GEEK GIRL Blog Tour: Q&A with CIndy C. Bennett & Contest

"I went into this one with a totally negative attitude and this book killed me with adorableness."

Flannery, The Reading Adventurer

"The author does a make-my-heart-flutter job of letting the love simmer and build, creating realistic timing for the attraction and chemistry between the two main characters."

Sandy, Sunny Books Blogspot

When I heard the title of Cindy C. Bennett's new book, Geek Girl, I wanted the book. When I saw the cover of Geek Girl, I wanted the book more. When I found out the premise of Geek Girl, I really really wanted the book. Cindy's publisher, Cedar Fort, was kind enough to give me an e-galley and I had a great time zipping through the story of mismatched love.

Here's the summary:

Jen's life of partying and sneaking out has grown stale. So on a whim, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a goody-two-shoes geek, into a "bad boy." As she hangs out with Trevor, however, she finds it's actually kinda fun being a geek. But when Trevor finds out about the bet, Jen must fight for the things she's discovered matter most: friendship, family, and, above all, love.

It's a great fun read, full of sweetness and romance. You know what the ending will be and the joy is getting to that ending.

I'm very happy to have Cindy here to talk about Geek Girl, and geeks, and girls.

Cedar Fort is also providing a copy of Geek Girl in an international contest so be sure to read to the end of the post for entry information.
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MARTA: Hi, Cindy, and welcome to Vampire Wire! Congratulations on the publication of Geek Girl. You took a very different route toward publication, initially self-publishing the book. What’s been the most surprising thing about having your book published now?

Original cover art

CINDY: Thanks, Marta, for having me. I think the most surprising thing about traditional publishing vs. self-publishing has probably been having the support of a group of editors, rather than having everything on my shoulders. It’s kind of nice to have someone else in charge of making the decisions about certain things. Also, I’m not very good at self-promotion, so it’s nice to let someone else do that for me in certain circumstances.

MARTA: You have teen daughters and a proudly geeky son. Can you name a few ways your day-to-day experiences with them helped you shape your characters, Jen, Trevor, and his Geek posse?

CINDY: I actually have two geeky sons (along with the two un-geeky daughters). They’ve helped me fully release my inner geek, lol. It’s definitely helped having teen kids over just having been a teen, because I can look at it from the outside and be a little more objective. When I was a teen, I was far too involved and too close to the subject to see some truths about being a teen. But as I’ve watched my kids, and their friends, I can see a little why teens do the things they do, or make the decisions they make, and see that most teens are acting not from a place of cruelty or bad intentions, but more from a lack of understanding how unimportant some things are, which comes simply from a lack of experience. We all make mistakes, and I think we make the most in those formative years, which of course helps shape who we become.

MARTA: What I really got from your book is such warmth and love. Jen takes on a bet to convert Trevor to the Dark Side. He resists the glamour of decadence, but at the same time, he’s not at all judgmental about Jen. She’s the one who had a preconceived notion of who he was. In your mind, how does Trevor really perceive Jen when she first flirts with him?

CINDY: Okay, I love that you used the Dark Side, with capitalization. I’m such a Star Wars nerd that any reference just softens my heart! I always try to imagine the opposite side of what I’m writing, so I had a definite idea of how he perceived her. He saw this girl who would normally not even give him a second look unless it was to make fun of him suddenly coming on to him. He’s confused, and suspicious, which is why he leaves the stomp so angrily. He believes she’s playing him, but doesn’t know why. But he’s been raised to have an open mind and respect differences—admittedly more from his father’s POV than his mother’s—and so he gives her the benefit of a doubt. When she comes to his house the first time, to him that puts their relationship into a sort of “friend” realm where he then trusts her, because to his way of thinking she’s been a guest in his home, so she deserves that from him.

MARTA: Trevor is all kinds of fabulous. What do you love about geeks and what did they offer Jen that she didn’t expect?

CINDY: What don’t I love about geeks??? I love that as a general rule they are genuinely open and accepting of those who are different. They don’t have any preconceived notions of what “normal” is, because their normal is whatever they make it. That’s part of what they offer Jen, this acceptance of her as is, which she has never experienced before from peers, let alone from adults. When they accept her that way, she finally begins to accept herself for the first time, and realizes that not only does she want more, she deserves more.

MARTA: What does Jen offer this pack of socially-awkward guys?

CINDY: Something to gawk at! Lol. I think she shows them that they can be true friends with people who don’t speak geekanese, that their world is a little larger than they thought. Also, that they can have a collective impact of someone’s life by being kind and non-judgemental.

MARTA: I was rooting for Jen and Trevor throughout the story, and that relationship propels the story forward. But I also wanted to know more about Jen – her classes, her interests, her plans after graduation, what she liked to cook... Any comments?

CINDY: Because she had pigeonholed herself prior to meeting Trevor, she hasn’t ever tried to excel at school. Therefore, she has just been taking basic classes, the bare minimum needed to get by. Of course, we learn she’s capable of so much more, so as a senior, I imagine she takes tougher classes. Her foster mother opened the door to what had been a private dream, the desire to become a chef, making her believe it’s possible. So I like to think that after high school, she went to culinary school and was able to pursue her dream. Maybe she’ll appear on Hell’s Kitchen or Chopped? She likes to cook gourmet-type meals that are simple and appealing. She’s more of an entrée type cook, than a baker.

MARTA: Your story sends very positive messages about the simple pleasures that can be found in the company of kind, thoughtful people. You make family bowling night sound fun. (Okay, bowling is fun!) What do you think the most important message of your book is?

CINDY: I hope that the message people get is to not judge others based on their appearance. I think we’re all guilty of that to some degree, even if we try not to do it. Jen appears to be one thing, but we discover that she’s really a kind, loving girl who is hiding beneath a disguise of sorts—not just in what she wears, but also in her attitude. She uses that to keep people at bay. It just took a couple of people who didn’t judge her for her to believe she didn’t need to hide anymore.

MARTA: You have lots of shout-outs for sci-fi fans. What’s your favorite classic scifi show and your favorite new or newer scifi show?

CINDY: Oh, gosh, how much space do you have? Lol. My absolute favorite classic would be Star Wars (the original trilogy). Also, the original Superman, Batman (1989) and Star Trek TNG. I’m a huge fan of the old Twilight Zone as well. They had some really crazy, creative stories on there. Not sure if the Underworld movies fit in classic, or newer. Newer, I suppose. Other newer shows are Smallville, all of the amazing comic book movies coming out, particularly The Avengers series of movies, and I’m addicted to The Walking Dead. I like the newer Star Wars, but I’m not as crazy about them as I am the older ones, excepting episode III. That one is pretty amazing, and Hayden Christensen is a beautiful thing in that movie. I can’t wait to see what they do with The Hunger Games. Wow, that was hard to narrow down! And you wanted me to pick just one. :o)

MARTA: Cindy, thanks so much for visiting today! What’s next for you and where can readers find out more about you and your books?

CINDY: Thank you again for having me; this has been a fun interview. You can find me at my website. From there you can easily find links to info about all of my books, where to get them, and a link to the geekcast (geek podcast) I do as well.

• Visit Cindy's blog and follow her on Twitter.
• Friend her on Facebook and Goodreads.
• Visit her publisher's home.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEST INFORMATION: If you'd like to win a copy of Cindy's Geek Girl, all you have to do is leave a comment for Cindy, or a comment about geekiness. Who's your favorite geek (mine is easily Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory). Or you can leave a comment about any geeky qualities you have. (Mine is minor OCD about details, which is why my friends and family can't ask me weird questions because I'll become obsessed with finding out the answers.)

The contest runs through November 20 and a winner will be selected by random drawing. If the winner lives in the U.S., the prize will be a hard copy or an e-book, winner's choice. If the winner lives outside the U.S., the prize will be an e-book.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

In honor of Cindy's book publication, here are videos featuring some of her favorite shows. And I was able to find this tribute to Luke Skywalker set to the the most cheezetastic disco. Oh la la oh la la la!



That was fun, but here's a lovely tribute to Smallville by OneDestiny set to Florence & the Machine's "Cosmic Love."



Imagemode made this amusing tribute to Star Trek The Next Generation and set it to Elvis Presley.

Friday Fun: Lots of YA Giveaways

Please be sure to visit on Monday, because Cindy C. Bennett will be my guest to talk about her fun new Young Adult (YA) book, Geek Girl. I hope to be featuring more YA in the future.

On Tuesday, I'll start my Celebration of Aussie Authors & Bloggers. I've already received some good lists, but if you have a fave Aussie book or blog, please tell me!

I have a lot to do today so I'm just going to share a few good links: 

Catherine Karpp at Suburban Vampire has 5 Scary Questions with Sophie Littlefield and a contest for her new book, Unforsaken,

At Preternatura, Suzanne Johnson has yet another of her AMAZING contests for a mess o' YA books including: White Cat by Holly Black, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Feed by M.T. Anderson...

Authors agonize over first lines. Well, first paragraphs, first scenes, middle scenes, last scenes...we agonize over everything. But especially that opening line. It should make us readers want to keep reading. So below are opening lines from seven YA novels. Some bestsellers, some that maybe should have been but weren't. Some new, a couple not so new.

Tirzah Price at The Compulsive Reader has a guest blog from Ally Condie and has a Crossed giveaway.

I believe I sent out about 50 queries total, with my fastest rejection arriving via e-mail within half an hour and my slowest…well, let’s just say that some of the rejection letters still haven’t arrived. But after two months of querying, an agent offered representation. When I let the other agents know that had happened, suddenly my book was moved to the front burner and people were reading it more quickly. Eventually I had seven offers of representation. I couldn’t believe it.

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Yan at Books by Their Cover (and her site as fun graphics) has an interview with Anna Carey and a contest for Eve, a YA dystopian.

There are good secrets (surprise parties) and very bad secrets (dead bodies under the floorboards). But, in general, I lean towards the "secrets are bad" side. I like to keep everything out in the open, and own everything I've done--even the more cringe-worthy stuff.

Ana and Thea at The Book Smugglers are giving away an audiobook of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you’d been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival — not love — the issue?

Susan Robertson at Wastepaper Prose is giving away copies of both SwoonSwear by Nina Malkin and .

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

We conclude our week of videos featuring the Tom Jones Effect (tm). Have a great weekend!







And here are two videos by our very own Vampire Wire pal, TisReina.

Upcoming Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Books: Part Dos

Here are some more upcoming releases. The title/author link will take you to the author's website. All graphics courtesy of Fantastic Fiction, one of my top websites for book news and information.

Born of Ashes by Caris Roane

SUMMARY:  For years, she was kept as a human slave - one of seven unwilling 'blood donors' for the death vampires who thirst for absolute power. Now, Fiona is a free woman, haunted by her memories of being strapped to a gurney, drained of blood, then revived at the last moment. She lives to avenge her captors - but only one warrior can help her.

Jean-Pierre has lived and fought for over two-hundred years. He knows the triumph of slaying a death vampire, but has never known anything like the feelings that arise when he becomes Fiona's guardian. Her beauty, her pain, her passion - and her growing power - consume his senses. Now the warrior must draw his sword once more.and fight the gates of hell itself - for love.

Vampire Days Ahead by Cheyenne McCray

SUMMARY: With zero tolerance for bloodsuckers, Nyx and the Trackers have made the streets safer for warm-blooded New Yorkers. Unfortunately, they didn't drive a stake through the problem nationwide. Vampire attacks are on the rise. Proctors are dropping like flies. And Volod - New York's ousted Master Vampire - is trying to make a comeback.

Nyx is worried - about her city, her job, and her neck. But mostly she's concerned about her former lover, Rodán, a Proctor who's gone missing. Scarier still, Volod is capturing and 'turning' paranorms to help him paint the town red. Which sucks. Because some of these new vampires are Nyx's old friends. But hey - if she can stake them here, she'll stake them anywhere.

UK Cover

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

SUMMARY: Ari can't help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can't be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

US Cover

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it's impossible to protect herself when she doesn't know what she's running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won't stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Tricks of the Trade by Laura Anne Gilman

SUMMARY: When magic goes wrong, who are you going to call?

The name's Torres, Bonnie Torres, and I'm a paranormal scene investigator—rooting out the truth about crimes of magic. It's dangerous and boring and scary and fascinating. Though not everyone in the Cosa Nostradamus is happy we're around, which can make things…tricky.

Working two cases—looking into a murder for the NYPD, and a rich man's break-in—should be well within our abilities. But when things start getting weird in the Electric Apple, Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations is stretched to the limits, trying to keep one step ahead and out of trouble. Add in rumors of a powerful creature gunning for us and it's not just our rep on the line this time—if we don't solve this case, everyone will suffer.

Fortunately, around here, when the going gets weird, the weird hire us.…

Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells

SUMMARY: Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't believe that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threatens to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

The Mortal Bone by Marjorie M. Liu

SUMMARY: When the bond Maxine Kiss shares with the demons tattooed on her skin is deliberately severed, the demon hunter is left vulnerable and unprotected. For the first time in ten thousand years, the demons have a taste of freedom. And as the little demons grow more violent and unpredictable, Maxine starts to fear they will lose their minds without her. Reuniting won't be easy, since a greater temptation waits for these hellions: a chance to return to their lives as Reaper Kings, and unleash hell on Earth.

Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels

SUMMARY: Her job has been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But when her cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper soon stumbles upon another deadly mystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she's after a clever murderer-one whose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

This week's theme is classic video songs, i.e., songs that dramatically contribute to the delightfulness of any video due to some inexplicable kismet. So far, we've enjoyed videos set to songs by Britney Spears, Tom Jones, and AC/DC. But there are some new players on the scene whose songs are genius with videos. One of these is Florence & the Machine.







If you haven't yet watched the BBC's Being Human, about a ghost, vamp, and werewolf who are roommates, I strongly suggest that you rent the DVDs.



Here's a video featuring Faith of Buffy and Alcide of True Blood.

Upcoming Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Releases

Here are some upcoming PR/UF paperback books to consider for your to-read lists. These will all be coming out in the next few months.

Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla
Shaede Assassin Book #1

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

Amanda Bonilla's Website

River Marked by Patricia Briggs
Mercedes Thompson Book #6

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

Patricia Briggs' Website

Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
Edge book #3

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she's determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades...

Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he's going to need Audrey's help...

Ilona Andrews' Website

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance #2

The signs are everywhere...disastrous world events. Evil rising up, unleashed upon the innocent. The prophecies were there...but no one listened. Until now. The time has come for those who can either usher in Doomsday...or prevent it. They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army's paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he's spent weeks being tortured...and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn't your average girl. She's immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé's wrath - and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and the world, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul...and her heart.

Larissa Ione's Website

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Angelfire Book #1

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.  Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Courtney Allison Moulton's Website

Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead
Dark Swan Book #4

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld. . .

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice. . .

Richelle Mead's Website

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

This week I've been featuring classic video songs, i.e. songs that dramatically improve any video. The reasons for this are inexplicable, but someone scientific training could probably explain why Britney Spears, Tom Jones and AC/DC songs have in common that makes them vidlicious. It's AC/DC's turn today.



Sturmlock3B3nni did some awesome editing to "Hell's Bells."



I once called a young friend of mine a cultural barbarian because she went to see this movie.

HARBOR Winner, Aussie Bloggers & Authors Alert, and SUPERNATURAL Nitwittery, and Whatnot

Lharmell #1 from Aussie author Rhiannon Hart

 The winner of the copy of the spookilicious Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist is:

MONA

who gets the heebie-jeebies when she's in a big house alone. Me, too! Congratulations, Mona, and please send me an email with your mailing address.

Also, CINDY, this is your last chance to contact me for your prize, a copy of Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett. If I don't hear from you by tomorrow, I'll pick another winner.

Thanks so much to Rachel, who features Dark Companion, my YA gothic, as you Waiting on Wednesday selection at The Rest is Still Unwritten. Rachel says:

A tale of a an elite academy, two compelling, yet completely different brothers and a missing student....all woven together mysteriously and in an eerie package. Sounds like just my kind of thing.

Rachel's an Aussie who prefers her books to be supernatural/paranormal, and she has reviews, interviews and international contests. You can follow her at her site, on Goodreads, or follow her on Twitter, where she tweets about lots of great contests.

YA Dystopian from Alison Stewart

AUSSIE BLOGGER ALERT: Next week, I'll try to put together a list of Aussie bloggers and authors, because many of us are missing awesome books that are not published/promoted in the US or UK.  If you have a favorite Aussie author and blogger, please leave a comment and tell us! If you are a paranormal/urban fantasy/YA Aussie blogger or author, I'd like to hear from you, too.

SUPERNATURAL NITWITTERY: I'm one episode behind on Supernatural and I haven't been keeping up on the show descriptions. I was delighted to discover that Buffy alumni James Marsters (Spike) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) were guest starring. Marsters is all growed up, but I miss his damaged...no, not soul...his damaged bleached hair. Carpenter looked lovely and the scenes with them and between them were so fun and sparky that it took me a while to say WTF? when the episode was over.

I mean, several people are brutally murdered and we're all "ha ha ha, isn't it funny that they're having a spat!" Since when did Supernatural treat death of humans so casually? Where were the sorrow, the regret, the devastated families that made the show different than every other dead-bodies-on-the-floor series? Sure, they had a few scenes with Dean regretting that he killed a fricking MONSTER who Sam had met one day when he was 12.  And Dean has a one-second dream of Castiel's death, and they didn't mention Castiel at all even though, hey, he just died and he was your best friend.

Eric Kripke, the show's creator, only planned for the show to run six seasons and then stepped down from his role guiding the series. The show also lost Kim Manners, who directed and produced some of the best episodes of Supernatural. Manners' had also directed and produced The X-Files, and he understood how to create shows that balanced drama with humor and how to merge the small details of a personal life with a big overarching theme.

So far this season is all over the place, but it seems to be headed for a monster-of-the-week pattern, which is less than what it was. I hope whoever is now in charge will get his/her act together.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

It is a well-acknowledged fact that any Tom Jones song will improve the quality of a video by at least a factor of 10. This is called the Tom Jones Effect (tm).