Friday, June 29, 2012

Character Interview with Brooke + Giveaway: Arena One by Morgan Rice

Hello everyone! So today I have Brooke from Arena One by Morgan Rice. She has interesting things to say. Stick around for a giveaway!


Can you tell us about yourself?

I live in the distant future, a hundred years from now. In my world, there is an apocalypse. America was wiped out from a civil war, and few of us remain who are healthy and sane. We survive in the Catskill mountains, but food is scarce and getting more scarce each year. Yet we dare not venture too far, as the Slaverunners roam the countryside, looking for victims to imprison and drag into the island that what was once New York City for the death games.

What do you think of the present world?

I like 2012. I wish my world were like this. And yet, I am sad here, knowing that one day all of this will disappear.

What was the first thing you did when you got here?

Bought supplies. Real food. Canned food. Fresh water. Guns. Ammo. I know I won’t need it for a few hundred more years. But I couldn’t help it. After that, I took myself to a steak dinner. Real steak. Mashed potatoes. Green beans. Corn. I can hardly remember what real food tasted like. When I finished, I ordered another.

If you lived in our time, who would you be? What would you do?

I would live about 20 years before our apocalypse. I would be a politician. I would find a way to stop the nonsense, and stop us from killing each other.

What is your favorite thing about 2012? Why?

The innocence. You all live in a world which is Pre-Apocalyptic. You take everything for granted. You have no idea what’s coming.

If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for? Why?

I wish I could bring my little sister back here. I wish she could enjoy all this with me. That’s all I want. And then, I wish we could stay here forever. And never go back to our world. To the 2100s. And to the dreaded and feared ARENA ONE.

About the Author:

Morgan Rice is the #1 Bestselling author of THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, a young adult series currently comprising seven books, which has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into six languages. Morgan is also author of ARENA ONE: SLAVERUNNERS, the first book in a new trilogy which is a post-apocalyptic action thriller set in the future.

Follow Morgan: Facebook | Twitter | Site

Giveaway: Arena One by Morgan Rice

New York. 2120. American has been decimated, wiped out from the second Civil War. In this post-apocalyptic world, survivors are far and few between. And most of those who do survive are members of the violent gangs, predators who live in the big cities. They patrol the countryside looking for slaves, for fresh victims to bring back into the city for their favorite death sport: Arena One. The death stadium where opponents are made to fight to the death, in the most barbaric of ways. There is only one rule to the arena: no one survives. Ever.

Deep in the wilderness, high up in the Catskill Mountains, 17 year old Brooke Moore manages to survive, hiding out with her younger sister, Bree. They are careful to avoid the gangs of slaverunners who patrol the countryside. But one day, Brooke is not as careful as she can be, and Bree is captured. The slaverunners take her away, heading to the city, and to what will be a certain death.

Brooke, a Marine’s daughter, was raised to be tough, to never back down from a fight. When her sister is taken, Brooke mobilizes, uses everything at her disposal to chase down the slaverunners and get her sister back. Along the way she runs into Ben, 17, another survivor like her, whose brother was taken. Together, they team up on their rescue mission.

What follows is a post-apocalyptic, action-packed thriller, as the two of them pursue the slaverunners on the most dangerous ride of their lives, following them deep into the heart of New York. Along the way, if they are to survive, they will have to make some of the hardest choices and sacrifices of their lives, encountering obstacles neither of them had expected—including their unexpected feelings for each other. Will they rescue their siblings? Will they make it back? And will they, themselves, have to fight in the arena?

Rules:

Follow Fragments Of Life
Open internationally
You should be at least 13 years old

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The Puca Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway: The Secret of Spruce Knoll & To Ride a Puca by Heather McCorkle

Hi everyone! Today, Heather McCorkle will take over my blog as I’m in school, madly researching and whirling around dusty shelves in the library for my thesis. Stick around for an Irish giveaway later.

Irish Legends

Ever since I was very little I’ve been drawn to Irish legends. Visions of fairies, leprechauns, and sprites filled my days as a child. There is just something magical about Ireland and her rich culture. As I grew older though I learned there was much more to the legends than pixie dust and dreams. There was a darker side filled with creatures that would have made Lovecraft sit up and take notice. Those creatures fascinated me and I knew that one day I would have to write about them.

A few years ago, while researching for a weekly reoccurring post that I do on my blog, Friday Creature Feature, I came across the puca. As I read this “A horse that takes it’s rider on a wild ride that forever changes their life,” the character struck me. Not literally, such is not this character’s way, but figuratively speaking of course.  There is much more to the legend of the creature but to find that out, I hope you’ll read the book. ;)


Here is a bit about my new release, To Ride A Puca, a historical fantasy:

Invaders are coming to take what isn't theirs, again.

Neala wants to stand and fight for her homeland, but as one of the last druids, she may be standing alone.

Persecuted, hunted down, forced to live in obscurity, the druids have all but given up. Can the determination of a girl who has barely come into her power bring them together? Or, just when she finally finds her place among her kind, will they end up losing a homeland their very magic is tied to?


To Ride A Puca is available in eBook and hardback at 
B&NAmazonThe Book Depository and other retail sites. 

Giveaway: To Ride A Puca, The Secret of Spruce Knoll


Rules:

Anyone can enter. No following required but it’s an extra entry. J
Open internationally.




a Rafflecopter giveaway




Sunday, June 24, 2012

Review: Silhouette by Thalia Kalkipsakis


Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 258 pages
July 2012, Hardie Grant Egmont

Scarlett Stirling is hardworking and fiercely ambitious. She loves the blisters and the strict regime of her dance classes at the National Academy of Performing Arts. Her life is measured and balanced. Perfect.

But when Scarlett meets charismatic musician Moss, she enters another world – a world without restrictions – and is swept up in a heady whirlwind of sex, drugs and celebrity. Spread thin between her commitments and her desire to be with Moss, Scarlett pushes herself to the limit, unaware she’s playing a dark game.

Silhouette is not just another dance book. This gritty young adult novel follows the strong and determined Scarlett as she navigates her way from the safe, structured Academy into the adult world of commercial dance.

Thalia Kalkipsakis (Go Girl, Girlfriend Fiction) explores a cut-throat industry, where talent and ambition are paramount, and one mis-step can cost you everything.

Source: Jennifer and Hardie Grant Egmont (Thank you!!)

My Thoughts:

Scarlett was disciplined, determined, perfect and ambitious. She was one of the best students in her year, simply graceful, quick to pick u steps and ever patient and hardworking. With years of training, she now led a strict but balanced life as a dancer. I liked her as a character. She knew what she wanted in life and she charged towards her goal, fearless.

I was swept up into Scarlett’s hectic but exciting world. First of all, I am not a dancer so reading a book about dancing was something new for me. Reading about dancing from a very dedicated and passionate dancer’s point of view was perfection. Scarlett’s daily life revolved around her dancing and her passion until she met Moss Young, a young, attractive musician.

Moss was extremely charming. His voice alone could lure girls into his arms. Scarlett wanted to be with him, wanted to get close to him and so she did. The world that Moss moved in, however, was dark and glamorous. He led Scarlett into a fun but non-committed relationship. He was attracted to Scarlett but apparently, it wasn’t enough for him to take her seriously. He insisted that he and Scarlett needed freedom to focus on their passion: he on his music and Scarlett on her dancing. Moss was part-good and part-bad for me. At times, I hated him and at times, I was amused and intrigued with him. He led an ambitious life and it was clear that he might be a bad influence but when it came to his music, he would do anything.

With the graduation performance coming up, Scarlett was working twice as hard, pushing herself to her limit to be the most perfect dancer there ever was. But she was standing on the edge of a knife, trying to balance her dancing and her complicated relationship with Moss Young, all while dealing with her mom’s secrets.

The other characters of Silhouette also played their roles well. They were interesting and engaging. Paige, Scarlett’s best friend was not your average ballerina. Towering at 6 feet, she struggled to claim her place in the industry. Grant, one of the best students at the Academy, was surprisingly down to earth and concerned with Scarlett. To be honest, I even thought that he had a thing for her. Bruno, Moss Young’s drummer, was a rational and good friend despite the crowd he rolled with.

Silhouette is powerful, beautiful, engrossing and crazy good with its hypnotic prose and engaging characters. I was stunned and awed by the writing. It was simple yet elegant. It was exactly the kind of writing that made readers fall in love with the story by the first five pages.
Silhouette is one of the best books from Australia. I highly recommend this to readers of YA contemporary novels!

Rating:





Friday, June 22, 2012

Character Interview with Naif + Giveaway: Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

Hi everyone! Today, I have Naif, a very intriguing girl from the awesome story world of Burn Bright, Angel Arias and Shine Light for a short interview.


Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Retra-- no my name is Naif. I used to live in a place called Grave but now I have no home.

You must be new to Ixion. Here we don’t talk about the past – only the present. My friend Suki might tell you about her life though. She is the only one who dares to reminisce.

What do you think of the present world?

I think that the Riper’s are dangerous, and that you should be careful asking so many questions. They don’t like curious young ones. They want you to laugh and enjoy yourself but they don’t want you to think.

What was the first thing you did when you got here?

I was a baby bat like you. I went to Vank and learned the ways of the island. Charlonge showed me my locker and where to eat. She warned me not to stray from the paths.

If you lived in our time, who would you be? What would you do?

I’m not sure I can imagine such a thing. You speak of technologies I can’t fathom. But to answer your question as best I can … I would be the serious one. The friend who worries and takes responsibility.
  
If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for? Why?

I’d wish …

To free Ixion from the dark so all its secrets can be told.
To change Grave so that the Elders no longer made all the decisions. So my home can become a better place to live.
For Lenoir not to be a Riper because I … just because …

About the Author:

Marianne de Pierres is the author of the acclaimed Parrish Plessis and award-winning Sentients of Orion science fiction series. The Parrish Plessis series has been translated into eight languages and adapted into a roleplaying game. She’s also the author of a teen dark fantasy series.
Marianne is an active supporter of genre fiction and has mentored many writers. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, three sons and three galahs. Marianne writes award-winning crime under the pseudonym Marianne Delacourt.

Follow Marianne: Twitter | Goodreads | Site

Giveaway: Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

Retra - now called Naif - has escaped from Ixion, the island of ever-night. She doesn't know if her friends on the island survived the battle between the Ripers and the rebels. But she does know that she must return home, behind the sealed walls of Grave, to find out why the Ripers have been seen there talking to the councillors. What links the two worlds?

First she must convince Ruzalia to help her. The fierce pirate captain saves those who face terrible fates on Ixion, but that doesn't guarantee their gratitude. Instead, she faces a revolt - and Naif is caught in the middle.

Naif will need all her courage to survive. For Lenoir, who wants to keep her safe, for her friends Suki and Rollo, if they live, for Markes, who has secrets of his own, and for the new friends she will make on this journey.

The fate of worlds depends on it.

Rules:

Follow Fragments of Life.
Open internationally.
You must be at least 13 years old.


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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Behind Shut Up + Giveaway: Two Signed Copies of Shut Up!

 “Behind Shut Up
By Anne Tibbets

          My book “Shut Up” didn’t start out with that title.  It actually had several.  At one point I called it “Shades of Grey,” which in retrospect, would have been pretty funny in light of the recent erotica sensation, “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“Shut Up” was also called “Mary’s Truth,” but I felt it lacked any real kick, and wasn’t particularly snappy.  There were several months, and perhaps even years, when I wrote the book thinking the title was something else entirely.
          It wasn’t until I started shopping the book around to literary agents, and received numerous rejections, that I began to question the title, but there were many additional factors that were impeding it.  For one, “Shut Up” has a non-traditional Young Adult word count.  Mainstream publishers like Young Adult Contemporaries to be about 65,000 words long – or longer!  That’s about 200 pages.  “Shut Up” was short, and I didn’t want to make it any longer.  I felt the timeline was suspenseful and emotionally radioactive at its current length, and adding “fluff” in between would have killed the impact.
Also, “Shut Up” has a twelve-year-old protagonist, and that’s considered a big No-No in traditional publishing.  A “traditional” Young Adult heroine needs to be AT LEAST fourteen years old, and despite the fact I played with the idea of making Mary fourteen, it would have changed the entire point I was trying to make, which was that Mary was emotionally unprepared, out-gunned, and out-matched in all aspects of her personal life, whereas, a fourteen year old would have been able, like Paul, to handle it a bit better. So, despite very strong and knowledgeable advice from Ellen Hopkins at a writer’s conference to make Mary fourteen, I ignored her advice. 
I’m stubborn like that. 
In addition to all these broken “rules,” the then title, “Mary’s Truth,” was vague.  No one would understand it unless they’d actually read the book, and it wasn’t intriguing enough to snare people in…So, I wracked my brain for a few weeks and tried to come up with something that would entice, evoke emotion, and then it came to me…What were they really asking Mary to do?  They were asking her to “Shut Up” and take the abuse quietly, which then, in turn, caused Mary to shut herself up into a little ball of depressed emotion.  She was shut up, and told to shut up.
I have a personal weakness for double meanings.
But, this title was very provocative and many-a-traditional publishing house would have been afraid to touch something so, well, rude.
All this led me to my only logical choice: “Shut Up” had to be published by a small press who was willing to go against the traditional grain.  I’d broken too many rules to do otherwise.
          It’s one of my many flaws. J
          Mind you, unless “Shut Up” sells millions of copies, you won’t find it on the shelf at any bookstore, and for now, that’ll have to do.  It was the price I paid in order to leave the story exactly as I wanted, to have the title exactly as I wanted, and to reach my readers, exactly as I wanted.
          Now, we just have to spread the word.

Giveaway: Two Signed Copies of Shut Up

Thanks to Anne, two of you guys can win a signed copy of Shut Up. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form!


About Shut Up:


Mary's older sister, Gwen, has royally screwed up her life. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she's also decided to marry The Creep who knocked her up.

Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding. Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off The Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport.

Despite her brother's advice to shut up, Mary can't keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much it comes to blows.

Mary doesn't know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected. When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.


Rules:

Open to US and Canada (you can join if you have a US/Canadian address)
Follow Fragments of Life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway






Review: Shut Up by Anne Tibbets


Book Description via Goodreads:

Paperback, 108 pages
February 28, 2012, Premier Digital Publishing

Mary's older sister, Gwen, has royally screwed up her life. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she's also decided to marry The Creep who knocked her up.

Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding. Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off The Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport.

Despite her brother's advice to shut up, Mary can't keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much it comes to blows.

Mary doesn't know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected. When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.

Source: Anne Tibbets (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Mary was not exactly a kid anymore but she wasn’t a teenager yet. She was in between but she still had the innocence and curiosity of a child. In the novel, all she wanted was to get along with her family – with her demanding and snappy mother and her problematic and cruel sister – but despite her patience and her effort, it wouldn’t work. My heart broke for Mary. I understood her situation because I once thought like her. It is difficult to figure out what adults want and expect of you.

Mary’s family was problematic and dysfunctional. It all started with her older sister, Gwen. Gwen was the pretty and popular who got really good grades. Aside from shamelessly gossiping about everyone, she had another bad habit: she always picked on and lashed out at Mary for the pettiest things. Gwen always put Mary down, making sure that she knew that she was inferior. She has been doing this for as long as Mary could remember. That kind of habit left a bad side effect: Mary really did thought of herself as inferior. This is one of the things that really made me loathe Gwen. She destroyed her own sister’s self-confidence.

I am not against authoritative parenting but when it comes to the point that the kids are hit for the smallest reasons, they bleed and they have to limp for several days afterwards, I have to say that I’m firmly against it. I believe that it’s no longer rational. The unnecessary punishment feeds the fear that the children harbor.

As things got more problematic with the stress of Gwen’s upcoming wedding, things spiral out of control. Mary’s mom easily got snappy and angry. Her dad walked into his office and read away. Her brother kept out of the way. Gwen was even more vicious and cruel. But then Gwen moved away with her husband, leaving their home silent and peaceful for once. No shouting. No demands. No complaints. Without Gwen, Mary could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But that’s not the end of it.

Mary’s home was no longer a sanctuary. Negative energy, rejection and harsh punishments, anger, hatred, desperation and frustration blended into a dangerous mix that finally pushed Mary to run away.

Shut Up is a painfully honest, raw and strong debut, filled with the truth behind closed doors, pulsing emotions and heart-wrenching moments. I highly recommend this to readers of YA dark contemporary! Don’t miss out on this one.

Rating:





Saturday, June 16, 2012

Interview with Charlotte & Natalie + Sirenz Giveaway

Hi everyone! As part of the Sirenz Back in Fashion Blog Tour, I’m interviewing two of my favorite authors, Char and Nat (aka the goddesses who wrote Sirenz.) Stick around for updates, background info and of course, the giveaway.


How was Sirenz born?

Char: We first worked on a picture book, which bombed (although I still think it was funny). We both wanted to do something longer so we decided to do a YA book. It started out with vamps (who hasn't thought about doing a vamp book?) but....everyone was doing vamps. Editors said NO MORE VAMPS. Scratching our heads, we wondered what to do that hasn't been done to death.

Nat: Then we started getting nostalgic about Xena Warrior Princess... (hope I'm not dating myself here!). Love that the gods were campy and like eye candy--and so the sirens--and Hades was re-born...

How do you balance the contemporary and paranormal elements of the novel?

Char/Nat: We like to think we don't go overboard on either. By basing the story in a contemporary setting, most readers can relate; been to a big city, did the high school tour, had an argument with roomies/classmates, etc. The paranormal, while some may consider it over the top to meet Hades in the New York City subway and get stuck in a deal with him, it's no more overboard than anything else out there. It helps that we stayed true to the Greek myths pretty closely so that was more familiarity. Readers won't be writing us saying, "That's not the ancient Greek myths I learned about!"

What was it like to write as partners? Was there a division of labor?

Char: There was a definite division of labor (too many cooks...). Nat hates first drafts so I began the manuscript, and we decided that we'd alternate the chapters from the two different characters' points of view. 

Nat: We did edit together and wrote in each other's chapters, and we took turns entering corrections. We only had one rule--at the end of the day, if it's your chapter you get the last word--until it goes to the editor/agent--ultimately, THEY would have the final say.

How did you two manage to fuse and blend your ideas and writing styles into one awesome novel?

Char: *blushes. I think the two different characters let each of us showcase our different styles. It also helps that we revised MANY times to polish it. The last revision go-round, we actually sat at my pool and READ the entire book aloud to each other--but I read her chapters, she read mine. If either of us stumbled or got thrown off, we knew we had to revise that spot.

Nat: ♥♥♥ I really think it was going over it, and over it, and over it again--we have so many drafts, but we improved the manuscript with each pass.

Hades was portrayed as the evil god, the brooding god and the misunderstood god. But how and why did you two come up with the naughty, fashionable and seductive Hades in Sirenz and Sirenz Back in Fashion?

Char: How hard is it to resist a creepy, ghoully-looking god who wants only to snag your soul? And could you resist a hot bad boy who's going to solve your problems?

Nat: Still thinking about Xena and company... le sigh!

If you could add another mythological character from any mythology - Norse, Greek, roman, etc - who or what would it be? Why? What scene would the new mythological character be in?

Char: I think it would be so fun to have Osirus, the Egyptian god of the dead do a throw down for souls with Hades. Who will win? (Of course he'd be Hades' equal in every way...) *hmmm, makes notes...

Nat: Maybe he can be played by the guy from the Mummy (Brendan Frasier/Rachel Weiz)--not the bald one, the one on the camel... Oded Fehr... must make note to self to check out what he looks like now... *checks* Yep, he would make a fine Osirus!

What's next for Char and Nat?

Char: So much! We need to finish Sirenz 3: Myth Appropriated (working title) which will be released in 2013 but not with Flux. We have a deal with Peter Joseph and Kat Borzowski from Thomas Dunne books for a "Devil Wears Prada" meets "James Bond" book called Blonde Ops, to be released in 2014 which we need to work on SOON! And for my individual projects, I'm working on a serious (I'm serious!) ghost story and a medical paranormal. And I'll accept sympathies for my MG which is languishing in submission hell.

Nat: For the tandem projects--what Char said! Solo, I have a Victorian Fantasy on sub (am planning revisions), and a somewhat historical somewhat contemporary fantasy that I'm about to send to my agent--crossables crossed!

About the Authors:


When not playing with pointed objects, Natalie Zaman is usually writing. She lives in central New Jersey with her family and several fine looking chickens.

Follow Nat: Twitter | Website | Blog

Lover of sparkly things, Char doesn't have as many shoes as she'd like, but wouldn't have time to wear them anyway with her three boys, husband, cat with issues, demented squirrels and insistent characters all demanding her time. She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Bradford Literary Agency and is hoping to get all her characters into print just so they'll be quiet.

Follow Char: Twitter | Website | Blog

Giveaway: Sirenz Back in Fashion + Swag

About Sirenz Back in Fashion:

In Sirenz, boarding school roomies Meg and Shar learned the hazards of making a deal with Hades, Lord of the Underworld. The wearing of a Tiffany's diamond ring in Sirenz Back In Fashion reactivates their contract, they find themselves back in his employ as sirens. And things are a little different this time; Shar is whisked off to the Underworld to play hostess as the dark god attempts to win her affections, while Meg is stuck topside, obligated to send spoiled rich girl Paulina Swanson to the Underworld. Hot gods, mere mortals and the Underworld have their secrets. Will Meg and Shar ever ditch Hades, and keep their wardrobes and souls intact?


The Prizes:




Rules:


Follow the blog.
Open to US/Can. - If you have a US address/Can address, you can join.
Must be at least 13 years old.


a Rafflecopter giveaway





Thursday, June 14, 2012

Elana Johnson on Hairstyles in Dystopia + Giveaway: Signed Possession and Surrender

Hi everyone! Today, I have the awesome Elana Johnson for a guest post about…hairstyles in her dystopian novels. Stick around for a giveaway. 


The Hairstyles of POSSESSION and SURRENDER
A guest post by Elana Johnson

Okay, so my novels (POSSESSION and SURRENDER) are set in the future. A dystopic future, with many and varied rules. Everything is decided to the main characters, to what job they’ll have to who they’ll marry.

In SURRENDER, the control is taken a bit further in that each Citizen has a meal plan they can’t deviate from. Snacks are regulated. The whole nine yards.

At the same time, there is a little bit more leeway in SURRENDER also. Students can save up their “good choice” points and use them to skip a single class. They test into their educational tracks, causing them to usually end up with something they enjoy and that they’re good at.

I also added in the hair enhancement wand. Because I think hairstyles are one of the easiest ways to express personality. I’ve seen example after example of teens acting out against their parents—with their hair.

And I thought it would be a perfect way to plant the seeds of rebellion in my main characters. So Gunner—the male MC—wears his hair just a little bit too long. And it’s obvious, because it curls when it gets too long. Raine Hightower—the female MC—has normally changed her hair everyday, setting it on punk-ish colors like lime-green and fuschia.

When SURRENDER opens, Raine’s got her hair on snow white, because that’s how she’d enhanced her hair the day Violet Schoenfeld came to live with her…

Gunner and Raine show their distaste for such strict rules through a simple act of disobedience. After all, hair is easy to fix. It grows back, and it can be colored instantly—especially in SURRENDER.

But it definitely means something in the world of POSSESSION and SURRENDER.

Have you ever rebelled by doing something crazy with your hair?

About the Author:

Elana's work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and is a member of SCBWI, ANWA and LDStorymakers.

She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Follow Elana: Twitter | Facebook | Blog

Giveaway: Signed Copies of Possession and Surrender by Elana Johnson

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque…. 

Rules:

Follow Fragments of Life
Open internationally.
You should be at least 13 years old.


a Rafflecopter giveaway





Monday, June 11, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (2)



Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing books that you’re adding to your ‘TBR,’ hosted by Tynga from Tynga’s Reviews.

For Review:


The Secret Life of Copernicus Stringfellow by Lorin Barber
The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo (ARC) – Currently reading
Second Skin by Judith Graves (signed)
The Glimpse by Claire Merle – Read and loved! Review to come!)
Poseidon by Anna Banks (duplicate ARC)
Silhouette by Thalia Kalkipsakis (ARC) – another crazy good Aussie contemporary!
How to Keep a Boy as a Pet by Diane Messidoro (ARC)
Shut Up by Anne Tibbets – Read and loved!


Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards (ARC) – OMG. I can’t believe I got this! Sooo happy.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (surprise ARC)

Big thank you to:

Lorin, Andrea, Judith, Claire, Laure & Faber & Faber, Jennifer & Hardie Grant Egmont, Anne, Karen, Media Masters Publicity & Harlequin Teen, and Harper Voyager!

What did you get this week?