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The winner of Friday's Middle Grade lot is....
Congrads and email me your address ([email protected])
Today, Amy Brecount White is here to tell us about her new book, Forget-Her-Nots.
Hi Amy, tell us about Forget-Her-Nots and your journey?
Seeing Forget-Her-Nots on bookshelves is a complete dream come true. I usually say that my road to publication was long, windy and had a lot of potholes. Some were crater-sized. Sometimes I thought it would never happen. In fact, my husband turned to me when I got the offer from Greenwillow and said that he would have given up a long time ago. Persistence and faith are vital to the writer’s journey.
How did you get the idea for Forget-Her-Nots?
I used to freelance a lot for The Washington Post and magazines, so I was always on the lookout for story ideas.As I was browsing in a bookstore, I found a coffee-table book on tussie-mussies, which are symbolic Victorian bouquets.I tried to pitch the story, but never had much luck. Then one day I made a tussie-mussie for a friend who was very ill.I included flowers for strength, courage, good spirits, and love. She adored the bouquet, and how I wished that its messages could come true for her.From there it was a small leap to imagining what if they did come true….
What do you wish you knew now about publishing that you could have used before you
Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.
Violet Ambrose can find dead bodies. Or at least she can sense those that have been murdered. She locates them by the echoes they leave behind…and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren’t enough to deal with during her junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.
Sophos, heir to Sounis, doesn’t look like much of a prince. At least, according to those in power. At least, to those who do not know him or the size of his heart and the depth of his courage, loyalty, and love. But Helen, Queen of Eddis, knows him, and so does Gen, the queen’s Thief, who is now King of Attolia. Gen and the queen believe that Sophos is dead. But they also believe in hope, especially since a body was never found. So when Sophos is discovered in Attolia, climbing a lamppost, peashooter in hand, the obvious question becomes: where has Sophos been all this time?
Delicious and magical, here is a debut novel about a new (and slightly misunderstood) girl at an exclusive boarding school. Laurel has always loved flowers, but when a class project calls for research into the Victorian language of flowers, she makes a potent discovery. Her affinity for blooming things is actually age-old magic, passed from one generation to the next-a bittersweet gift from her beloved mother, who’s recently died-and it gives Laurel the power to make people fall in and out of love. Laurel’s introduction to the secret society of flowerspeakers is rife with complications and mishaps-especially when her classmates convince her to use her magic at the prom. This evocative coming-of-age story lingers in the air much like the fragrant blooms that determine Laurel’s fate so mysteriously.
Alessandra is desperate to escape—from her stepmother, who’s locked her away for a year; from the cloister that awaits her if she refuses the marriage plans that have been made for her; from the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There’s no tolerance in her village for her keen intelligence and her unconventional ideas.
Loved the interview, and i can't wait to read her book :)
I think my favorite are Roses, they are so romantic!!!
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While I love many flowers, my favorite still remains the rose. It's the one flower that is just as pretty closed as it is opened and it is simple and complex at the same time. When it's closed, it is rather simple looking, but when it opens up, that is when you see how truly complex it is, with its layer upon layer of petals, all surrounding and protecting the center. Kind of like people do to their innermost thoughts and being.
Margay
I love carnations. They are inexpensive yet smell delightful.
I've got this book out from the library. Can't wait to read it! My favorite flower is lilac. They are only around for such a short time, but they smell so good!
I Love lavender. It's purple my favorite color and smells heavenly! Sunflowers also top my list!
I just love the cover of this book and it sounds great!
my fav flower is the sunflower. THey are just so cheery and sunny and happy i love them
sports[dot]erikalynn[at]gmail[dot]com
Roses, definitely. They smell amazing (try biting your face on a bunch of them) and they look gorgeous!
ms(dot)marymonkey(at)hotmail(dot)com
Congrats to Lee!
Great interview. I really like the way she got her idea for the book!
ANd my fave flower is the tulip!
My favorite flower is bluebells, i haven't seen them many times in my life, but i have a very vivid memory of one when i was young, it was in a park i went to i remember i couldn't stop looking at it, it was so pretty Ive loved them ever since :)
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Oh, I adore gardenias too! Their gentle scent and lovely petals...They make me think of the south.
I love shasta daisies too...the daisy is such a simple flower. I carried them in my wedding 24+ years ago.
Roses. Simple, romantic, pretty.
Great interview! I totally agree with how long it takes to get a book published. It takes forever! =)
Loved the review! :)
My favorite? Probably Magnolias because it's my state's flower.
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thanks for the interview and giveaway! my favorite are sunflowers. so pretty and yellow and they always brighten up the day and put a smile on my face.
I love the blue-purple of hydrangeas.
Magnolia blossoms. My dad has a tree in his yard that is just breathtaking when it is in full bloom. My grandfather planted it when he was growing up, and he always calls to let me know when its blossoming. Then I bring tea and we sit out and just breathe in the sweet aroma of flowers and steam from our hot beverages. It's a simple tradition, but it's one that I love and look forward to every year.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Skibunny9197(at)aol(dot)com
My favourite flower ir the lily. I love how they smell and they're pretty.
Oooh, great interview ! And my favorite flower would probably the rose :D They're so beautiful ! I don't even know, just something about them is amazing!
~Alison
Oooh, great interview ! And my favorite flower would probably the rose :D They're so beautiful ! I don't even know, just something about them is amazing!
~Alison
^Whoops, ignore one of my comments. I accidently clicked the button twice :/
~Alison
What a great idea for a story line. Both the title and the cover are fabulous!
My favourite flower is the daisy - so bright and happy - a friendly flower :)
Hi, hope its OK to contact you here. would love to include your blog on our giveaway blog network: Giveaway Scout (http://www.giveawayscout.com). Have a look and if interested drop us a line on our contact form (http://www.giveawayscout.com/contact/). thanks, Josh
Hmm...I like the lilac, I don't know why. I DO know, though, that I love purple flowers, for some reason. You give me a bouquet, your best bet would be for it to be purple, although it's my second-fav colour.
Cass
cc932005[at]hotmail[dot]com
Like Amy, I love all flowers, but the gardenia is my favorite. It's delicate, has a wonderful aroma, and it reminds me of my mother.