PIP/ Book Review /Blog Tour/ Giveaway/CLOSED: Waking Up in the Land of Glitter by Kathy Cano-Murillo

on March 08, 2010

Welcome to the Waking Up in the Land of Glitter and today's blog tour stop!

Have you ever heard of the Crafty Chica?

She's actually Kathy Cano-Murillo is writer and artist. Her crafts have been carried by hundreds of retailers including Bloomingdales, Target, and Hallmark. She is a former entertainment reporter for The Arizona Republic, and has authored seven books including Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing. This is her first NOVEL. She is the founder of CraftyChica.com and a huge success story to bloggers around the world!

What is a Craft Chica? This is how Kathy defines it:

1. An Artsy, thrifty, quirky and ultra clever female who is addicted to extreme color,

sparkly accents, and who spreads love thru all things handmade.

2. Any person who celebrates life thru art and inspires others to do so.

In this, her first novel, Kathy lends things from her life to make a super first novel! Let her tell you first, then I will:

Premise: With glue guns, glitter, twigs, or yarn, the ordinary can become extraordinary . . . especially at La Pachanga. Owned by Estrella "Star" Esteban's family, the restaurant has a rep for two things: good food and great art. La Pachanga brings people together-even when it looks like they couldn't be further apart.

One ill-fated evening, Star jeopardizes her family's business, her relationship with her boyfriend, and her future career. To redeem herself, she agrees to participate in a national craft competition, teaming up with her best friend, Ofelia-a secretly troubled mother whose love for crafting borders on obsession-and local celebrity Chloe Chavez-a determined television personality with more than one skeleton in her professional closet. If these unlikely allies can set aside their differences, they'll find strength they never knew they had, and learn that friendship, like crafting, is truly an art form.

To say this is a great read is an UNDERSTATEMENT! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having spent most of my formative years in California, speaking Spanglish is natural to me and reading this book was like going back in time. Everything came back to me. For those of you who don't speak Spanish, it's ok, Kathy has thoughtfully included a mini-dictionary with all the words she used in the book and their English definitions!

The story line pretty much grabs you immediately if you've been any type of crafter and the love of the friends and their families is true to life and honest. I wish there was a followup book coming, but it sounds like Kathy's next novel ( Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing, according to her blog), sounds like a new set of characters! I loved how resourceful Star's parents were and how they made her grow up and accept responsibilty!

I could tell you ALL about the book, but then I'd ruin it for you! But I think one of her final comments in the book is noteworthy and should be on our daily reminder list: "Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has it's stages of drudgery and triumph, a beginning, a struggle and a victory" Check out the book trailer :

GIVEAWAY:

1 lucky reader will receive my review copy of
Waking Up in the Land of Glitter book!!

ENTRIES:

Make sure I have an email address, with your comment, so I can contact you, if you win!

If I don't have a way to contact you, you will forfeit your win!

3 day winner's rule : Winner has 3 days to acknowledge they won prize,
and confirm address, if no contact, then new winner will be picked in their place.

Please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for Subscribing:

Subscribe to the blog (2 entries)
Follow this blog on Google Friend (2 entries)
Signed up for the New Year, New Self Program on this Blog (2 entries) Must have signed up/commented under the Original Post for the NYNS Program!
Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about this contest (3 entries) (this can be done DAILY for 3 entries PER day) (if you signed up on the Preview post, you get FIVE entries here! DAILY)
Have the “New Year, New Self Program” Button on your blog (3 entries)
Put the "Bless Their Hearts Mom" Button on your blog or website (3 entries)
Have the “Pretty in Pink” Button on your blog (3 entries) (if you signed up early on the Preview post, you get FIVE entries here!)
Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)
BONUS: enter this post link in a Giveaway Linky on another site (5 entries)** MUST proivde link to the Giveaway Linky!

Contest will end on March 29th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on March 30th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received from winner, the set will be mailed to the winner by me!

Disclosure: This book was sent to me by Hachette Publishing, free of charge, to review. I was not told however, how to review it!