Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

I'm excited to be a part of Blogfest 2012! Link to the other blogs with contests: http://www.ajourneyofbooks.com/ Comment and have a chance to win some galleys and a $15 iTune card 1st winner: 2 galleys of your choice plus the $15 iTune card 2nd winner: 1 galley of your choice plus some swag! I might even throw in a 3rd place winner! **Available to US and Canada. There's ORIGIN that was an amazing dystopia: BREATHE another fab dystopia!  WHO I KISSED-an amazing YA contemporary tale ENTICE with a matching purple bag I got from ALA12! Or: THE DIVINERS by Libby Bray.  **Bonus, Libba signed it!

Today I'm excited to host author L.M. Preston.  I was able to read and review her book THE PACK: RETRIBUTION.  This is the second book in the Pack series. First off, have to say I love that this is a Sci-Fi YA set on a planet that has always intrigued me: Also there is a strong protagonist: Shamira: Here's the blurb: Revenge doesn't have a name, but has chosen a victim—Shamira. But she's never been the type to lie down and let someone hurt her family or her friends. In order to find the mastermind behind the threat to all she cares about, she must give up the one person who's found his way into her guarded heart, Valens. Valens refuses to back off easily, and neither will Shamira's friends. They join forces with her in order to deal with a new enemy who seeks to kill everyone in Shamira's life that dared save the missing kids on Mars. This story is action packed with some great emotional descriptions.  Shamira...

I'm going to post this a day early as I'm posting a review tomorrow. This week has been fab with all the books I've received!  Got to love that! Here's a taste of what I received: 1. I really enjoyed the voice and premise of this YA paranormal.  The format is a huge plus that breaks away from the typical I-see-dead-people tale. YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/explore-ya-books/latest-fiction/search-results?dir=1&keywords=Scarlett+Dedd I really loved the voice of Scarlett. It's not whiny or precocious. Rather she's a typical albeit loner teen that just happened to get herself into a dire situation. I remember someone once telling me they don't get why some people wouldn't be excited to be able to see ghosts. Scarlett's family, instead of going to the Other side rather stay where they're at. This quirkiness adds kind of a charm to this story. The ghost vomit is kind of disgusting but so is her baby bro...

I was really excited to be able to read and review this novel!  As most of you know, I homeschool my son.  There's been a lot of discussion among these tweens and teens on what they want to see in YA.  One was lighter romances. This book fits the bill! Here's a little teaser: Sweet romance that sweeps you back to Renaissance Italy. A lighter YA that will appeal to romance fans with its hint of Romeo/Juliet intrigue wrapped up in time travel suspense. There’s a hint of a sequel at the end. Can’t wait to see what happens next! YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/13580-my-super-sweet-sixteenth-century YABC interview:  http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/interview-with-rachel-harris-author-of-my-super-sweet-sixteenth-century

I'm so excited and now I can tell everyone that I'll be helping with the Cybils!  This year I'll be a panelist on the YA fantasy/Sci category.  If you know me, you know I'm a HUGE fan of this genre. Here's the announcement: http://www.cybils.com/2012/09/the-2012-fantasy-science-fiction-judges.html I think this deserves a Snoopy dance!

YOU’RE INVITED! It’s  ENTICE ME DAY   on  Saturday, September 15 !  Along with giveaways, chapter releases and other fun, tomorrow is also you’re chance to meet Jessica Shirvington in person!  We’re hosting an online  LIVE  author chat with Jessica, author of  ENTICE and EMBRACE .  You are invited to sign up and come to the Shindig event chat space for Jessica’s appearance which runs from  2 – 3pm EDT . RSVP here:   http://www.shindig.com/event/ entice Once you sign up, you’ll be given a link to log in. All you need is a webcam and reliable internet service to participate. You’ll be able to interact with other guests (bring some friends!) and ask questions of the author. Even if you don’t have a webcam, you can enter the chat space and text questions, which Jessica will receive. We’ll be debuting the  ENTICE  book trailer, revealing the winner of our  ENTICE ME DAY   Sweepstakes, and giving ...

1. Finished reading TILT: Loved it! My YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/13092-tilt "Ellen Hopkins is this generation's Judy Blume, with her ability to 'get' what teens go through without being preachy or talking down to them. 2. Also finished BREATHE: My YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/12959-breathe-breathe-1  The writing though kept me engaged with this fast paced futuristic tale. I also liked the relationship between Quinn and Bea which is kind of like a futuristic Romeo and Juliet story 3. Right now reading SON by Lois Lowry I was so excited to grab a copy of this at ALA last summer!  **Thanks, Linda Singleton for pointing them out to me! This is the final book in THE GIVER series.  Beautifully written, once again  I'm transported back to this dystopian world.  Loving it so much so far. Scholastic October Tab book orders will have it offe...

Hi, everyone!  Today I'm excited to be part of the Entice Me team! First check out my YA Books Central review of this amazing second book: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/13099-entice-the-violet-eden-chapters-2 I'm an ambassador for the God Squad: Grigori Leaders Nyla & Rudyard Here's a little write up on them: Tough as Nails Nyla and Rudyard may be new but they’re a force to be reckoned with. Nyla may look like tall, slim goddess with a dazzling smile, but she’s all warrior underneath.  And she teaches combat at the Grigori Academy in New York—something she’s come to teach Violet.  Rudyard is like night to Nyla’s day: affable, polished, refined; he’s the academic of the group.  But don’t let the mild-mannered exterior fool you: he’s also a fighter. The most intriguing thing about them?  There’s more to their partnership than meets the eye. Here's both of their   bios , which have a ton of more detai...

1. Well, it's been a crazy week.  **I know, what else is new?  We got a phone call at 10:30pm the other night saying that our nephew's fiancee broke off their engagement and that he was devastated and needed a place to stay for a while.  Also, he just got out of a cult. I'm like, "What?" Now, here is the interesting part and how I keep shaking my head at all the drama my in-laws generate.  Great stuff to use in novels. R. shows up and no, he didn't break off the engagement but rather needed to get away for a few days to clear his head.  No, it's not really a cult but more like con artists who work under the guise of religion. Another reason why it's important to get to the source because otherwise the truth gets lost in all the drama. Sigh. One way to get over all this is: BOOKS! 2. Agent Jen Laughran recommended this book on Twitter: Yes, it's one of her client's books but almost all of the books Jen recommends are good.  T...

I'm excited to be a part of the Zumaya family with my upcoming YA fantasy NO GODDESSES ALLOWED which should be out by the end of this year! First off  there will be a chat tonight at 8pm CDT:   http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/ctr_chat2.html There are prizes to be won, and the way to win them is easy. On my previous blog post is a list of Zumaya authors. On each of their websites you’ll find the answer to a question. Collect the answers to those questions, then go here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=D%2bhCjW4TE4n%2bZvkFqXwHbg%3d%3d and fill in the answers. There are some regular, book-related trivia questions, too—we wouldn’t want it to be too easy. There will also be daily and weekly trivia contests, so keep an eye on Twitter  and the Zumaya page on  https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/148729395266165/    , or visit our company blog  http://blog.zumayapublications.com/ My question is: Where is the novel  ...

Cindy Lynn Speer Rachel Green Kim Baccellia Rie Sheridan Rose Mike DiCerto Linda Andrews Gloria Oliver Alana Lorens Wendy Dager Mark Roberts Christine Marciniak InLinkz.com

You're  Invited! **The link to find where other stops will be!   http://sites.sourcebooks.com/embrace-the-series/entice-me.html Entice  Me Day September  15, 2012 Join us online to celebrate the publication of  ENTICE  by Jessica Shirvington! Eight days of giveaways, behind-the-book secrets, and fun leading up to  ENTICE ME DAY  on September 15th, when the book's trailer will premiere along with with chapter releases, giveaways, posts, a live appearance from Jessica and your chance to WIN a special prize from  EmbracetheSeries.com . (Yes, we're keeping it a secret!) September 7th:  Steph  Have you missed the best friend and shopper a girl could have? **I'll be the cheerleader for Nyla and Rudyard! September 8th & 9th:  God Squad Get the scoop on Nyla, Rudyard, Zoe, Salvatore, and Spence! September 10:  Magda What do you think of Griffin's partner? September 11th:  Griffin Ca...