Mundie Moms KINDLE GIVEAWAY!

Thank you to Coliloquy, who recently launched their Active Fiction on Amazon's Kindle, I have 1 to giveaway to 1 lucky follower of Mundie Moms!

Before you enter, please note this Kindle comes fully loaded with Colilquy's platform and books ONLY! Let me tell you a little bit about Coliloquy and the books that are on the Kindle.

What is Coliloquy? They're a publisher of active and interactive fiction and they launched their platform on January 17th, 2012. Their new publishing format engages readers with multiple story lines, serials and episodic story-telling, personalized content and much more. Coliloquy enables new kinds of engagement made possibly by advances in electronic book distribution. With it's multiple "what if" story lines allowing authors and readers to explore different permutations of character relationships. Each story can grow and change based on the reader's choices, voting and feedback. Fan are able to re-read key scenes from different character's points of view and unlock new content. (content taken from Coliloquy's press release)

Sounds exciting right?! Reading a story who's out come you can choose. Let me tell you a little bit about each of the books that comes loaded on the Kindle.

Witch's Brew by Heidi R Kling: Is a new contemporary series for YA readers about a modern day witch who must betray everything she knows to save her magic and her forbidden love.

Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder: A southern gothic contemporary/mystery series about a teenager who discovers a cache of centuries-old letters containing clues to the crimes happening the present day.

Arcania by Liz Maverick: A YA fantasy series about an underachieving teen thrust into an MMO-like world of magical combat, where she must master her own genetic gifts while investigating her twin sister's suspicious death.

Getting Dumped by Tawna Fenske: A serialized romantic capper about a women who loses her job but finds love, intrigue, mayhem, and a new career buried in the unlikeliest of places.

If these sound like a series of books you'd love to sit down and relax with, then what are you waiting for?! Go ENTER for your chance to WIN a FULL loaded KINDLE with each of these books and Coliloquy's newest platform!!

TO ENTER:

- 1 entry per, per person. More than 1 entry will result in your entries being deleted from this giveaway

- Open Internationally. *In my ignorance with E-Readers, I didn't realize the Kindle worked internationally (don't laugh). This is now open world wide. **international shipping rules apply

- You MUST be 13 yrs & older to enter. If under you must have your parent/guardian's permission to enter

- This giveaway will end on 2/28/12

Blog Tour: Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

We're the next stop on the Darkness Falls blog tour and I'm excited to introduce you guys to Cate Tiernan, author of the Immortal Beloved & it's recently released sequel, Darkness Falls.

Congratulations on your release of Darkness Falls. Being that this is the sequel in your series, did you find it easier or more challenging to write it than the first book?

Both! In some ways it's easier because I know the characters and the setting more, and it's more instinctive to write them and describe everything. But I also had to go deeper into everyone's personality, and continue to build their characters and their motivations. While also keeping the main plot going. So it's emotionally easier but technically harder.

Were your surprised by any of Nastasya's choices that she makes in Darkness Falls?

Yes! When I started the books, I knew where I wanted the characters to end up. But sometimes how they get there is a surprise to me. And there were so many times when Nastasya does or says so much the wrong thing, and you just want to shout, No! But she also surprised me with some of her progress, and the ways she grew.

Which character have you enjoyed getting to know the most over the course of writing Immortal Beloved and Darkness Falls?

Gee--I think all of them. I find all of them so interesting. I would love to do a book just about River and her brothers--and I love Brynne, and the other teachers--and more Reyn . . . I'd love to follow all of their stories.

What's your favorite place to sit and write?

I don't know if it's my favorite, but the place I sit and write is almost always at my desk, which is in a little hallway off our dining room. I have big windows to look out of, and shelves for all my reference books, and it's very comfortable. Someday I'd like to have an office with a door that shuts, but I've pretty much never had that.

If you could spend the day with one of your favorite authors, who would you want to spend the day with?

Hmm. I have a lot of author friends, and they're great to hang out with. So any one of them. But someone I don't actually know? I think I'll say Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who writes romances (not YA). She seems like she would be fun and funny but also down to earth.

Thank you for stopping today! I really appreciate it!

Thank you for the interview! I appreciate it!

Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?

Visit Poppy to learn more about the series, read an excerpt of both books, get downloads and more.

Buy the book

Visit Cate on her Blog | Twitter | Website

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Thank you to Little Brown, I have 1 published copy of Darkness Falls to giveaway to 1 lucky winner. To enter, please fill out the form below:

- 1 entry per person

- US Residents only

- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter (if under you need to have a parent/guardian's permission)

- This giveaway will end on 2/17/12

Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the Darkness Falls Blog Tour:

Monday, 1/30 – Amusing Reviews

Tuesday, 1/31 – The Mod Podge Bookshelf

Wednesday, 2/1 – Hobbitsies

Thursday, 2/2 – Paranormal Wastelands

Friday, 2/3 – Mundie Moms

Flashback Friday: Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Flashback Friday is a meme I started last year here on the blog for the sole purpose of spotlighting books that have been sitting on my shelf to read for awhile. This will include titles released the previous year and ones that have been out for a few years. Today's feature is Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved.

By: Cate Tiernan

Published by: Little Brown

Released on: September 7th, 2010

Source: Book from publisher to review

Star Rating: It wasn't my cup of tea

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy -quoted from Goodreads

I'm a little torn on my thoughts with this book, partly because, it took me much longer than I had hoped to get into this book. I found the beginning of the book to unenjoyable due to the fact I felt the main character, Nastasya who's been around for well over 400 yrs acted like a selfish, self centered teen. I couldn't get over the fact someone who's immortal and lives for centuries would act the way she does. She pays little regard to what's going on around, parties way too much and it's not until something happens does she finally start to get a tiny bit of a conscience.

It's during her time at River's Edge that I found the story picked up a little bit more. I really liked Cate's unique paranormal mythology and the history she gives her characters. Still, no matter how hard I tried to get into the story, I still felt something was missing from it for me, and I can't pin point exactly what it is. One of the things I did love is the Viking lore... aka Thor. I'm a sucker for a well developed lore/mythology and Cate has that in this series. Still, try as hard as I might I could not connect with Nastasya, at all. For me connecting with the book's main character really makes or breaks the book for me. Toward's end of the book I felt like I was finally able to understood her inner battle with herself a bit more, but she still came across as extremely immature to me.

Though this book wasn't my cup of tea, I think this one paranormal fans will enjoy. I am looking forward to reading Darkness Falls. I know that might seem silly to want to read a sequel to a book I didn't enjoy like I hoped to, but I'm hoping there's something in this story that I will pull me in. I'm hoping Nastasya character wise grows up a bit more, which I think she will giving the ending. Plus I want to read more about the Viking lore. There are some partying scenes, and mild language in the book.

Latest News & Giveaway Winners!

There is a lot of exciting things going on this month! First, Mundie Moms turns 3 on the 14th!!! YAY! I can't believe how fast 3 years has flown by. We'll be celebrating with giveaways I'll be posting about soon....

Here's a hint of a few of the ARCs I'll be giving away... You might be Destined for a Dreamless night's sleep when you stay up all night to read Until I Die and Black Heart. Yes laugh all you want. I'm a bit delusional from a lack of sleep as I sit here and write this. There are lots more goodies coming up your way this month in celebration of MMs turning 3!

In other news, Dark Days is coming to Austin, TX on 2/17!! This will be taking place the Barnes & Noble in the Arboretum. I'll be there as the live blogger for the event. I'll be interviewing Courtney Allison Moulton, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows, as well as tweeting from the event.

AND Alex Flinn will be signing at the Round Rock, TX Barnes & Noble at 7 pm on 2/16!! I hope to see you guys there.

Congratulations to our recent GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

1,000,000 visitors BOX of Books Giveaway winner is:

#513- Diane E

Hallowed Blog Tour Giveaway: Team Christian pack

#87- Amanda P

Both winners have been notified and have 48 hrs to reply to their emails or new winners will be selected. Thank you to everyone who entered! Don't miss our latest giveaways that are featured in our right hand side bar.

Thoughtful Thursday: MM Q&A Part 2

For last week's Thoughtful Thursday I posted my answers to some questions I often receive via email, twitter, messages on facebook etc. and this week I thought I'd post a few more that I didn't answer last week.

What Do You Do With All The Review Books You Get?

I keep some, use some for giveaways, but I donate the majority of the books and ARCs I receive. There's a lot of great organizations in my local area that are in need of books. A lot of my books have gone to my local public library, Safe Place, and to my local schools (high school and elementary school), and I've also donated books to local book drives the Austin Area Bloggers have donated too.

How Do I Get On Your Blog Tours?

At one time I was going to open my tours up, but since 1) I have a limited amount of time to put into book tours and 2) since they're free, I've not opened them up. I'm very selective on the tours I host and they're a combination of ones I've worked with for authors I've either built up a friendship with outside of blogging, ones I've done stuff with before, or ones who's books I've already read and loved, publishers that I have a closer relationship with and/or tour I've put together myself (w/ the permission of the author or publisher). I learned the hard way that I'm not as successful in promoting a book I really didn't like, which is why I currently only host tours for books I've read and loved.

Why Have You Cut Back On Your Giveaways?

I've had to cut back due to costs. I currently do not make any money on blog (which I'm hoping to change shortly), and with a young family I've needed to put my money where it's most important. The majority of my giveaways are done out of pocket, unless it's one hosted by a publisher. In which case they graciously send out the books. Since this month is MM's birthday month, I do have some more giveaways coming up! I am planning to host monthly giveaways, they just won't be numerous as they have been.

Do You Get Envious Of Other Bloggers?

I can honestly say not really. I'd be a liar if I say I've gotten envious, but it's been a long time. I seriously get so excited over seeing what everyone gets in their IMM's and over the success my friends have on their blogs. Why get envious over that? It's pointless to me. I'd much rather spend the energy on celebrating successes and what everyone does on their blogs vs wasting time getting envious over petty things.

Will You Be Hosting More TMI/ ID series Read Alongs?

Yes!! The next one is scheduled is for City of Fallen Angels and it will start on April 18th and end on May 7th. That one will also be followed up with a chat with Cassie either at the end of that month or the beginning of June.

I'll be able to pin point a date for the Clockwork Prince read along once there's a firm release date for Clockwork Princess.

When's Your Next Chat with Cassie Scheduled?

It will either be at the end of May or the beginning of June. This one will also be a spoiler filled chat, which is why it will most likely be a month after COLS release.

Book Review: Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

By: Sara Wilson Etienne

Published by: Penguin Teen / G.P. Putnam & Sons

To Be Released on: February 2nd, 2012

Source: ARC from the publisher

3.5 stars: It's A Good Read

Purchase from: Penguin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy.

Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red. Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too. Rich, compelling writing will keep the pages turning in this riveting and tautly told psychological thriller -quoted from Goodreads

A gripping, psychological thriller that's hard to put down. This debut is as terrifying as it is fascinating. Sara did a masterful job at creating a story that will make the reader feel just as insane as her main character Faye. Getting inside the head of Faye made it hard to distinguish what was real and what was an figment of her imagination. I have to say, that really made for an interesting read, because it was impossible for me to figure out what was really going on. This is one of those story's that similar to the writings of Nova Ren Suma and Michelle Hodkin's where you spend the entire time trying to piece everything that's going on together, only to get to the end of the book and realize that it was an impossible task to do.

Faye is one of those characters you root for when they become rebellious. How could I not? She basically gets dumped at Holbrook Academy, is forced to take pills to "feel normal", has to deal with the crocked Dr. Mordoch, deal with takers who treat her like an animal and the rest of the residents there, and essential have her individuality taken away from her. I give Faye props for trying to escape. Shoot, I would have done the same thing. Even solitary confinement can't break her spirit, but some of the strange things going on at the Academy can. There's plenty of secrets, betrayals and plot twists that keep on coming until the very end. Not to mention a hot little romance on the side.

Faye's story is a bit confusing at times, but that's what kept me reading. I know that sounds weird and there's very few authors who have been able to hold my attention during a confusing plot, but there's something about Sara's writing that captures your attention. Really, there's so much that's going that it was hard to put the book down. The characters, and the setting really help paint the picture of the disturbing things that happen. Like Faye, I had a hard time trying to figure out what were lies, who I could really trust and what was really the reasoning behind Faye's terrifying visions. When the plot twists unravel and Faye's secrets are revealed all I can say is hold on tight for one wild crazy ending that I never saw coming. It's during this time that I had my "oh that totally makes sense" moment.

Again, Sara's writing is crafted so well that by the end of the book when she unravels everything neatly, I was able to look back and see the hints she had dropped, but with out knowing the outcome there is no way I would have been able to pick up on them. Sounds confusing doesn't it? Believe me when you read it you'll know what I mean by that. The other thing that I was fascinated by is Sara's notes at the end of the book (ARC), where she talks about her inspiration for the story. I loved how she was able to take a little bit of fact and history and create a whole fictional story around that. Overall I felt this was a Good Read. There's nothing I can pin point that I didn't like, it's just not a book I fell in love with like I wanted to, but it's one I liked reading it. There is some mild language, and darker undertones in the book making it one I'd recommend to older YA readers.

Cassandra Clare's TMI/TID Unidentified Snippets

I'm loving the snippets Cassie has recently been posting/ teasing us with. We'll be updating this post as she posts more snippets. You can also follow Cassie on her tumblr, and read all her snippets under her unidentified-snippets posts on her tumblr account.

As Cassie mentioned on her tumblr, these are unidentified snippets, meaning they can be either from TMI or TID series.

1/2012 - To my son,

If you are reading this letter, then I am dead.

1/2012 - “In your eyes, I have always found grace.”

1/2012 - He stopped dead. “Tessa told you?” he said.

1/2012 - his parabatai rune was bleeding

1/2012 - Marry me today.

1/2012 - She slid the gold ring back onto her finger before heading into Jace’s bedroom.

1/31/12- Will’s hand looked brown and sunburnt by contrast, their fingers dovetailed together like piano keys.

2/1/12- He kissed each finger, and with each one of them spoken a word. Five kisses, five words. His last.

** All snippets are taken from posts Cassie's made on Tumblr.

Waiting on Wednesday: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

By: Kathleen Peacock

Published by: Harper Teen / Katherine Tegen Books

To Be Released on: May 8th, 2012

Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

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.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love -quoted from Goodreads

I am really looking forward to reading this! I love that it's a paranormal, murder mystery with what sounds like laced with a bit of romance. This book is definitely moving up on my TBR list. I was fortunate to receive an ARC of Hemlock at ALA and I can't wait to sit down and read it. I'll have my review up for it in April.

The other day on twitter there was discussion about Hemlock's US vs UK cover. Since I love them both, I wanted to share with you what the UK cover looks like. *hint* Look really closely at the cover and what Mac is looking back at.... there's something in the trees.

What book are you waiting on?

February 2012 YA Releases

I thought January kicked off the year to a pretty good start with YA release, but wait till you check out this month's awesome upcoming releases!

February 1st

1. The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin
2. The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone
3. Spur of the Moment by Candace Bowen Early

February 2nd

1. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
2. This One Time With Julia by David Lampson

February 6th

1. The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

February 7th

1. Dead To You by Lisa McMann
2. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
3. Once: Before Midnight, Golden, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
4. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth

February 8th

1. The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney
2. Prue by Julianna Baggott

February 10th

1. Devotion by Kristie Cook

February 14th

1. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
2. Bewitching by Alex Flinn
3. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
4. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
5. The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers
6. The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
7. Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer
8. Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

February 16th

1. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
2. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
3. Trafficked by Kim Purcell

February 21st

1. Fever by Lauren DeStefano
2. The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
3. A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
4. Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

February 28th

1. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
2. Partials by Dan Wells
3. When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen
4. Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
5. Allegiance by Cayla Kluver
6. The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee
7. A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford

*All links go to the book's individual page on Goodreads

If I missed any YA books that were being released this month, please let me know so I can list it.

Book Review: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

By: Courtney Allison Moulton

Published by: Harper Teen / Katherine Tegen Books

Released on: January 31st, 2012 TODAY

Source: ARC from the author to review

5 stars: I LOVED It!

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Series: Book #2

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.

Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed. Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay. -quoted from Goodreads

Talk about needing to catch my breathe... Wings of the Wicked is a non stop, action packed, thrilling sequel that's sexy, dark, and emotionally gripping. Courtney Allison Moulton pulls out all the stops in this book and I have no idea how she's going to top this sequel with book #3. I don't think I've ever read over 500 pages this quickly before. There is so much that happens that I literally was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Between the plot twists, the battles and those who get killed off, this is one book that will appeal to readers who enjoy endless action.

I loved the characters in this sequel, and was really blown away with how much Ellie changes. She deals with some very realistic concerns. She's the Preilator, she's powerful, she's being hunted and she also wants to enjoy just being human. I understood the range of emotions she deals with. The time has come for her to embrace her true self and sacrifice one life for the other... the angel side or the human side. As readers will learn, when the two worlds collide it's costly for her and all involved. The things between Will and Ellie really heat up and their chemistry is smoking in this sequel. Their scenes together were some of the ones that emotional grabbed me. There's so much history between the two of them, an undeniable love, and danger. Courtney couldn't have written their relationship any better than she does in this book. I can't even begin to sum up what is developed and revealed between Will and Ellie. It's so fitting for their history and the way the story line goes.

Along with Will, whom I adore, is Caden. I seriously have fallen in love with Caden, though not as much as I have with Will. He shows up when you least except it and delivers quite the plot twist when he does. When he's around it's hard to tell if there's something he's hiding or if he's really the guy you'd least except to fall for. There's plenty of swoon worthy and gut retching moments that will leave you clinging to the pages of this book. There's an epic battle though I'm sure this isn't the last one we'll witness in this series. I liked that there were times Ellie had to decipher where the fine line between good and evil stood. There's betrayal, unlikely allies and plenty of scenes that will leave you thinking, "I can't believe she just went there." Oh Courtney definitely goes there and it's fabulous!

This is a fantastic sequel and one I highly recommend picking up. There is an underage drinking scene, an attempted rape scene, plenty of butt kicking scenes that obviously contain violence, the subject of domestic violence, very mild language, grief, guilt and the actions that can stem for those. I will say Courtney does a great job in the way she handled each of those topics in her story. Due to some of the content, I think this is a book older YA fans will enjoy the most. If you loved Angelfire just wait till you read Wings of the Wicked! If you're looking for a book that will sweep you off your feet, is full of brilliant writing, breathtaking romance and a well developed storyline than this is one you need to read. Now that I've caught my breathe I may need to sit and read it again. I can't wait to read the next book in this exciting trilogy.

Guess what!?! Courtney will be in Austin on 2/17/12 for the Dark Days stop! I am so excited I'll be there to interview her along with Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton. Find out all the details HERE.

Find out more about Fear The Reaper HERE

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I have 2 SETS of bookmarks that feature Will, Ellie and Caden on them to GIVEAWAY and one set of Will and Ellie!! Just leave me a comment with your name and email address to enter. This giveaway will end on 2/13/12. It's OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

Catching Jordan Blog Tour: Guest Post w/ Author Miranda Kenneally

"Breaking through the Ranks: Jordan is symbolic for the many girls/women who choose to fight the status quo. What have some of your own experiences been like?"

When I was in elementary school, I wasn’t popular to say the least. Kids teased me because I liked Star Trek and science and animals and wanted to know how hurricanes worked. I didn’t know what the popular radio stations were and I barely knew which bands were cool. Some people at my school couldn’t believe I loved reading at night. Books and Discover magazine and National Geographic. I was a dorky, unattractive nerd who boys did not like.

But I was damned good at certain sports, like softball and volleyball.

For a long time in elementary school, when captains chose teams in gym class, it was all based on popularity. I was usually picked somewhere toward the end, even though I knew I could help the captain win games. I had proven myself. But no one ever seemed to notice because my lack of popularity hid my talent.

Then in sixth grade, I made it onto the school’s volleyball team. We were going to play the teachers in a game right before holiday break! Only eight kids were on the team: four boys and four girls. One of the boys was named Josh, and he was extremely popular, but had always been kind to me.

So one night our team went to Open Gym night, to practice so we could beat the teachers. I was practicing my serve – I was the only girl on the team who could do an overhand serve, and it was awesome. A fifth grade boy called out to Josh, “Wow, she’s good!” And Josh replied, “I know she’s good.”

And that was the first time in my life I really felt worth something when it came to sports. I smiled and smiled, and when we played softball in the spring, Josh picked me first when he was captain. When anyone questioned him, he replied, “Have you seen Miranda bat? Or seen her play third base?”

He was a truly good person and a good friend, because he saw my strengths and focused only on them, disregarding any pretense he may have had toward my popularity. I remember in junior high, he wrote in my yearbook, “Stay cool until the Next Generation.” That was incredibly corny but I loved it, because he knew I loved Star Trek: The Next Generation and accepted that about me, that I could like something other kids at my school didn’t like.

In my book CATCHING JORDAN, seventeen-year-old Jordan Woods loves football. She’s been playing the game for a long time and the guys all accept that she loves the game. Her friends don’t question it. She’s the captain and quarterback of her school’s team because she’s proven herself to be a great player and a capable leader.

Early on, when test readers were reading the book, they wanted to know, “Why does Jordan like football so much?”

I couldn’t really answer that. Jordan loves it, so she plays. Isn’t that enough? She likes running and the strategy involved. She likes leading a team. She likes running in for a touchdown.

If I say I love Mexican food, people don’t say, “Tell me why you like Mexican.” If I say I love figure skating, people don’t ask me why. It’s okay that I like those things because it’s normal for a white woman in American to like chips and dip and sparkly leotards.

But people do ask why Jordan’s into football, just because she’s a girl. I know that’s the sole reason.
My view is that people should do what they are good at. And even if they aren’t amazing at something, they should do it if they want to. If they dream of doing something, then they should work toward that dream, tackling obstacle after obstacle.

People will respect that. Maybe not all people, but a good portion will. Besides, you should do what you want to do.

That’s what Jordan Woods does, and that’s what I try to do every day. You should too. And if it ever gets hard, just remember those special people in your life who believe in you and your skills, regardless of sex or race or social status.

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Thank you Miranda for joining us today!

Please be sure to follow Miranda via her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr