I had a friend my freshman year of college who was a fencer. (She also had one of the coolest first names ever: Sonata.) That's about as close to fencing as I'll ever get.
Speaking of sharp, pointy things that are designed to draw blood ... I bring you today's fabulous bonus prizes. Yes, plural again. We've got two truly awesome books today.
Prize #1: GIRLS THAT GROWL by Mari Mancusi (this is the third book in the series--if you win, you must buy the first two!)She's a vampire. She's also a vampire slayer. (It's a long story.) And now Rayne McDonald, Goth girl, has to carry out her most deviant mission yet: trying out for the cheerleading squad.
Rayne already has enough on her plate: her twin keeps whining about whether or not to go all the way; her mom's boyfriend is moving in; and her man, Jareth, who's now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp into a surfer dude.
But this vampire slayer is still on the clock, and she has a new assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and her bosses at Slayer Inc. think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now they want her to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, she'll need an extreme prep makeover. If only they'd let her wear fishnets under that revolting uniform.
Prize #2: EIGHTH GRADE BITES by Heather Brewer (this is the first book in the series--if you want to drool over a cover, check out the third, TENTH GRADE BLEEDS)Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.
So, I ran a poll on my blog a while back asking what elements books absolutely must have for you to want to read them. While romance was the overwhelming winner, fantasy was the runner up. Today's entry question is about fantasy elements. What are your favorite fantasy elements to read about? Do you want more monsters or mythology? Vamps, werewolves, or fairies? Something else I haven't mentioned? If you could pick just one fantasy element to read a book about, what would it be? Which ones do you want to see more of?
(I don't actually have an answer today--mainly because I'm severely biased on the side of mythology. Go figure. Besides, this is sneaky market research for me.)
FENCING CONTEST
Answer this question: What is your favorite fantasy element in fiction?
PRIZES
(1) copy of OH. MY. GODS. or teaser of GODDESS BOOT CAMP
(1) copy of GIRLS THAT GROWL by Mari Mancusi
(1) copy of EIGHTH GRADE BITES by Heather Brewer
Enter below and check back tomorrow (and the day after that and the day after that) for a new contest. Winners of all contests will be posted on August 25th.
And don't forget the other contests:
Gold Medal Contest
COOP 1 I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE by Stephanie Kuenhert
COOP 2 CRUEL SUMMER by Alyson Noel
COOP 3 HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE by Tina Ferraro
COOP 4 REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN and TWISTED SISTERS by Stephanie Hale
COOP 5 SHRINK TO FIT by Dona Sarkar and VIOLET IN PRIVATE by Melissa Walker
COOP 6 LULU DARK CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS by Bennett Madison
COOP 7 ZETA OR OMEGA? and THE NEW SISTERS by Marley Gibson (writing as Kate Harmon)
COOP 8 YOU HAD ME AT HALO by Amanda Ashby
COOP 9 THE SPECIALISTS: MODEL SPY by Shannon Greenland
COOP 10 SLEEPLESS by Terri Clark and INVISIBLE TOUCH by Kelly Parra
COOP 11 HELL WEEK by Rosemary Clement-Moore
COOP 12 Reader's Choice from Simone Elkeles
Hugs,
TLC
32 comments:
My favorite element of fantasy is probably.... hmmm.. well the scenery the overall location and place the story is set.
Since its well... fantasy... the place and backdrop to the story is basically yours to set, so a lot i required and expected of you because although the scenery isn't a prominent player in the novel... you still notice it, its a key player and its always interesting to see what people come up with.
Another favorite ting of mine, just in general about fantasy is the fact that its all your own to create, whatever pops into your head!
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Did I answer that right? I think I may have perhaps, misread the idea... but still its my favorite element in fiction none-the-less.
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In a favorite element in a fantasy is the world the author has created. It is a world mostly separate from our own and allows me just enough time away from the harsh reality of ours.
Lol, I actually voted for fantasy on your poll before! =) It is a tough question, though. My favourite element of fantasy… I’m not sure if I have a single favourite but I like the whole vamps/werewolves/faeries bit. I would like to see a bit more of something different though. I love mythology- especially Robin McKinley, Donna Jo Napoli, etc. In the end I don’t think that it matters as long as the characters are vivid and easy to connect with! Ooh, and I agree with The Dizzy about how important the setting is! =D
~Lucy D =)
The world created is definitely my favorite part. Even if it's set in NY, the events surrounding the city, and the different places the characters go always sucks me in :)
My favorite fantasy element is time travel.
I love vampires!
I think I'd like to see more magic. Any magic. We have a lot of mythical creatures running about in books right now, but I'd like to see more Lord of the Ring, Ella Enchanted, and HP.
Hm, I'm not sure about that. I like a lot of things but it has to be the story itself. The plot of it. Like, how everything is in place. Is the climax really exciting? Does it end with all questions answered? Those sort of things. I like having characters that are not confusing to imagine also...
faked_sugartone at hotmail.com
I love magic. Any kind. Yeah, that's a pretty vague answer...
my favorite element of fantasy in fiction (of course) is the characters and world the author creates i just love it so much and the fact that i can imagine it so well in my mind as i read books especially when the author describes everything very well. : )
lc_intocable at yahoo.com
My element would be special powers. Of any kind. Along those same lines, another element I would choose would be a world where special powers was the norm, and people w/out powers would be the minority.
what i love about fantasy is kinda hard to pinpoint. i love the adventure a lot, and the made up places with cool names. i really like the uniqueness in the really good fantasy books (the bad ones dont seem unique)
I love magic. Like witches and wizard magic. Think Harry Potter. That's pretty awesome stuff. The whole idea is amazing.
my favorite fantasy element would probably be magic and mytical beings! to me it just makes everything so much more exciting! i constantly think if only.... if only i was magic i would have to wash the dishes! or go to work! if only my best friend was a vampire maybe i could meet edward cullen!
I love it when authors create new worlds. It doesn't matter what it's like as long as it's creative and something new.
Wow...ummm...I don't know! I love just about everything about fantasy! I love how you can get absorbed in a world that is so incredibly different than what we are used to.
As far as what type of fantasy I like, I'm pretty open. I will read just about anything. I used to avoid vampire books but the Twilight Saga has opened my horizons to that specific genre. Although I am still a tad picky. I really like mythology along with magical creatures. I think it's really interesting.
Also, I have to have romance with my fantasy. Who doesn't love a good romantic fantasy? =]
I'm very open in what I like in a fantasy. Really, I love something that draws on traditional myths, faery tales, or legends and puts a new spin on it.
I dislike when I read a fantasy story that labels something and clearly has no clue of the history of the words. (That came out awkward. For instance, werecreatures. Urban fantasy likes to have characters call them "weres." Erm, were means human. The nick just doesn't work. This bothers me.)
I'm a fan of magic and vampires. However, strangely enough, I like my fantasy grounded in reality. I like vampires, but usually when they live in our realm (hotness is or course a plus). Vampires who are trying to live with humans, instead of just eating then, are my favorite of the vampire element. I also love magic. It intrigues me to see the kind of spells and author comes up with for everyday problems.
The best fantasy novels for me though, don't create some alternate reality that isn't related to our own. It's the story set in the normal and mundane with extrordinary characters.
Like others, my favorite element of fantasy is the world in which it's set. I love wrapping my brain around new worlds.
Parallel universes! I am completely sure of that. The idea of other worlds, even a parallel version of yourself is very fun in a story. Then you could add just about anything into the story, from faeries to time travel.
My favorite fantasy element is the world that the story takes place. I like to read about different world or worlds similar to ours but has different things in it.
The whole outrageousness of it. How someone could ever possibly think of something so out of the ordinary.
There's 2 things I like. I love when it's created in another world, Totally different. It takes me even farther away than usual and I love the possibility of other worlds and lives. The second is Faeries. I love Faeries they're so naughty, fun and carefree. They just seem to have the life I want and plus they're beautiful and can fly. I also love how there's a good court and a bad. It makes it feel like even though faeries joke around there's alot more going on than it seems.
I'm open to anything... but lately... I'm not interesting into anything that is off-worldly. More of taking fantasy aspects and putting them into the real world.
Ooh this is so hard for me to decide. I love a good vampire story (and both of these look great), but there are more of those than the other types of stories you mentioned. I definitely love the faerie thing, but I would like to see more mythology. I'm a mythology junkie and have been since I was a kid, and myths really can teach you so much about life. So, I'm not kissing up, I swear, but more mythology for me!
I'm a new fantasy fan, like, within the past 3 years. I'd have to say my favorite part is the story itself. I love stories that make me feel like I'm there - like I can picture everything that's happening. I've just finished reading Wicked Lovely and absolutely LOVED it!
My favorite element of fantasy would be something light... like ghosts (Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood) or getting turned into a fly (Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart) just because fantasy isn't my favorite genre. I like to keep it semi-believable.
I've always (or I think always) liked vampires in books--and movies--but lately I'm having a lot of fun with faeires and witches and mermaids (do they count?) and I think I haven't (so far) thought of mythology in the same category just because I always read it and learned about the gods in Latin so it seemed more....real or something? I don't know :)
mine is that many things are made up sometimes real life can get a little boring so it is always nice to read some fantasy where anythingt can happen
Tink122595 at hotmail. Com
I like vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, etc.
My favorite elements are shifters and greek mythology. Its always a treat when both elements are brought together in some books.
Hugs, Danette
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