Tuesday, April 24, 2012

BOOK BLAST!!! WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD w/ PRETTY CROOKED by Elisa Ludwig

-Win "The Mapmaker & the Ghost" by Sarvenaz Tash (ends 5/7)
-Win "Starters" by Lissa Price (Ends 5/5)
- Blogging From A to Z Giveaway - Win A $20 Amazon Gift Cerificate (ends 4/30)


PRETTY CROOKED
Elisa Ludwig
Katherine Tegen Books
368 pp.
Young Adult

Willa's secret plan seems all too simple.


Take from the rich kids at valley prep and give to the poor ones.


Yet Willa's turn as Robin Hood at her new high school is anything but. Bilking her "friends"—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to break into lockers and Beemers is as hard as she'd thought it would be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are bullied just for being different, is more fun than she'd expected.


The complication Willa didn't expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, VP's most notorious ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her—evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There's no time for flirting, especially with conceited trust-funders like Aidan. But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?


Elisa Ludwig's Pretty Crooked is the first book in an adventurous teen caper series filled with mystery, humor, and heart.
This is an official BOOK BLAST hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. The purpose - to get the word out about a great new YA novel you won't want to miss. (1) lucky winner will get a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!! That's right!

A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD!!!

To be eligible, just fill out the rafflecopter at the end of this post. There are LOTS of chances to enter. In the meantime, the author has taken a few moments out of her busy day for a brief interview. Following that, be sure to check out the awesome book trailer! So without further ado, heeeeeeere's Elisa!

Tell us about PRETTY CROOKED in one sentence.

When her wealthy new friends turn out to be bullies, Willa Fox plays Robin Hood and tries to exact her own brand of justice for the underdogs.

What inspired you to write this story?

The story was inspired by the Barefoot Bandit and his exploits, as well as a deep and abiding love of Veronica Mars.

Share a little about your road to publication.

I sent out one manuscript to agents that was thankfully rejected and has since been retired to the pits of my hard drive. The second manuscript I sent out, a year later, nabbed me an agent. That book was called June of Rock, and it was about a girls' rock camp. We submitted it over the course of a year with positive feedback but a constant refrain that it was "too quiet." The last editor who read it was Claudia Gabel at HarperCollins and we began a conversation about other concepts. That was the very beginnings of Pretty Crooked, In the meantime, I self-published June of Rock to Kindle and Nook. I have a fabulous agent and I feel lucky that I've been able to work with such amazing editors at Katherine Tegen Books, so even though there was some rejection in the beginning, it really worked out for the best and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What books did you read when you were young?

Oh gosh, I loved so many: Bridge to Terabithia, Lois Duncan's books, anything by Paul Zindel, V.C. Andrews, Cynthia Voigt, Robert Cormier, Sweet Valley High, and of course, Judy Blume. When I was a tween I also read lots of YA romances, Stephen King and anything remotely racy.

What do you enjoy reading now?

Lately, I have been reading a ton of books by the Apocalypsies, and they are fabulous! In terms of YA, I generally prefer contemporary and thrillers. I also enjoy adult literary fiction—authors like Alice Munro, Mary Gaitskill and Tessa Hadley. I recently read and  loved A Visit from the Goon Squad.

What can we expect from you in the future?

The sequel to Pretty Crooked, Pretty Sly, will be out in March 2013, followed by the third book in the trilogy, in 2014. I'm also working on some other projects that I hope I can reveal soon!











PRAISE FOR PRETTY CROOKED

“This should be an easy sell to fans of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars books.” —Booklist

“This debut keeps readers zooming along as a formerly poor girl plays Robin Hood when she strikes it rich…. A solid debut.” —Kirkus

“Packed with romance, humor, and adventure, PRETTY CROOKED will steal your heart.” –Sarah Mlynowskiauthor of Ten Things We Did (But Probably Shouldn’t Have)
“Intriguing characters, high adventure, good-hearted heists, and plenty of romance. PRETTY CROOKED has me pining for Willa’s next adventure!” –Jennifer Echolsauthor of Forget You and The One that I Want



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