Debut of the Month - All About McCormick Templeman (The Little Woods)

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Debutante Profile

Name - McCormick Templeman 
Debut - The Little Woods
Genre - Thriller
Website - HERE

Twitter - HERE

McCormick Templeman is descended from musicians and criminals. She holds a BA from Reed College, two master’s degrees, an acupuncture license, and the world title for most irascible air hockey player. Her first novel, THE LITTLE WOODS is available now from Schwartz & Wade (Random House). THE GLASS CASKET, a twisted retelling of Snow White, is forthcoming from Delacorte in 2014. She lives in California with some people and some stuff.

Dream Debutante Dress -  Bookie Notes: This is SAH you. Kinda creepy and cool :P 

Notes from a YA Debutante

 1.     I always thought I’d be a writer, but I never thought I’d be published while still alive. I had romantic notions about being discovered and published posthumously, and shaking my fist at everyone from the great beyond while shouting See! See! This way is much less dramatic.

2.     When I get really stressed out sometimes I get tattoos.

3.     I am addicted to school.

4.     I have gotten really into birds all of a sudden. I seriously never noticed them until last week and now I can’t stop staring at the sky and screaming holy crap will you look at that one!

5.     Sometimes famous people walk up to me and give me really bad advice.

6.     Secretly I want to be a musical theater star, but I am too shy to sing in front of other people.

7.     Secretly I want to be an emergency room doctor, but I am afraid of stress.

8.     Secretly I want to be a marine biologist who studies sharks, but I am afraid of sharks.

9.     One time when I was very little, I was attacked by a peacock. 

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Bookie's Note: Well there you have it, our third debutante of this month! WHAT DID YOU DO TO PROVOKE A PEACOCK? And you really shouldn't get tattoos every time you get stressed because you might turn out like this - HERE and I don't think that's the look you're going for... Anyway, everyone else please come back tomorrow and read the 2nd half of Mc's feature. She's also hosting a giveaway which means free stuff and that's kinda awesome no?

Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Deadly Hemlock + Giveaway

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Book Profile

Debut – Deadly Hemlock (HERE)

Author - Kathleen Peacock

Release Date - 5th of July 2012

Genre – Supernatural Mystery/Paranormal Romance

Available - The Book Depository | The Nile | Fishpond

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s Killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine Syndrome ­- the werewolf virus – is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control and the Trackers are determined to stop those with Lupine Syndrome, at any cost.

Unwilling to work with the brutal Trackers, but desperately wanting to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. But the deeper she delves into the mystery behind Amy’s death, the more secrets she discovers lurking in the shadows of Hemlock. Secrets that should have been left untold. Secrets that will change her life forever.

The Insider's Scoop

(5 things that changed—or didn’t—between the initial idea of Deadly Hemlock and the final draft)

1) Mac is the only character whose name did not change between the original idea for the book and the final version.

2) Every single draft of Deadly Hemlock has contained a reference to Cujo by Stephen King. The circumstances and person who makes the reference have been different in each draft.

3) Jason’s last name, Sheffield, is a nod to the rich family in the sitcom The Nanny. 

4) In the original version of the book, Mac’s apartment building gets torched by the Trackers.

5) Hemlock originally took place the summer after graduation. The characters were all aged down one year during revisions. 

~Giveaway~

Kathleen is giving away (1) Copy of Deadly Hemlock!

Rule of Entry -

- International 

- Ends 16th of August

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

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

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Kathleen on Twitter +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Kathleen Peacock ( Hemlock)

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Debutante Profile

Name – Kathleen Peacock

Debut – Deadly Hemlock/ Hemlock

Genre – Supernatural Mystery/PNR

Website – HERE

Blog – Here

Twitter - HERE

Kathleen Peacock spent her teen years crushing on authors and writing short stories about vampires. She put her writing dreams on hold while attending college, but tripped over them when office life started leaving her with an allergy to cubicles. She has a diploma in graphic design, was a failure at photography, and lives in Atlantic Canada.

Dream Debutante Dress -  Alexander McQueen! Peacocks! Mad hair!

Notes from a YA Debutante

*trips over shoes**falls down staircase* I’m alright! I’m alright! While I sit in the corner and wait for the room to stop spinning, here are seven facts about me. Someone please come get me when it’s time for the cotillion. *whips out fan*

1) I have a tendency of talking like an episode of The Gilmore Girls. It takes me three times as many words as it should to say anything, and every third sentence has a pop culture reference. 

2) I was teased mercilessly over my last name in elementary school—so much so that I came very close to using a penname after the book sold.

3) I was voted “Most Bashful” of my high school graduating class.

4) I was obsessed with vampires as a teen. I used to carry around a copy of The Anne Rice Trivia Book. This did not seem to make me cool.

5) Swordfights are awesome! 

6) I do not know how to swordfight.  

7) I once started working on a dystopian book in which most of the clothing was inspired by Alexander McQueen and Andrew Wyeth paintings.

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Bookie's Note: Kathleen is our second debutante of July! Kathleen, you're such a hipster, YOU LIKED VAMPIRES BEFORE IT BECAME MAINSTREAM TO LIKE THEM! And Peacock is a lovely last name! I would trade you :D And sword fights are awesome, I used to want to fence and then I realised how dangerous it was for someone like me who lacks coordination so I gave that dream! Well everyone, please come back tomorrow for the second part of Kathleen's feature and a giveaway!

Badass Bookie xx

Deadly Hemlock

Review Time! I'm been in the worst reading slump lately and no matter how much I *try* to read, I can't! I think I've developed ADD and some form of dyslexia that prevents me from reading :( Anyway, Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock is a 2012 YA Debut that I was SUPER excited to read!!! Thank-you Simon and Schuster for the review copy :)

(Goodreads) Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf. 

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control. 

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk. 

The Short Story? - Peacock is bring the wolf pack back into DA HOOD! Jumpstarting the slowly dying YA paranormal genre, Deadly Hemlock is HANDS DOWN one of my favourite werewolf reads of all time! With a great cast of characters, a unique plot with the right mix of mystery, action and romance and a fantastic and refreshing narrative voice, Deadly Hemlock is a remarkable debut that had me hooked from cover to cover! Fans of the supernatural? Grab a copy of Deadly Hemlock!

The Long Story? - In this dark age where I haven't been able to get into any book, Deadly Hemlock called out to me. I finished it in less than a day which is a record for me - that's just how good it was! With a killer plot ( pun intended) and Peacock's refreshingly comfortable and unique narrative voice, I absolutely devoured this book. It's no secret that I love a little bit of mystery and romance in my novels, throw in a murder or two and I'm SOLD. Deadly Hemlock had the perfect combination mystery, romance, action and drama. It's such a complex plot that explaining it in this review does it no justice! The only word that I can think to describe it is beautiful. Deadly Hemlock is a beautifully haunting debut that really sells the YA PNR genre, I can't wait to read the sequel!

The characterisation was great. I absolutely loved Mac, honestly one of my favourite protagonists. She's down-to-earth, level headed and more importantly she always sees the good in people and it's not like she's a damsel in distress either. She's tough but she also knows what her limits. She's not trying to play hero, she's just trying to work past the death of Sarah. Kyle was a great love interest, I thought he was  very good boyfriend material and I really liked he's protective personality. He obviously really loves Mac. However Jason was the real scene-stealer. There was this bad-boy, tortured quality about him that just CALLED out to me. Definitely a neat cast of main characters!

In a nutshell, I really don't know how I can get you all to read this book without sounding like a complete psychopath. Hopefully I sold you because this is definitely one debut that stood out from the rest! Refreshing,  I very much enjoyed the fact that the romance was the focus of the novel, THERE WAS A BIGGER PICTURE. Deadly Hemlock completely blew me away with it's beautiful narration, complex plot and amazing characters! Two thumbs up! :)

What's it Worth? - Break Out the Piggybank


Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About The Forsaken + Giveaway

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Book Profile

Debut – The Forsaken (HERE)

Author - Lisa M. Stasse

Release Date - 10th of July 2012

Genre – Dystopian
Official Book Trailer - HERE

Available - The Book Depository | The Nile | Fishpond

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

The Insider's Scoop

8 secrets about THE FORSAKEN:

1. The original title of The Forsaken was "The Shore," which then got changed to "The Wheel," which finally got changed to "The Forsaken."

2. Liam's name was "Luis" in the very first draft, and Alenna's name was "Alinna."

3. The designer who did my book's cover (Lizzy Bromley) also did the cover design for Wither and Level 2. Her work is really amazing. She's a great artist.

4. I just finished writing the second book in The Forsaken series a couple weeks ago. I'm hoping it's just as epic and intense as the first book—if not more so!

5. I wrote most of The Forsaken listening to music. I have pretty eclectic and strange taste in music according to my friends. Here's some of the stuff I was listening to along the way: Cat Power, Feist, The Dirty Projectors, Neil Young, The Black Crowes, Deadmau5, Taylor Swift, Tom Waits, Ariel Pink, Joni Mitchell, MGMT, Salem, Arcade Fire, Pixies, Radiohead, and Camera Obscura.

6. When my book sold, and I got the call from my agent, at that exact moment I was walking home from the local Whole Foods and Starbucks, daydreaming about my book selling.

7. In the first draft of the book, the feelers (the machines that snatch kids on the island) didn't fly. They sucked kids down into tunnels in the ground instead.

8. At one point when I was writing The Forsaken, my laptop crashed, and I thought I had lost about 100 pages of the book. But thanks to my husband (who is really good about backing up our computers) the pages were all saved! I still owe him for that one. J

~Giveaway~

Lisa is giving away (1) Signed First Edition Copy of The Forsaken + A bevy of Bookmarks!

Rule of Entry -

- International 

- Ends 11th of August

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

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

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Lisa on Twitter +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx