Jessica Brody's Blog, page 12

March 29, 2016

YA Scavenger Hunt: Spring 2016 Edition

Welcome to the Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt! 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! (THE GOLD 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 six contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM— but there is also RED, BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, TEAL, PURPLE, SILVER, & PINK teams for a chance to win a whole different set of 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 Author List.

If you get stuck or need help, you can check out the How to Hunt page.

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 GOLD 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 Sunday, April 3rd, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Welcome, Carly Anne West!

Today, I am hosting Carly Anne West on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Carly Anne West is the author of YA novels THE MURMURINGS and THE BARGAINING. She lives between the ocean and the trees in Seattle, Washington with her crazy family. She also loves your face a whole lot.

About The Bargaining

The fact that neither of her parents wants to deal with her is nothing new to Penny. She’s used to being discussed like a problem, a problem her mother has finally passed on to her father. What she hasn’t gotten used to is her stepmother…especially when she finds out that she’ll have to spend the summer with April in the remote woods of Washington to restore a broken-down old house.

Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer. But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future …

Exclusive Content

Hi there, YASHers! When I do book events, I always get the best questions from readers. I’ve pulled together a few of my faves about THE BARGAINING, along with (spoiler-free) answers to give you a peek into the totally messed up way my imagination works. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you read THE BARGAINING, or my other book, THE MURMURINGS (both standalones, so not to worry if you read them out of order). Okay, on to THE BARGAINING …

Where the heck is Point Finney?

It’s in my brain. I’d been living in the Seattle area for a little under a year when I first started THE BARGAINING, and I was swimming in isolation. I’d moved from east Oakland, where we could practically reach out of our windows and touch the neighboring houses. I also had friends and a community. Then I had none of those, and our house was a little bigger, and our yard was a lot bigger, and there were just so many trees. Every time the wind blew, their leaves clacked like tiny rattles and their branches creaked. And I was desperately lonely, which was surprising since I thought I liked being alone. But that’s the difference between loneliness and aloneness, I guess. Anyway, I knew my next setting would be in Washington, and it would have to be among the thickest knot of trees I could find. I tried visiting various islands and tiny towns around the state, but none of them quite captured the insular vibe I’d imagined for this setting. Luckily for me, I write fiction. So I made it up.

Do children scare you or something?

Sometimes. I have two of my own. Sometimes kids say incredibly chilling things. I think there’s at least one Reddit thread dedicated to this. And the only thing scarier than real children is children who may or may not be real.

What’s with those tiny handprints on the window?

It’s not a spoiler. Just a component of the plot. There are handprints. The idea came from my witnessing a tiny handprint in the window on our front door. The house we were living in at the time had one of those crescent-shaped windows at the top. Tall enough for an adult to reach, but not nearly tall enough for my then-two-year-old son to touch. Now, what’d probably happened was my husband had lifted him up at some point to see out of the window, and my son had touched the window like kids are known to do, and bam. A handprint on a window. But that’s not where my strange brain went at first. I thought about children of the less-alive sort, peering out of windows or into them, leaving handprints where they shouldn’t be able to leave them.

You seem sort of chipper. You wear bright lipstick. And yet you write horror.

This is one of those questions in the form of a statement … you don’t want to accuse me of having a sinister side, so you just let me fill in the blank, yes? Yes. I have a sinister side. I’m not alone in this. It’s therapeutic for me to write about it, and really, I think there’s so much truth in stories that scare us.

Happy hunting, YASHers! I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to participate in an event that attracts such rabid readers.

*****

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Carly! Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me (Jessica) and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 11. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GOLD 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 on Deirdre Riordan Hall’s blog.

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Published on March 29, 2016 10:00

November 20, 2015

Hacking the Magic – How to Quickly Get into the Writing “Zone” Every Single Day

I’m currently reading and absolutely loving BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’m always dazzled by her books, but this one especially is resonating with me. I love the way she demystifies the mysteries of the creative process while at the same time paying homage to them and embracing the fact that sometimes the art of creation is just pure magic, so we might as well kneel at its altar and pray for pixie dust.

But what happens when the pixie dust just doesn’t come? What happens when your creative muse decides to high-tail it to Vegas for the weekend, taking all of your inspiration with it? Is there a way to manufacture your own pixie dust? Maybe, even at the touch of a button?

I say, yes. Yes, there is.

And the reason I say this is because I do it. All the time. And in this post, I’m going to tell you how.

You see, while I wholeheartedly believe in the enchanting, magical fairytale of inspiration, I’m also a big believer in hacking the creative process in any way that I can.

Hacking?! Did she say hacking?!

I did indeed say hacking. And allow me to explain.

I use the term “hacking” in the absolute computer sense. For example, when you can’t get access to a server or a file that you desperately need, you’re forced to find another way in. You’re forced to “hack” the system.

And for the sake of the metaphor, the server or file that you so desperately need access to is your creativity.

Because sometimes when you’re pressed to make a deadline, or you’re trying frantically to finish that novel before the clock strikes midnight at the end of NaNoWriMo, or you’re following my sage advice of writing every single day, even if what comes out on the page is complete and utter crap (wow, that is good advice!), then a little hacking is exactly what you need to make it through.

The sad reality of the writer life is this: we don’t always have time for the magic of creation to strike. We don’t always have the luxury of waiting for our muse to get off its butt and show the f#%k up. Sometimes we have to sit down and do the work alone. And I’ll tell you from years and years of experience, writing without your muse is a cold and barren place to be.

Which is why I’ve found ways to trick my brain into feeling motivated and staying focused on the project at hand. I guess you could say, I’ve found a ways to manufacture inspiration, like a mad scientist in a lab (with the goggles and the crazy hair and everything!) And sure, it may not be as good as the real thing (because, let’s face it, it never is), but sometimes when you’re hungry, you just have to settle for the Very Berry yogurt parfait when all you really want is the triple-fudge ice-cream sundae. Sometimes, you have to get the book done. Sometimes you have to keep writing (even if it’s terrible!) and fix it later. Or at the very least, sometimes you have to keep that word count up until your muse decides to come back from its extended Italian vacation that it completely forgot to tell you about (or even send a postcard).

Four years ago, I wrote a blog post called “How to Trick Your Brain Into Writing” and received a lot of great positive responses from it. Although these tips absolutely still apply and can be used by any writer, my process is constantly changing and transforming. Plus, I’m always finding new tips and tricks for hacking my own brain that I want to share with other writers.

In this post, I’m only going to share one trick with you. But it’s a big one. It might be my biggest one and it might just change your life.

I recently went on a writing retreat, in which, I told several authors about this trick. A few of them decided to try it the next day and these were some of the responses I got: “Oh my God. This is a game changer!” “This worked so well, it scared me a little.” “How am I only learning about this NOW???” And my favorite of them all, “Um, is this magic?”

Yes, it works that well. Yes, it’s a game changer. Yes, it often feels like magic. And yes, this is the reason I was able to finish the 85,000-word rough draft of BOYS OF SUMMER (my upcoming YA release from Simon & Schuster) in only 6 weeks when we were on a super tight publishing schedule.

So you’re probably thinking, okay, enough hype already. What’s the trick? What’s the secret?

Well, I’m almost there. But first, the science!

Wait, there’s science? Of course, there’s science! Do you really think I would try to sell you some new-age spiritual woo woo? Okay, yeah, that sounds exactly like something I would do, but not this time. Not this blog post. This is legit. This has been proven. By people with letters after their names.

So…yah.

The science is called Brain Wave Entrainment. You can Google it if you want and find all the articles with the big words and fancy sciency lingo, but I’m going to break it down simply for you right here:

brainwave entrainment For every activity your brain performs, it vibrates at a certain frequency. This includes sleeping, meditating, reading, watching TV, and yes…tada! Writing! You know when you fall into one of those amazing trance-like states when you’re writing like the wind and the words are flowing and you’re laser focused on the page and World War III could be going on outside and you wouldn’t even notice? I call that state “being in the zone” and yup, your brain is vibrating at a very specific frequency when you’re “in the zone.”

So wouldn’t it solve all of your writerly problems if you could just “induce” that state? As in, simply tell your brain to go to that exact same place every day?

Well, abracadabra-huzzah! You can.

It’s called Brain Wave Entrainment. Essentially, it’s the act of stimulating your brain with the exact frequency you want it to match. So if you put on a pair of headphones and you play that desired frequency into the headphones, your brain will automatically pick up the frequency and sync to it. Because brains are just awesome like that. And within a few minutes, you’ll be physically in that desired state of mind.

It sounds like magic, doesn’t it? Well, it sort of feels that way. But it’s actually a pretty old technology that’s been around for decades. There was an article about it in the Scientific American in 1973 but now, combined with the power and convenience of apps, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of it.

There are several apps that do Brain Wave Entrainment. I’m going to share with you my favorite, but there are also tons more in the app store that should do the “trick” just as successfully.

The magic app I’ve been using for the past year (in fact, I’m using it RIGHT NOW while I write this blog post!) is called Brainwave: Sharp Mind by Banzai Labs. It’s $2.99 in the Apple app store* and here’s how to use it (in 3 simple steps):

1) Choose your Brainwave or Program

This is the frequency that your brain will “sync up” or “entrain” to. In other words, the desired state of mind that you want. On its own the brainwave sounds like a low rumbling or a vibration. But don’t worry if it sounds odd to you, in step 2, we’ll be adding sounds to mask it.

Below is a screenshot from the Brainwave: Sharp Minds app, where you see I’ve chosen “Brainstorming” as my program. I use this program for writing too. But other authors have told me they really like the Concentration Boost or Creative Thinking program for writing. If you want more information about the various programs, simply click the little “i” button on the bottom of the screen to learn more about each one. Play around with the various programs and find the one that works best for you.

2) Choose your Ambient Sound or Music

This is the sound that will play OVER the brainwave frequency to help mask it. I admit, for me, the frequency on its own is a little hard to listen to (although you’re more than welcome to try it!), which is why I usually set the ambient sound louder than the brainwave sound. You can see in my screenshot above how I’ve set my volume levels (Brainwave is at about 25% volume, while Ambience is at about 60%). Feel free to mess around with your levels until it’s right for you. But you should be able to still hear the brainwave frequency at least a little bit in the background. I wouldn’t set it so low that it’s completely inaudible.

The app comes with a bunch of really great built-in ambient sounds like waterfall, pink noise, forest, flowing creek, rain, thunder, etc. (See screenshot below). I like using the waterfall sound. I think it masks the brainwave noise the best. But again, play around with it. Everyone is different! If none of these built-in sounds strike your fancy, you can choose any of your iTunes playlists directly from the app and it will play those songs in the foreground instead of an ambient noise. This is great if you’re the kind of writer who likes to write to music or custom playlists while you work.

Brainwave3

3) Choose Your Duration

Finally, you can set a timer for how long you’d like the brainwave program to run. If you’re doing a word sprint, or you have a limited amount of writing time, set it for 30 minutes or an hour (or however long you want to write). It will automatically fade out when it’s done. If you just want to go and go until you can’t go no more, then set it for 8 hours and turn it off manually when you’re done.

olaf on beach So, that’s it! That’s the magic app. That’s how to hack your own brain and get into the sacred writing “zone” every single time you sit down at your computer, no matter where your muse has decided to fly off to. (I’m convinced mine is soaking up rays in the Caribbean with a Piña Colada right now while I’m buried under four feet of snow and a second act that never stops rearranging itself.)

I hope this creativity hack helps you as much as it’s helped me. Because although, yes, there are the sky is falling outside your window and you hardly even notice because you’re just so darn captivated by that magic, mystical force we call “inspiration,” those days don’t always happen when we need them to. And we certainly can’t count on them when the clock is ticking or the publisher is waiting or the bills need to be paid.

Some days we just need just a little bit of help. Some days we have to create our own magic.

*As of the time of writing this post, Brainwave: Sharp Mind did not appear in the Google App store but keep checking! And you can always write to the company here to let them know that you want it! In the meantime, search “Brain wave entrainment” in your app store and find a highly-rated app to use in its place.

Drunk Monkeys Wrote My First Draft: The Art of Finishing a…

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Published on November 20, 2015 17:14

September 11, 2015

New Book Deal – My First Middle Grade Novel!

Ohmigosh! I’m so excited to announce that I’ve sold my very first middle grade (ages 8-12) to the fantastic Wendy Loggia at Delacorte/Random House!

Here’s the official announcement from the Publisher’s Weekly Rights Report:

Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought Jessica Brody’s Addie Montgomery’s Shortcut to Growing Up, about a 12-year-old girl, tired of her immature classmates and overprotective parents, who makes a wish to be 16… and her wish comes true, with bittersweet consequences. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management negotiated the deal for world English rights.

HOORAH! I’m so excited to be working with Wendy. She has published some of my all-time favorite books like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares, the Fallen series by Lauren Kate, and too many other amazing books to name!

So look for ADDIE MONTGOMERY’S SHORTCUT TO GROWING UP in 2017!

I will post more information like release date, cover, and official description as they come!

Read the full Rights Report here!

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Published on September 11, 2015 09:57

August 31, 2015

A WEEK OF MONDAYS – Cover Reveal, Excerpt, and ARC Giveaway!

I’ve been waiting SO LONG for this day and now it’s here! I finally have permission to share with you the super amazing awesome-sauce cover for A WEEK OF MONDAYS, designed by the insanely talented Elizabeth Clark! I honestly think this cover absolutely nails the spirit, voice, and humor of the book while also telling you a little bit about the story. In fact, it might just be one of my favorite covers ever!

So, to celebrate the reveal, I’ve decided to share with you a little sneak peek excerpt from the book (the first EVER sneak peek to be released)! Plus, I’ve also decided to do … (drum roll please)….

AN ARC GIVEAWAY!

That’s right! THREE autographed advance copies of A WEEK OF MONDAYS will go to 3 lucky winners a whole NINE months before the book releases to the public! (Details below!)

So without further ado, here’s the fantastic cover and a description of the book! What do you think???

Some Mondays feel like they’re never going to end…

Ellie is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech, and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. But when Ellie wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day all over again, she knows exactly what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

Coming August 2, 2016!

Exclusive Excerpt from A WEEK OF MONDAYS!

(From the Second Monday)

I sit down on the bed. “Owen, if I tell you something will you promise to believe everything I say?”

He looks skeptical. “Is this a trick question? Are you going to tell me you formed your own cult and now I’m going to be stuck joining it because of this promise?”

I roll my eyes. “No, it’s not a trick question.”

He sits, pulls Hippo, my stuffed hippopotamus, onto his lap, faces him toward me, and raises Hippo’s left leg in the air, like he’s being sworn in. “Okay, fine. We promise to believe you.”

I look down at Hippo’s beady black eyes, then up at Owen’s inquisitive green ones.

“Something weird happened to me today. I think I might be stuck in the same day.”

He lets out a groan and turns Hippo around so they can share a look of disbelief. “This again?”

“You promised to believe me. You both did.”

He and Hippo exchange another glance. “That’s before we knew you were, you know—” he spins his finger next to his ear and whispers—“craaaazy.”

“I can prove it to you,” I offer.

“Ah, yes, the moment of proof. This is where you tell me some deep, dark secret that I just happened to have divulged to you on a different version of this same day.”

“Last night you had a dream that you went skinny dipping with Principal Yates in the school pool.”

Owen’s mouth literally falls open. I think this is the first time he’s ever been stunned into silence.

“You mean like that?” I ask, struggling to hide a triumphant smile. The shock on his face is too priceless. I would take a picture but I can’t be certain it would be on my phone in the morning.

“H-h-how did you…”

“You told me about it. Last night.”

“I most certainly did not. Besides, I just had the dream last night.”

“Yup,” I say, “That’s the problem. Last night for you was Sunday night. Last night for me was tonight. I mean, Monday night. This whole day and night has been a complete duplicate.”

“You mean Tristan broke up with you twice?”

The reminder is like a knife into my heart. I swallow. “Yes.”

“And we’ve had this conversation before?”

“Well not this same conversation but similar. Some details have been changed.”

He crosses his arms and rests them on Hippo’s head. “Like what?”

“Like last night, you tried to cheer me up by insisting I rename Hippo.”

“He does deserve a real name.”

“That’s exactly what you said last night.”

“Alternate me is one smart guy.”

“Then I said that he does have a real name, and you said—”

“Hold up. Calling something by its literal genus is not a real name.”

I laugh. “Exactly. That’s exactly what you said.”

“Holy crap, Ells.”

“I know.”

“I mean like bloody hell.”

I nod in agreement. “Bloody hell, indeed.”

ARC Giveaway!

This giveaway is international!

3 Autographed ARCs are up for grabs! Winners will receive their ARCs in October (when they’re printed), which is more than 9 months before the release of the book!

Use the widget below to enter!

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Published on August 31, 2015 00:44

August 7, 2015

Boys of Summer – Cover Reveal!

Three boys…
One hot summer.
Who will you fall in love with?

You’ve met the Boys of Summer, now it’s time to see the cover in all of its glory! So without further ado, I give you BOYS OF SUMMER (Read the full description of the book below!)

Welcome to Winlock Harbor…

Best friends since they were kids, Grayson, Mike, and Ian were hoping for another epic summer on “The Locks”, filled with clam bakes, bonfires, and late-night swims in the ocean.

But that was before Ian’s dad never returned home from his last deployment. Before Mike had to take on more responsibility in order to help provide for his family. Before Grayson’s accident left him with an injured throwing arm and an uncertain future.

It’s clear this summer on the island is shaping up to be very different from those Grayson, Mike, and Ian have come to rely on. And when the sacred code of dating a friend’s sister or ex is broken, it will push their friendship to the absolute limit, testing their loyalties in a way that could either break them—or save them.

Coming Summer 2016!

Don’t you just love this cover!? Aren’t they scrumptious!? I can’t wait for you all to read the book!

If you missed the “Meet the Boys of Summer” posts (including excerpts from each boy!), click on the links below to read them:

Grayson

Mike

Ian

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Published on August 07, 2015 07:00

August 6, 2015

Meet the Boys of Summer – Ian

Three boys…
One hot summer.
Who will you fall in love with?

Ian

MEET IAN

Three Adjectives to Describe Him: Creative, Sarcastic, Temperamental

Something Most People Don’t Know About Him: Ian, having never been in a fight before, once tried (and failed) to save a girl from an attacker, only to have her turn around and save him instead.

Theme Song: “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters

Ian Excerpt:

When I reach the house a few minutes later, I bypass the front door and scale the ivy-covered trellis running up the side of the house like a green virus that’s been left unchecked for too long. I squeeze through my bedroom window that I left open and roll adeptly onto my bed.

Sure, the front door is logistically easier, but it requires walking through a landmine of other dangers. Hazards of the emotional variety. Framed photographs of my dad as a kid. Knitted afghans on the couch that we used to fall asleep under. A medal of honor that’s supposed to make death feel less like death and more like a carnival game.

If it were up to me, I would have taken all that stuff down the moment we got the phone call.

But very little is up to me these days.

I grab my guitar and sit on my bed, strumming a few bars of the new song that I’ve been working on. But my hands fumble awkwardly over the strings and my fat fingers can’t seem to form a single chord. It’s these walls. They’re prison walls in a cell that gets smaller by the second. I haven’t been able to get through a full song since we arrived two days ago.

Frustrated and claustrophobic, I stuff the guitar back into the case and strap it to my back. I throw a few items into an overnight bag and toss that over my shoulder. Then I wedge myself back out of the window and shuffle carefully to the edge of the roof before crouching down, swinging my legs over the side, and climbing down the trellis.

As soon as my feet hit the sand, I start to move, putting as much distance between me and those walls as I can. There’s really only one place to go. A place where the furniture isn’t infested with ghosts and the walls are too far apart to ever suffocate you.

Boys of Summer coming Summer 2016!

Missed the other “Meet the Boys of Summer” posts? Click the links below:

Mike

Grayson

Stay tuned for the Boys of Summer cover reveal TOMORROW!

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Published on August 06, 2015 06:00

August 5, 2015

Meet the Boys of Summer – Mike

Three boys…
One hot Summer.
Who will you fall in love with?

MEET MIKE

Three Adjectives to Describe Him: Loyal, Selfless, Reliable

Something Most People Don’t Know About Him: Mike and his long-term girlfriend have broken up and gotten back together every summer for the past five years.

Theme Song: “Drops of Jupiter” by Train

Mike Excerpt:

I lie on my back and let the swells of the tide gently rock my board. Normally I love coming out here and just floating aimlessly in the ocean, letting the waves take me wherever they want. This is where I can be alone. Where I can be me. Harper never liked the water much. She says it makes her seasick. Ironic given that she grew up on an island. Maybe that’s why she always feels so trapped.

As I drift, the usual post-Harper-breakup feelings flood through me. Frustration, disbelief, anger, before finally settling where I always settle. Somewhere near acceptance. It’s like a routine now. A sick ritual.

This is who Harper is. This is what Harper does.

I know this. I’ve always known this. She didn’t mean what she said. In fact, she has to say things like that—she has to be definitive—so she can believe her own words. So she can take her assertions seriously. It’s not the first time she’s said it’s over for good. I just really hope it’ll be the last.

I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.

When I stormed off from the Cove earlier, she called out my name. At least there was that. But I didn’t stop. I kept going until I was halfway around the island, until the moon looked different. That’s when I could finally believe that I had gotten far enough away.

Although that’s bullshit, too.

I know it’s the same damn moon.

It’s the same damn island.

And until I get her off of it, she’s going to be reacting the same damn way. It’s a vicious cycle. She feels stuck and I’m the easiest thing to break free of.

But what if I don’t want to be so disposable anymore? What if this time, after she realizes that freedom isn’t what she wants after all, I refuse to take her back?

The thought makes me laugh out loud.

Boys of Summer coming Summer 2016!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another Boys of Summer Character Reveal and the big cover reveal on Friday, August 7!

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Published on August 05, 2015 06:00

August 4, 2015

Meet the Boys of Summer – Grayson

Three boys…
One hot Summer.
Who will you fall in love with?

MEET GRAYSON

Three Adjectives to Describe Him: Confident, Charming, Impulsive

Something Most People Don’t Know About Him: Grayson’s first kiss was with a girl he met on the island of Winlock Harbor. To this day, he’s never told anyone her real name.

Theme Song: “Superman” by Five for Fighting

Grayson Excerpt:

The girl sidles up to me and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. The breeze immediately blows it right back into her face. “You’re Grayson Cartwright, aren’t you?” She bites her lip and rocks gently back and forth on her heels. Her intention for coming over is clear. It’s written all over face. She’s not here to sell me insurance.

My mind wants so desperately to turn her down, walk away, take off running, and not look back. But I remind myself that this is exactly why I’m here. For a distraction.

And God, does she smell good.

Just like summer.

The charm turns on automatically. Like a light bulb that responds to a double clap. I smirk back at her. “The one and only.”

She giggles and sips coyly from her cup. “I’ve heard things about you.”

“Good things, I hope?”

She teeters her head from side to side. “Just…things.”

I flash another grin, making sure this one triggers the dimple. They all love the dimple. “Lies, I tell you. They’re all lies.”

Boys of Summer coming Summer 2016!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another Boys of Summer Character Reveal and the big cover reveal on Friday, August 7!

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Published on August 04, 2015 06:00

July 15, 2015

Yoo Hoo! Big Summer Blowout Book Giveaway!

It’s that time again! To clear out my shelves and give away TEN awesome books and ARCs (some of them are even signed!) YOO HOO! I mean, WOO HOO!

Check out all of these beauties!

All of these books are up for grabs!

THE HEART OF BETRAYAL by Mary E. Pearson (Autographed ARC)

EVERBOUND by Brodi Ashton (Autographed PB)

TRIAL BY FIRE by Josephine Angelini (ARC)

BECOMING JINN by Lori Goldstein (ARC)

THE WINNER’S CRIME by Marie Rutkoski (Autographed HC)

SWEET by Emmy Laybourne (Autographed ARC)

MY LAST KISS by Bethany Neal (ARC)

UNFORGOTTEN by Jessica Brody (Autographed ARC)

FOREVER FOR A YEAR by B.T. Gottfred (ARC)

JOYRIDE by Anna Banks (Autographed ARC)

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!
Use the widget below to enter!

Related Posts:2015 Epic Book Giveaway!Giveaway! 5 Autographed Advanced Copies of UNREMEMBERED!The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover – Giveaway!UNREMEMBERED US vs UK Covers & ARC Giveaway!Unremembered Monday: Melissa Walker

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Published on July 15, 2015 16:47

April 2, 2015

YA Scavenger Hunt: Spring 2015 Edition plus Bonus Audiobook Giveaway!

Welcome to the Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt! 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! (THE GREEN 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 six contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GREEN TEAM– but there is also RED, BLUE, GOLD, ORANGE, TEAL, PURPLE, & PINK teams for a chance to win a whole different set of 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 Author List.

If you get stuck or need help, you can check out the How to Hunt page.

There’s More!

bonus-giveaway As an extra special surprise for visitors to my site, I have a BONUS GIVEAWAY! Enter to win 1 of 5 full sets of THE UNREMEMBERED TRILOGY audiobooks. The entry form is at the bottom of this post, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Scavenger Hunt Puzzle Green-Team

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the GREEN 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 Sunday, April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Welcome, Megan Crewe!

megan-crewe Today, I am hosting Megan Crewe on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Like many authors, Megan Crewe finds writing about herself much more difficult than making things up. A few definite facts: she lives with her husband, son, and three cats in Toronto, Canada (and does on occasion say “eh”), she tutors children and teens with special needs, and she can’t look at the night sky without speculating about who else might be out there.

About The Clouded Sky

Coming May 5, 2015

Skylar never imagined that she’d end up helping a boy from another planet search through Earth’s history for a way to end his people’s secret control over her world. But now that she’s been drawn into Win’s group of rebels, she can’t walk away until their mission is completed.

Whisked to the immense space station that Win and the rest of the Kemyates call home, Skylar discovers that even the rebels don’t see her as an equal. Determined to prove herself amid her homesickness in the alien environment, she throws herself into the work to free Earth. Her keen attention to detail and skill with numbers start to earn her colleagues’ respect, but that doesn’t make her position any less precarious. As the Enforcers escalate their attempts to capture the rebels, it becomes clear that someone within the resistance is leaking information to the enemy. And Skylar may be in the best position to uncover the traitor.

With each step toward the truth, Skylar is pulled deeper into the lives around her and the full horrors of her planet’s imprisonment. To see her mission through, she must risk her life, her heart, and the future she’s worked so hard to preserve.

Exclusive Content
The Clouded Sky Sneak Peak

After her unsanctioned arrival on an alien space station, the heroine, Skylar, has to pose as an Earthling “pet”, pretending to be drugged numb and ignorant of their language. This is the first time she’s needed to interact with a bunch of people outside the rebel group who brought her there.

tcscoverlarge I still have my eyes closed when the bluesy tone of Jule’s doorbell goes off. My shoulders stiffen.

Jule calls a muffled greeting, sounding a lot more jovial than he did when he was talking to me. The voice that responds says something about how much time it’s been and then drops too low for me to make out. The doorbell intones again, and again. I grip the edge of the bunk. Numb, I remind myself. I don’t feel this nervous. I don’t feel anything at all.

At this particular moment, I wish it were true.

The rap on my bedroom door makes me jump. “Out you come,” Jule says, a faint edge beneath his usual wry tone. He nods to me, holding my gaze with a reassuring steadiness. I make myself step out into the main room.

Jule’s friends are gathered in the lounge area, a few sitting on the fold-down benches and others standing around the table, which has been elevated at its smallest setting and is scattered with cans of a drink that wafts an acidic peppery smell into the air. My mind itemizes the scene automatically as they gaze back at me: eight people altogether, six guys and two girls, all around Jule’s twenty-ish in age. Like most of the Kemyates I’ve met, they’re somewhat dark in complexion, skin ranging from amber to bronze, hair from chestnut to black, except the ebony-skinned guy from the fitness center–Amad–and another whose tan face is topped by sandy curls.

“This is Skylar,” Jule says, poised partway between me and them.

I think back to my meeting with Yenee yesterday, the way she greeted us. “Hi?” I venture.

“Not very alert,” one of the guys says in Kemyate, but a few of the others smile. A brawny guy sitting with his legs stretched out from the bench gives me a toothy grin that somehow feels the least friendly.

“I approve,” he says to Jule, and the girl perched behind him tugs on his dark hair.

“Hain,” she says pleadingly. He chuckles.

The sandy-haired guy makes a comment I only catch part of–something about not having thought Jule was the type of spend his money this way.

“I got a good deal,” Jule says. “The one who bought her first changed his mind.”

“If I got one, I’d want something more…” Amad says, the last word one I don’t know. The guy sitting next to him nods, studying me as if I’m a new car Jule’s bought.

“Yellow hair is better,” he says. “Or red.”

“I’d get one from…” the other girl says, her final phrase something I think translates into “far back.” “This one looks very modern.”

I let my eyes follow them as they talk, keeping my expression as still as possible, measuring each breath. “And quiet,” says the guy who complained about my alertness, and I wonder if I should be volunteering more. Jule speaks up.

“She arrived yesterday. Still adjusting.”

Hain leans forward, with the grin that’s looking more and more like a leer. “Tell us about yourself, honey. Where’d they pick you up from?”

“Earth,” I say, and they all laugh. My face burns. Numb, I remind myself. “America.”

“Definitely twenty-first century,” the girl who pegged me as modern says. She turns away. “You know… …last year got one from…”

“You got any skills?” Hain asks with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Singing? Dancing? Acrobatics?”

“I– No, not like that,” I say.

He shoots a look at Jule. “I can guess how you’ll been putting her to use then,” he says, and purses his lips in an exaggerated air kiss. The others laugh again, a little more stiffly. My face flares hotter. The girl next to Hain seems to be watching me with particular curiosity. I cover my blush at the comment I shouldn’t have understood by swiping at my bangs, fighting to keep my hand from shaking.

Is that a normal way for Kemyates to put their pets to “use”? I suddenly remember Isis’s hesitation when she was first explaining the roles pets play. So Jule’s friends all think…

Jule rolls his eyes and says something along the lines of, that whatever happens in Hain’s head has nothing to do with him and he’s glad for it, and the laughter that follows is less restrained. Hain shuffles over on the bench and pats the now-open spot beside him.

“Earthling,” he says. “Come sit.”

*****

Bonus Giveaway!

This giveaway is in ADDITION to the the YA Scavenger Hunt. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a full set of the UNREMEMBERED TRILOGY audiobooks from Audible.com.

Note: The audiobook giveaway is only open to readers in the US, Canada, and the Philippines. (These rules come directly from Audible.com, so I can’t change them.)

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Megan! Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me (Jessica), and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 11. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the green 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 on Kay Honeyman’s blog.