THIS IS W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Okay, so today's Bookanista post is for one of my favorite reads so far this year. THIS IS W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker will knock your socks off!

About THIS IS W.A.R.: This is not a story of forgiveness...

The mystery of their best friend's murder drives four girls to destroy the Gregory family. Emily Thorne would be proud.

Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club saw Willa Ames-Rowan climb into a boat with James Gregory, the Club’s heir apparent.

And everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club watched him return. Alone.

They all know he killed her. But none of them will say a word. The Gregory family is very, very good at making problems go away.

Enter the W.A.R.—the war to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan. Four girls. Four very different motives for justice and revenge, and only one rule: destroy the Gregory family at any cost.

I really liked this mystery from Lisa & Laura. I've enjoyed their mysteries before, but this one had so many more layers in it that I found intriguing. Maybe because of the multiple narrators? I don't know. But I really enjoyed reading THIS IS W.A.R. and trying to figure out who did what, and when.

The plotting was masterful. Details were revealed right when they needed to be, and not a second sooner. I think my favorite character was Sloan, because she just wanted to do what was best for everyone, but that's hard for her. (No spoilers, but she's a great character -- doesn't fit any of the stereotypes.)

I liked the dynamics of the girls. One of them, Rose, doesn't quite fit in the social hierarchy, but Lisa & Laura made her essential. And that fact that she doesn't belong added one of those layers I was talking about. This little detail gave the book a sense of depth that I really enjoyed.

If you like a good mystery with some (a little, I promise!) YA angst, and fabulous characterization, you'll like THIS IS W.A.R. Be sure to pre-order your copy, because this book doesn't come out until July 2!

Check out what the other Bookanistas are talking about today:

• Lenore Appelhans is bewitched by CHARM AND STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn
• Shelli Johannes-Wells gives cover love to FAKING NORMAL
• Stasia Ward Kehoe delves into DANCER, DAUGHTER, TRAITOR, SPY by Elizabeth Kiem
• Nikki Katz adores THIS IS W.A.R. by Lisa & Laura Roecker
• Gretchen McNeil is wowed by THE WIG IN THE WINDOW by Kristen Kittscher
• Katy Upperman praises WORST CASE OF PASKETTI-ITIS by Kris Asselin

Celebrating Indie Style

Okay, so today is the day to show independent bookstores some love. This is the brainchild of Lisa & Laura Roecker, and I do whatever I can to be all up in their brainz.

For my contribution to the "I heart Indies" celebration, I'm going to talk about The King's English. First, a picture:

Isn't that the cutest little house you've ever seen? Well, it is. And inside the house are all these books in all these different little rooms. My favorite is the children's room, of course.

I love the people at The King's English because when I ask them for a book recommendation, they know what to get me. And they know where it is in their store. They know everything.

I love The King's English.

What independent bookstore do you love?

Participate in this show-the-love fest by signing up on LiLa's blog. You can also tweet with the hashtag #IheartIndies on twitter.

And that's not all we're celebrating! Oh, no. I am having my launch party for POSSESSION next Wednesday at none other than The King's English. To show my support of them, I'll be buying a book there FOR ONE OF YOU.

That's right. A contest. Leave a comment on this post and you could win! What? A book. I don't know which one, but maybe we can work together on that, okay? Okay. Enter by Sunday at 10 PM MST and the winner will be announced next Monday!

Set the Alarm! The Liar Society Fans Know No Bounds

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a little weepy over this one. This has been an awesome week.



And I've been teasing you with a contest all week. Well, here's the deets:
1. We'll be giving away 10 (TEN) signed copies of THE LIAR SOCIETY next week. Contest starts Monday, February 28 and goes through Friday, March 4.

2. There are two ways to enter to win: Twitter or blog.

3. Twitter. Use the hashtag #liarsociety and tweet about the book every day next week. We'll be trolling the twitterverse 24/7 (who needs to sleep when you've got THE LIAR SOCIETY??) and will announce a winner each night.

If you pink-hair your twitter profile pic, you'll get an extra entry each day. #PhotoshopFTW





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4. Blog. Take this button (copy the code in that box up there! Easy!) and put it on your blog. At the top, please. Then fill out the form (linked or below). You've just entered! Blog winners will be announced on Monday, March 7.



Questions? Let me know in the comments. I'm out of town this weekend, so I'll be delayed in getting back to you, but I will!

• The one I know you'll have: This is a US only contest. Sorry. :( 
• Another one: There will be two winners each day, but all the blog winners will be announced together on the 7th. Twitter winners, watch the #liarsociety hashtag!
• Finally: Your copy of THE LIAR SOCIETY will be signed!

Have a great weekend!

Suzanne Young = "Working So Hard" + Guestanista review of THE LIAR SOCIETY

I can't stop laughing at this! My favorite? The jogging scene. You'll see why...



And seriously, you only have a couple more days to get yourself pinked up and ready for this ultra-amazing contest we've got brewing...

Also, I'm turning over my blog to a real, live young adult! Meet Fabiana Fonseca, daughter of Christine Fonseca for a GUESTANISTA review! Fabi's here to give us her take on THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa and Laura Roecker.

Take it away, Fabi!

Something Awesome about the book:
I really loved the mystery in THE LIAR SOCIETY. It kept me engaged in the book and reading – always a good thing. In fact, I really liked the whole premise of the book. The pacing kept me turning the pages, and the characters were well developed. I really like Kate and how she sort of found herself in the book. She figured out who she was and found her own strength as the storyline developed. I liked that a lot.

Questions I still want answered:
This was definitely one of those books that leaves questions. I mean, dude - who threw the rock??? I never saw the answer to that. I am assuming it is a series – at least, it had better be!!! There just has to be more.

Overall Recommendation:
I LOVED THE LIAR SOCIETY! I can’t wait to read more about Kate! (And BTW, I’ve totally been talking up this book to my friends). Great job Lisa and Laura. I am already planning on reading anything else you guys decide to write.

Fabiana is a bookworm, a math geek, and closet fashionista. She spends her time divided between music, mock trial, sports, designing, and reading. Yep, she has a busy busy life!

Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to!
LiLa Roecker is blown away by A Touch Mortal
Shannon Messenger can’t lie about her love for The Liar Society
Shelli Johannes-Wells burns for AngelFire
Scott Tracey is more than a touch impressed with A Touch Mortal
Myra McEntire is A Touch Mortal this week
Beth Revis tells the truth about The Liar Society
Christine Fonseca is leveled by Leverage
Carolina Valdez Miller has tons to say about One
Jessi Kirby soars for Across the Universe
Jen Hayley adores The Liar Society
Shana Silver can’t imagine you not reading Imaginary Girls
Katie Anderson wants to be Like Mandarin
Matt Blackstone loves The Hate List
Stasia Ward Kehoe falls head over heels for Fall for Anything
Sarah Frances Hardy sings her praises for Mockingbird
Veronica Rossi thinks Unearthly is otherworldly
Michelle Hodkin champions A Dog's Way Home

And hey! Click here to join The Bookanista Book Club at The Reading Room where you can check out all the books we're buzzing about!

One more thing: The writing community mourns the loss of one of its own, LK Madigan. Her agent, Jennifer Laughran, says it best.

*hugs*

Beth Revis: "Yeah...I Don't Think So"

Seriously, that's my favorite line in this video. Heck, everything about Beth Revis is my favorite. Can you hear "I love a girl who loves her some milk." *cue the laughter*



Are you on Beth's side? Do you have access to a paint program so you can pinkify your hair? You might wanna get on that...

And dude! Make sure you check out an excerpt from Christine Fonseca's new book, 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids, which comes out on May 1!

Shannon Messenger as Kate Lowry's #1 Fan

Seriously, this is my favorite:



I sort of hate Shannon for how awesome this video is. But you know, by "hate" I mean "love."

Isn't she fabulous in her pink wig? Do you have yours yet? You're gonna wanna get on that... Just sayin'.

Also, an author friend of mine with a book called POSSESS coming out in August is revealing her cover today! Ahhh! Go check out Gretchen McNeil's blog for all the deets.

In Which I Fangirl THE LIAR SOCIETY

I think this speaks for itself...



Get excited. There's going to be an amazing video of Shannon and her love for THE LIAR SOCIETY tomorrow. And we've got some sweet contest things cooking... Stay tuned so you don't miss out!

And isn't my hair awesome in pink??

And dude, you guys, I spent the weekend at a symposium for science fiction and fantasy. In one word, it was frawesome. I will give you all the deets soon--and a big bloggy welcome to my Utah peeps!

I also spoke to a group of women last week, and my good friend and critique partner, Stacy, has a short recap on her blog. And apparently, I have a guest post about critique groups/partners on Ali Cross's blog today too!

Author Success Story: Lisa and Laura Roecker

Have you been dreaming big? Have you gone forth and queried? Conquered? Feeling inspired this week by those who've suffered, er, endured this long and twisty road toward publication?

Dude, you know you have.

Click here for more inspiration: Lisa and Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Leah Clifford, Victoria Schwab, Kirsten Hubbard, Susan Adrian, Dawn Metcalf, Kim Harrington, Carrie Harris, Amy Holder, Kathy McCullough, Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins, Gretchen McNeil and Tiffany Schmidt.

I will be featured on Lisa and Laura Roecker's blog today! Please go check out mine--and all the posts--because you never know who's going to say exactly what you need to hear to keep moving forward.

Today I've got the sistahs Lisa and Laura Roecker.

LIAR SOCIETY in a tweet: When Kate gets an e-mail from her dead best friend she decides to channel Nancy Drew. A hotter, bitchier Nancy Drew, but you get the idea.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

Our first attempt at a novel was pretty wretched, but there were a handful of agents who found our voice intriguing enough to give us real feedback. When we finally laid that craptastic manuscript to rest (RIP The North Shore) we were so, so tempted just to throw in the towel, but we loved writing together too much. So, we gave it another shot and finished our next project within a few months. That project turned into LIAR SOCIETY. [Elana interrupts to say they only had to query for like, a day--so not fair. And they got three offers, and are repped by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management.]

What has been the hardest part of your road to publication so far? And why?

The hardest by far was being on submission to editors. It was hell. We basically spent 5 months living on pins and needles. We suck at waiting and that’s pretty much all there is to do while you’re out on submission. That and obsessively check Stat Counter. [Elana interrupts--ooooh! Stat Counter! Shiny...]

What's your best advice to aspiring authors?

Keep writing, keep reading, spend time getting to know other writers, find an amazing beta reader and never say die.

Super Secret: If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

This is such a hard question and we always over think it because let’s face it if you go with a famous author or historical figure or whatever, chances are it’s going to be totally awkward, you know? I mean what the hell would we have in common with Marie Antoinette aside from a shared love of cake?

So, you know what? We’re going to say Libba Bray because we’ve already met her and we think she’s AWESOME and maybe if we start stalking her, we’ll all magically become besties.

Find Lisa and Laura online:
Lisa & Laura's blog
Lisa & Laura's website
Lisa & Laura tweet!
Add LIAR SOCIETY to your Goodreads list! Forthcoming from Sourcebooks in Spring 2011.
Read Lisa & Laura's journey--and their query letter--on QT.

Hey There De-LILA-h

Okay, so while I love this song, it does nothing for the writer inside. Sorry. But it is a catchy tune, and it has some cool lyrics about how this guy's gonna pay his bills with his guitar, which somehow could be skewed to writing... Yeah, I'm not feeling it either. Maybe because I'm writing this at 4:30 in the morning, and I'm tired. Or something.

Anyway, today, this song is dedicated to Lisa and Laura Roecker, who not only ROECK, but they apparently rule the universe too. Because they're giving away a Kindle. Enter here.

And here's some lyrics just for them. Sing along. They, uh, mostly work.


Hey there D'LILA
What's it like in Cleaveland, Ohio?
I'm a thousand miles away
But girls, tonight you look so...reli-a-ble
Yes you do
My forehead doesn't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true

Hey there D'LILA
Don't you worry about your edits
I'm right here if you get suicidal
Give this blog post another gander
Close your eyes
Well, don't do that, cuz then you can't see
That I'm by your side

Oh, it's how you bag on celebrities
That has me at your mercy
Oh, the hope tank is emp-tee-e
At least here for me-e-e
At least here for me.

Hey there D'LILA
I know Kate is gonna rock
So just believe me, girls
Someday she'll show up on the NY Times list
You'll have it good
You'll have the writing career you should
Your book's that good

Hey there D'LILA
There's not much left to say
You've got your book deal and an extra kindle
You'll take our breath away
With London's Call
Even more in love with you we'll fall
Don't drop the ball

Oh, it's how you can somehow see
That same talent in me
Oh, it's how you're now fancy
Oh, with Dan and Sourcebooks-y


And...I'm gonna stop there. I'm no song-writer. But, seriously! Go enter to win the kindle (I think I should get like, a million entries for the song. I mean, come on. Who else wrote a song??). And Lisa and Laura do Roeck. And I do like this song.

Random thoughts today? Should I stay in bed when I can't sleep? Yeah, I think so too.

Associating With Greatness

Okay, since the whole Michael Jackson funeral/spectacle last week, I've been thinking. I know it's a dangerous pasttime similar to skydiving, but hey, sometimes I like to live on the edge.

And I was watching the funeral from my couch, in my pajamas cuz I had it DVR'ed. And there was this woman who had flown all the way from Brooklyn or somewhere in New York just to stand on the street like three blocks away.

This stunned me. I was like, For real?

But why?

I mean, I grew up in the eighties, so I get the adoration of MJ. We (meaning me and my sister) choreographed moves to some of his songs, and who didn't learn Thriller? So I get tuning in to see the funeral, but I stayed in the comfort of my own home. I don't get flying across the country just to stand on the street.

Here comes the thinking part.

And I've finally concluded that it all has to do with Associating Oneself with Greatness. Think about it. Wouldn't you want to associate with Michael Jackson (as perhaps messed up as he was) or Oprah or say, Holly Root or Rachelle Gardner or Jessica Faust or Kristin Nelson or Nathan Bransford?

I would.

And why?

Because we believe they're great.

Enter more thinkage, and a few MJ lyrics.

Heal the world

Make it a better place

So that's my thing. I want to make the world a better place. With my books, my blog, my life. I used to listen to my favorite Michael Jackson song, Man In The Mirror, everyday on the way to school. It helped me to realize that I couldn't change those kids, their life circumstances or make the right choices for them.

But I could--and can--change myself. What I say. Do. Think. React to. Ignore. All of it.

So I've associated myself with greatness. Pat, Heather, Suzy, Carolyn and Mary are the kewlest critmates, blogging buddies and downright best friends ever. They are the epitome of what it's like to live your life intending to make the world a better place.

Christine, Lisa, Laura, Michelle, and Katie make my world a better place with their constant encouragement and uplifting emails. Thanks, guys.

I love hanging out in the QueryTracker forum. I think the people there make the world a better place. I also love going to my Writing Throwdown forum and reading the support people show each other there. That is a small slice of the world that is made better--and most of those people are you guys, the Mindless Musing blog readers. So thanks.

I'll be gone to Yellowstone the rest of this week, enjoying the beauty of this world. I could write a bunch of posts and set them to autopost, but I like to discuss with all of you, so I'm not going to do that.

I'd like to open the blog this week for you to talk about greatness. Who out there has influenced you? Made your life better? Made your world a better place to live? I want to associate with those people. All of them.

I want to be great. And to do that, I must Associate With Greatness.