Judith Graves's Blog, page 19

Supernatural Tales and UMS Review

Today I'll be hopping over to Jessica's blog, Confessions of a Bookaholic. She's featuring different authors each week, who will be sharing a little tale of the supernatural to get us all in the Halloween spirit. If you're a doll person, my story might weird you out. It also might hint at what's in store for poor Eryn in Second Skin. That's right. DOLLS! The creepy little rotters. bwahhhhahhhaaaa…. Plus, there are giveaways and amazing prize packs to win. So get on over there!

Speaking of getting into the paranormal spirit, I practically howled (the good kind of howling) when I read this review from TeensReadToo.com. Loved it! If you haven't visited the site TRT is a great way to discover new authors. Here's a smidge from the review by Monica Sheffo: 

"Dripping with wit and humor, Judith Graves' UNDER MY SKIN is electric. Eryn battles werewolves, vampires, and high school armed with her unique sarcasm that all teens can relate to. She writes with a brutal honesty that makes her story stand out in a sea of novels and connects with the readers.  Ms. Graves steps inside the reader's mind and leaves with the promise of two sequels in the future to keep your thirst at bay!"

Crossroads Tour Chats

Stacey from The Page Turners Blog has setup a fangtastic series of chats with Crossroads authors. Below you'll find some info from her blog, but go HERE for the full deets:

Here are the authors we will be having on each date.  We are going to use pre-selected questions and then posting comments from the chat attendees, and if time allows, we'll have attendee questions at the end.  If you have a question that you'd like answered by all the authors, please go to the Page Turners Blog and comment on the Crossroads Chat post.

October 31st

8 pm central time

 
Jordan Deen - The Crescent
Judith Graves – Under My Skin
Linda Joy Singleton - Magician's Muse 
Karen Kincy – Other
Stacey Kade - The Ghost and the Goth
Amy Brecount White – Forget-Her-Nots
Joy Preble – Haunted
November 1st

8 pm central time
Angie Fraizer - Everlasting
Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl: Lovesick 
Lucienne Diver - Revamped
Jackie Kessler - Hunger
Jeri Smith-Ready – Shade
Kitty Keswick – Freaksville 
Shannon Delany – 13 to Life

Crossroads Tour Press Release

This Halloween meet 16 YA Paranormal Authors at THE CROSSROADS!

From October 16-31st, bloggers and authors will meet at a virtual crossroads, sharing their love of the paranormal and things that go bump in the night with readers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 12, 2010 – Canada, United States, Worldwide:

What's dark, delicious and READ all over? Young adult paranormal fiction, my FIENDS, and what better way to celebrate debut and established authors in the genre than a blog tour frenzy? Over sixteen days this October (October 16-31) bloggers and authors will meet at a virtual crossroads, sharing their love of the paranormal and things that go bump in the night with readers.

Judith Graves, an Alberta based YA author, (Under My Skin. Leap Books, 2010) has organized the event, the first multi-author blog tours of its kind. She's wrangled in New York Times bestselling authors (Tonya Hurley. Ghostgirl series. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) and newbies alike for the sixteen day promotional GOREfest. Participating bloggers will giveaway generous amounts of SWAG donated by the authors, as well as signed copies of Crossroad author titles.

Paranormal authors deal with the fantastical and the yearnings of their readers. "It's a once a year opportunity to be anything and anyone you want to be. Anyone can be a princess, a superhero or a villain- all in one night." Says Jordan Deen (The Crescent. Black Rose Writing, 2010). Joy Preble (Haunted. Sourcebooks Fire, 2011) agrees, "Halloween is a time for unloosening – of spirits and self." Why not indulge in the spirit of reading? "[Halloween] is a time where the veil between the real and the unreal, the living and the dead, thins until you think you see strange shadows following you under the pumpkin-orange moon…" adds Karen Kincy (Other. Flux, 2010)

Besides the usual deal with the devil lore, crossroads symbolize so much more, as Angie Frazier (Everlasting. Scholastic Press, 2010) shares, "Literally or figuratively, a crossroads is place where a single decision will change everything. For me, a crossroads symbolizes choice and loss, and sometimes even bravery—when you choose one path, countless others are left behind, unexplored." Amy Brecount White (Forget-Her-Nots. Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2010) expands, "A crossroads symbolizes new possibilities. We can't see what's going to happen in either direction, but a choice is unavoidable. We are our choices, which is both exciting and scary."

This Halloween, choose to explore new stories, new voices. "It's the only holiday that encompasses imagination to the fullest. A night to be whom ever you want to be, try someone's shoes on for size…experience magic." Encourages, Kitty Keswick (Freaksville. Leap Books, 2010).

How the tour works:

From October 16-31st, readers, under the thrall of Wade Gervais, a dark-side vampire from Judith Graves' Under My Skin, hunt for answers to a new paranormal trivia question each day. The answers are hidden within a different blog post daily, encouraging readers to visit each blog, each day of the tour. Bloggers will be giving away a bevy of tricks and treats donated by Crossroads Tour authors. At the end of the tour, on October 31st compiled answers are sent to Graves and a grand prize winner is randomly selected from those with correct and complete entries. There will also be two live chats on October 31st and November 1st, bringing readers, authors and bloggers together for a final celebration on Halloween and the Day of the Dead.

For the full list of participating authors, bloggers and giveaways, check out The Crossroads event page: http://judithgraves.com/events/the-cr...

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To book an interview contact:

Rachel Sentes/Publicist

Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com/604-366-7846

# # #

gal-friday is a publicist, and freelance writer She works with authors, agents, publishers, businesses and cool arts causes. She is partnered with Brian Wood- a non-fiction literary agent in Vancouver to maximize publicity exposure

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Class of 2k10: GIVEAWAY

As a final push for our 2k10 year, the Class of 2k10 (www.classof2k10.com) is offering one heck of a giveaway for residence  of the US . Five book clubs across the United States can win a prize pack of three to six sets of books written by the authors from the Class of 2K10. Each pack includes TEN copies of each book, and in some packs one of the books will be signed by the author.

The contest is open to all US book clubs associated with a nonprofit institution, a school, or a library. To enter, just comment on the 2k10 blog, specifying which of the prize packs you are interested in and which nonprofit you are affiliated with. The giveaway will end on November 11, 2010. You can read the full details and enter here at the Class of 2k10 BLOG.

Teachers and Students: Book JAM

Further to the idea of booktrailers as great ICT outcome projects for students, check out this wicked cool contest. It's limited to US residents, but wouldn't it be cool to have a Canadian publisher rock this idea?

Digital Book Report video contest offers more than 25 chances to win

Recorded Books K-12 and three-time Teacher of the Year award winner Alan Sitomer are challenging middle and high-school teachers to collaborate with their students and create a book report using modern technology for a chance to win one of the two grand prizes: a 21st-century library worth $20,000. The first annual BookJam Digital Book Report Video Contest kicks off Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 and entries will be accepted through Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010.

MANDATORIES

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. "The BookJam Digital Book Report Contest" is sponsored by The Alan Sitomer BookJam published by Recorded Books K-12. Open to legal residents of the United States, who, at time of entry, are of the age of majority in their state of residence and are 5-12 grade teachers in a school in the United States. Begins 12:00:00 p.m. EDT on September 2, 20010 & ends 11:59:59 a.m. EDT on October 28, 2010. For official rules, visit http://www.digitalbookreport.com.

What you gotta do:

• Create a digital book report video with one or more students and capture it in a short video (max 2.5 minutes)

• Fill out the entry form and upload your video between September 2 and October 28, 2010 for a chance to win $20,000 in prizes for your classroom!

Note: Teachers can enter multiple times with different students or groups of students.

It's the most wonderful time of the year…

Halloween that is.

This October is crawling with all things paranormal. I'm organizing The Crossroads Tour (16 YA paranormal authors X 16 bloggers X 16 days) and I'm also hanging out on a bunch of other blogs who get the SPIRIT of the season.

You'll want to drop by Jessica's blog all month long for some personal stories of the paranormal from YA authors. Plus giveaways! My post, a dreadful little thing about my fear of DOLLS, will appear on October 15th. Note: A few dreaded dolls also feature in Second Skin – and NOT in a good way, so the post might offer a few hints at what you might find in the UMS sequel.

Here's info directly from Jessica:

I'm just writing you to let you know your scheduled post date for Haunted Halloween: True Tales of the Paranormal. Your post and giveaway will appear on my blog – Confessions of a Bookaholic  (http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/) – October 15th

Also, we are having a twitter party Thursday, October 14th at 9pm (EST). We would love for you to join us! We will be using the hashtag  #HauntedHalloween and giving away books, swag, and Halloween goodies.

Our twitter IDs are @TotalBookaholic and @BoundByBooks

Cover for Furry & Freaked

Ta da! I just received my cover from my publisher. (That squeal you heard was me.) I have to say a huge thank you to Leap's Art Department, amazing! Furry & Freaked is the sequel to Freaksville and in many ways a totally different book. Kasey is growing and so are her powers. She's alone, without her major support system (at first…don't panic) and is truly going through her blue period. I really love the blueness of this cover. (Blueness, is that a word? hum, okay if not, I just coined it.) The cover still has the swirl element from the first cover, which I love.

Share your thoughts whatcha think?

So here's the working blurb. I got permission to post it. I'm doing final edits so a few things might be tweaked.

Sixteen-year-old Kasey Maxwell left Freaksville behind when her family moved from California to rural Pennsylvania. But she didn't leave her troubles. Being the new chew toy…err, new girl stinks. Her Valkyrie side is growing, and the spirits become more haunting. When her visions turn bloody, Kasey must rely on new support systems--paranormal ones.
Someone at Kasey's new high school wants to sink their claws into her. A formidable evil rises as the stars align, igniting an ancient feud. Kasey is torn between two loves and two natures--one that heeds the cool whispers of the dead and the other, a fierce predator lurking beneath, lying in wait. She must use all her allies and even her foes to save those she loves--before the moon bleeds.
This isn't Freaksville: things are about to get a little hairy.

Halloween and the big debate, what to wear

About ten years ago I was in a bit of a pinch; I needed a Halloween costume and quick! Like in one hour the day of trick or treating. EEK! See, I moved from the West Coast to the East and the township I moved to didn't celebrate Halloween on Halloween, October 31st. It's a strange thing and something I didn't expect (hence the lack of costume) I thought everyone celebrated it on October 31st. I was wrong.

You know what they say about assuming.

In a panic, I ran out to the local CVS and bought the only thing they had left, a witches hat and cauldron. I went through my closet and tossed on a black shirt and a long black skirt. Wasn't too hard, majority of my wardrobe is black. It goes with everything, right?

So for the next ten Halloweens celebrated on Halloween faux night, I donned my witch's hat and divvied up candy out of my caldron. It had become a tradition with my neighbors…the older ones even thought I WAS a witch and seemed to stop complaining when I left my leaves unraked. (On my block most of the folks seemed to rush out outside and rake as soon as the first leaf touched the grass. I'm not of that sort, I'm more for let Mother Nature blow them around a bit first and maybe if I have time , I'll rake.)

So as Halloween approaches this year, I naturally thought about pulling out my old faithful costume. Problem is I'm visiting family and didn't bring it with me.
This time, I had time to shop and I must say, I'm really loving my new hat. I'm breaking tradition a bit and went for green and black. (They celebrate Halloween on Halloween in the West, I had fair warning and have been to ton of shops in search of the perfect hat.)





Those of you that have read Freaksville, might have picked up on the fact that I hate spiders. I'm beyond an Arachnophobic, I'm the Queen, yes those little black things on the veil are spiders. Something that makes my skin crawl, but maybe conquering my fear is a good thing.

I also snatched up some fabu eyelashes and black lipstick. I'm still working on the clothes, but I also saw some amazing black feather wings that I might snag and mix things up a bit. Every Halloween for the last ten years I've been a witch, It's a tradition I intend on keeping. I'm just adding a bit of theater to it this year and having fun doing it.

So what is everyone dressing up as this year? Share your costumes!

JOY READ: Author visits from the author's POV

As a library technician, I've booked many author visits and am used to the drama. Contacting the author or the booking agency, arranging transport / hotel / meals, following up with the author, getting students and staff pumped for their visit, setting up, the big day and ongoing promos long after the author has left.

But now I'm getting to experience the beasts known as author visits, from the author's POV. Suddenly I'm dealing with taking time off, arranging transport, confirming meals/hotel and because I'm one lucky lady – having my hubbie and my two crazy labs along for the ride.

As we reached our hotel yesterday (after a 6 hour drive), I flipped through the room service menu and  found this bookmark tucked inside. How appropriate. Yes, folks, we are on a JOY READ.

Packing for two adults and two crazy labs involves a ton of creative thinking – but not the writer kind. My husband managed to cram all my gear in (books, books, books, laptop, camera, not to mention hair product!), along with his stuff and dog supples: crate, "blankets", food dishes, toys, bones, leashes, etc. (We're worse than new parents, I swear.)

We have a nifty system for traveling with the dogs – we've made several long trips with them before (Salt Spring Island in BC was the best trip EVER). Higgins, our chocolate lab has the back of our SUV, and Willow, our yellow lab, is tucked in her crate. No fighting while we're on the road or playing – you have the window I want to look out of / do you want to look out this window? TOUGH!

Amidst the potty breaks and walks around road-side turnouts, I worked on my presentations, polishing documents on my laptop and getting my husband's (and high school teacher) opinion on what writing process themes would best keep grade 7-12 kids interested.

I had a great time presenting a session this morning: Author Visits to DIE for: Virtual Author Visits – talking about all things writers currently do to promote their books (booktrailers, playlists, SWAG and social media) and how library staff can tap into those readily available resources. Plus I talked up Skype author visits and the Skype An Author Network. Highly recommened for public and school libraries wanting to connect readers and authors on a budget. I hope my session sparked some ideas and would love to hear success stories…hint, hint.

From the Parkland Regional Library conference in Lacombe, Alberta, we travelled through a touristy, but tres cool town, Sylvan Lake. Talk about beautiful pseudo-sea side homes!

 

I could so move there in a heartbeat. Lots of funky shops along the marina, pubs and restaurants, mini-golf, waterslides, go-carts and more. Nice. Making this a true, JOY READ, we stopped in a larger city, Red Deer, and checked out the Chapters. Low and behold, Under My Skin was on their shelves! I signed the copies and left some UMS swag. A very cool moment and I snagged a Chai latte too.

One stop at a farmer's field later and the dogs were in their element. Yes, they might have crushed some grass as they tromped through a section of field, but man, did they have energy to kill.

Tomorrow, I'll be presenting to students from Rocky Mountain House. A teacher has read all (or most of) UMS aloud to her grade 10 English class. I can't wait to see what kind of questions they ask….yikes! So that's it in a nutshell, lots of travel, fast food, dog walks, planning a la car, promoting reading and writing, and exploring the country. Author visits ROCK. Everyone should get to do at least one JOY READ. Right, Willow? Woof!

Downtown isn't a place for zombies...

Downtown isn't a place for zombies...well, at least not in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Last year, I found out a little too late to participate in the first annual Zombie Walk. Yeppers, you read correctly, zombies. (OMG! How fun!) The slobbering, staggering, brain loving fiends that have invaded American pop-culture stumbled along the streets of PA's capital city last year. Dragging legs and out stretched hands the walk started on City Island and meandered around downtown. Fun, eh?. This year the city of Harrisburg nipped the brain loving undead walk, stating a event fee would have to be paid.

So what's a zombie girl to do?

The event is being moved to the Harrisburg Mall, which I think is a cool venue, since so many of the modern movies have zombie plaguing the glistening shopping havens.

So this Halloween maybe you can start a zombie revolutions in your home town, too.

For an article with a smidge more details.....
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/inde...

Photo taken by SEAN SIMMERS, The Patriot-News, 2009
Amanda Shafer (yellow) and Matt Caylor of Harrisburg walk over the Walnut Street Bridge during Harrisburg's first Zombie Walk last year.

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