It's Official! The Geek Girl Launch Party is a Go!

Eborn Books at South Towne Mall has been gracious enough to offer to host the launch party for Geek Girls release.

10450 S State St, Sandy, UT
12-3 p.m.

Plan to be there for lots of fun and giveaways.

Where is Geek Girl Hanging out Today?

Thoughts at One in the Morning: Jessica says: "I loved the geek talk, the emotions, the development of Jen and Trevor’s relationship, it was all great." "Trevor was definitely a crush-worthy guy in my opinion." "His sweetness is the cherry on the ice cream sundae of his crush-worthiness."

Bookworm Lisa: Lisa says: "There is drama and heartache. It isn't resolved overnight for the characters. They have to face the emotional impact of their decisions. This seems real to me." "I vacillated between four and five stars and thought that the way the book made me feel at the end was definitely worth the five stars."

Books to the Sky: Kaitlin says: "I adored this book. Absolutely adored." "Even though the storyline was a bit predictable, that didn't deter me from reading it. In fact, I would say it was the opposite. I couldn't put Geek Girl down!" "Geek Girl made me smile, giggle and wish that I'd met a boy like Trevor in high school!"

Where the Geek Girl Tour is Today

As the Spine Breaks: (Blog post and review) Caren says: "The titles for chapters are awesome" "...as the story moves on the characters evolve into complex people." "These characters are blessed to be in a really great story, as well as being authentic and interesting."

The Plot Thickens: Stop by to see Cindy's blog post on plotting.

Forbidden Passions Reviews: Catie says: "I for one think that this is one of the best YA books of the year." "...when I was not reading Geek Girl I was thinking about it." "This is a beautiful story about falling in love for the first time..."

In Gratitude Giveaway

In gratitude to all of my readers and followers, I'm giving away a copy of my newest novel, Immortal Mine, as soon as it comes available (before the end of November). You can choose a paper copy or an ebook copy (Kindle or Smashwords).

You don't have to do anything, except be a GFC follower (link is on right side about halfway down). All of my followers are automatically entered. Contest closes at Midnight MST 11/11/11.

This contest is international.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

THANKS TO ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS AND CONGRATS TO WINNER: KRYSYKAT!

WINNER CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG.

Where Will the Geek Girl Blog Tour Stop Today?

Wordpaintings Unlimited: Sherry says: "Geek Girl is fun, witty, enchanting, and wonderful." "I fell in love with Trev. He is sweet, funny and completely nerdy; who doesn't love a good nerd." "I loved being inside the head of Jen. Her sarcasm is hilarious."

The Crazy Dream Blog: Devon says: "...what kept me reading was Jen's voice. It was honest, believable and she had a good heart..." "It made me laugh a lot and a tear escaped here and there..." "Geek Girl is a sweet read"

Vampire Wire: Marta says: "It's a great fun read, full of sweetness and romance." Read Cindy's interview by Marta. If nothing else, definitely stop by to see the amazing videos Marta posted!

Today's Geek Girl Blog Stops

Courtney's Book Nook: Courtney says: "Great beginning and great ending." "... it has an original plot and outstanding writing." "When I read her book ... I fell in love with her story of Jen and Trevor."

Inklings Read: Sarah says: "Geek Girl is one to own simply for it’s stunning cover!!" "Jen is nothing like the usual insecure, boring, dependent, YA females ... I not only found her story intriguing, but her character was extremely complex."

The Character Connection: Read Cindy's guest post on developing characters for your story!

Blog Tour Stops Today

Five Alarm Book Reviews: (Guest Post and Review) Stephanie says: "Geek Girl ... has both a great storyline and wonderful characters." "There is a tenderness about the book that is refreshing, but I never felt like it was sappy or ridiculous. Geek Girl is believable."

Coffee, Books and Me: (Interview and Review) Jenna says: "It was romantic and sappy, sweet & funny, and fast-paced & clichéd but I still loved it and I was entirely moved by it." "... as I read the last page, I wanted to read more of Jen&Trevor’s love story."

Reading, Eating, and Dreaming I was Blair Waldorf: Morgan says: "I absolutely loved this novel. It's entertaining, it's touching, and it’s not your typical chit lit." "I fell madly in love with Trevor and Jen." "...predicting the overall scheme of things didn’t stop me from devouring and loving this novel."

Geek Girl Blog Tour Starts Today!

The Geek Girl Virtual Blog Tour begins today and runs through November 25th. Please check in daily to see where we are for the day.

Today's blog stops are:

Jolene's Been Writing: Jolene says "I first fell in love with this book when it was suggested by amazon because of some of my recent purchases - you know how pushy amazon can be ;D" "I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did!!!" "And I <3 this cover SO much."

Night Owl Reviews : 4.5/5 Stars makes Geek Girl a NOR Top Pick! Books4Betty says: "Every so often a great Young Adult book lands in my hands and Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett is one of those said books." "Geek Girl is a MUST read! It is really sweet, funny, and heart-breaking."

Dragonfire: The Creative Spark: Read Connie's interview with Cindy!

Interview with Author RJ Palmer

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m not sure there’s much to tell.  I live in Sioux City, Iowa and I’m a stay at home mom right now.  I write because it’s my passion and my compulsion and not so much a personal choice as a need.  Sometimes I feel like the little old lady who lived in the shoe from the nursery rhyme because of the sheer number of children I have and if I had a dime for every time someone had asked me if I knew where kids came from and I had answered that they shouldn’t drink the water well, I would be able to hire someone to make dinner for the family instead of making it myself.  Pity.

At what point did you decide you wanted to become a writer, and why?

I didn’t so much make the decision as it made me.  When I sat down one day and started writing and just couldn’t get away from it, I knew that I had stumbled onto something there.  I didn’t think of myself as a writer until I was a little older and someone mentioned the idea to me after they had sampled my written work and told me I needed to pursue a career as a writer.  Funny that because up until then I would feel somewhat morose when I thought about a career choice.  I figured my only marketable skills were an ability to work a cash register and realistically, if being obnoxious is a marketable skill, I wouldn’t have to work for a living.

How do you write: outline or seat of your pants, and why?

It’s seat of my pants all the way because ideas pop into my head while I’m freelancing it that don’t come when I’m trying to follow an outline and it may sound a little OCD but I can never manage to bring myself to add a little here and there to an outline.  It just doesn’t seem right so I’ll make quick notes here and there on scratch paper and follow those but I’ll probably never be able to follow an outline.  How silly is that?

Tell us about your inspiration for Birthright:

There’s not much to tell unless sheer penniless boredom has become anecdotally interesting.  Not in my experience but I had had the idea for Birthright bouncing around in my head for what seemed like an eternity and it was only when I didn’t have anything else I could do (therein lies the penniless boredom) that I acted on my compulsion to write a book and the rest of the story tells itself.

Who designed the cover of your book?

I did and that’s a problem because while I can write fairly well, I have absolutely no artistic ability beyond that.  I was flat broke so I couldn’t hire a cover artist and I googled a free program, dabbled with it a bit and then came up with the cover for Birthright.  I know someone else could do better and I have every intention of giving someone else the opportunity to improve upon the cover art or scrap it entirely and do something much cooler.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

I am the world’s biggest coward when it comes to rejection.  I had gotten about forty or so rejection letters from agents when I spent the time and energy to send them query letters and I couldn’t take it anymore.  What a pansy, huh?  Anyway, my other half told me about the no cost self-publishing on Amazon and the rest kind of snowballed from there.  I wasn’t about to pay to publish because I can’t see myself giving my hard earned money to the tune of thousands of dollars for something I could pay a lot less for, do the work myself and end up actually turning a profit.  I will never go the vanity publishing route because it just seems like such a waste to me.

What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing?

Don’t worry about anything else right now, just sit down and write.  That and my favorite and most respected author told me that I needed to be stubborn though the word he used was “persistent”.  It worked out well for me because it taught me not to just give up or leave well enough alone and here I am a few years and a couple novels later, happily independent and loving it.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

The Netherlands and not for the purely obvious reasons.  I mean yes, I would love to go visit one of their coffee shops and get myself wasted but that would just be because I could.  Other than that, the Netherlands are steeped in history and they have the red light district which may sound a little unusual coming from someone like me, but anyone who says they’re not faintly curious about what goes on in the RLD, not the commerce mind you but the sheer freedom of the idea, is lying to themselves and everyone else.  I’m inquisitive by nature and it just seems like it would be interesting to see.  That and the largest flower garden in the world, what a sight that would be!  Just to get a taste of the culture would be awesome.

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?

I think that ebooks are the green option and I really have no preference any or all ways.  I’m just as fond of curling up with a paperback as an ebook reader or a hardcover, it’s all the same to me.  The only thing of which I’m not fond is the cost of some ebooks because while to a certain point I can understand the cost of a paperback or hardcover because you have to factor in production costs; paper, ink and the like such costs simply don’t exist with an ebook and I feel that to charge the same price for an ebook as you would a hardcover copy is exorbitant price gouging.  That’s just how I look at it though it may not be the same point of view as everyone else.

One of your favorite quotes:

One of my favorite quotes has nothing whatsoever to do with writing and while I have several favorites, I’ll choose a shorter one.

One must never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. – Helen Keller

This is a powerful and complete thought that in my opinion truly needs no further explanation.  Well said, Ms. Keller!

Learn more about RJ Palmer here!

Birthright

One beleaguered man…

In the bitter cold of an unseasonable Colorado winter, Raine Donnelly’s life is turned hopelessly upside down.  The things that begin to happen couldn’t possibly be real.  Machines malfunction and electricity goes haywire, and that’s just the beginning.  The doctors think it’s a brain tumor and that he’s having blackouts and hallucinations and insist on further testing.  But if that’s the case, why is someone trying to kill him?  Isn’t one scared and dying man relatively harmless?

One woman living in no man’s land…

Raine’s widow Sierra is planning a vacation to Colorado with her twin daughters, Renee and Elizabeth who have been contrarily insisting that they’re going to visit their dead father and ruining Sierra’s carefully cultivated calm and rationality.  It took her a long time to piece her life back together after he died and for her daughters to refuse to accept the truth is tearing her apart.

An inevitable chance encounter…

When their worlds collide all hell breaks loose and Raine must find a way to piece together the fragmented truth of his past without getting all of them killed…

Get your copy of Birthright on Amazon and Smashwords

Review of Mandi Tucker Slack's "The Alias"

Mandi Tucker Slack was kind enough to do an interview for me a while back. Now that she's on her blog tour promoting her book, The Alias, I decided to re-run her interview along with a review of her highly-recommended book.

"After a long and difficult divorce, Jacey thinks the worst is over. Little does she know she'll soon be forced to go undercover to protect her family, and in the process, she'll risk losing her identity, her future, and her heart. With a lightning pace, a good dose of humor, and a plot that's full of suspense, this thrilling novel is an edge-of-your-seat read."

I have to say that I love a book that is clean. Anyone who knows me or who has read my own work knows that. Even more than that, I love a book that is clean and GOOD! And Slack's The Alias fits that bill very well.

Jacey Grayson is forced to go into hiding to protect herself and her son from her violent ex-husband. She's not happy about the deception required, especially when she sees her son becoming sullen and withdrawn. But she finds a sense of safety at the ranch in rural Utah with Grant and Helen, two very lovable characters. Of course, the story doesn't end there, and her sense of security is shattered when her ex shows up and takes Blaze, her son.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but I do want to say that this is an edge-of-your-seat story, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I love that I couldn't figure out which way the story was going from the beginning, as happens many times with books. Never fear, there is also plenty of rmance for our sympathetic, very likeable heroine. Slack handles the abuse, romance, sense of family, suspense and action with a masterful hand, never too heavy handed or preachy, and never glossing over the reality of Jacey's situation. I highly recommend this book.

Read Mandi's INTERVIEW

Buy The Alias