A Bit of This, A Tad of That

HI!!!

Okay, so the first very important thing is to let you know that you STILL have time to enter

It's pretty simple to enter, but you can do crazy stuff for extra points. Like make a VLOG about ZOMBIES.

Ahem. Never give me and my sister an idea like that. This is what happens:

(you might want to turn the volume up a bit. I think it's a tad quiet. What can I say, we don't have professional recording equipment)

Also, You should most definitely check out Hannah's post about writer's guilt. I'm telling you, it made my day yesterday :)

And are YOU a POTPY? Because I sure am! And it leads to POO! Srsly. Carolina totally nailed this one and made me smile whilst she did!

Yesterday my Dad and I went to a water park. We spent most of our time reading by the wave pool. It was SO nice, if not exactly the most exciting afternoon. Who needs death-defying water slides when you've got a good book?

I'm in the middle of The Maze Runner by James Dashner (who I got to meet at BEA, so that's cool) and it is crazy good. I am really liking it. I'm dying to find out where it's going to end up. It feels like it's coming to an end, but there's still over 1/3 of the book left, so there's got to be another twist and I'm excited.

Have you read any good books lately? Not that I need anything new to add to by TBR pile, but ... you know, books are always good.

I have about 3,421,654 awards that people have given me that I've NEED to post up here. I am ALWAYS grateful for them. I've just been procrastinating because with all the linking required award posts take a bit of time. But I'm hoping to get to it in the next week or so. REALLY.

Now I'm off to see Seussical with Mom and Naomi. Should be TOTES fun!

Tata!

Oh yes, Retail Wednesday for YOU!

Hi there my lovelies! I hope you are having a WONDERFUL summer! Mine has been going pretty well. I am still dying to tell you all about Polaris, but every moment has been filled with school prep. Good heavens, I never guessed a syllabus would take SO long to put together.

But I'm nearly done with that and then I will tell you ALL about it :D

And also, that Super Sister Celebration is coming up. Naomi and I have to decide when we want to start it. Soon, though. Probably next week. :) *tease tease*

Now, on to the AWARDS!

DENSEST CUSTOMER AWARD:

Warning: This story will make just as much sense as this picture:

A woman wanted to return a yoga kit that she had received as a gift. It did not have one of our stickers on it and she had no receipt. When the cashier rang it through as a no-receipt-return it came up $14.

This is when I got called...

Woman: He said it was $14, but there's one sitting on a cart over there for $19. I want $19 for it.

Me: I'm sorry, without a receipt it will ring up the last lowest price. Apparently this went on some sort of special. Without a receipt I can only give you the price it rings up.

Woman: But they're exactly the same thing. I want $19 back.

Me: I don't know why it's ringing up differently, but it is. It might look the same, but it might not be. All I know is that without a receipt I can only give you whatever it rings up.

Woman's friend: I just bought it last week. The price would have changed since then?

Me: I don't know. But without a receipt I don't have any proof of what you paid for it. It's like if you were returning a book that had been 30% off. Without a receipt you would get the sale price.

Woman and friend: Well, yeah.

Me: So this one is coming up the last price and that's all I can give you without a receipt.

Woman and friend: That doesn't make any sense.

Me: That's the policy at almost any store. Without a receipt they will only give you the lowest sale price for it.

Woman: But you have it right out there for $19. It doesn't make any sense that you're only going to give me $14.

Me: You don't have your receipt. I can only give you what it rings up. This doesn't even have one of our stickers on it. There is nothing here to show that you paid more than $14 for it.

Woman: It doesn't make any sense. Can you just scan one of the other ones so you can give me the $19?

Woman's friend: I'll go get it. (she does)

Me: This has a different sku on it. I can't just scan this one instead.

Woman: Well, you're just going to put it back on the shelf and sell it for $19.

Me: No, we have to take it back and make a new sticker for it. If this sku is for $14 then, that's what the sticker will be made for.

Woman: So, what, it's a different sku number?

Me: (didn't I just say that?) Yes. It's a completely different barcode number. Besides, it doesn't matter. This is the one you're returning and this one rings up $14. Without a receipt I can't change it.

Woman: That doesn't make any sense.

Woman's friend: No, it doesn't, but just take the $14. This is ridiculous.

Woman: Fine. I guess I'll take it. I don't need it, because I already have one. But it doesn't make any sense.

Me: (YOU don't make any sense!)

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Lady, yoga is supposed to relax you, not make you crazy!

.... later when I made a replacement sticker for it, it came up ... $14. Yup. I'm kinda hoping she comes back and sees it.

OVER EXAGGERATION AWARD:

Customer complained that the ladies room was "absolutely disgusting. There was no toilet paper, no paper towels and someone was trying to change a baby. It's disgusting." (not the baby, but the bathroom. [just wanted to clarify there {at least I THINK it was that way }])

I went in. No one is in there. There are four dollar sized pieces of toilet paper on the floor and one stall is out of toilet paper. Ummmm.... Do they think we won't clean unless it sounds like the toilet apocalypse has come?

SO DISGUSTING I THINK I MIGHT BARF, BUT IT WAS TOO BIZARRE NOT TO SHARE AWARD:

When I invented this award way back HERE I never thought I would have a story to rival that one. I really wish I DIDN'T have a story to rival that one. Alas, it was not to be.

A in the cafe turned to D and said, "A guy just walked into the supply closet"

D thought she meant walked into as in bumped into the door. Not actually opened it and went inside, so he didn't do anything until he saw that guy coming out.

The guy had a rather ... pickled aroma, an unsteady gait and a large wet stain on the front of his pants. He then left the store and wandered out into the mall.

A and D were now very scared. They crossed over to the supply closet and opened it to find...

Yes.

A puddle on the floor.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Of course, who gets to mop it up?

*sigh*

So D calls security to tell them that there is a man wandering around who apparently can't tell a closet from a restroom.

Did I mention eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!

Witty Coworker Award:

J comes up to me. "Did you see the twins over there" she whispers, jerking her head toward the coffee shop.

In 2 chairs that are cattycorner to each other against a pole there are 2 teenage boys. Identical twins. Wearing identical shirts and pants. Reading identical books.

J grins. "For a minute I thought I was in the Matrix!"

hehehehehehe! I love our geekiness :D

And can I just say how amazed I am that icanhascheezburger.com has a picture for nearly every single occasion?! I heart them

It just might be a death

Here it is finally, my Blogfest of Death entry!

If you haven't yet, go check out all the other entries at Tessa's Blurb! She's awesomesauce for hosting you know!

So I kinda tried to write about five entries. Gah. I do NOT do death apparently.

Hm... so here's one of my lame attempts for your amusement:


“I hate you!” she screamed and stabbed him. He never expected it. Never saw it coming. His eyes widened, fogged and then turned glassy as she stabbed again and again. The blood pooled around her and she sank to her knees, sobbing and clutching the knife until they found her.


I also wrote a horrible scene about a woman poisoning a man, but it was so bad I can't even share it. Ugh.

So here's my attempt. This is based on the thriller I attempted for NaNoWriMo and that I will one day return to. I think. Anyways, this is the first scene I have written from the killer's perspective and it's very rough drafty, but I promised a scene of death and by jiminy, I'm going to deliver a scene of death!

~~~~~~~~~~

She looked so young. Her dark hair was splayed across the pillow. It looked like there were fairies dancing on the pillowcase.

There were so many things she would never do. So many things she would never know. It really was a shame that she had to die. In two steps he had crossed the distance from the door to her bedside. She started to stir, but he slid the chloroformed handkerchief over her face and she stilled.
Sometimes he felt like a walking cliché – every mystery novel personified. It was a good thing he had his own twist to keep things interesting. He returned to the hall to get his tool. A marvel of his own invention. It looked like a defibrillator, a healing tool. Something no one questioned.

He pulled back the blankets. She looked even smaller now. Petite, like his wife had been. Young, like his daughter should be. His eyes hardened. Why should their children get to grow, go to school, get married, live? It was all stolen from his family. Someone had to pay.

Lifting the two paddles he flipped the switch and heard the whir of the machine as it charged. She was unconscious. Probably wouldn’t feel anything. Not that he would know, but once he had adjusted the dosage, none of them had woken enough to scream before their heart stopped.

The paddles were light. He always felt like they should be heavier, a portent for the weight they represented. Life or death in his hands.

Setting the paddles carefully onto her body he inhaled. Then pressed the button. She convulsed, her limbs reacting to the jolt of electricity. He paused for a moment and then hit it again. Her limbs twitched and danced, moving like some strange marionette pulled by invisible strings.
He pressed his fingers against her neck. No pulse. She was laying there, peaceful again.

Gathering his machine he crept from the room. Only two were left.

~~~~~~~~~~

So there you have it! I'm off to read all the rest of the entries! I will get there eventually... I PROMISE!

And if you want to try something a little different, check out my Invasion of the Bloggy Snatchers Blogfest. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun! Clicky on the poster at the top of my sidebar to check it out!

Tata!

Retail Wednesday Once Again

Hi all!

I had a loverly weekend at Polaris! Oh my werd, but it was fantastic! I would definitely recommend it to any sci-fi/fantasy fan. They had something for everyone. You will be hearing more about the weekend from me later, but for now it's time for....

the AWARDS!

But first, an open letter:

Dear public,

I understand that you wish to smell nice. I understand that you may have spent a bit of money on that fragrance. Or perhaps it is a gift from someone special.

However, the rest of us did not have a say in that fragrance. We did not buy it or receive it as a gift. Perhaps we do not particularly care for that fragrance.

If our eyes water when we come within twenty feet of you, because of the strength of the fragrance, you may have applied it with a bit too liberal a hand. When our breathing is constricted and we must keep from inhaling when you are around, you may be wearing just a tad too much.

Respectfully yours,

everyone else

hehehe :) You can buy this shirt here

VAGUEST REQUEST AWARD:

A woman approached me to ask for a book.

"It's like witch-y but romance-y. It's fiction. It has this big yellow/creamy cover. It has like more than one story in it. It was really thick. A few months ago I saw it on display over there (gestures in a broad circle to half the store) where there was the thing like this (makes a vague motion with her hands). So what section would that book be in?"

Just follow the arrows, lady. Everything will be clear ...

OUTRIGHT BIZARRE AWARD:

A teenage girl came up to me and asked where the books on spiders would be. I showed her to the section and found a book for her. She flipped through it, shuddering. "Spiders are ugly!" she exclaimed.

I asked if she needed anything else.

"No," she said. "I guess I'll just go with Black Widow." She shoved the book back on the shelf and dashed away.

ummm... go with Black Widow for WHAT?!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

And that's all for today!

Check back for my Blogfest of Death entry, pics and videos from our grand Polaris adventure, and don't forget the Super Sister Celebration in August! Woohoo!

I'm SO ashamed :(

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

So I signed up for Tessa's Blogfest of Death

Which is going to be a BLAST!

But I forgot it was Polaris weekend.

I was going to prepost it, but I don't have anything written yet (because I apparently don't kill like ANYONE in my books. There was one scene I could have used, but I already did, so...)

But then I got caught up with getting ready for the weekend, packing, finishing costumes, all that jazz, plus working full time, PLUS doing the whole BEA Bonanza giveaway all week. NO TIME.

But I SWEAR I am going to do it and I WILL get around and read all y'all's entries. It just probably won't happen until Wednesday or maybe Tuesday. But you should go and check out all the other entries, because they are sure to rock socks!

BEA Bonanza Day 5 WINNER!

This has really been a lot of fun! Thank you all for your enthusiasm. I may have possibly decided to do a bonus thing, so if you didn't win any of these five days, check back next week and in between all my Polaris fun (which I am SURE I am going to have TONS to share with you) you may find yourself a winner of an ARC or 2. Possibly. ;P

Then don't forget that in August Naomi and I are going to be having a Super Sister Celebration contest that will include a TON of super cool prizes. We both have birthdays in August and what better way to celebrate than by sharing the love with you guys?! (If you don't follow Naomi, you totally should go check out her blog. She will make you laugh every time. I promise! Besides, you'll have to follow her for the contest, so this will make you an "old" follower if we decide to give bonus points for that.)

So the prizes for this one were:

• A fantastic BEA tote! This one's from Book TV.
• The Dark Age: The Devil In Green by Mark Chandourn
• A Trial of Blood & Steel: Petrodor by Joel Shepherd
• This is how much I love you guys and how much I love this book. I got a signed ARC of Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry and I cannot bear to part with it, because it's SIGNED and I LOVES it, BUT I want to give someone this book! Oh how much do I want to give it to you, but it isn't OUT yet. So the winner of this pack will get this book PRE-ORDERED and MAILED! So it's like the prize that lasts until OCTOBER! When you're least expecting it you'll get a package and be all, what is this? And then you'll open it and it will be an amazing book!
• Bookmarks!
• I am parting with my Chase Card of Jonathan Maberry. *sniff sniff*

And the winner (chosen with Random.org because I don't have time to get all creative with 5 giveaways in one week) IS (drumroll please!)

HANNAH! aka PALINDROME! aka WHEEEEEEEEEE!

(okay, so not that last one, but I just got carried away :)

WOO HOO!

So if you can e-mail me your address I will be happy to get this package in the mail for you :D My contact information is on my profile.

(or, if you can't get it to work it is sonshinemusic (at) gmail (dot) com)

Remember, I won't have a chance to mail these out until next week AND you MIGHT want to check back next week because I MIGHT just have a little *cough*bonus*cough*

BEA Bonanza Day 4 WINNER!

If you were looking for Retail Wednesday and were crushed because I didn't post it yesterday, I did, it was just VERY late. It's right below this one!

Just a note... for all of you who have won/will win, I will not be able to get your packages in the mail until next week. I have a crazed day and will be gone at TCON Polaris! Until Monday. Then we have a major bigwig visit on Tuesday or Wednesday at my store, so probably it won't go out until Wednesday or Thursday since I should have Wednesday off as normal :)

ONWARDS!

First I just want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and visiting me every day and commenting and tweeting and posting and blogging and all of that stuff! This was such a blast and I wish I could do giveaways like this all the time because it's just SO much fun!

In August Naomi and I are going to be having a Super Sister Celebration contest that may include writing books, funny books and chocolate books among other super cool prizes. We both have birthdays in August and what better way to celebrate than by sharing the love with you guys?! (If you don't follow Naomi, you totally should go check out her blog. She will make you laugh every time. I promise!)

So the prizes for this one were:

• A fantastic BEA totebag! This one's from jostens.
• Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything by Rebecca Rupp
• Zora and Me by Victoria Bond & T. R. Simon
• White Crane by Sandy Fussell
• Bookmarks!
• Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid postcard!

And the winner (chosen with Random.org because I don't have time to get all creative with 5 giveaways in one week) IS (drumroll please!)

Jen (with one N)

WOO HOO!

So if you can e-mail me your address I will be happy to get this package in the mail for you :D My contact information is on my profile.

(or, if you can't get it to work it is sonshinemusic (at) gmail (dot) com)

You still have time to enter Day 5, just pop over and comment!

I can't come up with a clever Retail Wednesday title

Sorry this is so late! But it IS here!

First I have some EXCITING NEWS that I can finally share (I had to keep it quiet for a bit, since people I work with read this blog.)

But at this point I've told most of the people at work (Hi Borders people! If you haven't heard this yet, sorry. I was getting around to everyone, honest!)

I received a Teaching Assistantship at the school where I am going for my Masters in English in the fall.

I am SO excited about this. As well as terrified at the fact that there will be 2 classes of freshmen looking to me for guidance on how to write papers (eek!)

However, this means that I am stepping down from my supervisory position and will only be working 1-2 days a week.

Does this mean that Retail Wednesday will be a thing of the past!? NEVER!*

*and by never I mean not right now as far as I can see. But never is a very long time and I doubt I will still be doing this when I am sixty-four.

It just might change format a little.

AND! I have happy news! that paper of notes that I lost like 2 weeks ago?! yeah, I just randomly found it in my car! Sweet muffins! It made me WAY more excited than it probably should have, but... what can I say, I'm easily amused. I am going to save them for next week since I will be GONE from Friday to Monday. This way I will have some funnies for Wednesday!

Now On to the AWARDS!!

BOOK REARRANGEMENT AWARD:

Every once in a while *cough*everyday*cough* a customer will set a book on a shelf where it doesn't belong. As in WAY out of place. Not like, oh, I decided I don't want this mystery book, so I will just set it on one of these mystery shelves. No I mean, I don't want this mystery book, so I will shove it into the middle of the home decorating books where no one will ever find it. (this may or may not have happened this week)

This is how customers often leave our store.

And a lot of times people will put the book on a shelf with the cover out so it looks like it belongs there, but when you look closer you realize it's in front of the spines of like six other books. Well, A was walking past the science fiction/fantasy section when she saw a large family Bible stuck on the shelf. She rolled her eyes, walked over and picked it up. Then she saw another one a little further over. Then another one. By the time she was done she had gathered (NO LIE) 29 Yes, you saw that right 29 Bibles that had been carried CLEAR ACROSS THE STORE and put face out in front of an entire run of science fiction!

1. How did they do this without anyone seeing? A bunch of them were those giant family Bibles, the ones you pass down to your great, great grandchildren.

Like THIS! Except new.

How did no one NOTICE?

2.WHY? Just why? I see no point in this at ALL. A while ago we had a battle where someone would put God is Not Great in with the Bibles and then someone else would put a Bible in the atheism section. That at least has some sort of ideological basis. WHY were they putting BIBLES in the SCI FI SECTION?! Was it a MESSAGE? Was it a PRANK? (my moneys on that last one.)

3. Weird.

SUMMER SCHOOL AWARD:

J approached a couple of high school girls and asked if they needed help. They said they were looking for books for their summer reading lists. J asked what district they were with. The girl's said Elm Street*. J said that most of them were on display and led the girls over.

She gestured at the shelves and said, "Most of the Elm Street books are here."

The girl looked at her in astonishment. "How did you know we were from Elm Street?"

*except not, but the name has been changed to protect me.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

OVERHEARD AWARD:

A group of teenage girls and guys were gathered around the large table we have in the back of the store. They weren't being disruptive, but they were having some very ... interesting discussions.

Discussion 1: Overheard by K

They were discussing the pluses and minuses to smoking pot. On the good side, "look at all the great ideas people have come up with! Look at all the great ideas we have come up with."

You just KNOW someone on SOMETHING came up with this...

Discussion 2: Overheard by me

Apparently talking about grandparents.

"My grandma's a BEAST! She goes outside and picks up trees for a hobby!"

Now THAT grandma is a BEAST!

CONTRADICTION AWARD:

I passed a girl wearing a shirt like this:

The only problem was her hair looked like this:

Nuff said.

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS AWARD:

Someone had dropped something like a milkshake or something in the front of the store and it had kind of dried and gotten tracked all over the tile before it was brought to our attention. I grabbed the mop and bright yellow bucket and grabbed some wet floor signs. The area was pretty big, so I wanted to cover my bases. So I'm in the middle, mopping with a giant yellow bucket next to me and there are 2 bright orange pyramid wet floor signs and a bright yellow sandwich board wet floor sign spaced around the perimeter of the area.

A man steps onto the tile about five feet from me and about two feet from a sign and exclaims in a loud and surprised voice,

WHOA! This floor is SLIPPERY!

Tata! See you next week :D

BEA Bonanza Day 3 WINNER!

Lo siento, Retail Wednesday will be muy tarde today. I have to work on Wednesday (which I RARELY have to do!) because I am going to be GONE ALL WEEKEND! WHEEEEEEEE!

Ahem.

So I have to work in the AM and then finish costumes in the PM, but I WILL get it up before midnight! I promise!

All right now... on to the announcement!

First I just want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and visiting me every day and commenting and tweeting and posting and blogging and all of that stuff! This was such a blast and I wish I could do giveaways like this all the time because it's just SO much fun!

In August Naomi and I are going to be having a Super Sister Celebration contest that may include writing books, funny books and chocolate books among other super cool prizes. We both have birthdays in August and what better way to celebrate than by sharing the love with you guys?! (If you don't follow Naomi, you totally should go check out her blog. She will make you laugh every time. I promise!)

So the prizes for this one were:

• A fantastic BEA totebag! This one's from Peace Hill Press
• Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
• Stork by Wendy Delsol
• Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
• Bree Tanner bookmark
• Bison Books magnetic bookmark

And the winner (chosen with Random.org because I don't have time to get all creative with 5 giveaways in one week) IS (drumroll please!)

CASS!!!!

WOO HOO!

So if you can e-mail me your address I will be happy to get this package in the mail for you :D My contact information is on my profile.

(or, if you can't get it to work it is sonshinemusic (at) gmail (dot) com)

You still have time to enter Days 4 & 5, just pop over and comment on each post you want to enter! And you still have time to earn bonus points for sidebar linkage or blog postering, just let me know if you did! Then come back each day this week to see if you've WON!

BEA Bonanza Day 2 WINNER!

Aren't you excited!? Waiting to see which of you lucky people gets to take home the Fantasy Fun package!? I know I am!

First I just want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and visiting me every day and commenting and tweeting and posting and blogging and all of that stuff! This was such a blast and I wish I could do giveaways like this all the time because it's just SO much fun!

In August Naomi and I are going to be having a Super Sister Celebration contest that may include flash fiction, owls and pillows among other super cool prizes. We both have birthdays in August and what better way to celebrate than by sharing the love with you guys?! (If you don't follow Naomi, you totally should go check out her blog. She will make you laugh every time. I promise!)

So the prizes for this one were:

• A fantastic BEA totebag! (this one's from The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno and it's quite spacious!
• The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan (the prequel to the Cirque du Freak series.)
• Cirque Du Freak STICKERS (I will have to cut the sheet up to fit it in the parcel, but you will get all of them, I promise)
• Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky
• Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner
• Bookmarks!

And the winner (chosen with Random.org because I don't have time to get all creative with 5 giveaways in one week) IS (drumroll please!)

Shannon O'Donnell!

WOO HOO!

So if you can e-mail me your address I will be happy to get this package in the mail for you :D My contact information is on my profile.

You still have time to enter Days 3-5, just pop over and comment on each post you want to enter! And you still have time to earn bonus points for sidebar linkage or blog postering, just let me know if you did! Then come back each day this week to see if you've WON!

BEA Bonanza Day 1 WINNER!

Aren't you excited!? Waiting to see which of you lucky people gets to take home the Girl Stuff package!? I know I am!

First I just want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and visiting me every day and commenting and tweeting and posting and blogging and all of that stuff! This was such a blast and I wish I could do giveaways like this all the time because it's just SO much fun!

In August Naomi and I are going to be having a Super Sister Celebration contest that may include flash fiction, owls and pillows among other super cool prizes. We both have birthdays in August and what better way to celebrate than by sharing the love with you guys?! (If you don't follow Naomi, you totally should go check out her blog. She will make you laugh every time. I promise!)

So the prizes for this one were:

• A fantastic BEA tote bag! (This one's from Midpoint Tradebooks)
• Alphas by Lisi Harrison
• Access Denied (and Other Eighth Grade Error Messages) by Denise Vega
• Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble by Sarah Webb
• Alphas t-shirt and nail files
• bookmarks

And the winner (chosen with Random.org because I don't have time to get all creative with 5 giveaways in one week) IS (drumroll please!)

GMR @ Insatiable Readers

WOO HOO!

So GMR if you can e-mail me your address I will be happy to get this package in the mail for you :D My contact information is on my profile.

You still have time to enter Days 2-5, just pop over and comment on each post you want to enter! And you still have time to earn bonus points for sidebar linkage or blog postering, just let me know if you did! Then come back each day this week to see if you've WON!

Contests by the BILLIONS!

Okay, maybe not BILLIONS, but there are a TON of really amazing contests out there, so here's some linkage!

Liz at Cleverly Inked just had a GREAT vacation and she brought back goodies for US! Enter for this great STRAND BOOKSTORE giveaway!

The Undercover Booklover is giving away 5 different ARCs PLUS packs of 5 gum to match each of the books! What a great idea! You've got until the 15th to enter so get yourselves over there NOW!

Anna Staniszewski is getting PUBLISHED! And she's celebrating by giving away funny MG fiction! How sweet is that! It goes until July 23rd, so get yourself over there to enter!

Abby Annis is celebrating 200 FOLLOWERS! (yeah!) with some fantastic books and only the coolest pens EVER! I want them so stay away from her BLOG :) that's going through the 31st :D

Mia Hayson is holding her promised contest with some of the coolest prizes evar! I know the zombies, so I've got it pretty much sewn up, but you can go enter if you really want to. :P You have until July 30th and I can't wait to make my vlog for it! mwa hahahahaha!

Red House Books is having a BLOGOVERSARY CONTEST with OMW the best books you can think of and it's going on until July 31st too. PLUS for every 25 new followers she will add ANOTHER prize (like she just added a preorder of MOCKINGJAY!) Holy cow!

Courtney, the Southern Princess herself, is giving away a To Kill a Mockingbird prize pack and she's just like the sweetest person ever, so you should go over there AND please tell her that I sent you! That one ends July 28th.

Kimberly Franklin is giving away AUTOGRAPHED and PERSONALIZED copies of The Body Finder! Sweet Muffins! It ends August 11th, so scurry over and enter!

And of COURSE my BEA BONANZA is still going on!

You've got until tomorrow night to enter for the GIRL STUFF pack!

Until Monday night to enter for the FANTASY FUN pack!

Until Tuesday night to enter for the TEENAGE ANGST pack!

Until Wednesday night to enter for the MIDDLE GRADE MARVELS pack!

And Until Thursday night to enter for the FANTASY PLUS! pack!

Follow, comment and you've still got a chance to get extra points by blogging or sidebar linkage :D

All right, I think that's all of them for now so scurry away and win yourself some BOOKS!

BEA Bonanza Giveaway DAY 5!

As you all know I went to BEA back in May and had a blast!

So now it's time to continue spreading the love and the ARCs

What?! You didn't enter to win the GIRL STUFF, the FANTASY FUN, the TEENAGE ANGST or the MIDDLE GRADE MARVELS packs yet? Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Okay, here you go -

You are invited to enter all 5 days of the BEA BONANZA!

You've got until Sunday night to enter for the GIRL STUFF pack

Until Monday night to enter for the FANTASY FUN pack

Until Tuesday night to enter for the TEENAGE ANGST pack

Until Wednesday night to enter for the MIDDLE GRADE MARVELS pack

And until Thursday night to enter today's!

All right, enough shameless self-promotion.

The RULES (I know, I know, BORING, but a necessary evil...)

1. In order to enter you must be a follower and leave a comment on the day that you want to be entered in. (this is all you have to do to enter, but of course I'll give you a chance to earn some extra points :)

2. You can enter ALL 5 days!

3. For extra bonus points you can:

a. BLOG about it! You only have to blog ONCE, but it will give you an extra entry into each day that you comment - so if you blog on Wednesday and comment on Monday, Tuesday and Friday you'll get an extra entry for all 3 of those days even though you only blogged once (get it? OK!) Oh, yeah, and let me know in the comments on one of these 5 days.

b. Put a linky on your sidebar! (same rules as a. Extra entry for each day you comment) Also leave me a comment on one of the five days.

c. Tweet! (or Facebook link if you don't have Twitter) This one you get an extra entry for each day that you Tweet it. So if you enter on Tuesday, then you would Tweet/Facebook on Tuesday, even if you Tweeted on Monday for Monday's. If you enter all 5 days, then for maximum points you would Tweet/Facebook all 5 days... make sense? Include @SonshineMusic and let me know in the comments if you did it!

4. The contest will run for a full week. So you have until Sunday night (the 10th) to enter Monday's contest. Then till Monday night (the 11th) for Tuesday's, Tuesday night (the 12th) for Wednesday's, Wednesday night (the 13th) for yesterday's etc. And I will announce the winner of Monday's on Monday, Tuesday's on Tuesday, etc.

Easy Peasy, right?!

Oh, I guess you want to know about the PRIZES for today!

Day 5: Fantasy PLUS :)

• A fantastic BEA tote! This one's from Book TV.
• The Dark Age: The Devil In Green by Mark Chandourn
• A Trial of Blood & Steel: Petrodor by Joel Shepherd
• This is how much I love you guys and how much I love this book. I got a signed ARC of Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry and I cannot bear to part with it, because it's SIGNED and I LOVES it, BUT I want to give someone this book! Oh how much do I want to give it to you, but it isn't OUT yet. So the winner of this pack will get this book PRE-ORDERED and MAILED! So it's like the prize that lasts until OCTOBER! When you're least expecting it you'll get a package and be all, what is this? And then you'll open it and it will be an amazing book!
• Bookmarks!
• I am parting with my Chase Card of Jonathan Maberry. *sniff sniff*

Non-spoilery reviews coming up:

The Dark Age: The Devil In Green by Mark Chandourn

I just didn't have time to read this one with my giant TBR pile, but it looks pretty interesting.

From GoodReads:

Humanity has emerged, blinking, from the Age of Misrule into a world substantially changed: cities lie devasted, communications are limited, anarchy rages across the land. Society has been thrown into a new Dark Age where superstition holds sway. The Tuatha De Danaan roam the land once more, their terrible powers dwarfing anything mortals have to offer. And in their wake come all the creatures of myth and legend, no longer confined to the shadows. Fighting to find their place in this new world, the last remnants of the Christian Church call for a group of heroes: a new Knights Templar to guard the priesthood as they set out on their quest for souls. But as everything begin to fall apart, the Knights begin to realise their only hope is to call on the pagan gods of Celtic myth for help.

A Trial of Blood & Steel: Petrodor by Joel Shepherd

This is a second in a series and (again) I just didn't have time to read both of them.

From GoodReads:

Book two in the quartet A Trial of Blood & Steel picks up the story of the brave and independent heroine, Sasha, now living in the port city of Petrodor. Away from the hills of her Lenayin homeland, Sasha is making a new life in the dark alleys and wealthy houses of Petrodor. An influential trading centre, Petrodor holds the key to preventing the coming war between Lenayin and the mighty Bacosh. Together with her old mentor Kessligh, Sasha attempts to navigate the political intrigues of the port city and find a way to stop the war. It is the serrin, the beautiful but dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh, who will be the pivotal point in this struggle. How much can Sasha trust her old serrin friend Errollyn? And how much can she trust herself?

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

I LOVE this book. I would like to say things like, "it's the best zombie book I've ever read" but it's the ONLY zombie book I've ever read, so that would be true, but not quite accurate. Anyways. It's not your typical book and the story will stay with you long after you've read the last page.

Benny just turned fifteen and in this post-apocalyptic world that means he's got to get a job. Unfortunately he can't seem to make it in any of the professions he tries so he has to become a zombie killer with his brother Tom, the coward. At least that's how Benny's seen him ever since First Night when the dead started coming to life. Tom certainly isn't as cool as Charlie and the Hammer. They are real zombie killers. But then Benny starts travelling with Tom and all of his preconceptions start to shatter. Could he be wrong about the zombies, about Charlie and the Hammer, but most of all, could he be wrong about Tom?

Told with intensity, a bit of humor and a lot of heart, this book will keep you reading well into the night.

Oh I'm so excited! and a little sad. This week has been so much fun for me and I hope you've enjoyed it! Don't forget! There's still plenty of time to enter, so let other people know and comment away!

BEA Bonanza Giveaway DAY 4!

As you all know I went to BEA back in May and had a blast!

So now it's time to continue spreading the love and the ARCs

What?! You didn't enter to win the GIRL STUFF, the FANTASY FUN or the TEENAGE ANGST packs yet? Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Okay, here you go -

You are invited to enter all 5 days of the BEA BONANZA!

You've got until Sunday night to enter for the GIRL STUFF pack

Until Monday night to enter for the FANTASY FUN pack

And until Tuesday night to enter for the TEENAGE ANGST pack

All right, enough shameless self-promotion.

The RULES (I know, I know, BORING, but a necessary evil...)

1. In order to enter you must be a follower and leave a comment on the day that you want to be entered in. (this is all you have to do to enter, but of course I'll give you a chance to earn some extra points :)

2. You can enter ALL 5 days!

3. For extra bonus points you can:

a. BLOG about it! You only have to blog ONCE, but it will give you an extra entry into each day that you comment - so if you blog on Wednesday and comment on Monday, Tuesday and Friday you'll get an extra entry for all 3 of those days even though you only blogged once (get it? OK!) Oh, yeah, and let me know in the comments on one of these 5 days.

b. Put a linky on your sidebar! (same rules as a. Extra entry for each day you comment) Also leave me a comment on one of the five days.

c. Tweet! (or Facebook link if you don't have Twitter) This one you get an extra entry for each day that you Tweet it. So if you enter on Tuesday, then you would Tweet/Facebook on Tuesday, even if you Tweeted on Monday for Monday's. If you enter all 5 days, then for maximum points you would Tweet/Facebook all 5 days... make sense? Include @SonshineMusic and let me know in the comments if you did it!

4. The contest will run for a full week. So you have until Sunday night (the 10th) to enter Monday's contest. Then till Monday night (the 11th) for Tuesday's, Tuesday night (the 12th) for yesterday's, Wednesday night (the 13th) for today's etc. And I will announce the winner of Monday's on Monday, Tuesday's on Tuesday, etc.

Easy Peasy, right?!

Oh, I guess you want to know about the PRIZES for today!

Day 4: Middle Grade Marvels :)

• A fantastic BEA totebag! This one's from jostens.
• Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything by Rebecca Rupp
• Zora and Me by Victoria Bond & T. R. Simon
• White Crane by Sandy Fussell
• Bookmarks!
• Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid postcard!

These books ROCKSOCKS! Just sayin'

Non-spoilery mini reviews coming right up!

Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything by Rebecca Rupp

A sweet book that looks at the big questions of life, faith, belief and family.

Octavia and her best friend, Andrew, decide to come up with a list of their biggest questions. Andrew wants to know if there's life in outer space and why time goes forward instead of backward. Although Olivia likes his questions she has some bigger ones. Like why bad things happen and if there really is a god? She asks her parents and her next door neighbors, but everyone seems as confused as she is. Then her mom starts going to this new church and she drags Olivia along with her. Everyone there seems so sure that they have the answers, but Olivia doesn't agree. So she makes a plan. For her science experiment she'll prove to her mother that God doesn't exist and that will fix everything, right? Could it be that some of these questions are just too big for one person to find the answer to?

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond & T. R. Simon

A fictional biography? Something like that. A fun book based on the early life and short stories of Zora Neale Hurston and endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust.

Zora is Carrie's best friend and she's got an imagination a mile long. She always believes what she says and always swears she's telling the truth. Carrie believes her, so when Zora tells the tale of how she saw a neighbor with the head of a gator, she, Carrie and their friend Teddy are worried about how to deal with it. Then there's a terrible murder and the story gets more complicated. Will they be able to work out the truth of what is going on or will the entire community start coming apart?

White Crane by Sandy Fussell

This is another one of those books I almost didn't want to give up. It's such a great book and I'm looking forward to the sequels (at least I'm assuming there are sequels).

Niya is a samurai kid learning under the great sensei Ki-Yaga. He and a group of other kids make up the Cockroach Ryu, but there's something different about them. Niya only has one leg, Kyoko is an albino girl with extra fingers and toes, Mikko only has one arm, Yoshi won't fight at all and Taji is blind. They're the kids no other samurai school wants and the Ryu that always gets made fun of by the rest of the schools. They've never even had a chance to win the Samurai Training Games and it really doesn't look like this year will be any different. But as they form friendships and build trust Niya begins to realize that together they may be more powerful than anyone could guess.

There you have it! Come back tomorrow for the last day of the contest!

Wednesdays Come and Wednesdays Go, But Retail Lasts Forever

Wait! Did you know I was giving away a TON* of books! You didn't!? Well go check it out! You can win a GIRL STUFF pack, a FANTASY FUN pack or a TEENAGE ANGST pack! It's the BEA BONANZA!

*and by ton I mean 3 a day for 5 days. 15 is considered a ton, right?

Excuse the shameless self-promotion, I'm just so excited to be able to share these books with people!

Ahem.

Retail Wednesday, the real reason you came over here :)

CLUELESS* AWARD:

*not clueless as in stupid person, but as in not understanding or paying attention to the facts of the book biz. Srsly. If you paid attention you would know this, but no one pays some people don't pay attention.

A customer is looking something up on the computer. M approaches and asks if they need help. Customer points at screen. "Oh, the book comes out in hardcover in August. Well, do you have the paperback here in the store?"

Found HERE

Bwa hahahahahahahaha!

MOST ANNOYING AWARD:

I am helping a customer find a book. I walk around the corner of an aisle to find 2 girls sitting on the floor opposite a chair where a guy is sitting, with another guy on the floor next to him. Normally I do not have a problem with customers sitting on the floor. (unlike the crazy people at the OTHER Borders I visited once where they were all snooty because we were sitting in a corner where no one ever came and quietly reading out of the way, but that's another story) EXCEPT they were blocking the ENTIRE aisle (this was not just in the stacks, but one of the main aisles in the store leading between the cafe and the register) with themselves and their multiple shopping bags. The two girls looked up at me and I had to say, "Excuse me, we need to get through. You can't block the aisle," before they got up. They did and moved their bags and smiled. But then, as soon as we got through the one girl said, "We won't be here long," and they both plopped back down RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE AGAIN!

They were like this - except less rock like and inside a book store.

OUTRIGHT BIZARRE AWARD:

Apparently it was sit on the floor week and no one told me. Yesterday I was walking back toward the information desk when I see a strange sight. A grown woman was sitting on the floor against one of the poles (you know, those square support poles). She had her laptop on the floor in front of her, her cell phone next to her on top of a pile of papers and files, her bluetooth in her ear as she chattered away sounding very businessy, and not 1, but 2 water bottles at her side.

1. We have tables and chairs in the cafe for this kind of thing.

2. We have a table in the back of the store for this kind of thing.

3. We have soft seating all throughout the store for this kind of thing.

So why was she on the floor? *shrugs* got me. She wasn't in the way per se, but certainly wasn't out of it either as she was right behind the information desk.

She was tired of feeling chained to her office...

VAGUEST REQUEST AWARD:

A woman comes up to the information desk.

Woman: I bought a book for my granddaughter a while ago. It was about a hamster, but I don't remember anything else.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

AWWWWWWWWWW!!!! (okay, so it has nothing to do with the story. Too CUTE to pass up)

Me: Was it the Humphrey series? (pull it up on the computer)

Woman: (looks at the covers) I'm pretty sure it was this one. Are there any others?

Me: Sure! (take her over and hand her a couple of the books)

Woman: (flips through a book) Oh, no. These are too advanced. She's only in first grade. These would be too overwhelming for her.

Me: I don't know of any other hamster series off the top of my head. Let me show you the section that would be more her level (lead her to the Chapter Books)

Woman: See, I bought it in Pennsylvania at a different Borders, but you would all carry the same thing, right?

Me: Not always. Different stores sometimes carry different things.

Woman: It was about a hamster. That's all I know.

Me: I don't know of any other series with a hamster.

Woman: I don't think it was a series. (Looks at shelf, face lights up) Oh! I think it was this one! (pulls out Ivy & Bean... which are NOT about hamsters) Yes, this looks like it!

Woman's daughter (not the mother of the granddaughter): No, that's not it, it was about a hamster.

Woman: Are you sure. This looks like the cover.

Woman's daughter: It was definitely about a hamster.

Me: Well, I'm sorry. I don't know of anything else, but if we had it, it would probably be here.

They both look at me as if they are waiting for me to magically hand them the hamster book.

Magic Book Producing Hands!

I back away slowly and then run for my life.

WEIRD REACTION AWARD:

A guy is at a computer looking for something. I approach and ask if there's anything I can help with. He says no and continues browsing. I am working on a project so I am near the desk for a while. He clicks off the screen he was on, shoves his hands in his pockets and turns to me.

Guy: Where's fiction?

Me: What kind of fiction?

Guy: It just said fiction.

Me: What was the subcategory, because it's in a number of different places.

Guy: I don't know.

Me: What is the name of the book.

Guy: (scowls) Forget it. I'll just find it myself.

Me: Well, literary fiction is over there, Mystery/thriller is back in the corner along with romance, Sci-fi/Fantasy is over there near...

Guy: I'll just look, forget it. (skulks away and spends the next hour wandering aimlessly through the store. Srsly. I ran into him about five more times and he completely ignored me. I saw him in all of the above mentioned sections, but never with a book.)

From HERE

Later Lovelies! *runs off to do some actual work rather than blogging and twittering*

BEA Bonanza Giveaway DAY 3!

For those of you that are worried that I might not do Retail Wednesday, never fear, I shall post that later today :)

Now on to the GIVEAWAY!

As you all know I went to BEA back in May and had a blast!

So now it's time to continue spreading the love and the ARCs

What?! You didn't enter the GIRL STUFF or the FANTASY FUN days yet? Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Okay, here you go -

You are invited to enter all 5 days of the BEA BONANZA!

You've got until Sunday night to enter for the GIRL STUFF

And until Monday night to enter for the FANTASY FUN

All right, enough shameless self-promotion.

The RULES (I know, I know, BORING, but a necessary evil...)

1. In order to enter you must be a follower and leave a comment on the day that you want to be entered in. (this is all you have to do to enter, but of course I'll give you a chance to earn some extra points :)

2. You can enter ALL 5 days!

3. For extra bonus points you can:

a. BLOG about it! You only have to blog ONCE, but it will give you an extra entry into each day that you comment - so if you blog on Wednesday and comment on Monday, Tuesday and Friday you'll get an extra entry for all 3 of those days even though you only blogged once (get it? OK!) Oh, yeah, and let me know in the comments on one of these 5 days.

b. Put a linky on your sidebar! (same rules as a. Extra entry for each day you comment) Also leave me a comment on one of the five days.

c. Tweet! (or Facebook link if you don't have Twitter) This one you get an extra entry for each day that you Tweet it. So if you enter on Tuesday, then you would Tweet/Facebook on Tuesday, even if you Tweeted on Monday for Monday's. If you enter all 5 days, then for maximum points you would Tweet/Facebook all 5 days... make sense? Include @SonshineMusic and let me know in the comments if you did it!

4. The contest will run for a full week. So you have until Sunday night (the 10th) to enter Monday's contest. Then till Monday night (the 11th) for Tuesday's, Tuesday night (the 12th) for today's, etc. And I will announce the winner of Monday's on Monday, Tuesday's on Tuesday, etc.

Easy Peasy, right?!

Oh, I guess you want to know about the PRIZES for today!

Day 3: Teenage Angst :)

• A fantastic BEA totebag! This one's from Peace Hill Press
• Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
• Stork by Wendy Delsol
• Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
• Bree Tanner bookmark
• Bison Books magnetic bookmark

Sweet Muffins!

And here's my non-spoilery mini reviews!

Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

The Peter Pan myth brought into the 21st century. Wendy and John Darling live with their father, a professor at the exclusive Marlowe School. Wendy's a junior and trying to help keep the family together since their mother left. John is determined to shed his geek status when he starts high school in the fall. When the Book of Gates comes for the Egyptian exhibit and the new RA, Peter, shows up, the Darlings find themselves caught up in the mystery, secrets and adventures of a world they never knew existed.

Stork by Wendy Delsol

I loved this book and all y'all should be happy that I am not keeping it for myself. It was a very hard decision.

Katla hates the cold. So could somebody please tell her how she ended up in Minnesota? After her parents split, Kat's mom wants to move back home to the barren wasteland and she takes Kat with her. So not only is she dealing with the cold, but with a new school, the challenge of making new friends and, oh yeah, learning that she's a human stork. Not only that, but she's the youngest stork ever and she's managed to get on the wrong side of at least one of the other storks, because the wizened leader, Hulda, named her second chair. Then there's Jack, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. They keep arguing, but she just can't seem to stay away. It's obvious he's got some secrets of his own and she'd kind of like to find out what they are.

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this book. Not my normal YA fare, but I really enjoyed it. Definitely kept me interested.

On the surface, David and Charlie have nothing in common. At all. David is the cool kid, constantly surrounded by friends while Charlie is the brooding loner (by choice). The new school counselor disagrees, diagnosing both of them with "dissociative disorder" and recommending they try a new kind of therapy. Their very own "Companion" - a female robot designed to help them create healthy bonds. David can't get enough of Rose, even though her strict intimacy guidelines keep him from going too far (an electric shock will do that to you). But (of course) things go awry, Rose gets separated from the boy she was built to love and Charlie gets pulled into the drama.

Enjoy! Comment a plenty! And I'll see you tomorrow for DAY 4!