The Souls for Stars Giveaway Week Two! Cast your way to 12 awesome YA books!

The Souls for Stars Giveway!
Week Two

What? You don’t know what this giveaway is about? Well, here is a little recap.

Seeing how YA books are taking the silver screen by storm these days, I thought it would be really cool to let my fans and blogging friends cast Soul Quest. Each week I will post an excerpt from Soul Quest on the blog. The entrants will read the excerpt and suggest actors and/or actresses who they feel would best fit the role of the characters within the blurb. The next week (along with the new blurb and casting call) I will set up a poll to vote on the nominated actors/actresses. By the end of the giveaway (the month of January) I will tally up all of the nominations and votes (each nomination/vote counts as one point) and the entrant with the most points will win! The winner will take home the whole reading pile!

OK, here is the list of nominations for each character for week one. While you are allowed to nominate as many actors/actresses as you want for the cast list, please vote for only one actor/actress for each character (choose your favorite).

Liv
Carey Mulligan
Hannah Murray
Blake Lively
Michelle Trachtenberg
Deborah Ann Woll
Lindsay Pulsipher
Carla Gallo
Emilie de Ravin
Emily Browning
Kay Panabaker
Anna Popplewell
Lyndsy Fonseca
Lilly Collins
Bella Thorne
Hannah Marks
Ellen Page
Liana Liberato
Gemma Ward
Hailee Steinfeld
Heather Morris
Sofia Vassilieva
Kaya Scodelario

Laith
Liam Hemsworth
Austin Stowell
Ryan McParlin
William Moseley
Douglas Booth
Callan McAuliffe

Brayan
T.J. Thyne
Benjamin Stone
Asher Book
Douglas Booth
Adam G. Sevani
Alexander De Jordy
Tobey Maguire
Zachary Levi
Matthew Gray Gubbler
Atticus Dean Mitchell

Meena
Jayma Mays
Jane Levy
Skyler Samuels
Madisen Beaty
Molly C Quinn
Bryce Dallas Howard
Sophie Turner
Annie Thurman
Rachel Hurd-Wood
Bella Thorne

*Nominees listed for characters other than Liv, Laith, Brayan and Meena (and there were some terrific ideas) will be posted during their nomination week.

All you have to do now is vote. List the actor/actress’s name in your comment.

If you haven’t already done so, please leave your email address in your comment as well.

Now it’s time to read the second excerpt. This week you will be casting the bad guys, Shyam (Shy), Avna, Etheline and Lefu.

Casting Call #2!

Here is the second excerpt. Have fun and good luck!

Etheline frowned at herself in the mirror. She was never exactly beautiful in her human form but now she was morbidly grotesque. Her hair was once a shiny, softly curling, platinum blond. Now it looked stringy, bleached and brittle. She remembered how interesting her hazel eyes looked when the sunlight spilled into them. Now they took on a dull flat black. Her skin was always fair but now her pale skin could make a corpse look healthy. Avna noticed her scowling at herself in the large mirror in the foyer of the hotel suite.

"Don't fret my sweet. It won't last forever. I was even uglier than you in my Aengel form. I'd compare the process to the life cycle of a butterfly. You are no longer a lowly larva. You are changing, a chrysalis of evil. Once you have taken enough human souls to complete the change you will become a Daeva, beautiful and powerful, just like yours truly." she laughed wickedly, sweeping her lovely, fiery red ringlets behind her shoulder as she admired herself in the mirror.

She was more than beautiful now. Her porcelain skin glowed against her dazzling, onyx eyes and flaming red curls. Yes, she remembered Etheline's gruesome plight well. She remembered a dull gray face with charcoal for eyes framed with limp, orange, wiry hair. Ew! All is well that ends well, she thought. Etheline glared at her.

"See!" Avna gestured toward herself in the mirror. "No worries." she bragged.

"Not for you." Etheline spat back. "Did you infect me just so you could torture me until my transition is complete?" Etheline whined.

"Don't be like that, my pet." she purred. Etheline hated it when Avna referred to her as her pet. It was degrading to her.

"Besides, we have far more important matters to concern ourselves with, my dear, do we not?" she prompted.

"Yes Avna. I know that. Has Shyam received confirmation from the humans yet?" Etheline asked.

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be much longer." Avna replied. "If this plays out the way we suspect those incompetent humans will end up doing half the job for us." Avna snickered.

"Do you really think they will take the bait so easily Avna?" Etheline wondered.

"Of course they will. The stupid humans haven't even an inkling of suspicion about our kind. They will blame each other for this 'so called' tragedy." she sneered. "They will go to war and blow each other to kingdom come. Afterward we can devour the aftermath, a buffet of souls practically served to us on a silver platter." Avna cackled wildly. Etheline joined in her laughter. This was going to be so easy. "Where is Lefu?" Avna asked suddenly, realizing she hadn't seen him in awhile.

"He’s hunting. There is a group of drunks in the alley behind the hotel, a mere appetizer to tide us over until the main course that you have described comes to pass." Etheline said in anticipation.

"Good. I'm in need of some refreshment. They will have to do for now." Avna approved.

"I'll raise five souls to your one." Lefu wagered Etheline around a hand of poker.

Shyam still awaited confirmation from the humans. He paced back and forth in front of the bar, brandy in hand. All would have seemed utterly normal had the two not been wagering the souls of humans. They kept tally on a tablet of paper because they could not think of anything significant enough to symbolize a human soul. There was no amount of money, rare jewels, real estate or any material possession that could outweigh the worth of a human soul. Lefu was every bit as eager to complete the transition as Etheline. As Etheline pondered his wager he recalled the tedious efforts necessary to lure the handful of homeless humans to their hotel suite earlier that evening. It wasn't too difficult. After all, they were without shelter and food. It had been raining so he had tempted them back to the room with promises of new, dry clothes, a warm meal and wine. Sadly, he probably could have just offered the wine and they still would have come. Alcoholism... he thought. He'd put them out of their misery, not that he cared. Yes they were desperate, he'd thought. Even after taking in the sight of him they had still agreed to come. Lefu wasn't nearly as put off with his Aengel appearance as Etheline was. He was used to being looked upon as homly, or even worse. During his human years he had been in an accident as a small child that left him scarred, disfigured and crippled. True, his once jet black silky hair was now a dull gray and his deep chocolate brown eyes and skin looked of chalky soot. Now however, the hump in his back and the limp in his walk seemed less pronounced. In fact, with every human soul he consumed he grew stronger. His body seemed to be righting itself. Yes he looked forward to the day when he could glide in a walk with his back straight and his shoulders pulled back. He was sick and tired of feeling old and haggard. He would not be a victim anymore. No one would pity him ever again. Shyam promised him this and so he'd agreed to the infection. Good thing too because now he realized had he not Shyam would have killed him and consumed his soul instead.

"I'll raise you eight souls to your five." Etheline interrupted.

"Damn!" he cursed. Was she bluffing he wondered.

Avna heard his cursing and strolled into the room, curious to the situation. She found them wagering souls in the sitting area. The patio doors that led out to the balcony were open allowing a light, cool breeze to sweep into the room. It felt nice so she relaxed a bit. The waiting for confirmation was beginning to take its toll on everyone's nerves.

"Lefu, I was very impressed with your catch earlier this evening." she teased. "Perhaps you used a bit of compulsion?" she laughed.

She was making fun of him. They all knew he would not gain the compulsion ability until he completed the transition. A smirk drew on Etheline's lips as well.

"Yeah, you're all so damned hilarious! Why don't you send your resume and head shot over to ‘Stand Up New York’ while you're at it? You could be the next Chevy Chase." he retorted. "Of course the head shot would probably guarantee your application being designated to the bottom of the circular file Etheline." he sneered gesturing to the round waste basket beside the desk.

Everyone boasted a laugh except Etheline. They were quickly silenced by the sound of Shyam's ring tone, Back in Black by ACDC. This was it.

Shyam continued to pace back and forth in front of the bar as he nodded and grunted into his cell phone. He was a dangerously handsome man with sleek, black hair and the same glowing porcelain skin of Avna. His eyes too were a radiant onyx, mesmerizing and enticing in all their mystery. No person, human or otherwise, could deny him his desires. This was what they did, he and Avna. They used compulsion to delude the humans. Their beauty would lure them in allowing them to compel them into whatever task they required of them. The Aengels were merely their servants while they forged toward their completed transition. Etheline and Lefu brought them souls for consumption, fuel for energy. They were all young in appearance, but Shyam and Avna were centuries old. Etheline and Lefu would join their ranks one day if they succeeded in completing the transition. The Aengels were more vulnerable. True they were stronger and faster than humans but nothing compared to Shyam and Avna, true Daevas. They could slash through flesh and bone, even metal with their teeth and fingernails, but their bodies were closer to the fragility of a human. Unlike Shyam and Avna, nothing human could threaten them. Even human weaponry was not fast or powerful enough to destroy them. This is why it was their job to manipulate the humans. It had been all too easy for them to set up the disastrous event planned for the next day. A militia of compelled humans would hijack four airplanes and cause a global disaster that would induce doubt, fear, and weakened faith into the hearts of millions for years to come. This was their real plan. As overwhelming as it would seem to the humans the death toll from 911’s events would be next to nothing to the Daevas. However, it would plant the seed of evil. It would seal the fate of the humans dipping the scales from good to evil. This would allow them more power, more control, an expansion of rank. They would rule the world at last. Shyam snapped his cell phone closed.

He turned to face his accomplices and with a wicked edge to voice he announced firmly, "We are ready."

Are you ready to nominate actors/actresses for round two? Today through Friday we will nominate potential performers and on Saturday we can all come back to vote (I'll vote too, for fun, but I won't count my votes toward the prize so I can remain impartial).

Here we go!

Character Casting List
Shyam (Shy) – Shyam is the Daeva who started all of this mess. He is a fallen spirit. When he isn’t sucking the life and soul out of humans he is posing as a teenager at Forest Hills High in an attempt to threaten the four young human Oracles (Liv, Laith, Brayan, Meena).
Avna - Shyam’s Daeva girlfriend and co-conspirator in evil doing.
Lefu – An Aengel (a human infected by a Daeva who has not completely finished the change). Lefu is Shyam’s Aengel.
Etheline – Avna’s Aengel.

The more actors/actresses you nominate, the more points you can earn! Good Luck!

Amy Jones Young Adult Fiction and Fantasy would like to extend big cyber hugs and kisses to the awesome indies who donated their books to this giveaway! You guys rock!!!!

The Souls for Stars Giveaway kicks off its second week today and will wind down at the end of the month. Stay tuned! Each week you will receive a new casting call and additional chances to earn more points!!!

The Totally Awesome Giveaway Prize List!

Significance by Shelly Crane

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto

Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase

Callum and Harper by Fisher Amelie

Blood Like Poison by M. Leighton

Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole

The Childe by CA Kunz
(a print copy)

Existence by Abbi Glines

Forgotten Souls by Tiffany King

Soul Quest by Amy Jones
(a print copy)

The Guardians of Souls by Amy Maurer Jones

Soulless; The Story of Shayan by Amy Maurer Jones

   

Happy Casting!