500 Posts Interview and Giveaway Extravaganza!

500? 500?!?! It seems like only yesterday that I started this little blog! Now it's not just me, rambling about books in really horrible reviews (seriously, my original ones are crap). Every day I get the chance to talk to authors and bloggers on Twitter. And I could post all I want, but a lot of this wouldn't have been possible without YOU! So as a thank you, I have something fun!

Fist off, is an interview with bestselling author Wendy Higgins! She is the goddess around which my world revolves, and the queen of romantic YA. Wendy's most recent release is Sweet Temptation, the companion novel to her Sweet series. You can see my review here. And next year, she has the first book in a new series coming out, The Great Hunt!

Interview:

1. As everyone knows, Kai is the best. That said, which of your male characters besides Kai is your favorite (from any of your books)?

Ah, that Kai. ;) As for my other boys, that is REALLY hard. I have major love for each of them - Kope, the strong and silent one, Blake, the talented comedian, Jay, the down-to-earth boy-next-door, Rock/Ronan, my crazy boy, and McKale, my shy but intense one. I have a soft spot for each of them and I don't think I can pick!

2. What were some of your favorite books as a teen?

There wasn't a ton to choose from back then, to be honest. There wasn't really a "teen" section at the bookstore, you know? There was this spinning rack at our library with paperbacks of R.L.Stine horror/mystery stories, and those were what I gravitated to. There was always a spooky factor and a little romantic tension that I loved.

3. Any advice to aspiring or young writers?

Write what's on your heart - don't worry about what anyone will think. And don't expect "perfection" from yourself (if there is such a thing, I've yet to discover it in myself). Have fun with it. And when you start to get really serious about it, link up with other like-minded young writers of similar genres online! Writers support one another and it's so important.

4. What are some of your favorite books that you've read recently?

The Poison Princess books by Kresley Cole, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel, and Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

5. What aspects of The Great Hunt are similar/dissimilar from your other novels?

The primary similarities are that it's a love story at its core - plenty of romantic tension, and it's got elements of magic/fantasy. But it's different in the fact that it's a made-up world, it's told from multiple 3rd person perspectives (both male and female), and it's got a historical feel with the language/setting.

6. What YA book do you wish you'd written?

Poison Princess. The entire concept of that book blew me away.

I also have a love for the Poison Princess books, and seeing that Wendy loves them as well makes my heart squeal.

Author Info:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue.

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

You Can Find Her At:
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Website
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Giveaway:

Now for part two! The giveaway! Sadly, I don't have any of Wendy's books to giveaway, but I do have this wonderful stack over here:

The winner can choose any ONE book from the stack, and will also receive a bunch of swag. Some of this swag will be of the Wendy Higgins variety!

a Rafflecopter giveaway