To see or post comments, click on the blog post title to be "in" the post.
I have a new blog! It's over at my new website. So make sure to go over there for new posts as this blog will be closing soon!

Monday, October 22, 2012

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:
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

Thursday, October 18, 2012

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. :) 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

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
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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.

Monday, October 8, 2012

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.

Friday, October 5, 2012

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. ; )

Thursday, October 4, 2012

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.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

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.

Monday, October 1, 2012

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