Cover Reveal for the Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

So I haven't blogged in forever, but I'm happy to be back today to share the GORGEOUS cover of Leah Rae Miller's The Summer I Became A Nerd due out next year from Entangled!!!

This books sounds amazing and is on the shortlist of my most anticipated books for 2013. And now that the cover is out, it just makes me want to read it EVEN MORE!!

And since I'm not one for patience, here it is...

Isn't it AMAZING?

And in case you were wondering what it's about...

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

Doesn't it sound awesome?

Now go pre-order the book at either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and add it on Goodreads. Then go stalk Leah at the links below because she is AWESOME!

Leah Rae Miller

 Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

Twitter- https://twitter.com/LeahR_Miller  

Website/blog- http://leahraemillerblog.blogspot.com/

Be Inspired

So I got tagged twice in the Be Inspired meme.

First by one of my amazing CPs, Heather, who not only is one of the most sweetest and supportive writer friends I have ever known, but she writes about hot guys named Dylan and motorcyle kissing. Motorcycle kissing!

I also was tagged by Melissa Brady King, who writes some of the awesomest posts ever. Like on writing beginnings, her analysis of YA deals, and the perfect drinking game for revising.

Thanks girls, for the kick in the-post-on-your-blog pants.

So, without further ado, be inspired...

1. What is the name of your book? Starry Knight

2. Where did the idea for your book come from? Ooooh I wish I had a good story for this. Like it came on a train ride or in a dream. But no, not really. I was in the midst of a YA fantasy that was getting really, really weird. I mean really weird. I had this scene idea about a lonely girl and a beach and a shooting star. And well, that emerged into Starry Knight.

3. In what genre would you classify your book? Technically I would call it a Sci-fi Fantasy Love Story. But since that genre really doesn't exist...I go with Sci-fi Romance or Contemporary Fantasy

4. If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition of your book, who would you choose? I'm not good at this stuff, but I've always been partial to Jared Padalecki for Adam, Alex Pettyfer as Zane, Asher Book as Declan, and oddly enough Avril Lavigne without makeup as Sage.

5. Give us a one sentence synopsis of your book. Uhhhh...it's about fallen stars, and kissing, and Lake Superior, and kissing...

6. Is your book already published? Bahahahahahahaha. That would be a no.

7. How long did it take you to write your book? Almost 2 years...oh wow. I started it in in October of 2010 and finished the first draft in March of 2011. I revised for 4 months and sent out queries in July of 2011. Got LOTS and LOTS of rejections and was ready to trunk the thing, until one fabulous agent happened to tell me that while it was a fabulous story, it sadly was not fabulous writing. This was November 2011. So I spent the next four months studying the craft. I read dozens and dozens of books, took several kickbutt classes, and even attended my first writing conference. I hooked up with some amazing writers and became part of an awesome critique group (ahem...see right sidebar). In April, I rewrote the whole thing. May, June, July, and part of August were spent revising and revising and revising. And as of today, my little MS is back out in the big, bad world ready to sink or swim. And after a short break to catch up on tons of reading (which means more giveaways soon...squee!) and sleeping, I am so ready to finally be moving on to the next shiny idea.

8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to? (Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours?) Everybody immediately compares it to Stardust. To be honest, I have never read Stardust or seen the movie. It was one of my CPs who first brought it up. So of course I run to google and I'm like whoah this book looks so much cooler than mine. But hey, after reading the synopsis and watching movie clips, I can confidently say that my book is more I Am Number Four than it is Stardust.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book? Can I say all of those fabulous YA writers out there??? Maybe Nicholas Sparks, since my book isn't for people who like happy all the time.

10. Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book? That ultimately my book is about a girl, who learns that the only person she can "save" in life is herself.


And now my turn to tag...

Amber at amberafterglow
Rena at Doctor Faerie Godmother
Jennifer Baker-Henry
Melissa Hurst


And if you're reading this and would like to join in, consider yourself tagged! Just leave a link in the comments so I can go check out your book! :)

Monday Giveaway

First up, congrats to the winner of Lies Beneath, Emma K. You should have received an e-mail from me.

And now this week's giveaway.....

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about

Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Road Trip Wednesday

It's another Road Trip Wednesday over at YA Highway, and this week's question is...

In preparation for our Bookmobile discussion of Kody Keplinger’s A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHTMARE, how did you spend/how will you spend the summer after graduation?

It's been a while since I graduated, so I have to really think back on this one...

Uh, no.

Not that long (although my kids seem to think it was).

It was more like this...

It was 1994 and the internet was still a baby. I didn't have an e-mail address, a cell phone, or a clue about what I was going to do.

I did, however, have an opportunity to go to Sweden thanks to my parent's generous graduation gift. But I was seventeen, stupid, and smitten with the current boyfriend. And to be honest, the idea leaving home terrified me. Getting on a plane and flying to another country terrified me. College terrified me.

So I stayed home to be with a boy who no longer matters. I worked two jobs, hung out with friends, and signed up for fall classes at the local community college.

In all of the summers of my life so far, the summer after graduation is hardly a memorable one. It was dull and boring and safe. I was still stuck in my shell, unable and unwilling to break free. If I only I'd been brave enough then...how different my life may have turned out.

I think this is why I'm drawn to YA so much. Because I can live vicariously through the tough, courageous characters.

The ones who would've gone to Sweden.

Monday Giveaway

First up, congrats to the winner of Of Poseidon, Krista R. You should have received an e-mail from me.

And now this week's giveaway.....

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Is How I Write...

Just a few weeks ago, I was in the midst of finishing yet another draft of my current WIP.

I was pulling out my hair, rubbing my eyeballs, chewing off fingernails. And groaning. Lots of groaning.

And I was hating it. Hating writing.


I begged and pleaded with myself...Let me dream up ideas and characters and new problems. Let me create worlds and outlines and pages of notes. Let me revise - turn bad words into shiny ones. Move around scenes and characters. Slay adverbs and kill my darlings.

But please, please don't make me write.

But I had no choice. There's no shortcut, no detour, no way around the 'writing part'. But I fought it. Most of my writing sessions ended up going like this...

1. Write fifteen words. Erase fourteen.
2. Text CP about how bad I suck.
3. Write another word. Erase it.
4. CP texts back to tell me how awesome I am. Love that CP!
5. Write twenty words. Erase eighteen.
6. Check Facebook.
7. Write another word.
8. Refresh Facebook.
9. Delete word.
10. Refresh Facebook. Nothing. Go check Twitter.
11. Write 140 character Tweet.
12. Refresh Twitter.
13. Refresh Twitter.
14. Follow link to blog and another blog and another blog.
15. Remember I'm supposed to be writing. Go write ten more words.
16. Send 'whiney' IM to CP.
17. CP says 'I'm awesome'. Yay!
18. Write 10 more words. Realize I hate my character.
19. Wonder if it's possible for character to survive a fall off a 75 foot cliff.
20. Google it. Read articles.
21. Start watching cliff jumping videos.
22. Google vacations in Bermuda.
23. Google Adam Levine.
24. Drool over pictures.
25. Remember I'm supposed to be writing. Go write ten more words. Delete them all.
26. Check Facebook. Check Twitter.
27. Make coffee. Drink coffee. Make more coffee.
28. Call CP. Whine for about thirty minutes until she tells me to 'Go Write'.
29. Write one word. Realize I'm now up to a word count of 14.
30. Repeat steps 1-29 approximately 3,571 more times.

Several times mid-draft I wondered why am I doing this. You may be wondering why am I doing this.

But then I hit step 31 and finished the draft. Followed by step 32, where I shoved it in a drawer for a week and caught up on all the books I haven't read and the critiques I haven't done. And the nail biter of  step 33, where I pulled it back out and read all of my words.

This past weekend, I reached step 34 (my favorite by the way). I realized how much work I have ahead of me. How many tweaks and shines and rips and tears it's going to take to get this mess of words to sparkle. But it's also the step where I stepped back in awe and wonder and truly saw it....

My book.

One little crazy idea...now existing outside of me—growing and breathing and alive.

And then I remembered...

This is why I write. This is why I love it.

Monday Giveaway: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Yay! A new giveaway... Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.

Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.


Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

So I've been rather quiet...

Eeeek! So I've been a little absent here on the blog lately. April and May got busy...some things I had planned, some not planned, and I barely blink and it's June.

June!!!

Wow...where is this year going?

Despite my lack of wordiness here, I did manage to complete yet another draft of WIP. Yay! So I did write a lot of words...just not blog words.

But I'm back now, with new posts including a new giveaway starting next Monday. (And congrats to the winner of In Honor, Krista R.)

No giveaway here this week, but in celebration of Laura B Writer's Blogoversary, you can win a copy of All These Lives by Sarah Wylie along with tons of other fabulous prizes at her blog.

Also Amber is giving away A Million Suns by Beth Revis this week. Also check out her first vlog for a chance to win another book.

Yay! Glad to be back and looking forward to catching up with everybody!
 

Monday Giveaway: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

I'd like to announce the winners from my Epic Giveaway:

The winner of Insurgent is Melissa Brady King.
The winner of a pre-order of Crewel is Kelly Fox.
The winner of The Handmaid's Tale is Kylie Carlson.

Yay and Congrats! Thanks to everyone who entered and shared what they are reading in the comments. I discovered so many new books this week!

And now for this week's giveaway... In Honor by Jessi Kirby.

Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?


Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Epic Monday Giveaway: Insurgent + Crewel + The Handmaid's Tale Signed

And the winner of The Selection is Angie. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.


This week...I'm doing things a little differently.

Two weeks ago today, a book showed up in my mailbox. It was a few minutes past four when I tore into the package and pulled out a book I've been dying to read. By 4:10 p.m., I was full engrossed, devouring word after word, page after page.

I sent the kids and husband out to dinner...without me.

I skipped watching The Voice (which is huge for me since I'm crushin' like mad on Adam Levine these days).

I finished the book at approximately 9:25 p.m.

And I cried when I closed it. Cried because there were no more pages. Cried because I have to wait well over a year for the next one in the series. Cried because the book wasn't mine and finishing meant I had to package those amazing words and pages up and send them off in the mail.

So what is this book?

It's Crewel, the debut novel by the lovely and talented Gennifer Albin. And although it won't be released until October 16th of this year, I'm telling you...YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK.

So pre-order it, schedule time off from work or school or life on October 16th, and count down the days...

There's only 161 of them left.

To pass the time, I'm giving away 3 fabulous prizes to 3 fabulous winners this week. So without further ado, here's what I'm giving away...


Insurgent by Veronica Roth

 One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature


A Pre-Order of Crewel by Gennifer Albin. (shipping after the book's release in October)

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.



A SIGNED paperback copy of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining fertility, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.



Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+1 for picking next week's giveaway (you can vote once a day)

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

+25 for liking Crewel's Facebook page and/or following Crewel's author, Gennifer Albin on Twitter.

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Enter Below....


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Also be sure to check out Gennifer's blog where this week she is celebrating her agentversary and giving a way a query critique from her very own agent, Molly Glick.

And be sure to stop by Amber's blog for a chance to win Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer.

Monday Giveaway: The Selection by Kiera Cass

And the winner of The Book of Blood and Shadow is Lisseth Torres. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.

And now for my new giveaway... The Selection by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+1 for picking next week's giveaway (you can vote once a day)

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.



Next week I'll be giving away Insurgent + and additional prize. Be sure to stop back!




Enter Below....

Monday Giveaway: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

And the winner of Above is Amy Swihart. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.

And now for my new giveaway... The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman won this week's vote.

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+1 for picking next week's giveaway (you can vote once a day)

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Again, help me choose next week's giveaway—3 choices this week. If you're not familiar with these books, click on the image to read more at Goodreads.

OR

OR

Enter Below....

Monday Giveaway: Above by Leah Bobet

And the winner of A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink is Gigi C. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.


Thanks everybody for the awesome reading suggestions during my Starters giveaway. If you're looking for some great new books, check out the comments here.

Also this week be sure to check out Amber's latest giveaway Bloodlines by Rachel Meade over at her blog.

And now for my new giveaway...Above by Leah Bobet won this week's vote. Due to the fact that it's tax time, which means crazy time in my everyday world, this giveaway will be lasting for 2 weeks. I will be back with a winner and resume weekly Monday giveaways on Monday April, 23rd. Be sure to stop back as there are some exciting upcoming books this spring!

Matthew's father had lion's feet and his mother had gills, and both fled the modern-day city to live in underground Safe, a secret community of freaks, ghost-whisperers, and disabled outcasts hidden beyond the subways and sewers. Raised underground, Matthew is responsible for the keeping of both Safe's histories and the traumatized shapeshifter Ariel, the girl he took in, fell in love with — and can't stop from constantly running away.

But Safe is no longer safe: the night after a frightening encounter in the sewers, Safe's founder Atticus is murdered by the one person Safe ever exiled: mad Corner, whose coup is backed by an army of mindless, whispering shadows.

Only Matthew, Ariel, and a handful of unstable, crippled compatriots escape to the city that cast them out; the dangerous place he knows only as Above. Despite Ariel's increasingly erratic behaviour and with the odds against them, Matthew must find a way to rescue Safe from Corner's occupying army. But as his quest leads him through abandoned asylums and the dregs of urban poverty, Matthew discovers that the histories he's devoted his life to aren’t true: Corner's invasion — and Ariel's terrors — are rooted in a history of Safe much darker and bloodier than Matthew ever imagined.

And even if he manages to save both home and Ariel, he may well lose himself.



Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+1 for picking next week's (April 23rd) giveaway

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Again, help me choose next week's (April 23rd) giveaway. If you're not familiar with these books, click on the image to read more at Goodreads.

OR

Enter Below...

Monday Giveaway: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

And the winner of Starters by Lissa Price is Savannah S. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.

Also this week be sure to check out Amber's latest giveaway Ripple by Mandy Hubbard over at her blog.


Thanks to your vote, this week I'll be giving away A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink.

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.




Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions

+1 for picking next week's giveaway

+2 for following this blog

+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716

+4 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)

+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Again, help me choose next week's giveaway (leave your choice in the comments). If you're not familiar with these books, click on the image to read more at Goodreads.

 

OR





Enter Below...

Monday Giveaway: Starters by Lissa Price

First up, last weeks winner of Partials by Dan Wells is Tandra S. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.

Well the votes are in, and it was close. One vote close.

This week, I'll be giving away Starters.

Starters by Lissa Price

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .



Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions
+1 for picking next week's giveaway
+2 for following this blog
+3 for following me on twitter @carrie716
+4 for leaving a blog comment
+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can do this once per day)
+10 for blogging about the giveaway

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address. 


Again, help me choose next week's giveaway (leave your choice in the comments). If you're not familiar with these books, click on the image to read more at Goodreads.

OR

I've gone fangirl

Recognize them?

Maybe...maybe not.

It's NKOTB, or The New Kids on the Block. And when I was 14, they were the rage among my friends. My crazy eighth grade friends, who staged pretend weddings, created pretend photo albums, and lived out pretend lives where they walked around calling each other "Mrs Knight" and "Mrs McIntyre."

Where was I?

Well...probably with my head in a book. But I'd occasionally look up long enough to smile and laugh at it all. Not trying to be judgmental...I just didn't get it.

I was not a fangirl.

Flash forward twenty years.

Recognize this?

Most likely. Whether you love it or hate it, Twilight has become all the rage in recent years especially among those junior high friends of mine. They're all grown of course, with husbands and kids and busy lives. But everytime a new movie is released they find babysitters, dress up, and stand in lines for hours to see the midnight premiere. And they come back the next day. And the weekend after. And they buy t-shirts, posters, CDs, and stand in even more lines to get the DVDs the night they are released.

Where am I?

Well...probably buried in my writing. But I occasionally look up long enough to smile and laugh at it all. Once again, not trying to be judgmental...I enjoyed Twilight. I just don't get the obsession.

I am not a fangirl.

Flashforward to yesterday...

I may or may not have taken off work for the Hunger Games premiere which I bought tickets for in February. I may or may not have waited in the movie theater last night for nearly three hours until the movie started. I may or may not went to see the movie again later that afternoon.

Okay I did all of that...and more. And for once I finally get it.

I think I'm becoming a fangirl.

What about you? What do you go 'crazy' for?

Monday Giveaway: Partials by Dan Wells

First up, last weeks winner of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver is Nata A. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me.

It was close, but Partials edged out Bewitching as this weeks giveaway.

Partials by Dan Wells

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions
+2 for following this blog
+3 for leaving a blog comment
+4 for tweeting about the giveaway
+5 for blogging about the giveaway
 
And as a bonus this week, you can earn 25 extra entries by following my fellow writer, blogger, and CP, Amber. Either follow her blog or her twitter account, @amberafterglow. Your choice. And while you're over visiting her blog, be sure to sign up for her fabulous giveaway of Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Again, help me choose next week's giveaway (leave your choice in the comments). If you're not familiar with these books, click on the image to read more at Goodreads.

OR

Enter below...

Happy Friday!

Yea! Friday, finally here, and I couldn't be happier!

And now for what made this week awesome...

1. New books!

2. Blog posts I Loved!

• Sarah Allen writes about living in the present at From Sarah, With Joy.
• Ashley Nixon on Villains. 
• The importance of starting off with emotion at Moody Writing.

3. Wonderful Readers!


Thank you for the amazing comments and suggestions left on Hating my WIP. Special thanks to Rena for her carrot and stick suggestion. So, putting it to use,


4. Change Write Now!

Nearly done with the first week and I'd say I did pretty good. Part of the challenge was to give up one bad habit, so I gave up the daily diet coke. I was addicted to the stuff...like daily. Tough the first few days (talk about caffeine withdrawal), but getting better. And I haven't slipped...despite the can in our fridge.

5. Cover Reveal! 

Gennifer Albin's cover reveal for Crewel is supposed to happen today. I am beyond excited. This book is one of my most anticipated reads for 2012. If you haven't heard of it, check it out here.

6. Giveaway!

My giveaway for Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver is still going on. Also come vote between Partials by Dan Wells and Bewitching by Alex Flinn for next week's giveaway. As of this posting, I think Partials is in the lead, but it's close.


7. Weekend Plans!


Writing and lots of it. I'm taking Rena's advice and giving myself a carrot (and a stick). I'm letting my family, my friends, and the blogging world know...I will not be going to the Hunger Games movie next Friday unless the draft is done. And anyone who knows me, knows I've been counting down the days until March 23rd for a long, long, long time. I bought my tickets back in February. I took the day off work. Darn it, I will not miss that movie.

So this weekend I will do nothing but write.

Hope you all have a good one!

Hating my WIP

For the past few days I've been hating my current WIP.

I'm less than a handful of scenes from finishing this current draft. I know how it's going to end. I know what I need to write. But whenever I sit down at my computer, the words won't come. Instead I get a barrage of you can't do this, this book sucks, and maybe i should change that scene in chapter two.

So then I do this...

And contemplate an ending where I blow up my world and kill off my characters and be done with it. Then I feel bad, so I go pin all the pretty pictures on Pinterest to make myself feel better, and before I know it another day is gone.

Don't get me wrong. I really truly love my story, my characters, and writing them. I already wrote this story...several times over. I even queried it. And last fall, an agent invited me to resubmit once the writing was stronger.

So I ripped it apart and put it back together. Gave my characters bigger goals and tougher conflicts. I've taken class upon class (I highly highly recommend Margie Lawson) and I can see the difference.

There are a few thousand words left to go. Few enough that I could finish this draft before the week's over...maybe even tonight.

So what am I waiting for?

I have no idea.

Anybody else get like this near the end? Please tell me I'm not alone.

Monday Giveaway: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

First up, last weeks winner of Fever by Lauren DeStefano is Cheyenne Teska. Congratulations! You should have received an e-mail from me regarding the giveaway.

And this week I'm giving away...

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and ?ame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Lots of ways to Enter...

+1 for accepting the terms and conditions
+2 for following this blog
+3 for leaving a blog comment
+4 for tweeting about the giveaway
+5 for blogging about the giveaway

Also help me choose next week's giveaway (leave your choice in the comments).

OR

Enter below...

Awarded, Tagged, and Challenged

Happy Friday!

First up, I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award from Amber Clites. Thank you Amber!

The rules:

1. Thank the blogger who gave you the award and provide a link.
2. List 7 interesting things about yourself that your readers might find interesting
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers, provide links, and let them know!

So Amber, thanks again! :) As for the 7 interesting things...well not sure how interesting I really am, but if you go here you'll find 10.

Also Amber tagged me in The Lucky 7 Meme.

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let them know

So here I go (7 lines in all there unedited glory)...

"Hungry?" he asks. We’re parked in front of a generic freeway diner, one of the thousands off I-70 advertising $3.99 weekday specials and Kids-eat-free Fridays in giant neon letters across tinted windows.

"I guess," I say but he’s already climbing out of the car. I don’t like this distance between us. This unease. But I don’t know how to fix it. I get out, slamming the car door closed, and follow him inside.

I also recently realized that I posted a huge novel of questions from being tagged in the '11 Questions' game and never asked any of my own (yeah, chain letters always die with me too). So here it goes:

1. If your WIP had a theme song, what would it be?
2. How did you come up with the name for your main character?
3. About how long does it take you to complete a first draft?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
5. What's your favorite candy bar?
6. Early bird or night owl?
7. Name one thing you're looking forward to this year.
8. If you could have one question answered about your future, what would it be?
9. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
10. Are you going to see Hunger Games on March 23rd? If not, why?
11. Team Peeta or Team Gale?

And now to pass the Kreativ Blogger Award, the Lucky 7 Meme, and the 11 Questions onto some wonderful bloggers...

1. Elodie at commutinggirl
2. Jennifer Fischetto
3. Gina at This Is Not Your Blog
4. Jenna at Finding the Write Way
5. Rena at Doctor Faerie Godmother
6. Daisy at Fresh As A Daisy
7. W. Chaser
8. Ashley Nixon
9. Amber at amberafterglow

And finally, I've decided to take a leap and join the Change Write Now Challenge. If you have health goals for 2012 and are looking for some motivation, today is the last day to join in!

Have a great weekend!!!