Crazy Anna Banks and Of Poseidon SWAG!

I received this box from Anna Banks. It's sort of a "thank you" for posting twice about Of Poseidon, I think, in a snarky sort of way. (I might be pretending again, in my own little reality.)

The box was full of goodies. Most importantly... the coconut boobs that she wore to our pretend interview a couple weeks ago, remember those? Well, she sent 'em to me. Signed. 

I can't tell if that means I'm supposed to wear them to our next non-interview?  Does she think I'll display them on my wall?!  I've just never received signed coconut wear to know what to do with them!

She also sent me lemon heads & drew a detailed to-scale picture of a shark chasing a tiny fish. My name is on the shark.  Based on the handwritten note, it seems I took some liberties sharing how she snorted coconut slushy all over her footlong hotdog.

I'm totally innocent, I tell ya, and not remotely shark-like!!  If someone is going to share an address to send FRIED CHICKEN to, well, they're going to get goofy questions like "did you notice your book is not finished?" Right?!  And if that same, TOTALLY GOOFY author is going to snort coconut slushies and tell a blogger about it, I mean, why would I not mention something like that?  Or the coconut attire?!  Obviously, I am the innocent fishy in this scenario!!

I don't know why I'm getting all hung up on the hidden-meaning psychotic stuff. She also send me some SIGNED BOOKMARKS & MAGNETS!!

In celebration of the RELEASE of... Of Poseidon on May 22nd & to thank Anna for being so very thoughtful, I thought I'd make it super-easy to tweet her a message while also entering to win delicious swag. Rafflecopter is soooo handy, isn't it?!  You can change your tweet up a bit, but I'd like to stay as clean & deep fat fried as possible.

Personally, I'm grateful for the swag, you know?  And the lemon heads are tasty. But what am I supposed to do with the coconut wear?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fairy Tale Hop, The Little Mermaid, and Anna Banks

Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop 

is hosted by 

vvb32reads 

& 

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

The following interview did not happen. It is a figment of the blogger’s imagination from pieces of real correspondence (yes, I refer to myself in 3rd person on occasion). In the interest of being painfully honest, the following color-coding will clarify… black is the blogger, and reality vs. imagination is nearly impossible to differentiate. Actual quotes from Anna Banks will be in blue. Spurts of Oddness will be in red. Don’t believe anything in red.


As soon as I realized this was a very specific Giveaway with specific detailed rules, I wanted to interview Anna Banks. Not just because she snorts coconut slushies, although, that has great appeal, but because she wrote a story with mermaids. And The Little Mermaid is my favorite fairytale.

This may date me, but my first experience with mermaids was not Disney. It was (*gasp*) Hans Christian Anderson, whose mermaid turns into foam having failed to win the prince’s love. (What does that mean that I prefer a sad ending?!) (Wait... you're thinking that I was born in the 1800's now, aren't you?  I just mean pre-Disney's version. Sheesh!)

Anna kindly dressed up in a mermaid outfit with a pair of coconut boobs and came over to my house, where we discussed cool release party ideas. (That was a test... are you following my color-coding?! See above!!) And had the following conversation:

I think you were very brave to write a Young Adult book with… well, they aren’t “mermaids”, what do you call them?

Syrena - it's the Polish word for mermaid. Don't tell Galen.


Ok. Next time you come over, do bring him so I can try not to tell him!!  So... where did you get the idea  for writing about them, anyway?

I got the idea to write about mermaids from an article I read which outlined how they'd discovered that the colossal squid--that ginormous thing you see with its tentacles wrapped around ships in old drawings--actually does exist. All this time, as late as 2005, they thought the colossal squid was just fishermen's lore.  I thought, What ELSE could be out there? Mermaids? Sasquatch? (I believe in Sasquatch, BTW).

Wait... NO WAY!!  I believe in the Sasquatch, TOO!!! We're like, twins or something!!

What?! Sasquatch is real. I watch Finding Bigfoot. He's effing out there.

Seriously!!  I know!  (My husband's seen him, I think.)

I really enjoyed reading your book, Of Poseidon, and I was wondering what's next 'cause it got pretty exciting right at the end, where the story suddenly stops.

There will be a sequel, tentatively called Of Triton. Unfortunately, Galen dies. Or does he???? Mwahahahahaha! (Payback for my chili dog! I mean, it was a foot long!).

Hahahaha  Wait! You like foot long chili dogs?!  (This makes more sense if you see Snorting Slushies.)

Usually, it's salad and fat free dressing, mkay? And you know, sliced strawberries or something.

Oh, ok.  That's what I normally eat, too. Yea.

You really must bring Galen next time. Does he have any say about what happens in this book?!

Galen's visiting Danny @ Bewitched Bookworms with Toraf right now. On the real Tour.

Oh. Well. Okidoki!!

I'd like to give away a pre-order copy of... of... Of Poseidon... Hey, do you ever get hung up on the Of's?!

Yes, I stumble over all the "of"s. I can't tweet anything with the title in it until I've had coffee. Next time, no prepositions in the title. (Well, there's Of Triton, but none after that).


I think everyone should pause for coffee before tweeting. Definitely. Of Triton sounds so cool... when does that come out?!

*crickets*

Um... Anna?  We're having an interview, aren't we?

An interview like, today?  I can't! I have no less than 26 interviews to get done as of this second. And not with you!!

So... what was all this?  Seriously, where am I?!?!  And what just happened?!

Um.

So, I have a vivid imagination!!  So, what?!

Hey, you want some swag for a giveaway? I got bookmarks and Ohmysweetgoodness magnets....:)

Really?!  YAY!!    I mean yes!  YES-YES-YES!!  Thank you!!

Available to win for this giveaway:

A pre-order of... Of Poseidon or another book with mermaids and swag from Anna Banks!!!

See all my giveaway rules under About Me which include "must be 13", "no one's liable" and fun stuff like that.

Wow - Review and Author Email - Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Welcome Waiting on Wednesday-ers and Colorimetry Readers... today I give you the long-awaited email from Anna Banks that nearly rolled me off the couch (had I been less wedged, I would've fallen off.)

Wow is hosted by Breaking the Spine...


Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks
Hardcover, 324 pages
Expected publication: May 22nd, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
NetGalley e-copy for review on my Nook


Premise: Ganked from Goodreads

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .  

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

I have been in love with this cover since the first time I saw it and posted it on Waiting on Wednesday back in November.  That means I can claim it as my own, right?

What do I like about it?!?!  The color, the fogginess, the way the girl is swimming fully dressed in the dark?!  I'm not sure.  I tell you what, though... this cover has NO HINT of Author-Snarkiness!!  To find that, you gotta read the very first paragraph in the book:

"I SMACK into him as if shoved from behind. He doesn't budge, not an inch. Just holds my shoulders and waits. Maybe he's waiting for me to find my balance. Maybe he's waiting for me to gather my pride. I hope he's got all day."

I had just slipped into bed and cracked the book open (figuratively speaking) to see if I wanted to read it next (in my compulsive way of avoiding my "to do" review list.)

And instantly I was cracking up. When I thought I was done laughing, I was laughing again. And then I wanted to cry... and then laugh... and my husband thought there was a problem with me and there was... I was getting a loaded dose of Anna Banks.

I would like to say it's only this book that's the problem, that the author had a moment of confusion where snarky humor overtook her writing, that she settled down after a chapter or two. No such luck. Check out her picture below... innocent right?  But then read her email to me. Uh-huh!!

So what did I think of the book?

My Review:

I didn’t mean to read the entire book in one day. *ahem*  Really.  I didn’t have the time, and I really wanted a book I could wander through slowly on my Nook, so Of Poseidon was very inconvenient.

It's light & fun… if death and survival-of-the-species is “light & fun”. The author’s humor leaks out everywhere, from the exclamations, to the slapstick situations that got reactions out of me (yes, I think tripping is funny. I’ve done my fair share of it.) 

I saw in other reviews that procreation was criticized as a goal. In answer, my reply is, "it was explained". I am all about WHY’S!!  There is plenty reason behind the procreation focus, not to mention the characters complaining about it themselves and I didn't feel any one person, like Emma, was more put out than anyone else. It made plenty of sense, although, I agree the system stinks. Who wouldn't?!  You'll have to read it to see what I mean.

Emma is a fun character. She has deep, strong relationships and a good grasp on her own feelings. Garen is excessively handsome, which borderlines cliché, alrighty, especially with the hormonal-type romantic attraction firin’ up every scene. (Think Firelight or Twilight wolves.)

The story is told very interestingly. Emma’s point of view is in first person, whereas Garen’s is in omniscient third. I was jolted out of the story a few times settling into the pov over and over. The overall effect is understanding the situation from both sides, while feeling as if I am Emma.

So, what did I like best? The world-building. The irreverent humor. The Syrena were believable. Their history and general life are explained a little, enough to answer some initial questions. There is plenty more that is not explained, but the story is not complete in this volume. (Semi-cliff-hanger, anyone?!) And the humor caught me by surprise too many times to count.

I would so love to discuss deeper plot stuff... like...

When did I catch on to who was who?  What's up with Grom's love life?!  What in the world is Garen going to do with the pickle he's gotten himself into?!  And can we see more of Toraf and Rayna PLEASE?!  I love 'em!!

My Rating: 4 - Good!!  This is a snarky light read with a well-developed concept.

Now for the good stuff.

I saw all the humor on Anna's website. I mean, she says stuff like " If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place." So I wrote her an email asking if she hadn't noticed that her story didn't end when the book did?  'Cause I kept trying to flip to the next page on my Nook when I was out of pages!!

I know... irreverent of me.  But she replied with this (I am justified!!) (Bolding mine):

Hey Laura!
    I'm so very mad at you right now. I was eating dinner with my family at THE fanciest Sonic in town when I read your email and I promptly snorted coconut slushy right out of my nose and onto my chili dog. I paid good money for that chili dog! So, please know that wherever you are right now at this moment, I am giving you the stank eye.

   LOL!  As for the plans on wrapping up that story, there will be a sequel, tentatively called Of Triton. Unfortunately, Galen dies. Or does he???? Mwahahahahaha! (Payback for my chili dog! I mean, it was a foot long!).

   As for your questions, Syrena is the Polish word for mermaid. Don't tell Galen.

I got the idea to write about mermaids from an article I read which outlined how they'd discovered that the colossal squid--that ginormous thing you see with its tentacles wrapped around ships in old drawings--actually does exist. All this time, as late as 2005, they thought the colossal squid was just fishermen's lore.  I thought, What ELSE could be out there? Mermaids? Sasquatch? (I believe in Sasquatch, BTW).  And so it began.

I collect signed books, Gone With The Wind stuff (seriously) and cellulite, which I store below my waist. My favorite color is red. I'm from Niceville Florida. The people in Niceville are not always nice. In fact, whoever named it Niceville might have been using sarcasm...

I'm glad you like the cover. They were actually thinking about changing it at one point, so I wake up each day thankful that plan was thwarted because I lub my cover! :)

I'll let my publicist know that you very obviously had pages missing from the ARC you downloaded, because I certainly DID finish up the story, AND I started a new one. All in the last sentence of the last page. Alas, I know this ending is going to get me a black eye when I go on tour this summer.... =D

Thanks again for the laugh (snort),
Anna

I rec'd her email when I was sitting on the couch with my abundant family watching some show about fixing up cool hotrods (if you must know, Anna Banks) and I started laughing outloud, of course, and had trouble staying upright despite being squished in place tightly.

I did not email back... 'cause obviously she's got the upper hand with snortin' slushies and who knows what irreverent thing I would say next. Better to stop while I'm ahead and just publicly post her email to share with everyone. Don't you think?

We got some good news here...  a sequel in the works, and Galen's possible imminent death, and a word in Polish!!  Plus some touring comin' up!!

Ganked from her blog:

Oh hecktotheyes! I'm going on book tour this summer with three fellow Macmillan (and undeniably awesome) YA authors: Jennifer Bosworth (STRUCK), Emmy Laybourne (MONUMENT 14), and Leah Bardugo (SHADOW & BONE). We shall be called FIERCE READS. Check out our Facebook page here, and be sure to like us, at least a little. :)  

For a complete schedule of tour stops, check out the "Appearances" tab at the top of my blog.  

Also, if you can make one of the stops, be sure to ask me "Boxers or briefs?" because I'm DYING to say, "Saran Wrap!" =D

If anyone makes the tour, can you pleeeese ask her "Boxers or Briefs?"?!?!  (I just dare ya to come to Portland, Oregon, Anna!!!)

Find & Follow:

Blog

Twitter

Fierce Reads Tour on Facebook

Pre-Order your copy:

The Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday - Of Poseidon

Waiting on Wednesday  is hosted by Breaking the Spine...

Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: May 22nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish. 
What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.

In my zippy perusal of new book reviews, Of Poseidon has so many 4+ stars that I'm intrigued... even tho we got what looks like a stalker and some guessable parts. Multiple reviews raved about the romance, which is a good sign. This book isn't coming out 'til May, which is TOO BAD, but I'm adding it to my "looks cool" pre-wishlist pile. (Yes, I have pre-piles instead of TBR piles - PILES are a must.)

PS - Happy Birthday, Mark Twain!