Tuesday, November 30, 2010

TLS Soundtrack: Song 3 + Countdown Contest Entry

11/30/2010

Ready for the next installment on THE LOST SAINT soundtrack? (I'm kind of hoping the answer is yes, because I'm going to post it anyway.)

Song 3 is "Cold Water" by The Reindeer Section. This was a tough choice. There is so much about the song that is right, but it still feels like it's not exactly right, you know?. In the end, the pros outweighed the cons. The mood of the song is a little sadder than what I was looking for, but the title is perfect, as are most of the words.

We just came from a perfect moment between two people deeply in love with track 2, and what happens next is like someone stopped and threw a bucket of cold water all over them, interrupting that moment. It changes everything. There is a line at the end of each verse that perfectly captures Grace's feelings when this happens: "I am not ready." Grace struggles with this feeling a lot in the book-- a feeling of not being ready for the challenges and dangers she will face.

So without further ado, I give you "Cold Water."


I have to say, this has been a fun project. I love these songs and I love sharing them with you. Hopefully they are getting you excited for THE LOST SAINT, because it is definitely getting me excited. I can't wait to share the rest of the songs. There are so many on the soundtrack that are favorites and absolutely beautiful songs. Don't forget to comment to get another entry in the countdown contest. Thanks for reading/listening and I'll see you guys back here tomorrow for song 4.

Monday, November 29, 2010

TLS Soundtrack: Song 2 & Countdown Contest Entry Opportunity

11/29/2010

I hope you enjoyed the first song in the TLS soundtrack. And from many of the comments, its seems as though you did. The Postal Service has long been a favorite band of mine and an inspiration for a lot of my writing. Ben Gibbard is an extremely talented poet and musician (Death Cab also rates among my favorites). Zooey Deschanel is definitely one lucky woman.

Tonight I'm sharing a relatively new favorite, which also happens to be track 2 on the soundtrack: The Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition." To me this song really encapsulates that perfect moment that happens between two people in love, which is where the first chapter begins. The semi-eerie feel also helps allude to what is about to happen that changes everything.




Don't forget this is also part of the final Countdown to THE LOST SAINT Contest. Comment and let me know what you think of the song to get another entry in the Kindle give-away. Tomorrow, I'll post track 3 for your listening pleasure.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Laptop Memorial and Countdown to The Lost Saint - Final Contest!

11/28/2010

So this last week has been a bit harrowing and a little sad, but in the end it turned happy. Poor, poor Laptoppy has finally passed on. She gave a hard fought battle to the Virus O' Doom that was contracted sometime before Halloween. Laptoppy was a good laptop. A friend even. She gave me a good solid 4 years of shared memories and immeasurable service. It was with her that I spent so many months revising THE DARK DIVINE. It was with her that I first "penned" THE LOST SAINT. And it was with her that I drafted the outline to TDD3. She will live on in my heart forever. Rest in peace, dear Laptoppy. Rest in peace.

In Loving Memory...
But the good news that made it a happy week? Well, hubby had known for awhile that Laptoppy was fighting a losing battle, and in his infinite goodness and wisdom, was planning on purchasing me a new MacBook Pro for Christmas to replace Laptoppy due to her inevitable demise. Of course, she died a few weeks early, so unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective), I had to have Christmas a little early this year. But I'll get over it, and Macky is already making a great impression. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my new best friend.

Macky, say hello to your awesome readers.


Hi!
Seriously. I love him. I didn't know if anyone could fill the void that Laptoppy left, but he's just so pretty (oh, and functional) it's hard not to love him right away.

Anyway, on to why you are likely really here. The COUNTDOWN CONTEST! Yes. It is that time of the month again. The 28th. Of November in point of fact. Which means... wait for it.... THE LOST SAINT COMES OUT IN 1 FREAKING MONTH!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Sorry. I'm a little excited. And anxious. And panic stricken.

But don't worry fair readers. It may still be a whole month before THE LOST SAINT is released, but my publisher and I have plenty of fun stuff planned over the next month to keep you teased distracted. And that's where the contest comes in. Participation in each of this month's activities is an entry in the contest.

So lets go through the details shall we?

What's happening and what to do:
First, I will be posting my THE LOST SAINT soundtrack here on the blog-- one song a day for the next couple of weeks. The soundtrack consists of songs that helped inspire TLS, and help to convey the emotion of the story as it progresses. (Those that have been long time followers of the blog may remember I posted the soundtrack to THE DARK DIVINE as well, here.) Comment on each TLS song post and you'll get an entry per post.

Second, Starting December 7th, The Romantic Times will be doing a preview of the prologue, first chapter, and second chapter of THE LOST SAINT on their blog. Comment on the posts here to let me know you checked them out and you get an entry.

Third, THE LOST SAINT trailer is nearly complete. I hope to debut to you all right here on the blog next week. Comment on the post and... I think you're getting the idea.

Fourth, Remember how I've been teasing about a super Top Secret TLS project? Well, it's still Top Secret, but it's coming this month. Ditto on the getting an entry.

And as always- comment in the posts with links to your tweets, facebook posts, and blog posts spreading the word for each item and you'll get an additional entry (only one per medium).

If this is confusing, don't worry. I'll be posting a lot this month with everything and will give further details and instructions on how to get your entries as we go along. Basically, its a month long contest with tons of opportunities to enter.

What is it all for (i.e. what can you win):
Boo-ya! I will pick one random, lucky winner who will receive one of these bad boys-
Yes. That is a 6" Kindle with WiFi.

The first place winner will also get a $10 Amazon gift card (so you can buy an eBook version of THE LOST SAINT) and a $20 gift card to iTunes (so you can buy the songs on THE LOST SAINT playlist :D).

Second and third place winners will also be chosen, and each will get signed copies of both THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner and BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.


Contest Rules:

Only 1 comment per post counts as an entry.
Only 1 tweet, facebook post, etc. counts as an entry per activity.
Only US residents can win 1st place, but 2nd & 3rd place prizes are open internationally (Sorry, customs, you know?)
Contest ends at midnight MST on Dec. 26th
Contest winners will be announced the morning of Dec. 28th (TLS release day!).

Awesome, huh? So let's begin:

I give you the first song of the TLS soundtrack. This is one of my favorite Postal Service songs and was a big inspiration for the prologue of TLS (which you'll get to read on December 7th on the RT blog).

Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


Don't forget to comment to get your first entry in the contest. Tomorrow I'll post song #2.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Dark Divine paperback is out today!!!! . . . And the recipe for Grace Divine's Caramel Apple Pie

I can't believe that THE DARK DIVINE paperback is finally here! It is sitting out there on bookstore shelves everywhere with it's shiny black and purple cover, just waiting for someone to pick it up and give it a happy new home.

You know what would make a great, inexpensive, Christmas present? THE DARK DIVINE paperback! *hint, hint* (Okay, sorry, but a girl is allowed to be slightly obnoxious on her book's b-day, right?)

The craziest thing is that the fact that the TDD paperback has arrived, means that TDD itself has been out in the world for a whole 11 months . . . and what a whirlwind those 11 months have been! Or maybe a roller-coaster would be a better metaphor. Or perhaps one of those spinny thingies they strap wanna-be astronauts into to test how well their bodies can hold up to G-forces. (They're called G-forces, right? Or does that just have something to do with Guinea Pigs?)

Anyway, to celebrate TDD's paperback birthday, I decided to share a little treat with you by re-posting the much requested and much coveted recipe for Grace Divine's Infamous Caramel Apple Pie just in time for Thanksgiving.

Seriously, you will thank me later after you taste this award winning (I'm not kidding, it really has won awards) dessert.


Grace Divine's Caramel Apple Pie:

1 jar of Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel (You can find this in the aisle with the Hersey’s Syrup)


Pie:


Your favorite pie crust (Grace would make pie crust from scratch, but I use Pilsbury pre-made crust that you roll out into the dish. It saves a lot of time and tastes just as good as homemade, in my opinion.)

¼ cup sugar

3 Tbsp flour


1 tsp cinnamon


1/8 tsp salt

5 ½ cups peeled apple, thinly sliced (I use Rome apples)

Mix apples with sugar, flour, and spices and fill pie crust


Topping:


½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour


½ cup oats


½ cup butter

Mix topping ingredients. You can spoon out the topping onto the top of pie and smooth it out, or roll it out like a giant cookie onto wax paper and then transfer to the top of the pie.


Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, and then put foil around the crust edges and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is crunchy and firm. (Grace would like me to remind you not to leave the pie in the oven while you run to the store to get last minute Thanksgiving supplies. Seriously, it's not a good idea.)

You can serve the pie hot or cold. Just before serving, warm a jar of Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel (with lid off) for 30-60 seconds in microwave and then pour desired amount (as in, A LOT) over the top crust of the pie.

Have a happy TDD paperback b-day, and happy Turkey Day, too!

Be sure to come back here on November 28th for a big Countdown to THE LOST SAINT giveaway.


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Fantasy Casting Wrap-up and Winners

Sorry for the blog silence over the last couple of weeks. It has been a whirlwind of tasks and events, and I've obviously fallen behind in my regularly scheduled duties. I don't think I've replied to an email in almost a month. For shame.

But on the bright side, it's been a fun whirlwind. I got to go to the filming of the TLS book-trailer, spoke at a library, then at a Jr. High school, and am currently working on a TOP SECRET TLS related project that is so much fun, I can't wait to share it with you--oh and worked on TDD3 a bit, too.

Okay, enough excuses. On to some fun stuff. Like, for example, winners!

First, the landslide favorite for the fantasy casting of Daniel was Mitch Hewer.


Mitch captured 83 votes, giving him 55% of all votes. Alex Pettyfer and Thomas Felton nearly tied for 2nd place with 23 and 22 votes respectively.

That concludes our fantasy casting fun and contest. As an added treat, hubby quickly put together a video for you to summarize the choices you all made for each character. I've pasted it below for your viewing pleasure (winners to the contests are posted below as well).



I have randomly drawn 10 winners to receive a bottle of TLS nail polish for participating. I wish I had enough for everyone, especially as many of you participated through the whole thing. Oh, I have also chosen winners for the extra contest of helping to promote the eBook sale that was taking place this last month (only a day left to get a TDD ebook for only $2.99--the special price ends Nov. 22nd). Winners are as follows:

Fantasy Casting Winners
Jenni Elyse
Vivien
Aleksandra
Becky
Krissi Dallas
Jena
Tori [Book Faery]
Amanda Chenevert
Aubrey
Misha Fitt

eBook Promo Winners
Emily a.k.a WilowRaven
Meg
Melanie
BrittLit
Mundie Moms
Chloe

Winners, please email me at admin@breedespain.com with a mailing address and I'll do my best to get your nail polish out as soon as possible.

One last thing. It is almost November 23rd and that means the TDD paperback will be available this week! My publisher sent me an awesome e-card to announce the occasion and asked me to share with you all... so here you go.


Have any friends who still haven't read the book? You are more than welcome to do a click/save-as and share the e-card with whomever you like. Please feel free to post the card on your blog or facebook page, send a couple emails to those still not on the bandwagon, whatever. Oh, and did I mention that the TDD paperback also includes the first chapter of THE LOST SAINT?

That's all for now. Happy Thanksgiving and stay tuned for November's countdown to TLS contest that will be posted on Nov. 28th (fingers crossed of course).

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Fantasy Casting THE DARK DIVINE movie: Daniel Kalbi

*** Business First:

1. I'll be speaking and signing at the Bingham Creek Library in West Jordan at 7 pm on the 15th of November. Attendees may get a chance to get their hands on THE DARK DIVINE paperback (with a TLS preview) before anyone else.

2. Speaking of the TDD paperback, it comes out November 23rd (just in time for Christmas gift shopping)!!! The pb includes a the prologue & first chapter of TLS.

3. Mark your calendars: THE LOST SAINT hits bookshelves on December 28th! We'll be celebrating the launch at The King's English Bookshop at 7 pm on December 28th. You are all invited, of course. ***

Yowza, Bridget Moynahan smashed the competition to play Meredith Divine with 61 votes out of 108 (56%). Kelly Preston came in second with 18 votes (16%). Talk about a landslide!






Now on to the event we've all been waiting for. . . casting:

DANIEL KALBI!!!!

Physical description: Age 18. Naturally very blond but sometimes dyes his hair black. Deep, dark brown eyes. Lean build, but tall and well-muscled. Devious smile. Sometimes described as being "wicked hot" but also sometimes he looks like an angel. (A hot angel, of course.)

This one was super hard to narrow down the votes for. Seriously, I'm very protective of my Daniel, plus there were so many hot guys nominated to choose from. This is a very important decision, so I couldn't just show one picture of each actor. And since Daniel needs to have a nice upper-body, it only made since to include a shirtless photo of each nominee for proper inspection.


Thomas Felton (Who knew Draco Malfoy could be so attractive in real life?)


Alex Pettyfer (So, so, so, so hot!)


Chace Crawford (Very cute, but I think he may be too old.)


Mitch Hewer (Can you say "hot angel"? There's a part in TLS where Daniel looks just like the photo of Mitch with his eyes closed.)


William Moseley (was actually nominated for Jude, but I thought he might be better for Daniel. Perhaps a little too fresh-faced?)


Now I give you all the arduous task of picking one of these beautiful boys to play the part of Daniel in our fantasy casting of a TDD movie.

Be sure to vote for your favorite choice up over in the SIDEBAR and LEAVE A COMMENT to get another entry to win 1 of 10 bottles of TLS nail-polish. The poll will be open until 11:59 pm MST on Tuesday, November 9th.

And be sure to keep spreading the word about the $2.99 special on the TDD ebook that runs until November 22nd. Let me know in the comments what you've done to spread the word and I'll enter you to win 1 of an additional 5 bottles of TLS nail-polish. I'll announce those winners when I announce the fantasy casting winners.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Fantasy Casting THE DARK DIVINE: Mrs. Divine

11/3/2010


It was close and hard fought race but super hotty Jensen Ackles came out on top in the last few hours to play Talbot in our fantasy cast with 32 votes out of 88 (36%). Matt Lanter came in second with 24 votes (27%).





We only have 2 characters left to fantasy cast, and since I'm really mean I'm keeping Daniel under wraps until the very end. That means our next character to cast is:

MRS. DIVINE

Physical description: Dark brown hair like Grace's. She's half Italian/half Jewish. In her early forties.

Bridget Moynahan (Looks a lot like the Meredith Divine in my head)


Idina Menzel (Wonder if we could write in a scene where Mrs. Divine breaks into song?--j/k)


Julia Roberts (Would be great to see Julia Roberts playing the mother of Emma Roberts as Grace)


Kelly Preston (Has a nice motherly look to her)


Lauren Graham (Would be fun watching her go all neurotic)


Be sure to vote up over in the SIDEBAR poll and LEAVE A COMMENT to receive an entry to win 1 of 10 bottles of TLS nail polish. (You know you want it!) This poll will be open until 3:00 pm MST on Friday 11/5/2010.