Check it! FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater

Hey people, Maggie's finally got the coverart up for her book Forever, the third and final book of her Shiver trilogy. Here it is:

*clap clap clap* It's gorgeous!

Dang I can't wait for this one! :] Here's the link to the pre-order site: http://www.fountainbookstore.com/autograph-maggie/

THE OTHERKIND teaser :)

Hey everyone, here’s a little something to get you curious about my book. ;) I will post the Prologue and Chapter One in my gallery at deviantART on October 10th, followed by a subsequent chapter every other week. You can read the summary there as well: http://aianarie.deviantart.com/

Enjoy the excerpt, and please send me your comments!

(NOTE: The indentations were lost in the copy-paste journey, but I will fix that problem before I post them at dA. :))

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A dark, dismal abyss. It was like wandering aimlessly in a black box that stretched as wide as infinity. Then, out of nowhere, a huge castle manifested, with a town, a gate. But not a soul in sight. Risten was standing in a field, alone. She looked around. Everything was black and white. Up in the sky, she could barely discern the shape of a dark cloud hovering over the castle. Suddenly the mass lunged, down into a window on the eastern tower.

Risten started running towards Epsilia, as fast as she possibly could. Her mind was racing, her heart thumping loud and heavy in her chest. For what, she didn’t know. She simply had an ominous feeling that pulsed with the fire in her veins. She dashed through the town, knocking over several carts, barrels, and such. Still nobody in sight. She burned down the castle gate with her fire. There weren’t even any soldiers. As she ascended the steps, she began to feel very dizzy.

Risten… It was Derek’s voice. It sounded broken, afraid, pleading. Risten…please…I…it was a misunderstanding… He was saying. Risten tried to communicate back to him, but she couldn’t. Why was he shielding his mind from her? She continued to ascend the steps. Shoving the large entry doors open, she looked around for any sign of movement. Nothing. She couldn’t sense a thing. Adrenaline electrified her every movement, flames emitting from her hands impulsively. She headed for the eastern tower, rushing up the spiraling staircase. She couldn’t see anything but the continuous steps before her. The walls of the tower were nothing, simply leading back down into the empty abyss. Again she tried to communicate with Derek, but still to no avail. She heard loud bangs and thuds and indiscernible voices from the room above her.

She reached the top of the tower, and found that the door was bolted. She snorted loudly. You think you can keep me out?! Torches of flames shot out of her palms, engulfing the door. When the smoke cleared the door had barely been burned, despite being made of wood. Risten fell back as a terrible scream came from behind the door. It was Derek. Furious and terrified, her eyes stinging with tears, Risten ran into the door with her full strength, causing a small dent in the grain of the wood. A weak spot. She slammed her fist into the dent, and the wood splintered and formed a large hole. Reaching inside the hole, she unlocked the door.

It looked as if an intense fight had occurred shortly before she got there. Furniture was knocked around, scattered about the room with torn pieces of the tall window’s drapery everywhere. Three of the four posts of the curtained bed where broken in half. And standing in front of the window was a black-and-white version of Risten. This Risten looked as terrified as she was, and tears streamed down her blood-smeared face.

“DEREK!!!” Risten screamed, rushing to the bed. She lifted one of the posts and threw it across the room with curious strength. The fake Risten just watched, sobbing her heart out. Risten had never heard herself cry so hard. Pushing the curtain aside, she found Derek lying there, limp and lifeless, with Risten’s own blade pierced through his chest. His blood, the only trace of color in this world, drenched the white sheets on the bed.

Risten turned around when she heard an echoing, unnatural wail from behind her; her clone was wasting away in towering mass of monochrome flames.


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© 2010, Aianarie
Please do not use without my permission.

Aianarie's Book of the Month: July

This month I had the very difficult task of choosing between two books that I absolutely loved, both of which deserve complete recognition. These two books were Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. These books blew my mind in storyline, substance, style, characters, and both had memorable endings. For my July Book of the Month, however, Linger slipped ahead.

First off I’ll mention that I picked up the recommendation of Stolen from Maggie Stiefvater, so yeah. I owe her that. It was a fantastic story. You can read my review of Stolen at my Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3683656

Although it definitely helps, I don’t think you have to have read Shiver to enjoy Linger, but I recommend reading Shiver if you haven’t. One of the best books I’ve ever read, way up there with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings on my list of favorites.

If you have read Shiver, you will find that Linger is an excellent sequel. Like the first book, it is lyrical, subtle; with metaphors of beauty only capable by Stiefvater. Characteristically, the humor is delightful, and of course, the romance is near flawless. Sam and Grace are definitely my favorite book couple.

An interesting aspect of this book is the addition of Isabel and Cole as first-person characters. That makes four speakers, which adds interesting depth to the story. It may sound confusing to some, but Maggie has done an excellent job of writing from the perspectives of four very different teenagers, and I didn’t find it difficult to follow along (like some people complained about in Shiver).

The ending leaves you breathless, heartbroken, and anxious about the third book, Forever (coming next summer!). That book is going to blow my mind. I can feel it.

Linger is pure and beautiful; full of hope and promise, like a flower growing out of melting snow.

Five stars.

What I've been listening to...♫

I like to listen to new artists, so I’ve heard a lot of…interesting stuff. But sometimes, probably more often than I think, I stumble upon some real talent. Lately I've really been into the whole pop-punk thing. Bouncy stuff. I hope you enjoy my muscial randomness today.

And lately I’ve had this one song stuck in my head by a budding electropop star. I heard Love Like Woe by a one-man band called The Ready Set; this song is totally awesome. Maybe I’m just weird, but I freakin’ love this song. It’s fun, shiver-inducing pop that is reminiscent of Owl City (another one-man electronica band that I happen to adore) with a touch more attitude.

Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh6Oz-L156c/ (NOTE: the vid’s weird-o-ness level is pretty high, but hey; focus on the big picture here, AKA: Jordan)

The Ready Set has a handful of other catchy tunes on his new album: I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming, including Spinnin’, Stays Four the Same, Limits, and more. He definitely catches the Owl City vibe with titles like Atmosfears and Melody’s Song.

Plus, Jordan’s a hottie, so yeah. Maybe I’ll marry him someday.

How could I say no?

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AND HERE'S SOME MORE POP-PUNK!

I’d also like to introduce another breakout band that I’m currently enjoying, Stereo Skyline. You can visit their fansite here:

http://stereoskylinefansite.blogspot.com/

Their CD is called Stuck On Repeat. Songs include A Little More Us, Heartbeat, and Tongue Tied. I saw the video for “Tongue Tied”, and wowzers—music vids these days are weeeeeeeird. Brian Maddox is totally hot though. I’m finding it hard to choose a favorite between him and Jordan (above). Ha ha ha…

You can see the video for "Tongue Tied" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxN4cnyqqe4/


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And finally, here's this week's playlist:

ASHLEY'S PLAYLIST 8/5/10

1. There For You – Flyleaf
2. So I Thought – Flyleaf
3. Love Like Woe – The Ready Set
4. Monsoon (Gateway Version) – Tokio Hotel
5. Tongue Tied – Stereo Skyline
6. Valentine’s Day – Linkin Park
7. Save You – Kelly Clarkson
8. Like We Used To – Rocket to the Moon
9. Through Glass – Stone Sour
10. Collide – Howie Day
11. Queen Bee – Nickasaur!
12. Heaven Can Wait – We the Kings
13. Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
14. Never Alone – Barlowgirl
15. Hanging By A Moment – Lifehouse
16. Touchin’ On My – 3OH!3
17. The Truth – Kris Allen
18. The Only Exception – Paramore
19. Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park
20. Leave Out All The Rest – Linkin Park

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That was fun! Maybe I'll do this again sometime! ;)

P.S. If I've hurt your brain, I am immensely sorry.

Hmm, boredom. (Oh, and OTHERKIND coverart...)

I usually like to post every week, but I haven't found anything interesting to blog about as of recent. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to put something together. That's a complete possibility too.

I've been reading a lot, writing a lot. Driving myself insane trying to finish writing my first book. Oh, that reminds me, I put this together last week:

Ta-da! It's some random coverart for my book. Made it myself, using Photoshop CS3. I gotta admit, it looks pretty spiffy. Thank you to JELLYKA NEREVAN for the awesome fonts. :) I have every single "Jellyka" font and I love 'em. You can visit her at http://www.cuttyfruty.com/ She has some pretty cool stuff.

I think I'll post about music later this week, I'm itchin to babble about some recent pop singers that I've fallen in love with (more with the singer and not the music though, har har). AND, I'll have the review for my Book of the Month: July next week.

Ciao!

Aianarie's Book of the Month: June

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.**

I read a handful of books in the month of June, so it was difficult for me to choose which I liked best. I ultimately chose If I Stay by Gayle Foreman.

Mia is a seventeen year old cellist that lives a pretty normal life with her eccentric, music-savvy parents, adorable little brother Teddy, and rocker boyfriend Adam.

But everything changes in a gruesome car accident one morning that kills her family and leaves Mia badly injured. As her body lies in a hospital bed, enduring constant surgery and beeping machines, Mia’s spirit lingers elsewhere, watching. And listening. And thinking.

Should she stay? Or should she go on with her family?

If I Stay is a heart-achingly beautiful journey to an American teenager’s world, as Mia reflects on her life and everything good, bad, and well, ugly that has happened to her. She doesn’t know where to go or what to do. She’s trapped. And it would only take one choice to make it all disappear forever. Should she go with her family to hopefully, a better place, and leave this world with its pains and suffering? Or should she stay with her boyfriend Adam and the other love in her life: music? Would she be strong enough to go through the long recovery process? Would she ever be healthy and normal again?

Gayle Foreman’s writing style is real, genuine, and engaging. The dialogue is hilariously believable and the characters positively charming. The story never drags or gets uninteresting; Foreman always pulls a rabbit to keep the reader interested. Another thing I liked about this book was the fact that it is a short, easy read. After reading far too many 450+ page books, it’s good to take a break.

If I Stay is a refreshing read. But I must note: If you’re not a crying person, prepare to be tested.

Four stars.

My pretend casting of "Shiver"

Recently, a friend of mine showed me some videos on YouTube made by Shiver fans of pretend casting for the book's upcoming movie (SO excited!!). She asked me to put together my own cast, so I did, and that’s what I’m going to share with everyone today.

*Full credit and my thanks go to the others who put together their videos; I have used some of their choices.

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AIANARIE'S PRETEND CAST

FOR SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

Sam – MATT PROKOP
Casting Sam was extremely difficult. I couldn’t find anyone who fit the picture of him that I had in my mind. Finally I stumbled upon this cutie, from High School Musical and Furry Vengeance. I ultimately chose Matt because he looks almost exactly as Sam is described in the book by Maggie. I love his pouty face. :o)

Grace – DEBBY RYAN
Grace was another toughie. I wanted to find a girl that is cute but not too cute, with a face that radiated youth, curiosity, but also strong will. Grace has a great sense of humor, and I think that is another important aspect to casting her. You may recognize Debby from The Suite Life on Deck and 16 Wishes.

Beck – JUSTIN CHATWIN
Justin is a favorite amongst fans of Shiver for the role of Beck, and I have to agree. He seems to fit the part seamlessly.

Isabel – TAYLOR SWIFT
Taylor immediately sprang to my mind when I began looking for an actress to fill those designer shoes. I have no doubt that she would make a flawless Isabel.

Jack – JAKE ABEL
This character wasn’t too hard to cast, but I found that there were many choices to choose from and any of them would make an excellent Jack. I ended up choosing Jake Abel from Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief because he had that very jock-like appearance that I saw in Jack.

Rachel – EMMA WATSON
Emma was another fan favorite. I like this choice because her accent would really make Rachel stand out, and that’s exactly how Rachel is. She’s talkative, scatterbrained, and just plain funny. Emma would be absolutely hilarious.

Olivia – ANNASOPHIA ROBB
Olivia was the last character I casted. I know her part seems easy, but really it wasn’t (for me, anyway). I wanted to find an actress who had a very thoughtful, introspective look to her face.

Shelby – DAKOTA FANNING
Shelby was probably my least favorite character in the book, and I wanted to find an actress who would show everything I disliked about her in a less smoldering way. Almost everyone else picked a model-gorgeous girl to play Shelby, and I think that rivals Isabel’s role too much. I like Dakota for this part because she is pretty and has that passive, uninterested look to her face that is perfectly reminiscent of Shelby.

Grace’s Mom – JENNIFER ANISTON
For whatever reason, Jennifer seems to me a perfect choice for Grace’s artsy mother. Plus, she looks a lot like Debby Ryan, who I casted as Grace.

Grace’s Dad – PATRICK DEMPSEY
I don’t have a lot to say about why I chose Patrick for Grace’s father, I just like the fit. I think he could pull off the absentminded father who’s trying to be a businessman role quite nicely.


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I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave your comments; I would love to hear what you have to say.

I'm currently working on this blog to share some of my random ideas in regards to artwork, books, video games, movies, or whatever is on my mind.

Check back soon for my first official update. :o)