GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Weird and Wonderful
by Cece Barlow
Weird and Wonderful by Cece Barlow is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Gin Autry must finish the last semester of high school in eclectic Austin with her hippie grandmother while Gin’s brother waits for heart surgery in Houston.
Instability reigns, but Gin uses the principles of feng shui to find balance and send positive energy to her brother. She also secretly hopes her voice-over actress dream will advance and true love will show up.
Instead, she falls for the wrong guy and clings to the wrong dream. Nothing in Gin’s life is balanced, but when death threatens her brother, she discovers true balance is about listening, compromise, and the guy in the friend zone.
Book Video
Excerpt
[Weird and Wonderful's build-up to the Gin and Aaron's first kiss. Prepare for adorable overload.]
We stared at each other, and suddenly I was hoping he'd kiss me. The thought overwhelmed me. I don't know who moved first. Aaron stepped toward me. I leaned forward. Our foreheads collided with a crack. Stars burst in my eyes, and I landed on the bed with a thump.
"Ow." I pressed a hand against my forehead.
"Ow is right." He dropped on his haunches in front of me. "We keep mixing up the signals, don't we?" And then he smiled, a total Aaron—the world is a sunshiny place—smile.
My face heated up. What was I supposed to say?
"Gin, are you ready?" Mack called from below. Thank God.
"I have to go," I placed a hand over Aaron's and squeezed.
"Promise to talk later?" Aaron's eyes met mine, and I saw him, beyond the surface. The cogs within me began to shift—a curious feeling like I'd found something of great value in the most surprising place.
I nodded and then impulsively kissed his cheek. Aaron rose onto his knees. His hands cupped my shoulders. I'd never been so close to his face before or his eyes. Striations of amber formed a starburst around his pupils. I could see every curling eyelash.
His breath was warm against my lips and Lifesaver sweet.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"CeCe Barlow has done it again. Here is another terrific book full of Weird and Wonderful characters. [...] There are many quirky characters to love in this book, from Gin’s strict, religious parents, to hippie grandma, to sisters testing new boundaries, to college guy, Aaron, who is a friend, a roommate, and possibly a soulmate. Just like CeCe Barlow's other novel, Plumb Crazy, the characters are rich, the story fun and unique. I enjoyed every minute of Weird and Wonderful." ~ Janet C. Carey
"Cece Barlow has a way of creating quirky characters that are far from average but are oh so real. [...] It took me a little while to get immersed in this book, because a lot of characters and plot elements are introduced at the beginning. As I read it, I enjoyed it more and more, and I finished it with a big sappy smile on my face." ~ Chris in NM
"Weird and Wonderful is a cute, quick, Young Adult coming of age story about love, loss, family and sugar gliders." ~ Zili Robins
"I highly recommend this read for those who love contemporary romance, slice of life stories, and for those who appreciate anime and art. Did I mention there are sugar gliders? Love that detail :)" ~ Mcgint
"This Young Adult novel is about a girl chasing her dreams. Along the way she has to figure out family dynamics and her first foray into more adult relationships, friendships that may have the potential to become something more." ~ Laura Reading
Guest Post by the Author
Why I Write about Ordinary Girls
I write fun and heartfelt stories, but I also have a mission. I tell stories about girls whose lives are continually shuffled to the side in today's literature. I love blue collar teens. These girls do not work at trendy cupcake shops or as mystery-solving detectives. They have jobs, that require elbow grease, humiliation, and perseverance. They work construction, fast food, grocery stores, and bowling alleys. Their lives are not focused on high school. They often have tough times at home, usually a function of failing health (mental and physical), drug addiction, and poverty.
The socio-economically privileged girl doesn't interest me. My girl is ordinary, and she plans to fix her own problems. She is trying to figure everything out (love and life) just like everyone else. She hungers for an education, but knows a mountain of debt is coming her way. She's making serious missteps in life because she is innocent and inexperienced, but my girl is also finding the grace of reinvention. Her life is valuable and worthy. I hope that you join me in my celebration of the ordinary girl. I hope you celebrate the everyday life.
About the Author
Cece Barlow writes books for young adults and the young at heart. She's a dash of fun, mixed in with some smart cookie and a splash of capable. She started her first fan fiction group in junior high and never stopped writing. Today, she writes about girls with lofty dreams and about the absolute craziness of falling in love.
When Cece's not writing, she curls up with a book, heads to a popcorn blockbuster, or kicks back to watch shooting stars. If she sees the moon in the daytime, she thinks she's lucky.
Cece lives in College Station, Texas with her college sweetheart Tim and two cats - one evil and one good.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of five signed copies of Weird and Wonderful by Cece Barlow AND an original doodle (open to United States and territories, Japan, UK, Australia, and New Zealand).
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