Monday, July 16, 2012

Blog Tour! On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves Guest Post + Giveaway


I'm super excited to be part of the On The Island tour by AToMR today!
I am a huge fan of the book and you can read my 5-Star review HERE
Follow the full tour HERE



Top Ten Guest Post by Tracey Garvis Graves


1. Favorite movie/actor/actress?
  
It’s a tie between Pretty Woman and Sweet Home Alabama. I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy and a swoon-worthy happily-ever-after. Other favorites include Thelma and Louise, Steel Magnolias, and last but not least, Jaws (I do love a good shark film). I love Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon (see above!). I’ve been a Julia Roberts fan since her Satisfaction, Mystic Pizza, and Steel Magnolia days, and I fell in love with Reese Witherspoon because of her hilarious portrayal of overachiever Tracy Flick in Election. I will see any movie either of them is starring in. As for my favorite actor, it’s a three-way tie between George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ryan Gosling. 

2. Favorite song/singer?  

I’m mostly a 70’s girl. My favorite singers/bands are Elton John, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Van Morrison, Chicago, Rod Stewart, etc… (the list could go on and on). As for more recent artists, I like Cheryl Crow, Adele, and Pink. I don’t know that I could pick a favorite song because I have way too many to choose from. I do love “Tiny Dancer”, “Life in the Fast Lane”, and “Fire and Rain”. 3. Favorite place you would love to visit?  The Maldives. I’d love to visit where On the Island took place to see if the actual location matches the images I had in my head while I was writing the book. I would also love to go to Greece someday. My grandfather emigrated from Greece at 17 and I’d love to visit his homeland. I’ve heard it’s a beautiful place. 

4. One item you cannot live without?  

My Kindle! 

5. Who would you like to meet? (dead or alive)

Stephen King. I find him absolutely fascinating. I really enjoyed his memoir On Writing, and I’d love to sit down with him for an afternoon and pick his brain. I would also like to meet Jennifer Weiner; she’s one of my favorite women’s fiction authors.

6. Favorite hobby?

Reading and writing.

7. Guilty pleasure?

Home alone in a quiet house with the fireplace going, a glass of wine, and my Kindle. It doesn’t get much better than that (but it doesn’t happen very often!).

8. Favorite author and/book?

For non-fiction, definitely Jon Krakauer. I am obsessed with mountain climbing (I have no idea why) and his book Into Thin Air, about the tragedy on Mt. Everest, is a compelling story. I also loved Into the Wild which was later made into a movie. I don’t have a single favorite author for fiction, but Stephen King is definitely at the top of the list. The Stand is my all-time favorite book and the one I remember as being the most influential to me as a writer. It’s an epic book. My favorite fiction categories are women’s fiction, contemporary romance (both adult and YA), and most commercial fiction. I am drawn to books with a fast pace and the story is more important to me than the writing (although that is important, too). If a book doesn’t grab me and make me want to turn pages, I may not pick it back up again. My Kindle and low ebook prices make it way too easy to move on to the next book.

9. Do you collect anything?

I used to collect hardback books and I’d display them on the built-in bookcases on either side of our fireplace. Now that I have a Kindle, I don’t buy as many paper books. I’ve only had my Kindle for a little over a year, but it’s so easy to hit that 1-click button. I remember my years as a stay-at-home-mom when I’d have to load an infant and a toddler into the car in the dead of winter so we could go to Target for diapers and a new trade paperback. How I wish I’d had a Kindle back then!

10. Favorite color?

Red! The walls of my family room and kitchen are red, my bridesmaid’s dresses for my wedding were red, and my first brand-new car was, of course, red.


Thanks so much for the post Tracey! I LOVED On The Island!


When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Thank you for participating in the ON THE ISLAND Event! This week in addition to reviews and posts, select blogs are hosting a word from the author's favorite quotes in the book as a Scavenger Hunt! There is one quote from Anna and one from T.J. Visit each stop this week to find the hidden words (they will be numbered for order) and after July 22nd, submit your answer to the quotes here! Random winners for books and swag will be chosen and notified by July 29th.

Also, next week July 23-27, there will be even more events and chances to win the book and swag!
  • Monday, July 23 at 8:00 pm CST - Chat with the author Tracey Garvis Graves! We will be chatting with the author on Savor Chat: http://www.savorchat.com/chat/on-the-island-chat Come join us! (You can sign in with twitter or facebook)
  • Each day look at #ontheisland on twitter for random shout outs to win books and swag! @Tale_of_Reviews
  • ON THE ISLAND released in bookstores Tuesday, July 10th! If you see the book in stores or 'in the wild' take a picture. Please tweet it and use hashtag #ontheisland. Or you can post it to facebook! Please submit twitter and facebook links of your post/tweet here!  All entries need to be submitted by July 29th.

SCAVENGER HUNT WORD 
You 
This is TJ's quote, word #1, the beginning of his quote
Follow the full tour HERE to collect all the scavenger hunt words!

~ Giveaway ~  
 Open to US Only
Print copies will be shipped by the publisher
a Rafflecopter giveaway

17 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this interview and I like that Tracey would choose to meet Stephen King!

    I have a Kindle copy of this and I really need to read it because I have heard such good things!

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  2. Book collecting? LOL I know the feeling! My mom says I'm a book collector too because of how many hardbacks I have on my (now two, soon to be three!) bookshelves. x) I think a Kindle or Nook would definitely help with that LOL -- then it's more like you're a secret book hoarder, right? :') And I love Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon too! And my friend Austin said his aunt used to date Ryan Gosling before -- no jokes! x)

    This was a really fun interview, Jen! And if you gave this book 5 stars, I really need to read it ;) <3

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  3. Can I have your book cases? I need more. I don't have enough shelves for all my books. And lucky! Book collecting. What a good hobby. :D

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  4. This book sounds like one I would love. Book collecting sounds like a wonderful hobby! I wonder if my hubby would go for that? Lol.

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  5. Some great answers. I agree, I don't know how I lived without my Kindle. It is the best. I so agree about Stephen King. He is someone I would love to meet. I am a constant reader! I have heard so much about this book and I definitely want to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  6. I'd never heard if this book before, but it sounds lovely and challenging and so very unusual. I love books that touch sensitive topics and I always admire the bravery of such authors. Plus, we have our favorite color in common, hah.
    I can't wait to give this book a try.

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  7. Great interview! I love her movie & song/singer choices! I've heard so many wonderful things about this book. I have to admit I'm someone who prefers printed books, so I'm really happy this has now become available as a paperback.
    Thanks so much for the giveaway!

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  8. Awesome interview. Great music choices. I'm glad it's a paperback giveaway because I don't yet have a nook/kindle.

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  9. I really enjoyed the guest post and it is great timing. I just read a fantastic review for On the Island and added it to my TBR this morning.

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  10. I actually haven't read this yet, but it's way near the top of my 'personal reading' TBR list! *crossing my fingers*

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  11. Great interview! Sounds like a great book.

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  12. This sounds like a great read!

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  13. I agree on the Kindle part!!! I haven't even had mine for 6 months and I cannot live without it either!!!!
    I don't like red, tends to give me a headache ^^

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  14. This is an awesome giveaway and i love your blog!

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  15. Thanks for the giveaway! I can't wait to read this book!

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Thanks so much for visiting and commenting! I read and love every single comment!