April 8, 2014 •
Terra Elan McVoy’s Criminal, Out in Paperback!
Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.
So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.
But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.
Beyond the Book: Terra’s Thoughts
In advice to writers, Stephen King says, “Write the truth.”
Ernest Hemingway also famously said, “Write what you know.”
My thesis director and writing mentor, Mark Winegardner, went further to say, “Write what you most want to understand.”
It was this thought that motivated me to start writing Criminal. In 2011, I heard about a murder case in which a young man was accused of killing one of his girlfriend’s parents, out in broad day. When I discovered he had an accomplice—another young woman with whom he’d also been romantically involved—I was even more intrigued.
“Who would do such a thing? And why?” Of course I was thinking of the shooter, but really I was most perplexed by the second girlfriend—the one who allegedly helped him do it. Who was she? Why did she go along with it? Did she know about his other girlfriend? And what happened to her after the fact?
Reading helps us to imagine things we haven’t experienced on our own, and to, ultimately, empathize with our fellow humans. In writing Criminal, I aimed to explain to myself—and to therefore understand—what it would be like to be a girl very different from me and most of the characters in my other books: someone without resources, without confidence, without an education or good family, and often without hope—so much so that she’d participate in such a horrible crime.
The result of my imaginings (and my research) is in this book. I didn’t write it to justify, or excuse, any kind of criminal behavior in the slightest. Instead I hope that in doing so, my readers and I can get closer to understanding that people who make terrible choices like this are more than just the results of their crimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcliVsSH_SA#t=52
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10:07 am
April 3, 2014 •
Jeri Smith-Ready (author of the
Shade trilogy) makes her contemporary debut in what Kirkus calls “a
captivating story of family heartbreak.”
THIS SIDE OF SALVATION
Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David
got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his
parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship
with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure:
The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier,
more he feels.
Then his parents start cutting all
their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when
the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do
the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the
moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and
Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.
But when
he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his
parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have
imagined…
What Others Are Saying:
“THIS SIDE OF SALVATION is impossible to pigeonhole. It’s a mystery, a
love story, a tale of friendship, of prejudice, and of a family
overcoming tragedy…Jeri Smith-Ready has her finger on the pulse of
American youth.” — Printz Honor winner and NYT Bestseller Elizabeth Wein
“This is a frighteningly realistic story that delicately handles the
issues of religion and family—an emotional mystery sure to be popular
and perfect for discussion.” — VOYA, **Highlighted (Starred)
Review**
“[A] smart, well-rounded, and unpredictable tale…bringing to light
issues of belief versus free will, spirit versus body, and family versus
self—while never being heavy-handed.” Booklist, **Starred Review**
“This book has some of the best written, strongest, and most satisfying
character dynamics that I have read in a long time…There are no
extreme moral rights and wrongs in this book. These people just are, and
they work, and they make this story beautiful.” — Bibliopunkk
Giveaways Galore!
Jeri has two ongoing giveaways to celebrate the release of This Side
of Salvation.
Join the Rush swag fest: free EXCLUSIVE swag for
everyone who orders TSOS on or before Monday, April 7.
Superfan contest (March 31 — April 9): share the
TSOS characters’ “trading cards” on your social networks to earn
points. Biggest Superfan wins the grand prize, but there’s a chance to
win a book and a gift card every day you play!
Here’s the first day’s card, featuring the main character, David
Cooper:
Cat blogging meets book birthday!
Meet Misha and Twinkle, the real-life inspiration for the cats of This Side of
Salvation, on PulseIt, the official site of Jeri’s publisher,
Simon Pulse.
Order the hardcover:
Order the ebook:
Find Jeri
Visit Jeri’s website, or follow
her on one of these sites:
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9:27 am
March 10, 2014 •
Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook is now available!
About the book:
Friendship is a bond stronger than secrets in this novel from the author of The Almost Truth and Unraveling Isobel.
As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared—they were both adopted.
Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact…until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it’s urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom—but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.
Then Avery learns that Nora overdosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora’s who is also looking for a way to respect Nora’s legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics…
You can buy the book here:
Indie Bound
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Chapters/Indigo
What Others Are Saying:
“Cook combines friendship drama, boy troubles, romance, family conflict, and college application stress with a protagonist trying to understand who she really is in the wake of tragedy.” Publisher’s Weekly
“Cook delves into some interesting questions about what is really important in life as well as the challenges associated with self-discovery and determining how far you’ll go to get what you want.” Booklist
“An insightful, entertaining exploration of the impact of a suicide” Kirkus
“Eileen Cook returns with Year of Mistaken Discoveries, a romantic tragi-comedy from the perspective of the most popular–often most hated–girl in high school: the cheerleader… Year of Mistaken Discoveries is provoking, fast-paced entertainment, and Cook successfully tackles some tough issues with a very light touch.” Readerly- The National Reading Campaign.
“Given the choice between contemporary and paranormal YA, I will almost always pick contemporary and Eileen Cook is the perfect example of why.” Nerdy Book Club- Kelly’s Top 15 Books for 2014
“This book is amazing! Everyone should buy at least five copies.” Eileen’s mom.
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11:26 am
March 9, 2014 •
Street Team!!
Are you a people person? Do you love to talk books? If you’re enthusiastic about books, highly motivated, friendly and would like to receive and share author goodies, I’d love to have you on my Street Team! I’ve got new releases coming in the next several months and I’d love for you to be part of the fun. If you’d like to join, please email lee@authorsoundrelations.com for more details!
Posted by Sara Hantz in
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12:20 pm
March 4, 2014 •
Rather than doing a traditional interview-filled blog tour, Denise Jaden is celebrating the release of her new nonfiction writing book, FAST FICTION, by dropping tips about writing quickly at every stop of her blog tour, and offering some awesome prizes for commenting on any of these posts (including this one!)
The more you drop by and comment, the more chances you have to win these great prizes:
Denise’s Fast Fiction Tip: Try starting with relationships.
My writing process has taken a lot of twists and turns over the years, but I’m finally settling into a method that works well for me. My first germ of an idea usually involves a character relationship and a plot point. With Losing Faith, my first idea revolved around two sisters, one of them religious and the other the black sheep of the family. I spent a lot of time thinking about how this one quality would affect every area of their relationship, and that knowledge helped lead me into the plot of the book. Many writers, I think, go after the plot point, trying to nail down their premise and make it as commercial as possible. I like to work on characters first. I spend a lot of time developing and getting to know my characters—filling out questionnaires and interviews about them, writing in their points of view, etc.—and my plot emerges a great deal from there. Everybody is different, and I don’t think it’s wrong to start working on plot first. It’s just not the way my brain is wired. I think all writers should go with what feels right and most organic for them.
The Prizes:
- Compliments of New World Library: They will be giving away A BOX of copies of FAST FICTION by Denise Jaden and GET IT DONE by Sam Bennett (US and Canada only):
- Compliments of Denise Jaden, TWO BOXES of great fiction (US Only). Details on Denise’s blog.
- Audiobook copies of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden!
- A critique of your first five pages, compliments of Denise’s agent, Michelle Humphrey from The Martha Kaplan Agency!
All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win (at the bottom of this post, I’ve included links to all of the other blogs where you can comment for more chances to win).
Writers flock to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) each November because it provides a procrastination-busting deadline. But only a fraction of the participants meet their goal. Denise Jaden was part of that fraction, writing first drafts of her two published young adult novels during NaNoWriMo. In Fast Fiction, she shows other writers how to do what she did, step-by-step, writer to writer. Her process starts with a prep period for thinking through plot, theme, characters, and setting. Then Jaden provides day-by-day coaching for the thirty-day drafting period. Finally, her revision tips help writers turn merely workable drafts into compelling and publishable novels.
A portion of publisher proceeds will be donated to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
“Fast Fiction is filled with stellar advice, solid-gold tips, and doable, practical exercises for all writers who want to draft a complete novel.”
— Melissa Walker, author of Violet on the Runway
“Being a ‘pantser’ I have always resisted outlining, but I have to say that Fast Fiction changed my mind! Denise Jaden takes what I find to be a scary process (outlining) and makes it into an easy and, dare I say, enjoyable one. Fast Fiction is a hands-on book that asks the right questions to get your mind and your story flowing. I know I’ll be using Fast Fiction over and over again. Highly recommended for fiction writers!
— Janet Gurtler, author of RITA Award finalist I’m Not Her
“Fast Fiction is full of strategies and insights that will inspire and motivate writers of every experience level — and best of all, it provides them with a solid plan to quickly complete the first draft of their next novel.”
— Mindi Scott, author of Freefall
“Fast Fiction provides writers with the perfect mix of practical guidance and the kick in the pants they need to finish that draft. This book is a must-have for writers of all levels.”
— Eileen Cook, author of The Almost Truth
“Practical and down-to-earth, Denise Jaden’s Fast Fiction makes a one-month draft seem doable, even for beginners, any month of the year.”
— Jennifer Echols, author of Endless Summer and Playing Dirty
“One of the greatest challenges any writer faces is getting a great idea out of one’s brain and onto the page. Fast Fiction breaks that process down into concrete, manageable steps, each accompanied by Denise Jaden’s sage advice and enthusiastic encouragement. And anything that helps streamline the drafting process is a-okay by me! Fast Fiction is a great addition to any writer’s toolbox — I’ve got it in mine!”
— Catherine Knutsson, author of Shadows Cast by Stars
“Forget the fact that this resource is directed at those wanting to complete a fast draft — if you’re out to get your novel done, period, Jaden’s Fast Fiction will be the kick in the butt that gets you there, from story plan to ‘The End’. . . and beyond.”
— Judith Graves, author of the Skinned series for young adults
Where you can find Fast Fiction:
Help an author out:
Can’t get a copy of FAST FICTION right now? I wonder if you’d consider helping out in other ways. I’d really appreciate any way that you can help!
- Ask your library or bookstore to bring in FAST FICTION
- Leave a review on Amazon (the more books are reviewed on Amazon, the more they will show up as suggestions for readers).
- Mention FAST FICTION on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or pin a link to Amazon on Pinterest
Blog Tour Stops:
Comment on any of the following blog posts celebrating Fast Fiction’s release to be entered to win prizes galore!
(All Fast Fiction blog posts should be live by March 9th, or sooner. Contest will be open until March 15th. If any links don’t work, stop by http://denisejaden.blogspot.com for updated links.)
Additional Participating Blogs:
Remember, all you have to do is leave comments to get lots of extra entries to win some great prizes.
Don’t know what to comment about? Tell us the name of your favorite writing book!
Share this widget here:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/Y2QyYmEwOTMzNTUyNGRiYWY0NWE1YWE4YjBjN2I2OjQ=/
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Or, if the Rafflecopter Giveaway doesn’t seem to be coming up on this blog, access it here: http://www.denisejaden.com/FastFictionContest.html
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1:39 pm
February 27, 2014 •
UNFORGOTTEN, the second book in the Unremembered Trilogy by Jessica Brody, is now in stores!
Some memories are better left forgotten…
After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden.
Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.
Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.
Haven’t read Unremembered, the first book in the trilogy? Click here to learn all about it and read the first 5 chapters free!
Also be sure to check out, UNDISCOVERED, the eBook novella told from Zen’s point of view!
Posted by Sara Hantz in
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10:42 am
Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.
![In the Blood - Hantz[1]](http://sarahantz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/In-the-Blood-Hantz1.jpg)
