Take Me There Blog Tour and 3 Giveaways!!

The Teen {Book} Scene Take Me There Blog Tour

July 20th 2010 by Simon Pulse

Paperback, 320 pages

Genre:YA Fiction

Sometimes sexy, sometimes sad, and always intense, Take Me There is a dark and surprising novel about a boy on the run who's headed nowhere fast.

Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.

But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.--Goodreads

Want a sneak peek? Check out the first 11 chapters here!

 

I'm so sad to report that I didn't get a chance to meet Carolee in person but she was still gracious enough to answer a few questions for me and allowed me to participate on this blog tour. She also signed two books for me at Blue Willow Bookstore here in Houston Tx. One she signed to me and the other has her signature alone to giveaway. There will be a chance to win three different prizes. Two here on my blog and one Grand Prize from Carolee's. Are you excited yet? Well let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have a wonderful interview for you to feast your eyes on so to no further ado...

The Interview

Hi Carole, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Albuquerque, NM with my husband and teenage children. I work at a high school full time as a speech-language pathologist, and in my free time I write books.

Please tell us about Take Me There and the characters in the book.
TAKE ME THERE is the story of a seventeen year old boy on the run from the law and an LA gang. He goes to Texas to find his estranged father who is in prison because he wants to know if badness is in his blood or if it is something he can overcome.

Why did you feel compelled to write Dylan’s story?
I work with a lot of teenage boys who are basically good kids, but because of their difficulty learning to read and write, they have limited choices. Because their choices are so limited, they sometimes turn to crime and drugs. Dylan can't read or write but he dreams of a better life and he must overcome serious obstacles to find a different path. I wrote this story so that kids like him would know they have choices.

What are some of the things you had to do to make this story work just right? What I mean is did you have to do any research for this book or did you just pull information from any life experiences from yourself, family members, or friends ?
I interviewed a ton of people including the former warden of the wall unit in Huntsville, TX, a retired Texas judge, a police officer who works in our local gang unit, and an officer who works in juvenile detention, and others with gang associations. I also interviewed a couple of mechanics who took me into their shops and showed me the cars they were working on. I travelled to Hermosa Beach to make sure I had described that setting accurately and to get a feel for the location. Basically, writing a book involves exploring a hundred different details.

Are there any deleted scenes you can share with us? 
Actually, there is a great death penalty debate on my website under the teacher section. It's a deleted scene that is no longer in the book. It's also on the blog tour at T.V. and Book Addict. I loved the scene but it slowed down the pace of the story during a critical section of the book, so we took it out.

What is your favorite part of this book?
A poem called, "The House Where Jack Died."

Do you have a favorite line or quote from any of your characters? Share is with us and tell us why. 
Dylan's uncle says, "What you believe shapes who you become." I think people are limited by what they think more than by anything else. On the other hand, belief and faith can help you overcome obstacles more than any other single factor.

When you were writing Take Me There what were some of the things you made sure to put in the story? 
Texas Barbecue. By the way, one of the items in the grand prize for the Texas Trivia Challenge is barbecue rub from the Ironworks in Austin. Check out The Teen {Book} Scene on Thursday, August 5 for more details.

What are some books you have read recently and would recommend? 
I love the Hunger Games series and all of Lisa Schroeder's verse novels. Something I haven't read yet that's at the top of my list is Sea by Heidi Kling. I met both Lisa and Heidi at the SCBWI conference in LA a couple of years ago and they are really wonderful people.

Is there anything you would like to share with us that we didn’t cover in the previous questions?
If you want to do accomplish something, just keep doing it long enough and eventually you'll be successful.

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Trini. I really loved coming back to Texas for this tour. The people here are so friendly. I guess that makes sense, after all, the original name for Texas "Tejas" means "Those who are friends." I made some great new friends on this blog tour.

TAKE ME THERE at bookstores all across Texas and New Mexico. Here is a list to locate a bookstore near you.

The Giveaways!!

#1 Texas Trivia Challenge Grand Prize giveaway event will commence on August 5th and end on August 30th. To enter you must answer 10 questions about Texas. But don't worry because throughout this tour each participating blog gave a hint to each question. Here is the question to the hint that was given above.

9. The state name originated with the Caddo Indians of Eastern Texas. The original term, "tejas" means..
a)Lone Star
b)He who wears the big hat
c)Those who are friends
d)Those who speak the strange tongue

#2

A Take Me There tote bag, a necklace, and smokin tonsils hot sauce made in Houston,TX

To win the Take Me There prize pack please fill in the blanks with your own answers. Use this FORM  to submit entries with the correct corresponding #. This is all for fun so the crazier the better. Carolee Dean will be judging each entry. Only enter once and entry deadline is August 25th so we can announce winner by August 30th.

In this scene, Jessica Jameson, a girl Dylan had a crush on since middle school, walks into the repair shop where he works. He hasn’t seen her in over a year and he’s trying not to make a fool of himself.


Baby Face _______#1_______ at Mercedes man who was making a
                     (animal sound)

_____#2________ noise even though nobody was listening to him anymore. Jess
    (car sound)

turned around. “A ______#3________,” she said, _____#4_________ over and scratching
                               (type of animal)                              (verb-ing)

Baby Face behind the ____#5_________. My ferocious _______#6_______ instantly
                                       (body part)                                   (type of animal)

starting wagging her _________#7________ and ______#8________ Jess. “He’s beautiful,”
                                 (different body part)              (verb-ing)

she told me. “She. Her name is Baby Face.”

“Like the gangster?” asked Jess, and I felt like an idiot again. Why did I ever

name my _____#9__________ after a bank robber?
                 (type of animal)

“Sort of,” I told her.

Baby Face _____#10_________ herself down at Jess’ feet, stuck her ____#11________
                    (past tense verb)                                                               (body part)

in the air and Jess ______#12______ her.
                                 (verb-ed)

“Some guard ________#13_______,” Mercedes Man told Gomez.
                           (type of animal)

“Hey, quit that,” I told Jess. “We got reputations to uphold.”

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#3

To win a signed copy of TAKE ME THERE from me this is how to enter. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS TOUR AND GIVEAWAYS, PLEASE! To be eligible for this giveaway you MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG. So when I click your picture and look at your profile I must see A Book Lovers Review on the list of BLOGS I FOLLOW. If your profile is set on private and I have no way to verify that you are a follower your entries will not count.

+1 Follow me on blog and leaving a comment with your email address.
+2 Tweet about this contest. Just press the retweet button on top left hand corner. Easy peasy;)
+2 Follow me on Twitter
+2 Follow Carolee on Twitter
+2 LIKE IT on my Facebook
+2 Friend me on Myspace
+2 Friend Carolee on Facebook
+2 Friend me on Goodreads
+2 Friend Carolee on Goodreads
+5 For posting it on any other outlet like Facebook, Myspace, LJ...
+10 Post Tour and giveaways on your blog
=31+
Use this FORM to submit all entries.

Thanks everyone and good luck!