Guest Post: Top Ten Thing I'd Do in New York City {Indigo's version}

Hello everyone! I'm so happy to have this post today in my blog: TOP TEN THINGS I WOULD DO IN NEW YORK {Indigo's version}. This is a guest post from the perspective of Indigo, a ballet prodigy in a new Young Adult book by Grier Cooper. The book, Wish, has the MOST BEAUTIFUL cover ever (and I'm not even exaggerating). You can read more about the book when you scroll down! :)

Without further ado, here's top ten things to do in new york from Indigo!

Top 10 Things to do in New York: a WISH Guide

Ballet hopeful Indigo Stevens, the star of my young adult novel WISH, wants nothing more than get accepted into the New York School of Ballet and start her real life. NYSB students not only study at the top ballet school in the country, they live in one of the most dynamic and exciting cities on the planet. Here's a list of the top 10 Things Indigo would love to do in New York.

 

The BEAST! Imagine riding this wild animal! ;) (source)

1.      The Beast. Circle Line's speedboat tour promises thrills and spills while you tour the skyline in a New York minute. Never mind those boring slow-paced sightseeing cruises–this speedboat is the fastest jet-powered speedboat operating in the city. Take in skyline panoramas and up-close views of the Statue of Liberty while listening to the high-energy music onboard. Be prepared to get drenched—if the splash from New York Harbor doesn't get you, the playful yet unmerciful onboard guides, equipped with water guns, surely will.

 

2.      Tour the Empire State Building at night. The views from the Empire State are some of the best in the city, but they're a million times more magical at night. There's nothing like a twinkling skyline from the nighest heights

(empire state building! I need to go on a date here).

3.      Window shop at Bloomingdale's followed by lunch at Serendipity3. The window displays at Bloomingdale's are world-famous, as is the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3. Every dancer likes an occasional over-the-top treat.

4.      Tour Lincoln Center. Any dancer or dance fan on the planet knows a trip to new York isn't complete without seeing Lincoln Center, the home of New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and the Joffrey Ballet. The gorgeous glass buildings look like crystal palaces at night, particularly and lights dance through the spray of the central fountain.

5.      Take in some shows. Indigo wants to see any and every ballet company she can while she's in New York, but her top pick is New York City Ballet, where she hopes to dance once day. New York is also the home of top notch musical theater, so she'll be sure to catch a Broadway show or two as well.

oh look, another perfect date spot place to relax! (source)

6.      Brunch at the Boathouse, followed by exploring Central Park. The Loeb Boathouse , with its sweeping lakeside views, is one of the most picturesque places to have brunch. After a delicious meal it's time to play and explore: from horse-drawn carriage rides, to a carousel, ice skating (in the winter months), to row boating (in the warmer months) and model boat sailing–even a zoo–this 843-acre, iconic park promises a plethora of fun.

Would love to visit this place! (source)

7.      See art classics at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. On floor five of the Met there's a stellar lineup, starting in the late 1800's with Van Gogh's Starry Night, Henri Rousseau's LSleeping Gypsy and works by Picasso, Chagall, Magritte, Klimpt, and more. Another must see is the Temple of Dendur, an ancient (15 BC) Egyptian Temple dedicated to Isis and Osiris, housed in a glass hall at the Met. (anyone ever read From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? I LOVE THAT BOOK AND HOW IT'S SET IN THIS MUSEUM.)

8.      Tour a TV station. Rockefeller Center is home to Radio City Music Hall and NBC Studios, both of which offer tours. The NBC Studio Tour is especially appealing because of popular TV shows such as Saturday Night Live. 
Also in the running is watching a taping of Good Morning America or the Today Show.

9.      Visit the free Fashion Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Anyone who loves fashion knows that this school is where many top designers get their start. View cutting–edge fashion–for free? Yes, please!

10.  Take in a Philharmonic concert. If you're a classical music fan like Indigo then this is a must because classical music doesn't get better than this. Here you'll hear the crème de la crème, world-famous musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and the acoustics are superb. (wow I get chill from the possibility of bumping against guy who knows classical music)

East Village. Picture perfect! *splash* (source)

11.  (extra activity!) Ride the subway downtown; explore the East Village and Soho.  Everyone knows the subway is the best (and fastest) way to get around town. It's easy to spend an entire day poking along cobblestone streets, grabbing something tasty at a funky cafe, and checking out the fancy galleries and boutiques.

No matter where you go in New York it's hard to go wrong. Even better, the city is ready to share its secrets with you 24-7. In the “city that never sleeps”, you might be so busy having fun that you miss out on some sleep yourself.

 ***

Whew!I'm not sure I can do all the things in the list since I'm such a lazy bummer sometimes but Indigo's list definitely has something for everyone! :) Now that you know what to do if you ever visit New York City (or maybe you even live there ah lucky you *slanted eyes*), you won't have to worry what to do tomorrow anymore! ;)

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Learn more about the book!

Title: Wish (Indigo Dreams #1)

Author: Grier Cooper
Publication date: December 2nd 2014

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

From Goodreads:

For Indigo Stevens, ballet classes at Miss Roberta’s ballet studio offer the stability and structure that are missing from her crazy home life. At almost 16, she hopes this is the year she will be accepted into the New York School of Ballet. First she must prove she’s ready, and that means ignoring Jesse Sanders – the cute boy with dimples who is definitely at the top of Miss Roberta’s List of Forbidden Things for Dancers.

But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.

About the author:

Grier began ballet lessons at age five and left home at fourteen to study at the School of

Her work has been praised as “poignant and honest” with “emotional hooks that penetrate deeply.” She writes and blogs about dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and has interviewed and photographed a diverse collection dancers and performers including Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, Glen Allen Sims and Jessica Sutta. She is the author of Build a Ballerina Body and The Daily Book of Photography.

American Ballet in New York. She has performed on three out of seven continents with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, totaling more than thirty years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer.

WEBSITE | TWITTER

And the giveaway! Squeee!!

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Thank you for reading today's post! I'll try to post more in the future. *sobs* Have a good day, everyone! :)

This post is part of blog tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

Thanks for letting me joining the fun! :)

Guest Post: Top Ten Favorite Wedding Dresses by Melissa Buell

I love wedding dress! I think every girl dreams of her wedding dress at some points of their lives. And of course, a prince charming in tow! ;) I'm very excited to inform you that today, I have author Melissa Buell sharing about her favorite wedding dresses all time! Let's start the oooh and aaaaah! ;)

Top Ten Favorite Wedding Dresses

Hi Hilda, thanks for having me! I adore wedding dresses, weddings, true love… all that romantic stuff. Here are my top ten favorite wedding dresses.

Dress #1 - Princess Grace
I love the simply elegance of Grace Kelly’s dress. And the fact that she was a regular girl (an American, even!) who married a prince and became a princess is the very stuff of fairy tales! The tiara…that’s just awesome.

Dress #2 - Belle inspired
This is one of the “Disney Fairy Tale” inspired dresses. If I had been able to get married at Disneyland, I might have show up in this dress. (I’d have to ask my sister for permission, though. Belle is “her” princess.)

Dress #3 - Princess Diaries 2 Coronation Dress
I *love* the Princess Diaries movies! I love Mia’s coronation much more than I do her (almost) wedding dress. So regal and lovely. And her hair is so beautiful!

Dress #4 - Pride and Prejudice dress
It’s no secret that I love Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I love the 6 hour long movie version but the 2 hour Keira Knightley (above) is also good. If I had planned a regency wedding, I’d probably wear a dress like this one.

Dress #5 - Renaissance Wedding Dress
Totally Sherwood Forest, running away to marry Robin Hood, right?!

Guest post: Wendy Delsol

Hi! It's Hilda. Yes, unlike popular belief, I'm still alive! Due to health issue, I have to limit my time on computer. Hopefully I'll be good and running fine soon! Please pray for me, lovelies. <3

Today, I have a guest post from Wendy Delsol, author of famous Stork series! :)

Destiny, Prophecy, and Karma

I am intrigued by the concepts of destiny, prophecy, and karma. All should probably be added to the cast of characters, they’re such an integral part of my narrator Katla’s story.

In fact, the very creative spark for the series has to do with destiny. Years ago, on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries, there was a story about a very young boy who claimed pre-birth memories of hovering and choosing his mother. Yes! Choosing! This rocked my world. And it got me thinking that we normally consider the soul from a post-death perspective. But what about pre-birth? Much later, when brainstorming for something fresh in the YA paranormal genre, I tweaked the idea to invent my human Storks, white witches charged with pairing souls and mothers.  And when Candlewick Press asked me to provide an author’s quote for Stork’s book jacket, this was my response: “The concept of destiny is fascinating, as is the idea of magic. It’s fun to think that we’re fated—or chosen—to be with those we love.”

But I don’t personally believe that we are helpless puppets to the forces of destiny and prophecy. Nor do I think any self-respecting protagonist should be powerless or without free will. Ever! And this is where, for me, karma comes in. Hulda, my wise leader of the Storks is one of the books’ prophets and sums it up best: “Karma is the turning of the wheel and is very important to the ancient religions of the Orient. Is much like fate, but they believe karma is our will as we swim in the river of our past and present. We cannot change the course of the river, but the strokes of our swim influence our destination.” 

Note: I made up the bit about the river (fiction is such a lovely thing). The Storks have their own cosmology, after all. It has roots in Norse mythology, but I may have dropped a realm (or two) if they didn’t serve my purpose.

And the idea of destiny sure gives an author some excellent material when it comes time to flesh out a love interest. Katla and Jack first met when they were just ten years old. Katla was visiting her grandparents at the time, and Jack was instantly smitten. Present day, he recalls the experience (in Stork): “It’s hard to explain,” he said, “but from the moment I laid eyes on you skating, I felt this unshakable sense of fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it.”

In Flock, Jinky—a character who is equal parts wise and wiseass—says to Katla: “As spiritual beings, we have to act on our premonitions. To ignore a gift, to not rise to the calling, is a willful defiance of our true purpose. For us, there is no coincidence, no chance.”

In the end, Katla’s journey is to embrace her gift, to accept the journey it requires, and to kick butt when butt-kicking’s necessary. Happy reading!

Thank you for stopping by my blog, Wendy! Destiny and prophecy have always been hot topic in YAs. And instant-smitten is just soo cute! ;)

You can learn more about Wendy Delsol here:

A Little Bit About Wendy Delsol

 

Wendy Delsol is the author of a young adult trilogy: STORK (2010), FROST (2011), and FLOCK (2012). The books are inspired by Norse mythology, adventure and Icelandic folklore. STORK was one of 25 titles out of over 1000 to receive a 2010 VOYA Perfect Ten and one of ten to win a 2011 Westchester Fiction Award. Delsol’s adult novel, THE McCLOUD HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS, was named an August 2011 Barnes and Noble Pick of the Week. The book is set in Iowa and tells the story of three generations of women and the secrets that bind them. Wendy has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a graduate degree from California State University, Long Beach. She was born in Canada, grew up in Michigan, lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and now resides in Des Moines with her husband and two teen sons.

Goodreads * Twitter

Grab your copy of Flock!

The climactic conclusion of a supernatural romantic trilogy starring a savvy, sharp-tongued heroine who taps into ancient Norse secrets.

After surviving her (shall we say) intense adventure in Iceland, Katla is psyched to be back for a blissfully uneventful senior year of homecoming and fashion explorations. But her hopes of dodging unfinished business are dashed by the arrival of two Icelandic exchange students: Marik, an oddly alluring merman-in-disguise, and Jinky, a tough gypsy girl. It seems Katla not only enraged the Snow Queen by rescuing her boyfriend, Jack, she also was tricked into promising her frail baby sister to the water queen — and Marik has come to collect. What’s worse, Katla doesn’t dare confide in anyone lest she endanger them, so even her soul mate, Jack, is growing suspicious. And now Katla’s stork dreams, her guide for matching babies with mothers, have become strange and menacing as well. Hold on for a thrilling finale as the heroine of Stork and Frost calls on her wits (and her wit) to protect those she loves and face a final mythic disaster.

Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Book Depository

Thanks for reading! <3 Have a wonderful Friday, everyone! :)