L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 19
October 9, 2018
And The Winner Of My YA Scavenger Hunt Bonus Giveaway Is . . .
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Auburn from Yelm, Washington!
Congratulations! You’ve won signed copies of TRAVELER and DREAMER, plus a nautical-themed journal, a writing prompt journal, a bookish magnet, and a set of book nerd iron-on patches! Thanks for playing!
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October 2, 2018
Welcome To The YA Scavenger Hunt!!
Holy Guacamole, it’s a YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! 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 book from each author on the hunt in my 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 BLUE TEAM–but there is also a red team, a gold team, an orange team, a red team, and an indie team for a chance to win a whole different set of 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 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 blue 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, Oct 7th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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Today, I’m hosting the amazing Fonda Lee! She’s the award-winning author of the young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire (Scholastic), and the gangster fantasy Green Bone Saga for adults, beginning with Jade City (Orbit). Her work has been nominated for the Nebula, Andre Norton, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards, and been named to multiple Best of Year lists. Fonda is a recovering corporate strategist, black belt martial artist, and action movie aficionado living in Portland, Oregon.
So, basically, she’s an all-around badass. And her books are INCREDIBLE (justifiable capitalization, believe me!)
Find out more information by checking out her author website Twitter , or Facebook.
And today, I’VE GOT EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!!
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About CROSS FIRE: In the stunning follow-up to Exo, Earth’s century of peace as a colony of an alien race has been shattered. As the government navigates peace talks with the human terrorist group Sapience, Donovan Reyes tries to put his life back together and return to his duty as a member of the security forces. But a new order comes from the home planet: withdraw. Earth has proven too costly and unstable to maintain as a colony, so the aliens, along with a small selection of humans, begin to make plans to leave. As word of the withdrawal spreads through the galaxy, Earth suddenly becomes vulnerable to a takeover from other alien races. Invaders who do not seek to live in harmony with humans, but to ravage and destroy the planet for its resources.
As a galactic invasion threatens, Donovan realizes that Sapience holds the key that could stop the pending war. Yet in order to save Earth, all species will have to work together, and Donovan might just have to make the ultimate sacrifice to convince them. But can one person save an entire planet from total extinction?
Author’s Note: In Cross Fire, the tensions introduced in Exo come to a head when the alien zhree announce their intentions to withdraw from Earth. In this scene, Donovan encounters his old enemy, Saul, during the peace talks between the government of West America and the rebel group Sapience. It’s a scene that shows how far apart the different human factions are, but it’s also a moment of shared grief between these two very different characters over the death of Donovan’s mother. The scene was eventually cut in favor of having Donovan spend the time during the peace talks with Anya instead, but I’ve always liked the Donovan/Saul interaction.
~ DELETED SCENE ~
That evening, Donovan paused and turned around by the door before leaving Saul in his hotel room. The Sapience commander’s large frame filled the armchair where he lay sprawled, a small whiskey bottle from the minibar cupped in his callused right hand. A cigarette dangled from his mouth but remained unlit, as if he didn’t even have the energy to find his lighter.
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish?” Donovan demanded.
Saul snorted. “World peace.” Donovan hadn’t imagined the man could sound so sardonic.
“I thought you were here to negotiate on behalf of the Human Action Party,” Donovan said. “That’s why the True Sapience people are angry at you, isn’t it? For being willing to compromise? I haven’t heard you compromising at all. Nothing’s changed.”
Saul took the cigarette from his mouth so he could drink from the bottle. “That’s because you haven’t been listening closely, stripe.” He sank deeper into the chair. “I’m not going to roll over to those politicians. They’ve got to know where we’re coming from, that we won’t settle for small changes.
“What changes are you going for?”
“Earth declared independent of the Commonwealth. An elected human government that doesn’t answer to the Round. Free human cities. A national militia of unmarked servicemen and women, separate from SecPac. Sapience delisted as an illegal organization and political prisoners released.” Saul paused. “That would be a good start.”
“You’re dreaming,” Donovan said.
“Dreaming is what we rebels do, zebrahands.” Saul cocked his head and abruptly raised one blunt-nailed finger. “You hear that?”
“What?”
“That is the sound of something missing. It’s what I haven’t said: All shrooms off of Earth for good. The disbanding of SecPac. An end to all Hardenings, now and in the future.” One side of Saul’s mouth lifted humorlessly at Donovan’s derisive expression. “What I haven’t said has made a lot of old friends angry and might just get me killed.” He leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes. “You can’t say I haven’t compromised.”
Donovan’s lip curled. As he turned and put his hand on the door to leave, Saul said, “Wait.” Then in far different voice, he asked, almost in a whisper, “Is it true what they say, that people don’t feel any pain in the atomizer?”
Slowly, Donovan turned around. “It happens faster than you can blink.”
Saul opened his eyes and looked at Donovan with a dull but strangely pleading expression. “What was she like? Before it happened.”
Donovan’s chest was tight; he found it hard to answer. “She was smiling.”
Slowly, Saul nodded. “I still miss her,” he said hoarsely, not looking away. “Your mother. There are days when the only reason I keep going is because I can’t let her sacrifice be a waste.” Saul sighed so deeply that his breath rattled at the end. “Fighting for the cause is a young man’s game; it sucks you dry and spits you out. I’m dead tired, zebrahands. And I miss her. Every goddamn day.”
Wordlessly, Donovan let himself out of the room, then leaned his back against the closed door and squeezed his eyes shut. “Me too,” he whispered.
~ ~ ~
Find out more about CROSS FIRE (and buy your copy) here!
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Fonda, and more! To enter, you need to know my favorite number (blatant hint: it’s 3). Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
You’ve read this far? GREAT! I’ll make it worth your while! How about a bonus chance to win signed copies of TRAVELER & DREAMER, plus a swag pack that’ll see you into NanoWroMo next month?
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You can enter that drawing here and it’s open until 12:00 am Eastern Daylight time on Sunday, October 7th.
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, the indomitable J. Keller Ford !
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September 24, 2018
I’m Joining The YA Scavenger Hunt!
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I am thrilled to announce that I’ve joined the YA Scavenger Hunt! GO TEAM BLUE! The hunt kicks off Oct 2nd, so get ready!!
September 19, 2018
Ahoy, Me Hearties! It Be A Talk Like A Pirate Day GIVEAWAY!
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The charming Fay at Bibliophile Soprano is hosting a Talk Like A Pirate Day giveaway featuring your favorite multi-verse traveling Irish pirate, and a whole treasure chest of pirate booty.
CLICK HERE TO CAST A WEATHERED EYE UPON THE TREASURE AND ENTER THE DRAWING!
September 17, 2018
Great Weekend At Keystone Comic Con!
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Keystone Comic Con – I have to be honest here – was a mixed experience. For whatever reason, the con organizers sank a lot of time, money and effort into wrangling some great celebrity guests, but not a lot of time, money and effort into one crucial thing: marketing.
In other words, there weren’t a lot of people there. Certainly not enough for many of the vendors to have made a profit. (Many of the vendors I spoke to hadn’t even recouped their exhibition costs).
And it’s a damn shame. The con staff was terrific, the moderator they secured for our panels was simply outstanding (shoutout to Amanda!), the setup was professional and eye-catching, and this could have been a rocking con experience. But people have to know about it.
Honestly, if I hadn’t been invited, I would never have known it was going on. And I’m local! I listen to Philly radio stations every morning and afternoon on my hour-long commute. I’m subscribed to area subreddits on Reddit. I work in the near suburbs and pass two dozen billboards every day. Nada. I think I may have heard one radio spot. How was this not given a lot more buzz? Especially with some of the first-rate stars they brought in? No one I mentioned the con to at work, in my neighborhood, or on Facebook had any idea it was happening, other than hearing it from me.
But you’ll notice I said it was a great weekend in my title, and it was! We had a respectable amount of attendees to the Friday panel, and they were really engaged. Sunday yielded a handful of people in attendance, but that was okay – we had a great, relaxed back-and-forth conversation instead of a more formal panel and our audience was amazing to interact with. So that smile is genuine up there. It was a great experience.
I just wish more people knew they could have experienced it with us.
September 14, 2018
Heading To Keystone Comic Con? See You There!
And if you can tear yourself away from Joe Manganiello and the casts of Trueblood and The Office (among other squee-worthy celebs), be sure and drop into my panel today at 3pm, where we’ll be discussing world building, and all that entails!
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September 7, 2018
“From Reader to Author – Making the Leap” at Keystone Comic Con!
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Here it is, my 2nd panel announcement for Keystone Comic Con! Join me and my fellow MacMillan authors, Shani Petroff and Devon Taylor on Sunday, September 16th as we discuss the impact of online writing communities and all things YA!
KEYSTONE COMIC CON
From Reader to Author: Making the Leap!
Sunday, September 16, 2018
2:30-3:30 pm
Room 11AB
September 4, 2018
I’ll Be Paneling At Keystone Comic Con!
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This is only one of the panels I’ll be sitting on. The other is Sunday, September 16th and will feature fellow members of the MacMillan Swoon Squad as we talk all things YA – details on the time when I get it.
I’m thrilled to be in such great company on both panels, and unlike San Diego Comic-Con, these panels come with book signing ops afterward!
So come on out, Philly! I’d love to see you!
August 31, 2018
August 27, 2018
THE SOUL KEEPERS Is Finally Here!
Join me at Towne Book Center in Collegeville, PA tomorrow night for the much-anticipated book launch of my fellow Swoon Squad author, Devon Taylor and THE SOUL KEEPERS! You won’t want to miss this one!
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