IT’S EARTH DAY! THE DAY AN ANGEL FELL DOWN TO EARTH…

Hello Everyone!

Sandra over at The Library of Clean Reads gave DRAWN TO YOU a great review! Stop by and have a look! http://libraryofcleanreads.blogspot.com/

It was a well-timed review as I had originally planned to have TRACK TWO: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT (book two in the Arts-Angels series for tweens) out today. April 22nd is an important date in DRAWN TO YOU, after all. But unforeseen events in my life have pushed it back just a bit, and the book should be out by June 22nd. In the meantime, here is a peak at the cover! I hope you like it. Prepare for a battle of the bands!

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT


Ereader News Today has posted DRAWN TO YOU as a Bargain Book for today!

Why not download it as your President’s Day treat? (Yeah, I know, it has nothing to do with the Presidents, but hey, it’s a free country and the book is ALMOST free…right? 🙂

Check it out: http://ereadernewstoday.com/


One Great Book Review After Another :-)

I am now on the second week of my Blog Tour. This week it’s all about reviews! And so far they’ve all been wonderfully positive. Want a sampling?

Andrea Coventry over at the Andi’s Young Adult Books blog had this to say about DRAWN TO YOU:

“I really liked this book. It reminded me a bit of FAME, which was one of my favorite shows and movies as I was growing up back in the 80s. I love stories about talented kids who are trying to find their voice and place in life….

Unfortunately, her mother doesn’t share her appreciation for music, nor her fascination with the deceased musician Angel “Wings” Dominguez. In fact, her mother does whatever she can to prevent Gina from following her musical dreams. I got so angry at her mother several times through the book, I was almost screaming out loud. I strongly believe in allowing children to follow their dreams, to be who they are, within reason, of course….”

If you’d like to read more, click this link: http://andisyoungadult.blogspot.com/2013/02/drawn-to-you-book-tour-review.html

Carrie over at The Muse Unleashed wrote in her review:

“This story flew by, engaging and entertaining. It is written for a younger audience (perhaps ages 10-15?) so the language isn’t difficult but that doesn’t stop an adult from enjoying it. In fact, I think this novel is written better than some of the adult literary novels I’ve read lately. Everything about it, plot, characters, emotions, situations, etc, all of it was completely believable. I was dumped into this high school and I recognized all the kids around me: the geeks, the snobs, the bullies. Gina encounters other students who act exactly as I remember some of my friends acting and the way I see teenagers acting today. No matter where you go to school, be it a private academy or a regular public school, you have to deal with these exact same scenarios.

I finished this story in about 2 days and I can’t wait to see what happens to Gina and her friends in the next installment….I see a Battle of the Bands approaching

5 out of 5 stars”

To read more, here’s the link: http://museunleashed.com/2013/02/12/drawn-to-you-by-janel-rodriguez-ferrer-book-review-giveaway/

And Cindy Mai, in her blog, In This World of Books also reviewed DRAWN TO YOU.  Here’s an excerpt:

I’m so glad I decided to do this blog tour. I’ve been reading young adult so much nowadays, I forgot how fun it is to read middle school books. Middle school books are entertaining and captivating, just like the young-adult books, except without all the romance drama. Even if there is romance, the authors keep it light and at ease.Drawn to You was such a good book! The ending almost killed me! I know this book just came out, but I really can’t wait for the next book!

Want to read more? Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/12desaZ

I’m really so thrilled that the first book in the Arts-Angels series is getting so much positive feedback. And today I discovered on Amazon.com that DRAWN TO YOU is up to twelve reviews–and all of them are five-star reviews. I am amazed, pleased, and grateful.

The e-book version of DRAWN TO YOU is 99 cents for the rest of March. Then it goes back up to $3.99. There’s still time to download it at a bargain price! Why not see what all the fuss is about? 🙂


The Suite Life of Blog Tours

Zack n Cody TV

What do Zack and Cody have in common with singing Japanese, extreme shyness, Molly Ringwald and hand modeling?

Find out at my latest blog stop at It’s Raining Books: http://its-raining-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-arts-angels-track-1-drawn-to-you-by.html


And for my next trick….

My Blog Tour is still going strong. This is my Thursday Stop: http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/
Stop by and read about the drawing I made in the First Grade. Find out what I envisioned I would grow up to be (not a writer)!


Stop Three…a New Excerpt to Read….

…and find out (by reading the comments and answers below the post) which favorite actress of my childhood was also one of my favorite authors when I was a child!

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/virtual-book-tour-drawn-to-you-by-janel-rodriguez-ferrer


Second Stop on my Blog Tour!

..come and check out a photo my writing corner ANDread the interesting questions I received: http://jhthomas.blogspot.com/2013/02/vbt-drawn-to-you-by-janel-rodriguez.html


Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Join Me on my Blog Tour& Giveaway for The Arts-Angels !
First stop: http://www.farmgirlbook.com/2013/02/the-arts-angels-track-1-drawn-to-you-by.html
Stop by and leave a comment and I’ll reply.
I will be awarding Winner’s Choice of a $25 gift card to iTunes (music) or, Capezio (dance), or Utrecht (art supplies) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Hope to see you at the stops!


Monkees, Mosquitoes, Bugaloos, Bradys…and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I was thinking about how much the Trixie Belden series influenced me in my creating the Arts-Angels, and it got me to thinking about The Scooby-Doo Mysteries!  Remember that episode where the Mystery Machine gang met up with Josie and the Pussycats?  I enjoy imagining what it might be like if Trixie’s mystery-solving club, The Bob-Whites, met up with my main character Gina’s band, the Arts-Angels, in some kind of mystery!

But remembering Josie and the Pussycats also got me to remembering all the shows I used to love as a kid and how many of them were music or band-based.  I watched a lot of shows in syndication (since many were before my time) but getting to see them 5 days a week was a great way to become an instant fan.  I loved watching reruns of The Partridge Family, The Monkees, and the Bugaloos (which were a special obsession of mine for a while back when I had a crush on “IQ” the blond Bugaloo).

And you wanna know something?  ALL of those shows had really great music!  Remembering THAT got me to trolling YouTube to find samples of that music.  And here’s what I found!

The Partridge Family’s “I Think Love You”:

The Bugaloos’  “Senses of Our World”:

Trippy show, but I always loved the harmonies of the Bugaloos and was intrigued by their strange and magical world (and the evil Benita Bizarre who was always out to destroy them or posess them.  Hmmm.  Perhaps there is a little Benita in Willa?)

The Monkees’ “(Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow)”

Picking a Monkees’ song was extra hard because they have so many good ones!

One thing I also really liked seeing on TV, too, was when a show that was usually NOT ordinarily based on music suddenly introduced a musical element into an episode.  It was great when Marcia Brady from the Brady Bunch met Davy Jones from the Monkees, but I really loved it when the Brady Bunch kids entered a talent show to try to win a prize for their parents:

The Brady Bunch, “Sunshine Day” and “Keep on Dancing”:

And last, but not least, who could forget when the women of Gilligan’s Island created a trio they dubbed “The Honeybees” and tried to impress the Beatles-like band “The Mosquitoes” (AKA Bingo, Bango, Bongo and Irving) with their song “You Need Me”?

Mrs. Howell cracks me up!

 

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down Nostalgia Avenue (just down the way from Memory   Lane)!  And if any of this was new to you, I hope you enjoyed listening to some great music!

 


Hey, New York Times, Look Over Here!

Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about how Latino kids are still having trouble finding fiction with Latino characters in them–especially MAIN characters. Latino kids have a hard time especially finding fun, commercial-type adventurous fiction with characters who remind them of themselves. You can read that here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/education/young-latino-students-dont-see-themselves-in-books.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Well, I have something for the Latina tween in this dilemma. And today on NewLatina.net, you can read an exclusive interview with me where I talk all about my new series: The Arts-Angels, and about my Nuyorican background. Here THAT link:

http://newlatina.net/latina-spotlight-on-janel-rodriguez-ferrer-author-of-the-arts-angels-track-1-drawn-to-you/

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did answering the questions!  And then go visit Amazon or Barnes and Noble and pick a copy for yourself or for the young Latina (or non-Latina) in your life who loves music and the arts!  Links below:

http://www.amazon.com/Arts-Angels-Track-Drawn-You/dp/1936214911/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354816891&sr=1-1&keywords=janel+rodriguez+ferrer

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-arts-angels-track-1-janel-rodriguez-ferrer/1113051508?ean=9781936214914

Thanks, everyone!