Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dystopian Giveaway Hop






November 1st to 7th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & My Shelf Confessions

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer a lucky winner one of the YA dystopian books listed below.

On to the books...



In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Divergent by Veronica Roth
Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)
In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry



Gone (Gone, #1) 

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day
...

 ~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Gone by Michael Grant

Matched (Matched, #1)Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Matched by Ally Condie







Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:
  1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
  2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, tweeting about this giveaway, or leaving a comment below.
  3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository ships to your country; please check this link to see if your country's included.)
  4. This contest runs from November 1 - 7.
  5. The winner will be selected on November 8th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 
***As the winner, if you are just dying to get another YA book, then you may substitute one of the books listed above for another of similar value from The Book Depository***

Thanks Again & Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Letting Go Bloghop



When I was young, my family moved around a lot. By the time I turned 16, I had been through eight moves through five states. I learned not to get too attached because we'd soon be moving on. I had to learn to let go because I could only bring my own stuff with me. My friends had to stay. The house that I thought was my home had to stay. What I could box up was all that was coming with me. And with each move, each new house and another lost home, I threw a few more things away.

My father was climbing the corporate ladder, which I can understand now. But at twelve years old, I didn't understand why I had to keep changing schools and making new friends. Everyone else got to stay. Why couldn't we? Why couldn't he just get a new job nearby like everyone else's dad? I didn't want to move across the country, to California. That's where all the crazy people lived.

But we ended up in California, nonetheless. And two years came a went. It was time to move again, but we weren't moving. I felt the urge to keep my distance and not get too attached, in order to make it easier when the news would inevitably come. But it didn't this time. We stayed, and as I grew older and moved out, I stayed. Now I've been in southern California for nearly twenty years, started a family, and can finally say that I am home.

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Kyra Lennon's novella, If I Let You Go, is currently available on Amazon. And as a special promotion, it is free to download today!

Goodreads blurb of If I Let You Go:

Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

Add to you TBR list.
Download your copy from Amazon.
Visit Kyra on her blog.

Thank you, Krya, for organizing this bloghop!



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest





Today I'm participating in the DINYB blogfest, hosted by the blog-tastic Ciara Knight and Alex Cavanaugh.

I found Jenni Merritt's Prison Nation awhile back during a bloghop giveaway and first noticed the cover on her blog. When I looked a little more into it, I found that she was a self-published debut author just like me, so I clicked on the book's Amazon page to learn more about it. Prison Nation was the first self-published book I read, and if you've been looking for a new young adult dystopian, then it's definitely worth a read.

Prison NationPrison Nation Goodreads Blurb:

In the Nation, no one is innocent - not even the children born behind bars. Millie 942B has spent her entire life locked away with her criminal parents and countless other inmates. She believes in the Nation, in its strict laws and harsh punishments.

But when Millie is released on her eighteenth birthday, she finds things are nothing as she was taught. People vanish, never to be seen again. Lies cover every word. Trust is as fragile as ice.

And then there is Reed. Born and raised outside the Prison walls, his dreams and thoughts cause Millie to doubt everything she has ever believed.

What is truly worth fighting for? If she pushes too hard, she could lose her freedom. If she stays silent, she could lose herself. The clock is ticking, and Millie must find the truth before it is too late.


Add Prison Nation to your Goodreads TBR list.

Purchase Prison Nation on Amazon.

Thank you, Ciara and Alex, for organizing this blogfest! Now, please help me in spreading the word that I noticed Jenni's book because I can't tell her. She needs to find out by following the bread crumbs through the web of socal media, leading back here. We shall see!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Fall into Fantasy Bloghop Giveaway!



October 16th to 21th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & The Write Path

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer a lucky winner one of the fantasy books listed below.

On to the books...

Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)
High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1)
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell - the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked - as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

One day Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them...

~Go to the entire Goodreads description of The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

 Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change...

 ~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Graceling by Kristen Cashore

The Journal of Curious Letters (The 13th Reality, #1)What if every time you made a choice that had a significant consequence, a new, alternate reality was created — the life that would've been? What if those new Realities were in danger? What if it fell to you to save all the realities?
Atticus Higginbottom, a.k.a. Tick, is a regular thirteen-year-old boy living a regular life until the day a strange letter arrives in his mailbox. Postmarked from Alaska and cryptically signed with the initials "M.G.," the letter informs Tick that dangerous — perhaps even deadly — events have been set in motion that could result in the destruction of reality itself...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of The 13th Reality by James Dashner


Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:
  1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
  2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, tweeting about this giveaway, or leaving a comment below.
  3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository ships to your country; please check this link to see if your country's included.)
  4. This contest runs from Oct 16 - 21.
  5. The winner will be selected on October 22th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 
***As the winner, if you are just dying to get another YA book, then you may substitute one of the books listed above for another of similar value from The Book Depository***

Thanks Again & Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Faerie Guardian Cover Release!




This is my third post of the week, which I haven't done in awhile. But it's for an exciting event: the cover release for Rachel Morgan's The Faerie Guardian! I'm honored to be a part of the cover release party and so excited for Rachel. And I love the cover!
* * * * *
Title: The Faerie Guardian
Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: 5 Nov 2012
Add to Goodreads

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out of it alive.

[This novel was originally published in four separate parts: Guardian, Labyrinth, Traitor and Masquerade. It includes bonus scenes at the end.]

Giveaway Time!

The bonus scenes at the end of the book are NOT written from the main character's point of view. If you'd like to win a $10 Amazon gift card, all you have to do is guess whose point of view these scenes are written from! Head on over to the cover reveal post at Rachel Morgan Writes and fill in the Rafflecopter form. There's a list of characters there that you can choose from. Good luck!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

IWSG Wednesday: Follow-through



Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

I needed to turn from the direction I was headed in a month ago, and my first step was to listen to motivational tapes on my drive to work each morning. I started with Anthony Robbins's Personal Power II program, which I last listened to about six months ago. As Tony says, "Repetition is the mother of skill," and I need that kind of refresher.

One of my key learnings that keeps most people from what they want is not a lack of skill or knowledge, but follow-through. For me, I know several strategies for promoting and selling my book, Provex City, but I've yet to consistently follow-through. There is always more to learn, but it's important to start taking action on what I already know, otherwise that continual search for knowledge becomes procrastination.

What I already know:
  • Approach book bloggers for reviews and interviews
  • Get involved in discussions on Kindleboards
  • Take advantage of Goodreads
  • Attend/participate in local conferences
And that's just the tip of the iceberg, but I've got start somewhere to get my book, and soon to be books, in front of different people every day. That's my plan of action as I work through the editing of SUSY Asylum. The few beta reader responses I've gotten thus far have been overwhelmingly positive, which is beginning to fuel my follow-through to promote Provex City because every reader needs to start there.

What are your goals and strategies for the coming month to make it more successful than the last? Are you looking forward to Halloween? I look forward to October every year, and this year is no different. Thanks for your support, and as always, thank you for reading!

Monday, October 1, 2012

He Came For Mine Release


Today I am privileged to announce the release of Carolyn Brown's second book, He Came For Mine. She is a fellow blogger, so if you're not yet a follower, you should definitely check her out at the blog address at the bottom of this post. Now, onto the book--and a giveaway!


He Came For Mine
Book Two in ‘The Protector Series’
By C.M. Brown
Available as and eBook at:
and
Price: $2.99
Add He Came For Mine to your TBR list on Goodreads




BLURB:
Desperate to save the life of a child he never knew he had, Sebastian returns to Earth to find Jazz in the arms of another man.  A man he knows all too well.  One who cannot be trusted!  Sebastian worries if Jazz’s feelings for him have fleeted in his absence and he vows to win her back.

Jazz struggles to find ground between Sebastian and her new life, unsure who to trust and still holding resentment for Seb’s abandonment.  She seeks solace through someone who was there for her when she needed help to pick up the pieces.
After coming to terms with her new life, Jazz is struck down with confusion and longing when Sebastian suddenly returns.
However, a dark battle is forthcoming, one that is bound to bring bloodshed.


For the next two weeks Carolyn is holding a Rafflecopter Draw on her Blog, to celebrate the following three reasons:
  
The release of Book Two in the Protector Series titled:

He Came For Mine

 
One full year of Blogging!
&
 
Twelve months since the launch of Book One in The Protector Series!

Prizes will include:

One $20 AUD (Australian Dollars) Amazon Gift Card
One free eBook of Book Two in The Protector Series, He Came For Mine!
One free book cover illustration by Rebekah Romani

TO ENTER CLICK HERE!

Also, during the two week launch
Book One, in The Protector Series
He Came For Me
will be free as an eBook
to download
from
Smashwords

JUST USE THIS CODE: 
RF83E

You can connect with Carolyn
 
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