Debut Author Challenge # 11: The Near Witch...And Yep, A Giveaway!!!!

Reading Song of the Day: "Witchy Woman" by The Eagles

And the countdown commences...we are now TWO books away from being finished with the Debut Author Challenge 2011. It's been so much fun, too--I think we might have to check out 2012 :)

This time, I've read Victoria Schwab's The Near Witch. Here is what Goodreads wants to tell ya:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

If that's not enough to make you wanna read it, then maybe this will help:

The Top Four Things You Need to Know About The Near Witch:

1. Lexi is strong but not too rough: She can hunt and track b/c her father taught her how, she knows if you want to get a tough boy off your back just kick him in the family jewels, and she will do anything to protect her family. But she also is soft enough to open her heart to a stranger. She embodies the perfect balance of a female protag.

2. The town of Near comes alive: Schwab is a BEAUTIFUL writer. There is not one character, one house, one branch that doesn't pop out of the pages. When you're reading this novel you'll find yourself immersed in the moor, the wind, and the entire town of Near.

3. The characters are all distinct: There are no stereotypes in Near. Even witch sisters who might appear to be alike have their distinct ways of speaking and their own mannerisms. The children of Near have their own quirks, too. There is no way that you'll get any of the townspeople confused--not even the three old men who serve on The Council.

4. The plots are twistier than a pretzel: As the Goodreads plot suggests, The Near Witch is part fairy tale. The story of witches and children goes back to Hansel and Gretel, but this book ain't your normal fairy tale. You'll find yourself going "wha...?" or "wait, but I thought this was happening..." Even when you think you know what's coming--you don't.

You wanna win this book, don't cha? Well...keep reading and find out how!

If you like...

Books: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce, Ash by Malinda Lo, or The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare... then you'll like The Near Witch.

Movies: The Brothers Grimm, Beastly, or Red Riding Hood ...then you'll like The Near Witch.

Okay, so you want to win a gently used copy of The Near Witch?? Well, all you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address, be a follower of this blog, and live in the U.S. (sorry but we're writers/educators which equals broke!) by Tuesday September 27th, 2011 at midnight EST. We'll announce the winner Thursday September 29th :) Hope you all enter!

Oh...and we have a winner to announce, don't we??? The winner of our last giveaway, Carrie Harris' Bad Taste in Boys , is...

Georgia Summers!!!

YAY!!! Look out for an e-mail from us today :D