Posts Categorized: Sea

SEA Interview and Giveaway

12 Dec, 2010 by in Sea 9 comments

SEA
by Heidi R Kling
published June 10th 2010
by Putnam Juvenile
Hardcover, 336 pages
url http://www.heidirkling.com/
5 Stars

Synopsis: Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins

Ever since I first read about Heidi’s book on Twitter I was intrigued by premise and elements of the story. The teasers started a creative flurry of activity for me of photos and jewelry, and I requested our local Barnes and Noble order it in. The wait has been long, but worth it. What an outstanding debut novel by Heidi R Kling. Sea is lyrically written from the eyes of Sienna, a young girl who suffers from PTSD and nightmares after losing her mother. Once filled with adventure and a love of the ocean, she has changed. When her father, a renowned world psychiatrist gifts her a trip to Indonesia with Team Hope, Sienna is forced to face her biggest fears. From her childhood friendship with a surfer named Spider, to touching lives at an orphanage in Yogyakarta; this book brought me to tears. It’s one that leaves you thinking and feeling hopeful for the power of change. Love overcomes loss as Deni shows Sienna that a choice must be made to live each new day. SEA will stick with you for a long time as will the impressions of post-tsunami recovery in Indonesia. It’s a meaningful, culturally rich novel with purpose. And this is one of those reviews where I feel like words aren’t adequate to describe my experience. So much of SEA is what I felt inside.

Thanks to Heidi R Kling for sharing her talent and answering a few questions as part of an exclusive interview for BIR2010.

Tell us about your book.
SEA is a romantic adventure about hope after disaster, set in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

Did you do any traveling or face to face interviews for SEA?
I have traveled quite a bit, but have never been to Indonesia. I interviewed by husband, who volunteered at a real Indonesian orphanage after the disaster and a female volunteer as well as two orphaned boys (via email).

What are some of the life lessons your characters have to face and how do they apply to today’s teens?
I think everyone can resinate with the idea of hope and loss. The human experience is checkered with these feelings. Part of the human experience is also hanging on to hope; that things will improve, get better. Maybe most American teens cannot relate to a tsunami washing over their village, but hopelessness is a common teen feeling. I hope SEA helps them realize these feelings are temporary. There is always, like my grandpa used to say, sunshine in the morning.

PTSD and natural disasters are explored in SEA. What advice would you give to someone who has survived a tragedy?
Let yourself grieve. It is a normal human reaction. It’s okay to be sad. It’s also okay to ask for help. PTSD is a psychiatric condition that you should seek medical help for.

What has been your most rewarding experience since writing SEA?
The readers, definitely. I think SEA is a smallish book, meaning it didn’t get a lot of fanfare or marketing from my publisher, but the readers have fallen in love with it. That means the world to me.

Any new projects coming up?
I’m writing a fantasy trilogy about estranged witches and warlocks. It’s like a Romeo and Juliet with magic story. I’m also contributing to anthologies, both this fall’s Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls, and Spring/2011 TRUTH & DARE.

What’s on your Chrsitmas list this year?
So funny you asked. For the first time in five years I have a long, long list for Santa. Short, grey Ugg boots are on there, the Eclipse DVD (my husband surprised me last night and gave it to be early!), a beach cruiser with a basket and a little horn. I’ve always wanted a little horn.

What books have most influenced your life?
John Green’s LOOKING FOR ALASKA influenced the way I thought about YA. Made me delve deeper with SEA. Toni Morrison’s BELOVED made me realize how incredibly rich modern prose could be. Judy Blume’s books taught me about everything else. 😉

Favorite writing snack?
Peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s. Frozen. In large handfuls.

Heidi will be giving one reader a signed bookmark and we will add one item from our SEA store on etsy. Enter the international giveaway here.

You may also want to visit the SEA Flickr gallery with photos which reminded me of the book at http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherzahngardner/galleries/72157624488461623/

Book Review- SEA by Heidi R Kling

31 Jul, 2010 by in book review, putnam, Sea 5 comments

SEA
by Heidi R Kling
published June 10th 2010
by Putnam Juvenile
details Hardcover, 336 pages
url http://www.heidirkling.com/
isbn 0399251634
5 Stars

Synopsis: Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins

Ever since I first read about Heidi’s book on Twitter I was intrigued by premise and elements of the story. The teasers started a creative flurry of activity for me of photos and jewelry, and I requested our local Barnes and Noble order it in. The wait has been long, but worth it. What an outstanding debut novel by Heidi R Kling. Sea is lyrically written from the eyes of Sienna, a young girl who suffers from PTSD and nightmares after losing her mother. Once filled with adventure and a love of the ocean, she has changed. When her father, a renowned world psychiatrist gifts her a trip to Indonesia with Team Hope, Sienna is forced to face her biggest fears. From her childhood friendship with a surfer named Spider, to touching lives at an orphanage in Yogyakarta; this book brought me to tears. It’s one that leaves you thinking and feeling hopeful for the power of change. Love overcomes loss as Deni shows Sienna that a choice must be made to live each new day. SEA will stick with you for a long time as will the impressions of post-tsunami recovery in Indonesia. It’s a meaningful, culturally rich novel with purpose. And this is one of those reviews where I feel like words aren’t adequate to describe my experience. So much of SEA is what I felt inside. Thanks to Heidi R Kling for sharing her talent.

Visit Heidi’s SEA store which features our Etsy items at http://heidirkling.com/sea-store/
50 % of all proceeds go to families similarly affected earlier this year by an earthquake and Tsunami in Chile, and the SEA Flickr gallery with photos which reminded me of the book at http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherzahngardner/galleries/72157624488461623/

Orange Popsicle Haze Card Giveaway

31 Jul, 2010 by in etsy, note cards, Sea 7 comments

Today’s Etsy giveaway goes along with the book SEA by Heidi R Kling and was donated by TwoPoochPaperie. “By day, I work as a graphic designer in the business world and by night, I freelance any and all projects I can get my hands on. My favorite projects are stationery and invitations. I love designing invitations that capture the feeling of an event and although I’m a computer geek, I still love getting a handwritten note in the mail. I believe the perfect note card can get anyone motivated enough to send one. “

Description 51/2 x 4 Fold over note card on 80 lb. smooth white cover stock with white envelope

To Enter To Win a set of 10 orange Popsicle note cards: leave your name and email address below
+1 for hearting her shop on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/twopoochpaperie
+1 for visiting her website at http://www.twopoochpaperie.com/
+3 for following her blog: http://www.twopoochpost.blogspot.com/
+1 for each retweet @FireIcePhotos and http://twitter.com/TwoPooch
+5 for posting this giveaway on your blog or facebook, leave the link
+2 for telling us your favorite scene in the book SEA
Contest ends August 31, 2010 and is open internationally

In My Mailbox #15

23 Jul, 2010 by in book giveaway, Sea 21 comments

Welcome To Stalk Lake City by Sheralynn Pratt-review copy from author
SEA by Heidi R Kling- book depository order
Everlasting by Angie Frazier- book depository
The Icing on the Cake by Elodia Strain- used book purchase
The Guernsey Literature and Potato Pie Society by Shaffer and Barrows used book purchase
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson- purchased for giveaway
Leven Tumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye-used book find
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini- used book find
This is one of the most exciting book stacks I have had in a long time! SCORE. I’ve been wanting to read these books forever and they finally came in the mail yesterday. Dug into them rigth away and am swept away in book land. We are giving away Hattie Big Sky as I have read and have a copy already.
Comment below to win!
Contest ends August 23, 2010

News and Week In Review

17 Jul, 2010 by in Heather Gardner Photography, maggie stiefvater, parajunkee, Sea, shadow hills, tricia rayburn 2 comments

One of the most talented people you’ll ever meet in the book blogger community is Parajunkee. When surfing around sites you’ll recognize her blog templates as soon as you click on them: colorful, unique and out of this world!

She recently won a clock tower necklace in giveaway from our Etsy shops, then was kind enough to turn around and give it a review on her page “Anya’s Room.” Love ya Parajunkee! Thanks for the post and the photo. Check them out here http://www.anyasroom.com/2010/07/winning-reviews-heather-gardner.html and be sure to stop in on her review side “Parajunkee’s View” here: http://www.parajunkee.com/

In other blog news this week… Congrats to @SweetLadyJess @susankmann @DreaminginBooks @LolandCharlie @blueicefiesta @maridalchico @jpmsull @SweetLadyJess @susankmann @DreaminginBooks @LolandCharlie @blueicefiesta @maridalchico @jpmsull Who all won “Shadow Hills” bookmarks on Twitter!
CC9309 Won the Manifest ARC contest and JessRing84 won a copy of the Goose Girl by Shannon Hale as part of our Facebook/ Twitter contest

We pimped out our ETSY shops with new Shadow Hills earrings, SEA items and Siren photos for Tricia Rayburn’s book birthday. Also added was a Linger Silver leaf necklace for Maggie Stiefvater’s release. Head over and browse the new items. Our Silver Spool necklace giveaway ends today so enter now! See our right sidebar and have a wonderful weekend 🙂

Happy Book Birthday SEA!

10 Jun, 2010 by in Sea 33 comments

We have been waiting and waiting for the debut of SEA by Heidi R Kling and the day is finally here!!! YAY! Throws glitter and shouts! In preparation for the big day we have been crafting up a storm of fun SEA goodies which are now available in our Etsy shop Little Red Reads. Hop on over and pick your favorite SEA swag then comment below for a chance to win it!

Contest ends July 10, 2010 and is open internationally

Waiting on Wednesday "Sea"

28 Apr, 2010 by in etsy, Sea 1 comment

SEA
Heidi R Kling
To be released June 10, 2010
details Hardcover, 336 pages
http://www.heidirkling.com/
isbn 0399251634

Synposis From Goodreads…Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins.

I have seen a lot of chatting about this book on twitter and I am excited for it to be released. (Hopefully somehow I get an ARC) The author is such a fun person…and a boy like the Sea? So cool! In the meantime I have been busy creating a new Etsy Shop called “Little Red Reads” and adding a SEA inspired collection! I am having a blast!

Check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleRedReads
and pardon our dust! I am also waiting on pins and needles for my cool new banner and avatar 🙂 SQUEE~