Ava Gray's Blog, page 6

Authors Against Bullying: Blog Hop

When Yasmine Galenorn in partnership with Mandy M. Roth asked me to participate in an anti-bullying campaign, there could be only one answer. Yes, of course.

So here’s my story… and it’s pretty common, I suspect. I grew up in an a small farming town, where books weren’t particularly appreciated, and the people who loved them, even less so. I was quiet and bookish with a tendency to be pudgy. I was also smarter than people knew what to do with, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the emotional maturity not to speak out loud the things I noticed. It took me years to develop tact and sensitivity to go along with my brains. For obvious reasons, this made me an outcast.

I had few friends, and by the end of high school, I wasn’t speaking to anyone, really. Things were bad. People made fun of me daily. They picked on my appearance, my weight, my geeky interests. Sometimes I hid in the bathroom rather than face a cafeteria full of people who didn’t like me. By my senior year, I hated school so much that I convinced my teachers and the school principal to let me leave at noon so I could work more hours at the cinema. It was a testament to my persuasive abilities that they okayed it at all. I worked the day shift from noon to 6, usually clocking more than 30 hours a week. I said it was to save money for college, but mostly I just couldn’t stand being around kids who were so mean. It was a relief to work.

There were certain points in my life where things were bad enough due to a conflation of events and I was lonely enough that I suspect I would have done something drastic. I saw no light at the end of the tunnel. But books were my lifeline. From the time I was nine years old, I would walk to the public library, which was two miles away on the highway, once a week. I lost myself in the worlds authors had created and it made me forget how crappy my own life was. Time and again, stories saved me. So it’s no wonder I couldn’t stop until I fulfilled my own dream of becoming a writer; it makes tear up, thinking my books might offer the same escape to someone else. This is also part of the reason why I write YA.

And now? My life is pretty freakin’ awesome. I don’t think this is uncommon, either. People who are bullied work harder to improve their circumstances; they fight to show they deserve better. And I’ve done that.

So if you’re going through this now, hang on. School doesn’t last forever. And if it’s bad enough, tell your parents. There may be alternatives.

Now go check out what these other authors have to say on the subject.

Mandy M. Roth
Yasmine Galenorn
Lauren Dane
Michelle M. Pillow
Kate Douglas
Shawntelle Madison
Leah Braemel
Aaron Crocco
NJ Walters
Jax Garren
Shelli Stevens
Melissa Schroeder
Jaycee Clark
Shawna Thomas
Ella Drake
E.J. Stevens
Ashley Shaw
Jeaniene Frost
Rachel Caine
Kate Rothwell
Jackie Morse Kessler
Jaye Wells
Kate Angell
Melissa Cutler
PT Michelle
Patrice Michelle
Julie Leto
Kaz Mahoney




Cynthia D’Alba
Jesse L. Cairns
TJ Michaels
Jess Haines
Phoebe Conn
Jessa Slade
Kate Davies
Lynne Silver
Taryn Blackthorne
Margaret Daley
Alyssa Day
Aaron Dries
Lisa Whitefern
Rhyannon Byrd
Carly Phillips
Leslie Kelly
Janelle Denison
Graylin Fox
Lee McKenzie
Barbara Winkes
Harmony Evans
Mary Eason
Ann Aguirre
Lucy Monroe
Nikki Duncan
Kerry Schafer
Ruth Frances Long
Julie Chicklitasaurus

Blogger / Reviewer special

After the resounding success of my last giveaway (I mailed 144 books, woohoo!), I’m ready to do it again, this time with a twist. I just got my author copies of ENDGAME, and I’d like to get them into blogger / reviewer hands. You should know, going in, this is book six in a series. So there’s that.

If I send you a copy, it’s with the understanding you’ll review it. I’d appreciate if you cross-post: your blog, Shelfari, Library Thing, Goodreads, Amazon, basically any book-related social media site you belong to. I understand things happen, but if you request a review copy, and then just sit on it, I may not send another book your way down the line. My assistant will be following up, too; that’s why I’m asking for your website or blog, so we can keep track.

Finally, this isn’t first come, first served. I’ll decide who gets the review copies, and simply asking doesn’t guarantee you get one. These will be signed and personalized. Note: you don’t have to have a blog if you really want a signed copy and are willing to review on Goodreads and/or Amazon. Just note that in the website line.

Now that’s all settled, you just need to fill in the form below to get things started.

Blogger / Reviewer Special
So I have 37 copies of Endgame to give away. This offer is open to bloggers & reviewers only. By asking for a review copy, you agree to review the book.


Name*FirstLastAddress*Street AddressAddress Line 2CityState / Province / RegionZip / Postal CodeAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayNorthern Mariana IslandsOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSudan, SouthSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.YemenZambiaZimbabweCountryEmail*Website

Crazy big book blowout

As most of you know, I live in Mexico. That means the bulk of my friends and family here speak Spanish as a first language. So I get all these author copies and I don’t have the same English speaking base to demand free copies. This is good for you, the reader about town, because now we’re gearing up for a move and I don’t want to take all these books with me. So if you want a free signed book from me? All you have to do is ask.

This is first-come, first served. I don’t guarantee you’ll get the book you’re asking for from the list, though I won’t send you a book in Polish or German, unless that’s what you’re asking for. Heh. Otherwise,when you get a book from me, I’ll try to make it the one you desperately desire, but supplies are limited, results may vary, void where prohibited, see your doctor before beginning any new reading regimen. And most important, DO NOT TAUNT HAPPY FUN BALL.

ETA: let me clarify. You’re not getting all three books on your form. This is for a single signed book. You’re picking three in case I run out of stock, so I can send you the next choice, or the next one. Clear? I will update the form as I run out of items, so you know what’s left, and as long as this post remains up, you can assume I still have books.

Now that we’ve attended to the niceties…

 

Crazy Big Book Blowout
Just tell me what signed book you want most of those available. I'll do my best to accommodate you.


Name*FirstLastAddress*Street AddressAddress Line 2CityState / Province / RegionZip / Postal CodeAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayNorthern Mariana IslandsOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSudan, SouthSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.YemenZambiaZimbabweCountryEmail*Choose your top three books.*DaybreakPrimalAftermathSkin TightShady Lady (UK)Enklawa (Polish)Grimspace (German)Wanderlust (German)Hell Fire (UK)

 

The big winners

Thanks for playing, everyone! I got involved in work this weekend and lost track of the date, writing. I’m sorry about that! Email me with mailing info to claim your prices. I’m at ann dot aguirre at gmail dot com.

Grand prize: Ipad (or other brand tablet of equal or lesser value)

Lexie C., with 50 entries. Congrats!

(Random)
First: $100 gift certificate to your bookstore of choice

Spav.

Second: $50 gift certificate to your coffee shop of choice

Vivien

Third: $25 gift certicate to your chocalatier of choice

Sunny

Runner-up: Signed & personalized copies of Enclave & Outpost

Daisy R.

 

 

Enclave guerrilla marketing contest

So right now, Enclave is $2.99 on multiple digital platorms; that includes Kindle, BN, Itunes, Google books, and other venues as well. I would like to see the book hit the overall top 100 of books on sale on some platform. It’s a great price, and I want as many people as possible to find out that it’s on sale. But I can’t do it alone. And that’s where you come in.

I need your help in spreading the word about the price drop and all the different places where people can grab it on sale. It might help if you include links. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Tweet about the digi sale +2
Facebook wall post +2
Blog about the sale +3
Buy (or have bought) the ebook +5
Give it to someone as a gift +5
Talk about the book in a reader’s forum and mention the sale +3
Random, acceptable non-spammy idea on the part of the street team member (# entries negotiable). Like dressing up as a character from the book, putting on a sandwich board and walking around Times Square all day? I’d give 100 for that. Heh. And any creative idea you come up with, I’ll handle on a case-by-case basis, and assign a number of entries at that time.

That said, I don’t support or authorize spamming. Tweeting it 40 times a day doesn’t earn you 80 entries. That will only annoy people, not make them interested in the book. So there is a CAP on tweet entries. No more than five tweet entries, over the course of the three weeks, will be accepted, and those should be spaced out, not done on the same day. It’s up to you to track your entries and follow the rules, and we’re operating on the honor system. However, I will look at the winners’ social media footprint, so if you claim to have done something online to spread the word about the sale, there should be a record of it. Anyone who enters this contest and spams up the internet will be disqualified and permanently banned from all of my contests going forward. I want to get the word out, not bother anyone.

Which brings me to my next point. You’re competing to win an Ipad. (If you hate Apple products, you can choose another tablet computer of your preferred brand as long as it doesn’t cost more than an Ipad.) This isn’t a random drawing; the hardest working street team member will walk away from the grand prize. But so that everyone doesn’t work their butts off in vain, only to be outdone by someone who has an uncle who runs a skywriting business, there will also be random winners. So let me list the loot below:

Grand prize: Ipad (or other brand tablet of equal or lesser value)

(Random)
First: $100 gift certificate to your bookstore of choice
Second: $50 gift certificate to your coffee shop of choice
Third: $25 gift certicate to your chocalatier of choice
Runner-up: Signed & personalized copies of Enclave & Outpost

This contest runs until August 30th. On September 1, I’ll pick the winners. Keep a tally in comments, please. Everything you do to spread the word about the sale, come back and report what it was, plus the # of entries you earned. Then on the last day of the contest, you will need to add them up and leave a final comment. Obviously, this contest requires some effort and follow-up, but the prizes are worth it.

I hope we can get Enclave into the hands of lots of new readers! Now go out there and spread the word.

The Fade Giveaway.

Fade.

Age 17 (or so).

Black hair.

Eyes so dark they look black.

Olive skin, he tans easily.

Likes: Deuce, killing Freaks.

Dislikes: Stalker, feeling powerless.

Personality: (Here’s where you come in.)

.

The Contest

You can earn up to four entries. Here’s how.

Entry 1: You fill in Fade’s personality description in comments.

Entry 2: Find a picture that looks like you imagine Fade and link to it in comments.

Entries 3 & 4: You create original Fade art. This can be a sketch, computer generated image, something you produce in Photoshop or a macaroni and blackbean collage, whatever moves you. Then you share the art with me in comments. For obvious reasons, this is worth two entries, as it requires effort.

So if you do all of the above? 4 entries. Total up how many entries you have for me, please, in your final comment. That will help at the end for picking winners. ( Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up at once. Sometimes if your comment has links, it will get caught in the spam filter. But I’ll fish it out I promise.)

Finally…

The prize

2 OUTPOST arcs, to be signed and personalized, then sent right out to you.

You have a week. Rock on.

Anniversary recap

So Mérida was magical. No lie. It’s the most romantic city in Mexico so far as I am concerned. It’s not a tourist town, and since it’s not directly on the ocean, it retains its historic, colonial charm. However, Progreso Beach is only half an hour away, so this is more enticing than Cancun. All the tropical goodness, none of the tourists.

Onward to anniversary goodness.

First, we had a long, luxurious couples massage en suite. Then we went down to a private candlelight dinner under the stars on the patio. The meal was sumptuous: asparagus salad with pears and apple vinaigrette, baked salmon encrusted with mushroom, wild rice in celery sauce with grilled zucchini on the side, finished with a mango mandarin custard and accompanied by my favorite sparkling wine.

Conversation was lovely, and we had a private trio of musicians, two guitarists and a cellist, who sang to us while we ate. They offered classic Spanish love songs, including Besame Mucho, which Andres used to sing to me. He sang it on our anniversary, too. I cried more than once; I was so awed and overwhelmed.

I ran upstairs to drop off the chocolate bouquet in our hotel room and to check on the kids. They were fine with a movie and room service, so off we went to an incredibly romantic carriage ride, the first I’ve ever taken. The night was balmy and warm with a tropical breeze. Andres and I cuddled and talked, kissed and nuzzled. It was the perfect anniversary. I can’t imagine how he’ll top it next year, but he says he has plans.

To finish this post, here’s a little slideshow, though it doesn’t really capture just how wonderful the night was. But it’s one I’ll remember forever. Hope you enjoy the glimpse.

[image error]

Shiny Razorland Give-a-palooza

First, the shiny:

To celebrate my long-awaited cover reveal, I’m running an epic contest. Details below:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway.

And that’s it, really. Just follow the instructions to enter. Winners will be announced on Cinco de Mayo. (And if you don’t win the ARC, you can always pre-order OUTPOST.)

I’m so excited! I hope you guys love this cover as much as I do. I adore everything about it.

ETA: Here’s a link to the free Razorland novella, Endurance, featuring Thimble & Stone, now on Heroes and Heartbreakers. I hope you enjoy it! (It’s free for now.)

The Last Jax Cover Reveal Ever

Typing those words made me a little sad. This is a bittersweet revelation, but I’m so happy for Jax, and so moved by all you readers who tell me how much you love her. Thank you for sticking with us through six books, but do come back for the Dread Queen series in 2013, okay? It’s a spinoff set in the Jax universe, so you won’t want to miss it.

Now, without further ado, here’s the final Jax cover, my lovelies.

Squee! Isn’t it AMAZING? Scott Fischer has done all my Jax covers, and he outdid himself on the last hurrah. This might be my favorite cover of the whole series. I love everything about it: her expression, her intensity, her battle readiness, the gritty feel and the pose, the gorgeous background detail, and the stark colors. I could go on.

What do you guys think? In fact, I care so much about your opinions that I’ll run a contest around this cover reveal; the giveaway will run until Tuesday, April 17th. I’ll pick a winner then. What do you get?

I’ll send the first five Jax books to a lucky winner! What do you have to do to enter? Speak up in comments, don’t be shy. Just answer this simple question:

What do you think of the Endgame cover, and which of the Jax books has your favorite art?

Corine Solomon Extravaganza

If you've wanted to start this series, now's the time. I'm giving away three sets of the first three books. That's nine copies, three winners. Enter below. Simple! I'll contact you on April 9th if you win, so make sure you use a valid email on your entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway.