Happy New Year's and a FREE ebook

Well, today, sadly, marks the end of my debut year! It's been a roller coaster ride of awesome and I'm both sad and relieved to see it end.  I'm so grateful for every single one of you who made this year as awesome as it could be and I can't wait to ride the hopefully as fantabulous, but slightly less hectic sophomore year roller coaster.

Yes, for those that have been asking, there will be a second book to the Elysium Chronicles.  I can't say too much about it, but I'm busily working on edits for it and I know the cover designer is working just as hard to bring you an even more gorgeous cover.   I've been in discussions with my editor about the cover and I'm extremely excited to see how it all turns out.  And yes, there is a title and I LOVE IT, but I  don't think I'm allowed to share it yet, so I guess we're just going to have to patiently (*snort*) wait.  :P

And now onto the best part of this post. A DARK GRAVE (Gavin's short story prequel) is FREE today and tomorrow to celebrate the New Year! Just click here to go to the Amazon download page.

So here's to the ending of 2012 and the beginning of an even better 2013! 

A DARK GRAVE now available!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas.  Can you believe it's almost 2013?! I can't. This year has just flown by! It's been filled with some awesome times and I'm so sad it's coming to an end, but 2013 looks like it'll be even more awesome and I can't wait to see what it brings.

A few housekeeping details and then I'll get to the reason for this post. First, while I'm taking a minor break from my internet hiatus to post this, I'm actually away from my "office" until January 7th. I won't be answering emails or be on twitter or facebook until then. Although I reserve the right to change my mind before then. :P

That being said,  I'll be starting the new year with a bang and doing a lot of events. At least one a month. January has three already lined up! Why so many? I'm excited to say I'll be participating in The Sunshine Tour with at least 10 other YA authors! For more details, check out the Sunshine Tour's site. And  keep an eye on my events page. And I'll be participating in several conferences that I'm extremely excited about, those are of course listed on my events page.

Here's the beautiful cover art done by the fabulous Eithne O'Hanlon, the same artist who did the cover for RENEGADE!

And here's the blurb:

An Elysium Chronicles short story: the beginning.There is only one place forbidden to the people of Gavin's village; the island just off the shore, rumored to be haunted. Cursed.All who venture to the island disappear.But Gavin doesn't believe in such things. He is a hunter; since his father's death, he is the only one who can provide for the family. Silly rumors of ghosts aren't going to stop him from crossing the dark waters to the island in search of fresh game...

It's available on kindle now for only $0.99 (FREE if you're a Prime member), but I'll be having an after Christmas/New Year's special where it'll be free on New Year's eve and New Years day.

I hope you all enjoy Gavin's story and have a great New Year's!

Renegade launch is here! + Giveaway

I'm so excited to say that RENEGADE's launch is finally HERE! I'm so excited I can't sit still!  If I could dance, I'd be dancing!
Thank you so much to everyone who's made this day possible, including my lovely and awesome agent, Natalie Lakosil, and my equally lovely and awesome editor, Mel Frain.  Love you ladies!  Thanks for believing in me and making Renegade even more awesome.
I honestly don't know what to say here...I'm so excited and happy that I'm speechless, so I'll just say thanks again to everyone. *sniffles* and now I'm going to go have a good cry and stare at my books some more!
Oh! Before I go, I'm having a giveaway. Send me a picture (via email or twitter) of my book in an awesome spot to celebrate it's awesomeness. ; )  And I'll have a random drawing to win either a book of your choice or a gift card from amazon or barnes and noble. Plus some awesome Rengade SWAG.
If you're looking for an example, here's a pic my MIL took.
This is exactly the awesomeness I'm looking for, so get to it! :) *chop, chop*

If you want to know where to buy RENEGADE, it's available wherever books are sold, but here's some quick links:
IndieBound
Barnes And Noble
Book Depository
Books-A-Million
Powell’s
Amazon

5 Days until Renegade Surfaces!

It's five days. DAYS, people, not weeks, months, years. DAYS! Until Renegade's debut. And...I'm slightly freaking out. (*insert insane cackle here*)  Okay maybe more than slightly. But I've somehow managed despite many obstacles to put together a launch party.  Yay for me!  I'm so excited about this book that I wanted to throw a party to celebrate.
 If you're interested, take a peak at the below invite (isn't it pretty?!) and, if you want RSVP to either by email or on the facebook invite page.  This is just so I can make sure there's enough food and books there.

It's in the building that inspired Sector 3, so I'm really excited to show it off a bit. So bring a friend, or friends, or a whole shipful of people if you wish.  The more the merrier.  There's going to be lots of food, drinks, a reading, raffle, door prizes, and a signing.  Plus a bucket full of SWAG to giveaway.  But most importantly there's going to be lots of fun!

So if you're in the area, just stopping through, or planning an invasion, stop on by! I'd love to meet you and see you!

YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes

 Whoot! It's that time again. Time for the 3rd YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes! In case you weren't here for the first or second race, it's a blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.

 *NOTE: Race doesn't officially start until noon EST, so hold your horses for just a minute before using the widget below. Entries entered before the start of the race won't count. :(*

*Also, please note that THIS post here is just a syndicated post from the one here. Comments won't count unless they're over there, because I don't check my comments over here anymore.*

Welcome to my stop! Now on to the race!

RENEGADE by J.A. Souders

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.
But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered. 

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.
Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.
Be sure to preorder your copy of RENEGADE today (IndieBound, Barnes And Noble, Book Depository, Books-A-Million, Powell's, Amazon )

Got all that?

Great!   You’ll need remember it for the quiz ahead! And don't forget, you must complete ALL FIVE quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.

But, wait! I have another giveaway for you!

Want a 2nd chance to win a pre-order of my book?

Just tell me what's the most dangerous thing you've done in the comments and don't forget to add your email addy (see rafflecopter.)

Bonus points:

• like on Facebook
• follow on Twitter
• follow this blog

This contest is open internationally.
Thanks for stopping by. Ready to move on?

Click HERE to go to the next stop on the race!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Elsyium Underground is LIVE and looking for recruits.

I'm so excited to announce that my street team, The Elysium Underground, is live and looking for recruits!

What exactly is a street team and what do I have to do?

A street team is basically just another way for me to get word out about my book.  Similar to Gretchen McNeil's Army of Ten (don't worry, I checked with her first. :) ) I'm offering prizes for spreading the word about my book.  I'm using a rankings system, but instead of me giving you a task to do, I'm offering a "bounty" for each task you do.  The "bounty" is just a certain number of points. And each rank is obtained by earning a certain number of points.

What's in it for me?

A lot actually. Each ranking earns different swag including buttons, bookmarks, magnets, etc and a certain number of entries to be earned toward a HUGE monthly prize.  On top of that, the top two ranks earn a chance to have a character named after you and/or a chance to be named in my acknowledgement section.

I want more information.

Great! Go here and everything should be explained, but if you still have questions, feel free to email me and I'll answer them ASAP. :) 

First blog tour started yesterday!

RENEGADE is officially in the final run to its US release! There's less than a month left. So, I'm so excited to say that my first blog tour sponsored by The Book Paparrazzi starts today with a kick off post by Evelyn's best friend, Macie, over at Read-a-holicz blog.  This blog tour will run from today October 16th-November 9th. Following that will be another blog tour sponsored by the ever awesome Mundie Moms!

See below for a list of all the happenings for blog tour 1 and where to go to catch all the awesomeness. And don't forget to check them all out for a chance to win a copy of RENEGADE.

P.S. If you entered my contest to win an ARC, check that post to see if you won. If you did email me at j.souders (@) jasouders(dot) com with your name and  address.


October 16 -- Read-A Holicz -- Character Guest post, review and an ARC giveaway
October 17 -- Claire Reads -- promo post
October 18 -- Gypsy Book Reviews -- Guest post
October 19 -- Claire Reads -- review
October 20 -- Wake up At Seven
October 21 -- Nawanda Files
October 22 --  Chocolate Coated Reviews
October 23 -- Sparkles and Lightning
October 24 -- Two Chicks on Books
October 25 -- Chapter by Chapter
October 26 -- Singing and Reading in the Rain
October 27 -- Debz Bookshelf
October 28 --  The Daily Harrell
October 29 -- Xpresso Reads
October 30 -- I Love Teen Books
October 31 -- Bokie's Book Reviews
November 1 -- Reader of Fictions
November 2 -- YA Sisterhood
November 3 -- Citrus Reads
November 4 -- Larissa's World
November 5 -- YA Know
November 7 -- A Backward's Story
November 8 -- The Book Goddess
November 9 -- Fiction Freak

Happy book birthday

Happy book birthday to the following awesome authors and their spectacular books!

TIME BETWEEN US by Tamara Ireland Stone (Disney*Hyperion)

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.
As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.
Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.
"A beautifully written, unique love story." -- Melissa Marr, New York Times best-selling author of The Wicked Lovely series
“A warm, time-bending romance… [that] will have readers rooting for the couple that keeps daring fate.” -- Publishers Weekly
"Time Between Us is the very best kind of love story -- heart-pounding, intense, and unputdownable!" -- Elizabeth Scott, author of Bloom and Perfect You
"The story will hold readers with its twists and turns, present and future; its love, sadness, and anger; and especially, its surprising secrets." -- Booklist

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Colleen Clayton (Poppy)

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.
witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

VELVETEEN by Daniel Marks (Delacorte)

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.
The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.
It’ll be brutal... and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

The awesomeness that is awesome.

Oh my gosh you guys! I am in a complete amount of shock right now.  I just can't believe the awesomeness that is awesome that happened over the weekend!  In case you are wondering, yes, this is the thing I was freaking out about on Friday night. :)
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let the picture speak for itself (you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger)!

Why, yes, that IS the kindle version of German RENEGADE: TIEFENRAUSCH at #83 in the children and teen book section and #1, 369 of ALL the books in the kindle store! Thank you for asking! :P And look!

83, BABY!

In case you're wondering, the hardcover has had some awesomeness happening, too, (it's numbers haven't been to far from this either) but I HAD to share this. The kindle version was #83!!!! I just...I just...I can't express how this makes me feel. As my CP tells me, this is epic and I'm astounded. I couldn't be happier, but I'm also repeatedly pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming!
I just want to send a HUGE thank you to the awesome people at IVI Piper for absolutely everything you've been doing for Renegade.  And, of course, to everyone who's bought and reviewed and spread the word about it.
And, of course, the free e-book prequel--A DARK GRAVE--featuring Gavin's story has had it's share of awesome! (Grab it if you haven't. It's great if I do say so myself. :) )

You all, I'm seriously in tears right now typing this and I can't thank you enough for any of it.  Thank you SO so so much.

Fish Friday is BACK!

It's FISH FRIDAY! And have I got an interesting one for you!  And is for all those women looking for a man to do more of the child rearing in their house? Take a look at this one.



This interesting little guy is the male jawfish.  And yes those are eggs in his mouth, but no he's not eating them. He's actually playing babysitter!  And this is so common for this fish, they're called mouth breeders or mouth brooders!  Of course, when I first read this I couldn't help but think of Sue Sylvester in Glee shouting at the "mouth BREATHERS", but still. :)

While there are many different fish that are considered mouth-brooders, in this particular species it's the male that does the brooding.  After the male fertilizes the eggs, he'll collect them in his mouth and holds onto them until they hatch. Some say he never lets the eggs go, not even to eat. But others say he hides them carefully in his burrow, and then goes out to eat, before piling them back in.  But either way he'll aerate them (that's why we can see them in the picture.), but otherwise he keeps his lips zipped until they hatch. Which probably makes his mate extremely happy that he can't demand the burrow cleaned and food on the table all the time. ; )

Good news, congratulations, and awesomeness

So...a few weeks ago, I was all blabbering on twitter about some awesome news I couldn't share yet. But I can now! It's not my news, but that doesn't make it any less awesome, especially when the good news is for my bestest bestie and fabulous crit. partner, Liz Czukas.

What is this most awesome news? Her debut YA novel, ASK AGAIN LATER, sold to Harper Collins! It will be out in the very beginning of 2014!  Her new editor is the same editor for the fabulous authors Kiersten White, Kiera Cass, and Aprilynne Pike!  And let me tell you, I've read this awesome book and I'm not surprised Erica loved it so much. I ADORED this book. It's probably one of the best books I've read this year.

I'm SO, so, so excited for her. I couldn't be more excited for her if I tried. To show it, I'm asking everyone to go tell her how awesome she is, fan her FB page, and follow her on her twitter.

Happy Book Birthday

Today's post is filled with the wonderful scent of new book smell!  There are a TON of awesome new releases that I can't wait to share with you! So instead of blathering on I'll just wish a Happy Book Birthday to the following sweet authors and their books:

THROUGH TO YOU by Emily Hainsworth (Balzer + Bray)

Cover blurb:

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.
The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES by Shannon Messenger (Aladdin)

Cover blurb:

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

CHASING THE SKIP by Janci Patterson (Henry Holt)

Cover blurb:

Ricki’s dad has never been there for her. He’s a bounty hunter who spends his time chasing parole evaders—also known as “skips”—all over the country. But now since Ricki’s mom ran off, Ricki finds herself an unwilling passenger in a front-row seat to her father’s dangerous lifestyle.
Ricki’s feelings get even more confused when her dad starts chasing seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham. She finds herself unavoidably attracted to the dark-eyed felon who seems eager to get acquainted. But Ricki thinks she’s ever in control—the perfect manipulator. Little does she know that Ian isn’t playing their game by her rules.

SEND ME A SIGN by Tiffany Schmidt (Walker)

Cover blurb:

Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.

And my personal favorite:

IRON SKIN by Tina Connolly

Cover blurb:

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.
It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.
When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.
Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

New website is live!

Well, today is the day! It's October 1st, which means 2 things. It's exactly 42 days until RENEGADE launches and, more importantly at the moment, it's the day my new website goes live! I'm so excited for you to see it. It's been designed by the wonderful, fantabulous Tessa Elwood of ipopcolor. She's truly fantastic and I'm so glad I've been able to work with her.

I LOVE my new website. I love the purple and the creepy, elegant shadows on the side. Not to mention the blood splatter. But I think my absolute favorite is the splash page. I love how the lightning is streaking out of the door like something from a mad scientist's laboratory. I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect site.
Because I have a new website, I also have a new blog. I'll still be cross-posting blog posts for the next few weeks, but soon it'll go away and new blog posts will only be on the new blog, so you'll want to sign up for the RSS feed. It's up there in the left corner above the Renegade countdown widget on the new blog. :)

Also, you may have noticed on my news page, I have some appearances listed. This is by far not all of them. There are still a ton still in the works, especially for my launch. I'll update the list when I have confirmations. Also, I'm going to have a newsletter! If you want to sign-up for that, you can do so by going to my contact page. And, I'll be starting sign-ups for my street team soon! I'm still sorting details, but I'm really excited about it. More details soon!

I'm sure there's going to be a few bugs to work out with the site(there always is, especially when it comes to me. I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to computer stuff--which is insane considering I'm a science fiction author. LOL.), so if you see something that isn't working right or whatever, let me know!

Anyway, to celebrate this awesome occasion, I'll be giving away 5 ARCs of RENEGADE. And all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter widget below. The contest will run for 2 weeks until October 15th. Then I'll choose 5 winners at random. This contest is US/Canada only do to postage issues, but I'll have more international contests soon.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Renegade GIVEAWAY!

Hi lovelies!


My awesome publisher is hosting 2 (yep, 2!) giveaways of Renegade. Between the two of them they're giving away a total of 15 copies!

The first is here at Tor.com.  They're giving away 10 copies and all you have to do is email them at the provided email address.  Follow the link for more details.

And the other giveaway is here at goodreads, where they're giving away 5 copies. This contest ends Oct. 19th and all you have to do is enter through goodreads. :)

So have fun entering and good luck!

Also, next week, I'll be revealing my new website and blog!  And there will be more giveaways then and, possibly, the revealing of my street team!  :)  Hope you'll join me!

Elysium Chronicles Short Story: A Dark Grave

Hello, my lovelies! I've just gotten word that my Elysium Chronicles short story, EIN DUNKLES GRAB (A Dark Grave), is out now in Germany! And best of all it's FREE!

So if you read German, want to read German, or just like free stuff go ahead and download it! And even if you don't read German, please feel free to share this post and the link! :)

A DARK GRAVE is from Gavin's POV before he enters Elysium, so if you've read RENEGADE and were wondering just how exactly Gavin got to where he did, or you're just interested in Gavin, or want a sneak peak into the Elysium Chronicles this is perfect for you.

It's currently in the #24 slot for free kindle books and #2 for childrens at Amazon Germany.

Here's the cover blurb in German:


Nach dem Tod seines Vaters zählt in Gavins Leben nur eines: Er muss seine Mutter und seinen kleinen Bruder ernähren. Doch wie soll das in einer Welt gelingen, in der die Natur feindlich und die Ressourcen knapp geworden sind? Gavin beschließt, heimlich auf jene rätselhafte Insel im Meer zu segeln, wo es Wild im Überfluss geben soll - aber auch todbringende Geheimnisse. Als er aufbricht, ahnt er nicht, dass ihn diese Reise in ein dunkles Grab führen wird ... Wie es nach »Ein dunkles Grab« weitergeht, erfährst du im Roman »Renegade. Tiefenrausch«, erschienen bei ivi. 

Where to buy:

(NOTE: I only know the Amazon location, but will post more links when I find out if it's at any other e-retailer.)

Amazon

Also, for my German friends, I will be having a contest soon, just for you! I'm still working out the logistics, but the prizes are going to be sweet!  So stay tuned for that soon.

Renegade Launch and YOU!

Photo courtesy of Kristin Nador and WANA commons

Hi everyone! Can you believe it? Renegade's US release is in approximately 2 months! I can't believe it. I'm so excited I can hardly sit still. *wiggles*

 That being said I'm setting up my launch and signings in Florida (if you're not if Florida--I have a plan for you, too. Just kee

p reading. :]), but I've come across a little hitch. I don't know how many people want to attend a signing by poor little me. Thus, I have no idea how much SWAG to order or how many books to request the bookstores to order!

So, in all my ingeniousness (;]) I've decide to put a poll together. Now this is where I need your help. Please fill out the google form below. If you even think it's possible you'll attend a signing at a location on the poll, please check it off. You may check off more than one if you think you may attend more than one, but I'd like to keep it as close to accurate as possible.

Of course, there is no obligation to attend once you click a location. In fact, I'm not even taking names or email addresses.  In a few days, I'll set up a different form for my newsletter that you can sign up if you want to. IF you want me to send you an official invitation to the booksigning closest to you, you may fill out the comment box at the bottom of this google form (and I'll use that to send you the invitation), but there's no obligation. When I have the dates and times confirmed I'll make sure to post them on my website and here on the blog. :)

Also, all of the cities on the form are in Florida. HOWEVER, if you are in another state and want me to come to your city, please fill out the form and click of other and use the comment form at the bottom to tell me what city. If there's enough votes for your city, I'll do everything in my power to visit you!

All that being said, if you are a teacher/librarian and are interested in me speaking at your location, email me. I LOVE doing talks and presentations.

Renegade's German Book birthday!

Eee! Today is an extremely exciting day for me! It's Renegade's German Book birthday.  People all over Germany are reading my book!  And while it's extremely nerve-wracking, I'm jumping all over the place with excitement.

This version had to leave the nest a little earlier than the US version, so I'm worried about it making it in the big, scary world, but I've done all I can for it and it'll either sink or swim.  Hopefully, it'll swim and may even start doing speciality strokes! That would be extremely awesome.

Because today is release day for Renegade, Evelyn is over at the Book Goddess sharing her diary in a "Day in the Life of" post on the Authors are Rockstars tour.

For people in Germany, if you see my book "in the wild" I'd LOVE to see it. Send me pics, so I can share the awesomeness on twitter and facebook!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who's sharing this awesome occasion with me. I'll hope you join me again in November for the US release.

Young Adult Giveaway Hop.

Announcing the 

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

August 8th to 14th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Reading Teen

We're officially in the double digits for RENEGADE's US release! And we're only 12 days from the German release! I'm super excited for both so I'm participating in this hop to prove it! :P  

This one is simple, all you have to do is follow my blog and then enter through the rafflecopter widget below. The prize will be a pre-order of RENEGADE (Either US or German) from the retailer of your choice and SWAG.  If you're international, though, I will be getting it from book depository.   Simple, right?

That being said, if book depository delivers to your country, then you can enter, so yes, it's International.

And, as always, here's the description and covers.

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. 

Her memories have been altered. 

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. 

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

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YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team for a chance to win a whole different set of twenty-five signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the blue team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by August 5, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Today, I am hosting ALEXANDRA MONIR on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Isn't she gorgeous?! I have to admit I'm slightly jealous. ; ) But on top of being gorgeous, she's also insanely talented. Not only does she write YA novels, she also is a songwriter and recording artist. See below for her bio.

Alexandra Monir broke into the world of YA novels with her 2011 debut, TIMELESS. She is a singer/songwriter and recorded original music to accompany both TIMELESS and TIMEKEEPER, her second novel. She lives in Los Angeles.

Find out more information by checking out her website or find more about the her book here!  

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

"When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.

Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.

Alexandra Monir's Timekeeper combines breathtaking romance with a tale of complex magic in a sequel that will have every reader believing in the transcendent power of love.

Available everywhere books are sold on January 8th!"

And now here's an excerpt from the first chapter:



(SPECIAL CONTENT REMOVED DUE TO SCAVENGER HUNT BEING OVER):

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Alexandra, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 17. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!  

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! While you're here, don't forget to enter the bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.

I will be giving away an annotated ARC plus SWAG.  To be eligible to win, enter through the rafflecopter and ALSO leave a comment on this blog telling me why you should win my grand prize.

AND Alexandra has a bonus giveaway as well.  Alexandra is gifting 4 readers a copy of TIMELESS, a digital download of SECRETS OF THE TIME SOCIETY, and a CD of the original songs from TIMELESS! Send her a tweet @TimelessAlex to be entered in the contest. Prize winners will be announced on August 5th!

Don't forget that you also get an extra entry by tweeting about the hunt.

Tweet #YASH

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Cover reveal: Broken by A.E. Rought

Today I have the absolute pleasure of revealing the cover for a book from a dear friend of mine.  A book that I loved enough to blurb I might add. :)
 

It's a beautiful book. Dark. Romantic. And really kept me wanting to read even way past the time I was supposed to stop.

The book is, of course, BROKEN by A.E. Rought and is being published by Strange Chemistry the YA imprint of Angry Robot books.

Thank you, Ann, for letting me help with this reveal.

So, without further adieu, let the reveal begin...

 

What do you think?  I love the font and the creepy trees all the way in the back and the grave yard.

Here's the blurb:

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely…familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks.

And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks’ estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

But that's not all. There's even a small excerpt, BUT I only have a small portion of it. There's eleven blogs who each have an excerpt so if you want to start at the beginning you'll have to go here.

Otherwise, the previous excerpt is here and the following excerpt is here.

Here's my excerpt:

Which is exactly why I hadn’t said anything. Bree might be a genius in the costume and makeup department—comes with the territory for a theater major—but she’s not a miracle worker. The longer I hedge, the less time she has to force me into being a Zombie Twin, or Bad Faery Twin, or Whateverelse Twin she’s plotting on subjecting me too. With us both being 5’5”-ish, with blond hair—mine natural, hers what my mom calls Bottle Blonde—and average curves, Bree has a lot to work with in the Twins department.

“I’ll let you know.”

“Dying of anticipation,” she says, dragging out the last word like Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“Can we discuss this tomorrow? I’m walking and talking and can’t hardly see the sidewalk…”

“Say no more.” She takes a swig from her pop, then says, “See ya in the morning, Em.”

“Bye, B.”

Blog Tour and Housekeeping

I am now almost officially 4 months away from my release and things just turned CRAZY, y'all. It's exciting and scary and absolutely wonderful. I still kind of have to pinch myself when I realize this is REALLY, really happening.

As you may or may not have heard, I will be having a blog tour. TWO blog tours in fact.  Two wonderful blogs have agreed to host for me and yes I know I'm insane.  The wonderful Mundie Moms and a newer blog The Book Paparazzi.

The Book Paparazzi already started taking sign-ups as of last night, and Mundie Moms will be doing theirs soon, so if you don't make it into one, there's always a chance of making it in to another. And if you don't make it into either of those, I'll be putting together a street team eventually (give me time on that part).

Before I go into the housekeeping details of the blog tour, I just first want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to every one for supporting me and wanting to read RENEGADE. I'm simply blown away and (people overuse this word a lot, but) humbled by all of you. I want to say more here, but I'm pretty sure it would just get really sappy and silly and I'm already crying so I'll stop here. :)

Now for the housekeeping details, if you're interested in signing up for the blog tour, here's how you can do it. The Book Paparazzi is taking sign ups right now. You can contact them and they'll let you know from there. I'm not sure how Mundie Moms does their blog tours, but I will post that information as soon as I know.  Please do NOT email them and ask to sign up yet. If you really, really want to be on their blog tour and can't wait for details. [:P] email me instead.

If you are selected to be on either blog tour and you were signed up for a review and you are on the ARC list for my publicist, let me know, so I can make sure my publicist knows.

I think that's it. If you have any questions, please feel free to either email me or comment below.

The button for The Book Paparazzi is below. Feel free to snag it and spread the word. I'll post the button for the Mundie Moms one when they get it to me.

I look forward to working with these two blogs and all of you. Thanks again for such a wonderful reception.  I <3 you all!  *mwuah!*

Monday Musings: ARCs

Hi again, everyone! I know I dropped off the face of the Earth for a bit, but I got distracted by first pass pages and shiny new ARCs! 

As a writer, getting ARCs is a day we patiently (or in my case, not so patiently) wait for like a kid at Christmas.  And finally being able to tear open that box, after attacking the UPS guy (which, if I'd been home, I probably would have done. I guess it's a good thing I was gone. :P), is such an awesome feeling.

I cried, laughed, hugged the books, then cried some more.  I felt like a mama bear with cubs. Every time one of my family picked one up to look closer, I wanted to snatch them back and yell, "MINE! NO TOUCH!"

 But I kept my hands firmly fisted in my t-shirt, so I wouldn't.

And while I didn't actually sleep with my ARC, I set it on my bedside table, so I could look at it every time I woke up during the night. Which was often.

I told everyone I could. I cried some more. I stared at it.

Then reality sunk in. This meant people were reading my book. People I didn't know. And I think I said something like this. "People are reading my book!"

Think about. "Oh crap! People are reading my book."

Instantly become nauseated and lightheaded and sit on the ground before I pass out.

My BIL, husband, and son were there when that happened and they laughed at me.

"Well, yeah, they're reading your book. Isn't that what you want?" my husband asked, still laughing.

"Yes! No! Oh, God, I don't know!" I bury my face in my hands and cry again, but this time I cry so much I can't breathe and freak out the hubby who decides the best thing to do is hide my ARCs.

LOL. 

After a bit, I calmed down, but thinking about so many people I don't know reading Renegade still makes me feel a bit sick. I'm SO EXCITED that people are reading my book, but all my doubts and worries are flying up to hit me in the face.

What if I didn't explain this enough? What if I explained too much? Did I give this away? Is it boring? What if they don't like it? What if they do? Oh, God, what am I going to do when I get my first negative review? What will I do when I get my first positive one? What about all the things I fixed in the first pass pages? Will people remember that things change between the ARC and the final?

It was kind of like when I had my babies. I was SO EXCITED to be pregnant. I couldn't wait to see my little ones, but then I went into labor and went into full out panic mode.

Of course, ALL of this is out of my hands. And there is absolutely NOTHING I can do about it. And I wouldn't change it for the world. But it still scares the bejeebers out of me. Every time someone emails me, or @s me on Twitter, telling me they have my book. I'm 2 parts excited and 1 part scared out of my mind.

Don't get me wrong, though. I love it. I love hearing that people are reading my books, or wanting to.  I love hearing how excited they are to get my ARC. Or how disappointed they were to go to the Tor booth at ALA, but all my ARCs were gone. It's a fantastic feeling to know people aside from me, my editor, and agent are excited about Renegade.

While I admit it's a little unnerving going from feeling almost euphoric down to mind-numbing terror in just a matter of a few seconds, it's also breathtaking. Like sitting and watching the sunrise at the beach.

I hope I never lose this feeling. I want to be like this EVERY. Single. Time. one of my books release.

Does this make me insane?  :P

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett Jacket reveal + giveaway

I have a treat for you guys today. A cover reveal! Whee!

Yesterday Tor.com revealed The Nightmare Affairs' front cover here along with all the covers it took to get to the final product.

Here it is again, by itself.

Isn't it gorgeous?  I LOVE the phoenix and the purple color.  And the silhouette of the girl. I'm just totally in love with this cover.

BUT today I, and a few other blogs, have something even more awesome to show you.  We are revealing the rest of the jacket!

I'm so excited!

Okay, here's the jacket without the jacket copy:

And here's the finished version:

You can click on the pictures to make them larger.

Aren't they just gorgeous! And LOOK! The spine is a TREE!  How freakin' awesome is THAT!

Jacket Copy:

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough, but when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing.

But it does.

Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.

And then his dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target…

And here's a bit about Mindee, who's just awesome in her own right. :)

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats.  She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic and the macabre.  Her short stories have appeared in various magazines, and she has a Master of Arts in English literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She also blogs and tweets, and is hard at work on her next novel in the Arkwell Academy series.  Find her online at www.mindeearnett.com.

And now onto the best part. The contest!

The book is due out March 5, 2013, but in the meantime, we’re celebrating with a giveaway. The first winner will receive an Advance Readers Copy of Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake as well as a signed ARC of The Nightmare Affair when they come available in October. The second winner will receive an ARC of my book, RENEGADE, as well as a signed ARC of The Nightmare Affair.  The contest will run for a week.

Just fill out the widget below and Mindee will announce and alert the winner next week. 

Contest Code:

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RIP Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury was one of those authors that you just couldn't forget.  I first read his book Farenheit 451 in my 9th grade English class and I'll never forget how horrified I was at the world he portrayed.  A world where books were outlawed?  No way, I thought. But it didn't take me long to realize it isn't an impossible reality.


Thus began my love affair with dystopian literature. And my love of writing it.  And for that, Ray Bradbury will be one of my favorite authors.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the man himself.

"Love is the answer to everything. It's the only reason to do anything. If you don't write stories you love, you'll never make it. If you don't write stories that other people love, you'll never make it."

"I don't try to describe the future. I try to prevent it."

"If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down."

"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them."

RIP and Godspeed, Ray Bradbury. The world is less bright today because you're not in it.