E.C. Myers's Blog, page 23

win an early copy of Fair Coin!

Here's your first chance to win a copy of my first YA novel, Fair Coin, before it releases next month. The giveaway ends next week, and if the winners want it for a Valentine's Day gift, I'll even throw in some sort of express shipping. :) Books make for great romantic gifts!

Just click below for a chance to win one of two ARCs (Uncorrected Advance Reading Copies). And please, tell your friends!

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read an excerpt from Fair Coin

Pyr has just unveiled their new Pyr Young Adult Facebook Page!

If you click over there and "Like" it, you'll be able to download the first three chapters of my upcoming YA novel, Fair Coin, well before its scheduled release late next month. If you're already signed up for Facebook, it'll only take a few seconds of your time and a modest amount of hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

I hope you enjoy this exclusive preview of Fair Coin, and please take a moment to check out the excellent Pyr YA ...

the secret city

While I listen to baristas at Starbucks complain about various aspects of their job–a chronically late coworker, the lights being too bright early in the morning when the shop opens, the difficulty of scheduling their shifts and days off–I find myself thinking about an article in the New York Times this week about the atrocious working conditions in the Chinese factories that manufacture most of the world's electronics, including Apple computers, iPhones, and iPads.

I am no Apple fanboy, but e...

thanks for playing!

The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes is officially over!

Thank you to everyone who participated, whether you made it all the way to the end or not. I've enjoyed all of your comments about the race and Fair Coin here and on Twitter and I hope everyone had a lot of fun. I know the Apocalypsies enjoyed it. Now that you've heard about 50+ of our books, which are you looking forward to and why? (You don't have to say Fair Coin—honest.)

There will definitely be more of these interblog events...

The YAmazing Race With MGnificent Prizes

Greetings, intrepid internet traveler. And welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes! You are now caught up in an epic blog hop hosted by more than 50 authors with young adult and middle grade novels debuting in 2012. As you make your way across the web, pay close attention at each stop and you'll have the chance to win a prize pack that includes free books, gift certificates, swag, and more. One lucky person will win a coin that will magically grant an exclusive sneak...

book jackets, milestones, and millstones

I guess I haven't seen many authors blog about their book jackets, but this feels like another milestone to publication that I'd like to share—plus I'm just so pleased that Fair Coin is more than a pretty face and my first novel won't be naked out in the world. (If you buy the book and strip it down to the bare hardcover in the privacy of your own home, that's your business.) Let's consider this a bonus cover reveal:

The beautiful cover art is of course still by the amazing Sam Weber, the...

suddenly it's 2012

December sort of disappeared in a blur of travel, holidays, and writing business–which had little to do with the actual act of writing and, in fact, conspired to prevent me from blogging as much as I'd intended. (More on that in my next post.)

I'm often concerned that if I don't blog about something in a timely fashion, that the window of relevance (as relevant as any personal blog can be on the internet) closes and then I lose all interest in that particular post. This may be one reason why I...

cover reveal!

I have something awesome to share! And I'm not going to draw out the announcement, because I've been waiting for this moment longer than anyone. So here it is:

If you read the book, you'll realize just how perfect this is. Pyr has a well-earned reputation for its stunning book covers, and I think this one is really special. Granted, I'm not exactly impartial, but the illustration is beautiful and bold and different, and I can't wait to see it on the hardcover.

I was thrilled when I heard Sam...

looking for a few good books

I'm serving on the 2011 jury for SFWA's Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, which is able to add up to three books to the award ballot, to ensure a broad selection of the best in the genre. We are actively reading eligible works published in 2011, and welcome authors and publishers to recommend or submit (in print or electronic formats) noteworthy YA books. Nominations from SFWA membership and the Norton Jury will be announced in February and the award will be...

Book review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest by Julie Cross

St. Martin's Griffin

Publication date: January 17, 2012

Review copy: NetGalley

I've been looking forward to reading Tempest ever since I saw its striking cover and read the synopsis. I'm a sucker for a good time travel story, but the more such stories I encounter, the harder it is for them to impress me. After a while, they all seem somewhat familiar—which makes it even more important to focus on the characters and relationships. Fortunately, Julie Cross manages both to ...