Waiting on Wednesday: Body and Soul by Stacey Kade @DisneyHyperion @StaceyKade

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Series: Ghost and the Goth Novels

Alona Dare has been living as Lily “Ally” Turner for over a month...and it's not been easy. Besides being trapped in a body so not as good as her original one, she's failing miserably at playing the sister and daughter of people she barely knows. Plus, she can't help but think that Will Killian - the boy she hates to care about - somehow wishes the real Lily were back.

 She and Will have been trying to find a solution, looking for a two-for-one miracle that would free Alona and keep Lily alive. Visits to local psychics have proven useless, but then they stumble across Malachi the Magnificent, who seems to be different. His office is full of ghosts, for one thing. But Malachi doesn’t seem to hear or see them, which is odd. Plus, he bolts the moment he sees Will. To make things even weirder, Misty Evans, Alona's former best friend, is waiting in Malachi's lobby and claiming that she's being haunted. By Alona.


Will's convinced that Malachi has answers, while Alona is all kinds of pissed that someone's impersonating her. But their efforts to uncover the truth will bring them much unwanted attention and put them directly in the path of a ghost who will stop at nothing for another stab at life. Even if it means destroying Alona.

Details Reading level: Ages 12 and up Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (May 1, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1423134664 ISBN-13: 978-1423134664 I ADORE THIS SERIES...CAN'T WAIT FOR THE LATEST!

AND THE WINNER IS: The Ghost and The Goth & Queen of the Dead by Stacy Kade

MARE -- tommygirl

Be sure to stop by her site:  DESTINY IS DEAFING here


An email has been sent to the lucky people named above (first part of their email address in case my note ends up in spam).  The winner(s)  has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to all who entered.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOR THE EMAIL FROM BOOKHOUNDS @ HOTMAIL REQUESTING YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!

GIVEAWAY! The Ghost and The Goth & Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

 (new hardback)

Description

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist? 

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (May 10, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423124871
• ISBN-13: 978-1423124870

(ARC paperback)

Description

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423134672
• ISBN-13: 978-1423134671

 About the Author

Stacey Kade is an award-winning corporate copywriter. The Ghost and the Goth is her first YA novel. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well as at her Web site. She lives in the Chicago suburbs.

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address
(International & PO Boxes OK!)

Contest ends on 7.29.11 Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 7.30.11

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher and ME.

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REVIEW: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Description

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423134672
• ISBN-13: 978-1423134671

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

**slight spoilers**

The story picks right up where The Ghost and the Goth left off.  Told in alternating viewpoints between Alona and Will, the story takes us through Will's search to learn more about his mysterious father, his unusual gift of seeing dead people and his relationship with Alona, a girl who wouldn't normally give him the time of day in real life.  Alona has figured out a few things about being dead now, she knows she must help people and remain positive to earn karma points and possibly move on to a new level of death. That is if she doesn't become too overly attached to Will and when Mina shows up while they are helping a spirit cross over, Alona's jealously flares!  Mina is a member of the secret, ghost-busting Order and starts to shed light on Will's father. While Alona tries to distract Will from Mina and contact him through his best friend Lily (who is really dead and moved into the light, but her body still works) and winds up in possession of her body.  This is when the fun really starts!  And where I need to stop giving away plot points. 

Stacey Kade is going straight to my list of authors I force people to read.  Her fun style of writing mixed with a healthy dose of snark is just the perfect thing to get anyone out of a reading slump.  Reluctant readers will find the plot easy to follow and with enough twists to keep their attention.  The characters are truly believable and even the ghostly situations don't seem at all far fetched.  Alona is straight out of a teenage dream and to watch her grow and change is a pleasure.  Will is very complicated and it is wonderful to see him come out of his shell.  It will be interesting to see where the story goes next.  If you like Marley Gibson, Marlene Perez or Kelly McClymer, you are going to love this series.

10 Questions with Queen of the Dead author STACEY KADE

About the Author

As an award-winning corporate copywriter, Stacey Kade has written about everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps. But she prefers to make things up instead.
From her first childhood scribbles about a magical necklace that would turn people into cats, Stacey has long been fascinated with what happens when the “ordinary” bumps up against “out of this world.” What if aliens landed on Earth? What if the afterlife is really just another dimension?
She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their three retired racing greyhounds, Joezooka (Joe), Tall Walker (Walker) and SheWearsThePants (Pansy). When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll likely find her parked in front of the television with her Roswell DVDs, staring rapturously at Jason Behr.

Books:

 

And now 10 Questions with Stacey Kade 

 
1. Bookmarks or dog ears?
Bookmarks. Or, I use the front flap of the dust jacket to hold my place.

2. Dust jacket on or off when reading a hard back?
On.

3. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
I don’t know—isn’t that terrible? I don’t actually remember learning how to read. It’s just always been part of my life. 

4. What are you reading right now?
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (loved the HBO series, so I wanted to try the book!)

5. Do you have a favorite author?
Oh, too many to count. My auto-buy list is enormous. Off the top of my head, I’m a huge fan of Meg Cabot, Jennifer Echols, Suzanne Collins, and Jane Austen.

6. Was there a book that inspired you to write?
I was always writing little stories when I was a kid, and the first one I remember finishing was directly inspired by the Trixie Belden series (sort of a younger version of Nancy Drew). And by “directly inspired,” I actually mean, “shameless imitation.”  Hey, I was nine and just learning! 

7. Do you have a favorite place to write?
I end up writing in bookstores, libraries and coffee shops a lot, but my very favorite place (other than my office) is the airport. Yeah, I know it’s weird! 

8. How does your garden grow?
Ha! Not very well, which is why I let my husband take care of all the plants. 

9. What is the last thing you Googled?
Lake Michigan sea monster (nope, not kidding)

10. What makes you cringe?
This is an odd thing that I’ve inherited from my mother—neither of us can stand to watch characters in movies or TV shows stuck in embarrassing or humiliating situations, particularly if the characters themselves are responsible for creating said humiliating situation. My mom will leave the room (and then come back in a minute to ask what happened). I prefer to fast forward, when that’s possible!  I saw Bridesmaids a couple weekends ago and while it is possibly one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, there were several moments (like the competing speeches part) where I would have bolted if my husband had not been there. If I’d left, he NEVER would have let me live that down! So, instead, I just squirmed in my seat and covered my eyes!


Thank you so much for stopping by BookHounds YA today!

You can visit Stacey
Webiste:   http://www.staceykade.com/
Blog: http://www.staceykade.com/journal/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/staceykade
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/staceykade

Don't forget to enter HERE to win a copy of both books!