Vote for Noah!

*Hushed tone* 

Hello, everybody. My name is Gabbi from BookBreather. I'm currently reporting from the halls of Eastwick High School, here to give you an exclusive look at Noah Hutchins from Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits.

I've spoke to some of his friends, a few of which were hesitant to reveal anything important about Noah. Eventually, I was able to squeeze out a few answers.






“Noah felt strong and warm and muscular and safe and he smelled, oh, God, delicious. I couldn't stop kissing him if my life depend it upon it: his lips, his neck, his chest, and Noah seemed as hungry as me.” 

Me: What is it that attracts you most about Noah? Is it the dark brown eyes, shaggy hair, muscles, or mysterious demeanor? 
Echo: Noah is so much more than tall, dark, and handsome. 

“My heart hurt to see her in pain and, for one second, i shut down all emotion. One day, she'd figure out she was too good for a loser like me and when she left, i didn't know how i'd deal with the pain. Hell, she was worth it. I enfolded her into my body once more, kissing the side of her neck.” 

Me: There has been buzz that, ever since Noah began dating Echo, he has changed. How so? 
Beth: Echo has got Noah wrapped around her finger, but I think it's mutual. He used to be the first one to whip out the joint or crack open a beer, but when Echo's around, he's always making sure she's okay and having fun. She doesn't drink much or smoke, so he stopped doing it around her. Now, probably out of habit, he usually turns down the illegal substances, even when she isn't around.
Me: What can you tell me about Noah's brothers? Are they part of this changing process? 
Beth: I can't tell you much. Noah's brothers have always been the most important things in the world to him. He's had to make a lot of difficult decisions when it comes to them, but he learned to see what is really best for them, even if it's not best for him. 

I kissed her forehead and she snuggled closer to me. The world felt strange. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t fighting someone or something. My brothers were safe. Echo knew the truth. Soon, I’d be free from high school and foster care. Hopefully, I’d be admitted on late acceptance to college. Contentment and happiness were unfamiliar emotions, but ones I could learn to live with.

Me: My sources indicate that Noah used to be quite popular before being put into the foster system. Do you think this has affected your friendship any? 
Isaiah: It doesn't matter who Noah used to be. Everyone has gone through tough times. Noah is fiercely loyal to me, Beth, Echo, and his brothers. Despite everything that happens to him, he hangs on to the things he thinks are important. Doesn't dwell on what used to be. So no. I don't think who he was before we met affects anything. 

“Wow, Mrs. Collins is a freaking miracle worker. Dangerous Noah Hutchins on the straight and narrow. If you don’t watch out she’ll ruin your rep with the girls."
I lowered my voice. "Not that it matters. I only care what one girl thinks about me.” 

Me: Many people, especially adults, began to view Noah as a hopeless case. What did you see in Noah that gave you such faith that he could change?
Mrs. Collins: Noah has this fire in him that is evident in everything he does. From the very first conversation I had with him I could see that fire. He doesn't want to be a bad person, he doesn't act a certain way to be spiteful. He's merely trying to take a bad situation and make it something he can deal with. But he is a teenager and there is only so much he could do on his own. After speaking with him that first time, I realized that I could help him. He was used to people rallying against him, though, so I had to prove I was on his side. 

That was about all they were willing to share, but it's all I need. Noah is loyal and sexy. He is trying to change and become better--for his brothers, for Echo, and for himself. He may have the bad boy thing going on, but there's much more to him than meets the eyes.

You've heard it straight from those who know him best. If you adore these qualities as much as they--and I--do, you most definitely need to vote for Noah Hutchins. Use #TeamHutchins to spread the word and the love. After everything he's been through, Noah could use a good victory!

 

Today is the day! Please vote for Noah in the YA Crush Tourney. And don't forget about the scavenger hunt and all the posts from the last week or so that show you why you should vote for Noah!

A Noah-Tastic Scavenger Hunt

Tomorrow, people. Tomorrow! *Belts the Annie song*

But for cereals, Noah's match in The YA Crush Tournament is tomorrow! What better way to ring in the occasion than with a Noah-themed scavenger hunt? Answer: There is no better way!

So here's the dealio. I will give you a list of posts, pages, tweets, etc. and then I'll ask you some questions. Using the links given, you'll have to find the answer to those questions. Some of the links will be used more than once, some will not be used at all. Easy stinkin' peasy, I think. And wait! It gets better. That's right: BETTER.

Here's the dealio dealio. Everyone who correctly answers all the questions gets entered into a giveaway. What is the prize, you no doubt ask? Well the fabulosa Katie McGarry is graciously offering one U.S. resident a signed hardback of Dare You To and a signed paperback of Pushing the Limits. UH, YEAH. I'm honest to goodness envious of whoever wins this. Two runner-ups will get a bunch of random swag from me (also for U.S. only--so sorry)! Of course, international readers can enter the scavenger hunt for funzies. Also, if you have a U.S. address that prizes can be sent to, that's fine, too.

You have until Monday, June 24, 2013 to scavenge.

Now that we got all that crud covered, let's get down to bizznizz.

The links:
Interview with Noah + Acrostic Poems
Noah's top 5 guilty pleasure moves/TV shows + Letters to Noah
Katie McGarry's "about me"
Pushing the Limits title change
Pushing the Limits playlist
Twitter quote 1
Twitter quote 2
Twitter quote 3
Twitter quote 4
Goodreads page

The Q's:
1) Because of his brothers, which animated TV series can Noah now sing the theme song to?
2) According to Noah himself, he wants to take Echo to see _______________________ in Colorado?
3) Does Katie McGarry prefer cats or dogs?
4) Before being renamed, Pushing the Limits was titled what?
5) What are two songs on the Pushing the Limits playlist?
6) Though it is in the book, it is also on twitter. Noah says, "Here's the reality, Echo: _______________________."
7) According to a poem by a Street-Teamer, Noah is naturally blessed with what?
8) What are Katie's favorite colors to write in?
9) What was the publication date of Pushing the Limits
10) One of the wonderful Street-Teamers wrote a letter to Noah about the hope he gives her. What was this Street Teamer's name?

Please don't leave answers in the comments! Please leave all answers in the from below. If you don't know or can't find an answer, leave N/A in the answer box. If you have questions or comments, feel free to comment, email me (gabbicalabrese@hotmail.com) or tweet me (@bookbreather).
And whatever you do, DO NOT forget to vote for Noah in the YA Crush Tournament on June 21, 2012. 

Noah's Guilty Pleasure Movies + Letters to Noah

In further celebration of Noah's wonderful fabulousness, I present to you Noah's top 5 guilty pleasure movies/TV shows:

1. I'll watch Grease, but that's only because Beth watches it.
2. I'll pay full price to watch any Fast and Furious movie with Isaiah
3. Because of Echo, I'm more aware of Grey's Anatomy than I care to admit.
4. Any reality TV show makes me feel less messed up than I actually am.
5. Since being a part of my brother's life, I can sing the theme song to Phineas and Ferb.

Mwahahah! I can sing the Phineas and Ferb theme song, too. We haz so much in common! Do you and Noah share any of the same guilty pleasure viewing habits? And have you guys noticed that all of Noah's responses revolve around other people? What a sweetie pie!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, here are a couple letters from Noah's INCREDIBLE street team. I told them to write a letter to Noah about whatever they wanted and this is what I got:

Wow! Both of those letters are great in their own way! :) They really show off how lovable Noah is, huh? Gives you good reason to vote for him in the YA Crush Tourney on June 21!

Character Interview: Noah Hutchins from Pushing the Limits

If you had never ended up in the foster system, what do you think your life would be like? 

Possibly like Echo’s. I would have grown up in a good home on the right side of town. Honestly, I’d probably be like that ape Luke that Echo used to date. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have turned out to be such an ass as him though.

What is your favorite memory (or just one of your favorite) you have with your brothers? 

Watching them wake up Christmas morning after Dad and I had stayed up all night to put together their toys. They were wide eye and all smiles. So were Mom and Dad.

Aside from any people, what are some things you are most grateful for? 

A roof over my head. Food to eat. Honestly, the people surrounding me are the things I’m most grateful for. Losing my parents taught me what’s important in life.

What is one thing that was never important to you before meeting Echo that you now think about a lot? 

Art. More Echo’s art than anyone else’s. I never thought much about paintings or drawings before I met her. It’s amazing to watch her work. She becomes hypnotized and she’s damn sexy when she does it.

Echo’s taught me that art is more than lines on a page. She’s letting the world see a part of her soul. If you think about it, that’s courageous. 

What are three things you never leave the house without? 

My car keys, wallet, and when it’s not a hundred degrees outside, my black leather jacket.

If you could visit any place on Earth, where would you visit and why? 

Echo wants to see snow capped mountains in Colorado and I want to take her there. Seeing her smile and her eyes light up creates a peace inside of me I never thought possible since my parents’ died. 

How do you feel about so many random people reading your story and wanting to rip your clothes off? 

((Noah smiles and laughs)) I think it’s brought out a very jealous and protective side of Echo. She’s damn cute when she’s mad. 

And finally, what is your most embarrassing memory? (And don't be shy, we won't judge you! As I said, we want to rip your clothes off.)  

I don’t embarrass easy, but Echo does. A few weeks ago Isaiah stumbled downstairs to find me and Echo in a very compromising position and she was so embarrassed that my cheeks turned red for her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone, please just take a moment to appreciate how sweet/sexy/wonderful his answers are. Appreciate them! 

And now that's done so I'll share with you some Noah-licious acrostic poems that have come from Noah lovers everywhere. 

Here is my poem: 

Nom nom is how I would describe the 

Outstanding guy before my eyes.

A character that practically crawls off the page.

He certainly holds a place in my heart. 

Here is a poem from Jess, a member of the Noah Hutchins street team:

Naturally blessed with a impressive physique, he is

Overconfident and wild but 

Actually quite soft and chivalrous, the boy is

Heartbreakingly beautiful in every single way 

Another street teamer named Katherine wrote this one: 

Never did he

Open up to

All the worlds’ beauty,

Hence the destroyed soul but,

Help from Echo cured his

Unbelievably broken heart and

Turned him into a

Caring, Loving,

Handsomely considerate guy

Indeed, with

Nothing that could

Stop him from pursuing his dreams

And yet another Street, Melly, wrote this poem: 

Wow! I'm so lucky to have some fantastic, creative minds on Noah's street team AKA The Street Team of Complete and Utter Win. 

Feel free to write your own acrostic poem and either comment with the link to the post or write it in the comments. But most importantly, vote for Noah Hutchins on June 21, 2013 in the YA CRUSH TOURNEY!

A Pushing the Limits Fan Art "Contest"

Hi everyone. Just a quick post to say that Nova and I (Gabbi) are having a fan art contest-type-thing for Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits in an effort to encourage people to vote for Noah Hutchins in the YA Crush Tourney, hosted by The YA Sisterhood.

Anyway, this is just a call for everyone to submit any fan art they have for Pushing the Limits. It can be drawings, cover re-designs, photoshopped pictures--anything, really! We're going to collect all the fan art and put it in a public online gallery of sorts. We'll pick a few of our favorites (maybe with Mrs. McGarry's opinion as well) and send PtL ribbons to those people. Unfortunately, the ribbons are only for U.S.ers, but everyone is welcome to submit their work.

To submit your art, email me at gabbicalabrese@hotmail.com
Also, feel free to email or tweet me (@BookBreather) with any questions.

Please make sure that all art submitted is your own work, though. You will be receiving credit for your art, and I would like to give credit where it is actually due.

Calling All Katie McGarry Fans

Alright, so Katie McGarry kind of came out of nowhere. One minute, no one had really heard of her, the next minute everybody and their moms' dogs needed to get their grubby paws on a copy of her debut, Pushing the Limits.

Haven't heard of it? Check out all its magnificence on Goodreads.

Basically, that book is the BOMB DOT COM! One of my favorite books in 2012 and, ya know, my life. A ginormicus contributing factor: Noah "Nom Nom" Hutchins.

Much to my delight, I was the lucky lucky lucky lucky blogger who got selected to advocate for Noah Hutchins in the YA Crush Tournament, hosted by the awesomesauce YA Sisterhood.

Never heard of it? Check out this post. And this page.

Anyway, if you're reading this post, I'm going to assume you are a fan of the aforementioned writing magician that is Katie McGarry. And if my previous assumption is correct, I'm also going to assume you are a fan of Mr. Noah Nom Nom Hutchins Yum. If you're not, I politely ask you to remove this post from your computer screen. (Except not really, because I think we can separate our differences.)

So, assuming that you are a fan of Noah Hutchins, this is me extending an invitation to you:

JOIN THE NOAH HUTCHINS STREET TEAM

He deserves so much love. More love than I am solely capable of giving him. (Nova is helping, too. But still. He needs more!) Basically, the purpose of this street team would be to promote Noah's supreme awesomeness, to support him in the YA Crush Tourney, and lead him to VICTORY! This street team does not require too much work. I will be sending out little daily "assignments" for you to partake in, each one revolving around Noah and his delicious Noah-ness.

The only requirements for joining the team are as followed: 1) You love Noah Hutchins. 2) You have a social media platform to spread the love, such as facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc. I don't care how many friends or followers you have. 3) No bashing other characters, books, or authors. AT ALL. I'm 17 and I like to pretend the internet is a friendly environment. Don't show me otherwise!

You do not have to participate in every single assignment or spend a lot of time on any assignments you do choose to take on.

In order to join the Street Team of Complete and Utter Win, just fill out this form reaaaaaaal quick. (Note: if we've already talked on twitter about this, you do not need to fill out the form.) There might just be prizes involved but I make no guarantees as of right now.

If you have questions, feel free to email me at gabbicalabrese@hotmail.com or tweet me @BookBreather. I have no life, really, so it's not like you'd be bothering me. In the mean time, spread the word about #TeamHutchins and the #YACrushTourney

Vote for Christian

*Uses booming, echo-y voice* 

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, vampires and alchemists! My name is Gabbilicious (but you can call me Gabbi), and I am the proud owner the blog BookBreather and an even prouder advocate of the one, the only Christian Ozera! Yes, yes. Please try to contain your applause. We have a lot of ground to cover today.

First off, I'd like to welcome some friends of Christian's to the stage. I've gathered Adrian Ivashkov, Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, Dimitri Belikov, and Rosemarie Hathaway here today to share how they feel about Christian. They clearly know Christian better than I ever could (unfortunately). So let's bring them to the stage!

Hello Adrian! Thanks for taking time out of your...uh...busy schedule to be here. Please tell me, what do you think of Christian?

Adrian: You're so very welcome. I am in high demand, but Rose literally dragged me here. Christian is an alright guy. The two of us almost got into a fight once because he thought I was hitting on his girlfriend, but aside from that I guess he's okay. I like how BA he is with his fire magic and how he trains others with their magic. I've been trying to master my own magic lately, so I think it's pretty cool. But if it ever comes down to the two of us--I am infinitely sexier, more charming, and a hell of a lot more fun.

Lissa: *snorts* Yeah. Okay.

Adrian: Your Highness, you're not allowed to say anything about that. You're biased because one day Christian is going to be the daddy of your baby Dragomirs.

Lissa: Whatever. And Christian will make an excellent father. A lot of people see him and think he's this tough, frightening guy who's ready to turn Strigoi at any moment. But in reality, he's the exact opposite. Christian is extremely sweet. So he may not pull out chairs and open car doors for me, but he's been there for me through everything. Even when we were broken up for a short time, Christian supported me and stayed faithful to me.

Adrian: Tune in next week, folks, for the next episode of "Grossest Speeches of All Time."

Lissa: Shut up, Adrian. Anyway, Christian also teaches younger teenagers how to control their magic for good purposes. He has risked his life for me on multiple occasions and killed countless Strigoi. But he hasn't developed a big head. He still has various insecurities. Once, he even tried breaking up with me because he thought it would make me happier. He's truly unaware of how amazing he is, or how attractive he is.

Allllrriiiiiiiiiiiight. Well, Dimitri, why don't you take it from here? 

Dimitri: I wouldn't have dedicated my life to protecting Christian if I didn't think he was a great guy. He has a lot of admirable qualities that many people overlook. Although she will kill me for saying this, I believe that Christian is a lot like Rose. They both possess unwavering loyalty to those they care about--especially Lissa--and fierce determination.

Rose: You're right, Dimitri. I will kill you for that later. I was asked to keep this PG, so the thoughts I'm allowed to share are really limited. Christian Ozera is an insufferable piece if work. I'm not sure how Lissa tolerates him all the time. He is stubborn. And always making snide remarks...Okay, so I see why Dimitri said we're a lot alike. Here's the thing. Christian may have the ability to grate on my nerves like no other has done before. Sometimes I may want to throttle him. But at the end of the day, the guy has really grown on me. Over the past couple of years I've realized that Christian and I make a wonderful team and he is the only one I want to see as the "daddy" of Lissa's "baby Dragomirs."

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, guys. It has been truly...enlightening. 

I'm pretty sure they covered almost everything, but personal entanglements may have altered their views. In that case, I will present you with the cold hard facts.

• Christian is the type of bad boy that has been severely lacking in YA. The boy is seriously misunderstood, but he doesn't let it bring him down. He's all dark, glower-y, snarky, and extremely hot, but he has a heart of gold. He treats his lady right. 
• He doesn't let what others say define him. 
• He can light people on fire without actually burning them.
• He can give Rose a run for her money. 
• He's got these gorgeous bright blue eyes. 
• He's a vampire.
• He's sexy. 
• He's hot.
• He's fine. 

So vote for him! Use #TeamOzera on Twitter to help spread the word. And most importantly, have fun and bring Christian Ozera to victory.

This is my defense for The YA Crush Tournament. If Christian wins the first round, I will be hosting a giveaway that involves many Vampire Academy-related prizes. So vote away. You can vote TODAY at the YA Sisterhood blog.

And please, do your best to spread the word, because I'm out of town and don't have access to Twitter or anything. 

#TeamOzera

Remember last week when I posted this about the 2nd YA Crush Tourney nominations? Well the candidates have been selected and I could not be more excited to announce that this year I will be advocating for one of my favorite characters from my favorite book series.

This year, I will be the advocate for Christian Ozera from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series.

Christian may not be Rose's love interest, but he is still stole my heart with his sinister smirk, icy blue eyes, dark family past, snarky remarks, and most importantly: his huge heart. In the first book of the series, we get a large glimpse at how wonderful he is, but throughout the rest of the series we get to see over and over that he may come off as kind of creepy, but he'd do anything for the ones that he cares about and he doesn't give a damn about what anyone thinks. He's one of the best bad boys in YA.

This is not my actual defense for the tournament. This is just me bringing the fabulous Christian Ozera to your attention. I KNOW he's going up against a butt ton of other lovelies such as Will Herondale, Peeta Mellark, and other marvelous guys that Mead has created: Adrian Ivashkov, Dimitri Belikov, Eddie Castile. I know it's a tough competition, but don't let Christian slip from your mind, because the guy is HOT! In every sense of the word--Dude can start fires with his mind (and save St. Vladimir's while doing so!)

And I know that with the VA series wrapping up and the Bloodlines series just beginning, your focus is on Adrian and even Dimitri, and you may be forgetting why it was you loved Christian in the first place (but let's face it, no one could forget!). So, here are some drool-worthy, swoon-worthy, and admiration-worthy quotes from Christian:

Christian: "Squatters' rights. Besides, I have to make sure I stay near the chapel as much as possible so people know I haven't gone Strigoi…yet."
Lissa: "I used to always see you at mass. Is that the only reason you go? To look good?"
Christian: "Sure, Why else go? For the good of your soul?”

"People think I'm unstable, but I tell you, Rose is ten times worse. Of course, that makes it harder for people to fuck with you, so I'm all for it."

"Yeah? I thought that was the way all royals were supposed to act. You certainly seem to be doing a good job with it. Or maybe you're just using compulsion on me to make me think you're a two-faced bitch. Maybe you really aren't. But I doubt it.”

"If you weren't so psychotic, you'd be fun to hang around.”

"I saw him because I see everything. Easy when no one notices you.”

"Yes. Like is when you date a big, blond moron and laugh at his stupid jokes.”
Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Christian pulled back from the kiss but still kept his face next to hers.
"That's what you do with someone you like.”

Christian: "You did not just say that. I have a feeling we're on the verge of hugging and coming up with cute nicknames for eachother."
Rose: "I already have a nickname for you, but I'll get in trouble if I say it in class."

Christian: "We can run off to Paris or something and work at a little café. Or sell bad art on the streets.”
Lissa: “Right. I can totally see you having the patience to wait on people. You’d be fired your first day. Looks like the only way we’ll survive is if I go to college and support us.”

Adrian: “And, I can visit people in their dreams.”
Christian: “Stop. I can feel there’s a comment coming on about how women already dream about you. I just ate, you know."

"If there was a way to save all Strigoi, that would change our world. I mean, not that setting them on fire isn't cool after they've gone on killing sprees."

Christian: "Worst .Timing.Ever."
Adrian: "Huh, So that's how you're going to fix the family problem. Little Dragomirs. Good idea."
Christian: "Yeah, that's exactly it. You're interrupting official Council business."
...
Christian: "Sleep first. Shower later. I'll sleep with you."
Lissa: "Sleep or sleep?"
Christian: "Real sleep. You need it. Of course, afterward if you want to conduct any official Council business..."
Lissa: "I swear, if you say 'Little Dragomirs', you can sleep in the hall."

"I'm Backing down now. I really do love you. That's why I am doing this."

So...I actually started crying when I read this quote.

So I may have had difficulties selecting only a FEW quotes, because he's just that great. I know you think so too after reading all that. And since you've renewed your love in him, I know you're thinking, "Wow. Everyone needs to vote for him. I wish I was advocating for him."

Here's your chance to help Mr. Yummy. Join #TeamOzera! Help me spread the word about why Christian is so phenomenal. It's pretty much a street team.

Fill out the form and I will be contacting the new members on July 7th with more details. There will be different "assignments" and whatnot to help get the word out. I'm really horrible at explaining this, but I swear it will be fun. You can use twitter, your blog, and any other outlet to complete the challenges. So, join the fun--join #TeamOzera!

The only requirements for joining the team are: 1) You love Christian Ozera. 2) You have a social media platform to spread the love, such as facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc. I don't care how many friends or followers you have. 3) No bashing other characters, books, or authors. AT ALL. I'm 16 and I like to pretend the internet is a friendly environment. Don't show me otherwise!

By filling out the form you are only expressing interest in being part of the team. I will email you all the assignments and other information, but I don't want you to feel obligated to participate, though participating will earn you points, and points will help you win prizes! If you have any questions, you can comment or email me at gabbicalabrese AT hotmail DOT com