Vlog Post with Elana K. Arnold

Photo Content from Elana K. Arnold

ELANA K. ARNOLD completed her M.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction at the University of California, Davis. She grew up in Southern California, where she was lucky enough to have her own horse--a gorgeous mare named Rainbow--and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Rubin Pfeffer of Rubin Pfeffer Content.

       

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition, First Printing edition (November 12, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385742134
ISBN-13: 978-0385742139

Praise for SPLENDOR

"As in Arnold’s earlier Sacred, teens will gravitate toward Scarlett and her problems. Arnold has painted a very realistic picture of teenage girls and their conflicting emotions. . . . Fans of the first novel will appreciate continuing Scarlett’s story and finding some closure with this sequel. Readers unfamiliar with Sacred will still be able to enjoy Splendor.” —VOYA

Praise for SACRED

"Will appeal to many teens, especially fans of the Twilight series." —Booklist

"Filled with tension and angst. . . . Readers will be looking for the next installment." —School Library Journal

"A poignant novel of loss and grief, but also of hope." —VOYA

TEN FAVORITE GUY CHARACTERS FROM YOUR BOOKS, INCLUDING RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THEM.

• Hog Boy (BURNING). He loves knock-knock jokes… the dirtier, the better.
• Martin Cohen (SACRED, SPLENDOR). He is a wonderful listener.
• James (BURNING). His big brother Ben doesn’t think he can take care of himself, but he’s tougher than he looks.
• Andy (SACRED, SPLENDOR). He will probably play college baseball, and maybe even the major leagues.
• Pete (BURNING). He’s the best-looking guy at Gypsum High.
• Will Cohen (SACRED, SPLENDOR). Come on. Too sexy for words.
• Romeo (BURNING). He’s engaged to Lala White, and he can’t wait until the wedding night.
• Adrian (SPLENDOR). Lily met him during her family vacation to Amsterdam. Trouble ensues.
• Ben Stanley (BURNING). He didn’t get where he is by luck, or chance. But he feels guilty, anyway.
• Gunner Montgomery-Valentine (SPLENDOR). Gunn comes to Catalina Island as an exchange student. Wait until you meet him.

TEN FAVORITE THINGS WITH ELANA.

• Favorite author (dead or alive): Phillip Pullman
• Favorite Chocolates: Bordeaux, from Sees Candies, and Trader Joe’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Favorite books that inspired you to write: Twilight inspired me to write SACRED. 
• Favorite songs to listen to while writing: I don’t listen to music when I write… but often my kids are watching SpongeBob in the adjacent room, so I hear a lot of its theme song! Does that count?
• Favorite destination to live: Somewhere tropical, but without too many bugs
• Musicians/bands/groups: James Taylor, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles
• Favorite movies of all time: The Princess Bride, The Bourne Identity, Anne of Green Gables (the PBS miniseries)
• Favorite TV program/series: Mad Men. I’m obsessed.
• Favorite movie moments: When Jason Bourne takes that girl by her face and kisses her for the first time; when Anne Shirley swears to be Diana’s bosom friend; every second of The Princess Bride
• Favorite Super Villain: Hmm… I don’t think I have one… Squidward, maybe?
• Favorite gadgets: The washing machine and the dishwasher. And my laptop.
• Favorite dream destinations: The Italian Riviera, the French Riviera, the Caribbean, Hogwarts

Splendor, the stunning sequel to Sacred, is a story about changing friendships, family, romance, passion, the study of Kabbalah, and self-discovery.

Sometimes the answers we seek aren’t ours to find. . . .

Scarlett loves her boyfriend, the dashing, mysterious Will Cohen. But now he’s gone east for college, and Scarlett is stuck home on Catalina Island. Senior year should be a breeze, but between dealing with her parents’ separation and her wild best friend, Lily, things are off to a rocky start. And then there’s Gunner. Dangerous, dark, ferociously attractive Gunner. Lily’s potential boyfriend, Gunner . . .
Scarlett distracts herself by spending time with her horse and delving into ecstatic mysticism, a way to practice Kabbalah. Through this practice, she hopes to learn to control her emotions, and begin to make sense of her place in the world. But Scarlett’s world is increasingly unrecognizable.
Are Lily and Scarlett becoming too different to stay friends? Is Will still the love of Scarlett’s life, even though she has feelings for Gunner? Does being in love mean only being attracted to one person? The more Scarlett questions, the fewer answers there seem to be.

Splendor is the second part of a duology by Elana K. Arnold. We first met Scarlett in Sacred as she struggled to find strength to deal with the lost of a loved one. Although life seems to be manageable now, the separation of her parents and the defiant acts of her friend, Lily, are causing her senior year to go upside-down. Scarlett resorts to her horse and the practice of Kabbalah in a way to maintain some sort of balance in her life. The current events in her life have become so overwhelming that she questions the people around her as she tries to make sense of her place in a world that have become so blurry.

The mysterious Brit, Gunner, certainly didn’t make things better for Scarlett. His arrival to Catalina Island ruffled the feathers a bit and even made the distance between Scarlett and Lily that much farther. Although it was easy to dislike Gunner from the beginning, his presence certainly made a likable storyline. Apart from Scarlett’s struggles to move on after her brother’s death, readers will learn about her practice of Kabbalah. I thought this element in the story gave depth to the story and it was an educational bonus.

Elana’s writing is simply admirable. She puts her main character in the forefront and leads her readers deep into her thoughts. To be able to transport one’s mind into a character’s takes a skill-set that not many authors have. All the things happening in her life complicated Scarlett’s journey to self-understanding. I found Elana’s delivery of this fascinating story is fluid as she successfully mixes contemporary teen fiction with spirituality.

You can purchase Splendor at the following Retailers:

    

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you ELANA K. ARNOLD for making this giveaway possible.

3 Winners will receive a Copy of Splendor by Elana K. Arnold.

3 Winners will receive a Scarlett ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

WEEK ONE

NOVEMBER 12th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd VLOG & TENS LIST
NOVEMBER 13th WEDNESDAY A Dream Within a Dream REVIEW & FAVORITE THINGS
NOVEMBER 14th THURSDAY Once Upon a Twilight REVIEW
NOVEMBER 14th THURSDAY Teen Readers’ Diary THIS OR THAT
NOVEMBER 15th FRIDAY Chapter by Chapter REVIEW
NOVEMBER 16th SATURDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW

WEEK TWO
NOVEMBER 17th SUNDAY As You Wish Reviews REVIEW
NOVEMBER 18th MONDAY Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace REVIEW
NOVEMBER 19th TUESDAY TTC Books and More REVIEW 

NOVEMBER 20th WEDNESDAY Sassy Book Lovers REVIEW 

NOVEMBER 21st THURSDAY Beneath the Cover TENSLIST 

NOVEMBER 22nd FRIDAY Rose’s Book Corner MUSIC PLAYLIST 

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