Today Squeaky Books hosts Nicole from WORD for Teens. I asked Nicole to write about what she would do if she could host any author's birthday. Nicole will be hosting tomorrow's contest. Check back tomorrow at noon to find out more!

Enna posed this question for me - you know, because it's BIRTHDAY related, and it's her BIRTHDAY MONTH! Let the confetti sparkle and the cake be cut and all that fun stuff.

You have to throw a birthday party for your favorite author (or one of your favorites). Who are you throwing the party for, and what do you do?

And there are so many options to answer! For instance, I absolutely adore Soulless by Gail Carriger. It would be fun to bring her to Mohonk Mountain House (http://www.mohonk.com/), which is a Victorian castle, and host a ball! Preferably without vampires trying to kill us, of course.

And then there's Suzanne Collins, author of the Gregor the Overlander series. Oh, and The Hunger Games series. (I love both.) But I have absolutely no idea what I would do with her! Perhaps we would rent a movie theater and then go to Uno's or something to eat afterwards. Something chillax.

Of course, I love Anne McCaffrey, too. She wrote the DragonRiders of Pern series - and about a gazillion other things. As she's in her eighties now, I think it would be awesome just to go to her house in Ireland and have a cozy get together - and maybe rent a hot air balloon. Yes, a hot air balloon sounds JUST the thing.

Or Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre. But it'd be hard to throw a birthday party for her. She's dead.

But we COULD throw her a deathday party, alla Nearly Headless Nick in Harry Potter, I suppose...

What about YOU? Who's your favorite author? What would you do for their birthday?

Today Squeaky Books is featuring Resugo from Resugo Reads. She's hosting our giveaway today! An ARC of Pegasus by Robin McKinley! Are you drooling over a chance to win this book? Read on to figure out how to enter!

She wrote a very creepy short story about a birthday. *shivers* You should totally read it:

Chell looked around at the faces glowing in the halo of light cast by sixteen candles on her birthday cake. And smiled.

“Happy Birthday, dear Chelly-bell, happy Birthday to you!” they finished, obnoxiously loud and off-key.

With closed eyes and a deep breath, Chell wished silently, “I want to be beautiful.” One long blow, and all the candles extinguished, leaving the room in blackness.

“Lights on,” Mom said. The lights glowed immediately, leaving Chell and her family blinking in the sudden brightness.

“Chell,” said Dad, a slight upturn at the corner of his lips. “Sometimes wishes do come true.” And then he handed her an oversized, iridescent envelope. “Happy birthday.”

Chell was afraid to breath. She didn’t need to open the sparkling silver packet to know what it contained. An invitation to visit Glamour.

“Really?” It was barely a whisper, a pin dropping into the silence.

They all started laughing then, Chell’s excitement spreading. Mom, Dad, and their three younger daughters all nodded.

Squealing, Chell began to jump up and down, an impromptu dance in her parent’s kitchen. She would have her Moment, and it would last a lifetime. “I’m going to Glamour!”

*********
The appointment was for the following Saturday. Mom wouldn’t let Chell go on the hoverbus alone, so Tessa tagged along for the two hour ride. Chell thought it rather silly since Tessa was two years younger, but she supposed that their parents thought of her as being more responsible because she was a better student. At the moment, Chell just thought of her as boring.

Tessa had her iUniverse out watching the news stream. Chell was at a bad angle, the anchor’s holographic face fuzzy at the edges. The sound was tuned just for Tessa, so Chell couldn’t even hear more then a few words. Didn’t matter, it was boring anyway. Something about Generation Linked, or whatever the new catch phrase was for kids their age. Who cared?

*********
The lobby of Glamour was unlike anything Chell had ever seen. The vaulted ceiling soared at least four stories high, natural sunlight from the wall of windows illuminating the reception desk and waiting area. Water flowed in a fountain in the corner, cascading down ten feet over rocks and plants. An aquarium to the left was larger than Chell’s whole living room. She caught a fleeting shadow moving in the iridescent light. A shark?

Chell would never admit how nervous she was as she followed the receptionist down a long hallway. She’d read through her Glamour instructions at least four times a day, gleaning as much information as possible when there really wasn’t much offered. Chell had learned more from celebrity gossip feeds than from Glamour itself.

She was taken through one of the doors into a small doctor’s office. Medical bed, computer monitor, a bunch of machines with beeping lights.

“Sit down on the bed” said the receptionist in a sickly sweet voice. She smiled politely when Chell did as she was instructed. “Just a few tests, and then it’s time for your Moment.”

Tests? Chell had read that Glamour needed no questionnaire because they knew your inner desires and dreams without being told. This must be how.

An IV in her arm, sticky pads on her forehead, a breathing mask over her mouth and nose. Not exactly what she was expecting.

“Breath deeply.”

One moment Chell was staring at the spotted pattern of the ceiling tiles, the next she was spotlighted on stage. A long catwalk before her. Cheering crowds. She looked down at herself, reveling in the curves of her body wearing a vibrant red designer gown. This was her birthday wish come true. To be praised and adored. This is what she could aspire to.

********
Tessa was told that the appointment could last anywhere from three to five hours. She hadn’t minded spending her Saturday with Chell, if only because she was curious. Tessa had no desire to have her own Moment to discover what she wanted out of life. She suspected her parents had paid so much because they wanted to give Chell something to work for. Everyone who’d come to Glamour said that once they’d experienced their innermost wishes, they knew they could attain them. They were more confident and secure. It changed their lives.

Tessa didn’t need that.

Looking at the news feed on her iUniverse, Tessa knew exactly what her dream was. To be an investigative reporter. To seek out secrets of the powerful and expose them to the light. At the moment she just wanted to find out why Generation Linkers were acting so strangely. Only yesterday an eighteen-year-old-boy blew up a hotel with an estimated one hundred thirty people inside, his own body the bomb. A few months before, a college student opened fire on her history class, with perfect aim wounding twelve and killing twenty-five. The teacher was the governor’s daughter, the first one pronounced dead. The shooter’s parents hadn’t even known she knew how to hold a gun.

The holographic reporter admitted she was more worried about America’s youth than she was about terrorists. She blamed it on the over stimulation caused by their addiction to technology.

“Tessa.”

Suddenly Chell was standing before Tessa, an unfamiliar smile playing on her lips. She looked different, more confident. Taller?

“How was it?”

“The best birthday. Ever.”

*********
The doctor sat down wearily in the break room. He’d already done three implants that morning and was expected to do another two before he could go home. The last girl he’d done hadn’t been a looker, but that wouldn’t matter. What did matter were the political connections her father had with China. With the computer chip imbedded in her brain, she’d do whatever she was told. Probably not soon, but someday she would be needed. Now she was ready.

It was amazing, the doctor mused, how much parents paid to have their children experience their Moment of bliss. How easy it was to have access to young one’s minds when parents chose not to investigate any further than the flashy appointment packet.

Today we have another contest going up at noon, yay! While we're waiting for that, though, I thought I'd introduce a new segment of the birthday bash called: My Favorite Things.

As you know, that's the theme of the Birthday Bash! In these segments I talk about my favorite type of something, and then you can comment with your favorite! Today's feature is MUSIC!




I LOVE music! I used to play the flute, took guitar lessons for a year, and took piano for 6 years. I also sing, but only when no one can hear me. Tee hee.

But more than playing music, I love LISTENING to music! What makes a good song for me? Well, I'll tell you:

No Profanity
Just like when I read a book, I can't stand extreme profanity in music. Blah. I've noticed that if I hear it, I have a tendancy to say it. And that's something I certainly want to avoid.

Cool Lyrics
I love songs like "Wordplay" or "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz. Those lyrics just send my brain whirling! The Regina Spektor songs also rock because of this.

Obscure
I LOVE obscure music that no one has heard of before! Nothing makes me happier than having someone ask me "What song is this? I've never heard it." I guess that's how I feel original. For example, do you guys remember the Numa Numa craze of a few years ago? Well I have EVERY song by that band! I love it! Sure, it's all in Moldovan/Romanian/Russian, but that just makes it cooler! I have a lot of French music too, mostly Julie Zenatti. She rocks.

Emotional
Sometimes I need a sad song (I own two Death Cab for Cutie albums) but usually I like happy songs. You may have noticed this from my IMM videos. I like to be happy. :)




The Family Jewels, by Marina and the Diamonds
This album is so spunky! It's got an awesome beat and some pretty funny lyrics. Plus, the singer's accent makes everything sound AWESOME (she's Welsh, I believe). There are 3 explicit songs on this album. But I just didn't bother to download those. :)

Not enough books this week for a vlog. Well, actually, I got a lot of books, but I can't show them to you because they're surprise birthday giveaways!

Here's non-giveaway books I got. They're pretty good if I do say so myself. :)


Enjoying the bash so far? Did you enter to win a Shannon Hale book?

Today Squeaky Books welcomes Chachic from Chachic's Book Nook. Chachic is a wicked-sweet blogger from the Philippines! TODAY she is hosting a giveaway of any UK Shannon Hale book! Go check it out here. In the meantime, Chachic talks about her last birthday, and the differences between cultures.


Also, we have this thing here in the Philippines where you treat your friends for your birthday. I know it's different in the States because my cousins told me that friends pay for the birthday girl/boy's meal when they go out. So because the birthday person treats the group, it's customary to give gifts. This year, some of my friends requested that I come up with a wishlist and post it on my blog. Of course my list had more books it in that anything else! I received 14 books as gifts as a result of that list. Also, some of girlfriends gave me a box of used books! That's the most number of books that I ever got for my birthday. It made me so happy.

I chose to talk about the book-related aspect of my birthday because this is the year that I started a book blog so I thought it's very appropriate. Aside from these books, I'm also thankful for a lot of things. I have my friends and family, a job, a roof over my head, money to buy good food and books. It hasn’t been smooth sailing all throughout but I’d like to think that the good things outweigh the bad. :)

Thanks Chacchic! Now y'all should head over to her blog to win one of the BEAUTIFUL UK Paperbacks of Shannon Hale's YA book!

Today Squeaky Books welcomes Cate from Sparrow Review. She talks about the woes of having a mid-winter birthday.

Everyone wants what they can’t have.

And what I wanted more than anything as a kid was a summer birthday. Complete with a pool party or trip to a water park or the beach. At the time, it was pretty safe to say that the majority of my friends were born in June-July-August, and I was completely green with envy. Unless you plan on going ice fishing, there isn’t all that much you can do with water for my mid-January birthday. That’s pretty much what my parents told me, that winter wasn’t exactly the best time to enjoy the pool. And, after a few weeks of pleading, I finally gave in and decided to let them pick the theme. Keep in mind that I was seven, and had the memory of a goldfish.

So, the big day rolled around. Eight years old! I remember specifically putting on my birthday outfit (no doubt mismatched) and making my way down the stairs. The step must have creaked, because no sooner had I gotten halfway down them I heard my mother shout, “STOP!” I froze, foot hanging in the air. “You’re going to have to wait in your room for an hour or so while we get things ready.”

Any person with a brain knows being told to go to your room on your birthday sucks. You’re SO excited but you have to contain it in the most boring way possible. Humph. That hour was no doubt one of the longest of my (very short) life. But, when my parents finally called me downstairs, it was clear that every tedious minute had been worth it.

The table was covered in a brightly colored tropical tablecloth, various forms of surf and turf on kabobs, and hollowed out coconuts. For me to DRINK from. Eight-year-old me was ecstatic. All party-goers received a lei or grass skirt. The birthday cake was decorated with dolphins and flowers. I was given a mermaid doll for a gift. Truly, my parents had brought the beach to our home. So what if it was 30 degrees outside? I was the happiest and most content kid in the neighborhood.

Enna-Isilee, I hope you have a ridiculously amazing birthday, one that may defy convention (and weather!) Thanks for letting me take part in the celebration!

Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Genre: Religion/Romance
Pages: 496
Rating:
Series: Halo #1
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.

Review: The little evil voice inside of me was really hoping this book would be badly written. Why? Because the author is younger than me. Yup. I was jealous. I'm gonna have to come to terms with the fact that I'm growing up. (ew.)

And it was well written, very well written. This wasn't well written "for a seventeen year old" this was just  well written. So why only 2 stars? Three reasons:

1. It's the same story we've read a million times. You know: two people fall in love. Only one of them isn't a person, they're a paranormal creature. They have to find someone to overcome this boundary and still end up being together despite all the odds (and the fact that they aren't the same SPECIES). I'm just tired of this! If you liked Twilight, and Hush, Hush, and The Dark Divine, and Firelight, and Shiver(etc. etc.), and are looking for another story like that, you've found one! Some books are managing to pull it off this well-worn story line, and other's aren't, it's up for you to decide
   
   Halo spent the first 300+ pages trying to do this. It then spent the next 50-100 pages talking about whether or not the characters could have sex, which brings me to my next issue:
   ~~~
2. The religion. These angels are Catholic. Even though Adornetto tries to keep the religious aspects vague, they are still Catholic. I am not Catholic, and while religion in books doesn't usually bother me, it REALLY bothers me when beings SENT FROM HEAVEN are getting drunk and contemplating pre-marital sex. It's much less troubling when it's just a mortal facing these decisions. After all, mortals don't know everything.
   
   I've got nothing against Catholics. My roommate from last year attended Catholic high school and we were best friends. But if you're going to create a religion-specific main character, and brand your book as just general "fantasy," you've got to be careful. That's one of the reasons I rarely review books that are based on my religion. I know that everyone doesn't get it, and I don't want to force it on them.
   ~~~
3. Slow. By the time we got past the issue I addressed in #1 & #2 we FINALLY reached the conflict in the book. However, by this point I was bored. Plain and simple. If this book had been 100-150 pages shorter then I think it would have been great. Or even if the conflict had started earlier it would have been AWESOME! Then I would have had something pulling me along besides the romance.
   
   Oh, and just to let you know, the conflict in this story is extremely satanic. As in, the villain comes from the devil. This wasn't just evil, it was demonic.

Should you give this one a try? Certainly! I was so excited when I got an ARC, and I'm still really excited that I have a copy to add to my library. Someone is going to pick this book up (maybe they'll be Catholic, maybe they won't) and they're going to LOVE it. It will blow all other paranormal romances out of the water. But that person wasn't me.

Today Squeaky Books is featuring Caitlin from ScarrletReader she wrote a HI-larious post about the unachievable goal of birthdays.

Birthdays: The Personal Holiday We Love To Hate

Now, I know you may be questioning the title for my guest post. I mean, Birthdays are the best! We get gifts and money and cake and make wishes while blowing out candles or we have an excuse to buy a lot of gifts and spend a lot of money, eat cake, and help someone else make some wishes! What could anyone hate about that?!

Well, maybe the actual fact that you are getting older or you’re just too darn young.

Admit it; I will. There has been a time in your life where at one point you couldn’t wait for your Birthday to come and be another year older. Or, Admit it. There has been a time in your life where you just wish those 365 days would slow down and not have to face the fact that you are another year older. Seriously people, we can never be happy! We are either too young or too old and time is never on our side.

It’s all a process really and below I will show you how I transformed it into an age cycle:

Inside mother’s stomach: You want to get the heck out of there because Mom’s been eating those chocolate covered potato chips again and they go straight to your thighs.

1st Birthday: You want all your teeth to finally grow in so mom will let you near the furniture again (I swear the crew marks are from the dog) and to be able to walk because how else are you suppose to run away from mom when it’s *shudder* bath time.

3rd Birthday: You want to get the heck out of those dippers because, gosh, they can give you a rash. You want to learn to ride a bike and finally be able to read a big person book! (Well maybe the last one was just me, hehe)

5th Birthday: You want to start school and learn to ride a bike without training wheels. You want to make new friends.

9th Birthday: You want to wear your mom’s fancy make up or wear one of your dad’s fancy ties. And you want your age to be in the double digits!

12th Birthday: You want some freedom. You want to be able to hang with your friends without parents. You want to be a teenager.

14th Birthday: You want everything! (haha) You want ever more freedom and you want to start to make money. You want to be 16 and get your permit.

16th Birthday: You want to be 17 to be able to drive without an adult. And maybe a little bit more freedom.

17th Birthday: You want to 18 to be a legal adult (well, in the US).

18th Birthday: You want to be able to live on your own and away from you parents. You want to be 21 and be able to legally drink (well, in the US, again).

21st Birthday: ****content age**** You want to stay this age forever!

25th Birthday: You’re enjoying life and just barely realizing you’ll be 26 next year.

30th Birthday: You wonder where the time has gone; maybe enjoying your own children’s growth.

40th Birthday: You’re wondering if you are really seeing a 4 in front of that zero.

50th Birthday: You’re wishing for 21.

Now, I don’t want this to be seen as how all people are, but can you say that you’ve never been in any of those positions? Just one and maybe a little different?

I remember when I was 12 and I would complain to my mom saying how much I wish I was as old as my best friends. My two best friends were both held back a year making them both two years older than I was. I have a late birthday, which just so happens to be August 18th, and I was one of those kids that just made the cutoff date for school, so I was always the youngest in my class. While I was 12, my best friends were 14, and at that time in life I just wanted to be older and older.

But, about a year ago, I had a very impactful talk with my neighbor’s brother. He’s always at my neighbor’s house, because, well, I think it’s because of the fact he still lived with his parents. I am in no way making fun of him for it. He’s an awesome guy, but he told me one day, while I came out of my house at 2 in the afternoon, just having woke up, that:

“You’re shouldn’t sleep you’re life away.”

My reply? “Well, there is nothing to do! I’m too young to do anything. When I get older I’ll spend more time doing other stuff.” What was I thinking?

He them told me not to waste my youth years with sleep and to get out and enjoy the ride.

Enjoy the ride.

That’s what I’m telling you all today. Enjoy the ride. Don’t worry about age and if you don’t already, good for you. Don’t crave for you birthday to come or wish it away all together. Enjoy the fact that on your Birthday you’re another year older, wiser. Readers, don’t worry that you may not get to read every book and authors don’t worry that you may not be able to write able every idea in your head.

Embrace your age and enjoy every Birthday!

I’d like to thank Enna at Squeaky Books for allowing me to be a guest blogger on her site to celebrate her Birthday Bash! Happy Birthday Enna!

Today I get to feature Holly Cupala and give away a SIGNED copy of her book Tell Me a Secret. I haven't had a chance to read it, yet. But I'm DYING to! Contest info is at the end of the post


Holly didn't just agree to do an interview, she wrote about a very memorable birthday. This post originally appeared at Sarah's Random Musings, but Holly has revamped it a little for me. Enjoy!

First of all, Happy Birthday to Enna Isilee, and many thanks for inviting me to celebrate your Birthday Bash!

Enna asked for a cool/embarrassing/fictional birthday story to celebrate her Birthday Bash…well, I could share with you one of my most memorable ones…Summer Solstice, the south of France, amazing boy…but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I saved up my entire senior year of high school for my French teacher’s biannual trip to France—and there we were, in Nice, on my eighteenth birthday. It was the night of the Solstice Festival, a crazy mélange of people from all over the world who had come to party and celebrate summer.

I was a bit nerdy and shy back then, but my friends on the trip had dressed me up and taken me to a club—red lights and smoke and completely packed because of the festival. My friends paired off, and I ended up in the bathroom line.

That’s when a French girl leaned over to me and said, in English, “My brother thinks you’re cute.”

I looked over and there was this…well, he was…brown eyes, very nice smile…I was completely blushing. (And maybe a little of this memory played into a certain scene in TELL ME A SECRET…?)

I said, “I think he’s cute, too.”

And for some goofy reason, I thought he wouldn’t understand me (maybe because it was his sister who had talked to me). But then…he said, “Thank you.” Whoa.

I’ll spare you some of the details of attraction here, but they invited me to sit down with them. Here’s how our conversation went:

Him: Tell me something in French.

Me: No, no. My French is not good.

Him: Something. Anything.

Me: No, I'm embarrassed. I only know a little French.

Him: Please? (Probably with some flirtatious blinking in there.)

Me: What do you want me to say?

Him: Say…say ‘I love you.’

Me: Okay. Je t’aime.

He was quiet for a moment, and said, "Je t’aime aussi.” (Sheesh! French guys!) Then he leaned across the table and kissed me.

So we ended up going for a walk on the beach and looking at the stars. By this time my friends were trashed, but I was in the midst of something entirely magical. I was not American, he was not French. We were not yet in France, and the Cote d'Azur and Nice. We were in our own world. Kisses followed.

He and his friends drove me back to the hotel—he gave me his coat because I was cold. We hugged goodbye. I forgot to get his address and he forgot to get mine, but I’ll pretty much never forget Guilliame. So…yes, it was a memorable birthday.

Enna, my dear, I hope yours is memorable as well.

LINKAGE LOVE:

Holly's Website
Readergirlz Featured Author August
Tell Me a Secret Podcast (Listen to the book for FREE! Click the link in the upper right that says "audiobook")
Tell Me a Secret Trailer


Today I am giving away a copy of Tell Me a Secret (It's coming from Holly, but it may or may not be signed), but rather than ME host the contest, this is my first outsourced contest! In order to enter you must go visit Rebecca's blog Beck's Book Picks. Want a direct link?

Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Genre: Folklore/Paranormal/Romance
Pages: 355
Rating:
Series: Stork #1
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance?

Review: I surprised myself by liking this book as much as I did. Since it's about being able to choose who gets pregnant, I was worried about a lot of sexual content. Naturally, there was some, but it wasn't explicit at all. The entire novel was practically spotless!

This read to me kind of like a Janette Rallison book: light, but very fun and gripping. I really wanted to know what was going to happen! I love the way Katla developed through the story. She's annoying and materialistic at the beginning, but the reader was able to watch her mature into a very likeable person in a very enjoyable way. It was so subtle that the transformation was easily believed.

And the romance? Very good. Cute and spunky.

I wish there had been more "storking" through the book. She only chooses one person to have a baby in the entire book! And the paranormal element thrown in at the end was... interesting. I'm really excited for both of these aspects to be flushed out in the sequel Frost coming in 2011.

Great job of mixing modern themes, folklore, and the supernatural. All in all, yay! Here's another one I'll definitely be purchasing when it comes out.

Today Squeaky Books will be undergoing a day of silence in honor of the release of Mockingjay.
(A.K.A. I'm too busy reading it to post)The birthday bash will resume tomorrow.

My very first spotlight author is Kiersten White! Kiersten's debut novel comes out a week from tomorrow! You should TOTALLY pre-order it. But you also have a chance to win it here. Today!

I LOVED Kiersten's spunky personality even before I had the chance to read Paranormalcy. And loved her even more after! She's a Utah native (even though she lives in Cali now), which automatically made her a favorite in my book.

I did ask Kiersten for an interview, and she agreed. However, she's been so swamped with interviews that I withdrew my questions. Maybe we'll have an interview with her later, when her fame has died down (ha! as if that will ever happen). For now, I'm just gonna provide some sweet Kiersten-linkage. Scroll down for contest info.

Kiersten's website
Kiersten's Blog
Kiersten's Twitter Page
Paranormalcy GoodRead's Page
Paranormalcy Amazon Page (PRE-ORDER NOW!!!)

Paranormalcy Book-Trailer!


Interview with Kiersten:



Are you DYING to get your hands on a copy of  Paranormalcy? Well now's your chance! I'm giving away a SIGNED, FINISHED copy of Paranormalcy. That's right. A signed, HARDCOVER copy of this AMAZING book!

REQUIREMENTS:
You must be a follower in order to enter (this is not required for most of the Birthday Bash contests, but it IS required for this one)
You must have a US or Canada mailing Address

BONUS ENTRIES:
(+5) Remember those sweet buttons I made to celebrate the contest? No? Well CLICK HERE to see them. If you add one to your blog, you get an extra entry! Be sure to leave me a link.
(+1) Comment on this post
(+1) Tweet about this post (include hashtag #SqueakyBirthday2010 and @Enna_Isilee)
(+1 each) Share this contest somewhere else, FB, blog, etc.

That's right, the moment you've all be waiting for has FINALLY arrived! It's time to kick off the Birthday Bash! Wahoo! Can you believe it's FINALLY here? Can I say FINALLY again?


The theme of the Birthday Bash is MY FAVORITE THINGS. Why? Because it's MY birthday, silly!

The birthday bash consists of 3 basic elements:

• Author Interviews
• Guest Posts
• Giveaways

Everyday there will be AT LEAST one of these going on (except Sundays. I don't post on Sundays). I will explain each in detail now:

Author Interviews
I have had a TON of authors graciously donate their time and effort into answering some interview questions. Look forward to authors talking about their favorite (or not-so-favorite) birthday experiences. Nearly EVERY author interview is associated with a contest.

Guest Posts
I have asked a bunch of my favorite YA bloggers around the web to share something birthday-ish with us. This is a great chance to look into the inner psyche of your favorite bloggers. Muahaha! Guest posts will go up at 7:47 AM MST on designated days (NOTE TO GUEST POSTERS: I had to shift around the days, so the day I said you'd be featured in the e-mail MAY not actually be the correct day. Sorry. E-mail me if you want to know your actual day.)

Giveaways!
Don't pretend this wasn't the part you were most excited about! There will be a giveaway EVERY Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Meaning there will be AT LEAST TWELVE (12) GIVEAWAYS!

I have asked various bloggers to "host" the contests for me (meaning you have to go to their blogs to enter). Ony a few will be hosted here, but I'll provide links to all of them. No worries.

Nearly EVERY CONTEST gives you an extra entry if you are a follower, and some of the contests require it. But not most of them. The majority of the contests are open to residents of the US and Canada, though a couple are only US (sorry international peeps. I <3 you!). Contests will go up at 12:05 PM MST on designated days.



First Interview/Contest goes up at 12:05 today! Be looking for it.

Comment if you're excited! ;)

I'm also going to use this opportunity to thank everyone who donated a prize to the bash:

• Chantele
• Bree Despain
• Holly Cupala
• Resugo
• Robert Paul Weston
• Andrea Cremer
• Debbie Barr
• Sarah Beth Durst
• Ally Condie
• Janette Rallison
• Maria V. Snyder
• ME! (Hey, I can TOO thank myself. I am donating 4 books after all.)

For Review:
Stork by Wendy Delsol (October 12, 2010)
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (October 12, 2010)
Matched by Ally Condie (November 30, 2010)

Won:
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (December 28, 2010)
The Dark Divine T-shirt

Purchased:
Being Sixteen by Ally(son Braithwaite) Condie
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 352
Rating:
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the Intern ...more Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone--or something--starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.

Normal is so overrated.

Review: ...

....

....

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Woah.


This book is... woah. I can't think of a better word to describe it. Except, perhaps, "bleep" which is equally undescriptive.

I guess I'll keep my review brief. Aside from having an AWESOME story line, Kiersten has a FABULOUS voice! I've never really read anything like it. It's quirky and sassy and REAL. Often authors who go for the quirky voice end up with something sounding forced and cheesy. Not Kiersten. Her voice remains true throughout the entire book and had me LAUGHING my HEAD off! And is HAS apparently caused me to PUT random WORDS in all CAPS.

So there you go. Amazingness. It comes out August 31st, and you should preorder it NOW! Lots of cool stuff happens if you preorder it:

Did you know that every time you pre-order Paranormalcy a super hot werewolf inexplicably loses his shirt, a centuries-old vampire enrolls in high school for reasons unfathomable to the rest of us and promptly identifies the object of his obsession, a mermaid realizes life really IS better down where it's wetter and forgets about the emo prince she doesn't even know, and MTV starts casting for The Real World: Atlantis? It's true. You're doing so much good in the supernatural world by supporting Paranormalcy! I've even heard rumors that every time you pre-order, a supernatural guy and a mortal girl who absolutely under no circumstances whatsoever upon pain of death and the destruction of the entire world cannot get together end up having a hot make-out scene anyway!

~Kiersten White

http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/

Hey local peeps! I have something FABULOUS to tell you about!


If you aren't local, you can still donate by clicking here.

To know everything there is to know, you should go to the website:


Additional Resources:

• Silent Auction (Donate to charity AND win cool things!)
• Shannon Hale Talks about WFC
• Bree Despain talks about WFC
• Ally Condie talks about WFC
• Emily Wing Smith talks about WFC
• James Dashner talks about WFC

Most of you have probably seen this:




And you know how I reviewed Ascendant earlier today? Well check this out:


ACTUAL PUBLISHED COVER:

ARC COVER:

I'm practically POSITIVE that is the same picture (EDIT: Actually... I'm not so sure now). It's just been photoshoped! But isn't the difference amazing? The girl on the finished cover looks toned, beautiful, focused, and a little haughty. The girl on the ARC cover is still very pretty, but she looks a little lost and sad.

Most of this has to do with shading. There's a shadow on the ARC cover that makes her mouth turn down in a frown, it's gone on the final cover. Her cheekbones are higher and more defined on the final cover. They've also shaded her chin to make her look thinner, sharper. And the brightness of the eyes gives her that focused look. Even her EYEBROWS have been altered! Plus, the hair has more layers to it. The hair on the final cover sweeps at two different levels, while the ARC cover only goes one way at one speed.

I remember getting the ARC and being a little disappointed. I thought "the cover looked so much prettier online." And then when I saw them side by side, I was a little shocked. Hence this post.

What thinkest thou?

AS A GENERAL NOTE: I am in no way judging the publisher because what they did to the cover. I prefer the final cover, it looks much more polished. This is merely an observation.

Release Date: September 28th, 2010
Pages: 400
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Series: Killer Unicorns #2
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Now a fully trained unicorn hunter, Astrid Llewelyn is learning that she can’t solve all her problems with a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend has left Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend’s powers are mysteriously disintegrating, and her hope of becoming a scientist seems to be nothing but an impossible dream.

So when she’s given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and use her skills as part of a scientific quest to discover the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants—or can she? At Gordian headquarters deep in France, Astrid begins to question everything she had believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and—most of all—her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns or saving unicorns from the world?

Review: I reviewed the first book in this series Rampant earlier this summer.

Ascendant blew it out of the water.

My biggest complaint with Rampant was that it focused too much on the fact that hunters had to be virgins. Lots of sex talk. But since the author got that out of the way in the first book, she didn't have to dwell on it quite as much in this one (It's still there, but not as much).

The way Peterfeund writes Astrid's transformation throughout the book is at times so heart-wrenching and beautiful that I actually felt tears spring to my eyes. I fell in love with Astrid in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible after reading the first book. By the end I was SO SAD that it was over!

So why only 4.5? Two reasons: the ending was VERY sad. I REALLY hope the next one (there is a next one, right?) comes out ASAP. I need closure! Also there was some lesbian stuff. Not a ton, but I really don't like any kind of LGBT. Not my thing. (P.S. If you like LGBT you should check out Kristi's site, she's featuring it right now.) So those two things brought it down a half-star.

But I still gave it a "semi-squeaky" rating because it's just so gosh darn TOUCHING!