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We are two girls who are dedicated to the worlds in which authors create for us. We are extremely enthusiastic about both YA and adult paranormal fiction. This is a place that we can share our thoughts on the books that we read. We love feed back and you can e-mail us at any time bookjunkies@hotmail.com

GIVEAWAYS GOING ON!

Something fun is on the way!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Shift Blog Tour & Giveaway! - Last Stop!

A&C: Shade was one of those books that we forced into the hands of our friends of family because it was just that damn good. With Shift here now we are ready for another round of "We can't talk to you until you read this book". We are ecstatic to be a part of the Shift blog tour (Thanks Jeri and Karen!), but even more so we are all smiles that we are the last stop AND we get a playlist. :) Lucky Junkies. Before you read the post, here is a message from the brilliant mind behind this series, Jeri Smith-Ready...

Thanks to Christie and Ashley for hosting the grand finale of the SHIFT blog tour!  After the post, check out your chance to win books and a special prize.

**********

I thought it appropriate that since we started the tour with a playlist, that we should end with one, too. Music is such an integral part of the way that both I and readers relate to the SHADE books, I thought this would make a fitting way to sign off.

No, actually—this was a total accident. I didn’t realize they were bookending the tour until just now (Sunday). Haha!

Anyway, as you probably know, I like to make official “soundtracks” for my books. This started in 2008 with WICKED GAME, when my publisher asked me to include a list in the front of the book of all the songs mentioned in the story. With the release of SHADE last year, those simple “playlists” evolved into full soundtracks, where I would add songs that weren’t named in the book but where certain scenes or characters deserved them.

Even though I’ve had the SHIFT soundtrack ready for a couple weeks, I wanted to wait until the end of the tour to give people time to read the book first so they would know what I was talking about. But don’t worry if you haven’t read it yet—no spoilers here!



Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


This playlist is available—with the studio version of “Another Man’s Woman”—for purchase from iTunes’s iMix site: http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/shift-soundtrack/id436704595. Note: I make no money off the sales of my iMixes—I just like to spread the word about bands I love.


I realize that Coldplay’s “Til Kingdom Come” appeared at the end of the SHADE soundtrack. But Chapter One of SHIFT replays the last few minutes of SHADE with more detail, so I had to start with this song, to reflect the continuous nature of the two books. (Besides, Aura refers to the song on Page One of SHIFT.)


I’ll probably do the same thing in the first chapter of SHINE, overlapping a few minutes with the end of SHIFT. So you can guess which song will be “Ready to Start” the SHINE soundtrack. ;-)


“Your Ghost” by Kristin Hersh was one of the first songs I discovered after deciding to write a ghost story. It inspired many of the mixed emotions I knew Aura would feel after the death and return of her beloved Logan.


Want to hear an amazing story? Okay. I wrote SHIFT a year ago, right? So in one scene, Aura goes to Zachary’s apartment to study. I wanted music in the background, so I had to decide what Zach’s favorite bands were (besides Death Cab for Cutie, declared in SHADE). Radiohead fit his mysterious, cerebral nature, so I wrote this:

Zachary reached past me to set the box on the table, but I didn’t move out of the way. We stood close together, my heart slamming so strong I could barely speak. From somewhere in the living room area to my left, the latest Radiohead release was playing at a low volume. The singer’s haunting murmur made my throat ache.

Now, I had no idea Radiohead would actually have a new release this year, but I figured, hey, it’s a parallel universe, and the band is still together, so it’s believable.


And then this past spring, with zero fanfare, they came out with a new release, THE KING OF LIMBS, with the perfect Aura/Zachary song, “Little By Little.” Serendipity FTW!


“Inside Out” by Eve 6 is my favorite song ever. When Aura and Logan were little kids, they and their friends would dance around to it and sing into fake microphones. Which makes me feel really, really old. But I loved naming a fictional band after a lyric from one of their songs. (No, I don’t know when I’ll get a Tabloid Decoys logo made.)


The first time I heard “When You Say Nothing At All” by Alison Krauss—in the PetSmart parking lot—I knew it was the perfect slow-dance song for Prom Night, specifically, Aura’s one moment of pure happiness during the whole event.


In an early draft of SHIFT, Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia” was the climactic song performed at the solstice concert, but one of my beta readers suggested Logan sing one of his own songs. While I never did write lyrics for the song “Shade” (I am not a songwriter, so they would’ve sucked), I gave it the operatic feel and rhythm of “Jesus of Suburbia.” So listening to it will let you imagine how the song “Shade” sounds.


Lastly, “Ready to Start” says it all, with both words and music. Listen to it after you’ve read SHIFT and tell me, am I right or am I right?


Thanks again to the Book Junkies—and to every single blogger on the tour—for not only putting up with my ramblings but posting them to your wonderful sites! I’ll have a special wrap-up message tomorrow when Karen at For What It’s Worth announces the Grand Prize Giveaway. Yay!

**********

If you’ve read SHIFT already, which other tunes from this soundtrack do you think go with a certain scene or character? (Try not to make your guesses be overly spoilery.) If you haven’t read SHIFT but have read SHADE, can you guess which songs might fit Aura, Logan, Zachary, or one of the other characters? If you haven’t read either book, which of these songs would belong on your life’s soundtrack? Feel free to answer just by reading the titles—you don’t need to listen to the songs or look up the lyrics.

SPECIAL CALLBACK, REDEMPTION, CLOSE-THE-CIRCLE QUESTION: Two weeks ago on the blog tour’s first stop, I asked what people thought of Logan. Many commenters thought he was a brat and wanted to slap him. So my question, for those who’ve read SHIFT, do you feel differently about him now?

Answer one or more of these questions, or ask Jeri your own question, below to enter today’s drawing!

There will be two winners.

The Prizes:

1) a signed copy of SHIFT, plus the SHIFT soundtrack on iTunes, courtesy of Jeri. Note: due to iTunes’s rules, the playlist may only be gifted within the US. The signed copy is open to all.

2) Winner #2 gets an unsigned copy of SHIFT, courtesy of Jeri’s publisher.

ADDITIONALLY, ALL COMMENTERS WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN THE GRAND PRIZE! - annotated copies of SHADE and SHIFT, an early copy of SHINE (book three of the series, of which there will be no other ARCS) and an iPod Shuffle!

Open to international entries. Winners will be drawn after 24 hours.

**********

Author Bio: Jeri Smith-Ready’s latest release is SHIFT (May 3), the second in the YA ghost trilogy that began last year with SHADE (now out in paperback). She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her at www.jerismithready.com, or better yet, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jerismithready) or Twitter (@jsmithready), where she spends far too much time.

58 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me, Ashley & Christie! Wow, this is the last stop. It feels like the blog tour just started...three years ago. LOL! I hope everyone's had fun.

    Typo alert! Where it says, "I didn't realize that Coldplay’s “Til Kingdom Come” appeared at the end of the SHADE soundtrack."? Well, obviously it should say, "I realize that Coldplay’s “Til Kingdom Come” appeared at the end of the SHADE soundtrack. Duh. Sorry for any confusion.

    Looking forward to comments!

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  2. I am filled with the WANTS. Using the force to bring the grand prize to me! I loved finding Radiohead and Greenday on the playlist! As far as songs, I guess I'd say 'Ready to Start' would be on my life soundtrack, though I haven't heard it...thanks for the giveaway opp and the great info!

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  3. I haven't read these books but now i'm intrigued. I think a good soundtrack for my life would be Celebration by Kool and the gang.

    claroxide@yahoo.co.in

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  4. So many great songs! I haven't picked up SHIFT yet, but I'm leaving town Saturday and will be looking for a copy at the airport. As far as songs for SHADE, I like Die by the Drop, but for the life of me I can't remember the band's name. I guess this is what I get for commenting before having my morning coffee. But the song is so great for Logan, who I love. So sad the tour is ending. Thanks for everything these last few weeks, Jeri.

    Lisa B.
    angel28140(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. Books with Soundtracks, this is sooo neat :-D ! As I haven't read either book I made my pick for my person soundtrack from the list and I chose "Ready to Start" ... being the procrastinator that I am, with sudden energy bursts making me final get into gear, this is the perfect song!

    Thanks for the giveaway!!

    danaan at gmx dot at

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  6. You have awesome taste in music Jeri :) I already have most of these songs on my ipod...now i just have to get the rest. I've followed the whole tour and it was freakin awesome!! Thanx for all the awesome posts about Aura, Logan and Zach!!

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  7. I haven't read these books yet but this series sounds very interesting and the SHIFT soundtrack is amazing. I think that Soul Meets Body would be on my life soundtrack. I adore Death Cab for Cutie.
    Thanks for the giveaway!!!

    artgiote at gmail dot com

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  8. I haven't read these yet, but think I will have to now. I love the idea of a playlist going with a book!
    The song that would belong on my life's playlist is Inside Out.

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  9. I just peed in my pants. EXCITED!!!

    Lindsaycummings20(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. I like Logan even more after reading SHIFT. He is one of my favorite ghosts!

    lostnthestacks(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  11. I haven't read this series yet but will definitely add it to my TO BUY list. The song that IS on my playlist is Inside Out by Eve 6 :).

    thanks for the giveaway

    van
    Littopandaxpress(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  12. All right, Jeri's soundtracks are always awesome & make me cry. Just listening to Till Kingdom comes gives me the goosies!

    &&& Keep slipping away is AMAZING!!! holy BOMB!!! i NEED to go buy all these songs right now!!!

    also I can't believe people wanted to slap my babe! Logan was wonderful in Shade! I loved him to death (ha! bad word choice) & in Shift he was absolutely unbelievably remarkably incredible! He was still sexy as hell & amazing but he grows up & i liked that we got to see a different side to him, almost vulnerable. It was simply adorable but heartbreaking at the same time! Seriously i don't get how anyone can't love the boy! TEAM LOGAN FOREVERRRRR! :D

    Aw, i am so sad that the tour is going to be over! :(

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOL! I am going to be singing Galileo all day. It is really surprising to see a song I know well on the list. I find that most authors and I have completely different musical taste. I have no idea who the song represents, but I can see where it fits the overall book.

    "How long 'til my soul gets it right?" - Love that line!

    Sorry, but I still don't like Logan. There is very little that would change my opinion. He just bothers me.

    ThankS!
    Katie
    bigferret at email dot com

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  14. I love book soundtracks. Can't wait to get to a computer so I can listen to it - my iPhone doesn't let me :(

    I've enjoyed every one of Jeri's tour stops!

    cegluna(at)Gmail(dot)com

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  15. I have to say this: I'd already read Shift before the tour started so my opinion of Logan was already taking the events of Shift into account BUT the tour itself has made him a lot more likable in my eyes. It's been fun!

    and for Jeri- I was TOTALLY crossing my fingers for a DROPKICK MURPHYS song on the Shift soundtrack!!! Yay! And YES! The final song is PERFECT! So perfect for the end of Shift! Love this soundtrack! Thanks so much for doing the tour and being so awesome. I've loved reading all the questions and answers and all the different bits of insight into the world and the characters. :)

    AmethystDaydreams at zoho dot com

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  16. I actually started Shade yesterday, but I'm still at the begginig, so... LOL A song that would fit my life right now would be: Little by little - Radiohead ... slowly I'll get there. ;)

    kah_cherub at hotmail dot com

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  17. love all the songs --my fave is allison krauss song during prom

    Liked logan whether or not during the series. I never thought he was a brat but more focused on his music.

    aprilmom00@gmail.com

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  18. I actually totally agree with what Megan said up there, a few comments up. The blog tour has made me much more receptive to Logan, especially his interview with Death... it was so funny. Logan was definitely a lot more likable in 'Shift' in general, though. The thing is, I guess, is that I've always felt bad for him, and I've always found him likable to an extent... there are just certain aspects of his personality that drive me crazy, and certain actions of his that I find a bit unredeemable. But I think that's the talent of Jeri -- that even Logan, who I can't stand at times, I still really like in certain moments. And that's the way real life is, isn't it? Even people who drive you crazy you still see redeeming qualities in them at certain moments.

    This has been an awesome blog tour to follow! Lots of great and illuminating posts. =)

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  19. I <3 LAURA PALMER'S PROM but I'm not sure whether it would belong to my life's soundtrack :P
    Most probably ready to start would(not heard it according to the name :P)

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  20. I did, at first, think Logan was a little selfish and bratty; however, I think he truly loves Aura and wants the best for her. He's young and a little bit headstrong, but he isn't the antagonist. edysicecreamlover18@gmail.com Thank you for this great book contest!

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  21. I was fortunate enough to meet Jeri in person at the Shift signing in Maryland and can't wait to finish her new book (no spoilers please)!

    “When You Say Nothing At All” by Alison Krauss is a big part of the soundtrack of my life. I have been married to the same man for more than half of my life and he's a "quiet kinda guy" who truly can speak right to my heart with just a look.

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  22. I love Little by Little by Radiohead. Great song!!! I look at Logan a lot differently now. Thank you!!!

    shygrumpychica1@hotmail.com

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  23. Really great songs! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Avery
    averys.book.nook@hotmail.ca

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  24. A pity the playlist won't work outside the US.

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

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  25. Dovile, the playlist included above will work anywhere (assuming your browser plays Flash), it's the iTunes version I created that can't be *gifted* outside the US. (IOW, I can't give it to you or even buy you an iTunes gift card that would work.)

    You should be able to buy it using your own country's iTunes store. But I'm not sure how iTunes restrictions work.

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  26. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity :D

    For Jeri: Is it difficult to decide which character likes what music. Or does it just come to you?

    patriciamendoza AT gmail DOT com

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  27. Which of the songs would fit my life soundtrack? Hmmm...that would definitely be "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab For Cutie.

    Thanks for the giveaway!!

    gosia727(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. I think a great song for Logan would be "3 Libras" by A Perfect Circle. There's a line
    "you don't, you don't, you don't see me..."

    sigh...perfect :)

    I can't wait to read Shift!! Hopefully Logan's situation improves a little!

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

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  29. How do I feel about Logan after reading Shift? Last week when he was being interviewed, I commented that I felt like saying something too "therapeutic" and so I refrained. Good for me! Now I can say it here . . .

    I felt that he matured a tremendous amount, learned a lot, and had a great deal to be proud of in his . . . errrr . . . death.

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  30. Love the soundtrack!!! Was it made before, during, or after the book was written? :)

    valialind(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  31. This all seem really fitting, at least for Shade and the characters. Never really thought of sound tracks for books but some books make you think of certain songs - Its strange hearing someone else's choices and realising that they are basically the same as yours :P
    Love it! :)

    hannahtwinn_415 at hotmail dot com

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  32. Well I have a silly question :) If you were stranded on a deserted tropical island and you were allowed to have one character from your book as a companion and your choice of food who and what would they be?

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  33. I love the soundtrack! Reading the WVMP series first I knew all about Jeri's love of music. Every time About a Girl by Nirvana comes on it reminds me of Jeri. Shade and Shift both have amazing playlists. As for the Logan question I have always loved him I just love Zachary more.

    arnoldjaime13@yahoo.com

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  34. I'm not familiar with most of those songs but I love the song title All The Weird Kids Know.

    sgiden at verizon.net

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  35. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  36. 'Ready to Start' would be on my life soundtrack.
    Great taste, Jeri! :D

    Thank you for this blog tour!:)

    Giada M.
    fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com

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  37. I most of these songs! I love when I listen to songs and I an see how they fit into my favorite books :)

    yilingni@yahoo.com

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  38. See some song there I recognize :)
    Little by little would be part of my soundtrack

    yavampire(at)hotmail.com

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  39. Eep!I so need to read this series, besides the fact that it sounds like a great read, The inclusion of Alison Krauss's When You Say Nothing at All has definitely made me want to read it.

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway. ^_^

    Orchid
    The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
    hauntingorchid(at)aol(dot)com

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  40. Jeri - you always have the most amazing playlists and taste in music. You cost me a bundle every time a new book comes out! LOL

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  41. I love Logan with all my heart, and after reading "Shift" and having Zach everywhere, that love only intensified. There were moments in which i thought that Logan was a bit unjust with Aura, asking her to wait, but on the other hand, I can't imagine all the pain and longing he must feel when he sees her. There were moments in which I wondered how much af all that love Logan professed was genuine or, just like his appearance, is a feeling he only experiences because he died loving Aura, would it have faded if he was still alive? But i guess that after reading what he wrote in THAT notebook, Logan never imagined life without Aura. He is the best character, in my opinion, and I'm gonna miss him like crazy on the next book.

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  42. Very awesome post! Haha music is awesome :)

    I have read Shift, but honestly I read it a year ago and cannot remember what songs would fit well! :P So I have to say the song 'Enchanted' by Taylor Swift fits into my life story. I've been lucky enough to meet so many wonderful people (authors and celebrities included) and if it happens I'll probably never see them again, I don't think he/she realizes just how enchanted I was to meet them.

    ~Alison
    lostinbelieving(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  43. Cant wait to read it. Its been a great tour. Very fun.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  44. hmm the song "little by little" by radiohead might fit into my life's soundtrack ^^
    thanks for the lovely giveaway

    eveningreen AT gmail DOT com

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  45. Hi Jeri -- I loved both SHADE & SHIFT and their soundtracks!
    A track from this list that would be on my life soundtrack: Ready to Start. (I really love the A Place To Bury Strangers track - Keep Slipping Away. Had to buy that one!)

    A good song for Logan & Aura: And All That Could Have Been by Nine Inch Nails. Love that song.

    After reading SHIFT I do feel differently towards Logan. I still like him, but I understand him more now.

    Can't wait for SHINE! :)

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  46. I want I want I want! I can't wait to read these books!!! The music is great!

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  47. I haven't read Shade yet, but I really want to! I love the music. :)
    Thank you!

    liedermadchen(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  48. You picked AMAZING SONGS! <3 them all!!! They fit perfectly with SHADE&SHIFT. I loved Brooke's post about Logan haha, I am totally with her on that. TEAM LOGAN FTW!!!!! :D :D :D
    BTW: JERI-YOU ARE THE MOST AMAZING AUTHOR EVER, I ABSOLUTELY <3<3<3 your books. :)
    alexis0407@yahoo.com

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  49. The playlist is once again AMAZING Jeri! I have to say, "When You Say Nothing At All" is one of my ALL-TIME favorite ballads! It so fit with the scene @ Prom! Thank you for caring about your readers enough to give us this extra background into your world.

    To answer the question about Logan:
    I can not describe the amount of pride and closure I felt for his character in SHIFT. Yes, there were times where I wanted to shut him up and tell him to grow up, but then I was reminded about how I felt and reacted to outside interferences during my first love relationship. To me, he was finally the "man" I wanted him to be. Although I am still TEAM Z, I wish Logan peace and love in the afterlife!
    kchilyard(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  50. Oh, I'm actually sad it's almost over. The whole blog tour was so much fun and even if I haven't started Shade series yet I'm definitely going to very soon.

    BTW you got me some great listening ideas :)The song of my life is probably Soul Meets Body but I'm going to listen to the soundtrack some more and maybe I'll pick something else too.

    Thanks for these amazing posts and giveaways!

    judittten at gmail dot com

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  51. I haven't read the books yet, but I really want to!

    I would choose "Mo Ghile Mear" for the soundtrack of me because, in my life, it's all about Irish.

    ~JK~
    jaike writer (at) hot mail (dot) com

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  52. It's so cool how music plays such a huge part in Shift :) I also loveeeee Inside Out by Eve 6 :)

    aprilxu2222@gmail.com

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  53. I love Shade (well, all of Jeri's books, really) and I can't wait to read Shift! Unfortunately, I know almost none of these songs because I am terminally unhip, but from the title alone "All the Weird Kids Know" would be great for my personal soundtrack. Or perhaps "Galileo" (the only one I know and own) because reincarnation + self-deprecation = win!
    Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  54. I don't want to post any spoilers, but my view point of Logan has completely changed. You can say he became the bigger man.

    Can't wait to read Shine.

    Nerissa (Neri0724@gmail.com)That's a zero in my email address.

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  55. Patricia M. asked: For Jeri: Is it difficult to decide which character likes what music. Or does it just come to you?

    For the most part, it just comes to me. I had to think about Zachary, though, and it was a fun exercise! To this day, he's still a bit of a mystery, even to me, but I'm enjoying getting inside his head a little more in writing SHINE.

    Valia Lind asked:Love the soundtrack!!! Was it made before, during, or after the book was written? :)

    All of the above. "Soul Meets Body" was the very first song I knew had to be there, before I wrote one word. If the entire book has a theme song, this is it. ("Chasing Cars" was probably the overall theme song for SHADE.) Then as I was writing it, I added more songs, and finally, a few weeks ago I rounded out the soundtrack. I love this stuff! :)

    Kryskat asked:If you were stranded on a deserted tropical island and you were allowed to have one character from your book as a companion and your choice of food who and what would they be?

    Definitely Zachary, and not for the obvious reason. ;-) He's very level-headed and probably has a whole storehouse of survival knowledge in that brain of his. As for food, probably eggs (assuming I could keep them fresh). Or some sort of vitamin-and-mineral fortified cereal, so that I'd get all my essential nutrients and not die of scurvy or whatever.

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  56. Hi Jeri, awesome interview! I would like to know what made you want to start writing?
    Thank you for having this contest!!!
    Sharon K

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  57. Shift definitely changed my opinion of Logan. In the first book, even though I understood where he came from, he could get annoying at times.
    On Shift we get to know him better and I think that made a huge diference.

    I loved the soundtrack! Thanks for the post and the contest!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I haven't read the books yet, so I would say that Various Stages would fit into the soundtrack of my life- because who's life doesn't go through various stages?

    b(dot)cardone(at)hotmail(dot)com

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