Today, I have author Hélène Boudreau here to talk about whether or not mermaids exist. For more info about her novel, Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings, check out my review.
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Are Mermaids Real?
That is the question, isn’t it? Or, at least the question I hope to answer in this blog post. Well…the scientist in me is pretty sure that there aren’t pods of pesco-sapiens floating around the seven seas but the ‘kid’s writer’ side of my brain isn’t so sure. So, for the sake of argument, and purely for my entertainment (and hopefully yours), let’s review the evidence from all angles.
Pros: what evidence is there that mer-people actually DO exist?
1. A popular theory of evolution involves the idea that all life forms originated from a watery stew called the Primordial Soup. (Mmm…sounds tasty.) Apparently, a bunch of molecules swam around in a liquid suspension, bumped into each other randomly and somehow organized themselves in such a way to support life. So, if humans got their watery beginning this way, what’s to say that there wasn’t a stray branch on the evolutionary tree? Hm?
2. Humans cry salty tears and sweat salty sweat—just like ocean water. Co-inky-dink? I think not.
3. Apparently, humans are the only land animals that can consciously hold their breath. We have a descended larynx like walruses and sea lions, making it easier to block water from flooding our lungs. The evidence does not lie! I read it on the interwebz, after all.
Cons: what evidence is there that mer-people DO NOT exist?
1. Because Youtube says so:
However, IF mer-people actually ARE real, I have a couple of questions for them:
1. What is your preferred mode of communication? Shellphones? (just kidding…) But seriously, do you squeak high-pitched squeals like dolphins or do you use hand gestures? Oh! Can you teach me how to swear in Mermish?
2. There are millions of hits for ‘mermaids’ on Google so why don’t you have a book deal by now? Want me to hook you up with my agent?
3. Boxers or briefs?
So, what about you? Do you have any theories for or against the existence of Real Mermaids? Feel free to share!
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Hélène Boudreau is the author of REAL MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR TOE RINGS. She’s never spotted a real mermaid in the wild but the writer in her thinks they are just as plausible as seahorses, flying fish and electric eels.
In a fun promotion, Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky is offering signed Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings bookplates with proof of purchase. More info HERE.
*You can find Hélène on Twitter, Facebook and on her Website.
Showing posts with label guest blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest blog. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Friday, January 29, 2010
Guestblog: Cherry Cheva
Today's guestblog is by Cherry Cheva, who wrote one of the few books that made me crack up uncontrolabley. (It's called She's So Money - check it out).
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HAPPY TWO-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY TO HARMONY BOOK REVIEWS! And since this a BLOG and not a CHILD, I am sure these twos will NOT be terrible at all! Let us reflect on the awesomeness of Harmony, shall we?
1) Harmony is the mastermind behind the whole 1-ARC tour thing, which is like the greatest thing EVER. Seriously. When I first heard of this, it was all I could do not to jump out of my chair and go "That's genius!" In fact, I may have done that. I mean, it's such a ridiculously great idea that I have no idea why people haven't been doing it since the dark ages, except for the fact that in the dark ages, they didn't have mail, so how would one send the ARCs around, and did they even have books, because when was the printing press invented, and also, could anybody read? I'm bad with history. Anyway, I have been fortunate enough to join many other authors in having our ARCs sent around in this manner, and knowing that our limited number of review copies end up in so many more hands because of Harmony's work rules. RULES!
2) Harmony is also the name of a character from the Whedonverse. See: Buffy, Angel. This is awesome.
3) Harmony is something that sounds pretty when sung. See: Glee. Also awesome.
4) Harmony contains the word "harm" which perhaps sounds like a negative but is actually a neutral statement because what if you're doing harm to an EVIL person or thing, like Voldemort? Exactly.
5) Harmony also contains "mony" which is either half of the serviceably catchy 80s tune "Mony Mony" or just a very slightly misspelled "money" which is something that we can all use to buy more books. Thus, a positive.
6) Harmony can be rearranged to spell "hay morn." This conjures up images of a sunny beautiful day on a farm. This is pleasant. Harmony can also be rearranged to spell "may horn." This sounds sort of like the punchline to a dirty joke involving unicorns. Dirty jokes are good, and unicorns are just dandy. Unless you're team zombie, but I'm getting off topic.
7) Harmony is a book blogger, and book bloggers are heroes-- especially to us authors who don't have zillions of our publishers' marketing dollars being thrown at us every five seconds. Some of us don't get to have our books in every bookstore. Some of us aren't in any. But bloggers help our words reach readers who might not otherwise hear about us, and for this, we are bigtime grateful. I mean, blogging takes WORK. First of all, it's writing, which is hard enough to do anyway, but it's even harder to do on top of school and/or jobs and/or life's general activities and/or whatever else. PLUS, book reviewing also requires a massive amount of reading, which, sure, is fun and you were doing it anyway, which is why you started the blog in the first place, but then to spend time crafting a well-thought-out review, posting it up for the world to see, and then reacting to and interacting with that world as opinions and counteropinions fly in, not all of them necessarily positive? That's effort, people. That's effort and bravery and dedication, and for this, bloggers deserve not only polite, classy golf claps, but also a rousing standing ovation, and perhaps even some loud cheering and screaming and some rowdy throwing of chairs and starting of riots. Bloggers ROCK, y'all. They rock! So HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY TO HARMONY and kisses and hugs to book bloggers in general! :D Keep up the good work! *throws chair* (see, told you it was worth some chair-throwing) :)
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HAPPY TWO-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY TO HARMONY BOOK REVIEWS! And since this a BLOG and not a CHILD, I am sure these twos will NOT be terrible at all! Let us reflect on the awesomeness of Harmony, shall we?
1) Harmony is the mastermind behind the whole 1-ARC tour thing, which is like the greatest thing EVER. Seriously. When I first heard of this, it was all I could do not to jump out of my chair and go "That's genius!" In fact, I may have done that. I mean, it's such a ridiculously great idea that I have no idea why people haven't been doing it since the dark ages, except for the fact that in the dark ages, they didn't have mail, so how would one send the ARCs around, and did they even have books, because when was the printing press invented, and also, could anybody read? I'm bad with history. Anyway, I have been fortunate enough to join many other authors in having our ARCs sent around in this manner, and knowing that our limited number of review copies end up in so many more hands because of Harmony's work rules. RULES!
2) Harmony is also the name of a character from the Whedonverse. See: Buffy, Angel. This is awesome.
3) Harmony is something that sounds pretty when sung. See: Glee. Also awesome.
4) Harmony contains the word "harm" which perhaps sounds like a negative but is actually a neutral statement because what if you're doing harm to an EVIL person or thing, like Voldemort? Exactly.
5) Harmony also contains "mony" which is either half of the serviceably catchy 80s tune "Mony Mony" or just a very slightly misspelled "money" which is something that we can all use to buy more books. Thus, a positive.
6) Harmony can be rearranged to spell "hay morn." This conjures up images of a sunny beautiful day on a farm. This is pleasant. Harmony can also be rearranged to spell "may horn." This sounds sort of like the punchline to a dirty joke involving unicorns. Dirty jokes are good, and unicorns are just dandy. Unless you're team zombie, but I'm getting off topic.
7) Harmony is a book blogger, and book bloggers are heroes-- especially to us authors who don't have zillions of our publishers' marketing dollars being thrown at us every five seconds. Some of us don't get to have our books in every bookstore. Some of us aren't in any. But bloggers help our words reach readers who might not otherwise hear about us, and for this, we are bigtime grateful. I mean, blogging takes WORK. First of all, it's writing, which is hard enough to do anyway, but it's even harder to do on top of school and/or jobs and/or life's general activities and/or whatever else. PLUS, book reviewing also requires a massive amount of reading, which, sure, is fun and you were doing it anyway, which is why you started the blog in the first place, but then to spend time crafting a well-thought-out review, posting it up for the world to see, and then reacting to and interacting with that world as opinions and counteropinions fly in, not all of them necessarily positive? That's effort, people. That's effort and bravery and dedication, and for this, bloggers deserve not only polite, classy golf claps, but also a rousing standing ovation, and perhaps even some loud cheering and screaming and some rowdy throwing of chairs and starting of riots. Bloggers ROCK, y'all. They rock! So HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY TO HARMONY and kisses and hugs to book bloggers in general! :D Keep up the good work! *throws chair* (see, told you it was worth some chair-throwing) :)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Guestblog: C. Leigh Purtill
Today's guestblog of by C. Leigh Purtill, author of Love, Meg and All About Vee. She's blogging about blogging!
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When Characters Blog
C. Leigh Purtill
When you’re a debut or budding author, especially in the YA market, the most important web-related question you ask yourself is, “What type of blog will I have?” In other words, what do I want my online self to look like?
Will I be the kind of blogger who posts daily photos of my meals? Of my shoes?
Will I write only about writing? About books? About other writers?
Will I keep a personal blog that reflects my other interests?
Will I post a ton of links to other pages?
And a hard one: will I be funny or serious?
My author blog is a combination of all of the above because a) I change my mind a lot and b) I am influenced by other writers and bloggers and I often want to do different things based on what inspires me.
If you know me, you also know I keep a ballet blog because I teach ballet. I post technique videos I’ve done as well as tips for class and performance.
But there is a third blog that not many people know about: my character Meg Shanley’s blog. About a year before my first novel, LOVE, MEG, was released, I started a blog in Meg’s name and in her POV. It takes place in the year before the events in the book begin. It is, in essence, Meg’s backstory and reflects what she was thinking about before she and Lucie began their adventure in the book.
I had a blast writing it! As myself, I sometimes find it’s hard to blog. I’m often concerned about how I will come across to readers or potential readers. I don’t want to offend people who may believe different things than I do and yet I want to be true to who I am as a person and a writer. With my ballet blog, it’s strictly educational so I can’t and don’t post anything negative about ballet or classes or my students (not that I would because I love them all!).
But with Meg’s blog, which I called “Mega Girl,” I was free to fully inhabit the character and write with abandon. I wrote about books I (as Meg) had read, classes I was taking, people I had met. I could be silly or sarcastic – because that’s who Meg is. And best of all, I could allude to things that were in my future, in the book that had been written.
Some people found it and took it seriously. They assumed Mega Girl was a real person and responded to her that way. Some found it after the book came out and they read it for more insight into Meg and her background. Those people often commented on posts saying how much they liked the book and Meg herself and asking me if I would be writing a sequel.
What amazes me, though, is that people continue to read it every day. I haven’t posted on it since shortly after the book was released since the book picks up after that and there’s no mention of her blogging in it (although I did put in a quick line about how she used to blog but couldn’t anymore because she didn’t have access to a computer). Yet still people read about Meg.
Sometimes I think I’d like to revisit Meg’s blog and post about things now, two years after the book ends. It would be fun to follow up with her, to see if she and Juny are still together, if she and Reggie are still friends, if she and Lucie are in the same apartment.
When ALL ABOUT VEE came out, I knew I couldn’t do the same thing for Veronica May. She’s an actress, not a web geek, and she doesn’t have the time to be blogging. But tweeting? Maybe that’s something Vee and her friends would do. Perhaps I’ll do that in the sequel, THE RISE OF GINNY COOPER, which is my next online experiment: a book published online only and for free!
Happy 2nd Blogoversary, Harmony! I’ve loved your blog since I found it, probably shortly after you started it. You’ve been insightful and smart in your reviews, yet you’re not afraid to criticize. That’s a great trait in an honest reader! Hope the next year is full of even more exciting things for you!
Cheers~
Leigh
--
When Characters Blog
C. Leigh Purtill
When you’re a debut or budding author, especially in the YA market, the most important web-related question you ask yourself is, “What type of blog will I have?” In other words, what do I want my online self to look like?
Will I be the kind of blogger who posts daily photos of my meals? Of my shoes?
Will I write only about writing? About books? About other writers?
Will I keep a personal blog that reflects my other interests?
Will I post a ton of links to other pages?
And a hard one: will I be funny or serious?
My author blog is a combination of all of the above because a) I change my mind a lot and b) I am influenced by other writers and bloggers and I often want to do different things based on what inspires me.
If you know me, you also know I keep a ballet blog because I teach ballet. I post technique videos I’ve done as well as tips for class and performance.
But there is a third blog that not many people know about: my character Meg Shanley’s blog. About a year before my first novel, LOVE, MEG, was released, I started a blog in Meg’s name and in her POV. It takes place in the year before the events in the book begin. It is, in essence, Meg’s backstory and reflects what she was thinking about before she and Lucie began their adventure in the book.
I had a blast writing it! As myself, I sometimes find it’s hard to blog. I’m often concerned about how I will come across to readers or potential readers. I don’t want to offend people who may believe different things than I do and yet I want to be true to who I am as a person and a writer. With my ballet blog, it’s strictly educational so I can’t and don’t post anything negative about ballet or classes or my students (not that I would because I love them all!).
But with Meg’s blog, which I called “Mega Girl,” I was free to fully inhabit the character and write with abandon. I wrote about books I (as Meg) had read, classes I was taking, people I had met. I could be silly or sarcastic – because that’s who Meg is. And best of all, I could allude to things that were in my future, in the book that had been written.
Some people found it and took it seriously. They assumed Mega Girl was a real person and responded to her that way. Some found it after the book came out and they read it for more insight into Meg and her background. Those people often commented on posts saying how much they liked the book and Meg herself and asking me if I would be writing a sequel.
What amazes me, though, is that people continue to read it every day. I haven’t posted on it since shortly after the book was released since the book picks up after that and there’s no mention of her blogging in it (although I did put in a quick line about how she used to blog but couldn’t anymore because she didn’t have access to a computer). Yet still people read about Meg.
Sometimes I think I’d like to revisit Meg’s blog and post about things now, two years after the book ends. It would be fun to follow up with her, to see if she and Juny are still together, if she and Reggie are still friends, if she and Lucie are in the same apartment.
When ALL ABOUT VEE came out, I knew I couldn’t do the same thing for Veronica May. She’s an actress, not a web geek, and she doesn’t have the time to be blogging. But tweeting? Maybe that’s something Vee and her friends would do. Perhaps I’ll do that in the sequel, THE RISE OF GINNY COOPER, which is my next online experiment: a book published online only and for free!
Happy 2nd Blogoversary, Harmony! I’ve loved your blog since I found it, probably shortly after you started it. You’ve been insightful and smart in your reviews, yet you’re not afraid to criticize. That’s a great trait in an honest reader! Hope the next year is full of even more exciting things for you!
Cheers~
Leigh
Monday, January 18, 2010
Guestblog: Nikki from Word for Teens
Today's guest post is from another of my blogger friends, Nikki from Word for Teens.
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An Ode to Harmony - A Collection Of Random Poems Dedicated To Her Awesomness
By Nicole of WORD for Teens
There once was a blogger named Harmony
Who reviewed books from Hush, Hush to Harry.
It started in '08
And now we've reached the date:
Two years since she started, how merry!
Awesomesauce has found
a home at Harmony Book
Reviews. Joyous days!
H is for the girl who began it
A is for awesomeness that is it
R is for the reviews that are posted
M for the magic it's created
O is for the opinions that vary
N for the Nicole who's writing this, and
Y for the young adult that she reads.
I've been following Harmony Book Reviews since it started and it's only gotten better since then. It's been two years of fantastic reviews, wonderful contests, and generally interesting content. Am I psyched for what will come?
Can I get a Oh yeah!?
--
An Ode to Harmony - A Collection Of Random Poems Dedicated To Her Awesomness
By Nicole of WORD for Teens
There once was a blogger named Harmony
Who reviewed books from Hush, Hush to Harry.
It started in '08
And now we've reached the date:
Two years since she started, how merry!
Awesomesauce has found
a home at Harmony Book
Reviews. Joyous days!
H is for the girl who began it
A is for awesomeness that is it
R is for the reviews that are posted
M for the magic it's created
O is for the opinions that vary
N for the Nicole who's writing this, and
Y for the young adult that she reads.
I've been following Harmony Book Reviews since it started and it's only gotten better since then. It's been two years of fantastic reviews, wonderful contests, and generally interesting content. Am I psyched for what will come?
Can I get a Oh yeah!?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Guestblog: Kay Cassidy
Today we have 2010 Debut Author Kay Cassidy with us to talk about two of the books she can't wait for. I haven't read either but after reading this post, I'm ready to go buy them!
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An Ode to Book Ogling
by Kay Cassidy
In the spirit of book-loving that is totally Harmony’s domain, I thought it would be fun to spotlight a few of the 2010 books I’m really looking forward to. I love to ogle books the same as the next gal, so it’s cool to have the opportunity to give a few shoutouts of my own!
Disclaimer: I know. I’m a Tenner, so how can I possibly choose just a few 2010 releases from my fellow debut authors? The answer is, by being a Cheatie McCheaterpants. I’m not going to include any Tenner debut books (because really, I have NO IDEA how I would narrow that list down to just a handful). I’ve already read a dozen of them and holy crow are they awesome!!
Sorry. Book ogling moment. Where was I? 2010 books I can’t wait to read? Got it.
In addition to the fabulouso Tenner books, here are two of my OMG-I-Can’t-Wait-For-This titles...
This World We Live In
At the top of the list is Susan Beth Pfeffer’s final book in the Moon trilogy, This World We Live In.
I am a BIG CHICKEN when it comes to post-apocalyptic books, so I didn’t actually read the first two until my friend Tera Lynn Childs convinced me I needed to during the summer of 2009. I read the first book, Life As We Knew It, and was immediately swept away into this world that Sue had built. I needed a breather in between that and the second book, The Dead and the Gone, because it’s a pretty intense trilogy. (I read Lisa Yee’s fabulous Millicent Min: Girl Genius to cleanse the palette, so to speak. Loved it!)
Both of the Moon books have been completely fabulous, so when I found out This World We Live In brings the heroine from book one and the hero from book 2 together into one final story? I was over the moon! (excuse the pun)
Heist Society
Ally Carter is one of my all-time favorite YA authors. Her Gallagher Girls books are auto-buys for me, and I always devour them in a single sitting. When I heard about this terrific new series, Heist Society, I knew it was for me.
I love love LOVE the Oceans 11—Oceans 12—Oceans 13 movies, so I already know I’m going to be staying up way too late the first night this one hits shelves to read it.
I could go on and on (and on and ON) with my list, but these are two of my top early 2010 auto-buys. What’s coming up that’s an auto-buy for you?
---
An Ode to Book Ogling
by Kay Cassidy
In the spirit of book-loving that is totally Harmony’s domain, I thought it would be fun to spotlight a few of the 2010 books I’m really looking forward to. I love to ogle books the same as the next gal, so it’s cool to have the opportunity to give a few shoutouts of my own!
Disclaimer: I know. I’m a Tenner, so how can I possibly choose just a few 2010 releases from my fellow debut authors? The answer is, by being a Cheatie McCheaterpants. I’m not going to include any Tenner debut books (because really, I have NO IDEA how I would narrow that list down to just a handful). I’ve already read a dozen of them and holy crow are they awesome!!
Sorry. Book ogling moment. Where was I? 2010 books I can’t wait to read? Got it.
In addition to the fabulouso Tenner books, here are two of my OMG-I-Can’t-Wait-For-This titles...
This World We Live In
At the top of the list is Susan Beth Pfeffer’s final book in the Moon trilogy, This World We Live In.
I am a BIG CHICKEN when it comes to post-apocalyptic books, so I didn’t actually read the first two until my friend Tera Lynn Childs convinced me I needed to during the summer of 2009. I read the first book, Life As We Knew It, and was immediately swept away into this world that Sue had built. I needed a breather in between that and the second book, The Dead and the Gone, because it’s a pretty intense trilogy. (I read Lisa Yee’s fabulous Millicent Min: Girl Genius to cleanse the palette, so to speak. Loved it!)
Both of the Moon books have been completely fabulous, so when I found out This World We Live In brings the heroine from book one and the hero from book 2 together into one final story? I was over the moon! (excuse the pun)
Heist Society
Ally Carter is one of my all-time favorite YA authors. Her Gallagher Girls books are auto-buys for me, and I always devour them in a single sitting. When I heard about this terrific new series, Heist Society, I knew it was for me.
I love love LOVE the Oceans 11—Oceans 12—Oceans 13 movies, so I already know I’m going to be staying up way too late the first night this one hits shelves to read it.
I could go on and on (and on and ON) with my list, but these are two of my top early 2010 auto-buys. What’s coming up that’s an auto-buy for you?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Guestblog: Kristi from The Story Siren
Today's guestblog is from another of my favorite bloggers - Kristi of The Story Siren. I'm sure you've all heard of her by now and I'm completely honored she's here today!
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First off, I want to thank Harmony for asking me to be a part of her blog celebration! I’m was so very thrilled to be asked! Of course I had to accept, because... well I’m cool like that.
But we’re not here to talk about how cool I am, even though.. I so obviously am... we are here to talk about the awesomeness that is Harmony!
So Harmony and I started our blogs around the same time. Back when you could count the number of YA book blogs on one hand, those were the days! Or maybe there were a lot of blogs out there and I just didn’t know about them, but this is my guest post, so stop trying to ruin it for me!
But Harmony is one of those bloggers that has always stood out, because she goes above and beyond. She actually makes a difference! You might have heard about that little thing she started called Bringing More YA to PA.... or how about her One ARC Book Tours.... I mean does the girl ever think about herself! She’s helping raise money for PA libraries, and getting books for libraries that wouldn’t be able to get them otherwise, and she is putting books/arcs into the hands of bloggers that might not of had a chance otherwise.
Harmony is not only a fabulous blogger, but she’s a fabulous person.
I feel privileged to call her a friend.
Happy blog-i-versary Harmony... here’s hoping many more!
--
First off, I want to thank Harmony for asking me to be a part of her blog celebration! I’m was so very thrilled to be asked! Of course I had to accept, because... well I’m cool like that.
But we’re not here to talk about how cool I am, even though.. I so obviously am... we are here to talk about the awesomeness that is Harmony!
So Harmony and I started our blogs around the same time. Back when you could count the number of YA book blogs on one hand, those were the days! Or maybe there were a lot of blogs out there and I just didn’t know about them, but this is my guest post, so stop trying to ruin it for me!
But Harmony is one of those bloggers that has always stood out, because she goes above and beyond. She actually makes a difference! You might have heard about that little thing she started called Bringing More YA to PA.... or how about her One ARC Book Tours.... I mean does the girl ever think about herself! She’s helping raise money for PA libraries, and getting books for libraries that wouldn’t be able to get them otherwise, and she is putting books/arcs into the hands of bloggers that might not of had a chance otherwise.
Harmony is not only a fabulous blogger, but she’s a fabulous person.
I feel privileged to call her a friend.
Happy blog-i-versary Harmony... here’s hoping many more!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Guestblog: Elizabeth Scott
I figured there's no better way to start off the month than with a guest blog by one of my favorite authors. Enjoy and comment!
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Two years in the blogosphere is a long time. Probably about twenty years in off-line time (no, I'm serious--think how many blog come and go!)--and Harmony, congrats on two years!
Being a blogger is a huge undertaking, and I have nothing but admiration for those of you who take time out of your incredibly busy days to share your thoughts about Young Adult novels--you are the people who get the Internet talking! You are the people that publishers are now, more and more, using for quotes!
And Harmony, with your ARC tours, you've added a new dimension to the world of YA blogging. You've made it possible for authors, in this era of ever-shrinking resources, to get their books out there to bloggers who want to read them. Thank you for that, and for all you do--and Happy Blogaversary!!
--
Two years in the blogosphere is a long time. Probably about twenty years in off-line time (no, I'm serious--think how many blog come and go!)--and Harmony, congrats on two years!
Being a blogger is a huge undertaking, and I have nothing but admiration for those of you who take time out of your incredibly busy days to share your thoughts about Young Adult novels--you are the people who get the Internet talking! You are the people that publishers are now, more and more, using for quotes!
And Harmony, with your ARC tours, you've added a new dimension to the world of YA blogging. You've made it possible for authors, in this era of ever-shrinking resources, to get their books out there to bloggers who want to read them. Thank you for that, and for all you do--and Happy Blogaversary!!
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