Blog Tour - Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmesab and Darcy Vance

I am so excited to interview Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance - authors of Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading. GGG was released in May and the ladies have been pretty busy. They've spent most of June showing up at a variety of blogs and here you can find out a little more about them!

Readin'
The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading
Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance
Simon Pulse
324 pgs
Time: 3 hrs

Summary - from book jacket
When Bethany -- self-proclaimed geek girl -- makes the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there's one thing worse than blending in with the lockers: getting noticed. She always felt comfortable as part of the nerd herd, but being a member of the most scrutinized group in her school is weighing her down like a ton of textbooks. Even her Varsity Cheerleading Guide can't answer the really tough questions, like: How do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt? What do you do when the head cheerleader spills her beer on you at your first in-crowd party? And how do you know if your crush likes you for your mind...or your pom-poms?

One thing's for sure: It's going to take more than brains for this girl genius to cheer her way to the top of the pyramid.

An Interview with authors Charity Tahmaseb (C) and Darcy Vance (D)

1. Urban Fantasy and paranormal are really hot in the YA book world right now. Have either of you ever written, or considered writing, a book in either of those genres?

C: A (long) while back, I wrote a paranormal romantic mystery from the point of view of a ghost who was haunting his ex-wife (whom he still loved very much). Despite the fact I consider myself genre savvy, I completely missed the memo about the alpha male in paranormal romance. No one wanted a metrosexual ghost who eventually learned how to manifest in his favorite Armani suit. That, and I totally messed up the whole ghost/human happily ever after. #paranormalfail

D: The first novel-length fiction I wrote contained some magical elements, but it was really more of a ‘quest’ story. The third novel I wrote had some spooky stuff going on in it, but it all turned out to be explainable in the end. I’ve had an idea about a girl who can fly stuck in my head for about four years now – but so far I can’t get her to come out.

2. Do either of you read urban fantasy or paranormal? If yes, who are your favorite authors in the genre?

C: Melissa Marr’s and Libba Bray’s series are on the top of my list. Also, in looking at my reading log, I seem to have a fondness for dystopian fiction (The Hunger Games, How I Live Now, Life As We Knew It). I also really enjoyed Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.

D: I love Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series but I liked Peeps even more! I’m also a pretty big fan of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle books. I’ve been pretty busy lately so I haven’t read A Sweet Far Thing yet though. I’m excited to say it is next on my To Be Read pile!

3. Did you read Urban Fantasy or paranormal books when you were a teen?

C: I loved the Chronicles of Narnia. I’m not sure The Lord of the Rings trilogy qualifies, since I didn’t read that until college. What’s great is I’m revisiting Narnia with my kids. My daughter in particular is very taken with the series.

D: Urban fantasy is a fairly new genre, and I’m a fairly old person. I did read a lot of other fantasy though. I loved Mary Stewart’s series about Merlin. And, as a certified geek, I am required by law to be a Lord of the Rings fan. (I’d be a fan even if it wasn’t required though – Frodo Lives!)

4. If you were required to place a paranormal element in The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading what would it be?

C: When my son took an ARC of The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading to school to show teachers/friends, the girl who sat next to him in orchestra asked why we didn't "write something like Twilight.” So … I’m going with vampires. I’m not sure how we’d get them into the story, but we’d get them in there.

D: I think I’d choose to have Elizabeth Bennet’s (From Pride and Prejudice) ghost following our main character (Bethany) around. She could give her some really great advice, though I think there are things in the modern world that Lizzie would not approve of.

5. Unicorns versus zombies?

C: Since I am a charter member of the “Unicorn Sisters Club” (as started by my daughter), I’m going to have go with unicorns. Besides, zombies scare me.

D: I <3 zombies but I have to take unicorns for the win. They are faster! And they have horns!

Read Chapter 1 of Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading!

Rithmetic
I really enjoyed this book. I was expecting fluff but got a wonderful full-fledged story instead. The romance between Bethany and Jack was well-developed. You were able to see how both of them changed and became more sure of themselves. The book was fun and funny. Lot's of great one-liners and the cheers really brought back my past! I would have liked a better cover - the girl on the back looks to old to be in high school. Other than that, highly recommended. I give Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading 4 copies.