OMG! OMG! OMG!  DIVERGENT IS FINALLY IN STORES!!!

Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to say that about this book?  NOW EVERYONE CAN SHARE IN THE BRILLIANCE THAT IS VERONICA ROTH’S BRAIN! (Only, you know, in a non-creepy, non-brain eating way.)

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth is a book that makes you think, a book that stays with you long after you finish reading. A book that makes you question:  which faction would YOU choose?

DAUNTLESS—The Brave

CANDOR—The Honest

ERUDITE—The Intellectual/Knowledgeable

AMITY—The Peaceful

ABNEGATION—The Selfless

One of the many things I took away from the book is that while sticking to one virtue might sound simple, ultimately, it’s probably better to branch out a little bit.  So guess what?  I created the DIVERGENT FACTION-OF-THE-WEEK CHALLENGE, where some of my writer friends and I are going to take on all five of them!

THE CHALLENGE:

Every Monday for the next 5 weeks, I’ll announce the faction/virtue of the week. Over the next four days, we’ll be trying to perform at least ONE ACT that embodies that virtue/faction. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just something in everyday life, something we might not usually do.  Then, each Friday, we’ll all blog about our act.

THE GOAL:

TO SPREAD THE DIVERGENT LOVE–and maybe find out a little something about ourselves in the process. Tell your friends, get them involved—the more, the merrier!! If you plan to join us, leave a link in the comments section each week, and I’ll make sure to add them to the bottom of the posts.

And, in honor of the main character Tris’s upbringing, our kick-off virtue is…..

WEEK ONE:  ABNEGATION!

According to the Divergent fansite, Abnegation means:

1. To refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject, renounce.
2. To relinquish, give up

Basically, Veronica says the faction is about selflessness; stripping unnecessary things from life in order to help people forget themselves and do away with vanity, greed, and envy.

So, this week–GO FORTH! Step outside of your “you” zone and perform your selfless act in the wild. If you like, tweet about your trials and tribulations with an #abnegation hashtag. Then, on Friday, blog about your experience and share your Abnegation-ness with the rest of us!

Participants:

Kate Hart

Sarah Enni

Dawn Rae Miller

Jenn Wood

Lori Tays Eastep

Kathy Bradey

Jess Byam

Ashelynn Hetland

Katharine Owens

Dana Alison Levy

Sarah Nicolas

Marilyn Almodovar

Antimony

Kaitlin Ward

Cass

Adam

Nikki Katz

(Pssst! If you haven’t read DIVERGENT yet, you can still join us. Plus, what are you waiting for?  DIVERGENT is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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…and the winner of the ANGELFIRE ARC is….

KARLA NELLENBACH!!!  Karla, send your address to houndrat at yahoo dot com  and I’ll hook you up!

For the rest of you, sorry you didn’t win. But never fear!  Your luck could change in the next ARC contest, which starts…nowish. And you really, REALLY want this one.  It’s for Veronica Roth’s DIVERGENT.

I had the pleasure of reading this book before Vee got agented, and it was fabulous. I read it again once I picked up the ARC ,  and it was even better.

Divergent is the kind of book that leaves you thinking about it long after you finish, the kind of book that makes you question your own character just as Veronica’s Tris questioned hers.

It’s the kind of book that will show you a stunning, stark version of Chicago in the future, a book that grabs you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go until you finish.

It’s also the kind of book that makes you think boys who use numbers for names are hot, a book that makes you wonder…does Starbucks exist in the future?

Um. Anyway.  Here’s the blurb:

One choice

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs, and determines your loyalties . . . forever.

Or, one choice can transform you.

In Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent, a perfect society unfolds into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals, and unexpected romance.

And here’s the cover, this time with Fergie as the model (she was feeling left out):

Now, here’s the contest. Most of you eager to get your hands on this book know that Tris’s choice involves picking one of the five factions that splits her society. Those factions are:

Candor (the honest)

Abnegation (the selfless)

Dauntless (the brave)

Amity (the peaceful)

Erudite (the intelligent)

Since the factions  revolve around virtues, I’d like to know:  which virtue is most important to you in a main character, and why?  (you can pick from the above or make up your own and extra kudos if you give a YA example).  Leave that in the comment section, and please, please, please, follow me on twitter by clicking the button on the top right (though again, I won’t hunt you down and blow raspberries at you if you don’t.  Probably.)

GOOD LUCK!!!  Contest ends at noon PST on Tuesday, February 1st.

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