The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages Source: Publisher- for review Rating: 4 of 5 stars After Sam is fused with her cell phone, she's ready to conquer the world! Or at least the 8th grade…
When Samantha Granger touches a meteor while talking on her cell phone, her life is changed forever: her body now has all the capabilities of her phone (GPS, phone, text, camera). She secretly calls herself a"Digital Diva" as she rushes to answer emergency calls. But will her identity be discovered when sparks fly (literally!) between her and Trevor, her dreamy crush? Samantha has to get a handle on her abilities and quick, because when Sam gets kidnapped and the entire town is in danger, she is the only one who can save them. Review: The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused is the unique story of a girl who gets fused with her cellphone. She is able to use its features: GPS, text, camera, sometimes without her permission. Samantha is an adorable character with a spunky personality and she very much embodies the traits of a young teenager. Her boy troubles added more complications to her existing issues and I enjoyed seeing where this story would go. Samantha's love interest, Trevor, is interesting but I wish I could have learned more about him. I wanted to get a glimpse into his past with Samantha. Fused has a lot of funny parts and Samantha's friend Mel made a great partner-in-crime for her and I was glad to see someone let in on the big secret.
One thing that was great about this story was that it showed how Samantha's home life wasn't perfect. Her parents had issues and she was in the middle just trying to help everyone get along. I think a lot of teens will be able to relate to that part of the plot.
Eventually Samantha decides she wants to be a real superhero and deemed herself"Digital Diva" as she goes around trying to save the day. The ending was a surprise to me and it was very fast paced and well-written. I thought Kari did a great job using imagination and interesting characters in this story. The covers are cute and I think this is a book many young teens will love to read.
The sequel, The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fearless, comes out June 7th, 2011.
Find out more about Kari Lee Townsend Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / IndieBound
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages After Sam is fused with her cell phone, she's ready to conquer the world! Or at least the 8th grade…
When Samantha Granger touches a meteor while talking on her cell phone, her life is changed forever: her body now has all the capabilities of her phone (GPS, phone, text, camera). She secretly calls herself a"Digital Diva" as she rushes to answer emergency calls. But will her identity be discovered when sparks fly (literally!) between her and Trevor, her dreamy crush? Samantha has to get a handle on her abilities and quick, because when Sam gets kidnapped and the entire town is in danger, she is the only one who can save them.
Giveaway Prize:
3 winners will receive a signed copy of Fused by Kari Lee Townsend.
Rules:
You must be at least 13 to enter.
Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
Contest is US/ Canada Only and ends December 4th.
Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
The form must be filled out to enter.
Find out more about Kari Lee Townsend Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / IndieBound
For an extra entry answer this question in the comments below. If you were fused with a cell phone like Samantha, what gadget would you enjoy having the most?
Hi there! My name is Kari Lee Townsend, and I am the author of THE SAMANTHA GRANGER EXPERIMENT series. I am thrilled to be the guest blogger for today, especially on such a fantastic blog. I thought it would be fun to share with you all how I came up with the idea for FUSED, and what the most challenging parts of writing the first book were. I am a mom of four children. My boys are 12, almost 14, and 16, and my daughter is 8 (poor babyJ) My kids LOVE their gadgets: everything from their x-box, to their I-pods, to their cell phones. Especially their cell phones! So much so I truly think they’re obsessed J Every time I turn around, their faces are staring down and their thumbs are flying as they send text after text after text until my eyes cross from just watching them.
One day I finally said, “If you’re not careful, you’ll turn into one of your gadgets!”
Huge light bulb moment for me, people. I thought OMG that would make a fabulous book, and voila, Samantha Granger was born. A techno superhero who goes by the name Digital Diva and has a GPS in her head, cell phone in her hand, camera in her eyes, and many more functions. Of course I then had to dedicate and thank my children over and over and over or risk never hearing the end of it. They love to inform me, “See, Mom. We told you technology rocks.” Seriously, though, I have to admit… they are the best brainstormers on the planet. They give me so many ideas for some really cool scenes.
Which brings me to the challenging parts of writing this book. As I said earlier, my children might be techno geniuses, but I definitely am not! I had to learn the lingo, figure out how to operate the gadgets, and really research the central nervous system. My background is in English. Science… not so much. I wanted the book to seem realistic, so I had the cell phone fuse with her spinal cord and take over for her brain in controlling her body. It was a blast making the scenes where she uses her powers seem like something from a CSI episode, where you can really visualize what’s going on inside her. However, keeping each “episode” fresh and unique was not easy. And as a twist, the cell phone isn’t just any cell phone, but you’ll have to read the book to discover the details J
Balancing the 911 rescues with the romance as well as trying to figure out who is after her, keep her identity a secret, and try to find a way to reverse her uniqueness was not easy. So much goes into pulling all the parts of a book together, but writing FUSED was so much fun, I’d do it over and over again in a heartbeat. Actually, I sort of am J Book two, FEARLESS, comes out in June of 2011, and book three, FREEDOM, comes out in November of 2011.
Thanks so much for having me, and I hope you all enjoy THE SAMANTHA GRANGER EXPERIMENT as much as I did. If so, write to me and tell me about it. I love to hear from my readers. And if you go on my website, I have some fun activities that go along with the book under the Fun Stuff tab. http://www.karileetownsend.com Enjoy, and don’t forget to embrace your inner diva!
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages After Sam is fused with her cell phone, she's ready to conquer the world! Or at least the 8th grade…
When Samantha Granger touches a meteor while talking on her cell phone, her life is changed forever: her body now has all the capabilities of her phone (GPS, phone, text, camera). She secretly calls herself a"Digital Diva" as she rushes to answer emergency calls. But will her identity be discovered when sparks fly (literally!) between her and Trevor, her dreamy crush? Samantha has to get a handle on her abilities and quick, because when Sam gets kidnapped and the entire town is in danger, she is the only one who can save them.
Find out more about Kari Lee Townsend Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / IndieBound
1. Can you share with us how you juggle raising 4 kids and writing? Any tips?
Careful planning and lots of organization! My kids have always been on a schedule… it was the only way I could get anything done or have some"me" time: -) I also learned to become the queen of multi-tasking. As far as writing, when they were little, I would write during naptime. When they outgrew naps, I would write during quiet time (they had to go somewhere quiet and watch a full movie while resting, and then they could come out. If they came out before it was done, they had to go back to naps. Worked like a charm). Now all my kids are in school, but I still tend to write in the afternoon. I guess I'm just conditioned that way, so that's when I'm most creative. Always schedule"me" time, or you will go crazy. When mommy's happy, everybody's happy; ) 2. What has been the most surprising part of the writing, publishing, and promoting process for you?
The surprising part of writing has been discovering I can write a lot more genres than I originally thought. I love light and funny, but I always thought that meant I could only write romantic comedies or chick lit. I never realized I could still keep my voice and write light and funny stories in both UMG action adventure stories as well as adult cozy mysteries. It's been fun stepping outside of my box, and who knows, I just might try something else as well: -) As far as publishing, I never realized how long it takes for a book to hit the shelves. A year is actually a quick turnaround these days. And for promotion, I had no clue how much work is involved on my part and how little control a writer has over how much his or her publisher is willing to do. Yet promotion is everything when it comes to a book's success, especially in the first sixty days. Thank goodness I love promotion, but the key is to balance promoting a book while working on your next work in progress. Not an easy task.
3. The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused is a very unique story. Have you had any other ideas that are unique, but you are more hesitant to tackle them?
I never lack for ideas, and I've learned over the years to go for unique. The more unique the better. However, the publishing world is fickle. They don't always go for them, but that doesn't mean they never will.The key is to keep coming up with premises that are different until one sticks. But don't chuck the rest, keep them and keep going back to them. The publishing world works in cycles. What's oversaturated now will come back around in five or ten years, so that great idea you had for a certain type of book is never really dead. It's just dormant, waiting to be reborn: -)
4. Can you give us a few hints as to what Samantha may face in book 2?
In book two, FEARLESS June, 2011, Samantha Granger has finally come to terms with being different. The only way to keep her situation under control is to stay far away from Trevor Hamilton or risk bringing Digital Diva out of retirement. She gets her wish when the goverment gets involved. They've discovered Sam's identity and threaten to expose her if she doesn't cooperate. She's whisked off to Washington DC to a special school for gifted students called IPR (Institute of Phenomenal Research), where she discovers she's not alone. Only, when a mole threatens their very existence, it's up to Sam and her fellow Phenoteens to save themselves. 5. Your other series is described as a"Paranormal Adult Cozy Mystery"; can you tell us a little about it?
TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES (August 2011) Sunshine Meadows is a big city psychic who moves to a small town in Upstate NY to open her fortune telling business, inheriting a haunted house and a strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the town librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in teror, Sunny calls the police. Only, the hard nosed cynical detective is a"non-believer". He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence. 6. Is it difficult to jump from writing a middle grade book, to writing an adult book? What are the challenges of those transitions, if any?
Both my heroines are fun quirky characters and the stories both have humor and a bit of romance; however, the tone and pace are different. My Samantha Granger books are fast paced and full of action and adventure. Whereas my fortune teller books are slower paced and have that Murder She Wrote cozy feel to them. When I finish one book, it's refreshing to write something different. Keeps things fun and interesting so I don't get bored, and writing never becomes a chore. The most difficult part is making sure my language sounds age appropriate. I don't want Sunny sounding too young, or Samantha sounding too old: -) 7. What is next for you and what are you working on now?
FUSED is out on the shelves, FEARLESS is finished and comes out in June, TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES is fiinished and comes out in August. Right now I am working on book 3 of Samantha Granger, FREEDOM, which will come out in November of 2011, and then after that I will start book 2 of my fortune teller series, CORPSE IN THE CRYSTAL BALL, which will come out in May of 2012, followed by TROUBLE IN THE TAROT CARDS which will come out in February 2013. Phew! Deadlines galore. Careful what you wish for, people, but I'm not complaining: -)
Thanks so much for listening to me ramble, people, and please let me know what you think of FUSED! I love hearing from my readers: -)
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages After Sam is fused with her cell phone, she's ready to conquer the world! Or at least the 8th grade…
When Samantha Granger touches a meteor while talking on her cell phone, her life is changed forever: her body now has all the capabilities of her phone (GPS, phone, text, camera). She secretly calls herself a"Digital Diva" as she rushes to answer emergency calls. But will her identity be discovered when sparks fly (literally!) between her and Trevor, her dreamy crush? Samantha has to get a handle on her abilities and quick, because when Sam gets kidnapped and the entire town is in danger, she is the only one who can save them.
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fearless, book 2 of the series, will be out June 7th, 2011.
Find out more about Kari Lee Townsend Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / IndieBound
It's been a while since I had time to do an IMM but it's finally here! Special thanks to Random House, Candiewick, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillian, Harlequin, Kristie Cook, Kari Townsend, and David Goodberg. Thank you all for the fabulous books over the past few weeks!
Review The Iron Queen (ARC) by Julie Kagawa Future Imperfect (ARC) by K. Ryer Breese I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Travel by David Goodberg Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian Sister Mischief (ARC) by Laura Goode Blink & Caution (ARC) by Tim Wynne- Jones What Comes After (ARC) by Steve Watkins The Field and the Forge by Henry H. Neff The Anti-Prom (ARC) by Abby McDonald Wish by Joseph Monnington Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Jane Bryant The Piper's Son (ARC) by Melina Marchetta Small As An Elephant (ARC) by Janenifer Richard Jacobson When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler Rage (ARC) by Jackie Morse Kessler Wildthorn by Jane Eagland It Started With a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend (not pictured)
Picture Books Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb Tangled: The Junior Novelization by Irene Trimble (not pictured) A Dazzling Day by Devin Ann Wooster Tangled: Read Aloud Storybook by Christine Peymani
Won Where She Went (ARC) by Gayle Forman and a $15 B&N and $25 Applebees giftcard that I won from Kristie Cook!
Added Late XVI by Julia Karr
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristie at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
How about another HUGE giveaway? We're excited to do something new this year with a Middle Grade Giveaway. These titles often don't get enough love within the YA Book Blogging Community and I have to say that I've read some that are pretty fantastic! So, how about a giveaway featuring some titles perfect for this time of the year? ONE WINNER WILL RECEIVE The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Scary School by Scott M. Fischer Gravediggers by Christopher Krovatin The Whispering House by Rebecca Wade Always October by Bruce Coville
NOTE: Winner will receive ARC's and finished copies — Hardback and Paperback
If you ask me this is a pretty cool MG Prize Pack for ONE lucky winner! Some spooky titles to give anyone who loves Halloween some FUN! Rules and how to enter -
Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway.
Name & Email Address must be provided. (Easy Entry, just click the form & it does it for you!)
You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry guys, postage is killing us this month.
Giveaway ends: November 11th, 2012 (12:01AM EST)
NOTE: This is the SAME Rafflecopter form you will find at A Life Bound By Books. a Rafflecopter giveaway
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the many publishers who have donated this month for our Haunted Halloween Event. Without you and the many authors and friends, this event would be nothing that it is today. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU! Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here. Don't forget to check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post for today!
Julianna Baggott, the author of Pure, is here today to talk about the book and one lucky winner will get a signed copy!
1. Can you give us 5 words that you would use to describe Pressia and Partridge?
Haves and have-nots collide.
2. Can you share with us a few of your favorite lines from Pure?
There's a character in the novel who only has the ability to echo, more or less, what's been said. There's a term called"echolalia" in which people can say anything they want to but often repeat things they've said or someone else has said — directly after. I love writing his dialogue because it's never a simple repetition. What Helmud decides to repeat and how are the key to understanding him. What he says can be loaded.
3. Pure involves such a unique and dangerous world, what was the most difficult part of the writing process? How did you build upon the world we see in the book?
I have to see the landscape — when in the world of PURE — before I write it. This isn't true of other books I've written where sometimes the words arrive and the setting takes hold. So it's dream first, write second.
4. You've accomplished a lot in the writing world. What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?
PURE exist because of all of the things I've written in the past. Those works have led me here — as disparate as they seem. And the blurbs for PURE mean an awful lot to me. The range is incredible — from Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Olen Butler to the producer of the Paranormal Activity Franchise, Steven Schneider (who's also an author). I don't want to namedrop anymore than I already have — but I admire the writers who've commented on PURE so damn much — I'm truly thankful and humbled by their endorsement.
5. Fox 2000 bought the film rights to Pure! Congrats! What did you think when you heard the news and do you have any new details about the deal?
Honestly, I was relieved. There'd been a lot of action and talk and bustle and huge anxiety for a week or so … and then they swooped in and took it. I knew the producer already and knew immediately that I was in good hands. Deets? I have no idea. My job at present is to keep my fingers crossed.
Pure by Julianna Baggott Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 8th, 2012) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 448 pages Series: Pure #1 We know you are here, our brothers and sisters..
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers.. to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash..
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.
Prize:
1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Pure by Julianna Baggott.
Rules:
You must be at least 13 to enter.
Name and email must be provided.
Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
Contest is US only and ends February 25th.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
