Series: Landry's True Colors
Genre: Younger YA/Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Clean Reads
Publication date: June 17, 2014
Number of pages: 222
Landry Albright just wants to be one of the interesting girls at school who always have exciting things going on in their lives. She wants to stand out, but also wants to fit in, so she gives in when her two best friends, Ericka and Tori, push her into trying out for a teen reality show modeling competition with them. Landry goes in nervous, but impresses the judges enough to make it to the next round. However, Ericka and Tori get cut and basically "unfriend" her on Monday at school. Landry tries to make new friends, but gets caught up between wanting to be herself and conforming to who her new friends want her to be. Along the way she learns that modeling is nowhere as glamorous as it seems, how to deal with frenemies, a new crush, and that true friends see you for who you really are and like you because of it.
Books in the Series
Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, and Competing with the Star (The Star Series: Book 2). Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Bellbrook Times, and on Living Dayton.
Tips for Becoming a Better Writer by Krysten Lindsay Hager
1. Take a notebook wherever you go. You never know where you might find inspiration or have some downtime. Having a notebook and pencil with you at all times will help you capture those bits of dialogue that come along and make the most out of your breaks. You might want to experiment with what type of notebook works best for you. I find those thinner ones work great for every day, but I always pack a big journal for trips.
2. Read as much as you can. The best advice I ever read in a writing book was to read one-hundred books from the genre you want to write for before you begin. That advice comes from Chapter After Chapter by Heather Sellers. I went to a writing conference where reading was listed as the most important thing a writer can do. 3. Take a lit class. It’s a great way to see how stories are written and learn about plotting, structure, etc. since you’re pretty much learning from the masters. A literature class shows you what you need to do with examples. I took a class that focused on Willa Cather and Edith Wharton and I learned a lot from how Wharton put together characters. 4. Sign up for a creative writing class. You can never learn enough about your craft and in a creative writing class you won’t just focus on the genre you want to write, which will open up your mind. You’ll also get your work critiqued by your classmates and teacher. It’s incredibly beneficial. 5. Even if your goal is to write a book, begin by starting a blog and keep it updated regularly. It’s important to get your work out there and you will show people what you’re capable of doing. Plus it prepares you for dealing with public response and criticism. Happy writing! 
Favorite quote: “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Favorite book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Favorite soda: Pepsi with real sugar. Very addictive! Favorite ice cream: Chocolate coconut milk ice cream Favorite flower: Double delight tea roses, which I only know because I looked up, “What are those yellow roses with the hot pink edges called.” Favorite season: It’s a tie between spring and fall. Spring is beautiful, but Autumn has pretty sweaters and Detroit Lions football Favorite T.V. series: American Dad. Roger the Alien is my spirit animal Favorite country you want to visit: Poland Favorite Restaurant: Does my kitchen count? Favorite author: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia Plath, Judy Blume, and Ann M. Martin 
1. I started watching the show “Austin and Ally” when I came on it by accident and I thought that Austin is how I imagined Vladi Yagudin to look.
2. I participated in modeling and fashion shows at Landry’s age and wanted to show the real side of being backstage which was not as glamourous as I thought it would be. I got maced in the face with hair spray all the time. 3. I was into soap operas at Landry’s age and so I have her and Ashanti reading Soap Hotties magazine the way I would read the soap magazines for info on my soap star crushes. I remember feeling devastated every time I found one of them had a girlfriend or, worse, was married. Broke my heart. Sigh. My favorite soap was One Life to Live. I cried when it went off the air. 4. I had to wear a school uniform like Landry and even though Landry and I have very different coloring, the school colors also made me look like a dead goldfish. 5. I had best friend bracelets when I was in middle school and what’s funny is just this week my best friend sent me a BFF necklace. You can see a picture of it on my Instagram page HERE. 6. I have Landry attending a retro roller skating party for Thalia’s birthday just as she’s trying to fit in with a new group because I had the same thing happen when I was in school. I remember going to a skating party and praying I’d have someone to hang out with and sit with. I even remember what I wore to that party! 7. As a teen I internalized a lot and went to books to help me cope with stuff at school, so I put in advice on handling friend issues and frenemies (etc.) in the books for readers who are like I was at that age. 8. When coming up with the cover, I sent the cover artist, Cora Graphics, my Pinterest board of pictures I had been collecting of who I thought Landry looked like as well as her parents and friends. One of the photos of the cover models looked like she could have been the child of the “parents” I had picked out. It was crazy and that’s how I knew I found my Landry. You can find my Pinterest boards HERE. 9. Landry has a picture of her favorite soap actor on her door and the soap actor I was thinking of is…the same guy I pictured as being her dad. I know, so weird. But I wrote the soap crush scenes well before I came up with the father scenes. Still…weird, I know. It’s Ty Treadway I picture in case you’re wondering. 10. Both Landry’s friend Peyton in the book and my real life best friend have red hair which I was always wishing I had, too. Devon’s hair is based on a friend who I thought had the most amazing curly hair. 
Enter the giveaway HERE.
August 15--Zerina Blossom's Books
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August 17--Bookworm Lisa
Augsut 18--Bloomfield Of Thoughts
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August 20--Christy's Cozy Corners
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About the Book
Princess Haven was never meant to be Queen.
Her immortality has saved her time and time again, but when the last of her royal family dies at her feet, she is next in line to rule a nation on the brink of war. With no formal training on how to be Queen, Haven must rise to the occasion with the help of her best friends, and personal guard, or risk losing everyone she has ever loved. With war to the West, and no escape to the East, the evil tyrant Kadia sets her sights on the six kingdoms. Haven's neighbors are quick to fall under the swords of Kadia's shadow soldiers, leaving a sea of bodies and a clear path to Haven's only home. Haven must make a choice; take her people and flee to the foreign Republic across the sea or lead a last stand against a powerful dictator. About the Author
Katherine Bogle's debut young adult novel, Haven, came second in the World's Best Story contest 2015. She currently resides in Saint John, New Brunswick with her partner in crime, and plethora of cats.
Review
Katherine Bogle’s debut novel will definitely be a hit among teens. The world is in turmoil and a young women, Haven, was never meant to be queen is crowned after the death of her entire family. But after the death of her family, someone is still out to get Haven. But evil tyrant, Kadia, is starting wars and taking over the six kingdoms of the realm. Someone also keeps trying to kill Haven. Will the kingdoms be able to band together to survive and save themselves from Kadia? And will Haven be able to protect her guards and her people or will her curse endanger the people she loves the most? This fast-paced, action-packed fantasy novel is an exciting new thrill that teens will not want to miss. I would recommend this novel to readers that enjoy stories of royals and kingdoms and filled with plenty of fantasy and action.
Series: Chronicles of Warshard Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Freisen Press Publication date: May 11, 2016 Number of pages: 208 Category: (Junior High, High School, etc). Content Rating: PG-13, violence and bloody, unattached body parts Book Rating: 4 stars 
A review copy of this book was provided by iRead Book Tours.
GiveawayTour Schedule
Aug 15 - FLY HIGH! - book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 15 - ACReads - book spotlight / giveaway Aug 15 - The Pen and Muse Book Reviews - book spotlight/ author interview/ giveaway Aug 16 - Don't Judge, Read - review / author interview / giveaway Aug 16 - Celticlady's Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway Aug 17 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / interview / giveaway Aug 17 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway Aug 18 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway Aug 18 - Singing Librarian Books - review / giveaway Aug 19 - 100 Pages A Day - review / giveaway Aug 22 - A Mama's Corner of the World - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway Aug 22 - Library of Clean Reads - review / interview / giveaway Aug 23 - Blooming with Books - review / giveaway Aug 23 - #redhead.with.book - book spotlight / giveaway Aug 24 - Lukten av Trykksverte - review / giveaway Aug 25 - History from a Woman's Perspective - review Aug 26 - The Autistic Gamer - review Aug 29 - Bookaholic Banter - review / interview / giveaway Aug 30 - Haddie's Haven - review Aug 31 - JBronder Book Reviews - review / guest post Sept 1 - Bound 4 Escape - review / giveaway Sept 1 - Olivia's Catastrophe - review Sept 1 - Bookworm for Kids - review / giveaway Sept 2 - The Travelogue of a book addict - The Book Drealms - review / giveaway Sept 2 - All the Doodles 'n Scribbles - review / interview / giveaway You can also follow the blog tourHERE. 
 About the Book The plan was to serve a mission, marry her boyfriend, and live happily ever after. But all of that changed when Quinn got a Dear Jane email. Now she’s stuck at home with no boyfriend, no job, no major, and absolutely no social life. Will Quinn ever find the path that leads to her eternal happiness? About the Author Rachel Turner Ward graduated from Hillcrest High School after spending two years writing for the yearbook and the creative writing magazine. She then studied English at Brigham Young University—Idaho, graduating with an emphasis in Literary Studies. She has contributed to several online publications, including Mormon Mommy Blogs and SheSteals. She has written a personal blog since 2009, Trapped Between a Scream and a Hug. ReviewThe book is not been fully read at this time. This post will be updated with a review soon. A review copy of this book was provided by Cedar Fort. Tour ScheduleAugust 10: Rockin’ Book Reviews August 11: August 12: Wishful Endings August 13: Singing Librarian Books August 14: Courtney’s Book Nook | Jorie Loves a Story August 15: Tristi Pinkston August 16: Emmy Mom August 17: Live to Read August 18: Fire and Ice Reads August 19: Mylissa’s Reviews and Book Thoughts August 20: Getting Your Read On August 21: The Things I Love Most August 22: My Book a Day August 23: Mel’s Shelves August 24: Robyn Echols Books August 25: A Bliss Complete August 26: Katie’s Clean Book Collection August 27: Inklings and Notions August 28: Heidi Reads August 29: Overstuffed August 30: Literary Time Out August 31: Mormon Mommy Blogs   About the Book Rylee has an unusual gift. It brings good luck to those who are kind to her and misfortune to those who are not–at least, that’s what the crazy woman in the woods tells her. But Rylee doesn’t believe it until strange coincidences start happening to her classmates and friends. Her gift may not be a matter of luck but of life and death. About the Author Jessica Blackburn studied at Brigham Young University—Idaho and graduated from her local community college with an Associates of Arts Degree. She currently lives in the beautiful Columbia Gorge as a stay-at-home mom. When she’s not writing stories, she spends her spare time teaching Sunday School and blogging her lessons and personal thoughts at cozybugz.blogspot.com. ReviewJessica Blackburn has written an exciting, fun, and thrilling story in her debut novel, The Echoing. It is about a young women, Rylee, and after an incident in the woods with an old woman, weird things start to happen. Depending on how people treat her good or bad things happen to them. In her novel, Jessica does an excellent job of capturing the attention of her readers from page one as she digs into their raw emotions and they become attached and involved in the development of the characters and the story. Teens especially will pick up this novel and not want to put it down until the very end. Genre: contemporary, young adult, fantasy, paranormal Publisher: Bonneville, a division of Cedar Fort Publishing Publication date: August 1, 2016 Number of pages: 224 Category: Junior High+ Content Rating: PG, briefly mentioned LDS content, light paranormal activity Book Rating: 5 stars  A review copy of this book was provided by Cedar Fort. Tour ScheduleAugust 10: Kindle and Me August 11: Today’s the Best Day | Writing Worm August 12: Rockin’ Book Review | Singing Librarian Books August 13: Getting Your Read On August 14: Reidhead Random-ness August 15: Twenty-Three Pages August 16: Geo Librarian August 17: The Dragon’s Nook August 18: Bookworm Lisa August 19: Frugal Mom of 8 August 20: A Bliss Complete August 21: Novel-ties August 22: Blue Bird’s Nest August 23: Inklings and Notions August 24: Wishful Endings | Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews   About the Book WANTED: Pretend stalker. No experience required. Tall, dark, and quirky preferred. Sabrina is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. If she wants to maintain her perfect child image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps. About the Author Kim Karras writes contemporary fiction for adults and teens. Follow her at kimkarras.blogspot.com for notes on life, writing, and motherhood.. Author InterviewCheck out the interview with the author HERE. ReviewThe time from graduating high school and heading off to college can be a fun, but awkward time and Kim Karras has written a wonderful and entertaining story about this time period. This is a novel that teens will thoroughly enjoy. Kim will leave readers laughing throughout the entire book as mishap and disaster after mishap and disaster takes place. This story also is about realizing that you don’t have to be perfect to be loved. A great theme we all should remember. I would recommend this fantastic story to readers that enjoy contemporary fiction filled with humor. Genre: contemporary, young adult, humor Publisher: Sweetwater Books, a division of Cedar Fort Publishing Publication date: August 1, 2016 Number of pages: 256 Category: Junior High+ Content Rating: G Book Rating: 5 stars  A review copy of this novel was provided by Cedar Fort. Tour ScheduleAugust 10: Singing Librarian Books | Literary Time Out August 11: Inklings and Notions | Geo Librarian August 12: Write, Writing, Written August 13: Live to Read August 14: August 15: My Book a Day August 16: Emily King | Getting Your Read On August 17: Katie’s Clean Book Collection | Robyn Echols August 18: Nicki Elson August 19: Min Reads and Reviews | Mel’s Shelves August 20: Writing Worm August 21: August 22: Novel-ties | My Little Sunshines August 23: Emmy Mom | Wishful Endings August 24: The Nice Thing About Strangers August 25: Lisa Swinton August 26: Mylissa’s Reviews and Book Thoughts August 27: Blooming with Books August 28: August 29: Perfecting the Craft | Bookworm Lisa August 30: Heidi Reads August 31: Rockin’ Book Reviews | Totally Obsessed  |
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