Drain You Blog Hop- Music Post and Giveaway

Hey y’all today I have M. Beth Bloom here to talk one about one of my favorite things besides books? Yep you know it I have another music post! So before we get to the music here’s a little info about Drain You just in case you haven’t heard of the book! Oh and make sure to go over to MundieMoms and Hobbitsies for the launch posts and the other participating blogs!

Drain You
M. Beth Bloom
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Teen
ISBN: 0062036866
Goodreads/Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ The Book Depository

Summer. The 90s. The rich, sun-bleached neighborhoods of the Los Angeles canyons. Enter Quinlan Lacey, a cool, bored, sarcastic, sexy 17-year old with a dull part-time video store job and a mild case of teen ennui. That is, until she meets the alluring, River Phoenix-esque James, and realizes the hills are alive with the undead. Inspired more by the early, dry L.A. short stories of Bret Easton Ellis than the current crop of serialized vampire fiction, the supernatural grunge romance, Drain You, narrates the headaches and heartbreaks Quinn undergoes in her quest to stay sane and cool and in love and alive.

Now on to the post and I will add a few videos for the songs I really love which may be hard to pick because being a 90's kid I seriously love this playlist!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drain You Playlist

Psychologists talk about the “nostalgia bump” being that era in young adulthood that becomes our most vivid throughout life – that one decade where memories are the strongest, peaking just before middle age and then steadily declining.  Heavy stuff.  But nothing could be truer when it comes to our processing of pop culture.  For me, everything fabulous and amazing happened between ’91 and ’98 – eight years of music that still blows my mind, has me car crooning and chair dancing, misty-eyed in my old Volvo.  I was an R ‘n’ B/Hip Hop kid who had to learn the ways of grunge when Nevermind hit, rotating between my Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt and Boyz II Men baseball cap.  Music informed so much of my junior high and high school years, and so when I went to write my protagonist, music was just there – creating a mood and setting the scene.  If I say Bikini Kill, that means jumping on the bed, feeling tough.  If I say Portishead, that means pensive night swims thinking about a boy.  And if I say Dee-Lite, that means ecstatic getting dressed montage.  See how it all works?  

-Nirvana, Drain You

I wanted to name the book after a 90s song and it was crucial to me that the title matched the vibe of the plot as well as the time setting.  BOOM!  I almost fell out of my chair when Drain You came to me – laughing, crying, and lots of “In Utero” on repeat.  The lyrics also really work for me: “I don’t care what you think unless it is about me.”  Now that’s teenage.

-Ice Cube, Today Was A Good Day

“The Ghetto” was a huge taboo idea in the mid ‘90s in LA.  Especially with Boyz In The Hood and “The Chronic” coming out and just completely taking over suburbia.  I remember MTV used to play this video twenty times a day and I became more and more mesmerized – and SCANDALIZED!  Guns, condoms, 40 oz’s, low-riders, and Ice Cube’s awesome badassedness.  This was the chilled-out, summer classic of ’93 and it’s a crucial zen beat-the-heat tune for Quinn.

-Weezer, The Sweater Song

No one really knew that Weezer would have such legs.  This was a novelty tune by a seemingly novelty band who liked to pair up with then semi-novelty director Spike Jonze and be meta.  Perfect for the beginning of indie-rock faux-nerdiness and goofing around with friends.  There wasn’t a single person in my clique who didn’t know EVERY SINGLE word to this song.

-Pavement, Shady Lane

This is what a Quinn becomes when she gets to college.  Matador and Pavement were a womb for me when 17 hit and I craved poetic lyricists and men who didn’t quite rock.  “Shady Lane” is a song about nostalgia, looking at your life in the moment and already missing it.  Malkmus is a great writer, speaking to so many of us who were looking to just “get it,” you know?

-Deee-Lite, Groove Is In The Heart

Still one of my favorite songs, one of my favorite groups, and certainly one of my all-time favorite frontwomen.  “Groove” was like that thing on TV you couldn’t ever wrap your mind around – like where did these Soho New York hipsters with their overtly gay pride, glamour, and fabulism come from and how did I get lucky enough to catch even a short glimpse of them!?!?  Obsessiveness commence!  I always picture Quinn in front of her full-length mirror doing the Lady Miss Kier dance, shimmying her body when the whistle sounds. 

(Can't find a good video but just listen to the song. Love it!!)

-Bikini Kill, Sugar

Kathleen Hanna is just IT for all riot grrls and faux riot gurls (like me).  She wrote the word BITCH on her stomach in permanent marker, wore sloppy little kid ponytails, mismatched her tiny ripped clothes, and spit – literally and conceptually.  BK is the perfect teen angst music: forget emo, forget Elliott Smith; this is about being heard and being heard LOUD.  A daily Quinn mantra.

-Black Box, Everybody Everybody

Dancing is hugely important to me and, though Quinn as a character is a bit “cooler” than I ever was, I like to think of her as a solo-dancer.  Someone who blasts tracks alone in her room so she can bop, stomp, and jump around.  But I have to think of her as a groover too, because she’s sexy and thinks about sex and bodies and bodies moving, etc. etc.  Black Box had that deep soul groove for dancin’/romancin’.  Def not anything Quinn would share with her friends, but for sure a secret pleasure.

-Hole, Miss World

“Go on, take everything, take everything, I want you to.”  That’s anthemic beauty in its rawest state.  Such a great time to be a teenage girl, when you’ve got feisty (pre-op) Courtney Love screaming at the other boys and girls who don’t love you because you’re a) overweight, b) misunderstood, c) punk, d) weird, e) loud-mouthed, f) all of the above and everything else.   

-Sonic Youth, 100%

Thurston and Kim were the ultimate in f’ed up cool, and this album especially gave them a tiny bit of KROQ crossover.  What an awesome song to hear on the radio – distorted guitars, feedback, instrumental randomness, and the line: “All you men are slime.”  This is the soundtrack to runway grunge, Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, baby Sevigny raver-skater, and Quinn Lacey headbanging.

About the author "Bloom's first short story “Love And Other Catastrophes: A Mix Tape” was featured in Story Quarterly and selected by Dave Eggers for inclusion in The Best American Nonrequired Reading: 2003 (Houghton-Mifflin), which he curates annually. Bloom is the founder of underground dance label 100% Silk (profiled here in LA Weekly) AND the producer/lead singer of the band LA Vampires (written up in The Guardian as well as Pitchfork and Fader). Her next book will be published through HarperTeen.

M. Beth lives on the east side of L.A. where she indulges in raw fooding, magazine subscribing, thrift shopping, Sunday matinee'ing, and ladies book clubbing.

Make sure to check out the Drain You Publisher's Weekly review: "Bloom debuts with a languid, stylish novel that reads like a love letter to cult vampire flicks like The Lost Boys, the work of Francesca Lia Block, and Southern California in the 1990s." 

Fill out the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win One of 5 Copies of 'Drain You' signed by the Author, -$50 Credit at Wasteland (Quinn's favorite store), -Pages from Quinn's Notebook \, -10 'Drain You' Bookmarks handmade by Quinn, -10 90's mixtapes curated and created by Quinn!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hug an Author Blog hop

Hey everyone! Our good friend Marissa over at Many to Read Before I Sleep asked us to join in on the Hug an Author Blog Hop and we couldn’t say no but, we also had a hard time narrowing it down to one or two authors. So we picked a few questions and answered you will notice a trend as the authors we wanted to showcase and Hug the most are Jeri Smith-Ready, Melissa Marr, Julie Kagawa, and Maria V. Snyder! So onto the questions and our answers! Oh and keep reading there's a giveaway at the bottom ;)

Who was your favorite author when you were a child? A teen? During your 20s? As an adult?

Jaime-I didn’t read much when I was a kid but when I did it was Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and C.S. Lewis. As a teen my tastes were pretty eclectic I was one of those kids who actually enjoyed reading Shakespeare in class and I hated Harper Lee but mostly I read anything and everything Anne Rice and L.J. Smith. I didn’t read at all in my 20’s I was too busy partying and staying out late I know I’m sooo bad. Now I guess you can call me an adult at 35? ;) I have too many to name but there are three that I read everything they write Jeri Smith-Ready, Melissa Marr, and Maria V. Snyder.

Patricia- I had many favorite authors as a kid such as EB. White (Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little), Robert C. O'Brien (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM) and Judy Blume (Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing) to name just a few.

As a teen I also loved to read but I seemed to have gotten stuck in rut. I was too eclectic to name any single author. In my early twenties I had very young kids and sadly didn't have as much time to read as I would've liked but one author that there for most of my 20's was JK Rowling and of course her iconic series Harry Potter.

As an adult I feel like I have a much better grasp of what authors I enjoy. Of course I am just loving YA (mainly paranormal/urban fantasy) but I also love a good legal drama such as books by John Grisham. Back to YA, there are so many that I just adore: Jeri Smith-Ready, Julie Kagawa, Melissa Marr, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, Cassandra Clare and JK Rowling just to name a few.

Which author wrote the character you would want as your best friend?

Jaime- Julie Kagawa! I want Puck as my best friend!

Patricia- Hmm...this is a tough one. There are so many great characters out there but right now I am going to have to go with Rose Hathaway from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. I am reading this series right now and it is AWESOME!! Not only am I totally loving this series but Jaime and I will be defending Rose in the YA Heroine Tourney hosted by the YA Sisterhood Blog.

Is there an author you've met or attended their signing? Who would you give your right arm to see?

Jaime- I’ve met a lot of authors being in Northern California and close to San Francisco we have some cool signings. I’ve also been to the Romantic Times Convention and I plan on going in 2012 too. So just to name a few I’ve met Cassie Clare, Richelle Mead, Melissa Marr, Jeri Smith-Ready, Rachel Vincent, Adrian Phoenix, and Rachel Hawkins.

Patricia- I have been fortunate enough to attend a few signings now and they have all been fantastic! I have met Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Michelle Hodkin, Becca Fitzpatrick, Sarwat Chadda and Rachel Hawkins. They have all been out of this world amazing.

I would give my right arm to meet J.K. Rowling. I would love to pick the brain of one of the most influential and amazing authors this world has ever seen.

Is there an author who brought you back/to reading?

Jaime- Honestly? Stephenie Meyer if it hadn’t been for Twilight I probably wouldn’t have started reading again. And now I know there’s soo many better books and writers out there ;)

Patricia- Not really, I've always been a reader. There's been times in my life that I've been more devoted to it than others but I've always read even if it was just ten minutes before bed. However, since I'm currently reading YA I think that I would say that Cassandra Clare had a big part in me leaning towards that genre. I picked up City of Bones at my local library and loved it so much I went back to look for more books like it, sadly book two was not out yet but I found tons of great finds and I continue to do so. Jaime has also been very instrumental in pointing out reads that I didn't even know existed.

Who is the author that created a world so vivid you were actually lost after it was over? i.e. Book hangover from hell.

Jaime- Suzanne Collins and not because I wanted to live there but after reading Mockingjay I literally did not pick up another book for a week. That series messed with my mind!

Patricia- Again, I have to point out Harry Potter but also Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series! If you haven't read The Iron Fey series...run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore or library and pick it up.

The one author that's mere presence would bring you tears of joy?

Jaime- That author is sadly dead but I would have loved to meet Jane Austen she was such a visionary in her time. Another one would have to be Ursula K Le Guin she is a pioneer in the Sci-Fi genre that has been mostly populated with men.

Patricia- Seriously...I am going to have to start sounding like a broken record but JK Rowling is at the top of that list for me. But I think I would also have tears of joy and lots of embarrassing fan girling if I was ever in the presence of the awesome-tastic Jeri Smith-Ready. I've "met" her on twitter and she is one of the most gracious, nicest and sweetest people ever.

What is your best memory of an author signing (meeting)?

Jaime- Best memory? That’s easy meeting Jeri Smith-Ready! I had read her books and we had formed a friendship on Facebook and twitter I even sent her a postcard from Forks when I was on vacation which she tells me she uses as a bookmark. Well I got to meet her at last year’s Romantic Times Convention in LA and she was just as awesome in person we actually got to hang out for a good amount of time at the Teen party she is just the sweetest J Also I got to meet Adrian Phoenix there who I have also become friends with we even had dinner together.

Patricia- I think that my best memory was the first signing I ever attended. I'd never been and Jaime asked me if I wanted to go. I honestly didn't know what to expect and I was feeling a bit nervous the whole time. But as soon as the authors started to speak I was enthralled. They were super funny, sweet and totally approachable. Who did I meet you ask? Well, it was Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall) and Sarwat Chadda (Billie San Greal)! I would love to go to another signing with either one or both of them.

So what did you all think? Were some of your favorite authors mentioned here? We’d love to know which authors you’d like to hug. Comment and let us know! We’ll give away some swag packs to 5 lucky people with signed bookmarks from Jeri Smith-Ready and other authors we love! Make sure to leave us your e-mail address!!!