Winter Giveaway!

Success!  We have four fantastic YA books to giveaway and one fantastic New Adult book to giveaway in two separate giveaways!  Sorry for making you guys fill out the form twice - but one is international, the other is not (and different entries for each).

Below is the rafflecopter for the hardcover book giveaway.  This is for United States only, the international giveaway with ebooks is further down.

The hardcover prizes:

Deadline by Chris Crutcher.  A story of a high school teenager who finds out he is terminally ill.  Instead of undergoing treatment to possibly give him a few more "sick" years, he chooses to forgo it.  With a one year deadline, he finds out what life is really about.

Saying It Out Loud by Joan Abelove.  Based on her own experience of losing her mother when she was coming of age, Mindy has to figure out life for herself.  Her father turned inward, and her life has turned to sorrow.  Very moving and powerful piece of work.

The Rafflecopter for these two hardcover books (US only)  but don't forget the second, international giveaway below!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to check out the other giveaway below!
-----

The ebook giveaway is open Internationally.  These authors have graciously donated one copy of their ebook to join the winter giveaway.

The ebook prizes:

The Between by LJ Cohen.  Lydia Hawthorne is on a good track in her life - that is until she is snatched by the Fae.  She is thrust between two warring sets of Fae, Bright and Shadow.  Lydia is supposed to choose a side, pick one side to win the war.  The fate of Fae lies in her hands, but worse, so does the fate of her family.

The Clockwork Giant by Brooke Johnson.  Petra Wade is a self-taught clockwork engineer who dreams of becoming a member of the Guild.  Emmerich, a Guild recruit, has been hired to make an automation.  Emmerich learns of Petra through a chance encounter and knows she can help him.  In secret, they build the clockwork giant, but a soon learn of a sinister conspiracy from within the Guild.

Balor Reborn by Paul Carroll - New Adult.  Fionn Murray, a university student, has to become the unwilling hero when spirit of tyrant Balor comes back with a vengeance. With his house mate Michael, Fionn must decide to run or face an evil that could consume the world. Based on the old Irish myth of Balor of the Evil Eye, this is the first in the series seeking to revive the magic of Ireland.

The Rafflecopter for these three ebooks (International):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

G is for Giveaway Hop

A to Z Challenge:  I know, I'm early... but I wanted to submit this Giveaway into the Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop.

Giveaways are awesome, even if I'm cheating a little bit in the A to Z Challenge (though, can you blame me?  Those egg bunnies are adorable)  Starts April 6th at 12:00AM EST and ends April 12th.

I have tons of books (tons and tons of books) to giveaway.  So instead, here's my list of books that you can choose.  (U.S. participants only).

If you win, you can choose one title (click on the book title for more information from goodreads):

YA Books:
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Saying it Out Loud by Joan Abelove (hardcover)

Other Books:
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Mystic Warrior by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman
Happiness Sold Separately by Libby Street
Wormwood by G.P.Taylor (hardcover)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

Just enter the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit the other blogs in this awesome hop - and visit the hosts:  I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Once Upon a Twilight.

I Heart YA Blog Hop!

Welcome to the YA Giveaway Blog Hop!

The blog hop is being hosted over at Fictional Distraction.  You can find a huge list of participating blogs who are also giving away awesome YA Books!

The rules of my giveaway are simple - enter in the Rafflecopter below.  Do the mandatory entry and any additional entries that you'd like.  I will ship free to U.S. participants, but I would need reimbursement above $2.50 for international shipping (i.e. if it costs $3.15 to ship to Canada, you pay me .65 for a new book if you win!)  Easy, right?

With that being said, the winner can choose ONE of four books!  The giveaway closes at February 20th, 12:00AM EST.

Whoever wins this will get to choose one of the following books:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
A gripping story about a recovering anorexic, Lia, who just lost her ex-best friend, Cassie. Overwhelmed by Cassie's death, Lia falls into her old compulsive ways.  Hardcover copy, used library copy (dust cover in good condition).
My full review is here on examiner.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
A high school senior, Ben Wolf, learns he has one year to live. No matter what, he is going to live his whole life in this single, last year.  Hardcover copy, used library copy (dust cover in great condition).
My full review is here on examiner.

Like the Red Panda by Andrea Seigel
Stella Parrish has had a remarkable life - remarkably hard.  After the death of her parents, living in multiple foster homes, and having a grandfather who keeps attempting suicide, she decides to take a new stance on life:  Checking out, being snarky with everyone, and living without caring.  Paperback copy, used copy (but not stamped by a library).

Saying It Out Loud by Joan Abelove
This book is based on Joan's life - it is about Mindy, a girl who is losing her mother a bit too young.  It describes her estranged relationship with her father and how she copes with the lose of her beloved mother.  Hardcover copy, used library copy (dust cover in okay condition).
My full review is here on examiner.

Two incredible opportunities

I figured I would pass these along to my fellow readers/writers.

For Writers:
Brenda Drake's blog is hosting a critique fest.  I'm on the list to be one of the people critiqued, because believe me, my latest piece of work needs all the help it can get before it's on querying level.  The first 60 people are accepted, and they are filling up fast.  So sign up now!  Brenda Drake does a lot of awesome contests (and as much as I want to keep her blog a secret for myself, I feel it is important to share these things).

For Readers:
Sarah Johnston from YATopia just launched her new website and is doing a huge/massive giveaway.  These prizes are well worth it - from books to a $50 voucher to Barnes and Noble.  Seriously?  $50!  What's not to love.  The gals at YATopia are all fantabulously awesome.  So check out her new website and all of the massive giveaways!

-------

I came up with rough cover ideas for my two short stories last night.  I sincerely hope to self publish them in a week.  "Yellow Eyes" inspired by my chalk eating DnD character, and "She's the Bird" a short memoir of sorts.

Oh - and a personal life update - I lost my job.  I attribute this to many things, but mainly, I think it's because my mentality cannot be stuck behind a desk all day.  Has anyone else ever worked in an office?  Did you like it?!  And if so - how could you?!

I'm not saying that I'm high and mighty - "Look at me I'm above working" - because I'm really not.  I actually like to keep myself busy, but office work was taxing on my creativity.  It was hard to balance a creative life and a full time job.  And yes, I am job searching.  But I am hoping to find something in a creative firm - or maybe video games - where my aloof brain would fit in and I could spend all days dreaming of ideas.

In the meantime, I will self publish those two shorts.  I will continue to edit my two finished manuscripts.  I will query more agents.  I will finish my third WIP, Rioss.  I will, I will, I will...

Can You Hit a Perfect Pitch Blogfest Contest

Brenda Drake holds a lot of awesome blogfest contests.  This one is the first 150 words of your manuscript and a two sentence pitch in attempts to catch the interest of agent Ammi-Joan Paquette.  You can find the blogfest contest rules here.

Any critiques and comments would be helpful, as I want this to read really well by the 17th :)  I know the pitch needs a lot of cleaning!  Give me your thoughts!  I look forward to seeing everyone's entries!

Title: Ruhe
Genre: YA Contemporary
Word Count: 50,000

Pitch:

After Sophie’s vicious gossip ruins her high school friendships, she takes a vow of silence.  But when a college relationship take a dangerous turn, Sophie needs to use the same voice that once destroyed her.

First 150 Words:

            My father dropped the last bag with a huff and looked over at the long winding sidewalk towards the main dormitory on campus.  "Are you sure you don't want us to come in with you?"

            I shook my head.

            My mother arched an eyebrow.  She looked at the measly two bags I had packed.  "We could come back with more of your stuff, you know.  It's not a far drive."

            I shook my head.  I didn't want anything else.  Everything that was left at home was there for a reason.  The old letter jacket from Ched, the worn out mini-skirt that had been to one too many parties... everything was a reminder of who I used to be.  This was a fresh start, or it was supposed to be.  I didn't know how much of a fresh start I could get at a state school.

Can We Guess Your Character's Age Contest Entry

Brenda Drake is holding another awesome blogfest contest.  With your comment below, remember to try to guess my character's age as well!

I'm still unsure of this as a beginning -- the first chapter always seems to be the hardest for me.  Though I think it is "getting there."  Any comments/helpful insights would be very welcomed :)  I always love constructive feedback!
 
           My father dropped the last bag with a huff and looked over the long winding sidewalk up to the main set of brownstones xxxxxxxxx.  "Are you sure you don't want us to come in with you?"

            I shook my head.

            My mother arched her eyebrow.  She looked at the measly two bags that I had packed.  "We could come back with more of your stuff, you know.  It's not a far drive."

            I shook my head.  I didn't want anything else.  Everything that had been left at home was there for a reason.  The old jacket from Ched, the worn out skirt that was too small that had been to one too many parties... everything was a reminder of who I used to be.  This was a fresh start, or it was supposed to be.  Though, I didn't know how much of a fresh start I could get here.

            My mother wrapped her arms around me and held me in a hug for a little too long.  I was used to this, after everything I had put them through.  I patted her on the shoulder, attempting to let my thoughts cross into her head.  It would be fine, I wanted to convince her.

            My father hugged me for just a moment before he pulled away and took a hesitant step toward the car.  "We should at least bring your bags up, kiddo.  What if they start asking too many questions?"

            I held up the pad of paper and tried to smile convincingly. 

Giveaway Winner & NaNo Reflections

Congratulations goes to:

callmebliss!!

I will be in touch on G+ for your address :)  The winner was chosen by random.org.

Thank you all for participating and following my blog.  I promise now that I am no longer suffering from bronchitis, I will have more time to update.  Like now!

I just finished NaNo.  This was my first attempt and a successful one at that.  It excites me, because my goal is to have three finished manuscripts (not polished, but finished) and three awesome query letters by the New Year.  Once the New Year hits and the agents have had a week or two to sift through their inboxes, I am going to send my query letters.

I have this feeling.  It's a lightness that I haven't felt in a long time.  I think most people call this "optimism," but I'm going to call it "success."  I feel like there is success ahead.  I know life is a roller coast, but I'm going to try to stay at the top as long as I possibly can.

NaNo has given me a nasty habit of wanting to write every night.  I say nasty because I could be spending time with my loving husband.  But in reality, I couldn't be happier with this new habit.  I wrote 1,100 yesterday, and although that is not close to the numbers that I reached during NaNo, it is still something.  It is still writing, and it was by choice.  I don't have a NaNo deadline hanging over my head.  This was my decision.  
I don't think I was this excited about writing and reading since fourth grade.

In fourth grade, I was only excited about it because my teacher had this awesome closet with some pillows in it.  If you finished your work early, like I always did (yes, I was a huge, tiny-faced overachiever), you could sit in there and read quietly.  I always snuck away whenever I could.

It's hard to imagine my bookwormy little self.  I had no self-confidence.  And thinking back on it, I didn't really need it.  My friends were all characters in those books that I read.  I was surrounded by mythical creatures, talking pigs, fake wars, vampire bunnies... you name it.

And when I think about the few human interactions that happened when I was younger, I start to see myself through another set of eyes.  The girl that hiccuped every time she stood in front of the class.  The girl that sat next to the same boy on the bus and never spoke.  The girl that chose to read news articles that dealt with questions and answers on how parents should raise their kids (e.g., if my son/daughter has an obsession with eating worms, what should I do?).  The girl that spent time in a closet and read by choice, by choice.  Yeah, that girl was weird.

And that girl brings you these words today.  There's nothing wrong with being a bookworm, there's nothing wrong with a love of writing.  There's also nothing wrong with a little social interaction every once and awhile.  ;)

Giveaway!

 The Giveaway is closed!

In celebration of NaNoWriMo month, I am going to be doing a giveaway. 

No, it's not a book, but it's a lovely necklace that I think is super cute.  I bought two of them, one for me to keep as a token of my first year in NaNo, and the other for a giveaway.

You do not have to be participating in NaNoWriMo to take part in this giveaway.

How to Enter:
Open from October 31st - December 4th 11:59pm PST.
Only open to U.S. and Canada

• (+1 mandatory entry) Follow this blog and leave a comment

Additional Entries, include the links in your comment:

• +1 entry:  Follow me on G+ (leave your user name or link to your account)
• +1 entry:  Tweet about the post (link to your tweet)
• +1 entry:  Follow me on Twitter (leave your user name)
• +2 entries:  Write a post or share my G+ post linking to this blog (link to your G+ if you didn't share my original post)
• +3 entries:  Write a blog post about this entry (link to it in your comment)
• +1 entry: Add up all of your entries and include the total

The winner will be announced on December 5th - if you do not intend to check my blog then, please include your email.  If I do not hear from you by December 7th, I will be going to the runner up on the list.

That's right, you can get up to 10 entries to this one, but you only have to do the one mandatory entry!

Can You Leave Us Breathless Contest Entry

Brenda Drake's blog is hosting another contest:  Can You Leave Us Breathless? with some amazing prizes.  It is open today, Oct 21st.  Feel free to enter something that will "take their breath away."

Meanwhile, here is my 303 word entry, an except from my manuscript, Kingdom of Obsession (title still pending):


We lived on a curvy street, and the sun was hitting the leaves just right to make the bend in the road framed beautifully.  I took off the lens and shoved it into my pocket and shot a few photos.  I heard a loud beep, turned around just in time to see the yellow school bus shatter my mailbox into a million pieces.  I saw the look of terror on the driver's face, trying to slam on the brakes again and again.  And then I died...

Or that's what I thought when I saw my dead mother standing over me.

“Oh, thank Heavens!”  She clutched her chest with older hands than I remembered. 

Catherine, my ex-best friend, was standing on the other side of my mother.  “It’s about time!”  She had put on a few pounds than when I had last seen her, eight years ago.

And the first words out of my mouth in the afterlife were, “Cat, you died?”  My mother and Cat looked at each other, quizzically.

“Still hanging in there, thank you very much.”  She scoffed.

“Wait… I’m not dead?” 

My mother was wide-eyed, hair grayed and falling across her face in wiry tufts.  “Honey, you’ve been in a coma for the past nine years.”

My spine tingled until it stopped feeling, everything was shifting sideways, and my vision went blurry.  I heard this rapid beeping somewhere off in the distance and my brain swelled.  “Where is Dennis?”  The two figures standing over me looked at each other.  “Where is he?!”  I grabbed my mother’s old leathery arm.  “Where is Asher?  Where’s my son?”  Nurses came running in.  I was being pushed down into my bed.  I couldn’t breathe with everyone on top of me.  I thrashed in a panic before I felt a sharp prick in my arm.

YAtopia Pitch Contest

I have submitted my pitch for my story RUHE to the YAtopia Blog Pitch Contest with agent Mandy Hubbard!

It closes Wednesday at Midnight (I am unsure if this is technically 11:59pm or technically Midnight on Thursday, but technicalities aside!)  It is still open right now!  If you had a finished manuscript that is YA or MG and you are looking to pitch it to an agent, you might as well do it on the YAtopic blog!