Don't have a topic to blog about on Fridays? Join us for Paper Hangover's Friday Fives. This week: What are your FIVE favorite Christmas/holidays stories? Don't forget to leave us your link on Friday so we can visit your blog!

Cover Reveal Kate Evangelista's TASTE

We have been on a blogging hiatus but I popped back in to reveal a new book...

TASTE by Kate Evangelista

Source: Goodreads.com

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Add TASTE to your To Be Read List.

Friday Fives (40): I Wish I Had

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are the FIVE novels you wish you had written?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!





Next week: Who are your FIVE favorite literary sidekicks?

Where are they now? A Look back at our Author Interview Series...

Paper Hangover has been going strong for a while now, with its followers growing weekly, I thought we should recap our Author Interview Series with some updates on what they are up to now.

We kicked off Paper Hangover with YA Highway Blogger, Travel Writer and Debut Author Kirsten Hubbard. LIKE MANDARIN was released March 8th, 2011, and Kirsten had some amazing reviews, a great marketing plan, and an amazing book. LIKE MANDARIN is followed by WANDERLOVE releasing March 13th, 2012.

Source: Goodreads.com

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back. 

Add Wanderlove to your To Be Read List today! 

Source: Goodreads

Last time we caught up with C.Lee McKenzie her YA Novel Princess of Las Pulgas was on the horizon. After a successful book release Ms McKenzie is back with a talented group of authors in a anthology titled, THE FIRST TIME.

25 YA authors writing about “Firsts”... first kisses, first loves, first zombie slayings, first realizations.

THE FIRST TIME is edited by New York Times Best Selling Author Jessica Verday, and includes short stories from Cyn Balog, Jackson Pierce, Carrie Ryan and many more.  

Kelly Hashway filled out our next author interview, her Debut Picture Book MAY THE BEST DOG WIN was released April 2011. It went on to be repackaged into a Coloring Book.

Source: Goodreads

Kelly has some other news she recently signed a deal to publish her YA Novel TOUCH OF DEATH with Spencer Hill Press, releasing January 13th, 2013.
Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

All three books sound exciting, and the covers are amazing. Congratulations to Kirsten, C.Lee and Kelly on all their hard work! 

Friday Fives (39): Contemporary YAs

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are your FIVE favorite contemporary YA novels?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!





Next week: What are the FIVE novels you wish you had written?

Friday Fives (38): Books to Look For

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are the FIVE books you're looking forward to in 2012?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!

If You Liked...

Who’s up for a little historical fiction?

The bar is set high for publishable manuscripts in this genre. So you can almost be sure that when you pick up a historical novel it will be filled with a rich landscape and details galore. In this sense, historical fiction can rival the world building in the most high fantasy books. Decide for yourself if today’s selections are worthy of their place on the historical shelf.

If you liked…

The queen's own fool: a novel of Mary Queen of Scots by Jane Yolen

Called La Jardiniere, a resourceful and clever jester to the queen's court, Nicola was a most unlikely person to end up "fool" and friend to Mary, Queen of Scots. But Nicola isn't an ordinary comedian clowning before the court; her sharp tongue is rare amongst the fawning nobles. As fate takes Mary from France to Scotland, and into confrontations with rebellious lords and devious advisors, Nicola remains deep in the queen's inner circle. But when the Scots start to turn on Queen Mary, Nicola struggles to find something-anything-that she, just a fool, can do to save her friend.

Then you might like…

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

In 1788, eleven-year-old Isabelle, living with her lacemaker grandmother and mother near the palace of Versailles, becomes close friends with Marie Antoinette's daughter, Princess Therese, and finds their relationship complicated not only by their different social class but by the growing political unrest and resentment of the French people.

Sphinx’s Princess by Esther M. Friesner

Although she is a dutiful daughter, Nefertiti's dancing abilities, remarkable beauty, and intelligence garner attention near and far, so much so that her family is summoned to the Egyptian royal court, where Nefertiti becomes a pawn in the power play of her scheming aunt, Queen Tiye.

Nine days a queen: the short life and reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi

I had freckles.

I had sandy hair.

I was too short.

Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne?

Lady Jane Grey, who at sixteen was Queen of England for nine days before being executed, recounts her life story from the age of nine.

A Contest You Don't Want to Miss!

Over on my blog, I'm hosting a contest for a chance to win a spot on the ARC Tour for my wonderful friend Susan Dennard's debut novel, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY!

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Susan is a reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. She used to be a marine biologist, but now she writes novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (she really likes swoon-worthy rogues). She lives in Germany with her French husband and Irish setter, and you can learn more about her crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on twitter, facebook, or Goodreads. Her debut, Something Strange and Deadly, will be available from HarperCollins in July of 2012, and you will never believe how happy this makes her!

How does an ARC Tour work? Easy. I'm choosing FIVE winners, lining them up, and we ship the book from one person to the next. So, it’s shipped to you, you ship it to the next in line, etc. After you read it, all I ask is that you take a minute to tell someone about it. Blog it, Tweet it, put it on your Goodreads list, or just exclaim about it to everyone who comes within a three-foot-radius of you. That’s what I do! ;) (The only people seeing your address will be me and the person shipping the book to you, so it won’t be broadcast into the stratosphere.)

So, you want a chance to enter to win? Head over to my blog!

Friday Fives (37): Writing Places

Due to personal reasons, I couldn't get last week's Friday Fives up. I really apologize for that!

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are your FIVE favorite writing places?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!





Next week: What are the FIVE novels you're looking forward to in 2012? :)

If You Liked...

This week’s selections are in a genre I am unfamiliar with. I hope to use this list as a starting point in familiarizing myself with this popular theme, as you might also do. In case you haven’t peaked ahead at the list, I’m talking about zombies. My only experience with the walking dead is the movie Zombieland, which I loved! So I’m excited about this genre and looking forward to getting better acquainted with it. Enjoy!

If you liked…

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Then you might like…

Generation Dead by Dan Waters

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. She’s strong and silent…and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn’t want them.

When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

The Enemy by Charles Higson

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong. A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah’s first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders—the most popular girls in school.

The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale. But Hannah wants desperately to fit in—regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn’t watch her back, she’s going to be blonde and popular and dead—just like all the other zombies in this town. . . .

Friday Fives (36): 2011 Favorite Books

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are your FIVE favorite books in 2011?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!




Next week: What are your FIVE New Year's resolutions (writing/reading/or otherwise)? :)

Happy Holidays!

In lieu of a Friday Fives this week, we at Paper Hangover would like to wish each and every single one of you a

Happy Holidays!!!

We hope that you'll have a wonderful time with friends and family.

Keep warm and be safe!

P.S. For next week's prompt, please check the sidebar. :)

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! Michael and Lauren are taking the holiday off. We will be back after the holiday with more page critiques.

If you would like to submit a page from your story for us to look at, you may read our guidelines and fill out the Writing 101: Page Critique Form. You may also read the previous submission.


Have a great holiday, everyone!


And now a holiday themed video:

Dawn Rae Miller and LARKSTORM Giveaway!

Today on Paper Hangover we're talking with author Dawn Rae Miller about her debut YA novel LARKSTORM. Here is the summary:

In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born with extra abilities.
As one of the last descendants of the State’s Founders, seventeen-year-old Lark Greene knows her place: study hard and be a model citizen so she can follow in her family’s footsteps. Her life’s been set since birth, and she’s looking forward to graduating and settling down with Beck, the boy she’s loved longer than she can remember.
However, after Beck is accused of being Sensitive and organizing an attack against Lark, he disappears. Heartbroken and convinced the State made a mistake, Lark sets out to find him and clear his name.
But what she discovers is more dangerous and frightening than Sensitives: she must kill the boy she loves, unless he kills her first.

I finished the book in just one night and I have to warn you--once you start reading, you will not want to stop. The plot, the characters, the romance, the twists and turns you won't see coming--it's all that good! 

Dawn, how did you come up with LARKSTORM: the story, the world, the incredible characters? 
I came up with the character of Lark, Beck, Callum and Annalise first. Lark and Beck came to me simultaneously, which seems fitting. I couldn’t write one without the other. As for the world, I live in San Francisco near the Presidio where the school is set. 100 years ago, it was nothing but bare hills and I thought it would be interesting if it reverted back to that. But what caused it?

The main framework of the story came easily once I had the characters, but the details changed constantly – I have 23 drafts of LS! – until I arrived at what is in print.

Oh wow, 23 drafts! Do you write using an outline? Or do you "pants" it? 
For LS, I pantsed most of it during the first draft stage, but I quickly realized I needed an outline to keep everything straight. I’m now a dedicated synopsis user. It helps me figure out where the story is going and see the big picture.

Interesting! Writing Lark's story, what did you love the most about her? 
Her determination. She does not give up, no matter what.

I love that about Lark too. The romance in LARKSTORM is so heartbreakingly beautiful. If you could sum up the book in five words, what would they be? Dedication. Friendship. Loyalty. Horror. Loss.

It's going to be a long wait until Book 2 comes out. Any hints of what we can expect? 
The bulk of the book will take place in San Francisco and center around Lark figuring out her place in the State. And Ryker Newbold – Beck’s friend who was kicked out of their home – comes back in a major way.


When Dawn wasn't looking, I snuck Lark away for a quick interview:
Lark, can you tell me something interesting about yourself?
Most people seem to think being a Founders’ descendant is interesting. But I’d rather talk about my talent with agriculture. I’m extremely good at food production and have helped Mr. Trevern create a new strain of hybrid tomatoes.


What things are most important to you?
Doing what’s right. Friendship. And loyalty.


What's the one thing you wish you had?
Besides Beck? Hmmm…privacy. I hate being the center of attention.


What's the one thing you regret?
Not skipping school with Beck when he asked me. If I had…well, things would have been different. I’m sure of it.



Thanks, Dawn, for stopping by! WANT TO WIN AN E-BOOK VERSION OF LARKSTORM AND/OR BOOKMARKS? Click here and fill out the form to enter. If you follow Paper Hangover, tweet/blog about the contest, or leave a comment you get +1 extra entry (max of 4 extra entries). The contest is open (internationally) until January 5, 2012.  

Buy your copy of Larkstorm here.
Website: www.dawnraemiller.com
Twitter: @DawnRaeMiller

Friday Fives (35): Holidays Wishes

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are your FIVE holidays wishes?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!



Next week: NONE!

Every Thursday the Writing 101 crew, Michael and Lauren, will critique a page from a novel. If you'd like your page critiqued, please fill out the Writing 101: Page Critique Form.

We have submissions queued up but are still posting just one page a week, so if you've submitted but haven't seen your page yet, don't panic! ;) Stay tuned. Read the previous submission.


Our very first non-first-page comes from Laurie. Her submission is a page plucked from somewhere in the middle of her sci-fi novel Grey. She requests that our critique focus on flow, voice, believability of the characters, grammar, and overall clarity.

First we present the page without comment:

Author: Laurie
Title: Grey
Genre: Sci-Fi
285 words

“Hey, Ray.”

He blinks a couple of times, then looks down at me with narrowed eyes.

“Don't talk to me like you're my friend,” he snaps.

“Woah, you're in a bad mood. Is it because you're guarding the doors again?”

He grits his teeth.

“No, it's because some of my colleagues were murdered, that's why. What the hell do you think you're doing, talking to a superior like this? I should report you, and maybe I should say something about how you were talking like a traitor earlier?”

He grins victoriously but I play bored and give him an even look.

“So what?” I say. “I'll just tell them you were on duty at the time the Grey got in.”

The blood literally seeps from his face. He stares at me with eyes so wide he begins to remind me of an owl. A really big owl that could crush my neck in one hand if he wanted.

But instead of the anger I expected, with possible violence, he just stands there and gapes at me. I shift awkwardly. I'd wanted a rise out of him so he'd be less cautious about telling me what was going on, but now that my plan had failed, I wasn't sure what to do.

“Hey,” I say at last, “don't stare at me like I've gone mad. Say something.”

“A Grey?” he croaks. He looks genuinely scared. If it had been normal circumstances, I would have made fun of him. But no, the fact he looks like that made me realise for the first time just how serious the danger is. And that thought sends chills down my spine.

What say you, readers of Paper Hangover? Did this first page intrigue you enough to read on? Please keep your criticisms constructive. Always be polite and considerate of the writer.

Michael's and Lauren's line by line edits and then our overall comments after the jump.

Teen Scene Tuesday: The Best Books of 2011

As the year winds down, we're seeing a variety of "Best of..." lists. Of course, since I'm an aspiring author, I always tend to look at the "Best of..." lists that highlight all things books--especially YA. As a matter of fact, you can check out a variety of 2011 Best Book Lists by going here.

So with all of these opinions, I figure why not ask teens about the best books they've read in 2011--you know, since they're our target audience at all. With help from my cuz, Quita, here are the titles that were mentioned (in alphabetical order):

1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

3. Blueford series by various authors

4. Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee

5. The Crucible by Arthur Miller

6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

7. Demon Seed by Dean Koontz

8. Divergent by Veronica Roth

9. Evermore by Alyson Noel

10. The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman

11. Last Sacrifice: A Vampire Academy Novel by Richelle Mead

12. Medieval Tales and Stories Edited and Translated by Stanley Applebaum

13. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

14. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

15. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Two major things I noticed while reviewing this list:

1. Not all of these titles were published in 2011, and



2. Not all of these titles can be considered YA (major props to the teen who loves Medieval Tales)

So what does this information tells us about today's teen? Hey, I only gathered the data--but I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. :)

Friday Fives (34): Holidays Stories

Welcome to our weekly Friday Fives!

What are your FIVE favorite Christmas/holidays stories or novels?

Post about it on your blog and then leave your link (and blog name) below so everyone can visit your blog today!



Next week: What are your FIVE Christmas wishes? :)

Writing 101: Page Critique - Vintagegirl

Every Thursday the Writing 101 crew, Michael and Lauren, will critique a page from a novel. If you'd like your page critiqued, please fill out the Writing 101: Page Critique Form. We have submissions queued up but are still posting just one page a week, so if you've submitted but haven't seen your page yet, don't panic! ;) Stay tuned. Also, you can read the previous submission.

First we present the page without comment:

Author: vintagegirl
Title: Fitz
Genre: Contemporary YA
1st Page (293 words) 

After her death, it snowed for the first time in years. 
It was the first September morning and the sun had hidden behind thick layers of mist and wet snow. Alex Emerson watched it from his bed as he tried to rid his head of thoughts and feelings. It was easy enough not to think, but much harder to get rid of the void that filled his stomach. Trying to concentrate on the falling flakes and figuring out why they were white didn’t help, either. 

Nothing helped. Everything reminded him of her. 

Her name had been Beth. Beth Farlow. Mrs. Farlow, whom he had never really known, had come round their house a day after it had happened. Her eyes had been bloodshot cracks in her face when she asked him why her daughter had to die at seventeen. Because she had, for one second, been careless in crossing the railroad tracks. He hadn’t told her that a train had hit Beth Farlow because she had thrown herself in front of it. Because she had thought that seventeen was seventeen years too many to live. 

He had been in his bed ever since it happened three days ago. His mother had gone through his room, taking away all sharp objects and things that could be turned into sharp objects. So that his room was a safe haven where he couldn’t hurt himself. So that he was stuck inside his own isolated hell, feeling nothing and unable to get rid of the constant need to do what Beth did.
He hadn’t gone to school. He intended not to until everyone had forgotten about Beth and gone back to their stupid lives. Or at least until they had gotten the ridiculous memorial service over with.

What say you, readers of Paper Hangover? Did this first page intrigue you enough to read on? Please keep your criticisms constructive. Always be polite and considerate of the writer. 

Michael's and Lauren's line by line edits and then our overall comments after the jump.

Teen Scene Talks Back

Since Pam and I have been at the Teen Scene deal for a while now, I thought I'd take the time today to ask you guys what kind of things you'd like to see featured.

We've done a lot of interviews, some guest blogs, and featured popular trends in the Teendom so far.  Now I'd like to know if there's anything specific YOU would like to ask a teen.  Do you have any questions, any suggestions, any feedback? 

I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments!