Giveaway + Interview: The Giant (Quarantine #4) by Lex Thomas

The Giant (Quarantine #4) by Lex Thomas

September 1, 2016 from Carolrhoda Lab™

In the violent early days of the quarantine, Gonzalo joins a gang of thieves who live in the ductwork of McKinley High School. There he falls in love with Sasha, but as he grows too big to fit, he is forced to leave without her. 

A year later, he scours the infected zone for her. No matter how many murderers, puncture wounds, or militia he has to survive, Gonzalo can't give up on Sasha. 

In the fourth installment of the Quarantine series, Lex Thomas delivers two intertwined stories about love and longing, which merge in a conclusion where the fate of the entire infected zone hangs in the balance. 

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You can find Lex Thomas at their website

As the series progressed, was it easier for you to collaboratively write? Was there a moment where you knew where the other was going to take a character or story since you've been writing together many years?

Giveaway: Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly #WaterfireSaga

Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly
June 14th 2016 from Disney-Hyperion

At the end of Dark Tide, Book 3 in the Waterfire Saga, Astrid leaves her mermaid friends to confront her ancestor, Orfeo, the evil force behind the rise of the monster Abbadon. Orfeo possesses one of the six talismans that the merls need in order to keep the monster locked up forever. But without the ability to songcast, how will Astrid be able to defeat the most powerful mage in history?

Meanwhile, Serafina and her Black Fins train goblin troops for battle against her uncle Vallerio’s death riders. Will Sera ever see her beloved home—and her beloved Mahdi—again, or will the Volneros take over the mer realms while Orfeo takes on the gods themselves? Nothing less than the fate of the underwater world is at stake in this breathtaking finale.

Giveaway & Excerpt: Invision (Chronicles of Nick #7) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Invision (Chronicles of Nick #7) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
May 3, 2016 from St. Martin's Griffin

***Please note if you haven’t read Instinct, there could be spoilers in the synopsis below.

One boy . . .Many demons.

Think there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders? Nick Gautier was born to bring about the end of the world . . . it’s not easy being the heir of a demon overlord.

But Nick is determined to thwart his destiny and get into a good college. To be more than his genetics and prophecy foretell. No one is ever going to tell this stubborn Cajun who and what he really is. Or how to live his life.

Not even the Fates of the Universe. But now that he and his team of ancient gods and demons have claimed the Eye of Ananke and he sees the missteps of the future, he has to battle the demons within that are far deadlier and more treacherous than any he’s battled before. All the while his arch nemesis is back and determined to reclaim his place as the harbinger for Armageddon. Even if it means killing Nick and barbecuing everyone he loves to do so.

Giveaway + Deleted Scene: What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

Welcome to Day #6 of the What We Left Behind Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of What We Left Behind by Robin Talley (10/27/15 - tomorrow!), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Robin, as well as 10 chances to win a copy of What We Left Behind or a 7-book LGBT YA Prize Pack chosen by Robin herself in the Grand Prize Giveaway! There are TWO separate places to enter below.

Giveaway: Through the Dark #ThroughtheDark

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken
October 6, 2015 from Disney-Hyperion

This collection of thrilling--and utterly heartbreaking--novellas set in the in the world of the Darkest Minds is an absolute must-have for fans of the New York Times best-selling trilogy.

Don't miss this breathtaking collection of stories set in the world of the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds trilogy. Featuring ebook original novellas In Time and Sparks Rise, available in print for the first time, and a gripping, brand-new novella, Through the Dark is a must-have for fans of the Darkest Minds.This collection contains three novellas: In Time, Sparks Rise, and Beyond the Night, as well as a sneak peek at the first novel in Alexandra Bracken's new series, Passenger.

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Visit AlexandraBracken.com
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#ThroughtheDark

Giveaway: The Waterfire Saga series: Deep Blue, Rogue Wave, & Dark Tide #DarkTide

Dark Tide by Jennifer Donnelly

October 13, 2015 from Disney-Hyperion

Once a lost and confused princess, Serafina is now a confident leader of the Black Fin Resistance (BFR). While she works on sabotaging her enemy and enlisting allies for battle, her friends face challenges of their own. Ling is in the hold of Rafe Mfeme's giant trawler, on her way to a prison camp. Becca meets up with Astrid and learns why the Ondalinian mermaid is always so angry: she is hiding a shameful secret. Ava can't return home, because death riders await her arrival. And it is getting more and more difficult for Mahdi, Serafina's betrothed, to keep up the ruse that he is in love with Lucia Volerno. If Lucia's parents become suspicious, his life--and all of Sera's hopes--will be extinguished. Political intrigue, dangerous liaisons, and spine-tingling suspense swirl like a maelstrom in this penultimate book in the WaterFire saga.

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You can find Donnelly at her website
Learn more on waterfiresaga.com
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#DarkTide

Giveaway: The Marvels by Brian Selznick #TheMarvels

The Marvels by Brian Selznick
September 15, 2016 from Scholastic

From the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck comes a breathtaking new voyage.

In this magnificent reimagining of the form he originated, two stand-alone stories—the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose—together create a beguiling narrative puzzle.
The journey begins on a ship at sea in 1766, with a boy named Billy Marvel. After surviving a shipwreck, he finds work in a London theatre. There, his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until 1900, when young Leontes Marvel is banished from the stage.

Nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis runs away from school and seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Albert Nightingale’s strange, beautiful house, with its mysterious portraits and ghostly presences, captivates Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about the house, his family, and the past.

A gripping adventure and an intriguing invitation to decipher how the two narratives connect, The Marvels is a loving tribute to the power of story from an artist at the vanguard of creative innovation.
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You can find Selznick at his website
Brian Selznick is setting out on a multi-city tour to celebrate the release of THE MARVELS! Selznick is coming to BookPeople on October 24th!

Giveaway, Review, + Guest Post: Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

September 8th, 2015 from Candlewick Press

All-girl camp. First love. First heartbreak. At once romantic and devastating, brutally honest and full of humor, this graphic-novel memoir is a debut of the rarest sort.

Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She’s from Atlanta, she’s never kissed a guy, she’s into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of a pleasant, peaceful nothing . . . until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser, and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counselor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl, and Maggie’s savant-like proficiency at the camp’s rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin maybe feels the same way about Maggie, it’s too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand.

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You can find Thrash at her website

Thrash is heading to Texas Book Festival 2015!

Giveaway & Guest Post: Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen by Eve Yohalem

Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra de Winter and Bram Broen
May 19th, 2015 from Dial Books

A tale of pirates, mutiny, and friendship on the high seas, perfect for fans of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

It’s 1663 and there is an extra passenger on board a Dutch merchant ship setting sail for the East Indies. Twelve-year-old Petra has stowed away to escape her abusive father. But she quickly realizes that surviving for months at sea will be impossible without help. So when Bram, the half-Dutch / Half-Javanese son of the ship’s carpenter, finds her hiding spot, Petra convinces him to help her stay hidden . . .and help disguise her as a boy.

If Petra is discovered and exposed as a girl, she could be tossed overboard, or worse . . . returned to her father. And if Bram is exposed for helping her, he could lose the only home—and family—he has. As tensions rise on the ship, with pirates attacking, deadly illness, and even mutiny, Petra and Bram face impossible decisions that test their friendship and threaten their dreams of freedom.

Told in alternating voices and filled with secrets and intrigue, this richly researched novel is historical fiction at its best.

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You can find Yohalem at her website

Review & Giveaway: Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu #DevotedBook

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

June 2nd, 2015 from Roaring Book Press

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her homeschool education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

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You can find Mathieu at her website

Man, does this book have perfect timing or what? With the Duggars in the news (daily), and the public glued to news soaking in the awfulness that is that situation, it really has brought to light this way of life. I'm talking about the ultra-conservative, authoritarian, male centric, the-devil-is-everywhere, cultish sect of Christianity. I'll be honest, I read the book for two reasons. A) I love me some Texas authors and B) this is all fascinating stuff. I was raised in a strict Catholic home and there were times when family members would lay hands on my head and pray for healing - "rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus" and all. (Yes, for headaches and colds) So, I was prepared to not be so surprised when I heard things along those lines. Funny enough, the reason I enjoyed it so much and couldn't put it down was because of Mathieu's choice in Bible verses and the almost uncomfortable way they were used and thrown in Rachel's face. I was utterly fascinated and wondered if Mathieu grew up that way. I mean we're friends but I've never asked if she grew up in super strict house with Quiverfull type of upbringing. It was so real, like Mathieu chose real-life situations and made them Rachel's. Or stole someone's diary. #we'llneverknow

Interview & Giveaway: Tracked by Jenny Martin #tracked

Tracked by Jenny Martin

May 5th, 2015 from Dial Books

The Fast and the Furious gets a futuristic twist in this action-packed debut!

On corporately controlled Castra, rally racing is a high-stakes game that seventeen-year-old Phoebe Van Zant knows all too well. Phee’s legendary racer father disappeared mysteriously, but that hasn't stopped her from speeding headlong into trouble. When she and her best friend, Bear, attract the attention of Charles Benroyal, they are blackmailed into racing for Benroyal Corp, a company that represents everything Phee detests. Worse, Phee risks losing Bear as she falls for Cash, her charming new teammate. But when she discovers that Benroyal is controlling more than a corporation, Phee realizes she has a much bigger role in Castra’s future than she could ever have imagined. It's up to Phee to take Benroyal down. But even with the help of her team, can a street-rat destroy an empire?

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You can find Martin at her website
You can purchase at BookPeople or Indie Bound

I have been lucky to know Jenny for many years, and I am so happy TRACKED is just about here! It's a book that has been a long-time coming and watching your friend receive good news through-out the years on something that is so dear to her is a fun thing to watch! We are both so lucky to live in a literary hub - TEXAS - and I wanted you to get to know you Jenny Martin through a series of questions based on one of the best thing we have in common - TEXAS! 

Giveaway: The Remedy (The Program .05) by Suzanne Young #ReleasetheRemedy

The Remedy by Suzanne Young
April 21st 2015 from Simon Pulse

Can one girl take on so many identities without losing her own? Find out in this riveting companion to The Program and the New York Times bestselling The Treatment.

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee is a closer. Since the age of seven, Quinn has held the responsibility of providing closure to grieving families with a special skill—she can “become” anyone.

Recommended by grief counselors, Quinn is hired by families to take on the short-term role of a deceased loved one between the ages of fifteen and twenty. She’s not an exact copy, of course, but she wears their clothes and changes her hair, studies them through pictures and videos, and soon, Quinn can act like them, smell like them, and be them for all intents and purposes. But to do her job successfully, she can’t get attached.

Now seventeen, Quinn is deft at recreating herself, sometimes confusing her own past with those of the people she’s portrayed. When she’s given her longest assignment, playing the role of Catalina Barnes, Quinn begins to bond with the deceased girl’s boyfriend. But that’s only the beginning of the complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.

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You can find Young at her website and blog
Follow Suzanne Young on Twitter and Facebook
#ReleaseTheRemedy

Giveaway time! THE WORLD BEFORE THE PROGRAM prize pack includes a copy of The Remedy plus copies of Suzanne Young’s bestselling series The Program and The Treatment. Prizing & samples courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Fill out the fancyl doo-hickey below to be officially entered. Giveaway open to US addresses only, good luck! 

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Guest Post & Giveaway: Racing Hearts by Laura Lascarso

Racing Hearts by Laura Lascarso
February 10th 2015 by Leap Books

Start your engines…

Eighteen-year-old Jesse Copeland learns of a local car race sponsored by his father's nemesis, Shep Bradley, and the prize money might be enough to keep his family from losing their home—if he can win.

Brooke, Shep’s daughter, is also aiming to compete, with or without her father’s approval. She’ll do whatever it takes to persuade Jesse to make her car race ready. Both are driven, both are risk-takers, and soon it’s more than engines getting fired up. Jesse tells himself their relationship is strictly business, until it isn't.

Can two star-crossed lovers overcome a family feud as old as Ford vs. Chevy, or will the competition become too explosive for these racing hearts?

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You can find Lascarso at her website

TIME's Top 100 YA Books & @Candlewick Giveaway

TIME magazine recently published their lists of Top 100 Young Adult & Top 100 Children’s Books of All Time! Candlewick Press has 6 titles on the Young Adult list and the publisher is kind enough to offer a great giveaway in celebration!

I was lucky enough to interview Patrick Ness before the release of A Monster Calls (a book that I still love very much and CAN'T WAIT for the movie to be released - Liam Neeson is the Monster!!!!). You can read the interview HERE.

Follow, Like, and Love Candlewick
Twitter - @Candlewick
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E-Volt Twitter - @evoltbooks
E-Volt Tumblr - http://e-volt.tumblr.com/

The prize pack will include paperback copies of The Tiger Rising and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane both by Kate DiCamillo, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Feed by M.T. Anderson, and Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci. Fill out the fancy doohickey below to be officially entered. US & Canada only.

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Giveaway + Guest Post: Spirit of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles #3) by Dorothy Hearst

Spirit of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles #3) by Dorothy Hearst
December 1st, 2014 from Simon & Schuster

The third and final title in The Wolf Chronicles: Kaala the young wolf fulfills her destiny—to either help humans and wolves to live in peace, or bring war that will destroy them all.

Fourteen thousand years ago in southern Europe, a wolf cub named Kaala discovers that she alone can link wolves and humans, thus keeping humans from growing distant from and destroying the world around them. In Promise of the Wolves and Secrets of the Wolves, Kaala came to understand her role. Born of a forbidden, mixed blood litter, and alone after her mother’s exile, Kaala struggled to earn her place in the Swift River pack. When she saved the life of a human girl, she put her hard-won place in the pack at risk, and responsibility for keeping peace between wolf and humankind fell to her. So far, she has failed.

Now, in Spirit of the Wolves, Kaala has one last chance. She leaves her home in the Wide Valley with her packmates, the human girl she loves, and an obnoxious raven. Together, they travel to the land outside the valley, only to discover that new challenges await them. Kaala’s mother has no answers, a faction of ruthless Greatwolves will stop at nothing to maintain control, odd little wolves seek to take Kaala’s place, and, in the mysterious village of Kaar, humans are undergoing a transformation that could destroy everything she is working for. Only by calling on all of her strength and on the bonds of love with her human, raven, and wolf companions can Kaala hope to succeed. But it might not be enough.

Giveaway: Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2) by Jennifer Donnelly

Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2) by Jennifer Donnelly

In this exciting sequel to DEEP BLUE, the mermaids are on an exceedingly important and dangerous quest. Their journey is testing their skills and their friendships, forcing them to grow and take on new challenges, and will alter their lives forever.

Serafina, Neela, Ling, Ava, Becca, and Astrid, six mermaids from realms scattered throughout the seas and freshwaters, were summoned by the leader of the river witches to learn an incredible truth: the mermaids are direct descendants of the Six Who Ruled-powerful mages who once governed the lost empire of Atlantis. The ancient evil that destroyed Atlantis is stirring again, and only the mermaids can defeat it. To do so, they need to find magical talismans that belonged to the Six.

Serafina believes her talisman was buried with an old shipwreck. While researching its location, she is almost discovered by a death rider patrol led by someone familiar. . . . The pain of seeing him turned traitor is devastating.

Giveaway: In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds #3)

In the After Light by Alexandra Bracken
October 28th, 2014 by Disney Hyperion

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Book Trailer + Giveaway: Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

On November 4th, HarperCollins unveils Forbidden, a seductive YA debut from award-winning middle grade author Kimberley Griffiths Little. Forbidden transports readers back in time to the deadly deserts and sweltering heat of Ancient Mesopotamia for a tale of danger, duty, and forbidden love. Jayden is on the brink of womanhood and betrothed to her tribe’s prince, cold- hearted Horeb. But when tragedy strikes, Jayden meets Kadesh, a mysterious visitor from the south who makes Jayden doubt everything she knows. Torn between loyalty to her tribe and the chance to escape her fate, Jayden must make a choice that will change her life forever.

Giveaway: Homeroom Diaries by James Patterson and Lisa Papademetriou

In James Patterson's first highly illustrated "diary fiction" story for teens, the mega-bestselling author's most endearing and original teen heroine ever proves that everyone can use a helping hand once in a while.

Margaret "Cuckoo" Clarke recently had a brief stay in a mental institution following an emotional breakdown, but she's turning over a new leaf with her "Happiness Project". She's determined to beat down the bad vibes of the Haters, the Terror Teachers, and all of the trials and tribulations of high school by writing and drawing in her diary. And when life gets really tough, she works through her own moments of uncertainty through imaginary conversations with her favorite literary characters.

Cuckoo's also got a nearly impossible mission: she, along with her misfit band of self-deprecating friends (who call themselves "the Freakshow") decide to bridge the gap between warring cliques and "bring the Nations together". Not everyone is so willing to join hands and get along, but Cuckoo never stops smiling...until one of her closest friends, pushed to desperation by a Hater prank, decides that enough is enough.

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Purchase at the best Indie in Texas, BookPeople

Giveaway: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

 Magic is power, and power is magic…

Once they were inseparable, just two little girls playing games in a mighty castle. Now Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the mightiest empire in the world, and Aelwyn Myrddyn, a bastard mage, face vastly different futures.

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second. With the help of her Merlin, Eleanor has maintained a stranglehold on the world’s only source of magic. While the enchanters faithfully serve the crown, the sun will never set on the Franco-British Empire.