Guest Post by Jen Nadol and Contest

As part of a tour through Teen Book Scene, I have a guest post by Jen Nadol (author of The Mark and The Vision) about ten reality shows and why she'd do them...well, maybe.

10. The Amazing Race. You don’t have to do anything really scary or disgusting and they fly you all over the place to see cool stuff. Yes. I would do this.

9. Survivor. I’d last about three days – it looks tough. But people come off it buff and with a hugely renewed appreciation for things like pillows and toilet paper.

8. Chopped. Another show I’d get axed from immediately. I like to cook, but I’m not really good enough to figure out how to make something delicious from a basket of squid ink, linguini and chocolate bars.

7. The Price Is Right. Never mind that I wouldn’t want most of the stuff they give away or that I’d be so nervous trying to guess the third number in the price of the NEW CAR!!!! that I’d totally blow it. I watched this show with my Mom-Mom when I was like four. Of course, I’d do it. It’s iconic. And maybe I’d get to play Plinko.

6. The Bachelorette. KIDDING!!!! Never in a million years. This whole bachelor/ette thing was over for me when Jen Schefft and Andrew Firestone didn’t make it.

5. 30 Days. I’ve never seen this one, but the premise is cool: people spend 30 days immersing themselves in an unfamiliar lifestyle like working for minimum wage (actually, I’m quite familiar with this – see Top 10 Jobs post) or being in prison or living in a different culture. I’m pretty happy with my existence as is, but this sounds mind-broadening and that’s usually good.

4. Big Brother. Questionable. You don’t have to eat anything gross or perform on stage, but you do have to spend a looooong time with some pretty cheesy characters. And I don’t think they let you bring books. At least I’ve never seen anyone on the show reading one. I’d go, but only if they brought Dr. Will back.

3. Deal or No Deal. It’s hard not to come out of this winning something unless you’re just totally greedy.

2. Supernanny. No, I wouldn’t actually let that Mary Poppins lady into my house to tell me everything I’m doing wrong. But some days I think maybe I should.

1. Anything on HGTV. You want to make over my living room? Help me find a vacation house in St. Thomas? Re-do my backyard? Show me $18 million apartments in NYC? I’m in.

Thanks Jen! I love Chopped an unhealthy amount, and it'd be so awesome to see you on it, even if you did leave in the appetizer round.

And now, I've got a little contest for you guys. I've got five signed bookmarks from Jen Nadol to give away. All you have to do is leave a nice comment for Ms. Nadol with your email address. US only. Ends in two weeks, exactly. Good luck!

The Vision Review

Author: Jen Nadol
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Pages: 220
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: Through tour site for review
Other Titles In Series: The Mark

Cassie Renfield knows the mark tells her when someone is going to die and that she can intervene and attempt to change fate. But she still doesn't understand the consequences, especially whether saving one life dooms another. With no family left to offer guidance, Cassie goes in search of others like her. But when she meets Demetria, a troubled girl who seems to have the power of the Fates, Cassie finds the truth isn't at all what she expected. And then there's her heady new romance with bad boy Zander. Dating him has much graver repercussions than she could ever have imagined, forcing Cassie to make choices that cut to the essence of who she is and what she believes.

Jen Nadol offers readers a romance with big stakes and an ethical dilemma with no easy answers in this riveting sequel to The Mark. Paranormal fans who love the psychological thrill of Lisa McMann's bestselling Wake trilogy will flock to these books.

In my opinion, The Vision was one of those sequels that was almost unnecessary. It just seemed to be The Mark all over again, with one--unsatisfying--answer. The pacing was a bit too slow and the plot is a bit too much like The Mark for me to enjoy The Vision a lot.

I hated to have to say all that, because I really liked The Mark...but it was way too true.

The Vision did have it's strong points, like Cassie. While sometimes she was a bit too floppy, I still think she's such a believable character. The side characters were rather flat, though.

Unfortunately The Vision was a big let down for me.Will I be reading the next book in the series? ...Well, I think I'd see what others thought of it before picking it up. I'm more excited to see what else Nadol can do at this point.

Plot: Read it before.

Characters: Cassie was ok, but the rest were blah.

Writing: Good.

Ending: Liked it.

Kind Friendly? There was mild swearing and making out.
Should I read it? If you really enjoyed The Mark, The Vision did answer some questions you had. But as it's own installment it didn't work for me. Hopefully you'll feel differently, though.

Overall:

Jen Nadol Interview

Jen Nadol is the debut author of The Mark, which came out the 19th of this month. (But go here for your chance to win.) And don't forget to check out my review of The Mark. She took the time to answer some questions for us!

When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?
I think I've always flirted with the idea of being a writer, but in a dream-job king of way. I always loved to read, wrote on & off in high school, and majored in English in college, but when it came time to get a "real" job, I ended up in the business world (which was a TERRIBLE fit for me). I'm not sure I ever really believed I *could* be a writer. I'm so glad I finally tried.

Where did you get the idea for The Mark?
There was no real triggering event or lighting-bolt moment, I was just tossing around ideas, trying to come up with something interesting to write about and there it was: what if you knew it was someone's day to die?

I could see lots of possibilities, even some of the scenes that would play out, so I ran with it.

What's your most effective way to get through writers block?
Bulldozing. Just get words on paper. Even if they stink. Even if I'm not sure if what I'm writing is the direction I want the story to go. I can always edit or even delete later, but if I've written nothing, I have nothing to work with.

Would you say that you and your main character, Cassie, are alike?
A couple of people have actually asked if I have the kind of ability Cassie does...which I don't. Thankfully. Our circumstances, family situations, etc are very different, but The Mark is a fairly introspective novel. I spent a lot of time inside Cassie's head writing it and, as a result, I think she thinks a lot like me. Does a lot of the things that - right or wrong - I would probably do in the same situation.

What are a few of your personal favorite books?
Thank you for making it a few, instead of just "a favorite"! I'm sure I'll be missing a hundred I love, but...The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn, almost any early Stephen King, The Hunger Games, Life As We Knew It, Wake by Lisa McMann, White Oleander, City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling, The Other Boleyn Girl.

Why YA? And do you plan to branch out to adult?
When I wrote The Mark, I didn't even realize it was YA. I'd never read in the genre so it never occurred to me until an agent I'd submitted to pointed it out. It was so obvious after that - of course it was YA!

I can't imagine branching out to adult fiction anytime in the near future.

I have a bunch of other ideas ready to be written and they're all YA. It's the voice that feels most natural and the stories that are most interesting to me. And, PS, YA books are ALL I read now!

Anything else you'd care to add?
Thanks so much for having me and featuring The Mark!

Thanks again to Jen Nadol for that great interview!

The Mark Review

Author: Jen Nadol

Release Date: January 19, 2010

Pages: 228 (ARC)

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

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This is one of those "I read it in one day!" type of books. (Even though I obviously didn't, but I would've loved to.)

The plot is simple. It doesn't have any action, but has lots of twists-and-turns about the mark and why Cassie sees it. It was a beautiful, thought-provoking book about choices, philosophy, and destiny. It's original, too, which gets The Mark bonus points in the book of Jessica.

I never felt like Cassie had a ton of personality. She seemed kind of 2-dimensional and I never fully connected with her, but I definitely did not dislike her. Lucas was a cool guy, but I wish the book had included more of Jack, Cassie's maybe-a-little-more-than-a-friend friend, because he seemed like a good character too. And another side character, Petra, was just too cool

The writing was great! I don't think I would've guessed that this was Jen Nadol's debut novel if I hadn't already known. She writes with such detail, and she's just a fantastic storyteller.

I loved the ending. It wrapped everything up perfectly. And, because of that, I'm doubtful that there will be a sequel, but am looking forward to whatever Jen Nadol puts out next. I can already tell that The Mark is a book that will leave me thinking about it for weeks, at least.

This is one of the 7 books that are being offered in my 200 Followers Shin-Dig! Go enter now, because since I've just reached my newest goal of 350 followers, there will now be 5 winners! (I'm thinking about what my next goal will be right now, but I'll let you know when I've decided what my next move will be.)

Oh, and don't forget to stop by tomorrow to check out my interview with the author of The Mark, Jen Nadol.