinds of colored streaks to my hair, but I avoid green because it reminds me of Swimmer’s Hair.

9. Can we talk about The Worm again?

10. Wham, Bam, I am, a man……

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bookie's Note: This is going to extremely weird but the first thing that came to mind when I saw the picture of you planking was "she clearly works out, look at the ARM DEFINITON!" Tehehe. Debra if we ever met in real life, I want you to be my best friend and we can communicate through bird calls  and break out into a Glee worthy duet together  (not going to lie, I do that in public as well. I have no sense of shame). Can someone explain to me what HA! is? And 

Make sure to come back tomorrow for the second half of Debra's feature! We have some juicy secrets lined up and a fantastic giveaway! 

Badass Bookie xx

Day Twenty-Three - All About Pivot Point + Giveaway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Profile

Name - Pivot Point (Goodreads)
Author - Kasie West
Genre - Contemporary Paranormal
Release Date - February 12th 2013

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Available - The Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Insider's Scoop

It’s fun to find out some “behind the scenes” making of a book. So I thought I’d share a few tidbits of how Pivot Point became Pivot Point.

1) My husband named my book. I had no idea what to call it.

2) The ending of the book was changed multiple times because apparently I was being a little too mean to my poor MC and my editor thought we needed a more hopeful ending. I kept trying to add as little as possible and she kept calling me out on it. I’m very happy she did because I love the way it ends now.

3) Another reason to thank my editor? She thought the big kiss should be sooner so there could be more kissing. I agree. More kissing is better.

4) My favorite character to write was Laila, the tough best friend of Addie. She was so much fun and had such a strong voice that part of book two is told through her POV.

5) Pivot Point takes place in Texas. My husband and I once had a 6 hour(!) layover in Dallas and decided to explore the city. There are a few nuances in book 1 and a scene in book 2 that are lifted straight out of that exploration.

Check out what reviewers have to say about Pivot Point - Publisher's Weekly | Kirkus

~Giveaway~

Kasie is giving away a Preorder of Pivot Point!

Rule of Entry -

- International

- Ends 23rd of January

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on either of Kasie's posts +1 each

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Kasie on Twitter +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx

Day Twenty-Two - All About Kasie West ( Pivot Point)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Debutante Profile

Name – Kasie West

Debut - Pivot Point

Genre – Paranormal Contemporary

Website– HERE

Blog -  HERE

Twitter - HERE

Kasie lives with her family in central California, where the heat tries to kill her with its 115 degree stretches. She graduated from Fresno State University with a BA degree that has nothing to do with writing and is now working on her PhD in Junior Mint Eating.

Dream Debutante Dress -  Bookie's note: So simple and elegant! It's even white! What a beautiful dress selection! :)

Notes from a YA Debutante

I’m so excited to be one of the 2013 featured debutantes. When I was shopping for this dress they said they’d throw in Mr. Darcy with purchase. I started to ask if they meant the Collin Firth version or the Matthew MacFadyen one then I realized it didn’t matter.

So as evidenced by my dress selection, I’m a fan of Ms. Jane Austen. I was an avid reader long before I tried my hand at writing. Outside of writing I like to wakeboard….well, I try to wakeboard, I’m not very good. Mostly because I’m scared of injuries. This is an unfounded fear, I’ve only broken a bone once and it wasn’t while wakeboarding. It was actually while walking through a parking lot. I tripped over a parking curb while carrying a baby seat. Broke my wrist. So technically I should be scared of parking lots. Or baby seats. But I saved the baby!! Yes, I’m a true hero. My wrist can now tell me when it’s going to rain.

Speaking of baby seats. I’ve had to carry four different baby seats through dozens of different parking lots in the course of my life. There were actual babies in those seats as well. But I don’t have any more babies. My oldest is a Freshman in high school. And my youngest started school this year. I will go cry now.  It was a short cry because I remembered how much writing time that gives me. Yay for writing time!

I actually have lots of writing time because I have the world’s most supportive husband. I met him in college. He played basketball. Yes, a book nerd married a 6’8” jock. Turns out he likes books too and I like to watch sports. We fit well. Plus, he doesn’t mind that I brought Mr. Darcy home from the dress store. He agreed that it was a very good deal with purchase.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bookie's Note: Kasie, your life is like a YA contemporary novel! The book nerd falls in love with the jock who likes to read too! Perfection! Now I'm inspired to go to college in America! I haven't read any of Jane Austen's books but your enthusiasm over Mr. Darcy makes me want to! (Perhaps next year!) I've never wakeboarded before, it always looked so dangerous and I'm not exactly the most outdoorsy person but I must give it ago sometime!

Make sure to come back tomorrow for the second half of Kasie's feature! We have some juicy secrets lined up and a fantastic giveaway! 

Badass Bookie xx