Possession & Surrender Blog Tour Stop (Interview/Giveaway)

Today I am excited to be a part of the Possession and Surrender blog tour for author Elana Johnson! My stop on the tour features an interview with the author as well as some great opportunities to win.  First here's a little more about the books:

Possession (Possession #1)
by Elana Johnson
published June 7th 2011 by Simon & Schuster

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Surrender (Possession #2)

by Elana Johnson

published June 5th 2012 by Simon Pulse

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....

Interview with Elana Johnson

Convince us to read the Possession series in 140 characters or less, Twitter style!
The Possession series is about choice. Why do you make the choices you do? Who do you listen to? Vi, Raine, & Gunn need to figure that out.

What book by a favourite author do you wish YOU had written?
I think the quintessential answer would be Harry Potter, right? I mean, I love those books, and the movies, and the theme park, and… yeah. I would’ve liked to have written that. But with more kissing. Ha!

I read that you were a 3rd grade teacher for 4 years, what was your favourite part of teaching elementary? Least favourite?
Oh, I still teach elementary school. I spent a few years as an upper grade music and art specialist, then moved into 3rd grade, and now I teach the whole school! Grades K-6 come and go every few minutes, and I basically teach typing and how to stay safe on the Internet. It’s a great job.

My favorite part of teaching is the interaction with the kids. They are so funny sometimes. My least favorite part is that I can never have a bad day. Sometimes I just want to sit at my desk and do my work, but teaching is so not like that. So I paste on my Jerry Seinfeld skin and I go entertain those kids!

Do you have a writing room? If so, what does it look like?
I wish! I have a little table pushed against the wall in my kitchen. It’s a huge mess, and I haven’t used it for a while, because it’s so piled with books and papers and bills and yeah. Thank goodness for my lap desk!

Being an author and putting your work out into the wild takes some pretty thick skin; do you have any advice for up & coming authors on how to deal with the ups & downs of the profession?
Write what you like to read, and recognize that reading is subjective.

This or That
Coffee or tea? Um, I don’t drink either of these. Hot chocolate?

High heels or flats? Flats, for sure. I can’t wear heels to save my life.

Comedy or horror? Comedy. I’m such a huge wimp! The last horror movie I watched was The Ring, and I sometimes still have nightmares.

Early morning or late riser? Late riser. I loooove sleeping in, or simply laying in bed.

Peeta or Gale? *sigh* This is such a hard question! For the first two books, I was total Team Gale. Childhood love and all that. Mockingjay swayed me toward Peeta, but in the end, I didn’t think Katniss was good enough for him. So yeah. I don’t know. Team Peeta? I guess.

Elana's Website | Twitter | Facebook

Elana wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Using her boring human powers, she graduated from Southern Utah University with Summa Cum Laude honors in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics. She started her teaching career as an upper grade music and art specialist. After a four-year stint in 3rd grade, she is currently the technology specialist.

 Now for the winning! There are three chances to win on this tour and you can enter using the Rafflecopters below!

Giveaway #1

Hardcover of Starcrossed, Witch Eyes, When We Broke Up and The Liar Society
Open to US/Canada only
Ends December 9, 2012
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2

Hardcover of Surrender, a Possession paperback, an ecopy of Regret, bookmarks for both books, stickers for both books, and a Jag-inspired necklace
Open to US/Canada only
Ends December 9, 2012
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #3

Ebooks of Possession, Surrender and Regret
Open Internationally
Ends December 9, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Abandon by Elana Johnson

Abandon (Possession #3)
by Elana Johnson
to be published June 2013 by Simon Pulse

Seduced by power,
broken by control,
and consumed by love...

Vi has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the Resistance may have suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there's more at stake than a few broken hearts.

But there is a traitor among them...and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of everything Vi has fought for.

Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their problems aside for the Resistance to have any hope of ending the Thinkers' reign. Their success means everything...and their failure means death.

All of the covers in this series are so pretty in their simplicity! This one definitely POPS. I love it! I haven't gotten to read Possession yet, but I did sign up on her tour so I will be getting to it very soon.  What do you think of the cover for Abandon?

 The Possession series so far...

Elana's Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Elana is the author of the Possession series, which includes full-length novels POSSESSION and SURRENDER, and short stories REGRET (ebook only) and INSIDER INFORMATION (free here!). Learn how to spell and say her name.

Elana wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.