Friday, May 11, 2012

Cornerstone Blog Tour: Guest Post by Misty Provencher


I'm pleased to welcome author Misty Provencher to the blog today as part of the Cornerstone Blog Tour! She's here to share a few fun pieces of info about the characters and story we won't get anywhere else, and I for one love knowing extra tidbits like this so I'm excited to share it with all of you. Give us the good stuff Misty!

Thanks for having me over during the blog tour, Jenny!

I wanted to be sure that having me over was worth your while, so I’ve compiled some insider info about my YA novel, Cornerstone.  I hope you’ll enjoy the behind-the-scenes scoop!

If you haven’t gotten a chance to read, Cornerstone is the story of Nalena Maxwell, a girl who’s been nicknamed The Waste at her school, due to her mom’s compulsive paper hoarding. Nalena needs things to change in her life, but when she receives a sign that invites her into an ancient community, things don’t just change…the family secrets come blasting out. It’s only worse because the sign Nalena received is the wrong dang one. And we haven’t even started talking about Garrett Reese yet- the boy with the liquid blue eyes that seems to know what’s going on.

*Jenny butts in - I highly recommend checking out Missie's book boyfriend post with Garrett over at The Unread Reader. Yum.*

Anywho, if you haven’t read Cornerstone, go grab yourself a copy for only .99 cents this month and read on for some secrets about the story that you can only get here:

•     The Addo prefers his cookies without nuts. That’s because he steers clear of the nuts in his cookies just like he steers clear of the ones in his life.

•     There’s no physical description of Nalena in the book. I did that on purpose. I wanted each reader to be free to see their character in their head without me trompling onto the page to tell them that they have it all wrong.

•     Garrett’s house is a real one that my husband and I almost bought. We loved the Quad, bid on it, and the bid was accepted, but we ended up walking away from the deal because of an issue with what would’ve been Garrett’s bedroom floor. I still love that house though, so I gave it to Garrett’s family.

•     Nalena’s name is a mix of my grandmother’s names and Garrett’s name came from a friend who entered a Facebook contest I hosted to name my main character. Garrett is also my husband’s grandfather’s name, which hadn’t occurred to me, since he was always referred to by a nickname.

•     Addo lives in a trailer park, as did my husband and I, when we were first married. However, our park was kept up really well until several years after we’d gone. We went back to see our old place and–kablang–there was the Addo’s version of the park, where ours used to be.

•     Garrett’s car, the Regal, was the car that my neighbors drove when I was growing up. I thought it was the coolest car ever made.

•     I don’t know if it’s obvious, but the Reese’s own a lot of old technology, old cars and they live simply. Frugality is essential in the Ianua community, since the Contego have to support themselves along with the Alo and the Addos. Cars are purchased for the older folks, kept in excellent condition and passed down. Frugality and excellent health also go hand-in-hand for the community’s protectors, so you’ll notice the Contego eat whole, natural foods and junk is a rare treat.

So, there you have it. Hope you enjoyed a little of what’s behind Cornerstone’s curtain. If anyone has more questions, don’t be shy- chuck me an email and I’ll try to blog the answers when I’ve got a collection!

Thanks again for having me over to spill my secrets, Jenny!

Thanks so much for stopping by Misty! For those interested in following the Cornerstone tour in it's entirety, you can find the list of participating blogs (as well as some fabulous grand prize giveaway information) HERE.

More information on Misty and her books can be found below:

Website
Twitter

31 comments:

  1. Thanks for the guided tour before I get started reading. I'm part of the tour as well. I can't wait to get started on it. Everyone that reads it has nothing but great things to say!

    Heather

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  2. Oh my gosh Garrett sounds so hot, but after seeing Missie's pictures he definitely is yummy! This book sounds brilliant and at just 77p bargain! Great post Jenny and Misty!

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  3. "That’s because he steers clear of the nuts in his cookies just like he steers clear of the ones in his life." <-- LOL that should be a rule, Misty! x) Ever since I saw Garrett at Missie's for her book boyfriend, I knew I wanted to meet him. And he has such an awesome name: Garrett Reese. I wish I could name my future son that! :')

    Love this guest post, Misty! I can't wait to read your book after seeing a ton of awesomeness about it on the tour so far :) <3

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  4. Hi guys! Jenny, you're in serious trouble of having to change your 'Supernatural Snark' to 'Supernatural Sweet'. This was so much fun to do with you! Thanks again for having me over. Oh~ and I found a goof I did and I can't even believe it- Garrett drives a Riviera, not a Regal! I always get the two mixed up in my head. Whoops!

    Hope you enjoy the book, Heather! I can't wait to come hang out at your blog!

    Jasprit, I'm so excited to hear that you guys have read Missie's posts. She did such a great job capturing Garrett! Hope you will fall in love with him too!

    Hi Mimi! It SHOULD be the rule, shouldn't it? And that would be soooo cool to have another Garrett Reese in the world. The more the better, I say. If you read the story, I'd love to hear what you think!

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  5. I think it's a great idea not to include a physical description of the character and let the reader build their own image. This sounds like a great book and I can't wait to read it! :)

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  6. Fun post Jenny and Misty...:D I just bought this book a few nights ago after Missie raved about it!!! Looking forward to reading it.

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  7. Heather - YEAH TOUR BUDDY!!!! Did you see Missie's post on Garrett? I need to meet him asap:)

    Jasprit - Right? Missie sure knows how to pick em, and Misty clearly knows how to write him because those quotes? Amazing:)

    Mimi - I've told my husband I might name our future son Jace. He just has to deal with it because all the names I like I got from books:)

    Misty - HI! Thanks for letting me be on the tour, and I'm totally changing my name and making everyone call me Supernatural Sweet from now on. Win.

    Sam - I think I'll probably be picturing the guy Missie picked now, but that works perfectly for me:)

    Tina - YAY! Can't wait to see what you think:)

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  8. Hm... never heard of this book before but seems interesting :)

    Krazyyme @ Young Readers

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  9. The characters sounds great! I will be checking this author out! Thanks Jenny :)

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  10. So glad youre on the tour Jenny!
    And Misty, I love how those little things in your life were included in the book. Like the house you almost bought. And Garrett Reese is the perfect name for Garrett. It has a nice ring to it. My boys middle name is Reese but I went with Rhys cause I'm in love with that spelling. I wanted it to be his first name but everyone I asked thought is was pronounced Ris. So I just used it for his middle name.
    I never even noticed Nalena wasn't described...

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  11. Krazzyme - Glad I could put it on your radar:)

    Savy - You're welcome, I hope you do!

    Candace - Thanks for letting me know about it! And I love the spelling of Rhys, I'm a huge fan of unusual names or interesting spellings. Any children I have are going to be spelling and pronouncing their names for people their whole lives I fear:)

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  12. This is such a fun post. I love getting the insider scoops on books! Looking forward to meeting Garrett.

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  13. Party at Jenny's!! Supernatural Sweet, it is.

    Sam and Tina~ Thanks so much for reading!

    Krazyyme and Savannah, I hope you guys really enjoy the story!

    I didn't know your boy's middle name was Rhys, Candace! And I agree with my SSJenny...I love the unusual and interesting. Oh yeah, and Nali...I'm shneaky like that. (twirls moustache)

    Rummanah, I hope you fall in love with him!

    Jenny, it's like a big party over here! You rockity rock rock!

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  14. Hi Misty! You know I have you coming up on my blog soon. Looking forward to reading this one very soon. I loved getting the backstory that will totally enchance my reading expereience! I am super excited to dig in soon!

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  15. Hiya Heidi! I just hope none of it ruins anything for you! I can't wait to bounce over and see you!

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  16. I first heard of this book over at Missie's and now I get more insight into the story by this great guest post :)

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  17. I am a huge fan of Cornerstone and loved hearing all the insider secrets! Thanks for the post!

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  18. Woohoo!!! It's raining Easter Eggs!! *happy dance* Oh, I love these fun facts, read each one twice so my brain could catch up with my eyes. Having just finished Cornerstone, I still have the characters in my head, and have been DYING to know more about them.

    Funny, I didn't even notice the lack of physical description of Nali. No wonder I kept seeing myself in her shoes. LOL

    And I bet I know what the issue is in Garrett’s bedroom...I'm not there! *snorts*

    Oh the ways I amuse myself. I better give you a break Jenny, this could go on for HOURS! Happy Weekend, my friend. :)

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  19. What a fun interview. Great fun facts.

    Oh and I do agree... Missie's vision makes this so much more fun. ;D

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  20. If anyone needs another Garrett possibility (or some other character names/face matches, also take a look over at Globug Needs a Book blog! Gloria did a brilliant 'dream cast' post earlier in the tour with great picks for the Addo, Nali, Evangeline and Garrett.

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  21. Misty, I never realized while I was reading Cornerstone that Nalena isn't really described physically! But, thank you, because you're right. It is nice to be able to come up with my own vision of her:) Great guest post Misty and Jenny! I am heading to The Unread Reader next to check out more on Garrett:)

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  22. haha!!!!! There you are mentioning Missie's Boyfriend post! This totally sold the book for me to be honest!!! This Guest post was cute and intrigued me even more. I'm not sure how I feel about characters not being described physically and while I do get the idea behind I like having at least some ideas about the characters..

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  23. Thank you, Heather!

    Danny, I know what you're saying - I often enjoy a good description myself (writing them and reading them). I hope you won't let the absence detour you from giving Cornerstone a shot! I think you'll find that a description wasn't necessary and that you really don't miss it. Most don't even realize it isn't there until I mention it!

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  24. No nuts in choc, oh I love nuts in choco, that is the best

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  25. Awesome guest post! You've definitely made me curious about the story + the characters,

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  26. Yeah, no nuts in both cookies and life is a good call. They can just make life so difficult. Nuts in real life, I mean. Liquid blue eyes on a guy sounds lovely. *melts*

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  27. I hadn't heard about this book before this post! So thank you so much for sharing, Jenny and Misty! Garrett sounds totally swoon-worthy. Seriously. I might pick this book up just because of him, ahah. *shame* Anyway, I loved reading the little secrets and bits behind Cornerstone. Fabulous post, girls! :)

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  28. Hahaha, Blodeuedd...my MIL said the same thing!

    I hope you will enjoy the story, YA Book Queen. Wait until you meet the Reese family!

    I'm with you, Mary. Liquid blue eyes...yum.

    So glad you were here, Sophia! I hope that you'll enjoy the read and let me know what you think. I'm happy to hear you like the post- it was so much fun putting it all together. It's a good place over here on Jenny's blog (snuggles in)!

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  29. I always like getting a little more of the extra stuff. Missie's review convinced me to get a copy of this one so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about getting to it soon. Garrett sounds so yummy.

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  30. I hope you enjoy it, Canadian Girl. It's on sale for .99 cents, but it's only for this month! Don't miss out, girlfriend!

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  31. I love that Nalena is named after your grandmothers. And, a contest to name ur main character . . . what a great idea :)

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