FOOL FOR BOOKS Giveaway! THE GIFTED SERIES!

It's a short giveaway hop this time around. Two days only! As always, a huge thank you goes out to Kathy Habel at I am a Reader, Not a Writer for organizing the tour and to The Bookish Snob for helping!



Up for giveaway this time are the first four books in the YA paranormal series, GIFTED by Marilyn Kaye.


Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye (Kingfisher, June 9, 2009)

Gifted: Better Late Than Never by Marilyn Kaye (Kingfisher, June 9, 2009)

Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow by Marilyn Kaye (Kingfisher, Oct. 13, 2009)

Gifted: Finders Keepers by Marilyn Kaye (Kingfisher, Apr. 13, 2010)




Check out the awesome book trailer for the series!

From Amazon (for Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind):

Queen of Mean Amanda Beeson, 13, gets the shock of her life when she wakes up one morning to find herself in the body of one of her victims, Tracey Devon. Amanda discovers that Tracey, ignored at home and school, has the ability to become invisible. When Amanda finds herself in a special class that Tracey usually attends, it becomes clear that at Meadowbrook Middle School the definition of “gifted” has a whole other meaning. Can Amanda rescue her one-time target from obscurity and get her own life back on track? In order to do so, she will have to reveal her own startling gift and take her rightful place among Meadowbrook’s very secret clique.

Source of books: From publishers at conferences and one from a fellow author

For your chance to win these books, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Saturday, April 2, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:


BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton (Random House, May 24, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.



THOSE THAT WAKE by Jesse Karp (Harcourt, March 21, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.


*****

Here's a handy list of all the blogs on the FOOL FOR BOOKS Giveaway Hop:




Thanks and good luck!

THOSE THAT WAKE ARC Giveaway

Up for giveaway today is a book that seems to ask (and answer) the bigger questions in life. When I read it, it really made me take a step back and think about everything that was going on, and it stuck with me for days afterward.

THOSE THAT WAKE by Jesse Karp (Harcourt, March 21, 2011)


THOSE THAT WAKE was just released in hardcover.

From Amazon:

New York City’s spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from one another and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They’ve never met. Seemingly, they never will.

But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts.

Source of book: From publisher at NCTE

*****

For your chance to win this ARC, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, April 8, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton (Random House, May 24, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER ARC Winner!

Thank you to all who entered! I'm looking forward to lots of great new books coming up in the next few months, so definite watch out!

The winner of THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)


is...

CORRINE O'FLYNN at Inside Looking out!

*****

And don't forget I'm also giving away:

BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton (Random House, May 24, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton ARC Giveaway

I've been reading the most OSUM book by one of my agent-sisters (we both are repped by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Lit), and I'm so psyched to offer the ARC up for giveaway. There are so many great things to say about this book, but here are just a few to get your minds churning.

First there's the cover. It's so eye-catching and unique, and yet it still fits in totally with today's paranormal YA audience.
Second there's the story. It's kept me hooked since page one, and I can't wait to see how it ends.
Third there are the characters. Seriously amazing.
Fourth there is the romance. A single word can sum it up. Wow.

BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton (Random House, May 24, 2011)


From Amazon:

This page-turning debut novel will entice fans who like their paranormal romances dark and disturbing. It's a natural next-read for fans of Stephanie Meyer, Carrie Jones, and Becca Fitzpatrick. But instead of mythical creatures, blood magic has everything to do with primal human desires like power, wealth, and immortality. Everywhere Silla Kennicott turns she sees blood. She can't stop thinking about her parents alleged murder-suicide. She is consumed by a book filled with spells that arrives mysteriously in the mail. The spells share one common ingredient: blood, and Silla is more than willing to cast a few. What's a little spilled blood if she can uncover the truth? And then there's Nick—the new guy at school who makes her pulse race. He has a few secrets of his own and is all too familiar with the lure of blood magic. Drawn together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick must find out who else in their small Missouri town knows their secret and will do anything to take the book and magic from Silla.

Yeah, like I said, wow!

Source of book: From publisher by request

*****

For your chance to win this ARC, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, April 1, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

RELEASE DAY FOR WITHER and Winners!

Happy release day to...

WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)


and thank you to all the OSUM people who entered to win!

The winners of the brand-new hardcovers of WITHER are:

Vivien


Orchid


Laura


Reader Riah


Lorielle

*****

Visit tomorrow for another great giveaway, and don't forget I'm also giving away:

An ARC of THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

LUCKY LEPRECHAUN Winner!

OMG, so many entries for the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway! I am totally floored! I really hope you all stick around for more giveaways in the future because I have some great ones coming up!

The winner of the three books

RED MOON RISING by Peter Moore (Hyperion, February 8, 2011) (ARC)

LOW RED MOON by Ivy Devlin (the paranormal pseudonym for Elizabeth Scott) (Bloomsbury, September 2010) (ARC)

NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner (St. Martin's, September 2009) (Paperback)

is...

Library Lady!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

Five finished copies of WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


An ARC of THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

BIG BOUFFANT Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered! You guys will all love this book. It's that cute.

The winner of BIG BOUFFANT by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown (Carolrhoda Books, April 2011)


is...

Karen!

****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

Five finished copies of WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


An ARC of THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

Revisions are a lot like...

...remodeling the kitchen.

I am impatient by nature, but I have to teach myself to take my time.

I'm not afraid to jump right in and start striping old stain off.

I know anything I mess up can always be fixed.

There is so much to do, but, by taking it one step at a time, it will come out beautifully!

Day 2. No doors. No stuff. No stain.

Day 3. No doors. No stuff. Black paint.
I couldn't help but sing The Rolling Stones "Paint it, Black" when I started.

What are revisions like for you?

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll be busy working on the kitchen :)

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway: VAMPIRES and WEREWOLVES Books!

I love doing these monthly giveaways care of Kathy Habel at I am a Reader, Not a Writer . Each month she organizes one in the spirit of the holidays, and this month, it's all about St. Patty's Day! So while you sip your green beer tonight, spend some time visiting all the blogs in the giveaway (see list below).

Up for giveaway this month are three books featuring your favorite paranormal creatures!



RED MOON RISING by Peter Moore (Hyperion, February 8, 2011) (ARC)


LOW RED MOON by Ivy Devlin (the paranormal pseudonym for Elizabeth Scott) (Bloomsbury, September 2010) (ARC)


NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner (St. Martin's, September 2009) (Paperback)



From Amazon:

For RED MOON RISING:
Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you a whole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny’s other half is human. Which is a good thing.

Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds.

For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny’s been having some weird symptoms -- fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon.

Even though it’s easy to be in denial, it’s hard to ignore evidence. There’s only a month until the next few moon, and Danny’s time is running out.

For LOW RED MOON:
The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilight and as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting—by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin.

For NIGHT RUNNER:
For Zack Thomson, living in the Nicholls Ward isn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange and severe allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. He could watch as much television as he wanted; his best friend Charlie visited him often enough; and Nurse Ophelia--the prettiest no-nonsense nurse ever--sometimes took him bowling. Of course, that didn't mean he had it easy. His allergies restricted his diet to strawberry smoothies, and being the only kid at the hospital could get lonely. But it never once crossed Zack's mind to leave...until the night someone crashed through the front doors and told him to run. Now he's on a race for answers--about his past, his parents, and his strange sickness--even as every step takes him closer to the darkest of truths.

Source of books: From publishers at conferences

For your chance to win these books, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Sunday, March 20, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

Five finished copies of WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!



BIG BOUFFANT by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown (Carolrhoda Books, April 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


*****

Here's a handy list of all the blogs on the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway!



Good Luck!

Newest Featured Sweetheart—Clay Smith

Hey Everyone! Clay Smith, the director of the awesome, best-in-the-country, Texas Book Festival, is our Featured Sweetheart this week! So when you get a chance, please head over to THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS blog and check out what he has to say!

Calling all Trekkies: STARFLEET ACADEMY for the YA Crowd

Let me start by saying I am a devoted Trekkie.

There, we've gotten that out of the way. So every time I've been at B&N in the last four months and walked by the pretty table with all the YA books so nicely stacked, these books have been calling out to me. And one day, they called, and I had to buy them. Resistance was futile. (okay, please don't judge me).

THE EDGE (STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY) by Rudy Josephs*



THE DELTA ANOMALY (STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY) by Rick Barba*



What did I think of the Starfleet books?
Personally, I really enjoyed them. But we have to keep in mind my first statement in this blog post. I am a Trekkie. here are the basic things covered in the books:

• Jim Kirk finds a new girlfriend.
• Jim Kirk saves the day.
• Jim Kirk has nice character development by showing flaws in his character.
• Uhura is a genius.
• Uhura and Spock have a wonderful romantic relationship developing that is oh-so-Vulcan.

Who would I recommend the book to?

• Fans of Star Trek (of course)
• Young adults, boys and girls, who enjoyed the recent Star Trek movie.

So really, if you fall in either of these two categories, you should check one of these books out. I'd start with THE EDGE since it seems to chronologically come first.

Anyway, LIVE LONG AND PROSPER :)

*I have to say trying to find out who actually wrote the books was a challenge in itself. The book has no author listed on the front or on the spine.

From Amazon for THE EDGE:

A new Starfleet Academy series for teens--filled with romance and adventure! In The Competitive Edge, Kirk finds out how much of a toll the intense training classes and grueling schedule of academy life is taking on all the cadets, including himself. But some recruits seem better equipped to handle the challenges. Is there something that is giving them an edge? Kirk is determined to find out, especially since one of the cadets with a little something extra is his new girlfriend.

THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago ARC Giveaway

The premise of this novel rocks! Ever since I was in elementary school and learned about witchcraft and the Salem witch trials, I've loved the subject. I used to sneak looks at weird "black magic" books and laugh about it with friends. So let's just say, witchcraft is a rocking subject to write about.

Up for giveaway today is

THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago (Hyperion, April 19, 2011)



For videos, I dug out this video of the author talking about the UK (?) release of the book (called MONTACUTE HOUSE).

From Amazon:

It’s Spring again in the village of Montacute, and people want nothing more than to celebrate the season with maypole dances, festivals, and visits from the nobility. The festivities are dampened, though, when a young boy turns up dead outside the village. Then they learn that three other boys have also disappeared lately. To the parson, this tragedy is a perfect excuse to kick off the only thing guaranteed to get his spring-giddy parishioners back to church – a witch hunt.

Cecily may have occasional visions, but that doesnt' make her a witch! Fatherless and without friends, Cess knows she’s lucky to be employed by a grand estate like Montacute House, even if it is as a poultry girl.

On her thirteenth birthday, Cess finds a precious locket in one of her chicken coops, a strange discovery that’s quickly overshadowed by her best friend John’s disappearance two days later. The parson has already started planting rumors that the missing boys were bewitched, and the villagers think Cecily may be the culprit.

The only way Cess can prove her innocence is by finding John, but she’s soon embroiled in a plot that threatens her world and forces her to draw upon powers she never knew she possessed

Witchcraft, politics and religious ambition combine in this gripping and wonderfully realized novel set in the Somerset of the 1500s.

Source of books: From publisher at conference


For your chance to win this ARC, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, March 25, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:


Five finished copies of WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


BIG BOUFFANT by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown (Carolrhoda Books, April 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Writing from the Place: TEN WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF A WRITING CONFERENCE

It seems the season of conferences is here and strong! We had our local Austin SCBWI one last month, the Houston one is next month. WLT. TLA. BEA. ALA. And Dallas ComicCon*. It's all a bit overwhelming if you let it be.

*Did I mention I'll be at Dallas ComicCon? Okay, that's a post for another day!


Anyway, with all the conferences and opportunities for learning and networking, we here at THE PLACE (being K. A. Holt, Jessica Lee Anderson, E. Kristin Anderson, Madeline Smoot, Mari Mancusi, Stephanie Pellegrin, and sometimes member Jenny Ziegler) are here to make the overwhelming not seem so overwhelming after all.

We give you...

TEN WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF A WRITING CONFERENCE:


1) Talk to as many people as you can.
Eat lunch with a group from a different town, look at books by people you met five seconds ago, approach your idols and chat about books but also kids and pets and the weather. Building connections is about getting to know people!


2) Say yes!
We work in an industry of no, but a conference is a good time to say YES! Did a new friend ask you to go to dinner after the conference? Say yes! Did a stranger ask you for your email? Say yes! Did Greg Pincus ask you if you're going to join Twitter later? Say yes! Did an agent ask you if you're willing to change something major in your book if it means an offer? You had better freaking say YES!



3) Take advantage of the local authors!
(in a good way, of course)
Sometimes the critiques that fill up fastest are the ones with the editors and agents and out of town authors. But remember, local authors are a great resource, too! They've found success for a reason, learn from them. I totally had a breakthrough in my critique with friend and local author Brian Yansky this weekend! Last year, PJ Hoover gave me info that changed my perspective on writing across gender! (From E. Kristin Anderson)


4) Bring snacks.
Even if the conference food is delicious, your brain will be so fired up that you will need the extra fuel. Chocolate is highly recommended.
Highly recommended.

Depending on how delicious your snacks are, you may want to offer to share.

5) Stay hydrated throughout the day.
But not too much so that you have to run to the bathroom every couple of minutes and miss the part where superstar editor, Elizabeth Law, talks about how an introverted, sore-ridden, closet-living author would still be promotable if his/her book was THAT good.


6) ALWAYS wear comfortable shoes.
You never know where you'll end up parking or how many stairs you'll go up and down a million times.

These shoes are not recommended.

7) Try your best to mingle.
This can be hard. But, you know, talking to people is a good way to actually *meet* people. And people are nice. Especially writing and illustrating and library-ing people.

Here's a nice post from WikiHow for how to mingle with people you don't know.

8) Offer to help.
Look around at how things work. Note what you could do, and next year when the opportunity comes up, offer to help out.
Wait? The opportunity never comes up? Email whoever's in charge and ask how you can help.


9) Prepare your pitch.
Seriously. The week before, write out your two sentence pitch. Not three sentences. Not two long sentences. Two normal sentences. Write them out how you would say them, and then practice them at home until they sound normal when they come out.


10) Leave fear at home.
Do not be the shy person.
Do not be the person who takes a nap on the sofa during lunch.
Do not be the person who sits in the far back all by her/himself.
Be the person who smiles and says hello.
Be the person who is upbeat and happy to be there.
Be yourself, but be the fun, non-shy part of yourself. Because the day will be over before you know it.

For help with overcoming fear, watch this video.

Contest Winners!

Thank you, everyone, for entering to win these awesome books!

The winner of ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES by Brian Yansky (Candlewick, October 2010)


is...

Tim!

*****

The winner of NUM8ERS: THE CHA0S by Rachel Ward (The Chicken House, March 1, 2011)

is...

BEVERLY at The Wormhole!

*****

The winners of ODD GIRL IN by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin Mix/Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)

are...

Nancye!

and

Kelly Polark!

*****

Thank you! And don't forget I'm also giving away:

Five finished copies of WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!



BIG BOUFFANT by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown (Carolrhoda Books, April 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Fonetik Friday!

Writing today and loved this graffiti from THE PLACE!


Hope you all have a great weekend!

Writers' League of Texas YA A to Z Conference!

There's some huge stuff going on here in Texas! For those of you who adore conferences and the amazing networking opportunities and inspirations they provide, then the Writers' League of Texas has the perfect conference for you (and really, I'm not just saying this because I'm on a few panels).

It's just after TLA (Texas Library Association) this April, and the schedule is packed full with authors and agents and editors! I mean, seriously, check out the schedule, because you won't believe all the awesome people coming!

The basic details are:

Writers' League of Texas Presents

YA A to Z Conference
Everything You Need to Know
About Writing for the Young-Adult Market
April 15-16, 2011
Hyatt Regency Austin
208 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78704

At the Writers' League of Texas' brand-new YA A to Z Conference, you can focus on the craft of writing for teens and young adults, as well as meet agents and editors and get up to speed on the latest trends in publishing for this hot market.

Why attend?

• Study with some of the country's premier YA authors
• Meet top YA agents and editors
• Learn the latest about this booming market
• Position yourself to succeed as a YA author
  
  

Registration includes:

• Admission to more than 20 panels and lectures on writing and the publishing business
• Admission to the Friday Welcome Reception with agents and editors
• Admission to the Saturday night YA A to Z Party
• Admission to the exhibit hall featuring vendors specializing in services for writers
• Access to top agents and editors throughout the weekend
• Access to premier YA authors, publicists, marketing experts, and more
  Register Now!

Register Now!

For details, visit the registration page.

You can also sign up for extra add-ons:

• Keynote Breakfast, with Tim Wynne-Jones on Saturday, April 16 ($35 per ticket
• Agent/editor consultations( $50 per 15-minute appointment)
  
• "Ask an Author" consultations with professional authors ($50 per 15-minute appointment)
• "Building Your Buzz" consultations with marketing/publicity experts ($50 per 15-minute appointment)
• "Critique Me!," critique of 10 to 15 manuscript pages by an author or an editor ($75 per 30-minute appointment)
• Saturday Night YA A to Z Party tickets for friends and family
  

And just for a taste of the faculty...

Agents & Editors:

• Agent Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency
• Editor Francoise Bui of Random House
• Agent John Cusick of Scott Treimel NY
• Agent Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency
  
• Editor Evelyn Fazio of WestSide Books
• Agent Laurie McLean of Larsen Pomada
• Agent Elena Mechlin of Pippin Properties
  

Authors:

• Author (Texas Sweetheart) Jessica Lee Anderson
• Author Cinda Williams Chima
• Author Beth Fehlbaum
• Author Gail Giles
• Author Bethany Hegedus
• Author Heather Hepler
• Author (Texas Sweetheart) K.A. Holt
• Author (Texas Sweetheart) P.J. Hoover
• Author Varian Johnson
• Author Uma Krishnaswami
• Author Hope Larson
• Author (Texas Sweetheart) Jeanette Larson
  
• Author Cynthia Leitich Smith
• Author Greg Leitich Smith
• Author April Lurie
• Author Mari Mancusi
• Author Margo Rabb
• Author Bettina Restrepo
• Author Carrie Ryan
• Author (Texas Sweetheart) Jo Whittemore
• Author Tim Wynne-Jones
• Author Brian Yansky
  

You can get all the details here! See you there!

BIG BOUFFANT — An Awesome Giveaway!

For you loyal readers who remember, I made a book trailer for a darling picture book at the end of last year, and now, in celebration of the release, the super-sweet author has offered up a copy of the finished book for a giveaway!

BIG BOUFFANT by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown (Carolrhoda Books, April 2011)


Trust me when I tell you, this book is beyond cute! It's perfect for those young girls in your life who adore FANCY NANCY, AMERICAN GIRL, or dressing up.

Here's the trailer I was honored to make!

From Amazon:

"Ponytails and braids! Ponytails and braids! I don't see anything but ponytails and braids! This class needs some fashion. This class needs some fun. I'll find a hairdo to impress everyone." Annabelle doesn't want the same boring hairstyle that all the other girls have. When she spies a picture of her grandma, she has the perfect idea: a big bouffant! But how can she make her style stand up? And will her classmates really be impressed with her daring `do?

Source of book: From author

For your chance to win this darling book, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post


For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Friday, March 18, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

Five hardcovers of the not-yet-released WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

ODD GIRL IN by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin Mix/Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES by Brian Yansky (Candlewick, October 2010)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


NUM8ERS: THE CHA0S by Rachel Ward (The Chicken House, March 1, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

Kate Klimo is our Featured Sweetheart!

Kate Klimo, VP and Publisher at Random House/Golden Books for Young Readers Group is our newest Featured Sweetheart! Head over to the TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS blog to find out what she has to say about the picture book!

WITHER by Lauren DeStefano Review and Giveaway!

When I first heard the premise for this book, I couldn't wait to read it. And now, I plan to put myself first in line to request book 2 in the series (because, yay! there is going to be a book 2).

WITHER (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)


Simon & Schuster is an amazing publisher, and they've offered up 5 (FIVE!!!!!) finished hardcovers of WITHER for giveaway. Check below for details!


WITHER touches on issues like genetic engineering and DNA testing and polygamous marriage. In a society where females die at age 20 and males at age 25, every second counts. The main character, Rhine, wants to live her life the way she wants to live it in a way that makes us care about how she's going to get out of captivity and back to the world she knows.

There are a few things that really set WITHER apart from other dystopic stories.
First, the world of captivity is drawn perfectly with the words for us to see. I felt like I was living in the nice big house with Rhine. I was eating the same food and going to the same parties. So nicely done!
Second, the relationship between the sister-wives makes us truly see each of their transformations and care about their individual circumstances. They're all different ages and from different backgrounds, and each has to find a way to live in their new surroundings and cope in a way to make their life bearable.
And finally, Rhine, though married to the house governor, has found someone else she'd rather be with. And as her minutes of life tick away, each second she's not with him is painful for us all.

I'd highly recommend this one for fans of paranormal and dystopic teen fiction! Seriously, don't miss out! Of dystopic stories, this one rises to the top.


Here's the author talking about WITHER!



From Amazon:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?


Source of books: From publisher

*Please note: This contest is for United States shipping only.*

For your chance to win one of 5 hardcovers of WITHER, all you need to do is:

1) Follow this blog
2) Comment on this blog post

For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me
2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me
3) Also, if you've never won one of my contests, please tell me in the comments, and you'll get an extra entry!

And make sure you leave me a way to get in contact with you when you win!

The contest will run through midnight on Monday, March 21, 2011!

*****

Don't forget I'm also giving away:

ODD GIRL IN by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin Mix/Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES by Brian Yansky (Candlewick, October 2010)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


NUM8ERS: THE CHA0S by Rachel Ward (The Chicken House, March 1, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

Book Trailer for I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS by Barrie Summy

Anyone who knows Barrie Summy adores her, and anyone who's read Barrie's I DO DON'T DO MYSTERIES series knows her writing rocks! So I was thrilled when Barrie asked me to make a book trailer for her upcoming release!

I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS by Barrie Summy (Delacorte, May 10, 2011)


We had a blast with it and even put in some special extras at the end!

Hope you guys enjoy! And look for an ARC giveaway as the release date gets closer!

MUMMY vs. BIGFOOT...Take 190 West

Drive one hour north of Austin, add a bunch of authors and illustrators, and this is what you get!

This past Saturday was the TAKE 190 WEST ART FESTIVAL in Killeen, Texas. Aside from being an amazing festival (thank you, Killeen and Pat Anderson, for having me!), this is what some of the other authors and I did*.

As for where the idea came from, author Jessica Lee Anderson and I do a joint school visit presentation about the topic, related to writing of course. Check it out here!


*A note that this is what I love about authors. You can present them with any random subject, ask their opinion, and they will managed to entertain!

Thank you to those who weighed in for this video:

Jessica Lee Anderson
Pat Anderson
Chris Barton
Clare Dunkle
Brian Floca
Jason Henderson
K. A. Holt
Kimberly Willis Holt
P. J. Hoover (me)
Mark Mitchell
Don Tate
Jenny Ziegler

The whole crowd of volunteers and author!

Contest Winners!

Thanks to all who entered to win!

The winner of ENTWINED by Heather Dixon (Greenwillow, March 29, 2011)

is...

KELSEY at KelseyAnne's Book Blog!

*****

The winner of YOU KILLED WESLEY PAYNE by Sean Beaudoin (Little, Brown, February 1, 2011)

is...

SARAH at Sarah Reads Too Much!

*****

I hope you enjoy your books! And don't forget I'm also giving away:

ODD GIRL IN by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin Mix/Simon & Schuster, March 22, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES by Brian Yansky (Candlewick, October 2010)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!



NUM8ERS: THE CHA0S by Rachel Ward (The Chicken House, March 1, 2011)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.