My Top 5 Reads of 2012

Here is my top 5 books of 2012.

There are many other books I really enjoyed this year but these 5 just stand out to me. 

5

Time Between Us - Tamara Ireland Stone

This is one of those books where I was able to really connect to and like the characters, those are my favourite sort of books! A gripping book which had me addicted from page one. 
Quote from my review :
The storyline along with the characters definitely add up to make this a great well rounded book with an addictive storyline as well as great characters. Time Between Us is a sweet and heart warming book about a romance which possibly shouldn't have existed but is unmistakably right. I would not have known this was a debut book for Tamara if I hadn't read it, I hope she brings more books out soon, I will definitely be reading them.

4

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Doesn't everyone love this book? I was a bit behind on reading this, everyone was raving about it and I still hadn't read it. I soon realised I was really missing out and picked it up. 

I straight away fell in love with it. This is why I love books so much, because they can take you to another world, a world you have never even considers but straight away become absorbed in. Veronica, you are a very creative and talented author and I am so glad I read all the positive reviews which lead me to read this book. 

Quote from my review :

I didn't actually write a review for this one. Sorry! 

3

Trafficked - Sophie Hayes 

This is totally out of my 'comfort zone' when it comes to reading. I never usually read or can get into non fiction which is a true story. This was completely different. It was written in the way a story is wrote and that made it much easier for me to get into. It's a gripping and heart breaking read. I had to keep reminding myself it's real. 

Quote from my review :

I can’t imagine how much strength it must have taken for Sophie to relive this dreadful part of her life but because of her bravery her raw emotion came across so clearly in the book that I just hope and pray that more people read Sophie’s story and more people become aware that this can happen to anyone.

2

Pushing The Limits  - Katie McGarry
I have to admit I never expected to fall in love with this book like I did. It was one of those amazing books which pleasantly surprised me. It even had me in tears at one point which shows how amazing it is. 
Quote from my review :
Pushing The Limits is both a heart warming but heart wrenching book at the same time. So many emotions are ‘flying’ around at the same time I found myself feeling the emotions that the characters were feeling and even crying at a certain scene. Such a beautiful story about two well developed characters whose stories will have you feeling so many different feelings.

My Top Read/s of 2012! 

I am kinda cheating in putting all three here but I can't choose between them! Nope, you won't make me! You understand ;)

My Status Updates (On Goodreads)

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

Totally fallen for Mr Grey!!!!

I AM LOST WITHOUT THIS SERIES!!!!!!! =(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

I just don't have any words for how addicted I became to this series and to this day I still don't understand why.. 

2013 New Year Resolutions and Aims.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Thank you for a wonderful year.

This year I really hope to catch up blogging and continue to blog! 

2013 New Year Resolutions and Aims 

 VISIT BLOGS! - I never get the chance to do this but I hope that when people comment on my blog i can find the time to return the favour. 

 Keep Up to Date With  my Emails - I suck at this and I am so sorry for everyone who has experienced this! 

 No More Book Challenges - So for the last two years I have sucked at keeping up to date with my book challenges. This year I'm going to focus on just reading 60-80 books. 

 Write my reviews as soon as I finish the book - Another one from last year. I did get better for a while but then stopped again.

 Keep up to date with my IMM! I haven't done one for months I believe! 

 Keep my currently reading up to date on Goodreads.  

Not get stressed - I want to enjoy blogging and I feel it's important not to get stressed from blogging. 

Unique - Try to do a few unique things throughout 2013 on the blog.

 Have Guest Reviewers - I really want to have some guest reviewers on  my blog. I ALREADY have one review scheduled by a guest reviewer and two people who may be doing some reviews for me. 

Author Interview - Logan Belle

Please welcome Logan Belle to Books for Company.

Logan is a pen name, her real name being Jamie Brenner. Thank you Jamie for answering my interview questions, I found it really interesting to get to know about The Angel trilogy from your side, as the writer. 

The Blue Angel Series is an erotica series with romance entwined. What made you decide to write erotica and how did you want to make this series different from other erotica series/books?
I didn’t necessarily know I wanted to write erotica at the time that I started thinking about Blue Angel – I just knew that I wanted to write about the world of burlesque. My boyfriend took me to my first show on my birthday, and I was completely fascinated. I started imagining how the women got involved in burlesque, and I reached out to a few of them to hear their stories. At the same time, I was going through a time of tremendous personal upheaval. I was getting divorced and falling in love with someone new. I started questioning everything about myself, my choices in life thus far, and what I wanted from a partner in the future. I think Blue Angel is different from other erotica novels in that the hero is not the focal point for the heroine – she is the focal point. It is about her growth as a woman – sexually, professionally – and how he is able to fit into that change. It’s not about her winning him or getting him.

I feel that the main character, Mallory, is a strong character who can stand up for what she believes in but at the same time can be a weak character when it comes to certain people and situations. Do you agree and what personality traits did you try to incorporate into Mallory's character?
I definitely agree. I tried to show Mallory as making mistakes that a lot of young women make: they are so focused on being “good” girls and pleasing others and security that they don’t take the time to really examine what they want out of life, and how best to go about it. When Mallory sees her first burlesque show, it awakens these questions in her. At the same time, her boyfriend is provoking her to be more sexually adventurous. And he gets more than he bargained for.

Alec, Mallory's boyfriend, is someone I can see myself falling for and can totally see why Mallory loves him. How would you describe Alec and what do you think it is that Mallory finds so attractive in him?
I’m happy to hear you say that, because some readers don’t! Personally, I love Alec: He’s smart, he’s funny, he can be a bit of a jerk – but a charming jerk. He’s great in bed. Mallory knows they are a great match: they have sexual chemistry, they have history, and he challenges her and loves her.

Which was the best book in the series to write and why?
I really had fun with the second book, Fallen Angel, because I got to introduce a real villain in Violent Offender. Again, I got the idea for her after seeing a spectacular show in Los Angeles. A performer named Sin Fisted just blew me away – she was a burlesque dancer and contortionist. She was edgy and super-talented. Then I learned that another performer in the show also worked as a Dominatrix. The two combined in my mind to make Violet, Mallory’s nemesis. Creatively, I let myself go with that novel in a way that I don’t think I’ve been able to since. To this day, there are some scenes that I can’t believe I put in there, but I’m glad I did.

Find Logan/Jamie

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

Buy The Angel Trilogy 

Amazon (UK/USA)

Book Depository

Interview at Fluttering Butterflies

I don't usually do these posts but I really enjoyed this interview and wanted to point you in the direction! 

As a Bristish Book Blog I was so happy to be asked to take part! 

Check out my interview here

Guest Post : Adriana Ryan + Giveaway

Please welcome Adriana to Books for Company. 

Adriana is the author of the newly released World of Shell and Bone.

 

World of Shell and Bone

By Adriana Ryan

In a world ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, Vika Cannon knows there are no guarantees: no guarantees of safety, no guarantees that your neighbor is not actually a spy for the government, and no guarantees you’ll be allowed to emigrate to a new life in Asia.

New Amana is dying. Food and water are scarce, and people suffering from radiation-caused mutations—the Nukeheads—are the new class of homeless. 

Vika has just one purpose: to produce healthy progeny using a Husband assigned by the Match Clinic. Unhealthy children are carted away to Asylums to be experimented on, just as Vika’s little sister Ceres was, eight years ago. Parents incapable of producing healthy progeny are put to death in gas chambers.

When she’s assigned a Husband shortly after her twentieth birthday, Vika expects him to be complacent and obedient. But Shale Underwood has a secret. He is a member of the Radicals, the terrorist group intent on overthrowing the government. And Shale has information about Ceres.

As she learns more about the Rads’s plan, Vika finds herself drawn to Shale in ways she’d never imagined. When freedom calls in the way of a healthy pregnancy, will she betray her government and risk death for Shale and Ceres?

What part of writing do you love most? (Beginning, middle or end?)

This is an interesting question. Writers generally, as a species, hate writing the middles of their books. To us it’s a huge pain because we want to get to the good parts of the story, and while the middle is fun to read, it’s not as fun to write because it’s not generally where the highest energy points of the story are.
That being said, I love writing the big reveal of my story. In every story I’ve written so far, there’s been a moment where the heroine learns something that she didn’t know before about someone or something dear to her. This basically changes the world as she knows it. I love, love, love writing that moment. My fingers can’t fly across the keyboard fast enough when I get to those points. It’s amazing, and I’m usually covered in goose bumps from the sheer adrenaline rush of it. :) This usually happens toward the beginning of the book, so I guess my favorite part is usually at about the quarter mark of the book.

About Adriana

Adriana lives and writes in beautiful Charleston, SC. A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, she enjoys alternately hitting up the historic graveyards and outlet malls. World of Shell and Bone is her first book.

Find Adriana 

Website

Goodreads

Amazon (UK/USA)

Facebook

Twitter

Buy World of Shell and Bone

Amazon (UK/USA)

Barnes and Noble

Giveaway!

E book Copy.

International

Ends on 22nd December 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Time Will Come #85

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Guessing by the amount of people that have read this it's probably pretty crazy that I haven't read this one yet. 
I didn't find out about it until about a year ago but when I heard about it and read the blurb I couldn't wait to read it.
I straight away brought myself a copy but so far it's just sat on my shelf. I hate when your so excited for a book and then it just ends up sitting on your shelf for ages!
If you have read this let me know what you think about it and any links to reviews =)

The Blurb

From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops - a major infraction in high-school society - so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. No one knows why she called the police, and she can't get out the words to explain. So she retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence. But it's not so comfortable in her head, either - there's something banging around in there that she doesn't want to think about. But, try as she might, it just won't go away...

Waiting on Wednesday #79

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Dare To You - Katie McGarry
Published : 28th May 2013
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
Dare to You is second in the series of Pushing the Limits. Pushing The Limits was one of my favourite books of this year, I adored it in so many ways. I felt so many emotions when reading it, it was so nice and refreshing to become so wrapped up in the characters!
Dare To You actually has different characters from Pushing the Limits but I am in no doubt that this will be as amazing. Katie is a great author and I can't recommend her enough. Definitely check out Dare to You in May! 

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The Blurb :

"I dare you..."
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does.... .
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

*Review* - Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder - R.K. Palacio

Series : No

Released : 1st March 2012

Publisher: Random House

Format : Paperback

Source : Publisher (Thank you!)

Buy : Amazon Paperback (UK/USA)/Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

"I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school--until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?
R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, "Wonder" is accessible to readers of all levels.

 .................................... My Thoughts   ....................................

In Short

- Wonder is a thought provoking book. 

- I really enjoyed having chapters from different people's POV. 

- I did feel that in some way Wonder should be a bit more emotional in parts. 

- Wonder is a unique story and a different sort of book from what I usually read which I enjoyed. I definitely recommend giving it a go. . 

In Long

I had heard people saying all sorts about Wonder, all good. Some people labelled it as ‘heart breaking’ others as ‘inspiring’ and ‘life changing’. As you can imagine, I was very excited to read it after reading these descriptions as I wanted to see if I felt any of these things. I did feel all three and more, some more strongly than others.

Wonder is definitely life changing, although probably not to the extreme of changing your life forever. It does however definitely make you think of life from a different point of view, at the least through someone else’s eyes whose life may not be as easy as mine has been. Wonder is also both heart breaking and inspiring. Out of the three descriptions I would say inspiring is the most accurate feeling to how I felt throughout this book and how I was left feeling. Everything about Wonder is inspiring; not just because of August’s facial deformity but because of how he deals with this and is so strong about it all.

I loved how the chapters were from the point of view of the different characters in August’s life. I felt it was an important part in me becoming so wrapped up in the story because I could see so many different sides to it and not just how it affected him but also the people around him.

For me the one negative thing about this book was although the story is heart breaking I felt this book would be one I would feel a lot more sadness about. I almost wanted it to be sadder because in real life I felt things would be all a bit more difficult. Not that I think they should be but as some points I felt August dealt with everything a bit too well, especially as his only young.

Final Thoughts

Wonder is a thought provoking book which will have you reflecting on your own life and how you deal with things yourself.

Cover Crazy #80

Walking Disaster - Jamie McGuire
I think this cover is awesome and really stands out but the thing I do dislike is how I wouldn't necessarily relate it to Beautiful Disaster which is the first in the series. 

I love this cover because :

- I love the bright blue, it really makes the cover stand out and it looks so pretty!
- Well I don't dislike many covers with a very nicely toned man on and this isn't any exception. 

- I love the font and that it does relate back to Beautiful Disaster. 
Dislike :
-It's sad that this cover wouldn't go that well with Beautiful Disaster on a bookshelf and you wouldn't know they were the same series
- The bottom section of the cover feels too full.

The Torn Wing - Kiki Hamilton 
This is the second in the series to The Faerie Ring and both the covers are gorgeous!  

I love this cover because :

- I love purple and purple is the main colour in this cover. 
- The font is pretty awesome and different. I like how the pattern around the title isn't too overboard but makes the cover look pretty. 

- Love how it's kind of the same theme as The Faerie Ring cover and that you can tell they are in the same series.
- I like how the authors name is done so it stands out but also fits the cover.  
-Quotes are always a plus for me, especially when they don't demand your attention but are there if you want. 

Cover Crazy #79

Is there someone else who hosts a Cover Crazy on a Monday?

Mortality - Kellie Sheridan
How awesome is this cover?! I haven't ever saw a cover like this, I would definitely pick this up if I saw it in the shop! It stands out so much. Such a new and different idea for a cover. 

I love this cover because :

- I love that it's really different and unique! 

- It gives you quite a bit of information about the book and you can tell what the book is about.   

- It tells you what number this book is the series. 
Dislike :
-The only thing I think would be interesting to see is with a few different backgrounds. Not saying another one would be better but would be interesting to see it with different background. 

The Time Will Come #84

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

I know, I know. I am crazy that I haven't read this book yet and I really should! 
I have heard many many great things about it and nothing negative (Although I am sure there is!). 
I really want to read this book, I have the second in the series too so this gives me even more reason to read it because I know Rage Within is sitting there waiting for me too.
If you have any reviews or thoughts on this book be sure to send them too me, whether they are good or bad!

The Blurb

Since the beginning of mankind, civilizations have fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs...and now us. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening: An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it's turning everyday people into hunters, killers, and crazies. This is the world Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael are living in--or rather, trying to survive. Each is fleeing unspeakable horror, from murderous chaos to brutal natural disasters, and each is traveling the same road in a world gone mad. Amid the throes of the apocalypse and clinging to love and meaning wherever it can be found, these four teens are on a journey into the heart of darkness--and to find each other and a place of safety.

Waiting on Wednesday #78

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Just One Day - Gayle Forman
Published : 8th January 2013
Publisher : Dutton Juvenile
I love Gayle, she is such an amazing author and I have been so looking forward to her next book! I didn't even need to read the blurb to know that I want to read this one and that I am waiting on it. I am sure it's going to be awesome. 
I have to admit that the blurb does make it sound that exciting but I am sure Gayle has made this book an emotional roller coaster road, or I am hoping at least!
Make sure to check this one out, looking forward to reviews!  

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The Blurb :

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance ofTwelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

*Review* - Kept by Shawntelle Madison

   Kept by Shawntelle Madison

Series : #2 Coveted

Released : 27th November 2012

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Format : Paperback

Source : Author (Thank you!)

Buy : Amazon Paperback (UK/USA)/Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

Fresh from defending her pack in battle, Natalya Stravinsky, a whip-smart werewolf with a lovable neurotic streak, wants a little rest and relaxation. Once an outcast, she’s now eager to rejoin the ranks of her New Jersey pack, and has even gotten a handle on her obsessive urge to hoard holiday ornaments. Yet Nat barely has time to revel in her progress before the next crisis comes howling at her door.

Nat’s father has suddenly gone missing, captured by the Russian werewolf mafia. And as Nat steps up to save her dad from a mob boss’s deadly game, two men step in to play another round for her heart: her gorgeous alpha ex-boyfriend, Thorn, and her new flame, the sweetly sensitive wizard Nick. With her life growing more harried by the minute, Nat must stay cool, calm, and collected . . . or else risk losing everything.

 .................................... My Thoughts   ....................................

In Short

- Kept follows on nicely from Coveted (The first in the series)

- All the characters grew in Kept 

- Thorn is just ... <3

- Kept is such a unique paranormal book, you don't want to miss out!

In Long

Kept follows on nicely from the first book in the series, Coveted. However I found myself getting into Kept much quicker than Coveted. Everything seemed to move more quickly in Kept, the storyline constantly has something going on

All the characters grew in Kept which I really liked. I always think characters should never stop growing and Shawntelle made sure her characters continued to grow. I became even fonder of Nat in this book, she is such a strong character who deals with everything in the way she sees best, often putting herself last. Her character is such a realistic one because she does have her flaws but at the same time there is such much to like about her.

Thorn is so swoon worthy, he really keeps me guessing as to what his thinking which I love about male characters. His all mysterious and then he will suddenly open up but at the same time hold back from revealing everything. It definitely kept me guessing throughout the whole book. One moment I thought something then his next actions would make me think something different. It was like it’s own little storyline within itself.

Kept is such a different sort of paranormal book, I love how werewolves are the main paranormal creatures but there are also wizards, mermaids and many other paranormal creatures involved. It’s so interesting to see them altogether and how Shawntelle puts them into the storyline in a way which could make the storyline go in many different directions.

The ending is a great one, so much is still going on right up until the last sentence!! I could never predict the exact ending, although I thought it might end in a certain way I was never totally sure and I was definitely ‘on the edge of my seat’ throughout the book, especially the last 50 pages.

Final Thoughts

Kept is a great follow on from Coveted. I actually enjoyed Kept a bit more than Coveted which was a nice surprise because I didn't think I would after enjoying Coveted so much. I really recommend this series!! 

Guest Post - Deleted Scene from Zombie's Don't Cry + UK Giveaway

Please welcome Rusty to Books For Company. He has been very kind and provided us with a great deleted scene from Zombie's Don't Cry, an exclusive!

This has definitely made me put the book onto my wishlist. So much character comes through within this one scene! 

Don’t Forget the Dew! 

A “Deleted Scene” from Zombies Don’t Cry 

By Rusty Fischer, author of Zombies Don’t Cry 

So, I always love writing these “deleted scenes” from Zombies Don’t Cry. It’s been a few years since I wrote it, and it’s always neat to go back and try to sneak something new in with these scenes “from the cutting room floor”.
So, in honor of the book’s UK release in October, here is a scene that happens just before the book’s Prologue, while Maddy, the book’s main character, is doing a little last minute shopping before here “Zombie Picnic.”
I’m pretty excited about this deleted scene, and very grateful to Jodie for allowing me to debut it here, and only here, on the Books for Company blog. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it:
.
I shut the passenger door and Dane leans over, hands bone white and clutching the steering wheel. “You’ve got the list?” he asks, gooey black zombie blood -- though it’s not really blood -- smeared on his chin. 
“Yes, I have the list!” Sheesh, he’s only asked me a dozen times since we pulled away from the dance.
“Okay, just checking.” He seems antsy, and I guess I can’t blame him. I take one step away from the truck and he pokes his head out one last time: “Don’t forget the Dew! It’s really important he has a little refreshment, you know, for when he wakes up.”
I look down at the list, scribbled onto the back of my Fall Formal invitation. “Yeah, it’s on here, I got it…”
I’m still grumbling when I walk into the Stop ‘N Go store on Lumpfish Lane. It’s not exactly a 7-11, if you know what I mean, which Dane thought would be best considering the fact that we’re now, officially, on the run.
An electronic “ding-dong-ding” chimes when I walk in and a sleepy cashier, a few years older than me, looks up from some magazine he’s reading on the sales counter.
He starts to nod. You can tell it’s something automatic he does every time he looks up to see somebody new, but about mid-nod he stops and his eyes get big. Like, real big; like, cartoon as big as saucers big.
“Uh… hi,” he mumbles, watching me grab a metal basket from a stack by the door.
“Hi yourself.” I don’t even know why I say it. It’s so stupid and corny, but it just blurts out, dry and husky in my new zombie voice.
I can tell he thinks it’s clownish, too, but he still watches me, eyes big with a capital “B,” as I shuffle around the store tossing items in my basket. You know, all the zombie reanimation essentials, like… plastic knives and forks, some plastic plates and paper napkins and, from the hardware section, a small hatchet, just in case.
I grab the Mountain Dew last, two six packs even though Dane said one would be plenty, but I’m thirsty and I know he will be, too. They’re cold in my hands, but not much colder than my skin.
I shuffle over to the counter and unload it all on top of the guy’s muscle car magazine. He frowns but, so what? His fault for not moving it faster. I mean, if he hadn’t been gawking at me the whole way over to the cash register, he could have moved it in plenty of time.
“Are you… okay?” he asks, not even trying to ring any of my stuff up yet. I shift my eyes to the left and see Dane’s face, white as a volleyball above the steering wheel, dark eyes glaring at me to hurry up from the parking lot.
“Who, me?” Another stupid croak out of my stupid mouth. Why am I suddenly talking like some stupid commercial for Match.com?
He smirks. He’s tall and thin, with red hair cropped short and a Star Wars shirt (of course it’s a Star Wars shirt), under his green and red Stop ‘N Go cashier apron.
He’s still not moving. “Why do you ask?”
“Why? Have you… have you seen yourself lately?”
I gasp, and suddenly, it all makes sense; his round eyes, his gaping jaw, his inability to move or ring up a single can of Mountain Dew.
I. Must. Look. Like. Complete. Ass!
I look down to see my torn prom dress, thick Zerker goo under my maroon nail polish, left pinky WAY out of joint and God, I can only imagine what my hair looks like!
Is he looking? At my hair? Oh God, he is. He is absolutely STARING at my hair! It must be flatter than one of Dad’s pancakes those rare Sunday mornings when he gets home early enough to fix me breakfast.
“I… well… I…” I have nothing to say. What should I say? That I’ve been so busy trying to save Barracuda Bay High School from a zombie infestation that I just didn’t have time to freshen up before running out for a little Mountain Dew?
“Let me guess,” he says, leaning in and throwing a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of Dane’s truck parked outside. “You and your boyfriend out there got in a little tussle and now you’re gonna whip him up something fancy to make up for it, am I right?”
The little TV on top of the rotating pretzel stand behind him flickers and a newscaster breaks into his mud wrestling program. The volume’s on low but with my new zombie hearing, the newscaster might as well be shouting as he says, “We interrupt the previously scheduled broadcast to bring you this special announcement. Reports are starting to filter in of a potential situation at tonight’s Fall Formal at one local high school, where for the last hour parents have been unable to reach their...”
I look down at the sales counter, frantic. Paper plates, a hatchet and soda pop? That’s this guy’s idea of a romantic makeup dinner?
“Yes, yes, absolutely. You must be psychic or something.” He smiles unironically, despite the irony dripping in my admittedly harsh voice.
He finally starts reaching for things, covering up the sound of the newscast with the ringing of the cash register and thank goodness the TV is behind him as they start showing photos of Barracuda Bay High, smoldering in the night.
I told Dane we should have waited until the funeral to grab this stuff, but he said we’d have to lay low for the next day or so and couldn’t chance it. Now, here I am, in my prom dress torn to shreds, strolling through the Stop ‘N Go like something straight out of a… a… zombie movie.
He rings up the soda, finally, and shoves everything in a big red and green bag, smiling. “Funny,” he says, leaving it out there, dangling, so I have to ask, “What is?”
“I drink this stuff when I have the flu, too.”
Then he looks at my face, pale and gray like wet cement, and smiles. I pay him with a rolled up twenty from my pretty clam shell prom purse and storm out the door, wondering how long it will be before they start showing my high school yearbook photo on the news and he thinks, “Hey, wasn’t that chick just in my store?!?!”

So there you have it, a scene that never made it into the book and that you can only find here, on the Books for Company blog! 

Thanks, Jodie, for hosting me and thanks to all of you for reading this. And I hope it will add to your enjoyment of the book if you ever get to read Zombies Don’t Cry! 

Yours in YA, 

Rusty 

About the Author 

Rusty Fischer is the author of Zombies Don’t Cry, as well as several other popular zombie books, including Panty Raid at Zombie High, Detention of the Living Dead and the Reanimated Readz series of 99-cent living dead shorts. 

Rusty runs the popular website Zombies Don’t Blog @ www.zombiesdontblog.blogspot.com. At Zombies Don’t Blog you can read more about Rusty’s work, view his upcoming book covers and read – or download – completely FREE books & stories about… zombies! 

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Guest Post - Faith Mckay on Becoming a Strong Female Character

Please welcome Faith McKay to Books for Company. Faith is a debut author of Prophecy Girl. 

Faith has written a great guest post for us, one which had me thinking about a subject I haven't thought that deep into but this post has made me explore my opinions. 

Becoming a Strong Female Character by Faith Mckay

What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to be weak? This is a big theme in my novel, Prophecy Girl.
I read a lot of book reviews that debate the strength of female characters in particular. A lot of people are sick of weak female characters. I get stuck on this when reading because I can relate to the characters who gets walked on, but I would also like to see more examples of strength. The thing is, though, while I admire them and wish I was them, I'm not as cool as those kick butt heroines who seem to just be strong and confident. I mean, Hermione Granger? Oh my god, she kicks so much butt! I really related to her with her big hair and love of books, and constantly wished I was as cool and strong as her. When in doubt, ask yourself, What Would Hermione Do? The answer is always: something smart and strong and awesome. She gave me something to strive to be, and that is so valuable.

In Prophecy Girl, Sam is a little bit different. Sam starts out in Prophecy Girl a victim. She's a victim of child abuse, she's a victim of bullying, and she definitely feels it's all her fault.
I worry a lot that people will read her thoughts on what's happening to her, and think that I am saying it's her fault. What is happening to her is not her fault. Of course it's not her fault! If someone is bullying you, if someone is abusing you, that's on them—not you.
But Sam doesn't do anything about her situation. The lesson she has learned, from years of abuse, is that she needs to just survive. If people are spitting on you? You make yourself small and wait for it to end.
Slowly, throughout Prophecy Girl, we watch Sam learn to stand up.
While writing Prophecy Girl, and watching the things Sam did, it gave me a lot to think about in terms of how we learn to become strong people, strong characters. Sam can't stand up for herself with her mother—but whenever her mother makes any kind of move toward her little sister, Sam stands up. It's easier to be strong defending other people than ourselves—and I think this is because Sam doesn't feel like she's worth much, but she knows her little sister is worth stepping in for.
We see Sam stand up for her sister, and we also see Sam stand up in anger. And while these things are examples of strength in the moment, it made me wonder what ends up driving us to be stronger characters overall? What drives us to stand up and be amazing kick butt heroines?
I think the answer is in feeling like we're worth doing that for. In knowing that we don't deserve to be spit on, in knowing that we deserve respect, that we are worth the strength it takes to stand up for ourselves.
When you grow up in an environment that doesn't breed that into you, you have to somehow find that in yourself. And that is what Sam's story arc is all about in Prophecy Girl. What will it take for her to stand up? What will it take for her to be strong? What will it take for her to make the leap from victim to survivor?
There isn't a simple answer to this, of course. If there was, we'd all be kick butt heroines like Hermione Granger. There are over 90,000 words exploring the idea in Prophecy Girl, and I still have more thoughts on the subject. For example now, being strong versus just feeling strong? That's a subject for another book. Or two. :)

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