Authors Are Rockstars: Jus Accardo Top Ten Guest Post + Giveaway

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Why is Jus Accardo a Rocktar Author to me? Well, she wrote one of my very favorite books of 2011, Touch. And…she makes me want to read about Kale over and over again. But that’s not all…she also wrote an awesome novella called Untouched, as well plus there’s a sequel called Toxic coming out later this year.

Oh, there’s more…one of the things that make Jus a total ROCKSTAR to me is that she agreed to do a Skype chat with the Teen Book Club I run out of my local library. I was totally stoked not only for myself but for the teens that attended. They got to ask her a bunch of questions about her writing process and of course about her books and the characters she has created. She was so sweet and amazing during the whole thing. The library was so impressed that they ordered several copies of Touch for the library system.

So I’ll stop blathering on and on about how great Jus is and get to her awesome guest post, well actually...it’s Kale who’s doing the Top Ten post so read on…

I was asked to come here today and talk about Dez. To tell everyone the top ten things I love about her. Alex heard I was doing this and said something about a sonnet, or a poem—ode to Dez… I’m not sure if he was serious—or just being a douche-bag, as Dez calls him—but I’m just going to tell you what I love about her in the simplest words. These aren’t really the top ten because I don’t know that I could narrow it down. I love everything about Dez.

Except when she cracks her neck.

I hate that sound.

1. Her smile. Her smile is the thing that lights the dark in my world. I see it each time I close my eyes, and when I’m feeling angry or weak, it’s the thing that grounds me. There’s nothing like it. If you don’t believe me, just look—but don’t get any ideas. She’s with me.

2. Her strength. I have never met another person with as much inner strength as Dez. She’s determined and brave. Her whole life was turned upside down when she met me, and she didn’t let it stop her. She took control over the situation and made it her own. That girl can do anything she sets her mind to.

3. Her loyalty. Dez will go to the ends of the earth for those she loves. I’ve seen this first hand. She did the unthinkable for me. She infiltrated the one place in the world she should have stayed as far from as possible, putting her life on the line to help me.

4. The way she talks in her sleep. She denies it, but I’ve heard her do it. *looks to the right, then to the left* She hates the word, but it’s cute. The first time I heard her do it was over the summer when we went to find the Sixes on her cousin Brandt’s list. She was having an argument with a spider. Or someone named Spider. I can’t be sure…

5. The way she kisses me when we— *blushes* Never mind. I’m not supposed to talk about that…

6. She sees me. In all my life, there’s never been another person who looks at me the way Dez does. She says she sees through my outside and into me. Who I am. This scares me because I know who I am—and I can’t imagine someone as wonderful as her looking at me the way she does. But I won’t lie. I love it.

7. The way she talks. I don’t always understand the things she says, but I love it anyway. Or maybe it’s just her voice. Simply the sound of it calms the chaos and darkness that churns in my gut sometimes.

8. I love it when she— *frowns* Hmm. That’s probably off limits, too—which, to be honest, I don’t understand. Something so amazing shouldn’t be kept a secret…

9. The way she ignores my obvious faults. When everyone else was afraid of me, Dez looked me straight in the eye. But it’s not only that. It’s the way she overlooks the things other people find disturbing. Like my lack of social skills, or my habit of saying exactly what’s on my mind—something I’m told isn’t always a good thing. But most of all, my ability. Dez has never made me feel like I needed to be segregated. When I’m with her, I feel like a normal person and not a killer.

10. The way she bites her lip. This is a tricky one because Dez swears she doesn’t do this. She insists she hates people who do. But I’ve seen her. When she’s angry or deep in thought, she chews on the bottom right corner of her lip. I don’t mind. It makes me think about kissing her.

Well now I’m sure that if you haven’t read Touch and/or Untouched you are now dying to read them both. Plus I’m sure you are dying to add Toxic to your TBR pile. (You can click on the links and they will take you to GR so you can add to your TBR pile)

Synopsis for Touch
"When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy - and her father's "law firm" - than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation - an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons - his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. Dez and Kale team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect."

Entangled Publishing has donated an eBook of your choice (Touch or Untouched) and I am donating (2) signed Touch postcards, so enter in the rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

Need to know Giveaway Deets: 

• US and International
• Must be at least 13 years old
• Two winners (One winner will get your choice of Touch or Untouched eBook and the other winner will get the two postcards--one for you and one for a friend)
• One entry per household
• Ends on Aug 8, 2012 at 12:01 am

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also be sure to head on over to Fiktshun where Rachel is featuring her ROCKSTAR AUTHOR Karsten Knight!!