Wordless Wednesday: True Love, True Blood

For Valentine's, my true love gave to me...

Happy Vampy Leap Day!

Vampire Academy's Rose in Round 2

I see my Tiger Mom threats worked - Rose Hathaway, my Hero made it to Round 2 in:

Tournament of Heroines

Today she's in the Superior 16 - so go vote again HERE before we suck your blood.  

In case you missed why she's badass: Vote Rose Hathaway, My YA Hero

(Damphirs can't actually suck blood, but whatever.  She can stake us.)

Vote Rose Hathaway, My YA Hero

Update 12/13: Rose won! (of course)

The YA Heroine Tournament is here and if you don't vote for Vampire Academy's Rose Hathaway you are not my son!

(That threat usually works in Chinese families, especially on daughters.)

 Two Chicks on Books is our Team Rose headquarters.  Vote at The YA Sisterhood tomorrow - Monday Dec 12, for 24 hours.


Actually Rose is a very particular hero.  If you had a sunny childhood where your parents told you they loved you every day before cheerleading practice and you grew up with absolutely no issues whatsoever 1) I'm not sure why you're writing YA instead of, like, being a Stepford wife 2) you won't relate to Rose.

But if sarcasm is a fine art form for you, then read on!

Why Rose is a Badass Mothertrucker

• She's a dhamphir: strong as a vampire, hearty as a human
• She embraces her sexuality in a very realistic teen way.  You go with your non-prude self!
• She's curvy and half-Turkish, not a blonde, blue-eyed model waif like a certain boring Moroi. (I kind of hate that certain Moroi.)
• She defies authority and risks public excoriation to stand up for what's right.  Revolucion!
• She has mommy issues.  Don't we all?
• She's the opposite of a passive Mary Sue.  This girl's got Anger and she's never afraid to speak her mind.  Down with whiny, helpless female characters!
• Rose is the first YA character I can relate my actual high school experience to.  That's right, I was a half-vampire guardian who was gravely misunderstood.
• No seriously, Rose's story made me cry harder and harder with each book in the series.  It's like the grown-up version of Walk Two Moons for me.
• She is for all the misfits, goth girls, freaks & geeks who were made fun of; people who didn't belong.  (I may have played a sorority girl onscreen but in high school I was so far from popular I was anti-popular.)  
• Rose lets us know others feel like we do.  And that it gets better.

October/Filipino-American Crush of the Month: Dante Basco

Happy Fil-Am Month!  In case it wasn't obvious:  I Love Filipinos.

Because I'm a round-eyed Asian, people thought I was Pinay.  I learned hip-hop by watching the Flips in middle school.  (And from MTV's The Grind.)

This month's hawtness is Dante Basco.  You see, we were supposed to talk on the phone and fall in lust love.  But he lost my number.  Here's what happened:

When I was a bright-eyed young actor starting out in Hollywood, I attended an Asian American award ceremony.  Afterward, I accosted Ang Lee.  Then I saw Dante.

It was like the Beatles coming to America.  My mind started chanting, "Ru-fio. Ru-fio."

I watched Hook like 20 times as a tween.  Now dreamboat Rufio, my future husband (after Keanu Reeves), was standing there in a suit.

I ran up to him and gushed and preened and you know what he did?  He asked for my number.

Do the Pinoy got game or what?

So of course I gave him my cell phone, landline, all three emails, home address, social security number and date of birth.  And pin.  Just in case he needed money to call me.

photo credit

I mean, could you say no to that smirk?

And he goes, "My name's Dante, so you better pick up when I call."

Okay that doesn't translate well in writing, but it was very smooth.  Trust me.  I was like, "Okay *giggle  I will *giggle any time of night is okay ."

After sleeping with the phone under my pillow for 3 months and my door unlocked in case he wanted to drop by, I finally accepted the truth.

He had lost my number.

photo credit

"My name's Dante, can you help me find Sophia's number?"

Clearly, Dante has been trying to find me.  So good readers, if you see Mr. Basco, please direct him here.  (My boyfriend has already been apprised of the situation.)

Dante, you owe me a phone call.

***

Thanks for all your suggestions for September's Book Crush of the Month.  The winner is Damon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries.

*This (only slightly exaggerated) account happened YEARS ago - no disrespect to Dante's girl!  It was very sweet of him to entertain a fan.

Teaser Tuesday: Vampire Crush

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

"We'd better get.  But y'all have a nice night," I say.  Apparently, fear turns me Texan.


Location 1330, Kindle
Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson

In My Mailbox #2

It's taken over 2 months for me to post a second IMM because I've been saving this meme for books that I've won as a way to thank the hosting websites and gifters.

yes that's a Team Jacob T-shirt that I got during a Borders closing sale

In My Mailbox was started by Story Siren

1) The Trouble with Half a Moon (MG)
by and from Danette Vigilante through First Page Panda

2) Picture Perfect (Adult/Women's Fiction)
by Jodi Picoult from Len Lambert (in the UK - the stamp had the Queen of England on it!) through Theresa Milstein

3) Bloody Valentine (Blue Bloods) (YA)
by Melissa De La Cruz from The Cajun Book Lady

I am SOO excited about all 3 of these b/c

1) I've rediscovered my love for MG AND I get to support fellow writers of color.
2) I've been wanting to get into Jodi Picoult for probably 10 years now, since she was recommended to fans of Alice Hoffman
3) I've followed this series since the beginning and I'm obsessed with the way the audiobook narrator does Mimi's voice.  Spot on New England lockjaw.

Sophia Plays Bella At Last on Msn.com!

Comedian @KevinAvery interviewed 3 members of the LA Twilight Book Club for his new series on msn.com

Yup.  I'm in that book club.

Then Kevin donned fangs so we could reenact the pivotal "How old are you?" scene from Twilight.

Dream. Come True.

After 3 ridiculous hours of Team Jacob v. Team Edward talk, our slot was cut into a 3-second snippet.  Catch me in the beginning holding tight to Edward like a spider monkey.  (Please tell me you know that reference.)  I even got to keep the sides!*

You can also watch it at msn.com here

*That's Biz speak for excerpt of script.   Yeah.  I'm a db.

My Not-Organized-By-Vampire-At-All Bookshelf

Alphabetical? Nope. Vampire.

That's right. My bookshelf is organized by vampire series.

I actually enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse books more than Twilight, but it's easier to be a Twi-Hard and find paraphernalia.

And for the record, though you see a Pocket Edward, I am Team Jacob.  (I'm still waiting for a certain boyfriend to get me the Jacob Barbie doll.)  (Yes I am a grown woman.)

After the vampires, the rest of the shelf is divided in bookstore fashion:

Middle shelf:
YA, graphic novel


Bottom shelf:
Fiction, Memoir, a "sculpture" of books that didn't fit anywhere (travel or oversize),Non-fiction

Show me your shelves!  And don't even think about putting the Cullen crest away, air those guilty pleasure books and merch!